~~~Stanley~~~

"I knew you'd come."

The voice sounded smug, but Stanley had plenty of time to react with Still Mind active, so he knew the skeleton that appeared behind him was another illusion before it finished talking. He even had time to study it with both his eyes and domain.

It looked like a human skeleton and not one of the four-armed, ten-foot-tall invaders. Of course, seeing as it was an illusion, its appearance meant little. It could very well be an invader masquerading as a human, though he doubted it. What would be the point? A new approach after the previous recruitments had failed? No. It was far more likely this was Sam's friend.

As for knowing he'd come... had Eve's camera been discovered after all? Or were the undead spying on the humans as well? Nate had been worried about that eventuality and supposedly taken countermeasures, but with no confirmed spying attempts blocked, there was no way to say if his measures were working or not.

"You seemed like the sore loser type!" the smug voice finally finished gloating. So maybe they were only spying on Stanley? Maybe simply seeing his soul was enough for them to know he would come back?

Unlike the illusion of Sam, the skeletal illusion carried no soul he could sense or see as it stood before him. Not at first.

"Though..." the skeleton's perpetually grinning mouth didn't move as it spoke, but the glowing red lights shining from empty eye sockets flickered with each word. Its head tilted, and the red light of its eyes swirled with new colors—the colors of a soul peeking out. An undead soul. "Oh. I guess that explains why you're not acting like you usually do. You know, like an angry asshole?"

It was using Soul Sight and had recognized his Still Mind. Had Sam told it about the skill, or did it know something more? If it could see his emotions, then it would be obvious. Unless it could see the actual skill at work?

This wasn't the first time he'd felt someone using Soul Sight on him, but it felt different now. This thing's soul felt very similar to the invaders, but it also felt less... substantial? It definitely lacked the weight and pressure he remembered. Perhaps because this thing was so much weaker... or because he had gotten stronger since. It mostly reminded him of the former human who had helped that first skeleton chase him across the city. He'd never actually gotten around to killing that one for good... had he? He couldn't remember, but he'd also never seen it again. Hopefully it had been among the casualties when he was throwing source around later that night.

"You got that skill from the D-grade, right?" the skeleton asked, eyes and soul flashing. The soul peeking through its eyes had been angry at first, but that anger was quickly being overshadowed by curiosity and... jealousy? "You're so lucky, and I really don't get why you don't use it constantly. Is it too draining, or do you just like being angry all the time? Wait, what's the skill actually called!?"

Stanley didn't reply. Curiosity was good, and the longer he could keep it here, the better. Because he was having trouble tracking the origin of this projection. It was using Soul Sight, and so technically looking through the illusion's eyes. He should be able to follow it back to its source... or maybe not. Eve left pieces of her soul in her machines, but there was no tether running back to her, at least not one he'd ever detected. Which meant he'd need to follow the magic instead. Something he was terrible at. He should have brought a wizard...

Its curiosity shifted back into anger. "Just going to ignore me?"

Stanley ramped up Soul Sight as he swept his gaze around the area. Now that he knew what its soul looked like, maybe he could... He saw nothing matching the soul in its eyes. Especially not against the thick backdrop of the thousands of souls filling the stadium, not to mention the souls of his allies waiting tensely beside him.

No undead at all... aside from the illusion. Was this a trap? Or something else?

Fortunately, he could feel its magic buzzing within his domain. Enough that he could follow the lines of it running outward. Unfortunately, the magic lines ran in multiple directions, and he couldn't track them outside his domain. Even if he was quick, he couldn't follow all of them fast enough, and unless he got lucky in picking the right trail, it would have time to escape. Perhaps even if he picked right...

"Fine!" it exclaimed, eyes flashing and bony fingers curling into fists. "I guess I'll just tell the Eternals you're here, and you can talk with them instead! Is that what you want!?"

That was... interesting. It wasn't here on behalf of the invaders? Then why? Wasn't it one of them now? They must know it was here and what it was doing. Or could it really be this simple? He nodded. "Do it."

The skeleton slumped ever so slightly. Not enough for his eyes to pick up on, but his domain saw it. Plus, its soul told him things wouldn't be that easy. Predictably. "You were bluffing," Stanley said. "They are too scared to face me."

Its soul bristled. "They don't fear you! They just... don't want to fight you yet. But they will eventually! And it will be too late for..."

"Then why are you here?" Stanley asked. "I doubt you are powerful enough to stop me yourself, especially since you didn't come in person."

"I want you to leave Sam alone! Or else..." It hesitated.

"I don't care about Sam," Stanley said honestly. "The only reason I came here was to find you. Or, ideally, your masters."

"They aren't my masters!"

"Really? Then tell me where to find them, and I'm gone. You and Sam will have no more trouble with me. I don't even care that you went and joined them." He truly didn't. Sure, this person, or former person, was a traitor to humanity, but he had far more pressing concerns. "I only want to escape this dungeon."

"I..." The skeleton's soul fluctuated. "I took an oath and can't tell you where they are."

"So they are your masters, and worse, you signed up for it willingly."

"It's not like that!"

"How? Did they force the oath? Or did you simply trade away your freedom for a few scraps of power?" It was foolish, if so. Nate had already proven with a few people that you didn't need to start with a strong class to become powerful. You just had to work harder. "What good is having power if you're not free?"

"Freedom is an illusion!" the skeleton said with a violent shake of its head and venom in its soul. "It always has been!"

Stanley didn't agree, not completely, though he might once have. He'd gained greater understanding about a lot of things during his time in this dungeon. Freedom, as he'd known it before, was never really what people liked to think it was. It had always been conditional, vulnerable, and liable to vanish without warning. Now he knew without a doubt that freedom existed—real freedom—and it only required one thing. "Freedom isn't an illusion. Not if you're powerful enough."

The skeleton laughed. "Seriously!? Sure, you might be powerful, maybe even the strongest individual, but you're still trapped in this dungeon, aren't you?"

"Not forever."

"You know what?" It scoffed. "You might be right. Power is freedom, or the closest thing we'll ever get to it, but it's never enough. No matter how powerful you become, there will always be someone stronger. Someone telling you what you can and can't do! It's the way it has always been and the way it will always be."

Stanley nodded. "Yes, and I will be the someone stronger. No matter what it takes." He didn't look away from the skeleton but addressed those behind him. "Brett, can you touch this thing?"

Brett shook his head warily, and anger flared in the illusion's red eyes. "I'm not a thing!" Its gaze turned toward Brett. "And you're worse than the Eternals for wanting to use that power on Sam! You talk about trading away my freedom when you would strip everything away from someone simply because they don't obey you!"

It knew about Brett and his power, which meant it might have been spying on the humans at the very least. Or worse, they had a traitor in their midst, and Nate had missed it. A problem for later.

"I don't care what you are," Stanley said. "I don't care that Sam refused to help me. The issue is that you both turned your backs on humanity, literally and figuratively. Working with our enemies makes you an enemy as well. You chose your side, and Sam did the same. What did you expect would happen? This is a war for survival as much as it is for freedom."

"You don't have to do this," the skeleton said, a hint of pleading entering its tone. "This fighting is pointless! The Eternals don't want to kill any of us! All we have to do is join them. So what if you have to change your race to do so? I'm as alive as you are, and you don't even have to go this far! They have race options that are practically indistinguishable from humans. I mean, can you really even call yourself human anymore? No human could ever do what you can! What does it matter if you change a little more!?"

"I don't really care what race..." Stanley started, but his voice choked off as something bubbled up from deep below the emotionless calm of his Still Mind. A knot of bitter emotion that fought against the forced rationality of his thoughts.

He saw flashes of the monsters that had assailed him while he was trapped in this dungeon. Visions of a red-eyed zombie that ripped and tore apart his flesh. A monstrous skeleton that hounded him across an entire city with soul-shredding magic. Then the next of its kind that finally carved open his soul and almost took everything from him.

Worse than all of that, though, he remembered all the injuries those monsters had inflicted upon Caffeine. He remembered the heart-rending pain that came along with each whimper and cry. It was a pain more terrible than all the damage done to his flesh and soul. Combined!

Buff Partially Resisted: [Still Mind of the Psionic Beast]

"I will destroy them!" Stanley snarled, and he could feel the flinch from every soul in the room as his anger surged toward murderous rage. "Every last one! They will die screaming for what they've..."

Buff Gained: [Still Mind of the Psionic Beast]

"What I mean to say," Stanley continued more softly after he'd forced his anger back down with more effort than he liked. "Is that that's not happening." Anger wasn't what he needed here. Blindly attacking this illusion in front of him wouldn't get him any closer to finding and killing the monsters who really deserved it.

"I won't be joining those monsters," Stanley continued when the skeleton only watched him warily and silently. "I... can't." It wasn't only that he hated them with a burning, raging passion—no, it was more than that. Caffeine had made his opinion clear when he destroyed the race shard that was offered that night, and his opinion carried a lot of weight.

Stanley wasn't sure if that reaction was because Caffeine simply didn't like the undead or if it was something more. Perhaps the source in their soul wouldn't have remained contained if he evolved that far from human? Maybe because he had a twin soul and it wouldn't hold together if he went undead and Lee didn't... or was it because the shard would have made him a so-called civilized race instead of a monster race? Whatever the reason, he wasn't joining the undead.

Of course, there was still the matter of the oaths. A rather glaring obstacle to him ever going down that route. So it made no sense why this... "What is your name?"

It glared at him for a beat before saying one word. "V." Or one letter? Was it Vee or V? Whatever.

"Let's start over. Hi, I'm Stanley. It's nice to meet you, V." He could be diplomatic, and it was nice to meet... them. He'd been looking forward to meeting this... them for a while now, after all.

V didn't reply but kept right on grinning, even if their soul didn't share the same sentiment as that pale skull. They were still wary. Still angry. And... plotting something? Was this all a stalling tactic? A distraction while someone else moved on Nate?

He hadn't heard anything from the coins yet, but at that reminder, Stanley pulled one from his pocket. "Nate, how's things?"

Nate didn't make him wait, and his voice came from the coin almost instantly. "Nothing's changed on our end."

His choice of words was... strange. They'd agreed on some prearranged signals before he headed out here, and that one meant that his intuition was still giving him the same feeling. After all of Nate's worries, Stanley had half expected the base to be under attack by now. Or at least for something to have changed. Did that mean he hadn't done whatever he was supposed to do out here? Was this not the trap? Or would V actually help him if he said the right thing? If he showed up at the undead base, maybe they'd go after Zeke in retaliation. Or as a last-ditch effort before they died?

Stanley tried a new tactic. "Why did you join them, V? Sam seems plenty strong enough to protect you, even if you had a shitty class. She probably could have helped you get pretty much any class you might want."

"Because I'm not a bigot that judges someone simply for their appearance!" V yelled. "Yes, they're undead. But they aren't the undead that humans invented. They aren't monsters just because they're different or frightening to our sensibilities! If you ask me, humans are worse! How many wars and genocides have we accomplished? How many of our own do we kill every day!? How many humans have killed each other since this started, huh!? I'm betting it's more than the Eternals have!"

Humans were terrible. V was right about that much. But to claim they were worse than the undead was... a stretch. Wasn't it? Zeke and Eve's mom didn't make a good case for humanity. How many people had her cult full of humans killed? Where even were all of them? Of course, the problem wasn't that they were undead. "They invaded our world, V. By choice. Now there are zombies literally every..."

"So they're raising the dead. Those people were dead already! Probably killed by other humans, if I had to guess! Humanity failed the quest, remember? Even the system thinks we're monsters. So why not let someone else have a shot at leading humanity forward? They can't possibly screw it up worse than we have!"

V sounded like they'd had some bad experiences with humans. Either recently, or maybe even before the system. Stanley couldn't blame them for that; he had his own grudges against the species. But he also had an even stronger grudge against the undead, and V was dreaming if they thought the undead were the better option. Stanley had seen their rotting souls up close and personal, and he knew what he saw. They were monsters. Even if the system claimed otherwise.

Sure, there were some godawful humans on this earth—hell, right here in this city—and Stanley might even be one of them, but there were also some good ones too. Samantha... she'd given her life to save him. Not because she had to. Not because someone ordered her to, but because she cared. He still didn't know why she cared about him, but he knew not one of the undead would ever sacrifice themselves to save their comrades. It was far more likely they would sacrifice their allies to save themselves.

Zeke was another good example. He wasn't after power, money, or influence. He honestly and truly cared about other people. He wanted to help them however he could. He wanted them to be happy. Even if he wasn't.

The undead weren't here to help. They weren't here to save humanity from itself. They only cared about conquest and whatever rewards they would receive for doing so. Unfortunately, V was too far gone to see the truth of things anymore. They'd drunk the kool aid and drunk it deep.

Stanley tried anyway, though on a slightly different track. "I can't join the Eternals, V. I literally can't. I'm pretty sure I'd die for real if I tried. But you should know that I also won't lose this war. I can't afford to lose. I don't know if they've told you about the power I'm carrying. It's called Source."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

V's reaction to his mention of the source was telling. They didn't know about it before... It was a gamble to say what he wanted to say next, but Stanley was fairly certain that the undead knew far more about the source than he did.

"I'm sure they know I can't use it without hurting myself in the process, but look at my soul, V," Stanley said with absolute conviction. "I will use it if I have to. If I'm doomed either way, then I will burn this entire city down to bedrock before I let them have it."

"Of course!" V snarled. "You'd rather kill everyone if you can't get your way! If you actually cared about humanity like you claim, then you'd stop this useless war and save their lives."

"If the undead actually cared," Stanley said. "Then they wouldn't force anyone to trade their lives for freedom. Oh right, you don't believe in freedom, do you? So it's no big deal if we all enslave ourselves to a bunch of alien undead who invaded our world unprovoked."

"I didn't enslave myself! I only accepted a few... restrictions. It's no different from signing an NDA for a job!"

Stanley studied the illusory undead before him in silence. This wasn't working, and he had a feeling it never would. Was V even more far gone than he'd assumed? Did they even have free will anymore? Or had they lost that somewhere in the change?

It didn't even make sense. Why join the undead? Was it for a class? The racial buffs? The race shard he'd seen hadn't seemed worth turning into a skeleton. Who volunteers for that? A skeleton. Or did they offer V something better? That might explain it... and why was he now feeling upset that they'd apparently not offered him the best option?

Of course, if they hadn't recruited V, then Stanley wouldn't have a potential lead on the undead. So maybe it was better this way? This little chat had bought him time to study V's illusion, along with the magic lines running from the spell. It had taken a minute, but he was almost certain which line was the real one and which were the distractions meant to mislead any potential pursuit.

Almost certain.

Unfortunately, he wasn't absolutely sure about which line to follow. The last two on his short list looked almost identical in size, and he doubted he'd get more than a second to follow either. If he figured out the right one and followed it long enough to see if it remained straight or curved somewhere... well, that might be enough to find the origin. He could dig up a straight line across the dungeon far, far easier than digging up the entire city.

"What bonuses did you get from the race shard?" Stanley asked, both to buy time and because he was actually curious.

"I..." V blinked their glowing red eyes. "What?"

"The one they offered me was nothing special," Stanley said, while most of his attention remained focused on the magic lines within his domain. "I'm guessing they gave you something better to convince you to turn into... this."

"This!?" V hissed, and the illusion finally moved, with both arms gesturing at itself. "What's wrong with this? Am I not handsome or beautiful enough in your eyes!? Do I have some obligation to conform to your standards!?"

"I was only curious," Stanley said. "You were human, but I don't think I've ever met another human that wished to become a... skeleton. Not that it was an option until recently, and I suppose that's not the type of thing to come up in idle conversation."

V's soul was angry, but the anger softened. Slightly. "I'm just sick of... Humanity has just been given the opportunity to become literally anything we want. How much do you want to bet that they still get hung up on race and gender? How many supremacist groups are out there right now hunting down and killing anyone who doesn't conform to their standard of what humanity should be!?"

"Plenty," Stanley said distractedly, then shrugged a shoulder. "If you don't like it, just get powerful enough to change it. Or gather enough people who agree with your perspective—you know, the old-school tribal method. Though, honestly, I suspect personal power is the only way to go in our new world. The strong will make the rules, and the weak will fall in line or die."

"So nothing's changed, has it?" V said bitterly.

"Not really. Humans were always a mess. Magic won't change that. In fact, it will probably make everything worse."

"You know," Quinn said. "It's great that you're having a nice heart to heart with your new friend, Stanley, but when do we get to fight something?" A black hole popped into existence over his shoulder, set the air swirling as the spell sucked up everything, then vanished a heartbeat later with a pop.

"I agree," said Pervert. "I'd like to get my hands on something besides ghosts. Why are we even talking? You said it yourself. This thing is a traitor. So let's just kill it and go find the rest of them!" As usual, he had that same creepy, hungry feeling in his soul.

June gave both men a withering glare, but Brett beside her only seemed relieved. He really hadn't wanted to mind-control anyone...

Stanley wanted to tell them all to shut up because he needed more time, but he was no longer sure if it would matter. The two buzzing threads of magic he was studying were identical. Luckily, V did it for him.

"Quiet, children," V said, their skull turning to face them and red eyes flashing. "The adults are talking."

"Fuck y..." Quinn started, while June and Pervert both opened their mouths to add their own likely similar sentiments. Stanley stopped them before it could escalate further.

Silence

V's eyes brightened, and their soul betrayed curiosity as they stared at the now silent trio that was trying and failing to hurl insults. The curiosity didn't last, and V turned back to him. "They're right. We're wasting time. I know you're using that soul sight on me, so you know I'm telling the truth when I say I can't help you. Which means Sam can't help you either."

They weren't wrong, but Stanley shook his head slowly. Nate hadn't sent him here on this particular night for nothing. There had to be a way. There had to be something he was missing. If he followed the right thread and found V, would Brett be able to mind-control the skeleton? Would the oath still work after it was dominated? Or would it be able to give up a location? Maybe V knew about that possibility...

"I don't care about you or Sam," Stanley said, and saw V's soul bristle at the obvious lie. "If I can leave the dungeon."

"I wanted to come to an agreement," V said. "But I guess that's not going to happen, is it?"

"Give me a hint. A clue. I won't hunt you or Sam if I don't have to."

V sighed, which was strange for a skeleton without lungs. "You just have to get your way, don't you? The strong rule and all. Well, consider this your final warning. I don't care if you hunt me, but you will swear to leave Sam out of it. Or else."

Stanley hesitated at the feeling he was picking up from V's soul. They were serious, and they believed they had the upper hand... "Or else what?"

"Swear it!"

They had to be bluffing. Even if they believed they weren't... If V thought they were powerful enough to take him out, then why even talk about it first? Or was the threat pointed at Nate's base? Was this what Nate's intuition picked up?

He didn't like it. The last time he followed Nate's intuition, he'd nearly died for it. Of course, he had saved Zeke in the process, so it probably turned out to be a good thing in the end, but he still didn't like it. Seeing things line up like this felt too much like destiny or pre-determinism. As if his path to this point had always been unavoidable.

The very idea nagged at something deep in his mind. Something he couldn't remember but which agreed with the sentiment. Worse, it came with the feeling that he'd known what would happen here. Not this exact night, but the broader picture. Him being in Boston that first night. His class. The dungeon. The undead. All of it felt... destined. A feeling that he had not only known what would happen but had then chosen this path intentionally. Which meant he had accepted not only his own suffering but Caffeine's as well. Not only accepted, he’d planned for it...

Which was unforgiveable and would make him a monster worse than anything else in this dungeon.

Stanley refused to accept that feeling. He made his own choices, both in the past and here and now. He'd already planned to come after V. Nate had nothing to do with it. Only the timing... which wasn't the same. Nate didn't know the future. He'd be more powerful if he did.

The only question left was, which path led to the future Nate wanted? Presumably the good future. Did he pick a thread and go hunting, or did he wait to see whatever V thought would be enough to protect Sam? Whatever it was, Stanley wasn't afraid. Not for himself. Well, not for anyone since he was using Still Mind.

But he was concerned.

Still Mind had changed since he first used it, or maybe he'd changed. Either way, despite the lack of emotion, he still cared about his friends. His family. Whatever choice he made here could potentially get one or more of them killed. Of course, if he did nothing, they still might die. Especially if Nate's intuition was right.

So he made a choice—his choice—and stared into V's blazing red eyes. "I’ll never give up."

He was actually surprised when the spells lit up around him, massive twin circles shining blindingly bright from floor and ceiling, with him sandwiched in between. Surprised because he'd really thought V would go after the base rather than strike at him directly.

To be fair, magic was his weak spot. Well, slightly weaker spot. He hated magic when it did things he couldn't, but that didn't matter in the long run. It wouldn't be enough to kill him. Nothing would be enough to kill him. He had to protect Caffeine and get back to Lee. Nothing would stand in the way of that. He wouldn't let anything stand in his way.

Cut

You have attacked a sapient lair...

He diced the floor and ceiling into pieces. Unfortunately, and predictably, the magic circles didn't care and remained untouched despite his efforts, even as his allies started falling ever so slowly through the destroyed floor.

Stanley considered fleeing, but his premonition of what was coming only showed him darkness. Not the darkness of the void, simply a lack of light. This magic, whatever it was, wouldn't kill him. It didn't look like it would even hurt.

The other deciding factor, however, was that he couldn't take his team with him if he fled. June had used her reflection ability on everyone, and she could never remove it in time. Assuming she even thought to. Stanley wouldn't sacrifice himself for these people, but he also wouldn't abandon them to an unknown fate. Sure, there might be something deadly coming further than his premonition could see, but he trusted the ability and his own power enough to risk it. He could always run away later, and there was still the distinct possibility that this was exactly what needed to happen for Nate's desired future to come to pass.

So he waited, every sense ready for the slightest warning as the magic raced toward a crescendo. First, the stadium vanished from his mental touch. The thousands of souls filling the place went with it, and Stanley figured out what had happened quickly after that. The spell hadn't been an attack at all.

It was a teleport.

~~~V~~~

V grinned as they watched their magic take hold and whisk Stanley away. "I did it!"

"What did you do?" Sam asked, book forgotten as she sprang from her recliner with a stern look on her face. "And why is my stadium under attack!?"

"Stanley came after you," V said. "Just like I told you he would, and one of the guys with him was the mind controller."

Sam tensed and cursed, "That fucker... so what did you do? There's no way you killed Stanley. Did you get the mind controller, at least?"

"What!?" V pouted at the conviction in those words. Not that it changed their frozen expression. The one downside of this new body. Though with their soul gaze going, they could still express their emotions better than a face ever could. "I could totally kill him!" they exclaimed, then added more softly, "If I had enough time to prepare..."

Sam laughed as she flew across the room and pulled them into a hug. "V, I know you've gotten a lot stronger, but you aren't at his level just yet." Sam let go and pushed them out to arm's length, expression serious. "So tell me what you did."

"I sent him away," V said, a smile in their soul. Sam was safe now. Stanley was powerful, but without his dog, he wouldn't be able to fight the monster they'd sent him to. "To get..."

"You fool!" A towering skeleton shouted, red eyes blazing like twin stars, as it appeared in the room without warning. "What have you done!?"

V felt the bonds of their oath pull a response from them before they could even think about what to say to Nefraxis. "I sent Stanley to get killed by that..."

A skeletal hand flashed out faster than they could follow, and the world spun around V before they crashed to a halt, half buried in the wall. This improved form didn't have a physical brain that could rattle around inside the skull, so V was still fully aware enough to see Sam try to come to their rescue. Futilely.

Sam's hands lit up with pink light an instant before hundreds of glowing red chains speared into her from every direction. She growled and flickered in place as her blood splattered to the floor below, but her teleportation never took, and she remained helplessly suspended in midair.

"No!" V screamed, still embedded in the wall. "You swore not to..."

Nefraxis never even looked Sam's way as they advanced lightning quick across the room. A skeletal hand closed around V's head and tore them from the wall. "The oath is broken!" Nefraxis hissed, their faces inches apart and those red eyes burning with fury. "You have betrayed us!"

V's non-existent heart skipped a beat. "No! I would never! There's no way Stanley can kill that..."

The hand currently wrapped around their head squeezed harder, and V felt cracks appearing in their skull. "We hid that creature from the world for a reason. More specifically, we hid it to avoid this exact scenario! Now your foolish desire to protect your pet human may have doomed us all!"

"But... why?" V gasped out, not from lack of air but from the pain of their cracking skull. "They are our two greatest threats! Either way, one of them should die tonight!"

Nefraxis shook them violently. "It doesn't matter who wins! If that creature devours the humans, it will take and may very well be able to wield Stanley's... power! If Stanley defeats it... then he will no doubt take that creature's power as his own. Either way, you have betrayed us!"

The Eternals knew something more than they were letting on about Stanley. He had some special power that they desperately wanted, but also one they feared. Stanley hadn't been wrong about that. What had he called it? Source? Whatever that meant! "What if..." V wheezed. "What if we join the fight!? Let them beat each other up and come in at the last..."

"That creature blocked the teleportation matrix as soon as you foolishly revealed it. The fight may well be over by the time we arrive." Nefraxis dropped V. "No. We have no choice but to use this brief window to eliminate their purifier from the equation. The attack has already begun."

"But..." V swallowed back what they wanted to say. This was the wrong choice. Nefraxis was afraid. They thought Stanley would win the fight, and it terrified them.

V didn't dare point that out. Not with Sam still hanging in those chains. Besides, removing the purifier wouldn't be a waste. Worst case, Stanley still had to eat, and he would eventually starve if he refused to join up. So V ducked their head and asked meekly, "H-how may I serve, my lord?"

"Your actions forced us to act ahead of schedule, before we were ready." Nefraxis's voice shifted to match the grinning skull of their face. "So you will be going to join the assault."

"Yes, my lord." V didn't object, even though this was another mistake. They were far too valuable an individual to risk on the battlefield, and they didn't even have an immortality ritual to protect them... This was a punishment, and V couldn't refuse even if they wanted to. The oath saw to that. An oath that had changed... tightened, like a noose around their throat. All because Stanley had to interfere!

"I will depart immediately, my lord," V said, bowing low and sparing a longing glance toward the silently struggling Sam in her bloody chains. Then V turned and headed for the teleportation arrays deeper into the base. Stanley would regret this. Him and all his self-righteous humans!

"V," Nefraxis called as they were leaving, and V stopped to look back. "Impress me, and I will allow your pet human to join you in the march. Fail me, and..." They left the rest unsaid, but then again, they didn't need to say more. Sam wouldn't be killed if they failed tonight—the Eternals would never let her go—but she would be inducted. Forcibly. And in the worst case, as little more than a mindless zombie, though Nefraxis was unlikely to waste such a powerful individual in that way. Most likely, they would simply use a harsher oath. Assuming Sam didn’t refuse...

V nodded once and sprinted from the room without a backward glance. They would impress Nefraxis. Sam would stand at their side alive and herself, even if she'd been balking at the idea for a while now. The false freedom Sam had been enjoying had to run out eventually. She simply wasn't powerful enough to remain free. No one was, and Stanley would find that out the hard way.

The teleportation area was crowded as the Eternal army filed onto each array, filling them to maximum capacity before teleporting away. V didn't wait in line, but ran to the front and took another's place on the array. The displaced undead soldier didn't protest. It couldn't if it wanted to. The oaths were too strong for that. Still stronger and more restrictive than V's own oath. For now...

There were perks to being valuable, though V might have lost some of those privileges today... They'd gotten too angry when they found out about Stanley's plan.

Trying to mind control Sam into betraying her friend was one thing, but finding out that it would destroy Sam's mind to do so was a whole other story. That arrogant asshole! V wasn't sure which would be a better outcome: Stanley dying to that creature or him surviving long enough to starve to death...

Reality shifted, and V followed the charging soldiers through the woods that now surrounded them. It wasn't hard to know which way to go, not with the magical storm going off ahead. Of course, V peeled off before they got to the actual fighting. Nefraxis had ordered them to the front lines, but they weren't just another foot soldier to be tossed into the grinder. Dying wouldn't impress Nefraxis enough to protect Sam. They needed to do what they were best at.

V worked a few spells into being as they approached the edge of the treeline. Protection, for what it would be worth. Cloaking, so the protection hopefully wouldn't be needed. Finally, their own version of mana sight—one reason the Eternals had granted them extra privileges—and then V got to work studying the defenses and looking for a weak spot.

The humans had some solid magical defenses. Their so-called wizards weren't bad, but they weren't V. There were other reasons the Eternals had given them such a light oath.

It took less than a minute for V to find a flaw in the shield surrounding the base that could bring the entire thing down, though only temporarily. The wizards had some decent contingencies built in. Still, they didn't need to bring down the shield to win. They only needed to take the purifier, and the war would be over.

Of course, the humans knew that, and so Zeke was guaranteed to be the most well protected person in the entire place. Luckily, V knew these people. Well, V knew them enough. Eve's little spy camera had been a great idea. Not only did it inspire them to set up their own spy network, but the girl had even created a handy relay that V could piggyback their own magic onto. It was how they'd learned of Stanley's plan... and now it might work to give them eyes inside if they tuned the spell just right.

Zeke might be too well protected for V to make a move on him, but there was always a weak link.