Layla Grehan Davar calmly observed her niece.

Yuriko was tall, having inherited the Davar height. She, on the other hand, was quite a bit shorter than the average Davar woman and it irked her that the girl was already an inch taller.

Yuriko was definitely young, in the first half of her teens, at least that’s what the dossier on the bounty claimed. She should be fourteen years old today. But from how lean her musculature was, it was hard to think so.

Layla absently checked her Anima and the Animus ‘windbreak’ she constructed to ward off her niece’s aura influence. She hadn’t met any Mishalas but that Clan wasn’t the only one with a natural aura. The Imperial family had one as well and some of the more prominent clans and nobles.

Yuriko’s aura altered the mind, though it didn’t twist it. It just made everything the girl did take on a positive light. Given her natural beauty, Layla was sure Yuriko had a train of suitors lined up from one end of the city to the other. Still, once one was a Knight and had a firm control of their Protective Field, auras like this had minimal effect.

Still, she couldn’t believe that Yuriko had achieved Knight level at her age. There were few explanations how she could match someone of the beastmen’s level otherwise. The artefact could have something to do with it, too, but unless she studied it herself, Layla wouldn’t know. Not that Artefact Studies was something she majored in anyway.

Yuriko was dressed in the local fashion. A dougi and hakama, Layla thought. It fit her niece wonderfully. But the loose nature of the garment meant she could see the bandages on her arms, and the dirty rags she nudged away were evidence enough. But, if she hadn’t seen the battle with her own two eyes, she would have believed that Yuriko had been wounded a week or so ago, instead of just earlier in the day.

“Are these all of you things?”

Layla pointed at the backpack lying at the foot of the bedroll. She recognised Sharom’s sigil discretely stitched on the strap.

“Yes.”

“You’ve packed light.” Layla nodded in approval. “That means we can leave already.”

“Leave…” Yuriko visibly hesitated. “I…”

“You’re not thinking of continuing to fight, are you?” Riley said belligerently. “Why? You don’t have a stake in this. Unless…did they promise you anything?”

“No.”

“Huh, then why?”

“Er, I had intended to wait until the next merchant ship arrived. I’m merely helping them as they’ve helped me.”

“From that last battle, I’m pretty sure you’ve repaid whatever debt you’ve incurred.” Aidan observed.

“Yes, but I’ve a feeling that if I just leave, they’ll be bowled over by the catkin.”

Layla frowned. “This is their war. You’re not one of their citizens.”

“Yes, but…”

“No buts.” Layla shook her head. “You are an Imperial citizen and not a…er, whatever they call their city-state, I’m not familiar with the snakekin.”

“Lucenti.”

“Right, well, you’re not one of their citizens and why would you even help them fight?”

Yuriko shrugged. “Well, they paid me some gold and I needed it to pay for passage home.”

“Well, no need for that now,” Layla said.

“How much did they pay?” Riley asked curiously.

“One hundred thousand Denari.”

“Huh, that’s quite generous. That’s about twenty-five thousand Sovereigns. Combat pay in war zones is pretty high for a Knight level combatant, especially if you’re not a citizen, but that’s above average,” Riley rattled off.

“Well, they said passage would probably cost about that much onboard a Chaos ship.”

“Only if you’re of a different citizenship,” Layla laughed. “Prices are much more reasonable otherwise. I think that amount would have been enough to get you across four planes or so, depending on whether they’re tethered or not.”

“Ah, do you mean Otlaca lied?” Yuriko asked, clearly distressed.

Layla snickered. “Probably not. For these people, that amount is what most merchant ships would charge for passage. Crossing the Primordial Chaos Sea was anything but safe, and the price charged paid for the expertise and protection of the captain and crew, not to mention the Runeers and builders who made the ship in the first place.” She paused. “Pardon the assertion, Yuriko, but you look exhausted. Perhaps you should rest first before we come to any decision.”

The girl nodded. “You’re right. I need to continue Recovery.”

“Alright, we’ll set up our camp just outside,” Layla smiled. “Don’t hesitate about anything. We’re family,” she said firmly. Blood called to blood.

“Thank you.”

“Come on, boys.

Layla nudged the brothers to get moving. She could see that both were still struggling with the effects of Yuriko’s aura. It should be a good way to temper their Anima defences. Once they were outside, she added, “Stay nearby and keep an eye on your cousin.”

“Yes, aunt,” Riley said in a monotone. Layla’s eyes narrowed and he broke out in snickers. “Yes, big sis. Hee hee!”

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“I’ll set up camp,” Aidan said.

For her part, Layla headed back towards the snakekin’s conference tent, her thumb absently caressing the slotted cartridges on her belt. There were six of them, three on either side, and each was made with her Spellweaving to create varied effects. Admittedly, about half of them were for making her Runeer work easier, but the other half was for protection. Nobody travelled the Chaos Sea without knowing how to fight effectively.

She was stopped by the entrance of the tent by a couple of warriors. She nodded in the direction of the tent and said, “I wish an audience.”

“I will ask, Elder,” the snakekin said in a sibilant voice, though his choice of words nearly made her slap him. She wasn’t that old! Oh, wait, that’s how they addressed warriors of the Knight level amongst their kind. The Ancestors knew what kind of Anima empowerment they used.

Layla simply grunted her ascent and stood there while tapping her foot impatiently while the man ducked into the tent. He came out less than a minute later and held open the tent flap for her. She ducked inside, though remained somewhat vigilant, ready to deploy her Protective Field at the slightest provocation.

The two beastmen leaders remained at the low table, partaking of a meal. The snakekin rose and gave her a head bow, while the other, a lizardkin, Layla thought, nodded from her seat. She didn’t begrudge her from refraining as the other woman was heavily bandaged.

“To what do we owe the pleasure, Elder?” The snakekin man asked. Yuriko said his name in Layla’s presence before, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember it.

“First of all, I thank you for hosting my niece,” Layla began.

“Merely what we must do,” the snakeman said smoothly.

“Yes, well, from what we’ve observed…” Layla shook her head. “In any case, we will leave tomorrow to return to our home plane.”

“So…so soon? Pardon me, but there is still an army of hostile felinekin and humans outside of the swamp.”

“No matter, we will not allow them to stop or delay us.”

“I…I implore you to at least stay until we have recovered our injuries. Elder Yuriko is part of our defence efforts and her absence would be duly felt.”

“Hmph! She practically carried the battle earlier.” Layla scowled. “This is not her war to fight and I will not allow her to be embroiled further.”

“But…what does Elder Yuriko say? I assure you we did not coerce or manipulate her for her help!”

“No, she has not said anything,” Layla grunted, “but she is my family and still quite young.”

The snakekin’s eyes narrowed. “I thought with her power she would be responsible for her own decisions.”

Layla glared. “I…”

“Perhaps we should wait for her decision?”

“Hmph, I assure you she will leave with us.”

“Of that, I do not doubt, but please, give us some time to bolster our defences! Only her presence wards away an imminent attack by the other side’s Elders. We were outnumbered, you understand? But she overwhelmed them!”

“That was a fine battle indeed,” Layla couldn’t help but mutter before she shook her head. “Even so…”

“Just a few days. Reinforcements from our city will arrive by then, and mercenaries from the south.”

“Very well,” Layla said. “But we will only stay for two days and if you’re going to take advantage of our presence, then I expect to be properly compensated.”

“Of course, of course. Allow me to prepare a suitable gift.”

“Good.”

Layla nodded in satisfaction. She wasn’t that interested in the gold, honestly, but the Ancestors would censure her if she or the others helped in a war that wasn’t theirs without sufficient reward.

She left the tent soon afterwards and made for the temporary camp. Riley sat on a log near Yuriko’s tent while theirs was fixed. The blustery wind and drizzling rain dampened her short hair. She released some of her Field, a slight purple glow, and it pushed the water from her body.

She started on dinner but before she managed to write down a campfire runescript pattern, a couple of the snake-kin came over and gave them bowls of rice topped with slices of roasted meat and greens. One went over to Yuriko’s tent and called out, “Elder Yuriko, dinner.”

“Thank you.”

Yuriko came out of the tent looking a bit better. There was more colour on her cheeks now, a golden glow suffused her skin. She glanced over at Layla and the others, who had settled in a circle to eat.

“Come on!” Layla waved. Her niece walked over and settled on a stump chair they left for her.

Layla fished out a spoon for her satchel, but Yuriko used the chopsticks that had been given to them. She deftly ate the slivers of meat, scooped out the rice, somehow managing to keep the grains clumped together. The golden glow around the girl expanded and kept the rain off.

They ate quickly, though Yuriko glanced at them often. Layla couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Virgil really never mentioned the rest of the family?”

“Rarely,” Yuriko answered. “Da only said that the rest of his family is in Ulmira plane and that he left when he was young to seek his fortune. Uhm, do all of you have the Davar Heritage?”

“No,” Aidan laughed, “only Riley has it. I’ve got mine from my mother’s side, and aunt…er, big sis Layla got hers from her mother’s side, too.”

“Oh!” Yuriko exclaimed. “I didn’t think that happened a lot.”

“Heritage studies are still rife with uncertainty,” Layla answered. “One doesn’t always get their father’s Heritage. Sometimes, it depends on which side is stronger, but even so, it's not absolute.”

“But Da’s a Knight-Captain.”

“Well, do you know what your mother’s Anima level is?”

“Uh, no. But my elder brothers both got the Davar Heritage. I didn’t.”

“That’s pretty obvious,” Riley noted. “Your techniques are all melee.”

“That’s because I lost my Plasma Caster,” she said stiffly.

“Oh, what happened?” Layla said as she polished off her meal.

“I lost it in the plane below. Kogasi.”

“Huh? Kogasi? Never heard of it.”

“It's conjoined to this one through the Labyrinth.”

“How do you know that?”

“‘Cause that’s where I wound up first, not here in Bella. In fact, it was Otlaca’s team that helped me reach the surface. I’d still have been lost otherwise, and I certainly would not have known about your ship.”

“So that means we owe it to that snakeman.” Layla grunted. “Well, that doesn’t change much. That’s just how the Threads of Fate spun your story.”

The girl shrugged. “I guess. You spoke with him?”

“Yes.” Layla quickly summarized her conversation. “So, I’ll give it a couple of days or so, before we leave.”

“That’s not just your decision,” Yuriko said pointedly.

“Isn’t it? I’m the ranking member of the Davar family and the higher ranking Imperial. If we consider the situation we’re in, it’s a war situation. So…?”

“All citizens are called to obey the chain of command and the Hierarchy of Knights,” Yuriko finished.

“Good.”

“It is not an unbreakable command,” Yuriko continued.

Layla blinked. It wasn’t? A moment later, she shook her head.

“Nevertheless, you did want to return home, yes? If you dawdle here, it will take that much longer before you get home. And I doubt Captain Mitchell would wait that long. She certainly wouldn’t risk her life and her ship’s well being on something that ostensibly profits nothing. A war where the Empire does not vie for control of the plane isn’t something worth fighting for.”

“You mean if the Empire had a chance to seize Bella, she would?”

“Of course. But this plane is untethered, at least not on our end. It would take too much effort to tether it. At least two more planes must be secured before the Empire could even attempt such a thing.”

“That’s how far we are from Rumiga?” Yuriko gasped.

“Yes. We left Imperial territory a couple of Seasons ago.”

“Would it take that long to get back?”

“No, the captain would divert the ship’s course when it comes to bounties. No worries, we’ll probably be back in the Empire in less than a Season.” Layla yawned. “Well, it’s getting late. Shall we turn in?”

“Alright!” the three cousins said. Yuriko pulled out several stones from her satchel.

Alarm stones? Layla wondered. Pretty rudimentary.

‘Don’t tell me she made those?’

Well, whatever it was, it could wait on the morrow. She and the two boys travelled nearly nonstop to get here, and she for one would rather stay out of the rain.