Adalinda and I did not attempt retracing our steps. Doing that would not have been smart and would likely only have resulted in us running afoul of our pursuers. Instead, we ventured further into the unknown. And for a time, that seemed like a mistake. After what felt like hours, we were still wandering alone.

We’re not lost, I told myself firmly for maybe the tenth time.

The black sewers, it turned out, were immense.

Most of the passages were unlit, some were thick with dust, and a few were even boarded up. All these, I attempted to avoid. Each time we came to a crossing, I chose the more trafficked corridors, those showing the most signs of recent use.

That was easier said than done, though.

But we preserved onwards, and just as I was beginning to despair, Adalinda spoke up. “I see something.”

I stopped and glanced at my companion. We were standing in another four-way crossing. I’d already made up my mind to head right, but the celestial was looking down the left fork. “What?” I asked, seeing nothing in that direction myself.

“Light,” she replied. “From a torch, I think.”

My brows crinkled. “You sure?”

“Yes, it’s faint, but there.”

“Alright, let’s go left,” I said with a shrug. My own choices didn’t seem to be getting us anywhere.

I turned down the left passage and, for a time, thought Adalinda might have been mistaken, but then I, too, noticed a bright glimmer of light ahead. It was a torch.

I slowed my steps.

“Well done,” I murmured. “It looks like there are people ahead.”

Checking my weapons, I advanced onwards. Eventually, I heard voices. It was coming from behind a closed door on the right. Tiptoeing to the room in question, I placed my ear against the door and listened.

Inside, two gang members were arguing.

“… That’s mine!”

“God damn, Fargo, we don’t have time for this. If we don’t join the search soon, the lieutenant will have our hides. Everyone else is gone already,” another said.

“Then give me the sword,” Fargo replied. “I won it fair and square.”

“You didn’t! Don’t think I didn’t see what you had up your sleeve. You were cheating, you little—” I stopped listening and scanned the corridor again. There was no one else in sight, nor could I hear any other voices nearby. “Let’s take them,” I said.

“Why?” she asked curiously.

“This place is too big to search blindly. If we’re going to find the crate, we’re going to have to try and extract information from someone. These two ideally.” I glanced at her. “Ready?”

Her tongue slipped out to lick the rim of her snout. I guess that meant yes.

I slid open the door. “Inside, quickly!”

Adalinda crawled inside, and I followed in her wake, shutting the door behind me and turning the lock.

The two thugs broke off from their argument and stared at us in surprise. “It’s them!” the one whose voice I recognized as Fargo exclaimed.

“Get them,” his companion snarled. Drawing their weapons, the pair ran headlong at us.

My throwing knife sat waiting in my palm, and this time, I didn’t make the mistake of hesitating. In one smooth motion, I cocked my arm back and threw.

It was a good throw but not my best.

You have injured Fargo.

The blade thudded into Fargo’s shoulder, missing his heart by inches. The Devil grunted and staggered back a step but kept coming.

“Dammit,” I growled. I’d been hoping for a quick kill. “Ada, hold him while I take care of the other one.”

Setting the injured thug out of my mind, I turned to face his companion. He was closing in rapidly. A step away from me, the Devil swung down with his sword—a shiny, jewel-encrusted thing.

I flowed out of the way, avoiding the blow, then lunged forward with my stiletto. My foe darted backward, evading my strike. I made to follow but then paused as bright orange flames roared to life in the room. Startled, I stole a glance to my left.

Adalinda had changed tactics.

Instead of closing with her opponent, the fire lizard had decided to keep her own opponent at arm’s length. Backing away, she’d bathed Fargo in fire.

For a stunned fraction of a second, the Devil didn’t react.

Then the pain penetrated, and he shrieked. Falling to the floor, Fargo rolled about desperately attempting to put out the flames.

But Adalinda was not done yet.

More flames roared out of the small lizard, and despite the thug’s efforts to smother them, he was transformed into a living torch.

Adalinda has critically injured Fargo.

“Nice work,” I said grimly and turned back to my attacker. He’d been as stunned as I by the sight and was still staring at his burning companion in horror. Taking advantage of his distraction, I dashed forward.

Too late, the Devil realized the danger.

He tried bringing his sword around, but before he had half completed the motion, I flung myself at him and tackled him to the ground. Digging the fingers of my left hand into his hair, I yanked back his head and brought the tip of the stiletto in my right to rest under his throat.

“Don’t move,” I growled over the sounds of Fargo’s tortured howling.

The thug froze.

“Good,” I said, still yelling. “Cry out and—

I broke off as Fargo’s screams cut off abruptly.

Adalinda has killed Fargo.

At the Adjudicator’s message, I felt the remaining stress drain out of me.

“And you die,” I finished in a much quieter voice.

The Devil trapped under me nodded minutely in compliance.

“You alright?” I asked Adalinda over our mind-link.

“I am,” she assured me. “You got him?”

I nodded. “Watch the door while I question him.”

Our tussle had created more noise than I’d expected, but I heard no cries of alarm or sounds of approaching footsteps, and for the moment at least, I judged we were safe.

I turned back to my prisoner. “Do you know who I am?”

The thug’s lips curled up in a sneer. “A girl who doesn’t know who she is messing with,” he said, guessing my gender. “Once the others—”

“Wrong,” I hissed. “I’m the goddess’ vengeance,” I said and let light seep into the blade of the stiletto at his throat.

The Devil’s eyes grew round as the skin under the tip of my dagger began to boil and smoke.

“Do you believe me now?” I asked softly.

“Yes, yes!” he babbled. “Now turn it off! Please, it hurts!”

I let light’s fury die. “You want to keep living, you will answer my questions. Understood?”

He nodded jerkily.

“Excellent. The goddess wants her stuff back.”

Confusion flickered across my prisoner’s face. “What stuff?”

“The crate of Game-crafted items your gang stole.”

If anything, my response seemed to perplex the Devil even more. “But we didn’t—”

“No buts and no denials,” I said, feeling the press of passing time. “I know the crate is here. Tell me where it is. Now.”

My prisoner fell silent for a moment, then, seeming to come to a decision, began speaking rapidly. “The crate is in Cantos’ private stores. It’s not far from here. I can show you how to—”

I shook my head. “No, that won’t do. Just tell me how to get there.”

He did. I made him repeat it twice over, both to ensure I remembered it right and to attempt uncovering any lie in his words.

“You think he is telling the truth?” Adalinda asked. The fire lizard was still at the door but was listening in intently on my interrogation.

“I don’t know,” I replied.

“He could be leading us astray—or into a trap.”

“True,” I admitted. “It’s the only lead we have, though. We’ll just have to shoulder the risk. If we remain alert, we should be fine.” I wasn’t sure if it was her, or myself, that I was trying to convince.

Adalinda said nothing in response, but I sensed she disagreed.

“What are you going to do with me?” the Devil asked in the silence that had fallen between us.

I was asking myself exactly the same question. Leaving him alive would be a risk, but I couldn’t bring myself to kill him in cold blood. If I truss him up, he should—

“You have to kill him, Elana,” Adalinda said.

I glanced back involuntarily at the fire lizard.

“You know that already,” she continued. “Letting him live is too dangerous.” She paused. “And besides, you said it yourself: he is no innocent. None of the Devils are.”

I sighed. As much as I hated to admit it, Adalinda was right.

Seeming to sense the shift in my thoughts, my prisoner pleaded. “Please. Please, don’t—”

I didn’t let him finish.

My expression bleak, I thrust my dagger upwards, through the underside of his throat, and up into his brainstem.

You have killed a level 7 human.

You and your companion have reached level 7! Adalinda’s fire magic has increased to level 5.

✵ ✵ ✵

Leaving the corpses where they lay, I searched the room.

The chamber appeared to be communal living quarters and was lined with beds and lockers. I found nothing of use in it, though.

The Devils appeared to trust their fellows as little as they did anyone else, and none of the lockers held anything valuable. The only things I found were dirty garments—coats and cloaks emblazoned with the Devils’ insignia.

The two corpses yielded better results. After emptying their coin pouches, I was a tad richer.

You have acquired 2 silver and 5 copper coins.

The sword I didn’t bother taking. It was too flashy, the weight distribution felt off, and worse yet, the gems were fake. After I was done, I rose to my feet.

Adalinda looked at me. “What now?”

“We find the Butcher’s stores,” I replied.

From what the dead thug had told me, though, getting there would be no easy feat. Multiple populated corridors lay between us and it. My eyes alighted on the ransacked heap of clothes, a plan forming.

“I have an idea…”

✵ ✵ ✵

Before leaving the room, Adalinda and I made sure to level up.

Your Faith has increased to rank 6.

Adalinda’s Constitution has increased to rank 5.

Celestial trait triggered! Core skills and attributes mirrored.

After we were done, I glanced at my companion. “It’s time.”

Raising her head, the lizard stared at me. She was not enamored with the plan. “I still don’t think this is a good idea.”

I sighed. We’d argued vehemently over the plan, and while I wasn’t any fonder of it than she was, we were running out of time.

By my reckoning half, the night had come and gone. It was past midnight, and we had to find the potion and get out before the goddess’ soldiers arrived. We couldn’t afford to search the Devils’ hideout room by room.

In the end, unable to come up with any better alternatives, Adalinda had grudgingly agreed to the scheme.

“We agreed,” I reminded her patiently.

“I know,” she said. “But are you certain you want me to dematerialize? If you get in trouble… I won’t be able to help.”

“I’m sure,” I replied. “It’s the only way this works.”

Adalinda did not protest further and simply unraveled her form, transitioning first to smoke, then into nothingness as her spirit withdrew into me.

I sighed, relieved that we were finally going to get going again. Glancing down, I took one last look at myself and made sure my outfit was still in place. I’d draped one of the tattered Devil cloaks around my shoulders and pulled its hood low over my face.

I wrinkled my nose. I was well-disguised but could do without the stench. Unfortunately, none of the Devils’ garments had been clean, and I reeked.

“Look on the bright side,” Adalinda said cheerfully. “Now, you not only look like a Devil, you smell like one too.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s not funny.” Secretly, though, I was glad she was in a better mood. My steps lighter, I strode towards the exit. It was time to get going.

Sliding open the door, I poked my head into the corridor and glanced down both sides. No one was about. Satisfied we were undiscovered, I stepped into the passage and headed left. When I reached the first T-junction, I turned right as instructed.

Four turns and three corridors later, I was still faithfully following the directions I’d received from the dead thug. So far, he hadn’t led me astray.

We were off to a good start.

I took another right and stopped short. The new passage was crawling with Devils. Squads of enforcers marched up and down, searching the rooms on either side.

Retreat?

But even as the thought occurred, I knew it was too late. I’d been spotted already, and withdrawing now would be too suspicious.

Pulling the hood of my cloak even lower and bowing my head, I resumed walking. My steps were firm even though my heart thumped wildly.

“How many did you count?” I asked. While the celestial was unmanifested, she shared my own senses. She could only see or hear what I did, but that did not mean she wouldn’t notice more than I did or reach different conclusions.

“Forty, maybe fifty,” Adalinda.

I swallowed. That was too many to fight.

“I don’t like this,” the celestial added.

“Me neither,” I agreed. The corridor wasn’t long, though. All I had to do was reach the other end and hope the next passage wasn’t as busy.

I reached the quarter mark. Here and there, a thug threw me an odd look, but so far, no one had stopped, hailed, or questioned me.

Unfortunately with my head bowed to hide my distinctive eyes, I had only limited awareness of my surroundings, and my skin was crawling, imagining unseen Devils creeping up on me.

Stop that! I scolded myself. Panicking would do me no good.

“The disguise is working,” I whispered, resuming the conversation with Adalinda to distract myself.

The cloak I wore had the Devil’s insignia proudly displayed on its rear and on its own seemed enough to allay the thugs’ suspicions.

“I… don’t know,” my companion said, sounding hesitant. “I think they are starting to crowd us.”

“What!” I exclaimed in alarm. I didn’t raise my head, though. That would be a dead giveaway. “You’re sure?”

“No…” Adalinda began. “But from the glimpses I’m catching—”

She broke off. “Elana, watch out!”

My head whipped upward, and my arm swung around. But Adalinda’s warning came too late, and my own reactions were too slow. Before I could locate the threat, a heavy weight crashed into the back of my head, and I slumped to the floor.

Well, damn, I had time to think before unconsciousness claimed me.