Calling the Undercity hot was like calling a dragon a big lizard. Sweat beaded on my brow and trickled down my spine, causing my shirt to stick to my back. The air was thick and heavy, and I felt like I was breathing in a sauna.

Eliaria and Flint looked just as uncomfortable as I was. We were following Garm who worked for Rakanar. He led us through a twisting warren of tunnels and caverns, the walls glowing with luminescent fungi and phosphorescent moss. It would have been beautiful if it wasn't so damn oppressive. There were torches on the walls in the parts where no plants grew, but they were few and far between, leaving long stretches of tunnel in shadow.

"Why would any sane person live here," Flint muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.

"People have lived here for centuries," Garm said, his tone clipped and disapproving.

"And how many of them died of heat exhaustion?" Eliaria asked.

Garm's only reply was a grunt, but I could tell that he didn't appreciate the question.

We kept on, moving ever downwards into the depths of the Undercity. The tunnels and caverns grew larger and more elaborate as we went. Doors leading who knows where began to line the walls, and strange symbols were etched into the stone.

We passed a few people, most of them wearing hooded cloaks despite the heat. They looked away when we passed, keeping to themselves. I got the distinct impression that they didn't want to be noticed.

I glanced at Flint and Eliaria, but they seemed just as lost and uncertain as I was.

"We're getting close," Garm said, his words breaking the uneasy silence that had fallen over us.

After what seemed like an eternity, we finally arrived at a large, open cavern. Far across the divide, I could make out an iron bridge that crossed a deep crevasse. The bottom was shrouded in darkness, but I could feel the heat radiating up from it.

"What is this place?" I asked.

Garm grunted. "Some say it's a gateway to the underworld. Others believe that when Tiamara, the Mother dragon, swallowed the sun, she shat it out here. I don't care about any of that, I'm just paid to guard Rakanar's place."

"And you're not paid to talk," a voice rumbled from the darkness.

"Rakanar," Garm said, "these are the ones Miko sent."

A massive shape emerged from the shadows, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. Rakanar was easily the largest zorin I had ever seen. His horn was at least two feet long, and his bulk was intimidating. He wore a blind mask over his eyes, and his body was covered in scars. He moved with a fluid grace that was surprising given his size.

"Miko," he said, his voice deep and gravelly. "Did she send you to cover her debt?"

"I'm not sure what she owes you, but if it's money, we don't have much," I said.

"I'm not talking about money," Rakanar said, his lips curling into a sneer.

I was battling to understand the guard's statement that we wouldn't want to see Rakanar afraid. The zorin looked like he could snap me in half with his bare hands.

What the hell could he be afraid of?

"Look," I said, "we just need some information. I have enough to pay for what you're selling, but no extra."

Rakanar scratched his blind mask. "What kind of information are you looking for?"

"What do you know about the floor boss?" Flint asked.

I faced my friend, realizing that he wasn't going along with the plan. We lacked the essence for boss intel and the list of second-floor achievements. Our plan was to focus on the achievements first, gaining strength and essence, before returning for more info.

Flint gave me a look that clearly said, 'I got this.'

"The floor boss?" Rakanar said. "That will cost you five essence each."

"We'll take it," Flint said.

We'd stashed the essence pouch inside [Arcane Vault] for safekeeping. Flint raised his hand and cast the spell, a low hum filling the air as the portal opened.

"What was that?" Rakanar asked, his body suddenly tense. "It sounds like a hissing spider."

The guard quickly drew his sword, holding it out defensively. He looked terrified, his body trembling.

What the hell was going on with them, was Rakanar scared of the vault spell?

I had no idea what to say.

"We don't mean any harm," I said, trying to calm the situation.

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But Rakanar wasn't listening.

"Look out," the guard shouted, jumping in front of Rakanar.

A giant spider jumped out of the shadows, its body the size of a small dog. It landed on the guard's chest, sinking its fangs into his shoulder.

The guard let out a roar of pain, slashing at the spider with his sword. But the spider was too quick, leaping out of the way and landing on the ground. It hissed, baring its fangs and moving toward us.

None of what was happening made any sense but I didn't have time to think about it. The spider shot a web at me, and I spun to the side, narrowly avoiding it.

"What the hell is going on?" Flint shouted, dodging another web.

"I don't know," I said, "just kill it!"

Flint reached into his portal, retrieving his staff and my dagger. He tossed the dagger to me, and I caught it by the hilt, ready to defend myself.

Rakanar tore off his blind mask and let out a deafening roar, his eyes blazing with rage. He lifted a boulder and hurled it at the spider. The force of the impact sent the creature flying across the cavern, where it slammed against the wall.

At that moment, Eliaria cast [Sky Shield] and it appeared directly in front of the spider, severing one of its legs and squashing it against the wall. That was an impressive use of the spell, I had never considered using it like a fly swatter.

"My apologies," Rakanar said, lowering his head in shame.

"What the hell just happened?" Flint demanded.

"I thought I heard a spider," Rakanar explained, "I'm terrified of them."

"But ... but where did it come from?" Eliaria stammered.

Garm, who was nursing his shoulder wound, spoke up, "I warned you not to upset him."

Eliaria went over to the wounded zorin, examining the bite marks on his shoulder.

"I can heal it," she said.

Garm nodded, and Eliaria placed her hands on the wound. A moment later, the skin began to knit itself together.

Rakanar shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's just that... when I am afraid, my fear comes to life."

Eliaria looked up from her healing spell. "It's okay," she said, her voice soothing. "Is it a side effect of your foundation card?"

Rakanar nodded. "It is. You see these scars?" He gestured to the crisscrossed marks covering his body. "Those are from the fears that have attacked me in the past."

He smiled sadly, "It's hard to believe, but I was fearless in my youth. It was why the elders of my tribe gave me their treasured foundation card."

Eliaria shook her head. "But if you knew about your card's effect, why did you use it?"

"I was young and fearless," Rakanar replied. "For years I only received the benefits of the card, and then I got married and had children."

His face softened. "The first fear I ever felt was the day I saw my son playing with something that looked like a snake. I was terrified that it was a dangerous serpent, it was actually a stick but the curse transformed it into a snake. I managed to kill the snake before my son could be bitten but the damage was done."

Rakanar shrugged. "I sent my wife and child away after that. I didn't want to risk hurting them again. But the fear of losing control again... well, that fear bred more fear."

"The blindfold," I said. "Is that your way of preventing yourself from being afraid?"

"I have always been calmed by the dark," Rakanar said. "And what the eye cannot see, the heart cannot fear. That's why I became a hermit and came down here."

"You could have removed the card," Flint pointed out. "Why put up with this shit?"

"This shit," Rakanar said, "is part of who I am. The power the card gives me has saved my people countless times. Without it, they would have been wiped out long ago."

"I understand," Eliaria said. "The Maker's gifts are not without their challenges."

"The Maker is a selfish bastard," Garm said, earning a reproachful look from Eliaria.

Rakanar cleared his throat. "Now, let us get down to business. What do you wish to know about the floor boss?"

I took a deep breath. This was the moment we had been waiting for. "We actually need information on this floor's achievements and boss," I said. "But we only have eight essence to spare. What can you tell us for that price?"

Rakanar stroked his chin. "You have healed my guard and fought off my manifested fear," he said. "If you keep what happened here to yourself, I will give you the information you seek for eight essence."

"Deal," I said.

Rakanar reached into his cloak and retrieved two scrolls. He handed them to me, and I passed the first one to Eliaria.

"This is a copy of the basic floor achievement list," Rakanar said. "It only covers basic achievement, but there is a new one at the end. A late addition that the Tower put out itself."

"What?" Eliaria said, her eyes widening. "You can communicate with the Tower? How?"

Rakanar grinned. "Of course not, a few weeks ago the Tower issued the quest to every adventurer Bronze rank and higher."

"And this scroll," I said, unfurling it.

"It has the basic information about the floor boss, where to find it, what it is, etc." Rakanar said.

I scanned the information, feeling my excitement build. "Wait, the boss is here? In Caldera?"

"That's right," Rakanar said. "That's why the city was built in this spot, because the boss room is buried beneath it."

"But why build on top of it?" Flint asked.

Rakanar snorted. "What's the one thing you don't find near boss rooms?"

I thought for a moment. "Monsters," I said, realization dawning.

"Correct," Rakanar said. "There are no monster spawning points near boss rooms. Making it the safest place to build a city."

"I guess that makes sense," Flint said.

"One last thing," I said. "Can you tell us about the late addition achievement?"

Rakanar frowned. "It's a strange one," he said. "It's a once off event that's never happened before. It seems the Tower needs people to defend a tiny village against waves of unknown monsters."

"Unknown?" Flint said.

"They’ve never been seen before, at least not on this floor," Rakanar replied. "A wave of them appears every forty-eight hours like clockwork. If I had to guess, I’d say that someone is summoning them and the spell has a two-day cooldown."

"But why?" I asked.

Rakanar shrugged, "It's too early to tell. Who knows how long the waves will continue to appear or what will happen in the end."

"What's the reward," Flint asked.

"Nobody knows," Rakanar said, scratching his chin. "If the village survives, I'm sure there will be a huge reward."

I looked at Flint and Elia, my excitement growing. We had just taken a massive step forward. We had the information we needed to grow stronger and to find the boss. And with that, the path to retrieving the wish card was clear.

***