Victor looked up at the signboard as he turned onto the motel lot. "This wasn't what I had in mind after everything you said."

  "I picked somewhere we would get some privacy," Kyra replied.

  It seemed like there was something he wanted to say, but since he decided against it, she just let it ride. Once they were parked, she led the way to their room.

  "I've already checked in," she said. "You don't have to bring anything. I've prepared everything we need."

  Her words of assurance didn't seem to put him at ease, but he followed her obediently.

  It was a typical motel room with a double bed and a bathroom and suspicious carpet stains. Victor was looking around uncomfortably while Kyra locked the door, turned on the table lamp, checked the windows, and made sure that the curtains were properly closed.

  Once she was satisfied with the security of the room, she turned to Victor. "Are you nervous?"

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "There's no need to be so formal."

  She reached out in front of herself and, as if from an invisible filing cabinet, pulled out several sheets of exquisite paper.

  This simple act made him do a double-take.

  "Was that just magic?"

  She handed him the sheets with a smile. "Have a read and you'll learn some too."

  One by one the skill sheets disappeared in the familiar process she'd gone through with her other disciples. When the last page dissolved away, she gave him a moment to try out his new appraisal ability before reaching out once more to withdrew a spear from her dimensional storage.

  Though he was ready for it this time, he still stepped away and bumped into the bed behind him. While the spear was only a bit taller than him and definitely much thinner, it somehow seemed to crowd out the entire room.

  "This is yours," she said, passing it to him. "You'll have to wait until we're inside the dungeon to try it out. I don't want the motel taking anything out of my card for damages."

  "Shouldn't you keep it in that hidden pocket of yours for now?" he asked. "We're going to draw attention, walking around with this."

  "We aren't walking anywhere," she replied. "The dungeon is inside this room."

  She opened the bathroom door to show him the shimmering portal anchor. If you didn't know what it was, you could have dismissed it as an effect caused by the cheap lights and reflective tiles. Anyone who has ever stayed at a budget motel will have experienced stranger things.

  Kyra reached out and opened up the portal.

  Outwardly Victor showed no reaction. But her sensitive ears picked up the changing rhythm of his heart.

  Inwardly it warmed her to know that even a veteran warrior still knew the meaning of fear.

  It took him a few moments to find his voice. "Does this lead to those pockets in space you were telling me about?"

  "Why don't you step through and find out?" she replied.

  He stared at the red hole. "There are monsters on the other side?"

  "The entry point of a fresh dungeon is usually safe."

  "Every fiber of my being is telling me to stay away from this thing," he admitted. "I haven't felt this way since my first jump in the Airborne. Standing at the open hatch, your mind knows you've got a parachute, but your body refuses to believe it."

  "Nevertheless you overcame that fear," she said.

  He nodded slowly.

  "Do you want me to go first?" she asked.

  "No."

  She waited for him to compose himself. The mistakes with her first two disciples had shown her the need for patience when leading others into the unknown.

  It wasn't long before Victor turned to her again. "You asked if I'd be willing to follow you wholeheartedly. Let this be my answer to that."

  Spear gripped tightly in hand, he charged through the portal.

  Kyra smiled and followed in after him.

  Given his combat experience and everything she'd read in Benny's dossiers, she had high expectations for Victor. After a quick briefing, she set him loose in the dungeon. He tore through the first couple of rooms without a scratch. The encounters grew tougher, and he improved in line to meet them. It was hard not to feel inadequate beside him. Had Benny trained Victor instead of her, they'd be clearing top-tier A-rank dungeons by now.

  But Benny had picked Victor. Many times, she was sure. How else would he remember someone else's childhood memory in such detail that he could relay the story of the plushie? And he was sensible to do so. Any regressor would pin their hopes on a star as bright as Victor. She would have too.

  And every time over, Victor must have failed, for that was the only reason she could be here. Even a star like him, with the support of a regressor, hadn't been enough to save the human race. It boggled the mind what sort of threat could be insurmountable to this natural warrior.

  At last only the boss room remained. He'd cleared out the rest of the dungeon on his first go. She wouldn't be surprised if he rose to E-rank soon.

  In fact she was tempted to let him try hs hand at the boss. But she decided that it was more important for her to put on a show for him. He was only bound to her through his faith that she carried news from the future, and she'd rather not leave her fate to such a weak connection.

  "One monster remains," she said. "Now I'll show you how far magic can go."

  Victor stepped up beside her. "There's no need to show off to me. I've already decided to trust you completely."

  "Shall I stake the future of the world on that assurance?" she said dismissively.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  "Something changed in me the moment I raised my spear against the first goblin. More than anything I've ever done in my life, I'm convinced that this is what I was born to do. It's this magnet inside me that took me to battlefields across the world. But now I know that it was pulling me to one battlefield. This one. Under you."

  She narrowed her eyes. "You think it's your destiny to fight monsters?"

  "Isn't that why you chose me? Isn't that why you gave me the spear? You've seen the future, seen what I will become. That's why you've come back and set me on this path. So that I may rise through it sooner and meet whatever threat wiped us out last time."

  If strength alone were enough to save the human race, Benny would have succeeded long ago. But she saw no need to correct her disciple. It was her intention, after all, for him to grow strong and raise up a mighty force.

  "Go," she said, gesturing to the final room. "Show me your determination."

  Victor pushed open the doors to face the boss.

  The goblin wielded a halberd, a weapon more versatile than Victor's spear and with a longer reach too. Combined with everything else, it was sure to be a one-sided match-up. But Kyra was interested to see how long her disciple could last.

  Victor proceeded to the center of the room where the goblin waited. Without the ability to appraise its opponent, the goblin couldn't be certain of its overwhelming superiority. It had to judge with its own eyes, and what it saw was the human's broad shoulders and confident stride. If it was searching for a hint of uncertainty or doubt, it found none, and from the quickening of its heart, it must have believed itself the one at a disadvantage.

  An effective bluff by her disciple, but one that should ultimately prove pointless, as the moment the fight began, his level of proficiency would become apparent.

  Abruptly Victor surged forward, trying to close the gap into the reach of his spear. The goblin responded swiftly, using its weapon's longer reach to keep him at bay.

  But Victor wasn't deterred. He circled around, constantly probing for a weakness.

  He shot forward again! A poorly chosen moment. The goblin seized the opportunity to swing its halberd across on a deadly trajectory.

  Here Victor did something unexpected. He dropped down under the blade. While this avoided an immediate injury, it also rendered him completely immobile, as he had to twist his legs awkwardly to do this.

  But then his spear was brought up and locked to the inside of the halberd's blade.

  Kyra gasped, only now realizing what he was up to.

  Grabbing hold of the halberd's shaft, Victor pulled the goblin in. The two grappled arm in arm. Weapon proficiency no longer mattered, as it was a matter of close combat now. And in this realm, it was Victor who held the advantage over his small opponent.

  It was over within moments. Once Victor had the goblin in a complete lock, it was helpless to having the life choked out of its body.

  Victor rose and dusted himself off. "How did I do?"

  Kyra had to find her voice. "You're certainly very capable."

  Her words seemed to bring him joy, and the goofy smile didn't leave his face the entire way back out of the dungeon.

  Back in the motel room, Victor washed himself up in the bathroom while Kyra threw his tattered and blood-soaked clothes into a garbage bag for disposal. She'd prepared a change of clothes for him earlier, which she folded neatly on the bed for him to find.

  She peeked out through the curtains to survey the vehicles parked in the motel lot. When none of those aroused her suspicions, she cast her sights further afield. There she spotted a car that had caught her attention earlier in the night. It had followed them from the apartment and later stopped in view of their picnic, and now here it was again.

  Thanks to her enhanced senses, she could make out the man in the back seat even through the car's tinted windows, and parked as he was away from the streetlights.

  Not that she needed any of this, as appraisal confirmed that it was the same man who'd been following them earlier.

  She pulled on her boots and left the motel room, making sure to lock it behind her. Then she made her way to the reception office until she was out of sight of the man. There was an exit through the back, and she used it to circle behind the building.

  Only the front lot had much lighting, so it was easy to stay in the shadows. There was also ample cover from trees, bollards, and other vehicles. The boundary between the motel and the plaza next door was marked by a row of hedges. She found a gap to slip through and made her way past a small collection of shops, restaurants, and a 24-hour pizza joint where a young couple was picking up an order.

  The man in the car was still watching the motel reception office. Silently she approached and then in one fluid motion flung open the passenger door and slipped into the empty seat beside him.

  Her sudden appearance spooked the man so much that he banged his head against the car roof. As if by reflex, his hand reached for his holster.

  Kyra reacted swiftly. She restrained his arm and, with her other hand, pushed him firmly back against his seat.

  "I just want to talk," she said.

  He gave up the struggle but not the sass. "And I just want you out of my car."

  "Call your client and tell her I want to talk."

  "I don't know what you're talking about."

  "I bet you've received instructions not to let Victor know he's being followed under any circumstances. It's very important for your client that it stays this way, isn't it? So why don't you get her on the phone right now?"

  After being released, he adjusted his jacket before reaching into the center console for his phone. The call was answered on the first ring and he explained the situation to the client before grudgingly handing the phone over to Kyra. "She's ready to talk to you."

  She held the phone to her ear. "How are you doing, Miss Maxwell?"

  "We can meet tonight," the woman on the line said. "I'm not far from where you are."

  "Tomorrow," she replied.

  "I fly back to Fueslin tomorrow."

  "Cancel your flight."

  "I have other engagements scheduled. This will mess up—"

  She looked over at the private investigator and flashed him a friendly smile. He returned with a brooding glare.

  Once the woman had finished speaking, Kyra said into the phone, "I'm sorry we couldn't come to an understanding. I'm afraid I have to go now. I have to get back to the room before your brother finishes in the shower."

  She gave the investigator a wink.

  A choked reply came over the line. "Morning it is. Be here by eight."

  "Have someone ready to pick me up," she said. "And call off your dog. Don't have anyone spying on me or Victor anymore."

  She handed the phone back to the private investigator and got out of the car. This time she took the direct route back to her room, cutting across the motel lot.

  Victor beamed at her when she entered. He was already dressed in the clothes she'd laid out for him.

  "You knew my size and everything." He was shaking his head. "I can't get over how surreal this all is."

  "You should return home," she said. "Make preparations to leave for Lacris-Cheree. Say your farewells, for it may be some time before you get to see your friends again."

  "What about you?" This change of plans seemed to come as a surprise to him. Evidently he was expecting to spend the night there. "You can stay at my place. It will be much more comfortable than this motel."

  "I have other plans," she said. There was no need to explain herself further. Instead she added, "Remember that you're sworn to secrecy. Make up an excuse for why you're going to Lacris-Cheree. The less that people know about your connection to me, the better. That's why you'll also have to arrange your own accommodations once you're there."

  "How long should I make these arrangements for?" he asked.

  "Three months. Think of it like a boot camp. Then I'll be kicking you back to the Litten Dominion."

  "Back here? What will I be doing?"

  "You'll be raising up your own team," she replied.

  From the way he suddenly got excited, she knew that he understood what she meant. His friends will eventually be joining him on this mission too.

  But then he turned serious. "My team, they're good men and women. I trust them with my life. You can trust them too. They'll keep your secret."

  She shook her head. "This is my decision."

  She was prepared for him to argue back. Instead he simply nodded and said, "I'll be ready in two days."