Vivi dreamed of runesmithing on her way up the stairs.

A single runesword would turn the hierarchy upside down, at least on the higher levels of the dungeon. Vivi would simply need metals and a few tools, and she could craft herself a sword powerful enough to cut through just about anything.

But were runeswords even allowed? Only the guards were keeping runeswords. If the Stewards wanted to keep nimrods weak below three hundred ether, banning runeswords made sense.

Vivi was stepping into the room where Jorr had died, about to exit the free dungeon, when she sensed something. She paused. Her exit was blocked.

Three demons stood by the stairs. Their figures were almost fully covered in dark blue hoods. Horns poked out through holes in the hoods. The white of their eyes was black. One woman, two men.

Alarm bells rang off in Vivi’s head. These demons were different from the ones below. The demons’ eyes were filled with intent. They weren’t waiting for monsters to respawn. They were waiting for Vivi.

Hesitantly, Vivi turned around, knowing this was not a bunch she wanted to mess with.

Behind her, another demon in a dark blue cloak blocked the way down. The figure stood like an assassin. He carried a dagger in both of his hands. The blades were pitch black, freshly sharpened. Asmite daggers.

Lucius? Vivi thought. Her instincts flared warnings, but the only action she could take was stand still and hope she wasn’t killed. Plans?

“Hear them out,” Lucius said. “They have no reason to kill us.”

The dagger wielder made a move first, stepping closer to Vivi. She made no attempts at running. “Hello, dear,” he said. “I see you’ve introduced yourself to the dungeon.”

She eyed the three demons ahead of her. They didn’t openly show their weapons, but Vivi knew her chances of squeezing past them was zero. Her only option was to talk.

“I’m sorry if I broke a rule,” Vivi said. “I’m new.”

“Oh, you’ve acted flawlessly,” the dagger wielder said, suddenly right beside Vivi. He drew the dagger against the skin of her ear, drawing blood. “You’ve followed the rules perfectly. A little too well. You see, from the moment you entered, I don’t think I’ve seen you spend any of your ether.”

Stay composed, Vivi told herself. He’s a bully. That’s no different from Bero. Or Ollo. Or anyone in this mess.

“You want to take my starting ether,” Vivi said.

The dagger wielder grinned. “A smart one. Hand it over. Fifty ether, and we’ll let you go.”

“But you also can’t kill me,” Vivi said. “If you do, my fifty ether will become closer to five.”

“A smart deduction once again,” the demon said. “We cannot kill you. But, oh, we can make your life hell.” He pulled the blade from her ear to her cheek. Vivi felt a tingle as her skin was cut just deep enough to cause a wound. “We cannot rape or kill you, but we can cut off your tongue, beat you unconscious, steal your clothes, toss your crippled and naked body into a smoldering furnace. I’m prepared to go as far as it takes, and I won’t take things slow. Fifty ether is a lot.”

It took serious effort to stay composed. Lucius… Worst case, offer him fifty ether.

Lucius nodded silently within her. He was disgusted, wanting nothing more than to kill the demon before them, but even he knew this was not an opponent they could match.

“Can you not see inside my reserves?” Vivi asked.

“No,” the demon said. “But anyone with common sense will know you wield at least fifty ether, on top of whatever you stole from that crazed man’s corpse. I am not here to argue.”

Vivi took a deep breath. “My soul is in debt, sir,” she said. “I received fifty ether, but I don’t hold fifty ether. That’s because my soul is in the negatives.”

“That’s impossible,” the demon said. “No life will survive at zero ether for more than a day at most. To fall into the negatives means death.”

“God Ythar keeps me alive,” Vivi said. “A human soul does not require ether before adolescence. Any human below eighteen years old is allowed into debt.”

The demon frowned. For a moment, he seemed to consider her words.

Then he slashed at her face, cutting her cheek open.

Vivi fumbled backward by the shock. Blood dripped from the wound. The slash was deep; she was losing blood rapidly.

Treatment was the last thing on her mind. She considered running—or rather, her legs almost shot for the escape on their own. She managed to stop herself. Running would only cause more harm.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Fifty ether is a lot,” the demon said. “But it’s not enough to fuck around for. Give me the ether. I would prefer not to torture you.”

Holy mother of ether! Vivi cursed. Lucius’s ether ran through her muscles, helping her keep what little confidence she had.

“Have me tested,” Vivi asked. Her voice trembled more than she would have liked. “This is easy to prove, no?”

“Testing costs,” the demon said. “Fear is quicker.”

Vivi crawled backward, heart about to escape through her mouth. Lucius! she thought. Give him fifty!

“Wait,” Lucius said. “He’s letting his guard down. We’ll win.”

The demon placed a hand over Vivi’s shoulder, holding her close. He dragged a dagger down from her neck toward her chest, cutting the first string holding her raincoat shut.

Lucius! Vivi screamed in her thoughts.

“Asmite leaves the prettiest scars,” he whispered into her ear. “I’m not learned in the arts, but Zand has given me plenty of time to practice. Would you like a new tattoo? Or would you prefer to give me fifty ether?”

This vile, disgusting creature; the demon planned to stretch the extent of Zand’s rules to the extremes, torturing Vivi, all for a meager fifty ether. He drew lines just below Vivi’s neck with his dagger.

He whispered more words into Vivi’s ears. She no longer registered the meanings. His demands were clear. Vivi knew exactly what he wanted. Her mind raced, thinking of ways to stop him.

Something cold touched Vivi’s stomach. She felt a chill.

She thrust her nails into the demon’s skin with all her strength.

Her attack came out by reflex. Before she realized what she’d done, ether flowed through her body, nails growing into claws. She heard a slash. Her claws pierced her target.

The demon’s eyes opened in shock. His grip loosened, and his daggers clanked on the ground. He coughed blood.

Vivi pulled out her hand, claws bloody all the way to her fingers. Five bloody holes pierced through the demon’s stomach. He gasped for air and held out his hand weakly. Then he collapsed on the ground.

He was dead. Vivi killed a demon. With her own hands, she pierced a demon’s stomach.

“Three more, Vivi,” Lucius said. “Don’t freeze up.”

Lucius collected thirty ether from the demon’s body, his reserves rising to 127. His calm tone was unsettling given the situation. But this clearly wasn’t Lucius’s first time in a life-or-death situation.

The three others clutched onto their weapons. There were two crossbows and a cutlass. Vivi raised her head, facing the three others. They flinched.

Vivi was trembling. She wasn’t in control in the slightest. But she was angry. Totally furious. She picked up the daggers from the ground, keeping her eyes on the crossbows.

Fellwater never tried to do that, Vivi thought. The boys spat on me, punched me, threw me into a ditch. But they never did anything like that.

The three demons stood stiff. Somehow, they were afraid of Vivi. They didn’t know Vivi had killed their boss out of pure luck. If any of them decided to shoot, Vivi would die.

“They see you as unpredictable,” Lucius said. “You revealed one secret power. They don’t know how that power works.”

We bluff, then, Vivi thought.

She frowned at the three demos, asmite daggers in hand. As calmly and with the most unthreatening movements she could make, she tossed the daggers on the ground near the demons’ feet. The blades clanked against the ground, landing close enough to her target. The demons watched with caution.

“I’m not trying to rob you,” Vivi said. “Take the daggers to whoever is your boss. Tell your superiors that this idiot—” She placed a foot on the demon’s corpse. “—died in the dungeon. Never come after me again.”

“Who are you?” one of the demons asked. “How do you wield a skill?”

“No questions,” Vivi said. “Unless you wish to learn what killed your friend. Leave. Now.”

Hesitantly, the demons picked up the daggers. Lucius was right. The demons believed she was powerful. They slowly stepped backward, crossbows pointed at her.

Then they turned around, making a swift exit. Vivi watched after them cautiously.

When she was certain they were gone, her legs gave out. She collapsed next to the puddle of blood. Her breathing was rough. Pressure filled her body.

Vivi hugged her feet. She took steady breaths. Blood dripped from the wound on her cheek, staining the inside of the collar of her raincoat.

“You did well,” Lucius said. “That was really good.”

I was assaulted, Vivi said.

“And you defended yourself,” Lucius said. “I’m proud. Although, we should have kept those daggers. They looked valuable.”

Why didn’t you give him the ether? Vivi thought.

“I saw an opportunity for something better,” Lucius said. “I took it. And it worked out.”

You let the demon lay his hands on me.

Lucius was taken aback. “Um… Sorry…”

Bullies always come back, Lucius. The one we killed has friends. Those three will spread word. We’re a huge target.

“But we’re not weak,” Lucius said. “We’ll survive. And we’ll grow. The next time someone attacks us, we’ll be strong with a lot of ether. We’ll make them pay.”

Vivi let out a weak sigh. She untied the shoelaces from the corpse’s boots. They would work as replacements for the strings on her raincoat. Let’s get back to the hub. We need new plans before we’re eaten alive.