Gustall staggered out of his medical cubicle with unwrapped bandages dangling from his side, dragging the nurse with him into the aisle while Celina and Arthwin continued their passionate public display of affection.

  He stood completely shell-shocked, body and mind on the verge of collapse. Meanwhile, I accepted the disappointing fact that I probably wouldn't be seeing Arthwin's insides this morning.

  "Lina, what are you doing here?" Arthwin asked, voice full of warmth.

  "Black Diamond captured Gideon," she said. "We've come to get him back."

  Gustall turned to me, aghast. "He called her Lina..."

  I shrugged, not giving the slightest of shits.

  The level one nurse shoved Gustall back onto the cot and finished wrapping his bandages while Brythan waltzed out from the neighboring cubicle, raising his bandaged right hand. "Now, can we please get the fuck out of here?"

  Veigan leaned out of his seat, peering down the aisle at the love birds. "Hello, Arthwin, it's good to see you're doing well."

  The level eight mercenary finally stopped locking lips and saw his awkward audience. His fight or flight response kicked in as he turned to run only for Celina to grab his hand, assuring him everything was fine.

  It wasn't.

  Arthwin dropped to one knee, and bowed his head before Captain Veigan, who rolled his eyes in return. Then he realized exactly who was keeping his captain company. Our eyes met and he gasped.

  "How?" was the only word he could muster.

  "You know each other?" Veigan snapped.

  "The night before last he was dead..."

  "Dying," I corrected him. "How's the hand?"

  Arthwin tucked his stub against his chest and whipped his head around, surveying his surroundings. "Is Grimspark here?"

  Veigan jumped up and slapped him hard across the face. "How dare you ask a question, you traitorous bastard! Do you have any idea of the situation you've put us in?

  In a flash, Celina had her sword out and swung for Veigan's neck. But I caught the blade barehanded long before it had a chance at connecting. "I need him alive. I won't remind you again."

  "He knows too much," she countered.

  "So do you."

  She backed off, lowering her sword, not aware of how badly I wanted to tear her lover's throat out.

  "Lina..." Gustall came bumbling into the conversation, voice faltering. "What's going on here?"

  "Gus, we'll talk about it later," she said.

  Ouch.

  I'd never had a front-row seat to such a firm rejection before. Although it made one thing clear: romance was a mind virus. One that could drive a person to risk their life only to end up frozen in an eternal friend zone.

  Metal clanged as Brythan pounded his left fist onto a surgical platter, sending medical instruments flying across the aisle. He stormed out of his cubicle, joining the impromptu pow-wow in the center of the healing ward.

  "Wake up, cousin and smell the absolute mountain of shit we're standing in." Brythan slapped the back of Gustall's head. "He's her lover, and source–the one she planned on ripping off the vault with. Even so, who she fucks is none of our business, and it is ultimately inconsequential. We've strayed so far from our original plan it's now broad daylight, we still haven't located Gideon, and we're in the heart of the enemy's domain facing an imminent shift change, all while relying on a mysterious stranger who's grand strategy is 'kill everyone.' I'm leaving, and you should too."

  "It's too late, unless you know levitation magic and plan on jumping out a window, the shift change will be underway by the time you reach the lifts," Veigan said, and scowled as he turned toward Arthwin with the deep pain of betrayal etched across his brow. “After your little embezzlement stunt, I risked my reputation to save your life. Barret wanted you taken to the Cellar so he could pour molten iron down your throat. And you repay my grace by planning a heist with the very bandits responsible for killing half of the captain's quarters?"

  Veigan pressed his thumbs into his temple and abruptly threw his head all the way back against the chair's cushioned back rail, staring up at the polished ivory-hued stone ceiling, drowning in hopelessness.

  "What do you mean half the captains?" Arthwin asked meekly. "Him? He killed them?"

  Celina pointed at me and whispered. "Yes, love, we triggered an Echo Eye on the way in. Cyprus has kindly been carving out a path for us."

  Arthwin's expression twitched, and I caught it. The unmistakable moment where the cracks formed in his perfect idealization of his lover, a new layer of her personality was peeled back, and it dawned on him he was dating a complete maniac. "Then where's Barret?"

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "Sleeping. He put me in charge of quashing this intrusion and went back to bed." Veigan laughed. "Even I won't be able to pass off culpability for this disaster when he wakes up."

  "What about Gravedigger?"

  "Dead."

  "The whole unit?"

  "The whole unit." Veigan looked me over from head to toe. "Three things and you'll let me live, huh?"

  "Yes, you have my word," I said, already pleased with his cooperation thus far.

  "Arthwin, go into my archive, find the contract we signed with Pearl Banner, and meet us at the vault with it," Veigan commanded as he leaped up from the lounge chair.

  "You can't be serious," Arthwin sputtered.

  Veigan wound back his hand again, but stopped himself. Instead he bent down and grabbed his level eight subordinate's shoulders, and shook him. "Don't you understand? Black Diamond no longer employs us. We may as well throw away our Elite Perks Plus cards. Even if this rogue manages to kill Barret, Burtrip will seek answers. And I've seen how he asks questions--with hooks and chains. The only thing that terrifies me more than him is what's standing behind me."

  Veigan released Arthwin's shoulders from his grip, placed a hand on his head and ruffled his hair as he walked by. "Paradigm's shift. Keep up or be swept away fighting the current."

  "Yes, sir." Arthwin raised his head, stood up, and planted an unabashed kiss on Celina's forehead while his gaze settled on Gustall.

  "This sonofa—"

  Brythan yanked Gustall by the shoulder, preemptively stopping him from lunging at the level eight in a heated rage.

  "Be safe," Celina called after him as he dashed away.

  Thankfully, Veigan recognized the stakes and set the group's pace at a steady speed walk, like we were simply on our way to a business meeting rather than a panicked hustle deep behind enemy lines.

  Despite Veigan's appalling karma rating, I liked him leagues better than the rest of my in over their head acquaintances. Actually, his cooperation rendered my need for the bandits obsolete–human paperweights--redundancies I could live without. Pragmatically, dispatching them and reducing our carbon footprint to just Veigan and myself would've made our movements through the Upper Tier much more inconspicuous.

  Yet, part of me wanted us to stand-out. Secretly hoping our party drew moths to flame. My confidence swelled to all time highs, with my only concern being Barret, who I planned on immediately eliminating with Shadow Weave before he could react.

  As we slipped through the lobby, I saw a woman with silver-hair dressed in grey work linens pushing a cart stacked with towels and bars of soap. An unfamiliar twinge of pain shot through my jaw, like I'd bitten down on a scrunched up ball of tin foil.

  You told her you would take her to Onadell.

  I drowned the dreaded voice in my head with promises of further violence and experience gains until I was strong enough to destroy whatever Chaos was.

  In a brisk stride, Veigan guided us out of the medical lobby and down a series of interconnected corridors that made my head spin. I always considered myself directionally inclined until I tried keeping up with the number of lefts and rights I had taken since my arrival. He popped into a small side-room and came out with Black Diamond issued cloaks with charcoal colored diamonds embedded above the right breast, highlighted by a white threaded outline. I slipped into the fresh cloak, fully appreciating the mild floral scent lingering in its fibers.

  "Where exactly is Gideon being held?" Celina asked, tossing her old cloak on the ground.

  "We'll pass recruitment and logistics on the way to the vault," Veigan said, swiftly putting us back in motion.

  As we approached an open doorway that spilled out onto a wide central walkway with panoramic windows on the left side, and glimmering marble walls on the right, Veigan said, "If anyone says anything to us, let me do the talking.

  Time Remaining: 17:02:23

  It had taken us over half an hour to take the lift, and find Veigan in the Upper Tier. With the hour about to turn over, I figured what the captain had said about the shift change was the truth.

  We turned out onto the central walkway, and while it wasn't quite bustling, it was a far cry from vacant. Higher-ranked mercenaries: lieutenants, sergeants, and the occasional corporal passed right by us, too busy basking in the scenery. As we hit a slight incline, Karma's Gaze revealed an interesting set of targets atop the walkway's slope.

  Target: Skarrack

  Level: 9

  Karma: -4375

  Additional Data: Captain of Black Diamond's 2nd Infantry Division, also known as the Blood Demon. Innovated several popular torture methods and information extraction procedures.

  He wore a loose-fitting shirt, deep sea blue shorts with a rippling design, along with a pair of wooden sandals, carrying a towel over his shoulder. He was accompanied by another level nine.

  Target: Waraji

  Level: 9

  Karma: -3290

  Additional Data: Captain of Black Diamond's 2nd Infantry Reserve Division. Religiously consumes one growler of Sentinel per day. When he's not training specially selected lieutenants in his secret Boulder Palm technique, he's likely perusing Back Diamond's commissary for fresh imports.

  Waraji, who also looked like he was dressed for a day at the spa, walked alongside Skarrack, conversing as they crested the incline. Meanwhile, Veigan and our rag-tag group made our way up across from them.

  "Aye, Captain Veigan, what was the cause of the early morning ruckus? Was it really necessary to wake us up?" Skarrack said, stopping in his wake. "You know, I have insomnia–told ya that the last time you roused me for some bullshit. Remember what I said?"

  We matched Veigan as he slowed our pace along the base of the incline, standing nearly 10 yards away from the captains.

  "Yes, I recall you mentioning something about dipping my hands in acid."

  "No—your feet! High Captain Barret won't be pleased if I sear your hands, but you can still sign papers and file documents from a wheelchair."

  I sensed the Moonsewn Bandit's nervousness as they instinctively hovered their hands toward their weapons, an act which made Skarrack raise an eyebrow.

  "And who are these chuckle-fucks?" he spat. "I don't recognize a single one of 'em."

  Veigan threw his hands up and let out an obnoxious, drawn-out sigh. "Nor do you recognize any of the hundreds of new recruits and clients I deal with on a daily basis. What's your point? I have more places to be and more things to do than you have smarts."

  Waraji laughed with his entire belly, filling the walkway with a deep echo. Steamed by the comment, Skarrack cracked his knuckles, and I wondered if Veigan was intentionally drawing us into combat.

  But Veigan, who was a good foot and a half shorter than him, cocked his head, squinted hard and said, "Unrealized threats only make you weak. Maybe all the captains should know a little more about the Brazier incident. Perhaps we should bring in the high captain on this matter, and settle everything in the open."

  Skarrack shut his mouth and kept walking with Waraji in tow. Veigan continued his stride and we followed. As we passed them, Skarrack purposefully stumbled into Brythan. He grabbed the bandit's bandaged hand and squeezed his fingers backward, snapping them in two.

  Brythan screamed and crumpled as the level nine captain wrenched his forearm back before letting go.

  "Sorry newcomers. Blame your captain for running his mouth," he said, finally releasing Brythan and giving him a disrespectful pat on his back.

  Waraji cackled, throwing his head back as Brythan and Celina reached for their weapons.

  "Stop," Veigan warned.

  But I met Skarrack's gaze with a sly smile in anticipation for what was to come.