his poultice goes in your ear!" I snapped, slapping a handfu

eed!" Darius growled back, his golden dragon eyes glaring down

acterial astringent, not a fine perfume!" I dumped another wooden spoon of paste onto

Milo yelled, flinging his whole thirty-po

officer of the Black Star Fleet. I have survived plasma cannon fire, orbital bombardments, and Domin

backside out of that muddy crater!" I wiped my slimy hands on my rags and stoo

BO

rained down from the cavern ceiling directly into my hair. The rock barric

ng a terrifying shade of bright crimson. The sky didn't look like sky any

's boot to dive behind my legs, clutching the bac

eets that hissed as they hit the dirt. Fifty feet down the slope, a patch of innocent wild bushes suddenly began twisting viole

?!" I shouted at the glowing gold s

1 Planetary Contamina

utation Sto

spheric tox

tation rate el

er Status:

at the air screen. "I stacked those bo

r-text again," Milo whispered loudl

ed against the poultice. His golden eyes narrowed as he stared at the red light pulsing through the cracks. "It is a pla

wooden spoon at him. "You mean those bus

"The radiation from the red sky will corrupt every living organism exposed to it. Animals will turn in

barricade and poked my nose right against the ga

the valley turned a thick, murky, oily black. Thick purple bubb

nto the dirt. "They poisoned my local stream! Do you have any

"Women, an alien war fleet has unleashed a planetary extinction event overhead! The entir

broad chest. "This cave was my prime real estate! I had a river view, nice trees, zero neighbors! Now my

ental changes have locke

: Forest of Mut

difficulty

p in the air. "The route to the main beastmen trading posts

a rock, holding up my iron pot like a helmet. "

p golden gaze between me and the

stem technology!" I corrected, re

u

ized right in my hand. I unscrewed the

e percent pure H-two-O!" I boasted proudly. "The red moon can mess up the river

hock. "Impossible... Planetary contamination of this level alters molecular water structures instantly. Ev

usly!" I patted my own head. "And a li

UN

heavy boulders bowed inward, throwing off a cloud of dust and small pe

dropping the iron pot with a loud CLAN

d, shielding him with his body while his other hand reached for a weapon tha

nd planted my feet squarely in front of the shaking barricade. "I j

gainst the crack. A slimy, mutated snout covered in black oozing tendrils shove

own purple rat!" I screamed, swingin

AC

ed snout. The monster let out a confused, gurgli

ordered, pointing to a pile near the

om under Darius's arm, grabbing rocks t

heavy body against the barricade two more times, letting out frustrated, screeching howls, but the narrow cave entrance held firm.

wall, my arms shaking, covered from head t

with my sleeve. "And that... is

otectively resting over Milo's head. His expression was a biza

ator... with a stick," Darius said slo

I corrected, holding up my

er, grinning wildly. "Kaia's stick has extr

grinned, dropping down onto

rest. The river was black, the trees were monsters, and the world was falling apart at the seams. But inside our t

were watching the flames. "Well, Commander... look

cold stone with a long, weary sigh. "May the stars prote