Julie looked around her stables. Things weren't quite up to scratch yet but it was mostly right.

  There was a gap where the Wyvern had been.

  Half as weird as her bond though. James was… something else.

  People either loved him or didn’t know him apparently. He knew things he shouldn’t know, while being completely ignorant of others. And he was a Card Commander!

  Despite her thoughts she smiled. He did care for his bonds. Charlie was thriving now. Squire was… a squirrel dragon in the making. What was the right word…

  “Leave the report on the table Mark,” she said, turning to Mark who had a complete assessment of their stock levels.

  Julie raised her arm and played a hardwon card that would save her a tonne of time.

  Play Card - Consume Data

  Effect: Convert any report into System Data for easy consumption.

  Cooldown: 4 hours.

  She targeted the report.

  Screens appeared with data scrolling across them. She took a quick look at the critical shortages and swiped the rest out of the way.

  “Mark, see if you can hire a blacksmith's apprentice or three for a few days.”

  He nodded and then gave her an inquiring look.

  “No. That’s all for now.”

  She walked up to her office.

  Queen Gweneviere Leonisis cursed at Bob, her courtiers, and most of all at Brody.

  She was on her throne in her Palace.

  It was always a bloody fight, but she had become quite good at usurping the throne on each reset. It was far easier to control the kingdom's wealth that way. The levels were a nice bonus as well.

  "What do you mean he lost?" she screamed down at the cringing men and women below.

  "My Queen, he participated in the one on one martial competition and we..."

  "Why!" she shouted. "I forbade him from doing that. The party battle with you, top tier Bronze rankers, would have been easy, a walk through the gardens."

  "He insisted and—”

  "Kill him."

  She would have to pick someone else next time.

  "Wait. Please. He is coming here," the man in gold threaded attire shouted.

  Gweneviere's ears perked up. Her executioner knight, Sir Thrathom, was already swinging his halberd.

  "Wait."

  The knight froze.

  "How do you know this? Speak."

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  "Brody did not manage to teleport James the joker of the party to the Queendom dungeon, but he did get Edward, his party member."

  "And James took Brody on as a vassal. I see. Yes, he will appear at our dungeon when he completes it. Sir Thrathom, take your elites and secure the dungeon exit. Be ready to capture them the moment they appear. We might be able to turn this around yet."

  "Is there any other news?"

  "No, my Queen."

  "Kill him."

  His head rolled moments later.

  Kirsty let out a shrill whistle.

  The sound vibrated in the air, growing wider as it travelled. When the wave hit the goblins they shrieked, then fell dead, blood trickling from their ears.

  "Excellent work, yet again. Kirsty the Eloquent indeed," Brunor commented. "As long as the harsh words are all aimed at our enemies we will pull through."

  Kirsty frowned. "Are you going to let me into the dungeon yet?"

  "Are you level ten yet?"

  She sighed. "No."

  She had been told a hundred times. Not until level ten. The reason was always the same. Because everyone else threw away their initial dungeon reward to get to the hub resources faster. She was the one who truly mattered, and the first clear reward at level ten would be a bound legendary growth item.

  According to Brunor, no one else knew about this bonus. So she continued grinding the goblin quests.

  LT looked over his Commander’s Space.

  A great nexus crystal pulsed nearby. The space was a plateau with the Ziggurat upon which he now stood. Beyond the edges were fields of miasma stretching to the horizon.

  He looked into the bone mirror he had created. Blue light shone where his eyes had once been.

  He was not alone.

  Beside him hovered a hauntingly beautiful spectral figure. She wore a crown on her head. A spectral chain linked one of her wrists to one of the rings on his hand.

  A scream rang out. LT looked toward the prison he had unlocked and upgraded. Soon he would have more rings.

  He would have laughed, but he had forgotten how.

  Darren the Bear looked down at the Son of Groth he had just defeated in hand to hand combat.

  The warrior had no name now until Darren chose to give it back.

  Darren reached down and removed the Golden armband, slipping it onto his own arm.

  The tribe was his to command. Every warrior knelt in respect. All valued might above all else.

  Thanks to taking the Commander Body Enhancement Path, Darren truly felt as strong as a bear, and perhaps even stronger.

  He turned to the chest in the chieftain's hut. There was no crown, for they did not value such things. There was, however, a set of claw gloves.

  He put them on. His form grew and changed, taking on bear-like aspects.

  He knew exactly what he looked like now. He had seen the tribe's champion use these gloves before removing them for the rite of might challenge.

  He was now a werebear.

  Trent looked at the leaderboard and shook his head.

  He would have to fight again and level up.

  The academy was his home now, and one he did not want to leave.

  Trent’s Commander build was surprisingly close to James’s. He had a bonded horse, along with a fire mephit, ice mephit, earth mephit, and after reaching level five, an air mephit. All the elements. All levelling with him.

  His mentor Maxim had enrolled him in all the basic courses he could want.

  He had learned a great deal. More than anyone else at the academy, he knew about Bob, Prax, and the other Gods. He also knew a great deal about the competition and the restrictions they all laboured under.

  Unlike the other Commanders, Trent was being groomed to be a supporting character. He planned to find the best Commander and join their team.

  Maxim insisted that the only path to victory was collaboration.

  Trent agreed, but he still searched for a way to win anyway.

  Rock, at the base of the ladder, fought endless waves of shadow beasts. Blood dripped from countless slashes as his sword cleaved through them.

  In the mirror, Sparrow unleashed a rotating volley of elemental arrows. Scorching blasts, freezing shards, and crackling sparks tore through light constructs that reformed faster each time.

  Anne, at the top of the ladder, reached for the golden book.

  In the mirror realm, her reflection reached for the black book at the same moment.

  Both clasped their books in perfect synchrony.

  Without looking, the two Annes pushed their books into the mirror.

  The shadow and light beasts vanished together.

  The real and mirror worlds collided and her split presence returned to one. The reward of her trials coalesced in her hands. It was a diamond bordered Legendary card.

  Anne had taken a gamble on James.

  Some leaders hovered over their Commander, pampering them and forcing their growth. They showered them with the best gear their world offered.

  Others, like Anne, gambled by letting their Commander take risks and find their own path. It did not work for everyone, but the best thrived under it. She needed the best, and James showed promise. He also had Janine if things ever went truly wrong.

  She had instead taken herself and the majority of the Silver ranks to the Commander's Hub to pursue Legendary first completion bonuses, including this card.

  She slid it into a specially crafted box.

  All that remained was getting it to James.