Grabbing the rope with gloved hands, Rancour climbed down to the bottom of the sewers. He tugged on the magic rope, and it untied itself from the bar above him. As he ran down the path, he adjusted the bag tied over his shoulders. Rancour didn’t know when Plux’s guards would find out about the theft, so he prioritised moving as quickly as possible.

The smell of piss had him scrunching up his nose, but the adrenaline rushing through his body distracted him. He looked back a few times but never spotted anyone or anything chasing him. Following the route that he practised a few days ago, Rancour reached an opening to the outside which he uncovered and hid again.

He stepped out into fresh air and checked for any spying eyes. For a moment, Rancour thought he was in the clear, but he heard some rocks scatter near him. He whipped his head around looking for the source.

A girl with a crocodile face peeked out from around the corner. “Hey, mister! Where did you come from? You smell like shit.”

***

Elle’s heart rate rises as she stares at Tiami, trying to think of a response. Should she play dumb or not? On one hand, Van seems to be avoiding the people in Vinayre and has kept quiet about Equinox. However, Tiami sounds more concerned than angry, and Elle hasn’t even met Van. In the end, she needs allies here “I need to save my planet from falling into Sinkpoint. If I fail, we’ll have another calamity and who knows how deadly it’ll be. Do you know anything that could help me?”

The crease in Tiami’s brow smooths as her shoulder drop slightly. “I see, Van was told something similar. When he still lived in Vinayre, we couldn’t figure out if she was telling the truth about that.”

“If it helps, portals started appearing on Earth about four months ago.” Elle tilts her head, pulling all related memories to the forefront of her mind. “But Van came here during the first Calamity, right? So Equinox brought him here before monsters started appearing. Do you know why?”

Tiami breaks eye contact, looking deep in thought. “According to Van, Equinox wanted him to become stronger. As for why, we’re not 100 percent sure. Maybe she wants to use his powers for something big. What we do know is that she can create the portals which tear worlds apart.”

Elle sits up straight like electricity shoots up her spine. “Wait, what? She’s the one making those holes? Holy shit, how did Van figure that one out?”

“Apparently, she sent him flying through one. Have you seen one of them before? They look like black distortions in space.”

She tugs on her collar, anxiety creeping down her skin. “Yeah, one opened up right in front of me, and a bear monster jumped out.” The memory of those jagged teeth and rotting breath flashes through her mind, causing her to shudder. “If I hadn’t awakened my aura just then, I would’ve died.” A thought occurs to her. “Did Van awaken his aura before or after he arrived in Sinkpoint?”

“Afterwards.” Tiami drums her fingertips on the table. “Do you think those portals have something to do with it?”

Elle tilts her head, recalling what she read on Reddit and Twitter. “Maybe? I’ve seen a few stories like that. But it mostly seems to happen when people run into monsters; either they die, turn into monsters themselves, or they awaken their auras. How did you get yours?”

“Monsters showed up when I was working. I didn’t see a portal until the second Calamity happened.” A shadow crosses the guildmaster’s face as she looks away. “Does Equinox want people to awaken their auras? What is she looking for…?”

“Since she can make those portals, does that mean she’s responsible for the Calamities too? I saw her kill some monsters though… I guess she wanted me to trust her.” Growing restless with the realisation, Elle fiddles with the zipper of her jacket, her chest tight. “And I accepted a deal with her! Fuck!”

Tiami says, “Take a deep breath first, and then we can try to figure this out. What did you agree to?”

Letting out a shaky exhale, Elle squeezes her eyes shut. “All she said was that I need to find answers about my powers and the Calamities here. She’ll put me where I’m needed and leave me this mark on my wrist. I don’t know what it does.” She pushes aura into her left wrist and makes the number glow. It still reads 18.3

Moving closer to her, Tiami peers at Elle’s wrist with a curious expression. “Hmm, I’ve never seen that before. Any idea what the number means?”

“Not sure… It’s higher in the Outlands, but the number hasn’t changed while I’ve been in Vinayre.” She frowns, remembering that she didn’t check it during the mission. “I should try looking at it in different areas.”

Tiami taps the table in thought. “If it measures mana or aura usage, then it should be higher here in the city. If it’s measuring the monster density, then I don’t know why the number isn’t zero here. Whatever it is, it must be important for Equinox’s plans since she only gave it you as far as we know.”

Elle drops her wrist, feeling chills throughout her body. “Do you have any way of reaching out to Van? Please, he’s got know something or be able to do something?” She’s starting to shake now.

Averting her gaze, Tiami winces. “I don’t. I’m sorry. He left the city on a bad note.”

“May I ask why?” Audible frustration creeps into Elle’s voice, fear amplifying her other emotions. “We’ve been running around trying to find these missing hunters for you, and things are getting more and more complicated with the Una City situation. I’m tired of the secrecy and people dancing around the topic. Can you just explain what happened honestly and clearly?”

Tiami sighs, shifting back in her seat. For a long moment, there’s silence before she speaks again. “It feels like ages since everything was simple and easy to talk about. Alright, fine. I’m only going to talk about it once though, and you can’t go spreading this around. Use your best judgement with your teammates.” She levels a stern stare at her.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Elle nods. “I’ll keep quiet.”

“I appreciate it, thank you.” The guildmaster looks off into the distance as she begins to recount her story. “The mayor and I found Van shortly after the first Calamity. After he recovered from his injuries, he told us about Equinox and her strange fixation on his supposed powers. At the time, Van didn’t even know what aura was, so we had to help him figure out his powers. But it wasn’t long before the second Calamity hit us.

“More monsters came with the new wave, and we were struggling to survive. By the end of it, Archmage Aspirash gave up his life to save us, and the remaining survivors looked at us to lead. I became the Hunter’s guildmaster to track down the stronger beasts hunting us. Caexil went on to become the mayor of Vinayre, but Van stuck to doing his own thing. He’d wander off to research things which caught his eye, and we’d cover for him.”

Elle tilts her head. “Do you know what he was looking for or where?”

“He started going west into the Outlands for the first couple of months, but then he suddenly started avoiding it entirely. He warned us not to go too far west and that the waterfall is dangerous. But he was hiding something, even if we couldn’t figure out why. I didn’t want to push in case he ran away. Van did say that aura has some overlap with the miasma from monsters, but he couldn’t pin down what. All we know is that people with low aura will sometimes transform into monsters, but others with high aura can develop corruption too.”

Sitting straight up, Elle gapes at Tiami’s revelation. “What? Are you serious? But what about all those people with low aura living in the city?”

The guildmaster frowns, crossing her arms. “What about them? Do you think we should leave them to die? There’s been enough deaths from the Calamities, and who knows how many children will be born with low aura in the future. We’ll keep looking for a cure since it’s not like the rest of us are immune.”

A sense of shame washes over Elle at her knee-jerk reaction. “Right, sorry. You surprised me. So that’s why the Alchemist Guild has been giving out those free nutrition mixes. But I still don’t get why Van has been avoiding Vinayre.”

“Oh, we’re getting there. We formed the city council by popular vote, excluding all religious institutions as mandated by Siloquill laws. For awhile, everything was fine, even during the Calamities. However, the arcane remains of Una City pulled everyone down a rabbit hole. From studious researchers to greedy thieves, people wanted a piece of the city. The survivors of Una City managed to save their own belongings but couldn’t save much else.

“By the time the Temple stole those scrolls, the survivors’ patience was at its end. They demanded them back, but the Temple threatened to stop selling their preservation scrolls. Without those, the Alchemist’s Guild wouldn’t be able to give out their nutrition mixes, and people with low aura would starve. Of course, Caexil put it to a vote, and most of us voted to let the Temple keep the scrolls.”

Elle stares at her neutrally, unsure what to think. “Including you.”

“Yes,” Tiami agrees with a touch of guilt. “Van was furious with us for not standing up to the Temple. He said that we should’ve called their bluff.”

She remembers the kind people she met at Fort Kernstone. Marla and Flint were happy to help her however they could. Ida and Mark escorted her all the way to Vinayre, offering advice and information about this new world. Mikell and Edellan encouraged her on her mission. “It’s not over yet. Maybe it won’t fix everything, but returning those scrolls to Fort Kernstone is the right thing to do. As long as you find a workaround for those preservation scrolls, you’ve got a chance.”

The guildmaster smiles. “Hmm. That’s optimistic of you to assume the city council wouldn’t just take it for ourselves. But you’re right, something must be done.” Pausing to gather her thoughts, Tiami inspects her hands for a moment. Then she looks Elle once more. “But that’s a problem for the Council. More importantly, I should update you on your mission. The council has decided to schedule the Hunter’s Guild to defend the perimeter of Una City from any thieves or other conspirators until the Danglawan leaders have left. This means your team won’t have backup while they’re here.”

Elle’s mouth goes dry. “...I think I’ll need to discuss this with my teammates. This changes things. I almost died last time.”

Tiami looks at her sadly. “Yes, please discuss this with your team. It’ll be reasonable if you all want to postpone the mission. If it helps, we’ll be clearing the surface of monsters and secure your entry and exit points.”

“Right, thanks.” Elle takes a deep breath. “Any other advice or information about Una City that could be useful?”

Brow furrowing, the guildmaster looks away in thought. “In some areas, you’ll find metal pipes or other arcane circuitry. If you hit those, the sound will travel to both ends. That might be a good way to get our attention in an emergency. Flares don’t travel well underground. Aside from that, try not to force your way into blocked areas. Some places might be a bit unstable, or you might activate old defence mechanisms. When push comes to shove, either find another way around or try to deactivate the security measures. I will also give you a copy of my best map, but that’s all I can think of.”

Elle swallows, “Okay, thank you. We’ll get back to you.”

As the rift-diver stands up, Tiami studies her with a nostalgic and slightly remorseful expression. “Do you have any plans after this mission? I assume you’re going to look for Van, but what do you really want to do personally?”

She recalls her conversations with Serena, Mirielle, and Thermal, wrestling with her sense of ennui and the freedom of being in Sinkpoint. It’s not just that her life has been completely upended; Elle has never been able to see a realistic future for herself anyways. However, she has grown to appreciate Serena’s roll-with-the-punches attitude and Thermal’s dedication to his craft enough to want give an old fantasy a try.

“I want to be an adventurer.”

***

“Well, fuck!” Serena stares at Elle, her jaw dropped. “No backup and stars know how many traps in there. We really should just wait until the festival’s done and those assholes to get the hell out of here, but…” The half-nymph takes a long swig from her mug.

Elle hopes that the drink is water. “But it’s a race against the clock. The longer we’re in the dark, the more time that our enemies get for their plans. If Danglawan is looking for something in Una City, we need to beat them to it.”

“Exactly,” Serena growls. “I don’t like any of this, but it’s a risk we’ll need to take if we want to see it through. The question is: do we? I’d rather go swimming in a swamp than touch politics much less risk my life for it.”

Thermal adjusts his glasses. “I am less of a combatant than either of you, so I will gladly admit some trepidation in regards to this plan. However, I am far more concerned about the consequences of any faction retrieving an arcane weapon from the depths. Considering the fragile circumstances, our current society and government may devolve into a military dictatorship.”

Elle sucks in a breath. For better or worse, she’s always let her heart guide her next moves. Even if it gets her kicked out of the house or entangled in a mysterious contract, she has to stay true to herself. And if she dies… well, Equinox won’t be able to continue with her plans for Elle. “I’m in. I don’t want anyone else to go missing.”

Thermal nods slowly as if coming to a decision. “Very well. I agree.”

Serena glances between the two of them. Although it might be presumptuous, Elle wonders if the traveller is thinking about her old adventures before the Calamities. She sighs, “Fine, I don’t want to live in Basinoon if Vinayre get taken over. Let’s do it.”