“Try not to flail around,” Chandra said.

Elvira didn’t find the advice particularly helpful. Her Paladin friend hefted her up by the straps and tossed her skyward before Elvira could so much as blink. In her brief moment of flight she vowed not to leave Nova Academy again until she rounded out her list of techs. Getting chucked like a spear was the last straw.

Elvira popped into the open air with enough momentum to carry her halfway above ground level. Gordon guided her to her feet, then turned around a second later to do the same for Chandra. Protius was waiting eagerly on the opposite side, then quickly scooted around once Chandra was with them.

They found themselves on top of a low mesa made of a similar red stone as down below. The yellow sands of the desert stretched out beyond the horizon, broken up only at a great distance by a few similar mesas of different heights. The White Temple sat shining and alone relatively nearby.

After looking about a moment Elvira turned back to the hole, watching it expectantly. “So… when is Hitori coming up?”

“Switching techs,” Gordon said.

“And… how does that work?”

“Slowly.”

Elvira glared at him.

“There’s a special function you can develop in your Vital Net,” Protius said. “It allows you to save techs in a compressed form so you can carry more of them.”

“Sounds helpful,” Elvira said.

“It can be,” Protius said. “It’s called a tech library. It’s less helpful if you rely on artes, but I’m sure Hitori will have you learn it soon enough.”

“I’m assuming it’s not a quick process?”

“It takes a minute or two for each tech, and you’re vulnerable during the operation.”

“Oh, really…” Elvira looked down the hole at Hitori, then glanced at Chandra. “Hey, don’t you think—“

Elvira was interrupted by a whip like crack, which she quickly turned to face. Standing at the source of the noise was a tall man wearing loose clothes. She couldn’t guess his nationality, though nothing about him ruled out a Bachijan. Dressed as he was, covered in a fine layer of dust, he looked like a desert bandit, with a scimitar on his belt to complete the ensemble.

The man shot up his arms, his eyes alight with surprise. “Whoa, easy there,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting to find anybody up here.”

“Who are you?” Protius said. Elvira quickly looked back to see the whole team moved into formation behind her.

“I’m just a Tag Hunter,” he said. “You can call me Virgil.” “You’re rather far from home, it seems,” Protius said. “They run out of easy pickings near Duroterra?”

Virgil pulled down his hood and mask, then smiled. “I guess the name gave it away.”

“Actually, the accent. Your Mairtalan could use some work.”

“You have keen ears. You must be mercenaries then.” He gave them a careful look. “Or, uh, in training, at least.”

“What are you doing out here?” Elvira asked.

“Aren’t you the inquisitive sort,” Virgil said with a smile. “I could ask the same. It’s fair to assume a Tag Hunter goes where he does to hunt for tags, but you can’t say the same for a mercenary. You aren’t trying to horn in on my spot, are you?” He gave them another look over.

“No, we’re, uh…” Elvira looked back at her team.

“Exploring,” Protius said.

Virgil still seemed to be checking them out. His eyes settled on Chandra. “Exploring, huh. I suppose you must be here from Nova then.”

Elvira glanced at the Paladin, then said, “She’s taking us on a tour.”

Virgil laughed. “Of course, of course. Still, to be all the way out here, your tour passed by Brother Manetho. Did you happen to meet earlier?”

“Did you?”

A look passed through Virgil’s eyes, then he said, “In fact, I was with him not long ago. He’s an old friend of mine, so I visit whenever I’m out working. I was actually about—”He was interrupted by a low rumble from underground. Virgil looked down with alarm. “Shit, I didn’t know Muraq was in the area. It’s probably not safe in the tunnels.”

Elvira was about to say something, when a loud crash then a roar bellowed from below. She gasped, and yelled, “Hitori!” She stepped towards the hole, but before she could jump in, Virgil appeared in front of her and held her back.

“Are you mental!” he yelled. “You don’t stand a chance against a Sandworm!”

Elvira wrested herself from his grasp. “Our friend is down there, we can’t leave him.”

“I’m not saying to! But if you jump down it’ll make things harder for him. I’ve got to call Re— my boss. They can get Muraq to calm down.” Virgil stepped a few feet away and pulled out a WebComm. After an urgent conversation with someone on the other end he returned to the group.

“Do we really have time to wait?” Elvira said, looking Virgil in the eyes. To her surprise they appeared as worried as she felt.

“It shouldn’t take long,” he said in a cold voice. He was leaning over the pit, and winced with every terrible sound that emerged.

The rest of the team was nearby, doing much the same. Protius and Chandra were watching expectantly, though Gordon was circling the entrance.

“Fucking dust,” he said, rifle at the ready. Judging by a glow on the sides Elvira supposed he prepared some arte bullets hoping to get a clear shot.

The terrible clash continued a minute or two, though to Elvira it seemed like hours. Then, after one final crash, everything turned deathly silent. Even the quiet rustle of dust in the wind was deafening. Elvira felt a terrible pit in her chest.

“Don’t,” Virgil said, blocking her with an arm. “It could be waiting for you.”

Elvira was about to throw him aside and jump down anyway when she was interrupted by another loud crack. A mysterious figure in black appeared on the low mesa. They approached quickly, saying nothing, sparing only a sharp glance for Virgil before dropping into the chamber. Virgil followed immediately, and Elvira and the rest of the team just after.

Down below Elvira discovered the corpse of a massive worm creature. It had scales thick enough for tank armor, yet somehow the creature was torn apart. Or perhaps dissected would be more apt. The ground was littered with shattered plates, and huge chunks of its body had been cleanly separated.

Virgil’s enigmatic employer was standing nearby. Elvira decided to name her Ms. Noire. Not for any particular reason, but the way she walked reminded her of a rich woman she once knew. In any case, Noire was looking over the ruined body of the giant worm. She sighed. “Poor thing.”

“What, did something happen to Hitori?” Elvira rushed to Noire’s side.

She looked at her, and Elvira could see a strange glow in her eyes. “I meant Muraq. I’m sure he was trying to be helpful, in his own way. Anyway”—Noire placed her hands on a chunk of Sandworm. Shimmering lines slithered inward to her fingers.

“What are you doing?”

A wave of light rippled between the creature’s detached segments, coalescing at the point of contact and seemingly absorbed into the mysterious woman. She muttered, “Little miscreant brat.”

“What was th—“

“Hitori!”

Elvira was interrupted by a yell from nearby. She ran to the source, where she found Virgil standing a short distance from her team captain. For some reason the apparent desert bandit was caught in a half step, like he almost meant to run to Hitori in relief. Elvira didn’t have time to ponder the strange pose, as she was too busy running to Hitori in relief.

He was standing, propped on his sword, somewhat between a pile of fallen rocks and a slab of worm meat. His gaze was vague and unfocused, like he was looking into the next world.

Elvira yelled, “Hitori!” and plowed into him, pulling tight into his chest. He absently returned the gesture.

“Oh, hey, are you alright?” Hitori said. “Ow! Watch it!” He laughed, trying to wiggle out of her grasp.

Elvira gave him an extra hard squeeze then pushed away. She wiped her eyes. “You absolute ass!” She said with a faint smile. “I thought you were dead!”

“Sorry, sorry.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “Honestly, I’m a little confused.”

“You mean you don’t know what happened?” Protius said. He arrived shortly after Elvira, along with the rest of the team.

“Not really,” Hitori said. “I remember the Sandworm bearing down on me, and then… uh, well, I guess Elvira crushing me. It was… weird.”

“You think you had another critical tech?” Protius said.

“Is that your theory?” Ms. Noire said. “Those are very rare.” She was standing nearby, with Virgil.

“Do you have a better explanation?” Hitori said. “Also, who are you?”

Noire studied him, like she was deciding something about him.

“I guess she must be Virgil’s boss,” Elvira said, pointing to the woman in question.

Virgil laughed abruptly. Elvira gave him a confused look. “Sorry, sorry,” he said to both Elvira and Noire. “It’s just, he struck me as a woman too when we met.”

“Does the mysterious stranger have a name?” Hitori said. He seemed to be fighting the urge to glare at Virgil.

“He, uh, prefers his—“ Virgil was interrupted by a gesture from his boss.

“You can call me Reaper,” he said.

“What, really?” Elvira exclaimed. “We were looking for you.”

“I know,” Reaper said. “Though at the time I would have preferred not to be found.”

“At the time?” Hitori said.

“Yes, recent events have given cause to reevaluate,” Reaper said.

“Oh?”

“Do you have any idea how impossible this is.” Reaper motioned to the discarded remains of Muraq. “You defeated an elder Sandworm, underground, by yourself. There’s no one alive who should be able to do that.”

“Makes a good point,” Gordon said. “You Super Hitori now?”

“It’s a total fluke,” Hitori said. “I don’t even remember what happened.”

“Is that so?” Reaper passed her inquisitive glance over to Virgil. He frowned side-eyed for a second, then shrugged.

“Anyway,” Gordon said. “Not that pestering Hitori ain’t a joy, but I bet you have that stone we’re looking for.” He unslung his rifle. “Might as well jump to the ‘beat you up and take it back’ part.”

“Aw, really?” Elvira said. She drew her sword. “I already took a liking to them.”

Virgil bellowed in laugher. “Hitori, you’ve got such lively friends!” He drew his own sword and stepped away from Reaper into a ready position. In a few seconds everyone formed into a reluctant battle line.

Everyone except Hitori and Reaper. The two shared a flat look, then turned to their respective companions. Hitori spent a particularly long time glaring at Gordon, who had a hint of mischief in his eyes.

He turned to Reaper. “He does make a good point. We really do need to retrieve the Ex Stone.”

“Of course,” Reaper said. “Though perhaps we can discuss this somewhere a bit more“—he looked at the leftover remains of Muraq. A reddish green ooze was seeping out of them—“ah, shall we say, a bit more comfortable.”

“And who doesn’t love a good ambush,” Gordon said.

Reaper gave him a grim look. “If I wanted you dead”—his eyes flashed and Elvira felt cold—“you would be.”

“Ah, Reaper,” Virgil said. “You don’t need to be so melodramatic.” He turned to Elvira and the others. “Come along kids. I’ve been hoping to— I mean, the base could use some more charming company. Reaper and the girls can be so standoffish, and the, uh, well, you’ll see about them yourselves, I suppose.” He motioned for them to follow as he stepped off. Reaper gave them a final glance, then turned after him.

Elvira looked at Hitori, who was frowning deep in thought. When she caught his eyes he relaxed, then shrugged as he gestured forward.