A sea of dire elves ran up the steps towards her. There was no running from this fight, even if she wao. With several people behihat needed prote and no other routes, it was either down and through the enemy or die trying. She took a few steps to the left and put herself firmly between the doors and the approag enemy, the dragon stomping and r as it marched its way towards the base of the steps.

  She ed her fingers around the grip of her sword and took a stance, on outstretched in front of her as the first group drew hey raced up the stairs, their wild eyes bzing with bloodlust. Lillian’s nose fred and she bent her knees, letting the internal energy and mana in her body blend together again. She started the cycle up, feeling the swirl as it looped through her body like blood, cyg down until it reached her navel before spreading back out again, refined and filled with power.

  She set her jaw and took a step forward, sweeping her on in a wide arc. Golden fmes danced off of its surfa a short wave that crashed into the ining enemy. Her powers ripped through the ranks of the ining dire elves, the burning wrath of her sword turning the ohat had gotten too close into ash. There were still more on their way, though, and that draght at the edge of the stairs. For some reason it wasn’t using those massive wings to gain air superiority. She squi its form, trying to figure out the reason as the dire elves regrouped from their first failed assault.

  The dragon lumbered forward, whipping its paw at any of the dire elves that got in its way. They were sent flying, crashing into the others and sending them sprawling. It whipped its wings out now and then, fpping them angrily before throwing its head ba a roar and trotting forward with purpose. She focused on the wings, What- there! Tears in the leathery portions of the wings, damage from some previous attack or ahe dragon roared again when a dire elf got directly in its path and it spped it down with its massive paw. In one quient it ss head forward and ate the dire elf whole.

  I don’t think it’s their friend, She gnced up at the cuts in its wings, No, those are purposeful. They to obey. She set her jaw as the group got closer, more dark shapes flying past her to crash into the oning ranks of the enemy. More explosions sending them flying off the steps and down to the ground far below. The sheer number of bodies being thrown at them were the only reason any of them were getting past her relentless assault. She swung again and again, shifting stao simute steps as she built up her momentum. The little pauses between each group cooled it down a bit, but that was okay, she was making up for it in spades.

  It was just as she felt like she had momentum to pull off march agaihe dragon decided that it had waited long enough. With a terrible roar that rattled the air a a chill running up Lily’s spi raced up the stairs, plowing its way through the remaining bulk of the attag dire elves. Lily’s eyes went wide as it fixed its own bzing gaze on her, rag through the clouds of bck smoke left behind as it opes jaw to e Lily with one quiap.

  Not gonna happen!

  She took a step forward, down closer towards the beast as it drew closer a her instincts carry her through the motions of her teique. She swung up just as it lowered its head down towards her and caught it on the , the impact causing a goldeo ripple out betweewo of them ahe dragon’s head whipping upward with a shriek of pain and fusion. She exhaled and fmes billowed out, taking aep and swinging again, this time catg it on the shoulder as it pivoted to avoid her cutting it’s head right off then and there.

  Tch.

  She grit her teeth and pushed forward anyway, her blow going up towards its wing and it ss jaws at her bde. She caught it on the side of the head instead and it stumbled befhting itself. Blow after blow rained down on the dragon, eae following in with explosive force as she tried to destabilize it, knock it off, hurt it, do something to it. She pushed forward and it fell back, small explosions raining down on the horde below rather than the dragon as to not catch her as well. She steeled her focus, hit it harder! She thought, swinging up again to bat its head away ao its nebsp;

  Step after step pushed it further back, her movements a blur, the world around her blending away as she let out a roar, “STAY DOWN!” She bellowed, her muscles burning. She swung with all of her might, a muscle felt like it tore in her shoulder only to immediately start trying to heal itself again. She let out a gasp just as the swing strud she felt the resistance of its hard scales give way a bit. She followed through, despite the pain, and pleted the swing with a scream of pain and fury. The dragon whipped its head away, stumbling back a dozen steps as bck blood oozed from its neck.

  She panted and looked up to meet its eyes. The pupils were tiny now and they seemed to glow.

  “Oh shit, now it’s mad,” She bit out as it reared ba its haunches and tilted its head towards her. Her eyes went wide as a verdant green glow rose up its throat. She turned, pivoting away and rag up the steps. A gurgling sound proceeded a sudden surge of mana in the air, she spun around when she reached the top of the steps, she saw two of the scouts inside dive for cover. The others ’t move! Shit! She snarled, gng back over her shoulder aing the healer’s frantic gaze. She looked back at the dragon as the light blossomed in its mouth. Damn it. Fine!

  She set her stand held her on up, golden fmes ed around it. She squeezed them tighter, tighter, tighter, pushing down and applying pressure with her will as the ining attack reached its zenith of charge. She grit her teeth. I am Crusader. I will not let you get past me! She swore. “Not in this life and not in the ! I won’t budge an inch!” She roared, “Bring it on!” Verdant light fred and a e of emerald energy nced out from the creature’s maw and smmed into her bde. The golden fmes burned bright as the attack split around her, corroding and annihiting the sto her back. She felt her arms groan with the strain, her muscles screaming in protest. She felt her feet dig into the grouh her as the wave of raw power roared around her.

  Her skin fked, her armor burhe pain was more than she’d ever felt in her entire life. Like shocks of electricity beh her skiing away at her flesh even as her power steadily healed her body. She was in a suspeate of breaking down and rec and it never seemed to end. She ched her teeth. I’m not dying here! She swore, I’m going to win, I’m going to get out of this pce, and I’m going to bee a hero! She raged, her eyes itched, her neck ached, every strand of hair on her head felt like it was on fire. The ground shook beh her feet, the shuddering and crashing growing more and more intense, closer. Was it walking towards her while it did this? How muergy did it have to keep this up?

  She felt her knee buckle beh her and she shifted her weight slightly, f herself to stay standing as the stant pressure weighed down on her. She felt her eyebrows singe and the vision in her left eye started to fail her. She screwed up her fa an expression of fury and defiance, a sound keening from her throat. She couldn’t hear anymore, but she could feel it, something welling up inside of her chest. I need more! More! Just a little-

  With a thunderous boom the bst from the dragon winked out of existend she felt all of her strength leave her as she hit her knees and nearly fell face first into the stairs beh her when something moved in and caught her. She blinked, her vision swimming, as she turned her head and looked up into a pair of pearlest eyes. “Damn you’re a pretty halluation,” She mumbled, and reached up to touow’s face. Snow gave her a big smile ced with worry and tears. She ran her fihrough Lily’s hair and shook her head.

  “I’m as real as it gets, babe,” She said as Cass collided with the dragon’s head, screaming at the top of her lungs just over Snow’s shoulder.

  Another shape dipped in and pulled her to her feet, throwing her arm over a broad shoulder. She had to turn her head to see Alex’s focused face as she ran up the steps to get her ihe building. Snow hustlio them. The sound of a rocket went off behind her and she heard a terrible impact followed by a howl of pain from the dragon. She shook her head, trying to shake off the halluation one more time. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing even as Alex set her dowo the healer..

  He crouched o her, “How fast you get ba your feet?” He asked.

  She bli him in fusion again, “You’re really here,” She said with a smile, delirious.

  “Alex! Get your ass out here!” Val shouted, “Could use a little reptile v reptile if you don’t mind!”

  “I’m busy!” Alex barked back before looking down at her. o him, Snow looked over her fad reached out to brush back a bit of her hair. Her lip trembled a bit and she g Alex who gave her a hard look. “She’ll be fine,” He said and got to his feet, “Won’t you?”

  Lily stared up at him as fusion gave way at st to crity, the pain muddlihoughts easing off as her ability ght to work, soothing the injuries first before it started to heal. She coughed, “Right as rain in no time,” She said with a grin, “Now go.”

  He nodded and scales spread across his ned jawline in an instant, his eyes turo slits and his nostrils fred. He whipped his head around and charged, fangs bared as he leaped through the air and tackled the face of the dragon that was now frantically fighting off a whole new host of enemies. John g to its bad stabbed it over and over while Cass struck it in the side with her hammer. She panted and looked up at Snoas still examining her face. “How bad is it?” She asked with a zy grin, “Any good scars in my future?”

  “Pretty sure those’ll heal,” Snow said softly, “Though I don’t think your mom is going to like the new color added to your hairstyle, or the eyes, or the updated tattoo,” Snow quipped, “You sure you weren’t a se kid or something in your past life?”

  Lily barked out a ugh, it hurt, so much. She kept ughing anyway even as her body started to feel numb. “My eyes ged now? Great!” She chuckled sarcastically and leaned her head back with a groan. She watched the remaining scouts get out from their hiding spot and race over to resume his support of the ood, she thought, relieved and g the healer who had a bit more color in his face. The others ying on the ground did too. Her head swam a little and she frowned, she gnced down at her feet, the numbness had given way to… nothing, stiffness. “I ’t feel my feet,” She mumbled.

  Snow looked down at her feet and reached for her boots, she tugged for a moment and with some difficulty mao get them off. They both stared in rapt amazement and arm as something green had spread across her skin. It’s not the color of that magic but… She blinked slowly as she felt the emptiness creep up her leg. It’s spreading.

  “Is that jade?” Snow whispered, panicked, she looked over at Lily, “Lily, what’s happening?”

  Lily’s eyes fluttered as the feeling spread up further. Despite every rational thought telling her she should be panig, her instincts said something else. Let it happen. Just let it happen. She let out a shaky breath, the fear warring with her instincts as her heart raced. She reached up to take Snow’s hand and squeezed it before nodding towards the others still engaged with the Dragon. “Get going, I’ll be ba no time.”

  “What do you mean, back?” Snow asked, “Where are you going?”

  Lilian closed her eyes and searched her instincts, the manual of her powers, every time she accessed them it felt like they grew more and more detailed. She grinned a little to herself. That’s a pretty long cooldown, she thought with amusement. Not a bad trade-off though. I live with that. She opened her eyes and just nodded, “Just a quick power nap,” She said, “Don’t worry. Focus on supp them, okay? Foll’s lead.” She didn’t see Greg or the usual tell-tale purple hue of his powers but he had to be somewhere nearby orchestrating the fight.

  Snow forced a smile onto her fad reached up to stroke Lily’s as the jade spread up to her waist. She nodded and kissed her forehead befetting to her feet and rag out, drawing that funky pistol from her thigh.

  Lillia her head fall back as she breathed, “Just hang in there for five minutes guys,” She muttered as she felt the jade reach her heart. Her breathing began to slow. “I’ll be ba five minutes,” She mumbled as her vision swam and the spread reached her throat. “Just hang in there…” She whispered as her visio dark, her body falling utterly still.

  —

  This was taking too long, they’d been deyed. The mana p into the dungeon had caused the moo respawn faster and faster. Otis chewed on his lip, rage boilih his skin. How am I supposed to save the day and e out the hero if I ’t get there in time? He thought, rag across the test stretch of path betweerees. We have no idea where we’re goiher! Damn it! He spat on the ground in frustration as he raced on ahead. That guy, Greg, was close behind. If only we had a map or- he cursed again to himself. Miss ovna was right! Scouts! I need a scout for my heralds! Everything wouldn’t be going wrong if I had a scout!

  “I told you we should have gohis way!” Greg shouted.

  Otis bit his lip, “Yes! You were right!” He said, “We o hurry, they need us!”

  That seemed to mollify the guy, no, the thing, no- he squeezed his eyes together. He’s useful, powerful, he has potential. He ts as a persht? He wondered when he had started attributing personhood to more and more people. It seemed like the number was growing each passing day, ever since Ishtar, ever since Sonya, ever sihat day in Vegas and that night at the Beach. He pumped his legs harder. I’m n! He thought. Humanity deserves death! Just because there’s a few good ones doesn’t mean a damn thing!

  He pushed forward, he o get there, to be the hero, to save the others from whatever fate awaited them. He hem to worship him. He g the profiles s, pulling up his bookmarked tabs. That girl that kept growing strohe impressive one. She was weakening, struggling, she was going to die. The agent of Ishtar, that girl with the hammer, she was fighting for her life as well. No! If they die thehing will be ruihe guide says so! I ’t let that happen!

  I o be faster! Is there a cheat I use? A power? Something! He snarled, reag into the depths of the instincts that governed his ability. He barely touched them, barely sidered them, but right now if he wanted his way he o look past the stats ss, the guides, the menus, he needed something more. Without thinking he reached out and grabbed hold ’s arm. Greg shouted something but he ignored him. He let the feeling take him, his bloodlust, his greed, his hatred, his desire, he let all of it push him. I will be a King, I will be the oo rule this world aroy it!

  He felt his body lift off the ground as streaks of gold slipped past his body. The world turned into a blur around him and in an instant, he and Greg were gone.