A pack of eyeless hounds ran down the street when Hector stepped out of the safe house.


    They chased something he couldn''t see in the dark, and he didn''t want to know where they were going. He wasn''t arrogant enough to think he could take on more than two of them at once. At most, he could stall them to retreat.


    His surroundings hadn''t changed, other than the water level growing deeper; it had grown back to the previous height before the small star evaporated the nether.


    Hector had covered the sides and the back of the lantern with a cloth, dampening the light. He didn''t need the extra exposure, especially when he knew there were other creatures and humans around. Only the front of the lantern remained exposed to the darkness.


    The skies were clear; at least that''s what he thought. There weren''t any wingbeats or shrieks. That meant his plans could proceed.


    Hector looked down at the compass. It was relatively useful. The red arrow spun rapidly again, making it useless. Unlike the red one, the gray arrow would be useful to navigate the city with since it always pointed to the Pillar in the plaza.


    His first stop: the plaza.


    Water drenched his shoes as he walked down the cobblestone street; the metal street lamps gleamed under his lantern as he passed them. His footsteps were accompanied by the slosh of water in the sewers beneath him.


    It wasn''t completely dark; the fires in the distance and the ones moving further away from the castle—reminded him that there were others. The fortress had become populated.


    The strand above his palm shifted into a cube, into a pyramid, then a sphere. He wouldn''t neglect his primary method of survival. It was becoming easier to manipulate the strands, especially with the rote routine he developed.


    Needle strands were easy to mold if something or someone decided to interrupt him, and he was careful enough to walk in the center of the street.


    Hector''s first objective was to find a home that caught his eyes and check if it had anything valuable in it. It wasn''t robbery if it didn''t have any owners, and he hadn''t seen anyone other than Sebastian.


    For example, a protected house like the safe house, or something opulent like the house off to the side with the gilded wooden frames and stone bricks.


    He stopped, then took a few steps back and turned his head to the side.


    The house was a fit for his criteria. Stained windows, golden wood frames, bricks cut with precision. Perfect. There had to be some shards in there.


    It didn''t have any apparent damage; no one had tried to break in yet. Its contents should be in fine condition. Hector approached the door and attempted to open it. Locked. Of course. That only made it more tempting.


    Hector spent a few minutes weaving together the thread strand, in case something was waiting for him inside. Then he used the stone compass to break the windows. The compass was durable, especially the stone, to his surprise.


    Strands were invisible, so were the mental constructs, but they are still constrained by physics. The mind was too grounded in reality to change that, and the ignited essence required room to flow. Hector guided the ball of threads through the crack and into the dark room, with one connecting to his grimoire.


    He stood still, focused, and expanded the ball. The threads untangled themselves and spread through the room. With a mental click, Hector ignited the strand. The threads hardened and became wires covering every inch of the room.


    Hector closed his eyes and held his breath. He focused on the wires, waiting for any disturbances. An unseen object tripped a wire. The strands responded to the disturbance, wrapping around the entity and tightening.


    He made sure the threads were condensed enough to form the ball again, slicing through the resistance, then drained the nether essence from it, returning the strand back into its invisible state. That way, he didn''t have to recreate it every time he used it.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    With the compass rock in hand, he cleared the remaining glass shards from the window, used the lantern cloth to cover the bottom, and climbed inside.


    There was a corpse with thin cuts on the ground. Hector kicked it over. A Faceless.


    He swept the room with the lantern. There was a second floor, a basement, a counter, and the display cases lining the room.


    The glass cases didn''t have anything in them, they had been emptied by the previous occupants or stolen by an unknown method.


    If the door was locked, and there was a Faceless in the room, then it was probably the owner or an employee of the building. Hector kneeled down and searched the body. He found a luxurious key with a ruby engraved on it.


    Other than a book recording the transactions of the business—jewelries and the likes—he didn''t find anything else on the first floor. That left the floor above him and the basement.


    The second floor didn''t have anything notable, other than the empty crates. They were scattered about, some of them were toppled over while others remained stacked. It was a mess, to say the least. He made sure they were empty before leaving.


    Hector made his way to the basement, down the steps, then stopped at a metal door.


    Lines, inscriptions like the ones on his shattered ring, were carved into the door. They were faded, dusty, and didn''t serve any purpose other than keeping him out. He fished the key out of his pocket and inserted it into the keyhole, which unlocked after a bit of effort and a heavy click.


    Air blew against his face, and the vault was illuminated by the lantern. There was a large hole in the wall. It had wood planks on the floor and he heard the sound of water echoing from it.


    The other thing he noticed was the box next to the hole, with an obsidian amulet and a note next to it. The top half of the paper had a white coating on it, with the ink being black; the bottom of the paper was black, with white ink. Hector picked up the note and read it.


    Initiate,


    We have breached the ruins.


    Your instructions are to guard this entrance to the ruins. Eliminate anyone who becomes aware of this opening or the nature of our operations.


    We have provided you with an amulet. Use it in emergencies, or to replenish your supplies. Do not alert the other amulet holders to your location.


    If you require assistance or have been discovered, inform us and collapse the entrance.


    Signed,


    The Marble Order


    Was that Faceless a guard? He didn''t have anything resembling a weapon. Hector picked up the amulet. The moment he did, his vision was bombarded by gold words.


    Unidentified personnel detected...


    Linking to the Obsidian...


    Aspirant Identified.


    The words were similar to the ones on the Obsidian pillars.


    Unbound Artifact Detected: Obsidian Amulet


    Obsidian Amulet: (Unbound)


    It is very difficult to break the Obsidian. When they are broken, these fragments are the result.


    (1) Possession of this amulet permits access an Obsidian network, based on the nearest Obsidian construct. Each network will only support a number of amulets, and removal of an amulet will undo the link.


    (2) The amulet will permit the usage of permissions at the cost of a charge. Charges can be restored at an Obsidian construct.


    (3) This amulet will grant the ability to locate other amulet holders. This will also reveal the owner''s location.


    Linked Amulets: (4/10)


    Charges: (2/3)


    This was useful... but also risky. Very risky. There was a limit to the amount of amulets active, which made it a limited resource. From a cursory glance of the text, he could tell it was valuable too; valuable enough to attract unwanted attention.


    Wars were fought for resources like these.


    He''d save time on his trips to the Pillar, but in turn, his location would be broadcasted to the other holders. Time was a more valuable commodity, and this artifact saved him a lot of time.


    The benefits outweigh the risks.


    Hector wore the amulet around his neck. Using it was intuitive, and he used it to view the gold words.


    Realizing Strand Manipulation: Grade 1 (+101%)(+40%)...


    Strand Manipulation: Grade 2 (1%) Realized.


    Grade 2 (2%)


    Shards: (2)


    Trial Status:


    Aspirants: (328/1000)


    Proficiencies:


    Strands: Grade 1 (88%)(+30%)


    1: Shape: Threads


    Strand Manipulation: Grade 2 (1%)


    Artifacts:


    The Unwritten Grimoire: Grade 1 (47%)(+12%)


    Unused Pages: (0/5)


    2: Nether Well (Corrupted)


    3: (Corrupted)


    Paper Poppets: Grade 1 (33%)(+8%)


    Poppets: (1/2) (1)


    Obsidian Amulet: (Unbound)


    Linked Amulets: (4/10)


    Charges: (2/3)


    Permissions


    Hector felt different after realizing the proficiency. The strand floating beside him was more familiar, as though he could feel the texture of every thread wrapped around one another. It was a subtle difference, but he could build on that sensation and become more familiar with it.


    Even if he did not find any shards, this amulet made this trip worth the trouble, but that wasn''t all it had for him. The giant hole in the wall was still there and where it led sparked his curiosity.