Iris rubbed her eyes as she stepped out into the hall. The scent of fresh sausage filled her senses, and she took in a deep, savoring breath before rushing down the hall. The hall ended in stairs, which turned ninety degrees after the first landing. She skipped the stairs entirely, blipping down to the landing and then again until she was standing in the tavern below. The sounds of sizzling meat could be heard from the kitchen off to her right, Eli and Victoria were already sitting at a table to her left.
She took a seat at the table with them and poured herself a glass of water from a pitcher and a stack of glasses which were set out on the table. They both nodded to acknowledge her, but continued their conversation without interruption.
"Today we'll get the shopping out of the way," Eli said, "without paying for rooms, we have a lot more to work with than we expected. I'm sure the good gear is going quick, so the sooner we get what we're looking for the better."
"Agreed," Victoria said, "did you find out when the next orientation is?"
Eli pulled a stack of pamphlets, flyers and scrap paper from inside his vest and laid them out on the table, "three days from now, it's the last one. Then the Hunt begins three days after that."
Victoria frowned, shifting through the pamphlets and picking out one to look over, "we're behind schedule."
"Yeah," Eli said, "but we have good lodging and an extra member, I'd say it balances out."
"Well," Victoria said, stretching back in her seat, "if you're not stressed, I'm not stressed."
"I think this is the first time I've seen you not stressed," Iris said to Eli, "are you feeling okay? Do you have a fever? 'Cause--"
"I'm fine," Eli interjected, side-eying a smirking Victoria, "I know you've been through a lot, don't get me wrong, but I don't think you fully grasp the pressure of a journey through the wilderness like we've been on."
"Yeah," Iris frowned, "the last week has been a whirlwind for me, but I guess for you guys it was more like a marathon."
"A very, very dangerous marathon," Eli replied, "and I know it looks like we're all good friends, but you have to understand, Vic and I had only just met Titus and Autumn when we started our journey. Being responsible for the lives of two strangers who put their trust in you comes with quite a lot of stress."
"Have you noticed how powerful many of the other adventurers are around here?" Victoria asked, "we're not the only level 20-somethings here, but we're certainly in the minority. You won't find a reputable source in the world that suggests anyone under level 30 even travels to Giantrock, let alone participates in the Hunt. We're intentionally going out of our league here, and that's not something to take lightly."
"What's the reason for that, anyway? Faster advancement?" Iris asked.
"That's part of it," Eli said, "tougher fights means more experience, but that's not all. Participating in the hunts gives a chance to get in front of some very important eyes, make a lot of money, and maybe even find someone's second Thread of Power. If we do good here, we'll enter Champion rank with a huge head start over our peers."
"You'll benefit too," Victoria said to Iris, "you're still a long way away from Champion, but at Hero rank the dynamic changes significantly as you climb in levels and unlock your abilities. A level 20 Hero is a whole different class from a Level 5, and I wouldn't be surprised if you come out of the Hunt well on your way to level 20."
"If you work for it," Eli added.
Autumn stepped out of the kitchen balancing a large tray of steaming hot food in either hand, which she promptly placed on the table in front of them.
"Iris," she said, "can you grab the plates and stuff from the kitchen?"
Iris nodded, blipping away from her seat and into the kitchen behind the bar. Autumn opened a door beside the stairs, which led to a narrow outdoor corridor and then to a patio behind the tavern. She poked her head out and shouted.
"Titus! Breakfast!"
A moment later, Titus entered through the door. He was shirtless and sweaty, carrying a wooden beam that looked suspiciously similar to the rafters of the tavern. He propped the beam up beside the door and promptly sat down at the table.
In the kitchen, Iris peered through the wide window counter in the wall that separated the bar from the kitchen. Her smile mixed deviousness and glee as she held a plate in her hands. She eyed a spot in front of Autumn and concentrated. The plate disappeared from her hands and appeared a few inches above the table, landing with a loud ceramic clatter. Thankfully, it didn't break. All eyes turned towards her.
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"Hang on!" She shouted, "New power, I'll get the hang of it!"
Another plate appeared above Titus, slapping him atop the head as it fell. Eli deftly caught it before it hit the floor.
"You almost took me out!" Titus said loudly.
"Sorry!" She shouted.
Another plate appeared, this time landing gently on the table in front of Victoria. Then another landed gently in Eli's lap.
"Alright, now for the forks," she shouted from the kitchen.
"NO!" Everyone shouted in unison, Titus even rising from his seat to back away from the table.
"Okay, okay," Iris said, appearing next to the table with two handfuls of utensils, "that's fair."
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After breakfast, everyone took a moment to get dressed and ready for the day. No one wore their armor, though Titus did place his gouged back plate in Iris's bag so he could have an armorer look at it. He was wearing fitted dark brown trousers and a stark white shirt, of which he left the top two buttons undone. His dreads hung loose and framed his face, and his golden eyes were softer and more relaxed than she had ever seen them.
Autumn wore rough, undyed tan trousers and a sloppily tucked in grey blouse. Her shaggy red hair had grown out enough that her bangs dangled in front of her eyes if left unkempt, so for once her hair was actually brushed and the bangs pushed to either side with a small amount of oil applied to hold them in place.
Victoria wore her usual dark purple robe cinched with a belt, but with the noticeable addition of bracelets, rings and a necklace. Her hair was pulled into a bun as it usually was, but it was obviously done with more care and attention as there were no loose strands besides the ones in front of either of her pointed ears that seemed deliberately placed.
Eli wore a brown leather vest over a green tunic and dark brown, almost black trousers. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, slightly loose above the ears so that the hair drooped down to sweep over the tips of his ears. For a moment Iris started to wonder if she'd ever actually seen his ears.
Besides maybe Autumn, Iris looked the least put together. She wore black pants borrowed from Eli and a purple blouse borrowed from Victoria. The clothes weren't bad, they just didn't quite fit her and left her looking somewhat frumpy. Her hair was in a messy bun because that's how she liked it, and her bottomless bag was tied to her waist as it always was. She wasn't wearing her wizard hat today because it really needed a wash.
They took the back door out of the tavern into the small patio space behind it. It was walled in on all sides with a wooden plank fence, dimly lit by a few lanterns. Even though they were outdoors and it was late morning, no sunlight reached this far into the shadow of the rock up above. Like most of the Underbelly, nearly every surface was perpetually damp from the combination of darkness, humidity and cramped space. Lichen, moss and algae grew on much of the wood, and the planks beneath their feet were slick and slightly warped.
In front of the door was a space that Titus had cleared for training, and off to the right was the lift that would take them to the upper deck of the Underbelly. It was a square wooden platform large enough to fit a dozen people crammed together, with a simple wooden railing around three sides and a wide, swinging gate on the front. Two small stacks of crates were on either side of the platform, leaving an open area in the middle for the party to stand. Multiple thick ropes attached to pulley systems on each of the four corners, reaching high above into the darkness. With her neck fully craned Iris couldn't make out the bottom of the rock above, but she saw twinkles of torchlight dotted about.
"How's this work?" Iris asked, eying the contraption wearily as they all stepped aboard.
"The wizard was less than helpful about that," Eli said.
"I can operate it," Titus said, "I took a look earlier while loading the crates, it's similar to some lifts we had at the academy," he walked over to a metal box affixed to the railing near the front of the platform, set into the metal was a dark blue crystal, and beside the box was a small lever, "you just pull the lever to release the lock and pump mana into this."
He placed the palm of his hand on the surface of the box, covering the crystal, and then pulled the lever. The platform slightly lurched as the locks released, then the crystal began to glow beneath his palm as the platform began to rise.
As the platform rose, one rope on each corner remained looped around pulleys on the ground below, while another looped around pulleys affixed to the platform itself. The process was slow but steady, and they were soon rising above the roof of the tavern.
Soon the Underbelly came into view from a new perspective. The tallest buildings were only three stories, and soon Iris could see over all of them. Crowds of people were just beginning to fill the piers and thoroughfares, and the first of many merchants were beginning to shout about their goods to passersby. Across the rows of ramshackle buildings, the piers and docks extended out over the water, beyond the shadows and into the sunlight that glistened off the gentle waves.
Autumn sat down, placing her head in her hands to cover her eyes.
"You alright?" Titus asked, kneeling beside her.
"Mhm," Autumn mumbled, sounding like she might puke.
"Wait, do you have a problem with heights?" Victoria asked, "I've seen you hurl yourself off cliffs."
"I watched you ride a hydra like a horse yesterday," Iris added.
"That's different," Autumn mumbled, not looking up.
"We're halfway there," Eli said, "just try not to throw up."
As the Underbelly shrunk away beneath them, the upper deck slowly came into view. Darkness still shrouded most of it, but more detail could be made out around the lanterns. It appeared to be a jumbled maze of catwalks somehow affixed to the rock ceiling above, most were wide enough for a handcart while some were so thin that you couldn't pass another person. There were several small buildings hanging from the ceiling as well, though they were mostly unmarked and their purpose was unclear. In the distance, a few other lifts could be seen rising up across the Underbelly, carrying crates and workers.
Their heads soon rose above a walkway, revealing their destination. As the floor of the platform aligned roughly with the walkway, the pulleys stopped and several somethings latched loudly into place. Titus swung the gate open and stepped out onto the walkway.