Floor 20

Heron - City of the Humans

Checkpoint 2

The Laughing Fox was a fine establishment in regard to most of the other bars and taverns within Heron. It had been crafted mostly from wood and towered above the nearby houses, as it doubled not only as a bar but also an inn. From the exterior it was hard to guess the purpose of the large structure, with only a single sign placed near the front door.

As soon as I entered the rich smell of ale, coupled with the thick scent of sweat and roasted meat, assailed my nose. The central part of The Laughing Fox held tables and booths inside a room that easily reached eighty feet in length. Almost every place one could sit was already taken, while patrons who were already well into their tenth drink or more staggered around at random.

A long counter ran along the western edge of the taproom, one that had dozens of bartenders who constantly dealt with the thirsty patrons. At the two ends of the counter were two doors which led to the kitchen, and it seemed as though a continual stream of waiters flowed through those doors.

I walked down the short flight of steps that led to the taproom, taking care to not walk into anyone. I wore a light cloak that I held tight, as I had no interest in showing off what I wore to anyone here, and my hood was also kept up. From behind the sunglasses I studied the people at each table in the hope of finding who I had come for. Most of the people looked to be rather mundane, though a few obvious warriors were mixed in with their hardened looks and visible weaponry.

There was a slight ripple of conversation from those who saw me, as curious onlookers attempted to try and get a peek under my hood. Since I could barely see past the hood myself I knew that they wouldn’t be able to see much of me, and so I continued on without a second thought.

About halfway through the taproom I found who I sought. A pair of men lounged at a table near the center of the room, large glass mugs that were almost empty on the table in front of them. The tables nearest them were spaced out further than what seemed normal for the place, though I wasn’t sure why.

One of the men was a muscular man who was at least six feet tall, but he wore no armor and had no visible weapons. The other of the pair was barely taller than Kuzu and had dark green hair with emerald eyes. He wore a monocle on his right eye, and a short steel knife had been impaled into the top of the table next to his mug.

A small girl who barely reached my waist slipped past with a plate filled with steaming meat on wooden sticks. She carefully placed the plate on the table for the two men and then scurried off back to the kitchen.

The larger of the two men picked up one of the sticks of meat and tore at it with slightly pointed teeth. He had dark red spiked hair that ran down his back to his waist, with a pair of dark red eyes that not once had moved off of me. I wasn’t sure when he started to stare at me, but it had been at least before the waitress had put the plate on the table.

Rather than any type of obvious armor he simply wore a dark red leather, with odd red fur tufts at the wrists and neck. About his neck he wore a necklace that had a purple crystal captured within a lattice of silver.

“Sup?” he half-growled out after swallowing the chunk of meat he’d chewed on.

“I’m looking for the Wolfe brothers,” I said.

The green-haired man glanced at his companion before he gave a shrug of his shoulders. “I’m Adam Wolfe, this is Lance,” he responded as he motioned to his brother, “why are you looking for us?”

I grabbed an empty chair from one of the nearby tables, ignoring the fact that the table itself had many people at it, and dragged the chair over to the Wolfe’s. With a thump I slouched into it as I rested my elbows on the table. “I heard you two are some of the best divers in Heron,” I began, before I pulled out a sliver of metal and put it on the table, “I was wondering if you’re willing to sell your services.”

Adam stared at that sliver of metal, as the light shone off the gold and glinted visibly in his eyes. He cleared his throat and started to reach for the pip, but then paused as he glanced at me. “May I?”

I gave a nod of my head and Adam followed through without any more hesitation. He scooped it up and stared at it intently before he handed it off to his brother. “Depends on how much you’re willing to hand over, and what you want,” he finally replied after Lance returned the pip to him with a nod.

“I’ve heard you two managed to reach the forty-fifth floor,” I said, “I’m planning an expedition, but I could use some guides.”

“Guides? Well, that sounds a bit casual,” Adam pushed the gold pip back to me, “so you probably want to go to thirty or so at the deepest?”

“Fifty.”

It was a reply that caused Lance to choke on some of the meat he had shoved into his mouth. He stood up, gagging, and then slammed his hand against the top of the table. “You an idiot!” he bellowed as bits of saliva and meat flew from his mouth, “that ain’t possible!”

“Lance, calm yourself.” Adam reached over and put a hand on Lance’s nearest arm in an attempt to calm him down. “I have to agree with my brother, the highest anyone has gone is forty-seven and that was two hundred years ago.”

“Oh? How do you know that?” I wondered.

“Because our ancestors made it there. The only reason we even made it to forty-five was thanks to the notes they left us, and we knew better than to push further in because of how deadly those two other floors are supposed to be.”

“Vivah, the ruined city of the yetis,” I said in a calm voice as I pulled out a canteen from beneath my cloak. I sipped from it, ignoring the drinks available in The Laughing Fox. I had a strong memory of how badly I’d felt after getting drunk the night before my wedding.

The agitated Lance’s eyes widened at my words before he slumped into his seat, blissfully silent. Adam cleared his throat, and then he leaned in closer to the table. “May I inquire as to how you know that?”

“Do you really think you’re the only person who has ancestors?” I gave a small shake of my head. I pulled out the Flagra and placed it on the table in front of me, and then tapped it gently as I looked at Lance.

“Ain’t need our help then do you?” Lance asked with a snort.

“My information is severely out of date. I might know a lot of stuff you fellows don’t, but you’ll also know what has changed in the last hundred years or so.”

Adam sat quietly next to his brother, his gaze locked onto the gun on the table. One finger went up to trace gently along the edge of his monocle, and then he gave a nod of his head. “If we get into a fight Lance and I will prioritize our safety over yours.”

“That’s fine. I can hold my own, and I’ll be bringing along another companion who is a competent fighter.”

"Fine, we'll need ten pips of gold," Adam stated before he held up one hand, "and another ten pips when we reach floor fifty. We also hold the right to pull out at any time we feel the journey is too dangerous."

"I have no problem with that, shall we head out tomorrow afternoon then?"

☗ ☗ ☗ ☗ ☗

The portal in the city of Heron was nestled inside a green park with an open area in the middle. A ring of trees grew along the outer part of the park, while a stone pathway cut through the short grass and led straight to the portal.

The townsfolk avoided the inner area of the park and instead lounged near the trees. Two men who wore light leather armor and held metal spears stood near the sphere. Given that there were no restrictions on usage I could only guess they were there to stop children from accidentally using the portal.

I stood near the portal with my arms crossed in front of my chest. While I waited for the Wolfe brothers I had worked mentally at my plan. Though I had a rough sketch of what I wanted to do the specifics eluded me, though I knew one of the first things I would do was on the twenty-second floor.

“This easy money, Adam! We got this!” boomed the loud voice of the younger Wolfe.

He walked alongside Adam as they entered the park, his outfit still the exact same as it was in the bar. What drew my immediate attention were the night steel arm guards he wore, something I hadn’t expected to see anyone use until the fiftieth floor. Aside from that he carried a knapsack that he’d slung over his shoulder, and had a couple of long daggers belted on his hip.

"Lance, calm down," Adam told his brother while he adjusted his monocle. The clothes he wore were baggy and light, crafted from cotton or some other simple material. On his belt there was a small handgun a few steps below the Flagra in terms of technology.

It was the item on his back that made me whistle in appreciation, a long rifle that easily put the pistol he had to shame. He carried a knapsack similar to Lance’s, the strings held in his left hand.

“So that’s your secret,” I murmured to myself as I stared pointedly at their equipment, “presents from your ancestors?”

Adam gave a small smile at that but didn’t answer. Instead he lifted his free hand to me before he said, “Ten pips.”

A bit disappointed he didn’t say where he’d gained his rifle from I still relinquished the gold that he wanted. Adam checked each of the pips, a move that raised my opinion of him, and then he put the pips into a small bag on his hip. He handed the bag over to one of the guards at the portal with a few quiet directions.

It was a move that instantly put me on edge, as I’d been ambushed by people before. Obviously I’d have the extra money on me and if the guards plus these two attacked most people would expect that I’d die. I slowly reached for the hilt of my sword, my eyes locked onto Adam and the guards.

"Don't worry 'bout that, we ain't going to betray you," Lance spoke up from next to me, "we only want to make sure the money don't get lost, in case we die."

"I see," was my reply, though I didn’t relax. The chances that a diver would betray you were a bit too high for me to fully believe in two strangers, even if the information brokers in town had spoken highly of them.

When Adam returned to us he didn't even spare a glance at me. "So where is your companion, mister...uh?"

“You can call me Fenix,” I knelt down and picked up a duffel bag in one hand, and then I grabbed a smaller bag in the other. “She’s going to meet us on the next floor.”

The Wolfe brothers nodded at that and didn’t waste any more words, as instead they walked up to the portal and activated it. I followed suit, once more leaving behind a safe floor in exchange for a place that could lead to my death.

Floor 21

The Hybrid Packs

When we reached the next floor I was assailed by the smell of grass and trees. Above a brilliant sun illuminated everything, easily piercing through the canopy of the sparse forest we stood in. A light wind came in from the north, the scent of salt in the air. The grass was long with only a slight trail that marked where the divers tended to walk.

From the edge of the trees a low growl started to emerge, while my ears easily picked up the sound of multiple animals breathing deeply. What some might consider monstrosities started to slink out from the treeline.

Their bodies were fairly large given the way they resembled a wolf. With pointed ears and elongated muzzles anyone would consider them an obvious canine, but the fact that they were the size of bears and far more thick bodied than most wolves made them quite a bit odd.

Over a dozen of the beasts stepped out into the light. They bristled their fur and looked even larger than what they actually were, while saliva dripped from their mouths as though in anticipation of a meal.

Adam and Lance threw their knapsacks to the ground. Adam pulled his pistol out and sighted down the iron sights at the nearest of the wolf-bears, while Lance brandished his long daggers in a wide-armed stance. I could tell from the way the light hit the blades that they were made from night steel.

“Aren’t you going to arm yourself?” Adam asked when he noticed the fact that I had chosen to stand there holding the bags.

“Why should I?”

What came next was a flash of movement as a figure dropped from the canopy. They landed on Lance’s shoulders and then leapt off in a forward arc. Arms swung out in the direction of the wolf-bears as a sparkle of light followed the moving fingers. Spears shot forth from the fingertips in the direction of the beasts and impaled each of the stricken monsters.

The new entrant landed on the ground in front of us in a slight crouch, one hand placed against the ground for balance. Adam had shifted the aim of his pistol toward the new person, but I put one hand on top of his gun in order to dissuade him from firing it.

"Put the weapons away, she's with me," I told the Wolfe brothers.

Kuzu rose from her crouch with a slow smooth movement. She wore a tight leather armor that I knew from personal experience could ward off steel blades, along with combat boots. Kuzu lifted one hand up and snapped a finger in the direction of the remaining wolf-bears. As though in response to her snap a burst of ice darts erupted from thin air and showered the survivors.

Their response was to retreat and leave the remnants of their pack. Kuzu watched their withdrawl before she finally turned and smiled at the three of us. Her fox ears flicked, almost as though from excitement, while she lifted the sunglasses she wore up off of her eyes. Kuzu waved at us with the diamond-tipped claws I’d given her four years ago.

“It’s about time you got here! Lisa and I have been waiting for a week.”

“Sorry about that, it took me longer than I expected to find comptent guides,” I apologized to her as I walked over and gave her the smaller bag, “Adam, Lance, this is Kuzu.”

Kuzu openly frowned at that introduction, though she didn’t voice why she was displeased. She took the sack and put it behind her, right above where her tail emerged from her pants. She tied the string of the bag around her waist, making sure to hook it through some of the belt loops. Above the bag the two-handed sword she’d gained from the kitsune hung horizontally in a dark brown scabbard.

The watch that I’d given her four years ago was still on her wrist, at the request of not only her but also my daughter. At some point during the training they’d grown quite friendly and I had no interest in upsetting my daughter. To that end I’d been forced to head back to the tenth floor and pick up a new watch and sunglasses to replace the ones she’d taken as her own.

Adam spared only a single look at Kuzu before his attention was diverted to the dead animals. Each had been carefully pierced through the head by a single ice-based lance so sharp that the skull had offered no resistance. "Magic? I think I heard a rumor that some of the kitsune had started to use it."

"Ain't a bad thing," Lance told his brother, as he nodded toward Kuzu and winked. "At least she ain’t garbage like some clients."

I frowned at the wink from Lance, but I let it slide since I knew Kuzu could probably gut him if she had to. "Perhaps we should move on before another pack comes?"

"I can show the way, I scouted out the portal when I first came here and it hasn’t moved since," Kuzu told me before she turned away and started to walk into the forest. For some odd reason her sleek looking fox tail had begun to slowly sway from left to right.