Ace landed just in front of the dragon painting in the lobby. Before he could raise his head he heard a voice.

“Everybody should be rushing out into the lobby, but nobody’s here. Maybe Arthur’s punches destabilized this plane of existence? If that’s the case everybody who goes through those doors is going to end up in some random hall. Ah, they’ll all find their way here eventually though.

“If anything, that’s perfect, because it gives us enough time to have a lovely little chat. Now doesn’t that sound lovely?”

Ace raised his head to see Vivyan staring directly at him, a slight grin forming at the corner of her lips.

“Yeah,” Ace said with a laugh. One of his hands rested on the handle that stuck out from the scabbard on his back; the other hovered just above the holster at his waist, clutching a bright red gemstone. “Talking sounds nice.”

Vivyan clasped her hands together. “Wonderful. You should know things are a bit chaotic. The plane is destabilized; entrances don’t connect to the right exits. The doors in the theater lead to random ones in the hallways instead.”

“So everyone’s scattered all around. I heard you the first time.”

“Speaking of first times, this isn't the first time we’ve met, is it?” Vivyan asked. “You’re the one who killed the raeven.”

Ace stayed silent.

“Oh, silly me, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Vivyan.”

Ace’s face remained still. Can anybody hear me? Hello? None of Ace's mental messages generated a reply; he realized the [Link] connecting The Hangmen had been severed somehow.

“And your name is?” Vivyan asked.

“Halvor.”

Vivyan smiled. “Whatever you say, Ace. Now I’m going to make this brief. Either you’re going to give me the stone in or I’m going to take the hand holding it. Actually, taking just a hand requires little finesse, and I’m tired as shit, so actually I’ll just take the whole arm.”

Ace’s grip on the stone tightened. “You really want to take that risk?”

Vivyan’s head snapped back as she looked at Ace with surprise in her eyes. “Are you … threatening me? Oh my gods, you are so much more fun than Halvor, and that woman who watched us through the window. Okay, I’ll bite. What risk would I be taking in ripping your arm off?”

“Because the moment you try I’m going to use it.”

“And that should frighten me? You’ve never used one before.”

“That’s why there’s a risk. When I was a kid I read in an animal facts book that baby spiders and snakes are deadlier than adults because even though they don’t have as much venom as an adult, they’ll always inject all of it into their prey, since they don’t know how much to use.

“When I use this stone, can you be sure I won’t use up everything it has? Maybe you can recharge it somehow, but what if it shatters or disintegrates? That’s the risk you’re taking.”

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Vivyan leaned down, thrusting her face in front of Ace’s. “Well, that’s a risk worth taking.” She flicked her fingers, and her fingernails morphed into razor-sharp claws.

“Even if there’s an option without any risk?” Ace asked, trying to keep his breathing steady.

“What would that be?” Vivyan asked.

“You’re pretty strong, right?”

Vivyan chuckled. “Oh, that wasn't rhetorical. Yes, I’m quite strong.”

“That woman you mentioned you saw, looking at you and Halvor. She was tall, had dark skin, and a burnt staff, right?”

“Yes.”

Without Galina’s [Link] skill, Ace knew there was no hope of reuniting with the rest of The Hangmen. She had assured Ace that it would disconnect when exiting the theater, but reconnect when he got back. Given that it was severed, even though he had returned, Ace reasoned Galina had gotten into trouble. “I think she’s in danger. I want you to save her, and not harm any of my party until we’ve all left this theater. In exchange, I’ll give you the stone.”

“Are you joking?” Vivyan asked. “There’s way more risk with that option. Mainly, what if she’s dead? Then I’ll never get the stone.”

“No, no, no, you aren’t understanding. I’ll give you the stone, right now.” Ace held the stone up in front of his face. “If Galina’s dead, then she’s dead. Anything short of that, you bring her back to this lobby, even if it means you have to drag her here. So what do you say? Do we have a deal? [Pact].”

Vivyan grinned, whether to express surprise or admiration Ace couldn’t tell. “Alright, let’s do this.”

[ Pact formed!]

[ Active Pacts: 2/2. ]

Ace tossed Vivyan the philosopher’s stone. As she snatched it out of the air, she inspected the stone closely.

The moment Ace took his eyes off her, from out of the corner of his vision, he saw a blur as Vivyan lashed out toward him, her claws primed to tear his throat out.

Suddenly, Vivyan’s arm was gone. It didn’t disappear gradually, in a puff of mist, or with a bright flash. Her arm was there one moment and gone the next. Her empty sleeve fluttered and flapped to her side.

Vivyan shrugged. “Worth a shot.” She tapped her shoulder. Then again, and again. “It normally starts growing back by now.”

“I think I’m holding your arm as collateral, right now,” Ace said. “The moment our agreement is done, I’m 50 percent sure, there's an 80 percent chance it’ll grow back. So get to work.”

Ace couldn’t help himself as a massive grin crawled across his face.

Vivyan bit her lip in frustration hard enough to draw blood, before taking off down one of the halls. “For the record, that fact about baby snakes and spiders is largely a myth.”

After she left, Ace let out a massive sigh of relief. His knees were about to give out. He lay down on the floor and took a deep breath in and out.

“I guess I should try to check in on everyone else. I’m maxed out, but I should still be able to contact their spirit. To The Hangmen, [Pact].”

Although [Pact] couldn’t form an agreement, Ace knew to initiate a pact his skill reached out to spirits. Therefore, with the right chant, it could be repurposed to locate specific spirits, even if Ace had no intention of making a deal with them.

Ace closed his eyes. The smell of everyone’s essence flooded his senses. He could pick out six distinct scents, assuring him that everyone was at least in the theater. Everyone’s scent was dull and muted; Ace best interpreted this as a sign of stress or strain, indicating that it wasn’t just Galina struggling.

However, as he focused on each scent, one suddenly turned acrid. The burning in Ace’s nostrils flared up so badly that his eyes flashed open. Ace pushed himself to his feet. One of The Hangmen needed his help.

As Ace heard a hoard of footsteps and a cacophony of voices, rushing toward the lobby, he ran down the hall in the opposite direction, following the acrid scent, and calling out the name of The Hangmen whose essence it belonged to.

“Riven!”