Abby was miserable. Not only had her relationship with Zeke disintegrated before her very eyes, but she’d also lost her place as one of the group as well. Hearing Zeke’s brutal honesty about her abilities hadn’t necessarily been a wakeup call – after all, she’d long harbored such thoughts herself – but it was a confirmation of her own insecurities. Certainly, she knew she had a degree of power. She was level twenty-five, had a few decent achievements, and she’d even managed to snag a wild skill. However, there wasn’t a world where her power was comparable to Zeke’s, Talia’s, or even Pudge’s. She was the odd one out, and now, she didn’t have the buffer of her relationship with Zeke to shield her from reality.

But her insecurities about her level of power paled in comparison to the loneliness that had become her constant companion. Even before Zeke, she had always had someone with her. A friend. A comrade. Someone with whom to share the burden of life in the Radiant Isles. Now, even the lovable Pudge shunned her.

And it was all because she’d done the right thing.

Or at least, that was how she saw it. Not telling Zeke that she planned to kill Micayne was an unfortunate necessity. If she’d told him, she had no doubts that he would have stopped her from acting. And she’d had to act. The other option – that Micayne would take over the entirety of the Radiant Isles before spreading into the next plane – was, to put it mildly, unacceptable. So, she’d thrown herself on the sword, becoming an unappreciated martyr as she sacrificed everything she truly cared about for the greater good.

Or perhaps she was simply being dramatic and casting her betrayal in a self-sacrificial light so that she didn’t have to confront the reality that she had chosen her path because it was the easiest road to travel. And because of that, Pudge had almost died. Zeke hadn’t been far off, either. Only Talia had made it through without life-threatening injuries.

Leaning against the ship’s railing, Abby let out a sigh as she stared at the heavily forested island a quarter of a mile away. She had no idea what she was going to do once she made it to the next plane. Without Zeke, she would be alone. She would have no support. And she was honest enough with herself to recognize that death was a very likely result of going into such a situation by herself. But she also knew that Zeke had made his choice. She had seen it in his eyes. Whatever spark there had been between them was gone, and though he clearly still cared about her, he didn’t look at her the same way he had only a few weeks before.

And it broke Abby’s heart.

She shook her head. That day, she’d unleashed a level of power she’d never felt before, and it had very nearly killed her. A smidgen of Aja’s power had been briefly channeled through [Thunder Strike], augmenting it far past its limits, but even that hadn’t been sufficient to kill Micayne. Zeke had been forced to finish the lich off. It was just further evidence that she didn’t deserve to be part of the group. Zeke had said as much when he’d left her on the ship, and there was no disputing his claim.

“Ahoy!” came a scream from the crow’s nest. Abby looked up to see a woman pointing toward the open sea. She followed the gesture and saw a black dot on the horizon; over the next few seconds, it resolved itself into the blurry shape of a ship. It was far enough away that seeing even that much detail meant that the ship was truly massive.

The Puddle Jumper erupted into activity, with men and women finding their battle stations. Abby had seen them do the same when they’d been attacked by various seaborn monsters during the voyage, but there was an urgency to their current actions that had never been there before. So, she quickly crossed the ship and climbed onto the upper deck where she found Dumorne standing beside the ship’s helm and shouting orders.

“What’s going on?” Abby asked. “Do you recognize the ship? Are they hostile?”

Captain Dumorne shrugged. “It ain’t from Salvation, I can tell you that,” he said. “Comin’ from the wrong direction, for one. For two, I don’t recognize it.”

“What do we do?” Abby asked, unlimbering her bow. She missed the [Windseeker Bow] that Zeke had given her back in Beacon, but it had been lost when she’d been taken by captive in Jariq. The replacement, which had once belonged to a high-leveled assassin, was technically better, but it had the disadvantage of being less convenient. And it didn’t have the same sentimental value.

“What we’re already doing,” he said. “We’re preparing for battle.”

“Do you think they’ll actually attack?” was her next question.

Dumorne gave her a cutting glance before responding, “Probably. See how they’re comin’ right at us? No reason for that unless you’re plannin’ an attack.”

“Or they could just want to talk.”

“If that were the case, they’d be flyin’ a flag of truce,” he said. “Now, maybe they ain’t from ‘round these parts, so they don’t know the rules and such. I don’t know. But I’d rather be safe than sorry, if you know what I mean.”

She did, so she nodded. Over the next thirty minutes, the ship drew closer and closer until, eventually, Abby could study it in detail. And what she saw wasn’t encouraging. It was at least twice the size of the Puddle Jumper, which put it at around five- to six-hundred feet long, and it was manned by people in familiar colors. The red and gold of the Radiant Guard was unmistakable for anyone who’d spent any time in Beacon.

“Can we beat them?” she asked.

Dumorne shrugged. “No way to know,” he said. “Depends on how many elites they have. Ship like that, though? I’ll be tryin’ diplomacy first, if that gives you any hint of how I feel about a battle.”

“Fair enough,” Abby responded. “I’ll do what I can to help.”

The captain nodded, then went back to shouting orders at his people. Most of them were already in position, so his commands were mostly unnecessary. However, it seemed to steady their nerves.

Finally, the ship slowed to a stop about a hundred yards away. After that, it launched a boat, and powered by a couple of rowers, it quickly covered the ground between the two ships. Abby could see that both of the men aboard wore the uniforms of the Radiant Guard, though they’d exchanged their heavy metal armor for lighter variations, likely to avoid drowning if they somehow found themselves thrown overboard.

“By order of Lady Constance, this ship is now forfeited,” one of the men declared. “Resist, and it will be reduced to ash. Comply, and you shall be rewarded.”

“Why do you want my ship?” called Dumorne, his voice carrying over the sound of the ocean’s waves lapping against the anchored ship.

“That is not a question I’m permitted to answer,” the man yelled back. “Regardless, reasons are irrelevant. Only obedience matters.”

“Dammit,” said the captain. He slapped the railing, growling, “Goddammit!”

Abby could understand the sentiment because she felt much the same way. Lady Constance was both extraordinarily powerful and extremely unpredictable. By all accounts, she’d chosen to abandon Beacon entirely rather than fight a war against Micayne and his undead horde. In some ways, that decision was probably little different from the one Zeke had made; however, the key difference lay in the fact that she had planted herself at the head of the city and accepted all the responsibility that had come with it. She’d reaped the benefits of ruling the city, but the moment it required her to use her power to defend the citizenry, she’d abandoned them. That, to Abby’s mind, was an unconscionable act.

“What do we do?” she asked.

“What can we do?” he muttered. “Even without someone like Lady Constance, they could likely tear us apart. But with her? We don’t stand a chance. We have to surrender.”

“I was afraid you’d say that,” was her response. Then, without any more hesitation, she leapt over the railing and sprinted across the deck, heading in the direction of the island. However, just before she reached the side, an iron grip clamped around her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

“Not so fast, Miss Summers,” came an even voice. She whipped her head around to see Silas Martel gripping her arm. He looked much the same as he had back in Beacon. Long, wispy beard. Robes that made him look like he’d stepped off the set of a kung fu movie. And an aura of power that she couldn’t ignore. “Lady Constance will no doubt have some questions for you.”

“Let me go!” she spat, trying to jerk away, but it did no good. The man was much stronger than her.

“No. I don’t think I will,” he said. Then, without further conversation, he dragged her across the deck, and then leapt over the side, taking her with him. His feet thudded down on the rowboat, and he told the Radiant Guard, “Take us back to the Benevolence at once. There has been a new development.”

* * *

Zeke’s mace whipped through the air, powered by the enhanced strength that had come with [Armor of the Colossus]. Even though the skill was unstable and broken, it still gave him incredible benefits, enhancing his already-intimidating attributes to unprecedented levels. As a result, the demon before him stood no chance, even when it raised its own shield to block the strike. The head of the mace hit with the sound of a gong, ripping through the hastily raised bulwark an instant later. It crashed into the creature’s head, which filled the air with an explosion of brains, bone, and blood.

Zeke barely noticed the results of his attack because he was moving to the next opponent. He raised his armored arm to block a lanky demon’s sword strike, slapping it aside as if it wasn’t swung by a level twenty-five entity. Then, he aimed a front kick at the demon, caving in its ribs and sending it sprawling to the ground, where it struggled to breathe. Zeke had been in enough battles to know that the creature would be dead after a few torturous minutes.

Meanwhile, Talia was busy ripping through demons like a whirlwind of claws and decay. If Zeke would’ve had a moment to spare, he would have stared in awe; Talia had truly begun to come into her own and harness the immense power she possessed. Her style was very different from Zeke’s, but it was no less effective.

Zeke embraced [Weight of Two Worlds], oppressing the demons surrounding him with the pressure of increased gravity. Most were only slowed, but some were entirely crushed under the weight of his skill. He knew he was only scratching the surface of the ability, but that was to be expected, given that he’d only acquired it recently. He was eager to see how it would develop over the coming years.

He pulverized one demon after another, letting out weeks of frustration along the way. The battle against the undead horde hadn’t been his best showing, and since then, he had been eager to reestablish his confidence. Plus, after Abby’s betrayal, it felt good to just let loose and kill a few monsters. Even so, he wished it hadn’t been necessary.

Their plan had begun so well, with Talia darting along the edge of the demon army and snatching one of the weaker creatures. When she returned, they had questioned it. The monster wasn’t the best communicator – largely because the torture demons had to endure robbed them of much of their humanity, and it was low-leveled enough that it had only just begun to regain its sapience – but they managed to discover that the Portal of Ascension was not on the island.

However, not long after that discovery, things had gone very wrong when a squad of demons had chanced upon them. The fight had alerted still more demons, and before they could retreat, a full-blown battle had erupted. So, he and Talia had set about exterminating the demons.

Zeke hoped that, when he’d finished, he could spare a few moments to destroy the portal to Mal’araxis, but that wasn’t his primary goal. Instead, he just wanted to test his relatively new abilities and get a little exercise. The extermination of the demon army, which was only a thousand or so strong, was little more than a side effect, if a satisfying one.

Slowly, he and Talia worked their way through the horde of creatures, eventually making their way to the temple, where the remaining demons put up a furious defense. However, they were no match for Zeke’s and Talia’s combined might, and though they put a good fight, the battle was decided the moment the two companions had been forced into action.

Finally, slamming his mace down with a two-handed swing, Zeke felled the last remaining demon. When he looked up, he saw a slew of battered, dismembered, and rotting bodies. Some were recognizable, but others had been reduced to nothing more than black-and-red meat. That’s when it really dawned on him that those demons had once been people. Sure, according to Oberon, they’d made some bad choices in their past life, but did they really deserve the fate they’d been given? In some cases, they likely did. Earth was no stranger to truly detestable people who deserved a new life of torment. However, in some cases, it probably wasn’t so black-and-white.

Still, Zeke couldn’t let himself be bothered by such thoughts. He needed to harden his heart and recognize his enemies for what they were.

“I think we need to – wait…”

He’d been about to suggest that they destroy the temple when he felt an emotion from Pudge, who was still back on the ship. He concentrated on it, but they were too far away to communicate properly. All he could feel were vague emotions of panic, anger, and distress. Then, Zeke’s stomach dropped when he realized that Pudge’s presence was slowly drifting further and further away. He didn’t know what was going on, but one thing was clear: the ship had abandoned them.

“What is it?” asked Talia.

“I feel Pudge getting further away,” he said. “I think…I think we’ve been abandoned. We need to go back, see if the tender boat is still around. Otherwise, we’re going to have some serious problems.”

Had Abby betrayed them again? Zeke hated that his mind went immediately to such a thing, but he felt it was justified. After all, she’d been the one to hire the captain in the first place. Perhaps she already had a deal in place.

Zeke’s anger built as he and Talia sped through the forest, quickly leaving the battlefield full of scattered demon corpses behind. Thankfully, no other impediments presented themselves, and they soon reached the shore, where they found a few bewildered sailors who were watching a pair of ships sail toward the horizon. One was clearly the Puddle Jumper, but there was a much larger one there as well.

“What happened?” Zeke demanded of one of the sailors.

“I…I don’t know,” the man stammered. “That other ship came – I don’t recognize her – and then, about twenty minutes later, they both sailed away. I don’t…I don’t know what’s going on. Why would they abandon us?”

Zeke shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “But we’re going to find out.”