* * *

“Hey, Zim! Zim! Will you slow down, Zimthose? Jeez, it’s like chasing a Kleptolisk that’s snatched a full purse of crowns!”

“Did you just call me a cross-eyed lizard?”

“Oho, he finally listens! And no, chromalisks might be able to look in two directions at once, but that doesn’t make them ‘cross-eyed’!” The two knights finally slowed their pace to a brisk walk. 

Zimthose and Lance had been booking it since they left the Guild Hall nearly twenty minutes ago. While the Technician Knight was well seasoned in combat and his stamina nothing to shrug at, he was already beginning to breathe heavily. As a Striker, though, Zimthose seemed to be completely indifferent after running for so long.

“What, can’t keep up? If you’re gonna slow me down, I’ll just go on without you.”

“Oh come on, we still got time until the mission later.”

“Yeah, but I wanna hurry up so we can grab some grub. While I’d like a sandwich from The Snipe’s Perch, I’ll settle for something from the Spiral Mess Hall. Assuming it’s not busy.”

As they made their way from the Garrison to the Town Square, slowly more people filled the streets and buildings.

“Alright, that’s fair. I’m not one for sandwiches, but I do wish I could've gotten one of their flan cakes, myself.”

“Seriously? I thought Balldrick was the only one who wore the Virulisk suit?”

“Are you serious? You don’t need to be a chromalisk or wear a suit of armor made from them to like caramel pastries! Besides, knights who’ve worn a Virulisk suit don’t just suddenly start craving it. That’s a dumb rumor I wouldn’t be surprised if you had started spreading.”

“Lance! I can’t believe you’d insinuate I’m capable of that!” Zimthose said, feigning shock. “Honestly, even I haven’t been able to start a rumor that clever. As dumb as it might seem, even you know what I’m talking about when I mention it. Alas, one day I shall be the source of such a rumor. One day…” he muttered, wistfully. 

“Yeah, sure. Just don’t go causing problems, especially for the guild. Or me. If you gotta pay Vise and Punch any extra fees, you’d be better off getting a loan from Brinks,” Lance warned. “Now I just hope those Gremlins can do what I’d like with the materials I’ve got on me.”

“Materials? Is that what you ran back to your room to grab before we left?”

“Yep. I’ve got an idea for enhancing this smogger here, but I need a professional’s help to pull it off.” Lance gestured to the rounded bomb attached to his bandolier, colored a mix of teal-blue and minty-green.

“The hell's a smogger?”

The two knights finally passed the street separating the Garrison zone from the Town Square. As they quickly bounded down the steps, they could see dozens of knights and Strangers around the square.

“Ah, right! It’s Iron Bishop next week! I was wondering where everyone was,” Lance said.

“Iron Bishop? Oh, right, the day we landed. Ugh, why do we even celebrate that? I’m not one to say no to a party, but the Skylark was shot down, and we’ve been stranded here ever since!” Zimthose eyed dryly the crowd of people already getting ready for the next week’s three day-long festivities. “Almost two and a half years have passed on Isora. For all we know, we’ve already lost the war because of this stupid planet.”

“No. Don’t even get started with that kind of shit, and I mean it,” Lance said, thrusting a finger in Zimthose’s face. “I get you’re frustrated about being stuck here; I can’t imagine a Spiral Knight who isn’t. But we were trusted with the mission of finding a power source to save Isora; we need to have faith in those that stayed behind that they’ll hold out until we can get home to help them once again. In the meantime, why shouldn’t we celebrate the fact that we’re still alive and kicking, after everything we’ve been through?”

Zimthose rolled his eyes.

“Sure, whatever. So, you mentioned knowing a shortcut or two earlier, right?” Zimthose asked, walking up to the middle of the massive fountain taking up half the Town Square, stretching about fifty meters in both directions. “I’ll be kind and let you lead the way, since you’ll be following me later.”

“Oh, how kind and humble of you, Zimthose. Do try to keep up.” With that, Lance jumped into the fountain.

“Umm, excuse me?” Zimthose recoiled as a mild splash erupted.

“It’s only a foot and a half deep or so. What? Afraid of a little water?”

“No, but… this is your shortcut?”

“If you want to walk around the whole fountain and through the crowds, be my guest. I’m sure you won’t have random folks asking you to lend a hand with their elaborate decorations or setups,” Lance smirked as he turned around and began running through the middle of the fountain, making great splashes as he went.

“How wasn’t I crazy enough to think of this? I’m losing my touch,” mumbled Zimthose as he followed suit. He tried forcing his way through the water, but the resistance was only made worse by his armor. “Hey, how the heck are you moving so much faster?”

“It’s all in the thighs!” Lance shouted over his shoulder. He was making much larger strides while pulling his feet out from the water to reduce resistance. Zimthose quickly tried replicating the movements, and after a dozen strides he was finally closing the gap between them.

“Hey,” Zimthose shouted, just loud enough to hear over their splashes. “You ever wonder where all this water comes from?”

* * *

“Don’t mind me,” Rhendon pulled a seat from a nearby table to join me and Balldrick. We had already set our helmets and weapons off to the side to eat, and he insisted we eat without him. “I’ll need a moment to explain what’s going on, so feel free to eat.”

Our sandwiches were almost a foot long, with bread a dark brown and rounded, not unlike a tree log. Cut in half along their length, the sandwiches contained several slices of Gobblesnipe, a kind of bird which tasted just as much as it looked like a turkey. Cute, but not as colorful as a typical snipe. Definitely tastier, though.

Topped with a white cheese and a few sauces, the main difference between our sandwiches was mine had none of the veggies, and just looking at Balldrick’s caused my eyes to water.

“How can you eat anything with that much spice?” I asked him. “Blaze peppers are ridiculously hot, and you need to power-wash anything they cling on to.”

“I find it’s a nice ‘wake-me-up’, nothing too spicy,” Balldrick explained. “It’s got a nice flavor too, but yeah, I’ll admit its tendency to stick to anything can be problematic. In that case, though, I’m sure Zimthose would just claim ‘skill issue’ and say to just not let it touch anything.”

“That he would, yep.”

We talked and chowed down as Rhendon fiddled with his data pad. I asked again if he was sure he didn’t want anything, but he insisted he didn’t have an appetite. A few minutes later, he set it on the table and began explaining.

“So, about a week ago, you guys found some data relating to something we now know as ‘Project R’. Said project and its potential for mass destruction aren’t public knowledge, but I’ve been informed of the specifics since Spiral HQ has requested my Scarlet Scouts to do some preliminary investigating into locations that might be vital to this project. I sent out various teams, but Magma Squad was one of my best.” He gestured to the data pad, which had an image of four knights lined up together. From right to left, each wore unique armor: a new-looking demo-suit, heavy plated armor, Spiral Guardian gear, and an outfit made of scales. Their armor and helmets all had varying tinges of red, and each bore a Scarlet Scout crest on the left of their chests. 

“Char was their demolitions expert; he helped develop advancements for various demo-suits that bombers like him wear, as well as a new type of explosive he dubbed ‘Irontech’. Brenishire, next to him, was their Guardian. Always in full Heavy Plate gear, and carried a shield he made from a Tortodrone he’d slain himself. Ignea on the left here was Magma Squad’s Striker, taught by none other than Lieutenant Vaelyn, renowned for her dual-wielding skills. I’m not much of a gambler, but I’d be willing to bet she overtakes Vaelyn in solo duels not too long from now. And last, but not least,” he said, zooming in on the knight in the mid-left of the line-up, “is Magma Squad’s leader, Nether.”

“Nether?” Balldrick took a sip of his water as he shook his head. “He was a well known officer of the Golden Dragons, back on Isora. I thought Desna recruited all Golden Dragons and Iron Wolves to be a part of her Recon Rangers now.”

Rhendon grimaced. “Not all of them. She especially wasn’t happy about failing to get Nether to join her, I won’t lie. But if she got her hands on every Champion-ranked knight with experience on the front lines against the Morai, there wouldn’t be enough pre-established fighting power for the guilds or other agencies to be able to accomplish what needs to be done here on Cradle.”

“Like your Scarlet Scouts?” I asked, only halfway done with my meal.

“Exactly. I’ll be honest: on average, my scouts were not the most seasoned prior to coming to Cradle. Desna managed to snatch up the majority of the most capable knights not already affiliated with a guild or other groups. Her method of letting them dictate their own rules and how to operate was rather enticing, considering the circumstances; stranded on a strange, hostile planet and exploring an ever changing labyrinth, all that jazz. Most experienced knights didn’t like the idea of being held back by Spiral HQ, even if it was to keep as many of us safe while making any amount of progress.” Rhendon sighed, taking a deep breath as he massaged his temple under his helmet. “But I digress. Anyways, since my establishing the Scouts, the ones I’ve recruited have been well trained, and very well equipped. Not just by me but by Vanguards like Vaelyn and Barrus, too. As well as some others I’d recruited to my ranks.”

“Others, meaning more than just Nether?” Balldrick asked.

“Yep. Some more recently recruited than others. I believe you have a history with Gutler, right Balldrick?”

“That sonuva… I was wondering where he’d been. And here I was thinking he hadn’t been by for a duel because he was finally up by one.”

“I thought it was two?” I said, half joking.

“No, we decided that Zimthose pulling shenanigans voided the duel before that, even though Gutler was ahead. ”

“Ah, figures,” I nodded. “So, I know Gutler has been a successful Champion-ranked knight since we got to Cradle, but what’s so special about this Nether, then? I’ve never heard of him before.”

“Nether was…” Rhendon sighed, chuckling. “Let’s just say he wasn’t a people person for one. When I came to him to ask for help, he’d already declined Desna’s recruitment twice. Which is ironic, given how he likes to operate. Although, that might have to do with the fact that Desna wanted him to help train her newer Recon Rangers, rather than be a field operative. He hated the idea of having to train or teach anyone himself, always insisting there was someone better for that kind of work.” He paused for a second, before standing up. “All this talking is making me thirsty. I’m gonna grab some water, after all.”

“Could you ask for a glass for me as well?” I asked. Rhendon’s brows creased as he looked at me for a moment.

“I guess. How about you, Balldrick?”

“I’d appreciate it.”

“Alright, sure,” Rhendon said, walking over to the cafe’s front window. I took the last bite of my sandwich and turned to Balldrick. He had just a couple more bites left himself.

“I’m surprised you’d heard of this Nether.”

“Well, I was something of a fan of the Golden Dragons and Iron Wolves, in my younger years. You were probably a bit too young to be paying attention to the worst aspects of the war. And for someone only a few years older than me, his accomplishments were inspiring, sure. But he was also part of said ‘worst aspects’; there’s a reason he became known as ‘the rogue and merciless officer from hell,’ Nether Slayer.”

“I’m sor– the what? Daheck is that supposed to mean? And what kind of name is that?” I was bewildered to hear anyone would have such a title, but Balldrick just laughed.

“Haha, that was his nickname during his prime on Isora. I swear, the person who came up with it probably cut their tongue, with how edgy the name sounds. I heard many a stories about the Dragons and Wolves, but the one in particular that stood out to me was how a single Golden Dragon, by himself, took out a whole Morai research facility just to take down a single Morai General.”

“Nether did that? How?” I asked, hunching over on the table. Balldrick finished his sandwich and licked his fingers before continuing.

“Well, the story goes that he started several fires at once, smoking the personnel out of the buildings. After getting the General to evacuate with the rest of the Morai on site, Nether abducted him, secretly carried him back into the main building, interrogated him amidst the flames, and uncovered various pieces of research. All while the facility’s generator was set to critical and capable of basically disintegrating everything in a ten mile radius at the drop of a hat.”

“A hundred miles, actually.” Rhendon had returned carrying a tray with three glasses. “The report only said ten to minimize concerns for anyone who looked into it, but the reality is they just dropped one of the zeroes.”

“Seriously?” Balldrick asked, wide-eyed. “Well, mission accomplished. A hundred miles… that’s terrifying to think about.”

“Um… wow.” I had no other words. The scope of an operation like that, sneaking into the heart of enemy territory to take down a single target, recover information, and return by yourself? Not to mention while in constant danger of being blown up, all the while. “That sounds… impossible, honestly.”

“It should have been,” Rhendon said. “Seriously, the fact that he was still in the middle of the facility, walked away from all that destruction, and all he had was some ash and soot coating his clothes? I wouldn’t call him a monster, but those are some unnatural capabilities.” 

Wait.

“Hold on a second. You mean, the generator actually went...kablooey?”

“Yep. The only reason we know how much damage it could cause was because, well, it caused it. And not only did he do it all alone,” Rhendon said, wagging a finger, “Nether did all that with nothing but a body suit for infiltration. He didn’t take anything with him.”

“Okay, now I know you’re pulling my leg.” I crossed my arms, shaking my head. “That kind of stuff is Euclid-level crazy. How wouldn’t more people know about him? He’d be a well renowned Vanguard at the very least!”

Rhendon and Balldrick stayed quiet for a moment, sharing a look.

“I only know some rumors,” Balldrick said. “You worked with him.”

“It’s not like I pried into that stuff. Much,” Rhendon replied with a sigh. He clasped his hands together as he leaned over the table, and lowered his voice. “Now, what I’m about to tell you is straight from the horse’s mouth. That said, you’re not to repeat this to anyone. Especially Zimthose. Understood?” Balldrick and I nodded, so he continued.