I am staring into a green abyss. Concentric white hexagons are spinning in alternating directions, imperceptibly pulsing in place, beckoning all that dare enter.

  “Suit up,” I instruct Elisa. Her armor snaps around her body.

  Erysis and Nexen warp in, already ready for action.

  The armored mage saunters over to her equally armored teacher and asks, “Did you enjoy your time alone? Just the two of you.” The enchanted piece of equipment around the elf answers for her, releasing a subtle thrum of intent.

  Then Elisa adds a clarifier, “Pressure training the whole dungeon.”

  Even with the helmet around Erysis’ head, I can see her face fall.

  “Everyone ready?” I ask. All three affirm. “Now, we have no idea what might be in there, so I’ll be entering first. When I determine that it’s safe—well, relatively safe—I’ll send you a message. If you lose contact with me, only Elisa will follow.” The elf’s body language indicates surprise, but she quickly nods.

  I take a step and pass through the portal. I send a message. Three armored individuals appear next to me.

  The gate out is to our backs. In front, is a dead world. Ruined skyscrapers puncture into a thick layer of smog, their tops lost in the brown haze, like gutted creatures sinking upward. Sharp winds pick up dust and ash from the barren ground, covered by crumbling asphalt and cracked concrete. The occasional desiccated tree, splintered and broken, is the only indication that this world was once alive.

  “Is this Earth?” Erysis asks.

  “No,” I answer. “A facsimile. This is no city I know, nor do any building and zoning laws I have in my databanks match the landscape.”

  “Huh.”

  “Most egregiously, there’s no sewer network. But there is, apparently, a water distribution system.” I send her the scans.

  “Weird. Are those power cables?”

  “Yeah. But they don’t lead to anything.”

  Elisa snaps her fingers a few times, producing metallic clinks. “Focus up, Mr. Bigshot Adventurer.”

  I shrug my shoulders. “Don’t worry, there’s still at least two seconds until that fella shoots at us.”

  Erysis has already covered us with a transparent barrier. A projectile pierces the magic and goes through where her head just was. The sonic boom follows the hit a split second later.

  Nexen lifts his hand up. From his point of view, his palm is covering one of the buildings near us. His hand closes in a fist. Reality itself follows his command, as concrete and steel are compressed by an unseen grasp, crushing the towering building in the middle. The top half lethargically tilts and appears to be slowly floating to the ground, only to deceptively quickly smash against the earth in an explosion of dust and rubble.

  Before the formed cloud can consume us, I create a simple barrier. With a clear of my throat, I say, “May I remind you that this is an exploratory delve.” Nexen looks a little remorseful under the armor.

  Erysis waves her hand dismissively. “Relax. There’s going to be more monsters. We even learned that the welcoming can be quite deadly. That barrier should have blocked most C-grade attacks.” Elisa affirms her apprentice’s hypothesis.

  “Try enhancing your energy shield with the same level of output,” I say. “You have three seconds.”

  Erysis whips her gaze in a direction and engages both defensive measures. A projectile tunnels through the dust and splashes against a shimmering surface, reduced to harmless fragments.

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  I turn to a giddy Nexen. “Go get ‘em.”

  He blinks away and then, with minimal delay, streaks back to the spot he was standing at, holding our harrier in one hand and its instrument in another.

  The monster is thrashing around in jittery movement, almost robotic in their nature, which is quite thematic, as it also seems to be robotic in its nature. A silvery humanoid with a featureless face.

  I let the monster slam its arms and legs against Nexen ineffectively as I motion to its weapon. He hands it to me. I shoulder the sniper rifle approximation and pull the trigger. The weathered beam of concrete I was aiming at does not sport another hole.

  I hand the weapon to Elisa.

  The elf checks it over and pulls the trigger herself. Nothing. She passes it over to Erysis. “Examine it and tell me everything you find out.”

  Erysis hums and issues a command. “Titanium alloy? Is it a useful resource?” I make a so-so gesture. She looks through the scope. “An extension of the monster’s abilities. As well as the ammo. ...Probably. In the upper levels of C, enhanced by the concept of Earth technology. Or technology itself.” The fire mage scrutinizes the rifle some more. “They’re linked. The monster can recall it if it so chooses.” Just then, the rifle changes hands. But before our enemy can act, a sticky fireball splashes against its shoulder and severs the arm holding the weapon. “Intelligent. Even for a C.”

  “Good,” Elisa says. “That one was a freebie. Starting now, I’ll be interfering with your spellcasting.” Erysis grumbles from behind her helmet. The elf chuckles at her displeasure.

  Nexen points at a wiggling joint. “Regeneration. Weak but it sets a precedent.”

  Erysis swiftly recovers from the grumbling and starts rocking on her heels. “Can you hack it?”

  “Whuh? That’s uh... not even remotely how hacking works,” I say. “First of all, why would their network be open? Second, how would I immediately adapt my software to something that did not exist like a week ago? Third, why would a magical monster use digital means of communication? And finally, why would it even communicate? Someone’s been watching too many campy shows.”

  “Whatever... Someone can go defrag himself.”

  I wince and suck some air through my teeth. “Ooh. You can’t say that.”

  “What? Oh no! I am so sorry, Lucius. I didn’t know—”

  “Pfft.”

  I practically feel her eyes narrowing behind the emotionless mask that is her helmet, promising deliciously wicked retribution in my immediate future.

  After a few seconds of Elisa and Nexen trying, and failing, to suppress their snickering, the fire mage turns away from me and buries a burning hand in the Android Sniper’s chest, pulling out a spherical shape through the melted metal.

  She offers me the prize. “Core.”

  I stick my tongue out at her and attempt to snatch it from her hand. She tries to pull away at the last moment, but I am faster.

  “Looks like a combination of magical and mundane tech,” I comment, ignoring the background grumbling. “That’s both good and bad.”

  Erysis forgets that she was mad at me and asks with interest, “How so?”

  “It’s good because it means it’s not solely my fault. And it’s bad because the dungeons will be stronger.”

  Nexen helpfully chimes in, “Conceptual weight.”

  “Exactly,” I affirm. “To balance the encounters, my technology will be an insisted upon supplement.”

  We quickly examine the apparent core of the monster and then store both it and the remains for later study. A lot of other people will want to take a look too.

  With that done, we start moving deeper in. Another android, carrying a shorter-range weapon, showers Nexen with unlimited automatic fire, the projectiles plinking off of his form, leaving not a single mark upon his prized armor. Erysis strains, trying to form a spell. Two attempts fail to resolve. The third melts the top half of the monster away.

  The expedition continues much the same for a time. Erysis gradually overcoming the toughening interference of her teacher, and Nexen soaking in any attacks with ease. Occasionally, he also splatters an android or two into scrap.

  My friends have gotten stronger once again, and it’s not the armor. I can feel the potency of Elisa’s countering. The elf is far from holding back. And I saw Nexen subconsciously move his arm to stifle a yawn. My delve into the Maw has pushed them farther than I ever thought it would, an unwelcome catalyst for improvement. Those few short months have seen them obtain the C-rank and then B, now preparing to eventually tackle the next. And by what I’m seeing, I might gain some company without them even realizing it.

  Elisa pulls me out of my musings, speaking to me on a private channel, “You okay?”

  “Mmm.”

  “You had one of those looks you sometimes get.”

  I inadvertently smile when the elf gently bumps against me. “You know me, love to contemplate.”

  “Not blaming yourself for this one, I hope.”

  “No. ...Maybe a little.”

  “Would have been concerned if you weren’t.” She lets out a brief chuckle. “What were you thinking about?”

  “Erysis and Nexen. How much they’ve grown in my absence. It makes me both happy and sad.”

  Elisa haughtily asks, “Do I not claim part of the credit?”

  “Yes, yes. Your troops are exemplary, Supreme Commander.” My remark earns me another bump. “But going back to things I love...” I hear an exasperated exhale. “I love you most of all.”

  “...Dummy.”