The sun cracked over the castle walls, golden light filtering through mist and spell residue from yesterday's divine ass whooping.
Inside the war room, the table was a mess of maps, coffee mugs, armor polish, and one very smug pixie lounging in Soris's lap. Mo and Mela were still tangled together, giggling in the corner. At some point, Sasha snapped, "Can we PLEASE get back to the goddamn planning before someone mounts someone else again?"
Rhiannan snorted and leaned over the map. "Okay. Here's the deal. We're all going."
Mo's head shot up. "Not me, bitch. I just lost my Vcard...I'm not dying yet. We'll hold the fort."
Arwen grinned, twirling a dagger. "Pirates and wolves stay behind. Courtyard stays locked tight."
Reyna chimed in, "My dream team's staying too. Soris has a mate now. They're nesting. The others will guard the vault and protect the castle."
"Fine," Rhiannan said, cracking her knuckles. "Let's go get that fucking Sceptre."
An Hour Later...
Their packs were stuffed. Armor tightened. Breakfast was obliterated. Like, ten dozen eggs level of obliterated.
Kazra wiped syrup off her cleavage and shouted, "TO VYRANNIS, YOU COWARDS!" before launching a pancake across the hall at Barrick.
In the courtyard, the kids waved, the brownies cried sparkly tears, and Sasha powered up the portal.
"Coordinates locked. Cursed city of doom incoming in 3... 2..."
They stepped through into ruin.
Vyrannis
The cursed city stretched before them like a dream gone septic. Twisted spires, crumbled temples, and cursed stone that pulsed faintly with dark magic. The sky overhead was choked in ash gray clouds. The air smelled like rot and regret.
Rhiannan's skin prickled. "Stay sharp."
Kazra cracked her neck. "I stay sharp. I'm horny and homicidal."
Shadow Beast Gauntlet – Vyrannis
⚔️ Zaiya Bloodrage
A shadow panther lunged, all teeth and shriek, but Zaiya was already mid-spin, lightning arcing off her blades as she sliced through it like butter. Another jumped from the ruins, she grabbed its face and electrocuted it into oblivion.
"I don't want their heads. I want their fucking crowns."
🪨 Barrick Stonevein
A lurching ogre shaped thing charged him with dripping limbs. Barrick pulled out a rune brick, licked it, and threw it like a bomb. BOOM. Charred monster chunks rained down.
"Who needs finesse when you've got exploding masonry, bitch."
🗡️ Reyna
Two shadow wraiths surrounded her. She dodged one, ducked low, and hamstrung it with a blade made of cursed moonstone.
The other grabbed her arm, until her red wolf tackled it, ripping out its throat.
"You owe me a new shirt," she muttered.
"You owe me your life," he growled, blood in his fur.
🔥 Zeilar (Phoenix Prince)
Flames erupted from his palms as flying shadow creatures dove from above. One snapped at his leg, he kicked it midair and incinerated it mid-snarl.
"Forgotten King can choke on my fire."
🧊 Nahlia
A shadow centipede latched onto her ankle. She froze its body solid with a scream and then smashed it with a rock.
"Almost lost a toe, you cockroach bastard."
🐍 Sable
Sable's demon form rose tall and terrifying, his wings sweeping enemies back. A shadow beast clawed his face...he didn't flinch. Just ripped its spine out with one hand.
"Cute. Next."
🌪️ Rhiannan
Surrounded by five creatures at once, she screamed, and a tornado of wind magic exploded outward, slamming monsters into broken walls. Blood spattered. Her eyes glowed like the storm.
"WHO ELSE WANTS SOME?!"
🦴 Torvax
Two spiderlike beasts leapt, he caught one mid air and snapped its legs off. The other bit his shoulder, hard.
"MotherFUCKER!"
He slammed it into the stone. "I'm fine," he growled, bleeding. "We're fine. I'm not mad."
🌊 Veena
She slid under a beast's legs, slicing with twin daggers while water magic soaked the field. One charged at her and she drowned it standing up.
"Should've stayed cursed and cute, asshole."
🦁 Kael
Shadow wolves circled him. He roared and shifted, eight feet of lion alpha fury. Claws met fangs. Blood sprayed. One clawed at his face, he lost his left eye. Didn't even blink.
"One's enough to hunt. Keep moving."
🌞 Thalor
He pulsed with sun energy, each swing of his blade lighting up the street like dawn. A creature lunged and bit his leg..he stabbed it through the throat, light flaring like a flare bomb.
"Just a scratch," he gritted.
🖤 Azarion
Dark god magic surged in his veins. A group of cursed banshees shrieked, he screamed back, voice soaked in void, and ripped their shadows apart.
"Scream louder. I dare you."
⚔️ Nyxar
Her phoenix glaive sliced through bone and curses like silk. One demon leapt too fast, she kicked it in the throat, ducked a swipe, and burned it from the inside out.
"Don't touch what's mine."
🧛♂️ Liam
Moving too fast to see, he tore through shadows in a red blur. One tried to bite him and he ripped its jaw off. Then another. Then three more.
"I'm tired. You're boring. Shut up and die."
🐺 Kaleb
(Snapped the neck of a cursed lizard thing trying to crawl up Rhiannan's back. Didn't even slow down.)
"Mine," he growled. "Back the fuck off."
Veinspire Caverns – Entrance
Rhiannan and her crew stumbled into the yawning entrance of the caverns, bloodied, panting, and dragging one unconscious monster as a trophy.
Inside...total darkness. Slime covered rock. Bats the size of toddlers. Glowing slugs that dripped acid. Sticky webs that tried to steal weapons mid swing.
At one point, Kazra got stuck and screamed, "IF ONE SPIDER TOUCHES MY TITS I'M BURNING THIS WHOLE FUCKING MAZE DOWN!"
Barrick got webbed upside down. Liam got bit by a bat and called it his "bat wife." Someone...maybe Thalor...swore a slug winked at them.
They fought, they raged, they cussed. And then....
Soft blue lights appeared.
Will o wisps.
Rhiannan whispered, "They're here. Follow them."
The group, limping and bloodstained, followed the floating lights into the heart of the Veinspire Caverns.
Ahead, the test of memory awaited.
They stumbled into the circular chamber at the heart of the caverns, barely holding it together. Blood ran in rivulets down arms and faces, armor dented and charred, magical clothing shredded in places. Torches lit with faint golden glow flickered to life along the carved stone walls, casting dancing shadows that made every exhausted eye twitch.
Rhiannan was the first to move with purpose. Despite her bruised ribs, split lip, and throbbing head, she dropped to her knees and slammed her palm against the cold floor.
A pulse of soft blue white magic spread outward like a ripple in water.
"Everyone. Sit. Drink. Breathe. I've got you."
Her voice was steady. Commanding. Divine.
The others obeyed, some dropping with groans, others collapsing into each other's arms.
Veena knelt beside a pale Nahlia and pressed a shimmering silver leaf to her bleeding side. "You're lucky, babe. Half an inch lower and you'd be missing a spleen."
Zaiya growled as she wrenched a dagger from her thigh, gritting her teeth. "Bitch tried to bite me. Next one gets their jaw dislocated."
Barrick, one eye wrapped in a hastily bandaged cloth, still cracked a grin. "One eye's all I need. The others just got in the way anyway."
Reyna dabbed Torvax's brow as he grumbled, "I'm fine." She kissed his temple. "Liar."
Rhiannan moved from person to person, laying glowing hands on wounds, whispering soft words in the Old Tongue. Gashes knit. Burns cooled. Bones clicked back into place. She paused at Kael, gently cupping his jaw and pressing her forehead to his.
"You're still beautiful, one eye or not."
He snorted. "Damn right I am."
Meanwhile, Liam passed around canisters of healing elixir, making sarcastic commentary the entire time.
"Here, take two sips and stop being dramatic."
"You got stabbed? So did I. In the ego."
"This one tastes like ass and regret. Don't ask why I know."
Elisha and Azarion drew a large circle around the chamber in enchanted chalk, speaking ancient protection incantations that shimmered as they set.
Sable etched demonic sigils into the walls with claws dipped in fire blood. "If anything tries to come in while you're under, it'll wish it was never born."
Rhiannan and her seven mates sat at the center on large pillows conjured by the cavern itself. She glanced around at the others, Veena, Zaiya, Barrick, Reyna, Nahlia, Torvax, her red wolf mate, Veydran, Zeilar, and Nyxar, all standing guard like divine sentinels of the realm.
"You'll be our shield while we're under," she said softly. "I trust you. With my life. With their lives," she added, resting a hand on her growing bump.
Zaiya cracked her knuckles. "Nothing gets through. Not on my fucking watch."
Reyna grinned. "We've got you, goddess."
Nyxar gave a sharp nod, her glaive sparking with phoenix fire. Zeilar's hand clasped hers. "Let them come."
Kaleb leaned in, brushing a kiss to Rhiannan's temple. "We'll find you when it's over."
Rhiannan looked to Sasha's glowing rune on the wall. "Lock us down. Let no one in, no one out."
Sasha's voice crackled through the stone.
"Locked tighter than a virgin in a chastity curse. Let's do this."
Rhiannan smiled softly, heart pounding.
The seven sat in a circle, holding hands. Seven souls bound by love, fate, and fury. She looked around, eyes glistening.
"Ready?"
"Always," Azarion said.
"Let's fuck fate up," Sable muttered.
Then they drank.
And everything shattered.