This was floor 30, and places like this were often transformed into settlements—checkpoints for the adventurers who wanted to go deeper. But this place was not settled; n.o.body went beyond the next few floors because their danger was inconceivable. No one who went beyond floor 32 ever returned, therefore no one ever built a settlement on floor 30. The nearest settlement was on floor 50 which was easily accessible from floor 22, where the shortcut led to floor 48.

Although they were called "floors" they weren't exactly connected by a staircase. It was simply a measure of depth, and how far away the places are from the entrance. Every change to the monsters detected in a certain part of the dungeon, or a change in its general arrangement, was an increase to the floor number. The Reclaimers of old used a different system called "Areas", but no one used that anymore.

In truth, no one really knew if floor 48 was actually floor 48. They knew that there were two changes in the dungeon before one of the monumental transformations—like meeting an exceptionally powerful guardian, or an open s.p.a.ce like this. Judging only by the depth, it was a.s.sumed that the floor they were on was 48, and not 38 or 58. But no one knew for sure. They also did not know if it was even the same dungeon anymore, as, theoretically, if someone explored floor 31 through to 47, they might find that their floor 48 was completely different from the one the shortcut led to.

Therefore, every now and again, the Adventurer's guild would get requests to find a route to floor 31, the farthest anyone reached and came back alive, so that the various independent military orders and guilds can explore the dungeon and find ancient treasures. It was a lucrative business, but very dangerous. A guild that found an ancient treasure would become famous or even sponsored by a nation or the Empire itself.

Not that Somnus cared about any of that.

Lod threw another log on the campfire and the fires crackled and popped.

"What pretty doing here?" Det asked.

"We are looking for a Re—" Gemma began but was cut off.

"Gemma!" Mia protested.

"It's all right, Mia. They saved us after all." Gemma said and then glanced to the tallest person with the silver masks. To Gemma, Lod and Det looked like smaller elves, but she found it odd that they wore plate armor. Most elves wouldn't do that.

Mia, being an pure-blooded elf herself, was even more suspicious of the two. She could, with a great degree of confidence, state that the two were not elves. But she did not think they were monsters. That would be absurd. The reason she was suspicious was because she thought they were some kind of creature from another continent—foreigners, in other words. There has always been fear in the Empire that foreign powers, who wors.h.i.+pped different G.o.ds and had different methods of doing things, would one day invade the Empire. Stealing artifacts from Dungeons was one way of preparing for that war.

Unfortunately, "monsters" was the correct answer.

"We are looking for a Remnant," Gemma said.

"What is Remnant?" Det asked.

"Remnant tasty?" Lod asked.

Gemma chuckled, thinking the antics of the two tiny men were funny. "It is a Remnant of a G.o.d. It is possible to revive the G.o.d if the Remnant is found and purified—although, they would most likely reincarnate as a human and not a G.o.d…"

Somnus tilted his head at those words. Reincarnation. His other self once mentioned that word. The ent.i.ty spoke of rebirth and karma and punishment. Somnus never detected any of those things when he was a machine, and he certainly hasn't experienced them while he was a human.

"Gemma forget about Remnant. Dungeon not keep stupid things," Lod said.

"How would you know?" Mia asked.

"Lod expert. Lod know," the goblin replied.

"I have never heard of you before. How can you call yourself an expert?" Mia pressed.

"Stupid. Ears so big but not hear of Lod? Listen," Lod said standing up. "Lod greatest and most handsomest. Lod lieutenant of the great…" he trailed off. "Lod good lieutenant. Lod captain of Fite for Food Division, too."

Mia grimaced at the words. She thought this person was an idiot.

"Lod bestest? Pah." Det said, spraying spit all over the insides of his mask. "Lod dumbest. Lod make wives angry. Lod die soon and drag Det down with him. Ears should stick with Det. Pretty should too."

"Ears" looked at Det and scowled. What was it with the nicknames?

"Det make Lod laugh. If not for Lod, Det already be dead," Lod said. "Don't listen to Det. He stupid goblin."

"Goblin?" Gemma asked.

If it were not for the mask, Mia and Gemma could clearly see that Lod realized his faux-pas. "Yes. Det stupid. So Det goblin. Because goblin stupid," Lod laughed nervously. "Isn't that right, stupid-like-goblin Det?"

Det growled. "Det had enough. Det break Lod legs."

Det stood up and walked right up to Lod.

Lod answered the challenge by pressing his breastplate against Lod's. They stared at each other, wordlessly, hostility pouring off both of them.

"Enough," Somnus said, gesturing with his hand for the two to sit down.

"Declare affiliation," Somnus said.

Gemma tilted her head. She heard that manner of speech before.

"We are with Arsa—uh… Gram, I suppose now. We are with Gram's Adventurer Guild," Gemma replied. "Have we met before?"

"Affirmative," Somnus said, but did not explain further.

Mia then piped up, "So you have Divisions? Are you in a guild?"

"We is," Lod said.

"Which guild is that? Maybe we heard of you."

"The Reclaimers," Det said proudly.

Gemma nearly spat out a mouthful of tea that she was sipping on.

"There haven't been any Reclaimers in five centuries. Using that name is just tasteless," Mia said, shrugging. "You will never be officially recognized with that name."

"We have Reclaim skills though. We true Reclaimers," Lod said.

"Yeah, we that stupid human thing," Det agreed.

"Stupid humans," Lod barked.

"Stupid humans," Det echoed, shaking his head.

This was too many things all at once for the two adventurers to process. But first things first…

"You have the Reclaim skill?" Gemma asked.

Lod nodded, "We sense treasure. Big treasure down below. Lod find it and pay off debt." The goblin paused. "But Lod financially stable. Debt only temporary. Pretty can trust in Lod."

Gemma and Mia exchanged a look.

"This is not a joke?" Gemma asked, tone serious.

"Lod no make joke. Lod always tell truth."

"You are an actual Reclaimer?" Mia asked.

"Ears so big, but still deaf," Lod scowled. He didn't like elves. "If Ears have bigger jugs, then maybe Lod repeat himself."

Mia covered her rather flat chest and scowled at Lod. "Rude…"

Det smiled, "Det not particular about jugs. Jugs like all sizes. Err... Det like all sizes." The goblin chuckled. "Big… small… round… square…"

"Square? Det idiot. There is no square b.o.o.bs."

"Oh. b.o.o.bs. Det talk about jugs. Why Lod talk about b.o.o.bs? So rude," Det said, shaking his head.

Lod glared at Det. If he didn't need Det, he might have killed him on the spot.

"Let us depart, Gemma. I do not wish to be in the company of barbarians," Mia said, standing up.

Gemma grasped Mia's hand and pulled her down to the ground. "Sit, Mia… it is all right."

Mia sighed, glared at the two goblins, and then sat down again.

"Would you be willing to teach us the Reclaim skill? We can offer money or other skills in exchange," Gemma offered, looking at Somnus whom she recognized as the leader.

"Money?" Lod asked, looking to Det. "With money, buy food. With food, pay separation tax…"

"Master… this not bad idea…" Det said, looking to Somnus.

Somnus considered the two. He was really only interested in Gemma. Gemma was a weapon that he could use. He did not care about the Reclaim skill, or understood why it was so important to them. Of course, he found ancient treasures before, from the Arrod Dungeon, but he did not find an ancient or divine treasure that could describe just how absurdly powerful they could be. He did not know any of this.

"Want Fragment," Somnus said.

Gemma narrowed her eyes. "You knew about us…?"

Mia reached for something behind her back—a knife most likely.

"Fragment in exchange for Reclaim skill," Somnus repeated.

Gemma considered this and then nodded. "Very well."

"What? No!" Mia jumped to her feet. "You cannot!"

"It has to be done," Gemma said. "Mia, it is your duty to teach the rest of Humanity the Reclaim skill…"

"I will not! I refuse!" Mia shouted.

Gemma drew a knife from her belt, causing Lod and Det to prepare for battle.

Gemma looked at Somnus and said. "How do I know the Reclaim skill you claim to have is the real thing?"

"It is. Priestess of Het confirms," Somnus said.

Gemma nodded.

Mia fell to her knees and tried wrestling the knife away from Gemma. "Stop it! It is not worth it!"

"What are you doing?" Somnus asked.

Finally, Mia wrestled the knife away from Gemma and threw it away as hard as she could.

Gemma sighed and then looked to Mia. She smiled, and stroked the elf's hair. "Mia. It is all right."

"It is not!" Mia protested.

Gemma shook her head. "It is. What is my life compared to the lives of every person in the Empire? I am merely a vessel for a Fragment… if I can use that to do one truly good deed… isn't it worth it?"

Tears appeared in Mia's eyes. "It is not!"

"You are just being stubborn," Gemma said with a smile and wiped Mia's tears away with the back of her index finger. "Let me do this. It is the only way."

"Please don't…" Mia whispered. "We can find another way."

Lod glanced to Det. "Why is pretty doing suicide?"

Det shrugged. "Stupid human thing."

Lod shrugged as well. "Stupid humans."

"Big waste," Det sighed.

"If I give you the Fragment, you will teach Mia Reclaim?" Gemma asked.

Somnus pondered her words quietly. He was silent for a very long moment. Gemma did not even blink, even as a dozen seconds pa.s.sed. Det and Lod were getting impatient too and Mia had already given up.

"Parameters updated," Somnus said. "Don't want Fragment anymore."

"What?" Gemma asked. "We had a deal!" She seemed angry.

"Don't want Fragment," Somnus clarified. "Want designation Gemma."