Dan hadn’t exactly released Ravage from her capture but he may as well have. Shade’s anger was righteous, though there was definitely no time to waste hashing out the issue. Shade was willing to sit on his anger and deal with the situation at hand, which was all that was needed.

Calliope stalked forward. Even without her mana running through her, she was a thing of feline grace. Like having a dangerous animal at his command, having Calliope in front of him certainly added to the sense of security. The woman had expressed a desire to be near Dan at all times. Dan himself had blushed only slightly at that. That is, until he saw the raised eyebrows of Fa Lian.

The reason for Calliope’s want was obvious. Dan was an incredibly impressive healer. It honestly grated on Dan sometimes that the one technique he had never had to practice was also the one that was most well honed. If only the rest of life could be so simple. Still, Dan was not one to kick a gift down the road and had tried to start finding new applications for his power.

Keeping Calliope nearby would let that happen, so Dan had agreed that she could be his muscle, instead of Hyun Soon who had seemed upset at being sent away. “I would love to have you with me, brother. You know that?” Dan had acted more affronted than he needed to but it had worked in the moment. “Plus, don’t you have a score to settle with Po Shang?”

“Spoken like a true leader.” Shade had said, after the groups had been settled and separated. Dan had asked what he meant and Shade had obliged an answer. “It was well worked, your reasoning. Knowing where to send your soldiers is one thing, knowing how to get them going is another.”

“Hyun Soon isn’t my subordinate.” Dan had argued. Shade had shone a light on a part of Dan’s personality that he wasn’t sure he liked. “I don’t want to control anyone.” It was hard not to think you saw everything in a different light when you literally did. Dan’s ability to observe the emotions of a room wasn’t something he could ignore.

“Most people are fine with being controlled, Ah Dan.” Shade had looked at Dan very seriously then. “I am not one of those people. Releasing Ravage was not the only choice and you will answer to me for taking that choice away from me.”

Dan had not wanted to know what other options Shade considered for his sister and had let the rest of the walk continue in a general silence, only speaking when he needed to direct the other two. The trio were making their quiet way near a trail of Dan’s mana. Before he had left, Dan had attached a heavy clump of his energy to Ravage. She would not be able to feel it and it would affect her in no way. However, it would decay.

The mana had fallen away from the main clump in small crumbs, leaving a trail of perception for Dan to follow. They were two streets over from Ravage’s path but Dan could tell that she was no longer worried about being followed. Her angry haste told Dan everything he needed to know. She was going to find her siblings, just as Dan had expected. What he didn’t expect was the rage he could feel emanating from the majaal woman.

She was furious at her siblings.

Their path took them in the opposite direction of the church which Fa Lian’s group was currently heading. That bothered Dan but unless he was very much mistaken, Fa Lian shouldn’t have any problems dealing with Po Daiyu, Po Shang and Oblax all on her own. Having Hyun Soon and Xiaomei there was more for their enemies sake. If Fa Lian was alone she wouldn’t be able to hold back.

Thoughts of anything except his immediate surroundings and future might lead to disaster so Dan returned his mind to the task at hand.

Ravage was sprinting but she wasn’t hard to follow. She moved erratically, not knowing the city. That was not a problem for Dan, who had his own perception and the knowledge of his elders here to help. They moved nearly as straight as a bird flies and could easily have caught Ravage whenever they wanted. It had taken her some time to escape, which is why Dan had been so calm in returning to the accommodation previously.

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

The journey, being so winding and unaimed, meant that until Ravage made her way to the others, Dan, Shade and Calliope had to keep their distance. Dan kept the other two updated on her movements. If she had started to hurt people, Dan would have jumped in but the woman seemed more interested in recovering than destroying. She did flip over a street vendor’s cart after taking food from them but in the grand scheme of offences, Dan was not going to let that one interrupt the greater purpose of their reconnaissance.

After a short while more of seemingly random wandering, Ravage finally seemed to choose her destination. Whether she had finally recognised a landmark or simply felt ready to move on, they couldn’t know. What they did know was that her previous “sprint” was nothing more than a trot.

“Shade! Cal! We have to move!” Dan didn’t wait for either of them, instantly surging his bestial force. Dan’s muscles bulged, Calliope’s doing the same a moment later. Together they launched into chase, the elf falling into step behind Dan. Shade would have to keep up in whatever way he had but Dan couldn’t wait on him. If they lost her here, it would be a disaster.

When she darted left, they followed. When she sped forward, they trailed only slightly. Finally, they were forced to come to a stop when Dan’s mana abruptly disappeared. It was jarring, like having his eye poked. As he stumbled and held his face, Calliope stopped and Shade appeared.

It was almost as shocking as his mana vanishing. The sudden arrival of Shade’s form, his mass and his energy in Dan’s awareness was like a bright light going off in behind his eyelids. Shade himself had a grin, apparently more than happy with the effect that he had on Dan. Dan conceded internally that he probably deserved it. That movement was not speed, though. Dan would love to know more but now wasn’t the time to ask.

Ravage had vanished into an alleyway. Literally disappeared. As far as Dan could tell, she existed one moment and then stopped existing the next. Not like when his mana was devoured by Steel Fever, but instead a complete absence. There was no obvious entrance to a hidden pathway, so the three fanned out to look for clues.

A few minutes later, right as Dan was about to voice frustration and defeat, he noticed something. Like a scent in the air, there was a probing line of mana worming its way through Dan’s own. It felt silky. Inoffensive. Dan froze, his attention focused on not losing the strange feeling of this mana while he located the source. It felt familiar and yet… cold. Cold in a way that Dan had never felt mana be before.

Following the energy to its origin was going to become part of their original task, Dan expected. The seemingly random exploration by this mana started inside a nearby building which Dan entered. The space had been a tavern of some kind but that was likely long before Allusia’s current troubles. The trail of magic led into a basement in which empty barrels still littered the floor. The walls in here were made of labyrinthite, except for one glaring difference.

The labyrinthite here was cracked and smashed open.

To the naked eye the inside of the rock was a strange wash of colours. Thin gold mineral ran through the rock. It was quite beautiful in a way that Dan hadn’t expected from the dull, mana draining, grey rock. Of course, Dan’s mana couldn’t get a look at it, the material a fuzzy haze in his mana sight.

It suddenly made sense how Ravage had so thoroughly disappeared. Dan’s mana had been hindered by the labyrinth at every turn and this was no different. Dan’s sight could not penetrate beyond the portal which had been torn from the wall, a fact that worried him. It was dark in the labyrinth ahead and their enemies could be waiting just beyond.

Dan motioned needlessly for Calliope and Shade to be quiet. They were already impressively silent on their feet but Dan hushed them all the same. There was no way of knowing where their quarry was now, in relation to them. Dan found himself frustrated that, much like during the battle in the court, he could not properly scout the area.

Calliope smelled the air. Dan nearly jumped out of his skin, the sound seeming to explode in the room around him due to his concentration. “She’s not close.” With a smug grin, the elf rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath. “You’re useful, Ah Dan. Maybe a little too useful for your own good.”

She didn’t say any more. Between her words and the knowing look that Shade gave him from his position propped against an overturned barrel, Dan had already reminded himself of the important lesson that he was trying to instil within. He closed his eyes and took his own deep breath, letting a familiar anxiety fade away as he remembered to trust his allies.

“Pardon. My senses are hindered by the rock of the labyrinth.” To prepare himself, as well as to add emphasis to his next words, Dan began to cycle his mana in earnest. He began to layer his techniques on top of each other. Dan pressed his intent into his mana and the colour of it changed within. From the cool river of Dan’s own pure energy, he moulded it quickly. “If you can lead us from here, I promise not to be a burden.”

When Dan had finished his preparations, even he would have admitted that he looked impressive. Mana armour and bestial force activated. The mana within began to feel warmer. It took on the prospect of heat that Hyun Soon forged his armour from while also leaving pockets of a more agitated, feral energy in Dan’s muscles. Calliope’s eyes widened and she looked as Shade, her smug grin turning into full excitement.

“I told you,” Shade said, getting up from his barrel and dusting himself off, “the boy is terrifying. I am very glad to have you on my side, Ah Dan.”

With nothing left to say and no more time to spare, the three of them dove into the labyrinth in search of Ravage, her brothers and hopefully, Dan added to himself, no more complications.