Of all the places Luz expected to serve food in a realm of literal Demons and Witches, a burger place was not one that she thought would exist; more so one that was literally staffed by bipedal cow looking Demons. Still the atmosphere was nice, and the food was by far the best she had ever had from a restaurant; though that could have been because this was the first real meal she had eaten, and her hunger had skyrocketed when she walked inside. It took a lot of willpower and restraint for her to not inhale the food as soon as it was placed in front of her, who knew purple fries and a burger with red meat and blue buns could have that effect.

Strangely the meat that looked exactly like beef tasted like a mix between duck and a turkey, while the fries were... exactly like a potato was supposed to taste. Did that mean they had potatoes here or was it just a coincidence that they tasted the same and it was possible that this was some sort of fruit instead of a ground plant.

"You know it's alright to slow down, right?" The voice of Wrath said from her right, having taken a break from eating his monstrous size burger that was the size of three beach balls, and dripping with ketchup. Yep apparently, they had ketchup in the demon realm, and it tasted and looked exactly like it was supposed to; Luz would not complain. "I can guarantee that it won't runaway, at least not the ones here."

Luz's hand stopped halfway to her mouth with a bundle of fries still held in it, "Do burgers usually run away when you try to eat them?" There was no way that was true right, Wrath had to be joking with her.

Boscha shook her head as a chuckle broke from her lips, "Really depends on the place," she said as she leant over and plucked one of Luz's fries from her plate and slid it into her mouth, "Here it's not likely, but believe me some places hardly even make sure the food is properly dead before they serve it."

"Gethro's?" Wrath said evenly as he sat down what remained of his titanic burger, half of it already devoured and yet it was still probably the size of her head.

"Gethro's." Boscha answered as she plucked another of Luz's fries before leaning back into her seat, a confident smirk on her face as Luz was once again caught off guard and unable to stop her.

Ignoring the blatant theft of her food, Luz was still dumbfounded that some places would serve live food, though again it could just be the both of them messing with her. It was soon after they had left the clothing store that Wrath had pulled her aside and explained that Boscha was aware of her being human, and quickly explained that she was going to keep it secret and not worry. That was followed by a small anxiety attack and Wrath assuring her that the blame for Boscha finding out was equally his and that they would both work on making sure the situation didn't have a repeat in the future.

Thankfully her new outfit had a hood and was MUCH thinner than the cloak that Wrath had given her, so Luz was able to hide her ears in comfort this time, plus the clothes were actually pretty comfortable despite this being the first time they were being worn, with almost no stiffness at all. Luz wanted to say it was magic, but at the same time she didn't just want to say that was the cause of everything; it could just be that the people who made them were talented.

Still after they had left Skin N' Linen the trio had decided to grab food, which led to Boscha pulling the both of them to a place about three minutes away. It was both comical and incredibly awkward to see Wrath being pulled by his hand by someone four to five times smaller than him, and actually following without resistance.

When Boscha had led them towards a building that looked like it could fall down at any moment Luz was hesitant to go inside, but when Wrath had caught sight of it, he had expressed his own eagerness to go inside. That at least made her feel more confident that if the building did collapse, she had Wrath to hide under, since she doubted wood falling on top of him would do much harm.

Despite her earlier assumptions of Boscha being a 'mean girl' she was actually a good conversationalist, and Luz found it endearing to how enthralled she could get when talking about Grudgby. When she had described the sport to her, Luz saw it as a mish mash of a basketball field, with the playstyle of football and soccer, with no holds barred on what magic could be used so long as it wasn't lethal. Boscha had stressed that last part as the only rules in regard to magic limitation were no maiming and no killing, anything else was fair game unless specified otherwise by 'house rules'. Boscha had described that she had suffered burns on both her arms and chest from getting scorched by a fireball spell and said that it took two weeks of daily treatment to get them healed.

Apparently, that was considered tame for sports injuries here, Luz didn't know if she should feel scared and worried because that was considered a normal injury or impressed that Boscha described getting burns as not a bother since she still did her normal daily routines except practice while she was healing.

"That seems... dangerous." Luz said when Boscha had just finished describing the last game she and her team, the 'Hexside Banshees', had been in against their rival school team the 'Glandus Giants' where she and her team had won by sixty-three points.

Luz found it hard not to listen intently as Boscha described in detail how she had led her team to victory and triumphed over the opponent's team, from the brute force tactics she had employed to the sneaky usage of magic to land the final few points needed to eke out the sixty-point lead.

Boscha snickered as she saw the look on Luz's face, "Trust me being used as a makeshift cannonball while being on fire loses its intimidation after the second time." Luz may have imagined it, but she could swear there was small stream of smoke coming from behind Boscha, but as soon as she blinked it was gone.

"But... you were on FIRE! How does that lose its intimidation, how are you this nonchalant about it?" Luz asked as Boscha just shrugged her shoulders in response before throwing another fry in her mouth, an impassive expression on her face as she reclined in her chair.

"You learn to go with it, plus I started putting on an obscene amount of 'Fire Block' before matches." To prove her point Boscha drew a yellow circle in the air and a bottle of orange red liquid with green, purple spots floating in it fell into her hand; a piece of tape with 'Fire Block' written on it acted as a label.

Wrath narrowed his eyes at the bottle, "Isn't that stuff ridiculously expensive?" he asked with skepticism and what would have amounted to a raised eyebrow, if he had any facial hair or hair to speak of in general.

Luz would later learn that his particular species of demon were hairless, which would also make her question what he used all the bottles of the Boiling Isle's equivalent of conditioner for, if not hair.

Boscha vanished the bottle with a puff of yellow smoke and leaned back in her chair. "My family has money; I get an allowance. It's not a crime." Her tone was snarky, and Luz could see Wrath getting irritated at the attitude, and quickly tried to change the subject.

"Hey, sooooo... what was your most recent game like?" It may have been obvious what she was doing, but if she could take Wrath's ire off of Boscha and hear about another one of her games, then she would do it a thousand times over.


When she first put the pieces together Boscha found it difficult to keep her own reaction to the discovery under wraps, after all Humans were the stuff of myths and legends on the Isles with just basic knowledge of them being all anyone had to go off of. Sure, she may have nicked the occasional piece of Human Junk from the Appreciation Society, not like their leader made it difficult when he was so small and scrawny.

Sure, most of it was damaged from the Boiling Sea and the images and texts ruined beyond comprehension, even to those of the Oracle Track, but nonetheless it was... fascinating all the same when they were legible.

Yes, most of the Isles and the Demon Realm as a whole were aware of worlds beyond their own, after all most Oracle Coven members would routinely summon entities from the Spirit Realm for a variety of reasons, and in tales of old a handful of Humans had made their way to the Demon Realm.

Then to realize you'd been sitting next to something that was just as rare as a Magicless Witch, if not rarer, it was... exhilarating in a sense. After all the signs were all there when she thought back to it, mainly the odd fascination in watching her do magic which was an everywhere occurrence and nothing special, but the final piece was her seeing through that illusion spell.

She had learned to spot through most of them with how often the Leader of the Human Appreciation Society used them in front of her, and she'd deny it to the Bottom of the Sea if anyone ever repeated it, but the kid was one of the best Illusionists she had ever seen. Something she didn't say lightly with having an older cousin and grandfather in the Illusion Coven and seeing their extravagant demonstrations that bordered on actual Conjuration.

So, it was relatively easy to see through the fake ears when they took off their cloak after talking with the Conformitorium Warden, which was another thing that snagged her interest when she realized it. It was much easier to figure him out since there weren't many Witches or Demons who matched the description of the Infamous Warden, she was willing to bet the only reason no one has done anything to him yet was out of sheer fear.

Boscha was willing to concede that for all her Grudgby injuries and experiences, of which included being eaten by a giant Mole Squid and having to burst through its eye; she struggled to keep her composure when the Warden had glared at her briefly.

There was a reason why she kept her groups antics mostly legal and harmless, and it was sitting but a few feet away from her having lunch. She had seen him on occasion be required to bring in a dangerous criminal or someone high profile who had been found doing illegal activities, that was why she kept herself limited to being a general nuisance to people and nothing more; especially when she had seen him fight in the Bonesborough Brawl the last three years.

Why he had become protective over a human, and how said human found themselves in his care was something Boscha wanted to ask but decided against it, she had just met them and knew if she slipped up, she'd lose out on having a human companion. She wouldn't lie and say that she cared about the human, by all regards they were just a magicless witch that came from a different realm, but she couldn't let the chance to have someone as exotic and rare as a human as her acquaintance.

Her Moms would be so jealous if she could tell them, but with the Wardens warning still fresh in her mind from earlier, she knew that would be an almost certain death sentence.

Surprisingly as annoying as they were on the Beetle Bus, they were at least not as insufferable as half the Hexside population. The constant praise could get annoying very quickly when it was obviously just them trying to cozy up to her for her popularity, that was why she only let Skara and the others stay in her group, they at least knew each other from childhood.

Plus, it was refreshing receiving actual praise from someone who was actually amazed by her achievements, as they should be after all.

"So, what kind of sports do you have back 'home'?" Boscha asked as she leaned over the table and rested her head in her hands, looking up at Luz who was taken aback. "Got anything as exciting as Grudgby?"

Though flustered at Boscha's antics Luz was able to realize what she meant by 'Home', obviously they couldn't just outright talk about her being human and being from the Human Realm since anyone who was eavesdropping would pick up on that.

It was obvious that Luz didn't know how to answer, really any sport would pale in comparison to what Boscha had described, in both the spectacle and adrenaline rush. Still, she would do her best to answer Boscha's question, that was what friends do right, do their best for whatever they ask of each other.

Boscha would kill anyone who dared spread what happened next, but she found herself relaxing as Luz went into detail on various Human Realm sports, she especially liked the one called "Football" that seemed to involve the player slamming into each other at high speeds.

Maybe humans weren't so weak without magic after all, if they could make a sport that sounded that appealing then they must have something right going for them.


As much as he enjoyed the day out in Bonesborough with the Human and their new Witch friend, all to soon did Wrath realize that it was time to move on. He had given Boscha his Crow Sign before she left them, saying that she had to leave for her home as well; still he knew that Luz would more than likely want to see her again in the future. Maybe with any luck they could also befriend the younger Blight that Bracky spoke so fondly of... oh well, that would be farther down the road.

He had to admit that they hid it well, but for someone like him who had to grow used to spotting the most minute of 'tells' whenever he was required to 'interrogate' someone, her apprehension to some things was all too obvious. Be it a small twitch of her arms into a tense defensive stance and the tightening of her fists, to clinging tightly to his leg in the crowds as they made their way back towards his home, all the way to her shaking whenever they closely passed by a Guard patrol.

He knew the reason for that last one, something he would need to rectify as soon as possible; it was obvious that interacting with the Guards was going to be a common event for them given his position as Warden.

'Guess my library card will finally get some use.' Wrath mused as he realized he was probably going to have to pick up a book or two on how to assist someone with trauma.

He could worry about that later, right now he needed to make sure the two of them were in no danger. Rather than take the Beetle Bus again, Wrath had decided to use the Worm Way system, it wasn't as fast but on the plus side they would be going straight to the outskirts and back within walking distance of his home. If his timing was right, they would be back before sundown and just before Bracky would be getting home, the only issue now was making sure no one on the Worm Way got too... handsy.

For all the chaos that a ride on the Beetle Bus was, the chaos in itself was a sort of security system, with everyone not heavy enough or holding on tight enough flying around, no one would be able to pick pocket or steal anything without putting themselves at risk of joining the crowd.

As it stood now, he was having to make sure no one got too close, his size was an excellent deterrent as well as his fearsome visage. Looking down at Luz he saw they were still holding onto his cloak, and the hood of their new outfit was drawn over their face as far as it would go, it seemed he would have to help them much sooner than he thought.

The Worm Way was at least more relaxing than the Beetle Bus, being a carriage pulled through a series of tunnels underground, dug by the Mole Worms that lived in them for years until recently when the Beast Keeping Coven domesticated several of them and trained them to pull the carriages between points. The only reason it wasn't widespread farther than it was, was the fear of weakening the ground to the point of collapsing from the weight of everything built on the surface. A very real concern when it was rumored that during the early years of the Savage Ages a Wild Witch tried to create a tunnel network throughout the left leg to move their servants undetected and ended up causing it to sink into the Boiling Sea. As such the Emperor was very intent on making sure such an event was never repeated and heavily regulated all activities that involved tunneling or mining operations, and routinely had the Construction and Plant Covens make sure the ground was at little risk of collapsing.

Wrath stopped himself from physically grimacing as he thought about the betrayal of the Golden Guard yet again, the image of the Emperor entombed within the throne room of his own palace and clinging to life had been the hardest thing he had witnessed. He doubted the smell of burning powder and blood would leave him for years, even now he could taste the ash and gore on his tongue, his hands still felt scarred from digging through the rubble.

Truthfully as much as he despised the infernal gremlin that was Kikimora, she was deadly effective at her job and had managed to keep the news of what had happened contained until a proper response could be found. The end result was Lady Lilith taking temporary command until the Emperor had regained consciousness and taken over the administrative duties, and as soon as Coven Head Mavilda was done healing him, he would back to full duties.

Even if Wrath had needed to take up a portion of the paperwork duties, he took solace in the fact that the Emperor would be back to his true glory soon enough, and he himself would take pleasure in dragging that traitorous welp before him for judgment.

For now though... for now he would be content making sure the human was cared for and ready for the future meeting with the Emperor, and then he would hunt down the Golden Brat with merciless dedication; of that he and Kikimora found agreement in.

Looking down at Luz he could faintly make out the sounds of muttering under their breath. "How are you holding up?" He asked Luz as he noticed they had relaxed their grip on his cloak as well.

"I... I think I'm ok."


Luz didn't expect there to be electricity in the demon realm, in a world that seemed to be brimming with magic the concept of modern technology seemed to out there to be included. Instead, there were either crystals that would glow with different levels of light, or torches and candles to provide light whenever the sun went down.

She had curled up on the bed in the room she had been given, illuminated only by the pale light of the moon through the windows, and the small glow given off by her phone. There was no new message from her mother, yet she still saw the last one she had sent had gone through, she held out hope that her mom would see it and respond. It may have been a futile hope, but it was hope nonetheless, and to her... it was one of the few things that was able to keep her going.

As she typed out another message on the screen, she contemplated on what she should include, after all it wouldn't make sense if she said that she had gone clothe shopping if her mother still thought she was at the summer camp.

'I can tell her i made a friend... right?' Luz still wasn't sure if Boscha was a friend yet, as much as it hurt to admit her Mami was right when she asked if she had any friends that weren't drawn, made up, or online only.

It was that reason why she had tried her best to make Bosha her friend, the only problem was that she had no idea if she was doing it right. It wasn't like she could just ask how she was supposed to make friends, and there wasn't a book on the subject... she didn't think there was one.

It seemed like she had been doing something right though, after they had left the clothing store Boscha had seemed to be less agitated, most likely from being able to clean off the gunk that had splattered over her on the Beetle Bus.

Idly Luz typed out how the camp had taken them on a trip to a different location and the ride had been super bumpy, going on trips was a normal things summer camps did... wasn't it?

Boscha had been willing to answer all of Luz's questions when she asked them, and her fascination with magic hadn't off put her in the least; she hadn't even seen Boscha give a look of disgust or annoyance at her during their time together. Was it strange how it was someone from a place literally called 'The Demon Realm' that seemed to treat her better on the first day they met than most kids she had known since Elementary school.

Sure, she was admittedly... rude when they first met, but it was clear that she was just having a bad day and getting gunk splashed all over her didn't help. It was when they were clothes shopping that Luz had seen what Boscha was actually like, she had taken the time to tailor the outfits she was picking out for Luz specifically and had taught her more about fashion than she thought existed.

If Boscha was going to be the first person outside of Wrath she could befriend then she had no complaints, even for all of the snark, subdued egotism, and the short fuse that she had... Luz would still take her as her first friend.

Luz stamped down the mental laughter of the Owl Lady that rang in her ears, her grip tightening on her phone to such a degree she was worried it might break.

Shaking away the lingering dregs of the Owl Lady's laughter Luz focused back on the message she was typing, releasing a heavy breath as her anger subsided.

She didn't want to admit it, but she had realized that she had been... afraid to try and befriend Boscha in hindsight, despite her desire in the moment there had been a lingering sense of aversion. Luz knew why, no matter how much she didn't wish to admit it, it was that when she had looked at Boscha at one point she didn't see the pink haired triclops... she had seen the grey maned Owl Lady.

Luz wasn't sure why it had only happened with Boscha as it had never happened with Wrath, Mavilda, or any of the other people that she had seen. Maybe she could talk to Wrath about it sometime, but it was clear that he was busy when they got back to his house, going as far as to ask her to not disturb him unless it was an emergency.

His entire demeanor had changed when his Crow Phone had begun squawking on the Worm Way and he had placed it close to his ear. Luz couldn't make out the voice on the other end, aside from the fact it sounded feminine, but she could hear the tension in Wrath's voice as he explained he couldn't talk at the moment; almost as if he was afraid of who was on the other side.

She knew there were people above him, there was an Emperor after all, and there was also whoever had been there that morning, as Wrath had explained a tiny bit about his outburst that morning. Specifically, that the little ball of deep voiced adorableness had been threatened by one of his higher ups that he had no power to do anything against, and he had let his anger get the better of him afterward.

It did help alleviate her worry that he wouldn't use his overwhelming strength to crush her, but it still made her worry about what would happen if the situation repeated itself. She would take what little solace she could get though, and it was comforting to be around him during the day, he was like a giant security blanket that could fight anything or one that threatened her.

The more she thought about it the more she could... understand him, in a strange sort of way. She had seen a small taste of what dangers there were on the Isle's, the giant Octopus monster in that disgusting and grotesque puss river, the dust storms that were commonplace all over the Isle's and liable to kill those who didn't know how to navigate them, and even the Owl lady. That one was what she had been mulling over for a while since she had gotten back and sequestered herself in the room, she had always dreamed and fantasized about what it would be like for magic to actually be real. To be able to go on a fantastical quest just as Azura and so many other Witches and heroes had done, and yet the first hour after she had found herself in the realm that offered her everything, she desired she had been... betrayed, no, no not betrayed. Betrayal would imply that the Owl lady had ever been a friend to her, it was obvious in hindsight that the woman was just using her for her own ends, a mistake Luz was not going to make again.

The Boiling Isles were rough, deadly, and as Wrath had mentioned when she asked, protected by a combination of the Conformitorium Guard and the Emperors Coven Scouts, in short it was an everyday fight for survival. Even Boscha had said much the same, things that seemed dangerous, deadly, and harmful to her and probably the rest of humankind, just seemed normal, commonplace, and accepted in the Boiling Isles.

That was probably why Wrath was as... violent as he was, you would need to be strong and tough to survive here... she was neither of those things.

She was foolish enough to be tricked by the Owl Lady, weak enough to be injured in the Conformatorium, being knocked out for several days and required medical assistance for much of it, and to top it off she could barely look at anyone with a regular human face and not see the pale white visage of the Owl Lady.

The tears pricked themselves from her eyes, not many of them but enough for two small streams to wet down her cheeks, and she made no move to wipe them. She read through what she had written, re read it, and then for good measure she re read it again before pressing the button to send it, wetting her thumb from the liquid that had spilled down from her face and onto her phone screen.

She turned her phone off after that, leaving only the pale illumination from outside as the only source of light for her now, otherwise enshrouded by the darkness around her.

It was calming in a way, so long as she didn't think about what 'could be' in the darkness, she managed to focus on what she knew wasn't in the darkness. Even when Luz was younger, she had only wanted a night light because she thought they looked cool, as she had never had a fear of the dark.

Her head hit the pillow, now realizing that it had a strange sort of scaly leather texture, like someone had made the casing of it from snakeskin. Fatigue slowly began to consume her as her eye lids became heavy, with only one thought permeating her mind before she lost consciousness and descended into slumber.

'I will be strong'


"What in Titan's name were you thinking Warden!" Kikimora shrieked at him from the image projected by the Crystal Ball on his desk, her voice loud enough to rattle the various assorted items he had placed on top of it.

When he and the Human had gotten back to his home, and he ensured Braxus had made it home safely he had told the both of them that he was not to be disturbed the rest of the night. The call he had gotten on the Worm Way was from one of Kikimora's personal guard, a captain whose name had escaped him at the moment, informing him that an emergency meeting had been called that he needed to attend.

He was surprised he was able to stay as calm as he was, maybe having others who could understand his pain made it easier as this time there were more than just him and the gremlin.

Lady Lilith was present, another form projected by the Crystal Ball, dressed in her Head Witch uniform and glaring at Kikimora.

Also present were Radamus and Darius, the Oracle and Abomination Coven Heads, both of whom were also dressed in their Head Witch robes.

"I was helping them acclimate to life on the Isles, as I said I would." He was confident, Wrath knew that right now he held the leash to the Manticore, and as much power as Kikimora held; she was nothing against three Coven Heads with the Emperors Coven head included.

Her eye was narrowed into a slit, so much so that Wrath had to suppress a tremor even through the image. "That is no excuse for taking 'It' out into Bonesborough, what if they had run off and attacked someone. What if someone had discovered their identity and caused an uproar, I'm already working twice as hard to suppress rumors surrounding the Human Sales Associate of the Owl Lady." She said, voice ripping with the deadliest of venoms, holding nothing but contempt for him.

Before he could make a response, Wrath heard Lady Lilith clear her throat and brought the attention of those present to her. "While certainly Wrath could have done with more, 'decorum' on his outing, I find nothing more to chastise him over." Hmph, he could read between the lines, he knew that she and him weren't on the greatest of terms, but she and kikimora were on even worse.

Darius spoke next, in his ever-disinterested tone as though he'd rather have been somewhere else, "I concur, while I have no desire to associate with this 'human', I see no issue with allowing them to experience the luxuries of our society," He proceeded to smooth out his shoulder cape, as his image appeared to recline in a chair. "I know I most certainly do."

Wrath suppressed a chuckle as he saw Kikimora's ire shift from him to Lilith and Darius, "It was a security risk, and I will NOT allow for another traitor to infiltrate our midst." Her hair had shot up for a brief moment, revealing her heterochromia for the briefest moment before falling back down; neither Lilith nor Darius were fazed by it.

Lilith motioned for Kikimora to stay quiet before she spoke again, "It is hardly fair to place the blame of the Golden Guards betrayal on Warden Wrath, next to us he was the Emperor's most trusted confidante." Her words were spoken kindly and with an even tone, yet Wrath knew that Lady Lilith was the most dangerous of those present. ""We can hardly fault ourselves for the betrayal aside from the fact we should have seen it coming, but nothing we do can change the past, and it is best not to allow the past to taint our future."

No matter how many times he saw it, Wrath was always amazed at how much beyond her years Lady Lilith was, it was no wonder that she was the youngest leader of the Emperors Coven in history.

The sound of talons ripping into wood rang through his office as he was sure Kikimora was shredding whatever happened to be in front of her, the barest hint of a snarl visible from between her high collar. "How convenient for you to say, considering you have yet again failed to apprehend the Owl Lady." She spat with the barely contained contempt, the fingers of her hair reeling slowly upwards like a serpent ready to strike.

Before Lilith could respond, Darius spoke before she did. "Before this meeting devolves into the two of you squabbling like witchlings again, can we please get back to the matter at hand." He said while wiping something from his shoulder and the smoothing out the abomination matter that made up his hair.

It was at this point that Radamus decided to speak for the first time, his voice sounding hollow and wispy, like wind blowing through a dry cave. "I must agree, though I am only here for security purposes, I do not need Oracle magic to foresee where the two of you arguing will lead."

After a few moments Kikimora backed down as her hair returned to normal and Lilith gave a 'hmph' in response, Wrath was glad for that as he too wanted this to be over with as tomorrow, he would be heading back to the Conformatorium and it was already getting late.

Kikimora gave a small growl, but otherwise was back on topic. "I suppose you are right Radamus, now then as I was explaining previously, I have been informed by Head Healer Mavilda that our Emperor has made rapid progress in his recovery," He had? That was wonderful news indeed, Wrath could even see Lady Lilith lose her composure for a brief moment and Darius give a face of shock and awe. "She estimates that within one week's time our glorious leader will be able to leave bedrest, and should we all do our part in protecting him," she stopped to draw a breath, her voice having been getting higher as she spoke and her once snarling behavior gave way to what Wrath could only describe as her 'fan' behavior. "He shall be fully recovered in one month's time!"

Despite his earlier agitation at being called this late for an emergency meeting, Wrath now felt like it was worth it, the knowledge that the Emperor would be back to his full strength in a month was the best news they had received since the successful raid on a BAT hideout.

"I trust we all know what we must do." It wasn't a question, nor was it a statement, it was a declaration. A declaration that they would not fail their Emperor again, that the betrayal that was allowed to occur under their watch would never again be allowed to happen.

With a new sense of renewed vigor, Wrath was the first to speak. "Consider security at the Conformatorium and Guard Patrols around the isles doubled." His men may protest at first, but they would obey in the end, especially when he told them of the Emperors return.

It was Lilith who spoke next, her eyes hardening to a cold, deep emerald shade. "The Emperors Coven will support this action, a Company of Scouts will be provided for your use Warden. I trust you to use them well."

He would, as much as he and the upper guards of the Conformatorium would complain about the Scouts offloading the dangerous Wild Demons they captured onto them, they were near unrivaled when it came to combat. To have a Company under his command would allow him to further increase the efficiency of his patrols, more so with the Scouts ability to use all types of magic... they would have a greater chance of apprehending the Owl Lady then his guards.

Darius who had recovered from his shock at the news then decided to speak up. "The Abomination Coven fully supports this action, if any assistance can be rendered, we are there." His voice had hardened to steel, something Wrath was able to respect as he had sparred with Darius on more than one occasion and knew that despite his laidback attitude, he was anything but.

"The Oracle Coven offers it's full support as well." Radamas croaked as his voice sounded more like the yawn of a giant beast, mixed with a forceful breeze through a forest of rustling leaves. His tired eyes remaining as such, but now they appeared to suck in their surroundings and draw all attention to them, giving his orbs the feeling of power that could see through your soul.

Kikimora spoke again, her tone one of pride as her hands were clasped behind her back. "Your loyalty here today shall not go unnoticed, I am honored to consider you all my comrades," Even if those present knew it was an empty platitude, they would not voice it right now for it was not the time. "I believe we are all aware of what we must do yes. Then let us depart so we may carry out our Lords will."

Slowly but surely the images fizzled from existence like rippling water, the light that was emanating from the Crystal Ball on his desk died down as the swirling insides calmed. Wrath reclined for a moment in his chair, his muscles were tensed to such a degree he could see the segmentation on his arms.

Was it true that the Emperor would return so soon, it was all anyone could hope for and yet, something was unnerving about the situation; his instincts honed through years of fighting and being Warden were nagging at him. He knew he wasn't paranoid, but he had learned long ago to trust his instincts both learned and inherent, and right now it felt like they were warning him of an impending storm.

Perhaps he was wrong, and his instincts were just acting up about something else, maybe he should still see an Oracles just to be sure.

"Haaaah," Wrath let out a long-drawn-out breath, thankfully relieving some of the tension that had built up. "I need to go ahead and inform the departments of the increased workload..."

Wrath paused as he reached for his Crow Phone which was perched on his desk and nibbling from a small bowl of dead insects, stopping and looking at his paused outstretched hand and tilting its head to the side.

Pulling himself up from his chair Wrath could feel the steam escaping from his throat, a growl accompanying the action and reverberating through the room.

"You must either be incredibly foolish," His arm reeled back, and his hand twisted into a spiked mace as and his forearm quickly became malleable itself. "Or have a death wish to break into my home."

His hand shot foreword towards the corner of his office, stopping it and stiffening his arm just before it impacted the wall; Shifting the mace into an axe and following the figure he had seen drop to the ground and crawl away.

The air shimmered and twisted as a humanoid figure crawled along the floor and narrowly rolled out of the way of his axe as it slammed into the ground.

'So, this is what they were trying to tell me,' Wrath growled internally as he leapt over his desk and slammed his other hand into the ground where he had seen the distortion last was. 'A spy for a rebel group, or an assassin?'

He internally cursed himself for being careless in his own home, if they had managed to get into his office in the basement after getting through both the outside and inside security system then they clearly weren't to be underestimated.

He felt something crawl onto his upper back, readying to slam his back into the wall they spoke. "Honestly Wrathy you must be getting rusty if it took you that long to notice me." The person said in a jovial tone, their voice high and giggly as they whispered in his ear.

Immediately Wrath froze, his body was still tensed but slowly relaxed as his arms returned to their normal state, now glad that he hadn't decided to use his fire breath to deal with the intruder.

"You should know better than to break into my home by now Etchur," he said flatly as he felt the person on his back jump off, followed by the tinkling of an assortment of small bells. "Especially given the current situation."

The air shimmered in front of him as the person revealed themselves, they came up to just below upper chest; and were dressed in a jester's outfit of many colors. Long light blue sleeves and a dark blue chest, with orange ribbons wrapped around them and a small bell hanging from a thin piece of thread on each one. A three-pointed jester hat of swirling purple, white, and blue sat on top of their head with yet more bells hanging from each point, with crakows of the same color on their feet and a bell on the tip.

Their face was nothing but a white sphere with only two emeralds in place of their eyes, and a mouth stretched into an ear-to-ear grin with dozens of tiny razor-sharp teeth gleaming from beneath their lips. From behind them one could barely make out a long rolled up tongue that would periodically break free and run over every tooth, occasionally the sound a rattle could faintly be heard with its movements.

They brought their hands to their mouth, the limb being nothing but solid black that blended into the shadows of the room. "Come now Ray Ray, it's only a little fun," they said pouting as they slithered over and wrapped an arm around Wraths chest and made circles into it with their other one. "Besides I knew you would never hurt me." With every movement of their hand the bells on their wrist would chime.

Wrath could do nothing but let out a sigh as they burst out laughing and fell down on the floor rolling around. "This is one of the times I want to." He said dejectedly as he waited for them to stop and did his best to not let the constant jingling from the bells bother him.

They stopped laughing as they leapt from the floor and once again slithered, or whatever it is they did that allowed them to move that fast, this time sitting on Wraths outstretched arm like a bird on a post.

"Aw, if you keep that up, you'll hurt my feelings," they said rocking back and forth before falling backwards and rolling like a wheel to Wrath's other side and taking rest on his shoulder. "Say it again, I haven't had my feelings hurt enough lately." Strangely the bells made no sounds with this set of movements, in fact if one were to look closely, they would see they weren't even moving and were just staying still suspended from their strings.

The response Wrath gave was using his opposite hand to swat down on his shoulder, and just as he expected they were long gone and back in front of him, the emeralds in place of their eyes having thinned and contorted as though they were narrowed and not a piece of crystal.

"Tut tut, Wrathy Wathy, you could have seriously hurt me like that you know." They said waving a long black digit in front of his face before crossing their arms and making a 'hmph' sound.

Wrath did the same as he looked down at them, "That was the point Etchur." He said plainly as though it was obvious the reason, his glowing white orbs too were narrowed down and meeting the Emeralds opposite them.

The person, Etchur's, face morphed into a grin as he began manically chuckling, though instead of overexaggerated movements he stayed perfectly still. "You'd hurt me even though I come bearing gifts?" He moved one of his fingers and something fell down from it, a small blue diamond on a chain necklace, gold lines cocooning the stone in a spiderweb pattern.

The two of them stared at each other again, with neither giving the other any ground or willing to back down in return, the air tense enough that it would suffocate any lesser being.

Both of them started laughing as Wrath clutched his sides, and Etchur had fallen onto his back and laughing at the top of his lungs while banging one of his fists on the floor. "HAH! You really had me going for a moment there Wrath," he said standing up, the internal struggle to contain his laughter preset as his cheeks were more akin to boiling water; with actual steam rising from them as well. "You been practicing without me, or am I losing my touch," His body froze up as the gemstones that were his eyes became wider and sunk into the white orb of his head. "Wait am I losing my touch, I can't be losing my touch, Wrath help me I'm losing my touch!" He said frantically as he grabbed onto Wraths shirt and looked up at him with pleading eyes, as pleading as solid emerald could be.

His shoulders slumped as Wrath let out a sigh and just plucked the person off of his chest, "Quit being so melodramatic, the day you lose your touch is the day I let all the prisoners out of the Conformitorium." Wrath said flatly as he sat Etchur down on the ground, who was busy wiping nonexistent tears from beneath his eyes.

"Is that so..." Etchur said mischievously as his mouth once gin split hi face into an ear-to-ear grin. "Oh no! Wrath help me please, I've lost my touch!" He cried as he fell down to his knees, holding up his hands, the bells once again chiming with every movement.

Or rather the stumps where his hands once were as his digits had fallen off when he fell to his knees, sliding right off of his arms and now laying on the ground. There was no blood, no gore, just a clean slice where the wrists would meet the hands with nothing but solid black being seen.

Wrath just let out a deep breath through his nose, resisting the urge to slap his face or throw his uninvited guest through the wall. "Can you please stop the theatrics and just hand me the Concealment Stone already." He asked impatiently, finally deciding on crossing his arms and glaring at his guest.

They pouted as their shoulders slumped and held their hand out, the gemstone held between their ebony claws, "FINE, ruin my fun why don't you." Etchur said as Wrath wordlessly plucked the stone from his hand and rolled it between two of his fingers.

"Impeccable quality as always Etch, I seriously have no idea how you can make them this pure while keeping them low strength." Wrath said as he looked at the light reflecting from inside the cyan colored gem, even in the moodish lightling of his office the gem seemed like it was being lit by the sun itself, yet it gave off no light of it own.

Etchur laughed as he looked over Wrath's shoulder, nuzzling his leathery head with his own briefly. "What can I say Wrath, Illusions are kind of my thing," Wrath wasn't surprised when he went to swat him off his shoulder, only to find nothing again. "You know, Illusion Coven Head and all."

When Wrath looked back down Etchur had changed, where instead of a white sphere with emerald eyes and razor teeth, there was just a typical face with light blue hair and solid navy-blue eyes; dressed in the cloak of the illusionist coven.

Wrath was unfazed however, as he was well aware of Etchur's tendency to change his appearance on a whim, even now he knew that what he was looking at wasn't his actual appearance. Rumor had it that only the Emperor had ever seen his true face, and that was during his induction ceremony when he ascended to Coven Head. No matter how many time's people had asked him Etchur had always said that it was an Illusionists duty to always have one on themselves at all times.

Wrath placed the stone in one of his tunic's pockets, before walking over to his desk and sitting in his office chair. "So, what brings you here this late," Wrath asked as he poured himself a glass of water from a pitcher he kept on his desk, "Because I know you aren't the surprise social visit type."

Etchur reclined on his own chair, a simple wooden one that had appeared out of thin air as he fell down into it. "Can't I just swing by and say hi to the guy who owes me twenty snails for Skull B'roll." He asked as he tipped his chair back using his feet resting on Wrath's desk, rather than an actual foot they were more akin to Griffin Talons; however, they left no marks or scratch as they clutched onto the wood.

Wrath sighed as he just grabbed the pitcher and drank the entire thing, rather than the glass he had poured. "We agreed it would be double or nothing for the next game." Setting the pitcher down, Wrath took a handkerchief and wiped a stray stream of water that was rolling down his face; it was always annoying whenever it fell onto his tunic and ruined the material when his natural body heat made it evaporate.

Etchur giggled behind his hands as he twirled a 'snail coin' between his fingers, "And tell me Wrathy when has that ever worked out for you?" He asked as he flipped the coin in the air, it fizzling out of existence with a small burst of blue smoke.

Wrath hung his head down as he recalled all the times he and the others had tried to double or nothing Etchur at Skull B'Roll, "Never," ever since they had started playing Etchur had managed to beat them all every time they played, with Steve being the closest one to catch up to him at one point... for about half the game until Etchur demolished them all by scoring perfect rounds the rest of the game. "Regardless, why are you actually here."

Etchur chuckled as he put his feet down and leaned across Wrath's desk, his eyes thinning into slits as they pulsed in a steady rhythm, "Well I happened to hear on the Grape Vine that you went ahead and got yourself a new house guest," His tone was mocking as it often was, and Wrath had come to learn that when he wasn't being overly theatrical that mocking was his regular tone of voice; just like annoying gremlin screech was Kikimora's. "A house guest that a little, oh how shall I politely say this? 'Round' around the ears."

Wrath exhaled deeply as Etchur leant back into his chair and started giggling again, "And I happen to remember being the one to tell you what they were when I asked for the Concealment Stone." He had contacted Etchur when he decided to take the human on as his ward for duration of their stay in the isles, and despite his attitude and behaviors Etchur was at least able to keep a secret when needed.

Etchur's laughter stopped as shifted in his seat and was now laying across the arms with his head and legs dangling off of it, "Eh, selective memorial amnesia, you know how it is." He reached into his robe and pulled out a regular bell rather than the ones that were on his outfit before, jingling it back and forth in front of his face and occasionally swatting it with his other hand.

Quickly growing tired of his consistent antics, and still having much he had to do in order to prepare or the Emperors return, Wrath decided to finish this meeting as soon as possible. "Speaking of your poor memory, I also need the-"

"Ownership and Permit papers for one low grade, class Elhaz Concealment Stone, forged and marked by one Etchur Kafe Dull-Bless the most prestigious, illustrious, and wonderous Seventeenth head of the Illusionist Coven." Etchur said as he stood up and kept popping up in different places just outside of Wrath's vision and placing paper after paper in one stack on his desk. "And here is said stone." He finished cheekily as he was currently suspended upside down from a support beam on the ceiling.

Wrath idly ran a finger over his pocket and noticed the absence of weight and presence of the stone he had put in there; he swore that one day he would finally catch Etchur in the act whenever he pickpocketed him.

"Appreciated, trust me this helps out a great deal." Wrath said as he once again pocketed the stone and placed the papers into a folder for later, he would be sure to give the stone to Luz in the morning; after making sure they were aware of the immense responsibility that owning a Concealment Stone was. A low grade one like Wrath had just pocketed would only alter a Witch's features to a minor degree, changing hair, eye, and skin color; but the higher-grade ones could change a person's entire appearance down to whether they were a Demon or Witch and making it difficult for anyone who wasn't skilled in seeing through illusion magic to see through them.

That was the main reason why the Illusionist Coven heavily regulated their creation and use, with it often taking a full year just for the background screening process to complete; the main reason Wrath was able to get one like this was because of his position as Warden and his relationship with the Illusionist Coven Head.

Etchur chuckled again as he downed the glass of water that Wrath had originally filled on his desk, "Well anything to get back at the tiny red raspberry with a temper." Both occupants chuckling at the statement, even though Wrath had no idea what a raspberry was; he had long grown used to Etchur's odd names and words of things.

Slinking up from his chair Etchur sprawled across Wrath's desk until he was looking at him from underneath his head, "Well Wrathy I'm afraid I must be off now, chup chup cheero and all that other good stuff," Tickling the underside of Wraths chin Etchur sunk into Wrath's desk as he morphed into a black liquid and disappeared as if he was evaporating. "Toodaloo, and see you for Skull B'Roll next fridaaay." With that Etchur left through the door as he appeared from inside of Wrath's wardrobe dresser with one of his Warden Tunic's wrapped around him like a scarf and beak mask lopsidedly placed on his head.

Wrath sighed as he went back to going through the paperwork he was going to work on before Etchur showed up, truth fully despite his eccentric nature there were very few Witches or Demons who could match Etchur in terms of power; even among the other Coven Heads he was in the top five in terms of raw magical strength. That was the main reason why most of the other Coven Heads chose to ignore his antics or him in general, even Wrath would admit that he wouldn't last in a conflict if Etchur took him by surprise as his illusions were some of the greatest the Isle's had ever seen.

Besides at least Etchur was one to clean up after every mess he made, since most destruction he caused were just Illusions anyway, otherwise Wrath would have done his best to strangle him well over a year ago when he came home to find his house infested with Grubbe Worms. They were illusions in the end yes, but the damage to his front door he had caused when he tried to fight them wasn't; at least Etchur had the decency to pay for the damage.

"I can already tell this is going to be a long night." Wrath muttered absent mindedly as he leant back in his chair and listened to the sound of his spine cracking, he really needed to visit a doctor for that sooner or later. He could manipulate his muscles yes, but his bones were not one of the appendages that he could morph at will.

"Well, tomorrow is another day after all."


He could feel it, the churning sensation of the souls trapped within, clawing, ripping, grasping, tearing, earing, stabbing, chewing, biting, shredding, gnashing, crashing, threading, beating, twisting, breaking themselves in an attempt to escape. The pain was eternal, every waking moment an eternity of torment as they tried to free themselves from his being, but they had not succeeded in near half a millennium, and they would not succeed now. They were weak, he was strong, they were small, he was apex, they were prey, and he...

He was the Hunter, their Hunter.

The wooden idol in his hand easily snapped under pressure, his thumb tearing its head clean off and allowing the comforting rush of power to seep into his form, quelling the rising insurrection from within.

He allowed himself but a moment to breath, the relief was short as it always was, the roaring waters calmed but still the waves of their influence crashed against the shore of his will; any lesser man would have long ago given in to the madness. There were times where he himself feared that he would succumb, but he knew he could not, not while he still had his mission to complete; not until 'THEY' were all extinguished down to the last child.

How we would finally be able to truly rest when that day came, not some simple sleep from exhaustion, but when he can finally look out upon the groves of green and allow the spray of the sea to wash over him as reward for fulfilling his duty; only then could he finally rest and be content.

Until then, he would do what he had done for centuries now, ensure that the beasts could not do any more damage than they had already, a task of Samson like proportions that only 'He' could fulfill.

Waving his hand, he could feel the glyphs carved into his skin burn, they always did when he called upon their power; a constant reminder of what he had needed to sacrifice in order to gain this wicked strength. The candles around the room lit, the smoke calming his nerves and further quelling the voices of dissent from inside of him, the aroma reminding him faintly of the time he and his brother had met a wandering spice trader when they were staying at a Port City.

The candles themselves now lit alight as they burned from wick to wood, the melted wax pooling over the surfaces and bubbling still ablaze. How long had it been since he had thought of him, his brother, no now was not the time to reminisce on past deeds; he needed to be careful of his magic usage.

Ever since the Grimwalker had learned of its origins and defected from him, he had been weakened, the explosion near killing him with the rubble almost finishing the task it did not. Even now he could hardly feel his legs apart from that they existed, the metal and fabric of his clothes was nonexistent, and his bones felt like mud and clay. The elder Witch Mavilda had assured him that it would not be long now until he was completely recovered, something of which he was already well aware.

The Collector didn't like it when his playmates were injured and had quickly given him the necessary information on what was needed to make a quick recovery, thankfully he had spare Basilisks made for just such an occasion. The filthy snakes had barely put up any resistance when they had their hearts ripped out, it was only right after all; he had given them life and now it was he who was taking it away.

His chest became heavy, heavier than it always was, not that he could do anything about it; for no medicine could cure it nor could any herb soothe it. Not that he would if there were, this was his punishment to bare, a constant reminder of his purpose and goal; and that to deviate from the destined path was blasphemy of the highest order.

A metallic hum filled the room as the smoke from the burned candles was drawn into the vents, cool air encompassing him in return; he found he quite liked this invention, a gift from the Collector that he would use to its fullest.

Waving his hand again, he felt the burn of the glyphs as a Crystal Ball approached him, stopping just before his chest and levitating in front of him. "Now let us see if you are still hiding from me Hunter." How long had it been since he had heard his voice from outside the mask, a year, or was it two, no it couldn't have been mor e than a year... could it? He had talked to himself as he often did, but now as he listend to it, his voice was more haggard and laboured than he remembered, surley the result of his injuries.

Focusing his intent on his errant Nephew, for despite their origins al of the Grimwalkers were still family, and as such it was his familial responsibility to take care of them, and to discipline them when they misbehaved. The orb rippled and swirled as its innate magic probed the land of the Isle's, refraining from adding his own power as he could already feel 'them' rising again; alas it seemed as though his nephew was still hidden from his all-seeing eyes.

The Owl Lady and her infamous House Demon again, no doubt, he would enjoy the day when she becomes naught but a stain on the pages of history, and her House Demon reduced to firewood would be an added delight.

Still, he could wait, there was no need to rush when his nephew would come to him soon enough, as soon as he learns that his little tantrum failed, he would either come after him again in a foolish attempt to end his life, or he would beg for forgiveness and atonement on his hands and knees. Either way as soon as he was free to create a new Grimwalker, he would ensure that this one did not get the chance to rebel, he'd just need to alter the recipe a tad and add a few ingredients of his own.

He banished the orb as he allowed himself the comfort of being consumed by his plush chair, a creature comfort to be sure, but one that he had come to appreciate in these last few years; and so, he allowed himself this small sin since this was not indulgence just for indulgences sake.

He permitted his gauntlets to slide from his hands and arms, and his cloak to fall, often times he found the items of clothing to be too suffocating and constrictive for his liking, they reminded him too much of... those times. Still, he needed them to ensure his plan would succeed, and the power and protection they granted was nothing to scoff at, said protection being why he was still able to draw breath.

A Faustian Bargain to be sure, as all deals with the Devil were, yet in his heart and soul he knew that when the time came, he would be the one to banish him back to the depths of the burning lake.

A knock from the only door into the room drew his mind from his musings, idly using a small bit of magic to unlock it from his side. The large spruce and gold veined door opened to reveal the matron doctor herself entered, and he suppressed the violent urge that surged through his blood; for all his knowledge of the native pagan arts he was never adept at healing, nor could anyone match the skills that she possessed.

"Is it that time again already." He asked her, rhetorically of course as he was constantly aware of what time it was, an eternal curse for his restless soul; but he still found conversation to be calming, even if it was with a Witch as vile as she.

Her heard her hum as she approached him, a wooden bowl held in her hands with a bubbling red liquid, the steam seeping into his nostrils, he idly noted that it once again held the sweet citrus scent of grapefruit. It was pleasant and refreshing, the closest he could get to once again tasting such a delicious fruit was its scent, for he knew the liquid would be nothing bit bile when consumed by him.

She held the bowl out to him, as she had done every time before and he took it wordlessly, and from her cloak she withdrew another idol and crushed it in her palm; he nearly began to salivate when the energy within mixed with the liquid in his palms. She drew a pouch from her cloak this time and drew a handful of powder from it, dropping it and using a spell circle to mix it into the elixir, the color changing from its vibrant red to a soft pinkish hue.

"It is ready my Emperor." She said owing and stepping back, he had always liked that about her, for she respected his power and obeyed him for it.

He brought the bowl to his lips and savored the scent of citrus once more before it would be gone, a slight tilt and the liquid began to stream into his mouth, the moment it touched his tongue the taste of toxic and decayed flesh washed over his mouth. How he would never forsake the ability to taste things as they truly are should he ever regain that sense, even now it took a large amount of his own self-control to not regurgitate the sludge entering his stomach.

The bowl was now empty, yet the stench remained, it always remained afterwards and for days on end it would be all he could taste or smell. He allowed himself to slouch for just a moment as she took the bowl from him and set it aside, the liquid boiling in his stomach; his ears filled with the screams of those within.

He felt her hand on his forehead, brushing briefly over the mark of decay that marred his face, she was one of the few he allowed to know about it; and now as he thought about it, she was the oldest one to know of it. "Tt tt tt, why must you always hide this handsome face behind that silly mask." Her flirtatious nature was one he would alike to a harpy of myth, he allowed it only because she knew of how far she was allowed to go; it was but her nature that he had long grown accustomed to, and dare he say that he found her voice calming and pleasant.

"You know why my dear lady," His voice was not as labored as earlier, the elixir working its potent magic to heal him again, as much as it could before it would be assimilated into his form and join the cacophic symphony of agony. "They would not accept me as I am, not as you do." Honeyed words perhaps, but they would serve to once again sweeten the relationship between them, he knew that she held feeling for him; even knowing he was human after the incident did not deter her.

Often times he found himself wondering if she had the potential to be saved, to forsake this wicked world and let goodness into heart; maybe then he might allow himself the true warmth of a womans touch again. For now, he could only fantasize about such about such a future, but when the time came, he would give her a choice; from there it would be in the hands of the Weaver of Fate if it was meant to be.

She withdrew her hand, and it vanished within the confines of her cloak again, "How sadly true, though perhaps there is hope for the future." That drew his full attention, her tone of voice was not one of resignation but of genuine hope, he had heard the same tone from himself enough to recognize it.

But for what could cause her to speak in a such a way, this he must know. "And what has caused you such optimism for the future?" He was curious now, for as long as he had known Mavilda personally she was never one for needless optimism, that was part of the reason she was the first and only Head Witch of the healing Coven; she knew who could and couldn't be healed with wisdom far beyond her peers.

He watched as her expression shifted to surprise, perhaps she had not meant for him to hear, but he had long since been able to hear greater than he could long ago, even now in this sealed room he could hear the steps of the twenty guards outside his door, and the others above him in the resting room, numbering fifteen if he was hearing correctly.

A sigh escaped her lips, following it was her explanation. "Kikimora will not like that I am the one to tell it to you." he had to once again suppress the volent urge that consumed him, of course 'she' would be involved; there were few beings he would enjoy the suffering of, even the Witch's and Demons he would not take pleasure in.

Kikimora was one that he would find such enjoyment in making her suffer, even now she only lived because she was useful and effective at ensuring his plan could be completed in ignorance of the wider populace.

He allowed himself to smile and instantly he saw her mood brighten, the slight uptick of her mouth letting him now his actions had worked. "Oh, fear not of her, please I promise I won't tell if you don't." Childish in nature it may have been, but one that was universally understood by all.

Still, she looked conflicted, but eventually he saw her relent. "About a week ago a squad of Conformitorium Guards encountered the Owl Lady in the Bonesborough Under Market, again she was selling items from the Human Realm," Ah so this had something to do with the Owl Lady, did she perhaps have his errant Nephew with her again, he had been spotted with her several times now. "The Owl Lady managed to escape; however they were able to capture someone, who at the time was believed to be an accomplice to her."

The fact she said 'accomplice' and not any variation of Golden Guard, Fugitive, or his Nephew meant that this was an unknown, a new Wild Witch Apprentice? Or maybe she had taken to making her own Grimwalkers with the stolen notes that his Nephew had made off with, mayhaps the answer would be revealed, and he motioned for her to continue.

She seemed... hesitant wasn't the right word, was it aversion or, no was that fear he saw in her now? "This captured person was quickly sent to the Conformatorium and after hours of isolation in a cell was interrogated personally by Warden Wrath."

Ahh yes, that brutish Pliamorph he put in charge of the prison, well at least for a brute he wasn't as simple minded as most of them often were, it was why he was placed in charge of the place after all. Well, he at least knew Wrath would have extracted every bit of information out of this prisoner with ease, even most Wild Witches would crumble and break when faced with his technics, a Demon through and through Wrath was.

"From there it was learned that this captured person was... Human."

His heart stopped, how could it have stopped when it had ceased beating well over a hundred years ago, he palms began to sweat, the first time they had done so in at least two centuries.

He could worry about that later, right now he needed to make sure they were safe and secure, how long had it been since he had heard word of another of his kin traversing the Realms.

If they had ben interrogated by Wrath then were they still alive, were they in good health, that vicious predator could have killed them already and he'd have been none the wiser. The isles were no place for a human unaware of its nature, the slightest misstep could result in death, for even the Witch's feared the land of which they walked, a testament to its danger.

He was held down by her when he tried to get up, "Calm my Emperor, she is safe and unharmed." Her words fell upon his ears, reminding him of his position; he forced himself to calm and his nerves to still.

He let out a hollow breath, his chest aching as it was torn asunder from inside, his momentary lapse and spike of panic had allowed them an opening to exploit, he worked quickly to suppress them once again. "They are... safe?" He needed to know, if there was a chance that another lake had been birthed then he needed to destroy it as soon as possible, after he had sent them back home of course; it would not due for others to be tempted into this vile domain.

A damp cloth was pressed against his head, letting him know that he had begun to sweat and making him acutely aware of his temperature spiking, "Perfectly, Wrath has taken her under his wing for now, you know just how much of a softy he is when it comes to children yes." The relief from the rag was solidified when he heard those words, brutish Wrath was but he was indeed a doting father to his own son, and if he had come to protect this new human then he could think of very few others that could adequately protect them from the horrors of the Isle's.

He waved her away as he stood up, his gauntlets snapping back into place as he did, his cloak slithering back around him to conceal his form. "Is it correct to assume that they will be under the Wardens care for now." Once again, he knew the answer to this question, but he had long since learned that to assume something was the greatest mistake one could make.

She nodded to him as she moved out of his way, "For now Wrath has agreed to take her as his ward, though Kikimora has ordered her brought before you as soon as you recover." Ah there it was again, Kikimora proving her worth and necessitating her continued existence, still perhaps he could throw her a bone so to speak, as a reward for her initiative.

"In that case I will allow Wrath to continue to oversee their safety," His mask was placed upon his face, held out to him by her and easily locking into place, once more he had shed his human skin and donned the form of the feared vanquisher of the Savage Ages. "Order one of our stealth captains to shadow them however, and make sure they are aware of what failure shall bring."

He motioned for the doors to open, the rune work unlocking and letting it slide open, the uniform sound of his guard's making way for him filling his ears. "For now, we proceed as we have, there is work to be done Mavilda," She shadowed him from behind as his elite guard saluted his presence, only his most loyal and devoted were allowed this honor, and only among them were the bet allowed into the bowels of his castle.

As he strode towards his destination, his personal sanctuary which housed his laboratory, he noted that he could feel his legs again, just a small bit; a sign that his recovery was closer to completion.

He knew he could meet this new arrival later; he could not just appear and seek them out, it needed to be perfect if events were to go properly; he could find out how they arrived later as well. Right now, he could feel it again, the throbbing in his skull and the ringing in his ears, a sign that his benefactor once again demanded an audience, the ever-insatiable entity always calling at the most innopertune of times.

How he longed for the day where he would reduce this empire of his to ash, when its people were cleansed and purified, this he once again swore on his name.

Philip Alexander Wittebane