For their first night in Estelhelm Jade, Naomi, and Siora spent the night in a shared room at the Green Door Inn. It wasn't the most comfortable place she'd ever stayed, but it also wasn't the worst. That dubious honor went to a shady interstate motel she'd been forced to stay at during a gymnastics meet in high school after their team's original plans had been cancelled. While the cramped room had a stiff draft and the beds were small and hard, there were at least enough for the three of them. It beat camping in the woods.

The next day the five of them met in front of the inn, refreshed and ready to go.

"We're only allowed in the city for a short time." Fenrin reminded them "So, we should try and get through our list of things to do as quickly as possible."

"I'm not in a big hurry." Siora said, the only non-wayfarer in their current group. They'd already activated the node nearest the city, which meant that the elf had completed her primary objective in coming here. "There's some ingredients I'd like to pick up at the market, but I'll stick with you all. I'm not good with crowds."

"Me either." Jade said. "I'd like to stay away from big groups if we can. They give me headaches."

"Headaches?" Naomi asked.

"Too many emotions at once."

"During the day it shouldn't be too bad." Fenrin reassured her. "Last night was more crowded than usual. If we swing by the markets while most people are working, there won't be many people."

"Do we need to shop?" Luis asked. "Between what we picked up on Earth and in Lysara, we have plenty of food and supplies."

"The weapons you received from the stronghold boss in Lysara all have upgrade slots, don't they?" Fenrin asked.

He gestured to Jade and she handed him her dimensional pouch, allowing him to retrieve the bow he'd received as his own reward. Unlike in most games and movies, people in real life frowned when you wandered around their city streets armed to the teeth. They had stowed their weapons and armor in the dimensional pouch for the duration of their stay in the city, although they could be quickly retrieved if needed. Fenrin pointed to a smooth patch of wood near the center of the bow shaft. Three circular indentations were cut into the turquoise stave, as if they were slots for something to be placed in.

"Some of the market shops probably sell enchantment runes. It might be a good idea to upgrade our gear while we can."

"I need to visit one of the temples here." Jade added. "I've heard there's a demon priestess of… what was it." She struggled to recall what captain Mar had told her on the first floor. "The goddess of redemption, I think."

They all looked at Fenrin, who had the most experience with the city.

"That'll be in the Emerald District, where we were yesterday. Not sure about that deity, but all the temples are near each other."

"Are there a lot of them?" Naomi asked.

"At least a dozen. I've never bothered much with the faiths." Fenrin shrugged. "My hometown isn't very religious, and if the gods are all gone anyway…"

Mirella, perched on his shoulder as usual, squawked, pecking his ear.

"Ow!" He winced, brushing her aside. "No, I won't say that when I'm there, Mimi. I'm not tactless."

Mirella clicked her beak, turning away in a huff, and Jade wondered just how intelligent the familiar was. She could obviously understand their conversations. Was that because of the special bond between Fenrin and the familiar? Or was that type of bird naturally so bright? She suspected it was the former.

The other items on their to-do list were connecting with any Earth wayfarers in the area and searching for signs of demon activity in the city. Aylin had sent a warning ahead weeks ago, and she had inquired about the situation at the Arcaneum the previous evening. As far as the mage could tell, there was no indication any demons were in the city other than the priestess they already knew about. And now Jade. Had Malice been lying to her? She hadn't been under Jade's spell when she'd told Jade to visit her in the city, and she supposed it was possible that the succubus's words had been misdirection. Her gut told her otherwise. She was here somewhere. She didn't know how, but she knew it.

As they were already nearby and there wasn't much of a crowd, they decided to start with the marketplace. Fenrin guided them through numerous stalls and storefronts stocked with everything from fresh fruit and other produce to jewelry, armor, travel supplies, and more oddities than Jade could identify. Before they arrived at the enchantment store, though, Naomi pointed.

"Hey, look." she said, perking up.

The bard was gesturing towards a man and woman, both human, who had just emerged from a blacksmith. Jade immediately understood their significance. Unlike the tunics and cottons dresses everyone else in town was wearing, these two were dressed in the contemporary Earth fashion. The man was even wearing jeans.

They're from Earth!

Luis stepped forward, flagging them down.

"Howdy friends." He said with a smile, letting a little more of his Texas drawl slip through than usual. "Nice to see some familiar faces."

It took Jade a moment to realize that Luis had intentionally used a southern colloquialism as a means of identifying them. None of them were wearing Earth clothes, and their group included non-humans. That was something Jade wouldn't have thought of, but she noticed how it put the pair immediately at ease.

"Another Earth group?" The man said, extending his hand. "Glad we're finally starting to run into more of you. I'm Ray."

They quickly introduced themselves, moving out of the thoroughfare and onto a side street to avoid blocking the road. Ray was a tall, well-groomed man, wearing the sort of rugged pants and boots that you'd expect to see on a hiking trail. His companion, Jenny, was a slender woman with a face full of freckles. She greeted them with far more enthusiasm than Jade was ready for, vigorously shaking each of their hands.

"The rest of our team is out questing in the delta." Jenny said. "Want to join us? We'll be heading back to check on Earth afterwards."

"We just got back from Earth." Jade explained, a revalations that prompted numerous questions. They took a few minutes to answer the most pressing ones, going over the current state of their home.

"Not great, but not terrible." Ray concluded, crossing his arms.

"Do you still want to go back?" Jenny asked him. "It sounds like we're more useful here."

"We should still go. Mark and Chengxi have families to see."

"Good point. Besides, I need to tell my asshole boss I quit." Jenny grinned. "Hey, are there any laws against using our powers on people back home yet?"

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"Not that I know of…" Jade said slowly.

"Great!"

"Jenny…" Ray sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"What? I won't hurt anyone… Permanently."

"Sorry about her." Ray told the rest of them. His gaze swept over Fenrin and Siora curiously, but he didn't address them. "Getting pulled into the Labyrinth got her out of a bad situation."

"I'm glad some good came of it." Naomi said. "There's enough pain going around."

"The people we've talked to are planning on meeting in Illysport on the third floor." Jade said, gesturing skyward in the universal way of indicating the higher levels. "If your team is ready, you should head there next. We'll be organizing a way to scout out these cores."

"We'll talk it over." Ray said, although he sounded hesitant. No doubt he'd been hoping for a stronger, more immediate response from Earth. When they got back, they'd understand. Any support they were going to get wouldn't be coming quickly.

The pair had a team to meet, so they soon bid farewell and departed. Jade watched them go, mulling over the encounter. So, some people hadn't left for home the instant they could. Their levels were in the low teens, so they weren't yet ready to head to the third floor. It was better than nothing, however. If there were enough groups like theirs, methodically grinding their way through quests as they climbed the Labyrinth, maybe they could do this faster than she'd been assuming.

"Are we really going after the cores ourselves?" Naomi asked. "L-Ref told us to wait for their help."

"Every day we wait, things get worse." Jade said grimly. "We have to at least try."

"She's right." Luis nodded. "Besides, can you imagine all the countries back home working together on this? It's going to be a magical arms race."

"Aren't you two just rays of sunshine." Naomi sighed.

"Hey, I'm happy to be wrong." Luis shrugged. "But I've read a lot of sci-fi books. When aliens come to Earth, everyone expects that we'd all band together and be united. But it never works out that way."

"Real life isn't fiction."

"No." Jade agreed, gesturing for them to move on. "It's way stranger."

----------------------------------------

"I thought it was around here somewhere…" Fenrin mused, looking around the market side street. It was still mid-morning, and only a few small groups of people were in the area. Many of the businesses in this section of the market hadn't opened for business yet, with shutters closed over windows. "Mimi?"

The familiar took to the sky with a squawk, her two sets of rainbow wings spread wide. She flapped skyward, circling them once, and then descended back to perch on Fenrin's shoulder, chirping insistently.

"Ah. One street over." he said, guiding them down an alley. "Sorry, haven't spent much time here."

"Doin' better than any of us would, amigo." Luis said. "I still can't find my way around half the streets in the city I lived in. And that was where I grew up."

It took Jade a moment to notice that he'd said 'lived', not 'live'. Some six weeks into their trial, and they were already beginning to separate themselves from their past lives. It was really sinking in now. No matter what happened, they wouldn't ever be going back to their pre-Labyrinth existences.

It only took another minute before they arrived at their destination. The store was in a two-story marble building, aged but not in disrepair. Glass windows provided a view into a somewhat chaotic interior, with shelves and counters haphazardly strewn around the main room. Every surface looked to be covered in a variety of strange items, from vials of multi-colored powder to crystals, weapons, and a random assortment of mostly unfashionable apparel. The sign over the door read 'Runes and Relics'.

"Here we go." Fenrin said, pushing his way inside. He looked around. "A little bigger than I remember it."

The rest of them followed him inside, a soft chime sounding as they crossed the threshold.

"Be with you in a moment!" An energetic, male voice called from somewhere deeper inside the store. Jade couldn't see the source, the shelves were piled high with all manner of enchanted items. She extended her aura, detecting countless sources of magic surrounding her in a confusing maelstrom, and immediately retracted it, rubbing her head. No wonder it was a bad idea to try and equip more than a few pieces of magical gear at a time… The enchantments here were interfering with each other, and they weren't even being used.

"Is that an invisibility cloak?" Luis asked, his eyes lighting up. "We have to get this!"

Jade turned to inspect the silvery cloak hanging from a hook in a nearby glass case. It shimmered in a shaft of sunlight filtering in from a nearby window, sparkling. According to the system's description, it was indeed a cloak that rendered the wearer invisible, at least for a certain amount of time. Jade had to admit that was awesome. The price tag, however, was not.

"Yeah, no." Jade snorted. "We're not going into debt."

"You could buy a house for that price." Fenrin whistled softly. "And it'd be a nice one."

"Maybe, but…" Luis gestured to the precious item. "Invisibility. Cloak."

Before they could continue, a rather disheveled looking human woman emerged from behind a nearby shelf. She had long, dark hair, and was wearing a stained apron over a bright dress.

"Can I help you?" She asked, approaching them. "I'm Ashar's assistant, Yulie."

She had a quick, hurried way of speaking, as if seconds were a precious commodity that shouldn't be aimlessly spent.

"We're just looking for some upgrade runes. For weapons." Fenrin explained.

"And armor." Luis added, as he'd received a shield from the stronghold boss.

His comment reminded Jade that her commissioned 'minimalist' armor also had upgrade slots, not only her enchanted dagger. It would be nice if she could afford to improve both at once, although after seeing some of the prices on the shelves, she wasn't optimistic.

"Of course." Yulie bobbed her head. "Our rune selection is in the back. Follow me."

She set off in a half jog, half walk that left them scrambling to keep up. As they maneuvered through more shelves of items, Jade began to hear a muffled conversation.

"No, I don't want to fight them. I want to find them." A refined, and somewhat haughty, feminine voice was saying.

"A detection enchantment, then?" This was the male voice from earlier, cheerful and smooth. "I'm sure I've got something like that lying around here, somewhere."

Jade followed Yulie to the rear of the store where it appeared there was an entire wall dedicated to item upgrade runes. They were roughly the size and shape of a quarter, and came in a variety of colors. Esoteric carvings covered their surfaces, like hieroglyphics.

"The index is there." The assistant said, pointing to a thick tome on a plinth in front of the wall. She was already walking off, talking over her shoulder at them. "Have to get back to the enchanting table, give me a shout if you need anything!"

She disappeared through a curtain of beads into a back room, from which was emanating a strange array of sizzling and popping sounds.

"Ah! Here it is! Just what you're looking for." The male voice said. They could see the store counter now. A tall, handsome man stood behind it, smiling triumphantly as he presented a silver amulet to the violet-skinned woman leaning towards him. She realized with a start that it was her. The tek'kalla from the inn.

"That'll be four thousand." The man said, holding up the item. He had a tan complexion and short, dark hair styled to the side. He smiled brightly, showing straight, white teeth.

"Four thousand?!" The woman exclaimed incredulously. "It's just a simple divination charm!"

"Attuned to a very unusual source." He countered, holding up a finger. "That sort of expertise isn't found just anywhere."

The tek'kalla looked like she wanted to argue but restrained herself at the last moment.

"Do you take Conclave credits…?" she asked, visibly deflating.

"Not usually… But." The shopkeeper lowered his finger. "If you let me spend an hour examining that pulsecaster, I could make an exception." he finished, gesturing to a holstered item hanging from her hip.

Jade had only been half listening to the conversation while she and Fenrin perused the index of item upgrades, making notes of the affordable runes. When the alien woman produced what she could as a science-fiction ray gun, however, the pair suddenly had her full attention. The woman set the pistol-shaped device on the counter and scooped up the amulet, hanging it around her neck over her dark shirt.

"I've always wanted to take a close look at one of these…" the shopkeeper said, cautiously picking up the strange, white and gold device. Jade squinted. Was that a digital display on it?

"It's nothing special." she sniffed, tapping the amulet once. It flashed with an amber light, the medallion buzzing in her hand. "Hey, enchanter, your item is broken." the woman complained irately, glaring at him.

"My name is Ashar, and it's perfectly functional!" he protested, frowning back at her. "I created that one myself."

"But it's picking up…"

Jade's only warning was the sharp taste of alarmed surprise. Before she could react the tek'kalla grabbed the 'pulsecaster' back from the shopkeeper and whirled towards Jade's group, levelling the device at her in one fluid motion. Or rather, that's what she tried to do. In her haste she tripped over her own feet, stumbled into a shelf, and promptly crashed to the floor in a shower of large, multi-colored crystals.

"Demon!" the tek'kalla shouted, still pointing the object in her hands at Jade as she lay sprawled back on the floor. She scrambled back to her feet. "Get back, she's a-!"

THUNK

The frantic woman's head connected solidly with the underside of the thick, wooden shelf. She dropped like a rock, out cold before she even hit the floor. For a long moment, they all just stared at her in stunned surprise. Finally, Naomi broke the silence.

"Um… Do you think she's okay?"