Cinder stared at my hand for a long moment, her feathers shifting through troubled grays.

Vespera dropped on my other side, leaning on my shoulder.

"I didn't think you could do so much in so little time," she smiled. "And yet here we are. Good job!"

Cinder's bracelet vibrated. She tapped it with a resigned look.

The usual blue-silver holo-projection of Quint's head manifested from her ID tag artifact.

"It is now the evening of day two," he said sharply. "Why hasn't your team registered in the cathedral, Captain Nova?"

I leaned towards Cinder, tapping her bracelet to zoom out and show all of us.

"Sup, Pres?" I asked. "What's the rush?"

"The rush?" Quint's holographic eyebrows rose. "The purpose of YOUR first delve on Arx is to register your team, receive your initial, basic in-town Quests, and begin building your reputation with the Adventurers Guild as Iron-rank delvers. Instead, you've spent two days doing... what exactly?"

"Shopping," I said cheerfully. "Lots and lots of outfit shopping. Right team?"

"Ye," Vespera clicked. "Totes. Getting swank gear n' stuff."

"And making sure our Quartermaster doesn't die," Io added.

"Die?" Quint's holographic eyes narrowed. "Shandria is perfectly safe during the day, especially for a team of five Omnids, four of whom already have Arx-delving experience! You do get that I'm going to give you all zeroes for your first delving class unless you all follow the program!"

"We've already registered as adventurers," I said.

"No, you haven't!" Quint growled. "If you did, I would know! I'm in contact with Adventurers Guild Secretary, Sister Antiqilla! Everyone already registered and checked in, except for your team!"

"Actually." I grinned. "We registered at THE Adventurers Guild. Not the Cathedral one. The Gloomy Horse Guild."

"WHAT?" Quint sputtered. "That's not a..."

"It's the official Adventurers Guild of Undertown, according to the merchants I talked to from the market upstairs," I said. "The Gloomy Horse is connected to three dungeons, including the dangerously exciting Duskbloom-filled Abystall dungeon and a bunch of other fun places for mid to high-level delvers. On the account that I'm merely an Iron rank beginner, we're currently doing community service for Undertown."

Vespera choked from where she was sitting, clamping her beak with her claws, trying very hard not to break out into fits of laughter.

"You're... doing community service?" Quint blinked, glancing at Vee with a look of suspicion. "In... Undertown?"

"Yes, my dude!" I declared. "Just like I did community service in a soup kitchen for Triumvirate Slayers Cathedral in Cradlefall! This is what I do! I love helping people. Not the people who are well off and want their lost kittens rescued or something. My team is helping out those who need it most!"

"Community service," Quint repeated skeptically. "And what exactly does this... service entail?"

"Oh, you know," I waved vaguely. "Feeding the poor. Helping the less fortunate. Assisting with infrastructure repairs. Helping people find jobs. The usual stuff I did with Father Matthias Jonannes in Scab Row!"

"In Undertown," Quint said. "The... criminal district filled with magic drug dens?"

"First of all, not everyone down here is a criminal or a gang member. Did you even read my reference paperwork? I've a month of experience in Scab Row running a soup kitchen and Nazarite volunteer organization. I've already helped feed a bunch of orphaned children here in Undertown. Besides that, everyone deserves a chance at redemption," I said, channeling my most pious tone as Christophorus Elijah. "Especially criminals and addicts. After all, what would Slayer Nazareth do?"

"The delving class program..." Quint began his lecture-tone tune.

"Was written by Instructor Zalimar," I said. "Who need I remind you, does not give a shit about the downtrodden. Haven't you heard why me and the other Mixie students sued Zalimar? Also, do consider the fact that one of our team members is disabled."

"Disabled?" Quint's holographic eyes narrowed. "I am aware of that, but what does that have to do with anything?"

I pointed a finger at Kat.

"Katherine has a condition," I said. "She can't do jobs upstairs! Sunlight hurts her! How do you not know this? She can barely function during daytime in Shandria and night jobs there are off-limits due to the hungry Shadowbeasts roaming the streets. How is she supposed to do Quests in the city or the outside fields? Katherine, please demonstrate how well you can walk down here."

Katherine shot me a glare but stood up from her couch, walking gracefully beside us, armor and hexamesh dark blue outfit below it glittering and reflecting the light from the glowing, cozy fireplace Kitlix.

"See?" I said to Quint's hologram as his skull-socket eyes tracked the girl clad in magisteel armor. "Down here, in the dark, she's perfectly fine! The local Aetheric density plus darkness permits her to walk properly. We're doing important community initiative work here, helping the locals while accommodating our Knight's special needs!"

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"But..." Quint began.

"Pres," I said with a serious tone. "I believe I already told you not to mess with me two days ago. If you keep pestering me and threaten to give me a zero for class or do anything else that interferes with me or my team's Knight, I will absolutely email a video recording of this conversation to Father Matthias after class. I'm sure you'd love to explain to the Nazarite church exactly why you're not allowing someone who can't walk properly a chance to participate in delving activities in a way that accommodates her disability."

Quint's holographic eyes flickered. "I... that's not what I..."

"Furthermore," I continued, "I have extensive documentation of our community service activities here. Would you like to see the forms signed off and stamped by the Guild of Undertown? Why is it that you're pestering me so hard when I'm just trying to help people? Is it because Emerald is pushing you into a particular direction? Because she wants me to waste time upstairs, because she wants Katherine to suffer from sunlight exposure? Need I remind you that around one year and ten months ago, or so, Emerald initiated a well documented, online bullying campaign against Katherine?"

"I... I will need to consult with the faculty about this... after class," Quint said carefully, clearly flummoxed by my words. "Your... alternative approach to delving activities is... rather... unprecedented."

"Of course it is," I nodded sagely. "Nobody thinks about the disabled or the poor! Everyone just wants to do exciting Quests upstairs killing wild rabbits or collecting rare grasses in the sunshine fields next to the farmer fields and markets! But some of us have a calling to help those in need. By the way, where is Emerald?"

"She's... in her room," Quint let out. "Recovering from a series of unfortunate events."

"What kind of events?" I asked. "I do hope that she's okay."

"She's fine," Quint exhaled. "It's just that whenever she goes out for shopping, or Quests, something terrible happens. Missing a step on the stairs, doors closing on her unexpectedly, old ladies dumping... Various waste out of their windows that lands on her. Children calling her names. Slipping on old fruit peels."

"Oh no," I said. "Did someone jinx her?"

"Seems like it," Quint sighed. "She probably pissed off some high-level Archmage in Shandria. Anyways, it's not a big deal. The jinx will likely clear up in a day or two."

"Perhaps she should take some time to reflect on her actions," I suggested. "Maybe do some community service herself? I personally find it very therapeutic."

"I... will pass along your suggestion," Quint said carefully. "About your... alternative delving activities. I suppose as long as your Captain and team document everything properly..."

"Don't worry about documentation," I assured him. "I'm very thorough with paperwork. I learned much working at the Slayers Cathedral."

I elbowed Cinder.

"Yes. We're doing... important... community work. Very important. Helping people and... stuff," she mewled out, blue eyes staring daggers at me like she wanted to strangle me.

"And are you staying safe?" Quint asked her. "No unauthorized delving, yes, Captain Nova?"

"Um. Yes. Very safe," Cinder replied with a very wooden tone. "Just... helping people. With things. Safe things."

"Such as?"

"Um," Cinder let out. "We're helping... renovate the local Guild using my brother's bricking wand! Yes. Nothing dangerous."

"See Pres?" I beamed. "Everything's fine. Don't worry about us! We're just doing good deeds, helping the less fortunate, making the world a better place. One act of kindness at a time. Detailed reports about our charitable activities will be on your desk at the end of delving class! Over and out!"

I tapped Cinder's ID tag and Quint's somewhat concerned face winked away.

"Charitable activities?" Cinder rounded on me. "You cheeky bastard!"

"A-ha-ha-ha," Vespera finally exploded, slapping the couch and heaving. "Charity plague! Spreadin' love and mites across Undertown! The gift that keeps on giving! Oh my Slayer, my sides! You're Slayin' me!"

"This isn't funny!" Cinder protested.

"Community service via pest control!" Vespera cackled. "Helping the downtrodden by forcing them into cold tunnels!"

"Your sense of humor concerns me," Katherine growled.

"Everything about this situation concerns me," Cinder added.

"It's only what Slayer Nazareth would do!" The Thunderbird flapped her wings, dying from laughter. "Blessed be the mites, for they shall inherit Undertown! For just a silver a day, you too can be saved from their parasitic embrace!"

"Vee! Damn it, stop encouraging him!" Cinder growled.

"But he's so good at being bad!" Vespera clicked, hugging me. "I can't even. We must all do our part n' help the downtrodden with... biological weapons! For charity!"

She rolled onto my lap, cackling and crying and sending sparks all over me.

Kat and Cinder exchanged exasperated looks. Io was softly snickering from his reading nook.

When I set out from North Acadia in beginning of January I did not expect such spectacular results.

I expected to be alone, fighting against the world, to be constantly on the run from the Frontenachii Wendigos. Instead, I found people who accepted me, supported me, even claimed me as their own.

I looked around at my companions - Vespera in my lap staring up at me, Cinder trying (and failing) to maintain her disapproving glare, Katherine rolling her emerald eyes at our antics, and Io quietly observing everything from his alcove. Each of them brought something unique to our strange little group of friends... to our new family.

Cinder let out a deep sigh and finally reached out towards my hand, squeezing it.

I smiled at her, squeezing her hand back.

Even as I orchestrated chaos across Undertown, they all stayed by my side. They might not approve of my methods, but they were here. Supporting me. Protecting me. Caring about me. Uplifting me.

There were still a million things to do, and more dangerous, deadly trials to face, but for the first time since mom died, I felt... whole.

Complete.

Like I belonged... somewhere.

Even if that somewhere was a criminal Guild tower in the middle of a mite-infested underground city.

Even if my new family consisted of a tsundere rainbow dragon-bird, a thunder-happy Valley girl with a heart of gold, a grumpy dragon-cat artist, and a disaster-sensing, gate-opening moth.

Even if I had to lie, cheat, and unleash biological weapons to protect them all.

This was home now. These were my people. My Clan, as Vee put it.

And I would do anything - ANYTHING - to keep them safe, to never lose them again to whatever came next, be it an immortal Koshei, Arx Bankers, Frontenachii Scrutimancers, or even reality-rewriting System Wizards themselves.

The thought of Zee Captain made me shiver slightly. What was he really? What game was she playing at? Why give me a lighter that generated mana? Why tell me about Alexa?

Was this my education as a System Wizard? Was this... Manchester, my... online course for learning how to rewrite reality one word, one action at a time while moving from world to world?

So many questions, so few answers. But that was okay.

I had time now. Time and resources and people who believed in me. People who would stand with me against whatever came next.

That's all that mattered in... the end.