Chapter 15: PARTY ON THE MOON!!!!

“Party on the moon….” I sighed. It wasn’t as awesome as I thought it was going to be. It was just a fancy bougie ass party, in a mansion setting, that happened to be on a moon. So lame. To be fair, this “moon” was more like a mini planet. Guess that should have been obvious; damn well couldn’t have us partying in suit suits. I was expecting something more like a biodome or something. But that was dumb. They could use AOS to terraform just about anything, I bet.

“At least the view is nice, I guess.” I consoled myself as I looked down at the planet I’d been living on for the past few months, Earth time. It was blue marble-like earth, only a lot bigger, and with several moons. Was I a little homesick? I downed another drink as I leaned forward, resting my arms atop the railing on this lonely balcony. I had just left Aonani and the others when she and Vnexi got into an argument, and I wasn’t trying to be around that.

“Zac! You left me with that crazy bitch again?!” I heard Aonani's voice as she came onto the balcony; I turned around to face her, resting my back on the handrail.

“Aonani, did I tell you you look beautiful this evening.”

“Yes, constantly!”

“Well, you do.” I wasn’t trying to flatter her. That dress she was wearing clung to her in all the right places. Juniper was good at her job.

“Don’t change the subject, Zac.”

“Nani, seriously. The two of you fight all the time. I need to work with her, and you’re my friend. Plus, I don’t really like stuff like this. So I needed to get out of there.” I explained to her.

“You seemed excited on the way up here.” She said with a smile. She nestled herself close to me, resting her back against the railing.

“I was! Then we got here, and that was sapped instantly.”

She started to giggle,

“I tried to tell you that you wouldn’t like it. It’s just a bunch of people trying to suck up to other people they perceive to be better than them. You are the Mighty Quinn’s little brother and a Breaker. These people were drooling the moment you walked in.” She nudged me with her shoulder.

“I noticed, and you know a lot about this stuff, huh?”

“You see that guy over there, the server.” She pointed to a young purple lad serving drinks.

“That’s one of the few things I do to make a living.” I looked at the purple guy and softly chuckled. That’s the story she was going with? Not a bad one.

“So you’ve been around these types before, huh? So educate this backwater bumpkin.” I teased.

“Oh, please. We both know you’re the real predator here. Which is why I gotta ask; why aren’t you in there, hunting?”

She looked at me curiously, and I smiled.

“Because I need to play the role I’ve been given. And are you sure I’m not hunting right now?”

“Oh no, how scary.” She said softly, leaning closer to me.

“Zac, Aonani, there you two are.” Goddammit,

“And there you.” I forced a smile at Juniper, who skipped her way over towards us.

“We were in the middle of something Jun.” Aonani's annoyed voice called out.

“I can see that, honey, but you two making sex eyes at each other will have to wait.” Aonani scoffed in response to Juniper’s unfiltered tongue. Good, Aonani was just as disappointed as I was; I smirked at the thought and turned my attention towards Juniper.

“What do you need, Jun?”

“Your sisters and the Galdents are waiting for you. Big Boss is here, and they want to introduce you and Vnexi to her.” Big Boss was here? I wasn’t expecting that. Quinn said she rarely showed up to stuff like this. I looked over at Aonani with a shrug, holding out my arm.

“Big Boss, the leader of the Black Market… I can't say I’m not interested.” Aonani mused as she latched onto my arm and the three of us walked back into the Party.

“Have you ever met Big Boss, Jun?”

“Yep! Are you curious? I bet Quinn never told you about her, right? It makes sense. To your species, you're still a toddler.” She poked me in my side, teasing me to her heart's delight.

“But seriously, she’s hard to read. I mean, most people in the Black Market are hard to read, but she’s something different. We don’t even know what species she is. Everything about her is strange.” Juniper continued,

“What’s even stranger is, they say she’s not even the creator of the Black Market; she’s just a person who runs it, for now.”

“Is that so?” I mumbled while lost in thought. I guess I would have to find out myself or ask Quinn later after all of this was over. The 3 of us made our way through the Party under watchful gazes. I looked up ahead to see Vnexi and Brick looking my way. Brick looked like he was about to shit one, and Vnexi was unusually fidgety. I saw Quinn and the others, all of them gathered around a singular individual.

“Zac, what took you so long. There’s someone here who wants to meet you.” Lynoe called out to me.

“I heard, Big Boss, right?”

“Ergh, that stupid moniker. Who came up with that?” The voice of a woman sounded from behind Quinn. She pushed Quinn out of the way, and when she saw me, her eyes lit up. I, on the other hand, was taken aback. I don’t know what I expected to see from someone named Big Boss, but it wasn’t this. She was so normal, with no scales, no feathers, no off-color skin tone. She looked like a pretty yellow bone creole girl back on earth, wearing an elegant but modest dress.

“You don’t like Big Boss? Then what should I call you then?” I asked curiously.

Everyone else around me seemed to be rather tense, aside from Quinn. I didn’t see why. Big Boss seemed pretty chill so far.

“Call me Auntie.”

“Auntie?” I asked,

“Yes, Zac, she says that she knew our parents. Well, to be specific, our collective mother and your father.” Quinn said, giving me a solemn nod of her head.

“You knew my parents?” I whipped my head towards Big Boss.

“If Quinn ever bothered to take off her mask before, I would’ve known sooner. You look so much like your mother. Thank goodness. Looking like your father would probably get you into more trouble than it’s worth. And yes, I knew your mother, but I KNOW your father.” She said meaningfully. She must’ve seen the dumb look on my face and then said,

“Mmmhmm, your daddy’s alive, but let’s talk about that later.” Is what she said out loud for those around us to hear, but I heard her gleeful voice echo into my mind,

“3 Quqe at your side, posing as your sisters? Not a bad idea, have your strongest weapons constantly at the ready. You’re about as resourceful as your father.” I looked in her direction, concealing the shock I was feeling. She could tell that Quinn and the others were Quqe when even other Quqe could not.

“Who are you?” I let it slip out verbally for everyone to hear.

“Your parents asked the same. Let me tell you what I told them. Who I am is such a boring question. What am I? Is far more interesting.” She giggled, and the elders near her cringed a bit. What had made them so scared of her that even the slightest movements she made caused fear?

“Then what are you?”

“Just like your father, aren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t know.” I snapped back,

“HAHAHAHA!!!! I suppose you wouldn’t. Regardless, you must earn that information, little Keta.” She laughed as she turned to look over at Aonani.

Keta?! That was the nickname my mother used for me all my life, and I never understood why or where it came from, and she never used it in front of others. It seems Aunt Big Boss did know my parents.

“What do we have here?” Big Boss stared at Aonani, who reflexively gripped my arms tighter than before. Whatever effect everyone else was under, it seemed to affect Aonani even more.

“You’re a little far away from home, aren’t you, little one.”

“She’s here with me,” I spoke up, much to everyone’s surprise. I suppose when Big Boss spoke, we weren’t meant to be heard unless asked a question.

“Ah, I see. Got bored with the Light and wanted to have a little dance in the dark? Be careful not to drown in it.” Big Boss said to Aonani and then looked over at me.

“Truly, like father, like son. You can't say no to a pretty face. Absolutely ridiculous.” I could feel Aonani’s heart beating nearly out of her chest until Big Boss turned around to face the Council and Quinn. She turned her attention over toward Quinn specifically. Quinn smiled at Big Boss and then said,

“So, what do you think?” Quinn as Big Boss.

“I like what I see so far. Both of them are Breakers; there’s not much else to say, is there? However, while their potential is good, I won’t invest in something that can’t also give me immediate returns.” She looked over her shoulder, glancing at Vnexi and me like she was eying new toys.

“What exactly is she going to do for us?” I was curious as to why we needed her support so urgently.

“Other than keeping these jackals away from you? I'm gonna make sure you have a spot in the entrance exams for Higher Learning.” Big Boss said with a smile on her face.

Did I need a spot to take entrance exams? It seemed meeting Big Boss was always a part of the plan to further my education.

“What, surprised? There are millions of AOS institutions that train AOS practitioners. Completing the programs from the top 1000 will all but guarantee you success in just about anything you do. Higher Learning, forget the top 1000; it’s top 3. Trillions of skilled and talented young people go through countless screenings and tests just to get the chance to take the entrance exams. Did you think you could just walk in?” Big Boss explained.

I lowered my head, a bit ashamed of myself. Everything has come relatively easily since I got here; It never even crossed my mind what others had to go through to get a chance at attending such an institution. Even for someone like Big Boss, I suspect she’d need to call in several favors, especially for the two of us. I wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, and I also wasn’t above working to earn something.

“So, what do you need me to do?” I asked

“Prove your worth to the Black Market, little Keta. You’ll have a chance, sooner than you think.” She gave me a wink as she turned her attention over towards the assortment of humanoid creatures that made up the Council. There were 6 of them; 4 swarmed around Big Boss, while the other two sat down at a nearby table. One of the two at the table, who was slurping some soup, spoke,

“Yes, the children will prove themselves in time. At the moment, I’m far more interested in your two sisters Quinn. You’ve kept those gems hidden from us for quite a while. Why not have them officially join the Black Market?” He was a tall, skinny humanoid man with ashen skin and a single small horn into the middle of his forehead.

“That would be up to them, Council Member Ponduf,” Quinn said with an amenable smile.

“I’ll have to pass on that,” Lynoe said without giving any further information. Winnie, on the other hand, was much blunter.

“I believe the threat of us taking action against Quinn’s and Zac’s rivals within the Black Market would be far more beneficial to our family. Having to follow your rules would limit our possible routes of defense and retaliation. So I will decline.” Winnie said with a polite nod of her head.

Lynoe and I just chuckled to ourselves. Several of the Council Members looked rather intrigued, while one was upset.

“Young lady, is that a threat?” He postured as he puffed out his chest. He was a rather herculean-esque reptilian humanoid around round the size of Brick but far more skilled with his body. We looked down at Tuwinnie; she held a wine flute in her hands as she craned her neck up to look back at the male reptilian.

“That depends, good sir. Are you a rival to my siblings? Should I take your strong reaction to my statement to mean you harbor such intentions? Should I remove a potential threat now?” As Winnie spoke, the large reptilian male looked as if he was having trouble breathing, and he started to claw at his own throat gently.

“That’s quite enough, Winnie. I expect this behavior from Lynoe, not you.” Quinn scolded Winnie. In response, Winnie scoffed, turning her attention away from the Council member. Once she stopped looking at the man, he let out a large gasp of air, slowly starting his breathing again.

“My apologies, Council Member Xerves. I found myself displeased with your insinuation after I was generous enough to be so forthcoming with you. If you pose no threat to my family, Lynoe and I pose no threat to you.” Winnie clarified her position.

“You could have just said that, to begin with.” Xerves was still mid coughing fit as he was regaining the air that Winnie had forcefully removed from his lungs earlier.

“So all of your sisters are….”

“Crazy? Yeah, yeah, they are.” I answered Aonani’s question before she got the chance to finish.

“I was going to say overprotective, but sure.”

As the two of us talked, I could feel Big Boss’ eyes drilling a hole in me. I glanced over at her and quickly averted my eyes. She was just like Quinn; I couldn’t read her at all. Only while Quinn was like a wall of ice, Big Boss was like staring into an endless abyss. I was about to ask Quinn if I could leave when all the Council members and Quinn looked over towards the entrance. Just then, the doorway was blasted open. When the dust cleared, several of the guards were thrown into the middle of the dance floor.

All the Council members started to walk towards the commotion, save for Ponduf, who enjoyed his soup. Big Boss paid no mind to the commotion; she seemed far more interested in her conversation with Juniper and her Grandmother.

“What imbecile wants to try and make a name for themselves this time.” An elderly female member of the Council spoke as she passed by me. I was curious, so I followed behind her. She was a tiny little thing; she couldn't be more than 4’5 if that. She had a stocky build, delicate features, and long silver hair braided at the bottom.

“Does this often happen, Ms ah….”

“More often than it should. And you can call me Council Member Otunuzit.”

“How about Granny Nuzi for short?” There was no way I was going to remember and properly pronounce that name. To my surprise, the tiny granny smirked a bit and nodded her head.

“That’ll be just fine.” As we walked to the commotion, she explained that it wasn’t odd for some to challenge the Black Market in such a fashion. The Black Market is a power that can challenge the 11 Ruling families, which is frowned on by a large majority of the Castle. So while local law enforcement and the various Castle militaries can’t do much to stop them, they will also not offer aid. This is their way of keeping the Black Market in check. Having to deal with threats from all sides constantly will make it unlikely to consolidate their influence.

“So we are constantly beset by random organizations looking to make a stir, individuals who want to prove themselves to the Rulers. Not to mention all types of would-be warriors of justice, and Senohoi have fancied themselves saviors that will put an end to us.” Granny Nuzi finished.

“You deal with all that, and there’s still in-fighting. I’m surprised you’ve had such success up to this point.” Aonani said chimed in.

“I agree, young lady. It is a miracle we haven’t experienced a true crisis up to this point. However, I doubt we’ll have to worry as long as Big Boss is around.”

We arrived at the guards laid out on the ground and walking towards the scene opposite us, was a single individual. He didn’t look like the typical type that Granny Nuzi had talked about. The most noticeable thing about him was he looked completely human. He was in something that closely resembled a flamboyantly designed baby powder blue and golden cassock robe adorned with jewelry. His brown hair was slicked back and neatly kept.

“Oh dear, this does not bode well.” Granny Nuzi said as she stepped forward and looked at the guards that were dead. She turned to face the man responsible for the disturbance.

“Why are you here?” Granny Nuzi asked.

“We have come to purify the one you call Big Boss. Thus fulfilling the will of the Light.” After the man had spoken, Granny Nuzi just chuckled, the rest of the party guests began to break out into laughter. The Priest seemed unfazed.

“If she comes with us willingly, I can guarantee the rest of you can go about the rest of your night in peace.”

“No, I don’t think I will. This is the first Party I’ve been to in a while, and I don’t want to leave early.” Big Boss hadn’t moved from where she was; whatever conversation she was having with Juniper’s Grandmother was more critical.

“We are not the 11 families; you do not have the right to request anything from us.” Xerves sounded as he walked towards the scene himself, standing next to Granny Nuzi.

“If you will not hand her over willingly, we will use force.” He snapped his fingers, and a screen of Light appeared over his head. Thus time Big Boss finally turned to give the man some attention. On the scene were several giant Crafts that landed on the surface of this moon. Out of the craft were thousands of humanoid shapes. They were all uniformed in battle gear. This gear was all streamlined, and form-fitting, topped with a small visor shielded helmet. This visor was tinted to hide their faces.

“We have come prepared for war; what about you?” The "priest" bellowed.

Granny Nuzi scoffed at the man's declaration, and Xerves opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Big Boss, who appeared next to me out of thin air. Just moments ago, she was next to Juniper and the others on the other side of this grand hall. How did she close the gap so quickly and without me noticing anything? Not only was it her, but Council Member Ponduf arrived without my notice as well, still holding his bowl of soup.

“It’s good soup.” He said, looking at me.

“Maybe a more robust defensive preparation should have been considered,” Ponduf said.

“Maybe, but here’s the thing… how did they know I was going to come when I wasn’t even sure?” When Big Boss said this, the “priest'' seemed to cringe a bit. All this firepower could only mean they were sure that she’d be here, in some capacity.

“Seems a rat has snuck into our kitchen and shit in our soup.” Big Boss chuckled a bit to herself.

Ponduf, on the other hand, immediately stopped his spoon from touching his mouth.

“Not literally Ponduf, calm down.” Big Boss pat the man on the back and then turned to me,

“His race's native language leaves no room for metaphor or symbolism. He tends to take a lot of things very literally, but he’s gotten much better over the years.” She smiled as Ponduf looked at his soup for a moment more before slowly raising the spoon into his mouth.

“Ah, still good.” He gushed.

“I’m still here, Big Boss!” The Priest said rather aggressively, aggravated by our collective lack of urgency.

“No, you’re not.” Big Boss said with no emotion in her voice. She didn’t spare the man another glance, just a simple point.

The look on the Priest's face went from rage to confusion to instant panic as he looked at his chest. He began to claw at his chest through his robes frantically. The hall went silent as his panicked breathing was all that could be heard.

“It burns! It Burns!!!! The Goddess of Light will never forgive you for this; her grace will forever damn your soul!” He shouted out at Big Boss gave him the most dismissive side-eye I’ve ever seen in my life,

“I promise you; she won’t care.” She then turned her attention to the screen that the man had displayed.

The Priest's screams echoed for only a moment as his body quickly turned to ash from the inside out. There was no sign of fire; I looked even deeper trying to see if I could somehow replicate what she had done later. What I saw shook me to my core. The soul-source that made up that man’s soul, and all surrounding soul-source, was, burning. Just like his body, the soul source was reduced to particles and vanished. It was similar to my darkness but far more absolute, far more violent. My darkness ate and assimilated the soul source; whatever she did destroyed it.

“Zac, what’s wrong?” Aonani’s voice whispered into my ears. She seemed shocked herself, but without these eyes, she would never understand the terror of what I had just witnessed. I glanced over at Vnexi, and she seemed to be in the same boat as me. We made eye contact with each other, coming to a mental agreement to do whatever we needed to do to stay on this woman’s good side.

“Nothing…” I finally answered Nani, who just rubbed my shoulder. Maybe she understood just how shook I was.

“I told you… what I am is far more interesting.” Big Boss’ voice rattled me as she walked past me to where the Priest had been, erased. She stared into the screen, and then she spoke. She spoke softly, but her voice echoed out into the surroundings.

“Greetings, my uninvited guest.” That voice that filled throughout the room must have reached the entire moon. At her call, those soldiers on-screen came to a stop and looked into the air.

“Your messenger is dead, and I will extend you the courtesy that I denied him. You have 15mins to get the hell off my moon before you stay here permanently. End of message.” She did not wait for a response; she didn’t care what they had to say. She swiped her hand, and the screen of AOS light vanished. She turned to face us in the hall,

“Who wants to go fight a horde of religious zealots?” Big Boss said with a smile on her face. I raised my hand rather quickly, and Vnexi wasn’t too far behind. After the two of us raised our hands, several others did as well. Aonani tugged at my vest,

“Zac, I know you can handle yourself, but those guys have an army with them.”

“Don’t worry, girl, they couldn’t have prepared extensively for my arrival today because I didn’t know I was coming until today. Only me and the Council Members.” She gave knocking looks to all the Members of the Council, and none of them seemed to show any signs of nervousness. Granny Nuzi just sighed as she knew the implications of what Big Boss just said. Ponduf also shook his head in disappointment.

“Even if ‘The Followers of Light’ have most of The Castle on their side, they’d be hard-pressed to find someone to threaten us on such short notice. Those soldiers are cannon fodder; meant to put us into a panic.”

“Big Boss is correct; while their gear is impressive, none of those soldiers are above the Adept level.” Granny Nuzi said as her little body moved to reassure me. It was unneeded. The more enemies there were to fight, the easier combat became for me, especially group fights. The power of the opponent didn’t matter. 1v1 was where things tended to get complicated. I thrived in chaos.

“You should be wary nonetheless. There’s no telling what they could be planning. Even if they thought to catch us unaware, this is far too little to be a threat.”

“Yes… especially with the Zym sisters around.” Council Xerves chimed in, somewhat annoyed. He wasn’t the biggest fan of Quinn, and with her apparent rise, assisting the Galdents should be troubling. A powerful tool that moved on its own was no longer a tool but a threat. Big Boss seemed to ignore his obvious displeasure as she said,

“You aren’t wrong. Dealing with Quinn alone, I’d have to pay attention; with her sisters added in the mix, I might have some fun.” All of the Council Members turned to look at Quinn and my “sisters.” Then they all stared at me, “The Masterpiece.” It was easy to tell what they were thinking.

“What’s the big deal then? We’ll handle the fodder, and when the real threat comes, you old people can deal with it, simple.” I said with a cocky grin on my face.

“I agree.” Vnexi chimed in as she walked over towards us.

“I also agree. Follow me, all you.” Big Boss spoke to every youngster that had volunteered to fight the interlopers. Big Boss led all of us outside and then pointed ahead.

“Beyond that horizon are fools who believe they own this Castle; they believe the Light shines only on them and radiates out their asses. None of them are aware that the Light can blind just as easily as darkness. So, let's cast a dark shadow on their Light so that they can see the world clearly.”

She then turned towards Vnexi and me and then said,

“You two lead them. Show me your worth; leave none alive.” Big Boss then walked away, leaving us to get ourselves ready for what was to come. Several individuals looked at Vnexi and me only for a moment and then walked away to prepare themselves. Many began to pull gear out of their communicators' storage spaces. I saw Brick walking towards me. I could see the look on his face and saw his mother trailing behind him with a panicked expression.

“No big guy. Not this time.”

“But I wanna help! I'm tired of being useless.” He snapped at me.

“I get that, Brick. I do, but not this time. You’re not ready. Ok? Seriously man, not this time.”

“Fine… but you have to bring me next time, Sandman.”

“I will when you stop being a useless sack.” I smiled at Brick, who chuckled,

“Screw off, asshole, hehe.” he was then pulled back by his mother and gave me a nod of appreciation. Before she left, she looked over at Vnexi, but before she could speak, Vnexi cut her off.

“No need for you to feign concern. We both know I don’t need it.” Sometimes, Vnexi seemed like a completely different person. She was always somewhat combative, slightly aggressive, but sometimes, she gave off a chilling feeling, just like the first time we fought, and she tried to poison me. If that was the mood, she was in now, good. I liked that version of her the best.

“I’m coming with you, Zac.” I heard Aonani’s voice as she ran up from out of the mansion hall.

“She will not listen to reason,” Lynoe said as she looked at me.

“I’m not some accessory, Zac. I can handle myself.”

“We are well aware, girl.” Vnexi’s chilling voice called.

“Whether you are good in a fight is irrelevant. We are the Black Market, and going against the Follower’s of Light is a given for us. What about you? You are a civilian. Will you turn against Followers of Light, will you kill them?” She asked.

Aonani stared daggers at Vnexi and then let out a scoff.

“I am a believer in the Goddess of Light, but I also believe what the Followers are doing now goes directly against their initial purpose. They were meant to guide, not cast judgment. I will not simply stand by while they kill….”

“That’s not what I asked you, girl! Regardless of your reasoning. Will you kill?” Vnexi interrupted her.

“I’ll do what needs to be done,” Aonani answered.

“That’s why I can’t stand you. Pick a side. The Castle does not need fence-sitters.” Vnexi turned away from Aonani and stood there as she looked off towards the horizon. Aonani let out a sigh and began to adjust her dress. The dress's skirt came apart at the sides, and she quickly wrapped the cloth around her waist, revealing boy shorts underneath. I also noticed that she wasn’t wearing heels today. Guess her run-in with the Galdent the night we met made her rethink how she dressed at Parties.

“You aren’t getting changed, Vnexi?” I asked

“Why wear clothing I can’t readily fight in?” She responded curtly, maintaining her position. She was correct; I had similar options.

“Zac, hey Zac! Take this.” I turned around at the sound of Juniper’s voice and saw a pair of gloves in her hand.

“You finished already?”

“Your instructions were very comprehensive and easy to follow. Plus, I’m a genius. Also, these are just the prototype. As instructed, I didn’t include an AS(Artificial Soul).”

I could feel the corner of my cheek stretching. I did love being the first to test out my toys. Quickly I put on the gloves,

“Devin, you know what to do.”

“Of course, Zac,” Devin’s voice echoed in my mind as he began to connect the AOS-rich threads within the Gloves. Each of the fingertips lit up with AOS symbols. I began to giggle as I thought to myself,

“This was going to be fun. If only I had a weapon.”

“Just picture the weapon in your mind, and touch my tassels.” A suggestion tickled the back of my mind, and I felt something tugging on my left wrist. I looked over to see the bracelet slightly glowing.

“Was that you?” I asked the bracelet, but I received no response. Even the suggestion itself didn’t seem to come from a voice; it appeared as a random thought floating in my mind. Was that how living weapons worked?

"Just picture a weapon, huh?"

I touched the tassels after imagining my weapon of choice. After I pulled my fingers away from the tassels, two 12in bladed karambit knives appeared. They were pitch black and gave off the slight glow of that black energy I had still not come to understand. I twirled the blade with glee. It had been so long since I held something so familiar. I began to chuckle silently to myself.

“Let’s move out. Since we have smaller numbers, I want to catch them by surprise.” I said to all gathered. There weren't more than maybe 200-400 individuals here. It seems the Black Market had high expectations of us youngsters, or maybe they didn’t think too highly of our invaders. Regardless, I began to head out with Vnexi and Aonani not far behind.

“Zac, no need to hold back this time.” I heard Winnie say.

“Really? I can go wild?”

“Yes, as wild as you want. You want Big Boss to help you, right?” Lynoe said with a smile.

Well, goddamn, this was the Party on the Moon I was hoping for. I couldn’t hold back my laughter, which seemed to draw the stares of those following me.

“Quinn, you aren’t going to give your little brother words of encouragement before he goes off to battle?” I heard Granny Nuzi.

“We do not need such things. This will be a simple mission, as long as those others are somewhat competent.”

“Still, you never know what could happen.”

“Tsk, fine. ZAC!!” I heard Quinn begrudgingly call out to me.

“A quick quiz before you go off. To make sure you're sharp.”

“Shoot…” I stopped my march and turned to face her.

“Fish swim, Birds Fly… Dragons?”

“Conquer,

” I responded without hesitation.

“Good Boy.”

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