Rain hadn’t stopped all day in Bisontia but the panorama was no longer peaceful and reflexive. No, people were frantically running from place to place, making sure to contact their loved ones. The streets were suddenly no longer safe, for there was an unknown new danger lurking in the shadows. Maybe the worst part of it all, at least for the Sleeper population, was that they legitimately had no idea who or what was behind the attacks: usually a terrorist organization took credit for these sorts of things within the first hour or so, but not this time. Everyone was looking at each other with suspicion.

And to Morgana, it was simply delightful.

She hadn’t stopped shivering since their escape from the claws of the law. The pain of their shared spell had only subsided a little, but it was overwhelmed by the intensity of her heartbeats and the high of a job well done.

Hidden in the depths of the old, odorous sewers of the Capital, she sat on the cold ground beside Alexander, who was still recovering from the recoil of their shared spell. The amount of paradox they had to endure on their own bodies was way too much for someone’s mind to take it… and yet, Alexander smiled as he rocked in place, holding his legs close to his chest and taking deep, sharp breaths before suddenly standing up once more.

“I am ready!” He announced with a triumphant voice that echoed loudly in the rock walls of the sewers.

“Are you sure, my love? There is no shame in waiting a little longer…” Despite her own excitement to continue the operation, Morgana looked up at her beloved with worried eyes.

“We must strike while the iron is still red hot, my princess!” Truth was, Alexander was still feeling the pain coursing through his every nerve… but the impatience, the eagerness to go, it was simply too much.

“But where to next, my love? Shall we leave the Empire?” Morgana tilted her head.

“Not yet. There are still loose ends to finish up…”

A big, callous hand waited for the gentle touch of Mogana’s soft, delicate one, as he helped her back on her feet. A hug, a kiss… and then a magical gesture. And a portal of boiling tar would begin to open on the floor.

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To Gal, everything in Bisontia felt extremely awkward. With their similar take in language and culture, the Empire felt similar but different enough to the young man to make it uncanny. The way people talked, the scent in the air, the fact that it was literally twelve hours of difference from Rayah (the Portal Sickness had been quite harsh on the other members of his Coven, not so much on him); everything just felt terrible. And adding to that the growing concern about the state of his Grandma only made things worse… all young Gal could really hope for was to finish with his duties here quickly.

His Coven had been assigned to guard the house of one of the most prominent political figures in the Empire: Magistrate Lombardi, the leader of the conservative party. The man (a rotund, powerful Bisontian with little bushes of black hair around a balding head, and pale skin purposely hidden under layers upon layers of spray tan). Mister Lombardi had not been happy in the slightest, since he had been a vocal advocate for the opposition in the Empreror’s Council, constantly putting the Emperor’s decisions into question… so the sudden attack had made him one of the main suspects in the eyes of the Sleeper world.

He wasn’t particularly happy either when he saw his military arrive in company of four relatively young mages. Gal was the youngest of his Coven at 19 years old, but none of the other members really went above 25. He immediately called to complain to their higher ups, not even caring that the four mages were standing right in front of him.

“These are your ‘Special Forces’!? These snotlings!?” The man practically roared at the phone. “I could pick each of them and throw them to the other side of the wall! This is totally a move by that bastard Katsinger, isn’t it!?”

Alan ‘Low Key’ Katsinger was Lombardi’s bitter rival, a Magistrate for the Liberal party and a tireless supporter of the government. Of course, Gal had no idea of this at the moment. The intricacies of Bisontian politics were completely alien to him, so all the man was angrily screaming and accusing them of just came off as gibberish.

“Mister Lombardi, I assure you that we have spread our forces as much as we can for this situation.” The voice of Commissioner Jackson was not moved by the politician’s anger. “I assure you, as well, that Mister Katsinger has received the same treatment as you have, and that our Special Force Agents are as capable in combat as any other. So please, trust us.”

“If something comes this way you better PRAY I die, you hear me!? Because if I get hurt and I survive, you’re in for the lawsuit of your lifetime, General!”

Gal was still quite amused by the web of lies mages had woven for their operation. They were supposedly a wing of the Bisontian Government, a ‘special force’ to deal with the supernatural. Something akin to the famous ‘Men in Black’, a perfect disguise and a perfect story so well known that not many really bothered to question it.

Of course, this required them to be trained on and carry Sleeper weapons! A lot of times they were far more effective against the threats they had to face! But this time the debriefing had made it clear that they would be completely useless against this threat. What was that threat, exactly? It was still unidentified, but the current theory was a magical weapon of unknown nature, capable of causing terrible carnage.

They were also told that the possibilities of them actually seeing any action in this operation were very, very low. And yet, there was an air of unease among them. None of them really believed that.

The manor, a huge antique from the pre-revolution era in the north of continental Bisontia, was a wide rectangular building in the middle of a great field that had once been a cotton plantation, now a mere garden. It had been divided into four sections for its surveillance: Ceiling, Garden, Inside and Basement. While they decided who was going where, Gal thought they actually were quite understaffed.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He knew for a fact that there were plenty of agents in Continental Bisontia. Where were they now!?

To decide who was going into which section, they decided to leave it to the spirits and throw dice. The highest would get the cushiest job available (the order they agreed for it was: Basement, the Inside, the Ceiling and the Garden).

In a display of luck he has never had before, Gal got a six on his first throw. Many would have been happy about that, and the others at the coven were quite jealous! But Gal could only feel… nervous. His grandma had taught him to be careful of those little ‘lucky breaks’, for they usually signaled a coming prank from Lady Luck herself.

That’s how he ended up standing in the middle of an old wine cellar, armed only with an old 30 on 30, a radio and his cellphone as he did his first round around the huge complex. The monotony of the task soon grew taxing enough to get him to pull his trusty cellphone and start tapping away at the group chat.

GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: hey everyone

ケンジー・イズ・マイ・ワイフ!!!: Heyyyy Gal-kuuun n0n!

Jeepers creepers man: evening gal, where were you? it isn’t like you to disappear like that!

ケンジー・イズ・マイ・ワイフ!!!: Yeeeah we were worried! u3u

GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: oh I am fine, I just had a sudden trip to Bisontia

Jeepers creepers man: oh boy, is it bad?

GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: nah, just family stuff, nothing scary guys

ケンジー・イズ・マイ・ワイフ!!!: Oh good u3u if something happened to you we’d be super sad Gal-kun! Take care of yourself!

GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: you’re gonna make me blush now, you

GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: what’s up with all of you then? anything new?

ケンジー・イズ・マイ・ワイフ!!!: Well, I was discussing with Mort-kun about a new sword! nwn I want to commission him something special!

Jeepers creepers man: and I was telling her I can’t make her a weapon if she doesn’t have a license to wield Miracles.

ケンジー・イズ・マイ・ワイフ!!!: >n< Those are hard to get!

Gal sighed in relief. Things seemed to be just as he left them. With one exception…

GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: hey, where’s tav? Im getting used to see her at this hour

ケンジー・イズ・マイ・ワイフ!!!: She had to leave with 82 I think! =u= She’s in her training arc!

Jeepers creepers man: she promised she’d tell us what she learns ,in case she learns something new and mystical or something.

Urgh. The young man sighed and shook his head. Again envy pierced his heart like a cold dagger, but he was trying to make himself feel better. After all, at least she had the disposition of sharing the knowledge she acquired! Gal wondered how much longer would that last, though…

As he distracted himself with his messages and his growing envy, Gal failed to notice the growing puddle of bubbling, boiling tar, growing right behind him.

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Twenty minutes come and go as Mustafá and I try different card games. She teaches me the intricacies of ‘Go Fish’, a game that I’ve only seen in Bisontian Cartoons, and ‘Marriage Rummy’, a game that I had never heard of in my life. Meanwhile, I teach her the only card game I’ve ever been good at in my life, and that includes Trading Card Games…

“How did you say this game is called?” Mustafá says, checking her hand of cards and carefully arranging them in a fan, changing their spots according to some arcane logic.

“Carioca!” I reply, setting down a nice and beautiful run of 7, 8, 9 and 10 of hearts. “It’s not a hard game. I used to play it a lot with my cousins, back in the day.”

“Carioca… it’s just making poker hands.” She sagely nods. “A good practice for the mind.”

“I mean, most games we’ve played are about making runs and triads.”

“The human mind likes patterns, serotonin is bound to come if we indulge in these sorts of activities.” Mustafá immediately put down a run of an Ace, 2, 3 and 4 of spades, and a triad of fives. It’s been like one round and the bitch already is an expert in the game!? “Go fish.”

“That’s not how it works, also quit talking like a robot! I know you’re doing it on purpose.” I smirk a little bit, it was in good humor.

“This unit fails to see whatever you could mean, human.” She said, making a robotic voice with a completely straight face.

“Ah hah! So you can throw jokes!” I burst out laughing.

“Only when I feel like it.” My teacher shrugs softly.

“Well, I am glad you feel like it with me.” I smile, but then something occurs to me. “... Hey, we’ve been doing nothing for twenty or so minutes. Couldn’t you have taught me about Wind magic in that time?”

She looks me in the eye and throws me a thumbs up.

“Saints damn it all…” I shake my head and sigh, looking back at my cards.

“We will have plenty of time to do that on our way down.” Mustafá reassured me, picking up the cards and carefully starting a card castle. “I expect another twenty minutes or so, if the mechanism doesn’t break down.”

“First of all, don’t put those possibilities in my mind please.” With a sigh I stand up. “Secondly, please don’t tell me we’re going straight to the bottom of this gigantic tower?”

She stares at me for a few moments, in silence. I get the message and just shake my head, crossing my arms.

“I guess I don’t know what I was expecting.” Just as I am saying that, the elevator finally arrives with us: a huge, round metallic platform with vines engraved on its surface. “Oh, there it is. Time to get moving?”

“Time to get moving.” Mustafá clapped her hands, and all the cards quickly returned to her sleeves. I follow her as we stand on the elevator and, with a slight gesture of her hand, the damn thing begins its descent.

“It’s faster than I imagined…” My legs wobble a little bit with its speed, and that’s not good. “I guess that means this building is far bigger than I reckoned.”

“Taller than any other building you’ve been in your life.” The mage sits down on the floor as the elevator goes down. “Now. Pick up Gato’s book and let’s continue where we left it last time.”

“Awww, we are not creating winds?” I whine, but comply and bring out my book as I sit close to her.

“Your fundamentals need work, you can have more fun at the Elysium, with Souseiseki.” She notices my grimace and pats my back. “You need to learn to work with people that’s not totally compatible with your personality matrix.”

“You’re talking like a robot again!” I whine again.

With a nod, she forces me to focus on the book. The headlamps remain our one barrier as the elevator sinks deeper into darkness.