Ven's brows furrowed. He watched Vivi's expression before asking, "Why the question?"

"I fell into the main dungeon through the waterfalls," Vivi said. "I barely managed to climb up the first level. How difficult is the second level?"

"Nobody hunts in the main dungeon," Ven said. "If the boss is defeated, Zand is done. I don't know what the lower levels contain. I've never gone past the first level. The boss is strong enough that the Stewards all combined can't defeat it. Other than that, I have no idea what's down there. I don't think any of the gangs have been past the first level. The lesser monsters drop a lot of ether, but they take years to respawn. It's too risky to hunt there."

Interesting… Vivi thought. Ven looked uncomfortable by the question. He wore an almost threatening expression, as if hoping Vivi would stay away from the main dungeon.

"If he doesn't know what's down there, we'll have to hunt blindly," Lucius said.

Yes, it doesn't look like Ven is interested in helping.

"Do the other gangs hunt in the main dungeon?" Vivi asked.

"As far as I know, no," Ven said. "We have all agreed not to touch that place."

That seems to be true, Vivi thought. The first level was left entirely empty. And Ven said monsters take years to respawn.

"I'm just asking because I almost died there," Vivi said. "I'm not looking to do anything stupid."

Ven nodded. "Anything else you wanted to know?"

While Vivi was thinking, two more demons entered the bar. The sight of the first man made Vivi flinch. Eem hissed on her shoulders.

He was tall, having to lower his head to fit into the tavern. He wore a white tank-top that revealed his shoulders. His scorched upper body was lined with patterned white tattoos, depicting blades and flowers. He carried a sheathed two-runed greatsword with mass and sharpness runes.

Vivi recognized the demon from collection day. Aang. The leader of the union. Aang's figure seemed to cast a shadow all across the room. His aura wasn't active, but he was undoubtedly maxed out. Lucius hadn't lied about his strength. Vivi wouldn't want to fight him.

The second demon was the dwarf, who'd examined Vivi's depiction of an ether wisp. He was like a child next to Aang despite his old and wrinkled face. His earlier frown hadn't faded. Both Aang and the dwarf sat on the table next to Ven.

"Vivi," Aang said. "I've wanted to meet you for a long time. Thank you for helping my gang."

Vivi felt an instinctive urge to lower her head. Aang wasn't threatening her, yet something told Vivi to be careful.

She kept her head up and said, "The black masks are my enemies as well."

"Bwern and his gang have been the strongest nimrods for over a decade now," Aang said. "The rest of us compete by hiding. We knew our base would be found eventually, but it was still too soon."

"The attackers didn't seem too strong," Vivi said. "If my sword was done five minutes earlier, I could have driven them back."

"Bwern sent his underlings for the dangerous job," Aang said. "The boss himself asked me and two of my strongest members for a meeting just as the attack happened, leaving the base free to be wiped out. It was a clever plan. If not for you, it would have succeeded. I thank you again for saving my men."

"I had made a deal with Ven," Vivi said. "Your gang is preferable to the Reapers."

"I'm honored to hear that," Aang said. "We try not to get involved in murders. Though, staying clean is getting harder and harder. Zand is growing into a war field. I'll thank you once again for saving my gang. However, I have my questions and doubts as well. Who exactly are you?"

"I'm a runesmith from the surface," Vivi said. "An apprentice of my grandpa."

"Humans from the surface are supposed to be the weakest of all humanoid races," Aang said. "I heard your kind can't channel ether. You clearly can. You can also hide your reserves, just like Andre."

"Humans can't channel," Vivi said. "Andre and I are exceptions."

"Why are you in Zand?" Aang asked.

"It's, um, complicated," Vivi said. "I was exiled, stripped of ether, and teleported to the fourth level. I almost died to surge hounds on the fourth level when Zand's guardsmen saved me. They dragged me here."

Ven let out a laugh. "That does sound like something Zand's staff would do."

Aang wore a more serious expression. "Are you someone influential?"

"Infamous, perhaps," Vivi said.

"What about your… friend?" Aang asked. He glanced at Eem. She showed her tongue immediately. "The fiend has caused us a lot of trouble. Who is she to you?"

"Eem is my ally," Vivi said sternly. "And my helper. She has saved my life twice."

Aang studied her expression, looking thoughtful.

"I personally trust Vivi," Ven said. "The rumors are confirmed to be lies. She's not a murderer. She might be a witch, or some demigod's screwed up spirit, but she isn't evil. The fiend isn't evil either. I think she's just hungry."

Stolen novel; please report.

Ven signaled for the bartender. Not just a signal; it seemed Ven was talking with sign language. The bartender brought him a small sardine.

Ven offered the sardine to Eem. She frowned, then retreated further behind Vivi's shoulder.

"No luck, huh?" Ven said.

Eem, you little idiot… Vivi thought. She wanted to sigh.

The table was silent for a moment, until Rensfig, the dwarf, blurted out, "Aren't we forgetting something here?"

"Yes," Ven said. "The swords."

"The swords," Rensfig repeated. "The girl's fucking swords are why we're here."

Ven leaned forward. He didn't look like a mysterious gang member anymore, nor did he talk to Vivi like she was some weak troublemaker. His eyes were serious as he looked up at Vivi. "Are you still looking to sell the sword?"

"The venerium sword is for myself," Vivi said. "I made another sword for you. I would like to sell it and get out of here. We agreed on ten thousand ether."

She summoned the two-runed katana and pushed ether through its runes. The red hardsteel shone like a glow-stick, lighting the table.

Ven watched the sword for a moment. "That's not a regular runesword, is it? Neither is your venerium sword."

"They're both runeswords," Vivi said. "You witnessed their strength."

"Can I take a look at it?" Rensfig asked.

Vivi paused. Last-minute doubts ran through her head. Ven could still scam her. Vivi hadn't recovered, and Aang was more than strong enough to steal the sword if he wanted to. She thought about her options for a short while.

"Sure," she eventually said. She handed the sword to the dwarf.

Rensfig leaned over the table to examine the blade. He studied the veins inside the sword, as if trying to solve a puzzle. He couldn't quite understand what Vivi's work meant. "Well, it does have runes. It lacks the veins on its surface."

"Doesn't need them," Vivi said.

Rensfig gave her a look. "Can I test it out?"

"Go ahead," Vivi said.

He took the sword off the table and held it from the hilt, as if preparing a swing. He pushed ether into the blade. The veins inside lit up.

Rensfig's eyes opened wide. The sword fell from his hands, clanking against the ground. The dwarf began shaking.

"No way…" he said. "Those things inside the sword… They're veins?"

Vivi smiled. She picked up the sword. "This," she said, "is an inside-carved runesword."

Rensfig's face was pale. "No… It's not possible. They all claimed it was impossible. Every professor, every master I've ever talked to. They all believed inside carving was impossible."

"Inside carving is not impossible at all," Vivi said. "It's just really difficult."

Rensfig looked up at her. "Girl, who are you?"

"Like I said, I'm a runesmith from the surface. With fifteen years of experience."

The room was silent. Rensfig's face was shocked. Ven looked confused, struggling to keep up with the conversation.

"What's inside carving?" Ven asked.

"The end of the world," Rensfig said. "That's what it is. Look at the fucking sword, Ven. This girl right here is the most insane runesmith to step foot on the fourth level."

"I don't understand," Ven said.

"The veins," Rensfig said. "They're inside the metal. Runesmiths and scientists have been trying to figure this out for centuries. Back in the academy of Fenlor, a professor was trying out a solution by combining two pieces of metal, carving the veins inside each half before connecting them."

"That doesn't work," Vivi said. "With separate pieces of metal, the current of ether will eventually push the two pieces apart no matter what you connect the metals with. And if you forge the two halves together, the carvings will be disfigured, ruining the work. The ancients have already tried the same method. The veins you see inside the sword come from an ether root."

Rensfig groaned. He sat down on the couch and stretched his back. "I'm too old for these jokes. I spend twenty years imprisoned in this mess, and fucking inside carving has been invented."

"It's still mostly a secret," Vivi said. "My grandpa is the one who invented it. Nobody below the fourth level knows its existence."

Rensfig stared at the ceiling with a baffled expression. He had claimed he only carved runes into household appliances. Yet, the smithy in Ven's base was equipped with full outside-carving equipment.

"I need a drink," Rensfig said. He lifted a hand, and the bartender delivered a full pint of ale. Rensfig downed half of it in one go.

"You're a runesmith as well, aren't you?" Vivi asked. "You lied about your identity."

"I am a runesmith," Rensfig said. "I graduated from Fenlor years ago. I was never a top student, but I did graduate. I was in the same class as Piaro Vanhammer, a descendant of Wrahn Vanhammer himself. But if inside-carving is invented, I'm irrelevant. Vanhammer himself crafts jokes compared to your swords. Tell me, girl, what the hell are you doing in Zand?"

"It's complicated," Vivi said. "The examiners didn't believe me when I told them I was a runesmith. They imprisoned me regardless."

Rensfig let out a laugh. "The same happened to me twenty years ago. Runesmiths aren't let in not only because our work can ruin the balance of power, but also because runesmiths are valuable elsewhere. If I revealed my work to the Stewards, they would probably send me to work underneath some rich idiot. If you showed this sword to the Stewards, proving that you made it, King Ingfried himself would hire you. No questions asked."

"But you're still here?" Vivi asked. "After twenty years?"

Rensfig breathed in. "I don't care about working for some noble. Runesmith or not, I'm still a prisoner. I'd be safer outside, but at the cost of performing slave labor for the rest of my years, carving swords for some ass faces. I'd rather work for Aang and the Hollows. These idiots are the reason why I have food and a workplace today."

Aang crossed his arms, looking troubled. "So Vivi is a world-class runesmith… That's a problem."

"A problem?" Vivi asked.

"I can't pay you," Aang said. "We're already underqualified to wield Rensfig's runeswords. It's a heavy burden on our shoulders to make use of his work. If your swords are grand enough that Ingfried himself would hire you, I have very little to offer. You should leave Zand."

"Don't listen to him," Lucius said. "Showing our swords to the Stewards would be a terrible idea."

It doesn't seem like they're lying, Vivi said.

"They're not lying," Lucius said. "King Ingfried could probably hire us. But he's corrupt. Working for him is the same as imprisoning ourselves. We'll never be able to hunt again."

If he's a king, he must have a lot of ether, Vivi thought. He could pay us out of debt.

"Of course he could," Lucius said. "But it's not worth it. You'll have to trust me. Me and my old wielder worked with the king. He betrayed us the first moment he could. In the best-case scenario, he will enslave us for our runeswords. We'll never have freedom again."

You'll have to tell me more about you and your old wielder someday, Lucius.

He didn't respond.

But I agree, Vivi continued. I don't want to enslave myself for Andre's hunting group, or the demon king or whatever. I still need to free Grandpa. We have things to do on the upper levels.

"I'm still selling the sword for ten thousand ether," Vivi said. "I thank you for the advice, but I'm following my own goals. I need ether now, and I'm not working with the Stewards, or Ingfried."

"I'd gladly buy it," Aang said. "But there's a problem. We don't have ten thousand ether anymore. Bwern's gang stole over twenty thousand ether from our storage with four different skills. Our base is destroyed. With its location known, we can't go back there anymore. The Reapers have tens of thousands of ether and dozens of maxed-out members with skills and runeswords. If we're lucky, we can slowly rebuild."

"Do you know where their base is?" Vivi asked.

Aang frowned. "Ven knows of their outposts. He was their fake member for a while."

"Then become my ally," Vivi said. "Forget defending. Let's raid their base and take their ether."

Ven wore a funny grin, hearing Vivi's proposal. Rensfig was back to frowning from the side. He lifted his hand at the bartender, ordering another drink.

"That…" Aang said, "will be difficult."

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