Aang’s private hunting grounds were connected to the Union’s dungeon with black curtains. There were no walls, no fences or gates or locks, just a pair of ordinary curtains. Ven pushed through.

  The view on the other side made Vivi pause. Lucius gushed a sound of awe in Vivi’s thoughts.

  In the middle of the open cavern, a silver fountain sprinkled clear water. The cavern was as large as the dungeon’s main entrance hall, but the union’s grounds were far more colorful. Brick paths had been paved into the otherwise stale ground. Establishments almost resembled buildings; there were wooden shacks and stall-like structures used for storage. Ether-powered lamps lit the pathways with clear lighting.

  Ven grinned, seeing Vivi’s reaction. “We might be nimrods, but we aren’t savages. This area has been dubbed the ‘hub.’ Or ‘Aang’s hub’ to be more precise. Because generally speaking, this place is far more pleasant than the mess up top.”

  There must have been a hundred or so demons present in Aang’s hub. The place was more cramped with people than Vivi would have liked. Some of the demons were working on projects—woodworking, sharpening swords, cleaning streets—but a lot of demons stood near the fountain, as if waiting for something. They were looking in Vivi’s direction.

  “I told members to gather up for important news,” Ven said. “This is far from everyone, but enough members have gathered for word to spread. Just remember, most demons present are not Hollows. Don’t mention private matters in the hub.”

  Ven headed straight toward the fountain. Vivi breathed in. She really didn’t want to meet more demons. She still hadn’t taken a proper bath. Couldn’t she just get back to practice and memorization?

  “Hello, everyone,” Ven said. “I usually don’t call for a gathering to announce newcomers, but this event calls for an exception. Everyone, please welcome Vivi, the Union’s newest troublemaker.”

  The demons looked at her curiously. At the front stood a taller man with large muscles and a confident posture. He had long curly hair and an unusually rough skin texture. “The human?” he asked, speaking to Ven. “She’s joining us?”

  “Yes,” Ven said. “Vivi, this is Worhard. The Union’s leading brute fighter and sometimes strategist.”

  “What about the rumors?” Worhard asked. “This human supposedly killed a dozen nimrods in her first week for her own profit.”

  “Yeah, that’s nonsense,” Ven said. “The rumors are not true. Andre’s men set them up. Afterward, word spread. We’ve been caught up in idiotic lies.”

  “Ah,” Worhard said. “Well that makes sense. Of course it’s fucking Andre again. If she’s not a murderer, she’s welcome. Why the gathering?”

  “There is one rumor that has not been false,” Ven said. “The ones regarding Vivi’s strength. She has defeated a ghost blade on her own. She has escaped every hunter trying to murder her for a bounty. Vivi is strong. From today on, she’s going to become a trial member of Aang’s officials.”

  The demons behind Worhard appeared surprised. They began whispering amongst each other. Vivi stood nervously, uncertain on what she should be doing or saying.

  “What, so this gathering was a sack of nonsense,” Worhard said. “If someone’s strong, they’re in. No need for speeches. Welcome to the union, Vivi.”

  Vivi lowered her head. “Thanks.”

  A woman in a brown cloak stepped next to Worhard. “If she joins officially, the Union’s reputation will fall further. Bwern and Andre will claim we are working with murderers.”

  “So be it,” Ven said. “Deny the claims when they come. If nimrods choose to believe those rumors, let them. We have more than enough members regardless.”

  “Agreed,” Worhard said. “Has anyone shown Vivi around yet?”

  “I will be holding a tour,” Ven said. “Everyone, please wish Vivi a warm welcome.”

  Demons hesitantly lowered their heads. “Welcome,” the ones close by said. Most of them didn’t look particularly eager, but nobody frowned at her either.

  Worhard grinned. “Let’s hunt together one day. I’d like to see how someone your size fights.”

  Vivi gave him an awkward laugh. “One day.”

  “That’s it for the meeting,” Ven said. “Thanks everyone for coming. Spread the word to others. If anyone in the Union tries to hunt Vivi for her bounty, that member will be kicked out.”

  The others nodded.

  “Good,” Ven said. “Now, food. I told Gaven to cook something proper today. Let’s see the kitchen.”

  Ven walked past the small crowd of demons, deeper into the Union’s territory. Vivi followed. Her thoughts were jumbled. Somehow, she had been prepared for more. The nimrods had never treated her with any sort of manners. What was so different about Aang’s union?

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Ven cleared my name so easily? Vivi thought. He just had to tell them I’m not a murderer?

  “Life is easy when you’re respected,” Lucius said. “The others trust Ven.”

  Demons moved out of the way as Ven passed with his head high. Some nodded at him or offered a salute, to which Ven responded with a nod of his own.

  A wide paved path lined with streetside flowers and a door in the wall led Vivi to the canteen chamber. Three long tables were placed next to each other with a total of three dozen spots to eat in. Eight demons were lined up with bowls to grab soup from a cauldron. Most of the demons were dressed reasonably nicely, but there was one scrawnier man with a hunched back standing between two taller demons.

  “How private is Aang’s hub?” Vivi asked quietly. “Who are these demons?”

  “Everyone here is a member of the union,” Ven said. “Aang’s hub doesn’t exclude anyone who knows how to behave. Every member gets one free meal a day. We stop crazies from coming in with our monthly payment requirements, but we try to pay back that ether as much as we can. That short dwarf eating on the right is a secret guard. We have a lot of those.”

  Wow… Vivi thought. Why hadn’t she heard of this place right away? She would have joined the union immediately if she knew it was this nice.

  “Still, the Union is not a paradise,” Ven said. He walked past the canteen and unlocked a heavy stone door in the corner of the cavern. They entered the kitchen. “Members die every week. We try to protect as many nimrods as we can, but some are simply too troublesome to keep alive. We try to offer jobs and opportunities, but some demons are too unskilled and depressed to earn any ether at all. Those demons get kicked out after failing to pay membership fees. It hurts every time, but this is the only way the Union has any sort of stability.”

  The kitchen was separated into two halves. One half had the two cooks and a cramped cooking area. There were two emberstone-powered heating stoves and dozens of drawers and other equipment. A large round demon was stirring a cauldron of soup. Beside him, a smaller boy was cutting vegetables, tossing them into the pot.

  The other half had two smaller dining tables. Paintings of hellish lava landscapes were hung on the wall above the tables.

  “That’s Gaven and his son, Enly,” Ven said. “Our cooks. Both of them are Hollows. The kitchen is a safe space so long as we talk quietly.”

  “Os,” Gaven said. A greeting of sorts.

  “Hello,” Vivi said.

  Enly finished cutting a large root potato before filling a bowl of soup and a mug of water. He delivered both to the dining tables and bowed, then got back to work.

  “I told you to cook something nice today,” Ven said.

  “I don’t give special treatment,” Gaven said. “If you eat nicely, so does the rest of the Union. Our ingredients were garbage this week.”

  Ven sighed. “Well, I hope root slop will do, then.”

  “It’s fine,” Vivi said. “It smells better than what I ate on the surface.”

  “Seasoning is one hell of a hack,” Gaven said. “Roots are nasty, but they bring good nutrition. Sit and eat.”

  Vivi complied. She hadn’t felt hungry earlier, when she’d still had ether fueling her muscles, but after Rohan prohibited her from using ether, her body suddenly wished for a lot more food.

  She got to eating. The slop tasted anything but good. Whatever seasoning Gaven was using gave the slop a bitter aftertaste. Still, Vivi emptied the bowl without complaints while listening to Ven’s idle small talk. Gaven barely responded. Ven was mostly talking to himself.

  Moments after she finished, a door at the back of the kitchen opened. “Hello, dear Iwi!” Alisa said eagerly.

  Vivi gave her a look. “You said it wrong.”

  “Sorry, sorry. I thought Emmy gave you a cute nickname.” Alisa smiled for a second, but her expression quickly turned serious. She pulled a folded piece of parchment from her pockets. She unwrapped it, then slammed the map on the table.

  Vivi was faced with the most convoluted and messy map of lines and drawings. “This is the underground,” Alisa said. “Every cavern, every crawlspace, every hidden exit with few exceptions. Home isn’t marked, but it’s right there.” Alisa pointed at one of the incoherent lines on the map. “Looks good?”

  Vivi stared at the map in horror. “I’m supposed to understand this?”

  “You will,” Alisa said. “Before anything, however, there’s something you must show me. Your spirit can hide items in its, uh, elemental storage place, correct? Can this map fit there?”

  “It can,” Vivi said. “Lucius, can you show her?”

  The map turned to ether, disappearing into spatial storage.

  “Keep it there,” Alisa said. “Always. That map is serious contraband. If anyone sees it, the Hollows are as good as gone. You can study it here, but never forget to hide the map. Understand?”

  “Understood,” Vivi said.

  “Good,” Alisa said. “Follow me. I’ll show you your new sleeping quarters.”

  Vivi moved without questions this time. Nearly her whole day had consisted of following the Hollows around. For her first few weeks, Vivi figured she would need to get used to being thrown around for lesser tasks and learning. She was fine with that, though she hoped Aang would provide a smithy soon.

  Alisa led Vivi into a narrow undecorated hallway lined with doors similarly to the apartments in the hub. Alisa led Vivi through one of the heavy stone doors at the back of the hallway.

  “Your room,” Alisa said, showcasing the most beautiful little pocket Vivi had seen.

  There was a bed. A real bed with a red blanket and a soft mattress. The nightstand was sturdy, and patterns were carved into the legs. Vivi even had her own chair with a backrest.

  “It’s small and claustrophobic, I know,” Alisa said. She had to lower her head to fit in. “But a silent alcove away from the world is exactly the type of room that fits your next task. You’re going to memorize the map. You’re going to practice channeling ether. And that’s on top of your runesmithing duties. A lot of work.”

  “I can handle the schedule,” Vivi said.

  “We will see,” Alisa said. “See that red orb above the door? That’s a warning signal. If it ever shines with ether, immediately hide your aura and retrieve any contraband into your spirit storage. The sleeping quarters are confined enough that your aura won’t make it past the kitchens, but it wouldn’t be the first time guards barged in, hoping to catch someone holding more ether than allowed.”

  “Yes,” Vivi said.

  Alisa thought for a minute. “I think that’s all. Aang intends to include you as a full member by the next cycle. You will have two weeks to practice while the bosses respawn. Afterward, the hunt for skills begins. Sounds good?”

  Vivi breathed in. “Teach me how to conceal my aura.”

  Alisa grinned. “Very well. For the next two weeks, your every hour will be spent with us. Say your prayers, and let practice begin.”

  Spotify playlist for the Ethersmith! It's nothing serious, just some fun songs that inspired the series. Mostly metal and some nostalgic dubstep.

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