The chess lesson was a whole lot more like a chess party, and it wasn’t long before Soral stood at the center of it with his treats and snacks pulled from seemingly nowhere at all. It seemed that he hadn’t just stopped at lunch boxes as he poured glasses of his favorite milkshake from a thermos half their size for everyone at his table. Ruena could only watch as conversation quickly turned to his exploits of heroism. It seemed even Valen and the various other beings present were drawn to his charm.

One of the ladies at Ruena’s own table lightly tapped her arm. “You came in with that cutie, right? Is he yours?”

“He is,” Ruena confirmed, biting back her irritation, “Despite his flamboyant personality, you will find he has unwavering loyalty.”

“We don’t want to steal him from you,” a purple haired woman Ruena got the distinct sense was at least part dragon assured, “We were just curious about his incredibly unique magical energy.”

“I have no answers for you about that,” Ruena replied, making sure not to give them the slightest opening, “Did you not come here to learn chess?”

Her words were followed by a chorus of laughter. “If you want to learn chess, feel free. No one came here for that.”

“What do you mean?” Ruena questioned, instantly on edge. Were they there for the trade?

“We came here to socialize, of course,” a blonde told her, “Everyone here was personally invited and acknowledged by King Xandus.”

That was a surprise. “Everyone?” Ruena checked, looking around, “I had no idea he was so… social.”

“Don’t you see the proof right here?” the purple haired woman prompted, “From your man with his unique magic to the many mixed species and outcasts of all kinds. Xandus does not judge based on race, status, or appearance. One day I am sure you will understand. Today, you must have a special reason for being here.”

Ruena froze for a moment but decided not to question them any more. She couldn’t risk revealing more information than they had already inferred. None of them seemed the least bit bothered that she was on edge.

“Do all of you already know how to play chess?” she asked instead. It was too soon to make a move.

“Of course,” they answered in near unison.

Why had she even asked? Ruena participated in a game or two before the party Soral started reached over to their table. Cupcakes and various other treats were freely passed around. As attentions moved to the food and fun, Ruena took her chance and sent the signal. There was no telling when or if another opportunity would arise.

According to Jazz, the entrance was nearby. It wasn’t difficult for them to slip away one by one and meet up in the hidden doorway. Doorway being a loose term. While it was well hidden behind a wall and various plantlife, the entrance looked more like a pit than something that actually led somewhere.

Perhaps it was designed to be an actual pitfall to any unfortunate trespassers, only allowing access to those who were in on the secret. Unfortunately for them, Jazz was a master of gathering secrets.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

At the bottom of this pit was a complex enchantment Gero had named the Stairs of Sacrifice. In order to gain entrance to the trade below without falling to their deaths they would need to sacrifice something to the pit. The enchantment would weigh the value of that sacrifice and provide a stair down that was equal to that value. Of course, this value was one decided entirely by Gero, so it was difficult to say what these limits were.

Ruena had no intention of giving Gero more than they needed to gain safe passage, so she threw in a single coin to see what kind of path the enchanted pit would provide. The coin fell out of sight into the darkness without a sound. Slowly she saw thin pillars of descending height arise from the pit. Each one was barely as thick as a finger, and none of them gave any reassurance that they could bear someone’s weight.

“We definitely need more,” Rosalie muttered, grimacing at the sight, “I would have thought the lowest would at least be a rope ladder.”

“Gero is a greedy man,” Ruena replied, “A single coin is like a pebble to someone like him. If flying and floating wouldn’t set off the alarm system I would much rather ignore this ridiculous game.”

One by one they dropped various coins, gems, charms, and other precious yet not too precious things into the pit. Ruena had no intention of asking anyone to give more than they could spare. The pillars slowly became wider and sturdier, and were joined by a second set. Then ropes were tied between them creating an unwieldy sort of rope bridge style stairs down into the dark pit below. As much as Ruena hated giving the evil man money, the safety of her people was vital. They needed a stairway that was at least stable.

Struck by a sudden idea, Ruena took out the old charm she had once used to communicate with the black wolf and tossed it into the pit. This caused the biggest upgrade they had seen so far. Solid wood planks now lined the ropes that made their walkway, and the ropes themselves had become thicker and sturdier.

“What are you guys waiting for?” Soral asked as he joined them and looked into the pit, “Still being fussy, Gero?”

He stepped forward and upended a bag over the pit. Various valuables poured out before Ruena could say a word to stop him, but Ruena hesitated when she saw his wicked grin. “What are those, Soral?” she asked.

“These are all things I stole from his trade nine years ago,” Soral explained, “None of them are interesting to me, but he clearly thought they were worth something.”

Soral was right about that. Their rickety wooden planks and rope stairs had quickly become a proper stair with lattice railings and a solid wood frame. Ruena imagined it could become even better, but a stable path was all they needed.

“Good job,” she told Soral, “This almost feels like selling his own stuff back to him.”

“Doesn’t it?” Soral chuckled, “Good luck down there. I will join you once I set Ferris up with a safe location. Things might get crazy up here when magic cuts off.”

It only took a moment of recalling the magical beings at the venue to agree completely. “If things get too dangerous, get him out,” she ordered, “Remember, your first priority once you get down here is to release the poison dragon so she can undo her magic. I will find her son.”

“Got it,” Soral said with a salute. If it wasn’t for his crooked smile Ruena would have thought he was serious for once. Serious or not, he would follow through.

Rosalie was the first to test the stairs since she was only bound to reality through Soral and might survive if she fell. Once everything was deemed safe enough to proceed the rest cautiously followed. Cautious, but monotonous travel down a seemingly endless winding stair heightened the tension as they walked in silence. Just how deep was this pit? There should not be guards at this time, but there was no telling if things had changed because of the royal ordered event above.

Finally the end of the stairs came into view and Ruena held out a hand to stop them. There was no sign of the items they had thrown at the bottom of the pit. There was, however, a large mass of wriggling snakes. Mine snakes. It looked like he had found a way to up security and secure his valuables at the same time.

The serpentine creatures were famous for their cunning and greed, but their name had come from their tendency to explode when killed. So many volatile snakes would not have been easy to smuggle in. Surely Gero hadn’t added them last minute. This led to another question. How had Jazz missed this?