Lord Ru’Tev stopped at the lift entrance “And here we are-"

Lord Ru’Tev’s words cut off after a loud crash coming from Jen smashing through a random door. The lord’s eye twitched in annoyance as he eyed the ruin door and then Jen.

“I see feet aren’t the only things your group is experiencing in ruining. By all means, please, you might as well smash through more doors while you’re at it."

“He… already did…” A worker from down the hall groaned. “Sixteen times, actually…”

“He- What?!" Exasperation filled the lord’s voice. He looked from Jen to the worker and back again.

“The Royal purse will pay for your expenses." Princess Lys stated.

Lord Ru’Tev eyed the princess, his annoyance still written across his face. “Oh, and you have a coffer of coin on you now?"

“The Royal purse will pay for your expenses." Lys reiterated, but then added, “... at a later date…"

Lord Ru’Tev rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and sighed.

“Very well." He relented.

He then looked to Karina to address her concerns. “I will prepare the ones involved in these checks for interrogation tomorrow."

Lord Ru’Tev opened the lift, and allowed the group to enter. The lift was actually composed of several disconnected lifts that lowered no more than two floors each. Designed as such to account for failures caused by the Divergent’s ill fortune. So after every two floors, the pactmakers would have to exit the lift and enter a second lift nearby.

After switching between four lifts, the group finally reached the bottom floor where a group of servants were waiting from them. The servants assisted in removing the visitor bracelets and exchanging them with metal bracelets of an orange color to symbolize that the pactmakers were ‘guests’ bracelets.

“Come." Lord Ru’Tev said. “The way to my living quarters is this way."

Ru’Tev led the pactmakers to an exit on the far side of the manor. Exiting the prison, the pactmakers could make out Ru’Tev’s manor nearby.

The Manor stood as a somber yet imposing structure. Like with the prison, it was situated on its own tiny island at the bottom of the crater, surrounded by a very shallow moat. A moat that you could wade through. Two individual bridges connect the Manor to the prison. The first bridge was a covered bridge that, though covered, was still exposed to the elements on either side. This bridge connected the prison’s lobby to the manor’s first floor. The other bridge of which was an indoor sky bridge which connected the second floor of both buildings.

So, as Lord Ru’Tev said earlier in the day. His manor was ‘technically’ a part of the prison building. That said, his description of the connection was clearly an exaggeration.

Like with the prison, the manor also had those magical transmitters surrounding it. The manor's architecture, a reflection of the cautious design choices made by the Divergent’s residents, incorporating features tailored to counteract the pervasive bad luck that plagued the area. As the pactmakers approached the manor from the covered bridge, a sense of foreboding hung in the air, intensified by the absence of a traditional garden. Instead, its garden looked more like a wild and untamed wilderness. A testament to the difficulties of maintaining order amidst the capricious nature of the Divergent.

Here, resilient plant life thrived amidst the chaos. Hardy shrubs and vines burst forth, seemingly defying the unfavorable circumstances that surround them. The plants grew with a certain tenacity, despites the ever present shadow that hung over Horizon’s Dip. They reached towards the sky desperately, seeking the sun’s light which was eternally lacking.

“If you would Ignore the weeds." Lord Ru’Tev stated offhandedly. “Gardening in the Divergent is its own challenge. Weeds seem to grow at an accelerated rate and seem to reappear even the day after removing them. Trim a bush to make it neat, and the next day you get ten more branches shooting forth to offset the order and work that was just put in. The best we can do is to guide the chaos, so that it may take on its own beauty."

Lord Ru’Tev nodded to some nearby Ancient trees, their gnarled branches twisting and intertwining chaotically, providing shelter and shade within the garden. They stood as sentinels of resilience, with moss and lichens clinging to their ancient trunks, adding an aura of mystique and indeed a unique form of beauty to the surroundings.

Chres took out his flask as he looked around the garden.

“The ways in which people would adapt to the problems presented to them." He said.

He raised his flask in acknowledgement to Ru’Tev’s gardeners and then followed up by taking a sip. The gesture seemingly earned him a sneer from Tayla.

Frowning, Chres turned his gaze upwards. The exterior of the manor seemed to reflect its connection to the prison, displaying a hint of gloom while maintaining a sense of grandeur. The dark stone walls rose majestically, punctuated by small, narrow windows that seem to guard the secrets within. Weathered gargoyles perch atop the corners of the manor, their stone forms weathered by time and perhaps even by the effects of the Divergent itself.

Taking another sip, Chres follow Ru’Tev into the manor. Inside revealed a world of refined yet subdued elegance. The entrance led to a grand foyer, where a high vaulted ceiling adorned with large bits of crystal Jade jutting out from above, cut in the shape of hexagonal prisms. They seemed to act as a replacement for traditional chandeliers, likely to avert the risk of Lord Ru’Tev’s lighting fixture from becoming a hazard should it fall. The stone walls are adorned with tapestries depicting scenes from noble history, their colors muted by time and ill fortune.

Lord Ru’Tev stopped in the middle of the foyer and turned to the pact makers. “Welcome to my home." Lord Ru’Tev said. “You may help yourself to any amenities for as long as you stay… So long as you don’t go bashing through any more doors." He turned a gaze for half a second on Jen.

“My servants will help you to the Guest Wing." He then looked to Lys. “Princess, if you would follow me."

Lys nodded and separated from the group.

“Guests?” One of the servants asked, an absent minded looking woman who seemed no older than 23. “We have guests?”

“And some interesting ones by the look of things.” Said a second servant. This one with a strange yet familiar sounding accent. She stared at the pactmakers contemplatively.

“We weren’t supposed to have guests!” The first servant squeaked, sounding somewhat in a panic.

The second servant frowned, arms folded. “Then why do we have a guest wing?”

The first servant blinked and then bowed in a hurry to the pactmakers. “Forgive us. We just weren’t expecting anyone.” The woman raised her head to the second servant who frowned at her contemplatively. “You! Go make sure that the cook and the rest of the servants know that we have guests.”

The second servant frowned, “And where are the kitchens again?” Clearly this servant was new.

“That way! That way!” The first servant pointed down the hall urgently.

The second servant gave the first an amused smile. She gave the pactmakers one last look before heading to the kitchens in a gait that clearly showed that she was not in a hurry.

The first servant tsked and shook her head. “This way! This way!” She said waving the pactmakers to follow her.

Chres frowned as he followed her deeper into the manor and to the guest wing accessed through a grand corridor adorned with tapestries and lit by ornate wall sconces. The corridor, wide enough to accommodate several people side by side, led to a smaller foyer within the guest wing. The foyer was equipped with homely furniture for lounging and a recently lit fireplace acting as a centerpiece in the room. The fireplace was carefully surrounded by thick glass casing with a stone chimney above the fire acting doubly as a pillar.

A servant could be seen opening the glass casing surrounding the fire and tending it as the pactmakers entered. He didn’t raise his head towards them indicating that the word had probably already gotten out.

The guest living quarters featured a series of interconnected rooms, ensuring privacy while allowing for convenient access and social interaction when desired. Each guest room was furnished appropriately with comfortable beds, adorned with draperies that could be drawn to provide an extra bit of privacy. Fabrics and plush cushions adorn seating areas, creating inviting spots for relaxation or quiet contemplation.

“You may help yourself to any room you choose. We will have staff nearby to meet your needs if you require anything.” The woman servant stated as she turned to the pactmakers. “There’s a bell by the fireplace you may ring if nobody is nearby.” She said waving to a bell on a small table near the fireplace. “And please, do not open the casing to the fireplace, these things are dangerous enough to attend to with this Divergent hanging over our head.”

And with that the servant bowed her head and before any of the pactmakers could get a word in, she stormed out of the guest wing in a hurry.

Tayla sniffed. “What’s up her ass?”

She approached a nearby couch, frowning, hands on her hip, as she looked around the foyer. “So this is what these rich people call home, huh?” She said with a sneer.

Examining the nearby couch, she hesitantly tested the cushion with her hand and blinked. Smiling wickedly, she then jumped onto the couch and lounged across it, dirty boots still on.

“Disgusting how these people live.” She said with a yawn.