Solara’s squad moved through a narrow corridor, its stone walls broken only by a handful of small side rooms cut into the rock. Torches flared to life a few feet ahead of them as they advanced, while those behind guttered out and died, leaving darkness in their wake.

  Aidan frowned, glancing back over his shoulder. “We’ve passed it again.”

  Solara clenched her fist. “WELL, WHY DON’T YOU MARK IT SO WE KNOW INSTEAD OF GUESSING!”

  Takeshi pointed lazily toward one of the side rooms. “No, he’s right. That’s where I peed a few hours ago. We’ve passed it three times now, Lieutenant.”

  Solara shot him a look that could cut steel. “Thank you for that, Sergeant.”

  Artimage opened his mouth, already smiling. “This reminds me of—”

  Solara’s hand snapped out and covered his mouth. “Not now, Specialist. Alright, everyone—we go back and take the third left this time.”

  Keira spoke calmly from just behind her. “That won’t work, Lieutenant. I’ve been tracking our movement. This place is designed to send us in circles. I’ve identified four possible turns that all feed back into our current route.”

  Braen tilted her head, studying Keira. “Aw, what’s wrong, little Master Sergeant?”

  Aidan sighed. “Ignore her. She does that when someone annoys her. Proves a point.”

  Solara spun around. “When did I annoy her? I didn’t do any such thing.”

  Keira didn’t even look up. “Lieutenant, please keep the noise down. We don’t want to draw unwanted attention in such cramped conditions.”

  Solara’s fist tightened again as she stared daggers into Keira. “Why, thank you, Master Sergeant. I will keep that in mind.”

  Aurex rubbed his temples. “Can you all please act normal? Why is it when you’re fighting me, you’re terrifying, but any other time—noooo—just a pack of idiotic gremlins?”

  Hector smacked the back of Aurex’s head. “Hey. They’ve been through a lot.”

  “Hey!” Keira and Solara said in unison.

  Takeshi groaned. “Can you please just make up your minds?”

  Solara narrowed her eyes at Keira. “Master Sergeant… you weren’t joking, were you?”

  Keira inclined her head slightly. “As you said, Lieutenant. ‘By the book. Calm and collectively.’”

  Solara exhaled slowly. “Fine. I’ll break you before you break me—it’s how it always goes. Lead the way, Master Sergeant.”

  Keira smiled politely. “Thank you, Lieutenant.”

  Solara muttered under her breath, “Little gremlin. You wait until we get back.”

  Keira, already moving down the corridor with a smug grin, replied evenly, “Just doing my job, Lieutenant.”

  They pressed deeper into the winding passages until Keira stopped at an intersection. “We’ve taken these two already. Someone take this path. The rest of you, follow me.”

  Solara immediately shook her head. “Whoa. I think we’re better sticking together for the time being.”

  Keira glanced back at her. “Frankly, it might be our only choice right now, Lieutenant. We’ve been walking in circles for hours, and we're still on the first level. That means we have four more floors of this to deal with.”

  Solara stopped short and turned fully on Keira. “Well, Master Sergeant, haven’t we been following your lead this entire time? Now you want to run off and check whatever that sound was. You’re just like him—predictable and completely reckless. So no, we aren’t splitting up so you can mess around.”

  Keira sighed, tilting her head to the side. “Completely understood, Lieutenant. I’ll follow your lead.”

  Solara scowled. “How is that somehow worse?”

  Aidan poked his head around the corner behind them. “Guys. The stairs are over here. Took two minutes to check instead of playing around.”

  Solara didn’t break eye contact with Keira. “Fine. Everyone, let’s get moving. We’re on the clock, remember.”

  Takeshi threw his hands up. “Will you just go already? Why is it every time we’re in danger, you lot drag this hyper?competitive crazy shit out?”

  Hector slapped the back of Takeshi’s head. “As I’ve said—they’ve been through a lot.”

  Solara turned sharply. “Who told you that, and why do you keep telling people that?”

  Artimage chose that moment to speak. “Well, it’s typical of women—”

  Aurex slammed a hand over Artimage’s mouth and hissed in near panic, “Are you crazy, or are you actively trying to get us killed?”

  Keira, Solara, and Braen loomed over them.

  Braen folded her arms. “No. Let him finish.”

  Solara smiled thinly. “Please. I didn’t quite hear that correctly. It’ll be required for the report I’ll need to write.”

  Keira added calmly, “And his tombstone.”

  Aurex slowly backed away, hands raised, eyes wide.

  Artimage swallowed hard. “…Women always strive to outperform their peers.”

  Solara glanced between Braen and Keira. “Are we accepting that?”

  “I think we should still beat him just in case,” Keira said.

  Braen considered it. “He isn’t normally mean. Maybe he’s telling the truth.”

  The three of them straightened.

  “We have agreed to spare your life today, Specialist,” Solara said. “But watch it.”

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  Artimage smiled nervously. “Thank you, Lieutenant. I’ll try my best. This reminds me of my first solo command when I—”

  Solara placed a hand over his mouth. “Save that rubbish for the Captain in Whaa Whaa’s. We’ve been over this.”

  Aidan sighed. “If you’re all done being twisted, can we move before—”

  A bell echoed through the dungeon.

  “…Before that happens,” Aidan finished.

  Howls followed. The sound of paws slamming against stone rushed toward them.

  Solara looked to Keira. “Master Sergeant?”

  “Twelve this time,” Keira replied instantly. “Specialist to the front. Staff to the rear. Keep that shield up. Move now before the next floor rams us as well.”

  Solara nodded. “You’re learning. Alright—move.”

  They pushed down the corridor as manic laughter echoed through the narrow passages.

  “At least they aren’t our problem this time,” Aurex muttered.

  Artimage stepped into an open room, slowing as he looked toward the staircase ahead. “Well… we might have slightly larger issues on our hands.”

  Solara was already moving up the stairs. “No time to waste. Push through.”

  A full pack of white deaths lingered on the second floor.

  “At least these stairs don’t go on forever,” Solara shot back. “Lance Corporal, my stride better not be broken, or so help me I’ll tell Bella about boys’ night.”

  Hector charged past her, smashing the first white death square in the face and sending it skidding across the room. “What’s got you all shaken up, Lieutenant?”

  Keira followed behind Solara, voice calm. “One observation, Lieutenant. I would suggest allowing an equipped fighter to engage. Raw physical attacks drain energy faster than weapon?assisted combat.”

  Solara ground her teeth as Hector waded into the pack, swatting bodies into the walls. “Thank you, Master Sergeant. Now, can you please stop?”

  “By the book, Lieutenant,” Keira said, walking past her up the stairs. “Aurex—are you wearing that armour just to show off?”

  Aurex snapped back, “Says the one who hasn’t lifted a finger yet.”

  Keira huffed. “Well, by the book, Keira doesn’t need to lift a finger since apparently everything I do around here is wrong.”

  She stomped up the stairs.

  Aidan leaned toward Solara. “You know you could—”

  “I am not apologizing,” Solara said, flat. “This is stupid.”

  She stormed upward. “Lance Corporal, at least tell me you counted them first!”

  Takeshi shook his head, watching the chaos unfold. “Land mine after land mine. This is going to be a long day.”

  Braen climbed a short flight of steps and dropped her bag with a soft thud. “So what are we thinking, Lieutenant? Time for another snack?”

  Solara stormed past her. “No. Onwards. We push forward to the next floor.”

  She charged down one corridor, stopped, spun, marched the opposite way, stopped again, then turned back and shouted, “WHY DO THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME? WHO CAME UP WITH THIS MESS!”

  Keira cleared her throat, eyes closed.

  Solara turned slowly. “Oh, and let me guess.”

  “I’ve figured it out,” Keira said calmly.

  Solara folded her arms, voice sharp and patronizing. “Of course you have, Master Sergeant. Please enlighten me.”

  Keira opened her eyes. “When we entered the first room, there were four exits. Each one feeds into corridors deliberately limited in visibility, so you don’t notice you’re looping. You think you’re progressing, but you’re being redirected back toward the same space.”

  Braen nodded. “Aw, isn’t she our little brainiac, figuring all this out.”

  “And that helps us how?” Solara snapped.

  “If we break the loops,” Keira continued, “we can move faster. If we run into one another, we turn back immediately and take a different path.”

  Aidan started, “I think she wants to—”

  Solara cut him off. “Fine. We split up. And don’t think we’re not talking about this attitude when we get home, Master Sergeant.”

  Keira smiled and gave a slight bow. “I will fully accept my punishment for any infractions you find in my performance today, Lieutenant.”

  Takeshi and Aurex were still standing near the stairs, whispering.

  “No, you ask her,” Aurex muttered.

  Takeshi sighed. “Lieutenant, Aurex and I were thinking—”

  “Request denied,” Solara said instantly. “You two go left.”

  Aurex protested, “Come on, Solara. Mr Pael will be outraged at the risk to my life I’m already in.”

  Solara stepped directly in front of him, looming. “You agreed to the council that you would make yourself combat-ready. Did you or did you not?”

  “I did, but—”

  “No buts. We’ve been killing white deaths for a decade. We will not be around to save your neck every time you do something stupid. Now get marching.”

  Takeshi wrapped an arm around Aurex and steered him toward a passage. “There, there. She can get like this.”

  Aurex sniffed. “I know… it just reminds me of the garden disaster.”

  “The garden disaster?” Aidan asked.

  “Nothing,” Solara said quickly.

  “Oh, it was bad,” Braen added. “Aurex tried to cut her little tree. Took the Captain to hold her back. Elyria even came out with a black eye.”

  Keira blinked. “Wait, where was I?”

  “Street fights,” Artimage said cheerfully. “Same day. Pow—half his teeth gone. Honestly, I stay afloat these days just betting on you.”

  Keira went very still. “Artimage. Please shut up.”

  “But the time you threw that guy into the crowd—”

  “ARTIMAGE, WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!”

  Solara wrapped an arm around Artimage’s shoulders, smiling far too sweetly. “Now, now. I’d really love to hear more. Illegal gambling, illegal fighting, endangerment of residents… unless someone else was behind it?”

  Keira lifted her chin. “You have zero evidence, Lieutenant. We all know Artimage mixes things up.”

  “No, I’m pretty sure—”

  Keira lunged, clapping a hand over his mouth. “Bro, you take the staff and go right. Me and the Lieutenant.”

  Braen waved as she scooped Aidan up under one arm. “See you, little beauties. Don’t keep me waiting.”

  “Braen, for the hundredth time, I’m not Mynxi!” Aidan protested.

  She hummed, carrying him off. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you, my little friend.”

  Aidan went limp with a sigh.

  Solara stood staring at Keira, whose hand was still firmly over Artimage’s mouth.

  Hector smashed a white death’s head into the stone and shouted over, “No one else want to do it all myself?”

  Solara finally spoke. “Specialist, you stay with the Lance Corporal. Master Sergeant— with me. We have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”

  The corridor narrowed as Keira and Solara picked their way through the passageways, stone pressing close on both sides. Keira walked a few steps in front, silent, unhurried.

  Solara finally broke it. “Fine. It’s just us now. No one to show off to. You can drop the act.”

  Keira stopped.

  She turned, blocking the corridor, eyes sharp. “You noticed anything?”

  Solara frowned. “What are you talking about now?”

  “Ever since we entered the dungeon, you’ve been trying to pin something on me,” Keira said evenly. “I’ve followed the procedures all day by the book. And still, you want to say something. So say it, Lieutenant.”

  Solara exhaled hard. “Why does he always cut me out of the stupid stuff? I know I react, but that doesn’t mean—”

  Keira blinked. “Oh my god. It’s the newspaper, isn’t it?”

  Solara looked away. She continued, “Among other things. It’s not just that.” Solara continued, “He pulls that nonsense with you. He, Elyria, and Mynxi spend all their spare time together. The Master Chief lives at Whaa Whaa’s. And I’m… here to nag everyone.”

  Keira rolled her eyes. “Come off it. You knew when you joined, we were never going to be that picture-perfect army you imagined. That’s the point of all this.”

  She stepped closer. “And you and I both know he’d be a disaster without you. So stop moaning. We’ll pull something on him when we get out of here.”

  Solara hesitated. “So you don’t mind if I moan?”

  “Bitch, why do you think I swear so much?” Keira snorted. “And for the record—if you want to mess with my brother, give me a shout. He’s getting way too cocky lately.”

  Solara smiled faintly. “Can we make him cry?”

  Keira’s grin turned vicious. “He’ll be crying for days.”

  “The eight-four-seven-two.”

  “I was never going to make you do them anyway.”

  Keira tilted her head, smirking. “Do you want a hug, sparkles?”

  “No offence,” Solara shot back immediately, “you smell worse than your brothers.”

  A scream echoed faintly through the corridors.

  “HOLD ON—TAKE MY HAND!”

  Keira tilted her head. “Sounds like they found the stairway.”

  She turned to move—

  “One more thing,” Solara said.

  Keira smirked without looking back. “It’s actually a race, and you want to wipe the smirk off his face.”

  “…Please.”

  “Well then,” Keira said, breaking into a run, “we'd better get a crack on, sparkles.”

  “We are still on mission, Master Sergeant!” Solara shouted as she chased after her.

  They rounded the corner hard—

  —and nearly slammed straight into Takeshi and Aurex, both braced and straining as they tried to haul Aurex backward by his emerald armour. Two emerald-tier monsters had latched onto him, claws digging in as they dragged him toward the stairs.

  “Good news,” Keira said cheerfully. “I don’t think the monsters can move between floors.”

  “WILL SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!” Aurex screamed.

  Takeshi was crying now. “Don’t worry—we’re getting you out—we’re getting you out!”

  Solara pinched the bridge of her nose.

  Keira’s laughter echoed down the corridor as the struggle continued.