Chapter 18

Opening the door to his lab, Jude swallowed a startled leap of his heart when he found the lights already on. Quickly looking for signs of intrusion, he sighed in relief when he found Aster with his head pillowed on his arms, asleep on a bench with a multitude of tools and scrap pieces of equipment scattered around.

While the young man's excitement at getting a new project to work on had been refreshing, Jude did have to question his own sanity in allowing someone he didn't know into his lab. But he couldn't shake the feeling of Milla being close by, watching. Even now, he thought he smelled the ghost of her natural perfume; exotic and fresh, like the air of Nia Khera. Moving closer to take a look at what Aster had been working on, he frowned when he discovered that his booster, spirit fossil, and some other device that looked like one of Alvin's guns had been combined into an awkward contraption.

Carefully picking the device up, Jude cautiously turned it, discovering that Aster had worked an aspyrixis into the design as well, marked with one of the backwards calculatrix designs on Aster's exsphere bracelet.

"Hu!" Aster abruptly sat up, eyes wide. "Richter I told you not to..." he turned towards Jude, "sneak... uh..." He rubbed his eyes. "Uhm."

"Good morning," Jude said and smiled as Aster scrubbed the crumbs from his eyes. "You were here all night, weren't you?"

"I couldn't tell what time it was... sorry?" The blond smiled nervously.

"Once you get on a rhythm of eating at the same times every day, you'll get used to the constant night," Jude said. "What is this?"

"Uhm..." Aster scratched the back of his head, mussing his hair. "Well. I was thinking about your problem with the lights and was wondering if there was some way to combine this stuff and make a device that does what you need it to, regardless of who is using it. So all they have to do is be trained in how to use it. That's my stun gun, I built it back in Asalia and... I got carried away. I'm used to just doing things on my own. Sorry..."

Jude shook his head. "I'm kind of curious how it might work myself." He held the device out to Aster. "Let's get some breakfast and tell me about it in more detail?"

Taking the device, Aster carefully set it down on the bench and stood, dusting wrinkles out of his shirt and blinking a couple more times. "Oh, right. That sounds good."

Trying not to laugh, Jude turned to lead the way back out of the lab. 'This guy needs a keeper...'

"The aspyrixis looks like its made out of the same material as my key crest, so I used that to get the booster to draw from the spirit fossil instead of the person holding it. I'm fairly sure of the theory behind the design, but actual practice doesn't often coincide... I suspect that if testing goes wrong, the spirit fossil will break."

"So you haven't tested it yet? Good." Jude nodded. They exited the research facility and Jude decided he didn't want to go to the cafeteria, instead led the way to a restaurant in the shopping center.

Aster, still rubbing his eyes and mechanically stumbling along hardly looked awake enough to give precise commentary on what he had been up all night working on, yet he continued talking as if his brain and body worked on completely separate circuits. "Uhm. I think there's a couple more things I needed to do before it was ready for that. Just to make sure I factor out any errors that could cause catastrophic failure. The other thing that could break is the booster itself. You have more of those, right?"

"I have a few other samples," Jude admitted.

"I don't feel so bad about tinkering with that one now." Aster briefly grinned as they paused in the lobby of the shopping center, waiting for the lift. "The big question is whether the key crest design will work, given that I don't know Dwarven crafting." The lift arrived. Aster followed Jude into it and looked around briefly as if confused why they had entered an empty closet. Without missing a beat, though, he continued speaking, "I just copied what I had available. But since this is a weapon, I'm thinking perhaps it will work as intended. We'd have to get back to Asalia and find Altessa and see if he can help further. He might be willing to, though I'm not sure. He's more than a little grumpy."

The lift went into motion when Jude pressed a button for another floor.

"Wha!" Aster gripped the wall, then stared at Jude as the doors opened again on another floor. "I'm awake now," he said. "What was I talking about?"

"The gun you made last night," Jude supplied. "Have you never been on an elevator before?"

"Only a couple times. I didn't recognize this as one." Aster looked at Jude with a pout. "I might be talking like I know what I'm saying, but I'm not really awake until I've eaten."

"I'm guessing 'Richter' keeps you out of trouble then?" Jude asked and was surprised when Aster looked like he'd been punched in the gut.

The blond looked away, brows drawing together as if he too were puzzled by his reaction. "Yeah. I hope he hasn't done anything stupid. Anyway, breakfast?"

Jude nodded and led the way over to one of the restaurants on that level and glanced at Aster in time to see him yawning hard as he stretched his arms over his head with a pop of joints. They were led to a table and given menus. Jude simply ordered his usual and waited while Aster tried to get his eyes to focus on the writing. "Do you like coffee?"

"Yeah, didn't know you had that here," Aster said.

"He'll have a coffee, come back with that and get the rest of his order," Jude said to the waiter.

The man walked away and Aster continued to stare at the menu.

"I'd like to see your gun in action today if you think it can be finished in time for a test?" Jude asked.

Looking up, Aster blinked at him. "Oh, yeah. It's mostly just a matter of double checking everything. The theory on how it should work is sound." He nodded. "I'll take full responsibility if it blows up, of course, so..."

"I'll be there with my healing artes if anything goes wrong," Jude reassured.

...

"Going out again today Doctor?" a man in uniform said to Jude, then did a double take at Aster. "Glad to see you survived."

"Yeah. We're not going far," Jude said, "Don't need escort today."

Aster smiled a little uncertainly and waved, following Jude as the man simply walked out of town through a side gate. "You're pretty famous or something."

"I just go out to record the ambient mana levels every week. That officer and I found you the other day while I was doing my rounds," Jude explained as he led the way further into the marshy landscape.

Gazing up at the dark sky, Aster turned to briefly look back towards Fennmont, then where they were headed only to stop as he nearly ran into Jude.

"Do you have a problem targeting a monster?" Jude asked looking back at him.

"Well, if they attack us..." Aster said, "But otherwise it's just cruel. They're only doing what's in their nature to do."

Jude nodded. "All right. Here should work then." He moved away some distance and Aster frowned slightly as he begun to feel that maybe the doctor didn't have as much confidence in Aster's design as he had originally indicated. Where they had stopped was a wide area between sheer cliffs and a lone boulder sunk into the perpetually soggy ground. In the distance, Aster could see some polwigels, but they seemed more interested in playing with each other than disturbing the two humans. Turning away from Jude, he drew his modified gun and lifted it. The balance was odd now with the additions and he held it at arm's length, pointing at the boulder. Closing his eyes, he silently prayed to Martel that nothing would explode and blow his face off. 'Richter would never forgive me then! He's probably already pretty mad because I ditched him at Palmacosta... He might even think I'm dead. I hope not. I hope he has more confidence in me than that.'

Taking a slow breath, Aster let it out and steadied his shaking grip just before pulling the trigger. An instant tingle jolted up his arm from the exsphere and he felt a slight drain on his own energy as a spark snapped from the key crest bracelet into the spirit fossil. A spell glyph lit up at the muzzle of his gun as the booster began to glow. Aster nearly dropped the gun just before a bolt of lightning shot across the distance and scorched the boulder.

Backing away in shock, Aster blinked to clear his vision and panted for air. A spell glyph lit up under his feet. "Healing Circle!" he heard Jude call then the doctor was beside him. "Are you all right?"

"I... yeah. I wasn't expecting it to do that." He looked at the bracelet Raine had given him and bit his lower lip. "It activated my exsphere," he said. "I wonder if my own abilities might change the output of the shot?" he mused, looking at his gun.

"I'd consider that a success," Jude said. "The booster wasn't drawing from you and the spirit fossil is intact still." He considered the situation for a moment, arm folded on his chest and other hand tapping his temple. "I'd prefer to keep it secret that you made a new weapon, if that's all right? But seeing whether your skills affect the gun would be useful too."

"The universe has ganged up on me." Aster sighed, letting his shoulders drop. "Richter is going to laugh if he ever finds out about this."

"What?"

Aster grinned at Jude. "He's been on my case to learn how to fight for a year. At least I can point and say my 'silly toy' has actually proven useful." He shifted nervously. "The real test would be if someone other than me can use it, though. Want to give it a try?"

Jude looked uncertain for a moment before nodding. "Make sure to back up. Here." He handed over a bag and after a quick glance in it, Aster determined it was full of medical supplies.

Backing away to the distance Jude had originally been, he waited as the doctor lifted the gun and aimed it in the general direction of the rock Aster had targeted. "I've never shot one of these before... I mean, a gun. A friend of mine had one he used, but I only ever got glances at it."

"Just pull the trigger," Aster said.

He adjusted his stance, putting his feet shoulder width apart and bending his knees slightly as if expecting to be kicked in the face. Jude pulled the trigger. A spark of light flashed from his pocket seconds before a spell glyph flowered out of the muzzle and an arc of lightning, much more powerful than Aster's first shot cracked the rock into pieces, sending hot shards pelting over both the researchers.

Lowering his arm from his face, Aster stared. "Wow... I think I saw your lillium orb react."

"I felt it," Jude said. "I'm going to try something." He adjusted his stance again and pulled the trigger, "Demon Fist!" he called.

A bolt of crimson light smashed into the ground where the rock had been, blasting a hole.

Jude lowered the gun. "You can channel artes through this."

"You... are a very surprising person, Doctor Jude," Aster scratched the back of his head. "I barely made a scratch on the rock and you blew it up. Are you any good at fighting?"

"Well..." Jude smiled self-deprecatingly. "I did sort of get involved in saving the world a year ago. But I'm a little out of practice since then. I normally fight with my fists."

"I'd wondered why you had so many scars on your knuckles," Aster mused. "So. Let's see if channeling an arte through it damaged anything." He approached and accepted the gun when Jude handed it back. Popping the spirit fossil out, Aster carefully looked it over for any blemishes or cracks and found none. Checking the booster, he found that intact as well. He even went so far as to check his exsphere and key crest to see that it was fine. "I'd call that a success," Aster announced. "All that's left is to find a way to tie this breakthrough to something non-lethal. I wonder if I could get a look at some spyrix? Something inconsequential..." His voice trailed off as the thought occurred to him that he really didn't need to be getting so deep in this world's problems when Asalia might be falling apart. "Jude... I really need to figure out how to get home though."

"I know," Jude said. "You've helped a lot though. I'll see if there's anything I can do. I've already got people out investigating the sites where demons have been appearing. They only left last night, though, so we probably won't hear anything back for a while."

Aster smiled. "Okay. I'll write down everything about this design so you can replicated it. I may make some modifications, though. It's a little front heavy and would be useful if the important bits were protected a little more."

...

"You guys go on ahead," Alvin said. "I'm just going to wait at the inn."

Ivar pointed at him as he leaned forward. "You just want an excuse to run away, don't you?" he accused and turned towards Emil. "You make sure he doesn't run off."

"What? Why would he?" Emil blinked and pressed a hand to his chest, "Why me?"

"Listen, Ivar, I've quit the Chimeriad, I've quit Exodus. I have absolutely no business with King Gaius!" Alvin said firmly. "I'm not going to go with you to see him."

"But you never said you wouldn't run off!" Ivar slung his hand out, pointing at Alvin's face. He leaned in, squinting. "I normally wouldn't let you come along on this trip, but it would be perfect if one of that Phony's friends got to watch me mop the pavement with his face!"

Alvin rolled his eyes. "Just get your report over with?"

"You'd better be here when I get back!" Ivar shouted and turned away, stalking off.

Emil sighed. "If he hadn't been the only source of mana around..."

"Regretting your life's choices?" Alvin asked and smirked, shaking his head. "Let's get to the inn. I'm not used to this cold anymore."

They had landed their wyverns outside of the city gates where a pen had been set up to take care of the visiting animals. Emil had merely absorbed Judith's mana, leaving everyone staring in awe as she disappeared, saddle and all. Even though he had told Ratatosk it would probably be better to leave her with the other wyverns, the Summon Spirit wanted to keep her close, in case they needed a quick exit. Unable to object to that, Emil gave in.

Alvin led the way into the city, following Ivar's footprints, though the other man was out of sight entirely by the time they got through the gates.

Marta shivered, having lost the fight to keep her lunch down and Emil pulled her against his side, arm around her shoulders. He would have given her his scarf, but his own shoulders were exceptionally chilly. Snow began to fall just as they got to Alvin's destination. Emil immediately guided Marta to the fireplace and urged her to take a seat on the hearth.

"I'll find some water and bread for you," he said and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

She silently nodded, looking miserable.

Approaching Alvin, Emil sighed. "I'm sorry to ask this, but can I borrow some money? Ratatosk threw everything I had at that guy..."

Alvin rolled his eyes. "Must be pretty difficult living with a jerk like that." He handed some gald over and Emil suspected it was the same five he'd given the man earlier.

"We're not normally in the same body. This is just a temporary solution while he recovers."

"What're you going to buy anyway?" Alvin asked.

"Something to settle Marta's stomach."

"That's pretty inconvenient," Alvin mused as he followed Emil over to the restaurant's desk.

"May I have a cup of tea and some bread please?" Emil asked and laid the money on the counter.

The woman on the other side of the desk nodded, swept the money up and turned away briefly to get his order put in.

Turning to Alvin, Emil smiled and shrugged. "She and I normally walk when we need to go somewhere."

"Here you go sir," the woman said and slid a tray across the desk.

Emil looked, finding a small loaf of bread, a pot of tea and three cups. "Thank you," he said and smiled, taking the tray.

"So... Marta's completely okay with you being...?" Alvin gestured vaguely.

"She loves us both equally. Ratatosk just has other things he has to do and can't be with her, so he sent me." Emil smiled fondly and knelt in front of Marta, putting the tray down. "Here," he handed her a hunk of bread and poured some tea into all three cups, handing one to her, then offered one to Alvin.

Sighing gustily, the tall man collapsed into one of the chairs near the fire and took the tea. "I hope Ivar keeps his mouth shut about you," Alvin said, gazing broodingly at the flames. "King Gaius wouldn't hesitate to try to take you."

"Take me?" Emil lowered his teacup to look at the man.

"Gaius is very determined. He will do whatever it takes to get the results he wants, and if he thinks you would be useful in achieving his goals, he wouldn't hesitate to snatch you up. He sees people as falling into one of two categories: weak or strong. Frankly, he'd think you were weak."

Ratatosk snorted in amusement. "When it comes to Emil, looks can be deceiving."

Marta managed a smile and shook her head. "Ratatosk used to think the same way."

"Anyone who wasn't strong enough to stand on their own was a waste of mana," Ratatosk agreed and sipped his tea. "However, kindness is not a weakness."

Leaning back, Alvin crossed his legs and chuckled. "I have a feeling Emil and Jude would get along rather well. Shame Ivar's out to kill the guy."

"His promise was to..." Emil paused as he thought back and smiled, "Exact revenge upon Jude Mathis for stealing Lady Milla Maxwell from him. Not necessarily kill him."

"Well, sounds like you have a loophole." Alvin gestured with his cup of tea. "Although, in Ivar's mind, he equates revenge with defeating Jude physically. I'd wish him luck, but I kind of like that little Honors Student, so when it comes to it, I'm rooting for Jude."

Marta leaned forward and refilled her cup and tore off another piece of bread.

A scream from outside startled all three of them and Emil twisted to look at the windows.

"A rift has opened," Ratatosk said, setting his cup down as he rolled to his feet.

Setting her cup down, Marta stood, adjusting the strap on her spinner. "Do you need help?"

Emil smiled. "Of course. Can't protect a whole city by myself."

Alvin groaned. "Guess if you two are going, I have to."

"Maybe you should stay inside. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself, old man," Marta sneered.

Cringing, he sighed at her. "Great. Got another one calling me that. I can take care of myself, you two watch your own backs." Alvin followed them out into the street as people ran by in terror. Seeing the inn door open, a group of people rushed to get in. Emil caught Marta's arm and pulled her out of the way of the rushing people. Pressed against the wall on the other side of the door. Alvin pointed, "Looks like they're coming from that direction."

"Right!" Marta said and slipped past the people and hopped into the road in front of a demon as it swarmed down the snow covered street, leaving a trail of black mist behind it. "Come here, you stinky demon! I've beat up worse than you before!"

Emil dashed out to take a stance beside her, throwing out his hand to call Judith even as he drew his sword.

The demon made the first move by slashing at Marta with scythe-like appendages. Marta blocked. Emil sprang in with a quick slash, disrupting the demon's rhythm and knocked it to the side.

Three loud bangs went off from behind; three corresponding holes opened in a line down the demon's head, chest, and abdomen.

Emil turned to find Alvin standing behind them in a ready stance, holding what he assumed was a weapon in his hand.

Judith swooped in from above and tore at the demon while it was trying to close the holes in its body. It dissipated in black mist. Three more demons swarmed down the street from the direction of the gates. Marta intercepted one with a spinning slash and followed with a kick to her target's face. Alvin fired three more shots into another demon as Judith moved to back Marta up, slashing with her claws.

Turning to add momentum to his swing, Emil slashed upwards on the third demon, throwing it into the air, then followed with several slices until he drove it into the ground with a final solid smash that caused it to disappear into dark mist. By the time he landed Marta and Judith had killed their target and Judith had helped Avlin out with a slap of her tail at the remaining demon.

"There're more down the street," Alvin said as he reloaded his weapon.

"We have to get to the rift and close it," Emil said. "That's the only way to stop this." He looked at Alvin. "It's kind of my fault... I destroyed Ratatosk's Gate, trying to keep that guy from taking Ratatosk." Shaking his head, Emil turned and pointed his sword at the demons ahead. "We'll take those guys out first."

"They're in our way," Ratatosk said, grip tightening on the hilt before he launched into a run with a roar. The first demon he encountered dodged his swing and retaliated before he could recover.

Alvin's weapon sounded off and knocked the demon off rhythm and Ratatosk was able to catch his balance and slammed his blade into the demon in a quick succession of slices that obliterated it. The tall brunet man joined him, reloading even as he did so. "You're pretty strong, but it doesn't mean anything if you just rush right in."

"Shut up," Ratatosk snarled.

"Sheesh. It's pretty obvious when you and Emil switch places."

Deciding not to give Alvin the dignity of a response, Ratatosk rushed onward to finish off a demon Judith was attacking.

Men in black uniforms rushed into the area, stabbing at the remaining four demons in the street. Another troop hurried past, leading the way towards the next clump of citizens being attacked by demons.

"Emil," Marta said as she caught up to him. "We should let the local militia take care of what's in town and close the rift."

"My thoughts exactly," Alvin agreed. "The Kambalar police are a tough bunch, they can handle this."

"All right," Ratatosk agreed. "The rift is this way." He started jogging, dodging past the guards that had taken up the fight. Someone yelled at them to get out of the way or go to safety every now and then, but he ignored them in favor of following his gut to a wide area that looked like some kind of square with four streets leading into it, one coming down from the mountains above in a steep slope. The rift itself was a black gaping tear that flapped like ripped cloth in the wind. Mist bubbled out and when it hit the ground, turned into a steady stream of demons that wandered the area briefly before targeting the nearest living thing. The square was overrun with both corpses and soldiers fighting.

"Outta my way!" Ratatosk shouted and waded in, killing a demon just as it was winding back to strike down a soldier. Continuing past, he slashed another demon with a backhanded swing that decapitated it and rescued another man who was about to be eviscerated.

"Photon!" Marta shouted, picking off a demon that was about to attack him from the side.

Skidding to a stop in front of the rift, Ratatosk thrust his hand out, dark power forming in his palm. The demons ceased attacking the guards and turned as one towards him. Shocked by the sudden turn of events, the guards hesitated briefly before they began attacking the demons while they were distracted.

"What do you think you're doing, Ratatosk?" Ivar shouted from above.

Ratatosk flicked his eyes that direction and found not just Ivar but a man in black and red.

"Closing that portal, you moron!" Alvin shouted back. "Guard him!" His weapon sounded off multiple times. He heard Marta shout a spell and briefly saw Judith dart past, carrying a demon and dropping it on something.

Turning his attention back to the tear, Ratatosk began knitting the edges, tying them closed with his energy.

Black tentacles burst through his strings of power, ripping them apart and forcing itself into the world.

"Great. We're too late, something bigger got interested," Ratatosk muttered.

"Do what you need to."

He felt Emil's will fully sync with his own.

Grasping the power he had been using to stitch the tear closed, Ratatosk pulled it over his head and squeezed, his threads slinging out in all directions to catch the demons already in the square, slinging them back at the more powerful demon attempting to emerge. It was forced to defend itself against the attack while blocking further demons from getting into this world. Pulling on his link to Ivar, Ratatosk began draining mana more actively. He refilled his reserves in seconds, dropping Ivar to his knees, then flat on his face.

"That should do it," Ratatosk said and grinned. Fully recharged at last, he lifted his sword, joining it with the power in his other hand.

He sprang into the air and sliced downwards, cutting off one of the large tentacles waving through the air at him. He followed with several more chops that sent pieces of demon flying away and exploding into black smoke. Landing again, he drew his blade back, light arcing along it as he gathered power for his arte.

"Now DIE!" Ratatosk flung his sword around and released his arte.

The demon gave an unholy shriek and withdrew back into the abyss. Pulling on the mana ambient in the air, Ratatosk thrust his hand out again, his energy threads sewing the rift closed again, this time with a finality that healed the entire area around the city, sealing the demons out.

Spinning his sword, Ratatosk slammed it into the sheath at his back.

"Summon Spirit Ratatosk, I presume?"

Turning, he looked distastefully up at the man in black. "Gaius," he took a wild guess.

The man did not smile but seemed pleased that Ratatosk already knew his name. "A pleasure meeting you. My servant Ivar said you possessed great power."

"Your petty human ambitions are of no concern to me, Gaius," he interrupted, making the man blink once. "I might be currently bound to your servant, but that is a minor inconvenience that will be dealt with shortly. Beyond that, I have no intentions of interacting with him further."

"You're being more than a little rude," Emil pointed out.

Gaius's expression didn't change, though he did nod slightly. "That may be so," he said, "Though I find it very short sighted to dismiss what resources I might have to offer."

"And what strings are attached to those resources?" Ratatosk asked, eyes hooded as he shifted his weight to one hip. "I am not a dog. I am a Great Spirit with a duty to protect my world from these demons that, as I recall, wouldn't have gotten here if it hadn't been for one of you parasites with your mana stealing Spyrix blasting holes into my domain!" He stabbed Gaius in the chest with a finger. "Unless you're willing to offer me everything you have in compensation for the damage you've caused then I want nothing to do with you."

"Ratatosk," Marta said and took his hand. She smiled at Gaius briefly before turning on him. "Be nice!" she admonished.

"Why should I? He's lucky I didn't simply kill him for daring to think he could ever gain control of me."

"This guy is way more powerful than Aster. I don't think you should make an enemy out of him," Emil suggested.

"He never said anything about that," Marta said gently. She waited a moment, watching his expression, then turned to Gaius with a smile. "He doesn't have much patience, sir." She bowed slightly.

"Who might you be?"

"Lady Marta, whom you will treat with respect," Ratatosk said firmly.

"Another Summon Spirit?" Gaius asked.

"Ah - no. Human..." Marta laughed nervously. "Maybe we should get out of the cold?" she offered and looked at Ratatosk again. "And maybe try this whole introductions thing again." She leaned in to hiss at him, "This is not how you make friends."