It was like we’d driven through a paper wall.

  I’d been expecting a larger crash, but at our speed and the Tier difference, that’s almost what it had been like. I looked around at the destruction as Gesai ripped the crystal out of the center console.

  “What are you doing?” I watched her put the handball sized object into her jacket pocket.

  “Do you have any idea how much this is worth?” The silver woman patted her pocket. “We might need a bribe.”

  Ren was outside already while the other three grabbed someone. Ether grabbed Astrid, Oz had Mive, and Fray was carrying Trent. Gesai locked the door behind us. It wouldn’t keep them out indefinitely, but it would at least make it harder for them to get into.

  The older woman pointed at the door on her right as the sirens got closer. “We’re going down the stairs.”

  Once we were in the basement, she lit her hand on fire and melted the door handle and hinges. Again, not going to stop anyone, but would slow down a Tier Two.

  “I found it!” Ren looked up from the display on her CB and pointed at a place on the floor.

  Gesai touched her CB and pulled out her sword. She stabbed it into the ground and began cutting a hole six feet wide. When she was almost done, she pulled what looked like a metal rod out of her CB and stabbed it into the disc, then finished cutting. She pulled the concrete disc out of the floor and motioned for us to get inside.

  The smell was strong enough to remind me that it was a good thing I hadn’t eaten yet today.

  “That’s strong enough to wake them.” I pulled up the collar of my shirt to cover my nose as I jumped in. I landed knee deep in a soup of things that I didn’t want to think about what the main ingredients were.

  The others jumped in after me, with Ren casting Light before she did.

  The tunnel wasn’t as big as I’d been expecting. I was only about seven feet in diameter with what felt like a flatter bottom, though I wasn’t going to stick my hand in the goo to verify that.

  When Gesai jumped in, she used the metal rod to move the concrete disc back into place, then began to walk around the edge of it, filling in the crack with something.

  The tunnel that we were in went east and west with the sludge flowing to the east, which was the direction of the city wall. I started walking that direction.

  “We’re going this way.” Ren pointed upstream as she started following the map on her CB.

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  “Isn’t the city wall that way?” I pointed in the direction that I had been walking.

  “Almost a straight shot.” Gesai motioned for me to follow the rest of them. “Which means that’ll be the route they follow and the exit they cover.”

  I hurried after the five of them. After about an hour of hurried walking we made it to a junction where there were two tunnels that merged into ours. Ren pointed at the one on the right. “This way.”

  “Should we take a break?” I looked at the three who were carrying people.

  “I’m good.” Oz shifted to hold Mive better across her shoulders. It was a very undignified way to hold a God, but it was effective for walking fast.

  Fray just shook her head. She had Trent over her right shoulder and of the three of them looked the least tired.

  I looked at Ether. “Want me to take a turn?”

  The white-haired woman had Astrid in both arms and was cradling the unconscious woman’s head by her left shoulder. “I got the easiest job.” She shook her head, “I’ll be fine.”

  I felt like I wasn’t doing anything. Ether, Fray, and Oz were all carrying someone. Ren was navigating and Gesai was bringing up the rear in case someone decided to check this way. There wasn’t really anything for me to do other than watch everyone else be useful.

  “Less chatter.” Gesai put a finger close to her lips. “These tunnels carry sounds.”

  Ren resumed our journey and we all followed the blonde woman as she led us through the tunnels. After four more hours of trekking through smells that I doubted I’d ever be able to forget, we finally reached a place where our dark guide pointed at the ceiling. “We’re here.”

  We all moved out of the way while Gesai began cutting in the ceiling. As soon as she finished, she caught the concrete disc that fell on top of her, then pushed it back up through the hole and off to the side.

  “Wait here.” The older woman jumped up through the hole.

  I started to lean against the side of the tunnel, but as soon as I put my hand on the slimy stone, I instantly decided that would be a bad idea.

  Gesai jumped back into the hole. “We’re good.” She pointed up. “Can you jump through?”

  “Not while carrying him.” Oz patted Mive’s furry leg.

  The others all shook their heads.

  “You go up first.” The redhead nodded at me as she took Mive.

  I reached up and grabbed the lip of the hole and pulled as I jumped. I was able to pull myself out of the hole into a crouch.

  It was in an empty building that had a large amount of dust covering the floor. The building itself was smaller than our dorm and had all the windows boarded over. It looked like the front door was also covered with something, though I couldn’t tell for certain. There was a cargo door in the back of the building, at least, I assumed it was the back.

  Gesai landed next to me and dropped into a crouch with her right leg out. She twisted in a partial circle and blew a lot of the dust away from us, but it also threw a lot of it in the air. Oz coughed as she pulled herself out of the hole.

  “Did you have to do that?” The brown woman tried to wave the dust away from her face.

  Gesai laid the Kitsune down on the cleaner floor. “I was trying not to lay him in a lot of dust.”

  “Well, now he’s breathing it.” Oz coughed again.

  I looked around. “Where are we?”

  Before she could answer, Ren called up from the tunnel. “Uh, Gesai?! There’s something down here!”

  I ran over to the hole just in time to watch Ether get pulled under the sludge.

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