When I was a child, Woodsten had still been new. It was a frontier encampment that was trying to turn into the town that exists today. My parents were among the prominent citizens helping the town get on its feet. Not exactly elders, but the strong backs that Woodsten would rise from. In the time between planting and harvest, my dad would run errands for the city, one of which took us up to the Port of Dragons for fish and whale fat.

  The Port of Dragons was a generous name for the easternmost shanty town that had sprung up past the rise of the Ursine Wall. It had a small merchant fleet, an impressive and daring fishery, and a reputation for the finest ice cream in the realm. Which was why I'd pleaded with my dad for weeks when I found out he was going to make the harrowing journey to the port. Upon wearing him down, I'd gotten a first-row seat in a wagon full of wool bouncing around a poorly maintained trade route.

  Suffice it to say, it wasn't the most comfortable drive I'd been on.

  Being at the juncture of mountain and ocean, one of the Port's principal exports was blocky chunks of ice hewn from the glaciers of the ever-present looming mountains. The ice was kept in deep-dug icehouse pits lined with straw and stone awaiting shipment. In a world bereft of ice, they'd mastered an industry that was a luxury everywhere else: ice cream.

  Dad had bought me two scoops of strawberry ice cream, which sat on top of a large waffle cone. We'd dropped off the wool and had walked down to the large docks so that I could get my first actual view of the ocean. I stood in awe of the white-capped waves that stretched to the horizon. The salty tang of the air. The cool breeze took my breath away.

  Mesmerized by the action and sound of the waves, I stood on the dock with my melting ice cream cone. Even the sticky sweetness couldn't lure me away from the view.

  That's when it happened.

  A bird hidden in the stealth of my awe dive-bombed me, taking my ice cream in one wide open beak.

  I turned to find my dad bent over laughing.

  "The look on your face!" he explained, tears of laughter tracking down his face. I stared at the worn planks of the dock, bleached by storm and sun, my ear burning in shame. "Oh, come now, son. Let's get you a new cone. This time, watch for the seagulls."

  In true twelve-year-old fashion, my disappointment transformed into glee.

  "You think I can try a different flavor?" I asked greedily, a bounce in my step as I ate the remaining bit of waffle cone in my hand. "Maybe the chocolate?"

  We'd returned to the dock later that evening to watch the end of the day fall across the sea. I'm not sure how I'd ever missed the gulls. They were everywhere, cawing in craven hunger, ready to dive-bomb any unsuspecting fool. I hoped the one that'd stolen my treat got a brain freeze.

  When we got back to Woodsten, I'd have to thank my dad for taking me to the ocean. He'd unknowingly saved my life.

  [Cheat Death] was still on cooldown. It took a full twenty-four hours for it to refresh. Richard had been squirmy about whether he had another skill that could refresh it. I decided not to push. We'd technically defeated the dungeon, so how much more danger was there?

  Richard came with me. For a land slug, he was awfully good at swimming. His body rippled in the water as we traveled towards the shimmering sunlight. I realized now that I'd had very little to worry about on our fishing expedition in the Tigra. If the line had snapped, he'd have been perfectly capable of finding his way ashore. Maybe he was [Immortal].

  I know you can swim faster than that.

  One downside of swimming, I couldn't respond to his commentary.

  Taking deep breaths underwater was an odd experience. My gills pulsed, drawing in more water. Filtering it, and like the slow turn of a pancake, turned the useless water into a gasp of air. The day I truly got used to the inhale of water was the day I'd given up my humanity entirely.

  Kicking my feet, I rose past the carcass of the Mosas. Tiny fish tugged at its body, and while they all had the serrated teeth of the dungeon, they acted like scavengers. The fish kept us both in range, but swam away anytime we got too close to one of them. I didn't mind a dungeon beast skittish of me.

  For a moment I thought about reaching out and using my [Loot] ability on the Mosas, but then I thought of the school of fish turning their ire on me and decided I might try on the way back down.

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  Come on, Cole. This isn't a field trip.

  Taking my eyes off the Mosas, I swam higher. My shoulders ached. I told myself it was from getting ripped in half repeatedly, but the reality was, all the swimming was more physical exercise than I'd done in a long time. General adventuring took a lot of walking and moments of terror, but I hadn't had a lot of just muscle and endurance building effort. This was something I needed to change. I was going to put a plan together, establish a workout routine. I wasn't going to let my physical state endanger my teammates.

  Richard ruffled his fringe, twirling around me like I was a dead weight as he elegantly twisted in the water.

  Are you really this slow?

  Maybe I'd just let whatever threatened us next eat Richard. Just him, everyone else I'd save on the back of rippling muscles.

  Kicking harder, I moved a little faster.

  I could feel Richard's eyes rolling on his eyestalks.

  Facing upward, the water had grown lighter in both density and coloration. It was as though the very water buoyed me up as my spirits rose. The sky was just beyond the plane of the water—fresh air, freedom.

  My hands broke the surface of the water first. The air was hotter than I expected, what my sister's husband, Jareth, described as tropical. It was heavy, and the sun blazed in a hazy sky exacting vengeance on the land itself. The water was relatively calm for all that it stretched to the horizon in every direction. Delicate slops of miniature waves slopped into each other as though in a bathtub with a wriggling toddler. Bringing up my overlay, I twisted my body to look to the west where the island sat.

  Do you see it? Richard's eyestalks bobbed out of the water next to me like the eyes of a monster.

  I saw it. I just wasn't sure what I was looking at. A large mound sat on the horizon like a distant island topped by one conical mountain. It moved, though. Not in a gentle sense, but with large paddles to either side of the green island. I could make out trees and a beach, and distant birds circling the landmass. Except the specks flying over the island had to be much larger than birds to be visible.

  Suddenly, the senses developed by my twelve-year-old self looked up, frantically trying to spot the predator that I knew was lurking.

  "Dive!" I yelled at Richard.

  As though sensing my sudden awareness, the winged creature screeched, breaking its silence as it folded its wings to dive at its prey. I got a view of an open beak full of serrated teeth before I followed my own advice. I quickly forgot the ache in my shoulders as I swam for my life.

  While in the Port of Dragons, I'd spent most of my time on the shore chasing crabs and watching sea birds as my dad conducted the village business. I'd seen giant pelicans plunge into the sea to scoop off a fish too close to the surface. I knew we weren't safe.

  Kicking hard, I tried to get as much space between the break of the water as possible. With each kick, I felt safer as I put a yard, two yards, three behind me.

  Richard swam next to me.

  What did you see?

  I pulled up, twisting my body to get a glimpse of the bird. This was a mistake.

  I scanned the water wearily, dog-paddling in place, when it happened. The beak of the bird was long and thin. It breached the water closed as it dove. The entire bird was as big as a wagon and had narrowed its body so that when it hit the water it shot towards us like a spear.

  "Shit!" I screamed into the burbling water as the beak opened, exposing lines of teeth.

  What the hell is this dungeon's obsession with teeth? Richard yelled as he twisted sideways to avoid the bird.

  He was fine. The bird was aiming at me. I was toast, however, as I had taken no weapon with me. The dungeon was defeated! It wasn't fair.

  Just as the beak closed around my torso, another bird broke the surface, pushing at the original striker, pushing towards me itself. As the two birds pushed and fought, I swam frantically away.

  Their serrated beaks snapped as each set of eyes stared at me greedily.

  Keep going, Cole. I'll distract them.

  I didn't look back, kicking with every bit of strength. Bubbles escaped my gills as I took air from the sea. I willed my hands to web and propel me faster away from the danger above.

  We're safe. Richard affirmed, just as my muscles cramped with the effort.

  I turned around, Richard floating above me. The birds were no longer trying to pursue us, and instead flailed at each other in a watery shoving match. I twisted my body, dodging angry beaks. The birds had white and gray mottled feathers and elongated beaks with sharp teeth. The two rivals nipped at each other, teeth gnashing. Thank goodness for bird rivalry.

  Just as I turned my eyes down, to our enclosure, a snap of movement caught the corner of my eye. A third bird had joined the fray. This one, however, hit the water diagonally and swam below the two fighting birds. Its enormous jaws opened to snap closed around Richard.

  Swim! Get away!

  Richard's vocalizations cut off as one of the monstrous gulls nipped him out of the water like a scoop of ice cream from a child’s hand.

  [Your [Party Member] Richard is...]

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