"We are trapped," Kaelen stated, looking at the ceiling of the Foundry.

The battle was won, but the room was a sealed coffin. The elevator shaft was twisted scrap metal from the Lich's retreat, and the main entrance on Floor 1 was buried under tons of rock from Grika's earlier detonation.

"The bridge is five miles west," Kaelen continued, sheathing her sword with a sharp click. "We need to be there in less than an hour. We do not have time to dig."

"We don't dig," Reed said, pushing himself off the wall. He was still weak, but the mana potion had given him enough strength to walk without stumbling. "We bulldoze."

He turned to the massive, silent shape standing in the center of the slowly warming magma lake.

Terra.

The Magma Golem was still encased in patches of stubborn rime ice, though the Shadow-Flame blast Reed had sent through the floor channels was beginning to do its work. Her stone plating hissed as the internal heat fought the external cold.

Reed walked up to her. He didn't have enough mana to force a wake-up, but he had something else: authority.

He tapped his knuckle against her stone shin.

"Terra," Reed said. "Wake up. Shift change."

The golem shuddered.

CRACK.

A sheet of ice fell off her shoulder and shattered on the floor. The hum of her internal reactor spun up—a deep, bass sound that vibrated the floorboards. Her eyes flared to life, burning a bright, defiant orange.

"SYSTEM… REBOOTED," Terra rumbled. Her voice sounded like gravel sliding down a mountain. She looked at the frozen ruins of the traps. "MESSY."

"We need a door, Terra," Reed said, pointing to the west wall of the cavern.

According to his map, that wall pressed up against a layer of soft limestone and shale that led directly to the surface slopes of the hill—a blind spot the Necromancer hadn't targeted.

"Punch a hole. Angle it up. Get us to the woods."

Terra turned. She didn't walk; she stomped, shaking off the last of the ice. THOOM. THOOM.

She approached the rock face. She didn't use a pickaxe. She didn't use magic. She pulled back a fist the size of a beer keg, her stone gears grinding.

"KNOCK KNOCK."

CRASH.

The impact shook the entire floor. Rock shattered. Terra didn't stop. She swung again, and again, rhythmically pulverizing the stone. She scooped out boulders the size of cows and tossed them aside as if they were Styrofoam.

She was eating the mountain.

Kaelen watched, her eyes wide. "That construct… it obeys you perfectly. Yet it possesses a personality."

"She's not a construct," Reed said, watching the tunnel form. "She's the janitor. And the heavy artillery."

In minutes, a rush of cold, fresh night air flooded into the Foundry. The smell of sulfur and ozone was replaced by the scent of pine and rain.

Terra stepped back, dusting off her hands.

"PATH CLEAR. CAUTION: SLIPPERY."

Reed turned to his family. This was the hard part.

Seraphine had dragged herself upright. Her magma armor was cold and grey, and she looked exhausted, but her eyes were fixed on him. Grika was slumped against the console, clutching a wrench like a teddy bear. Luma was a puddle of tired blue goo near the vent.

"Listen up," Reed said, his voice echoing in the quiet cavern. "I'm leaving."

Seraphine started to protest, pushing herself off the wall. "My Lord—"

"No," Reed stopped her, holding up a hand. "You stay. You're the defense. The Lich fled, but the army is still out there digging. If they break through while I'm gone… you hold the line."

He looked at Seraphine.

"You are the Guardian. Keep them safe."

Seraphine swallowed her protest. She straightened up, her tail lashing once. "I will hold. No dead thing will pass this door."

Reed looked at Grika.

"Grika. Repairs. Fix the blast doors. Get the heat back on. If Terra needs welding, you weld her."

"On it, Boss," Grika mumbled, giving a tired thumbs-up.

Reed looked at Riva, who was perched on his shoulder, vibrating with anxiety.

"Riva. You stay too."

"No!" Riva squawked, digging her talons in. "Spy Bird go! Spy Bird saw the bridge! Spy Bird help!"

"Spy Bird is tired," Reed said gently, reaching up to stroke her muddy feathers. "And Spy Bird is visible. Kaelen and I need to be stealthy. You guard the chimney. If anything flies down… you peck it."

Riva grumbled, looking between Reed and the tunnel. "Fine. I peck. But if Boss dies… I poop on his grave."

"Fair enough," Reed smiled weakly.

Finally, Reed looked at the wall where Elara was hiding. He couldn't see her, but he could feel the cold spot in the air, a lingering connection from their bond.

Stay anchored, he projected his thought. I'll be back.

I will wait, Elara's whisper echoed in his mind, faint and terrified. Do not let the light burn you.

Reed turned to Kaelen.

"Ready?"

Kaelen adjusted her cloak, hiding the dented Silverite armor. She looked tired, battered, and dangerous.

"Ready, Asset Reed. Let us save the Kingdom."

They walked into the rough-hewn tunnel Terra had made.

As they climbed up the slope, leaving the warm glow of the dungeon behind, Reed felt the connection to his Core stretch thin. The hum in his head grew quiet. The strength in his limbs began to fade.

He stepped out into the night forest. It was dark, cold, and silent.

He was just a man in the woods now. A man with a rusty sword, a bag of holding, and an Inquisitor who might still execute him if he annoyed her.

"Which way?" Reed asked.

Kaelen pointed West, toward the distant roar of the river.

"Follow the sound," she said. "And run."

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