The ability I was training next was Hibernation—the strange state ghouls employed when they were inactive. And the best place to train this ability was the plaza.

  If some mad, barely sentient beast could do it, so could I.

  And true to my expectations, this state was easy to achieve. I wouldn't even call it a spell as those required energy to create some effect on the world around me or on myself.

  Hibernation, in contrast, brought my 'metabolism' down, not filling my energy stores like I hoped meditation would but at least significantly lowering their expenditure. And while I remained barely aware of my surroundings, any attempt to move or empower a spell brought me out of it in a snap.

  It was peculiar to see people move in a fast-forward fashion to meet in different groups and break up again, all in the span of minutes, subjectively.

  Several morning rituals went by, and I noticed Maggie still present among the Temple's white robes. Too bad for her, but she was a big girl, and she could make her own mistakes without my input on the matter.

  While I couldn't use any spells during my Hibernation, I had found a workaround for that. My mask's residual powers grew to the point that it was creating a weak concealment effect even when I wasn't actively empowering it. So I would pump it full of energy, and while it slowly decreased, I could stay both hibernating and in hiding at the same time.

  The other side of the coin was a disappointment. While I could relax my energy and slow it down to Hibernate, doing the opposite didn't make me any faster.

  It made me twitchy, and I lost energy twice, maybe three times, the usual rate, but nothing I tried could speed up my perception of time. I tried different approaches, and every one of them failed, so eventually, I decided to leave this idea on the wishlist for a better time.

  I contemplated my next move, whether it was going on a solo hunt for a ghoul or sharing information about another plane that could be reached through the fog with Kenny. Unfortunately, exploring this new plane was an undertaking I wouldn't be willing to take without some company I trusted, and I was in low supply for that at the moment.

  Too bad my attempts at gaining superhuman speed failed. I would have become an unstoppable force and wouldn't think twice about confronting the ghouls for easy gains.

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  As it turns out, events had a tendency to move on their own without respect for my plans.

  First, I noticed the dirtied, bloodied form of one of the newer people in Victor's crew run inside the shop. Their crew was split into four smaller groups by this point, about five people each. The high numbers were due to the aggressions from the raiders rather than because of any difficulty taking out the ghouls with smaller teams.

  Several hours later, the main group led by Victor came back, and I got the distinct feel of a brewing storm from the ensuing activity.

  The rest of the groups returned in a matter of a day. Edith led one, but I was unfamiliar with the man leading the last. And while the grunts were released to prowl the plaza, the team leaders stayed inside.

  It was so easy and relaxing to gather information while hiding in Hibernation that it took me noticing Kenny stepping outside the shop several times for me to realize that he was probably looking for me.

  Too bad I was never in his line of sight, hiding in the cozy shadows of the Pillar's entrance.

  The place was abandoned since its first exploration and didn't have a ready way to scale. But thanks to my Force symbol, I didn't have the same problem getting into higher places as everybody else. So instead, I welcomed the abandoned site with a clear view of the city's center.

  Eventually, curiosity won, and I slipped off my perch and sneaked into the shop.

  "Looking for me?" I asked as soon as I was inside.

  Everyone reacted with varying degrees of alarm, but Victor decided I barely qualified to receive a most laconic response.

  "No," his voice was angry and a little raw like he was yelling.

  Kenny, on the other hand, perked up and waved me over.

  "We can start working on a plan right away," Kenny said at a fast pace, his words flowing like an unending torrent. "We now have the means to harm the Squid, and with his help-" he pointed to me "-we can find it. We send for the compass, and all that's left is to organize, get equipment, and power-"

  "No," Victor repeated his earlier reply, forcibly interrupting him. "We are going to take care of the raider problem. Today. I let it go on for far too long. And I've paid for it. Enough!" He slammed his hand on the wooden table that was once used for card play.

  "But we can't put off the Squid," Kenny tried again, passionately animating his speech with erratic hand movements. "Most are coming back empty-handed already. Only the Temple gets by, and that's only because of the compass. The fewer ghouls remain, the less mana we can raise. It will only diminish the longer it takes."

  Victor held a heavy glare but let him finish this time.

  After Kenny was done, he silently stood up and moved to the closed room at the back of the shop.

  He came back holding a small sack filled with pentacle coins. Their combined shine mixed into a blob of golden light in my magical Sight.

  "Go to the temple and get the compass." He put the sack in Edith's hands. "Then, ready all our men, we are going after Michaelson. The beast-looking motherfucker. He wants to look like a dog? He would die like one."

  "Why won't we organize like last time? It'll be safer with more-" Edith started.

  "Safer?" Victor cut in. "We have twice his men. We'll stomp him like the little vermin he is. He butchered my men when we were divided. Let's see how he likes it when I bring all of us on his head. Every one of my guys has to know that we stand united. We have each other's back. Always!" Victor exhaled angrily out of his nose. "Go! Karl, help her."

  Edith looked troubled by the decision, but the other guy that stayed silent all that time followed without saying a word.

  Kenny looked horrified, like something beyond repair had just happened before his eyes.