Alex was a little put out by how many new mobs Zack had spawned to take over Greg and Chandra's work, but ultimately decided it wasn't worth fighting over. Not when there were more pressing matters to attend to. When he arrived at Dungeon Inc that morning, he was caught off-guard to find Jean-Claude manning the front desk and a very large dragon woman hammering away at Greg's forge. Zack waas quick to explain their roles and then promptly vanished to take care of another chore. When nudged about it, Zack explained that he was nearly done populating the burrow and that it would soon be ready for customers.

"Oh, also the spider warren is ready to start accepting people again. I toned down the quantity of mobs this time, and I made sure to code them so they don't breed anymore. Chorus isn't happy about that, though. She doesn't have full free will like Archie, but maaaaybe warn guests that they shouldn't attempt to challenge her unless they're one hundred percent certain they can beat her," Zack explained, his attention divided between multiple other projects. "Oh who am I kidding, Jean-Claude will explain that."

"Actually, Zack," Alex said, finally able to get a word in edgewise, "I wanted to talk to you about our plan." He put heavy emphasis on the word, scared to divulge any further detail in case somebody they didn't want was listening.

Zack's wisp froze in midair. "Oh. Yeah. You know, I nearly forgot about that. It's not easy keeping every task properly sorted in my head, you know."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"Prioritizing stuff is hard for me, I think it's a side-effect of being borderline omniscient within the boundaries of my dungeon."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well, good thing I'm around to remind you. Are you ready to do this?"

Zack let out a noise that sounded a lot like a sigh. "I'll go wake Archie."

It was several more minutes before the bipedal rabbit exited the meadow with a yawn. He was dressed once more in the baggy jeans and loose fitting t-shirt from the other day, but the beanie hat was nowhere in sight. When asked, he denied sleeping in his clothes and that these garments just felt more comfortable than his usual attire.

"Also, you crumpled up my shirt and waistcoat," Archie reminded Alex with a sour expression. "Do you know how difficult it is to get wrinkles out of those fabrics? They're being steamed by one of the badgers now."

"Badgers?" Alex asked with a frown.

"Burrow mob, don't change the subject," Archie chided. "Is today the day?"

"Yeah," Alex and Zack said simultaneously.

"In light of last night's attack, I don't think we can afford to put this off any longer," Zack said. "We have no evidence to suggest that Snow sent that man to attack me, but the pieces line up eerily well. Firstly, they had access to a core—something that should be incredibly rare seeing as how the universities acquired most of them. Secondly, he knew how to use the core. Alex had me around his neck for five years and didn't know how to use me, which means our attacker had to have some formal education in aetherology."

Alex sneered at the mention of formal education, but instantly molified at the clarification about the field. He had technically graduated from college, it's just his degree was useless in a world where magic was the preeminent field of study.

"Lastly, our mysterious attacker had to suspect that I'm a core. The techniques he used were specifically engineered to repel me. Using a core's mana to challenge my influence and prevent me from fighting back? That's not the kind of tactic someone would just randomly use. These three factors all point towards someone who knows what I am and knows how to fight me. The only person I can think of with that information is Cornelius Snow."

Archie nodded his agreement, tapping his chin curiously. "I agree, this evidence does point towards our intended target, but does it change our goal? Originally we planned to steal the core trapped in Snow's cane. Should that still be our objective?"

Zack silently considered the question for a long moment, his wisp bobbing in place and flickering between bright and dim. "No. I think we need to go a step farther than that. If our assumption is correct, the university has more than one core in its posession, so we should endeavour to steal as many of them as possible. Snow shouldn't be our direct target anymore."

Alex ran a hand over his face as he considered that. "We're not talking about robbing an Archmage anymore, we're talking about robbing his school."

"Are you going to back out, too?" Zack asked, the acusation heavy in his tone.

"No, but I think we need to reconsider how we go about this. We're not talking about something as simple as breaking into a man's house." Alex started pacing, his hand reaching into his pocket. "Fortunately, we have a guy on the inside."

"Salazar?" Archie's brows furrowed, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Are you sure we can trust him?"

"If we present him with the facts we just laid out, I think he might be amenable to our situation," Alex said. "Salazar isn't a bad guy. He doesn't even like being a magic cop. He wants to protect people from dangerous monsters and magic. I think if we explain the situation to him, he might be willing to help us."

"Or, more likely, he will arrest you for criminal activity," Zack grumbled. "And this would also require revealing to him that I'm a core. That's not your risk to take, Alex, and it's one I'm not comfortable with."

Alex tightened his jaw. "Well, what if we don't reveal your nature to him. So far he's under the impression that you're a spirit, and since Snow didn't reveal the true nature of levelling up to him I have to assume he's in the dark about cores, too."

Zack had nearly forgotten about that. It was something they had discussed in the aftermath of Snow's visit, but it felt like so long ago that it had slipped from his mind.

Archie tapped a foot in contemplation, before he nodded his agreement. "I think Alex might be on to something. At the very least, Salazar can tell us if Snow is the kind of man who might seek to do you harm after rejecting his offer. We are operating on dangerously little information, and that is a risk I am not sure we can take. You are only level fifteen, Zack. We do not want to draw the ire of someone magnitudes above you, not like this."

"But—"

"Zack, I am willing to bet the only reason you were able to repel Ember at all was because you were so much higher than her in levels," Archie added. "We must proceed with caution and use every advantage we can acrue. If that means we reveal some secrets to an outsider, then that is what we must do."

"Reveal what secrets?"

The familiar voice was sudden, and made both Alex and Archie jump in surprise. They turned away from Zack towards the dungeon entrance, and were surprised to see two familiar figures standing in the doorway.

Greg was dressed in armour for once, with his enormous sword hanging from his hip. Chandra was dressed in light clothing that wouldn't hamper her movement, and was already in her wolf form. She leaned on the doorframe and crossed her arms, but her ears perked up as she met Archie's gaze.

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"Guys?" Zack breathed, his voice a mixture of alarm and delight.

"Alex told us what happened," Greg explained. "It's one thing to rob an Archmage, but another thing to attack Zack for no freaking reason."

Archie raised an eyebrow and flicked an ear. "I thought you wanted no part in this?"

"I don't want to participate in a crime, but I refuse to leave your home defenseless," Chandra snarled. "Seriously, attacking Zack while he was undefended? How low can you get? Also… I might have been wrong about some things. I don't know. I was emotional yesterday, and I'm still figuring things out."

Archie's lips tugged into a grin, and he ran forward to wrap Chandra in a hug. Nobody was surprised when she returned the embrace, squeezing the bunny tightly.

"I ask again, what secrets?" Greg raised an eyebrow and lumbered forward. His gaze drifted momentarily to Ember standing at his forge, but they didn't linger there for very long.

Zack and Alex took turns getting the others up to speed on everything they had learned and what they planned to do. Chandra and Greg both look taken aback at the increased scale of their plan, but agreed that they couldn't afford to concentrate on one man—especially one that powerful. Redirecting their focus to the school rather than the Archmage also seemed like a safer choice.

Much to Zack's vocal frustration, both of them also agreed with Alex, that Salazar could offer some aid or information.

"This isn't a democracy, guys! We're not talking about revealing some corporate secrets here, we're talking about my safety—my very existence!" Zack protested.

"Which is why we need someone with authority on our side," Archie reminded him. "Right now, we are operating on the fringes of legality. If someone with a firm foot on the legal side is working with us, that gives us an edge should anyone else come knocking."

Zack sputtered in protest, but ultimately couldn't rebut that—especially when Archie reminded him that this was technically Zack's own opinion. Archie was, after all, still very much a part of Zack. Free will or not, their connection couldn't be denied.

In the end Alex called Salazar up and explained they needed him at Dungeon Inc as soon as he was able. The elf assured them he would be there within the hour. While they waited, Zack walked Greg and Chandra through the changes he made in their absence. Neither looked happy at having their duties replaced with mobs, but their interest in the trade in kiosk helped ease their frustration. Zack assured them that so long as they remained a part of his crew—in this case, working to defend him from hostile cores—he would happily let them take a cut of profits and train within his depths.

Salazar arrived just shy of the hour he promised. His copper hair was disheveled and he had sleepless bags under his eyes, but he was otherwise presentable. Alex stepped out of the dungeon and quickly got him up to speed on the prior night's attack, as well as a few basic bits of information he might additionally need for context. The big reveals were up to Zack.

The elf listened with rapt attention, his expression largely unreadable until Zack revealed that he believed the attacker was sent by Snow specifically to do him harm. The elf's ears perked upright, his eyebrows shooting up in tandem.

"That is a dangerous accusation to make," he warned. "You don't even have evidence that the dungeon was damaged, let alone that Snow sent the man that attacked you."

"I wasn't about to leave myself in shambles, thanks," Zack snapped. "Besides, why would I lie about this?"

Salazar shook his head. "No, no, don't misunderstand. I believe you. This is not something worth lying about—the kind of investigation an adventurer guild would have to do takes far too long."

"So then what's the problem?"

"The problem is that Snow can deny his involvement, which means he has a perfect defense already lined up should you go through with your plan to rob him," Salazar explained.

Chandra frowned. "You aren't going to try and stop us?"

"Why? I am an adventurer, not a cop. My authority extends to illegal adventuring activity, and active magical assaults, not petty crimes," Salazar snorted in derision. "Snow and I don't have the best relationship, either. I can believe he only wants Zack to use him. Snow treats me much the same, on account of my rare Crystal affinity. Besides, I am presently suspended. I couldn't arrest you if I wanted to."

"So what should we do?" Zack asked.

Salazar pondered the question for a moment, tapping his chin in thought. "I think moving your attention away from Snow and to his school was the right decision. I can't remember whether or not they had any of these… What did you call them?"

"Cores," Zack said quickly.

Salazar nodded in thanks. "I do not remember seeing any in my time at Waterloo, however if they have any they will undoubtedly be stored within the aetherology research lab. Only masters and doctorate students have regular access to that building, except under special provision. And before you ask—yes, I can get access to the building if I ask Snow, but doing so will assuredly lead them back to me after you pull off your heist."

"So we're at a dead end," Zack grumbled.

"Not as such," Salazar corrected, raising a finger. "Before we go any further, I would like to make a request of you, Zack. I wish to train within your dungeon."

"I mean, that's reasonable, you can always book an appointment and—"

"No, you misunderstand. In exchange for helping you with this task, and my continued cooperation with your illegal adventuring accusations," Salazar added, glancing quickly at the others, "I want free access to train within your walls whenever I want."

Alex frowned, but Zack very quickly agreed to the terms.

Salazar nodded his approval. "The locks on the aetherology research building are keyed to user ID cards," he explained, pulling out his wallet and extracting his own alumni card. "My card number is regretably not keyed to the building, however acquiring one will be much easier than attempting to break in. There are numerous entrances to the building, too, so you will have your pick of places to enter. All you have to do is snag a researcher's ID as they're leaving for the night, and you have your entrance."

"And since the ID in question isn't yours, there's no way to trace it back to you," Archie said, realization dawning on him. "Excellent idea, chap."

Salazar bowed his head appreciatively.

"I still don't understand why you're just going along with this," Chandra growled, crossing her arms. "They're talking about robbing your alma mater, why are you so nonchalant about it?"

"Because I am as much a victim of their elitism as the rest of you," Salazar grumbled. He lifted his hand to show off his status tattoo, drawing their attention towards the affinity symbol inside the level circle. It was a pentagon formed of five triangles. "I was an elf before I sought magical education, and gained my crystal affinity shortly before submitting my application to Waterloo. Crystal affinities are incredibly rare, since they are a high element predicated on the molecular bonds between atoms. Suffice to say, the only reason I was even accepted was because of my affinity. In my entire time at Waterloo, I never met a single other student with the crystal affinity, and Snow is hellbent on collecting me as much as he is on collecting cores."

Alex blinked as Salazar lowered his hand again. "I've never even heard of someone with that affinity before."

Salazar nodded. "In my research, I've found that there are maybe ten of us worldwide. Crystal is the most difficult affinity to gain, except for maybe spacetime—I've never heard of a single person acquiring that one. I digress. I was a poor boy from a bad neighborhood and offered a full ride strictly because of my affinity. What Zack offers here? The chance for anyone to learn magic regardless of upbringing or affluence? I fully support this."

Alex shot the wisp a smug grin, as though to silently say I told you so, but Zack didn't respond to him. Instead, the dungeon was wholly focused on Salazar, trying to glean whether or not the elf was lying. Zack had no innate ability to tell if someone was telling the truth or not, but from the way Archie was smirking, he had to assume the elf was being honest.

"His heartrate is stable," Archie finally declared. "I think he's being truthful."

"You can hear my heart?" Salazar frowned.

Archie tugged one long lapine ear. "Sensitive herbivore hearing."

"I can hear it too," Chandra added.

Salazar rolled his eyes. "Satisfied, Miss Bhediya?"

"No, but if Archie says you're good, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. I trust Archie," she explained, lifting her nose.

"Then I think our plan is settled," Zack said. "Alex and Archie will head to Waterloo's magic campus. Archie will acquire an ID card capable of entering the aetherology research building and scour it for cores. Our objective is simple: steal as many cores as possible and get out."

Archie and Alex nodded.

"In the meantime, Chandra and Greg will stay behind to help protect me in case Edward Fenton comes back with another core—or any other of Snow's cronies," Zack continued. "Salazar, would you be willing to help them? They're not as high level as you, and we could use all the help we can get."

Salazar considered the request, but ultimately nodded. "Yes, I think I would. I have authority as an adventurer, and attacking a place of business with magic is certainly grounds for detainment. Suspension or not, I would be within my power to arrest them."

"Thank you, I appreciate that." Zack's wisp bobbed in midair to emphasize his words. "Well then, everyone, if there are no final words to say, I think this is where break up the huddle."

"Break up the huddle?" Chandra asked, frowning.

"Don't mind him. Zack is talking about a heist movie trope," Archie sighed, shaking his head. "Next he's going to be calling us Zack's Six or something equally ridiculous."

"Spoilsport," Zack grumbled.