Mana spawn swarmed around them, leaping from the shadows in whirls of bright blue energy. Relia and Zukan conjured shields around the group, and Kalden and Elise joined them a heartbeat later. The ground shook as the Masters fought back in the train station, and their techniques flashed at the edge of Akari’s vision.

“We can’t stay here!” Kalden shouted as he thrust a blade through a spawn’s eye socket.

Akari cycled her mana as she took in their new surroundings. She saw the world through Kalden’s eyes as well—a full panoramic view of the alley. Brick walls rose on either side of them, and the terminal blocked her view of the eastern skyline.

A scorpion struck at her with its stinger, but Akari didn’t waste her time on that. She took a single step to her left, and Arturo blasted the creature with his shotgun.

Come on, think. They couldn’t escape the alley from this angle, so she focused on her immediate surroundings instead. There.

“Relia,” she said over the comm channel. “White door on your two. Get it open.”

“Cover her,” Kalden told the others.

Relia threw up a dome of pure mana and charged through a cluster of spawn. They fell back in a wave, and Missiles flew around her as the others finished them off. Then Relia’s muscles shone with green and gold light, and she hurled her body against the door with Artisan strength. It flew off its hinges, revealing the hallway beyond.

“Move!” Akari told the others.

They fought their way past the spawn and piled in. Akari was halfway through the door when a massive dragon appeared at the alley’s eastern mouth.

Valeria.

Fire filled the alley behind her, scorching the ground and turning the spawn to vapor. Akari felt the heat on her face as she staggered away. Even from ten feet back, her skin felt ready to peel off her bones. Fortunately, this building still had its defensive sigils, otherwise it would have already collapsed on their heads.

Kalden had seen the dragon through Akari’s eyes, and he ordered the others down the hall at full speed. Akari Cloaked her legs and ran with all her might. The interior passed in a blur around her. Elevators, restrooms, mailroom. She also felt the presence of a Master, and she knew Valeria was close. Her heart pounded as she ran, and her body wove through the corridors on pure instinct. One misstep here, and it was all over.

At one point, the team reached a long stretch of hallway, Relia took a sharp left at the end, leading them toward the parking garage exit. Arturo was the slowest of the group, and he ran at least twenty paces behind the others. Akari was at the back, ten paces behind him.

Kalden paused at the corner to wait for them. Akari saw herself running through his eyes, then she saw Valeria round the corner in her human form.

Akari couldn’t outrun a Master, and neither could Arturo. Instead, she raised her hands and fired a pair of darts at the end of the hall. Kalden felt her intention, and he raised the flat of his violet mana blade.

The darts bounced off the blade at a forty-five-degree angle, soaring down the other corridor in a sharp left. Akari made the swap an instant later, and she and Arturo both appeared at the building’s western exit. She shot Kalden’s dart next, pulling him out of the fray and launching him into the garage. Then she grabbed Arturo by his vest and pulled him around the corner just as Valeria’s techniques closed in.

The sigils kept the building upright, but the rest of it wasn’t so lucky. The fire consumed everything it touched, scorching the carpet, drywall, and ceiling tiles. Valeria sprinted through the rubble like a raptor, and the flames and smoke swirled around her. Akari raised a portal in the doorway, stretching the Construct from the ceiling to the floor.

She dismissed it a second later and followed her teammates through the parking garage. That last portal would send the dragon back into the alley; It might even buy them an extra thirty seconds if they were lucky.

The team reached the edge of the structure, and Akari shot a spacetime Missile toward a high balcony across the street. She completed the portal against the concrete wall, and they all piled through. This brought them twenty stories up, and she surveyed the skyline for more options.

There was a fancy condo across the street that probably had more defensive sigils. Then again, maybe they should head back to the west side of town? Those streets were crawling with spawn, but that also meant more Masters on their side. And the military might help them if—

A roar sounded from the alley near the office building, and Valeria emerged in her dragon form. Her scales glowed with molten light as the fire mana gathered in her stomach. She launched her technique in instant later, burning the building at its foundation.

“Shit,” Akari hissed. “Hang on.”

The ground shifted beneath their feet, and the flames spread with unnatural speed. Akari raised a hand and shot another spacetime Missile on pure instinct, opening a path to the nearest condo.

“Get in!” She leapt through the portal ahead of her teammates, passing from one balcony to the other. Elise and Arturo were hot on her heels, but it was too late for the others. The fire spread, and the first building rocked forward, flinging her teammates into the street below.

The fire covered the ground in massive clouds of orange and red mana, consuming concrete, trees, and asphalt. Akari shot another Missile into the fray, trying to catch her teammates before it was too late. She missed them by several inches, but Relia propelled herself through the air with a burst of mana and grabbed the edge of the portal. Kalden did the same and grabbed her boot.

Elise reached into the wall and grabbed Relia’s hand. Gravity favored her on this side of the portal, and she barely had to Cloak her muscles to pull Relia and Kalden through. At the same time, Arturo yanked open the balcony door, and Akari shot Zukan’s dart into the room beyond.

Zukan struck the floor, propelled by the motion of his fall. He probably would have crashed straight through it if not for the building’s sigil network. Flames climbed up his left thigh, but he quenched them with a quick technique.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

When the flames faded, Akari took in the damage: Zukan had lost his entire left leg up the knee. Blood shot out from the wound, staining the white carpet around him.

Relia rushed over and pressed both hands to his knee. Her own clothes were charred in several places, but she must have held her skin together with her Life Cloak. Akari turned her eyes to Kalden next . . .

“I’m fine.” He stepped forward and held up the stump of his right forearm. “It was just the mana hand.”

Akari gave a shaky nod. This was bad, but it could have been far worse. If she’d been even a split second slower, she would have lost half her team in that fall.

Valeria stretched out her massive wings and settled onto the rooftop across the street. Akari braced herself for another attack, but it didn’t come. Instead, pale green light flashed around the dragon as she switched back to her humanoid form.

Akari ducked behind the sofa along with the rest of her teammates. Her heart threw itself against her ribcage, and her knees shook like leaves in the wind. She’d faced her share of Artisans in the past, but those seemed like regular people compared to Masters.

“I know you’re in there, Zeller.” The dragon’s raspy voice echoed from across the street, sounding surprisingly calm.

“No one cycle any mana,” Kalden said.

For all the good that would do. Most people could see mana, but Masters could sense specific aspects, intent, and cycling patterns. They could pick out a single person in a crowd of thousands.

Even with her portals, Akari had nowhere to run. What’s more, there was no one left to help them. Her teachers were all trapped in Vaslana. The Solidors were off fighting Storm’s Eye, and Valeria had the cultists distracted. She’d seen some military helicopters, but they were all focused on the spawn.

“I’m not a monster,” Valeria said. “I don’t want to kill more innocents. I don’t even want to kill your teammates. Just you, Zeller. Do you want to die a coward, or do you want to face me like a warrior?”

Akari almost laughed. Seriously? Valeria wanted to insult her honor now? Honorable Masters didn’t hunt down Apprentices, and they certainly didn’t resort to cheap taunts.

“Come out,” she continued. “And I’ll spare your friends. You have my word.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Kalden said from beside her. “You can’t reason with someone like this.” Akari didn’t reply, and he pressed on. “Give into one demand, and you set a precedent for next time. She’ll never stop threatening people.”

Her other teammates kept quiet. Zukan had his eyes closed as he processed his missing leg, and Relia had her hands pressed firmly on his wound. She couldn’t see Elise or Arturo from this angle, but their fear was almost palpable.

“We’re not generals,” Akari said in a low voice. “And there’s no next time if we die here.”

Kalden shook his head. “The same is true if you face her alone.”

Akari pulled a vial of spacetime mana from her belt and chugged the whole thing in one swallow. The power filled her soul, and the feeling spread out to her limbs, making her feel more solid. After that, she took a few deep breaths, and her thoughts came clearer than before.

She remembered her past self, a year ago, when she was still trapped on Arkala. Back then, she’d dreamed of moments like this—to become a mana artist, and to fight for a worthy cause. That goal had kept shifting like a distant horizon, but what if her past self could see her now? Not only had she gotten into the Artegium, but she’d become one of the top first-year students. More importantly, she’d earned the friendship and loyalty of people far stronger. They’d known the dangers, and they’d still followed her into this moment.

Akari might never save the Archipelago or make up for her past mistakes. She’d lost that chance when Storm’s Eye attacked this city. But she’d still become the mana artist from her dreams. If this was the end, then the end wasn’t so bad.

And what if she still had a chance? Not just to save her friends, but to survive this next battle? All Masters had indescribable power, and Valeria Antano was no exception. She could turn Akari to ash with a flick of her wrist, but that was only true if Akari got hit.

Always stay moving. That was rule number one of combat, and it had worked for her so far.

Akari could never beat Elend, Irina, or any other Artegium teacher. They all had too much training, and they could counter any trick from her bag. But Valeria hadn’t trained in a real university, and she hadn’t honed her skills against the world’s best fighters. Instead, she’d spent her life hiding in Creta, ruling over the weak. It wasn’t much, but it was a faint hope.

She threw aside her vial and met Kalden’s eyes. “Let’s say we keep running as a team. What’s your aspect say about our odds?”

He hesitated. “Not good.”

Akari gave him a frank look. “Don’t sugarcoat it.”

Kalden shot a glance at Zukan’s missing leg.” Best case scenario, we’ll all be dead in three minutes.”

No one seemed surprised at that. They’d barely survived that last encounter, and now their team was down two limbs. What if the dragon chose this moment to cross the street? Akari could probably get herself out of here, but not the others.

“I’ll give you one minute,” Valeria’s voice echoed from outside. “Then you all burn.”

The dragon’s voice sent a shiver down Akari’s spine, but she pressed on. “I can’t make portals for everyone, but I’m faster on my own.”

“We don’t know all the variables,” Kalden said. “Elend and Irina could be back at any minute.”

“Sure,” Akari said. “But tell me how running away is better than fighting her alone.”

“It depends.” Kalden turned to face the others. “Anyone have a way to beat a Master?”

Arturo cleared his throat. “My parents gave me two pocket cells for emergencies.”

Akari perked up at that. “Will they work on her?”

“Wait,” Relia said. “Pocket-what-now?”

Arturo reached into his backpack and retrieved two devices that looked vaguely like grenades. “They’re pocket dimensions—they pull people in and trap them in small prisons. But she has to be touching it.” He turned back to Akari. “Depends on how strong she is. She’ll fight back if she sees it coming. Better to distract her first.”

“Can you launch one from a weapon?” Kalden asked.

“No way, shoko. Her reflexes are too good. But displacement might work.”

“Good enough.” Akari took the grenades and started to get to her feet. If she got Valeria on the ground, then it shouldn’t be hard to swap the pocket cell near her feet.

“Wait,” Elise crawled around Zukan to join them. “We should split them up.”

“What?” Akari said. “Why?”

“You’re the bait,” Elise said. “She’ll be focused on you the whole time. That means I can— ”

“Your dream mana won’t work on her,” Akari cut in.

“Nothing will work on her,” Elise countered. “But I figure I still have a better chance than you.”

“She’s got a point,” Kalden said. “You can’t be the bait and the hunter at the same time.”

“Fine.” Akari slumped her shoulders and passed Elise one of the weapons. A part of her would rather face the dragon alone, but she also wanted to win, and she couldn’t argue with their logic. “The rest of you lie low. We have to make her think you escaped.”

“I’m fighting too,” Relia said. “My Moonshard can block a Master technique. It’s not perfect, but it’s something.”

“And I’ll be watching from the sidelines,” Kalden said. “Just enough for my aspect to give you an edge.”

“I already gave you the pocket cells.” Arturo rested a hand on Zukan’s left knee. “So Hoppy and I can cheer for you from the sidelines.”

Zukan opened his eyes to glare at him.

“Too soon?” Arturo looked around at the others. “Yeah, too soon.”

Akari laughed, but tears clouded her eyes as she stood, along with a rush of emotions she couldn’t put into words. She wanted to tell her friends to stand down, but she knew it wouldn’t matter. What if it were Kalden or Relia going to fight? No force in the world could keep her from that battle.

“Wait for me to go first,” she said as she stepped around the sofa. “I’ll fire your darts when it’s time.”

“You better not forget about us,” Relia said.

“I won’t. You’ll just have to trust me for now.” Akari gave her friends one last look. She knew it might be their last time together, and she wished she could savor the moment forever. But she also knew Valeria wasn’t bluffing, and every second mattered.

Finally, she double-checked her gear and stepped forward to face her enemy.