Abby knew Zeke was on his way, if only because of how antsy and excited Pudge suddenly became. The bear was practically prancing around their inn room, which, for a beast his size, quickly became problematic. It wasn’t long before Abby had given up on resetting the toppled furniture, at least until Zeke returned and Pudge regained some semblance of calm.

Against all odds, the cub had grown even larger. Instead of being the size of a Saint Bernard, he was now pushing into the realm usually reserved for ponies. And what’s more, he’d gained another level despite having been confined to the room for the last day-and-a-half. Soon, he’d catch up to Abby and Zeke, which given his increasing size, was a terrifying thought. Or it would be if the bear cub wasn’t so cuddly. Sometimes, it was difficult for Abby to reconcile the bear cub who liked to snuggle up beside her at night and the vicious beast who gleefully slaughtered their enemies.

“You get much bigger and you’re going to have trouble fitting through the door,” she said, reaching down to scratch behind his ears. In a lot of ways, Pudge really was like a dog. Or perhaps that was because of how they treated him – after all, he’d been very impressionable when Zeke bonded him, and it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that Zeke’s expectations served to mold the cub’s personality. However, there were still plenty of differences – most notably, the odor. He didn’t precisely smell bad, but it was certainly the odor of a wild animal. “Calm down. I know he’s on his way.”

Pudge chuffed but made an obvious effort to obey her request by plopping down beside the bed. Abby continued to scratch him, but she could feel the tension in the bear’s muscles. He was practically vibrating with anticipation. It was kind of infectious, and Abby couldn’t help but feel a bit of excitement herself. After all, Zeke had been gone for far longer than either of them had expected, which had worried her. Now that he was on his way back, Abby was eager to find out what had delayed him.

These entrance tests for the guild were never supposed to be that difficult. Instead, they were seen more as a necessary administrative hoop that prospective members had to jump through. More tedious than dangerous, especially for someone with Zeke’s power. Abby had half-expected the man to clear the task within an hour, and then they could be on their way to another quest.

It wasn’t so much that Abby didn’t like Beacon. It was a fine city, so far as it went. But two things kept her from enjoying her stay. For one, she’d been infected by Zeke’s need to grow stronger, to level. She hadn’t felt that in more than a few years, and now that she’d broken through the barrier that was her racial evolution, she was eager to push into the realms of the elite. Becoming more powerful was addictive. She knew that as well as anyone, but in the years where her progression was stalled, Abby had forgotten the rush that came with the extra power. She had gotten a little taste of it when she’d evolved her race. The enhanced senses and the improved mana flow were only the beginning. In addition, it felt like all her stats counted for more. They hadn’t increased, but she felt stronger, more coordinated, and quicker than she ever had before. Doubtless, she’d find that she was far more durable and healed more quickly as well.

And she was itching to try her new body out in combat. More, because she’d been prevented from leveling past fifteen until she managed to evolve, it wouldn’t take more than a kill or two to push her to level sixteen. And that meant more stats, and, if she was honest with herself, she liked that it was a badge that would tell everyone that she’d progressed more than the vast majority of adventurers. Abby wasn’t so bereft of vanity that that didn’t appeal to her, at least a little bit.

She was scratching behind Pudge’s ear and daydreaming about how much more powerful she would become when Zeke finally burst through the door. Abby jumped to her feet, already reaching for the hatchet at her belt, but she relaxed when she recognized her companion.

“How did it go?” she asked. “Success?”

Looking at the big man, she truly wasn’t sure. He was still intact – as if there was anything in Beacon’s sewers that could really threaten him – but his leather armor had certainly seen better days. It had been ripped to shreds, evidence of plenty of recent combat, but at least it was clean – doubtless, the work of the ring she’d insisted he buy back in Bastion. But rather than the elation or relief she might’ve expected from him, his expression spoke of anger and frustration.

“What happened?” she persisted when he didn’t answer.

“They tried to kill me,” was his response.

“W-what? Who?”

“For starters, the lizardkin,” he said. “But then a giant shit monster tried to eat me. Apparently, it was an elemental, or at least that’s what the core said. I barely survived.”

“An elemental? In Beacon? That’s not possible,” she stated. The aura that protected the city from monsters wouldn’t allow anything as powerful as an elemental within its bounds.

“Definitely going to disagree with you there,” Zeke said, a red, fist-sized crystal appearing in his hand. He tossed it onto the bed, and Abby immediately picked it up for inspection.

Elemental Core – Nature

That was it. No description. Just a name – and it was irrefutable proof that Zeke had killed an actual elemental – a feat few adventurers could claim. Many had killed lesser spirits, and even more had confused the two, but there was a marked power difference between spirits and elementals. Spirits, whether they were born of fire, cold, or nature, were nuisances that sometimes grew out of control. Elementals, on the other hand, were forces of nature – unstoppable creatures that even elite adventurers avoided. That one could brave Beacon’s aura was more than a little troubling.

“How did you kill it?” she asked, her hands trembling. She knew good and well that she would never be a match for something as powerful as an elemental.

“In the grossest way possible,” he answered. “It was a literal pile of crap, and I had to dig through it to get to the core. Once I pulled it free, the monster died.”

Abby shook her head, saying, “You have no idea how lucky you are.”

“Didn’t feel lucky when I was digging through that gunk.”

Abby gave a wry smile. “I don’t suppose it would,” she stated. “But my point is that there’s no way you should’ve survived that, much less come out on top. I know you’re strong, but…”

“But elementals are different,” he said, sitting on the bed. Pudge stood up and put his head on Zeke’s lap – the bear’s effort to comfort his friend. Zeke’s hand went to Pudge’s head as he continued, “I know. I felt it.”

“You think Elder Einar sent you down there on purpose?” asked Abby.

“I do,” he said. “And I’m not going to let him get away with it, either.”

“What are you going to do? If you intend to confront him, you need to be careful. One misstep, and there’s no way they’re going to let you in the guild.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” he said. “I’m not sure I want to join a guild that lets someone like Einar in. In fact, you know what? I am sure of it. I know you’re already a member, and you want me there with you, but if you really think about it, there’s not a lot of reason for you to stick around, right?”

“W-what?” she asked, the words hitting her like a hammer. “Of course there are reasons. They provide resources. Equipment. Money…”

Zeke said, “Resources you don’t need anymore, right? You’re evolved. As far as I know, there’s not much else they can do for you that you can’t do for yourself. I mean, think about it – we can get equipment on our own, can’t we? And money’s not an issue. With a little research, I can find a profitable monster to kill, and then we’re set. There are plenty of artisans in this city, and I’m sure there are more in that other city…what was it called? Sanctuary? The one you said is to the south.”

Abby was about to respond, but she didn’t really have an argument. Her instincts told her to contradict him anyway. After all, everyone joined a guild, didn’t they? An entire population of adventurers couldn’t be wrong. But looking back, what had they ever really provided her?

The first and most obvious answer was the resources to evolve. However, she was past that hurdle, wasn’t she? Other than that, the guild had been little more than a social club that gave her access to missions and teams – neither of which she really needed anymore. Missions were a means to an end, a way to make a living. But she and Zeke had made more money in a few weeks of killing drachnids than she’d seen in her entire time as a member of the Champions of Light. And it wasn’t like she needed a team anymore, either. Between Zeke, Pudge, and herself, they could hold their own well enough to accomplish their goals.

“And as far as those advancement resources, I’m not so sure you got a good deal,” he said. “I did some checking around the other day while you were recovering from your evolution. You know, checking prices and stuff. And I think you got ripped off. That elite core alone was worth way more than it costs to advance one aspect of your race. Those fruits are expensive, but it’s more because they’re rare. I talked to one alchemist who said he could make a potion that could evolve your whole race just for the core, and I still got the feeling that he was trying to get over on me.”

Abby felt her heart fall into her stomach. She knew Zeke was right. Elite cores were extraordinarily valuable – moreso than advancement resources, that was for sure. But she’d been blinded by the prospect of evolving her race, and she had let the excitement prevent her from seeing the truth of the matter.

It really wasn’t such a revelation. People, as a whole, were selfish. And any organization made of people, especially one without any checks or balances on their power, would end up corrupted by that reality. The guild served a purpose, but it wasn’t immune to human nature. It wasn’t a charitable organization. She knew that. The whole thing was designed to funnel wealth and resources to the elites that ran the guild. Even if she hadn’t seen that before, it was now clear.

“What do you want to do?” she asked, feeling as if her whole world was crashing down around her. Whether the guild was corrupt or just self-serving, it didn’t matter. The fact was that a good portion of her identity had become wrapped up in being a member of the Champions of Light. She had a lot of acquaintances within the guild, and if she left, she knew she’d probably lose them, too.

“I’m going to talk to Elder Einar,” Zeke stated. “I might even kill him.”

“W-what?” she stammered, surprised at Zeke’s response.

“I mean – probably not, but I’m not ruling it out,” he said. “The man sent me down there to die. If he says the wrong thing, I have no qualms about paying him back for that. An eye for an eye, right?”

“That ends up with a bunch of blind people.”

Zeke shrugged. “I can’t let it stand, though,” he responded. “Either way, I’ll probably just beat him up a little.” He cocked his head to the side, then said, “Maybe a lot.”

“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked.

Suddenly, a slim, leatherbound book appeared in Zeke’s hand. He tossed it onto the bed beside him, saying, “It’s all in there. Those lizardkin weren’t smart enough to work through the ritual in that book. Somebody taught them how to do it. A human.”

Abby picked the book up and opened it. Inside were a bunch of glyphs Abby couldn’t even begin to understand. So, she asked, “What does it say?”

“Instructions,” he said. “It takes a lot of power to summon an elemental. The lizards used human sacrifice to reach the necessary levels. That’s where the kids went. The adventurers that were sent down there as well, I think. There were hundreds of lizardkin – a whole society, as far as I could tell – but they weren’t native to the area. There were no non-combatants. Just warriors, priests, and these huge summoning chambers. I think somebody set all this up. They brought that army of lizardkin in, and they gave them the means to summon the elemental. I’m not sure why they’d do that, but I feel certain that the lizardkin weren’t advanced enough to have done it on their own. Or at least I hope not.”

“And you think Elder Einar was behind it,” Abby guessed.

Again, Zeke shrugged his broad shoulders. “Maybe,” he said. “Or he could’ve just sent me down there because he knew all those other adventurers had died. I don’t know, but before I confront him, I think we should find out. Once I finish that, I’m going to need to get out of Beacon. I’m sure the guild won’t exactly appreciate what I plan to do.”

Abby sighed. “It’s never easy with you,” she said. When he started to speak again, she cut him off, “No – I agree with you. If someone really is behind all this, they need to be stopped. It has to be done. I just…I’m just not looking forward to it is all.”

Abby could hardly believe what she was saying. In the past, she’d have never gotten involved in something like this. She’d been just as self-interested as everyone else. But now? She was about to ruin her guild membership, and for what? All those people were already dead, and nothing she could do could bring them back. The book was secured, and the lizards were mostly dead. The threat was over.

“Fine,” she said. “I think I might know some people that can help figure out where this book came from. That should be plenty to nail down who was behind this. In the meantime, you should probably go pick up your armor from Luigi. That leather stuff looks like it’s about to fall off you.”

He grinned. “It’s definitely seen better days,” he admitted.

“Stop getting hit, and you won’t have that issue,” she said. “I bet you jumped at the elemental, didn’t you?”

Zeke’s cheeks went red, and for a brief moment, he looked a lot younger than normal. “Maybe…”

“Of course you did,” she said with an exaggerated sigh and a roll of her eyes. “Okay – let’s get to it.”

And with that, they both left the inn, going on their separate errands.