Kael followed the woman toward the elevator.
The upper floors of the Association branch were quieter than the testing halls below. Fewer climbers wandered here, and the ones who did moved with a different air. Less nervous energy. More guarded interest. This was not where rookies tried to prove their strength or where staff shouted about broken test machines. This was where money moved. Quietly. Cleanly. In amounts large enough to ruin families, fund guilds, or buy a climber a second chance at life.
The elevator rose without sound.
