The stranger turns to us with disapproval but it is dismissive. He could care less about us besides the fact that we’ve interrupted his business. Not even Bell, the literal monster that barged through his floor. “Who are you?”

“She’s—”

“Lourianne Tome.” Simone cuts Cordy off. “An annoyance and the one responsible for this mess. You’ve made a mistake coming here.”

“Wait a moment!” Cordy shouts. “You want to drag another innocent into this? Enough is enough. Nothing irreversible has happened tonight. Please, put an end to this, guildmaster!”

The pleading caster turns to the stranger but there is no sympathy in the elderly man’s piercing blue eyes. “The guilds protect each other,” the apparent guildmaster says, voice turning raspy as he projects. “We, as the preeminent monster hunters on this continent, have kept this city and the kingdom safe for generations. We didn’t do that by being picky about our methods.”

“Master Emeritus!”

“Silence!” He glares at Cordy until the middle-aged man hunches his shoulders and retreats like a scolded boy. “Our soldiers, your brothers and sisters in arms, are preparing to march north and face near certain death. This…man has potions that can save lives. We tried to do the decent thing and pay him a fair price but he refused. Are we meant to not give our people the best chance at survival possible because of his childish tantrum?”

“This isn’t the old days,” Cordy mutters. “And they aren’t just anyone. She’s from the Hall. Do you want Dunwayne taking issue with us?”

“Hmph. Despite his legendary status, Dunwayne is still a man. There is a reason the Hall minds its own business.”

“She came here of her own will,” Simone follows, the look in his eyes malicious. “Surely, she is prepared to accept the consequences.”

“I should be saying that to you.” I sneer at the apparent guildmaster. “You kidnapped an acquaintance of mine. I am fully within my rights to retrieve him with force. No one’s going to come to your defense after we’ve kicked your asses.”

“The guilds need no one’s protection.” Master Emeritus, was it? I wonder, is he Cordy’s master or a true master? He looks to Kierra and his brows furrow in confusion. “His kin? I can understand your coming but sympathy won’t save you. Surrender, and I promise to make your deaths quick.”

“Lou…” I glance to the side as Kierra licks her lips. Dark green scales spread along her arms and face. “He is mine.”

Alright. Bell, focus on subduing the other two while I get Howie out of danger. “I’ll make you a better offer. Stand back, let me leave with the brewer, and no one has to die.”

“Arrogance.”

Simone looks eager for the fighting to begin, his eyes on me. Beside him, Cordy is conflicted but he doesn’t move, not even to separate himself from the kidnappers. A shame. I like the polite caster but he’s made his choice. Bell.

A howl echoes through the room. Cordy and Simone flinch but the guild master contains his reaction to a grimace as his eyes glow. White flames erupt around him, reflecting off pieces of glass as the bottles and vials on the tables shatter, their remains gathering around Bell.

Kierra leaps at the guild master, jumping right through the flames, aiming a kick at his chest. I expect him to fly away, maybe for his torso to be separated from the rest of his body. Instead, nothing. He doesn’t even flinch but the room becomes much hotter.

“A physical wielding martial fighter,” Master Emeritus sneers. “A poor match.”

“How long will your mana lasts?” she retorts, voice full of amusement.

“Long enough to see you turned to ash.” The fire around him converges into a ball. Kierra jumps away as it suddenly expands, a wave of force and heat throwing her backward. Even I can feel the heat, my skin warming as it did before my new body when I’d basked under the summer.

White flames surround the guild master again before taking the form of three great serpents. He launches them at Kierra, who’s just gotten to her feet. She’s still fast enough to dodge their twisting bulk, the room shaking as they slam into the far wall.

At the same time, Bell launches her own attack, hundreds of glass shards heated by the white flames flying toward the other two casters. A wall of gray ice appears, already melting in the intense heat. A perfect cover for me to dash past. I chuck my remaining rocks at the barricade as I run for Howie, the impacts enough to shatter the already severely weakened defense.

Bell leaps over me as I rip away the rope binding the brewer to the chair. I’m about to put him on a shoulder but am forced to tackle him to the ground as a gout of white flame passes over my head.

“Your opponent is here!” Kierra shouts, followed by a loud crash.

“Insolent!”

“Damn it!” Simone curses as spines from Bell’s tail pierces his arm. “I can’t fight like this! I’m going to go get help!”

Cordy has no leeway to respond, busy fending off Bell’s large paws and the barbed tentacles in her mouth with small explosions, barely holding her back. I hear him clearly though.

Putting Howie on my shoulder, I race after the retreating hunter, catching up to him in a moment and grabbing him by the back of his head.

“You—”

That’s all he has the time to say as I clamp down, shattering his skull. Blood leaks from his ears as his arms fall limply to his side. I toss him aside, heart pounding. I have to get away. Kierra’s fight is only growing more intense and Howie isn’t as sturdy as the rest of us. But the hunters are gathering on the floor above us. The more cautious are holding back the eager, keeping them from jumping into the fight.

My heart thunders as I race through the room and leap at the hole in the ceiling. I have a moment to savor the collective shock of the men and women gathered around it, watching me with wide eyes and dropped jaws. Then my feet touch the ground and I jump again, to the ground floor of the building.

I didn’t bother to notice before but this seems to be a tavern-like space, with a bar and tables for eating.

“Haahhh!”

I would have noticed him anyway but the skinny swordsman makes it easy by yelling as he approaches. It’s laughably easy to catch his arm, bringing him to a sudden halt.

“Who are you?” he shouts, full of indignant rage. “Why are you attacking the Torchbearers?”

Sorry, but I don’t have time for explanations. Instead of answering, I throw his arm to the side before lightly punching him. He crumples but he isn’t dead. I grab him by the front of his armor, denting the metal, and drag him toward the counter. Howie is dropped first, then the eager swordsman on top of him, behind the tall counter. There, no one will look at them twice.

The vulnerable brewer hidden and out of harm’s way, I jump back down the hole, startling the hunters gathered in hall below again as I fall.

The room has become a sea of fire. A mix of white and yellow flames hot enough to turn the stone floor red and burn away my clothes. I drop a film over my eyes, shielding them from the brightness of the spells, but it doesn’t help me see. I have to rely on my ears.

I ignore the meaty thumps of Kierra bludgeoning the guild master while he attempts to burn through her wyvern scales and head for Bell. Once I’m right on top of her, I can make out what’s happening.

She’s given up on her strange form, the massive canine replaced by her usual imp self, crouched low to the ground as her skin smokes. In small patches, it ignites but then the skin is sloughed off. Several pieces already surround her, rapidly turning to ash.

Standing above her is Cordy, sweat beading on his brow and face pinched with stress. I can do nothing and Bell will exhaust him, healing his attempts to burn her until his core is empty, but it'll be over before that.

While she pretends to be pinned, the stone above him is cracking. It soon gives way and several large pieces of ceiling rain down on the poor caster, crushing him before he has a chance to realize the danger.

“AAAAGGGHHH!”

As the flames around us begin to dwindle, I turn to see a naked Kierra, covered in wyvern scales, standing before the kneeling guild master. The elderly man’s face is pale and drawn, one hand covering the stump where his arm should be. My stomach rumbles at the smell of cooking meat and his hand drops, revealing a now charred stump. “This isn’t over,” he spits, struggling to his feet.

“I wonder, do you taste as good as you smell?” she purrs. “Animals with high mana always make the best meals.”

“Monster!” he roars as he raises a hand. A gout of white flame rushes out from his palm. My wife has the gall to bask in it, stretching languidly as the flames wash over her. It finally ends when the guild master is bent over with exhaustion, sweat on his brow and breathing labored. Mana strain.

“You…how…”

The snap of his neck breaking is the answer.

“A bit of kick to him but nothing like a dragonkin. I believe he thought I was merely bolstering my defenses as opposed to shapeshifting. A regrettable assumption.”

“Don’t relax too much,” I tell her as her scales start to recede but my eyes are on her dead opponent. That was a master caster, wasn’t it? And she just killed him in, what, maybe a few minutes? Saints. To think I came to help.

“Coo!”

I catch Bell as she launches herself at me. “We’ve got a whole lot of enemies up top who are going to be pissed about their guildmaster dying.”

“The halfling?”

“On the ground floor. Listen up. We’re going to grab him and run. Anyone who tries to stop us is fair game but I’m not spending the whole night fighting every hunter in his city.”

“Mm. Let us see if they can entertain me more.”

“Alright. Ready, Bell? You’re the distraction.”

“Coo!”

Unsurprisingly, the hunters above are taking action. A sheet of stone and ice is rapidly covering the hole. Grabbing Bell by base of her neck, I launch her at it as hard as I can.

The weak barrier shatters. I catch a momentarily glimpse of her disappearing into the crowd of hunters before the screaming begins.