Inspected Integrated: Ilya. Chanter. Level 4.

  Luke walked up to Hollow-Ilya and stood over her. "You said you have information to share."

  "I do."

  "What is it?"

  She pursed her lips before getting to her feet, standing a little too close for comfort. "There is a queen that you must destroy if you wish to save your homeworld."

  "I know that much," Luke said. "How come the queen is letting you do this? Talk to me, I mean. Another Hollow I spoke to sounded like he was taken over, controlled by the queen."

  "She cannot control me."

  "What makes you special?" Luke asked.

  A wave of some emotion swept past her face, but was gone before Luke caught it. Sadness, perhaps. "Not special, just different. Some of us are cast out as young, cut off from the greater will. We live a life of loneliness apart from our kin."

  "Is that why you're trying to help us? Revenge for being pushed away?"

  She shook her head at that. "I have made a deal. I'm to help you survive this and, in return, I'll be allowed to travel away from here."

  "Made a deal with whom?" Luke asked.

  "I..." she began, frowning. "I'm not sure. A voice in my head."

  "Couldn't that just be the queen messing with you?"

  "No. I'd know," Hollow-Ilya said. She sounded sure of that much, at least, but Luke had difficulty trusting the monster before him, for obvious reasons.

  "Is the queen down through that flesh-like, wriggling entrance?"

  "The hatchery?" she asked. "No. That is where we are born into this world. From the queen's eggs, yes, but she is not present."

  "Are you real?" Luke asked.

  She pulled back a little and blinked several times, narrowing her eyes. "What do you mean?"

  "This place, you Hollows. All of it," he said, exasperated, gesturing to the buildings and the sky. "Is this an actual place, or did the system create you so we could have something to fight against and grow stronger?"

  "That would be a bleak existence. If such a thing is possible, how would I even know?"

  "I guess," Luke said, seeing some familiar faces come through the portal. He grinned, then turned back to Hollow-Ilya. "So tell me, where is the queen, and how do we kill her?"

  "She dies by fire and by force, like most creatures in physical form. As to her whereabouts, I cannot say."

  "You don't know where she is?" Luke asked.

  "I can find her once we get to the other side of the portal."

  Luke couldn't help but laugh. "What?"

  "She was the first one to pass through."

  "Please tell me you're joking," Luke said.

  "This is no joking matter," Ilya said.

  "This is turning out to be a nightmare," Luke complained. "Fine, we'll do it your way, but if you try to run once we're back in Chicago, we'll kill you."

  Ilya nodded. "That is fair. We need to hurry. If the queen takes root in a nest, all will spiral out of control."

  "Hurry up then," Luke said, gesturing for her to get up and follow.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  They ran toward the portal, and Luke shouted for Ken and Lucy to join him, then reached Mateo and Penny, who'd stepped through the portal while he spoke with Ilya.

  "I need your help," he said to all four of them. "Back in Chicago."

  "Chicago?" Mateo asked. "My friend, we may be late, but the dungeon yet holds challenges for us, no?"

  "Trust me," Luke said.

  Mateo moved to step back through the portal. "With my life, amigo!"

  Penny sighed, following behind.

  Luke stepped after, holding Ilya by the arm and waving for Ken and Lucy to follow. Back on the other side, more cops surrounded the portal, having put up yellow tape to keep people from getting too close. Without it, people would crowd in, seeing as there had to be several hundred people standing around filming and taking photos on their phones. Off to the right, a man in a dark blue suit and tie sat behind a desk like the ones he'd seen after leaving the Tutorial Dungeon. Mateo and Penny stood right next to the table, talking to the man.

  He walked up to them. "DIA?"

  "Correct," the man said. "I am Henric Tolassen. I'll need to register your exit from the portal. Name?"

  "What?" Luke asked. "Why?"

  "We need to know who goes in and comes out, to register those who don't make it back," Henric said.

  "Just do as he says or we'll never get out of here," Penny said.

  "Where's Colt?" Luke asked.

  Penny shrugged. "Didn't want to go."

  "Well, I'm glad you're here. Both of you."

  Luke turned back to the DIA agent and gave his name, then leaned in. "The dungeon boss has made it through to this side. They're shapeshifters."

  Henric's face paled. "I'll report this right away. Thank you for informing me. A surviving officer informed us of the sort of creatures they were facing inside and what'd happened to her colleagues. Gruesome."

  After Ilya, Lucy, and Ken gave their names to the DIA agent to speed things along, they all turned to leave.

  "Wait!" Henric shouted after them. "You need to stay here while I alert my superiors. Unfortunately, the DIA non-police team is deployed to a second dungeon, but they should be returning soon."

  "Other dungeon?" Luke asked. Now that the agent mentioned it, he felt a faint tugging thanks to his Sense Dungeon skill from the Seeker profession. A second dungeon on the same day. Things were getting busy indeed. He shook his head. "Never mind. We have to go."

  "You need to stay here. That's an order!" Henric shouted.

  "Friend Henric, do not extend so far that you cannot walk back your words," Mateo said, leaning on his spear.

  "You hold no authority over us," Luke snorted, waving for everyone to hurry. "And we have a queen to kill!"

  After being let through the perimeter by the cops, the group cleared the crowd of people, then headed North after Ilya pointed them that way. Luke explained everything he'd learned and told the rest of them what Ilya was. The group took it in stride, and they'd soon formed a new party. Ilya explained how she had a sort of sixth sense telling her where the queen was, and while she directed them to continue North, Luke checked his phone.

  Ray hadn't texted him back even though he should be up at that point, so Luke texted again. "Full party now, so you missed your shot. You snooze, you lose!"

  "I've landed in Chicago. Let me know when you're done with the dungeon," Alan had texted.

  "I'm out, but it'll be a while longer. Bit of a situation. I'll tell you more later," Luke texted back.

  The phone buzzed with a reply from Alan almost right away. "No rush. Another dungeon opened up, so I'll head there to see what the Integrated in Chicago has to offer. Thinking of starting my own guild."

  "Cool," Luke replied before putting the phone back into his pocket.

  He looked around and saw Ken struggling, holding a hand to his chest.

  "Hold on," Luke said, stopping. "Ken?"

  He stopped and leaned over, panting. Once he'd caught his breath, the Mage righted himself, showing blueish lips. Not a good sign.

  "Here, let me," Luke said, holding his hand against Ken's chest. The mana draft he'd surrounded the aorta in for support still held, but it was bulging a little, like the wall of the aorta was trying to push through so it could rupture.

  "How's it looking?" Ken asked.

  Luke shook his head and booted Ken from the party. "You shouldn't be running around. Go to the emergency room."

  "That bad?"

  "I think so," Luke said. "Best not take any chances."

  They said their goodbyes, and then they were off running again.

  "Almost there," Ilya said, her gaze fixed in the distance.

  "Got a spot open now if you hurry your ass up," Luke texted Ray as they came to a stop outside an eleven story tall building from early 20th century with a sort of classical look to it, white pillars running along the facade.

  Penny groaned. "City Hall?"

  "Power seeks power," Mateo said, his voice a little subdued. "Queen against Crybaby."

  "Against what?" Luke asked.

  "It's a nickname for the mayor," Lucy said. "Even I know that."

  "Who is this Crybaby Mayor?" Ilya asked. "Is she your queen? The queen seeking a seat of power is to be expected."

  "Something like that," Penny said, giving Ilya a searching look. "So she's in there, your queen?"

  "She is no queen of mine," Ilya spat.

  "But she's in there?" Luke asked.

  Ilya nodded. "High up in the tall structure."

  They crossed the street and spotted the security guards right outside the doors. There'd be more of them inside, and there might be more Hollows as well.

  "We should have brought more people," Luke said, cursing himself for not getting the contact information from anyone at the DIA. No, hold on a moment. He did have the number for one such person, one who could put him in touch with Stevens or one of the other agents.

  "We must make haste and charge this dragon of a building!" Mateo cried. "Los sue?os no mueren, los dragones sí!"

  Luke grabbed his shoulder to stop the charge. "Hold on, let me just call someone first."

  "Who?" Ilya asked.

  "My sister."