My name is Shalap. And I've been begging Taskhand to let me in. Permanently.
The problem?
They won't.
And that's not just a me problem. It's a big problem. Because I need them—I need their help to get the children out of those temples.
I'm an orphan. I know how those places work.
The smiles. The prayers. The fake kindness.
It all stinks.
There's something wrong about those people. Something that crawls under your skin if you look too long. I tried going guild to guild—pleading, persuading, explaining.
Only one guild ever gave me the time of day.
Taskhand.
And that's how it started. I kept digging. And then it clicked. Every single member of Taskhand... they were like me. Orphans. Abandoned. Left behind.
So I figured—maybe I just needed to play my hand right. Act a little cutesy. Tilt my head. Pull off that helpless-little-sister charm.
It would work.
It had to work.
---
"Are you stupid or something?" Gars scratched the back of his head, his voice deadpan.
"Why would we investigate a temple? I mean, sure, we heard you out a couple days ago—but we can't just go poking around like that."
"THEN LET ME JOIN YOU!" I snapped, slamming my palms on the desk.
Gars blinked. "No. Why would I do that?"
I puffed up my chest. "Well... I'm cute."
Silence.
Gars just stood there, staring. Then he let out a long, tired sigh.
"Get out."
"...Huh?" I blinked. "What—you don't think I'm cute?"
"Hell no," he said flatly. "Trust me, kid—if it were anyone else, they'd be on the floor laughing. I don't like insulting people. But no."
I stared at him, completely thrown off.
So much for the charm offensive.
---
That's when Sinus walked in, holding a rolled-up parchment in his hand like it weighed more than it should.
"Hey."
Gars looked over. "What's up? Is that a letter from Wanora and Heide?"
Sinus sighed. "Nope. Still no response of them. But look at this." He laid the parchment down on the desk and spread it open.
It was a task request.
"Some rich guy wants us to find and capture an alchemist. Says the guy's been hiding underground. Big payout if we bring him in."
"Underground?" Gars asked. "What do you mean, underground?"
Sinus just pointed down at the floor.
"Sewers."
"Oh... Are you stupid?" Gars muttered. "Hell no. Just toss it."
Sinus pulled out another parchment. "Monsters in the sewers."
That made Gars pause.
He looked between the two papers, then glanced at Sinus.
"You think?"
Sinus nodded. "Yes, Gars. I think these two are connected. So let's do the task."
Gars ran a hand over his face. "Alright, then who's handling reception while we're gone?"
"Monday can do that," Sinus offered casually.
From the corner of the table, a small voice exploded with rage.
"HELL NO!" Monday snapped. "I'VE BEEN HANDLING WANORA'S PAPERWORK TOO, YOU KNOW!"
Sinus gave him a gentle smile. "Aye, come on."
"No means no," Monday shot back.
"How about I give you money? Buy whatever you want."
Monday narrowed his eyes. "How much?"
"Hundred gold."
"Deal." He shook Sinus's hand instantly, his voice suddenly serene.
Gars stood up, adjusting the strap of his gear as if he'd known from the beginning how this would end.
Sinus rolled his shoulders and smiled. "Alright. Let's be back by evening or something."
The crowd was relentless—shoving, brushing past, barely acknowledging the trio carving through its current. Still, Sinus kept his eyes ahead, his voice calm but edged with curiosity.
"Hey Gars. Who's the kid that's been tailing us anyway?"
Gars turned slightly, glancing back.
"Uhhh hey, I'm Shalap and I'm here to assist you," she said with a bright smile, trying to sound professional.
Gars blinked once. "Don't know, man. Never met this kid."
"HEY, COME ON! LET ME AT LEAST HELP YOU!" she shouted, her small frame nearly getting knocked off balance by a passerby.
Sinus didn't even turn. "And how do you plan that?" Gars muttered as he kept walking.
Struggling to keep up, Shalap called out, "Well… I have a Clarion. One your team doesn't have. The Clarion of Hearing! Cool, right?"
Gars barely turned his head. "Yeah... we don't have any need for that anyway."
It wasn't long before they reached a manhole—one tucked away in a dead-end alley, cut off from any public foot traffic. A deliberate detour. They didn't want attention.
"We could've gotten here faster if you just followed me," Shalap said, arms crossed.
"Not that I needed to," Gars replied bluntly.
The smell hit first—thick, foul, and chemically sharp. They exchanged pieces of cloth, pressing them to their noses. Not perfect, but it'd do.
Sinus hesitated, then turned to Shalap and handed her one too.
She blinked, surprised, then took it. "Thanks," she said with a small smile.
"Hey, why do that?" Gars asked.
Sinus didn't look back. "The air down here isn't good for the lungs. Even if you wanna kick the kid out, let's not play with her life, since she is following us anyways."
Gars sighed. "…Yeah. Sure."
The three of them stepped into the darkness, sewer water lapping softly beneath their boots. The tunnel led into a larger chamber—round, symmetrical.
"A circle…" Shalap mumbled. "Well, that's something. Now what?"
Gars turned and looked her dead in the eye.
"Hey, listen up kid. You wanna prove yourself? You get this right, we'll accept you in."
Her eyes lit up. "Really? What should I do?"
"Go around and reach the other side of the sewage."
"Okay!" she said, immediately dashing off along the curved walkway.
Sinus watched her go. "You sure you're just gonna let her in?"
Gars didn't answer right away. Then, "You think? No, of course not. Her Clarion might be useful here, that's the only reason I said that. Besides, once we take her to Wanora—when Wanora returns—she'll kick the kid out herself."
"Sure…" Sinus muttered. "Anyway, listen up. The layout's off. The outside doesn't match the bottom. There's supposed to be four manholes in the center of the circle—somewhere near. But all we've seen is a wall. Nothing else."
"Yep," Gars said. "That's where she comes in."
Without warning, Sinus pulled out his gun and aimed upward. The blast echoed like a thunderclap.
"No flames," he noted.
The scent of gunpowder hung in the air, but nothing more.
"With the methane levels in here," Sinus continued, "that should've ignited something. But nothing."
"Someone's suppressing it," Gars finished, his tone turning sharp.
They reached the other side where Shalap waited, sniffing her mask curiously.
"What even is this mask? It's got a sweet scent."
"Artifact. Called 'Air Purifier.' Bought the cheap version—common Fish tier. That's why it's just a cloth," Sinus replied.
"Oh… well, still, I heard a gunshot," she said.
"Yeah?" Gars asked, tilting his head. "From how many places?"
"Three, if I'm correct," Shalap said.
Gars turned to Sinus, the corner of his mouth curling upward. "We found the hidden entrance that's not so hidden after all."
He stepped forward. "Shalap. Point where you heard the sounds from."
She pointed: left, right, center.
"The center. Where that 'wall' is," she added.
Sinus raised his gun and fired again—this time directly at the wall she indicated.
The impact peeled the surface away. Beneath it, the texture changed. Cardboard. Painted to mimic stone. A clever fake.
"There we go," Gars said, grinning. He reached over and gave Shalap a quick pat on the head. "Good job, kid."
Then his tone shifted, firm again. "Now… let us adults handle it."