I could feel my eyebrow hairs curl as they singed. The small part of my brain that wasn't trying to curdle wondered why Richard hadn't just fallen into the lava and had his own [Cheat Death] trigger. If I had to cook much longer, I'd seriously consider it.

  Are you doing this, or just here as a tourist?

  Right, I had a job to do.

  Reaching out with [Slime Manipulation], my most practiced skill, I mentally examined the slime holding our little dangling slug up. It was imbued with [Repel Heat] and, unfortunately, the points touching the ceiling had a [Permanent Stick]. I wasn't going to bear-crawl the hammock until he was within reach.

  My first plan floated down the lava tube as a complete failure.

  "Any ideas?" I asked, my throat protesting both words. I needed Tandy or even Ash. My health had hit 50%, all of it scorching burns. All of it blistering my consciousness.

  A sling shot. I can withstand the heat for a couple seconds, we cut the edge near you...

  And I use [Slime Manipulation] to sling him towards my face.

  A burble of lava popped near my face, sending up a heavy splatter right past my nose. It hit one of the wilting ladder rungs, sizzling in front of my nose.

  "Sounds good," I croaked. Anything to get this over with sooner rather than later was good by me. It was his neck he was risking.

  I reached out with [Slime Manipulation] this time tugging at the rear of his makeshift sling. The slimy structure pulled back, stretching. This could work.

  Hold on, I didn't cut the end.

  My mind snapped, and along with it, my grip on the sling.

  Richard went catapulting forward and predictably caught the edge of his hammock, rebounding into the top of the tunnel.

  By the Everbear's tits, do you have to be so incompetent? He wasted a few seconds cussing. If I didn't already consider myself cursed, then I certainly was now.

  Richard slimed to the rim of his hammock, applying a tooth to the edge. He split the hammock, leaving enough room for him to fling through the gap.

  Don't mess it up. Richard's tentacles were slicked back, as far away from the molten rock as possible. He moved to the back of the sling. The molten rock had inched closer. This was going to be close.

  I had one chance.

  Reaching out with my mind, [Slime Manipulation] pulled the rear of the hammock back. The gap between us was only a few feet, but it seemed like a canyon over the super-heated rock. If he fell in, he'd be gone instantly.

  My heart thumped as a trickle of sweat dripped into my eye, causing my vision to blur. Blinking rapidly, I couldn't wipe it away.

  No rush, there's just a wave of lava headed our way.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  I strained, stretching the sling a little further, and let go.

  Richard fried as he flew. He'd coated himself in slime, trying to provide some amount of resistance, but he was flying through a white-hot forge. By the time he hit my face, the guy was unconscious. I singed a hand, rolling him into the brim of my helmet, trying to give him any protection.

  "Lift us up!" my voice cracked. I got Richard up into my armor when I saw it. The wave of lava that was going to end us. It moved slowly, filling the tunnel almost completely. "LIFT US UP! I'VE GOT HIM!!" I yelled, this time not caring how much of the air I breathed in. If they hadn’t started pulling us up, I was dead anyway. I flailed on the rope like an angry worm on a hook, trying to get their attention. My eyes fixed on our doom.

  Richard was unconscious and dry against my skin. The only solace was that I hadn't gotten a death notification yet.

  My health dropped to 20% as I banged against the ladder and the wall, trying to get their attention. It was ironic that I'd actually gotten Richard, but was going to die, anyway.

  The harness tugged at me.

  [Warning - [Thermal Shock] imminent.]

  I quickly buttoned my armor around Richard, cradling him. I held my breath, my gills pulled tight against my neck. The air had grown so hot that any exposed skin was bubbling. I'd died a lot of ways since choosing [Dead Wrong]. Almost everyone of them was preferable to getting broiled in a furnace.

  My Stamina bottomed out just as I felt a tug at the harness.

  I regained consciousness slowly.

  "He looks a little like Anakin Skywalker, doesn't he, Ash?" It was Meredeath's voice I'd heard first.

  Ash didn't reply. He was too busy throwing up.

  I'd gone blissfully numb. I don't know whether it was the cool air I now sat in, or if the nerves in my skin had burned off, but I didn't really feel a thing.

  A dozen notifications popped onto my screen. As my hearing solidified, I heard a backdrop of yelling. Something was wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes and care. I'd saved Richard. I could feel his heartbeat against my chest. Whatever problem the crew had now, they could figure it out without me.

  I examined my notifications.

  [Quest Granted: [A Close Shave] - You have walked the edge of death, sacrificed a sliver of your sanity, and walked away presumably for the better. You have dropped to below 5% on one or more of your attributes and not died! I know this is especially hard for you [Dead Wrong] types. For every death-defying event, you will accrue greater rewards. You have completed level [1] of the [A Close Shave] quest, and the quest awards you accordingly.]

  [Skill Acquired: You have gained a new [Cheat Death] skill, [Heat Resistance]. This is a passive skill that overrides all heat-related debuffs. This skill grants [50%] resistance to temperature-based heat conditions and allows for [5] seconds of skin contact with extreme heated surfaces without consequence.]

  [Skill Acquired: You have gained a new [Cheat Death] skill, [Call to Arms]. This skill grants the ability to summon a [Bound] weapon to the user's hand twice per day. Using this skill allows you to upgrade the quantity of weapons or items summoned or the number of times an item can be summoned. At level [1] the user can assign [1] [Bound] weapon or item to this attribute.]

  [What weapon or item do you want to assign to [Call to Arms]? Available [Bound] items: Guardian's Promise or Blessing of the Waters.]

  Someone pressed a waterskin to my scorched lips. The water was harsh on my burned throat, but I knew I needed to drink. I vaguely wondered if the [System] would take the quest away if I died of dehydration after surviving my dip into a furnace.

  My heart chose Guardian's Promise.

  It was a simple choice, as Lael's ring was welded to my finger, even so, there was nothing I wanted more than the return of my hammer.

  I lay on a table, skin flaking off as [Gelatinous Regeneration] tried to stitch me together. My health started creeping up slowly.

  As feeling returned to my limbs, my hand, the first thing I felt truly was the cool shaft of my hammer. I grinned, even as the film over my eyes stretched painfully.

  I was back!

  Richard was whole, and between teaming up with Leo and the haft of my hammer, I felt so too. For the moment, I felt like the Guardian my friends deserved.

  "I'm back," I muttered, my brain going fuzzy, as Richard squirmed tighter, tucking himself into the nook of my arm.

  Stumbling Up will be stubbing book 1 the week of March 1st (Chapter 1-71)

  Also, I'll be attending Jordan Con and LitRPG Con as a panelist this year! Looking forward to seeing you all there!

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