Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem Three Houses, all rights to the owners.

Here's an intermediary chapter that spiraled out of control.


Depending on when you asked him, Ignatz would say it's his best piece ever, or a total disaster. Considering he started the painting while he was charmed up to his ears, that's not surprising.

The problem is that Ignatz has no idea where he's going with the painting. It's abstract, and that's the problem. He had an idea what the painting was supposed to be… about two weeks ago. Now? He can't remember for the life of him why he decided mashing light blue and pink together in a wavy, river-like line was a good idea. Why is there a distorted dark blue, prism-like shape on the right side of the painting? When and why did he choose black as his background colour? What's with the white-yellow lines all over the place?

There's clearly a central idea he was following, but Ignatz has lost his lantern in the fog and can only fumble around, grabbing at the painting's themes like running his hands over a statue to figure out what it is because he can't see.

Even subsequent feedings didn't bring back his ideas of what the heck this painting is supposed to be or represent (when he was coherent enough to remember to look at the painting after the process was done). The charm rattling his brain didn't kick his artistic vision back to the forefront.

The only thing he knows with any degree of confidence is that the painting was about Marianne, but that's a bit of a given.

"You look like you're thinking really hard!" Raphael's voice interrupts Ignatz's thoughts, and the smaller boy looks up. "You haven't even touched your food!"

"Marianne and the colour pink, what's the connection?" Ignatz asks on impulse. Why he expects Raphael to know is beyond him, but maybe the larger boy will spark something in Ignatz's mind.

"Uh… blood stained cloth, because she's a healer? Or maybe strawberry ice cream?" Raphael suggests. "Why? Is this some sort of mystery?"

"In a sense." Ignatz mutters. He already thought about the blood-stained cloth idea, so Raphael didn't say anything new. The pink must represent something non-physical. What emotion might he associate with pink?

Raphael nudges Ignatz before he can retreat back into his thoughts. "Don't forget to eat."

"Right, right."

Raphael still finishes eating before Ignatz and moves onto the training ground, leaving Ignatz by himself to nibble on toast.

It seems that everyone wants to talk to Ignatz today though, because his musings are interrupted once again, though this time by someone Ignatz wasn't expecting.

"Iggy, buddy, pal!" Sylvain says with a wide smile on his face as he slides in next to him on the bench. "You lucky guy, how's the art going?"

Ignatz isn't exactly sure when his art skills became common knowledge, and he's not sure how comfortable he is with it. "At the moment, poorly."

"Ah, well that's a shame. Muse not inspiring you?"

"I don't mean to sound rude, but what do you want Sylvain?" They don't exactly know each other after all.

"I'm just curious about the newest member of the mark crew, that's all." Sylvain says with a wide grin. "Congratulations by the way."

"What in the Goddess' name is he talking about?" Ignatz thinks. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"You don't have to hide it with me, I can see it you know." Sylvain says in a conspiratorial whisper.

"Is there some joke I'm not in on?" Ignatz questions silently. "I'm serious, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sylvain stares for a second, and then his grin comes back wider and more shit-eating than ever before. "Ooh, okay, right. I see how it is."

"What?"

"Nothing~!" Sylvain says, almost singing. He pats Ignatz on the shoulder and stands up. "You just enjoy your lunch and think about paint or something and be a good little artist."

"What's going on?"

"Bye!" Sylvain says, and leaves without answering the question.

Ignatz leaves the dining area with more questions than he entered with.

###

"Now now, stop squirming." Mercedes scolds as she places a hand on Claude's bare chest, and a white light encompasses her hand. "I'm just checking that your heart is working as expected. You haven't felt any skipped beats, or chest pain, or shortness of breath have you?"

"Nope, all good here!" Claude says. "I haven't done anything strenuous like Manuela said, so I'm recovering fine!"

"Not for lack of trying." Hilda huffs. "I had to drag him away from the training grounds multiple times."

"Claude…" Mercedes says, and gives him a pointed look.

"What? I had some new archery techniques I wanted to test out." He says. And by that, of course, he means he wanted to get back into fighting shape, but he can't very well let on that he's weak right now.

Even if this is Mercedes; the person who saw him carried out of the infirmary by Hilda and spent a week and a half acting as his life support. Maybe hiding his weakness is a bit unnecessary around her, but it feels unnatural not to hide it.

"You were using a dagger Claude."

"Hilda, not now!" Claude thinks, putting on a painted smile. "Well-"

"I had to carry you back to your room again because you exhausted yourself."

Claude wouldn't call Mercedes' expression a glare exactly; more a look of aggressive disappointment. "Claude, I will get Manuela to confine you to the infirmary again."

"Okay, okay!" Claude holds his hands up in surrender. "I'll stay out of the training grounds!"

"You bet you will." Hilda grumbles. "Even I have to tie you to your bed to make it happen."

"Ooh~"

"Don't you start." Hilda grumbles towards Mercedes, who smiles in saintly fashion.

"But you make it so easy Hilda." Mercedes says.

"I'm not easy!"

"Mmm-hmm." Mercedes hums. "You hear yourself, right?"

"What do you-? Not that kind of easy!" Hilda shouts. "Mercedes!"

"I'm not doing anything~!" The ooze sings.

"It really is just you Hilda." Claude agrees. "Maybe watch your phrasing?"

"I wouldn't have to if Mercedes didn't have a dirty mind." Hilda complains. "Honestly, I'm here busting my ass on Claude and his safety, and all I get is mockery."

Claude turns his head, his lips fighting and failing to contain the grin that crosses them. Mercedes plants her elbows on the table and props up her face with her hands, still with that infuriatingly serene smile. "Hilda, really, are you even trying?"

Hilda takes a moment to go over what she just said, and then she throws her hands into the air and slumps back in her seat. "I hate both of you."

###

Marianne doesn't consider herself very observant. In fact, most of the time she'd say she's exactly the opposite. Even so, it's hard not to notice the surge of magic that washes over the monastery.

There aren't many people Marianne knows with enough magical power to make such a notable mana surge, and that's only if they're using a lot of power. That's why she rushes around the monastery, trying to find the source of the surge. Why would someone be using so much power? Is the monastery under attack?

Oddly enough, no one else seems to notice. Marianne moves past Annette, Lorenz, and Linhardt, and none of them seem even mildly disturbed. A quick question to Annette confirms that the little girl didn't sense anything at all.

The only other people that seem to notice are Dorothea, who is also scurrying around the monastery, Acrim, who quickly checks in with Marianne before continuing her own investigation, and Hanneman, who is attuned to all things magic (even, apparently, things that other people mostly can't sense).

"It's charm magic my dear." Hanneman explains. "That's why you can feel it and others can't. It's not something you need to worry about either; I'm quite sure I know the cause. Don't let it concern you."

Even if Marianne wanted to protest she couldn't, because Hanneman phases through the floor before she can respond.

About five minutes later the wave of magic stops, and Marianne is left confused about what exactly just happened.

###

Claude understands. He really does. That doesn't mean he's happy about it though. "Come on Teach, I can't be the only one left behind! I'm supposed to be the head of the house! Just think of the damage to my reputation!"

"Better than being dead." The Demon responds tactlessly. "You're staying here."

"It's only a small mission Claude." Hilda says. "Clearing a merchant route or two. It's basically nothing."

Ignatz looks slightly uncomfortable at those words, and Raphael frowns. Their families are both merchants, they probably know exactly what it's like to have a dangerous route. It's not nothing to them at all.

"I've made sure Mercedes is going to check on you more frequently." Hilda warns. "So I better not hear about you trying to climb the cathedral or something when I get back!"

"No promises." Claude says, because he's planning on doing exactly that among other things that Hilda probably wouldn't approve of. There's a certain blocked-up tunnel he wants to investigate.

Hilda sighs. "Just… don't get yourself killed."

"Hilda, that's my specialty."

"Says the guy who jumped in front of a demonic beast." Leonie quips.

"Here here." Lorenz agrees. "Do try and act according to your station Claude. Noble character is most evident when one is at their weakest! You did well in saving Hilda, you'd do well follow up on that."

Yeah, that's not happening.

When the rest of his class leaves for their mission (not the main mission for the month, simply an extra one that the Demon thought could be valuable experience) Claude is left to his own devices for the first time in a long time, and it's just when he's not really in the condition to take most advantage of it. He's still weak, he probably couldn't climb the cathedral even if he wanted to, but that doesn't mean he can't sneak around.

The first thing on the list is to get into Rhea's room, or at least find a future path that will let him do that. That involves, of course, getting around the cathedral without being noticed. Rhea lives in the upper levels of the cathedral, which aren't exactly off-limits to students, but if Claude goes anywhere except the Library or a teacher's room people are going to raise their eyebrows, and while Rhea does have her office and audience chamber on the second floor, her actual room is on the third (along with Seteth's and Flayn's) and very few people are allowed up there unless it's just to knock on a door and deliver a message.

Actually, Claude isn't sure who is allowed up there otherwise. Even the cleaning staff don't go into Rhea's room from his knowledge. Claude thinks he's seen Catherine come down from there, but that's about it.

That's why Claude finds himself in the meeting room on the east side of the second floor. A bit of poking around reveals that yes, the windows can be opened, and Claude is very happy to discover this. That's definitely something he can use. When he's in better shape, he can climb out of the windows here and have a shorter climb up to the third floor windows.

"What are you doing?"

Claude doesn't startle. Instead he puts on a winning, casual grin as he turns around, as if it's perfectly normal to be staring down at the opening of an open window. "Cyril! Have some cleaning to do in here? I can get out of your way."

"Why were you staring out the window?" The boy asks, ignoring Claude's admittedly obvious attempt at redirection. "You better not be planning to climb out. That's against the rules."

Claude blinks. "Is this kid psychic, or have I become just that predictable?" He clears his throat. "I was admitting the view from a new place is all! I have no idea what gave you that impression, Cyril."

"Don't play dumb." Cyril says accusingly. "I've seen you sneaking around before! I know about you breaking into Seteth's office!"

For a moment, Claude genuinely doesn't know what Cyril is talking about, and then he remembers his excursion way back near the start of the year, multiple months ago. "Huh, you're more sneaky than I give you credit for then. I didn't see you at all."

"That's not the point! You shouldn't be sneaking around!" Cyril says, pointing a feather duster at him. "I know what you're doing! Rhea knows too! I don't know why she hasn't made you stop sneaking around yet, but don't think that means you can get away with going too far!"

What an interesting tidbit of information. Lady Rhea knows about his sneaking around, but is allowing it or turning a blind eye? Curious indeed.

"So you better stop sneaking around, or I'll tell Rhea!"

"You've been doing that already." Claude points out, "and it hasn't done anything."

"Then… I'll tell Mercedes and Mauela and have you confined to the infirmary!"

Claude sighs deeply. He hates how easy he is to threaten with his condition. This is also part of why he hates being sick. Anyone and everyone can use it as leverage against him. "That's a low blow Cyril! You wound my half-human heart! Have you no sympathy for your fellows?"

Cyril scowls. "What makes you think we're fellows?"

Maybe Cyril isn't as Almyran as Claude assumed. Not that he isn't from Almyra, but he clearly doesn't care for it… or doesn't know that Claude is Almyran. Either way, now Claude knows not to try and appeal to their shared heritage. It was worth a try. ""We're both students, aren't we?"

"I'm not."

Right. Oops. "Oh. Guess you wouldn't be able to afford the fee."

Cyril's eyes narrow a bit, and it occurs to Claude that what he just said was really rude. He swears he used to be more suave than this. "Don't try to distract me. I've delivered my warning. Now stop snooping and get out, I have to clean this place. There's a meeting happening later."

After unceremoniously being threatened and thrown out of a room by a fourteen year old, Claude has to find something else to do. He also has to smile and not jump at nearly smacking into Rhea as he walks out of the meeting room. Was she listening? She doesn't say anything, smiles at him, and walks into the room, so Claude assumes she didn't hear anything, but by the gods he doesn't need another scare like that.

With that option gone Claude moves on to the second item on his list. He makes his way over to the blocked tunnel next to the Demon's room… and immediately realizes he has no way of getting through it without Hilda.

He's overcome bigger problems than this before, but he doesn't think a controlled explosion is something he can get away with on monastery grounds.

It probably says something about him that a controlled explosion is his first thought for dealing with a blocked path. But really, what else could he do? It's not like he's going to move the rocks himself. He's used controlled explosions before anyways. Get a few tomes and a mana igniter off the black market, toss them in a pile, and boom, literally. Instant explosion.

Wait, tomes aren't used here in Fodlan. Ahh, what to use then…?

"You've seen it too, haven't you?"

What is it with people sneaking up on him today? And It's Mercedes this time, fantastic. Just the person he didn't want to run into. "Seen what, exactly? It's a wall Mercedes."

"Oh don't be like that." Mercedes smiles. "I'm not quite as ditzy as I might appear. I'm well aware that there's a tunnel behind the wall. I have been awake every night for multiple months after all. It's hard not to notice the glowing lights at some point."

Well, that's something. In retrospect, maybe he should have anticipated Mercedes was a bit more aware than she looks after he realized she was an ooze, considering her looks are constructed to begin with. Also, he's run into her at night before, so she totally knows about his night time excursions. "Maybe I just like taking walks!"

"Hmm, I'm sure." Mercedes hums. "So, are we investigating what's past the wall, or are you going to continue to pretend that I don't know what you get up to at night?"

Claude never thought the day would come when Mercedes was at all intimidating, but lo and behold, such a thing has happened. All it took was for her to be revealed as one of the most difficult to destroy species on the planet and for her to know about the things that could get him kicked out of the officer's academy. No big deal really. "No need to use threats Mercedes! Can't be revealing my secrets to just anyone you know. Have to play it cautiously."

"Threats?" Mercedes giggles. "Oh my, do I come off as that scary? I shaped this form to be exactly the opposite. Perhaps it's not doing its job, hmm?"

Somehow, that's the scariest thing Claude has heard in a long time.

"But I'm not threatening you Claude." Mercedes reassures. "I'm not in the business of causing trouble. I'm simply curious about the tunnel, but I didn't want to go looking by myself before. I'm not the adventurous type usually. It's more scary than fun when you go alone, and I couldn't exactly ask Bernadetta, and I didn't want to potentially get Annette in trouble."

Okay, maybe she's a bit less intimidating than Claude thought. "Well, as long as you don't mind doing the heavy lifting, literally, I wouldn't mind taking you along."

"Oh good." She says. "Well then, just give me a second, would you? Last time I investigated the tunnel I went through the cracks in the stone, I didn't actually remove any."

Mercedes deftly removes the stones, holding them aloft with her "hair".

"Here we go! Right on through!" Mercedes says. Claude ducks into the tunnel and Mercedes slides in next, pulling the stones back into place as she does so. "My, this is exciting, isn't it?"

"You don't snoop a lot, do you?"

"Well not in this fashion. I keep an ear to gossip instead. Much less illegal." Mercedes says cheerfully. "And you can still learn so much if you just dig a little bit below the surface."

"Wow, team mom Mercedes is a gossip hound?" Claude teases. "What a dark secret."

"Oh hush, not all of us are breaking into people's offices and climbing onto rooftops in our spare time."

They progress down the tunnel much quicker than Claude did last time, now that he doesn't have to drag someone who can't see in the dark by hand. Actually, he's pretty sure Mercedes can't see in the dark either, but seeing as she is literally a sentient pile of goo she doesn't exactly have to worry about tripping or bumping into things. It still takes a few minutes though.

"So…" Claude says, when he figures they're far enough away from the entrance to not have to worry about people hearing them. "You said you constructed your form, right?"

"Oh yes! It took quite a while for it to become… I suppose the human equivalent would be "muscle memory". I used to slide back into the more child-like body I designed all the time." Mercedes says. "The only reason it's so easy to keep up this form is because it's subconscious. It's my default, you might say. If I didn't have a default, I'd just be a blob on the floor, and people tend to get scared of sentient, sometimes-acidic, blobs."

"I can imagine."

"I don't. That used to be a reality for me." Mercedes says much more cheerfully than the tone those words deserve. "It took two years for me to be able to maintain the simplest body for more than a few minutes, and it took almost six for me to learn to make vocal chords. It was quite difficult to communicate with my mother before then."

Claude had never considered what the implications of a constructed body were, but now that he is thinking about it, he realizes just how many things Mercedes actually has to juggle at once. She has to maintain her physical appearance, she has to make her movements seem natural which takes a good understanding of anatomy (not to mention the precision involved in such things as eye movements), and she has to simulate the incredible complexity of vocal chords, including complex tone shifts, and she has to do this all at the same time.

And supposedly this is subconscious. Mercedes is truly a master of multitasking.

"My child form was a copy of a servant girl." Mercedes hums, apparently enjoying being able to tell her story. "It was too difficult to come up with something all my own. Poor girl was horribly confused and scared to see a peach-coloured copy of her walking around. I copied her voice at the time as well. Everything about me now is custom, but it took quite a bit of time to design and perfect."

"I'd imagine."

"The voice was hard to get down. I was used to making myself sound high-pitch and shrill as a child, so going for soft and quiet was a challenge." Mercedes continues. "And the body… I spent months ironing out the details. Did I want to be tall, short, medium height? Thin, chubby, muscular? Long hair? Short? How did I want to structure the face? How appealing did I want to be? I couldn't exactly change these things after I went ahead with them. Well, I could, but this is my appearance now. People associate me with this look. If I change too much, will people still think of me as the same person? Will I still be Mercedes in their mind?"

That's quite the thought to chew on, and it's not one Claude is at all prepared to think about. "If it's any reassurance, you've done quite a good job with your current body."

"Oh I'd hope so. I've spent years fine-tuning it. I'm quite happy with the "motherly" look, as Annette calls it." Mercedes says. "Annette could probably tell you better than I could about the changes. I've forgotten most of the changes over time, but they were quite obvious for Annette. After all, she's the one who saw me and listened to me constantly for years on end. I remember I used to have darker hair though, and I've gradually added a bit more mass to myself over the years. You'd be surprised at how much a little more shape to my body changed how people would act when meeting me."

Claude is the opposite of surprised. He's seen the difference in people meeting Dorothea versus, say, Ingrid. "I think you underestimate just how much I watch people."

"I suppose that's true." Mercedes agrees after a moment of thought. "You would know that too, wouldn't you? Is it because you watch Hilda so much?"

"No." Yes. "What makes you think that?"

"You're not as subtle as you like to think you are Claude~" Mercedes says in a sing-song voice.

When did Mercedes become so observant? Thankfully, they reach the end of the tunnel before Mercedes can tease him anymore. The pile of debris is exactly as Claude remembers it… probably, because it's not like he memorized where every stone and plank of wood was.

"Me and Hilda figured there had to be something past this debris." Claude says. "It looks like a collapsed building, not a normal cave-in."

"I'll take your word for it, because I can't see it." Mercedes says. "Give me a minute to do my work then."

Claude is about to shimmy out of the way, but it proves unnecessary as Mercedes simply moves through him. Her (surprisingly warm) body runs over his for a few seconds until she's reformed in front of him, and then she steps forward and steps into the debris.

The smell of acid immediately clues Claude in on what's happening. She can't safely move things out of the way, so she's just going to dissolve it outright, and that works great until it doesn't.

By that Claude means the roof collapses. One second everything is fine, then there's a small shift in the dirt around them, and suddenly stone and planks are coming in through the ceiling.

Apparently that building wasn't just in front of the tunnel, it was above it too, and Mercedes removing some of the debris took away support for the rest of the building, causing it to collapse part of the tunnel.

Thankfully Mercedes doesn't see with her fake eyes, she sees from every part of her body she cares to see from, and that's everywhere, so when the ceiling collapses she has quick enough reactions to pull Claude into herself to protect him.

Claude is not panicking. Knowing that the only thing that is stopping him from being crushed and impaled is Mercedes is not worrying at all. He's just lying on his back, staring through Mercedes' semi-transparent body at a particularly sharp piece of wood in just the right position to spike his head.

Not worrying at all.

"Oh dear." Mercedes says. She's not even in human form at the moment, she's a blob covering him and protecting him from the debris, but he can still hear her voice as if she's speaking directly into his ear. "You'll be fine, just give me a minute."

"I'm never investigating random abandoned tunnels again." Claude wheezes.

"I think we both know that's not true." Mercedes hums as she dissolves them a path through the debris. "Now just hold on. No need to panic."

"I'm not panicking."

"I can see you hyperventilating right now. Deep breaths Claude. I've got you." Mercedes murmurs.

Why is it that Mercedes is apparently the one chosen to see him at his worst? She was the one to see him nearly dead after the demonic beast bit him, and now she gets to see him freaking out in a collapsed tunnel.

Also, Mercedes is apparently his guardian angel because this is the second time she's saved his life. As if he didn't already owe her a debt.

"Here we go!" Mercedes says after a few minutes of digging. She hauls him out of their collapsed tunnel and sets him on the ground of what looks like an abandoned street.

It looks like the tunnel used to lead directly to the basement of whatever the collapsed building used to be, just based on the placement of the tunnel compared to the main road.

"So this is Abyss, huh?" Claude mutters. He dusts off his shirt, trying to retain some semblance of dignity. "I'm not sure what I was expecting."

"Abyss?" Mercedes asks. "I assumed that was only a rumor."

"So you heard of it too."

"It's a popular myth to share among the new students." Mercedes says. To think I was real all along…"

"Hilda is going to be so mad I went and investigated this without her." Claude realizes belatedly. He didn't expect to find Abyss behind the tunnel. He was expecting an old secret passage out of the monastery, or maybe the remains of some old buildings from a past era, not this.

There doesn't seem to be anyone in their immediate area, which gives Claude a few minutes to investigate. The architectural style doesn't suggest that the surrounding buildings are actually from an older era, they're just poorly constructed and rotted. The air around them is damp, which probably explains that latter part.

Inside the other buildings, Claude doesn't find anything. No pots, no cloth, no money, nothing. It's been picked clean. There are dents and divots in the ground where furniture of some sort used to rest, but they're not there anymore.

"I believe I found a way lower." Mercedes calls softly. She waves him over to a hole in the floor of another building with a rotting wooden ladder leading down to another level.

"You first." Claude says. "You're the indestructible one."

The ladder doesn't look quite as old as the buildings. Claude would bet money scavengers used the ladder to get up here and left the ladder behind afterwards.

Mercedes drops down to the lower level, and then holds out her hands as if encouraging Claude to jump and she'll catch him.

Claude takes the ladder. His dignity is already in tatters, he's not going to jump into Mercedes' arms like a literal child. She's babied him enough already.

(He regrets it a minute later when he gets a splinter on the rotted wood and Mercedes heals him up.)

They seem to have dropped down into a back alley of some sort, or maybe it's just a normal alley down here in Abyss. There's still no people around, so the two of them can get their bearings without interruption.

"I can hear voices." Claude says. "A lot of them."

"Well then, we should go say hello." Mercedes suggests.

"Or we could stay out of sight and watch from a distance first so we know what we're getting into." Claude counters.

"Oh my, how distrusting."

"Mercedes, you don't succeed in sneaking around by being trusting." Claude snorts.

"I suppose I'm quite a poor fit for this then." The older girl hums. "Lead on, Lord Riegan. Instruct me."

Somehow those words feel like a tease even though Mercedes says them with seeming sincerity.

Claude creeps along towards the voices, keeping low to the ground and close to one wall. There's dim light coming from all around, provided by oil lanterns, candles, and the occasional magic light source.

A bend in the alley reveals an exit onto what looks like a main street. Two large buildings mostly obscure Claude's vision, and show exactly why no one comes down here; you probably wouldn't even know there's an alley here from how close together the buildings are.

There are two back entrances leading into the alley from the buildings though. Claude debates breaking in for a second, then dismisses the thought. It's an unnecessary risk.

"There's nowhere else to go. I guess we might have to say hello." Claude warns Mercedes. "Find somewhere else we can hide as quickly as possible. We also need to find a way out in case we need to retreat, seeing as the tunnel collapsed."

"I'll keep my eyes peeled." Mercedes says, though they both know it won't be her noticing anything.

Claude squeezes out onto the main street, and he's immediately aware of how much he stands out. While the dress around him is varied, very little of it is in the monastery's distinct style. His officer's academy uniform marks him as an outsider here more effectively than shouting to the world that he's Almyran.

"My, how colourful!" Mercedes notes cheerfully with a clap of her hands. "Look at all the different styles! Oh, Petra would love this place! I think I see some Bridigine clothes! The beaded necklace on that man over there!"

That's Srengian attire actually. Those "beads" are various dried and preserved nuts and berries, and the necklace would be quite the vanity item seeing as Sreng is mostly a wasteland and food is more valuable there. Still, Mercedes has just shown more attention to other cultures than Claude has seen in most nobles (which is rather disappointing now that he thinks of it. It's such a low bar that someone who just made an obvious mistake is better than most nobles simply by virtue of showing the most basic awareness that the Brigidine sometimes wear beads).

"That's Srengian actually." Claude says. "But yeah, Petra would like it here, if just for the diversity."

As Mercedes marvels at their grimy but colourful surroundings, Claude is looking for an exit, or at least a place to hide. He doesn't want to be out in the open like this. However, all the other alleys are either occupied or easily visible, so he keeps dragging Mercedes down the main road (attracting way too much attention for his liking) looking for another spot to hide.

He's also seeing a surprising number of non-humans down here. The officer's academy is already a hotbed for non-humans as they are what comprise the upper crest of Fodlanese society, but something tells Claude that most of the people down here aren't from the church or the officer's academy, and only a fraction of them are likely to be nobles.

Claude sees a large number of tunnels and stairways as he moves around. This place is more sprawling than the main street suggests. He wouldn't doubt there are layers upon layers of this hidden town, and honestly he can't wait to explore it at another time when he isn't dragging Mercedes along behind him. She's not cut out for this.

Point in case, she doesn't notice the four people that fall into step behind them. Claude does. He hears them no problem. Even without looking back he knows they're there. It's highly unlikely they can hurt Mercedes, but Claude isn't nigh indestructible.

He needs to get out of this crowded street. He takes a turn into the first tunnel he sees, and Mercedes (thankfully) isn't so distracted that she doesn't follow.

As soon as Claude has determined that there isn't anyone immediately in the tunnel, he draws a pair of daggers and turns around. "Hey there friends, what's with the full cloaks? You look like people with something to hide! It's not an effective look, I can vouch. If you want to be subtle, consider just a hood and some non-descript clothes. Much more effective for stealth."

"You'd be right on the surface." One of the four cloaked figures replies. "But down here, this is plenty normal."

"Oh hello!" Mercedes says, ignoring the vaguely antagonistic feeling in the air. She extends a hand. "My name is Mercedes Von Matritz, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Girl." One of the other figures says in a low rumble. They're taller than the others. "What sort of place do you think-"

"Hi." One of the other figures answers in a whisper They're clearly female, and speak in a low tone. Their voice tickles Claude's ears, demands his attention, and sends a shiver down his spine all at once. The hand that emerges from the full cloak is gloved with dark green gloves. "Hapi."

"Hapi! Please! We've spoken about this! You cannot go around introducing yourself to whoever wanders down here! There is a procedure to follow!" The last figure groans. They're also female by the way, and speak in a much more high-pitch voice than Hapi. "And you know you should not be speaking! It's dangerous."

Claude can practically feel Hapi rolling her eyes inside the cloak, but she doesn't say anything else.

"What are a pair of school brats doing down here?" The first figure asks. "And for someone who claims to know about stealth, you're both rather colourful yourself."

"We weren't exactly expecting to find Abyss through a collapsed tunnel." Claude says as calmly as he can. "Trust me, I would have chosen something much more subtle if I knew this is where we were going to end up."

"I'll take your word for it." The first figure says, then sighs and flicks off his hood. "Constance, there's no need for this farce. They would have figured out who we are anyways."

"Yuri! It is a matter of safety to hide our identities!"

"Hapi blew that already." The first figure says. He's interesting to look at. It's not the light purple hair that makes him unusual. It's his… well, everything else. His skin is shiny grey, not quite matching anything Claude has seen before. It's not quite Lorenz's platinum, nor is it the straight grey of some undead, nor is it pale like Byelth. It's something all his own. His eyes are a flat orange colour, and Claude thinks he can see horns hidden under the boy's hair. "I'm Yuri, and you two have come somewhere you don't belong."

"Hey now, those are strong words. How do either of us know me and Mercedes don't belong if we haven't even been given a chance?" Claude asks.

"Because you're part of the officer's academy, your outfits give it away." Yuri replies. "And I'd know your name, friend."

"Claude." Claude says. Adding his last name might be more trouble than it's worth if these people think he's important. "And what was this about calling us kids, earlier, hmm? You don't look very old yourself, and I'll have you know I'm eighteen, and Mercedes here is twenty-three."

"Twenty-three?" The high pitched girl hastily removes her own cloak. She looks rather normal all things considered. Slightly pale skin and blonde hair, and a distinct noble styling. Lorenz would like her. "Mercedes, was it!? Pray tell, were you once a Bartelz?"

"Indeed I was, once upon a time."

"It is I! Constance Von Nuvelle!" The girl cries. "You do remember my most distinguished self, yes?"

"Constance?" Mercedes says. She steps forward and grabs the girl's face between her hands. "Oh my! You look so very different! You were so small before!"

"I could say the same to you! I distinctly recall much shorter hair, and your voice has changed tremendously!"

"So, I guess we're not punching them?" The gruff male figure asks. He rips off his own cloak as if it was strangling him… and judging by his unbuttoned shirt, maybe he actually believes it was. He has deep grey skin, but is otherwise normal from what Claude can tell. He can't place the man's species immediately. A variant of tiefling perhaps? He can sweat, Claude can see that, so he isn't undead. "Well I'm Balthus! The undisputed, undefeated King of Grappling!"

Claude would love to see him try and wrestle Hilda, or even Mercedes. How quickly would his confidence evaporate?

"And this is Hapi, as you already know." Yuri says, gesturing to Hapi. "She can't speak- or she can, but shouldn't- and the cloak also needs to stay on for her."

Hmm… what sort of powers would require hiding your face and voice? Sounds like charm magic to Claude. Apparently the mountain of Garreg Mach is teeming with rare natural charm magic users. Is Hapi a succubus too?

Mercedes is completely ignoring this, engrossed with talking to Constance. "You have to meet Annette! We've become close friends over the years. She's quite similar to yourself! A witch as well, in fact!"

"Mercedes, I'm not a witch."

"Yes, yes, a hag, but that's very similar!"

"Don't say that out loud!"

"Everyone knows Constance!" Balthus says.

"He did not!" Constance protests, gesturing towards Claude.

"He would have figured it out. He's too curious for his own good." Mercedes giggles. Claude can only shrug in response. It's true. "What brought you to Abyss though Constance? If anything, I would have expected you to come to the officer's academy."

"That was the plan, once upon a time." Constance sighs. "Alas, the fall of my house was the fall of my dreams… for the moment at least. In time house Nuvelle will return by my hands, but it won't be today or tomorrow. Without a house and without funds, I had no place to go and ended up here."

"How awful."

"It is nothing that cannot be reversed! I shall see my house returned to its former glory! Built up from scratch once more!"

"And what about the rest of you?" Claude asks, seeing a chance for information. "A motley crew like yours surely has some more stories to tell."

"Now now, we're not that easy to pick apart, friend." Yuri says. He wears a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "I think your little visit needs to come to an end. We're busy people after all."

"But I've seen so few sights! Could a tour not be in order?" Claude asks cheekily.

"Perhaps another time, and only if you're willing to provide more than a generic first name." Yuri says. "Trust is not one way after all. Balthus."

"Yeah?"

"Show them out. Main entrance. That way we know how they'll get back in."

"I could just-"

"No Balthus. Knocking people out isn't an acceptable solution to every problem."

"Oh, or-!"

"We're not using an experimental spell either Constance."

Both of them deflate like dogs denied a treat. Hapi shakes her head at them.

"They'd find another way in anyhow." Yuri sighs. "So just show them out the normal way."

Balthus reluctantly escorts them out, with Constance tagging along to talk to Mercedes at a rapid pace. Claude and Balthus have to wait a solid five minutes for Constance to stop saying everything she needs to say to Mercedes before Claude can finally drag Mercedes out of Abyss.

The entrance, apparently, is in a back-alley of the town surrounding the monastery behind a bar. The entrance is camouflage by looking like a normal, solid wooden fence, except the fence is actually a gate that can be opened and closed, but that's only apparent from the inside.

"Well that was quite the adventure!" Mercedes says cheerfully. "I would happily do that again, wouldn't you?"

Claude wants to go lie down and sleep for five years. He almost died through a cave-in, might have gotten stabbed if Mercedes didn't know Constance, and today has had way more movement than his currently weakened form can handle. "Yeah, but let's not do that for a while. I'm exhausted."

"That's right, you're not well." Mercedes says, instantly worried. "Do you need me to carry you?"

Right, he forgot to add "made a fool of himself in front of Mercedes" to the list of things that went wrong today. "I'm fine Mercedes, but let's get back to the monastery. I need to lie down for a bit."

To his credit, he doesn't collapse until he gets back to his room. He's also eternally grateful that the gatekeeper didn't comment on not seeing them leave but somehow they're returning now.


So this chapter ended up being far more than I expected. This was supposed to be a transition chapter where there were a few fun character moments, not an introduction to the Abyss.

Also, apparently I can't resist putting Mercedes into everything, because Mercedes is great. She also bounces off Claude surprisingly well… though that might just be because her general status of being team mom allows her to interact with any student by virtue of being motherly. Heck, that's basically the premise of Succubus Mercedes as a story. She's a deceptively flexible character due to having a widely-applicable role that no one else in the cast can really fill.