We emerge out of the castle and into an oppressively muggy rainforest. It’s thankfully not the heat of the day, but the swampy air already makes me wish I had a gemstone on hand that pulled all the humidity out of the atmosphere around us. It feels not far removed from trying to breathe underwater. Upon a few moments of reflection, I probably could jerryrig some sort of dehumidifier with a [Wind], [Heat], and inverted [Water] glyph. But I decide against giving myself such comfort; our supply of [Ether Canisters] is limited, my [Ether] regeneration is still garbage, and there’s still that thing within the tower forcing us to continue moving upward, or else.

Most immediately apparent, besides the humidity, is how dark it is down here, made even more so as the stairway leading down to the fourth floor vanishes underneath us. Hints of the blue sky sneak through the thick jungle canopy, but only hints, leaving the underbrush not much brighter than dusk. For our eyes, though, this isn’t even a shortcoming.

Through all of this, though, after the doppelganger on the third floor, then the hundreds of humanoid soldier constructs we had to slay on the previous floor, the fifth floor is still overall a welcome change of pace. There are plenty of jungle animals eyeing us warily. A few pythons and boas, a jaguar lurking within the underbrush. And more bugs— many of them supersized— than I can swing a sword at. But no humans. I dare not say no intelligent life— who knows what sort of monstrosities the System has devised for us this time around. But at least we get a brief reprieve from the moral quandaries that come with fighting humanoids. Probably.

“So, where to go now?” Chloe asks.

There isn’t an immediate answer to that question that I can tell. Even if Chloe and I soar above the canopy and gaze out into the fields, there’s no guarantee we’ll find anything that’s hidden down here on the surface. And worse still, we could end up separated, or forced to fight something airborne while I’m still sitting at barely seventy percent of my maximum [Health] and [Ether].

I do wish we had a larger party; I should have invited Alana to join us. Or better still, maybe Lindsey will come back and the three of us can join up again, just like we did back in Red Clay City. I shove my laments aside to focus on the positives. This trip has been fruitful in terms of Experience and gear alike, and once we get back home, I’ll be able to reverse-engineer the new glyphs I’m sure are present on all these new items.

Just need to figure out how to make it out of here.

We head in a random direction, though it’s hard to tell what direction it is. I can’t see the sun, and there’s no reason to believe the sun in this pseudospace even rises in the east and sets in the west. As soon as we take about ten steps away from our starting point, though, the monsters, previously content to wait and watch, swarm us as if guided by an unseen malevolence. Was there some sort of undetectable barrier that kept them at bay?

In either case, Chloe and I take a defensive position with an especially large tree at our backs. It’s as though the entire rainforest sees us as a tasty treat, and it’s first-come, first-serve. I flicker on [Archangel’s Gaze] to take stock of the entire battlefield. It’s a good thing I do, because parrots and spiders by the dozens start swarming us from above just as a pair of jaguars charge us from either side.

Just like the last floor, though, the fight is more of an endurance match. With her new [Celestial Robes], Chloe’s [Scouring Light] absolutely annihilates through the creatures attacking us. I channel the [Fire] glyph in my [Mechanical Arm Cannon] and start launching flaming [Ether Bullets] at the area around us. It takes a few shots before the ignition happens— there’s simply too much humidity for fires to take easily. But I know that once they start, they’re going to roar a pathway through this lush hellscape.

And they do. The inferno rages, leaping from tree to tree, covering our surroundings in a shimmering haze as our surroundings turn from green and brown to incandescent orange and red. Kill notifications don’t come in immediately— these creatures are far too resilient to be brought down by flames which are, ultimately, mundane and nonmagical a few seconds after leaving my hand.

“Sorry about this, Chloe. Time to make a break for it.”

“Understood, love. I’ll be ready the moment you are.”

I reach into my pouch, grabbing the shining deep blue sapphire. Holding it aloft, I channel a single point of [Ether] into the gemstone, activating the glyphs and triggering a chain reaction which causes several gallons of water to appear, dousing Chloe and I both in a cool, refreshing embrace. Once our bodies and clothes are coated in enough water, the two of us dash in the direction of Chloe’s last burst of [Scouring Light], where the enemy density before us is at its nadir.

The fires, now at our back, don’t completely stop enemy pursuit. But they do slow the enemies down, and they do some damage in the process. I check over my Status to confirm the plan: I still have 37 minutes left on my [Saintess’s Blessing], meaning Chloe should have about 41 minutes left on her [Angel’s Grace].

The two of us can run plenty fast for quite a long time thanks to one another’s buffs sending our [Speed] and [Vitality] both to dizzying heights. And without needing to continuously burn [Ether] for an active Skill, buying ourselves a minute or three will work to our advantage.

“Wait, Sera, I see something,” Chloe messages. “Ten o’clock.”

I turn a bit to my left, following after Chloe. I’m not currently seeing anything, my [Archangel’s Gaze] currently inactive as I draw upon one of the [Ether Canisters] from the previous floor and force the contents into my body with all the metaphysical pull I can exert.

[[Intermediate Ether Manipulation] synergizes with [Ether Canister]. 527 [Ether] restored.]

“Oof.” I grimace as the last bit of Ether enters my body. My entire body aches all of a sudden. I glance down at my health and see that I’ve taken nearly four hundred damage. But there are no wounds on my body. I don’t think it’s a curse of some sort, but then it hits me. I must have somehow pulled so hard with my [Ether] channels that I ended up straining one of them. I didn’t even know such a thing was possible, especially since I’m supposed to have [[Ether] Strain Immunity], but I suppose it’s good to know now that using canisters in this fashion isn’t riskless.

I shrug off the pain, though I should probably have Chloe look at this and try to make a diagnosis once we have a spare moment.

We continue sprinting through the jungle toward what Chloe had seen earlier. After a minute, we find what looks to be a small shrine. With jungle animals still chasing after us and the roaring flames still at our backs, we make our way inside, only sparing the briefest of glances around the entryway for any signs of Ether-infused traps. There are none that my eyes can see.

What there is, however, is a giant winged serpent, probably four feet in diameter and sixty feet long. Not a dragon, thankfully, nor even a wyvern. More akin to a snake, but with the wings of an eagle about a third of the way down its body. It wastes no time, instead lunging directly at Chloe.

I intercept, launching a trio of [Lightning]-infused [Ether Bullets] into the creature’s maw. It is wholly unfazed, biting down upon me. I step back at the last moment, avoiding its fangs, tipped green with some sort of nasty venom. But I still get rammed by its snout, which pushes me back into the wall behind me. My health falls by another six hundred points, leaving me at a touch over 2,000.

Warm light fills my body as Chloe’s [Healing Light] takes effect. The System notification that accompanies it is less than ideal.

[You have recovered a reduced 720 [Health]. [Angelic Bond] doubles [Health] restoration. [Health] restored by 1,440.]

[You are affected by [[Ether] Channel Rupture]. All healing effects reduced by 33% until restored. (Duration: 71:59:21)]

That pretty much confirms it. My [Ether] channels aren’t working right, meaning I can’t rely on my [Glyphcasting] for another three days. Best case scenario if I do is that more channels rupture and I’m going to worsen my condition. Worst case scenario, I lose another part of my body from trying to force it further. Or my life.

My martial skills still work fine. I’m able to use my [Shining Sword] and my [Mechanical Arm Cannon] just fine. The latter, while consuming a small bit of [Ether] with each shot, doesn’t seem affected either. Trying to Manifest glyphs, however, is right out, the surge of fire through my veins alerting me damn well that trying to force the issue would be a really bad idea.

I relay all this information to Chloe during the momentary lull in the fight after her [Scouring Light] hits home.

“Acknowledged. We’ll be as cautious as can be and get out of here the first chance we get.”

The part about neither of us knowing how far we need to go is left unstated, though it looms over both of us as we continue the fight. Chloe envelops me in [Saintess’s Cloister] just before I get batted away by the snake’s wings. I’m able to use my own wings to reorient myself in midair, landing on the wall behind me feet-first. And then, with the springlike energy stored in my bent knees, I fly forward at full force, drawing my sword and stabbing our enemy’s left eye.

It shrieks and attempts to blast me with a splashing spray of venom. But it’s far too slow. I suffer a few superficial wounds and a weak [Poisoned] status from inhaling the fumes, but [Archangel’s Gaze] is an absolutely ludicrous ability. One which allows me to sense the danger approaching the moment [Ether] begins building in the serpent’s mouth and contort my body to avoid almost all of it.

While the creature is momentarily dazed, I take an opportunity to gouge out its other eye as well. I don’t know how well it will work; these creatures often rely on heat-sensing organs so…

I switch to the inverted [Heat] glyph on my [Mechanical Arm Cannon] and aim for the small divot just above its tiny nostrils. Ten shots. None of them do much damage, but the [Frosted Bullets] do encase the eagle-winged ophidian’s upper jaw and forehead in a sheet of ice a few inches thick.

Almost instantly, its movement becomes more erratic. More dangerous, perhaps. But more easily exploitable. Though it’ll be difficult for me to properly exploit it given my condition.

Chloe holds back, charging an even larger [Scouring Light] for the right moment. Meanwhile, I fight defensively, blocking each time the creature charges toward me and delivering small counterstrikes where I can.

Fatigue is setting in; it’s been two minutes, though it feels like it’s been ten as compressed as time seems to be in the midst of battle. My shoulders are aching and that pain in my chest isn’t getting any better. I don’t think it’s getting worse, though that could just be the adrenaline dulling my pain.

Thirty seconds later, I’m forced to reevaluate, as my left arm grows erratic. An effect of the poison still coursing through me? I’m forced to use my off-hand to fight. I can do so, quickly snapping my [Wyvernscale Buckler] on my left and doing what I can. Still I continue through it all. I absolutely won’t die. Not here, and certainly not to this thing.

I fight and fight. My head grows light. My body feels like it’s floating. It’s hard to concentrate now… But as Chloe’s massive [Scouring Light] disintegrates the boss of the floor and the System notification confirms the kill, I slot all four free stat points into [Vitality] to try to repair my damaged internals and then promptly pass out.

[You have slain 1,692 Assorted Jungle Animals (Levels ranging from 18 to 32). You have gained a boosted 14,505 Experience.]

[You have slain a Quetzlcoatl (Level 43). You have gained a boosted 61,000 Experience. (Experience boosted for defeating a dungeon boss.)]

[You have gained enough Experience to reach Level 40. [Strength] +1, [Speed] +1, [Vitality] +1, [Mind] +1. Please assign free stat points (Remaining: 4).]

[Maximum [Health] increases by [Vitality] x 2 + Current Level + Rand[1,3] = 216]

[Maximum [Ether] increases by [Mind] + Current Level + Rand[0,2] = 163]

[Level: 40; Experience: 847,605; To Next: 43,605]

[Current Stats: [Health]: 2,211 / 5,097; [Ether]: 895 / 1,826 (3,653)]

[Current Stats: [Strength]: 77 (Base: 46); [Speed]: 77 (Base: 46); [Vitality]: 141 (Base: 87); [Mind]: 210 (Base: 123)]