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43. Skills

“Looks like Jump, Entry, and Slash, what do you think?” Ikara said, leaning against the window.

“Huh?” Rowan asked, startled out of his thoughts.

Ikara gestured. “Her skills. ...

42. Rats in a Box

Rowan froze. He glanced around. Are they all going to jump on me at once? He backed up to the window, ready to hop back through.

After a few moments, the monsters turned away. Some s...

41. Cheap Tactics

Ikara hefted a cinderblock at the bat. It knocked off the monster’s head. Stunned, it staggered to the side.

Before it could recover, Rowan ran over, grabbed a hunk of wall, and threw it. I...

40. Arena

Kaidu’s phone rang. He held up a finger and lifted it to his ear. “N. Kaidu, Hairdresser.”

Frantic, machine-gun speech came from the other end, too fast for Rowan to catch, but the pani...

39. Training

The exclusion zone crept up on them, the way it always did. A smattering of closed-down shops, the rest struggling, or plastered with scammy advertisements, capitalizing on the cheap land. Potholes...

38. Ambush by the Tower

The Tower rose up before he knew it, monolithic as ever. Rowan blinked up at it, squinting against the sun. I’ll do it. One day, I’ll conquer that Tower!

“Take it down! Down wi...

31. Betrayal

The yellowjacket retreated, buzzing furiously. Blood spilled down his stomach, hot and bright. He grabbed his stomach and staggered, propping himself up with the rake. Betrayed, he stared up at Jud...

37. Wake Up (you wanted to)

Rowan startled awake mid-fall. He reached out, desperate, and latched onto a throw pillow as he crashed into the ground. A second throw pillow toppled after him and bumped off his face.

“Ow...

36. Tomorrow And Yesterday

The skillet popped and sizzled. Hissing atop it, the eggs turned from translucent to white.

“We’ll have to register you as a member of the party. Tomorrow, we’ll swing by. Long as we go...

35. Best Laid Plans

White marble countertops. Spotless white walls. White leather furniture. Perfectly white rugs. White curtains, white plates, white cups, even the lamp in the corner was white.

“Dang,” Row...

34. Recovery

“You’re back?” the healer asked, startled.

“Heal him,” Kaidu ordered, holding out a limp Rowan. His head drooped, and fresh blood poured down his shirt and pants.

“Holy fuck...

33. Back-Alley Surgery

White. Pure white.

Smoke filled his vision. Colors filtered in through it, a flash of black, a splash of red. He stepped out into the lobby, behind the receptionist.

Rowan’s vision wo...

32. Floor One Boss

Kaidu slid out from under his shoulder. “Can you fight?”

Rowan caught himself with the rake. He glanced down at the plant. Leaves thrust upward from his stomach, disconcertingly bright. A...

30. Reunion

Rowan’s stomach grumbled. He looked at Kaidu. “Got any more of that mushroom?”

Kaidu pressed his lips together. He reached into his pocket and drew out a nearly-empty plastic bag of bee...

29. Safe Landing

Out into the sun. The disc hovered away, over the forest. “Get far enough away the ants won’t follow us,” Lancelot ordered Morgan.

The disc flew at a stately pace. The slippery surface ...

28. Rescue for a Hero

Slabs of earth dropped through the sky onto the bodyguard ants. Terry jumped back, avoiding the blast at the last moment. Dust flew through the air, mushrooming into a cloud.

Rowan waved his ...

27. Queen

Up ahead, the passage widened. Smaller ants of both colors scurried past, carrying wriggling grubs or fresh, wet eggs gently in their mandibles. Their guard nudged them again, urgently.

“Wh...

26. Prison

Rowan sagged against the wall. His guts ached. His hand burned. A throbbing pain emanated from his feet. This is awful. Maybe I shouldn’t have challenged the Tower.

Immediately, Ro...

25. A Breath of Fresh Air

Rowan stood and looked over his shoulder at the green-glowing mushrooms. Or rather… what do those other mushrooms have that you don’t?

Curious, he walked to the primary mound and...

24. Gardening for Ants

Tunnels curled deeper and deeper into the earth. A few rays of sunshine filtered down here and there at first, but as they walked on, the sunlight grew dimmer and dimmer until Rowan had to fumble a...

23. Anthill

The fall only lasted a few seconds before soft sand crumbled beneath him. He hurtled into the anthill, digging a hole through the carefully-piled sand. Glimpses of ants rushed past, quick visions o...

22. Best Laid Plans

Branches dragged at their bodies. Brambles cut at Rowan's legs and arms, and sharp seeds cut his feet. The footsteps grew closer and closer, thunderous and unrelenting. Ahead, two branches split fr...

21. Heist (Draft 2)

“Find anything?” Kaidu asked.

Rowan shot him a thumbs up. “I’ve got us a route.”

“What are the ants for?”

Rowan held up the bag. “Oh, these? I found their anthill-...

20. Master Plan (Draft 2)

Author's note: Hey everyone! Did a major rewrite recently and realized I didn't post the chaps on Patreon! I'm gonna be posting the rewritten chapters as Draft 2s, so if you only want the cannon go...

21. A Small Problem

“I thought we agreed not to try and kill anyone. What happened to that?” Rowan grumbled, bumping along on Ruby's back.

“I didn’t try to kill anyone. It was a disabling attack,” Kaid...

20. Crime

Clutching her wrist, the wounded girl bared her teeth at them. “You fucking dweebs thought you could steal from us? What is this bullshit. You’re, what, level two?”

Beryl’s eyes flew ...

19. Shoes Or Bust

Creeping through the forest, Rowan carefully placed each foot, mindful not only of what might gouge his dirt-blackened soles, but also of crinkly leaves, dry twigs, and snapping pinecones from the ...

18. Camp

Sun set in the distance. Rowan watched it fall, one hand on a tree. “Crazy how they fit a whole star inside the Tower.”

“The Tower is mysterious, and no one fully understands how it fun...

17. Escape

Fire burst out above them. Red ants came to the edge of the hole and peered down at them, heads tilted quizzically. One stepped onto the sand experimentally and slid, sideways and out of control, u...

16. Sand Trap

Exhausted, Rowan pushed himself onward. Aching, exhausted legs protested his efforts. His shoes dragged at his feet. Red sores traced the straps of the flipflops, with blisters blooming where his f...