“You’ve done well,” Freya remarked as she unwrapped the bandages on my arm and took off the splint she had used to immobilise my elbow and wrist.

  “With healing or dealing with the Ministry?” I asked as she moved my arm around, probing my muscles. A pungent smell filled the air once my skin was free to breathe again and she rubbed a green balm on it, but thankfully she didn’t react as I did, wrinkling my nose.

  “Both, but it’s still early days. How is your training with Joan and Meadhbh going?"

  “Those masochists? I swear, the two of them have teamed up to torture me at every opportunity. What happens if I throw an essence crystal into a fire?” I asked innocently as Freya regarded me suspiciously.

  ‘You damned English brat, how dare you treat us like that!’ Joan exclaimed loudly in her thick French accent. I couldn't quite understand how, but there was the very essence of Joan of Arc across the room in the personal gym that had been set up for me. Only Ashley, Mum, and I had access; the rest of the staff were forbidden from entering.

  “You’re welcome to come to the Spire, where Athena would be more than happy to take over your combat training.” An evil grin spread across her face as I shook my head in horror, regretting my words while she laughed at my terror. “Thought so. Anyway, while I wouldn’t recommend it, your arm is back to as normal as it can be—”

  We heard a beeping sound, and the door opened as Mum stepped in with Anthony and Terence. She looked angry, while they wore embarrassed expressions that shifted to surprise upon seeing the two of us. Freya had discarded her robe on the bench beside me, dressed like anyone else, but there was an uncanny quality to her appearance as she seemed almost human, but their was a noticeable difference in her features.

  “Sorry, dear, I didn’t realise you had company.” Mum stuttered when she saw Freya sitting beside me, removing the bandages, the rift humming quietly on the far side of the room.

  “It’s all right. I was nearly finished anyway.” Standing up, she embraced me in a hug and whispered, “Take care, and try not to overdo it—doctor’s orders, or I shall drag you back with me."

  “I’ll try,” I responded, returning the hug as the others stood by the door, observing our exchange.

  “Thank you for heeding my warning,” Freya said curtly, bowing her head slightly at Terence. She picked up her discarded mask and robe, flashed it at them, and walked gracefully through the rift, which disappeared with a slight popping sound.

  Clearing his throat to break the silence, Anthony crossed the room, extending a folder in his hand. “I know you’ve just recovered, but we need your's and Ashley’s assistance with a rift. Three teams have already attempted it, but it’s time for us to step in, and I’d like you two to accompany our team as backup."

  Opening the folder, I glanced at the reports that had come back with the survivors. Barely a third of each team had emerged unscathed, and at least a quarter of those who had entered never escaped. There was a picture of a sign several feet from the rift, a warning posted by those in the Spire to indicate that it presented increased difficulty. I felt the corner of my mouth twitch with a smile, knowing that Athena had heeded our request for people to be warned. She also surrounded all of the rifts with a coloured aura to signify their strength.

  “I don’t like this!” Mum interjected, snatching the folder from my hands before closing it and thrusting it back into Anthony’s grasp. “She’s hardly out of her cast and you want to send her off on another raid? She needs time, they both do!”

  The two men glanced nervously at each other during her outburst, and I placed my hand on her shoulder to calm her down. “We’ll go, but I won’t be fighting. I have a few Guardians who can stand in for me.” I looked across the room where Munin and Vonga sat in front of the window, gazing out at the garden. Sensing my gaze, they both looked back, their tails sweeping across the rubber mats on the floor. “I also need to get some armour; my last gifted set was reclaimed by Freya as it no longer fit me.”

  Reaching into his back pocket, Anthony pulled out his wallet and handed over a black bank card. It had no details apart from the Ministry’s logo, which I gladly accepted. “Take it easy; I don’t want to deal with the finance department vultures when the charges start rolling in.”

  “Aw,” I pouted, “I was going to buy a few land crawlers and a helicopter. Don’t worry, I’ll return it to Terence on Friday.” Without discussing it, I had forcibly set the schedule. Saturday marked the seven-day point, when all the monsters within would be forcibly ejected, and two weeks after that, the rift would close and reopen somewhere else. The rift was currently inside a school, so letting it go through its full life cycle was a bad idea.

  Hastily getting rid of them, I showered my freshly uncovered arm, washing away just over a week’s grime, and got dressed to go out and spend the government’s money instead of our own. It wasn’t necessary, but if they wanted our help, the least they could do was fund the preparations. Emerging from my room, I found my assigned protective detail running her hands through Vonga’s mane, clearly relishing the attention she was giving him.

  “Miss,” she snapped, realising I was watching, and a low whine erupted from Vonga as he glanced at me and then over at Estelle, nudging her hand to beg her to continue. She had been assigned by Mum as a handler to assist while short an arm, but also to ensure I didn’t run away, no doubt. “Are we heading out?”

  “Yeah, I need to go shopping. The Ministry is funding it," I grinned, showcasing the black card emblazoned with the emblem.

  Driven into the heart of the city, we stepped out in the Hunter District, named for the many blacksmiths and armourers who had established themselves here. As we wandered down the street, I glanced through the windows at the various options on display, trying to select something for the raid. In the reflection of one window, I observed the shoppers moving about, some dragging heavy cases, casually chatting about their purchases or returning them for repairs.

  Glancing at Estelle, I noted the look of disgust on her face as she inspected the armour I had been facing while watching the crowd. Meadhbh and Joan were back in the house, so I couldn’t get their opinion, but Estelle’s expression conveyed everything I needed to know. It was flamboyant and gaudy, something a recent graduate might impulse purchase to celebrate. Moving on, I eventually found a shop with something I liked, receiving Estelle’s silent affirmation before stepping inside.

  “Welcome to…” the shopkeeper smiled before pausing as Estelle turned the sign and stood in front of the door. “There are cameras in here, you know?” Pointing at one above his head, I looked up and waved.

  “Relax, I just don’t want any other guests interrupting us.” Pulling out my wallet, I handed over my licence and Anthony's bank card; his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped as he nodded emphatically.

  “Of course, right this way. Is there anything in particular that caught your eye?” His entire demeanour shifted upon recognising who I was, undoubtedly with thoughts of a substantial sale churning in his mind.

  The shopkeeper was more knowledgeable than he initially appeared, and I felt as though I had tried on hundreds of pieces while he slowly crafted a custom outfit. Many armourers merely created items that aesthetically matched, but he had no hesitation about mixing sets as required. Nothing had been enhanced with runes yet, but I didn’t have time to rush home to see Grandfather before we needed to enter the dungeon, and even if I had, I could have collected all my gear there anyway. Stepping out of the shop afterwards, as the weary shopkeeper sat down for a rest, I opened the portal to my core when no one was watching and nudged the case with my purchases inside as small goblin hands reached out to pull it all the way in.

  Feeling watched, I nervously scanned the street before checking the rooftops and windows, as if expecting to see someone. I shivered slightly, trying to dispel the feeling, and wondered how many Caretakers were no doubt standing nearby, silently protecting us. The air grew dense and heavy, people suddenly slowing down and even leaning against objects for support.

  Hearing a scream and a crowd of people pointing around a corner, down another street, I began to push my way through the throng eager to investigate. Upon reaching the corner, I could feel the sudden rush of air, in stark contrast to the relatively calm day up until that moment, while flags on a nearby hotel started to billow towards the source of the disturbance. Peering around the edge, I spotted a massive rift, several times larger than any I had encountered before, spinning lazily in the middle of the street.

  Those closest to the rift were clinging to anything they could. Several who tried to flee from shops suddenly lost their footing and rolled across the ground. As I prepared to pounce so I could rush down and help anyone I could, I felt a hand clamp onto my wrist with an iron-like strength. Looking around, I saw a woman staring at me intensely, shaking her head. She reached up, pulled down the collar of her jacket, and I noticed a necklace hanging from around her neck—the symbol of House Rhea dangled from it.

  ‘Let go of me!’ I barked at the woman, her face appearing to twitch under my projected thoughts as her hand relaxed, letting me break free.

  Running down the street, I could feel the wind trying to tug at me, but I grasped hold of a woman who had let go of a pole, and we crashed to the ground together, our combined weight anchoring us down. Screaming in my arms, I pushed her into the waiting embrace of a man by the shop door as those still inside worked together to pull her in. Rolling onto my back, I saw Estelle screaming as her feet were lifted above her head towards the rift on the far side of the road, having tried to save someone who had been dragged in already, while cars slowly began to be dragged towards the rift, alarms starting to wail.

  Making a decision, I climbed to my feet and ran towards the rift as others were pulled in by its grasp. Getting closer, I was lifted into the air, crashing into a child who had fallen victim to its hold. Cradling them in my arms, I watched the colourless rift draw nearer as a plant pot struck my back, showering me with mud and leaves. Other people were flying through the air around me, and I held my breath as the rift drew ever closer until my body passed through it, the familiar tingle of transferring washing over me.

  Transitioning from the afternoon light of March to the darkness of the cave on the other side, I barely saw the ground until it was nearly too late and I crumpled in a heap. As I tried to protect the crying child in my arms, we rolled a few times and came to a stop on my back. Opening my arms, a screaming mother rushed over, scooped the child up, hugging him tightly and thanking me as I lay there, stunned, attempting to gather my bearings.

  “Miss Whittaker,” I heard Estelle, who had landed nearby, call as I slowly climbed to my feet with a groan. Turning to look at the rift, I saw a flurry of rubbish and abandoned items flying through. Spotting another child still in their school uniform, I dashed across and managed to catch them, tumbling in a heap once again.

  “Miss Whittaker,” Estella repeated, rushing over to me and lifting the child from my arms. “What’s happening? What kind of rift draws people in?”

  “I don’t know,” I groaned as I sat up and looked around. The rift suddenly began to shrink until it popped out of existence, and a cold dread washed over me. My connection with Ashley, like an ever-present link in my chest, all but vanished, as if stretched across a great distance, making me struggle to feel her emotions.

  “Are you okay?” I heard a man’s voice and turned around to see an archer, judging by the bow in his hand and the quiver on his belt, jogging over to check on us, surprising me by extending a hand to help me up. “You should join the other civilians over there, so we can look after you.” I could hear the sincerity in his voice and thanked him as I dusted myself off, scanning the cavern for any possible danger.

  “I’m fine,” I declined his offer, surveying the vast cavern for any dangers. It felt different here, though I couldn’t quite identify why—perhaps it was something in the air. Glancing at the group of people, I didn’t spot the Caretaker who had attempted to stop me among them, yet no one seemed to watch us in the way I would expect if they wished to protect me.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Hey, you two should really join the others.” The archer persisted, placing his hand on the back of my shoulder as if to guide me. Swinging round, I seized his wrist as Estelle grasped the collar of his armour, pulling him back.

  Another man shouted and came running over, his sword swinging wildly from his hip and a shield slung across his back. He punched his colleague on the shoulder and said, "I apologise for my friend; he’s an idiot. My name is Arthur; Vanguard, C-Rank. This is James; he’s an Archer, also C-Rank." He reached out his hand to shake mine. “We just graduated from the Academy a few weeks ago. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you safe. What are your ranks?”

  “Miss Whittaker’s personal details are classified by order of the Minister for Defence and Arcane Matters. I request that you do not ask again,” Estelle replied sternly, and I pointed at her with a mischievous grin. “But she certainly outranks you,”

  “Jeez, you don’t need to be so formal,” I quipped as she let go of Arthur’s armour and he stumbled a few feet beyond her reach.

  “Whittaker? As in the Rune Hunters and the Whittaker Estate Rune Smithing? Those Whittakers?” James asked loudly, gazing at me in amazement, but I ignored him and turned to observe the crowd again, many of whom had undoubtedly overheard our exchange.

  Mothers embracing their children, adults dressed in office attire, work uniforms, school uniforms, and casual wear; apart from the two behind me, no one wore any armour. Typical, I gritted my teeth; in the middle of the Hunter district, all the fighters had evaded the rift’s pull. There was a man kneeling over an older woman lying on the ground, her face obscured by his body, but I could see a green glow shining — a healer, no doubt. My heart broke for them, as none were suited to be here, and without me, I don’t believe any would have survived what was to come.

  “Is there anyone here who has any experience in dungeons?” I called out, capturing the attention of those who had been looking elsewhere. “Even if you haven’t been through dungeons, if you have training, weapons or anything useful that might help us here.” A couple of tentative hands were raised, and I sighed, my hopes dashed at the thought of relying on them to protect themselves. Estelle had her mouth pulled to the side in dismay as she surveyed the group of people gathered before us.

  “What?” she asked, realising I was looking at her. “Don’t worry, I can look after myself.” Reaching under her jacket, she pulled out two knives and twirled them around in her hands with a smirk. Beneath her coat, I caught sight of a pistol near her chest, but it was virtually useless in here.

  “We haven’t entered any dungeons since graduating; we’ve been applying to guilds and mercenary groups, hoping to get in,” Arthur admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Our next option is to perhaps try the army.”

  Before I could utter a word, I froze at the sound of a drum reverberating down the only tunnel leading away from the entrance cavern. Following the first beat, another sounded, followed by yet another, a steady rhythm building, a marching beat. There were cries of fear and whimpering from the civilians cowering behind me, and I looked around, but there was nowhere to hide.

  “You three, if anything gets past me, I want you to focus on the others,” I ordered, the two men looking at me stupefied while Estelle nodded. Once upon a time, she would have been part of the Rune Hunters before retiring and moving on to join the protective team.

  The sound of the drumbeats grew louder, starting to overlap, and I watched as nearly thirty reptilian-like creatures emerged from the tunnel, marching in formation. Order indicated intelligence, and I didn’t sense the wildness of animals in them as I might with wolves or even goblins. The one at the front, leading the group, was evidently a leader, with large pendants hanging around its neck and a vibrant, feathery headpiece.

  ‘Sobeki younglings, lassie, cowardly and without honour,’ a deep, gruff voice projected to me.

  ‘Thanks, Rylock,’ I replied with a grim smile. His voice was unfamiliar to me, but with both Joan and Meadhbh back in the house, no one else was here to inform me about what I was up against.

  Most of the sobeki wielded sawtoothed clubs and wooden shields, though a few at the back were armed with javelins. Beating their weapons against their shields and shrieking at us, I realised that diplomacy wasn’t an option, and I began sprinting towards them. I didn’t have time to don my armour or retrieve my new mace, but had to hope that my hands would suffice. I heard Estelle scream at me from behind, an arrow flying past and embedding itself in the shield of a sobeki, but their skirmishers drew their arms back and launched a volley in my direction.

  Time appeared to slow down as I ran, watching the missiles arc towards me. I effortlessly dodged to the side, evading the missiles that struck empty ground. The leader hissed and shrieked again as a wall of shields was presented to me, and the drummer began to beat a faster rhythm. Thankfully, none of them wielded spears in the front. Drawing upon the mana within my body, I roared in defiance as Munin led the pack from my core, catching the sobeki off guard with their sudden appearance. I had grown my forces a little in the last week, corpses being delivered secretly with Anthony's assistance.

  As I crashed into the shield with my shoulder, I was astonished to completely overpower the beast, while my wolves launched themselves forward, pressing on the others, their claws digging deep into the wood and their fangs sinking into flesh, unfortunate victims howling. I reached down and picked up a discarded weapon, swinging it around and striking another in the neck, the bladed points tearing through the blue scales of its flesh and showering the dirt floor with purple blood.

  I staggered forward from a blow to the back and turned to see that a sobeki had inadvertently struck me with its thorny tail while trying to defend itself from Vonga. I wrapped my arms around its neck. Pulling back, its jaws snapped at me, but I kept my head clear as a goblin wove through the chaos, plunging a long knife into the scales of its stomach. I felt a connection snap and turned to witness a wolf splinter and crack as it was beset by five sobeki. In a fit of rage at the killing of my wolf, I hurled their fallen companion at them. I picked up a second weapon, throwing them aside with powerful blows until their leader blocked my strikes with its shield and howled in my face.

  My momentum ground to a halt, I kicked out with my foot instead, catching it in the stomach and pushing myself back; however, it anchored itself with its tail, preparing to strike at me. Discarding one weapon, I gripped the other with both hands and swung up to block the blow, our weapons shattering in a shower of fragments as my arms throbbed. Stumbling forward, I had a clear shot at the drummer, grabbing it by the throat and spinning us around just as the leader jabbed its subordinate with a jagged knife where I had been moments before.

  Gazing at each other over the corpse held between us, Munin sensed my cry for help, and his fangs gripped the leader’s head, and with a sickening crunch and a flood of gore, the body crumpled under his weight. There were cries of possible grief from the remaining survivors, who broke and fled. Four more perished under the claws of my pursuing wolves, but I called them back before they could enter the tunnel after them. There was no telling what might lie in wait in the darkness beyond.

  Panting heavily, I dropped to my knee as my Guardians huddled around me, sniffing at the dead enemies. Running my hands along my arms and legs, I couldn’t find any injuries, but I was filthy with blood and dirt, and my entire right arm throbbed from the sudden fight, mere hours after being granted full movement again. Looking up at Vonga, I heard him whimpering, glancing at his side, and as he moved his head, I saw one of Arthur’s arrows protruding from his chest. Standing, I gripped the shaft and pulled it out, letting my mana flow into him, the wound sealing over and disappearing.

  Finding a nearby rock, I stiffly shuffled over to it and sat down heavily, leaning over Munin as my entire body ached while watching Estelle almost drag the nervous medic. His eyes were darting anxiously between the wolves that kept a watchful eye on them as they paced about, sniffing at the corpses strewn across the ground.

  “Miss, may I check you over?” the doctor asked nervously, stepping back as one of my wolves approached and sniffed him from head to toe, his hands raised in demonstration. “I mean you no harm.”

  “I’m fine,” I grunted, trying to stand up, but a sharp stabbing pain in my chest forced me to sit back down again. The medic looked at me, concerned, so I closed my eyes and gestured for him to come closer. “No magic,” I growled as he knelt next to me and lifted my jumper where my hand had instinctively grasped my side.

  Pressing his cold fingers against my side, I hissed as my wolves whined in sympathy with my pain. “I’m sorry, but I believe you have either a broken or cracked rib,” the medic said, lowering my jumper. “Under normal circumstances, I would hospitalise you for a week if you refused healing magic, but realistically, I understand we need you to defend us.”

  Nodding with a sigh, “Is it at least in place?” Looking around, he seemed to be weighing his thoughts before offering a slight nod. Extending a hand, Munin tore into one of the corpses and yanked the mana stone out before letting it drop into my waiting hand. Tugging at the power within, I began to drain it, feeling the warmth of its mana mingling with my own, focusing it towards my injured side. The skin began to itch and crawl, causing me to groan, but the pain started to subside until the extra mana finished mingling with my own, allowing me to breathe easier and deeper without the grating sensation.

  “Remarkable,” the medic breathed, prodding me once more, yet I didn’t flinch as I had the first time. “Whatever you’ve done, I don’t believe it has set the bone completely, but it should suffice.”

  “Thanks, you should return to the others.” I said to dismiss the medic who stood up and started to walk away, glancing back several times.

  “Where are we, Miss?” Estelle asked quietly, after the medic had moved out of earshot and she glanced nervously around the cavern.

  Looking at the corpses, only six of them had mana stones glowing in their chests, despite the fact that we had killed nearly twenty of them. “It’s complicated,” I replied slowly as I stood up. “Estelle, I need to do something, so while I’m gone, make sure no one leaves the cavern.”

  “You’re leaving us?” she gasped as the air began to ripple nearby, but I remained silent as I crossed into my core.

  “Rylock!” I shouted, “No more hiding, no more ignoring me; it’s time we had a chat.” After waiting several moments without a response, I began marching towards the box where his crystal was concealed. “I will not play games. If you’re intent on being useless, then I shall simply consume your essence and at least extract some good from you.”

  "Okay, okay, I’ll talk, you’re a right evil bastard, aren’t you,” he grumbled, his golden form appearing as though he was attempting to block me. “You’re a rude one, lassie, threatening to kill me, again,” he grumbled in his deep voice, pulling the pipe from his mouth and pointing it at me.

  He was shorter than me, similar to Mum’s height, but much bulkier, his arms bulging with muscle and a long braided beard hanging down over his pot belly. Aside from being shorter and stockier, the only difference I could immediately distinguish between him and a human was that each of his thick fingers was longer and had an extra joint.

  “I’m in a desperate situation, so tensions are running high. I know you’ve been observing ever since you were gifted to me several weeks ago," I said, crossing my arms and stepping back slightly to avoid being domineering over him.

  “Aye, I’ve been watching you,” he said, sticking the pipe back in his mouth. “You’ve got a noble heart, lassie, but you’re young, foolish, and reckless. It was a mistake for you to come here; the lives of a few will surely drag you down.”

  I clenched my fist as he pointed out my flaws; I knew it to be true, but through gritted teeth I said, “I don’t wish to abandon my humanity so easily. A few lives today, a hundred tomorrow – where does it stop? I won't abandon my morals freely just because people think I’m destined for something greater.”

  “I’m not a fighter,” he said quietly through the bristles of his beard, “I was a master smith when I was alive, but I remember little of my life. However, my fingers… my fingers have never forgotten. Give me with a forge, and I shall produce the finest weapons, for that is what Athena told me before my essence was entrusted to you.”

  I sighed in relief as he consented to the unspoken question I had yet to ask, “Thank you.” The sobeki corpses had been dragged in by the goblins and wolves, resting near the entrance to the core, where the mana stones were being extracted. Stepping aside, I took this as his permission and lifted the lid off the chest containing his essence.

  Holding him in my hands, I walked over to the corpses and began injecting my mana into his crystal, the bodies blackening as the black resin flowed across the floor of my core towards me. Unlike when creating a form for the wolves and goblins, I was shocked at how much more power he was drawing from me as the light he emitted was enveloped by the growing ball of resin. Curled up in a ball, the details on his body began to emerge just as I remembered him.

  Resin dripped from Rylock as the strands of hair in his beard took shape, the smoothness of his bald head rounding out, and the minor details of wrinkles in his skin, as well as the contours of the nails on his fingers and toes. Like the goblins, he was naked, and I sent one of them scrambling to find one of my T-shirts to dress him with. Lowered to the floor, the golden lines travelled across his form as he slowly began to move, as if surprised at his rebirth.

  “Wow,” I heard him say in his deep voice, admiring his fingers as they moved in an unusual manner while he sat up, awkwardly clutching the t-shirt that had been rudely thrust into his face. “I feel…”

  “Alive, yet not alive? Meadhbh mentioned it might take some getting used to your new form. Unfortunately, there are no clothes apart from my old ones, so you will need to wait until we return from wherever we are for something more fitting. Am I right in thinking we left Gaeia, Earth?”

  Nodding solemnly at my question, I hung my head with an exasperated sigh. I had dreaded such a situation, which explained the strange feeling in the air and why my movements felt slightly different. Leaving him to rise to his feet and wander around, I picked up each of the Sobeki stones in turn, reinforcing my meagre forces with their additions. They appeared slightly different from how they had been moments earlier—bulkier, with the spikes along the back just a little more prominent. Thankfully, they didn’t require any clothes, but their nakedness disturbed me, as the advantage of their armoured scales had been lost and would count for nothing.

  Having finished with the sobeki Guardians, I shooed Rylock and his disapproving grumbling away from the armour I had just purchased minutes before becoming stranded here. Strapping each of the pieces on, I felt better once finished, relishing the chance to fight properly with my new body. There had always been some gimmick or handicap placed on me before, but now, this was real, and I was somewhat ready.