"What did you do to Eem?" Vivi blurted out, heart racing. "The fiend. She's harmless. You don't need to hurt her!"

"I tossed her into a river," the old man said with a distorted laugh. "Some lucky nimrod can pick up her bounty from wherever she ends up."

Vivi's mouth was dry. They tossed Eem into a river?

"That little thiefling won't be our problem any longer," the old man said. "You, human, you're the interesting one. Let us get negotiations underway. Give me the skill."

Vivi's body was filling with pressure. She could accept whatever treatment this old man gave her. But they'd hurt Eem… The old man did something to her…

A wave of pain suddenly hit Vivi in the cheek. The old man's walking stick slapped her face with much more force than a regular old man should ever carry. Parts of her skin were torn off from the blow. She tasted blood.

"The skill, girl," the old man said. "Give it to me. Then we can discuss what to do with you."

"Which river?" Vivi asked. "Eem can swim. But she's small. If the current is too heavy…"

"Listen here," the old man said. He grabbed Vivi's face from her jaw and leaned his disgusting masked face close. "I know humans aren't the most intelligent species of thinking life. But you'd think even the dumbest humanoid would know to judge the situation they're in. You have a skill wisp. Give that to me. Or do you wish to receive a nail in the eye?"

Viv resisted the urge to spit. Her heart thumped out of her throat. There was no guarantee that Eem was dead.

"Every now and then, we receive nimrods like you," the old man said. He took a step back and walked around the room. "You think you got lucky, finding the hidden dungeon. You see ether and become blinded by the strong monsters around you. You become breakers, hoping to grow rich, believing yourselves to be some genius farmers of ether."

The gaze behind the mask seemed to pierce right through Vivi. "All dreamful idiots end the same. Some die straight to monsters, underestimating the difficulty of the hidden dungeon. The lucky few who manage to hide usually make it to a few thousand ether. They fight a few bosses, perhaps even earn a skill. Until inevitably, they get caught, and a Steward kills them. Or if they're really lucky…"

He pressed the walking stick against Vivi's teeth. She gritted her teeth, not letting him push it into her mouth.

"...They will get disposed of by those who actually know how this dungeon works. This really is not complicated. Give me the skill, and your life might be spared."

"The moment you give the skill, he has no reason to keep you alive," Lucius said. "If he kills you, there's only a small chance the skill can be collected. He will start to torture it out of you."

Lucius's tone was calm and afraid. It only made Vivi panic more. Her arms and legs tried to escape on their own. They didn't even flinch.

"I will say this calmly one more time," the old man said. "Give me the skill."

"I'll give the skill…" Vivi said. "On a condition. Go save the fiend. Show me that she's alive and let her go. Then I'll give it to you."

Vivi imagined a frown beneath the man's mask. He lifted the walking stick, then pain flared. The stick slammed against her face, much harder than before.

He yelled louder with his distorted voice. The shouts rang in her head. The meaning was clear, though Vivi didn't hear individual words. She focused on her thoughts.

Lucius? Vivi asked. Can you escape and claw him?

"Those cuffs block me from moving."

Can we activate the skill?

"You can," Lucius said. "But the skill is a weapon enhancement skill. We need a weapon for it to work."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

You can access spatial storage.

"Uhm, yes," Lucius said.

What's the range? Can you summon it away from my hands?

"Not far," Lucius said. "Perhaps three or four feet."

The walking stick hit her in the face again. Blood dripped from her face. Vivi's mouth was slowly turning into a mess of flesh and blood. Without ether to enhance her, the pain was sharp and vivid. She knew she wouldn't be able to resist torture when the man started hitting spots that really hurt.

She had an idea. A stupid one. Perhaps it could work. Lucius, be ready to summon the sword.

"You disgusting piece of waste," the old man said. "I had hoped this would be easy. Torture won't be enjoyable for either of us. A common skill isn't worth dying for, you know."

"You don't deserve it…" Vivi said, her eyes on the ground.

The old man stared at her. He snorted, then let out a chuckle. "You little bitch. Very well. In that case, let us get started."

He reached into his pockets and pulled out a box of nails. Long and sharp, rusted and coated with old blood. He treated the box like a precious collection, taking his time to pick the perfect nail.

Again, Vivi stopped listening to his words. She had to focus. If this failed, the nail would really make it into her eye. She had one opportunity.

The man finally grabbed her face from the hair. Vivi kept her head perfectly still, eyes on the ceiling. The old man was chuckling, asking Vivi once again for her skill.

He inched the nail closer to her eye. She kept her head still. A few seconds, and it would make contact…

Now! Vivi called in her head. She concentrated all of her mental focus on a spot above the man's head.

Lucius understood the assignment. He summoned Vivi's runesword directly in the air, a foot or so above the old man's head, blade pointing down. Simultaneously, Vivi activated the skill in her core.

She wasn't certain if the skill would connect with the sword. The runesword was far from her hands. She barely even knew what the skill did.

But something seemed to happen. Her crystal mithril sword lost its shape, turning into a mess of dark colors. It was as if a mist of mirror fragments coated the sword and the air around it, making the blade impossible to distinguish. The sword began falling.

The old man raised his head just in time to see the shadowed mess of colors descend on his head. For a split second, he looked confused.

Then the sword connected with his head.

Vivi's runesword wasn't enhanced with ether. But the old man's skull wasn't made of steel. The crystal mithril pierced right through, cutting through bone. Vivi heard a slash before the sword eventually stopped, having pierced all the way through the head and to the old man's neck.

The man and his nail collapsed underneath Vivi's feet.

Holy hell, Vivi thought. She was alive. Lucius, recall the sword!

"Ahm, yes," Lucius said in a panic. He was just as shaken as she was.

Footsteps sounded from outside. They were calm, but approaching Vivi's direction. She panicked.

Lucius, drop the blade on the cuffs! Vivi ordered. Quickly!

The sword was summoned in the air again, this time aiming for the cuffs between Vivi's legs. She hoped the crystal mithril was strong enough to cut through whatever the cuffs were made of. She wouldn't have many chances.

Vivi heard a metallic snap between her legs, and suddenly, her feet could move again. It worked.

The sound alerted whoever was in the hallway. The footsteps became concerned, faster, as they headed for the door.

Lucius called the sword back, then dropped it behind Vivi on the cuffs around her hands. Simultaneously, the door opened.

Another black masked figure entered. They paused, staring at the puddle of blood forming beneath the old man's corpse.

Then the man screamed. "She's free!"

Vivi gritted her teeth. She was still tied to the chair with rope. But with the cuffs gone, Lucius could channel ether again. He floated free in spirit form and threw a charged claw-swipe at the doors.

The man jumped out of the way. The claws crashed into the wall, shaking the small cavern.

"Just a moment!" Lucius said as he flew behind Vivi to cut the ropes. Powered up with ether, his claws cut through the ropes like they were strings. Vivi was freed in seconds.

She stood right away, ignoring the taste of blood in her mouth. Aches from the boss fight were reignited as she moved.

Before running for the door, Lucius collected the ether from the old man. His corpse contained around three hundred wisps, taking Lucius's reserves to 1558. Vivi quickly ran past and out of the room.

Black masked figures blocked the way on both sides of the hallway.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.