Rensfig looked at Vivi as if she’d claimed herself to be an omnipotent god. He obviously thought she was lying, but her claim was insane enough that he appeared confused regardless.

Traditional runesmiths are known to be prideful, Vivi thought. But Rensfig is good. He will understand my techniques, unlike Einord.

“I’m too tired for this,” Rensfig said. “Aang, who is this girl?”

“She’s our newest troublemaker,” Aang said.

“A new member?” Rensfig asked.

“She is about to become official,” Aang said. “Vivi, why do you need to see our smithy?”

Vivi glanced at Aang’s new two-runed blade balanced neatly next to the couch. The sword was expertly carved. Renfig had clearly required weeks to finish it. The classic rune combination of a mass and a sharpness rune created a seriously powerful weapon. Rensfig had practiced for at least as long as Grandpa.

Vivi’s sword, however, was better. “Rensfig, tell me what you think of this sword?” she said.

She called her crystal runesword from spatial storage. She untied the grip strings, revealing the strength runes underneath. Then, she placed it sideways on both of her hands and showcased the sword to Rensfig.

The dwarf frowned at the sword, studying it closely. Vivi’s sword was still unpolished and in need of sharpening. Without the grip strings, the sword had no hilt beside the ether root's stalk. Vivi would need to craft a handle soon to ensure the runes wouldn’t be damaged.

To an experienced craftsman, the sword looked crude. But it was still an operational runesword. Rensfig’s attitude suddenly turned serious.

“Hand it over,” Rensfig said. “I need to see more closely.”

Vivi offered the sword to Rensfig, trusting the dwarf to handle it with care.

Rensfig watched the veins inside the sword for a moment, as if trying to solve a puzzle. He couldn’t quite understand what Vivi’s work meant. Eventually, he grabbed the sword from the runes and pushed ether inside

Rensfig’s eyes opened wide. The sword fell from his hands, clanking against the ground.

“No way…” he said. “Those things inside the sword… They’re veins?”

Vivi grinned. She picked up the sword and tied the grip strings back on. “This,” she said, “is an inside-carved runesword.”

Rensfig’s face was pale. “No… It’s not possible. They all claimed it was impossible. Every professor, every master I’ve ever talked to. They all believed inside carving was impossible.”

“Inside carving is not impossible at all,” Vivi said. “It’s just really difficult.”

“Who made this sword?” Rensfig asked.

“I did,” Vivi said. “Yesterday.”

Rensfig looked up at her. “Girl, who are you?”

“Just a runesmith from the surface,” Vivi said. “An apprentice of my Grandpa.”

The room around her was silent. The other demons struggled to follow. They watched, giving the conversation their full attention, but nobody was as shocked as Rensfig.

Rohan stepped forward. “What’s inside carving?”

“The end of the world,” Rensfig said. “That’s what it is. Look at the fucking sword, Rohan. That right there is the most insane weapon you have ever seen.”

“I don’t understand,” Rohan said.

“The veins,” Rensfig said. “They’re inside the metal. Runesmiths and scientists have been trying to figure this out for centuries. Last I heard, the Academy of Fenlor was trying out a solution by combining two pieces of metal, carving the veins inside each half before connecting them.”

“That doesn’t work,” Vivi said. “With separate pieces of metal, the current of ether will eventually push the two pieces apart no matter what you connect the metals with. And if you forge the two halves together, the carvings will be disfigured, ruining the work. The ancients have already tried the same method. The veins you see inside my sword come from an ether root.”

Rensfig groaned. He sat down on the couch and stretched his back. “I’m too old for these jokes. I spend twenty years imprisoned in this mess, and fucking inside carving has been invented.”

“It’s still a secret,” Vivi said. “My Grandpa is the one who invented it. Nobody below the fourth level knows its existence.”

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Rensfig stared at the ceiling. “This is the most insane day of my life, girl.”

“If Vivi is an inside-carving runesmith, what does that mean to us?” Ven asked.

“It means that this little human is the most important person in all of the fourth level,” Rensfig said. “Every runesmith in the world wants her secret. Tell me, girl, what the hell are you doing in Zand?”

“It’s complicated,” Vivi said. “The examiners didn’t believe me when I told them I was a runesmith. They imprisoned me regardless.”

Rensfig let out a laugh. “The same happened to me twenty years ago. Runesmiths aren’t let in not only because our work can ruin the balance, but also because runesmiths are valuable elsewhere. If I revealed my work to the Stewards, they would probably send me to work underneath some rich idiot. If you show this sword to the Stewards, proving that you made it, King Ingfried himself will hire you. No questions asked.”

“But you’re still here?” Vivi asked. “After twenty years?”

Rensfig breathed in. “I don’t care about escaping. Runesmith or not, I’m still a prisoner. I’d be safer outside, but at the cost of performing slave labor for the rest of my years, carving swords for some ass faces. I’d rather work for Aang. He’s the reason why I have food and a workplace today.” He glanced at Aang. “You’ve recruited another crazy little idiot.”

Aang leaned on the wall, crossing his arms. “A world-class runesmith, huh… That’s a problem.”

“A problem?” Vivi asked.

“I can’t pay you,” Aang said. “I am already underqualified to wield Rensfig’s runeswords. It’s a heavy burden on our shoulders to make use of his work. If your swords are grand enough that Ingfried himself wants to hire you, I have nothing to counter this offer. You should leave Zand.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Lucius said, popping out of Vivi’s core. He floated with his paws crossed.

Rensfig blinked. “And who the fuck are you?”

“I’m Lucius, the mighty beast of the Abyss! I’m the co-creator of this runesword. I’m basically a runesmith myself. And I can tell you we are not making any deals with that mud eater Ingfried. I am much more interested in making an offer with Aang.”

Please watch your words, Lucius… Vivi thought. But she agreed with his proposal. Whoever this Ingfried was, Vivi wasn’t too eager to become his pawn. It was best to work with more trustworthy people.

“I don’t have anything of value to offer,” Aang said. “What reason do you have to stay in Zand?”

“I want ether and skills,” Lucius said. “And I want to hunt. My wielder is still weak. She’s good at smithing runeswords, but she’s inexperienced at hunting. With your hunting group, we can defeat much more difficult bosses.”

“Will be difficult,” Aang said. “Zand’s opportunities are limited. We can hunt the squadron bosses, but beyond them, tougher monsters are unavailable.”

“There is one seriously powerful monster,” Lucius said. “I can sense its ether even now. Deeper than the squadron bosses.”

Aang frowned.

“My wielder and I will smith runeswords for all of you,” Lucius said. “As payment, you will become our hunting partners. I want to clear this dungeon for real. To defeat the main boss. And I want to collect the skills that we obtain along the way. What do you say, Vivi?”

Vivi breathed in. “Killing the boss would make every Steward go after us.”

“Not just the Stewards,” Aang said. “Everyone would come after us. If Zand fell, the whole throne room would hunt us. Exalted Knights, the King’s mages. Everything Ingfried could muster.”

“We’ll have to defeat it sneakily with an escape prepared,” Lucius said. “When the Stewards are asleep. With Vivi’s runeswords and the boss’s skills, we can rival the Stewards. Don’t you agree?”

Ven leaned back, resting his head on his hands. He grinned. “Emmy, you’ve brought us two interesting little fellows.”

“I thought we were already planning on defeating the Stewards,” Rohan said, looking confused.

Aang kept his eyes on Vivi. “You should join Ingfried. The King will take you in. You will live a far more pleasant life outside Zand’s walls.”

“No,” Lucius said in her head. “Ingfried is rich. He has influence. But he’s corrupt. I’ve met him. Dealing with him was the worst decision I could have ever made. Aang is strong. We should work with him.”

Vivi breathed in. Yes. Aang is a good leader. He has witnessed the power of our runeswords, and he knows we can craft more. But instead of trying to enslave me, he’s trying to help me.

The others looked at Vivi, waiting for her answer. Eem, too, paused eating.

A warm nervousness flowed through Vivi. Aang hadn’t offered her an ultimatum. He offered a true decision, letting Vivi decide what she wanted for herself. She wasn’t good at those types of decisions. Usually, people tossed her around like a plaything, and she reacted. She rarely had the option to choose between two good options.

This time, however, the decision was obvious.

“I don’t know if my runeswords are powerful enough to defeat the Stewards, or to overthrow Zand,” Vivi said. “But if you can make use of my work, and if we can earn ether by hunting with you, I will stay. I want to join this gang.”

Eem’s and Rohan’s faces lit up. Ven and Alisa smiled. Henry nodded. All of them eagerly welcomed her in.

Aang appeared far more serious. “If you join, you will be treated as an equal to everyone else. I cannot offer fair prices for inside-carved runeswords, nor do I intend to treat you like a princess. If you and Lucius wish to earn skills, you must prove yourselves to be worthy. Just like everyone around you has.”

Vivi lowered her head. “I don’t want to be treated like royalty. I just want allies.”

Friends. She wanted friends. Could these people really become her friends?

“That’s a good mind to be in,” Aang said. “But know this. Death is not an unlikely outcome for those who oppose the Stewards. I’ve seen hundreds of good men fall, chasing dreams of freedom. It would be far easier to—”

“I am not leaving,” Vivi said.

Aang faced Vivi’s determined eyes. He looked at her as if she was a dumb young child.

“Very well,” Aang said. “As of today, Vivi is an official member of the Hollow Phantoms.”

“Yes!” Rohan said. He gave Eem a high-five.

“Welcome,” Alisa said.

“Rohan came up with the name, by the way,” Ven said with a sigh. “That’s why it’s so stupid.”

Vivi smiled. “Happy to be here.”

“You will get to work immediately,” Aang said. “Rohan, I appoint you as Vivi’s teacher. For three hours every day, you will teach her how to swing a sword. Ven will join in as an assistant whenever Rohan’s instructions get impossible to follow. Alisa, for the first two weeks, you will stay with Vivi while she traverses between dungeons. Make sure she is properly disguised, and that she doesn’t draw guards to our home.

“As for Rensfig and myself…” Aang crossed his arms. “We are your assistants. Tell me what resources and equipment you need, and I will make sure you have the means to forge the best runeswords in existence.”