Caelan crouched, staring at the floating numbers ticking up slowly, brushing his hand against them as he whispered, “Come on, you cockteasing piece of shit, give it to daddy.”

  Garron sat watching him, completely unamused. “You know that isn’t going to make it go faster, Captain.”

  Caelan turned around, smug. “You don’t know that.”

  It ticked up again, and Caelan immediately pointed at it, grinning. “See, see, Chief, it’s working. Go on, my beauty, climb. I believe in you.”

  Garron watched him for another second, then shifted. “So now that we are alone,” he said quietly, “what’s going on with Mynxi, Captain?”

  That one landed. Caelan stopped playing around, paused, then put his hands in his pockets as he walked over beside Garron. He reached into his bag, pulled out two beers, and handed one to Garron.

  “I think I’ve figured it out,” he said more seriously, “but I just need a bit more time to work out if I’m just crazy or correct.”

  Garron took a drink, a small smile flickering before it faded. “What I saw back there,” he admitted, “I was scared…”

  Caelan looked at him, genuinely confused. “I couldn’t tell. I wasn’t in the room with you. She’s really taking to you.”

  He smiled slightly, trying to soften it. “Wish I could take the credit, but well… she’s definitely taken after her auntie’s temperament, and that attitude when she’s mad, oh—”

  “Elyria,” they both said at the same time.

  They laughed a little.

  Garron took another drink, glancing sideways. “I was going to ask,” he said, casual but careful, “but would you mind if I jumped into a few of those training sessions with you sometime?”

  Caelan didn’t even hesitate. “Eh, why are you even asking, Chief?” he said, waving it off. “You have my unwavering trust. I will never question what you do.”

  Garron laughed, shaking his head. “Honestly, I’m more curious. Lyra’s the only one you’ve ever let join when you were training her. Even a mention of it and she goes pale.”

  Caelan laughed at the memory. “Ah, good times!”

  —

  Lower Third Floor

  Lyra had the chain wrapped around an emerald’s neck, laughing as she shouted, “Not so funny now, ha—let me have your neck.””

  She just kept laughing.

  Milo stood there, horrified. “Jesus, Captain, what did you do to her?”

  The emerald slowly began to harden, still trapped, still fighting. Lyra laughed the whole time until it emitted a shockwave that sent her rolling into the wall.

  She laughed all the way.

  Milo rushed over and offered her a hand. She took it, still laughing. “What did they do to you?”

  “Oh, you know the rules,” Lyra said with a grin. “No talking about that. Now come here, lover boy.”

  She looped her arm through Milo’s. “Give your Lance Corporal a kiss.”

  Milo froze. “Really?” he asked, glancing around. “Here? Now?”

  Lyra dropped him to the ground like he’d offended her. “Oh no, fine then. It’s been a really good day for me,” she said dramatically, “and I want to celebrate with my boyfriend…”

  Milo mumbled from the floor, “Who’s not allowed to tell anyone?”

  Lyra sighed, annoyed. “Look, we talked about this, Milo. These rules are our foundation.”

  Milo groaned. “Well, you try saying that when sis finds out.”

  Lyra waved it off. “Pfft, what’s Keira going to do?” she said lightly. “I’m just surprised Caelan hasn’t flung us under the bus yet.”

  “You know she’s going to punch you, right?” Milo said dryly.

  Lyra stopped, suddenly not as confident. “She wouldn’t do that to me. Maybe you, but not me.”

  Milo exhaled. “I promise you, she’s going to beat me for keeping this secret for—what—years. At the very least, you’re getting smacked.”

  Lyra turned shy. “You wouldn’t let her do that to me.”

  Milo laughed out loud. “The girl burnt my teddy when I wouldn’t tell her I loved her one night when we were younger.”

  It took a second to sink in. “Oh…” Lyra said slowly. “Keira might actually hit us. Well, anyway, it’s all fine because she’ll never know, right, my knight in shining armour?”

  She held her hand out. Milo rolled his eyes as he took it. “Yes, Lance Corporal princess.”

  Lyra laughed. “I forgot to tell you, you should’ve seen Bella the other night when I handed Hector a drink. Like, damn, we all know he’s your man.”

  Milo shook his head, following her. “Well, Hector’s not the only one dealing with a crazed, beautiful woman.”

  Lyra slapped him without slowing down and stormed off. “I’m not crazed.”

  Milo followed instantly. “I didn’t mean it like that, goddamn it.”

  —

  Upper Floor 2

  Hector held a White Death’s back leg, throwing him in the air while shouting, “Specialist!”

  Artimage came running towards the airborne White Death. Artimage landed on the ceiling, kicked himself off it, and his pulled-back rapier thrust forward, striking the White Death mid-air. It punctured a hole right through the monster as it began to fade away.

  Artimage wiped his head. “Woo, what a workout. What was it this time, twelve?”

  Hector high-fived Artimage. “Yeah, nice and quick, what I like to see. But we need to keep an eye out. If my thinking is right, the next bell means thirteen. We just need to make sure they don’t corner us.”

  Artimage grabbed water from his bag and undid the lid. “Reminds me of back when I was on a patrol with an outer fleet back in the day. The more we edged into the territory, the more enemy ships we encountered. Honestly, everyone was laughing and joking until we were staring down the barrel, outnumbered twenty to one.”

  Hector smiled. “How did you manage to get out of that one?”

  Artimage finished drinking from his water bottle and, while he was still swallowing, waved it off. “Oh no, it wasn’t an issue for me. The Serenic Alliance was pretty good for me. It was the other ninety-nine percent who had it rough. Pure bastards signed up and were placed on mass-produced ships that had barely been bolted together before being launched. But, well… anyone in the inner circles, let’s just say they placed far too disproportionate an amount of effort into the elite ships.”

  Hector nodded. “Sounds like you had your life made. Say, humour me… something I’ve been thinking since I got here. Why us? Like, why specifically us? We never had much contact with people until we met Solara, but ever since then, everyone I’ve spoken to seems to have one thing in common, even if they can’t admit it.”

  Artimage laughed. “You’ve been listening to the Captain far too much. So what’s your thinking on it?”

  Hector laughed as well. “Well, for a man who’s always a little all over the place, he’s not often wrong, just super early. But honestly, the thing I think that made us the Goddess’s target is… regret.”

  Artimage sat down. “Well, that tracks annoyingly well.”

  Hector raised his eyebrows. “Oh? What did you have to regret? You seem to enjoy every moment.”

  Artimage smiled. “Well, either that I never once earned the path life gave me over the many more who should’ve been in my place… but if I’m honest, the thing I regret the most was never seeing what we could’ve become.”

  Hector tilted his head. “And what would you have wanted it to look like?”

  Artimage sprang to his feet, twirling his other hand around one of his fingers. “So, the typical formation I was taught back at the academy was simple. In the centre, you keep the best for last, what they referred to as the True Force Alliance. Everything around there was simply a cost-saving exercise. So we bundled ship upon ship around these command ships, throwing the entire fleet at it before we would even begin to lift a finger. So, my first command, I did what I honestly believed was the most common-sense thing to do: placing my flagship on the front line and using the other vessels in a support capacity. Like… you know the look the Lieutenant gets when the Captain has an idea? Yeah, I got a lot of that.”

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Hector, slightly confused, nodded. “Oh, I knew that look all too well, poor man. So why even bother with the other ships if you had such powerful ones ready to go?”

  Artimage let out a breath. “Because the Alliance—my dad included—are complete idiots. In the early years, the Serenic Alliance began with great intentions, aiming to bring better, more sustainable lives to all. As they expanded and more and more worlds came under the banner, the issue hadn’t been noticed until it was too late. Planets began to spill over with populations, with no war, no struggle for resources, and the Serenic Alliance was actively trying to allow them all to live freely. But there came a point, even with all our technology, we couldn’t support the number of lives. To the public, they were told from birth that they are worth less, and that’s why it was acceptable to throw them to the slaughter. But in reality, the Alliance regarded power as more important than throwing resources at fixing the problem.”

  Hector, slightly taken aback, said, “Wow… It’s not actually far off from what this war has been pushing people into. So what actually happened?”

  Artimage smiled. “I became too successful for my own good. Every victory, a fleet would return and replenish its ranks. Every time we came back, everyone was accounted for. And when the role to take complete command of the fleet came up, I was the highest-voted candidate in history. But well… that wasn’t going to fly to those who held the status quo.”

  Artimage smiled and nudged Hector. “So what’s yours, then?”

  Hector didn’t hesitate. “Do you even need to ask? My one and only regret in this world is that I never met Bella before waking up in this place.”

  Artimage laughed. “I think you might need to remind her of that. She about bit Lyra’s finger off the other night.”

  Hector smiled, swirling his bottle of water. “I could tell her until the sun goes down. I thought that was bad—you should’ve seen the first time the Lieutenant brushed my hand by accident. Bella started shouting that she was going to gouge her eyes out while Caelan was laughing his head off, encouraging the situation. Honestly, I love every moment with Bella, but it always felt a little too quiet until we met them. And well… you try telling the Lieutenant no.”

  Artimage shrugged. “Well, she certainly uses it every time the Captain speaks up.”

  Hector nodded. “Yeah. She can hide it, but she cares more about keeping him happy than she’ll ever admit.”

  Artimage sucked in a breath through his teeth. “That reminds me—how do you think Corwin’s handling the Sergeant?”

  Hector laughed. “Better him than us.”

  They both laughed.

  —

  Upper Floor 1

  Veyra moved through the room, firing arrows down dark corridors. Monsters whimpered as they fell, bodies hitting the ground out of sight. She moved slowly from entrance to entrance, breathing, deciding whether to fire or advance.

  “Twenty-four this time…” she muttered.

  She glanced around the empty chamber and realised she was alone.

  “Specialist!”

  Corwin came running down one of the corridors back into the central room, holding one of her arrows. He smiled. “I’m right here, Sergeant.”

  Veyra sighed and rolled her eyes. “I thought I told you not to leave my sight.”

  “Yes, Sergeant,” Corwin said quickly, handing the arrow back. “I’m really sorry. I thought if I got them now, it would save us time carrying on with the paperwork.”

  Veyra put a hand on Corwin’s shoulder and smiled. “Specialist, specialist, … You still have so much to learn. What the Lieutenant means is, well, we just don’t talk about it until she hopefully forgets about it. Easy.”

  Corwin frowned. “But aren’t we supposed to—”

  Veyra cut in with an evil smile. “Trust me, it will be fine. Look at the Master Sergeant and me—both of us owe years of paperwork. We all know it’s not actually going to get done. Think of this as a day off.”

  “I could do the paperwork if you wish, ma’am,” Corwin offered.

  Veyra dropped down beside their bags. “Do you want the Lieutenant to kill me, Corwin? That’s worse than not doing it at all. Now come on, rest up.” She patted the ground next to her.

  Corwin sat. “So… what was everyone like back when you first met them? You’ve known them for so long. What were they like?”

  Veyra leaned back slightly. “The only thing that’s changed since I met any of them is this crime-against-fashion jacket and the paperwork. Honestly, no one has really changed. If anything, they’re just more comfortable now that there’s a name attached to it all. Can you pass me my scarf?”

  Corwin pulled it from Veyra’s bag and handed it over, pausing as his fingers brushed it. “Wow. Is this a Lumi scarf? How much did she charge for that? Bet she broke the bank with this one.”

  Veyra wrapped it around her neck, placing a hand on her chest. “Some of us are so amazing that Lumi actually gives us things for free.”

  Corwin blinked. “But she never gives anything away for free. Well… other than the Master Sergeant. Or that little cutie, Mynxi.”

  “Well, can you blame her?” Veyra said. “Have you seen the outfits she’s made for Mynxi? Honestly, a complete tragedy that she dresses like her dad and Auntie Solara. Such a waste.”

  Corwin offered her food with a smile. “I was surprised. I didn’t know there were such things as demons, or that someone that young would be in here. This place scared me since I woke up in it. I can’t imagine what she must’ve been going through.”

  Mid-bite, Veyra raised a finger, mouth full. “Fact. That’s one thing that changed before we arrived in Virelith. I always found myself noticing Caelan back in those days—he would always smile, but it felt forced. Since he met Mynxi… I don’t know. It feels more real now.”

  Corwin laughed softly. “I could say the same about Jett. He’s my best friend through and through, but that inbuilt fear of rejection he had—even if he moans and complains—he’s actually enjoying himself.”

  Veyra rolled her eyes. “Talk about moaning. Now Sergeant Takeshi—that man hasn’t changed a bit.”

  —

  Upper Floor 3

  Takeshi and Aurex were hiding in an alcove, the entrance covered with anything they could find. They sat there in silence as the sound of footsteps moved softly outside, pacing, circling, then slowly fading away.

  Both of them let out a sigh of relief.

  Aurex rubbed his face, voice low and frustrated. “I can’t believe they abandoned us so quickly. And is she always like this when she’s not in meetings? I swear she’d never dare be seen acting like this in a council chamber. But no—you throw Caelan into the mix, and I can’t move without a disaster going off in my face. I mean, have you not considered leaving this? I don’t want this to come off the wrong way, but if you followed under me, you could—”

  “Aurex,” Takeshi said quietly, cutting in.

  Aurex turned.

  Takeshi was staring at him, eyes wide and unblinking, his voice suddenly firm. “You’re a long-term friend. You gave me a seat on the council so I could share my input, not because of my connection to the Revolutionary Army. I do value you.”

  Aurex nodded quickly. “See? This is what I’m saying—”

  “But,” Takeshi continued, not moving, “don’t you ever ask me something like that again.”

  Aurex scoffed, trying to recover his smugness. “Please. Every time they step into some mess, you’re always the first to complain.”

  “Of course I do,” Takeshi snapped back, annoyed. “It scares me what they do in the heat of the moment. And yeah, the first few years were hard—but compared to what others were dealing with? No regrets. When they need me, I’m there. When I need them, they’re there. So yeah, I complain, but it will never mean they don’t have my trust.”

  Aurex frowned. “And what’s trust going to get us when they finally go against something they can’t joke or mess around about, comes walking in?”

  Takeshi smiled faintly. “Then we go out the same way we came in. Simple as that. And I don’t know if you’ve figured this out yet, but at the speed things are going in here—if you can’t push yourself to at least reach their level, you’re not going to survive what’s coming.”

  Aurex waved him off. “Please, you’re starting to sound like Caelan.”

  “Well, maybe that’s because,” Takeshi said evenly, “I actually have more insight into the man than what you see down at Whaa Whaa’s. You don’t see it, but he’s part of every single project and plan. He never once takes credit for it, but every time me, Solara, or Joss put something to the council, Caelan’s had his finger in it at some stage.”

  He leaned in slightly. “And let me be very clear when I say this. There were talks about removing you completely from the equation the day after we arrived. Do you want to know who didn’t move? Not once. Not a single time?”

  Aurex didn’t answer.

  “Him,” Takeshi said. “So if you want to lead your city, he’s giving you as much time to get there as he can. And next time he drags you into something like this, it’s not because you’re just a body. He does it because—for some insane reason—he actually thinks you have a chance at being better than him. Not just in fighting. As a person.”

  Aurex sat there in silence, jaw tight. After a moment, he muttered, “Well, it’s not like they haven’t risked leaving us both here to die.”

  Takeshi shook his head and stood. “Fine. You want to see what they’ve given me? Let’s go. I need my bag in the stairway room. I’m not stopping when I start.”

  Aurex’s eyes widened. “No—wait, that isn’t what I meant—”

  Takeshi kicked the makeshift wall down and broke into a run toward the stairway room.

  Aurex grit his teeth, wrestled with himself for half a second, then chased after him.

  Takeshi crept quietly around corners, checking each angle as he moved. Aurex followed behind him, his clunky armour making noise with every step.

  “Psst,” Aurex whispered urgently. “Let’s go back. I didn’t mean anything—”

  “No,” Takeshi replied flatly. “You scared off a few emeralds, fine. I’ll handle them.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Aurex hissed. “There’s what—six of them lurking around? And if they turn into that thing again—”

  “If it happens, I’ve got it now,” Takeshi said without slowing. “Shut up.”

  He peeked around a corner as torches slowly lit up the hall. His eyes locked onto his bag.

  “Alright,” Takeshi muttered. “It’s clear to my bag. Just stay behind me.”

  Aurex frowned. “If the stuff in your bag was so important, why did you bring it?”

  Takeshi shot him a look. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said quietly, dripping sarcasm. “Maybe because someone started running down the corridors the moment a single emerald turned up.”

  The second Takeshi reached the room, he sprinted straight for his bag.

  Footsteps thundered down the corridors toward them.

  “They’re coming!” Aurex shouted.

  Takeshi opened his bag and glanced back at Aurex with a grin. “Try watching your ears and eyes.”

  From two directions, emeralds began to enter the room—only for a pair of flashbangs to roll to their feet.

  The explosion flooded the space with blinding light.

  “Will you watch it—ow! My eyes! Why?!” Aurex shouted, clutching his face.

  Takeshi pulled two large emerald-tinted, almost hand-cannon-sized weapons from his bag. Emerald-tinted goggles were already on his face. He didn’t even blink.

  He walked calmly over to one of the emeralds as it struggled to regain its vision. Standing over it, Takeshi raised one cannon and pulled the trigger.

  A deafening ring filled the room as the emerald’s head detonated into fragments.

  Aurex rubbed his ears just in time to see the second emerald charge Takeshi. Without even looking, Takeshi lifted the other hand cannon and fired, blasting a hole clean through it.

  The emerald collapsed as twin shockwaves erupted from both bodies. Takeshi didn’t even flinch.

  He flicked both hand cannons open, shells ejecting from the rear, then calmly walked back to his bag. He placed one of the rounds between his teeth as he reloaded, snapping the first weapon shut before loading the second.

  Two more emeralds sprinted down the corridor.

  Without even moving the pistol from under his arm, Takeshi fired. The blast hurled both emeralds back down the hallway as another shockwave tore through the air.

  One final emerald appeared beside Aurex.

  Aurex turned—and the next moment his ears were ringing. The emerald collapsed headless, the shockwave knocking Aurex off his feet.

  Takeshi reloaded again and walked over to Aurex. “So,” he said calmly, “how about it? Want to give it a try while we all have your back?”

  Another emerald stepped into the room.

  “What?!” Aurex shouted.

  Takeshi pulled out an earplug and smiled. “Sorry. Couldn’t hear you.”

  —

  Upper Floor 5

  Keira leaned against the wall beside Solara, who sat cross-legged on the floor, calm as ever.

  “You know he’ll be down there waiting, right?” Solara said evenly.

  Keira smiled, relaxed. “Big brother or not, we’ve got this in the bag.”

  The wall in front of them began to slowly disappear.

  Solara tilted her head slightly. “So is that it?”

  Keira’s smile widened into something far more menacing. “You fucking bet it is.”

  They stepped forward together.