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  Phillis pulled down her HUD as she received a message. “You can see it from down there,” she said. “It’s like a total eclipse for the players on the ground.”

  Alex looked through her own HUD and grinned when she saw the percentage of success: -37%. “Perfect,” she whispered before flipping her HUD up and turning to the rest of the Riders. “All right, you guys ready to do some real flying?” she shouted. “Jim, you’re on me!”

  One of the other Dragonriders scoffed as he folded his arms. “Who made you leader?” he asked. “Last time I checked, we were different parties. I don’t know how your party likes to do things, but the Growlers don’t take kindly to being ordered around, even if it’s coming from Boundless.”

  “I’m not giving orders. You came here to fly, didn’t you? I just want to see if you actually can.”

  The rest of the Riders laughed and followed Alex as she took off toward the swarm of bees.

  A bee nearly a third the size of the dragon she rode came for her. It was obvious to Alex that alone, one bee wasn’t going to a problem. The problem arose from the sheer number of them.

  Shiva’s cave was already obscured by the bees, and there was no way the Dragonriders could kill them all. There were billions, and it didn’t look like the mountain was done producing them.

  The bee coming for Alex sped above her head as she ducked, pulled her dragon into a turn, and signaled for a stream of ether fire. The fire singed the bee’s wings, and it dropped.

  That was good. The bees were weak, which meant she could fight her way through the swarm into the cavern. That was the clearest strategy she saw.

  Jim was now at her side. He usually played as a tank for Alex, but both of them knew the truth: Jim was tanking for the rest of the team. Alex was generally too fast to be tanked for.

  Neither Alex nor Jim felt the need to pat each other on the back for their teamwork. They both filled their roles, and things always worked out. This time, though, Jim seemed adamant about staying near her.

  “Do you know where the cave opening is?” Jim shouted over the wind.

  Alex pointed at the swarm that was quickly approaching. “All I know is that it’s past them.”

  The rest of the Dragonriders had caught up and were whooping and yelling, trying to prime themselves for the fight that was about to happen. Alex never bothered with any of that stuff. It seemed like a lot of bravado for the sake of putting on a show.

  A couple of times, Alex had mentioned it snidely to Jim and he’d agreed, but it didn’t stop him from shouting along with the rest of the Riders as they raced toward the swarm.

  As the first wave of bees turned their attention to the Riders, Alex fell back to let the other Riders go ahead. She wanted to get a better idea about how the bees were going to move. Everything in Middang3ard had a pattern, especially the enemies.

  It felt callous to think, but not everyone was going to make it out of this raid. That was a simple fact. She might as well learn from their mistakes so they wouldn’t become hers.

  A Rider on a fire dragon made the first move. His dragon attacked the first wave of bees with its laser blasters, and the bees fell to the earth. It hardly mattered, though, because another wave was right behind and had already overrun them.

  The bees were now so close that the blasters couldn’t fire. They completely covered the dragon and its Rider and were vibrating together so loudly that Alex could hear them. All at once, they raised their stingers and plunged them into the dragon.

  The dragon’s scream rang out above the incessant buzzing, and soon the dragon, Rider, and bees were all plunging earthward.

  The fight was on. Dragonriders were flying as close as they could to what looked like a giant black tornado. They flew back and forth, dipping in and out of the bee swarm as they unleashed a variety of elements.

  The air was hot with fire and electricity as the endless number of bees attacked the Riders. Dragons were dying left and right. Not as fast as the bees but, unlike the insects, there were a finite number of Riders and dragons.

  Alex and her party hung back from the battle. They had taken their cue from Alex and were hesitant to join a fight they couldn’t win. Alex concerned herself with winning and losing. She knew she was going to win. She just didn’t know how yet.

  Initially, she had thought flying straight into the middle of the swarm and fighting her way through was the best idea. That strategy had gone out the window the moment she realized how many bees were swarming out of the hive-mountain.

  The Rider who had first taunted Alex was doing an amazing job in battle. He was sticking to the outskirts of the swarm, where he and his party picked off bees that made the mistake of getting too close.

  When the Rider looked over his shoulder at Alex, he shouted, “I thought you were going to show us how it’s done?”

  Alex’s pride was pricked. At this point, it would be reckless to ride straight into battle, but it didn’t keep her from considering doing exactly that. She hoped she wasn’t blushing from embarrassment and was glad the jerk teasing her wasn’t close by.

  Corwyn sighed and leaned against his dragon’s neck. “Are we just going to watch the whole fight from the sidelines? If so, I could have skipped the raid instead of wasting my time.”

  “Going in without a plan doesn’t make any sense,” Alex explained. “Do you see how many Riders are getting killed?”

  “Yeah, I do. At least they’re doing something. None of us are one-lifers. We could just respawn and run the raid again. You know, classic MMO style. Run it ‘til we break it.”

  “I don’t think Myrddin would have designed something that simple.”

  “Yeah, the whole swarm of bees coming out of a mountain is very original.”

  Alex kept watching the way the bees moved. There had to be some kind of pattern—and then she saw it.

  The bees all flew the same direction—each and every one of them. As they exited the mountain, they flew upward and to the right.

  That was what was forming the funnel shape of the tornado. “All right, if you guys want to do something, we might as well,” she said. “We start at the top and push our way down.”

  Jim looked at Alex, obviously puzzled by the idea. “Wait, so we’re just going to do what everyone else is doing?” he asked.

  “Yeah, but smarter. Come on.”

  Alex kicked her dragon into gear and gained height as she flew toward the tornado of bees. If these were anything like the ones in real life, they had a hive mentality. The hive was where they drew their strength, and it was also their weakness.

  None of the bees were behaving as individuals, and Alex was going to take advantage of that.

  She turned to Jim, who was riding beside her, and said, “I don’t need you to tank for me, all right? You need to watch out for everyone else. There are some really good Riders in there who are getting murdered. Try to keep everyone else alive.”

  Jim nodded and cut his speed a little, dropping back with the rest of the party. “Trust me. I know I’m not taking care of you.” He chuckled. “Let’s go get that shiny rock.”

  The party was nearly to the top of the bee funnel. They crested the ornate living structure, and Alex sent her dragon speeding into the swarm.

  The bees scattered almost immediately. Alex launched her missiles and unleashed a torrent of ether fire, burning through the insects around her. Just as she predicted, the bees moved in sync, trying to figure out how to maintain their pattern when there was something disrupting it.

  That didn’t mean the bees weren’t attacking, though. Alex swerved in and out of the tornado before popping out of the blackness to get a breath of fresh air and see how far they had descended through the funnel.

  If this really is a tornado, it’s got to have an eye, Alex thought. She leaned closer to her dragon to be more aerodynamic and dove back into the swirling mass, still following the pattern of the bees while forcing herself into the middle.

  Alex’s HUD binged. She di
dn’t need to check the message. It was the alert for one of your party members dying. It couldn’t have been Jim. Way too soon. Jim would have held out longer than anyone else.

  Alex burst into the eye of the bee tornado. As expected, it was completely still, but what she saw in the stillness surprised her.

  One bee in the middle was unlike the bees that surrounded it. This bee looked almost human. Its abdomen was extremely long and gaunt and had four wings extending from it. Its remaining two wings were attached to its thorax. A stinger hung bloated from its back end.

  The queen bee held her hands up and gestured in what could have only been the pattern of the tornado.

  Alex looked to see who had followed her into the eye of the bee storm. Jim popped out of the black cloud of insects and looked around as if he’d emerged from a cave and his eyes needed to adjust to the light. Phillis was right behind him. “All right,” Alex said and pointed to the queen bee, “That’s what’s controlling the other bees.”

  Jim rushed toward the queen, shouting, “You don’t need to say anything else!”

  Alex was right behind him, easily matching his speed. Her dragon let out a blast of ether fire as she launched her last two missiles. She was going to have to switch to her blasters after this.

  The blasters were faster but didn’t pack as much of a punch as her missiles did. That shouldn’t matter too much, Alex thought. The missiles should take care of her.

  The missiles connected with the queen, resulting in a massive explosion. Jim and Alex swerved to avoid the blast. The wave hit Phillis, pushing her back but not out of the tornado’s eye.

  The queen bee was still flying and hardly had a scratch on her. After a moment, her thousands of eyes focused on the Riders. Then, in a blink, she was in front of Alex. The queen was fast. Her mandibles dripped saliva as she swiped them at Alex.

  The Rider ducked, barely avoiding the queen’s attack. Then she launched an uppercut that caught the bee in the jaw and pushed her back a little, which was all the room Alex needed. She leaned forward, and her dragon nosedived as fast as it could.

  The queen raised her hand and pointed at Phillis. A column of bees shot from the tornado and hit Phillis’ dragon, which screamed as it spiraled toward the other side of the insectoid mass.

  Alex stopped on a dime and turned before firing her blasters at the column of bees attacking Phillis. “Keep them off of her!” Alex shouted as her dragon let loose another blast of ether fire.

  Jim flew toward Phillis and fired at the attackers. Suddenly the queen appeared in front of Jim and slashed at him. From below, Alex fired her blasters at the queen, sending her flying away from Jim. Once she regrouped, the queen sent another column of bees after Jim, but he easily evaded the attack.

  Alex looked at the tornado around her and saw that the bees were flying erratically. The integrity of the tornado was broken. “Now!” Alex shouted. “Ignore her! I don’t think we can take her. Head for the cave’s mouth!”

  Alex bolted toward the cave, and Jim and Phillis followed. Flying through the insects was easier now; they hardly noticed the three Riders. The queen must still be too distracted after fighting them one on one to also control her minions.

  With that thought, the queen suddenly appeared in front of Alex, who was ready for her and didn’t waste her time returning the attack. Instead, she dodged and continued pushing through the insect bodies in front of her.

  The cave could be seen through the thick of the bees now. Alex imagined snapping the reins of her dragon, prompting it to increase its speed toward the cave’s entrance. There was another beep in her HUD; Phillis must have gotten hit by the queen. Alex was too close to turn around, though. She had to make it to the cave.

  She burst through the last of the bees and skidded into the opening. She dismounted her dragon and ran to the back of the cave. When she turned, she saw that Jim was coming toward the cave, and he was smiling. He made it.

  That happiness was short-lived. The queen bee appeared in front of Jim and slashed him across the chest before she plunged her stinger into his dragon’s head.

  Jim screamed in pain as his dragon roared, and they plummeted to the ground. Alex reached out for Jim, but she was too late, and his hand slipped through her grasp.

  When the queen turned to face Alex, she didn’t attack. Instead, she pointed past Alex to a passageway in the cave.

  Alex didn’t need to be persuaded to get as far from those bees as possible. Away from the insects and away from the guilt. Even though she knew it wasn’t real, she always hated seeing her party members die. It didn’t help that she was often the last one left, but she pushed those feelings aside to concentrate on the mission. As long as she finished the raid, her squad would get the experience points.

  The mission was what mattered. It was the entire reason they were here.

  As Alex inched past her dragon, she noticed that the cavern’s entrance narrowed the farther you went. That meant Alex wasn’t going to be able to bring her dragon, and the idea put her on edge.

  Whatever lay ahead was going to test things Alex wasn’t prepared for. She’d assumed the trial was going to depend on her prowess as a Rider.

  I guess that part’s over. Why the hell would I have to finish a quest that isn’t about me riding? she thought.

  The hope that the rumors were true flashed in Alex’s heart, as bright as the sun. What if it was more than a rumor? What if Myrddin was testing the players to see which ones had the right stuff to go to Middang3ard? If Middang3ard was even real, which she still wasn’t sure about.

  Anybody could get good at a game. What if this was something else?

  Alex pushed the hope and excitement down. Those thoughts wouldn’t get her anywhere. She needed to be ready for whatever came at her.

  Before she left to go down the tunnel, she kissed her dragon on the snout. Even if the dragon wasn’t real, it was a small comfort. They were in this together, whether or not Alex was going to walk down the dark tunnel by herself.

  Facing the darkness, she considered her bō before pulling a sword from her inventory. She figured she would need something with an edge, and the sword was magically enhanced. Then, with a sigh, she stepped into the tunnel.

  The farther she walked, the tighter the space got, until she felt like she was going to be smothered by the walls. However, in the distance, there was a light. Guess this time I am supposed to go toward the light, she joked to herself.

  The tunnel broadened as Alex drew closer to the illumination. She stood in front of a door that led into what appeared to be a large golden room, but really, the room was more than golden. Every inch of the room was covered in gold leaf. There was a gold table covered in candles that cast a golden light across the space. The floor was littered with various gold weapons: ornately-crafted swords and axes, and bows with peacock feather-fletched arrows.

  Golden statues of Shiva, all holding swords, filled the cavern as well. The cavern walls were covered in golden portraits of gods and beings Alex had never seen before but somehow knew were divine.

  In the middle of the room sat Shiva. His back was facing Alex, and the god did not bother to rise when she entered the room. “It looks as if you are the only one to survive,” he said softly.

  Alex’s curiosity was piqued by Shiva’s calm. “What do you mean, the only one?” she asked.

  “All the other Dragonriders failed the quest. You are the only one who remains to finish it.”

  Shiva rose and turned to face Alex, holding a sword in each of his four hands. “Have the trials of the Jewel of Qa brought me a warrior?” Shiva asked.

  Alex waited for the god to attack, but Shiva did not move. He merely held his swords and waited. Fine. I’ll bring the fight to him, Alex thought.

  Alex rushed forward with her sword raised. She swung at Shiva, who easily deflected but didn’t return the attack. Alex jumped back and swung her sword once more. The god merely blocked Alex’s strike and then stepped forward as if the two of t
hem were engaged in some kind of dance.

  Shiva posed with his swords, looking like something that had walked out of Alex’s textbook on comparative religions.

  “Is that all Middang3ard has taught you?” Shiva asked. “The ways of a warrior?”

  Alex took another step back. She should have known better than to think she could fight the incarnation of life and death. She’d been expecting a hard fight, but this was pointless. What else was she missing?

  Shiva still wasn’t attacking. He stood there with a bemused smile on his face. That isn’t the face of someone trying to kill me, Alex thought, so why the hell am I trying to kill him?

  Alex tossed her sword on the ground, then took a deep breath and went to one knee in front of Shiva.

  As Alex knelt, the golden statues of Shiva sprang to life and surrounded Alex. Their swords rose as they stared down at the girl.

  Alex had to use all of her restraint not to grab her sword as Shiva started to laugh. “Did the trials also bring me a fool?” Shiva asked.

  None of the statues moved after their initial aggression. Alex watched them out of the corners of her eyes. If the statues did attack, she would easily be able to evade and get back to her dragon, but the statues were just as unmoving as they had been before. Here goes nothing, Alex thought.

  Alex cleared her throat as she raised her right hand, made a fist, and pressed it to her heart. “Lord Shiva, I declare my loyalty to you,” she pledged. “Since you are a guardian of Middang3ard and the protector of the Jewel of Qa, I apologize for my brashness earlier.”

  Shiva smiled, and the golden guards surrounding Alex collapsed into heaps of gold dust. “You will serve me?” Shiva asked as he approached Alex, dropping his swords on the way.

  “I serve Middang3ard, and since you are a guardian of the realm, I serve you as well.”

  Shiva raised two of his hands and cupped the other two in front of his chest as if they were holding something. The Jewel of Qa shimmered into a palm. “As is customary for the gods of Middang3ard, allow me to present you with a gift to honor our allegiance,” Shiva stated.