The nose of their canoe cut into the sand, jolting the occupations and sending the tail end of their vessel drifting sideways on top of the lapping wave. A quick cut of Todd’s hand sent a shudder through the sea vessel, lifting it out of the water and carrying them onto the flat portion of the rocky beach.

The Scrawl shimmered and dissipated.

The Chimera woman hopped out first, falling to her knees and pressing her forehead into the sand in the direction of the water. “Thank you mother sea, for bearing us to this location. I will miss your salt and your curves. An auspicious voyage.”

By the time Zeta had scrambled out of the canoe to join her, the woman was peering up at the low hills above the beach. She pointed at some movement. “Are those enemies? Shall we sing a song of slaughter and dance amongst their corpses?”

“Those appear to be local fauna. There is no need to sing any songs related to violence.” Zeta hummed and his eyes clicked as the lenses shifted to provide better vision.

Zack clambered down onto the sand, following the Chimera’s pointing finger with his gaze. Along the edge of the thick tropical forest, a line of ants marched in unison, rubbing their forelegs to produce a strange, sonorous note. Some of the ants even swayed their heads in unison, as though this was some sort of celebratory parade. Rubbing the back of his neck, he turned back to the canoe and offered Todd a hand. The younger kid ignored the help and clambered over the side, but Zack tried not to take it personally.

“Hopefully that Chimera doesn’t lose her cool and try and go on a murder spree. Especially not here, on the Ghosthound’s island.” Zack adopted a comical grimace.

Yet Todd’s sharp reply cut right through his attempt at humor. “Isn’t that exactly why we brought her here? So someone else would handle this problem we created? Shit, could we blame him if the Ghosthound kicks us out for forcing him to address this?”

The words were sudden and violent, ripping open the space between them and leaving the gash hanging in the air for several seconds. Zack tilted his head to the side. “...Todd, are you alright? I know you’ve been quiet since Zeta suggested we head here, but I just thought… thought you felt like I do. That this Chimera is partially insane and is infecting Zeta with it. The Ghosthound will solve this; why wouldn’t he help us?”

“Why would he let the Calamity kill so many people? Why does he do anything?” Todd’s response was shrill and raw, gooey with hidden emotional bleeding. For the first time in a long time, Todd looked up and met Zack’s gaze with his own, still atrophied and grey. Zack’s eyes widened, unprepared for the way that Todd’s strange outburst would trigger all of his own anxieties.

Why couldn’t I step forward to help? Why did I let you hold down the Patron of the Grey alone?

They just stared at each other for several long seconds, breathing heavily. Then, without addressing what just happened, Todd shook his head and walked past Zack in the direction of the departing two.

Zack felt like a coward when he followed without comment. His palms began to sweat.

*****

Kent DiMarco tapped his toes, not impatiently, but because he couldn’t stand the thought of remaining still. Not with the reassuring rush of energy flowing through his body. Today was a good day, with the tropical sun warm on his skin and the smell of sea invigorating him. Underneath, the boat bobbed gently on the small waves. As the head of the Order Scutum, he was nominally attending the Ghosthound’s barbecue in order to get some facetime either with the Ghosthound, or more likely, some member of the Order Ducis.

It had been a few months of explosive growth for his Order Scutum, an Order dedicated to the safety and security of the common citizen of Expira, but the Order hadn’t been approved past its probationary status. Which severely capped their growth potential.

He licked his lips as the slow boat finally pulled up to the makeshift pier. Already, the beach was thick with people, talking and laughing, wearing casual shorts and t-shirts for the weather despite the powerful images Kent could barely sense rolling off each one of them. He felt nervous to be among them, but he had a good feeling about today, like he had had several good feelings lately; he needed to be here.

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If he was here, everything would work out for him.

Congratulations! Your Skill Guiding Hand of Fate (L) has grown to Level 291!

And I need to spread the word. The word that we exist in a world where the very fabric of reality has been weaponized against us. That every day brings new incursions, new dangers, new toxins that push security further away. The home is a flimsy guard against the monsters of the System, no matter their form. What we need is a shield. A strong one, to make up for the indulgent and absent leadership that Expira has been cursed with…

Kent, whistling to himself, stepped off the boat. He sidled to the side to avoid a raucous embrace between two ogres, blocking most of the gangway. But his eyes lit up immediately as he spotted Naffur Suite nursing a drink and sitting at the edge of the dock only ten meters away. The influential young man had a relaxed expression on his face and dipped his toes in the water. Most of the other passengers from the mainland, too willing to toss aside business and savor the environment, walked past this important individual without even noticing. Most seemed busy taking drinks off of one of the many waiters’ trays.

Kent adjusted his beige linen suit and began to stride purposefully forward. Yes, today will definitely go-

A woman, laughing so hard that she staggered backward, bumped into Kent. Then she whipped around, surprised by the sudden physical contact. The speed of her Stat-boosted movement meant that the contents of her wine cup sloshed out and doused the front of Kent’s suit. The liquid felt very cool as it seeped through the thin material.

For a moment, he just stared down, his mind unable to comprehend the extent of this travesty. On the other hand, he couldn’t believe how quickly that warm and safe feeling of it being a good day had been evicted. The woman, a pretty young woman with heavy, dark hair and piercing eyes, blinked several times at the fruits of her foolishness. Then she waved her hand. The stain vanished through some Skill. Then she patted him on the shoulder. “Just watch where you are going next time, alright?”

“I- what? You-” Fury pumped through Kent’s body, hot and scathing. He opened his mouth to pour out the radiant truth regarding how ridiculous she was to blame him for her mistake, but he caught himself at the last second. Several of the surrounding individuals were sparing them glances.

A vein throbbed in his temple; this was a PR moment. No need to get into a purposeless fight. Kent swallow the rest of his fury and offered a thin smile. “Ah… apologies for that. Here, let me get you another.”

Feeling very gallant, imagining the positive way others would view him acting so magnanimous, considering the circumstances, Kent stepped forward up to a waiter and took a glass of wine. Then he turned and took a step back toward the woman to offer it to her-

The dock cracked beneath him. His foot slipped through the shoddy construction and he ended up collapsing onto a knee awkwardly. And the motion meant that he threw the contents of the wine cup in the woman’s face.

Wine dribbled down her nose and lips, highlighting her strong cheekbones and expressive mouth. She smirked at him and then spoke with a raised voice. “Now sir, just because I accidentally spilled on you, that is no reason to vindictively-”

“Stop,” A tired-looking man with a military haircut stepped next to the woman, elbowing her in the side. She pouted and stumbled sideways, but said nothing. Then the man stepped forward and offered Kent a hand. “My sincerest apologies. Sometimes Hydie here takes teasing a bit too far. Are you alright?”

Kent took the hand and then straightened his suit with a huff once he stood. He felt the sweat beginning to pool in his armpits and shook himself so the perspiration wouldn’t stain the linen. He thought the man looked vaguely familiar, but couldn’t place him. Maybe he had applied to the Order Scutum? Some of Kent’s temper leaked into the words. “It’s… fine. Just please, control your woman in the future. Just because you chose her doesn’t mean the rest of us want to deal with her nonsense.”

Both the man and the woman raised their eyebrows. The woman’s smile remained in place, but it remained increasingly sharp. They regarded Kent in unnatural silence as the rest of the party continued around them, as though suddenly transformed into cutouts of people, still and ominous.

Unwilling to be dragged into any further conversation with these two, Kent turned away. More boats were arriving and loosing their people onto the already crowded pier, while the initial group sluggishly shifted inland. The prospect of the whole thing collapsing underneath the combined weight of the arrivals didn’t seem so farfetched, considering his foot just punched through the wood. The less time he needed to spend here, the better.

Kent navigated his away around tight discussions, curled his lip up at an offered drink from a demi-human with purple skin and jutting molars, and kept heading in the direction of the head of the Order Ducis.

He couldn’t see Naffur any longer, due to the press of bodies, but Kent had a good memory. Alright, let’s remain positive. Solid first impression. We share the same goal; protecting the sanctity of humanity. As long as I can show my sincerity-

Kent squeezed through a tight space between two groups and then swayed to a halt, having rather abruptly reached the edge of the pier. He scowled; Naffur had vanished. And right as he turned to head back down the pier, a hand pressed in the small of his back and pushed him off the edge.

He was so thrown by the purposeful malice that he simply spun as he fell toward the water, being greeted by that long-haired woman who had spilled wine on his suit earlier winking at him. Then he hit the placid waves and produced an enormous splash.