Sofia Halaby still wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to be doing. Just because Althowin Alegarra was allowing her to use a study didn't mean she should be using that studio.

But Sofia was hardly the most important person in the compound. Realistically, Althowin had so many other things to worry about that she likely forgot Sofia was even scampering around the place.

She hadn't had a chance to do all that much, really.

Kind of.

She had updated Slag with some enhancements to link it better to the gun and lava pack. A few more adjustments and she could up the quality to divine.

Now that she looked at it, that was more of a change than she had thought.

"Do you require additional claverstan materials?" a voice said.

Sofia immediately drew her gun, turned, and aimed.

A black column sat atop the closest work table.

"Basolia," the specter said.

Sofia holstered her gun. "Right. Sorry."

"Apologies are not necessary. I do not feel shame, anger, or any other human emotion."

She scratched her face. "Am I human?"

Something akin to an index appeared before Basolia. "By the metrics used to measure mobs, you register as human."

"That ain't a definitive yes or no."

"Correct."

Sofia grabbed a cigar from a pouch on her vest and stuck it between her teeth. "Huh."

Basolia appeared to melt into the table, then reappeared like a little ghost at her side. "The 7 Shard Hero has asked about your future intentions."

"Future intentions?" Sofia repeated. "Am I supposed to leave?"

"If that is your intention."

She used the barrel of her gun to light the cigar. As she puffed on it a few times, she watched the specter, waiting for something else. And, of course, it had nothing else to say.

Sofia turned her head, exhaling smoke into the room. "Does she want me to do something?"

"She has a request."

There it is. "What is it?"

"Are you finished in the studio?"

Sofia took a moment to take another puff, filling her mouth with smoke, before exhaling in a slow, steady stream. "I just need to clean—"

Before she finished the sentence, Basolia collapsed into a puddle of darkness and spread across the room. In only a second, it gathered together again, leaving a perfectly clean room.

"Handy."

Basolia stared at her with blank white eyes.

"Oh. Now?"

Basolia melted into a black puddle again. The door to the studio opened silently.

"How do I know where to go?"

Basolia reformed in the hallway. "I will guide you." The specter fell back into the floor and became a black line. Ahead at a split, it turned left and led up some stairs. Sofia continued smoking the cigar since nobody told her to stop, and followed the black line. It took a few minutes for them to get anywhere exciting, and it was only exciting because Sofia hadn't seen that part of the compound before.

When she neared a metal door, it opened on its own, revealing two women sitting on sofas with an array of drinks on the table between them.

Sofia stopped in the doorway.

Althowin and Veph both looked over.

"Are you planning to just stand there?" Althowin asked. She gestured to the space beside her.

Sofia approached with more than a little hesitation. "Am I in the right spot?"

"I did not mislead you." Basolia formed on the table, covering some of the empty glasses.

"Right, yeah. I know." She sat on the sofa and sunk into it. Its comfort was otherworldly.

Veph sat across with what looked like whiskey. She drank it through a straw while reclining. Sofia had never seen the leader of Void Nexus look so calm and relaxed. Even with the horrid scars all over her jaw, she looked happy.

"Is this some kind of club?" Sofia asked.

Althowin reached over, plucked the cigar from her mouth, and dropped it onto Basolia, who promptly consumed it. "Something like that. What do you drink?"

"Lava," Veph said and chuckled to herself quietly.

"Anything." Sofia tried looking over the array of bottles, but Veph moved at lightning speeds, pouring, mixing, and serving some cocktail. "Alright." She sipped and had no idea what she was drinking.

"You're debt free. What's next?" Althowin reclined, putting her metal hand behind her head. She yawned briefly before composing herself.

"Debt free?" Sofia cupped her glass in both hands. "I owe you."

"Hm."

Veph raised her eyebrows.

"Do you?" Althowin asked.

"I . . . I thought so?"

"I don't recall giving a loan. It's an insignificant amount, really."

Insignificant was an insane thing to say. It was an absolute fuck load of money. Sofia just nodded as if she could somehow possibly agree.

After taking a few more sips of the mystery cocktail, Sofia set the glass down. "Why am I here then? I didn't think either of you liked me."

Veph chuckled.

"We like you just fine. You are a little odd, but aren't we all? Look." Althowin brought both legs onto the sofa and crossed them with impressive dexterity. "What is your goal right now?"

"My goal . . ." Sofia scratched at her long nose. "Survival?"

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"Hm. See?" Veph waved in Sofia's direction before grabbing the straw and bringing it back to her mouth.

"See what?"

"Veph and I have been talking about some things. I—"

"About me?" Sofia blurted.

Althowin pressed her lips together and gave Veph a quick glance. Sofia shrunk back. She had messed up. Again.

"No," Althowin said. "About Owin. The goblin."

Sofia's attention snapped out of her own head. "Oh?"

"Let's look at everything that's happened in the last few months. Andres Orben, famed dick head of the Golden Bulls attacks Chorsay and the Nimble Hogs, a coalition of idiots forms a group to kill me, and everyone is talking specifically about two Shard Heroes. A goblin, and a man in a suit. Do you know why this is concerning?"

"A suit isn't armor," Sofia said.

Veph snorted.

"Vondaire is an exceptionally talented hero. Perhaps the most potential I've ever seen. His sudden fame makes sense to me, and Owin's was expected. There is no way to stop people talking about a goblin who escaped the Great Forest. So, why do I bring up these two specifically?"

Sofia stalled by taking a long drink, which resulted in her finishing her glass and slurping at the nothingness. Finally, she put it back on the table. "Attacks are going to increase?"

"Tell me, Sofie," Althowin said.

Sofia flinched at the nickname. Althowin either didn't notice or didn't care.

"When they gathered their little coalition, why did they include you?" Althowin started mixing another drink as she waited.

Sofia didn't really need to think about it. That didn't mean she would blurt the answer right away. There were plenty of reasons she could think of. Some things that could be true, but likely weren't.

"I am a bounty hunter," she finally said.

"One of the more successful, if I've heard right." Althowin stirred the colorful mixture.

Sofia just nodded. When Althowin held out the new drink, Sofia took it without question.

"Second only to Kikuno Itou," Veph said.

"Well, sure," Sofia sipped the drink. It was much sweeter than the last. "She's got five shards. She was the strongest there."

"Debatable, I'm sure," Althowin said. "Egnatia and Olena are stronger than their shards."

"How?" Sofia asked. She didn't really understand the idea of heroes being stronger than the shards they had. It was a multiplier, so once they hit max level, what else would change? Nothing should, but there were heroes who were more feared than others, and she had no idea why.

"Intelligence and gear, primarily. Other factors can be in play. But if Kikuno is level 100, then she is a much bigger threat in battle than I would've thought otherwise. Do you know?" Althowin leaned her elbow on her knee and leaned a little closer.

"She's said like five words to me." Sofia smiled awkwardly. Which was just a smile. Every expression was awkward when one had a rat face.

"Kikuno was noticeably absent in the attack on me. Do you know why?"

"She said it was a bad idea." Sofia shrugged.

"She wasn't wrong," Veph said. Her face was getting flushed as she continued sipping on her whiskey.

"Let's be glad she did. That little bit might've pushed them over the edge. If you hadn't flipped, your kit likely would've stopped my bomb too. Right?"

As if on cue, Sofia's backpack shifted and hissed as it released a stream of steam in the air.

"I think I could."

Althowin made a face and gestured. Veph just nodded in return.

"Here's the deal, Soph. Veph and I have been making plans. Secret plans. The little coalition trying to take me down is already pushing the limits of my goodwill with the public. If I keep blowing up bombs outside, some very influential people are going to get angry. You, and your three little shards, are in a better position to potentially act, if needed."

Sofia cupped the glass with both hands and held it in her lap. "Act with what?"

"We're going to test the goblin. As far as we know, he has unlimited potential, but what happens if he turns? Veph has her own plans, and I have some in the works, but I need a third. Someone who will act more directly, more discreetly, and under the guise of being a bounty hunter."

"You're putting a bounty on Owin?" Sofia set her glass on the table. "Does Chorsay know?"

"Do you see him in here?" Althowin gestured around the room as if it wasn't obviously just the three of them. "I can't get directly involved in any affairs. Not really. And that's why I also brought up Vondaire. An umbra with the potential and drive he has will either be the next 7 Shard Hero, die, or suffer a tragedy that twists him beyond recognition. We've seen it before. Even heroes like Voolyn had been the next rising star before stalling from fear. If Vondaire can get scared, or if he gets injured, his motivations could change."

"I'll handle him," Veph said. She hiccuped and scowled. "If needed."

Sofia looked between them. "I thought Althowin said you had a plan for Owin."

"I do," Veph said. "A few plans." She hiccuped again and looked significantly more angry at the sudden outbursts.

"So, you want me to be ready to kill Owin if he snaps when you test him?" Sofia idly grabbed a cigar from her vest and placed it between her teeth. The look from Althowin made her slip it right back into the pouch.

"Yes, in a sense. We're still trying to figure that out. We need to know exactly who this goblin is before he gets stronger." Althowin took a long drink from her own glass. "Do we have a deal?"

Sofia took off her raccoon skin hat and scratched her head vigorously. It earned her looks that she couldn't be bothered to pay attention to. "I don't know. This feels wrong."

"You probably don't have to do anything," Veph said. "If he doesn't break, we'll leave him alone."

"How are you going to test him?"

Althowin gestured to Veph.

"I have a subordinate." Veph seemed to think about it for a moment, but stuck with that answer.

"What does that mean?" Sofia asked.

"You'll meet her before long." Veph sucked on the straw and opened her index. "Did we send her a message?"

"I did." Althowin yawned and put her feet up on the table, almost knocking over the various bottles. "She knows what to do."

Sofia looked between the two drunk women. How did she keep getting into these bizarre situations? Althowin made a joke, which made Veph's expression harden.

"If I fail, am I going to owe you?" Sofia finally asked.

"No." Althowin made a face. "I don't give a shit. Just don't die if something goes wrong."

"From the goblin?" Sofia asked. She still had a shard or two on him. Her index opened and flipped to the Shard Heroes tab.

"Just in general, you moron." Althowin jokingly smacked her, which was strong enough to send Sofia flying off the couch.

"Oh. Oops. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Sofia said quietly. Her backpack shifted and hissed. She sighed, looking up at the dark form of Basolia on the ceiling.

***

Fortress Dungeon

Eighth Floor

One Shard Active

Owin took the steps out of the void nexus with enthusiasm. Getting away from vampires was welcome. He climbed the stairs and stopped.

"It looks gray."

Shade walked past and dragged a gloved finger over the stone. Even as grime piled on the fingertip, the white olm skin glove remained clean. "I recall someone mentioning a crypt. Why a crypt would be above a manor, I have no idea. I suppose we actually went through a portal and not stairs, so perhaps this is the way to say we're not technically above the manor, even if we are."

"Last time I was in a crypt, Artivan and I found a lich."

Shade approached the heavy stone door at the end of the short hallway and pushed it open. It ground loudly, like it hadn't been opened in hundreds of years. As soon as it was far enough for him to see, he turned around.

"What is it?" Owin asked, slowly approaching.

"Well, I don't believe it's a lich." He turned and looked again. "A necromancer, perhaps? It's an elf, but . . ." Shade pressed his face entirely against the wall. "Not a vampire, which is good. I think we've had enough of those."

"A necromancer? Like someone who controls the dead?" Owin tried to push Shade out of the way, but the skeleton held firm. Of course, Owin wasn't using his full strength. He didn't need to send Shade flying into the wall.

"Yes, exactly. I'm surprised you know what a necromancer is."

"Myrsvai said there were some in the Fortress. He said a rotting heart was the symbol of Diphinadra." Owin shrugged. "Nosolus in the Great Forest had an army of skeletons, but he was an abyssal magus like Myrsvai, so I don't think I've fought a necromancer before."

Shade slid the door back closed with great effort. "Here's an idea." He squatted and pressed his head against Owin's, forcing the goblin to stare into the somewhat filthy interior of his skull.

"You need to wash that."

"Is there some apple slime in there?"

"It's just specter slime, Shade."

Shade nodded, bumping his head on Owin's again and again. "Did you get the idea?"

"Did you say something?"

Shade fell onto his bottom. "Shame. I figured we were connected enough that proximity might allow you to read my thoughts. Are we certain this is a failure on my end? What if your head just didn't quite work."

"My head works. Now."

Shade narrowed his eye sockets. "An odd word to add. Regardless, what if we pretended you are a necromancer? I can follow behind like some mindless moron, and you can walk in with some unearned confidence and play it casual until you can smash the necromancer to bits."

"Isn't that more work than it needs to be?"

Shade shrugged. "Let me see your best necromancer."

Owin furrowed his brow.

"Ooh, nice."

"I'm annoyed."

"You sound just like one."

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