“Fifty,” I said.

“What?” Simone asked with a frown.

“I want fifty percent of the loot,” I clarified.

Barac barked in laughter. “Nice try, noob, but no way.”

I didn’t glance at the centaur and kept my gaze fixed on Simone. “I'm the one who will be taking all the risk.”

The party leader stared at me impassively. “Thirty percent.”

Barac jerked in surprise. “Simone, you can't—”

The half-elf held up a hand, silencing him.

“Forty percent,” I countered.

“No,” Simone said flatly. “Thirty percent and not one iota more.” I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, she went on. “We need that much of the seed to meet our quota. Else, all this is for nothing.”

I held her gaze for a moment, then conceded the point. “Alright, but I have a few other demands.”

“Name them.”

I raised the stygian blade still in my hand. “I get to keep this.”

Simone glanced at Jasiah, and the duelist nodded. “Done,” she said. “Go on.”

“The seed stays with me until I get my share of the loot,” I said. I was still uncertain what the seed was or its value in monetary terms, but I was betting there would be less chance of the party double-crossing me if I had the prize they seemed to want so keenly.

A frown flickered across Simone’s face. She clearly didn't like the idea, but she didn't demur. “Acceptable.”

“Lastly—” I began.

“Finally,” Barac muttered.

Ignoring the interruption, I went on, “Lastly, I want two more of the nether protection crystals.”

Simone’s brows drew down in consternation. “Why?”

“If I'm going to hazard permanent death, I'm not going to risk rushing. I will do this carefully. And if it takes longer than an hour, so be it.”

Simone nodded slowly. “Alright. Is that all?”

“It is,” I said, ignoring the sharpness of her tone.

“Then let's get started.”

~~~

Now that our course had been set, the party moved quickly.

Barac and Jasiah re-entered the rift, and when they returned, I saw that they had piles of miscellaneous junk in tow. With Simone's help, the two began erecting makeshift defenses.

Meanwhile, Moonshadow pulled me aside and, in excruciating detail, described the lay of the land as revealed by his scrying efforts. After he was done, I was confident that I would find my target. Then the mage went on to map out the layout of the stygian nest and the location of the seed.

“But what is it?” I asked, interrupting his near-ceaseless flow of words when it appeared he was not going to address this crucial aspect.

Moonshadow frowned at me. “What is what?”

“The seed,” I said. “I still don't even know how to recognize what I'm looking for!”

The elf grinned. “Oh, you'll recognize it when you see it. The seed looks much like the rift. It's a void of nothingness, only one condensed to the size of an egg. It's hard to miss.”

I nodded.

“As for what the seed is,” Moonshadow went on, “that's less easy to answer. I doubt any but the most learned scholars know. Many believe that the seeds are birthed by the nether itself. Others, that there is a great stygian monster swimming in the void, dropping seeds in its wake. Suffice to say, the seeds are the means by which the nether spreads.”

“Spread?” I asked, startled.

The mage nodded. “The seed has only begun to sprout, but once it’s fully germinated, a void tree will be born, anchoring the ley line and creating a more stable conduit to the aether. And that’s bad.”

I was almost afraid to ask. “Why bad?”

“You saw how large the rift in Nexus was? That's nothing. Once the ley line is anchored, the rift’s borders will begin to expand and swallow up the adjacent buildings. If left unattended, the rift will eventually consume the entire sector and claim it for the nether.”

Seeing my horrified look, Moonshadow smiled. “Thankfully, the process is not all that quick, and it can take weeks to months. Years perhaps, for a sector as large as Nexus.” His expression grew somber. “But it does make the rifts dangerous, especially in the more remote sectors. And it is why the Adjudicator rewards players for closing them.”

Before I could ask him what he meant by that, Simone walked up to join us. “Is he ready?”

Moonshadow nodded. “I've told him what he needs to know.”

“Good,” Simone said and tossed a small object my way, which I instinctively caught.

This is a farspeaker bracelet. This item is one of two in a matched set of devices and will allow you to communicate through the aether with the other bearer while you both occupy the same sector. It has no minimum requirements to use.

“Put that on,” Simone instructed.

I turned the object over in my hands, making no move to comply. “Who has the other one?”

Simone pulled down her left sleeve. “I do. The bracelet will let us coordinate from afar. Once you reach the nest, you give me the signal, and we will create a distraction. It should draw most of the nest out, leaving you free to nab the seed.”

“Only most?” I asked.

Simone nodded grimly. “I'm afraid so. While your typical stygian possesses only the crudest intelligence, the beasts will never leave the seed entirely unguarded; their protective instincts regarding the damn thing are too deeply ingrained. You will have to find a way of dealing with those that stay behind.”

“Understood,” I said. Slipping on the bracelet, I swung around to face the boundary of the purifying dome. The mists on the other side were thick, but with my wolf senses and mindsight, I was sure I could navigate their murky depths.

“One more thing before you leave,” Moonshadow said.

I glanced over my shoulder at him. The mage was muttering the words of another spell under his breath.

“Mind, Strength, or Dexterity,” the elf said. “I can buff one. Choose.”

I pursed my lips in thought. “Mind,” I decided. It was my most versatile attribute and the one in which I had the most abilities. A moment later, I felt the weaves of a spell settle on me.

Moonshadow has cast mage’s aid on you, increasing the effectiveness of all your Mind skills and abilities by 25% for the next hour.

“Thank you,” I said gravely. The boost provided by the elf’s spell was tremendous and would come in handy. With a final wave at the party, I tiptoed into the mists.

~~~

The moment I crossed the boundary of Moonshadow’s spell, the smog enveloped me, and visibility shrunk. Still, I could see well enough to navigate the route the mage had provided, and my other senses were unimpeded.

The terrain itself was mundane, a dried-out riverbed, and its very ordinariness made me wonder about the sector we were in. Had it at some stage been a Kingdom sector that had the misfortune to be swallowed up by the nether?

Just as troubling was what it said about the Forever Kingdom. More and more, I got the sense that this was a world in conflict, whether between new Powers and old, the aether and nether, or the Forces of Light, Dark, and Shadow themselves.

Life in the Forever Kingdom seemed harsh, a constant struggle, and I could only imagine what my future held.

I banished my morose musings. I had a mission to complete, and this was no time to get philosophical. Giving my surroundings my full attention, I activated the stealth mode on my belt and faded from sight.

You are hidden.

Concealed in the mists, I continued my careful approach. According to the mage, the ravine I was following led directly to the stygian nest and the seed. When I judged I'd traversed nearly three hundred yards, I slowed my advance to a crawl.

If Moonshadow’s information is correct, I should be coming up on the nests just about now.

Sure enough, a minute later, my mindsight pinged. Ten yards away, at the very limit of the ability’s range, two brightly burning consciousnesses had appeared.

I dropped into a crouch and, reaching out through mindsight, analyzed both targets.

The target is a level 115 stygian serpent.

The target is a level 113 two-headed stygian snake.

Stygian serpents are one of the most primal and ancient of the nether creatures. Over eons, their evolutionary paths have diverged. But despite the many variants in existence—two-headed snakes, winged serpents, and hydras—all stygian serpents are renowned for the fearsome speed of their striking jaws and strong necrotic attacks.

I pursed my lips at the Game’s response. Moonshadow had not been able to tell me anything about the nest’s inhabitants—something about living creatures being harder to scry than terrain—but we'd anticipated the presence of serpents. The real question, though, was whether anything more dangerous lay deeper in the lair.

I would have to investigate further. But first, I needed to report back. Focusing my thoughts on the bracelet on my arm, I projected my words to Simone. “I've reached the nest.”

Her response came back sharp and swift. “What do you see?”

“Not much. Just two rank eleven serpents.”

“More snakes,” Simone muttered a tinge of revulsion in her voice. She paused. “You’re ready to begin?”

“Not yet.”

“Call me when you are then,” she said and dropped off the communication link.

I turned back to the two foes ahead. The mists were too thick for me to see them yet, and I was forced to observe them with only my mindsight.

While the pair did not appear to be guarding the nest’ entrance, they were most definitely blocking my path through the ravine. I would have to find another way.

I glanced to my left. The ravine’s left slope was steep but still scalable. The biggest challenge would be remaining undetected. Retreating a few yards, I set to climbing.

~~~

A few minutes later, I stood atop the bank bordering the ravine. The climb had been uneventful, if more difficult than I anticipated.

I took a moment to study the ground under foot. It was just as barren as the riverbed itself, and traversing it would be no great hardship. Resuming my advance, I slipped soundlessly forward.

Two hostile entities have failed to detect you! You are hidden.

I paused at the Game message. The hostiles in question were the serpents in the ravine that lay just a few yards to my right. Staying frozen in place, I waited to see if the stygians would detect me. If my stealth was not up to the task of sneaking past the creatures, it was better I knew before I penetrated their lair too deeply.

A minute went by, and the snakes failed to sense me. Judging it safe to proceed, I crept forward. Only a few yards later, I stopped again. The fringes of my mindsight were crawling with more targets.

I had found the nest.

~~~

It took only a moment to confirm the identity of the creatures ahead. All were stygian serpents between rank ten and twelve, and from the unhurried nature of their movements, they didn’t appear particularly alert.

I crept forward.

Simone had instructed me to kick things off when I’d reached the nest, but before I gave the party the go-ahead, I wanted to set eyes on the seed. Once things were in motion, time would be in short supply, and the success of the mission would depend heavily on how long it took me to complete my own part. I wanted that to be as quick as possible.

If that meant taking more risks upfront, so be it.

Multiple hostile entities have failed to detect you!

Multiple hostile entities have failed to detect you!

Multiple hostile entities have failed to detect you!

I paused again.

I'd reached the edge of a steep bank. Based on Moonshadow’s information, I guessed I stood on the edges of the dead freshwater lake that the ravine fed into. According to the mage, the nest was in the lake itself.

At the bottom of the bank, a serpent slept fitfully. At least, I thought it was sleeping. Less than three yards separated me from the creature, and it was fully visible. The creature was no different from those we had fought on the streets of Nexus and seemed blissfully unaware of me.

I scanned the area with my mindsight. The next closest hostile was six yards to my right.

That's far enough, I thought, and shadow blinked into the lake.