Second Floor - Estelhelm

"It would be in your best interests to reconsider. I promise, you will not find a more talented mage of my level within three zones of here!"

Tara'lynn Clan Kasta stood with her hands planted on the surface of the table, leaning towards her audience. The three wayfarers she was speaking to, a tan fellian woman and two human men, exchanged looks.

"None of us doubt your ability, miss." One of the men said, raising a placating hand. "But Tek'Kalla don't have the best reputation in these parts."

"A Tek'Kalla raiding party just attacked a village near Illysport." The woman piped up, crossing her arms. "I heard about it this morning."

"Tek'Kalla raiders are part of the Drakken Conclave." Tara said for what must have been the hundredth time since she'd arrived in town. "I'm of clan Kasta, a member of the Elorinth Conclave. We war with the Drakken even more than your people do, and do not condone their actions."

"Maybe, maybe not." The third man shrugged. "Look, you seem like a nice enough girl-"

"I am in my twentieth cycle." Tara snapped, rapidly losing what little patience she had left. "I'm level fifteen, and I already possess two C-rank offensive spells! I'm not a 'girl'."

"What Darrath is trying to say." The first man cut in smoothly, making a calming motion. "Is that you aren't the best fit for our team. We already have a mage." he nodded to the side where an elven woman was sitting a short distance away. The black-haired elf was slumped over, passed out on the table, surrounded by empty mugs.

Tara raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"She's getting there…" The fellian woman said.

"Fine. Your loss." The Tek'Kalla huffed, straightening up. She brushed a strand of white hair from her face and stalked out of the tavern, emerging onto the cobblestone street. Rain fell in sheets upon the city of Estelhelm, carrying with it an unpleasant chill. Tara grumbled, contemplating heading back into the bar, but she was already half-way across the street and soaked to the bone. She was too proud to slink back inside, especially after all three groups of wayfarers there had just rejected her.

Maybe I should have listened to Elyth. Tara thought, searching for an alcove or overhang and weaving a minor heating enchantment into her armor. I had no idea the lowlanders hated us this much…

It was all the Drakken Conclave's fault. They were little better than bandits, always sending teams down to pillage and steal whatever they could. Cowards. They were a disgrace to the Tek'Kalla, preying on the lower-level zones of the Labyrinth and never risking themselves against foes who could truly threaten them. It went against the ethos of their entire people.

Tara angrily kicked at a loose stone, sending it bouncing into a shadowed alley. It was heavier than it looked, the action sending a sharp pain shooting through her big toe. She swore under her breath, lifting it off the ground and awkwardly hopping to lean against the wall. Huddling against the corner of the alleyway, she was finally able to escape the worst of the downpour. Tara shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. Even in her academy training expeditions, she'd never felt so alone. There had always been teammates to watch her back, a sense of camaraderie that persisted even through her insistence on using traditional magic over magitech weapons.

Tara had thought she'd known the cold embrace of isolation, but now she realized that had been nothing but the melodramatic complaints of an angsty teen. Here, two entire floors away from the city-ship she called home, she truly was alone.

I should go back… Tara bowed her head, hands clenching into fists as she contemplated, for the first time, giving up.

She was right. She knew she was right. The decision to cast aside the wonders of the arcane to embrace the rigidity of magical technology was as foolish as it was shortsighted. All she wanted was to prove that traditional spellcraft still held value. No one would even give her a chance.

Lightning flashed high in the sky, arcing between roiling clouds. Something deeper in the alley glinted in the bright flash, catching Tara's eye. Curious, she focused her attention on the area. Darkness returned, shrouding the depths of the alley in gloom, but she could sense a glimmer of magic from the area. It was faint, whatever it was, but the form wasn't one she recognized. Intrigued, Tara shuffled deeper into the alley, hugging the wall to stay out of the rain.

Just enough light filtered past her from the street to illuminate her path. She stepped over a large puddle, catching sight of a small brown bag lying tipped over in pool of water. Motes of amethyst dust spilled from the open mouth of the pouch, which was no larger than her palm. They drifted in the water, sparking with tiny bursts of magical energy. The sight was enough to make it click for Tara, she was well studied on the many forms of magical effusion. This was a pouch of 'dimension effusion', one of the rarest forms of the magical material.

The Tek'Kalla furrowed her brow, glancing around in concern. Even a small pouch of the substance was worth a fortune. So, what was it doing lying discarded in a storm swept alleyway? Should she tell someone? Snag a sample for herself? She expanded her senses, searching for any signs of nearby creatures. The instant she did, Tara detected two small auras approaching rapidly from the other end of the alley. She ducked back behind a nearby crate, instinctively retracting her aura to diminish her presence.

"Ya dropped one, Zra!" A raspy voice hissed from the shadows. It came from above and was accompanied by the sound of flapping wings. The noise was barely audible over the pounding rain, which Tara suddenly found herself grateful for.

"I didn't drop nothin'!" Another voice, equally raspy but somewhat higher in pitch. "It came through the portal that way!"

"Tell that to Malice. Now we have to explain why half of this one is missing."

"Here, take some from the others and pour it in. If we spread it out, no one will be able to tell."

Silence for a few moments, followed by a rustling of cloth.

"Not here, idiot! The rain is ruining it! Do it at the safehouse, or are you trying to blow our cover?"

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The other creature grumbled a reply that Tara couldn't make out, and then the sounds of flapping wings began receding into the distance. She risked a glance around the corner of her hiding place, catching sight of two small, winged creatures hauling away the pouch. They were humanoid, less than two feet tall, and covered in leathery skin. She focused on one, syncing the Labyrinth's data to a display strapped to the inside of her wrist. Ducking back behind her cover, she skimmed the digital display integrated to her left bracer.

* Winged Imp

* Level: ???

* Creature Type: Demon

* Origin: [User Unauthorized]

Tara keyed the magitech display, saving a snapshot of the data to a storage crystal embedded in the device.

Demons?! Here, in the city?

How had they gotten inside? She'd had to submit to a magical inspection before being allowed entry into Estelhelm. There was no way the city guard would allow demons to wander the city. And where had they gotten the dimension effusion? Something strange was going on.

Tara hesitated, unsure what to do. The imp auras were almost at the limit of her senses, moving away at a steady rate. Should she tell someone?

Who would listen to a Tek'Kalla?

No, better to do some poking around herself. If she could find something concrete, then she could bring that information to the authorities. Maybe then she'd finally get some respect.

Drawing her wand, Tara wove an enchantment around herself. She didn't know any true illusion spells, but one of her offensive spells was primarily based on light. A quick and dirty modification to the weave was all it took to shroud her in invisibility.

Try doing that with your fancy pulsecasters. Tara thought smugly, slipping deeper into the alley in pursuit of the retreating demons.

Finally, a chance to show off her talents.

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Second Floor - Subterranean Depths Zone, Volcanic Cavern Quadrant

The large, undulating body of the lava slug reared as Jade's dagger sunk into the glowing weak spot on its back. The patch of dark skin looked identical to every other part of the strange creature, but she'd learned to trust her 'Vital Strike' talent's assessments. Phantom blinked back to her hand in a puff of mist and she spun away, leaping clear of the falling monster. It collapsed like a falling tree, slamming into the ground with a wet squelch.

* You have defeated: Lava Slug

* You have gained 350xp.

That was the last of them. Jade wiped her blade clean against a patch of moss, then slid it into her sheath. She looted the creature, dumping the coins and effusion into her pouch, and then rejoined her companions in the center of the path. Their journey from Lysara to Estelhelm was taking them through an underground region of the Labyrinth. The current quadrant took the form of a network of large caverns that were filled with abyssal pits, waterfalls of lava, and a veritable forest of tree-sized mushrooms. Fenrin and Aylin had both come through this quadrant before and assured them the area was safer than it looked, but Jade wasn't so sure.

"At least they aren't made of lava." Luis said, looting another one of the large black slugs.

"No, they only spit it. That's so much better." Naomi said, casting a healing spell on herself. Her armor bore several recent burn marks, although none of the hits had been serious.

"At least your armor covers your body." Jade said, sighing as she regarded her own outfit. She was back in the new, minimalist gear she'd acquired in Lysara. Her 'Seducer's Mantle' ability was highly effective with this little coverage to impede its effect, but Jade was still working on getting over the mental block of taking hits to her bare skin, no matter how magically fortified it was.

She was interrupted by the ping of a notification. A box popped up in her vision. Jade quickly skimmed it, then grinned.

"What is it?" Fenrin asked, shouldering his bow. "Completed another quest?"

"Better." Jade grinned. "Talent rank up."

* System Notice:

* Talent 'Vital Strike' has advanced from 'D' rank to 'C' rank. You will be unable to advance this talent further until reaching level 20.

Jade wasted no time pulling up the updated version.

* Talent: Vital Sight

* Rating: C level talent

* Cost: Very low mana

* Duration: 1 minute

* Cooldown: 15 seconds

* Effect: Weak points and vulnerabilities on a single creature you focus on within close range will glow, becoming visible to your eyes. Attacks that hit these points will deal moderate bonus damage and cause a moderate bleed effect that reduces the target's speed. You may see vulnerabilities on two creatures at a time. Using this talent on a third creature ends the effect on the first.

Jade grunted in satisfaction. That was a solid upgrade. A shorter cooldown, a bleed effect, and a movement speed penalty weren't flashy effects, but they were welcome improvements. Being able to tag multiple enemies with her ability at once would be especially helpful now that she had a reliable ranged attack, as well.

"We should get to the city in another day or so." Aylin said, returning her wand to its holster. The divine shard hung from her other hip, the splinter of jagged crystal emanating a dark aura. The mage had assured them the sealing runes she'd conjured around it would prevent any ill-effects from the potent source of death essence, but Jade was keeping her distance anyway.

"Are you sure we can't put that in a dimensional pouch?" Jade asked, eyeing the shard warily. The way it warped light around it was a little creepy.

"I don't want to risk it." Aylin shook her head. "Any interaction with dimensional forces could damage this relic, it was on the verge of breaking down when we found it in the stronghold."

No node travel and no storage magic, then. Well, Jade would just have to assume Aylin knew what she was talking about.

"Ready to keep going?" Luis asked, looking around. "Wait, where's Siora?"

"I'm here!" The elf's voice came from behind the stalk of one of the giant mushrooms. She had a vial in one hand and appeared to be collecting fluid from the fungus.

"Siora, that looks disgusting." Jade said, striding over and inspecting the goopy substance.

"Oh, it is." She agreed cheerfully, popping a cork in the vial and stowing it in her pack. She stood up, following Jade back to the group. "But Titangill goo is a potent fertility enhancer!"

"You're kidding. Please tell me you don't have to drink it."

"Oh no. It's usually applied directly in the-"

"Okay! That's enough." Jade raised her hands. "I'm sorry I asked."

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The group was back on the road a short time later. There was a road through this quadrant, a worn-down path of smooth stone surrounded by the rougher, more jagged environment of the cavern. Jade assumed the trail was an artifact of the Labyrinth rather than something anyone had taken the time to build, but she was grateful for it nonetheless.

She was about to ask Aylin what exactly she was hoping the Mystic Order could discover from the strange relic when the mage abruptly came to a stop. Jade felt it too, a subtle flicker of magic in the gloom. The only illumination in the immediate area came from clusters of glowing amber crystals, which did little to banish the darkness of the cavern. Jade's demon eyes couldn't pierce the shadows, but those weren't her only senses. She pulsed her aura, letting it wash over the area. There! Two people were hidden in the darkness nearby, observing them. Their auras had been retracted, their presence concealed by enchantments. Not well enough.

"Oh dear, it looks like they found us, Richter." A feminine voice emerged from the shadows. It had a playful, lilting quality to it. Jade tensed, her hands finding the hilts of her weapons. Her companions followed suit, looking around warily.

"Quiet." Hissed a deeper, powerful voice.

"Oh hush. They already know we're here. Come on, let's not be rude."

A figure emerged from the darkness, lithe and beautiful. Jade initially took her for human, but even without the Voice of the Labyrinth's guidance that assumption only lasted a moment. The blonde woman's skin was too pale, her nails too claw-like. Most telling were the eyes, glowing crimson orbs that locked onto Aylin.

"Now, mage." She said cheerfully, a man joining her side. He was tall, with a powerful build and the same, ominous red eyes. "Hand over the relic. I'd hate to have to hurt you."

Jade skimmed the system box, inhaling sharply through her teeth. Her eyes snapped back to the pair of newcomers, examining them with increased wariness.

The vampire smiled, sharp fangs glinting in the soft, amber light, and extended her clawed hand towards them.