A ray of light cleaved toward them, courtesy of the spirit. The naming conventions for it might get confusing, and Cal preemptively dubbed this spirit B.

  Ferguson stomped, and the ground rose like a row of dominoes toppled in reverse. It formed wall after wall of defense, and they may as well not have existed as B's not-so-friendly greeting passed through them like wet tissue. The sole exception was the last slab, as Ferguson braced it with his shoulder, pouring his magic into reinforcing it.

  Solid light met the wall, and while it slid against the floor, it did not shatter. Not immediately, anyway, as spiderweb-like cracks crept along on its edges.

  "I want it on record that none of you saw this coming," Cal said, feeling the need to get it out of the way. "Everyone was just as happy as I was to watch them bicker. How were we supposed to know one of them would release a spirit?"

  Phrasing was important, and he made sure to use 'we.' This was not solely his fault; this was a failure of the collective group.

  "This is NOT the time," Lily yelled at him as lightning coiled around her arms.

  Sure, she said that now. But the second they were out of danger, he wouldn't hear the end of it. Setting the narrative early was important.

  "Boy!" Ferguson hollered as fragments of his shield broke away. "Wayfinder! Now!"

  If the Finger had eyes, he'd be able to see that it was the first thing Rolland had reached for. It was why Cal was inching away from the group. The second it activated, he'd be 'forced' out of position and be left behind. How he was going to explain his survival after was a work in progress.

  "It's activating!" Rolland exclaimed, raising his palm. The golden compass that sat atop it levitated, and Cal could see how wildly the needle spun. He subtly bent his legs, ready to put on the performance of his life.

  It pulsed, and Cal's plans fell apart as a foreign power wrapped around him. The experience was distinct, and he connected it to what the Academy's spirit had used to knock him back to his senses all those weeks ago. The unexpected variable caused a lag in his response, and he was still pooling his magic to break free when it released another pulse. His vision turned dark for a moment, and when it returned, a familiar sight greeted him.

  "It-it failed?" Rolland asked in a startled voice.

  Cal came to the same conclusion, given they were in the exact same spots and positions as before.

  The compass fell back onto the prince's palm before it slipped from his grasp, clattering to the floor.

  "Piece of junk," Cal noted disappointingly. "Isn't it?"

  He really shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. This was an item created by the same jackasses who broke the world after stagnating it for millennia. Why would he expect any creation of theirs to work as intended?

  Did this mean he should still steal it? If it were broken, the Empire might miss it less—but likewise, Millie may not want it.

  "What are you lot doing?!" Ferguson's voice rumbled as the marble finally gave way. He stood in the way of the blast, raising his single arm defensively as he blocked the blow with his shell. His face was red, and the veins on his forehead were visible. "Move!"

  Right, they'd been huddled up so that the piece of scrap metal would transport them. Needless to say, that was no longer needed, and they scattered, allowing Ferguson to roll out of the way. The attack continued, piercing through the exterior of the tower with ease.

  "It's your fault!" B raved, stamping its feet like a child. "It's your fault!"

  B's magical signature was erratic. Its height saw it eclipse all those present, while its low was comparable to your average beast. Regardless, Cal was coming to terms with the fact that this might be a problem he'd need to deal with.

  Might, because there was a Finger here, and discounting him would be rude.

  Ferguson slammed his fist against the ground. Cal felt his power wash over them. Much of it was wasted, but that which wasn't found purchase on exposed marble. The room came alive, spikes stretching to impale B.

  "You dare?" Craven's hysterical shout brought with it sprouting moss. It formed a protective ring around the altar before exploding outward. Moss splattered onto the incoming spikes, causing them to lose direction and crumble. "Great spir—" Craven threw himself to the floor as an arc of light nearly beheaded him. "I beseech your forgiveness!"

  B raised two palms, firing one ray at Craven and another at their party. Well, more accurately, the second one was headed right for Cal.

  He took a moment to ponder his track record with spirits before pivoting to the side, allowing the attack to pass him. Unlike the previous one, this ray didn't dissipate, appearing like a corridor of light roughly his height. Why it stayed like this was answered a second later as a second corridor was formed on his other side, boxing him in. They converged, seeking to erase him.

  Amusement crept up on him as he leaped into the air, punching toward B. A glut of fire followed, streaking toward B. It dashed his translucent form aside, but its figure quickly coalesced, and baleful eyes glared at him.

  Yep, definitely a problem.

  "You barbaric imbecile!" Craven's unnamed counterpart complained loudly. "Do you have any idea what you've done!?"

  Released a vindictive force of nature that was indiscriminately attacking them? It seemed pretty obvious from where Cal had landed. He glanced at his companions. Benny and Rolland had ended up on his left. Their backs were together as they regarded both the spirit and the mercenaries. Lily was on the other side, crouched low, with her claws planted on the ground.

  And Ferguson… was charging B head-on.

  Cal took a second to sort through the issues. The biggest threats were the demon outside and B. He wasn't sure which would be ranked higher, but they were both beings his fellow students wouldn't be able to contest. In a distant third was Craven, followed by the mercenaries.

  The unknown was, well, unknown. He was sticking close to a wall, and while Cal was keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't escape, he wasn't the priority. That would be Craven, who was prostrating himself to B.

  Cal took a few strong steps before vaulting toward the man, fist reeled back. Craven's head snapped to him, and the tribesman remained stationary as a wall of moss rose to protect him. Flames cloaked Cal's fist. He half expected the strange moss to extinguish them, but he was ready to feed the fire with magic at a moment's notice.

  What he was not ready for was for an odd odor to reach his nose and then to eat an explosion to the face. It blasted him back, and Cal righted himself in the air, landing gently while observing the cloud of smoke.

  "Heads up!" Lily's warning caused his eyes to trail upwards, seeing a scimitar beginning to descend on his head.

  The attacker, a man in chainmail, twirled his blade as a barrage of needles intercepted him. Lily was close behind, catching him in the gut with her boot. He rocketed back, but before he could hit the wall behind him, a burst of wind released by one of the other mercenaries broke his momentum.

  "Had it handled," Cal commented to the girl taking up his flank. "But thanks."

  His senses had been trained on Craven, but he trusted his instincts to keep him from harm's way.

  B released a beam of light, intent on stopping Ferguson's advance. The man didn't dodge, allowing it to hit him head-on. Marble crept up his legs, anchoring him in place. One foot slid further, and he moved as if he were shuffling across a swamp.

  "Can you not charge ahead and instead think for a minute?" Lily griped at him, claws raised as she eyed the mercenaries. There was one headed toward the boys, but the rest were holding back. "Relic's a bust, but we can solve one issue with another."

  He'd already thought of exploiting the division of the mercenaries. However, killing them seemed easier than making dubious allies.

  "Rolland!" Benny broke his usual manner of speech, parrying the attacker's axe. "Focus."

  Rolland blinked, and he seemed to take a moment to adjust before his rapier flashed. The tip of his weapon went past the man's guard, and the mercenary took a step back. The prince pressed forward, and he was nearing a hit when a geyser erupted underneath the axe wielder. It propelled the mercenary to the safety of his comrades, who he shot dirty looks at.

  "Ferg! We must retreat," Rolland ordered, watching Ferguson's charge. "This isn't a battle we can prevail in."

  If Cal hadn't caught the faintest hint of a smile on the drunk's face, he might have thought the order went unheard.

  "Run, boy!" Ferguson roared, crossing the final distance to the spirit. "Leave em to me!"

  The beam between them flickered out, and Ferguson wrapped the being in a bear hug. It was fading when the tower trembled. Stone broke through the marble, entombing the pair in a pyramid. Glyphs etched themselves on the surface, cutting their senses off from what occurred inside.

  The life seemed to drain from Rolland's face, and Benny stared at the structure with wide eyes.

  "Will you all just listen to me!" Lily's aggravated voice cut through the battlefield, causing heads to turn. "Who wants to bet the crazy spirit and the demon outside won't see eye to eye?"

  That… might work? B had shown itself to be hostile to anyone who interfered with it. If they drew it into the demon's line of fire, they could force the two into a battle.

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  "You're actually pretty smart," Cal commented, eyeing the pyramid and wondering if he could chuck it out the hole B had made.

  "You're only now realizing that?" Lily drolled back at him.

  The smoke concealing Craven cleared, and the man did not appear pleased. A bony finger was pointed in their direction.

  "Kill them all!"

  Yeah, that was about right.

  The chainmail-wearing mercenary flew forward, his boots not touching the ground as wind carried him toward Cal.

  Lily met him, locking his blade in place with one claw while the other swept at his thigh. Cal blitzed past the man, aiming for the woman trailing in his wake. She didn't startle at his approach, and a simple dagger struck forward. Cal angled his body to evade the strike. He was sending a punch toward her shoulder when he redirected his attack, punching the woman's blade aside. A manifestation meant for Lily fizzled out of existence, the dagger-wielder abandoning the effort after his interruption.

  A sharp crescent of wind flew over his head, and he looked back to see that the scimitar user had launched an attack with one hand, only to have it knocked off course by Lily kicking the hand. The woman used Cal's brief distraction to place both hands on her dagger, and the focus in the pommel thrummed as she shouted, thrusting it forward.

  Wind twisted around the tip, attempting to suck him in. He held his ground, and the manifestation shot out, bypassing him in favor of Lily. Stepping into its path, he strengthened his shell before allowing the attack to make contact with his forearm. His magic intermingled with the woman's, and he fought her for control of the manifestation. His senses alerted him to danger from elsewhere, but he defied instinct and remained in place, seizing the woman's mass of air and letting it dissipate.

  The attack his body warned him of never arrived, and he turned to see that Lily had once again covered him. She'd even managed to score a hit on the man's shell, forcing him to disengage in a hurry.

  "Well," Cal said, taking the time to respond to her. "It's hard to tell you smaller-minded people apart. I'm the genius, after all."

  Allegedly.

  He stole another look at Rolland and Benny and saw the axe-wielder riding a literal wave toward them. He could surmise the outcome of that, and in order not to fall behind, he used his superior speed to step past the woman's guard.

  "Sure," Lily replied while sending a bolt at the retreating man. "Genius at hitting things really hard."

  For that reason alone, he didn't punch the woman's face in, stopping right as his knuckles brushed her nose. He opened his palm and tried to grab her throat, but met resistance from a stubborn pocket of air.

  "I have way more range than that."

  To punctuate that, and provide a play on words, his palm launched a fireball at point-blank range, ragdolling the woman back.

  He wondered why they weren't being swarmed and observed the remaining mercenaries. They were trading glances, several of them looking toward the unknown.

  "Do I look like the client?" He seethed, waving an arm out in anger. "You all know the rules."

  With that, two more joined the assault against them, while the remaining three went for the boys.

  "Tell you what. If I'm recognized in any official capacity as a genius, then you're doing any homework I get for the rest of the semester."

  He sped toward the nearest mercenary. He was swinging a flail overhead, and the sparks it left behind were weaving some form of manifestation. Not wanting to find out what it did, Cal punched him in the gut, feeling his leather armor buckle under his fist as the man was displaced into the wall.

  Someone tried to take advantage of his apparent overextension, and Lily performed a sliding tackle on the approaching dual shield wielder. He stayed on his feet, but was rewarded with a face full of lightning as she blasted him from the floor.

  "Alice will flay me if I agree to that."

  He didn't need to give her a hand as she rolled onto her stomach, pushing herself up as the two wind users went to face them again.

  Deciding their time had run out, Cal ramped up his augmentation, blurring in front of the man's scimitar. His eyes widened beyond his helmet, but it was all he could do when Cal's fingers gripped his throat. The shell put up a fight, and Cal's other hand grabbed the man's arm. He pulled, and the sound of squelching flesh followed as the man was torn in two.

  A startled cry erupted from the woman. Her magic fluctuated unstably, and Lily capitalized on it by running a claw through her flickering shell. The second found her throat, and she was silenced for good.

  "Alice will flay you if she finds out," Cal countered while watching the remaining mercenaries take distance. "I'll make it interesting. If I don't have a teacher vouch for me being a genius in a non-combat field within a week, I'll…"

  He racked his brain for an appropriate incentive.

  "You'll what?" Lily asked with a tightened expression, flinging her wrist out as she stepped away from the corpse.

  "Not sure. What do you want?"

  Her eyes danced around, landing on him with something that caused his anxiety to spike.

  "An honest answer."

  Now that was a dangerous statement. Fortunately, Cal didn't have to navigate it, as Craven's disappointed voice rang out.

  "Useless. All of you outsiders are useless."

  The unknown man didn't take kindly to that, and Cal could feel the heat behind his glare.

  "Those were the Dunvelin siblings. They're a bargain for the price, but as you can see, they have a weakness in each other."

  That caused some regret to bubble up within him, but he squashed it ruthlessly. Everyone here was an adult, and they'd all made their choices.

  "Look, the others are holding their own against what you called a descendant and his dog."

  That was a generous interpretation of the fight. Rolland and Benny had knocked the man down from his wave, and Rolland was close to decapitating him when large shards of glass rained down on them. The mercenary responsible for it was standing in the far back while the other two advanced at a sedate pace.

  Cal got the sense they were drawing this out. That was interesting because he was in the same boat. He could have killed the entire group by now, but these guys made great busywork for his companions to occupy themselves with.

  "Callum Ardere and Lilliane Arcutien," Benny said in a low but intense tone, sticking close to Rolland. "Will you please take this earnestly?"

  Actually… shouldn't Lily be freaking out? They shared a floor with a temporarily contained spirit, and she was joking around with him like nothing was wrong. He looked at the girl, who shrugged.

  "Didn't you figure it out yet? The relic clearly activated, but it left us here. That means this place is already safe. It's weird, but that's god magic for you."

  All activity halted as everyone stared at the girl with incredulity.

  "I'm retracting my statement describing you as smart," Cal stated seriously. "Also, you should apologize to these guys and the demon outside for implying they're weak."

  It was an absurd statement, and Lily's face scrunched up as she witnessed the lack of belief amongst everyone present. At least, he thought that was the case until someone spoke up.

  "The girl may be correct," the unknown man said, rubbing his chin. His anger from before seemed to fade and be replaced with curiosity. "I'm familiar with similar devices. There is an intelligence contained in them beyond what most mortals can understand. It very well could have determined the user was safe and reverted to standby mode, or it could have malfunctioned after a few millennia of barbarians handling it."

  A few choice words had made him suspect it earlier, but that statement confirmed that this man was from one of the Free Cities. Of course, that tidbit of information took a back seat to what he'd told them.

  "Ferguson," Rolland said, staring at the pyramid. "It means I was wrong, and he will prevail."

  While that was a valid deduction, Cal asked himself a question.

  Would he allow any of them to die or be seriously injured out here?

  No.

  Would he say the same if it meant blowing his cover?

  Yes.

  Shit.

  "That's not how it works," the man said while chuckling. "You were the one to use it. The automaton based its decision solely on your safety. None of your companions matter. Whether that means The Tremor kills the spirit, they take each other out, or the girl's harebrained plan works out, who's to say?"

  Double shit.

  Where was that stupid thing? He found it amongst the rubble when he was thrown off his feet.

  Cal rolled, bringing himself to stop and having to shield his eyes as a light so blindingly bright overpowered the defenses of his shell.

  "Damn you lot," Ferguson spat between heavy breaths. He'd been flung out of reach of the spirit, landing against a raised slab that caught him. "I thought I gave you enough time to leave this blasted tower. It's the only way to kill it for good."

  The spirit remained standing on the altar. Its head twitched, and Cal’s hair stood on its ends. There was sense of ominous foreboding in the air, and Cal decided he wasn’t letting it go crazy in here

  Cal said the first thing that came to his mind.

  "Hey B!" He jeered, rising to his feet and walking backwards. His shell was shored up with as much magic as he was willing to show. "I totally killed her. Enjoyed it too."

  The spirit locked onto him, and the light blinked out of existence. Through the darkness, he could hear Lily's panicked voice.

  "Hold on. I didn't mean—"

  There was a pushing sensation, and Cal didn't quite register what had happened before he found himself on his back, staring up at the cavernous roof of the cave.

  Hadn't he been in the tower?

  His senses were a mess, and he had to wait for his vision to clear to see a column of light descend from the heavens.

  Triple shit.

  There was no time to avoid it, and he raised his arms, arm? In defiance.

  A third limb entered his vision, casting a massive shadow over him.

  "Young friend?" Basem's muffled voice carried over. "This is not the time to rest."

  Cal sprang to his feet, pushing off the ground with as much force as possible to avoid the blast radius. He leaped at the last second, allowing the attack's shockwave to move him further away. Icicles bit into his shell as the giant limb buying him time shattered. He landed in an unbalanced run, slowing as he bled off momentum.

  He looked back, seeing a hulking form rise out of the mist. Its humanoid form was sculpted from jagged, crystalline ridges. It groaned with each step, ice fracturing and knitting itself back together as the living glacier steadied. Standing at a quarter of the tower's height, Cal wondered how it compared to the actual Titan of Shirai.

  Its missing arm slowly regrew, and Cal glanced down.

  A sudden pain assaulted him as his mind helpfully informed him that he could now form a one-armed club with Ferguson and the colossus.

  He gripped his shoulder, sucking in a breath as he forced his body's natural reaction to the wayside.

  Light illuminated the cavern again, and Cal looked up to see that B had exited the tower. He was hanging in the air, his palm raised high. It swung down, and the beacon atop the tower lit up. Cal could see the light forming another column.

  The ground rumbled around him, and shards of earth larger than train cars flew through the sky, disrupting the budding attack.

  B frowned at that, glancing back at the tower. Ferguson's form was visible through a Cal-sized hole.

  "I see you were partially successful," Basem commented, managing to sound both easygoing and out of breath. "Would you care to inform me of what occurred within to provoke the wrath of that creature?"

  There was the truth, and there was what Cal was feeling right now.

  "Nothing new, really," he grunted, wondering if he should try to stunt his regeneration. "Just my general existence." A thought occurred to him, and he surveyed his surroundings. "Wait, wasn't there supposed to be a—"

  His sentence hung as he caught sight of an eerily still creature. It couldn't be mistaken for a human, despite sharing their shape. Its limbs were too thin, and its hands were elongated, ending in claws. Then there was the limp mass of tendrils behind it, connected to it by the tailbone.

  Its maw hung open, displaying rings of teeth. Above it were two gleaming red eyes. They were frozen on him, and it threw its head back, releasing a haunting screech.

  Cal planted his feet firmly, the feeling of wrongness spiking. The giant beside him reacted similarly, falling to a knee.

  Already missing one limb, Cal was not looking to increase that number and fully opened his connection to the void, feeling the magic begin to pool into his damaged body.

  His good fist was at the ready, and he was prepared to strike at it when it did something nearly incomprehensible.

  It took a step back.

  Black ichor seeped from its face as the demon madly clawed at itself. Tendrils lashed out, destroying everything in reach as it seemed to make war on itself.

  "Uh," Cal opened, more confused than anything. "What's happening?"

  It should have either attacked him or realized Ferguson was in reach and beeline it for the Finger. Not do whatever this was. He'd never seen a demon react this way. The closest thing he'd witnessed was in the hells when some of them ran away.

  Cal squinted at the writhing tendrils before scrutinizing the demon through his senses. Past the wrongness, there was something faintly familiar about it.

  Did he know this thing?

  The spirit blinked into existence within arm's reach of him. Its glowing palm moved diagonally, seeking his head.

  He was already moving when his right foot met resistance. A tendril had snared it, and he, once again, found himself flying through the air. His shell was further reinforced, expecting to either be skewered or pummeled soon after.

  Neither came, and he landed without further harm on top of what remained of the western walkway Basem had destroyed earlier.

  It gave him a good view of the demon screeching at B. Every twitch of the spirit's limbs caused the demon to howl with greater intensity, and even through its delirious state, B hesitated.

  Basem's titan sat crouched to the side, its icy gaze alternating between the two.

  Cal scratched his head, considering his options. The decision was made simpler when both spirit and demon turned to him.

  Run.

  He should definitely run.