Chapter 33: What the Void was That

Corvo was pretty certain the whole of Dunwall was in shock after what occurred in the last four hours. He certainly felt he was in something of a stupor after fighting a horrifying beast that was determined to kill his daughter, only to find nothing could harm it. Nothing but something called "a narwhal". They all somehow made it to Dunwall Tower, causing the staff to throw something of an impromptu party when they saw half of the City Watch, a third of the Overseers and fifteen Oracular Sisters accompanying him and Emily. Everyone was milling around, talking, eating, drinking, and trying to digest what in the world just happened.

Emily had not left the Outsider's side since he returned, and currently she sandwiched herself between him and Corvo on a couch, her gaze rather far away. The Outsider looked rather upset and shaken for someone who had just saved the day, something that Billie seemed to notice as she stood nearby, sipping a brandy.

"Why the long face Owen? You have saved many lives today, and got rid of a horrible beast. Instead you look like it just ate your favorite clothes."

"Áneukhrmato are not supposed to exist," he murmured.

"A-neukah what now?" Greta came to a stop in front of them, holding a plate piled high with cheese and crackers. Bernice was with her, eating a pear.

"Áneukhrmato," he repeated the word slowly. "It roughly means 'without skin'. Usually you would see them as six-eyed wolves with the manes and tails of lions, six legs and no mouth. Their pelt is said to deflect any weapon, be it dagger or arrow."

"You know a lot about something that does not exist" Bernice said with a raised eyebrow.

"I suppose you have not heard of stories Bernice," he replied with sharp sarcasm.

"In any case," interjected Greta somewhat loudly. "Why is called 'without skin' if it is known for its skin?"

"When the beast decides to hunt, it sheds its skin, and pursues its pray until it consumes it," the Outsider recited, sounding rather haunted. "If you wound it, it grows an eye to see, or a mouth to bite. It is harmless while it has its skin, nigh unstoppable when it does not."

"When I looked upon it, I was unable to move," Emily whispered, still staring off into nothing.

"I felt something similar to that too if I gazed upon it too long," Greta murmured gently. "It was rather frightening, but likely not as terrible as what happened to you. By the way, would you like for me to get you anything?"

"Some tea would be nice, thank you," she whispered, but this time with a tiny smile.

Greta deposited her plate on a nearby table and ran off. Bernice remained behind, regarding the Outsider with a tilted head and a puzzled frown.

"How did you know what would kill the Áneukhrmato?" she asked. "Was it another story?"

"Actually, yes," he replied shortly, leaning back into the couch. Emily leaned back with him, turning her head so she could watch him talk.

"The king of Minos had a beautiful daughter that was pursued by the Áneukhrmato, so he offered her hand in marriage to anyone who could kill it. Many men rose to the challenge, and one by one were killed. Her lover, the charioteer Ixion, prayed to the god Lupercus for guidance. Lupercus appeared to him, and told him to seek out the goddess Intercidona in the cold north. He traveled there in his chariot pulled by winged serpents, and threw himself at Intercidona's feet, begging her to help him save his beloved. She took pity on him and gave him the horn of a unicorn. "Thrust this into the neck of Áneukhrmato, and it will die." He took it gladly, and returned to slay the beast, allowing him and his beloved to marry. As a gesture of thanks the couple built a shrine for Intercidona."

Greta reappeared with a cup of tea and a pout on her face. "I just missed a good story did I not?"

Emily turned her gaze to her friend and smiled, taking the tea from her hands. "I am afraid you did, though perhaps you will hear it again in the near future."

"The story is often retold on her feast day," the Outsider said quietly. "Though that would not be until the month of Hearths."

"Going back to killing the beast, all you had to do was find the horn of a unicorn, whatever that is," Bernice said, waving around her pear core.

"So pretty much anything that has one horn and lives in the cold north," supplied Billie, looking a little pleased with herself for working it out. "I am guessing narwhals were the only creatures that fit the bill."

The Outsider nodded. "They used to live around Tyvia, but something changed about six hundred years ago. I know some people in the Isles touted their horn as a cure all and a poison detector. But now you cannot find one scrap of it in the Empire."

"You should not say such things so loudly," Corvo cautioned, seeing Captain Otte and High Overseer Chopin approach them. "Otherwise you will get questions you cannot answer."

However fate decided to smile down upon them as Elanor made a very sudden, very loud appearance.

"Emily my dear are you alright!?" Elanor cried, suddenly taking Emily into her arms, nearly knocking the half-full cup of tea into Corvo's lap. Corvo promptly relieved his daughter of the cup.

"Where in the Void have you been?!" cried Greta indignantly alongside Bernice.

"We had the entire chapel calling for you!" yelled Hope from the other side of the room. "The ENTIRE CHAPEL!"

"If Owen had not been here the Empress would be dead!" added Eileen from yet another far flung corner. "As would Greta!"

Corvo looked the star up and down. She was not dressed in her usual white, with the strange jackets and long skirts or pants. No here, she was wearing practically nothing, while half of her skin was covered in paints so bright they hurt his eyes. The strange half skirt she had around her waist was a shade of orange so loud it practically screamed.

"Were you at a party?" the question left his mouth rather suddenly, carrying all the confusion he felt regarding Elanor's outfit.

She let go of Emily and covered her mouth in surprise. "Well, yes! Tarsus holds a 14 cycle rave once every 4 light years and it is a must to attend. It took a while for me to notice your calls over the noise."

"What is a rave?" asked Captain Otte, utterly bewildered and doing his best to stare somewhere around Elanor's ears.

Elanor's face lit up. "It is a large dance party," she turned to look at the Outsider. "Owen, you would love it."

"No, no I would not love it one bit," he replied, making something of an attempt to hide behind Emily.

"Come now, it is dancing!" she said with a pout. Greta and Bernice just stared at Elanor, torn between annoyance and amusement.

"First off, not all dancing is created equal," the Outsider retorted, holding up a finger. "Second of all, you said that you could not hear the Sisters' calls over the noise, so it must be very loud. I do not enjoy loud things."

High Overseer Chopin chuckled at that. "Alright, I think that is enough about dancing and raves. Do any of you know what exactly that beast was today?"

"Beast!?" Elanor exclaimed, turning to Greta in horror. "You didn't mention anything about a beast!"

"Why would I?" Greta defended with a shrug. "It was enough to say 'Emily is in danger', one of us could fill you in when you arrived."

"If you are curious about what it looked like its hide should be still in the throne room," Billie offered. "It is possible that it has been moved."

Elanor nodded, and in a literal flash left and returned the strange wolf-like iridescent hide of the beast, a pair of toothy jawbones dangling from the head, six glassy blue eyes staring sightlessly out. Emily flinched at the sight, averting her gaze. The Outsider clenched his jaw.

"Would you not hold it so close to Emily?" he requested tightly. Elanor jumped back, clearly contrite. Greta and Bernice moved to make a sort of barrier between Emily and the foul skin. Captain Otte peered at it.

"How strange!" he remarked. "It is far smaller than the beast we fought!"

"Many of my brothers have reported seeing creatures such as this across the Isles," Chopin added, clearly worried. "Six legs and eyes, dark as a shadow yet as colorful as a rainbow. Try as we might we cannot find any mention of these creatures in any book or folktale."

Greta turned to him, shocked. "Is that why my archive was flooded with our brothers throughout the week before last? Because of these creatures?"

"They have also seen other strange animals, all which we have no knowledge of," the High Overseer answered, his expression ashamed. "Had I thought they would be so dangerous I would have reported this to you, your Majesty."

Emily, peeking from behind Bernice, half-heartedly waved him off. "You had no reason to think I would need to be involved in the sightings of strange creatures. I take it that nobody has reported any damage or harm from them?"

"None whatsoever," Chopin replied resolutely.

"That will change," said Elanor her grave tone utterly at odds with her playful outfit. It was almost funny. "I have a hunch as to what this is right now, and they do not stay sated for long. Women in particular are in danger with these creatures."

Captain Otte watched the whole exchange with growing distress. "Oh what foul person has called these things from the Void!"

"Oh no, they are not from the Void," Elanor declared, deeply serious. "They are most certainly not of the stars, and their magic does not come from the Void. What laws that govern these things are capricious. To be honest the Outsider would know more about it than I."

An audible gasp went throughout the room. Corvo saw a Sister drop a bottle of pear soda, and two Overseers drop to their knees and begin to pray. Chopin looked at Elanor, horrified and aghast.

"Why would the Outsider help us?" he said, almost choking on his words. "How are you certain that he is not using some dark magic to bring these beasts about?"

Elanor sighed and rolled her glowing eyes, raising up the pelt and shaking it in Chopin's tanned face. "I just said this thing isn't from the Void! Owen, I know you can make dark fire. Try burning this skin."

Greta and Bernice winced at the same time. "Uh Elanor?" murmured Greta. "I do not think you should have said that."

"Why not?" she replied, oblivious. "He can do it, and it would help prove that these things are not from the Void."

"No, I will not do it," hissed the Outsider, looking at Elanor somewhat murderously. Chopin's shocked face turned to the Outsider.

"You can do magic?" he whispered, horrified.

Greta put her palm into her face. "Well Owen, it was nice knowing you."

Emily looked at Greta in utter terror and immediately embraced the Outsider, surprising then distressing the deity when he saw how upset she was. Corvo was counting down the minutes until the state declared war on the Abbey.

"Not all magic is bad you corkscrew head!" Elanor screamed in frustration. "That includes void magic you miserable dogmatic TWAT!"

Chopin began to turn red, anger glowing in his icy blue eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

Elanor threw out her arm, nearly hitting Greta as she pointed at the Outsider, who was doing his level best to ignore the star. "Owen knows protective magic, cleansing magic! That magic is not from me or the stars, it is from the Void! Do you want more of these beasts in Dunwall? Do you want more deaths on your head?"

"I cannot condone magic that stems from the Void!" snarled Chopin, his fury turning cold. "You say that it is cleansing magic, what if all it does is cleanse our minds from sanity?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Elanor snorted, a condescending look on her face.

"You do not know magic as I do," hiss Chopin, leaning in. "I have seen people turned mad by runes, horrific sickness brought about by curses, a power hungry witch attempt to warp the world to her image. How is any magic from the Void any good?"

Elanor crossed her arms, a tight smile on her face as she glared down at Chopin. Captain Otte looked at Corvo helplessly, prompting him to offer a shrug. Bernice slowly ate an apple, looking a tad distressed but also entertained. Greta was taking a long drag out of Billie's glass, while the Spymaster stared off into the distance. Emily and the Outsider were in their own little world, wrapped around each other like two kittens.

"Ask Owen," Elanor challenged.

"No, do not ask me," he replied quickly, not taking his gaze away from Emily. "I have no desire to be involved in this."

Chopin regarded him quietly, his cold eyes seeming to bore into the Outsider. "Why is Elanor so fixated on you and you practicing magic?"

"I said, I do not want to be involved with this," he repeated firmly, his eyes flicking over to Corvo, a pleading look in them. Corvo shrugged, and took a sip from Emily's abandoned tea cup, now cold.

"So you do practice magic," Chopin's tone was a touch triumphant, and there was something chilling in his gaze. "Tell me, did you summon the creature?"

The Outsider went still, and Emily unwound herself from him, a neutral look on her face, but fury in her eyes. The Outsider got to his feet, wearing a calm expression. Corvo braced himself.

The deity slammed the heel of his palm into Chopin's face and immediately swept his feet out from under him before putting his foot on his throat. One of the Overseers cried out and pulled out a pistol. Elanor held out her right hand, pointing a finger at him, her thumb up the hammer of a gun.

"You shoot, you die," she threatened calmly. "Now do not kill Chopin, Owen. He was just frightened of the unknown."

"I was not planning on killing him," the Outsider replied tonelessly. Corvo tried not to let his jaw drop at how familiar he sounded, like his old companion from the days of the Rat Plague. It was disconcerting.

The Outsider lowered himself, careful not to put any weight on the foot that rested upon Chopin's throat. He looked down upon the furious man, whose face was covered in blood from his broken nose.

"How dare you accuse me of summoning something that would have killed my beloved?" his voice was even, but there inside was the echoy hiss of the Void. "You have offended me, body and soul. I thought you were above such mindless zealotry, Pavel. You are not my enemy, but you are not my friend. Perhaps we will come to forgive each other, me your ill-spirited judgment, and you the broken nose I gave you. Come for me all you like, but if you lay one finger on Emily, you will wish that I killed you now."

The Outsider removed his foot and picked up Chopin, giving him a handkerchief for his bloody nose. The High Overseer looked surprised, nearly stumbling as he landed on his feet.

"I will be happy to share what I know about the beast with the Oracular Sisters," the Outsider said, offering his hand to Emily, who took it and stood up. Corvo got to his feet as well. Elanor held out the Áneukhrmato pelt to the Outsider.

"Once you purify it, you will able to use it," she said. The Outsider looked back at Emily, who nodded and gave him a small smile. He took it with his free hand, and as he did so Emily approached Greta and Bernice

"Thank you, you and the rest of your chapel," Greta opened her mouth to say something but Emily wrapped her in a one-armed hug, then snagged Bernice a moment later "You saved my life. As did Hope, Eileen, and Sister Delly. Please let them know that."

"I will," replied Greta. "Will I see you for tea tomorrow?"

"You certainly will," Emily reassured.

"Take it easy, Empress," Bernice added solemnly. "If you need anything don't hesitate to ask."

Emily nodded, swallowing back strong emotions as her eyes shone. "Thank you."

Corvo exchanged a nod with Billie, and followed the couple out of the room. Halfway up the stairs Emily looked back at him with a slight frown.

"Corvo, have you seen Eulalia at all? She flew off after we got back from Parliament, and I have not seen her since."

"She was not with me," he replied. "She is probably in your room."

"I hope so," she fretted. "It would be good to see her after such a day."

Corvo followed them to their rooms. The Outsider let go of her hand, and Emily went and embraced Corvo.

"Thank you, for keeping me safe," she whispered.

Corvo smiled, and gave his daughter a squeeze. "I always will."

The newspapers wasted no time reporting on the incident. Billie stared at headlines, some in a panic over the appearance of the beast, others more concerned with the unorthodox way the Empress' lover defeated it. No matter the bias or the content, she was impressed that every newspaper covered the situation that only happened yesterday. Like every morning she picked three from the selection and tucked them in her bag to be read over coffee while waiting for her informants.

While heading towards her preferred coffeehouse she noticed a strange commotion going about the docks. Curious, Billie slowly approached them. As she got closer she saw a lean middle-aged man arguing with an Overseer a dock. Behind the man was a barge, laden with something enormous covered in a tarp. The air shifted and everyone pulled a face at the smell. Billie hazarded a guest that whatever was under that tarp was rotting.

"You have absolutely no right to impede progress!" shouted the man as he threw his arms out.

"It is not our intention to impede progress as you so put it but to shield people from harm," retorted the Overseer. "What you have is dangerous, and must be handed over to the Abbey for safekeeping."

"Safekeeping," scoffed the man. "You mean hoarding. There is nothing heretical or magically dangerous about this corpse. We are well within our rights to keep it."

"Excuse me?"

All eyes turned to the Oracular Sister standing just behind the Overseer, eyes hidden by a green blindfold. It took an embarrassing second for Billie to realize it was Greta.

"Might I suggest that Academy and Abbey work together on studying the Áneukhrmato? Perhaps your naturalists and vivisectors can report the findings to us for review, and when the studies are finished the Abbey can hold onto the corpse for safekeeping."

The Overseer nodded in approval. "Inform Dr. Galvani of this and so long as we are able to cooperate there will be no need to dispose of the corpse."

Billie stared at the tarp with a shudder. So the Academy had dredged up the beast's corpse. Their curiosity had no bounds.

The man scoffed, and jerked his head towards the barge. "You both might as well come along, but don't go breathing down our necks, alright?"

The Overseer and Greta joined the naturalist, and as they departed so did Billie. As she headed into the café she could not help but wonder what exactly the naturalists would find within that corpse

AN:

Thank you for the support! Just a little warning, I have returned to school so I do not have as much time as I used to, and as a result I am considering changing the upload from once a week to once every two weeks. If any of you feel strongly about the change let me know. Again, thank you for reading and reviewing!