Val looked at Carson and sighed. “That may actually be something useful. Or not, I don’t know. When we got to the bottom of that ramp, Virg started repeating, ‘Oooo tickles here,’ and I can tell it’s referring to this place. Not that I’m somehow ticking it.”

Carson smiled. “So, what you’re saying is that you’re definitely not tickling your staff; something else is.” He chuckled.

Val was not amused and shot him a look that communicated clear violent intent.

“Wooop!” Carson skipped back behind Erramir. “Sorry. I’ll shut up. Don’t hit me.”

Erramir wanted to laugh, but he didn’t let on. Val was honestly distraught, and he didn’t want to be cruel. “What do you suppose it’s talking about?” he asked. “Tickles here? What tickles here?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t even respond to me. And honestly, it’s repeated that same phrase like fifty-seven times since we started talking. It’s still going on right now, which makes it pretty tough for me to concentrate on anything. This puzzle is on you guys… I’m just the messenger.”

Erramir took a half step forward and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, “That sounds pretty maddening, Val. We got it. We’ll figure this out. That Virg feels like it’s being ‘tickled’ since we entered this canyon doesn’t sound arbitrary to me. Just let us know if it says anything else, okay?”

“I will. And I’m sorry if I over-react. It’s just hard to have this voice in my head constantly.”

“No worries, I think I can imagine how infuriating that could be.” He removed his hand and bent his head to catch her downcast gaze. “We good? We’re gonna head down.”

Val nodded, “We’re good. Let’s go.”

Square landings protruded on the canyon side of the walkway in intervals of a couple hundred feet. From them, ramps descended at a moderate grade to the lower levels. Leaning out from the first landing, Erramir counted ten stories, then darkness. Val took a look beside him. “Looks like twelve stories to the bottom.”

“Oh yeah?” Erramir said. “I can only see ten. Guess your dark vision’s better than mine.”

“Don’t you have something else? Like real sight or something like that?”

“True Vision. It’s the trait that allows me to see essences too.”

“I’d say that’s a decent trade. A bit of range at night in exchange for the ability to perceive the stuff that makes magic work.”

“Hah, no doubt. I’m not complaining.”

Erramir did a cursory inspection of one of the dwellings. He found it to be a sizeable multi-room space, utterly devoid of furniture or anything at all. There were several small holes clustered in groups in the floor of two rooms, which he guessed were probably meant for plumbing lines, but there was no way to be sure.

They walked down a ramp to the eleventh floor, then along that sidewalk to the next landing, where they descended to the tenth level. On the tenth floor, they cut back the other direction and discovered a ramp that descended five full stories with landings at each walkway on the way down.

Carson walked next to Erramir, “This is like the express ramp,” he said.

Erramir replied, “What they need is some elevators or at least a single stairwell that goes all the way top to bottom… this zig–”

“Hey!” Val interrupted him. “Virg changed; it’s saying”–her excitement drained– “ohhh.” Val sagged. “Never mind.”

She exhaled heavily and gave a small fake laugh. “It’s saying, Ooooo tickles more here.” Val groaned. “Is this really what it’s like to be a parent?”

Carson snorted, “How the hell would we know?”

She leaned back against the rail, “Doesn’t matter, if it’s anything like this, it’s hell. I want my digital tubes tied.” She rolled her head toward Erramir, “Can we do that here? What’s the Kuoran policy on reproduction and birth control?”

Erramir took a very long moment to respond. “First of all, you’ve totally got my support. If you want to sterilize your digital self, I will help in any way I can. Second, I have absolutely not the first fucking clue if that’s a thing, Val. Beta test, remember?”

She groaned and dropped her chin to her chest. “Right. Okay, let’s go. Maybe we’ll find something to fight, that should shut it up.”

Erramir chuckled, “Now that’s probably a first in the world of parenting.” He grinned. “Hang in there, Val. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be worth it in the end.”

She stood up and took a deep breath. “I know you’re right… I just feel like I’m going a little bit insane. I can’t get a minute of quiet in my own head.”

He turned back to her, “That sounds a lot like something a parent would say.” And smiled.

Val groaned. “Stupid kid.”

Erramir considered, looking away for a moment, then back at Val. “You know, when Virg does start listening, try not to be too harsh with it. It sounds like you’re gonna have a bunch of pent-up frustration. Angry responses from parents when kids are just being kids can really mess them up. Try not to mess up, Virg. I’m not sure what a rebellious teenage staff would mean for you.” He smiled coyly at her. “But it’s probably not good.”

Val blanched, “Ohh nooo. I hadn’t even thought of that.” She looked at him wide-eyed. “I was an absolute nightmare as a teenager.”

“I know.” Erramir nodded slowly with a genuine smile. “Remember, I was there.” His expression grew a bit more serious. “You had your reasons, Val. Look at it this way, you don’t have to deal with a partner who doesn’t like your parenting style, you don’t have to change diapers, or worry about other kids bullying Virg.”

His look softened. “You just need to be a good listener. This is obviously a touch different. But, for now, maybe try to be patient and understand your link to Virg better.”

Val nodded, “I definitely don’t want a teenage me as my primary weapon in a fight. Oh my God.” Her eyes got wide and tinged with terror. “Could you imagine? Virg might just walk out.”

“Sounds like good motivation to me.” He chuckled. “Come on, we’ve got lots more to explore.” Val nodded, and they all turned and headed down.

Carson dropped back and walked silently next to her. After a moment, he spoke up, “If you want to talk about shitty parenting things to avoid. I’m pretty well qualified to listen and maybe contribute a battle story or two.” He looked at her with an uneasy smile. “Just let me know.”

Val was touched, but she wasn’t sure exactly how to respond, so she replied with an uncomfortable, “Okay. Thanks.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Carson bumped her arm with a nod, and they continued down the ramp.

Carson’s awkward offer actually encouraged Val far more than she let on. Even though she was the only one that could hear the prattling, she didn’t feel alone. She resolved to be patient and as understanding as possible with Virg.

On every other floor, they investigated the dwellings carved into the stone. From the first one Erramir had checked on, they appeared to be pretty standard. There were entry rooms, side rooms, and back rooms, all of which were connected to an ample central space, and everything was completely empty.

There was no metal, no wood, no cloth, nothing. It appeared to be a city that had been built and never occupied. A project that was completed just in time for a catastrophe.

They reached the third floor and found the last two levels were devoid of walkways and ramps. There didn’t appear to be any way to get to the canyon floor. Peering over the side, trying to discern how the bottom two floors were accessed, Erramir noticed something he hadn’t previously.

The canyon bottom looked flat from above, but he could see from here that it wasn’t. there was a continuous half-circle mound running down the center, like a half-buried pipe, and a few feet to its side, a shallow trench. It was curious but didn’t seem all that significant. He went back to scanning for a way to access the bottom floors.

“I got it!” Carson called out from several doorways down. “There’s a passage over here that goes between the houses. The ramp is cut into the stone behind them.”

Val was leaning against the rail with her eyes closed, Erramir nudged her, and they headed to join Carson.

The passage floor was smooth and well used, reminiscent of the tunnel down. At the back, where the ramp began, it was significantly darker than it was out in the canyon area.

Erramir stopped in confusion.

Hadn’t they been walking in dark passages and relying on their enhanced vision skills this whole time? “Why is it darker back here?” He asked.

Carson turned his head to Erramir, “I’ve been trying to puzzle this out–it has something to do with the ambient essence in the canyon.”

The mage looked back toward the hall opening. “It’s not an elemental type, or I’d be able to see it clearly. But whatever it is, in this area back here, it’s almost like it’s missing. I’ve also seen other spots where it seems dense, and those areas look brighter.”

Erramir had seen something similar–a brighter patch that made things slightly less clear, almost like a mirage or as if the air itself was smeared with lacquer. But it’d disappeared so quickly he’d doubted his eyes. “Like mirage heat waves near the horizon in the desert.”

Carson nodded. “Yeah, exactly. It obscures what it’s in front of but still blends in around the edges, so it’s hard to tell where the illusion ends.”

“Huh.” Erramir glanced back. “Must be a new type of essence.” He turned to Carson. “If you see it again, would you point it out to me?”

Carson nodded slowly at that thought. “Yeah, definitely.”

Then they turned down the ramp. It continued to the canyon floor with a landing at the second level that they passed by without investigating.

Arriving at the bottom, they started out the passage toward the canyon floor. Carson stopped a few paces down and fingered the wall in one spot. The other two stopped with him.

He shot Erramir a concerned look and beckoned him with a low hand. “Take a look at this.” He spoke just above a whisper.

Erramir stepped over and bent his head toward what Carson indicated. It was a pair of dark spots, each about half the size of a dime. They had a familiar appearance. “Looks like the rust spots we saw up in the bunker, just smaller,” Erramir commented.

“That it does,” Carson replied around an exhaled breath.

“These spots are really little. I can only see them if I get right up close.” Erramir tilted his head. “How did you see these, Car? I thought I had better magic sight at range.”

“Don’t know.” Carson shrugged. "But you asked me to keep a sharp eye for the distortions. There’s a tiny distortion there, flickers in and out, but it’s there.”

They were interrupted by Val stepping up and bumping Erramir on the shoulder. In the exact moment she did, Erramir felt his gut begin to lurch about, flipping indecisively with no clear direction for him to follow. Carson tensed as well–he felt it too.

Val leaned in. “Something is down here.”