Zane pulled his hand away from the dungeon cube, the faint glow fading as the system prompt vanished.

  “Well,” he said, exhaling slowly, “that’s me locked out for the next twenty-four hours.”

  Bell uncrossed her arms, eyes still on the smooth black surface. “That’s for the best. We need to help with the Town rescue mission?”

  Zane nodded. “Yeah. We just don’t need anyone else doing something unpredictable with the dungeon.”

  Tarni grinned, rolling his shoulders. “That means Lily and I get guard duty, lucky us.”

  Lily raised an eyebrow, notebook already open. “Lucky?” She glanced at the dungeon. “We’re babysitting a mystery cube that may or may not spit out injured cops, angry monsters, or both.”

  Tarni shrugged. “Still beats crowd control.”

  Lily snorted. “Barely.”

  Kai shifted his weight, looking between the dungeon and the direction of the houses. “I can stay,” he said quickly. “If they come out hurt, I can—”

  Zane cut him off gently. “Kai.”

  Kai stopped.

  Zane turned fully toward him. “I know why you want to stay. But if things go bad in town, they’ll need you more there than here.”

  Bell nodded. “Emma’s already stretched thin. If anyone collapses, panics, or gets system shock, you’re the best person to handle it. Plus, Emma needs a good reason to tell Kaitlyn to stay behind.”

  Kai frowned, clearly unhappy. “I know Kaitlyn’s a good healer, but she’s only sixteen. What if the cops come out half dead?”

  Tarni tapped the handle of his sword. “Lily and I will protect her, while she does the healing, and we can always shout really loud to get help from all the people that are going to stay.”

  Lily added, deadpan, “Very loudly.”

  Kai huffed out a breath, rubbing a hand over his face. “I don’t like it.”

  Zane stepped closer and put a hand on his shoulder. “I know. But right now, the most people you can help are away from here.”

  There was a long moment before Kai finally nodded. “Fine. I’ll check on everyone, make sure food’s going, and injuries are treated. And no one’s doing anything stupid before we leave on the town rescue mission”

  Lily smiled faintly. “Ambitious.”

  Kai gave her a look. “I said no one. That includes you two.”

  She laughed. “Fair.”

  Zane turned to face everyone. “Are you all clear on the plan?”

  Tarni straightened a little. “No one goes near the dungeon. No one touches it. And if the officers come out—”

  “—we keep them calm,” Lily finished, “get information if they’re willing, and make sure they don’t wander into the crowd.”

  “And if they’re hostile?” Tarni asked.

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  Zane’s jaw tightened. “Then you defend yourselves and retreat. No heroics.”

  Tarni smirked. “You wound me.”

  Lily looked up from her notes. “He means it.”

  Tarni sighed theatrically. “Yeah, yeah. No heroics.”

  Zane turned to Bell. “You ready?”

  She glanced once more at the dungeon, then nodded. “Let’s go help Emma, before she decides to organise a rescue mission with duct tape and optimism.”

  Kai cracked a small smile at that.

  As they started to split up, Tarni called after them, “Hey.”

  They all paused.

  “Be careful in town,” he said quietly. “There’s a lot we don’t know out there.”

  Zane met his gaze and nodded once. “Same goes for you.”

  With that, the group separated, the dungeon cube looming silently behind them.

  __________________________________________________________

  By the time Zane and Bell made it back to the rescue meeting, most of the hard decisions had already been made.

  Just over a hundred people—those who had reached level four or higher—were preparing to cut through the bush and head straight for town by the shortest, safest route they could manage. They would move fast, stay together, and avoid unnecessary fights where possible. Everyone else would remain behind in the safe zone, tending to the injured, watching the children, and recovering from the chaos of the previous day.

  There was only one unresolved issue.

  Kaitlyn stood with her hands planted firmly on her hips, staring up at her mother with a look that promised she was not backing down.

  “Mum,” she said, voice sharp with frustration, “I’m a great healer. You know you’re going to need me. There are going to be wounded people in town.”

  Max stepped in beside her without hesitation. “Yeah! Skip and I should come too. We’ll watch Kaitlyn’s back.”

  Skippy, sensing tension, pressed himself against Max’s leg and flicked his ears nervously.

  Everyone watching could see it plainly—neither Emma nor Kaitlyn was about to give ground. Liam had tried to mediate, but both mother and daughter had shut him down with matching glares.

  The air was growing tight when Bell stepped forward.

  “Five of the highest-level people,” she said calmly, “not counting my team, entered the dungeon earlier this morning.”

  The effect was immediate.

  Emma and Kaitlyn froze and turned to her. They already knew about the dungeon—it had been discussed late the previous night—but the rest of the gathered crowd did not.

  “A dungeon?”

  “There’s a dungeon now?”

  “Where is it?”

  The murmurs swelled quickly.

  Before it could spiral out of control, Zane stepped up beside Bell and raised both hands in a calming gesture. When that failed, he raised his voice instead.

  “Oi! Settle down!”

  The crowd quieted, if only reluctantly.

  Emma seized the moment. “There will be a full group meeting after we return from town,” she said firmly. “Everything will be explained then.”

  One man in the crowd clearly lacked the sense to stop while he was ahead. “Why don’t you tell us now?”

  Zane clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to smack the idiot upside the head. Thankfully, Liam stepped in first, his voice shifting into the calm, authoritative tone that had won him elections.

  “We believe,” Liam said evenly, “that rescuing the people who are likely injured and trapped in town—which is not a safe zone—should be our priority. As soon as possible. I assume we all agree on that?”

  The man flushed and nodded quickly, and the crowd murmured its agreement.

  Bell turned back to Emma and Kaitlyn. “As I was saying—the police SWAT team who helped us yesterday decided to enter the dungeon early this morning. They’re going to need a healer when… or if… they come out.”

  The same loudmouth couldn’t help himself. “If they come out?”

  Bell turned slowly to face the crowd, her expression hard. “Yes. If. It’s a dangerous place. Don’t go near it. Any of you. Spread the word. Stay away from the dungeon.”

  She held the man’s gaze until he visibly shrank back, then turned back to Kaitlyn.

  “Tarni and Lily will be staying here,” Bell continued. “They’ll protect the people who remain behind and handle whatever comes out of that dungeon. They’ll need a good healer. Kai’s already going with the town group.”

  Kaitlyn hesitated, the fight draining slightly from her shoulders as the pieces fell into place.

  Bell softened her voice just a little. “We need you here.”

  Emma caught Bell’s eye and subtly gestured toward Max and Skippy.

  Bell nodded. “Of course, Max and Skippy would stay too—to watch your back.”

  Kaitlyn exhaled slowly, then nodded. “Okay.”

  Max lit up instantly. “Yeah! We’ve got your back, Sis!”

  Skippy squeaked softly, as if agreeing.

  With the tension finally broken, it didn’t take long for the adults to steer the twins—and the wallaby—toward where Tarni and Lily were already setting up near the dungeon entrance.

  The rescue mission was moving forward.

  And whatever waited inside the dungeon, they would be ready for it.