“When we get back to the mansion, Kyrine will be able to analyze this and perhaps find out what intel the Technomancer has on the mansion,” she said.

I nodded, looking thoughtfully down on the corpse of the man we had thought of as the Technomancer. He was not him, it turned out, but only one of his servants. The Technomancer was a villain whom we still had to fight. The fact that one of his servants had been so near the mansion, and mixed up with PentaTech, suggested to me that this was not the last we’d hear of the Technomancer.

“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go back to the car. Astrid, have you got everything you need from the cobra?”

She nodded and held up a heavy-looking bag. “And those painkillers are starting to wear off. I’m looking forward to getting one of Kyrine’s healing potions in me.”

Belinda and Selena agreed that it was time to go. Together, the four of us turned and headed back to the car.

The black Chrysler was where we’d parked it, and I held the door open for Astrid as Belinda helped her in. I was about to head round to the passenger side door when Selena reached out and touched my arm.

“Hey Jeremy,” she said. “You want to drive?”

I looked at the sleek black vehicle, its lines all gleaming in the moonlight, then up at Selena, her grinning face showing her obvious pleasure at making the offer.

“Sure,” I said, grabbing the keys. “Why not?”

The Chrysler was a powerful vehicle, and the magitech engine hummed pleasantly to life as I touched the key to the ignition. I turned the car and headed back toward the suburbs.

All was quiet in the car as we drove up the hill. I took it slow. Dawn was breaking over the suburban street as I took us up to the mansion gates.

My whole life seemed to open up before me. I had no idea how it was going to turn out, but if the rest of it was anything like the last few days had been, then I was going to be a very happy man.

Sometimes, fate just chooses a person, I thought. Well, this time, fate had chosen me. I was at the start of a new life, living with a beautiful dungeon core as my close companion, and three sharp, tough, sassy agents as my housemates. We’d just fought a crazy powerful monster, and through my tactics and my powers, we’d beaten it. We’d won.

The monster’s core was heavy in my jacket pocket, and I knew that soon, I’d be able to summon it and access its powers.