"The cave is this way!" Bjorn bellowed, his voice echoing off the frozen cliffs like a festive explosion. "Bjorn has many shinies.
Sometimes I sleep on them. They are pointy, but they keep the belly warm!"
We followed the massive polar bear through a narrow crevice in the ice, our breath puffing out in synchronized clouds. Behind us, the sounds of hissing Iron-Crabs faded into the howling wind. Vax was still shivering so hard I could hear his teeth rattling against his own jawbone, and Kuro was huddled inside the collar of my coat, his tiny nose the only thing poking out.
"If this 'cave' is just a hole in the ice with no heating, I am filing a formal complaint with the universe," Vax muttered, hugging his scanner to his chest.
Bloop? Pod chimed in. He was currently riding on Bjorn's shoulder, looking much healthier. The static electricity from the bear's rusted armor was like a spa day for the little slime.
We rounded a corner and stopped dead.
The cavern opened up into a massive, shimmering cathedral of ice. But it wasn't the ice that caught our eyes—it was the wall.
A jagged vein of pure, unrefined Pulse-Ore ran from the floor to the ceiling. It hummed with a deep, rhythmic violet light, casting long, pulsing shadows across the cave.
"By the four moons of Xandar..." Vax whispered, his four eyes widening in unison.
"That's not just ore. That's High-Density Core-Shards. One of those could power a Middle-District elevator for a month."
I stepped forward, my HUD practically screaming with notifications.
[ DETECTED: UNREFINED PULSE-ENERGY ]
[ ESTIMATED VALUE: 50,000 CREDITS ]
[ SYSTEM SUGGESTION: CONSUME TO LEVEL UP ]
"This is it," I said, my heart racing. "If I absorb even a fraction of this, I won't just be Level 1. I might actually hit Level 5 or 6 in one go. I can finally stop being 'Gritty' and start being a threat."
"Do it, Ground-Level," Kuro urged, popping his head out of my coat. "The Archons won't wait for you to grow at a snail's pace. Eat the light, and let's get off this ice cube."
I approached the wall, reaching out a hand toward a particularly bright shard. It was beautiful, vibrating with raw power. I could feel the energy tingling in my fingertips.
"Okay, Pod," I said softly. "I'm going to need you to help me channel this. Don't let it blow my arm off, alright?"
There was no answer.
"Pod?"
I looked over my shoulder. Bjorn was busy scratching his back against a stalactite. Vax was busy recalibrating his scanner. And Pod...
Pod was gone.
A soft, wet slurp echoed through the cave.
We all froze. I slowly turned my head back to the wall of Pulse-Ore. A tiny, neon-blue smudge was currently stuck to the center of the largest ore vein. Pod was stretched out like a piece of chewing gum, his entire body wrapped around the glowing crystal.
"Pod... buddy..." I said, my voice cracking.
"That's my level-up. That's our ticket home."
Gulp.
The glow in the shard dimmed. Then it vanished.
"Did he just...?" Vax started, his lower eyes twitching.
Slurp-crunch-schlorp.
With the speed of a vacuum cleaner, Pod began to move across the wall. Every time he touched a violet crystal, it turned grey and crumbled into dust. He wasn't just absorbing the energy; he was eating the physical matter.
"STOP HIM!" Kuro shrieked, leaping from my shoulder. "HE'S EATING THE MORTGAGE! HE'S EATING OUR RETIREMENT!"
"Pod! No! Bad slime!" I lunged for him, but Pod was now high-voltage. Every time I got close, a spark of violet electricity jumped out and zapped my fingers.
"Ow! Bjorn, catch him!"
"I catch blue snack!" Bjorn roared, lunging forward with his massive paws open.
Pod saw the giant bear coming and did something he'd never done before. He didn't just hop; he ignited. With a burst of violet fire, he zipped across the ceiling like a wet firework.
"He's faster now!" Vax yelled, frantically trying to track him with a scanner that was now smoking. "His energy density is off the charts! Fuen, if he eats the whole vein, he's going to achieve critical mass! He'll either become a god or a very blue explosion!"
"Pod! Please!" I scrambled up a pile of rocks, reaching for him. "Think about the team! Think about my Level 5!"
Pod paused. He looked down at me, his little black eyes spinning in circles. He looked genuinely sorry. Then, his "stomach" let out a loud, mechanical burp that shook the cave.
He turned back to the wall and finished the last three shards in one giant, wobbling gulp.
The cave went dim. The magnificent violet light was gone, replaced by the pathetic, flickering glow of Vax's dying flashlight.
In the center of the room sat Pod. He wasn't the size of a tennis ball anymore. He was the size of a beanbag chair, and he was glowing so brightly he looked like a miniature sun. He let out a long, vibrating hum, and then... he fell over.
Thump.
"He's asleep," Vax whispered, poking Pod with a long stick. "He ate fifty thousand credits worth of energy, and he's taking a nap."
I sat down on the cold floor, burying my face in my hands. "My level-up. My beautiful, glowing level-up. It's inside a sleeping jelly-ball."
Kuro walked over and patted my knee with a sympathetic paw. "Look on the bright side, Fuen. If we ever run out of light, we can just use him as a lantern."
Bjorn walked over and sat down next to me, his massive weight making the ground groan. "Do not be sad, Small Bear. Blue snack is round now. Round is good. It means he is healthy."
Suddenly, my HUD flickered.
[ SYNC PARTNER EVOLVED ]
[ POD STATUS: OVERCHARGED (Level 10) ]
[ TEAM SYNC BONUS: +2 LEVELS TO COMMANDER ]
I blinked.
[ STATUS: GRITTY (Level 3) ]
[ NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: PULSE-RESONANCE ]
"Wait," I said, looking at the screen.
"Because he ate the ore, our 'Sync' went so high it pulled my level up too?"
Vax peered at my HUD. "Technically, yes.
You are now the 'Commander' of a Level 10 bio-weapon. But we are still broke, and we have no ore to pay the Gate-tax."
I looked at the sleeping, glowing Pod, then at the massive, smiling Bjorn.
"Well," I sighed, standing up. "At least we have a glow-in-the-dark beanbag. Now, how do we explain to the Gate-Guards that our luggage ate the payment?"
"We don't," Kuro said, a devious glint in his eyes. "We use the beanbag to blast our way through."