“Run!” Relia shouted to anyone who would listen. No sooner had the words left her mouth than she flooded her legs with mana and leapt for the hotel’s front door. She might be the strongest Apprentice here, but one technique from that Artisan would split her like a fish.

The others ignored her warning, and the fire ripped through their shields and armor. Two men erupted in flames while others slammed into the building like flung dolls.

One soldier almost hit Relia as he spun through the air. She twisted her own body, letting him pass behind her. Another man struck the sidewalk, and she vaulted over him. The charcoal scent of fire mana filled her nostrils, mingled with smoke and burning flesh.

The air snapped as the Artisan gathered more techniques. Relia spun her portable shield behind her as she passed into the lobby, leaving a trail of anti-life mana in her wake. That wouldn’t kill an Artisan, but it might slow him down.

Heat closed in around her as the Artisan followed. Her portable shield flickered out. The fire seared through her armor next, breaking the micro-Constructs like dry newspaper. Relia flared her Life Cloak as she collapsed on the tile floor. Even with all three layers of protection, it was all she could do to stay alive.

She rolled over on her back as the Fang passed through the double doors. An inferno of red flame swirled around, burning away the trap she’d set.

Any day now, Kyzar.

Her enemy hurled another Missile her way. Relia threw her own mana into the ground, and the blast carried her several paces to her right. The Fang didn’t let up—hurling one technique after another.

Relia dodged the first attack, then redirected the second with a burst of pure mana. The fire slammed into the nearest support with a burst of splinters. That pillar must’ve been over a thousand pounds, but the Fang’s mana cracked it like a tree branch.

Kyzar dropped from his perch above the doorway. His forearms shone with molten lines as he flared his Cloak technique. Fire and plasma gathered in his palms, forming into a pair of glowing red daggers.

The Fang’s yellow eyes widened as if he felt Kyzar behind him. He tried to spin around—too late. Kyzar slashed one dagger across the Fang’s throat. No blood shot from the wound as he fell—just a straight line of glowing red plasma.

Relia breathed a sigh of relief as her enemy hit the tile floor. A dozen other soldiers cheered around her, chanting the word “Liberta” in unison.

Just then, two more dragons appeared in the doorway.

“Behind you!” Relia shouted at Kyzar.

The Artisan moved before the words even left her mouth. He stretched out his arms like a bird taking flight, forming a heat shield behind his back. Fire filled the space behind him, but he held his ground, a black silhouette against a miniature sun.

“Fall back,” Kyzar ordered his soldiers. Then he spun toward the doorway, closing the distance with his plasma blades.

For the second time that day, the Unmarked showed their inexperience. Rather than listening to their commander, half a dozen Apprentices attacked in unison.

The Fangs barely even looked at them, much less bother to raise their shields. Mana and bullets struck harmlessly against their skin. One man even caught a grenade from the air and tossed it back as if he were brushing dust from his jacket.

“Move!” Relia shouted to the other soldiers.

The first Fang held out his palm and released a torrent of fire mana. The second dropped to one knee and pressed a hand to the tile floor.

Stone Artist.

The ground shook beneath Relia’s boots as she rushed for the nearest hallway. The layer of polished tiles broke away, and the building’s foundation moved in a flowing river of jagged stone.

Kyzar kicked off from the ground in a burst of flame, launching himself ten feet into the air. Chaos followed as the Fangs hurled blasts of fire and stone.

Relia pressed her back against a wall, out of sight from the battle. Then she fumbled with the old radio on her belt, holding the button to talk.

“Valdez?” she shouted into the microphone. “Where are you?” He and Kyzar were supposed to take the enemy Artisans together. Not much of a trap otherwise.

“A little busy,” a grizzled voice replied.

“Hurry,” she snapped back. “We’ve got two Fangs in the lobby.”

Kyzar moved in a blur, parrying dozens of strikes. Smoke rose to fill the chamber, and burning debris rained down around them. The earthquake continued, and several walls buckled from the pressure. Smoke alarms screeched in a high-pitched rhythm, even after the lights went dark. Water blasted from the sprinklers above, but it couldn’t quench mana this stong.

Azul’s ashes.She had to find her friends before the whole place collapsed. Unfortunately, she’d retreated in the wrong directed, and the Artisan’s fought between her and the staircase.

The air burned around Kyzar as he flared his Cloak. He slammed his body into the Stone Artist, slashing wildly with his molten red daggers. The Stone Artist blocked the attacks, covering his own body in stone armor, following with punches like thrown boulders.

Kyzar cut through the stone projectiles, moving with the grace of a Shokenese Blade Artist. He’d clearly spent decades training, and his raw power could rival many Artisans in Koreldon. Meanwhile, the Fangs looked half his age. They’d gained their mana with soulshine rather than practice, and it showed.

But Kyzar couldn’t beat them both—not two against one.

The other Fire Artist plowed into him from behind. Kyzar spun with another blur of red plasma, burying his blade into the Fang’s bicep. This left him exposed to the Stone Artist, who sent a spike of concrete through his calf. Kyzar stumbled forward, and the floor opened to swallow him.

Relia was already gathering her own mana to help, but she wouldn’t be quick enough. Her pure mana wouldn’t scratch these guys, and her life techniques took several seconds to form.

“Valdez!” she shouted again.

“Right behind you.”

Relia spun around to see the human Artisan flying down the corridor. Literally. He moved so fast, his feet barely touched the ground. Bursts of wind mana shot out from his outstretched palms. Fires died out around the lobby, the smoke cleared, and the impact sent the two Fangs stumbling back.

The Stone Artist recovered first, flaring his Cloak technique and pushing back against the sudden gale. Valdez shot forward in a blur, grabbing the dragon by the vest.

Then he kicked off the ground, and the two of them shot through the ceiling.

The room seemed to hold its breath for a second after that, then both Fire Artists lashed out with their Missile techniques. Fire clashed with fire in midair, sending a shockwave in every direction.

The entire building split in two, revealing fragments of the upper levels. Beds and dressers fell through the gaps, along with nightstands, chairs, and televisions. Water flowed from exposed pipes, glowing orange from the fires.

Relia stared at the avalanche of wood and glass, frozen in place. She’d seen Artisans fight before, but those fights happened in official arenas. Places where they could only hurt each other. This was something else entirely. Even after her lecture to Akari and Kalden, she hadn’t actually expected this much damage.

Relia moved a second later when her instincts screamed a warning. She leapt out of the hallway and took cover behind the concierge's desk.

Half the building collapsed behind her. One floor smashed cleanly into the other, and the layers of concrete snapped like a falling house of cards. The dust gathered in a blinding cloud, and the fire flashed through the darkness as the Artisans fought.

The world shook when the last floor hit the ground, and she felt the impact in her bones.