I was woken by a soft kick to my side.

  It was Tabby. “Time to get up, sleepy head. We’ve got more monsters to fight.”

  I blinked away my tiredness. I had intended to only rest for an hour, but I slept through two, as both groups were mostly up and about, preparing themselves before we resumed the dungeon crawl.

  “Are we about to head out?” I asked.

  “I think so,” Tabby replied. She crouched down next to me. “You sure teaming up with those Dalari is a good idea?”

  “I’m sure that we can’t complete our quest on our own,” I said. “We’ve been lucky so far, and I worry we aren’t strong enough to see it to the end. I can’t have any of you getting hurt, and working with the Dalari solves that. You, Delen, and Kitz can hang back where it's safe and let the players do the work.”

  Tabby frowned. “You’re sidelining me, is that it?”

  “Not at all,” I said. “You have a ranged weapon, and I expect you to use it. Same with Kitz. Delen can throw rocks or solve any puzzles we may run into. You all have a part. Your part is just in a safer area.”

  “Fine,” she said, still frowning, but her face did soften when she said, “Delen thinks you’re crazy. He thinks one of the Dalari will hurt Ersabet, and he says it’s all your fault.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “He’s blaming me for something that hasn’t happened yet?”

  “He’s blaming you for putting her in danger.”

  Ersabet agreed to this plan. She knows, as I do, that we need help to finish this. If Delen wants to blame anyone, it should be her. If she had said no, then that would have been the end of it.”

  Tabby laughed quietly to herself. “You and I both know that in the eyes of Delen, Ersabet is infallible.”

  I groaned and stuck out a hand. Tabby grabbed it and helped haul me to my feet. Delen and Kitz were chatting nearby, but I didn’t see Ersabet.

  “Where’s big blue?”

  Tabby pointed to the other Dalaris. Fela had broken away from her group and was speaking in a hushed tone to Ersabet.

  “Wonder what they’re talking about.” I mused.

  “Probably the best way to keep that Latro fellow from killing her,” Tabby said. “Why does he want to kill her?”

  “When they travelled together, Ersabet befriended him,” I said. “She thought she could trust him, so she shared some beliefs about the games that are seen as radical among her kind. The group booted her out, and I’m pretty sure she got into a fight with Latro at one point. From what I can tell, only a few in the group are hardliners like Latro, but that doesn’t mean the others don’t find Ersabet’s beliefs equally distasteful.”

  “She told them she thought the games were evil, didn’t she?” Tabby guessed.

  “Something like that. As you can imagine, some players might take offence at being associated with something considered evil.”

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  “Good for her,” Tabby said. “She stood up for herself. Makes her even more badass, if you ask me.”

  I watched Ersabet speak with Fela, and I couldn’t help but agree. Ersabet was a badass, yes, but she was also a good person. She felt empathy, unlike the majority of the players I had met so far, and to her, humans weren’t playthings. We were people. Perhaps we weren’t equal to her in strength or intelligence, but we were people nonetheless and equally deserving of life.

  I was unbelievably lucky to have found Ersabet. Without her, I would already be six feet under.

  Ersabet and Fela ended their conversation, and Tabby and I grouped up with Delen and Kitz, awaiting Ersabet’s word. She strolled casually toward us, but her eyes were serious.

  “It is time for us to depart,” she said. “The other Dalari will take the lead for the most part, and we will assist with fights as needed. We expect to find a floor boss soon, which will allow us passage to the second floor. Fela and her group have completed the second floor twice and believe we will be just fine, especially since we have such a large force. They’ve always ported out of the dungeon after the second floor, so everyone will be experiencing the third floor for the first time. Be on your guard at all times, even while we remain on this floor. I do not expect trouble from the Dalari, but keep an eye on them. If any of them wish us dead, there is no better place to do it than in the darkness of a dungeon. Do not rely on them during fights. You may think one has your back only for them to let a creature pass by and kill you, claiming it was an unfortunate accident.”

  “Is that really necessary?” I asked. “Fela seemed decent, and they all look up to her.”

  “Do not be naive, Musgrave. Speaking of which,” she tapped me on the head. This one may only be referred to as Milton or Musgrave henceforth. If you call him by his in-game name, you risk all our lives. Is this understood?”

  Everyone nodded.

  I raised a finger. “Let’s just make it easy and stick with Musgrave.”

  “But I really like Milton,” Tabby said, faking sadness.

  “No one likes Milton. Everyone ready?” I asked, eager to move on.

  “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Delen said. “However, I can’t say I’m looking forward to going back out there.”

  Tabby pulled him into a side hug. “Don’t worry, big guy. I’ll keep you safe.”

  The Dalari group approached us, led by Fela. “It is time. You humans should stick to the back of the group and let us handle the brunt of the fighting. For your safety, and for ours, only provide assistance when needed.”

  “I’ll be up front with you,” I said. “I can hold my own.”

  I received some wary looks, but Ersabet backed me up.

  “Musgrave is an asset,” she said. “I’ve seen what he can do firsthand, and I can assure you, his power vastly exceeds that of a normal human.”

  Fela looked me up and down and gave me a wry smile. “I’d very much like to hear your story sometime, Musgrave. It’s rare to meet humans who have been blessed like you.”

  “If we can make it through the third floor, we’ll talk,” I said with a wink.

  Fela’s smile only sharpened at those words. It was probably best that I avoided her as much as possible. Plus, I wasn’t keen on creating some origin story for myself.

  “Why don’t you stay at the front with Ersabet and me?” she said. “Let us see for ourselves just how powerful you are.”

  “Let’s hope I live up to the hype.”

  “You better, or we might die.” Fela smiled brightly at me.

  “Are we doing this or what?” Yurian, the fresh-faced Dalari, asked. “I’m ready to get into some action. We’ve only fought one boss so far.”

  “That’s ‘cause we killed the boss guarding the saferoom,” Tabby said, grinning from ear to ear. “We did your work for you.”

  Yurian smiled back at her. “What was the boss this time?”

  “Hag,” Tabby said, cringing. “Got into our heads. Made us see things, but we overcame the old bitch.”

  Yurian laughed, and it sounded like the first light of spring. How could a laugh be so full and bright?

  Tabby noticed it too, her blushing cheeks giving it away.

  Ersabet was beautiful, of course, but being around these other Dalari reminded me just how beautiful their species truly was. Each and every one had a perfect, fit body and a defined, yet soft face. It was weird, in a sexy way.

  Fela was perhaps the most beautiful Dalari I had ever seen. She walked like a panther, muscles coiled and ready to strike, yet each step she took was soft and intentional. Her lighter eyes and skin tone made her stand out among her kind. She was also the first I had met with visible tattoos. She was different, and she wasn’t hostile to us. I would keep an eye on her, and if I was honest, it wasn’t solely because she might try to kill me at any moment.