Ivossin Cavern looked so much more different than Kayden remembered, but it hadn’t changed at all. It hadn’t been that long since she had been down here.
She tried to put a finger on what was different, but it wasn’t until they were almost to the resort that she realized that Ivossin Cavern hadn’t changed but her perception of it had. Before she had been so intimidated by everything, but now even though she couldn’t exactly say that she belonged, she didn’t feel as scared of everything that moved.
They entered Hedone Resort--that was the name Kayden had learned from Ruth even though it didn’t say that anywhere on the building. It was above such things. Those who needed to know about the place would already know the name. Everyone else could only stare up at the magnificent building and wonder what and who it could house.
The guards and staff that they passed nodded greetings at Ruth and Kauru as they made their way to the elevator and up to Cassius’s offices. As they shot up the building, Kayden’s anticipation grew. She didn’t know how Cassius had gotten out of his predicament but it had only worked to increase the mystique surrounding him.
There was so much that she needed to learn if she ever wanted to catch her father’s killer. All that she had managed in that regard so far on her own was to get people killed, and if it wasn’t for Cassius then she would be dead herself.
Even though she didn’t want to admit it, maybe Darris had been right by calling her a damsel in distress. She was sick of being the victim and being taken advantage of by people, and Cassius was the man that could make her into someone stronger.
The elevator dinged their arrival and the doors opened to reveal the hallway that led to Cassius’s office. The window for the room leading up to the office was open but the room beyond was completely empty, however seeing those alchemy workstations made something click into place for Kayden.
She remembered why the substance--Sor--that Lester had consumed looked so familiar. She had seen the people in that room handling it. Nikiphero must have been the ones to create and distribute it.
Kayden didn’t have much time to digest this information as they were being ushered into the office by the two guards stationed outside of Cassius’s office. As the others walked in, Kayden took one last contemplative look back at the empty room then followed them inside.
Cassius was slouched over in one of the sofas with his eyes closed and a glass of whiskey in one of his hands. The silver wings in his hair stuck out over his ears, looking even more like wings, and his suit was in a similar state of disarray. He must have come straight here after whatever had happened in the abyss. It was strange seeing the usually immaculate and composed man so vulnerable.
Ruth rushed over to him, sitting next to him and taking his hand as she performed some magical delving that was beyond normal sight, but which Kayden could see when she expanded her aura sense outward.
Cassius opened his eyes when she touched him and sat up. But he didn’t pull away from Ruth and allowed her to conduct her analysis.
“Ah, you all have arrived. Take a seat.”
As Kayden and Darris moved to the opposite sofa, Ruth hissed and stared daggers at Cassius. “What did you do?”
Cassius pulled his hand away from Ruth, composing himself further and taking a long sip from his glass of whiskey until it was gone. Only once he was done did he answer Ruth who waited impatiently. “You noticed, did you?”
“Of course I did. That infernal toad’s stench is all over your aura. How much did you give him?”
“Five,” Cassius answered in a matter of fact tone as if it were no big deal.
“Five!” Ruth exclaimed, her expression turning furious. “That greedy, ungrateful, wretched creature! I should kill him!”
“Elf,” Cassius said calmly. “Even if you could kill him. He is too useful of a tool to discard.”
“He exacts too much of a price.”
“Without him, I would be dead right now.”
“But five? That is too much.”
“Yes, it’s a lot, but there are reasons for it which could prove worthwhile. It seems we stumbled into quite the treasure trove with this expedition into the abyss. We will talk about it later. For now, I have business to attend to.”
Kayden and Darris had been sitting patiently on the sofa observing the exchange between the two. Kayden couldn’t make sense of it. What was this toad Ruth had mentioned? It seemed linked to Cassius’s survival in the abyss, but Kayden couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
She tried to sense Cassius’s aura to see if she could detect what Ruth had, but it was beyond her capabilities. Ruth was far more experienced at delving people’s auras since she was a healer.
“Sir,” Kauru said. He hadn’t taken a seat. It seemed he was waiting for his next orders.
“Kauru, I am glad Rem sent you. I need your strength. Will you form a contract with me?”
“Of course, sir.” Kauru came up to Cassius and knelt before him deferentially before unbuttoning and rolling up his sleeve to bare his forearm to Cassius. The forearm was covered in thin scars.
Red liquid coalesced in Cassius’s palm and formed into his blood dagger. He brought it down and made a shallow cut on Kauru.
“I give you my strength as you require it and ask for nothing in return, sir,” Kauru said. His blood glowed as the contract was formed.
Cassius took in a deep breath and some of the color returned to his face while some left Kauru’s. Kauru straightened up and Ruth took his arm, healing the wound.
“Thank you, Kauru,” Cassius said. “This is not something I would ask of many people.”
Kauru bowed his head humbly.
“Do you have enough strength to remain?”
Kauru nodded, his face as emotionless as always. He didn’t hold the same fervent light that Rem and Ruth did in regards to Cassius, but if anything this display showed that Kauru was more subservient than even those two.
Whereas Rem and Ruth might follow Cassius to the ends of the world, they would still wish to understand the reasons why. Kauru needed no such reassurances, he followed because that is what he did. Without Cassius there was no Kauru, just as a sword was nothing without its wielder.
“Good. I need you by my side until Rem has returned.”
This level of subservience was eye opening to witness. She hadn’t interacted much with the other Nikiphero members, but she had a feeling that Kauru embodied the typical spirit that suffused them.
There was nothing like this Uptown. This level of devotion could only exist down here. They struggled for survival and Cassius offered them a way from the edge. Of course they would sacrifice anything and everything he asked of them, because in their eyes he was the one that had given it all to them, even their very lives.
Kauru took up residence in the corner of the room beside the doors. If anyone tried to enter, he would be the first to greet them.
Cassius turned his gaze upon Kayden. She felt herself tense up.
“The magic you just witnessed is known as life-stealing. It--among other things--is the reason blood magic is illegal. I will take everything from you, even your blood. Do you understand?”
Kayden swallowed and nodded.
“And you still wish to proceed.”
She nodded again. Her heart rate went about as fast as it had during the battle with Mistech.
“Then I will break my promise to your father. You will become a member of Mistech.”
Kayden took in a shuddering breath. When Cassius’s eyes moved on to Darris, she slouched back in her chair, practically shaking from the adrenaline rush that simple sentence had caused within her.
“Captain Freehold.”
Kayden immediately came back to attention with interest, peering over at Darris.
Darris sighed. “What do you want from me? I’m retired.”
“You are one of the most renowned pirates in the world. You have pillaged enough money to fund a small kingdom.”
Kayden’s eyes widened. Darris very carefully didn’t glance at her.
“I’m done with all of that. If it's money you want it's all gone. Drank it all away.”
“How do you drink away that much money?” Ruth asked, and Cassius held up a hand to silence her.
“It’s easy when it's not your own scripts you're spending,” Darris answered with a shrug, “And when there are beautiful girls you want to impress.”
“I am not concerned with the money,” Cassius said. “I have money. What I want is the Worldlance.”
Kayden had seen Cassius’s composure break from anger, but this time he couldn’t keep the glint of greed from his eyes. And this from a man who literally had millions of scripts at his disposal. What was the Worldlance?
“You and every two bit adventurer who manages to track me down want it. Why do you think no one has heard from me for years? I got tired of the tactics they would use to try to get its location out of me. Money, threats, beatings. I’ll tell you what I told all of them. I torched the blasted thing and sent it drifting out over the Gelgine Wilderness. Even if I knew where the thing eventually crashed, what’s left is nothing more than ash.”
“I’m not interested in buying it or having you tortured.”
Darris frowned, and stroked his mustache. “What do you want then?”
“Why would I take it from the one man who is more capable than anyone to fly it?” Cassius leaned in as he spoke.
Darris leaned back from the intensity and coughed. “I told you I retired a long time ago, and the ship is gone.”
“You really expect me to believe that you would burn the Worldlance down. No captain--even one who wanted to get away--would commit such a crime. No, you stashed it away because you knew that one day, under the right circumstances, you would have need of it again. Well, here I am giving you that circumstance.”
“It’s gone!” Darris continued stroking his mustache in an agitated manner with his brow furrowed.
Cassius leaned back. “A pity, but that doesn’t change that I still want your help. Even without the Worldlance, you are still a world renowned captain. C&X could use you and your connections.”
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“Don’t you think I have already had dozens of offers already? I’ve turned them down just as I’m going to turn you down. Or are you going to have me killed if I refuse?”
Kayden glanced quickly between the two, feeling worry grow inside her. She hadn’t expected this, and she didn’t know what she would do if things escalated between them. Which side would she choose? Both had saved her life, and she still needed Cassius. It made her sick thinking about either outcome.
“I would never coerce your service in such a crude manner. That would only lead to resentment and betrayal. The only way I would want your service is if it was willing.”
“Well, you’re not going to get it, so there’s no need to continue to pursue it. You can’t offer me anything that hasn’t already been offered.”
“What about Kayden? I have given her a spot in Nikiphero, but that doesn’t mean she will be welcomed in with open arms. She will be considered an Uptowner, and she will be hated for it. The older members are disciplined enough to follow orders not to touch her if I command it. But she will be training with our initiates who I can not yet vouch for with confidence.”
Kayden stiffened as both their eyes settled on her.
Cassius continued. “I will not be able to have eyes on her all the time. All I can do is train her so that she can contend with it on her own. But even if she is a capable fighter, no man can stand on their own for long. Everyone needs allies. If you remained, she would have at least one, and Captain Freehold no less. That is sure to command some respect among the men. Your tales are the stuff of legend, Cliffside. You are one of the few Cliffsiders who really made a name for himself. They all grew up acting out your adventures. They will think twice about crossing you.”
Kayden met Darris’s eyes, pleading silently for him to stay. He might be a pervert, and have a strange past she knew nothing about--they certainly didn’t talk about Captain Freehold Uptown, at least not anywhere that she had heard--but he was her friend. They had been through so much together, and she hated the thought of losing him so soon after having lost her father. If he left now, they would never see each other again.
Not to mention the fact that the other initiates would abuse her. She could take it. She knew she could. But knowing that there would be someone on her side through it all made it a little less scary.
Darris broke eye contact and looked down at his hands as he fidgeted with them in his lap. He gave a small chuckle. “This girl has already gotten me in enough trouble. I’d be glad to finally be rid of her.”
His words cut like a knife, but she hardened herself. She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t.
Cassius sighed. “Have it your way. But the offer stands if you should ever change your mind. Your name can mean something again. You can give Cliffsiders hope like you once did.”
Darris abruptly stood. His face hardened and back stiff. “If that is all, then I will be leaving.”
“Do as you wish. There will be a reward waiting for you down at the reception desk as a token of my appreciation for helping rescue Kayden.”
Cassius and Ruth both rose and shook Darris’s hand.
Before Darris left, he turned to Kayden who had her face hidden behind her hair. “See ya kid. It’s better this way. Bad things happen when I stick around.”
He waited for a response, but Kayden didn’t say anything. There was no reason for her to feel so hurt. What had she been thinking? They had never been friends. She was only his employer and their contract was fulfilled.
Through her veil of hair, she saw Darris’s feet walk to the door. Kauru opened the door for him, but he paused a final time without turning back. “Remember what I told you. Don’t hesitate. Never hesitate. Otherwise you're dead.”
Then he was gone and out of Kayden’s life for good.
“That did not have the desired outcome,” Cassius said, sitting back down with Ruth.
“Do you want me to have him followed?” Ruth asked. “I’m sure there is something that he wants which we could get him.”
Cassius shook his head. “I recognize the look in Darris’s eyes. It is the same as the miners who have lost the ability to work. The only thing they want is to drink themselves into an early grave. There is nothing we can give him because there is nothing that he wants. It would be a wasted effort to continue pursuing it. Such a waste, it would have been useful to have Captain Freehold on the payroll, but no huge loss.”
He turned to Kayden. She made sure not to display a hint of the turmoil she felt. Darris had been her guide. Nothing else. No huge loss.
“The next few months are going to be hard for you.”
Kayden gritted her teeth and pushed all thoughts of Darris out of her mind. She had other things to concern herself with.
“If you wish to find your father’s killer, you will first need to be prepared to take a life. You still have not taken one, correct?”
“No.” The closest she had gotten was during the attack at the arena, but the wand she had overcharged had only blasted the Mistech men away. It hadn’t killed any of them, which at the time had brought her relief.
She would have to kill that feeling if she ever wanted to avenge her father. She couldn't allow herself to feel any weak emotions that would cause her to hesitate even for a second. Don’t hesitate. Never hesitate. Otherwise your dead.
“The others will sense weakness in you. That is a given considering where you come from. They will try to break you and drive you away, because to them, you don’t belong here. I will not interfere on your behalf. That is something you will have to bear on your own. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
“Good. We will train you in the way we know--street brawling. It is an art looked down upon in Uptown. There is no elegance to it. We use our auras to brute efficiency. Strength and dirty tactics are our tools. It is an art born out of necessity because Uptown has taken any other weapon away from us. They want us weak, helpless, powerless. But there is nothing they can do to oppress you if you become the weapon they fear.”
Kayden clenched her fists, thinking of all the times she had felt ostracized and belittled by Uptown because she did not fit into their molds. Well, they would see what she could become without them constantly tearing her down.
“Let me see your shadow dagger.”
Kayden instantly summoned it from a cloud of darkness and passed it over to him. He looked it over from every angle.
“This is another sign of your privilege,” he finally said, handing it back. “Do not tell anyone that you wield it or they will try to kill you to take it for themselves. I trust my men, but this would test some of them, and the initiates have come straight from the streets and still have not been properly civilized.
“Dagger focuses have a long tradition Cliffside as being symbols of power. Anyone who wields one had to have gone through serious struggle to obtain it, and yet you were handed yours as if it were trash, which to Uptown, I’m sure it was. Not only do you not deserve it, but in your hands it acts as an insult from Uptown.”
Cassius continued before Kayden could respond even though she didn’t know what she would say either way. She had no idea about all of that, but it wasn’t like she could change any of it.
“I may not wield a shadow dagger, but I will train you in how to familiarize yourself with your focus. This will have to be done in conjunction with your other training. It will be taxing, but I expect you to keep up with the workload. I will not go easy on you because you are my friend’s daughter. If anything I expect more from you. You already have a degree of control over your aura. That will put you far ahead of the newer initiates, but you lack the practical experience fighting which the initiates grew up with on the streets. There will be a lot for you to learn, and you must do it quickly, or they will eat you alive. Are you prepared to take all of that on?”
“Yes.” There wasn’t a hint of doubt in Kayden. She knew she could do this. She felt like she was born for it. There was no false illusion that it wouldn’t be extremely difficult, but for the first time in her life she felt confident in herself like she was on the right path. They might not accept that she was one of them, but Kayden knew that she had just as much right to call herself a Cliffsider as any of them.
“Okay, then we will begin. It’s time for you to see where Nikiphero began and where your father and I first met. Come.”
Cassius stood along with everyone else, but before anyone could make a move toward the door, Kayden stopped them all with the question that had been burning a hole through her heart ever since they had arrived here.
“My father’s killer, you know who it is.”
Cassius paused. “I planned on discussing this with you after your training. It is best not to be distracted.”
“It won’t distract me,” Kayden said. No, if anything it would sper her on.
“No, I guess it won’t, but still, you have proven to be reckless. My fear is that if you learn the truth now, you will run off on your own.”
“I won’t. I have learned my lesson. Just tell me, was it a police officer who killed my father?”
It was the only thing that made sense other than Mistech. They were the only ones who had access to firearms, and they bore a grudge toward her father and Nikiphero. They couldn’t reach Cassius so they had gone after the next best thing.
Cassius didn’t answer, but his silence and unwavering gaze was all the confirmation she needed.
She pictured Officer Griff as he smiled smugly at her from across his desk as she demanded that he catch her father’s killer. Had he known? Had he been a part of the conspiracy? Could he possibly even have been the one to carry out the act?
Kayden felt sick to her stomach with the injustice. They had toyed with her the entire time. Worse, they had used her to get to her father, because without her, her father would never have returned Uptown. He would have been surrounded by Nikiphero men who could have protected him.
Hatred consumed her. It burned away the nausea and left only a pure, untainted desire to bring ruin upon all those who had used their power to hurt her. She had to get stronger so no one used her like that again.
*****
The automobile chugged along the uneven streets of Ivossin Cavern, honking at the curious pedestrians who got in the way. Automobiles, while common Uptown, were not so common down here, mainly due to the state of the roads and how congested they were.
Cassius seemed to have been gifted with a newer version of the automobiles which had much better suspension and could handle harder terrain. It was a simpler fix than having the entire city repaved.
The journey had not taken long despite the obstructions in their path. Ivossin Cavern wasn’t that large given how many people lived here. The buildings here grew upward, not outward. Therefore it didn’t take long to get places.
They pulled through a mesh gate and into what Kayden would describe as a compound. Nikiphero--the original Nikiphero--had been a fight club where the gang was first formed. It had originally been a one room building with a fighting ring, a few punching bags, some weights, and not much else.
Since its humble origins, Nikiphero had bought the buildings around it to expand the premises in order to house all the occupants. The people who desired to join Nikiphero had to live here as well, Kayden had learned. Every second of every day was focused on one simple mission: to make men out of street trash. More specifically, men who were loyal to Nikiphero.
The automobile chugged to a halt outside of the main training building. Through a large window which took up most of the front of the building, Kayden could see dozens of sweaty, shirtless men sparring.
There wasn’t a girl in their midst. Despite herself, Kayden swallowed nervously.
She climbed out of the automobile with Cassius and walked through the door. Immediately, they became the center of everyone’s attention. Kayden shifted the duffel bag that she held in her arms.
A man hurried up to Cassius. He was shirtless just like the rest and had the familiar Nikiphero tattoo on his chest, an eagle plummeting from the sky with a spear protruding through its abdomen. He wore round glasses which had a crack in one of the lenses, had a buzz cut, and although not hugely muscular, his body was toned to the point where Kayden couldn’t detect even an ounce of body fat on him. Veins criss crossed all over his arms.
“Sir,” the man spoke slowly and in a gravelly voice like he had some damage to his throat. “I wasn’t expecting you today. Would you like a tour of the facilities? I could give you a demonstration of the students' progress.”
“That won’t be necessary, Bog,” Cassius said. “I came to drop off a new student.”
Kayden felt all the eyes pressing down on her. She shifted her bag again. She kept her head and gaze lowered.
Bog didn’t hesitate. “Of course, sir. Launi, show her to a room.”
A tall boy with a slightly goofy grin walked up to her. He at least had a shirt on, but it was drenched in sweat and his blonde hair was plastered to his forehead. He had clear blue eyes, one of them purpling from a bruise, and it didn’t seem like he had been around here as long as the others, because he had nowhere near the muscle development that most of the others had.
“Hi,” he greeted pleasantly. “I’m Launi.”
“Kayden,” she answered.
With rapid accuracy, Bog smacked Launi upside the head. “Get on with it, and I want the both of you back down here. We were about to wind up for the day, but there is no reason to wait until tomorrow to see where this girl's abilities lie.”
“I am usually not one to interfere with your training, Bog,” Cassius interjected, “But in Kayden’s case, I think it best if you let her rest for the day. She’s already been through quite a lot and I’m not sure if you will get an accurate read on her in her current state.”
Bog looked Kayden up and down, taking in her disheveled appearance from the battle in the abyss. She was covered in dirt and blood, and that was only what they could see on the outside. On the inside she was thoroughly exhausted and about ready to fall asleep where she stood. She was eternally grateful for Cassius.
“Right you are, sir.” Bog nodded like Cassius words were the wisest thing he had ever heard. “First thing in the morning then. We will also explain your responsibilities then as well. Everyone here contributes to the operation of the training facilities. Is this agreeable to you?”
Kayden nodded.
“Good. Then Launi will show you to a room and the bathroom where you can clean yourself up. Launi.”
Launi who had been rubbing his head where he had been smacked, leapt to follow orders. He took Kayden’s bag from her. She was reluctant to let it go as it provided her with the illusion of protection, but Launi didn’t ask.
He nodded in the direction of some doors at the back with another small smile of reassurance and head that way, expecting her to follow.
Kayden took one final look at Cassius, but Cassius was leading Bog off to the side while they discussed something. Kayden was all but forgotten. The others in the gym had gone back to their exercises.
With nothing else to do, Kayden hurried after Launi who had reached the door and was opening it. Her new life as an initiate of Nikiphero had begun.