Primer for the Apocalypse

I wasn’t sure if the official from the city and his followers had actually backed down or if they were simply biding their time and preparing. Either way, they left a short while later without conflict, making it feel like another win for the elites.

Somehow, I found it hard to believe the city would simply let things go. Doing nothing would invite more misbehavior on the part of high and peak-Tier Five residents.

“Where are you going?” Zavira asked when I exited the pool and began drying off.

“I want to look around a bit,” I replied as I equipped my sect robes. “I really don’t want to get involved in another fight against people, but I also don’t want to lose access to the Hot Spring. I’m going to see if I can find a work-around.”

Watching the two argue had only reinforced my desire not to get into conflict with other people if I could help it. I’d had enough killing for a while. I wanted a break.

Zavira shrugged but didn’t offer to join me, so I glanced at Niall. He was looking in the direction the city official had left.

“I hope the city attacks,” he said without blinking or shifting his view. “I’ve barely whet my claws on this floor. I hoped to test myself against more Tier Five fighters before the war ended. This conflict may be enough to allow me a fresh opportunity for growth.”

I knew the Kastet was unhappy with how quickly the war ended. Niall’s goal was to grow as quickly as possible without weakening himself. He’d always been very clear about that.

It was the only thing he was really open about.

With a nod of acknowledgment, I put on the [Invisibility] amulet I’d made on the previous floor and slipped through the wards I’d set out. The talisman was a little weak for the floor, but Tier Four [Invisibility] would be enough to counter most people.

And those it wouldn’t counter likely wouldn’t be fooled by the Tier Five version, anyway.

If anyone noticed me as I made my way across the semi-destroyed site, they didn’t give any indication. It didn’t take long for me to find the location of the springhead.

Hidden in what appeared to be a storage shed was a deep pool surrounded by thick stone. It was only a few feet in diameter, and it was obvious that the stone surrounding the pool was not created by the dungeon. It was most likely placed there by those who’d previously controlled access to the resource.

Small pathways were built into the stone encircling the pool, allowing the magical water to flow from the pool into stone pipes that carried the water to soaking pools farther down the line.

I theorized that the water likely evaporated when the magic was exhausted since I didn’t notice any kind of return or water recycling. Or maybe there was only a finite amount of special water that could be in circulation at any given time?

I contemplated the possibilities as I stared at the burbling pool, wondering if I could potentially add my own pipe into the setup. The water never ran over, even with the obvious pressure adding more fluid to the limited container.

Could I siphon some away for myself, or would that create an imbalance?

A weak pulse of Space mana drew my attention, and I looked more closely at the pool’s walls beneath the surface of the water.

Were those tiny portals?

They looked like tiny portals. There wasn’t any other reason for rings of crystal and stone to be lining a hidden springhead.

I carefully probed the closest maybe-portal in hopes that I could figure out its purpose, but the enchantments were [Obscured].

Could I make a tiny portal like that and connect it to one in a hidden location? Was that what others had done?

Maybe that explained the city’s lackluster response. If the VIPs of the floor already had access to the Hot Spring’s effects, why would they care who controlled it?

I could easily see powerful people bribing someone to add a small access point to the pool so they could gain the benefits of the Hot Spring without bothering with the facility running it. How many portals were there, I wondered.

A quick scan showed more than I expected.

“Sixteen,” I murmured. “It’s probably enough that a seventeenth would be overlooked.”

I probably wouldn’t have thought to apply my training in intraplanetary portals to such a situation without having seen the other portals in place. Such items were not something I’d given much thought to since they were largely obsolete once I entered the dungeon.

I could Teleport anywhere I wanted, or even use my own Portal if I had such a need. The dungeon floors hadn’t been large enough to justify creating semi-permanent versions of such items before, either.

However, I was aware that such a device connected Sprire to Quintet. It was how most people traveled to and from the floating city. It just wasn’t something I’d considered bothering to make.

I removed my robes and slid into the pool. The water’s position along the rim remained unchanged, even with my body displacing a large volume of water.

I left my talisman on, so I was still [Invisible]. I Meditated on the problem with half a mind while the other half focused on improving my mana regeneration.

The ability to use two streams of thought simultaneously was a new addition that came with reaching Tier Five, and I was still getting used to the shift in perception.

I teleported back to my room when another sect elite entered the cramped structure nearly an hour later. I didn’t wait to see if they used the pool or not.

With fresh ideas in mind, I turned my attention toward crafting after sending a quick message to my two party members. There were still two days remaining on our agreed-upon vacation, and I wanted to make the most of them.

“The city sent Enforcers to retake the Hot Spring,” Zavira informed me through an interface call the night before we were scheduled to resume grinding.

“Niall has been spending time with the other elites and has already joined them in the fight,” she said hesitantly. “I find myself less inclined to kill Guards and Enforcers just trying to uphold laws passed by the city’s leaders, but they are trying to withhold a valuable dungeon resource from elites. Elites and active challengers are literally who the resources are meant for.”

“I don’t think most of the people born in the dungeon care about that,” I said, setting my project aside since I couldn’t focus on it anyway. “This is their home. The dungeoneers have established rules and laws to govern themselves, and people like Disciple Carrion are actively breaking those rules.”

“I understand that, and I doubt anyone watching likes seeing the flagrant inconsideration of authority and law,” she said quickly. “But I think it’s different when the ‘authority’ is withholding a resource meant for elites and challengers. To actively prevent us from using them… that’s got to break some of the dungeon’s rules, right?”

I shrugged, though Zavira couldn’t see it since we were on an audio call. “I don’t know, but I’m sure the watchers could find out.”

“Well, if you are disinclined to participate, I’m fine with sitting this one out,” Zavira said after a moment of silence. “We’re heading out tomorrow anyway, right?”

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. Leaning over my workstation for hours didn’t make me sore like it used to, but it was still nice to stretch occasionally.

“Give me another day,” I said as I eyed my work-in-progress. “I can install the prototype when we talk to Niall. I have a feeling he’s not going to want to join us now that he has more lucrative targets and likeminded people surrounding him.”

If the Kastet believed that joining the other elites and picking fights with dungeoneers was a better, quicker route to power, he probably wouldn’t hesitate to shift parties. If the others were willing to include him, I really couldn’t see keeping the Void Mage in our party.

Clearly, Zavira had picked up on the same signs because she replied with a resigned, “Probably not.” There was a deep sigh audible through the voice call. “I probably should’ve seen this coming. But I suppose it was only a matter of time before Niall found a group better suited for him.”

I agreed. While there were no obvious contentions within our party, it was obvious that he was maintaining his distance. After two years, we were barely any closer to the Kastet than we were in the beginning.

And there had been several times during the war that I felt Niall’s critical gaze, judging me for being weak or soft when I opted to take prisoners instead of slaughtering everyone affiliated with the Springhearts.

It wasn’t that Niall was a murderhobo who wanted to kill everyone, but he certainly didn’t hesitate if there was even a slight justification for killing someone.

Then again, maybe that did make him a bit of a murderhobo.

“I apologize for the short notice, but I’ve been offered a place in Disciple Argon’s party. Our fighting styles are better suited to each other, and I feel the move would benefit me,” Niall said when we found him at the Hot Spring a little more than a day later.

I met Zavira’s eyes and nodded.

“We understand, Niall. There are no hard feelings,” she said.

Seeing me nod in agreement, the Kastet seemed to relax minutely. I was surprised he cared enough to be tense, honestly.

“I’m glad. I hope my decision doesn’t change our other agreement,” he said, looking at me. “I’m still willing to exchange mana when I reach a new tier to obtain an upgraded E3 talisman.”

That explained his tension, I supposed. Life-saving items were not easy to acquire and were often prohibitively expensive. I didn’t charge people crazy high rates like that, even though I could. I didn’t think it was fair to do such a thing when the cost of crafting such an item didn’t warrant it.

“I’m fine with that,” I said, and I meant it.

While I could potentially use Tier Five Void mana from here on out, it wouldn’t be as effective as getting a fresh sample with each tier. That was totally worth the cost of a single E3 talisman.

Niall’s whiskered brows shifted in a manner I interpreted as a sign of relief.

“Excellent,” he replied. “Well, to make things official…”

I got a notification that Niall had left our party.

“Thank you for your support. I wish you the best of luck on your hunt.”

Zavira and I exited the small building the elites were using as a temporary base and headed to the springhead. Nobody paid us much attention since our robes implied we were part of the group.

And they weren’t wrong; we just weren’t actively engaging in non-war-related conflicts.

Zavira didn’t say anything as I installed the mini-portal in the deep pool. Nobody was there, which was unsurprising given how unwelcoming the springhead was compared to the other pools.

There was no built-in seating along the wall, nor was the depth appropriate for a relaxing soak. It was almost like the springhead pool was intentionally designed not to be an appealing place to absorb the magical benefits of the Hot Spring.

It made sense with all the devices carefully installed along the walls.

Less than a minute after we entered the small, plain-looking enclosure, I Teleported us away. I’d check to ensure the device was working properly after our hunt.

It would probably take a little bit of adjustment to get used to fighting with just the two of us, but I felt confident we’d manage. If anything, it may be easier now that we didn’t have to worry about our ranged attacks accidentally injuring a party member who almost exclusively fought close-range.