Do we even have to go there?

Luka felt his steps become heavier as the party approached the city of Windhelm, and it was not only born from the weight of letting Kazuya get hurt. His repeated experiences since he arrived had birthed a growing wariness toward settlements from this world. The fact that the city itself looked as uninviting as possible didn't help. From afar, the settlement was surrounded by incredibly tall walls, and as they got closer, the temperature kept lowering enough to become uncomfortable. Lars periodically shivered. The inhospitable region made him more reluctant than ever.

As they reached a large bridge that led to the entrance of the city, Luka stopped and turned around. His companions -or, at least, those that could still express themselves- looked as resigned as him. Hakunen in particular was looking particularly concerned.

"This city looks oppressive… let's hope the inhabitants are less cold than its walls."

"Yeah… I hope too. We only grab supplies and get out."

And I hope I won't see mystery meat again… and that we'll stick to our plan this time. For the love of Ilias, I don't want to see what we did back when we were drunk.

There was also the issue of the transformed Lest and of the unconscious Kazuya to take care of. The heroes decided that Hakunen and Lauratt would accompany Luka in the city to grab supplies while Lars and Novissa would remain at the entrance and keep an eye on the two men that couldn't defend themselves. Once this dilemma solved, the trio of young men entered their destination.

The insides of the city itself were as uninviting as its outsides. The streets were extremely narrow, almost claustrophobic as large black walls had been placed at regular intervals to break the wind inside. While Luka understood their presence, he still felt uncomfortable with the lack of visibility he was afforded. His past experiences speaking, he was almost expecting to be ambushed at each corner.

I'm starting to prefer exploring Tartarus… at least I know what I have to expect then.

Fortunately, even if the merchants were eyeing him suspiciously, the market itself was well provided, and the food he bought was exactly what the different merchants presented it as. He bought a few potions of various types as well with the guidance of Lauratt just in case they would run out of energy at an inopportune time. For a moment, Luka thought that the visit of the city was going well enough to break his unlucky streak… then a guard in blue armor approached him.

"Sir Luka?"

"Yes?" Luka already subconsciously prepared himself for a fight.

"You and your companions have been invited in the palace of Ulfric Stormcloak. If you would please follow me."

Ulfric… This is one of the men that I worked with back when I arrived, wasn't it? Is he actually the lord of this city? Luka saw the scene back in his mind. Ulfric had been called the True High King and… the jarl of Windhelm. How did I forget that?

"Very well. We'll follow you." Luka made a friendly gesture to reassure the guard as much as to reassure his partners. He did feel their nervousness and gave them a quick rundown.

The palace itself was as oppressive as the remainder of the city, looking like a cold maw waiting to swallow them. The insides were barely warmer, the blue patterns and colors associated with the Stormcloaks bringing everyone little comfort. The throne room Luka was brought to looked like a war council, as a map laying on the central table was covered by small red and blue flags. A man wearing fur armor with a huge war hammer on his back was leaning over the table, carefully analyzing said map. And on his side was indeed the man that Luka had already seen, Ulfric himself. The jarl greeted the heroes with a friendly smile.

"Greeting, young hero Luka! Let me welcome you to my humble city! I am glad to see you doing fine after our adventure together!"

"Thank you sire."

"Don't mention it." Ulfric approached him and paternally patted him on his shoulder. "I am impressed with your admirable performance. You dealt more damage to the imperials and those damn Thalmor puppeteers than we had ever dreamt of."

Luka decided that it would be wiser to roll with whatever Ulfric was saying than confessing he had no idea what they were talking about. "Thank you sir, we only did what came naturally."

Ulfric laughed good-heartedly. "Well then… did you come to finally join us in the fight to free Skyrim? Your presence alone will be enough to tilt the scales of war in our favor, to say nothing of your glorious friends."

While Ulfric was looking at his companions with benevolence, Luka noticed that the man on his side didn't share his attitude.

"Lord Ulfric, I do not which to question your choices, but I'm wary of where their loyalty lies. What if they're spies from the Thalmor?"

"After their actions? Nonsense, Galar. Nonsense. We have no reason to doubt that their hearts are in the right place."

Galar stood down, but Luka could still notice the man occasionally narrow his eyes when looking at his companions. Ulfric caught back his attention.

"Now, will you help us? We could use your arm taking back Skyrim."

"We're interested but… I need to get something in Morvunskar first if you don't mind."

The two Nords gasped in shock.

"Morvunskar? Kid… I mean young hero, this fort has become the most dangerous place in all of Skyrim overnight. A demon from Oblivion appropriated the place for herself and claimed the lives of all the men we sent to retake it. She's protected herself with an impenetrable barrier. We've avoided this place like the plague ever since."

"We have the way to take her down." Lauratt showed the shining rune on the back of his hand.

Galar mockingly huffed. "If you think a magic trick will be enough to stop that demon, then you're welcome to try."

Ulfric glared at his second-in-command, but didn't give a further remark on the insult. "We would take back control of a key supply road. Very well. I will make sure you are well-accompanied for your mission. Those damn Thalmor and their imperial dogs have become bolder as of lately, and I don't want to take the risk of losing you in an ambush."

"Very well. I'll gladly accept it."

Luka bowed and left, letter in hand and his companions right behind him. He was slightly puzzled by the visible conflict between the man and his second in command. Once they were out of the city, they had the welcome surprise to see Kazuya standing up, leaning against the mammoth while occasionally drinking from a waterskin. Hakunen enthusiastically ran up to him and both men shortly embraced each other. Luka himself couldn't help but smile.

"How are you doing?"

Kazuya grimaced. "I feel like shit honestly…" He shook his head and giggled. Luka noticed that the demon hunter had to do a conscious effort to remain on his two feet. "Please don't tell me we have to run away again."

Luka shook his head negatively. "We got enough food for a few weeks and we can deal with Gilgorn in Morvunskar. It turns out a man I helped is the local lord."

"That's a welcome change for once…" Kazuya painfully stretched himself. "At least, if he's helping us out of gratitude, we're sure that he's not hiding his motives." He frowned. "Or mostly sure at least."

Luka uncomfortably nodded. That was an unusually cold way to see it, but his past experiences had made him nearly paranoid as well. On the surface, he was sure that Ulfric did feel that he had a debt for them. However…

"He's expecting us to help him in his war against the imperials and the Thalmor, but… I don't know if we should get involved in that fight ourselves."

"Ha. Of course there was a catch."

Luka shook his head. "I didn't answer him yet."

"I don't want to get involved in a war." Hakunen looked down. "Why are they fighting in the first place?"

"Well… Ulfric said that they're fighting for the freedom of Skyrim. Since the imperials tried to kill me just because I was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and since I heard rumors that the Thalmor are after us because they think we're the avatars of a god that they don't want to see worshipped, I'm inclined to believe them."

"Yeah, I understand why." Kazuya checked toward Novissa and Lars. "How were your own experience with the imperials? You've lived in their local capital for quite some time."

Lars shrugged. It hadn't been different than most cities. They had even done some mercenary work for the local imperial army to get rid of some local bandits as they were themselves busy dealing with the Stormcloaks, and they had been well paid. The local lord was a woman known as "The Fair" and deserved her title in all the ways she could. Novissa nodded in validation. He even heard the imperials express their dislikes for the Thalmor quite a few times. However, imperials were still forced to aid them and abided by their rules. They still helped forbid worship of a god. In the end…

"So all imperials aren't that bad, I maybe just pulled the short straw." Luka shook his head. "Alright, let's take care of Gilgorn first and delay that decision. Maybe she observed the world and will be able to help us on that matter. Or maybe we'll just be able to leave without having to deal with that. We have bigger priorities ourselves…" Luka's eyes narrowed. "Eliminating that damn Alduin."

Hakunen nodded. "I'm a bit surprised it's not their priority as well. Do they really think their war will have any importance if the world gets destroyed? They're just making things worse, aren't they realizing it?"

Kazuya groaned. "And now I'm thinking of M.O.W. and how they used their resources to screw with us rather than help anyone against demons… sorry Hakunen, but humans coming all together at time of crisis is a far dream impossible to grasp."

"Yeah, I remember how Daimyokai nearly destroyed the human village near Mahoroba when she wanted to destroy the mountain." Hakunen sounded utterly jaded. "Those people wouldn't even have been attacked by yokais in the first place if it wasn't for her messing around. And they still see her as a savior."

"Remember, we maybe won't even have to deal with that war. Let's just get that help promised and move on Morvunskar. We'll see what we do afterward."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Luka felt a twinge of guilt at the idea of letting Ulfric down.

If he helps us here and think that our debts even out, then all is good, isn't it?

To his surprise, Luka couldn't find the barracks and resorted to asking around. His first interlocutor was a strong man working on a dock close-by.

"Excuse me, where are the barracks?"

The man stopped working and narrowed his eyes. He spat his words as much as he spoke them. "Why do you want to go to the barracks, stranger?"

Luka raised an eyebrow, surprised by his aggressive answer. "I have a letter for the captain."

"Mmh." The worker stared at him before slowly pointing in a direction. "It's right there."

"Thank you."

"You should let real Nords do the fighting, kids. We're the ones who know what Skyrim is really worth."

"Okay?" Luka confusedly raised an eyebrow and moved on to his destination, slightly puzzled by this interaction. He showed his letter at the guards standing at the entrance. One of them grabbed it from his hand and checked its content without a word. He disappeared in the barracks, and a few minutes later a bearded man with an armor covered with furs came out. Luka was surprised how the man was looking down on them even after he received a request from their leader.

"So you strangers decided to fight for the independence of Skyrim? Why is that?"

"We're interested in what's Morvunskar for now."

Kazuya decided to jump in for a reason Luka didn't quite understand. "And we have bad blood with the imperials as well. But first, we know that the road must be secured before we move forward."

The man mockingly huffed. "You really think you're going to be able to take down that demon lord, huh? What do you have that we don't have?"

Lauratt showed the runes on the back of his hand. The man just sneered.

"Parlor tricks. Very well. Wait us outside. I'll keep a close eye on you. You're suspicious."

The heroes looked at each other in confusion as several soldiers scrambled to accompany them. The experience felt surreal. Even after stories of their exploits had reached them, the local soldiers were looking down on them. Even from outside, Luka could hear the soldiers talk about them.

"Those are the heroes that attacked those damn Thalmors? They look weak."

"Disappointing. They were described as the reincarnations of Talos."

"It's probably a mistake. The reincarnation of Talos is probably a true Nord."

Are they disappointed because we don't match the image of their ideal hero? I remember Nanabi once talking about how she wanted to train a human but he didn't want to get help because she was a kitsune. What was the word she used already? Chauvinist?

As the group got on their way to Morvunskar, Luka looked around him. The escort reminded him more of the first time he saw the human lords in Sentora than afterward when his reputation was well-established as a hero. Was what he had already done not enough for them?

This is not going to be a good time…

This is going to be awkward to explain…

Alice examined her new surroundings. While the smell was different from the last dimension, it was still too penetrating to the displeasure of the small Monster Lord. The group was now inside a structure that Alice identified as a mushroom that got emptied to make place for a magic laboratory. Several shelves filled with books and potions were centered around a workbench. An ash-skinned woman in robes was looking at them from the entrance. Alice quickly used her demon eyes to incapacitate her before any of her partners applied the worse fate that they likely had in mind for the unfortunate civilian. Mephisto tilted her head in respect.

Good call.

"Good grief! By Malacath's teeth! What's going on over here?!"

A man with the same ash-skinned color and red eyes wearing elaborate robes appeared. Alice barely noted his beard and bald head, as she was more preoccupied by his powerful aura and imperious presence. She was worried by the threat he could present himself as.

Or, to be more accurate, she was worried her partners would take his presence as a challenge and drop their restraint accordingly.

Fortunately, Mephisto was the first to step forward. Behind her, Eden and Sonya were trying to keep Morrigan back as the natural instinct of the succubus was triggered and she was trying to jump him, while Promestein was staying at a distance from Lucifina-chan and Alicetroemeria, a violent ambiance rising between the small angel and the disguised monster. Mephisto removed her hat and bowed down to introduce herself.

"My name is Mephisto. We apologize for the mess we created, we're just travelers passing through, and intend to leave as quickly as possible."

The man crossed his arms in front of him, unconvinced. "Simple travelers. Straight from one of the Black Books of the old Hermaeus Mora? With that appearance? Do you think I would be so daft as to believe you? Maybe a backward peasant from Raven Rock would be able to, but certainly not a great archmage of the house Telvanni!"

In her corner, Alice raised an eyebrow. Visibly, that man had an ego matching this power. Luckily, Mephisto had become an expert in defusing this type of situation.

"Certainly not. We come from far away and are willing to make up for the inconvenience we inflicted upon you. May we interest you in some valuable information from our home in exchange for simple local news?"

Behind Mephisto, Alice refrained from chuckling.

I'm surprised he didn't run for the hills when he saw us appearing. We're too odd. There's no way he's going to let us go and give us tea and biscuits simply because you asked for it. He will instantly notice your trap and try to escape at the first occasion.

"Very well." There was no hesitation before he answered. "You have my attention. I think your story will be worth my time."

Wait what?

"However, I think it will be better for the both of us if not every one of your companions are around the table." The archmage waved in the direction of the restrained succubus. Eden looked appalled by the idea of being treated the same way as common monsters, and Alicetroemeria used the opportunity to further tease her.

"My, let us play outside! We don't want to intrude on their tea party, do we?"

Eden prepared to scream in indignation, but the sight of everyone else glaring at her stopped her dead. She meekly followed an enthusiastic Lucifina-chan who was already jumping down a magic elevator with a small scream. While Alice didn't feel concerned by the man's insinuation, she decided to follow suite.

"I'll keep an eye on them and reel them in before they try to kill each other."

"Please do."

Alice descended through the magical field. She didn't question the light blue field that uncomfortably brought her down, her body trying to twist around in a reflex even as the field tried to keep it straight. Shaking herself, she took the opportunity to examine the area surrounding this new location again.

The structure they had appeared in was indeed a giant mushroom in the middle of a cluster. The other smaller ones looked like they were fitted as habitation as well. Alice took in the remainder of the place in with her five senses. She could perceive the sound of the sea not far. Large ash-covered plains were standing in front of the mushrooms, while the air was acrid and dry, tasting of sulfur. The sky itself had an orange tint and was covered in clouds. Alice considered pushing her investigation further with a magical examination, but the conflicting auras standing near her reminded her of an unfortunate truth.

She was stuck with two psychopathic angels and two of the cruelest monsters. And they hated each other. There was bound to be frictions. Possibly city-wrecking, certainly life-threatening frictions.

"Foul monsters! This world should be kept safe from your taint!"

"Okay, I didn't want to actually hurt you, but if you're asking for it, I'll be nice and give you even more than what you want!"

While Alicetroemeria and Lucifina-chan were silently smiling, Alice could see the sparks flying between the both of them. She didn't know if she would have to step in, or even if she could stop anyone should they decide to fight.

Maybe I can help Alicetroemeria and Morrigan take down those angels… but what will Sonya do if I jump in? She checked on the priestess. The latter was holding her head and grimacing in pain, visibly nauseous. She doesn't look like she'll be able to do much, but if a fight start, we'll just end up with a bigger mess on our hands anyway. I'll try to stay out of this. With a little luck, they'll just knock each other unconscious.

"Mmph. Do you really think you stand a chance to one of the very seraphs of the goddess?"

"Yeah, because she's the third one!"

"That's it! This time, you're dead!"

"Hurgh, can you rather not fight?! I feel like I'm… going to be ■■■■."

The unnatural blanking at the end of Sonya's sentence completely interrupted any fight. Eden and Morrigan stopped, absolutely terrified, while Alicetroemeria and Lucifina were back to skipping around and pretending to ignore each other. Alice could hear Sonya's echoing thoughts.

"Wow… are they actually respecting me?"

Alice shook her head.

She still has no idea… I hope we won't have one more surprise to deal with.

The air in that place feels weird though. It reminds me of when we assaulted Grangold months ago…

After the archmage introduced himself as Neloth and they got sat around the table by his assistant, the discussion could start. In reality, this was not so much of a discussion than a mutual probing attempt with Promestein frantically scribbling about everything she saw on the side. The best Mephisto could do about her was hoping that the angel scientist would focus on writing down practical information and not just take notes for the sake of science.

The Yoma focused back on Neloth. Whether it was his haughty port or his way of speaking, the man was obviously someone with a very high opinion of himself. However, the fact that he was a skilled magic caster coupled with the way he quickly called out their bluff and asked for most of Mephisto's support to be removed to even out the immediate balance of power pointed at a dangerously sharp mind. Mephisto fustigated herself. If she hadn't given in immediately at his demand, they would have kept their position of strength. Instead, she had immediately shown that she was interested in what he could offer.

Why couldn't it be Alma Elma accompanying us instead of Morrigan? She has better control over herself, which means that she could have stood around and been a somewhat reliable support.

I'm longing for the support of Alma Elma. This speaks volume of my unfortunate company…

The silence was heavy, only interrupted by the sound of Promestein frantically taking notes and the sound of tea being clumsily poured by Neloth's servant, the poor woman still recovering from Alice's earlier hypnosis.

"Be careful Verona! You've nearly spilled tea on the table."

"Sorry sir…" Mephisto felt a hint of sympathy for the servant who left, but quickly moved on. She had to put on her best game. The man was looking at them with the same gaze she used on the students she interrogated.

"I saw everything that can live on this ball of dirt. But from the sands of Hammerfell to the icy mountains of Skyrim, I've never seen anyone like your strange company. Where do you come from and how did you end in Hermaeus Mora's personal Apocrypha?"

"We come from a faraway place." Mephisto kept her smirk. She felt proud to have prepared that little speech for this precise type of situation. The recent events had turned preparing for the craziest scenarios a hobby, and she could now put that to good use. "We were searching for a lost friend of ours when our spell went haywire and teleported us in that Apocrypha."

"A faraway place you say…" Neloth's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You don't have the mark of old Mora or one of his friends and you don't look like daedras. Do not waste my time and tell me everything about you."

"As I said, we're currently looking for a friend-"

Neloth raised his hand to interrupt Mephisto. "I'm not concerned by your motivation. They're tertiary compared to knowing about who you are."

The yoma swallowed back her pride and glanced at Promestein who remained visibly unaffected. So far, there was a slight resemblance in their interest and even moreso in their lack of social grace. The only difference was that her companion was doing it out of introversion instead of arrogance. Mephisto sighed. She didn't know what risk a cross-world contact in this place could create, and she wasn't eager to find out.

"I am known as a yoma. A monster renowned for their innate magical power." Mephisto gave out a quick speech about the different races of her companions while trying to leave out any information that could make them look dangerous or could be used against them. The man was genuinely interested about every word she was saying and remained silent during the interview.

"Fascinating… you make for quite the opportunity. Maybe enduring the presence of your partners will end up being revealed as worthwhile."

Mephisto answered with her teeth gritted. "Thank you for your hospitality."

Neloth pensively stroked his chin. "Mmmh. I wonder if you would fall to the influence of the local stones… call me before you try touching them."

Relieved to be able to steer the conversation her way, Mephisto seized the opportunity. "What do these local stones do exactly? Are they dangerous?"

The first answer she got was an unconcerned shrug. "I don't know. Some people are adding strange symbols on the local All-Maker stones. Even my people have left me to tirelessly work on them."

"Good grief, you didn't try to stop them?"

"Why would I? It is annoying, but I will find out what they do once the work on them is completed."

"What if their successful construction leads to the whole region being brainwashed? Couldn't they be the sign of a broader, more dangerous force at work?"

"Maybe. We had dragons reappearing recently as well. But I'm not worried about what this world can throw at me. Now, tell me more about your own place. What kind of magic do you use?"

Mephisto frowned. Apparently, she didn't share the same priority as her interlocutor.

"The same that is used here if my attunement to the local magic is talking for itself, but can we please focus on the issue at hand? This place seems under duress, and we do not wish to be caught in any burgeoning conflict."

Neloth nonchalantly threw his hand backward. "Don't worry about it, it is just background noise. Don't try to change the subject."

Promestein makes for a better interlocutor than that man… at least she now understands that we need to focus on applications that can help us. I don't like being rude, but I won't get anything useful from him. I need to move on.

Mephisto pulled her hat forward. "My apologies, but I need to make sure my partners are doing fine if danger roams close by. Sorry for making you lose your time."

"Not so fast! First you have to tell me about magic in your world!"

Faster than Mephisto could react, Neloth started accumulating magic for a spell to cripple her. Even faster than either of them, Promestein rose from her chair and smashed her thick volume in Neloth's head, instantly knocking him down in a loud thud. Mephisto blinked at the scene while Promestein repositioned her glasses on her nose.

"Sorry, he reminded me of people bullying me back in the library and... sorry."

"…I almost forgot you were there. Let me thank your quick reflexes."

"Thanks… this place looks amazing, but I suppose I unfortunately can't take samples, right?"

"Correct. Don't touch anything. You'll still be able to take some on the field." Mephisto quickly checked on Neloth to make sure he would properly heal. That talk hadn't been her most resounding success. When she descended and returned to the party, she was almost surprised to see that people were just twiddling their thumbs instead of killing each other. Alice was the first to greet her back.

"Did you learn anything interesting? The air in this place feels weird."

Mephisto looked down. "I didn't learn as much as I wish I could. There are stones brainwashing people in working on them and dragons flying around. That's all I got from our not-so-gracious host."

"So this is what that weird feeling in the air is… damn it, I can't see, smell or feel Luka from here. I don't know how big this world is, or even if it's the right one. That brainwashing aura is obscuring everything."

Mephisto nodded. Even her detection spells couldn't pierce through the aura that was encompassing their position. The most remarkable element she could feel was the closest emission point.

"We'll need to investigate those. We need to clear them off before we can start searching the place for Luka. They also sound like bad news and with a little luck, people will be grateful to be freed from them."

In a parallel of their exploration of the Apocrypha, the team carefully went on their way in a tense ambiance. Distrustful gazes were exchanged with scornful smiles, and while Alice led the party, she spent as much time checking behind her as she spent looking in front of her. Her concern for her party made her impermeable to the unusual location. Their stroll quickly brought them in sight of a strange large stone surrounded by a construction structure and surrounded by people mechanically working on it. Alice looked down on the scene while Sonya gasped in shock.

"Wow… I never imagined I would see anything like that. Those people are acting like automata. Even people brainwashed back in Grangold looked like they still had some will inside them.

Morrigan joined the group from behind. "Yeah, I admit they remind me of Ilias worshipper."

"You..."

"But we're not here to share about good times, so let's take a closer look."

Alice frowned as the succubus took the lead, but she conceded. They needed to get closer to the stone to examine it. While there were several additional ash-skinned elves working, Alice also recognized some completely normal humans in the lot. None of the worker noticed them as they approached the stone. Alice prepared to call out Morrigan when the latter was within reach of the stone, but Sonya held her back with an evil grin.

"No, no, let her do it… if it's trapped, it will be her problem."

Alice gritted her teeth. "And if she gets brainwashed, she will be our problem!"

Luckily, Morrigan touched the stone and quickly removed her hand right afterward, visibly unaffected. The succubus proudly turned around and smiled.

"Alright, it looks like someone or something is channeling the energy from that Apocryphal dimension to exert their influence over the weaker-willed people. That shouldn't be too hard to take down."

Mephisto muttered under her breath. "I could have said the same without taking the risk of touching the stone. Now, let's work on freeing them WITHOUT BLOWING UP THE STONE!"

The yoma quickly finished her sentence before anyone could unleash their prepared spell on the unfortunate amalgamate of minerals. Mephisto slowly breathed in and out as the possible catastrophe was narrowly avoided.

"Good grief, people, if they corrupted that stone and used it for their channeling instead of destroying it, there's probably a reason! Can we not make things worse and take time to think our plans through? Working one minute together to understand how it works will likely avoid us months of headaches."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "What do you suggest then?"

Mephisto fiddled with her wand, pointing at the stone as if she was teaching a class. "This stone influences the mind of people. Since holy magic is the magic of the mind, wouldn't it be able to break the spell?"

Eden crossed her arms and haughtily huffed. "I have no reason to explain the secret of holy magic to a lowly monster."

The yoma sighed and looked at Lucifina-chan. The latter quizzically tilted her head with her usual goofy smile. Asking her for her help would at best lead to the stone being destroyed. She tried to not imagine what would be the worst-case scenario.

"Sonya? Can you please do something about it?"

The priestess scratched her head and timidly looked away. "I… I don't feel confident about trying anything with that rock. How does it work exactly? Can't your detection magic look deeper into it?"

"Unfortunately that rock is impermeable to further investigation. However, you have a good point." She pointed her wand at a worker that ignored her, still mechanically carving the stone. "If we examine the mind of these people, we might just be able to get a better idea of the grasp exercised by that unusual spell and develop an appropriate countermeasure."

"Pff, that will take too much time. Let's try that holy spell thing! Luminous dragon!"

Morrigan released a beam of energy that took the form of a dragon toward the rock. The impact shook the place, but had no effect otherwise. Without missing a beat, people kept working on the stone. Everyone stared at the succubus, aghast. The latter just shrugged innocently.

"Well, it didn't work. What next?"

"Good grief Morrigan… didn't anybody in your family taught you about the virtue of patience and analyzing a situation? And how and when did you learn holy spells?"

"They did. But it's boring. Also, I learned that one with Sorcery when I was in Snow Heaven before I got banned."

Eden suspiciously eyed the succubus. "You fiend only are only studying sorcery in an attempt to learn more depraved skills, don't you?"

"Yep."

"Given how obvious it was, I wonder why did you even bother asking…" Mephisto kept massaging her forehead. "Next would be using demon eyes to try freeing them. Any non-lethal one that influences the mind may work."

Alice nodded and looked at one of the men in the eyes. Her eyes shone as she used her magic to put him in a trance. While he was immobilized and had a different look, Alice couldn't tell if her spell had the intended effect or not. Then a shiver ran up her spine when she noticed a puddle of black ink appeared at the bottom of the stone. Unsuruprisingly, that puddle took the shape of one of the towering giants they had faced in the Apocrypha. Alice released a focused blast at the head of the monster, stunning him before a series of light arrows utterly disintegrated the beast.

"Aaand another one bites the dust!" Morrigan proudly grinned.

Alice ignored her, more focused on the reaction of the people around them. They were visibly successful. Most people were looking around them, confused as they took consciousness of the situation. A small smirk appeared on her face to be wiped off just as quickly by the realization that they looked incredibly suspicious in this world. Those people could be tempted to start accusing them of being at the source of their trouble. Instead, to her surprise, nobody was talking. It was as if people were avoiding to address them altogether.

…Why are they all avoiding looking at us? They look ashamed of the angels in particular… is it because of local folklore or-. Oh. Oooooooooh…

Alice suddenly felt extremely self-conscious about how little her outfit covered. However, it was nothing compared to Eden who was still in the nude.

Crap. Let's hope Eden doesn't decide to make it anymore awkward.

"Are those people ashamed by the handcraft of the goddess?!"

And here she does. Damn it.

Everyone was now staring at the seraph. Alice was uncomfortably shifting around as she tried to draw out a plan for their next move. Not reassuring her in the slightest, Morrigan was now growling on her side.

"Fuck it. HEY LOOK AT ME YOU WALKING DICKS!"

Led by her ancestral instinct, Alice reflexively disobeyed and protected herself as a wave of energy crossed the place. All the men and women around them collapsed, damp spots appearing between their legs.

"Shit, Sonya looked as well. My bad."

Alice and Mephisto pinched the bridge of their respective nose.

"I had planned to ask a group of grateful people information about the region." She stared at Eden with an exhausted look. "I did not consider that our cultural differences when it comes to clothing would put a stop to that plan so quickly."

"They're just ashamed of their unsightly form."

"Hey, you still learned that monsters aren't a thing in this world, didn't you? I'm pretty sure they would have reacted differently otherwise." Morrigan chuckled, her hands wrapped in aura. Sonya got up in a yelp as vitality was poured into her.

"I am pretty sure I would have been able to learn the same without incapacitating twenty people." Mephisto sighed. "What's done is done. I can feel more emission points north and west. But first, we need some clothes like theirs to make ourselves less conspicuous."

Lucifina-chan whined. "But it looks uncomfortable and scratchy…"

"I agree. If I knew it would happen, I'd have be more careful with the sweaters Lilith gifted me. I still have that old cloak though…"

"It's either that or we'll have to keep acting from the shadow, and we could use their goodwill as a token of bargain, people! Also, stop trying to get samples from the rock please."

"…Sorry." Promestein meekly put down the carving tools she had grabbed on the ground.

"It's okay, let's move away a bit before they get up to not make things even worse."

The group reluctantly gathered back and moved to a hill. Sonya kept an eye from afar on the men and women they just freed in case someone would attack them, but they simply awkwardly left. As the group sat on rocky outcrops around a hill, Mephisto expectantly looked at Alice.

"We still can't check the world around us as long as these stones are standing. I can still detect five more of them north and westward. There's also the possibility that they add security soon enough when they realize that we cleared one of them. And I maintain that people need to know we're helping them to get some goodwill from them."

Alice frowned. "Our absolute priority is to clear them to be able to check if Luka is indeed around, isn't it? They don't look heavily guarded for now, so if we split up and take on one each, we'll be able to clear them before whoever works on them can organize and raise defenses. Once done, we'll regroup here."

In actuality, Alice just wanted some room to breathe and imagined angels wanted to get away from her just as much as she wanted to get away from them.

"Mph. I will only do so because this world can only appreciate the divine grace of Ilias! Come Lucifina-chan! We have to save some of her loyal followers." Mephisto gritted her teeth when Eden huffed again.

"Wait, don't forget to put clothes on!"

The two angels disappeared without a word, leaving behind a disappointed group. Alice slowly breathed in and out.

"Angels don't have demon eyes to remove the influence from the stone, do they?"

"I'm not even sure they've located the stones themselves."

"My, that is rude of them…"

"Soooo, what do we do?"

"They went north. Spread up and take care of the remaining stones westward. Teleporting is out of the question. You think you can take care of them? Promestein, you'll be able to take samples unimpeded."

"Yes! I can do it!" Promestein started dashing away at a speed that caught both Alicetroemeria and Morrigan off-guard. The succubus pointed north-west.

"Sooo, I guess I'll take care of the one north-west and remain on stand-by in case anyone needs a hand."

Mephisto nodded. "Please do."

Alicetroemeria hid her face with the hem of her hat. "My, in that case, I shall take my leave and return once my quest is accomplished… don't worry about me! It's so easy I'm sure Beary alone could do it! I'll let you two youngsters appreciate the lessons from the old but wise professor Mephisto!"

Her sarcasm is palpable… damn it Black Alice, why are you still sticking around?

Eventually, the disguised monster disappeared in the ash plains, leaving Sonya, Mephisto and Alice alone to make their way to their last target. Each of them released their breathing as the tension almost completely evaporated. They descended the small mountain, guided to the remaining stone by their senses. After awkwardly shuffling for a while, Sonya finally let her concern out.

"Do you really think Luka is in this world? Or are we just doing false route and chasing a ghost?"

"I have the feeling that Luka's here… I don't mean close by, but he's in this world, somewhere, with all the other heroes." Alice smirked. "I'm sure he's missing us as much as we're missing him... and once we find him again, I'll make sure we appreciate the company of each other."

Sonya growled. "That's my line! We've been childhood friend since forever, and I'll be the one whose company he will enjoy!"

"In the name of what? We already had this discussion. You don't have a single more privilege to access Luka than any other monster does."

The duo stopped. They looked at each other in the eyes, conflict rising between them. Sonya spat as much as she spoke her next sentence.

"Because! I'm a childhood friend who loves him! I'm not just a monster who sees him as another slab of meat!"

"I know that some monsters want to eat him. This is why I want to be with him. To protect him against them."

"Argh, you know what I mean! You want to eat him too in THAT way don't you?"

Alice refrained from smirking as she kept pushing the buttons of the priestess. "I'm not a cannibalistic monster that would eat humans. Or are you talking about something else?"

"Grrrrr…"

"Enough with the both of you!" Alice and Sonya felt a cold wave reach them as Mephisto turned back, glaring at the two of them. "We're in the middle of a dangerous, unknown place! Now is not the time to bicker about who will get to fuck the hero once we get back to him! Miss Alice, you're the soon-to-be Monster Lord with the responsibilities that are involved. After your display of authority earlier, I thought that you were apt, but given how you're repeatedly dismissive or uncaring toward your subordinates, I'm growing concerned for the future."

Alice gulped loudly. She hadn't expected Mephisto to blow at her of all people. "I didn't choose them to follow me in this mission… if I had the choice, I would have surrounded myself with people I know are reliable and loyal. And besides, Luka recruits everyone he comes across. How am I supposed to deal with the likes of Cassandra or Spider Princess when nobody wants to deal with them?"

Mephisto scoffed. "While I agree that surrounding yourself with the right persons is a key quality for a good leader, you didn't make the slightest effort to take the lead over this group. Eden in particular doesn't like you, but you're not doing any effort to get her respect either. I'm also talking about how you regularly disparaged the kitsune clan back home when they're almost unconditionally loyal to you, which is a wonder given how you treat them! Why didn't you ever ask for their support in dealing you with those monsters that cause problems instead?!"

"You seem to forget about Daji. She's a kitsune and a problem…"

"Daji is not affiliated to the kitsune clan, to this world, to monsterkin at large, and she's apparently a Huli Jung, which is to a kitsune what a caustic acid is to water." Mephisto kept leveling her glare at Alice who was shuffling more and more uncomfortably. "And before you ask why I don't take on the lead if I'm so good at finding what's wrong, I should tell you that I simply already have too many responsibilities to take a single one more. So, for the sake of monsterkin, please, take on your duty appropriately and stop being petty to people that are willing to support you!"

"…sorry. You're right." Alice looked back in Mephisto's eyes, more determined. "I'll be more careful with treating people appropriately based on how helpful they are and not just personal pettiness."

"Good. As for you young priestess…" Sonya quickly stopped enjoying the show of Alice being handed her rear to her when Mephisto turned around. "If you were as confident in your skills and your interactions with the hero as you are in your attempts to what Daji colloquially refers as cockblocking him, you'd probably be way less frustrated in your interactions with everyone."

Sonya turned red as a tomato and turned away. Mephisto continued. "Oh, for the love of the Dark Goddess, don't do this face! You live in a castle where ninety-five percent of the inhabitants think about having sex with Luka at least once a day! Let's not kid ourselves, the angels do as well. The single fact that you still shiver at the idea and think that it's disgusting hampers your relations with him more than any prank his four-hundred companions pulled out does."

"And how am I supposed to stand up to those four-hundred monsters if you're that smart?!"

"You made several monsters including Daji run for the hills for starter. You were still standing on Luka's side whether we were fighting in Grangold or in the middle of the Land of Night. As for physical relations, between Promestein's numerous race changes, what you can learn by training with Yamatai sex jutsu , other ancient bedroom arts or the large collection of toys around, you can give him reasons to stick by your side for a long, looooong time."

Mephisto removed her hat to clean it. "Now, I apologize for my harsh words, but I have the feeling that these things needed to be said if we want to stand a chance together in this place. We did not face any threat that a single one of us couldn't handle, but we didn't make it so far by being reckless."

"No, no, you have a point." Alice slowly breathed in and out. "Even moreso that half our group is at each other's throat. I have a duty as the Monster Lord- no, WE have a duty as the reasonable trio in this party to make sure all those that are accompaying us come back home, no matter what everyone thinks of it."

Mephisto smiled. "That's what I wanted to hear."

They turned around when they heard the sound of a distant chain of explosions. Several projectiles flew in every direction from afar. The trio observed one of them flying in their direction before it crashed in the ground and rolled near them. Alice grimaced when she identified the remains of the projectiles as the upper body part of a blue-skinned humanoid fish. The empty eyes of the dead creature were staring in the void.

"That's Black… Alicetroemeria's handiwork."

"Good grief, I hope that it's just self-defense and not yet another genocide."

"Hurgh. I still hear those fairies scream at night."

Alice took the lead and started slithering at a high speed. "Then let's not lose any time and clear remaining the local stone before our allies get bored or worse."

"You're right. I'll spare you a repeat of my lesson about the weight our influence can have."

Eventually, they arrived in sight of another stone that was within sight of a large wall. A large cosmopolitan group of people were working on it. While Alice recognized humans and more ash-skinned elves, there were also humanoid lizards and cats that surprised her.

"Are those the local type of monsters? There are even males amongst them." Alice slithered to one of the cat workers and sniffed him. "No. They don't have quite the smell."

"We'll ask Promestein to examine them… and we'll try to keep Morrigan from raping them as well if we can."

Alice and Sonya nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll disappear a bit since people will likely find my appearance too strange again. Try gleaning as much information as you can and see if we can hear anything about our purple-haired hero."

"Of course. Sonya, relax and be your natural self. They're bound to avoid me, but you have that big sister instinct that instill confidence."

Alice observed Mephisto and Sonya putting their plan in application from afar. After defeating yet another ink behemoth, the two of them checked on the people they saved to reassure them. Alice's keen hearing could catch on most of their conversations. Even if people were wary of the duo, they were quite grateful for the help. Unfortunately, none of them had heard or seen about a purple-haired boy. Alice sighed, but didn't lose hope. That place was big after all. And then they would be able to start using detection magic to scour the world and find him.

After making sure they would be welcome in the adjacent city later, the trio returned to their fallback spot to regroup with the other companions. To their surprise, Promestein and Alicetroemeria were the only two waiting for them. The small scientist was examining another dead body of a blue-skinned fishman.

"Three winged monsters as fast as the wind, and the first two that rally to us are those that go on foot at a strolling pace."

"My, don't be rude, angels wouldn't like to be called monsters!" Alicetroemeria twirled her staff and pointed at the remains of the dead creature. "Our friends likely only suffered a small delay! After all, not everybody was grateful for our rescue!"

"There's not much interesting to learn about them." Promestein continued without looking up from her notes. "At least, nothing that would be useful for us. They can carve primitive weapons and have a basic society with their own language, but I don't think that's relevant to our mission. I'll pass the details."

"Thank you."

A minute later, Morrigan approached with a large smile, her wings flapping happily.

"The people I saved tried to rape me…"

"Good grief, do you have to say that with a smile? If you had dressed more conservatively, it wouldn't have happened. Nevermind, I supposed you killed them all on purpose."

"Hey! Those were bandits who forced themselves on me! If they were just random villagers, I'd have left them alone!"

Alice sighed. "At least you cleaned yourself… is that blood at the corner of your mouth. Did they actually hurt you?"

"What?" Morrigan used her arm to clean herself. "Oh, no, don't worry about that, one guy tried to force my mouth open and thought I would enjoy having something shoved down in it."

Sonya raised an eyebrow. "You bit his tongue out?"

Morrigan grinned back. "That wasn't his tongue."

Mephisto and Alice grimaced in horror. "Ok… You haven't seen Eden or Lucifina-chan by the way?"

The succubus awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. "Yeaah, they ran in a bit of a small issue back then. I offered my help, but they declined and I didn't want to force myself upon them."

Alice raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Eventually, Eden and Lucifina-chan showed up in the sky, both covered in blood and digestive fluids. While the small seraph looked as energetic as ever, her senior was visibly exhausted.

"Not a word."

"…" Everyone silently stared at Eden. The seraph visibly remained indifferent to their attention as she cleaned herself and Lucifina-chan. After a while, she was getting unnerved by everyone's attention.

"What do you want?! We don't have to explain ourselves to lowly terrestrials."

"…"

"…"

Her patience running out, Eden released an angry growl.

"Fine, if it's a story you want, then a story I shall give!"

"Sooo, how are we going to free them without demon eyes big sis Eden? Please tell me your plans!"

"…"

As Eden and Lucifina-chan flew away from the party, the older seraph didn't want to tell that she had no idea how they would do and only wanted to show that she could do any job a monster could. No matter how diverse and adapted their skills could be, they would always remain inferior to angels no matter what those dirt-walkers could think. She knew herself that Ilias had granted her the skills needed to free people from the obscure spells clouding their minds and orient them toward her love.

She had just no idea which skill would work.

Mmph. The holy skill used by that succubus did not work. I have no doubt that her nature weakened that spell and prevented it from working correctly.

"I am still thinking this through. We have to be efficient with our spells. The mana in the air is not the same as Heaven and may be impure."

"Okay!"

When Eden arrived in sight of her destination, she audibly expressed her disdain at the scene. Those people needed a chance to know about the grace of Ilias. Then she would raise a loyal army from them and make a world free of monsters. Then she would get the recognition she deserved.

Eden landed in front of the stone, ignored by all the people working on it. The ash plains she had crossed had been replaced by snowy hills, but she didn't care. Right now, she had to focus back on the very first step of her plan.

She was still short of a way of freeing the minds of those poor people. She released a beam of holy light toward the stone. To her disappointment, the attack was utterly ineffective. On her side, Lucifina whined.

"Muuuh… it didn't work Eden."

"I noticed. Do not worry Lucifina-chan. A more powerful spell should work just fine. Keep your mana for an actual fight, I shall take care of it. Cross of the Sunny Light!"

A cross of light appeared in front of Eden and hit the stone head-on. The powerful spell only kicked some pebbles around, her actions remaining ignored by everyone else.

Eden snarled. Her plan didn't go as well as she expected. Her mind was already running wild at the possible mockeries those monsters would throw at her if she failed where they succeeded. She would never be able to show herself in front of the Goddess again. She hesitated to use a more powerful spell and just blast the stone apart and be done with it, but fear of monsters seeing her work held her back.

"Soooo… what do we do now?"

"I'm. Thinking."

Lucifina-chan shrugged off Eden's behavior. She approached the stone and stared at it with a growing destructive intent. Even the people around were avoiding her. After a minute, a large ink behemoth appeared in front of it. The creature barely had the time to raise its weapons that it collapsed in a heap, its legs, arms and head all cut clean from its body by a smirking small seraph. She enthusiastically pointed at the puddle.

"See? It was easy!"

Eden was completely dumbfounded. Of all the scenarios she had imagined, Lucifina-chan casually stopping the malignant outpour from the stone with her raw bloodlust wasn't one that she had anticipated. She quickly recovered her composure when she noticed that people all around her were recovering from their brainwashing.

"By the all-maker, what happened?!"

"Shor's bone… what a nightmare!"

"Thank you for helping us! But you must be cold. Please come with us! We will give you furs!"

Eden proudly stood in the middle of the crowd, beaming under the attention she received.

"Praise Ilias for her work, as I am only doing her duty of saving her protégés from the evil influence that rotted your mind!"

People were now looking at her with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

"Ilias? I never heard about an Ilias…"

"Maybe that's what they call the All-Maker in some other regions of the world."

"I've never seen people like them… and they endure the cold so well. Are they his messengers?"

"Maybe it's a trial. We have to offer them our finest furs."

Eden defensively raised her hands as she felt overwhelmed. "Please… I'm only a humble messenger of Ilias. You have to praise her instead."

A woman stepped forward. "But you must be so cold without clothes! And you…" She kneeled in front of Lucifina-chan. "You look so young and wear so little… how can you endure the elements and travel in the snow with so little?"

"I don't bother with clothes because they always get stained with blood and cleaning them is too annoying!" Lucifina-chan candidly smiled.

The woman recoiled, surprised. "What?"

"Yeah! I remember when I fought those monsters back in the temple, their blood splashed on me and dirtied my clothes! Then Luka was angry and I stopped wearing more than that since that day."

The woman slowly got up and backed away, her eyes locked on Lucifina-chan. "We… we thank you for your help again. We will let you go on your mission, loyal servants of the All-Maker."

Everyone else was eyeing her strangely. Was it once again because she was proudly displaying the handicraft of the Goddess? Or was this place so backwater the generous influence of Ilias hadn't reached it?

"Please do not forget to address your prayers to Ilias before going to sleep!"

Eden was slightly surprised by their reticence, but eventually decided to let it slide as she took flight, quickly followed by Lucifina-chan. In her flight, she muttered to herself.

"They left a bit hurriedly… were they surprised by our appearance? Or was it something we did?"

"Maybe it's the large flying lizard in the sky that made them flee!"

Eden distractedly nodded in agreement before her other senses picked up the large scaled beast they were now sharing the sky with. She turned around and bared her teeth at the dragon who was trying to rush at her. She dodged the assault from the beast and answered by throwing a spear of light, wounding the creature who roared in pain.

Is that a dragon like the creatures from ancient times? They're a threat no matter the world they live in! Those people wouldn't stand a chance against it. I will free the locals from him!

"Wow, that dragon's angry! Let's kill it!"

Lucifina-chan charged and started slashing at the beast at an impressive speed while circling around it, confusing the monster who struggled to simply keep track of her. Eden tried to get in to help her, but the chaotic dance from her little sister confused her just as well.

"Lucifina-chan! Don't attack so recklessly! You will get in danger!"

"What? That stupid lizard is too slow, it can't catch me!" Lucifina-chan slowed down near the head of the beast. The dragon seized the opportunity and swallowed down the little seraph in a single gulp.

"LUCIFINA-CHAN!"

Eden rushed at the dragon and focused on prying open the maw of the beast who indignantly flapped its wings. Then the single most grating feminine voice she remembered reached her ears.

"Holy shit! That's a huge snake! You need a little help there to handle its girth?"

"Get back you cankerous whore! We do not need you around! Get lost!"

"I was just asking... oh well. See ya later!" Morrigan flew away, not offended in the slightest by the remarks from Eden. As the seraph tried to wrestle down the dragon, she had difficulties hanging on as the spasms from the beast were nearly throwing her off.

"You will give me back my sister, whether you want it or not!"

The dragon answered by suddenly diving toward the ground. Eden latched under the head of the beast and held on for dear life, wrapping her legs around its neck in case it would try throwing her off again. She didn't drop her grip when the dragon crashed on the ground. The painful impact tore her wings but she endured the shock for the sake of her little sister. She quickly got her pain-wracked body up and focused back on opening the maw of the dragon when she noticed that the beast was dead, its jaw hanging limply. Spasms on its back attracted her attention, and she carefully approached a large forming bulge before it exploded, spraying a large quantity of blood and other substances on her. When she cleared her eyes, she noticed that Lucifina-chan was now standing in the middle of the back of the dragon with the biggest smile on her face and her arms victoriously raised in the sky.

"That was so fun! Again!"

"…"

"Take the time to clean up. When you're done, please put some clothes on before we get in a city. Also, Morrigan, add a few layers of clothes as well."

"I won't escape it, will I? Fiiiiine… I can as well put on the whole disguise." A brown cloak materialized around Morrigan, hiding most of her inhuman features.

"You don't have any more to share?"

"Nope. Only Lilith does."

Eden glared at Morrigan, suspecting the succubus of only wanting to see her suffer. She relented and accepted a set of simple clothes handed by Mephisto. Even their ampleness did little to hide the feminine figure of the seraph. Lucifina-chan soon followed suite before Eden accusingly pointed at Alice.

"What about her? Her outfit is intolerably lewd for someone who looks so young."

"I'll just make myself invisible when we're in town. Can't you?"

"A servant of Ilias would never hides herself."

"It doesn't change anything… Mephisto, can you detect Luka?" Alice braced herself as Mephisto spent an unusually long time scanning the area. The yoma ended with a frown that didn't reassure her in the slightest.

"There's something in that direction that feels familiar, but it isn't quite Luka."

"Oh shit, about that, I nearly forgot." Everyone turned toward Morrigan. "The bandits I killed came from a region named Skyrim, and while they didn't deal with Luka, they left because two swordsmen kept wrecking their ass. A blond berserk and a red-haired who can't be more of a hero if he tried. Does that sound familiar?"

Alice smiled. It sounded like they at least had news of Lars and Novissa. And with a little luck, Luka wouldn't be far.

"Then let us get to the city and grab a map… is what I would say, except I didn't bring any gold with me."

"Me neither." Alice sighed. "Eden maybe?"

"A servant of Ilias has no need for a mean to access distractions. I suppose that succubus robbed her victims of their possession as well?"

"Taking gold from the people I kill… who do you think I am, a hero of Ilias?"

"My, there is no need to worry!" Alicetroemeria produced a small pouch of gold and gave it to Mephisto. "I always have any resources I could need at hand, and I'm willing to share with people that are helpful."

Alice smiled. "We'll pay you back, this is the least we can do. Once we reach the city, we'll need food, a map, food, more local information, food, and anything that can help us further blend in with the locals."

"I think you focused a bit more on one of those than the others."

Alice just shrugged Mephisto's remark. "It's true that I might feel a bit peckish. But we can't run around on an empty stomach, can we?"

"I actually agree. Just remember that it won't be like the Pocket Castle and their stocks might be limited. Promestein, stop trying to shove that whole mushroom tree in your bag, we're moving."