As the group was returning from the forest, they saw a familiar figure walking the same road as them. To their surprise, it was Zaveid.
"Hey! How goes it?" Zaveid said.
"Zaveid!" Eizen said running at him.
"Whoa! Watch it, bro. I don't got time to spar today! Got a date lined up." Zaveid said aiming a gun at Eizen.
"That artifact you got belongs to Aifread. Why do you have it?" Eizen demanded.
"Just picked it off the ground somewhere." Zaveid said. "Look if I wanna talk, we'll talk. If I wanna fight, we'll fight." he said aiming the gun at his head. He fired as power surged through him. "As much as I wanna keep this going, I don't wanna keep ol' pointy beard waiting." Zaveid said as he ran off with Eizen chasing after him.
"Pointy beard? He means Melchior! Urg… Not again…" David said going after them.
"David! We need to deliver the medicine!" Connor said.
"But those two will fall for Melchior's trap. I can't abandon them." David said.
"We don't get this medicine back to the Van Eltia, we won't be able to help them at all when we're nothing but sand." Connor said.
"Connor, I understand where you're going with this, but the crew has already lost Aifread to that bastard. I'm not letting them lose Eizen, too." David said. "I'm not completely human, so I'll be fine for now. Get this back to the crew and catch up with me later."
"Alright, we will. But you're not going alone." Connor said. "You should at least have backup in case its a trap."
"Ooh, Oooh! I'll go!" Morph said.
"You, huh?" Skull asked.
"Don't let her looks fool ya. She is very powerful." Connor said. "Especially when the other personality takes place."
"Hmm. I better come with them. Just to make sure nothing happens." Sectonia said.
"Sectonia? I… I can't ask that of you." David said.
"Ever since we started, it's been the two of us covering for each other when things got rough. And you've always been the one to save me. But you're inflicted with a disease, so now, it's my turn to back you up." Sectonia said.
"Sigh… Alright, Sectonia. You made your point." David said. "The rest of you, make sure you save some of that medicine for us."
The three ran off to find Zaveid and Eizen.
"Eizen and Zaveid shouldn't be hard to spot, right? Same with Melchior with that hat of his." Morph said.
"She has a point. This is Melchior we're dealing with. If he's somewhere in that area...it would most likely be in a base home to the exorcists." Sectonia said.
"And it's most likely where they're keeping Aifread. That's why Eizen and Zaveid were heading there." David said. "Melchior is an exorcist legate. We'll be expecting a fight if we are to succeed in our rescue."
"As well as a battle with any one of those other groups allied with the Abbey." Morph said. "If that happens...then I'll take that one."
"Alright. We'll be counting on you, Morph." David said. "I just hope the Order won't send a harpy, minotaur or dragon. I don't want the others to go through emotional tensions."
"Yeah, me too. It's really uncomforting that way." Morph said. "If you get a minotaur or dragon its strength and if you get a harpy they can fly. And if it is a dragon, they breath fire and that would be really bad for me."
"Why?" David asked.
"During those experiments, parasite cells were used to bind different powers together and so I share their weaknesses such as fire." Morph said.
"Well...we should be prepared depending on whatever we get." Sectonia said.
"Yeah. I don't want to expose the armatus to them unless things get desperate." David said. "Hopefully, it won't come to that."
It wasn't long before encountering a tall tower in Lothringen where Eizen stood outside. "Eizen!" Morph shouted.
"Well...you three came in time. I was about to go in and rescue Aifread." Eizen said.
"But aren't you thinking this as a trap?" Sectonia asked.
"I have no doubts that this may be a trap. But if it's not, I can't let something like this go." Eizen said.
"Trap or not, we're with you all the way." Morph said as her fist enlarged as she burst down the doors.
"Well if they didn't know we were here...they do now." David said as they headed inside.
As they travelled the halls they found the place completely deserted. "Strange...this is an Abbey facility...so where are the guards?" Morph asked.
"Melchior was likely doing something here he didn't want anyone to know about." Sectonia said.
"If he's loyal to the Abbey, then why all the secrecy, I wonder…" Tapu Fini said.
It wasn't long before they saw a crucifix and hanging on it was a man in pirate gear with a scar on one of his eyes.
"Aifread!" Eizen said running to him.
"So that's him...Van Aifread." Morph said.
"Eizen… It's good to see you again." Aifread said.
"It wouldn't have hurt for you to write." Eizen said.
"Since when do you write to another man?" Aifread asked.
"True, aside from my little brother, not once." Eizen said.
"Your brother? Ah...I remember you telling me about that once." Aifread said before Eizen delivered a lethal punch. "W..why did you?"
"I've got no brother." Eizen said as Aifread suddenly vanished with the crucifix. "Enough of your tricks!"
But when he turned around, he saw a familiar looking girl staring at him.
"Edna? No...don't do it Eizen!" David said.
A shot then hit the look alike as it turned into a different Malak. Eizen looked to the window to see Zaveid there with his gun. "Thanks. I owe ya one for luring him out." he said landing to the ground. "Now come on out, you old coot!"
"How impressive of you to see through my double illusion." a voice said as Melchior appeared before them.
"I make it a point not to fall for the same tricks twice." Zaveid said.
"I shouldn't have let you get away last time. I won't make that mistake again." Melchior said.
He then sent out three Malakheim as the one in the center held her head.
"What? Why am I here?" she asked.
"Her consciousness has returned! So that is its power." Melchior said before creating a ball of malevolence.
"Look out!" Morph said.
"Huh?" the female malak asked before getting hit and turning into a dragon.
"No… He turned his own malak into a dragon?!" Sectonia asked in shock.
"You bastard! Malakhim aren't meant to be tools for you to use like this!" David said.
"Malakheim serve the Abbey as our tools to use as we best see fit. That is the purpose of their existence." Melchior said. "As are other groups."
Above them, a figure jumped overhead as it landed down onto the ground revealing a bird like woman with sharp claws and bird like legs. "You request me, master Melchior?"
"Raptor...I'm afraid I need those four eliminated. I will see to the wind Malak myself." Melchior said.
"Understood." she said.
"Are… you a harpy?" Sectonia asked.
"She's a land based harpy. They can't fly but they're fast and deadly." Morph said.
"Damn… Petra's not gonna be happy when she hears about this." David said.
"Then she will have me to blame." Morph said in an emotionless tone as her hands became sharp metal claws. "Like we agreed...I will neutralize her."
"That leaves us to take care of the dragon." David said before the two malakhim beside it changed into the same dragon. "Let me guess...Reaper's curse?"
"Most likely." Eizen said.
"We can handle this." David said as they charged at the dragons.
"Judging from your skills...you are one of this Persus's retainers." Morph said.
"That's right. And I should warn...I do not allow my prey to live." Raptor said as she dashed at Morph who quickly guarded against the attack.
"Since you're land-based, Petra might not know you. But even so, it's a good thing she's not here to see this." Morph said. "Because it would devastate her to learn how I took down a member of her race, even if it is a subspecies."
"She… you're talking about this Petra?" Raptor asked.
"Yes. I don't care if you know each other or don't. I will not let you leave." Morph said charging in and slashing at Raptor as she attempted to block only to receive deep scratches as a result.
"Damn it. If I try to block and keep taking hits, things will not end well for me." Raptor thought as she saw blood coming from her legs.
"This is inevitable. The win is mine." Morph said. "You may as well retreat now while you have the chance to live."
"I'm not going anywhere. We harpies are prideful. I cannot fall to the likes of you! Ahhhh!" Raptor said running at her.
"I gave you a warning." Morph said as her hands morphed into a spear. "Farewell." she said pulling it back.
"No...forgive me, master Persus. I failed you...and my people." she thought before standing in between them was Zaveid. "What?"
"Back a…" Morph said before Zaveid shot her in the arm as she collapsed.
"Get out of here now!" Zaveid shouted.
"Why?" Morph asked before she was shot in the face.
"I wasn't talking to you." Zaveid said.
"But...you are my enemy." Raptor said.
"My creed stands against killing. Even if they are my enemy. So get out now." Zaveid said.
"No...we must keep fighting in order to separate…" Raptor began.
"And don't you see that working with another loyalist group is redundant? Or the fact some of you share common interests?" Zaveid asked. "If you don't leave...then how can you face your people with pride?"
Raptor was stunned by his words before seeing his point as she ran out of the building.
Over with the others, they were struggling against the dragons.
"We can't beat these things on our own." Tapu Lele said.
"There is one way." Tapu Fini said.
"Fini, are you seriously suggesting…" Tapu Bulu said.
"I am. I know it's extremely risky, but if we don't, we won't be able to defeat them." Tapu Fini said.
"She's right. It's the only way." David said.
"I hope you're right…" Tapu Bulu said.
"Let's go!" David said as he armatized with Tapu Fini while Sectonia armatized with Tapu Lele.
"What is this?" Melchior asked. "A fusion between human and Malak? This is quite interesting. If they can do that...then why can't others use this?"
"Because, Melchior… This isn't a trick any ordinary human can learn." David said as he fired a Hydro Pump at one dragon with Sectonia firing a Moonblast at another.
"It does seem rather unique...but not for long." Melchior said smiling.
"Smirk all you want, old man. You're caught in your own trap." Zaveid said, reminding Melchior that Zaveid has him wrapped up.
"Oh, are you sure about that?" Melchior asked as Eizen killed one of the dragons. As they were moving to the last one, Zaveid quickly jumped in and saved it.
"Is that your creed? You folks kill without a second thought." Zaveid said.
"That's not it at all! We were just…" David started.
"Your Siegfried is just the power I've been looking for." Melchior said using an arte and scanning the gun before he vanished.
"Hey!" Zaveid said running outside.
"After them!" David said.
They ran outside where they saw Melchior was long gone. "Damn...he's fast for an old man." Zaveid said.
"Glad to see you're alright, Zaveid." David said.
"It's not me that I'm worried about." Zaveid said.
"Melchior was very interested in your gun." Sectonia said. "Yet he didn't steal it. Surely, a legate like him could snatch it if he wanted to."
"Why bother stealing it, when you can copy its formula?" Tapu Koko asked.
"He's right. Some artes can decipher the workings of other artes in a split second. That might be what Melchior's specialty is." Eizen said.
"The Abbey might have some use for that unknown arte. Who knows what? After all, they brought it here from another continent." Sectonia said.
"Well, we'll just have to find out what they're after and crush it to dust!" Zaveid said.
"But… There's something we've been wondering. Why do you have Siegfried?" David asked.
"I'm counting on you, he said." Zaveid said. "Back when I was with the exorcists, they sent me on a mission to capture Aifread."
"So, you were once a tool for the Abbey as well." Tapu Bulu said.
"Yeah. My mind was under the influence of Innominat's domain." Zaveid said. "But when Aifread aimed this baby at me, one shot was all it took. The fight we had after was one for the books. Then Melchior came and spirited him away. That old bastard, playing tricks with people's minds!"
"But… Why did he grab Aifread, and not Siegfried when he had the chance?" Sectonia asked.
"He probably didn't know at the time that Siegfried was what he was really after." Zaveid said. "But Aifread knew. Right before he was taken, he distracted Melchior long enough to hand Siegfried over to me. Well, that's all I know. Whether you believe me or not is up to you."
"I'm counting on you. Aifread only says that to people he trusts." Eizen said.
"Is that so?" Zaveid said.
"So, what now?" Tapu Lele asked.
"Gonna keep looking for Aifread. Gotta get this back to him so we can settle the score." Zaveid said.
"You might not have a lot of time for that, though." Sectonia said.
"Up until now, they didn't know that Siegfried was what they're looking for. In other words, they couldn't interrogate anything out of their captive." Tapu Bulu said.
"And now that they have Siegfried's formula and know about our armatus, they barely have a reason to keep him alive." Tapu Fini said.
"You think I don't know that?" Zaveid said.
"Zaveid...I think you should travel with…" David started.
"Gonna stop you there. You're a good kid...but that friend of yours tried to kill the harpy. You lot will do anything, even kill. I'm a fighter, not a killer. I won't take a single life. That's my creed." Zaveid said.
"I see." Sectonia said.
"Eizen and Zaveid have their own creeds, ways of life. They have strong principles, even though they're so different." David said.
"Speaking of...we better collect the girl." Eizen said before they heard a piercing scream. "What the?" he said as Morph stood on the top of the building as she was screaming as if she were in pain. After which, she ran off in a separate direction away from the group.
"Huh? Where is she going?" Tapu Fini wondered.
"I could feel it. A lot of pain in her heart. Whatever Siegfried did to her...she's in tremendous pain." Tapu Lele said.
"We should get her back to the others and see what's going on." Tapu Bulu said,
"Good call. They're probably neck-deep in worry for us, anyway." David said.
"I don't think that would be a good idea. The way she's heading is nothing but wilderness. We'll lose her by the time we get after her." Eizen said.
"I hope she'll be alright…" Sectionia said.