The golden?haired woman regarded me with a cool, practiced confidence, her gaze flicking between my blades and my stance. A shawl hung from her shoulders, embroidered with the insignia of a shattered blade.

  “Or else,” she said, voice smooth as polished steel, “I’ll have no choice but to let my guards beat you down and drag your half?dead bodies to my Master for questioning. You’re only level fifty?five. My guards are well over one?hundred. You stand no chance. Come quietly and make this easy on yourself.”

  I stared at her for a moment then something broke loose inside of me, and I couldn’t help myself; I laughed. Not a chuckle, a full, uncontrollable, tears?forming, stomach?tightening laugh. Balt and Tucker cracked up behind me as well, their laughter echoing off the walls. The guards stepped into the room, weapons raised. The woman’s expression tightened. My reaction clearly wasn’t in her script.

  I dismissed my helm with a thought and wiped the tears from my eyes. Then I met her gaze. Seeing the recognition slowly come over her face as she recognized me.

  “I’ve only got one question,” I said, voice dropping into something cold and eager. “Which motherfucker thinks they’re going to beat me down exactly?” The armored guard on the left stepped forward. "I am!" He shouted.

  And the world snapped. Several things happening at the same time.

  Tucker’s armor formed. Balt’s shields flared around Miranda. And I moved. In less than a millisecond, I was a blade’s length from the woman.

  Both of my swords thrust forward, materializing beside her throat. Her eyes went wide, the first crack in her composure. I smiled at her, then slashed outward in opposite directions.

  Two heads hit the floor before their bodies realized they were dead. The armor they wore helping them none whatsoever. Blood was pooling on the ground before the woman finally inhaled. I dismissed Ember grabbed her by the back of the neck and threw her towards Tucker. “Here, Tucker, catch.” She let out a pained, fearful cry as she shot through the air.

  Tucker caught her mid-flight, one massive paw driving her into the wooden floor hard enough to crack the boards. The impact blasted the air from her lungs, leaving her gasping beneath him as he loomed over her with a low, rumbling snarl. Her eyes went wide as saucers. I appeared beside her in a crouch, re-summoning Ember in its regular form. “You see,” I said calmly, “I’m an equal?opportunity ass?kicker. And my companion and I do not appreciate being threatened.” I tapped my blade against the floor beside her head. “Tucker… if she tries to move, crush her chest.”

  Balt approached with Miranda at his side, both of them taking in the sight of Tucker pinning the woman to the cracked floorboards. Miranda had her hand to her mouth in shock. Balt had a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. I activated Identify, letting the information slide across my vision.

  Balt glanced at Miranda. “You recognize her?”

  Miranda’s expression tightened. “She’s the assistant to the Shattered Blades’ current Outpost Master Monis. She handles most of their day-to-day business that takes place on this floor.”

  Brenda twitched, just a slight shift of her arm. She hissed, “Be quiet, bitch, or…”

  Tucker’s paw pressed down harder, cutting her off and driving a sharp gasp from her as her ribs broke.

  I tilted my head. “Did you think I was bluffing?”

  Brenda coughed, breath hitching, a thin line of red at the corner of her mouth. I grabbed her jaw, forced her mouth open, and summoned a healing potion. The bottle popped into my hand, and I poured it down her throat.

  She choked once, her breathing becoming steadier as the potion did its work. Color returned to her face, and she was looking at me then to Tucker with fear plastered all over her face.

  I tapped the flat of my blade lightly across her throat. “Now let’s try this again. Don’t move, try nothing, and don’t speak unless I ask you to, or next time neither my companion nor I will be so forgiving.”

  A knock sounded at the door.

  A man’s voice called through the wood, polite but tense. “Miranda? May I come in?”

  Miranda looked at Balt. “That’s my manager.” Balt gave me a look like, what you want to do? " I gave him a small nod and a gesture that it was up to him. “Let him in, Miranda,” said Balt.

  Before she moved, I tapped Brenda’s throat once more and gave her a look that made the message unmistakable.

  Don’t. Move.

  The door opened with a soft click, and a well?dressed man stepped inside. His demeanor was composed, his expression unreadable. I flicked Identify.

  His eyes flashed as well when he looked at me and paused a beat longer on me before taking in the room: Tucker looming over Brenda, Balt and Miranda standing off to the side, the two headless bodies cooling on the floor. His eyes widened only a fraction before settling into a professional calm. “Whatever is happening here,” Brett said evenly, “I must ask that you refrain from destroying the facility. It employs many people.”

  His tone wasn’t pleading, just firm, responsible, the voice of someone who had cleaned up far too many messes in his career. Brett turned to Miranda. “May I ask what’s going on?”

  Miranda gestured toward me, then to Brenda pinned beneath Tucker’s paw, then finally to the two bodies. “I was meeting with an old friend,” she said, “when this woman,” she pointed at Brenda, “and her guards barged in and started making threats.”

  Brett absorbed the scene without flinching. His gaze moved from me to Tucker, then to Brenda’s terrified eyes.

  “If it would not be too much trouble,” he said, voice steady, “may I sit and ask a few questions? And perhaps I can help answer some of yours in turn.”

  He spoke like a man who had walked into chaos before… and learned how to negotiate with it.

  “It’s your faction’s establishment,” I said, gesturing to the chair. “By all means.”

  He offered a faint smile as he sat. “I appreciate it. And I hope you won’t take offense at my bluntness, but considering there are two men without heads bleeding on the floor, bluntness feels like the most prudent approach.”

  I had to admit; I liked this guy's style. I motioned for him to continue.

  He cleared his throat, leaning forward slightly. “What in the Ten Hells is an Outlier doing here?”

  I let Brett’s question hang in the air for a moment, then gave him an understanding grin. “My party member Balt thought his old friend Miranda might’ve heard something about the location of a certain Shattered Blades faction member named Carson.”

  Across the table, I watched Miranda mouth the words party member? at Balt.

  Balt just shrugged and gave her a sheepish smile, as if he wasn’t the same man who’d just been slapped hard enough to rattle the windows. Brett kept his composure impressively well. His expression didn’t shift, but something in the air did, subtle, like a ripple under still water.

  A mental nudge brushed my mind.

  "Riven…" Tucker’s voice whispered through our link, tense. "I think the woman is trying something. I can feel some kind of energy coming off her."

  My eyes stayed on Brett, but my focus sharpened instantly. "Kill her," I sent back.

  Tucker moved.

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  There was no warning growl. No hesitation. His claw flashed once and swept cleanly across Brenda’s throat. The sound was soft. Wet. Final.

  Her eyes went unfocused instantly as her body went slack beneath him. Blood fanned across the cracked floorboards in a dark arc, pooling fast. Whatever she’d been trying to do died with her.

  Tucker stepped back, armor dissolving as he shook the blood from his paw. Brett stared at the body for half a heartbeat, then slowly turned his head toward me. I met his eyes and shrugged. “She was trying something,” I said evenly. “I told her what would happen if she did.”

  For the first time since he’d entered the room, Brett actually studied me, not as a problem, not as a guest, but as a man making calculations. “I see,” he said after a moment. “A man who follows through on his word.”

  I nodded once. “That I am.” Something shifted in him then. The rigid formality eased, just a fraction. His shoulders relaxed. His voice lost that careful edge professionals use when they expect things to go wrong at any second.

  “Well,” he said, exhaling quietly, “that does make things simpler.”

  He glanced briefly at Brenda’s corpse. “It is well known that she possessed an Observe and Record Talent. Anything she saw could be transferred to a crystal and shared.”

  His gaze returned to me. “Now that she’s gone, I can be a bit more forthright.”

  I said nothing, just waited.

  “It’s no secret,” Brett continued, “that Carson is currently in Lukehaven.”

  Miranda blinked and nodded in agreement. Balt stiffened slightly. “In fact,” Brett added, “it’s such common knowledge that if you’d asked a random merchant on the street, they’d have told you the same.”

  I snorted softly. “Sounds like he wants to be found.”

  Brett inclined his head. “That would be the logical conclusion. My faction and I are neutral, of course, but a smart young man like yourself should be able to piece together that this is most likely a trap. For whoever is looking for him.”

  “Yup,” I said with a grin. “That tracks.”

  I leaned back slightly. “Is there a map I can buy with the next floor’s layout?”

  Brett gestured casually. “All you need to do is access the System Store. You should be able to purchase…”

  "You won’t be able to until you reach Floor One." Lawson’s voice slid into my head, dry as ever. "And when you get there, all your money and most of your items will be gone."

  I grimaced internally. "Right. That problem."

  "Well," Lawson added, "use your head, Outlier. You know, the thing a few feet above your ass."

  I took a moment. Letting the pieces settle in my mind. Then I looked back to Brett. “You and your faction remain neutral,” I said.

  “Yes,” he replied cautiously.

  “What would you say,” I continued, “if I hired you to make these bodies disappear, and left you with this many credits to buy a map and a few other necessities I need?”

  I touched my anchor. Sharing my screen showing the number of credits I had.

  Brett’s eyes flicked down. Then widened. Just barely, but enough for me to notice. He inhaled slowly. “That… is a considerable amount.”

  “You’d have my discretion and my companions; we would not breathe a word of your assistance” I said. “And before you ask, I can’t access the System Store myself yet, which is why I need you.”

  Brett straightened, professionalism snapping back into place. “You can count on our discretion as well,” he said carefully. “However, for a decision of this magnitude, even providing that little bit of aid could tip our neutral stance if anyone ever found out. I would need approval from my faction head directly to assist you.”

  I glanced at Balt. “Thoughts?” He scratched the back of his head. “Stuff like this is way above my pay grade,” he admitted. “But Mistress Vex runs Turtle Cloud. She’s known for being fair. What are your thought Miranda?”

  Miranda nodded quickly. “Fierce, but fair. Even if she refuses your request, she doesn’t share details of meetings or… dealings.”

  Brett inclined his head once. “That is accurate.”

  I smiled slowly. “Then let’s go have a conversation. Is she on site?”

  Brett’s anchor flashed, and a plain silver key materialized in his hand. He crossed the room to a section of wall and pressed his palm against it. A soft click echoed, and a hidden panel shifted inward, revealing a narrow door. "Not exactly."

  He slid the key into the lock, and with a quick turn, the door eased open. “If you would all be so kind,” he said, stepping aside, “please follow me.”

  We stepped through into a long hallway lined with guards, crossbows in hand, eyes sharp. They didn’t raise their weapons, but they didn’t relax either. Tucker stayed close to my leg, tail low but steady.

  Brett led us up a set of stairs, the air growing cooler as we climbed. At the top waited a massive pair of double doors, each one carved from dark wood and reinforced with iron bands. Two guards stood on either side, their robes marked with the Turtle Cloud insignia.

  The moment I saw them, something in my instincts prickled. These men radiated danger, quiet, controlled, and far more potent than anyone I’d encountered so far on this floor.

  They nodded respectfully at Brett’s approach, then pushed the doors open. Inside was a spacious chamber lit by soft, warm lantern light. Comfortable chairs were arranged in a semicircle around a pedestal, and atop that pedestal sat a large, multifaceted crystal that pulsed faintly with inner light.

  We took our seats. Brett placed his hand on the crystal. It brightened, and a shimmering projection formed above it is resolving into the image of a young woman with auburn hair, freckles dusting her cheeks, and bright, alert eyes.

  “Hello, Steward Brett,” she said cheerfully. “What can I do for you today?”

  “Hi, Janey,” Brett replied, all warmth and politeness. “I hope you’re having a fantastic day. Is the Master available for a meeting, perchance?"

  Janey smiled, "you know the rules for unscheduled meetings Steward. Is this a level five or higher concern?"

  Brett made a nonchalant gesture. "I’d classify this as… oh, a level nine concern.”

  Janey’s smile vanished. “Level nine? What in the world happened? Did a faction declare war on us or something?!”

  Brett waved a hand dismissively. “No, nothing like that. But is the master available for a quick chat?”

  “A level nine… quick chat?” she stammered. She shot to her feet. “I’ll go check immediately.”

  Her image flickered out. A few moments later, Janey reappeared, her hair slightly mussed, breathing a bit faster, as if she’d sprinted somewhere and back. “I will be transferring you to the master now.”

  The projection shifted again, the crystal’s glow deepening. A new figure formed, an older woman, regal in bearing. Silver streaked her dark hair in elegant lines, and her eyes were sharp, intelligent, and utterly unamused. She wore layered robes of deep green and black, embroidered with subtle patterns that suggested authority without flaunting it. Her posture alone radiated command. “Brett,” she said, voice calm but edged with steel. “What is happening?!”

  Brett gestured toward me, Balt, and Tucker. “A new Outlier has appeared,” he said, voice steady. “And he has offered to commission me, handsomely, to serve as his proxy with the system store, and for a few additional tasks yet to be named.”

  Mistress Vex’s projected image shifted slightly, her attention sharpening. “Let the Outlier speak, then. What would you have of us?”

  The crystal’s light pivoted, illuminating me like a spotlight.

  Great.

  I gave an awkward little wave. “Uh… well. First, I’d like the bodies downstairs taken care of. Quietly. Second, a way to transfer to the first floor without drawing attention. Third, a communication device for my party, if that’s possible. Fourth, a guide to Lukehaven.”

  I glanced at Balt. He shrugged as if to say seems reasonable to me. “Oh… and,” I added, “I have several weapons, clothes, and potions that’ll become inert when I move to the first floor. I was hoping to leave them with you and maybe trade for different ones once we get there.”

  Mistress Vex’s expression shifted into something thoughtful. “What do you need in Lukehaven?”

  “As I told your steward,” I said, “I seek Carson.”

  Her face tightened. “And why,” she asked, “do you seek the Shattered Blades Factions leader’s son?”

  I hesitated. "Do I have to share that? You might need the deniability in the future."

  “If you want my faction’s help,” she said, “you will.”

  I exhaled. “It’s not in me to lie. Carson took my sister and her infant child hostage several months ago. I intend to rescue them… and end him.”

  Her eyebrows lifted. “Do you really need our help that badly? That you would share this information as if you were talking about the weather?”

  “Not exactly, I want your help, but I do not need it. Having someone guide me will save me precious time getting to my sister is all. My party member Balt trusts Miranda,” I said. “Miranda trusts you. I’m willing to go on a little faith based on that. Besides… Carson has made it very clear where he is. He obviously wants me to come to him for some reason.”

  Mistress Vex nodded slowly, pensive. “I appreciate the trust. But even a small request, such as accessing the system store on your behalf, guiding you to Lukehaven, could be seen as taking a side by Carson’s father, Robert. Even if they want you there, Outlier, and even if they intend to spring a trap… should you succeed and kill him, the Shattered Blades’ master is a methodical, vengeful sort. He would seek recompense from us.”

  Her gaze hardened. “So, I must decline your request. With one exception, the bodies will be disposed of. That one will be on the house. Better this night never happened.”

  I sighed, expecting this outcome was possible. “Disappointing, but I understand.” I stood and gave her a respectful nod. She returned it with a small one of her own. “Thank you for taking the time,” I said.

  “It was my pleasure,” she replied. “And I wish you luck saving your family.”

  A sad smile tugged at my mouth as I turned to leave.

  “Outlier,” she said suddenly. “One last question.”

  I paused.

  “The projection crystal does not allow me to use Identify on you. What is your name? This world has not seen a new Outlier in a long time; I am curious.”

  I gave a small bow. “Riven Cross, at your service, Mistress Vex.”

  A sharp gasp echoed through the projection. I looked back; the woman was standing now, eyes wide. “Did you say… Cross?”

  “I did. Does my name mean something to you?”

  “Perhaps,” she murmured, though her expression said definitely. Then she straightened. “Brett. Assist them. I am sending Mack to guide them. He will take the portal out and arrive in the morning. Make the arrangements.”

  Brett bowed, taken aback. “At once, Master.”

  The crystal dimmed, then went dark.

  I turned to Brett. “What in the hell just happened?” He let out a long breath. “If I am being completely honest... I have no idea.”