Raya reached for Nua's hand.

“Let's not tarry. Try directing a portion of your power to your palm. Have you ever used the elixirs? Never mind,” she realized there was little chance Nua had this opportunity. “Use the amount you have burned while jumping.”

The girl nodded. After all the training with Anki, reaching for the ether and controlling it was nearly effortless. She mustered a morsel of red-golden light through her arm. It prickled.

“Done. What now?”

Raya raised her brow.

“Really? Good. Now, follow your etheric pathways and try finding a connection to my system. It should look like a crossroads of sorts. Focus the power in that point. Then, the transfer will be up to me.”

Nua focused on the power in her palm and took a good, long look at Raya’s hand. Despite holding it, except for the work-worn, rough skin and chipped fingernails she wasn’t seeing anything. What did the priestess say? Follow the pathways? She closed her eyes, then tried to imagine ether coursing in her veins. Part of the difficulty was that her system, as she understood, was more complex than Anki had suggested before. She limited her sorcerous Sight to the surface where their skin touched. From there, she finally saw several blue lights, at Raya's fingertips and one at the base of her thumb. She chose a single contact point, then she concentrated the ether into a little, dense ball.

She gasped when it vanished.

Raya's eyes flashed briefly with golden light. Then, she bent in half and coughed.

“Ugh.” She shuddered. “Strong stuff.“

“Are you all right?”

“Great,” Raya muttered, then turned to the patient. “Now, that opens some possibilities.”

Lykomedes opened his eyes.

“Like what?”

“There's a regeneration spell I never use without the help of High Priestess,” Raya's fingers were trembling. “It’s almost two elixirs’ worth.” She grinned. “Stay still.”

Nua leaned back, relieved. Then, she looked for Oswald. Now that the danger apparently passed, she could try that appetizing soup. The moment she turned to the other mercenaries, she noticed their gazes, focused directly on her. For some reason, desert vultures came to her mind.

“And you?” Asked Quintus. “Are you all right, Nua?”

“Well, somewhat…?”

“So… how much do you have left?”

Anki appeared right before her eyes, much too close for her comfort.

“Do NOT do that!”

“It's for our survival,” she mumbled.

“This is a very bad idea!”

“I have little choice, do I?” Then she said aloud. “Enough for the three of you, and a bit more for the scouting skill. Just don't make me use more afterwards.”

The last suggestion was a lie. For the simple Techniques and enhancements, Anki’s ether stores were effectively infinite. She didn’t see any disappointment, though, so what she declared still had to be a lot. A basic elixir’s market value was an aureus per vial. Nua gritted her teeth. She presented herself as a valuable resource to the people whose main motivation was greed. She just hoped there will be an opportunity to get out of this predicament later on.

“And,” she sighed, “I want that soup.”

A quarter of an hourglass later, the mercenaries seemed markedly happier. Everyone, including Lykomedes – propped up in a half-sitting position and using one hand – was sipping the bouillon, a hearty bone broth with plenty of herbs, paprika and some hardtack to go with it.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Nua slurped, then she called the king. The blue shape condensed nearby, sat on Raya’s bag again, and glared.

“This is going to have….”

“Consequences. As if I didn't know.” She soaked the hardtack in her soup. “It's like, there were no good choices. What's the use for the secrets if they go to the grave with us?”

“I suppose I cannot argue with it. Once we get out of here, you must perfect your channeling. You did not have a reason to limit your uptake so far, and so you’re using too much, for everyone semi-competent to see. The exercise we have started – the one where you infuse yourself with the absolute minimum of power – will be crucial.”

“We can talk about it as soon as we get out. Anki. I'm out of my secrets, it's time you do with yours.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you're still leading me blind. If I knew more, maybe we'd be in less danger. Maybe not,” She bit the biscuit. “But you know? Have you seen them fighting? The trust and camaraderie thing. It pays off. So,” she glanced at him. “You told me you were looking for something and I think I know what that something is.”

“You were never interested in my plans,” the king said. “You were glad to follow me here without knowing.”

“Let's say that changed,” Nua leaned in. “Let's say I did not take you seriously when you were talking about the survivors, weeks ago. I had that thought, you know, and it went away. But my memory is better now, and it came back. All those people in the containers. You said there was still a chance to bring them back to life. You said the goddess of this place was your daughter.” She paused. “You think that she is here, somewhere. Alive and sleeping. You were afraid that the ghouls have eaten her, too.”

Anki darkened. He was silent for a while.

“As I said before, it was always a fragile hope,” he said at last. “I can predict what she would have done, given the circumstances, but I am not an oracle. There were prototype healing vats in the research laboratories, and she would use them for herself, perhaps for our cousins and confidantes. I don't know if anyone survived. Part of the reason I did not tell you was that I did not want to bet too much on this possibility.”

“Was looking for a new body a lie?”

“Why would you think so? I want to come back to life as much as anyone would.” He sighed. “But that might not be possible, even with our wonders. I am already dead. My daughter - she was the future of our kind. She is so much more important.”

Nua was moved at first. Oh, Anki, she thought. Why didn’t you tell me? Just how jaded are you? Of all people, I would understand looking for the lost family so much more than the world conquest and bloody vengeance.

Then, she glanced at the king and frowned. No. He still wanted both. She should be on guard for is manipulations if she wanted to do things her own way. Also, wait a moment. They were just talking about bringing back to life a whole group of ancient demigods. What was the chance her opinion would be important at all? Chances are, she would let loose a bunch of fully embodied Ankis to do as they please and get cast aside. A cold shiver ran down her spine.

“So, do you think she’s nearby? I understand that the ghouls didn’t get in everywhere?”

Anki collected himself.

“Yes and no,” he said matter-of-factly. “The part of tower we’re in is meant for the public. The research laboratories would have additional security measures.”

Nua tried to understand him from the context.

“As if more ether-locked doors? Traps?”

“Doors, force fields, fire alarms.” He seemed to shrug. “It doesn't matter. I have the access. Unless there are more monsters or the earthquake damage – and that, we can investigate – we are safe from these barriers at the least.”

The girl put away her empty bowl and folded her arms. This part of the talk would be hard.

“We are not going to travel far, Anki. Not in the state Lykomedes is in.”

The king glared.

“We need to take the shortest route up, so we could come back again later,” she continued. “You know, when I have all the power you promised. I mean, what's the harm in waiting another few years? And if they still have the plague? We can’t do anything for them.”

Anki answered fast, as if he had everything already thought through.

“If this is the case, I would not wake them up. What I hope for, then, is to find my daughter's research. So I could pick it up where she left it. With you as my vector I would have decades if not centuries to succeed.”

What the hell did a vector mean? It sounded far less respectable than a general or a confidante.

“As in, the spells and artifacts she was using to try and cure the plague?” Nua tilted her head towards the mercenaries. “They will pick the place clean, you know.”

“I am aware. I have plenty of equipment left in my temple and we could always cobble something back together. Or we could pilfer the Antiquarian Guild, if it comes to this. Oh, I would love to give them a taste of their own medicine. Ultimately, it is people you cannot replace and not their tools.”

“You have an answer to everything.” Nua sighed. “But, like I said, we can't travel far.”

Anki was emanating smug satisfaction.

“We have guided them very fine until now. I was reading the signs. There should be a working elevator around, leading directly to the headquarters. From there, we'll have a shortcut to the surface. This is the fastest way back.”

“Only in the case nobody broke in, too.”

“Well,” the king smiled. “Here is hoping no one did.“

Nua was smart enough not to voice her opinion that she was hoping for the opposite.