Morgan looked at the heavy wooden gates and the human-sized gap that had opened between them. He wanted to continue, to see what he could find and learn in this strange place, but he found himself preoccupied with the idea that Issa had almost died just a few minutes ago. He looked at her, and some of his consternation must have been written on his face because she frowned at him and said, “What?”

“Nothing.” He sighed heavily and looked around the area. “None of the other challengers are watching anymore. You’d think Yan would have had a few words for us, at least.” He didn’t know if his ploy to change topics would work, but it might at least buy him a few minutes to examine his feelings. Issa sniffed and looked around, and Morgan’s heart lurched at the idea that he might never see her little nose twitch like that again. Inwardly, he told himself to get a grip while he said, “Maybe we should rest a bit before heading in.”

“What if the door closes? We don’t know how long our window is.” She looked at him with a funny expression. “Are you scared?” Morgan smiled, pulled her into a hug, and took a long deep breath of her hair, savoring the lingering scent of the oil she used to keep fresh during travel. Was that vanilla?

“The only thing I’m scared of is life without you,” he said quietly. Issa pulled back and looked at his eyes and the strain written therein.

“Didn’t you ever consider I could die? We’re all going to die, Morgan. This world is dangerous, and the pursuit of power makes it doubly so.” She spoke softly and gently reached up to rub at the sides of his neck with her fingers.

“Maybe we should take the gains we’ve gotten and find a quiet place? Should we really be charging into dungeons? It's been a long time since I’ve had something to lose, Issa, and it hit me when that bastard almost skewered our hearts. What would I do if you died?”

“Morgan, I love you, but I don’t want to be a farmer or a merchant. I don’t want to be helpless if someone stronger comes along and decides they want what we have. You know we aren’t the strongest people in this world, right?” Her voice was soft, but some steel had entered it as she said the last words.

“Yeah. Logically, I know all that. I know it's selfish to want to hide you away and keep you to myself. Hah, but I can’t help the impulse I have right now just to snatch you up and run to a quiet town and enjoy the long lifespans we’ve earned.” He smiled to let her know he was only half-serious. “I respect you enough to know you aren’t going to go for something like that. C’mon, let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and started walking toward the gate.

“It bothers me too, you know? The thought of you dying,” Issa quietly said while they walked. I’ve thought about it a lot; I think it would ruin me, so you better not die!”

“Well,” Morgan squeezed her hand, “that’s kind of my plan.”

When they reached the ajar gate, Morgan let go of Issa’s hand, and they both drew their swords. Morgan activated Azure Sight and peered around the edge of the heavy, dry wood. A stone courtyard could be seen through the low-ceilinged gatehouse, cloaked in silvery twilight. Morgan couldn’t make out any people or monsters, though he thought he saw some movement near the far end of the courtyard behind a parked cart. “I don’t see anything, but I’m pretty sure things were moving on the walls when we first got here. We’ll be sitting ducks in the courtyard.”

“Let’s move into the gatehouse and peek around the corners,” Issa whispered. Morgan nodded, and he slowly slipped through the open gates, Issa right behind him. When they were within the gatehouse, he moved over to the right-hand wall and crept carefully forward, past the raised portcullis and then to the stone corner of the wall. He peered out to his right, then his left, taking stock. He could see several figures moving about on the ramparts, and he figured there might be more above their heads, patrolling over the gatehouse. He was about to turn and report what he saw to Issa when a large, armored figure strode out from behind the parked wagon into the center of the courtyard, looking straight at him.

“Students! Guards! Come down from the wall and deal with this rabble!” The man’s voice rang out, and Morgan could hear shuffling steps on the ramparts and then stomping on the wooden stairs to each side of the courtyard. He looked at Issa and then back at the gate.

“Shit. Run? Or?”

“He called them students; let’s see what they’re made of!” Her eyes darkened, and black-purple smoke rose from her as she started up her Battle Chant. Morgan couldn’t argue with that, so he gripped his sword and started reaching out with Energy Drain, feeling for his approaching opponents. “Let’s keep the gatehouse to our backs!” Issa stepped forward as she spoke, taking a position on Morgan’s left. They didn’t have to wait long; shortly, three figures came into view from the left and four from the right. They were all Ardeni or Shadeni, and they looked like ordinary people, other than the fact that a slight luminosity surrounded them and their skin had a sheen of translucence. All wielded swords of one type or another; one had a massive two-handed greatsword, and next to him was a woman with a short stabbing sword like a gladius. Several wielded scimitar-like weapons and another had a broadsword and shield. Bringing up the rear was a robe-wearing katana wielder.

“Issa, hang back a minute - I’m going to try to give us the momentum.” Morgan concentrated - he had a couple of seconds to act, and he couldn’t wait for her response. He’d never tried the combination he was about to do, but he’d theorized in his head many times, rehearsing how he’d carry it out. Morgan moved his body into The Crane Defends the Nest form, pouring Energy into the enhanced parrying the form provided, then he used Hollow Charge, aiming at the shield-wearing student near the center of the pack. Before he closed the distance in a flash, he activated Azure Burst.

As he was flashing over the cobbles in the courtyard, he was aware of some offensive spells hitting him but being absorbed by his Vortex Core. In fact, whatever the students had thrown at him had refunded the full cost of his charge. Just as he was about to impact the shield-bearing student, his Azure Burst exploded outward, ripping through the converging attackers and sending several of them sprawling. Morgan brought his sword down into a middle guard and backed up a step, already reaching out with Energy Drain. He’d never tried to draw from so many targets at once, and he knew it would be costly - over a thousand Energy points. Still, that was only a third of his available Energy, and Morgan decided to go for it. He felt Issa rush up beside him as he reached out and pulled.

None of the students had recovered enough to launch a counter-attack yet. When his Core started to draw their Energy forcefully, the luminous halo that surrounded them dimmed noticeably, and they, as one, wailed in agony. One of the scimitar-wielding students was stumbling to her feet near Issa. Morgan didn’t have to say anything; Issa darted forward and whipped her rapier’s sharp edge through the student’s throat. Luminous crimson blood splashed out over the cobbles, and the student grabbed her throat, falling backward and writhing about, choking on her blood.

Morgan drove forward at a group of three students who were burned but not down. They’d staggered with his Energy Drain but were recovered enough to get their weapons up and try to advance. Morgan decided to push a full offensive, launching into The Crane Flutters its Wings, cleaving in wide, angled slashes. He learned that the attack was effective against multiple weakened opponents, but he also found that three opponents, one of which had a greatsword, might be more than he bargained for. He bashed through the guards of the first two students with his first cleave, knocking aside their smaller blades and ripping shallow cuts across their torsos. His second cleave came up against a heavy sword wielded by a student that knew what he was doing. The student riposted his cleave, even powered by his Energy-infused form, and the long, straight edge of the greatsword slipped between his arm and side, the blade slicing upward along his vulnerable armpit.

Morgan felt the edge rub along the thick leather joint of his scale armor at first, but then, as the student drove forward, pushing the sword the whole length, he felt the leather give, and a sharp pain erupted from his armpit. Morgan grunted, releasing his sword with his right hand to pull his arm away from the greatsword. Ignoring the burning pain, he stepped forward and behind the greatsword wielder, gripped his sword, and pivoted in a downward slash, ripping a terrible wound open on the back of the student’s knee. He cried out and fell forward, his greatsword clattering on the cobbles. Morgan didn’t hesitate, thrusting this sword deep into the student's lower back. He looked around and saw that, during their brief scuffle, Issa had dispatched another student but was fighting a defensive battle against the shield user and the katana-wielding student.

Issa was clearly faster than the students, perhaps having Hasted herself, and was having no trouble keeping them at bay, so Morgan turned to the gladius and scimitar wielders he’d already wounded. Their luminous glow was almost gone, and their faces were haggard and wan. Shimmering crimson flowed over their torn garments, and they regarded Morgan with wary eyes as they tried to flank him. Morgan slipped into The Crane Takes a Minnow, using the Energy flowing through his legs to allow him to glide quickly to his right, flanking one of the students and keeping them both in his line of sight. The student lunged forward with her gladius, trying to steal the initiative, but Morgan was ready, and his sword flicked up like a serpent’s tongue, impaling her through her stomach. Morgan tried to wrench his sword free quickly, but it wasn’t fast enough. The other student charged and hacked downward with his scimitar, and Morgan was forced to release his sword and hop backward to avoid the cut. Morgan almost pulled his spear from his ring, but he held back - not because he didn’t think the spear would finish this fight rather handily, but because he was in a dungeon created by a swordmaster’s soul, and he was afraid some judgment might be passed on him if he were to win this fight with a spear after having his sword disarmed.

While he dodged another clumsy slash from his opponent, Morgan heard Issa shriek and spared a quick glance. She’d used her Hex attack and shaken her opponents enough for her to slip forward and lunge with her rapier, scoring a hit on the katana wielder. Morgan quickly refocused on his enemy and decided to try something he’d wondered about: could he cast Vortex Lance using his hand as a “weapon?” Backpedaling, he held up his hand and pointed his palm at the advancing student. His opponent was tired, weakened, and shaken by the disastrous showing of his comrades, and Morgan was able to stay out of his reach for the long seconds it took to charge up his spell. When he felt it was ready, he stopped moving, allowing the student to charge forward with a wild swing, but when his sword was at the apex, Morgan released his Vortex Lance. The ripping concussive retort as the Energy projectile tore through the air and punched a fist-sized hole through the student’s chest echoed through the courtyard.

Morgan strode forward, not sparing a look at the crumpled corpse of his enemy, and grabbed his sword from the body of the gladius fighter. He moved to Issa, noting that her opponents were moving sluggishly and that the cobbles were smeared with the glistening crimson blood these strange people expelled. He hesitated to jump into the fight - he could see the gleam in Issa’s eyes and the grin on her face as she slowly whittled her two opponents down. Still, it was two versus one, and Morgan didn’t want to play games with Issa’s life. He used Hollow Charge, ripping his sword through the side of one of her opponents. He hit so hard and with such unopposed ferocity that his sword opened half the student’s abdomen, allowing a flood of shimmering crimson to pour out with the unmistakable glistening shapes of entrails within. Morgan, adrenaline pouring through his veins, wasn’t phased and pivoted, lifting his sword to advance on the last enemy, the bleeding, staggering, katana-wielding student.

“Leave it, Morgan!” Issa hissed, and suddenly she blurred, flashing left then lunging forward, shedding the katana with the dull back of her blade and then burying her rapier into the exposed armpit of the student’s sword arm. He crumpled, twitching, and she pulled her blade out, whipping the blood off in a flourish. She looked up at Morgan and grinned. Morgan smiled back, breathing heavily, and noticed that his armpit still throbbed. He looked around and realized none of the bodies had dissolved, nor had any Energy motes started to coalesce. He was about to say something when the tall figure that had called the students to combat strode forward out of the shadows near the keep entrance.

“So, you can bully some students? Let’s see how you fare against Drillmaster Groll!”