I woke up to the somewhat unnerving view of gray eyes spotted with gold flakes at the inner edges and lower half. Vee's face was inches from mine, her gaze studying me intently.

"Mornin'," I yawned. "How long was I out?"

"Six hours, twenty nine minutes, and thirty two seconds," she grinned, rolling over and up to sit on my chest with a smug expression, dark wings with white edges spread wide.

"Haven't gotten enough of me last night?" I asked her as she tilted her head at me.

"Nope!" Vespera clicked, sending tiny electrical sparks dancing across my chest with a talon. "I won’t be satisfied till I map every single nanometer, neural network and soul bit!"

“And after you’re done mapping all of me?” I asked. “Will you release me from your clutches then, you greedy birb?”

“Mmmmm… naw,” she grinned, smooshing my cheeks. “Then I’ll make you work in the salt mines. Can't have my most valuable investment slacking off!”

"Ah yes, the salt mines of your tears when I make you laugh so hard you'll cry," I nodded. "I thus humbly accept the position of your most Royal Court Jester."

"Court Jester?" Vee hummed, pretending to be offended. "Excuse you, but you're my Royal Consort and Chief Entertainment Officer."

"You know," I said with a smile. "When I first saw you at the Academy I thought that you were a clueless Thunderknob… I honestly didn’t even consider you as a bestie or dating material, thinking that I’d maybe end up bouncing between Kat and Ci or something.”

“Pfff, Kat would break ya in half without even tryin’,” Vespera laughed. “She’s too tall for ya.”

“You’re way taller than me,” I pointed out.

“Eh, still not as tall or bulky as Kat. Stollwurms have high bone density in general for punching tunnels through solid rocks. On the other hand, I’m bendy,” she replied, arching her back more than a human could to illustrate her point. “And practically weightless when I use my wings. Just like Cindy here!”

"Ughhh, too early for whatever this is," a rainbow-feathered hand tried to paw at Vespera and me as she heard her name.

"Early bird gets the worm," Vee poked the half-asleep Quetzi.

"Buzz off, sparkplug. I am NOT a worm," Cinder grumbled sleepily, her feathers shifting through sleepy purples and irritated oranges.

"No, you're a pancake," Vee clicked cheerfully. "A very grumpy pancake who needs her beauty sleep."

"Shut uuuup," Cinder whined, pulling a pillow over her head.

The Thunderbird turned her attention back to me.

"So," Vee clicked softly, her talons tracing patterns on my chest. "You thought I was just a patsy, huh?"

"Yeah," I admitted. "You put up a really good facade. My first impression was 'ditzy rich girl, probably easy to manipulate. Would totally fall for some clickbait’.”

“Ha, as if!” She guffawed. “And now?”

“Now I know exactly how genuinely sweet, clever and cheerful you are,” I said. “Without you I wouldn't be able to slap the Outsider’s outta Ci’s dreams, wouldn't be able to make my crystal mage tower. Yulia did tell me that you were smart and capable but I didn't realize exactly how much we'd click or how much we could accomplish together. Boy am I glad that I was wrong about you!”

"Not entirely wrong," she smirked. "I am pretty easy to manipulate–if you know how. Just gotta offer me something interesting enough."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Like whatever you are," she purred, leaning closer.

"A broken human in a stack of NPCs?" I suggested.

"A shiny, mental lockbox puzzle, perfect for trapping a very curious birb’s attention," she corrected. "Say, how many are you in there?"

"Four," I said. "Primary four personality-shift archetypes. Architect, Champion, Understanding, Leader."

"Which one am I talking to right now?" Vespera continued her interrogation.

"The Architect," I answered. "Alexander Glock. Builds systems, plans, strategizes. Good with jokes. Doesn't have flaws that would get in the way of conversation."

"Flaws such as?"

"Such as being very distracted by a naked Thunderbird currently inhabiting my chest," I said dryly.

“You're gonna have to cycle through them all for me so that I can determine how it all works,” she said, nipping at my neck.

“Sure,” I nodded.

A blue eye opened amidst a mop of rainbow feathers to stare at me.

"Did it hurt?" Cinder asked.

"Did what hurt?" I asked with a cheeky grin. “Falling from heaven?”

"Pfff. No, damn it. Fragmenting yourself," she clarified with an amused dragon noise. "Breaking into multiple personas. Did it hurt?"

"Pain is relative," I shrugged. "Losing mom... hurt much more."

Cinder reached out to me and squeezed my hand hard, sliding closer and burrowing her head in my side.

I cycled through the four shattered shells in my psyche slowly exposing each for Vespera’s mental scan.

"Hrmmm," Vespera held a sparkling talon on my forehead. "What you've done shouldn't be possible."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because," she said. "You can't just shatter a single soul into four distinctive concepts. Not as a magic-less human.”

"And yet here we are," I said.

"Mmm, yes. You’re iffy. Very iffy," she clicked. "I was muchly wrong about you too. There are definitely four distinctive souls inside you. It's hard to spot static amidst static. Basically it's [Human[human[human[human]]]]. You're like a human soul matryoshka!”

"And?"

"It's the weirdest shit I've had the pleasure to work with," Vespera waved her talons. "Most humans can barely maintain a single coherent personality. You've got four, and they're not just fragments - they're fully realized, functional personas that can take over and operate independently. Enough to function as a Dreamancy skill. I’m a dream expert that I don’t think that I could split myself like that to hold someone down.”

"Just a survival mechanism," I shrugged. "Uncle George taught me early that adaptability means survival. They aren't just singular. I can mix and match, adjusting the parameters, be 50% Leader and 50% Champion, etc.

"Consider me quadruple-curious," she sent more sparks raining across my forehead. "It's honestly both impressive and highly concerning. A lesser Dreamancer might consider you incurably insane, but I think that what you've done is deviously clever.”

"'Preciate it," I grinned. "Always wanted to be called smartypants by a sparkly birb."

Vespera rolled her eyes and sent a playful electrical zap directly into my mind. [Don't get cocky, human-sausage.] Her mental-static-voice laughed.

"I'll do much more than that!" I grabbed her sides, fingers digging into soft down feathers, tickling her.

"Ah ha ha ha, nooo, stoooooawwwwwpp! You've found my one weakness, you devious creature!" She bucked and heaved, laughing and swatting at me.

A heavy fist banged on our door, making it wobble.

"Oi," Kat's voice came through. "You knobs. Stop playing around and get dressed. We have a prisoner to interrogate."

----------------------------------------

Gabriella Matrosin, the Arx Bank rep and Earth-transit gate Vault Keeper stretched lazily on her balcony overlooking the early morning streets of Shandria. The early morning light cast a soft golden hue across her dark fur, her tail swishing idly as she reached for her steaming cup of Kitlix-crafted coffee.

Many things have gone sideways and her owners weren't pleased. She spent nearly all day yesterday making Voicecast calls and explaining the problem to far too many angry people promising many of them swift execution or fingers of the party responsible.

The balcony of her small apartment overlooked a narrow street lined with market stalls and early morning vendors. Gabriella looked down at the small merchants and sighed. Today was probably going to be even worse.

The Enforcers failed to arrest one of the delver teams from Earth due to an insane dragon girl unleashing Duskbloom all over Undertown. The Bank had a variety of investments in the multitude of unsavory businesses below ground and now all of them have gone up in smoke.

Shadowmancers, fighters, murderers, assassins, gambling den owners and night butterflies were fleeing Undertown and occupying Shandrian Inns. Duskbloom had spread far too rapidly and far too quickly, making the retrieval of the five pesky interdimensional delvers impossible.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The Enforcers were terrified of losing their weapons and falling asleep in the caves below. No matter how much money she offered, people simply refused to go to Undertown. Adventurers knew how dangerous Abystall dungeon was and now the dungeon had devoured, spread out, engulfed the city of criminals below her feet. It would take her some time to organize a proper high level team covered in cold-runes armor.

As she pondered the chaos of Undertown, a sudden sharp pinch struck the back of her neck.

Gabriella's coffee cup slipped from her fingers, shattering on the balcony tiles. Her vision blurred, the world spinning around her in a dizzying whirl of golden morning light and dark shadows.

Before she could cry out, strong arms caught her falling body.

. . .

Gabriella blinked rapidly as reality washed over her. She had clearly been kidnapped. Her owners would not be pleased. Who even dared take an Arx Bank agent? What sort of...

She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the gloom. The room she was in was entirely crystalline - walls, floor, ceiling, even the furniture seemed carved from transparent, slightly bluish-white crystal that allowed her to see layers deep into the structure around her.

The Bank Rep’s mouth fell open as she stared down, and down and... down.

Were those rivers down there? Entire lakes? A gargantuan waterfall?! Where on Arx was she?!

She had no idea, never seen anything like it.

"Comfortable?" a male voice asked.

Gabriella whirled up. Four figures were located across her on another crystalline couch. Her dark fur stood on end, tail curled protectively around her body. She recognized them immediately from meeting them at the bank - the delving team lead by a human who annoyed her for hours and then decided NOT to stay at the Omnid-owned Inn, instead heading into Undertown for some inexplicable reason and then...

Her professional training kicked in immediately. She straightened her posture, adjusted her bank-issued blue blazer, and spoke with practiced calm.

"I presume this is not a social call," she said.

The human - Alexander - leaned forward, a devious grin spreading across his face. "Correct. We'd like to discuss some... discrepancies in the Arx Bank's recent activities."

Vespera, the Thunderbird-kin, clicked her beak. Electrical sparks danced between her talons. "Specifically about Topaz. And necromancers. And dimensional gates. And us."

"Where's my brother, you effing beerch?!" The Quetzalcoatl-kin named Cassiopeia Nova barked, blue eyes blazing with fury.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," she said smoothly, adjusting her blazer. "Bank representatives are not privy to individual personal information."

----------------------------------------

I snapped my fingers.

"Cut the bureaucratic bullshit," Katherine's massive armored hand dug into the catgirl's shoulder. "Where. Is. Lance. Nova."

The crystal room began to fade away into absolute darkness as Gabriella screamed, submerged by the Stollwurm into the deep. When both of them reemerged from the shadow-realm, it was clear that all rational thought fled from Gabriella's head as she was reduced to a puddle of pure, primal terror.

"W-what was that?" she managed to mewl.

"The Deep," Katherine growled. "Where fear is a language, and I'm fluent."

Gabriella's fur stood on end, her tail curling protectively around her body.

"L-lance N-nova has b-bb-been deported from Arx!" The Banker cried out, trembling like a leaf. "Y-your Om-omnid-kin... and every other E-e-earth d-deliving team were ar-arrested yesterday by our Enforcers," she heaved. "And d-deported from Arx!"

"Deported WHERE?" Cinder hissed at my side.

"B-back t-to e-e-Eaarth!" Gabriella sobbed out as tears ran down her cheeks. "P-per our agreement w-with Lord Zalimar... W-we are not to harm his students!"

"I banished Zalimar to another dimension," I learned forward, "So how exactly is he enforcing such agreements?"

Gabriella's ears flattened. "He... has contingency protocols. Pre-arranged instructions with the Bank in case of his... unexpected absence."

"Convenient," Katherine growled from above, looming over the much smaller banker. "Keep talking."

The catgirl's tail twitched nervously. Her professional veneer had been shattered, obliterated, torn away by the primal terror of the deep.

"The deportation happened yesterday," she stammered. "All Earth delvers were processed through the Obsidian o-one way Gate i-into the Omnid chapel. It's s-standard bureaucratic procedure when interdimensional travelers become... problematic. Y-you s-should have c-come willingly, like the-the others! You can't just k-kidnap Arx Bank Representatives and t-torture them for answers w-with fear magics!"

"We heard your conversation with Grand Moloch Arkenish," I pointed out. "What was it he said about fingers?"

Katherine's claws dug into Gabriella's shoulder, making her scream.

"I c-c-can't say the t-t-ruth-ff o-out loud!" she sobbed, shaking. "B-bound b-by a b-blood contract!"

"Hrm," Vespera got up and marched to the Banker. "Maybe you can think it then. Let me speak on your behalf."

She circled the catgirl and her magisteel talons dug into the Bank Rep's head, blood dripping from her temples.

"It's standard procedure to satisfy Undertown clients," Vespera clicked, sounding somewhat like Gabriella. "We wouldn't have killed you."

"Oh?" I asked.

"Our Agents would have simply knocked you out and made flesh duplicates!" Vespera said for the Banker. "We aren't monsters! The manufactured magic flesh-duplicates would have gotten cut up and their various bits would be shipped to the parties your team has offended! It's standard protocol. Then you would have been banned for one hundred years from Shandria! That was our agreement with Lord Zalimar!"

Gabriella nodded, and twitched madly, tears streaming down her fur as electrical current danced across her striped fur.

Katherine's emerald eyes narrowed. "And where exactly would these duplicates be created?"

Gabriella yelped as lightning struck her temples. The Thunderbird wasn't gentle.

"The body Forge," Vespera said for Gabriella. "Located in the sub-basement of the Banking Complex. Minus sixth level. Shit. I really shouldn't have revealed this to you! You have to stop tearing answers out of me with magic! They'll actually kill you for what you're doing, instead of just deporting you! Stop reading my mind!"

"What, like Quint, Emerald and Solance?" The Quetzi-girl at my side barked.

"That wasn't us!" Gabriella cried out on her own now. "Emerald Stratos attacked a local and was arrested by City Watch! The Watch Scruts processed her according to local law! The Arx Bank just facilitates the local legal system, we are not actively harming anyone!"

"You distribute Topaz," Katherine hissed. "A magical drug that fucks people up."

"T-that's not what I meant!" Gabriella waled. "W-we s-simply... Topaz isn't illegal in Shandria! It's a recreational drug! Some people simply use too much of it! We don't create it, we just facilitate trade, assist with transactions and currency exchanges! You have to bring me back home! Please! If you keep me prisoner here, the Bank will..."

She fell silent.

"...send actual high level Executioners to take all of you out. They will be wearing cold runes." Vespera finished for Gabriella.

"How high level?" I asked.

"As high as Level 95. The Bank has contracts with all major Guilds! Manhunters, Shadowmancers, Hunters! The Bank Scruts will trace my location through my bracelet's mana signature in seconds when they realize that I'm not at work!" Vespera voiced Gabriella's thoughts.

"What bracelet?" I asked.

Gabriella's gray eyes shot at her wrist. There was no bracelet there. She choked. Shash had pulled all of her artifacts off and dressed her in a basic gray robe before the interrogation.

"Your bracelet's in another dimension," I explained. "Good luck to your Scruts trying to locate it there. You're going to be chucked in there too, unless you prove yourself useful. I don't deal in half measures. I don't obey your rules. Why can't we reach Innkeeper Nikkola or Chapel Keeper Vassily?"

"Lock down measures," Vespera clicked for Gabriella. "The Domovoy Omnid cousins operate deep underground beneath the Bank and beneath the Inn. Their domains were built under our supervision. They were fully dimensionally cut off... because of the current situation and the situation in Undertown. Wait... is this Undertown?"

Gabriella stared up, finally recognizing some of the terrain visible above. "By her Shadow... what sort of magic has done this?!"

"Can you get us into the vault or turn off whatever is blocking access to the gate?" I asked.

"N-no!" Gabriella shook her head.

"It takes more than one person to unlock a vault. I'm bound by blood contracts, cannot assist your escape back to Earth," Vespera revealed the Banker's thoughts.

"Uh-huh," I nodded. "So what do you suggest we do?"

Gabriella's ears flattened against her head. Her tail curled protectively around her body as she realized she was trapped between monsters far more dangerous than any bureaucratic protocol.

"C-come with me to the Bank with me and s-s-surrender," she offered. "The Enforcers will knock you out and chuck you into the one-way dimensional gate where your Keeper will take you back home."

"What about the Omnid trio getting executed tomorrow?" I asked.

"I can't stop their execution," Gabriella swallowed. "But I will have one of our agents retrieve their bracelets from the storage vaults after after their execution, making a duplicate item. Likewise, they will be thrown into a one-way gate to your Keeper who will s-send them back home. S-see? Nobody has to die today! Please just let me go!"

"Nah," I said. "I like it here. I'm not getting banished for a century from Shandria."

"B-but it'll only be a year from your point of view!" Gabriella tried to convince me with pleading, big, kittenly, gray eyes. "B-besides there are gates from your world to other places on Arx! Just use them! We're only banishing you from Shandria!"

I leaned back, my eyes never leaving her face. "No," I said simply. "I don't think I will. Here's what I'm going to do, Miss Matrosin... I'm going to print my own non-magical currency and open my own Bank in Shandria."

"W-what?!" The catgirl's eyes went wide.

"A merchant upstairs told me that Shandria is a city with very few laws," I explained. "I don't like the way your Bank operates, so I'm going to open my own. Also, I'm going to make you a choice you can't refuse. You can either die now now or you can work for me as my Bank Rep. You have clearly experience in the business, know the locals."

Gabriella's striped gray and white ears twitched. "And if I refuse?" she mewled.

Katherine's emerald eyes gleamed dangerously. "Then you get to drown in the Deep."

Vespera clicked her beak. Electrical sparks danced between her talons. "Ke ke ke. Think carefully, kitty."

Gabriella swallowed hard. "I... I can't work for another Bank or take any other job." She sobbed out.

"The blood contracts on my soul won't let me assist our competitors," Vespera added Gabriella's thoughts.

"Ah. Not an issue," I said. "Blood contracts operate on magic. What do you see below us, Miss Matrosin?"

Gabriella looked down through the transparent crystal floor. Beneath us stretched a vast, bioluminescent landscape - rivers of soft green and blue light, caverns glowing with ethereal radiance, strange crystalline structures pulsing with inner life and beneath it all the radiant fields of the dungeon.

"That's... Abystall Dungeon," she whispered with a shudder of dawning horror.

"Correct," I said. "So, that's a yes on the job offer or do you wish to die in the deep?"

"Yes," Gabriella mewled.

"Excellent!" I smiled. "How can I disable the dimensional bubble around the Omnid chapel?"

"Not possible," Vespera replied for the Banker. "Three blood magic keys are required to unlock the Ward Core room. The controls are aligned to blood and bodies of specific Bank Reps"

"And if these keys were stolen?" I asked.

"The keys won't work without the High Arch-Bankers!" Vespera revealed Gabriella's thoughts. "These Bankers are constantly under security unlike me!"

"And if someone were to say... destroy the Ward Core room?" I asked. "Or unleashed Duskbloom inside the Bank?"

"WHAT?!" Gabriella's eyes went wide.

"Destruction of the Ward Core room would leave the entire Bank without power. It would take the Bank weeks or months to fix something like that depending on the damage," Vespera said. "The Bank ward would seal itself shut if something like Duskbloom was released inside."

"Excellent," I grinned. "Now think in terms of directions - where's the Ward Core room?"

"Got it," Vespera clicked.

"Shash, knock Gabriella out and leave her in a room filled with Duskbloom. Don't let her die, but burn all magic out of her," I ordered. "Let's see if Duskbloom can eat blood contracts."

Gabriella yelped as another needle went through her neck courtesy of my Assassin.

It was nice to have good people on my team.