As usual, I don't own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

10- Permian

The message from Axis Mundi played in full ten times before the knights' radio frequency went silent again. Sodia and her brigade went to help quell the panic that was beginning at the knights' shelters, so Flynn led Yuri and Karol back over to his own makeshift quarters where they could warm up and change into some dry clothes. Yuri was used to the loose feeling of Flynn's clothes, having borrowed them briefly on multiple occasions, but Karol had trouble with them and needed someone to help roll up the trouser legs so that he didn't trip. While Flynn searched through the rest of his belongings for a belt to loan Karol, Yuri wrung out their wet clothes as best he could before stowing them in Karol's bag to take back to Dahngrest.

"You know these are just going to get soaked on our way back to Dahngrest, don't you?" Yuri asked, tugging at the collar of the shirt he was wearing. "Are you sure you're alright with loaning them out?"

"Water saps heat from the body. The longer you two were in wet clothes, the further your body temperatures would drop," Flynn replied. "It's important for you to warm up fully before going out again. Besides, the magistrate is already planning to visit Dahngrest tomorrow morning, with the knights to back him up. I'll be able to pick them back up tomorrow."

"I know we need to get back to warn Harry," Karol murmured, stifling a yawn, "but is it okay if I take just a little nap first?"

"It's not quite midnight yet. I'd say you're fine to take twenty minutes or so," Yuri replied, and Flynn motioned over to the series of cots that were set up on the other side of the shelter.

"Mine is the one on the far right. You can use it as long as you need to."

Karol settled in and drifted off to sleep, and Repede curled up on the ground by his feet to catch a quick nap as well. Flynn motioned for Yuri to follow him to the edge of the tent, where they could lean against the railing and look out over the dark waters of the reservoir below. Yuri glanced nervously over at Karol's bag, but Flynn assured him their belongings would be safe, and he followed along.

"I'm sorry that you can't stay the night," Flynn sighed. "At Karol's age, sleep is essential for proper growth and development."

"We can't stay?" Yuri asked with mock sincerity, though Flynn answered seriously.

"W-well, if you don't feel able to safely get back to Dahngrest, then-"

"No, no." Yuri shook his head. "If the magistrate is taking a company of knights to Dahngrest, Harry needs to know in advance."

Flynn crossed his arms, closing his eyes in thought. "This whole situation with Axis Mundi is so… surreal. Had I not seen this Enki fellow with my own eyes, I would not believe it."

"I heard you got to be the hero," Yuri replied, nudging his shoulder. "Never hurts to show off in front of Estelle and Rita, huh?"

Flynn wasn't amused by Yuri's lighthearted attitude. "If I had done my job properly and kept tabs on the royal guard, the whole situation could have been prevented. But somehow none of the guards showed up for their shifts that night. By the time I arrived, Enki had already incapacitated Rita. That is not a man to be trifled with."

Yuri shrugged. "Maybe not, but there's a huge difference between the ability to beat a mage in hand-to-hand combat and the ability to create earthquakes."

"It just seems so out of character for Kritya. Judith always felt estranged from her people because of her interest in combat, correct?" Flynn began fidgeting nervously with his hands. "The Empire has not yet passed the anti-discrimination laws that the Union has, but still, the Imperial Knights have made it clear that we are happy to accept Krityan recruits. Not a single one has enlisted. They don't want to fight."

"They don't want to fight for the Empire," Yuri corrected, and Flynn let out a sigh.

"This whole thing feels off somehow, but I can't place it. I know you don't want to provoke a fight with the Empire, but you have to make sure Harry doesn't accept the magistrate's claims either."

"Don't worry. Harry is already well aware that Axis Mundi is full of shit. He's been dealing with them for a while now, and there's no way he'd do anything that might fuel their ego even further."

Flynn looked over to Yuri in surprise. "Harry has been involved with Axis Mundi?"

"He's got his own grudge against them. It's a personal thing, so I can't tell you more than that. But suffice it to say that Harry isn't a fan of Axis Mundi's delusions of grandeur-"

The clock tower began to chime, and both Yuri and Flynn stopped to count the twelve long tolls of the bell. As the echoes died down against the sound of the rain, the two stood in silence. Yuri, however, remembered what day it was and put a hand against his forehead.

"Oh my god, I just realized."

"What?"

Yuri forced a laugh. "It's Harry's birthday. Karol and I get to wake him up at three in the morning and say 'happy birthday; the Tolbyccian magistrate is sending a company of Imperial Knights to Dahngrest in order to blame someone else for their own incompetence."

Flynn was quiet. "...incompetence, huh?"

"I, uh, shouldn't have phrased it like that. Sorry." Yuri looked away, running a hand through his still-damp hair. "What you guys are doing here- what you were doing here- it's more than the guilds are doing. Spiritsong has helped convert Dahngrest's electrical system over to the elemental generators, but they're still based on blastia tech and aren't particularly efficient with this new spirit magic. For the Empire to forge a new path with completely new technology and ideas, that takes guts. Admittedly there were some issues with the risk management side of it, but…" He turned back to Flynn, reaching over to take his hand and give it an encouraging squeeze. "...I don't think you were wrong for trying. And I hope this won't keep you from trying out new ideas in the future. With, y'know, better damage control."

Flynn laughed, lifting Yuri's arm to press a kiss to the back of his hand. "Thank you. I needed to hear that today."

The two looked at one another and shared a silent smile before Yuri finally turned back toward the interior of the tent. "Wake up Karol and Repede, would you? I'm going to check on our stuff."

He walked over to where Karol's bag was still sitting and opened it, looking over the damp, folded clothing on top. Locating his coat, he opened it up and dug into the interior pocket.

"You were right. It's still here."

Flynn watched Yuri turn the ring over in his hand, stifling another laugh. "Ah, so that's what you were worried about."

"And why not? You paid good money for it, I'm sure."

"You know-" Flynn knelt down beside Yuri. "-you could always wear it."

Yuri shook his head. "Can't. It's an honor thing. Wearing it means saying 'yes,' so I can't wear it until I make a decision."

"Fair enough." Flynn stood up again, glancing over at Karol and Repede before turning back to Yuri. "I do have some things to say to you about that, but… I don't think now is the time. We can discuss it later."

Yuri shrugged, tucking the ring back into his coat pocket and folding it back up. "That's fine, but no take-backs."

"No-? Yuri!"

The rain had died down a little by the time Yuri roused Karol and Repede, leading the way back through Heliord's dark streets. Flynn had promised to meet them at Union Headquarters the next morning, and the seriousness in his voice as he bade them good luck gave them both the motivation to slog back through the muddy trails.

The first part of their return trip was uneventful; Karol slipped once on a patch of mud by the cliffside, but Yuri was able to catch him and steady him back on his feet. The rain seemed to be keeping the monsters away, and they walked through the forest without interruption- without interruption, that was, until sometime around two o'clock.

Yuri had let his guard down once they'd crossed over into the Hunting Blades' patrol area, but he snapped to alert when he heard Repede yelp somewhere behind him.

"Repede?" Yuri gasped, turning around to see what the problem was. Karol turned too, and saw Repede hanging back, head down and pawing at his ears with a desperate whine. Yuri ran to Repede's side, kneeling down next to him.

"What is it, buddy? What's hurting you-?" Yuri reached out, but Repede jumped away, snapping and barking in response. Karol stepped closer to Yuri, looking down at him.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. I've never seen him like this." Yuri stood up, holding out his hands. "Look, Repede. I'm not going to hurt you. Can't you let me get close enough to figure out what's wro-"

As he asked the question, his own instincts kicked in and he heard a rustling in the trees next to him. Ducking out of the way, he barely managed to dodge a strike from the side, and quickly unsheathed his sword to face the creature. It was a tortoise, large and imposing, its eyes tinged with something unfamiliar to Yuri- a primal instinct with a hint of desperation. It almost seemed to be in pain. Yuri gritted his teeth, muttering "nothing personal" before striking it down.

As the first tortoise fell, however, another hissed behind Yuri and lunged at him. Yuri shook it off, slicing through its neck just as he had the first. At the same time, he heard Karol scream from behind him and turned on his heels.

Karol was swinging his sword at a pair of basilisks, but he was unsteady on his feet and his aim was suffering because of it. There were more approaching, and he was barely defending himself from the monster's attacks, unable to inflict any damage.

And they kept coming.

Repede was struggling with a group of monsters too, not as many as had now gathered around Karol, but enough to overwhelm him in his already unstable state. With Karol exhausted and Repede struggling with some strange affliction, this wasn't an ideal situation in which to fight a monster horde. Yuri glanced around, assessing the situation, only to come face to face with more monsters crawling out of the forest, their eyes filled with just as much confusion and desperation as the others. If allowed to continue like they were, they would kill everything in their path.

"Karol! Repede!" Yuri hissed between sword strikes. "If you can't defeat them, just keep them off of you until I can get there!"

"B-but-!" Karol stammered, still struggling. "There's something wrong with them! These things are territorial; there shouldn't be this many in one place-"

"Does that matter?" Yuri called back. "When they're at your throat, you attack first and ask questions later!"

Yuri managed to work out a system where he could strike multiple monsters at once. This just stunned them, though, sending them backwards only to come lunging at him again with even greater force. The monsters weren't picky; Yuri could see them fighting amongst themselves as well. But every move he made drew more attention, and there were soon more monsters swarming around him than he could count.

There was pain too, little strikes that he barely registered at first but that began to add up after a while. A basilisk had leapt at him and managed to dig its fangs into his shoulder before he sliced through its neck, a filihelia had slashed through his shirt and left a shallow gash along his left side, a grasshopper had stabbed a claw at his right leg… he was doing more damage to the monsters than they were to him, but there were so many of them, it was wearing him down. They wouldn't be able to make it much longer if the monsters kept coming the way they were. Fleeing might be their only option.

Yuri could hear Repede's yelps of pain and noticed that there were monsters biting and tearing at his legs and flank. Yuri slashed his way through to where Repede was standing, ignoring the monsters that were striking at his back.

"R-Repede… buddy… we've gotta get out of here…"

Repede looked up at Yuri, and for the first time, Yuri noticed something odd in his eyes. It was almost the same way the monsters looked, confused and pained. Whatever was bothering Repede earlier, it must have been the same thing that was causing the monsters to go out of control. But what was is-?

There was no time to question it. A few of the monsters Yuri had left behind had turned their attention on each other, but most had followed him over to Repede and he now had the two groups of monsters to contend with. Seeing Yuri fighting seemed to pull Repede out of his haze, and he shook off the monsters biting at his legs. Closer to the monsters' level, Repede could disable them while Yuri went in for the kill. But once again, sheer numbers were overwhelming, and Yuri's injuries were slowing him down and giving him more to contend with. There was so much noise surrounding him and Repede that his senses were blurred, and he could barely focus on what was right in front of him. Part of his brain screamed at him to go get Karol and run, but he was too busy trying to keep the monsters off of himself and Repede to think about anything else.

Then something changed. Something that made Yuri's blood run cold.

Through all the noise of the monster's screeches and scuffles, through the sound of rain against the trees and water sloshing along the cliffsides, through the squishing of mud and leaves underfoot, through his and Repede's heavy breathing, Yuri had still been able to hear Karol's voice as he struggled against the monsters. Karol had been yelling, grunting, even screaming at times.

But then, just like that, he was quiet.

Panicking, Yuri and Repede began to slice their way frantically back in Karol's direction, keeping his eyes out for any sign of him. Yuri noticed a group of monsters gathered on the ground and lunged at them. He struck down several, and the others backed away enough for Yuri to inspect the damage.

Karol was lying on his side, one arm situated at a painful-looking angle in the mud underneath him. There were scars and scratches along his body where his clothing was torn, but the most worrying aspect of his situation was the way his chest heaved laboriously with each breath. With every inhale there was a gurgling of fluid deep in his lungs, and with every exhale a trickle of blood ran over the side of his mouth to drip into the dark mud.

"Karol! KAROL!"

Yuri's screams had no effect, and the monsters were closing in again. Repede tried to fight them off while Yuri inspected Karol, but a pair of basilisks dove at him from one side, and he yelped as he was thrown back.

Yuri snapped back to attention, calling "REPEDE-" before the monsters surrounded him as well. He staggered to his feet for a more advantageous position, but his footing was unsteady, and he was quickly knocked down again. His sword was knocked from his hand, and it slid through the mud out of reach. The pain of his injuries, his lack of sleep, and the weight of the situation were too much, and the sounds around him began to blur as he drifted out of consciousness.

He could swear he heard the sound of other human voices before everything went quiet, but he couldn't be sure.

Rita and Estelle had insisted that they continue looking after Bell, so Raven and Judith left them to it and headed back to Union Headquarters before dawn. There was still some further stabilizing that needed to be done on the wings that had suffered greater structural damage, one of those being Molly's office. She had been the one to take on many of Raven's old responsibilities when he stepped down as guild manager, so she'd asked for his help during the recovery efforts and the first thing was to make sure her office was a safe place to process all the paperwork that was coming in from around the city. By the time the sun began to rise, Raven and Judith had already double-checked the temporary supports and were helping Molly clean the debris from around her desk.

"-told him he should be resting, but he grabbed that stupid crutch and ran off to the western district anyway," Molly was complaining as they worked. "I swear, if he hurts his leg again, it'll be his own fault. You should tell your healer friend not to bother with him if it happens again."

Raven laughed. "Molly darlin', telling' Estelle not ta bother with somebody who's hurt is a losin' battle. She ain't the type to punish a patient fer not takin' care of himself."

"But still…" Molly murmured, her voice trailing off.

"Say, speaking of Estelle-"

Judith had been quiet much of the time, just listening to the conversation with amusement, but she finally spoke up.

"-I was talking with her about Harry last night, and I had a question that she couldn't answer. You two are experts on Harry- help me out here."

"A question?" Raven repeated. "About what?"

"Do you know Harry's blood type?"

Raven paused and glanced over at Molly, looking for confirmation. "It's… O-negative, right…?"

"That's right." Molly nodded. "Why do you need to know? Do Kritya use the blood type personality system too?"

"Oh no, it's not that. Kritya don't have blood types the way humans do." Judith leaned her broom against the wall and approached the desk. "We lack most of the antigens found in human blood, so our blood is equivalent to the human type O-negative. I wondered if perhaps Harry was the same."

Molly crossed her arms, answering with a huff. "I don't know what tipped you off. He's a terrible type O. They're supposed to be confident, aggressive, and strong-willed-"

Before she could finish, Raven smacked her on the back of the head with a thin stack of papers. "Molly darlin', don't tell me ya still believe all that nonsense 'bout blood types and personalities."

"Wh-why not? What's wrong with it?"

Raven laughed. "I'm sure Rita could find'ya some research disprovin' it, but do ya really need that? Or are ya gonna look me in the eye an' tell me that every Krityan in the world shares the same personality group as ol' Don Whitehorse?"

Molly's face went red and she looked away. "I… suppose you have a point…"

Judith stifled her laughter to return to a more serious subject. "It's a rare blood type among humans, isn't it? O-negative, I mean."

Raven gave it a moment of thought. "Well, type O is pretty common, but whatever that negative thing means-"

"Negative Rh factor?"

"Yeah, uh, that one's pretty rare. So the two put together ain't a combination ya see a lot of."

Judith pushed aside some of the papers on the desk so that she could sit on the edge. "Estelle and I were thinking, what if it's not the difference in chromosomes that makes Krityan-human hybrids so rare? What if it's the incompatibility between blood types?"

Raven and Molly looked at one another. "You mean," Molly began, "like how certain blood types can't receive transfusions from others?"

"Right. Estelle said that if there's an incompatibility between a mother and child, it can cause serious complications. It happens in humans with Rh-negative blood types, so it's only logical that Kritya could be susceptible."

"Ya think the reason Bell's so healthy is 'cause Harry has the right blood type?"

"I just don't like to chalk it up to luck," Judith answered, shaking her head. "There's too much we don't know about Krityan-human hybrids. We have to consider all possibilities."

Raven leaned back, tucking his hands behind his head. "This is all a little too much fer my old brain ta handle-"

There was a knock on the door- a sharp, frantic knock- that sent all three looking back toward the door. A young Altosk member entered, damp from the rain outside and breathing heavily as if he'd run the whole way.

"R-Raven… Molly… we need your help… there's a whole company of imperial knights requesting entry into the city's eastern gate…" He paused to catch his breath. "Harry's on the other side of town, and he can't move that fast, so-"

"We'll go," Raven interrupted. "I thought Yuri and Karol were just goin' ta bring back Flynn or maybe the magistrate. They didn't say anything about a whole group'a knights. I wonder what's up."

"Only one way to find out," Judith answered, pointing to the door. "Let's go."

They didn't have to walk far. As soon as they exited the headquarters building, they were met by a familiar face coming up the steps. Molly and the other Altosk member were defensive at first.

"What the hell are you doing here? Did we say you could enter the city-?"

"Calm down, Molly darlin'." Raven stepped in front of her, holding out an arm to keep her from chasing their visitor off. "Flynn's a friend. I'm sure they recognized him and let him in ta explain the situation."

"My apologies for startling you, Miss Cooper," Flynn answered with a bow. "I was under the impression that you'd be expecting us, but I apologize if the time frame was not adequate for the acting-Don to announce our arrival."

"To announce…?" Raven repeated and then looked back to Molly. "Did Harry know 'bout this?"

"No!" Molly shook her head. "There's no way he would've limped to the other side of town in this weather if he knew! The knights are just full of themselves-"

"Where is Yuri?" Flynn interrupted, and Raven and Judith exchanged a glance.

"Is he not with you?" Judith asked.

"Yuri was going to relay the message about our visit to the acting-Don. He, Karol, and Repede left Heliord about six hours ago in order to get a head start. Don't…" Flynn noticed the worry in his friends' expressions, and his own confidence began to falter. "...don't tell me they haven't arrived yet?"

Judith looked over to Raven. "Do you think they might've gone to the guild office?"

"I don't think so. We were there not forty minutes ago."

"Yuri said they would go straight to Union Headquarters to speak with Harry-" Flynn explained, ignoring a scolding from Molly over his lapse in formality.

"That's 'acting-Don Whitehorse' to you!"

"- so I doubt they would have taken much of a detour, given the circumstances."

Raven gave a low hum, thinking it over. "Well, we can assume our acting-Don hadn't seen them an hour ago when he slogged off to the western part of the city. But it don't take more'n three hours ta get between here an' Heliord if ya take that mountain path. Even in this weather, six hours is-"

"Mountain path?" Flynn interrupted.

"Yeah. Little game trail that the Hunting Blades use. Ain't suitable fer big groups, but it's faster'n the main roads if you're goin' by foot."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

Judith shook her head. "Of course not. The monsters there can be territorial, but that also means you won't find more than one or two at a time. The three of them together wouldn't have been in any danger."

"But… if they haven't arrived, then where did they…?" Flynn's voice trailed off and Molly cleared her throat, pointing back towards the building.

"Should we take this inside? We're not making any progress out here, so we might as well get out of the rain."

Flynn reluctantly agreed and nodded in the direction of the door, but before everyone could step back inside, another set of voices called out from the street.

"Commandant!" "Commandant, please wait!"

The group stopped and turned around to see another group approaching, made up of three knights, one of which was holding an umbrella over a civilian dressed like Imperial nobility. Molly bristled again, looking to Flynn.

"And who let them in? Are they friends too?"

"N-no," Flynn murmured, "but I'm afraid the magistrate doesn't take 'no' for an answer."

Magistrate York and his knights approached the front steps and York stepped forward to speak with Flynn.

"Commandant, I'm afraid there's been an event on mine property that requires your attention. Your proactive approach is admirable, but a request for your presence has been put out from the property line. Jennifer here will provide you with the coordinates."

"Wait a moment," Flynn interrupted, holding up a hand. "Please slow down. I don't understand what you're saying. My business is here in Dahngrest, and I can't just leave-"

"Actually, as the Magistrate of Central Tolbyccia, the task of communicating with the Don on behalf of the Empire is my job. You, Commandant, were assigned here to oversee the knights' work on the mining operation, and the knights' investigation of abnormal monster behavior on Imperial property is your job."

Flynn was silent for a moment, processing the statement. "...abnormal monster behavior…?"

One of the knights accompanying the magistrate stepped in. "According to the coordinates, it was along the western boundary of the mine property, just north of the road. The Hunting Blades guild reported monsters in the area expressing aggressive tendencies and abnormal swarming behavior. They've subdued the swarm, but the investigation on it is still ongoing, and they've requested that the knights join."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "The Hunting Blades requested the knights' involvement? No offense, but that doesn't sound like the Hunting Blades I know."

"There were some questions about a piece of Imperial technology recovered from the swarm area, and the guild wishes to consult the knights on its source. Currently the technology is being housed at the nearby Hunting Blades outpost, but they asked that you first meet them at the site where the swarm took place."

"Imperial technology…" Judith murmured. "Perhaps you should go."

"But-"

Molly stepped in, shoving Judith and Raven out of the way. "Friend or not, Imperial knights need to do their jobs properly. The Hunting Blades plays an important role in keeping Union citizens safe, and we won't allow you to refuse their request for selfish reasons."

Flynn bowed his head. "My apologies, Miss Cooper. You're right, I was hesitating for selfish reasons, and now isn't the time to hesitate. I will take a group with me to the coordinates and then to the Hunting Blades outpost." He stepped forward, placing a hand on Raven's shoulder and leaning in to whisper "keep an eye on the magistrate for me. Don't let him put the blame on Axis Mundi."

"On-?!" Raven stammered, but Flynn broke away and Molly followed with a wave.

"Good. Let the rest of your knights know they are clear to enter the city, but not to interfere with recovery efforts or local residents."

"Yes, Miss Cooper. Thank you."

As Flynn and one of the knights walked away, the Magistrate turned back to Raven, leaning toward him and staring him down. "What did the commandant tell you just now?"

"Just a message for his buddy Yuri," Raven lied with a smile.

"You look… familiar. Are you any relation to-"

Raven answered before York could say the name. "No relation. Just an old friend of mine- may he rest in peace. Funny coincidence though, the resemblance."

"Old friend, hm?" York seemed satisfied and then turned to Molly. "And who are you to give orders that only the Don should be giving? Where is your acting-Don?"

"Acting-Don Whitehorse is not here right now," Molly answered, standing on the tips of her toes to make herself look taller. "He's on the other side of the city helping with the recovery efforts. As Altosk's public relations manager, I'm qualified to speak in his place until he gets here."

York considered her for a moment. "When will he return? I have important information to relay to him about the cause of the earthquake."

"He'll get here when he gets here. He wasn't expecting you, so you'll just have to wait-"

The magistrate reached out and slid a hand under Molly's chin. "I do not wait when it comes to such important matters, Miss Public Relations Manager. Bring me the acting-Don, or I will be forced to take the safety of your precious citizens into my own hands."

As he said this, Raven jumped in and yanked his arm away from Molly. "Hey, man! Hasn't anybody ever told'ya not ta touch a lady without her permission?!"

"Of course, Mister Old Friend of Schwann. When I see a lady, I will follow that advice."

Molly bristled. "How dare you-?!"

"Calm down, Molly," Raven broke in, letting go of the magistrate's arm and stepping between the two of them. "Go find Harry and bring him back as soon as possible."

"R-right…"

"In the meantime-" He turned back to York. "-my name is Raven. Ra-ven. And until Harry gets back, Judith here and I are going to stick ta you like-" He turned around, but found no sign of Judith where she'd been standing. "Judith? Judith?"

"Your Krityan friend ran off a few minutes ago. They have a tendency to do that."

Raven caught sight of Judith down the street, chatting with a group of women. He noticed Estelle's pink hair and realized it was Estelle, Rita, and Kida. Pointing toward the door, he shot a glance back at the magistrate and then started toward the others.

"You can step inside if ya want. I'll be with ya in a moment."

The uneven cobbles were slippery because of the rain, and Raven stumbled on his way to meet them. Judith stepped back and caught him, slowly helping him up to his feet.

"Thanks kindly, darlin'. But why'd ya leave me like that in front of the magistrate guy?"

"Raven, it's terrible!" Estelle broke in, shoving a letter towards him. The paper was damp from the rain, but Raven recognized the Hunting Blades letterhead and began to read it over as she explained. "Karol needs help! He's with Yuri and Repede at the Hunting Blades outpost. Apparently the three of them got attacked by monsters on the trail, and… and…"

"This doctor is so pretentious," Raven muttered. "Pulmonary contusion, hemorrhagic pleural effusion- just say 'internal bleeding,' dammit! We'll come runnin' fer the kid's sake regardless."

"At least Yuri and Repede are alright," Judith continued, letting go of Raven now that he was steady on his feet again. "But the outpost doesn't have the equipment to treat Karol properly. They want Estelle to come heal him."

"Aw, hell. They must'a gotten caught up in that monster swarm Flynn was talkin' about." Raven slumped and sighed. "This is exactly what we need right now… but if Karol's hurt, then that takes priority. Judith, Rita, one'a you go with Estelle to the Hunting Blades outpost. The other stay with Kida an' Bell."

Rita scowled from under the cloak she was using to shield Bell from the rain. "Why are we taking orders from the old man?"

"Cause I'm the one stuck babysittin' the magistrate fer Flynn," Raven shot back.

"Aren't there supposed to be two of us babysitting Bell?"

"Rita, darlin', I think right now the magistrate is a greater danger ta Dahngrest than anything is ta Bell."

"That magistrate is a piece of work," Judith agreed. "Though, if you're worried about Karol, I can keep an eye on the magistrate while you go with Estelle."

"Hey!" Rita called. "Who decided I was going to be the babysitter?"

"So you don't want to stay with Bell?" Judith asked, and Rita blushed.

"I-I just don't want the decision to be made for me, is all-"

As she said this, a group of knights passed by, and the voice of the magistrate sounded down the street. He had stepped out in front of the headquarters building to address both the knights and the civilians who were passing by, and a small crowd of Union citizens had gathered in interest.

"Oh, come on! I leave him fer one minute-!" Raven turned on his heels and sprinted back toward the front steps, the others following him at a safer pace.

"-reports that the earthquake was only the beginning, and that there may be greater risks to follow. We, the Empire and the Union, must band together against this common enemy, or we will both fall victim to further destruction."

Raven had stopped at the base of the stairs, genuinely curious as to what the magistrate was saying. Flynn hadn't told him what this was all about, too distracted by the fact that Yuri had failed to deliver the message as well. The whole thing about the Empire and Union banding together wasn't too bad. But something wasn't right about this.

"This group of Kritya, which calls itself Axis Mundi, masquerades as a civic club. But rest assured, their goals are not for the benefit of our society. Their hatred for humans manifests in their leverage of the Entelexia's powers against us, and if we do nothing to combat them, it is only a matter of time before they strike again."

"What the hell-?" Rita gasped, stepping in beside Raven. Bell was squirming and crying, mirroring the nervous look on Kida's face.

"No… it can't be… how did they…?"

Raven pushed his way up to the front of the crowd, waving his hands and calling out. "Alright, alright, that's enough! This announcement is NOT approved by the Guild Union and none of these claims has been verified, so let's all just take a step back and-"

"You there!" The magistrate shoved Raven aside, starting down the steps in Kira's direction. "You're one of them, aren't you? A member of that terrorist group-"

Judith stepped in front of Kida before York could get to her. "No, she's not. What gives you the right to make such claims about a citizen of the Union?"

"A citizen of the Union? I've seen her face around the capital before! She's one of them, I know it-"

"Aren't you supposed to be the Tolbyccian magistrate? What were you doing in the capital?" Rita snapped over Bell's frantic cries. York looked over to her, assessing her face for a moment.

"Rita Mordio. I could ask what you and Lady Estellise are doing out of the capital."

"Why you-!"

York turned back to his knights, who were looking on with a sense of apprehension. "Knights! Place these Kritya under arrest, as well as any other Kritya you find in the city. We cannot take any chances with these dangerous criminals."

"What?!"

Estelle and Raven placed themselves in front of Judith and Kida. "Y-you can't arrest every Krityan in Dahngrest!" Estelle protested. "That's racial profiling, and it's illegal!"

"In the Union, perhaps," York replied, "but I see no Don here to stop me. And in the absence of the Don, I am the one in charge of law and order in central Tolbyccia. Knights! Anyone who gets in your way can be arrested for obstruction of justice."

"You call this justice-?!" Raven demanded, but Judith grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Hold on a moment. This might be a good thing."

"Wha-?"

She lowered her voice and leaned in. "Remember this morning? Kida said she sensed her brother here in Dahngrest. Axis Mundi is probably here for Bell, but they're hiding. If we allow the knights to arrest us, it may draw them out."

"But Judith, I don't think that's the best way ta-"

"You used to get yourself arrested going back and forth between Dahngrest and the capital, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but that was just me!" Raven shot back. "You're talkin' about lettin' these knights target every Krityan in the city for yer own purposes!"

"But-"

Kida stepped forward, cutting off Judith's retort. She held out her hands for the closest knight, a stern expression on her face. Bell had stopped crying, and the crowd around them had gone oddly quiet as well.

"When the acting-Don gets here, he's going to put a stop to this. But for now, if it gets us closer to stopping Axis Mundi, then I'll gladly give myself up for arrest."

Raven took a step back. "No, no, no, no... Kida darlin'…"

"You'll have to accompany Estelle to the Hunting Blades outpost yourself," Judith said as she offered her hands to be cuffed by another knight. "Rita, take Bell back to the guild office and stay there. I know what Harry said about having two people with her, but we can't send Estelle out of the city alone when there are swarming monsters nearby.

"I believe in you, Rita!" Kida called. "You're more than capable of protecting Bell on your own."

"I-I…" Rita stammered. "...I will. But you guys better not spend too long in jail!"

Judith smiled at her. "Hang a white handkerchief out front for us, okay?"

"That's supposed'ta be my line!" Raven called, but there was already a frenzy of activity around them and he couldn't tell whether Judith or Kida heard him. The magistrate was barking orders about the prison beneath the headquarters building, but Raven didn't have time to follow up on them and just began pacing where he was. "Oh god, oh god, pull yerself together, old man. Without the boss and Yuri and the pup, we're stretched too thin. Molly better get here with Harry soon… in the meantime, Estelle, the sooner we help Karol, the sooner we can get back ta sortin' out this mess. Come on."

"Y-yes! Of course!"

"And Rita darlin'?"

Rita shifted her cloak so that she could see Raven better. "What is it?"

"Do what Judith said. Take Bell back ta the office and stay there 'till we get back, alright?"

"Alright, alright, you don't have to tell me twice." Rita turned around to get out of the crowd, but stopped and looked back momentarily. "...once Karol's okay, give him a knock over the head for me. Y'know, for worrying us and all."

Raven cracked a smile.

"I can do that."