Dexter’s POV

“Maybe we missed him,” Valentina said, “or maybe we’re too close to the tower?”

I’d considered the same. If someone was involved in unregistered duels it would make sense for them to stay far from Founder’s Tower. The professor said we’d find the guide outside, but he never said where outside the tower.

Scanning the crowd, but not finding anyone with a crooked cane, I nodded. “You’re probably right. Let’s try looking around the air docks.”

She nodded, saying. “Sure, I’ve always wanted to see an airship.”

“Alright, it’s just past the—” I groaned in frustration, as I considered that the aerodrome and its adjacent district had the heaviest enforcer presence in all of Caldera. “Actually Val, that would probably just be a waste of time.” Sighing heavily I added, “why couldn’t Donovan just take me himself? This was his idea and if I get caught… enforces aren’t exactly known for showing mercy or leniency.”

Valentina frowned as she turned around, moving towards a stair rail and leaning over it. After a few moments looking over a recreational area between two sets of stairs up to the tower, she said, “Is that him?”

Stepping up beside her, I followed Valentina’s gaze past a dozen red dragon magisters—a teacher and some students from one of a few smaller schools not directly run by The Society. They weren’t generally welcomed at the tower, but I figured they must’ve been hoping to visit the grand library, we’re invited by a researcher for some odd purpose, or maybe they were just looking for trouble.

Whatever the case, there was a man behind them in red leather pants and a matching jacket. Beneath the jacket he wore a matt black shirt with some kind of rune on it. The fingers of his black leather gloves were cut off halfway and there were holes over each knuckle. Grease was caked so thick in his hair that it looked like he dunked his head in an oil barrel. A pair of dark shades hid his eyes, and his cane, or rather a replica red dragon, made him stand out.

The red dragon was iconic and a nod to a great beast of myth said to have once aided the gray man, our founder. But he was using it as a cane, and it was crooked. Still it just didn’t make sense. He was definitely a Red Dragon magister.

“It can’t be him,” I sighed dismissively, “with that get up he may as well be screaming, ‘here I am, come kill me!”

Valentina snickered. Then, regaining her composure, she said, “Well, he is the only person we’ve seen with a crooked cane, or with a cane at all. We should just ask. If it’s not him, then he won’t know what we’re talking about.”

“Or he’ll just lie."

She pressed her lips together and dropped her chin giving me a sardonic look. “Well then, we’re fucked either way right?”

I rolled my eyes then Valentina turned back and called over the railing, “Hey, dragon cane guy!”

The man turned toward us, though he didn't raise his head.

“Val, what are you doing?”

“Taking the initiative. Kayla says, ‘acting first is often the first step to success.”

“Well, you’re a spell tome; you’re supposed to listen to your magister, not just act on your own!”

Valentina didn’t stop. When the man finally looked up to meet her gaze, she waved him over.

“Valentina! Stop, what kind of spell tome—”

“Can I help you, miss?” The man asked as he bounced up the stairs. He kept his eyes lowered, not looking directly at her, but it was clear he was talking to Valentina.

"Can you direct us to the place where the snake lost its eye?"

He stared at her for several moments, then looked past her at me.

A goofy grin spread on his face. “Two points please.”

My mouth hung open in surprise. That was it, this was the guy.

The crooked cane tapped impatiently against the ground as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Valentina looked at me, her eyes bright with satisfaction. I scowled back as I fished the coins from my pocket then reluctantly tossed them to the red dragon magister. Professor Kaylastal gave them to me when he told us where to find the guy. I knew I’d have to use them as payment but that was the most money I’d ever held at one time and it was already all gone.

The man’s smile broadened as he stared at the two beautiful coins in his hand, each appearing like a miniature galaxy, a feature of the neabulite they were made from. Satisfied, he stuffed the coins in his pocket and said, “Follow me,” as he pivoted and began descending the steps.

We followed closely behind him. When we passed the other red dragon magisters, he nodded at them saying, “I’ll be back after I show these tourists the sights.”

Several of them laughed, others looked at me with pity. A small girl, easily missed among her peers, squeaked with fright. She didn't even try to hide her fear; she just froze up completely. The other students taunted and poked at her, making her face flush red. I felt sympathetic to her experience, but there was nothing I could do to help and our guide didn’t stop or slow, he just kept walking.

I felt on edge as we made our way past the gigasparkz mall and into the central business district. The conceit and entitlement of kids born with a silver spoon up their asses permeated the air like noxious fumes. Everywhere I looked, there were people so intensely sculpted and manicured that a one eyed trogger with an extra tail might look more human than them.

When we reached the air dock, the man with the cane pointed toward the sky. After a moment, I realized he was pointing at a black airship twice the size of The Adventure. Its hull, smooth and seamless, looked as one with the night sky until I noticed the absence of stars over its expanse. Energy sails cycled through several modes, causing an array of colors to shoot out on either side of the ship. They must’ve been testing functions. When the main engine fired up it set the earth to rumbling with gentle vibrations that both startled and soothed me.

“It’s up there?” I asked, in complete shock and disbelief.

He laughed, “Of course not!” Pointing below the ship, towards a massive chain he said, “follow the anchor and you’ll find your answer.”

“Th—thanks,” I said, sounding more disappointed than I meant to. “seems promising…I guess.”

The man nodded, then turned and went back.

Valentina continued on without hesitation saying, “Come on Dexter, we’ve already come this far.”

“Yeah, and I gave him the points too…”

I should’ve just kept them.

Stolen novel; please report.

Before reaching the anchor we had to pass through the airship's docking building, which was mostly empty, except for several maintenance crews. We passed by two groups of workers, the first a crew that cleaned and sanitized seats and the other group was busy restocking snack racks and beverage stations. Neither group paid us any mind, even though I was sure we weren’t supposed to be in here.

The building was almost entirely constructed of metal framing and glass panels, allowing a clear view of the floating ship and the thick chain hanging down through a wide chute at the bend of the U shaped building.

We needed to go down and to do that, we had to find an elevator.

A huge pair of doors opened automatically when we stepped in front of them, revealing a lift that we took to the lowest level of the building. Seeing that the chain went deeper still, we descended further to a deep subterranean level.

Bright lights and giant fans covered the ceiling of the underground. Buildings, still far below, densely populated the ground with people moving between them as far as the eye could see. It was like a whole other city beneath the city. I had no idea a place like this existed and was curious how it stayed hidden for so long.

On our way down, I noticed that the anchor was implanted in the ground below at the head of a serpentine pathway. An eye shaped crater around the impact site was positioned at the top of the head right where a snake's eye should be. That must’ve been the place, but I didn’t see any indication of a duel arena.

When we finally reached the ground a scrappy old man in ratty clothes was waiting at the bottom. He was missing an eye, but didn’t do others the kindness of covering his grotesque scar. Seeing us, he gave a sinister smile as he uttered, “You ain’t from down here are you?”

The question didn’t need answering, he could probably see it on my face, and Valentina had eyes like a razor beak black hawk as she took in all the new sights. This place was simpler than the tower, but it still seemed to fill her with awe and wonder.

“We’re on our way to the missing eye,” I said flatly.

A rumbling laugh slipped through the man’s lips as he brought his hands together. Opening his one eye wider, he inspected Valentina and I closely before asking, “You sure about that, uplander?” Widening his smile till it touched his ears he added, “Might not make it back home if you go.”

My gaze drifted past him toward the tunnel ahead. The path wasn't paved with stone or brick like the rest of the underground city; it was just broken concrete and scrap metal all piled together. Some kind of fluid dripped down in the tunnel and there were bundles of ruined clothing strewn about. The idea of people actually living down here was unfathomable, yet I had seen on the way down that this lower city was in fact full of residents.

I hesitated at first, but my curiosity was piqued. Before today I had no idea this place existed. Now I wondered if maybe it held other secrets. But mostly, I just wasn’t willing to let two whole points go to waste. “Yes,” I said, taking a step forward. “Could you show us the way?”

----------------------------------------

The crater seemed far larger up close, surrounded by piles of trash and debris. After making our way to the base of the anchor, the old guy rubbed his chin saying, “Last chance to turn back, uplander.”

I didn't reply. Instead I touched the anchor and inspected it for some kind of rune. Finding nothing, I asked, “How does this work?”

He shook his head, chuckling under his breath then a spell tome leapt from his belt to his hand. “Through a fractured mirror, see this broken land. Fill the cracks, make it whole again.”

The ship's anchor rose out of the ground, hovering just above the surface. The cracks in the pavement began to mend as the sunken crater raised up and returned to its original state. The ground shifting beneath me was slow and subtle, but unexpected and it threw me off balance. I stumbled, backwards into Valentina and smiled appreciatively in thanks for her catching me.

When the earth stopped shaking, the cyclops pointed to a spot beneath the anchor. It was painted like a snake's eye with a teleport rune at the center of the pupil. Even after the restoration was completed, the pavement remained somewhat cracked, but it appeared as if it had been designed that way.

The rune was active, but I had serious concerns about going through it. Glancing over at the old guy, then back at the rune, I asked, “Is this even safe? How will we get back?”

“If you want safe, run on back to your precious tower. If you want the thrill of battle and a chance for magi-points, then proceed.”

Valentina stepped forward, but I didn’t. Seeing my hesitation, she turned to me with a warm smile, “Aren’t you coming?”

Swallowing my reservations, I nodded and went with her through the rune.

As far as tour guides go, cyclops did more than crooked cane and I found myself hoping he’d at least get one of the two points I paid to get here. By rights he should’ve gotten the whole amount, but it wasn’t up to me. Wasn’t really my business either. Maybe he didn’t want points—

The hell am I thinking about? This is pointless.

Blinding light flooded my eyes. The air felt hot, not cool and damp like the underground city, but dry and arid like a desert. The moisture in my mouth seemed to evaporate leaving me with a sandy sort of roughness in my throat as everything pulled uncomfortably inwards.

As my eyes adjusted to the bright white light, the contours of a hall took shape. There were several people in the corridor, mostly just leaning against plain white walls. At the far end, there was a desk where a man sat next to a glowing monitor. A sign on the desk read registration, so I approached.

The clerk glanced up from his monitor, looking at us with disinterest before returning to his work. When he didn't say anything, I cleared my throat.

He looked up again, cocking his eyebrow as he stared at me.

“We'd like to register,” I said.

He shook his head. “Not here for the tournament are ya?”

“What tournament?”

His expression shifted slightly, though it wasn't clear how much of that was due to our question. He tapped his keyboard a few times then pushed away from the desk. Standing, he stretched his arms over his head and yawned loudly. His voice came out deep and gravelly as he said, “There's a tournament every day except holidays. Win five matches you get a prize, usually a bundle of points, and move up to the next rank.”

“Actually, that sounds good,” I said. “How many points?”

“Depends on the rank, but I wasn’t done explanin’ yet.” He paused, giving me a condemning look. “Uplander, huh? Confidence ‘ill get ya killed down here. But anyway, this isn't like your fancy tower games where there's some kinda special rules or whatever. Here in the arena it's simple; last person standing wins.”

“Then the duels are—”

“To the death, yes. Do you still want to register?”

I gulped hard, then answered, “Yeah.”

I didn’t see any way out of this hall so I figured when the big guy said last chance to turn back, he really meant it. I’d have to survive the tournament to get home, hopefully I wouldn’t actually have to kill anyone though.

The clerk broke into a fit of hysterical laughter, flapping his arms and smacking his hands against his desk. “Just like an uplander, always so eager to throw his life away for the promise of points.”

My fists balled at my sides as the muscles in my face contorted with anger. The clerk laughed louder still, but before I could raise a fist to hit him, Valentina grabbed my arm and squeezed.

Between wheezing breaths the man added, “Relax kid. It ain’t really a death match.”

The blood rushed from my head as I took several deep breaths trying to calm down. He continued chuckling, then said, “Seeing as this is your first time, you’ll be in the beginners league, but that don’t mean it’ll be easy. I suggest you prepare yourself.”

Valentina asked, “So what do we do now?”

“Didn’t I just—nevermind, wait here for the call,” he said, motioning to the empty hall behind us.

Wasn’t like we had much choice.

----------------------------------------

A bell rang through the building, then dozens of people appeared in the hall. A few sat on scattered benches while others paced back and forth anxiously. Most just seemed curious about their surroundings, as if they hadn’t expected the teleport, or perhaps they were just disoriented.

We joined the crowd, sitting near the end of the bench furthest from the registration desk. Several minutes went by before another bell rang. All eyes turned to the clerk who tapped his screen again. His expression was grim as he stood up saying, “Inmates, convicts, fools, and sadists, the next tournament starts in fifteen minutes. As usual the beginners will go first, so everyone please prepare yourself and to the victor go the spoils.”

As soon as he finished speaking, people started milling around, some talking to each other in hushed tones. I guessed they were forming alliances, but no one approached me. It didn’t take much to realize I was an outsider here and couldn’t rely on anyone for help.

I was pretty sure I couldn’t trust the registrar either.

When the next bell rang a rune appeared on the wall beside the registration desk. “Be—ginners,” the man called.

About a dozen people made their way to the wall, not including myself. Something told me this was all a big mistake. The guy stared at me with an unforgiving look of disdain before saying, “Uplander,” with a tone that might’ve scared off an angry dual horn.

Valentina reverted and I joined the others with my spell tome in hand.