After Master Chask’s Double was outed, Hollis had the wisdom and wherewithal to double-check on the Hunt Master’s last Quest. It turned out to be one of Cass’s: The investigation of Fillmore’s Decor.

  Located in a particularly expensive portion of the Stream, it was a shop that had been combed through by Hunters and Trackers several times over the last week. In fact, if you looked at it and the surrounding area closely, a discerning person would notice just how untouched it seemed amidst the recent chaos.

  During the investigation into how a Double might’ve taken over Chask without anyone knowing, an elaborate tunnel system had been discovered. Several incursion locations could be directly linked to a few nondescript tunnel exits that were well hidden, only discovered after a Lioran stepped out of them during their investigation.

  How the Dark Guilds were herding monsters through them wasn’t known, but Hollis was smart enough to collapse several underground walls to block them off.

  Cass had done the opposite.

  In a move many would call insane, he’d ordered the collapsed walls cleaned and cleared, and the tunnels as reinforced as possible. Tradesmen in high-tier Callings had swept through at great expense, plying their levels against the Earth with a fervor only money or panic could bring.

  He’d made excuses to all involved, stating that it was going to be an escape tunnel just in case Liora fell, spreading the word through several of those he worked with, but that’s all it was. An excuse. His plan was far more brutal. Many of them were. While he and Jimmy traveled to the Stream, he’d been messaging back and forth with Vex, activating other moves through keyword commands Profile freely fed back to him.

  By keeping a close lid on his informational security, the Guild Master Pro Tempore had kept his secrets tightly held, and now, that was about to bear fruit. Moving in his ripped and still bloody Guild robes, Cass rode up to Fillmore’s Decore atop his noble draft horse, Bella.

  Several men and women stood at the ready, a few covering their eyes from the early morning sun to get a glimpse of him. Jimmy leaped off his horse, then came forward to grab Bella’s reins, not that he needed it or that she would attempt to buck him. The lingering weakness in his body was all gone, and after feeling fully restored for the first time in days, he was amped and ready for what was to come.

  Hopping down lightly, he approached the group with a confident stride. This was only one of his plans in action, and the first real defense of Liora against the attackers.

  “Is everyone prepared?” He asked both the Chief Engineer in charge of the project and a small group of Combatants led by a second-tier Shattermark donned in bright purple armor.

  The Engineer’s name was Marla, Profile reminding him that she’d completed dozens of projects like this in the past. Only those had been for farms.

  She gave him a tight nod, “I’ve never done anything like this in a city before. You sure it’s the smart move, Guild Master? It’s going to cause a lot of foundational problems in the long run.”

  “Ones that can be fixed,” Cass clarified, his gaze unwavering. “We’ve put a lot of manpower into securing the tunnels as much as necessary, and I’ve been reliably informed that this tactic has been used time and again across history.” Noticing others listening, he spoke a little louder, “The enemy has come at us with the masks of our friends and creatures from beyond our world. I’ll do what I must to protect Liora. Even if it means parts of the city have to be recovered afterward.” He looked over at the Shattermark Officer, “Are your people ready, Shamus?”

  The Officer bounced back and forth on his feet, “As ready as we can be.”

  Cass nodded, “Good. You may not have much to do if this goes the way I expect. But as a contingency, I’ll ask you to be prepared for a real fight.” He looked at Marla, told her to begin the final steps, then walked over to the Shattermarks and handed out several vellums.

  “An escort Quest?” Shamus asked, the golden glow of acceptance still suffusing his figure.

  “That’s correct. I’d prefer to die in a bed of old age after many years of peace. Think you and the Shattermarks can help me to get there?”

  “Hah! So be it! We’ll see you through this, Guild Master!” The big man roared out, getting an accompanying roar from those around him.

  “See that you do,” Cass said with a nod. He knew this wasn’t standard fare for a Guild Master, but he had no want or need to hide away in his office like he’d done yesterday. These people were putting their lives on the line according to his plans; the least he could do was be with them.

  After that thought, another followed. Cass reached into his bag and pulled the slightly too-long hatchet from within, removing a second object only a moment later. He’d gotten some gifts from Liora after becoming the temporary Guild Master. Food, well-wishes, and a few odd proposals from some daring ladies, which had set Jimmy to chuckling after reading it to him aloud.

  But the gift from the Foundry outshone them all as he removed a relatively small buckler from within his bag. The moment it exited, the buckler’s size tripled until it fit neatly in his left hand, the grip forming to him as if he were barely holding anything at all. That got a whistle of appreciation from a young woman in mismatched leather and metal armor.

  “Where’d yah get them beauts?”

  Cass smiled, “Being a Guild Master has a few perks to the job. Now, get ready, it’s about to start.”

  Right on cue, Marla called out the order, and several men and women stepped up in an uninterrupted line several dozen feet away. Cass noted the large boy he’d met yesterday during the Callings and felt a momentary ping of worry that he’d miss the duty for the day. But it quickly faded. He’d still get to them when he could, but this came first.

  Starting near Fillmore’s Decor, a man placed his hand on the ground, then made a scooping motion. A ten-foot block of Earth lifted, revealing the mouth of the tunnel as the man settled the dirt gently a small distance away. The moment he was done, the next person in line did the same, stacking the dirt together as they moved at speed until meeting the last of the line, Daniel Keef, Liora’s newest Earthmolder.

  He reached a big hand down, touching the Earth nearest to the steady river beside him. A pinhole-width bit of dirt puffed up, settling down next to him. He frowned at it, then tried again, causing another small mound to appear. Wiping some sweat off his forehead as it left a streak of mud, he did it again, with the others offering spare bits of advice and encouragement. After what seemed far too long but had only been minutes, he connected each of the small holes right beside the river.

  A darkness spread across the dirt as dampness overtook it. With the water slowly leaking through, it grew faster as the Engineer called out for the second plan of action. Working together, all the Earthmolders used their abilities to lift the pile of removed dirt. In one great heave, they threw it toward the other side of the river.

  “Here it comes!” Marla yelled out.

  As the dirt struck the river in a great clodded mass, a high spray of clear blue water flew up into the air. The river's formerly untouched momentum shifted as an obscene amount of fluid power surged toward the slowly leaking holes Daniel had formed in his efforts. All at once, they grew larger as the river rushed through its newest exit, following the line of removed Earth toward a single location.

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  Fillmore’s Decor.

  Cass had planned this meticulously as he listened to advisors, searched through history, and trusted the eyes of his scouts to gauge how much power the river would bring to bear. A little damage was fine, but a lot could destroy the city and do the Dark Guild’s work for them. He’d put his faith in the hard work of others for this, and it needed to pay off.

  The great rushing wall of water roared its way down the man-made alternative. Bunching up and splashing against the walls of its entrance, the Earthmolders and Shattermarks were soaked as the river reminded them of why flowing water was a power all its own. Cass had a stray thought about finally getting a bath when it met the open mouth of Fillmore’s Decor.

  It went down with a fury only nature could provide. The notification that appeared made him believe he’d done everything right.

  [SYSTEM NOTICE]

  Bonus experience granted for successfully implementing a non-standard strategy in defense of a major population center:

  20xp

  Tactician Achievement progress:

  3/10

  The Earthmolders moved back as a secondary defense while Cass and the Shattermarks stepped forward. There was a decent chance that the river would do their work for them, but he didn’t want to take any chances. As his notifications settled in the background, constant pings telling him something was happening as the loud sounds of rushing water continued to fill the tunnel. The engineer had proposed that they let it continue for several minutes before the Earthmolders moved everything back, but that wasn’t going through his mind at this moment.

  Because over the sound of the river, he and those beside and behind him heard many noises. Cass tilted his head, listening closely until one callout finally reached his ears with clarity.

  Chirp, Chirp.

  “Scroungers!” He yelled out, his contracted senses picking it up before anyone else. Like a flood, dozens of the small monsters erupted from the tunnel, their slicked bodies crawling across the ceiling as they geysered from the hole in the traitor’s shop. Shamus was the first to step forward, getting the creature's attention, but Cass was right behind him. With slow steps that turned to a run, the group moved as one, sprinting to meet the monsters before they had a chance to spread out and cause havoc across the city.

  Shamus roared and pulled a large sword from his back as he got closer. With a leap, the armored man dove into the midst, spinning his sword in a slight blur as the monsters around him were cut in twain.

  Many other Shattermarks moved around him, penning in the invaders as a few settled into the back, bows at the ready, arrows already put to string.

  In the center was the Guild Master himself, Jimmy, guarding his back. Cass dodged and rolled, using his shield to deflect leaping monsters and attack when he had a moment to breathe. His practice at the Rings again and again proved himself a warrior as he timed the creature's movements, moving with just enough speed to slip past the attackers, his hatchet cutting through the monsters while they tried to recover.

  Jimmy was a beast of a fighter. For all his size, he fought with two double-length daggers just short of being called swords. The large man kept any Scroungers from hitting his protectee’s back, throwing daggers from a bandolier across his waist in a constant flurry when no fights around him were to be had.

  When a Shattermark called out in pain, there the Guild Master was, batting a Scrounger off his shoulder, then striking another away with the blunt side of his hatchet. Jimmy dove in the way of one monster Cass hadn’t seen, pumped his arm twice, then rolled up, throwing Cass a thumbs up to show he was fine.

  Cass continued his bloody work, protecting the others and moving around the monsters each time he was targeted. His newly washed robe became stained with the brighter viscera of monsters and new tears as he refused to allow even a single Shattermark to go down. He didn’t have the prowess of a true Combatant, but he still put on a good showing.

  The mouth of Fillmore’s Decor was like an endless funnel for the creatures. Eventually, two large versions stepped out, half again larger than those Cass had seen before. More than size, they were faster, dodging the arrows coming their way and quickly moving around Shamus as they attacked any Shattermarks that were alone. Seeing that the Combatants were being singled out, Cass made a decision.

  “Alphas! Close in the center! Group up!”

  Hearing the callout, those who could move freely did just that, placing their backs to each other. One was out of reach, but Shamus was there, cutting down three of the creatures in a fluid movement before getting to them. The young man had a Scrounger on his neck, biting with abandon as he screamed. An arrow appeared in the Scrounger right before the Shattermark Officer could arrive. Slapping the creature off, he grabbed the back of the warrior’s armor to drag them away when an Alpha leaped upon him. Jimmy threw a dagger, but it bounced off the Scrounger’s skin.

  The Alpha Scrounger drove Shamus away from the group; its jagged front claws scored the back of his breastplate, pushing him further from his intended rescue. With a shout, he slammed his shoulder forward, forcing it off-kilter as he tried to regain his footing. But it wasn’t enough, this Scrounger was well dug in and heavier than it looked. Shamus adjusted, but another Scrounger and another leaped upon his back. He fell to the ground as a third joined its kin.

  Cass didn’t think. He ran.

  “Cover me!” he barked, then surged forward through the broken circle.

  Jimmy was at his side a heartbeat later, parrying a leaping Scrounger with both blades before pivoting to clear the space in front of them.

  Cass’s eyes locked on the Alpha. It raised its forelimbs to strike down at the fallen Shattermark, and there he was. An arrow skipped in front of him, just missing his face as it struck a smaller Scrounger off of Shamus’s back. When the Alpha’s sharp legs darted down, it met a reinforced buckler instead of the man’s vulnerable neck.

  The impact rattled Cass’s entire arm, the force jittering his teeth within his mouth and throwing him off balance as he leaned against Shamus’s side. The Alpha hissed, mandibles clacking as it reeled back for another strike.

  Not giving it the chance, Cass surged upward. Hatchet on the ground, it was with his ever-sharp knife that he drove deep into the side of the Creature’s skull. Adya’s Observation of the monsters beyond the walls had noted in Profile that Scroungers had a weakness just beyond the head, and that’s where he aimed right now.

  The knife slipped in like butter.

  He dragged it side to side quickly, then batted away the creature before it could attempt to recover. A scrounger leaped on his back, but he rolled before it could grab a hold. Looking up as his vision settled, two more arrows streaked out, catching the two holding Shamus down. The man looked up, gave him a wan smile, then a grimace at the corpse of the man he’d been trying to rescue.

  Worry about him later, Cass mentally screamed at the man. He didn’t like it either; everyone deserved to go home. But one look at the young man and the amount of blood leaking from his body told the tale of whether he was still alive.

  Together and with Jimmy’s help, they got back with the group. Scroungers stopped boiling up at some point, still focusing on the collection of humans in front of them. They moved in a rhythm, blocking and stabbing in time, the archers putting in great effort to pick off any stragglers that tried to move away. Eventually, all that was left was the last Alpha. It died ignobly after being surrounded and prodded at. It took a closely held conversation with Jimmy before Cass’s protector dove onto the creature and sank a long knife into its body after being distracted by a battered Shamus.

  Cass looked at the man, who nodded at the pre-arranged signal.

  Lifting his head, he roared to the sky, “Liorans!”

  Cass roared back, “Prevail!”

  “Liorans!” Jimmy roared again.

  Cass wasn’t alone this time as the whole group screamed with him, “Prevail!”

  “Liorans!”

  “Prevail!”