Utopian System

Her twentieth attempt reached the sixth ring. The barrier crossing left her mentally reeling, her connection to Gorgita flickering dangerously. But they made it through, only to face monsters that seemed to bend space itself with their movements.

That death was particularly spectacular, but Lila barely paused before beginning attempt twenty-one.

'I wonder,' she thought as Gorgita's consciousness merged with hers once again, 'is this how you felt, Elio? When you kept trying impossible things until they became possible?'

The thought gave her renewed determination. Somewhere ahead, beyond these rings of escalating danger, he was waiting. And she would reach him, no matter how many attempts it took.

'After all,' she mused as they launched skyward once again, 'what's a few thousand deaths between us?'

Soon, she'd need to report to Lucien about her progress. But not yet. Not until she'd pushed the boundaries just a little further.

Just a little further...

♢♢♢♢

"Of all the reckless, irresponsible..." Lucien's voice carried through his office, sharp with concern and frustration. "Did you have any idea what could have happened if you were not immune during those transfers?"

Lila stood before his desk, accepting the reprimand but with a hint of defiance in her posture. "But nothing went wrong. And now we know it's possible… Elio would surely have…"

"That's not the point!" Lucien ran a hand through his face in exasperation. "You should have reported the success of the first transfer immediately. We could have organized proper testing, developed safe protocols..."

"While Elio waits?" Lila challenged. "Every day we delay..."

"Is better than losing you!" Lucien's fist hit his desk. The small toxic frog on his head croaked in agreement.

Before Lila could respond, Kriz burst into the office, his usual dramatic entrance somewhat spoiled by tripping over his own feet.

"Is it true?" he demanded from the floor. "Lila figured out how to possess our familiars? Because if she gets to be a flying salamander, I absolutely need to try being Mirror Coat!"

Brok's massive frame filled the doorway behind him. "You just want to try your rabbit's wings."

"Like you're not dying to try out that weird falcon-penguin fusion you made," Kriz shot back, picking himself up.

Selene slipped in last, her quiet entrance a stark contrast to her companions. "Actually, this could work in our favor. Multiple attempts from different angles would increase our chances of reaching Elio."

Lucien looked between them, seeing the determination in their faces. Finally, he sighed.

"Fine..."

The rest of his words were drowned out by Kriz's whoop of excitement.

♢♢♢♢

They assembled at the city's highest point. The mana increases had continued, they were up to 800 bonus points now, and the extra power had allowed them to accelerate their familiar combinations.

"This is so weird," Kriz's voice came from Mirror Coat's body, the winged rabbit. "Everything looks different through this eyes!"

"Focus," Selene advised. Her consciousness now resided in her flying fish familiar, its form streamlined for speed.

Brok's new form was particularly striking, a falcon-penguin hybrid that somehow maintained an aerodynamic V-shape while incorporating the muscle mass he seemed obsessed with. "The pure strength in this form," he marveled, flexing wings that looked more like sculpted arms. "I can practically feel the speed potential."

Lila, now experienced with consciousness transfer, watched them adjust to their new perspectives. "The first ring is easiest," she advised. "Use it to get comfortable with your movement. Things get much harder after that."

They took off together, four distinct forms cutting through the air in formation. The first ring's barrier approached rapidly.

"Remember," Selene called out, "we're not just trying to break through. We need to learn to work together, to combine our abilities effectively."

Level two monsters rose to meet them, but these were old news now.

"Ha!" Kriz's familiar barrel-rolled through a group of attackers. "This is amazing! Why didn't we try this sooner?"

"Because some of us wait for proper authorization," Selene responded dryly, her fish form slicing through the air with practiced grace.

They reached the second ring's barrier in record time. The passage was more intense, but their group coordination made it easier to maintain concentration.

"Level threes incoming," Lila warned. "These ones think in formations."

The monsters appeared right on cue, moving to encircle them. But this time, Lila wasn't alone.

"Scatter pattern!" Selene called out. They broke formation instantly, each taking a different altitude.

"My turn!" Brok's V-shaped form went into a power dive that seemed to defy physics, driving him through the air at incredible speed.

"Show off," Kriz commented, but he was already moving to take advantage of the gap.

The 5th ring's barrier loomed ahead. This was where things usually went wrong.

"Together," Selene commanded. They tightened formation, combining their unique abilities. Brok's raw speed, Kriz's confusing reflections, Selene's precision, and Lila's experience, all working in concert.

"Level fives," Lila warned as the perfectly coordinated swarm approached. "This is where we need to start combining elements."

The monsters' coordinated attack suddenly had to deal with nickel, ice and water droplets bullets that traveled fast with Selene's pushes.

"Now that's what I call teamwork!" Kriz exulted as they broke through the first wave.

But the sixth ring's barrier proved more challenging.

"Reform!" Selene called out, her fish form already moving to provide cover. "Lila, we need that vortex now!"

"Six waves of attacks since we entered this ring," Selene noted.

"Then let's give them something back," Brok suggested. His falcon-penguin form began generating cold air currents that interacted with Lila's water.

The sixth ring's barrier appeared just as they were starting to grasp the possibilities.

"This is the furthest I've ever gotten," Lila admitted as they approached it.

"Then let's beat that record," Selene decided. "Everyone, maximum output. Combine everything we've learned."

♢♢♢♢

"Well," Kriz groaned, "that was both awesome and terrible."

"But informative," Selene added, already making notes. "The elemental combinations showed promise. We just need to refine them, make them more unpredictable."

"And work on our coordination," Brok rumbled. "There were moments when we moved perfectly together, but we lost it too easily under pressure."

Lila nodded, but her mind was already planning the next attempt. "The seventh ring... we almost made it. With more practice..."