The Sapphire Dragon inhaled deeply before unleashing a massive gust of flame across the starting zone, carving a blazing path through buildings as stone blackened and melted.

  From atop its back, the Sapphire Knight’s voice rang out calm but sharp. “Caelan, stop running and face us head-on. I will not fall for your ability again.”

  Caelan darted through the alleyways laughing. “Captain, what the hell did you do to that thing? Also, what ability?” Solara shouted from a distance.

  “Why do you assume I did anything?” Caelan called back, still chuckling. “He’s just salty about the flying thing. Might’ve knocked a screw loose.”

  The Knight yanked the chain wrapped around the Dragon’s neck, forcing it to bank hard toward Caelan’s voice.

  Solara rolled her eyes. “Trust you to pick a fight with a monster using your words. Well done. Delta seven.”

  Caelan leapt into the air directly into the Dragon Knight’s path. “He started it, Lieutenant!”

  A pane materialised behind him.

  The Dragon’s jaws snapped wide.

  Caelan kicked off the pane and rocketed straight toward it.

  Before the Dragon or the Knight registered what had happened, the Dragon’s body shifted violently off balance and slammed into the central pillar with a thunderous crash.

  Its wing reformed almost instantly.

  From atop the pillar, Caelan shouted, “Shit, that thing regenerates quickly.”

  “I grow tired of that small man,” the Knight muttered.

  From directly behind it, Solara’s voice cut in. “Oh, please tell me you didn’t call him small. He really hates that.”

  The Knight twisted instantly, sword already mid-swing as it unleashed a barrage toward Solara.

  She blocked only a few of the strikes. The rest struck something unseen and bounced away just before reaching her.

  She smiled.

  “The Goddess said nothing of powers like this,” the Knight said, momentarily stunned. “What is this?”

  The Dragon began banking back toward Caelan.

  Solara tilted her head. “I’m not him. I’m not going to stand here and explain myself to you.”

  She raised a finger.

  “Bye-bye.”

  The Knight slammed mid-air into an unseen pane and halted instantly. The Dragon continued forward—Solara still standing calmly atop its back.

  A second later—

  Crunch.

  The Dragon’s face smashed into the dungeon’s outer barrier wall.

  Solara blinked as she realised she was no longer standing on it.

  She began to fall.

  Stopped.

  A pane formed beneath her feet.

  She reached out and caught Caelan by the collar mid-drop. “You know that’s not how delta seven goes.”

  Caelan dangled, smiling. “Did you say seven? Sorry, thought you said eight. Also, what’s with this regeneration rubbish?”

  “It slows the more you damage it,” Solara replied as she lowered them both toward the ground. “I’m guessing he called you short before you figured that out?”

  “HEY, ASSHOLE!” Caelan shouted upward. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TELLING HER I’M SHORT?!”

  They landed.

  “I still want to know what he meant by power,” Solara said.

  The sound of buildings tearing apart grew louder.

  The next row of structures beside them melted as brighter, hotter flames consumed the street.

  Caelan grinned.

  Without warning, he scooped Solara over his shoulder and began running.

  From above, Keira’s laughter echoed through the destruction.

  Solara smacked Caelan across the back. “I TOLD YOU TO STOP DOING THIS TO ME!”

  They disappeared behind the central pillar.

  Above them, the Dragon and Knight took to the air again.

  “The pair of you are utterly infuriating,” the Knight growled, voice echoing across the ruined zone. “IN THE NAME OF THE GODDESS I WILL RISE ABOVE YOU. NOW GET OUT HERE!”

  Keira’s laughter rang down from somewhere overhead.

  “DO IT! OH PLEASE DO IT!”

  Then Caelan’s voice cut through. “Please, I’m sorry, Lieutenant, please don’t—”

  He exploded back through the central pillar, shooting past both Dragon and Knight as debris rained down around them.

  They paused mid-air, watching him fly by.

  The Dragon slowly looked at the Knight.

  The Knight shrugged.

  Then his head turned sharply as faint shimmers flickered all around them.

  “Land. Now.”

  The Dragon dipped instantly.

  Caelan’s laughter began moving around them from every direction.

  “S U P E R D U P E R D O U B L E K I C K!”

  He slammed into the Knight’s side and sent him crashing back into the pillar again.

  At the same moment, wounds erupted across the Dragon’s body as if struck from nowhere. It roared and began to lose balance, crashing through buildings as it tried to stay airborne.

  Caelan grabbed the reins mid-chaos and yanked hard in every direction.

  “Best. Day. EVER! WOOOH!”

  The Dragon smashed into the dungeon barrier before twisting its body and trying to scrape him off against the wall.

  Caelan drove one sword into its back and held on as stone tore past beneath them.

  On the ground, the Knight rubbed his head slowly. “And he calls us monsters. The man is unhinged.”

  Solara approached calmly. “Tell me about it. Honestly, he’s just blowing off steam ever since those emeralds got boring.”

  The Knight rose to his feet—and deliberately turned his back to her. “You may have tricks, but you are not worth my attention right now.”

  Before he finished the sentence, he lifted a few inches off the ground.

  He looked down.

  Solara’s leg was extended between the Knight’s legs.

  He dropped.

  “You are aware we do not possess reproductive organs?” he said flatly.

  Solara’s smirk only widened. “Well, if that didn’t hurt, let’s try this one.”

  She was suddenly an inch from his chest, blade thrusting forward.

  The Knight calmly parried.

  Steel rang.

  Solara was forced back a step.

  “What, surprised?” the Knight said evenly. “Your little field ability is a cute trick. Your control, however, is lacking.”

  He pressed down with both hands, forcing her blade lower.

  The ground beneath Solara’s boots began to crack.

  Steel screamed as their swords ground together.

  “So you’ve got me all figured out then?” Solara asked through clenched teeth.

  “I understand enough to know his ability is the greater threat,” the Knight replied quietly, leaning closer.

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  A severed wing from the Dragon crashed down beside them.

  From somewhere beyond the destruction, Caelan’s voice echoed, “Easy girl, come on, play nice and I might take you home with me!”

  The Knight suddenly twisted his blade under Solara’s guard and sent her sword flying from her grip.

  He followed through.

  Solara fell back toward the ground.

  The Knight allowed himself the faintest smile.

  Solara’s hands were wide as she fell.

  As the Knight brought his blade down, a sudden gust of force knocked him slightly off course. His strike veered just enough, the impact slamming beside her instead of through her.

  He stumbled to the side and hit the ground hard.

  Solara, still on one knee, now held a katana up beside her head.

  The Knight muttered, “Where did—”

  Solara stood smoothly, picking up a severed sapphire leg from the ground. “Oh. Did you lose something?”

  The limb regrew instantly as the Knight pushed himself a few feet back. “But how? When did he—”

  Solara rolled her eyes. “I know, right? For a man who never listens, he sure as hell knows everything that’s happening around him. Honestly, I don’t get how he does it either.”

  “He told me when we first—”

  The Dragon dropped from above.

  It crushed the Knight flat into the ground.

  Then lifted.

  Then slammed down again.

  And again.

  Solara looked past the Dragon to see Caelan gripping its tail and hoisting it up and down like a hammer.

  “Had your fun yet, Captain?” she called.

  “Sorry! One more!” Caelan shouted before slamming it down even harder, dust and debris exploding everywhere.

  He jogged around the Dragon toward her. “Sorry. I thought it might chill if I, you know—”

  “What? Hit it really, really hard?”

  Caelan put a hand on his chest, flattered. “You always read me so well. This is why you’re my best bud, Sparkles.”

  The Knight crawled out from under the Dragon.

  “Alright, shortie,” Solara said casually. “How about we finish this before you bring the whole place down? Or did you forget half our people are about half a mile above us?”

  “Pff. They’re fine,” Caelan waved off. “Over-prepared is the most fun type of prepared.”

  The Knight’s shattered armour snapped back into place as he lunged at Caelan from behind, blade aimed for his spine.

  The sword stopped inches away.

  A shimmer.

  The blade cracked against a pane and splintered.

  Solara glanced at Caelan’s back. “Well, hurry up and finish it so we can go home.”

  “No, no,” Caelan said. “We do it together. We both earned it.”

  Solara allowed herself a small smile. “Fine. But can we swap swords?”

  Caelan blinked. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Angles and all that. I had to give you that one.”

  “It’s fine,” she replied. “Better than nothing. And give the Master Sergeant some credit. She picked a hell of a blade for you.”

  They switched.

  The Knight, now on his knees, looked up at them. “The Goddess said we were ahead. We were meant to reign for years. Why did I have to encounter these two monsters?”

  Solara tilted her head. “Is that thing having an existential meltdown?”

  Caelan scratched the back of his head. “I think so… oh, did I tell you my new theory?”

  “Not now, Captain,” Solara replied. “You can tell me tomorrow. What are we doing?”

  The Knight looked up at them.

  Grinning.

  Cut.

  The Knight’s broken body flew through the air.

  “I’ve got it!” Caelan shouted.

  He met the tumbling Knight with a brutal kick to the gut, launching him upward.

  Solara stepped in mid-air, blade raised overhead.

  She brought it down with full force.

  The Knight crashed into the ground in a crater of shattered stone.

  Its body lay twisted.

  Solara rubbed the back of her neck. “You know… I thought that would be more fun. I’m actually starting to feel bad for it.”

  Caelan walked over. “Want to try beating it with the Dragon?”

  Solara shrugged. “Worth a shot.”

  She grabbed the Dragon’s tail and pulled.

  Nothing.

  “How in the stars did you lift this blasted thing?”

  “Well—”

  A massive crash interrupted him.

  Keira stood atop the Dragon, laughing hysterically.

  The Dragon’s body began hardening.

  Solid sapphire.

  Caelan and Solara stared.

  “FUCK YEAH! I AM THE DRAGON SLAYER!” Keira screamed.

  “YOU KILL-STEALING BITCH!” Caelan shouted back.

  Solara silently ground her teeth.

  Keira hopped down casually. “Sorry. It destroyed my arm. Can you blame a girl?”

  Solara deflated slightly.

  Caelan gestured dramatically. “Look what you did, sis. She was so happy a minute ago.”

  “WHAT ABOUT ME?!” Keira fired back. “She can kill that one anyway— wait… why no shockwave?”

  Caelan scratched his head. “Fair point. Anyway, Lieutenant, would you like the honours? You won our little race.”

  Solara’s smile returned. “So I won?”

  Caelan nodded eagerly. “Yes, Lieutenant. You won. Now put it out of its misery.”

  She walked toward the Knight. “Don’t blame me when I hold it over you.”

  The Knight let out a broken laugh. “Caelan… that power…”

  “KILL IT NOW!” Caelan shouted.

  Before either of them could move—

  Braen dropped from above.

  Her warhammer cratered straight into the Knight’s skull.

  Once.

  Twice.

  Again.

  She tore the head clean off.

  The others stepped back.

  Keira spoke quietly. “Code yellow?”

  Caelan and Solara exchanged a look.

  “Code yellow,” they said in unison.

  Braen stood over the corpse, panting, eyes wide.

  Then a low hum began building.

  “What’s that noise?” Keira asked.

  Caelan tilted his head. “Well… those shockwaves…”

  The entire entrance level detonated.

  They were thrown violently across the dungeon’s starting zone.

  Caelan dragged himself out of a pile of broken stone first, coughing dust from his lungs. “Well, that’s fucking escalating quickly.”

  Solara pushed herself upright nearby, one hand on her head. “Yeah. We really need to find a solution for that. Damn… that hit hard.”

  A few feet away, Keira burst out of rubble with a spray of debris. “WHAT THE SHIT— OW— FUCK MY ARM!”

  Solara didn’t even look at her. “8,474, Master Sergeant.”

  Keira froze, eyes wide. “I think we have a larger problem.”

  The dungeon walls began to crack again.

  Fine fractures spread in every direction.

  The ceiling above shimmered.

  For a moment, it looked like the entire structure would collapse.

  Then—

  It didn’t.

  The cracks slowly faded.

  The air steadied.

  Braen came sprinting out from the smoke. “I’ll catch you all! Aim for me,” she skidded to a stop. “Wait. No. It’s alright. Everyone’s here. They’re all here.”

  From somewhere behind the rubble, Bella’s voice squealed, “Was someone needing a hug, Lyra?”

  “I WAS SCARED, ALRIGHT!” Lyra snapped back. “Leave me alone! That’s an order from your Lance Corporal!”

  Solara slowly turned toward Caelan, eyes wide. “I thought we talked about this.”

  Caelan avoided eye contact. “Well— WAIT. What happened to all our damn scrap bars?”

  Solara blinked.

  Then perked up instantly. “Valid point.”

  Elyria walked over calmly, hands in her jacket pockets. “It’s over there. You two calm down. Now, Captain, I expected you to wreck the place. Lieutenant, I am surprised.”

  Caelan and Solara were already sprinting past her.

  Elyria folded her arms and watched them go.

  Caelan reached the massive glittering pile first. “OH MY GOD, WE’RE RICH AGAIN!”

  Solara slid in beside him. “No. The Revolutionary Army is rich. And now even richer. We could buy another street if we wanted.”

  Caelan yanked his spare sword out of Solara’s hand and began waving both blades above his head. “Woop! Woop!”

  Mynxi sprinted in and immediately copied him, knives raised high. “Woop! Woop!”

  They bounced in place together.

  Solara looked away, shaking her head. “Such bad parenting. I’m surprised you’re not shouting at him, Sergeant… Sergeant?”

  She turned.

  Elyria and Keira had both joined the ridiculous dance.

  Solara stared at the three of them waving weapons over their heads like idiots.

  She exhaled slowly.

  “…Huh.”

  She glanced up at the sky above the broken dungeon entrance.

  “It’s already nighttime.”

  Lyra came running up and snapped to attention in front of Solara. “Lance Corporal Lyra reporting, Lieutenant. There is some kind of chest over there. I thought you should be aware, ma’am.”

  Solara walked past her without stopping. “Great job… oh, and I’m not angry. Just very, very disappointed, Lyra.”

  Lyra dropped to her knees. “Somehow that’s even worse.”

  Caelan came sprinting past. “Excuse me, Lance Corporal, did you say chest?”

  He didn’t wait for an answer.

  Mynxi clung to his back, shouting, “Treasure, Dad!”

  “I’m on it, little one!” Caelan yelled as he leapt and landed beside the chest in a crater of stone.

  Aurex sat nearby while his men finally reached him from all directions. “Mr Vallis, are you alright?” they called.

  Caelan patted Aurex on the shoulder in passing. “That was fun, bud. We should do this again.”

  Aurex simply stared at him.

  Milo was already trying to rip the chest open with his bare hands.

  “Move, bud,” Caelan said, slicing the top clean off with a single swing.

  He leaned in.

  His grin faded.

  “Oh… It’s just food, everyone. Nothing out of the—”

  He rummaged deeper.

  Slowly.

  He froze.

  He lifted something.

  Takeshi leaned closer. “Is that really…?”

  Aidan blinked. “No. Of all the damn things?”

  Solara approached as Garron muttered from somewhere behind them, “I’m fine, by the way. Thanks for asking.”

  “What has he found now?” Solara asked.

  Caelan held it up like a relic.

  “It’s an apple. They’re from Earth. Oh— is that a banana? HOLY SHIT WHAT A FUCKING PULL!”

  Mynxi tugged his sleeve. “Can I try one, Dad?”

  “Not right now, little one. You know what we need to do so everyone can have some.”

  Mynxi didn’t answer.

  She yawned.

  Solara looked at Caelan. “You take her home and get her to bed. I’m guessing she hasn’t even napped since we went in.”

  “But Auntie, can I not stay and play some more?” Mynxi mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

  “We can play when you wake up, my little angel. You need your rest, alright? And if you’re good, I’ll let you play that game with Auntie Keira all day tomorrow.”

  Mynxi held up her pinky.

  Solara hooked hers around it with a soft smile.

  Caelan hesitated. “You sure?”

  Someone came sprinting toward him from across the plaza.

  He deflated immediately.

  Milo nudged him. “Is that your girlfriend or something?”

  “Shut it,” Caelan muttered.

  Keira and Elyria reached them first.

  “Hey, beautiful,” Keira called.

  “Thought that was my name,” Lumi mumbled.

  Keira launched herself at Lumi. “Lum-lum, you know you’re my only true love. And girl, these holders? Perfection.”

  “Missed you, bitch. It was so boring without you,” Lumi laughed.

  A smaller girl finally reached Caelan.

  He stood still, Mynxi asleep against his shoulder.

  She stopped in front of him.

  Then started slapping his arm repeatedly.

  “Hey— quit it. Quit it,” Caelan protested, slapping back lightly.

  Solara folded her arms. “So who is this?”

  “Ah. Right. This is Sarah. She runs the Virelith Press.”

  Sarah kicked Caelan in the shin before turning to Solara with a bright smile. “Nice to meet you. Heard a ton. Right— you. Why in the stars did you bring that idiot Aurex and not me? Issue two would’ve been amazing. Imagine the numbers. Everyone wants to know what happened in there. Why are you so dumb?!”

  Caelan stuck his tongue out at her.

  Solara calmly stepped in and wrapped an arm around Sarah’s shoulders. “So you’re the one I need to speak to about allowing those two idiots to write those things.”

  “I— that was not my fault!” Sarah protested immediately.

  Caelan adjusted Mynxi in his arms. “I’ve got to get the little one to bed. Enjoy this, Sarah. Thanks again, everyone. Total hero, Lieutenant. Give me a shout when you get back. Or in the morning. Up to you.”

  He started walking off.

  Behind him, Sarah’s voice rose sharply. “HOW IS THIS MY FAULT? SHE SAID IT, NOT ME!”

  Caelan laughed softly as he disappeared down the street with Mynxi asleep against his shoulder.

  —

  The Beech and Ember was completely quiet when they returned.

  Caelan gently pushed Mynxi’s bedroom door open with his shoulder and stepped inside, careful not to wake her. He lay her down slowly and tucked the blanket around her.

  “So… did you have fun today?” he asked quietly.

  Mynxi nodded sleepily. “Ely was fun. She let me fight some super-strong monsters. I almost did it in one go.”

  Caelan smiled. “You can tell me all about it during breakfast tomorrow, alright, little one?”

  She was already drifting. “Okay, Dad… night night… love you.”

  “Forever and ever, little one.”

  He leaned down and kissed her on the head.

  She was asleep before he even pulled back.

  Caelan stood there for a second longer than he needed to.

  Then he blew out the candle.

  He slipped out of the room and closed the door gently behind him, letting out a slow breath he hadn’t realised he was holding.

  He walked into the room next to hers, kicked his boots off toward the far wall, and face-planted onto the bed.

  Silence.

  No shouting.

  No explosions.

  Just the faint wind outside and the creak of old wood.

  He lay there staring at the ceiling.

  Then rolled his eyes.

  He turned onto his side and reached into the drawer beside his bed, pulling out a small sand timer.

  He sat up, staring at it for a moment as the sand rested fully on one side.

  He flipped it.

  Laid back down.

  And began counting in his head.

  “One… two… three…”

  The only sound in the room was the soft rush of sand and the distant wind outside.

  A minute passed.

  The last grain fell.

  Caelan sat up slowly.

  “7,208.”

  He exhaled deeply.

  Reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket draped over the chair, he pulled out a folded piece of paper.

  He opened it carefully.

  Mynxi’s drawing.

  The one she had given him the day they met.

  He smiled softly, brushing a thumb across the page before lying back down and staring at it in the dark.

  “Alright. New record. Nine more times. Let’s go for them.”

  He flipped the sand timer again.

  And started counting.

  “One… two… three…”