I do not own Chaotic nor anything related to it. It belongs to TCDigital.

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The M'arr Populace

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I'm... not entirely certain I'm still in the palace, or whatever the building is called when the tribe is ruled by an oligarchy. Probably still a palace.

I've slipped past so many creatures and ducked through so many doors that I'm completely turned around. Several times I've thought that I made it outside when in reality I'd simply stumbled upon a large courtyard. What I wouldn't do for a map...

So now I'm creeping down another winding hallway. My nerves are completely shot, it feels like I've been wandering for hours. So many close calls, I can't even remember what happened and how many there were.

{It-seems-that-your-information-was-wrong...} a voice says slowly. Pah'ziq.

"Wrong?" Aa'une's voice asks incredulously. "That's impossible, my technique should be entirely foolproof." My heart skips a beat when I hear him. I'm close enough to hear him?!

"Then explain why Lord Van Bloot reports that Chaor and his army are presently retreating to the Overworld?" K'yall retorts.

"The Overworld?" Aa'une mutters dumbfoundedly.

"Directly to the Human-Overworlder Austin," K'yall adds.

"This is preposterous!" Aa'une roars. "Chaor would never go to any Overworlder for help!"

{So-your-secret-weapon-says... But-have-you-considered-that-maybe-your-secret-wea pon-has-been-fooled...?}

Fooled? My heart races. Someone outsmarted Aa'une! How the heck did they do that?! Not that I'm complaining.

"I'll see exactly what happened soon enough," Aa'une growls. I hear a hum of energy-

Crap! He's probably gone to where I was being held! He's going to know that I'm on the run!

{Prince-Osiris...}

I just about have a heart attack. I stay as still as I can.

{I'm-speaking-to-you...}

How did you know I was here?

{K'yall-can-hear-your-heart-beating...}

I'm doomed.

{How-pessimistic... We-know-that-Aa'une-has-been-using-you-as-a-crutch ... We-disapprove...}

...Did you send Twins to free me?

"In a sense," K'yall mutters with a chuckle. "They may or may not have already been thinking about it, and I may or may not have urged them to follow through with their thoughts. Her thoughts, their thoughts, the pronoun to use eludes me."

{The-proper-phrase-is-{his-thoughts}-in-this-case. ..}

"Is it that time of month again?" K'yall asks. "I swear, you and the rest of your breed have the strangest biology."

{We-are-trying-to-help-Prince-Osiris-escape...}

"That's right, we are." I hear K'yall clear his throat. "Keep going forward through that tunnel. A kha'rall guard is waiting for you at the end, but he is under my employment. There is a bundle of wood nearby. Pick it up and follow the kha'rall as if you were a minion."

...If they're telling the truth, I'm free. If they're lying, then regardless I've already been caught. "Thank you," I say hesitantly.

I hear a hum of energy, then a scream. "He's gone!" Aa'une sounds panicked and furious.

{Have-you-filed-a-missing-child-report...?}

"Of course I haven't, I mean my prisoner is gone!" Aa'une bellows.

"You were interrupting our conversation," K'yall says in an annoyed tone. "And no, Pah'ziq, I haven't because I'm certain I know where he's wandered of to."

{Then-why-tell-me-he-was-missing...?}

"Because he's bound to be hiding out in the residential catacombs," K'yall replies. "That would be your providence."

"You two are impossible!" Aa'une screeches. Another hum of energy.

I check to make sure I still haven't had a heart attack. It sounds almost certain that the other oligarchs are on my side. I hurry down the tunnel.

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The kha'rall I'm following looks like his body is made out of coal. "Hurry up, Human!" he shouts, his four legs marching quickly and his pincer-hands clicking in a threatening manner.

I pick up my pace. The bundle of wood isn't really that heavy, but it's certainly large and difficult to carry.

"Make way! Make way!" the kha'rall shouts. "Scaffolding wood coming through!"

The crowd in front of us parts. Nobody gives us a seconds glance, they simply continue doing whatever it is they're doing.

The kha'rall lowers his voice. "Act sick."

I don't even need to pretend. The stress had been threatening to make me throw up ever since we left the palace. I double over as if in pain, then puke up stomach acid for real.

The kha'rall jumps away from me. "Aw, gross! What are they thinking, sending me a sick servant?!"

A creature with a humanoid upper body and an eel-like tail swims through the air towards us. A fluidmorpher? "Is everything all right?"

"Of course not!" the kha'rall growls. "This minion got his sick all over me!"

The fluidmorpher looks up and down at the kha'rall's body. "You haven't gotten anything on-"

"Just take him and send me a new one!" He wrenches the bundle from my arms.

The fluidmorpher leads me away while the kha'rall continues to make a huge scene. The fluidmorpher whispers, "A team of chariots is being sent to support Lord Van Bloot. You're going to smuggle yourself out with the help of-"

"What do you think you are doing?" a chilling voice says nearby.

The fluidmorpher freezes, and my lungs seize up. I reflexively turn towards the voice.

There's Aa'une. It looks like electricity is rippling across his skin. "I highly suggest you don't insult me by trying to lie, creature."

The fluidmorpher timidly mutters, "Helping the Human escape the city..."

"I thought so." Aa'une raises his hand and- and the fluidmorpher simply slumps to the ground. "I'll deal with you later," Aa'une growls before turning to me.

I really should be running, but my legs won't respond. Aa'une points a finger at me and suddenly everything is all better. I relax as I remember that my purpose is to make Aa'une hap-

Augh! My leg! Why, master?! Why did you break my leg?!

Master lowers his steaming hand, the same hand that had fired a burst of light at me. "You're going to show me how the hell I got incorrect information out of you, then you're going to go up to your prison cell and chain yourself to the wall."

"Y-yes, master," I stammer through the pain.

Aa'une extends his hand towards my forehead-

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Then he searches for and grabs a thread-

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"It's exactly like the Overworlder Austin had predicted, Lord Chaor," H'earring tells me through the crystal. "Lord Van Bloot received a message from the oligarchy about the meeting you and Queen Lilth held, and he prepared the city for an attack."

I glance over at the all too smug Human-Overworlder and growl. "So you were right. Don't let it get to your head."

Lilth takes the crystal from my hand and says, "Very good, H'earring. Now, you should make yourself scarce. It's likely that whatever scrying method the M'arrillians are using will be used to discover our experiment, and that might put you in danger."

"I understand," H'earring says. "I'm out."

Lilth sets the crystal down. "So there is a distinct possibility that the M'arrillians can look everywhere now."

"Though not everywhere at once," Austin adds. "It's not omnipotence, thank God." He strokes his hand down his beard in a thoughtful gesture. "Now how are they doing it?"

I fold my arms and lean back in my seat. "Is it safe to speak anymore?" I grunt. "Or even think?" I swear, if the M'arrillians are looking into our minds remotely, then it could very well be the end of Perim.

"If they could look everywhere at once, then our experiment would have turned out differently." Austin shakes his head. "You do have a point, though. We may need to stand down, let other creatures lead our armies."

It takes all of my willpower not to bark out a protest.

"I know you haven't played the game or watched the show," Lilth says, "so I need to tell you that Tangath Toborn would not make a good choice."

"He was a popular creature back on Earth, I assume?" Austin asks. "If so, then yes, he's too high profile."

I lean forward and fold my fingers together. "I don't think we should be part of the selection process at all." It was incredibly difficult to say that. "If we make the choices, we might as well be telling the M'arrillians exactly who to focus on next-"

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Aa'une screams incomprehensibly, and I find myself flying through the air. I land painfully against the wall. I look down and see a spike protruding through my stomach. Master shot me...

"Fleshshaper's Shanty," Aa'une growls, and a mugic floats into the air. "Restore my pawn."

A light surrounds me, and the spike crumbles away as flesh knits back together. The pain in my leg vanishes as the bone sets itself and fuses. He really does care about me!

"To your cell," Aa'une growls. "Chains on. Now."

I hurry off to do my master's bidding.

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up next: the slippery mind

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Like I said before, Chaotic belongs to TCDigital.

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