Onto the Third Floor

The guard lunged, sword raised. As Ryllis' Levia flared, Sam cast a speed spell.

Mint green light flashed and Ryllis leaped out of the way. Unbalanced, the guard tumbled forward. Ryllis knocked her flat with a contemptuous swipe of her spear.

Before the guard could even try to get up, Ryllis stomped on her chest and slammed the end of her spear into her head. The guard slumped to the floor.

"Yes!" Sam cheered, jumping up and down. Ryllis didn't acknowledge her, didn't even look her way, but Sam sensed the triumphant spark in her Levia.

It made a big grin spread across Sam's face. Though it'd been less than half an hour since they'd formed the contract, Sam felt like they'd been fighting together for a lifetime. While Ryllis' Levia blazed like a wildfire, Sam's flowed like a cool, gentle stream. Together, they balanced each other perfectly.

In the sudden quiet that blanketed the hall, Sam's breathing sounded way too loud. She glanced around, heart pounding, but no more guards came charging down the stairs.

Ryllis straightened, and Sam sensed some of the tension draining out of her Levia. So strange to know exactly what she was thinking and feeling just from the subtle changes in her Levia. Sam wondered if she'd ever get used to it.

Ivo stepped over a fallen guard and peered up the stairs. "It seems no more are coming for now."

"We've taken care of all of them at our end, too." The sound of Meg's voice startled Sam. Whipping around, she saw Meg riding a giant Lodo like some kind of jungle princess on a tiger. Her jaw dropped.

But Meg looked just as astonished. Her gaze darted from Sam to Ryllis, then back again, and her eyes widened. "Wait a minute. Are you two...?"

"Tch." Ryllis jerked her shoulder – the same shoulder that had been a mangled mess not so long ago. Her armor might be beyond salvation, but the skin underneath was perfectly intact aside from a faint reddish scar. Looking at it made pride swell in Sam's chest. Not bad for her first try casting the healing spell.

"It's a long story," Sam said. "C'mon! Time to take on the third floor."

She marched forward, but that was when footsteps echoed down the hall. Everyone tensed, weapons raised. More guards?

But when the person came closer, Sam saw it was one of the prisoners from the first floor – if she wasn't mistaken, one of the two who'd been guarding Gratiano. He was breathing hard, clutching his side. When Sam saw blood seeping through his fingers, her stomach flipped.

"Arlon!" Ivo ran to the prisoner. "What happened?"

"Forgive me, Ivo," Arlon panted. "Gratiano...Gratiano got away. He woke up and shifted to dog form before we could stop him."

"What? Is Cely all right?" Ivo's heavy brows knitted.

"Just...just knocked out. I tried to give chase, but Gratiano escaped. I don't know where he went. I'm sorry."

Ivo sighed, massive shoulders slumping, before patting Arlon on the back. "It's all right. You did your best."

"Gratiano has probably gone to rejoin Oliver," Meg said. "Unfortunately, I don't think there's any point in chasing him right now. We have to press onward."

"I agree." Ivo nodded. "Arlon, rest here with the other injured for now. Everyone who's capable, come with us."

"All right!" Sam pumped her fist. "And if we run into Gratiano, we'll just kick his ass a second time!"

"Well said, Miss Sam," Lodo said, managing to look quite smug even in cat form.

Some of the prisoners stayed behind and fanned out to defend the second floor as well as the injured, but the bulk began marching up the stairs. Sam and Ryllis joined Meg, Lodo, Ivo, and Darian near the front. With each step, Sam's heart pounded harder until it drowned out even her thoughts.

But it couldn't silence Ryllis' Levia inside her, those wildly dancing flames. They burned away every last trace of doubt.

Finally, they stopped at the top of the stairs. Ryllis' Levia blazed hotter and she moved in front of Sam, spear extended.

Sam reached for her own Levia, ready to cast a strengthening spell. Yet to her surprise, nobody was there. Not one single guard.

Meg asked the question on everyone's mind. "What's going on?"

"Maybe all the guards went to reinforce the second floor," Darian said, though she didn't sound like she believed this.

Sam glanced around, hunting for anyone who might be hiding. No dice. The third floor seemed wider and airier than the first two, its cell doors spaced farther apart. And the orange lamps blazed brighter, their Levia throbbing like the heartbeat of some giant monster.

"Well," Meg said as Lodo took a cautious step forward. "Everyone stay on your guard, but for now it seems we're free to get to business. Let's split up and start releasing prisoners."

She nodded at Sam, who nodded back. Ryllis remained still next to her, but her Levia pulsed with anticipation. Maybe, just maybe, Jin might be one of the prisoners on this floor.

The group spread out, Sam and Ryllis heading to the right. As she stepped away, the Levia in the air throbbed so hard she lurched in surprise.

A strong hand caught her arm. Ryllis nodded at her, and Sam managed a shaky, grateful grin.

But the Levia wouldn't let up. If anything, it was growing stronger – which didn't make sense, because the lamps weren't getting any brighter.

Unless it wasn't coming from the lamps.

'Crack.' The sound echoed inside her skull, almost knocking her flat. She didn't get a chance to recover before a burning wave of Levia swept through her body. It felt like the prison's power, only a thousand times more intense, grinding on her shoulders like hundreds of stones.

Another, even louder crack made her ears ring. And if that wasn't enough, a rumbling boom followed, turning her muscles to jelly. Yelping, she hit the floor on her side.

Suddenly she breathed in Ryllis' smoky scent. Then red armor filled her vision. Ryllis was...crouching on top of her?

Confused out of her head, Sam tried pushing Ryllis away. But Ryllis pushed back, pinning her down. There was way Sam could fight against her strength.

And it became the least of her worries when she heard rocks clattering, voices screaming, panicked footsteps running back and forth. Dust clouded the air, thick and choking and wiping away every trace of Ryllis' scent.

A ringing crash, like stone hitting metal. It came from...directly above? She felt Ryllis tense, heard her breathe in sharply.

Sam tried to call Ryllis' name, but only got a mouthful of dust for the trouble. "Stay down!" she thought she heard Ryllis yell.

Then the rumble swallowed every last trace of sound, even her madly racing heartbeat. It felt like the whole world was breaking apart at the seams.

Just when Sam thought the sound would drive her insane, everything fell still.

In the sudden silence, her pulse pounded like a bass drum. She squirmed, trying to rise, and Ryllis eased off her weight. Coughing and gasping, Sam crawled up to her knees.

Through the settling dust, she saw people scattered around the hall along with hundreds of chunks of stone. Sam felt sick. Ryllis must have been protecting her from them. How many had hit her?

But no time to wonder when that horrible heavy Levia was still crushing her whole body. Under its weight, she could barely even move her head.

It didn't help when wind blasted through the hall, almost knocking her down again. If Ryllis hadn't grabbed her, she'd have fallen flat to the floor.

When the wind finally stopped, Sam blinked stinging tears out of her eyes and looked up.

A giant hole gaped in the ceiling. And something was descending through it.

Huge, leathery wings. Talons as long as her torso. Finally the head emerged – massive, wedge-shaped, glinting with iridescent scales. Its eyes, blazing orange like furnaces, slowly rolled downward until its slit pupils landed directly on Sam's face.

Goosebumps broke out across her entire body.

No mistaking it. A real-life dragon.