The Neutral State of Cambridge.

A moderately sized city that was situated near the Holy Capital of Flugell, and thus was well within the borders of the Licsuhianist Clergy. However, as its name suggests, it is considered a neutral local where magus who don’t subscribe to the dominating religion, Fae ambassadors, and Church officials congregate as needed. While many of the bureaucratic processes that take place are for the most part superficial, they nonetheless play a vital role in maintaining a non-violent status quo between the varying factions.

Soon, however, that would be the least of this city’s worries.

Cambridge was surrounded by forested hills on all sides, save for the flat main road that led to the city’s front gate. On the hills to the west, hidden within the trees, sat a peculiar man dressed in militaristic grab. He wore a mask that completely hid his face, along with crimson goggles.

Stationed along with him was a squadron of Belua warriors of various races; they seemed starved for combat and some of them were fiddling with their weapons and claws. Directly next to the human mercenary sat three other Belua. Given their bearing, they were likely the leaders of the squad.

One was a feline Belua who’s feral appearance held characteristics of a Panther with blue fur. He wore armored cloth and carried a pair of twin blades, giving him the appearance of a seasoned veteran.

The next was a large and intimidating insectoid Belua whose carapace looked more like golden armor. He had five scarlet eyes in total: Two on his face, and three beady, soulless ones situated on his forehead in a triangle pattern. He had four, powerful arms on his top part, with two of them holding a large sword and polearm weapon. The other two probably made use of the large bow he had on his back. The multiple wings that were at rest were covered in golden scales.

The final Belua was one the man was already quite familiar with. A large reptilian man covered head to toe with crimson scales. His eyes were practically glowing with a vermilion hue, almost as if embers were flowing out of them. He was the first to speak to the merc.

”This is the place, boyo.” He said. From where they were situated they could overlook the entire city. ”The monkey noble resides in that ritzy residential district. Ya remember the plan, yeah? The kids behind us will dick around the town and stir up a ruckus, whilst the four of us will use the opening to break into his mansion. He said, pointing to the feline and insectoid Belua sitting beside them. We’ll have a nice little chat on the subject of our ‘contract’. As promised, you’ll be compensated: provided you hold up your end of the deal?”

“All crystal clear, Mister Kinnich sir.” The mercenary replied with a thumbs-up. It was actually a lie. Keith was not actually that sure as to why they were targeting this noble in this neutral city of Cambridge. But he wasn’t one to fuss over the details, unless he was the one leading the operation. “Also, can I get an autograph from that guy?” Keith pointed his thumb at the insectoid Belua. “I’m pretty sure his kind won me a contest a couple decades ago.”

Kinnich and the feline Belua shot Keith a look, then turned to the insectoid Belua. ”Dharna, you got clues what the hell he’s talking about?” The insect warrior, named Dharna, clicked his serrated jaw and gave a wave of dismissal. Kinnich shook his head. ”You’re an odd ape, do you know that? Never the matter, lets saddle on up fellas. ”

With a wave of his hand, the squad that was sitting behind them jumped forward, all of them racing down the hill. Their warcries began to drown the vicinity as they broke through the town walls and began their assault. Soon afterward, screams and sounds of fighting could be heard.

Kinnich then motioned for the four of them to make their move. ”Don’t fall behind; You get caught, that’s all on you boyo.” He said with a sneer. The three Belua leaders then raced off toward the residential district, covering the distance between it and the forested hill with alarming speed.

Keith followed the three Beluas and although he was behind them most of the time, he was deft and nimble. Attempts by the town guards to block him were futile, for the mercenary utilized leaps and slides to bypass them to keep up with Kinnich and his crew. “I’d fight the other animal guys if I were yooouuuu!” Keith yelled at Cambridge’s defense forces as he left them in the dust.

The feline warrior looked back at Keith, seemingly impressed with his footwork. ”The ‘uman’s pretty quick on his feet, I’ll give him that.” He said, clawing a guard cleanly in half as they attempted to approach him.

Dharna flew low, his wing buzzing spreading scales that caused the knights to become delirious and nauseated. They were easy targets for his bowwork, having arrows stuck right between their eyes. ”I thought the brats were supposed to be distracting most of the law enforcement.” He said.

”They are.” Kinnich answered him. ”These are knights that defend noble districts. They wouldn’t concern themselves with the riffraff that happens over at the commoners’ sect.”

This didn’t seem to slow down Kinnich in the slightest, however, as any that tried to get close to him were instantly set aflame. Kinnich was running as normal, but the streets began to be lined with the charred remains of those who approached.

The four criminals were having no trouble tearing through the city streets, and were nearing the noble section where their target mansion was. Until -

A squad of knights barred the way forward for the brigands. At the front of the group stood the presumed leader. She was a young woman with long silver hair that was tied in a ponytail. She wore combat garb and she held a large magitech rifle in her hands. ”That’s far enough, you filthy animals.” She said with venom. ”If you want something to hunt, go back to the wilderness you came from and chase some hares.” The knights that stood behind her brandished their weapons and reloaded their guns.

”Oho! How confident the monkeys are with their little guns. Kinnich spat, unfazed by her insults. ”Dharna, Talaf, I believe we’ve got some time - let’s have a little fun with this~ “

”This scaly freak seems to be the one in charge. I’ll handle him, the rest of you handle his circus troupe.” At her order, the knight coordinated themselves as they surrounded their three targets. Talaf licked his lips and snarled, while Dharna hissed as he readied his weapons.

“Take them!” One of the knights exclaimed. Six of them rushed the two Belua, whilst two attacked Keith. Perhaps because he appeared to be the only one who was human, they felt that he was less of a threat. One gunman shot at him whilst the other attempted to flank him with a large axe.

“If I’d known this place had guns, I’d have brought my entire armory.” Keith released a long sigh before brandishing a sword to block the gunshot. Only, he was far too late to actually block the shot. Blood flowed freely from a freshly-made hole in his body, but the mercenary did not seem fazed at all. “Aww, man! I was supposed to look cool and all!”

Keith whined as he stepped back to evade the large axe vertically swung at him and retaliated by slicing off the arms of the knight with one slash. Brandishing his other sword, Keith hurled the blade at the gun knight like a throwing knife before closing in for the kill. “You guys doing okay? Still alive?” The mercenary asked his Belua allies aloud as he swung his blade at the gun knight.

”Right as rain.” Talaf mused. Wielding a sword in one hand, and wielding the other with his…tail? Indeed, the feline warrior had wrapped around the handle his tail. While this seemed like an unorthodox method of weapon wielding, the knights found it nigh impossible to find an opening. In his free hand he sliced any to ribbons using his claws; To the garrison, it felt as if they were fighting a woodchipper. There was that, and the numerous currents of lightning that surrounded him; His foe were either sliced to ribbons or electrocuted.

Dharna, on the other hand, had all of his foe flailing on the ground, as if they were gasping for air. Dark veins appeared all over their bodies and their pupils began to dilate, others were fortunate to have been bifurcated before they had the chance to suffer. This was caused by the poisonous scales emitted from Dharna’s wings; They buzzed with a horrid hymn as the last of his foes expired.

That just left Kinnich along with the now alone captain, who’s poker face had vanished and was replaced with a desperate frustration. She let loose shot after shot, but the bullets all incinerated before they even touched Kinnich’s scales.

”W-Who the hell are you monsters?!” She exclaimed. ”You’re just animals!”

”Animals are we?” Kinnich asked calmly. He began walking toward the captain. This caused her to panic, unloading her entire magazine unto the man. Of course it did nothing, and by the time she realized she needed to reload, Kinnich had punched her onto a rock wall. A singed fist mark could be seen on her stomach, and she was coughing up blood. Her magical firearm lay far away from them both. Not having lost consciousness at this point, her eyes filled with fear as Kinnch strolled closer to her. ”W-Wait…”

”Kinnich, you always play with your food. We DO have a job to see to.” Talaf said.

The captain’s eyes widened even more when hearing that name. ”Kinnich, The Sun Beast?” Using what little strength she had left, she attempted to scurry away on all fours. It was futile, as Kinnich grabbed her by her head and hoisted her up into the air. ”I…I remember some of the Paladins talking about you. They said you were an S-rank criminal and had a flee on sight order that only excluded the Apostles!”

”My reputation precedes me.” He said, bring her to eye level with him.

”D-Do you want money? We ca- Urk!” She was cut off mid-sentence as his hands were on her throat.

”If I want money, I will simply take it. Which is partly why I’m here. Principle’s got more to do with it though. My feline friend does have a point, however, so I’ll leave you here for now.” He said, thrusting her onto the metal fence. Using his intense fire magic, Kinnich began to melt some of the steel beams of the fence to where it binded her limbs. She screamed in pain as the heat cooked the flesh around her arms and legs.

”Goodness. Just what are you planning, scoundrel?” Talaf said.

”That will be revealed later.” Kinnich responded, looking toward the mansion on the hill. ”For now, let’s continue onward. It’s bad manners to keep the affluent waiting.”

He turned to Keith, who still seemed to be engaging a lone soldier. Although, his morale had long since vanished. ”You all good over there, boyo?” He said to Keith.

After jamming his sword into the torso of his final opponent, Keith kicked away the lifeless corpse before responding. “Still a hundred percent, boss lizard!” The mercenary then realized he actually had been wounded and looked down to check the bullet hole he recently acquired. It was still bleeding, but not to the same degree as earlier. “Err, make that ninety-eight percent!”

Joining Kinnich and the others, Keith bore witness to the silver-haired woman whose limbs had steel bars from the gate grafted into them. She continued to scream, but Keith was only curious. “Whoa. Leaving a little welcoming gift, are we?”

”Somethin’ like that.” Kinnich responded flatly. ”I certainly plan on using her for something, but we’ll worry about that later. Come along now.” Kinnich quickly made his way toward the mansion, nimbly running on and hopping off the sides of buildings and rooftops. Talaf and Dharna followed behind him, catching up with little effort. Just before Keith followed, he’d hear the battered and burned captain call out to him with bated breath.

”He-Hey! You there, masked rogue! You’re human, aren’t you? W-Why are you siding with those…beasts? How can you stomach watching your own kind get slaughtered in such ways?!”

“Honey, I’ve done things worse than what these guys have been doing. Okay, that’s not exactly true. Melting steel to stick them to your flesh is pretty hardcore.” Keith replied, indulging the captain’s question. “And besides, the only side I’m on…” The mercenary then fished out a small pouch from one of the corpses and shook it to make the coins inside jingle. “...is this.”

“Look on the bright side! If you survive this, you’ll know how to talk to me next time.” Those were Keith’s final words before following his Belua allies.

The captain’s eyes widened in horror and disgust at Keith’s answer.

”Godless vermin!” She exclaimed with what little ferver she had left. ”I pray that crimson monster spills your intestines on the floor while he burns whatever money you came here to collect. Trash like you never prospers in the end: You won’t be the ones who are laughing at the end!”

After coughing up a bit of blood, the silver haired knight had finally lost consciousness. With that Keith would then make his way to catch up with Kinnich and co.

--

On the inside of the mansion, there was a lavish bedroom that also appeared to host guests and pleasurable company. In it sat a very nervous man. Given his bearing and the way he addressed the other personnel around him, he was likely the master of the house.

He wore a dark-colored, brownish suit with decorated buttons, and a long trench coat of darker hue over it. He was tapping his cane with his index finger rapidly, further signifying his discomfort.

”I’d like to know just what the hell’s going on!” The man snapped. ”First there’s some report of rogue beastmen attacking the commoner district. Then, not a moment later, suddenly my domain is being hit?” He looked at the staff he had around him, all looking as nervous as he was. He appeared to be waiting for someone to answer.

”Is it that Liesel brat? Has she finally made a move against the Paradigm?” He said.

“Marquis Aulbach, that’s highly unlikely” One finally said. “None of the opposing nobles would dare do anything as brazen as hire a band of renegade beastmen to wreak havoc on the citizenry. Especially not ones this barbaric!”

”Then who else would have reason to attack?! This assault was too coordinated to have been a random act of terrorism!” He leaned back in his chair, losing his energy from the mere situation. ”Have my wife and daughter been evacuated safely?”

“Yes, milord, they’ve already been escorted out of the city.” Another guard said.

”Good. Dammit all, the others will see this as a sign of weakness and cut all ties with me. I can’t afford that!

--

Overlooking the mansion, the four assailants had found their target. Kinnich turned to Keith.

”There boy, inside that mansion, that’s where the Marquis lies. We’ll need to find him, which will be the easy part. You can kill whoever you want, but the lord of the house will need to be left alive. For a time.” He said ominously.

The group had remained undetected after arriving at their target, not that it really mattered up to this point.

”Keith, was it? Would you like the honors?” He pointed to a window that appeared to be on the third floor of the mansion. ”As a token of good faith, you will be the one to start the charge. Go ahead and cut loose.”

“Aww, I’m touched.” Keith placed a hand on his chest in appreciation before brandishing his two swords. “Cutting loose now, boss!”

The mercenary then ran up a tall tree that reached the window of the third floor. Running across the branch nearest to the window, Keith leapt and crashed through the glass, sending bits and shards all over the place. The mercenary rolled to an upright position, pointing his swords at the people present.

“Where’s the Marquis?!” Keith demanded from the people in the room. “I want to sell him some prime real estate over a cup of coffee!”

The personnel in the room all looked at the masked man in shock as he crashed through the window, while Marquis Aulbach jumped out of his chair.

“Who the hell are you?!” One of the men exclaimed.

“Milord, you must flee!” Another one said.

”Y-You! Did that brat Liesel send you?!” Aulbach finally uttered out. Before he could hear his answer, two of the men grabbed him and promptly escorted him out of the room.

“We’ll hold him off, take the Marquis and flee!” Said a guard. The other five present pulled out sorcerous firearms and blades, some had magic circles appear around their hands. “Prepare to die, craven wretch!”

Keith would then find himself being assaulted by gunfire, slashes, and blasts of various elements as they attempted to defend their lord. Whether this would actually be effective or not remained to be seen however.

“Five against one, huh? I like these odds!” Keith flourished his blades before responding to the attacks.

What followed was a chaotic battle that pretty much destroyed the room. The two belligerent parties did heavy damage to each other. However, only one of the parties could take the punishment and outlasted the other. Gunshots, explosions, slashes and screams echoed out of the room for several minutes before it all went silent.

Keith emerged from the destroyed room with corpses of the guards inside, looking like a corpse himself and even holding his detached arm with the remaining one. “Get back here, Marquis! You and I have a score to settle!” The mercenary limped forward as he placed his detached arm on its stump to begin the reattaching process.

The Marquis scrambled through the halls of his mansion, guards in tow. He was made even more nervous due to the screams he heard.

”That man, is he dead?” He said with bated breath.

“Nevermind that now, just keep moving!” Said one of his escorts.

Just as they were heading through the halls, a large squall of wind completely shattered one of the nearby walls. The gust was golden in hue, and one of Aulbach’s guards was unfortunate enough to have breathed it in. He was on the ground, choking with dark veins appearing on his neck before they even realized it.

“Shit!” The surviving guard exclaimed. “This way!” He led Aulbach down another corridor. Keith would likely be drawn to the Marquis by the sounds of destruction.

And indeed he was drawn, the mangled Keith blocked the corridor that the Marquis and his remaining guard was heading down to and cutting off the latter’s escape. Looking barely alive, he pointed his burnt hand at the target. “Surrender now, or risk looking like me!”

Aulbach and his lone guard looked in disbelief at the appearance of their assailant, his mangled body causing them to recoil.

”Who are you, who sent you?” The marquis said in a panic

“My lord, get back! He must be an augmented human, or a malfested!” Shouted his guardian. Drawing his sword he immediately charged at the cadaver-esque Keith. “You must flee my lord!”

Looking every which way, Aulbach attempted to dart down another hallway while his lone guard engaged the brigand, hoping for an easy fell given his foe’s current state.

“I’m the monument to all your sins!” Keith yelled in reply to the fleeing Marquis. The mercenary, despite being badly-wounded, moved deftly to the side to evade the guard’s sword thrust. He then grabbed hold of the guard’s hands that wielded the sword before spinning around until the guard, himself, was stabbed by his own sword through the torso.

This little distraction managed to buy the Marquis time to escape Keith, but the latter was sure that he couldn’t escape Kinnich.

The marquis continued his frantic run through his home, shouting profanities at his state of affairs. Just as he was about to turn another corner, a large burst of flame destroyed a wall in front of him. The heat was so intense that it completely melted everything in its wake, and it caused Aulbach to stumble back with a yelp. Kinnich slowly emerged from the opening, appearing to have materialized from the fire itself. His arms were folded and he carried himself with a relaxed, almost cordial demeanor.

”It’s good to see you again, Marquis Aulbach.” He began. ”I apologies for the damages done to your home, and the casualties that have accompanied it.”

”Kinnich?!” Said the lord in utter disbelief and terror. ”Y-You betray me?!”

"After I’ve had time to re-evaluate our current arrangement, I’ve decided that I no longer benefit from working with you." Kinnich replied with a scoff. "I’ve also come to take everything you’re worth in exchange for the time I’ve given you."

"How can you say that? That mission at the plant was bot-" Kinnich had a hand around the man’s throat before he could finish his sentence. The next moment he was lifted off the ground, gasping for air.

"Keith, my boy, his currency and valuables should be down in the cellar. That will be your payment, be a sport and grab it would ya?" He said. "This ape and I have matters to discuss."

Keith saluted at the order. “With extreme pleasure, sir!” The mercenary then skipped away to the cellar, eager to see the riches that the Marquis hid down there. He also grabbed small, but valuable, items on the way there. A little side income to the main payout.

--

Keith would find himself taking a flight of old looking stairs down a winding corridor. After a few minutes, reaching the bottom, his sight would be pelted by the countless flickers of gold. Jewelry, gemstones, precious metals, and equipment as far as the eye could see all contained in this aged cellar. Keith would no doubt be quite satisfied with the ‘payment’ he received; The Aulbach house was indeed quite affluent.

The merc would also hear the pained screams of the marquis coming from above, along with the crackling of intense flames. Keith may have started to feel that eventually Kinnich would set the whole damn place on fire…

“Uh oh, looks like this place ain’t gonna be here for long. I may have to leave pretty soon…” Keith remarked, but the eyes behind his goggles still sparkled after the sight of House Aulbach’s wealth. “...but not before I take this. And this. And that. And this. And a little bit of that. And some of this.” The mercenary began taking all the valuables he could fit in his pockets. “Ah, perfect! A sack with which I can put my well-earned ‘reward’.”

The cloth sack was quickly full of loot from the treasury and after he gained considerable weight from the treasure he took, Keith figured it was time to rendezvous with the gang… well away from this… compromised building.

As Keith filled his sack and lined his pockets, he would hear footsteps coming from the stairs, heavy footsteps. They were accompanied by an insectoid crackle; Dharna seemed to have followed Keith down to the treasure hall.

”I see you’ve wasted no time in gathering all of these trinkets.” He scoffed. ”We forgot to mention that there’s something that we’ll need to take with us that should be here. Something more important.”

After looking around for a bit, Keith noticed a box filled with peculiar multicolored orbs.

”Ah, there we are.” Dharna said. He motioned for Keith to grab them. ”According to Kinnich, those are new experimental magical objects, I believe they are called aima? I do not pay much mind to the silly tinkering of those humans. Go ahead and grab them, we are about done here and we should make haste.”

More screams echoed throughout the halls, and the heat around the pair began to intensify. They wouldn’t have much longer.

“Sure thing, Beedrill!” Keith duly grabbed the box and got a bit curious. “Aima, huh? As in, ‘Aima blow you and everything you love to kingdom come’?” The mercenary picked up one of the blue-and-gold orbs and examined it closer. He wondered if it was more useful in the field, or in the market. “Pretty little things. Do you mind if I take one for myself?”

“Anyway, is it me or is it getting hot in here?”

Dharna made another clicking sound with his serrated jaws. ”I would presume so… I honestly don’t care if you take a few, but I would suggest confirming with Kinnich first.” He said, looking up at the floor above them. He led Keith back upstairs, where they would both see that the walls and parts of the ceiling were set aflame. There was irregular rumbling that accompanied it, signifying that the structural integrity of the mansion was about to give. Dharna walked through it all without a care in the world, although Keith was the one who had the least to worry about. The insect Belua simply knocked away any debris that came crashing their way.

--

After they made their way back to Kinnich, the pair would overhear the last bits of the conversation he was having with Marquis Aulbach.

”...Poor little ape~” He sneered. ”Me, the Church, and your pretentious little alliance! You’ve enemies on all sides!”

“P…leas..e s-stop…this…” Aulbach was able to barely get out, his breath bated by the rising heat and panic of the situation. “C…an’t brea..the…”

”Enough of your damn whining. Your life is now mine, but don’t be too sore about it, your friends will be joining you.” He retorted, holsting the man up on his back ”I’ve decided there’s use for you yet. Oh! There you boys are, was afraid you got cooked!” He joked at Dharna and Keith. ”Come, we join Talaf.”

Keith would feel himself begging air into the air and out of the mansion by Dharna, where Kinnich jumped with such force he gave off the illusion of flight with the Marquis on his back. As they cleared the mansion, the building collapsed with a loud tumbling roar as it was engulfed in scarlet embers. The smoke chimney could be seen from the cityside below, and sirens from the other side of the city were still going off. The fighting seemed to have died down. The merc would now find himself on a rooftop along with his three cohorts.

”Talaf! How did the little ones do?” Kinnich asked his feline comrade.

”They performed admirably.” Talaf said. ”We had some losses, unfortunately, but they were honourable losses.” He looked off at the destroyed mansion for a moment, then looked at the unconscious marquis. ”It seems things went well on your ends as well?”

”Aye boyo.” Kinnich said.

”You left Aulbach alive?” He said inquisitively. ”That means death would’ve been his better option. Always scheming, you damn reptilian!” He said almost with a laugh.

Kinnich made a huff that spewed soot from his nostrils, as his form of response.

”I believe Keith had a question for you, Kinnich.” Dharna interjected.

“Oh, it’s nothing too important.” Keith held up the box of Aima he was tasked to retrieve. “Just curious as to what these things are. And if I can, y’know, have one. Pretty please?” The mercenary attempted to look at Kinnich with puppy-dog eyes, but his mask and goggles got in the way of all that.

Kinnich looked at Keith for a moment, curiosity worn on his face. He then chuckled with a low hiss.

”I suppose I can part with a few, boyo. Consider it part of your payment.” Kinnich said. Walking over to the masked merc, he held out his clawed hand. ”However, I believe it’s time for you to provide what you promised, Mr. North.”

As part of their agreement after Kinnich initially attacked him, Keith promised to give him a sample of the substance he obtained from the strange cult of zealots. Referred to as…some kind of nectar…

“Ah, right. That.” Keith handed the Aima box to Dharna before patting down the pockets of his outfit for the substance. “Now where did I– Oh, right!”

Keith crouched down and removed his right shoe. Hidden between the soles and the rest of the shoe was a tightly-corked glass vial that was filled with a dark-purple… darkness within, almost touching the cork. After putting his shoe back on, Keith held up the vial and hovered it right above Kinnich’s open palm. “Remember, this stuff is real dangerous. Don’t eat it, don’t sniff it… I mean, I guess you can do that if you’re real wild. Keep it in a glass container when not in use. If it spills out… err, throw someone on top of it and then leave the area as fast as you can.”

“...Let me guess, that’s exactly what you’re going to do, aren’t you?” Keith finished before dropping the vial onto Kinnich’s hand.

”Somethin’ like that, boyo.” Kinnich mused. ”Follow along, we’re about to leave.”

Backtracking, Kinnich led the group back to where he had left the poor captain hanging on the gate. She seemed to have passed out due to the pain. Walking in front of her, he held her head up by the chin and held the vial up, which now had its cork removed. Not bothering to shake her awake, he squeezed her mouth open so as to administer the solution to the woman. After emptying its contents, he discarded it to the side, causing the glass to shatter.

The three Belua looked curiously, observing what effects would come from the strange concoction. The woman’s skin immediately began to turn pale, and she began to convulse violently. Making various choking sounds, her voice began to sound unnatural and distorted, along with violent veins beginning to appear all over her face and exposed flesh. After a few minutes, her eyes rolled up in the back of her head and she went limp. Kinnich made a squint, then huffed a smoke plume.

”Perhaps the little brat was worthless after all?” He inquired. ”Was she not strong enough to trigger any meaningful effects?”

”We should leave.” Talaf said. ”The Paradigm will make a response once they hear the news. We’ll need to stay ahead of them if we’re to use them.”

”Hmm, scum.” Kinnich said. He spat a bit of lava at the woman’s body, which melted some of the flesh on the side of her cheek. The fact that she still didn’t respond signified that she was indeed deceased. Motioning for Keith to follow, the four assailants promptly made their way out of the city. It didn’t take them long to clear the forested hills they were stationed at before. While moving, Kinnich turned to address the masked man once again.

”You know, I have to admit you performed well for an ape.” He said with a bit of snark. ”And I’ve never met a magus that had the regenerative capabilities that you have. I wonder if that's sage-level alchemy, or perhaps some sort of high spirit provides you with that boon?” He laughed hardily.

”Since we’re technically partners now, I suppose proper introductions are in order. What’s your full name?”

“That’ll be Keith North to you, my good lizard friend! But out in the field, I’m known as The Red Strike.” The mercenary happily replied. “And you’re not the only one curious about my sweet, slick respawn abilities but I’ll tell you right now: I have no clue how it works either.” A lie, but uttered by Keith with the utmost confidence.

“Also, I can’t believe you just used that one vial on that gate girl. I thought you’d get some mages to study the stuff for yourself or something.” Keith remarked. “But eh, it’s your property so you can do whatever you want with it. Another vial, however, is gonna need another payout.”

“But besides that, what do we do now, boss?”

”The Red Strike, huh?” Kinnich responded, curiously. ”The Sun Beast and the Red Strike. I suppose it must be fate crafted by the Six.” He snarled to himself, oddly reprehensibly.

”Then I suppose it’s my turn. Kinnich du Valeniquen.” He said, pointing a thumb at himself. ”It used to be a name that carried pride and honor. Now, it’s one that carries fear and bile. It’s all relative though, haha!” His introduction at first held a rather introspective bitterness to it, but then it was quickly drowned out by grandstanding.

”The kitten over there is named Talaf Aleasifa, the fly is known as Dharna Kadava. I only keep them around because they look pretty.”

”To hell with you, scaly freak.” Talaf said in protest. ”A face like yours has no room to talk.”

”I wonder how’d you feel if this fly gouged a hole in your stomach and turned it into a ration bag.” Dharna added.

”Lovely little dolls aren’t they?” Kinnich said, chuckling ”As for what’s next, gonna get this cock to wake up and tell more about his little alliance. They’re planning something big, and I’d like to hear more about it. He said, pointing toward the marquis on his back. ”You’re free to go back to your other masters if you’d like. Of course, perhaps you’d like to go find this fool’s wife and daughter. Not that we need them, but they might make good leverage. ‘Course, this Paradigm might hunt them down anyway.”

The little back-and-forth between the Beluas amused Keith. It appeared that Kinnich had some baggage regarding his last name, but the human mercenary could not care less about it. “Well, if you say so. I’ll head back for now since I do believe my employers need me for stuff. Still, I’ll keep a lookout for the guy’s wife and kid and let you know if I find anything.”

“Been nice working with you, Sir Kinnich du Valeniquen.” Keith made an exaggerated bow. “Hope we get a chance to work together again~”

The Belua marauders looked on as Keith swiftly went off back to his original employers, having with him some of the aima he was ordered to steal for them.

”Odd fellow, that one.” Talaf said.

”He is quite useful, at the very least.” Dharna added.

”Certainly useful, but more than just odd.” Kinnich chimed in. ”I don’t sense any mana in that man’s body whatsoever. He doesn’t carry the scent of a corpse either, but he doesn’t die easily. His existence is rather out of place here. We’ll worry about that later, though. There is more work to be done.”

They charged off on the path at alarming speed, soon the city couldn’t even be seen in the distance. To their side however, some of the other Belua fighters they sent to the city began coming up to converge with them. They were made up of the ones that survived the initial attack and managed to escape. As far as Kinnich was concerned, they were the only ones working keeping around anyway. The ones that did die were supposed to…

--

The woman Kinnich left to die was still lifeless, stuck on the gate she was bound to. However, unbeknownst to them, a large spider-like appendage had fiercely sprouted from her back. After flailing around for a brief moment, it trashed as it began to tear through the steel of the fence. The woman then began to rouse, and with elongated teeth, made an eerie shriek.

Outside, Hector regarded the words of Alexandra carefully after giving her a respectful bow. "You have the right of it, Lady Vander. Though, I’m not sure how I feel if word has reached home that I’m ‘slumming it’. I consider it more of a learning experience.“

Hector would raise a hand to his eyepatch, carefully considering what to answer the second part of her inquiry with. "As for why I haven’t returned, it isn’t out of shame. If anything, I haven’t thought about my house in the slightest since leaving. The Third Son is left little in the way of opportunity. At best, I’d return a ‘veteran’ display piece. Likely married off to an impressionable younger woman of a noble house to while away my days licking my wounds. Dishonoring my house would imply apparitions even know how to tarnish one’s honor. “

The marksman would lift his eyepatch ever so slightly, enough to display the bottom of a gruesome gouged wound, an indication that he’d scarcely escaped with his life, the flesh around it seared so as to prevent corruption spreading. "I dishonored my comrades by failing to die. Nor do I have the intention of taking my life, or living a quiet one. The Magus here have the tools to forge me into someone capable of slaughtering the corrupt. And, Scion as my witness, I’ll endure as much slumming, learning, beating, and failure as it takes.“

Alexandra looked as though she was impressed with the small speech that Hector responded with. It seemed in spite of his experiences, he had not lost his honor. This had apparently resonated with Alex, as his response caused a slight smile to appear on her face.

However she then noticed that Grisha was staring at her with his signature sternness.

”Oh! Inspector Grisha, forgive me…” She said. ”Rather than attending to my duties, here I am fraternizing with the rea-”

”It’s fine, don’t worry yourself over it.” Grisha said, holding up a hand to stop her mid sentence. ”Part of you accompanying us on this assignment was for you to gain more experience in dealing with reavers we’ve partnered with. I see this as a mere extension of that. Elaine, I shall take my leave and pay Bellum and Johannes a visit.”

”Ah, yes. Good day to you, Grisha.” Elaine responded, before turning her attention to Hector.

”To you as well.” He said. Before completely exiting the infirmary, he stopped at Hector, who he looked eye to eye.

”Willful 3rd son of the Wyland household.” He started. ”This may sound odd coming from a devotee of the Church, but everyone must choose what path they follow in life. Through some eyes, you may very well appear to be a disgraced brat who brought shame to his family. However, you needn’t let them define you, as I can already see you’ve taken strides to reforge your path and rediscover your purpose. Every man needs a code, and from the sound of it, you have a strong one. Never lose it.” Only after that did Grisha take his leave.

Elaine stared off at him before making a light chuckle. ”Goodness, must everything that man says be so needlessly profound? Still, he’s right Hector, never lose that spark of yours. But, let’s first take a look at those wounds.” Elaine used her hands to usher Hector onto one of her patient beds. She began examining him from head to toe.

”Oh, that boy Ruecian…” She said, clicking her tongue. ”He’s grown into quite the drill sergeant. I realize that it may not be that different from what you’re used to Hector, but we’re not soldiers. Let me get something to ease the soreness.” Elaine said, going over to one of her cabinets.

Hector would sit off to the side on a bed while Elaine fetched something from a cabinet, the marksman sitting there in stunned silence, staring off into space after realizing that Grisha himself had…affirmed he’d made a resolute decision. …Hector had certainly looked impressively stoic, as his brain worked at figuring out when this strangely specific ego-boosting dream would end. After all, he must still be knocked out on the floor of the training area, with Ruecian calling Elaine in with a stretcher.

The brains of the duo, Herne would promptly slap Hector’s cheek lightly with his tail, signaling this was not, in fact, a dream. In addition, the ghostly serpent looked a tad big smugger than usual, as if the compliment from the inquisitor had applied to him as well. "And what’re you so smug about now,“ Hector asked, booping his familiar’s nose with two fingers.

Elaine noticed Hector and Herne teasing each other, and giggled a bit. ”I also see that Grisha left somewhat of an impression on you two. He’s a rather peculiar member of the Church. Outwardly, he’s what you’d expect from their inquisitors: Stoic, forthright, punctual, and impatient. However, he is an honorable man, and is insightful enough to understand a person’s individual experiences. He’s always been like that. Oh! My apologies, let’s fix you up!” Elaine caught herself trailing off, and quickling began applying some herbal remedies to Hector’s body. She had to remove his shirt to apply the medicine to his bare skin.

Elaine’s magic was interesting, combining natural remedies altered with alchemy along with the rejuvenative effects of holy light. While the latter at first glance wouldn’t need the former, it honestly depended on the strength of the spell and the stamina of the target. Alchemic solutions restored wounds, it only accelerated the body’s natural healing rate, and drained stamina as a result. Elaine has seen too many people destroy their bodies by downing one too many elixirs and concoctions. Thaumaturgic spells helped compensate for this, restoring a person’s stamina and temporarily strengthening their mind, body, and soul.

Normally, Hector would feel the prickly sting of the herbal medicine that was being administered, but the light magic Elaine was using made it feel much better. The warmth of the light restored strength to his aching body.

Elaine hit the nail on the head when it came to Grisha’s impression. There was no faith-holder that didn’t hold reverence for the venerable Inquisitor, but he hadn’t expected a modicum of respect back. Only indifference. "I certainly expected him to be more harsh on someone who’s turned to a life of magecraft…“ Hector admitted, removing his shirt and putting it in a pile for Herne to warm himself with while Elaine salved his bruises. Letting out a soft exhale, the marksman was more than content to let natural remedies merge with magic, eliminating his pain.

Once she was finished, Hector would flex his fingers, flick his wrist, then roll his shoulders. "Thank you, Elaine. I feel like I just got a full night’s rest in an instant,“ Hector said, grabbing his shirt, much to the annoyance of his galdr spirit.

”You are quite welcome, Sir Wyland.” Elaine responded. She crossed her arms and gave Hector a stern, but kind look.

”Now good sir, I know you’re hardy and used to intense training, but I have a mind to discuss Ruecian’s training methods with him. He has no business putting you through such harsh sessions right after a mission no less. The body needs rest as much as strengthening.” With a huff, she got up and began rummaging through her cabinets.

”Thankfully this time around, I’ll be there to personally deal with any injuries you all may receive. Hopefully there won’t be any real mishaps, but keeping a watchful eye will help me keep my peace of mind!”

Hector knew all too well the frustrations a doctor suffered from reckless patients, and would do his best to not be on the receiving end of a beating just after Ruecian delivered his. "Ruecian isn’t the one to blame, at least, not entirely. I was the one who asked for it,“ Hector said, in spite of his aching back. "Still, your presence is greatly appreciated.“

”Oh, I’m quite sure!” Elaine quickly retorted. ”What good is your hardiness if your body fails because of it? Hmph! While being appreciated is nice, do not neglect yourself due to it. Your mind, body, and soul have their limits!”

She was starting to sound less like a kind-hearted doctor and more like an irritated mother. It was a habit of hers, especially when it came to her allies. It seemed that Elaine found what she was looking for, and would return to Hector’s side with two vials of differing substances.

https://imgur.com/TO5uKVJ

https://imgur.com/SpFBd35

One was a vial of a blood red liquid, and was rather ornate. The other was a purple solution, and had a peculiar aura to it.

”Here we are.” She hummed, handing the concoctions over to the sniper. ”You lost a lot of blood during your last battle and it’s interfering with your body’s natural healing, the red vial will help with that. The purple ampule stimulates your body, increasing its capabilities and lessening the damage you take. But! Be aware that its effects are temporary, and if you allow yourself to take too much damage the repercussions will be dire. Please be mindful.”

While Hector wasn’t expecting a perfect reception to his compliment he also wasn’t expecting to be handed what amounted to a bloodpack and a steroid, hesitantly accepting both. "Should I take the red vial now, then?“

”Just some.” Elaine replied. ”It is meant to be taken gradually over time. It’s meant to support your body’s natural recovery. Using traditional magic mends wounds but doesn’t allow for the mind and soul to catch up. Herbal remedies and over-the-counter medicine may take too long for our purposes, and may have adverse effects due to differences in biology. My elixirs combine the best of both worlds. Drink a little bit every few hours, and try not to do anything rash..”

Hector would nod before uncorking the vial and drinking roughly an eighth of it, figuring he could save the purple one for when he needed it…or, when Ruecian decided to train him again.

After swallowing a mouthful of medicine, Hector would say: "Thank you again, Elaine. I’d best be off though, lest I take more of your time.“

”Oh, you needn’t worry about me simply performing my duties.” Elain responded. ”If it were up to me, I’d have you resting in your room for a day or two. Unfortunately, there are social obligations that must be met. Though, you ARE the one who decided to subject himself to rigorous training right after a dicey mission. But, you are of course very welcome!” Hector would see that Elaine’s warm smile had returned. It wasn’t certain if it was the blair of the Sun or if it was simply thaumaturgic effects emanating off of her, but she seemed to shine with a certain radiance.

Hector would bow and smile at her, glad to see that she wasn’t irritated any longer. "I hope you have a pleasant day, and that I don’t become a frequent visitor,“ Hector said before exiting the infirmary…unaware that he was about to be informally assaulted by a certain sheep woman.

"Well, this is embarrassing." Leon was taken aback. His eyes widen as he immediately shuts the grimoire close in his hand. He was quickly dismissed before things escalated.

He became flustered by the way he acted towards the kind Priestess. Errr.. why do i have the sudden feeling of guilt challenging her? Leon thought to himself.

The holy seer's maternal demeanor is too much for the fae to handle. Her motherly energy overwhelms his zeal. Her pristine and earnest face, her warm scent, and her soft yet stern voice soothe Leon's misguided spite toward her.

"I was anticipating somewhat of a resistance from you, Mrs. Tethys but I guess you're reasonable and gentle as they say." The malicious aura surrounding the fae's arm slowly fades away like a feral cat retracting its claws, returning the fae rogue to his lethargic default self.

"And for the record, Mr. Kiff is partially responsible for all of this. He's the one who found your book. If you ever change your mind about the offenses he has caused, you know where to find him." Leon deadpan pointed his finger towards the scummy librarian, putting half of the blame on Kiff.

"In any case, I don't see why you'd discard this sentient book,Mrs.Tethys. Aren't you afraid it might fall into the wrong hands? Perhaps this is the reason why it became bitter towards you. It only speaks ill and pure vitriol about you in my head" He confessed.

"Also you are correct, the visions I saw are anything but pleasant. I can foresee future events but only the worst possible outcome. Delusion or not, these visions are far too vivid to be ignored." Leon shuddered.

"Nevertheless, As someone with limited powers and esper ability. This corrupted instrument of yours is the best thing that has happened to me. It has become an extension of my body." Leon snorted, rolling up his sleeves, showing the runes inscribed on his skin.

"Of course, this ability doesn't come cheap. As an upkeep to satiate its unending hunger, I've become its personal assassin. It whispers to me names and projects haunting faces of people that should not exist in its ideal future on a whim. Anomalies that will cause certain events that must be prevented and neutralized by any means necessary." The fae rogue said, briefly turning his eyes to the side, leaving that one tiny crucial detail that Tethys, Grisha, and other members of the Holy Church are considered targets by the grimoire and are on this metaphorical hitlist.

Leon didn't want to offend the scarlet seer any further since she was nothing but kind and patient with him throughout this meeting, and boldly announcing a death threat in front of her seemed not the best course of action at the moment. Perhaps it's better to keep it to myself and leave this detail out.

"Other than that, there is one name that stirs and challenges fate's hand; surely with your superior divination, you've picked up this upcoming threat. A belua renegade named Kinnich?" Leon asked Tethys.

Leon’s answers and questions certainly gave Tethys pause for thought. Apparently, Kiff was the one who found the book in the first place, and was the one who introduced it to the Fae boy. A fact that Tethys already knew, but it didn’t stop her from shooting a look at the man.

”We didn’t throw it away, someone stole it.” She said, having a sharp gaze on the librarian, which caused him to have a nervous smile on his face. ”However, that’s a story for another time.”

However, hearing a certain name uttered completely changed the mood in the room.

Kinnich.

Closing her eyes with a heavy sigh, she looked Leon directly in his taciturn eyes. ”Ah yes, the Sun Beast. The Disgraced One.” She said. ”He had been a problem for a long time. Too strong for any run-of-the-mill paladin to handle, and the Church has other responsibilities to afford itself to be stretched thin. The Magus Association seems to fear him, having lost too much upcoming talent to his feral hunger.”

”However, I presume that with your new found insight, you are also aware that there are two members of this tower that are closely related to him: Ruecian and Lapis Valeniquen, yes? Have you chosen to intertwine yourself within their fates?”

"Yes, I am aware that the Belua siblings are related to this monster and he's coming for them in the near future," Leon answered the high priestess's question. "As a former cutthroat, I have a feeling that the sun beast and I share the same sentiment about leaving any loose ends." He scoffs.

"Which is why, like any bleeding heart mercenary and a concerned colleague, I've formed a contract with the younger one, Lapis, to protect and aid her and her brother when that time comes. making their problem, my problem I supposed." He continued.
"Unfortunately, the grimoire did forewarn me of the dangers of this improbable task. A losing battle against this impending threat which I am inclined to believe is true." Leon said to Tethys.

Tethys listened intently at Leon expressing his worries over the dark premonitions he received from the book.
”So, you’re now in the know too, huh?” Kiff said to Leon. ”I know a bit about that guy myself, from what Arteus has told me here and there. He sounds like a charming gent.” He said with a jovial tone, attempting to lighten the mood. His efforts went as well as one could expect.

”I believe this is a good time to help you understand. You should be wary as to what futures the book shows you, young Leon.” Tethys said. ”Be aware that the future is stagnant, while there are some who are ensnared by fate’s chains, someone like you can sever your chains. So long as your pay heed to the direction of Irvin and not forget your place here, you will perform fine.”

”The book itself acts as though it’s alive, and seems to feed off the anxiety and negative emotions of its wielders. Do not be so willing to trust it.”

"Huh, I'm surprised that you've spoken highly of Irvin despite your position being in the holy church, Ms. Tethys. A faction that is known to oppose his ideas," Leon said to the scarlet seer.

"But yeah, I'll try to remember that. Just like my daggers, I'll keep my wits sharp so that this treacherous book won't pull a fast one on me. After all, a clear mind is an Esper source of strength." Leon said with a bit of confidence, reinvigorated by the affirmation of the holy seer.

"Either way, I'm keeping this book despite its drawbacks, I can feel the sun beast won't be alone when he arrives. that he will bring powerful allies who will die for his cause. Better be prepared." The Fae rogue said as he looked at his trembling palm. An indication that his prediction might be accurate.

"Perhaps I can prove to you that I'm not like the previous wielders who succumb to its madness during this upcoming exercise." Leon said with a smirk.

”My office is always open, especially for someone under my wing.” Arteus said. Waving his hand, the duo would be veiled within a violet haze, in which Damian would feel space seamlessly shift. After a moment, the veil vanished and he would find them in the center of Arteus’s office.

”So Damian, I imagine you’re aware that I’ve spoken with your grandmother already?” He began. ”But, right now, I imagine that you’re more concerned about the Church being here right now.” Walking over to his desk, he leaned on the front of it with his arms crossed.

”I understand you may have dealt with less…savory members of the Hold Sect. If it helps, I can personally vouch for the ones that are currently here. Well, except one. However, if Lady Marianne approves of the Vander squire, then it’s safe to say that she can be trusted as well.”

”Tell me, what’s on your mind?”

Damian lets out a light snort, responding with a small wave of his hand. “While the Church’s presence here does put me on edge, the members here aren’t my real concern, not completely. My real concern… is this.”

Approaching the other man Damian would pull out what looked to be a simple wooden box from an inner pocket of his jacket. Holding it up a moment he went to the side of Arteus’ desk, opening the box before placing it on the desk.

Inside revealed to be some kind of grey…. wafer for lack of better term. Oval in shape it appeared to have had a piece broken off, small crumbs could be seen alongside the wafer.

“I’ve had this on me since my last encounter with the Church’s mad dog of an arch-bishop nearly a year ago and is one of the other reasons for my short stays within towns your network has no doubt noticed. This thing is also one of the reasons why I finally agreed to your invitation, Arteus, cause if I’m right? This little wafer here is likely one of the most dangerous materials in the realm.”

Arteus eyed the chipped medallion for a moment, inspecting it curiously. It seemed to stir some old memories in him, ones that weren’t pleasant.

”Yes, indeed I know what that is.” He said with a grimace. ”Those who use it call it a duhkha bhati; It possesses some sort of fell quality that attracts corrupt creatures to its vicinity. Fortunately, this one has lost its power, no doubt thanks to you. I did hear about an incident involving a monster attack, in addition to what your granny told me. So, the rumors were true…”

He walked closer to Damian, giving the wafer another once over. ”It certainly is a dangerous relic, but I’m wondering what the Church was doing with such a trinket.”

"Duhkha Bhati….tch, figures this is what they meant….” For a moment it looked as if Damian was going to snarl some sort of curse but he held back with a breath, closing the lid. "Agreed. Still, there’s a couple things that don’t add up. Sure, the Church’s corruption isn’t as great a secret as they’d like to believe it is but this?”

He idly gestured to the box with a hand, looking at Arteus a bit perplexed. "This is a dangerous new level they’re dabbling in, and I can’t be sure exactly who is doing the dabbling. Ishtalla may be a sadistic bitch, but I know she doesn’t have the acumen to plan this. She was ordered to, the question is… by who?”

”That seems to be the question of the hour.” Arteus responded, sighing a bit. ”It’s a question that Grisha, or perhaps even Marianne, may know. ”

”Thank The Six that you were able to quell the incident before it got out of hand. You certainly have some interesting characters chasing after you, but if you’ll allow me, I’d like to assist in alleviating your hardships. Tell me, have you been following Ishtalla’s movements as of late?”

"To a point, I had to shift priorities roughly 3 months ago as I was travelling. I know she was finally awakened from her medically induced coma 6 months ago and had been making a steady recovery, but had yet to be given leave or allowed to train either on her own or with her squad of elites. Well, those that chose to stay of course.” The man let out a light snort, walking to the window with arms crossed.

"Ishtalla’s Debacle as they’ve come to call it has backfired on the Church in ways they didn’t expect. Heard a number of their elites were quite disillusioned with the Church’s Teachings after the abomination they were told to slay saved their collective asses. Some taking sabbaticals and a number of others choosing to revisit the towns they helped destroy. As for the rest of them…” There was a pause, before he shook his head and let out a sigh. He turned to look back at Arteus. “So, what’s changed in the last 3 months?”

”A couple of things.” Aretus said. ”No doubt you’ve been aware of the sudden increase in monster attacks that have been going on across the region. Keeping their territories safe has notably stretched the forces of the Holy Church thin, it’s gotten so bad that they’ve even reached out to me to aid in the investigation” He walked over to his desk and took out some white documents, which he handed to Damian.

The latter would see detailed accounts of abomination attacks in select areas for the past few weeks: One in the southwest plains, the area in which the Necropolis mission took place. Another in the eastern region known for its small farming communities. All accounts attest to the fact that the assault was by a large, bipedal creature with multiple tendrils flailing about from its back.

“You see the creature, yes? The miasma its rampage is spreading in giving birth to numerous monsters and apparitions at an unprecedented scale, the paladins can barely keep up, and the Association is refusing to send out Reavers that aren’t confident in their skills, for fear of losing valuable talent. But, for this discussion the focus is on the Church. During my investigation, I’ve heard wind of a new Reaver unit being formed under wraps. It comprises a rather precarious band of zealots particularly loyal to the scriptures of the Holy Sect’s executioner doctrines and criminals who’ve been given a chance to reform. They see the increase of decay as a convenient means of satiating their bloodlust.”

He analyzed the expression, if any, that Damian wore on his face while examining the documents. ”It may be over presumptuous, but it’s possible she may have joined up with this sect in order to regain her face.”

”Possible, they also might task her with leading the unit or at least training the recruits. While her morals are doubtful, her ability as a trainer isn’t.” The man looked nonplussed at the thought but otherwise didn’t react to the news. "Those attacks in the Southwest Plains and Eastern regions, do we have a lead on where it started?”

”Mainly that someone seems to be controlling the creature.” Arteus said. ”For being a rampaging monstrosity, it certainly seems to have a coordinated attack pattern. The regions seem random at first, until you realize each one happened to be among the most populated areas. It also appears to vanish without a trace once it’s done. Hence, it is likely that the beast has a master.” Arteus paused again, giving Damian a serious look.

”Tell me Damian, have you ever heard of the Witch of Divergence?”

Word that someone was possibly controlling the creature set Damian’s lips to a thin line. At the other man’s question, Damian nodded. "Some things, but they were words from years ago and not recently. What do you know, or suspect, Arteus?”

”I see, that makes sense.” Arteus replied. ”The Church along with other ruling bodies have kept her existence under wraps. She is perhaps the greatest threat to the well being of all people in this world. A harmful witch who has the inexplicable ability to control miasma and all of its creations. She can also use every principle under the book, as if the former wasn’t bad enough.” He sighed, a bit of anger welling in his eyes.

”Her name is Yunalesca, and if anyone is capable of commanding such a beast and having it appear and vanish in such ways, it’s no doubt her. Let me be straight Damian: Do you plan on joining us and helping out?”

For a moment the man was silent, looking back out the window but not really looking at anything in particular, face unreadable. Suddenly with a deep breath, Damian sighed explosively while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Not like I’ve got much choice if I want things to get better.” Scratching the back of his head, Damian turned back to Arteus, putting the papers back on the man’s desk.

"Trust me when I say I’ve got more than a few misgivings about this, Arteus. If Yunalesca is involved this deeply and possibly even further, then I’ll simply have to take them in stride.” The man truly didn’t look all that enthused about joining the tower even as he strode to the other side and grabbed a seat, dragging a hand down his face. Shaking his head, Damian let go of the tension riding his shoulders before looking back to the other man.

"So, you mentioned speaking with my grandmother and making her a promise. How long ago was that, if I may ask?”

”A few months ago.” Replied the Administrator. ”You should reach out to her more, she worries about you often.” Chuckling a bit.

”She had oddly been under the radar for quite some time, if she has indeed returned. Whatever has roused her into the forefront is also of concern. I understand your grievances, and it likely feels like you’re being forced into an unfavorable situation. I’m just hoping that your aid combined with ours will make life a bit easier in the coming days.”

"The coming days aren’t what I would be worried about.” Hand on his chin, Damian leaned to one side of the chair, fingers of his opposite hand idly tapping the arm rest. "More so what comes after them. We’ll need to do some more sparring and training sessions with the other new recruits to see where they stand. Something I’m sure we’ll see with this joint operation with the Church. You said it was in Cambridge?”

”That’s right, it’s a neutral state, so there’ll be no bias toward either side.” Arteus replied. ”As for the former, that's indeed part of the plan. I’m not too worried about their overall potential, but more so about their teamwork. We have some rather eccentric members as part of the Tower.” He continued, making a small laugh.

Arteus walked over to the desk, leaning on it beside Damian, arms folded.

”Your grandmother really is one of a kind. Her time away from the trivialities of life have allowed her to see the flow of things like a chessboard. She could tell that things were brewing in the background and would soon come to a head, and if nothing is done, rising tensions between the Association and Church will be the least of our worries. ”

The man would hear Damian snort. "Agreed, and we’ll likely need every trick we know to get through it. If nothing else, I’ve got friends in Cambridge, contacts I made from my photography work. If we get some time to ourselves I can get in touch with them to see what they know.”

”That would be helpful” Arteus said. ”I feel that in the current world, having decent knowledge on current events is a good way to keep out of trouble. Or at least a good way to prepare for it, if outright avoidance isn’t possible. Kiff also helps in that regard.” He said with a chuckle.

"He’s your….. Librarian and book keeper correct?” He questioned though he was sure about the answer. "He aided Miss Naomi and I in figuring out the mystery surrounding the Makara egg one of your newer recruits brought back recently. Interesting circumstances, you should check in on it when you get the chance.” For the first time this entire conversation he smiled, rueful.

"Pardon me, I’m getting off track. You’re right though, about keeping up to date, how do you think I’ve managed to dodge those who do me ill this whole time?”

”Indeed he is, haha! Among other things.” Arteus said with a snicker. ”He’s actually more like a man with a knack for ‘slight-of-hand’ endeavors. He’s a man who can get his hand on just about anything”

He perked up a bit at hearing about the Makara egg that Scarlett brought back from the swamp mission. ”Ah yes, I did hear about that. I was actually curious myself, but if the egg’s currently with Naomi I’m sure it’s in good hands.” He said, appearing to be glad that he was able to raise Damian’s spirits up, if only a little.

”No worries, hopefully your contacts can provide us with some useful information. Call it a sixth sense, but I feel that things might spiral out of control if we’re not careful.” Arteus then seemed to retreat to his own thoughts for a moment.

”Tell me Damian, do you see yourself having any trouble meshing with the current teams of reavers I’ve assembled here?”

"At the current moment I would say that, on the surface? I can work with practically anyone. Working solo we both know I won’t have too much trouble with most situations, but meshing well on the other hand? That’ll be trickier to guess, I’ll need more time getting to know the others before I can say whether I will or not. More so considering the tight rope I walk and the secrets I hold.” He appears more contemplative, arms crossed.
"Those I’ve actually seen don’t seem like a bad bunch, though one or two seem to have gone on a darker path than what most are comfortable with. The one who brought back that egg as an example.” He looked at Arteus pointedly before continuing "At the same time however I’ll still leave my own judgement till I’ve learned more about them and perhaps sparred with them a few times to get a feel for how they think.”

”A fair stance to take.” Arteus said. ”I’m sure that Ruecian, Xashan, and even Evelyn would be more than happy to take you up on that offer!” He said with a small laugh. ”I feel that Roze would especially be interested in your invocation.”

Presuming him to be done with the documents, Arteus reorganized the paperwork and neatly placed it back in the folder.

”Well, I think this gives us a solid grasp of how to approach the situation moving forward. Did you have any more concerns for me?”

He appeared contemplative for a moment before sighing. "...there’s one, yeah.” Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a thin slip of paper, one that appeared to have intricate runes on them. (look up intricate Ofuda talisman paper)

"For the moment we should be fine but….” A look of frustration came over his face. "If you know the truth then you know of the dangers that could affect anyone around me if I have to fight seriously. That talisman is a special ward that’ll keep the wearer safe from both the pressure and the enriched air. While I know both yourself, Miss Brunhild and maybe the rest of the veteran staff might be alright without them, I’d rather not take any chances. I’ve got a few extras but not enough for everyone in the tower. If there’s ever a reason I need to truly fight for real, these talismans will be one of the few things keeping the others safe.”

Arteus inspected the talismans for a few moments, his gaze mainly one of curiosity.

”These are well made, seals meant to suppress intense concentrations of mana. In older times, they were used to ward away powerful and malevolent spirits. Now, with their creation process being more refined, they’re used for all sorts of things. I know your condition is a serious and unique one. If that situation ever arises, I trust that’ll you’ll make the right decision.”

Arteus placed the talismans in his pocket. ”In turn, I ask that you trust our allies in said situation as well. Believe in their strength as I do.”

Walking behind his desk, he sat down in his main office chair, placing the folder in a drawer.

”There’s still a little bit of time left to get ready. You can use it to pack and reach out to some of the other staff members if you need an extra little anything.”

While it didn’t seem like Arteus was taking him as seriously as Damian would have liked, the man didn’t dismiss his words outright. His words did ring with truth, true, but Damian would still have to see for himself how the others would fare.

Still, the man was right and there was only so much time left before they had to leave. Letting out a slight huff he stood from the chair. "Alright, the main plan is to teleport there when we’re all set I take it?”

Arteus turned to Damian, as if a little surprised by his question, but then smiled lightly.

”I was thinking that we all could take a nice drive through the countryside.” He said. ”Magic is often seen as a convenient and wondrous thing. However, I feel those aspects cause an overreliance, and inadvertently take away the romanticism of the smaller things in life.”

Odds words to come from the prodigal son of sorcery for this current era.

”Nonetheless, Pensworth is quite the punctual man. Moving everyone there at once would be the best option for that. Bending space and time to instantly move locations is a rather tedious art that increases in difficulty the move objects that are being teleported. But for me, it shouldn’t be too much trouble.”

Arteus would hear an amused snort. “Given everything I’ve heard about you, I’d be worried if it did.” Shaking his head Damian continued.

“Anywho, if there’s time I’ll check in with your resident weaponsmith to look over some things for me. You can never be too careful these days.”

While it was true that a path to power was the only thing Einer sought in the Eon Tower, a different route to his room chanced Einer to the Tower’s greenhouse. The door was open, and the musician caught a glimpse of the verdant greenery within. It reminded Einer of the family garden back home. Tending to the flowers and the herbs was a welcome distraction to his shortcomings. The ingredients that the garden provided also helped Einer with his dishes.

His curiosity piqued, Einer decided to take a little detour from his room and into the Eon Tower greenhouse. Not out of pursuit of power, but of genuine curiosity stemming from happier days.

Einer would walk within the greenhouse for a moment until he heard a distinct humming sound. Happening upon an office, the wayward noble would see Bellum packing away as she prepared for the summit at Cambridge. It appeared that she hadn’t noticed him come in yet, but just as Einer was about to announce his arrival, he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

”Young son of House Devaron, I trust you’ve adjusted to life here well enough?”

Inquisitor Grisha had also made his way to the botanist’s office, making his rounds as part of the inspection.

”I had gotten to speak with the third son of the Wyland house as well, and I must say I was left with a rather strong impression of his character. In that regard, I am as well somewhat curious of your circumstances…”

“Bwuh?!” Einer almost jumped from surprise. Of all the people he could run into, it was the Inquisitor from the Church. The musician had to wonder, must his rotten luck follow him everywhere? “Inquisitor Grisha. I must admit, you startled the daylights out of me.”

Einer then cleared his throat to compose himself, using those precious few seconds to formulate an act and falsehoods should this Inquisitor pry. “So you have met Hector. A promising lad with one of those ‘gun’ weapons. I am not surprised that you found him noteworthy.”

“But you are here wondering about me, as you said. How may I satisfy your curiosity, Inquisitor?”

”I suppose the expected question, and most direct one, is to ask what made you abandon the capital and purse strength in a rogue band of magus.” Grisha said. ”Perhaps you’ve a similar tail as Sir Hector, seeking glory for your house?”

”Oh, howdy you two!” Rang a cheery voice. Bellum had finally realized that the two nobles had entered her atelier. ”Grisha, yer still as overbearing and charmless as you can be. I’ve told you about that.”

Grisha stared back in her direction, and seemed to make a small groan while shooting her a look. ”Bellum, I see you’re still as loud and belligerent as ever. I see your plants have been flourishing.”

Bellum squinted with a sharp smile, placing her hands on her hips.

”Of course, you’ll find my atelier is in tip-top form, Mr. Inspector.”

Einer would sense a strange tension between Grisha and Bellum, but it was different than what he felt when she engaged Childes.

“Ahem.” Einer cleared his throat to break the tension. He was still unnerved at how the inquisitor knew of his pursuit of power. Einer had not told anyone exactly on why he left. Fortunately, Bellum’s appearance shifted the talk and gave the musician some breathing space to form his response.

“It seems you two are already… familiarly acquainted.” Einer remarked on Bellum and Grisha’s ‘friendship’. “Let me introduce myself first to the lovely madam known as Bellum; I am Einer Devaron. One of the new Reavers of your Eon Tower. A pleasure to meet you.” The bard bowed at the botanist. “Your garden piqued my interest since it reminded me of my own back home.”

Einer then addressed Grisha. “Speaking of home, you are correct that I have indeed left the capital to improve the Devaron name. However, I am not exactly seeking power. I am, unfortunately, impotent in matters of combat regardless of my efforts so such ventures are a waste of my time.” Einer seemed to believe his own outright lies.

”Well by the stars! I certainly consider it a great honor to have my little garden compared to the estate of a noble house! Aren’t you just the sweetest thing!” Bellum said cheerfully.

”Indeed. She did always have a green thumb.” Grisha said. ”Your pilgrimage is understandable, it’s what most in your position would undertake. The same could be said of Sir Wyland. But…” He looked Einer dead in his eyes.

”You say you’ve given up on pursuing strength, yet you join with perhaps the strongest magus of the current generation? I can’t help but feel there’s a bit of context to be examined…”

Inquisitor Grisha’s precise and relentless questioning irked Einer and was starting to get on the bard’s nerves. Nevertheless, Einer maintained composure under Grisha’s pressuring eyes. “What context needs to be examined? I joined these strong magi as their stalwart support. I am a healer and warder of curses. While it is true that my fellow Reavers have their ways to mend wounds and dispel debilitating spells, it is not exactly efficient since they could be doing more important tasks in combat. And that is where I come in.”

“Granted, it is not the flashiest nor most recognized role so it would be difficult to make a name for myself doing it, but these are my powers. I can do little but accept that.” The exasperation was making Einer’s mask slip. “Does that answer satisfy you, Inquisitor?”

”Heh, it does boy.” Grisha replied with a smirk. ”Be at ease, it’s all business after all. In order to ensure relations between our respective factions remain stable, I need to have a good grasp of the way each of your minds work.”

”Ain’t no excuse to give the boy a hard time, Pensworth!” Bellum boomed. ”Now are we goin’ to do this or not?”

With a small sigh and a light chuckle, Grisha turned his attention to the Bog Witch and followed her into the inner workings of her atelier. ”Lead the way, Bog Witch.”

”I’ll you just like I tell Childes. You. Do. Not. Call. Me. That.” Bellum snapped ominously.

Their banter aside, Einer would perhaps sense an unnatural essence emanating from the plants further in. He would likely know this feeling, one that always made a person’s stomach sink. The disgusting aura of miasma was coming from somewhere within the atelier. Perhaps he would be inclined to investigate further?

But he did not do so immediately, Einer cocked an eyebrow first at the aura of the dreaded miasma. “Pardon my interruption, Sir and Madam, but… I feel something in the air.” The bard told Grisha and Bellum. “Something… quite vile. At least, something I was told was quite vile.”

Grisha looked at Einer, then at Bellum.

”Oh! He’s probably talking about my miasma plants. They’re just some samples I keep for study. Under careful isolation o’course!” Bellum replied.

”I would hope so.” Grisha said. ”I imagine you study them as a means of understanding how to better counteract its effects in advanced cases. Would I also be correct in presuming you’re working with Elaine in tandem?”

”You are correct, Mr. Inquisitor!”

”Decent to know you seem to have a solid grasp on things.” Grisha said, before he turned back to Einer. ”If you didn’t mind, Devaron, I was still curious about something. Earlier, in the way you spoke, it almost seemed like you have some type of lingering resentment toward your abilities. Does having the Light’s blessing and a Spectral voice not suffice for you? ”

Einer thought the presence of Miasma plants would be more concerning to a member of the church, but it appeared there was a deep pseudo-trust between the Inquisitor and this Tower. If only the same could be applied to the bard. “Wha– Lies and slander!” Einer cried out in false offense. “I am nothing but thankful for the abilities generously granted to me by the Light. Any resentment, if present at all, is something personal and should be dismissed immediately at all times.” The bard doubled down on his lies. “You may be Inquisitor of the Church, but don’t think I will not contact your superiors for your rather rude and uncouth behavior!”

“And what’s this about a ‘Spectral voice’? I cannot talk to specters or spirits if that’s what you mean.” Einer wondered if Grisha was talking about his Galdr abilities. If so, then Einer would be disturbed as to how Grisha knew about this. And second, Einer wasn’t interested in talking about it.

”Inquisitor Grisha! I said no to upset the poor boy!” Bellum quickly exclaimed.

”If he’s upset at simple questions, then there’s something that he himself needs to address.” He responded adamantly, taking note of the boy’s expression at the mention of his Galdr abilities.

”You say one thing, but your face says another. But, enough of that. I do think I’m satisfied with what Ms. Hawke has shown me today. Her agricultural research seems to be coming along nicely, and she appears to be containing these miasma-infected plants with complete efficiency - as they should be.” He said, making his way for the exit. Before walking out the door, he turned back at Einer.

”Young Devaron, whether you serve the Church, the Association, or even just your own interests, one of the most important things to have is a sense of honesty. If you can’t even follow something as simple as that, it will eventually put you at odds with those you ally with. That or you’ll lose sight of what you wanted in the first place. Good day.”

With that, he left the Garden Witch’s office, leaving Einer alone with Bellum.

”I’m sorry for that honey!” She said, putting a gentle hand on Einer’s shoulder. ”That man can be so caught up in his word, he tends to get inconsiderate, I swear!”

Einer was quite upset at the inquisitor’s intrusive interaction, but the hand from Bellum calmed the bard somewhat. “...Are all inquisitors from the Church like that? I suppose not, the other inquisitors I’ve met back home were… more pleasant.” Einer exhaled, returning to politeness. “My deepest gratitudes for sticking up for me, Miss Bellum. I appreciate it.”

The bard then sighed again. “I would have loved to speak more about your garden but I’m afraid Inquisitor Grisha has soured my mood and taken up my free time.” Einer lamented. “Still, I am glad to have met you, Miss Bellum, and be assured that I will pay you a visit soon so that we may have a proper conversation.”

“I must ask though, how have you been permitted to care for Miasma-laden plants? I imagine there is quite the story behind that.” Einer finished.

”Goodness! Well, yes indeed! I’ve approval from just about everywhere to care for these little buggers.” Bellum replied to the wayward noble. ”Y’see, Mr. Einer, it’s no surprise that miasma causes terror for most folks, and Mother Nature’s no expectation to that!”

”Plants become monstrous, vegetation withers, and lands become infertile. It’s downright awful! As something of a botanist myself, I’m currently studying ways to improve plant life’s resistance to the effects of the rot and maybe even give them a fighting chance against it. Thanks to that silly boy Arteus, my research has finally started to gain some traction!”

Bellum noticed that Einer still didn’t look very happy, no thanks to a certain inquisitor. She pondered for a moment, then perked up as something finally came to her. ”Just sit right there, Mr. Einer, and I’ll be right back!” She hymned.

She rummaged through her inner office for a little bit, eventually coming back out with a curious vial that held a strange plant in it.

imgur.com/yERQYl7

”Go on and take it, I insist!” Bellum said. ”I’m just a tad bit proud of this one! It’s a special plant imbued with mana that responds to its wielder’s sorcery, and can improve the effects of your spellcastin’. It can even protect ya in a pinch!” She said. ”That should help ya in case anything jumps off in Cambridge: you can never be too sure with these church folk always fussing around.”

With Einer deciding that he would rather spend the rest of his time alone while awaiting the trip to Cambridge, he would depart Bellum’s office with a unique item that would hopefully prove useful to him in the coming days.

At the call for a formal introduction, the lanky Magus would place a hand over her heart, quickly addressing herself as: "Morgan Laplace, representative of Polymathis’ Celestial Mechanics division. An honor to meet such…distinguished colleagues," she said, looking over the assembled mass of Magi before her.

"Young fae man, male, age mid 20s. I can tell that if I were to peer into his mind, he’d peer right back into mine. Interesting. Might make an excellent case study of rigorous study versus experience in the field." Her thoughts on Leon, cautious to not peer at his intent. Perhaps she could learn from him.

"Age, Unknown, Race appears to be human, clear indentation of a third eyelid. Physiology abnormal, appears restless, as if waiting to run away the moment she’s acknowledged. Will follow up for further analysis." Her thoughts on Scarlett were purely analytical, viewing her as if she was a key research piece. Fascinating woman thus far, from appearance alone.

"A nobleman by bearing, yet has a certain disheveled air about him. Perhaps a bastard, or a runaway, but appears otherwise unimpressive. …Who uses a rifle built for long ranges with only one eye?" Morgan thought of Hector, perhaps the least interested in him out of anyone until something caught her attention. A slight narrowing of her eyes, a dismissal of her stance, and Morgan’s eyes would widen, feeling someone peer into her mind…or perhaps, they’d peered the whole time she was eyeing the nobleman?

"Beluan female, Ovis type, active espermancer. She’s read my thoughts on that nobleman, and is giving me ‘the look’. I see. Intimate lovers, or perhaps unrequited. A deep friendship is possible, but the killing intent is palpable. Eye contact seems necessary to read my mind…but I am not one to shy away from a staring contest," Morgan thought before immediately imagining Hector shirtless, forcing that to the forefront of her mind to distract Lupina. Perhaps unnecessary, but she would move on to look at Shavis.

"Another Beluan, this time a Felinid type. Physically speaking she could tear many hear to pieces without magic. Seems energetic and agreeable. I’ll have to make friends later." Short and simple, she could only assume so much from Shavis aside from her obvious physical strength.

"Another man of noble bearing, this time decidedly effeminate, likely not the first born son. Likely utilizes long range support magic. Hair looks wonderful, will inquire about shampoo usage later," Morgan thought to herself, a bit jealous of Einer’s har. …Perhaps her observations were growing too superficial, at this point? She had no idea.

"A face I recognize. A talented photographer, has given glimpses into bestiaries that make established scholars seem like children sketching monsters they imagine. …Strange. I can’t sense intent from him whatsoever, even before he performs minor actions. Abnormal," she thought, frustrated at being completely shut out. With Leon, it was a desire to not be peeped at, but Damian’s mind was, somehow, a fortress against her minor magic.

"Alexandra Vander. Another mentally well-defended person. No thoughts necessary, simply smile and nod at their religious ramblings and be on your way. The same goes for the Inquisitor." No comment.

"A-Ah. The Holy Seer. If you are reading, please forgive my heretical thoughts, I am, after all, a skeptical intellectual that simply desires to be of use~" Sometimes even a genius had to suck up to get by.

"Arteus..well, I suppose there isn’t much point in trying to peer at his thoughts. He may already have heard everything thus far anyways. If so, please forgive and forget, love and peace, all those sentiments. It is merely for my safety that I examine those who are to fight beside me."

After walking down the line and giving herself a brief summary of each Magus, she would put her hands behind her back and say: "If you have any questions about me or my capabilities, please do not hesitate to ask. I am however a free-spirited sort, so if I dissolve into ramblings beyond your understanding, do know that I’m simply focused."

As the veil dropped, and the Overseer of Eon Tower dropped off his employees, Scarlett would drop to her hands, and raise onto her toes, as she dug her nails into the ground. Hissing, she fired off like a rocket, as metal filings surrounded her fingers and toes, and formed proper claws to increase her traction and vertical scaling. As she leapt onto the side of a building, she would claw onto an awning, and with the flick of a fluffy, iron shavings tail and matching ears poking through her hoodie, Scarlett was gone.

At some point after the initial greetings, the newly minted Magus would twirl her cane as she walked along, looking up at her new beastial coworker with a look of curiosity, eyes like an experienced predator watching the pseudo-woman clamber her way up. "Hrm…Void magic? Alchemy? Such drastic bodily changes done with mere whims…I barely felt intent from her, beyond base instincts. Fascinating," Morgan thought as she laid down upon the ground, feet touching the wall of the building Scarlett had found her perch upon. "A marquis dead, introductions to be had, and yet I don’t believe I caught your name."

"Hrm?" Scarlett looked over, before looking around, curious, but not so curious as to sit still. Perking up, she would shoot off across the banister of a roof, and leap from rooftop to rooftop, before settling down to catch her breath.

"Quite the agile thing," the wyrd-eyed Magus would say, leaning on her cane as she observed Scarlett from directly behind her, somehow having reached the rooftop at the same time. "You reacted to my question but didn’t answer. That only stokes my curiosity."

Scarlett peered into the air, before sniffing the wind, and testing her footing, as she put pressure on a plank of wood; her wariness was uncanny to a cat climbing down. Cautiously, she'd put her weight down, before clumsily lopping down, and falling halfways; splaying her arms and legs to break her velocity, as her cloak stiffened like a parachute to further break the wind, and landing on all fours.

It was textbook feline climbing: easy up, terrible down.

Regardless, she was slinking off, and if Morgan was mindful of the smell on the wind... she'd smell fish.

"More cat than a felinid Belua…fascinating," Morgan said before tapping her cane against the ground and launching forward with a single step, a dark streak trailing back to her initial position as Morgan raced to secure bait for her new research material to cooperate.

Scarlett crept behind a fishmonger's stall, and sniffed for the best catch.

Morgan would push a few coins out onto the counter to snatch it before Scarlett, legally, at that, before holding it up between two gloved fingers. "It's yours, if you take a moment to speak with me."

"I've been ignoring you," Scarlett says, as her tail shot forward like a telescoping rod that ended in a speartip; it was so fluffy as to disguise the fact it was her Eosinophil weapon-morph.

Eosinophil would slide along the length of the unsheathed cane that hadn’t left Morgan’s hands, her eyes maintaining their intrigued look as she smiled at Scarlett. "Hah! You’re a spirited one! I also just happen to-"

Bear droppings, also known as scat, can reveal a lot about bears, including their species, sex, health, and territory. The color, composition, and consistency of bear scat can vary depending on the season and what the bear has been eating:

In spring-

Thoughts invaded Scarlett’s mind, or rather, ramblings, maddened murmurs of facts, trivias, and…something about optimal meatloaf cooking temperatures. A stream of distracting nonsense that was hard to ignore.

"Nn! Nnnrrggh!! Ugghh!!!" Scarlett groaned, as the cacophonous thoughts invaded her mind, and her eyes squeezed, before she raised her tail and thrust the spear forward...

...punching through her own brain, and deadening the connection by the invasion of iron. Looking up, she glared at Morgan from bloodshot eyes. "You wanna die....?"

"How would you make me die? Just out of curiosity," Morgan asked.

Scarlett looked up, as her hair parted to reveal a third eye; the iris a color commonly associated with Espermancy. Suddenly, behind Morgan was a phantom of thought; another Scarlett with aims to slash off her head with claws of her blade weapon-morph, Neutrophil.

In spite of the danger present, Morgan couldn’t help but smile widely, the stream of nonsense stopping. "For someone so fascinating, I can’t help but be hurt that you’d go so far to avoid me. I’m just trying to…oh, what’s the phrase…Make Friends?" Morgan said, not lowering her cane from its blocked state.

Scarlett's Phantom would stop with her claws at Morgan's neck, as Scarlett retracted her spear from her skull, and snickering... before full-blown laughing from her belly, as she squatted and held her stomach with both hands.

"Make friends!? With you!? You wouldn't even make a satisfying appetizer!" cackled the cannibal half-breed, as tears leaked down her cheeks.

Laughing boisterously once the fight subsided, Morgan would lean on her cane, sheathing it once more. "I can’t help but stay in shape, you know! Far too many curious things escape you if you’re fat and slow."

Scarlett licked her lips, "There's some pleasing bits to you. Lean meat is not displeasing. Perhaps, put you with the other chicken bone annoyance in my life..."

"I am at LEAST a chicken breast," Morgan said indignantly, before offering the fish she’d purchased. "Besides, your adorable scampering has earned your rightful treat."

Scarlett smirked, before her tail swished across Morgan's breasts, "More than a chicken, I feel," she says, having transposed behind Morgan, as her clone dissolved, "Earning, a curious statement, as if, I was little more than an experiment..." she curled a sharp nail under Morgan's chin, and traced her tail down her belly, "How presumptive of you... still..."

Scarlett plucked the fish out of her gloves hands, as she held Morgan hostage, loosely, "I'm impressed by the temerity becoming someone of your affluence."

"Temerity is SUCH a rude way to describe simple scientific curiosity," Morgan said, tilting her head back to look Scarlett in the eyes, smiling at her as her neck grew more exposed. "Its as simple as a desire to know anything, everything, everyone, and everynone. And you, through whatever otherworldly construction that took place to make that body, have proven exceptionally interesting." Not once did Morgan believe herself on the backfoot or at a disadvantage, eyes still shining with that grim fascination.

It was as if a mouse could kill a snake while coiled in its clutches.

"A person with such a lack of self-preservation is equally as curious..." Scarlett says, "That little trick of the Void you use is sloppy, however," she unwound from Morgan, "Little pockets, connecting space, making rails, from Point A to B to C, but..." Scarlett saunted by, "200 feet, give or take, before you have to return to your anchor point, no?"

Morgan would clap twice, saying: "Full marks! My pace must have made it obvious. Fast enough to outpace, but I assume you definitely saw me in the brief moments between Star-Steps. But, I’m only passively interested in masting that spell. After all, a bridge that needs to be crossed once…does it really matter if it shatters to pieces afterwards? One good lunge and~" Morgan vanished before delicately booping Scarlett’s cheek with a finger. "Of course, I imagine you can survive without your head. So, I would need to rethink any approach to genuinely fight you."

"Bridges are avenues that are crossed as many times as needed. That's why your spell is so weak. You have no sense of what power your tapping into. But, what would I know..." Scarlett asks, as her body radiated Void Magic, the malfeasance just beneath the skin, "Though, I don't know how to survive a decapitation, beyond armoring against it."

Rather than growing fearful at the power before her, Morgan’s excitement only grew. "You would know quite a lot, it seems. I was right to pursue you. A tragedy about the decapitation weakness."

Scarlett rolled her eyes, "I, too, am Human, well, half-Human," she toss the fish bones away, every bit of meat and scale, organ and viscera, removed despite the fact she'd been yapping, "The other half is secret."

Morgan would notice Scarlett's tail standing on end.

Morgan would unsubtly produce a stalk of wheat from some bizarre breast pocket of her suit, the cattail-like germ of the wheat swishing as she moved it to and fro. "Oh, you’re 100% human, I’m sure of that. Your vestigial traits are merely that. Vestigial. Secondary. Immature half-things. You’re far too brilliant to convince me that you discarded 50% of your humanity."

While saying this incredibly serious delivered speech Morgan would be on her back, swishing the wheat at Scarlett. …She may well and truly be mad.

"Do what," Scarlett asks, before eyeing the swishing, and glaring at it as swished. "Hrm... I would seem you are but only so clever."

It seemed her Fae heritage didn't shine through at all...

Morgan kept it up, smiling with an incredibly smug aura about her as she kept the wheat still for a moment, and then using Star-Step to move it impossibly fast.

Scarlett pivoted, keeping it within sight, as she followed the Void Magic from Point A to Point B - exactly as she'd explained. Her tail stayed raised, as her pupils narrowed vertically, and her attention stayed on it. Her entire form was loose, but grounded; ready to spring in attack.

‘Not yet…’ Morgan would wait, wrist locking before she would toss the wheat high into the air without warning, breaking the pre-established motion while also placating feline instincts…

It was now a bird that was falling back to earth, in all its wheaty goodness.

Scarlett slashed as she pounded all in one.

Morgan watched, content that her experiment succeeded.

Scarlett purred, content, however, Morgan could feel a glare on her, as Scarlett's third eye was staring at her; twisted in its obscured socket. In her mind, she could hear chanting, various tongues, alive and dead, all changing at the same cadence. It would slowly become overbearing, louder and louder, steadily bearing down on her, as a visage of a woman stood on the horizon...

Morgan winced, holding a temple in her hand as she focused her eyes. As the chanting grew unbearable, she would slowly work her smug smile back onto her face, muttering: "Je n'avais pas besoin de cette hypothèse-là" while focusing on the figure on the horizon.

As she focused, the world would almost fade, as if she was losing depth of focus like her eyes were a camera that couldn't decide what belonged in the center, while the vignetting would encroach on pure darkness; slowly bringing the figure into a pinhole of blinding white and erasing the world, as the market looked at Morgan, pointing at her and chanting in different tongues...

...before Morgan would suddenly sneeze from Scarlett's tail tickling her nose, and resetting the world...

"Heavens," Morgan said, wiping her nose with a handkerchief. "I haven’t had such a vivid hallucination since sampling Ithican Shortweed," Morgan said before looking up at Morgan above her. "Where was I…? Oh, yes! Your humanity shines through, yet unnamed compatriot. You strike me as the type to have a color for a name…Magenta? No! Chartreuse!"

"Scarlett Ishval," came the annoyed answer.

"Morgan Laplace," came the eager reply as Morgan playfully swatted at the tail before her.

Scarlett purred softly. The attention wasn't... unwelcome...

Morgan would eventually sit up. "Well, I feel I’ve pestered you enough to form a friendship. Time to make myself scarce," Morgan said, dusting herself off as she rose to her feet, adjusting her suit’s collar.

"Eh," Scarlett asks.

...there was a part of her that wanted attention, now. It was placated, but not sated. Selfish, it was, wanting more like the mere, animalistic mindset it was.

Morgan would sense that selfish desire and smirk, wiggling her eyebrows up and down. "Of course, I am part of Eon’s tower now, and that makes us co-workers, and as such we can make ourselves scarce, together," Morgan elaborated, starting to walk along, tapping her cane along the ground.

"Not like I got better things to do," Scarlett says.

"Mhm~" Morgan smugly hummed, walking alongside Scarlett. They had a case to solve.

Scarlett didn't care. She actually hadn't been listening, and didn't know why she was here; assuming it would work itself out in due time.

Morgan was briefed of matters a bit ahead of time, and would contently pat Scarlett’s head as they walked along, just once, before acting as if she hadn’t done it at all.

Scarlett's tail swished, as she nuzzled the pet, and sought more in that aloof, feline fashion that cats did. Normally, Scarlett would shove anyone and everyone away with ruthless efficiency, either by action or words, and retreat from the situation at hand.

Disengagement was her specialty, after all.

However, she was drawn to Morgan; to her wavelength - her "aura" as nomenclature called it - at a baser level of desire.

The romantic called it "soulmates".

The philosopher called it "fate" of "destiny".

The cringe called it "downbad horrendous".

Whatever the way it was phrased, Scarlett was definitely experiencing new emotions as she walked with Morgan down whatever path the lunatic savant was on.

...but, aren't these emotions already allocated?

In the back of her mind, the other half of her breed niggled at her, for Scarlett's birth was the uncommon union of an Human and a Fae, creating a half-breed species colloquially known as Pherendal. Her blood beget attraction to her blood; the Fae sought Fae; the Human sought Human; both sides yearned for another of the kith and kin.

Nadia.

Another lunatic savant...

Another that vibed, as the kids called it, on her wavelength; too much to prove; too much to lose; confidently unconfident - vainglorious pride masking fear of failure to understand the unanswerable unknown of the Light and the Dark, of the Material and Ethereal, of Life and Death, and all in-betwixt.

Harsh words spoken. Cruel looks given. Indifference shared. Courtship of Fae, an emotionally compromised species of sound mind and threadbare feelings.

It wasn't love. No such silly thing. But... rivalry was the oppositional stance to romance, wasn't it? Like Man and Woman, they walked back-to-back, away, but on the Mobius Strip of Life, they were, therefore, destined or doomed, bound to cross paths, and whether or not they were on the same side of the street was merely chance.

A chance you are ignoring.

There it was again.

...twisting the screws against each other.

Like a fairy of eld, Scarlett could only hold one emotion stable at a time; Nadia, the rival, and Morgan, the romantic; each digging into the same hole from opposite sides, pushing upon each other to maintain root in her thoughts.

Scarlett was forced upon a forked road, her heart unprepared for the question it posed to her:




Her foot took a step, but backwards.

Disengagement was her specialty, after all.

Running away from things that she didn't want to deal with.

Above all else, Scarlett didn't want to deal with what the concept of love could afford her:


Morgan would, potentially, notice the overall breakdown of Scarlett's mental state, as the bratty kitty was consumed by the guilt-ridden monster, and she turned and ran away.

As the precarious alchemist dashed away from her new ‘friend', she would find herself bumping headfirst into Nadia, who responded with a shocked grunt as they both tumbled onto the ground. Nadia's glasses were lopsided, nearly falling off of her face as Scarlett laid on top of her.

"Oooww…" She groaned. "Get off of me, you crazed research thief!"

In any other circumstance, Scarlett would have tore Nadia asunder for her accusation, when she was 97% certain - with a 1% margin for error, and a 2% margin for commonality of scientific genius - that Nadia was working with stolen research from her Bioalchemical Fusion research, which had gotten lost upon her cannibalistic rampage several years ago.

However, in her current state of mental anguish and emotional confusion, Scarlett gave Nadia a look of a woman broken, tears rolling down her cheeks, before she pulled herself to all fours, and ran.

The Beast was her safe space, her escape from Humanity, from Faehood, and, most importantly, from Reality.

As she ran, her cloak would be discarded to reveal the nude, metal-clad body below before it disappeared into an alley...

Nadia's memory would be unable to shirk off the fear that Scarlett had shown.

Nadia recoiled at seeing Scarlett's face, marred with bewilderment, so much so she couldn't react to her fleeing the scene at first. Getting up and adjusting her glasses, she turned to Morgan who was just down the opposite way.

"Um…am I missing something here?"

With a chant, Nadia summoned the same spirit she had used to blast Scarlett out of her office days prior.

She had sent it after her naked teammate, who tried to escape to an alleyway. With a chime, the spirit flew off in Scarlett's direction; moving airborne allowed the phantom to catch up with her rather quickly.

Upon seeing her, it began using its powerful suction to take her back by force.

Unlike the last time, the Human was in control of Scarlett, seeking vengeance and petty revenge for Nadia ejecting her from her office.

This was not the case with the Beast. It wanted safety. It wanted peace. It wanted to be alone. As such, it responded with self-defense as spines peeled from it's back, dozens of Scarlett's spear weapon-morph, and they were allowed to tear free from her back.

By the score, spears would be vacuumed to the summon.

Beside herself as Nadia questioned if she was missing something, Morgan could only sigh before holding out a gloved hand as if to stop Nadia. "Heavens, a bookish thing like you, so lovely, so ignorant to her feelings? Its so cruel and ironic, I’d have believed if Shakespeare had cooked it up in his den of debauchery. But, no matter. A ditz is still an appealing heroine. Moreso than the aloof genius that complicates a romance. As such, I’ll make this plain…" Morgan said before tapping her cane’s point upon the ground, laughing boisterously.

"I, Morgan Laplace, shall only make things far more complicated from now on," the genius swore, before casting Cosmic-Force, drawing the spears to miss their target and instead shatter against the black sphere of magic she’d thrown with the expert precision of a professional "Six Base Sportsman", the famed Beluan pass time featuring balls, sticks, and rules. Many of them. Shall you hear them? No.

Free to move, Scarlett would flee - diving into the darkness of another alley, and out of sight once more.

Nadia stood with a wide-eyed and dumbfounded look on her face, blinking with two fast takes before turning to Morgan with ire. The black sphere that Morgan threw blocked the spikes that Nadia’s summon was about to be pelted with, but it also created an opening for Scarlett to run farther off.

"What’s your problem, lady?! " Nadia exclaimed. She stood face to face with Morgan, slightly slanted so that her face was in hers. "I was trying to capture that weirdo beast alchemist, who made a whole scene and just ran off! Are you in cahoots with her or something?!"

Nadia was so close to Morgan’s face, she could feel small droplets of spit getting on her cheeks. She was also poking Morgan’s collar bone with an accusing finger.

Morgan would regard her overly accusatory contemporary with an aloof look before snatching the finger poking her collar bone, curling her index finger around it with delicate precision. "I have no problems that I can’t solve, so please, do get to solving your’s. Lest it become apparent that you’re the problem. Scarlett should be heading to somewhere dark and hidden away, and currently your familiar is simply floating there with its jaw slack. Chop chop, tick tock," Morgan said before releasing the finger and utilizing her still-active Star-Step to vanish from sight, now comfortably back within a crowd to leave Nadia alone.

Smiling contently, Morgan would begin to walk away, while also going in the direction Scarlett was trying to run to. And, not once did she lose that smile even as she wiped Synergist spittle from her cheeks.

Before Nadia could snap at her again, Morgan vanished in a dark veil, seemingly also going after Scarlett. One of her eyes twitching in annoyance, she called her familiar to her side and began to follow her. Eventually she was able to catch up with her.

"Hey, mind explaining why you let her get away in the first place? She’s not the type you wanna leave alone for too long…"

Morgan frowned, sighing. "I exit stage left and you drag the entire play to my doorstep. And, I didn’t let her get away, your ineffectual familiar chose to stare into space while I kept it from becoming an organic pincushion."

Nadia continued to argue with her new supposed coworker as they walked in the direction of the feral Scarlett. "Your spell is what allowed her to get away in the first place! Now it’s thanks to you that we have to waste more time chasing her down, in a town we’ve never been to before I might add!" She said, not actually knowing if Morgan had ever been to Cambridge or not…

Tracing Scarlett’s mana was easy enough, she had a unique signature compared to most people and it wasn’t like a naked woman with metal covering parts of her body would be hard to find. However, what really bothered Nadia was the fact that Scarlett’s mana had a similar feel to hers. Does that mean that she too was…

Morgan grit her teeth and tugged on Nadia’s cheek. "I know my way around plenty well, fool! Why do you think I know where to go?"

As Morgan traced Scarlett's Mana, she would feel it split into multiple lines traveling on separate paths...

Morgan grimaced before saying: "Dammit all…she’s split her magical energy signatures."

"Ugh…" Nadia moaned, also sensing the same. "How would she even do that?! This is all your fault!" With a hand gesture, Nadia called her servant back to her side.

"We’ll have to split up and follow the trails. I’ll follow one, my spirit will follow the other, and you can follow the last. Why do I have to suffer through this…?"

Resisting the growing urge to slap a certain Synergist, Morgan would begin Star-Stepping after Scarlett, attempting to sus her out amongst the splitting signatures via her thoughts. Someone was getting a nasty scathing review on their publications…

The signatures would only divide further and furthermore, as they spread out in a fan that was doubling back on itself. After a moment, the two would spy multiple streaks of quicksilver darting across rooves and through alleys - rampant movement, yet patterned to cross paths, divide, merge, and return to whole.

Scarlett’s Mana flowing like a wave from one side to the other, back and forth...

Nadia grit her teeth and clenched her fists as the signatures began to multiply further. "This. Is. A. NIGHTMARE!!!" The Synergist was practically pulling her hair out at this point. "This calls for a different approach…" She said with a sigh.

Calling her summon to her side again, she jumped on its back and took to the skies. She felt that perhaps a bird’s eye view would be more effective in locating the problematic Eon alchemist.

It would help her gain an understanding that Scarlett was everywhere and anywhere she looked, but Nadia wasn’t familiar enough with her Mana to suss out who was an Alchemical Doll and which was actually Scarlett.

The only being that was so intimately familiar was Milli, and there was a low chance the Spirit would heed her calls a second time.

"She…she can make clones?!" Nadia whined. While she wouldn’t admit it, there had been times where Scarlett had proven she was an accomplished alchemist. The alchemist copies she made were near perfect, with the mana from each one imitating the other. That would make it nearly impossible to spot the correct one, the needle in the haystack if you would.

Nadia thought for a moment, she needed another plan. She can make perfect physical copies. Physical. Instead of relying on a principle they’re both familiar with, she’ll take advantage of one that Scarlett isn’t. She began to sense out Mili, hoping she’d be the key to solving this. Honestly, she had trouble remembering the name that Scarlett gave her, and the last time they interacted she wasn’t too fond of Nadia. She could feel Mili’s presence, and began to call out to her.

"Uh, hey! Um…Mili right? Can you hear me? I need some assistance in regards to your new master!"

Across the Spirit Realm, Nadia’s call would ring out, and true... only to be returned by a very not having it hiss.

Nadia jumped a bit at the sudden warning call, but wasn’t surprised by it.

"A fine ‘how do you do’ to you as well!" She said sarcastically. "Mili, I wish to find your master, but she is making the matter quite difficult. Can you perhaps point us in the right direction?"

"Milli has no Master! Milli last Master jerk! Make Milli into snake and sword! So proud to hurt Milli! Milli hates Master just as much as Mommy!" raged the serpent.

Nadia’s face twisted into a rather cute pout, complete with puffy cheeks. "You’ve only seemed to benefit from the Synergy, so why are you so angry about it? If anything, it’s only allowed you to assist your ‘mommy’ all the better!" Nadia was tapping her foot on her summoned servant, getting antsy at Milli’s attitude.

"Can you please be a good little snake and cooperate with us so we can find her?"

"NO!"

Nadia could feel the flames coming off, essentially, a toddler, and the genuine anger that carried behind it.

"Milli will NEVER help YOU!" the snake hissed. "Milli would rather DIE!"

Nadia began to truly understand that she was, in fact, dealing with a toddler. Stubborn, unreasonable, and unwilling to compromise.

"YOU’RE ALREADY DEAD, NUMBSKULL!!" She exclaimed to Mili in the Spectral Void. Sighing, she tried to calm herself a bit. "Look, please understand, we’re not going to hurt your mother or whatever. We just want to keep her out of harm’s way, for her sake and everyone else’s. Plus, I don’t want Arteus and Brun to yell at me. Things haven’t been going my way lately…"

There was an unnerving silence, before Nadia felt Milii open their connection, "No... you don't understand. Milli hates you. Just you. You hurt Milli, emotions and body. Forced Milli to be something Milli was not. Milli is not a toy to play with and break, but you don't care. You broke Milli. Forever. Why don't you care? Milli is beneath you, that's why. Milli doesn't want to help you. You break everything. This is your fault. Fix it, Selfish Master."

Nadia’s heart began to grow ever so slightly heavy at the severity of Mili’s words, along with a look of confused apprehension. "Mili, I…" She had trouble finding her words for a moment.

"Y-you say I break everything? So even you’re just like all the others. Why are you making me out like I’m some kind of monster?! Spirits are wondrous creatures! Why would I want to hurt them? I just want to be able to understand them in all facets, learn how to better connect with them, and find new avenues to make them stronger. Scarlett said the same thing, I thought that she simply didn’t understand because she was someone only concerned with the physical plane."

Nadia sank her head, swirling thoughts ran in her mind. Not just from Mili’s words, but seemingly from other moments within her life. "I love spirits. They’re not like us of the Material Realm, unbound by the frailty of mortal constraints. They can take any shape they want, there’s nothing wrong with that. I can’t be wrong in that, can I? If I could’ve made spirits stronger back then, then I could’ve saved…"

She trailed off again, intense emotions welling in her eyes. Clenching her fists, she looked back up.

"Mili, let me ask you this: What can I do to make this right?"


A trail of flame would ignite before Nadia, traveling into an alley, and down through a grate. Scarlett was underground, and the flame would lead her.

"Selfish Master is a monster to Milli. Tears do not move Milli. Apologies will not soothe Milli. Spirits are free to be. Selfish Master forced Milli to be what Selfish Master wanted. Milli will never forgive."

The flame trail was starting to move away from Nadia.

"Run, Selfish Master. Maybe, Mommy will care about what you cry about. Milli isn't listening anymore. Goodbye."

Forcibly, Milli would snap the connection.

"Mili…" Nadia reached out a hand, as if trying to establish one last bond with the little spirit that started its existence as a bat sprite. While Nadia may have made Mili stronger and given her more potential to grow, she did so without considering how Mili would actually feel about it. She chased after the flame, not regarding if Morgan was following or not, and had eventually been led to a small grate. It seemed Scarlett decided to hide in the underground waterways of Cambridge.

Nadia clenched her fist as Mili severed the connection, the flame extinguishing just as soon as it was lit. She then looked at her own summon, it simply floating over the grate as it awaited its master’s next command. As much as she claimed to love spirits, she never actually tried speaking to them before. They always seemed so…content with just providing a service to their summoner, then happily returning back to the other plane. She would have much to think about. Later. First, on to the task at hand.

"Let's go. Scarlett’s probably waiting." She said, allowing her spirit to guide her down the sewers.

As they chased the flame, Nadia would notice something floating in the tail of it; like a Will o' Wisp...

It should have been familiar, and maybe, it was. After all, she made it.

Milli had felt her reach out. For a moment. Just a moment. She didn't have any intention of speaking beyond that, but... even the twig of an olive branch was more than she deserved.

It was up to Nadia not to waste this chance.

As for Scarlett, she was sleeping in the center of an intersection; surrounded by gushing water, and unperturbed by the smells and sounds. Equally, she wasn't wrapped in metal, since Nadia wasn't being blinded by the sun shining upon her from the grate above.

Nadia could make out a faint crimson shine from within the flame she had chased, looking at it intently she was able to see it was the jewel she had made Mili’s new home after she was synergized. When the flame vanished, it revealed the jewel in its entirety, the crimson gemstone nestled in a golden necklace piece. She picked it up and looked at it, a gentler expression on her face. She reminisced on how she and Scarlett had interacted up to this point. Perhaps, they should…talk? Nadia clenched the jewel in her hand and held it to her chest.

"You don’t have to forgive me Mili, but I want you to know that I do care. If you don’t believe anything else, at least understand that."

Nadia floated on her summon and made her way through the sewer channels, trying her best to ignore the stench. She eventually was able to spot her, peacefully resting like a cat on the bark of a tree trunk surrounded by rivers.

"Umm, hey there." She said to the sleeping alchemist. "I finally found you. I don’t really understand the appeal of a place like this, maybe Roze would?"

"Mm...?"

Scarlett wasn’t answering her, or questioning her, but simply rousing awake. It was quiet, safe, the smell deterred people from wandering; sleeping was easy in such a place. However, Nadia’s voice was out of place, and threw her off, which woke her up.

"Well, this is a little…awkward." Nadia said sheepishly. "You just ran off from everyone, and I volunteered to go after you. Mainly because I had some choice words for you. Umm, but now…" She scratched her cheek and was looking off to the side.

"The main thing is that I've…hurt Mili. I never meant to and never would, but I’ve ignored her feelings. It’s put things into perspective for me, so I’ll just ask this - is there something you need to get off your chest? " Nadia did find it awkward talking to a naked woman in the middle of a sewer, but it’s honestly not the strangest thing she’s seen Scarlett do…

At first, Scarlett was fully prepared to ignore Nadia, as she opened with, ‘choice words,’, however, the statement of hurting Milli caught her full attention. Admittedly, Scarlett had attached to the Spirit out of spite and anger at Nadia’s careless manipulation of her, but she’d come to like, almost, in earnest, love, the childish being. So, the idea that Nadia had somehow hurt her...

"Explain yourself."

Like a blade, the words were cutting and direct.

"The original Synergy demonstration." Nadia said plainly, holding out the jewel to add emphasis. "I had summoned her in my office to showcase to you the fruits of my research, transforming her from a bat sprite to that of a snake. I did so because I felt that it was a groundbreaking way of making souls stronger. You must understand, I love spirits." She held the jewel to her chest again.

"I’ve always felt that unlike us, souls need not fret over physical frailty and the worry of image. They are ethereal and can often take any form they wish, and it made me want to learn more about them. But, I didn’t give much consideration to the autonomy of minor wisps, it seems." She said with guilt in her voice.

"I didn’t ask her if that’s what shewanted. Scions, I didn’t even give her a name, or the one I’m riding here." She looked down at the summon she rode to get here.

"Tell me, Scarlett, what do you think of spirits and the realm they inhabit?"

"Me? Huh... seems you’ve had some kind of event happen to you..." Scarlett says, sitting up. "I suppose, I see them as Living Beings, like you, like me, since I’ve been over there," she says, "I walked in the Spirit Realm for ten years - across a sea of metal, as I restored my body with the knowledge of the Spirit Realm. I bled. I hungered. I hurt. I grew weary and tired. I felt alive, and I understood... or, rather, I guess, I just felt... Spirits are alive, too, just dead to us, as we must be, maybe, to them."

Scarlett sighed. "My Mother, whenever she could be bothered to stand me, told me, Spirits were contractual beings; prone to wanting. Those that want nothing in return as Purelans from The Pure Lands, but those that want trickery in the form of contract are Narakk’ans from Narakk’a," she leaned from side-to-side. "Milli just wants to be loved, so I do; contractually and earnestly. That’s just how I how I see them, and the Realms they hail from."

"Ha. The Pure Lands, Narrak’a. You know, your mother sounds an awful lot like my father. " Nadia said. "As for how he felt about me, that’s a little hard to pinpoint. He was never one to express his emotions that much."

Nadia rubbed the cheek of her familiar, which it seemed to like rather much. "A soul given form, ethereal but able to interact with the physical all the same. But still operating on different rules from the material. Zephyria, I do believe that will be your name moving forward, good sir!" The summon responded to its new name with a cheerful hymn.

"Many thanks for the name you have given me, master." An unexpected voice came from the wind summon, which caused Nadia to jump.

"Y-you spoke?!" She stuttered out.

"Indeed." He responded.

Nadia couldn’t believe it at first, it was a summon that she had for quite some time. But never once did it speak the common tongue. She was honestly at a loss for words.

Scarlett hummed. "Curious..." she says, before standing. "Anything else? While I’m in a charitable mood for conversation..."

Snapped back to the matter at hand, Nadia quickly turned back to Scarlett.

"Yes, actually. To be honest, this is a subject I NEVER talk about with anyone else. Mostly because it’s a private matter. But, you…might actually be the same as me. So, with the risk of this forever changing the dynamic of our relationship forever, I want to ask you this: Are you a…Pherendal? Assuming you know what that is, of course."

9 outta 10 doctors couldn't agree if there were truly 47 muscles in the Human face, but all ten of said doctors could agree that Scarlett was employing over half of them to frown.

Pherendal.

The cursed half-breed. The reason Scarlett was down here, as said at the top. Blood sought Blood. Like sought Like. And, she... rejected it.

However, she didn't disengage.

Not just yet.

A small tug was keeping her rooted, as a metal creature wrapped around her ankle.

"...seems you've undergone an event yourself, Milli," Scarlett muttered, before crossing her arms, pronouncing her bare bust, "That's a dangerous game you're playing, Nadia. So what if I am?"

"Then you and I have something in common, Scarlett." Nadia said flatly. "That ghastly frown on your face tells me I was correct in my thoughts."

She looked at Mili, the fiery snake soul now covered in metal, as she slithered at her new partner's feet.

"Has it…been hard for you as well?"

"Racial prejudice has been the least of the things I've worried about," Scarlett says.

In the sun, like a spotlight, Nadia could truly appreciate the sheer length and depth of scar that decorated Scarlett - a testament to the sheer difference in lifestyle they lead. Her body was flawless, like well-kept satin bedding, while Scarlett was a roughly-made, patchwork quilt; each section telling a story of battle that she didn't have in return.

They might have shared an uncommon xenotype, but that was truly it.

Still...

"...in times of judgment, peer reviews, my Race was subject. I was claimed "unfair advantages" in Gladr, even if it's my worst subject. Told that my Bioalchemical Fusion project was only possible, because I had fairy blood," Scarlett admits, relating to Nadia.

Nadia gazed at Scarlett’s body on full display, this having been the first time she’s really gotten a good look. She adjusted her glasses, taking in the various incision wounds and scars that vitiated her flesh. Each of those marks likely have their own individual story, she thought to herself.

They certainly did not live similar lives. Nadia’s pain and problems had always been more emotional and societal, whilst Scarlett likely went through all that in addition to her physical abuse.

"Scarlett, you said that you’ve walked within the Spectral Realm, yes? As in, your consciousness kept its sense of self and you preserved through? Would…would you mind telling what it was like? I feel like that alone would give you a different understanding of souls and wisps that I just wouldn’t have…"

"Dark..." Scarlett says, "I knocked on a door, and what answered pulled me through into a vast, empty sea of iron..." she says, "...it tore off my arm, cost for entry, and made me walk, naked and alone, across a sunless landscape that torn my feet, scrapes me when I stumbled, and stabbed me when I fell..." Scarlett looked at her discolored hand, "Alone and afraid, I rebuilt myself with the material I had surrounding me, and the blood that contained it. In an act of cruel kindness, my theory was proven true."

Scarlett formed the metal cat ears and tail, flexing her claws, "It cost me blood and sanity, but I proved myself... unfortunate... I was lost for ten years, but only unconscious for ten minutes..."

"A fractured mind doesn’t understand ten years in the mind isn’t ten years for the body..." Scarlett says, as the darkness crept up around her; highlighting her metal and her glowing eyes. "A starving body accepts anything that is edible..."


After listening to Scarlett’s answer to her question, past words began to echo in Nadia’s mind.

Nadia. The soul, body, and mind are all connected. What effects one will affect the other, what one feels - the other does as well. When a person dies, their soul continues to carry the pain, sorrow, joy, and memories of their past life. Depending on the weight of their experiences, they will either go to the Pure Lands, remain trapped in Limbo, or descend into the Hellscape - many cultures refer to this as Narrak’a. The soul may not be bound by physical constraints, but there are still trials they must overcome. Do not forget this.

"Was that…the trial that your soul was put through. Having to bear the weight of your experiences?" She asked.

"My experiences... no... that was simply the cost of knowledge..." Scarlett says.

"I see." Nadia said, looking at Mili nestling at Scarlett’s feet.

"You know, at first, I truly couldn’t understand why you were so angry when I Synergized Mili. But, after hearing all this, perhaps I should take heed to better understand spirits as a whole." She then looked back at Zephyria, who could sense he was empathizing with his master. "In a way, by transmigrating their souls without consent, I’m essentially playing at being a Scion. Willingly invalidating the trials and sins they went through in their mortal lives and ascribing to them a new purpose they didn’t ask for. Perhaps…that was the real reason that some were so against my research… "

"My first rule: I never experiment on something that can reject me, be they humanoid or beast," Scarlett says, before raise her arm, "The only test subject that could never reject me..." she clenched her fist, "...is me."

"The price, I understand, is dear," Scarlett’s arm twisted, turning, bloody flesh and breaking bone, as metal grew from her muscle and skin; a mass formed, like cancer, before taking shape - a sharply tapered cone with a ridge that spiraled down form the top to bottom. "I understand the rush of being summoned, and the pain of being changed," she says, as she pointed the iron drill bit at Nadia, "I do this willingly, however."

Scarlett pointing her sharpen arm at her reminded Nadia of when they first met. She had done the exact same thing, albeit under different circumstances. "You perform experiments on your own body?!" Nadia thought that must’ve meant that many of those scars were self-inflicted if that were the case.

"Why…subject yourself to all that pain?"

"Science is a demanding taskmaster, and progress marches, ever-forward. If you fall behind, you'll stay behind," Scarlett says, "The evolution of the Human species has fallen behind, but I seek to change that. Master our Domain. A little pain is but a small price to pay, if I can cure cancers and diseases, heal skin and bone in a fraction of the time, and connect us closer to ultimate expression of our potential."

"Potential, huh?" Nadia said. It was funny, the way Scarlett spoke of evolution and potential in regards to humanity was rather similar to her viewpoints on spirits up until this point. By Scarlett’s words, what Nadia was doing was completely unethical. Did Arteus feel this way when he offered her to come to Eon, did he even care about the moral applications of her research in the first place?

Nadia was silent for a moment, thinking on how she's conducted her studies thus far. Should she adopt Scarlett’s methodology of magical experimentation, and conduct Synergy experiments on her own soul? Obviously not, unlike Scarlett’s body her soul likely wouldn’t regenerate from any mishaps. She looked at Zephyria, who now had his own voice. Perhaps that would be the first step - actually attempting communication with the wisps and souls she seemed to have an innate talent for summoning.

"I’d actually like to achieve the same thing, in regards to strengthening the bridge between the Material and the Spectral. I’m…not sure if I’m ready to experiment on myself yet, but I think taking a new avenue to understand spirits as a whole would be a good first step."

"I am happy for you, master. I will do my utmost to support you in your new endeavors. Zephyria added.

"It seems you’ve become something likable all of a sudden," Scarlett says, a slight breeze moving Nadia’s hair, as Scarlett was cutting past her like a proper assassin, nothing like a Magus, "Curious that..."

A series of claps would resound in the sewer chamber as a shadow lengthened in approach, the familiar visage of Morgan stepping out of the darkness. "An adequately heartfelt connection. Shakespeare would be snoring, but that’s for the best. Now, is there anything else that needs addressing? Aside from the murder?"

"A murder, you say," Scarlett asks, concerned by the former subject of her heart troubles - the emotional ones. Her heart disease were still undiagnosed to Nadia, and now, Morgan. If she had her way, so it would stay. "Well, have fun, then. I have other tasks I would rather attend."

She didn’t. But, in a big town, fun could be found, surely.

"A shame. Your intellect would be appreciated, along with your instincts," Morgan said before going over and offering Scarlett her hand. "I look forward to seeing more of you in the future, Ms. Ishval."

Scarlett eyed Morgan for a moment, before passing by, "Ta~"

It took Nadia a moment to realize that Scarlett had zipped past her. Those bodily augmentations were quite something! After she passed by the now present Morgan, she attempted to run up to her and get her attention.

"Scarlett, please wait!" She said. "Ok, look, I’m sure we’ll probably be staying here for a few days, maybe. While I have no personal grievance against the Church, I can certainly understand why someone in your position would. " Nadia put her hands together, making a prayer pose.

"Being a member of Eon will ensure that nothing will happen to you, aside from this place being a safe zone of sorts. I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to just play along until the joint session is over, then Arteus will likely give us free roam until it’s time to leave. So, c’mon, pleeeease?"

Scarlett sighed, before cocking a smirk, "Fine. I have one condition, then, since it matters so much."

Nadia raised her head and looked at Scarlett with cautious, curious eyes. Perhaps she wasn’t as prepared for what she was getting herself into as she thought.

"Um… What condition would that be?"

"I'm hungry, after all that transformation. It's the one downside of hyper-production of iron from my blood and rapid cellular growth, controlling cancer and such," Scarlett says, "As such, I need meats and sweets. So, feed me. Take me on a date."

Nadia stared at Scarlett with a blank expression, blinking a few times. It seemed she didn’t really know how to respond to the body-morphing alchemist.

"Uh, sorry…" Nadia finally managed to say. "I thought I misheard you; Did you say ask me to take you out on a…date?"

"D-A-T-E, that spells 'date', which rhymes with 'sate,' which is what I want you to do with my belly, which is very empty, like my soul, but that's a lost cause, so let's focus on the food," Scarlett says, in a manner than was, shockingly, playful for the skyclad sociopath, as she made hand gestures and rather spirited expressions, "Chop chop, or stir stir, or fry fry, I'm not picky, so long as there's meats and sweets," and ended with a cheeky wink.

This lady goes from wanting to kill everything, to wanting to go on dinner dates with people… Nadia thought. Nervously squinting at her, Nadia sighed whilst adjusting her glasses once again.

"I mean, if that will get you to come back with me, then I suppose we could grab a bite to eat. With all this running around we've been doing I’m a little peckish myself. Oh, um, you do plan on actually putting on clothes for the outing, right?"

"Clothing is for the weak and noble. I am neither," Scarlett says, "I discarded my weakness and my nobility was taken from me," she says, "I am stronger than clothing and richer for it!"

Scarlett's hair billowed out, and knitted itself into her familiar, crimson cloak - however, it wasn't ratty and worn, so Nadia could actually see an emblem upon the back - and fastened it around her, slicing her hair to finish the only piece of clothing Scarlett wore.

"This cloak is all I need," Scarlett smirked.

"An interesting theory on clothing to be certain, but I am neither noble, nor weak, I simply think that I," Morgan would stamp a heel and turn sharply. "look," she would then toss her hair over her shoulder, then adjust the cuffs of her sleeves. "Flawless. At least in a two-piece."

One could practically see her nose getting longer as she somehow sparkled in a sewer.

"I would ask to join on your date, but the last of my personal funds went into that fish Scarlett ate. As such, this genius shall starve on the job," Morgan said.

"Consider it a free lesson in not being a dumbass that feast wild beasts," Scarlett says, "Little Miss 6.9 outta 10." Scarlett extended her right arm, "Milli, to me, don't bite the help. Even if her scent taste more appealing than most."

From a portal, the iron-scaled flame snake would twist around Scarlett's arm, before a small, lamia girl hung off it, "Okay~"

"Morgan, a word of warning. Don't test my mind. It's borrowed, and the woman borrowing it won't be bothered to borrow yours, as well," Scarlett says, "Consider that the last we'll speak on the subject. I won't be to blame if you end up on my dinner plate for being nosy.

"I’ve my own ways of prying outside of your mind, Scarlett. Anyone borrowing my mind without proper care might find themselves gibbering mad, or worse: thinking like I do. Also, I believe I am standing at a steady 7.8 at the minimum."

"Uh-huh. We should all have hopes and dreams," Scarlett says, "Let’s go, Glasses."

"H-Hey! My name’s Nadia, y’know!" Nadia quickly corrected her new date. "I’m all too happy to leave the Scions’ damned sewers!"

She quickly jogged to catch up to Scarlett, walking alongside her as they began to leave.

"When did Mili get that more humanoid form? Was that you using Synergy?"

"Milli do herself! Milli smarter than Glasses!" boasted the snake, as she crossed her arms.

Left with her ego bruised by miniature tappings, Morgan would smile as Nadia and Scarlett began to leave, taking her own way out of the dank darkness of the sewer. "At least the cat can prove herself honest once she stops flailing. They always land on their feet…an invaluable trait for a human to take for themselves," the Polymathis Alumni muttered as she walked away, hand sparking with the faintest hint of Galdr activating before stopping, fading into blackness.

"It seems spirits are the most difficult to imagine replicating. No matter. I imagine they’re content just where they are…not to mention the ire I’d draw, becoming a pet-napper."

With her footsteps fading away, Morgan’s research for the day was completed, a failed experiment…but a good experience nonetheless.

As Morgan left on her own six, Scarlett and Nadia would depart opposite, and continue their story elsewhere with a lost lamp and her shepherd...

In truth to the matters of pomp and circumstance, Lupina was not one to dabble; the affairs of the rich and wealthy were between them and their larders - and, from what of them, she could steal. Such was the truth of things for the poor peasantry and downtrodden citizenry. So, with appraising eyes and slick fingers, Lupina was calculating what she could nick...

Taking a seat within the lobby they were brought to, Hector would be within sight of Lupina as he sat with a poised air about him. He’d regarded their new addition with some intrigue before, much like Scarlett, she bolted off without another word. But that was irrelevant. Who was this “Paradigm” they spoke of, and what were they after?

"Marquis Albrech, dead…a shame. This might have been a good chance to meet someone of high standing," Hector said, momentarily focused on social standing before he crossed one leg atop the other. He knew little and less of Miasma, beyond how to kill what spawned from it, but he trusted that everyone here could gang up on anything fool enough to rear its head while Eon was present. With a slight turn of his head, Hector would ruin Lupina’s chance to steal something as he questioned: "What do you make of this, Lupina? I was busy training with Ruecian, so I’m unaware if there are details of this joint operation that I’ve missed."

"What...?" Lupina asks, snapping her hands to her sided. "I wasn’t taking anything."

Hector would give a quizzical tilting of his head. "Are you alright? You seem on edge. Though, I must admit a touch of nerves myself. Come and sit," he invited, making room on the sofa for her to sit a space away from him.

Herne would curl up in the middle spot, spectral tongue flicking out to taste the unfamiliar air the new people brought.

"Uh, sure..." Lupina says, now, nervous.

Hector didn’t seem to notice, and if he did, he was at least offering her a bit of peace and familiarity by offering her a seat. Once she sat, he would continue: "Now, as I was saying, I was curious if you knew anything about the joint operation we’re gathered for."

"I might have to shoot someone, and they’ll die," Lupina says, "That’s it."

Despite the simple bluntness of her answer, Hector would nod and accept it. "I appreciate your frankness. I may have to do the same. This Marquis business will no doubt complicate things though."

"That’s a problem for those concerned, which I am not," Lupina says, "A dead man is only good for the worms. Leave investigations to those that do their best on their asses," she huffed, "I do my best in the field, taking aim."

"Be that as it may, those who killed him ARE of concern," Hector corrected. "If you or Baast hear of anything, pass it along to me. If you wish, that is," the marksman added, adjusting the collar of his coat.

Herne would look up at Lupina, flicking his tongue out twice. Tasting of her trepidation.

"If I listen for it," Lupina says. "For now, I want out of this stuffy room. I’d like to take in vantage points. Build a nest, should time permit."

Hector would shake his head once, saying: "I doubt the city would let that slide. As such, I can only make an offer for the first. Seeing as Scarlett and this so-called Ms. Laplace have deigned this wasn’t important enough to wait for, I imagine we’re at least free to kill some time outside."

"Scarlett’s like me, wild and free," Lupina says, "This business is too closed, too boxed in - it’s an uncomfortable affair," she says. "I envy the ability to just run. Albeit, that mind-ra -- wait, what? You offer what?"

Hector was already rising, with Herne slithering up along his back to perch upon his shoulder. "Care to join me for a late lunch? We’ll miss little, it seems."

"Gladly!" Lupina says.

Walking off with Lupina following, Hector would walk the streets as if he owned them, head held high as he sought a place to dine. "I didn’t see outlying farms, yet there are a number of upscale restaurants. Likely, they import any number of ingredients to suit the palates of visiting nobility and aristocrats. It shouldn’t be hard to find something you may like."

This might be one of the few times someone has asked Lupina what she’d like to eat, rather than her having to deal with what was available.

"Me?!" Lupina meeped.

"Yes, you," Hector reiterated, confused by the question.

"I... nobody’s asked me that before... so... I don’t know how to answer," Lupina says, shrinking back.

A life of wild freedom cut both ways. Lupina was free to do as she pleased, but a life of civility was beyond her.

Hector couldn’t understand that, but he could find ways around the problem. "I see. Then are there foods you despise?"

"VEGETABLES!" Lupina snapped, baring her fangs.

"...I…see…" Hector said, taking a step back after she declared her undying hatred for veggies. "Have you had them cooked or just raw? Many that I dislike have been used in dishes that defied my expectations."

"Hate them!" Lupina answered, childishly.

"You can’t just dismiss all vegetables outright…they’re part of a balanced diet," Hector said. He may not know all facets of Beluan life, but even he knew that they weren’t either just carnivores or herbivores. They were omnivorous, like all humanoids.

"You sound like Baast," Lupina grumbled, as she pushed past Hector.

He’d need to keep pace with the Dire Sheep, as she had a much better stride than he did, as a Human. A man of sharp eye, and middle-class nobility, Hector could appreciate the landscape that Lupina strode through - as they left the confines of the manor, and merged into the affluence of the neighboring spaces. Lupina did not regard the finer eateries with anything beyond a passing glance; she didn’t have the appreciation for the sweet scents, savory spices, and atmospheric umami.

That was Hector’s world, not hers.

As they descended on her aimless path, Lupina’s step became more measured - she wasn’t rushing, but smelling the roses, so to speak. Why? The hustle and bustle. Hector and Lupina were moving through the seller’s market, surrounded by a mix of imported goods and local fare; brands that were of foreign make, name, and culture, and goods that were clearly of Cambridge - or rather, it lesser side.

The smell would hit his refined palette before it hit his nose: the scent of beer, the crushed, fermented hops of crude, pale ale; the scent of burning meat, onions, and peppers, as simple kabobs roasted; and, the rich, heaven-scent of fresh bread airing out. Tavern food. Simple, plain. Food for the working man, the soul of a city.

And, more importantly, where Lupina slowed down.

This is where she wanted to eat.

Not in the clouds where the rich drifted, but down to earth, where beast and men were equal.

Regarding the changing atmosphere as they reached the humbler markets and eateries, Hector wouldn’t pretend to understand everything about Lupina, but he did understand that she was the type to settle for whatever was offered on hand, and yet she had found something she truly wanted to eat. If Hector were to ask she would likely respond with indifference, and as such…

"We’ll eat here," he proclaimed, folding his arms. "Is that acceptable? Its a fair distance from each middle end market stall here, so its likely to have good variety. You won’t want for options here, no matter what vegetables draw your ire."

"Here? But, wouldn’t you rather eat back up there with all the fancy food," Lupina asks.

"Why would I do that? That’s the affair of those impressing with cultural knowledge to their invited guests, to boast of the food that doesn’t belong there, proudly pushing out the local flavors," Hector said, understanding full well that the upper class dining…that wasn’t the natural state of this place. "Those that are hungry should eat, and those that posture, should posture. But, we’re hungry. …That and the portion sizes are probably better here," Hector said, clearing his throat after his rant.

"Table for two," Hector said as he entered, expecting Lupina to follow with him.

Lupina blushed, hiding her face with her azure hair, as she followed. Hector was really kinda cool.

Squeezed into slightly uncomfortable chairs across from one another at a small table, the duo would receive menus lined with flavors of the day, changing each day, lunch specials, alcohol, fried delights and fresh brews, all bearing the true identity of Cambridge.

Furrowing his brow in thought, Hector wasn’t sure what to get. Perhaps…Lupina had a chance to recommend.

Lupina was scanning the menu, looking at it with the utmost seriousness, as she chewed her left thumbnail in focus. It didn’t help Hector any, but it did bring attention to her lips, and the memory of them upon him.

"Hrm..." Lupina groaned, closing her eyes; radiating magic for a moment. "Oh, this."

"Did you find something interesting," Hector asked, not wanting to admit he was lost in the options himself.

Lupina nodded, and pushed the menu forward to the noble, and tapped the selection.

A humble shepherd’s pie.

Hector considered it for a moment before saying: "That does sound appetizing. Though, are you sure? It has vegetables in it." Hector had misunderstood that she meant it for herself.

"It does?!" Lupina asks.

"Yes. See," Hector said, pointing at the listed ingredients in tiny print beneath.

"But, it doesn’t taste like vegetables!" Lupina says, "It’s white! And, bread tasting! And, meat tasting, too!" In no uncertain terms, the Dire Sheep looked fundamentally broken as a person-type thing, "How do vegetables not taste like gross and green..."

Hector sighed, astonished that she, as it seemed, liked dishes with vegetables as long as she was ignorant to their existence. "That’s the nature of a chef. To make the unappealing appetizing. I’ve had stuffed cabbage that had me in disbelief, once," Hector recounted, putting his menu down.

"I’ll order us an appetizer to start with, if that’s alright with you," Hector offered.

"But, cabbage is green... green is gross... how do you eat green..." Lupina asks, her eyes unfocused, as she stared at her hands, questioning her... well, entire life.

"You should be proud, Lupina," Hector said, closing his eyes and solemnly nodding. "You’ve awoken to the possibilities vegetables can bring. I’ll have to make you some myself once we return to the tower. Then, you’ll never decry vegetables again."

…That might almost sound like a threat. MORE vegetables?

Lupina’s face would turn bright red, as she stiffened. "N-No! I couldn’t impose! You cooking for me!? I’m, like, a stray dog! You don’t feed strays!" she says, attracting chuckle from some of the elder patrons.

"Nonsense," Hector dismissed. "You’re not a stray of any sort. You’re merely learning," he said, while Herne poked his head up from the side, wondering if food was ready yet.

Lupina would reply by shoving her menu in her face.

Hector would let out a slight chuckle, before ordering them a set of chicken wings for an appetizer, since Herne could eat those as well.

Across the bar, Baast would be seated, nursing a beer, and minding the entirety of the bar. For now, this was Lupina’s moment in civilization. He didn’t want to spoil it for her.

After receiving his chicken wing and swallowing it whole, bones and all, Herne would slide over and hide beneath the bar, right beneath Baast’s chair. People didn’t like snakes, so he would make himself as translucent as possible, to not make trouble for Hector. Despite this, he was very much able to be sensed by Baast, while Hector spoke in casual conversations with Lupina.

"Being troublesome," Baast asks.

”Alwaysss,” Herne hissed softly, quietly.

"Why," Baast asks.

”Hector isssss bussssy.” The serpent spoke plainly, also knowing that right now, this was their moment. But seeing as Baast was here not doing anything, he’d take a warm body and start slithering up Baast’s pant’s leg.

"Oi, oi, what are you doing!?" Baast hissed back.

”Warm!” came the answer, leaving Baast to deal with trying to deal with a snake in his boot while Hector continued talking to Lupina.

"Could you get out of my pants," Baast asks, trying not to bring attention to himself.

After considering it for a moment Herne would say: ”Yesss,” before starting to crawl up his shirt.

Baast swallowed a squeal, as Herne invaded his privacy more so, and chugged his beer to keep controlled.

Comedy ensued as Baast attempted to hide the snake now OUT of his boot, while Hector had a pleasant luncheon with Lupina, keeping an eye on her to make sure she didn’t pluck carrots from her pie and discard them.

"What is wrong with you...?" Baast was trying to keep calm.

”Cold,” Herne replied simply. He was solely seeking body heat.

"Haaa..." Baast sighed, "Fine."

Shaking the tip of his tail in delighted acceptance, Herne would subtly coil around Baast’s neck beneath his shirt, happy his subordinate was so understanding.

"Don’t test your luck," Baast says, pushing a clawed finger against his head.

Baast would receive the tender feeling of a snake’s tongue flick against his finger.

Baast’s irritation melted, as he sighed, blushing. "Damn brat..."

Finishing their meal, Hector would clean his face one last time with his napkin. "A good choice of restaurant. I’ll have to remember this place. Even if The Soggy Mare is a hideous name."

"It’s charming," Lupina giggled.

"I don’t see the appeal, I admit," Hector said with a slight chuckle. Without batting an eye or letting Lupina see the check he would pay up, starting to stand.

"We should head back. I imagine matters will be sorted soon."

"You’ve never been down and dirty in a dungeon party," Lupina says. "And, probably. Hopefully the stuffy stuff is stuffed."

"If it isn’t, I’ll take note of the important parts," Hector said, indirectly offering a way for Lupina to stay in the loop without having to be at the gathering.

"Better you than me," Lupina says.

Having thoroughly vexed Baast, Herne would slither up Hector’s back as if he’d just been out for a moment, letting out a happy hiss as his Master was now free once more.

"Oh and, Lupina?" Hector asked before looking at her over his shoulder. "Be careful of having loose fingers. The Holy Seer would know in an instant," he warned, bringing to mind the question:

Was that a general warning, or had he gauged her intent from the very start?

"I have no idea what you mean," Lupina lied, looking away.

Hector wouldn’t press the matter afterwards, walking back with Lupina.

Lupin would be rather reserved and shy, caught by Hector, and not willing to admit it.

Returning after checking in at the front desk, Hector would return to his seat, an open space reserved for Lupina if she chose to return and endure the wheels of bureaucracy at work.

Morgan would soon return as well, suit far more dirty with a few leaves and twigs stuck in her dark hair, plopping right down in a chair she pulled out, fingers netted.

Maybe, another day, Lupina would suffer such things, but, for now, she had ducked up at the front door, and taken to the rooftops. She needed to see the town for what it was, high in the sky.

A full-scale invasion has begun.

Malfested beings raided the city like a fast-spreading disease throughout each corner of the streets; Turning people into mindless drones, cannibalizing other beings to join their ranks. No one knows why or how this happened. Maybe it was one of the scion's cruel jokes to send a plague to the city of its believers.

One thing is for sure, it must be stopped at all costs, or else Cambridge will fall to these festering creatures.

Leon along with Evelyn, Einer, and Lapus were dispatched as some sort of a back alley cleanup crew.

They were assigned to investigate every nook and cranny of every corner of the streets and purge those who were hiding in the shadows and hard-to-reach places.

With Leon's keen sense, Einer's cleansing expertise, Evelyn's offensive fire power, and Lapus' defensive ice/water abilities. A rogue, a bard, and 2 elemental mages seem like the ideal team for the job.

~

As soon as they entered one of the alleys, The knife-eared fae alongside his fellow reavers was ambushed by a horde of manifested beings led by a lone infected girl.

It seems they stumble upon their nesting ground and alerted these foul creatures.

This mutated girl is a unique case since she can still communicate with the non-infected and control most of the malfested around her.

His teammates were blown away by her evil energy, a fierce aura emitting from the spider-like girl.

Fortunately for Leon, his Grimoire reacted just in time and shielded him with its malicious aura, Making him withstand the negative energy the mysterious girl is emitting. Negative cancels out negative right?

As Leon gazed into this threat, The esper fae saw a glimpse of the corrupted girl's past through a vision. This malfested being was once a human. She was left to die and was experimented on by the sun beast, turning her into this monstrosity via special elixir. A forced transformation, A fate worse than death.

"You're the experimented girl I saw in my vision. You had an encounter with the sun beast..." Leon said somberly, feeling a bit sorry for her unfortunate mutation.

He grips his dagger even tighter. His woes became hatred for what he just learned. His grimoire reacted and fed off his emotions. His mind and body were set. At this moment the host and the symbiote became in sync, drawing power from the accursed book and doing 90% of his power boost without even knowing.

As a result, the esper fae becomes a distorted phantom. A translucent form of his former self that brings madness to the mind of a grim fate.

"We saw your past, but not your future. There is no timeline that you will capture me, nor make it out alive in this city!" Leon threatened with a stone-faced look on his face.

"Maybe in your next life, you'll find peace and not turn into this abomination." He sighed, drawing his twin blades.

"Time to end your misery, Lemme guide you to your grim ending!" The nimble fae makes haste and sprints forward.

As he closes the gap between them, instilling fear becomes his secondary weapon, projecting horrid illusions to those who stare at his ethereal form.

The corrupted zealot being was being attacked mentally, warping her sense of reality and altering her perception of everything around her.

In her mind, she was chained up from her ankles, binding her to the ground. Her allies were gone. She was isolated alone with him like a cornered prey.

She didn't saw a pint-size fae charging at her but different types of adversaries in her past morphing into the next, hoping to strike fear in her heart.

From an agile black-coated mercenary to a towering Sunbeast brandishing his flaming sword. This illusionary facade was enough distraction to give the esper rogue an opening.

Leon disappears from her sight and reappears behind her, stabbing her back with his anti-magic dagger, disrupting the flow of magic in her corrupted body.