High above the threats of the UnderCity, in the beautiful, thriving Arcology, through a wide-paned window, bathed in glorious sunlight - a man and his wife were enjoying a lazy afternoon in the kitchen.

His eyes gazed over the rim of a mug of black coffee, to observe the way her hips swayed to a tinny recording of Ritchie Valens. Tight, bright orange curls bounced on her shoulders and a checkered yellow skirt twirled around her ankles. Her hand delicately stirred a spoon in a pot on the stove. She tossed her head over her shoulder to meet his eye. Her front teeth tugged on the skin of her lip when she smiled. Her lipstick didn't stain.

"Oh, I love the way you watch me, Charlie," she cooed, in a breathy, girlish voice. "But you won't only watch me, will you? Won't you dance?" She turned from the pot, and swayed, trying to coax him over. "Well, say something, Charles! Don't leave me dancing alone."

He shook his head, fixated on her. "You're just... perfect."

A tinkling laugh. "No. The sun is perfect." She moved back to the stove to continue stirring, turning her doe-like eyes towards the window with a wistful sigh. "Thank you. For bringing me up here."

There was a creak as he lifted himself up from his chair and walked to her. The man reached his arm around her, to place his hand on the oven near her side. The wife smiled, letting out a sweet little hum.

A nerve on her jaw twitched.

After a time, she turned and pursed her lips into a little kiss that just missed his jaw. "Now now, I won't get supper done at this rate." She warded him off from her with the spoon, threatening to poke his chest with it. "But after, let's dance how we used to. The way we danced all night in the club we first met." ẅ̶̻r̴̤͂o̸͇̽ǹ̴̖g̶͍̈ "On the cruise, silly me." The wife laughed vapidly and returned to cooking.

The man watched his wife. He watched how one of her orange curls became unstuck.

He began to reach out to her.

The man's hand sunk through his wife's head.

She froze. The golden sunlight streaming through the window grew cold and colourless. Her entire body had seized up, her eyes stuck wide and pupils dilating. Then there was a split second of a scream he didn't hear the end of as she was erased right in front of him.

That hair-raising, agonized scream continued on in the depths of the UnderCity. A woman pawed at her head, shrieking. She stripped away wires and tape, and slammed her side into a wall. She held her head as she slid down it, the fucking residue of fingerprints still smeared all over her fucking neurons -

Gone.

She slowly helped herself up and walked across the room calmly as though it had never happened. A cellphone lit up on her mattress with a chime. It illuminated the rundown studio apartment - a losing battle with black mold on the ceiling, exposed plumbing, sections of wall just replaced with metal scrap, a vast array of candy wigs on foam heads scattered over the floor - and the inhabitant: UMBRI. A young woman in underwear and a tank top, with tattoos coiling around her shins and hair too closely cropped to even be considered a pixie cut. She walked over to the device, glimpsed the message, then held it to her mouth.

"First and only warning. No touching, or I can't see you again."

Beep. She looked back down at the cell. This time she saw figures. She leaned to speaker, and cooed in a lovely voice, "We'll set a date soon, Charlie." She dropped the phone, and kicked over the foam head wearing a curly, orange wig. "Fucker," she said, a whole octave lower.

The top came off. Rippling along her spine with the lines of her musculature was a metal implant. It reflected the flashing lights, blasting through the poorly boarded up windows from the billboard next door - RED BLUE PINK GREEN YELLOW RED PINK. PINK. PINK. Tonight was pink. She fused the hot pink wig to her scalp and married it with make-up that could cut. The garnish was a shade of violent blue lipstick she smeared with her thumb. She looked in the mirror. A dangerous fantasy glared back. Red eyes rimmed with black shadows.

Umbri threw a puffy pink and green jacket over metallic lingerie. Her heels were plastic, clear and nine inches high. She slipped out the window and onto the balcony, sliding her hands along the railing to gaze upon NORTHBRIDGE.



At this time in the afternoon, the Settlement was finally waking. Shouting, clanging, machinery, a mugging down the street, all sorts of noise pollution began to fill the air as thick as the smoke. Tendrils of it coiled around the woman's face, turned toxic pink from her neighbor's billboard. She breathed it in and blew it away.

Tastes like home.

Wolf squinted at Dean for a long... long time after his theatrics. Inwardly she heaved a sigh of relief: that "little bit" of exertion on his part took a huge amount of stress off the other defenders, and all that was really left for them to do was mop up before Wee Little Devil came to take his cut. Outwardly though...

"Next time I gotta come get you, I'm gonna tell Alex about your thing," she jabbed, as a cable tether shot from her cybernetic arm with the loud pop of compressed gas. It found purchase on something overhead, and the cable twanged like a plucked string as it became taut and whisked her away rifle and all. She pulled an eyelid down with her middle finger and stuck her tongue out at him as she swung away.

The woman flew up towards a tall pylon at the edge of town. The repulsor sled parked there rocketed along the pair of tension cables, dragging her off into the darkness past the influence of the local Sun Lamps. The sled's thruster briefly illuminated a large camouflaged structure suspended high over the Earth a fair distance outside of town. It was held up by a spider webs of tension cables disappearing up into the darkness towards a Sun Lamp that was "curiously" not working. A Thresher that had leapt out of the pack energetically at the trio scaling the wall turned into a shower of meat and gore. The *CRUMP* of mass-reactive explosive rounds made Rat's ears ring, and a couple moments later the energetic *POW* of a light duty .50 BMG echoed like distant thunder.

"Shieldtown protects!" he squeaked up at Maire, awe and anxiety ringing through his voice in equal measure... like he wasn't really sure they were the ones Shieldtown would protect.

As if in response to that sentiment, a dark shape swooped through the darkness, just outside the effect of Sun Lamp-overhead. Some residual light glinted off the rounded tips of the trio of armor defeating missiles slung under the drone's central pylon. It banked sharply, and the crackling roar of its turbines suddenly cut the moment of silence as the targeting pod on its nose swiveled to keep them in view. A plume of blue light illuminated the hanging structure for a few moments preceding the distant roar of thrusters as another drone was launched. Little more than a mass of repulsor turbines and stabilizers, manned by a targeting pod and a massive rotary cannon probably ripped straight out of an old military plane swooped out to get an angle on the chitin covered woman flying over the wall.

Back in town, Dean only got several minutes of quiet "rest" before he was approached by more footsteps. A pair of fine dress shoes crunched in the nearby dirt conspicuously loud, though presumably the owner could have chosen to be silent... at least judging by his confident gait. A tarot card curved around Dean, halting in the air as though it had struck something just a few feet away from his "chair." A small ripple of [Force] warped the air as the dark-haired stranger stepped past to sit on it like a stool and light his cigarette. Archer's blue eyes gleamed with amusement at Dean as he took a deep first drag and exhaled with a note of satisfaction.

"Heeeeey there, honey. How ya doing? Can I get you a water? Maybe a snack?"

---

---

"While I can assure you nobody will follow you, the ravens tend to be spread all over the Undercity and will inevitably see you. As long as I don't ask for it they won't report anything back, but as they've probably already marked you as a person of importance should they deem you to be 'in danger' they'll report that back to me, regardless of what I asked them. I have limited control over the information that falls into my lap in this manner, it's a self-taught stubbornness of them." Zolya explained. "Such an amazing mage isn't she, can't even control her pets." Raudd teased after which he got a kick to the shins from his sister, like that'd do anything to him anyways. "Ahem, if the deal still works for you knowing this I'd have no problem sealing the deal."

"Oh, and while we are on the note of trade, most of the items I make can be used by others regardless of their magical affinities, as long as one is able to channel mana they can be used. I thought such items may be of use given your profession." She quickly added before holding out her hand, leaving ID to be the one to complete the pact.

ID hesitated, thinking for a few minutes. For Raudd and Zolya it was only a handful of seconds. After coming to a conclusion she shook the kanji from her hand, whispering a new spell into her palm before holding it out again.

"Meetings like these are very delicate. Your pets may put me in danger unintentionally, and I will have to destroy any that interfere with my work. Since I don't want to harm our relationship, this revised pact will illuminate your pets for me so I can avoid them, and as long as they aren't seeking me without need I believe this arrangement will be mutually beneficial," she explained, and waited for confirmation from Zolya before grasping her hand. A gentle warmth of [Light] pulsed through them both, and after a moment the flock of ravens outside lit up amber through the walls in her [Dreamsight].

"I doubt that'll be a problem, they are quite adept at being silent observers, but if that's what makes you feel comfortable." Zolya replied after having grabbed the hand of ID.

Clearing his throat and counted out a couple reels of clat. "Onto more practical matters, we haven't exactly introduced ourselves to each other, my name is Raudd Erling and this sister of mine is Zolya Erling." He said while extending a hand of his own. "How may we refer to you? Oh, and do you have some way to travel without attracting attention? Since you'll likely have to travel to our mansions for the trades, most certainly for the enchantments, and unknown people walking onto those grounds tends to draw a lot of attention... Which is why I like to do the business side of things in this café." He explained.

ID hesitated again, considering Zolya for a long time after Raudd's question. She exhaled a controlled sigh as her mind raced, and her eyes flicked rapidly from side to side as though she were scrolling through text in that moment of intense concentration. After a minute or so she looked back up at them, blinking to clear her eyes.

"[Heat] and [Light] are closely aligned... as long as the populace doesn't make a habit of living in [Dreamsight] I should be inconspicuous enough. Names, however... carry a level of risk... that I'm uncomfortable sharing with your Runesmith at this time," she answered uneasily. "But in the spirit of cooperation, I will respond to...," she hesitated again. Word-related magic was tricky to deal with, but if theory held true, she could afford herself a modicum of protection by expanding her portfolio of aliases.

"Crimson," she answered, as her eye was drawn towards the final wisp of that signature she'd been following as it swirled into the Stoneworks' central drain.

With her moving around in the shadows he'd imagined she would have racked up quite the list of aliases, she seemed slightly panicked by the idea of giving even a false name. Something Zolya had picked up as well. "... Well then, miss Crimson, unless you have some other business to attend to perhaps we can show you to our workshops. So Zolya can show you which materials need enchanting, in the meantime I can look into setting up a meeting with your person of interest." Raudd continued as Zolya finished her drink.

"Hmmm, the hunt might delay it a bit though. I'll send a couple ravens out to find them and keep an eye on them." Zolya said as she got up from the table. Raudd soon followed, and was already out the door to pay Grigor by the time Zolya had fixed her sword strap. She looked at Crimson who had placed her sword on the table. That's probably why... This must look really clumsy. She thought before making her way out of the room as well.

"No rush. Take all the time and care you need to make sure everyone feels safe meeting with me: I have another disturbance to investigate that has... moved to a higher priority and I may be gone for some time," answered Crimson, as she flipped her sword back onto her belt, fastening the buckle with one hand as she got up. A smile creased the corners of her eyes as she followed Raudd.

Raudd placed the reels of clat onto the counter, the sound of which alerted Grigor who had his back turned to the cafe as he was preparing another order. "Thanks for the coffee and have a good afternoon." Grigor counted the clat at a glance before nodding and waving Raudd a goodbye. "As always you make the best coffee, thank you." Zolya said with a smile as she passed Grigor to which the man pulled the dishcloth out of his beltloop and with a slight smile gave her a bow using the dishcloth for flair.

Crimson slid a few coins onto the bar as she passed Grigor. Even though she didn't order anything, his time and consideration of their privacy was worth the tip. As she passed through the door, she whispered to the [Light] and a haze of heat shimmered over her for a moment before she vanished. She couldn't hide the minute distortion of the air while moving but it should be enough to escape the notice of anyone who wasn't paying extra close attention.

Dollar’s hand hovered over the baby-blue barrier as it shot into existence, lips slightly parted before coming together in a wry smile. She brought one finger to her lips, eyes sliding sideways to regard the Meathead Macedonian as he squared himself for a fight. ”Shhhhhh.” She rose slowly, hand fixed into position in front of her face. “The baby’s sleepin’,” she whispered, head slowly turning toward Alex as she stood.

Dollar took slow, deliberate steps away from Yue’s unconscious form, placing her feet carefully where she wouldn’t disturb any of the rubble as she moved over toward Alex. “Kids need their rest, you know,” she teased, crossing her arms and circling just out of arm’s reach before coming to a stop on his opposite side. “That’s why I didn’t disturb your nap. You looked so cozy, all bundled up and warm.”

---

Máire squinted at the spotlight fixing its gaze upon them, silver dust sliding across her eyes. She blinked, and her eyes adjusted to cut out the excess light. She got the distinct impression they weren’t the most welcome - an impression which was reinforced by another drone launching and taking aim at the shapeshifter.

Máire looked between both drones and the shapeshifter, holding Rat more firmly in place before sending the two of them shooting further up the side of the wall. Swords manifested from her back, slicing cleanly through the air and forming a defensive circle around their third companion. The spotlight drone followed after them without hesitation, and experience told Máire to expect immediate retribution from Shieldtown’s mechanical guardians. Shieldtown protects, after all, and as far as these drones were concerned, the three of them were yet more intruders.

The earth was alive, and when [EYES] peered up at her from the formerly spike wrought ground, J-3 balked.

It was only a brief moment of panic, as the [WEIGHT OF THE WORLD] stared up at her with a bland face. A primordial force, lazily watching her.

And then, there was bright light. Ow. Fuck.

J-3 hissed her displeasure at the sudden arrival of the two drones, flexing the muscles in her chest somewhat as her wings spread wide. The light would’ve been blinding if she didn’t immediately adjust her vision with a pulse of ink. Adrenaline rushed into her system, causing her four-pointed-star shaped pupils to become naught but narrow slits. This was annoying.

Then [The Ally] moved.

She turned her head, watching as The Blonde Ally absconded with Rat. Good! They would not survive such… Extreme ordinance?
The chitinous warrior-woman blinked owlishly at the rotary cannon. She rushed up, following after Maire at a slower pace, before turning over her shoulder and shouting.
“We mean no harm! Sanctuary! Sanctuary!”

There. That would give them free reign to retaliate if the robotic guardians did first. J-3… No. Jemma.
Jemma had thrown an olive branch out first, and if this settlement still attacked, then so be it! She would simply have to rip the pilot of these machines in twain.
Her lips split into a grin as a protective flight of blades joined her, and she simply waited for a response.

They couldn’t be called unreasonable yet, right?
And— And they hadn’t done anything wrong yet either! Whatever.

She hoped for a lack of conflict. A rarity for her.

The spot lamps followed them intently for a brief moment. Rat shielded his face from the lights, and there was tension in the air for a tangible moment.

"Is that my Power Cell in your bag, Rat?" Wolf's voice chirped from the loudspeaker of the cannon drone as it edged in just a little closer.

"Yesyesyes! Rat delivers to Lady Wolf" he shouted back, unnecessarily loud. "...For Fred...," he muttered under his breath, clutching the bag a little tighter.

"I got two empties for recharge... extra hundo if you can take them?"

"Two hundred clatters! FOR RAT'S TROUBLES!!" He shrieked, shaking the sword at the drone. Wolf groaned audibly.

"Fine. Fine. These ruffians bothering you?" Rat froze in Maire's grip, his beady eyes darting up to look at her nervously, and then at Cat-Kitty-Bug-Lady.

"Uh...," he hesitated. The cannon spun up. "Nonono! Nonono! Rat guides them, Rat is their guide!" The spot lamps clacked off, though the cannon drone darted to the side and rolled to dump altitude, thrusters flaring brilliantly to stabilize the craft and compensate for the cannon's ridiculous recoil. *BRRRRRRT!!* The cannon screamed angrily, whipping a hail of tracers past them. A fissure had opened up near the bottom of the wall and a hulking beast with glowing veins evaporated in a plume of impacts and dust.

"Wolf I swear to Christ if you ruin the meat with your contraptions it's coming out of your cut!!" A large woman screamed up at the drone from the fortified window of one of the buildings below.

"MAMA~~ Jeezo, that one wasn't edible! I'M BEING CAREFUL!" Wolf yelled back, the shrill feedback of the drone's loudspeaker punctuating her words. "You three get behind the wall. Big man's gone out, but someone will get you sorted. Let us take care of the rest," she ordered, as the cannon drone whooshed upward to take sentry over the wall. The *crack* of smaller sporting rounds began to occasionally ring past, picking off stragglers and anything that broke from the pack.

Jemma had opened her mouth at some point, taking in all the chaos of this ENTIRE situation in stride. AND! And! They had made it to the top of the wall at some point, or near enough.

The drone had corralled them at some point, stopping them on a platform of some sort.

‘Wolf’, the drone pilot, was yelling at another woman. ‘MAMA’ by Jemma’s understanding. It was… important to note these things, for some reason. She didn’t know why.

Either way.

She focused again when ‘Wolf’ told them to stay back, eyebrows knitting with indignation. A prickle of alien pride rising up in the background.
The understanding of the… nuances? Of the relationship between ‘Wolf’ and ‘Mama’ was… Enlightening!

Oop. There went the drone, ripping a burst of leaden death in a line.
…

Jemma huffed and turned to The Blonde Ally. “So… Can I go kill and refuel? Or not?”

And since when did she need to ask for permission? Why look for it now?

She confused herself, before she stopped caring. The question was asked, too late to take it back now.

Then, she paused again. Before looking skeptically at the town below them. There were people hustling about, and for an indecipherable moment, Jemma argued with herself.

Then, she jumped away and called over her shoulder. “Actually! I’m gonna look around! I’ll find you if you start leaving! You can send rat for me! I’ll wear this face!”

Her wings churned the air again as she threw them open a mere eight meters above the ground. She came to an abrupt halt before a … Man? In a drive frame, who was in the process of being rearmed with… With a… Uh…

Pneumatic Spear Rifle. Whispered a part of her mind. She waved to him, giving a ‘friendly’ hiss before darting around him and moving deeper into the settlement.

Eyes closed as he reclined in his makeshift chair. Dean gave Wolf the finger in her general direction as she zipped off to her “perch”. She knew that he knew she didn’t want to spoil the secret anytime soon, especially without an audience around.

This was probably the 31st time she’s threatened to tell? No. It was the 32nd. Eh, didn’t really matter. He did his part, time to get back to what he did best. Chilling.

. . . Or, at least that would be the case if it wasn’t for this asshole showing up.

“Spirits you guys don’t miss a beat do you?” Dean didn’t even open his eyes yet to confirm who it was, he didn’t need to. Holding a hand out to his side, a bright red can of Turbo shot out of the ground into his waiting grasp. He opened it and took no time gulping half of its contents down.

With a satisfied sigh, he finally opened his eyes and addressed the last person he really wanted to see now. “Out of your entourage you aren’t this fast. Why are you here Archer?” There was a sharp note to his question. Though he wouldn’t become hostile to someone of this caliber without reason, Dean wasn’t an idiot, Archer making an appearance usually meant something was up.

And that would mean he had focus . . . Lucky him.

---

Alex squinted at the woman and moved to be closer to Yue’s prone form. Keeping his head on a swivel to not let the unknown person out of his sight. “You still haven’t told me who you are or why you are here.”

His instincts were telling him to keep his guard up. Not a good sign. If they had powers she had no indication as to what they might be. That put Alex even more on edge now. He squared his shoulders and kept his arms ready at his sides. “Sorry but I’m not really in the mood for games.”

He stared back at the grinning women for what felt like a solid minute. That was around the time when he could hear the approaching rumble and growl of tires, tracks and engines. The forge finally mobilized. Finally some good news. And from the sound of it they wouldn’t be long to get here.

Poking his head into Zolya's workshop to drop off a medallion Raudd he could hear his sister grumbling and before he could manage to get past the doorway the words "Fuck, you are so annoying!" were yelled through the room. Obligated to respond "What can I say, I do try my best." He retorted jokingly. Taking the moment of silence as Zolya began processing that Raudd had just walked in at exactly the wrong moment, Raudd walked up to her desk and placed a silvery white medallion the rim of which was set with small gemstones of mottled red with orange and pink streaks through them.

"Thank you, and that wasn't directed at you. This is the annoying one." She said pointing with her pencil to a glass bell filled with a sample of Yue's crimson haze. "You know I can't see whatever you are pointing at, but..." His words getting cut off by the haze sending an angry spark across the glass. "... That I could see, that's not normal isn't it?" "Yeah, her haze seems to be a little extra. She really isn't in a great place mentally, today may have just been the icing on the cake." "Then I wasn't the only one getting that feeling, anyways if you need me I'll be in the kitchen..."

Zolya's mind drifted for a moment to a certain organisation, given that apparently this rather unstable mage has been up top in that state without any mages making an attempt at correcting that situation. Putting those annoying thoughts aside to deal with a more direct annoyance she returned to creating the finishing touches and dialing in the design. It was proving to be a rather tricky design especially with a little future proofing to ensure that the synchronization wasn't going to be off key once her mental state stabilized more.

After a lot more cursing, out loud thinking, and a broken penciltip, Zolya felt satisfied enough with the design to progress to putting it onto the medallion. Working around the constraints of time pressure forcing her to an unengraved medallion, materials that can withstand the users powers, and still make it look presentable she has to wear it to make it work it's magic after all.

Meanwhile the biggest question that lingered in the kitchen was on how many heads would be at the dinner table... And if Alex would be one of them. Considering that worst case scenario he'd overestimate the amount of mouths to feed, he'd be eating it for multiple days, Raudd figured it wouldn't hurt to just make it big enough. It would only make dicing the veggies and mushrooms take a little longer after all.

---

---

ID... Crimson was left to her own devices following the conclusion of her deal with the Erlings. With the occasional pulse of activity rippling through the barrier there was naught to do but wait for the Hunt to end. Though she didn't take her mask off, she strolled slowly through the idyllic gardens with her hood down, allowing her long, neatly curated braid of (very slightly red tinged) black hair to swing idly between her shoulder blades. She'd taken the opportunity to change into some fresh clothes that weren't melted... a pair of rugged, pitch cargo jeans and a fitted red long sleeved top made of a proprietary fiber. The outlines of ultra-thin armor plates showed vaguely about her shoulders and vital areas, peeking out to cover over her throat. A finely etched [Array] shimmered softly through the fabrics if the light hit it just so.

Crimson would leave her old clothes at a dead drop for a courier to collect along with notes about their performance. She'd have to work with the Quartermaster to formulate an enchanted weave with higher heat resistance next time she was home. Her fingers caressed the current of [Nature/Light] radiating softly from a nearby cairn stone at the center of the garden, and the flowers all leaned towards her as she knelt down to take in the fragrance. A leisurely stroll took her past the markets where she sampled wares and restocked her supplies, then to a café where she just sat for a while in full [Dreamsight] to watch the currents and flows of the Stonework's [Domain]. She remembered when this area had once been home to a [Death] domain and was considered irrevocably haunted.

One of the merchants directed her to the temple where she purchased feed for the spectral beasts. She spread a fair bit in a trough and was rewarded a few minutes later with a pair of starlight deer coming to investigate. A smile pinched the corners of her eyes when one ate from her hand and allowed her to stroke its neck and cheek. Farther along she traded a fistful of seed to a curious corvid for a piece of shiny, polished glass. It would make a good base for a decorative amulet... The frequency of pulses through the barrier had abated, so Crimson began to make her way towards the edge of the settlement: it was time to go check in with Mother and see if the Graves Blacksites were still intact.

"Hmmm! Yes! Student of the [Will] I see? Don't see many around here," a gruff but well-articulated voice called out to her as she passed by the Temple. Crimson paused, turning towards the voice. It belonged to a quite large specimen of the Diabolus Vulgaris deviant variety... Goblinization for the layman. Or it could be an actual Orc it was difficult to tell these days. While sitting down, he was nearly as tall as she, and the healthy green buff of his massive, oak-like arms glinted gently in the light. Each of his thick digits was nearly the size of her forearm and his raw strength pummeled the air as he beckoned her over. She couldn't help herself.

"What makes you say that?" She asked, as she stepped closer.

"The [Currents] pay you respect. They part to make way for you, and wait in anticipation of your [Words]," he explained. "[Mana] pays heed to you, stops, waits for your guidance. [Will] Shapers have a particular aura because of this," he chortled, picking at something behind one of his tusks with a long, claw-like nail.

"You aren't wrong," she chuckled. "Student of the [Will] is a very old title though, most modern Awakened call us 'Black Mages.'"

"A dirty association," he shuddered audibly. "Anyone who's done a lick of study knows... the Black Mages were only a minority subset of the tradition who valued the pursuit of power above all else," he scoffed.

"An educated man. My heart," she gave a genuine laugh, bringing an enormous smile to the Orc's face. "What can I do for you?"

"Hmmm! Yes! Well! What would you say if I told you, I also was a [Will] Shaper of sorts? Belonging to a more Shamanic subset of the tradition than the 'Student's' purely academic one at least. And! And! I could tell your... FORTUNE!" He waggled his fingers dramatically at the statement. Crimson's grin wrinkled the corners of her eyes.

"I would tell you that Students of the [Will] make their own fortune," she replied, unable to suppress her amusement.

"YES! Hmm! The retort of a true Student. Mana is science. Knowledge. Is. Everything," he snorted, slapping his monstrous thigh. The clap echoed through the temple like a gunshot, startling some of the other priests. "But! I would also tell you! HMM! That I do, indeed, live with one eye in the [Astral Sea] as well as you. Yes! I am afforded, a much clearer visage of the Red Thread of [Fate], tied to whom you will create your destiny...," he explained. Mysteriously, of course. "Lend me your hand," he instructed, to which Crimson obliged.

Her hand was nearly child-like in his massive mitts, though she was surprised at how positively gentle he was when he turned her hand over with one of his enormous fingers. His eyes rolled back as he delicately touched the end of her pinky. Her skin tingled, but she didn't detect any change in his Astral Form. He spoke with the voice of a dozen men and women layered on top of one another.



A crackle of thunder punctuated his fortune, causing Crimson to flinch. No... it was the barrier beginning to come down. She turned her eyes back to the priest, whose hand was still outstretched. He groaned quietly in trance with the whites of his eyes still showing. After a moment Crimson snorted, dropping a handful of coins into the Orc's palm.

"Thanks, old man," she giggled lightly. "You can read my fortune any time." Crimson scooped her braid up into her hood as she slid it back over her head and made her way towards the edge of the settlement. Looks like it was finally time to be on her way. The priest's eyes fluttered back a few minutes later, and he snorted and champed as though he were coming out of a deep sleep.

"Right! Hmm! My apologies, first I attune to the-" he blinked, staring at his palm for a long moment. "Hey check it out! I FOUND TEN CLAT!!" he bellowed excitedly into the temple, pocketing the coins with a mirthful smile. "Hmm! Yes! Lucky day, that."

"Me?" Asked Archer innocently. He took a deep drag on his cigarette and rested his cheek in one hand, letting the smoke drift lazily through his teeth as he slowly exhaled. He regarded Dean with an amused twinkle in his eye for a long moment.

"I was just in the neighborhood, running an errand and wouldn't you know it... Mr. Locklear and his good pal all up out of bed and shit," Archer quipped, leaning back and blowing a smoke ring. A flicker of mana curled the smoke into an array, before it imploded on itself with a dissatisfying *pop.*

"Are you assensing right now, Mr. Locklear? Seeing if I have my guard up? Trying to guess if I have any tricks up my sleeve? Figuring out if I come in peace? Relax. I just stopped by to make sure y'all aren't gonna bring the tower down," he said dismissively.

"Are you sure you don't want me to fetch you a snack or a juice box?"

"You know you aren't that good at deflecting right? I swear your sister is a better liar." Dean finished his can of Turbo and began crushing it into a condensed aluminum ball. He got up from Golem's "Hand" which subsequently delved back into the earth leaving no trace it had been there. Moments later, the Primal spirit of earth resurfaced in its miniscule form and climbed back onto Dean's waiting shoulder to scrutinize the present mage. Though the Spirit seemed distracted somewhat by something above the two mages.

Even while out of the ground, all the earth around them was currently Dean and Golem's Territory. "Cut the crap already. I'm the very last steward to potentially fly off the handle."

He didn't get much time to argue further when suddenly a new voice spoke, like a mountain deciding to address you.

[WHAT IS THAT?]

Dean stood frozen. his eyes on the verge of popping out of their sockets from the shock. In All the years he had spent with the Spirit of Earth, This was the second time Golem felt the need to speak. Slowly, Dean raised his head upwards to see where the spirit was referring to. Only to see something . . . [Wrong] That had just been in the air over Shield Town. Call it what you want, Witch sight, Astral vision, the means to see magic and the astral sea are the same no matter the label. What it had Dean see an inhuman swirling mass of what looked like ink but with the characteristics of a soul. like it was alive.
"That . . . um. That doesn't look right." He swallowed and looked to see if his present company was seeing the same thing he was.

A silent boom. The air was sucked in, pulled out like the tides, before something erupted out from the Graves. It could not be seen, but it was as though a volcano had gone off - one of the grey ones. The killers. Rushing the Undercity at an alarming speed, with the force of a natural disaster. But there was nothing natural about it. A wave of psychic energies tore through settlements and crushed the minds of their inhabitants under its weight. Screams rose to join whatever was making that inhuman NOISE.

The noise was a whistle when it reached Northbridge. A few heads turned up as lights fizzled out. A bin on wheels was pushed a few meters down the street. Then like dominos, hands flew up to temples to cradle a sudden migraine that struck the settlement street by street. Babies began to shriek in pain and confusion and stray animals went into a frenzy. A strange feeling of something wrong followed the wave of headaches taking over the town, past Umbri's street. Where she laid in her apartment in the dark, eyes shut, wires strapped to her head, her mind safe and sound and somewhere else.

---

Two Umbris walked through the Northbridge slums. The one keeping her head up and wearing a pissed, don't mess with me face, and her distorted companion beneath her, rippling every time Umbri's clear heels stomped through a puddle. Rainbow oil swirled over the water flooding the streets, along with some other gunk seeping down from somewhere. For a place with so many food stalls cluttering up the street, it was not the most... nothing here would be FDA approved, that's for sure. But telling from the chatter and smoke and lines - some as long as the ones to get into a club - the locals loved it. (Link: The locals.)

A burly food vendor stuffed intestines, wide and long enough that he had to shove his whole arm up there. People were gathered around a monstrous skull big as a barrel, with flames flicking through its eyeholes. It was being used as a BBQ pit, slabs of meat being cooked over the hot coals filling the space its brain used to be. An angry beep parted the crowd and a grumbling, smoking pick up truck plowed through. Its bed was heaped high with smelly bags of offals and other beast parts. As the driver hopped out of the car and jumped on the back, he was swarmed. Clatter was exchanged and bags thrown out into the crowds, the street clamoring like it was Christmas.

This was the only way Northbridge ever interacted with the beasts of the Graves. Dead and chopped and ready for consumption. They got the off-cuts once the other defender settlements had picked through the carcasses. Umbri had never seen one alive. That skull - she considered as she stared at the BBQ pit, the flames licking its eyes reflected in hers - was the closest she'd ever gotten to comprehending the mass and horror of the monsters terrorizing the settlements that protected hers.

And good. She had enough terrorizing her here already. She'd take the off-cuts over dealing with those things any day.

Well, except she didn't, really. Too expensive. Umbri dug into a plate she bought from another vendor as she watched the chaos of the shipment arrival. Big, juicy... leeches, it looked like, with split and blistered skins. They floated in a thick sauce she scooped up with a gooey dough into a crunchy, chewy, spicy mouthful. Ahh, delicious.

As she munched her way through town she couldn't deny that there was something weird going on with the colourful characters of her home. Many people were huddled in dark corners - which was actually pretty normal - but hanging their heads in their hands and grumbling in pain. It felt like the town was suffering from a collective hangover. Whatever it was, Umbri had been gracefully spared from it.

She hurried her way to a building on the corner of a street, grungy and built from the scrap of shipping crates. The word HYSTERIA flashed on its roof, along with the LED face of a woman screaming. She stopped before one of the screens on display outside of the building, under the neon sign - 'Now Showing!'. A woman who looked just like Umbri was featured there, backlit with purple light. A candy yellow wig swayed by her thighs and splatters of paint just barely formed a bikini for her top half. She trailed a finger across her collarbone, cocking her hip and slinging a pink paintball gun. Then she stretched a paint-dipped finger out to the screen and scrawled across it -

Marionette.

Punctuated by a kiss against the screen. She winked then smeared the paint into a blur, and the image faded out. Umbri saw herself reflected on the black screen before the image began to play again and the other Umbri took her place.

Umbri watched the loop a couple more times, when a sudden THUD coincided with Marionette's hand striking the screen. She jolted with a gasp, when a voice grabbed at her - "Hey, Umbri! You coming in or looking stupid?" A woman called from inside, knocking against the door to get her attention.

Umbri looked back at Marionette. In the split second she thought it had actually struck the screen, she swore its red eyes had a glare to them. She rubbed her own stupid peepers with her palms and hissed, "Come on, girl," then followed her coworker inside.

---

---

He’d never seen Archer— ‘Fabian’— so discombobulated. Clearly this ‘Daphne’ was absolutely interesting enough to … To… … What WAS the plan here? He didn’t have one. Was this becoming a date? Unlikely. Clearly this was a work call, and she was being eccentric!

“, I’ve NEVER seen anyone make, uh, Fabian? So uncomfortable! He’s usually so blasé about sh— Stuff!”

"Yes, so out of character for him. Almost like a different person today…"

"Daphne, I swear-!!" The door shut behind them, and she laughed musically as she walked them briskly towards the elevator, taking only a brief moment to smooth out her blouse.

"I prefer ‘Dawn,’" she informed, as they reached the lift. She primped quickly in a compact mirror before staring at him with a crooked grin for a long moment, her eyes flashing iridescent. "I know just the place," she announced with confidence, and punched a button without looking.

"Technological marriage of [Force] and [Light], projected from a single point with no [Array]," she mused, inspecting his implants closely as she circled him, her fingers tracing the contours of projection, implant, and skin alike. Whenever her fingers touched the light, ripples of iridescence followed in her wake. "Is it always this shape? Can you change the resolution? Can you feel? Oh! CAN I GIVE YOU A TATTOO?! … Will it stick?" She chirped excitedly as she reached his front once again, practically bouncing. Dawn bit her bottom lip in anticipation.

Felix— Lux Discord— felt his eyebrows shoot up at the onslaught of questions. His eyes snapped to the random pushing of buttons, before snapping back to her fingers touching his limbs. She had punched the third floor… Which technically had a vehicle bay… Hm!

She kept touching though, and man... Part of his mind was screaming; watching as his limbs shifted and rippled. He had built in some haptic feedback for his limbs as he had been making them, and apparently the systems were working perfectly. Felix remembered Sai being pleasantly surprised that it had worked with hardlight limbs, but, well, Felix just… Had a gut feeling about it!

Speaking of…

His hand came up after a moment, planting itself shamelessly on her chest as he pushed her back a bit. He smiled all the same, as disarmingly and friendly as he could manage. “Yeah okay hi! So, lil’ space yeah? Just a biiit too close to me! Sorry. Also, maybe, like, stop touchin’ the arms? Kinda feels like my skin is being warped and it’s uh— Nauseating?”

A pause followed his words, before he answered a question she had lobbed. “Honestly? As long as I code in the— Well… Actually— No wait— Wait… Nah yeah, you prolly could? What sorta, uh, ‘thing’? Does your power do, again? You never explained!” He questioned, head tilting as he pondered aloud.

"Oh, sorry, I’m excitable,” she grinned, letting him make some space between them, and then continuing to violate that space by leaning into it to look closely at his arm projections without touching them. "I guess the short answer is that I create and bend [Light]," she answered vaguely. "I can talk about that in a little more detail once we get where we’re going if you like," she said, eyes flicking up towards the corner of the lift where a security camera had been innocuously placed.

Dawn’s balance wavered a little as the lift came to a stop (they slowed down quite quickly for someone wearing heels), and she unsubtly took the opportunity to hook one of Felix’s arms. She briskly walked them out of the lift and down the street to a luxurious looking white building with “Elysium” glowing in tasteful pink neon across its front.

"Ah, the favorite child returns… and unsurprisingly with another conquest," chided a low, raspy deadpan from the bar. The small statured woman the voice belonged to watched the pair enter with her mismatched eyes while cleaning a glass. The gently tinted purple lights at the bar did little to hide the deathly pallor of the woman’s skin.

"Oh shushush, this one is special," Dawn retorted, rolling her eyes as she dragged Felix around a corner to a booth with a bust of Apollo engraved into a table decorated with laurels.

"Aren’t they all…"

"Where’s Dio??" she called back behind them with a note of impatience.

"Running an errand for me," replied the bartender, and though she hadn’t raised her voice, she was clearly heard at the table.

Meanwhile, Felix simply… Stared. He was taking in all the proceedings of his situation with somewhat uncharacteristic silence. His vision swam with information and notifications from his HUD, and although he was half-listening, he still wasn’t expecting the information coming to him.

First was the building; he could see the public record blueprints on file in a small corner of his HUD… Or at least, that’s what he was expecting. Instead, he was given a ‘private property; available upon request.’ notification. Which was certainly something.

Then the woman at the bar spoke, and that nearly threw Felix all the way off his stride. He could hear her, but she clearly wasn’t speaking above a whisper. It was a bit surreal. But… Maybe he was overthinking. He probably was.

Oop— And there was that whole ‘this one is special’ thing. “This one can also hear when he’s being talked about! You tellin’ me you bring all the girls and boys here? I’m not special enough to be ‘special’??? How could you!”

Definitely no uncomfortability there, nope.

Felix chuckled, then turned his attention to Bar-Lady. “Hey hi! Sorry to barge in? I think? Anyways; hi! My name is Felix Lanning, nice to meet you!” He chirped.

He filed the ‘favorite child’ comment away for later.

"Helene," her voice whispered into his ear, and she was suddenly at the table with a Meze platter, flatbread and olive tapenade. She expertly slid two glasses onto the table and filled Dawn’s from a black bottle that was simply labeled “Krasí” in elegantly printed white text. She looked through him for a long minute with her blue eye before turning away, and returning a few moments later with a tall glass of ice water garnished with a lemon wedge, and a bottle of Elysium’s signature pomegranate juice.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," she replied, raising an eyebrow at Dawn before leaving. "Let me know if you need anything…"

"We can speak candidly here," Dawn explained, tapping her temple with one hand while she grazed delicately on a piece of cheese. Signal Prohibited scrolled across the top of Felix’s HUD.

Felix’s smile never changed, remaining calm and bright as he nodded his thanks. “Thanks Helene!”
He took the drink, watching as his HUD scrolled that deeply unsettling message. Thoughts raced around his skull, but nonetheless, he focused on Daphne— Dawn. He took note that his recording was still ongoing, but if they could close off signal… It’d probably be corrupted by the time he got back to The Tower. Shit.

He screamed internally, forcing his face to remain perfectly still, even as he stressed about the entirety of this… Proceeding. He really really hoped Archer saw where he went before he went offline.

“Can we now? Alright! In that caaaase… Who are you, really? I’ve NEVER seen Archer look so… Flustered. It’s honestly kinda glorious!” He paused, before adding, “Also, just so y’know, I’m not interested in a date! This is purely business and platonic! Like… Ehhh, like a relationship between two separate business people of separate corpo-kingdoms!”

"Really truly? I’m the God of Light, Music, Archery, and Truth," she answered with a sly smile, interrupting the dramatic pause after only a moment with a fit of giggles. "You’re rather flustered yourself," she chided, with her eyes ashimmer. "Relax, I’m Fabian’s sister. We’re twins, Helene is a close family friend, she owns this place."

Felix’s eyebrows shot up at her response, as he waited for the subsequent revelation of her joke. … It never came. His eyes flicked down, staring at the Apollo bust imprinted on the table. He traced its outline with his vision, taking multiple pictures as he stared.

Was… She being serious? No way. Poor girl HAD to be deluded. Probably an Esper, gotta be.

She giggled, and although she kept talking and explaining, his mind wouldn’t allow him to accept it as truth. “Twins… Huh. Huh! Okay, wait though, if you’re ‘god of truth’, then why, uh, tell a lie? Gods aren’t real ‘hon.” He flicked his eyes towards where Helene had walked away.

"Are they not?" She asked, hitting him with a smug grin.

Deep beneath the earth, bellow even the undercity, a tinker made hive was in an uproar. Every possible floor in nine layered structure that cut in between real and Exo space found its occupants running about like a colony of ants desperately trying to both repair damaged bulkheads and equipment, but also wrangle any specimens that had yet to flee into the labyrinth network and out into the undercity.

It was utter chaos.

The blaring of multiple klaxons and other emergency warnings finally stirred Them.
Pinkish red eyes snapped open. Focusing instantly and taking in everything they could. Light filtered murkily through the viscous liquid they were suspended in. Their eyes narrowed, and with a thought, multiple plugs and cables of both mechanical and organic nature ejected and detached from their fetal form.

A hiss of air was let in as the techno organic bod split itself, dumping its fluids through a grate underneath, while the pods former occupant landed on their feet with an inhuman grace.

Other beings present that resembled humans dressed in a strange mix of religious wear and lab tech gear all dropped to their knees, remaining motionless and silent before their creator and master.
Kiran Kingsley took their time to inspect their body. Every inch of skin had grown back as it should. A flex of their fingers, toes, and jaws showed their retractable claws and fangs worked. After a minute of stretching and contorting, Kiran was satisfied with the recent results of their resurrection.

Finally looking up, Kiran’s satisfied look turned into a scowl. With a sudden clap of their hands every other person rushed to attend them. The Lab Rat wasted no time waiting on anyone and began to march off. ”Status report. What the hell is going on?“

One of the servants cut in quickly. Your worship, a psychic phenomenon of unknown origin appears to have ravaged its way through the entire underground.” The creature wheezed to try not to stutter under trip under Kiran’s sudden attention on them. ”M-many of our free roaming stock went into a f-frenzy and are being dealt with by the locals currently despite the short notice.” It gulped visibly and whimpered as Kiran stopped momentarily.

”Judging by the blatant fear you exhibit, something more has happened as well hmm? Well, I’m waiting.“ Kiran’s metallic tail slowly began to creep forward, it’s stinger brushing up under the now quivering servants exposed throat.

”T-t-t-the l-latest Apex b-biomorph w-was roused from s-s-stasis and got out. It was only recently terminated. It’s remains are beyond retrieval without suspicion. P-please forgive us your grace!”

Kiran remained silent for a minute, taking measured breath before sighing. ” The Hydra had its codex well documented, but it’s still a lose . . . it couldn’t be helped.“

A gentle hand was placed on the servant’s shoulder. With tears in their eyes, it looked up in hopes of seeing the kind benevolence of their great master, nay, their god! . . . . Only to see a face stretched into the look of rage beyond anything a human should be capable off. The others fell to their knees, all shuddering in fear, whispered pleas for forgiveness going unheard.

With a voice more akin to a predators growl, Kiran lamented. ” B͎͇̤͇͇̝u̩͓̩̯t ͉͖̖̘͚͈͚I ̲̰̹̞̗̜r͙e̗m͍̞a̜i͇͖̞̲͎̲n͖̞ ̗̣d̳͙͈̤͕̣̤i̳̩͍̟șa̲̭̮̘̤̹p̖̣̬po̹̪i͔͇̱n̞̰̯͍ͅt̥̮e̹͕̜͉̯d̼ͅ.“

---

With a renewed pep in their step, and wearing a mix of bloody cloths nobody would be missing, Kiran continued down the off white hallway. Leaving a scene awash with gore and viscera that was already being cleaned by a swarm of their voracious grubs. ”Hmm, I wonder what else I’ve missed? Hopefully things turn up so.“ he giggled to himself happily and practically skipped along now. ”Sairyn probably misses me half to death right now~“

Alarms and emergency lights would soon turn off one by one and order restored to the hellish facility. With its master awake, the great work could finally begin again.

"Oh she's the better liar?" Archer's lips twisted into a grin of endless amusement. "Guess that means I have to practice then... you know, sometimes I get the feeling it's her you'd rather see. If you're not careful you'll make me jealous, Mr. Locklear," he prodded, flicking a bit of ash from the end of his cigarette. Archer's glib amusement was short lived as his gaze was directed upwards first by the Spirit, and then by Dean. He just watched in silence for a long minute, gazing into the Astral Sea while he tapped the elevated foot of his crossed legs in thought.

"Someone sure has been naughty," he remarked, placidly as he exhaled a formless cloud. "Guess I better see what that's all about. This is why we can't have nice things."

Archer's gaze followed the creature as it left towards deeper areas of the settlement, and he finished his cigarette with a distinct lack of urgency. He extinguished the butt on the ripple of [Force] that had served as his chair's armrest and then dropped it into a small foil pouch which he stashed back in his jacket pocket... wouldn't do to litter. The tarot cards flicked back to his hand as he stood, and with a flick of his fingers the image on the face changed. A woman in modest dress, drawing a bow and arrow towards the corner of the card flanked by two wolves. At the bottom it was simply labeled "7 - The Archer." He pressed it to Dean's sternum as he passed, his fingers trailing across the man's collarbone and lingering on his shoulder for just a moment as the card stayed suspended.

"Call me if you change your mind about that juice box. We'll make it a date," Archer grinned as he stepped after the creature.

---

Farther in, the sounds of combat began to die down and a few minutes after the final shot rang past from the Den, Wolf swung into town. Pulled by the repulsor sled. She lowered gracefully on a grapple line, which reeled swiftly back into her arm as it detached.

"Rat must attend the deliveries," he notified Maire as he scuttled off to meet the woman.

Wolf unslung a rig from her back and traded two drained Power Cells to Rat for one that glowed and hummed faintly with energy. They argued loudly over price for a long time before Wolf finally relented and handed over two ropes of coins with a sour expression. Rat cackled with glee before scuttling off to make his other rounds.

Back at the wall, the Drive Frame forces more or less had the situation under control. Combat wasn't finished, but they were swiftly and neatly mopping up the remaining creatures they had herded into the killing pens. Although the immediate threat seemed to have subsided, the tension in the air hadn't. Defenders remained on station, and Wolf's drones continued to keep vigil over the settlement while the clean up crews pushed into position to start working.

"Oi! Locklear~! Earth calling! Quit daydreamin', I need the physician at The Den when it's safe to cross. Some of the girls are in rough shape."

"Just a passing samaritan," Dollar replied, waving his suspicion away with his hand like an old fart. "Girl looked like she had a knot in her back. Carrying too much tension in her shoulders, y'see. Somethin' you're familiar with, I'm sure."

The ground rumbled at the distant approach of machinery. The Forges sending out crews to hack the beast apart for meat, no doubt. Thry always were quick about these things. Inconveniently so, at times. Not that this was one of them.

"I'm not gonna step on your toes, big guy," she sighed, letting her hands fall to her hips. She paced around Alex's left side, face fixed ahead while her eyes never left his face. "I'll get goin' out of your hair now, 'kay? No fuss. Just thought I'd get a look at our guest of honor before the big party is all."

“You know very well I don’t appreciate your sister’s antics any more then you do.” Despite himself, Dean was glad it was Archer that had shown up rather then literally anyone else in their family. He just wasn’t in the mood to say it and give away ammunition for more teasing.
“What, should I fear being turned into a stag and hunted for sport?”

He thought he had a solid retort until Archer touched him. It took nearly every ounce of control he had to keep Dean from shuddering even slightly at Archer’s . . . Teasing. Taking the card from his chest, he examined it for a second before pocketing the enchanted item. Guess it was better then Dawn trying to flirt with him. He still didn’t really get why Archer got him riled up so easily . . . Well maybe he did but denial and laziness had won that game time and time again.

“I make no promises! Maybe at least for something not work related if your lucky!” He yelled after Archer’s back.

He was about to turn and head back into his house, hopefully to try and contact Alex finally before Wolf began yelling at him. Again.
That got an annoyed growl out of Dean. “Call them yourself you trigger happy bitch! I got my own shit to deal with now!”Golem patted his head reassuringly as Dean stormed back into His and Alex’s home, slamming he heavy door door behind him.

---

Alex remained silent through most of Dollar’s banter, right up until her mention of Yue being a special guest for the “party”. They were a rogue too. Probably one of the wandering types, which would explain why he couldn’t place them. The only consistent faces in the collective were either powerful, had connections, or had a home base in one of the major settlements. You either figured it out or ended up getting swallowed up by one of the many gangs and clans. Or you know, dead.

Some of the tension he had been holding dropped a bit. “Could have said something sooner you know.” He turned his back to her and went to grab Yue. The barrier around her seemed to tighten up like she was being shrink wrapped before telekinetically raising her up to about waist high. She seemed to be alright after being given a quick once over now that he wasn’t on high alert.

It was about that time when various buggies and armored transports came rolling up. Dozens of Forge hunters and butcher crews formed a perimeter and began to go to work on what remains of the Apex’s corpse. It was rare that one didn’t just dissolve after death anyways. Some of the ironclad gave Dollar strange looks only to be faves off by Alex.

Moments later, Forgemaster came trundling up in his heavy war gear. The suit resembled a walking furnace and easily dwarfed Alex ”looks like you didn’t get yourselves killed. Good work Aegis.”

Being his usual self, Alex shrugged “No big deal. Just another day in the Undercity.”

The metal tinker snorted and gave Alex a clap on the back, not moving the brute much though. One of the vehicles that drove up next was rather familiar. In fact, it was Alex’s. A forge worker hopped out of the driver seat and quickly joined the others in the apex harvesting. Alex was thrown off by the bow obviously tinkertech wheels his transport sported. “What are those and why?”

“Anti-grav wheels. Consider it payment for taking care of big ugly here on short notice for me and mine.” As he spoke, two other workers came by with Yue’s hammer and the Sword of Justice. Loading both into Alex’s care before getting back to work. Forgemaster nodded to his men before addressing Alex further, opening his helmet and taking a knee to look him in the eye through Alex’s own helmet visor. “And you tell your friend there that if she somehow damages my sword . . . . She better not.”

While not much of a threat towards him. Alex still gulped and nodded in respect to the older hero. ”understood sir.”

---

Yue secured in the passenger seat, Alex flicked a few new switches before feeling the sudden lurch that came with his vehicle levitating off the ground now. This would probably cut the travel time back to shield town in half. But . . . It would still be a touch too long. Granted, Alex had full faith in Shieldtown, but it was best to hurry. Which meant one thing.

”I just payed to get the cell replaced too. . .” He grumbled to himself and Yue’s unconscious form.

He flicked open two safety switches and grabbed the ignition for his booster thruster. If he had to guess, the whole power cell could get them back home in no time. Well, there goes 300 clatter.
With littler warning, Alex punched it. With a roar that could compete with the Apex Hydra’s, Alex rocketed away at an increasing speed he was just barely able to control. A forward facing plow like barrier materialized quickly in front of the vehicle to help things along . . . As he continually crashed into multiple rock outcroppings while trying and failing to steer at ludicrous speed.
Still, at least it would be a quick ride. Just not a smooth one.

---

---

“I am not flustered! I’m merely surprised! And y’know, on a business meeting with someone infinitely prettier than I expected?”

He replied, and then immediately snapped his mouth shut. Why had he said that? She wasn’t… That pretty? He thought? What the hell.

Usually he kept his words to himself, so what the fuck?

"You’re quite a… handsome fellow? Yourself," she smiled, gently laying her hand on his for a moment with a raised eyebrow that suggested maybe she knew more than she was letting on. “I think something will happen in the future to challenge your beliefs, call it a gut feeling.”

Her words rang about for a little while. Rattling like church bells, or like the knell of a cemetery bell.

‘Something will happen in the future’, said with such confidence, that automatic assurance of self. Why would Felix say no, of course. Wasn’t he so ‘lucky’?! Felix’ eyes darted to their touching ‘skin’, hardlight rippling like water in slow motion; pupils contracting as a memory arose unbidden.

Her voice was coaxing, soft and horrible. “You’re just so pretty! I would love to shoot my shot with a boy like you! You’re just so… Butch, and- and- and so,” she paused to think, “Rawr! you know? Super manly!”

Except ‘boy’ was said like it was an exotic trait. ‘Pretty’ was said like a butcher's knife. ‘Manly’ was said like every piteous, self righteous, bastard—

The memory shattered. And Felix snapped back into the present. His eyes flicked up to hers. He stood. And he spoke. Smiling, becoming terse and bitter, he spoke. Through teeth clenched like gates slamming shut.

“Yeah alright, ahem. Nah. No, no offense meant lady. But, no. I appreciate this! It’s been fun! And it’s been real! But uh… It ain’t real fun to be exoticized.” He stood, stepping out of the booth to stand straight and indignant. “So… I’m going to go now. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to stop me. Bye now.”

Some small voice in the back of his mind asked if he was maybe overreacting? Misunderstanding?

The rest of him violently disagreed.

Dawn had raised her glass to her lips, and choked at his reply.

"What?" she spluttered, nearly spilling her drink. "Nono, it’s not like that!" Dawn flustered in a distressed tone. "Wait, wait don’t go, let me explain!" she pleaded, climbing out of her seat awkwardly to reach for his hand.

Felix twitched, darting his hand out of her reach. He kept his smile, though if there was some way for it to become even more brittle and flint…

“Ask! Jesus. Ask before touching me! Please! You can fuckin— You fuckin’ warp the shape of my prosthetics! Of my arms! I can feel that! It’s wrong! My skin shouldn’t move like that! And that’s not even— You CUT ME OFF FROM EVERYONE? Do you even know what your brother does for work?! Do you know how freaky it is? To not be able to reach my coworkers for help?!” He cut himself off. He had gone from hissing to shouting, voice cracking part way through.

Felix’ throat hurt, vocal training and therapy, years of practice, all forgotten in anger.

Dawn flinched hard, as though she’d been shocked. Confidence, playful allure, calculated contact, the word play… she was clearly used to handling everyone in this manner, and had no idea what to do or say now that it wasn’t working. She sputtered syllables at him, trying to find her feet in a rapidly deteriorating situation she was no longer in control of. She struggled to find something constructive to do with her hands as she resisted the urge to make comforting contact, and instead shoved her balled up fists into the pockets of her skirt.

"I know more about what Archer does-," she bit the inside of her lips, cutting herself off. “I-I just wanted you to feel safe talking openly,” she half stammered. “Look, you’re special! I have a feeling about you,” she explained unsteadily.

Her words slammed into the back of his head, and the smile finally vanished. A notification popped up in the corner of his HUD.

Reconnected to the network…?

No. No, it was a heart rate warning.

The emotions were bubbling up now, pulled out of him even if he was doing everything he could to hold them back. His mouth slammed open, and as if the [TRUTH] was yanked out of him, his voice lanced the air.

“No! Shut! UP! I am NOT special. You do not get to CALL me that! You can’t just SAY that and expect me to FUCKING CHILL?! You wanted me to feel safe talking openly?!” He sucked in a breath, trying to hold it in.

What the hell was wrong with him?! This was ridiculous! He was out of control!

“YOU CUT ME OFF FROM EVERYONE?! I DON'T KNOW YOU! I don’t know this place! I don’t know YOU! I don’t just— YOU CAN’T JUST EXPECT ME TO TRUST YOU?!”

Gasp for air.

“Y’all know my favorite fucking drink?! Y’all corner me into a building? Out of sight and out of contact with anyone I know? Then, and only THEN, do you tell me that you’re a GOD?! Do you know how that feels?!”

“How dare you! How dare you?! And this! What are you doing to me?! You’re an esper, that much is obvious, but if you’re fucking causing these- these- heightened emotions?! What the fuck! That’s— I cannot believe you! That’s SO scummy!”

Felix finished with a shout; panting and trying his hardest to wrangle the crazed knot of emotion in his chest.

"I-I’m not…," she stammered. The light began to shudder and cracked around her like a damaged mirror. She took a deep breath to try and get it under control.

He took one… two… three steps back; and then turned. And left.

Nine-inch heels cast a dull reflection on the dingy club floor. Umbri was swallowed in darkness as she stepped inside, then ever so slowly began to glow. The threads of synthetic hair, the jacket, her metallic bikini, it all bounced the light in the room. It took a moment to adjust, but the club was washed in neon colour, like a coral garden in an underwater cave. The jacket slid down her arms as she strode into her element, unsheathing a metal spine.

"Is that it? That the fit?" A grouchy judgement was flung at her from the bar, regarding her gold but admittedly plain lingerie. Umbri cast her eyes back at Patricia, the bartender and only other person in the club with her. She looked young, but her voice was crunchy with age or some kind of substance. Right now the glasses she was cleaning were forgotten and she was hunched over massaging her temples. "Any night in here could be the most important night of your life, you know. Just takes the right pair of shiny shoes to walk through that door."

Umbri rolled her eyes with her neck and threw her jacket across a seat with a heavy whomp. She jumped up onto the main stage and approached the pole. A cool blue light spread from under her palm where she gripped it, lazily swinging herself around. A few more drowsy warm-up swings, and suddenly every muscle in her body flexed. Pupils dilated with a sharp inhale. Her abdomen hardened and skin drew tight as she flung her legs above her head. She climbed the pole, hugging it with a knee, then an ankle, before dropping her legs in an upside down split as she spun. The pole flashed like lightning.

Atop HYSTERIA, sparks flew and tech sputtered as it was brought back to life. A hologram of Umbri was projected dancing on the rooftop, two stories high. Then it flickered out a mere moment later when she strayed off the pole.

"A bit early to start advertising yourself," Patricia grumbled as Umbri approached the bar. She poured the dancer a glass of water and Umbri leaned her back on the bar, elbows tucked up on it. "I don't wanna deal with the crazies knocking before security gets here... ahhhhhh, fuuuuuck. My head." Umbri took a sip of water, side-eyeing the woman as she rubbed her temples and cursed. She passed the glass her way and Patricia almost smacked it out of her hand in response. Umbri considered backing off and leaving her alone.

"... What's with you?" She spoke up instead. She offered the glass again. "You're hungover."

"Oh, she speaks? Piss off," Patricia grimaced. "No, I'm not hungover. It's some stupid... it just started like two hours ago and won't stop. I don't know what's up. Some stupid bug or whatever. I'm not the only one who's got it. Cherry called in sick, now Juno's asking for a cover... you're not gonna be able to catch your breath tonight." Despite the killer headache, Patricia declined Umbri's water offer again and instead reached down her shirt for a little contraption she brought to her lips and blew a cloud of fruity smelling smoke with it. "Not like that'll be any different for you. You usually clear house," she grunted.

Umbri's gaze was vacant as she looked out at the empty club, recalling the state of Northbridge on her walk over here. The headache the world seemed to share. "A bug," she repeated softly. Her skepticism was obvious and held in the silence that followed. Just two words acted as a hook to drag the truth out. Patricia glanced over at her, troubled.

"Did... did you hear it?" She whispered.

"I was working." Umbri drank her water. "Heard what?"

Patricia bristled. "Alright, it wasn't, just two hours ago out of nowhere. It's weird," she blurted, coughing on her own fumes. "There was like, a breeze. Then a sound. It sounds crazy, but my head hasn't been right since."

Umbri tilted her head back. The scowl on Patricia's face went soft for just a moment, distracted.

"The sound was like... you know, a train? When you hear one coming. Not just that horrible scream of the wheels, the tremble of the air around you. You know there's no stopping it. No matter how far away you are, when you hear it coming, everything stops for just a second, and you are on those tracks. It was that kind of sound." She buried her head in her hands. "It's like a train ran through my head."

Umbri played with this information. Rolled it around in her head like she swirled the ice cubes in her glass. She hadn't ever seen hard-knock Patricia look unnerved like this. She knew exactly what she was talking about, that feeling when you hear a train. That kind of sound. It was dread-inducing, but numbing, as there was nothing she could do about it. Always something odd happening in the UnderCity. She forced it down with the rest of her water. "Hm."

Knock. Knock.

A thudding at the door. Patricia pulled her head from her hands and shot a premature accusatory look Umbri's way. "You locked that, right?" Umbri nodded. Patricia sighed in relief then reared up to shout, "We're closed!"

Knock. Knock...

... BOOM.

Patricia shrieked and jumped back as a hole was blasted through the locks. Umbri's glass slipped from her hand and shattered by her feet. Her clear heels mirrored the shards of glass and multiplied them into the thousands. She couldn't move an inch from the swinging, broken door, even as her breath grew sharp and quick and told her "run." There was a tremble in the air like a train coming.

A pair of shiny shoes walked through the door.