“No one that I know of has ever returned after being taken prisoner. We believe they are all being held in the military district. It is under guard by the Kingsworn and first army remnants, no one else gets in or out. Where did your mother live and what was her name? I will have my men still active in the city look for her.” Rhet asked.

I told him where my family home had been. Growing up near the military district meant a near certainty that she was already a prisoner, if she was even alive. My mood was somber and I began to pull away from the conversation. I had been able to distract myself to this point by not thinking about her and what would have happened after the framework. Etes should have been a safe place, she should have been safe.

Rhet asked me to wait around for a few hours and let his men investigate the house and ask around about her. According to Rhet, the citizens of Etes were friendly to the ideas of the rebellion but were too dependent on the King for safety, food and warmth to join. I studied the map of Etes, realizing how little about the city I had known growing up.

“Every circle marker represents a safehouse, every coin a shop friendly to the cause and the triangular markers represent known Kingsworn. They have set up temporary headquarters throughout the city, usually in guard posts, as well as some smaller makeshift prisons like you saw in the market square.” A man I hadn’t met yet had wandered over my shoulder.

“My name is Pitri” He said and extended his arm. He was a young man, maybe a few years older than me, with a muscular build. He had short, clipped hair and a strong jawline.

“Sylar” I answered and grasped his forearm in greeting.

Rhet saw Pitri standing talking to me and quickly walked over. Pitri noticed him approaching and scowled. I readied myself for trouble, hand drifting to dagger and checked over my potion bandolier.

“I know where they are holding some of the prisoners and I know how to get there. A way the Kingsworn don’t know about yet. We can’t get to them by ourselves but you could help. There are good people there, innocent people whose only crime was selecting a class the King deemed a threat. We need your help, I need your help!” He pleaded quietly and quickly, his voice too low for Rhet to hear.

“Stay out of it Rhet. You don’t represent all of us, he has a right to know and make his own decision!” Pitri angrily said and positioned himself between us. He looked around the group of people gathered in the room and gestured with his arms. “We have been waiting for a sign, for help of any kind. Here it is!” He turned and pointed to me. “Look at the leaderboard! Level 42! He’s the highest level in the city.”

“It’s too dangerous Pitri!” Rhet said, closing the distance to us.

“Dangerous? For you? For me? Yes. For him though?” Pitri said.

He turned to me and gave me a critical look.

“Sylar, your mother could be there! I don’t know that and I won’t pretend that I do. My wife...” He started to explain.

“Enough!” Rhet said and slammed his hand on the table. “How can you even think of trying it again? Haven’t we lost enough people to that damned dungeon?”

“Rhet, let him speak.” Malia had walked up beside Rhet and placed her hand on his shoulder.

The room was tense during the shouter match between Rhet and Pitri but became somber at the mention of the dungeon. The last place I wanted to be was in another dungeon but if there was a chance to find my mother, it was worth trying. I noticed Pitri looking at me as if he was waiting for me to speak, I nodded to him instead.

“There is a system of tunnels built under the city. Some of them have been there since the city was built centuries ago. The army used to use some of them to enter and leave the city in secret and some were the territory of less respected individuals. We have confirmed that the King and his soldiers use some of them but don’t appear to know about all of them, I doubt anyone does.” Pitri began to explain.

“When I got my class, Seeker, I gained a skill to track targets of interest. Before the framework I worked for the town guard and searched for missing persons. My wife selected a class called Beacon of Faith, she has always been a staunch believer in the Eternal and active in the church. She saw the framework as the Eternals return and her class bolstered her beliefs.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“I can track her location to one of the barracks in the military district. It is under heavy guard, unapproachable from the city. I searched for another way to get to her in desperation and spent days crawling through the tunnels in that area until I found one that led up towards the district. I started to climb up towards the access hatch until I got a notification about a dungeon. None of us had ever heard of one before except for in passing through the guides. There were rumors about one in the palace but we never could confirm it.”

“We gathered a group of strong fighters and entered as a party of five.” His face dropped and he went silent for a moment. “There were large beetles, Balra, swarming the tunnels, each one the same level or higher than our highest, a swordsman named Dom. We didn’t stand a chance, within the hour everyone was dead except me. I managed to crawl out behind the threshold and get to a lookout we had left behind.” He finished.

“I have fought the Balra before, in a tunnel I used to enter the city. Was it a level one dungeon? What level were the Balra? Did you see any Weave Guardians?” I asked the man.

“I don’t know? I don’t remember anything about a level. The only Balra I could Identify were level 22, the rest were higher level than me and didn’t show. I don’t know what a Weave Guardian is.” He responded with a confused look.

I looked around at the gathered members of the rebellion in a new light. What would have happened against the Kingsworn near Gleice if I was only level 22? Would they even survive the dungeon with my help? I wasn’t sure about leading a group of these men to their death, even if I survived. My thoughts must have shown on my face.

“Please! Our only opportunities to level come from completing small quests and the rare skirmish with Kings soldiers. We lose those fights badly, losing two or three men to each Kingsworn. This is a chance for us to get stronger and rescue some of our friends and family. We need your help.” Pitri pleaded.

“Let him think, Pitri.” Rhet said in a low voice. “Sylar, I can confirm that everything Pitri said is true as we know it. The risk of the dungeon is something you already know, I will not pressure you or hold our help against your decision. We will continue to look in the ways that we can for your mother.

Giving Rhet and Pitri a nod, I turned and studied the map. The Balra Queens Lair had been dangerous, the paralyzing venom posed a real risk to me even if the Balra didn’t. I had always known in the back of my mind that rescuing my mother would end in fighting, although I didn’t think it would involve dungeons. There was no guarantee that she was even being held there.

“If we are going to do this we will need to do it right. I cleared a dungeon called Balra Queens Lair on my way into Etes. The Balra got progressively stronger as you advance and there are a few types. They will be easy enough to handle. There will be large spiders that live inside of webs called Weaves. The Weave Guardians have a venom that is paralyzing and almost got me killed.” I explained to the gathered crowd.

“Do you have access to alchemy ingredients?” I asked, looking to Rhet.

“We have a few shops that will still sell to us when they can. The King has stolen most of the stock in the city. Make a list of what you need and we will see if we can get it.” He answered.

I gave him a long list of ingredients, starting with health potions. I already had enough to craft a few more from the last dungeon. Included on the list were all the ingredients for hallowed light, minor, standard and major bombs, as well as the type I had never used before, fire bombs. Hopefully once that was crafted my explosives guide would progress to the next type. I felt foolish for never expanding my crafting knowledge of it.

“How much will it cost?” I asked after going over the list of supplies that I would need. I still had no idea how to value gold in the pre or post framework world.

“We have spent much of our wealth already just to survive. We will barter for as much as we can, that is all I can promise.” Rhet replied.

“I have gold, I can pay for it. I need those supplies for now and for what comes after.” I answered. I motioned for Rhet to come closer and stepped towards him. I lowered my voice as much as I could and still be heard. “I will be honest with you Rhet and hope for the same from you. I have little idea of the value of gold, I have earned much of it since the framework began. I have three hundred in my inventory that I can use for this.”

The older man looked back at me with a shocked expression. He quickly composed himself and leaned in “that would buy you a manor in the inner ring of the city. It won’t cost nearly that much for what you have requested even with the inflated prices. Give me twenty now and I will spread it around to several shops.”

I thought about my inventory and looked at the currency part of the interface. I hadn’t been honest with Rhet about how much gold I had, it was closer to five hundred again. I decided to give him one hundred and considered it a donation of goodwill. These people were fighting against a superior force and needed all the help they could get.

“Here is one hundred gold. Use it on the supplies for the dungeon first and then you can keep the rest for your people.” I told him quietly. It felt awkward to be in this position the same way it had felt with Arthur back at the mine.

“Thank you, Sylar. I will not let you down. It will take the rest of the day at least for everything as we have to travel to the far side of the crafters and merchants districts. We will begin bringing it to you as soon as we can. Will you stay here?” He asked.

I nodded and moved over to an empty bench along the wall. I pulled out my portable alchemy kit and surveyed my existing supplies. Thinking of the young man back in Gleice, I turned back to the group.

“If anyone has the alchemy skill or wants to try to learn it, you can help me. I am going to start making health potions in a few minutes.” There was a murmur from the crowd.

“I would like to learn,” a younger woman said and stepped forward. She was around my age with deep brown hair and brown eyes. It took me a moment to gather myself and stop staring long enough to nod at her and wave her over. My mouth suddenly felt dry, she was beautiful.