Kyra returned home to find her kitchen table once again taken over by Lori's research notes.

  The mental exhaustion had kept the girl in bed for an entire day, and half a week later the status still hadn't lifted. Knowing now the risks that came with making the skill sheets, and seeing how long it was taking her disciple to come out of it, she'd gained a new appreciation for what resources Benny had provided for her.

  Lori set down a half-eaten slice of toast. There was no space left on the table, so the plate sat atop what looked like a set of crossed-out equations.

  "How did the training go?" Lori asked. "Did Tristis beat yesterday's milestone?"

  She looked from the pen in the girl's hand to the copious pages of notes. It was easy to tell the fresh ink because the color was different from before. Yesterday her disciple could barely keep her head on straight, and now she'd done more writing more in one night than Kyra had in ten years.

  "You aren't working on something that will knock yourself out again, are you?" she asked with genuine concern.

  Lori took a sip of coffee. Where the mug had set, there was a brown ring obscuring some hand-drawn diagrams.

  "I'm just collecting some data. Magic is so fascinating, isn't it? It's like the discovery of electricity. Opens up an entire new side to the world we've never seen before. I've been trying to put together a working theory on it."

  She peered over the girl's shoulders. There were indeed quite a few numbers recorded in what could, on a rainy day, be considered rows and columns. What confused her greatly was how some of the entries were made up of what she could only assume was algebra.

  "We have to get you a computer," she said. "In the meantime don't push yourself too hard. We need you in shape to start your training."

  Abruptly there was the pattering of feet in the hallway and an animal scurried into the kitchen. Kyra rushed in front to shield her disciple from the threat. The turbulence in her wake lifted all the papers into the air except for those held down by the toast and coffee mug.

  "What's going on?" Lori cried out behind her.

  Kyra cursed her indecisiveness. She kept putting off the decision, and now it had been made for her.

  But how? Last night when she checked, the fox had still been severely weakened.

  "Lori, did you do this?" she asked carefully.

  The fox hadn't yet made its move. It was standing there, looking confused. Its bushy tail wagged back and forth in an almost hypnotic motion.

  Going by combat ability alone, she could probably stomp it. Or slice it or burn it. But for a creature like this to be rated D-rank, matters couldn't be so simple. It all had to do with that ominous charm and the mysterious gift of the mind. She couldn't afford to let her guard down.

  "I noticed you trying to heal it," Lori replied calmly, "so I thought I'd help out."

  "Didn't I tell you it was to acquire the gift of healing? The plan was never to nurse it back to full health."

  "But you kept it around afterward. I thought you were keeping it as a pet."

  Behind her came the sound of a chair scraping back and then Lori was by the sink, drawing tap water into a dog bowl that Kyra never knew she had. The girl placed the water down in front of the fox, which lapped it up greedily.

  "He's just thirsty," Lori said. "You'll find him a lot friendlier once I give him something to eat."

  Somehow a can of dog food had materialized in the girl's hands, along with a second dog bowl.

  "You do know it's a monster . . . right?" she asked slowly.

  "He didn't seem like he wanted to hurt me," Lori replied. "You can kind of tell with animals. Sometimes."

  She watched the fox move on from the water bowl and begin eating the food Lori set down. Come to think of it, she didn't own a can opener either.

  Lori ran a hand over the creature's soft fur and looked up at her. "See? Harmless. If it wanted to hurt us, it would have done something during my nap."

  "You took a nap?"

  "I was so drained after using all my magic to heal him."

  "In between all this, when did you find the time to go shopping?" she asked. And then added, "I thought you didn't have any money."

  Lori's eyes darted around and she said chippily, "It all worked out in the end, didn't it? And he's been really helpful in allowing me gather some valuable data."

  Watching the fox eat, Kyra had to admit that it didn't seem any more dangerous than a normal fox. It hadn't done anything that looked like it was using magic on them, and as long as they kept it fed and watered, it probably wouldn't eat any of the neighbors.

  As if sensing her thoughts, the fox wandered over from its bowl and nuzzled against her leg like a cat. She couldn't resist the urge to reach down and pet it. It leaned up into her hand like it really enjoyed her touch.

  "Maybe some monsters can be tamed," Lori said with an affectionate smile. "Like our ancestors did with wolves."

  She supposed the fox deserved a chance.

  That afternoon Kyra decided it was time to introduce Lori to her first dungeon. While the mental exhaustion hadn't yet lifted from her status, Lori seemed to have most of her old energy back. Considering the strides Tristis was making in his training, she couldn't afford for Lori to fall further behind.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  There was an F-rank dungeon within walking distance from her home. It had spawned in a building that sat among a row of commercial properties. Out the front was a sign advertising the space for lease. On the ground level was a store that traded in foreign currency and gold. They climbed a narrow staircase to the vacant floor. She got the door open and Lori followed her through.

  Lori looked around at the unlit, empty space. "How'd you get the keys for this place?"

  She held up a set of picks. "I didn't."

  The portal anchor was easy to find when you could survey the entire floor from one spot.

  Kyra touched the portal anchor, and Lori staggered back in shock when the hole opened up.

  "I wasn't expecting that!"

  She grinned. "Magnificent, isn't it?"

  "Not the word I would use." Lori stepped carefully around the portal like she was inspecting a new species of snake. "There's really another world in there?"

  "A pocket world. Very small."

  "Monsters?"

  "Lots of monsters."

  "And a way back?"

  "It's like a doorway."

  Hearing this caused Lori to stumble a few steps back. "You mean a monster can charge through at any moment?"

  "Monsters can't pass through a portal," she reassured her disciple. "Not under normal circumstances anyway."

  "But there are abnormal circumstances?"

  "When a dungeon goes too long without being cleared, the nature of the portal will change to allow monsters to pass through."

  She was relaying what Benny had told her, as she was yet to see it for herself. Her job, after all, was to clear dungeons and prevent that exact scenario.

  Lori came back with more questions. "How can we tell if this is a safe portal?"

  "Let's focus on why I brought you here in the first place. It's time for your first glimpse into the other side of the world. Step on through."

  Lori stared nervously at the hole in the fabric of space. "You want me to get into that?"

  "Take your time."

  "Why is it a solid color? And why can't I see through to the other side?"

  The questions came once again, and they weren't bad questions. They were questions Kyra herself had often wondered.

  "I'm afraid it's just something you're going to have to get used to," she replied.

  Judging by the mask of dread that descended on Lori's face, it seemed to have finally dawned on her that portals and the horrors lying in wait on the other side were about to become a regular fixture of her life.

  Kyra gave the girl a moment to process her emotions before breaking the silence. "Do you regret becoming my disciple?"

  Lori shook her head slowly and uncertainly. "I can do this."

  While her disciple gathered her nerves, Kyra unslung the unwieldy bundle she'd brought along and untied the cloth that wrapped it up.

  Lori glanced over. "Are those our weapons? Which one is mine?"

  She tossed over a sword, which Lori caught by the scabbard and then, without unsheathing, poked through the portal. The weapon was then pulled back and brought close to her face for inspection. Smelled. Flexed. Touched.

  "There's something else I'd like to try," Lori said. "I'm just going to grab something from outside."

  As the girl's footsteps disappeared down the stairs, Kyra patiently inspected her own weapon. The first time through a portal was hard, and she regretted the way she'd handled it with Tristis.

  Lori returned with a stick that had once belonged to one of the trees lining the footpath outside. Without hesitation it was stuck through the portal. Moved this way and that. Held inside while she circled around. Pulled out, the end lit on fire, and then poked back through.

  Kyra watched all this with increasing bewilderment until the fire, when she uttered, "Watch it!" and pointed up at the smoke alarms and sprinklers on the ceiling.

  "Sorry!" The girl glanced at her half end of the stick and then turned back sheepishly. "I need to check if the fire's still there."

  "Do it quick."

  Lori pulled the stick out just enough to confirm that it was still burning and then quickly tossed the entire thing through the portal. They both looked up at the alarm, which remained blissfully unaware of their shenanigans.

  At last Lori turned to her and said, "I'm ready."

  She put on a confident smile. "Then let us begin."

  Smoke was collecting around the other side of the portal, which deposited them into a humid underground cave system. Kyra pushed frost magic into her boots and stomped out the flames. But it was already too late to stop the wood smoke from mixing with the sulfur in the air to create a sickening miasma.

  They escaped a short distance down the passage before Lori glanced back toward the portal.

  "The smoke isn't following us."

  "The air works differently in dungeons," Kyra said.

  Lori leaned in close to sniff at a glowing mushroom on the wall. "The gas isn't coming from these."

  "You should get used to your sword before we move on," she suggested.

  Lori obediently pulled the weapon out of its sheath and held it up. The girl wouldn't know which side of a tennis racket to hold, and her lack of confidence showed in her shaky grip. But all it took was three or four swings before she was laughing and showing off.

  "Did you see that?" Lori turned to her excitedly. "I sliced that mushroom clean in half! Didn't scratch the wall or anything!"

  She smiled back. "Seems you're ready to move on."

  The cheer drained from Lori's face. "Uh. Yeah. I guess."

  "You'll do fine," she reassured her disciple. "I'll be here to support you."

  They followed the tunnel around until the first cavern came into view.

  "Approach carefully," she instructed. "Keep your guard up. Danger can come from any corner."

  The cavern featured a clear pond where three giant newts swam idly. Their heads turned up at Lori's approach, and then their webbed feet slapped at the stone floor when they surfaced to confront her.

  Lori's sword quivered as the confidence that had built up just moments ago fled her body. It was one thing to slice at mushrooms, but mushrooms didn't threaten to trample you down.

  Lori retreated quickly back into the passageway and the newts crowded around the narrow entrance, where they stared down the tip of her sword. They'd reached an equilibrium of mutually assured fear.

  "Trust in your abilities," Kyra commanded.

  Lori swallowed hard and took a brave step forward, swinging her sword as she went. It connected, injuring a newt and causing it to pull back. This move left her flank exposed, and one of its brethren shot forward to take advantage. She raised her hand, catching the creature in the head with her palm. Orange fire flashed and she fell backward, the giant creature landing on top of her.

  The remaining healthy newt was snapping at Lori's arms and legs while she remained pinned. Kyra was about to step in to help when a battle cry ushered forth and her disciple emerged in a surge of strength and jaw.

  Arms and legs bitten and bleeding, her sword forgotten on the ground, Lori lunged forward in a manic rage, limbs swinging, striking the healthy newt down in a fiery flurry.

  The first newt struck was now the final one standing. It had retreated back into the cavern, leaving behind a slick trail of blood. Lori was already chasing after it, and the terrified creature dived into the pond, staining it red.

  "Wait!" Kyra cried.

  But Lori was too deep in her battle craze, and she jumped in after it.

  There was nowhere left for the newt to escape, and it had lost too much of its lifeblood in any case. Lori easily caught up to it and wrapped her hands around its neck. This sparked a final desperate struggle and both combatants disappeared into a cauldron of bubbles as the water around them boiled.

  Cursing, Kyra jumped in. The pond was shallow, the water only coming up to her shoulders. The heat was tolerable, but her disciple didn't have her experience in such conditions. She scrambled to reach the tangled bodies and pull them apart. The newt was already dead.

  But Lori was still kicking, and she was kicking hard. Her blind struggles pushed her master's head beneath the water, which continued to bubble because the accursed girl's manic fire was yet to subside.

  On land Kyra could easily have subdued the girl, but in water even a grown man can drown against a struggling child, as often happens when attempting a rescue. Her feet had no grip on the slippery clay, and the bubbles made the water like quicksand.

  Abruptly Lori's struggles ceased and Kyra was able to kick her way to the surface for air. She dragged her unconscious disciple back to land. There she cleared water from her lungs and checked on her breathing and circulation. To be on the safe side, she pushed healing magic through her hands, restoring the damaged lungs and lost blood.

  Yet Lori remained unconscious.

  The only cause for optimism was her status remaining at mental exhaustion. Surely it would have changed for something more serious.

  The frustration boiled up through Kyra's chest.

  How did she not see this coming? Why did she assume that the girl's mild-mannered and nerdly ways would necessarily mean a cautious approach to combat? The signs were there. The heightened assertiveness when she was drunk. The sometimes poor emotional regulation when she wasn't. Mix that in with pain and injury and adrenaline . . .

  No, that wasn't her only failure. To have brought the girl here at all had been a mistake. Her impatience to push on with training had led her to discount the risk posed by the mental exhaustion. It's like making a pneumonia patient run a marathon. Something that could have been recovered from in a week could now take months and leave permanent damage.

  How foolish of a master she was.