Kar stepped back from the threshold, confused. He looked at Erio, “What are we supposed to do here?”

  The Valorcryst pointed toward a nearby cloud, “If you look closely you’ll see there are floating platforms. You can use those to traverse this chamber to the ground.”

  “Chamber? That’s an entire world out there.” Rowan mumbled.

  “The Vaults are… strange.” Erio replied. “It’s never been explained to me how they work, but I believe they operate in a similar way to the Causeways.”

  “The Causeways?” Kiya repeated.

  “If you do not know of the Causeways then I have no other point of reference to give you. I will just say that the Vault doors do not lead to where you were physically when you entered. It’s unlikely that we are even on Valor anymore.”

  Kar sighed deeply. At what point did he stop trying to make sense of any of this? “So for right now, we need to, what? Fly over to the nearest platform?”

  Eric and Tharn both nodded. “Or jump.”

  Kar doubted any of his human companions could make a jump like that, even the Enhancers. “Any ideas anyone?”

  Aldwin stepped forward to observe, “It looks like we just need to descend for the most part. So slowing our fall and angling from platform to platform. I think I can manage to carry two at a time down.”

  “I can carry someone then too.” Derek said.

  Kiya sighed, “I’ll bring Lore.”

  Kar counted and matched the members of their party in his head, “I’ll try and bring Morrow?” he offered.

  The Imbuer looked like he was going to throw up at the suggestion, “I-I’m not good with heights.” He said.

  Great.

  That just left the two Valorcryst, Kar looked at them, trying to figure out what to do about them.

  “We will lead the way then.” Erio said. He jumped across the threshold and dropped, Tharn on his back. Kar watched as they fell through the trailing edge of a cloud, their passage breaking its white pillows apart and sending them swirling aloft in gentle, dancing, tendrils.

  “Off we are.” Kiya said, pulling Lore onto her back then jumping down after the Cryst, jets of fire from her feet slowing their descent.

  Derek took Cyse, and Aldwin followed with his arms wrapped awkwardly around both Jon and Rowan.

  That left Morrow. Kar wasn’t sure the best way to manage this. He motioned for the other man to come toward the edge. Morrow shook his head side to side, “I don’t think I can.” He told Kar.

  “We’ve got to go now,” Kar answered, spreading his arms in exasperation, “the others already have!”

  Morrow sat down, trembling.

  “Alright, just-close your eyes then, and I’ll handle the rest.” Kar said, grabbing hold of the back of the man’s pack with his Shadowcryst hand. He went to drag Morrow toward the threshold and was surprised when he was able to easily hoist the man off the ground and hold the weight of both he and his pack aloft effortlessly. That was… unexpected.

  With the corner of his mouth curving up in a small smile, Kar leapt through the doorway with Morrow in tow, and free-fell towards the gently drifting stone platform far below.

  Morrow moaned then yelled hoarsely in terror, while Kar contended with the strange flipping sensation that rose in his belly. He stiffened his left arm beneath them—while he and Morrow’s bodies splayed out in the onrushing wind—then Focused. He first tried a jet of flame like Kiya. His efforts sputtered weakly and sent them twirling off-course. He was using the ring, so why was his Focusing so much weaker than he’d grown accustomed to?

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  Kar strained, changing to blasts—he was more comfortable with those—and attempted to correct their fall. The platform below rushed up to meet them. Kar could see the others already standing or kneeling across it. He intensified the power of his blast as they came close, and finally they began to slow. Not enough though. Kar slammed hard against the stone platform, Morrow landing atop him and crushing the air from his lungs.

  They rolled over, Morrow sobbing hysterically. Kar grabbed hold of a shard with his shadow hand and drew on it without thinking. An icy sensation flowed up the arm and Kar looked down in alarm.

  The Void-cryst was spreading.

  It grew up his arm, creeping past his elbow and over his bicep. Kar yelped and dropped the shard. It bounced over the platform’s edge and fell away. He laid down on his back and looked up at the open sky above, feeling sick. Defiled. Did that mean…

  Kar grabbed hold of another shard in his natural hand and drew on the Energia through it. He was met with the—what he now regarded as normal—sensation of it flowing into him. His pain from the impact and Morrow landing atop him faded then disappeared altogether as he sat up.

  So if he didn’t use his Void-cryst arm, he could still draw on and Focus Energia as he had learned how to.

  Kar stared at his dark hand in horror. He would have to ensure he never used it to draw on Energia. He now knew what would happen if he did. It would steal a piece of him away, bit by bit, until what? His whole body was made of Void-cryst? Would he become one of the Shadowcryst Erio had told him about? Kar’s stomach heaved and he scrambled over to the platform’s edge and vomited.

  This was a nightmare.

  He hung his head over the side for a long while, just feeling the cool condensation of water vapor collecting on his skin. Someone sat down beside him and dangled their legs over the edge and patted him on the back. It was Derek. “It’s gonna be ok.” Kar’s friend told him gently.

  Kar appreciated the gesture. But in the moment, he couldn’t bring himself to believe that everything would be alright. There was a task at hand though. Kar gathered his arms beneath his chest and pushed himself to his feet, wiping his mouth with the back of his arm. He was going to clear these last two Trials, and he was going to get them out of here. Then he would free Isa, no matter what.

  Kar clenched his shadow fist, feeling the pulsing strength there. Destry had something coming for him too.

  They made the remaining jumps from platform to platform down to the ground, where they landed in a forest clearing, its dark green grass wet with dew. Morrow wasn’t the only one grateful to feel something stable beneath their feet again.

  Kar marveled at the grand trunks of the surrounding trees, he’d never seen anything like them. They towered overhead, their innumerable, spreading boughs constructing a vast canopy above the forest floor. There was a path through the clearing. Erio led them to it and Kar saw that it meandered toward that forest canopy and into the woods.

  No use delaying. Kar trudged ahead, trusting the others would follow.

  They walked in silence, breathing the fresh air, enjoying the loamy scent of dirt and strange piles of brown needles that had fallen from branches high above. Birds chirped and whistled, and strange bugs chorused.

  “There is a fortress ahead,” Tharn told Kar from where he rested, strapped to Erio’s back. The tall Valorcryst’s long strides had brought them slightly ahead of Kar on the path, “You will need to break in and defeat the Guardian who watches the portal door within.” Tharn paused, then added, “Her name is Melisdra, and she is… fierce. We will do what we can to aide you, but it is likely we will all perish here.”

  Superb.

  Erio laughed, “How will you aide him? You have to be carried by me!”

  Tharn grumbled, “As if I haven’t done the same for you. Just wait until my legs have reformed.”

  An idea popped in Kar’s head. He stepped closer to Tharn and Erio, “May I try something?” He asked.

  Tharn tensed up somewhat, “What did you have in mind?”

  Taking that as not a no, Kar pulled out a scavenged shard with his left hand and pressed it against an exposed portion of Tharn’s crystal skin. He drew on the Shard’s Energia then Imbued it into the Valorcryst, the same as he did when trying to heal anyone else. He was thankful he could still do that. Tharn sighed deeply, and to Kar’s satisfaction, the Valorcryst’s body began to reform at the waist. It went slowly, much slower than the process for Kar’s own arm to coalesce or Jon’s to be repaired, but it was working as intended.

  Erio stepped off the path and laid Tharn down. Both the Valorcryst stared intently at Kar as he worked. He drained first one Shard, then another. By that point Tharn had been rebuilt down to his upper thighs. “I think I’m going to need more Shards.” Kar told the others who had stopped to take a breather. Lore brought several over to him, and knelt beside Kar while he finished his task.

  When he was done, Tharn flexed and bent his ankles and legs, then jumped to his feet and tested his new legs out. The Cryst had no privates. Was he supposed to? Kar felt himself blushing at the thought.

  “Good as new.” Tharn remarked, sounding pleasantly surprised. Guess that answered that.

  ? Featured Story ?

  by Steve Rock

  “A Pioneer’s Blood Waters the Tree of Civilization”

  The Galaxy has finally learned peace. The Akaadi Imperium and Libera Coalition have put down their blasters for now, turning to the Frontier to replenish their resources. But, they'll need Pioneers. Dropped into remote, inhospitable worlds, Pioneers must hunt for useful salvage. Valuable materials, lost technologies, and unique lifeforms are all pursued, at grave peril.

  Enter Daniel Hardgrave. The old man who raised Hardgrave had always told him, "Do what you want, Danny, but never become a Pioneer. Life's short enough. Don't become expendable". Hardgrave had listened, scratching out a living as a humble fry cook. Until he learned he had a little sister to care for. Wanting to fund her education and give her a better life, he enlisted as a Pioneer. And unknowingly threw himself into the maw of the Apocalypse. Old powers are gathering, threatening everything Hardgrave has ever known. For an ex-fry cook trying to provide for a genius little sister and cynical cat, it's an impossible threat. But his discovery of an ancient technology could change all of that…

  Inspired by series like Warhammer 40K and videogames like Helldivers 2 and Lethal Company, this is a tale of a man who faces danger where others will not go.

  What to expect

  Pulse-pounding action in exotic environments. LitRPG-like progression, with a sci-fi twist. Minor romantic and comedic elements

  Don't miss out on this incredible story!