In a straight-up fight, Kaiden knew he was no match for Boork, but the element of surprise was a hell of a thing. The temporary stat boost from the Bracer artifact and the sheer lethality of the Striker artifact gave him the edge he desperately needed.

Boork screamed in pain as Kaiden’s momentum drove him backward, the spear sinking deeper into his midsection. Kaiden used every ounce of strength to keep pushing, forcing the mercenary behind the frozen forms of Ashkar and Zinnia. Their faces, mostly likely would’ve been twisted in shock and astonishment, if they weren’t frozen like portraits. Their mouths barely moved as muffled encouragements and warnings reached Kaiden's ears.

Boork gritted his teeth, his free hand lashing out to grab Kaiden’s wrist. With a surge of strength, he twisted and yanked, sending Kaiden stumbling sideways. Kaiden barely managed to yank the spear free as he staggered, blood spurting from the gaping wound in Boork’s abdomen. The weapon pulsed quickly, absorbing the blood coating its edge until it was pristine once more. The sight was unsettling, but Kaiden didn’t have time to dwell on it. He needed to press his advantage.

“Fuck!” Boork roared, his other hand pressed tightly against his wound. For a moment, Kaiden thought the mercenary might collapse, but the man wasn’t done. A dagger appeared in Boork’s hand and he reared his arm back.

Kaiden knew what was coming and summoned his Tenfold Shield. It burst into existence, a wall of nine small shields formed around the centerpiece on his left forearm. The dagger hurtled forward, hitting one of the shields with a loud bang that sent vibrations up Kaiden’s arm. The impact knocked him back a step, but the shield held firm.

Boork sneered. “What the fuck is that?” he spat, blood trailing from his lips. “I’m gonna fucking kill you!”

Kaiden merged the floating shields into a single one strapped to his forearm. Boork didn’t wait; another dagger materialized in his hand, and he lunged with surprising strength, aiming for Kaiden’s exposed neck.

Kaiden’s Fangclaw shifted into a sword in an instant, and he swung it up just in time to deflect the blow. Sparks flew as metal met metal, the dagger glancing off Kaiden’s blade. Boork followed up with another strike, his movements wild but precise. Kaiden took a slash on the shoulder, pivoting and slamming the shield against Boork’s injured side.

The mercenary grunted in pain, staggering back. Kaiden’s chest heaved as he raised the sword painfully as blood dripped from his wound. He didn’t have much time left with the Bracer’s stat boost, and he didn’t bother with Healing Touch.

Boork roared, his frustration boiling over as he summoned another dagger and threw it in a single fluid motion. Kaiden raised the shield, deflecting the blade, but the force pushed him back.

The mercenary charged, his movements more sluggish now as blood poured from his wound. Kaiden sidestepped, thrusting his sword toward Boork’s exposed side. The blade grazed the mercenary’s armor, but it wasn’t a clean hit. Boork twisted, swinging his dagger in a wide arc, forcing Kaiden to leap back to avoid the strike just barely.

Three seconds left. The thought rang in Kaiden’s mind like a warning bell.

Gritting his teeth, Kaiden lunged forward again, feinting left before pivoting and driving the blade into Boork’s chest. The mercenary’s eyes went wide, and for a split second, Kaiden thought it was over.

But Boork wasn’t finished. His hand lashed out, grabbing the blade of Kaiden’s sword. Blood trickled down his fingers, but he didn’t let go. With a guttural growl, he yanked the sword downward, pulling Kaiden off balance. He raised his other hand, a new dagger forming in his grip.

Kaiden’s heart raced as he summoned every ounce of strength left in him. With a desperate roar, he surged forward, slamming his shield into Boork’s face. The mercenary’s head snapped back, and he stumbled, releasing Kaiden’s sword.

Time’s up!

Kaiden didn’t hesitate. He shifted his grip on the sword and drove it forward one last time, the blade plunging deep into Boork’s chest. The mercenary’s dagger fell from his hand, clattering to the ground.

Boork’s knees buckled as he stared at Kaiden, disbelief etched into his face. “How… is this possible?” he rasped, blood bubbling from his lips. His body swayed, and Kaiden stepped back, letting the man collapse to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Kaiden stood there, chest heaving as the adrenaline coursing through him began to wane. For a moment, all he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat, loud and steady in his ears as he stared down at Boork's lifeless body, his breathing ragged.

The sword in his hand shimmered faintly as it absorbed the blood coating its blade, leaving it pristine as if the fight had never happened. Its eerie, blood-absorbing nature added to the surreal weight of the moment. He had killed a man. Yet, the surge of guilt or despair he had expected didn’t come. Instead, there was relief—palpable and raw.

Relieved that it was over. Relieved that Boork, a man who had planned to torture and kill him over a dungeon artifact, would never be able to harm him or anyone else again.

Kaiden couldn’t ignore the bitter irony of it all. That damn lobster tail—the very thing Boork had been so fixated on—had ultimately saved Kaiden’s life. If Boork hadn’t been so consumed by his greed and desire to punish Kaiden, he would have killed him outright after sealing Ashkar and Zinnia. Instead, Boork had indulged in a sadistic chase, giving Kaiden just enough time to gain the tools and strength he needed to fight back.

The Bracer artifact had been instrumental. Its healing abilities and temporary stat boost had given Kaiden a fighting chance since he knew that Boork was a much stronger fighter. The surprise attack had made all the difference, delivering a grievous wound before the fight could truly begin. Without it, the temporary stat boost and artifacts wouldn’t have saved him.

He slapped Healing Touch on his shoulder, soothing the injury. As the warm, mending energy flowed through him, he glanced down at the mercenary’s body. There was no satisfaction in the kill, but neither was there regret. Boork had made his intentions clear. He was a threat Kaiden couldn’t afford to leave alive. Survival had demanded this outcome.

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“What’s going on over there?” Ashkar’s voice boomed from behind, his tone sharp with concern.

“Kaiden?” Zinnia called out, her voice hopeful and strained. “Are you okay?”

Kaiden exhaled heavily. “I’m alive,” he called back, his voice steadier than he expected.

Dismissing his weapon, Kaiden turned toward the pair, still trapped in their bubble-like barriers, and started walking over. He didn’t need to free them now since the timer would release them in just under ten minutes. It made more sense to wait it out rather than fret over the time prison. Instead, he figured he’d use the time to address their inevitable questions. For a moment, he toyed with the idea of just leaving through the portal. After all, Ashkar and Zinnia would be fine without him. But he quickly abandoned the thought.

He knew he was already in deep shit with the military and couldn’t just waltz back into Camp Thorne like nothing had happened after missing his orders. He distinctly remembered Zinnia saying she’d take care of it, but he hadn’t pressed her for details at the time. Surviving the dungeon had been his priority then; the consequences could wait.

Now, though, Kaiden realized how much he needed her. Zinnia was clearly a big deal, and she had the connections to pull strings that might save him from whatever punishment awaited. He was sure this was a world filled with bribes and favors. Abandoning her now would almost certainly revoke whatever protection she intended to offer.

“How are you alive?” Zinnia asked.

“And the merc?” Ashkar added.

Kaiden hesitated for only a moment before answering. “I used a very rare potion to heal myself,” he said, keeping his tone as casual as he could muster. “And I killed Boork. The surprise hit I got on him was enough to wound him badly. He couldn’t fight back after that.”

Their faces, frozen by the time prison’s hold, gave him no clues about what they thought of his explanation. The silence stretched uncomfortably, and Kaiden felt his palms start to sweat. They saw his hand get cut off and Boork beating him down. He wasn’t sure if there were potions that could heal wounds so quickly, but he wanted to avoid talks of his artifacts as much as possible, figuring it was better to keep it a secret. The potion he could explain as a gift, but the spear wasn't going to be so easy.

Clearing his throat, he added, “It wasn’t pretty, but... he’s dead. And you were right, Zinnia—he was a bastard to the very end.”

Zinnia made a sound that might have been a scoff, though it was hard to tell. “A rare potion?” she repeated, her skepticism evident even with her limited movements. “A potion that could heal a severed hand in seconds is more than just rare.”

“Forget the potion,” Ashkar said, his tone sharp. “The merc. Where’s his body?”

Kaiden hesitated, then motioned behind the pair where Boork’s lifeless form lay sprawled.

“Go get it,” Ashkar ordered.

Kaiden complied, walking back to the corpse and grabbing it by the arms. He began dragging the mercenary’s body forward so Ashkar and Zinnia could see. Unlike monsters, humans didn’t dissolve into pink mist.

“Good. I had to make sure,” Ashkar said once the body was in view. His gaze lingered on Kaiden, sharp and probing. “Now, I’m not going to ask about that spear you seemed to summon out of thin air.”

Kaiden held back a wince. He knew this was coming.

Ashkar continued, “Since you killed the bastard, I’ll take it as thanks and won’t pry into your secrets. Instead, I need you to check something for me.”

Kaiden exhaled, relieved by the reprieve, but his relief was short-lived.

“My little Kaiden,” Zinnia chimed in, her voice sweet yet edged with a promise, “we’re going to have a nice, long chat later.”

Kaiden’s shoulders tensed at her words, but Ashkar interrupted, pulling his focus. “Is there a marble on the merc’s body? Just look with your eyes.”

Kaiden raised a brow at the strange question but turned his attention back to Boork’s body. Sure enough, there was a tiny black marble tucked just beneath the edge of the mercenary’s armor, pressed against his skin.

“Yes,” Kaiden said, reaching out to grab it.

“Don’t touch it!” Ashkar barked.

Kaiden’s hand jerked back as if he’d touched something burning. “What is that thing?” he asked, eyeing the marble warily.

“His inventory,” Ashkar replied curtly.

“His inventory?” Kaiden echoed, his confusion clear.

Zinnia took over, her tone casual as if explaining the obvious. “When someone with an inventory dies, all the possessions stored there manifest back into the real world as a marble.”

“Will touching it harm me?” Kaiden asked, still eyeing the black sphere suspiciously.

Ashkar said, “No, but picking it up will destroy all soulbound items it contains within.”

“What do you mean?”

“Normally, when you die, any soulbound items you have are lost with you. But I have a special ability that allows me to sever the soulbond connection. That lets me retrieve everything stored inside the marble.”

Zinnia exclaimed, “I’ve never heard of anyone with that ability!”

“And I didn’t intend to share it with anyone. But I’m feeling generous right now,” Ashakr said.

“You think the artifact you need might’ve been soulbound by Boork?” Kaiden asked.

“I do,” Ashkar replied without hesitation.

Kaiden furrowed his brow. “But he wanted to give it to General Thorne. Wouldn’t that be impossible if he soulbound it?”

Ashkar said, “Not necessarily. Normally, yes, that would be the case. But if I have a way to undo soulbindings, then it’s possible Thorne does as well. More likely, though, Boork soulbound it to force Thorne to keep him close—since only he could use it.”

“I see,” Kaiden said slowly.

Zinnia’s voice chimed in, light but with an edge of curiosity. “Aren’t you concerned with how openly Ash here opposes Thorne? He’s your general, after all.”

Kaiden blinked, realizing she had a point. But deep down, he knew it didn’t matter. Same army or not, he and the general were worlds apart. He’d already gathered from Boork’s taunts that General Thorne wouldn’t blink twice if Kaiden were tortured or killed. He didn’t want to get tangled up in Ashkar or Thorne’s world any more than he already had. It was dangerous, and he was too weak for it.

He shrugged, his voice resigned. “General Thorne doesn’t care about me. Boork made it sound like it’d be easy for him to torture and kill me with Thorne’s blessing, which probably means he’s done it before.”

Plus, the general’s kind of an asshole, he thought to himself. He didn’t feel right badmouthing his chain of command in front of people outside the military, even if they clearly weren’t loyal to him either.

“Well said,” Ashkar said, his tone faintly approving. “You absoltuely don’t want to get mixed up in our battle.”

Zinnia asked, “So, you gonna tell us what the artifact is now that you’re in such a generous mood?”

“No,” Ashkar said flatly. “Just trust me—you’re better off not knowing. Especially not in front of Kaiden. There’s always a chance the general will question him later.”

Kaiden’s stomach turned at that. It was the first time Ashkar had actually used his name. Was it a sign of respect? But what truly gnawed at him was the mention of possibly being questioned by the general later.

Shit, he thought, suddenly overwhelmed with questions. Was the artifact really that important? What did it do? Why did Ashkar and Thorne seem so desperate for it? He knew he wasn’t going to get any answers anytime soon, so he shifted his focus to something else, hoping to gain at least one insight while Ashkar was in a talking mood.

“Is General Thorne really a Dragoon?” Kaiden asked hesitantly.

Before anyone could answer, the shimmering magic around Ashkar and Zinnia shattered like glass, breaking the time prison.

Zinnia stretched languidly, looking refreshed as though she’d just woken from a nap. But Ashkar’s expression was the polar opposite. His gaze was sharp, deadly serious, as he looked directly into Kaiden’s eyes.

“Yes,” he said simply.