Teleporting was a simple, necessary ability for an umbra. Spectral umbras had the opportunity to acquire a second teleport, which greatly helped with mobility, considering the cooldown period after using any class abilities.

  Vondaire had used a mix of the basic umbra teleport and the Spectral Step ability for years to gain an upper hand in fights. It also helped to appear more mysterious, but that was another matter entirely.

  With four Multi-Shard Heroes attacking him, the two cooldowns weren’t quick enough. Spectral Step was thirty seconds, while Teleport was down to fifteen. That still left him with periods of relative stillness, at least more than he was used to. He could run fast, of course, but so could every Shard Hero.

  The only luck he had was his pursuers weren’t dexterity based heroes. If a hunter, assassin, or another umbra was chasing him, speed would not be on his side.

  An explosion flashed right as Vondaire stepped through space. If he was a moment slower, there would be nothing left. His shard hummed over his shoulder as he appeared directly in front of Isaak. Vondaire found himself at bad odds. He was able to slash through Isaak once with the edge of a Ghostblade, cutting his mana away, but one hit was far from enough against a 4 Shard Hero. Ice jutted out from every part of Isaak’s body, nearly spearing Vondaire as it appeared. Isaak formed a blade of ice in his hand and stabbed. Even with a kunai, Vondaire could only partially block. Elemental damage was too strong against specters, and Vondaire might as well have been a full specter with his abilities and defenses.

  He really needed to find a way to shore up his defenses when he fused.

  They clashed as the other heroes tried to cross the river. A few compressed lava bullets flew nearby, though Vondaire didn’t actually have to dodge. Each stab of the spectral kunai cut away Isaak’s mana, but each stab broke the spell, forcing Vondaire to cast it again. There was no cooldown for the spectral kunai. In exchange, the mana cost was significant.

  He couldn’t keep it up. Isaak would suffer worse in the exchange, but with three other Shard Heroes . . .

  A quick Teleport brought him twenty feet away. He had instinctively cloaked, but Egnatia’s eyes snapped right to him.

  Vondaire dropped the cloaking spell. Sensory abilities were too powerful, especially while he was outclassed in the number of shards. Staying invisible would only use mana, which he was sure he would need for something else.

  Egnatia appeared, faster than Vondaire had expected. The Demon Killer moved like the wind, drifting over the ground. She glided even as she swung her axe, missing Vondaire by millimeters.

  Without his Spectral Miasma, she likely would have cleaved his head in two. The passive ability helped distort his exact position, and his dexterity and speed helped slip just far enough to feel the weapon shave his stubble off. Well, it would have if he had let any grow.

  Spectral Step

  Cooldown: 0

  He felt himself vanish as he became a ghost. When he reappeared about fifty feet away, Vondaire immediately formed a spectral kunai and blocked an incoming spike of ice fired from Isaak. It sliced right through the ghostly weapon and embedded itself deep in Vondaire’s forearm. Blood immediately soaked into his sleeve, even as the spell refused to melt.

  Another lava bullet passed by his face. He hadn’t even realized it had fired, and if it had been on target, he would be dead. Vondaire caught Sofia’s wide, terrified eyes. Steam hissed out of her backpack as another rush of lava flowed into her weapon.

  Three Shard Heroes were too many to worry about already. He couldn’t spend any time thinking about whether or not she was missing on purpose. It didn’t matter. Not now.

  Vondaire’s gloved fist caught Egnati’s chin. Cutting away her mana would be a waste of time. By the time it was gone, he would be dead. He needed something else. As the white fabric of his glove smashed into her chin, green flashed and sent tendrils through her skin.

  The punch itself was meaningless. She barely reacted and all Vondaire could do to survive was get close enough that Egnatia bashed him with her shield instead of cutting him in half. He let the blow send him flying, skidding over the ground.

  With the way Egnatia glided over the ground, it took her a moment to start moving, but when she did, she flew too fast. Vondaire had expected her to charge, and with her delayed movement, the timing didn’t work out quite as well as he had expected.

  Little green tendrils in her jaw suddenly erupted in growth, shooting up her cheeks and down her neck. He saw the moment her breath caught and she stumbled just slightly, but enough that Vondaire easily stepped out of her range. Before he could place another delayed Venomous Jab, a monster appeared. The Trueborn Giant was nothing short of a wild beast. A backhand caught Vondaire in the chest and the world spun as he tumbled. Bones cracked and skin ripped with each bounce before he crashed into a brick wall.

  Another lava bullet hit directly beside Vondaire’s head. He wheezed in a breath and used Teleport before Egnatia could reach him. In a way, he was grateful for Voolyn’s strike. Broken bones and punctured lungs were less helpful.

  He reappeared on the third floor of the building that he had crashed into, in a dimly lit hallway. Someone yelped and dropped a cup of coffee. Apparently, someone appearing was more alarming than the thunderous noise of a Shard Hero battle.

  Vondaire pulled a health potion from his jacket, drank it, and immediately took off at his full speed. The burst knocked over the citizen, who was likely about to die in the upcoming disaster.

  The portal circle wasn’t that far. If he made it back to Vraxridge, he only needed to get into Althowin’s compound to be safe. None of the heroes could get inside unless Althowin wanted them there, and Vondaire could easily assume they weren’t welcome. Especially after this.

  The building shook, causing lights to flicker. Door after door flew past as Vondaire darted down the hall. Nagyati was shorter than other cities like Vraxridge, but the buildings were still tall enough that he could get above the fight.

  For now, at least.

  He couldn’t waste any time. The building shook as something happened outside. They certainly knew where he was. Soldier hearing was too good to miss him, even as he tried keeping things silent.

  A metal door opened at the end of the hall, leading to the stairwell. Egnatia stood, shield up, axe ready to chop Vondaire in half. He didn’t slow his sprint. Her face hardened as she watched, waiting for the perfect moment. There was no doubt in his mind she would time it perfectly, if she had the chance.

  Just before reaching her range, he used Spectral Step, vanished, and reappeared in mid-step, already ascending the stairs a floor above.

  “Bastard!”

  Vondaire smirked. “Imagine what we could have had.”

  Her footsteps were silent as she glided up the stairs, making it difficult for Vondaire to figure out exactly where she was. He was faster than Egnatia when her strength wasn’t aiding her speed. As long as she couldn’t push off something, he would stay ahead.

  Before long, Vondaire burst through a door onto the roof. He took the briefest moment to orient himself, looking for landmarks through Nagyati. A spire was all he needed to know where to head for the portal circle. As soon as he spotted it, the entire building shook.

  Voolyn landed in front of Vondaire, cracking the entire roof. Cracks snacked out with every heavy step. “Pest.” Metal wings stretched out from his back, spreading nearly twice as far as his arms. He didn’t have a weapon, but like Chorsay, he didn’t need one.

  “I prefer to think of myself as a curse.” Vondaire formed a Ghostblade kunai in his hand as he calmly walked closer.

  The Trueborn Giant wasn’t the scariest of the current heroes. He would’ve been, once upon a time. But he had fallen off. Stalled.

  A quick step was an easy feint that Voolyn took. Teleport brought Vondaire behind the Trueborn Giant as he formed another spectral kunai. He pirouetted, cutting through Voolyn’s entire back with both blades. To most, apparition damage felt cold. Sometimes, it was difficult to even notice.

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  For someone like Voolyn, it felt like a cold tear with a focus on the tearing. His mana burned away quickly, allowing Vondaire to rip a Ghostblade through the oaf’s ribs.

  Stalling wasn’t as simple as not advancing. It wasn’t like Voolyn had just stopped collecting shards. He was out of practice. Lazy. Weaker. A shadow of what he once was.

  That shadow was still a 4 Shard Hero, but Vondaire wasn’t a normal 1 Shard Hero. He was special, and the world would know it. Some old failure wasn’t going to be enough to stop him.

  He stabbed a kunai into Voolyn’s other side, cutting through bone, just as Egnatia appeared in the doorway.

  Voolyn recovered and spun, swinging his meaty hands at Vondaire. It was an easy attack to dodge. Pain was likely slowing Voolyn down. That was what happened when one was out of practice.

  Vondaire had already stepped back to the ledge of the building. “I would say it was a pleasure, but I thoroughly despise the two of you. Chase me further and I swear to all of Verdantallis that I will be the one to kill you.”

  Just as Voolyn tensed, preparing to move, Vondaire took a step backward, falling off the building. After a few feet, he flipped, planted his feet on the wall, and pushed as hard as he could manage. It was all done in one quick, fluid motion, propelling him toward the portals. Isaak and Sofia had likely gone farther, but—

  The roof collapsed behind him as Voolyn jumped. His metal wings spread out farther, glowing as they pulled on the mana batteries powering them. He soared just above and behind Vondaire.

  Unlike Voolyn, Vondaire couldn’t fly. His momentum slowed as he deftly landed atop another roof. There was no time to waste. He took a few quick steps, jumped, and used Spectral Step just as he started to fall.

  A few swift moves, including teleporting, brought him back down to the street. The portal guards all had weapons out, watching Isaak’s back, who stood just before the archway with his wand pointed like he had known exactly where Vondaire would appear.

  The ground rumbled as Voolyn landed behind Vondaire. A cough and a splatter of liquid made Vondaire lift an eyebrow. How injured was Voolyn?

  “How do you plan to twist this?” Vondaire asked.

  “Twist? You’re clearly a criminal. There is nothing to twist.”

  “My record would say otherwise.”

  Isaak adjusted his glasses with his free hand. His arm didn’t waver in the slightest as he pointed his wand. “I have already spoken with your superior.”

  “Supervisor,” Vondaire corrected. “What did Taralim have to say?”

  “You went rogue.”

  “Hm.”

  Vondaire immediately threw a Ghostblade backward. Voolyn’s hand snapped up to catch the kunai, but its apparition origin caused it to cut into his hand. At least he had stopped it from puncturing his face.

  Spectral Step brought Vondaire directly in front of the Trueborn Giant. He was already stabbing when he appeared, making it nearly impossible for Voolyn to counter. The blade easily sliced through bone and stabbed into guts. Vondaire was generally good at finding the heart, but in the difficult moment and with Voolyn’s ridiculous size, he couldn’t be sure he had punctured anything vital. A few twists of the kunai as he yanked it out was surely going to do more than if he had pulled it out normally or dissolved the spell.

  A fist hit his face, and his health plummeted. Before Isaak could even cast a spell, they collided, crashing into a portal guard. They all came to a stop in a heap inside the portal circle.

  Vondaire stood, cloaked, fixed his collar, and looked back. Voolyn was on his knees, pouring blood onto the street. Sofia was running up from far back with her metal sphere trailing. Egnatia was nowhere to be seen.

  Isaak scrambled to his feet and spun, pointing the wand at everyone. “Where did he go? Which portal?”

  “He didn’t go through one,” a guard said.

  “Impossible.” Lights flashed in Isaak’s glasses.

  Did he have equipment to act as a sensory tool to make up for a wizard’s weakness? That was one thing a familiar was for, but it was no surprise someone as narcissistic as Isaak Agapov wouldn’t use his familiar.

  Vondaire stopped outside the Vraxridge portal and uncloaked. He could have taken the opportunity to try for a fatal attack on Isaak, but it was too dangerous. A 4 Shard Hero would have tricks. Or something more direct, like a Power 6 spell. Vondaire could kill him, in the right situation, but he wouldn’t come out unscathed.

  And every second he took fighting Isaak gave Sofia and Egnatia time to catch up. Maybe Sofia wasn’t on their side. Maybe she was. It didn’t matter. They all had parts to play, and for now, Vondaire was Chorsay’s spy.

  Isaak spotted him and immediately pointed the wand. “We will catch you.”

  “The next time I see you, your life will end.”

  Voolyn vomited blood and collapsed face first into a puddle of his own filth. He wasn’t dead, unfortunately. Durability of a 4 Shard Hero was incredible on its own, but his constitution alone was enough to stop the wounds from being truly fatal. Maybe if Vondaire had landed the throw and pierced Voolyn’s brain.

  “I will personally place a bounty,” Isaak said, still pointing the wand.

  It was far less of a threat if one wasn’t going to follow through. He could have shot another ice spell at any time, and he didn’t.

  “You can lie in the same pit as Taralim. It’ll act as a personal latrine. I prefer to keep to myself in those private, vulnerable moments, but I will relish the opportunity to shit upon you and that pale bastard.”

  Isaak’s facade finally broke. Ice formed on the end of the wand.

  Vondaire smiled and stepped backward into the Vraxridge portal.

  ***

  Sofia holstered her gun and swore, repeatedly. Voolyn was trying to push himself up, but he was slipping in his own blood and vomit. Isaak stood stationary on the platform, staring into the portal.

  Stupid. Warning them wasn’t going to help anyway. Not when there were a few entire hero companies on one side. She was never going to get work as a bounty hunter again.

  Egnatia walked out the door of the partially collapsed building. She was covered in dust, but was otherwise unharmed. “Voolyn, you’re an imbecile.” Without hesitation, she walked over and shoved a health potion in front of his face.

  “Who is he?” Sofia asked.

  “An umbra previously in the Unity Force special division. Evidently, someone we underestimated.” When Voolyn didn’t grab the potion, she popped the cork, grabbed his head, and forced the red liquid into his mouth.

  Voolyn sat on dry ground and got his hands on another health potion, which he immediately poured down his throat.

  “Olena was right,” Isaak said as he stalked over. “You are all duds. Stalled failures. Is this generation of Shard Heroes really so weak that you lose to a 1 Shard?”

  Sofia scratched her cheek. “You lost too.”

  Isaak’s glare was intense. For someone who looked so goofy, his looks were terrifying. He must have practiced.

  “Are you blind? Are you incapable of aiming that thing?”

  Sofia shook her head. “I don’t know what was happening. I kept thinking it would hit him.”

  She needed to know more before she put a bullet through some random person’s brain. Based on the looks from Egnatia and Isaak, they didn’t believe her. That wasn’t much of a surprise, especially after what Egnatia had overheard.

  “These people are dangerous.” Egnatia wiped dust from under her eyes. “Don’t be seduced.”

  Sofia scowled. “Seduced? Who do you think I am?”

  “A fucking moron.”

  ***

  Owin had been tired, or something adjacent, in the past. When he finally stumbled onto the tenth floor of the Ocean, he had been worn down and ready to quit. Standing had been an impossible task, but a little nudge from Shade had been all he needed to focus and get back into shape to fight.

  Standing in front of Zezog was something else entirely. Owin wobbled, having already dropped his weapons in the dirt.

  “Are you okay?” Zezog asked.

  Owin fell back and let gravity pull his head to the ground. They had been fighting for hours. Fighting was maybe the wrong word. Owin had been dodging and trying to hit Zezog for hours. It all felt like a waste of time. He never really landed a hit. Not one that mattered.

  Zezog grabbed Owin’s shoulders, picked him up, and set him firmly on his feet. “Our work isn’t done.”

  “It isn’t?”

  Zezog pointed out of the wide crater they had made. Althowin stood on the ledge with two shovels.

  “Oh.” He slowly picked up his knives and slipped them into his belt. After picking up the Incandescent Blade, he held it out to Zezog and turned his back, letting Zezog sheath it.

  “You did well,” Zezog said.

  “I never hit you.”

  He motioned. Althowin tossed both shovels, which Zezog expertly caught. “You did well. It’s a step forward. I have seen many heroes with less talent than you. Keep training until you’re in the Fortress, then focus on surviving. You move quickly. You will do fine.”

  “Fine?”

  Zezog cracked a slight smile. “You did well.”

  Owin nodded and took the shovel. “Have you trained someone before? It seems like you were prepared with the shovels and the place.” He poked the shovel into the dirt. “You knew to stay away from the crops and everything.”

  “Just one.” Zezog took one effortless jump to reach the edge of the massive crater. Owin waited a moment before jumping up beside the 7 Shard Heroes.

  “Who?”

  “Me,” Althowin said. “I know, it’s a surprise. Most aren’t born as talented as I am.”

  “Al.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. Our stance is that nobody is born talented. Always has been. I want to work with people who separate themselves from the livestock by proving they’re worth my time. Not because of who they were born from or what was given to them. That’s the problem with hero companies, you know. A bunch of—”

  “Al.”

  “Right, sorry. You’re a little special flower or whatever they say, but that doesn’t mean you get to coast through the towers. I liked what I saw. You’re getting better, but you have a long way to go before you’re capable of keeping up with people who can actually fight.”

  Zezog shoveled some dirt into the massive pit. Althowin picked up her own shovel. Owin watched them both for a few moments. It didn’t feel like he had gotten better. None of his attributes had gone up, of course, and he never won. But the only 7 Shard Heroes had told him he was doing well, and now they were both calmly shoveling dirt.

  Owin hadn’t shoveled before. It turned out to be easy.