(Dyn)

  “Oh shit.” Dyn looked around, trying to decide which way to run.

  “Oh fuck.” He watched Eury sprint in one dire, leaping s and fallen trees.

  “Oh shit,” he said again as both twins ran away in the opposite dire. Paralyzed, he just stood there, overwhelmed by too many options. A door formed in front of him and then opened. Quiepped through, slipping his hand into Dyn’s and pulling him forward, snapping him out of his stupor with the sudden tact.

  Quinten fshed him a charming smile. “Let’s get you outta here, mate.”

  Dyn gnced down at their csped hands and then up at the falling debris. “Okay…”

  Another door formed a few seds ter, this time right in front of them. Quinten ope and stepped through. Still holding hands, Dyn followed him into the pitch-bck aperture. He blinked, and they were in another, denser part of the jungle, where bushes, trees, and vines crowded up against them. Brush scraped against his arms, legs, and face as he took in their angled surroundings.

  “First time getting shot down, eh?” Quinten released Dyn’s hand as the door blinked out of existence, leaving them stranded in the middle of the jungle.

  Dyn simply nodded, still wide-eyed, the shock fresh on his face.

  “No worries, mate.” Quinten looked up through the opy, swaying his arms with a simple rhythm before rog onto the balls of his feet. Catg Dyn’s stare, he gave him a id-back smile, as if they hadn’t just lost their only airship.

  Dyn looked at him curiously. “Shouldn’t you—”

  “Cooldowns, mate… gotta give ‘em a tick.” He gave a knowing nod.

  “Uh-huh,” Dyn muttered, feeling his shoulders rex in the presence of the easygoing elf. Cooldowns—he khose well. Almost every video game had them, and it was oddly reassuring to find the same logic applied here. At least some things worked the way he expected.

  “Stick with me, mate. We’ll be sweet,” Quinten said, summoning another door. He stepped through, and it vanished once more. Only seds ter, the door reappeared with a faint hum, and Dyn wondered how the cooldown actually worked. The familiar, lithkai-shaped figure of Wedge stepped through, carrying W’itney, whose face twisted in anguish. Wedge gently pced them down, propping them against a tree.

  “They look hurt. Should we use a potion?” Dyn asked.

  “No, their injury is survivable. Only use a potion to save a life.” Wedge surveyed the immediate area.

  “It is not safe for me to fell these trees. Help me trample the pnts to make room in case more o take refuge.” He stuck his foot into a bush and stepped down on the shoots he ground. The ch of branches underfoot echoed as he fttehe bush.

  Tears rolled down W’itney’s cheek as they whimpered, cradling an ankle. Dyn couldn’t determihe extent of the injury; their trousers hid it, but the azure stains suggested it was bad.

  He paused as the door blipped out of existence. Many seds ter, it reappeared in the same spot and opened, allowing Eury and Hay’len to step through. A startlingly powerful boom followed, and the ground quaked around them. The door blipped out again, and Dyn really hoped that st part was just a ce. The ground vibrated as something crashed through the forest until the noise and shaking just stopped.

  “W’itney!” Hay’len ran to their sibling’s side, gng down at the blue-stained ankle and then at W’itney’s pained face. The youwin sat down and took hold of their hand, voice trembling slightly. “It’s… it’s going to be okay. Ru will be here soon to patch you up.” Their eyes gnced up at Wedge, pleading their words were true. Wedge nodded.

  Without being told, Eury uhed a dagger from her belt and started cutting away at the bushes to help clear the area. Dyn made a mental o carry his crystal dagger. Until now, he only saw it as a on he didn’t know how to fight with.

  Dyn sighed in relief as anical door appeared, shimmering faintly between them. It opened, and Ru appeared.

  “Any injured?” she asked before she fiepping through.

  “W’itney is. Over here,” Hay’len called out, waving a hand to get her attention.

  Ru quickly made her way over and pced a hand on W’itney, eling her restoration ability. W’itney’s face visibly eased, their tears turning from sado relief.

  “Thank you,” W’itney said, wiping at their cheek.

  “Any others? Speak up, even for a bruise,” she said, looking at each of them.

  This was a side of Ru Dyn hadn’t seen before. Her expression seemed softer, her usual sharp gaze repced with somethile—g. Dyn thought he detected genuine .

  Her gaze shifted to him, narrowing at the red scratches marking his face. “Dyn, are you hurt?” She stepped closer, her cwed hand reag out to cradle his , careful not to press against his scrapes as she ied his cheeks.

  He allowed her a moment to fuss, thely pulled back, shaking his head. “I’m fihanks to Eury and Quinten. Just a few scratches—What was that all about?” He poio the sky where an airship should’ve been.

  “An arc beetle just happened…” Ru’s eyes caught the subtle hit Eury’s gait, and she crouched to mend Eury’s twisted ankle—a souvenir from saving Dyn. “They’re extremely territorial. We must have pissed it off somehow, and it blew our airship out of the sky.”

  “A… bug?” Dyn pursed his lips, aware that there was something he just wasn’t getting.

  “While teically an i,” Hay’len began, their gaze fixed ily on a point beyond W’itney’s ankle, “an arc beetle is hardly a mundane hexapod. They’re unon-ranked and, if that weren’t terrifying enough, they fall uhe kaiju cssification as well.” The expnation slipped out before they realized it. As the others turheir heads, Hay’len blihe weight of their own words sinking in. Their focus snapped back to W’itney, cheeks growing flush.

  “Hold up.” Dyn raised his hand. “Did you just say kaiju? You’ve got giant fug monsters on this p?”

  Ru looked up from her crouched position, her frown deepening. “Mating season might expin why it attacked us on sight…”

  Dyn’s mind snagged on that one word. “When you say ‘kaiju’… just how big are we talking?” He held out his hands, widening the space between them iant is. His hands couldn’t strety farther before the truth dawhis “bug” wasn’t anywhere near bug-sized.

  “Large enough to see our airship as a rival, apparently.” Ru’s gaze lingered orail of smoke that disappeared into the tree line. “I’ve never entered one before, but there’s no mistaking that arc attack.”

  A rumbling voice came from behind them as Wedge pressed down another bush beh his foot. “The presence of a kaiju bodes well for our quest.”

  Dyn spun around and shot Wedge an incredulous look. “What?! How does an oversized bug that knows hyper beam help us?”

  “No, he’s right,” Hay’len interjected, still seated beside W’itney and gripping their hand firmly. “If I wao keep a dangerous item from being found, a kaiju would be ideal—a natural deterrent and a formidable guardian.” Their head tilted, brow furrowing as their voice softened. “But why not have the League vault it…?”

  Dyn’s eyes widened, his gaze darting to Wedge. “We’re not going to fight that thing, right?” When Wedge didn’t respond, Dyn’s focus shifted to Ru, his voice rising slightly. “Right?!”

  “It wouldn’t be a fight.” Ru’s gaze sharpened. “I don’t think we have anything to punch through the carapace. We’ll avoid it.” Satisfied that no one else was visibly injured, she added, “Watch your step when you gh the portal. It’s a mess oher side.”

  Dyn had been the closest to the door and stepped through first. Miraculously, the Everafter was still in one piece—a charred, smoking, half-buried-in-the-ground piece, but it still ted. The immediate area was deh jungle.

  ‘This isn’t the nding zone,’ he thought, carefully stepping over rocks to avoid the snaring vines and other pnt obstacles in his way. As he moved closer, he detected the distinct st of ozone. Dust hung in the air, and he saw the trail of devastation—upturned soil and overturrees—leading to the Everafter’s resting spot. She hadn’t fallen out of the sky, as he suspected. Instead, Pilot Echo had transitioned her into a crash nding.

  The Everafter sat cockeyed; her bow dipped with a port-side lean, but the grade was manageable. The remaining supplies were crammed in a pile jammed up against the fro deck railings. Everyone who remained gathered on the deck of the airship as First Mate Echo took roll call.

  Dyn was worried; some of the crew were still missing. But he was relieved to see that the smallest mprian was among those gathered.

  “We’ve cleared the ship and the immediate area, Captain,” First Mate Echo said.

  Captain Echo sighed. “We’re three short, by my t.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” The first mate gave a nod of his skull. “Spotter Echo was in the crow’s when he gave the warning. Thank Mother he saw it. Gave us a ce to turn into the shretfully, he was thrown from his station upon impact.”

  Captain Echo sighed. “It’s doubtful he survived the fall. He’s most likely in crystalis.” She turo Ru. “Would it be possible to spare an adveo recover his body?”

  “P’reslen, search the nding zone and the surrounding area. Stay below the opy, remain silent, and do not engage. If you see any sign of that arc beetle, abandon the rescue aurn immediately to this airship,” Ru ordered.

  “I’m on it.” P’reslen gave a curt nod before lifting into the air.

  She gave him a stern look. “I mean it, no heroics. This quest has already goo the Pits.”

  P’reslen took off, leaving behind gusts of wind in his wake. His figure disappeared into the distance as he followed along the path of devastation back toward the nding zone.

  Captain Echo turo her first officer and asked, “What about the other two?”

  “Both are in crystalis, Ma’am. One of the deck crew…” First Mate Echo said, theantly added, “and our meic.”

  Wham. The Captain’s bony hand came down hard, crag the railing beside her. First Mate Echo winced along with most of the crew. Without another word, she turned her ba the crew, gazing out past the trees to an invisible horizon. Dyn wao ask what crystalis was, but he kneasn’t the right time.

  “Echo von A’lyce, I…” Captain Echo hesitated as she called on the smallest mprian. “I ’t order you—I won’t… But I need a favor.” She kept her back turned as she spoke.

  Echo von A’lyce took a tentative step forward, her voice barely a squeak. “Yes?”

  “Out of all of us, you have the least to lose. And without a meic, I fear this will be Everafter’s grave, possibly even our own.” She was still mustering the ce to ask for her favor.

  “I’ll do it,” Echo’s small voice preempted her request.

  With a solemn nod, the Captain gave the and. “First Mate Echo, please show her to… Meic Echo.”

  The first mate looked at the smallest mprian and then back to his captain. “Yes, Ma’am.”

  Both the first mate and the ded disappeared below deck. There was silence among the crew. They didn’t speak or even move from where they stood. Dyn heard stifled sniffling as the air grew thick with mencholy, and a great sadness weighed on his heart, though he hadn’t fully prehended why.

  Ten mier…

  Two figures returhe first mate and the meic. He waited, but the smallest mprian, Echo von A’lyever appeared.

  Dyn’s stomach ed as he turo Wedge, worry written pinly on his face. “What happeo Echo von A’lyce?” he leaned in and whispered.

  Wedge oward the drai skeleton in the green skullcap, Meic Echo. “She has ed the crystalis and taken over as Meic Echo.”

  Dyn noticed that none of the other mprians would even look at her. Before he could ask any more questions, Captain Echo, who’d been focused on the horizon for the past ten minutes, finally turo fad address the crew.

  “Meic Echo, I need my ship back up and running. You’ll have the full support of the crew for this task, and your orders are to do whatever is necessary to get us back to port.” She hesitated a moment. “sider these your st orders. Once we’ve docked, you will remove yourself from my ship and her crew. Do you uand?”

  “Yes.” Meic Echo was the oo respond, but it was Echo von A’lyce’s soft voice that answered.

  “What?” Dyn asked out loud, but no one answered him.

  Captain Echo poi two mprians wearing bck bandanas. “You and you. Both of you will eseic Echo. Do not leave her alone and keep her away from the other crystalis.” They each gave a curt nod and took up positions behind Meic Echo.

  “The rest of you lot will recover what supplies you , and if Meic Echo tells you to do something, sider it a direct order from me. Now get to work,” Captain Echo said.

  The crew dispersed, and Ru began addressing her own group. But Dyn ignored her, instead walking up to Meic Echo awo escorts.

  “Echo?” he asked, unsure which he’d get.

  “Hello, Dyn,” Echo von A’lyce said.

  “Are you—"

  “Yes.” She gave a small nod. “I’m… still me.”

  “Ru!” the Captain bellowed, interrupting the team leader. “Please keep your team from distrag our best ce at flying out of here."

  Dyn scowled at the Captain but took the hint. Something was wrong, and he didn’t uand enough to know what or why, which made him irritable.

  “Dyn, e here,” Ru said, her tone much kihan usual. She waved for him to join them. He returo his group before notig his tightly ched fists. He released them and listeo the new pn.

  Ru turo the big guy. “Wedge, I want an iory of what supplies we have left. Use the initiates to assist you.”

  She turo her team. “Athrax, Ostello, and Quinten, I want you to take a three-quarters sentry position around the airship. If the arc beetle is nearby, I want as much time to evacuate as possible. Don’t worry about the fnk; the Everafter cleared a path, so we’ll see it ing from that dire.

  “I’ll remain on the ship to watch our fnk, provide mending, and act as the information hub. I’ll have a better pn once I know what we have to work with.” She closed her eyes for a moment, let out a small sigh, and said, “I’m already regretting this decision, but speak up if you have questions. We ’t afford anyone learning the hard way right now.”

  “What the hell happened back there?” Dyn asked, pointing toward the captain.

  Ru grimaced, but she took pity on him and said, “When you’re done helping Wedge, e see me and I’ll expin.”