I, the slave boy, awaken with the most potent seed!!

Shadows stretched across the outskirts of Drakoria like grasping fingers as Cassandra and Mara picked their way through the darkness. Every rustle made them freeze, hearts pounding. They'd deliberately left their cart behind – too conspicuous, too easy to track. Now they moved on foot, clutching their meager possessions close.

The city's lights dimmed behind them, replaced by an eerie twilight that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. Mara's fingers tightened around her bag's strap, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Are you certain about this contact of yours?" Her eyes darted from shadow to shadow. "I mean, she's still an Enforcer, Cass. What if—"

"Officer Chen won't betray us," Cassandra cut in, though her own voice carried a hint of uncertainty. "She has no reason to lie. Besides, she's risking as much as we are."

They rounded a corner and there she was – Officer Chen, standing rigid beside a massive warning sign whose holographic letters pulsed an angry red: "RESTRICTED AREA - KEEP OUT." Chen's uniform was immaculate as always, but her fingers drummed an impatient rhythm against her thigh.

"Finally," Chen breathed, relief and anxiety warring in her expression. "I was beginning to think—" She shook her head. "Never mind. Are you absolutely certain about this, Cassandra? The wasteland... it's not just some adventure. People don't come back from there."

Cassandra lifted her chin, channeling every ounce of noble bearing she'd been taught. "I'm certain."

Beside her, Mara shifted uncomfortably, eyeing Chen with barely concealed suspicion. The Enforcer noticed but chose to ignore it, instead reaching into her pocket to withdraw what looked like a simple bracelet.

"Here." Chen pressed it into Cassandra's palm. "Follow that path straight ahead. There's a weak point in the barrier – you'll know it when you feel it. And if you get into trouble down there..." She tapped the bracelet. "Press this. It'll alert me, and I'll make sure an extraction team is sent."

"An extraction team?" Mara's voice was sharp with disbelief.

Chen's smile was thin. "The only heir to the Beaumont empire accidentally falling into the wasteland? The empire will have no choice but to send help. Noble blood still counts for something, even down there."

"Thank you," Cassandra said softly, slipping the bracelet on. "For everything."

Chen's expression softened momentarily. "Just... be careful. Both of you."

They moved past her, into the darkness beyond the warning sign. The air grew thicker, heavier with each step. Then suddenly – a sensation like walking through spider webs, a momentary resistance, and then...

Nothing.

They were falling.

Chen watched from a distance as they seemed to simply disappear, as if the ground had swallowed them whole or maybe it did. "Good luck," she whispered. "You'll need it."

The impact wasn't as hard as they'd expected, but the headache that followed was intense. Cassandra pushed herself to her knees, the world spinning around her. Beside her, Mara groaned.

Then they tried to breathe.

The air burned like acid, clawing at their throats. Mara doubled over, coughing violently while Cassandra pressed her sleeve against her nose and mouth. It didn't help.

"Need some help, ladies?"

The voice was impossibly deep, like thunder given form. They spun toward it, expecting some hulking figure – and found themselves staring at what appeared to be... a child? No, not quite.

The face was cherubic, almost infant-like, but there was nothing childlike in those eyes. A mask covered the lower half of his face, and his small frame was draped in well-worn wasteland gear.

"How—" Mara tried to speak between coughs. "How can we help—"

"Oh, you've got it backward," the figure chuckled, the deep voice jarring coming from such a tiny form. "You're the ones needing help." He reached into his bag, producing two masks. "This area's particularly toxic. Even by wasteland standards."

Cassandra eyed the masks, her noble's instincts for negotiation kicking in despite her burning lungs. "What's the price?" Unlock tales at m-vl-em-pyr

The figure's eyes crinkled with amusement. "Smart girl. But I don't work that way. I'm a thief – the Achiever, they call me. I help people, then take what I want in return. When I want it."

"A thief?" Mara wheezed.

"An honest one, at least." He shrugged. "Been operating for thirty years without getting caught. Amazing what people overlook when they think you're just a child."

Cassandra's mind raced, even as her vision began to blur from the toxic air. They needed those masks. But something in his eyes... She made her decision, reaching for the offered protection.

The masks sealed against their faces, blessed filtered air flowing into their burning lungs.

"The voice and face..." Mara couldn't help herself. "It's quite a combination."

"Born lucky," the Achiever grinned beneath his own mask. "What brings two lovely ladies like yourselves to our humble wasteland? Must have been something serious. What crime did you commit?"

"Killed a noble and his family in Drakoria," Cassandra replied smoothly, perhaps too quickly. "They cast us down here."

Something flickered in the Achiever's eyes – amusement? Doubt? "Well then, my part here is done. Good luck finding your way. Though I should mention – everywhere here is 'residential' if you're desperate enough."

He turned and walked away without another word, leaving them standing in the toxic twilight.

"Wait," Mara said suddenly. "Didn't he say he'd take something in return? He didn't—"

Cassandra was already checking her bag. Where their supplies had been, there was nothing but wasteland sand.

"That little—" Mara's curse cut off as Cassandra smiled, reaching into her shirt to produce a small collection of gems.

"Always have a backup," Cassandra said, her noble's training showing through. "I moved the valuables while you were talking to him. We lost the clothes and food, but these will buy us new ones."

Their eyes swept across the vast expanse of land before them. "Finding Zafron might seem difficult here," Cassandra said as they began moving, "but we have no choice."

As they turned to move deeper into the wasteland, Mara suddenly stopped, her breath catching. A strange red pulse emanated from her hand, spreading up her wrist like living light.

"What the hell is that?" Mara's voice trembled as they both stared at the impossible display.

The red light pulsed again, stronger this time, casting their shocked faces in a reddish glow.

"Is that....?"