Lucas soared above the city, feeling more alive than he ever had. Death could come for him at any moment in a flash of electricity, but confidence born from success surged through him with indomitable will. It was a heady feeling to wield so much power, even if it was borrowed twice over.

The vine he was standing on was as wide as a train carriage, and long enough it surely could have reached up and placed him among the clouds. The thorns along its surface were half as tall as him, wide as a car tire at the base and thin as a needle at the tip. Mana surged through the giant plant in quantities that boggled his mind—all Lucas had to do was guide it with a trickle of his own.

He was crouched low with his flesh hand pressed flat to the vine’s stalk, acting as a guide. He made sure to keep the vine low, not wanting to present too easy a target for the still-rolling lightning. Some of the strikes hit the city, but the majority of them hit the other giant vines that speared towards the sky, acting like lightning rods. It seemed less frequent than before, and struck further away, not even bothering to aim for Lucas’ vine. Like it was only going off to remind Lucas it was there.

Lucas smirked to himself, though it wasn’t really amusing at all. The situation was just as he thought. The only question now was just what Jyn had waiting for them to the north of the city. Would their entire surroundings erupt into flame, perhaps? The Wandmaster would find himself disappointed, if that was the case.

Valerie hadn’t said a word since he’d summoned this giant plant, climbing on behind him in stoic silence with impressive balance; the vine wasn’t exactly moving smoothly, but she stood like she was on solid ground. She had her sword at the ready, lunar light dancing along the blade, and her eyes were watchful. Her reticence was a bit disappointing. He’d been ready to brag at length about how he’d achieved this feat. Maybe later.

He knew his attitude was shifting towards the cavalier, but it was hard not to be when such elation was coursing through him. This kind of power at one’s fingertips would make any man feel like a god.

It was a simple thing, really. Or a simple thing made incredibly, mind-blowingly complex, expanding on a rudimentary technique and making it awe-inspiring.

At its core, the entire city had been overrun by a stupidly overpowered version of the trick he’d figured out back in that old forest, where he left behind a command for a red leaf to turn green again once it left his range. Though he couldn’t begin to guess the complexities of the plant network, the concept was the same. Except the technique he’d managed was a ‘Hello World’ kiddy’s first code and this was akin to a program that ran an entire network of data centres. A rudimentary magic AI, even.

There were still mysteries afoot. Who had done this? What was its purpose? Why had so much vitriol fallen on floramancers in the wake of it?

But he had no time or means to answer those right now, so they went to the back of his mind for now.

The vine stretched out over the city, bearing them just above the overgrowth and pollen mist at a pace faster than they could’ve taken if they walked. If Lucas had the mana to pull this off himself, he certainly wouldn’t have had the control to do it so fast. Just another way the network was incredible. Calling it a demon seemed unfair, an insult. It was art.

Half a dozen other giant vines grew up like towers, reaching as if to snatch the lightning out of the sky. They all leaked huge cascades of brown-gold pollen that dampened the lightning strikes, and fired back massive amounts of purple fluid with every hit.

It had seemed a mad idea when it first came to him, but earlier success had put him in the mood for off the wall thinking. If the plant network could adapt and learn, he thought, could it learn from him? There’d been nothing to suggest that it was possible. Just a gut feeling. The Gift at work again, he suspected.

So, once Lucas had solved his mana incompatibility problem, he’d reached out with his mana once more and grown some more reasonably sized vines to the apex of his range. Tapping into the plant network had given him knowledge of how to grow it; one just like this had filled the Worm’s Tunnel. A vine had crept up a dozen metres above him, then split outwards to form a fork, standing taller atop the Summoning Hall than anything nearby save the four remaining great towers. After that, he’d gotten as far away from it as he could while keeping it upright. Valerie had silently insisted on keeping herself between him and it.

Lightning had struck the vine not long after, burning it down in an instant. So close, the sound had been deafening, hitting his ears like a physical force. If he hadn’t been looking another way, it probably would’ve blinded him, too.

Lucas had built a new one to the same result. And another. As long as the vine towered so high above its surroundings, it attracted a lightning strike that otherwise might have hit nearby, thus protecting a small region from further strikes. A sacrifice for the greater good, one could say.

That was when the plant network had caught on.

Lucas had never felt such triumph as he did when he saw giant vines spearing upwards from other points in the city. From there, he just had to find a way to hijack one. That had been no easy task either.

The Summoning Hall had been practically collapsing by the time an opportunity came. Lucas had felt the mana nearby him surging, and he wove his own will out into the plants as far as he could. Grabbing hold of the very edge of the newly-forming megavine, he’d pulled a small section of it towards himself. The vine had kept filling in the gap, and he had kept pulling, until eventually he’d had a giant vine of his own, reaching down to collect them from the edge of the domed roof.

From there, it had been a bit touch and go. Finding the right balance of inserting his own will into the giant vine so he could dictate which direction it would grow in and letting the plant network’s will do as it wished so it would keep growing indefinitely was no easy feat. The Gift had come in clutch again.

Now, they sailed beneath one of the bridges linking the five towers, and it felt like they were flying. Lucas’ spirit soared. Nothing else could compare to this sensation. It overrode any anxiety or fear he’d been experiencing; the life or death situation tumbled down his list of priorities. The city walls were in reach.

But all good things had to come to an end, and he’d already established that Jyn was a persistent bastard, so it didn’t at all surprise him when a meteor came hurtling out of the field of fire far behind them. It didn’t shock him when Valerie pivoted on her heel and sliced it out of the sky with one of her moonlight slashes. It didn’t even faze him when one half of the bisected meteor twisted in the air and rocketed down to land on the vine far behind them.

It did take him off guard, however, when the fire cleared and he saw a towering man in armour standing there rather than a magenta-robed wizard.

Wick’s armour had been blackened by the fire, and his face was red and ruddy. His hair was singed and tangled. There was a smoking white mark scored deep into his shield, only a sliver of metal having withstood Valerie’s attack. The shieldmaster pulled it apart with a grunt to form two shields that rested on either forearm.

There was a dark look in his eyes, fixed on Valerie. He started walking towards her, his footsteps vibrating the still-growing vine.

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Lucas’ heart shot up into his throat. “Ser Wick!” he called out. “I—”

Valerie spoke over him, her voice quiet and deadly, almost sibilant. “You approach me in an unmerciful mood, Shieldmaster.”

“I don’t want your mercy, Swordmaiden,” Wick said. His voice was hoarse, raspy. He held up the two halves of his shield, inspecting them with dispassionate eyes. “In fact, I don’t want anything from you. You’ve broken me just as thoroughly as you’ve broken my shield.”

“I’m not in an apologetic mood, either,” she hissed. Her sword rose as he neared, aimed at his chest. It was starting to glow once more.

“Did I not just tell you I want nothing from you? Your apologies would be meaningless.” He stopped when the point of her blade tapped against his breastplate. His eyes were red-rimmed and sunken, but in them there was a steely determination despite it all as he stared at Valerie. “Just as meaningless as my promises, I suppose. What kind of shieldmaster lets his comrade die? ”

“What are you expecting from me here?” Valerie asked.

“For the third time, I tell you: nothing. I’m not here for you.”

Valerie went still. “Be careful, Ser Wick. I am yearning to enact violence on someone at this moment. Harm Lord Lucas, and I’ll indulge myself without remorse.”

Wick sneered at her, slamming the two halves of his shield to the ground. They stuck into the stalk of the vine and started fading into motes of prismatic light. “Harm him? What do you take me for? I am a shieldmaster; a defender of men!”

“Then why are you here?”

“To protect the one person in our party who still deserves it.” He looked at Lucas. “I failed my party. I broke my promise to protect my comrades from harm. The only thing left to me is my debt, and I intend to pay it.”

“Debt?” Lucas asked, confused.

A resounding boom cut through the night, louder than any crack of thunder yet. The world went white. Scorching heat washed over him. His head spun.

Next thing he knew, he was flying through the air once more in a rather different way. Indomitable metal arms wrapped around him and held him in place as the air screamed past his ears and lashed at his hair. His stomach lurched. Lucas let out a cry as the city blurred beneath him. Soon, their momentum started to slow, and the earth rushed towards him. He closed his eyes. There was an impact. A dull thud. A feeling like a warm blanket had been wrapped around him. Then he was spinning, his brain rattling around in his skull. Then… crisp night air on his face. Something cold and hard against his cheek.

Opening his eyes to find himself splayed on Wick’s armoured chest was quite the surprise, and he scrambled to his feet, head on a swivel, trying to find his bearings. Darkness engulfed most of the world, but the glow of fire reflected off the clouds nearby. Grass and tough soil beneath his feet told him they were out on the plains. The city walls were hundreds of metres away, lit up by a still-blooming ball of fire at the edge of the vine Lucas had just been riding.

“Wick? What happened?” Lucas asked.

The giant of a man sat up, barely visible in the darkness. There was a long scar in the ground from where they'd landed. “I rescued you from danger,” Wick said.

“Why? What danger?”

“Jyn. I was supposed to be there to engage the Skycloak so she couldn’t defend you from his assault. The condescending twat has been trying to manipulate me all day.” Wick spat to the side. “Just because I’m a failure, doesn’t mean I’m going to be a party to his murderous scheme. As if I’d just forget he’s the reason that fight broke out in the first place. Arrogant bastards, Wands. The lot of ‘em.”

Lucas paused. “I didn’t see any fireballs coming. Did he get past the lightning rods somehow?”

“He seemed to believe he could explode the air from a distance. I know not how. My abilities allowed me to protect you from it, whatever it was.”

“Then—”

Lucas cut himself off, snapping his gaze back towards the city just in time to see the vine they’d been riding on collapse into countless flaming pieces.

“Valerie,” Lucas whispered.

Wick snorted. “That you believe a woman like Valerie Vayon would ever fall to a man like Jyn Sakhelyan betrays your lack of familiarity with our world, Lord Lucas.” Wick heaved himself to his feet, dusting off the front of his armour with a sigh. “You’ll have a lot to learn in the coming days. Fear not. She survived.”

“How can you be so sure?” Lucas said, eyeing the fires blazing behind the city walls. They were quickly dying, subdued by the sparkling mist of countless iceblooms. The night was almost dark.

“Because she’s a Skycloak, Lord Lucas,” said a voice from behind, and Lucas spun.

Jyn stood there, a beacon in the darkness with the stars twinkling on his magenta robe. He raised a hand, poking a pale finger out of his voluminous sleeve. Lucas followed it, and found his gaze panning up.

Valerie was floating slowly down to the ground, her cloak fanning out around her like wings. It was hard to tell in the dark, but it seemed to have darkened a shade or two once more. It was closer to the colour of midnight than the noon sky on a clear day. Her hand rested on the chestplate of her armour, and from it she drew her shining white sword as she landed, bright enough to batter away the night. Her eyes were white as the moon and full of murder, and she couldn’t seem to decide whether Wick or Jyn were going to meet her wrath.

Motes of multi-coloured light coalesced into the two halves of Wick’s shield, and he hefted them in either direction, protecting Lucas from both sides. As it turned out, he needn’t have bothered. Neither of them were able to get another word in, let alone attack.

Lucas’ heart erupted, flaring with pain. It felt like his soul was tearing open from the inside, something immense pushing its way out claws first.

Jamie the cat burst from his chest.

Except he wasn’t a cat.

Blazing with the power of Lucas’ heart’s flame, the creature had four long, multi-jointed legs tipped with claws that left hot red marks in the grass. Its enormous feline body glowed with fiery light from bulging veins criss-crossing every inch of its body. Two golden magma eyes swivelled wildly in its skull until they fell upon Jyn.

The monstercat charged, quick as a flash, its jaw with multiple rows of teeth gaping open. Its finger-long fangs sunk into Jyn’s shoulder before he could even react. The man let out a sigh and burst into flame.

That was when the screaming started.

Jyn’s fiery body wrenched to one side, pulled into Jamie’s jaws with a force like gravity. The flames rolled over his body as if they were being sucked away, and the veins on Jamie’s body bulged, growing brighter. Jyn tried to attack with his pyromancy, but any flames he spawned were sucked into Jamie’s jaws like a vortex. Jyn writhed and screamed, his voice shrill and desperate and terrified, but Jamie’s grip was adamantine. There was a sickening crunch, and Jyn’s flames vanished. The pyromancer fell silent and limp in the monstercat’s grasp.

Silence reigned on the grassy plains as the three of them stared in horror, unable to look away.

“What in all the five damnations is that?” Wick breathed.

“I genuinely don’t know,” Lucas said after a moment. He was about to give some reassurance to his two companions that Jamie was on their side, but words jammed in his throat when Jyn's body started glowing a ghostly blue.

For some reason, he didn’t see the next part coming, initially certain that the pyromancer had one last trick up his baggy sleeves; they were certainly big enough to hold secrets.

A hazy white form in the vague shape of Jyn’s body rose and started floating towards Lucas. It moved ponderously, unhurried, and when it reached him it twisted like water going down a drain. The familiar hollow feeling yawned open in Lucas’ chest, and the apparition speared towards the gap as if it was being sucked in.

A part of Lucas recoiled, horrified. But his body remained in place as the misty figure dispersed itself into his mana pathways, making him feel suddenly twice as large. By the time the process was complete, he was a balloon that would’ve popped at the slightest prick.

Slightly wide-eyed, he looked at his comrades, beseeching them to explain what was happening.

Neither were looking at him, their own eyes wide and fixed with wonder or horror on the gruesome scene before them. Jamie had lowered himself to his haunches and was merrily crunching his way through Jyn’s corpse with great bites of its multiple-hinged maw.

Lucas lowered himself to the ground and stared, abruptly too overwhelmed with everything in his insane life to even feel sickened.