"The Spiffy Skiff - ask for Kilroy", read the handmade business card in the Corpse Hunter's hand.

This Kilroy was the only lead that Aiden had regarding the recent murders in the Dungeons above the city of Plinth. Lady Edevane would likely be able to track down the murderer now that they had identified what poisons were used. But the wheels of bureaucracy turned slowly and the man in gray felt he could speed things along.

So rather than his usual duty of hunting down the dead so they could be laid to rest, the Corpse Hunter was hunting the living so they could be brought to trial. Of course the punishments for impeding an Ascender were harsh. Only through clearing all one hundred floors of the Dungeon was there any hope in saving the world of Fallendahl from the perpetual darkness that plagued the lands outside the Columns. So anyone the Corpse Hunter apprehended was sure to be executed for the murders.

Justice wasn't his motivation though. He simply detested those that made him work harder than he needed to. And someone going out of their way to fill the Dungeon with bodies meant more work for the man whose job was to tend to those bodies. Murders within the city itself weren't so bad for the man in gray.

Often the City Guard would bring him the bodies and he could tend to them with ease. But bodies in the Dungeon meant going through traps, waves of monsters, and carrying the dead through an array of back breaking terrain. So when someone sullied the floors above the city with corpses, well Aiden took that personally.

In the heart of the city was a large metal elevator that descended into the basement. He stood atop the metal platform and began turning a manual crank that released a counterweight. Moments later the platform began to descend beneath the city's streets.

The column of Plinth, like the other columns, had a very simple layout. On the main floor, also called level zero, was the city itself. This was where the artificial sun and moon existed along with the city's buildings, farms, rivers, woods and fields. Beneath the main floor was subfloor one, or as most called it, the basement of Plinth.

In the basement was a reservoir of water the same size as the main floor above. It was unknown whether the Column magically created the water or pulled in and purified the surrounding ground water. Regardless of its origin the reservoir provided all of the city's drinking water as well as the water for the farms above.

Over the years some Column Dwellers had found a second use for their subterranean lake, isolated living. Dozens of floating docks could be found spaced throughout the reservoir. Homes could be found on most docks belonging to those that were all too happy to ignore everything else in the world.

Connected to a large central dock was an elevator that could be used to traverse between the main floor and the basement. In this manner the Column Dwellers could transport large amounts of water from the reservoir to where it was needed most. It was this elevator that brought the Corpse Hunter onto a large dock lined with boats.

He was quickly reminded of the veteran Ascender who been murdered less than a day prior. Killed on the twenty fifth floor that had resembled the waterscape that Aiden looked out upon now. Of course the artificial lake was void of the threats that were found in the Dungeon. Only the rivers and ponds of the main floor had any aquatic life and even they weren't a danger to the Column's inhabitants.

There were only three real threats to be concerned about for those living in a Column. The impenetrable darkness that blanketed the world, the dangers within the Dungeons above the city, and the other humans within the Column. Most Column Dwellers were happy to either do their part to save their world by restoring the sun to its former glory or simply be left alone. Thus most people earned the title of either Ascender or Descender.

But not every Column Dweller fit into those two categories. If that were true, the Corpse Hunter wouldn't be down in the basement of Plinth. There was a third title given to those that wouldn’t help ascend to the top of the Column but also refused to let their peers do the same. Heretic was the name given to anyone that dared to impede the efforts of the Ascenders. Whether they acted through murder or less direct means, it made no difference. For the crime of Heresy had but one punishment, death.

When the platform that the man in gray was standing upon came to a stop he walked out onto the nearby wooden dock. He would've preferred to have his Familiar with him but he wasn't sure he had the energy to resummon him after the recent fist fight.

It was always beneficial to have a second pair of eyes but time wasn't on his side. Aiden wouldn't be doing himself any favors if he blacked out from Soul Fatigue by using his primary abilities in his current condition. He knew he'd probably have to visit a Flesh Mender before the night was over but he had a lead to follow up first. His injuries became more bothersome as the lingering effects of the Rage Potion faded. The Corpse Hunter ignored the pain as best he could.

In addition to boats, bridges, and docks the reservoir had a number of buildings. Some were well made while others looked as rough and tumble as Edgar's shop had looked. Most were homes though there were also a few businesses down here in the basement.

While there were a fair number of boats and folks moving about it was still far quieter down here than the city above. As such those who wanted to be forgotten or be allowed to carry about their personal business without the watchful eye of the City Guard did so underground.

It was no surprise to Aiden when he passed by a small shack that was quite clearly being used as a brothel. A scantily clad man and woman tried to entice him before realizing who he was. With a look of surprise they quickly ducked inside their establishment and closed the door.

The man in gray walked the dock looking for a ship that bore the name on the business card he'd been given. There weren't any by the name of the Spiffy Skiff here so he walked across a rope bridge that connected the dock he was on to an adjacent one. These bridges were spread throughout the basement like a spider's web joining the many docks around the elevator together.

Each bridge was roughly twenty feet above the water to allow the ships room to pass beneath them. The bridges also supported the oil lamps that were used to illuminate the reservoir as there was no day and night cycle down here like the one on the main floor. When someone would walk across one of the rope bridges the lanterns would sway gently. Aiden watched a couple crossing a bridge off to his right. From a distance they looked like fireflies moving swaying in a gentle night's breeze.

When the Corpse Hunter walked over to the next dock an old man carrying a box looked up at him. The man had with white hair coming out his head, chin, ears and nose. He could very well have been described as the man in white despite his bright green vest and tan trousers.

"Oh cripes, the Corpse Hunter," the old man said as he set the box down and pulled a corn cob pipe out of his pocket. "Hilda! Hilda, where are you?"

"What do you want?" asked a woman who looked to be just as old as the man. Her white hair was limited to her head and hung past her shoulders.

She peered out through the window of a nearby building. Above the building was a small sign that read, “Redenbacher’s Dockside Cottages.”

"Corpse Hunter's back. Means another tenant died, you better get some clean sheets. I'll go find the vacancy sign," the old man said as he lit his pipe.

"This isn't a business call," the Corpse Hunter said. "Well it is, but not the kind you're thinking of."

"Come again?" the old man said, putting his hand to his ear as though he didn't hear the Corpse Hunter.

"I said I'm not here for a corpse."

"No?" The old man turned back to the woman. "Never mind Hilda, false alarm."

The woman shrugged and went back inside the wooden house. Basement Dwellers were a different breed from their upper level brethren and no one understood this more than Aiden. He only came down here for work but it was an interesting change of pace when he had cause to visit the Column's basement.

"Well if you aren't here for a dead body then what's a man of your esteem doing down here? They let you retire, did they? Can't say I blame you, I remember the fellow that had your Fate before you. What was his name…" the old man trailed off trying to think twenty seven years into the past.

"Reginald", Aiden replied when it was clear the old man's memory wasn't returning anytime soon.

"Ah yes, old Reggie, now that was a fine fellow. When all three of my brothers died in that chimera smuggling ring it was old Reggie that had to pull their remains out of the ashes. Took him two days to separate the chimera's bones from my brothers' bones.

Now I'll never forget what he said to me when it was all said and done. He says, listen here Corncob, I'm Corncob by the way. Not my birth name of course but on account of me always having this corn cob pipe on my person. It was a wedding gift from my wife Hilda.

Oh Hilda and I go way back, childhood sweethearts we were, got married real young. We barely regretted it. She and I met through a mutual friend called Rosewater. Boy do I have some stories to tell about Rosewater."

"The Spiffy Skiff," the Corpse Hunter said abruptly.

"No, no, their name was Rosewater, on account of the fact that they smelled like roses and loved water. That's why they moved down here in the first place. No Rose's but plenty of water. Now the thing you gotta pay attention to when growing roses is the thorns. You know what they say, every rose has its thorns. I forget who it was that said that. I think he was a singer.

Well the one rose that doesn't have a thorn is Hilda. See, her nickname back in the day was Rose on account of her red hair. It's white now so the nickname doesn't make much sense so we stopped using it. Plus it got confusing with calling her Rose and our friend Rosewater. She's still my rose though, always was and always will be till the day you come to put us in your cart."

If Aiden had brought his cart he might have been tempted to choke the old man with his own pipe. He could say the man tripped on the dock and swallowed it. There weren't any witnesses and no one would suspect the Corpse Hunter. It was the perfect crime.

Aiden shook the thought from his head, he was here to solve a murder not cause one. Utilizing his better judgment the Corpse Hunter pulled the business card from his pocket and shoved it into the face of the man who refused to stop talking.

“Oh, what’s this?” the old man asked as he looked at the card. “The Spiffy Skiff, hmm can’t say I’ve heard of that boat though I have heard of Kilroy. He was just here, or at least I recall someone saying that. If you keep asking around you might find out where he’s run off to.”

Without bothering to say goodbye the man in gray walked away from Corncob before the old man told a story so long that they both died of old age. The rest of the buildings on the current dock were small homes as noted by their appearance and proximity to Redenbacher’s Dockside Cottages. Aiden crossed another bridge in hopes of keeping his only lead alive. He found a man loading bags of grain into a small boat.

“I’m looking for someone named Kilroy,” he said to the man.

“Corpse Hunter,” the man said, sounding surprised to see him. The man set down the heavy burlap sack and scratched his head. “Kilroy was here, you just missed him though.”

“Did you see where he went?” Aiden asked.

“No, can’t say I did. You’ll have to check around.”

The Corpse Hunter left to do as the man suggested, walking across another rope bridge and asking the denizens that inhabited the next dock. A woman was reading a story to a child in her lap. After giving her a moment to get over his sudden and somewhat unwanted arrival Aiden asked her what he’d asked all the others.

“Kilroy?” the woman repeated. “Oh yeah he was here not that long ago, I think he was headed towards the other side of the reservoir.”

With a sigh Aiden made his way across another Firefly Bridge to ask the same question. Each person he asked had the same response. “Kilroy was just here.” “Kilroy? Oh yeah he was here just a few minutes ago.” “Sure Kilroy was here, he always comes by but he had other business to tend to.”

This went on for almost an hour before Aiden gave in to the glaring reality that he was being played. He wasn’t sure if Edgar had set him up, if the person that gave Edgar the card had set Edgar up, or if the locals were just taking the piss out of him. Plinth’s basement had strange customs held by even stranger people and the Corpse Hunter was growing increasingly frustrated with them.

As he was preparing to leave the reservoir for the city above he was stopped by a man and woman in their early twenties. They stood in the middle of the rope bridge that he was crossing and didn’t look like they intended to move. There was something familiar about the woman’s face that reminded Aiden of a snake, even despite her black eye and bruised cheek.

Both she and the muscular man beside her had their arms crossed and were trying to look intimidating. Unfortunately for them the Corpse Hunter had already quarreled with someone far stronger than they looked and he was short on patience. Before he could politely tell the duo to fuck off the woman spoke.

“We heard you’ve been asking for Kilroy,” she said.

Her body language made her look confident but her voice betrayed her discomfort in talking to the Corpse Hunter. Aiden recognized the voice though it took a moment for him to place it.

“I have been,” the Corpse Hunter replied. “Do the Copper Catchers happen to know where he might be?”

There was a faint look of pride on the face of both the young man and the woman as they grinned. The Corpse Hunter knew who they were, that was something to be proud of right? Then they remembered that the last time the Corpse Hunter had seen them they were running for their lives down a back alley and their grins faded.

“We’re here to take you to him,” the woman said, slightly more sullen than she had just sounded a few seconds prior.

“Lead the way,” the man in gray replied while gesturing with both hands.

The woman turned and began to walk away though her male companion waited until the Corpse Hunter passed him before taking up the rear.