Vivi and the demons built a simple campfire to rest at before advancing any further. They had only brought rations for two days, and even that would be a stretch. The plan was to restock on the upper levels.

  Regardless, she offered Essi a canteen and a stick of dried jerky. They sat next to each other, facing the fire. Being hunters, they didn’t need a campfire for survival. Its warmth provided a comfortable air more than actual heat to their bodies. Some of the more tired demons sat to rest as well, while everyone else stood standby, scanning the forest for monsters.

  A slingshot launcher fired, stretch ropes snapping, which still made Essi flinch. She wore her black raincoat over her dress, her head low, nervously munching on her piece of jerky. The launchers kept shooting a few times every minute.

  “Sorry, the slingshot launchers are a bit loud,” Vivi said, speaking in the human language.

  “What are those things?” Essi asked.

  “They’re a new weapon I invented with Patryn and a few others,” Vivi said, nodding her head at Patryn, who stayed up on the front lines.

  Essi glanced at him from the very corner of her eyes. Her back was arched, as if hoping to hide from the demons. Vivi didn’t blame her. Humans had been taught to fear horns as even worse beings than monsters.

  “You’ll learn to get along with the demons quickly,” Vivi said. “Ythar’s priests have lied about demons. They’re not murderous human eaters. Really, the demons are more like a different race of humans.” Or maybe humans are a different race of demons. “We think and act alike. We just look different. And with your spirit’s translation magic, we can speak to them just like any humans.”

  “So you don’t have them under any sort of spell?” Essi asked. “That if it breaks, they’ll try to eat us?”

  Vivi laughed. “When I told them my friend was in danger, they were already on their way up before I could even wake up from Paradise. They’ll protect us both with their lives.”

  Essi didn’t look convinced. Her eyes were focused on the crackling campfire as she said, “Sorry, Vivi, for still doubting you. I know you want the best for me. But I still think I should go up there and die. For my family.”

  “Do you think this is right?” Vivi asked.

  She said nothing.

  “Do you want to go up there just because you want to secure your family’s safety?” Vivi asked. “Or do you truly believe you deserve to be punished?”

  Essi bit her lip, words weak. “Of course I don’t. I mean… I’m clumsy. I’m not very good at being a hunter. But I always tried my best.”

  “If you don’t want to die, that’s enough,” Vivi said. “This cruel system needs to stop. We’re going to stop the Sylva Bloods from killing your family. Either through an audience, or with force.”

  “But what if we fail?” Essi asked. “We’re taking a risk with my family on the line.”

  Essi wasn’t panicking anymore. Her thoughts seemed clear. And they made sense. Such a kind soul… Vivi thought. Essi would sacrifice herself to avoid the slightest harm happening to her family.

  “The world won’t be the same if you die, Essi,” Vivi said. “Your family will miss you. I won’t be the only one to cry.”

  Essi bit her lip.

  “I’m sorry, but I won’t allow you to sacrifice yourself,” Vivi said. “Forgive me. We will save everyone. The Sylva Bloods will be the ones to get punished.”

  And this time, nobody will be hit with daze powder.

  Vivi then stood and called, “Everyone, let’s go over the plan going forward!”

  Upon her command, demons gathered around the campfire. A few slingshot launchers stayed to defend them from monsters, and Vivi knew Anthony had a keen eye on the sixth realm for approaching auras, but they could talk mostly freely here.

  “Let’s get our goals clear first,” Vivi said. “Essi is seen as a criminal on the surface. Just like me, she escaped to the lower levels to avoid an unjust death. Her hunting company is threatening to punish her family if she doesn’t return to receive her punishment.”

  The demons listened calmly. Vivi could have left Essi’s tale entirely out; even if she said Essi was a criminal, the demons would have probably helped her. Still, Vivi decided to lay out Essi’s story so that the demons didn’t just know what they were doing on the surface, but also why they had to travel up.

  “Essi’s family resides in a town called Mistvale,” Vivi said. She turned to Essi. “Do you know if the hunters took anyone away?”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “I don’t,” Essi said. “But if I were to guess… One or two hunters are stationed in Mistvale to watch over the town, and to wait for my return.”

  “We can teleport there and subdue the hunters easily,” Vivi said. And from there… They could probably take Essi’s family and teleport to the lower levels, offering a new home.

  But would they be happy with that? Everyone Essi loved would have to start a new life on the fifth level, surrounded by demons. Vivi loved it down in Shivenar, but what about others, who had aspirations and dreams to complete on the surface? All of those would have to be abandoned by moving to the fifth level.

  “From there, we can try to negotiate with the Sylva Bloods, or we can move back to the fifth level,” Vivi said. “I can probably buy Essi from them peacefully if I pay enough ether. And once she’s no longer a member of the Sylva Bloods, they’ll have no reason to punish her anymore. But for now, getting up to the fourth level and preventing the first disaster in two days is our priority.”

  “We will use the teleporters again, I presume,” Anthony said.

  Vivi nodded. “That shouldn’t be a problem. We’re going to move to the third level from here. We’ll see if Frievania’s teleporter is still operational like last time. If it’s not, we’ll move to the nearest town and hijack their teleporter.” And we’ll hope storm season hasn’t eaten the third level alive as well.

  They discussed small details for around ten minutes longer, until all of the demons seemed to agree on their next course of action. Vivi then took off her translation magic and faced Essi.

  “What do you think?”

  “It sounds sensible. We might have a chance.” Essi had slowly grown less doubtful. She lifted her head and took a deep breath. “It looks like I’ll have no choice but to trust you. And the demons.”

  Vivi nodded. She summoned Dawnpour and stood with it like Coshi would have. Then she said, “Let’s go meet some humans.”

  ***

  “Melloris and the secondary team will deal with these little two,” Ellinoir explained, “and I will personally dispose of the hundred thousand surge.” She showed her best smile at the old man sitting behind the accountant’s desk, who was, for now, her only superior within the Sylva Bloods. “We will not have to worry about our ether reserves for the next year.”

  Umbra’s bearded face remained stoic, unimpressed. He wore a suit, but ether could no longer keep his pale skin without wrinkles. He looked like any other old man. “Ellinoir. You bought three surges. Before a storm.”

  She crossed her arms. Umbra had been an imposing figure when she first joined the Sylva Bloods thirty-seven years ago. Today, the man didn’t even fight surges himself. He was too old, well past a hundred. And despite being a proficient hunter in his prime, he now acted only as an advisor and a mindless manager of the hunting company. In Ellinoir’s opinion, the man’s next purpose in life was to die and offer his spirit to the next hunter.

  “Is gaining ether no longer the goal of ether hunters?” Ellinoir asked, frowning.

  Umbra was unphased. “When is the hundred thousand surge estimated to break?”

  “Fifth of Endfall, sixteen o’clock,” Ellinoir said, and she already knew what her boss would say next.

  When Umbra looked up at her, Ellinoir saw his thick brows, not his eyes. “Sixteen o’clock!” he bellowed. “That’s less than an hour before the storm break!”

  Ellinoir shrugged. “Both events are near a teleporter. We will deal with the surge quickly and teleport to Ranewal.”

  “You will not have time to rest,” Umbra said. “And what if the storm breaks early, or the surge breaks late? This timing is unacceptable. You still have time to sell the surge.”

  “For less than I bought it, perhaps,” Ellinoir said. Just you shut up, old man, and let us handle this company, she thought. Umbra’s inevitable death would give her a lot more work managing the company, but hell if she hadn’t dreamt of the moment. She could always hire someone to take care of the boring work.

  “It is a red storm, Ellinoir. We don’t know how large it is.”

  “And Veronica Lifeweaver is fighting it,” Ellinoir said. Even she had to admit Veronica was much stronger than her, mostly thanks to her exalted skill, though it wasn’t good to admit that out loud. “If Veronica fails, the storm is done regardless of my presence.”

  “The Sylva Bloods’ job is to ensure nobody dies to stragglers,” Umbra said, slamming his fist on the table. “Has anyone replaced the girl’s position in the town?”

  “Essi’s position in Swampsilk,” Ellinoir corrected. “Your memory is not what it used to be.”

  Umbra merely frowned at her. “It seems Essi is still alive.”

  And that was another reason for Ellinoir to scowl. Essi, the fool, had escaped and teleported to what she hoped was safety, only to come bawling back when she realized her family would be threatened. Except, Essi hadn’t teleported to safety at all, but had gotten stuck on the fourth level.

  “Your bluff was cruel,” Umbra said. “To threaten her family.”

  It wasn’t a bluff. Essi’s mother, brother, and her grandparents were all currently captured, with only her father kept in service, as he was a guardsman.

  Ellinoir said nothing. You wanted her dead as well, Umbra. You’re just as cruel. We are hunters. Storms don’t see our morals. All they see is our weapons, and our strength. Essi simply wasn’t strong enough.

  And if Essi’s spirit got stuck on the fourth level, they’d lose a full spirit. That was beyond shameful.

  “We are waiting for a signal from Olaf,” Ellinoir said. “We will know when Essi returns to Mistvale.” She left out the possibility of Essi not dying, for that would only lead to more arguing.

  Arguing continued regardless as Umbra continued to berate her for her decision to buy three surges, though in the end, the argument ended like most others: with Ellinoir convincing her boss to shut up, as she would be handling the case without problems.

  Olaf’s signal did eventually come later in the day. He sent four short taps, followed by two longer ones.

  Ellinoir snorted, an amused smirk on her face. Essi had come back in blood, then. Attempting to save her family like some hero.

  But what surprised Ellinoir were the three consecutive taps after Olaf’s signal. He also wanted to meet her in Paradise immediately.

  Ellinoir’s brows twitched at that, but she was safely in her mansion. She could meet him. She moved to her private bedchambers, lay down, and went to talk to him.

  ***

  In Paradise, Olaf’s plump face was covered in sweat, his demeanor that of a man trying to hide panic. Ellinoir knew the look all too well. It was usually followed by lies to convince Ellinoir that everything was alright. Men were such awful liars.

  But to see the expression at all in this situation was concerning. “What happened?” Ellinoir asked, frowning.

  “You must have heard the news,” Olaf said. “Her arrival has spread across the island by now.”

  Ellinoir had not heard the news. “Say it.”

  “Vivian Runeblessed has returned,” Olaf said. With a nervous bite of his lip, he added, “And she has knocked me unconscious.”

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