“It’s… it's incredible,” Lightpaw whispered in awe, staring up at the Castle of Glass. “It towers into the heavens but does not sway in the wind. It’s illuminated, yet I see not a single candle within. What marvel is this that you have created?”

“What, the lights?” Milly responded, shifting Rain’s weight in her arms. “It’s called electricity. It’s just technology. Honestly, the Castle of Glass is… well… a bit shit.”

“A lot shit,” Calista agreed. “It’s a joke where we are from. A dilapidated structure that changed ownership more often than the Maple Leafs missed the playoffs. And about as successful.”

“Are… are you a hockey fan? That’s hockey, right?” Milly whispered uncertainly.

“Dad was. He’d make me watch,” Calista whispered back. “I only stayed for the popcorn. God, I haven’t thought about that for a long time.”

“Utterly remarkable,” whispered Lightpaw. “Our clans have wandered these lands for generations, but I have never heard of any coming across such a marvelous creation.”

“Well, it’s only been here for two weeks,” Calista said, distracted. She spotted Billy and Ying on the beach, in the middle of a half-built outdoor barbecue restaurant. A dozen picnic tables were built on the sand, their surfaces covered with white table clothes and candles. A frame had been erected for a roof, and four Freelancers had started to fill it in with palm leaf thatch. It resembled something from a Mexican resort.

Billy leaned over an eight-foot-long makeshift grill, constructed from scrap metal, and fueled by a three firepits dug into the sand beneath. The grill sizzled as Billy tossed slabs of meat and wild mushrooms onto its surface. The smell made Milly’s mouth water, even from this distance. She didn’t realize just how hungry she was until now.

Or how tired. It’s been, what? Thirty-five hours since I’ve slept?

Ying spotted them and waved enthusiastically, but her enthusiasm quicky shifted to urgency when she saw Rain in Milly’s arms. She shouted to Billy, who handed his magical spatula to one of the helpers and ran into the Castle of Glass lobby.

Ying dashed in their direction, darting across the sand as she nimbly leapt over fallen trees. She wore a sky-blue robe that draped just below her knees and had a small tiara adorning her head. Three rings on her fingers sparkled with a faint magic glow. Her shoes – the same high heeled shoes she’d had since the start of the God Contest – were covered in blood stains, their heels snapped off.

“Calista! Milly! Oh my god, Rain,” she said as she rushed to Milly’s side. She grimaced when she saw Rain’s shredded leg. “What happened? Where were you? Wait, don’t answer yet. Just let me…”

Ying’s hands glowed healing blue as she placed them over Rain’s heart. Her eyes filled with a bright green flare, and Rain’s body became encompassed in a transparent cocoon of faint green light.

Three windows popped up around Ying, each with a different view of Rain. Her skeleton, her circulatory system, and her skin.

“Those look like hospital scans,” whispered Calista, her voice slightly shaky. “Dad had to get them all the time when he… when he was close to the end.”

“It’s a talent called Health Scan,” answered Ying, her eyes flicking between the three screens. “I learned it yesterday when I hit level fifteen. It lets my healers target their healing magic, increasing both the speed and effectiveness of their spells.”

“Remarkable,” said Lightpaw as he watched with fascination. “Our healers would give anything for that kind of ability.”

Ying peaked around her scans and spotted the elderly fox for the first time. “Calista, why did you bring a monster to the tower?”

“His name is Lightpaw, and he’s not a monster,” Calista said with conviction. “He’s the Chief Elder of the fairies. They need a place to settle and rebuild.”

“And you brought him… here?”

“It’s their only hope for survival.”

Ying looked anxious and closed her scans. “Rain’s in bad shape. The healers that worked on her – your people?”

Lightpaw nodded.

“They were able to stabilize her temporarily. But without the Health Scan talent, healing magic tries to heal all injuries at the same time, both superficial and life-threatening. The more injuries, the more the healing stretches itself thin. We learned that the hard way. Rain has six shattered ribs, internal hemorrhaging, and… and I don’t know about her leg, Calista. I need to get her to my team right away.”

A crowd had started to gather around them. Curious eyes stared at the Witch of the Castle of Glass and The Huntress as much as they gazed at the fox elder. A familiar woman at the back of the crowd dashed into the lobby.

“Shit,” muttered Ying. “That was Edna Carthage. She’ll go straight to Stone and Brass. Let’s get to Freelancer Medical. It’s on the second floor.”

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“I’m not scared of Jacob Stone,” declared Calista, clutching her spear as she walked beside Lightpaw. The Chief Elder stayed close, trying to look stoic, but Milly could tell he was overwhelmed.

“You should be,” Ying countered, as they walked through the glass doors of the Lobby. “They were the ones who bested the Arena of Domination. They’re fucking heroes right now amongst our coworkers that stayed loyal to them. But we shouldn’t talk about that here. Come on.”

The lobby of the Castle of Glass was bustling with activity. Gone were the days when their coworkers simply sheltered in Tower One, too afraid to venture beyond the safety of the towers.

Small groups of players stared down at the map on the floor as they plotted their patrol routes for tomorrow. The area half a mile out from the tower had been completely explored, the fog of war dissipated, though it was still a tiny fragment compared to the vastness of the entire map. Thin exploratory trails ventured beyond that half-mile perimeter, though only three stretched out further than a couple hours walk – the ones that led to the two arenas.

Milly glanced above the lobby door, where the Event Time counted down in its bright red numbers. There were three months, six days, and twelve hours on the clock until the next Event.

A bit of breathing room, I hope. Time to prepare. Time to explore.

A crowd had gathered around the Mission Board, each player holding aloft piles of items that quickly vanished, replaced with small purses filled with gold coins.

One player – an elderly woman who must have been nearly eighty years old – held ten soiled goblin loincloths in her arms. Milly suppressed a chuckle at the relief on her face when the loincloths vanished and were replaced with a fifty-coin purse.

That loincloth was the first item we received, Xavier and me. The first, damned day. He was so happy those first few hours. The happiest I’d ever seen him. What happened to you Xavier? What happened in the Arena of Choice? What happened after you abandoned us?

Milly shook the thoughts away but resolved to find out. But first, she needed to bring Xavier to Freelancer Medical. If Rain was in bad shape, he was worse off. Once they secured safety for the fairies, she would return to the valley for him.

Tutoria’s Emporia was packed with players buying pillows and blankets, utensils, cooking supplies and other creature comforts. Three cradled expensive waypoint crystals in their palms, while others purchased rudimentary armor and weapons.

Milly saw her manager – her former manager – Mr. Fredrickson and his secretary and lover Mrs. Anand purchase a twin-sized bed, following behind the twin Tutorias who carried it into Tower One.

“I guess their affair is still going strong,” whispered Calista, as she pressed the button for the Freelancer Tower elevator. “Lightpaw, how are you holding up?”

Lightpaw ripped his gaze away from the wonders around him and gazed up at Calista. “I feel like I’ve been torn from my world and thrust into the realm of the Ancient Mystics. I am managing, Ms. Gale, but I’m beginning to wonder if Nobori’s belief about you isn’t far off.”

“It’s just technology, Lightpaw,” Milly countered sharply as the elevator arrived and they stepped inside. “Don’t you start with that nonsense too. We’re not gods. We’re stuck here because of them.”

The elevator doors shut, and Lightpaw stumbled as it began to move. Calista caught him before he fell.

“Sorry, Lightpaw. I didn’t think to warn you,” Calista apologized. “You’ll get used to it.”

“Technology,” breathed Lightpaw, as the elevator arrived at the second floor. “Powerful magic.”

The open-concept second floor had been an abandoned, dilapidated space a week ago, filled with cracked windows, stained carpet, and a strong mildew scent that seeped into every nook and cranny.

Now, it was beginning to look like a hospital. Two dozen green army-style cots lined the southern wall, each separated by a white sheet that hung from the ceiling. A pile of bandages sat on a rickety wooden table next to the healing accelerant orb gifted to Ying after the Battle of Tower Beach. Six blue magic replenishment potions, a lighter color than the ones Rain had brewed, sat on an old bookshelf that was missing half its shelves. The most serious cracks in the windows were sealed, though Milly she could still feel a weak draft waft through the space.

Every cot was occupied by an injured player, and painful moans echoed across the floor. A team of ten healers moved from bedside to bedside to check on their patients. Milly recognized the Healer Touch spell, but counted a half dozen others that she didn’t know.

“Milly, bring Rain over here. We’ve got a bed in the corner available,” Ying instructed, leading the way. Milly laid Rain carefully on the cot, careful not to bump her leg.

“Tyrell, I need you over here,” Ying called, and a middle-aged man hurried over. He stared at Rain’s shredded leg and her snapped ankle, and looked like he would vomit.

“Fuck, what happened to her?” he asked, swallowing. “Is that coffee girl? Is that the Witch? What’s with the fox?”

“Doesn’t matter, Tyrell,” Ying said impatiently, her calm shifting to urgency. Her eyes flashed, and the three scans appeared in the air above Rain. “I need you and Sandy to focus on her internal bleeding. If we don’t get that under control, it won’t matter if we heal the rest. I’ll heal her ribs.”

Ying began to unbutton Rain’s bloodied Tailcoat to relieve the pressure on her chest. “Rosalin, I need your Suture Spell. Get her leg under control, or she’s going to lose it. When Cecil is finished with Naomi, have him help you. I don’t want to lose our only barista.

“Fuck, I haven’t had a coffee in two weeks,” whined Tyrell as he pressed his hands to Rain’s stomach and began his spell.

The elevator dinged, and Elmer and Billy stepped into the hospital. Elmer caught a glimpse of Rain’s mangled leg and rushed to her bedside.

He gave Calista a quick hug. “Boy, am I glad to see you two lovebirds,” he said, relief evident in his voice. “Your timing couldn’t be better. We could really use your help.”

“Stone?” asked Milly with a touch of venom.

He demonized me. Made me into a symbol of fear. The enemy of the tower. I let him walk all over me. But things have changed. I’m not his meek employee any longer.

“… A lot has changed in a week,” answered Elmer as he gazed down at Lightpaw. “For you as well, I see. Let’s not talk here. I’ve got someone waiting in the war room for us.”

Milly glanced back at Rain as her desire to help clashed with her reluctance to leave her best friend’s side.

“Go with Elmer,” Ying urged. “You’ll just be in the way if you stay here. My team will do everything they can for Rain, but she won’t wake up for days. This amount of healing takes a real toll on the body and she will need her rest.”

Calista grabbed Milly’s hand. “Come on, love,” she whispered as they stepped into the elevator. “We’ve got work to do.”

Milly’s eyes did not leave Rain until the elevator closed.

I’ll protect you, Rain. I’ll protect everyone. I swear it.

A tiny lightning bolt arched between Milly’s fingers, as her magic slowly returned.

And if Stone or Brass tries to harm you or Cally, they’ll learn just how powerful I’ve become.