When the flash of light subsided, Mitchell and Micaiah opened their eyes, blinking. After such an abrupt event, Mitchell took a moment to survey their new surroundings closely. From the looks of things, he and Micaiah had been teleported right into the middle of a dark, grungy, narrow back alley of some sort, with multiple buildings around them. The structures were densely packed, which implied they'd been dropped into the middle of an unknown town or city.

Mitchell hummed, looking back at Micaiah, who had taken to evaluating their surroundings as well. With faint amusement, he noticed that she still hadn't released him from her embrace.

"Well then. It looks like we might be in the clear now," Mitchell drawled, smiling good-naturedly.

Micaiah met his gaze, her golden eyes shining brightly with joy and excitement as she smiled back. "Mhm! Looks like it."

Mitchell's warm smile shifted to a smirk as he looked down at her. He teasingly raised a brow. "Ya wanna head out then? I'm sure ya don't wanna spend your time in some dirty back alley."

It was at that moment that Micaiah realized their position. Her eyes widened infinitesimally, and she quickly stepped back, her cheeks dusted pink. "O-Oh. Yeah, that sounds great!"

When Mitchell watched her clear her throat and sheepishly begin to straighten her clothes, he laughed. Despite her embarrassment, Micaiah couldn't help but join him, such was their good spirits. After such a daring escape, they felt they both earned it.

After a moment, Mitchell shook his head in amusement as he started making his way out of the alley. He gave a friendly pat on the girl's arm as he passed. "The world awaits, Cai. Let's get to it, shall we?"

Micaiah smirked as she joined him, practically vibrating with anticipation as she skipped up to the hunter's side. "That was so cheesy. You know that, right?"

Mitchell leaned out the edge of the alley, hiding a light, embarrassed flush from the girl as he surveyed the street. There were a few people going about their business. "Well, what can I say? I have a thang for theatrics."

Micaiah stifled a giggle at the way he said 'thang'. "I can tell."

She leaned past Mitchell, looking out into the street. "But that's fine. I think it's cute."

"Aight then." Fighting a rising blush, Mitchell took a closer look around. He couldn't see much of the rest of the city they were in due to the dense nature of the buildings.

Mitchell turned to Micaiah with a thoughtful frown. "Ya think anybody here might know who ya are?"

Micaiah hummed. "If we've been brought to an Order kingdom, then yes, most likely." She frowned as memories came to her. "The Church made sure to parade me around every kingdom they could, so I wouldn't be surprised if everyone knew."

"Then we shouldn't risk ya bein' seen," Mitchell replied, his tone serious. He nodded to her cloak. "You should put up your hood while we're here."

"Okay," Micaiah said, bringing her hood over her head and pulling it tight. She looked at Mitchell. "Ready?"

Mitchell nodded. "Ready. Here goes nothin'."

With that, the duo stepped out into the street. Mitchell kept a sharp eye out to see if their appearance drew any attention. Thankfully, it didn't.

As they both made their way down the street, Micaiah spoke as she looked around, curious. "So, where do you think we are?"

With an easygoing stride, Mitchell adjusted the straps to the rifle and crossbow to better positions. "I have no clue. When I was gettin' that Spirit Crystal to work, I was tryin' to get it to bring us to Salva… uh… geez." He floundered as he tried to recall the city Arriet had said.

"... Do you mean Salvarision?" Micaiah inquired with a slight smirk.

"Yeah, that's it." Mitchell pointed at her, snapping his fingers once in emphasis. "Arriet said the refugees from Toulouse were goin' there, so I'm hopin' to find 'em."

Micaiah nodded, walking along at a leisurely pace. "I see. It looks like I might be meeting your friends sooner than I expected then."

She suddenly did an adorable skip as anticipation rushed through her. "I can't wait. It's been so long since I've talked to other people."

The sight of the girl's enthusiasm infected Mitchell, and his pace quickened to meet hers. "Mhm. They're the only people I can call friends in this land honestly."

"Oh? The only friends?" Micaiah asked, looking over at him. "Am I included in that count?"

Mitchell nearly rolled his eyes as he gave the girl a raised brow. "Well, yeah. Duh."

Micaiah nodded in mock approval. "Good."

Mitchell shook his head, his lips quirked in amusement. He turned back to the street ahead of them, eyeing the buildings on either side.

There were storefronts every so often that held various items, but the rest mainly looked like residential buildings. The hustle and bustle of city life slowly but steadily grew louder as they walked.

"It looks like we're in a residential area," Mitchell theorized. He reached up to scratch his face. "Judgin' from the amount a' people here, I'm gonna take an educated guess an' say we're at the outskirts a' whatever city we're at."

Micaiah blinked at the hunter's statement. "Huh. I was wondering about the same thing." She glanced over at him. "We'll find out soon enough, I'm sure."

Mitchell nodded in agreement. "Mhm. So, first things first. Find out where we're at." He placed his hands in his pockets as he mused.

"Maybe we could ask?" Micaiah gestured to the busy street around them. "I'm sure at least someone here knows what city we're in."

Mitchell didn't miss the undercurrent of sarcasm in her voice. He snorted. "I'd be worried if they didn't." He shook his head. "But nah, I don't think that's a good idea."

Micaiah looked at him in confusion. At her confusion, Mitchell clarified. "Well, think about it. Ya live in the middle of a large city, and a dude with weird clothes an' weapons and a girl wearin' a hooded cloak randomly comes up to ya askin' what city they're in."

He gestured with his hands, his voice dry. "We might as well say 'Hey! Don't mind us! We're not suspicious at all!'"

Micaiah gave a slight grimace. "Oh. Yeah, when you say it like that…"

"But I have a plan," Mitchell continued. "Question: Ya said you've been to a lot a' Order kingdoms, yeah?"

The girl merely nodded curiously. As they walked, the duo ignored a few shopkeepers calling out to passersbys from either side of the street, loudly advertising their wares.

"Well…" Mitchell drawled. He nodded at her. "Since that's the case, I was wonderin' if ya could figure out where we are if ya saw any important landmarks or buildin's here."

He raised a hand, index finger pointing up in emphasis. "Then we can figure out what to do next. If we're in Salvarision like I intended, we can maybe find out where my friends might be." He made a gesture at the air. "They are refugees from an attack, after all, so I'm sure someone would know about 'em."

"You've really thought this out," Micaiah said, a bit impressed. She looked down in thought as she recalled her memories. "Hmm. I do remember a few places that stood out to me from where I visited…"

She looked over at Mitchell, her eyes glinting with determination. "Let's do it then. It's as good an idea as any."

"Well then. Looks like we got a game plan," Mitchell replied matter-of-factly. He gave a short nod. "I guess we just keep a lookout for any important places."

"I think I'll be able to tell where we are if we see any cathedrals," Micaiah added helpfully. "I saw those the most, for obvious reasons."

Mitchell made a sound of acknowledgement as they continued on into the now bustling city streets.

Mitchell and Micaiah traversed the city streets for the next fifteen minutes, trying to find anything that might give them the answers they were seeking. Thanks to the dense urban nature of the city, they had been forced to stick to the main street, as its back alleys were sure to be a maze.

So far, they had been wandering aimlessly, and were starting to consider just asking someone where they were. But as they both stepped into a very busy T-shaped intersection, they finally found their answer.

"Ah! There's the cathedral!" Micaiah exclaimed, pointing.

Mitchell followed her finger to see a very extravagant and ornate cathedral in the distance. As with the other cathedrals he'd seen in this world, the massive edifice stood over all other buildings surrounding it—looming over the city as if projecting a symbol of absolute authority. It honestly reminded Mitchell of the Notre Dame cathedral back on Earth.

Mitchell looked back at Micaiah. "So, do ya recognize it?"

Micaiah nodded, looking over at him with a relieved smile. "Mhm. I'd recognize that building anywhere. We're in Salvarision alright."

Mitchell nearly sagged with relief as he let out a breath. "Oh, thank the Lord."

He placed his hands on his hips as anticipation washed over him. "I guess now we can ask people for info. Hopefully this'll be the easy part."

Micaiah hummed in acknowledgement. She looked around the intersection before her eyes homed in on an open workshop further down the street. Judging from the loud banging of metal emanating from it, it appeared to be a blacksmith's workshop.

"Hmm. You want to try that place?" Micaiah inquired, gesturing at the workshop.

Mitchell gave the shop an evaluating look before shrugging. "Yeah, sure. Let's give it a shot."

With that, the two made their way down the street, slipping between pedestrians as they went. They ignored the odd looks Mitchell received due to his weapons. The banging grew louder as they approached.

Mitchell leaned into the open shop with Micaiah peeking in behind him. They both spotted a burly, broad-shouldered man in a blacksmith's apron standing before an anvil hammering away at something.

"Uh, hello, sir. May we have a moment?" Mitchell asked politely, raising his voice a bit to be heard over the man's hammering.

The man grunted before turning to regard the duo. The man was bald, with an untrimmed beard and mustache that appeared dried out from the constant heat. He said nothing, only looking at them with the slightest irritation.

Mitchell waved his hand in apology. "Sorry to interrupt your work, sir, but ya wouldn't happen to know anythin' about any refugees from Toulouse, would ya? We have some people we're hopin' to meet with with 'em."

The man's eyebrows scrunched together, his expression becoming annoyed. "Come again? I can hardly understand you with your slurring, stranger. Are you drunk? Speak clearly."

Mitchell blinked at the man's rebuke. Micaiah shifted at his side, but said nothing. "Ah, sorry, sir. I was asking if you knew anything about the refugees from Toulouse?" The hunter articulated.

The man grunted. "Ah, that pitiful lot. Yeah, I've heard of them." He gestured in the direction of the cathedral. "They've been allowed to settle in the southern outskirts of the city, from what I hear. Their arrival had the Church up in arms for some reason."

Mitchell inwardly frowned at that piece of information, but nodded in thanks. "Thank you for tellin' us, sir. We'll let ya get back to it."

With a disinterested hum, the man returned to his work. Mitchell and Micaiah stepped back out into the street before heading towards the cathedral. Once out of earshot of the man, Micaiah huffed.

"Well, he was rude," she said dryly.

Mitchell gave a 'what can you do' shrug. "Well, we did interrupt him. He could just be havin' a bad day or somethin' so let's cut him some slack."

"But he—" Micaiah looked at Mitchell before stopping herself. She exhaled. "Alright then."

She put her hands on her hips. "So what's next?"

Mitchell hummed. "Do ya know where the city square is?"

Micaiah nodded. "Yep." She pointed at the cathedral. "It's at the cathedral, so it looks like things might be much simpler for us now at least."

"Well, here's to hopin'," Mitchell replied. He gave the girl a friendly pat on the back.

Micaiah couldn't help a small giggle. "Here's to hoping!"

Now with a destination in mind, the duo made their way through the city. Winding through the busy streets while not getting lost proved easy thanks to the grandiose cathedral providing a great waymarker. Thankfully, their walk to the city square was uneventful.

Once the duo arrived at the square, Mitchell stopped to admire the sight. The square was massive, with the cathedral looming over everything at the far end of the square. People were absolutely everywhere, going about their business. A large marketplace dominated the square, open stalls carrying a myriad of goods as the owners advertised their wares. A large, beautiful fountain sat in the center of the square.

"Wow. This place is pretty big," Mitchell said, his eyes sweeping over the massive crowd.

Micaiah nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I'm honestly used to seeing a lot of people during ceremonies, but it's a lot different when you're among them."

Mitchell looked over at her. "Be sure to keep your hood up. If you're recognized here, things'll get interestin' real quick."

In response, Micaiah pulled her hood tight once more. Once secure, she turned to Mitchell. "So. I don't know about you, Mitch, but I'm pretty hungry. Do you want to get some food while we're here?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm feelin' pretty hungry myself," Mitchell replied. His gaze searched for any food stalls. "Might as well ask around about the refugee situation while we're at it."

He made an idle hand gesture as he stepped towards the marketplace. "Two birds with one stone, yeah?"

"Mhm!" Micaiah joined him with a skip in her step. She eyed the stalls with excitement. "That's just what I was thinking."

Mitchell couldn't help a small smile at the girl's enthusiasm. He had to admit, he felt happy to help her experience new things—God knows she deserved it.

As they made their way towards a food stall selling some delicious looking sandwiches, Mitchell wondered what his friends were doing. He hoped they were here—he was starting to miss them.

After buying a nice juicy sandwich for each of them, Mitchell and Micaiah made their way over to the fountain to enjoy their meal. The duo ate peacefully as they observed the people around them.

Once he was finished with his food, Mitchell stood up, his eyes idly flitting over the square. He stopped when he noticed an oddity, however. Behind a nearby stall, a brown haired woman stood frozen, gawking at him with wide eyes.

Feeling rather awkward at the random woman's intense stare, Mitchell raised a hand and waved at her. The woman blinked twice at the action, then slowly returned his wave. She jumped in surprise as a miffed customer in front of her stall got her attention.

Mitchell heard a contented sigh beside him and looked down to see Micaiah standing to her feet, brushing her hands together.

"Well, that was satisfying," she quipped.

Mitchell made a 'so-so' gesture. "Eh, it was aight. Still got nothin' on your cookin'."

Micaiah smirked good-naturedly. "Heh. Flatterer." The girl looked around, gesturing towards the massive throng of people. "So, time to gather info?"

Mitchell made to respond only to be interrupted by a hooded man barging their way in between him and Micaiah. The priestess yelped at the sudden action, stumbling. The hunter's arm shot out and caught her before she could fall over, and his instincts screamed at him.

He had felt something give way on his belt before the man suddenly bolted. The hunter slapped a hand over his belt only to find that the bag of silvers Melissa had given him was gone.

"Motherfucker!" Mitchell yelled as he pulled his crossbow and rifle off his back and urgently handed them to a dumbfounded Micaiah. "Cai, hold these!"

The girl wordlessly took them and Mitchell tore after the man, pumping his legs as hard and fast as he could. The crowd parted ways with surprised yelps and cries as the American hauled ass after the man, some even sporting indifferent expressions as they gave way to the thief, much to Mitchell's ire.

But it seemed luck was on his side today. As the thief passed by a merchant stall, the owner—the brown haired woman from before, much to Mitchell's surprise—kicked a small crate out in front of the fleeing thief, causing the man to trip and tumble across the ground.

The man grunted in pain as he rose, only for Mitchell to body the man clean off his feet as he slammed him to the ground. Dazed, the man attempted to reach for something in his cloak, only for Mitchell to grab the back of the man's hood and yank back, before slamming his face into the hard stone of the city square. The man went out like a light.

Mitchell stood with a huff, flipping the man over to reveal a dirty middle-aged man. The hunter wouldn't be surprised if the man was homeless by the looks of him. On the ground where the man landed was a small dagger and two familiar bags of coins.

'Looks like he managed to take Cai's money too,' Mitchell thought. 'We would've been so fucked if he got away.'

The hunter kicked the dagger away from the unconscious man as he retrieved their stolen possessions. He turned to see people watching.

Mitchell waved, giving them a winning smile. "Thanks y'all! No problems here! Feel free to continue mindin' your own fuckin' business!"

A number of people went back to what they were doing, looking contrite. The rest just huffed and moved on.

"Oh my gosh, thank goodness you caught him."

Mitchell turned to see Micaiah hurrying up to him, still holding his weapons the same way he'd left her with. It was an amusing sight.

Mitchell reached out and took back his weapons, slinging them both over his shoulders. "Yeah… y'know, Cai, I think I should just carry our money in my pack. Do ya mind if I do?"

Micaiah nodded, looking down at the fallen man with anger and a hint of pity in her gaze. "Sure, I don't mind. In fact, I think that's for the best. That was way too close."

"Uh, are you alright?"

Mitchell and Micaiah turned to see the brown haired woman who had helped them, standing there with a look of concern in her dark pink eyes.

Mitchell waved his hand reassuringly. "Oh, we're fine, don't worry. Thank ya very much for the help, miss." He opened his bag and pulled out a couple of silvers, handing them out to her. "In fact, here. For your trouble."

The woman's eyes widened and she waved her hands in front of her placatingly. "O-Oh, um, you don't need to do that. It's fine! I'm happy to help!"

Micaiah, however, was having none of it. She took the money from Mitchell's outstretched hand and stepped up to the woman. With a warm, grateful smile, she gently grabbed the woman's hand and placed the silvers in her open palm. "Please take them. You really helped us just now. The world needs more people like you."

The woman stared in surprise for a moment, before looking strangely abashed as she accepted the gesture. "U-Uh, well, um, okay…"

Confused at the reaction, Micaiah made to reassure her, only to be interrupted.

"Make way, people! Make way!"

All three of them turned to see an approaching group of four guards, wearing stern expressions. Mitchell stepped forward towards the guards, waving casually as he moved in front of Micaiah, patting her urgently as he blocked their view of her.

Micaiah turned away from the men, pulling her hood tight. The unnamed woman caught the subtle gestures between the two, glancing back and forth between them in bemusement as the guards drew near.

The head guard, a grizzled man in leather and chain mail, looked over the group with an evaluating gaze. "We received word of an attempted theft just now. Is this him?" He looked down at the still unconscious man.

Mitchell nodded. "Yessir, it is." He made a gesture with his hand. "Do we need to give a statement or anythin'?"

The head guard nodded as he looked down at the thief. "Yes, but it'll only be for formalities. I recognize him—he's a repeat offender." He turned to his fellow guards and nodded at the prone figure. Two of the guards grabbed the man by the shoulders and started dragging him off.

The head guard turned back to Mitchell. "Did he have any weapons on him?"

Mitchell nodded again, pointing at the nearby dagger laying on the ground. "Yeah, he had that. He looked like he was tryin' to reach for it when I tackled 'im."

The guard's eyes narrowed at that. "I see." He stepped over to retrieve the evidence. "This was his last chance. He'll be staying in the cells this time." He turned to his remaining fellow guard—a young man with bright red hair. "Elt, can you get their statement? I've got to go oversee the others and ready my report."

The red haired guard, Elt, nodded. "I'll take care of it, sir."

The head guard grunted, looking back at Mitchell. "Thank you for your cooperation. However, I'll have to ask that you leave the capturing of criminals to us from now on. You're very lucky you weren't harmed."

"Yessir. I'll remember that." Mitchell withheld what he really wanted to say—he wanted to move on from this so they could get back to finding his friends.

The head guard turned away, following after his fellow guards. "I'll leave it to you, Elt."

"Yes, sir."

As the red haired guard stepped forward, Mitchell heard footfalls and turned to see the brown haired woman returning to her stall.

"Hey, miss!"

At Mitchell's call, the woman turned back with a questioning gaze. "Yes?"

Mitchell gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry we didn't ask, but what's your name? We'll be sure to come visit your stall later."

The woman blinked before smiling sweetly. "...Raphtalia. And don't worry about it, I don't mind." She winked at him. "You're welcome to visit anytime."

With that, the girl strode away, her hips swaying alluringly as she left. Mitchell turned back to the patiently waiting guard. "Sorry about that. Whaddya need for your statement?"

The guard shook his head reassuringly. "It's fine. I just need you to tell me what happened so I can relay it to my superior."

"Aight then. This shouldn't take too long."

The next few minutes were fairly uneventful as Mitchell relayed what happened to the guard, the guard writing everything down as a silent Micaiah tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. She seemed to be internally debating something when they finished.

The guard nodded to himself as he put his notepad away. "Alright, I see what happened now." He gave the duo a look of sympathy. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

Mitchell shrugged, frowning slightly. "It's whatever. Does this kinda thing happen often here?"

The guard grimaced. "It's been happening more often recently. People have been getting more and more anxious about the news of the Fourth Born's forces moving through the kingdom."

He sighed, closing his eyes. "Especially with the news about the fall of Rondell and Toulouse."

Mitchell perked up at the mention of Toulouse. He leaned forward to ask—

"You know about Toulouse?" —only for Micaiah to beat him to it, much to his surprise.

The guard looked over at Micaiah before nodding. "Yes. We received word about it when refugees began appearing in the grand cathedral during the afternoon ceremony." His lips dipped into a small frown. "I heard that the priests weren't too happy about it when it happened."

Micaiah huffed at that. "I'm not surprised," she muttered in resentment.

When the guard raised a curious brow at the girl, Mitchell chose that moment to speak up. "Uh, hey, by the way, your name is Elt, right? I'm Mitchell Marlowe." He reached out for a handshake.

The guard blinked, turning his attention back to Mitchell. He gave a friendly smile, accepting the handshake. "Ah, yes, I'm Elt. Elt Escabar."

When Elt looked over at Micaiah expectantly, the girl opened her mouth to answer before floundering when she remembered her name was well known in the Order. "U-Uh…"

Seeing her plight, Mitchell wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him in a friendly embrace. He gave her a teasing, yet good-natured grin. "Oh, now ya decide to be all shy?"

Mitchell turned his attention back to Elt, injecting a bit of confidence into his voice as he smirked. "This here's my sister, Riley. As ya can see, she's a bit shy when put on the spot." He gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder in emphasis.

Gaining confidence at Mitchell's assistance, Micaiah was unable to stop a small smile from forming on her lips as she played along, rolling her eyes. "I can speak for myself, Mitchell."

She gave the young guard a bright smile as she waved. "Hello. I'm Riley Marlowe. It's nice to meet you, Elt."

Elt returned the girl's smile, nodding. "Same to you two, as well." He rested his hand on the pommel of his sword as he shifted his weight. "You asked about Toulouse earlier. May I ask why? You seemed concerned."

"We have relatives there, our older sister in fact," Mitchell answered, pulling away from Micaiah. "When we heard that Toulouse had fallen, worry didn't even begin to describe what we felt."

He frowned, his fists balling. "We all know what happens when towns are captured by mamono, after all."

Micaiah gently rested a hand on his arm, giving Mitchell a soft, encouraging look. She turned to Elt, a concerned sheen in her eyes. "Would you happen to know anything about the Toulouse refugees? If you do, please tell us, we have to know if our sister is with them."

Elt hummed, looking thoughtful. "Well, from what I've gathered, the refugees from Toulouse have been allowed to stay in the southern sector of the city."

The redhead suddenly perked up in realization. "Oh right! A good friend of mine lives in that sector. I know for a fact that she's taken some of them in."

"Really? That's great news! Could you tell us how to get there?" Micaiah asked eagerly, raising a hand to her heart. Mitchell couldn't stop a surge of hope at the news himself.

Elt smiled. "Of course." He turned and pointed to a street at the far side of the square. "That's the main street to the southern outskirts of the city. Keep going down that street until you reach an old tavern called the 'Cracked Flagon'."

He turned back to the duo. "There should be a side street to the right of the tavern, take it and follow it until you see an old church. That's the place you're looking for. Just ask for Sasha Fullmoon."

Mitchell's eyes widened imperceptibly. 'Sasha Fullmoon? Arriet's friend? Talk about lucky!'

Micaiah perked up in surprise. "Lady Fullmoon? The Pious Mage? She lives there?"

Elt nodded, a small, fond smile on his face. "Indeed she does. She took many people in. She will tell you everything you want to know."

"Aight then." Mitchell stepped forward and shook Elt's hand again. "Thank ya very much for this, Elt. You may have just saved us a whole lotta trouble."

He stepped away from the man, heading off to the street Elt had indicated with a two finger wave. "We'll let ya get back to it. Thanks again."

Micaiah waved goodbye to Elt as she hurried to catch up to the departing hunter. "Yes, thank you so much! Take care out there, okay!"

"It's no problem at all!" Elt called. "I hope you two find your sister!"

With their goodbyes said and a destination set, the duo walked with excited strides, their purpose renewed. Hopeful anticipation surged through them both—Mitchell at possibly reuniting with his friends again, and Micaiah at meeting new people.

Mitchell looked over at the priestess with a smirk. "That was some fine actin', Cai. You were on the ball back there."

Micaiah hummed, returning his smirk with a devious glint in her eyes. She nudged him with her elbow. "Well, I was just following your lead."

She laid her hands on her hips, proudly sticking her chest out in playful exaggeration. "But thank you. I am a bit proud I pulled it off, if I do say so myself."

There was a pause, then Mitchell chuckled with Micaiah giggling as they continued down the street in high spirits.

"Oh… Well that's a problem."

"Yeah…"

The duo's high spirits were short-lived, however, when they came upon a rampart, with a large gate blocking the way to the southern section of the city. Mitchell and Micaiah hid around a building corner when they noticed guards stationed on both sides of the gate. A small line of people waited at the gate, being checked one by one before being let through.

Mitchell pulled back around the corner and raised his hands in a gesture of exasperated confusion. "Why would ya have your city be sectioned off like this? Is it for defense?"

"It is," Micaiah affirmed with a nod. She closed her eyes and took a breath. "This has been done with every Order kingdom in case of a siege by opposing nations since ancient times."

Mitchell hummed thoughtfully at that. He watched as the guards made a man remove his hood before checking him over. "Damn, they're takin' no chances. Looks like we'll have to think outside the box on this one, Cai."

"Actually… I think I have an idea, Mitch."

Mitchell turned his attention to her, brow raised. "Oh? Well let's hear it then."

Micaiah looked up at him, laying a hand on her chest. "I think maybe you could go through the gate, letting them do whatever they need to, and I'll sneak in with you."

Mitchell's expression scrunched in confusion, his head tilting slightly. He opened his mouth to speak, but Micaiah raised a hand. "Hold on, let me finish. I know the Hidden Body spell, so they won't be able to see me unless they look really really hard."

Mitchell blinked incredulously. "Ya got an invisibility spell? Damn, Cai, you're all kinds a' versatile."

He suddenly paused, recalling the last part of her statement. "Wait, you'll still be visible, though?"

"A little, yeah," Micaiah nodded. She gestured towards the guards. "But let's be fair, with how bored they are, do you really think they'd be all that attentive?"

The priestess smirked, her eyes glinting deviously. "All I need to do is stick close and I think we'll be just fine."

Mitchell couldn't help a laugh. "Fair enough." He grinned, giving her a good-natured shrug. "Aight then, let's try it. I'm always down to see more magic at work."

Micaiah hummed in amusement, giving Mitchell a wink. "Well then. Watch and be amazed."

She closed her eyes, took a breath and concentrated, raising her hands palms up. She exhaled, before bringing her hands together in a clap. Mitchell's eyes slowly widened and his mouth fell as she gradually became transparent, fading out of sight until only the barest outline of her existed.

Despite knowing where her face was, Mitchell still had to squint in order to see her smirking visage. "You like it?"

Mitchell nodded, an almost childlike excitement radiating from him. "Like? Cai, I love this. Geez, I'll never get tired of seein' stuff like this."

He barely saw her place her hands on her hips as she laughed. "I'm glad you think so!" She then gestured to herself with a semi-transparent hand. "But just letting you know, this spell only works for five minutes, so we should probably get moving."

Mitchell straightened at that news. "Oh shoot, really? Let's get goin' then." He turned to walk around the corner. "Stick close."

"Already ahead of you," Micaiah replied from directly behind him.

With that, Mitchell stepped around the corner, making his way over to the now-shortened line of people. As he felt Micaiah shadowing him closely, Mitchell felt like he was in one of those spy movies. There was a tense minute of waiting in line and Mitchell thanked the Lord for the fact that no one was behind them when it was his turn to meet the guards.

"Alright, what are you heading through for?" One of the guards asked, trying and failing to hide how bored he was. The other guard eyed Mitchell's weapons curiously.

"I'm goin' to see a few friends a' mine," Mitchell answered. He adjusted the strap to his rifle, gesturing to it with a slight nod of his head. "I gotta return this to one of 'em. She loaned it to me to use."

The guard hummed, eyeing the weapon. "I see." He waved Mitchell through lazily. "Head on through then. Just take care not to get it stolen—a strange device like that would be sure to encourage the curious on that side."

Mitchell wondered what the man meant by that, but he withheld any comments since the guards were letting them through. He nodded at the man before wordlessly making his way through the gate as it opened with a loud creak.

Once he stepped through, Mitchell almost stopped when he laid eyes on his surroundings.

Compared to the part of town he'd just left, this place was horrendous. Arriet wasn't kidding when she said people were living in squalor. There was runoff of God knows what snaking its way down barely functional streets. The buildings looked shoddy, like a barely held-together slum. The sheer disparity on display was particularly galling to see, especially after seeing the opulence of the cathedral and the well-kept higher-end parts of the city.

Seeing the dilapidated and unmaintained state of these slums—he refused to call it anything different—only made Mitchell's already low opinion of the Order plummet further.

"Jesus Christ," Mitchell mumbled, frowning as he looked around.

He heard Micaiah whisper next to him. "I…I didn't know it was this bad…"

Mitchell looked over at her, despite still barely being able to see her. "First time seein' how bad it is?"

He felt Micaiah nod more than saw it. "Yeah… They're living like animals…"

Mitchell could only shake his head. He patted her arm—or where he thought her arm was—in understanding. "C'mon."

Micaiah merely hummed as she followed him, making their way down the street.

After a moment of walking, Mitchell's curiosity got the better of him. "Oh yeah, how did you learn that invisibility spell, by the way?" He smirked knowingly at her. "Did ya wanna mess with 'em a bit?"

The girl huffed. "Oh, I wish. But the real reason is nothing exciting, really."

"Sometimes after ceremonies I attended, the crowds got a bit…rowdy trying to meet the Holy Maiden." She waved her semi-transparent hands around emphatically. "Trying to receive blessings I can't give."

The girl continued when Mitchell's response was only a hum of affirmation. "They had me learn it so they could have an easier time escorting me away, basically."

"Huh. So you're really capable of learnin' these awesome spells even for the most mundane reasons?" Mitchell asked incredulously. "Damn, Cai."

She batted him on the arm. "Oh, it's not that impressive compared to other magic-users I've heard and read about. I just try to take my studies seriously, that's all."

Mitchell could hear the smirk in her voice as she continued. "It's funny that you said that though. I did use that spell to scare my tutor sometimes." She laughed a bit. "Eventually it got so bad she started showing up with a magic sensing amulet to spoil my fun."

Mitchell laughed with her as they continued down the street.

After thirty minutes of carefully following Elt's instructions, Mitchell and Micaiah finally laid eyes on their destination. They saw a fairly large church that was attached to a two-story building behind it. Numerous dilapidated and weathered buildings around it—some of said buildings in worrying states of disrepair. Hell, one of their top floor roofs had caved in.

Micaiah stared at the church, tilting her head slightly. "This is where the Pious Mage lives?"

"This is where Elt's instructions lead, so hopefully," Mitchell replied. He found his hopes rising when he saw a couple of people he actually recognized from Toulouse going about their business between the buildings.

"Oh yeah, this has to be the place," He said, nodding confidently. Without a moment to waste, he began making his way over to the church, an excited air about him.

Micaiah quickly caught up to him, looking at him with a brow raised. "You sound pretty confident."

"I recognize some of these people from Toulouse," Mitchell elaborated. He gave her a small, excited smile. "I think this is it, Cai."

Micaiah perked up at that, returning his smile. "Oh! Really? Well, what are we waiting for?"

To Mitchell's surprise and amusement, Micaiah hurried ahead, stopping at the door and knocking. Mitchell joined her, and they waited with rising anticipation.

…

After a few moments, the duo heard footsteps approaching from the other side. Mitchell readied himself, only for his greeting to die in his throat when the door opened.

"Yes? May I help…you…"

Mitchell watched as a very familiar person revealed herself, her voice going silent at the sight of him. Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open in shock as Micaiah looked between the two shocked individuals in bewilderment.

Overcoming his shock, Mitchell felt relief flood his entire body. He gave the woman a warm smile. "Hey, Ettie."

"You're okay!" Arriet hurriedly stepped forward, embracing him tightly. "Thank goodness…"

The hunter returned her embrace, patting her back comfortingly. "Yep, I'm back. Sorry I worried ya."

Arriet pulled away from their embrace, holding his hands with hers as she shook her head with a bright, relieved smile. "It's fine, Mitch. I'm just glad you're alright. Welcome back."

Mitchell felt a warm feeling come over him at her words. He hummed, smiling gently. "Yeah. It's good to be back."

Arriet then noticed Micaiah, pulling away from Mitchell completely. "Ah, I'm sorry. I'm being quite rude."

"No, no, it's fine," Micaiah assured, waving her hands. "I don't mind at all."

Mitchell looked past Arriet into the building for a moment before returning his gaze to her. "Is Zullie here?"

Arriet nodded, a small smile on her lips. "Mhm, she is. She'll be ecstatic to hear you're here." She stepped out of the way, gesturing inside. "Please come in, both of you. We have much to talk about."

Mitchell didn't miss the curious glance Arriet shot Micaiah as she said that. He nodded, stepping inside with Micaiah as the harpist closed the door behind them.

Mitchell took a look around the room, which looked like the church had been converted into a living area of sorts. An array of church pews had been converted into makeshift beds, with a small kitchenette off to the side with a closet for storage. A doorway was at the far end of the room, presumably leading to the conjoined two-story building.

At the far end of the room, a group of children sat before a beautiful green-haired woman in flowing priestess robes, listening intently to whatever she was saying.

Mitchell's attention was averted when Arriet laid a hand on his arm. "Wait here, alright? I'll go get Zullie."

Mitchell nodded, gesturing to the woman and the kids. "Aight. Should we go introduce ourselves, or wait? They look like they're in the middle a' somethin'."

"Yeah. I don't want to intrude on anything…" Micaiah added, looking over at the group with pursed lips.

Arriet also looked over at the group, humming thoughtfully. "Not quite yet, she's in the middle of their daily schooling at the moment." She stepped towards the far doorway, looking back at the duo with a reassuring look. "Don't worry though, she should be nearly finished. I'll go get Zullie in the meantime."

"Aight, we'll sit tight then," Mitchell replied. He batted her side playfully, his mood the highest it's been in days. "Don't keep us waitin' too long, now."

Arriet's smile shifted to a smirk. "Of course. Just wait here and be good, okay?"

Mitchell huffed good-naturedly, hearing Micaiah snort in amusement. "Suuure."

Giving a light-hearted giggle, Arriet made her way to the far doorway, making sure to not distract the kids from their lesson.

"So that's Arriet Archaletta, huh?" Micaiah wondered aloud. "She seems really nice. She's everything I was hoping she'd be, to be honest."

She looked at Mitchell with a raised brow, an amused twinkle in her gaze. "You two seem rather close."

Mitchell merely nodded, feeling warm in the face. "Yeah. This might sound a bit cheesy, but I'm happy to know her."

Micaiah smiled, shaking her head. "It's not cheesy—if anything it's sweet."

The hunter looked away, fighting his rising embarrassment as he sought to change the subject.

Unfortunately, he found nothing to avert attention as the duo stood off to the side waiting for Arriet to return. A minute passed, then…

It happened in an instant. One moment Mitchell is patiently waiting, the next he suddenly smells lavender and is smothered in a tight embrace, his head wedged snugly between a pair of large, bountiful breasts. He barely heard Micaiah's surprised squeak as a very familiar breathy voice spoke.

"Thank the stars…you're alright. Welcome back, dear…I've missed you so…"

Mitchell patted the joyful, relieved Dark Mage on the back as he pulled his head back to look the woman in her warm yellow eyes. Today was a good day.

"Same here, Zullie," he smiled. "Same here."

The heartwarming smile the Dark Mage gave Mitchell tugged at his heart, and she gave a content hum. To his great surprise and embarrassment, she pulled him back into her chest, resting her head on his.

Mitchell was pretty sure he could feel even Micaiah's second-hand embarrassment when it didn't seem like Zullie intended to let him go after a couple of moments passed.

The hunter made to pull away, gently patting the woman in emphasis. When the woman merely tightened her embrace, he patted her a bit more emphatically. "Uh, Zullie?"

Micaiah, bless her heart, decided to lend him a metaphorical hand. "Um…" She immediately floundered, but Mitchell appreciated the effort behind the gesture regardless.

"Come now, Zullie, I understand you're excited, but you could've at least waited for me."

Before the moment could become truly awkward, Mitchell was grateful to hear Arriet's exasperated voice grace his ears.

At that, Zullie reluctantly released him. Slightly red-faced, Mitchell looked over to see Arriet with lidded eyes, an exasperated expression on her pretty face as she approached. "You appear to have an audience as well."

Mitchell took a glance to see what she meant, seeing Micaiah fidgeting a bit with a very faint blush on her cheeks. And she wasn't alone.

The hunter was mortified to see the green-haired priestess from before also waiting, but while she had a similar dusting of pink on her cheeks, her sapphire blue eyes also carried traces of amusement.

Realizing her mistake, Zullie had the decency to look sheepish, pulling the brim of her hat down over her beet red face. The green-haired priestess tittered at the sight before smiling at Mitchell and Micaiah. "Thank you for waiting so patiently. Those little ones can be so curious sometimes."

Arriet crossed her arms with a knowing smile, idly shifting her weight to one leg. "Yes, I could tell. Did you finally give them a topic that suits their fancy?"

The woman gave off a huff. "Of course. You know I wouldn't fill their heads with frivolous topics during such an important time of their growth."

For some reason, Arriet only grew more amused, and she opened her mouth to speak before the green-haired priestess hurriedly interjected. "A-Anyway, welcome to the Sunny Day Orphanage. I'm Sasha Fullmoon, and I'm the caretaker of the little ones here."

The priestess, Sasha, performed an elegant curtsy and gave them a kind, welcoming smile. "Nice to meet you. Judging from Arriet's excitement, I'm assuming you're Mitchell Marlowe, yes? She's told me much about you."

Sasha gave Arriet a teasing glance, her lips quirked in amusement. Arriet returned her look with one of scandalized betrayal, her face turning red with embarrassment.

Mitchell glanced at Zullie, who merely returned his look with a minute shrug, but smiling nonetheless. While he enjoyed watching the byplay between the two obviously good friends, he decided to throw Arriet a lifeline. "I'm happy to hear that, Miss Fullmoon. An' yep, you're right on the money—I'm Mitchell Marlowe."

He gave Sasha the greeting he knew best—the tried-and-true two finger wave. "Nice to meet you too."

As Arriet fanned herself, Sasha nodded at him with a warm smile. This woman gave Mitchell serious 'caring older sister' vibes. "Well met."

Sasha then turned to the silent Micaiah with faint curiosity. "And who might this be?"

Under the group's combined scrutiny, Micaiah fidgeted with her clothes, visibly uncertain. Sensing Micaiah's anxiety, Arriet stepped forward with a concerned visage. "There's no need to be so nervous, you can relax."

"U-Um…" Micaiah stuttered, looking between the three women. Now that she was actually meeting these people she'd heard so much about, whatever she wanted to say completely deserted her. Desperate, she looked at Mitchell, her eyes pleading for help.

Mitchell knew why. He knew Sasha and Arriet would very likely know who Micaiah is when she reveals herself. It seems the time has come to let the cat out of the bag.

He gave Micaiah a look that conveyed his reassurance. A look that said: "Don't worry. It'll all be fine. Trust me."

Seeing his confidence, Micaiah took a breath and calmed herself. The three observers watched the interaction with growing curiosity as Micaiah nodded at Mitchell, signifying her readiness to proceed.

With that, Mitchell turned towards the others. "Aight, before we go any further, can I ask y'all to not freak out an' keep an open mind please?"

At Mitchell's words, Zullie tilted her head slightly in bewilderment as Arriet and Sasha glanced at each other. After a moment, the women nodded, clearly wondering what this was about.

Mitchell exhaled through his nose, turning to Micaiah expectantly. Taking that as her cue, she reached up and grasped the hood of her cloak. After a moment of hesitation, she pulled her hood back.

Zullie was left very confused when Arriet and Sasha went rigid, their eyes going wide as their mouths collectively dropped.

The Maiden of Miracles gave them a tiny, tentative wave. "Hi. I'm Micaiah Calzedonia." She smiled uncertainly. "Um, nice to meet you all…?"

A/N: Holy fuck, I'm not dead. Just afk for a frankly embarrassing amount of time.

I really have no excuse for why this one took so long aside from irl related stuff, but I finally got it done. Have I ever told y'all how much I appreciate how patient you readers are? Thank you so much. Seriously.

On another note, I've been working on another MGE fic with Sir Yeetus Deletus called The New World. Go check that one out if you're curious, I can tell y'all we have a lot planned for that one. (And that's not even including the Highschool of the Dead story we're still working on, Year Zero)

Anyway, I'm very sorry for the wait, y'all. I'll try to be more consistent in the future. Later on.