The rest of the blue-cloaks revealed themselves.

There were eight of them, covering both exits. Seven were men with crossbows and coloured swords. At the ascending exit stood a slim woman with a rainbow-colored ensium longsword. The sword wasn't runic, but ensium was strong enough to cut steel in half with a proper swing. Her cloak was embroidered with purple lacing by the edges.

“Hello, Vivi,” the woman said. “My name is Carla. I’ve come to talk.”

Vivi looked around herself. Weapons surrounded her in all directions, ready to kill her at any moment. Lucius? she asked. What are our chances of escaping?

“If I’m allowed to help, an escape is possible,” Lucius said. “It depends on how good their coordination is.”

“Lower your weapons, men,” Carla said.

The men complied, though the hostility was still clear in their stances.

“You've rejected Aang’s union,” Carla said. “A wise decision. Aang’s promise of security offers confidence, perhaps, but it is false. Aang’s presence within the big three has dwindled. So has Bwern’s. The old gods are falling. Andre is the new king of Zand’s nimrods.”

“What do you want from me?” Vivi asked. “I thought I made it clear I don’t want any trouble with your gang. I returned the daggers after your men tried to kill me.”

“And we are very grateful for that,” Carla said. “We are not here to kill you. It would be stupid to kill such a cooperative young nimrod. I am here to propose an offer directly from Andre himself.”

Vivi stayed silent, letting Carla continue.

“Join us,” Carla said. “Offer your strength to my boss. Andre wishes to meet you personally.”

A sick feeling welled up in Vivi’s stomach. She wanted to puke. These blue-cloaked monsters had already assaulted her once, trying to steal her ether. Now they forced her into a corner with their weapons out, and they expected her to join them?

No. Vivi didn’t want to join. She would have rather teamed up with the rats in the sewers. The thought of serving any one of these disgusting thieves made her sick.

And yet, if she declined, they would kill her. That was why they brought their weapons.

Can we stall? Vivi thought. We’re blocking traffic. People want to move up and down. Someone will eventually come here.

“No, passersby will wait,” Lucius said. “Nobody wants to become Andre’s enemy. By interfering, they’ll receive the same treatment as you.”

What do we do, then?

Escaping immediately would have been risky. Her chances of survival would be better by talking with Andre first. She could pretend to work with his gang, making an escape the first chance she could.

But by arriving in Andre’s lair, she would offer herself fully into the blue-cloaks’ disposal. There was no telling what they may have done to her then.

“I understand you don’t trust us,” Carla said. “You never will trust us. Ether facilities don’t operate on trust. Power is what brings people together. We follow Andre because he makes us follow him. He intends you to bow. Comply, and your life will be easy. Resist, and hell awaits. Our boss will not leave the strong for other gangs to steal.”

“Join or die, is what you’re proposing?” Vivi asked.

“Precisely,” Carla said. “If you join, we gain a powerful member. Refuse, and we get rid of a problem. Either way, we benefit.”

Vivi took a deep breath, pretending like she was considering the offer. Lucius. Are there any secret exits?

“I sense ether beyond the river,” Lucius said. “There’s a hidden cave there. I don’t know how to get to it.”

Can your claws withstand ensium? Vivi asked.

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“At least a couple blows,” Lucius said. “Preferably not head-on.”

Vivi breathed out. Their chances weren’t good. But she had to try.

“I’ll join,” Vivi said. “Can I meet your boss now?”

Carla smiled. “He would be glad to see you. Qwell, tie her up.”

Vivi lifted her eyebrows. “Why?”

“You can’t be trusted yet. We will bring you to our boss with your hands tied. Then, we will discuss your future.”

Vivi clicked her tongue. One of the men behind her was grabbing rope. Vivi doubted she would be getting any better opportunities. She made her decision.

Lucius. Go all out. The blue-cloaks already know of our powers. No need to hide them.

She dashed forth, toward Carla.

The demons reacted immediately. Crossbows shot from behind. The aim was good, but Lucius was faster. He cut each arrow in half. Then he quickly dashed back to Vivi to deal with Carla.

“Your sword?” Lucius asked.

Not yet, Vivi thought. You’ll know.

Vivi ran directly at Carla without fear. Carla held her blade, taking a defensive stance. Vivi’s insane charge was reckless and stupid. Stupid enough to instill fear in her opponents. Carla was wary of her.

Vivi dashed straight at Carla’s blade. The woman swung.

Lucius dashed for the ensium blade, slashing at it with his claws. Their weapons made contact. Lucius grimaced, pushing with all his might.

He couldn’t stop the blade. But he could push it out of trajectory. Carla’s blade missed Vivi’s shoulder by an inch.

Vivi held out her palm. Her steel sword materialized in her hand with Lucius’s spatial spell. She thrust the sword at Carla, whose defense was open.

Carla reacted with miracle instincts. She jumped away with ether-powered legs, dodging Vivi’s attack.

Carla’s jump left the exit open. Vivi ran straight into the tunnel, dashing as fast as her legs took her. She dropped her sword to run faster. Lucius retrieved it back to his spatial storage.

Shouts came after her, followed by arrows landing next to her feet. “Grab her!” Carla shouted.

The demons in the next room were taken aback. Nobody had time to follow Carla’s order.

Vivi ran into the next room, shouts trailing her. The blue-cloaks were anything but slow. Vivi wasn’t gaining any space.

A cling resounded right by Vivi's ears as Lucius redirected a thrown dagger. The dagger hit the wall with enough force to pierce into stone. Lucius hissed. “What’s with that throw! How are they so strong? I can’t block much more!”

Breakers, Vivi thought. There was no way the demons behind her were locked at three hundred ether. They ran fast, faster than Vivi with ether-strengthened legs. She considered herself a fast runner.

She was running out of breath. Her mind was a haze. She struggled to remember the direction she’d come from. The paths all looked the same.

“Catch her!” Carla called again. Her voice was right behind Vivi. “Stop!”

“Vivi, Above!” Lucius shouted.

She sent a quick peek up. A small figure sat atop a platform sticking out from the wall above the exit. It was a white-haired little girl. The half-fiend! The fiend tossed a rock up and down, frowning at the commotion.

The fiend tossed the rock in Vivi’s direction. It missed Vivi’s head, hitting Carla in the shoulder. Then the fiend jumped down, landing in front of Vivi. She ran off.

“Follow her!” Lucius said.

What, why?

“The fiend always escapes,” Lucius said. “Maybe we can take her example.”

Vivi had no time to argue. She ran after the fiend.

The fiend’s little legs were incredibly nimble. She was faster than Vivi with time to spare, glancing backward to see if Vivi was following. Each time, she made a wry face, as if provoking the chase.

By the first junction, the fiend ran in the opposite direction Vivi had come from. The path descended into the dungeon below. Vivi gritted her teeth, but followed the fiend down.

“There’s a lot of ether down here,” Lucius said. “A ton of it.”

Vivi could barely breathe. Lucius’s ether and adrenaline had taken her this far, but strength was running out. Footsteps rung in her ears. She couldn’t tell how far the blue-cloaks were; she simply kept running.

The river flowed beside her. A few idle demons were fishing; Vivi paid them no mind, rushing straight past.

“It’s a dead end!” the fishermen called after Vivi, laughing.

She barely registered their words. The fiend’s figure disappeared behind a corner. Vivi pushed forward with all the strength she had. She turned the corner and found herself in the room the fishermen had warned about.

The path ended in a lake.

Vivi slowed down, dread filling her head. The cavern was wide, and all of it was covered by the lake. A wall circled around the room. There was nowhere to swim.

The fiend stood by the edge of the lake. She threw another rock at Vivi, showed her tongue, then jumped down into the water.

Footsteps and shouts trailed Vivi. In a split-second decision, she filled her lungs with air and dove into the water.