The flowing water let E4 know she was dreaming. That or Marissa had figured out she had gills and left her in a river. She remembered a little about getting shot, but most of it was a blur. Even without healing hands she had her regeneration.

[[If nothing else we now have a read on how your tenacity affects your regeneration. And the answers are favorable. I wish we could bring the rest over here.]]

“The rest?” E4 didn’t bother trying to look around, she knew I wouldn’t be there.

[[The other ravagers. We could create a nice beach for them, or maybe a giant ravager pool. A dozen, full of various herbs for foods and weeds to make medicine. The reports from the Harvest-men indicate that Harvest-men farther out noted valuable plant life in the early stages of growth in the exact location Harvest-men planted closer had been. It is likely The Myst was restocking, and far faster than even our resonance enhanced plants can allow. That and it’s a lot easier to meet caloric requirements when we can convert Myst into Aether and generate ATP in the process.]]

E4 felt a sense of peace and contentment coming from Mara, whose form she could vaguely see off in the distance. Judging by her elevated heart rate, her patron was somewhere between 15 and 20 kilometers away, though given the benzodiazepine providing a comforting cushion across her thoughs she could be a lot closer. The water was nice, rich in oxygen, and the resonance filled her with comfort and energy, even if it was a bit hollow from being a dream. She held up her thumb, then crossed it with her other, and could just barely cover Mara’s form. At this distance she could see a vague black shape, but the rule was if she was too big to cover with the thumbs on one hand you were too close. Humans had even less safety,

[[Well we think, considering we’re not sure how much of her got dragged over. Mara might not even be Mara, just a shadow in the Myst, one of the Patrons that everyone keeps talking about.]]

“So Mara might not be Mara, and you might not be the real Red Queen.” E4 replied. “But presuming you are, and I haven’t seen any solid evidence you’re not, what about the other Ravagers? If Mara’s here who’s keeping an eye on them? Did all the ravager isopods vanish like with the iron lung pneumonia?”

[[You presume Donovan was telling the truth.]] From E4’s expression it was plain she did. [[If they are here, they have not made themselves known. If they were all cured, likely they are all dead. A ravager’s consciousness is stored in their isopod, unless the mechanism replaced the human brain they would be husks at best and most likely dead. Yet, I do not think that is the case.]]

“Why not?”

[[Faith.]]

“And not the fact that, since the isopod is the container for the soul in a ravager, identified because we can heal any wound aside from critical damage to the isopod, then pulling the isopod here would also drag the soul with it?” E4 asked. “Thus if we don’t hear from them, it is likely they are simply not in a location to find an isopod yet or have decided not to take one up.”

[[… That too. Shouldn’t you be waking up soon?]]

E4 blinked, and quickly sat up. She was, in fact, in a tub. A steaming white murky fluid covered her, occasionally bubbling with aether as her body converted it. A mask was firmly affixed over her face, and attached to a hose which led right into the fluid. E4 removed the mask, and noted there had been a clamp attached to the tub to ensure that the hose remained out of the fluid. She examined the clamp, “This wasn’t screwed in right.” With a puff she expelled the rest of the fluid from her lungs, which fortunately were reinforced to handle water. “Though, how was there enough air in the bath tub?”

[[Oxygen saturation was fine until about 4 hours ago, at which time your gills had to kick in. The amount of usable oxygen was surprisingly high, I believe we have a skill to thank. Oxygen levels began to dip 5 minutes ago, at which point I woke you. Oh, by the way, somewhere between that spicy honey and getting set on fire the new skill gave you back Fire Starter. You can throw fireballs again.]]

Standing E4 reached out and called a towel to her hand. The room she was in was dark, though she could vaguely see curtains separating her from parts of it. Only a small candle that glowed with aetheric flame shone light around her. “Mmm, soft and fluffy.” She spoke as she wrapped it around her. She quickly found a mat next to the tub to dry off on. As she dried skin seemed to fall off in long shreds, evaporating before it hit the ground. “What am I, a snake?” E4 eyed her skin, finding it red and itchy, but the bruising from the shotgun was long gone and given she had been doused in kerosine she was pretty well off. Her skin was still red, a little darker than a sunburn, beneath the dead skin, but it lacked the itch of a sunburn. “Either regeneration is doing some serious work, or,” E4 listened, and with a gesture pulled her WiseMind from a pile of clothes. Slapping it on her wrist she quickly scanned the bath before setting it to analyze. Even spending a single ATP left her feeling like she had run a marathon. “Ok, none of that.” Her stomach let out a loud growl. “Clothes, then food.”

Clothes came next, though rather than a maid’s outfit she found a plain slate colored dress, which to her surprise came down lower than her knees. She checked it twice, for some slit in the leg or some other slight against modesty, but it seemed normal enough. There was a shortage of pockets, though a purse had been left over a chair that E4 figured would have to do. Rather than sturdy boots she found simple comfortable cloth shoes and socks. As she dressed she also found a green shawl. “Marissa, are you saying I’m an old lady?”

[[That’s actually from Marcus. He knitted it while watching over you.]]

“He knits?” E4 asked. “Also how do you know?” A moment later she felt a presence, and with a gesture reached out to call her Harvest Hive staff to her hand.

[[Harvest Hive staff: A work of biotechnology combining charged birch and harvest-men isopods. Can hold up to 2 dozen harvest-men and project them at moderate range. The hive resonates with the harvest-men so the host does not have to. May be used as a focus for certain subversions. ATP:1/4. Signal 4. Max signal 29. Efficiency 50%. Upkeep 1ATP/day. Note: Due to rapid craftsmanship this resonant tool will break if it starves rather than fall dormant.]] The staff was near a meter and a half of polished wood with a chitin handle and the etching of isopods carrying bundles of straw and wood on their backs. “Why do they all have straw hats?” E4 asked, poking the staff.

[[I thought it would be funny, and it has less connotations than giving them sickles and pickaxes. Marissa has the other one, though it’s been sitting in her room so I don’t have a complete picture of what she has been up to. It seems there has been quite the shake up in leadership in the time you’ve been out, but I will leave that to Marissa-Red Queen.]]

Now dressed E4 wrapped her shawl around her and stepped out to face the day, immediately walking right into two soldiers guarding the door. “Excuse me.” She whispered, one of the guards moving aside unconsciously. As she passed she noticed she stood in a stone hall.

“Halt.” E4 froze, turning slowly to the guard who did not move. “State your business, the healer left over an hour ago.” The guard placed a hand on a long stone blade. “Who are you? What is your business in the house of healing?”

“My name is E4, I was left in there.” E4 gestured. The guards looked at each other as if they were confused.

“The maid E4 was discharged hours ago.” One guard whom the Hymn whispered was named Ms32 said to the other, gesturing to a clipboard hanging from a stone chain on the wall. “So who is this?”

“Well she’s dressed like one of Lord Stone-Weaver’s muses, so hold on, let me get the book.” The guard took a small black book from his pocket. “Ok, now let’s go down the list. If humanoid, go to page 4.”

“Wait, what?” E4 stepped closer to look at the book, and the guard immediately stepped back. She approached, and he stepped back. “What is that book?”

“This is my family guidebook, handed down from elder brother to younger brother, father to son. Mn G1 all the way down to Mn G54. It has increased our annual survival rate by an astounding 30%.”

“Is that… good?”

“For a muse guard, very.” The other guard replied. “We muse guards are the last line of defense between Lord Stone-Weaver’s muses and the litany of things that want to hurt them to hurt him. The No’eep family has been producing Muse guards for generations. Emmett is the 54th of his line, and he’s lived to his 3rd year, which makes him what, the 14th to make it this far?”

“15th, my elder brother was turned to stone on the first day of his fourth year while holding back a twinwing succubus who had attempted to pose as a muse to kill Lord Stone-Weaver. He’s in the Crypt of templates, forever locked in combat.” E4 could practically hear the joy in his voice. “One day I hope I will be able to join him, can you imagine the honor? Such sacrifice forever enshrined.”

“We also protect Lord Stone-Weaver himself, though he can mostly protect himself. He used to be a regulator before he settled down to raise our little town into the mighty city it is now.” As the guard spoke E4 saw his helmet begin to gleam a bright green, not that the stone helmet was glowing but something within. She stepped closer, and saw two green lights where his eyes should be. “What are you doing?”

“Are either of your hands backwards? Do you have six clawed fingers?”

“Your eyes are glowing.” She replied. “And no, to both.” She splayed her hands, taking a moment to make sure they were still as they should be. Two thumbs, two pointer fingers, two ring fingers, and a middle fingers on each hand in a symmetrical pattern. She noticed that her hands were a much lighter shade, closer to her normal skin color. “Don’t mind the coloration, that’s a side effect from my recent injury. It’ll fade… I hope.”

[[You know, if the Purifiers knew anything about ravagers seven fingers would be a dead giveaway. Maybe don’t offer the info on your horns either.]]

“No backward hands, no six fingers, Wings?” The Muse Guard was too busy looking at his book to notice E4’s hands in the slightest.

“No wings sadly. I’d love to be able to fly.”

“And if you can see that glow it means you’re blessed.” The other guard replied. “That’s part of being a Muse Guard, we are trained to handle a little bit of Aether from Lord Stone-Weaver. We have a few skills, and can actually destroy the creatures of The Myst. It also means that, either one of the muses swallowed a soul, or you are not a muse.”

“Wait, if she’s not the muse, where is she?” Immediately both guards ran into the room E4 had just left. Before E4 realized it one of the guards had grabbed her by the wrist. With the flick of a switch one of the guards lit the room bright as day.

No longer concerned with her clothes and now in a fully illuminated room E4 saw she had been in a stone four clawed tub, one of a quartet in the room though all were now empty. The room itself had been made from pure white slate, with a few flecks of gray to give it some life. In the corner sat a desk and chair for a nurse to observe the baths, stocked with medicines and a few books of medical references as well as a romance for the nurse. Beside each of the tubs stood an angel, arms outstretched. From three of the tubs these arms held some manner of bags or bottles, which E4 immediately realized served a similar function to an IV bag. Each angel was lovingly carved, every fold in their robe and every feather defined, though each had a simple mask where their face should be. The one she had been in now had an empty container, which had been used to add the ingredients to her bath.

Immediately Emmett examined the bath that E4 had been in. With a gesture his hand seemed to unfold, revealing he had not been wearing stone gauntlets but his hand had been outright replaced. For just a moment she saw a flash of gold from a bangle that denoted where stone met flesh. His eyes lit up behind his helmet, and the water immediately began to bubble away. “Was this the one you were in?”

“Yes, this was mine.” E4 replied. Emmett checked the medications and frowned.

“Missy, check the others. Muse Nor’win was set to receive treatment through the night.” He immediately checked the next tub, finding it empty.

“Hey, there’s something in this one.” Missy called. She waved Emmett over, and E4 followed. Within a bar of an unknown block was half dissolved and three bags of medication hung from the arms of the angel looming over the tub. “Looks like stone salve, and this is a hydration agent, and here’s the vazolam to keep her calm.” She examined it, “Except this is slated for an E4, not Nor’win.”

“And this one is slated for Nor’win, someone switched them. I’d say about 4 hours ago based on the time stamp

“So, as a medical professional, how does this work?” Emmett, Mn G54, or whatever he chose to call himself turned to face her. “It sounds like this bath is supposed to treat a skin condition, and these bags,” She touched the bags which rather than plastic were made from some manner of tightly woven cloth, “Administer medicine that is absorbed through the skin. Judging by this clamp,” She touched the metal and stone device, “The patient is submerged and wearing a mask. I’m guessing that’s why a sedative is needed, since sleeping under water takes practice.”

[[You would know.]]

“Nor’Wen was suffering from stone sickness. Her hands had already turned, as most muses lose a limb or two early on, but the stone was creeping up her arm.”

“And that’s different from what you have?” E4 asked.

“Guards are expected to have stone sickness, it’s a prerequisite for us. Working closely with Lord Stone-Weaver tends to cause the condition, better those already afflicted do the work.” Missy gestured and her hands shifted into claws, then a long blade, then a giant spoon, before returning. “Our curse allowed us to channel some Aether, though not at the same level as a regulator. We wear charms to keep it contained, yet Muse Nor’win was afflicted with an advanced case for unknown reasons. She was fine a few days ago, but just yesterday burst into Lord Stone-Weaver’s office with her entire arm turned to stone. We don’t normally use stone salve on someone that young, it can make the stone brittle, but her case seemed strange.”

“Hence the treatment. Was it just in her hands or her feet too? If her legs were turned she couldn’t have gone far.”

“The opposite, stone legs do not tire.” Emmett clarified. “It makes you heavier, but stronger. Though only her hands and right arm were turned, so that should not be a problem. I am more worried about where she wandered off to. The chemicals should have rendered her barely able to move, but if someone swapped her meds for yours who knows what’s going on. What were you in for?”

“Kerosine burns.” E4 gestured across her body.

Searching the tub room took very little time, though Emmett paid special care to examine several shelves of linens in case Nor’Wen decided to take a nap in them. “Vazolam makes you very tired.”

“Does it make a good poison?” E4 asked, considering if she should pocket some.

“I find that a very concerning thing to ask,” Emmett replied. “But no, it has a distinctive taste like bitter cherries. Further it breaks down within the body readily. Within 5 minutes of consumption the target would wake up, shorter for a regulator.”

“And how do you know that?” Missy 1asked

“I might have been a bit nervous for my first week.” Emmett replied. “A little in my canteen, a sip every few minutes, it helped. Yet at that dosage it was very mild, Nor’wen would be at a much higher dosage.” Regrouping at the door Emmett paused. “And that concerns me.”

“She shouldn’t be in a stupor, if it wears off that fast.”

“The bath dose is a lot stronger.” Missy replied as she locked up the tub room with a stone key that looked as if it vanished right back into her hand. “Back when I was a muse I had a treatments when it started crawling up my legs. Being in a bath of Vazolam is like being under the warmest softest and heaviest blanket. It also sticks to your skin, so unless you’re really careful when drying off or you get a quick dunk in something else you’re going to be down for the rest of the day. If she’s wandering around covered in dried Vazolam she’s practically sleepwalking… The stairs!”

“I’ll check the upstairs, you check down. E4, stay with Missy.”

Missy took off, and E4 had to hand it to the woman she was quick. Even wearing full stone armor from head to toe, she moved with speed even a professional sprinter would envy. E4 kept pace, but only because she already had inhuman speed and was augmented by her perfect position skill. In mere moments they arrived at the stairs. Missy quickly examined them, and reached for something at her hip. Retrieving a rod she quickly folded it, and folded it, and with one last twist she had a baracade. It reminded E4 of the cheap child barriers used to keep toddlers off the stairs, but taller. Within a few moments Missy had it set up. “That should do.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“So you don’t think she went down the stairs?”

“If she did we’ll find her, I’m more worried about her falling down them.”

Looking at the barrier, E4 had an idea. Tapping her staff against the stone barrier to place an isopod. Reaching into her purse she quietly cut a bit of flesh from her hand and fed it to the isopod, who immediately began to swell with her provided resonance. Within moments it had the appearance of an ornate bone charm with three smaller bones hanging below a bit like a wind chime. She saw Missy eyeing her. “An alarm, so if someone tries to remove the barrier or bumps into it I will know.”

Room by room they searched. The solid stone construction lent an oppressive feeling, though frequent windows and white paint helped to offset the feeling. Had it been day E4 was sure it would have been quite airy, yet outside the oppressive night negated these effects. E4 noted there were several beds prepared, as well as stretchers and open rooms should casualties mount. The medical storerooms reminded her she was encased in solid stone, their dark coloration and lack of windows bearing down like an oppressive shroud. Crate after crate, each labeled in hurried scrawl, presented countless shadows where some crouching fiend could watch from. The Hymn whispered the translations into her mind, revealing countless herbs and box after box of bandages. Beyond the usual E4 found lobotomy needles, trepanning drills, and more forms of restraints than she preferred within a hospital setting. Charms, ritual needles, and a warpaint that claimed to prevent the spread of diseases counted among the more questionable medicines. Twice E4 jumped at a sound of something scuttling around up there. On the third time she jumped, grabbing the edge of a crate and peering at the unseen stalker, only to see a gargoyle with crystaline eyes crouched upon the crate.

“Did you find anything?”

“Just medicines.” In the half second E4 took her eyes off the little gargoyle it vanished, reappearing on the next box. “Also this weird gargoyle thing.” She hopped down and with a gesture called a few items from boxes that had already been opened. I’m grabbing some of these charms and this paint just in case we’re dealing with a supernatural cause.” It went unsaid that, if they didn’t get used, she would be using them for study.

“You think this is a curse?”

“I have no protocol for dealing with curses, but best practices suggest having a full kit when dealing with unknown conditions.” As she spoke a low growl reminded her she had been undergoing some significant healing and hadn’t had lunch yet.

“Here,” Missy fetched some sort of nutrient bar from one of the crates. E4 downed it in two bites, feeling the bland tasting bar filling her up for a few moments before it vanished into the black hole that was her stomach. It tasted mostly of oatmeal and cinnimon, with a hidden bitter aftertaste of coffee. She noted that the cloth packaging denoted it was an energy bar, and not to give it to patients. “Just remember to inform the quartermaster for whatever you take, we don’t want to run out during this siege.”

“Missy!” The voice was barely audible, yet E4 picked up on it.

“We’re being called.” She quickly made her way out of the supply room and into the stairway before she heard Emmett again. As she broke into a run she realized the stone had been stifling his voice. “How do you normally communicate when the walls catch sound like this?”

“There are aetherically powered pipes that amplify voices, but only to specific rooms.” Missy explained. E4 chittered worriedly at the prospect of being unable to call for help only for her voice to be swallowed in stone, though a black spark ignited reminding her that she could just as easily use that against any would be threats.

E4 made it to the next floor long before Missy, her perfect position accepting Emmett’s call. She arrived to find a beautiful woman strapped to a surgical table. The woman’s robe had been discarded to the side, leaving her wearing only her undergarments. Yet E4’s eyes were drawn not to her figure but to the eight armed angel currently fighting with Emmett. Of its eight arms, two held syringes, and four held long scalpels while the remaining two were currently locked in a grapple with Emmett. The angel was a work of sculpture, every fold on its robe implying it was facing into the wind and carved from purest white marble.

“Get the controls, they’re on its back!”

E4 seemed to appear there, only for the syringes to twist in a way only possible on a non-biological entity. One stabbed at her with the speed of a cobra, only missing by a few millimeters. E4 saw several keys and switches, a single place on the construct that sacrificed aethetic for practicality. With a quick stab she hit the emergency stop button, a large circle made from red quartz. Immediately the construct froze, before retracting its blades back into the sleeves of its robe and adopting a pose where each hand was folded in prayer. “What was that?”

“A bladed angel, they’re designed to perform surgeries with a precision no human can replicate.” He turned to the woman. “Nor’win, are you alright? Who did this to you?”

“What are you doing?” The woman, exclaimed, quickly releasing her restrained arm. E4 realized not only was she fully conscious, with no signs of anesthetic, but one of her arms hadn’t even been strapped down. “You need to turn that machine on, you need to get this parasite out of me!”

“Parasite? What are you talking about?” E4 immediately chittered, and only her staff chittered back.

“Look at me, look at my arm! It’s already spreading, you need to take it out!” She yelled, her voice ascending in octave as she became more hysteric.” She immediately got up and began working on the straps on her legs, at which time E4 got a look at her arm.

“Hold still, I’m a physician. Let me take a look.” She immediately took the woman’s arm and found the spot where stone met flesh. From the tips of her fingers to just above her elbow the flesh had been turned to slate, with small flint fingernails for color. A gold bangle signified where the stone ended. Yet that is not what concerned E4. Where the stone ended and flesh should have begun there was instead a spot where the flesh had, not rotted per say, more receded. It reminded her of the result of an emergency amputation, where the remaining flesh as sewn into a stump to cover the bone. The only exception was the short section of slate humorous that reached from the flesh to connect with the well sculpted stone. E4 was further surprised to find that, while the stone was hard, it seemed to squish where she touched it as if it were malleable flesh. There was a slight delay, but to test she tried to pinch a section, and after a moment it moved to allow her. It was stiffer than normal skin, more like squeezing clay than skin, but when released it returned to its shape like normal skin. “Your stone skin seems, far more alive than I thought, though the connection here is strange. When did this occur?”

“Why areren’t you listening to me, it’s in my eye and I need it out! That cursed bug flew right into my eye AND I CAN’T GET IT OUT!”

“Let me look.” E4 replied. “Hold still,” She looked into the woman’s shadowed eyes, the darkness preventing her from seeing anything. “Emmett, hand me a light.”

“Here, an occular light.” E4 eyed the device, which looked to be a small sphere that buzzed in her hand and projected a red glare out of three small lenses. She shone it upon the woman’s eyes, and to her surprise the gloom actually lifted to reveal what looked to be a human eye. She could not tell the color of the iris, perhaps it was red perhaps it was very pale, but only a thin line denoted where it separated from the white of the eye. The pupil was dark, likely black but given the color of the light she could not be sure. “I don’t see any bites, nor any holes. What was supposed to be in your eye.”

“A ravager beetle! The thing that broke out of the guild and killed the regulators! It flew into my face and crawled behind my eye! You need to get it out!”

E4 gave her a look. “A ravager beetle? Dead regulators? There was a ravager locked in the freezer, but Imnad and Vienna killed it.” She handed the light back to Emmett. “Can you see out of both eyes?” Nor’wen nodded. E4 leaned close, peering into her eyes one more time using her ravager eye and chittered. No resonance answered, though she did see a small bite just above the eye. “If you were on your way to becoming a ravager you would either not be able to see out of one eye or there would be some telltale marks around the eye. They’re not obvious to the lay person, but once you’ve treated a ravager patient you don’t forget it.” E4 released Nor’wen with a gesture. “I do see a bit of an insect bite, so I believe something bit you, but definitely not a ravager beetle. I’m more concerned with the fact your skin is receding from the bone in your arm. When did that start?”

“What are you talking about, that’s a sign that I’m turning, you have to get that thing out or…” She paused, her eyes going so wide E4 could see it even despite the gloom. “You have to kill me.”

“That is not happening.”

“You don’t get it, Kindred told me what happens when a ravager beetle takes hold. I don’t want to eat people, I don’t want to kill Lord Stone-Weaver.” She froze. “The panacea, I need more panacea!”

“More? Don’t tell me,” At that moment the door exploded into shattered chunks.

“That is enough out of you church bell.” E4 looked up, only to narrowly dive out of the way before the crack of gunfire turned shredded the wall behind her. It was only by luck that Nor’wen wasn’t hit.

“What is the matter with you? This is a hospital, why are you shooting a gun in here?” E4 yelled at the purifier. “You could have hit my patient!”

“I’d be more aware of your own station.” Kindred spoke, his voice brassy behind his mask. “You stand before the Physician Protectorate of the city, at the very eve of a plague. I would think a dame2 such as yourself would be content to kneel before one such as I. Delusions of invincibility is but the first sign of a ravager. Men, take her alive.”

Immediately E4 was surrounded by a dozen men. “You can’t do this.” She stepped back, stopping just before the wall. “Subsection 4 of plague conquest protocol, the senior most purifier may take command of a city should a majority vote elect to grant them emergency powers. That hasn’t happened yet.”

“Oh, didn’t you hear?” Kindred’s mask seemed to light up with joy, “the vote was called, the result will be announced tomorrow. As the only Purifier I’m a shoo in.” He gestured to one of the guards. “Get her.”

Crossing herself and speaking a prayer for protection E4 reached into her purse as if grabbing a weapon, and discreetly creating a pair of long scalpels. Even as she did she heard the click clack of the bone die slip out of her purse. As it hit the ground she noticed it landed on a 6, before flipping to a 13. Immediately she ducked under the first purifier, who trusted in his large form and heavy riot gear to protect him. He did not expect her to slide between his legs, additional acceleration provided via telekinesis, hop up behind him, and slice his suit from groin to neck. A thin line of blood leaked from his skin, barely enough to count as a paper cut, yet singing out in resonance as the ravager toxin did its work. Yet she didn’t have time to celebrate as the rest converged on her even as the wounded one turned to grab her again.

To the Purifier’s surprise six strongly built men, each wearing riot gear and heavy duty gloves, had quite the time tackling a 180 centimeter woman, even one with a gymnast’s build. For E4’s part, the purifiers surrounding her seemed to move almost slowly. She danced and wove out of the way of their clumsy grabs, their blows impeded by their armor more than her blades were. Her blades flashed, turning every third blow into a toxin filled rebuke. Yet like a pocket watch winding down she could feel her limbs slowing, the protein bar she had eaten had barely been a snack. She could feel the clock counting down on her own movements even as the purifiers began to succumb to the toxin. With every blow she avoided she felt her limbs slowing.

One of the Purifiers, a man slightly taller and more aggressive than the others, bore more cuts than the others. His armor was badly damaged, and both blood and aether flowed from it. One bite, just one, and she would have enough energy to make it through. It would be just one, not even from anywhere fatal. She would get a few prions, but she could purge those and things would be fine. E4’s mouth opened involuntarily as her fangs grew past her teeth. She shook her head violently, shaking off the thoughts, and that was all it took. A blow from a cudgle managed to catch her on the arm, and that spun her off balance enough for another to land. Her tail flicked out quick as a whip, rebuking both men before returning to its hiding place, but it was enough. The blows fell like rain and E4 did her best to cover her head.

“That’s enough. Get her up.” One of the purifiers lifted E4 up, aggravating the bruises she already had. Everything was sore, but the ravager toxin kept her from feeling the worst of it. He took her head in his armored hands. “Hmmm, I will say your master has good taste for you muses.” E4 glared at him. “Don’t like that look in your eyes though.” He stepped over to Nor’wen. “Now this is a woman who knows her place. She knows she’s sick, and she goes to get treatment.” He gestured to E4. “You’re too stupid to even know what’s good for you. Now dear, just lie down and I’ll get that pesky beetle out.”

“You touch my patient and the medical board will be the least of your worries.” E4 snapped. The outburst earned her another smack on the head that had her seeing stars. She felt her isopod skitter within her head, and her tail lashed out and sliced through the Purifier’s armor like it was butter. Only the fact it was laced with ravager toxin kept him from feeling the incision, or the flow of blood that poured out and immediately boiled away into Aether. and saw the die seem to shift where it was.

8, wait.

“Oh, you want to go first? Get her up here.” Kindred pushed Nor’wen off the table, eliciting a squeak then a scream as one of her legs hadn’t actually be unbound and a low crack issued from where it bent in a way it shouldn’t have. “Oops.” He pressed a button and the table released, letting her properly drop off. “Get her up here.” The Purifier holding E4 down tried to stand, only for his legs to give out. “Come on, I don’t have all day.” Another Purifier picked her up, three others taking her limbs and conveniently missing her tail which whipped out and cut each of them one more time before she was slammed down on the table. With a series of clicked Kindred stepped out of his armor, taking a moment to check his hair.

“You know, the locals here have some funny beliefs. You know they don’t like to go to sleep?” He drew a length of metal from his pocket and E4 froze as he removed the cover. It was crafted from silver and gold, and had the emblem of the purifiers, but all the decorations in the world couldn’t hide the fact it was an ice pick. “Never thought I’d meet someone who preferred to go through surgery awake. I’m sure Aaron will be thrilled once he gets here.” He saw the horrified expression on E4’s face. “Oh, you recognize my little friend? It’s said that a man by the name of Freeman used one of these little guys to do over 4000 lobotomies, going town to town in his van spreading the good word.”

“He also killed 15% of his patients.” E4 retorted.

“Well, accidents happen. I’ve had a good bit more luck with my patients.” He saw when E4’s eyes realized the implications. He calmly unscrewed his tool and checked the canister of violet liquid before replacing it. “British engineering and all that, or Los British I suppose.”

“That’s why you were late to the stones yesterday, you had to clean up a corpse.” She accused.

“Not in the slightest, my last patient was just a so appreciative of my curing her that she wanted to thank me, again and again. The women here are so receptive,” He grinned a smile revealing the golden teeth that a fellow ravager had once knocked out, “As I’m sure you will be soon.”

“You so much as get near me with that thing and I’ll snap your neck like a toothpick.”

Kindred stepped back, the sheer aggression from E4’s voice chilling him to the heart. “Well, I’ve never been much of a surgeon,” He approached the table, pointing the ice pick at E4’s eye. “But no true genius gets it right on the first try.”

The bolt of lightning did not so much wound Kindred’s hand so much as vaporize it. “Drop your weapon!”

“Marissa, you’re supposed to say that BEFORE you shoot.” Marcus chided, cane sword already pointed at a group of Purifiers.

“They’re infected, Burn them all!” Kindred called out, trying to pull the cork on a vial with his missing hand, before pulling it with his teeth and downing it. Immediately he faded away.

“An invisibility potion!” Marissa exclaimed. “Where’d he get the 24 charged amber, that’s so unfair.”

“Marissa, focus!” Marcus shouted, and for a moment the man seemed to vanish. An instant later he reappeared, and three Purifiers were missing their right arms.

“I’ll take the six on the right.” Marissa shouted, throwing a flask into the air. Immediately a bolt from her zap pistol caught the flask, and three purifiers were struck down by the cloud of sparking Aether that engulfed them. E4 gestured to conjure metabolic fire, and immediately her head spun and her stomach and intestines were gripped with spasms but both were empty. Yet with the purifiers weakened by ravager toxin and already leaking aether out of every wound they were in no shape to handle Marissa or Marcus. Within moments all that was left was armor, the bodies of the purifiers evaporating away and their armor dissolving with slightly less alacrity.

“E4, are you alright?” Marissa asked.

“I’m alive.” E4 replied, getting up even as her stomach growled. She shot a look over to Nor’wen, who lay still on the ground covering her head. “Which is more than I can say for her. How’d you find me?”

“One of the Muse guards came running over to get us, and we came as quick as we could.” Marissa explained, approaching Nor’wen. “What’s wrong with her?”

“That is what I would like to know.” Stone-Weaver’s voice was grim and his eyes as hard as flint. “Maid you have a lot of explaining to do.”

“Lord Stone-Weaver, E4 is just as much a victim of this as your wife.” Marcus spoke up, only for Stone-Weaver to hold up a hand. Immediately dozens of stones seemed to form as if being created from ambient dust to form a large circular barrier before him.

“That may be the case, but one does not get to my position by trusting in the best intentions of others.” He approached Nor’wen. “Are you injured?”

“Sir, please stay back. I don’t want to infect you.” She cried out, causing Lord. Stone-Weaver to back off. “I’m infected sir, some horrible parasite has crawled into my eye. Kindred gave me a panacea to stop it, but it’s wearing off! Look at my arm, The parasite is eating me! This horrible maid won’t let him take it out of me.”

“He was going to lobotomize her.” E4 replied. “He had a bloody ICE PICK coated in that purple poison.”

“The panacea, I need it.” Immediately she jumped up and pushed past Stone-Weaver to run after her killer. “Doctor Kindred!” She called after him.

Stone-Weaver shook his head and dusted off his hands. “Looks like she is lost to me.”

“It’s a shame sir, but no one stays a muse forever.” Missy replied. Even with their armor, E4 hadn’t noticed she and Emmett had arrived and now flanked the door. “Shall we detain Kindred? He has at least violated the oath of sanctuary. We could send him and his men against the bugs.”

“We have Purifiers guarding every gate and their skill with flames have been keeping the bugs out. While this incident is distasteful, we still do not know exactly what happened. Until we are sure, we cannot be leveling accusations.” Stone-Weaver paused, his eyes lingering upon E4. “Though if you wished to submit your account of events, I would be more than happy to hear them.”

“Sir, there has been an incident,” Another voice called from outside of the door. A short man with a complex set of stone glasses stepped in. “Ah, Lord and Lady Eagle-Wood, perfect timing. I needed to speak with you regarding the incident in the packing district.”

“E4, I believe we need to get out of here, now.” Marissa quipped. E4 found he hand gripped in Marissa’s and in mere moments they were on the streets. Immediately E4 noticed that this house of healing was a block from the gate she had been burned at, and noticed there were now a pair of purifiers guarding the gate with a pair of city guards observing.

“Unnerving isn’t it? Those guys were shooting at us yesterday, today they’re the ones watching the gates.” Marcus spoke up. “I’ve counted two dozen separate Purifiers we’ve passed this morning. They’re all wearing masks so I can’t be sure, but I think the majority of them are Myst Folk.”

“It’s creepy, and where is he getting them all? He couldn’t have brought them with him, as far as I know only our train is here. The Marked family don’t have one. Is he that charismatic that he’s recruiting them that fast?”

“The Golden Spider has a knack for that.” E4 replied, reaching into her purse and producing a trio of masks which she distributed. “Here, back on Earth everyone wore them. It makes facial recognition harder, especially with those masks they’ve got. Even Earth’s optics weren’t perfect, I doubt they can see too well out of them. Purifier combat doctrine calls for flame throwers and shotguns because they can burn, but also because precision isn’t a requirement for use. Back then they used an AI program, a computer program, to highlight obstacles and threats. Telling clothing apart was hard. I take it that skills and talents on Earth translate somewhat to skills in The Distant Shores.”

“Innate skills definitely do, and it shapes which acquired skills you get. Kindred isn’t charged though, so he shouldn’t have that much power.”

“Could he be half cursed?” E4 asked. “He certainly seems to have significant pull with The Myst, being able to pull so many recruits out of thin air. He’s also got at least one, possibly more, pact skills.”

“No such thing E4, Either you’re cursed or you’re not. No one knows exactly how it works, we know Arnold and Gerric became cursed and there are rumors of people who have broken their curse, but the exact details vary. Now, let’s get you back so we can get you equipped. We’ve got a siege to break.”

1Emmett and Missy are Aether Blessed, but they were slain by an undead and most of their souls are lost. In creating his muse guards Mn G54 and Ms 4 first took their appearance, then their names. Their souls are slowly being pulled towards these bodies, and the undead are being drawn here. Later (not this story) the undead will show itself, and upon it’s death they will become fully blessed.

2Kindred has no idea who E4 is. He doesn’t recognize her due to the skin change, and he thinks the maid is already dead so why bother?