Murai wondered what was the point of Lookish, who Lisa seemed to take into her mind a lot more than he thought. What ended up before him were the many pages of detailed maps, revealing tunnels, shafts, and even ladders and shortcuts that looked like square towers.

All scribbled with mastery over little lines, drawn like sketches and technical painting keen on details and facts.

Mines changed a lot over the millennium, but deeper down, there was one thing that prevailed. They always cut into the earth and remained in that image, unless destroyed by men or nature itself.

They usually stretched straight, until they couldn't. The start was the entrances around the Ip'ur Mountain, looking like big vertical shafts, or a tunnel or deep hole that went for many miles to others, or just really deep for once. From them, mines went sideways, continuously deepening in descending towers like tornadoes.

Murai noticed even a scrip and little construct that showed a real image with mana, creating an attempt at making three-dimensional mines, although one had to be fairly close to look at them or know what one was looking for.

They didn't matter as much because Lisa was looking at the pages more, which were big and full of many words; not just the pictures or drawings. Thanks to the incredible quality of this book which was probably a thousand years old, she almost bet there would be some answers.

But she would never bet on anything, similar to Murai who soon watched those three-dimensional diagrams disappear.

“What to do with this?” Murai asked Lisa. “I get we go mining. My Token is ready and has been ready, so what is up with Lookish?”

“Getting an idea where to even start is easy. Where to go isn't, or where to end is far. That is why I am taking this time like usual. We don't want to do that down there where we don't know anything. Trust me. Foolisch was right to be disturbed and confused about us. I was almost one step away from revealing our portal to him because he is crazy but useful. We go down even if we are Hunted. Also...” Lisa smiled at him.

“I know that smile. Do you think you are obnoxiously clever?” Murai guessed. “We can mine all we want because we can leave, huh? You wanted this or now, huh? Is this greed that I am smelling or why you showed me those Gems? I took you for someone special in your head, not someone greedy over some physical values. A little; not as much as I should, I guess.”

Lisa stopped her smile, frowned, and floated closer to him. “Listen, we got opportunities like your head. Some of them aren't even that clear, got it?”

Murai would laugh at such an idea but looked at the book instead. Their inner discussions were usual. Bagus or Itrosh waited aside, occasionally glancing around and acting like bodyguards.

“Without some force or ideas, we go out of there for nothing or give up. Do we want to give up? No. We go down regardless, so mining is an excuse for companies and us.”

“Oh, is that so? Bullshit. There isn't any fail trail in this at all. It's no trap either.” Murai didn't trust her, though he didn't seem to mind that either because there wasn't anything worse or better.

“I have significant maps of the lower, older, ancient, detached, or destroyed part of the mines, so you don't have to worry about anything. Be good, sit on Bagus, or think along with my lines. Foolisch gave me plenty of maps from his master and himself. His own collections and ideas might hide something good. I will do that, while we want maps alone for now. Almost everyone in this city has them, including all the potential troubles coming down for us, yet not everyone has them as detailed and deep as Foolisch. Also, we can fake it and run and run until we run into that portal and leave everything to dust. Overall, we are ready to go down.”

“Hm. Fine. I can see what you bought and done, so this book is what?” Murai kicked it with his flat feet.

“Another small attempt, or just something I took for our biggest chance. There might be secrets. It was my guess, so Foolisch gave it to me rather grumpily even if he didn't have to. Guess how it ended?” Lisa said out loud, figuring that Lookish and Foolisch were as she expected: to no obvious transparency but rather continuous apprehensions.

Some things never changed in this place. By now, Bagus growled in displeasure, unwilling to seek the start of this mining farce that Lisa had in mind. It was a fine excuse, but also a very clear reality that was waiting for him.

And with Foolisch talking to the military about how they would go down, the situation might turn ashen to this Grifhart, or give them some surprising benefits because Mindarch or Levandis might get some understandable concerns about Lisa's forceful ideas. Which wasn't fine or bad, for they forced her to this point anyway, so Lisa was far away from being polite about it.

Bagus could imagine what Lisa was planning, unlike Itrosh who was more of an airhead besides fighting, Murai, and some cooking.

Both of them didn't know the full story of what Lisa had in mind. David was the one who knew a lot of it as one who adjusted Lisa's plan, or she changed them or adjusted them on the go. Two more Helpers came later, poising as more physical supporters.

Each of them was ready a long time ago, and their purpose was never stopping. They hid and made their bids to this madness, clearing the ground and this Gate by many Ends that went below their feet, resting in their badges that were many items at once. It was a Guide's destruction beam, Essence Gem, and a basic token for their denizenship.

“Have my Token, right?” Murai said to Lisa next, and just in case she hadn't stolen it, checked his pocket. It was still there, though Lisa looked at him as if he was a moron.

“Yes. Have it, but there are still some options about our next processes,” Lisa sighed again. She was doing that way too much on many occasions, or when she felt stressed, annoyed, or wondering. Her body didn't need it. She didn't even need to eat or do much. Perhaps her voice and breath were just an act that made her feel better, appropriate, or alive.

“But you have some ideas where to go. You said it right now!” Murai quacked with confidence, glaring at her frowning self.

Her sona shifted, turning her body to an even smaller size than his. Lisa preferred to be smaller for the convenience of going behind his neck, or that hoodie.

Her sizes had many possible body-shaping impressions. She tried being bigger or smaller, and it seemed to be a wondrous passive strength of her body. The bigger she was, the more stress came forth to her mind because it meant more of her would turn physical. But as a race made of sona alone, she could appear quite large as long as she wasn't thick and crackling in sona.

With a look half Murai's size, she hoped to influence their business she called forced friendship. It was mostly exaggerated, as Life Companionship was usually much more one-sided than anything this duo was about, thinking, or doing.

She doubted if this was even compelling or good. Murai had his thoughts about her since she came rushing at his life like a haunting spirit. From time to time, perhaps it didn't matter if they looked face to face. Murai was far too stubborn, while she was prideful in ways that were hard to perceive.

Both were yet to see themes like Life Companions to deep or good. They might not even see them as a pair, or perhaps they never wanted to consider that in the first place.

“There are a couple of options,” Lisa said to Murai, giving Itrosh and Bagus small glances as she spoke out loud. “Those are small plans coming from entrances and paths. Clever ones, if I might add. If we follow the path in which targets are assembled, and how the order of mining went in age, remembrances, and shafts, perhaps we should get some ideas on where to go and how to act. Which is the start, you might ask?”

Itrosh stared at her blankly, arm resting on her head as she talked. Bagus pretended to not listen. Murai didn't ask a question. “Mines are deep, some parts extended, closed, acting in privacy and protection, destroyed, or in places yet to be discovered, or far too old or disconnected. So yes, we have options, don't you think?” Itrosh spoke with some surprising expertise, calling Lisa's plan passable. Murai walked away from the book on the ground and went to Bagus to rest up. Itrosh waited a bit for their time.

They didn't need to hear every little detail. Murai wanted more than little, however, though not too much.

Lisa should focus on Murai and her benefits, lest there be something forgotten, unfilial, or hidden. It was better to be wary; it was a prospect as deep as all of her lives combined.

Lisa had some ideas and issues for sure. She was half certain mining excuses would work, since who would think they went after something that didn't even exist? Some fools might even wait for them to come back from the mining, apprehend them close to the entrances, or hunt them deep inside the earth.

Perhaps some of those possibilities were high in the order of this Gate, likely to happen, or Lisa knew about them, yet could they stop them? Why was this possible? Lisa couldn't help but think of her missteps and overthinking came like a curse ever since she heard his task.

It was either a plot, joke, excuse, or something that followed Murai's curse or art. He always messed her ideas up, or was it something that followed him like everything else? If anything, Lisa doubted it was a joke. It was her small little hope. His portal was most likely special, hidden in the personal quarters of a God, or something along those lines that concealed something else.

Or it might be a part of something ancient, coming from the previous era of this world. It was a thin possibility that Lisa tried to see, but never discovered more about it. She thought she knew this place very well. It seemed she didn't, so her frustration came out of her like an annoying pettiness.

Murai wouldn't find anything weird, obvious by his present companions or his own body. There would be hideous places in many dark corners, so why not something weird under this land? Established or workable portals might still need some link to the Chaos Space, but he knew at least three ways to observe it so no one would get to them. Lisa was aware of it too, yet knew something that Murai didn't. Perhaps more important beings didn't know about it either.

That cave from the previous Gate was one such place, detached and turned into a private little realm. Lisa was almost confused by that location, hut, and holes or overall cave. It reeked of this earth's secrets, or something that Levandis wanted, or deemed for her dreams.

She wasn't overthinking everything. This little book was barely a knock at the plot that surrounded that little duck. Ideas fail when they become redundant or wrong.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

“Ideas, you said? A couple of hundred ideas are like pebbles in the road. Kick them. Held them. Crashing is also possible.” Murai said, laying beside Bagus in a try to calm his tired body. “Just one guess! Right? One big idea of going down and figure it out on the go. That's always been you, isn't it? You think of this as innovative?” Each word carried one quack and almost pushed his beak to the ground in disappointment.

Lisa expected a worse response from him.

“Have you read into Lookish's writings like a scholar or a duck? Its history and Foolisch's words gave me ideas. What else is there? We have maps and this knowledge. I will guide you, haven't I said that?” She asked confidently and spoke once again to him alone.

“And?” Murai wasn't following her.

“Perhaps you would change your mind since you don't get it. I do. I know this place better from memory. Down we go, into the places long forgotten. Deep and wide, some places might hold the portal from the context and sides I've got from this book and further thinking.”

“You are acting as if you've read everything about it but didn't,” Murai quaked, “Yet, you haven't had this plan going for the past half an hour, so consider me sad and looking for a nap. How long until we are out of here, my little Guide?”

Lisa clutched her little hand, grasped her ring for a bracelet, and thought he was good for once. “It was brewing in my head since the start of this...well, since the end of the last Gate, but not before these entrances and further talks with David, or some reflections.

Frankly, I had various lows and heights in my plans, and many things changed. I hoped for you to give up here, yet... it isn't a most clever solution unless we would take our Helpers with us.”

“We can't?” Murai asked, confused, and wondered why she began to speak out loud later.

“Take us?” Itrosh mumbled, half following this conversation because Lisa was changing how she was speaking, while Murai was quacking. “Is this about the rule of the Encounter or what? Go out? Wait... can't we follow you to the Surface like air?”

“Don't think so,” Lisa shook her head. “Murai has his task greater task. You don't, yet... you do, but this is about this Gate as well. It is a layered problem. If the world was spinning right, perhaps it would be different. So... Your Helper status is the Encounter's part. What goes here is different. Probably.”

Itrosh grumbled and started to play with some knives, thinking that her hesitated words were unusual.

Lisa turned back to Murai. “There is no need for your attention in that or our direction. I want you to rest up and ready yourself. I almost bet you will have some things to do. I needed to find a way out for you alone, but that is hard on its own because I didn't know we would get Ip'ur Mountain out of all shitty things. I would have been happier if we got the toughest of the latter ones, but no! Mindarch gave us this mess of all things.”

“Is it that unreasonable?” Murai asked. “This sounds normal to me. What is a task and mission if it is easy or half-figured out by words, memories, or already predetermined choices? That sounds cheap like what you've done with that portal in Gate 1. True, it was good for me, yet what is fun doing something like a chore? Living is what?”

Lisa cracked her arms, half certain she was getting angry deep in her soul, but her face was calm as she sized up this issue. “Speaking of which, this isn't some game, you see.”

“It isn't?” Itrosh asked in shock.

“Not now.” Lisa shot her a glare, before turning back to Murai. “Since I heard that shitty soul construct, brainstorming my ideas and memories took a lot out of me. David helped a lot with that, while this book and maps are the latest pieces I required. So tell me, does this sound like a stupid plan to do things one by one, rather than sprint to conclusions without clarity or any claims? Yes. I don't have a clue where to go. Do you blame me?!” She looked at him with firm decisions in her mind.

Murai wasn't upset by anything. Her logic was there, hiding in her face and words and... head. A very unique head and soul. She should've talked about it more, articulate to him some stress, but like Murai knew his soul, she knew herself. This was ridiculous. Murai was glad that she finally explained herself with a small bit of honesty and clearer agitation. That was one way to get her talk, so Murai was happy for another small step by learning that the hard way.

“That is fine. I don't blame you, so what is your plan?” Murai gave up.

“We need to figure a way to start some conflict. Mining is an easy target, and not cracking our heads or the specific direction of entrances is another thing. Safety and direction are subjective to a gamble.”

“Do you think you can find something out from those big-ass maps? I doubt that.” Murai argued, pointing his wing at many big piles of papers beside that book, making it clear that he thought about it himself.

He was right. The number of mines was immense, and secrets were not all that open. Lisa figured to use those maps for the most basic tool; get out there, and track their steps. Going everywhere was far too major for a simple team. However, a hundred-meter range was a good help; Lisa already had some paths in mind to take and also some directions that were unlikely to work out.

That was why she needed this book, not argue with Foolisch, or Murai about anything. Everything was here. Well, apart from David and Ultium, who better stay alive in order to hear Lisa's words going from the depths of her soul when they next meet.

The premise of getting down and looking for a portal sounded simple for Itrosh, yet after Lisa tossed her the maps, she stopped playing with her knives.

“This is... that big?” She stuttered.

“Always was,” Bagus said aside. “Mines are for mining and mining is big. When shafts go without success, one mines forth until they are worth something. Deep and sideways, they are like levels to a building, or like a large tree that goes down instead of up. That is what mining is.”

“And our target?” Itrosh asked, almost stuttering and voicing a matter of a portal out loud.

“Shush about it.” Lisa hissed at her, looking around. There was nothing and nobody up or around. Not a soul. Hopefully, no eavesdropping eyes or ears were close, or something far outside of her senses. With Murai close, she was confident that their plotting was good.

Just in case, she talked to Murai's soul whether she spoke of some sensitive matters. Unfortunately, Itrosh couldn't do that, so she dropped the maps and folded them under her arm. “So?”

It was less than likely for a portal to be somewhere close to the Ip'ur City or many starting shaft levels. The densest mining was always easier close to the start, and most portals were known to be quite spacious and big, often evident in some mana undulations, rooms, and various paths.

That was, of course, if this one weren't special in some ways, smaller, or unique. In that sense, Lisa could only hope it followed some principles as others.

At first, she thought it would be closer to the Ip'ur City. That idea failed when she saw the dense cluster of shafts. There was not a single space for the portal to perform.

It should be deep underground, in places where mining hadn't reached or reached but it got forgotten, separated, or specifically set as a forbidden zone. Those were her secondary ideas, greatly described in the book that was on the ground.

There were many zones devoid of life and stability, thanks to unstable shafts, some caves, underground seismic activities, leakage from underground water sources, or... because of Ultra Materium. The last idea changed Lisa's calculations many days ago. Some veins could be very dangerous to anything alive, the outside world, shining in heat so potent, it would melt people and stone alike.

Lisa was half-certain a portal would be in some of these forbidden zones, but there were hundreds of them in total For now, she planned to go deep and use Murai's Token as a detector, using numerous shafts an optimal routes to use his hundred-meter radius as best as possible.

Thanks to Lookish's ideas, map, stories, and some comments about the paths, mining, and many zones, his book should prove to be useful. No one wanted to get lost in these places for sure, so mapping was critical, yet shafts were way too immense and linked.

That was the main boundary David thought of when he heard Lisa mention Ip'ur Mountain and portal in the same sentence.

With plans ready, they needed to have a firm pace to move down first.

Becoming miners of some company was one possible step, or they might force their way in, going against the armies, miners, or guards who might already know they were going down. But they wouldn't let them, so Lisa wondered if there was some benefits in establishing some contract with some company or not. She didn't plan to care about reaching some agreements or disagreements with anyone. In fact, doing so might help her out.

It wouldn't be shameless to become free miners either, or they might move like shadows, go in under some careful plot that Lisa was yet to calculate.

Such plans often moved her heart, giving her vivid light, and the reality of the situation might come to bite her back. Without seeing this place for a long time, she wouldn't get it.

A couple of options appeared in Murai's mind as well, and Lisa heard his thoughts, nodding in return, and appreciating that he was no longer an insensible freak.

Seeing her strange eyes, Murai winced his beak aside, looking at her with some hesitation and a single eye. “I won't become a miner, just so you know,” His claim had its faults like his wings and feet slamming the ground until some dust spread out.

“I wouldn't do that either,” Lisa nodded.“until it would be inevitable. And we already took a knock at that idea. Foolisch did too, military knows it too.”

“What about the military? They didn't look that impressive. Are we going to fight it out again?”

“Oh dear shit,” Lisa slapped her head. “Please, Itrosh, mind telling me if we have a chance to be forceful. Could you remind this fool how it's standing right now?”

“Oh, me? Well, there is a forceful choice. I liked it until we saw the present situation in this city. Simply put, one wrong move and we are gone. End.” She stabbed her knives to the ground, feeling proud to come up with this explanation on her own.

“How bad is it?” Murai asked just in case. She wasn't specific enough for his mind or expectations. Was it even different from the past?

“Forces here consist of gangs, and many groups and companies. Most are under the eyes of an owner and his military, but it is like calling the hellish military one cohesive force. That is not possible. Those with Laws are considered rare, yet present here for no surprising reasons. They are normal and good miners, so they are quite fine to see, and harbor good prominences, or power. Their acts and wealth are the mines. What would you feel if some invader got in your way and started creating troubles and nonsense like warring in their home wealthy depths?”

“They would stop us from mining?”

“Mind you, can you take that Token out?” Lisa suggested without answering.

“We are targets in spirit and reputation, Murai,” Itrosh said aside. “Being too lofty or stupid isn't fine, yet we... probably turned this situation a little more... how to say it? To shit!”

“It isn't that bad, Itrosh,” Lisa said to her. “If we do this right, of course.”

“Yeah. Even if we had Ultium, we wouldn't dare to move against the military. Even if there were a party of Ultiums, it wouldn't do much to my confidence. David must be confident in your planning if we are taking this route like this. He is also away, plotting something away so troubles won't come at us. We should be careful.”

“Oh, are you sure to give that name time and your mouth?” Lisa asked doubtfully. “He is careful and old.”

“But raised here.”

“I taught him plenty myself. He was little and grew, watching the world and what some hell means. Knowing some overconfident acts wasn't all that was to our time. It wasn't as terrible as being free either.”

“Really? Well, he shields us, so who cares about what once was?” Itrosh said, stubbornly leaning forward, and looking straight at her face as if she wondered about Lisa's words and facts.

Murai stepped between them. “Everyone has their purpose. David is an old fool, and...”

“Shut up.” Lisa snatched his beak without looking. “I am not miserable enough to anger the current owner or upset our concerns, but what of some companies? If no troubles come, good. If they do, we snap them in half because we are not looking for trouble. Do you object?” She argued, clutching Murai's beak, looking at his eyes, and feeling no subjective help. Yet, when she heard her words, she noticed a peculiar sense of deja vu and a lot of wrong feelings. Trouble? She was the trouble.

“Anger and power come in waves, huh? Cleverness is often an exaggeration of desires and hopes. Move along some sense; not a brute force. You should take that to heart or closer.”

“Heart? Bullshit. So what?”

“Nothing. I was fairly comfortable in this Gate, so thanks for asking. Am thankful for these two as well,” Murai spoke with his Will straight to her head, taking her stressed hand for nothing terrible. He gestured with his eyes to Bagus and Itrosh who were amused to see them like that. Murai would never lose this staring contest, but neither would he win it.

Lisa was equally stubborn when it came to some topics.

Bagus and Itrosh looked at two silent, albeit quite unique beings. From external or internal ways of laws and sight, none of them were simple and normal, yet one looked like an animal, while the other like nothing simple.

Neither of them knew this pair very well either. It was fair; who would even understand someone like Lisa, or imagine Murai's perspective and Cursed Living? Itrosh and Bagus were sensible enough not to be privy to words far above their heads. Being involved in the Encounter was already serious, or like something that should be taken for a burning road.

Feeling the heat at the sides alone was feasible and clever, so they took parts of this road as Helpers as long as they would fly above the flames and go forward until they couldn't.

An Anatidae arguing with a Fairy-looking ghost seemed quite eye-catching. Most of the streets were either barren because of them, or because of the military rules. Thankfully, their little corner was outside of the main streets and people. Like in the Helltrim City, Ip'ur City had a gloomy aura in the streets. The military and what was underneath didn't help either because she swore and knew that nothing would stay the same.