---

Up until now, Amara had been silent as a mouse. She was observing the way people behaved, the information they were bringing. The plan was to just broadside them and split into four teams. One for the broadsiding, one for the artifacts, one for making teleporting possible, and one for everything else. Okay, solid plan. Amara didn’t have a problem with that, necessarily. But that came with its own issues.

”Okay, back up a second,” she spoke up at last. Amara stood up and walked around to the map. ”I’m seeing a couple problems with this. The first one being communication. Like you said, we gotta just let this shit flow sometimes so a hard and fast plan won’t be perfect. But, how’re we getting everyone in gear for shit when we’re actually there? We just banking on teleported being enough when the Veil’s down?” She asked. ”That’s gonna be a lotta people moving around, some of them might need to meet each other when they’re done, for backup. But that’s no big deal- I got an idea for that.”

Five ghostly figures appeared around the room, standing ramrod straight with their hands folded behind them. ”I’m magically linked to all of them, like a hive mind. Four teams means I’d have one to spare if I gave up one for all four. Treat ‘em like they’re expendable when you’re in. They’ll fight and if someone happens, I’ll know even if you don’t radio in.”

The biggest danger for the vault team would be getting there and last that dog. ”I’ll send the extra in with your vault team, so two of them can deal with this “Starving Dog” thing. Based on what you’ve got here, the vault’s gonna be the most dangerous part of this even if you draw heat away.”

If Lynn’s prediction was correct, zombies wouldn’t be the biggest hurdle. They usually died when you shot them in the head. ”I’ll put myself on the assault team, I’m a good shot. Greyson-” She turned around, pointing at the Pink Patriarch himself. ”Any way you could use your mob connections to get some ammo fast enough for this?” She, the ex-cop, asked the capo.

”…Wait. Where the fuck is he?”

---

---

---

“... So, I presume you have taken security precautions.”

Blake asked Berlioz as he stood in his office overlooking Elysium Island. He looked over his shoulder at Berlioz, who was wearing a suit and holding a pecuilar staff. The island was littered with undead minions stationed in strategic positions to guard it. They were armed to the teeth with the best weaponry money could buy. Berlioz nodded.

“William and Mabel have this island locked down,” Berlioz began. “Paige, The Twins, and the Dragonslayer will be on standby. However, before you activate the Eustis Veil, let me get off the island with Benjamin...”

He gestured down towards the staff.

“... It’ll interfere with the usage of my artifact.”

Blake fully turned to face Berlioz as he said, “Of course! The House of Cards are still loading the island with their equipment. Members of the Elite are also still on the way! You have plenty of time!”

Berlioz nodded.

“I’ll stay off the island and keep watch from the outside,” Berlioz said before he turned and left the room.

---

The final machine gun was put in position, placed at the end of the hallway facing the grand doorway of the mansion. Yes, using it would blow the door to bits. But a small sacrifice to catch those damn Sycamore by surprise. The other machine guns had been placed outside the entrance, about 50 paces out, prepared to gun down anything that would dare approach.

The House of Cards stood together in a circle within the mansion's main lobby, armed to the teeth with AK-47s, MP5s and M4s strapped to them. Each had Kevlar vests under their suits, grenades hanging from the loops of their slacks, and shock collars around their necks.

Valencia stood in front of the circle, hand resting on the rifle hanging off her chest.

“Are the escape boats set up?”

“Yes, Mother.” said one of the men.

Valencia nodded, before raising a hand, splitting the group.

“I want men manning the guns outside. I’m assigning Jin and a group of five men to the rooftop. Alexander, and Zi will be the frontal defense team with ten men behind the outdoor guns. The indoor gun goes off only if we fall back, and the enemy enters the front door.

“Demos, Lee, Kai, and five men will be stationed just outside the lab door. And Lancy?” Valencia glanced over at the Chinese girl, green-tinted glasses low on her nose. “You'll be in the lab with me.”

Lancy nodded, smacking a bit of gum. “Yeah, mum.”

The men nodded along. It was a reasonable plan. Valencia glanced at the expectant and ready faces, before pressing a bud in her ear.

“Radio check?”

A chorus of ‘Yes, Mother’ reverberated back to her. Comms were a go.

A pause, before Valencia's eyes hardened. “Remember. We mourn our dead after we exact revenge for what Sycamore took from us. We're the ones expecting them, so we kill as many as we can while we keep Lancy and the notes safe. Expect the Valos kids as well. And since Sycamore's made some friends, expect it to be busy.

“Let's give ‘em hell.”

---

“Is everyone on the island?” Blake asked, standing on the beach with Jason, Jiao-Long, Elynn, and Blake, and before them was the imposing crown jewel of Elysium Island’s security: The Eustis Veil. It stood over them, massive, like a looming guardian with the orange logo glowing like lava.

Jiao-Long nodded.

“The Liu family is on Elysium Island,” Jiao-Long said.

Elynn crossed her arms and sighed, rolling her eyes as she said, “All members of the Pimm Family are on Elysium Island. Let’s get this over with, I have shit to do.”

“Gabriela is not on the island, but where is that bitch ass Vanburen?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not here, had I known that Gabriela wouldn’t be joining us. These little jerk-off sessions are always so aimless and boring without her,” said Ezra Vanburen as he entered the room with his hands in the pant pockets of an expensive, tailored suit. He acknowledged the others with a mere dismissive glance in their direction and gave Jason an upwards head nod. “Shit, Valos, standing next to all of these crooks you almost look like a legitimate businessman.”

Jason just laughed, clutching his cane.

“Catch me up to speed here, Schmidt,” said Ezra with a snap of his fingers, yet he barely gave the man any of his attention as he pulled out his phone to respond to a text. “Feels out of season to have a zombie party, unless this is some crass Veteran’s Day shit. Would explain the guns. Either way, if this is just gonna be another one of your boring Blake Parties then I’m going to head out.”

“Unless…” Ezra smirked and caught Blake’s eye. “Angela here?”

“... What are your intentions with my daughter, Vanburen?” Blake said, giving him the narrow eye.

Ezra shrugged. He felt like his intent was already quite clear.

Elynn crossed her arms as she said, “That damn mafia is decoding Kari’s Notes. Blake wants everyone here because, more than likely, the Sycamore Tree Coven will attack us for them.” She shrugged. “They better be worth all this fucking trouble, Schmidt.”

“I assure you, they are.”

“Wait, really? That’s it?” said Ezra after a beat.

He had expected some kind of elaboration or a rug pull with a twist. Blake’s plan was to go toe-to-toe with the people who’d stopped an apocalypse when they were still stumbling through puberty? They might have not been anywhere close to their apex mountain as they once were thanks to their current slasher situation, but there was a danger in their desperation. Ezra rubbed his temple. Surely that wasn’t it.

“Nothing else? This isn’t some clever ruse to have Sycamore and these crooks you hired wipe each other out? We aren’t just gathering together as a lure before teleporting away to decode the actual notes on a private Caribbean beach over mai tais while being fanned by buxom, topless women?” asked Ezra, looking at the others like they were idiots. “Nobody considered just hiring Sycamore to decode the notes for us? The idea is to just sit around waiting, tugging at our dicks, hoping that when it comes time to pull them out that we’d fluffed for long enough that ours is bigger?”

He scoffed, wanking the air off at Blake as he turned to cast a judging look at the others.. “Everybody else thumbs-upped this?”

“Yeah, we thumbed it up at the meeting you and those other three bitches weren’t at,” Jason rolled his eyes. “Typical Vanburen.” Spitting Ezra’s surname out like an insult.

“The Veil’s not up yet, you know,” Elynn rolled her eyes before pointing back to the city. “You still have time to get off the island - Hopefully your boat will sink, and the world will have one less jackoff to worry about.”

“Now, listen, Ezra,” Blake said, “I didn’t ask for your input, “The Sycamore Tree Coven has been gunning for those notes ever since Kari died. They even accosted Lin and Mika just the other day! If we let our guard down for a second, they will find a way to rip us apart. That’s why we’re here. That’s why the Veil is going up. And that’s why everyone needs to be on the island.”

He smiled, “It’ll be worth it… Kari’s Notes contains secrets like no other! They hold the key to something much bigger that could give us leverage over every other Paranormal faction in the state, if not the country!”

“Or it could just be some girl’s old diaries gushing about her crushes,” said Ezra, shaking his head. “Now as much as I want to leave, I much rather disappoint Elynn. Besides, front row seats to watch an absolute trainwreck and get the first shot on the round of I-told-you-sos is hard to resist. I think I’ll stay. Jason, you better liquidate some assets, quick. If we’re stuck here might as well do some prop betting. Oh!” Ezra turned towards Jiao-Long, feigning a look of concern. “And how is Mika? Hopefully okay?”

“You needn’t concern yourself with my daughter,” Jiao-Long spat. “She is fine. No magic can injure her, after all.”

^{“I regret stopping Chester that time he was going to break you in half the last time your mouth got ahead of yourself…”}

Elynn hissed to herself, wrapping her arms around her chest, and sneering at Ezra. Before her attention went to Blake, “Look, we’re here; let’s get this show on the road already and stop standing around jerking off already.”

“For once, I agree with her,” Jason said, giving Ezra the side-eye. “Faster we get this over with, the faster Ezra can go find something else to fellate himself over.”

“That reminds me,” said Ezra with a sniff, gesturing to Blake. “You never said if Angela was here.”

Jason facepalmed.

Blake stood before the towering Eustis Veil, his fingers brushing the rough stone surface. The artifact's hum vibrated through the air, and the tension was palpable as his entourage—Jason, Jiao-Long, Ezra, and Elynn—watched from behind. The island felt ominously calm as if anticipating what was coming. Without a word, Blake pressed his palm against the center rune, activating the Veil, and a low rumble began to echo from the artifact. Blake smiled ear to ear…

“Here we go!” Blake shouted.

Suddenly, the sky above shifted as swirling black clouds gathered, moving as if drawn by the stone's power. The air grew thick with static, and the first crack of lightning arced across the sky, followed by a deep, roaring wind. The Tempest was unleashed. Massive, jagged bolts of lightning struck the ground, creating a dome-like forcefield that wrapped around Elysium Island, encompassing it in a storm and fury prison. The winds roared with their own life, tearing at the trees and sending waves crashing violently against the shore…

Blake turned back towards his people, keeping that grin on his face.

“So subtle,” muttered Ezra dryly. “Nobody’ll notice that and think something’s up…”

“No one gets in, no one gets out,” Blake began. “No teleporting, no entry!”

“Yes, we know what it does,” Elynn crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “We used it a thousand times.” She sighed.

“Now, just keep your fucking eyes and ears open,” Jason said, “The thing’s not infallible. It’s just too much of a pain in the ass to get past.”

“It’s up to Berlioz, anyhow,” Jiao-Long nodded.

“There isn’t an inch of the island Sentinel Solutions is not covering!” Blake said, raising a finger into the air, only eliciting an eye roll from Jason.

“Let’s get to the lab already,” Jason said, “I don’t trust that bitch Valencia as far as I can throw her, so she better back up her big talk.”

“... I bet you can throw her pretty far,” Elynn laughed.

Jason didn’t; he gestured for Blake to come along as he hobbled towards the mansion.

---

Blake and Jason led the way through the cool, dimly lit passageways beneath Elysium Island, distant echoes from above filling the air. The tunnels stretched far below the island's lavish mansion; it was all business down here. Blake, Jason, Valencia and her chosen House team's footsteps echoed as they descended deeper into the labyrinth of underground chambers. Jason glanced at Valencia and grinned,

“... This is where the real work gets done,” Blake glazed himself, nodding as they reached a steel door adorned with intricate magical symbols, glowing faintly with a dull orange light. "Perfect place for decoding something like Kari’s notes. Secluded. Secure."

“Trustin’ you on that secure bit.” Valencia said with a smirk.

Blake tapped the runes on the door, the heavy lock clicked open, and he pushed the door open. The room beyond the doors was vast and sterile, lined with equipment that crackled with magical energy. The faint, sterile smell of enchantments hung in the air, and a cold, blue light filled the room, reflecting off the metallic surfaces of various machines.

Demos, Lee, Kai and the five House men walking with them hung back, before turning their back on the lab, and their focus on the approaching hallway. They would be there to protect the precious notes inside.
At the center of the room, a large, ornate leather notebook rested on the table, its cover adorned with a delicate floral design. Within the pages of this beautifully bound tome lay secrets coded in a substitution cipher - letters replaced with emojis, a maddening puzzle for most. Still, one the House of Cards Mafia had been tasked with solving. The notes almost seemed to pulse with the weight of the secrets they held.
“That’s it," Blake said, stepping aside for Valencia to get a closer look. "Kari’s notes. Decoding them is no small feat, but your men are the best, aren’t they?!"

Jason simply stepped aside and stood in the corner of the room, finding himself a metal chair as he rested his cane firmly on the ground.

Valencia had a wolfish smirk as she approached the table, hand resting on her rifle as she stared down at the clasped book. “...Finally.”

With quick eyes, she gestured Lancy to come closer. “Here is it, my girl. You can start. Time is, of course, of the essence.”

Lancy nodded, switching out her plain sunglasses for the Green-Tinted Seer, placing them on the bridge of her nose. Pulling a pair of latex gloves onto her hands, she approached the book, and opened it.

Valencia pushed a chair closer to Lancy, allowing the girl to sit. Valencia herself rested her back against the lip of the table, flashing a smirk at Jason as she pulled out a small flask from her inner coat pocket.

“Something strong to pass the time?”

Jason just raised his hand and shook his head.

“... I’m good,” Jason said.

Lancy scooted a little closer to the notes in her seat, gazing at the book through her shades. Right off the bat, she looked at the magic within and around the book. Did it have any magic, any Lux, any lines of code in it?

No magic whatsoever.

Lancy's brows furrowed delicately, then brought out a scrap pad and pen, jotting down notes as she attempted to decipher the emojis.

Here goes nothing.

---

Jin and five of the House men stationed themselves on the roof, taking the liberties of Zi's river Styx. He held a pair of binoculars in his hand, peering out from a raised ledge that obscured everything but his head from below.

Meanwhile, Alexander, Zi, and their ten men waited in silence. Two were positioned further ahead at the machine guns, 50 paces out. The storm raging overhead. Alexander immediately pulled out a cigarette, lighting it despite the wind, and puffing like a chimney.

“Damn wind…” He grumbled under his breath.

Demos, Lee, Kai, and five House men rested in the hallway and against the wall outside the lab, surrounded in the semi-darkness of the tunnels.

Lee had a pained look to his face. Demos noticed, and gave him a light nudge.

“Alright there, soldier?”

Lee set his jaw and nodded. “Just Vorohah… they're… hungry.”

”All teams, status?” said Valencia over the comms. The roof team and front team reported no movement.

Demos pressed his comm. “Lab team, all clear.”

”Good. Here's hoping it stays that way.”

---

While the storm raged outside, inside was a different kind of storm… The luxurious bar's air was thick with tension and dimly lit by the lights above. At the corner of the bar sat a green-eyed, blonde-haired teenager that was pudge and stood around five-six. Before him was a clear glass of water, which he wrapped his fingers around and raised off the bar - his hand was trembling the whole time. Once it reached his lips, he took a sip….

… Then a girl with a predator, wolfish grin slid in next to him and stared at him, drumming her fingers on the bar counter. The boy turned towards the girl, and her grin grew wider. “... How ya’ doin’ lil bro!” She said in a sing-song.

Then another girl, visually similar to her, circled behind him, and her breath tickled the back of his neck as she leaned in uncomfortably close. “What’s the matter, Colin? Are we… scaring you?” The other girl laughed.

“N-No!” Colin said, “I didn’t do anything… please leave me alone…”

"We’re not here because you did anything, Colin." The girl slid in the seat next to Colin opposite of the other girl. "We’re just bored. And you’re such... fun.*

"Remember when you used to cry every time we chased you through the halls?" The other girl said, biting her lip. "You’re not crying now, are you?"

Tears streamed down Colin’s cheeks, “May, Rhea, please, stop.”

May rolled her eyes, "C'mon, Colin. Where’s your backbone? You’re a Pimm, ain’t you?" She leaned closer, "Or maybe you’re not. Maybe you’re like that freak, Sage!"

“Why don’t we send you to live with that freak!” Rhea said, “Oh wait! Elynn needs you! That freak is just worth-less!”

They both laughed.

“You’re disposable, though,” May said, laughing, digging her hands into Colin’s shoulder tight enough to draw blood. Then, she looked up at the Bartender, who looked away, but May drew his attention with a snap of her fingers. “We need something to toughen you up a bit! Bartender! Give us a shot of your strongest drink!”

“But-”

“... Did we fucking ask you?” They both said in unison.

He shook his head before pouring a glass of Everclear into a shot glass… May quickly snatched it, splashing some alcohol on the bar counter. She took a tiny sip of it and started deviously laughing. Before presenting it to Colin,

“... Drink up, lil’ bro,” May said, “This will finally make you into a man.”

“Yeah, put some hair on your sack!” Rhea said.

“I can-” Colin tried to protest.

“Drink it, pussy,” May hissed. “We’re tired of you being such a bitch all the time. Look at Chester! He’s everything you should be, pussy.”

“If you don’t drink it, we’re going to beat the shit out of you later,” Rhea said, grabbing his wrist and forcing the drink into his lips. “Maybe we’ll use the Horde again. Oh, no, that’s for when you really fuck up!”

Colin just took the glass; tears streamed down his face before he chugged the drink and began loudly coughing. As Rhea and May held his hand to his face…. May patted him on the back.

“Good boy!” Rhea said, before the two of them broke out into laughter.

Of course, Mika saw it all from her dark booth in the corner, with a white porcelain cup of tea in front of her. Typical freaks Mika thought to herself with a roll of her eyes. She simply reached down, took a sip of her tea, and did not concern herself with those two freaks and their teenage victim. What she did concern herself with was Lin entering the corner of her eyes; of course, she drew her attention with a wave of her hands. Lin then reached into her purse and pulled out a black pocket mirror. Then, she pointed at it, and Mika tilted her head-

Oh.

It took Mika a second to get it. She slid out of the booth before walking past those three freaks into the bathroom. She was in an empty stall and immediately turned around to lock it. She sighed, unbuttoning her shirt until she revealed a hot-red bra, and then reached behind herself, reaching underneath her shirt, to unhook it with a smooth motion. She let one side fall before she grabbed her breast and lifted it up, to reveal a pecuilar pocket mirror that was taped to her body. Mika simply grabbed the edge of the tape and pulled it, letting the mirror fall to her hand. Then she rehooked her bra, rebuttoned her shift, and walked out of the bathroom, passing by them bullying Colin - making him drink some more alcohol - as she went back to her booth, right before her tea. Which was still steaming hot… she placed the pocket mirror into her purse and nodded her head.

How are you doing, Mika? She heard Lin’s voice in her head.

Fine, Mika replied.

None of this was a part of my plan. Lin sent the telepathic message to Mika.

Explain, LinLin.

When I told Blake to get the Notes, he was supposed to give them to me, not keep them for himself. Lin spoke telepathically, her face resting into her hand.

That was your fault, LinLin, Mika replied, shrugging. You should have got them yourself when you had the chance.

My logic was if Sycamore or anyone else saw Emily take them, they would go after her, not us, not me, Lin sent the message, then loudly sighed again.

Only for Sycamore to come after us, anyway, Mika replied.

Look, I have a crazy idea. Lin sent the message.

... You want to take Kari’s notes, don’t you? Mika began, rolling her eyes. I’m sorry, but that ship has sailed. They are being decoded now, and they have that room locked tighter than a Catholic schoolgirl.

... You got that from Johnny, didn’t you? Lin asked, followed by laughter. And you complain all day about how the Valos are a terrible influence on me! She smiled at her sister.

Mika rolled her eyes.

But, you don’t understand…. Lin began, I’ve been in Kari’s head. Deep in Kari’s head. Despite all of her precautions, Kari never prepared for psychic intrusion. And I know many, many things that I shouldn’t. Including some truths about the Stygian Snake and the cult that worshipped it.

Lin narrowed her eyes at Mika.
You have to trust me when I say that we cannot let Blake get his hands on them - nor can we let Sycamore get them, Lin said, keeping her focus on Mika. They have been compromised by you-know-who… And we can not let him learn what she knew.

Mika just sat there before she replied, What do you suggest we do then? Between Blake’s pet White Supremacists and that Pedophille Cult masquerading as a mafia, there is only so much the Arrowhead and the Mirror can do…

Lin’s lip curled into a devious smile.

The Sycamore Tree Coven plans to attack us for the Map of the Drunken Sailor, Lin began, and Mika’s jaw dropped. I gleamed it from Britney’s mind before all hell broke loose.

Mika’s mouth moved before she stopped herself.

Wait, what?! Mika said. You didn’t think to inform me - or father - of this?!

No. Lin succinctly answered. It was technically only the formation of a plan, but I know Britney… Despite being a monster, she is knowledgeable. Possibly, as intelligent as yourself.

Brown nosing me won’t make me forget the fact you hidden crucial information! Mika hissed… mentally.

Let me cook.

Oh good grief,

Knowing Sycamore’s track record - from what I gleaned from Isaac - is that they are a chaotic, disorganized bunch, Lin said, They are likely planning a frontal assault - which will cause a stir but will ultimately fail. However, it should be enough to draw some attention away from the lab, and I will just snatch them while everyone is distracted, and we can pin it all on Sycamore.

... That plan relies on them getting close enough, Mika said.

... Or Blake leaving the room, Lin began. He’s always rushing to flaunt his abstraction, after all.

Jason is also in there.

Jason also needs a cane to walk.

Good grief, Mika rolled her eyes. Look… This is going to end badly. For us. This whole plan.

But we have to do something! Lin replied, We can’t let Blake or Sycamore get the Notes.

You're making too many assumptions - about Blake, about Sycamore, and now about this distraction plan, Mika began, If one thing goes wrong, we’ll have more than just a mess to clean up.

We won’t have a choice if we sit on our hands. You know that, Mika. Lin replied. Blake will push harder, Sycamore will get more desperate, and we're the only ones who know enough to stop you-know-who. Besides, we’ve always managed to stay two steps ahead of everyone. Why stop now?

Fine. But you know the rules. I’m not covering for you when this blows up in our faces. Mika said, her fingers tapping against the table.

You worry too much, Mika Lin’s smirk could practically be felt through the telepathic connection. Be ready. The moment Sycamore moves, we move. And I’ll make sure we come out on top.

I hope you're right, LinLin, Mika said, before she pushed herself to her feet. Now if you excuse me, I will put the Mirror back on before all hell breaks loose. She calmly walked over to the bathroom, and Lin sent one last message as she marched over there.

Trust me, Mika…. Lin responded, her tone resolute.

... I know what I’m doing.

Having arrived late, Leon took a noteworthy position somewhat behind Layla. Listening to the group talk about the situation, he was more eager to prove to the group that he wasn't the same guy he used to be. Ten years prior, he'd have been in the foreground pushing for his plan: Full physical infiltration through magic means. Getting under the island with the use of magic, submarinal traversal followed by digging through one means or another up under the facility. Anything was possible with strong enough magic... But he wasn't here for that.
Sycamore's failure didn't mean the end. He wasn't so concerned with how others were going to deal with what was coming.

”Any way you could use your mob connections to get some ammo fast enough for this?”

Hearing this, Leon chuckled to himself. Having a good sniff of the room before he fully settled in gave him a clear picture of who was and wasn't present, and he figured he knew why Greyson wasn't there.
"Britney's here, Amara... We're trying to reduce the chaos of these meetings by having less people, remember? Besides, you should be asking me about ammo. He'd tell you himself that the Temple produces quality ammunition: We supply half the Western Seaboard's "religious" institutions with good shit. If it's for Sycamore, as much as you all may not want the help, the Temple of Charming and Graceful Individuals is willing and able to provide. Physical arms and armaments, Lux boosters, healing salves, the list goes on."
He would always do his best to be helpful, of course... Despite some recent tension and problems with certain individuals, Leon was certainly dedicated to the ideal of the Sycamore. It was an ideal that people had fought and died for, and he never wanted that to be wasted.

"Whatever you guys want from me personally, I'm happy to do it: But, I only ask that you keep in mind I may not fully be in control of myself by the end of this. If the worst happens, stay clear of the big, grey and gold wolf-thing... And call my folks, I guess. Worst comes to worst, it's an island I can stay isolated on until I'm dead, or I can be put out."
He was thinking about all the nasty, horrifying entities and concoctions that the Temple had pilfered from Sonnenrad corpses. If the group were willing to take more help, he imagined things would be far easier than what they had in mind currently; but was it worth it? Releasing all that evil? For what, one big push against a group of people who they weren't even sure of the capability of? No, it was his own special mental gymnastic routine. It was all about trying to get things under his own control.

Oh, my Sweet... You'll never be in control again! The vile collar is gone... Feed me, however, and I will let you pretend.
Daisy... The Bind of Mont Ferrad. Lelou's Adjoining was wholly against her will, thus the process of keeping her bound was based on the magic found at the temple on the peak of Mont Ferrad, where an ancient werewolf den was found to contain remnants of Lelou's first kingdom from thousands of years ago. He knew the story of Guillome Richoux, and the Hunts on behalf of the Sun King. Knew about how Lelou's descendents had been tracked and slaughtered in that mountaintop cave, and about the secrets of binding Man and Beast.

It's why they were together now. An enticing host, and the last Bind of Mont Ferrad... But nobody to hold the leash. Daisy was gone, the artifact was gone... It'd take time to attune it to someone else, and even then, he wasn't sure who it could be. Who he could trust to have the kind of steady mentality and collected thoughts of Daisy Hunter. He missed her.
Miss!? You miss prancing about like a dog with your fucking collar and a little bell? Tame fuck... I should rip you in half from the inside: If I see that collar ever again, I'll have your head Leon Richoux...
He sighed, trying his best to keep those around him tuned into his head so he wouldn't miss what they were saying.

---

---

Anya was concerned with how, to be frank, shit Sloane looked. When had she last slept? At this rate she would collapse before they got anywhere. But what could she do? Nothing. Not right now, at least. Neither of them were the most emotional people, and Anya knew Sloane would just brush off any check ups on her right now. She’d talked to her later, in private…

She didn’t bother with an introduction to the 317 either - it seemed unnecessary to just announce her name at that moment. But she did watch as Sloane went towards the Artifacts. Eyebrows raised for a moment, before she quickly realised what she was doing. Ah. Removing the Rot from poor Luca, if possible, with the Brass Needle. It was probably for the best. Anya would let her handle that…

She was approached by another familiar face, anyway - a friend, in fact. One of two.

”Fancy seeing you here,” Anya raised her eyebrows, offering Olivia a more genuine smile. It was quite a rare occurrence from her - one that only came in company she actually enjoyed. Sloane, Olivia the rare times they saw each other, and Ezra had managed to get a few out of her... ”I thought you said you would never return to the Coven? Is working with us not the same?”

Then came the actual plan. Anya listened carefully, and silently. Her brows furrowed at the new Scott Reese was alive. He wasn’t someone they could handle in their current state. Even the Trinity struggled with him before.

”I have a suggestion. There are some of us who don’t have abstractions useful in combat at all- unfortunately,” Anya said, raising her hand with a slight smile. Of course, that wasn’t true anymore. She could summon… but it wasn’t something she’d shown yet. And she didn’t want to risk her life, or reputation, for this.

”But could we not have a fifth group - the coordinators? We had a control group during the fight against the Stygian Snake, or organised all the groups on the field - getting healers where they were needed, teleporters, and so on. It can be difficult for anyone in the heat of battle to do that. That solves the communication too - you all have phones, don’t you? Or we can go back to radios like we used to use? Easy to get a hold of. Means we’re not putting all the pressure on Amara.”

Then, she turned her attention to Leon, smiling coldly. ”And what would be the price of the Temple’s help, Leon? ”

---

---

Luca smiled at all of Jasper’s friends brightly, raising a hand to wave at them all. It wasn’t the best time to meet them - he couldn’t say much more in greeting, because he wanted to concentrate on the meeting. But hopefully they could talk properly later! He turned his head back towards those at the front, inclining it towards Octavia as she said war was coming regardless. Maybe it was true, especially if Scott Reese was back…

But he couldn’t drag his new coven into it. He glanced over at Adora, spotting her talking to Layla. He smiled again at that. Clearly they’d both had the same thoughts to check on her, make sure she was alright after everything that happened…

Then, the Artifacts. The Brass Needle. He’d already turned down it being used on him right now, because he needed the Rot. It was more than just wanting an abstraction - it was what he’d told Leon earlier too. Without an Emotional Field, he died. Sloane had taken it, but he trusted she wouldn’t do anything with it yet. No matter how much she was looking over at him.

He looked over at Leon last, now frowning. He may not be able to stay in control? If his Apparition took over, then they’d just have one more enemy… One more thing to deal with. Another ally turned enemy… something he constantly worried about happening to himself. ”Let’s try and avoid the scenario where anyone is completely taken over by their Apparition, if possible?”

Then he turned towards Ruby.

”I have some questions. First of all, what’s the magical statue made of? Second, do we have any way to get into the vault itself? I assume it has some heavy doors we can’t just get through?” Luca asked, looking thoughtful. He should probably go with the Artifact group either way… As much as he wanted to stay with Jasper he knew that he couldn't. He had no range and would be more useful somewhere destruction might be required... But he couldn't join the aggro group. He was too fragile. ”I can probably help there either way, since I can rot just about anything. So I think I should go with the Artifact group, but that brings me to my next question…”

His eyes closed for a moment.

”Does the Eye of Ankhara detect Abstractions that are always on? Or is it just active use?”

---

---

---

---

Drake sat silently in his little corner of the Eleventh Path - the Peanut Buster before him had melted, as he didn't have the appetite for it. Auri was dead, and so were Be and Todd, but he honestly had no clue who they were; he could only sigh as he worried for Victoria, Amanda, Nikki, and the triplets - they were the real ones in danger here. He should be home protecting them... not wasting his time for the fourth time in a row. After all, these people won't care if they go down; it's only what personally affects them. However, Jack stepped up to the task, and finally, they had something to find Father Wolf so they could kill his ass already. Even though, for once, he could yap a little bit so they would know about these beautiful artifacts. The Elite is holding them. Drake didn't know much about the Eilte, but he knew they would be easy work for Drake Blackmore.

Finding out that Luna was trying to play them only elicited an eye-roll from Drake. Color me surprised. Drake thought to himself, chuckling. They should have just let him fry Luna when they had the chance instead of this stupid dog and pony show not to upset the mafia that they ended up pissing off anyway. Well, Greyson killed her at least, that's one good thing that jackass did. Before he could speak up, the leaders of the 317 showed up... Drake recalled them getting mentioned by Ruby and others during that disaster (aka the third meeting). Drake would give them the benefit of the doubt - at least they looked like they wanted to be here and weren't together out of necessity.

Greenwood showed up again. Drake thought better of them than one would first expect. If Sully is cool with them, Drake is cool with them. They explained the plan, and various people poked holes in it. But that wasn't what Drake was worried about. He wasn't worried about the 317, about Greenwood, hell, not even about Britney right now, even though even a dumbass could tell that she's going behind everyone's backs!

"... they have a monster named Scott Reese fighting for them-"

Drake had to take a double take. Scott Reese was dead - or at least the Coven regarded him as dead. How the fuck was he alive and kicking? Actually why the fuck was he alive and kicking? Adora threw him into the ocean right when the final battle kicked off, and that was the last they heard of him. Then, everyone else was content with glossing over it. That wasn't cool. Before Drake spoke up, he glanced at Lynn and thought about what she told him yesterday - about those three dead chicks that are back to life for reasons she cannot explain.

... Why is all of this shit piling up at once? Drake thought to himself, sighing.

”Hey now, Amara's right, let's back up,” Drake said, raising his hands and turning towards Octavia, ”You just said the Scott Reese is back? The big darkness Hulk, dude? Next to impossible to kill?”

“He met our hulk and won without breaking a sweat,” Octavia paused as she pointed towards Jordan, “and Aryin, Linqian, Thomas, Cyrus, Jason. We threw everything we had at him and still lost.”

He raised his hand, astonished, as he addressed the Sycamore Tree "Coven", ”... And nobody wants to address that at all? Brooo... we gotta like find his ass and take care of him. Because you know he's going to be gunning for us.”

”... And have you considered that we can use these artifacts to do just that, Blackmore?” Britney cattily said, and Drake just shrugged.

”I'm just worried because, unlike some of ya'll, I got other people on the line here. Other people that can't handle that monster.”

”And what would be the price of the Temple’s help, Leon? ”

Leon was quick to snap back at this kind of half-assed passive aggressiveness.
"Yeah, you would expect a price... Clearly you don't understand the kind of debt that some of our magical community owes to us. We're Goddamn Heroes, Anya. If we ask? We'll receive."
He huffed, listening in again as Drake expressed concerns over Scott Reese. Octavia's statement about him clearing through their "hulk" along with Aryin and Linqian only made him more interested at the prospect of a fight.

”I'm just worried because, unlike some of ya'll, I got other people on the line here. Other people that can't handle that monster.”[

Pushing air through his lips, Leon gave a chuckle.
"Hey now, no need to fret, Blackmore! C'mon... 317 ain't exactly the benchmark when it comes to combat Adepts: No offence to you guys, of course, you do what you can. But Linqian was never one of our best either, right? I can handle her and Aryin at the same time, confirmed by several recent tests too. So, I think it's in our best interests that if Scott Reese shows up to play, you leave him to me." he professed, confident in his declaration.
"Just give me whatever artifact you want applied to him that you think would weaken him, and boom: You lose one asshole for one asshole. Equal trade in terms of effort and power."

---

Liz hadn’t been in St. Portwell more than a day before getting swept up by the madness of the factions within it.

She hadn’t even met up with Drake Blackmore yet. Had not met the famed Sycamore Tree Coven that her cousin had been a part of. She wasn’t even sure what their current goal was, besides Drake’s mentioning of a meeting to discuss notes that had been stolen from them. Important notes. Notes that held a secret that might get justice for Alyssa Burns.

Yet from where she sat now, gleaning information from an undead mouse as it moved between parties, she was starting to get the gist of it all.

She’d channeled her magic into its carcass where it had died within the basement room she found herself in. An unfortunate thing for the mouse, but very fortunate for Liz. It was a small, unnoticeable thing, thankfully requiring little effort, and she managed to get it all the way to the upper levels just in time to see some of the island’s inhabitants in action.

She’d seen a bald man exiting the mansion as he carried a staff through its eyes. Who knows what trouble the artifact would cause.

She sent the mouse outside first, where she was surprised to see a militia of undead standing guard. It wasn’t a surprise that a Black Lux user was on the island, given the grandeur of it, but it definitely meant trouble for herself and the Coven. Considering the amount of undead, it had to be a powerful necromancer to summon them all for as long as they would be needed. But who was it that summoned them?

Near the entrance to the house, the mouse let her see multiple machine guns, but what she saw once the creature scurried under the massive front doors to the estate made her frown. A machine gun aimed right for the front door. Men from one of the gangs of St. Portwell, armed to the teeth in many different weapons and bulletproof vests, stood around a woman with white hair as she laid out their plans for the evening. She willed the mouse to quickly scurry beneath a large vase by the door as she listened to the woman’s commands.

A guy named Jin and his goons on the roof. A black haired hottie and another set up outside with the rest. A lab… with more hot guys outside it.

What did Sycamore take from them? What’s so special about this Lancy chick?

The group began to move on to their specified positions before any more information could be revealed. Liz’s mouse carefully followed the white haired woman, Lancy, and the deliciously hot men with white hair towards where she now figured the infamous notes would be kept under lock and key.

The sound of a storm erupting outside of the mansion nearly made her lose her focus, but who the mafia group met next caught her attention again.

Liz’s hands clenched into fists as the group was joined by a tall, butch man with a cane, and none other than Blake Schmidt, king of the shithole she was stuck in. The mouse followed them down, down, and even past the room where she was locked inside. Down, down, until Blake opened his mouth and announced that they had arrived.

Her mouse hid in a doorway nearby, and it watched as Blake tapped magical runes with a curious orange light, and allowed her a glimpse of what was inside. Magically enhanced equipment cast in a blue hue by the overhead lights. No notes in sight as the door shut behind them and left the hotties outside with their colleagues.

Liz sighed, and allowed the mouse to crawl under the door it hid by. She released her spell, and the carcass soon became an empty shell on the floor once more. Returned to rest.

She opened her stormy blue eyes, and now she looked upon the room before her with a determined gaze. It seemed like the Coven were on their way. She’d found herself at the perfect place to meet up with them, too. But with the way things were going up top, she wasn’t sure if all the manpower and undead above were overkill or if the Coven and their friends truly posed that much of a threat to Blake and his cronies.

So, what could she do to help them? How could she prove to Drake Blackmore that she was worth his trust? He’d reached out to her in the hopes that she was anything like her cousin, and she needed to show him that she was.

Well… she could do that once she found a way out of her predicament.

Her predicament, of course, was obvious with the way her wrists and ankles bound tight against her pale skin. Whoever Blake had working under him snatched her from outside of Lyss’s apartment that morning. She’d already been disappointed that she left it empty handed, but to immediately run into trouble after that just left her frustrated.

Not even a full day in St. Portwell and her cover was blown. She wasn’t even sure how it had happened.

What made it even worse was the fact that they’d dragged her to this place and stuck her in one of their freaky island rooms. They said she was supposed to wait here for the after party. Something about the “main attraction” of the night once they succeeded in their plans. She wasn’t going to stick around long enough to find out what that meant.

Her nose wrinkled as she realized how she could get out of her bind. Sure, she could have had the undead mouse chew through the rope before, but of course her mind was too busy wondering where the hell she was to think of it. So, she was left with one option now. One gross, but possible way to free herself.

She frowned as she scooted herself over to a shelving unit, where bottles of Johnson’s baby oil sat on the shelves by the dozens. The other half of the room had shelves of lube, too. She definitely didn’t need to find out first hand why he needed this much of either.

“Schmidty’s a real freak.” She muttered.

A moment of struggle with her bound feet and soon she had pushed off her mary janes. Even without her shoes she couldn’t wiggle her ankles free. She’d have to go all in, if she wanted to free herself. So, with a huff, Liz turned to the shelf and grabbed onto it with both hands. She pushed her rear end off the floor, while her hands slowly pulled her up until she stood at her meager height.

“Please don’t go all over me.”

She took one of the bottles off of the shelf, popped the lid, aaaand proceeded to get it all over herself as she aimed for her arms. She gasped, dropping the bottle onto the floor where it splashed onto her feet and ankles and soaked her socks.

“Fuck. Great. It got in my hair.” She frowned as she looked down at her oiled up clothes. She wiped her face off with her hands and shook them out in front of her to let any excess oil drip off of them. “This better work.” Because if it didn’t she was going to be pissed.

“Thank the Hound,” she soon said as her wrists slipped out of the rope with ease. She grabbed onto the shelving unit, starting to wriggle her ankles free without a thought for the slippery floor. One popped loose, and in her success she forgot to watch where she put her feet.

She slipped, and it sent her careening into the shelf. Which proceeded to topple over, knocking over nearby shelves until half of the room was an oiled up mess of busted bottles and fallen shelves. Liz, now sitting in a pool of baby oil, cursed as she rubbed her sore rear end.

I gotta get out of here.

Carefully she crawled over to her mary janes, leaving a trail of oil in her wake as she made it onto a dry bit of flooring. She’d at least been smart enough to make sure her shoes would be clean of the oil. So she popped them on, adjusted the tightness around her slippery socks, and gingerly made her way around the pools of oil until she made it to the door.

The lock was easy work for her once she pulled the bobby pins out of her slick hair. Her black and white tresses fell limply around her face as she stuck the pins in and twisted them around until the lock clicked. She dropped the pins onto the ground, pushed her sticky hair back, and took a deep breath.

“Time to cause some chaos from the inside.” She muttered, before she pushed open the door and turned for the upper levels.

---

---

Sully lagged a little behind the other members of Greenwood, his typical bombastic arrivals announced only by a low whistle as he took in the architecture of the Eleventh Path. Jack and Ken had done well for themselves. Maybe they would let him crash on a couch here once the winter ruined the novelty of a Greenwood campout. He was dressed in his typical lumberjack special. His eyes were red and puffy, and for once it wasn’t solely from standing too close to Ruby when she sparked up one of her booty blunts. Considering his closeness with Auri, Britney had given him the bad news earlier. The morning, simply, had sucked.

He had to basically force himself to show up for two reasons. The first was for Auri. The second was that he was Greenwood’s representative, a “fact” that he would’ve started to question (given that the top dogs of Greenwood had shown up today) if his mind wasn’t focusing on other things. Things like how he had this whole representative/politician bit planned out where he would’ve shown up in a suit with his hair slicked that was ruined by Father Wolf striking again, or what he was going to do now with a box full of “Vote 4 Sully” stickers, or why he had even thought the bit would’ve played in the first place. Then there were things like what he should do for Auri's sisters or her boyfriend, like if he should text them or go the extra mile and make a phone call, and then what would he even say, and if they would want to hear it.

Sully nodded his head along dumbly as Ruby went over the details regarding the raid. She had already briefed them earlier, so he had the jist: magic storm thingy, rich dude fuck island, Call of Duty Nazi Zombies, and a hungry puppy. His blank expression shifted to a sudden repulsion when Octavia mentioned Scott Reese. He perked up a bit as the art bros started introducing themselves, laser focusing on the sci-fi looking piece Riley was carrying. Were they all getting magic guns then? Were Sully’s years of destroying preteens at the Laser Quest, who had come for a shitty birthday party and instead got a laser ass whooping to the soundtrack of Grease so bad that they couldn’t Summer Nights without starting to shake, finally about to pay off? Had Octavia made a horrible mistake by offering up the weapons in their vaults?

The answer to these questions were: hell fucking yeah they better be, of course it would, and definitely not, what could go wrong?

“Sullivan McPherson. Call me Sully. I got a magic cup. The drinking kind, not the protection kind,” said Sully, introducing himself to the 317 with a little at-your-service salute. He pointed to Riley’s Plasma Launcher and gave Octavia a flash of the ol’ puppy dog eyes. “Can I get one of those bad boys?”

---

“Thank you, Jack,” said Sloane, lifting up the Brass Needle with delicate care as if it was fine china with a crack already in it.

She paused, meeting Jack’s eyes yet again, her stomach knotting. She should probably apologize to him for having been so curt with him as of late. His attempt to try and peek over the privacy fence she’d put around her as if he was a nosy neighbor had been irksome, but it had been with good intent. It was clear, between the effort he’d gone through with Ken to build this sanctum to putting his life on the line to retrieve an artifact that could right the wrong of another, that Jack was dedicated.

Sloane wetted her dry lips, rolled her eyes, and scooped the Stasis Hammer and the Map of Theseus up instead, awkwardly trying to juggle the artifacts back to her seat like the jackass at a grocery store who insists that they don’t need a shopping cart. Time was short and her stupid magic took too long. Besides, she doubted Jack actually even cared what she thought of him. She visibly winced as the artifacts dumped a little louder than she had anticipated onto the table before her, preemptively waving off Anya with the back of her hand in such an aggressive fashion anyway else would’ve read the sign of “I’m fine” as “fuck off”.

However, Anya did not turn, or at least not immediately, and Sloane’s hand fell limp as if all of the bones had been removed from her wrist as she saw that her friend was distracted by Olivia. Her jaw tightened as she sat back down, turning her shoulder ever so slightly to the pair. She pulled out her Channeler as she sulked, moving the card closer to the hammer, and stopping as she overheard Drake circle back on something she had missed. Scott Reese was alive? Then wouldn’t that mean the Stygian Snake could still…? Pieces of a puzzle clicked in place, or perhaps it was better to say that some rough mental gymnastics forcefully slammed them together until the cardboard bent enough that the pieces fit. A rare look of panic crossed Sloane’s face as she glanced across the table towards Lynn.

---

”I'm just worried because, unlike some of ya'll, I got other people on the line here. Other people that can't handle that monster.”

"Hey now, no need to fret, Blackmore! C'mon... 317 ain't exactly the benchmark when it comes to combat Adepts: No offence to you guys, of course, you do what you can. But Linqian was never one of our best either, right? I can handle her and Aryin at the same time, confirmed by several recent tests too. So, I think it's in our best interests that if Scott Reese shows up to play, you leave him to me," boasted Leon "Just give me whatever artifact you want applied to him that you think would weaken him, and boom: You lose one asshole for one asshole. Equal trade in terms of effort and power."

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, dude, where’s all the shit gonna go if we lose our asshole? And what’s this about worrying?” shouted Sully, giving Drake a slap on the shoulder. “Worrying? You’re worrying? Man, the one who needs to be worrying is that bitch ass Scott Reese. Look, check this out.”

Sully split the difference between Drake and Leon, gesturing from one and then to the other as he hyped them up.

“Over here we got the goddamn Thunder God Drake “Raiden” Blackmore and over here we have the Big Bad Wolf, Leon “Motherfucking” Richoux. You throw in me, the Water Boy,” Sully winced, gave it another shot. “The Juice Man!” Hard to say if that was any better. He said it again, uncertainly, “ You throw in me, the…the Juice Man…and what’s Scott Reese gonna do? Nothing. Scott Reese ain’t gonna do nothing. He gonna walk back in that ocean and disappear for another ten years. Squad up, boys. We got our Team Aggro right here.”

“Art bro! Strap me,” said Sully, holding his hand out in anticipation for the plasma rifle. His eyes widened as he finally fully processed what Leon had inferred about Linqian and Aryin, a hint of sadness being buried alive by a red nose and bright, curly wig as Sully reverted back to clowning to keep the mood light. Forgetting all about the gun that was surely being tossed his way right now, Sully lifted his hand up for Leon to give him a high five. “Oh, sick man. Nice!”

---

With all of Sully’s antics going on Sloane was certain that Lynn wouldn’t pick up what she was trying to nonverbally communicate. She sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. Whatever, it could wait for after their field trip to Elysium Island. She slumped forward, propping her chin up as the covens started to divide themselves into teams. Before this kicked off she’d need to hit up Sully for a drink. Hopefully the Chalice could heal fatigue.

“A coordinating group would be wise,” said Sloane, backing up Anya. She tilted her head towards Luca, “I’ll go with you. No doors will be safe between the two of us, and I might be able to disable their guardian.”

_{Interactions: Luca (@FernStone), Adora (@Shin Ghost Note), Sully (@Atrophy), everyone}

---

Aislin perked up as the 317 filed in, waving her hand. ”Hey guys! I brought wine, you should try some.”

Layla and Alizée both looked to the 317 in tandem, nodding. Layla offered a smile.

”I think smaller groups still is a better bet than all living together. There’s too many clashing personalities here… and someone like me, who will just destroy anywhere I live. It won’t work out. We can’t force everyone, anyway.”

Aislin gave a nod, shrugging with open hands. ”Well, I can't argue with that.”

Layla's eyes hovered on Luca for a moment. Had they spoken with Leon? How had it went? She wanted to ask, but alas, the meeting was now in near-full swing. So, Layla simply took another sip of her wine, and continued to listen.

That was when Layla felt prickling on the back of her neck, and scanned the room. Her eyes fell on Clancy's, and the quiet fury he was exuding felt like it punched a hole in her. Self-conscious, Layla distracted her gaze by staring very, very hard at her wine glass.

"But our primary goal is the artifacts: The Map of the Drunken Sailor and the Mirror on the Wall. They are information-gathering tools, which is what we are after. They will point us in the right direction, and lead us to Father Wolf."

Alizée's chains swirled where she hovered, a tick. She was deep in thought, eyes glancing to Layla now and again. Having unpacked Layla's memories, Alizée was well aware of the need for information, any information, that would bring them closer to unraveling the serial killer that threatened their lives, and Layla's life.

But were two artifacts worth the sacrifice this fight would no doubt extoll?

”... Luna was playing us. Greyson killed her, though."

The color drained from Layla's face. Luna? Dead? At the hands of Mr. Devola, no less. Weren't they friends, though? What had happened to cause bloodshed between two Sycamites?

Layla felt a bitterness on her tongue, and hung her head quietly.

”Layla, how are you doing? Those people... They didn't hurt you or force you to do anything, right?”

Layla pushed down her sorrow and guilt for a moment, looking over at Adora with a small smile. Ah, Adora. One friend she could count on, yes? Layla's thoughts drifted back to the Adjoining, on what she learned about the Temple. She had complained to Luca already, surely, there was no need to voice her concerns further, yes?

And it was true, then Temple hadn't forced her to do anything.

Layla nodded. ”I'm doing okay. They didn't force anything, promise. And uh, Alizée and I are getting along nicely. She's still her old self, though she doesn't remember.

“Thanks for asking, Adora.”

Alizée's gaze was on Adora as Layla accepted the apple, vividly remembering her aggressive introductions. Self-conscious. ”My apologies if I disturbed you the other day. Yes, Layla's fine. Eating better too.”

Layla took a small bite of the apple. Sweet, and crunchy.

Before she almost choked on it as Ruby leveled a gaze that could kill at her.

”If you're going to apologize to them...”

Layla's face flushed with embarrassment. She stood from her seat, and bowed her head slightly, addressing Ruby. ”Sor-sorry for the other day.”

Before she sat back down, and listened to the plan that Ruby and Greenwood had.

"We're going to be up against assholes with guns. Assholes with magic… But, if you decide to help, we will split the artifacts three ways - including the two artifacts Britney wants so badly.”

”You sure about this?” Alizée thought mentally to Layla.

Layla, shamefully ignoring Ruby’s gaze, only mumbled mentally back. ”We need those artifacts. Auri is dead. Who knows who will be next…”

"Physical arms and armaments, Lux boosters, healing salves, the list goes on."

Layla perked up upon hearing Leon, and the adjoined pair seemed to relax somewhat in the presence of Temple’s finest. However, Layla's intrigue was piqued. She wasn't aware of the Temple's healing salves. The sedation medicine, yes, but this? Interesting.

“Worrying? You’re worrying? Man, the one who needs to be worrying is that bitch ass Scott Reese… Over here we got the goddamn Thunder God Drake “Raiden” Blackmore and over here we have the Big Bad Wolf, Leon “Motherfucking” Richoux. You throw in me, the Water Boy. You throw in me, the…the Juice Man…and what’s Scott Reese gonna do? Nothing.”

“Yeah, you said it, Sully!” Aislin cheered from her seat, raising her glass in a toast.

Layla and Alizée glanced each other with dark looks. Scott Reese. Just the name was enough to elicit uncomfortable memories for Layla. But the two were in agreement. Team Aggro would be able to handle any stupid Stygian thrall. That left…

”I want to be on the artifact team. We'll… figure out something with the Starving Dog.” Layla said, glancing at the group around her.

Aislin nudged Layla. ”Count me in too. Come on, it's a dog. All we have to do is distract it and let me bend the door open! Bam, all those artifacts will be ours.”

”What if we're not able to distract it, though?”

Aislin merely grinned, nudging Layla again. ”You doubt me? Oh ye of little faith. Then I'll make the Starving Dog sink in a hole it'll never crawl out of. Those artifacts are as good as ours, I promise..”

Alizée listened to Aslin and Layla go back and forth, before she raised a hand, addressing the group. ”Say you get the artifacts. Say you kill a couple of them. How are you getting off the island? Not everyone is lucky like Layla in being able to void-step. You will be disorganized and weak. Some will be disconnected from the group, to be sure…

“How does everyone make it home?”

---

Clancy had little to say on the matter of the conjoined girls. Both victims of a parasite, and now...

Layla claimed there was no force in the matter, but Clancy had been for long enough to know that force went beyond the physical. Sweetened words, promises, threats... some had tried it on him while out foraging, and come to regret their tastes shortly afterwards. Leon, now back to normal form, had a literal devil on his shoulder, whispering poison into their ears.

Clancy knew that he himself was proof they couldn’t be trusted, and both Luca and Lila’s circumstances had only reaffirmed that view. Parasites, through and through.

But it was done, and there was no separating the two now. He could only think over the names being bandied about.

Scott Reese. That meant nothing to him, as far as names go, other than he seemed to be difficult to deal with. Monstrous or not, raw strength by itself did not make him pause.

Be, Todd.... he hadn't known much of them.

Auri, the flower girl. She had meant more - had been closer to Ashley at one stage - but even so, Clancy hadn't much to make of her. She'd tried to organise them, and by all accounts had struggled doing so, given the divisions between the old coven. Much of his attention and subsequent suspicion had been reserved for Britney. Even now, even after the cautious agreement that he'd proposed. The only thing he could trust was that she didn't particularly trust him.

The dangers they spoke of carried weight.

None of it particularly frightened him. Even the prospect of facing the hitwoman and associated agony did not stir fear in him, not like that. It was failure that made him wary. The prospect of failing to end Father Wolf. That he would kill the rest of Ashley's friends.

Some of them weren't assholes, and didn't deserve to die that way.

That gave rise to another thought, buried at the base of his consciousness, for in truth there was a selfish element to keeping close to Luca, Lila and the others.

Whether he wanted it or not, as long as they were alive, if not well, they served as bait, the prospect of an attack dangling over their heads. While Clancy was with them, there was the hope he could stop the killing once and for all. Part of him might have even hoped Father Wolf would try, if only so he could gnaw on the murderer's bones for what they had done to Ashley. For taking that last vestige of family away from him.

"You're serious." Clancy finally noted, and there was no sarcasm or incredulity masking his tone. It was an acknowledgement that they had something of a plan. "I want Father Wolf. Some of you probably do, too." He didn't clarify his meaning, and left that open to interpretation. "You've... seen what I can handle. Some of you, anyway. I don't know if they'll smell me from a mile away, but if Sh-... if the old man's hired woman knew, these people probably will too. What's the plan for getting in?"

Clancy leaned in, ready to ask a few more probing questions. "Elite. Heard a little but not much. Who are they? Names, faces?” For a moment, he considered the matter. ”Same for House of Cards. Names and faces.”

He was, after all, still a stranger in this town, even if he’d found a shade of trust in some people here.

"What's the dog supposed to be, big?" Clancy's mind thought back to the dog-like creations that asshole biker boss had sicced on him, a chimera of dog, deer and sheep. "If it gets in the way, I'll deal with it."

If it was anything like those creatures, it would take a beating, throw him around, gnaw through the facade, but he didn't tire, and he didn't hurt in most instances, it would be a matter of breaking it down until he was the only thing left intact.

Layla's question about who would make it home had reminded him of another concern, perhaps a little more urgent to him. "How do you make sure the things we need to find him make it off? Who takes them?"

---

---

"Hey now, no need to fret, Blackmore! C'mon... 317 ain't exactly the benchmark when it comes to combat Adepts: No offence to you guys, of course, you do what you can. But Linqian was never one of our best either, right? I can handle her and Aryin at the same time, confirmed by several recent tests too. So, I think it's in our best interests that if Scott Reese shows up to play, you leave him to me. Just give me whatever artifact you want applied to him that you think would weaken him, and boom: You lose one asshole for one asshole. Equal trade in terms of effort and power."

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, dude, where’s all the shit gonna go if we lose our asshole? And what’s this about worrying? Worrying? You’re worrying? Man, the one who needs to be worrying is that bitch ass Scott Reese. Look, check this out. Over here we got the goddamn Thunder God Drake “Raiden” Blackmore and over here we have the Big Bad Wolf, Leon “Motherfucking” Richoux. You throw in me, the Water Boy. The Juice Man! You throw in me, the…the Juice Man…and what’s Scott Reese gonna do? Nothing. Scott Reese ain’t gonna do nothing. He gonna walk back in that ocean and disappear for another ten years. Squad up, boys. We got our Team Aggro right here.”

Drake couldn't help but crack a grin. Sure, he was worried about Victoria. Sure, he was worried about the triplets. Sure, he was concerned about everyone, but he knew that the four of them (including Stormy, who was silent the whole time) could kick Scott Reese's ass from one end of St. Portwell to the other. He laughed at Leon,

”... I'm going to tell her you said that,” Drake said before laughing. ”But, you can't take that monster alone. I'm not going to let you.” Drake nodded before he turned to Ruby and took a step forward.

”I'm going aggro,” Drake said, as his left hand began crackling with electricity. ”They'll be so worried about me that they won't even realize we pulled a fast one on them until it's too late!” Drake laughed.

---

---

”I'm doing okay. They didn't force anything, promise. And uh, Alizée and I are getting along nicely. She's still her old self, though she doesn't remember.

“Thanks for asking, Adora.”

”My apologies if I disturbed you the other day. Yes, Layla's fine. Eating better too.”

Adora smiled or tried her best to smile. Did Adora trust the Temple? No. Did she trust Layla's word? No. However, it was not her tree to bark up, or her business to stick her nose into. As she kept preaching to the social rejects here, you can't help people who don't want it. She was glad that Layla took the apple and was eating it, and seemed to be happier with Alizee (?) adjoined to her - though she treated this Alizee as a whole new entity.

”I'm glad to hear it, just let me know if you need anything,” And Adora left it at that. However, she turned towards Alizee. ”And... don't worry about it. That meeting was looong over before you even showed up.” She shrugged. She wanted to say it was pretty much over when Layla opened her mouth about Naomi, but Adora knew that Layla learned her lesson.

Hopefully.

”Sor-sorry for the other day.”

”C'mon, you can do a bit better than that,” Adora sighed, crossing her arms. Her gaze drifted over to Ruby, who was flat-faced. Adora knew she was fuming about that.

"I want to sit down and talk about that like we should have done from the jump," Ruby said to Layla with a nod. "Not right now, though. We have important work to do."

"Britney's here, Amara... We're trying to reduce the chaos of these meetings by having less people, remember? Besides, you should be asking me about ammo. He'd tell you himself that the Temple produces quality ammunition: We supply half the Western Seaboard's "religious" institutions with good shit. If it's for Sycamore, as much as you all may not want the help, the Temple of Charming and Graceful Individuals is willing and able to provide. Physical arms and armaments, Lux boosters, healing salves, the list goes on. Yeah, you would expect a price... Clearly you don't understand the kind of debt that some of our magical community owes to us. We're Goddamn Heroes, Anya. If we ask? We'll receive"

As Leon spoke, Adora narrowed her eyes at him. One minute, Adora was fine with him for his help at the Halloween Festival. As of yesterday, Adora found it hard to trust him with that whole mess with Alizee and Layla - even though it seemed to work out fine, there was something shady about the Temple. Well, aside from their business with Alizee's apparition.

Nothing good ever comes from cults either way. Though Adora wanted to ask if the Temple had ANYTHING that can boost her abstraction enough to be helpful. She didn't care if it did something to her because it was her choice and her body. She didn't care much if she died in the process of trying to get to the bottom of this. So, Adora raised her hand, and asked,

”You got anything that can help out an Aberration, Leon?” Adora asked.

"Whatever you guys want from me personally, I'm happy to do it: But, I only ask that you keep in mind I may not fully be in control of myself by the end of this. If the worst happens, stay clear of the big, grey and gold wolf-thing... And call my folks, I guess. Worst comes to worst, it's an island I can stay isolated on until I'm dead, or I can be put out."

I thought he was an Adept. Adora thought to herself before she shrugged. She was sure that a rampaging werewolf on an island wouldn't be the worst thing in the world - maybe. With the heavy hitters like Drake here, they should be able to take care of him, worst come to worst.

”I'm not going to be much good in a fight,” Adora said to Ruby - and the Coven at large. ”I want to help out, though. So, I'm going with the heist group.”

Adora didn't want to be around Britney or Sloane, but having Luca, Aislin, and sort of Amara, there balanced out the situation (Though what Amara told her the other day loomed over her and made it hard to wonder if she was a liability or not). Hopefully, everyone would be so focused on the mission that they wouldn't have time to chatter.

Adora leaned back in her chair.

---

---

”Okay, back up a second, I’m seeing a couple problems with this. The first one being communication. Like you said, we gotta just let this shit flow sometimes so a hard and fast plan won’t be perfect. But, how’re we getting everyone in gear for shit when we’re actually there? We just banking on teleported being enough when the Veil’s down? That’s gonna be a lotta people moving around, some of them might need to meet each other when they’re done, for backup. But that’s no big deal- I got an idea for that. I’m magically linked to all of them, like a hive mind. Four teams means I’d have one to spare if I gave up one for all four. Treat ‘em like they’re expendable when you’re in. They’ll fight and if someone happens, I’ll know even if you don’t radio in. I’ll send the extra in with your vault team, so two of them can deal with this “Starving Dog” thing. Based on what you’ve got here, the vault’s gonna be the most dangerous part of this even if you draw heat away.”

”But could we not have a fifth group - the coordinators? We had a control group during the fight against the Stygian Snake, or organised all the groups on the field - getting healers where they were needed, teleporters, and so on. It can be difficult for anyone in the heat of battle to do that. That solves the communication too - you all have phones, don’t you? Or we can go back to radios like we used to use? Easy to get a hold of. Means we’re not putting all the pressure on Amara.”

Ruby turned towards Anya, then back to Lynn, then at Amara.

"... I think we found a way for you to help," Ruby said to Lynn with a nod, before turning to Anya and Amara, "That sounds like a great idea. We can have some extra communication - which translates to extra coordination. Just let me know how many radios you need because I may have to pull in a few ^more favors. But, it's no big deal for the Spring Maiden." Ruby grinned at them.

”I have some questions. First of all, what’s the magical statue made of? Second, do we have any way to get into the vault itself? I assume it has some heavy doors we can’t just get through? I can probably help there either way, since I can rot just about anything. So I think I should go with the Artifact group, but that brings me to my next question… Does the Eye of Ankhara detect Abstractions that are always on? Or is it just active use?”

Ruby shrugged.

"The Starving Dog is made of stone or marble. I honestly don't remember."

”Marble,” Britney answered.

"Thank you, Britney," Ruby nodded her head. "And the doors are like... bank vault style. However, it's enchanted, so you can't just teleport inside. I'm not sure of any other enchantments, but let's assume there are."

She shrugged.

"When we were trying to break in a few years ago, our plan was just to blow the door down with magic, but if you have an easier way to open it - go ahead."

”Also, the Eye won't trigger off passive Abstractions.” Britney nodded.

”Say you get the artifacts. Say you kill a couple of them. How are you getting off the island? Not everyone is lucky like Layla in being able to void-step. You will be disorganized and weak. Some will be disconnected from the group, to be sure…

“How does everyone make it home?”

Ruby facepalmed at this.

"... The same way we're getting on the island," Ruby groaned with her hand still pressed to her face, but she released her hand from her face. "That's why we have a group to deal with the Eustis Veil, so we can just teleport off."

She looked at the group, "Worst comes to worst, we jack one of their sailboats and me and Amelia can get everyone off that way - but long as everyone is on their shit and we keep the Veil off, we don't have to worry about that."

”I still think a contingency is necessary,” Britney added.

Ruby rolled her eyes, saying, “Yeah, Britney, I understand. You’re always the one who wants to plan for the worst. But we gotta focus on the mission here: getting those artifacts and making those rich fuckers don't come after us when all is said and done." Britney crossed her arms and rolled her, and Ruby leaned in and lowered her voice. “If we overthink this, we’ll drive ourselves batshit before we even set foot on that island.”

”I'm not saying we don't get the artifacts or your payback,” Britney said, tone laced in venom and each word sharp as a knife. ”I'm just saying that we need a backup. What if- actually, nevermind.” Britney sighed as she just leaned back in her chair.

”I'll be getting the artifacts with the others,” Britney said. Britney did not like rolling with Sloane, Aislin, Adora, or Amara's weird little ghosts - it was a better option than rolling with Kenshiro, just not that much. However, she was at the point where she was just over it all and willing to do anything necessary to end this Father Wolf nonsense. That meant taking risks. She wasn't sure if this was an essential risk, but it is what it is.

Ruby gestured for everyone to gather around the map of Elysium Island, and then, she pointed at a spot on the wooded west end of the island. "There's a grove right here," Ruby said. "This is where we will teleport everyone, and from there we will quickly sort into our groups." Ruby then turned to Pearl who was desperately scribbling all of this down.

"Make sure you know where you're going to go because once we get onto Elysium Island, it's going to be-" Ruby paused momentarily to snap her fingers, waving her hand in front of her. Then, she turned her attention back to the map. "Once everyone is sorted out, everyone's getting in position. The Aggro group will wait in the woods right outside the mansion; the support group will also be in the woods right by them. These two groups should be able to see the entire mansion, and they will stay relatively close to each other. The Veil and Artifact groups will circle the island, Veil going north and Artifact going south - and someone please bring a compass. The island is wooded enough for you all to have some cover or get the drop on any zombies or rich fucks wandering around."

Then Ruby looked at Britney and continued, "After everyone is sorted and on the move, we will begin the assault on the mansion. The plan is for the 317's new power booster to boost Jess, and she'll fry the mansion - which should take out a majority - if not all - of them, and then the Aggro group will push in and keep everyone's attention on us. The Artifact and Veil groups will do their thing while Aggro gets all the smoke. And remember, this isn't about winning some fight; it's a distraction. Keep them focused on you, but don’t take unnecessary risks."

”And what about the artifact group?” Britney asked, ”If this goes south, everyone's gonna be too tied up to lend any help.”

“That’s why the Artifact group’s going in with minimal baggage. All you need to focus on is getting in, grabbing what we came for, and getting out. Don’t engage unless absolutely necessary. Just get the artifacts and teleport it all off the island,” Ruby shrugged.

”And if teleportation isn't an option?” Britney said.

"Improvise," Ruby shrugged again. "Like I said, we're going to be here all day if we overthink every single last detail."

Ruby tapped the veil's location on the map, "Remember. We have to keep the Veil off at all costs. I don't care if the other groups have to pull back - otherwise, we won't be able to get off the island and will have to improvise." Then Ruby glanced at everyone in this room. "Now, before I get ahead of myself, each group will be equipped with a radio and a flaregun - these will be the "team leaders" of each group and will have the luxury of coordinating with the... coordinators. If things go sideways, we get the fuck out of there - no ifs, ands, or buts. And for the love of God, don't try and play the hero. Drop whatever you're doing, shoot the flare into the sky, and regroup at the grove so we can all teleport off together or right then and there. Just don't leave the rest of us in the dark."

Ruby took in a deep breath, "Yes, this is longwinded as fuck, but I’d rather everyone knows exactly what they’re supposed to be doing instead of getting lost or panicking. The Elite are prepared, and we have to assume they know we're coming, and if anyone fucks up, that's the end of that."

Ruby sighed before looking between the 317, Sycamore, and then Greenwood.

"Now, if we're all in agreement, let's hurry up and get a move on already," Ruby began, "You all have one hour to get ready. Grab everything and I mean EVERYTHING you need. Make sure to dress up to disguise your identities. That way, they, or the magic Feds, can't come after us if it goes tits up and it'll trip them up if they are aware of us. They won't know who's who."

Ruby turned around and tapped her staff on the ground as she spoke to Sycamore,

"Thank you all for hearing us out; I know things didn't go super well last time..." Ruby shook her head, "But I'm glad things have gone better this time. I knew you all could do it."

She nodded at the four Maidens and Kashmira.

"Let's go."

Then they departed, and the plan was a go.

---

---

---

“... Where are they?” Naomi asked from the rooftops.

“Maaaaaan, I betcha’ they ain’t even left!” James said with a cocky grin on his face.

“They haven’t left yet,” Autumn said with a nod.

They stood on the rooftops, giving a clear view of the Harbor Lounge. Naomi held binoculars to her face, scanning desperately for their targets. “I can’t see them, they moved.”

“They’re still there,” Autumn nodded her head.

“See? We shouldn’t doubt Autumn’s little ghost!” James grinned at Naomi, and she rolled her eyes while scanning.

“Maybe we should have some members of Sycamore here,” Autumn shrugged. “They are helping us, after all.”

“Nah, we don’t need ‘em!” James said. “Probably too busy screaming at each other!”

“Come on,” Naomi said, “They’re not that bad… Just a lil’ messy.”

“People who are getting murdered usually are,” Autumn shrugged.

James threw Shango’s Axe over his shoulder as he turned around and looked at the members of the 317. He scanned them, eyes pausing on them for a moment before looking to the next one… and then grinned. “Hope all of you are ready for this! We are entering the big leagues!”

He laughed. “Meaning… literal and all-out war if this doesn’t go as planned! But, I’m certain it will all work out!”

Naomi shook her head as James continued.

“I mean, we survived the Nazis, and they were stronger and crazier!”

“I never imagined I’d be here,” Faith sighed as she looked towards Naomi, “but I’m ready. Those fuckers destroyed our community. They hurt my friends. If I was still in the monster making business I’d turn every last one of their leaders to send a message to their flock.”

“It’s a good thing that we’re out of that business,” Sypha responded as she looked towards James, “I don’t envy Octavia handling that meeting. I bet she’s about ready to quit, and I bet Ruby is feeling the second hand rage that Sycamore gives off.”

”I survived much worse than all out war,” Aryin said with a cocky grin as they shot out a wicked side eye towards James, ”as did everyone else. When shit gets going today I have a hundred bucks that says they carry the day,” Aryin grinned as they delivered the wager.

“Hey now, I’m not worried about you. You been through hell twice and came out just fine!” James shot her a cocky grin. “The rest of them, though, especially the newbies, have not.”

“That is fair enough,” Faith responded with a sigh, “I know we needed the boost after the fight and some of these newbies are incredibly strong. But I wouldn’t be honest if I said I wasn’t worried. I guess we’ll learn soon enough if it was a good idea, yeah?”

“I dunno,” James shrugged before grinning. “If we live long enough!”

Naomi rolled her eyes. “I mean, before coming to St. Portwell, I didn't get into half of the supernatural fuckery that goes on here, and I did just fine.”

“That's because you're tough!” James said. “You were born and raised in the trenches!”

“... Hardly,” Naomi rolled her eyes before turning her head to Faith, “Surprised you’re not at the big meeting.”

“I hope Octavia listened when we said keep your expectations low!” James laughed.

“Well the plan calls for scaring some rich pricks,” Faith grinned as she used her eyes to look at the various pieces of jewelry that controlled her monsters, “and I am the best at that.”

“I know the 317 is itching to-” Autumn said. Naomi’s phone beeping cut her off from a text message she opened.

“... It's time,” Naomi said, looking up at Faith. “I'm going to let ya’ll take charge.”

“Alright,” Faith said as she took in a deep breath, “where are they?” Faith began to look down to the streets below.

Autumn pointed at the Harbor Lounge.

“In there,” She answered.

“... I hope you are not planning on having a monster charge in there dicks out,” Naomi said with a roll of her eyes.

“Oh god no,” Faith grinned as she walked towards the small shadow cast by the bezel top of the building. “Nothing so dramatic,” she finished as she stepped into the shadow, a hand reached out and pulled her into it.

Across the way inside the Harbor Lounge even the most observant of eyes might have missed a shadow dancing within the shadows of the room. The shadow was the Living Shadow and Faith, and they danced from shadow to shadow unseen and out of sight until they finally spotted the rich pricks and their escort. They were in a private room and this made it easier for Faith to launch her attack. Faith waited for a few minutes waiting, watching, before she decided it was time.

Two hands made out of the blackest shadow erupted from the walls, one grabbing Sylvia around the waist and the other around Johnny's face and neck. As soon as the hands had their grip, they pulled with frightening strength back towards the shadows from where they came.

Both Johnny and Sylvia hit the ground, immediately, a stream of poker cards came out of the sleeve of Johnny’s jacket and scattered. He looked up and a Taurus 44 appeared in his hand, and he aimed it at them.

“The fuck?!” Johnny shouted.

The hands shot out again, this time from under the table, and once again aimed at Johnny and Sylvia with the same intent to drag them into the shadows.

“Oh no you don’t!” Gabe shouted, she stuck both of her hands out and fired a powerful beam of concentrated light.

The room would go silent with the beam of concentrated light. The shadows all seemed to retreat to their normal places, and no further attacks were launched. Though if any eyes looked towards the light switch they would see a single hand reach up with a singular finger reaching out. The shadow turned off the light and launched a new series of attacks. As it did the darkness of the room grew as if the shadows themself were swallowing the group whole.

The next up to use their magic was Jake, who raised his hand into the air and a sun-like ball of like appeared and stretched outwards—shining an overpowering light in all directions.

“Sylvia! Portal!” Johnny shouted.

Sylvia quickly grabbed her guitar drummed the strings, and created a shimmering light purple portal - all of them promptly escaped into.

Faith instantly commanded the living shadow to bring her back to the group as the rich pricks started to head through the portal. As she emerged from the shadows, she looked at the assembled group of hippies. “They’re leaving NOW.”

“Shit! The Veil is still up, though!” James shouted, looking at Elysium Island surrounded by the Eustis Veil.

“... Then they must be teleporting somewhere else,” Autumn softly said.

“Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me!” James shouted. “All this for nothing!”

“Shit. Can you track them? I can be a little less subtle next time,” Faith groaned as she rubbed her head.

“I can’t find them,” Autumn said as she looked around. “They are outside of the range of the Adept Hunter.” She shook her head.

“The fuck did you do to them?” James asked Faith, laughing. “The point was to corner them!”

“We gotta send this up,” Naomi said, pulling out her phone and texting Ruby.

“I assaulted them from the shadows,” Faith sighed, “I thought the plan was to scare them into portaling home.”

James facepalmed.

“The plan was to get them to drop the Veil so we can teleport onto the island,” Naomi sighed. “But it sounds like we need a Plan B.”

”Well shit,” Aryin said with a sigh, ”spread out and hope for the best?”

“Oh lawd we-” James threw his hands into the air, except at the corner of his eyes, he noticed something.

The Veil had gone down.

“Oh shit!” James’ jaw dropped. “It’s a Christmas Miracle!”

“We gotta get on now,” Naomi said.

---

---

After her conversation with Mika, Lin waited anxiously at her table. She was unsure how the Sycamore Tree Coven was getting on this island, but she knew they would likely get cut down. Not that she cared about them at all (The gene pool would thank them for that one). She was hoping they would create a big enough distraction for her to snatch the notes-

Lin's phone rumbled from within her purse. She had forgotten she had it on silent, but she quickly unzipped the designer purse. She looked at her phone and saw that it was Jake. She remembered that he wasn't on the island as he wasn't a member of the Elite; if they were, it would be easier to get the notes off. However, she answered the phone, and before she could get out a "hello" Jake spoke frantically.

"... Lin! Are you okay?!" Jake said.

"Y-yes," Lin stammered for a second as she stood up. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

"We got attacked at the Harbor Lounge," Jake said, "By some shadow creature. We teleported out of there before it could hurt us."

He sighed, "We're at the Valos Manor now."

Lin tapped her chin. No doubt it had to be Sycamore's doing. However, Lin was happy that they were safe. "Are you all okay?"

"They just gripped us up a little bit," Jake said. "We're all fine."

Lin paused for a moment... as an idea popped into her head.

"Can you do me a huge favor?" Lin asked.

"Yes, anything," Jake said.

"Can you have Sylvia on standby?" Lin asked, looking across the room at May and Rhea Pimm. "I'm about to do something stupid."

"Oh God," Jake groaned, "What are-"

"Just trust me," Lin said. "Please have her ready to open a portal the second I call you."

Jake sighed.

"Fine, do you need our help?" Jake began. "Maybe we can-"

"I got this, trust me," Lin nodded.

"Okay... just be careful," Jake said, "See you soon."

"Love you," Lin said before hanging up. Then, she kept her eyes on May and Rhea Pimm while she slipped her phone back into her purse. There was a subtle thrill to what she was about to do, but she kept her expression flat. The two sisters seemed to be obsessed with making their younger brother drink more and more. Going into their minds was the last thing that Lin wanted to do, but they were perfect for what she was planning - impulsive, stupid, and adrenaline junkies. Lin focused her energy and felt the gentle pulse of the Arrowhead as she activated her telepathy and slipped into their minds...

Isn’t it boring just sitting here bullying your little brother? Lin projected, her voice playful in their minds. What if you dropped the Eustis Veil? You could let some real excitement in!

As her influence took hold, Lin watched with satisfaction as their brows furrowed as if they were some hive mind. She nudged their thoughts further, feeding May the idea that breaking the Veil would be thrilling and a bold move that could earn them recognition.

A little chaos might be precisely what you both need right now. Who doesn’t love a bit of fun? Lin continued.

As Lin withdrew her mental claws, she noted the look of determination on May’s face and the excitement in Rhea’s eyes. The idea of dismantling the Eustis Veil was taking root, their thoughts racing with the possibilities of chaos and adventure... They got up and quickly skipped out of the building.

Satisfied, Lin kept her attention on her table and waited.

---

---

The two Pimm sisters went from the opulent mansion to the storm that raged outside. Adrenaline coursed through their veins, a palpable energy fueled by the thrill of the unknown. They skipped through all the zombie forces taking guard until they made it to the Eustis Veil, guarded by a team of zombies... which they shoved aside until they made it to the Eustis Veil in its massive glory.

"Oh boy! I can't wait!" May said.

“Are you sure about this?” Rhea asked, her excitement barely masked.

"Are you kidding?!" May laughed. "No orgy? No nothing?! Do you want to sit around in here and play with our dicks for how many hours!?"

"Oh, true!" Rhea said. "Let's shake things up, I'm gonna go crazy!"

"You're already crazy!" May answered.

"I know!" Rhea responded, "This won't be the fun kind!"

"Let's do it together!" Rhea said, raising her hand.

"Sure!" May said, also raising her hand, "On the count of three!"

"One..." Rhea said.

"Two..." Rhea said.

"... Three!" They shouted in unison as they trusted their hands forward and pressed it against the glowing orange runes of the Eustis Veil. The racing storm that created a forcefield over the island had dissipated through force of will, revealing clear skies...

"That voice in our heads better be right!"

"It was right last time!"

"... The time we blew up the last headquarters?!"

---

---

It's been an hour. Ruby was the first at the cliffside where she told them to meet, the one that gave them a perfect view of Elysium Island—wearing the Spring Maiden costume: a bright green hoodie, sweatpants, and ski mask with boots. The rest of the Maidens were in the same costume but different colors. Jess was red, Pearl was blue, and Amelia was orange. It wasn't long until the other two groups arrived, fully dressed and disguised as instructed.

Drake walked up, cracking his knuckles. He wore a black leather jacket with a black T-shirt, a black neck gaiter, cargo pants, worn-out combat boots, and a baseball cap. ”When's this damn veil going down?” Drake asked.

"Any second now," Ruby said with a nod as she pulled out her cell phone. "I guess I'll take this time to ask if everyone knows what group they're in and what that group will be doing."

”Aggro,” Drake said, putting his hands behind his head. ”A big ol' distraction.”

The next to walk up was Britney, who elected black cargo pants with a black hoodie and sneakers. She had a facemask on, a baseball cap, and the Noble Vow dangling in her hand. ”Artifacts.” Britney said with a nod. ”But if I can, I'm walking out with a TV.” She laughed.

Adora walked up, dressed as usual but in all black. She crossed her arms and said, ”We're pulling an Oceans Eleven on them.” She grinned from underneath her facemask.

Everyone else voiced their roles, and Ruby raised her staff in the air. "Alright, this is your last chance to back out! If you are worried or afraid, just step out now! Because once we get on that island, we don't have time to teleport people back and forth, you are committing."

”Ready as I'll be,” Adora said.

”Let's get it on, then!” Drake said, brushing his hands off.

"We gotta wait until we get the Veil down," Ruby said.

Britney raised her hand, ”Hey, I said it before, but overcommitting to one plan is-”

As Britney spoke, she got cut off by Ruby's phone beeping before she pulled it out and looked at it... her shoulders sank. "... Fuck."

”What's up?” Adora asked.

"Those rich fucks disappeared," Ruby said, "And we don't know where they went."

”... See?” Britney laughed. ”I told you-”

"Don't start," Ruby facepalmed. "The plan didn't work."

”Because it was a stupid plan!” Britney said, facepalming.

"I don't see you coming up with a better idea," Ruby said, "Your homegirl earlier pointed out a problem but also gave us a solution. You just bitched."

”I was trying to!” Britney said.

”I mean it wasn't a stupid plan per se,” Adora just shrugged. ”We just banked too much on them acting one way and made no plan B if they acted another.”

”See, Adora gets it,” Britney said, ”We set ourselves up to fail. Like they were going to themselves and drop the Veil just because ya'll bully some of them.”

”Bro, let's just find another way on the island already,” Drake just shrugged, throwing his hands up. ”Standing around arguing isn't going to accomplish shit.”

”Yes, I agree with Blackmore,” Adora said, rubbing her temples. ”Ya'll are giving me a headache. We still have a chance. Let's just figure out what to do next.”

"Okay, fine," Ruby said, looking at Britney, "You said you were a 'magical expert'. Do you know any other ways through the Veil?"

”Rumor has it that there's a moment where the storm calms down which can allow us to slip through buuuuuuut...” Britney explained, turning towards Elysium Island. ”Weather controlling artifacts or abstractions could allow us to slip through... can anyone do that?”

"We sorta had a guy," Ruby said. "But-"

Their conversation was cut off by the Eustis Veil going down. Ruby and Britney's jaw dropped as they stared ahead, at a loss for words.Ruby shouted, raising her tree branch into the air.

Amelia raised her hands into the air, and a wind appeared, carrying leaves—before the majority of the group disappeared in a flash, seemingly carried away. The other teleporters did their work and teleported the rest of the three factions onto Elysium Island.

Right in the grove...

---

The winds coalesced at the thicket, a grove flanked by trees, and then the Greenwood Coven and various members of the 317 and Sycamore appeared.

Giving everyone little time to get their bearings, Ruby got to work.

"... Okay! We don't have time to fuck around!" Ruby said in a hushed tone as everyone scrambled together. She went from the left to the right and said, "Artifact group here; the south of the island is that way, by the way," Ruby pointed towards the south beach. Britney, Autumn, Kashmira, and Adora formed up.

"Aggro group here!" Ruby said as James, Drake, Jasmine, and Lucia formed up there.

"Support group next to them!" Ruby said as Lily, Jessica, and Amelia formed.

Finally, Ruby pointed next to them and said, "Veil group here!" Naomi and Pearl formed up on command.

Then Ruby walked front and center. She clutched her tree branch and said, "Alright, no speech. Nobody got time for that. Everyone knows what to do - if you don't, then you better figure it the fuck out," Ruby said with a nod. Veil and Artifact groups hurry up and get a move on; we're going to light the fuse in approximately five minutes. So use this time wisely."

---

Getting onto the island was the easy part. Now came the calm before the storm, now came the hard part.

Stormy had gone off and changed into all black, covering his head with a hood and black bandana. Historically, this type of thing was how people covered their tracks, (because of course a history professor would think that way, the fucking nerd.) and go home alive. He stepped up with Drake and the Aggro squad. "Keep near me, and I'll keep all of you covered," he said, cracking his knuckles with the kind of stoic fury that mountains stood tall against time itself with. Green sparks of Lux sizzled down his hands and caught the wind, filling the air with a sound similar to sheet metal bending on a roof. These rich bastards would break against his shields, or he'd break them, whatever it took to bring everyone home alive. Stormy had been silently dreading this fight, but he dreaded every fight. There was always a threat of death, or someone going missing, and he was an Adept of the Spider. That sort of thing defined him.

"It's most of us against a bunch of aristocrats, and the plan is good. We've got this, so trust yourselves, okay?!" He said this to everyone. Stormy wanted them all in good spirits, as good as they could get, because a good start was everything in life. "Everyone here has seen worse than this! Good luck!"

"Now would be a damn good opportunity for Shock and Awe, Aryin- Speak now or hold your piece. I can get you in deeper for an ambush."

Amara was armored up in a way that felt all too familiar. Black riot gear, a black riot helmet, combat boots, gloves, the whole nine yards. She went back in time today, gripping a well-adorned Beneli M4 chambered with the Temple's renown Wall Shot; More pellets than mundane engineering could possible pack into a twelve gauge round. Across her armor, she had whole rows of the shells lined up in speedloaders, along with maybe a dozen magazines full of forty-five caliber ammunition of equal quality and source. Her phantoms fell in around her, and unlike the usual ghostly appearance, they were also armed to the fucking teeth. Amara had gotten in good with the Temple, promising goodwill and favors in return for them going the extra mile to arm her gravebound warriors. It wouldn't do good to disguise themselves if her ghosts gave away who she was, after all. So each one was damn near identical to Amara herself, armed with a shotgun and ammo.

"You heard the woman!" Amara shouted, as her phantoms stood by their appropriate groups. Two went to the Artifact team, and every other team got one. "We'll be in touch as much as possible- Even if you don't radio, my phantoms will give me a constant play-by of what's going on for you! If you need backup, everyone will know!"

The old carpenter of the 317 pulled his antelope mask down over his face, and the world became grey through his eyes. "I'm faster than most of you with this mask on," he announced in his gravelly tone. "I'm your sniper, and in-a-pinch medic." He pointed to a spear of gnarled, white birch slung over his back. "This heals someone I stick with it, if we can't heal any other way. I'll probably be the first to get somewhere else quick if another healer can't, so don't forget!"

He held a long and stout bow of wood in hand, and between that, the Briar Spear and his scepter of ash both on his back, Rohan looked like he was ready to kill.

And lastly, Jack became the picture of Death. He had abandoned the usual dark academic look, forgoing his woolen coat for a black cloak that hid his face. Shadows curled at his feet like smoke from a fire, ever the ominous and pointlessly dramatic man he was. He stood with the group intend on dealing with the Veil. "As I mentioned earlier, when we find the Eustis Veil, I'll banish it to Void at the earliest chance!" The Shadowzone could, hopefully, fit that stone in the living room now that most of it was empty. It definitely couldn't fit anywhere in the Eleventh Path without some dimensional string-pulling that would take too long for their current schedule. "If we need to retreat, remember that I can teleport us out! I have faith in all of you, and I will see you all back at the Eleventh Path when we are through!"

He hoped those words of encouragement would help whatever doubts they had. He was a confident, egotistical man to his core, and Jack felt that now was the perfect time for everyone to have an ego.

If all went well, everyone would meet back up in the pocket dimension, and they'd all get drunk over a victory.

_{Interactions: Jack (@Blizz), Artifact Group}

---

Aislin and Layla stepped through a separate portal, with Alizée following shortly after. All three were hard to recognize; Aislin had lent out masks to Layla and Alizée, and all three looked like they were prepared for a riot.

Alizée was hidden under a long maroon cloak, wolf mask baring its teeth over her face. Layla had wrapped a scarf around her head, cat mask with flecks of color peeking out from the dark fabric. Her dress was switched out for sweatpants and a sweater. Aislin had saved the kitsune mask for herself, hand painted in gold leaf, of course. She had a backpack on her, and a long gray shawl and yoga pants.

Aislin flashed Ruby the peace sign, before tugging on Jack's cloak, trying to lead him in the southern direction. “Enough with the speeches, let's get this show on the road!”

Aislin's enthusiasm was, as it were, contagious.

Layla winced apologetically behind her mask. Regardless, The Three Sisters of the Artifact Group were geared up and raring to go.

---

Liz was extremely grateful to have made it to the ground level of the mansion undetected. She figured Schmidt thought that since the grounds were so well protected that the inside didn’t need it. Bad thinking on his part, considering what she had aimed herself for as she snuck through the hallways.

Two sets of feet up ahead had Liz ducking into a doorway, pressing herself into her hiding spot as she heard the steps draw near. She held her breath. Two heads of blonde hair neared, but turned down a separate hallway leading outside. The women’s manic grins flashing for an instant as they looked at each other. Liz released the breath she’d been holding and thanked the Hound that she hadn’t been seen. Especially not by blondes with an unhinged air about them.

She stepped forwards into the hallway and found herself coming up on an open set of doors. As she peeked around the corner, she looked into the bar room and did a quick scan of its occupants. No one of note caught her attention, and with no one looking towards the door she quickly slipped past it and continued on her way.

She was nearing the main lobby now, where she knew the machine gun sat aimed for the front door. She shook out her sore wrists at her side as she decided the best course of action. Taking a moment in an empty doorway to breathe.

She could be subtle. A few undead could take out the man stationed at the gun, and then she could use the gun to mow the door down and hopefully take out some of the guns outside. It would conserve energy. Energy she knew that she would need to get herself off of the island without injury. Yet it would draw the attention of the undead outside to her, and she was just one woman.

The other Black Lux adept would know she was on the island either way, so what was the point of subtlety outright? Wouldn’t it be better to go all out at the start, and then tone it down once most of the threat was taken care of?

She took a breath.

Perhaps somewhere in the middle would work best. One big distraction, and then she could slip out with a smaller group of her undead to protect her. Maybe she could slip out the way those two blondes had gone. Steal a boat. Get off this damn island.

She knelt down to the floor, her knee slipping on the smooth surface thanks to the oil. Her palms pressed against the ground to regain her balance, and she focused. Her emotional field spread into the depth below as she summoned. Her eyes closed, putting full concentration into her spell.

The flooring in the hall before her began to crack and burst. Forty pairs of hands began to shove their way through it as her undead emerged from whatever hell she’d summoned them from. Two sets of large hands emerged next, and the opening in the flooring grew wider as two of her golems followed the thirty undead into the mansion.

She stood as tall as she could get, looking over her small army before nodding. Her hands gestured towards the main lobby. They knew what she’d summoned them for.

The forty undead entered the lobby first, taking the brunt of whatever attack the man at the gun would throw at them. The two golems followed behind, their feet thudding against the ground. One aimed for the door, intent on breaking it down. The other went straight for the machine gun, taking a few hits before it wrenched the gun off of the ground and held it in its arms.

The remaining thirty undead, having taken care of the guard, turned to shamble their way towards the front door.

The first golem shoved its mighty shoulder against the wood and pushed, and soon the doors burst open. The second golem stood behind it now and aimed its machine gun towards the army outside.

It pulled the trigger, and began to fire in a swinging arc at the machine guns outside of the door.

Meanwhile Liz took cover behind a wall and kept a lookout for any unwanted attention from inside. The chaos she started now overwhelming the front of the mansion.

"Sycamore better take advantage of this."

---

---

Luca grimaced as they got on the island, already feeling the telltale aches across his body that this wasn’t going to be so easy for him. As Ruby said there wasn’t time for speeches, and some people went into them anyway, he pulled a couple of bottle of pills out of his backpack. He pulled down the black surgical mask he was wearing to knock a variety of painkillers back with the simple plastic water bottle he’d brought along too. He didn’t look much different from normal - dressed all in black, every bit of skin was covered by some clothing. Only his eyes were visible as he pushed the mask back up over his face.

”Aislin’s right, let’s go.” Unlike Aislin, Luca didn’t bother with trying to drag someone along. Instead he just started walking as quickly as was possible for him in the direction Ruby had pointed. They didn’t exactly have time to waste. Not only was there a ticking clock against all of them, but he knew there was one against him too. Even the hour between, which he’d mostly spent resting, hadn’t helped much with the crap state his body was currently in.

But he couldn’t sit this out because it would make things that much harder for them.

”I can probably get us through the vault doors, easily,” Luca said as he walked, trying not to sound out of breath already. ”Like Sloane said earlier, no doors are safe between us. Unless it's made of incredibly thick plastic I can rot through it. Even if it's enchanted it won’t be a problem - the Rot’s strong enough to get through that. If it's metal like I hope- like most vault doors are- I'll get through quickly and easily.”

He was serious, not quite the normal smiley Luca - he wanted to get this done, and for everyone to be kept safe. He was worried. ”As for the dog… I can erode marble too, but I think I should concentrate on the door. It will hurt me as much as I hurt it.”

---

---

Once everyone teleported onto the island, it was only Anya and Lynn left on the cliffside where they’d met. While it wasn’t Anya’s preferred location for coordination, it kept things simple. They could see Elysium Island, and were definitely close enough for the radios to work.

Even not going on the island Anya had chosen to dress in a way that would make it more difficult to recognise her. A black hoodie with an embroidered rose design across one half, baggy black pants with chains hanging all across them, and somehow she’d managed to get all of her long, thick hair under a dark beanie hat. Combined with the much more intense makeup it didn’t look like her at all. Certainly not the refined image she always put on - but perhaps closer to how she’d been ten years ago. In her mind it was better to be safe than sorry. After all, she had vested interest in not being recognised by any members of the Elite.

”I know you don’t like me,” Anya said bluntly, as she unfolded two camping chairs she’d brought from her apartment. She sat in one and gestured towards the other for Lynn. At the same time she held out a radio to her. ”But let’s work together for the sake of the coven. Since there’s five radios on the island, let’s take two teams each, and whoever isn’t occupied answers Amara? Each is set to a different channel, but they should know which to use if they can’t go through us.”

“You’re right,” Lynn said in response to the plan, “we’re going to be the only thing standing between them and death more than likely. I can take the agro and support team. It’s easier to see the future I can actually see,” Lynn sighed as she sat down. “I am beyond worried about everyone down there,” Lynn confided as she sighed.

”As am I,” Anya responded after a moment. Of course, her worries were slightly different - worry of them failing, the resulting war it would cause, but there were the same worries as Lynn in there… for the few people Anya actually cared about. Sloane, Olivia, Jack (though she wasn’t as worried about him, that idiot was unkillable). ”Let’s hope the Elite are as incompetent as the rumours say. I’m just as concerned about infighting- especially the Artifact group. Britney, Sloane and Adora… Hopefully the cooler heads like Luca can keep things on track.”

“It’s the same as a decade ago. Hope for the teams to work together, but plan for infighting and chaos,” Lynn joked as she sighed. Lynn pulled out a chocolate bar and began to eat it. “I’m concerned about Lila. Her future is the most unclear,” Lynn confided. Sure, she hated everything that Anya stood for but she was also present when Lynn was at her most vulnerable.

”With the Maiden taking over?” Anya raised an eyebrow, once again rather blunt. It was the less carefully crafted Anya - the Anya that didn’t bother so much about coming across as a good person. Lynn already disliked her, and Anya didn’t care about changing that opinion. The people that did matter (namely Sloane) weren’t around right now. ”I’d be concerned. Her dreams are… chaotic to say the least. There’s a very real risk there won’t be a Lila at all with the way things seem to be going.”

Lynn shot a side eye Anya’s way. “Yeah, the future says she’s on the edge of a cliff. One misstep,” Lynn paused as she looked towards the city, “and we’ll have another city destroying threat on our hands. We’re lucky that she has a good head on her shoulders, anyone else,” Lynn’s eyes narrowed as they stared her point home to Anya, “and we’d be fighting the murder as we speak.”

Anya held up her hands, smiling at Lynn. It wasn't the normal fake one, or the rare genuine one, something more snide. ”I won't deny it. It's the same for many adjoined in our ranks - Lila, Luca, Leon… all a risk only kept contained by the willpower they all have.” Her gaze moved away from Lynn and towards the island. ”But threats we should all be preparing for in case their willpower fails.”

Lynn did not see Anya falling off the cliff ‘accidentally’ in the future but she’s been wrong before. This operation would prove to be the most difficult one yet. “Lila just needs our support. She’s got a good lock on the Maiden, as long as the fight is not too chaotic down there I know she’ll be fine. Luca as well. I don’t like using our adjoined like this though.”

”They’ve got support - Sloane, for one, has decided to take fixing everything upon herself.” Anya let out a genuine sigh, eyes moving back to Lynn, then down to the radio in her hand. She swapped the channels deftly to the artifact group's. ”They’re adults. I can't say I'm close to any, but would any of our adjoined sit out if asked? They're all… too good people for that. But I do agree, much as it may surprise you. They deal with much worse magical circumstances than Adepts like me.”

“Those of us who are cursed to bear the burden of these monsters always do,” Lynn said loudly, “at least they can do something about it,” she said softly.

Anya heard everything Lynn said, but didn't acknowledge it. She wasn't one to lie and try comfort her over it. Before she could say anything else, anyway, there was an explosion on the island. She shifted in her chair to look over there. ”Looks like it's starting.”

She pulled up her radio, holding down the button. ”Artifact team, what's your status? How far did you get? Over.”

Lynn saw the explosion and took a deep breath. Her eyes flashed green as she began to search for the answers to questions that were going to be asked very soon.

_{Interactions: Liz (@Skai), Blake (@Mixtape Ghost N)}

---

---

---

---

---

---

The quiet was shattered by the sound of heavy gunfire. Followed by footsteps.

Alexander reacted first, teeth biting down on his cigarette. ”Hit the deck!”

Immediately, the House of Cards and Zhu gathered at the front dropped to their stomachs, including the ones manning the machine guns. Just in time. The mansion's front door shattered open as two massive, heavy-set giants stepped out, one hefting their machine gun.

“So much for the back-up plan.” Alexander thought.

As bullets tore up their machine guns, Zi acted fast, summoning will-o-wisp ghosts, about ten of them, to face the giants. Immediately, balls of fire were slung at the one giant's hand that wielded the gun, then at his temple, stomach, and legs. The second giant responsible for opening the door was also bombarded with a few rounds of fireballs, aimed for his head, neck, and chest.

While the giants were bombarded, Zi opened portals on either side of the door, about twenty paces away. He raised a hand high from where he knelt, gesturing to the men around him.

“Get to the portal!”

In a matter of seconds, House of Cards men rushed into the portals, evacuating to the rooftop to where Jin was. Zi, too, fell back to the rooftop, but not before summoning another ten will-o-wisp ghosts to start bombarding the Undead beginning to shambles out from the door. Fireballs began raining down on the Undead, aiming for the head and neck areas with enough magical power to incinerate.

Alexander was the only one not to retreat. From where he knelt, he surveyed the damage. Two machine guns toast, and the third likely out of commission with the amount of incendiary damage it took.

He quickly pressed the comms in his ear. “Ma, we got company. It originated inside, some kind of summoner. I'mma find ‘em.”

”Sycamore?” Came Valencia's cool voice over the comms.

”Nah, nothing Luna woulda reported. The men are safe, but the guns are out.”

”Take the summoner out, Alexander. I don't care who they are.”

Seeing the Undead shamble, Alexander could only smirk. They were slow, and he was fast. And in a burst of speed, Alexander shot forward, the black electrical trail shimmering being the only hint of where he'd gone. Zipping through the crowd of Undead in an instant, he found himself inside the main lobby. He searched rooms, the base of the stars, joining hallways, until eventually, he came around a wall. And he found her, a small little thing with two-tone dyed hair, trying to hide.

Alexander bit down on his cigarette, smirking as he raised a hand.

“Gotcha.”

And he unleashed a black bolt of electrical energy directly at her.

***

Meanwhile, Valencia lowered a hand from her comms, turning towards Blake.

“We have guests. Whatever protocols you have for intruders, I'd suggest you employ them now.”

---

---

Sully engaged in some light stretching as the crew gathered along the cliffside overlooking Elysium Island, for once having an actual chance to warm up instead of getting tossed into a fight out of nowhere. He twisted and held with his left arm hooked under his extended right arm. This time there would be no random teleportation suckerpunches, no kicks in the nards, nobody forcing him to make out with a gun. He was on it. He had a cowboy hat pulled low and a bandana pulled high, with a strip of black grease underneath both of his eyes like he was about to approach the line of scrimmage. He switched arms and turned. The art bros had a limited supply of laser rifles, so Sully had the next best thing strapped to his back: the Soakem Mk V, a battery operated behemoth of a water gun with burst and stream options and sick LED lights. The bastard was so strong the guy at the store said it could strip the varnish off of a deck. It was a steal at only two hundred dollars.

Sully switched to some classic martial arts wax-on, wax-off posing that he’d lifted from some Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. Accompanying the Soakem Mk V were a pair of Pocket Rockets, single shot water pistols, one hidden in the pocket of his hoodie, the other in the hood. Rustling alongside the side piece in his pocket was a piece of paper torn out of a wide-ruled notebook, the little frayed edges tangling with the lint of the sweatshirt. Transcribed on that page was a fine little motivational speech Sully had poured his heart and soul into, something to give the boys and girls that little last bit of hurrah before setting off into the breach. Sully gave a spinning karate chop, letting out a yelp as his hand stopped just inches away from decapitating the beret off of someone in a balaclava and trenchcoat. Sloane took off her sunglasses, her expression seemingly unphased by almost getting her bell rung, and pulled down her face covering.

“May I have a sip from the Chalice?” she said, sounding absolutely exhausted.

Sully’s face lit up. “Hell yeah, dude. Open wide.”

“Wh—ugh!”

Sloane’s head recoiled violently as a blast of water hit her in the forehead. Sully winced and attempted to apologize to her, heavily sabotaged by his laughter making it impossible to get an entire sentence out. Sloane narrowed her eyes at him, took a finger, and squeegeed some of the healing elixir onto her lips. The exhaustion that was plaguing her was lifted, but a dark cloud still hung over the woman as she sharply turned from Sully, taking off her beret and pulling the balaclava off to use as a towel. His laughter, which had mostly been at the shock of having missed from such a close range, died off fully as Sully started to feel really bad. He called after Sloane and reached out to grab her shoulder, but she sensed it and jerked away before he could even grab ahold, firing off a look back at him that made Sully hold his hands up in surrender.

Sloane swore under her breath at Sullivan as she finished drying her face from the elixir, jamming her wet balaclava into the shoulder bag she was carrying, nearly pricking her finger upon the Brass Needle. A few other artifacts and Counterfeits were stashed away, should she need them, as well as a handful of knives with Hexmarks already prepped into their hilts and a few useless knick knacks she could use for Objects of Obsession. In her other hand was the Chrysalis Staff. She was going to pass it off to Sullivan, feeling that someone close to Leon should have it when the leash broke, but was too annoyed with the idiot to resist fantasizing about him being (lightly) mauled by the wolfman. Still, it should be in the hands of someone close by once Sully got his comeuppance. Her eyes scanned the “aggro” crowd, looking for someone in Sycamore she could trust with the Counterfeit. She shook her head, perhaps in disappointment, as she moved towards one of the few people she felt she could trust with responsibility—or at least she once had, some time not so long ago.

“Here,” said Sloane through clenched teeth, roughly shoving the Chrysalis Staff at Drake. For the first time in what felt like forever she didn’t avoid eye contact with him, a fresh shine of hurt reflecting in her gaze before it hardened as she motioned with her eyes towards Leon. “Just in case.”

There was a moment as she passed the staff towards Drake that her hand lingered on the object as if she had more to say. Instead, Sloane just rolled her eyes and walked away, ignoring the sharp pain that stabbed in her chest. She hesitated as the Eustis Veil went down, finally feeling the full weight of the gravity of the situation. She hung her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, fingers tracing over the ridge that had been healed by the Chalice after Drake had broken it. Her other hand gripped at her sleeve, remembering how Drake had jumped to her aid when she had nearly succumbed to the Rot. Her chest rose and fell with a heavy breath as she turned towards Drake, opened her mouth to say something else, and was poofed away by a teleportation spell.

---

---

Sloane trudged along the south beach of the island towards the cover of the woods with the artifact team, the nausea in her stomach from the teleportation slowly settling. Why hadn’t she offered an alternative form of travel like her boat? Choppy waters sounded like a quiet comfort when compared to the absolute gut wrenching stomach fuckery that was teleportation. The dread of everything in this underbaked assault plan going wrong was overshadowed by the worry that if it actually went right then she was doomed to suffer through another unbearable jaunt through space and time.

Before she put her mask on Sloane took one final deep breath to fully settle herself and pretended to finish adjusting something in her bag, slinging it over her shoulder to catch up with the others, quickening her pace to pass the others and join up with Luca at the front—of all the people there she was still the most comfortable around the person who getting close to could kill her. She glanced at him, noting his already heavy breathing, eventually determining that it would be a wasted effort to attempt to convince him to divert to the support or communication group instead. She had to trust Luca that he knew what was best for himself, and that he wouldn’t push himself to the point of letting the Rot take control. And if he couldn’t, she had a contingency.

“Unless we’re in a pinch, let me handle the breaking and entering first before we resort to the Rot. Any security doors might have fail safes built into them in the case of damage, and in this scenario the Rot is effectively a battering ram. My spells should be able to tiptoe past those securities, preventing further headaches. I also have a spell that could distract the dog, but I imagine with it being a construct it just might not do the trick,” said Sloane, loud enough to address the group as she turned to look back at them. “So that one is on all of you.”

The sound of machine gun fire and explosions rang in the distance.

“That was a fast five minutes…” muttered Sloane, looking at her watch.

It hadn’t even been five minutes. Ruby’s plan was already falling apart, it seemed. She picked her Channeler out of her pocket and unlatched the clasp on her shoulder bag, ready for whatever was about to come. She heard Anya’s voice over the radio asking for a status update and turned her head, staring at the radio in Britney’s hand. Sloane fell back and, without a word, extended her hand out towards Britney in a silent demand for the radio. Her face was a wall of impassivity, but she might as well had screamed “give it up” by the way her fingers curled and beckoned towards herself in a c’mere motion. An argument could be made that Sloane should operate the radio simply because with her Hexmarks she could maintain it hands-free, but it was clear as Sloane’s chin lifted when the handoff wasn’t immediate that this was a challenge for authority.

---

---

”I-”

Drake tried to say before Sloane shoved the staff into his hands and walked off. Drake could feel the disgust in her eyes... He knew he fucked up big and didn't even get a chance to apologize - though, he wondered how much of that was the Coven's fault. This stuff... wasn't Drake's style; he would rather have just shocked Leon into submission if it came down to it. Now, his hands are full! But, indeed, if Drake breaks or loses it fighting rich people, surely she can make another?

”I'll keep it safe,” Drake muttered to himself.

Though he was going to do his best-

Explosions and bullets rang in the distance.

"What the fuck?!" Ruby's head whipped towards the mansion so fast that she almost gave herself whiplash. "Who the fuck blew their load!? Was it Sycamore?!" She sneered at Drake, who just shrugged.

"Hold yer' horses!" Jess said, putting her hands on her hips. "We just got here! No one left!"

"She is correct, Ruby," Pearl nodded. "It's likely something else."

"Well," Ruby shrugged, looking to the left and right. "While they're distracted..."

Ruby turned towards Jess and nodded at her. Suddenly, that new 317 member, Lily, ran over wearing all black and a facemask.

"... Light the fuse!"

Jess had a devious grin from one corner of her lip to the other. "... You know how long I've been waiting for this? Boutta makes a name for myself."

"Do it."

”What? Are you going to flex at them?” Drake laughed.

Jessica walked forward - Lily mere inches away from her - as she walked into view of the mansion. She looked over her shoulder at Lily, who wrapped her arms around Jessica's muscular arms. Suddenly, Lily's skeleton and nervous system illuminated through her flesh as arcs of purple electricity went from her body into Jess', which illuminated her nervous system and skeleton.

"Jesus, Mami," Lily laughed. "You on steroids?"

"Naw! Everything you see here is natural!" Jess grinned as she raised her hands. The heat went up around the mansion; the sun began shining brighter than ever before - nearly blinding. Jess started to laugh as the heat could be felt from their position, and it reached the point where they couldn't so much as see each other. Then Jess began laughing before she screamed...

---

---

A beam of pure sunlight came from the heavens. It was massive, like an orbital strike, and it struck down on the mansion like God had found it blasphemous. However, the flash of light was so bright that it would have immediately blinded anyone looking directly at it. It took a few moments for the flash to fade, and Jess hit the ground, her right side incinerated.

"... Shit, shit, shit!" Ruby shouted as she ran over and knelt by her friend. "Jess!? What the fuck!?"

"The fuck happened?!" James shouted as he held the axe in both hands.

"I don-" Ruby shouted, "Sully! Olivia! Somebody! Bring your asses over here!"

Bullets began whirling by them. However, Stormy had erected barriers that blocked most of the gunfire. Drake quickly placed his back against one of the barriers. He peaked his head and noticed a legion of undead minions armed to the teeth coming towards them. Yet, he grinned. Too easy. One hand covered in lightning, and the other clutching this staff, he charged up one of his lightning strikes.

"Everyone! Stop gawking and attack!" Ruby screamed, kneeling, "I got this!"

James ran over to Drake and grinned at him as he leaned against the same barrier as him, with Shango's Axe hanging low. He flicked his axe into the air, and a barrage of lightning came down on the horde of zombies. Then he laughed at Drake.

”Haha,” Drake couldn't help but laugh himself. ”Show off.”

---

While she was impressed by how much damage her little army had done, she knew it was too early to celebrate.

She could see it all through her minions. She’d seen the men drop to the ground, her golem taking out a few guns easily. She’d anticipated some backlash, but the ghost army one of them created was outright overpowered compared to her undead. She cursed where she hid. The fireballs made quick work of her army, incinerating the golems. Her connection to them broke as they turned to ash on the stairs to the mansion.

Liz knew it wouldn’t be long before the thirty minions would join them, and yet the conversation the man was having with his earpiece caught her attention.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck."

She pressed her palms to the floor, already summoning her next army, but it was too late.

The man moved through her remaining undead like they were nothing. She lost sight of him in the mansion, and she couldn’t pinpoint him based on the sound of his movements alone.

Then he was standing above her, her eyes wide as she stared up at the smirk on his face.

Her jaw dropped as she realized how drop-dead gorgeous he was.

His hand rose to aim at her, then, and suddenly every rose colored flag about him was scarlet.

Summon, summon, summon!

A black bolt of crackling magic shot from his hand, aimed right for her chest, and Liz poured her energy into her palms as she braced for the attack.

The flooring burst open quickly, splintering around them, and a large hand rose from beneath the earth just in time to capture the impact of the bolt. The golem she’d summoned immediately burst into ash. Its body was no challenge for the magic the man had summoned, but it had served its purpose well. The particles filled the space between them, and while neither could see each other, Liz took it as a chance to run.

She bolted towards the foyer, running like her life depended on it. The sound of mary janes against flooring was the only thing he heard apart from a breathy taunt sent in his direction. “Bye, sexy!”

Her temporary escape wasn’t enough, unfortunately.

She’d just skidded around a corner, heart leaping in her chest as she saw the remains of the front door ahead. Still unsure if the man had followed her. With that type of magic, she imagined he was right behind her ready to strike again. Maybe he’d grab her by her hair, and the last thing she’d see before electrocution would be that darling face of his. It would be a nice way to go, despite the fear that shot through her spine at the thought of death.

Yet none of it mattered, either way.

She was running towards the door, towards possible freedom, when a blinding light suddenly filled the foyer. She shut her eyes tight, and threw her arms up into her face. Her feet tripped on air, and she hit the ground just in time for a huge blast to shake the mansion.

…

Everything hurt.

Her skin felt hot. Not even the fun kind. Just raw and boiling and painful.

She groaned where she laid on the hot flooring, and every twitch of her body sent licks of pain shooting through her nerves. The floor beneath her was like laying on a bed of hot stones.

The smell of smoke and the sound of crackling fire and bullets overwhelmed her senses. She squeezed her eyes tight before opening one just a crack. Her bleary vision was still fogged over by a white sheen left behind by the burst of light from earlier. Outlines of dark smoke and bright arcs of flame along the doorway were the only shapes she could make out.

The mansion was on fire, and she felt like she was already burnt to a crisp.

Get out. Need to get out.

She needed an ice cold bath and a heavy slather of aloe. She’d experienced enough sunburns as a child to understand why her skin felt this way. Except this burn was a million times worse than that. It was all over her skin. The light had cooked her right through her clothes. Her feet and most covered parts, thankfully, hurt the least.

She pressed her raw hands against the hot floor beneath her and whined as she lifted her head from it. Slowly, painfully, she pushed herself onto her scarlet red knees.

What the hell happened? She thought, wincing and whimpering again as she stumbled to her feet.

Her body was stiff as she moved. Everywhere her clothes touched her body felt like knives being dragged across her skin. She had half a mind to strip naked before she made it to the doorway, her raw hands grabbing onto the warm wood of the frame. Her vision was still impaired, and she had to rely on her memory of the entrance to decide where to go next.

There’d been grass just past the guns. Nice, green, cooling grass. She yearned for something cold against her skin. She’d have thrown herself into the water, if she wouldn’t have to walk so far to get there.

So, body quaking with the pain of her burns, Liz used every ounce of will she had left to stumble her way to the grass. She couldn’t care less about the undead outside or who had drawn their attention outwards. She needed to cool down, or she was going to faint.

Her body hardly made it down the stairs. The air outside already felt so nice against her scarlet skin. Steam rose from her body like she’d just been cooked. She literally had. Her pain was unbearable by the time she reached the edge of the sidewalk at the base of the stairs. The edges of her blurry and white vision were going dark.

Her feet had just stumbled off the edge of the concrete, her body crumpling against the grass, before she felt herself begin to faint.

The grass wasn’t cool like she’d hoped. It was ashen beneath her. Whoever had cooked the mansion had burnt the grass around it too.

"Water." She managed to croak before losing consciousness.

Leon had taken some notice of Sloane's passing of the staff. He doubted her intentions in the action, but now wasn't the time for questioning one another. It was the time for action. Time for-

^{"... THE POWER OF THE SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!"}

The absolute power of the sun smiting the hellhole before them was quite the opening flourish. Searing his retina, he instantly began to open Lelou's water and earth seals in order to regain his eyesight. When he did, his gaze was on Jess who had bitten the worst of it. His pack was laden with Temple-made goodies, and rather than break forward, he immediately slid to the side of the Greenwood members. A pack of the neon green gelatinous keylime pie filling slapped onto the ground next to Ruby and Jess.
"Don't feed her all of it! It's a triple pack, three doses, resealable - Just keep it on you in case you need more!"

Ken wasn't so patient. Nor was he concerned about the heat and bright light of the sun blast etching its way across the estate before them. It was par for the course in terms of what he was expecting: Big, extravagant displays of wealth demanded equally extravagant displays of destruction. Death on a wide scale... He only hoped Kari's journals were underground when everything happened. But that wasn't what he'd signed up for. He had some pent-up aggression that needed to be taken care of.
Leon'd explained what some of this stuff the Temple provided was supposed to do. It was interesting, but not something he necessarily wanted to put in his body after what Luca had been talking about... It didn't matter. It was necessary. This "Red-Pepper Jam" was meant to boost overall Lux conjuring, allowing the everyday Adept to pull from a level of strength they otherwise wouldn't be able to. But for someone like Ken, whose life was spent living and breathing the Lux that surrounded him, it was an altogether different level. Not only could he feel the anticipation of Purple Lux roiling up around him to crowd his body with its pressure, but the Gold Lux that came with it was like a folded-steel blade hot to the touch. It was driving his curse mark wild - There'd be no summoning under the influence of this drug. It would be too painful... Too dangerous, especially after the Gloom incident.

But it wasn't necessary. This kind of power was typically reserved for a partial merging through the Emperor's Tanto, but he'd left the sacred blade and it's guardian at home in the 11th Path to ensure his safety. Instead, he came brandishing a slew of alternative weapons. Forged by his clan, each reacted strongly to Purple Lux, holding a spell's influence without effort. It kept them locked in a slow orbit around him, just out of the range of being troublesome while still being in range for him to surge one or the other forward. Two massive kanabo, a dozen kunai, four different katana: He knew things would go flying, missing, break and shatter against the enemy. Better to have backups.
Deep breaths - Uncle Takedo's voice echoed in Ken's head as he began to take a step forward. Deep breaths to let the Lux flow across his skin like rainwater against a window. With the force of a bullet, one of the kunai launched out from the barriered sections. As it flew under Ken's influence, he continuously manipulated its mass and speed until a telltale explosion told him that it broke the sound barrier.

"Enlighten... Send."
In that instant, Ken was gone. Ahead, in front of the whole of the assault team, the ground buckled up into a fissure as he hit the ground with the force of a jet crashing into the earth. There was a massive puff of dirt and debris filled with the limbs and pieces of the undead horde, washing the impact site in sickly brown gore. A single slash broke through the cloud, Purple Lux rushing out from behind it in a shockwave that crushed the soft and supple forms it hit before crashing into the treeline nearby. A tree cracked in half, slumping over in an equal death.
Then it was completely dispersed: A massive purple sphere expanded across the field, creating a safe area with his defensive stance maximized for radius. Holes in the top-rear of the sphere projected his voice backward like a loudspeaker that blew over the sounds of gunshots.
"I will take ground! Move up behind me!"

Leon had already started to move out from where he'd been with Ruby and Jess when Ken made the next barrier ahead of them. It was a much smaller area to hide behind, but there weren't bullets flying through it, so it was safe in his eyes.
"Come on, Aggro! You bastards wanna live forever? Murakin's got the right idea!"
A few openings formed in the rear of Ken's barrier sphere, inviting those who needed the protection forward into his safety bubble, and the crater which it sat inside. As he waited, Ken heard Leon's loud voice behind him and nodded his head.

Slow, deep breaths. Slow. Deep. Breaths.
"Blackmore! Doomsday!"
There was a rush of fetid corpse air that rushed from the back of the sphere as Ken shouted, followed by an echo of a vortex forming. It was the housing necessary for Blackmore's hottest lightning to turn from the unconcentrated power of the sky into a fully realized miniature star. His hands were roiling the Purple Lux together, spinning the air in a trapped inner sphere that was only growing as he anticipated the inevitable heat. Anticipation, and slow. Deep. Breaths.