Luke and Yvonne barely had time to react before the enormous claw tightened around the broken stone and ripped half of it away.

A second hand burst through the widening opening and slammed onto the arena. Its crooked black nails carved deep trenches through the pale platform as thick arms strained below. The creature hauled itself upward, sending chunks of stone tumbling into the clouds.

Luke stumbled backward and pulled Yvonne with him as the monster’s head emerged. Two burning eyes glared from beneath a heavy brow, while several rows of uneven teeth filled a mouth that stretched too widely across its face. Long strands of black saliva hung between them. Short horns curved from its temples, and loose folds of gray flesh sagged beneath its jaw.

As the rest of its body rose into view, Luke finally understood how enormous it was. Even while hunched forward, the creature stood nearly three times his height. Its shoulders blocked a large portion of the arena, and its long arms ended in hands large enough to close around Luke and Yvonne together.

The swollen stomach made the rest of its body seem almost normal. That massive belly bulged far beyond its chest and hips, covered in thick folds of skin that shifted with every breath. Something moved beneath the stretched flesh. For a moment, a shape resembling a human hand pressed outward before slipping deeper into the creature’s body.

After hauling one leg onto the platform, the monster dropped its full weight onto the arena.

The impact threw Luke and Yvonne off their feet. Luke struck the stone shoulder-first, and his spear bounced from his hand before skidding several yards away. Yvonne cried out nearby as cracks spread from the monster’s feet and chunks broke loose from the edge, disappearing into the clouds.

Luke forced himself onto one elbow and looked up. A deep growl rolled from the creature’s chest while it stared down at them, vibrating through the arena until the sound seemed to settle inside his bones.

Every part of him wanted to run.

His arms weakened beneath him. The six smaller monsters had nearly killed him, and this thing looked capable of crushing both of them beneath one foot.

A system window appeared through the fear clouding his thoughts.

[Dread Devourer]

[Dungeon Boss]

[Level: Unknown]

[Warning: The Dread Devourer feeds upon the fear of nearby prey.]

The creature inhaled, drawing a thin gray mist from Luke’s body. After swallowing it, the muscles along its arms visibly thickened.

[Your fear has strengthened the Dread Devourer.]

"You have to be kidding me," Luke whispered.

Yvonne crawled toward him and wrapped both arms around his waist. Her body trembled so badly that he could feel it through their clothes.

"Luke."

The fear in her voice unsettled him more than the system warning. She had been nervous during their first battle, but she had still teased him, laughed at their mistakes, and kept searching for ways to help. Now her fingers dug into his shirt hard enough to stretch the fabric.

The blindfold probably made the monster even more terrifying for her. Luke could at least see where it stood and what it was doing. Yvonne could only hear its breathing, feel its weight shaking the platform, and watch whatever horrible possibilities Oracle’s Glimpse forced into her mind.

"Yvonne?" Luke asked. "What do you see?"

Her lips parted, but no answer came.

Violet symbols flashed wildly across her blindfold as ghostly images appeared around the boss. In one future, Luke disappeared beneath its claw. Another showed the creature biting through his body, while a third revealed Yvonne falling backward from the platform with one hand reaching toward him.

More visions unfolded until Luke could no longer follow them. Every version ended with one or both of them dying.

Yvonne made a small, frightened sound and pressed her face against his chest.

"Too many," she whispered. "Luke, there are too many."

The Dread Devourer grinned as gray mist poured from her in a steady stream. The creature drew it in, and the flesh around its shoulders and arms thickened.

It clearly enjoyed frightening her. The monster watched her shake and breathed in her fear with the same pleasure someone might take from the smell of a favorite meal.

Luke’s own terror tightened around his chest. For one weak moment, he considered logging out. His real body was lying safely on a bed in Lauren’s apartment. He could open his eyes, remove the headset, and remind himself that the monster was only part of a game.

A notification appeared before he could even try.

[Logout is unavailable during active dungeon combat.]

Luke stared at it.

"Of course it is."

Even if the game had allowed him to leave, Yvonne was still clinging to him. He could not imagine vanishing and abandoning her in front of this thing.

She had stayed beside him throughout the first battle, even when his mistakes kept changing the futures she saw. She had guided him, encouraged him, and placed herself within reach of the monsters so they could land the final blow together.

Now she needed him to do the same.

Luke rested a hand against the back of her head, letting her long black hair slip between his fingers. She was terrified, but the shaking in his own hand made it clear that she was not alone.

I’m just as scared as she is.

The situation reminded him of the nightmares he had suffered through while sleeping on the street, except there would be no waking before the worst part. He could feel Yvonne against him, the arena was breaking beneath their bodies, and the monster’s breath carried the rotten smell of whatever it had swallowed.

His spear lay several yards away, much closer to the boss than to him. It had barely been enough against the smaller monsters, and Arcane Thrust might not even pierce the hide of something this large.

The Dread Devourer lowered its head and inhaled more of Yvonne’s fear.

Luke clenched his jaw.

Get a grip, Luke. If you can’t protect a woman inside a game, then forget about ever protecting Miss Lauren in real life.

His fear remained, but it no longer controlled every thought. Luke drew a slow breath and pushed himself onto one knee.

The Dread Devourer noticed. Its burning eyes shifted toward him, and the grin faded from its face. Apparently, it expected frightened prey to remain on the ground.

Luke kept one hand on Yvonne’s head.

"We’ll defeat it together."

His voice shook badly enough that he almost winced, but when the monster leaned closer and growled, he forced himself to continue.

"We’ll defeat this monster together, Yvonne."

She raised her blindfolded face toward him. The tremble in her lips reflected the same fear he felt, so trying to hide his own would have been pointless.

"I’m terrified," he admitted. "I don’t know how we’re supposed to kill something that big, and I’ll probably mess up several times before we figure it out."

A system message appeared.

[A truthful statement has been detected.]

[Stamina restored.]

[Mana restored.]