The interior of the Metropolis of Floor 1 was just as magnificent as its exterior suggested, as much as Luc hated to admit. The streetlights cast a rainbow of colors across the streets of the city, giving it almost a surreal look. While the city itself, from the buildings to the cobblestone streets to the giant lake on the north side, was a joy to look at, the people inside were a different story.

There were two types of people that Luc noticed. The first type of person was what he called a tourist. They were bubbly and excited, pointing fingers in every which direction, making comments on how beautiful everything looked. The second type of person was very similar to the people that Luc had seen on Floor 0, but even more so. Silent, faces haggard and ragged, eyes affixed on the ground, these people looked like their livelihood had been drained from them.

From what Luc could tell, there were far more of the second type of person than the first type.

I probably look just like them, thought Luc, strolling down one of the streets of the town. Even though his body was covered with grime and his clothes tattered and torn, none of the people in the Metropolis gave him a second glance. They just passed him by, eyes only flickering up for a brief second as they crossed paths.

Something bumped into Luc’s back, making him jump. He whirled around, coming face to face with Ritha.

“What are you doing?” said Luc. “Why are you still following me?”

Ritha didn’t speak. Luc noticed that her breaths were short and wheezy, eyes wide and pupils dilated. He was by no means a medical expert, but he had enough sense to deduce that she was having one of those panic attacks she had spoken about.

Luc grabbed her by the arm and pulled her off to the side of the street. Most of the buildings in the area were small and detached, with alleyways in between them. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure there was no one following, Luc pulled her into one of these alleys.

“Cloud!” said Luc, summoning the dragon whelp from the pendant.

As soon as Cloud leaped out from the misty white circle, Ritha reached down and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in her fur. After several long moments, her breaths began to slow. At last, she lifted her face, still keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.

“Are you okay now?” said Luc.

Ritha nodded, still not speaking.

“Listen here,” said Luc, kneeling. He didn’t like getting down on a knee in front of a peasant, but he wanted to make sure that she was listening. “You and I each have our own things to do. You said you have to find someone down here, right? Well, I’m definitely not looking for that person. I have to get to Floor 10 as soon as possible. From what I see, neither one of us is getting any closer to our goals if we stick together.”

Ritha mumbled something under her breath.

Luc scowled. “Speak up!”

“…I had a cat back home,” said Ritha. “Her name was Pixie. When I would have these attacks, she would always come up to me and cuddle. Your…your baby dragon kind of reminds me of her.”

Luc stared at her, wondering if something had gone wrong with her mind.

Ritha began sniffling and rubbing at her eyes. “I…I really miss her…”

She’s actually lost her mind.

“It’s not too late to go back!” said Luc, forcing a smile onto his face. “All we have to do is find Faro or Tissa and tell them that - ”

“No!” said Ritha, the most forceful thing Luc had ever heard her say. Lowering her voice, she squeezed Cloud. “I must keep going.”

“That brings us back to the original point,” said Luc, taking deep breaths. Might as well give it to her straight. “I can’t have you following me. Your potions are useful and all, but can they kill a monster stronger than that stone statue? Can they teleport us instantly to Floor 10?”

Ritha bit her lip and shook her head.

“No, they can’t,” said Luc. “I need to get stronger fast. And I can’t have anyone holding me back.”

Ritha was silent, shuffling her feet quietly. With nothing left to say, Luc turned to go, beckoning at Cloud to follow.

“Mister Luc!”

Luc was about to ignore her, but something in her voice made him stop.

“I can help you become stronger,” said Ritha, voice trembling slightly.

Luc turned, meeting her eyes. “And how exactly do you plan to do that?”

Ritha’s eyes did not waver. “I’ve never seen or heard of anything like your Bloodline before, but I’ve studied enough to have an idea of how it works. You expend Brio to control your monsters. If your body runs out of Brio, the monsters no longer obey you.”

As always, she’s smarter than she looks. Even though Luc himself did not understand the inner workings of the curse binding him, Ritha’s conclusions were the same ones he had deduced after the fight with the stone statue.

“You’re going to give me an endless stock of Brio potions, right?” said Luc. “Forget it. Not after I saw what overdosing on those things can do.”

“Not Brio potions,” said Ritha. “Brio refinement potions.”

I have no idea what that means. “I’m listening.”

“Everyone is born with a certain amount of Brio,” said Ritha. “But that amount is not fixed. A person may gain a higher capacity for Brio. They may also improve the conversion efficiency between Brio and skills or Bloodlines.”

Ritha kept her eyes fixed on Luc’s. “My Brio refinement potions can improve your Brio capacity by a factor of a ten and improve your Brio efficiency a hundredfold.”

Luc still wasn’t quite clear on the concepts of Brio, but he did understand the numbers. By improving his Brio capacity by a factor of ten and its efficiency by a factor of a hundred, he would have ten times more Brio that was a hundred times more effective. In other words, he would be a thousand times more powerful than he was now.

For the first time since coming into the Metropolis, Luc smiled. “Sounds like we have an accord.”

“W-wait!” said Ritha. “You need to promise me something in return!”

Luc scowled. “Y’know, you’re asking a lot from me. I need to protect you, keep you company in case - ”

“Take me down to Floor 10 with you,” said Ritha.

Luc stared at her for a moment. It’s a chance to get a thousand times stronger than before. Besides, I’m a noble. It’s not like I have to keep the promises I make if something comes up. But I'm going to have to make her believe it first.

“Very well,” said Luc, offering forth a hand. “You make me stronger, and I’ll take you with me to Floor 10.”

He waited for Ritha to shake, but all she did was stare at his hand suspiciously.

“My mother told me countless stories about how men trick innocent young women by - ”

“If you don’t want to make it official, then it’s fine by me,” said Luc.

Ritha stared at his hand for another moment. Then, finally, she reached up and grabbed it with her fingertips, giving it the lightest of shakes.

“Glad to see you have some sense in that little head of yours,” said Luc. He turned his hand so the palm was facing upwards. “Now where are those Brio refinement potions you’ve been talking about?”

Ritha lowered her head and mumbled something under her breath.

“What?” said Luc, leaning in.

“I don’t have any on me,” said Ritha. When she saw the look on his face, she held up her hands in front of her. “D-d-don’t worry, Mister Luc! I just have to make them!”

Luc crossed his arms. “I’m waiting.”

Ritha stared at him, eyes wide. Then she wrapped her arms around Cloud, squeezing tightly. “I-I don’t have the supplies to make them. B-but…I heard that on Floor 1…they sell ingredients…”

For a moment, Luc was tempted to leave then and there. But the allure of power was too great for him to resist.

“Fine,” said Luc. “Let’s go buy those ingredients you need. Where do you want to go for that? The apothecary? The alchemist?”

Ritha shook her head.

“The monster part shop.”