return to Ignition

Alice’s thoughts churned like storm clouds as she stood before the balcony’s edge. The twin’s laughter still echoed down the hall, muffled by palace walls, and Jen’s soft voice lingered somewhere behind her. She should have felt comfort. Safe. But all she could feel was the weight of everything her father’s house represented pressing against her back.

Below, the world glittered a city of sand and glass sprawled beneath the hovering cathedral. Ikos, the jewel of the Dustfront. Quin’s empire. His money, his power, his name stamped into every stone. And now, for the first time in her life, she’d used that name for something. Asked him for something.

Her stomach twisted.

(He’d think this means I’m changing my mind. That I finally want what he’s been trying to buy for years. To stand beside him, the perfect little heiress of Inspira. No. Not yet. Not like this.)

She could still see Ignition in her head, that impossible wall of muscle and fury, his fire lighting the dungeon like a second sun. He’d bled for every ounce of his power. No guild name, no family wealth, no safety net. Just raw strength and the will to survive.

(That’s what I need. I’m not going to earn anything sitting in a palace.)

Alice took a step closer to the edge. Wind tugged at her hair, the crimson strands matching the sky’s dying light. Her wings unfurled instinctively, gleaming in the dusk. They felt alive, muscles she didn’t know she had shifting and flexing beneath her skin.

She hesitated only a heartbeat. Then she jumped.

The first rush was freedom, wind screaming in her ears, her body weightless, the city lights spinning below. The second was pain and humiliation as she tried to bank left and instead slammed headfirst through a passing advertisement drone.

“...Ow.”

Wings flared wide, feathers scattering sparks, and she barely managed to steady herself. Her reflection flashed in a mirrored window flushed, ruffled, and very obviously half-dressed.

(Okay. Flying feels natural. Flying straight clearly doesn’t.)

She huffed, shaking off the dizziness, and caught the warm updraft from one of the waterfalls pouring from the floating island’s edge. Her wings spread instinctively, catching it, and she shot upward a crimson streak slicing across the darkening sky.

Below, the city pulsed with life. The streets of Ikos wound through canyons of stone and glass, the desert beyond glowing faintly under the twilight. It was easy to forget how much the world had changed how the old borders meant nothing now. The Dustfront, Redrock Marches, The Drylands… all the remnants of the old Southwest scattered beneath a new sky.

But Alice didn’t look down. She angled her wings, pushing higher.

(When I go back to him… it’ll be as someone who’s earned it. Not a name. Not a favor. Just me. If I’m going to be famous, it’s going to be on my own terms. Then, sure, I’ll take advantage of all his money. He’ll probably love that.)

A grin tugged at her lips as she banked toward the Guild tower, wings cutting the air with renewed confidence.

The wind caught her laughter defiant, reckless, and full of life.

Alice’s landing was less “graceful Valkyrie descent” and more “pigeon discovering glass exists.”

The front doors of the Guild tower loomed up faster than she expected, and before she could even think about slowing down, her reflection widened in the polished surface then WHAM!

She hit chest-first, wings splaying wide with a slap of feathers and a muffled oomph. The enchanted glass didn’t even scratch; it simply shuddered with a faint ripple of mana before returning to pristine stillness. Alice, on the other hand, slid slowly down the door, leaving a faint smear of sweat and pride behind.

By the time she reached the floor, she was sitting in a heap, hair in her face, wings twitching like they were offended.

“…nailed it,” she muttered weakly.

A pair of low-level clerks froze mid-step just inside the lobby. One of them looked like he wanted to help; the other looked like he wanted to pretend she didn’t exist.

Alice groaned, pushing herself upright, feathers shedding faint motes of mana. “I meant to do that,” she grumbled, dusting herself off as her shawl flickered between modest and not nearly modest enough.

(Perfect. Exactly the triumphant return I wanted. Crashed my first flight straight into the front door of the Guild like a drunk dove. Dice must be having a field day with this one.)

The glass door finally hissed open with a soft click, and the receptionist from before blinked at her in disbelief. “Miss… Inspira?”

Alice winced but **** a grin. “Yeah. Don’t tell anyone I entered through the window at two hundred miles an hour.”

From deeper inside the hall, a few adventurers turned to stare, whispers spreading like wildfire. Someone muttered, “Is that the Guildmaster’s kid?”

Alice sighed through her teeth. (Great. Fame speedrun unlocked. And I didn’t even get XP for that crash.)

She straightened her shoulders, flexed her still-twitching wings, and strode through the lobby like nothing had happened eyes forward, chin high, feathers trailing behind her.

(Okay, Ignition. Wherever you are, you better pretend you didn’t see that.)

Alice leaned against the front counter, still brushing stray feathers out of her hair when the clerk looked up from his slate.

“Ignition? Oh uh, you just missed him.”

Her stomach dropped. “What do you mean missed him?”

The clerk flinched at her tone, checking the display again. “He departed this morning for The Sepulchral Labyrinth. That’s one of the upper tier gates near the Dustfront Rift. After his clearance on the Candyman, he officially hit level thirty one promoted to B-rank. He doesn’t need to file party attachments anymore.”

Alice froze, blinking once. Then twice.

(He what?)

The words sank in like slow poison. Gone. B-rank. No party requirement.

Her pulse ticked up. “You’re saying he just… left? Alone?”

“Yes, ma’am. He said something about finishing what he started.” The clerk hesitated, clearly reading her expression. “Is there… a problem?”

Alice’s wings twitched. “Problem? No. No problem. Totally fine. Just ” She pressed both palms to the counter, smile twitching at the edges. “He can’t just walk off like that. I just joined this party. There’s there’s paperwork. He can’t ditch me; that’s illegal. Probably.”

The clerk’s eyes darted toward her faintly glowing class emblem. “Miss Inspira, with respect, he’s a B-rank now. They make their own rules.”

Alice opened her mouth. Closed it again.

(He ditched me. That walking inferno actually ditched me. After saving my life, after all that chaos he just leveled up and walked out like I was a tutorial NPC.)

Her fingers drummed on the desk, jaw tightening.

(Screw that. I’m not letting him go solo. We’re a party. And if he thinks he’s going to run off into a **** labyrinth without me, he’s got another thing coming.)

Then her cheeks burned as her brain unhelpfully added, and also because

(Thoughts of thick throbbing bestial cock hollowing out her womb filled her mind.)

“Nope. Nope. Not because of that. Totally not because of that.” She muttered under her breath, forcing her wings flat. “I just… need to repay him. For saving my life. Yeah. That’s it. Gratitude. Completely pure motives.”

The clerk blinked at her uncertainly. “…Should I, um, mark you for deployment authorization?”

Alice leaned in, grinning too wide. “Oh yeah. Authorize me. Right now. Sepulchral Labyrinth, one ticket to Hell, please.”

The clerk hesitated, then started tapping nervously at his slate. “You know that’s a C+ tier dungeon, right? Minimum recommended level ”

Alice flicked a feather off her shoulder. “I don’t care. Just stamp it.”

He swallowed hard. “...as you wish, Miss Inspira.”

(That’s right, Ignition. You’re not ditching me that easily. You might be fire but I’m gasoline.)

Alice’s embarrassment deepened when the clerk, after authorizing her deployment, gave her a hesitant look.

“Miss Inspira… before you go, would you like to purchase some clothes? We have a few travel outfits in stock. Maybe something… less revealing than, uh ”

She stared at him flatly, wings twitching. “You mean something that doesn’t sparkle like a divine swimsuit catalog?”

The clerk cleared his throat. “That… would be one way to phrase it, yes.”

(Oh, if only I could, you smug little NPC.)

Her fingers tugged unconsciously at the strap of her Valkyrie armor, which shimmered faintly in the light decorative, ornate, and utterly incapable of being replaced. She could feel the magic clinging to her skin, rewriting anything she equipped into yet another “battle bikini of dignity denial.”

Alice **** a laugh, the sound brittle. “Thanks for the offer, but, uh system’s got me covered. Literally.”

The clerk blinked. “…Right. Of course.”

The clerk hesitated as Alice leaned on the counter, feathers still ruffled from her less-than-graceful arrival.

“Destination?” he asked.

“The Sepulchral Labyrinth,” Alice said, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

The man froze mid-tap. “Miss Inspira… that’s one of the higher-tier gates. Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

He cleared his throat. “Well, you understand the guild’s interlink portals are not cheap.” He hesitated, lowering his voice as though afraid of being overheard. “Most adventurers under C-rank don’t use them unless it’s an emergency. The mana toll alone could bankrupt an entire team.”

Alice blinked once, expression perfectly flat. Then she waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah, charge it to my dad.”

The clerk stared, unsure if he’d heard her correctly. “Excuse me?”

“Guildmaster Quin Inspira,” she said, deadpan. “You know, that guy? Crimson hair, dramatic smoker, controls the payroll? Bill him.”

The clerk went pale. “Oh. Oh yes, ma’am.” He immediately began tapping faster. “Of course. I’ll, uh… make sure the expense is filed to his personal account.”

Alice grinned. “Thanks. He loves surprises.”

The portal flared open, a swirl of gold and violet mana that rippled like oil. Heat and dust rushed out the scent of ****, incense.

As she stepped closer, the shimmering horizon revealed what lay beyond: the Sepulchral Labyrinth.

Sandstone corridors stretched into impossible angles, stairs looping into ceilings, gravity folding back on itself like origami. Hieroglyphs writhed across the walls, alive and whispering, rearranging as her eyes passed over them. Somewhere distant, the sound of gears turning blended with the low hum of magic and the hollow chant of the dead.

(Okay. So, maybe I should have stopped for coffee first.)

A carved mural beside the gate depicted a massive sphinx wings outstretched, body stitched together from mismatched beasts, eyes glowing with mournful mockery. The inscription beneath her feet shimmered like liquid gold.

Domain of Bastka, the Stitched Sphinx.

“Beauty commands, and strength obeys.”

Alice swallowed hard. Even the air felt heavier here, like stepping into the lungs of a dead god.

The portal behind her flickered faintly as the clerk’s voice echoed through its fading glow. “Uh Miss Inspira? If you change your mind about the clothing ”

Alice rolled her eyes, wings flaring. “If I come back wearing less, it’s because I’m winning!”

And with that, she stepped into the labyrinth.

The air immediately shifted. Sand hissed across stone. Somewhere in the distance, a mechanical roar reverberated through the twisted corridors followed by the faintest whisper, soft and stuttering, that crawled down her spine like silk.

“W-welcome, l-little v-visitor… b-bright b-bird of f-flame…

C-come w-walk, c-come b-bleed, in m-my h-house of n-name~.”

Alice’s smirk faltered for just a second.

(…Great. A dungeon that rhymes. Perfect.)

Still, she squared her shoulders, eyes sharp.

“Ignition, you’d better still be alive in here,” she muttered. “Because if I find you dead, I’m resurrecting you just to yell at you.”

And with that, she disappeared down the shifting corridor, the portal sealing shut behind her swallowed by Bastka’s endless, whispering tomb.

Alice wandered deeper into the labyrinth, wings brushing the air as the endless sandstone maze folded in on itself.

Every corridor looked the same hieroglyphs shifting across the walls, staircases twisting mid-step until what was once the floor became the ceiling. It felt like walking through the inside of a Rubik’s Cube made by a mad god.

(How the hell did Ignition even get through here? He’s a walking furnace, not a compass.)

She pressed forward anyway, scanning for heat trails or scorch marks and found plenty. Charred claw prints. Melted stone. Whole walls blackened where his rage must have boiled over. Each one was proof she was still on his trail.

But following them wasn’t easy. The deeper she went, the more the maze fought back. Corridors rearranged behind her, cutting off routes she’d already mapped in her head. Gravity shifted without warning; once, she found herself walking along a wall until she realized it had become the floor.

And then there were the residents.

A mummified priestess glided out of an alcove, silk wrappings twitching like living things. Alice ducked into a side hall before she could be seen heart hammering, feathers bristling. She had no weapon, not even a knife.

(Okay. Great plan, genius. You came to a necropolis with nothing but good intentions and bare hands. Maybe the self-cleaning armor can scrub off regret, too.)

A faint buzzing rose behind her scarabs, a whole cloud of them. She bolted, sprinting down the corridor until gravity decided to tilt again, dumping her neatly into another hall she didn’t recognize.

She lay there for a moment, groaning. “I really should’ve bought a sword. Or a stick. Or anything sharp.”

Somewhere far above or below? the labyrinth rumbled, a deep metallic growl echoing through the halls. For a moment, she thought she could almost hear Ignition’s voice carried on the heat.

She stood, dusted herself off, and started forward again.

(Alright, Kairos. You left breadcrumbs made of fire. I’m following. Just… try not to die before I catch up. Because I’m definitely going to kill you myself.)

Alice stumbled into the alcove and froze. The air stank of scorched sand and blood sharp, metallic, and far too fresh.

At least a dozen adventurers crowded the narrow space, pressed against the cracked stone walls. There were three parties at least, though their banners and gear were so scorched it was hard to tell who belonged to whom. Some were sitting upright, muttering quietly to each other, while others lay sprawled on cloaks or broken shields.

Most bore burns ugly, patchy ones that looked half-cauterized and long claw marks that had torn through armor like parchment. One poor guy’s entire side was sealed shut with fused glass where someone had poured a healing potion over molten flesh. His breathing was shallow, every inhale a rattling gasp.

Alice’s throat tightened. “Holy hell… what happened here?”

A woman with huge desert fox and slitted goat eyes glared at her from beneath a soot-streaked hood. Her pupils flicked horizontally for a moment before focusing on Alice. “Stay back. Unless you’re a healer or suicidal, this isn’t a sightseeing stop.”

Alice raised both hands. “Not sightseeing. Just… trying to get my bearings.”

Another adventurer his leg in a jury-rigged splint of snapped bone and rope snorted. “If you’re lost, turn around. That thing’s still out there.”

“The thing?” Alice echoed.

“The ten-foot fire beast!” someone else snapped. “We thought it was a new raid boss massive, covered in molten cracks, claws like obsidian. It just tore through the floor above, sent fire everywhere. Half of us are burned, the rest just ran.”

(…Ten feet tall. Fire. Claws. Rage.)

Alice winced. (Oh, Kairos… what did you do?)

One of the less-injured adventurers, a Chimerin with patches of brindled fur down her neck and curling ram horns spoke up in a shaky voice. “We don’t think anyone’s dead. Not yet. But he it didn’t seem to care who got hit. We lost track of two scouts when the walls shifted again. Could’ve swallowed them whole for all we know.”

Alice knelt beside the man with the fused glass wound, wincing as she took in the heat-blistered flesh. “You guys tried to fight it?”

“Tried to run,” the ram-eyed woman said bitterly. “Didn’t make it far. The air itself burns around that thing.”

Alice looked toward the nearest corridor. The sandstone there was melted smooth, black veins of glass running down into the floor like frozen lightning. Her feathers itched just looking at it.

(He’s out of control. Completely gone berserk. And if the dungeon keeps shifting like this, he’s going to kill someone by accident… or himself.)

She stood, brushing dust from her thighs. “Alright. I think I know what this ‘boss’ is.”

That got her a dozen stunned looks.

“Oh?” one of them said, voice cracking. “You know what’s setting everything on fire?”

Alice **** a confident smile she didn’t really feel. “Let’s just say I’ve met him before. He’s… uh… not great with social boundaries. Or fire safety.”

They all stared. Someone muttered, “You’re insane.”

Alice grinned, wings twitching. “Yeah. Probably. But don’t worry if anyone can reason with him, it’s me.”

The goat-eyed woman frowned, clearly unconvinced. “Reason? With that?”

“Sure,” Alice said, already backing toward the scorched tunnel. “I just have to find him before the place fills up with more burnt corpses. Wish me luck.”

And before anyone could stop her, she darted down the melted corridor, heart hammering in her chest.

(Alright, big guy. Found your breadcrumbs. Now let’s see if I can talk you down before the entire dungeon catches fire.)

Alice followed the sound of chaos, distant shrieks, the crash of falling stone, and the unmistakable roar of fire meeting flesh.

The deeper she went, the hotter it got. The air shimmered, dry and metallic, until breathing felt like inhaling through a forge. Hieroglyphs along the corridor walls peeled and blistered under waves of heat, their carved feline faces twisting into molten sneers as she approached the source.

(Okay. Big flaming werewolf, rampaging through an ancient necropolis. Totally fine. Totally normal Tuesday.)

The next corner erupted in light. Alice ducked behind a pillar just in time to see what had once been a burial hall now an inferno of spinning debris and shredded corpses.

Ignition stood in the center of it. Or what was left of him.

His body was monstrous, ten feet tall and broad as a siege gate. Fur blackened to crimson at the tips, glowing where magma bled through cracks in his skin. The claws that had once been hands dug deep into the sandstone floor, every breath spilling sparks across the air.

And all around him, the corpses of his attackers twitched.

They weren’t human.

Half-feline, half-serpentine, their upper bodies were beautiful in a broken, Frankenstein way, faces stitched with gold thread, necks adorned with cracked jewelry. Below the waist, their serpentine tails had been grafted from mismatched beasts: scaled coils of different colors, lengths, and even textures. Some writhed still, tails thrashing weakly in the firelight as their golden eyes dimmed.

One of them, what might have once been a priestess, dragged herself toward Ignition, her voice a whisper through burnt lips. “M…mother Bastka… forgive ”

Ignition roared. The sound wasn’t a voice. It was thunder through a furnace.

The air rippled with pressure; fire rushed outward in a circular wave, blasting her back into a wall. She didn’t rise again.

Alice’s wings flared instinctively, shielding her face from the heat. Every instinct screamed run, but her heart refused.

(He’s not even seeing them. He’s gone.)

Her eyes flicked around the burning hall. Every scorch mark, every fallen creature, every flicker of crimson flame all told the same story. He wasn’t fighting to win. He was breaking.

She took a slow breath, stepping out from cover.

“Hey!”

Her voice barely carried over the roar. The beast’s head turned, eyes blazing like dying stars a glimmer of blue beneath the inferno.

(There you are.)

The ground shuddered as Ignition took a step toward her, claws gouging molten furrows through the floor.

Alice’s pulse hammered in her ears, wings twitching behind her. “Okay,” she whispered. “Round two. No fireballs this time, please.”

He growled deep, guttural the sound vibrating through the stones beneath her feet.

She swallowed hard. “It’s me, Kairos.”

For a moment, nothing.

Then his head tilted slightly. Recognition or hesitation flickered for just a heartbeat.

Alice took a careful step closer. “You’re safe now. You don’t have to burn everything. Just… breathe, alright?”

The molten glow along his arms pulsed erratically, like a living heartbeat out of sync.

Behind him, one of the surviving stitched Lamia coughed weakly, the sound like tearing paper.

Ignition’s head snapped toward her. Fire surged again.

Alice’s wings spread wide. “No! Don’t ”

But the air was already burning.

The flames wreathing his body roared brighter with every breath. He’d caught one of the stitched Lamia by the throat, her scaled body a mosaic of bronze plates and mismatched tails sewn together like patchwork. She screamed once before he slammed her into the floor so hard the sandstone cracked like glass.

Then again. And again.

Each impact shook the room. Fragments of murals rained down, scattering across the warped, molten floor.

Alice flinched, wings snapping tight as she activated her Stick-Step enchantment, scurrying up the nearest wall before gravity twisted again. She clung upside-down to the ceiling, the air searing her lungs.

(Okay. Don’t scream. Don’t breathe wrong. Just… let him wear it out. Oh god, he’s doing the Hulk thing.)

Ignition swung the Lamia overhead and smashed her again, the motion so fast it left a trail of fire. What remained of her tail flopped limply already half-melted from his heat.

The other stitched creatures scattered in a panic, slithering and shrieking through the collapsing corridors. One darted for an exit only to dissolve into golden dust as the fire rolled across her scales.

The werewolf roared after them, eyes burning like molten sapphire, half-human recognition flickering behind animal rage. His claws raked the walls, carving molten scars that bled glowing sand.

From her perch, Alice could feel the pull of his heat, her skin prickling like it was about to blister.

(You big, beautiful, terrifying idiot… You’re going to kill everything in this dungeon if you keep going like that.)

Her grip tightened on the stone. Her heart hammered. She didn’t even have a plan, just an instinct screaming at her to stop him before the labyrinth itself decided to fight back.

She released her grip and dropped soundlessly from the ceiling, landing behind a column still slick with heat. Her heart raced.

“Hey,” she whispered. “Big guy. That’s enough.”

His head jerked toward her. Blue fire flared across his eyes again.

Ignition's massive werewolf cock begins to emerge from its sheath, inches from her awestruck face. She watches in fascination as the fleshy tube extends, the skin of it glistening in the low light. Veins stand out in stark relief, pulsing with the rapid thundering of the creature's heartbeat.

At first, it seems to go on forever, lengthening like some kind of fleshy optical illusion. she couldn't help but stare, eyes wide and pupils blown, as it slowly unfurls itself before her.

Heavy and swollen, the cock grows until it's easily longer than her forearm, the sheer size of it boggling Alice's mind. She's never seen anything so huge in her life.

Like some kind of bestial porn star, the wolf's dick finally reaches its full, erect length. It bobs in the air with every panting breath, the tip nearly brushing Alice's nose. She can't tear her eyes away from it.

The head is bulbous and ruddy, already dribbling a generous amount of slick pre-cum. The viscous fluid coats the shaft, making it gleam wetly. The musky, rutting scent of it floods the air, making Alice's head spin.

Her mouth actually waters, the urge to taste, to touch nearly overwhelming. Alice licks her lips unconsciously, trembling with pure want.

The werewolf cock twitches, as if sensing her desire, and more pre-cum oozes from the tip, fat drops of it spattering Alice's chest. It feels scorching hot against her skin, branding her.

She's never experienced anything so raw or animalistic in her life. And she's never been more turned on.

At this moment, Alice knows two things for sure, one, that she's in over her head. And two, that she's helpless to resist the feral hunger overtaking her.

A string of pre-cum drizzles out, spattering Alice's face, and she reflexively licks it off her lips. The taste is heady and wild, flooding her mouth with the flavor of pure, bestial lust. She knows instinctively what she has to do.

Steeling herself, Alice reaches out, grasping the huge, feverish member in her small hands. The heat of it nearly scorches her palms but she grits her teeth and starts to stroke, base to tip. The werewolf growls low in its throat, hackles rising.

Alice's movements are awkward at first, unpracticed and jerky. But she quickly finds a rhythm, pumping her fists up and down the considerable length of the monster cock. Ropes of pre-cum continue to leak from the tip, slicking her hands, making them glide more easily.

The werewolf's growling grows louder, more intense, and Alice feels a pulse of pure rut through their link. It

makes her head swim, her skin feel too tight. But she doesn't stop, working the huge dick with single-minded focus.

The werewolf's hips start to buck, humping helplessly into Alice's grip. His cock swells even further, balls drawing up tight, and Alice braces. With a rough, barking howl, the werewolf comes, his orgasm triggered.

Thick ropes of cum erupt from his cock, splashing across Alice's face and chest. Some of it even manages to land in her hair. It's sticky and viscous, reeking of potent musk, and soaks her completely. Alice gasps, blinking jizz from her eyes. She's never seen a creature come so much in her life.

But she can feel the werewolf's confusion and rage cooling, the heat of his rut temporarily sated. Satisfied, she takes a step back, wiping her face on her shoulder as best she can.

The mark on her abdomen pulses warmly, both a reassurance and a promise. Alice takes a deep breath and watches the massive beast closely.

The heat in the hall peaked, then cracked like a thunderclap. For a heartbeat everything froze fire, sound, even the air itself and then it collapsed inward, a vacuum sucking the flames back into Ignition’s body.

His roar became a human scream halfway through. The monstrous frame shuddered, bones grinding as light poured from every seam in his flesh. The claws retracted, fur burning away to smoke. The werewolf’s silhouette shrank, folding in on itself until, kneeling in the molten dust, Kairos Andre Knight was once again a man.

Steam rolled off his skin in waves. His breath came in ragged gasps, the heat around him ebbing from inferno to fever warmth. The glow beneath his skin faded, leaving scars like faint ember-trails along his arms and ribs.

Alice took a tentative step forward, wings half-furled. The bond in her abdomen pulsed once, softer this time no longer a warning, but a tired echo of release.

She knelt a few feet away, watching as he dragged a hand across his face, his hair sticking to his sweat-slicked skin. His eyes no longer burning blue looked dazed, human again, but hollow.

“Welcome back,” she whispered.

Kairos blinked slowly, confused knitting his brow. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out, only a hoarse, wordless sound.

He raised a brow at her current cum soaked state and then he turned his head away, blushing Is still large, but now very human cock twitched.

When the world steadied again, Alice sat back on her heels, wiping jizz from her face. The floor beneath them hissed as molten lines cooled into dull glass. The silence that followed was almost unbearable.

Then Dice’s voice slithered through her vision, bright letters unfurling like confetti.

[System Update Event Logged: Taming the Inferno]

Oh, how romantic. You managed to stop a ten-foot fire god from turning half the dungeon into slag. I’m honestly impressed.

[Temporary Status Cleared: Berserk Rampage]

[Trait Progression Unlocked: Mated Bond (Stage II)]

Dice’s next message appeared in a cascade of golden emojis shaped like little hearts.

I must admit, I didn’t think you had it in you, little Valkyrie. Most people who play with fire end up charcoal. You? You got a promotion.

Another line pulsed across her HUD.

[New Ability Gained: Resonant Calm]

When linked to Ignition, you can suppress his berserker state for a limited time. Warning: Emotional feedback may occur. Try not to melt.

Alice groaned, running a hand down her face. “You are way too entertained by this.”

A laughing emoji winked back.

[Of course I am. You two are my favorite soap opera.]

She exhaled through her nose, glancing over at the now-human Kairos, still kneeling amid the ashes. The flames were gone, but the scent of smoke and something electric lingered.

(We survived. Barely. And if Dice is upgrading our bond… then this probably isn’t the end of it.)

She stood, stretching her wings, and extended a cautious hand toward him.

“Come on, big guy,” she murmured. “Let’s get out of here before the dungeon figures out we’re not dead yet.”

The bond pulsed faintly in answer steady now, like a heartbeat that finally found its rhythm.

The corridor stank of ash and heat distortion. Alice ducked behind a cracked pillar, the stone still too warm to touch. The battle was over, but the air hadn’t realized it yet it still quivered from the memory of Ignition’s rage.

He stood a few paces away, half-buried in steam. Even as the fire died off him, he looked carved from the inferno itself. Faint orange fissures glowed along his chest and arms, cracks of molten light that pulsed gently with each heartbeat. His skin, dark and sweat-slicked, shimmered in the dying embers, a living silhouette of volcanic power barely contained.

Across his back and shoulders, every breath carried a faint hiss of steam. The bindings around his hands smoked, soot-stained and half-charred. His simple black battle trousers clung to him, torn at the knee and dusted with ash, He looked both mythic and painfully human, all in the same glance.

And his face

(Oh no. Oh no. He’s hot.)

Not the mild kind of attractive either, but the heart-stopping, soul-piercing sort that made her brain short out. He had the kind of beauty that hurt to look at. that looked perpetually caught between irritation and amusement. His dark eyes, now cooling from their molten flare, were deep and intense.

If she didn’t know better, Alice would’ve sworn Dice had handcrafted him purely to make women’s lives difficult.

He had the quiet menace of someone who didn’t realize how devastatingly handsome he was. And now, standing there shirtless, glowing, and awkward as hell, he was trying not to look at her.

Which was fair.

Because Alice’s “armor” wasn’t exactly helping.

Her new class had come with a feature Dice’s favorite word for “prank.”

The so-called armor was small plates that looked decorative at best. A thigh strap jingled every time she moved. Calling it armor was generous. It was, at best, a provocation.

She tugged Ignition into a shaded alcove, her wings brushing the wall as she pushed him lightly by the wrist. “We should uh get out of sight for a minute,” she said, trying not to sound like she was blushing.

He stumbled slightly, clearly not expecting the contact. His head dipped, bangs falling forward, and he refused to meet her gaze. “Yeah,” he said softly. “About earlier… I didn’t mean to lose it like that.”

Alice folded her arms, pretending to inspect the melted floor instead of his chest. “You turned into a ten-foot werewolf and nearly turned a dungeon boss into a smear. ‘Losing it’ might be an understatement.”

“Right.” He rubbed the back of his neck, the gesture painfully human after everything she’d seen him do. “I, uh… don’t usually I mean, I’ve never ”

She arched an eyebrow. “Never what?”

But the bond pulsing faintly in her abdomen said eveything she needed to know. otherwise. It carried a ripple of raw, awkward honesty, shy, uncertain, but full of something that made her chest feel too tight.

(Oh. Oh gods. He’s crushing on me.)

Ignition’s eyes darted up just long enough to meet hers, and the connection spiked again. The intensity behind that look could have melted steel. His lips parted as if to say something, then shut again. He looked away fast, his voice low.

“It’s… hard to think straight,” he muttered. “With you standing there like that.”

Alice blinked, flustered. “Like what?”

He gestured vaguely, refusing to look directly at her. “Like… that! That armor, it’s uh it’s not helping. It’s very… distracting.”

Her wings twitched. “Dice cursed it!” she hissed, cheeks going crimson. “I didn’t choose to wear a metal bikini, thank you very much!”

He coughed into his fist, trying and failing to suppress a smile. “Yeah. Sure. I believe you.”

Alice groaned, dragging a hand down her face. (If I die again, it’ll be from secondhand embarrassment.)

Still, despite everything the ruin around them, the heat still hanging in the air she couldn’t shake the warmth blooming through the bond. It wasn’t rage this time, or fear. It was something gentler.

Hopeful.

Maybe even sweet.

She sighed, glancing up at him. “You know… for a guy who turns into a ten-foot inferno monster, you’re really bad at hiding your feelings.”

He looked back, just for a moment, “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Guess fire’s not great at subtlety.”

Alice smiled. (Neither am I.)

The quiet alcove had cooled enough that Alice could finally breathe again. Steam hissed from cracks in the wall as the dungeon slowly settled, leaving the two of them standing far too close for either to pretend they didn’t notice.

For several long seconds, neither spoke.

“So,” Alice began, rubbing at the back of her neck. “You, uh, always glow like that after a fight, or is that a special occasion thing?”

Ignition blinked, caught off guard. “What? Oh. Yeah, I guess it’s… kind of normal.”

He paused, grimaced, and immediately ruined his attempt at casual. “Not that I glow a lot around people or anything. It’s just… combustion.”

(Combustion? Really?) Alice bit her tongue before she could snicker.

“Right. Totally normal thing,” she said, nodding too earnestly. “Most guys just sweat after a fight, you ignite. Same energy.”

His mouth twitched, halfway between a smile and a grimace. “You make it sound weird.”

“It is weird.”

That earned her a soft laugh, short and unguarded the kind that made her chest tighten unexpectedly.

(Okay, that was cute. Stop smiling, idiot, you’re making it worse.)

He scratched the back of his head, eyes darting anywhere but her. “Well, what about you? You just… fly around in a uh ‘bikini’ all the time now?”

Alice froze. “Excuse me?”

He winced immediately. “I didn’t mean like, it looks good! I mean not that I was looking, but I obviously looked, but not like that uh ”

She blinked slowly. “…Smooth.”

He groaned and leaned back against the wall, covering his face with one hand. “I’m going to set myself on fire again, aren’t I?”

“Probably,” she said dryly. “And for the record, this was Dice’s idea. I’d wear something less ridiculous if I could.”

Through the bond, she could feel his embarrassment roll into mild panic. He was trying to flirt back but every word tangled itself in his mouth.

She sighed, deciding to throw him a rope. “You don’t have to be so nervous. I’ve seen worse first impressions.”

He peeked through his fingers. “Really?”

“No,” she admitted. “That was a lie.”

That earned another laugh, this one deeper, and it almost made up for the way her stomach did an unhelpful flip.

(Why is he laughing like that? He’s supposed to be the scary werewolf guy.)

Ignition took a cautious step closer, rubbing at one of the glowing fissures on his arm as if it helped him focus. “You know,” he said, voice quieter now, “you’re not really what I expected.”

“Oh?” she asked, forcing herself to keep her wings still.

“Yeah. Most people run from me. You just… argue.”

She tilted her head, lips curling. “Running wastes stamina. I’d rather insult you efficiently.”

He grinned really grinned and for a moment the flicker of molten light returned to his eyes. “Efficient, huh? That’s… kind of cute.”

Her heart skipped a beat. She tried to play it off. “You call everyone you almost roast ‘cute,’ or am I just special?”

His mouth opened, then closed again. “Uh. You’re… definitely… special?”

(Oh no. He thinks that sounded smooth. It didn’t sound smooth.)

Alice nodded stiffly, cheeks burning. “Right. Well. Good talk.”

“Yeah. Great talk.”

Silence.

They stood there, side by side, pretending to admire the half-melted architecture.

(That was awful.) she thought.

(That was terrible,) he thought at the same time, their shared bond flickering with mutual mortification.

And yet beneath all the awkwardness, a faint thread of warmth stayed alive between them. Something fragile. Something new.

“Next time,” Alice said finally, stretching her wings just to have something to do, “let’s agree not to talk.”

“Deal,” Ignition said instantly, then added under his breath, “Unless you want to.”

She glanced sideways at him. “You’re lucky you’re pretty.”

He smiled again bashful, unguarded, and genuinely happy this time. “So are you.”

(…Okay, maybe that one landed.)

[System Message: Bastka, the Stitched Sphinx]

“M-mmm… y-you t-two, s-so s-sweet, s-so d-distracted~

B-better r-run, m-my d-dears… S-Serakhet’s a-attracted.”

[Environmental Alert: Roaming Boss Detected]

Entity: Serakhet, the Gravity-Eater

Proximity: Near. Approaching through sub-level corridors.

Estimated Arrival: 00:03:42

[System Advisory]

Shifting gravity anomalies increasing.

Vertical routes no longer reliable.

Recommend immediate relocation to anywhere that isn’t there.

Alice’s wings twitched open on reflex. “Oh, come on. Can we have one minute without a god making fun of us?”

Ignition turned slowly toward the hallway, his expression flattening as a deep, seismic pulse rippled through the ground. The air bent around them no, tilted. Sand rolled up the walls as if gravity couldn’t make up its mind which way was down.

A low, grinding sound followed. Not mechanical. Not even alive, really. More like a planet exhaling.

“Serakhet…” Ignition said under his breath, fists clenching. “We need to move.”

Alice squinted into the flickering light, trying to gauge direction. “Move where? The dungeon keeps ”

The corridor twisted sharply, floor flipping into ceiling, her wings flaring out in surprise as Ignition slammed a hand against the nearest wall to steady them both.

Another ping.

[System Message: Bastka, amused]

“U-up b-became d-down, d-down b-became u-up~

H-he’s h-hungry, m-my d-dears y-you’re s-soup in a c-cup~”

[Boss Behavior Log Serakhet, the Gravity-Eater]

Distortion Field Expanding (Radius: 300m → 500m)

Gravitic Anomalies: Unstable

Ambient Whisper Detected: “Thhheeeyyyy faaaalllll toward meee…”

Alice stared at the shifting walls, then at Ignition. “So… you’re fast, right?”

He gave her a flat look. “You can fly.”

“Not if I don’t know which way ‘up’ is!”

The ground lurched again, and Alice yelped as she half-flew, half-fell toward the next hallway, wings scraping sparks against sandstone. Ignition followed with inhuman speed, heat cracking from his heels. The dungeon twisted violently as they ran, turning corridors sideways, swallowing doorways in sand.

Behind them, a low hum deepened, becoming a pulse, then a roar.

The weight of the world shifted.

For a moment, gravity reversed completely, yanking both of them upward into a ceiling that wasn’t there a second ago. Alice managed to grab Ignition midair, her wings flaring just enough to stabilize them before another pulse flipped everything back again. They slammed to the ground together in a heap.

“Elegant landing,” she groaned, voice muffled by his chest.

“Ten out of ten,” he grunted, trying to push himself up. “Would crash again.”

A new system alert appeared, the text flickering erratically almost… excited.

[System Message: Bastka, laughing]

“O-oh, h-how r-romantic t-tangled a-already~

B-but d-****’s c-coming, s-so d-don’t get c-comfy, s-sweeties~”

Ignition grabbed her wrist, pulling her upright. “We keep running until the gravity stabilizes,” he said, tone tight. “Then we find a vertical drop anything to get distance. He’s hunting mass.”

“Mass?”

“Yeah. The bigger the body, the stronger the pull.”

Alice blinked. “Then maybe you should run ahead, muscle boy!”

He glared back, but the corner of his mouth twitched. “Not leaving you behind, bikini girl.”

Another tremor rolled through the hall, this one accompanied by a sound that didn’t belong in any living throat, something like a thousand tons of sand being dragged upward.

And from far, far down the twisting passage, they heard the first whispering hiss of Serakhet’s breath.

[Final Warning: Bastka’s Voice]

“R-run, l-little l-lovers, r-run f-fast and f-free~

H-he l-longs to s-see w-what f-falls to m-me~”

The corridors twisted violently as Alice and Ignition ran, each turn of the labyrinth throwing a new challenge at them. The hieroglyphs flickered in mocking gold, rearranging like laughter on the walls.

A fresh [System Ping] flashed across their vision.

[System Warning Bastka’s Domain]

“M-mm, l-lovers d-dashing, h-hands a-all b-burning~

B-but e-every s-step, h-he’s l-leaning, t-turning~”

[Environmental Hazard Escalation]

Gravitic Distortion expanding to Sector 9.

Enemy activity density: High.

Advancement Difficulty: Suicidal.

A group of Sewn Priestesses lunged from a side chamber, bronze claws catching the torchlight. Before they could chant, Ignition’s hand ignited like a flare he smashed the first clean through a wall. The second barely had time to shriek before he kicked her midsection, sending her spinning into a pillar that folded inward from the impact.

[XP Gained: +]

[XP Gained: +]

[Level Up: 2 →4 → 6]

[Attribute Points Earned: +60]

Her vision flashed each notification in quick succession.

(Okay. Not bad. Still terrified, but not bad.)

Ignition charged another beast a Stitch-Lion dragging itself from a cracked sarcophagus. Its chest split open, ribs glowing violet. He ducked its strike, slammed both fists upward into its jaw, and let the explosion of heat turn its skull to glass.

Alice landed beside him, wings spread. “You ever stop to breathe, or is that a thing only mortals do?”

He flashed a grin mid-combat, flames glinting on his teeth. “You can breathe for both of us.”

“Smooth!” she yelled, spinning to stab a scarab swarm that tried to crawl up her leg.

“Wasn’t flirting!”

“Sure, you weren’t!”

Their laughter was cut short by a low hum that rolled through the entire labyrinth. Dust fell in rhythmic pulses from the ceiling.

[System Message: Bastka, gleeful]

“H-he’s c-close now~ f-far b-below~

T-the g-gravity’s w-watching, s-so r-run, m-my s-shows~”

The hall buckled under their feet, and suddenly “down” became a concept for someone else entirely. They tumbled sideways as the corridor turned ninety degrees, staircases jutting from the wall like ribs.

Alice recovered midair, catching Ignition by the arm. “We’re going the wrong way!”

“There isn’t a right way!” he shouted back, grabbing a fragmenting arch to swing them both toward the next level.

The gravity pulsed again harder this time.

Objects, debris, and corpses all began sliding in one direction. The sand at the edges of the walls rose like a living tide.

“Run,” Ignition hissed.

They did. Through collapsing corridors, over shifting ceilings, past frescoes of lion-headed queens that twisted to watch them flee. Every breath felt heavier, like something was pressing down from all sides.

Behind them came the sound of dragging stone scraping stone, metal shrieking under pressure.

And then, softly horribly came the whisper.

“Faaaallll… to meeeee…”

The floor flipped again.

Alice barely caught her balance, wings flaring for stability. Ignition hit the wall beside her, catching her by the wrist before she slipped.

“Don’t look back,” he said, voice tight.

“Wasn’t planning to!”

Another system ping sharper this time.

[Priority Alert: Serakhet The Gravity-Eater]

Status: Entered Active Pursuit Mode.

Current Distance: 247 meters and closing.

Behavior Pattern: Consuming gravitational equilibrium.

Recommendation: Run. Pray. Repeat.

[Bastka’s Voice, delighted]

“S-such p-pretty p-panic~ y-you f-fly, h-he b-burns~

L-let’s s-see w-which l-lover t-turns f-first~”

The walls groaned again, tilting as if the dungeon itself were bowing toward something massive.

Ignition’s fist lit up like a star. “New plan.”

“Which is?” Alice panted.

“Keep running till one of us figures out which way is up!”

“Great plan!” she snapped back.

“Best I’ve got!”

They sprinted into the shifting maze as the temperature dropped, the air bending and warping behind them. Serakhet was near now close enough that gravity itself trembled in anticipation.

The dungeon wanted them to fall.

And in Bastka’s broken laughter above it all, they could both hear it:

Their chase had only just begun.

The air bent first light curving, dust hanging as if caught in amber. Then the corridor leaned toward a presence that hadn’t yet arrived.

Serakhet came into view like a continent turning.

A draconic, cobra-hooded head slid out of the gloom neither snake nor dragon, but both. The hood wasn’t skin so much as petrified plates fanned wide, each slab etched with crawling hieroglyphs that re-arranged between blinks. The skull beneath was long and regal, dragon muzzle ending in hooked, fossil-white fangs. Twin eyes glowed like rings of gold around bottomless black, gravity wells masquerading as pupils. When his tongue unspooled, it was a forked ribbon of black sand and thread.

He carried a Western dragon’s upper body broad chest like quarried stone, ossified scales layered in chalky, sand-scoured plates. Parts of the ribcage were exposed where time and necromancy had scraped him clean; within that cage hung a suspended, dimly-luminescent “heart,” a compressed orb that made dust stream inward whenever it pulsed. Vestigial wing frames arched from his back wing bones turned to buttresses, webbing long since mummified into crackled, glassy membranes stitched with funerary gold.

Below the waist, his form narrowed into a colossal serpent coil, vertebrae like a string of carved obelisks wrapped in lacquered bandages and brass thread. Each movement ground stone to powder; each flex set tiny avalanches racing along his spine. He looked less “undead” and more excavated as if a museum exhibit had remembered it was a god and started moving again.

Everything in the hallway obeyed him. Pebbles lifted. Shards of sugar-glass drifted into slow orbits. The torchlight bowed toward his hood and then elongated, as though even light wanted closer.

[Boss Encounter: Serakhet, the Gravity-Eater]

Threat: SSS • Range: Closing

Behavior: Dominion Field expanding (Radius: 600m)

Advice: You are not the center of the universe. He is.

[Bastka’s Whisper]

“M-mind y-your s-steps, m-my d-dears, h-he’s h-here to h-hold…

F-fossil k-king, d-dragon s-sold y-you’ll f-fall when h-he’s b-bold~”

The pull intensified. Sand streamed past Alice’s ankles. Her wings snapped tight against her back, pinned by a pressure that wasn’t wind. Ignition set his stance and still slid half a foot toward the hooded skull as hairline cracks in his skin lit amber, fire trying futilely to flare against a star’s tug.

Serakhet’s hood flared wider, the fossil plates angling like a crown. The gravity in the corridor knuckled down a silent, irresistible hand.

(We’re not outrunning that.)

The orb in his chest brightened

and the floor betrayed them.

With a sound like pottery shattering underwater, the sandstone beneath Alice and Ignition fractured into a web and then gave way entirely. The labyrinth had rotated its own logic: stairs became hatchways, tiles became trapdoors, and the “down” Serakhet demanded abruptly wasn’t there anymore.

They dropped.

For one vertiginous heartbeat, Alice saw Serakhet leaning over the new abyss cobra hood haloed by drifting debris, dragon torso braced on pillar-thick forelimbs, serpent coil bristling with bandaged plates as threads of gold unspooled from him like fishing lines.

Then the shaft swallowed the view. Gravity flickered left, up, forward until “down” finally agreed on a direction. Alice snapped her wings wide, grabbed Ignition mid-fall, and slammed them both onto a lower ledge as the dungeon sealed the breach with sliding stone, folding corridors like pages shut above them.

Silence. A distant, disappointed thrum.

[System: Local Threat Lost]

Dominion Field receding… Stable route window: ~04:00

[Bastka, amused]

“F-fall f-for l-love, f-fall f-from h-him

Y-you s-slip s-so p-pretty. R-run w-while it’s d-dim~”

Alice exhaled shakily, feathers rattling. Ignition wiped grit from his face and managed a breathless laugh.

“Next time,” he said, “we don’t let the fossilized snake-dragon pick the direction.”

“Next time,” Alice replied, pushing to her feet, “we don’t flirt in front of a gravity god.”

The stone underfoot hummed warning, not yet a threat.

They ran.

Light met them first.

Not torchlight or necrotic glow but sunlight.

Alice and Ignition stumbled from the fractured tunnel into a vast, echoing chamber where a beam of daylight cut through the ceiling miles above, piercing straight into a black-glass lake. The shaft of light scattered across the surface like molten gold, painting the sandstone terraces of the Oasis in hues of honey and rose. The air here was warm and sweet, heavy with lotus and spice, threaded with the faint hum of buried machinery.

The Oasis of Bastka breathed like a living city. Sandstone homes curved around the lake in spirals, linked by rope bridges and silk banners. Stitched artisans hammered glowing brass limbs beneath awnings of embroidered cloth. Adventurers bartered for relics beside undead priests who leaked faint trails of dust with every word. And prowling through the crowd with easy grace were the Kheprathi lion-tailed, gold-eyed natives of Bastka’s outer world.

A pair of Kheprathi huntresses watched them curiously as they passed, their bronze skin dusted with golden fur, eyes like coins. Nearby, a male Kheprathi beast massive, four-legged,lion headed his mane braided with sapphires dozed in the shade of a market tent while children clambered over his flank, laughing.

Alice’s breath caught. “It’s… beautiful.”

Ignition tilted his head back toward the sunlight, awe softening the usual edge in his face. “Didn’t think the dead got sunlight.”

“Maybe even gods need a window,” she said quietly.

Then the crowd hushed.

From the lake’s center, ripples spread outward as something vast stirred beneath the light. The black surface broke and Bastka rose.

The goddess’s body shimmered with threads of blue light, every movement deliberate and regal. From the head down to her waist, she was perfectly human if “human” could include ashen gray skin so flawless it looked carved from moonstone, and eyes that burned an impossible ruby red. Her hair fell like a dark waterfall streaked with gold thread, brushing the curve of her hips neon blue cunt on full display.

From her lion limbs were stitched onto her humanoid torso forcing her to walk in a quadrupedal feline fashion. massive, powerful, the fur ash-pale and stitched in places with silver thread that gleamed faintly. A long tail swayed behind her, tufted with feathers that shimmered in peacock hues of black, green, and violet.

Behind her, unfurled two great avian wings black as midnight, patterned in the same iridescent spots that caught and refracted the sunlight. The sight of them alone filled the cavern with soft wind and scattering motes of dust.

When she opened her mouth to speak, her tongue glowed neon blue, a flash of eerie beauty against the dull gray of her lips.

“O-oh… s-sun-kissed c-children,” she purred, her voice lilting and broken cat hears twitching as she talked, “f-fallen t-through d-dark to m-my h-heart. S-such b-brave, b-burning t-things~”

The sound made the glass lake vibrate. Every living soul bowed their heads; even the stitched knelt, threads dimming in reverence.

Ignition swallowed. “That’s… the goddess?”

“Avatar, maybe,” Alice whispered. “She’s huge.”

The goddess’s red eyes flicked toward them. She smiled a perfect, tragic smile stretched over seams that glowed faintly blue.

“S-still b-breathing? H-how r-rare. M-most c-come t-to b-beg… or t-to b-be a-art~”

Her claws clicked against the obsidian dais as she stepped closer, each movement slow and sensual, like a cat testing the edge of a flame.

Alice’s wings trembled. “You ever get the feeling we’re about to be in trouble?”

Ignition managed a small, dry laugh. “You just noticing that now?”

Around them, Kheprathi courtiers murmured softly, tails twitching. One tall and regal, with eyes of amber fire leaned toward her companion and whispered in her musical tongue, “The outsiders fall through her maze and still live. The Mother must favor them.”

Bastka’s laughter rippled through the air, equal parts warmth and warning.

“S-sit, m-my l-little h-heroes… r-rest y-your f-feet,” she crooned, tail curling lazily behind her. “A-a r-riddle, a r-request… o-or a r-romance? T-tell m-me w-which y-you s-seek~”

Alice shot Ignition a look. “Please tell me she’s not serious.”

The goddess’s grin widened, flashing that brilliant blue tongue.

“S-soo s-serious, m-my d-dear. N-now s-speak… or s-stay f-forever~.”

And under the unearthly sunlight of a world that shouldn’t have had any, the two adventurers realized just how deep they’d fallen into the heart of Bastka’s domain.

The sunlight pooled around them like honey, warm and surreal after the cold tombs of the labyrinth. The last ripples of Bastka’s voice hung in the air, the goddess’s ruby eyes glimmering with equal parts amusement and predatory curiosity.

Alice stood frozen, trying very hard not to stare at the impossible creature before her. “So… she’s definitely serious.”

Ignition nodded once, his voice dry. “Yeah. You can always tell when something like that’s serious. The world starts holding its breath.”

Before Alice could reply, a sound broke the silence, an awkward throat-clearing from somewhere in the gathered crowd.

A young adventurer, maybe 24 at most, shifted nervously on the edge of the dais. She wore scavenged plate over a hoodie, a bundle of merchandise peeking from her satchel. “Um pardon, Your Radiance?” she said, voice trembling but oddly excited. “Did you know they’re making a new statue drop of you? Like a full bishoujo figurine? It’s limited edition!”

The entire Oasis collectively froze.

Bastka blinked once, her feline ears twitching. “A… s-statue?”

“Yes!” The girl’s enthusiasm caught like wildfire. “The sculptor said it’s modeled after your first incarnation, the pose with the wings spread and that mirror staff? They’re doing a deluxe variant too, with glow-in-the-dark stitching!”

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some of the Kheprathi women began whispering rapidly to one another, tails flicking in disbelief. One of them, a regal matron draped in golden silks, turned toward her companion and muttered, “The Mother has new merchandise?”

The laughter that rolled from Bastka’s throat was rich and musical, her red eyes gleaming with delighted mischief. When she spoke again, it wasn’t with the solemnity of a deity it was with the electric giddiness of a woman remembering her favorite fandom drop.

“Y-you b-bring m-merch?” she asked, ears perking up. “S-statues, k-keychains, o-or th-those c-collectible p-pajamas~?”

The young adventurer from before lifted her bag uncertainly. “Uh… I do have a limited-edition keychain from the last drop?”

Gasps rippled through the gathered crowd. Even the Kheprathi huntresses bowed slightly at the mention of such a relic.

Bastka practically beamed. “S-show m-me~” she cooed, her tongue flicking neon blue with excitement.

The girl produced the little charm, a stylized chibi of the goddess herself, perched on a crescent moon, one paw raised in eternal smugness.

Bastka gasped. “Th-the l-limited o-one w-with the g-glowing moonl?!”

“Yeah!” the girl said proudly. “I queued three hours on launch day!”

The goddess’s wings flared, scattering motes of dust and sunlight. “Y-you d-devoted c-child! Y-you sh-shall h-have m-my b-blessing~” she purred, lowering her great lion frame enough to boop the adventurer on the forehead with one glowing claw. Threads of blue light wrapped briefly around the girl’s wrist a temporary blessing, the kind adventurers would kill for.

The crowd erupted. Cheers, applause, and the sudden rush of people scrambling to dig through their packs for any bit of Bastka merch.

Alice blinked, utterly bewildered. “She’s… a total nerd.”

Ignition crossed his arms, brow furrowing as he watched a stitched artisan present a pillowcase like it was holy scripture. “No kidding. She’s like a convention dealer with divine powers.”

Bastka turned, tail curling smugly behind her. “I c-collect e-everything,” she declared proudly, eyes shimmering. “P-poster r-runs, f-figurines, e-even th-those a-animation porn p-parodies~ Th-they c-captured m-my b-better a-angle.”

Alice opened her mouth, then shut it again. “Wait you mean you watch those?”

The goddess smiled faintly, her glowing tongue peeking past sharp teeth. “O-of c-course. O-one m-must s-support o-one’s o-own b-brand~”

Ignition coughed. “You have a brand?”

“I h-have m-merch s-sponsorships,” Bastka said proudly, straightening her wings. “A-adventurers b-bring m-me c-collectibles f-from t-the s-surface. I g-give t-them p-perks, b-blessings, o-or a h-hug~”

Her grin turned sly. “S-some p-prefer t-the h-hug.”

Alice stared at the bustling city around them vendors, stitched, undead, and living all coexisting in an impossible harmony under a goddess who… loved anime merch of herself. “This isn’t just a hidey hole,” she murmured. “It’s an entire civilization.”

Ignition nodded. “A city built around the worship of a collector goddess.” He glanced at Bastka again, now gently brushing dust off the keychain she’d been given. “Actually… that makes a weird amount of sense.”

All around them, life thrived.

Adventurers lounged by the black-glass lake, repairing weapons or showing off trinkets to curious Kheprathi nobles. Stitched artisans bartered for electronics from Earth, swapping necrotic gold for old headphones and phone charms. A group of cat-eared children darted past with holo-cards featuring Bastka’s different “monsters,” giggling as they compared the rare ones.

Alice couldn’t help but laugh softly. “She’s built her own fandom.”

Bastka tilted her head, ears twitching at the sound. “O-of c-course I h-have~” she purred. “W-what’s e-eternity w-without a-audience, h-hm?”

Her tail flicked, scattering droplets of water from the lake. “S-so, m-my d-dear a-adventurers… d-do y-you c-come t-to f-fight, t-to t-trade, o-or t-to j-join m-my f-fan c-club~?”

Alice and Ignition exchanged a look.

“Honestly?” Alice said with a small smirk. “I’m starting to think the fan club’s the safest option.”

The goddess’s laughter echoed like music through the sunlight-filled cavern, bright and delighted.

One of the Kheprathi huntresses snickered softly, earning a swift flick of Bastka’s tail that sent her tumbling into the lake. “N-no l-laughter! T-this is h-historic!” the goddess declared, puffing her chest with feline pride.

Alice had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. The absurdity was too much here they were, standing before a divine being who ruled an undead labyrinth… and she was gushing about a collectible figurine drop.”

The goddess turned back toward them suddenly, her eyes gleaming mischievously. “S-so, m-my l-little s-survivors… w-what w-will y-you d-do? P-play m-my r-riddle g-game… o-or j-join m-me f-for p-pre-orders~?”

Alice blinked. “You’re kidding.”

The blue glow of Bastka’s stitches flared, her grin widening. “I n-never k-kid. I’m a c-collector~”

The hum of the crowd softened as the sunlight rippled across the black lake.

Bastka still purred contentedly, admiring her new keychain like it was a sacred relic, when a voice rose clear above the chatter.

“I wish to play the Riddle Game,” the woman said.

The crowd parted in an instant.

She wasn’t some bright-eyed rookie. She carried herself with the weary confidence of a veteran mid-twenties, maybe a little older, her armor dented but clean, her expression steady despite the weight of the goddess’s stare. Her long braid was streaked with gray ash from the lower levels, and a dozen talismans clinked softly from her belt.

Bastka tilted her head, feline ears flicking. “O-oh? A-a b-bold c-challenger~”

The goddess’s voice rolled through the chamber like a silken purr. Her lion limbs shifted, claws glinting as she prowled a slow circle around the woman. “S-so y-you w-wish t-to b-breach m-my w-world… t-to s-step b-beyond th-this l-lovely p-place~?”

“Yes, Lady Bastka.” The adventurer bowed low, hand to heart. “I’ve completed every floor of the labyrinth. I’ve faced Serakhet’s gravity storm and lived. I seek passage.”

A murmur passed through the onlookers even the Kheprathi whispered among themselves. Few mortals dared utter those words aloud.

Alice leaned toward Ignition. “Wait. That’s it? No boss fight?”

Ignition shook his head slightly. “No boss. No loot chest. Just the Riddle Game. Beat her three questions, and you’re free.”

“And if you fail?”

“Depends on her mood.” His mouth quirked. “Sometimes you get banished. Sometimes… you get collected.”

The goddess’s tail flicked lazily. “S-sit, l-little d-dreamer,” she purred, lowering herself until her human torso leaned close to the challenger. “N-no b-blades h-here, j-just w-words. A-a r-riddle, a k-kiss… o-or p-perhaps… a m-meal~?”

The crowd chuckled nervously; everyone knew the line. It was ritual by now the preamble to her trial.

Bastka’s stitches glowed brighter, her wings curling in amusement. “S-so. T-three p-paths y-you m-may t-take, m-my d-dear:”

Her voice deepened, rhythmic, hypnotic:

“A-answer m-my r-riddles a t-test o-of m-mind and m-meaning.

C-choose e-eternity l-let m-me d-devour y-you, a-and b-be r-reborn i-in m-my d-dream.

O-or r-refuse, a-and b-be s-spat b-back i-into d-darkness, u-unworthy o-of m-my s-sands~.”

The woman bowed her head again. “I choose the first path.”

The goddess’s ruby eyes softened, glowing like coals in the sunlight. “H-honest. C-courageous. A-a f-fan, t-too~” She giggled to herself. “I l-like y-you.”

She raised a hand, threads of blue energy spinning into a halo above her palm. The air shimmered, and faint hieroglyphs living, crawling letters began to slither across the sand between them.

Alice and Ignition edged closer, caught up in the spectacle. The crowd murmured with anticipation; even the merchants stopped their trading to watch.

The adventurer knelt within the circle of glowing script. Bastka’s voice dropped to a near whisper, sensual and echoing:

The hieroglyphs shimmered brighter, swirling lazily like fireflies. The crowd leaned forward in tense expectation… only for Bastka to grin, tail curling smugly behind her.

“F-first q-question~” she sang, her glowing tongue flicking blue.

Her voice echoed through the Oasis: “W-what h-has f-feet, b-but c-can’t w-walk~?”

The challenger blinked. “…A chair?”

The goddess clapped her lion paws together, delighted. “Y-yesss~! S-so s-smart, s-so q-quick~!” she purred, tail swishing so hard a nearby stitched priest had to duck. “O-oh, I l-love a f-fan w-with m-manners!”

Alice blinked. “Wait. That’s it? That’s one of those riddles you tell at a kid’s party.”

Ignition muttered, “She’s totally bias-buffing her. Must be the merch.”

Bastka turned back to the challenger, eyes sparkling like twin rubies. “S-second q-question~” she said, lowering her head dramatically. “W-what h-has h-hands, b-but n-no a-arms~?”

The adventurer hesitated, then smiled faintly. “…A clock?”

The goddess gasped, pressing her paws to her cheeks. “A-a g-genius! A t-true i-intellect! Y-you m-must b-be s-some k-kind o-of s-scholar~”

Alice groaned. “Oh, come on.”

Even the Kheprathi were exchanging amused glances now. One whispered to her partner, “The Mother’s playing favorites again.”

Another rolled her golden eyes. “She does this every time someone brings her collectibles.”

Ignition folded his arms. “So what’s the third? Knock-knock?”

The goddess’s ears twitched, as if she’d heard him. She purred, tail curling like a question mark. “L-last o-one~ T-toughest o-of a-all~” she teased, eyes glowing brighter.

The challenger straightened, ready.

Bastka’s voice softened to a purr that could melt stone:

“W-what c-comes d-down, b-but n-never g-goes u-up~?”

The woman smiled, almost shyly. “…Rain.”

The chamber erupted in radiant blue light. Bastka’s wings flared wide, scattering petals of necrotic silk into the air. “C-correct! T-three o-out o-of t-three~!” she crowed, sounding like a cat that had just found a sunbeam. “S-she’s w-won~!”

The crowd applauded politely well, except for a few stitched who rolled their eyes.

Alice exhaled through her nose. “I can’t believe that counted.”

Ignition smirked. “I can. She’s like a walking gacha machine. Drop enough limited merch, and you pull the easy route.”

The goddess nuzzled the adventurer affectionately, a purring rumble shaking the lake. “Y-you m-may p-pass, s-sweet c-collector~ B-bear m-my b-blessing, a-and c-carry m-my n-name b-beyond th-these s-sands~”

With a final flick of her tail, Bastka drew a glowing circle in the air. A portal shimmered open above the lake gold, blue, and rippling like liquid glass.

The woman bowed deeply. “Thank you, Lady Bastka.”

“B-bring m-me m-more k-keychains~” the goddess called after her as she stepped into the light.

The portal sealed with a sigh, and the Oasis returned to its gentle hum of life.

Alice stared after it, wings twitching. “So that’s it? You just answer three riddles about furniture and weather, and she lets you leave?”

Ignition shrugged. “If she likes you, yeah. If she doesn’t…” He pointed subtly toward a nearby mound of stitched cloth shaped suspiciously like a person.

Alice frowned. “Right. Guess we should’ve brought merch.”

Bastka turned toward them, grinning like a sphinx who’d just remembered her next favorite toy. “W-well~ l-look w-who’s n-next~”