The First Step Toward Ten Thousand Souls

Green watched Krosos load the things onto the carriage and head for the Imperial Library, then immediately turned toward the back of the villa.

In the yard behind the villa, five Thousand-Eared Monster corpses lay neatly on the ground. Wounds large and small covered their bodies, and pale mucus seeped from them.

Looking at the corpses, Green took a Crystal Orb from his robes and cast a spell. The orb instantly glowed blue-white, and five translucent blue arms reached out, seized the corpses, and dragged them inside.

"What a shame spatial technology is so underdeveloped in this world. There aren't even suitable spatial vessels, and spatial equipment is pitifully scarce!" Green thought of the absurd prices such devices commanded and felt a glimmer of understanding. "For spatial equipment to be this backward in a world with Fifth-Level Lifeforms, it must have something to do with the power that distorts this world's spacetime!"

Green shook his head, put the Crystal Orb away, and went inside the villa.

In his bedroom, Green willed his bed to rise and drift aside.

A pale-blue rune floated from his forehead and settled on the floor where the bed had stood.

With a click, a square seam appeared in the solid floor, and a stone door set into it swung open by itself. A passage descended beneath the bedroom to a vast basement.

White crystals lit the sloping passage at regular intervals. Light scattered from within their faceted surfaces, illuminating every step.

Green entered the passage. With a snap, the door closed behind him.

The seam at its entrance flowed together like liquid and vanished completely.

The displaced bed rose strangely into the air once more and floated back into place.

Paying no attention to what happened behind him, Green slowly descended the stairs into the