"I see that you two have been hard at work ruining my facility," Uundref said. "You especially, young woman."

Alarm bells rang in Vivi's head. Why did Uundref have her sword? Was Ven dead?

"You've made a fool of me," Uundref said. "And now you've cleared my dungeon. Runesmith. This sword… You made it."

Uundref wasn't grinning like he usually was. His usual nonchalance was creepy. When he was actually mad, Vivi felt a threat to her life, and Uundref's aura wasn't even active. The Steward's focus was entirely on her. Andre stepped to the side, as if trying to stay away from Uundref's gaze.

Uundref's core was elevated to the third level. And he was wielding one of Vivi's swords.

"Place the fiend down," Uundref ordered.

Vivi felt like she had no choice but to comply. She placed Eem on the ground with slow movements.

"This mess cannot be fixed," Uundref said. "But compromises can be made. We will negotiate in private. Do not resist."

A spectral portal appeared underneath Vivi's feet. She fell in and grabbed onto the edge by instinct, but the portal's pressure made it hard to hold on. Her body was being ripped apart, pulled with extreme force from below. Even with ether, she wasn't strong enough to pull herself up. The pressure was only getting worse.

Vivi's hand slipped, and she fell into Uundref's portal.

*

Vivi appeared in the air. She flailed her arms in a panic before her senses returned. The fall was around fifteen feet. She filled her feet with ether and braced the landing.

The ground below was stone. Blinking mushrooms and lifeless trees filled the landscape. A giant stone wall stood on Vivi's right. Not a hardstone wall; it was Zand's outer fortification. She'd been teleported to the fourth level—outside. But with Uundref next to them, that didn't feel like much of an accomplishment.

Uundref stood a short distance from Vivi, his tall head looking down on her. He still wielded her katana. She took a step back, heart racing. Uundref matched her, stepping forward, while Lucius examined the field around them.

"Dear human," Uundref said in an awfully calm tone. "The facility is in ruins. The Twilight Shaman has destroyed everything we've worked for. The dungeon has been cleared. No amount of repairs will bring Zand back."

Will he kill us? Vivi asked in her head. Is he just venting out his anger? Or does he want something from us?

"He knows you're a runesmith," Lucius said. "He can't just kill you."

"I am responsible for keeping Zand in operation," Uundref said. "Ingfried will hear of its falling. His most prosperous facility is destroyed and nonoperational. Nobody can tell how long a dungeon of this scale will take to respawn. As the representative of this facility, I am the one who will be blamed."

"What do you want?" Vivi asked.

Ether oozed outward from Uundref's body. A lot of ether. The aura that Uundref usually kept concealed filled the room, grazing Vivi's skin. A feeling of utter domination washed over her. Lucius's tail puffed up.

"Do you understand what you've done?" Uundref said. "You've destroyed the facility, dear." Ether flowed in the katana's veins. "A little human who we all thought was an inconsequential joke, someone to be tossed in to die... A little human like you has created a nimrod revolution."

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Lucius! Vivi thought in a panic. What do we do?

Lucius watched as Uundref slashed at the air with Vivi's sword, taking a test swing. Uundref didn't usually fight with swords; his stance wasn't as solid as Andre's, but his absurd strength more than compensated. "We won't win," Lucius said. "Not when he wields that."

But he wants something from us, Vivi thought. He sees value in our runeswords. He needs to immobilize us. We could fight.

"I can't fix what has been broken," Uundref said. "Zand is gone, and my king will punish me. I can only offer something better in return. You're smart enough to know what I need. You created these swords. The method of inside-carving is far more valuable than any flimsy skills Zand's squadron bosses could have ever dropped."

"You want to enslave me," Vivi said.

"I want you to help me," Uundref said. "Abandon Zand and move to the seventh level with me. We will meet Ingfried directly. Comply with me, and I will let your friends—the fiend, the human, Aang's Union, Axback's blacksmiths—escape alive. Nimrods are nothing more than cattle to me. I don't care whether they live or die. Try to fight back, and I will force you to surrender. I will slaughter everyone you have interacted with."

Aang and Ven were right, Vivi thought. The Stewards want my swords. Inside-carving is valuable.

Lucius was shaking. He wasn't any more eager to meet Ingfried than he was before. Vivi wasn't looking forward to this either. She still had to save Grandpa on the surface. If she went down with Uundref, she'd clear her debts and probably become wealthy, but her swords would be sold to a king that assigned swords to people like Uundref.

Going with Uundref was probably the best option for her future. Vivi just really didn't like the idea. She couldn't run; not when Uundref had a teleportation ability to instantly catch up to her.

"I…" Vivi began. "I'll comply with your request. But I have a condition."

"You are in no position for demands," Uundref said. "Accept my offer and kneel, or I will drag your face across the sewage until you have no choice but to accept."

Vivi ignored the sick feeling in her stomach and went into stance and called forth Abyss Destroyer, wielding it with two hands. "My condition is simple. I want to hold a duel."

Uundref paused, tilting his head.

"If you can pin me to the ground, forcing me to surrender, I'll follow you without complaints for as long as you need me to," Vivi said. "You won't need to kill anyone. If you win, I'll be loyal for life. If I win, I will make the demands."

Uundref studied her expression. Slowly, a grin formed on his creepy face. He pushed his aura further, filling the room with pure horror.

Vivi already felt stupid. Her offer was useless. She had no chance of defeating the Steward. Not when her muscles were exhausted to near paralysis. But hell, she had one more trick that could possibly work.

"Very well," Uundref said. "I accept your proposal to duel. After you have been pinned to the ground, immobile, you will work with me."

"Yes," Vivi said. "I—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Uundref's figure flashed. He disappeared from Vivi's vision, moving faster than her eyes could keep up. She grimaced, filling her body with as much ether as she could, while activating Shadow Swipe and her ascension skill. She scanned the room for her opponent.

A hand appeared in her vision. Vivi had no time to react. Uundref grabbed her from the face and pushed her to the ground. The back of her head collided against a tree behind her. The impact nearly knocked her cold. Her vision went black. If not for Lucius's ether, she would have died.

It took her multiple seconds to regain her senses. Her sword had flung off her hands. She gritted her teeth, attempting to push herself up. It was useless.

"A desperate hope," Uundref said. "I can't guess what you expected would happen. You cannot defeat me. Admit defeat."

Vivi gritted her teeth. Uundref treated her like a joke. He didn't know about Lucius's existence.

Lucius, be ready to surprise him. Attack him from my core. You'll know what to do. Whatever happens, I have ideas.

Vivi lashed out, claws appearing in her hands.

The Steward reacted immediately, grabbing her hand.

Lucius appeared from Vivi's core, swiping claws at Uundref's hand. The Steward was caught by surprise. He was forced to retreat his grip.

Vivi and Lucius attacked simultaneously with their claws. Uundref had nothing to protect himself. He jumped back. Vivi was free.

But she was still on the ground. If she attempted to get up, Uundref would have another opportunity to push her back before she could react.

The Steward dashed for Vivi faster than her eye could see.

She had one more trick remaining—the purple skill wisp flickering within the second slot of her core.

Vivi activated Death Sense.

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