The door to the records room could only be described as unassuming, tucked in the corner of a corridor that they barely passed through. It was a plain wooden door, an engraving of Minerva’s spear flush against the surface, only observable at certain angles, and a normal handle, which in this mansion of abundance was still gilded. Even he would’ve missed it if Lady Cyllenium hadn’t specifically pointed it out to remind him to visit the room the next morning.
However, as the moon hung, stranded between the black ocean above, dots of white twinkling beyond it still, Alex stood waiting, staring out onto the gardens, trying to think of contingencies for his contingencies. He completely failed entirely, as he instead got wrapped up in creating parallels between the garden and the night sky. Then he got roped in with chatting with the maids and butlers on patrol, listening to the local gossip, before a drunk gardener yelled out to him, and then he spent ten minutes cracking jokes with him. He had already fallen asleep underneath an apple tree by now, and a sigh sputtered out of his lips, bored out of his mind, cursing the gods for making his partner late.
He knew there were countless he had wronged by now, but whichever deity had come up with his power had earned a personal kick in the balls, and just as the thought crossed his mind, Elyza turned the corner, remarking, “What are you staring at?”
“Just seeing if one of my bestest friends is lost in the woods…” He retorted with a grin, eliciting a sigh from her, before adding, “Since it has been twenty minutes since I told her exactly where we had to meet.”
“I apologise,” Her voice didn’t mean it, explaining, “I was cornered by the General, thankfully, Sarah dragged me from the conversation before I had the chance to stab him in the gut.”
“Are you alright?” A nod satisfied his anxiety, and the first thing that popped in his head had to be spoken, grinning as he added, “You need to learn how to suppress your beauty better, Ears. It's starting to become quite a problem for us; first a prince, then a bigoted general. At this rate, you might catch the eye of Zeus, and trust me, you do not want to be on the bad side of Hera.”
He spotted the roll of her eyes as he flipped around and readied himself, his partner replying without a hint of mercy, “Why are you advising me on a phenomenon you have never experienced?”
Scoffing, chuckling between them, he replied, “Excuse me? Are you the person that just tucked in the Lady Cyllenium herself!?” He didn’t give her the chance to reply, relishing the smile that flashed across her face, quickly adding as he grabbed the handle of the record room, “You ready to begin on our grand old journey of reading piles and piles of documents?”
“Why’d you have to be there that night…” Elyza remarked, gesturing for him to continue to open the door for her.
“The wheels of fate are a bitch to predict,” He stated, his hand pulling down, yet as he pushed it, the door refused to open. Stopping her partner’s chuckle with a glance back, he crouched to examine the lock, peering into the hole to study the pattern he needed to copy. He reached into his shadow, pulling out a leather holster full of lock picks, and placed a key without any prongs into the lock. As he turned it, he slammed his hand onto the key, the lock clicking in response.
Staring at his partner, he tried the handle once again, and the door allowed them to pass, Elyza faux clapping as he stuck out his tongue at her. “You are twenty-five years old, why must you act like this?” She remarked without a hint of questioning, a smile adorning her face as he let her through into the room, ahead of him.
“I was cursed with a heart that will always be twenty, and a panache for truly awful humour, and the usual stuff of a demoness living in my head trying to wrestle control.”
_You were like this way before I awakened, don’t blame me for the way you are._
“Elina says she agrees with my apt description of reasons,” He replied with a smile, the Empress’ sigh echoing in his head.
His partner grabbed the door, keeping it open so that he could enter next, letting it close as she immediately spotted his lie, “I am sure I agree with whatever she said.”
_Why couldn’t she be related to that dick? We would have agreed on so many things._
Alex grinned, knowing that the freeloader was opening up to his partner, and more importantly that the two would be alone from now on, meaning he could finally escape the humid confines of his own illusion. With a snap of his fingers, the shadows grasping onto his skin fell, the mist that could trick even the eyes of Ra dissipating in an instant, and for the first time in the night, his skin could finally breathe. He shrunk, just a tad, his shirt loosening without two mounds holding them up, immediately being soaked by the sweat that had pooled beneath the suit of darkness. A sense of relief washed over him, as well as a thanks to his parents that he didn’t have a strong odour, letting out a guttural breath as he hung his head, the toll of the spell finally spreading through his muscles.
“Back to usual?” Elyza asked, taking in her hand a torch placed upon a table beside the door, the crystal within illuminating them both. “Good, I rather prefer you like this…”
His mind paused, just as she realised her mistake, but he was faster in exploiting the slip of her tongue, his grin finally at home, shining brighter in the light, “Aw, Ears, did you miss my face that much?”
“Only the fact that it is easier to point flaws in.” Even in his way of the words, the response was perfectly crafted, but he could see on her face that she was trying to cover for herself.
“Ouch, well, we’ll get back to that later…” Alex remarked, his eyes piercing the darkness of the room, the light aiding his efforts to spot what it could not reach. There were towers of books, their spines jutting out from the shelves, a ladder present to help with their retrieval. A library by the looks of it, the smell of ancient paper, papyrus, ink, and leather hanging with the dust that the air held. Not an unusual place for records to be kept, and the fact that this house was seldom used by the royalty that owned it, added to the security of the concept that such important documents would be kept in the capital.
Both of them walked towards the nearest bookshelf, to see what it held, Elyza holding the lantern above him, allowing the rays to light up the focus of his gaze. They scanned the rows at their respective eye levels, moving in unison, repeating the process on the next shelf over. “Shit,” he exclaimed under his breath, having traced the letters K to S with his eyes, the spines of the first shelf focused towards the topic of biology, the second focused on geography, “We’re not in the records wing of the library.”
“I can see E to S, for history and cooking books,” His partner concurred, straightening her posture as he spun on his heels, his eyes peering through the darkness to see if the opposite side had any hope for the rest of the night not being an absolute slog. Yet, as far as he could see, it did not hold what they had come for. A groan escaped his throat, his mind already preparing itself for hours of wandering similar hallways in the brink of darkness, till they stumble across something they could use.
“You two can’t be here…” A voice mumbled from his right, down the stretching shelves, the distinction between the words barely noticeable even with his trained ears.
Both their heads snapped towards who had addressed them, Alex catching his partner’s hand before she could call upon her halberd, realising an adversary would not have given them a chance to explain themselves. It also helped his argument that the sight of his partner, with her red hair that appeared to be aflame under the torch’s light and piercing emerald eyes, scared the speaker enough. She had ducked behind the cover of a shelf as soon as their heads snapped towards the voice, a singular bright yellow slitted eye peaking at them through a monocle, the pink of their ears the only other thing that the darkness hadn’t obscured.
His mind switched back to his character, bowing slightly as he remarked, “I do apologise, my Lady has a certain effect on those that have not yet introduced themselves.”
The words seemed to have calmed the interrupter down a bit, though the flicker in the eye worried him, the battle going in their favour as they stepped back into view, hesitating “I see, but I still have to ask you two to leave, no one should be here during the party, I have received di–explicit instruction straight from Lady Cyllenium.”
“Then why are you still here?” Elyza questioned, approaching the figure, the light she held illuminating them better as she did, Alex following in tow, his eyes scanning whatever it revealed.
A snout was revealed by the glow, fur almost as black as obsidian running up till the yellow pool, a monocle sitting above it, opposite to a deep maroon eyepatch, which had embroidered upon it the symbol of Ra with a golden thread. Two ears, angled outwards, stood above a bed of messy hair, braids running between them with strands splitting from them, like she had just rolled out of bed, some bleached white. She wore a smokey grey jumper vest that had Anubis’ ankh in its centre in white wool, beneath it a pearl white shirt, black cloth wrapped around her legs to form a skirt, her tail swaying behind her with concern. Her ears were pierced with silver ankhs, her neck sporting a choker with a golden chain at its edges.
She was clearly the library’s keeper, at the very most an apprentice, answering, “Sh– The Lady asked me to show someone in the morning, but there was a late shipment of books that the head librarian…” Her voice trailed off as the realisation dawned on her that none of her words needed to be spoken, trying to recover her composure, “All you two need to know is that you can’t be here.”
“I understand your predicament,” Alex remarked, bowing ever so slightly, about to explain the situation they found themselves in before his partner lowered the lantern, stealing the librarian’s attention.
“I have an urgent and complicated matter to attend to across the ocean,” Elyza interrupted, her voice switching on a dime to be akin to a noble’s, or someone he would dread having to guard. “Hence, unfortunately, I will be unable to look at the necessary documents at a more… appropriate time, so I would appreciate it if you could guide us through the process.”
Stepping back into the librarian’s view, he clarified the request, “What Lady Adler wishes to convey in her own unique manner, is that we require the records much more urgently than we had previously discussed with Lady Cyllenium, and we would appreciate your help in navigating to where the required information is held.”
“We’re lost, and we require guidance,” His partner summarised perfectly.
_I think you’ve broken the Anubian._
That can’t be what they call themselves.
Alex tried to scour his mind for the proper term that the jackal headed beasts preferred, combing through his scarce memories of similar looking individuals in books, history, and his own past, hoping that the freeloader was wrong. Unfortunately, the librarian had finally recovered from her confusion, reality settling in as she jerked downwards, so hard that he swore the crack of bone as she bowed to his partner.
It took a second from her mouth opening and legible words actually flowing from it, stumbling over her words before she finally strung what her mind wanted to convey, “I apologise Lady Adler, I did not recognise you, I’d be happy to assist you and… I was informed that your retainer would be accompanying you?”
As their eyes met, Alex remembered his appearance, or more specifically the lack of features that she would’ve been told about beforehand. A myriad of excuses popped up in his head, but Elyza took charge, his partner remarking on the spot, “Ms. House was sent ahead to deal with a developing situation, I asked for one of the analysts I had sent ahead as a financier. Generously, Lady Cyllenium agreed, but I suspect the night’s events may have already taken their toll on her.”
“You may call me Alexander,” he remarked, letting his grin spread, making sure to bow in response to ease some of her anxiety, the librarian still refusing to meet either of their gaze, adding, “I do apologise for my current state, I was with company before being dragged here. So, Ms…?”
“Neaveh… I prefer to not give away my family name,” Her eyes glanced upwards to meet his, her posture relaxing just a tad as she finally stopped bowing.
Cracking his knuckles as he stretched his arms, he continued, “Well, Ms. Neaveh, if you could lead us to the financial and supply records, we’ll try to finish our inquiry in, at max, an hour.”
----------------------------------------
Slaps came from both his sides, hitting his cheeks in succession, Alex shook his head as he tried to maintain his focus. He was trying to get some more blood so that his mind did not think about burning the library to the ground, his eyes staring through the map of Luminae. They had spread it across the entire width of the table, weighed down by stacks of books lest it blow out through the only source of light they had, the moon’s light flooding the wing of the library. Scrolls and ledgers spread across the canvas, except for a few points, the names of the marked towns still kept visible. He had an urge to check his watch, even as he knew that barely three minutes had passed since the second hour they had found the records.
“You know, after all the miniscule amount of information I’m used to finding about various criminal undertaking, I think the universe has overcompensated wildly,” He remarked, slamming his head into the table, unfortunately the blow was cushioned by the notebook kept beneath him, thwarting his efforts to knock himself out.
“It is… extensive to a fault,” His partner agreed, Elyza appearing from his right, tapping his head with another file, thankfully this one felt lighter than the rest, adding to her words, “This might be worth it all the reading, though.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“What’ve you found, oh great oracle of the spirits?” he sighed out, forcing his grin, as he heaved his head, his hands accepting yet another document, adding, “Another undisclosed warehouse, another franchise under the shell organisation, or the presence of an armada in the middle of nowhere being paid to protect ‘trees for lumber’?”
“Of the same sorts,” There was a knowing essence in her voice, her smile flowing through her words as she waited for him to examine the document.
Taking in a deep breath, Alex scanned the pages till something useful caught his eye, forcing his mind to think about what he read by reciting it verbatim, “This document is proof of the collaboration between the Cyllenium family and the Temple of Hera, the latter party nominating the Golden Laurels, and allow this nomination to be used as verification of the operations and validity of the third party.”
His interest peaked as the name of the shell company had been finally connected with the Temple of Hera, his eyes jumping ahead, only catching the gist of what was written till they finally stopped, “However, blah, blah, blah, not responsible for the actions agents may take… Here’s the good stuff – This trust has been used by the Golder Laurels, henceforth known as Publica in all succeeding documents as per their request, as a security on all further transactions they make for the assets of the trade network, along with the understanding that they only have a licence to act as a subsidiary for the Cyllenium trade, which may be revoked if they harm the image of the organisation.”
“Interesting, is it not?” His partner remarked, peering at the document over his shoulder, her hair falling upon his, “Does that not mean if we can connect this… Golden Laurels’ operations with the trade, the Lady Cyllenium would be forced to cooperate with us? Moreover, it gives Felicia the leverage to use her battalion in order to help uncover the cult’s outposts.”
“Getting too ahead of yourself, Ears,” Alex remarked, though even he could see the opportunities even the existence of the document provided, reminding himself, “We still have no clue whether this company is related to the cult, or just a way for some high ranking priest’s to make extra coin on the side. The good news is that we have a lead…”
He pointed to the signature to the bottom, a name that had been mentioned in all the suspicious documents they had uncovered, confirming their involvement in it all, “Do we know where to find this Lora Knox? I don’t believe I’ve heard the name around the General yet.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?” The librarian’s voice interrupted his thoughts, Alex sliding the paper back so it fell into his shadow, his partner moving aside so that he didn’t have to peer around her to wave at the Anubian.
Getting up from his seat, wincing as his back cracked as he straightened himself, he remarked with a smile, “I believe so, though I have to say, this is by far the most comprehensive collection of documents I’ve seen anybody keep, and I yet have to decide if that was a good thing or not.”
Helping her with the stack of books she had strolled in with, allowing Neaveh to reply, “I do believe I’m somewhat responsible for that, Lady Cyllenium hired me specifically to take care of the library, she wants this library to be a repository of all known knowledge in the world, and the records were just a side effect.”
“You did an amazing job,” He gave her a grin, settling the new pile on the table as Elyza plopped herself down in his chair, asking, “Anything left?”
“I believe not,” She replied with a smile, her eyes glancing towards his partner, who was noting the names of the marked areas on the map, confusion spreading over the librarian’s face, “Oh, Lady Adler is still here? I swear I heard someone enter the library.”
Her head snapped to the left, as if some prey had caught her attention, and at the same time his partner remarked from her seat, “Is there a window open? I can feel a breeze wafting from those books.”
He glanced behind to see her pointing with her pen to the bookshelf sat opposite her, before he felt the shadows around him grow restless, wanting to retreat back into the depths of darkness. The smell of extremely cleansed air attacked his nostrils, the very next second, and he did not need to wait for the Empress to scream into his mind to know something was wrong. “I think we’re finished here, so if you would, Lady Adler, it's about time we leave.”
He didn’t have to put a slot of stress on his voice to convey the magnitude of unease he was feeling. Elyza promptly slammed her notebook shut, tossing the leather-bound pages at him, whacking his back before it was consumed by the darkness beneath. “Neaveh, would you kindly guide us out?” His partner instructed, her hands busy tying her hair into a bun, she could tell he expected something to go wrong.
“Oh,” the librarian remarked, her eyes disappointed that the two had decided to leave, adding, “Could you help me sort these books before we leave? It's going to take me hours to return them to their areas.”
Alex tried to give her a reassuring smile, his hand raising to command the shadows, his mind relaying the instructions they had to follow, “It won’t take long.”
His fingers met, about to snap, his grin coming naturally as his shade bubbled beneath to be released, but the crack of his skin was deafened by the wall to his right barrelling towards him. His ears screamed for silence as the rapid change in air pressure and the air itself threatened to implode them, the heat making it seem like a firework had burst next to his head. But he had no time to waste, knowing his partner would be able to withstand the blast and the ensuing shrapnel, he threw himself in front of Neaveh, who had yet to understand what was happening. His feet slid into place, a hand calling upon his cloak from beneath, the cloth barely arriving as the blast finally connected.
He felt himself being thrust into the air, his hands barely keeping grip around the librarian, his eyes unable to comprehend the spinning sight as his mind tried to predict how they would land. Something struck his back, ripping through his shirt and embedding itself below his shoulder blade. Instantly, he forced his mind to ignore the burning pain that throbbed from the attack, but the temporary shift in focus allowed for him to experience the full brunt of what happened next. Something hit his arm, loosening his grip around the librarian, knocking the two from the trajectory the attack had thrust them on. Propelling him into another shelf, the barrier crumpling under the impact, his head being smacked by at least three books. He still held onto Neaveh’s arm, trying to make sure she landed properly, finally stopping their flight through the air, laying upon and surrounded by shards of wood, books, and their pages, some cindering.
His body ached, the warm feeling of blood running down his back, his shoulder definitely dislocated, hurting even to rub the grime from his eyes. The smell of ash and flames kept his mind awake, the pain aiding as his adrenaline surged, the heat radiating through the air screaming at him to get up. His eyes snapped open to gaze upon a scene that would have confounded his mind if it tried to perceive it as a library. Scrambling to his feet, his hand checking the librarian’s pulse, he pulled her to her feet, using the added weight to snap his shoulder back into place.
“Are you hurt? Can you walk?” Alex asked, as his eyes tried to peer through the billowing smoke of the scene in front of him. The pristine moonlit library had been replaced by the orange illuminance of blossoming flame spreading across the shattered corpses of wood and paper, his partner nowhere in sight.
He trusted she would be safe, but he had to stop himself from scouring the rubble for her, Neaveh’s voice grounding him in what was more important, her voice wavering as she stuttered out, “I can’t feel my left foot, but it doesn’t hurt a lot.”
Her mind was working on instinct, he could see in her eyes that they were holding back tears, meaning he could trust her to follow his instructions without hesitation. Offering his shoulder for support, another question popped into his head, a hand retrieving his dagger as another called upon his shadows for his xiphos, “It's probably sprained, don’t put too much pressure on it… Can you stand by yourself?”
_There’s something stuck in your spine._
“Also,” somewhat thankful that the Empress had reminded him, Alex added as he felt his sword’s grip touch his palm, “Could you yank the thing sticking out my back?”
Neaveh reached around him, putting her weight on him, grabbing the shard that had wounded him, muffling his grunt as she wrestled it from his body. The burning began anew as the wound was exposed to ember in the atmosphere, before it was smothered by darkness, ensuring he didn’t lose more blood than he could afford.
A pulse collected within him, rushing through the smoke, the particulates around him wavering under his will as they experienced the burst. Twice the flames were unsettled, once as they rushed outwards, and again as they returned from striking the surrounding structures, and the image of a figure approaching from the flame constructed itself in his head. It was too large to be his partner, but what worried Alex was that he couldn’t figure out what monstrosity had three arms to utilise.
Whatever it was, as they stepped from the cover of the fumes, a hulking shadow advertising a dangerous presence, his eyes snapped to the bisected arm. From the dried blood, bridges of tissues, and wire that connected the two halves, a rusted bronze barrel jutted forward, riddled with runes even he had not seen before. Vapour wafted from the metal, the runes losing their glow as they recovered from the attack, giving way to the face he was hoping to see covered in dirt, pale and lifeless.
The general was still dressed in the coat of arms Alex had spotted at the party, a blue and silver monstrosity, the sleeve that covered the cleaved arm ripped due to expansion. The sight made him drop his weapons as he nudged Neaveh behind him, his mind already busy calling upon his bow, straightening his posture as he remarked with a smile, “That was a bit rude, most people tend to introduce their grandiose purpose before they kill me. On another note, does your arm hurt when you shoot something out of it?”
There was no surprise on their attacker's face, the barrel within his flesh rotating, groaning as it spewed out flames onto the floor, torching the remnants of the table that stood there moments before. “Unfortunate,” His voice was dry, deeper than an echo in a cave, devoid of anything that could spark joy, “It seems I held back too much, I’d rather not waste time dealing with snooping rats.”
“I beg your pardon?” Alex remarked, drawing his bow as soon as he felt the leather grip, the arrow aimed squarely at the general’s forehead, sparks of purple already nestling between the layers of his bow, “Did our survival ruin your plans?”
Their eyes met, his black irises staring into his attacker’s pale cyan orbs, both tirelessly failing to pierce the other. It felt odd, as if he was staring at a blank wall, but he still felt something else studying him, observing him from behind the general’s eyes. The sound of rubble snapped him back to reality, his fingers releasing the string, causing the arrow to catapult at where it was aimed.
There was no fear or hesitation, the general raising his hand to stop it in its place, the metal cleaving through the skin with ease, a click of the tongue the only indication that the arrow had done anything. Grabbing the metal between his thumb, he pulled its entire length through the hole that bled like a river, the feathers Alex had carefully fletched painted in red. Released and consumed by the flames beneath, the general raised the barrel to take aim at Alex. His arm was already outstretched to call upon his cloak, a contingency to protect the librarian taking shield behind him.
Air whirled around the metal barrel, the copper turning red as it struggled to control the spell, an orb of convulsing blue appearing within it, before the hook of a halberd yanked it backwards. The orb was released prematurely, blasting through the window and disintegrating into shards of white. The general spun around to grab the spear, grasping at thin air, Elyza rematerializing her halberd and thrust it through his stomach.
Dropping his bow, Alex rushed forward, his hand grabbing his cloak as he vaulted onto the general’s back. Wrapping the cloth around the monstrosity's face, a glance towards his partner decided their next move. Locking his legs around the unfortunate general’s neck in preparation, Elyza spun on her heels, heaving them both behind her, her partner busy dodging the general’s hands before he was sailing through the night sky. Positioning the general beneath him, Alex let go before they hit the dirt of the garden, leaping off the sailing man. He landed on his feet as the general tumbled into a rose plot, his claymore arriving as her partner stood by his side, resting the blade on his shoulders as the man staggered to his feet.
As the man stood on his feet, almost seemingly unaffected by the wounds he had sustained, his arms moving rigidly as his body turned before his head did. His arm finally combined into one, the line of separation joining into a scar that mimicked a burn wound, five words generating a flurry of questions in his mind, “I was warned of you.”
“By whom?” Elyza asked, her halberd pointed towards the man, keeping the pole’s blade angled towards him.
“Wait, I think he’s gearing up for an evil soliloquy,” Alex replied, stabbing his claymore into the dirt to lean against, adding with a grin, “Or maybe he’ll try to convince us to work with him?”
“I can not say, Lady Adler, I doubt that is your real name, but as much as I would like to eviscerate the two of you before you turn into a bigger problem…” The general remarked, and the feeling of another peering through the man’s eyes returned, but the gaze was different, it wasn’t trying to study him.
Pulling his claymore up allowed a slight distraction that his partner took advantage of, a flurry of wind blades forming with the swing of her halberd. He followed in tow, his claymore hanging low to indicate a slash upwards. The general’s other hand was eviscerated by a red blade that mimicked a rapier’s, the energy tearing through his own flesh, the sheer heat that exploded from it wavering the spell rushing through the air.
He tore through most of the blades, letting some strike him, focusing on stopping the man dashing at him. Alex let his momentum carry him as he used the loose dirt to twirl, his stance shifting midway, bringing his blade close to his chest. Putting all his weight on his lead foot, he thrust the sword forward, flicking it towards the general’s chest, only for his point to be dragged upwards by the blade of unstable mana.
As the heat from the blade was absorbed by his own steel, both tried to escape the bite of the swords, trying to push their point towards the other. The air rushed past Alex’s ears, the corner of his eye catching the general’s other arm split to reveal the cannon aiming at his chest, but before his opponent could even think of firing, he dropped into his shadow.
The lapse in resistance allowed his partner to strike next, swinging the beak of her halberd into the bronze cylinder. Knocking it aside allowed for a thrust into the neck, the general deflecting it upwards, which did nothing to falter Elyza, pulling the pole back and swinging once again. The blade would’ve cleaved straight through his coat of mail, if another sabre hadn’t materialised in its path. The boom that followed the swirling blue chaotic materialisation of mana, forced his partner to retreat, another variable being thrown to be considered by both as they stood opposing the man.
“I’m surprised to see a man of your abilities holding himself back with such disappointing weaponry, General Hackett,” Alex remarked, his attempts to prod at the suspected identity of the man aided by the big grin on his face as he rested his claymore upon his shoulder.
“Perhaps in the past this body may have been more adept at polearms,” The general remarked, pointing the two swords pieced from the most unstable form of mana at them, “But adaptability is required for generals.”
The sound of marching ruined the mood of the garden, the general’s eyes flicking above their head, and the first emotion that came upon his face was annoyance, “That’s unfortunate, but I’ve accomplished what I needed to…”
Alex recognised the disappointment in his voice, like when he had to stop messing with someone, the surge of electricity building within him exploding forwards in a bolt of lightning. His body barely returned to solidity before he was pushed to the ground, the general’s outstretched arm exploding into a blinding mist of purple, gravity turning against the two. He could barely keep his head up as he heard the clanking of armour approach ever nearer, but it was enough to spot the man leave before they reached. The general collapsed reality around him in a manner similar to a demon appearing in the material realm. The next moment, the space where the man stood was devoid of life, and yet it was still surrounded by the arriving guards.
As the spell ebbed in strength, as his muscles and bones were able to support their own weight again, he tried to get up, only to find three spears pointed straight at his head. Pushing the weapons aside, he turned in anticipation of his dear adopted sister’s arrival, seeing Jester helping her partner to her feet, the command she held over the troops made simple with one sentence, “Search the compound, I’ll talk to these two. ”
Ensuring that he controlled himself as the men left their company, his partner checking her bruised hands for further cuts as Felicia stared daggers at him, stating as her voice tried effortlessly to sound, “You better not have anything to do with the explosion.”
“Not this time,” Alex replied, trying to give her a smile, “There is someone up there who could probably convince your superior of the magnitude of the issue to be faced.”
His partner shrunk her halberd into the ring, polishing its surface to remove the soot as she remarked, “Now what?”
“You noted the names down?”
“Most of them,” Elyza confirmed with a smile.
“Jester here is going to get her battalion approved for action, we’re going to get checked by an actual doctor, sleep, and then I’m going to see if Bee and her little helper wants to help us with dismantling the cult from the ground up,” He remarked, stretching his back and wincing with the pain of the wound he had forgotten about, “I’ve also remembered that I have yet to tattle to the Queen about today.”