Grant Academy.

The operations to clean up the aftermath of the fight against the shape shifting monster that emerged from the underground tunnel of the hunting ground were not going too well - the corrosive and corruptive substance left by the monster seemed to have not only corroded a lot of the different parts of the academy buildings and environment, it also seemed to have been soaked into the areas it touched, making them reek of a pungent smell like some kind of foul marinade.

During their break, Professor Tony Barnes, Glenda Grimes, Professor Dorothea Clarkson gathered inside the hospital room in which Professor Kapur was staying.

Professor Kapur was recovering from her “fortunate” injury - after a few days of excruciating pain, and several weeks of slow physical therapy sessions, combined with ample supply of revitalizing medication, she was finally able to do a little bit of walking. Though she was still unable to walk for long, or run, she was still in a much better condition than before.

“Looks like it won’t be long before you are free from the wheelchair.” Professor Barnes smiled at Professor Kapur: “That’s good, that’s really good.”

“Thanks.” Professor Kapur sighed and sat back on her bed: “Sadly my experience cannot be generalized easily, I can’t wait to get back to research and see if I can take a crack at it. It’s painful, but I’ve gotta say many would rather endure temporary pain in exchange for their ability to walk and run back.”

“Let me know if you’d like help with that, Professor.” Professor Dorothea Clarkson chuckled: “We will find the best research talents to join your team.”

“Thank you, Dorothea.” Professor Kapur smiled and nodded: “Now, should we discuss the matters at hand? How long do you have?”

“As long as you’d like us to stay, Professor.” Glenda Grimes smiled.

“That was very kind, but I wouldn’t wanna keep you for too long. ” Professor Kapur picked up a book by her bed and put it on her lap: “Josephine Wong told me everything already. And I would like to say, I am quite concerned. But I am not a member of the administration, so the decision’s on you. I am here purely for your consult.”

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“To be honest, I just think it is way too alarmist.” Dorothea Clarkson sighed and leaned into the corner of the room: “I understand the concern, that a defiler had somehow been under the infamous Clearwater Municipal Hospital for all this time, and the Division had somehow extracted a piece of relic from under it, created by someone we had almost no idea about. But that doesn’t mean that we are in any immediate danger of being under attack from the defilers. I am all for being prepared, but right now we have much more urgent things to worry about, like tracking down that beast and destroying it.”

“I think we should enlist ourselves and work with her to devise a plan.” Professor Barnes shook his head: “From what we know about defilers, there’s practically no way to track them or time their arrival or advances. All we can do is just be aware and be ready. If they had really come for us, at least we would have a plan instead of facing off against them completely unprepared.”

“If they had started targeting our realm, we would be hearing about chaotic energy fields and bad omens already. ” Professor Dorothea Clarkson said.

“But, haven’ we already been hearing about them constantly already?” Professor Barnes said: “Take the beast and the tunnel in which it dwelled as examples - that was as bad an omen as it gets, and that kind of dimensional tunnel was very likely itself a byproduct of chaotic or disturbed energy fields. And right under our noses.”

“Those were pre-existing, they had been there way before the resurfacing of this defiler.”

“Time doesn’t matter, or at least is not as important.” Glenda Grimes sighed and said: “Defilers can’t and don’t move across planes like us or other sentient beings, their movements have a certain unpredictability when it comes to the spatial and chronological coordinates because of their very nature. They could have started to target our realm right now, but the omens and chaotic energy fields might have started years or decades before.”

“That’s true. But don’t you think this argument defeats itself? ” Professor Dorothea Clarkson shook her head: “We’d have no way of knowing whether they’re omens and disturbed energy fields due to the defilers targeting our realm, or are we just having shit luck. I’d not live in constant fear and distress.”

“Point taken. Which is why I propose we meet with Josephine, face to face and hear her case.” Glenda Grimes took a look at Professor Barnes then Professor Kapur: “Tony, I can see your concern as well. We don’t want to expose ourselves to this kind of risk, especially when we know that a defiler has been here already.”

“Are you sure we’d be meeting Josephine? Or will we be meeting her and that special friend of hers?” Dorothea Clarkson scoffed.

“That’s a bit unfair, Dorothea. She did not reach out to us because he told her to.” Professor Kapur gently tapped the cover of her book with her fingers: “I know you don’t trust him or his intentions. I have my doubts about him as well, but at least have some faith in her.”

“I like him.” Professor Tony Barnes shrugged: “I have no objections to meeting him.”

“But take my advice with a grain of salt. For I still AM indebted to him.” Professor Kapur laid back on her bed: “Debt that I probably could never pay back. I’ll suggest this - if you’re concerned, at least have a face to face meeting with her. I think Josephine deserves as much.”

“Agreed.” Glenda Grimes nodded and turned to Dorothea Clarkson: “There’s no harm in that, right?”

“Alright, I’ll make an appointment with her. Hope her secretary will let her know in time.” Professor Dorothea Clarkson shrugged.

Professor Kapur chuckled while shaking her head.