I may have worried for nothing over the threat of piping.

I don’t even have to travel far before a way up shows itself. A hatch above a ladder gives me an entrance to the basement within only a few metres from where I fell into the tunnel.

As well as my body is hidden, if there’s anyone watching the hatch, they’ll notice me immediately. I don’t waste time, though. If I’m seen, I’m seen. It would be preferable to staying in the tunnel with water flowing by my side. Plus, they’ll see the hatch moving, not who is lifting it.

With the amount of heat I feel above the hatch, I expect at least someone to spot the movement, but as the metal door swings open, the source of the heat becomes far more clear to my senses. I feel foolish. There is barely anyone down in the basement, and those that are, tend to a large furnace not unlike the ovens I once spent so much time within.

I silently climb into the dimly lit room with a pair of khirig chatting beside sacks of coal. The furnace on the opposite side of the basement from me is nowhere near the size of an ursu oven, and the fire only burns at a fraction of capacity.

The major difference between this and ursu ovens — besides the size — is the thick red lines of inscription glowing across the metal box and spreading over the walls. I finally get to see one of those sources that power inscriptions.

I can use this. The inscription network would spread through the entire building and if I put my influence over the system, I can probably burn the trio from here. It is almost too tempting to try, but it is too risky. Because of Leal, I now know that mages can tell the difference between my fire and that currently spreading through the building. There is also the issue that I have no way of being certain I’m burning the right people until I’ve wrapped them in flames.

Fortunately, I don’t need to rely on such alternative methods right now. I can feel each volan. Finding a path around them should be easy.

The stairs are out of the duo’s line of sight, so I have no issue making my way up. The stairs wind upward, with doors to each floor. I won’t be able to climb to higher than the second floor using these; a volan and dohrni block my way, watching over the handrail from the third floor. Another pair watches the entrance to the stairs from the foyer, but they aren’t watching my way, so I’ll have no issue getting past.

I creep up each step, hugging the wall. My outfit hides me from sight, and my lessened physical form carries so little weight, my steps barely make a noise.

Some khirig treks down the stairs, but I’m safely through the opening of the second floor before they pass me.

I have to get to the sixth and top floor to find the trio of executives. Or at least that’s where we met the last time I was here. Their clothes and the way they hold themselves are a step up from most of the office workers flooding the building. Very few of them appear to be much in the way of fighters, but the few that are, hold themselves with such confidence that it is clear which are the guards.

Still holding myself against the wall, I creep past many mercenary team managers and other workers rushing back and forth between offices. In the centre hall, a bunch of bulky metal machines clack with the motions of dozens of people. Paper is spat out and folded into envelopes before being tossed into bins which are rushed down the hall.

The space reminds me much of the mill I found my friends, and while it doesn’t look anywhere near as dangerous for the workers, I find the monotony the operation forces upon each to be too similar to be favourable. Well, it’s probably not the worst thing in the world, but it looks so boring.

I crack open the door to one of the few rooms that I haven’t seen any worker clambering through, and slide myself inside. It is a tight space that reeks of chemicals, with walls lined with tools, but it is perfect. I take no time to climb the shelves lining the back walls and melt a hole into the roof before pulling myself up.

There’s a tiny crawlspace between floors, barely tall enough for a volan to fit, but no one is above, so I melt another hold and crawl into an almost identical room on the next floor.

The climb to the sixth floor is not difficult per se, but definitely time consuming. It would be nice if I could have simply taken the stairs after the third floor, but the guards seem to concentrate there, not to mention the number of people simply walking up and down makes it a hassle.

It took time, but I’ve made it. The top floor isn’t much different from the other levels, though it is clearly not frequented near as much as the other floors. Through a few walls, I can feel those I assume are my targets, sitting behind the same desk as before.

Thankfully, nobody has noticed the holes I’ve melted just yet, but that won’t last forever. I put in some effort to hide my path, but my solutions are makeshift and any curious person will uncover the holes in dark corners, or lazily hidden with potted plants or chairs.

As I’m about to charge down the empty hallway and end their lives before their guards can react, several familiar heat signatures walk their way up the stairs.

Remus leads the five mages who attacked me up to this floor and into the executives’ office.

I guess he really talked them down. Well, now I’ll have to wait until Remus leaves before I make my move. As much as he hasn’t explicitly told me not to kill the three executives, I know he doesn’t approve. But I can’t let people get away with attempting to trap me, especially after I gave them the opportunity to back down.

Stolen novel; please report.

As the six of them push into the office, closing the door behind them, I feel one executive — the dohrni — rise to full height and his muffled shouts ring through the hall. A subtle sense of satisfaction bleeds through my chest, knowing how irritated the mages’ failure has made them.

Remus stands undaunted at his screaming kin. The mages all stand behind him, almost cowering at their superior’s anger, despite the fact each probably has the strength to fight off all three without issue. I consider creeping forward to overhear, but I know Remus is here to tell these higher ups of the Mercenary Order to back down, while also protecting the mages who failed their mission.

The dohrni’s partners are far more collected than he, gesturing him to calm down before they move into a conversation with Remus. The talks go on for a few minutes and I really wish I could see their faces right now. Heat sense simply is not detailed enough to tell much of a person’s finer body language, especially through walls. I’m sure each is fuming though, as Remus walks out into the hall — and into my sight — happy and pleased, almost skipping as he takes the mages back downstairs.

I wait until they’re into the stairway before I move toward the executive’s office. Before I reach the door, it opens and the two guards that stood in the corner of their office the entire time walk out. I freeze, thinking they have found me out, but both walk right past me and stand on the opposite wall.

Neither are the water mages that tried to trap me the last time I was here. Even if things don’t go well, there’s not much I have to fear from these two. I wonder what happened to the khirig after I burnt off all their antlers?

Not one to ignore such an opportunity, I slide into the room as the door closes, only for the three to explode at each other. Each apparently just as wound up as the dohrni, but unwilling to show as such in front of even their guards.

The executives sent their guards out so that they can argue amongst themselves. I guess things really can go in my favour sometimes.

“I told you this was a stupid idea. You said Remus was busy up north, so why the fuck is he here?”

“He’s not supposed to be back for another few weeks. I don’t know why he’s here and not guarding the commander I paid out. This would have all been fine if you’d brought capable mages. Seriously, are low Luis ranked the best you could do?”

“This is both of your faults. All you had to do was catch a child and keep away some old laggard. How could you fuck that up?”

“Don’t you talk. We wouldn’t be in this mess if you hadn’t hidden the fact our Beiths ran off.”

“It is only because of me we have yet to be demoted to scum cleaners like the other Beith managers. We need to get that áed under our command soon. If we can’t, there’s no future for us.”

“But how? We’ve lost all the influence over any higher ranked teams and my wallet is running dry. You saw what she did to that water mage, her supposed counter. Anyone we throw her way will only find their deaths.”

As enjoyable as it is to stand in the doorway and listen to their squabbling, I need to get this over with. Flames wrap around me, covering my body and alerting each of the executives to my presence. They try to yell for the guards, but their previous shouting has the guards staying where they are.

I consider gloating, showing off and telling them they messed with the wrong áed, but it feels wasteful. None of them means much to me. They tried their utmost to force me into their control and even though I gave them the opportunity to learn from their mistake and yet, they still repeated it. From their argument now, it appears they would have made the same mistake a third time if given the chance.

The white flames remove their bodies from existence within moments. Not even a drop of blood remains to indicate this is the location of their death. My control isn’t so bad that I would leave scorch marks anymore.

I stand alone in the empty office.

Maybe I should have gloated, at least somewhat. Offing them like pests, while appropriate, makes the whole action feel too deontic. I could have made the entire interaction at least somewhat entertaining. I was always going to kill them, but doing it without gaining any sort of catharsis just doesn’t feel right.

Well, those that attempted to trap me are now dead. It’s unfortunate I can’t use their lives as an example for others not to try, but I still think it’s better nobody knows I was here.

The guards still stand outside the door to this office, so I find a dark spot beneath the heavy wooden desk and burn my way down to the floor below and make my way out, just as stealthily as I made my way in.

At least now I know this attempt on my freedom was an isolated attempt by these three and not the entire organisation trying to control me. I don’t have to worry about them using my friends as hostages… probably.

I think I’m going to go check up on them anyway, just to be sure.

❖❖❖

An hour later, I’ve made it out of the command post, through the tunnel, and back out on the streets. The entire mission went as well as I could have hoped. My three targets are dead, and nobody knows it is me who did it.

Now, I should find Remus. I doubt he’s run far considering he knows I’m around, but we set no place to meet, so I’m not too sure how we could find each other without me sending up a pillar of fire to tell every being within a league where I am.

I settle to just go back to the last building we met, but before I can, an odd feeling of wrongness settles within my chest. My eyes turn to the command centre I’d just escaped from, where a mass of intermingled heat signatures suddenly goes cold.

At the end of the street, where the building once stood, is nothing but a dust cloud that quickly settles along the earth. Everything within a hundred metres of the building disappears. An entire section of the city is simply gone.

There is no explosion, no screams, nothing that would typically suggest a tragedy, but that’s exactly what this is. Everything and everyone in the area is as gone as the executives after I was done with them. The dust settles as I run toward the site of devastation. A crater now sits in place of the command post. Nothing outside the crater is damaged, but there isn’t a soul in sight. I know there should be people in the untouched streets, but it’s like they no longer exist.

My first thought is a Viisin, but even they can’t do this much damage this quick, especially not without a noise. Has the Void Fog made another appearance? That doesn’t explain the missing people in the surroundings.

As I stand at the edge of the crater, a single creature walks out from the last of the settling dust. Some short species I’ve never seen before with taut, furless skin and two long tails walks toward me. Its large eyes dig into mine and I feel instinctual fear. Its presence, barely a sliver, petrifies me.

The creature gives me just enough pressure to know I couldn’t possibly hope to face it. I have no doubt in my mind, this monster is stronger than Hund. I could run, but it would be pointless.

“So,” her voice is laced with power. Unlike Hund’s booming voice that shakes the air, hers stings just to listen to. It’s like my body is falling apart at the sound. My flames lose their energy and I have to focus to not fall apart in her proximity. “You must be the áed that brought that lot of centzon to block my way.”

She stands before me, only her large ears resting on the top of her head reach my height, and yet she exudes such an intimidating presence she might as well tower over me.

“Oh, where are my manners?” She backs up and gives a low, excessively showy bow that only makes it feel patronising before grinning viciously. “I’m Kalma. You might have heard of me.”