It really was a paintbrush. A very long one. Upon closer inspection, much like his glove, there was a place to put the ink via a removable pommel. Given it looked to be the entire length of the hilt, it would hold significantly more ink than his glove did. Probably two or three bottles’ worth.

  Which would be great, after he practiced painting with a sword. Another push of the button on the grip returned the sword to its blade-form, with the bristles all condensing back and hardening into a single solid piece of material like they’d always been that way.

  Det would need to test if anything painted on the blade—like his flames—remained after the transformation. The spreading fire was too useful to just ignore. That would be another thing for outside, though, and Det sheathed the blade, and turned to look at the others. Like him, they had finished their initial inspection of their items.

  “Me first!” Calisco said. “These ear-things let me hear real good.”

  “We know,” Det said. “You told us already.”

  “No, no,” Calisco said. “Reaaaaaal good. And they can tell me where something is by bouncing sound off it.”

  “Like sonar?” Sage asked.

  “Yes!” Calisco said, and pointed at Sage with one of her white gauntlets.

  “What about the gloves?” Det said.

  “They can’t help me hear, doofus,” Calisco said. “They’re not on my ears.”

  Everybody else looked from Det to the sword in his hands, and they had to all be wondering if he was going to draw it. Surprise to everybody—Det included—he didn’t do that. Instead, he asked, as calmly as he could, “What do they do, then?”

  “No idea!” she said, that usual stupid grin on her face.

  “We can all take the time to figure out our goodies once we’re sure there isn’t a burst happening outside, right?” Tena said, though she had removed her crystal armor, and now had a white vambrace running from her shoulders to her fingertips on both arms.

  “We can,” Sage said. Tucked under his arm, he carried what looked like a round… helmet? He also had a Wordless collar around his throat, about an inch thick. Since he didn’t look worried about it, Det did a quick look to see what the others had picked up.

  Eriba had a tool belt across her body and around her waist, the two pieces connecting just above her right hip. A lot like my scroll harness. She also had a backpack that kind of looked like a trumpet case. Hard and rectangular, but not quite big enough for the instrument. This one only went from her shoulders to her waist, and fit snugly between her shoulder blades. Det also didn’t see the pistol she’d brought into the room with her, but it wasn’t like she could take that with them when they left.

  Moving on, Weiss had a shoulder plate—an epaulet?—on his right shoulder, with a beer-can-sized lantern sticking out of it at an angle. Soft, white light glowed from the device. Det had a pretty good guess what that was for. Too bad he couldn’t say the same thing about the other item Weiss carried. A white, Wordless… whip. Coiled up and looped around a hook on his belt, the thing had to be several feet long.

  Did Weiss use a whip when I wasn’t looking? Why would the dungeon give him that? Wait, do I really want to know the answer to that…?

  Something Det would have to wait to find out. Or not. Kind of preferably not.

  Putting the thought out of his mind, Det and the other five exited the loot-room, checked to make sure there were no more Wordless about, then started for the exit to the dungeon.

  “Are we sure Kels might not be in another hidden room here?” Det asked as they got closer. His dragonflies were still milling about the ruined theatre, but none of them seemed to be gathered in any one spot. If there was another secret room, they weren’t finding it.

  “Not sure about anything,” Sage said. “But, Det, even if she is, we’re not in any shape to fight anything that might be protecting her.”

  “Doesn’t mean we should leave her,” Det said.

  “We don’t know we’re leaving anybody,” Sage countered.

  “I know,” Det said quietly. “I just keep remembering how I found Meliza—that young girl I rescued in the ant dungeon—and imagine it being Kels. Then imagine what would’ve happened to her if I didn’t get there in time.” His eyes went to the slash of red on the white Boss’s arm. He hadn’t been able to get the bracelet out of the wrist, at least not without destroying both.

  “What happens to the dungeon when we leave?” Tena interrupted before either Det or Sage could say anything else. “Does it vanish?”

  “It stays like this until the Boss respawns,” Sage said. “However long that will take. When that happens, the space will rebuild itself. Perfectly back to how we found it when we entered.”

  “Meaning we could come back in and look for this Kels girl if she’s not at the village, right?”

  “Yes,” Sage said. “We get out, ask somebody to check Radiant for her—catch our breath in the meantime—and come back in here if she’s missing. Det, sound good to you?”

  “Will one of the other Mistguard go ask?” Det said.

  “If we ask them to, and tell them why, probably,” Sage said.

  “We can convince Beauty to tell them to,” Tena said.

  “Why can’t we just go ourselves?” Calisco said. “We know where she lives and what she looks like.”

  “Explaining you two being here is going to be too complicated, I think,” Sage said. “ReSouled don’t go back to their home pillars until they finish the academy. Even then, some never go back. It’s only been a few weeks. People will ask questions.”

  “Training,” Det said. “If we’ve stopped the burst, this is going to get made into a training facility, isn’t it? That’s what we’re here for. It’s not even a lie.”

  “Maybe,” Sage said, the group stopping just before exiting the dungeon. “But why would we be here before the facility is built? The Mistguard won’t want anybody to know there was something here before the facility went up.”

  “Whose side are you on, anyway?” Calisco asked, though there wasn’t any anger in her voice. It was a legit question from her.

  “Yours,” Sage said immediately. “I don’t like it, but I’m telling you what I think is going to happen. And, despite the fact we may’ve just saved this pillar, we’re still just cadets. We don’t have any say in anything. Let one of the others go—they will, when we explain why—and save your annoyance of the politics until we’re all older and stronger. Until we have the sway and power to do something to make the system better.”

  Despite the fatigue on Sage’s body, there was a fire in his voice.

  His drive. He said he wanted to make the world a better place. This must be part of it.

  Looking at the others, the issue wasn’t one that mattered to them. Only Det and Calisco knew Kels, so it made sense only they would really care. It wasn’t like any of them wanted to leave some innocent kid in the dungeon, just that there wasn’t any more evidence she was really there. They agreed with Sage. Send somebody to confirm where Kels was before they ripped the dungeon apart with their bare hands.

  Their bare, exhausted hands.

  “Fine,” Det said. “Let’s get out of here.” He gestured a ‘come on’ wave of his hand at the rest of the group as he turned and exited through the same—now open—door they’d come in. The familiar hazy portal greeted him, with whatever was on the other side hidden within the rippling blur.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Hopefully it’s the outside on the other side…

  A sensation like dipping through a plane of falling water passed across Det’s skin as he moved through the portal, stairs appearing in front of him. Oh, and a pair of large-barreled guns aimed straight at his face.

  Should’ve sent the tank first…

  Luckily for Det, the guns weren’t there for him. Neither were the Mistguard pointing them at the portal.

  “Cadet?” one of the Mistguard said at the same time Det reflexively lifted his hands. In one, he still held the sheathed sword—which got a look from the two Mistguard—and the two men lowered their weapons. “You succeeded.”

  “We did,” Det said, answering the not-a-question. They knew what equipment he’d gone in with, none of which was a Wordless sword. For him to have it now, it meant they’d beaten the Boss and collected the rewards.

  Behind him, he could feel the others coming through the portal, the energy of it almost buzzing like it was announcing something was emerging.

  “Mind if I…?” Det said, pointing at the stairs, and the two Mistguard nodded and parted, allowing him to get out of the way of the rest of his group.

  As soon as Sage came out hanging off Tena’s shoulder, one of the two ran off with a quick “I’ll get a Medic.”

  After that, there wasn’t any more talking while the remaining Mistguard helped them to the top of the stairs. Walls had already been put up around the emergence, though the door stood open for the moment. Beyond it, Det could see more walls. Mistguard really liked those.

  “We’ve only got a basic structure set up,” the Mistguard said. “Nothing fancy yet. Just enough to hide what’s in here. Doubt there’s even a bed anywhere, but we’ll find something for you.”

  “Before that,” Det interrupted. “Has anybody from the town come by? Or, have you found anybody around here? A young girl?”

  “Not that I know of,” the man said. “Nobody has come here, and we’ve sent a representative to the town to let them know we’re here. Better we’re proactive about it. Why?”

  “I need somebody to go to the village and make sure one of the young girls is there. Her name is Kels. We found a Wordless inside the dungeon that… looked like her. Had her bracelet on its wrist.”

  “That’s not normal,” the Mistguard said. “I’m sure we can have somebody go and ask about the girl, discreetly. Can you provide a description? Asking about her specifically might raise some flags.”

  “We’re from here,” Det said, pointing at himself and Calisco. “You could just say we asked you to look in on her when you visited. Village asshat is her father.”

  “Should be a good enough cover,” the man said at the same time the other of the two guards returned, a Medic at his side by the look of her uniform. “I’ll go get that started while you get looked at. Good work in there.”

  “Thanks,” Det said, some of the others echoing the sentiment before the guard was gone.

  “Well, let’s get a look at you all,” the Medic said. “I’m Puncture.”

  “… and you’re the Medic?” Calisco said. “With that name?”

  “Yeah, got a problem with it?”

  “Just doesn’t sound… healthy.”

  “My magic takes a form of acupuncture,” Puncture explained. “Should I start with you?” Her question was directed at Sage.

  “Maybe Tena,” Sage said, getting settled on the ground to lean his back against the wall where he sat. “She said her boots were sloshing.”

  Puncture shrugged and looked at the others. Clearly she didn’t know who Tena was, until the woman raised a hand and banished her crystal armor.

  With it came a literal wave of blood, like it had been coating her in a second—liquid—suit of armor inside the crystal. Her body was riddled with gouges, cuts, and stabs, nearly every inch of her soaked through. How she was still standing was something Det couldn’t even guess at.

  And, worse, she looked like that after fighting with her armor on the whole time. Det had caught glimpses of the Bulwark protecting the others through the fight, and seen how often her armor had deflected the worst of the claw-strikes. Just how much had she put herself in harm’s way to protect them? A lot, from the looks of it.

  “Did you fight a blender in there?” Puncture said, immediately moving to Tena to walk a circuit around her and take stock of the injuries. As she moved, small, glowing needles appeared between her fingers.

  “Might as well have,” Tena said. “Angry blenders. A lot of them.”

  “I see that,” Puncture said. “Nothing is too deep. I can take care of this. Look, these needles, you’re not going to actually feel them, but your body might react. Instinct for the first few. They’ll linger, but they aren’t physically real. You’ll be able to sit or lie down without driving them any deeper in. Got it?”

  “Got it,” Tena said.

  “Let’s get started then,” Puncture said, and did just that. The woman’s hands moved like a blur, leaving two-inch-long needles of glowing light across Tena’s body. Within minutes, the Bulwark was doing her best porcupine impression, and sitting down beside Sage. From there, the Medic moved on to him, while Weiss explained what he’d already done—healing wise—and about the damage he’d found from Sage’s buffing ability.

  Not that Det was really paying attention to what was being said, pacing back and forth in the small space waiting for word on Kels. He knew it wouldn’t come quickly. The town was too far—even for a hurrying ReSouled—for anybody to make it there and back this soon.

  One after the other, Puncture moved through the group, leaving more of her healing needles in each of them. Det included. It took over an hour for her to go through the whole group.

  “Sorry that took so long,” Puncture said. “I specialize in long-term care, but I’m what was on the Skyshark.” She pointed up to indicate the mistship that was likely still hovering above their heads somewhere.

  “Nothing to apologize for,” Sage said. “You patched us up. What more could we ask for?”

  “Lollipops,” Calisco said. “That was always the best part of going to a doctor when I was a kid. I’d always take the…” she trailed off as Puncture’s extended arm held a red lollipop in her hand. “The red ones!” Calisco squealed.

  “Figured,” Puncture said. “Was always my favorite part too. Full disclosure, these look and taste like lollipops, but they’re completely vegan. Made from some kind of vegetable.”

  “Veggie-pops?” Calisco said, face screwing up at the thought of it.

  “I said the same thing. At first. Try it, then complain later… if you can.”

  “Is this a hazing thing like what Captain Curly did to Det with the glasses?” Calisco asked, though she reached out and took the candy.

  “No idea what that was,” Puncture said. “This is nothing but sweets. Anybody else want one? I brought plenty.”

  Nobody refused, not even Det, and soon enough, they all had one in their mouths while they sat down and leaned against one of the walls in the small room. There was still grass and flowers beneath them, but the fatigue of the dungeon run had really set in. Like coming down after an adrenaline high, Det’s body was hollow.

  At least the lollipop sure helped.

  One of the two Mistguard who’d greeted them—the one who had come back with Puncture—stayed nearby, one eye on the stairs down to the emergence, the others on the crashing cadets. Soft snores echoed out from somebody in the group, and Det may have lost the battle against sleep a few times, but his eyes snapped open when the other Mistguard returned.

  As soon as he saw Det’s eyes open and on him, the Mistguard came over and quietly crouched down next to him.

  “The girl, Kels,” the Mistguard said. “She’s safe. In the village.”

  “You’re sure?” Det said, sitting up straighter. “Sure it was her?”

  “She asked us to tell you your parents were taking good care of her…?” the Mistgaurd said, like he wasn’t sure if this was some kind of code, or something that would make sense to Det.

  In a way, it was both. Huck and Jezz had taken Kels under their wing, much like they’d done with him. They’d make sure she got fed, even if she still technically lived with her asshat father. Nobody else in the town would fit the description, meaning it had to be her.

  “It’s her,” Det said, relief finally settling in his chest. The on-and-off napping had helped a lot with the exhaustion from the dungeon fights, but this was a soothing balm directly to his soul. If Kels had been hurt by the Wordless…

  But, she hadn’t. She was fine. And, accepting that allowed Det to also accept a reason why he’d been so worried about the girl. She reminded him of Nat, his own daughter. He wasn’t there to protect his little girl if anything happened on Earth. Instead, that need had come with him to Elestar and translated over to Kels. Was she just a substitute for his daughter?

  In some ways, maybe. Just like it was with Meliza.

  This is connected to my drive, I’m sure of it.

  Oddly enough, recognizing that didn’t bother him. He didn’t think of either girl as his daughter, or love them like he did Nat. It was just that they were somebody’s daughters, and he wanted them to be safe. So nobody would have to go through what he imagined Nat did when he vanished without a trace. And, if he had a way to ensure that, he would.

  That also made him come to terms with something else about himself. His drive wasn’t just getting back to his family, but about protecting them. It was why he wanted to get back, so he could be there for them when they needed him. And, every time he saw a young lady who reminded him of Nat, he would do the same thing.

  He didn’t just need to get stronger to get home, but also to make sure people he saw—that he could help—didn’t suffer. It was… counterintuitive, in a lot of ways. He wanted to leave. More than anything. And he knew he would do anything to accomplish that.

  Except, that wasn’t entirely the case. He would do almost anything to accomplish it. If it meant somebody like Kels would get hurt for him to get his way, well, he could already feel the tear in his chest at having to make the decision. At having to consciously choose one of his two instincts.

  It was a balance of the scales.

  Det looked down at the palm of his hand, then clenched it. Who was he kidding? If the choice got him home, he would make it. No matter how terrible he felt after. At least, though, it would make him stop and consider the repercussions of his actions.

  Sage had said Det’s kind of drive—the I’ll do anything kind of drive—was the most dangerous for a ReSouled to have. The kind that led to them… crossing lines. As long as Det questioned whether or not his actions would hurt somebody like Kels, that should keep him on the right side of things, shouldn’t it? Keep him from becoming a monster.

  There were problems with Elestar, and it wasn’t his home, but it was full of people living their lives. People like Kels who would suffer—or worse—if the Wordless got loose and had their way with the world. As far as his drive was concerned, for now, the goals were aligned, and revolved around the same core principle.

  Get stronger.