Warren swiped the air to bring up the map his combat deck had provided and inspected the surrounding area. He’d set out from his father’s property to find the dungeon shortly after Kassandra had changed into more comfortable clothing.

  While Valentina had protested, he’d refused to bring her along to a fight that could prove deadly without a combat deck. While he had a shield to protect himself, and Kassandra had her almost supernatural reflexes, Valentina only had her special forces training. And she was currently slowed downed by the wound on her back.

  Finally, he’d won the argument by using his best doctor's voice and stating she needed to rest, or she’d never heal. But her heart hadn’t seemed in the argument. She looked completely exhausted after their battle with the Daskians and the long hike back to the cabin.

  With the map hanging in his vision, his gaze flicked over toward the symbol for Torovox the Destroyer. As long as the boss didn’t veer toward his dad’s old pce—or another group of aliens didn’t stumble across the cabin—then Valentina should be safe.

  Warren gnced up from the map and studied the valley. Trees covered the hills as far as the eye could see, a verdant bnket without a single break in the canopy. The dungeon could be anywhere out here in the wilds.

  He traced a finger through the air and compared it to the map. If he was reading it right, they should almost be on top of the Dungeon of Terran Life. In the description, it said it had a level range of 1-5, which should make it perfect for him.

  Kassandra sauntered up beside him and raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. She then pced her other hand on her shapely hip as she looked out across the valley. “Where is this stupid pce?”

  He gnced over before quickly averting his gaze. He thought it would be easier being around Kassandra while she was wearing Lisa’s old clothing. But she had a much different body than his sister.

  What should be a comfy shirt on her was almost skin-tight and bared her ft stomach. And the jean shorts rode up distractingly high on her round ass. He couldn’t believe how beautiful she’d become since he’d left.

  I wonder if she remembers asking me out.

  When she’d first been reincarnated as a card—or whatever had happened when the combat deck had harvested her soul—she’d only had fragmented memories of her st moments. Had any more of her memories returned?

  “Did you remember anything more about the fight with the evil worms?” He’d tried calling them Sviigoris a few times, but it was too much of a tongue twister. They’d just settled on calling them evil worms.

  “I remember most of it,” she replied, slowly. As she spoke, a strange look came over her face.

  “It’s good that some of your memory is coming back,” he replied, almost immediately regretting his words. Was it really good to remember your own death?

  She set off down the hill without looking back at him. “We should keep moving.”

  Warren nodded and followed Kassandra down the steep incline. She probably didn’t remember pnning their date. But if she did, she clearly didn’t want to talk about it. Plus, in their current situation, he had a feeling neither of them had any time for romantic feelings.

  He held up a hand to stop her after travelling about a quarter of a mile. If the map was correct, then they were standing right on top of the dungeon. But aside from some pine trees and a pile of nearby boulders, there was nothing here.

  “Is there something wrong with my map?” he mused to himself. As he held the map open, he paced around the forest. But he didn’t see anything even remotely resembling a dungeon. Or even an entrance to a dungeon.

  “Over here!” Kassandra called out excitedly. She raced down the steep hillside, her feet sliding in the loose dirt. She skidded to a stop by a depression in the ground and waved excitedly at him.

  Warren hurried after her, holding onto branches to keep himself from losing his bance on the slope. He nearly stumbled once, only grabbing a hold of a sapling at the st moment. As he struggled to keep his bance, he recalled these trails being far easier to travel when he was younger.

  He slowly descended the hill until he was standing next to Kassandra. From his new vantage point, he could finally see what had made her so excited—an ancient door y hidden in an overgrown pit.

  “Where did this come from?” He walked up to the entrance to examine it. There were all kinds of old mines dotted around the hills. But this didn’t look like anything he’d seen in the past. Had the aliens created this door?

  “I have absolutely no idea.” Kassandra’s hand dropped to the dagger sheathed on her thigh. “Should we go inside?”

  There were no markings to be found, so he realized the mystery of the door’s origin wouldn’t be solved any time soon. He instinctively reached for his rifle, but then remembered he’d left it back at the cabin.

  After his fight with the Daskians, he’d run out of ammunition for his AR-15. And since his father’s store of bullets had been destroyed, he had no way to reload it. For now, at least, he’d have to rely on his combat deck alone.

  He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He had no idea what y behind this heavy steel door. But whatever it was, he had a feeling it wasn’t going to be an easy fight.

  Warren prepared to activate his combat deck in case the dungeon started immediately. As he did, he reached forward and grasped the door handle. “Ready when you are, Nocturne.”

  “Isn’t that a cool name?” Kassandra gushed. “You know, I always loved those ninja movies with women in them. I…loved how badass they were.”

  “They don’t have anything on you,” he replied with a grin. “I’d take you over any of them.”

  “Really?” she gnced over at him. “Are you being honest?”

  He nodded. “Once we’re inside, I’m going to have to rely on you. I don’t have a gun, and my only other card is a sword.”

  “I’ll keep you safe.” She smiled at him. “After all, you still owe me a dinner.”

  Warren raised his brow in surprise at her words. Before he could figure out how to reply, she took the handle from him and swung the door open. The hinges rotated easily, belying the ancient look of the door.

  From inside, the tortured cries of animals echoed down a long brick corridor. A series of lights had been bolted to the roof, the cords old and corroded. This had definitely been built by humans—there was no way the aliens would replicate this sort of crappy electrical work.

  He started to step inside, but Kassandra held out a hand to stop him.

  She drew her dagger, the bde hissing out of the scabbard. As she did, she fell into a fighting position and crept forward. She continued down the tunnel, her weapon held out in front of her.

  He waited a minute before following her inside. He briefly considered calling on his combat deck. But it only sted for 15 minutes, and he didn’t want to risk it expiring before they reached the first challenge.

  Instead, he followed after Kassandra at a slow pace. Now that his old friend was wearing running shoes, she moved like an assassin. Meanwhile, he felt like a moose crashing through a store. Every step he made thudded loudly against the brick floor. To make matters worse, he accidentally kicked an old metal pipe, sending it cnging down the narrow corridor.

  Kassandra gnced back at him and rolled her eyes.

  He had to assume Kassandra had gained her stealth abilities from being transformed into a card. Because the girl he remembered was a complete klutz. She’d tripped over her own feet more often than anyone he’d ever know.

  The tunnel ended abruptly after fifty yards and opened up into a vast, domed room. The ceiling and walls were covered with thick flowering vines, while the floor had roots burrowing their way into the concrete. At the center of the room stood a gnarled, dead tree.

  He stopped at the entrance as he wondered how to activate the dungeon. Did he have to do something? Or would the encounters just start on their own? For all he knew, there were patrolling monsters headed their way right now.

  “I’m going to use my deck,” he whispered. “It’s not much, but the Bde of Deimos could be the difference between victory and defeat.”

  Kassandra pressed her plump lips together. “Are you sure you don’t want to keep me as your bodyguard a little longer?”

  “I don’t think so,” he replied. “This room might require a combat deck to activate. Plus, I’d like to start charging my energy.”

  She chewed on her lower lip. “I hate going back in there.”

  He frowned at her words. “What do you mean? Does it hurt you?”

  She shook her head, a few strands of blond hair falling over her face. “I don’t like leaving you alone,” she said. “I’m… worried something will happen to you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” he replied, in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. “If all goes according to pn, you’ll only be gone for a few seconds.”

  Kassandra crossed her arms. “Don’t do anything without me.”

  He nodded as he selected the combat deck. As he’d come to expect, Kassandra disappeared into shards of light. Then two cards appeared to the right of his vision: Nocturne and The Bde of Deimos.

  The second he finished calling upon his combat deck, the dungeon sprang to life. The roots covering the walls twisted and coiled together, while the flowers folded their petals and disappeared. A great creaking sound emerged from the dead tree at the center of the room.

  As he watched, the tree pulled its roots free from the floors, and the branches swung around like limbs. At the center of the trunk, two holes cracked open to reveal glowing red eyes. They were quickly joined by a jagged mouth, nearly splitting the middle of the trunk in half.

  A name pte appeared above the tree with the following writing on it:

  Wizened Milbark

  Level 1

  I guess I’m fighting a treant, he thought to himself.

  A few days ago, the thought of fighting a sentient tree would have seemed insane to him. But after an alien invasion and his friend being turned into a card, a tree barely registered on the weird scale.

  Warren selected his ‘Nocturne’ card, and Kassandra emerged from a cloud of darkness. She nded lithely on the floor and rolled forward before springing to her feet. She then ripped her dagger free of its sheath.

  As he summoned his card, a mirror storm appeared in front of Wizened Milbark. The creature that emerged from the darkness almost resembled a predatory flower. It stood nearly as tall as a man, and at the center of its petals was a mouth filled with rows of shark-like teeth. The creature lurched forward in an unsteady gait on its roots. A flurry of barbed appendages emerged from the stem, waving in the air.

  The tree has a combat deck, too?

  He watched as the sphere representing his Energy drained until it was completely empty. It would take a while before he could summon his sword. For now, the only thing he’d have to defend himself with was a knife he’d retrieved from the cabin.

  Hopefully, it would be enough.

  Author's Note: New chapters will continue Mon, Wed, and Fri.