(Dylan)

“Oh shit.” Dylan looked around, trying to decide which way to run.

“Oh fuck.” He watched Eury sprint in one direction, leaping over logs and fallen trees.

“Oh shit,” he said again as both twins ran away in the opposite direction. Paralyzed, he just stood there, overwhelmed by too many options. A door formed in front of him and then opened. Quinten stepped through, slipping his hand into Dylan’s and pulling him forward, snapping him out of his stupor with the sudden contact.

Quinten flashed him a charming smile. “Let’s get you outta here, mate.”

Dylan glanced down at their clasped hands and then up at the falling debris. “Okay…”

Another door formed a few seconds later, this time right in front of them. Quinten opened it and stepped through. Still holding hands, Dylan followed him into the pitch-black aperture. He blinked, and they were in another, denser part of the jungle, where bushes, trees, and vines crowded up against them. Brush scraped against his arms, legs, and face as he took in their new tangled surroundings.

“First time getting shot down, eh?” Quinten released Dylan’s hand as the door blinked out of existence, leaving them stranded in the middle of the jungle.

Dylan simply nodded, still wide-eyed, the shock fresh on his face.

“No worries, mate.” Quinten looked up through the canopy, swaying his arms with a simple rhythm before rocking onto the balls of his feet. Catching Dylan’s stare, he gave him a laid-back smile, as if they hadn’t just lost their only airship.

Dylan looked at him curiously. “Shouldn’t you—”

“Cooldowns, mate… gotta give ‘em a tick.” He gave a knowing nod.

“Uh-huh,” Dylan muttered, feeling his shoulders relax in the presence of the easygoing elf. Cooldowns—he knew those well. Almost every video game had them, and it was oddly reassuring to find the same logic applied here. At least some things worked the way he expected.

“Stick with me, mate. We’ll be sweet,” Quinten said, summoning another door. He stepped through, and it vanished once more. Only seconds later, the door reappeared with a faint hum, and Dylan wondered how the cooldown actually worked. The familiar, lithkai-shaped figure of Wedge stepped through, carrying W’itney, whose face twisted in anguish. Wedge gently placed them down, propping them against a tree.

“They look hurt. Should we use a potion?” Dylan asked.

“No, their injury is survivable. Only use a potion to save a life.” Wedge surveyed the immediate area.

“It is not safe for me to fell these trees. Help me trample the plants to make room in case more need to take refuge.” He stuck his foot into a bush and stepped down on the shoots near the ground. The crunch of branches underfoot echoed as he flattened the bush.

Tears rolled down W’itney’s cheek as they whimpered, cradling an ankle. Dylan couldn’t determine the extent of the injury; their trousers hid it, but the azure stains suggested it was bad.

He paused as the door blipped out of existence. Many seconds later, it reappeared in the same spot and opened, allowing Eury and Hay’len to step through. A startlingly powerful boom followed, and the ground quaked around them. The door blipped out again, and Dylan really hoped that last part was just a coincidence. The ground vibrated as something crashed through the forest until the noise and shaking just stopped.

“W’itney!” Hay’len ran to their sibling’s side, glancing down at the blue-stained ankle and then at W’itney’s pained face. The younger twin sat down and took hold of their hand, voice trembling slightly. “It’s… it’s going to be okay. Runemist will be here soon to patch you up.” Their eyes glanced up at Wedge, pleading their words were true. Wedge nodded.

Without being told, Eury unsheathed a dagger from her belt and started cutting away at the bushes to help clear the area. Dylan made a mental note to carry his crystal dagger. Until now, he only saw it as a weapon he didn’t know how to fight with.

Dylan sighed in relief as another magical door appeared, shimmering faintly between them. It opened, and Runemist appeared.

“Any injured?” she asked before she finished stepping through.

“W’itney is. Over here,” Hay’len called out, waving a hand to get her attention.

Runemist quickly made her way over and placed a hand on W’itney, channeling her restoration ability. W’itney’s face visibly eased, their tears turning from sadness to relief.

“Thank you,” W’itney said, wiping at their cheek.

“Any others? Speak up, even for a bruise,” she said, looking at each of them.

This was a side of Runemist Dylan hadn’t seen before. Her expression seemed softer, her usual sharp gaze replaced with something gentle—caring. Dylan thought he detected genuine concern.

Her gaze shifted to him, narrowing at the red scratches marking his face. “Dylan, are you hurt?” She stepped closer, her clawed hand reaching out to cradle his chin, careful not to press against his scrapes as she inspected his cheeks.

He allowed her a moment to fuss, then gently pulled back, shaking his head. “I’m fine, thanks to Eury and Quinten. Just a few scratches—What was that all about?” He pointed to the sky where an airship should’ve been.

“An arc beetle just happened…” Runemist’s eyes caught the subtle hitch in Eury’s gait, and she crouched to mend Eury’s twisted ankle—a souvenir from saving Dylan. “They’re extremely territorial. We must have pissed it off somehow, and it blew our airship out of the sky.”

“A… bug?” Dylan pursed his lips, aware that there was something he just wasn’t getting.

“While technically an insect,” Hay’len began, their gaze fixed intently on a point beyond W’itney’s ankle, “an arc beetle is hardly a mundane hexapod. They’re uncommon-ranked and, if that weren’t terrifying enough, they fall under the kaiju classification as well.” The explanation slipped out before they realized it. As the others turned their heads, Hay’len blinked, the weight of their own words sinking in. Their focus snapped back to W’itney, cheeks growing flush.

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“Hold up.” Dylan raised his hand. “Did you just say kaiju? You’ve got giant fucking monsters on this planet?”

Runemist looked up from her crouched position, her frown deepening. “Mating season might explain why it attacked us on sight…”

Dylan’s mind snagged on that one word. “When you say ‘kaiju’… just how big are we talking?” He held out his hands, widening the space between them in hesitant increments. His hands couldn’t stretch any farther before the truth dawned—this “bug” wasn’t anywhere near bug-sized.

“Large enough to see our airship as a rival, apparently.” Runemist’s gaze lingered on the trail of smoke that disappeared into the tree line. “I’ve never encountered one before, but there’s no mistaking that arc attack.”

A rumbling voice came from behind them as Wedge pressed down another bush beneath his foot. “The presence of a kaiju bodes well for our quest.”

Dylan spun around and shot Wedge an incredulous look. “What?! How does an oversized bug that knows hyper beam help us?”

“No, he’s right,” Hay’len interjected, still seated beside W’itney and gripping their hand firmly. “If I wanted to keep a dangerous item from being found, a kaiju would be ideal—a natural deterrent and a formidable guardian.” Their head tilted, brow furrowing as their voice softened. “But why not have the League vault it…?”

Dylan’s eyes widened, his gaze darting to Wedge. “We’re not going to fight that thing, right?” When Wedge didn’t respond, Dylan’s focus shifted to Runemist, his voice rising slightly. “Right?!”

“It wouldn’t be a fight.” Runemist’s gaze sharpened. “I don’t think we have anything to punch through the carapace. We’ll avoid it.” Satisfied that no one else was visibly injured, she added, “Watch your step when you go through the portal. It’s a mess on the other side.”

Dylan had been the closest to the door and stepped through first. Miraculously, the Everafter was still in one piece—a charred, smoking, half-buried-in-the-ground piece, but it still counted. The immediate area was dense with jungle.

‘This isn’t the landing zone,’ he thought, carefully stepping over rocks to avoid the snaring vines and other plant obstacles in his way. As he moved closer, he detected the distinct scent of ozone. Dust hung in the air, and he saw the trail of devastation—upturned soil and overturned trees—leading to the Everafter’s resting spot. She hadn’t fallen out of the sky, as he suspected. Instead, Pilot Echo had transitioned her into a crash landing.

The Everafter sat cockeyed; her bow dipped with a port-side lean, but the grade was manageable. The remaining supplies were crammed in a pile jammed up against the front-left deck railings. Everyone who remained gathered on the deck of the airship as First Mate Echo took roll call.

Dylan was worried; some of the crew were still missing. But he was relieved to see that the smallest lamprian was among those gathered.

“We’ve cleared the ship and the immediate area, Captain,” First Mate Echo said.

Captain Echo sighed. “We’re three short, by my count.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The first mate gave a nod of his skull. “Spotter Echo was in the crow’s nest when he gave the warning. Thank Mother he saw it. Gave us a chance to turn into the shot. Regretfully, he was thrown from his station upon impact.”

Captain Echo sighed. “It’s doubtful he survived the fall. He’s most likely in crystalis.” She turned to Runemist. “Would it be possible to spare an adventurer to recover his body?”

“P’reslen, search the landing zone and the surrounding area. Stay below the canopy, remain silent, and do not engage. If you see any sign of that arc beetle, abandon the rescue and return immediately to this airship,” Runemist ordered.

“I’m on it.” P’reslen gave a curt nod before lifting into the air.

She gave him a stern look. “I mean it, no heroics. This quest has already gone to the Pits.”

P’reslen took off, leaving behind gusts of wind in his wake. His figure disappeared into the distance as he followed along the path of devastation back toward the landing zone.

Captain Echo turned to her first officer and asked, “What about the other two?”

“Both are in crystalis, Ma’am. One of the deck crew…” First Mate Echo said, then reluctantly added, “and our mechanic.”

Wham. The Captain’s bony hand came down hard, cracking the railing beside her. First Mate Echo winced along with most of the crew. Without another word, she turned her back on the crew, gazing out past the trees to an invisible horizon. Dylan wanted to ask what crystalis was, but he knew now wasn’t the right time.

“Echo von A’lyce, I…” Captain Echo hesitated as she called on the smallest lamprian. “I can’t order you—I won’t… But I need a favor.” She kept her back turned as she spoke.

Echo von A’lyce took a tentative step forward, her voice barely a squeak. “Yes?”

“Out of all of us, you have the least to lose. And without a mechanic, I fear this will be Everafter’s grave, possibly even our own.” She was still mustering the courage to ask for her favor.

“I’ll do it,” Echo’s small voice preempted her request.

With a solemn nod, the Captain gave the command. “First Mate Echo, please show her to… Mechanic Echo.”

The first mate looked at the smallest lamprian and then back to his captain. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Both the first mate and the deckhand disappeared below deck. There was silence among the crew. They didn’t speak or even move from where they stood. Dylan heard stifled sniffling as the air grew thick with melancholy, and a great sadness weighed on his heart, though he hadn’t fully comprehended why.

Ten minutes later…

Two figures returned, the first mate and the mechanic. He waited, but the smallest lamprian, Echo von A’lyce, never appeared.

Dylan’s stomach churned as he turned to Wedge, worry written plainly on his face. “What happened to Echo von A’lyce?” he leaned in and whispered.

Wedge nodded toward the draconi skeleton in the green skullcap, Mechanic Echo. “She has consumed the crystalis and taken over as Mechanic Echo.”

Dylan noticed that none of the other lamprians would even look at her. Before he could ask any more questions, Captain Echo, who’d been focused on the horizon for the past ten minutes, finally turned to face and address the crew.

“Mechanic Echo, I need my ship back up and running. You’ll have the full support of the crew for this task, and your orders are to do whatever is necessary to get us back to port.” She hesitated a moment. “Consider these your last orders. Once we’ve docked, you will remove yourself from my ship and her crew. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Mechanic Echo was the one to respond, but it was Echo von A’lyce’s soft voice that answered.

“What?” Dylan asked out loud, but no one answered him.

Captain Echo pointed at two lamprians wearing black bandanas. “You and you. Both of you will escort Mechanic Echo. Do not leave her alone and keep her away from the other crystalis.” They each gave a curt nod and took up positions behind Mechanic Echo.

“The rest of you lot will recover what supplies you can, and if Mechanic Echo tells you to do something, consider it a direct order from me. Now get to work,” Captain Echo said.

The crew dispersed, and Runemist began addressing her own group. But Dylan ignored her, instead walking up to Mechanic Echo and her two escorts.

“Echo?” he asked, unsure which he’d get.

“Hello, Dylan,” Echo von A’lyce said.

“Are you—"

“Yes.” She gave a small nod. “I’m… still me.”

“Runemist!” the Captain bellowed, interrupting the team leader. “Please keep your team from distracting our best chance at flying out of here."

Dylan scowled at the Captain but took the hint. Something was wrong, and he didn’t understand enough to know what or why, which made him irritable.

“Dylan, come here,” Runemist said, her tone much kinder than usual. She waved for him to join them. He returned to his group before noticing his tightly clenched fists. He released them and listened to the new plan.

Runemist turned to the big guy. “Wedge, I want an inventory of what supplies we have left. Use the initiates to assist you.”

She turned to her team. “Athrax, Ostello, and Quinten, I want you to take a three-quarters sentry position around the airship. If the arc beetle is nearby, I want as much time to evacuate as possible. Don’t worry about the flank; the Everafter cleared a path, so we’ll see it coming from that direction.

“I’ll remain on the ship to watch our flank, provide mending, and act as the information hub. I’ll have a better plan once I know what we have to work with.” She closed her eyes for a moment, let out a small sigh, and said, “I’m already regretting this decision, but speak up if you have questions. We can’t afford anyone learning the hard way right now.”

“What the hell happened back there?” Dylan asked, pointing toward the captain.

Runemist grimaced, but she took pity on him and said, “When you’re done helping Wedge, come see me and I’ll explain.”