That night, Gomenne and co. spent the night at that facility. Tucked away into another somewhat-wider hallway was the quarters wing which held about eight bed rooms aligned with four rooms on either side of the hallway, more than enough for each member to have their own room.

What Capryce had neglected to tell them during their meeting was that this would be the headquarters for White Clover.

Her absence was due to acquiring this building along with cleaning, furnishing and other preparations, as well as making negotiations with the Rosewater Corporation to allow them access to higher-ranking guild quests.

Capryce may not be the most sociable but she definitely knows how to assert her power, proving to the Most Valuable Person in the guild.

That fact tormented Gomenne to no end.

“It’s the only way, Gome,” Kiki reassured. She was all too familiar with how interactions between the two sisters often went down, deciding it was best to spend the night together with Gomenne.

“I hate this so much,” said an exasperated Gomenne. “If this is really how the world works, if this is what being a deity has to be like now, what’s the point in trying anymore?”

“I think if the people heard their guardians saying stuff like that then they’d really lose hope.”

“Yeah...yeah, I guess you’re right. Still!”

“We still don’t know what we’re dealing with. If anyone would know it would be Cloudia, and we couldn’t get to her the way we were doing things.”

Gomenne groaned, burying her face in a pillow and curling up in her bed. She refused to engage in the conversation further but Kiki wasn’t going to give up so easily.

She continued, “There’s a lot of unknowns and we need to figure things out quick. I might’ve not been alive then but the Sky Beast sounds like no joke, especially if Star of all people had to put a stop to it.”

Still no response from Gomenne.

Kiki heaved a heavy sigh. She sat down on the bed and leans towards the fetal-positioned Gomenne. Her usual blank stare was replaced by a much more intense, piercing gaze.

She sternly uttered, “Gome.”

Gomenne peeked from underneath the pillow only to see Kiki’s wild eyes staring back at her. Deciding that it was best to give in, Gomenne sits up proper.

“I hate it when you look at me like that,” she finally responds.

“Why?”

“S’cause it reminds me of how we first met, back when you were no different than any of the other cat mask bastards.”

“Weird to think there was a time when you hated my guts.” Kiki relents her gaze, instead offering a gentle smile.

“You’re a real glutton for punishment. You know that, right?”

“Hell yeah I am.”

The night continued on as they talked and laughed together, reflecting on the past and how things got to the way they were. It’s only been a month but to them it was the most exciting moments of their life up to this point.

Finding Muffler felt like more than a coincidence but for now they would put those suspicions aside just to live in the moment.

Muffler has only had a positive effect on their lives. It was like having their own child, if their child skipped a few years and was already pretty independent.

For now, they would hope these moments last even a little longer.

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Morning came, and Gomenne and co. were transported to a forest on the forest mentioned on the east coast. They did not have to come too close to smell the ash from the forest fires. The skies were overcast with half the sky darkened by black storm clouds.

“That’s the place. That’s the last place she was seen,” Capryce said pointing to an area just a bit west to the overlook they were standing on.

“Right, let’s get on with it already!” Gomenne impatiently stomps off with Kiki and Muffler tailing behind her.

“Ah, girls! Wait just a second!” cried out Star.

“Just let them go,” Capryce sighed, “They’ll find out soon enough.”

Once Gomenne had reached the edge of the forest, she notices a figure in robes that was standing behind a tree slink away into the forest.

“What the—Did you guys see that?” Gomenne pointed.

“Yeah. Someone else is here besides us,” remarked Kiki.

“What? Really?” Muffler looked around in an attempt to see this person mentioned. “Are you sure it wasn’t an animal or something?”

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Did you catch their scent, Kiki?”

“The smell of the ashes is too strong. I can’t smell anything else.”

“Damn. We’ll just have to find out then, won’t we?”

Despite the distant looming forest fire, the crew head straight into the forest. This part of the forest was still untouched and full of greenery, but any wild life that would normally be here seem to have already fled.

Further in, they find a peculiar sight—what looks to be an abandoned brick manor sitting in the middle of a clearing. The place was nearly overrun by overgrown vines and shrubbery and housed a single large tree that seems to have grown from underneath it, as its growth caused a large gaping hole in one of the walls to the side.

“It’s Cloudia’s house!” Muffler exclaimed.

“What? Cloudia’s house?” Gomenne asked in surprise.

“Uh-huh!” Muffler nodded their head. “This is where we used to hang out, her and my other friends too.”

Gomenne and Kiki looked at each other, speechless. This new revelation made absolutely no sense to them. For as long as they remember Cloudia didn’t even have a house, let alone own land. She was always living with Star and they went pretty much everywhere together.

But, then they remembered Cloudia’s ability of resurrection. It was entirely possible that in a previous life she could’ve had a house. Even with that possibility, it didn’t make sense why she and Muffler could be friends especially when they had never heard about them before just a month ago.

“I don’t remember there being a house in this forest,” Kiki pointed out, “but this couldn’t have been built in my life time either, judging by that tree.”

“This looks like what houses used to look like hundreds of years ago, at least that’s what I can remember,” stated Gomenne.

“What’s really weird about this is we didn’t see this huge tree from the outside.”

“Yeah. I’m getting weird magic vibes. Something ain’t right here.”

Just then, lightning touched downs several feet from where they were standing, causing a deafening thunder crack. Gomenne and Kiki quickly cover their ears and Muffler had fallen on her behind in surprise.

Once the sound subsided, Gomenne and Kiki surveyed the area with their eyes.

Where the lightning struck was a huge black mark on the ground covered with small trails of fire, but what really caught their eyes was the figure of a familiar white bear-like creature.

“Cloudia!” Muffler said with excitement.

“Wait! Stay back!” Kiki was quick to stop them from running right over to her. “Look closely.”

A black, wriggling mass was stretched across Cloudia’s head and tapered across her body up until her torso. It looked as if she had dipped half her body in ink. She was standing her guard, watching for their next move.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot,” said Muffler with a embarassed giggle.

“What’s the plan, pup?” Kiki gently nudged Gomenne in the arm.

“We gotta pin her down so Muffy can do her thing—I mean their thing. Whatever, y’know who I mean.”

“That’s gunna be tough. Cloudia might be doughy-looking but she’s a fighter.”

“I know. But we gotta try.”

Gomenne pulls out her trusty steel bat and turns to Muffler. “Yo Muffy, get ready! We’re gunna tussle with her until we can get you an opening to do your thing!”

Muffler materializes her sword and shield. “Okay, I’m ready when you guys are!”

The three prepare themselves to exchange blows with one of their dearest friends. None of them even know of their plan will even work. They do not know the outcome of this confrontation, but no matter what all of them wish to free her from the mysterious black slime.

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Star and Capryce were still observing from the outside when they saw the lightning strike.

A nigh-invisible dome shape shortly became visible as the lightning struck it, causing it to ripple. For a brief moment, they could see a the shape of a large tree before it disappeared from sight again.

“That lightning went right through the barrier. Interesting,” noted Capryce.

“The magic used to make that barrier reminds me so much of the Keystones, but the bearers have been gone for a thousand years save for Cloudia. Do you think she made it?” Star wondered.

“Beats me, but I’m going in. You coming?”

“Yes. I must know what in the world’s happening.”