Now that Darkstar essence core’s effect had worn off, it was like the universe was bombarding him with the problems he’d managed to run away from for a short while, almost as if it was playing catch up. In the wake of Ayesha’s most recent revelation, he’d been caught up in a flurry of activity, becoming the latest member of the victim protection program Lady Sleyca had set up. Whatever qualms Arthur may have had with the noblewoman, he couldn’t deny that she was taking her job very seriously.
Case in point the protective facility he was currently in, a military base that had been repurposed to serve as the woman's headquarters on the planet. The place was drenched in magic of one kind or the other, every surface covered in runic script that his unique eyes picked up on. The runes were barely visible to him, a swirling script that appeared like shimmering lines of silvery light at the edges of his vision. Trying to focus on them made them immediately disappear and he would have thought he was imagining the entire thing if an active use of homunculi’s eye hadn't revealed anything.
??? Script (Barrier Rank 3)
That was all he got, courtesy of whatever obscuration method the runic artist had used to protect their work. It was annoying, considering his recent interest in the subject. Arthur wondered how viable his plan for Armaments of the Soul was. Iris at least believed it was possible and she was far more experienced than him in the field of magic. She was no soul mage, however, and so he wouldn’t know for certain until he consulted an expert on the subject. Not for the first time, Arthur cursed the lockdown the planet had been placed under. Ayesha couldn't access any of her usual off-world information brokers- she’d told him as much when he’d asked for an introductory course to runic scripting- and she was loath to ask lady Sleyca for any help.
That meant that until Earth's problems were dealt with Arthur had no way to progress his plans. My problems actually. They’d become his own when he’d been told he was the agent's most likely next target, hence why he was sitting in this windowless room. It was his second time coming to such a base, but at least the government had no part to play here this time. Replacing them with Lady Sleyca was hardly an improvement though, but at least the woman appeared competent. He was pulled away from his thoughts when the door to his room, seamlessly placed to resemble the wall, was finally opened and Iris rushed in.
The seer had changed clothes since the last time he’d seen her, now wearing a shapeless hoodie and jogger that appeared two sizes too big for her. That, and the fact that she was covered in sweat made it look like she’d just come back from a workout, though Arthur wondered how intense her exercise had to have been to put her in such a state in the eight minutes since he’d last seen her.
She threw a rubber bracelet at him and he caught it, immediately revaluating his initial impressions of the strange jewellery. Whatever this was made from, it was far too heavy to be a naturally occurring element from Earth, the small band weighing almost twenty kilograms. Homunculi's eye, for once, revealed absolutely nothing.
“What's this?” Arthur asked, holding it up to the light. He could see some strange markings on its outer surface, though they were so faint and random they could pass for scuff marks from poor handling.
“It’s an aura repression bracelet, usually used on criminals who’ve gone out of control. They’re also used by people who’ve gone through sudden power spikes and haven't learned how to properly control their new strength. It’s a barbaric practice that's been out of fashion for the last five hundred years.”
“You should put it on?” She deadpanned.
“Barbaric you say. And I should put it on,” Arthur asked with a raised eyebrow. Iris looked at him solemnly for a few seconds before breaking into laughter. It was a high pitched sound, a snort really, completely at odds with her usually refined demeanour.
“You should’ve seen your face,” she giggled, wiping a tear from her eye. “You’d think I offered you drugs or something." Arthur watched, amused as she broke out into laughter again, a reluctant smile making its way onto his face. He didn’t find it funny, but Iris’ joy was infectious.
“All jokes aside, though, you really should put it on. Your aura scrambling skill is nowhere near good enough to hide your secrets and unless you want to out your soul affinity, that bracelet right there is your best bet. They’re barbaric because they’re very uncomfortable to wear, or so I’ve heard, best described as wearing underwear five sizes too small. They also lose efficiency very fast and long term usage has been noted to cause psychological harm. Nothing to worry about considering you’ll only have to wear it when interacting with Sleyca’s people.”
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Arthur grimaced at the item's side effects, but it didn’t look like he’d have a choice in wearing it, at least as long as he wanted to retain a degree of anonymity. “Oh yeah, lady Sleyca's asking about how you disappeared off the map the last few days. I claimed responsibility for it, but I’m not sure how much she believes me.”
Arthur ground. That was another problem he’d have to deal with. It was inevitable that people would ask questions regarding his disappearance. For some reason, he had a feeling he should have remained hidden for weeks- time that would have let his recent escapades facts into obscurity- not the mere two days he'd actually disappeared for. He had no one but himself to blame though. Still, I didn’t expect my attack to create a beam visible for hundreds of miles.
“How much of a problem do you think she’s going to be?” Arthur asked.
“Right now, not much, she's got too much on her plate to go around chasing every mystery. But down the line, your disappearing act is going to come and bite you in the arse. She can’t act directly against you, but that won't stop her from hounding you with recruitment offers.”
Iris smiled sympathetically at him, though he could see the curiosity in her gaze. The seer hadn’t given up on finding out how he’d pulled wool over everyone's eyes, his own included since he had no recollections of the method.
Arthur rubbed his temples, trying to work out some of his frustration. It looked like all his efforts to remain under the radar were about to go up in smoke. Honestly, though, it was only a matter of time before people started looking into me. I was planning on going after the lich-queen, after all. Rationalising it like that made Arthur feel better about himself. From a certain perspective, it was a blessing in disguise, much like ripping off a band-aid in one rapid attempt. It would hurt, yes, but at least now he didn’t have to skulk around in a constant state of paranoia.
“It looks like you’ve come to terms with things,” Iris said, smiling appreciatively at him.
“I just came to a decision I should have made a long time ago,” Arthur replied, somewhat melancholic. Even now, after so much time had passed, he deeply regretted Selena’s death. She’d sacrificed her life thinking she was saving him, taking a mortal blow that would have comparatively, only injured him. If I wasn’t such a prude about my stats, she would’ve still been alive. What made it so much worse, was the fact that far more important secrets he’d hidden- namely his unique blood- had been brought to light immediately after the fight against Shade.
“Enough about me,” Arthur said, clasping the black bracelet onto his hand. “What’s the news on the Harvester’s agent?”
His face twitched in discomfort as he felt the aura suppression come into play. It was as uncomfortable as Iris had warned, if anything, she’d understated it. He felt like he was thousands of feet under the ocean, getting crushed by a terrifying amount of water pressure. He felt nervous at the sudden loss of his aura, a sensation that he hadn’t even realized he’d come to recognise as a natural part of himself. With it suddenly gone, it was as if he’d lost access to one of his senses, and Arthur knew if he was to try and stand up now, he’d face plant onto the hardwood floor.
Iris noted all this, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. She reached out a hand to place on his shoulder before thinking better of herself. Fae were not as lax in their social costumes, and the simple gesture meant far more in her culture. She’d have to teach Arthur before doing anything so familiar, or she felt like she'd be taking advantage of his ignorance. Especially since she was so attracted to him.
Once Iris saw that Arthur had regained control of his faculties, she answered his question.
“It's as we feared,” Iris said. “The token Mira showed you is possibly the very item our target uses to create links with his victims. You may have only touched the token for a second, but a link was created to your soul. Your class evolution and subsequent refinement weakened the magic significantly, but the Harvester's spells have always been an insidious thing.” Iris warned, using her sleeve to wipe the sweat out of her eyes.
“The link formed will grow in strength until it matches its host. Your natural defences and high constitution should protect you, at least on paper, but we don’t have enough information to say anything with any degree of certainty. Either the Harvester's agent won't be able to harm you at all, or you’ll be drained as easily as Mira and everyone else.”
Arthur sincerely doubted that. If the Harvester's powers had no limitations, he would have conquered the universe a long time ago. All his titles and traits should count as some form of protection and Arthur didn’t think Iris realised just how high his effective constitution was, else she’d have a lot more faith in him. If over two thousand Draconic Vitality wasn’t enough to deal with a single measly link, then nothing was. That said, Arthur would much rather deal with the problem now than leave things to chance. It was the main reason why he’d joined Ayesha and Iris in this facility.
“Were you able to track the bastard through his link then,” Arthur asked. It was an idea Ayesha had come up with and they’d decided to put it to the test with Tamo Tatsumi. Now that they had Arthur on the planet, someone much closer to the target, their chances of accurately triangulating his location had increased tenfold. Iris' answering smile was stunning and Arthur reminded himself that the fae woman literally had a beauty stat. “We found him alright,” Iris said. “He’s somewhere over the Atlantic ocean, most likely travelling by boat. His destination seems to be Hell’s Rising, the lich-queen's undead citadel. We can’t let those two meet. We’ll be sending a task force to intercept him long before he reaches land, right over the water. “She grinned at him. “Something tells me our job will be a lot easier if we have a legendary water mage on our side.”