*

The meeting hall cleared out one group at a time as each presenter made their report and groups started getting their orders for the upcoming days. By the time the last person took the stage, only those with clearance of B-rank or above remained. At that time, Aiden rose and took a seat in the front row, slotting himself to present with his impromptu report.

When the last presenter finished, he sighed and rose to take the stage. When the previous presenter finally took their seat, he made eye contact with the thirty or so people in the room, pursing his lips when Olivia glared back at him with her arms folded.

“There’s three things I want to address before we finish things up. I just came back from a dungeon in the east, and in the coming week, I’ll need each of your help to make sure that it stays guarded. It can’t be closed, and massive hordes are spawning. If left unchecked, we’ll have a dungeon break.”

“There’s never been a dungeon that couldn’t be closed,” Trixie, one of the recruits from the first week, said. “What makes this so special?”

“I’ll get to that. First, I’ll be issuing a rotating guard to watch the dungeon around the clock. Each team will be led by a B-rank,” he said, eyeing each member, “which means all of you.”

A recently promoted recruit, Tauvar, stood up. “You can’t be serious? Are we expected to do all of that on top of all of our other responsibilities?”

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m taking applications for team leaders. I won’t be forcing anybody to go. However, the more team leaders there are, the less burden each team must carry. Do keep in mind that this will only be for the next six and a half days.” Aiden looked at each of the B-ranks that would become team leaders in the near future. “Because of the danger associated with the dungeon, your teams will consist of C-ranks and each party will require a minimum of five people.”

“Aiden, isn’t that pushing them too hard?” Olivia asked as quiet murmuring began.

“To compensate for the additional burden of duty placed on all of you, I’ll be temporarily doubling all contribution gains. Guarding the dungeon will have a base of ten contribution points—”

“Given the danger of the dungeon, isn’t that too lo—”

“—Per hour,” Aiden finished, eyeing Tauvar.

“Holy shit!”

“Per hour?!”

“It can’t be that simple, right?”

A surprised clamor erupted. It took Olivia five minutes to calm the B-rankers while Aiden simply watched and waited.

When the room finally went silent, one of the senior rankers, Kendra, stood. “When can we apply?”

“Sunrise. It’ll give everyone who wants to participate a chance to find their teams. Applications can be left here on the podium, delivered to me directly, or given to anyone in the Internal Affairs Association,” he said, receiving a nod of acknowledgement from each one before continuing. “Now, the most pressing matter.”

They all remained quiet, and he let the silence hang for several moments. Many wriggled uncomfortably in their seats as he watched them.

“The dungeon won’t close because there’s something growing inside. The construct it’s sealed inside is indestructible, so all we can do is wait for it to finish developing.” He watched each members’ face. The majority of recruits looked confused, though there were many that were rightfully concerned. “If things were simple, this wouldn’t be too worrying. However, I have reason to believe that whatever comes out of the construct will be immensely powerful and one of the strongest Shadowborn we’ve ever seen.”

“How powerful are we talking here?” Kendra asked.

“More powerful than anybody within Zion, including myself,” Aiden said, walking around the podium and crossing his arms. “For the next six and a half days, our priority needs to be growing stronger. The chamber in which the construct resides might have a solution, but I won’t know until I spend more time there.”

“Might we be at liberty to know what the potential solution is, and how can the chamber help?” she continued.

Aiden shook his head. “I don’t want to create a sense of false hope. We should all focus on doing what we can to keep Zion safe in the event that I’m unable to develop a solution. I’m hopeful I can handle everything without putting anybody else in harm’s way, but I can’t guarantee anything at this moment.”

“How are we supposed to handle the duties we have, guard the dungeon, and still find time to clear dungeons?” Tauvar asked.

“In the coming days, we’ll all be making sacrifices for the future of Zion. As small as it is, the only consolation I can offer is the increase in contribution.” He looked at both Tauvar and Kendra, the unspoken representatives for the fresh and veteran recruits. “I’m personally willing to invest in the growth of our new recruits. Five hundred Essence to any who achieve C-rank in the next week and two thousand to any who achieve B-rank.”

Tauvar looked stunned while Kendra simply nodded. Even though he wanted to do more, there was little else he could offer.

Olivia stood from her seat and turned to address the crowd. “If anybody else would like to voice their opinions, speak up now. Otherwise, as Aiden said, applications start tomorrow.” She waited several moments for anybody to speak up. When nobody did, she gestured towards the stairs. “You’re all dismissed.”

Aiden watched as the hall emptied. He could already tell who planned to join by the way they rushed to the stairs and disappeared from sight far ahead of those that still looked uncertain. When the hall finally emptied, Olivia turned and glared at Aiden.

She deflated like a balloon seconds later. “I don’t know how you do it. I always forget how much you take care of everyday and somehow still find time to be present in the territory disputes and clear dungeons.”

“I don’t sleep much,” Aiden said, shrugging. “I may not have wanted the responsibility of being a leader in the beginning, but the position grew on me.”

“Yeah, not me. I don’t have the stamina you do to keep up with a billion things and not constantly be on the brink of collapsing from stress.” She huffed out a deep breath. “What happened out there? They might be able to tell, but I can see through you. You’re worried, more worried than I’ve seen you since coming to Zion.”

“There were two bosses guarding the construct, two Shadowborn. But they weren’t just any run of the mill Shadowborn, they were royal servants. As in, high ranking nobility among their society. I’m worried that it’ll be aggressive, we’ll do whatever it takes to put it down, and then we’ll face a similar fate to the Avacyn and the Etherene,” he admitted.

“I see why you’d be worried then,” Olivia said, biting the inside of her cheek.

“That’s not even the real issue either. Truthfully, if the guards were anything to go by, I think whatever comes out of there is going to be a true threat.” The shadow vortex funneling into the incubator and the feeling of raw Essence coming off of it were hard for him to forget.

“So rather than focus on things we can’t control, what is this mystery hope you were talking about?”

“I wasn’t kidding about keeping it to myself until I knew if I could find a solution,” he said, turning toward the last two inhabitants in the room who’d been respectfully waiting out of earshot to give them some privacy. “You had news, Isaac?”

The shadow mage-assassin hybrid nodded and approached Aiden, Ian by his side. “Would you prefer the good, the bad, or the ugly first?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Aiden said.

“Okay, then I’ll start with the ugly. I found them.”

“The spiderkin?” Olivia asked.

“No, the others from the school. Adam and his people. I found them, but the ‘where’ is the issue.” Isaac looked between Olivia and Aiden, pursing his lips into a thin line. “They’ve been captured by the Valkyr.”

Aiden’s heart skipped a beat. “Are they…?”

“They’re still alive,” he said, hanging his head, “for now.”

“What does that mean?” Olivia asked.

“They’re beaten up and look starved. I was scouting them with Shadow when I saw the group brought in, shackled and bloody.” Isaac looked at Aiden then hung his head again. “The group is less than half the size of what we left them with.”

“Shit.” Aiden tapped a foot against the ground restlessly. “The timing is god awful. We’re already stretched thin as we are, but knowing the Valkyr, there won’t be much of them left if we don’t get them out of there as soon as possible.”

Olivia nodded and looked at Isaac. “What else do you have to report?”

“There’s no trace of the spiderkin. I’ve studied the few maps we’ve been able to make, and they’re not where we expected them to be.” He pulled out a rolled up piece of paper held close with a string and opened it, pointing at each previously scouted Town. “Every Town is placed at an equal distance from Zion and the other Candidates’ Towns. Given the pattern, the Spiderkin should be here.”

Aiden observed the map and where Isaac pointed. He’d heard the findings before, but seeing the mapped out region allowed him to get a better understanding. “No trace of them at all? I can only imagine what they’re like, but if I know anything about spiders, they usually create their nests above or below ground level.”

“I thought so too, but there’s nothing in the trees. If they went underground, they hid their tracks well. I’ve been searching for the last week and found nothing.” Isaac frowned, tapping his finger against the area the Spiderkin should’ve occupied. “Given the location of the others, I think they’re out there somewhere. I just don’t have the ability to find them.”

Olivia rested a hand on Isaac’s shoulder and gave him a soft smile. “You did well. Even though we didn’t find anything yet, I’m sure we will. Knowing this is good enough for now. Good work.”

“Sure,” Isaac muttered halfheartedly. “Just wish I had more good news after what Aiden found.”

“Don’t sweat it. There will always be more work to do and another worry to take the place of the rest.” Aiden looked away from the map and internally sighed, the pressure of a headache building up behind his eyes. “Now, what’s the last thing?”

Before Isaac could answer, Ian stepped forward and answered. “Another territory is opening up in two days. We found it not long ago, and the location is a strategic boon for anybody who claims it and a crisis for those who don’t.”

“Why’s that?” Aiden asked.

Ian held up two fingers. “We scouted out the mountain range, and there’s only one way through to the north. The location contains a spring tucked away within a cave.”

“What’s the time to circumvent the mountain without the pass?” Olivia asked.

“Three days, and the farther north you go, the more predators and wildlife appear. Makes the trip even longer if you can’t remain hidden.” Ian’s eyes burned with excitement. “I want to request to lead two teams to secure the pass.”

“Will two teams be enough?” Olivia asked. “That doesn’t seem like it’ll be enough to secure the territory.”

“Two teams wouldn’t be enough if we didn't find it first. As far as we’ve seen, only the Dragonborn know of the pass. But they’re spread thin already because of the Valkyr conflict,” Ian explained, looking between Aiden and Olivia hopefully.

“How confident are you in success?” Aiden asked.

“I can arrange the two parties tomorrow and get in place by the end of the day. If we’re in position to defend the pass before any other Faction gets there, we shouldn’t have a hard time holding it,” Ian said.

Olivia bit her lip as she looked between Aiden and Ian. “Do you have a plan?”

“Of course.” Ian grinned as she sighed. “An earth mage in each team.”

“I see,” Aiden said, nodding. “Do it then.”

“Awesome!” Ian looked ready to burst with excitement.

“But,” Aiden started, pausing Ian’s celebration. “You’ve got dungeon duty until I get a schedule worked out with the B-rankers and their teams.”

“Easy enough,” Ian said with a shrug. “That’s just more contribution for me either way.”

Aiden turned to Isaac. “I’ll need you to get back to scouting the Valkyr. So far, they’re the most immediate threat. We also need to keep eyes on everyone there. Make sure you don’t get caught, and don’t try to be a hero.”

“You know how I feel about heroes,” Isaac said, nodding. “As soon as we’re done here, I had already planned to head back either way.”

“Then we’re all settled here.” Aiden shook both of their hands and turned to Olivia. “Damn.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”