Forty-three
 After a break in the combat the two teams split up. Intrepid, Cyclone, Edgar, and Allison traversed the tunnel to its end at a vent grate, which they exited through onto a maintenance balcony that overlooked a network of intersecting tunnels, the last step between them and their target.
 Also between them were hundreds of sentry forces in the tunnels around. The Mineâs guard was well-alerted to their presence by now; a lone Stromling Mech aimed its laser-eye around the antechamber, and plenty other creatures occupied the tunnels. Infectious fog had already been diverted into the vent shafts in an attempt to infect them there, but theyâd protected themselves with Shielding-enchanted gear and smashed whatever Stromlings teleported in.
 Now Intrepid switched out his Shield of Shielding for his Bat Lord Shield, in the temporary reprieve of fresh air the balcony gave them. He downed a Notion Potion since keeping the shield up had drained more than a few Imagination points. He did it before Cyclone or Allison could have moved to restore him; they had to keep their strength up too.
 They were a very disjointed team. Nexus Force strategists stressed the importance of a Faction-balanced team. The faction kits were designed to support each others strengths, counter weaknesses. Plenty knew the âTale of 4 Heroes.â At least Edgarâs abilities could restore Imagination.
 Should they get into a mess, Cyclone and Allison would work overtime to supply Intrepid and Edgar, but protecting themselves was their own job.
 Luckily for now, cleaning the way would be the job of their âFutureâ counterparts.
 Red and white flashes and fireworks sounds began to appear in four of the various tunnels, the effects of Flash Bangs and Big Ones, and laser guns and suped-up swords. The Stromling Mech looked wildly between each tunnel, and thatâs when Intrepid snuck up behind it and stabbed it to oblivion.
 He spun around and pointed himself at one of the dark tunnels. It went for a long time dark as any other, up to a dimly lit curve with dancing shadows. If he squinted, the shadows looked like the jointed legs of a Spider Boss. His observation was confirmed when six orange eyes appeared in the dark. And six orange eyes behind that. And six more.
 Edgar twirled his katana. âWeâve fought worse.â
 A clutter of Dark Spiderlings dropped down from the ceiling then. Intrepid spun to smash one but the spider deflected it with an armored leg. Cyclone fired his wormholer in a wide arc but the spiders moved undeterred, absorbing an abnormal amount of bullets. A frying pan slid from Allison Ryderâs sleeves each and sent out a shockwave when she clanged them together. It made the spiders freeze and Edgar beheaddc one, before the others snapped out of their trance and continued to advance.
âTime to go!â Cyclone urged, focusing his fire to a narrower angle and backing to the tunnel. Another Spiderling smashed while Intrepid lead the others into the tunnel. Cycloneâs wormholer took on a charged glow, no doubt as he poured some Imagination power into its bullets. Spiderlings exploded in one hit.
 Cyclone lobbed a Flash Bang that exploded into a wall of fire that alighted the Spiderlings, an effect much like a Samuraiâs flaming arrows. That and the efforts of the Future Dimensioners should keep the rest of the mineâs guard separated and at bay. Then Cyclone turned to follow Intrepid, who already set his gaze on the approaching Spider Bosses. The Bat Lord and Shinobi guarded.
 They approached rapidly on skittering legs, then came to a halt a wormholerâs range from Intrepid and Edgar. The first Spider Boss shot a canister of Maelstrom fog out that created an opaque purple wall, out of which a squad of Nexus Force Stromlings materialized. Spiderlings, possibly from the same squad they just fought, appeared out of the unverse-breaching cloud too, and more yet dropped from cracks in the ceiling behind them. Intrepid risked a glance back before gripping his shield close.
 Oh, this isnât good. Intrepid thought. All their distraction plans were for naught if the Maelstrom could teleport around. He turned around and swung low to upend the nearest little spiders, since smashing them would take too long, but the rest just climbed over them, all legs and hissing and glowing eyes. Intrepid blanched and activated a Flash Bang, which Allison amplified to blind every Spiderling behind their group.
âWe have to move forward.â Edgar reminded. He charged up a Shinobu rush and his katanas cut through the Spiderlings front of him while Cyclone sliced off legs and mowed down weaker Stromlings with his wormholer.
âYeah,â Intrepid agreed, but thereâs a hole in the universe between us and ahead.
 Each of Edgarâs attacks sent a bit of imagination coming Intrepidâs way, and he considered if that and a few Notion Potions would be enough for him to survive speed boosting through the fog wall. When he cut down enough Infected Nexus Forcers that he could get close enough to the fog, he recoiled. Touching it would infect him.
 Then he felt something like a chilled spike digging into his back. He staggered, before realizing the chill was a waterfall of Imagination being forced into his body, surging and looking for places to be used. It took all his willpower not to activate every ability in his gear. The Imagination energy wanted to be used.
 But could it protect him?
âGo!â Allison shouted. He looked back and saw her hands were in the air, palms aimed at him, and he took an involuntary step forwards towards the fog wall. Was she trying to get him killed?
 But instead of the tingle of infection, he now felt the cold void of broken unverse, shattered by chaotically induced breaches, tugging for his life near the fogwall. It wasnât the infection he had to worry about, it was surviving with his underlying life force intact. But not even a Nexusfigureâs worth of Imagination could keep his soul from falling into oblivion, which was what would happen if he touched the chaotically induced rift.
 But Intrepid was a Bat Lord, this was why sheâd chosen him. His gear focused on preserving his life. That could save him.
 A distant roar filled the tunnel and Intrepid felt a wave of flaming heat from behind them. He stiffened. A dragon could end them all, sandwiched against the fog all. Allisonâs connection came to an end but the power sheâd poured into him remained. His creative spark couldnât contain it all, so it hovered around his body, attracted to him nonetheless. He could tap it.
 She'd given him a lot of energy, no doubt at the cost of herself. But Intrepid didn't turn around to see what became of her.
 Weâre all going to die if I donât try. And if I do try and we still die, no harm done, right?
 The imagination invigorated him and Intrepid nearly blew it all on a Bat Lord speed boost. He curbed himself just in time as he ran into the Maelstrom fog wall and passed it, then the ability ended, his life force and his creative spark compromised. Purple sparks shot off his gear, the effect of repulsed Maelstrom that failed to infect him since he was protected by the Imagination, which was now all used up doing that. But while his body passed through the rift unharmed, a part of him remained caught. His life force, his soul. Stromlings could pass through just fine since they didnât have souls, but he was going to die if he didnât smash something fast.
 He felt his life draining. His breaths stopped fueling him and the color disappeared from his vision.
 Luckily a Stromling stood nearby and Intrepid smashed it. His Bat Lord gear converted the act into energy. The rush gave Intrepid strength for a second and he took a step forwards, but still the rift pulled at the life-aspect of his creative spark.
 The first Spider Boss stood right in front of him, and Intrepid swung his staff and cut off its front claws. It staggered and Intrepid heaved his staff upwards, cutting into the monster and it was felled, and that was enough to restore Intrepid completely.
 Two more Spider Bosses and some Stromlings remained ahead. Intrepid drank a Notion Potion and activated a Shield Slam that stunned the Spider Boss, and he smashed the Stromlings, before running to the next Boss. Every stride he put between himself and the rift weakened its hold on him and he no longer felt like he was dying. The Spider Boss swung at him and he ducked, raising his shield to catch the blow and use its momentum to fling him out of the way. Arcing low through the air, he pointed his staff to trip every Stromling he passed, smashing many. He rolled to his feet.
 Then he activated another speed boost and careened down the corridor, arriving at the entrance to a large chamber that held rows of conveyor belts carrying rocks of hewn Maelstrom ore into furnaces, with pipes to collect their exhaust, ore and steam, and divert them to different collection zones of the facility.
 Intrepid equipped his shot of the Paradox Antitoxin. He took a step forward and didnât notice a hole in the ground in front of him. He fell in.
<ac_metadata title="Chapter 43"> </ac_metadata>