The trees that hung over the initial passage out of the lobby made it impossible to see the sky while the path itself bent just slightly to the right in a zy curve to bloyoanding in the lobby from seeing further i the end of the passage, though, it was like they’d stepped into something out of a dream. He nearly walked right into Ollie’s back, the others standing in mute fasation at the awe inspiring view.

  They were standing before a vast forest with tall trees that spread out wide throughout a vast area of beaten undergrowth. Thousands of pilrs of wood interspaced among one another with casg beams of sunlight pierg between breaks in the foliage. He gnced up to see a blue sky overhead, a few clouds drifting past. The trees themselves were a rainbow of colors, mostly green leaves and brown wood but interspersed were whites and reds and even some greens. The leaves were anything from the brightest gold to various shades of purple. The air smelled so… .

  “Found the path,” Cass said a few feet ahead, pointing at the ground, “Lily said that they had been taking the leftmost route mostly and that the right path led to a dead end.”

  Alex looked down at his feet and noticed that amongst the undergrowth there was a clearly marked path of dirt that split off in several dires before leading off into the multicolored forest beyond. The leftmost path looked the most well worn, from the looks of it. He looked up from the path to Cass and opened his mouth. She gnced his way and he shut it, looking down at his feet again, Damn it. He thought as she turned her focus on what she was doing. He fell back a bit, taking his spot at the rear as he tried to work through the roiliions in his chest.

  It still didn’t sit right with him that they’d gone on ahead. They should have waited f. The others were right, though, on a logical level anyway. He exhaled through his nose and gnced over his shoulder, sing the area for a moment. Focus on what you’re doing, you worry about it ter, he chastised himself. Yonna fuck up again at this rate, what happeo promising to do better? He grumbled as they walked along the path, the forest at their right while they hugged the thick wall of trees to their left that made up the boundary of this area. He ched his jaw as scales formed along his neck, face, arms, knuckles and legs. Don’t get caught off guard, be ready for anything, breathe.

  He took aeadying breath and gnced back over his shoulder, examining the path behind them for any sign of creatures moving to follow them.

  “Do we have any intel on the monsters here?” Val asked.

  “No, unfortunately, tonight was going to be their first mission where enough time had passed betwee culling and the o see a few,” Ollie said, “I was really looking forward to Lily’s report.”

  “First hand is better anyway,” John said grimly, twirling a kween his fingers. Leaves falling now and then among the trees to their right.

  Cass gnced back over her shoulder, “Snow, you use your illusions to give us some cover as we walk?” She asked as Alex tio turn his head from where he had been looking back to her. Snow was nodding and raising her hands to craft her illusion when a bad feeling began tle up in Alex’s gut. He couldn’t see it, but his instincts told him that something was off, it was like a tightness in his legs, an instantaneous flight response. He flicked his to and tasted the air and his eyes went wide.

  “Everyone duck!” He shouted.

  In the same moment as the others reag to his and, the leaves that had been falling from the trees to their right pivoted in the air and darted in their dire. Fragile falling fragments became as solid as steel, bdes that ripped through the air and embedded themselves iree-wall to their left. Behind them, appearing as if out of thin air, were a trio of figures that stood a head and a half taller than even himself. All three had eerie skin that seemed to be both flesh and wood, their faces stiff as boards even as their bzing green eyes all turo look at him.

  Two of them carried bded ons in their hands while the third was unarmed and seemed more frail thahers. It threw its hand out in Alex’s dire with a barely audible hiss of unintelligible words and vines ripped from the ground at his feet. He threw his arm forward on instinct, extending it and grabbing onto the tree o the group of three as the hard wood began to around his legs and pulled. The force of the movement snapping the vines before they could harden into restraints and carried him across the distan a collision course with the three.

  The two bde wielders raised their ons, ready to intercept him and he released his grip oree, throwing both arms up to defend himself as his feet went out for a skidding nding. Somewhere off to the side he heard an explosion of sound. His feet hit the ground and he braced himself, setting his jaw.

  G!

  A pair of bdes cshed against his arms and he gnced up into the eyes of one of the two bde wielders. Out of the er of his eye he saw a fsh of yellow and the gleam of a loal haft as the other bde wielder ushed bad away from him. Cass whipped her leg out and kicked it in the chest before driving her shoulder forward in a tackle, pushing it further onto the backfoot. He turned his attention back to the one engaged with him and pushed up and away with a grunt, sending it stumbling back as well. “Val! John!”

  “Right!” The two called at the same time. The sudden bst of a rocket eivating as a red blur crossed his vision. He ducked beh Val’s speeding body, his friend whipping his entire body around in a tremendous kick that collided with the bde wielder’s head, pulverizing it. At the same time, John closed the distance like an olympic sprinter, his k the ready as he swept towards what Alex assumed was a ‘caster’ type whatever-the-hell these things were. His knife moved so fast it left behind rigid lines of light for a heartbeat before a low croak of pain souhe frail monster dropping to its knees and gaping at its missing hands.

  Just as John swiped his knife across it’s throat, the other bde wielder came s through the air to crash at Alex’s feet, its body covered in crater-like wounds that looked eerie on its wood like body. It didn’t get up.

  Alex let out a sharp breath, it had happened so fast. If he’d been a few seds slower, who knows what those leaves would have doo the others. They weren’t as durable as he was, save maybe for Val and his armor and Cass in general.

  He gnced up at Cass as she approached from where she’d ehe bde wielder, her hammer slung over her shoulder. He met her eyes and she looked away from him, a frown on her face. Damn it. I gotta do something about this.

  “Cass,” He said, clearing his throat. She looked up at him with a stony stare and he rubbed his neck, “I- I shouldn’t have said that. You’ve been really trying to fit in and I was just-” He groped for excuses but found none, “I’m sorry about what I said. You’re one hell of a badass, thanks for ing with us.”

  She stared back at him for several heartbeats, the etting out of the way. She walked over to him and he realized for the first time that she was just as tall as he was. Was it her ability? He’d seen her get bigger at one point but- she flicked him in the forehead and he nearly fell onto his back, a smarting spot f at the point of tact. He reached up and grabbed his head, “Ouch! What the-”

  “Now we’re even,” She said with a smile and reached down. He squi her and then at her hand befrabbing it. She pulled him to his feet. “I wasly friendly to start with either,” she admitted. “You guys have made this… better, and you haven’t said anything about, you know…” She trailed off.

  He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head, What is she talking about? He blinked, “ht! You’re reted to Liberty or something, yeah? I pletely fot!”

  The others blinked in unison and their eyes went wide before Val barked out a ugh, “Who the fuck cares? You aren’t her, obviously.”

  Cass looked at them all in bewilderment, “You… fot?” Her shoulders sank and a look between weariness and relief washed over her fabsp;

  It was Snow’s turn to ugh, “Well! At least this heroic rescue mission won’t be awkward anymore,” The small girl pointed out, “We should get back to that by the way.”

  They all exged a look and nodded. Alex ched his fist and gave Cass a nod while the blonde gripped her on tightly aurhe gesture, marg back to her spot in the lead. Alex set his jaw and firmed up his resolve, this wasn’t going to be easy, but if anyone could do it, they could.

  Hang on Lily, we’re ing.

  –

  Hang on guys, I’m ing.

  She chased the wind, followed the feeling even as she kept an eye on the pass, she had to get back. Marta’s hands are tied. I have no idea of Liberty herself is there. If she is, with how long I’ve been gone I- she swallowed hard, hua will hold the lihe instructors are strohahink. Amos will e up with a pn. Car, be brave and do what you o. Marta, guard them for me. I won’t let you down. She grit her teeth as the wind began to pick up, she could hear it howl in the distance. I’ll be there to turn this story on its head!

  A ripple of light carried out behind her as she sped up, she didn’t notice it, didn’t feel it, but it was there. Her eyes were fixed on the er where the wind was even stronger. She rou and stopped, looking up the passage at a bright opening in the distand a dark figure standing in front of it. She drew her knife and charged, she wasn’t about to waste time right now. She’d let her enhanced mind take ihing iime between her movement and eg.

  It looked like a man but its body was gaunt ahered, flesh decayed and partially frozen, eyes like burning motes of fme in bck holes. Its skin glittered in the light behind it. It was gray, with its jaw hanging open in a silent scream and marred with a patchy beard. It wore ill-fitted leather armor designed for a muuscur figure. In its right hand it held a heavy metal axe, in its left, a circur shield. Wait, where have I seen- She collided with it and instead of digging into flesh the bde of her knife cshed against steel as it held its axe up to block her blow.

  Fast! She gasped just as it pushed her back with all its might, throwing her clear to the end of the hallway and crashing into the wall. She coughed up blood and created a berry in her mouth, chewing it befetting to her feet. And strong too, it pushed me away. Mythic? How? What the hell is this pce really?

  She clicked her tongue and drove fain, putting on more speed, she darted low before zipping up high with a horizontal movement. It swung its shield down to block her feint and she whipped her leg out, willing a shin-guard of light and spikes to form on her limb. It crashed into decayed flesh and a cloud of glittering dust erupted from it’s body in a rainbow of colors as it’s head whipped to the right a few inches. She squinted and threw her arm over her mouth, Dust? Poison?

  The moment she recoiled, it brought its axe up in a movement so fast even her enhanced brain took a heartbeat too long tister. Bde bit into skin just as she started to form armor around her body to protect herself. Pain seared across her waist, and she pulled herself away, spinning and throwing a dozen spears of light in its dire. It raised its shield zily and blocked the ones aimed for its vitals only for the others to pierce through leg bone a.

  She slid to a stop, breathing hard and created a berry in her mouth. She chewed a… nothing. She looked down at her side at the bloody wound that was struggling to heal. Suppression? She whipped her head up at the creature as it tried to take a step forward but it’s pinned legs a wouldn’t allow it. She pressed her hand to her side, shuddering once from the pain. Ty at that game. She snarled and brought out a small fragment of the Visage. Just a little. It was overwhelming using it, like it was resisting her somehow. Pale white vines ed around her waist and she felt the healing finally start to ki.

  She darted at it again, this time watg its movements carefully before retreating from each strike. She spun and weaved, diving about and taking a few hits as she did. Each wound didn’t heal properly at first, it’s the on not the dust. She thought, It had a power suppressing property. This has to be some kind of Mythigeon. She watched every swing, every move of its shield, drank it in, uood it, processed it. Where is your weakness? Where do you hesitate? Where- there!

  Just as it shifted stances between an uppercut and a horizontal swing there was a moment where it paused. Her eyes fred with light as she brought Imperious down on it with all of her might in that heartbeat. She bore her teeth and fshed forward, extending the edge of her kh an edge of light. She nded a few paces past it, her body bloody and ag, the healing still slowed by its ons power. She panted and turned back to see its head fall to the ground, its grotesque body following it.

  Her chest heaving, she turned away from it as her eyes clicked, adjusting to the sudden bright light.

  Her breath caught ihroat. Her heart stilling for just a moment. The pass that had guided her slipped through numb fingers. Her eyes went wide as she stepped out onto the ptform and looked out over the enormous empty void. Beh her, a shattered bridge of rainbow gss glittered and sparked, beyond it, far, far away, a gleaming city of silver spires and towers vaster than any she’d ever seen before.

  “What is this pce?”