The morning sun painted the cavern ceiling with a warm glow from the magma channels as I made my way through the enclave streets. Children waved at me as I passed, no longer afraid of my war frame's imposing silhouette. I carried a cloth-wrapped bundle, its weight insignificant to my mechanical strength.

The Dancing Crab's interior smelled of spices and cooked meat. The common room held a scattering of patrons, mostly humans and a few kobolds, seated at wooden tables. Barkatus hunched over a plate in the corner, shoveling food into his mouth with single-minded focus.

He spotted me immediately, his eyes widening. With impressive speed, he crammed the remaining food into his mouth, cheeks bulging as he chewed and swallowed.

"Morning, Widow," he greeted after forcing down his mouthful. "Sleep well? Oh wait," He grinned. "Do you even sleep?"

I shook my head.

He gestured at his empty plate. "Food in this monster pen isn't half bad. Too many damn mushrooms for my taste, but the crab meat?" He kissed his fingertips. "Divine. Never had anything like it before."

I nodded, watching his enthusiasm with detached interest. I wasn't jealous, not at all.

"So," Barkatus leaned forward, lowering his voice, "are we heading out today? Going to bash some monster heads in the Hellzone?"

Yes. I need to continue leveling.

His face lit up with savage anticipation. "Perfect. Give me five minutes to grab my gear."

True to his word, Barkatus returned promptly, wearing leather armor with metal plates sewn into critical areas. A shabby short sword hung at his hip, clearly a temporary replacement for his lost weapon.

We exited the inn and stepped into the bustling morning traffic of the enclave. Merchants called their wares, workers hurried to their posts, and the day's rhythms unfolded around us.

I have something for you, I transmitted, extending the wrapped bundle.

Barkatus accepted it with raised eyebrows. He unwrapped the cloth with unexpected care, revealing the auric steel longsword nestled within. Sunlight from the cavern's crystal fixtures caught the blade's golden-white surface, sending shimmers across his face.

"By the gods," he whispered, lifting the weapon reverently. He stepped back, giving the sword a few experimental swings. The blade cut through the air with a satisfying whistle. "It's incredibly light for something that looks like gold. The balance is perfect."

It's not gold, I explained. It's auric steel, an alloy of my own creation.

"Fancy name for a fancy sword."

Push your mana into the blade.

Barkatus raised an eyebrow but did as instructed. The moment his energy flowed into the metal, he grinned. The blade hummed with power, and a thin aura of blue energy surrounded the cutting edge, extending its reach by nearly an inch.

Barkatus burst into laughter, not mocking, but genuinely delighted. "You've made me a masterwork! This is..." He shook his head in disbelief. "This is worth more than that slave house's entire inventory."

We made our way toward the volcanic entrance, Barkatus testing the sword's weight and balance with each step. At the gateway, Sathrak's militia stood alongside the silent, red-skinned Voiceless, maintaining their vigilant watch.

The guards allowed us passage without question, though several militiamen glared at Barkatus with undisguised hostility. One lizardman spat on the ground as we passed.

Barkatus noticed but merely smiled, tapping his new sword against his shoulder. "Lovely folk you've settled with," he muttered as we stepped into the harsh light of the Hellzone.

We moved beyond the volcano's shadow, leaving behind the Voiceless sentinels who patrolled the enclave's outer perimeter. I acknowledged several of the red-skinned guardians with a wave, but they remained impassive, their eyestalks turned toward us without reaction. Their silent vigilance continued unbroken as we passed beyond their domain.

The Hellzone stretched before us, a wasteland of black sand and jutting obsidian formations. The volcanic peak receded behind us as we ventured deeper into the desolation. An hour into our journey, something caught my attention: a perfect sphere of blue hovering in the distance, suspended against all natural law.

I activated Mind Sight, extending my perception across the barren landscape. The distant anomaly resolved into a massive globe of water, somehow maintaining its spherical shape without any visible containment. Silver-scaled fish darted through the suspended aquarium, their movements unconcerned with the impossibility of their habitat.

"What are you staring at?" Barkatus asked, following my gaze.

A floating ball of water with fish swimming inside it.

He squinted toward the horizon. "I don't see anything."

It's too far for normal vision.

"Hellzones," he muttered, shaking his head. "Twisted places. The gods broke something fundamental when they made these wastelands."

I turned away from the anomaly. Such reality distortions were common in Hellzones. They were, after all, wounds in the fabric of the world that never properly healed after the Age of Primordials.

We continued our trek across the black sands. The wind carried sulfuric particles that would have been rough on human lungs, but because I didn't need to breath and Barkatus had a level 55 body, the slightly toxic air did not bother us in the slightest.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"There," Barkatus pointed toward a massive shape cresting a dune ahead.

The creature that emerged looked nothing like its system designation. My Analyze ability identified it as a Level 66 Molt Fish, but the monster before us resembled no fish I'd ever encountered. Its body was the size of a small cottage, covered in interlocking plates of rust-colored carapace. Four enormous claws extended from its body, each ending in serrated cutting edges that could shear through stone.

Before I could formulate a strategy, Barkatus charged. His feet kicked up plumes of black sand as he closed the distance with startling speed. The auric steel blade flashed in the harsh sunlight as he drove it deep between two carapace plates.

The Molt Fish emitted a high-pitched squeal that vibrated through the ground. One massive claw swung toward Barkatus, who yanked his sword free and rolled away moments before the appendage crashed into the spot where he'd stood.

I surged forward, war frame's hydraulics hissing as I deployed my tendrils. Two serpentine appendages shot out, wrapping around the monster's forward claws. The creature thrashed against my grip, but the auric steel held firm as I drove my sword-lance into its shell repeatedly.

Each strike cracked the carapace, sending blue ichor spraying across the black sand. The monster's remaining free claw swept toward me with devastating force.

Barkatus intercepted the attack, his blade glowing with concentrated mana. He activated Blade Skill, meeting the massive appendage with his enhanced sword. The impact sent tremors through the ground, but his strike successfully deflected the claw away from my frame.

I seized the opening, driving my sword-lance deep into the creature's exposed mouth cavity. With a mental command, I detonated the mana charge in the weapon's chamber. The explosive force sent a lead projectile tearing through the monster's internal organs.

The Molt Fish convulsed violently, its death squeal echoing across the wasteland before it collapsed onto its belly, limbs twitching in final spasms.

A system notification appeared in my field of vision:

Congratulations! You have defeated and have received experience.

Barkatus wiped ichor from his face, his teeth bared in a feral grin. "See? What did I tell you?" He clapped a hand against my metal shoulder. "We make a damn good team."

We carved a path of destruction through the Hellzone, moving deeper into territories where even the enclave's hunters rarely ventured. Here, the landscape shifted in unpredictable ways. Black sand gave way to glass-like surfaces, then back again without warning. The air shimmered with heat distortions that bent light into impossible angles.

A high-pitched buzzing filled the air. I looked up to see the sky darkening with a swarm of Wasp Crabs descending upon us. Each creature was roughly the size of a pumpkin, their translucent wings beating furiously as they dove toward us. Their carapaces gleamed metallic blue, and wicked pincers snapped hungrily.

"I hate these little bastards," Barkatus growled, raising his sword.

The swarm engulfed us. My tendrils lashed out in precise arcs, each movement cutting through multiple creatures. Their chitinous bodies split with satisfying cracks, raining blue ichor across the black sand. Barkatus moved like a whirlwind, his auric steel blade humming with energy as he carved through the attackers.

One Wasp Crab latched onto his shoulder, its pincers piercing leather armor. Barkatus didn't flinch. He simply grabbed the creature and crushed it in his bare hand, tossing the twitching remains aside without breaking stride.

After taking care of the swarm, we set off into the desert once more. Less than an hour later, we came up against another terrible foe.

The ground beneath our feet trembled. I deployed a scout spider just as the sand erupted twenty feet away. A massive Mole Lobster burst from beneath the surface, its shovel-like claws churning through earth. The creature's eyestalks swiveled toward us, sensing prey.

Watch the ground! I transmitted to Barkatus, but he was already moving.

The monster dove back underground, tunneling with alarming speed. My scout spider's sensors tracked its movement beneath the sands, a living torpedo heading straight for Barkatus.

Three steps right, I commanded.

Barkatus leapt aside just as the Mole Lobster erupted where he'd stood. Without hesitation, he drove his sword into the creature's exposed underside. The auric steel blade penetrated the softer carapace, and Barkatus channeled mana through the weapon. The monster's death throes sent tremors through the ground.

This deep in the Hellzone, monsters attacked us at seemingly every turn. We would take care of one threat, only to face another a mere ten steps away.

A barrage of fireballs streaked toward us from behind a rock formation. Three Learned Brachyurans stood in formation, their crab-like bodies supporting humanoid torsos. One raised spindly appendages, conjuring a crackling ball of lightning.

Barkatus charged directly into their spell barrage, deflecting a fireball with his sword. The flames washed over him, singeing his armor, but he never slowed. He reached the first spellcaster and severed its casting limb with a single stroke.

I flanked the creatures, tendrils extending to impale one through its thorax. The third Brachyuran launched an air blade that sliced across my war frame's shoulder, cutting through the cloth of my dress but failing to pierce the metal beneath. I closed the distance and drove my sword-lance through its clutching appendage.

Throughout the day, Barkatus fought with reckless abandon. When an Alkahest Fish's acid spray caught his arm, melting through leather to the skin beneath, he merely switched his sword to his other hand and continued fighting. When a Stalking Crab's pincer gashed his thigh, he laughed and drove his blade through its head.

As dusk approached, we turned back toward the enclave. The volcanic peak loomed against the darkening sky, a beacon guiding our return.

"That was magnificent," Barkatus said, limping slightly but grinning through blood-streaked features. "I haven't had a fight like that since..." He trailed off, then shrugged. "Well, in a long time."

My status screen showed I'd gained a full level, reaching 77. Barkatus had gained two levels, now standing at 57. The human's growth rate impressed me almost as much as his fighting prowess.

"We should do this every day," he suggested, eyes gleaming with anticipation of more battles to come.

As exciting as this was, I can't do this daily, I transmitted to Barkatus. I have responsibilities to the enclave.

He threw his head back and groaned, the sound echoing across the black sands. "It's a crime against nature. A war beast like you, stuck building useless things like water pipes for monsters."

My projects aren't useless, I countered, tendrils retracting into my frame as we approached the volcano. They're essential infrastructure. The water system alone will improve health conditions throughout the settlement.

"Plumbing," Barkatus spat the word like a curse. "You could be conquering kingdoms, and instead you're making peasant wells."

These people gave me sanctuary when I needed it.

"These monsters," he corrected, but his tone lacked genuine malice. He limped alongside me, his frown deepening with each painful step. "They'd worship you more if you slaughtered their enemies instead of building them gadgets."

Perhaps. But I choose to create rather than destroy when possible.

Barkatus snorted but fell silent as we reached the volcanic entrance. The Voiceless sentinels stood motionless, their eyestalks tracking our approach.

At the enclave's entrance, Barkatus clapped a hand on my metal shoulder. "Come find me when you're done making toys." Without waiting for an answer, he turned toward The Dancing Crab, his new sword gleaming in the cavern's crystal light.

I watched him go, then made my way toward my workshop, where unfinished blueprints and half-assembled mechanisms awaited my return.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.