“For our next interview, we have with us the ever enigmatic [Lunar Illusionist] that goes by the name of Tail. As you can clearly see, nothing about their appearance gives away anything about their origin, their history, or even their gender, but I can assure you that Tail is a proud Korgan who has overcome much in their time, a story many of you following Team Rising Star from the early days will know all too well.” Trosana paused, smiling at her fellow Korgan, but their bandages didn’t so much as indicate a smile.

“Now, Tail. I won’t be delving too deeply into your secrets, but I have to ask, how did you become a [Lunar Illusionist]? Up until this run, I’d never heard of such a Class, let alone seen one in action.”

“I would have died long before the Run began if it wasn’t for the Goddess of the Moon, the least I can do is represent her ideals.”

Trosana stopped, stunned for the moment at the revelation. “Can you elaborate on that?”

The bandages on Tail’s face fell just a bit around the edges, and Trosana was about to move on before the Korgan began speaking again. “It’s a long story, but it isn’t right to tell it all. Some of it is very personal, as I’m sure you can imagine. What I will say is that when I was at my lowest, The Temple of the Moon took me in and healed the worst of my injuries. You are aware my first Class was as a [Plague Bearer]? Most wouldn’t so much as touch me, my body became stronger the more diseased it got, and healing was reduced by as much. I could function and move, but one day, I would simply die on my feet.”

“That sounds horrible.”

Tail nodded. “Words can’t describe it, but the Moonkin…”

“You saw the Moonkin?”

Again, Tail nodded. “There were three of them, two supported me while the third guided me to the temple. I collapsed in the doorway, and Rani’s followers took it as a sign I was blessed beyond my Class. They did everything they could to keep me on my feet until the run began so I could get a new Class and start the process of repairing the damage that the Wasting caused.”

“That sounds a bit different than the story you told Myles,” Trosana commented.

“There are things he didn’t need to know then,” Tail pointed out. “He wasn’t ready.”

“But he was ready to deal with the Skill Vul tested with you.”

Tail was quiet for a moment, unable or unwilling to speak about that for a long moment. “I regret asking that of him.”

Trosana nodded. “He does have a history with Korgans it seems.”

“His teammate, his adviser, his past life,” Tail counted off on their hand one at a time.

“And his fans,” She added, smugly. “I swear it’s disproportionately young Korgan women at this point, but don’t tell him that. I think he has you to thank for that though, but we’re getting off-topic. Speaking of the outside world, tell me, Tail, is there a message you’d like to send out to anyone special since we’re on the subject? I know our agreement from before about your past but…”

Tail stared at the stone she’d been told was for recording and was blunt. “If you ever come near me, I will make sure you never are found. You will be given no honor or rest in death, and I will take back what is mine. I will end you completely in mind, body, and soul.”

The tension was as thick as clay as Trosana inched back. Tail caught the movement, seemed to process something, and held up their hands defensively as their head shook.

“That was not meant for you.”

“I’d hope not.”

Tail’s tail fell slightly. “Are there more questions?”

“Besides the obvious?” Tail nodded. “We will come back to that another day, but what do you think of your teammates?”

“They are everything I need them to be. Now that we have Mitchel, I doubt anything can stop us if we fight with all we have.”

“And Myles?”

“He is the leader we need, and the friend I wish I had long ago.”

“Do you worry about him getting involved with a teammate?”

Tail seemed surprised by the question. “If he were a man that wasn’t acquainted with loss, I would be. He knows what it’s like to lose those close to him and values all of us, even his monsters. Myles has time and again put himself on the line for us all in ways some people wouldn’t for their own family.”

“So, you trust him to keep things professional.”

“On the battlefield, yes.”

“What about Kendra Kessa?”

Tail hesitated, but only for a moment. “She will not let us down.”

“I certainly hope not.” Trosana smiled. “Now, I just have a few more questions, as one Korgan to another.”

Tail sighed.

***

Taking a drink from her water again, Trosana was starting to feel exhausted. The task was a bit more draining than she’d anticipated, and the one she’d worried the least about turned out to be the most combative by far. Not that she could blame the other Korgan with what she’d uncovered, but it wasn’t exactly setting the best image for them. Tail blended into the background most times, but the interview showed them to be probably the most dangerous of the entire group.

As she put the glass down, the door opened again and the elder of the group took his seat across from her.

“I’m not exactly great at this,” Will said simply.

“No one is,” Trosana explained. “That’s why you’re on that side of the interview, and I’m on this side.”

Will laughed. “Good point, so what is your sponsor giving us for this?”

Trosana shrugged. “Different for each of you, but it will be pretty much value equivalent to one another.”

“Fair enough.”

Trosana made herself comfortable in Myles’s chair and began to adjust a few of the angles. “Any questions before we start?”

“Not really, I’ve watched the runs for years now. I know how this works well enough and what you’ll be looking for.”

“Good man.”

“I tend to be,” Will countered. "But don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the true answer to. I’m too old to care what people think anymore.”

“Fair enough,” she said, taking a line from his book, but she smiled more than he had at the words. “Give me a few moments, and we’ll get started.”

***

“I’m here with the elder of the Rising Stars, Will Riggs, grandfather to Kendra Kessa, and one of the oldest humans in the run.”

“You sure know how to make a man feel young.”

Trosana smiled. “Now, Will, before we begin, we’ve already interviewed Kendra and I have a question that I’m sure many people are wondering. Being her grandfather and a teammate to Myles, what do you think about him?”

Will gave her a half-hearted shrug. “The kid’s clever. He’s no mage, but he has a good heart. Even if I didn’t like him, it wouldn’t matter to Kendra.”

“But do you?”

“I do,” he confirmed. “He’s good people.”

“And what do you really feel about him dating her?” she asked, taking away the wiggle room he’d used.

Will scratched his chin, the stubble in full bloom. “I’m not the biggest fan of Run romances. They’re young, but they are good for each other right now.”

“And ratings,” she added with a smile. “You do not want to know the offers I’m getting.”

“No.” Will cringed and lost a little of its color at the implications of that line. “No, I don’t want to know. I’d rather be ignorant to it right now.”

Trosana’s cheshire grin lasted about as long as it took for the color to return to the man’s face.

“Anyways, let’s talk about you,” she continued, putting on a bit more of a professional bearing. “Will, from the start, you’ve been trying to become a [Chronomancer]. Is that still your goal?”

“Is bending time and space to your beck and call not enticing enough for you?” Will countered. “I’ve been a [Preserver] most of my life, and now I’m a [Distortion Mage]. They’re means to an end, and everything I learn brings me closer to my goal.” His smile softened as he spoke, losing the harsh edge he’d come into the conversation with. “I’m going to get there; it just takes time.”

Trosana groaned at the jab. “And then what? What’s your end goal?”

Will raised a brow. “Eternal life? Creating a near endlessly performing farm? Travel to find the Pantheon? To the end of time? Make myself young again? The sky’s the limit if the stories are true.”

“Sounds a bit petty to me.”

“Some dreams are,” Will admitted.

“I have a feeling there’s something you’re not telling us.”

“Telling you,” Will corrected. “I know myself well enough.”

“That sounds fair enough,” Trosana added, following that lead far as it was worth at this junction. “Now, how about we talk a little bit more about you.”

The older man gave her a look and shrugged. “What’s to tell? My wife died a decade ago, my son’s lost his way, and I love my granddaughter enough to take her on after they parted ways.”

“What about her mother?”

Will sighed. “She’s always been supportive of the girl, and I love her more than I love myself. She begged me not to come through. Said I couldn’t take it.”

“And?”

“And what?” he joked. “Do you know how much being a Runner changes things? Now, I could lift ten men if I really wanted. I can think faster, run longer, and act more than anyone my age should be able to by any means. Mists below, I could take on an entire gang of thugs and probably come out on top without my Skills and Traits.”

“Running to the rescue? Taking matters into your own hands to protect the innocent or yourself?” A smile crept across her lips at that. “Sounds like what I’d expect from a hero.”

Will scoffed.

“I’m not a hero.”

“Many would argue that point.”

“Hero’s just a title they give to try to make Runners into something not all of us are.”

“Really?” Trosana pried. “So, you’re not going to serve the country after this is all said and done?”

“Oh, I’ll do my service, tours, and whatnot after,” Will corrected as he leaned back into the plush furniture, “but if you expect me to be excited like Noir the Black or Embertail the Everburning or that damned Mist-born Darwin the Everchanging, don’t hold your breath. I’m not going to do anything after what I’m required.”

“But what does a hero need to hide for?”

Will snorted as she used the term again.

“Heroes are made, not titled by the kingdom. Don’t let the propaganda cheapen that. You aren’t a hero until you earn the name.”

“Many would say that what you’re doing is considered heroic.”

“Many are idiots.”

Trosana sighed. “You really shouldn’t call your fans idiots.”

“You’ll just edit it out. I can say whatever I want, and you’ll make sure we sound good. I’ve seen the last three Runs. I know how it works.”

“Fair enough.”

“Still, there’s not much left for me, and I want to make sure what I do have left counts. If I can achieve my dream, I can do a lot for the people I can about. If I can keep Kendra safe, I’ll be happy doing that. That's the beauty of being old, Trosana.”

“What’s that?”

For the first time during the interview, Will smiled at her as he answered. “Being old means that I don’t have to care about things that don’t matter. I can do what I want, and no one can tell me not to.”

***

The usual questions followed, exploring his unique class and abilities before the interview ended. Trosana smiled as Will got up from the chair and offered her his hand.

“That could have been worse. Thank you for not prying too deeply.”

She took the hand and shook it firmly. “I try not to, but some stories are too good not to.”

He gave her one last look and shook his head.

Trosana smiled stayed as Will left the house. Four members down, and he was the most refreshing of them. Despite his attitude on the matter, he was the most put together of the group and, in her eyes, had the best motives to be there. Protecting his granddaughter was something she could work with easily.

Speaking of easy to work with…

The door opened revealing the final pair of the interview, and her smile only grew. “Myles! Your team is something else.”

“I thought you already knew that,” Myles joked.

The [Monster Tamer] kept smiling as he continued into his home, but Ashra stood back, watching them with the eyes of a seasoned warrior as the light bent across her metallic frame.

“Are you not going to join us, Ashra?” Trosana asked when it became obvious when wasn’t.

“There is nothing that Myles cannot speak on for me,” the Monsterkin explained before looking at Myles. “And nothing that I want to speak on otherwise.”

“But the Monster League…”

“She’s said her piece,” Myles said, shrugging. “It’s not worth fighting over.”

“Says you,” she sighed, tossing a figurative pile of papers to the wind. “Still, we’ve only got so long, and we still have so much. Shall we move on?”

Myles nodded. “Let’s do this.”

His Korgan interviewer smirked, interlocked her fingers, and pressed them forward, cracked her joints with a loud succession of pops as if she were getting ready for a fight. “Thought you’d never ask.”

To his surprise, Trosana began packing up the familiar crystals from their last interview session and began setting up a new group. The violet gem she produced a few moments later was caged in silver metal and inscribed with red runes that gleamed with an inner light he’d not seen before.

“That’s new,” Myles commented.

As if to emphasize the comment, the stone began to float and give off the slight hum of magic.

“That’s because this is a high fidelity recording crystal. Top shelf issued by the Runner Times for the more interesting cases. Records everything down to the slightest twitch of your eye. The same kind the royal guards use during interrogations actually. Never know when body language will give more away than words.”

Myles felt a slight chill at the words. He wasn’t an idiot, but even if she hadn’t come right out and said it, equipment like this wasn’t something she should have.

“These first questions are for my own curiosity though, but I have to know. Is she listening?”

“Who?”

“Your dungeon core. Silpha, was it?”

Myles froze. “How did you…”

“Not just me, Myles. The kingdom knows what you’ve done. It’s not uncommon for Classes to be able to control a core, but it’s not common either.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

Trosana sighed. “Throughout the years, many of the pet Classes like [Monster Tamer]s and [Summoner]s have learned that some dungeon cores are sapient and have bargained with them for their power or other arrangements. It’s a closely guarded secret, of course, and it’s never happened in the Grand Dungeon before.”

“It’s true. I’m not sure how good my knowledge is though, seeing as I’ve only ever lived in this dungeon, but the Overseer usually has plans in place to prevent things like this. Planning’s worth’s sket in the face of your luck though. People aren’t supposed to just pick me up, you know? It’s just not done here. Oh, she’s talking again. Ask her to repeat it. Trust me, you’ll need to hear this”

“Myles?”

“Could you repeat that again?”

Trosana nodded. “Of course, I know it’s a lot to take in, but here’s the long and short of it. I’ve already been told your event will be heavily edited, but the royal family sees it all as they wish. So, I’m sure you can imagine the implications if you make it out. You could be a kingdom unto yourself, and that makes some people… uncomfortable to say the least.”

And more pieces fell into place like the metal links that were forming the chains waiting for him.

“I see,” Myles continued.

“I’m sure you could put a lot of fears to rest by reminding the people who you are,” Trosana explained in a casual tone. “Not that they need to be reminded, but you know how people can be.”

“Myles? Silpha said you may need me.”

It’s fine, Ashra.

“It does not feel fine.”

Just politics.

“I see. Is she going to try and take control of the team?”

What?

“You can take her. Her strength is nothing compared to ours.”

Ashra, it’s okay.

“I can make her disappear.”

No, Ashra. I don’t think it’s her fault.

Ashra paused, but Myles got the distinct feeling she wasn’t done.

“Very well. The others are getting anxious though. They want to get their… Lyna called them Loot Boxes?”

Sponsorships. Tell them it’s just getting started.

“Lyna wishes you to know she is upset you made her go first.”

Noted.

Myles sighed, but Trosana seemed to pick up on what had been going on and laughed. “How many voices do you have in your head, Myles?”

“Too many sometimes,” he admitted.

She nodded. “Now, if you could…”

“I am a Runner of Kess,” Myles said simply. “When I’m done here, I’m going to travel the world, recruit monsters, and maybe open a ranch to raise monsters to fight. Maybe start a family, I don’t know. That’s way too far out to think about, but I do know I have no desire to run anything larger. I’m a loyal subject of the kingdom and its royal family.”

Trosana smiled giving him a small nod of approval. “Never doubted it for a moment, Myles.”

“I’m glad.”

“But that didn’t answer my first question,” Trosana pointed out. “Is she listening? You did call her she, right?”

Myles nodded. “She’s always listening.”

“Except when you’re in the bathroom or bath. That would be weird.”

Myles ignored that.

“Interesting. So, has she told you anything about herself? How she came to be a dungeon core? About the structure of how things work in the Grand Dungeon? About the core?”

“Only that she had been a siren beforehand,” Myles explained. “You’ve seen her monster form, right?”

“Oh? So that is her?” she said curiously. “Interesting.”

“Why?”

“I’m not a monster hunter by any stretch, but I did do my research. Sirens aren’t native to Kess. They’re mostly found in the Inner Sea in the center of Leras and along the Grand Divide.”

That was interesting, but, ultimately, didn’t matter, did it?

Myles had a few moments to consider before Trosana continued the interview.

Thankfully, most of the questions were simple recall. She asked about what he thought of his team, the tactics they used, becoming leader, and the like. Really, he could have turned his mind off and just gone on about it for as long as she wanted.

Before he knew it, the interview was over, but she hadn’t lied. It took longer than the others had, and he could feel their annoyance through the mental link. He was about to say as much when Trosana smiled and reached her hand out to him.

“It’s been a pleasure, Myles. I can’t wait to see what your team does.”

He took it, gripping it too hard at first and making her wince before pulling back. He apologized quickly, but she just waved it off as a Runner forgetting his own strength.

With that, Trosana reached across the table, picked up the crystal, and packed it carefully away in the same place it’d come from.

Myles got up, intent on inviting everyone back in to open up their packages when Trosana cleared her throat and brought up more from that faithful day.

“This is off the record, Myles, and I mean off.”

Myles raised a brow. “Okay…”

Trosana took a deep breath, and Myles stared. What was she…?

“Show me the book, Myles.”