Ethan didn’t feel ready to be standing in the throne room again so soon; frankly he’d been hoping never to do so again. But a messenger had arrived at Valanor’s cottage the night before the Grand Tournament winners were to be announced. It informed them that it would be happening in private, rather than the public celebration that would normally happen.

  The team has been taking a few days to rest and prepare, which for Ethan meant last minute shopping, and finding a quiet place to watch Revan evolve. The Legendary Guardian had reached First Dusk shortly before the team finally returned to the city, but Ethan hadn’t been willing to risk the evolution being seen. As expected, the growing Familiar was more massive and eye-catching at Dusk, and Ethan would have to be careful about who saw him.

  The two had been discreetly training when the royal messenger arrived, bringing no explanation as to the reason for the change. The group had worried it had something to do with Ethan, but now that they found themselves lined up before an empty throne with the other two winning groups, that didn’t seem likely.

  The Firehearts had won, to no one’s surprise, with 9680. Savilar stood up very straight, however, proud that the Brighthearts had secured second at 8965. He kept insisting they’d have won with just another week, but everyone else on the team had been content just to place. Finally, at 7843 was team Arrowhead. The unusual group of five Archers and one Vanguard had pushed themselves greatly, and just barely scraped ahead of the Firstbloods in the final days.

  They’d made some enemies by doing so, but you wouldn’t know it for looking at the group. The three men and three women were beaming, including the massive defender in his heavy armor, despite the man looking like a combination of every angry bouncer Ethan had ever seen.

  The Brighthearts were on the left side of the room, with Arrowhead on the right, and the Firehearts standing at attention in the middle. Calevaro was absent, presumably with the other royals, but the four knights that made up his team were present, their faces hidden behind identical helmets. They’d each taken a moment to salute Valanor upon entering, but were otherwise quiet, presumably used to letting the prince take the lead.

  The fact that they’d all been summoned suggested it wasn’t about Ethan, the duel, or the uncertain future that lay ahead. On the one hand this was comforting, as he’d had more than enough on that topic, but the sudden change to a formal ceremony was concerning. Valanor and Sav had confirmed that they’d never seen this before, which only heightened everyone’s anxiety.

  Finally after more than a half hour of standing awkwardly, not sure if they should speak, the royals stormed through the door behind the thrones. King Rothevaro was predictably furious, but even the princess seemed concerned, which was rare. Those two went to stand some distance from the assembled teams, as Calevaro strode calmly to his own group, taking his proper place in the center of them.

  A group of advisors Ethan didn’t recognize were also present, as well as someone who had to be a Hunter, given her clothing. The group stood off to the side, looking rattled as the king let out an exasperated breath, then at last broke the silence.

  “This should be better. You deserve better. The Grand Tournament is an important tradition, and you should be honored by your fellow Hunters, and by the people of Corvale. But that will have to wait.”

  He began to pace before them, his long robe dragging behind him. “Several weeks ago we were informed of some odd happenings at the Forgotten City. Monsters have always escaped from the place, though we’ve never been certain how. It’s typically a slow trickle,” he paused to look at the assembled groups, “but lately it’s been a flood.”

  The teams began muttering to one another, and the king allowed it for a moment before continuing. “The Hunters on site have been able to hold them back, with the support of my knights. But we don’t know what it means for inside the Bleed. We have discussed the possibility of cancelling the expedition.”

  One of the Archers stepped forward, seemingly involuntarily. “Please, Highness, don’t do that!” he called, and surprisingly the king smiled.

  “We’re not, and I respect your determination and willingness to walk into an unknown situation. No doubt it’s the same steel that has team Arrowhead standing before me today.” The man blushed, looking like he’d just realized what he’d done, and hastily backed up, bowing and mumbling thanks.

  “We will not cancel the expedition,” the king continued, “but you deserve to know what you’re walking into. There may be a new rift inside–there have been countless over the years after all. But it may be something else. Any team that wishes to back out may do so, and there will be no dishonor in this act.”

  He waited, and each group exchanged hurried glances. Selina seemed to be looking to the rest of the Brightsouls, relying on their experience, but appeared comforted by the confident reactions of the others. When no one spoke, the king smiled again.

  “As expected from the top Hunters of this generation. Go then, today is the day. The ritual begins as the sun sets, which should give you more than enough time for the journey. But be careful, and be wary; Viridus can’t afford to lose its best.” His gaze lingered for a moment on his son, then he swept from the room.

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  As soon as he disappeared, everyone seemed to take a collective breath, and the groups quickly broke into discussions.

  “How worried should we be?” Ethan asked.

  “Hard to say,” Valanor replied. “We’ll get more details from the Guild representative, but I can’t imagine too many of the monsters were Dusk rank, or we’d already have been warned away. Each group here has at least one Dusk warrior, but no one would put us up against a flood of demons that powerful.”

  “Are you sure we’re not pushing things?” Selina asked. “I understand some of the traps react to the strength of the party. Two of our team being Dusk rank seems worrying.”

  “You ask the question, and you’re part of the answer,” Sav said dismissively. “There’s a reason that six can enter, but each team is only taking five. The traps use cumulative power across the group to determine what they summon; being a person short lowers the average quite a bit, as do you by virtue of not having reached Dawn.”

  He said the last with some disapproval, still being quite vocal about the danger to someone without all their Bonds. Ethan broke in, not wanting to have the argument again–Selina was quite determined, and Nator determination was a thing to behold. There’d been growls.

  “So more monsters, and we don’t know why,” he said. “But we can always leave, right? Not that I want to, but if we get in there and find it even more densely packed than Savilar described, we trust ourselves to get back out. Don’t we?”

  Valanor nodded. “To a point. It depends on whether we’re retreating or fighting back through a swarm. We won’t know until we get inside, and we’ll need to proceed with caution. Not all of us can teleport,” he ended dryly.

  “I’ll mourn you deeply,” Ethan responded. “From inside my new cottage. Which I’ll redecorate. Thoroughly.”

  The knight swatted at him, but missed the agile Assassin. Either way some of the tension had left the group, and they continued exchanging good natured barbs as they left the castle. It was a welcome distraction from what they were marching toward.

  ***

  Dusk was fast approaching as the groups crested the final hill before reaching the Forgotten City. The famous supposed Dimensional Bleed was in the South Western corner of the kingdom, beyond the standing stones where Ethan had once faced a terrorvermis. They followed the same river he had that day, past where Tomo’s master had stashed some of his possessions, leaving behind any villages or farms as the land became more wild.

  From the back of the wagon, Ethan could just barely make out the massive walking city of Corvale, but only from higher elevation. When Cara nudged him to turn around, he got his first look at their destination, which had the appearance of a massive archaeology dig.

  The ‘City’ wasn’t much bigger than a village, from what Ethan could see. It was still large, especially for a single structure, being about twice the size of a sports arena back home. It was also entirely underground, as expected, with an enormous trench dug around the entire perimeter. As they got closer, Ethan saw that it was several stories tall, and it began to loom over the groups ominously.

  The three teams had travelled together, but finally waved polite farewells as each went for a different entrance, reflecting where they’d stood in the throne room. Ethan watched the prince dismount in front of a massive stone door surrounded by ancient columns, and gave the man a nod before they disappeared around the left side.

  The walls appeared to have been entirely cleared at some point, but were now overgrown in patches, and Ethan looked at them with fascination. Once again he saw green stone, with pictures and writing scratched away with what must have been considerable effort. At last he turned his eyes to a group of people waiting before a second massive doorway, some of whom waved in greeting.

  There were more than twenty people present, most being Hunters and knights, with the rest wearing robes that matched Selina’s. They were readying a huge Ritual Circle which would presumably open the door, and didn’t look up from their work. Valanor went right to the collection of warriors, exchanging greetings and asking questions.

  Selina likewise joined her colleagues, as Cara and Ethan unpacked the wagon. Checking the supplies reminded Ethan of Glenn, which in turn made him think of the ‘presents’ he’d gotten the group. From his inventory he took out five simple chains of silver. He handed one to Cara, who looked at it curiously as he moved to Savilar, who was staring coldly at the doors.

  “Here you go,” Ethan said, holding out a necklace for the dark haired man. The Rift Hunter looked at it with surprise.

  “Is it my birthday?” he asked, and Ethan chuckled.

  “I got one for everyone. I’ve been looting our kills for months and we had some considerable coin saved up. These aren’t going to shift any major battles in our favor, but each one provides some passive protection.” He put on his own to demonstrate, which glowed slightly as a few runes activated.

  Sav shrugged before doing the same. “Kind of you,” he said. “In there we’ll need every advantage we can get.”

  “Couldn’t agree more,” Ethan said with a smile, then moved to hand one to Selina and Valanor each.

  That part done, he moved back to the wagon, checking one last time to ensure they had everything needed. The group didn’t expect to be in the City for more than a few days at the most, but nonetheless had packed food and supplies for a week.

  When the wagon was empty and inventories were full, the group gathered near the door. Each member of the team seemed to have a unique reaction to the imminent adventure. Cara appeared bored, as usual, but there were signs that she was forcing the expression. Valanor was determined, and his armor slipped into place in preparation. Selina was primarily interested in the complex rune magic, and barely seemed to notice when the door began to glow. Savilar definitely noticed, now appearing openly angry.

  Ethan felt a mix of anticipation and worry. There were a lot of reasons to want this, but just as many to be concerned. Still, he couldn’t help but grin as a wave of dust was released from a crack slowly opening between the doors. He was about to explore an ancient ruin full of mysteries, and hopefully answers. He idly played with his necklace, letting out a long breath.

  It was time to enter the Forgotten City, and see what secrets it held.