Blue

by Silenta-Atestanto

The history of our world is a simple one. An Overlord emerges to terrorize mankind, before a Hero rises up to slay him. So the cycle went, until it was broken when a succubus claimed the mantle, seduced the Hero sent to slay her, and created the stalemate we recognize today. But history is rarely ever so straightforward. I should know. I saw the events that would unfold for myself.

13. Chapter 13: Azalea

Chapter 13: Azalea

Tracking Luxuria's wayward daughter and her Hero companion proved more difficult than Joanna expected. It was not because the two followed a convoluted route, however- their journey thus far had been quite straightforward. But dwelling in Iedolas's domain, and then Akheros for as long as she had, Joanna had nearly forgotten a vampire's greatest enemy: the sun. It could not kill her as it would a younger vampire, but her strength would rapidly wane with its rising, and she would have to seek refuge where she could slumber undisturbed until nightfall.

Despite this setback, Joanna pursued her quarry diligently, arriving at long last in Lescatie. It was said that vampires could not tread on holy ground, and that prayers and icons of faith could repel them- but the name "Ilias" had held no meaning to Joanna in life, and thus in undeath, the so-called "Chief God" held no power over her. But in her search for leads, she discovered some troubling information regarding Andralaxia's destination, and she dared not move forward until speaking to her master.

Finding a secluded rooftop at the edge of the city, Joanna pulled a small mirror of polished black crystal from her pocket. After speaking a few dark words, her reflection faded, replaced by the interior of Luxuria's parlor. Her black mirror was linked through magic to one in her master's possession, allowing the two to communicate with one another, even over vast distances. But, her master was nowhere in sight. Frowning, Joanna rotated the mirror in her hand, trying to get a better view of the room, but it seemed Luxuria was absent entirely. That troubled the vampire even more. Every moment that passed brought her master's daughter closer to danger, and her report was not something that could wait.

"Honnette?" Joanna said aloud. "Brynn! Laraquel!" Even if her master had to step out for some reason, surely one of her attendants would be close by. And to her relief, her calls did draw attention- the door directly across from her viewpoint opened, and someone stepped into the room. But it was not her master, nor any of her attendants. It was a succubus, with short black hair that carried a faint red tinge.

"Joanna?" Korzanna asked, before crossing the room and seating herself before her master's mirror. "Is something wrong?"

"Where is Lady Luxuria?" the vampire demanded. "I have urgent news concerning Andralaxia."

"Lord Baphomet has called the Black Hand to council," Korzanna replied. "She may be in attendance for some time." The succubus leaned back in her seat casually. "But tell me- how fares my dear sister?"

"She is still alive, for the moment. But as we speak, she journeys to Aglis. To Guillaume's domain."

"Guillaume?" Korzanna didn't know Guillaume- she had never met him face-to-face, and to her knowledge, he had only ever set foot in Akheros once, nearly a hundred years before she was born, to pledge his service to Overlord Leviathan. "…So what? You think he's gonna tattle on you to Iedolas? All he does is coop himself up in his lab. You know that."

Joanna narrowed her eyes at Korzanna. " You may not be aware of the fickle nature of humans. But having once been one myself, I am . Humans can change with just a few days' time. Imagine how much one can change in five hundred years."

"You're spending too much time around Mother. Her paranoia is rubbing off on you." Luxuria had always considered Guillaume the most inscrutable member of the Black Hand, and thus, the most dangerous; in her eyes, he seemed to have no goal, no desires, which made predicting his actions- or trying to manipulate him- effectively impossible.

"Perhaps. But I can't risk being discovered. If Iedolas were to discover just how far afield I've gone…"

Korzanna huffed. Of course. Joanna may have served her mother, but she was technically still one of Iedolas's brides. And she was meant to be on an assignment. "Alright, alright. I'll pass on what you told me to Mother. But keep following Laxi. If you feel like you're in danger of being discovered, I'm giving permission for you to fall back. We'll see if we can find someone else to replace you in the meantime."

"As you command, Lady Korzanna." Joanna's image faded, leaving Korzanna to gaze at her reflection in the black crystal.

Although she played things off, Korzanna couldn't help but worry. She only knew Guillaume through rumors, and those rumors did not paint a pleasant picture. It was entirely possible that, should he discover Laxi, he would use her as fuel for his experimentation, either unaware or simply uncaring of the fact that she was the daughter of a fellow Black Hand member. And if something were to happen to Laxi… she had to find her. For her mother's sake as much as for Laxi's. Luxuria had told her she couldn't leave Akheros… but that wouldn't be a problem if her mother never realized that she had left in the first place. Leaving the parlor, she returned to her chamber- a smallish room, lavishly decorated in the style of the princes of the lands of Dimitra, with a large window facing out to the fiery mountains of Phlegethos. "Laraquel?" Korzanna called. "Laraquel, your master is calling you!"

At her call, a mass of translucent dark purple- nearly black slime slithered out from beneath her bed. It wavered before stretching up, taking the form of a woman, tall, with wide hips and a bust that most women would kill to have, her "hair" pulled into a pair of large, spiral curls. The slime girl rested a hand on her chest, and asked, "How may I serve you, My Lady?"

"Laraquel, I need you to do me a favor," Korzanna replied. "You remember my sister Laxi, right? I'm going out to keep an eye on her for a bit. I need you to make sure Mother doesn't realize that I've gone."

Without a word of protest, the slime girl split into two identical copies of herself. One remained unchanged, while the other shuddered and rippled as she took on Korzanna's appearance. The result was like looking into a mirror- the only way anyone would have realized this Korzanna was fake was by spotting the thin, almost invisible thread of slime connecting her to Laraquel's original body. "Thy will be done, My Lady," Laraquel and Korzanna's copy said, resting a hand over their hearts, and bowing.

Korzanna grinned. Going against her mother's wishes and choosing an attendant for herself had come with all sorts of benefits, not all of which were confined solely to the bedroom. She turned away, and extended her arm toward the closest wall. "Kyda." A hole appeared in the wall, expanding to reveal a small village swathed in darkness. She then held her hand over herself. "Cycxianyta ." The succubus Korzanna vanished, replaced by an unassuming traveler with simple clothes and black hair tied into a long, flowing ponytail. Her masquerade would not only disguise her appearance, but also keep her magic from leaking out, preventing any attuned to sensing demon magic from detecting her presence.

"Well, I'm off," Korzanna said. She headed to the portal, but before stepping through it, she stopped and added, "Oh, and be sure to let Mother know that Joanna called her. Tell her Laxi is heading for Aglis."

"Sure thing, My Lady," Korzanna's copy replied. Even her voice was a perfect mirror.

Korzanna- the real Korzanna- smiled again, before stepping through the portal.

---

The clashing of steel rang out across the deck of the Princess Louvia. Fiann may not have been as fast as other Heroes or the members of Wyvern Company, but she made up for it in sheer relentlessness- she hadn't stopped swinging her weapon since their training session started, and she'd barely slowed down since. Her strikes came at such a rapid pace that Abel had no time to strike back... which was the whole point, as this lesson was about reading an opponent's movements and guarding against their attacks. And so far, Abel had succeeded in blocking- or at least evading- every attack thus far, albeit only barely in some instances.

But his luck finally ran out. He pulled back too quickly after deflecting one of Fiann's strikes, throwing himself off-balance. Fiann swung upwards at him from below. He tried to pull back, but he had already completely extended himself, and her axe caught him on the chin.

Fortunately, Fiann's weapon wasn't real- merely a piece of wood carved into the shape of an axe. Unfortunately, the blow was so painful that Abel almost wished it had been real. He collapsed onto the deck, clutching his face- he heard Fiann drop her axe and rush to his side. He could tell she was worried just by how she touched him, and when he looked, she was already holding her journal up to him: [I'm sorry!]

"Ss fine..." he replied, words slurred as his jaw refused to form the words he wanted to say. "Swas mah faul." He held his hands over his mouth, and healed himself. "...There. Nothing to worry about."

Fiann scrawled something in her journal, still looking worried. [You should take a break for a while.]

"Really, I'm fine." Abel climbed to his feet, readying his sword. "It's better for me to get hit here, rather than when I'm in a real fight."

At that moment, Raine emerged from the ladderwell leading into the ship's interior. "Oh, here you are, Blue. Can I borrow you for a minute?"

Fiann stepped forward, placing herself between Abel and Raine, but Abel stepped around the bard in turn, and asked, "What is it, Raine?" Fiann made every attempt to be close to Abel at all times- more than once Abel had awoken in the middle of the night to find her standing at the side of his bed, staring at him with her unnerving, unblinking stare. Fiann claimed it was so she could always be close, to protect him from enemies. Unfortunately, Fiann's definition of "enemy" seemed to be everyone other than Abel himself- Captain Baird, Cinquedea, the other crew members of the Princess Louvia, and even his friends. She always backed down whenever he asked, but by this point, Abel felt that he shouldn't need to ask.

"The Sister just reminded me that we never got a second trace for that altar you're looking for back in Fueno," the witch replied. She was right, Abel realized- he'd gotten so distracted by his run-in with the Wyverns that it had completely slipped his mind. But…

"Are we doing it now?" Abel asked. "Shouldn't we wait until we reach Aglis?" After all, the ship was still moving.

"We can get a more accurate measurement once we reach port," Raine replied, "but this way, we can get a general idea of where we're heading and plan out our route ahead of time."

"But we don't even know where we are! What good would finding the altar do all the way out here?"

"See that island out there?" Raine pointed over the ship's left side. Far out in the distance, Abel could see an island. "That's Chariklo, one of the islands that make up Proserpina. And I'd say we're about… forty K south of it right now. I know it won't be a hundred percent accurate, but we'll at least have something to start planning with. Now let me see your map."

Reluctantly, Abel turned over his map under Fiann's watchful eye. When Raine was ready, he concentrated, imploring his amulet to point the way to Alondight's altar. After a moment, the witch drew the path indicated by the amulet on the map, before inspecting it, frowning. "Well. That's not good."

"What? What is it?" Abel asked.

Raine turned. "Come with me. Jugs and the Sister are gonna wanna see this."

A few minutes later, Abel and his companions were gathered around his map, spread over one of the tables in the galley. The two lines Raine had drawn on the map crossed at a point near the border between Ermis and Mavors, a region labeled "Caral Marshlands."

Lailah wound a lock of her hair around her finger with a concerned expression. "Caral…" she said in a low voice. "I've heard stories about that place. And none very pleasant."

"Why?" Holly asked, before Abel could. "Is there something there?"

"Several centuries ago, a previous Overlord arrived in Caral Marsh and used it as a staging area to invade the surrounding nations," Seth replied. "The Overlord was eventually defeated, but that whole area is still tainted by his influence."

"Tainted?" Abel asked. "What does that mean?"

"When monsters inhabit an area for an extended length of time," Lailah explained, "they produce a miasma that's poisonous to humans. This miasma seeps into the land itself, corrupting it and making it unfit for humans to live in. But it isn't just the land that's affected- it's said that some monster species were born when animals, and even members of the enlightened races were exposed to and corrupted by monster miasma."

This was, of course, the first time Abel had ever heard of this miasma. And worse yet, it was able to turn people into monsters? How were they meant to protect themselves from something like that? And more pressingly, as Holly asked, "Why would Alondight put an altar somewhere that's so hard to get to?"

"The miasma wouldn't have been there in Alondight's time," Raine replied. "Alondight lived several thousand years ago. But the Overlord that occupied Caral Marsh only lived around four hundred years ago."

"We won't just be dealing with the miasma, though," Lailah said. "The monsters living in Caral Marsh will be much more powerful than ones we've faced before. We need to make sure we're fully prepared before we set out." The priestess then rubbed her chin for a moment. "...If I recall, there's a major parish in Aglis. The local bishop might have advice for how we should proceed."

"The headquarters for the Mavors chapter of the Mage's Guild is there, too," Raine added. "They might know of some way we can protect ourselves from the miasma."

Fiann's brow had been furrowed for quite some time, an intense frown on her face. Finally, she wrote something in her journal. [Why are you looking for an altar?] Abel answered, explaining in full detail the nature of the quest Bacchus had given him, and the altars of Alondight he was meant to find. However, even with his explanation, the frown didn't leave the bard's face.

[I don't think I like this patron god of yours. If the Overlord is so dangerous, why make you go through so many trials?] She turned her journal away and added, [This quest sounds more like a way for her to entertain herself at your expense.]

"Why?" Abel asked. "I… that's… just how it is. How it's always been. But that's how it is in stories, too, isn't it?"

"So…" Raine began. "Care to share what she wrote with the rest of us? I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not a fan of this whole secret note thing you two have going on."

"You're one to talk," Seth said coldly in reply. "You still haven't told us why Commander Shirley was so interested in you. Or your weapon."

Raine jolted. "Wha- where'd that come from? This isn't about me!"

"My sister always said that people who bring up other people's secrets do it because they're trying to hide something," Holly said.

Raine sighed, scratching her head. "Gee, throw me under the bus, why don't you…" she muttered, before asking out loud, "You know that one Hero you ran into, the one with the bow made of light?"

"Shavran?" Abel asked in turn.

"I remember," Lailah replied with a nod. "But how do you know about that?"

"Well, a bunch of Heroes visiting Lescatie all at once is kind of a big deal. People talk. Especially when they start brawling in the middle of the city. Anyway, in Dimitra, they have special weapons imbued with elemental powers called 'Vajra.' That Shavran guy uses one imbued with light energy. And my weapon-" Raine reached for her belt, and set her baton on the table. "-also happens to be a Vajra."

Niel emerged. "And when were you in Dimitra?"

"Where do you think I got this, Parrot?" Raine held up her hand to show the brand on her palm. "Also where I picked up my tan."

Niel eyed Raine's baton with suspicion. "Didn't realize metal was one of the elements of magic."

"Hey, metal's just a type of earth with all the impurities removed, right?" Raine asked, before leaning back. "Anyway, we're lucky we're headed to Aglis."

"Don't you change the subject!" Niel protested.

But Raine ignored the angel's complaint. "The Mage's Guild maintains barriers around places tainted by monster miasma, to keep it from spreading." Raine leaned forward, tracing a circle around Caral Marsh with her finger. "And Caral Marsh is no exception. We'll need permission from the national chapter HQ to go in. Might need it from the Ermis HQ, too, since the barrier's maintained by chapters on both sides of the border."

"And how long will it take to get permission from the Guild?" Lailah asked.

Raine leaned back once again. "Eh, shouldn't be too long. I didn't advance very far, but I am a member of the Mage's Guild. So that should speed things up a little."

"I have to admit, I'm surprised," Niel said. "I didn't think you were good for anything other than embarrassing yourself."

"Hey! " Raine replied indignantly.

Seth stood and leaned over the map to get a better view. "It doesn't look like there's any major cities between Aglis and the marsh," she said. "We should make a list of provisions we'll need for the road. And plan out what route to take."

"I can help with figuring out how much supplies we'll need," Holly said. "I know it doesn't look like it, but I'm good with numbers."

"Don't forget that we need enough supplies to make the trip both ways," Lailah said. "As for the route… Abel, can I borrow this map for a while?"

"Sure," he replied. "It sounds like you have everything figured out."

"Nothing's set in stone yet," the priestess began, "but if we start preparing now, then we can set out that much sooner."

As much as Abel would have liked to help, he had no skill with either navigation or numbers. "I'll leave the planning to you, then," he replied, standing. "I should get back to training. Let's go, Fiann."

The bard darted out of the galley with a smile. Abel followed her, but as he reached the ladderwell leading to the deck, he was pulled back and pinned against one of the passageway walls. "Sorry Blue," Raine said. "Need to borrow you for a little longer."

"Raine, you're a little close," Abel replied, trying to shrink away from the witch. She had a hand around each of his forearms, pressing him against the wall with her chest. He would have thought she was just toying with him again, were it not for the serious expression on her face.

"You asked me to look into something, remember?" she asked. "Well when we were in Fueno, I did some asking around."

Oh. That. "Well, what did you find out?" Abel asked in a low voice.

"Nothing," Raine replied bluntly.

"Nothing? " Abel repeated. "Nothing at all?"

"The Inquisition's always kept info close to the vest, even before Szandor took charge, but there was always a leak somewhere," Raine said. "But these Archangels… I can't find anything about them. Their movements, when they were recruited… I can't even find the names for the other two. It's like they just… appeared one day, and once they did, everyone acted like they'd always been there. The only thing I've been able to find out is that they exist, and that there's four of them." Raine sighed. "…I'll do some more asking around once we reach Aglis, but-"

Raine was interrupted by the frantic ringing of the bell on the deck. Abel fully understood what it meant, and rapidly climbed the ladder leading topside to confront whatever was threatening the ship.

Once he reached outside, Abel saw what he thought were giant birds flying around the ship… but after a closer look, he realized they were women, with almost skeletal torsos and black wings in place of their arms, their legs ending with long, sharp talons. The crew, along with Roland and Fiann, stood in a tight circle with their weapons ready, but they could do a little with the bird-women so far beyond the reach.

But that wouldn't be a problem for Abel.

Drawing his sword, Abel shot into the air, carried on his wings of light, and aimed himself at the closest of the bird-women. He swung his sword, but the bird-woman darted out of his reach, evading his second and third swing as well- even a burst of Angel Fire was too slow to catch it. "How is this thing so fast!?" he shouted.

"Harpies are born able to fly," Niel replied in his head. "You've been flying for only a few weeks. Did you really think you could match them?"

The angel had a point. But there must've been some way to negate their speed. Maybe… "Spark Bolt!" Abel pointed at the harpy, and lightning shot from his fingertip. Unlike his other attacks, this one hit its mark- the harpy convulsed, screeching in pain, before it fell, dropping into the ocean with a splash. Unfortunately, bringing down one of the flock drew the attention of the others, and they all began flying at Abel with their talons extended.

"Spark Bolt! Spark Bolt!" Abel shot two more harpies out of the sky, but he was rapidly reaching his limit- he could feel himself beginning to sink downward. One of the harpies was nearly upon him- he swung his sword at her, but the bird woman darted around his blade, latching onto his leg with her talons before lunging toward his throat with her teeth bared. Abel turned, her fangs instead sinking into his shoulder, but the pain caused his wings to go out, and he and the harpy began to fall. The deck of the Princess Louvia was rapidly approaching- Abel had only enough time to turn himself so the bird-woman was beneath them when they hit the deck. The harpy did little to cushion his fall, though the impact did force her to release him. Pain surged through his body as Abel stumbled to his feet, and he groaned in pain. "Ow… that… wasn't a very smart idea."

Before Abel could do so much as catch his breath, there was an angry screeching from above. Another harpy was diving toward him. But before the bird-woman could reach him, something struck her, causing her to fall out of the air and hit the deck hard. As the harpy writhed in pain, Abel saw a gleaming axe embedded in the bird-woman's chest. Fiann quickly strode over to the fallen monster to retrieve her weapon, only for another harpy to dive at her, latching on to her arm. But with terrifying swiftness, Fiann wrenched the harpy off her before throwing it against the deck, stomping on the bird-woman's back to keep her pinned in place. The bard then took hold of the harpy's wings, and pulled. The harpy let out a loud, keening screech much different from the ones it had made before, and there was a horrible tearing sound as Fiann ripped the bird-woman's wings from her body. As she tossed the wings aside, she looked up at the remaining harpies with a cold, unblinking stare. The beasts flinched under her gaze, before flying away from the ship, calling out in a primal terror.

The red light shining in Raine's right hand faded away. "Aw, I was hoping to get some more target practice in."

As Fiann approached the harpy she'd brought down with her axe, Roland approached Abel. "Your new companion is… quite the warrior," he said, as the bard wrenched her axe from the monster's corpse. "I certainly wouldn't want to have her as an enemy."

Fiann turned to Abel, and smiled serenely at him, still splattered with blood, as though she hadn't just violently dismembered a monster with her bare hands literal seconds before. He couldn't help but shudder, and replied, "...Neither would I."

---

After several more days at sea, the lookout reported sighting of Aglis. Even at a distance, it was easy to see that Aglis was massive- perhaps not as big as Lohan, but certainly the biggest city they'd seen since. Unlike Lohan however, the buildings were much more uniform: narrow, but tall, standing about three floors high, painted various pastel colors and capped with slanted, interconnected roofs made of dark tiles.

No one aboard aside from Raine had traveled so far to the east, but there was plenty of talk amongst the crew. They described Aglis as "a city of magic," which set Abel's imagination ablaze. What made it so magical? Was the city built on a massive chunk of earth floating above the ground, anchored in place by massive chains? Or built out of spires so tall and delicate that only magic could hold them upright? Or was it the citizens that made it unique, capable of feats that at one time he would have thought only gods capable of? But to be faced by such normalcy, Abel couldn't help but feel underwhelmed.

"Gee Blue, don't look so disappointed. You'll hurt my feelings," Raine said, as she, Abel, and their companions gathered at the bow of the ship for a better view of the city.

"Huh?"

"I spent a lot of time in Aglis. It's practically a second home to me." The witch leaned in. "And I know some people call it the City of Magic, but don't tell me you were expecting something crazy. Like that it was built on a giant disk floating in the sky or something like that."

Perhaps, Abel had let his imagination get the better of him. Still… "It's… more normal than I was expecting."

"Well Blue, when you've done as much traveling as I have, you realize no matter where you go, people aren't all that different. No matter how famous a city is, it's still full of normal people doing normal people stuff."

All of a sudden, Raine was pulled back, and Fiann stepped up to replace her, wrapping her arms around Abel protectively. "Hey, I was bonding with Blue! You wait your turn!" But when Fiann didn't let go, the witch huffed and muttered, "Ugh, fine. Fine! Whatever. Figures you wouldn't know how to share… "

Sometime later, the Princess Louvia dropped anchor at an empty pier. The crew disembarked, but Roland and Abel's group didn't follow. "Thank you again, Captain," the prince said. "I hope I wasn't too much of a burden."

"Ya weren't no trouble at all, lad," Baird replied. "Havin' you aboard brought us some of the smoothest sailin' I've had in years."

"So, I guess this is where we part ways," Cinquedea said, looking toward Abel and his friends. "Gotta admit, I'll be sad to see you go. Things have been a lot more exciting with you around."

"I think I've had enough excitement fer one lifetime," Baird added, before turning to Abel. "But listen, lad. I won't forget what ya've done fer me and my crew. If ya ever find yerself needin' a ship, ya come and find us. I'll bring ya ta whatever shore yer hopin' ta get to, no matter how far it is."

"You might end up waiting on that for a while, you know," Raine replied.

"I owe the lad a debt that can never be repaid, lass," the captain said. "But that don't mean that I won't try. I'll wait fer him fer as long as I need to."

Abel and his companions finally disembarked. It was still early in the morning, so the city streets were largely empty, save for an occasional patrolling guard or merchant setting up their stall. As they went deeper into the city, Roland walked alongside them, and after some time, the prince said, "I do apologize if my presence caused any troubles for you. I understand you have obligations of your own."

"Oh that's fine," Raine replied. "In fact, giving you a lift worked out in our favor. We have business with the local branch of the Mage's Guild."

Roland seemed surprised. "That is a timely coincidence. My business takes me to the Guild as well. I'm here to retrieve Durandal from their care."

"Durandal? Isn't that your Relic?" Abel asked, brow furrowing. "Why does the Mage's Guild have it?"

"I thought the Church assumed custody of all Relics that weren't in active use," Seth added.

"Normally, such is the case," the prince replied. "But as an heirloom of the Mavorian royal family, Durandal is seen as the property of the current king, rather than the Church. As to why it's in the possession of the Mage's Guild… my great-grandfather presented it to the guild for study, in the hopes that they could duplicate its abilities."

"What… can your Relic… do…?" Holly asked haltingly. Her words came slowly, but they were a far cry from the unintelligible stammering they had been when they first met Roland.

"At its base, Durandal is a sword that dispel dark magic. But by bathing it in the waters of three sacred springs hidden throughout Mavors, its power grows tremendously. At its peak, it can strike down its wielder's enemies of its own accord."

Raine cut in. "Hold on a second, Prince. Are you saying your Relic can float around and attack enemies by itself?"

"It… does sound rather outlandish when phrased that way, but… yes," Roland replied. "That's precisely what it can do."

Fiann looked over to Abel, curious. [Do you have a relic? What can yours do?] she wrote.

"Yeah, I have one." Abel pulled his amulet from under the collar of his shirt. "If I concentrate, it points towards things I'm looking for."

Fiann frowned. [That sounds much less useful than a sword that can wield itself.]

But before Abel could argue about his amulet's usefulness, Roland came to an abrupt halt. "Here we are." The prince had stopped in front of a large gate made a black iron bars, set into a fence that was also made from black iron bars. Through the bars, Abel could see a path leading to an enormous building with tall, narrow windows, at least six floors tall at its shortest point, stretching well over a hundred paces on either side of the path. On the right, rising high above the rest of the structure, was a square-shaped tower, a clock face set into each of its sides near the top.

"Mage's Guild HQ," Raine said as she looked at the building, hands on her hips. "Hasn't changed even a little."

"I wonder why it's so far away from the other buildings," Holly said. There was an empty grass lawn stretching another hundred paces between the building and the outer fence- Abel had noticed that buildings of importance were often set apart from the structures around them, but this seemed a bit excessive.

Something caught Lailah's attention. "Someone's coming this way."

A person had stepped through the doors at the center of the building, and were walking up the path toward the gate. It was a woman with very long, curly blonde hair, with eyes so narrow they were practically shut, and a very… prominent chest. She wore a black jacket with a white undershirt, a dark skirt, and long black stockings that completely covered her legs. A symbol was embroidered on the breast of her jacket, in a golden thread- an eight-pointed star, with an eye set in the center. Abel recognized the outfit: Fio, one of the Heroes he'd encountered in Lescatie, wore one almost identical to it. It even had the same symbol embroidered onto it. Was it some kind of uniform, meant to identify members of the Mage's Guild?

The blonde woman opened the gate, her gaze turning to Roland. " Bienvenue à Aglis, Maître Roland. Nous vous attendions ," the woman said, in a language Abel didn't recognize. But even so, Abel understood her words: Welcome to Aglis, Master Roland. We have been expecting you.

"So I see," Roland replied in the same foreign tongue, extending a hand to the woman. "And to whom do I owe the pleasure?"

The woman shook the prince's hand firmly. "Mavis, vice-president of the Mavors chapter of the Mage's Guild." Her gaze then turned to Abel and his friends. "And who might these people be?"

Abel looked back. Everyone other than Raine looked terribly confused. "Uh… b-bienvenue." Holly replied shakily. "Je… nous sommes… c-c-compagnes de… I-I'm sorry. I haven't practiced speaking Mavorian in a long time." She must have been very out of practice- Niel's blood wasn't able to translate her words at all. And only then did Abel understand the looks of confusion from the others: while he may have understood the woman's words, his companions clearly did not.

"Oh, my apologies." Mavis laid a hand on her chest. "May the curse of Babel be lifted, and my words be understood by all: Translate." A blue glow briefly washed over her, centered around her throat, before she spoke again. "Is that better?"

Nothing about the vice-president's words sounded different to Abel, but everyone aside from Raine looked incredibly relieved. "Thank you," Holly replied.

"As I said before, my name is Mavis," Mavis repeated, her gaze sweeping over Abel's companions. "Vice-president of the Mavors chapter of the Mage's Guild. Ordinarily, the arrival of special guests would be seen to by the President, but she's currently…" Mavis trailed off once her gaze had settled on Raine.

And in an instant, her demeanor changed. Her eyes cracked open ever so slightly, her brows furrowed in anger, and the warm smile on her face vanished. Without a moment of hesitation, she strode up to Raine, drew back her hand, and slapped the witch hard enough across the face to make her stumble.

Righting herself, Raine rubbed her cheek, now a dark red, and said, "Hello to you too, Mavis."

"What was that for!?" Seth demanded.

"Raynare knows full well what that was for," Mavis replied as she folded her arms over her chest, never taking her eyes off Raine for even a moment. "…Do you have any idea how much sleep I lost worrying over you? You didn't send any letters, you didn't check in with any other branches… we all thought you were dead! And now you just… show up, acting like you were never gone?"

Raine's voice wavered as she tried to maintain her relaxed tone. "Hey, listen. It's not like I planned to just vanish, or to be gone for so long. But… well, some things came up, and you know how things can be…"

Mavis's eyes narrowed. "Things, you say. They must not have been very important, considering you never bothered to tell anyone about them."

Roland, looking very uncomfortable, spoke up: "I… don't mean to interrupt, Madame, but… do the two of you know each other?"

"No," Mavis replied, still glaring coldly at Raine. "I thought I did. But clearly, I was mistaken." She then turned her back to Raine, and toward the gate. "Please follow me, Master Roland."

Abel was suddenly snapped back to his senses. "H-Hey, hold on a minute!"

Mavis stopped partway through opening the gate, but didn't turn back to face him. "I'm not sure what your relationship with Raynare is, but I'm not interested. And I'm not interested in sharing my history with her."

"It's not that!" Abel replied quickly. "We were told we need permission from the Guild to enter Caral Marsh. Is that true?"

Mavis was silent for several moments before replying, "…that is correct. All requests to the Guild must be submitted in writing to the reception desk between the hours of eight AM and two PM. A decision regarding your request will be made after six to eight days."

"Six to… we can't wait that long!" Abel replied. "We're going there on official Church business!"

Mavis's expression was unmoved. "Be that as it may, Caral Marsh is under Mage's Guild jurisdiction. As such, access to the region will be determined in accordance with Guild guidelines. Good day." She turned to Roland. "Please come with me, Master Roland." She stepped through the gate. Roland glanced at Abel and the others with a sympathetic expression, before following after the vice-president.

Several moments passed before Niel emerged, glaring fiercely at Raine. "Nice going, Raynare ," she said. "You just had to get the Guild's vice-president pissed off at us, didn't you?"

Raine wheeled around. "Well it's not like I was expecting to run into her here of all places. Or that she'd be the VP for the whole chapter!"

"What should we do now?" Holly asked.

"We don't have much of a choice," Seth replied. "It sounds like the Guild really does control access to the marsh. So we'll have to follow their procedures."

"Are you kidding?" Niel said. "For all we know, the vice-president will just rip our request in half the moment it hits her desk!"

"We should talk to the bishop in charge of the city," Lailah suggested. "If we get the Church involved, and the Guild realizes Abel's a Hero, they might be more willing to help us."

[What do you want to do, Abel?] Fiann wrote in her journal.

"I… I think we should go with your idea, Lailah," Abel replied, after a few moments of consideration. There was no way they could simply tell the Mage's Guild he was searching for one of Alondight's altars, and that one just happened to be in Caral Marsh. Not only would they deny his request, they would think he was completely mad. …But the Church knew about the altars. And they were bound to provide whatever aid he needed in his journey.

Hopefully, that would include negotiating with the Guild on his behalf.

So, the group set out, Abel's amulet guiding him to the city's head bishop. The streets were becoming more crowded, so the group drew close to ensure they wouldn't be separated. As they pushed through the crowd, Niel fluttered alongside Raine and said, "You know, Raynare , now that I know you're a lily, everything about you makes a whole lot more sense. Still, let's hope this is the only time your loins cause trouble for us."

"Hey, you leave my loins out of this, Parrot!" Raine snapped back. "And I'm not a lily! …I mean, yeah I've been with girls before, but I've been with a lot more guys!"

"What do you mean by 'lily?'" Seth asked. Abel was very much wondering the same thing- he had the impression they weren't talking about the flower.

"Well, have you ever heard of the tradition of flowers having different meanings?" the witch asked in turn, her voice still carrying an agitated tone. "That all started here in Mavors. There's a whole tradition around using flowers to send people messages. And they take it very seriously- giving someone the wrong kind of flower can be seen as a major insult. For example, magnolias represent 'remembrance for those who have passed,' so you normally only leave them on people's graves. Giving one to someone who's still alive can be seen as a wish of ill health against them, or even a direct threat on their life. And combining different flowers changes their meaning. I'll tell you, I've gotten more than my share of black rose-wisteria combos. That means 'rejection with disgust,' by the way."

"That… sounds more than 'a little' complicated," Holly replied, her brow furrowed.

"Uh, relevance?" Niel asked.

"Anyway," Raine continued, "in Mavorian tradition, lilies represent 'a woman who pines for the affections of another woman.' So, girls romantically interested in other girls became known as 'lilies.'"

"Interesting…" Seth replied. "Is there one for men as well? Men interested in other men, I mean?"

"There is, actually," Raine replied. "They're represented by asters."

Seth rubbed her chin. "I see…"

Abel and his companions eventually arrived at a modestly-sized church. It was nowhere near as large as the cathedral in Lohan, nor the Mage's Guild headquarters for that matter, but it was just as ornate, with numerous carvings lining its buttresses, and tall, narrow windows of stained glass. Abel's amulet pointed directly at the church- the bishop must have been inside.

"Well, this is as far as I go," Raine said, leaning against the wall next to the church's main doors. "Don't keep me waiting too long, alright?"

With a nod, Abel stepped into the church, but to his surprise, it was empty. The interior was darkened, no one sat in the pews, and no priest was tending to the altar on the far side.

"There's no one here," Seth said.

Lailah glanced at Abel. "You were searching for the bishop, weren't you?"

"Yeah, watch." Abel removed the amulet and held the chain in his hand, and focused, compelling it to find Aglis's bishop. Just as before, it pointed deeper into the church.

Then, a figure hidden in one of the pews suddenly sat up, grumbling. "Aaagh… who's making all that racket?" the figure asked in a surly female voice, before looking toward Abel and the others. "Oh. Visitors. If you came to pray, you'll have to do that on your own. Services don't start until ten."

Lailah stepped forward tentatively. "We, uh… we were looking for the bishop in charge of the Aglis diocese?"

"Well you found her. Congratulations." The figure stood up and approached. She had pale skin and messy, wine-colored hair, cut short save for two long locks by her ears that reached down her collarbone. She was clad in robes of black and gold, albeit ones with large slits cut into the sides that revealed her legs as she walked. "Name's Irina."

Holly flinched and stepped back as Irina neared. "Ugh, you smell like a wine cask." Now that the bishop was closer, a distinctive sour scent filled the air. Abel recognized it- the air inside the Temples of Bacchus, and the tavern in Fueno, carried the same odor.

Irina narrowed her eyes at Holly, placing a hand on her hip. "Don't you judge me. I have an incredibly stressful job, you know. I need something to take the edge off. Now what do you want?"

Without waiting for Niel to prompt him, Abel replied. " I'm one of the Heroes chosen to slay the Overlord. We need your help with something."

The bishop leaned forward, squinting at Abel. "…right, I got a letter from HQ saying some Heroes might be coming to visit holy sites in the area. You're… Shavran , right?"

"Abel," Abel corrected. It seemed Irina didn't know about the altars, but she did know he was searching for something. That would simplify things.

"We did some research before coming here," Seth said. "And we think the site Abel's looking for is in Caral Marsh."

As Abel admired Seth's quick thinking, Irina scratched her head and replied, "Ah, I see what this is about. You already tried going through the Guild, didn't you? Well I'll see what I can do. They take containing the miasma around there pretty seriously though. I can't make any promises." The bishop then crawled into one of the pews, laid down on it, and shut her eyes.

"Uh, Madame Bishop?" Lailah stammered. "I thought you were going to talk to the Mage's Guild."

The bishop opened one eye. "I'll get around to that later. Just let me lay down for a bit. I've still got a wicked hangover from last night."

"But-"

Irina snored loudly, either because she had already fallen asleep, or as a gesture to indicate she had no interest in continuing the conversation.

Seth looked down at her with disapproval, before looking to Lailah. "And this woman is supposed to be your superior?"

"Well, we have her support, and that's what's important," the priestess replied. "For now, we should focus on making preparations." She turned to the door. "Let's find an inn. Once Abel takes another measurement on the altar's location, we can start planning out our route."

Lailah began to leave the church. As Abel followed her, Fiann slid alongside him and showed him something she'd written in her journal. [I really don't like this patron deity of yours.]

---

Abel breathed through gritted teeth as the straps of the pack on his back dug into his shoulders. But, he pushed himself on, trudging down Aglis's narrow streets. He'd finally found everything on the list Lailah had given him, and once he was back at the end, he could rest as much as he liked.

Lailah and the others were still at the inn, planning the best route to take, now that their precise destination had been mapped. But as the priestess was quick to point out, they would need more supplies for their travels than simply food and water: bedrolls, a tent for shelter, cooking utensils, and enough packs to carry it all. This would be their first foray outside the vicinity of a major town or city, and while they would likely pass through smaller towns or villages, there was no guarantee that they would be willing- or able- to provide supplies. They couldn't even be sure the towns marked on Abel's map were still inhabited. Absolutely nothing could be left to chance.

Their inn was a good distance from the main market on the east side of Aglis, in a relatively quiet residential part of the city. Even in the middle of the day, it wasn't strange to see the streets almost empty. That made the sight Abel came across that much more unexpected. Three boys, perhaps a little younger than him, were gathered on one side of the road; they picked up loose stones and threw them at a figure dressed in black on the other side, curled up on the ground.

Inside his head, Niel began, "Abel-"

But Abel had already dropped his pack, and began marching toward the group, placing himself between the three boys and the figure. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

"A whole lot of none of your goddamned business, that's what," one of the boys snapped back- he had messy black hair, and was rather portly. "Now get out of the way."

Zechariah's face flashed for a brief moment in Abel's mind. He thought his situation in Seles had been unique. But he supposed he should have known better by now. The world was full of people whose greatest pleasure came from tormenting those weaker than them. Abel stood his ground. "I don't think I'm going to do that."

"I said move it! " The black-haired boy then threw the stone in his hand at Abel, hitting him in the head just above his eyebrow.

Abel stumbled back. "Ow-!" It… had not been a small stone. When he reached up to touch his face, he found he was already bleeding.

"Ha! Not feeling so tough now, are you!?" one of the other boys jeered- this one had orange hair, and was much thinner- before he threw a stone at Abel as well.

But then, Abel's hand shot out of its own accord, and snatched the stone out of the air. His arm then pulled back, and threw the stone back at the orange-haired boy. The stone struck the boy in the stomach hard enough to knock him off his feet- he crumpled to the ground, coughing violently as he tried to rise.

The last boy- tall, with long hair speckled in various shades of grey- stepped forward, drawing a knife from his pocket. "Oh you're gonna regret that."

With a thought, the wings of light flared from Abel's back. He hadn't brought his sword, so he concentrated, forming a sword of light in his hand. The grey-haired boy instantly backed away. "Shit! He's with the Guild too! Run!" The three boys scattered, the grey-haired boy going one way, and the portly boy and orange-haired boy another.

Abel's sword and wings faded. Thankfully, things hadn't gone any further, but at that moment, Niel spoke up again. "You know, the next time you try to save someone, make sure you're strong enough to protect yourself first."

Abel turned around. The figure was still on the ground, cowering. "Hey," he said. "It's okay. Those guys are gone now."

Slowly, the figure picked themselves up. Abel quickly realized they were dressed in the same outfit as Mavis… well, almost: instead of stockings, their jacket had a hood attached to the collar, which they'd drawn over their head. So they were part of the Mage's Guild as well. But under the hood… the stranger's cheeks were covered with dark blue scales, the rest of her skin an unnatural bone-white. Her hair was blue as well, emerging from her hood and reaching down to her chest. She must have been a demi-human. And that must have been why those boys were tormenting her.

"Thank you…" the demi-human said weakly as she looked up at him. Abel couldn't help but notice her teeth had much sharper points than a normal person's as she spoke, and her golden eyes seemed to shine brightly, even with her hood drawn up. When she saw Abel's face, her eyes widened in shock, and she brought her hands to her mouth. "You're bleeding!"

"I'll be fine," Abel replied, before asking, "You're with the Guild, aren't you? What are you doing in this part of the city?"

"My friend has a house here. We go there every afternoon for tea. But, she had to go back early today to handle some affairs. I was on my way back when…" the girl trailed off.

Abel didn't respond right away. He was waiting for Niel to say something. Which she did, after sighing: "…Fine. Do whatever you want. It's not like you'd listen to me anyway. But first…" The angel suddenly emerged, and pointed at something behind Abel. " You! Yes, you! I see you there, bard! Don't you dare try going after those boys, you hear me!?"

Confused, Abel looked back, and spotted Fiann leaning out from a narrow space between two houses, watching him. Had she been following him around the entire time? When Fiann didn't budge, Niel fluttered over to her and said… something . Abel couldn't make out the angel's words, but whatever she said must have worked, because Fiann slid into the alleyway and out of sight. Niel followed after her, presumably to ensure the bard didn't try to chase the three boys down.

Abel looked back, confronted by the girl's surprised look. "Sorry about that. Those were some of my friends," he said. "Anyway… can I walk with you back to the Guild? I'll make sure no one else bothers you."

"I… would like that," the girl replied timidly.

"Alright. Let's go." Abel retrieved his pack, immediately straining under its weight once it was back on his shoulders. This was going to be a very long trip. He hoped his back would hold out until the end.

The girl approached. "That looks heavy. I can help you with that."

"It's fine," Abel replied quickly. "I really shouldn't-"

But before he could say anything else, the girl laid a hand on his pack. "Featherweight." All of a sudden, the weight on Abel's back was gone. As if he were carrying only an empty pack. Had she cast some kind of spell to make everything lighter? Though as soon as the thought came into his head, that seemed rather obvious- as part of the Mage's Guild, it wasn't unreasonable to assume the girl was a mage.

So, Abel began walking with the girl to the west end of the city. Several passers-by and guards shot the girl glares, but it seemed Abel's presence was enough to deter them from acting further. Still, he was surprised by the hostility. He thought the treatment of demi-humans in Lohan was a unique situation, but it seemed they had a hard time no matter where they went. Even being part of the Mage's Guild wasn't enough of a deterrent, it seemed.

The girl must have noticed that Abel had noticed the glares they were receiving. So she said, "That's a lot of supplies you're carrying. Are you traveling somewhere?"

"My friends and I are heading west," he replied, trying to be as nonspecific as he could. "Our group is pretty big, so we need a lot of stuff." Saying that out loud made Abel realize just how much their group had grown- there were six of them now, seven if he counted Niel. And to think, when he'd first set out from the Abbey, it had been with just Lailah. At the rate things were going, by the time he reached the Overlord, he wouldn't have been surprised if he had a whole army behind him.

"Oh…" The girl trailed off for several moments. "Um, I know it's strange to ask this so suddenly, but… you're… Abel, aren't you?"

"I… I am…" Abel replied, surprised. "I didn't think anyone this far from Istar would recognize me."

"I don't think there's a single demi-human between here and Zebatos who doesn't know about you." She looked up at him, her cheeks a bit darker than they were a few moments before. "Thank you. It's… I'm honored to have a chance to meet you."

"Uh, it's… not a big deal, really," Abel stammered in reply, feeling rather uncomfortable. Fortunately, the awkward atmosphere didn't last long, as the Mage's Guild building finally came into view. Abel came to a stop just outside the gates. "We're here."

"Thank you, Abel," the girl replied. "I can see myself inside from here." She looked much calmer now, and stood a little bit taller… not that she was particularly tall to begin with.

But being addressed by his name made Abel realize something. "…I'm sorry, but I never asked you for your name."

"It's… Damia," she replied.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Damia." Abel turned away. "Anyway, I should be going. I shouldn't keep my friends waiting."

"Um!" Damia called, before bowing toward Abel. "Thank you, again! If there's anything you need from the Guild, please let me know!"

"It's fine, really," Abel replied, backing away. "I barely did anything! You don't have to thank me." He then hurried away before Damia could say any more.

Once he was a fair distance from the Guild, he reached up and touched his brow again, wincing from the pain. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound the stone had left behind felt quite large. He would have to mend it before returning to the inn.

---

Abel had hoped that the others would have a route to Caral Marsh planned out by the time he returned. Unfortunately, Lailah and Raine were at a total stalemate regarding their respective choices, and neither of them were willing to back down. Even into the next day, their debate continued.

"I still think the direct route is best," Lailah said, sitting across from Raine at a table in the inn's main room, map laid between the two of them. "We'll head north across the Eridania Plains, then turn west."

"And I'm telling you that route is way too dangerous," the witch replied. "We should stick to the coast, then start heading north once we reach the Kastor River…"

Abel, Holly, Seth, and Fiann sat apart from the witch and the priestess as they argued. "I can't believe they're still going at it," Seth said.

"Abel, shouldn't you do something?" Holly asked. "You are a Hero, so…"

Holly wasn't wrong. Abel couldn't let Lailah and Raine sit around arguing forever. So, he approached their table. "It sounds like you two might have a few ideas," he said. "Tell me what you came up with." Both the priestess and the witch tried to speak over one another, forcing him to intervene again. "Okay, let's try this one at a time. Lailah, what route do you think we should take?"

"Thank you," Lailah replied, eyeing Raine. " As I was saying, we should follow the roads leading north, across the Eridania Plains, then turn west toward the border."

"And I keep telling you- that way is too dangerous!" Raine snapped. "Why won't you listen to me!?"

"Well, it might help if you explained why going that way is so dangerous," Abel said.

To Abel's surprise, Raine then asked a question: "Blue, who do you think's lived in Mavors longer: me or the Sister?"

"…you, I guess," he replied, after a moment of confusion. "But I don't see why that's-"

"Exactly," the witch interrupted. "Which means the Sister wouldn't know that this time of year is mating season for the giant toads."

"Giant… toads?" Holly asked.

"They're exactly what they sound like, Jugs. And when I say giant, I mean it- some can grow bigger than a house. Their legs are supposed to be really delicious though. Not that I've ever eaten any." Raine leaned forward. "Now imagine literally hundreds of toads as big as a horse hopping around out there, all really horny, and really pissed off at each other. You really think we can fight our way through something like that?"

Fiann scrawled something. [I did think it was strange there were no towns on that part of the map.]

Raine certainly made a compelling argument. As much as he needed experience fighting monsters, Abel doubted he had the stamina to face down hundreds of them at once. "Alright," he began. "How else can we get to Caral Marsh?"

"I think following the western coast is the safest option," the witch replied. "We'll follow it across the border, then start heading north once we reach the Kastor River. Then, we follow the river until we reach the marsh."

"But going that way will take us over a month," Lailah protested. "We might be able to cut it down to three weeks, but only if we really push ourselves. And there's no way we'd be able to carry that many supplies on our own. We would need a wagon. Or to sail to a port closer to the Kastor."

"There's plenty of towns along that route though," Raine replied. "And worst case, we can just go fishing if we need food." Raine turned toward Abel. "You agree with me, don't you, Blue?"

Lailah turned to Abel as well. "Of course he doesn't! My route is better, right?"

Abel wasn't sure what to say. On one hand, the Overlord wasn't going to wait for them. But were they strong enough to pass through a monster breeding ground? And were those really the only two options they had? So it almost came as a relief when a new voice behind him- female, and soft- said, "Excuse me. Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Abel turned, finding a short young woman with green eyes and short, dark blue hair standing behind him- her hair was such a dark shade of blue that only the very tips revealed its true color. She was dressed in the same outfit as Mavis and Damia- black jacket, white undershirt, black skirt, but like Damia, she had made a personal addition: a short, triangular cape, black with dark red trim.

"That uniform… are you with the Mage's Guild?" Holly asked.

"I am," the woman replied. "My name is Erica Eden, head administrator for the Aglis branch."

"That was quick," Seth said. "Guess that bishop actually came through for us."

The woman- Erica- tilted her head. "Bishop? I'm afraid we haven't received any messages from the Church recently. Though, I am here on official Guild business. The vice-president wishes to speak with Master Abel."

Lailah stood. "Alright then. Let's go see what she wants."

"I'm afraid Miss Mavis's invitation extends to Master Abel alone," Erica said sternly.

Lailah was just about to say something, but Raine cut her off. "It'll be fine, Sis. Blue can handle himself. Plus, I don't really think Em wants to see me right now."

"But-"

"Lailah, he'll be fine," Raine said sternly. "You can't keep holding Abel's hand through everything, you know."

Reluctantly, the priestess sat back down. "...alright."

Erica then turned to Abel. "Shall we be going, then?"

Abel followed Erica out of the inn and to the west half of the city, To his surprise, however, she didn't lead him to the Guild. Rather, she brought him to a building- a bit shorter and wider than the ones around it- with numerous tables and chairs set out in front. A restaurant, perhaps? Abel had seen a number of them in the cities they'd traveled to so far, but he'd never actually eaten at one. And seated at one of the tables was a familiar, narrow-eyed blonde woman.

Erica swiftly made her way to Mavis's table, seating herself next to the vice-president, while Abel sat across from them. "I see you had no trouble finding him," Mavis said.

"Your description was rather distinctive," Erica replied.

Abel briefly wondered if that description of him involved the words blue-haired, frail, and surrounded by women when the vice-president looked his way. "I apologize for contacting you unexpectedly, Master Abel. But I understand you recently aided a member of the Guild, and a personal friend of Miss Eden."

"Are you talking about Damia?" he asked.

Mavis nodded. "I am. Although she is a member of the Guild, many are unable to overcome their prejudices toward demi-humans. I'm glad to know that you aren't one of them."

Abel tilted his head, but said nothing. Had Mavis sought him out simply to thank him on Damia's behalf? Granted, he wasn't ungrateful- if he could improve the vice-president's demeanor toward him, it might help get him to Caral Marsh. But…

Mavis continued. "I must also apologize for my behavior yesterday. As you might have surmised, Raynare and I have a history together. And our parting was… rather abrupt." She placed a hand over her chest. "It was unfair for me to loose my anger with her on you and her other associates. I assume she didn't tell you?"

Abel shifted in his seat. "Until yesterday, I didn't even know 'Raynare' was her full name."

Mavis frowned. "Still as secretive as she's always been, I see…"

As the vice-president spoke, Abel couldn't help but notice something odd about Erica. In fact, it was something he'd noticed back at the inn, though now that she wasn't involved in the conversation, he noticed it more readily. Erica wouldn't look at him or Mavis directly when they spoke. Rather, she would turn the side of her head toward them slightly. Almost as if…

"Miss Erica," he began. "I know this is a strange question, but is there… something wrong with your eyes?"

Mavis tensed. But Erica looked toward Abel, completely calm. "You noticed." She sighed. "From a young age, my vision has always been… rather weak. But recently, my sight has begun deteriorating more quickly than usual. All the physicians who examined me say that I'll most likely be completely blind before the end of the year."

"Erica!" Mavis said, shocked.

"Mavis, you and I both know that we can't hide this forever," Erica replied in a firm voice, turning to the vice-president. "Others in my department have already noticed me starting to slip up. Trying to keep it secret will only make things worse in the long run."

"But…"

Erica reached over, laying a hand atop Mavis's. "It'll be fine. We've handled everything that's come before. We can handle this, too."

"There has to be something you can do though," Abel said. "I mean… the Archbishop in Lohan is blind, but she has a Relic that lets her see. Can't you make something like that?"

"Are you talking about the Mask of Tiresias?" Erica asked.

"That mask is a one-of-a-kind artifact," Mavis replied. "Even after years of study, the Guild never managed to duplicate its properties. And while there are spells that allow the blind to sense their surroundings, documents would appear as blank sheets of paper under their effects- they're useless for someone whose main responsibilities include reading."

So much for his next suggestion. But there had to be something . Maybe…

As if reading his thoughts, Niel said in his head, "Don't even think about it, Abel."

"Why not?" he asked in a low voice.

"Don't you remember that demi-human girl in Lohan? The power my blood gives you is powerful, but it can't regrow limbs. Or give sight to the blind."

"But Miss Erica's vision isn't gone completely," Abel argued back. "And besides, the Archbishop said that if we had Notte's arms, we could've reattached them." When Niel didn't reply, Abel then asked, "…Can't I at least try?"

Niel sighed, but said nothing else.

"Miss Erica, I might be able to help you," Abel said, deciding which spell would be best suited for what he was about to do.

Mavis, however, seemed to have misgivings. "The best doctors and healers the Guild has to offer had no luck treating Erica. What makes you-"

"Mavis… it's alright." The vice-president relented, and Erica turned back to Abel. "What did you have in mind?"

"I just need you to close your eyes for a moment," Abel replied. Erica did. Abel gently laid a hand over them, and focused. But it wasn't Lailah's smile that came to mind- it was Damia, with her cheeks darkened, eyes averted, and her words of gratitude. I'm honored to have the chance to meet you. And a white light, much brighter than normal, shone from Abel's palm. He took his hand away, and said, "...okay. You can open your eyes now."

Slowly, Erica opened her eyes again. Her gaze fell on Abel immediately- she blinked several times, then squinted, as if trying to read an especially small line of writing. She looked around, at other tables, at people passing by… before her gaze finally fell on Mavis. She squinted again, before asking hesitantly, "...Mavis?"

"Erica?" the vice-president asked, confused.

"I…" Tears began to spill from Erica's eyes. "I…" Then, Erica began to sob openly.

"Wh- Erica!?" Mavis reached out, pulling her friend into an embrace. "Erica, what's the matter!?"

Erica said… something. But between her sobs and her face being pressed into Mavis's chest, Abel had no idea what. Though, he wasn't the only one. "Er, I'm sorry, Erica, I didn't catch that."

Erica pulled back, wiping her face with her sleeve, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she put her hands on the vice-presidents face, pulled herself close, and pressed her lips against Mavis's. Mavis flinched slightly in surprise… but, she didn't pull away, instead wrapping her arms around Erica in a loose embrace.

Abel could only look on, stunned into silence. Erica and Mavis, they were… kissing . But… they were both women!

…they could do that?

But then, Abel quickly averted his gaze. Not because Niel told him to, though- a twinge in his stomach told him that this was something he shouldn't be seeing, that his presence was an unwelcome intrusion into a moment that was clearly meant only for these two.

After what seemed to be forever, the two pulled apart. Sniffling, Erica said, "I'm sorry, it's just… I-I always knew you were beautiful, but… I never thought I'd ever see your face so clearly…"

Smiling, Mavis brushed a few stray hairs out of Erica's face. But her smile faded as her attention shifted back to Abel. "But, how…? How did you succeed, where so many others failed?"

"Well…" Abel began. "They probably didn't have angel's blood in their veins." Abel focused, and for a brief moment, his wings flared to life. He wasn't one to needlessly show off his powers, but he hoped the demonstration would be enough to dispel any of their doubts.

"So I see," Mavis replied. "The intelligence report from the Lohan branch didn't mention your talent for putting others in your debt, Master Abel."

"I… it isn't like I mean to," he replied quickly. He didn't help others just so they would have to repay him. Helping Erica, helping Damia, returning Holly- the dancer to her theater troupe… and even when he first used Niel's power to heal Lailah, they filled his chest with a strange warmth. If there was a name for this feeling, Abel didn't know it. But the feeling, whatever it may have been, was not an unpleasant one.

Mavis continued, "Hmm… well, the Mage's Guild isn't one to ignore its debts. And I believe I have the perfect way of repaying this."

"You can get me into Caral Marsh?" Abel asked.

"I can't," Mavis confessed. "Only the Guild president has that authority. But I can take your request to her directly, and argue your case on your behalf."

Erica looked back toward the vice-president, confused. "Mavis? Are you sure about that? You know the president-"

"It'll be fine, Erica. I'm sure Madame President will be more accommodating if I vouch on Master Abel's behalf." Mavis then said, "But there is something I'd like to ask you, if I may. Why are you so insistent on traveling to Caral Marsh? Does it have something to do with your duties as a Hero?"

Abel responded, repeating the words that Niel spoke in his head: "I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to disclose that information. All I may say is that my reasons for traveling to my destination are due to a mandate from my patron deity."

"Hmm… I thought that might be the case." Mavis then stood. "Shall we be off?"

"What, now?" Abel asked, taken aback.

"The president is a very busy woman," Mavis began, "but she does have an opening in her schedule today- right at this very moment, in fact. It would be the perfect opportunity to bring your request to her."

So, Abel followed Mavis as she led him to the Mage's Guild. As they walked, the vice-president kept reaching over to touch Erica's face. Eventually though, the other girl pushed Mavis's hand away, saying, "Mavis, cut it out! It's embarrassing."

"Sorry," the vice-president replied. "But your skin's gotten so soft all of a sudden."

"Has it?" Erica touched her face, curious. "Hmm…"

Abel followed as Mavis let him down the path leading to the Guild's entrance. Beyond the wooden doors was a massive hall with a high ceiling supported by tall columns of dark stone. At each corner of the hall, massive spiral staircases connected to platforms equal to the number of floors he'd seen from the outside. Mavis made her way to the closest staircase on the right- as he followed, Abel heard snatches of conversation:

"Who's that?" "What's that boring looking guy doing with the VP?" "I saw him arriving with Prince Roland the other day. You think they know each other?" "His Majesty wouldn't be caught dead with such a shifty-looking guy!" "Blue hair… Wait, I think I've heard of that guy!" "Seriously?" "You remember that big riot in the demi-human district over in Lohan about a month ago? Well…"

Abel felt himself shrink under so many gazes, evenly split between curiosity and scorn. But as he looked around, he realized something. At first, he thought he was imagining things, but his eyes were not deceiving him- every person wearing the black uniform of the Mage's Guild was a woman. Aside from himself, there wasn't a single other male. Was the Mage's Guild open only to women, Abel wondered, or was this a quirk unique to the Aglis branch?

Erica parted ways with Mavis, and Abel followed the vice-president as she ascended a spiral staircase all the way to the top floor, and continued down a wide corridor. They finally stopped before a door of dark wood, with a bronze plaque mounted on it which read "President's Office." Mavis reached for the knob. "You're not gonna knock?" Abel asked.

"There's enchantments in the office walls which dampen sound. Madame President wouldn't hear us even if I did," Mavis replied. "Besides. I'm the vice-president. I can come and go as I like." And without hesitation, the vice-president pulled the door open.

It took… several seconds for Abel to process the sight awaiting him on the other side of the door. The room beyond was dominated by a large, dark wooden desk, but it was the two figures sprawled across the desk's surface that captured the whole of Abel's attention. Lying on the desk on her back was a blue-eyed woman with short black hair, dressed in the black uniform of the Mage's Guild, albeit with two stripes, one red and one white, along its trim. Lying on top of her was another young woman with purple eyes and pink hair, tied into two tails on each side of her head with black ribbons. As with every other Guild member, her uniform had a unique marker: rather than the standard black, her uniform was colored a deep violet. The pair looked to the door in surprise, a thin trail of saliva connecting their lips, their jackets and undershirts unbuttoned… their bare chests pressed against each other.

"…the fuck are you looking at?" the woman in purple growled at Abel. Her natural voice must have been higher pitched, giving her voice an odd timbre. "This isn't a show."

Abel's face felt as if it were on fire. But his embarrassment was replaced by another feeling when he saw the woman's face clearly: recognition. "…Charlotte?"

But the moment the name left his mouth, Abel realized it wasn't Charlotte. Hair style and lack of glasses aside, there were a number of other differences- her hair was a darker shade of pink, her eyes were slightly larger, her nose slightly thinner, and her chin had a more prominent point. Not to mention, one… or rather, two very particular parts of her anatomy were much larger than Charlotte's. But that aside, the resemblance was unsettling- the two of them could have been sisters.

The pink-haired woman's eyes narrowed. "Charlotte? How do you-"

"Er… Madame President?" Mavis began. "I apologize for interrupting, but you have a visitor."

"I can see that," the president replied coldly, before sighing. "Give us a moment."

Mavis and Abel excused themselves as the two women made themselves decent. In the hallway, the vice-president identified the two women: the pink-haired woman was the Guild President, Claire, while the black-haired one was her personal secretary, Laura. After several minutes, the two were called back into the office. The pink-haired woman- Claire- was seated behind the desk, with the black haired woman- Laura- stood to her right, wearing a pair of glasses with thin wire-like frames. Abel found it a little difficult to look either of them in the eye after what he'd just witnessed, and the fierce glares coming from both women certainly didn't help.

A few moments passed in uncomfortable silence, before the president said, "Well? Let's hear your request. I assume that's why you're here."

Mavis cleared her throat. "Madame President, this is Master Abel, one of the Champions-"

"Let the man speak for himself," the black-haired woman said, cutting Mavis off.

Abel struggled to find his words under the president's withering glare. "M-My… name is Abel, Champion of Bacchus. I would like to request permission to enter Caral Marsh to-"

"Denied." the president said flatly.

"What?" Abel asked in shock.

"As president of this chapter of the Mage's Guild, I have the final say regarding any matters pertaining to miasma containment. And my answer is no." The president leaned forward. "Now get the fuck out of my office."

"Madame President, please be reasonable," Mavis began. "His request is a direct-"

"I'm certain that up until this point, you had no shortage of people in the Church bending over backwards to accommodate you," the president said coldly. "But you'll find you'll receive no preferential treatment here. Hero or not. Your request has been denied. And I will not discuss this any further."

Before Abel could retort that one of the Church's cardinals had tried to have him killed, Niel suddenly emerged. "Oh no you don't! We're not going anywhere!"

The black-haired woman adjusted her glasses- neither she nor the president seemed surprised by the angel's sudden emergence. "And there's the angel," she said in a quiet voice. "You've spent far too much time in the company of that degenerate male. He's begun tainting you with his brutishness."

"You shut the hell up and stay out of this!" Niel snapped. "This is between me and your boss." She turned to the president. "Abel's request to travel to Caral Marsh comes from a mandate from his patron deity. I hope you understand what that means."

The president looked down at her fingernails with a bored expression. "I see. In light of this new information… My answer is still no."

Niel landed on the president's desk, standing with her hands on her hips as she glared up at the pink-haired woman. "You would refuse a servant of Ilias, Celestial Master and King of the Gods? Are you so arrogant to believe that your words hold more weight than a god's?"

The president leaned forward, and looked down at the angel. "You may be a servant of Ilias… but that's all you are. A servant. I am master of this guild. And masters do not take orders from servants." The president then leaned back once more. "Laura, please see that the Hero finds his way off the premises."

"As you wish, Madame President." The secretary was suddenly at Abel's side, gripping his arm. Her grip was surprisingly strong. And she wasted no time in manhandling Abel out of the president's office. As she practically dragged him to the entrance, he could hear her muttering, "Filthy degenerate… defiling our sanctum with every footstep, poisoning our air with every breath… just touching him makes me sick…"

Once at ground level, the secretary practically threw Abel out of the front doors. "As of this moment, you are no longer welcome on Guild premises. Return, and the city watch will be called to detain you for trespassing." And with that, the massive door was slammed shut.

Abel stared at the door blankly for several moments as he processed everything that had just happened. But ultimately, standing around wouldn't resolve anything. He had to go back to the inn, and deliver the bad news to the others. After that… well, they would have to figure that out for themselves.

Abel only made it a few steps before the door was thrown open and a voice called, "Master Abel, please wait!"

He looked back, to see Mavis running up the path toward him, Niel fluttering at her side. When she stumbled to a stop before him, he asked, "Miss Mavis?"

"I'm sorry!" she said between gasps. "I… I thought things would go differently… if I vouched for you." She stood up, finally finding her breath. "I… I'll figure something out for you. I promise! Just… give me some time."

"Well, it's not like we can go anywhere until we get this figured out," he replied. "So-"

At that moment, the ground shook, and there was an explosion mixed with the sound of breaking glass. Abel focused, summoning a sword of light to his hand, but it seemed he wasn't under attack- rather, smoke was billowing from a shattered window on the third floor of the guildhall.

Mavis looked up at the column of smoke as well. "That came from our practice range. I need to check that everyone's alright." She turned, before stopping herself. "I haven't forgotten what I owe you. I'll… send Erica to find you once I figure something out!" And the vice-president then rushed back into the building.

Well, at least he knew why the Guild building was so far away from everything else.

---

The moment Abel returned, the others wasted no time badgering him for information, only stopping when Raine insisted on giving the young man a hot meal and a few moments to collect himself. So, the others gathered around Abel at a free table, visibly impatient, until his lunch was safely in his stomach, and he began to share what had happened while they were apart.

"The vice-president wanted to thank me for helping a personal friend of hers the other day," Abel said. "She said that if there was anything the Guild could do for me, to ask her."

"I'm guessing you asked for permission to go into Caral Marsh?" Seth asked.

Abel nodded. "I did… but the Guild president completely denied my request."

"What?" Seth said, incredulous. "But why?"

"You didn't do something to upset her, did you?" Holly asked. Everyone else expressed similar sentiments…

…everyone but Raine, who didn't seem troubled by what Abel had told everyone. Once everyone else had quieted, she said, "I can't say I'm too surprised to hear that."

"And why's that, witch?" Niel asked. "Did you know something we didn't?"

Raine sank down in a chair across the table from Abel. "While you were gone, I stepped out to ask around, learn what's changed in the Guild while I was away. Apparently the new president's a lily, but not the fun kind- more the 'has a bone to pick with every male on the continent' kind. And her secretary isn't much better."

Abel made a mental note to strike the "apparently" from Raine's description.

"Word around town is that when she was appointed as president, one of her first edicts was to force every male in the branch to transfer elsewhere, or face expulsion," the witch continued. "And forget working with men- she doesn't even like when men visit Guild HQ. The only man she seems to tolerate is the prince, and that's probably only because he's… y'know, the prince of Mavors."

"How are we supposed to negotiate with her then?" Seth asked.

"What if we send someone else to talk to her?" Holly asked. "If the president doesn't like men, then one of us can go in Abel's place."

"I don't think that's gonna work, Jugs," Raine replied. "The Guild has its roots deep in Aglis, so it won't take the president long to find out about us, if she doesn't know already. And I'm willing to bet the bishop won't have much luck getting through to her, either."

"Then what should we do?" Abel asked. "Head to Ermis and hope we have better luck with the Mage's Guild there? "

The witch leaned back in her chair. "No, we'll be staying right here. We just need to send the president a message. Something she can't ignore."

Fiann wrote: [A merchant once hired me to send a message to one of his rivals. I slaughtered their favorite horse and left its head in their bed. I think that left a strong impression.]

Niel's jaw fell open upon reading Fiann's journal. "What sort of life did you used to live, bard?"

Raine gave the bard's journal a quick glance. "I don't know what that says, but if it involves killing anyone or anything, then absolutely not. Luckily, I think my knowledge of Mavorian culture will come in handy here…"

Several hours passed. Abel followed Raine's instructions, buying what he needed before waiting in the square outside the Mage's Guild. Once six bells had tolled from its clock tower, the doors swung open, and the guild's mages spilled forth. In a sea of black uniforms, the president's purple outfit readily stood out.

But it seemed Abel was just as conspicuous, and both the president and her secretary stalked through the crowd in a straight line toward him, withering glares on their faces. "Adhering to the strict letter of my words, I see," the secretary said. "You must think you're rather clever, don't you, degenerate?"

Abel didn't reply. Instead, he merely tossed the item he was holding in his hand onto the ground in front of Claire: a purple flower. An azalea, Raine had called it. Several Guild members nearby stopped in their tracks and stared in very clear shock- a few of them even gasped.

The president glanced down at the azalea. "A flower?" she asked. "…While I'm certain someone would appreciate the gesture…" She then very deliberately stepped on the purple flower. "…I'm not one of them."

It seemed the president didn't understand the flower's meaning. But the secretary certainly did, because she suddenly slid close, and leaned in her superior's ear. "Madame President," she whispered. "That… was an azalea flower."

The president lifted her foot, and glared down at the flower for a moment. "…and why the fuck does that matter?"

"In the language of flowers, the azalea represents disagreement." The secretary looked to Abel, shooting him a fierce glare. "And a person throwing down an azalea in another's path… means they wish to challenge that person to a duel." She adjusted her glasses, her glare never faltering. "I suppose I should've expected nothing less from a degenerate male. You can't persuade Madame President with words, so you jump to brute force to get your way."

"A duel?" The president strode up to Abel, bringing her face right up to his. "Fine then. If fucking you up is what it takes to make you drop this, then I accept your challenge."

The secretary pulled the president back. "Miss Claire, please, allow me to face him on your behalf."

"I can handle crushing one insect myself, Laura," the president replied.

The secretary adjusted her glasses. "As the one receiving the challenge, you reserve the right to decide its terms, Madame President. And that includes the selection of a champion to fight in your stead." The secretary then shot Abel yet another hard glare. "Your time is far too valuable to be spent on dirtying your hands with this degenerate male's blood."

"If you insist…" The president replied.

The secretary's attention shifted to Abel. "Name your terms."

Abel folded his arms over his chest. "You already know what I want. If I win, then you'll let me enter Caral Marsh."

"As you wish." the president replied. She stepped around Abel, giving him a wide berth. "Laura will be waiting for you in the headquarters courtyard at eight tomorrow morning. She's a very busy woman; do not keep her waiting."