“She’s the one who killed the guards, isn’t she?” Ven said the moment Vivi exited the tavern.

“It’s possible,” Aang said.

“The news of a guard going missing came out a day ago,” Ven said. “Vivi was in the smithy. Unless she can teleport, there is no way she heard the news. But she didn’t seem surprised.”

“She’s a human,” Lomir, the bartender, said. “Her mannerisms are strange all around. Her human origin might make her react oddly.”

“No, she definitely knew that the guards were dead,” Ven said. He sat on the stool and ordered a drink. “I’ve confronted tens of criminals in my life. Her eyes wandered away when I mentioned the guards. Everything about her looked uncomfortable. She definitely knew of the crime beforehand. The question is whether she was the one that killed the guards or if she was just caught in the crossfire.”

“It’s best that I follow her,” Aang said. “I won’t win if it comes to a fight. Hopefully I can stop her from ruining things further.”

Ven sighed, taking a sip of warm ale. They’d run out of ice to keep the containers cool. Ven still said that the ale tasted good to keep Lomir happy, but if the Union was a little wealthier, he would have definitely invested in less yeasty alcohol.

Aang exited the tavern after Vivi. Out of the Hollows, Aang was far from the best at sneaking around. But Aang was the best at intimidating others into compliance. If anyone could convince Vivi to act slightly more carefully, it was Aang.

Rensfig was examining the runesword closely, trying to see the weird veins inside the metal. “She actually said she doesn’t need this anymore. This damned witch crafts a masterpiece of science and runesmithing—she sells it for pennies, calling it a back-up at best—and then she fucks off who knows where. You said she crafted a war hammer?”

“She smashed a reanimated anvil head through the ground with a hammer,” Ven confirmed.

“What a world to live in,” Rensfig said with a long exhale. “This sword has been used. It’ll need another sharpening. But it’s still a masterful sword. The runes are solid, and the blacksmithing is flawless. And the veins… A genius taught this girl, that’s for certain.”

“Do you think you can replicate this?” Ven asked.

“I don’t think so,” Rensfig said. “Not unless I can talk to the girl about her methods. I have no idea how she got the veins inside the sword. It has something to do with crucible steel. And I think the veins come from ether roots?”

“You’ll have plenty of time to study,” Ven said. “For now, we need to hide the sword. Zand is too chaotic to put it to use. The good thing is that the sword doesn’t look like a runesword. Even if a guard catches a glimpse of it, they might think it’s just a regular katana.”

Ven took another sip, when an orange light blinked above the main door. A warning light. Ven glanced at Rensfig, and the dwarf quickly gave the sword to Lomir, who slid it into a hidden cabin underneath the counter. It wasn’t the best hiding spot, but it worked well on a quick warning. They’d once hid a skill container from a guard in it.

The orange light turned red. Ven clicked his tongue. Guards were coming.

The door barged open. A dozen pairs of heavy footsteps could be heard. Guards and staff entered. At the forefront of the invasion was Uundref. The bony Steward sat on a chair, carried from the sides by two guards like a palanquin.

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“Welcome…” Ven said.

“Hello, hello, my dear Union members,” Uundref said. “Does one of you mind answering what exactly is happening in this facility?”

“If you’re asking about those two dead guards, I have no idea,” Ven said. “Could have been anyone for all I know.”

Uundref grinned. “Information spreads well, I see. Have you spied on our meetings?”

Ven sipped his ale. “The information was leaked. I don’t know who did it. I heard the news from a nimrod in a black cloak and a horn-mask.”

“Fantastic,” Uundref said. He spoke loudly to everyone behind him. “Search the place. As deep as you can.”

More staff members entered the tavern. Guards, cleaners, investigators. This was serious—it looked like almost everyone was invited. Two of the investigators carried ether detectors: a wand-like device that shone when pointing at ether. It could detect even slight amounts of ether through walls.

Ven sat on his stool, calmly drinking ale. There was nothing he could do to dissuade a search. He could only pray that nothing too important was discovered.

One of the ether detectors glowed brightly when pointing at the wall. The inspector glanced at Uundref. The Steward nodded, and his chair was carried to the spot in the wall. He knocked at it with his fingers before thrusting his nails straight through the stone. He pulled out the slab in the wall, revealing a small hidden compartment in the wall. Inside was a small crystal-like orb.

“An ether container,” Uundref said. “A real one. With over a hundred ether inside.”

Ven shrugged. “I don’t know whose that is. Probably belongs to one of Aang’s officials.”

“And how have you gained access to an ether container?” Uundref said.

“Oh, please,” Ven said. “It could have come from anywhere. Ether containers can drop from monsters if you’re lucky. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

The Steward studied his expression. The container had indeed dropped from a monster, though Ven didn’t mention it dropped from a boss in the hidden dungeon. Ven had planted it in the tavern exactly for this purpose—to be found if an investigation was launched. A container with just a hundred ether would lead to a just light punishment. The Stewards expected the rules to be broken slightly, and it was unlikely they’d whip Ven for this reason. More likely, they’d make him pay double the ether for the next collection day.

Ven just hoped the container was the only thing they found. Usually, the guards were satisfied after finding one or two secrets.

“Keep searching,” Uundref said.

The investigators kept swinging their detectors around, while cleaners and guards physically crawled under tables and checked the roof. Ven drank his ale silently. There shouldn’t have been more ether hidden in the walls. A detector scanned the counter. It said nothing. There shouldn’t have been any ether inside the counter.

Then the detector passed the spot where the runesword was hidden. It glowed vaguely.

The investigator frowned at Lomir. “What’s in there?”

“Probably my reanimated ass.” Lomir shrugged and when nobody laughed at the joke, said, “I don’t know, could be a dead insect. That’s barely a signal.”

The investigator wasn’t impressed. “Let me in.”

Lomir rolled his eyes but stepped out of the way. The investigator walked behind the counter and checked the cabinets while pointing his device.

Ven’s heart was racing. The cabinet was hidden well, and the signal the device gave was small. They probably wouldn’t find it.

After searching for a minute, the investigator said, “Looks like a fake signal.”

“If it gives a signal, something is behind this table,” Uundref said. He stood from his chair, pushed ether into his hand, then punched the counter.

Ven’s heart dropped. The wood was destroyed into bits. Their counter opened wide. Glass shattered on the ground, and the contents of the cabins spilled out all over.

Vivi’s katana lay amongst the mess. Uundref pointed at it with the scanner and said, “A sword, huh? With a signal of ether.”

“We stole that one from Bwern’s gang,” Ven said. “It’s not contraband at all. You can’t confiscate it.”

Uundref didn’t listen. He was frowning at the sword. Specifically, he frowned at the white obsidian wrap around the grip. He unwrapped it, revealing the runes beneath.

“Well…” Uundref said. “This is interesting.”

Ven’s heart raced a thousand times a minute. He didn’t know what to say. He could only watch in silence as Uundref pushed ether through the runes. The veins inside lit up visibly. Uundref studied the blade for almost a minute, testing its sharpness, feeling out its powers.

Eventually, he raised his head. “How do you have an inside-carved runesword?”

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