There’s nothing like standing between two huge monsters to put everything into perspective. I questioned all of my recent choices. I had plans- ideas for what I was going to do. But at that moment, they were all gone.

The dragon started with a giant burst of flames from its maw. Elveil hopped up with a flap of her wings. I activated my lycan form to sprint away from the breath weapon. At least the dragon recognized who was the greater threat and followed Elveil upwards.

Decide, run or fight.

Elveil slashed her talons across the dragon’s back. The dragon reached back with its neck and bit down on a leg. It threw the griffon-re into a stalagmite. As the rock shattered from the impact, a small hope blossomed in me. Can we really kill her? Is the dragon powerful enough?

From what I could tell, it was far beyond my lycan form’s level at over three hundred. Unfortunately, so was Elveil. I didn’t know what trick Elveil had up her sleeve, but if we were going to succeed, we needed to work together to strike hard and fast.

Remember, her body will recover from any damage. Go for the brain to kill her.

Activating my plasma blades while in my lycan form was going to be useless. That was the case until I learned I could cycle it through my shadow form to my claws. A bright orange glow emanated from them as I charged Elveil.

She stood up, and I pounced on her face. My claws left gouges on her face. I climbed up, reaching for her eyes, the shortest and softest route to her brain. A large paw swatted me to the ground.

Elveil glared at me as the wounds I’d inflicted healed before my eyes. “I will deal with you later. I have something special planned for you.”

My stinger arm claws dug desperately at her paw that was crushing me. She didn’t move, even when the dragon slapped her in the face with its tail. A growl rumbled from Elveil as she released me to slap the dragon in return. Her claws ripped a section of scales off.

Elveil’s wing slapped me away just before a wave of fire engulfed her.

Did she just save me from that attack?

I rolled to my feet and ran to the dragon. “We need to work together to kill her. If you…”

The dragon’s tail snapped and hit me faster than I could react and sent me careening. “Who said I need or want your help?”

I tried to stop myself, but every attempt resulted in the ground giving way to my claws. An opening in the ground caught me. I sailed over the lava and into the wall. Dozens of small explosions wracked my body from the broken bones. I barely caught myself before falling into the lava with a claw. My claws cut through the stone, slowly lowering me towards the bubbling lava. Having turned off my pain receptors long before didn’t mitigate the effects of the blow.

My total defense of seven thousand, three hundred and thirty was nothing to the dragon.

As my bones repaired themselves, I clawed into the stone wall more securely with all six of my claws. All this has shown me that I’m still not nearly strong enough.

I took my time climbing out of the hole. Elveil and the dragon continued going at it. The ground shook from the impact of their strikes.

Pulling myself over the ledge, I turned to see the dragon ripping a wing off Elveil while she raked her claws down its side. Numerous deep wounds covered the dragon and dripped with blood as it threw Elveil’s wing into the lava pit next to it. It was in obvious pain, as I could see in the dragon’s movements.

Elveil rolled to her feet, a wide grin showing as there was no hint of pain or fatigue in her. Her missing wing was already reconstructing itself. The dragon let out a roar, then a jet of fire. Elveil shielded herself with a wing and a wall of shadow magic.

If I can’t get close, I might as well use ranged.

I pulled my gun out and fired a couple of shots at Elveil. The bullets collided with her but didn’t explode. Instead, they were absorbed.

Your bullets are powered and created by your shadow magic. Since your hair allows you to absorb weaker magic, it is possible she has something similar to her fur and feathers. But it could also be that her mastery of magic is enough that it doesn’t matter and she can manipulate anything shadow magic related.

Well, I guess that means we’re back to plan A.

The dragon reared up and slammed into the magic shield, and shattered it. The flames melted the metal feathers into a giant piece of slag. When it landed on top of Elveil’s wing, its claws dug into the metal as it tried to shove her into the pit of lava.

This is not a fight I belong in. My estimation of the dragon’s stats grew by the second. But since they’re so determined to kill one another, I’m not going to have a better chance to find Gary. Getting involved at this point will only put me in unnecessary danger. There’s just one problem. I have no idea where to find him.

We think your original idea was correct. Look at the battlefield.

I did.

Scorch marks on the already dark stone stayed bright red. Deep furrows left by both Elveil and the dragon littered the ground. Everything spread out from the whole. Even as the dragon spun Elveil around, they were going further from that spot.

With those two grappling with each other, I sprinted for the untouched section of the battlefield. When I stood on the edge, the familiar sight of a domed robot head with a series of lights that mimicked a face sat on a metal pedestal in the center.

Orange, what do you need to get the memories? How do we make this as quick as possible?

Direct connection. You need to stab your stinger blade as deep as possible into the console without a coating of shadow magic.

I hopped down next to Gar. His mouth lit up. “Good day, Rina. Apologies, we aren’t seeing anyone for the time being. Please come back later or seek me out at a different access point.”

I placed my hands on the side of his head. “I don’t have a later. So, please understand that I’m sorry for this.”

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“Sorry for…”

I didn’t let him finish when my lycan enhanced stinger arm claw plunged through the top of his head. With most of my arm inside, I disengaged my lycan form and pushed just a little further. An electrical current coursed up my arm. There wasn’t a lot of pain, and the resistance of my muscles was enough to withstand it without locking them up.

You’re up Orange!

Time slowed down until it eventually stopped. A red crack opened up in the middle of the air in front of me. The space split open like a tear, and the star-speckled body of the Nexus’ avatar stormed out. “You were not the one I was expecting. However, I make it a priority to know everyone who enters my realm. Yet I see two souls that have been smuggled in.” A heavy pause followed for a few seconds, as I didn’t know what to say. “This is the part you start explaining.”

My body went stiff even though the electricity stopped. I sputtered incoherent nonsense.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” the Nexus barked. “I was talking to the one skulking around my collection.”

Orange turned my projectors on and stood directly between the avatar and me. “Rina is not responsible for any of this. Our intent was never to steal, but only to copy.”

It was impossible to read the nonexistent face of the avatar, but the pressure coming off it was more than enough to know he was livid. “What are you exactly? How long have you been here?”

I had to help her. “Mr. Black, The Game Master. He was the one who gave her to me. She’s been with me from the beginning.” Orange turned to me. “If he’s going to be angry, have him be angry at the one who started this all.”

She nodded. “We have attached our existence to Rina’s nanite. Through them, we have piggy-backed on Rina’s system. With the authority granted by The Game Master, we enhanced her system.”

“You don’t have a system of your own?” he asked.

“Correct.”

“Your soul must be attached to a system to remain. It’s a rule.” A black aura grew around the avatar as he hunched his shoulders. “Or does The Game Master seek to keep breaking my rules?”

Orange waved to me. “Our soul must already be tied to Rina’s system.”

“If you die, who pays the price?” The air rippled from the Nexus’ tone.

Orange Bowed slightly. “If Rina dies, we die. Then you get both of our souls.”

Everything returned to normal around the avatar. “Acceptable.” He pointed at me. “Now, there’s the matter of your intrusion. Should I punish the artificial soul or the natural one?”

“We need to do this!” I interrupted. I pointed to where I last heard the two fighting. “Elveil’s going to take over your realm and replace you. We are trying to stop her.”

“You’re out here to save yourself.” The Nexus walked up to me through Orange. “If you destroy me, like The Game Master wants, you destroy her. This isn’t necessary. Just beat her to the top.”

He leaned his featureless face inches away from mine.

I suppressed the desire to run. “But she doesn’t belong. She’s the second smuggled soul. Somehow, she stole and copied my system.”

“You are correct.” The Nexus agreed in a slow, threatening tone. “As I’ve seen the events, you were the catalyst that made her a threat. I will look into how she was smuggled later.”

I lowered my head. “Yeah, but I’m trying to make things right.”

The Nexus’ avatar leaned back. “If you agree to my terms, I will give you what you want.”

“Please state the terms,” Orange said.

“The next time someone breaks the rules, I send you to deal with them.” The avatar crossed his arms.

“Define ‘deal with them.’” Orange demanded.

“They must pay the price—the ultimate price.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

Orange turned to me and answered flatly, ”Kill them.”

The avatar extended a hand. “Do we have a deal?”

I stared at the hand. To get what I need, I will have to kill someone else. I don’t know who, when, or why, but I will have to. Reneging is not an option. If I do, I will probably wish I had never been created. In the end, I’ll be trading one master for another. But with the Nexus, there’s a way to freedom.

“Orage, would you take it?” I asked.

He held up her hands. “We can’t decide for you. You will have to be the one who commits the deed. So you must decide.”

“Orange—” I lowered my voice, “—that wasn’t what I asked. If I wasn’t here and you had to decide, would you take this deal?”

Orange shirked back. “Yes,” she answered meekly.

I grabbed the Nexus’ hand. “Deal.”

The Nexus’ hand was cold, colder than anything I’d ever felt. A chill shot through me. I tried to shake it off as I released my grip, but the weight of the decision hung in the back of my mind. I traded one set of shackles for another. At least this time, there was a faint glimmer of hope for freedom.

The Nexus’ featureless face remained unreadable, but I could sense its satisfaction. “Good.” The word dripped with a sense of finality. “You will be contacted when the time comes. Until then, you best stay alive.”

The avatar began to fade, the air around it warping as it slowly vanished from sight. The sound of Elveil and the dragon restarted echoing above me.

Orange put on a smile. “He handed me the memories. Now all we have to do is…”

My chest exploded as a hand made of shadow punched through my body. I stared at the magical hand holding the mana battery that was in my body, and it was very full. One fracture and it would explode and vaporize me.

“Someone has been a bad girl,” a voice whispered into my ear. “You’ve been doing something very naughty.”

Elveil’s shadow clone had snuck up on us. A primal fear crept from the corner of my mind to flood it. Why is she here? She knew I went here. My nanites was trying to repair the hole and build a new battery, but the obstruction of her arm prevented it. Orange turned my eye projectors off instantly too.

Elveil’s clone laughed. “You lost something.” A metal band was clicked around my neck. “Now be a good girl and let mommy finish up. Stay put.”

The command sunk into my bones. The collar was back. Not only was I not indebted to The Nexus, but I was trapped by Elveil again.

Then the dragon landed on the edge above me with a thud that shook the cavern. It raised a clawed foot limply. Its chest was missing scales, and a large gouge from claws dug deep into its flesh. Blood poured from its mouth.

Elveil’s real body pressed down on the monster. “Where’s all that bluster you had earlier? Was it all just hot air?”

The dragon roared, “You...”

A laugh bellowed from Elveil as she cut him off by slamming her paw on his neck. I couldn’t run. Everything about Elveil was far more terrifying than ever before.

You need to do something.

I can’t. She told me not to move.

Her orders were to stay put. As long as you don’t move, you can do anything necessary.

Getting out of here is necessary!

Then take from Elveil. Kill the dragon!

My gun isn’t going to be of any use. I’m not receiving any mana with this stupid collar again. It may not even be strong enough if I could.

My bones were still full of mana, at least the ones that weren’t broken by Elveil’s hand. I lost my entire battery, but I wasn’t completely out of mana. I whipped out my hand cannon and aimed it at the dragon.

Kuljack said you can imbue your gun with extra mana to improve its firing power.

How much do I need to use? You know what? Nevermind. I’ll use it all. I’m not taking any chances.

Pouring all the mana in my body into the gun. There was a shift in it. I could feel that I could change the bullet however I wanted. An explosion wasn’t going to be very useful at the moment. Instead, I opted for something with more puncturing power.

With less than one percent mana in my body, my eyelids were starting to get heavy, and my vision was starting to fail. Everything was going dark, but I managed to pull the trigger, and a beam of pure darkness blasted through the dragon’s forehead and out the back.

I received twenty stat points and six million, seven hundred twenty thousand, and eighty shards.

Everything went dark as I collapsed.