(During Issue 11: Galgheita delivers message to WITCH)

"Flames! Hold on a minute!"

The next day afternoon after a long rest from raid two days ago, Eric and Ray traveled to Heatherfield to meet up with Nigel in 'Calluna Fort' during break and they told him what happen yesterday and the all the details about the upcoming and, hopefully, the final battle in Meridian.

"How could I bring these hundred men to Meridian if there is no nearby portal?! If only the Guardians didn't close the portal at Clearview…" he slaps his face in desperation. "Lucky for you two your portal is only a doorstep away from the barn!"

"Correction it's 'in' the barn…" Ray corrects and somehow mocks him.

"Eh—Who cares?!" Nigel annoyingly replies as he stares at Ray. "Are you here to joke me around?!"

"I'll try to ask Galgheita then. She might know I wait out to Meridian, yet again expect for the worst, Nigel and plan out ahead will you?" Eric replies.

"Of course I will." Nigel replies.

"Yet I'm surprised how you manage to deliver their goods here." Ray says as he notices a large load of goods in brown sacks that rests on the wall. "You must be getting meaty buffs for carrying those."

"I need some help of course." Nigel annoyingly replies. "When Grantaire disappeared, me and the half of my men here can transform to their human forms, traveled back and forth from the abandoned Ye Olden Bookshop to get the needed goods. It's a long distance from here but it somehow worked out."

"By the way how's the agents? You got any information on them?" Eric asks.

"Well I a few information about them from Officer Lair, their names are Joel McTiennan and Maria Medina. To sum up yesterday, they have been following the Guardians, especially Cornelia. Somehow they get away from the agents and met at Elyon's to enter the portal. When they got back at Elyon's again, the agents found them and interrogated the girls and found no sign of actual leads from them. The girls are finally out of agent's suspect's list. "

"So that settles then? I think that lightens up our burden now." Ray smilingly relieves.

"As I said, Ray, 'as of the now'." Nigel replies. "According to him, when the agents got there yesterday, they found the Guardians at the basement when the girls finally arrive back from Meridian."

"So that's why the agents interrogated the Guardians, yet the agent still find no leads from them…" Eric continues. "And how about the portal in the basement? Did the agents saw it too?"

"Well yesterday's midnight, I place a small spell on that portal wherein it can only be seen by mages. The portal is present but invisible to non-mages." Nigel replies.

"That's a straightforward insult right there for you Eric." Ray teasingly says.

"What insults me the most is that you have to remind me of it." Eric annoyingly replies.

"Officer Lair just called me earlier that the agents are now at Elyon's." Nigel explains. "They're trying to investigate something peculiar in the basement."

"Wait, then that means the portal can still be accessible right?" Ray asks with concern. "So that means they might have gone through Meridian by now!"

"I think the Guardians had in their right minds that they would be followed by those agents." Eric explains. "And since Guardians did not know Nigel's charm on the portal, I bet they did something to hide it anyway."

"That's right smarty-pants." Nigel replies then crosses his arms. "Lair told me about the agents found out a 'hollow space' beyond the bricked wall, they tried to break through it yet its walls are too durable to break. Lair asked if it was my doing and I replied with a no, and it figures, it might be one of the Guardians' doing."

"So this means this agent thing is not over yet as we would expect." Ray sighs in disappointment.

"Well as long they keep their noses on Elyon's and not on the Guardians or us, then its fine for the mean time." Eric replies and concludes. "What we should prioritize for now is this incoming battle for the next two days. By now at least, we should at polish the men before action."

"Aye aye captain." Ray salutes with a weak and playful gesture.

"By the way, how's Martin?" Eric asks suddenly and changes the topic. "Apologies if Ray and I didn't thank him when we got back here, we immediately slumped ourselves to bed after the long day and slept the whole afternoon."

"He's actually—umm…fine…" Nigel replies with no confidence in his voice as he shrugs his shoulders off. "I actually told him about what you guys told me yesterday and that was all."

"Uh huh…I find that hard to believe when you said he was 'fine'." Ray notices his uncertainty in his voice. "Is there something wrong with him that you didn't tell us yet?

"It's nothing all important really." Nigel replies. "It's just that Martin, yesterday is still baffled and confused whether to join us or not."

"Again? Well anyway, he's still up on the free trial and is unofficially considered to be legionate of ours." Eric confusingly sighs in disappointment. "What is it this time? Still not satisfied with his knowledge of his? Or was the work too hard on him?"

"No actually, he's fine with the work you're giving him in exchange of the new discoveries he has found. Yesterday, he told me he was amazed by the portal's existence at the amusement park and decides to study it. Flames! He might be even there already. He's actually willing to work with us in exchange for the new knowledge." Nigel says.

"So what's his problem then? No work pay?" Ray asks.

"Yesterday he also finds out that Uriah also has the 'Destined Tattoo' on his arm and he asked me about it." Nigel explains. "To which I reply that I knew about it, but never invited him to join us. He looked disappointed on what I said and never talked to me again since."

"Let me guess, this Uriah is bullying Martin am I right?" Eric asks.

"Much worse, Martin is Uriah's top priority lists of victims." Nigel explains. "I mean, you actually seen Martin's vulnerable behavior and the way he acts? I truly pity him when Uriah would play dirty tricks and pranks on him, just to satisfy his mood."

"And you didn't try anything to stop him…" Eric scolds him

"As I said, Eric! If you were on my place, you'd understand—!" Nigel raises his voice at him.

"Enough boys." Ray stops them before another argument ensues. "Yet don't you think that's a good thing for Martin?"

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Nigel confusingly asks. "You wanted Martin to be just bullied around like that?!"

"No, that's not what I meant." Ray explains and calms him down "Remember at Golden's where he related his story to us? He said he doesn't care if he's being bullied around or made fun of. He just sticks to his goals and nothing else matters to him. I may not know Martin that well but I think what we're seeing from him now is a developing feature for him. In other words like most stories do, we're seeing a character development in him."

"And you are implying…" Nigel asks.

"He now needs some self-respect and dignity to himself, and recognizes that he's not just some tool to be played with..."