The stairwell swallowed the rebels.
Lucien did not follow at their head. He walked behind them.
He watched everything unfold.
He would not allow any of them to die unjustly. These were his future people. Rurik most of all.
And a thought surfaced as he observed the young Lithren's steady hands and sharper eyes.
Rurik would get along well with Seren.
Transmute and Essence Shift would complement each other. Together, their creations would not just be impressive. They would be revolutionary.
Lucien kept that thought for later.
For now, the mine demanded blood.
The first clash began on the next platform.
Alloykin overseers rushed from guard alcoves. But they were late.
The Lithrens' weapons flashed.
Rurik's gauntlet unfolded again and the Slaver Breaker lattice snapped outward, but this time it did not aim to restrain a single target. It formed a wide grid that sealed a corridor mouth, compressing space just enough to deny a charge lane.
