Lloyd's group appeared utterly haggard, their gear in tatters and their clothing streaked with dirt and blood. In the back of his mind, Lloyd reminded himself that his mana was running dangerously low, and he had no potions left to replenish it. He could feel it in his gut—whatever was coming wasn’t going to be good.

  From the shadows of the trees emerged three figures. One was tall and gaunt, standing easily over six feet tall. He wore black-and-gray robes with a hood pulled low, shielding his eyes, and carried a simple wooden staff in his right hand. The next man was of average stature, wearing a ragged cut-off shirt and jeans torn unevenly into shorts. The last was a woman who stood just shy of the tall man’s height. Her long blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her vibrant blue eyes seemed to shine even from afar. Muscles rippled underneath her leather pants and tunic. She gripped a giant maul in her left hand. The handle, made of a plain wood, rested on her shoulder as the massive, jagged, hammer head sat behind her.

  “Are you kidding me? Are you kids fucking kidding me? How dare you fucking assholes kill my pet!” the man of average stature yelled as he took a few steps toward Lloyd’s group. “I will kill you all!”

  Sheena turned back to the group and jabbed her finger toward the man. “Found the Beastmaster. I call dibs.”

  Lloyd extended his arms theatrically and bowed. “He’s all yours.”

  “Guys, let's talk this out. We don’t need to fight,” Colette begged.

  “You killed our town. You are going to pay for that with your life!” the tall blonde woman shouted.

  The hooded man thrust his staff forward, sending a crackling arc of lightning from its tip. “You won’t walk away from this,” he declared.

  Sheena turned toward Colette, her face softening. “We can’t avoid this,” she said before turning toward Regal and Lloyd, her face growing sharp. “Can you guys do what needs to be done?”

  Lloyd immediately nodded, while Regal hesitated. His sword still sat in its sheath. Regal’s eyes darted between Colette and Sheena.

  Lloyd doubted the man could control the weather, but as his lightning flared, Lloyd swore the skies darkened and the wind gusted. This man was part of that vile town. He stood there, breathing, while Cassius—a good man—lay dead. Will you allow that to stand? The thought seemingly appeared out of nowhere, but Lloyd held onto it firmly. His fury boiled over, the injustice stoking the flames inside him. That same power from the fight with the snake began to stir, raw and unrelenting.

  “Dibs on him,” Lloyd declared, his voice firm with determination.

  “Fair enough. Guess I’ve got the tall blondie over there,” Regal said, his tone more like Cassius’ than his own.

  With a battle cry, Sheena, Regal, and the opposing melee fighters closed the gap, rushing headlong into combat. Meanwhile, Lloyd and the tall, hooded figure sidestepped the chaos, locking eyes as their duel began. The man slammed his staff on the ground and sent a crackling arc of lightning surging toward Lloyd.

  Fueled by anger, Lloyd vividly remembered how he had created his telekinetic field before. Lloyd quickly formed the shield, positioning it precisely where the lightning would strike, halting it mere feet from him. The arc of lightning fizzled out, and Lloyd let his shield dissolve.

  “Neat trick. I see how you bested Chad’s beast. But you will—” the man’s words were cut short as a shard of wood pierced his throat.

  Tendrils of Lloyd’s magic lingered on the piece of wood. Lloyd had grown sick of these people, so self-assured in their vileness. He couldn’t let them continue their evil ways.

  The man dropped his staff as his hands reached up to his neck. Blood leaked out as muffled, gurgling noises escaped his mouth. Lloyd couldn’t bear to watch a slow death, so he used his powers to lift the man’s staff and drive it through his chest. The man collapsed on the ground, no longer making noise. Lloyd’s eyes didn’t linger long on the man’s corpse.

  Turning away, Lloyd surveyed the chaos to see how the others were faring. Sheena had already dispatched the other Beastmaster. He must not have been much of a fighter without his companion. Sheena and Milla now circled the large blonde woman.

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  “Well now. This isn’t exactly a fair fight,” the woman said as Lloyd approached. “Not yet, anyway. Let’s even the odds.”

  The woman’s body trembled violently, her form flickering in and out of focus, as if reality itself were struggling to hold her. Then, with a sudden burst, her form split apart, and four identical versions of her stood before the group. The duplicates were indistinguishable, wielding the same weapons and clad in identical gear.

  “Much better,” all four women said at once before launching into a synchronized attack.

  Lloyd narrowed his focus on the doppelganger charging straight at him. She raised her massive hammer high before slamming it down with a speed that defied reason. Using his telekinesis, Lloyd wrenched the hammer to his left while sidestepping to the right in one fluid motion. The hammer struck the ground with a thunderous shockwave, sending tremors that buckled Lloyd’s legs. He hit the ground hard, forced to watch as she raised the hammer for another devastating strike. Just as he braced himself to counter her attack, Lloyd felt an unfamiliar power rising inside him.

  As her hammer came down, Lloyd thrust out his bare left hand, unleashing a crackling bolt of lightning. The lightning blasted into her, sending her sprawling backward and causing her to lose her grip on the massive hammer, sending it sailing into the air. When the hammer struck the ground, it unleashed a shockwave that momentarily forced Lloyd to the ground. Lloyd scrambled to his feet and saw that the doppelganger he’d been fighting was beginning to disintegrate. Fragments of skin, armor, and weapon flaked away, evaporating into the air until nothing remained.

  When Lloyd turned, he saw Milla gnawing fiercely on the neck of one of the remaining doppelgangers. The woman thrashed wildly, trying to grab the fox, but she fell to her knees as the disintegration began. Regal and Sheena were still engaged in their battles, but it was clear they were gaining the upper hand.

  Leaping back to avoid a wide swing, Sheena then surged forward and plunged her daggers into the blonde woman’s torso. One dagger struck just below the rib cage, while the other aimed for the throat. Lloyd found it intriguing how Sheena and Milla seemed to share a similar fighting style. The more he thought about it, he supposed that aiming for the throat was always a sound strategy. Lloyd realized he shared the same instinct, looking back toward the lifeless body of the man who wielded lightning. It must be a “birds of a feather” kind of thing.

  Regal seemed to have his fight under control, but with the blonde woman’s back turned, Lloyd sprinted toward her and seized her right arm. Channeling his newfound power, Lloyd sent a surge of electricity into her, and within seconds, she collapsed. She stared up at the group, wide-eyed, until Regal’s blade came down, separating her head from her shoulders. Her body didn’t disintegrate like the others; this one must have been the original.

  A quick scan of the group reassured Lloyd that no one seemed injured, but the tension in the air was palpable. Sheena stalked over to the Beastmaster’s corpse, her expression twisted with fury, and delivered a savage kick to his lifeless face. It was unnecessary, brutal even, but it was clear she needed some way to release the storm brewing inside her.

  “You have electric powers now?” Colette’s voice cracked, her words hesitant and filled with disbelief. She took a step back from Lloyd, her hands trembling as she clutched them to her chest, her wide eyes darting between him and Sheena. The fear in her gaze cut him deeper than any blade. Although Colette asked the question, Lloyd’s gaze flicked to Sheena.

  Sheena locked eyes with him, her expression flickering through a myriad of emotions. First came a piercing glare that made his heart skip a beat. Next, a lightning flash of a smirk appeared before a scowl quickly replaced it. Finally, her lips parted as if she were about to say something, but then she exhaled sharply, her shoulders sagging in frustration. Finally, she shrugged, but the gesture carried none of her usual indifference.

  “See? That’s exactly what I’ve been saying, Colette. What the hell is going on here?” Her voice was cold, her anger bubbling just beneath the surface, threatening to boil over.

  Milla padded toward Lloyd, her head tilted in concern, but the sharp snap of Sheena’s fingers froze her in her tracks. The fox’s ears flattened as she slunk back to Sheena’s side. Sheena advanced on Lloyd, her hands hovering dangerously close to the hilts of her daggers. Each step was deliberate, like a hunter after her prey.

  Milla, sensing the rising tension, darted in front of Sheena, her sleek body forming a protective barrier between the two. The fox’s sharp eyes flicked between them, her fur bristling as if preparing for a fight. Sheena’s advance halted, her gaze snapping to Milla. For a long moment, Sheena’s face twisted with indecision before she growled softly under her breath.

  “I’ve dealt with enough assholes in my life—I don’t need two more on this journey,” Sheena spat, her hands tightening around her daggers. The menace in her voice was like a blade, cutting through the tension and setting everyone further on edge.

  Milla stood firm, her body taut, while Regal moved cautiously into the fray. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, the unspoken warning clear in his stance. Lloyd gripped his staff loosely, his fingers trembling. He didn’t want this. He couldn’t fight her. Please don’t force me to fight you.

  “People have distrusted me my whole life just because of Milla,” Sheena said, her voice rising. “I told you from the beginning I don’t like people and that I don’t trust easily. I trusted you—or I thought I did—but it’s obvious now you’re lying about your powers.”

  Her daggers were out now, their edges gleaming in the faint light of the day. “We need answers now. Or so help me, I’ll send Milla after you, and her flames will turn you to ash.”