Daniel and Kenton reached the bottom ledge safely. Finally, nearly at the bottom, Daniel reached forward to touch the top of the bells that had first made him aware of someone else’s presence.

“Do you know from where these bells hail?” Daniel asked Kenton. They were not ready to touch the ground again. That was when it would start again.

Kenton slumped against the wall breathing hard and shook his head. “I’m not as young as I used to be.” He muttered. He sighed and gestured toward the bells as he answered. “They are from some ruins or another. Especially after I retired from a mapper, no one tells me anything anymore.”

Daniel wondered if he could…borrow one or two…

Not now…but later.

Lots of forgotten things in the Seelie Citadel. If Daniel was not careful, he may become a forgotten thing as well.

Kenton stood up with a groan. “When we leave this room, we cannot talk about the Dungeon. At all. Even referencing.”

Daniel looked at him plainly. “I will not make a mistake.”

“But, I mean it…at all…”

Daniel wished he could clean his clothes, “Kenton, I’ve survived 19 assassination attempts. I have been captured by the Unseelie Court. I have five Achievements. Unless there is magical interference, I will not speak a word of it. In fact…” Daniel sighed. “You are the concern. I will not speak of it to you unless in one of the designated rooms or you speak the code. Even then, I will not trust you easily.”

“Are you…still thinking I’m some kind of spy or something?”

Daniel kept his face neutral. “No. But I am aware that loyalties change.”

Kenton looked like he was just beginning to appreciate Daniel’s level of paranoia. “If the loyalty can change so quickly, was it ever loyalty to begin with?”

Daniel rolled his shoulders. The pain from his latest adventure was dulled, but still lingering. His stomach felt empty and raw. If there was no food, did the stomach begin to eat itself? He felt tired. He felt dread.

And he felt avoidance.

“I don’t want to go back to the Dungeon,” Daniel said, lingering.

Kenton looked worried. “Was it terrible?”

“It was strange. The Law of Fae was absent. No Favor. No Authority. Not even Influence. But… some parts were less disturbing. Did you realize that was supposed to fit like a compass rose? The Eastern Red Room, the Western Blue Room, the Northern Purple Room, and the Southern Green Room. That’s how I found my way here.” Daniel said.

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“That would make sense,” Kenton added. “How did you…”

“The Dungeon had a section like a mirrored version of the Stable, but it doesn’t move. But I do not believe all of it is shaped in the Stable’s image, I hesitate to venture into the other parts. Rectangle rooms and windowless halls, the first part was completely unlike the Stable…then I recognized the section that led to the Eels room…”

“Is that why the eels were upset?” Kenton asked.

Daniel smiled a little, realizing that Kenton had been following him. It made the experience of the Dungeon less…isolating.

“Strange. That would reduce many of the shortcuts I developed…” Kenton mused.

“You can’t be planning on going there,” Daniel said.

Kenton looked horrified, “Of course not. Not involved.” Then he clenched his hands. “Since I…removed one of those Fears, I got to see something strange.”

Daniel looked around. “Is it in the shape of a female? Blue, translucent? A vague impression of clothes? Answers in a logarithmic feminine voice? Only knows vague answers to specific questions, but no true intelligence?”

“I…don’t know what half those words mean. What is logarithmic?” He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. It’s just a blue screen. Called itself System, but then it stopped answering my questions. The screen itself goes away when I don’t focus on it, but when I think about it, it appears.”

Daniel looked at Kenton. He did not see little pixies playing tricks. “A word of Wisdom is not uncommon…or it could be from the Dungeon.”

Kenton shook his head.

“Regardless, it’s not uncommon to be shown certain truths of the universe. What words of wisdom is it imparting now?”

Kenton pointed to thin air like he was tracing the line of text. “There are words written on it. Right now it says ‘player’ ‘level up’ and ‘assign new stat points’.”

Daniel shifted on the ledge. The time to hesitate was leaving. It was probably related to the Dungeon. But he gained nothing by unnerving Kenton. “If it is a word of Wisdom, then do not fear. The meaning will make itself clear in time.”

Besides, it was time.

“Ready?” Daniel asked the retired mapper.

“I got the Saddle back from that naughty griffin. I am ready for anything.”

Daniel felt that Kenton might not be ready for anything, but again, he gained nothing from unnerving him.

So Daniel jumped down to the ground, leaving the first ledge behind. Each step forward he took he felt more and more like a cog back in place, moving with the other cogs.

And as he left the Owl’s Scope room, the Game was upon him. The attention of all the senior High Fae was like a microscope. The Game was like an overjoyed pup left too long alone in a room.

But before the Servant Branch could even begin to tidy the mess left by his absence, he received the total amount of favor gained.

The Law of Fae may not have been present, but somehow, going through the Dungeon had been hugely beneficial. Was it the wit or deducing the Eastern room was East? Achieving the strange second sight that showed the pull of lightning? Braving against his Fear? The unarmed combat against the featureless metal figures?

Whatever had earned that gain, it had earned it indeed.

Color filled his face and music danced across the breeze in the Stable hallway as all the Favor enveloped him.

The Servant Branch, instead of tired and hungry, felt invigorated.

If not for his stomach growling, he felt better than he had in weeks.

The Favor was more than 3 times what he had accumulated all day long.

Yes, the Dungeon had been dangerous, but if those risks brought such rewards…

This was very dangerous for him. Because if he conquered the Dungeon, even if he just repeated what he did again, but better and faster as he knew the way now…

He had finally discovered a way to start slowly but steadily acquiring power in the Law of Fae.

The Servant Branch had just discovered a way to get ahead in the Game.

It just might cost him his life.