"The what?" Wys asked, and Nyz looked over to find his brother approaching from the direction of one of the doors.

"I call him Tom," Nyz told his brother.

"That doesn't answer the question," Wys said. "And why is that so concerning, Kal? Didn't you say those orbs are tough? It shouldn't be too difficult for Nyz to rescue."

"Not that simple," Kal shook his head. "Not this time."

"Why?" Wys asked.

"It was being transported near the top of the fog," Kal explained. "In a series of flying mechs. Not choppers, but the real expensive stuff. More than two hundred elite Asterox soldiers, and they believed they were transporting a very expensive, dangerous piece of magitech weaponry. As far as they knew, it was the core part to a high-powered magic cannon, a piece that could only be made in Berut. They were transporting it over to Pisu, a trip that was taking several days due to having to make several stops. The main reason I wanted to have you guys wait until seven was because it wasn't going to arrive in the next target city until seven-thirty, which would give me time to prep Nyz on the mission details.

"However," Kal said. "A dragon just attacked the transport a minute ago. While it was flying over a fallen city, where the big daddy of all bograls is located."

"What the hell is 'the big daddy of all bograls'?" Wys asked. "And why the hell did Nyz give it a name?"

"A fully-changed bogral," Nyz explained. "Male variant, as most of them are, since most Scavengers are male, and thus most food. Wings, horns, tail, dick, balls, and fit masculine form. It's powerful. Very. That city is off-limits for Scavengers because no one who enters it ever leaves. Everyone who enters it dies because that thing just eats them up. A dragon attacked the transport?"

"Yeah," Kal nodded, then held up his tablet, tapping on it a few times. "Watch."

He tapped it once more and a screen formed in the air above it, displaying the top of the fog with clear skies all around above it. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, a dragon nearly two hundred feet in length appeared, its crimson scales glittering in the sunlight.

It flew quickly, reaching a seemingly random spot over the fog before letting out a bellow, its force and the beats of its wings powerful enough to push the fog aside. For a moment, the tops of flight mechs forged of the green-gold adamant-mithril alloy were visible, then the dragon attacked, lunging forward and striking at the mechs with its tail and its claws, front and back, unleashing a few torrents of flames with its breath.

The attack lasted for only a minute, and when it ended, none of the mechs were visible anymore. Finished, the dragon flew off, and Kal ended the recording

"I have so many questions," Wys said. "Why were they flying so close to the top? They couldn't have been more than fifteen feet beneath it."

"The fog's thinner up there," Kal explained. "So their sensors are better. Planes like those are expensive to use even once because of how resilient they are and how fast they move, but that also means they want to avoid attacks as much as possible, and flying lower would basically invite attacks from flying fog monsters. They're fast, too, so they usually aren't attacked when flying that close. Usually. Asterox was 'scouting' ahead with a plane over the fog – which is rare, as you know, since that's usually only done in an emergency – specifically to make sure it was safe and clear. It saw nothing."

"Yet the dragon targeted them specifically," Nyz said.

"It probably came by after the other one went by," Wys said. "And then-"

"No," Nyz said. "It went directly to where they were and attacked. It also attacked while they were over a fallen city, one that just so happens to be the home of Tom. The attack was intentional. The question is, was it feeding Tom? Or did it know about the orb and drop it down?"

"Why would it care about the orb?" Wys asked. "It's not like humanity could ever truly do something to interfere with a dragon's life, they could just dominate humanity into submission. Even we can't kill a dragon, and that's with your best tech, too. And since we're down here, it's not like we're in their domain. Plus, dragons dislike the fog, too."

Nyz and Kal exchanged looks, and Wys groaned.

"You two aren't telling us everything, are you?" Wys asked.

"It's not important for now," Kal said. "The retrieval of the orb is now that much more dangerous. Even with the dragon gone, we still have to account for Tom."

"Who is apparently a big daddy of bograls," Wys said.

"Yeah," Kal confirmed. "He's the most powerful bogral we've ever seen, and he's definitely grown more powerful since then."

"He's also feeding on a bunch of souls, no doubt," Nyz muttered. "We have to free them. They're suffering pretty bad."

"Nyz, there's an alternative," Kal said. "I know you're going to hate leaving them in that state, but there's no guarantee that you could beat that thing. I can always make another orb, but I'll definitely want you to come with me. Asterox has been staking out that location, and I'd like them cleared up."

His phone rang, and after checking it, Kal answered, putting it on speakerphone.

"This isn't a good time, Var-Var," Kal said.

"I'm sure it's the best time," the voice of a young boy came over the phone. "I just received word from an old friend of mine who happens to be the king of the dragons that he's enjoying the taste of Asterox soldiers at the Nexus, and will be until a certain bogral is dead. Apparently, the bogral caused some problems on his island recently, so he decided to drop a very precious item right into its territory."

"Why do you sound like a kid?" Nyz asked. "You sounded like you were in your twenties a few years ago."

"I recently died," Var-Var said. "I haven't hit birdie puberty yet."

"…birdie puberty?"

"Not my words," Var-Var said. "Something a warrior I once knew said. It's stuck with me through the eras and-anyway, I just wanted to let you know, since I know the orb belongs to you, Kal. If you kill the bogral lord, the dragon king has promised that none of the greater beasts will bother you despite your anti-dragon weaponry. Bye!"

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The call ended, and Wys gave Kal a baffled look.

"What just happened?"

"How the hell did they know we have anti-dragon weaponry?" Nyz asked.

"I have no clue," Kal answered.

"Wait, you guys actually have anti-dragon weaponry?" Wys exclaimed.

"It's part of the island's defense systems," Kal confirmed. "That's part of why an entire orb is devoted solely to the island's defenses. With it, we can have dragons attacking from all directions and be fine. The barriers would hold out long enough for the weapons to pick off the dragons one at a time. If necessary, the non-essential things would shut down and the freed mana would be devoted to defense as well."

"Dragons are frightening," Nyz said. "How did it know about our defense? And the orb? I told you that was planned."

"I knew it was," Kal said. "It looks like we have to kill Tom. Just our luck, the dragon king decides to use us to clean up its mess. If Nyz could access his full magical power, we'd be fine, but we aren't because he physically can't. Okay, Wys, you're going with Nyz-"

"No," Nyz said. "Wys needs to stop the superior human whatever thingy his family's company is doing. He's good with fighting, but not magic, having not really practiced it properly in years. His chances of survival against Tom are slim, even with me there. I can handle Tom."

"But you-" Kal began.

"I can release their souls by killing the bogral," Nyz said. "It's not as good as if I went in and released them myself, but it'll still help them. If I focus solely on killing Tom, I'll manage. Just let me use the Obliteration series."

"The what?" Wys asked.

Kal let out a sigh, then tapped on his tablet.

"Transferring in three… two… one!"

Nyz found himself in a storage room with a single combat suit and body suit, along with a set of weapons. He was happy to see that Kal had upgraded them to orichalcum equipment, as it meant things would become much, much easier. The warrior undressed and pulled on the bodysuit and combat suit, then checked the guns as he equipped them and loaded the pack, which he then pulled on.

Kal added new crystal cartridges and grenades to the supply, and those would make it much easier to win the fight against the bogral lord. He wasn't sure why his friend was so concerned, not after the upgrades and additional equipment.

"Ready," Nyz pulled the visor of his helmet down.

"Transferring in three… two… one!"

Nyz found himself with Kal and Wys once more, and his brother took a step back, appraising the combat suit.

"That one gives me a really bad feeling," Wys said.

"It's the Obliteration series," Kal said. "Upgraded to the newest in metal alloys. It's Rank X."

"Rank X?" Wys asked in shock.

"I doubt anything short of a dragon could damage it," Kal told him. "While in combat, anything which strikes it is attacked by the suit's enchantments. It also doesn't hinder any of Nyz's spells, and he'll be able to use any of his magics normally. That includes soul magics, Nyz, but-"

"I doubt I'll get a chance to save them," Nyz stated. "So they'll just have to suffer after it dies, too. If I get the opportunity, though, I'm saving their souls. I won't restore them, but I'll release them."

"Keep things in mind," Kal said. "Are you ready?"

"Can you teleport there?" Wys asked. "Do you have dragonflies there?"

"I had some nearby," Kal said. "I moved them over while Nyz was changing. Nyz, remember, the bogral isn't like others. It's powerful. Possibly even your equal."

"I doubt it's my equal," Nyz stated. "Even with the limitations on how much magical power I can access. Send me there. Now."

"Alright," Kal took a deep breath, then let it out. "Get ready, Nyz. Transferring in three… two… one!"

Nyz found himself in an area thick with fog, visibility almost nonexistent. Rather than activating his suit's glow, he held up his right hand and channeled his magic. At first, nothing happened. After a few seconds, however, fog began to draw to his hand, swirling into an orb above it slowly at first, then it picked up speed.

Within a minute, Nyz had an ultra-condensed orb of fog floating above his palm, while the fog for more than five hundred yards in all directions from him had been cleared. All around him were the ruins of the city he was in, monsters here and there, with the wrecks of the planes a few dozen yards away, more monsters there than in other areas around. Even without a proper source of light, Nyz could see clearly, his fog-beast genetics granting him the ability to see in the dark with a form of magical sight.

Due to his drawing in of the fog, the monsters all turned to face him, watching the figure which could command the very thing which gave them strength.

Channeling another spell, Nyz clenched his fist, and the orb burst into flames, burning away in seconds. Then, he channeled mana into his combat suit, activating its combat mode.

Drawing his guns, Nyz began shooting at the monsters, running and jumping, scaling rubble or leaping clear over it as he took out the horde of monsters. The Rank X equipment he used proved its rating, killing even the stronger beasts he attacked in a single hit.

Only a few minutes passed before the bogral lord made its appearance, standing a full foot taller than Nyz, a pair of horns protruding from the top of its head, a spike-tipped tail coming out from the top of its butt, and a pair of leathery wings stretching out of its back, tucked up against it. The muscular form of the monster was something to envy, though Nyz felt only contempt for it.

"I'm bigger," he stated.

"Pretty sure you're smaller," Kal said as Nyz turned his gun on the monster.

"Not in muscle bulk or physical height," Nyz stated, then pulled the trigger, the magic shot bouncing off a green barrier. "Where it counts."

"Did you just try shooting it in the dick?" Kal exclaimed.

"Hush, I'm trying to kill it."

The bogral lord charged at Nyz with speed beyond anything a human could track as he continued to fire at it, and he allowed it to strike him. When its fist made contact, however, it dissolved away, disappearing upon touching the suit as if entering into a void. To the monster's credit, it pulled back quickly, losing only up to its elbow despite the speed at which it made contact.

Nyz struck forward with his hand as the bogral moved, his palm striking it in the stomach, charged with a spell to release souls. He grit his teeth in frustration upon feeling only a few of them leave before the bogral jumped back.

Instead of attempting another physical attack, the bogral threw orbs of black and red energy at Nyz, who summoned a barrier of green light to stop the attacks before continuing to release a hail of magic shots at the beast.

As powerful of spells he could cast, the Type-X magic shots were more powerful.

Charging forward, Nyz feinted to the side, then slammed his fist into the bogral's shoulder as it attempted to strike him with an orb of energy instead of touching him again. With another spell ready, Nyz managed to release a few more souls while sending a jolt of electricity into the bogral, stunning it for a moment.

Only for a moment, however, as the beast attacked the next, striking Nyz with a wave of force magic that sent him flying backwards. The warrior activated his floaters and landed on his feet as the grenades he released activated, filling the area around the bogral with flames, lightning, ice, and clouds of black fog sparking with red energy.

"You aren't the only one who can use chaos energy, buddy," Nyz fired into the fog as the bogral wailed.

Nyz switched the magazines in his guns, then began firing shots of black and red energy at the bogral as the black fog began to dissipate, revealing the monster. The ice froze it to the ground, while its body was marked with burns and holes, a greenish-black blood flowing from the wounds.

"Don't know why I didn't start with these," Nyz muttered. "Probably because they're new. But they work, so that's good. Kal managed to finish figuring them out pretty fast, if he needed orichalcum for them."

Nyz finished killing the bogral lord, shooting its neck repeatedly until the head fell off, none of the monster's barriers able to handle the shots.

The fight concluded, Nyz switched the cartridges back to regular magic shots, then finished clearing up the monsters before following the directions on his visor. He entered the specified flight mech and approached its storage, opening up a crate surrounded by dead bodies.

Inside of the crate was an orb roughly sixteen inches in diameter, made of a dark green crystal polished to a smooth finish, giving it a light shine as it reflected the room's emergency lights.

"Item retrieved," Nyz stated. "The orb of power is back in our possession."