Several things happened at once. Before Stefan could react, a pulse of Bii’s luminescence zapped him back into confusion. Erik stared in disbelief. The three dressed up as stereotypical goons sprang into action, manifesting relics. And Felix, releasing the energy in his left leg, bolted.

“You bastard,” growled Stefan.

Hands grasped for him. He ducked. Chased by angry shouts, Felix dashed for stairs downhill. For fifty steps, he fell as much as he ran.

His left foot smacked hard on road tiles. Relic groaned as it strained to absorb the impact. Felix released the energy as he dashed towards the piers. Delvers, soldiers, and liftmasters were there. If Felix made it to the piers, he was safe. That is, if they persisted.

A glance over shoulder confirmed Mugshot and Green sliding downstairs. Red ran on all fours on the sloped wall. The orange eyes glowing under his hood approached at terrifying speed. He leapt. Felix stumbled into a crouch to avoid him, scraping his palm on stone.

Quicker to regain his footing, Red blocked the street. Each of his black limbs sported hooked claws.

“Give it up, kid,” said Red, who turned out to be a woman.

Regardless of her gender, his answer remained firm: “Nope.”

Felix sprinted over an overgrown roof on the lower slope, and jumped off the edge. The fall recharged his relic. Felix sprang towards the piers, discharging both legs for a burst of speed. His relic spent, Felix plunged downhill to recharge it.

Down, dash, down, dash. A flash of roofs and walls and streets and falls sped past Felix. His relic groaned under tension. Red lagged two-three drops behind, others further still. Felix vaulted a fence and kept going. For a time, he felt like the wind itself.

Then he landed on Cliff Street, the edge of Half-Valley, and had to start running on his own muscles.

In two seconds, his momentum was spent. His legs weighed as if rocks had been strapped to them. Felix looked uphill. No sign of Red. No sign of anyone.

Old lift maintenance building loomed on the Abyss-side of the street. Left side was a row of fancy gardens and multi-storey log houses. Piers loomed in the distance, mere two blocks away. There, Felix spotted a navy-blue figure surrounded by delvers.

“Hey! Over here! Hey, hey!” he waved, but was too far away to be heard. Felix cursed. His thighs were burning from the sprint. His breaths grew heavy. One and a half blocks left. “Heeeey! Oi, I need help!”

Rapid footsteps. Bii pinged. Red barreled into Felix from the side. “Gotcha!”

His world spun as they rolled over the road and into a wall. Old boards snapped. His shoulder hurt. Dust billowed, filling the dark warehouse. Standing up, Felix sneezed violently, while Red’s were small and high pitched.

“Don’t you—achoo—dare more or—achoo—” Red cursed.

But Felix had already darted for the door.

“Achoo—Byss damn you!” Her steps gained on him.

Felix half-stumbled half-ran back into sunlight. Red lashed out. Her claw ripped a strap off his bookpack. “Lords! You trying to kill me?” he shrieked.

“Not if you stop running.” Red wiped her nose.

“Very reassuring!” Felix eyed left and right.

Green and Mugshot were at the upper tier, running down to cut him off from the piers. Tiny one-eyed green critters with spears crowded Green’s shoulders and pockets, hollering and hooting warcries in their tiny voices. They looked like hairy thumbs given arms and legs. Meanwhile, Mugshot’s face had done the impossible and turned uglier. Tusks, teeth, and horns protruded from his wrinkled face, and his clothes bulged heroically to contain an unnaturally muscular hunchback frame. The pipe in his hand made Felix’s blood curl.

By now, Stefan had to be closeby too. Maybe he’d cut him off. Maybe he hadn’t. Either way, Felix had no options but to sprint away from the piers.

Red stuck to him faster than his own shadow. Bii slipped Felix’s grip to reach over his shoulder for a zap of light. It didn’t hit. But it bought time.

Felix got to the corner of the old maintenance building, where a stack of old wooden pallets were rotting. Unloading the strength from his left arm, Felix toppled the pile on her face. More time bought.

He cut through a stone garden into a narrow path between the slope and luxury homes. Bii pinged anxiously.

“New plan…” I hide, you run. Felix heaved, woefully out of breath. “You go ahead… I’ll catch up… later.”

Bii’s eyes widened. It clutched his shirt and pinged desperately.

“Don’t be like that, I’ll be fine. And even if they catch me, at worst, they’ll be a little rough. Nothing to worry about.” Felix chuckled through a grin, and coughed phlegm. His lungs burned with effort. His legs refused to rise. They were done, busted, kaput. Running stopped being an option. ‘Exercise more.’ I sure am, brother, I sure am.

Row of luxury homes ended abruptly with an orchard of blackcurrant bushes. Felix dove into the biggest most unkempt bush he saw, took off his bookback, and hid it in the roots.

“Okay. You need to go now. Head home. Find Hannes,” said Felix, while heaving to catch his breath.

Bii pressed his face into his chest, hugging tighter.

Felix patted its head, his hand shivering with cold from keeping the relic manifested so long. “It’s gonna be alright. Trust—”

A branch crunched. Red appeared, stalking like a feral wolf tracking a rabbit. She whispered under her breath to a tiny green man standing on her shoulder. “...track of him, but he can’t be far.”

Her steps drew closer.

Closer.

Closer.

Felix saw her face.

His heart hammered in his ears. Though his body craved oxygen, he forced his breaths to come slow and quiet.

She glanced straight at his blackcurrant bush. Felix froze. His heart rate leapt into a sprint all on its own. She sees me!

Her eyes flicked past him. Red walked on. She didn’t see!

Felix nearly collapsed with relief. “Maybe we’ve got a chance,” he whispered hopefully, scanning the area.

Closest escape routes were the stairs leading to a higher tier of the town, one ten and the other twenty meters away. Besides them, Felix knew of a path around the corner that led to a forbidden path into an unstable cliffside, where he might be able to lose them. There was also a rainwater tunnel ejecting into a channel system, which squiggled between the blackcurrant bushes. Felix couldn’t fit inside, but it was perfect for Bii.

“Okay. Bii, you see that?” Felix pointed at the tunnel with a shaking finger.

Bii nodded, pinging quietly.

“Wait until she’s a little further away. Then, on my mark, go. I’ll take the...”

“Any sign of them, Karin?” asked Stefan, who walked down Felix’s escape stairs with Erik.

“Didn’t see him running uphill or further down. He has to be around here somewhere.”

“Is that right?” Stefan smiled, scanning the orchard. He raised his voice, and spoke, “Felix, do you want to bring me the denizen that assaulted me and end the day with a new friend? Or, do you want to keep playing this strange little game you’re trying to play? I suggest you take a looong hard thought at it. Who do you want to be? Friends with your old buddy and delvers, who became legends after finding a potency orb, or a nobody healing his bones on a hospital bed?”

The shiver in Felix’s spine wasn’t all from his relic’s chilling effect. He had to admit Stefan made a compelling argument. This wasn’t a good time to break bones.

Not that Felix was ever a fan of injury, but he absolutely could not afford to miss this interview with Knights of the End. This was his last interview before being forced to compete against adults, his first interview with this much support from Hannes and Linda, his last good shot at becoming a delver.

His last shot at the Abyss.

Unfortunately for his bones, Felix couldn’t live with a version of himself who backstabbed someone he owed. Doubly so if that someone is an adorable critter of the Abyss.

“Stefan’s wouldn’t kill you. He’s just trying to get even. ,” shouted Erik, “So step up, take it, and be a man for once. Don’t do anything stupider.”

Felix’s eyes brightened with the birth of an idea. He was going to make the crooks feel like winners, and get away scot free. “Bii, you any good at acting?”

“Bibibii!” Bii nodded vehemently.

“Great. Okay, new-new plan: We’re going to stand up. You start struggling, while I pretend to pin you down. When their guard is down, I’ll throw you towards the tunnel, and you’ll run, while I pretend to be upset about it. It’ll look like an honest mistake on my part. They won’t have a reason to come knocking on our door later to look for you. At least I hope so.”

Bii pinged with concern.

“But what about you Felix, you ask? Psht. Already covered that. Once their attention turns to me, I’ll run, that way.” Felix pointed towards the Abyss. “And jump off the cliff.”

The concern in Bii’s pinging intensified.

“Relax. It’s gonna work out great. Ready?”

“Bibibibi!” Bii shook its head.

“Neat, let’s go!” Felix picked Bii up and ran out of the bush.

“There he is!” Red reported.

“Please spare me, I’ll give you the damned denizen. OH NO!” Felix stumbled on a rainwater channel on purpose, and shouted, “Stop struggling!” followed by a whisper, “Bii, what are you doing? Struggle!” followed by more shouting, “Oh nooooo, it’s getting away. Argh!” followed by another whisper, “One-two-three-run!” Releasing the strength left in his right arm, Felix threw Bii.

While it flew, Felix could see the look of shock in Bii’s beady eyes. It landed beside the tunnel. Red, Stefan, and Green’s little men rushed to catch it. Too slow. In two bouncy bounds, Bii disappeared into the darkness of the concrete pipe.

“Perkele!” Stefan struck the brick wall, then cursed again, while scowling at his tender knuckles. His furious blue gaze shot up and locked on Felix. “This is on you, Felix Anderson.”

“Hey, I did my best.” Felix held his hands up innocently, as he took a tentative step backwards. “It’s a slippery little denizen.”

“I do not care. You still need a lesson.”

Felix willed his cold muscles into one last spurt, groaning like a rusty elevator. Orders shouted behind him. The acidic smell of blackcurrant hit him on the nose, when a branch whipped his face. Eyes watering, sounds of pursuit right behind him, Felix pushed through the orchard, and clambered over a gate marked with a yellow sign, which read: Caution, path not maintained.

An impact to Felix’s back emptied his lungs, and threw him rolling downhill. He got a taste and feel of the dirt path. Disoriented, Felix pushed himself up.

“Hey, my bad,” he said, backpedaling onto a ledge. “I understand I wronged you, and that’s entirely my fault. This all escalated for the denizen, didn’t it? And now he’s gone. It’s a bummer, but you still got what you wanted, so how about we figure this out without violence?”

Red moved to the side, cornering Felix against the cliff. Stefan crouched under the gate, cracking his neck, smiling his fake smile.

“It’s a matter of pride at this point, punk,” said Stefan.

Of course it is. Felix sighed. Another step backwards set small rocks tumbling into the Abyss below.

Felix’s heart skipped a beat. Yikes. The fall was a lot higher than he had remembered. A lot, a lot. At least five stories. His relic could absorb the energy of a three-story fall, but this was untested territory. A shiver of dread passed over Felix.

“You won’t die. But you will remember this,” said Stefan. Thin gooey mucus in rainbow candy color dripped off his arm.

“I’m pretty sure people die from five story falls,” said Felix, hesitating on the edge. His eyes happened to meet Erik’s, who averted his gaze instantly. It made Felix’s blood boil. And I’m the coward? Some friend you were.

The ever so friendlily smiling Stefan approached, clenching a fist coated by Byss knows what.

Unknown relic or the fall. Unknown relic or the fall. Unknown relic or the fall… Which one is more likely to save a hospital visit?

Two steps away, Stefan drew his hand back. Felix leaned back and let gravity take him.

He screamed authentically, limbs swinging in freefall, desperately attempting to position them beneath him to absorb the fall.

Hard surface of moss-green stone rock smacked into him. Felix’s head jerked. Air punched out of him. His teeth clacked and gums burst with the taste of blood. Something snapped and something cracked. Felic’s relic released itself with a flash of cold. A moment later, when Felix wheezed for a gagging breath, pain hit in every place at once like the sack of rocks he felt like.

It hurt like a partially cushioned fall from five stories, but it wasn’t unbearable. Nothing felt broken.

Felix began to do his best impression of a mugging victim howling in agony, “AAAHHHHH. Arrgh. Heeeelp! Somebody! Aaah, it’s unbearable!”

Stefan peeked at him from above. Other faces appeared on the ledge. Felix’s heartbeat quickened. He intensified the agony act and prayed the Byss they bought his sobbing.

“Reflect on your choices while you’re down there,” Stefan shouted at Felix. “Take this as a wake up call. Those afraid to grab opportunities and co-operate, end up receiving the harsh side of the Abyss.”

“Aaaagh! My bones! My bones are aaarhhh!”

“Stefan,” Erik grabbed his boss’s sleeve, but Stefan swatted the hand off.

“Don’t worry. We’ll tell someone about him, once he’s strewn in it for a bit.” Stefan took off with his gang.

Felix took a stock of the Abyss around him. Dark roots pulsed across the field of shattered stone, burrowing into its cracks—nothing immediately dangerous. To be on the safe side, he kept the act up for a few minutes, afterwhich, he punched air and let out a scream.

“Whoope-de-doo! Get duped bonks.” Felix did a little dance on the ground to celebrate his victory, and sang, “Dupy dupy duu, got the goons good. No harm done. Bones all good. No bruises.” A lance of pain struck his ribs during a sideways shuffle. “Ow ow owie! Okay, a little bruise is fine. Totally fine.”

Careful of his bruised side, Felix got up and started looking for a way up. He hadn’t yet decided between a fragile slope and a sheer cliff with sturdy looking handholds, when rope fell down from the above.

“All good, buddy?” Erik’s voice soured Felix’s grin. The traitor peered down at him from the ledge.

Despite his chagrin, Felix yanked the rope to test if before climbing. “Mostly. No thanks to you.”

Erik didn’t reply, until after Felix had hauled himself back onto stable reality.

“Are you seriously going to be mad at me for not taking heat off of your dumb decision? You could’ve just done what Stefan asked,” said Erik, pissed off at who knows what.

Felix scoffed. “Wow. For a second there, I almost thanked you. Glad you opened your mouth.”

“Look, I knew you’d be fine,” Erik protested.

“No you didn’t! You didn’t know I could survive the fall. Most I’d shown you was two stories. You almost let your bonk ass ganger friends kill me, like you killed Mrs. Gunhild!” Felix clenched his fists as his blood heated.

“We didn’t kill her. We even let her keep a fragment of the orb!” Erik tried to continue his protest, but Felix spoke faster.

“You know what?” Felix raised his hands. “I don’t care. Let’s not waste anyone’s time. I’m going home. You do take a hike in the Byss or whatever it is you do these days.”

“Pah, fine. At least I’ll never have to see your ungrateful loser ass in the Abyss.” Erik took off.

Felix shouted after him. “Thank you so, so much for throwing me a rope after chasing me across the town and almost killing me! Such awe inspiring compassion. Truly, Sofie the Immortal should hire you as a moral advisor! Perhaps you’ll finally help her discover a new way to heal paraplegic bunnies!”

To his utter astonishment, Erik didn’t reply to his jibes. Whatever, he’s earned his problems.

On his way home, a good ten minutes after Felix had retrieved his bookbag, Bii, Hannes, and a sharp looking woman—whom Felix recognized as his Marja from the freckles and brown bob-cut—almost ran into him.

“Bibibii!” Bii bounced into his arms, tickling his face with its feelers.

Felix grinned.“Hey! Haha. Good to see you too.”

“Felix, what happened? The denizen was utterly bewildered,” asked Hannes, a stoic look of concern on his brows.

“Ah. Nothing to worry about,” Felix waved his hand dismissively. “I tripped into the Abyss, but it’s fine. Some stranger happened by and tossed me the rope.”

Hannes pursed his lips, exchanging a look with Marja.

“Sorry for the scare. Thanks for coming though,” Felix scratched his neck, embarrassed.

“It’s quite fine. In fact, it was endearing to see Hannes fret so for his precious little brother,” said Marja, her voice a silver blade of clarity and class.

Then, a miracle occurred. Hannes, the frown prince of Half-Valley, blushed and struggled to suppress a smile. He cleared his voice, and failed to meet Marja’s smug face. “I’m glad to hear the situation resolved itself. Did the person who helped you give their name? Be sure to thank them. It’s rare to see such care for a stranger outside of Half-Valley. We should take care to cherish the valley spirit.”

Felix flinched. “Uh, no. He was in a hurry. I’ll thank him if I see him again.”

“That’s good.” Hannes nodded.

“Would you care to join us for lunch at Drizzling Denizen?” asked Marja. “Hannes mentioned about your relicwrighting project. I’d love to hear about it.”

“He’s still researching potential upgrades,” said Hannes.

“No, I actually just finished the plans! I can show them later. And sure, I’ve only eaten a single mombar today.”

Marja chuckled demurely.

Hannes groaned. “Please don’t call them mombars.”

“Wait, before I forget!” Felix took off his bookbag and whipped out a notebook. He sketched the spiraling taper design of Stefan’s torch. “Have either of you ever seen a torch like this?”

“Hm.” Hannes rubbed his chin. “I don’t recognize it. Marja?”

Felix smelled cherry, when Marja leaned closer. She shook her head. “Reminds me of a cross between the Eversailors and the disbanded Silence Miners. Was there any filigree or detailing on it?”

Felix shook his head. “Nah, sheer clean metal all the way through.”

Marja straightened. “It’s not a design I recognize, and I have memorized most of them. Thank you mother... It could belong to a new night torch.”

“Could it be a forgery?” Felix asked.

Hannes spoke up, “Not if it bore silverflame. Only night torches and above can grant it, and if stolen, it is extinguished. Where have you seen it?”

“A guy I passed at the stairs. It just looked curious.”

“Hm.” Hannes’ gaze scrutinized Felix for the briefest moment it took Marja to slip her hand around his arm.

“You’d best not bring up the topic of torch design, when my family visits Half-Valley. Mother believes it to be common sense to memorize every major faction and family by the age of seven.” She laughed easily, tugging Hannes forward. “We best hurry, the competition for Abyss-side tables is rather fierce.”

Throughout the lunch, which was an entree of river crab with main course of onion steak and grilled vegetables covered in the best damn plate-lickingly good gravy—so good it was that Felix briefly considered abandoning Abyss altogether. Throughout that gravy lunch, Felix wondered the expression Stefan had shown upon seeing the note.

Besides surprise, there had been a flash of recognition. Did Stefan understand the message, recognize the mysterious writer S, or the Hollow Conservatory? Annoyed, Felix speared his last potato. His brain hit a dead-end trying to figure a way to safely chat with Stefan.

Luckily, the note was easily pushed on the backburner for more joyous topics. Marja confirmed Felix’s idea had merit, and before the sun set, Hannes filed a delving request with his guild to guide Felix to the Ball of Water.

Two days later, Felix was walking down the piers, ready for his first taste of real delving.