“Farm duty?” Evelyn raised an eyebrow. “Do I look like a farm girl?”
“No,” mumbled Leonis.
“We do a variety of things. Escort duty, hunt down fiends that the Houses don’t want to chase for one reason or another, but mostly we explore the ruins that ring the Plain. They’ve been picked over a hundred times over the centuries, but fiends are drawn to them. So we clean them out, harvest their mana Hearts, gain strength, and help keep the Plains safe. Right now though? We’re all camped up on the edge of the Chasm.”
And she paused deliberately, waiting for someone to prompt her.
“We’ve studied that,” said Lianshi. “It’s a huge ravine that’s larger than Bastion, right? People theorize that it was once some kind of city or outpost that was destroyed right at the beginning of our tenure in Hell, and it’s supposed to go down so far nobody’s reached the depths.”
“Nobody?” asked Leonis in surprise.
Evelyn stole back the attention with a lazy shrug. “Those who could plumb the depths are too busy with greater mysteries deeper in Hell. But yes. When Imogen the Woe attacked a few months back, it caused really strange mana fluctuations in the depths of the Chasm. We’ve been investigating it since.”
“Great,” said Scorio.
“What manner of fluctuations?” pressed Lianshi.
“That,” said Evelyn, pushing herself upright, “we’ll tell you if you join Manticore. But for now, I have other matters to attend. I’ll swing by here at First Clay tomorrow. Be ready to go, because I move fast and we’ve a lot of land to cover. Clear?”
“Clear,” they all said.
“Great!” She beamed at them. “What a wonderful turn of events. I can’t wait to learn more about you all. We’ll have plenty of time as we travel. I’ll see you soon.”
“There’s one more thing we should mention,” said Scorio. “We killed a House Enforcer earlier today. He was massacring a crowd of protestors and wouldn’t stop.”
Evelyn froze.
Lianshi grimaced apologetically. “And Praximar offered readmittance to any student who washed out this year if they brought us back to the Academy. We’ve been fighting them off since.”
“I see.” Evelyn lowered herself back onto the stool. “Important details.”
“Yes.” Scorio stood up straighter. “We don’t want to hide anything from you, but now you can appreciate why we really need to get out.”
“Sure, sure.” Evelyn tapped her chin. “Well, that’s fine. Accidents happen. I can deal with any students that come after you, and if higher authorities demand you be brought to account, I’ll plead ignorance of your crime and let them take you. Fair?”
Scorio blinked. “Um, yes. Sure. That sounds… fair.”
“Great!” Evelyn bounced back up. “Then be ready at First Clay. I really think this is the beginning of something special.” She smiled warmly at them all, and they escorted her to the front door and then waved as she disappeared into the gloom of Bastion’s night.
“That was… not what I was expecting,” mused Leonis as they returned to the main chamber.
“What?” Lianshi sounded exasperated. “You thought she’d be a strong man?”
“I mean, no… maybe, but I didn’t expect her to be so… small? And…” Leonis struggled to find the right word.
“Attractive?” prompted Juniper with a grin.
“No! I mean, sure, she’s… but she’s a Dread Blaze, and what was up with her hair?”
“Her Dread Blaze power,” said Naomi darkly, moving back to her bar stool. “Each new power builds upon the last. I bet she could only move her hair a little as an Emberling, and it’s only grown more versatile as she’s progressed.”
“Infuriating.” Jova stopped in the center of the room and glared out into the middle distance. “I’m not used to being so…helpless in battle.”
“Same,” said Lianshi, and several of the others nodded.
“That’s because you’ve grown used to fighting other Emberlings,” said Naomi moodily. “And it’s also a question of context. Evelyn offered to fight us all because she knew she could dominate the room. Out in the open, without walls and ceilings to attach to, she’d be much less versatile.”
“Right.” Scorio tried to imagine it. “This was probably her optimum environment.”
“Still.” Jova sighed and shook her head. “We’ve too many close-quarter combatants in this group. It would have been best if we had a couple of long-range attacks.”
“I tried,” said Zala.
“You did. But Ravenna’s ability to hurl stones would have made this fight far more interesting.” Jova grimaced, then looked over to Zala. “Still, you did really well. She said you were the only one that inconvenienced her.”
“That’s true,” said Zala, brightening up.
“She didn’t seem too bothered by our killing the Enforcer,” said Lianshi quietly.
“Maybe such things stop being a big deal by the time you become a Dread Blaze?” Leonis shrugged. “I’m sure she’s seen a lot already.”
“Regardless, we’d better finish getting our rest,” said Scorio, though it was the last thing he wanted to do. “Things are looking up, and that means a long voyage starts tomorrow.”
“Leaving Bastion.” Lianshi’s tone turned dreamy. “I know I’ve done it almost a hundred times in my past lives, but the idea still gives me the shivers.”
“I know,” said Juniper sympathetically. “Our world’s been the Academy since we were reborn, with a little exploration of the markets every eighth day. It’s…” She paused, seeking the right word. “Surreal. To imagine leaving. Not having Bastion curving overhead, to not have our days and nights ruled by the sun-wire.”
Scorio felt his own frisson of excitement, though he couldn’t help but share a wry glance with Naomi. They, at least, hadn’t been cooped up in the Academy all along.
“Oh good,” said Helena, who’d cracked open the door and stuck her head in. “You all didn’t destroy the place.”
“Didn’t come close,” said Scorio apologetically.
She opened the door all the way. She had a mound of blankets and pillows in her arms. “This is all we’ve got.” She waggled her eyebrows. “You guys might have to share.”
“Thanks. We’ll be gone at First Clay.”
Helena’s expression brightened. “She agreed to take you?”
“Sure did.”
“Yay! Congrats. I’m so excited for you all.”
They shared the blankets and cushions, though Naomi and Jova both eschewed any comfort in favor of claiming benches inside different booths. Scorio took a worn-out cushion and lay on the floor. After spending most of this life in his bare room in the ruins, lying on the hard ground felt almost normal.
Helena doused two of the lanterns and turned down the third. “Goodnight, Great Souls. Memek’s going to get up early to spend some of your octs on breakfast. The least we can do is send you off with full stomachs.”
“Thanks, Helena.” Scorio twisted around so he could smile at where she stood, lanky and tall, her smile shadowed, her eyes gleaming in the lamplight. “I’ll never forget what you’ve done for us.”
Helena laughed. “Oh, that probably won’t be possible. I’ve been working on a new song that features a Red Lister as its hero. If it does half as well as I hope, you’ll be hearing it all the way to the Pit.”
Leonis snorted in amusement. “Does it feature a handsome friend who possesses impossibly good looks and a commanding air?”
Helena laughed. “It does! I’ve given Lianshi a starring role.” And with that, she stepped out of the main chamber.
“It’s a conspiracy,” muttered Leonis. “You’re all working against me.”
“Poor Leonis,” said Lianshi sleepily. “Poor little Golden King.”
Scorio smiled up at the dark rafters. Come morning they’d be leaving the city. He still couldn’t believe it. The world was opening before them, expanding from just the city of Bastion to all of Hell. With a little luck, they’d reach the Fiery Shoals without mishap, speak with the White Queen, set matters to rights within Bastion, and begin learning the truth about their world.