Metallic was the only word Gwyn could think of to describe the ruins. Metallic walls, metallic ceilings, and metallic floors. All arranged in narrow hallways that cut through the ancient Resh architecture like some maze. Occasionally, they came across the odd door with an access panel, and checking one cracked open revealed what he assumed was an alien barracks, though what the Earthling took for beds seemed rather uncomfortable.

  It was not lost on him what the ruins were; his friends on Earth had forced him to watch just as much sci-fi as they did fantasy after all. However, the realization that the ancient ruins were some futuristic ship carried with it many new issues.

  Was this ship space-faring? Were the builders from Resh? Where did they come from? Where did they go? He felt he had stumbled across some secret that would baffle the likes of everyone. Mina, so far, was his only reference that was a person, but she seemed unfazed by the place, as if it were a regular day on Resh.

  Mem, on the other hand, was being rather skiddish. The Needaimus remained bonded to Gwyn’s arm and refused to break off when the Nonpareil suggested it might be safe enough to do so. Requests for calls meant to go outside the ship were blocked. Gwyn couldn’t get from his Needaimus if they were too deep in the ship, or transmission was being prevented, but they were cut off nonetheless. More concerning was Mem’s occasional comments in the back of Gwyn’s mind in another language. After the third one, Gwyn stopped asking what they meant. Mem didn’t know it was even saying anything.

  The good news, if any good news could come from the situation, was that the first patrol of the so-called Xenototes seemed to be just that—a patrol. Though the duo did their best to sneak and whisper, it seemed there were little prying ears to bring them harm. After a while, they grew bolder about opening the various doors they came across.

  Gwyn pressed his hand flat against the door and tried to worm his metallic-bonded fingers into the crack. It was a sliding door by all indications, so he just had to give it a nudge.

  “I don’t think that’s working,” Mina whispered, still cautious of any approaching enemy.

  Gwyn ground his teeth and liquified the door open.

  The elf cried out, “What are you doing?”

  “Getting inside.”

  “But, but, don’t you think the owners of this place would be upset?”

  Gwyn shook his head. “The fishy Zenototes couldn’t get in before anyway, and the previous owners all seem to be dead.”

  Mina frowned.

  “We really should be more careful, though. I can protect you against Xenototes, but what if you trigger the security system?”

  Gwyn laughed. “If the power can still come on in this place, I welcome it; it might make getting through much quicker.”

  He pushed his way through the open threshold and gave Mem a minute to adjust his vision. It was of great fortune that Needaimus could provide night vision. Gwyn was sure he wouldn’t be able to do anything without it, and if he couldn’t do that, he would never get back to give Kako a piece of his mind.

  Now that things had calmed down, Gwyn was certain he wanted to give some strong words to a couple of folks. Maybe it was partially due to the fact that his medicine was long lost, and some hard, rocky scales were already forming on his left shoulder, but his emotions were high, and he wasn’t about to let them get washed out by stress.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Gwyn scratched at his left shoulder as he stomped into the room. It was nothing special. Perhaps a simple quarter for a single occupant. A bed of some sort lay tucked into the corner. It looked like it could fold up against the wall, and what must have been a desk sat on the other side.

  Mina tiptoed into the room and looked around nervously.

  “There is nothing, huh? No objects, no bones, it’s like the original occupants moved away,” Gwyn muttered to himself. He wasn’t sure if it was the best time to get so distracted by the place, given the primary objective was to find Fiona and Haliegh and get the hell out of there.

  With no idea where the girls were, however, getting as much information as they could about the place seemed sensible enough. Perhaps he could even find the bridge, turn the power back on, and get a cool ship of his own to fly around Resh in. It was the least the planet could do given all the shit it put him through.

  “Gwyn. Gwyn.” Mina hissed. It seemed she might have been doing a while before he noticed, if her concerned expression was any indication. “We should keep moving.”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “We’ve been walking for hours and have gotten nowhere. Let’s rest. I can solidify the door back up, and we can sleep.”

  Mina’s ears drooped along with her mouth; it seemed she was rubbing the few brain cells she had together to spark a rebuttal. None came, and the elf nodded weakly. She looked uncomfortable as she crossed her arms and stepped further inside. With slow movements, Mina pressed her back against the wall and slid to a seated position. She was careful to make sure the dress Gwyn had fashioned lay smoothly over her legs as she carefully crossed them on the floor. Gwyn shifted the liquid door back into a flat panel and turned it solid. The job wasn’t the best, but it was functional.

  With the barrier in place, he sat against the wall opposite Mina. They stared at each other for a moment. Mina had a curious look on her face. Wide-eyed, but not full of wonder. She probably wanted to keep moving. Why, Gwyn did not know. Out of concern for the girls might make sense, but he wasn’t sure how well Mina knew them. From his side, he was sure Fiona could manage for both until they got there. Knowing how crazy the blue princess was, she might take care of everything on her own. The thought almost made Gwyn chuckle.

  Mina, however, must have been worried about something else. Perhaps Kako had said something to her before departing. Perhaps Kako was able to watch through the elf’s eyes. Gwyn was sure the writer had some plan for sending him there, which meant there must have been some plan to keep him moving.

  He wasn’t going to go along with that plan; he was going to get some rest. Closing his eyes, he turned his head away from Mina. Mem belted some odd language in his head for a moment, but then it was silent, and with silence came sleep. He drifted off.

  Fiona woke with a gasp. She was sure water got in her throat even after she tried to teleport away. A quick scan showed she was alone in a dark space. Reaching out revealed a barrier in front, on the sides, and at the top. After a moment for her mind to wake up with the rest of her, she realized it was a box, and some breathing holes near the top of the side looked like the only way to see out.

  She shuffled her contorted body and stretched her neck to the hole, but she couldn’t get her eye close enough.

  A slam shook the box, and the princess yelped.

  “Fiona!” It took the princess a moment to recognize the voice, but she soon realized it was Haliegh’s. The red eye of the girl appeared at the hole as far as Fiona could tell.

  “Where are we?” the princess croaked.

  “I don’t know if you will believe it, but we were just thrown in a Xenotote prison.”

  “Come again?”

  “They captured us from the sub after destroying it, I guess saved us in a way. Apparently, Gwyn and Mina were swept away by currents.”

  “Why am I in this box?”

  “You teleported when the sub was destroyed, and they think your ability is sight-based. I’m honestly not sure if it is, but I told them it just lets you teleport to your friends. As you can see, my lie didn’t convince them.”

  “I don’t need to see, but it is riskier.” Fiona shook her head and pulled on her cheeks. The cloud was finally fading away, and a chipperness returned to her voice. “Still, I can get us out of here easily!”

  “Actually! Actually, I wouldn’t do anything just yet…. There are a lot of them.”

  “How many is a lot? I’m pretty good at beating crowds of villains up!”

  The green-haired girl paused a moment. Fiona figured she must be counting. They must have found a military group or a small tribe. Xenotoes were vicious warriors in legend, so escape wouldn’t be easy, but she just needed to zap Haliegh and her out of harm's way.

  “I… I’m having trouble deciding if this is a town or city….”

  All at once, Fiona’s confidence vanished.

  “That is a lot.”