Chapter XLIII

Sparks from the Underground

There was nothing left to say. Adria and Corven stood at the bottom of the ladder, speechless. Every umbra that remained alive would hunt them. The gevurah had taken Gorbat as a prisoner, yet their problems lingered. The alters were gone.

"If they find out…" She couldn't process everything without feeling overwhelmed.

"I need a drink," Corven murmured, breaking the silence.

"Let's go to Lux," she suggested, sharing his sentiment.

"Will it still be open?"

Most of Negativus was inactive at that early hour.

"No, and don't worry. I have good friends there," she reassured him, imagining they must be cleaning up from the previous night.

She believed they could help.

Their path to the eleventh underlevel was quiet. Adria knew a route, and Corven followed. They didn't feel like speaking after their humiliating defeat to the gevurah, prize in their hands.

It was almost 7:00 a.m. when they arrived at Lux de Noctis. The crystal entrance was closed. Everything was quiet until Adria knocked on the wall.

"What's your history with this place?" Corven inquired.

"I know the extarri that operate it. The owner is an old dictadurian who lives in Section B. I've haven’t seen him in years. Markus and Bostan run the club for him," she explained.

"Those two security guys are in charge?" He recalled the names.

"They're also the managers. It's curious how some people stick with that," she noted.

"Why do they handle security?"

"They like it, and everyone respects them. If something happens inside Lux, they'll know about it. It only takes one of them to calm any trouble. They are ruthless gladiators to anyone who dares to defy them. I've seen them kick out troublemakers more than a few times. It's not a pretty sight," she recounted, pride in her friends evident.

Corven noted her pride.

A voice came from inside; they could hear it approaching before the crystal wall melted. "...At this hour. Adria, what is this!? What is happening? In the kabbalah's name!" A door opened in the large crystal gate.

"You look like furka," Markus emerged.

"Thanks. This is Corven," she introduced, urging him to move first. "He's clean. You can trust him. I need to talk to you guys."

"Well then. Come on, get in, both of you, Bostan is downstairs" Markus stepped aside from the door. "Let's get you something to eat. Whatever you want to tell us can wait until you have a full stomach. I don't want you fainting in the middle of our conversation. Let's go to administration," he said, turning to make them follow through the crystal tunnel and into the main bar.

Inside, everything seemed different with the lights on. The mess was halfway cleaned up as twelve dictadurians worked on it. Raxae, Adria’s friend and the person who had given Corven his Fire Tornado, came from behind the bar after staring at them for a few seconds.

"Dri! Are you okay? Corven, what happened to you? I’m glad you're alive."

"They took one of my eyes and broke many bones, but Adria fixed most of them--

The healer brought back an idea set aside during their escape.

"I was wondering if you guys might have anything we can use as a substitute for his eye, a prothesis from Alchemist Road? I don't have anything at my block. It's fine for now but I can imagine we can do something productive to do with that cavity."

"Maybe. You knew about this?" Markus seemed disapproving of their knowledge.

"Yes. I knew Adria was looking for him." They got close to the new arrivals. "What did you do? The clothes are new, but your faces tell other stories. What happened?"

Adria was glad to have them in her live.

"Can we go to the office first?" She wanted to keep the story among a small group, noting the other bartenders slowing down their tasks to listen.

It was normal; everyone liked eavesdropping in those underlevels, information was a valuable currency.

Markus signaled them to follow. Corven and Adria complied.

"Rax, can you ask Kisnar to bring us something for breakfast to Administration, please?"

"On it." With a gentle gesture, they grasped Adria by her arm. "I'll see you in a minute."

Markus continued; behind the staircase to the second floor, there was a wooden door they passed through.

Inside, a stone hallway led to another set of stairs at the end. They descended four levels and reached the bottom of Lux de Noctis. A similar hallway with several doors awaited, inaccessible to clients. Only managers, crew, and VIPs were allowed access.

Adria used to be one of the latter for party-related business. She felt an urgency to share their experience with people who understood its consequences. At the hallway's end, there was a dark wood door with a carved sign reading ‘Hound House.’

The odd group entered to a large office the size of three blocks put together, warm and comfy. Hundreds of unique items were showcased on the walls: pictures, trophies, special edition cups, posters, and more paraphernalia. There was a living room with a chimney where a fire kept everything warm; two metawood desks stood on opposite sides of that room.

"What the hell happened to you?" Bostan asked from the left when they arrived.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"It's a long story..." Adria managed an awkward smile.

"I'm listening." His desk was cluttered with paperwork and thousands of gatvitsm in cash. "You can't just walk into my office with those faces and not expect questions, Zaraz. Tell me what happened," Bostan pressed, acknowledging Corven's presence for the first time. "Who are you?"

She was about to speak when Raxae entered with a plate full of warm paninis.

"Kisnar was ready with breakfast; anyone hungry?"

The pair of starving dictadurians didn't wait for an invitation and dug in. Each grabbed two halves of different paninis, devouring them while Markus, Raxae, and Bostan watched in silence, waiting for them to finish.

Kisnar appeared with a jug of orange juice which he left on Bostan's desk before retreating in silence.

"Thank you," Adria said as she grabbed an empty glass, filled it up with juice and chugged it.

Corven showed more restraint and calmed down.

The managers and the bartender waited patiently until they finished.

When Markus noticed they were done, he broke the silence. "Now that I'm sure you won't faint, tell us what happened."

They spent less than ten minutes narrating the crucial parts of their ordeal.

"...So, in conclusion, Corven was kidnapped and imprisoned by Gorbat and his umbras. I found him, but they caught us. I didn't think we'd make it, but..." Adria tried to synthesize her thoughts while the three listeners hung on her every word. "A gevurah showed up and saved us, defeated the rest of those umbras, and fought with Gorbat. I suspect she took him into custody..."

The surprise on their faces was evident; they had expected nothing of the sort.

Corven noticed she had avoided mentioning anything about the alters.

"How? Are you sure?" The bartender was incredulous.

"Yes, I guess Gorbat finally crossed a line the Sephirot couldn't ignore."

"Corven, what's your role in all this? Why were you kidnapped?" Bostan leaned in, intrigued. "What's under those bandages?"

He looked at Adria, seeking her approval; she nodded.

"An empty cavity where my eye used to be." Corven admitted. "I took something from Gorbat, and he didn't appreciate it, this is payment."

Ignoring the fact about his lost eye, Adria's friend gave him skeptical looks.

"What?" Raxae was equally incredulous.

"How did you manage that?" Bostan seemed less shocked.

"With help. I had extensive knowledge about Sectum and its four countries before arriving here," Corven explained, realizing he needed to provide more details to shape their understanding. "I infiltrated Dicterium’s private archives and studied a wealth of quanta data a few years before my exile. The information was still accurate yesterday."

"Why did you save him? What does he mean to you?" Markus inquired.

"I couldn't let him die at the hands of those furkanos. I don't regret it; even if I bear scars, he's now a friend. There's a reason for our paths crossing."

"A friend who's made you a target for every corrupt soul in Negativus," Raxae remarked, annoyed and disapproving, as expected. They had been overly protective of Adria for the past six months.

"Let them come after me. I've faced them before and won." Her rebellious spirit was unmistakable.

Bostan and Markus exchanged looks, coming to a consensus.

"We've got your back, sister," Bostan declared.

Markus stepped forward, his eyes alight with excitement.

"If what you say is true and Gorbat is no more, with the critical information you've just shared, we can shift the balance of power in Negativus in our favor. With his umbras weakened, the Families will wage war to decide who will become the next puppet master of our undercity. We can prevent a bloodbath and ensure a new stability for Dictaduria."

"No." Adria firmly rejected the suggestion.

"Why not?" Bostan interjected. "You helped him and turned out victorious, correct?" He gestured towards Corven. "If I understood correctly, you said the remaining umbras we're caught between the battle. If your information is accurate, a number of their forces are now incapacitated. They've just lost their leader. Those dictadurians have terrorized this country for years. Today we can overtake them, thanks to you."

The room fell silent as everyone tried to process Bostan's words.

"Let us be the ones to take the fight to them," Markus said, hopeful. "We need to act now."

Raxae was the first to organize their thoughts and voice concerns. "You want to unleash a war here? We should be worrying about Dictaduria and Copernus. Everyone knows they had a close relationship! Whatever happens in Negativus will reverberate to the surface. Adria, Bitlan and Corven need to go into hiding, we don’t want to repeat what happened last time!"

"I didn't say anything about starting a war down here, Raxae," Bostan countered, his scar rendering his appearance more intimidating. "Calm down, drink some juice, eat a panini, and listen. We need to capitalize on our advantage. Ambush the remaining umbras with the Families before they realize what's happening." He leaned back in rolling chair behind his dark marble desk. "Rabiosa has the resources to protect both of you and to retaliate. There's a network of allies throughout these sacred tunnels in which we can trust. Negativus has never had an opportunity like what you bring to us today, we can’t miss it.”

He passed the conversation to his colleague.

Raxae, Adria, and Corven all turned their attention to him.

"Bostan is correct. If we approach this wisely, we can make it work!"

"Make what work? You guys are insane! We don't have time!" Adria was thinking along the same lines as Raxae. "Once Gorbat’s umbras regroup and figure out what happened, they'll initiate a full-scale manhunt for us. We're talking hours. I need to get to Bitlan. We're not safe here anymore."

"Wait," Markus interjected, puzzled by her reaction. "Do you really think they'll go straight to the Families? Will they seek justice for a man they despised by coming after you right away? What a fantasy! Gorbat wasn't even close to Copernus. The president was merely using Gorbat to maintain his own balance of power. The umbra alliances are all a joke, they hold no loyalty. A conflict between them is meant to happen as a natural reaction to losing their leader."

"Maybe? I don't know. Am I overreacting?" Adria began to see her fears from a new angle based on his perspective.

Bostan stood up from his seat and approached her. "I don't think you're overreacting. You're suffering from post-traumatic stress. I apologize if we've overwhelmed you, but we need to act swiftly. With each passing moment, we lose our edge over the rest of Dictaduria. We can make a difference here. This could improve life for generations of dictadurians to come."

"Are you confident?” Adria was captivated by Bostan's fervor.

Both men responded with mischievous grins, confident they were on the right track.

"Yes," Markus said, visibly excited. "Gorbat was the linchpin. He's been a major player for decades. You don't fully comprehend the significance and sensitivity of the information you've brought us today." His assurance was invigorating.

"How do we proceed?" Corven asked, unable to hide his enthusiasm.

"Most of the umbras are despised," Bostan explained. "We have insiders within three of the four Families and plan to initiate negotiations with them as soon as this meeting concludes. We can overthrow the umbras if we commit to a united front. All in one night, and without unnecessary bloodbath." His gaze shifted to Adria. "We know you're a capable fighter. Markus and I are no slouches ourselves. Plus, we have allies, and many people owe us favors in both Dictaduria and Negativus."

Suddenly, the radical idea didn't seem so implausible. This was the birth of a revolution.

****

That's it for Chapter XLIII!

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