"Hippogriff Holdings," read the letters on an elegant large sign. The man in gray had seen the impressive signage even before he set foot on the dock that it was built upon. Rather than wander aimlessly looking for the right building he had paid a local a few copper pieces to take him there directly.

The small rowboat had just enough room for both men. Aiden closed his eyes and imagined himself upon the deck of a large sailboat, like the ones he read about as a child. He pretended that the smooth lake was a vast ocean with massive waves crashing across the ship. All while he held a steady hand upon the ship's wheel.

"We're here," said the man beside the Corpse Hunter.

Aiden inhaled deeply trying to remember what the salty air of the twenty fifth floor of the Dungeon had smelled like. When he couldn't he opened his eyes and stepped out of the boat. The ship's owner, having already been paid, rowed away quietly.

Being down here in the Column's water reservoir was such a tease to him. It was the closest he'd ever come to sailing on a real ocean. To live out his dreams of exploring a world that wasn't lost to darkness. A world where he wasn't confined to a single tower whose landscape never changed. Whose people never changed.

Sure the different levels within the Dungeon were a change of pace now and then. And sometimes he even had the chance to go out on the water. But that was part of his job and it was hard to truly enjoy himself while he was working. Distraction in the Dungeon often meant death.

"What am I getting myself all worked up for," Aiden said to himself. "No sense in complaining about things I can't change. Besides, it's already been a horrible day. How much worse could it get."

An explosion tore the Corpse Hunter off his feet and sent him hurtling into the nearby water. Burning wood and debris rained down from where a large warehouse had stood only moments prior. He had gotten too close to the truth and someone didn't appreciate that.

The Corpse Hunter swam through the water dodging burning wreckage as best he could. When he reached a ladder that was connected to what remained of the pier he began to climb. For some reason his left leg had gone numb but that was a problem for after he was out of the water.

Hand over hand the man in gray pulled himself up the lander's rungs until he lay on the battered wooden floor boards. When he glanced down Aiden saw a chunk of wood as thick as his wrist had pierced his thigh just above the knee. Ahead of the Corpse Hunter the flames from the explosion slowly ate away at the dock, crawling their way towards him.

With the last of his energy Aiden placed his hands together and focused. His palms glowed with a dull green aura as they rose towards the basement's ceiling. It almost looked as though he were praying and in truth a part of him was. The act of using his primary ability put more strain on Aiden than his damaged body could handle.

He collapsed face first into a pool of his own blood. The last thing the Corpse Hunter saw before blacking out was a dark feathered bird flying away from him.

***

Bright light filtered in through an open window. When Aiden opened his eyes he saw Vagrant perched on his shoulder. The Ethereal bird screeched happily when the Corpse Hunter up looked at it. Moments later a woman in a white dress entered the room.

"Good Morning, Corpse Hunter," the woman said with a hint of unease in her voice.

"Morning?" Aiden asked. "How long was I out for?"

"Two days," the woman replied.

"Two days? It took that long to find a Flesh Mender?"

"Well no, but your injuries from the blast were quite extensive. You had burns on your hands and face, a shattered femur, internal bleeding, wood shrapnel, three cracked ribs.."

"The ribs happened before the explosion," Aiden said, thinking back to the fight at the alchemy shop.

"What?" the woman asked.

"Nothing. Well it's been pleasant talking with you but I have other matters to attend to."

"Perhaps you should rest a bit longer. I was present when you came in and it's a miracle that you surviv…"

Aiden got up and proceeded to leave despite the woman's protests. Outside the Communal Healing Center he hailed a cab. The world may have gone to hell and been plagued with an endless sea of darkness but at least the Column Dwellers had decent healers from time to time.

A carriage waited on a nearby curb and the man in gray hailed him. Twenty minutes later he was outside the Ascension Academy steps.

"Charge the Academy for the ride," Aiden said to the driver as he hopped out of the carriage and headed up the stairs.

He walked straight into the building, ignored the receptionist, and opened the doorway that housed the security construct.

"Sixth floor," Aiden demanded before the human looking machine could greet him.

"Please present your Medallion for inspection," the man asked politely.

Aiden practically threw it at him.

"My apologies sir, but you do not have authorization to access the sixth floor."

"Don't you give me that crap you soulless puppet."

The Corpse slammed the door shut. When he opened it again the man smiled at him.

"Please state the floor you wish to reach and present your Medallion for inspection," the construct said.

Aiden slammed the door and quickly opened it, repeating the process over and over. Every time he saw the fake smile of the fake man it made his blood boil.

"Please…state…the…floor…" the construct said each time the door was opened.

When a woman with long red hair suddenly appeared before him Aiden nearly slammed the door in her face.

"Please don't abuse our facilities like that," Lady Edevane asked, though her tone was more of a command than a request.

The Martinet peeked her head out through the door and looked towards the receptionist. Behind the counter the young woman looked like a bank teller witnessing an ongoing robbery. When Lady Edevane gave her a reassuring nod the receptionist's expression relaxed.

"We need to talk," Aiden said.

"Yes, we do," replied the red haired woman. "I was just about to send for you. There is work to be done. Corpse Hunter work."

"Delightful," the man in gray said sarcastically. "I found a lead on the murders in the Dungeon. Unfortunately it went up in flames."

"Yes, I heard."

"From who?"

"A little bird told me," Lady Edevane said, motioning towards the vulture on Aiden's shoulder.

"Really now?" Aiden asked, looking at his avian friend.

"Of course. Who do you think he went to for help when you got yourself into a mess."

Out of all the people to pull him out of a literal fire Aiden had never expected it to be a Martinet. Especially not this Martinet. Perhaps the rumors about her weren't true. No, they were, and he knew it.

"There was a major buyer for the Green Dragon's blood," Aiden said.

"I'm going to assume you didn't get a name, otherwise you would have led with it," the Martinet replied.

"No. Unless you managed to pull something useful out of the ashes I'm all out of leads."

"As luck would have it I did find something worth looking into. Several of the smaller Ascension Guilds were contacted by someone looking to procure fresh dragon parts."

"Did you get a description of the buyer?"

"No, they used a Wind Talker to act as a third party intermediary. I have my people interviewing everyone with that Fate who isn't an active member of the Academy or the Council. Given enough time we'll flush them out."

"You should warn your people to keep their guard up. Someone tried to bury me and if they aren't afraid to kill a Corpse Hunter I doubt they're afraid to kill an Academy member."

"They have been made aware of the risks involved. Mind you it wasn't so long ago that someone made an attempt on my life."

"So you were the failed assassin's target. Do you make a habit of sobering people up without their consent?" The Corpse Hunter asked.

"Is now really the time for your gallows humor?" Lady Edevane inquired, rolling her eyes.

"If I didn't find time to mock the world around me I wouldn't have the motivation to do my job. Speaking of, you said you had to work for me?"

"Yes, come with me."

Lady Edevane stepped out of the room she had been standing in and closed the door. When she reopened it the well dressed fake man returned. Aiden had to resist the urge to punch it in it's stupid fake face when it spoke.

"Please state the floor you wish to reach and present your Medallion for inspection."

"Subfloor four," the Martinet said, presenting her Medallion.

After a thorough inspection the man in the small room handed the Medallion back.

Aiden mouthed the words, "I hate you," towards the man as Lady Edevane closed the door. The construct didn't react.

The red haired woman opened the door once more and a familiar hallway lined with armed guards revealed itself. Together the Corpse Hunter and the Organic Alchemist made their way towards the large blue door at the far end of the hall. When they approached the nearby guards opened it, allowing them to pass through without a word.

After stepping into another hallway the duo entered through the door ahead of them marked "Execution Chamber." They were greeted by the same pot bellied executioner as last time. Though the smell of pipe tobacco was stronger on him than before.

"Everything is ready, my lady," the Nullifier said, motioning towards the gallows.

A blindfolded man stood motionless on the platform. His hands were tied behind his back and his mouth was gagged. A noose hung around his neck and whatever Fate he had was being suppressed by the executioner.

"Another heretic?" the Corpse Hunter asked.

"Yes," Lady Edevane replied. "We found this one lurking about the reservoir when we rescued you."

"So the cult is behind the warehouse explosion and the murders in the Dungeon."

"Sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one. We tried interrogating him but he refused to cooperate."

"When were you planning on sharing that information with me?" Aiden asked.

"I just did," the Organic Alchemist replied casually.

She hadn't gotten any new leads out of the heretic so it made sense that she hadn't brought it up sooner. Though he would have appreciated it if she'd told him the cult was involved sooner. Apparently this rabbit hole went even deeper than Aiden had thought.

"You may proceed," the Martinet said to the Nullifier.

With a nod the executioner began walking towards the lever that would drop the platform that the prisoner was standing upon. From the moment the words left Edevane's mouth time slowed to a crawl for Aiden. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and goosebumps spread across both forearms.

Vagrant sensed the disturbance as well and the Ethereal spirit clenched its talons tightly into the Corpse Hunter's shoulder. Something was wrong and the man in gray strained his mind to figure out what it was. A bead of sweat formed on his brow as he watched the Nullifier move slowly towards the gallows.

Aiden activated his Tether Sight and scanned the room. The prisoner's tether was bright red, no surprise there as he was seconds away from being hanged. The string that floated above the Nullifiers head was pure white. Again no surprise there, it wasn't as if the executioner was being executed.

"What's wrong?" the Martinet asked, sensing the Corpse Hunter's discomfort.

"I don't…" Aiden's words hung in his mouth as his gaze traveled to the space above her head.

The Martinet's tether was as red as her hair. Aiden reached into his pocket and gripped a glass bottle tightly in his fingers. Then he looked back to the gallows just in time to see the heretic fall from the platform.

As the body plummeted the noose snapped the man's neck, killing him instantly. Then his chest cavity tore open as a fireball came rocketing out of his corpse. Aiden slammed the potion down towards Lady Edevane's feet before she could react.

A second later the fireball slammed her into a wall, bursting outward and engulfing Aiden's body in flames. The smell of burning flesh and fabric filled the air of the small unventilated room.