When you go beyond pain, there is a threshold at which some point your body simply decides that enough is enough. That no matter how powerful the will that commands it, there are limitations carved into the very fabric of existence, and such limitations are not meant to be crossed…

"Come on, Nar! Keep going!"

I'm… Trying…

His sword fought him. His aura fought him. And now, his very body sought to drag him under for his own safety, regardless of the giant three-headed beast he faced. He had just dodged one of its heads, but the middle one had its damned jaw snapped wide open, and a cloud of pearlescent blackness was forming, ready to end his party.

"Don't give up now! You can do it, son! We're almost there!"

That was how his dad, Bey, used to encourage him.

When the machine demanded more than Nar could give, when his sight dimmed, his body shutting down as sharp, sterile aura shredded him from within, as blood leaked down his eyes, ears and mouth in order to satisfy that ever hungry quota, Bey would be there, rising above his own suffering to encourage Nar and everyone else under his charge to hang in there, and to keep going.

If they faltered, they risked punishment at the hands of the Clean, and Bey with his own face streaking red, kept them all going in order to avoid a cruelty that could lead to their deaths, or worse.

No matter how awed his party and others might be by Nar's perseverance in withstanding all that pain, torture and restless, back-breaking training and combat, the truth was, in his mind, he wasn't really doing anything that special. He was just following the example of the great man that had raised him, and the one who had sacrificed everything to ensure his future.

Nar had never seen his dad give up, never seen him be anything but the pillar upon which he and their team of Unclean could rely on… No matter how hard, no matter how tough, no matter how painful, his dad always stood tall. And not even the damned Clean had been able to break him.

"Come on, son! Keep those eyes open! I know they're closed! Wake up! Wake up!"

And Nar flung open his bloodshot eyes, and with an un-sapient roar that tore through from the very depths of his being, he tightened his core and stepped through, his blade singing as it sliced through the still, humid air.

The blade of aura dashed upwards, and an explosion consumed the poisonous cloud about to be unleashed upon his helpless party.

"This is how you grow, Nar!" his master said. "This is the way forward!"

"Unstoppable!" Tys shouted at his ear. "Un-fucking-stoppble!"

A startled laugh escaped him, wetness running down the sides of his mouth.

I'm losing my mind… But it's nice to not be alone in this darkness and pain…

Again, that damned middle head prepared its poisonous attack, and again Nar flung his mighty aura against it, splattering the floor of that hungry theatre with his own crimson contributions.

"Nar!" Leon shouted.

There was a whooshing sound, a rush of air as something giant moved past Nar, and a small voice at the back of his mind told him that Leon must have taunted the left head of the hydra as well, in order to save him as Nar shut down.

But I'm not shutting down… Nar thought. Not yet… Not ever. Not while they need me.

His eyes weighed as though the entire Pressure of the B-Nex crushed down upon him, but Nar held his head tall, defiant, to stare at that middle, snake head. Black dots dashed by in between the two combatants, and Nar wasn't even sure anymore if that was just his faltering [Sight], or the thousands of pucks flying around them.

Crystal, You bastard… I hate You so gods damned much, but You better make sure they all live through this, Nar thought.

He heard distant, disjointed mental shouting, but all his focus was intent on that scaled and thorny head, and the black forked tongue that hissed at him.

Pile, did I even do any damage? Nar wondered, grinning in disbelief. How much HP does that thing even have? 500k? A million? More?

He gripped his sword tightly. The others must be almost to the exit by now, he needed to believe that, which meant he just needed to buy them more time…

Oh, I need to help Leon escape too, he remembered, and a small part of his [Sight] cleared and zoomed in on the canopy upon which the snake rested its main body. Oh? That could work.

"I can't think that well, anymore," Nar said, into the chaos of the party chat, and his voice brought upon the silence. "I have a plan to get us out. A distraction. Everyone just needs to run like the Pile is coming down on us, and leave it to me… Leon, if you can, keep it off me for a bit, will you?"

And having said so, he reached for the full amount of aura that his current [Mastery] allowed him, all 749 points of it, and sent it hurtling down his leaking, ravaged pathways, and into the blade, who predictably tried to swallow a huge chunk of it.

Well, if that's how you're going to be, then don't be pissy if I do the same! Nar thought, grinning, and he reached for the core in the weapon, where his emergency stash lay, untouched at the urgings of his master. As always, the golden, wizened man had been right.

But Nar expected resistance. He expected the blade to fight him… Instead, the sword hugged him, as though it was a pair of comforting arms closing tightly around him, steadying him.

What? I thought you were hungry… Nar thought, as a humongous amount of aura hummed within his sword. Crystal, did I misunderstand you?

The blade emptied itself, offering up all the aura within its pathways and core for Nar's use.

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If we live through this, I'll figure out what you want. I promise.

Above him, all the three heads were focused on Leon, and given the banging sounds shaking the air and floor, Nar could only hope that the paladin's golden barrier of light was indeed as immune to damage as Leon had always professed it to be. Nar couldn't imagine the insane amount of power in that skill.

Guess faith also has its own merits, Nar thought, as he took aim, gathering his intent and marshaling his [Ego] to do his best to control the blade's size and aim. The cut needed to be small enough to bypass the moving heads of the beast above him, and it also needed to hit just where its body was heaviest atop those damned, black thorns.

There was so much aura within his sword that it leaked from his blade in great tendrils of gray, sharp edges of white and black shining through the gray. His arms shook, his legs trembled, and his heart beat so fast it felt as though it was one single, long, and continuous heartbeat.

"Here it goes… Brace yourselves," Nar whispered, into the ringing silence that had taken his mind. "I have no idea how much aura is in this…"

And he swung, unleashing all of that aura within the sword... But regret stabbed at his heart as the customary outer body sensation split his being between himself and the lightning-fast wedge of searing, blinding aura.

I missed, Nar realized, as his [Aura Blade] coursed safely past the first head, then the second neck, then the third opened maw as well… But the blade had deviated too far to the left. He was going to miss the dead center of the beast, and the cut would likely not be enough to destroy all the branches supporting it.

If only I had figured out how to properly control it, Nar thought, darkness threatening to take him as emptied, he fought to hold the control over his [Aura Blade]. If only I could make it bigger, or shift it to the right…

Turn.

Reality split, darkness screeched into searing white brightness as a deafening ringing stole sound from the world.

Above him, the blade curved as though by its own will, and it grew in size in order to better hit the canopy of thorns at the right place. It was still going to miss the perfect spot but, at least, it wasn't so far off anymore…

What? Nar thought, eyes wide as the skill moved on its own.

What? Came a distant echo.

Then reality slammed back together with the roar of a distant boom and the dark red light of that place of hungry nightmares was swallowed by a blinding gray. The last thing Nar thought of was to store his glowing, steaming blade, before someone died touching it.

**********

Holy Azzin… He did it.

Leon stared up at that edge of brilliant aura with his glowing eyes of shifting gold, pink and rainbow aether, as Nar's slash turned and expanded mid-flight. He ignored the three heads uselessly banging against his gold shield of faith, and watched, stunned, Nar's triumph. Or at least, breakthrough.

The [Aura Blade] hit the canopy, and cut through it all as though it wasn't even there, then it reached the scaled belly of the Thorn Hydra, and the whole theatre turned to day. Proper day, like the kind that shone bright over his personal vacation residence, the deep blue lake nearby glimmering in a thousand sparkles of shimmering white and silver.

Nar… I was right, Leon thought, as the hydra screeched in triple screams of shock as those flames of gray aura devoured through the canopy, swallowing up the entire ceiling of that death trap to reveal the twilight, pastel red sky behind it. I really need you by my side… I need you amongst my allies for what's to come.

Leon cancelled his barrier as gales roared within the theatre, flattening screaming pucks against the floor, walls and thorns, and he darted for the collapsed auramancer. The paladin had to do his best just to remain standing under the shockwaves of that explosion.

Let's get you out of here! Leon thought, as he scooped Nar onto his shoulder and held him secure, even as his knees buckled from having withstood the passage of that shockwave. You can't die here! You and I have much greater things to accomplish! I just know it!

"Leon!" Calli shouted.

"Move!" Leon shouted to the others, as they struggled back to their feet. "Get to the exit!"

"We're almost there!" Calli replied. "Is…"

"Leon, is he alright?" Jul's voice cut in.

"He's alive!" Gad said, before Leon could. "And he'll recover, right, Jasphaer?"

"You damn right he will! And fuck Tys! I'm pouring everything I got into him!" the long eared, dark furred healer shouted.

"Me too!" Leta vowed.

"Hang in there, Nar!" Leon shouted, as flaming debris rained down upon them, the bulk of the three-headed snake slowly tumbling down to follow suit. "You still have much to achieve! And much higher to climb!"

I'll get him a Named Few teacher! I'll pay Tsurmirel to let him and his party go! Fuck! I'll pay for Row's as well! I'll give them the best homes, and the best food, and the best of everything, and I'll make sure nobody ever looks down on them!

"Stay with me! Nar! Do you…"

"Stop shouting… Crystal. What does a delver need to do in order to earn a nap around here?"

Leon burst out in relieved, hysterical laughter. "You haven't earned it yet, man! Stay with me!"

"Crystal, dammit…" Nar whispered.

"Hey! Hey! Stay awake! Do you want to hear something cool? Uh?" Leon asked Nar. "I'll tell you if you stay awake!"

"Eh… Sure, why not?"

"I actually have a hidden skill!" Leon revealed, grinning from ear to ear. "And it's a really strong one, though it does have a big downside that keeps me from using it…"

"What?" Nar asked. "You… You can't tell me that."

"I trust you, Nar," Leon said. "I really do. And I would be honored if you could count me as a friend when we exit this place."

Leon felt Nar shaking on his shoulder, and his blood ran cold.

"Nar! Nar!" he shouted, as he gave one of the still moving tentacle branches a wide berth. "Nar!"

"Hahaha!"

"Fuck… You scared the shit out of me!" Leon said.

"You're going to have to pray for that…" Nar panted.

"Fuck it! Who cares!" Leon shouted.

The exit was so close now and…The floor shook beneath him, a high-pitched roar filling the arena and drowning out the clamor of the ceiling coming down in flames and of the dying pucks as the fires spread and turned to a strange crimson.

"Shit…" Leon whispered, as he glanced back.

All three heads of the Thorn Hydra were preparing their black, shimmering breath.

We're so close now!

If he used his golden shield, he would have to remain motionless, giving the snake enough time to catch up to them, plus, he had no idea how long that poison would linger in the air, ready to tip Nar over the edge he so dangerously balanced once Leon lowered his skill.

Come on! Come on! Come on! Leon shouted at himself, as the exit loomed closer and closer, demanding more from himself and his damned [Speed].

The others went through the exit one by one, escaping with their lives and the precious cargo they had ferried and kept safe for almost two days under that putrescent air since they had crashed into the Hungry Jungle. Eum went last, and it was rare to see such raw fear twisting the tygaris' features…

Behind Leon, he heard the sound of the triple gas leak, and his heart faltered.

"Hey, Leon?" Nar called.

"Yeah?" the paladin asked, his heart threatening to burst from his chest.

"I'm your friend already. Here and now."

"Gaaaah!" Leon shouted, as he pushed forward even faster, screaming as something sharp pushed and scraped against his lung, threatening to pierce it.

But he didn't care anymore. He was going to get Nar to safety, even if it was the last thing he achieved. And as the poisonous, black shimmering gas covered the edges of his sight, he leaped into that misshapen, dark square amidst the branches. Beyond, a branch amidst branches, twisting, shifting, up and down as he ran, and blessed silence descended upon him.

"The poison!" Leta cried. "It's following us!"

"Jump! Jump! Jump!" Sej shouted.

"We don't know how to swim!" Jaz shouted back.

"JUST JUMP!"

And Leon jumped.

The dungeon spun around him, and from the distance, a mighty triple roar reverberated within his chest. An epic boss was no trifling matter, and even from that distance, with a wall of brambles between them, the beast's roar was powerful enough as to be a physical presence pressing in against his eardrums and chest.

Then a cool embrace took him, and he plunged into a purple, inky darkness. Weightless, as silver air bubbles shimmered on their way to the surface.

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