Jeze woke up when Mikal slapped her face. Her vision was blurry, but she saw that the Healer was offering her something.

"Drink this," he said.

The cool liquid touched her lips, and Jeze knew that it was the Silver vial. Yes! She needed to drink this and get it to her colleagues. Jeze drank the liquid and sat up.

"Quick! Give these to the others!" She exclaimed.

"What do you think that I am doing?" Mikal said, a weak smile was on his face.

His sarcasm lacked the normal edge. Jeze noticed and became worried. Her body felt extremely sore, and she frantically looked at her arms. There was a gray patch of skin at her wrists but nothing else.

"Couzart stopped the rot in time for you," Mikal explained and added, "But you need to finish this vial."

Jeze drank the rest of the potion. She felt the cool liquid go smoothly down through her chest and the magical energies tingling as they took effect. But she noticed Mikal's gentle smile and moist eyes. Jeze had an uneasy feeling.

"What of the others?" She asked.

"Ya, we are fine, Jezie. You're the one that gave us the biggest scare," Helga said.

Jeze discovered that they were still at the site of their fight with the Lich and the Corpse Eater. Dunar and Rolfe were also nearby. Everyone gently smiled at her as if she lost something. Jeze touched her face and hair. Everything seemed normal.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Good people fell in battle today," Dunar replied softly.

Jeze nodded in understanding. She felt relieved that her team was alright, but then she felt a little guilty about that. With trepidation, she wondered who fell.

"Scraggly and Frode fought bravely in the end. They left proud memories for their families," Dunar answered her unspoken question.

"They are now feasting in the Great Halls," Mikal said and made a sign with his hands that Jeze recognized as a holy gesture.

"Aye," Rolfe said, and the large man wiped his eyes.

Helga rubbed his shoulders. Jeze didn't really know the two that were lost. Emotions swelled in her chest as tears threatened to burst from her eyes. Jeze never learned Scraggly Beard's real name, and she also wanted to know why Frode used a Montante. Now, she'll never hear the stories from their mouths. It dawned on Jeze that the Proven probably grew up with the two Carls. They were their teachers and mentors. Jeze gripped Dunar's hand and looked at each of her teammates.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she said, her voice nearly cracked.

Dunar patted her hand and nodded. Helga hugged Jeze, and the teenager feared for a moment that her ribs would break from the powerful embrace. From over Helga's large shoulder, Jeze saw Carl Jorgenson and Berserker Orn talking with Couzart. The three approached when they saw that Jeze had awakened.

"How are you feeling, pup?" Orn asked.

Jeze learned how to boast from her many weeks traveling with proud Frostsworn. "I feel ready to kick that Lich's ass!" She exclaimed, but internally, she felt ready to take a nap.

"Spoken like a true Frostsworn!" Helga exclaimed.

Jorgenson, Orn, and the Proven all grinned widely and chanted, "Hurrah!"

The other Carls looked up at the sound and raised their fists into the air and cried as one "Hurrah!"

Jeze loved the Frostsworn. Even despite their tragic losses, they were still madly in love with the pursuit of glory. Couzart smiled but remained reserved and patient. He allowed the people of the Frozen North to carry on with their boasting. It was as much a part of their culture as was fighting. And drinking mead, must not forget the drinking. Jeze reflected.

Couzart produced Jeze's Globe from his red robes and returned it to her. "I hope you do not mind that I held on to this remarkable Runic item while you were incapacitated. Where did you discover it?"

Jeze accepted the Globe and saw that Orn and Jorgenson's eyes were upon her. Rainbow had advised her to be careful with secrets. What the multi-colored-haired adventurer neglected was how hard it was to keep secrets! Jeze answered Couzart's question and told the tale of her adventures in the pyramid. The Elite nodded.

"I am somewhat familiar with the stories about the Ones from Before. There are many adventurers that spend their entire careers searching these ruins. You were fortunate to have found one so early in your career," he said.

Orn rubbed his calloused hands together. "What's the plan? We best get moving soon as the dead are coming back."

"What are you thinking?" Couzart asked Jeze.

The question surprised her. Why was he interested in what she had to say? Jeze was the youngest adventurer of the entire group. In a way, she felt proud.

"You fought the Lich the longest out of all of us. Anything you learned?" She asked.

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Jeze regretted asking the question after it came out. She half expected Couzart and the Carls to admonish her for speaking to him as if he were an equal. The Elite should be asking her the questions, not the other way around. But that never happened. Instead, Orn and Carl Jorgenson looked to see how the Elite would answer.

Couzart tapped his chin and replied, "I wonder if he is as much a prisoner here as the other undead."

"You mean he is not the Floor Guardian?" Dunar asked.

Couzart shook his head. "I do not think so, but if he is, he is against his will, and he is plotting something."

Helga and Rolfe’s eyes went wide. "You mean there is something stronger on this level?" Rolfe asked.

Helga rubbed her hands together. "Ya? I can't wait to fight that!"

"You two make the Frostsworn proud," Carl Jorgenson said. The two large warriors beamed with pride.

"What makes you think this?" Jeze asked the Elite.

Couzart scratched his bald head. "When we fought, he mainly wanted to talk."

Dunar blinked his eyes. "Talk?"

Couzart nodded and added, "When I felt I was about to win the fight was when I learned he was just controlling that body. Only the most powerful Liches could do that, so we are dealing with a truly remarkable powerhouse. Now that I know that I was fighting a clone, I think he was bored."

"What happened?" Dunar asked.

Couzart shrugged. "He became distracted and fled. I did not know where he went until I saw this one's Light spell." The Elite motioned toward Jeze.

"Aye, he came to us because we were hunting his Corpse Eaters," Orn answered.

Couzart tapped his chin and finally nodded in understanding. "The Corpse Eaters feed on the undead and transfer the energy to him." He stated.

"Aye, and we saw him collect that energy," Orn stated.

"Interesting. So, he needs to be in physical contact. At least one of his vessels needs to," Couzart observed.

"Do we continue with hunting the Corpse Eaters?" Dunar asked.

The Elite shook his bald head. "I think he got what he needed. He is up to something. We must be careful. He is from our realm and very old. He knows many things, many secrets."

"What did he tell you?" Jeze wondered.

Couzart studied her for a moment, and his pure yellow eyes unnerved her. "I will say this. He knew about my past. That is something very few know, and I want to keep it that way."

The Elite's statement cut off further questions. The undead began to gather around them. Jeze could see the stronger undead pacing and planning. The Adventurers were running out of time before they would be swarmed.

"So, do we search for the Core Tunnels?" Orn suggested.

"Core Tunnels?" Couzart asked.

Once again, all eyes turned toward Jeze. She sighed. She was sharing the secret with more people and will now have more headaches when it comes to the cursed Hold Core. Now an Elite will know! She had no choice and told Couzart about the Core Tunnels and the Hold Core. She left out Ziplocke and was glad that Dunar did not share that part.

"That is interesting. How can we find them here?" Couzart replied.

"This place is a cursed maze of endless gravestones. It could be anywhere," Gunhild observed.

"Perhaps Jeze could light another flare, and let's team up with the other Adventurer teams?" Dunar suggested.

Orn arched an eyebrow. "That will also attract more trouble."

Helga stood tall and added, "Ya! Perhaps the Lich will return for round two, no?"

"Trying to find the other teams is a good idea, but our top priority is to find these Core Tunnels," Couzart said.

Jeze narrowed her eyes at the Elite. He seemed a little too interested in the Core Tunnels. What was he up to? She wondered. But Jeze loved to solve problems. All of her concerns around secrets and Hold Cores being used to conquer other realms and other possible nefarious reasons melted away. There must be a way to find where the Core Tunnels were located! Her eyes drifted over toward Mikal, who was searching the remains of the Corpse Eater. That's it! She thought.

"The Corpse Eaters!" She exclaimed.

Couzart blinked his odd yellow eyes. "What about them?"

"Well, I am assuming that the Lich has to guard the Core Tunnels. If that is true, then the Corpse Eaters need to go to him, right?" She asked.

"Why assume that?" Dunar countered.

Jeze thought for a moment, and her face lit up. "Why would he bother creating them in the first place? Think about it. We saw the Ghouls and the Wights eat the lesser undead for power. The Lich could do the same, so why would he create the Corpse Eaters?"

"So he won't be bothered," Mikal answered.

"Exactly!" Jeze exclaimed.

Dunar turned to the Elite and asked, "Master Couzart when you came to this level, how did you find the Lich?"

"He came for me," Couzart answered and turned to Jeze, "I think your theory has a flaw. If the Lich remained in the Core Tunnels, why would he come for me?"

"Because you are an Elite. You said so yourself. He was more interested in talking. He could care less about us, and that's why he didn't come for us. It was not until we were actively destroying his Corpse Eaters," Jeze replied.

"I think it does not hurt to examine the Corpse Eater," Gunhild said.

Orn and Jorgenson both agreed.

"We best hurry though, the dead will trap us soon enough," Orn pointed out.

Mikal, Jeze, and Gunhild quickly searched the remains of the giant Corpse Eater.

"What are we looking for?" Gunhild asked Jeze.

The teenager responded, "Any Rune chains that could be used to locate something or to travel somewhere. The Portal or Spirit aspects, maybe?"

Gunhild pulled out a fist-sized orb that Jeze recognized as the eye of the Corpse Eater. It was laced with Runes. "How about the Mind aspect?" The braided hair Carl asked.

"Yes!" Jeze exclaimed.

"Allow me," Couzart said and extended his hand.

Gunhild gave him the stone eyeball. The Elite pulled out an engraving tool and made some adjustments to the Runes. Couzart closed his eyes, and Jeze felt an energy snap shut.

"The young girl is correct. This was how the Corpse Eaters found the Core Tunnels," Couzart replied. Excitement was tinged in his voice like the subtle flavor of salt on a well-baked dessert.

"Master Couzart, do you know where to go?" Dunar asked.

The Elite opened his eyes and responded, "Aye, I do."

A glowing orb popped up in the air in the distance and sent out a bright illumination.

Jeze studied it for a moment, and then her eyes went wide. "That's the Sun aspect!"

Dunar looked in the same direction as her. It was pretty far away, but it was clear who had summoned it. "The Spirit Walkers. Maybe they saw Jeze's spell earlier and are trying to communicate with us?"

"It would be wise to link up with another team," Couzart said with a nod. The Elite added, "Because I fear this Lich is more than he seems. I can't quite place my mind on it, but I am certain we will need all the help we can get."