Clarice charges at a speed I can barely track, let alone hope to match, and I follow behind as quickly as I can. With graceful celerity, Clarice leaps into the air, delivering a downward kick to the beast`s back before ravaging it with a flurry of punches. As soon as her attack ends and she jumps back, I stab Radiant Edge into the welt her punches created.

　　With a titanic, pained roar, the cockatrice stumbles forward and collapses. But I know that wasn`t enough to finish it off. I unleash another Vacuum Slash, leaping backward as I fire the attack to avoid the spray of blood and any other potentially hazardous fluids as my attack hits home. But still, the beast struggles back to its feet.

　　"Sammy! Can you ready another Lightning Strike?"

　　"Uh, yeah, sure, Ash!"

　　"Aim for me the moment my strike is about to attack. Got it?"

　　"What?"

　　"No time! Just please, trust me!"

　　The beast returns to its feet and flaps its monstrous wings once more, scattering a horrifying scent, a combination of burnt flesh, musk, and any number of other fetid stenches I can`t quite identify. The sickening blend of odors assaults my nostrils, but compared with the vile rancidity of the Rotini Sewers, this stench is mild. Pleasant even, in some twisted sense. Though Clarice winces and shudders from the attack.

　　I pull out one of the remaining vials of antistone compound and hand it to her. "This will protect you if you get hit by its petrifying spit. I hope you don`t need it, but if the worst comes to pass."

　　I get a good look at her for the first time. Shorter than Sammy and I, though not quite petite,` and a few years younger too - 19 according to the in-game lore. She wears a robe or gi of some sort, and her arm muscles are very well toned from the glimpse I get. Gentle sky blue hair, ironic given her fiery nature earlier.

　　She snatches it out of my hand. "I don`t appreciate being taken for an amateur. But I guess my old man would get the last laugh if I slipped up and died here, so, thanks I guess."

　　She leads the assault, and I follow a short distance behind. A rain of needlelike feathers falls upon us. Clarice backflips and spins and dances about in directions I didn`t realize were humanly possible, evading the onslaught with a graceful dexterity I didn`t think humanly possible. I`m able to sidestep a fair portion of the attacks and block several more with my twin swords, but some feathers do hit home, dealing superficial damage to my arms, legs, and torso. My HP drops by around 200, leaving me with about a third of my health, and the pain is starting to build, but I have enough adrenaline pumping to overpower it and push through my injuries. We`re only going to get one chance, and I will succeed.

　　Clarice deals several more blows, each of which deals damage, but she simply lacks the raw power of magical weapons to back up her evasiveness and physical ability. Even if she continues going at this rate, a lucky blow breaking through her guard is going to get the better of her long before she rids the beast of its last 2000 or so health. It has to be me.

　　I leap in the air while she keeps the beast`s attention, turning to Sammy with a nod. Sparks build from her hand as I descend from the apex of my jump, diving toward this oversized fast food reject with both weapons in tow. I land on the beast`s back, before springboarding back up. With a yell to Sammy, I raise both weapons in a cross pattern in front of me. Sammy launches her strike, infusing my metallic weapons with electricity in the process.

　　I grimace from the pain, fighting the electrical impulses willing against my strategy, knowing that if I fail here, a whole lot of others are going to join me in the grave real soon. With all of my remaining strength, I launch a pair of electrified Vacuum Slashes at the rooster. The first attack, from my Ice Blade, slams into the beast and forces its head and neck to the ground. And with the second, the beast is instantly decapitated and it begins to fade into nothingness.

　　I smile and close my eyes as my limp body smashes into the ground. By the grace of the goddess herself, I gained a level just before impact, and the improvements to my HP and defense are just enough that I survive the fall damage at 27 health. With the adrenaline quickly subsiding, pain takes over and my vision goes blurry, then dark.

　　I wake up some time later to see Sammy`s face hovering over me. I realize I must be resting on her thighs, and by the grace of the goddess, I want this moment to never end. Clarice quickly cuts that prayer short.

　　"Well, Missy, I see you`re awake again. Bout damn time, mind you! If you were going to count sheep any longer, I think I would have left without you."

　　I shake my head and pull an orange out of my inventory and hand it to Sammy. "We shouldn`t have any trouble getting back, but just in case."

　　I turn to Clarice. "How did you get down here, anyway?"

　　"Well, I followed you two numbnuts, of course. When the gremlin army invaded, my old man and I rushed in to take care of as many people as we could, but when I saw the two of you heading toward somewhere or another, I had to follow. I just figured if a couple of random adventurers decided it was worth abandoning the fight to go dungeon diving, they had to have a good reason. Imagine finding a hidden temple and a giant cock under the city. I bet my mother is going to have an absolute field day when she discovers all this! But I still don`t know why you care so much to go exploring right now of all times."If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

　　"Down there," I say, pointing to a glint of light at the base of the cockatrice`s nest deep under the ziggurat. "One of the seven star shards that comprise the Guardian Star."

　　"Yeah, fat chance!" Clarice says. "It`s one thing to follow these bastards underground, but now you say that one of the pieces of the Guardian Star has been here the whole time? How the hell would you know that sort of thing?"

　　I demur. Sammy steps in. "I don`t know either for sure, but I think she was sent here by the goddess and gifted with foresight of future events to help overcome the Calamity."

　　Sammy is perceptive. Not exactly the words I`d use, but none of it is wrong either. I nod.

　　"In any case, we should hurry - I think the gremlin invasion will end as soon as we find the shard."

　　"You think?" Clarice says. "For one who supposedly has the goddess`s foresight, you sure sound unsure about it."

　　I shake my head. "It`s not perfect. I have a vague understanding of what I need to do, and some notion of how to do it, but I don`t have all the specifics, and sometimes, things don`t quite happen as I foresee them. I do know that we should hurry."

　　Clarice shakes her head and crosses her arm but makes no attempt to delay as the three of us descend into the monster`s former lair. It`s darker down here, away from the temple`s luminescence, but Sammy`s staff gives enough light as we jump from platform to platform along the interior of the cylindrical tube where the cockatrice once roosted. Before long, the glint brightens into a bright red glow, its appearance like the most stunning, beautiful ruby ever known to mankind.

　　I shudder and stagger from my injuries for a moment as I approach, but as I reach down toward the shard, I feel a warm, healing energy radiating out from it, rejuvenating me, closing my wounds and mending my battered insides. Judging by Sammy`s reaction, her closed eyes and contented sigh, she`s probably feeling similar.

　　I touch the shard, not quite sure what to do or what will happen, as the shard rumbles and breaks out of its rocky tomb. Soft, gentle words from beyond time or space echo in my mind.

　　Ashley, Chosen Hero of Aravia. In completing your first trial, you have proven your resolve and taken your first step toward ending this world`s vile Calamity and defeating the menace which grips its very soul. As proof of your deeds, I grant you a further portion of my power, that you might be the light which dispels all evil in our darkest hour. The entire world rests upon your shoulder, and remember, my power is with you.

　　Your [Analysis] skill has upgraded to [Analytic Eye]

　　[Analytic Eye]: A skill granted by the goddess to her chosen hero. Grants its wielder a vision of the immediate future.

　　I shake at the revelation - I don`t remember anything like this existing in the game. I turn back to my party members. Clarice has her arms crossed. Her toes tap and her face is in a full scowl - I can only surmise she didn`t hear those words. Most likely they were for me and me alone, and for the time being, I decide to keep the knowledge to myself.

　　Grasping the shard, now hovering in midair, it immediately launches high above, barreling through the tunnel and through the hole Clarice broke through the temple`s roof earlier before disappearing. Our work here is done.

　　"We getting out of this grungy room sometime before the end of the world, or we just gonna wait here until we collapse from starvation?" Clarice asks.

　　"No, let`s get going."

　　No monsters or other obstacles bar our path out of the temple, and we retrace our steps back toward the surface. For a moment, I shudder as we approach the chasm where I nearly lost my life not two hours earlier, but a red, shimmering glow appears like a bridge to cross the chasm. I walk in front and step onto the glowing light bridge - I don`t know this is solid, but somehow, some part of me knows it`s a blessing to aid us out of here. Sammy follows a short distance behind, but Clarice decides to take the earthen bridge, joining us back on the other side of the cascading bluffs.

　　There are no monsters on the other side, and after a short jaunt up the spiraling staircase, we arrive back on the surface in the late afternoon. The light breeze of the warm outside air feels incredible - it smells so clean, the sun`s shine so warm and comforting, and Goddess help me, I want to sleep.

　　"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Clarice says.

　　"You don`t want to tag along?" I say, choosing the dialogue option that allows her to stay in the party.

　　"You really want me to join?"

　　"Well, it`s gonna be a rough go through the rest of the world, and we could use your strength in the trials ahead. Besides, you`re curious, aren`t you?"

　　Clarice laughs in such a way that I can`t tell if it`s sarcastic or serious. She slams her hand on my back and I struggle to stay on my feet before running off.

　　"I better get going for tonight before my old man blows a gasket, but I`ll meet up with you tomorrow." She runs off, but turns around and waves before disappearing in a blur.

　　"What do you want to do, Ash?" Sammy asks.

　　I take a deep breath. "Get some sleep. And a nap. This day has been long enough already."

　　Experience: 26,710

　　To Next: 8090

　　Experience: 25,623

　　To Next: 327

　　Ashley Lancaster

　　Level 18

　　Samantha Relford

　　Level 17

　　HP:

　　294 / 1301

　　HP:

　　451 / 892

　　MP:

　　7 / 194

　　MP:

　　22 / 249