††† Ryden †††

"What are you brooding over?" Sally asked, ripping Ryden from his thoughts.

"I just wish we had more time," he murmured, throwing a quick glance around. Assured that it was only him, Rak and Sally, he continued. "Even if that little lizard gave up, which I doubt, Siegfried had to display a lot of his battle prowess. Enough that the local clan head might feel threatened in his position."

Rak tilted his head grumbled, "possible danger… possible opportunity."

"He is right, you know?" Sally said. "Sieg's reputation could also open some doors. Grandma Bah sought our help when she saw our strength. Having good relationships with someone who can reach the upper levels might be worth something, don't you think?"

"And it would be a chance to avoid more bloodshed," Ryden concluded. "Anyway, I'd like to focus on my search for Cain first. He might still be down here in the lower levels, and his counsel alone would be a blessing."

Sieg and Haylee joined them again a short while later. Ryden was glad to see that both were in good spirits again.

At the same time, Kaz appeared from the ledge that overlooked the underground city. "You're all here, good," he rumbled. "We've met with a few of our old contacts and secured safe lodgings within the den of a minor clan. The rest of our crew and your Nivetian friend are waiting there — better if we travel in small groups."

"You're expecting trouble on the way?" Siegfried asked.

"Not expecting, but it's one of the seedier areas of the Spiral Grounds." Catching their questioning gazes, Kaz sighed deeply and pointed towards the massive snail-house behind him. "The spiral is where the ruling faction resides. Everything around it is simply called the 'Spiral Grounds'. Unlike the last area, this city is split into seven smaller districts that belong to different clans. The one we are heading for works by a simple rule — you can keep what you kill. The only exception are children, those are off limits."

"

"So it's basically lawless. Why would anyone want to live in that area?"

"Opportunities," Kaz showed a feral grin. "Just keep your eyes open and walk with confidence. I'll tell you the rest on the way."

The lion-man led them down a winding slope that ended at the outskirts of the massive city. What looked bright and illuminated from above turned into twisted twilight upfront.

As the light only came from one direction, every side alley was shrouded in the shadow of the buildings.

Nevertheless, the streets were busy with all kinds of people that seemed friendly enough. Even the children walked openly without fear — a far cry from the first area of Victor's Bounty.

All of that changed after a few minutes of walking. The atmosphere turned as they crossed an invisible border.

"Welcome to the Nightmare District, colourfully named by the bastard who ruled it for the past century — Parasite."

"Charming," Ryden grunted. "And we are staying in this particular district because—"

"Because they don't ask dangerous questions," Kaz completed the sentence. "If you want to lay low, this is the place."

The maze of narrow, dark alleys was eerily empty to Ryden's eyes. Only the constant twitching of Haylee's ears told him that they were hardly alone. They were just the only group that strutted along as if owning the place.

Kaz finally stopped in front of a tall blocky building that towered over the adjacent houses. He knocked on the entrance until a gruff voice answered. When the oaken door swung inward, the sound of drunken cheers and the smell of alcohol blew out.

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The patronage of the establishment was as varied as the battle-scars they wore. No one looked up from their tables, but Ryden found several eye pairs sneaking short glances at Siegfried before quickly looking away. He had to commend their instincts for perceiving Sieg instead of Rak for the most significant danger. That was likely a necessary survival skill around here.

As they approached the large bar in the back of the room, Ryden found Samuel already leaning against it. The orange-furred Nivetian raised a cup and grinned in their direction.

"Usually, we pay with tokens around here," Kaz explained. "But I've worked out a deal with the owner — free drinks, food and lodging in exchange for a few favours. Get as much as you want!"

"Where is the rest of your team?" Ryden asked.

"Accommodating those favours," Kaz laughed with a predatory glint in his eyes. "Speaking of which, I have to be somewhere too. The bartender can show you your rooms once you are done drinking," he winked at Siegfried.

Not wanting to crowd around the bar, Ryden motioned towards an empty low table after picking up their drinks. Samuel followed shortly.

"We meet again, friend," he addressed the Nivetian in a friendly tone. "What in the abyss brought you to Victor's Bounty?"

"It's an unexpected meeting, but a welcome one, friends," Samuel barked, laughing. "And it seems I am in your debt once more for setting me up here." If Samuel noticed the wary expressions around him, he didn't show it. "I would have had a hard time surviving on my own, but staying in the shadow claws territory was not an option," he grimaced. "Those guys were monsters."

"Why did you lead the enforcer to Siegfried's group?" Sally cut in, her voice as cold as her expression.

Ryden wanted to intermit but thought better of it. They had to get this out of the way — better sooner than later.

"I wish I could honestly regret what I did, but I cannot," Samuel answered, his eyes hard. "He found our small village and started to injure my people. I did what was needed to save my friends and family. It was still my decision to aid you that brought this threat upon us, and per our customs, I was exiled."

"We understand that you had no other choice," Ryden said before anyone could raise another question. "And I am deeply sorry for what you went through. You lost everything because you helped me reach Sieg and Haylee in time to save her life." He glanced at each of his companions.

"I agree," Siegfried threw in. "Haylee wouldn't have made it if you hadn't taken that risk. I would be honoured to consider you a friend," he raised his mug of alcohol, and everyone followed suit.

Haylee spluttered and coughed first, quickly followed by Sally and even Siegfried — much to everyone else's enjoyment.

"Gods! And I thought Fitz was brewing hard stuff," Haylee whined between coughs.

"Yep, that stuff needs some time to get used to," Ryden laughed. "Though I'd recognise the taste anywhere — that's made from algae that grow in the dark space of caves. Cain always had some of it for medical purposes, but diluted it's actually drinkable as I found out," he said with a wink.

"Speaking of your mentor," Samuel caught Ryden's attention. "I was here when Kaz asked the bartender for information on current dangers to watch out for. He also asked about the masked man you were searching for."

The table went silent, and Ryden was steeling himself for the worst.

"While no one knows where he currently is, they could at least say that he didn't ascend to the higher levels. The trials are public, and several parties are constantly watching the proceedings. There is no way a robed man with a wooden mask could have walked through there without the news spreading."

Ryden let out a breath he didn't remember holding. "So he is still here, somewhere."

"It's actually quite the topic around here," Samuel continued. "He came through his trial unscathed. His opponent just fell over dead while throwing a punch at him. No one saw how he did it."

“And he went to ground right afterwards, knowing that people would seek him out after the display,” Ryden finished, scratching his chin absently.

"There is one more piece of information that everyone is talking about right now," Samuel added. "It's not really relevant for us now, but it seems that there is a new threat above. Something that has taken permanent residence in The Wilds." The experienced hunter shuddered at the thought. "a species of Arachne has evolved once more."

Ryden caught Siegfried's muscles tense at the edge of his vision. Either the hero was afraid of spiders, or he knew something.

"I know that there was a giant species of spiders in the past, but they were eliminated by several other races a millennium ago," Sally interjected. "What is keeping the dominant races from crushing the Arachne?"

"Intelligence and potential to breed," Samuel said with a grave voice. "Those things are purely female but can breed with almost any species and can apparently lay several eggs within a few days of conceiving. Their spawn takes weeks instead of years to mature."

"Creator save us!" Ryden called out on reflex. "They could spawn millions within months."

"The surrounding clans tried to extinguish them, of course. But they are hard to track and multiply faster than any clan can cull them. Without sufficient numbers, it is a fruitless hunt. On the other side, they are too weak individually to take over an existing territory of the stronger races."

"New part of nature," Rak rumbled. "Will find their place."

Samuel chuckled darkly. "Yes, they will. Their growth will stop once they have no more prey in the area they can claim. With how small the territories of the more prominent clans are, that will still be a vast area. And who knows how they will thrive once they mature…"