Following every "main" sign, Sunshen slowly made his way through the tunnels and squares. It was like an anthill. Every square, every room dug into the mountain had at least six tunnels connecting it to different spaces. But even in these closed off places, Sunshen did not feel claustrophobic. Maybe it was something about the lightning and the decorations. Even though they were deep underground, the place was well lit, probably better than Kitva. Although the space was much smaller than the open streets, the black of rock and the black of the fog were really almost the same.

Where they differed was the reverence to religion. At every tenth step there was a saying or a banner for the great mother. Every hundred steps was a small statue, every new empty space was a small shrine. But the real difference was when he came to any bigger squares. If not a church, they boasted small cathedrals. Giant buildings cut into stone. The rock around them chipped just so people could admire the magnificence of their creation.

It made Sunshen sick.

Such admiration was often met with naught but abuse.

Not only that, there were too few people for the sheer number of religious buildings. Most would have to be empty even on saintdays - what has always been the most important day for a prayer. Sunshen had not seen the whole city, true, but the numbers were wrong no matter how he looked at it. He might have to ask Nataniel about it once they meet again.

As he was wandering through the city, he saw a tavern that seemed a tad out of place.

It was not as glamorous and profound as the architecture of Berthil, it was very crude. Long thick darkwood planks pushed together by force and hammer, kept together by nails and hope. The roof made of hay and misplaced clay tiles. A big sign of hand with a mug above the entrance to the establishment hanged and moved by itself, the beer in the mug spilling out, the pouring back in.

"The Lamplighters Thirst." Sunshen exclaimed as he watched the sign move. Now thinking about it, maybe this tavern might have been out of place anywhere.

As he opened the door, the smell of berries, roasted meat, alcohol and honey attacked his nostrils. The rowdy roars of drunk men and the flying drinks and empty mugs brought sudden relief to Sunshen. People here were not thinking about any hardship it seemed and the collective mood washed over Sunshen like a healing wave.

"And one round for everybody!" yelled a surprisingly familiar voice somewhere deeper in the building.

Sunshen quickly slithered through the crowd, racing to where he heard the sound. He could not see anyone through the wall of men before him. Compared to how vacant Berthil felt, this tavern was the exact opposite, bodies on bodies.

"As the captain commands, we obey

leaving the city's bells far away

As the shine of his arm lights us the way

Through fog that shivers and sways

As the man leads us to better days

Until we reach our singular goal

As all the ugly fog-fuckers fall

Then we'll drink again in the mead hall!'"

The voice sang. As it repeated the simple lyrics more and more voices through out the pub joined in. The men joined their hands and lifted their mugs. As they sang and moved to the music, someone grabbed a steam accordion and added music to the song. Suddenly everyone in the tavern sang this simple song.

It was almost heart-touching to see so many men simply enjoy the moment, unfortunately Sunshen was not able to join in their festivities.

And even though Sunshen was sure that the voice he heard was Bert's, he decided to leave rather than remind him of his duties. Let the man have a good day. Sunshen thought, especially since he felt a bid bad about bringing Bert back on the road.

If he could, he might have let his worries drown in drink too. As he was, he decided not to be a dark taint on the light mood.

Walking deeper and deeper into the city, Sunshen started wondering just how deep the tunnels might have gone. He was mainly choosing tunnels going down, as he was trying to reach the "main" space, so he must have gone down at least a couple hundred meters, but the travel was never ending. His legs hurting and his will to continue at it's end, Sunshen had decided to return to the surface.

What he had not realized however, was that he had no idea what name his original square had. He remembered some turns he made, mainly the last ones, but after an hour, he had realized that he was fully and utterly lost.

He was in a completely new space, it's walls adorned with statues and sayings, with no rooms on them. There was a garden with plants that thrived in the environment, rising without fear of the fog.

Even trees, not darkwood, but actual healthy trees were here and there, some producing small green fruit, although it had spikes so Sunshen had no idea if it was fruit after all.

"Do you like our chestnuts? You can bring some with you if you'd like." said a voice behind him.

Sunshen turned and saw a young man, with long brown hair and white clothes laden with golden religious symbols.

"Chestnuts? Is it what this is? Can it be eaten?"

"When roasted, yes." The man answered with a smile. "My name is Cedric, Cedric Pureworth. Can I ask your name?"

"Sunshen." he replied, deliberately leaving his second name out.

"Nice to meet you Sunshen. Forgive me if I am overstepping, but are you perhaps lost? You see, not many people go this deep."

"Yes." Sunshen confessed, embarrassed.

"No need to fret, this happens more often that you would expect. Would you like me to show you the way?"

"If you'd be so kind as to guide me to The Lamplighters Thirst, I think I can manage from there."

"I will be glad to. The Great Mother wants her children to help each-other."

"Y-yes."

The walk has been a bit awkward at first. The silence pushing onto Sunshen with the weight of two horses, but he slowly calmed. Even in this silence, the presence of the young priest was pleasant. Almost as if he was walking along with a niatra. Soothing and protecting. Sunshen never met a man that better encapsulated what a priest should feel like.

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Cerdic gently hummed as they walked, a silent song probably meant for his holy goddess.

As they passed squares after squares, the question of the depth of the city arose in Sunshen's mind again.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Just how deep do the tunnels go?"

"That is a hard question to answer. If you trust the myths? Never ending. I personally think about fifty to a hundred meters after the barricades."

"Barricades?"

"The worst kept secret of Berthil." Cedric smiled at Sunshen. "I am surprised you do not know of it, people love to share this piece of our terrible past."

"Would you mind telling me?"

Cedric sighed, then he stopped and gazed somewhere far into the tunnels.

"It has been about a hundred years since then, I heard the story from my grandfather, who in turn learned it from his. The tragedy began quick, the lowest levels of Berthil suddenly filled with the killing mist, sucking life out of everyone it touched. It grew and climbed, corrupted and consumed. Until the townsfolk grabbed their niatras and marched into it. Fighting the evil that lashed at their ankles."

"How did the fog mange to get under the earth?"

"Maybe a cave entrance somewhere, maybe it was the vine tendrils that reached for us when we banished it again. After that, we sealed it shut."

"Is that why the city seems...empty?"

"A part of it." Cedric replied. "Well, we are here."

Sunshen did not even realize, but Cedric has already led him back to the tavern. In less than third of the time that he had spent going down.

"Sunshen," Cedric's brows deepened in a worried expression. "I know a troubled person when I see one. If it ever comes down to it, that the world will become too heavy, I will always be happy to see you."

"You reek." Sunshen complained as he hefted the body of his third-in-command. The man must have drank through his whole wage based on the odor that surrounded his body. Just a few inhales and Sunshen felt like he spent the whole evening there too.

Thankfully, he remembered the way back to their lodging.

It took him a few turns and tunnels to realize that...he was actually hauling Bert. The frail Sunshen, the disabled head of house Gureth, was almost effortlessly hauling a man. That thought had finally made Sunshen smile a little.

When he entered their room, Naheila was sitting next to the window, her red hair brushed over her shoulders, her sharp features illuminated by the light outside, her average efficient attire, made of leather and tough, replaced by more comfortable linen clothes. It was the first time Sunshen had seen Naheila for the woman she was.

In a way, she reminded him of Tatiana. The light from outside shone through her blouse, creating a serene moment of beauty.

Then she looked at him. Her gaze as untouchable and rigid as ever. He quickly averted his eyes, and tried to focus on everything but the heat rising in his cheeks.

"He had a bit much to drink." Sunshen tried to laugh his embarrassment off, but it only slowly disappeared into the silence of the room.

He gently put Bert into the closest bed and tucked him in. The half-asleep drunkard grabbed the duvet around him, snuggling into the comfortable den.

Naheila was looking outside again, disinterested. She was smoking now, a kind of tobacco that Sunshen had not smelt before.

It has been so long since Sunshen had smoked, ever since...well, it has been long.

"I am sorry to have stormed out like that." Sunshen started as he walked over to her. "I am simply not made for this kind of thing. I should not have pointed all that at you."

Naheila looked at him, her emerald eyes gleaming with the yellow of the forgiving light.

She nodded and handed him a small box.

"Helps to calm." She said.

Before his eyes even registered what was inside, his nose already smelt the fragrant smell he loved so much, although it was pinged with something almost new, something Sunshen had recognised only a little

"Thank you." He said as he began rolling his own cigarette. "Smells really good."

"A-hm" Naheila murmured with would be a resting expression for anybody else, but for Sunshen it seemed like a smile.

He put the cigarette between his lips with anticipation and Naheila lit it. As he breathed he could feel it. The gentle smoke entering his lungs, calming his nerves.

"Wow" he whispered as the smoke escaped his lungs. Naheila only nodded.

"Guess those are the perks of having contacts. Don't ever tell Bert, but I don't think I tasted something this good before."

"Comes all the way from the south." She said. "Exactly one crate every three years. I managed to buy one about three months ago."

Sunshen's eyes widened and he almost coughed up all the pleasantness that resided in his lungs.

"That most cust a fortune!" And he was there, smoking away her reserves.

"It does, but I have a lot, don't worry."

"Alright." He took another swing and suddenly he was light headed. Not in a bad sort of way, just in a way he did not know.

"Is it normal that I?"

"A-hm." Naheila answered again and blew more smoke at Sunshen. After a coughing fit that ensued - which Sunshen had to fight through as if it wanted to steal his lungs. He heard something, laughter, if only a gentle one.

He looked before him and Naheila was fully smiling then laughing at his struggle.

"Very nice of you." He managed to irk out before another cough made him lose his balance so he had to catch himself on the window.

"Not very relaxing." He complained.

"Well if you hit it like that, you can't expect anything else."

"Good point."

Now, that the coughing finally subsided, he looked at her again. Her stoic expression had softened, her sharp focused eyes took on a sense of gentleness. This might have been the first time he saw her this relaxed.

"Never thought you'd take things to relax."

"Oh, do I seem that uptight to you?" She smiled.

"No I just thought you had everything figured out. Lately I realized I have no clue what to do most times."

"That's natural really. But the more fucked up situations you live through, the more you come to expect them."

"Yeah, like that battle. I stood there frozen, but I saw you dancing around, slashing the snouts of the hounds like butter. A beautiful machine made to kill."

Sunshen meant it as a compliment, but he regretted the last part the moment her smile quickly froze away, replaced by her usual expression.

"I do not kill lightly Sunshen." She said, suddenly turning the situation tense. "I don't want to. I don't like it. But I do what is necessary. That man had done nothing through out the whole battle. If he was doing his job, we might not have lost as many as we did. If we took him with us, the hounds might have caught up, but most importantly, he would be a risk. Risk for more hauls, for more people we might employ. Risk to you and me both."

Sunshen nodded. He understood even before, the fog was the deadliest of places.

"I know. I don't hold it against you...anymore." Sunshen said. Then his lips curled up into a sly smile. "You know this is the longest I heard you talk."

"Don't get too used to it."