With her head covered by a huge hood, Sevika guided you through a dark alley in the furthest back of Zaun that you had ever seen.

No natural light reached this far. Not even the unnatural neon colours managed to crawl through the tiny cracks.

A strange smell was in the air, some mix of unknown chemicals and oil.

A few rats crawled through the mud but quickly vanished inside holes in the walls as Sevika's heavy steps approached.

A cold shiver crawled down your spine as you caught a glimpse of a group of hooded figures kneeling in a corner.

They seemed to do some shady business, more shady than the usual business that the Undercity was infamous for.

For the hint of a second you managed to catch a glimpse of a strange violet liquid that was passed from one hand to another before it disappeared in the new owners pockets.

They seemed to notice your staring.

Heads snapped into your direction.

Bloody, irritated eyes locked with yours.

Frightened, you retreated. While doing so you bumped into Sevika by accident.

Letting out a low sound, she threw a glance over her shoulder.

"Don't stop walking.", she advised and examined the people around. "They will jump you if you stop. Or of you're too slow."

She kept on walking again.

Your legs twitched. They wished to run, but common sense in the back of your mind said that running would have been a sign of weakness.

Thugs of the Undercity were skilled in smelling weak targets who would make a good catch.

There were plenty of people who got robbed, beaten or killed within seconds of setting foot in this godforsaken place for the first time.

And you didn't want to be one of them.

With bated breath, you followed her further down the rabbit hole.

The water inside the puddles started to change from dirty to bloody and infected.

A thin layer of unidentifiable liquid covered the surface.

As you stepped into it, the colours got stuck to the soles of your shoes and made them stick to the ground like gum.

Disgust already crawled up your throat. It felt like everything you had eaten in the past days was about to return back to daylight.

All of a sudden, Sevika stopped and raised a hand to signalise for you to hold on as well.

With narrowed eyes, she looked around before knocking on a shabby old door.

The sound of rusty metal echoed through the emptiness.

Colourful flowers grew along the walls. They were pretty, but at the same time awoke the suspicion that it wasn't wise to risk a touch or even a sniff.

A small window opened in the door.

Two old, watery eyes examined her for a moment before moving on to you, where they remained a but longer.

The window closed again.

Locks opened. Slowly, the door moved while screaming and screeching.

No person was to be seen as the way opened and revealed a stuff, dark room that had nothing in it but a staircase wrapped in shadows.

Carefully, Sevika threw a glance inside.

One of her hands moved to her belt where a weapon was secured.

As she deemed the coast as clear, she dared to enter.

"Come on.", she said in a demanding manner. "It won't be open forever."

Something inside of you hesitated.

It wasn't just stuffy air that reached your nose, but also a scent that was enough to make all the bones inside your body tingle.

Sevika did a gesture. She was starting to get impatient.

The door moved again, all by itself.

A deep breath escaped you.

"Will I be able to return, is the question?", you asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Depends.", she turned away to approach the staircase that seemed like it led straight to hell. "Do not anger anyone and keep your mouth shut."

It wasn't a great answer, but probably the only one you'd ever get.

You didn't want to go. You really didn't want to.

This place was guaranteed trouble, trouble that you had managed to avoid for over two decades.

Starting now would have made all the years keeping Viktor out of trouble wasted.

But at the end of the day this opportunity was the only option to get some funds together.

And at this point you were desperate.

Viktor already seemed to get used to the idea of leaving the Undercity for the academy.

Now all that was needed was money. And this was the only way to make it quick and in loads.

At least that was what you hoped.

The door was already halfway closed as your legs decided to take matters to actions and took the final step.

With a heavy sound, the door fell shut behind you and made the ground shake.

Darkness swallowed everything.

Sevika disappeared for a moment.

A shivering breath escaped your lips.

This deep blackness felt different than everything you've ever experienced. It was colder, more cruel.

Every breath felt like the air tried to poison you, as of the shadows tried to crawl into your nose and corrupt every inch of your being until nothing but an empty vessel was left.

But you couldn't stop now.

The Undercitg had already taken too much from you.

You wouldn't stop, now that there was a silver lining to be seen.

Just a bit more darkness. Soon it would be bright day.

At least for Viktor.

With new found determination beating inside your chest, you raised a hand to feel where you were going.

"Sevika?", you asked and dared to take another step into the darkness.

A dim light awoke.

Orange glow kissed your face. Gentle warmth reached your cheeks.

Scratchy smoke filled the already dusty air.

"Down here.", her voice said and not a second after, a small, electric blue light chased away the darkness.

The strands dripped down the stairs and seeped into the depths like water from an ocean.

"Where does this lead?", you asked but didn't wait for an answer to take the first step.

"Somewhere dark."