“I get Dean Thorpe cooperating,” Caitlin said. It was evening, and they had gathered on Woodson University’s campus before launching the operation. “The man eats up your charm and buys into the whole hero of the city thing. But how, in Ygg’s name, did you win over Highwater? I’m pretty sure that bastard hates you.”

Making the Galleria their base made more sense, but Dean Elgin Thorpe had put Nox and Joey in charge of two dozen student police. He also insisted that they coordinate and make plans within campus. It felt like a ploy for control or the illusion of it. Meanwhile, Lord Highwater had ensured the guards didn’t get in the way, let them move freely through checkpoints, and provided backup when necessary. However, if things got violent, Nox and his companions would need to defer to the city’s senior guard captains. He played along, but the truth was that his party had the ability to quell any issues the quickest.

“Lord Highwater demanded the ballroom and gardens for a three-day weekend at the end of the semester,” Nox answered. “It’s just after the call and cotillion season, and I agreed to give it to him for free.”

“Isn’t that when all the post-semester parties are?” Alexander asked. “Isn’t that a big loss for you?”

Nox nodded. “He’s costing me a few thousand, but it’s worth the loss. We have enough contracts not to worry about it too much. April, Leanna, Ingrid’s girls, and the rest took priority.”

“I appreciate the sacrifice,” Joey said. “It’s a shame—”

“Don’t.” Caitlin grabbed her partner’s hand.

“I know what you’re going to say, Joey, and respect the line of work you’re in.” Nox shot his party member a cold stare. “I gave you the resources I could spare before, and more wouldn’t have helped. If my—our people weren’t taken, my involvement wouldn’t have gotten any deeper. Take it as a positive or negative. It's up to you. My people come first. I’m not going to apologize for that. How about we put the Hogg’s shit aside and focus on saving some people.”

Joey sighed, his face softening. He placed a hand on Nox’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he replied. “You’re right. Just because I decided to go down this path doesn’t mean you have to either. I’m just stressed because they got April too. She and I aren’t blood, but I think of her as family. I protected her from the big kids, and after joining the party…”

“You promised to keep her safe,” Nox said. “I understand. But this is neither your nor my fault. It's the city and the student police’s failure. We’ll do our best to find them and take extra precautions afterward to ensure this doesn’t happen again.” He turned to the rest of the party. “Everyone knows what they’re doing?”

Everyone nodded. Brianna was the slowest to respond and looked embarrassed for it.

“I’ll stay here and coordinate the squirrels,” Alexander replied. “Everyone here and our little recruits will have one for the sake of communication.”

“Would you mind doing so from the Galleria instead?” Nox asked. “I’d feel much better if one of us was with Aria and my family. It is the safest place in the city after campus, but it would give me peace of mind.”

The young Woodson glanced at Caitlin hesitantly. When she didn’t contribute to the exchange, he nodded. Alexander had proven himself an excellent combatant during the delve. In fact, his summoner spells combined with new druid magic made him the most potent magic-user of the party. Between him, Sapna, Mou, and the hired guards, Nox believed protecting Aria and the Galleria would be no trouble. It was unlikely anyone would have the gall to attack them or the know-how to penetrate the wards unnoticed. However, the security put Nox’s mind at ease and freed Brianna up for street-level operation. She didn’t just know the Outer Rings but had also worked in the student police.

“I’ll take the North-Western quarter,” she said, pointing at a section of the map. “It was my old patrol ground. I saved quite a few lives last year during the Terrastalia attack. They’ll help.”

“Excellent. Take six with you.” Nox assigned her one of the few adepts under his charge. Dean Thorpe claimed all of the assigned student police were amongst the best but seemed rather green. Only a couple had ascended to the same rank as him. To be fair, such individuals were a rarity, especially in the war mage department. The rest were a mixture of journeymen and a couple of apprentices. “I’ll have Ingrid send a couple of her little birds. They might not be much help if push comes to shove, but they know the shortcuts and know all the right people.”

“I’d rather not take responsibility for urchins who can’t fight,” Brianna said, glancing at Ingrid. She hadn’t joined the student police but somehow knew everyone Dean Thorpe had granted their operation. They spoke to her casually despite her age, station, and rank. Ingrid’s ability to integrate herself into any group never failed to impress Nox. The young woman was a figurative mimic. “But as you say. I’ll do my best not to abuse our temporary immunity.”

“Or do,” Joey interrupted. “Twist a few arms, break a few limbs, do whatever it takes, besides taking lives to find the answers we need.”

“Caitlin, are you okay taking the South-Eastern quarter?” Nox asked.

She nodded. “I got this. Just give me a few gophers to order around.”

“You can have six. Two adepts, two journeymen, and two apprentices. Use them how you will.”

“Perfect,” Caitlin replied. “I’ll split them down the middle. We’ll cover more ground as three groups.”

“You can have a few extra squirrels to coordinate everything better,” Alexander added. He turned to Nox. “What about you and Joey? No gophers for you?”

A couple of members of the student police shot Alexander spiteful glares, but he didn’t spare them a glance. He wasn’t usually the disrespectful kind. However, Nox witnessed gradual changes as he began his druid training and accepted his future role. Nox had read that druidism came with minor mind magic. Most sources claimed they were empaths, but some also talked of minor telepathy spells. Nox guessed that constantly looking into people's minds would inevitably change someone at a fundamental level.

“We both excel at stealth and mobility,” Joey answered. “So, it's best to work together as a duo. Ingrid will move with Otis, watching us from above.”

Nox nodded. “The rest of our fellow mages can patrol Market Ring.” He tapped on marked sections of the map. Ingrid joined them, leaning on the table. The annotations were her doing. “Despite the heavy guard presence, close to half a dozen young women are going missing every day. They must be entering the area from one of these points.” Nox waved the remaining student police over. “I want you to watch these areas. If something happens, report it. Don’t engage.”

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“But—” One of the journeymen tried to interrupt but failed.

“I want no arguments. None of you have combat experience outside of apprentice rank rifts and classes. Fighting mages with no qualms about killing is no easy feat.” Nox tried his best to sound kind and like a teacher instead of argumentative. The role fit him significantly better, and spending time with Ingrid had taught him the joy of mentorship. “Your job is surveillance. There is no guarantee we will succeed in the outer rings. Your intelligence could prove valuable. If we find their hideout, all of us can launch a coordinated assault.”

“With Dean Thorpe’s assistance, right?” Another student police asked.

“Of course,” Nox said.

“Assuming the prisoners aren’t in immediate danger and we can afford to wait,” Joey added.

“That too,” Caitlin said. “I can’t speak for Brianna, but Nox, Joey and I are all closing in on Expert. We might lack experience but are as strong as most professors.”

“In raw power, at least.” Nox was quick to jump in. Most student police interacted regularly with Dean Thorpe. He needed to maintain a veil of respect and control for his career’s sake. “The professors have spells polished over several years and battles. I’m afraid we can’t compete there. Does everyone understand their roles and duties?” Nox looked over his party mates, apprentice, and temporary subordinates. “If you have any questions, ask them now. Otherwise, we gear up and head out.”

Crates from Ratra’s Knightly Brews lined the wall. Everyone helped themselves to recover brews, Trap Foam, Sterilizing Serums, and a lot more. Nox also took the opportunity to top up his stores of essence glass. Across two dozen war mages, he received plenty of almost every variety. Most were elemental—fire, water, air, stone, lightning—but he also received illusory, sonic, poison, slicing, growth, and healing essences.

Thanks to the surplus of mana recovery brews, Nox also took the time to shape the glass into arrowheads and scribe spells. His best spells and unaltered essence glass were far too destructive and inflicted damage over a wide area. They were ideal for combat in dungeons and rifts. The council would appreciate it if Nox and his companions used tact and precision. Property damage and injured civilians wouldn’t do much for his reputation.

Nox didn’t expect many opponents above his rank or mages with powerful defenses. So, he opted for more debilitating and defensive spells. Chain lightning spells that stunned and confused senses, poisoning arrows that caused intense nausea, frost traps, stone prisons, and more precise killing spells formed his arsenal. Nox added a handful of crowd dispersal spells to the mix too.

Meanwhile, Joey occupied his time communing with his djinn companion and talking to Ingrid. She and April worked closely and knew her movements best. She had explained the vents leading upto the young thief’s disappearance multiple times, but it wasn’t enough for Joey.

The trio were the last to set off for the operation. They intended to cover both southern quadrants alone and wanted to be as ready as possible for them. Otis also had detailed instructions and chunks of essence glass to use when push came to shove.

An unexpected and unwanted presence gave Nox pause just as the group was about to leave campus.

“Sir Ratra!” Liesel Wyrd called, sprinting after them. The professor appeared put together, as always. She wore clean, pressed clothes, and her hair was immaculate. However, her eyes betrayed a deep tiredness. It almost appeared as if she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

“Carry on without me.” Nox sighed. He needed to humor the woman to ensure she didn’t rescind her prior approval of his absence. Ingrid seemed concerned, but a nod convinced her to move on. “I’ll catch up in a moment.”

“I’d love to chat, Professor,” Nox said. “But time is of the essence, and we need to get moving.”

“I just bumped into Dean Thorpe and would like to assist you with your operation,” she said. “My informant network and agents might be of great help. We’ve already spent ample gold and time looking into them.”

“Why?” Nox raised an eyebrow. “Do you suspect they’re related to some dungeon cult?”

Liesel Wyrd nodded. “We have leads that you might find helpful.”

“Does this offer come with any strings? You should know that I haven’t changed my mind about any of your offers.”

“I won’t bother feigning offense.” The professor sighed. “You’ve made no secret about how little you think of me. Young women are going missing around the city, and the killings suggest the perpetrators are building up to some sort of ritual. It's in everyone’s interest to stop them. I only want to help and repair any damage I’ve done. Kris would’ve wanted us to work together. This is for her.”

“Fine. We can work parallelly, cooperate, and share information, but our operations will remain separate.” Nox paused. “You have a decent information network that spans nearby cities and lands. Correct?”

“Across continents would be more accurate. But yes. What do you need?”

“Have you heard of Perry, the Spider?”

Liesel Wyrd frowned. “I’ve heard the name in whispers, but I’m afraid I don’t know more. Nothing I’ve heard about him and his ‘web’ is positive. Why? Do you think he may be involved?”

“I can’t be sure,” Nox answered. “I met him while away. The man seems mysterious, knows too much, and is far too charming for there not to be some sort of magic involved. It wasn’t Mind Magic, but there was something unnatural about him.”

“I’ll look into him,” Liesel Wyrd said. “You seem worried about this character.”

“I suspect he’s with parties that might be out to hurt me and my people too.” It was a lie. He wanted to send the woman on a wild goose chase so she’d leave him alone.

“Understood. It’s urgent. I’ll put my best sleuths on this.” The professor smiled. “Thank you for opening up to me, Nox. I’m glad we’re—”

“If that’s all, I should move on, Professor,” Nox said, cutting her off. “It's almost dark, and we want to be in the Outer Rings before the abductors and murderers make any further moves.”

“I’m not sure if your intelligence is up to date,” Liesel Wyrd continued. “Several of the abductions and murders have occurred during the day.”

“Yes. But they’re far fewer than the incidents at night. The few witnesses claim they’ve mostly seen movement after dark. The fact is that we know very little, and all our intelligence thus far is meaningless. The perpetrators are far more competent than Dean Thorpe or Lord Highwater believe. I think we haven’t been giving them enough credit. The bastards have made their actions erratic. I think several of these incidents have been red herrings, so we haven’t figured out their pattern or true intentions.”

“Funny. I thought the same but lack the evidence to substantiate such claims. I presented my theory to Dean Thorpe, but he didn’t believe me. He thinks a foreign power took advantage of last year’s migrant crisis and flooded the city with their agents. They’re trafficking people for mana batteries and the general slave trade, and the murders are merely cover.” Liesel Wyrd sighed, shaking her head. “You’d think he’d listen to an expert on the subject, but no.”

“It was nice talking to you, Professor,” Nox told the women, retreating. “But I really should get moving. We have people to save.”

“Understood. Are you sure you don’t want my help?”

“Maybe send some of your people to the Northern quadrants. Caitlin Woodson should be fine on her own, but my newest party member is still rather green and could use some support.”

“And what about you?”

“It's best if we limit my companions to Joey Greengrasse and my apprentice. I don’t want to have to coordinate with people I don’t know.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Nox sprinted away from the much-too-long conversation, eager to unite with his companions. He didn’t trust Liesel Wyrd, but she proved to be a valuable source of information.