The crowd was curious, everyone whispering and guessing at the letters Rhen had received. They’d find out soon enough.

Rhen climbed on top of a pile of concrete stone, elevating himself above the chattering heads. “Everyone join me at the inn in thirty minutes, please. I have something important to tell you, and something important to ask of you.”

He stepped down and the rabble grew louder.

“That wasn’t ominous or anything,” Jakira said with a cautious nudge.

“It is time to leave.” Aki said, floating up to them.

Rhen shook his head. “Not yet.”

“You are discovered,” he urged.

“I know. But they deserve to hear the truth from me somewhere that is safe for all of us. I won’t skip my trial, either. I have another plan.”

“The respawn time is not fast enough,” Aki said, flaring orange.

“It can be. I can use some of the anima from the rainforest chamber to upgrade the node.”

“If Jakira goes with you, additional time will be needed.” Aki reminded him.

Rhen turned to her. His eyes scanned through the crowd. Some were looking at him, most were talking amongst themselves. “This is your last chance to own an inn bursting with people, and joyous smiles—”

“I already told you. I chose what was important to me. An inn of three,” she said, reaching out for Aki.

They stood for a moment, holding hands and tentacles quietly.

“That’s it then, just us three?” Rhen asked.

Jakira nodded. “Just us.”

Aki’s fins fluttered. “My best friends. My family.”

“But only if it goes sideways,” Rhen reminded them. “Tansi said she’d come. I don’t know if to my rescue or my demise, but she said she’d come.”

Aki swayed. “She was hurt, but… despite your belief, she does not hate you. She envies you. She envies what you have, even now. Tansi was transparent. She is lonely.”

“Okay, so let’s hope that she’s gracious and guides my punishment accordingly.” Rhen sighed. “For now, I have to tell them. They’re going to find out, but they deserve to hear it from me.”

“Can I come?” Matilda asked, still panting. As the town gossip, she thrived on the hotgoss.

Rhen nodded. “We’ll let you stay the night, too, it’s late.”

“Many thanks,” she said, straightening upright.

Much like Wyland, Rhen could see she was hiding secret strength. Perhaps all the people of Yu were more than met the eye. That was an observation for another time, another life. He needed to get his head where it needed to be.

He left behind the confused crowd and retreated to his room at the inn. He ran his fingers over the pillow, remember the nights Jakira had laid her head there with him. He looked out the window to the rainforest, wondering if Desedra would be kind, and ethical. Would they farm the rainforest into oblivion? Would they destroy his dungeon for its wealth?

Jakira knocked, though the door was ajar. “They’re all waiting for you.”

Rhen bobbed his head and steeled himself for what was to come. Down at the dining hall, everyone waited, even Arannet.

Rhen hopped up on a table, his head nearly hitting the ceiling. He looked from face to face, some new, some old, some he loved dearly. “I have lied to you.”

It was silent. They waited for more but cast cautious glances between each other.

“I’m sorry. A long time ago my sponsor, Rhen Zephitz, died for me. I took his offered identity and freed myself from the delver school that trapped me in debt. I know you all know what that feels like. I had no hope, no way out… I just want you to understand, I didn’t want to hurt you.”

The Neilson family nodded solemnly, as if they already knew. Hells, they may have guessed. Wyland stood stoically at the door, and Arannet clutched her hands together at her chest.

“I go to Desedra city in the morning to stand trial for stealing the identity of my sponsor, and likely for his murder.”

Frightened murmurs rippled through the crowd. Rhen didn’t know how much he wanted to reveal, it was all so personal.

“I didn’t murder him, but it’ll sure look that way according to the resurrection node data. I hope to be absolved of my crime. I hope to come back here with you, to make this work. I want to found nations. I want to find secrets. I want to dive deep, discover realms, battle monsters, earn new syntials, craft amazing weapons and fight. I want to fight with you.”

He paused, his throat feeling tight.

“But that’s not likely. So I urge you all to take what you can and leave. I give you permission. Take everything you’ve earned and move on.”

“What about the nexus?” Olliat asked.

Rhen took a deep breath and calmed himself. “Desedra will take over. If you want to work for them, stay. I cannot guarantee they’ll honor my promises… because I did not make them as myself.

“My real name, my delver given name from a school that cared not if I lived, was Maddox.”

He couldn’t go on. He was so ashamed. He’d failed them all.

Aki stepped onto the table and hugged him. Jakira grabbed his hand, and so did Eli, and Joseph. Valine grabbed his shin, and Tsu’me joined in. Everyone gathered, standing with him.

“I have one hope, one chance, but you shouldn’t bet on it. Please. Take what you can for yourselves and your families, and leave. Avoid the guilds. Find a small place for yourselves and live comfortably.”

“And what will you do?” Patti asked.

Rhen chuckled sadly. “I’ll… be sentenced to five million marks in Everest II, I’m sure. But…”

Could he tell them? Should he?

“You won’t go, will you?” Alex asked.

“We’ve never had such adventure,” Ulecks said.

He caught sight of Arannet in the corner, waiting quietly for him to finish. She’d come to be more like part of the dungeon family over the weeks than just an assigned assistant, but he still couldn’t trust her. If she told anyone his plan, that would be the end of it.

“I will go and face the deliberators for whatever justice they, and Tansi Zephitz, deem appropriate. But tonight, we’re going to have that damn tiki party, Arannet. I don’t care about HB965.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” she said with a teary-eyed smile.

Everyone chuckled sadly, and quieted quickly.

Rhen mustered his courage for one last apology. “I’m sorry this is happening.”

“Us too, sonny,” Wyland said.

“May the gods be kind to you,” Joseph said, and squeezed his hand.

Rhen shook it firmly. “And to you.”

“Now, no more sadness. There’ll be time for that later. For now, let’s prepare for a beach party we’ll never forget. I’ll need as many memories of sunshine as I can get.”

The group laughed a bit more this time, some sniffling back tears, others with brows creased in worry. Some of the new delvers from the Welsh cluster hadn’t known Rhen long, but they were all supportive. Within a few hours they’d harvested several thick terrocken legs, gathered up several big blankets for sitting on, and collected plenty of firewood. Wyland provided some air-tight enon containers to hold everything in, and they headed toward the nexus node—all except Arannet.

“Aren’t you coming?” Rhen asked, lingering in the doorway.

She shrugged sadly. “I’m not really, I mean, part of the—”

“Yes, you are,” Rhen interrupted firmly. He knew what she was going to say. She wasn’t dungeon family. He felt bad for the times he’d teased her or made her feel like an outsider. All she really wanted was to belong.

Rhen reached out to her. “Let’s go.”

Her eyes glistened with tears, and she rushed to join him. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. Thank you for all your hard work.” He guided her through the tunnel down to the beach.

She turned to him, fervent determination in her eyes. “I won’t abandon you.”

Rhen smiled sadly. He intended to abandon all of them if things went wrong, but maybe—just maybe—with Arannet on his side, things would go right. “Let’s have fun tonight.”

Rhen, Jakira, and Aki used cephalon shifter. With his advanced size, Aki was able to command more water, leaving a bigger air bubble to contain Arannet inside. He carried her carefully to the node, and one by one, the team teleported out to Paradise.

It was mid-day on the warm white beaches of the new realm, and hot. That was a nice change of pace from the cool dark depths of the dungeon. Most everyone stripped down to their undergarments, except Arannet. The younger Faust kids splashed around in the shallow water with Olliat and Alex—who Rhen noticed hadn’t really left each other’s sides for a few days… He smirked. Good for them.

Eli, Ulecks, Joseph, and Valine set up a huge canopy between the trees, with a few wooden posts wedged into the sand to hold it up. Jakira and Patti got to work setting up the fire pit to roast the terrocken, and Rhen busied himself with setting out blankets in the sand.

The breeze was cool in the shade, and Rhen took a moment to enjoy it. There was so much light, life, and laughter. He loved it. He wished this was his life, this moment, forever.

“Do not lose faith in her,” Aki said, sidling up beside Rhen.

“Arannet? No, I think she’ll do everything she can…”

“Tansi.”

Rhen’s mouth went bitter, and he swallowed. “I don’t know.”

“I do not, either. But I hope.”

“Me too.”

Rhen patted his friend on the back. “Want to have a race? Get these kids practicing their swimming skills.”

“Yes, let us race.”

Rhen challenged Aki first and lost horribly of course, and then all the kids were challenging each other, and themselves. Alex and Olliat battled against one another ferociously, and at the end—Olliat just barely losing—she dunked him under. This turned into mad splashing and horseplay, until the sun got low and Jakira called them in to feast.

It was the best meal Rhen had ever had in his life, shared with the best people he’d ever known in his life… save for one. But Rhen could almost feel him on the periphery, like he was watching him.

“You’ll show em what you’re made of…” his mentor whispered from the growing shadows.

Damn straight, he would.