“So what should we call you? Glows-in-ley-lines?” Katya hopped off her flying chair and fell to her knees. “Gods I hate using that thing all day.” She stood up and deactivated the chair while she rubbed her leg.

Serenity looked up at her from where he was seated next to Raz. Katya was the first of the three Rising Phoenix mercenaries to arrive. Raz and Serenity had returned to the Ancient Temple dungeon a little early and used the time to finish healing Raz’s hand.

“Please don’t. I’m Serenity, you can just use my name. It’s even shorter!” Katya was just messing with him. Probably.

Katya pulled a pad out of her backpack, then covered it with a sheet before sitting down. The pad was larger than the backpack, but storage items of one sort or another were fairly common among those who delved, or even those who traveled a lot. “But you glow, and Serenity’s really a title, not a name. How’d you get such a thing, anyway?”

Serenity chuckled. The disconnect between the name and what it meant had always amused him. “I killed a lot of people. Terrorized some more. I’d prefer to avoid it, but-” Serenity stopped. He’d been in a good mood until he remembered the Sterath, and what he’d done to them to be called the Peace of the Grave.

“I don’t ever want to do that.” More memories he’d forgotten passed through his mind. “I don't ever want to be that.” Serenity shook himself and walked a little ways away from the others.

Serenity had to remind himself that that had never happened. He didn’t do that. That was Vengeance, and he wasn’t Vengeance. His name meant something very different in English, and that was the translation he’d chosen for this life. He had the potential to be a horrible person, but he still had the chance to not be.

His name was a reminder, not a destiny.

That thought broke his foul mood. Destiny didn’t matter. Hadn’t he chosen to be Unbound? Even if it was destiny, he could break it.

“Serenity?” Katya’s voice came from right behind him. “I wasn’t trying to…” Her voice trailed off, like she wasn’t sure what to say.

“It’s not your fault. How could you know?” Serenity didn’t turn around. He was afraid he was about to start crying or laughing, and either way he didn’t really want to let her see.

“Hey, you two! No secret meetups at the edge of camp!” Zan’s voice made Serenity jump. He’d seen the mousekin in the distance earlier, but hadn’t expected him to shout.

“ZAN I’M GOING TO KILL YOU ONE OF THESE DAYS!” Katya’s yell was even louder than Zan’s. Serenity didn’t think it was only because she was next to him.

“Oooh, you do like him! I thought so! Just wait til I tell Adal! He’ll be so-”

Katya’s voice overrode Zan’s. “Adal can go find the dungeon he crawled out of and bury himself in it. He has no say in my life anymore and YOU can shut up about what a good provider he was! I’m not going to fuck Serenity but even if I were, it wouldn’t be his business!”

Serenity turned around. This seemed like more than the incidental friendly sniping he’d assumed he was hearing over dinner the previous night.

“If you hadn’t ruined a good thing, Zekia-”

“Zekia was seeing Garrett before I ever got with Adal, never mind when I broke up with him! Don’t you lay that shit on me!”

Serenity could see Hale in the distance, flying towards the group. Good. Serenity had no desire to get in the middle of a fight like this. It was starting to get nasty enough that he wasn’t sure he’d want to eat dinner if it was made by Zan.

“Zekia wouldn’t have left Garrett for Adal if you hadn’t-”

“Cut the-”

“STOP IT NOW BOTH OF YOU.” Hale’s voice was louder than the other two combined, and drew attention. Serenity wasn’t sure if he was using a leadership Skill or a taunting Skill, but either way it certainly stopped the argument for the moment.

Unfortunately, it was only for a moment. Zan either had some resistance or he was so caught up in the argument that he turned to Hale to continue. “You keep defending Katya even though she tries to climb in bed with-”

“I SAID STOP.”

It was definitely a leadership type Skill that time. Serenity could feel the command wash over him and froze in place.

[Mind Resistance Unlocked]

Serenity shook off the command. He still didn’t want to get involved, so he simply stood and watched.

“Zan first. Stop picking at Katya. She isn’t whatever you think she is. She hasn’t even looked at anyone in two years. I even offered to pay for a week at the Pleasure Palace for her and she turned me down flat. I don’t know why she left Adal but you need to stop telling her to go back.”

“Katya.” Hale sighed. Serenity’s eyes flicked to Katya. She seemed to still be held in place by the command, but she looked angry enough he didn’t think it would hold much longer. “You know Zan isn’t going to listen about Zekia. You need to-”

“I need to shut up about what happened and eat Zan’s shit, that’s what you’re saying. You’ve been saying that ever since Zekia died. Well, you know what? I’m done with it. I’m done with being blamed for Garrett and Adal and Zekia. No more one more time, no more being patient, no more give him a little time. Zan can apologize or leave, or I’m out.” Katya turned away from Hale and glared at Zan.

Zan glared right back and gestured off into the distance. “Leave then. Go see how long you last playing the innocent temptress among the undead, without Hale to protect you from the people you dick-tease. Maybe one of the zombies will appreciate your special skills.”

Katya turned, snatched up her pad and sheet and stalked over to the dungeon entrance. She stopped and turned to Serenity. “If you two want to come, you’re welcome. I’m not spending another moment here.” She put her hand on the door to the dungeon and vanished right as Hale’s fist impacted Zan’s face.

Zan seemed shocked. “You punched me.” He stumbled back a couple of steps.

Hale didn’t say anything. He simply stepped forward and punched Zan in the side of the head. Zan dropped to the ground.

“I thought he was getting over it. That Garrett’s death would help.” Hale stared down at Zan for a long moment, then turned to Serenity and Raz. “Would the two of you loan me the flying disc and go into the dungeon to help Katya? If you hurry, you might even be able to beat us to the Shining Caverns. I need to do something with this idiot, can’t just leave him out here for the undead and the dungeon will only take three anyway. We can meet at the Whale of a Time Inn, Katya knows where it is.”

“Won’t we need a Catacomb Key to get in? I don’t have one.” Raz paused. “At least, I don’t think I do. Plus, if you take the disc, how will we get to the Shining Caverns?”

“Katya used a Key, you don’t need one to join her. As for how to leave, any Catacomb level has a teleport out at the end to a common point. Some go to both cities, some to a neutral point. Katya can find her way, just stick with her. I’d like her to have the backup.” Hale turned to look at Zan. “It’s her right to go in, she found the dungeon. I just - I wish this idiot had waited. Are you willing to help her?”

Serenity glanced at Raz before responding. Raz nodded, so Serenity said “Yeah, we’ll take care of her.”

“Good. She’d probably be fine, but I’d feel better with more people there. I’d go if-” Hale broke off and kicked Zan lightly. It probably wouldn’t bruise. Probably. Serenity knew it wouldn’t have on him, but Zan didn’t have Serenity’s scales. “Please tell Katya I’m sorry. I should have stepped on Zan earlier. I didn’t think it was as bad as she said it was.”

“Will do.” Serenity nodded as he agreed, then turned and headed towards the dungeon.

[Dungeon: Ancient Temple]

[This dungeon formed at a ley line nexus which crossed over an ancient temple complex used to prepare the dead for burial. While the temple was not connected to the Catacombs, the dungeon has dug deep enough to reach them]

[Status: Full]

[Tier: Unrated]

[Type: Death, Undead]

[Next Wave: 10 days]

[Assault in progress. Group declared open. 1 of 3 group slots filled]

[Join current assault?]

Yes

Outside, Hale tied up the unconscious Zan. He ate dinner and prepared for the night. Zan would be fine without food. He’d deal with him in the morning. Hale had the feeling he’d be punching Zan again.

Hale didn’t check out the dungeon. There was no point; he knew all three were in the dungeon and he could only hope that was enough to be safe. He couldn’t see much detail about dungeons, so even if he'd checked, he wouldn’t have been able to see that only two of the three group slots were filled.

When Serenity appeared in the Ancient Temple dungeon, it looked like he’d entered a giant stone courtyard. A large building rose ahead of him; unlike the stone buildings outside, it was intact and colorful, covered with mosaics and recent paint. If that had ever existed outside, it was long gone.

Serenity felt a lack of pressure from around him. He could no longer feel the ley line. It was nice not to have to fight it, yet there had been something comforting about being surrounded by mana.

A quest flashed in front of Serenity’s eyes, but he ignored it in favor of looking for Katya. She sat on her pad a few feet inside the entrance. She seemed to be crying. “Katya?”

She turned to look at Serenity. She was definitely crying.

“Hale punched Zan unconscious. He said to tell you he’s sorry.”

Katya punched downwards, fortunately hitting the pad instead of the stonework on the ground. “Sorry doesn’t fix it! Dammit…” She rubbed the hand she’d punched with, then sighed. “Set up yourself for the night. I’ve got some rations. There’s no point in starting the dungeon tonight. I’m in no shape for it, even if you are.”

It wasn’t until Raz spoke that Serenity realized he’d watched the whole situation without saying anything. “So, now that we’re here. This leads down to the Catacombs, right? Do you think we’ll be able to find one of the relics?”

Relics?

Katya spoke before Serenity could. “What relics?”

“You don’t have the quest?” Raz shared the quest and Serenity read it over.

[Quest Available: Final Relics]

[An Ancient has moved on, leaving his belongings and Armory to the Order. They have been added to the rewards of all Catacomb planets. The closest Catacomb planet to you is Tzintkra. Travel to Tzintkra and investigate the Catacombs]

[Goal: Delve into a Catacomb and find a relic of the lost Ancient]

[Optional Shared Goals:]

[Discover the Name(s) of the lost Ancient]

[Discover the history of the lost Ancient]

[Discover the heritage of the lost Ancient]

[Aid or hinder the true heir of the lost Ancient]

[Rewards: Varies]

[This quest will be active until all parts have been accomplished or are impossible. Rewards will be awarded incrementally]

[Background information:]

[A light shines in the darkness. Hope glimmers where despair once stood. Death is not the End.]

[Accept Quest?]

Might as well. Yes.

Serenity muttered to himself. “Really? Light in the darkness? Are you serious?” He wasn’t certain the quest was talking about the Final Reaper, but the name of the quest implied it was possible and the mention of the End made it seem likely.

[Shared Goals removed. Shared Goals do not apply to Serenity]

[Reward Granted: Confirmation of identity of Lost Ancient]

Serenity leaned forward and supported his head with his hands for a moment. “It is. Oh for crying out loud.”

“What is?” Raz’s voice made Serenity look up. After a moment, Raz asked again. “Who is serious? It’s a quest?”

Serenity started to answer the question without thinking. “The lost Ancient-”

I need to think before I open my mouth, not after. What should I - how much should I say?

Katya stared at him. “You know something. This meant more to you than a random quest. Did you know of the lost Ancient? Someone has to.”

Serenity sighed. “Yeah. It means a lot more to me than a random quest.” Serenity had mixed feelings about the quest. He didn’t care about Order’s Voice giving away most of the stuff he’d had in his Armory, but he wasn’t at all sure he wanted anyone finding out about the Final Reaper.

Actually, he was pretty sure he didn’t want people finding out about him - and he especially didn’t want them connecting the Final Reaper to Serenity. He was pretty sure that he was the heir, unfortunately.

“Will you share? For the quest?” Katya prodded.

Serenity sighed and told a short and heavily edited version. “The Final Reaper was originally from the same planet I’m from. Some bad things happened, he left. Lots of adventuring, several wars. Incredible amounts of death and destruction. Eventually-” Serenity stopped. Thinking about the Long Quiet after everyone else was dead hurt. “Eventually he was offered a way out and he took it. There’s not much more to say.”

Katya watched him for a moment, but all she said was “He was important to you.”

Serenity snorted. “You could say that.” He pointedly turned away from the others to set up his bedroll. He didn’t want to talk about the Final Reaper.