Silence stretched across the room for a long moment before Jake nodded. “Alright, so what’s the catch?”

“What do you mean?” Gordon asked a little too quickly.

“I mean that Nepthys is right,” Jake said, shaking his head. “We’ve given you enough to prove we’re on your side, or as best as we can do right now, but that’s a long way from giving us information like this.”

“A fair concern,” Gordon said, hesitating briefly before continuing. “The truth is that I was spreading that information through the area so that it would reach Felix. He’d asked us to find any references to the Fatesworne in his last contact. If he’s truly gone, then you deserve to have that information. Besides, the Corrupters destroying those Dungeons has caused some panic. We owe you for dealing with them, though I won’t pretend that I’m happy to point you at an area that has been an issue for us.”

“I see,” Jake said, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. “I think that whatever this outpost is, it is the next place for us to visit. To do that, though, we need to be as strong as possible and know the lay of the land, wouldn’t you agree?”

Gordon’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded slightly. “I can’t argue with that. What are you asking of me?”

“We’ll stay here and strengthen ourselves while you head back to your superiors and arrange for as much detailed information as you can get. I want to know everything about that outpost, and I want to know as much as possible about the hunters the Triarchy have brought in to find us.”

“Neither of those will be easy, especially not the hunters. I can’t promise what quality of information I will return with. We’ve not survived against the Triarchy this long by being free with information.”

“All I ask is that you do your best,” Jake said with a slight shrug. “What matters most here is that we have a summary of the situation, and as much detail as you can manage. Felix trusted you all to back us up, so I’ll do the same.”

Gordon studied Jake intently for several long moments before nodding. “Alright, I’ll head back and pass all that on to my superiors. For what it’s worth, I hope they give me everything we have. A lot of people take our current situation for granted, but I’ve never trusted it. Now, knowing that the Corrupters, Fatesworne and Triarchy are all working together, I trust it even less.”

“Situation?” Jake echoed, arching a brow questioningly. “What do you mean?”

Gordon looked a little confused but gestured to Nepthys. “I meant our situation of not needing Inquisitors.”

“Nepthys, what does he mean?” Jake asked, turning to face her.

“He means that one of the reasons why there are no Inquisitors is that Corrupter activity in Strovia is almost non-existent,” Nepthys said, holding up a hand as Jake went to speak. “I mean that in a comparative way. Since the purge of our people, there has been hardly anything worth reporting. However, in the last couple of years, we’ve had reports of rifts or Corrupter activity. Not much, but I was sent to investigate. There aren’t many of us, so unless we see another run of Dungeon’s being attacked, I won’t be able to call for help.”

“It doesn’t really feel like they aren’t active, though,” Jake said, thinking back on how many times they’d encountered Corrupters in the last few months. “Or are Corrupters attacking all the time elsewhere?”

“No, the amount we’ve seen is far more than usual,” Nepthys said thoughtfully.

“Something to consider,” Aspen said, drawing their attention. “Is that with how quiet the Corrupters have been, how likely is it that they would go on a loud killing spree?”

Jake picked up on where Aspen was going with it and leaned back in his chair with a frown. “You think it was a trap to draw us out?”

“The messages we saw would support that,” Alan said. “The Fatesworne who attacked us could even have been that second group.”

“Okay, but why? It seems a lot of effort to go to just to kill me.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“You’re a threat, we both are,” Nepthys said with a slight shrug. “But even so, this is a big response.”

Something about that statement resonated with Jake and he turned his attention back to Gordon. “I think that outpost might be the key. Please do your best to get us whatever information you can.”

“I will,” Gordon said, rising to his feet. “I will set out immediately, and return as soon as I can.”

Jake blinked in surprise before realising that despite it being the end of their day, it was actually early in the morning.

Thanking Gordon, Jake helped the messenger gather his things and sent him away on Yvette. As he did, he couldn’t help but wonder if this was the right way to go.

The resistance had seemed friendly to Felix, but it felt like a lot of things were changing, and part of him worried that Gordon would betray them.

All it would take was a word to the wrong people and a kill team of Fatesworne would be on them in no time at all, of that, Jake had no doubt.

Still, this was their best chance at doing something, of taking control and choosing their fight.

Heading back inside, Jake saw the tired look in everyone’s eyes and sent them to get some sleep. They’d talk about it later, before heading to whichever Dungeon they chose.

Pausing before he followed them, Jake saw that Ari was sat outside on his own, sipping from a flask. The older classer hadn’t involved himself at all once they’d started to talk to Gordon.

Seeing him now, Jake realised just how poorly Ari was coping with everything. He was still a protector and a powerful influence, but that wouldn’t last for long, not at this rate.

Rubbing his face and letting out a tired sigh, Jake made his way back to his room, chuckling to himself as he heard heavy snoring coming from Aspen’s room already.

Deciding that Aspen had the right idea, Jake pulled off his boots with a sigh of relief and climbed into bed, asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

-**-

To his surprise, Jake managed to sleep for a full eight hours, even during the day, and woke up late in the afternoon, feeling refreshed.

Getting up and heading through to the kitchen, Jake saw that Ari was still posted up outside, with several empty bottles scattered next to him.

Frustrated and unsure what to do, Jake settled on stoking a fire and setting some water to boil. He’d make some tea and see if he could have a conversation with Ari.

“I’d say morning, but that feels silly,” Nepthys said, walking in to join Jake as he started to brew the tea. “Is it just us?”

“Ari’s awake outside,” Jake said, glancing around to make sure they were still alone before continuing in a whisper. “He’s been drinking again. I was going to try and talk to him about it.”

“I wouldn’t, not yet,” Nepthys said, moving over to lean against the counter, her arm brushing against his. “Give him time to process.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” Jake said, pausing as he remembered their conversation the day before. “Erm, about last night…”

Nepthys chuckled and waved aside his half-formed explanation. “Don’t worry, I stopped by and could hear you having that snoring competition with Aspen. There will be other opportunities.”

Jake nodded, his mouth dry, before jumping as he heard Aspen clatter into the kitchen as well.

“I hope you’re ready for some bacon, I’ve got the good stuff!” Aspen dropped a thick paper-wrapped package onto the counter before adding a loaf of bread and some eggs.

Taking the tea, Jake quickly fled the kitchen before Aspen roped him into doing some work.

Taking a seat, Jake poured the herbal tea and passed Nepthys a mug. Hopefully, this would be what he needed to help crystallise some thoughts that had been bouncing around in his mind.

“What is it?” Nepthys asked, chuckling at the confused look he gave her. “Your brow is all scrunched up, something is clearly bothering you.”

Jake laughed and set down his tea. “It’s this thought of us being a threat. It just doesn’t quite sit right.”

“What doesn’t sit right?” Alan asked, walking in with a yawn. The Scholar perked up at the sight of the tea and hurriedly poured himself some.

“Jake doesn’t like something about the reasoning we have for being hunted,” Nepthys said, bringing him up to speed.

“Alright, so what don’t you like about it?”

“I’m not sure. It’s just that something bothers me,” Jake said, struggling to put the feeling into words for them.

“Alright, well, let’s work it through,” Alan said, leaning forward intently. “Is it who’s involved?”

“No, that seems right as best we can tell.”

“Is it about the hunt itself, the method used?” Alan asked, humming to himself as Jake shook his head. “What about the timings that Gordon mentioned, something there?”

“Timing, yes, that’s it exactly,” Jake said, sitting bolt upright as he turned to Nepthys. “Did you encounter any Corrupters before meeting us?”

“Yes, a couple, not many though.”

“Then why did all this begin when it did?”

“Because you became a Dungeon Noble. That seems to be the start of it all.”

“Exactly, but the question is why?” Jake gestured to himself. “I’m hardly a threat at the moment, so why go through all this trouble. If it was you, I’d understand it, but why hunt me?”

“It has to be something to do with your Class,” Alan said, cocking his head to one side. “You’re the first one to be back, after all.”

“Yes, but why?” Jake asked rhetorically. “All my Class does is increase the tier of Dungeons. Why oppose that?”

“To keep Strovia weak, so that the Triarchy can control it,” Nepthys said with a frown.

“That explains their actions, yes. What about the Fatesworne and Corrupters, though?”

“I don’t know.” Nepthys shared a worried look with Alan.

“Neither do I,” Jake said, slumping back into his chair. “Hopefully, Gordon can bring us back something that will change that.”