The giant monster roared. It was the loudest sound Rick had ever heard. It sounded like thick metal tearing in half. The sound bounced off the dark stone walls of the underground cavern.Rick stood on the edge of the black river. He held his wooden staff. The small green light at the tip of his staff shined across the water. It lit up the monster’s terrible face.The monster was as tall as a building. It had thick, pale, rotting skin. Heavy, rusted iron chains hung from its massive neck. Its two giant eyes glowed with a sick, toxic purple light.The monster looked at the green light on Rick’s staff. It raised a giant, clawed hand. It prepared to smash the bridge and crush the fifty people standing behind Rick."Rick!" Luna screamed. "Your magic! It sees the light!"Rick realized his mistake. The monster lived in the absolute dark. It hunted by following magical energy. Rick’s green light was like a bright signal fire shouting, We are here!Rick instantly shut his eyes. He pulled his gr

"Fast pulse, freezing skin," Rick taught him. "That means internal bleeding. It means the body is losing blood inside the stomach or the chest, and the heart is racing to pump whatever blood is left. If you feel that, the patient is dying on the inside. You must lay them flat, keep them warm, and prepare to cut them open."Rick relaxed. His pulse returned to a slow, weak rhythm. His skin warmed up slightly.Rick let go of Forge’s hand. He leaned his head back against the stone wall. He breathed out a long, shaky sigh."Those are the basics," Rick whispered, his eyes sliding shut. "Stop the bleeding. Keep the heart pumping. Listen to the body. You do not need magic to do these things. You just need courage."Luna knelt beside Rick. She gently brushed his messy hair away from his forehead."You did beautifully, Rick," Luna whispered. "They learned. Now, you can rest. I will watch over them."Rick nodded weakly. He was so incredibly tired. The darkness behind his eyes felt warm and inviti

The sky over the City of Iron was broken. The heavy, dark clouds of yellow smog were torn apart. A giant hole opened up in the sky. This was because Sector Four was completely gone. The massive, heavy metal roof that used to cover the junkyard had fallen. Millions of tons of solid black iron had crashed into the earth.Everything was crushed. The scrap towers were flat. The dirty tents were buried.A thick, dark gray dust covered the world. It looked like dirty snow. It fell softly, coating the broken metal and the dark mud.High above the ruined junkyard, a sleek, flying ship hovered in the air.The ship was painted perfectly white. It had no rust. It had no dirt. It was silent.Inside the flying ship, Auditor Isaac stood by a large glass window. He wore his spotless white suit. His dark hair was perfect. His thin silver glasses caught the light. He looked down at the massive, dusty crater."Bring the ship down," Isaac ordered smoothly. His voice was calm, but it held absolute autho

"The methodology," Isaac muttered rapidly. "He sews the veins with black silk. He uses pressure points. He uses pure Earth Qi without chanting. These are lost arts. The ancient texts in the deepest vaults of the Guild describe these techniques. We thought they were myths. We thought they were impossible fairy tales!"Isaac stopped pacing. He looked up at the dark ceiling of the furnace."He is the Ghost Doctor," Isaac said. He finally understood the name. It was not just a scary nickname invented by the scavengers. "He is literally a ghost from the past. He wanders the world. He does not age. His magic does not fade. He has been doing this for decades, maybe centuries."Doctor Vance fell to his knees. "An immortal? Auditor Isaac, if he is an ancient entity... we cannot fight him. The Guild cannot control a god.""Do not use that word!" Isaac snapped angrily. He glared at Vance. "He is not a god. He is a machine of flesh and magic. He bleeds. I saw his blood. He has a weakness."Isaac

Slowly, the corners of her small mouth turned up. She smiled. It was a bright, happy, beautiful smile. It was the first time Rick had seen her truly smile."I am glass," Ash whispered happily."Yes, you are," Luna agreed, touching the little girl's white hair. "You are perfect."Ash rested her small head against Rick’s shoulder. She closed her eyes. The coldness of her skin felt strange, but Rick did not pull away. He put his arm around her. Within minutes, the little girl fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.For the next few hours, the Rust Bottoms were quiet.The fifty refugees slept on the dusty floor. Brin and Forge kept watch near the air vent. Luna rested her head on Rick’s good shoulder.Rick did not sleep. He stayed awake, listening to the slow, steady breathing of his patients. He was a doctor, and his waiting room was finally peaceful. He focused his mind, slowly gathering tiny drops of green Earth Qi from the air around him, trying to recharge his empty magical battery. But i