There was a moment of silence. Varok and Joe stared at each other while Ryke tried to pin them both down.

  Suddenly, there was a flinch. Varok’s left hand was stopped dead by Joe’s right palm, but Ryke decided to give them distance instead of trying to catch the follow-up.

  ‘I better not do that again,’ Joe thought, his hand twitching. He saw Ryke swing a sword— 'not a dagger', he noted—and stepped back, leaving Varok as the middle man.

  Ryke moved in with superior reach. Though he couldn't sense Varok’s entire body, he could trace the movement of his feet. He cut the distance with kicks, the l Azeya training finally clicking into place. ‘Flexibility is important,’ he remembered Azeya say. Since then, Ryke had been applying those lessons directly to Varok.

  ‘Kick, switch stance, legs and body—especially the legs,’ Joe thought, momentarily watching the fight from the sidelines.

  Varok tried to close the gap, but Ryke kicked him back before unleashing a double roundhouse. Varok dodged the first leg but caught the second, using the momentum to toss Ryke into the trees.

  That was the moment Joe needed. He surged in, throwing two punches that Varok guarded before Varok countered with two of his own. Joe dodged the first, but the second struck his guard, sending him skidding back.

  “I thought you would be harder,” Varok said, smiling at Joe.

  “Is that so? Let’s add more of everything, then,” Joe replied.

  Before he could move, Ryke’s roundhouse struck Varok on the side of the head, causing a few seconds of pure distraction. Joe cut in again with increased power and speed, targeting the leg first with a kick before landing a knee to the abdomen. He would have added more if it wasn’t for Ryke, who swung Hollow toward Joe.

  “I told him both hands. You, I didn’t,” Ryke said, pointing hollow at Joe.

  “Seems like everyone is using their own spirits,” Joe noted as fog began to appear. “Maybe I should even the fight.”

  Ryke side-stepped a sucker punch from Varok, the air whistling as the fist passed her ear. He punched Varok as he turned, connecting with a left and following through with a spinning right backfist.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “See? I told you I’d return the favor,” Ryke said, trying to bring focus to both hands while looking at a bleeding Varok, whose nose was the primary victim.

  Then came a presence—a commanding, overwhelming force that caused even Neyra, who had been a mere spectator, to fall to her knees.

  Varok and Joe tried to resist, but they couldn't hold their ground. Everything went down as a masked man descended from the sky.

  “Such fighting. But I’m here now,” the man said. “Varok, you have a job, and you need to hurry.”

  “CP, can’t you let me do my work?” Varok groaned, his body pinned in the same position as Joe, Neyra, and Ryke.

  The masked man blinked, and suddenly he was on the ground with another man seated on his chest. They locked eyes; CP could feel the man’s breath against his chest, especially the long breaths.

  ‘He was just up there,’ Varok thought, trying to piece together the speed he’d just witnessed.

  ‘What’s happening here? What are you hiding… little Sky?’ Joe wondered, struggling to look up.

  “Kaein,” Ryke murmured, finally able to peer at the newcomer.

  “See, I don’t need you to hurt them, so lets leave it there,” Kaein said, poking CP in the head.

  “Don’t worry,” Sherlyn said, appearing on the scene. As she arrived, the crushing pressure vanished, and everyone felt back to normal. “I think he got the message,” she added, helping Ryke up. “Thank you.”

  “That’s it, I’m done here,” Kaein said, glancing at the group before vanishing again.

  A literal depression remained in the earth where Ryke, Joe, and Varok stood.

  “No more fighting,” Sherlyn said, looking firmly at Ryke. CP fell back through a gate while Varok stepped away, leaving Sherlyn to focus on Ryke.

  “What are you looking for here?” Joe asked, eyeing the two girls and the boy he’d recently met.

  “We are not obliged to answer,” Sherlyn replied, with Neyra recollecting herself behind her.

  “Is that so? Just in case you are looking for Sky, a piece of advice: stay as far away as possible, considering you won’t listen to the advice to stay away entirely,” Joe said, turning to leave.

  “And you stay away too,” Ryke called out to Joe’s back. “I still remember you coming between me and Varok.”

  Joe stopped for a moment, then continued walking, a smile on his face.

  ...........

  “Tork, we know you have them,” one of the elders said, staring at Tork. “Before we bury Aisha’s ashes, we need you to take some to them.”

  “And leave them alone,” another added. “We have already lost someone important to the community; your death won’t be appreciated.” The others simply nodded in agreement.

  “I’ll leave them,” Tork said. “Just give them some time to fully heal.”

  ‘Aisha, it’s hard to keep this up. Joining you is a trap that sounds far too good.’ Tork thought, walking through Miraen.

  ...........

  “Guild Master, did you have a good sleep?” Azeya asked with a smile.

  “Azeya... I never thought I would see you,” the Guild Master replied.

  “Oh, you know me. But what about him?” Azeya gestured to her companion.

  The Guild Master turned his neck sharply to the right. The first thing he saw were ten rings before looking up at the man's face.

  “Yes. Leon, right?” the Guild Master asked, though he was already certain.

  “Well, ‘Guild Master’ feels heavy and long. How about Jrabic?” Leon asked, seated on the opposite side.

  “In Zurehn... unfamiliar territory,” Jrabic muttered.

  “Well, you seem too relaxed. I mean, when you wear amplifiers, why wouldn’t you be? You have tasted real power,” Leon said, looking straight into Jrabic’s eyes. “Let me not waste your time. We are here to ask about Sky. I’ve heard some interesting things about her.”

  Jrabic coughed and cleared his throat before speaking. “She’s just a girl. That’s what I saw when I met her. She’s got some physicality and some fight in her, but nothing much.”

  “And Ben?” Azeya asked.

  “Never seen him,” Jrabic replied.

  “Okay then. See you around,” Leon said, standing up alongside Azeya.

  Just as they were about to walk out, Joe walked in, his eyes locking instantly with Leon's.