The metallic clang of battle filled the bottom floor of the facility. Lightning bolts crackled and exploded against the steel walls as Leyra darted back, narrowly avoiding the massive figure pursuing her. Bordo’s burly frame moved like an unstoppable freight train, shrugging off the blasts of electricity Leyra hurled at him. Her chest heaved as she dodged another swing of his hammer-like fists, the faint hum of her wind artifact, Distant Dreamer, pulsing against her neck.

  “Thanks for the help, Dreamer,” she muttered, clutching the small crystal pendant hanging from her necklace. “Don’t let me down now.”

  Finn and the Magitechnicians stood to the side, aiming their various ranged weapons and firing synchronized bolts and bullets at Bordo. The shots glanced off his hardened body, leaving no mark. Bordo barely registered the attacks, his focus locked on Leyra as he barreled forward like a living boulder.

  Finn and Sahra cursed under their breath, watching the man tank every shot as Finn spoke up. “It’s like we can’t pierce him. Is he made of rock or something?”

  Leyra clenched her teeth, frustration flashing in her eyes. “I don’t know, but he’s not giving me a chance to figure it out!” She leaped backward, twisting midair as her artifact propelled her further out of reach. Lightning surged in her hands towards her opponent, but every blast only seemed to bounce harmlessly off Bordo’s body.

  Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Hammond faced off against Aerin. The older Spellbreaker moved with a calm precision that belied his age, effortlessly gliding away from her aggressive swings.

  “Stay still, for crying out loud!” Aerin growled, her hammer smashing into the ground where Hammond had been a second earlier. The impact left a dent in the floor, but Hammond remained unscathed, using controlled bursts of wind magic to keep her at bay while moving with them all at the same time.

  “Why would I do that? You’ve got terrible aim,” Hammond quipped, smirking as another gust sent her stumbling back.

  Aerin’s frustration boiled over as she steadied herself, gripping her hammer tightly. Her patience snapped after Hammond sent her flying for the fifth time. “That’s it!” she yelled, her voice echoing through the room. Raising the hammer as if it were a rifle, she pulled a hidden trigger on the opposite end. The weapon unfolded, glowing ominously as it began to hum with energy.

  Hammond’s expression shifted, the humor leaving his face. “Well, now you’ve got my attention,” he murmured, bracing himself and summoning a gust of wind in front of him.

  “Begone, you geezer!” Aerin screamed, firing a massive chunk of charged scrap metal. The projectile tore through Hammond’s wind barrier with ease, slamming into his stomach. The force sent him hurtling across the room and into the wall with a thunderous crash.

  Leyra’s eyes widened in horror as Hammond crumpled to the ground. “Hammond, no!” she cried, but her alarm was cut short as Bordo lunged toward her.

  “You don’t have time to worry about him,” Bordo growled, catching her midair and tossing her into the same wall Hammond had hit. She slumped to the ground, coughing as the wind was knocked from her lungs.

  Bordo turned toward Finn, Sahra and the Magitechnicians, his shadow looming over them. Finn took a shaky step back, raising his hands defensively. “Hey, I think we got off on the wrong foot. Maybe we can talk this out?” Sahra joins him, putting her obviously ineffective boltslinger to the side.

  Aerin laughed, turning toward Gordo “Well done, just finish the rest of them so we can finally get back to work. I still know exactly what part I was at! If this fight goes on much longer I might forget, and trust me, you will be the one to hurt for that, you big burly meathead!”

  Gordo cracked his knuckles, while looking Finn dead in the eyes. “You heard my colleague. Sorry guys, just business.”

  During this exchange, Hammond spat out blood, forcing himself to sit up as Leyra crawled over to him. “Master Hammond, are you alright?” she asked, her voice laced with worry.

  “I’ve seen better days,” The old man replied, wiping his mouth. “but I’m far from done. I can see you’re in trouble, isn’t that right?”

  Leyra glanced at Bordo, who was now advancing on Finn and his team, and Aerin, who was walking toward them with her hammer slung over her shoulder. “I can’t hurt Bordo at all—it’s like his body’s made of stone or something.”

  Hammond let out a weak chuckle, pushing himself to his feet. “Stone, huh. Well, my opponent surprised me with her unique weapon. Maybe it’s time we switch dancing partners for a second, don’t you agree?”

  Leyra nodded and got into position as Hammond unleashed a gust of wind that propelled him forward at awe inspiring speed. He shot past Aerin, who looked startled as he ignored her completely.

  “Don’t ignore me!” she yelled, but Hammond didn’t slow down.

  Hammond stopped to the side of Bordo just as he raised his fist to strike Finn. Hammond intercepted, slamming his palm into Bordo’s side. The burly man slid backwards, exhaling more than at any point during this encounter - the first sign of vulnerability he’d shown all fight.

  Aerin scowled, her gaze focusing on the Master. “We are fighting you long-haired geezer, get back here this instant!” she screamed, readying her hammer’s rifle mode once again. “He’s busy, can’t you tell?” Leyra replied, who had used the confusion to charge up a massive sphere of crackling lightning above her head.

  Leyra’s voice rang out, clear and defiant. “Hope you’ve got insurance, lady!” She shouted, leaping into the air and using her staff like a baseball bat, shooting the massive amount of energy toward Aerin.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Her eyes widened in panic as she scrambled to search through her magical pockets for a solution. But before she could find what she needed, the lightning sphere crashed into her with an ear-splitting boom.

  The blast sent Aerin flying, her skin blackened from the intense electricity. Her hair curled into perfect spirals, and she dropped to her knees before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

  “I knew it, that hammer wasn’t an artifact, it was just a scientific weapon. That may have been a bit of a gamble but it worked out!” Leyra exhaled, clearly taken aback by the fight and started hugging her staff Soft Ether. “Thank you for your teachings, master Zaldimar”.

  Hammond stood face-to-face with Bordo, who cracked his knuckles, his massive fists trembling with restrained power. “Thought I was fightin’ the girl, then I was fightin’ these third rate engineers. Now I’m fightin’ you, geezer?” Bordo rumbled, his eyes narrowing at the older man.

  “Excuse us for disappointing you thus far,” Hammond replied, his tone light but his stance unyielding. “From now, you’ll have to make do with this old man. How about a little game?”

  Bordo raised an eyebrow. “A game?”

  “Yes, a game. Simple rules,” Hammond said, clasping his hands behind his back. “Hit me as hard as you can. That’s all there is to it.”

  Bordo grinned, flexing his biceps. “You asked for it, old man.”

  He powered up as much as he could, his right arm visibly clenching and mana flowing through it. He swung with all his might, his fist connecting squarely with Hammond’s chest. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the room, scattering loose sheets of metal and kicking up a gust of wind. But Hammond didn’t budge an inch, his body glowing faintly with concentrated magical energy.

  “Not bad,” Hammond said with a calm smile. “I knew when your colleague called you meathead you’d agree to something this simple. Ready?”

  Bordo stumbled backward, confusion flashing across his face. “Wait a minute—what do you mean, ready? I didn’t agree—”

  Before he could finish, Hammond struck. His fist slammed into Bordo’s stomach with a force that seemed to bypass the man’s hardened exterior. Bordo’s eyes bulged as he staggered, the glow from his glasses flickering. In stark contrast, Hammond’s attack left no shockwave. It was precise, and used just enough power to knock him out.

  “Ah, so that’s your artifact,” Hammond mused, plucking the glasses from Bordo’s face as the giant collapsed to the ground. “Glasses that harden your body. Interesting. The boys’ll like this.”

  Leyra stumbled over, still recovering from her own fight. She froze when Hammond turned toward Aerin’s unconscious form.

  “Leyra, could you check if she’s wearing anything under her pants?” Hammond asked casually.

  Leyra’s jaw dropped. “WHAT?! You perverted old man, how could you—”

  Finn chimed in, equally horrified. “Yeah, seriously, that’s messed up!”

  Hammond sighed, exasperated. “That’s why I want you to check! I’m not a pervert. I just want to see if she has an artifact I've been looking for.

  Leyra hesitated, then cautiously approached Aerin. “Oh, you mean those magical pockets? Let me check.” She took a peek and sighed in relief. “She’s wearing full leggings underneath. You’re safe, geezer. But no funny movements, alright?”

  “Excellent,” Hammond said, reaching down and carefully touching just a corner of her pant leg, absorbing the artifact into his Spellbreaker gloves. He immediately ignored everyone around, reached into one of the magical pockets, pulling out a small blue portal. “Perfect! Now I can take what is most important to me to the ends of this world.” He cheered, pulling out the book he had been reading and putting it beyond the rift in space. “This is officially the best artifact ever! When we reach the next town I just have to splurge a little and buy the latest chapters.”

  Leyra groaned, shaking her head. “You’re impossible.”

  Hammond collected himself, tucking the glasses into the portal. “Ahem. Let’s join Darmas and the others upstairs, shall we?”

  Still muttering under her breath, Leyra followed him and the Magitechnicians into the elevator, ready to regroup with their team.

  The group of three stood near the now-dormant elevator, a mixture of relief and exhaustion evident on their faces. Leyra was the first to break the silence, stepping forward with a grin that softened the sharp lines of her features. "Glad to see you three are still alive," she said, her tone light but with an undercurrent of genuine concern.

  Leonard crossed his arms and smirked, puffing out his chest. "Of course we are! I’d never kick the bucket in some unspectacular place like this."

  Leyra chuckled, her smile turning playful. "Of course, because you’re the 'mighty Leonard,' destined to bring peace to Baharor, isn’t that right?"

  Leonard didn’t catch the mockery in her tone and nodded seriously. "Exactly!"

  The group burst into laughter, the tension from their recent battles dissolving in the moment. Darmas joined in with a low chuckle, his massive frame shaking slightly as he opened his backpack and started rummaging through it. "Alright, folks, fun’s over. Time to get to work. Let’s take the right airship. Looks more recently finished. Finn, make sure the mana crystal’s set up properly. Sahra, grab a few technicians and get the power running. I’ll figure out how to steer this thing."

  Nathan hesitated, his brow furrowing as he asked reluctantly, "Try? Do you even know what you’re doing?"

  Finn, already tossing a wrench into the air and catching it with practiced ease, grinned. "We used to work on ships. An airship these days is pretty much the same thing. Probably."

  As the group began to disperse to their tasks, Sahra’s gaze fell on Barry’s lanky form still sprawled on the floor. Her eyes darted left and right before she knelt and carefully unbuckled his oversized watch, slipping it onto her wrist. She turned it over, examining the intricate gears and cogs with a gleam of fascination. "A clock for your wrist? Why did I never think of this?" she muttered to herself before Darmas’s gruff voice cut through her thoughts.

  "Sahra! Stop gawking and get to work!"

  She snapped upright and dashed toward the airship, already calling out instructions to the nearby magitechnicians.

  Meanwhile, Hammond approached Leonard and Nathan, a mischievous glint in his eye as he opened a portal and reached inside. With a dramatic flourish, he pulled out… a brightly-colored romance novel.

  "Another one of your books, old man?" Leonard groaned, visibly unimpressed. "I told you, I’m not interested."

  Hammond raised an eyebrow, looking almost offended. "Ah, I reckon these portals are intent-controlled. Let me focus on the artifact instead." He stashed the book back into the portal and retrieved a large pair of glasses. "Now these," he said, holding them up, "are an artifact. The big burly guy we fought used these to turn his skin as hard as rock."

  Nathan’s eyes widened, and Leonard’s competitive grin spread across his face.

  "I know how we’ll decide who gets them," Leonard declared, punching his open palm. "Let’s have a sparring match, Nathan!"