The night air was thick with the scent of oil and damp stone as Rez and his team crouched behind a stack of rusted supply crates. The pirate outpost loomed ahead, a squat fortress of metal and stone, its walls reinforced with scavenged airship plating. Blue-lit Etherium conduits pulsed like veins along the exterior, powering the turrets and security gates.

  "This is going to be a nightmare," Kellen murmured, adjusting the grip on his twin daggers. "They’ve got automatons."

  Rez followed his gaze to the two hulking figures patrolling the entrance. The Etherium-enhanced automatons moved with mechanical precision, their plated bodies radiating a dull blue glow. Each was armed with a heavy repeater, their blank faces scanning for intruders.

  Lyra, crouched beside Rez, whispered an incantation under her breath, her fingers crackling with residual energy. "I can dampen their sensors for a few seconds, but after that, we need to move fast."

  Mira nodded, her expression unreadable. "We split into two groups. Rez, Kellen, Lyra—you take the west entrance and get to the girl. Eren and I will cover the front, create a diversion. Once you have her, signal us."

  Rez’s heart pounded as he nodded. "Let’s move."

  The western corridor was a maze of narrow passages, pipes hissing with steam. Shadows danced along the metal walls as Rez led his team through the dimly lit space. Kellen scouted ahead, his movements silent as a whisper, while Lyra kept her hands near the Etherium crystal embedded in her belt, ready to cast if needed.

  Rez glanced at the schematic the mechanic had provided. "The girl’s cell should be on the lower level, past the control room. If we can take out their power grid, it’ll disable most of their defenses."

  Kellen smirked. "Now you’re speaking my language."

  They reached a junction where a lone guard leaned against a railing, bored. Kellen flicked his wrist, and a dagger buried itself in the man’s throat before he could cry out. As the body slumped, Rez caught it and dragged it into the shadows.

  Lyra exhaled sharply. "That was quick."

  "No time for pleasantries," Kellen muttered, retrieving his blade. "Let’s keep moving."

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  They pressed on, reaching the control room door. Through the reinforced glass, they saw two pirates monitoring the facility’s security feeds. The Etherium generator hummed in the corner, wires snaking toward the power conduits.

  Rez turned to Lyra. "Think you can overload the generator?"

  She grinned. "Just give me a few seconds."

  Rez and Kellen burst through the door. The pirates barely had time to react before Rez shot one through the chest with his black powder pistol. The second reached for an alarm, but Kellen’s blade found his heart before his fingers could touch the switch.

  Lyra moved swiftly, placing her hands over the Etherium core and whispering an incantation. The air crackled as arcs of blue energy surged through her fingertips. The core flickered, then exploded in a shower of sparks. The lights dimmed, and the facility shuddered as backup systems struggled to compensate.

  Rez activated his communicator. "Mira, we’re going for the girl now."

  With the power failing, security doors began to malfunction, and the once-locked cells creaked open. They found the mechanic’s daughter in a small, dingy room at the far end of the hall. She was no older than twelve, her face smudged with soot, eyes wide with fear.

  "Hey," Rez crouched, keeping his voice calm. "Your father sent us. We’re getting you out of here."

  She hesitated, then nodded. "I-Is he okay?"

  Rez smiled. "He’s waiting for you. Let’s go."

  The moment they stepped into the hallway, alarms blared—backup systems had kicked in. Heavy boots pounded down the corridor. Automatons.

  "Damn it!" Kellen growled. "We’ve got company!"

  The first automaton rounded the corner, its glowing eyes locking onto them. It raised its repeater.

  "Get down!" Rez tackled the girl to the floor as gunfire tore through the air. Lyra raised a shield of shimmering blue energy, barely deflecting the barrage.

  "We won’t last long against those things!" she shouted.

  Rez pulled out a vial from his belt, a volatile alchemical concoction. "Then let’s even the odds."

  He hurled the vial at the automaton’s feet. It shattered, and an explosion of alchemical fire engulfed the machine. The heat-reactive Etherium in its core overloaded, sending it into violent spasms before it collapsed in a smoking heap.

  Kellen finished off a second guard, then grabbed the girl’s hand. "Time to go!"

  They sprinted through the corridor, dodging gunfire as they reached the rendezvous point. Mira and Eren were already engaged in battle, cutting through the last of the pirate forces.

  "We have her!" Rez called.

  Mira nodded. "Then let’s get the hell out of here!"

  The mechanic was waiting at the safehouse when they arrived. The moment he saw his daughter, he fell to his knees, pulling her into his arms. Tears streamed down his grease-streaked face as he whispered her name over and over.

  Rez watched, feeling the weight of the mission lift from his shoulders. The mechanic turned to him, eyes shining with gratitude.

  "I owe you everything," he said. "Whatever you need to bring those bastards down, I’m in."

  Rez nodded. "Then let’s take that cannon apart, piece by piece."