"Still not workin'? Hey, even if you're having a bit of trouble, just remember that I'm always here to lend a helping hand."

The artificial white light of the Velvet Star's workshop bathed everything below it, including me and all of those that shared the space. I turned the awareness of my [Sensory Zone] away from my newest creation-in-progress, looking towards the woman who'd spoken.

Shafu, a red grinning Darkling lounging in a white chair which had a number of recently acquired metallic attachments all over it, was currently gripping the end of a disembodied metal arm. She'd pulled one of her prosthetic limbs from the metal covered stump at her shoulder, holding the hand open wide towards me with her other metal arm.

I couldn't help but let out a chuckle, even as I felt my eyes rolling internally.

"That joke doesn't get any funnier when you tell it a second time, Shafu," Conahan spoke dryly, his arms crossed in disapproval as the Gnome looked at us from the space in front of me.

"You're just jealous you don't have my comedic talent," Shafu grinned, slotting the metal prosthetic artefact back into place, flexing her fingers once she'd reconnected it.

Conahan was standing over a makeshift metal table I'd welded together from scrap for the purposes of planting it in the middle of the workshop. Here, I had plenty of space to work with, and didn't need to intrude elsewhere or worry about lacking room. With a sigh, the diminutive Gnome adjusted his purple visor, looking back towards my newest creation.

It was a metal prosthetic, similar in appearance to Shafu's own, albeit more slender. It was a bright green colour, lined with ridges all along it in an attempt to mimic scales.

A replica of my own arm. My old arm.

I'd tried this little side project by simply making Lyridium 'veins' in a standard steel arm like NervousWrecked had recommended, but that hadn't worked as much as I'd hoped. Now, I was trying something much more costly with the material I had, but if I could get something like this to function exactly how I planned it, this would all be worth it.

Beyond Shafu and Conahan, I saw Tick Tock sitting by the desks at the walls. He was leaning over a blueprint, tapping the side of a pencil against the bronze goggles over his eyes, trying to figure something out in relation to the efficiency of his runes. A collection of Dolls stood around the Aetherman, working alongside the towering figure of Gearhead as they worked to put the final fixes to the gigantic mech's defensive plating.

From the moment I stepped in here, I hadn't felt a trace of animosity. That had let a wave of relief sweep over the dam I'd prepared in my mind. Part of me had been horrified that they would have a grudge against me or my team once the Leviathan incident circulated if it had disrupted some project of theirs, or inconvenienced people they were friendly with, but they were all at work as usual.

Between their reaction and getting the chance to create again, I was able to unwind. To relax. This was where I felt most comfortable, despite the problems I, no, we were facing right now.

"It's well crafted, and from what I can tell it appears to be accurate from an anatomical perspective," Conahan mused, using one hand to gingerly turn the arm over. "Of course, I'm no expert on Varani anatomy, but I'm sure you're more well versed in the subject than I am, Homebound."

"[It's accurate. I searched for pictures on the VoxNet too, just in case-]" In case my memories were faulty or incomplete. "[-I wasn't perfectly accurate.]"

The thought that my memories being a little fuzzy or stunted in places being the issue irked me, but there was little I could do about that. I just needed to put a list of priorities together and work through the problem bit by bit. Maybe the list I'd concocted in making the arm so far hadn't been working, but all I needed to do was figure out what was wrong.

My sight drifted over to Shafu's arms, which were currently hard at work, stuffing a collection of gummy sweets from a plastic bag into her mouth. She'd wheeled over to the arm, and was looking over it with a cursory eye.

"[Do your arms use Lyridium, Shafu?]" I asked.

She pulled her eyes from the creation, turning them back towards my pink fleshy form, sitting quietly within the water filled glass cube atop my mech.

"Nope, my arms're green free," she grinned. "I don't need that sort of stuff, not when they're attached to my body and in contact with my Aera all the time."

Sighing to himself, Conahan turned his eyes from the creation to me, after having thrown an annoyed side-eye Shafu's way.

"The reason for that, Homebound, is that Lyridium is best suited as a clutch for remote control and longer range effects, such as sensory or sonic techniques. Magic with a charged purpose can get harder to control finely at range. It is difficult to sustain and alter without a solid connecting vector," he explained. "Your [Telekinetic Field] can bypass that to a certain extent, but if you wish to form a truly remote body like you've said, Lyridium is the best way to accomplish that."

Or so he claimed. I didn't doubt his knowledge and skill in this field, given the gigantic accomplishment and testament to his ability standing tall by the far wall of the workshop, but it didn't seem to be working despite his reassurances.

"She'd have no problem with the Mental Magic portion of things though, right?" Shafu asked, making a show of pulling her arm free once again to scratch the top of her head. The removed arm still moved perfectly fine, the metal fingers maneuvering through her mane of golden hair and tall horns to complete the action. "She's a giant brain. If Mental Magic ain't her racial forte, then I don't know what is."

"There is no way to tell that for sure, Shafu," Conahan retorted. "Making assumptions like that is a dangerous thing. Chimeras are an unpredictable type, but... so far, everything we have seen of Homebound's abilities point to that being correct, yes."

"So what yer sayin' is that I'm right, as always?" Shafu chimed in jokingly, which earned an unamused snort from Conahan.

Then why wasn't it working? It was made of Lyridium, but keeping that 'connection' to it alive beyond the reach of my zone felt impossible! These two didn't have zones like I did, but that had to be the issue. Or... maybe my abilities were more strictly locked to the inside of my zone as some sort of Condition. With a body and Soul like this, it was hard to tell. Or... maybe I was just overthinking things, as always.

I'd been having issues making a Humanoid-like form for a while. It had taken some time to get the hands working right, and I was certain I'd been ready for the next step! I could control them with ease, manage the strength of my grip, and move many of them at once.

But an arm seemed to be beyond me. I could move the fingers, but the rest felt... off. Not as right as it should have felt. Attaining fluidity was... much harder. Controlling it outside of my zone was out of the question too, apparently.

Nothing beyond the hands clicked. My magic worked with my memories, and I had plenty of memories of my old body, so why? It was just... frustrating. Magic shouldn't be this awkward. I couldn't find the missing link between controlling a hand and deft control of an arm.

"[I've... been thinking,]" I began.

"Glad to hear it," Shafu grinned. "What's up?"

"[Maybe it's... not working because it doesn't fit with my identity anymore,]" I said, letting my previously unspoken thoughts go free. "[Maybe I'm not 'Varani' enough anymore for my Soul to link with it.]"

"Not with an attitude like that, you're not," Shafu shrugged, wheeling around to face me.

"[But it makes sense, doesn't it? The part of my Soul connected to my body has to be wildly different in form and shape than it was before! That's probably why my [Silent Heart] hasn't adjusted either. I'm just... incompatible with it.]"

"You're thinkin' too hard about it, Yur," Shafu chided, shaking her head. "Magic isn't all just about logic puzzles, y'know? It's a little bit of logic, little bit of heart, and all you. Just take it slow, figure it out bit by bit, and it'll come to you. 'Sides, if that was the problem, then you shouldn't have been able to make hands work as well as they do."

That might've been because 'hands' were smaller. More general than a full arm. If I couldn't transition to an arm though, then the idea of completing this project and making a full form felt impossible-

"I can already tell you're broodin' again," Shafu groaned, leaning as far back into her seat as she could while her bright amber eyes locked onto the ceiling. "I can see how Sigura has such an easy time figurin' out your mood now. You sorta get used to it after a while, even though you haven't got a face."

Sigura... I shivered at the thought, and forced myself to move past that mental minefield.

"[I'm sorry you have to put up with my unruly emotions and changes in mood,]" I told them, letting out a mental sigh. Even if I couldn't physically do it, 'speaking' the sigh helped, if only marginally.

"Hey, emotions are part of you too, y'know? But they aren't everything," Shafu grinned. "If we were just judgin' each other based on emotion alone, Conahan would've ruined everybody's ability to tolerate him by now!"

"I take great offense to that, Shafu," Conahan replied dryly, sarcasm dripping from his tone while the Gnome rolled his eyes.

"See? Stiff as a boulder," the Darkling grinned, jerking a thumb in his direction. "Point is, you don't need to be ashamed of what you've got cooped up in there. You are not your feelings. Nobody is. We're all more than that if we let ourselves be, Yur. Your baggage is part of you too, not just somethin' to cast away. You just gotta go with the flow, so... tell me what you're feelin'."

Maybe emotions were part of 'me', but they weren't part of my parents. They weren't part of being a 'Varani'. Something as flimsy and changeable as that had no place in what I was trying to make.

"[I'm just... confused. I don't understand all of this, and I'm not sure what to do about it.]"

I couldn't tell if I was talking about my thoughts, my emotions, or this damnable artefact.

"Why not try somethin' else?" Shafu asked, raising an eyebrow as her eyes landed on the emerald coloured prosthetic. "Like... I dunno, a Rat, or a Dog."

"[That's... even further from my identity than a Varani is, Shafu,]" I replied dryly. "[Unless you're trying to call me a 'Rat' or a 'Dog', then I'm not sure how that helps in the slightest.]"

That elicited a burst of laughter from the Darkling, which only served to irk me more.

"Hey, magic isn't all about logic puzzles, remember? It's just a suggestion!" she grinned, wiping a tear from beneath her eye with a single metallic finger. "'Sides, don't knock it till you try it. You never know, it might work!"

And if it didn't, I'll have wasted time and effort, bringing myself closer to Soulburn without anything to show for it. Still, I had no better ideas rattling around in my head anyway. That, and I was... anxious to check the chat from last night. I didn't want my mind to wander anywhere it shouldn't.

"[Alright, fine. I'll try, but only because you've had a good intuition for these things in the past, Shafu,]" I replied, even if I couldn't help but think this was a dead end waiting to happen. "[What... animal should I try?]"

"I dunno. Try for a [Creative Process] and go with the flow. Let your mind wander a bit," Shafu replied with a very unhelpful shrug. "Don't [Druids] do that kinda nature searchin' shit all the time to find animal transformations?"

"That 'nature searchin' shit', as you so eloquently put it, Shafu, tends to require some form of external or symbolic stimuli," Conahan responded stiffly. I was much more willing to take a Gnome's advice on this sort of thing than I was from Shafu. "Unless you have a natural breeze or an animal's fur coat around here, I'm certain it won't be that simple."

Shafu started to laugh again as I tried to relax my body. Tension and deep thinking wasn't going to get me anywhere, even if I felt the deep desire to think harder about this before committing to an idea.

Ding!

I heard the door to the workshop begin to open, breaking my slow, unsteady descent into my mind. I was hoping Streiphen was behind the door, and-

Blaise.

The [Witch] floated forward into the workshop atop her gaudily decorated broom with pink bristles, heading straight for us. Looking at her now, I couldn't help but wonder where her Familiar was. That pink Cat-like Spirit usually adorning her shoulder wasn't there today. Maybe she was taking a break from summoning it?

"Hey, Shafu!" Blaise called out, waving as she approached. "Just the person I was looking for. You don't think you could make a magic hair curler or something? My old one is getting really worn out, and you can probably make something better anyway."

Shafu's wide grin and flashing teeth could've lit up the room in pitch darkness. Conahan stared right at the Dhampir [Witch], his expression betraying the sheer horror he felt at the thought.

"You would trust Shafu with any artefact that goes near your body, Bubblegum Blaze?!?" the Gnome spluttered with shock. "I would not let her form even a ring or prosthetic for a finger alone, nor anything that goes even remotely close to my Aura for that matter!"

Shafu stuck out her tongue in response, a simple, childish reaction that I felt myself internally smile at. It was a simple gesture, but one that pushed me over the edge of awareness and into the midst of a [Creative Process].

I needed... what did I need? I needed to make an artefact, one that was tied to my body and magic regardless of distance. Something that I could be linked to no matter what. Would that be enough? Did I need to pursue a different line of thought to actually-

No.

Stop.

Follow Shafu's advice. Don't think. Feel.

Ride it out. Consider possibilities, but don't linger on them. Let the mind wander wherever it decided to take me. I should not create a dam for my emotions, I simply needed to learn to ride with their flow and direct them where I could.

The world around me blackened, and I found myself standing in the middle of a familiar town at sunset. Addersbrook. Even in the memory, I could feel my body tense up at the thought of being here. At the thought of being reminded of last night's hard conversation, one of several I'd recently had with Sigura. I took a deep breath with a pair of lungs that were no longer within my reach, and tried to focus on what was around me. To delve deeper into the memory.

After pushing those worries away and calming myself, details of the world around me sharpened, coming into view. I was standing by... the wall. The edge of the town's border, and the only thing separating civilisation from the monsters of man and beast beyond. I was standing aside a Squirrel Adept and a Human. A pair of familiar faces.

My old teammates. Ragi and Nuts. A thin Human with frizzy brown hair and pale bags beneath his eyes, and a brown furred Squirrel wearing tiny leather armor. In the memory, their faces were slightly blurred and indistinct. I couldn't see the shape of their mouths, nor the colour of their eyes. Fine details like that were lost, at least here.

"You need to stop doin' this, yeah?" Nuts said, crossing his tiny arms as he stared up into the eyes of the person I used to be.

"She'll be alright. Do you not believe in her skills?" I heard myself respond, even if the sound of my own voice, one without echoes or mental distortions, sounded painful.

The pair looked at one another. Even without being able to see their expressions, I... felt a vague sense of worry from them. Had I been able to intuit that feeling from them... before? Or was this a feeling my memory projected only now?

"She's a tickin' time bomb, Yur, open yer damn eyes will ya?!?" Nuts exclaimed. "She's strong as a Demon, skilled as all Abyss, but it won't mean jack shit when she does somethin' dumb and bites it! She's a tickin' time bomb waitin' to go off!"

I felt myself shake my head, even if I wasn't sure I'd have done the same now.

"She's too easy to anger, Yuri," Ragi tried, turning his face towards me. I... couldn't remember what his expression had looked like, saying that. I only remembered taking offense to it. "She's too quick to fly off the handle. If we fight real people going forward and they goad her, she'll lose it. She'll get led into a trap without listening to a word we say, and we can't just keep relying on someone like that. Not if we want to be proper adventurers down the line."

"You think she'll come back, and maybe she will," Nuts continued. "But it don't matter! I'll bet the Gods gave her that Heat Magic cause she'll burn her whole damn life up sooner or later!"

"The Gods didn't give her anything," I spoke. The sound of my voice sent shivers through my mind, even if this body was painfully still. It was a voice so unlike my own that it caught me off guard. It sounded so... empty. Hollow. The sound of a [Silent Heart]. As comforting as the memories of the ability were, looking at it like this, as an observer... "She worked for that magic, and it's proven to be an invaluable tool. It says nothing about her character. There's been no indication that she'll lose her cool when faced with Humanoid opponents in a real battle."

"Mmm, wouldn't be so sure," Nuts replied. I could remember the roll of his eyes, even if I couldn't see them clearly. "You've got way too much faith in her y'know? One day-"

Dead sound. A noise without purpose. I couldn't remember what he'd said. Static.

"She'll be back," I told them, voice resolute despite its emptiness. "She always-"

My body shivered as the memory faded back into the regresses of my mind. The blackness around me wasn't something I wanted right now. With effort, I flexed my Soul as I grabbed hold of my [Sensory Zone], feeling the Skill respond to my will. I began to push outwards, allowing my body, the water, the glass and metal around me, and a multitude of familiar, clear faces fill the world around me.

Shafu was laughing. That sent a shiver through me, but it was... a shiver of relief. A good shiver.

"Yeah, can't say I'm surprised, really," Shafu grinned.

"That was so cool to watch. Makes me wish I tried learning Invention Magic instead of alchemy," Blaise murmured, her eyes locked onto my makeshift table. "You think she did that because of me?"

Conahan snorted at the thought as my zone's focus went to the top of the table. The arm I'd crafted before was long gone now. In its place was a small animal, just like Shafu had advised I make.

It was a small, emerald coloured Cat. The artefact was formed with a Lyridium exterior, yet I could feel the presence of steel inside it. The Lyridium 'skin' connected to thin veins of emerald metal that extended all throughout the artefact's form, and even without pushing my [Telekinetic Field] through it, I could feel a strong connection to it. Its movements were fluid as I made it rise from its sitting position, walking around the table. Still, making it work beyond my zone, if such a thing was even possible, would take some more refinement. Even without trying it, I felt certain.

The ultimate goal of this project was still distant. I didn't just want a second body to walk around in beyond my zone's reach as a longer ranged scout. I wanted to try new things and to ultimately bind it to my senses. I'd experienced taste during the unveiling party for my new mech, and that had only made me more determined than ever to see.

A light above the door caught my attention. The golden ring symbol that Screen had planted all throughout the base began to glow. A rectangular [Light Screen] formed, revealing the Machina's silver body and glowing golden eyes.

"Homebound? The Don wants an audience with you and your team. He's got a new job prepared."

A new job? As much as I wanted to be active and show my worth, I felt a little disappointed. I'd need to find time to work on improving and tweaking my new artefact, but I had other priorities.

"[A new job outside the base?]" I asked, thinking back to the most likely places my teammates would be. I'd find them in the training halls if not the cafeteria.

"Yes. It's important."

My legs unfolded out from beneath my metallic form, a set of eight legs that carried me with greater control and precision than I had before, now that I didn't have to worry about holding my helmet in place.

"[Right away,]" I responded confidently, calling the Lyridium Cat to the interior of my mech as it leapt off the table. No matter what the situation was, I had no intention of being idle during this mission. Not like the last time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fresh air.

Even if I couldn't feel the cold Scandian air through the layer of water and glass protecting me, the sunlight felt amazing on my bare skin. I walked with the remainder of my team through the streets of Divastyr, having been briefed on our latest mission. The ground was slippier than before, covered in leftover slush and residual rain from the weather following Fareel's episode.

Naturally, Sigura wasn't horribly pleased after spotting Fareel's leavings. Upon stepping foot outside the door to our base, she groaned and disappeared back inside for a few minutes, telling us to wait. She'd emerged with heavier clothes than she usually wore. Long orange pants, a lighter shade of coat, and proper sneakers. She didn't need protection against the cold, being what she was, but she was vehement in saying she wouldn't get wet.

Now, the three of us walked through the streets towards our destination, and I could feel the change.

I had my doubts that it was Fareel's ritual that triggered this change in those around us, but the sight of my form. The eyes of civilians were on me all throughout the walk. That was nothing new, but now the eyes of adult and child alike were filled with senses of horror, fear, and revulsion. I'd underestimated just how much wearing even a strangely designed helmet had helped to shield the public from the reality of my body.

But this was something they had to come to terms with. I was going to live here and call Divastyr my home. I had acted as their protector, and I intended to continue doing as much. While I knew it might take time, I wanted them to hurry up and adjust to the sight of my pink, brain-like form. Maybe I was hard to look at, but they should be thankful that they weren't the ones in my position. I was a monster, perhaps, but I wasn't their enemy.

Streiphen turned, his long white hair cascading over his shoulders as he looked up at Sigura. Pulling one hand from his pocket, he took off his glove, holding the bare dark grey skin in her direction.

"You're really warm, Miss Sigura! Are you using your magic already?"

Sigura groaned at the question, eyes turning skyward. It was better than looking at the civilians, anyway.

"I'm tryin' to hold it in. I want to get my [Heat Aura] to stay just around me, but this isn't workin'. Control ain't my forte, not like it is Yur's," she drawled, throwing me a side eye that almost felt strangely accusatory.

"[Why do you need a more condensed [Heat Aura]? Can't you just push your magic through your body without externalising it?]" I asked.

A flash of irritation passed over her eyes, and she shrugged.

"Yeah, but I wanted somethin' else. If I can get a strong enough [Heat Aura] that doesn't start meltin' shit I don't want it to, I could create a rain shield," she replied.

"Oh!" Streiphen responded, eyes brimming with understanding. "Now I get it!"

"Yeah, but it's being a pain. Overcharge told me to try and make it flow a little like [Mantle], but whatever way I'm doin' it, it ain't workin'," she told him, sharing none of the boy's enthusiasm.

The talk of magic had brought today's mission back to mind. It was specifically because of my abilities that Equinox had been chosen, or so we'd been told. Because of my forte in magical 'control', as Sigura had put it.

Our reputation wasn't getting any better after Fareel's incident. Some had begun pointing fingers not only at us for what Fareel did to the harbour, but at the Velvet Star as a whole, believing it was some structured, coordinated plot. It wasn't, of course, but our words alone wouldn't change that. We needed to go out and prove that we still had the people's interests at heart.

The other topic that spread around had been our defense of the Miracle Workers monument. That and our success against Big Tooth seemed to be all that was keeping our public opinion from plummeting. Still, negative opinions and rumours tended to spread faster and more thoroughly than good ones, so we had to work hard to take the initiative while we could.

We had to capitalise on our successes, and prove to the population that we weren't going to take that offense from Aerasthetic lying down. We were going to take a stand.

Many didn't know about the war, according to Shafu, but that didn't stop people from forming their own conclusions. That attack had been on something considered sacred to many. Something that shouldn't have been approached. We could use that outrage to our benefit.

We weren't going into their territory to fight, but being seen entering their territory uninvited at all was sure to cause rumours to spread. Rumours that would act in our favour.

Even if all we were doing was a simple escort mission.

My abilities excelled at solid defense. I was able to guard a person or place from many angles at once, and see everything around me. My magic didn't need to seep through a region either, so I wasn't limited to stationary area protection. It was a rare combination, and one the Don considered to be a perfect fit for this mission despite our current standing with the community.

As the average crowds and prying eyes of Divastyr's people began to thin, the three remaining members of our small team made the transition from Sova to Karisti. The Velvet Star's territory to Aerasthetic's territory.

There was no bright line or border. No magic wall or set of guards patrolling the outskirts. Even without overt signs or directions like that, it was easy to tell where their territory began.

The amount of people wandering the streets became eerily thin in number. Thick crowds of stamping feet and hooves gave way to only the occasional passerby or cluster of people travelling together in huddled groups. All civilians that passed through my [Sensory Zone] had what looked like hastily splashed on lines and splotches of paint on their clothes that had long since dried in. All bore different colours and patterns that seemed to have no real rhyme or reason. Men, women, and children civilians all sported these designs. Whether the colours or nonsensical symbols had some meaning or not... I couldn't tell. This wasn't our territory.

The buildings were similarly stained. Shops, buildings, and even structures like streetlights and trees had been coated with odd symbols of varying colour, splashes of paint visible no matter where one was looking.

The touch of graffiti we'd seen back in the Sova neighbourhood had been nothing compared to this. The paint used back in Sova was a drop of water compared to the painfully bright ocean of the Karisti region. Even the footpaths and roads had been marked with wriggling lines and curled splotches.

My mind turned back to the restaurant, 'Balgramor's Burgers'. They'd had a Lapin [Bouncer] standing out front, one that had been replaced shortly after the raid by Belcher, the Orc Caster formerly aligned with Big Tooth. He'd been working at one of the very few buildings that required any form of protection, given our organisation's regular patrols and the sparse aid of the Watch.

Karisti was different.

Nearly every single store or building had someone sitting outside of it. Some seemed to have one person sitting outside protecting multiple buildings, or a small street area. Some were in plain clothes and masks, while others had proper costumes indicative of their nature as Casters. What they wore and how they wore it was telling.

"Damn... Makes our region look like paradise, huh?" Sigura murmured, throwing wary, disapproving glances around the street. Some of the [Bouncers] and Casters sitting in chairs left out front or leaning against walls looked up at us as we passed, walking along the middle of the road. Some seemed visibly startled or jumped, while others kept their cool. As if they'd seen worse than us. We didn't attempt to approach them, and they afforded us that same wary courtesy.

"They're here to protect things too, right? If there's so many people protecting everything, then it can't be all bad!" Streiphen replied.

It was the opposite. If they needed so much protection, then-

My awareness carried over to the street next to ours. In a small cul-de-sac surrounded by roads was a dirt ring that had been swept free of snow and sleet. On the outskirts of the 'ring' was a tall red flagpole, one with a bright red flag atop it. Adorning the flag was a white tower shield with a blue and white lance poking towards a riding sun behind it. It was a symbol anyone could have caught and recognised.

The Chariot of War. The Primordial God of War, Conflict, and Victory.

In a sense, even a ring like this was a shrine dedicated to the worship of Gods. Unlike a church, however, this had a more direct method of 'worship'.

It was a 'Battle Ground'. A ring of dirt 'blessed' by the Chariot of War, one where fully legalised public duels were overseen by the City Watch. It was a Scandian tradition, supposedly, one which Sigura had taken part in several times for coin. She'd explained that most of them were in good fun and for the spirit of competition and sport. Fatalities were... rare, but not unheard of. It was for Experience, recognition, and occasional coin, if a fight or the competitors managed to draw in a crowd.

Here, there was no Watch. No Healing Potions. Not even any sort of adult supervision or hint of order. Just mindless violence.

Now, it was home to a collection of Beastfolk children of various races. Two Nekari were surrounded by a ring of their peers, cheering on the two. Perhaps if it had been a fair fight, it would've been something worth supporting as mere training or play, but it was a one-sided 'contest'. One of the Catfolk had been shoved to the ground as the other sat atop their chest, throwing punches as the second child tried to guard their face and head without success.

It pained me to watch. I didn't want to expose Streiphen to that either, so I ensured our route took us away from the ring.

"Why're we turnin', Yur? Enemies?" Sigura muttered under her breath.

"[There's a serious fight going on between two children in a Battle Ground. I don't want to expose Streiphen to it,]" I replied to Sigura, sending the thought to her alone through my [Telepathy]. She only growled in response. "[I presume the adults allow it here as a way for children to seek Experience and Classes young... But without any form of regulation-]"

"That'd hamper Experience growth, Yur," Sigura grumbled back. "If they're encouragin' it, they might be tryin' to spark Awakenings in desperate, beaten kids, too."

"[Awakenings...?]" I murmured back, horror tinging my tone. The possibility was all too real, even if the thought hadn't occurred to me. "[But that's-]"

"Dangerous as all Abyss? Yeah, it's stupid, but the people 'round her prob'ly don't care for much beyond strength. That's what those bastards from before were sayin' too."

It was painful to consider the possibility that encouraging violence between children was a ploy to encourage widespread strength even at the risk of their health. It wasn't even controlled or monitored, becoming little more than encouraged anarchy between children.

As much as I despised the concept of the 'Scandian Way', this had to be beyond that, didn't it? These children weren't even part of my region, but just the sight of them doing that was... It didn't make me any fonder of Aerasthetic.

This whole area was so, so different to our relatively peaceful Sova region. The shift in atmosphere and stylisation was so stark and drastic that it felt like we were stepping into an entirely different settlement. Were the other regions of the city this different to Sova, too? The thought unnerved me. The realisation that we still knew so little about the city we'd chosen to call our home splashed over me like a bucket of cold water. Or paint.

"You see 'em too, Yur?" Sigura muttered, slightly louder than before. I saw Streiphen's pointed ears perk up at her words, even if he didn't turn around or make sudden moves.

"[Yes, I do,]" I responded, sending the message to both of my teammates.

We were being followed.

My [Insight] flared to life as the world was bathed into a kaleidoscope of coloured mists. The different tints and shades thickened and coalesced around the Souls of Goons and Casters in costumes tailing us from side streets. Perhaps they thought they were being stealthy, moving like they were, but this wasn't Sova. There were no crowds to blend into.

Some of them were making their stance very clear, keeping their distance from us on the footpaths, yet very clearly focused on us. Even without looking at the faces they kept hidden behind masks, the impressions from their Aera and the aggression in their gait made the message crystal clear.

We were trespassers, and we weren't welcome here.

Across the street, I saw a tall Goliath man, one walking alongside a massive, white furred Sabertooth Tiger. Clearly he must've been some kind of [Beast Tamer] or [Monster Tamer], but the sight of it shocked me. We'd been adventurers once, and we had ample experience fighting against monsters like it, but why? Was such a thing allowed here?

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The beast snarled, its azure eyes locked firmly on my alien form. The Goliath planted a hand on its head, speaking quiet words of reassurance to try and quieten it down. They didn't work.

If they were allowed to have creatures like this wandering around their streets, then... what happened if the Caster was knocked unconscious? Or lost control of their monstrous 'pets'? If a Sabertooth went loose, it could easily attack and maul civilians. Despite how 'relaxed' the law seemed to be in Divastyr, surely something like that violated the 'rules', didn't it? I'd never seen monsters paraded around like this before, not like that.

I'd seen a few people with Wuffles, but they were harmless most of the time, and they'd all had Emotion Magic collars to keep them in check as per the law. This was different.

My allies didn't turn their heads, keeping their eyes locked firmly on the sparse, desolate road ahead of them as they trusted the surveillance to my all seeing eye. We hadn't been attacked or confronted yet, but the number of Goons and Casters aware of our presence was growing.

What if we were defeated? We were in enemy territory, and a combined attack would put pressure even on us. Did the Don anticipate that? Were there countermeasures and contingencies in place to-

The sound of cackling laughter ripped through my train of thought. Sigura raised a single arm, her nose wrinkling before she pinched it closed with a single hand.

Up ahead, I saw a shivering Satyr man sitting at the front of a Horse drawn wagon parked at the side of the road. The man wore light leather armor, his eyes locked on the pavement ahead of him. The emblem both on his wagon and uniform made it clear he was with the City Watch. He wasn't shivering because of the cold, either.

"Miss Sigura? What's that smell?" the boy asked, pinching his nose closed as both starry eyes turned towards the three story building next to the wagon. The source of the cackling.

"Best not to think too hard about this until we can do something about it, pipsqueak," she replied, her voice distorted by the hand pinching her own nose.

As we drew closer, I could see what was happening despite my lack of smell.

The door to the building opened, and a pair of [Guardsmen] walked out. Both had their gloved hands wrapped around the wooden handles of a makeshift stretcher. A younger looking figure lay on the stretcher, hidden beneath a black cloth. I didn't extend my zone underneath to see who or what they were. All I could tell from the lack of motion in the fabric was that he wasn't breathing in the slightest.

Shouts came from upstairs. Shouts of excitement and shouts of fear. I didn't extend my zone in there, either.

The Satyr threw Sigura a stunned look. One with an almost pleading tint to his eyes. She didn't look back at him.

"What a fuckin' shitshow," Sigura grimaced, waiting until we'd left the house behind before letting her nose go. "Why the fuck aren't the other territories doin' anything about this shit? They're supposed to come together when stuff like this happens, right? What about the balance? The 'rules'?"

"[I don't know,]" I replied, my voice's tone dulled by the sights and sounds around us. "[We'll have to... ask when we get back.]"

One of the Casters following us, a man dressed in a set of bulbous silver plate armor all over his body painted white and covered with frost, reached into the collar of his suit, pulling free a white handheld Vox. Even muffled by the helmet, which had a pair of tall Deer-like antlers sticking out from the sides, I could hear his voice with ease thanks to the function of my zone.

"Equinox is here. By Donran's place. Yeah. Yeah. They're heading towards the northern port. No. Might be checkin' out the Leviathan thing. No? Right, understood," the man spoke. The person speaking on the other end was male, but their accent was heavy. That, or there was something that made his speech garbled and warped. All I'd caught was a simple message.

Wait, and don't follow.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, we reached the edge of the territory. Like before, there was no coloured border or guards, but after seeing so much of Aerasthetic's standard of living, the change in quality between buildings and the people around was like a breath of fresh air, one that made it more clear than any physical border that we were out.

"Wow... That was really... different..." Streiphen muttered once I'd given them the all clear that our surprisingly pacifistic pursuers were staying at the edge of their territory. "I guess we won't have the element of surprise when we need to go back..."

Right. The 'package', whatever it was, needed to be delivered to a residence within Karisti.

"We don't need it anyway," Sigura responded as more civilians began to trickle back into view. "They might not expect us to come back, but it doesn't mean shit if they do. Yuri's back at full strength, so we can hold 'em off."

I was confident in my abilities, and even more confident of Sigura's. But still...

"[Let's just focus on the mission at hand. Keep your guards up, tensions might still be high here.]"

"Got it, chief," Sigura intoned.

From what I'd heard, Fareel's incident hadn't caused much structural damage as much as it had given people a scare, but I wasn't about to take any chances. I deactivated my [Insight], letting the colour and mist of magic fade from my awareness. I needed to conserve all the energy I had, especially if things got messy during the return trip.

"Who'd the Don say we were doin' this for again?" Sigura asked, glancing towards me momentarily.

"[Some group from overseas that recently settled into the Karisti region,]" I replied. "[We don't have reason to believe they're allied with Aerasthetic, only that they're skilled Casters that were permitted to settle en masse because of their ability.]"

"Right... If the Don's done something shitty and sent us to scope out enemies, he'd tell us, right?" Sigura asked, her eyes trailing back towards the alleyways as more civilians came into sight. Civilians with their eyes locking onto us as we passed.

"[Yes. Even if his plans leave something to be desired, this at least is something we can rely on,]" I replied, hoping I didn't sound too doubtful. Neither the Don nor us had anything to gain from that, and his information had been useful for the most part. We didn't know anything about this group, but we had an address.

My thoughts drifted back to Fareel once again as our small group arrived at the harbour. Members of the Watch were still at work, using Water Magic to lift thick puddles of moisture and sleet off of the roads, telekinetically flinging it back into the port's waters. Some stores had owners and workers grumbling out front as the [Guardsman] worked to clear out some excess water damage, but buildings affected were few and far between. It was far better than the broken walls, ruined boats, and injured people I'd been dreading, but the locals didn't seem to be looking at this quite so optimistically.

Our group got dirty looks from civilians and members of the Watch alike, their expressions stunned, shocked, and outraged at the mere sight of us. We'd have to go to the dock for one reason or another eventually, but coming this soon... I had my doubts in the Don's decision making process once again.

An older looking Gnome ran out of his store as someone standing indoors by the window spoke up. His face was twisted with anger, even if his shop didn't look like one of those affected by Fareel's ritual.

"You monster pieces of-!" he roared, a sound that carried down the harbour before a member of the Watch raised a glowing, blue-grey hand. Then, there was [Silence]. It was a little eerie, seeing the man continue to roar without any words to accompany the actions.

"[Let's... get this over with. I don't want to be here any longer than we need to,]" I told the team, picking up the pace as we went down the docks.

"You said it," Sigura muttered dryly, diligently avoiding every leftover puddle she could as my eyes traced the ships all around.

After a few minutes of walking along the extensive harbour, the amount of eyes judging us trickled away as we got further from the main streets. Most of the ships had been left alone or abandoned, even if only for a short time due to the Leviathan scare. One of the smaller boats still looked occupied however, with a Triton Halfblood standing aboard it.

The boat itself was thickly reinforced, designed with a single room atop it. The sail had no pattern I could discern, being decorated only with a striped blue and white pattern. It was rolled up to the top, while the boat floated silently in the water, swaying like a drunkard. On the dock next to it was an unmanned wooden wagon. This was our destination, as unceremonious as it was.

The Triton Halfblood, a Human-like man with dark skin and patches of green-blue scales and gills was in the midst of hoisting heavy looking wooden crates off of his boat. The fins on his arms raised as he stepped off his boat, growling at a collection of cawing Seagulls circling him high above.

"Blasted things! Try to steal my cargo again and-" he stopped his rant as one of the Seagulls dove for the inside of his wagon. Then, his chest puffed up in a way that made my body tense, and he fired a blast of water from his mouth at the Seagull, striking it as it cried out in shock, joining its brethren high above. "[Water Shot]! Yeah! Bet you didn't like that, you shitty-"

His words were cut off as he went to turn back towards his boat, spotting the three of us walking towards him. His expression paled as he took a cautionary step back. Steeling himself, the man clenched his fingers, staring directly back at us.

"Gods above... you're the... the Velvet Star's folk...?" he asked, trying and failing to keep the clear worry and fear from his voice.

"Yeah, we are," Sigura drawled, glancing towards the wagon as the Seagulls continued to caw noisily. "Where's this stuff coming from?"

"It's... from further south. Pagonia," the man replied, keeping his eyes on Sigura as he took steps back towards his boat.

"Is it confidential stuff?" Sigura asked, heading for the wagon as she waved an arm at a Seagull getting a little too brave.

"Abyss if I know, I was just told to ship it," the Triton Halfblood replied, getting back onto the front of his boat. "If it's anything shady, keep that knowlege to yourself. I was able to take it straight through port, so it's nothin' magical or dangerous that would've tripped off the Watch, I'd say. Though things've been pretty lax on that end, given how busy they've been. I don't know what you people around here are buyin', but I don't want to know. Your people pay well to have cargo moved, and that's all I give a damn about."

It was a job with less information given than I would've liked. We knew the group settled here recently, and that they weren't on great terms with Aerasthetic's management despite being housed in their region.

The side compartment of my mech popped off with minimal internal workings as I unraveled a new and improved lock system. The motion itself was smooth and strangely therapeutic, helping me to calm down as a flying hand coated in white threads pulled a pouch of coins free from within, drifting over to the man.

He held both hands far out in front of him, as though he wanted to receive the pouch while keeping as much distance as possible. It was far from a flattering observation, but I couldn't parse it as anything kinder.

"[That should be all of it,]" I told him, causing the man to shiver from the sound of my voice, his eyes turning to look towards the form within the cube.

He undid the strap, looking into the pouch as his eyes widened.

"Abyss... it's really all here. This is all proper gold, too?" he murmured, unable to pull his eyes from the glimmering coins.

"Use [Insight] if you wanna check for Illusions or Transmutation, old man. We've got shit to do if you're done unloading," Sigura called out to him, making sure each of the crates were secure in the wagon.

The man's eyes began to glow a faint baby blue with watery edges, but after finding no magic affixed to the coins, he let out a sigh, quickly pocketing the pouch.

"There are two more boxes over here for you lot. I'll move those and then our deal will be-"

His words came to a halt as a set of six large mechanical hands cast shadows over his form. I sent my telekinetically controlled hands to the back of his ship, lifting the boxes of heavy cargo with ease. He took a few hurried steps towards the edge of his boat as the shadows passed over him again. He looked horrified that I'd drop them on him.

"[My hands aren't that slippery, sir, you're fine,]" I replied, trying for a joke with a dry delivery, like the kind Conahan might've done. He seemed enamored by the coin which could serve as a good hook, so if we formed a relationship with a [Sailor] that had [Merchant] experience, we could-

"Right, sure," he grimaced, shoulders shaking as he made his way back to the cabin door. "Anything further's no business of mine."

He let out one last sigh, one webbed hand reaching into his pocket to grip the pouch, as if worried some invisible force had come along to steal it the moment it left his sight. Streiphen waved at the man after seeing him through the window at the front of his boat's room, but he made no effort to return the gesture as he planted a hand on a softly glowing wooden panel within the boat's main room.

He sent his Aera through a blue painted rune shaped like a boat's helm. The ropes at the top of the mast unfurled themselves, allowing the sail to pop down as he turned the wheel within his cabin, pulling the ship away from the dock and towards the colossal walls I knew to be at the edge of the city.

Streiphen looked a little disheartened by his less than enthusiastic reaction, but buried it as he went over to the back of the wagon, hopping into it as Sigura finished steadying the crates.

"What's inside? Can we look?" Streiphen asked, eyeing up one of the crates. I had my suspicions they weren't hazardous materials or confidential after seeing them. Something more expensive wouldn't have been sealed in regular wooden crates like this.

"The Don never said we couldn't," Sigura shrugged, [Mantle] flowing through her fingers and nails as she pried one of the crates open bare handed, revealing-

"Oh... it's just meat?" Streiphen asked, his brow slackening with disappointment. "Maybe there's something hidden inside!"

"[There isn't,]" I informed him, even if I didn't like crushing his expectations like that. My [Sensory Zone] made it all very plain to see.

Sigura leaned down towards the crate full to the brim with salted meat, and took a long sniff of it. With a shrug, she rose to her full height, stepping back out of the wagon as her eyes went to Streiphen.

"It's Mammoth meat. Fillin' as all Abyss, but that's it. Didn't catch a whiff of anythin' else off of it," she told him.

"Oh..." Streiphen muttered, hopping out of the wagon with her before the Half Nekari Chimera closed up the back doors, sealing the crates inside. Despite our reassurances, I saw him use [Insight] as emerald light with black edges danced over the inside of his black eye mask. "Yeah... no magic at all... what do you think it's for...? A [Chef]?"

Sigura snickered at that, traipsing her way towards the front of the wagon.

"Maybe, but I dunno what kinda [Chef] would need to hire people like us to bring this sorta stuff around, especially through someone else's territory. Could be for a [Necromancer] or some freak [Fleshmoulder] for all I care. We've got a job and that's it, even if the cargo's boring."

"[Agreed. The contents don't matter so long as they arrive at their destination,]" I added.

"You want me to push this thing Yur?" Sigura asked, gripping a long wooden handle connected by two rods of wood extending forward from the sides. It was the type of wagon a Humanoid or Centaur would push, not one meant to be pulled along by Horses or Moa.

"[No, I can handle it,]" I told her, sending two large metal hands to grip the inside of the handle. "[If there's nothing magical inside, I can pull it with ease. Besides, we'll need you to help protect the cargo if we're attacked on the way back.]"

"Yeah, fair enough," Sigura shrugged, stuffing both hands into her pockets as she began to backtrack towards the harbour.

Although I was less than eager to face those looks again, we had a job to do. I pulled the wagon along behind us, trusting my [Sensory Zone] to spot any would-be [Thieves] looking to steal from our blind spots. As we journeyed back into more populated areas, the judgemental looks began to mount on us once again. I saw the Gnome from earlier speaking to two more of his kind, a purple bruise on his cheek. Had the Watch done that? Or one of the civilians?

Whatever the case, he was silent now, as were we.

Heading away from the harbour, I saw Streiphen and Sigura become more guarded once again. We hadn't been attacked in Karisti before, but there was no guarantee we wouldn't be assaulted if we went through it a second time. Not when there were hostile Casters around.

There was no wall of people lined up between the borders of Karisti and the harbour region, but the atmosphere as we passed into the sparsely populated graffiti covered region was still just as heavy as before. The sound of laughter in the distance reached the edge of my zone, followed shortly after by bouts of hushed, angry shouting. I didn't want to focus on the people of this region, but I didn't have much of a choice as we forged on.

The sound of distant voices, footsteps, and the heavy rumbling of our wagon being pulled over magically formed smooth stone roads surrounded us. As eerie and off-putting as this place was, it only got worse as I saw collections of people in masks gathering in side alleys. Few were specially crafted, with the majority wearing simple protective gear like leather armor splattered in paint and plain face coverings.

"[Goons. Three groups in the alleys to our left, one to our right. They might try for an ambush. Can you check whether there are Casters worth being cautious of hiding amongst them, Sigura?]"

Sigura made no attempt to hide her scouting now, her eyes flaring with fiery, sunset coloured Aera.

"There's a few worth their weight approachin' in the distance, Yur, but nothin' we can't handle," Sigura murmured back under her breath, a message I relayed to Streiphen. "I'm glad we've got company though. I was worried for a while that they'd just sit around creepin' on us."

We continued walking, not speeding up or slowing down, ensuring that those around us didn't see even a shred of fear or apprehension in our gait. It wasn't long before the Casters in question emerged from an alley next to an abandoned book store with boarded up windows on our left. I'd seen two of them on our way here, and they may have called on the others.

The first was the thickly built man hiding within a set of bulbous silver armor, a design that made his body shape look closer to that of a ball or onion. It was covered in a thin layer of twinkling frost, a pattern that also lined the pair of thick Reindeer-like antlers protruding from his full plate helmet.

The second was the Goliath man with the white Sabertooth Tiger from before. He was a bald man standing just above 7' with a golden goatee. He wore a gold coloured shawl around his shoulders with plain brown clothing underneath. At his waist, I saw a gold painted sword in a sheathe, one with a revolver barrel just above the handle. A gunblade?

The third was a young man with bright white hair combed back with a curl towards the end of his head. Thin streaks of colour had been dyed into the hair just above his forehead, and he wore a more formal looking light blue dress suit with a cravat collar, although his pants were a darker shade. He had the pointed ears of an Elf, but despite the sparkle of his pale skin, it didn't look like that of a Half Elf. A magical or cosmetic effect.

The final member of the group was a massive crimson skinned Oni woman with bright golden eyes. She was a towering figure, one standing just above 8 feet, taller than both the Goliath and Sigura. She had bright pink hair tied with a golden band into a spiky high ponytail, and a wreath of folded paper around her head. She had a pair of prominent fangs poking down from her top lip, and a painted black eye-like pattern on her forehead between her two dark red horns. She wore lightweight red robes with black edges to the sleeves and base, and geta shoes that clacked against the pavement. The sight of her put the image of a [Samurai] in my mind, although her grin and the malicious glint in her eye told me otherwise.

"You're the welcomin' committee?" Sigura called out as the four passed between the growing wall of Goons.

"What do you think you're doing in our territory, Equinox?" the man wearing the silver onion plate armor asked. "Have you grown cocky after escaping a single battle with Visionary? You are aware our group could have pummeled yours if not for time constraints?"

"Yeah, whatever. I got off easy," Sigura drawled, raising one arm to feign cleaning out her ear, disinterest written all over her face. "We all know how this little song and dance goes. You people talk our ears off, then get thrashed. If you're gonna fight us, just get on with it. We don't have time to waste on you."

"Excellent! This one has a good attitude to her. I am in full agreement," the Oni grinned, reaching for the handle of a black and gold sheathed longsword at her waist. She pulled it free, and without any delay, she rushed us, blade held out to her side.

It was a shocking decision, given that she was outnumbered, but I fumbled to pull out my metal plates as Streiphen swung his sword off of his back. His [Mantle] flared to life, as did Sigura's as she jumped to the side, pulling the sword I'd crafted for her off of her back and into her hands.

The Oni left us alone, following Sigura as she brought her blade down in an arc, her [Mantle] bursting into place around her. It was a deep crimson colour flecked with plates of a darker red shade, a pattern that brought the image of scabs over a wound to mind.

They clashed blades, but my attention returned to the trio. They seemed less likely to jump right into the fray like their comrade. They hadn't set up their [Mantles] either. Were they waiting for us to aid Sigura to try and get a strike in on our blind sides?

The pale skinned man with the white hair pulled a long umbrella up from where he'd kept it at his waist. My [Insight] flared to life as he opened it up, holding it just above his head. Judging by his Aera alone, he didn't seem to be attempting a Spell...

"Close your eyes, everyone!" the pale skinned man called out. I watched as the Goons all around us did as he commanded, or covered their eyes with their arms. Even his two allies next to him did the same, and worry filled me as he lowered the umbrella, pointing it in Streiphen's direction.

"[Be careful Streiphen! His technique could target people based on line of sight!]" I told the boy, calling forth a collection of metal plates to shield the wagon, just in case.

Streiphen nodded, closing his eyes while keeping his weapon forwards. He wouldn't be able to see the man from where he was standing with that umbrella in the way. Was that the vector for his ability...? My [Sensory Zone] didn't work through direct line of sight, so there wasn't any risk in-

"Nope, it's not working," the pale skinned man shrugged with a smile, pulling the umbrella up from between us.

What...?

"Then it's confirmed," the man in the armor said. "She possesses a bubble-like dome of sight, rather than omnidirectional vision."

Their words only left me more confused by the second. How had they deduced that? I hadn't been trying to make my [Sensory Zone] a secret, but was that little more than an assumption...?

"It appears I'll be useless here if she's around, so I'll let you two handle this," the pale man smiled, reaching up to pat the armored man on the shoulder.

"Very well," the armored man nodded. His white [Mantle] flared to life, and my thoughts were dedicated to understanding this.

He'd tried to use his abilities, but they hadn't worked? Based on what he'd said, it had something to do with line of sight... Or... the lack of sight? His abilities only worked when people weren't capable of seeing him? If the sole purpose of the umbrella was to obscure vision, then it made perfect sense.

I had to admit, it was a clever use of an ability's Conditions to gain information, but I wasn't going to go any easier on them simply because I was impressed by that deduction.

The Goliath made a clicking sound with his mouth, prompting the Sabertooth to roar and bound down the street, approaching us fast.

"[I'll handle this, Streiphen,]" I told the boy, calling my metal plates and floating hands out in front of me. I'd fought a similarly shaped opponent, the Dwarf's mechanical Cheetah from the brief time spent in Scander's wilderness before we'd arrived at Divastyr. The metal of that Cheetah's body still sat reforged as the bronze rose at the forefront of my mech, a trophy to commemorate my first victory in this new form.

It leapt as my hands flew forward to meet it, moving with greater speed and precision than a heavy monster could. If I could keep up with Sigura while she was holding back, this would be simple. The hands clasped around the monster's forelegs before pulling upwards, breaking its leap while restraining it. I held the creature in the air as it snarled, trying to dig its fangs into the reinforced metal of my hands without success.

It was heavier than the enchanted Cheetah I'd fought before, and the wriggling wasn't making it any simpler, but I'd gotten stronger too. Something like this was easy to manage.

The Goliath began to charge towards me to help free his monster companion as Streiphen rushed forward to meet him, his [Mantle] appearing around him. Using the metal plates, I formed a cube of metal while Streiphen's blade clashed with that of the Goliath. Once I dumped the Sabertooth inside, I planted another panel on top, completely trapping it inside before welding it shut with [Heated Metal]. The banging of its limbs against the cage was loud despite being muffled. One enemy down.

The Goons standing at the edge of the clearing were cheering and jeering. Groups began to throw rocks and empty cans at myself and Streiphen. Some were even thrown with the added force of [Release], but blocking them with my metal plates was a simple task. They were irritating, but why were they not charging us? Overwhelming us with numbers would have been a better strategy than this random heckling, so why? To help their Casters grow?

In the midst of their clashes, the Goliath brought his weapon up over his head, preparing for a powerful strike. He brought it down in an arc, speaking the words "[Heavy Slash]," as he did, a sound lost to the ears around us under the cheering of the crowd.

"[Heavy Slash]!" Streiphen shouted, bringing his blade around and upwards as he met the strike of the taller man. The crowd's cheering stopped for a moment as the blades connected, steel smashing against steel.

Neither blade was bounced away or deflected. Both of them had met the charge of their opponent. Streiphen's physical strength rivaled that of a Goliath.

"Hey look! She's startin' to get tired already!" one of the Goons called out, pointing towards Sigura and the Oni as their attention was hastily pulled from Streiphen's clash.

The two clashed blades, but neither Sigura nor the Oni seemed to be using Skills. None that I could hear them vocalise, at least. Their blades clashed loudly, ringing with greater force than that of Streiphen's, which only served to pull more eyes towards her. When they started jeering Sigura, my attention was pulled to her. More specifically, that they were right.

She was sweating, her arms trembling beneath the force of the Oni's blade. The taller woman grinned, swinging the weapon down against Sigura's once again with a deafening clang.

"You have spirit, but you are far too weak," the Oni grumbled, sounding almost disappointed. "Visionary was clearly exaggerating your strength to increase her own standing."

As outraged as I felt by the comment... I couldn't bring myself to say anything. Sigura was being overwhelmed. She wasn't moving as fast as she usually was, and she remained on the defensive, even though she was still grinning.

"[Are you alright Sigura?]" I asked, my voice stained with panic. She didn't have any visible injuries I could see. Was the Oni capable of some sort of magic that stole the enemy's physical stamina?

"I'm fine, Yur, you focus on yourself," Sigura murmured, her voice filled with pride.

It was strange, but if she claimed she could handle herself, I believed her. My attention turned back towards the other Casters as water and moisture from the ground began to drift towards the armored man. The pale faced man with the umbrella took a few steps, smiling towards the Oni.

"Careful, Kirigami~! If you keep playing with her like that she'll turn the tables on you!" he called out playfully.

The Oni snorted, bringing her sword around in an arc that Sigura could block, even if it caused her blade to ring.

"She is not worth your concern, Umbrush. Focus on the others," she gruffly replied, anger in her eyes.

I pulled my metal plates to me, preparing for whatever the armored man with the antlers was about to do. My teammates could handle themselves. I needed to focus on the threat right in front of me. He seemed to be a [Hydromancer] of some kind, one that was capable of calling the water around him. Even the piles of leftover sleet and snow dotting the pavement slid and dragged itself towards him.

His white Aera spread out, catching the forming balls of water as they inflated and hardened, becoming thick blocks of snow. The blocks morphed in shape, sticking to one another as a tower of snowballs. Cracks rang out as wooden stick arms sprouted from the side of the center ball, ending in sharp tipped fingers akin to gnarled branches. The Aera coalesced around the 'faces', creating a number of black dots forming a smiling mouth and thick, pupiless eyes. The center of the face squirmed as a conjured orange carrot popped out, sticking from the center as more black dots coalesced atop its head, swirling together to form a black top hat.

"You're going overboard, Snowman," the pale man, Umbrush, commented, opening and closing his mouth as he attempted to swallow. "I'm starting to get a dry mouth over here."

"Silence, Umbrush! The moment we underestimate these enemies is the moment we disgrace Aerasthetic!" the armored man complained. "Go, [Snowman Brigade]!"

The figures began to charge over the pavement, splitting into three groups of three. Without knowing their abilities, I elected to keep my distance, creating a wall of plates to block them off from my main body. Others were sent flying towards Streiphen, keeping the snow formed Familiars from interrupting his duel with the gunsword Goliath. The others-

The Oni's leg snapped out, taking one of the snowmen's heads clean off its body. While it didn't crumple to the ground, it stood stock still in the middle of the streets.

"Keep your minions to yourself, Snowman! I will not have you trivialising this fight!" the Oni roared, looking back at him with eyes that made me think she'd target him next.

The remaining two circled around her, going straight for Sigura's back while she attempted to block the Oni's blade. Kirigami's eyes widened in anger, but the pair of snowmen began turning to mush mid-run, turning back into piles of sleet on the ground behind Sigura.

"Alright, that's a start," Sigura grinned, her trembling arms struggling to keep in place. "My heat can go in a single direction Yur, but the aura ain't workin' out just yet."

I kept her murmured message in mind. Yeah. I didn't need to worry. Sigura still hadn't used her Heat Magic on the Oni. I just... hoped she wouldn't avoid using it to the point of sustaining heavy injuries, like she had against Visionary.

"Don't be difficult, Kirigami! We need to win this!" Snowman growled aloud, turning his attention towards the Goliath. "Crosshatch, I'll back you up!"

"No need," the man replied, clashing with Streiphen as I heard a click from his weapon.

"[Streiphen, watch-]"

My words barely reached him before he pulled his head to the side. The moment he heard the click, he pulled his head away from the end of the weapon, dodging the fired bullet point blank. It had emerged from the top of the blade, through a small cylindrical barrel along the backside of the weapon. Were his reactions that refined, or had he been watching the man's fingers around the handle of the blade? Either way, I didn't need to worry about Streiphen. He'd faced larger enemies, faster enemies, and stronger enemies.

Now he was equal to a Goliath Caster. He had gotten to this point through hard work alone.

"Nope, can't do it," the pale faced man shrugged, folding up his umbrella as the metallic tip at the very end of it glinted, spotted by my [Honed Vision]. "I can't leave this alone, you're all making it too hard to stay back."

Then, he charged in my direction. A plate wall rushed out to meet him, and I kept my focus on him the entire time. The end of his umbrella began to glow with a light blue [Sheen], and I spread the same technique through my metal plate as he collided with it, blocking his attack. My metal hands swooped in, working to grab and restrain him in the same way they had the raging Tiger.

He danced around the pavement, jumping backwards with a flourish. His movements were awkward and difficult to predict. Given how fluid his limb motion and speed were, I had to assume he was using some form of dexterity oriented Skills. He was difficult to catch, but if he was on the defensive, he wasn't a threat.

My focus turned back towards 'Snowman', who had collected mass quantities of snow. Instead of creating another [Snowman Brigade] to rush us, the group that had been blocked by my walls and unable to climb over them returned to his side, leaping towards him. They splattered against the wall of snow in front of him, causing it to swell inside before forming around his armor.

"[Snowman General]!" he announced, his body having doubled in size with the aid of his conjured and hardened snow. I watched as his [Mantle] extended all throughout even the conjured material. It was something I'd only seen Trainmech do until now, but I'd fought Casters like him before. We all had.

He rushed me, and a wall rose to meet him. He seemed confident in his strength, given how readily he transitioned his stance into a shoulder bash. My walls rattled, but refused to budge. I sent a collection of hands forward to strike at his form, and four met their mark. They crunched against the snow, leaving even the plate armor beneath untouched. It acted as a defensive tool against blunt attacks, too. It wasn't just an increase in size. I couldn't risk burrowing in with my hands and losing the connection to them due to his Aura.

But I'd learned from past fights. I was a better combatant now, and this was barely even a distraction.

The wall grew red hot as I spread my [Heated Steel] through it. The sound of snow and water sizzling into steam reached me as I heard the man grunt from within his melting armor. His [Mantle] was resisting the heat, but a weakness like this wasn't one he could easily overcome.

"Swap with me, Kirigami!" Snowman called out, taking a step back from my wall as more moisture and snow rushed forward to fill in the melted hole I'd left in his arm.

"Shut your damn mouth!" the Oni roared back.

Sigura's grin had grown wide, and she'd gotten faster again. Not nearly as fast as I'd seen her in other fights, but faster than the Oni. The Oni's blows appeared to be hitting harder than Sigura's own, but she wasn't able to find an opening to push the Half Nekari Chimera into a position where she could capitalise on that strength. Sweat dripped down her furious face as she tried and failed to pressure Sigura through the heat distortion in the air.

With my [Insight] on, I could feel Snowman's indignation and anger rolling off of his Aera, even without seeing his facial expression beneath the mock snowman's head. He raised one arm, and I saw the middle finger of his form began to rumble and shiver.

"[Water Blade]!" he called out as the finger erupted, the snow melting to become a pair of thin sickles of moisture moving at high speeds towards the clashing pair.

Sigura and Kirigami broke apart. The Oni swung her blade, cutting one of the [Water Blades] in two to deflect it as the water splashed harmlessly against the pavement, while the second flew towards Sigura. Her trembling arms couldn't block the hit in time, and I watched as it cut through the top of her jacket and arm, sending blood spurting from an open wound.

Sigura's eyes widened in silent shock as the Oni looked back towards the towering Snowman.

"Attacking your allies too, fool?!? Try that again and I will cut you down next, Snowman!" the Oni roared. Without missing a beat, she looked back towards Sigura, rushing her with another heavy sword swing. "Hmm... Your Heat Magic is dying down, Sunburst. Are you running out of steam?"

Sigura responded to the Oni's toothy grin with one of her own.

"Don't need it, not against you. Better to train myself without it anyway," she shot back.

The two broke from one another again, and Sigura skipped backwards to get some distance.

"Hey, Yur. I don't know if this is due to that guy's shitty magic, but my heats gotten weaker. It might be somethin' he can do, or some weakness to water, but I figured you needed to know."

Her murmured message left me confused. I hadn't experienced any weakness like that, so perhaps he needed to land a direct hit to cause that effect. Hopefully that vulnerability was only a temporary one.

"[Thank you for letting me know, Sigura,]" I replied to her, right as Streiphen unleashed a [Spinning Slash] that cut into Crosshatch's arm, sending the Goliath's weapon skidding along the pavement.

Between our individual battles, the enemy was being pushed back. I brought more plates forward, sending my [Heated Steel] through them as I worked to box Snowman in, melting more and more of his armor as he struggled to break free. I kept him trapped within, and saw the chest begin to vibrate. I ensured there was no direct line for him to use a [Water Blade] against me from that angle, but was shocked to see his true body, armor and all, leap out of my grasp after busting through the back of the giant snowman's head.

He landed hard on the pavement, falling to all fours while gasping for air. He turned his head to look towards me as a pair of fists rushed forward, colliding with him as the man was sent rolling over the smooth stone of the road.

That was when the third party appeared.

"You assholes better not have damaged anything!" came a roar from a woman approaching from further down the street. "You're attacking our delivery people!"

She was a Darkling, a tall woman with dark maroon coloured skin and brown hair tied into a messy ponytail that extended down to the nape of her neck. She had a pair of bright gold eyes practically glowing with disapproval at the fight as a whole. A pair of curved Ox-like horns extended out from both sides of her forehead, curling upwards. She had a long tail extending from her back, with a thick tuft of brown fur at the end of it. The fur around her tail was... not a trait I'd seen on any other Darkling. She wore light grey casual robes with golden links holding it all together, and thick black boots.

Sigura and Kirigami broke apart. Both were sweating heavily, and the Oni glared daggers at the Darkling.

"Who are you to interfere? This is not your business, Darkling," she snarled.

"Yeah, I think it damn well is our business!" she retorted. "We haven't attacked any of your [Mailmen] or [Couriers], have we? They're here to deliver a package for us! If you don't want to fight us too, then back the Abyss off!"

The woman was flanked by two more Darklings in lighter clothing. Both of them also possessed traits I wouldn't have associated with Darklings. One had white fur over the red skin of his hands and paw pads on the undersides of his fingers. The other had deep purple skin, as well as webbed hands and a red circular patch of skin around her throat.

"You wouldn't fight us, Unleashed. We're allies," Snowman replied incredulously, getting to his feet.

"For now," the Darkling snorted. "We're more like tenants than your pals, Snowman. So can you do your tenants a favour and not stop people from delivering our shit?"

"Ah well, guess we'll have to pull back," Umbrush shrugged, still grinning to himself, throwing the Darkling a wave she didn't reciprocate.

"Feru is still trapped within Homebound's metal cage," the Goliath, Crosshatch, replied with narrowed eyes.

Feru...? The Tiger.

Given that... backup(?) had arrived, and how we were managing to handle these enemies even without them, I didn't feel threatened in the slightest in letting the monster go. Part of me was tempted to leave it trapped for the well being of civilians it might harm, but it wasn't worth giving up the metal for. Using my [Heated Steel], I moved my focus along the edges of the cube, melting them just enough to pull the walls and ceiling off through my [Telekinetic Field].

Claws raked against metal even as it was being pulled free. I heard the Goliath bring fingers to his mouth to whistle, but what I didn't expect was for the Sabertooth to ignore the command completely, charging towards me with a roar.

Sigura's weapon swung to the side, deflecting the Oni's last strike before darting over to me. Even now, she looked like she was moving quicker than she had been earlier, even if she looked painfully sluggish compared to previous fights I'd seen her in. She skidded to a stop after a brief sprint, standing between me and the Tiger. Was she looking to get one last bit of fighting in before this was all broken up, or-

"[Surge]," Sigura growled into the open air, putting one leg in front of the other as I watched the edges of her Aera crackle and intensify in a way I hadn't seen them do before. The Tiger growled, but... gradually began to slow down. The closer it got to Sigura, the more sluggish, uncoordinated, and hesitant its movements became. When it had come within slashing distance, the creature stopped in front of Sigura, its front leg trembling in an attempt to rise.

Then, Sigura roared back.

Even without the intense crackling of her Aera's edges, I could see the effect of whatever she'd done in motion. The fur on the Sabertooth stood on end, and the beast immediately turned around, bounding back the way it came as Sigura stood tall with a toothy grin.

"Been wantin' to try that out. Lucky that we found some shitty [Beast Tamer] 'round here, huh?" she spoke aloud.

"'Shitty?'" the Goliath echoed, raising his blade. Then, his eyes turned to Kirigami, who was similarly angry. Though I presumed in her case that was more because of the fight ending prematurely, even though it had been clear to my eyes who was going to win. "You are in our territory, Equinox."

She slashed her blade against the ground, raking the tip of the sword straight through solid stone. Beneath her Aera, I heard the earth begin to rumble as Streiphen turned, holding his blade aloft while standing between me and the Oni.

"Last warning! Unless your people want an early war with us first, back off!" the Darkling from before shouted. Then, her eyes turned towards the Oni. "You're the type that just wants Experience from a fair fight, right? If we gang up on you, then we'll leave you in the infirmary for a while and you won't be able to do a thing, got it? Back. Off."

The Oni snarled again, her blade arm trembling before she reluctantly sheathed her longsword. The action was... painfully slow. I half expected her to leap at the Darkling and reconsider her decision to stand down.

"I will not forget this insult, Unleashed," the Oni muttered darkly.

"I've insulted lots of people. Hasn't come back to bite me yet, so this'll probably be no different," the Darkling shrugged. "So, yeah. Bye. You can go now."

The members of Aerasthetic looked between one another, and despite the clear mounting frustration radiating from their expressions and Aera (With the exception of Umbrush, who appeared unconcerned), they seemed to stand down, deactivating their [Mantles].

"Your days are numbered, Velvet Star. Remember that," Snowman intoned commandingly, even if he visibly bristled as Sigura yawned into an open hand.

A few moments later, the Casters and Goons rallied together, leaving the area through the alleyways. I didn't know who these 'Unleashed' people were, but they were evidently our mystery employers, the ones who'd bought our delivery services through the Don. Both the enemy Casters and Goons looked deeply unsatisfied, even if I felt excellent about the encounter. Despite Sigura's strange slowness, we'd each managed to come out on top of our respective battles.

"They all think they're real hot shit... Cool trick though," the Darkling with the Ox-like horns spoke, approaching our group. "Emotion Magic or a Luster Art?"

"Luster Art," Sigura responded idly, sheathing her blade before stretching out her arms and legs. She was practically brimming with pride and positivity, something that felt incredibly rewarding to see after... our less than positive interactions over the past few days.

"Got it. Never seen that one though," the Darkling replied, her eyes turning towards the wagon. "So... how's it going? You got the delivery for us?"

"[We do, if you're the people living in the Valdoun Warehouse,]" I replied, undoing my walls and planting my metal back inside my mech.

"Yeah, that's us," the Darkling smiled. "I'm Kana, a member of 'The Unleashed'. I didn't choose the name, by the by. But... can you guys come with us? Think of this as a bonus part of the delivery job, but our boss, the Knight, wants to meet you all, Equinox."