“Cassius!” Kayden screamed with horror as the last hope of finding her father’s killer disappeared into the abyss.

The whole cavern shook with the force of the dynamite detonating, and a huge portion of the cavern ceiling collapsed where Cassius had been standing. As the side of the cliff fell into the abyss with Pascal on it, he attempted to scramble back to safety, but it was too late, the abyss consumed him as he shrieked helplessly.

The few Mistech men that remained stood in shock at having just watched their master vanish. Rem didn’t waste this opportunity, and led the rest of the Nikiphero men in an attack to clear away the last of Mistech once and for all.

“Let’s get out of here while we can,” Sacha said while this transpired.

“I can’t leave Cassius,” Ruth said and began going back toward the battle ground. The elf’s features were consumed with worry and fear.

Sacha and the others weren’t overly concerned with trying to dissuade Ruth. They had their own priorities. They began to move toward the exit, but Kayden remained there. She couldn’t just leave Nikiphero after what Cassius had promised her, but without Cassius, who knew if Nikiphero would help her.

“Kayden, what are you doing!” Darris said, helping carry Lester away.

Kayden looked at him then back at the departing form of Ruth. Her resolve hardened. “I’m not leaving.”

She took off after Ruth, weaving through the destruction that Pascal had left behind. She heard a curse and looked back. Darris had passed on his hold of Lester over to Sacha and was coming after Kayden while the three adventurers continued on their way out.

Darris caught up to her but didn’t say anything. Kayden didn’t say anything either, but she was glad to have the old man at her side, especially after she had seen what his rapier was capable of. It was sheathed at his side again, but she remembered the white light with which it glowed and how it had been able to cut through Pascal’s leg when nothing else had seemed to be able to damage him.

Whatever Darris’s reason was for coming with her, she wouldn’t complain about it. He had saved her life twice today. No matter how he acted or how many times he claimed to be a coward, Kayden was beginning to think he was hiding the truth that he was chivalrous and brave. Well, maybe not chivalrous.

A Mistech man that was fleeing the battle was coming directly toward Ruth. When he saw her, he raised a sword that protruded out of his arm and bared menacing teeth.

Ruth didn’t so much as slow as an invisible wall of force slammed into the Mistech man and swatted him through the air like a fly. He slammed into the cavern wall, reduced to a bloody smear. Not only was Ruth a capable healer, so it seemed, but she sure packed a powerful punch. She was glad the elf was on their side.

By the time they reached the battle ground. The last of the Mistech men had fallen and Rem was taking stock of the damage. Men were gathering up the wounded and dressing their injuries as best they could.

“Rem!” Ruth yelled as she approached. Kayden and Darris came in close behind.

Rem looked over at Ruth. “Elf, good you are alive. I need you to treat the wounded.”

“That isn’t important! What about Cassius!?” There was a hysterical edge to her voice, bordering on panic. She obviously cared deeply for him.

“There is nothing we can do for him,” Rem said calmly. “But he never acts recklessly without a plan. Or do you not trust him?”

Ruth breathed heavily from the panic and exertion of running here, but she flared up at the challenge in Rem’s voice. “Of course I trust him.”

“Then put yourself to use and help the wounded. I want to be able to leave this place as soon as Cassius returns.”

It took Ruth only a second before she nodded and moved off to help the wounded, although she did glance occasionally toward the cliff with a pained expression like she regretted not leaping over the edge after Cassius.

Rem turned toward Kayden and Darris. “It is good you did not leave Captain. It would have been inconvenient for the both of us if we had to hunt you down.”

Darris’s eyes widened. “How did you--” He tugged at his mustache and muttered to himself. “So this is why he wanted to talk to me.”

Kayden looked between them. “Captain?”

Darris waved her off and kept muttering unsatisfactorily to himself. “I should never have gotten involved with gangs. Nobody to blame but myself.”

“What are you still doing here?” Rem said to her, turning his attention away from Darris.

“I’m not abandoning Cassius. He made me a blood oath.”

“What blood oath?” Rem looked at her with anger in his eyes.

“That’s between me and him.” She raised her hand and touched her cheek where the bandage covered the wound.

She didn’t know what Rem had against her, but he had been antagonistic toward her since the start. Maybe it was the fact that she had been raised Uptown. But she wouldn’t let him stand in the way of getting what she was after.

Rem reached up and grabbed the bandage and ripped it roughly from her face, bearing the long cut. Kayden shrieked more in surprise than pain, but it did hurt. Darris pulled her protectively away from Rem and placed his hand on his hilt.

Rem wore a careful, level expression. He took in her wound from the blood oath, ignoring Darris’s threatening stance, and shifted his gaze so that it bore into her eyes as if he was trying to dig the truth out of her. “What did you promise each other?”

“I told you,” Kayden said challengingly, “That is between us.”

They stared each other down for a long moment before Rem shook his head. “You have caused enough trouble for him as it stands. Sometimes I do not understand…” He trailed off and turned on his heel before Kayden could respond.

Darris relaxed and removed his hand from his hilt. “I have never met someone so determined to get themself killed,” he said to her. “Are you suicidal or completely lacking in survival instinct? Why didn’t we leave when we had the chance?””

“What is wrong with him?” Kayden said, her body still amped up from the confrontation.

“I think he doesn’t like you very much.”

Kayden gave Darris a disgusted look. Then walked off toward the cliff that led into the abyss.

“So, instead of running away from the monster powered by an ancient artifact from a dead civilization, you are going toward it,” Darris said, following her. “You are suicidal then, because no one lacks this much survival instinct.”

“Then what does that say about you for following along,” she countered.

“I told you. I’m a sucker for the damsel in distress routine, as much as I try to be otherwise.”

“I’m not a damsel.”

“You are, kid.”

“Are you going to tell me what that captain business was about?”

That shut him up. He looked grumpily off in the distance as they picked the rest of the way to the cliff edge.

They looked down at the vast, bottomless pit. There was no sign of Cassius or Pascal, only the waterfall turning into mist as it fell into the darkness. Darris kicked a rock and it tumbled over the edge.

“Do you think he is dead?” Kayden asked.

“I doubt it,” Darris said. “Cassius isn’t the sort to jump off a cliff without a plan.”

“Where is he then?”

Darris couldn’t give her an answer. They could only stare into the abyss and wait, sitting on a boulder that used to be part of the Mistech fortress and throwing rocks into the bottomless pit.

Rem began to direct for the wounded to be taken back to the surface, until only a few Nikiphero men remained. He now stood a few dozen feet off to the side from Kayden and Darris looking into the abyss.

Ruth had come over and joined them on their boulder. She had taken a look at the cut on Kayden’s cheek and rubbed a salve into it. She said it would heal fine but that it would leave a small scar.

“He’s still alive,” Ruth said as if to reassure herself. “Otherwise we would feel our blood oaths lose their power.”

“Then where is he?” Kayden asked. “And how is he going to get out?”

“Cassius is a man of great resourcefulness. He will find a way.”

“So how did you end up with Cassius anyway?” Kayden asked Ruth after a short time in silence. She was curious about the elf, and if they were just going to wait here then she might as well try to learn something about the mysterious woman.

Ruth glanced at her as she was taken out of whatever thoughts had consumed her while staring into the abyss. “That is--private,” she said slowly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be intrusive.”

Ruth gave her a small smile. “Don’t worry about it. I know you must be curious about me. Cassius came upon me at a difficult point in my life. I have sworn to serve him ever since. I am lucky to have found him.” A deep devotion shined in her eyes as she spoke of Cassius.

“Oh,” Kayden said. Cassius seemed to be able to bring out a level of loyalty in people that surpassed anything Kayden had experienced.

Uptown had nothing like that. People there helped each other only because they got something out of it. It made Kayden somewhat jealous of Ruth, Rem, and the rest of the members of Nikiphero who could trust and rely on each other like a family.

She hated to admit it to herself, but she was more like an Uptowner than a Cliffsider in that regard. The only connection she had to Cassius was in what he could do for her. But now the possibility of it becoming something more filled her.

Stolen story; please report.

She quickly squashed those feelings. She needed to use him to get to her father’s killers. She couldn’t let anything else get in the way of that objective. Still the possibility lived on inside her.

But she tempered herself with a reminder of what Cassius had said to her in his office. How she would never be one of them. She would always be an Uptowner in their eyes. And to Uptown, she would always be a Cliffsider. She didn’t belong anywhere and to no one.

The only person that saw her for who she was, was no longer alive. She would avenge him, and she would use Nikiphero to do it.

Rem abruptly stood from where he had crouched down to rest while they were waiting. His head swiveled upward and back as if looking at something, but as far as Kayden could see there was nothing.

“Yes, sir,” Rem said to empty air. “The wounded have been sent back and the remainder of Mistech has been cleared out.”

Ruth rose up and made her way over to Rem, but didn’t interfere. Kayden looked at Darris questioningly but he only shrugged.

Rem glanced in her direction and he gritted his teeth. “Yes, sir, she is with us and unharmed.” Rem paused as if listening, then responded again, “I will do it at once.” Whatever silent communication had been transpiring seemed to have come to an end.

“Is he alright?” Ruth asked.

“Tired, but fine. He is back at the resort. You will take the girl to him. I have things that need to be taken care of here. You may go.”

He turned to the remainder of the men and began telling them how they would secure this system of tunnels before anyone else came along and tried to take them. They may have defeated Mistech, but there were still the unions to contend with, especially Sorty who had been the one’s housing Mistech.

But none of that business concerned Kayden who had only come here to find her father’s killer. Now that that proved to be a dead end, she had no interest in it. Her only interest was in Cassius and how he would lead her to the next step of accomplishing her goal.

Ruth joined her and Darris. They were accompanied by one other Mistech man to act as a bodyguard. He was older, but not as old as Darris with dark long, dark hair, tied back in a ponytail with a red cord and a runic charm dangling from it. He was short, lean, and carried himself like a veteran brawler. He didn’t carry any weapon that Kayden could see, but she knew that was no reason for him not to be considered deadly.

The man nodded at them but didn’t say a word. Kayden only nodded back, sensing that he didn’t want to be spoken to. He took up position at their side and slightly apart. His eyes constantly scanned their surroundings.

The group made their way to the entrance of the cavern and began the long trek back to the surface.

When they arrived, they were met with an angry gathering of people trying to get past some of the Nikiphero men that Rem had sent back with the wounded. The Nikiphero men were keeping them from entering into the cavern.

The group was backed by over a dozen armed, soldier-types. Mercenaries by the look of it.

The leader of the group was a fat man with round glasses and a green, checkered suit. He was flanked by a couple other men that looked more like clerks than fighters. Kayden recognized the platinum-haired lady that had led her here, peeking out from behind the fat man’s back.

“You have no right to interfere with union property,” the fat man was blubbering with a red face. “I command you to remove yourselves at once.”

The Nikiphero men seemed completely unconcerned with the man and clerks surrounding him. They had eyes only for the soldiers. The soldiers outnumbered the Nikiphero men three to one.

“What is the meaning of this?” Ruth strode up to the Nikiphero man that was staring down the fat man.

The fat man turned his attention to Ruth before the Nikiphero man could answer her. “An elf! What are you doing here? Are you the one in charge of these ruffians? I demand you have them removed at once before we are forced to use other means.”

He took an antagonistic step toward her but the man with the ponytail that had accompanied them stepped up beside Ruth and stared him down. The fat man swallowed and backed down.

One of the soldier’s stepped up beside the fat man in response. He was huge with large arms, broad shoulders, and a metal plate tied in front of his chest. A broadsword was strung to his side and he laid his palm on the hilt while staring down the short man with the ponytail.

Mr. Ponytail for his part didn’t so much as bat an eye, but only gave the big man a level stare that somehow made him seem like the giant out of the pair of them.

“They’re trying to get into the tunnels,” the Nikiphero man that had been speaking to the fat man said to Ruth.

Ruth turned to the fat man. “These tunnels are now under the supervision of Nikiphero. I suggest you and your men step down.”

The man blustered incoherently for a second before finding the words to answer her. “This is illegal! We are a union! You dare--Nikiphero dares interfere with union affairs!”

“Nikiphero dares interfere with whoever and whatever it wishes. By order of Cassius Sagent, leave this place at once.”

“You can not command us,” the fat man’s voice turned whiney like a little boy not getting what he wanted. “We are Sorty. We are a protected union.”

“You keep saying that, and yet nothing has changed. Do not make me repeat myself.”

The man’s eyes widened. “This--this doesn’t make any sense.” He looked around at his companions for help, but they seemed just at a loss as he did.

“We have more men?” one of them offered helpfully, but said it as if he wasn’t confident that would make a difference.

“Ah ha!” the fat man said triumphantly. “Yes, we have more men!” He looked at Ruth proudly as if he had just pulled one over on her.

Ruth sighed impatiently. “Yes, you have more men,” she conceded. “However, ask those men how they would fare in a fight against us.”

The fat man turned to the big man beside him.

The big man didn’t take his eyes from Mr. Ponytail. “We can take them,” he said with a gravelly voice.

The fat man turned back to Ruth. “You see! Now I suggest you stand down and leave this place immediately.”

So fast that Kayden hardly saw him move, Mr. Ponytail drove an open palm into the big soldier's armored chest. He was pushed back several feet but remained standing. His eyes widened in surprise as he coughed up a spray of blood.

With a growl he unsheathed his sword. All the other soldiers followed suit.

Ruth put a placating arm out to stop the Nikiphero men from attacking on the spot. “Yes, there is no doubt you would put up an honorable fight,” she spoke toward the soldiers. “But, as was just displayed, Nikiphero has a level of training and expertise that you are not equipped to handle. You may outnumber us, but every one of our men is worth five of yours. Kauru here is worth at least ten. There is no reason that you can’t return to your familys today.”

A good number of the soldiers no longer looked as confident, but the leader was not backing down.

Kayden decided to intervene. She had seen too much killing as it was, and she didn’t want anyone else to die because of her. This was only happening because she had decided to hunt Mistech down.

“They’re gone,” she said. “They’ve all been wiped out. There’s nothing down there anymore.” She didn’t need to say who ‘they’ were.

“You--how--” the fat man was choking on his own words.

Ruth held up a hand to let Kayden know that she had the situation under control. Kayden nodded and backed off.

Ruth turned her attention back toward the fat man and the leader of the soldiers. “As my friend pointed out there is no reason to skirt around the subject. We know why you wish to get into these tunnels and why you have kept them hidden. We both know that if you had any legal claim to this area it would have to be registered as a mining outpost, which kind of defeats the purpose of using it as a hideout for your illicit activities.”

She paused meaningfully for them to digest what she was saying then continued. “Even if you could beat us in a fight--which you can’t--there are many more members of Nikiphero who would not take kindly to their own being attacked. Not only that, but this type of fight is sure to draw the sort of attention you probably want to avoid. I am sure adoc would like any excuse to raid a union headquarters.”

With each word from Ruth, the fat man paled further along with all the other clerks. The platinum haired woman leaned forward and whispered something in his ear.

The fat man sagged and nodded. He met Ruth’s eyes; far more open to discussion. “May I ask what Nikiphero’s intentions are regarding what they have uncovered here?”

“We are all Cliffsiders. There is no reason to get Uptown involved in our business. Nikiphero will be in touch, but in the meantime, stay clear of this area.”

The platinum haired lady whispered something else to him and he nodded. “We will return to our offices and await word from you.”

They exchanged a shake of hands and the group turned to leave. The soldier's sheathed their swords and followed. The big one was the last to go, but before he did, he made sure to stare down Kauru who didn’t waver in the slightest. Soon all that was left were the members of Nikiphero, Kayden, and Darris.

“Thank you, Kauru,” Ruth said.

Kauru nodded but didn’t say a word, he simply kept up his silent vigil.

“Elf,” the man who was in charge of those guarding the entrance said by way of thanks with a nod of his head. “We could have taken them, but not without some injury. Thank you.”

“Not a problem. We must go. I will leave the rest to you, but I don’t imagine you will have any more trouble.”

They exchanged farewells and Ruth moved off with the others in tow. Kayden walked up beside her.

“Why doesn’t anyone use your name?” she asked Ruth.

“They call me Elf because they see it as a title of honor. My race is ancient and powerful, and they want to show their respect to it.”

“Oh. Should I call you that?” Kayden asked, wondering if she had overstepped some boundary.

Ruth smiled at her and shook her head. “Ruth is fine. But if it makes you more comfortable, you can call me Elf as well.”

“I think I’ll stick with Ruth,” she said, smiling back.

She wasn’t sure, but she was sensing a burgeoning friendship growing between them, and it felt nice. The only other real friend Kayden had had was Rya who had abandoned her as soon as she found out who Kayden really was.

They were walking out of the area which contained the abyss and back into the Lower Cavern’s when they were stopped once again. This time by a muscular blonde woman with her hair tied back in a braid. She appeared to have been waiting for them to show up.

She wore a tank top and a leather apron and had some of the stylized metal engraved skin in the form of swirls on her cheeks and a tree on her right arm with its branches bare of leaves and the roots extending out. In her right hand she carried a blacksmithing hammer which she kept smacking into her left hand as she approached. Her eyes were fixed on Darris.

Kauru stepped into her path before she could reach Darris, and Darris flinched away from her. The muscular woman didn’t try to force herself past Kauru, and instead settled for glaring with pure hatred at the old man.

“Sally,” Darris said. “Long time no see.”

“Don’t give me that, Darris,” her voice seethed with anger. “You dare return to the Lower Caverns after what you put me through. I woke up and you were gone! No note, nothing! You could have been dead for all I knew!”

Darris swallowed, and Kauru looked between them with the first real expression Kayden had seen from him, the faint hint of a bemused glint in his eye.

“Darling--”

“Don’t darling me,” she spat at him. “I had to hear from Nathan--Nathan!--that you were Uptown swindling some merchant’s daughter! Saz tried to warn me about you, but did I listen, no.”

“Darling--”

“I told you not to call me darling!”

“Sally!”

She huffed, but remained quiet and waited for Darris to speak.

Darris took a deep breath before he spoke. “Now really isn’t the best time.”

With a shriek of pure rage Sally pulled the hand back holding the hammer and threw it straight at Darris. Kayden had a feeling that Kauru could have stopped it, but he didn’t appear to see Sally as a real threat.

That may have been a mistake on his part because Sally could sure put some force into a throw. The hammer spun through the air with such speed that it could have easily brained someone if it hit them in the head. Darris let out a startled cry and dove to the ground face first. The hammer soared over him and impaled itself straight into a stone wall.

“Are you crazy!” Darris screamed, getting to his feet.

“You scoundrel! You thief!”

The commotion started drawing attention, as people took in this strange lover’s quarrel. Sally strode past Kauru, who no longer wanted to interfere with whatever was going on, and right up to Darris. She pulled her hand back and tried to slap him in the face, but Darris caught her hand. She attempted to attack him with the other one but he caught it with his other hand and held her still.

“I demand my property back! You have no right to wield my weapon anymore!” Her chest heaved with her righteous fury.

“You told me I could pay you back when I was ready.”

“I spent months slaving over that weapon for you, and as soon as it entered your hands, you disappeared into the wind. You used me!”

“I did no such thing!” Darris said, releasing her incredulously. “I loved you, and cherished the time we spent together. It was real, and you know it was real. Don’t make it into something that it wasn’t. That isn’t fair to either of us.”

He reached up to caress her cheek but she slapped it away, but it was easy to see that she was having a hard time keeping her anger up. He grabbed the hand she slapped him away with and drew closer. When she tried to take a step back, he pulled her in and stared deeply into her eyes.

“I was in a tight spot when we were together. You know that. I wanted to protect you from it.”

Now that the situation seemed to be defusing, people were going back to their own business with chuckles and shakes of their heads.

“I’ve missed you,” Darris said, and for his part, he really seemed to mean it. “Things are different now. We can be together.”

Sally stared up into his eyes. Her chest heaving for different reasons. Kayden felt like she was intruding on something intimate and was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

Just as it looked like they were about to pull each other in for a passionate kiss, Ruth cleared her throat. “Darris, we need to be going.”

Darris finally broke off eye contact with Sally and she sagged as if all the energy had been taken from her, but she immediately straightened up and regained her composure. Before Darris could stop her she grabbed the rapier at his side and unhooked it from his belt.

“Hey!” Darris said, trying to snatch it back, but Sally pulled it out of his reach. Darris could have gotten it back, but it would have descended into a wrestling match between them.

“If you want it back, then you will come and see me. Tonight,” she added meaningfully.

“Oh,” Darris said.

Sally got close to Darris to the point that they were almost kissing and touched his cheek. Just as their lips were about to touch, Sally slapped him. Hard. “And don’t forget to bring me my money.” Then she chuckled and strode off with Darris’s sword, her hips swaying suggestively.

Darris stared after her with his hand nursing his red cheek. “I’m an old fool,” he said under his breath.

“Darris,” Kayden said.

He snapped out of it. “Right, we have places to be.”

Kayden shook her head. She couldn’t believe that she had ever entertained the notion that Darris was chivalrous. As they continued on their way and left the area behind, the hammer fell free of the wall and clattered to the ground, forgotten.