Ren had done her best to keep Furion’s mind off his brother’s situation, but she knew she hadn’t been entirely successful when the night ended with a few fragments of clothing still on. She awoke the next morning pressed once-again to the man’s back though, with nothing but her T-shirt and underpants still clinging to her thin frame. Her right arm was threaded under Furion’s neck, and the other over the other side, fingers loosely woven together where they met at the ends of her reach. She hugged closer to the back of the man’s head, and snoozed for a few more minutes. He lifted his head slightly to reposition, but that just opened up the left side of his neck…and opportunity presented itself.

-Nip-

The earlobe was hers, and as she breathed a quiet chuckle, the feel of it roused the Knight-Captain. He mumbled and turned, but she just refocused her attention to new spot just under his ear, and nibbled a little more.

“Mmm…morning…” Furion whispered, and turned slightly more onto his back as he tilted his head away.

She took every advantage, and walked her kisses from neck to cheek to nose to lips, and smiled against them, “I’m starving. Apparently, there’s a famous café that Seth went to yesterday…”

“Sounds promising.”

And it was. Maple-cinnamon coffee and crumble cake were just what the tummy needed, and on the morning patio with the sun rising over the city, it was a sight to behold as well. Ren took a big swig of that coffee, and pulled back the mug with a blot of whipped cream on her nose.

Furion couldn’t help but reach over to wipe it away on his thumb, but he didn’t let it go to waste, and took a taste for himself, “Mmh…they even flavored the whip.”

“It’s good, right?” She asked as she set the cup down. Furion had her left hand in his own, and gently rubbed his thumb back and forth over her fingers. She managed to respond with a gentle squeeze, and he looked down at it.

“How’s it feeling now?”

“Still as if I’m wearing a thick glove,” She answered, “But it’s getting better every day.”

“You’ll have it all back soon, I’m sure of it. You’ve advanced by leaps and bounds since wearing your armor. It’s like you reminded yourself how to move, and it woke something up in this new limb.” He said, and lifted that hand to kiss her knuckles.

And in the gap between them, a cat suddenly appeared.

“Oh, who’s this?” The Captain wondered, and reached back around with his free hand to see if the creature was as friendly as it was fearless. That dark nose sniffle-snuffled at his skin, and rubbed its head forward, inviting him to scritch its head.

The entire time, it had its face turned away from Ren, but there was something about it that made her skeptical. A tingle of a memory – a phrase - entered her mind, ‘This grey short-haired thing.’ Suddenly, that face turned her way, and bright orange eyes looked directly at her. She felt her soul leave her body, ‘You can tell it’s them though because they keep their same eyes with either mantle.’

And she screamed.

And fell backwards out of her chair.

“Ren!?” Furion was up quickly and rushed to her side, but the cat just stayed on their table, and pawed its way over to the edge of it before sitting down to watch. The Captain was on a knee at her side, and quickly went to help gather her back up to sit, “Are you okay? What the Hell was that for? Did it bite you?”

She could only point at the feline, “Th-th-th…that’s…that’s Lord Rylen!” She whispered frantically, “I’m certain of it!”

“What?” He balked, only to look at the animal a second time. Given it hadn’t moved, and was looking on at them rather resolutely, and it did so with eyes that were unnaturally bright and wrongly-colored for a Russian Blue, Furion could only believe her words. He wouldn’t be the first to salute a cat though.

“Good morning, Captain. Commander.”

Both of them were up and saluting then, “Sir!”

Ren dared ask the obvious, “H-How did you find us on our day off, sir!? N-Neither of us are even using the World Cloud right now!”

“Aren’t you though?” The cat tilted its head, and Ren was suddenly rather aware that she still had the ElecTrix effect on her hair. She deflated entirely.

Several eyes were staring in their direction, confused about what was going on.

The cat was undaunted though, “Dame, I need you up aboard the Aegis as soon as you’re able to get there. In my meeting room.”

“Sir!”

The grey-coated creature stepped off the table then and started to wander off, and as the two Knights watched it go…it dissolved into dust. Their hearts were in their throats, and they each had a sense about what that directive was going to lead to. Ren swallowed hard, “…I’m in really big trouble, aren’t I…?”

“You won’t be the only one if that’s the case.”

.

Her heart pounded the entire way back to the ship. Furion wouldn’t let her go alone though and followed her all the way there, right up until he was stuck outside the doors to the Sixth Eidolon’s private meeting room. Aboard each ship, Rylen was provided with a similar space, so no matter where he was, he could have somewhere to call his own space, and within, he was already waiting…as his normal self, leaning against his desk, arms crossed.

Ren felt like she couldn’t breathe. She felt her partner’s hand on her back as she stepped forward, but she didn’t dare look back at him, even for a last moment of reassurance. She approached cautiously, but once she was far enough in, the door closed behind her with a hiss, and she offered whatever formality she could with another salute despite her dressed-down attire, “…Sir.”

Those self-same bright orange eyes examined her carefully, but when Rylen lifted his gaze and seemed almost pleased to see her, it suddenly became a very strange experience. The Eidolon gestured for her to sit down at one of the many chairs lining an oval-shaped cut in the floor, “Have a seat. This is off the books, so there’s no sense to stand on ceremony.”

Ren dared to reach for the nearest spot, and turned the chair around so she could sit facing her superior.

“How’s the recovery going?”

“Sir?”

“Your arm. I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t come to see you sooner about it, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you. As it stands, you already had enough to deal with, waking up aboard the Aegis of all things.” He explained – rather casually, “I’ve been kept apprised of your progress, but still…hearing it directly from you would always be preferred.”

“…Oh, um…it’s been going well, sir.” She stammered, and looked at the pale image of her new palm, “I have some decent range of motion now, but…it’s still pretty weak.”

“You’ll get that back soon enough. I saw that you went flying yesterday night. How’d it go?”

“It was…nice, sir.” She answered – the confusion of not having been asked about the situation she’d been found in was slowly killing her, “Can I ask why I’m here…?”

“Ah, yes, let’s dispense with this distraction and get right to the point.” Rylen clapped his hands and turned around. He raised his arm, and above his desk formed the image of Magistrate Regulus, “I believe you know this man. Not by his face, however…but rather, by his signature weapon.” The image was swiped aside, and in its place was a rotating depiction of that blue, four-armed monstrosity of a war-machine, “If you had a chance for a do-over, would you take it?”

“In my full gear? In a heartbeat, sir.”

“That’s lovely to hear.” He clapped his hands again and turned back around, “What if I told you…that I know where you can find him, and that he’s going to be alone for a period of time?”

“…Sir?”

Behind him, the visuals of a map appeared, and zoomed in on the mountains that divided Sargon from Kitez. It moved a bit further north though, towards where the border-town of Soothton appeared, “I came into possession of credible information that Magistrate Regulus is in this area. I don’t have a direct set of eyes that far into the mountains, but…my sources tell me they’ve witnessed him there in person as recently as last night. He’s moved on to a little-known area north-east of the town that I know to be the site of an old colony shipwreck. Or, part of one, anyway. There are still so many ships we’ve never found…but that section was from the SSCF Connington. It had been long-buried by rock-slides and rain by the time we knew about it, and there was never anything worth salvaging from it…so it’s just been there, rotting beneath the mountains.”

“Are you…suggesting I go there to confront him? It’s still so far inside Kitez though…”

“Those colony ships were 3,500ft long, nearly three times the length of a SkyFortress. What crashed out there is enough to hide a passage from Kitez all the way into Sargon.” He waved his hand in front of the map and it showed a rough outline of where the Council knew the chunk of ship was buried, “We don’t have it mapped, but we do know that people have gone through and back. Adventurers and such. I think they call themselves cavers?” He snapped his fingers then and the image completely vanished, taking the map with it and leaving nothing but the normal empty air above the desk. The Eidolon approached, hands loosely held behind his back, “Those ruins are dangerous. Anything could happen down there, underground…in the dark.”

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

Ren’s heart thumped for all kinds of different reasons in that moment, and she rose back up to stand, “Sir…I…”

“Do you want a chance to get back at him? This offer won’t last long.”

“Are you sanctioning a foray to murder a Kitezan Magistrate?”

“I’m suggesting no such thing. But, sometimes Fafnir Knights explore dangerous places, and if an accident were to happen in the vicinity of a centuries-old buried relic, and it happened to kill a Kitezan Magistrate at the same time…who am I to blink twice at the happy coincidence?” The Eidolon had a sinister glint in his eyes, “So?” He expanded his hand in a circular motion, and beneath that little black jacket, Ren’s blues manifested, “What do you say? Commander.”

She hesitated to answer. Her eyes went down, looking at nothing in particular as a thousand considerations went through her mind all at once. The temptation was particularly strong, however…but she found herself with one other pressing inquiry, “Sir…before I say anything, may I ask a question?”

“Certainly.”

“You…stumbled onto a sight between myself and the Captain that I was certain was going to see me removed from my post just now. Yet, you’re offering me a chance to seek personal justice against a man who chased, fought, and maimed me, before capturing and torturing three people who are very important to me. …Why…?” She blurted.

“Oh, the thing with you and Captain Ryell? I’ve known about that.”

“…Heh?”

“For roughly five years? Something like that. You two are not subtle.”

“…But it’s…against regulations… Either one of us could’ve been stripped of our wings over it…”

“I appreciate you noticing that, Dame, however, the both of you are far too useful and skilled to cast aside simply for sharing affection for one another. In fact, one might suggest you work even better together that way. So, to my mind, as long as that continued, I would not make a fuss over it,” Rylen shrugged, “And you two have apparently been going steady for quite a while longer than that; the entire team has been stronger for your partnership. Practically a married couple, wouldn’t you say?”

Her face flushed, but she lowered her gaze anyway, “…Sir…”

“Do you want to become Captain one day, Dame?”

That got her attention right back, “Yessir.”

“Then just keep doing a good job. This mission is as much for your sake as it is for advancing my own ideologies in Kitez. If you don’t want to think about it in terms of it being a personal venture…you can call it an order from me.” He explained, “But, I think you’re the perfect person to carry it out, in this case. I can send Captain Rydell if you feel you’re not ready, though. I’m sure he’d take great pleasure in flaying that man’s hide from his body on your behalf.”

Those words certainly changed the paradigm. Ren felt her heartbeat in her ears, and she opened her mouth to answer, but…she didn’t have a chance to respond before their ‘talk’ was interrupted by the Voice of the Fourth, “Rylen, what in the literal Hell are you doing?”

“What? I’m just having a conversation with the Dame here.” Rylen gestured at Ren as Xanarken came stomping closer, “We’re getting caught-up on her recovery.”

“She’s had her profile set to her Fourth Wing designation since this morning. Being in Trazad – on recovery-leave, mind you – there would be no reason to suddenly switch to the Sixth all of a sudden. Color me surprised when I noticed that switch, and the conspicuous location where it happened.”

Rylen glowered dryly, eyes narrowed slightly, “How in the world did you even notice it that fast?”

“Gabriel and Seth are in the Sargonian Palace right now…without her. I was trying to figure out where she was, since I was under the impression that she wanted to finish the mentorship program.” Xanarken explained.

Ren just watched them going at each other, heart racing in her chest as she tried to figure out who she actually answered to then.

“According to some fairly high-ranking sources, Dame Ren is on recovery-leave.” Rylen shot back, and Xanarken threw his hands up in frustration, “Like I said, I’m just getting caught up with her. She is, after all, half my responsibility again.”

“You would have no reason to make her come all the way up here just to check on her,” Xanarken pointed out, “What is this really about?” He looked to Ren, “…What’s he trying to drag you into while you’re still healing?”

“You don’t have to answer that.” Rylen advised.

Ren was petrified; two Eidolon were giving her conflicting directives and she couldn’t claim that either of them had any priority over her anymore. Still, she trusted Xanarken, and she heaved a breath, “He’s not trying to rope me into anything, sir…he’s just…offering me an opportunity.”

“…An opportunity?” Xanarken echoed, and Rylen was the one to toss his hands up in frustration then, “Explain.”

.

Furion’s heartbeat was in his throat the entire time that door was closed, and he just about coughed it up when that panel finally hissed and slid aside. Out came Ren, and before he could whisper a peep, she snatched him by the hand and started walking in a hurry, “Wait…Ren, what’s going on?”

“I can’t tell you why, but I need to suit-up. Now.”

“Can you at least tell me if we’re in trouble?”

“We’re not. He’s known for a long time.”

Furion made a face, “…That’s both reassuring and mortifying at the same time.”

“I know, right?” She answered, and tapped the elevator ‘up’ button. It wasn’t just any regular elevator though; it was the Fafnir Launch-bay chute, and was one of many on the ship that gave the Knights a fast-track to the dock where their armor was stored. It only took a few seconds for their ride to arrive, and they both quickly went in. As the chamber began to move with speed, they both leaned into the inertia, and Ren sucked in a readying breath, “…I’m going on a mission.”

“In your condition?”

“I have to do this. I’ve gotten the blessings of both Lord Rylen and Lord Xanarken. I may never get this chance again.” She explained, and the inertia faded, leaving the two to lurch slightly with the stop. The door opened, and Ren stepped out; she immediately started to shrug out of her little black coat.

It was only then that Furion actually realized she had been wearing the uniform-jacket of the Sixth underneath, “I know you can’t tell me what you’re going to do, but can I at least escort you part of the way? I can be on stand-by in case you run into trouble.”

That was an easy thing to agree to, and she stepped closer to put a hand on his chest and stood up on her toes to kiss his cheek, “I’d like that. I have one stop to make along the way before I deploy, per Lord Xanarken’s conditions for his consent.”

“Understood. Let’s go.”

.

Gabriel stood back with the Emperor as the awkward meeting of teenagers carried on. To his surprise, it was actually the Prince who’d been the more open of the duo, and Seth – despite his previously extroverted demeanor – was more reserved. The older man beside him noticed the same thing.

“I thought my son would be rather mum about all these changes,” The elder noted, arms crossed as he watched, “Maybe the whole reason he was difficult was because he was alone.”

“It’ll be good for him to go be with others his own age then. I’m glad Seth was open to the idea of coming here.” The mediator agreed, “Seth probably needs more people around him his own age, too, anyway.”

“And you say he’s some kind of…Limitless…prodigy…researcher sort of thing?”

“Something of the sort.”

“Psst.”

Gabriel looked around in confusion, but when he heard the sound again, he realized where it was coming from, and spotted his Eidolon peeking through a barely-open door to a nearby hall. He gave a ‘what are you doing’ sort of look, but when Xanarken responded with a ‘come out here’ kind of head-nudge, the mediator sighed, “Excuse me, your majesty.” He gave a polite bob of his head, and stepped away. With the door closed behind him then, he couldn’t help but wonder, “Why didn’t you just message me to step out?”

“There’s a situation,” The Eidolon deflected, “Maeve is already in the city and ready. I had it brought back here after you and Ren went into Kitez. You’re gonna need it.”

“…What’s going on?”

.

“…He’s taking a lot longer to signal than I thought he would.” Ren grumbled, as she and Furion circled around in the sky like vultures, “So much for my sense of urgency.”

“Did he tell you what he was making you wait for?”

“He had to get something ready.”

“…A weapon maybe?”

“A weapon? From the Fourth?” Ren huffed a laugh, “Could you imagine?”

“…You’re right. That was dumb.” Furion chuckled quietly, “So…if Lord Rylen already knows about us, does that mean we don’t have to hide it anymore?”

“You know, he didn’t actually mention.” She grimaced, “I didn’t think to ask. Seemed the wrong time.”

“Right…”

“It’s time,” Xanarken’s voice suddenly sounded in her helmet, “I’ll ping my location on your HUD.”

“Yessir,” She answered, then turned to where Furion was flying nearby, “That was him. We’re on. …And…I’ve got it. Follow me.” She banked to the right, and Furion followed suit with a roll. They dove until they could practically see the whites in the eyes of the people walking on the roads below, and veered between buildings and street lights until the opening to a skiff-harbor came into view. Ren whiffed passed a tree as it bordered a clearing, and the sound of the branches rustling drew up two faces to watch her arrival. Ren’s brows crinkled behind her visor as she beheld not only the Eidolon she’d expected, but the mediator she hadn’t, and a skiff she didn’t realize was in the city already. She glided down to the launch-pad and tiptoed gracefully to a stop, “…I…wasn’t expecting you here, Gabe.” She said skeptically as she pulled her helmet off. Unlike when she was up on top of the Aegis, her hair was now kept neatly in place by the skullcap of her flight-suit. That didn’t last long, as she pulled the whole headpiece away, and her hair came tumbling loose anyway.

“This is what I was preparing,” Xanarken said simply, and gestured to his second, “He’s going with you.”

“…Heh?”

Furion suddenly came crashing down nearby to her, leaving unfortunate cracks in the concrete with his landing. He, however, left his helmet on, and instead of simply tucking his wings away – or getting rid of the optics entirely, now that he was on the ground – he spread them wide and high, in a slightly intimidating display.

Ren swatted her hand back at him dismissively and whisper-barked to settle down, “Not in front of Lord Xanarken.”

“This would be the perfect place to bring it up though.”

“Not right now!”

Furion gruffly whipped his wings inward, and finally set them to idle-mode behind his back as he crossed his arms and turned his head away slightly.

Ren made a face at him, but then stepped off and over towards the duo, “So…what’s…going on with this, exactly? I thought this was a solo mission. What am I going to do with…uh…a mediator?”

“Damn, I’m right here.” Gabriel puffed.

She just went in closer and reached out with both hands to pat his arms, “You know I don’t mean that in a bad way! There’s just…you know, a time and a place for talking.”

“Don’t let the idea of him fool you, Dame.” Xanarken added, looking rather serious, “There are two kinds of negotiations; the first is talking, the second is the big stick. We are now entering ‘big stick’ territory.”

She just looked on at the Eidolon with a flat, disparate smile, “Lord Xanarken, sir, he’s not a combat negotiator.”

“I didn’t have him fighting in mind,” The Eidolon answered, and stepped closer to her. He set a hand on her shoulder and leaned in close to an ear, “Just let him say a few words before you go in for the kill. You may draw satisfaction from winning the fight, but he’ll rest easier knowing he got off his chest what he would’ve wanted to say if he had the chance before. He knows not to get in your way once he’s done.”

“Sir, with all due respect…if this place is as tight as Lord Rylen says, having a second person there may compromise the mission. I can’t guarantee a kill if I can’t guarantee Gabe’s safety first, and you know I’ll prioritize his life over my own wants.”

Xanarken gave her a deadly-grim look, “If you don’t get the kill, we’ll have bigger problems on our hands than Gabe being scuffed-up. This is an assassination. Regulus won’t stay quiet about it if you fail. Just let Gabe say his piece and finish it; in this mission, failure is not an option.”

“…Yessir.”

“Now,” The Eidolon let her go again and leaned back up to his normal height, and looked on at the Captain, “What’s his major malfunction all of a sudden?”

Gabriel could somehow tell those green eyes were staring daggers at him through that visor.