Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in these skirmishes… especially for the one who wants she who cannot be tamed.

~保護者~

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Hello, MelGamingPlays! Don't worry, like I said, the reunion is inevitable. It's just a matter of waiting for it to happen. ;) Well... erm, kinda-sorta. *sweat-drop* Sorry for yet another delay, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!

~保護者~

"The Hunt"

~保護者~

Locating Espio proved to be a less time-consuming task than Sonic expected. Just leave it to Cream to track him down, he supposed. However, though she found the ninja, she didn't bring him to the ship. Instead, she used her mind to call out to those who were already there waiting. "Everyone... you may need to come outside. Something appears to be going on."

Trading looks, Sonic, Shadow, and Tails slowly stood. "...Going on?" Sonic echoed.

Tails shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "We should go check it out."

One by one, they hopped out of the ship and to the ground below. Shadow took it upon himself to teleport them all outside using the teleporter he had earlier borrowed from Tails. They appeared seamlessly in the grass just outside of the inventor's home, and there they saw something Sonic didn't think any of them were expecting. Cream stood mere feet away, looking mildly concerned as she looked on. A good ten to fifteen feet in front of them stood Espio, his back to them as he tensely gazed upon... a woman.

Virtually everything about this woman screamed ninja. Everything from her physique to her purely masterful hiding of her presence (had he not laid eyes on her, Sonic would never have known she was here at all) proved that she was a woman of power and skill. Her aura was entirely hidden down to the absolute tiniest trace, but somehow he could just feel how true his assessment was. She was every bit as skilled and powerful as Espio. Sonic could feel it.

Somehow, he suspected that this was no random woman... nor was this a random encounter. If this woman was, in fact, the woman that Wave had told him about... then this encounter was planned. Deliberate. Calculated. The question was... what was her goal? Why was she here? There's a reason. There has to be. She wouldn't try confronting him in front of all of us without purpose... right? Granted, it wasn't as though he had any way of being certain of this (only Espio possessed such knowledge and he wasn't likely to talk about it), but he just couldn't shake the suspicion that his conclusion was correct.

The woman shifted her weight slightly from one side to the other, drawing Sonic's attention back to her. Almost certain that this would not be the last time he would encounter her, he quickly took in her appearance so as to memorize it. She wore tight, form-fitting cloth over her torso, arms, and legs. Three bands of silver metal snaked around each of her sides from the back toward the front, all stopping equal distance from the middle of her stomach. Those bands seemed to be the only true armor of any kind on any part of her body. Even her head bore no real protection, covered only by a baggy hood that shaded and hid most of her face. All these pieces of clothing, even her slim flat-soled boots, were black as the night itself. The long scarf she wore, however, wrapped loosely around her neck and flowed behind her in a shade of deep, deep midnight purple.

Purple. That was a defining feature about this woman, it seemed. Her skin was the shade of pure amethyst, a shade of purple Sonic had never before seen on a living thing. Her eyes, too, were purple... so deeply purple, in fact, that they almost looked somehow energized in a way he couldn't even begin to describe. They glinted darkly in the shadows of her hood, the one part of her upper face that Sonic could see. Yet when she moved in just the right way... he could see a horn. Blue eyebrows shot straight up. She's a chameleon. He glanced to Espio. She's a chameleon and a ninja... just like him.

She began walking forward without warning, wrist oh-so-casually draped over the dark handle of her sheathed katana. Espio's response to that was just as sudden and far more unexpected. As Sonic looked on, the normally composed ninja ripped his own katana out its sheath and pointed it directly at her throat. She paused mid-step just centimeters from the end of the blade, eyes still glinting and her mouth shifting into a small but sadistic grin. Sensitive ears picked up on it when Espio softly demanded, "Why are you here?"

Alarmed by the sharp increase of tension in the air as well as the almost venomous quality to Espio's tone, Sonic started to step toward them... only to be stopped by a yellow arm shooting out into his path. "Don't," Tails warned, voice low. Just as tense as everyone else, he eyed the two ninja before them. "Let him handle it."

"Who is she?" Cream, who had long since walked over, asked quietly before Sonic could speak.

Shadow shook his head. "We don't know her name... or virtually anything else."

Tails let out a breath. "It's not my place to say too much about how they know each other, but I'll explain what I can." He kept an eye on the near-silent confrontation taking place ahead of them and soon began by saying, "Like Shadow said, we don't know much about her. We don't even know her name. We've only ever gotten Espio to talk about her a couple of times, and each time he's referred to her by different aliases that she apparently uses. The one he used most often was 'Nakea'."

They were all quiet for a long moment, but eventually Cream said, "She arrived not long after I came outside. I sensed a... change in him, Tails, the moment she appeared."

"Yeah... that's not surprising." Tails spared her a glance. "And your senses aren't wrong. He has a lot of... really mixed up feelings in regards to her."

Way to understate things, Tails, Sonic inwardly huffed.

Obviously unaware of Sonic's thought, Tails continued. "As you already learned, Espio feels a very strong emotional attachment to her. We're almost certain he loves her, which would of course lead to other positive feelings toward her such as happiness and pleasure. But, at the same time, they've been bitter enemies from almost the moment they met. He himself once described her as violent, malicious, and worse. So, understandably, in spite of the love he feels there's also a lot of distrust, anger, concern, maybe even hatred... and who knows what else."

Normally warm and happy eyes were now alight with concern for her close friend. Clearly, Tails had confirmed a truth she had not previously dared to believe. "So she is evil, then..."

Her assessment earned a sigh. "...Extremely," he confirmed.

Sonic's interest piqued. Just being sadistic and shit doesn't necessarily make you evil. What the hell has she done?

No further questions had a chance to be asked before the woman unexpectedly lashed out. There was no telling what the two ninjas had been saying to one another up until this point, but clearly the woman was done talking now. She whipped her sword out and, though it seemed she only managed to strike Espio's own sword, the blow carried enough force to knock him backward. Even more surprising, she apparently knew to take advantage of the weakness in his left side, for she did just that. For once in his life, Espio was completely knocked off of his feet. Stunned by this development, Sonic started to reach for his own sword. However, she stopped him dead in his tracks. Her gaze shifting straight to him, she silkily inquired, "Are you prepared to lose your hand, hedgehog?"

Sonic froze. The sheer weight of this threat was by no means lost on him. She's as powerful as Espio... By now, he and everyone else here except for Cream are many miles ahead of me in power. I think even Tails is stronger than I ever used to be. He gritted his teeth, hating his newfound weakness. If only he'd had more time to train, to grow stronger... But they had run out of time. Their enemies were on the move. Threats like this woman were proof. If she wants to chop my hand off... she can probably actually follow through. Careful to make no sudden moves, he slowly moved his hand away, never once taking his eyes off of her.

Visibly pleased by his compliance, she smirked. "Now, then... let's get down to business, shall we?"

Shadow's crossed arms tightened irritably. "What business?" he demanded, tone one of impatience and distrust.

"I was under the impression," the woman drawled, shifting her weight from one foot to the other again, "that your little birdie friends had resumed spending time with you lot. Tell me, have they already fled?" Espio, who had by now shifted into a defensive crouch, narrowed his one good eye at her. He was openly angry and hostile, a look which completely stunned Sonic. Yes, he had known for a while now that some of the chameleon's emotions were finally returning, but to actually see proof of that... "Or is it that they're already off stirring up trouble?"

"As if either of them would flee," Sonic muttered. "And you're an idiot if you think we're going to tell you where they are." It wasn't as if he knew, either, but that wasn't the point.

Despite his defiance, or perhaps because of it, her smirk grew into another small grin. "I see... so you poor little dolls are in the dark as well."

"Dolls"?

"Never mind it. A hunt is only fun when there's an actual chase, after all."

She started to turn away, but Tails's voice gave her momentary pause. "We all know why you guys are after Jet, but why chase down Wave? Killing her isn't what your leaders want."

"Isn't it, though?" The woman shot them another grin. "As far as we're concerned... her association with him is more than enough to earn her her death." She turned to face Espio now, having clearly not forgotten him. Much to Sonic's continuing shock, the man seemed to be positively seething. "Sorry, love. We'll have to meet again another time." Her arm raised, bringing her blade to lips. "Perhaps in more..." As they all watched, her tongue slid across metal. "...lethal circumstances."

With a note of horror, Sonic for the first time realized that the sword was bloodied.

Wounded though he apparently was, Espio still continued to grip his own sword, to speak out against her. "Leave," he warned, voice cold as ice.

"As you wish." Flashing him one final wicked smile, the woman vanished... and an aura of malice Sonic hadn't previously been aware of lifted from the area. Suddenly, it was as though they could all breathe again.

Relieved more than he cared to admit now that she had finally departed, Sonic let out a heavy sigh. He walked over to Espio without further pause and quickly took in the ninja's condition. Because of the way Espio was crouched, carefully covering and concealing his wound, there was no way to tell yet how badly injured he actually was. Sonic knew this, though: his friend was bleeding heavily. That didn't always mean a severe wound, granted, but it increased his concerns regardless. "...You okay?"

"Fine," Espio answered shortly, still displaying that surprise flash of anger from mere moments before. He moved as though to stand, but instead ended up unsteadily shifting further to the right. This forced him to put his hand on the ground to help maintain his balance. Strikes to his severely weakened left side (in particular, his left leg, which had never quite healed properly and constantly pained him) always did this to him, leaving him temporarily unable to stand on his own. But, of course, his unparalleled (save for by her, of course) skills as a ninja meant that he almost never suffered these blows in the first place - or any blows, for that matter. His evasion was such that he simply was impossible for most to ever even hitting. Yet, this woman... she had done it. And she had done it with no effort at all.

Sonic knelt down just as the others were approaching. "She slammed into your leg when she cut you, didn't she?" It took a long moment, but eventually Espio relented and answered with a nod. "But that's not where she cut you, right?"

"No."

"So where did she?"

Though he didn't answer, Sonic could almost hear Espio tell him, "It doesn't matter," as he moved to try to stand again. This time, Cream took him by his good arm to help him up, and he let her. He balanced carefully on his right leg, doing everything he could not to put any weight on the other one for now. That, however, wasn't the fact that held everyone's attention. The fact that held that honor was, naturally, his wound. He had been slashed clean down from the left side of his collarbone straight down to the same hip. The cut had even ruined the sling her normally kept his paralyzed left arm in, leaving the ruined limb to simply dangle for now. His arm was even cut as well, though it looked like he had managed to move in such a way that it hadn't been too badly damaged. Most of the damage had been done solely to his torso.

"This is deep," Tails murmured, eyeing the wound. He shook his head. "How did she manage to slice you and then knock you back so fast? We only saw her move once... and even then, it was more like we sort of saw a blur as opposed to a real motion."

Much to Sonic's further surprise, Espio snorted softly. "She was gentle this time," he revealed curtly. "If she had wanted to do serious harm, she would have."

Suddenly, Cream gave him a small a small shake, almost as though trying to physically snap him out of his dark mood. This jostled him enough to force him to hop slightly on his right leg so as to not lose his balance. "She did do serious harm," she reminded him. Her voice was soft and yet stern as she spoke. It was the closest she ever came to being harsh. "Had she cut too much deeper," she gestured with her free hand to the deepest part of his wound, "she would have punctured your heart."

Sonic was at a loss to understand why, but it almost seemed as though Espio disagreed in some way. It was as though he knew something they didn't. Or, rather, that he knew something new on top of everything else that they didn't know about that woman. It's almost like he thinks she wouldn't have done it... but I don't know how he can believe that. Emerald eyes glanced up and down the wound. "Cream's right, Espio. She could have killed you if she'd put just a little more effort into it."

Espio's response was simple... and revealing. "You mistake capability for intention."

A huff off to Sonic's side made him jump. Turning, he looked at Shadow. The other hedgehog had been so quiet up until this point that Sonic had nearly forgotten that he was even there. "Then what, pray tell, was her intention?" he questioned pointedly. As he spoke, he readied the teleporter to send them all back inside. They would need it, since Espio couldn't walk still and would most certainly object to being carried. It was unlikely that he was willing to hop all the way back to the ship, either.

To be perfectly truthful, Sonic didn't expect Espio to answer that. He suspected that none of them did. But as seemed to be a running theme today, the ninja managed to just keep surprising him. "Control."

"What?" Sonic frowned.

This time it was Tails who answered. "...Control, huh?" His brow pinched in thought. "I guess that makes sense... You've said before that she enjoys control more than nearly anything else. If that holds true, then it's understandable that she would lash out against you for not bending to her will, for not simply letting her do whatever it was she was going to do. You even actively barred her way, further undermining her desire to manipulate and, of course, control the situation. So then, what she did to you was just a form of painful reprimand, right?" He looked at Espio. "Essentially, punishment."

There was only one thing Espio had to say in response to that. "I wasn't lying when I told you how she is."

"Yeah... we can see that now." Tails sighed and rubbed at his temples. "Let's just hope that's both the first and last time we see her become violent around us. Though I'm not holding my breath." He turned away from the wounded ninja for a moment. "Shadow, let's get back inside now. He really needs to be patched up before we can leave." Shadow teleported them inside without comment, and Tails was quick to start to walk off. "Here, I'll see if I can't put together a makeshift sling for you, Espio. In the meantime, let Shadow deal with that gash. I mean it."

Sheesh... everyone is moody now. ...Not that I can blame them. "You left that cube of supplies in your seat, right?" Sonic asked his half-brother. Shadow, who was busy helping Espio sit on the crate Tails had earlier been occupying, simply nodded. Wasting no time, Sonic jumped back into the ship to retrieve the cube. The sooner they got this dealt with, the better.

While Shadow set to work, peeling away bloody fabric and pulling out medical supplies, Sonic allowed himself a few minutes to just close his eyes and try relax. His thoughts drifted, wandering from place to place without direction or guidance. He made no effort to control or regulate, simply allowing them to be what they were without hindrance. This almost succeeded in helping him to relax a bit, but all too soon he was distracted from it all by the voices of his friends. "Mister Shadow..." he heard Cream murmur, sounding equal points disappointed and worried.

Footsteps approached, and Tails called out, "Hey, no smoking inside, remember?"

"I know that," Shadow responded pointedly just as Sonic opened his eyes and looked over. Then he stuck a cigarette in his mouth and mumbled around it, almost under his breath, "It isn't lit."

Emerald eyes glanced from Shadow's busy hands to the stick in his mouth. Right... Wave mentioned that Shadow picked up smoking. And that he hasn't managed to fully quit yet. Thinking back, he recalled how sometimes Kaden (who also had been a smoker once upon a time) would sometimes just bite a cigarette between his teeth even if he had no intention of lighting it. It was as though simply having it helped during those times, which he suspected might have been why Shadow was displaying the same behavior now. "Keep it that way, will you?" he sighed. "If you light it at any point, I'll have to smack you."

"Try it and you'll be shot."

"As if you'd shoot me."

"Don't tempt me."

"You aren't tempted at all and we both know it."

"Shut up, Sonic."

"Make me."

Tails shook his head at the pair of them, obviously amused, and closed the remaining distance between himself and the rest of the small group. "You nearly done with him, Shadow?"

Eyes fully focused on whatever it was he was doing to tend to Espio's wound (Sonic didn't much care to look), Shadow gave a single nod. "Yes."

The fox managed a slight smile. "Any particular diagnosis?" he asked, almost teasing despite the emotional exhaustion that was apparent in his eyes.

"It'll heal." With that simple statement, Shadow removed his hands. Directing his words now at Espio he added, "Don't move around much if you don't have to. Give the herbs time to close the wound." Espio didn't reply but, much to Sonic's continuing relief, he seemed to have really simmered down all of a sudden. Gone was the anger and hostility, replaced by his usual calm and aloof demeanor.

Seemingly familiar with the herbs that Shadow had used, Tails said, "They should have achieved that by tomorrow night or so. Just take it easy until then. Also, here, I made a makeshift sling. It isn't going to be able to support your arm as well as your old one, but it'll do for now as a temporary fix. Need any help getting it on?"

Never one to particularly like relying on others (ninja were very solitary by nature, after all), Espio simply took the sling from Tails and carefully put it on by himself. Once he was ready, Shadow helped him stand and then get into the Tornado-Z. Cream approached Tails and Sonic and, so as not to be overheard, mouthed to them, He smokes?

"Unfortunately," Tails whispered. He cast a furtive glance over at Shadow. "We're working on it."

Stifling a second sigh, Sonic just returned to his own seat in the ship. There was no time for further delays, and it really was time for them to get going. With this fact in mind, everyone boarded up and the cockpit close. Sonic allowed his eyes to slip shut. And into the fray we go...

~保護者~

Thanks to the unexpected aid of Nier, the God of Runes, Jet was whisked out of the Demonic God's territory and safely deposited in a breezy field a quiet building beautifully constructed of pristine ancient stone. Here and there, thick but ultimately rather small clusters of trees dotted the oddly quiet landscape. Jet sensed no people, no animals, no life other than themselves and the plants. He had no idea where this place was, but somehow he suspected that this was Nier's home.

While these thoughts were running through his mind, he was moved by his ally into a bench-like seat made of the same material. Taking note of the color these two structures (the only ones around), Jet mumbled, "It's white."

Nier barely afford that comment a shrug. "Eh, I'm not worried about it." The other Babylonian, who was somewhere right around Jet's age in their years, glanced at the seat with his electric blue eyes. Blue -grey feathers shifted now and then in the wind. "Just sit tight for a moment, okay? I might have some bandages or something inside."

The attempt at further aid was appreciated, but ultimately useless. If he died again, he died. At least he'd be healed, then. Bandages wouldn't ease the pain, anyway. "...Don't bother," he responded, hating how weak his voice sounded. His mind was starting to swim in blackness again, threatening once more to drag him under.

It was silent for a long, long moment before Nier finally sighed and relented. "You're batshit," he accused quietly, sinking into a sitting position beside the hawk. "Absolutely batshit, taking on that guy by yourself…"

Unable to say much else at the moment, Jet responded distantly, "Necessary."

Another sigh. "You and Wave are up to something again, aren't you?" he asked. "Are you guys going to try to get the next portal shard before he does? In case you don't recall, that little escapade went horribly wrong the last time."

With great effort, Jet managed to reply, "That was… a long time ago."

"Yeah, and you two have leveled the playing field a lot since then. However, you're both still at a massive disadvantage. Look at yourself, Jet." The other Babylonian gestured broadly to Jet's entire body in general. "You're living, breathing, bleeding proof right now of how much stronger he still is, even when compared to you." Silence answered him, so he let out a third sigh. "Look… Cere and the rest of us… we're always willing to help. I know you know that. But we can't do anything if neither of you two keep us in the loop. We can only figure out so much on our own with you both being so secretive all the time."

In the moments that followed, Jet contemplated his options with as much clarity of mind as he could muster. It was true that he had no desire to involve more people in this than was necessary… but he had known for many years now that the time for secrecy was rapidly coming to a close. Perhaps now was the time to start letting people in. "...Wait for Wave," he coughed. The pain that this caused him made him unintentionally stutter. "Sh-She has... information."

The fact that Nier was pleased by Jet's decision was evident in his aura. However, he kept his demeanor cool and mellow. "Alright. Will she be able to find you here?" Jet merely nodded. He was rapidly losing the energy to keep his eyes open, let alone talk. It was taking longer than he had earlier anticipated, but he was nevertheless bleeding to death… and that note of tension in his friend's voice said that he knew it. "...Right. Guess we're waiting, then."

It was then that a golden portal opened up nearby, a green hedgehog stepping through and visibly grew concerned by the sight before them. "Jeez, that looks… bad," the male murmured as he walked over, standing a few feet back. "What happened here?"

In spite of his current state, Jet recognized the aura of the individual standing there. He never forget anyone's auras, though… the memories about the specific encounter he may have had with this man were terribly distant and fuzzy at the moment. All the more reason to want this death to hurry up and happen already. This is taking too damn long…

Seeing that his friend was staying silent, Nier responded, "Nothing happened that didn't need to." He stifled one of his many longsuffering sighs and ran a hand over his head. "Shitty though that necessity was." He paused for a time, then eventually asked, "You're a Balancer, right? From one of the other timelines?"

He gave a nod in response to the question, shifting a little. "Mhm. Name's Steam," he greeted, watching Nier. "And you're Nier, correct?"

A simple nod. "Nailed it."

"Thought so." Steam's gaze shifted down to Jet, scratching at his leg absently. "I'm fairly sure I know what happened. You waiting on someone?" he questioned, shifting his focus back onto Nier.

At this, the God of Runes gained a smirk. As though solely to irritate, he said, "Yeah. His lady-friend." Jet shot him a sour look (one of the few open expressions Nier had ever seen from him) that was promptly ignored. "Anyway, her name's Wave. We're waiting for her to find him here. He said she has information."

The Balancer nodded slowly, chuckling at it all. "Jet has complicated feelings for people, no matter the timeline, apparently." Steam smirked lightly at Nier. "Good to know he's got people around him here as well."

Nier nodded a little, but opted to change the subject instead of reply to what was just said. "What brings you here? As in, this timeline, not just here."

"Obviously. Anyway, I'm actually here to make sure things don't fall to shit." The way he said this was… casual at best, but his expression led on to more. "Can't say too much, or I'll end up being like some prophet or whatever."

The normally easy-going and well-humored God cracked a smile, but it carried undeniable tension. "I see. Well, answer me this, then. In your timeline, have things progressed to the point where they are here? Do you know about the God of Demons, Tein, and all that crap?"

Steam's hand curled into a tense fist, eyes narrowing. "Yeah. I know about just about everything, in that sense. There could be some differences but… let's hope that they aren't too different."

In response, Nier gave another nod (this one smaller) while Jet stifled a cough. The young God closed his eyes thoughtfully. "Things are becoming really terrible these days… even for the Immortals. We could really use all the help possible. So… thanks for coming, Steam."

It doesn't get much better. The hedgehog thought to himself somberly. "Not a problem. Thought I could lend some aid while things aren't going to crap where I'm from."

Another golden portal started to slowly open nearby. Jet sat up, increasingly blurry gaze struggling to focus on the bright light. Nier noticed his attention and stood. "Guess she made it out of wherever she was, Jet. You can stop worrying so much now."

Jet didn't have the energy to argue, though he wanted to. "Shut... up, Nier."

"Nope."

Not saying anything else, both Babylonians watched as Wave stepped out of the portal and lightly touched down in the lush grass before. She walked over to the group as her portal closed and the markings on her body vanished. Though she looked a touch out of sorts, she was completely unharmed. She glanced over Steam, curiosity apparent. Who's this, now?

Steam gave a wave of greeting. "Sorry for showing up suddenly. Name's Steam, and long story short I'm a Balancer from another timeline. I'll explain more on all that later, but there are more important things to get done currently."

Shifting her gaze to Jet, Wave hummed an agreement. "No kidding." To Jet, she asked quietly, "Please tell me you managed to get away before he killed you again…"

Pure blue eyes looked away. "As if he'd allow me to," he muttered. His voice sounded strained, even to his own senses. Talking was difficult and painful and all he got in return was another series of bloody coughs.

It was apparent that there were things she wanted to say in retort, but for now Wave held her tongue. "Whatever. I'll deal with you later. For now, just pay attention. You, too, Mister Balancer." She tossed a small cloth bundle at Nier, if only because he was closest. "I know where he's going to strike next, and I managed to get some bonus intel on top of that." As Nier undid the tie keeping the bundle closed, she revealed, "I found out what he's already been doing… the reason why he's been spending so much time in this realm lately."

There was a snort in response to Wave, but otherwise Steam seemed to agree to that much. "Mind explaining?" he asked.

"Getting to that." Nier finished opening the pouch as Wave spoke, then stared in open surprise. "Before you ask, yes, that's a piece of the Staff of the Sun."

Nier slowly shook his head, dismayed. "You don't think he's seriously…"

"Trying to take out the God of the Sun? I do. And the fact that they fought hard enough for the staff to break is proof enough. That was no mortal weapon." Wave crossed her arms, visibly unhappy. "It was bound to happen someday, let's face it. Even with how those two were in the past… Actually, probably because of it. And given that the whole Family of the Sun has gotten in his way before…" She trailed off. Jet gritted his teeth.

"Fuck," Steam muttered, tapping his foot rapidly. Damn, this doesn't seem familiar enough...

Wave glanced at him but continued without pause. "There's more. Don't know if you've heard or not," she looked at Nier and Steam specifically, "but Jet recently got caught in the middle as the Tel'or and the demons went at it on a populated planet. The God got involved and wiped everyone else out but Jet. He apparently was still around when Sonic went there later, and he saw him."

The God of Runes stiffened. "...That's… Well, shit," he said, unable to think of a more adequate response.

Steam bristled a little and noticeably tensed. "Anything else?" he bit out in question, trying not to let this get the best of him.

It was Jet who chose to speak this time. "The Vault of Time has been compromised," he struggled out between pained breaths. "A'latria will soon be the same, as will the outer reaches of the Babylonian territories. The demons and the Tel'or are both relentlessly striking at all of them."

"Do you want me to do anything currently? I could slow that down a bit while you all come up with a better plan or something," Steam offered, fidgeting tensely.

With noticeable reluctance, Wave shook her head. "No… we have to focus on other matters. The Babylonians can manage for now, and A'latria and the Vault have been cleared of everything that can't be left alone. We have to focus now on rallying our allies wherever they all are and getting Sonic ready for this mess. He's too far behind right now and way too huge of a target."

Steam scratched at his head as he thought, tapping his foot. "I'll do whatever, but we should get going soon. I assume A'latria is where it usually is?"

Nier and Jet traded very brief looks. "...I'd expect so," Nier finally responded.

Getting a touch restless, Jet forced himself to sit up. "Where are the others?"

Realizing Jet was speaking to him about the other Gods and Goddesses, Nier thought about how to answer. "I… don't know," he admitted. "With the exception of Therin, the rest of the bunch have retreated to the far corners of the realm more or less… dealing with what they can."

"And what of the Forge?" Steam posed, raising an eyebrow. "They're not the most powerful, but the abilities they possess could obviously help in a war of any kind."

The weapons made there were truly formidable, Jet knew, but he was wary of hoping that they would be able to get their hands on any. He had no energy to explain this, though, silently trusting Wave to do so in his stead. She picked up on this and spoke. "Rumors have been circulating for ages that the forge has gone cold," she sighed. "This may or may not actually be true, but we can't verify the truth either way. The whole of the God's domain was swallowed in a dimensional inferno that even Jet can't currently brief. It's been raging for several centuries now and shows no sign of easing up."

There was a short moment of silence from the Balancer before he sighed in annoyance. "I'll look into it. I kinda doubt he's dead, but… If it's true, then I'll seek help elsewhere," Steam answered, glancing to Nier.

"Let me see if I can get in touch with Mister Sunfire first," he murmured, trying to add a tiny dose of humor to the situation. "If we can finally manage to make contact with his ass, maybe him and Jet together can break through so that you don't have to risk yourself."

Wave closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples. "In the meantime, we should check up on the others," she told Jet. "They should be filled in, at least as much as we can allow. And we should probably get an idea of what they've been up to."

"And why Shadow returned to the castle," Jet mumbled, sort of fading in and out again. Wave put her hand on his shoulder to help steady him.

Steam chewed on his lip in thought before he finally spoke again. "Alright. What do you want me to do for now?"

"You're with me and Jet," Wave answered crisply. "We'll let Nier do his thing for now while we go to Mobius."

"Gotcha." Steam's gaze shifted to Nier, a frown staying strong on his face. "Do you know anything of the whereabouts of this timeline's Balancers?"

Nier took in a breath and let it out slowly. "That's part of the trouble here," he explained slowly. "No one knows. Not even Jet and the other Immortals can figure it out. They're still here, we know that much. There'd be a massive upset otherwise, obviously. But, the thing is… they're here and yet they're not." He ran a hand over the top of his head to keep his hair out of his face a bit when a breeze blew. "Unfortunately, that's the best way I can explain it right now."

The hedgehog grumbled something angrily before huffing. "It's pretty common from what I know for them to be M.I.A. for a few reasons. I'll see if I can figure anything else about about them sometime soon." Steam's eyes had a hint of concern, but it was heavily veiled with his obvious anger.

"If you can manage it, that would be wonderful," Nier nodded.

Wave gathered some of her energies. "Let's get moving. We're wasting time." She looked at Steam. "Are you ready? I assume you can teleport yourself."

Steam nodded in reply. "I'll teleport myself," he affirmed.

Satisfied, Wave teleported herself and Jet to Mobius without further dialogue. Though he didn't complain, Jet tensed up. Returning to Mobius was still… hard. I don't like it here, he groggily lamented. Steam arrived nearby to them a few moments after, his gaze flicking around their surroundings.

The group arrived first in Tails's workshop and Wave looked around a bit. "...The Tornado-Z is gone. Guess they took off somewhere." She pushed Jet into a seat, then turned away a bit. Carefully, stretched out her senses, then frowned. "Wait, there was a fight here, too. ...Slight skirmish, more like." She looked straight up. "About here, just up." Steam's gaze shifted upwards and his expression became somewhat unreadable, taking in the sight above them. Wave frowned. "Think it was her, Jet?"

Jet eventually managed to force out a reply. "Only he bled."

"So that's a 'yes', then." Wave began poking around. "Doesn't look like they were forced to leave, though… so they left willingly. Anyone got any ideas of where they went?" Jet didn't answer. The Balancer used his golden magic to lift himself into the air, sniffing around faintly to see what he could figure out. Shortly after, he began flying in one direction without giving so much as a warning. Wave hesitated to follow, but Jet waved (no pun intended) her off. He'd join once he was finally able to. So, for now, Wave followed after Steam.

Seconds later, the two of them reappeared in the air just about the now landed ship. Tails and Sonic crouched nearby, setting up a device while Espio perched in a distant tree. Shadow lounged about on one of the wings of the ship. Wave smiled. "Ah, here they are."

Steam gave a nod in response and let himself fall freely, landing on the ground gently and looking to them all. "Ya know, being hasty isn't always the best of ideas," he teased, smirking faintly.

"Speaking of me or them?" Wave inquired as she, too, landed.

"Them," he remarked casually. "But remember that you're associated with them."

"They have reason to be quick," Wave carefully reminded. "Mobius can only handle so many more catastrophes, after all… and we can't always be here to defend it. Doing this as fast as possible is for the best. I don't fault them for rushing." As she spoke, she walked over to Shadow, who was already watching them with critical crimson eyes as he silently smoked.

Steam nodded. "Of course. I was kidding. I don't hold anything against them for doing it. It's just concerning when they almost disappear without a trace," he pointed out, eyes shifting over to regard Shadow.

"Hm… I agree with that much," Wave murmured. She turned her attention to the darker hedgehog. "How're things here, Shadow?"

He shrugged and looked away. "Fine… momentarily."

"What happened back at the workshop?" Steam decided to ask, raising an eyebrow. Could be best to know.

Shadow sighed out a breath of smoke, sounding irritated. "'She' showed up," he muttered. "Nakea, N'kio, Noaria, whatever it is you want to call her. She was demanding information on yours," he glanced at Wave, "and Jet's whereabouts."

Wave frowned deeply at this revelation, but didn't ask about that last part. Not right now. It was something to be discussed with Jet later. "She attacked Espio, too, right?"

A nod. "He received slash from shoulder to hip," Shadow confirmed briefly. "It could have been lethal if she had cut any deeper, but he was lucky." A pause, then he snorted softly. "He claims she was being 'gentle'."

Steam rubbed at his temples. "This shit again… Fuck." Shadow frowned at him, expression a subtle mix of things, and didn't speak. "Sorry. Long story short I'm from another timeline. Dealt with that whole… problem before," he offered in explanation.

Crimson eyes stared a moment longer, quite possibly scanning, then simply looked away. "Hn," he murmured.

Seeking to change the subject a bit, Wave looked over to Sonic and Tails. "How many of those have they set up so far?"

"Three of eight," Shadow answered simply. "The rest should be up by tonight."

"Do they know where to place the others?" Steam asked, letting his gaze shift to the two as well. As he spoke, Espio leapt nimbly out of his tree and began silently approaching.

"Yes," Shadow nodded.

Wave's head tilted. "Looks like Tails is showing Sonic how to set them up on his own," she observed. "It's a good idea… means they can place those faster."

Steam nodded and looked back to Shadow and Wave. "We've got a lot to talk about, but it would be best to do it after setting these devices up, in my opinion."

Espio appeared in a crouch atop the ship in a blur of motion. His posture was completely relaxed and normal, his pain hidden from any and all under a veil of aloof indifference. Aside from him still balancing all of his weight on his right side, he gave no sign of said pain at all. "There are more pressing matters," he told them simply, tone neutral as ever. "Look up." Shadow's gaze shot in that direction, as did Wave's, and both frowned. Neither sensed anything yet, but that was the key word… "yet".

"Okay, no way is that a cloud," Wave finally mumbled, eyeing the black mass forming thousands of miles above them. The Balancer frowned to himself and teleported into the air to survey this situation and perhaps see if he could do something about it before it became a threat. Wave appeared beside him, glancing around. Ash…? The hell is a single cloud of- Realization dawned, and blue eyes widened. "Oh, shit- Get out of the sky!" She teleported without further explanation, knowing they had seconds to spare. He did so without hesitation, creating a barrier around himself reflexively.

Sensing the impending threat, Sonic and Tails started to run back over to the group just as Shadow reached for a gun. It was all a bit too late, however, for soon a horde of smoke demons burst out into the open and out of their cover with a mighty explosion of energy that could have easily done harm to even semi-Immortals. There were so many that the sky in the area darkened, and Tails's whole body visibly weakened for a second in shock. "Oh, no," he moaned. "Not here."

"Alright, gonna kindly ask you all to fuck off!" Steam wasted no time in letting a wave of his magic loose against the demonic threat, followed by successive explosions of Light in a ruthless manner.

Sonic stared after the stranger in absolute shock, eyes locked on the demons. He started to move and reach for his sword, but Wave held out an arm to block his path. "Wait," she cautioned. "Don't be hasty. You can't handle this yet. Stay on the ground with Shadow and Espio and help keep that device protected." She turned to Tails. "You're with me. We'll need your firepower."

No more words were needed. They took off, leaving Sonic once again helplessly in the dust.

~保護者~

It was no mere fluke that Espio had known about the incoming threat when the others had not.

He hadn't sensed the demons. No one had, for the creatures had been hiding their energies. Rather, he had been watching for them. After all, she had come… and the God of Demons was not the only who utilized demonic forces. She and her allies had their own powerful legions, though these small-fry were not as serious a threat. But that wasn't the point. He knew what the point was. The others didn't, couldn't. And he wouldn't tell them, tell them that even though she couldn't be sensed she was still here, that she was somewhere close and he knew it, that she and those she worked for had merely sought to use this skirmish as a means to briefly distract. The question was… to what end? What game was she playing at this time?

There was little chance that she would reveal her ploy. Currently, he wasn't even certain that she would show herself again. Still, he kept his hand on the handle of his katana at all times, ready to draw it at a second's notice. He perched in a tree again so as to make use of both the cover and the higher vantage point, glancing around constantly. Sensing her would be impossible. She had been trained the same as he had, to never reveal one's aura or other energies and to always remain undetected. If he were to have any chance of locating her, it would only be and when she was ready to be found.

For now, he opted not to hide himself as she was doing. She would already know that he was here, at any rate. He had been in this spot long enough for her to know, as if the presence of his allies in the vicinity wasn't proof enough of him being present. Hiding was pointless, so he didn't bother. Instead, he readied himself mentally and physically for a fight. If she chose to start one, it would be sudden… but he would not be caught off-guard. Perhaps that was part of why she didn't act, because she knew he simply always expected her to attack. Perhaps she had for whatever reason decided beforehand not to bother with another confrontation today. Or perhaps… she was simply biding her time.

He opted to believe the latter.

When she finally decided to show herself, it was only when his allies were at their busiest. A small th-thump made itself known in his chest, but he chose to ignore that in favor of frowning at her. She perched just in front of him, wearing a confident smile and holding her already unsheathed sword. "How is your scratch?" she asked him with a sort of subtle glee.

His grip tightened a degree on his sword. "Fine," he answered, keeping his response short.

"Oh? And I suppose this," she gestured at the bandages showing through the slice in his kimono, "is meant to help?"

He didn't answer her, knowing she was almost certainly just attempting to waste time. Whether his or her own, though, he didn't yet know. There was no way of accurately guessing either way just yet, short of her telling him. Which wouldn't happen. "You're being nice today," he accused in lieu of another reply. Of course, she wasn't genuinely being "nice". She was merely… being nicer than usual.

A shrug. "I'm bored."

As if that explained anything. "And this entertains you?" he muttered, frowning at her. If she were to say 'yes', it honestly wouldn't have surprised him at all. A mind like hers was constantly starved for new and exciting forms of entertainment… and finding new ways to mess with him always satisfied that need to some degree. Much to his constant displeasure. (Honestly, would he ever get used to feeling such things again? It was all so strange now, so foreign.)

"At any rate…" She stood up, not disturbing even so much as a single leaf as she did so. However, he noticed that she had stopped hiding her presence. Trying to provoke a confrontation, after all? Was she hoping to fight the others as well as him this time? "Playing nice can only be so much fun for so long." She glanced down the length of her sword and back up again, and he noticed that some blood still tainted its edge. Noting his attention, she broke out into a sadistic smirk. "I think," she drawled, "that I'd much rather cut you again."

Her frankness was perhaps meant to rankle, and he hated the fact that it did. "Try it," he threatened, sliding his katana partway out of its sheath. At this point, he knew there was going to be a fight. There was no avoiding it, not with her mind set like this. It was hardly the time or place, but it was going to happen… and this time he was ready for it.

Around this time, Wave took notice of the growing tension in the air below herself, Tails, and Steam. A quick glance around the sky proved that they had nearly wiped out the horde (all of those energy blasts were sure helpful against small-fry) and the battle was just about over. I think I can trust the boys to take it from here. She shifted in the air and looked down. Sonic and Shadow (the only ones she could see at the moment) weren't the source of all of the tension she sensed, that much was obvious. It seemed to her that something else was happening that they were merely reacting to. In fact, it looked like they were actively watching an event unfold. I'd better get down there and see what's up.

Alighting in the grass, Wave jogged over to the brothers. A question started to form in her mouth, but died almost as soon as she could see where Sonic and Shadow were looking. "Her again?" she muttered under her breath.

It came as no surprise that, soft though her words were, they didn't escape the ears either hedgehog. "Yeah," Sonic muttered back. "I don't get it, though. Why are they just… talking like that?"

"I don't know," Wave admitted, eyes locked on the somewhat distant pair. "They just… do that sometimes. I don't understand it anymore than you do." Her fists clenched and unclenched. "Make no mistakes, though. They could come to blows at any second over just about anything. It's just how they work when they're together. At least, that's my guess based off of what little he's told me."

Shadow let out a slight huff. "You oversimplify matters," he lightly accused.

"I don't have the time or intel to explain it better," she huffed back. "Maybe you'd like to try it."

"I'd rather not."

"Then stuff it."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "You two are acting like kids." His gaze refocused on Espio and the woman. The pair continued to exchange words, but now he noticed that something in Espio's posture was different. It was subtle, barely discernible (especially from such a distance), but he knew the chameleon so well that he couldn't not see it. He's definitely ready to strike back at her if she makes a move. That wasn't good. "Wave, I think you're right… look at them. It looks like they're just one minor disagreement away from cutting each other up." And yet, the conversation they were still having seemed so outwardly calm...

Soon after the fight was finished, Steam walked over to Wave and frowned slightly at the sight before them all, his body still noticeably giving off Light from the fight. "She showed up here?" There was an audible growl in his voice, bristling and shivering faintly as he held himself back from potentially doing anything… less than desirable currently.

"Clearly," Shadow muttered. He was very obviously less than pleased as well, but hiding it under a thin veil of unconcern.

"So what do we do?" Sonic asked quietly. "They seriously look about ready to kill each other."

There was something in Steam's eyes that hinted to his split-second decision. The hedgehog teleported over to the tree and none too happily brought himself up to them with his magic with crossed arms. "Alright, look. I'm gonna kindly ask you to fuck off," Steam muttered at the woman, a touch of aggression tainting his "kind" request.

Nothing even remotely akin to concern showed in any part of her as she turned her head to look. "I see no reason to take advice from you… so I think I won't." This remark, while simple and almost sort of petulant, ultimately carried a tone that revealed her intention. Which was, of course, purely to irritate. Espio went from vaguely eyeing Steam right back to glaring at her.

Steam took a moment to calm himself before speaking once more, the air around him practically brimming with the energy and heat he exuded. "I don't need to give a reason. Attack them and we're gonna have some fucking issues," he warned.

Her eyebrows raised and she looked back at Espio. "Need your little friends to protect you now, is it?" she challenged in a very light and yet suggestive tone.

"No," Espio shot back, anger going up a notch at the insinuation. He made an effort to reign it in, but her simply being here always riled him up without fail.

"I'd rather get this over with now. Either leave or do something."

"Mm, impatient… You will get no joy out of life through rushing things. And besides…" A slow, bloodthirsty smirk began to spread across her face as she and Espio stared each other down. "I find that some prey is far more thrilling to battle and kill when it has been sufficiently angered."

The green hedgehog groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation, shaking his head. "Ah, hell. I forgot how annoying you are. Almost as bad as Armaris sometimes…"

Annoying was hardly the word that Espio would use to describe her, but he did agree with Steam on one thing. He wanted her to do something, and now. Time was being wasted, something that he always hated. With an icy tone, he bit out, "Why. Are. You. Here."

Another slow grin. "That much should be obvious by now." Her grip tightened on her sword and, without further explanation, she blurred into motion. Espio vanished at the same time, and in that instant both began blurring through the forest, trading blows and dodges at speeds Sonic simply wouldn't be able to follow. Said hedgehog came running up with Shadow and Wave just as Tails (who had been executing a brief patrol to make sure no demons remained) flew back into the area to land the ship. Sonic tensed, clearly ready to jump in and help, but something Shadow told him caused him to reluctantly hang back.

What set him off this time? Wave privately wondered, eyes on the sky. She knew their friend likely wouldn't be fighting unless he was actually invested in the brawl. Though, given his opponent, their may have been no specific reason at all.

It wasn't long before Steam's anger got the best of him and he launched himself into the fray after them, most definitely providing his support to Espio since he was sure that it would be nigh impossible to land a real hit on the woman. God, I'd kill to have Armaris here right now.

Predictably, she dodged every hit that the hedgehog sent her way. However, focusing her attention on dodging both opponent's attacks meant that she herself was attacking just a touch less than normal, and this created an opportunity. Breaking through a half-second opening the instant it appeared, Espio cut her down the length of one leg. She retaliated in an instant with a burst of speed and her sword poised, leading to a flurry of dodges and sword strikes. But then just like that, she broke off from the fight and leapt away. She landed in a tree just as Espio did the same in a different tree across from her. "I must say…" she sighed almost regretfully. "Your new friend is rather annoying." Espio didn't deign to reply.

"Kinda my job," Steam commented casually, sticking to the ground for now. "And I'll be honest with you here. You're a right fucking pain." He was most definitely not finished, but he knew better than to leap after this woman currently. She had one advantage on him assuredly. She could dodge just about everything he'd ever throw at her (and had thus far).

Espio glanced briefly at a fresh wound on his right wrist, then simply stood up. He sheathed his sword with an angry snap! and told her, "Leave. This will be finished later."

A careless shrug. "As if you make the rules, love." Nevertheless, she sheathed her sword as well. "But, I suppose I do have other prey to hunt." His eye narrowed, but he said nothing more to her after that point. She appeared just in front of him, grinned, and said a brief farewell before vanishing. He chose to pretend that that faint kiss to the cheek hadn't happened.

Steam groaned faintly and cast his gaze over to Espio, frowning. "You okay over there, Espio? I didn't help much, but I did something."

He glanced at his wound again. It was deep, but not concerning. Gentle, indeed… But why? Scarcely making a sound, he jumped out of the tree and to the ground below. Only then did he answer, keeping it as brief as possible as usual. "I'm fine." The fact that his heart was still racing was… a matter to be ignored. At all costs, in fact.

"Alright. Let's get moving, then. The others are probably worried about you," Steam murmured, turning to head back and gazing back to Espio expectantly. Espio followed after a long moment, only after he was sure that she had truly gone. He was left with a sense of mild relief and renewing calm (on top of a touch of regret that also was doomed to be ignored) as he followed Steam back to the others. After all, Steam was right. The lot of them were prone to worrying.

Sometime during their walk back, Steam decided to break the silence. "I gotta ask you something, Espio. It's kinda important, and it's actually best I speak to you in private about it."

That caught the ninja's attention instantly and also made him cautious. "What?" he asked, tone betraying little to nothing. Neutrality came easily to him, after all.

"What do you know of your ancestors?"

Now Espio was frowning openly, mask forgotten for the moment. Though his caution made him reluctant to answer, his mind was already recalling how little he had ever managed to learn about his family. He'd never had any living family aside from his parents, who never spoke of their families. No one around him ever had, either. Digging in databases and such years and years ago had only ever revealed a couple of names and some details about the ancestor he had inherited his "backward" clairvoyance from. He knew nothing more. "Nothing," he eventually responded, feeling no immediate need to lie.

Steam closed his eyes, frowning as well at the answer. "It's not something you have to know. Just know that currently, you're better than all of them combined could have ever hoped to be." If they ever would've wanted to be, that is.

Caution began to mix with suspicion in that moment. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't want to talk too much about it right now, since enemies could be very easily monitoring us both. However, I do need to know if you've ever seen any marks of any kind on yourself," he prompted, stopping where he was and leaning against a tree.

Espio stopped completely a couple feet back. He wasn't one to repeat back what others said normally, but he caught himself doing it now out of pure surprise. "Marks?" he echoed.

There was a nod of reply, Steam sighing faintly. "Of any kind on your body. Anything that isn't always there and that suddenly appeared, only to then vanish later"

Silence. No immediate reply came from the ninja, even as his mind flashed back to several incidents in the past that he had always puzzled over… and been to some degree concerned about. But, eventually, he resumed walking. "...A few," he said in simple reply, leaving it at that. A part of him still very much wanted to know what he knew, but for now he held his tongue.

"What did they look like?" Steam's face had some emotion hidden that he obviously didn't want showing at this time.

It was quiet for a moment again, but Espio did eventually answer. "Swirls," he finally said. "Thin, black lines in the shape of swirls."

Steam sighed and turned his attention forward. "We'll talk later. I want to ensure that we are not being listened to, and now isn't the time," he murmured, beginning to walk once more. Espio followed along without further comment.

Before long, the pair reached the others. Tails had joined the small group by now, and he looked on worriedly. "Everything okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Steam nodded, giving a faint smile. "Just got some things to talk about later. Espio got a wound, but he wasn't worried about it so we came back."

The ninja in question resisted a huff when worried eyes shifted to him and simply reiterated what he had said earlier. "I'm fine."

"Try 'reckless'," Shadow muttered. "Get your ass back in the ship. You're supposed to be resting." Espio didn't bother to argue that point and simply returned to the his seat in the ship via teleport. The herbs from earlier were obviously dulling his pain, but that didn't mean that he should be moving around anymore.

Sonic crossed his arms. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say your grouchy ass actually cares."

This earned a crimson glare. "Do you ever shut up?"

"No, not really." Sonic smirked when his brother's glare grew harder, and Wave laughed quietly.

Tails, meanwhile, started to gesture for everyone else to also go back to the Tornado when a thought occurred to him. "Wait, Wave," he said, turning to her quickly, "if you're here, then is Jet, too?"

She blinked. "Yeah, he'll be with us in a bit. He's resting at the moment." A paused, then she sighed and added, "...Supposedly."

"I trust Jet to get to us soon. For now, let's get those devices set up. Tails, you have a map showing where the previous portal devices are?" Steam asked, walking over to him without hesitation.

The fox blinked a couple times. "Uh… yeah. Yeah, I do." He pulled up a hologram on his communicator with several red blips on it. "We've been to these places so far."

Steam looked over the map and began pointing to various places, his eyes rapidly shifting back and forth. "These places are the most opportune to put the rest, if you ask me. It would be best if we started back on this now rather than waiting."

"...Your places about line up with the ones we were thinking about," Tails nodded slowly. He pointed to one in particular. "This is the closest one. We really should head out."

"Agreed," Wave responded. She turned to Steam. "You sticking with us for now?"

He gave a nod in response, sighing and putting his hands behind his head. "Can't go searching for the ones I want to yet since Nier wanted me to wait on one of them. The other two… yeah, no. That's gonna be a fucking maneuver and then some to even try and notice they exist half the time."

"Come on, then," Wave responded, headed toward the vessel. Sonic, Shadow, and Tails had already started loading up with Cream, who had opted to stay in the ship this whole time and merely observe in that mysterious way of hers. Wave hopped onto a wing and sat down to the side of the bunny. Steam simply shrugged and smiled before walking over to join them all, more intent on running.

Before long Tails closed the cockpit and started up the ship. It took off into the sky in a blaze of speed, headed for the next destination.

~保護者~

11,092 words this time. So... I bungled my self-imposed schedule already. Aside from some scheduling conflicts between Blazing Winds and I which made writing this difficult, I have no excuse. Hopefully the long chapter and the content contained within makes up for that, guys. Sorry, again, for the delay. The next chapter will be up much faster, especially since it won't be this big. Hope you all enjoyed and, as always, thanks to Blazing Winds for his help. He wrote in Steam this time around, as that is his character. Posted (at about 11:25 a.m.) 01-21-19.