Drenar is mildly annoyed at how Evan had been making sort-of-joking bets on their continued well-being when they reconvened at Nick’s house later. They're now bunkered down in the den, going over the details of the day. If the crisis wasn’t so time sensitive, he wouldn’t mind browsing the selection of books in the room–all nicely tucked away and organized, too. The room also smells of crisp paper and wood varnish for some reason–that's an odd one to note, with his developing sense of smell. But the trim work in the house is well done and accented.

But critical matters first: they'd scouted out the means and methods to get in and out, and laid out the plan.

He's also thinking about the entire past day. It feels like a lifetime.

Stop stewing you teenage dragon, let's keep our heads in the game. Alex’s prickly remark causes him to reflexively roll his eyes, and Julia nudges him. We can give King a pre-scheduled appointment with rehabilitation of his legs later. I know this morning was…well, I understand completely why you buried those memories deep down.

He lets out a gentle nod of his head out of reflex. Living down that memory isn't easy, Alex. It's always going to be there. But it's where I was, not where I am now. He glances down at his wrist, and feels a twinge. It happens every now and then, but he's had full functionality ever since. Never again. Ive got people to fight for. People who've had my back at every turn. I can't let them down.

Julia nudges him again and gives him a gruff sound. “You good?”

“Yeah. Alex is encouraging me. In his own way,” he adds wryly.

I’m always here for you, Drenar. You don’t have to face the void alone.

Believe me, that means a lot more to me than it ever did before. I’m not alone in this fight. I never will be.

Drenar clears his throat after examining the situation. “Here's the play. Three teams. Team one–that’s me, Julia, and Levine–get inside the teleportal maintenance area. Team two, you’re the diversionary team, that's Angela and Nick. Team three, James and Evan, running surveillance at the library."

“Great, so we get the easy job while being cut off from the badasses of the team?” James asks with a wary face. He’s trying to arch his back slightly, and an arcane barrier flutters around him for an instant. “Drenar, I am not very bullet-resistant yet. Can you not see I am a level one weak-ass mage right now?”

“Do mages have levels?” Drenar asks dryly.

“He qualifies as level one,” Nick comments shrewdly. “They even have formulas for it.”

“Oh, that’s a lie–” Nick lightly tosses a handbook to James, who catches it reflexively. James frowns and peers through the bookmark that Nick had conveniently placed, and then makes a strangled groan. “No. It’s worse. I qualify as level zero?! Who wrote this crap?!”

“An esteemed author,” Levine adds with a wolfish grin. “Now, back on task. The distraction team is going to make noise to draw the garrison and divert eyes. At the same time, we’re drawing heat off Drenar from the team shadowing us–Jackie, and the other gentleman who is a mid-level Talons officer. I’ve got good reason to believe he’s keeping a team in reserve.”

“Hang on. If the Talons start shooting, we’re gonna be responsible for that,” Julia counters with a growl. “We don’t risk people’s lives, Levine!”

“Oh, you haven’t heard the rest of the plan yet. We’re going to take them out. Nonlethally if possible. We can’t have them tailing us once we make the break for the facility–”

“Non-lethal, period. We aren’t getting Jackie killed,” Julia growls. “And I say that after she messed up Evan but good. Getting roughed up isn't nowhere close to warranting death.”

“Fine. Non-lethal. As soon as we conk them out, we need to beeline it out of there. I’ve mapped out our departure route, the same way we came in, by the side entrance that leads to the parking garage. Back-up locations include the mall entrance, here. And the one by the marina. Should be well covered.”

“So we’re supposed to short out surveillance and make noise, get Jackie to follow like an idiot, along with blondie, conk them out, and leave them for SAF to take care of. Super risky,” James assesses. “There are unknown factors. If Val’s men are also in town and we make a lot of noise, they won’t hesitate to make it a murder gallery.”

“We lure them to an old warehouse adjacent to our distraction point. We take them out, tie them up, and make our way to the library. Evan will be with James to spot when the failsafe triggers, and make sure the coast is clear. You see anyone eyeballing you, abort,” Levine states firmly. “Julia, Drenar, and myself, should be able to short out the console without causing permanent damage. My theory is that doing so will abort the assault if they somehow have a master override key for the portal. I checked. The portal in town is the only known relay point into Asqualia."

“How armed are we going for this one?” James asks warily.

“Heavily. I’ll have the dimensional armory on me,” Nick states. “Just know that if things go bad, we may be in the fight of our lives. Protect yourself and your team, first.

“Once we’re in, we activate Kyle’s golem. We send a signal, and we lock up the entrance behind us. After that, we go into the research center, and see where the situation is at. We get the research journals, make a copy for ourselves, and get them far, far away from there.”

“Got an idea for that?” Levine asks.

“No, you do.” Levine winces at the response from Nick.

“We're gonna play that card? She’s gonna be pissed at me, for reasons I don’t want to get into right here.”

“We don’t have a choice. I’m betting it all on them now,” Nick states firmly with arms crossed. “This is the time to call it. We don’t know how badly SAF is corroded by the Talons. This didn’t happen overnight, Levine. Our group has been remarkably stable and you pick people you trust, but outside our small circle?”

He leaves the question hanging uncomfortably.

“Okay. This is going to earn me a death wish,” Levine growls.

“I’m sorry, we’re already courting death,” Drenar states abruptly. “How do we earn more of a death wish?”

“Put Julia in the front-of-the-line formation,” James chimes in.

“No really Levine, who are we calling on this one?” Drenar ignores the acerbic wit of his rival for a moment.

Levine mulls it for a second. “A Valkyrie I’ve been in contact with over the years. She uh…gave me her number, let’s say.”

Julia lets out a whistle and grins at this. “Oh, we would love to hear how this one plays out, Levine. Do indulge us.”

“On my grave,” he utters dreadfully. “Let’s just say that I don’t want to give out more than the bare minimum on this one. We can trust her to get these academic journals a safe haven that even Valosterla can’t get to. Valhalla.”

“So it’s a real place?” Angela brightens at this mention.

“It’s a fortified base of operation for the Valkyries. One of several, but it’s their main headquarters. The view is quite lovely, I hear. I’ve never been, and neither has Nick. You either need to be a Valkyrie, or one hell of an exemplary human being to be granted access,” Levine states. “We will not be using the teleportal at Asqualia. I plan to disable it once we get there. It’s the only means that Valosterla’s men could ever launch a big enough assault. I am not sure the biometric ID deterrant doesn't have a workaround, and that worries me.”

“What’s the long-term plan? Assuming this goes well, how are we indicating to Val that the place isn’t worth chasing?”

“Oh, that’s easy. We just send out a big old announcement that their princess is in another castle,” Drenar quips. "We leave it in a forum they'll get the hint. We make sure everyone in SAF knows about this, afterwards."

"There goes my day job. We still have a task later to root out traitors," Levine mulls while tapping the display. It shifts position on the map, and he swipes it back after a second. "Sorry."

“So what about the contingency if we get there, and the place is on fire already?” James asks dreadfully.

“That’s where it pays to be a dragon with reinforced arcane barriers, armor scales, and keeping the weapons fire away from everyone who isn’t. Evan, you need to stay here, and keep an eye out for anyone creeping around.” His brother leers at him, mouth slightly open.

“You are relegating me to the bench again Drenar. Why?” His contempt for Drenar’s instruction stings like acid.

“Because you aren’t combat ready–”

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

“Ah bullshit, I can fry some mercs. I’m good with killing people who mean grievous harm or death to others.”

“Saying that, and then experiencing it are two different things, lad,” Levine cautions. “Even the best-trained soldier can break down on neutralizing their first foes. Do not treat it lightly. I’ll have a job for you, surveillance and signals intelligence. You’ll be our ears here at base. If things go to hell, if you hear a confirmation from me or Drenar that things are bad, I’m going to send a command code, that’ll get you in touch with my Valkyrie associate. Are we clear?”

“Shouldn’t James be doing this?”

"Okay, that's enough, now. James is competent under fire, he did alright at the ranger station,” Nick comments. “Plus, he’s a decent shot with an autobow. Surprisingly.”

“Can’t wait to add fireballs to my spellbook,” he says with a grin. “Seriously, how does it work?”

“Draconic incantations. It helps shape the mana in the body, but you’ll have a tough time this early out of the gate.” Levine hands him a book he’d kept stacked precariously over a few volumes of arcanist theory and a well-earmarked book about magitech weaponry maintenance. “Study. Learn. But do not attempt to try something you’re not ready for, or it could kill you. I’m not kidding. I’ve met too many young kids who got hurt doing something foolish. Even for the right reasons.”

“Got it,” he affirms. “Back to the plan. Let’s say the Talons are in full assault. We need a plan to reconvene with people inside Asqualia. Know anything of the layout, Levine?”

“I’ve never been there. Heard about it, it’s like an old medieval fortress updated for modern aesthetics. Lots of routes, secrets, things that the Talons won’t know, but we will, if Joey and Kyle can meet up with us. Getting into contact with them and locking down the facility is the priority.”

They continue talking for a little while, then everyone is dismissed when Levine wraps up, along with Nick giving everyone the advice to rest well, and do something to destress. Drenar knows it’s a perfect time to stretch his limbs. He heads back down to the training center downstairs. He’s going to need to practice more in his dragon form.

Because based on how this has been escalating, he’s going to need to pull out all the stops. A glance at his now naked wrist, just below his sleeve, is all he needs as a reminder.

A few minutes later he’s taken his dragon form, and goes through his moves. The room he is in is hexagonal, with vaulted ceilings in various cool color tones painted on the concrete walls, along with little shadow boxes for training equipment. Most items are in matte and black grilled lockers and cases, a lot of it protected by mage-reinforced safety glass. The arena is concrete with padding in the center, and small textured grip pads that his clawed feet find steady footing on. Bright lighting is provided on the walls and the ceiling–he could almost fly in this room!

Better to not, though. He doesn’t need to break something, or himself, right before a day that could decide the lives of a lot of people. Including his friends. He sways gracefully, going through motions–a sharp jab with an elbow, a lash of a tail, all on two legs. Being on four limbs feels–strange.

He’s also learning to use his wings for quick adjustments of balance. But he keeps them tucked in–he does not want to give his opponents something to grab. But his powerful, muscular tail is a deadly weapon when he crushes a target effortlessly. He winces.

Nick’s not going to be happy about that one. He sets up another one with delicate placement, and nods satisfactorily.

Everything that Julia had taught him for close quarters. Moving gracefully as a dragon is a little tougher than he thought.

Especially when his tail lashes one of the various training dummies, and knocks it waywardly towards the steel and concrete wall of the large training area. He winces again.

Two dummies down. He doubts Diane is going to be happy about him using her charge card to replace that one, too.

Drenar used steel tail. It was super effective. Alex chortles in the background, and he laughs in tandem. This dragon is now becoming rehearsed in his nerd knowledge in all the best ways.

He sets up a few more, these ones are made of simple stuffing. He extends his claws, and retracts them slowly on his hands. It feels strange how they flex in and out. He doesn’t seem to need to focus other than tensing them. Maybe he could find a dragon-sized keyboard for this, if he got used to it.

Do dragons need keyboards? Does his phone work with the scales on his hands? He grabs it off the bench he placed his stuff on earlier–he’s wearing just the mimetic shirt and leggings that Nick had handed him, everything else is sitting there.

The phone is going to get crushed if he’s not careful, but he slides his ‘thumb’ across the interface. He can still feel the glass texture over his scales, but it’s more muted than his human form. And it does work! Well that’s something, at least.

You have an odd way of relaxing, you know that?

“Hey Alex,” he says in a low voice. Since no one is around–strangely–he can at least talk aloud. “Get lonely in there?”

Sort of. You need to practice your telekinetics, too. Just because you can tank hits, doesn’t mean your friends can, to the same degree. And you can blast opponents off their feet. Hit them hard enough, and you’ll smash them into the landscape–

He reflexively closes his hand, and shakes his head. “No. Alex, we’ve been over this. Only if we have to. Leaving a trail of dead bodies behind me isn’t an option.”

What if it was Valosterla, and Julia’s life was on the line?

“That’s different.”

You know tomorrow could end badly, Drenar. Are you prepared for what that entails, to defend yourself? Angela, Julia, James, and the rest?

“Of course I’m prepared. I can make peace with that,” he says softly. He glances down at his wrist again–a faint line, across his scales. The scar transcends the physical, in a sense. Angela also has light scarring from her heart surgery too, now that he thinks about it.

She hasn’t really talked about that one, either, and he lets out a resigned sigh. He’s not the only one bearing figurative and literal scars now.

What about Joey?

“Oh, this again? Come on Alex, I just met a young woman over a Zoom call with a magical robot! Man, that sounded less weird in my head,” he says as an afterthought.

Much as I try to shy away from women who have red hair, for reasons that still seem to be baked-in fear…she’s cute.

“Just met her, man. Not going over this again,” Drenar growls.

“Not going over, what, exactly?” He’d heard Julia padding down the stairs before, but he wanted to at least get that last thought out to Alex.

“Alex is giving the coach's speech. In a way,” he says with generous liberty, and she’s eyeing him, taking in his newly acquired form.

I cannot wait to be liberated from your body so I can get my side of the story out, you teenage delinquent.

Hey, I’m far more classy than that! He turns to address Julia, who has started to shift to her dragon form and is eyeing an oversized staff that seems to be just sized for her larger form. He still can’t get over that lovely burnished gold color of her scales, or the seafoam and black feathers that adorn where her hair would be now, or how her eyes shine like sapphires even in the absence of light.

“Gonna give a girl her privacy to transform?” she teases.

“You walked in here, you know. I’ve been here a bit. Just…trying to prepare myself.”

“You know instead of murdering training dummies, you should fight someone at or above your skill level.” She tilts her head and wears that toothy smirk he’s come to associate with her. “Well, c’mon! This place is awesome, so let’s use it for what it’s intended for!”

“Are you going to be gentle with me, or are you going to go full tilt?”

“Full tilt,” she breezes while stretching her wings. “You’ve earned it. Still giving some thought to this morning?”

“It’s…” he trails off, and he feels her gaze wandering. “There’s been a lot of stuff going through my head about this. About King. About Mom.”

“Then fight through it. Come on. Let’s fight and talk.”

He retracted his claws a little–no need to get injured, and it means his handshakes won't be quite so deadly. He takes a readied stance after motioning to her, tail coiled behind him and his wings pressed against his back. This stance, with the new leg structure, still feels a little different. But he’s learning the feel of it.

This must be what it feels like to be an apex predator.

She launches after him, testing his range with a series of sweeping strikes. She’s probing, one jab after another. A high kick with a clawed foot that he catches, but then–

Nope, he forgot the tail, which lashes around his legs and pulls his footing out from under him, and he smacks into the floor, wings folded awkwardly beneath him. She’s grinning at him and practically bounces off him. “I win.”

“One round? Nah, you’ve got more than that. Are we doing magical stuff or is this just skill of arms and kicks and…tail whip attacks.” he tilts his head. “I have this overwhelming urge to call out Pokémon attack names right now. Dragonite used dragon rage, it was super effective!”

Julia charges at him again, putting him on the defensive. He won’t be fooled this time and slides back, dodging the sweeping kick of a leg, the flurry of blows aimed at him. She’s aggressive but she’s also highly precise. He blocks her strikes and grabs her wrist, and manages to impact her into the wall. She’s not phased by this and tries again with the tail sweep. He uses his own to wrap and hold her in position, and he smirks.

“Hey, You know the term, ‘sweep the leg’ also applies to tails now–” he stops and glances down. That motion had driven an odd sensation and she lets out a slight gasp. The scales on her face are rosy gold again. And then it occurs to him what it feels like with a slight sensation reminiscent of–

Oh. Did I forget the base of the tail can be a slight erogenous zone–

Julia flings Drenar and Alex to the wayside, and he feels his chest scales scraping across the floor.

Ow. Should have mentioned that one sooner.

“Wow, Drenar, getting bold there!” Julia laughs. “Trying to woo me with suave moves, you!”

“Alex gave me the heads-up on that one. Sorry,” he gasps when he picks himself up on the floor. “That one was not in Amaranth’s book,” he mutters, and she titters in laughter.

“Now you have to buy me dinner, Drenar!” she says with a bright-eyed look and a tense stance. “But first, you gotta knock me to the floor!”

“Done!” He surges forward and–

There’s a flash of bright light and he’s right next to Julia, already in motion and toppling her with a sweep and pinning her down. She shouts in protest, but also she’s stunned. As is he when he looks around, bewildered.

“I–wasn’t I just–” he looks to where he last remembered–-did he lose track? She looks at him, blue eyes bewildered. Then, she smiles widely.

“Drenar. You teleported,” she breathes.

“Uh, excuse me. Say what?”

“What. Baka.”