Chapter 23 – Temple.

"I-I'm Eleanor Hume, an exorcist of the Abbey."

Eleanor gestured to Leo. "And this is my partner, Leonex Davidson, a fellow orderly." Leo gave a perfunctory nod. "Both of us will indeed be conducting patrols in the area around the Palamedes Temple. How might we be of service?"

Eleanor and Leo trotted up to the Innkeeper's daughter whom had stopped them by the east entrance to Haria village.

The young woman glanced between both Leo and Eleanor. "I… want you two to look for someone, if possible." She looked away, clearly distraught. "A mother and her child went to visit the Abbey grounds… but they haven't returned."

Leo blinked. "Would these people happen to be the Priestess of Amenoch Mahina and her daughter Kamoana? I heard some villagers talking about them earlier."

Eleanor glanced at him in surprise. She turned her gaze back to the woman. "They've gone missing?"

The innkeeper's daughter nodded soberly. "Yes." She breathed sadly. "Ever since the Abbey took over the temple… she's been regularly going back to object. But then one day she just didn't come back." She closed her eyes. "And now her daughter's gone as well."

Leo asked grimly, "Did she go looking for her mother?"

The young woman nodded. "That… is most likely the case." She shook her head. "Please, forgive Mahina for her protests. I was just hoping you could use the Abbey's resources to track them both down…"

Eleanor nodded resolutely. "…I will do everything in my power to find them. You have my word." She promised.

Leo glanced at his partner. If there was anybody Eleanor could empathize with, it would be a daughter living with a single mother. He knew just what Eleanor was feeling. This was why she had joined the Abbey, after all.

To make sure other kids didn't have to suffer through the same tragedy as she did.

He put a firm hand on Eleanor's shoulder. "You have my word as well." He promised the distraught teen. "We'll get to the bottom of this. It's what we do."

The girl sagged in obvious relief. "Thank you… Thank you both so much! You have no idea how worried I've been…"

Leo nodded. "Don't worry about it. We'll be back soon with news." He glanced over at the rest of the group watching the exchange. "Let's go, people. We've got missing people to find." He beckoned everyone forward.

As the rest of the group filed through the gate and the girl returned back to the inn, Leo gave Eleanor a firm pat. "Come on, Eleanor." He urged softly. "I'll help you as best I can." He promised sympathetically.

The praetor met his eyes thankfully. "Thank you, Leo." She intoned.

Leo gave her an empathetic grin. "Not a problem. That's what I'm here for, after all."

Eleanor smiled softly in response.

The two of them followed the rest of the group into the Manann Reef towards the Palamedes Temple.

"You know, there's nothing more annoying that wet socks." Leo complained as he reluctantly shifted his weight onto an underwater foothold that was deeper than he'd liked, soaking his pants up to his knee.

"I'm going to have to agree with you on that point." Eleanor agreed as she herself gingerly tried to find footholds on the underwater rocks that wouldn't lead to her slipping and falling into the clear waters.

The two of them were lagging behind the rest of the group, having come across a section of reef that was completely submerged by water. The rest of the group, being a combination of malaks, daemons, and witches that could fly on guardians, had nonchalantly swum/flown over the deep portion, leaving them waiting on the other side of the deep end watching as the two humans struggled to find their way over to them.

Rokurou, clearly unaffected by his dripping wet clothes, scratched the back of his head and noted wryly, "Heh. Having humans in the group sure makes things more inconvenient."

Velvet gave an exasperated sigh, flicking her arm disdainfully. "You two do realize that the sun is up, correct?" She called across the shining waters. "Your clothes will dry within an hour. You might as well just go for a swim and hurry things along."

Leo shook his head. "And have to deal with the residual salt in my clothes?" He shot back indignantly. "No, thank you." He ground out, gingerly testing a rock outcropping for stability before stepping onto it.

"How's it going over there, Eleanor?" He called out to the praetor who was following a different section of reef leading to where the rest of the group were standing on dry rocks, watching the two.

"It's not looking good." Eleanor called back. "It looks like the rocks here all taper out underwater. Ah!" She squeaked as some water lapped at her exposed legs.

Velvet groaned. "Oh, for the love of…" She tapped her index finger on her bicep impatiently. "Get going!" She snarled.

Laphicet winced at the therion's rapidly decreasing patience. "Come on, Leo! Come on, Eleanor!" He hollered encouragingly. "First one to get over here wins!"

Hawk, from his perch on top the malak's head, howled similar encouragement.

"Shut the hell up you mutt! Why do you get to simply teleport everywhere while your vessel has to suffer through this walking nonsense!" Leo grouched as he looked around frantically for another foothold. "Damnit!" He cursed. "I'm at a dead end, too, Eleanor. Looks like I'll have to backtrack for a bit."

Eizen sighed. "Aifread would've had an uncontrollable laughing fit if he was here. Pirates who can't swim." He scoffed at the notion.

Eleanor threw the malak a dark glare across the waters. "Speak for yourself, Mr. Portable-Life-Preserver." She simpered.

Eizen shrugged nonchalantly. "At least I'm not afraid to get my clothes wet."

Eleanor hmphed. "Such rudeness! Is that any way to treat a lady?! I expected better from a non-daemon malak such as yourself!"

Bienfu spun around to his master and pleaded, "Miss Magilou! Can't you send one of your guardians to go help Madam Eleanor?! She's in desperate need of aid!"

"Hey!" Leo shouted angrily. "What about me?!"

Magilou simply grinned and pointed a light index finger at her temple. "I'm afraid, Bienfu, that my guardians only work while I'm physically on them. I'm afraid 'Madam Eleanor' will just have to suffer. How sad." She didn't sound sympathetic at all.

Rokurou shook his head in disbelief. "Leo! You're a man!" He yelled. "Come on, just get your clothes wet!"

"A man?" Velvet scoffed. "Please. Leo's the womanliest person out of all of us."

Leo cried, "Hey! That's just pure slander! EEK!" Leo let out a high-pitched squeak as his boot slipped suddenly, nearly sending him crashing into the water.

Velvet gave Rokurou a deadpan glance as the man in question flapped his arms frantically, barely managing to restore his balance in the waters. "I rest my case." She put simply.

Leo growled and muttered under his breath as he tried his best to search for any possible submerged footholds he might've missed. "Is this really the only way to the temple?" He called. "Maybe we should go back to the signpost and see if there was any other way?"

Laphicet shook his head. "Leo, there is no other way to get to the temple according to the map. Come on! You're so close already!" He urged.

"Close?! I could be on the other side of Midgand for all the good my position does me! There are no more damn footholds!"

"Ah!" Eleanor abruptly cried in success. "Leo! I found a way through!"

Indeed, the exorcist had found a series of footholds underwater that allowed her to gingerly inch her way right up to the group. Hawk yipped and leapt down from Laphicet's head, giving her a congratulatory lick as she climbed onto the blessedly dry rock. "Haha! Thank you, Hawk!" Eleanor exclaimed.

Rokurou grinned. "Nice one, Eleanor." He complemented. "You've officially emasculated Leo."

"Hey!" Leo cried angrily.

"Alright Leo! Just you left!" Laphicet called. "You can do it!"

"Alright, I'll just have to go back to the start and find Eleanor's path and I'll be right over!" Leo began tediously searching for a route back to the beginning.

Velvet hit her limit. "Oh, no you don't." She stated firmly.

With that, she leapt forwards towards the man with a running start.

Leo's eyes widened in panic. "Hey, whoa now, let's talk about this-! W-wait no, STOP-!"

SPLASH.

His words were abruptly cut off as he was promptly kicked underwater with the force of a bulldozer. The group watched as one as Velvet alighted lightly onto the reef that Leo had been previously standing on, having vacated the position with a precise drop kick.

"GAH!" Leo gasped as he surfaced miserably, his entire body officially soaking wet. "VELVET!" He spat copious amounts of liquid out while treading water. "YOU MONSTER!" He cried.

"Heh." Velvet watched with obvious amusement and satisfaction as the man had no choice but to swim to where the rest of the group was.

Hawk and Laphicet helped lug a thoroughly soaked Leo onto the hot rocks. "Damnit all to hell." The man muttered, heaving onto the rough rocks and cursing everything in this world.

Laphicet chuckled. "Well, I guess that was the punishment for losing."

Hawk licked Leo's face encouragingly.

"Will you quit it!" He groaned, swatting the wolf away. "I'm wet enough as it is!"

The man looked up sourly from his lying position as Velvet landed casually from her inhuman leap that she had made from Leo's former position to the rocks where the rest of the group were.

"Don't be a baby." She said dryly. "Come on." He pouted as the daemon offered him a hand.

Despite himself, Leo grabbed the woman's hand and pulled himself up, water dripping off his wet clothing. "I hate you." He stated matter-of-factly.

Velvet shrugged and turned around, walking onwards. "Don't care." She pointed out dryly. "Come on. Let's get moving."

As the group started travelling as one again, Leo became aware of a blessed drying sensation in front of his body. He glanced down in surprise to find Hawk trotting alongside him while conjuring a light flame to speed up the drying of his wet clothes. The wolf gave the man a playful yip.

Leo sighed with a smile. "…Alright fine, you've redeemed yourself bud. Thanks."

Hawk nudged the man affectionately.

"Hey Leo?" Laphicet spoke up curiously. "Aren't you worried about your notebook inside your coat? Wouldn't it have gotten wet just now?"

Leo shook his head. "I've had that notebook for years, Laphicet. There would've been no way it could've survived all that time if I hadn't made the pockets in my coat waterproof." He shook his head. "I appreciate the concern, but I'd rather not talk anymore of about it. It's personal."

Laphicet nodded. "…Okay Leo." And just like that, the matter was dropped.

He knew this was just how Leo was, in his own weird way. Everyone did.

Still grumbling sourly about the already scratchy-feeling clothes, Leo followed the rest of this group towards the Palamedes temple.

The blood-curdling scream split the silence, startling everyone in the group as they neared the entrance to the submerged temple.

"Well whaddya know," Magilou concluded with a bounce, "that terrifying daemon we've been hearing so much about got here first." She eyed Eizen. "Convenient, wouldn't you say Mr. Reaper?"

Eleanor kneeled down by the bodies of exorcist orderlies and soldiers dotting the ground up to the temple. "…They're all dead." She shook her head angrily. "To think a daemon would be so bold as to attack an entire contingent of exorcists!"

Rokurou muttered, "To think a daemon would be so strong as to manage to kill said contingent, too."

Velvet waved a dismissive hand. "All the better for us. Come on. Be ready in case that thing comes after us."

Leo nodded. "Alright. Eleanor." He gave his friend a pat on the back. "Come on. You need to help take point."

Eleanor nodded firmly, standing up. "I'll do my best." She took one last look down at her fallen comrades. "…If we come across that daemon, I won't hesitate."

As the group followed Velvet, Eizen pointed out, "Keep in mind why we're here. We're only checking for a therion at the earthpulse point, and not looking for excess trouble."

Leo shrugged, slipping the rifle off his shoulder and making sure it was chambered. "To be fair, I'd bet Magilou anything that we're going to run into that daemon."

"Nope." Magilou hmphed. "Not biting again. I still mourn the 50 gald I lost to Rokurou on whether we'd run into the daemon in Warg Forest."

Rokurou laughed. "I swear, you tried so hard to get out of it too. Little did you expect Laphicet to literally run into the daemon by smacking face first into it."

The boy in question winced. "That Rhinostagros had really hard skin too…"

Leo shrugged. "Anyways, let's get going. Daemon or no daemon."

Suddenly, another scream tore through the open doorway, this time much, much closer. Everyone instantly pulled out their weapons.

Leo winced, his grip on his rifle tightening instinctively. "Magilou, I really wish we'd made that bet."

The witch grinned, calling out her guardians to appear on her fingertips. "And I really wish I'd learned to get into literature. Oh well. Some things in life you just can't have."

"Cut the chatter!" Velvet yelled urgently. "Move!"

"Right!" Eleanor nodded determinedly, her spear at the ready.

As one, the group entered the temple and descended down into the depths.

"P-Please no! NO-!"

CRUNCH.

The group arrived just in time to watch as a monstrous purple werewolf crushed the head of an exorcist orderly, his now lifeless bloody body falling unceremoniously to the floor and joining the other bodies lining the chamber. The daemon abruptly turned its head and locked its gaze onto the group. In particular, its eyes zeroed in on Eleanor's uniform. It gave a bone-jarring roar, facing the group fully.

Leo swore, raising his rifle. "Look at the pendant it's wearing!"

Eleanor's eyes widened in horror. "The symbol of Amenoch?! I-It can't be!" She cried in disbelief.

Laphicet gasped. "That daemon must be Mahina!"

The daemon let out another roar and charged the group.

"Here it comes!" Rokurou warned, charging forward to meet the daemon with a cry.

The two crashed hard, Rokurou being forced to leap back as the daemon swiped both claws through the air, snarling viciously.

CRACK!

"Eleanor! Get moving!" Leo yelled as he cocked his rifle and ran, trying to maintain distance away from the daemon. The bullet he had fired impacted the daemon right as it was about to attack Rokurou again, causing it to recoil and barely manage to dodge Velvet's sword swing.

Eleanor shook her head firmly and raised her spear. "On it!" She leapt determinedly into the fray, backing up Velvet with her longer spear reach and helping the therion try and keep the daemon contained in the center of the chamber.

"Guys! Back up!" Laphicet called urgently, an arte circle forming underneath him.

Everyone attacking the daemon complied, leaping backwards just in time for a massive blast of thunder to strike the wolf, charring its skin and stunning it. Eleanor took the opportunity to leap forward and strike.

Her spear lodged itself into the daemon's shoulder, eliciting a howl of pain. Eleanor gritted her teeth forcefully. "I'm sorry this had to happen. I know you'll never be the same again!" Her grip on her spear tightened. "This is the least I can do!" She cried as she ripped the spear out and stabbed it in a fatal blow towards the daemon's neck.

"Damn!" Eleanor cursed as the daemon suddenly leapt backwards with a surprising amount of remaining energy and ran deeper into the temple, leaving the group alone in a chamber surrounded by corpses.

Everyone caught their breath and sheathed their weapons. "It ran." Leo grunted, reloading his rifle absently. "Why do I get the feeling that daemon's got some ulterior motive to killing exorcists?"

Laphicet muttered, "She used to be Mahina… so, maybe she's still looking for her daughter?"

"No." Eleanor shakily released a breath and put her spear away. "Daemons don't feel things like that anymore." She shook her head, facing Laphicet sadly. "Once a person turns daemon, they lose everything they used to have when they were a daemon. They might have a certain level of consciousness… but that's it." She looked around soberly. "…It's most likely that this daemon simply fled on animal instinct. Nothing more."

"…Then what about Velvet or Rokurou?" Leo pointed out. "Or Kurogane and Dyle? How about those guys?" He shook his head. "I also used to think daemons were all mindless beasts… but not anymore. Perhaps what Laphicet is suggesting is true."

Eleanor shook her head firmly. "I don't believe it. Daemons are all simply animals with varying degrees of leftover consciousness and nothing more." She held a hand close to her heart. "It's the least we can do to put them down and keep them from hurting humans. Unchecked, daemons can destroy entire villages and cities."

"…Just as they destroyed my village." Her fists tightened in emotion.

Leo stepped up wordlessly behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. He didn't agree with what she was saying, but he knew from personal experience how hard it would be to overcome her own preconceptions about daemons.

It had taken the face of an old friend from the past to show him the truth, after all.

Velvet's voice suddenly rang out. "We'll let the daemon be for now. It's of no consequence to us. In fact, the more exorcists it wipes out, the better."

Eleanor whipped around to the daemon in response, opening her mouth.

Velvet raised a meaningful eyebrow.

"…As you command, daemon." Eleanor seethed.

Leo sighed and removed his hand from Eleanor's shoulder. "…Let's go. The quicker we get out of here, the better." He prompted, breaking the silence.

The group moved on, ignoring the distant howling and screams as the daemon ran rampant among the ranks of the exorcists and soldiers in the underwater temple.

"Make sure it doesn't eat you!" Rokurou warned as he dodged a root-appendage swung his way.

"That would be 'therion'-comfortable!" Magilou cackled as she cast a spell, creating a spike of pure water that distracted the therion while Rokurou retreated, getting some distance from the monster.

Leo grumbled, "Magilou!" He fired his rifle at one of the tree daemon's weaker limbs, rendering it unusable. "I'll have you know from 'therion'-out, you're not allowed to make any more puns!" He yelled, reloading his rifle.

The group had found the earthpulse point at the deepest chamber of the Palamedes temple; Laphicet's senses had confirmed it. There, the group had also encountered a therion; one of Innominat's seven 'malevolence-devouring' heads. To defeat Innominat, they would have to sever the heads.

Hence the current battle.

Magilou let out a hmph as she leapt back, avoiding the therion's wind spell cast her way. "Argh! You're no fun!" She absent-mindedly sent a healing spell at Laphicet. "How 'therion'-couth of you!"

"Hey!" Leo cried. "You're not allowed to reuse the same pun!" He cursed and dove to the side as a tree limb smashed into the floor inches away from him.

"Says who? Is there a code of honor when it comes to puns?!" She scoffed as she sent an explosion at the daemon. "A sort of 'therion'-nor code? I think not!"

"That was horrible!" Leo complained harshly, getting to his feet in a roll and aiming his gun from a crouch.

CRACK!

"I'd like to see you come up with something better!" Magilou shot back, cringing as a limb bashed into the stones millimeters away from her person. The daemon advanced alarmingly quickly upon the casting witch.

"Both of you, shut the hell up before you get yourselves killed!" Velvet roared, driving the therion away from the witch with kicks and sword stabs.

"That would be 'therion'-comfortable!" Leo mocked.

"Argh!" Magilou whined. "That's plagiarism! I demand full compensation for your transgressions!"

Leo grinned. "On what grounds?!" He cocked his rifle and swung it behind him, instead extending his blade and deftly slashing at a limb getting too close. The limb was severed completely to the agony of the daemon.

Magilou glared at the man. "For emotional distress!"

Leo huffed as he hopped away from the enraged therion and had Hawk come in and make some distance with a flame wall. "Please! You look like a clown! If anything, I should be suing you for emotional trauma!"

"You did NOT just call me a clown!" Magilou seethed.

"I said, shut up!" Velvet yelled fiercely as she clawed the daemon in the back with overwhelming inhuman force, sending it crashing into the wall at the other end of the chamber. She snapped her head backwards and glared at the two in question.

Leo gulped. "Er, yes ma'am."

"Oh poo." Magilou muttered. "You're no fun."

"Careful!" Eizen suddenly interrupted urgently. "It's casting something big!"

"Velvet! Leo!" Laphicet yelled urgently. "Watch out!"

Needing no further prompting, both therion and human sprang into action, throwing themselves away as a massive portion of the tiled ground cratered upwards before exploding in a shower of lethal rubble.

"Someone hurry up and take that goddamn therion out!" Leo yelled, barely managing to avoid the falling rocks as he rolled around on the ground.

"On it!" Eleanor responded, charging the tree therion. With deft movements, the praetor dodged numerous overhead swipes and retaliated by striking her spear directly through the mouth of the daemon, aiming for the grotesque image of a child inside the daemon.

"AAAAAGGHHHH!"

The daemon suddenly stilled as the spear pierced the inside of the daemon. Eleanor hurriedly yanked her spear out and leapt away as the therion began to thrash about wildly in agony. She readied herself to deliver a killing blow.

"Eleanor!" Velvet yelled urgently. "Get back!"

Quickly, Eleanor obeyed, just in time to avoid a clawed pounce by Mahina the daemon, who let out a savage roar at the group.

"Is… is she protecting the therion?" Leo muttered quietly. He swore as Eleanor's spear rose. "Wait! Eleanor don't-!" He yelled out in vain.

SHINK.

The stab made contact right through the daemon's neck. A fatal wound. Eleanor promptly pulled out her spear with a cry, letting the blood gush out of the wound rapidly. Mahina collapsed to the ground, dying.

"...This is all I can do for you." Eleanor breathed, catching her breath. "I'm sorry."

"…!" She gasped as Mahina crawled. Not towards her, but towards the therion.

The ghastly but distinctly feminine voice rang out throughout the chamber.

"I'm… so… sorry… Ka… mo… ana…"

The Therion, in its mad thrashings, leapt as something living entered its reach. The daughter promptly devoured the mother's body, freely offered.

"N-No!" Eleanor gasped.

"This… This can't be happening!"

The group watched, silent, as the monster fed, the cries of a regretful mother dying out along with her body.

With a disgusting squelch, the therion finished its last meal.

And with that, the therion lost all its drive to kill, and regressed into its true form. A little child with green hair. A daughter that had just lost her mother.

"Mommy… Mommy… I tried so hard to be strong for you, Mommy… The man from the Abbey made me strong…" the girl sobbed to herself.

"The Abbey… made her strong?" Velvet muttered.

Leo held a hand up to his forehead. "…They turned her into a therion." He hissed. "All of this… It's all on purpose." He glanced anxiously at Eleanor. "They trapped a little girl alone and left her mother to become a daemon…"

"Then…!" Eleanor stammered, "Then… That woman… Mahina… She was trying to save her own daughter!" Tears ran down her cheeks as the wailing of the poor girl rose in volume. "This is my fault…!" She realized with horror.

Leo looked on sadly. This was what waking up to reality looked like.

All he could do was place a hand on Eleanor's shoulder wordlessly. Eleanor reached over her shoulder instinctively and grasped it hard.

"Leo…" Eleanor breathed in a shaky voice. "You were right…"

"Quiet." Leo shook his head. "It's not your fault." He soothed as best he could.

It's the Abbey's.

The more he learned about what the Abbey had been doing, the more he needed to know why.

Eleanor just shook her head wordlessly in response, the tears running down her cheeks silently.

Rokurou spoke up, "So… Should we bring her with us?" He gestured to the bawling little girl.

"..." Velvet was silent.

Leo's gaze flew to her. He gestured to the distraught Eleanor meaningfully behind her back.

Velvet's expression was unreadable as she considered him.

"That therion isn't going anywhere."

Everyone instantly whirled around to face the entrance as Exorcist Praetor Oscar Dragonia entered with a grim face and an unsheathed sword.

"Oscar." Leo let out, ignoring his own weapons as everyone drew theirs around him and walking calmly forward.

"Osca-!" Leo harshly silenced Eleanor's emotional cry with a hand. He held her gaze meaningfully. Reluctantly, Eleanor silenced herself.

With a glance at Velvet, Leo promptly walked up to Oscar, ignoring his drawn sword.

"Leo." Oscar greeted, breaking the silence. "So, it is true. You've changed sides." He stated.

Leo shook his head. "You always asked me why it was that I never wanted to enlist." He began. "I'll admit now that I never quite told you the full truth."

He ran a hand through his hair. "In truth, I always found the Abbey to be a dangerous organization." He explained. "There's a saying where I come from; that absolute power corrupts absolutely. I just couldn't know for sure if such an all-powerful, self-righteous organization like the Abbey could really be the savior of mankind they claimed they were."

He abruptly gestured behind him, towards the quietly sobbing child in the end of the chamber. "So, please tell me, Oscar. What the hell is that." He asked darkly. "If being a traitor means going against that, I'd gladly betray the Abbey a million times over."

His voice raised harshly. "Because there is a little girl who was taken from her mother and trapped in an underground cell alone and turned into a monster."

"I WANT ANSWERS!" He roared.

"How could this be reasonable?! How can you, a reasonable man who I respected, who wanted to save the world from suffering, condone such atrocity?!"

His question hung in the air, leaving silence in the chamber, broken only by the muffled sobs of the imprisoned daughter.

Oscar seemed conflicted. He glanced at the poor suffering daughter and at Leo.

The crying had receded into depressed sniffles.

And just like that, the praetor came to a decision.

"…I always saw you as a reasonable man, Leo." Oscar admitted quietly. "The first moment I met you at the mess hall I knew you had the potential in you to be a beacon of hope for mankind."

He shook his head. "And… I still believe you can be redeemed. I still believe you can see reason." He met Leo's eyes determinedly, his voice gaining momentum. "So, I shall tell you.

"All of it." He stated.

He shifted his feet, sword now hanging loosely by his side but still at the ready.

"This girl is a sacrifice. She is a necessary cost of an ideal world." He clenched his fist, holding it tightly against his breast.

"The reason for this is one word." He stated, meeting the man's eyes firmly.

Eizen and Magilou shifted, already knowing what the man was going to say.

"…Malevolence."

End of Part 3 – Magilou's Menagerie.