Mind reeling, I fall head over heels into a yawning chasm.

Before I can even register that I've fallen into a space below what should have been rock bottom I'm caught by a net of taunt metal wire.

Groaning, I try to sit up on the patterned surface. Reaching out to try and push myself up and feeling my arm slip through the patchwork net shocks me back to clarity. I frantically grab onto the thick wire with both hands, determined not to accidentally fall through.

Looking around reveals a space far beyond what I ever imagined could be below the city.

All around me in a ring is a glowing circle of brilliant blue crystals. With a start, I recognize them as raw oricite. There had been a few of them among the materials Bodelee and Isao had worked with when I watched them forge, so I recognized their unique blue hue. Trying to approximate the diameter of the ring leaves me to guess this space is at least as large as the city above.

The ring of light is only broken by eight massive pillars of darkness. It's hard to tell looking only at their backside, but if I had to guess I'd say they're the primary support pillars holding up the city, angled to burrow into the surrounding walls of this massive cavity.

I don't hold even the slightest inclination they connect to the bottom of this gargantuan space, because looking down I can see far, far in the distance below me a light from the bottom of this cavern. I can't even begin to approximate how deep this hole goes, but I'd guess it's several kilometers at least.

Looking up to where I fell from I see a small hole of light amid the darkness of the underside of the city. The ring of oricite provides the barest of illumination, and reinforcing my eyes to better adapt to the darkness I see the bottom of the city is a cluttered mess of old and forgotten structures jutting out from the belly of level 15.

From what I can tell it seems the place I fell through is one of the only places where the floorboards of level 15 actually connect directly with this space. The surrounding architecture makes it seem like there used to be some sort of installation in the place I fell through, but it had decayed away from neglect and disuse.

A blast of hot air rockets up from the depths, strong enough to lift my body off the netting. Only my handhold on the wire keeps me rooted in place as I'm subjected to scorching heat.

After feeling like I'm about to run out of air from holding my breath in the blazing heat, the pressure from the wave of air finally abates, dropping my wrung out body back onto the wire in a heap.

I have no idea what the hell this place is, but I have the distinct feeling I'm not supposed to be here.

I take a moment to ponder my options. From what I can tell, I can either clamber over this netting on all fours until I reach the wall then make my way up from there, or I can magic my way back up the hole I came through. The first option would mean I get moving immediately, while the second would mean I sit here for a bit developing a spell that resembles a grappling hook.

Looking toward the glowing ring I reinforce my senses to see if I can perceive anything, and sure enough I can hear the faint chipping of pickaxes on rock.

So this place isn't completely forgotten then. No, something tells me this is the true source of Voset's famed supply of oricite. Which means it's meant to be ultra secret. Which also means I'm definitely not supposed to be here.

Taking those assumptions as fact, I start devising a spell to make my way back up the way I fell down, but stop as my reinforced senses alert me to a buzzing coming steadily closer.

Looking around I seek to find the source of the buzzing, fearing a new unknown danger. Even as I lay eyes on the shadow zipping over the wire I feel a stinging in my shoulder, then my thigh.

Looking down I see feathered darts protruding from my horrifically dirty clothing. Even as I look back to the cart-like vehicle moving toward me at a rapid pace I feel my eyes grow heavy, and it becomes hard to focus.

Shit.

My strength gives out and I sink into a blissful oblivion.

***

I'm awoken by somebody snapping their fingers in front of my face.

With a start, I bolt upright. I'm in a dark cobblestone room with a heavy wooden door being the only way out. The one so rudely snapping their fingers in my face is a short figure that I can barely make out.

I raise my hands to rub my temples, trying to clear away the remaining haze, and realize my hands are bound in manacles.

The other person stares at me silently. Reinforcing my senses to see better in the dark for the second time today, if it was even still the same day, I examine the other prisoner.

The man is short and lean, with pitch black hair and manacles around his wrists to match my own. I slowly realize I've seen this man before, though he's not someone I was ever especially inclined to meet personally.

"Good day," the black haired tink says, a flirtatious smile playing across his lips.

"Is it?"

"Still day? I'm not actually sure, to be honest. As to whether it's a good one, I suppose you'd have to answer that. Mine hasn't been particularly awful, to tell the truth."

"I'd hate to see what you consider a bad day if this isn't particularly awful," I say, slowly trying to make my way to my feet. The movement makes my head spin, like the deathly feeling after a night spent trying to feel alive.

"Well, y'know, gotta make the best of what you've got." He looks me over with a curious eye, "I'm guessing if they threw you in here then you also saw it."

"It?" I ask, feigning ignorance.

He gives an exasperated sigh, "Oh come now, you're one of three things. An agent sent in here to try and scope out whatever info I know. Someone with intentions nefarious or material in nature, but without the brains to back up the ambition. Or a hapless idiot that somehow stumbled upon the most deeply concealed secret in perhaps the entire kingdom of Wald."

He puts a hand up to his chin and looks me over, "Based solely on your age I'd guess option three, but looks can be deceiving. Never know how low the mob is willing to stoop to get what they want. Certainly not old enough for the brigade to accept you though."

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"Yeah, I fell through some old floorboards, okay?" It's clear I don't have to pretend, as it's evident he knows about that place too. The crystals down there would be worth enough to build a small empire and have some left over, so it's easy to imagine the scenario about it having drawn the attention of the mob if discovered.

"Oof, unlucky. Well, I've got some decent news for you, they aren't going to kill you. At least I assume they won't"

"How would you know if you're still in here?"

"Oh, they've brought me out a few times over the past day. They want me to sign this contract, and say once I do I'll be let free."

"A contract?" My mind immediately goes to a dark place, "Like a slave contract?"

"No, no," He says, waving away the notion, "You've gotta lighten up. These dwarves are strict but rarely are they cruel by nature. No, it basically goes something like 'don't say or do anything to reveal our secret, blah blah.'"

"So they're forcibly silencing us."

"I mean it's not a horrible outcome. They gave me the choice between that or death, but maybe they'll be a bit easier on you since your expiration date isn't fast approaching."

His words remind me of Morvin and I go silent. Sensing my mood shift he says, "Yeesh, why can't anyone take a joke?"

"Sorry, I just lost a friend today who had a similar condition."

"Ooooh… Sorry, putting salt in the wound, my bad."

The conversation dies and I walk over to the door while trying to put the pieces of the day's events together in my mind. The tink takes a seat on the single wooden bench in the room.

Looking through the iron barred window slit on the door I see the passage beyond is more akin to the rest of the city, with wooden architecture and gas lamps illuminating the hallway.

How the hell did that all go so wrong so fast?

What was meant to be a simple gathering of information had turned into a bloody struggle and had led to Morvin's death as well as the discovery of that place below. The idea that the entire city sits suspended over that gaping abyss is hard to wrap my head around.

"What was his name?" A voice interrupts my thoughts.

"Morvin," I say softly.

"What, uh, ailed him?" The tink's cocky attitude is gone, replaced with a hesitant solemness.

"He was a dwarf who chipped his heartstone."

I try to think of how to phrase the symptoms of a cracked heartstone but the tink speaks before I can say anything, "Damn, that's a shitty way to go. To not even have full control before the end… damn."

"How'd you know that?" Nobody in Zeph's company besides the dwarves had known what plagued Morvin, and it struck me as extremely unlikely that it was anywhere near a common issue, considering the likelihood that anything packing enough power to actually manage to crack the damn thing didn't kill the host simultaneously.

The tink freezes as though he's been caught in an act and tries to play it off, "Well, y'know… I've just spent a lot of time around dwarves. So I know these things."

I put on my best 'I'm not falling for your bullshit' face.

The flirtatious grin returns to his face as he gives up the act, "I just like to learn things others would rather keep hidden, is there anything so wrong with that?"

"I think most people would agree that qualifies as breaking the law, actually."

He puts his hands up in a 'well, what can you do?' gesture.

I let out a long sigh, "Well, the illness didn't seem to matter in the end. He was murdered."

"Oh? Do tell."

Despite the tinks annoyingly positive attitude, I tell him about the day's events.

After I'm finished the tink takes a moment to process it all before saying, "Damn, I miss one day and this happens. Well, good for your friend at least."

"What? Good for him? The hell is that supposed to mean? He was murdered, how the fuck can you say that?"

The tink wears the most serious face I've seen him adorn yet and says, "I know you don't get this, but simply waiting to die fucking sucks. Did he say anything before he went? Any final words?"

I recall the detailed memory I had been trying to avoid, "Better to burn out in a blaze than flicker into nothing."

The tink nods, a deep knowing in his eyes, "You see, if I was in his place I would have done the same thing. It's hard to get when you've got so much time left, but faced with the end there isn't much left but to leave something behind."

"Yeah, he said something similar I think."

"I think I would have very much enjoyed a conversation with him. Morvin, you said his name was?"

I try to mimic the tinks earlier attitude, adopting a coy smirk, "So what're you planning on leaving behind? Got any friends or loved ones to leave memories with?"

The tink smiles back, but it doesn't reach his eyes. His eyes burn with the flame of ambition, "No, I plan on leaving something much more important behind. A legacy that won't soon be forgotten. Not by this generation or the next."

"Something tells me it has to do with that bigass hole down there. What's that place called, anyway?"

"From what I've heard the workers call it the abyss or the true mine. I'm sure you've figured out that's the true source of Voset's wealth."

"Yeah, but why does that massive pit exist in the first place? It would have taken centuries to excavate, and it's simply not possible to have moved that much earth somewhere else without there being any record of it. And why build the city over it, not around or nearby? It's like…"

It's like a corked bottle.

"Is that the sealed prison?" I mumble to myself.

"Hoh… that's a rather specific moniker you've picked up there. Do you really want to know?"

"You're saying you do?"

"I know almost everything there is to know in this city. I know every hidden passage and tunnel the shadow brigade uses. I know where the legend of treasure that filled this city to the brim with troublemakers came from. I know you've been staying at our dear duchess' residence with a little party of friends, and I know someone wants your head very badly."

The last one makes my heart skip a beat, "You…"

"Do you think it's normal for someone to lay on the roof of the duchess' manor without consequence? That alone set off flags to every dealer of information in the city. It's kinda treated as almost a freebie at this point."

Have I done anything other than make mistakes since coming to this city?

"Still, it's not all bad. Even I'm not sure why they chase you, which means someone is either suppressing that info or you've got more luck than you know what to do with. Though considering the events of today I'd say it's much more likely to be the former."

"Who are you?"

"Hmm," The tink seems to consider that for a second before playing with his hair a bit, "Let's just call me Black for now."

"Please no. I already know somebody who goes by that alias, so it'd get needlessly confusing."

"Oh," That seemed to take the wind out of his sails, breaking the cool character moment he had going. After a moment of thought he comes up empty and says, "Fine, we'll forget the alias. It's all posturing anyway I guess. I'm Hithe."

"Stein," A thought hits me, "Speaking of names, if you know so much then how about you tell me the name of the asshole who tried to kill me today."

"You know, usually I'd charge for this kind of thing, but seeing as we're jail buddies I'll give you a freebie of my own. Goes by the name Lleig. Not sure what his surname is, if he even has one."

"Lleig, huh?"

Seeing my expression, he smiles, "I think I'll give you another freebie. If you wanna know more about the 'sealed prison' then I suggest you look through the library's hidden archive."

"And where's that?"

"I'll let you figure that out yourself. I'll just say it's about where you'd expect, not off in some random corner of the city or something. You'll be looking for a book called 'Erased.'"

"Got it. When do you think the guard will come back around? I'm not keen on sitting in here forever."

"Yeah, neither am I," While I'm looking out the door wistfully I hear the clatter of metal on stone. Turning back to look at the tink I see he's freed himself of the manacles and is rubbing his freed wrists.

"I think it's about time I left this shithole. And I'm not signing no damn contract."