Before he realized it, he was tossed around once again. Everything became a new spike on the chart, complete with emotional reactions an octave above ordinary. Quintin never thought a period would come, where that stoic image of himself on Earth would crumple so far from his grace-line. Of crucial importance, it wasn't good enough to wait until the dust settled to become an active participant. That had to change.

"Right- I don't know anything. So why don't you start by telling me why Natalie deserved to die?" He said, brushing the figurative dirt off his robe.

Vissitri watched on in satisfaction at his round-about in attitude. [Si-Si-Si. That kick really did the trick! You can't be blamed for not knowing this, because I didn't tell you, but that girl, 'Natalie', was a novitiate of The Order of Solemn Entreaty. It's an organization of ruthless schemers and killers that work in all arenas to bring about an 'end of days' scenario. Every one of them is a heinous, cold-blooded bastard. However, the worst part for me is how they hunt my kind for the Gems in our forehead. I've also had my fair share of run-ins with them.]

In hindsight, his former conduct was an embarrassment, much of Quintin's anger turned to empathy. "I'm sorry, they sound awful. Though, I am curious how you were able to distinguish her as a novitiate?"

[Si-Si. I wasn't sure at first, which is why I didn't kill her until just then. However, her foolish intent to retrieve the Signet Ring gave her away. The ring itself has little monetary value, outside someone with a relationship to the Order. It's a paperweight. I kept it, by the way.]

Recent events made it clear; not everything could be attributed to madness or ambivalence. This world strayed so far from common sense, with hidden motives just beyond his grasp to fathom. He knew how humans operated, but what of actual monsters? Using Earth-taught sensibilities to interact with this esoteric landscape then, became a liability. Just like Natalie, he was a sacrificial pawn. Nyathamon, and perhaps to a lesser extent Vissitri, both had their claws in him—did this new organization play on the same level as them?

He was amongst the audience at this high-level table, where only the skillful were dealt in. With stakes of all-or-nothing, players strove to win, and nothing would stop their attempts to takeover the pot. A small part of him thought he could slowly grow accustomed to the game speed. The necessary time to become a respectable threat, and join the rotation as a seated equal. But, more and more, the reality proved a deedless name alone would not provide him coverage from their heaven-dwelling eyes.

Quintin adjusted his posture, before continuing to lightly jog up the tunnel. With some imagination, he could follow why Vissitri kept the ring. It made sense that a ring like that had no place in society. He also found it odd how impatient Natalie was, but at the time, he didn't think much of it, because he too had items that would make him just as anxious. He could only hope his Junior Brother would take care of his belongings back on Earth.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

They were making great progress. Quintin was content to focus on just getting out, when they came upon a cave-in that ended their current route. There were several side passages, both in front and behind. Vissitri seemed to know a way, and took the lead, speeding down the rightmost way nearest to the collapse.

"Say, how strong would you say 'TOOSE' heinous bastards are?" Quintin spoke a bit embarrassedly, "On a scale of one Nyathamon to ten, where would you rate their power?"

Vissitri's predatory eyes were full of warmth from the pulsation of the violet gem on his forehead. [Si-Si-Si. Nyathamon is truly strong, but his capability lies more in subterfuge. Don't get me wrong, he's very good at that, though there's only so much one monster-person-thingy can do in the end. If we're talking scale, 'TOOSE' guys are at ten plus. It's impossible to figure out how many hidden members there even are. We ran into one out here in the middle of nowhere, for instance. How many do you think they station in a Royal Capital? In this case, your guess is as good as mine.]

Quintin wore a ponderous expression. "So, do you think meeting up with that novitiate was just a coincidence? Oh! I just remembered something. After we get some fresh air, there's one last thing I have to do down here. When we separated, my mission was to kill goblins for the Adventurer's Guild. In the process of that, I saw this inky-black necromantic tome at a goblin encampment. Though, at the time, a powerful goblin forced me to escape without it. If possible, I'd like to return and find it."

[You mean this?] with a flip of his paw, the Headbearer's inky-black tome appeared. [Si-Si. I followed your footsteps to start and came across your handiwork. Most impressive that. Unfortunately, the underwater passage was completely destroyed... Anyhow, I did find this very interesting tome for my troubles.]

If sweat could collect on Quintin's brow, it surely would have. Fortunately, he hadn't chosen to return back through the underwater passage back then, instead opting forward to Sozzelrift. The Headbearer's words were ominous, and still crisp within his ears.

"... The Lord of The Dead, Milowix! He lives!"

For some odd reason, Quintin was a bit frightened by those words even now. "Yes! That's the book. Does it have anything of interest to say?"

Vissitri rubbed his chin, and said, [Hmm- it mostly just teaches some general concepts on Necromancy. Most of it is written in a truly fascinating way, such that even an idiot would glean some form of inspiration from the text. The most interesting part is the addendum at the back, written by another hand. It claims that the Lord of the Dead, Milowix, still lives. There are even details about how the four heroes of old couldn't defeat him, so they confined him to a prison devoid of color. One detail noted an exact location for the supposed imprisonment. Very troublesome indeed...]

Quintin's mouth was agape, and all he could utter became, "Woah."