Franco awoke to find himself laying on his back as the city moved around him. It took him a bit to realize what had happened. He had passed out and a memory had come back to him. He could remember the complex feelings he had about that girl, real anger and frustration but also a desire to make it all work for them, for his family. The deep fear he had there at the end. It must have been when they had opened the door into the Desanigh dungeon. When his team had died around him, no, when Eloise his fiance had been killed. Nothing but that memory and their feelings came back. He didn't remember his family, just that memory of how much this marriage meant. How much it would help his noble house.

  Franco froze at that thought. He was some kind of Abigail nobility. He didn't think he was all that important but his family was and so had been Eloise’s. Who he had gotten killed. Those facts hit him hard and he kept his eyes closed in thought as they moved him.

  “Well put him down and take a break before we hit the stairs” Summer said, strain in her voice.

  Suddenly he felt very bad for the present and not his past. He opened his eyes and sat up.

  “Wow there, take it easy” Faye said at his movement.

  “Sorry, I’m better now. Not sure what happened there” He said as he tried to move.

  “Hold on, hold on. Put it down, put it down here. One, two, three” Summer said as she laid the stretcher down.

  “Sorry, sorry” he said as he got up from it.

  Summer, Faye, Mari and Ishtar had carried him.

  “Sorry guys” He said again.

  “It's fine Franco, just calm down and let me check on you” Faye said as she reached for his hand feeling his pulse.

  After that she checked both his eyes and then had him take a sip from a stamina potion and a health one just to be sure.

  “He seems fine” was all she said when she was done.

  “Really, I feel alright now. I’m more embarrassed than anything.”

  “Well, do you think you can walk?” Summer asked him.

  “Yes of course”

  “Good” Mari chimed in and slapped him on the back.

  “You're a heavy guy you know that” Mari said as he helped Ishtar to fold up the stretcher and put it back into a ruck. It was just a blanket and two adventuring poles.

  Franco saw that they were almost to a gate that lay a few blocks in front of them but it wasn't the one they had entered from.

  “Where are we?” Franco said as the group started walking to the Gate.

  “South west corner of the city. We are heading to the 9th Gate. The one your Wrath of Pele friend found, lucky bastards." Meri said.

  “Oh about them” Franco said as he started to look at this adventuring belt for those two stones Cid had handed him.

  “I have them here” Faye said as she pulled the two stones now wrapped in a small handkerchief from one of her belt pouches.

  “Thanks, sorry” he said for what must have been the millionth time.

  He quickly put away the two stones making sure not to touch them directly before he followed after the group. They reached the square in front of the stairs leading to the 9th Gate before anyone spoke again.

  “So” Summer said, turning to Franco.

  “What happened back there?

  “Good questions but to be honest I’m not sure. I felt something maybe, I’m not sure but then I had a vivid memory of just before the doors to Desanigh were opened. I was with the team, I was with before I lost my memory. Not a lot but just us there talking and then a team mate talking about their Soul sense going off after a pulse of energy. I think I kinda felt that again.”

  “Which team mate of yours” Summer asked calmly.

  He coughed and looked away from her. “Oh this was my old team right before I lost my memory and it's not important.”

  “New memories after feeling something similar sounds important to me Franco” Faye said before Summer could answer.

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  “And any kind of Soul Sense by a low level companion like yourself means that it was a title or an innate ability which means strong.” Dai the Hunter chimed in, in his quiet way.

  “I guess that’s true but let's get going. I'll buy you all a round of drinks or two for carrying my fat ass for so long.” Franco said.

  “Deal” Mari said as he started across the square and headed for the stairs out.

  ***

  “What do you think that was all about?” Cid said as he watched Seasons End and the Atwood Axes carry Franco back to the surface on a stretcher.

  “Did you feel anything before he passed out?” Finnegan asked quietly.

  Cid just shook his head no and he hadn't but he was even more convinced now than ever that his hollow white little Adder stone was the key to getting down to the next level. Adder, what a stranger name for it Cid thought, but it made sense if it added the effect to arrows or other things. Like the arrow trap.

  Cid turned back to look at the arch and the missing stone on the panel. None of them were white like his little one. It was the key he knew it.

  “Don't do anything stupid Cid. Lets see what happens to the kid first but yes I think you are on to something about that stone”.

  Cid nodded and then smiled. Soon, he could feel it in his soul.

  ***

  “Lets see them then” Frazier said as she held out her hand to Franco.

  He had rushed back here to their place and explained what had happened to him today. At her words he just took the two stones and the handkerchief they were wrapped in out of a pouch from his adventuring belt and gave them to her. He then went ahead and took off his belt and then his armor as he got comfortable.

  Oaken took the purple stone from Frazier and the two of them went to the common room of their place as Franco stripped down into more comfortable clothes. Hanging up his armor and his belt on an armor stand he laid his saber on his bed before changing into some clean clothes that didn't have the day's stink on them.

  When he came out of his room back into the common room Maph waved at him to take a seat at the table across from him. They had gotten a table and four chairs somehow the other day as well as some nicer beds. It did feel like they would be here awhile. Maph waved for him to sit as he had gotten him some dinner.

  He had come straight from the dungeon here and the mess hall was set to close for the evening soon. It seemed Maph had gone out and gotten him a plate before it closed.

  “Thanks,” Franco said as he sat.

  It looked to be a lasagna of some type with a creamy spicy sauce and Maph had been nice enough to grab some thick wheat rolls to go with it. Franco didn't realize how hungry he was until he dug into the food.

  “It looks like your three Adder stones, Frazier” Oaken finally said.

  “Yea it does, how stupid am I for just tying it out” Frazier asked.

  “We can just wait until we talk to Brother Zif” Maph added reasonably.

  “What's the fun in that?” Franco said with his mouth full of food.

  “What he said. Do it and shot shot the back wall. No one lives in that building yet” Oaken said, pointing with his large right hand while this third one held the purple stone to his face.

  “This one,” Frazier said, holding up the stone she was looking at.

  “Yes” both Franco and Oaken said at the same time. A bit of food coming out of Franco’s mouth.

  Maph just rolled his eyes and folded his arms as he sat back. They were going to do what they did no matter what he said.

  Frazier was not in her armor but she did have her gauntlet on and her adventurer belt so as Zif had shown her she removed one of the three adder stones and put in the hollow white stone. It was actually a little smaller than her other ones but the gauntlet seemed to slightly move to fit the stone securely.

  “Wow” Oaken said, pointing at Frazier's gauntlet with two of his three arms.

  “I didn't know it would resize itself,” she said.

  He had to swallow his food before he could speak again. “So its an Adder stone than”

  “I think so, it feels right but let me move Mana to it.” She said as she moved her fingers in a way that the lines of glowing Mana moved to the new stones location and it grew brighter as Mana filled the stone.

  “What do you think it adds” she asked as he held the gauntlet in front of her.

  “Spirit” Oaken said at the same time Franco said “Soul”

  They looked at each other and Franco shrugged.

  “Same thing”

  “And what would Spirit or Soul aspected Mana do” Frazier said.

  “I think it just does Soul damage. Cid said some of the lizardkin would just die when hit but most would scream in pain and be stunned by it”

  Without another word Frazier pulled her auto crossbow from her belt and infusing it briefly in the hollow white light she fired a bolt into the back wall. The bolt flew true and stuck the back wall of the room bouncing off the stone wall and came tumbling back her way. Frazier had to jump to her right to miss the ricocheting bolt as it nearly hit her in its bounce back.

  Both Maph and Franco laughed at the site but she shot them a hard look and she was still holding her auto crossbow. Franco swallowed his laugh mid laugh but still snickered.

  Oaken cleared his throat “Well it infused the arrow but with what we don't know. Nothing flashy happened like your fire or shock would. Could still be Soul like Franco thinks.”

  “It felt different than anything I can think of, so Soul works for me. I definitely do not want to get hit by this. Should I test the purple one?”

  All three of them said no at the same time.

  “I think a trip down to the Jade Temple is in order to check up on old Brother Zif and ask some questions,” Franco said.

  “Like what?” Maph asked.

  Franco was quiet for a few seconds in thought before he answered.

  “My Spirit Mind enhancement seemed to activate or do something just before I passed out and had that memory come back to me. I also think it has something to do with that Adder stone and the dungeon. There is more here and we need to find out what it is”