The Last Drop was packed to the rafters with every single resident of Haven. Even the palisade guards had been given permission to leave their posts for this momentous town gathering. The seating was organised so that at each long table sat people from the same groups. The craftsmen, farmers, and kitchen staff sat closest to the tavern’s front door. In the middle sat the expedition team members and the guards, and closest to the bar sat the twenty-four children of Haven, with their schoolteacher Yvonne looking over them. For the first time in its nearly century-long history, Haven had guests. Visitors from another settlement; who were not only friendly, but seeking closer ties via an alliance.

Though, most of the crowd weren’t all that interested in the alliance part, feeling it was a given. That was something the Chief and the other Council members were there to handle. All the attention in the room was fixated on one person.

Arezza. Arezza Serenitas Apricitas Servikal. For a long name, it glides off the tongue.

Sitting to the left of the Chief with a calm smile and her hands on the desk, no doubt using her royal skills to leave a lasting impression on the people of Haven. Her apple-red hair was done up in perfectly neat twintails tied with thin blue ribbons; matching the royal blue bands on her pearly-white iridescent horns that emerged from the sides of her head before curling forward, and then upward, framing her head like a natural tiara. One side of her fringe was tied back in a horizontal braid running back to her horn, while the other she let hang over her right eye.

Her fair complexion, slightly pink cheeks, her long, dark eyelashes around her enchanting emerald eyes… I know I’ve fallen for her magical charm before, but she is seriously beautiful. What’s more, I’ve yet to see her put on any makeup or even carry such tools on her person, so she may as well be naturally that beautiful. I know she’s said she’s a princess and by appearances alone I have no reason to doubt her, and she has done a good job with helping lead the Wolf Pups, but… I… I need to stop staring at her and thinking about how beautiful she is before anyone notices. Before anyone else notices, given the knowing wink she just gave me. Gods.

If she had kept her hood and cloak on when she arrived, with her pointed ears and white pupils, she could have easily blended in with the local inhabitants of the Abyss. She even has red hair strikingly similar to Tiff’s. She chose not to do this the minute she arrived. We were potential allies, and she decided that she wouldn’t hide her true nature from us. Her horns were one thing, but her brilliant blue wings were another. As dazzling as they were to see, those that had seen them could tell that something was wrong with her right wing. No limb is supposed to bend like that.

Even now, her wings rested close by her sides as she sat, almost blending into her blue and white dress. Blue and white were the colours of the Servikal Royal Family, as she told me; the banners of the Azorii Matarii were blue and white, and only Servikals had wings that were blue and white. There was every colour under the sun in her wardrobe when I saw it, but the three outfits the Chief made her choose were all primarily blue and white. It took me a minute to realise she wasn’t wearing the same dress she wore on the trip here yesterday.

To Arezza’s left sat Griffin, wearing his mask and feathered cloak, trying his best to look calm and collected, even though I can see the constant slight turns and twitches of his head as he nervously scans the entire room for any potential threats hidden in the sea of attention centred on Arezza. To his left again were Mole and Rabbit, seated on stools beside the Council’s table. The children of Haven were interested in meeting their new friends, and it seems Crow had told them about his squadmates Mole and Rabbit during his time in Haven.

Tiff and Anton were seated to the right of the Chief, while Rann, Vann, and some of the guards kept the crowd in order. As for myself, I was leaning against the back wall close to the Council’s table, where I could see both the crowd and those seated at the table. It’s nice not being the focus of attention, for once, although I do know that the experience of everyone in a room staring at you like you’re an alien isn’t an enjoyable one. Whether she enjoys it or not is something Arezza effortlessly hides behind her smile.

The Chief stands, and an enraptured silence falls upon the crowd.

“To make things clear for those who weren’t informed directly last night…” She begins, clearing her throat as she gestures to those seated to her left. “These are the Wolf Pups, a faction of children situated in the north of the Abyss. After successfully establishing relations with them, four of their number have journeyed to Haven with us to formalise our new alliance. To briefly introduce them, they are Rabbit and Mole, two young scouts of the Wolf Pups, Griffin; one of their captains, and Arezza Serenitas Apriticas Servikal, sixth daughter of the High Queen, Royal Princess of the Azorii Matarii, and Wolf Queen of the Abyss, and the person the majority of you are staring at.”

People murmur to themselves as they look away bashfully, many of them having been called out by the Chief for staring. Staring is rude, after all.

“Please, if I may, Chief Lichtrufer.” Arezza says, rising to her feet as the Chief nods and sits back down.

“Many of you have questions for me, and it is only fair that I give what answers I have. I am, after all, a stranger to you all. I was born of this world, when all of you were brought to it. This is only my third year in the Abyss, whereas many of you have been here for decades. There are many dangers and threats I am unfamiliar with. Were fortune smiling upon me, I could simply fly out from here, but…” She gives a slightly pained smile, lifting her broken right wing above the table to finish her sentence; drawing a few sympathetic winces from the crowd.

“To say I am bereft of fortune, however, would be a grave disservice to those that have helped me. In all honesty, I should have perished from my fall. When I awoke in a dank cave, my head spinning as children fretted over my wounds, my first thought was how strange an afterlife this seemed. It took me a moment before I realised that not only had I survived my fall, I had been rescued, and brought to a safe place where I could recover from my wounds. Were it not for these children…” She looks across at Griffin, Rabbit, and Mole seated to her left, giggling to herself. “Well, this young man and these children, I wouldn’t be standing here before you.”

“To answer one of the many questions that I’m sure will be asked…” The Chief speaks up for a moment. “I, and the others that joined me, confirmed with our own eyes. As terrible as it sounds, nearly all the Wolf Pups are children, and the oldest among them aren’t even twenty years of age.”

The elders of Haven exchanged worried looks and shocked gasps at this revelation. The children of Haven, however, are fascinated; it turns out everything Crow told them must be true.

One of the children, a girl with bright orange hair who is determined to get an answer, holds their hand as high as they can, just as they were taught to do in school.

The Chief sighs softly, nodding towards the girl. “You may stand and ask your question, Samantha. Any further questions will have to be held for later.”

Samantha stands, directing her question towards Arezza. “Is it true that in your city, you have a big fountain made of white rock that always has plenty of clean water?”

“We do, Samantha. Without that clean water, the Capital wouldn’t be the Capital.” Arezza answers.

This only causes a stir in the older portion of the crowd. A fountain made from white rock from which clean water flows? How?

“Ah, I should explain. The fountain is something I was able to magic all together. There’s many underground waterways flowing through the Abyss, so I was able to focus one into a fountain I teleported in and purify it, to make it safe for the children of the Capital to drink.” Arezza continues, with a happy smile.

A brief pall of silence hangs in the air, before the crowd erupts in shock, amazement, and even more questions. What does she mean, she “teleported a fountain in”? There are waterways under the Abyss? Where is this “Capital” she speaks of? You mean that bejewelled staff she carries isn’t just to show her wealth, she can actually use magic? She can purify water? More and more, each question adding onto the last, the cacophony growing louder and louder as control is lost-

Until, of course, the Chief stands and loudly clears her throat, staff in hand.

Everyone settles down pretty quickly. She said there’ll be time for questions later, and everyone knows that the Chief doesn’t like repeating herself.

“Well…” Arezza lets out a wistful sigh, sitting back down with a slight slump before correcting her posture. “They’re all fair questions. I just don’t know where to begin…”

“How about we start with how you ended up here.” Vann comments. “We’re all stuck down here together, after all. Sounds like your near-death experience wasn’t that far off from our actual-death experiences.”

“That… Well, it’s a little embarrassing when I think about it, aha…” Arezza laughs awkwardly, even as she winces at her own past actions.

“We’ve heard worse. Johnny ever tell you how he ended up here?” Rann says, leaning against the wall by the window.

“No, for the last time, we ain’t discussin’ that again! That story has been put to bed for good!” Johnny arcs up, sitting up from his usual slouch near the front of the room.

“How did it go again? Something about not getting his new red socks dirty?” Rann raises an eyebrow quizzically, thinking aloud.

“You leave my socks outta this! It’s a Falian-damned miracle they’ve made it this far! Red’s my lucky colour n’ all!” Johnny yells across the room.

“He’d bought himself the finest pair of the brightest red socks.” Vann answers, giving a knowing nod. “Called them his lucky socks. Of course, he nearly got run over by a carriage, which, more importantly, nearly got mud all over his brand new socks, to which he yelled angrily at the carriage driver…”

“I’m walkin’ ‘ere!!!” All the kids gleefully yell in unison, followed by giggles and laughs across the room.

“Noooooo!” Johnny groans, gripping his hands over his head to try and ignore the numerous, moderate-to-terrible impersonations of his well-known, Imperial Colony accent.

“But then, how did Johnny end up… Here?” Arezza asks, tilting her head.

“Oh, that. While he was yelling at the carriage that almost hit him, he got flattened by another.” Vann answers.

“The streets used to be owned by the people, for the people. Then all these rich Old Worlders came over with their fancy carriages and their six horses apiece, and expect you to get outta the way! But ya know what?” Johnny lifts one leg up onto the table with a thump, pulling up his pant leg to show his bright red sock. “Still as clean and comfy as the day I bought ‘em! Not even death could dirty ‘em! Red’s my lucky colour, as I told ya!”

“You must have no shortage of luck with all the red down here.” Rann shrugs to himself, gazing out the window to the red-leaved trees surrounding Haven.

“Abyss ain’t got the right kinda red. Anyways, Princess. However you ended up down here, these clowns are too busy laughin’ at my run-in with the bigwigs in town to make fun of your reason.” Johnny puts his foot back down, tugging his pant leg back down to keep his treasured red sock safe.

“Well, I certainly didn’t get run over, but in truth all it really was… was a dare, from my older sisters. To explain, although all Azorii have wings, few possess wings big enough and strong enough to fly. As a member of the Servikal Royal Family, I am… was, one of those Azorii that could fly, as could all my sisters. We’d often have races and endurance tests, and though I wasn’t the fastest, I could definitely fly the longest. I was travelling past the Abyss with two of my elder sisters, as there’s a road along the southern edge of the Abyss. My sisters made a bet that I couldn’t fly all the way across the Abyss and back. I took their bet, because one of them had gotten their hands on a rare book and they wouldn’t let me read it at all, and I really wanted to get my hands on it. Problem is…” Arezza laughs to herself with a look of self-pity in her eyes, before finishing, “No one knows how big the Abyss really is.”

“Truly? I’d read that all the other Sumps had clearly defined sizes and areas of influence, but I couldn’t find any conclusive information on the Abyss itself besides the height of the cliffs that trap us within here. If it took us a little over a day to move from the Dead Hollows in the north to Haven, then… it can’t be further than fifty talars from the centre at Dead Man’s Dream to the cliffs…” The Chief furrows her brow, trying to map out the Abyss in her head.

Stolen story; please report.

A talar is a kilometre; is how I came to understand the units of measurement in this… these worlds. Although people use inches, feet, yards, miles, ounces, pounds, and other such units on a daily basis—a system called the Old Measurements—since its inception, the Giornovan Empire has used a standardised system of measurements called the New Measurements that has also found widespread use in the Underlands. It’s roughly equivalent to the metric system, and is better at precise calculations than the Old system, but the Old Measurements still see use for their convenience in rough estimates at a glance.

Though, I remember when my father told me there was more to that story. The Old Measurements were sometimes called the Axelian Measurements, named for the God of Peace, and the story goes it was a gift from him to a world riven by countless different conflicting measurement systems. However, Juno, the Goddess of Order, found the Axelian system too disorderly for her liking, and implemented the Junian Measurements, otherwise known as the New Measurements. I always wondered how much influence the gods really had on our world, if they gave us languages and measurement systems that we use every day.

“The east is the closest edge to the centre of the Abyss. North, south, west; they all stretch far further out.” Rann speaks up, correcting the Chief’s answer.

“I took flight. From the edge where I stood, it looked like I could see the other side. Flying halfway across would be easy. Yet, the longer I flew, the further away the far side looked, and the further the southern ledge I took off from reached into the distance behind me. I kept going. The middle can’t have been that far, even though I’d long since lost sight of my sisters or our carriage. I kept going, even as my wings began to hurt and my heart was pounding in my chest. I just kept going, and going, and going, until… I felt something in me give out, and I fell. I don’t know how high I was, or how far I fell, or where I landed. The next thing I knew was that I woke up under the care of the Wolf Pups, and I’d be with them for the next three years after that to this day.” Arezza gave a small smile to the three Pups by her side.

Arezza did mutter something about how she ended up down here when we first met her, but now that everyone’s heard the full story, there’s one question on everyone’s minds. If Arezza truly is royalty, then…

“I suppose that begs the question.” Anton speaks, clearing his voice as he turns to Arezza across the table. “I see no reason to doubt your claims of royalty, unfamiliar as I am with your realm. But then, why hasn’t a princess been rescued in all this time? Are your people even aware you’re alive?”

Arezza does not give a spoken answer. She stands calmly, taking her white staff in hand. While Mia’s staff certainly isn’t crude in any way, it’s fashioned from the soft red timber of one of the common trees of the Abyss, decorated with whatever strips of gold she could find, with a smoothed branch on the otherwise gnarled head curving slightly outwards, for hanging a lantern from at night. Wood wasn’t her preferred primary material for a staff, but any self-respecting mage is capable of fashioning a magical conduit from whatever’s available in a situation such as this, and hers was a fine staff indeed.

Arezza’s staff… I can’t tell if that’s a giant ruby, or a garnet, or some other red gemstone entirely, but it’s so big and so perfectly round and faceted that it looks like it costs more than my family’s entire estate and every instrument we’ve ever made, combined. The body of the staff is made from snow-white wood; at least, while it has the appearance of wood, I’ve never seen iridescent wood that’s almost identical to the pearly white sheen of her horns. The shaft is perfectly straight from end to end, stretching outwards to wrap around the large gemstone at the head with a criss-cross lattice pattern that must have taken months of painstaking work. It’s simple and elegant while also being incredibly extravagant in its perfection.

Side by side, it makes Mia’s staff… look like a stick with bits of metal cobbled together to resemble a staff. Not that that’s Mia’s fault, in any way. Apparently, her staff as a Sage of the Order of the Golden Light was made of pure gold and was a relic dating back to the Order’s founding. Unfortunately for her, but fortunately for the Order, it didn’t come with her to the afterlife.

A warm light filling the gemstone atop Arezza’s staff pulls me back to reality. She mumbles something in an intelligible language, holding her hand outstretched as thin beams of light begin to form in it…

And with a brief flash, a white, frilly throw pillow appears in her hand.

“I’ve been summoning personal objects, furniture, even entire walls from my rooms in the palace for the past three years. They have to know I’m alive when it’s my things that keep vanishing into thin air.” She sighs, setting the throw pillow down on the table in front of her as she takes her seat.

“Then…” Anton blinks, peering at the throw pillow placed atop the table that appeared out of thin air. “If they have evidence you’re alive, why hasn’t help come in so long?”

“It’s partly as I said before. Few Azorii can fly, and fewer still can fly as well as I can. Now, as a Royal Princess, I wouldn’t have any issue getting help from my kin blessed with the strength to fly, but, unfortunately…” She looks down at the throw pillow as the colour drains from her face. “This is the Abyss. Flying down here is a death sentence. Nobody wants to do it, not even to save a princess.”

“Your Majesty…” Griffin says, holding Arezza’s hand. His impassive mask may hide his concern, but he can’t hide it in his voice.

“I mean, honestly!” Arezza sighs, crossing her arms as she perks back up. “I’m literally a Royal Princess trapped in a terrible place full of monsters and danger. You’d think every explorer and adventurer in Perga would be falling over themselves to come rescue me.”

A few chuckles in the room help lighten the mood. It says something of her character that she can make light of what is objectively a horrible situation. Perhaps the only thing worse than being trapped and waiting for someone to save you, is knowing there’s no one coming to save you.

“I take it there’s no settlements anywhere near the edge of the Abyss where a rescue could be organised from, either.” Rann comments.

“No. The only sign of civilisation near the Abyss is the road that passes its southern edge. Technically, the southern edge is in the fallen realm of the Horse-Lords, the western edge is in the territory of the Azorii Matarii, while the northeastern side borders on the Pine Kings. Not that anyone is particularly interested in laying claim to this place, let alone live near it. With the exception of the Pine Kings, there’s nothing but flat, empty grasslands on all sides.” Arezza says, recalling the surrounding geopolitical situation.

“What of the man that founded Haven? That built the crane that brought materials down and people up?” The Chief asks, hoping Arezza might have an answer if she’s so knowledgeable of the surroundings beyond the Abyss.

“The… Ah. I remember reading about that in passing, but it was little more than a footnote mentioning a small town was built to support the rescue of people from the Abyss. It didn’t speak of its fate… nor do I know of any settlements situated right on the edge of the Abyss.” Arezza answers.

Arshiya, seated near the front of the room by the children, raises her hand to ask a question.

“We’re not…” The Chief sighs lightly, rubbing her temple. “Unless there’s anything more you want to say, Arezza, I suppose we can go to questions now. Rann and I have already asked ours.”

“There is, but I can take Arshiya’s question.” Arezza smiles.

“Is it true no-one in the Underlands has feathered wings like Marina does?” Arshiya asks, lowering her hand.

“Ah…” Arezza looks across at me leaning against the wall, as do most of the crowd. Knowing they’re the centre of attention, my wings politely flap out from under my cloak to show themselves in all their feathered glory.

“None that I’ve ever heard of, actually.” She continues, looking my wings up and down. “All Azorii have wings, not that most of us can fly. The Draaf have wings, and all of them can fly, and supposedly, even some Vashoran can sprout wings and fly. All those wings, though, are like my own; featherless, flexible, and smooth. Feathered wings are the domain of birds and birds alone. I’d say that would make Miss Marina Retali here a bird, but birds don’t hide swords in their wings like she does.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m just a human with wings. Just because they’re feathered doesn’t make me a bird.” I frown.

“I wouldn’t disregard that so soon, Marina Retali. Your voice has a most pleasant cadence, and under the right teacher, it may just put even the most musical songbirds to shame. Even your name has a charming melody to it~” Arezza gives a teasing smile. I shrink back against the wall a little out of embarrassment at such effusive praise. She hasn’t even heard me sing, not that I’m a bad singer by any stretch. It would be a terrible tragedy if a child of the Retali family was born tone-deaf.

“That reminds me of one part of the agreement between Haven’s people and my Wolves.” Arezza speaks to the crowd, rising to her feet once more. “It’s a small part, but as perhaps the only other winged individual in the Abyss with flight experience, I will be teaching Marina how to make better use of her wings—with the hope that, one day soon enough, she’ll be able to fly on her own. Her wings are certainly big and strong enough to accomplish such a feat.”

“Then, we should cover the main topic of this meeting.” The Chief rises beside Arezza, clearing her throat. “The terms of an alliance between Haven, and the Wolf Pups. Arezza, if you may.”

Every person in the room not seated at the council’s table leans forward. This is what they’ve been waiting for.

“First, to cover the situation of my Wolves. Our primary settlement is the Capital, a series of tunnels excavated beneath the forested region known as the Dead Hollows. The Hollows are too dangerous for most large groups to cross, thus it provides the Capital with excellent security, being situated near the forest’s southern edge, closer to the Abyss’ centre. Numerous outposts form a loose ring around the Abyss’ centre, keeping a watchful eye out for the movements of other groups, and for any lost children. As I’m sure you’re all aware… the only new arrivals in the Abyss for the past two decades have all been children.” Arezza sighs quietly, before continuing. It’s always in the back of our minds, but it’s a sombre thing to say out loud. “Including myself, there are fifty-seven Wolves. The older Wolves are stationed at these outposts, and help rescue and care for those too young to look after themselves. Rescued children are always brought to the nearest outpost, then they move from one to another until they reach the safety of the Capital. Currently… we’re rescuing at least two children every month.”

“How long has this operation been going, if the Chief doesn’t mind me asking?” Rann says.

“Our proper rescue operations began about a year after we found Her Majesty. So… two years, at least.” Griffin answers for his Queen.

“Hmm. That tracks. Marina’s the first person we’ve found in nearly two years. Now we know where the kids have been going.” He nods. A few sighs of relief go through the crowd. Nearly every adult in Haven feels some degree of responsibility for looking after the children that end up in a place as terrible as this; a place no child should ever end up in. At least, now we know some of them have been brought to safety.

“To finish on our current situation, while clean water and shelter are plentiful, there are other issues looming on the horizon. Food, clothes, and equipment. We have little in the way of tools, material, and knowledge to make new clothes, and while there is plenty of food to forage beneath the boughs of the Hollows, foraging alone will not sustain us for much longer, certainly not if our numbers continue to grow. Which will not stop. It will not stop… as long as more and more children end up down here.” Arezza finishes, sitting back down and taking a deep breath.

The future for the Wolf Pups, as is, looks bleak. There’s no sign that the number of people reincarnated here, or the fact that only children are reincarnated here, is ever going to stop. And we can’t just… leave them to fend for themselves.

“Which is why, under the terms of our new alliance, children found and rescued by the Wolf Pups will be brought to Haven, to be raised in safety as our own.” The Chief speaks. There’s a few murmurs and nods of agreement. It’s a given, really.

“This does mean some things will have to change to accommodate this. At bare minimum… we’ll be needing more desks for the schoolhouse.” The Chief gives a small smile. “That’s just the beginning, though. New clothes, new beds, an expansion of the bunkhouse, or ideally, a second bunkhouse. There’s still plenty of room along Crystal Road for more buildings. We won’t be undertaking this expansion alone, either. Numerous Wolf Pups will be joining us here not only to live, but to work alongside us. While the majority of the older Wolves will remain at the Capital or at the various outposts to keep an eye out for lost children, some would like to help via living in Haven itself and helping with the day to day needs of our settlement.”

“Well, clothes are something we’ll have to take measurements for, but you needn’t worry about new desks. We’ve been hard at work on those.” Tiff says, looking past Anton to the Chief.

“You have? We only returned last night.” The Chief asks, turning to Tiff.

“If you’ll excuse me, Chief.” A man from the rightmost table stands, holding his arms behind his back; the sawdust coating his shoulders hints at his occupation. “We figured, after the ordeal with Crow, that we might be getting some newcomers to Haven soon. So me, my apprentices, and a couple o’ the guards’ve been puttin’ some new school desks together. We’ve got half a dozen finished ones sitting in the storeroom, with another half a dozen more underway.”

“That’s… remarkably good time, given we were gone only a few days.” The Chief blinks in surprise.

“Once the desks are finished, they’ll be starting on the new beds, of which the bedsheets are already finished and waiting.” Tiff smiles proudly.

“Though we will have more mouths to feed, the fertiliser made from the remains of the carrion hawk has been working wonders on the farming plots. By our next harvest, I’m expecting to see 47% greater yields than our last. Even excluding hunting and foraging trips, we’d have more than enough to feed ourselves and provide for our new allies.” Anton adds, nodding thoughtfully.

“You… you’ve already done all this for us? Before you even met us?” Arezza says in almost disbelief.

“Of course we have. Why wouldn’t we? We want the same thing you want.” Vann answers. “You may have fallen in here while the rest of us woke up here, but as far as I care, a near-death experience is more than close enough to the real thing. You’re stuck down here just like the rest of us, and you chose to help. That makes you one of us.”

“H-honestly…” Arezza looks like she’s about to well up, before quickly clearing her throat and regaining her composure. “Ahem. Truthfully, I can’t thank all of you enough for welcoming us with open arms. I don’t intend to idly sit by while you help us all, either. I’ll do whatever I can to repay this kindness of yours. I will be staying in Haven for the next several days before I return to my Wolf Pups with the good news. Until then, I look forward to getting to know everyone.”

A hand amongst the seated children shoots up, sensing the opportunity as Arezza finishes speaking. “Chief Lichtrufer! Is it question time now!”

The Chief looks across at Arezza, who smiles and gives her a nod. “I suppose so. Just make sure to behave properly when asking questions-”

Before she finishes, dozens more hands are raised, not only amongst the children, but many among the adults as well, playing along with the children.

“All of you?!” The Chief exclaims in shock, as a few people laugh at her reaction. She sighs lightly, smiling to herself before turning to the left of the room. “Alright, let’s start from the left. Who’s first?”