In Pursuit of Desires

by Takamura Rules

Victory...was boring. Despite everything he'd been through, Ren had a wanderlust to him. When Elizabeth approaches him with the veritable offer of a lifetime, he couldn't say no. Join Ren as he explores, fights, and steals his way across the Solistia region. Watch him as he makes new friends and rivals and discovers dark secrets. And just maybe...Take down a God or two. P5XOT2

12. OC-

Hey guys, welcome back. Got a back-to-back upload to celebrate the holiday, so enjoy this treat.

Need to put a disclaimer, especially for you peeps on FFN. This chapter will include mentions of sexual assault.

I wasn't kidding when I said this would be a darker story. However, this has probably been my favorite chapter to work on so far; I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks goes to Asdfo789 for reading over this! Go check him out.

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Ochette-Legends of Tradition

"Ochette."

"Yes, Master Juvah?"

A majestic white lion with tribal tattoos on his back walked through the jungle. His booming voice let all know of his presence. On his back sat a small girl, her silvery hair didn't hide the pair of wolf ears that lay flat on her head out of sleepiness. Her bushy tail wagged absently as she buried her claws into the lion's fur and snuggled her head in the grove of his back. A stream of drool leaked out of her mouth as she tried to fight off the urge to sleep.

"Your family has borne the time-honored tradition of producing the sacred hunter blessed by Draefendi herself. Destined to be the guardian and protector of Toto'haha. Before you, it was your mother, and before her, it was your grandmother."

The young girl yawned adorably. Juvah had to suppress a smile to keep a serious demeanor. Ten-year-olds needed sleep after all. On some level, it was unfair of him to drag her out to the ruins so early in the morning the sun hadn't even risen yet. Matter of fact it was closer to midnight than it was to morning.

"But I thought you were the guardian, Master Juvah."

"It is complicated, Child. I was entrusted with the duty of training the next guardian by Draefendi herself. In your Mother Septima's prolonged absence, I have been forced to fill both roles."

"Where…did mama go?"

"She went to find your sister, Octavia. Who disappeared twenty years ago as a child. She was meant to be the guardian before you."

"….Am I just her substitute?"

That innocent question caught him off guard.

"Never. Not in a million years. Your mother loved both you and her dearly. She left because of that love, she couldn't live without knowing both of you were out of harm's way. The fact you have gotten to his point in your training proves you are no substitute, I have foreseen it. You will make a remarkable guardian."

"...Thanks, Master Juvah."

Juvah hummed as he walked in silence for a moment before speaking again.

"As a guardian, you will need a partner," Juvah felt the girl perk up on his back. "Together you will have the strength to overcome any challenge."

"You mean it's really time?"

"Ha. Yes, it is, Ochette. One of your most important decisions yet awaits you in the Tomb of the Warden beast."

Her ears immediately perked up and her nose twitched, sniffing the air.

"Wow, wow wow! Woo-hoo!"

She shoved her face upside down over Juvah's and put her hands on his jaw as if she was trying to pry it open. Juvah let out a mighty sneeze that caused her to let go.

"Don't do that, Ochette. You could hurt yourself!"

The girl completely disregarded him as she sat up cross-legged on his back and pointed to deeper in the misty jungle. "I'm wide awake now, Master Juvah! How long until we get there?"

"Not long."

Juvah emphasized his point by crossing the wooden suspension bridge that marked the beginning of the ancient structure. Ochette gazed in awe as she looked at the tribal markings on the pillars. Her nose twitched in realization once again; the smell of animals and magic was in the air. She jumped off Juvah and took off the rest of the way running on all fours down the dirt path. She heard the heavy plodding of her caretaker as he bounded after her.

She skidded to a stop as she reached the sacred mural that depicted the three legends that protected Toto'haha in the past.

In front of the painting sat two animals, a fluffy adorable little brown owl fledgling currently preening its feathers, and a cute small orange jackal pup lightly dozing on its paws. They both snapped to alertness when she got close.

"We have here a Malamaowl and a Lājackal. Their names are Mahina and Akala," Juvah said from behind her. "They are both rare creatures from esteemed bloodlines that were just born as evidenced by the markings of the moon and sun on them respectively. I'm sure either will serve well."

Ochette looked up at him with wide eyes. "Either?"

"Yes. You cannot have both."

"Why?"

"In nature and life. To take more than is needed is the sin of greed. One that Draefendi teaches against. Save for her consort Aeber, her hunts and way of life abided by that fact. This decision is meant to teach you that."

"That's not fair; don't you see how adorable they are!"

"I do, and life isn't fair that way. Unfortunately, as you grow up you will have to make hard decisions and compromises like this all the time."

Ochette's tail fell behind her gloomily. She slowly turned around and saw both creatures staring at her expectantly. Awkwardly shuffling on both feet, she swayed to and fro the attention never leaving her. She all of a sudden felt like she had to use the bathroom.

"I'm….I'm sorry….I…I wish I could pick both of you. But I guess I-I-I choose…the Malamaowl!"

The baby owl hooted in jubilation while the Jackal pup's tail hit the dirt, and its ears flattened to its head.

Ochette opened her arms as the owlet flew into them.

"I'm Mahina, It's nice to meet you Ochette," she chirped in glee. "I'll be by your side from now on!"

"You're a really pretty bird!"

She rubbed her cheek against Mahina's face and giggled as the owlet hooted affectionately.

A sharp jolt of pain suddenly went through her head. A sound of glass echoed in her ears. When she recovered, Ochette paused and looked up at the sky and the moon.

It was red.

She had never seen it, but she was sure the moon wasn't normally red.

She looked around and saw Master Juvah was nowhere to be seen, a huge coffin sat in his place. Ochette didn't dare open it to see what was inside.

The fur on her ears and tail bristled in unease. Her claws instinctively extend. Ochette's senses screamed that the world around her was wrong.

"Master Juvah….? What's going on? Is this some kind of test, because it's not funny."

Mahina hooted quietly in her arms and tried to tuck her head into her body. "I'm scared too," Ochette said, trying to put on a brave face. Her ax sat like ice on her back, she was too afraid to bring it out.

Groaning and the sound of chains could be heard in the jungle all around her. Ominous sickly wheezing replaced the sound of blowing wind. The surrounding trees had been dyed a dripping black. A wet ripping sound came from in front of her. She tucked Mahina close to her chest and peered over her head.

Where Akala once stood a massive blob with a white mask had pounced on the jackal.

Ochette took a step back and tripped over a stone landing on her butt. The ax on her back clattered away, lost to the darkness.

She watched in wide-eyed horror as the shadow monster consumed Akala. No that wasn't right, it melted into the pup's skin like pouring sauce on meat. The beast howled as the monster assimilated to its body. After the process was done, it disappeared leaving a malevolent purple aura around the jackal that made Ochette whimper in fear.

Akala trained his eyes on her and growled. Despite being a pup, it sounded like a full-fledged adult jackal. Even more than that, Akala sounded downright monstrous.

Ochette all of a sudden felt small. So very small. Mahina felt impossibly tiny in her arms. She barely registered the sound of glass breaking once again.

Akala took a low stance and Ochette knew he was preparing to lunge. Tears started to wet her eyes and she hugged Mahina as close to her as she could.

She heard the scrapping of claws as Akala took off. Ochette squeezed her eyes shut, curled into a ball, and prepared for the pain to follow.

"Ochette, get back!"

A heavy thud and a howl of frustration caused Ochette to open her eyes. Master Juvah was standing over her, fangs bared in her defense.

Akala growled once again. "WhY….wHY noT Me?"

"Stay away! Stay away from me, you monster!"

She once again heard the sound of two bodies colliding and Master Juvah roared in both triumph and warning.

"I don't know what you are anymore, but you will not harm Ochette as long as I'm here. Now be gone from this place!"

Ochette cracked an eye open to see Akala was now looking at her in unrestrained hatred and wrath. Not even when she broke something had she seen any being get that angry with her. The way Akala viewed her, it was as if he wanted her to drop dead right then and there. Her heart beat even faster and even more, and tears came unrestrained out of her eyes.

"Leave!" Juvah roared.

Akala let out a howl, and then the jackal pup took off running into the deep jungle away from the tomb.

Once the beast was gone Juvah turned back and attended to Ochette who was still sobbing softly. Mahina was doing its best to comfort her by trying to wrap her small wings around her waist.

"…...It's over, Ochette." Master Juvah said as he laid down behind her defensively and allowed her to rest her head on his side. "It's not your fault. If anyone should take the blame, it's me. If that creature had that much darkness in its heart, then it was unfit to be your companion in the first place."

Ochette's tongue stayed glued to her mouth. Only sobs came forth as answers. For some reason, she couldn't get out the words to explain what she saw.

But she would never forget Akala's last howl. It wasn't one of anger and rage. Instead, it felt…...

Sorrowful.

…..

….

..

Ochette woke up gasping and clutching her chest. She put a hand to her neck, and it came back drenched in cold sweat.

"Ochette, are you okay?" Mahina called to her from her perch in the hut.

"Yeah….Just….A bad dream is all."

"Must have been pretty bad, because you were tossing and turning all night," Mahina said as she flew off her perch and landed on the nightstand.

"I'm fine, honestly, Mahina," Ochette replied as she swung her legs out of the bed. She hopped up and walked over to the nightstand where both Mahina and the mirror were. She petted Mahina before looking at herself in the mirror. Bags sat under her eyes, and she rubbed them in frustration.

Ten years had gone by since that day, and childhood had given way to adult life. Ochette was now twenty years old, an adult the younger children now counted on to provide. She shouldn't be afraid, right? Well, she thought wrong, every so often a nightmare of that day would come back around to haunt her.

She'd heard later about the concept of the Scarlet Moon Night, but she wasn't entirely sure how much of that held true; Master Juvah wasn't even there for the first one. Besides, just like her nightmares, that moon and coffins would show up again on rare occasions. Eventually, she realized that each coffin correlated to a person. The people she assumed were inside would come back none the wiser once the moon left.

Neither Ochette nor Mahina breathed a word about it to anyone, for fear of causing a panic. Not even Juvah knew.

When she was younger, she and Mahina would run and hide. In her teenage years, they'd learned to fight back once Ochette realized they couldn't possess her like Akala for some reason. Also helped that it seemed to put an end to the event faster. Mahina's elemental spells often served to stun the monsters long enough for Ochette to hack them to pieces. If she aimed for the masks, she could do them in one blow. Shame none of them were edible.

She rubbed her cheeks and tied her long hair near the bottom with a purple ribbon. Satisfied with her appearance, she ran out of her tree hut and leaped to a nearby branch. The flapping of wings indicated Mahina was close behind.

"What's the plan today, Ochette?"

"Master Juvah doesn't have any training planned for today, so we'll go hunting like we usually do!"

"I saw signs of a King Iguana Beast near the beach to the north when I did my nightly fly-over."

Ochette immediately used the branch to swing in the direction of the beach with a happy smile on her face.

"I take it that the hunt is on?"

"Heck yeah, Mahina! King Iguanas don't pop up that often. It'll make for a good hunt and dinner. I can almost taste the meat!"

"You're salivating already," Mahina complained as some of the drool landed on her head.

Ochette wiped the drool from her mouth as she flipped over Mahina and to another branch.

"Sorry. Got a bit too excited there. Can you blame me though? Any beastling would, hell, even the humans would recognize the high quality of a catch like a King Iguana."

Even though she could see the owl's face she knew Mahina was making her best attempt to frown.

"Speaking of, we should probably stick to the trees and avoid the human settlement to the east of the village. They might ask for a portion of our hunt."

"Then, we'll give them some," Ochette said with a shrug. "I understand Cohazeh, and humans have been getting rather pushy lately, but we have to extend the branch so we can coexist peacefully."

"That doesn't excuse them taking more and more land that was once considered sacred."

Ochette's brow furrowed. She knew Mahina felt more strongly than most about the relatively new human settlement deep in the heart of Toto'haha. She could understand why, as a beast herself, it was her home that was being uprooted for a group of people that never seemed satisfied.

"I understand Mahina, both the Beastlings and Humans have been growing in number. By birth and by transplant. A lot of beastlings have been going to places on the western continent like the Harborlands in turn. It's good to preserve what we can, but change is always happening. Structures of the past will eventually give way to developments of the future. That's why Toto'haha is covered in ruins to begin with."

"Hoo…I guess…I just don't like the way Cohazeh is going about it."

Ochette's nose twitched as she landed on the soft sand of the beach, she grabbed the quiver of her bow and ready an arrow just in case. Mahina gave a final flap of her wings before landing on her shoulder. "We'll let Master Juvah worry about her later, for now, we have hunting to do!" She pointed to a fresh trail of tracks leading from the sea and Mahina nodded her head.

Judging by the tracks, the Iguana had come hunting for fish. Regular-sized iguanas would only eat mice and small insects, but this was a king-sized monster, fish wasn't exactly out of the question for it.

Together, Ochette and Mahina made their way into the jungle again and used the broken branches and trampled grass to track the quarry. After about an hour, large booming footfalls signaled that the beast was close. The duo took to the canopy in an effort to catch up. It didn't take long until they spotted its large green body.

The King Iguana lifted his huge head and smelling the danger, it took off!

"The hunt is on!"

"Yes, Ochette!"

Mahina shot a light spell that combined with the arrow Ochette fired to make a light arrow that pierced right through the beast's flank and slowed its movement. From there it was child's play to use the trees to zip ahead of it. Once she did, she jumped from the branches and notched three arrows in her bow and fired. The subtle wind spell from Mahina boosted the speed to unreal levels.

Thunk Thunk Thunk

They all hit right in the beast's eye and penetrated right to its brain. It gave one final twitch and stopped moving.

"That took no time at all!" Ochette said happily.

Mahina chirped and nuzzled her head into Ochette's cheek. "Hoo Hoo! We did it!"

Laughing, she gently nudged the owl away from her so she could grab the ax that was strapped behind her quiver.

"Now here comes the boring part: Field dressing."

Mahina flew away and perched herself on a nearby tree. "I won't be much help here, so I'll wait until you're done, Ochette." She said as she started preening her feathers.

Ochette shrugged and slammed her ax into the beast's belly.

—X—

Ochette couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her face.

Lugging the body of the King Iguana, or any of her catches, always proved to be a good workout. Especially carrying it over her head. She didn't need to, but it gave that 'wow' factor when she entered the village. She would never get tired of all the little ones running up to her, eyes wide, ears twitching, tails wagging, and bellies empty.

She came out of the tree line and into the Beastling Village ready to announce her arrival.

"Hey guys I'm ho—What's going on?"

Ochette had barely enough time to get out of the way as a group of stony-faced humans stormed by and back to the nearby human settlement without even a glance in her direction.

A group of Beastlings and Master Juvah had gathered by the entrance, watching cautiously as their counterparts went back to their side of the clearing.

"What was that all about?" Ochette said as she set the King Iguana down and went over to her fellow beastlings. With wings encased in light magic, Mahina flew and landed on top of the King Iguana in case anybody tried anything funny.

Master Juvah huffed and shook his mane. The other beastlings watched with curiosity in their eyes—towards the dead King Iguana that is.

"I had to break up a fight. A group of humans were trying to coerce your fellow tribe members into giving up their homes."

"Again?"

"Yes. Food is starting to run scarce on their half of the island due to overhunting."

"Darn it, I wish I had gotten here earlier. I would've set them straight or at least shared some of my catch with them!"

"Hmm, I see," Juvah said and then laughed heartily. "A King Iguana. A worthy feast indeed. I doubt anyone could resist this."

The moment he finished speaking a swarm of young children crowded around Ochette's legs. They tugged and pulled on her dress and tail, shouting exuberantly to get her attention.

"Ochette!"

"Ochette!"

"Jerky!"

"We hungry!"

"You bring food for us!"

"You best hunter in village!"

"Meat! Ochette always bring good meat!"

"Meat!"

"Jerky!"

"Jerky!"

Ochette giggled as she patted each of their heads in turn and one cat-featured child even took the opportunity to swing off her arms.

"Yep. I brought it back for everyone. If you give me and the other adults a chance, we can have this thing over a fire lickity… spit!"

A chorus of groans and boos sounded throughout the area.

"That was a terrible pun."

With the help of the others, by sundown, the beast was dissected and roasting over various fire pits around the village. Women were using the scales to turn into garments and jewelry while the men took the bones to make weapons. Children chased each other around the village, and the elderly tended to the food.

"You picked a good time to go flying, Mahina. This is shoo delicious!"

"Ochette, please don't talk with your mouth full."

"Takes one to know one Mahina, you're the same way."

Mahina hooted in embarrassment as she swallowed a beak full of meat. Juvah smiled as he tore into his own hunk of meat next to the duo.

Ochette's laughter quickly died when she spotted an all too familiar figure approaching their specific campfire. It was an older woman with salt and pepper hair in elaborate red robes and a stern look on her face. A well-worn staff that had the distinctive scent of battle and magic of all types rested in her right hand. She was flanked by three other humans who had decidedly blank faces though by smell Ochette could tell they were…afraid?

"Cohazeh…." Juvah grumbled, "To what do we owe this fine pleasure?"

The woman in question rolled her eyes. "Calm yourself, Juvah. If I wanted you and your people gone, it would've been done a long time ago."

"There are many things I have to say to that statement, but I'll abstain. Why have you come to us today?"

"If you want food, we have plenty of it to spare!" Ochette interjected, raising a chunk of meat in the air.

Cohazeh slapped her hand away when Ochette thrust the meat in her face. "I do not need your handouts girl, but I do actually have need of you specifically. This request needs a hunter and I've heard you're the best around."

"Yes, ma'am! Master Juvah trained me himself."

"One of our children went missing earlier today. We have reason to believe she wandered towards the Tomb of The Warden Beasts—"

"—given the area is sacred to us, you came with the request." Juvah finished for her.

"I was going to say dangerous, but whatever floats your boat."

Juvah, of course, took offense to her flippant attitude. "Cohazeh, you—"

Ochette decided to cut him off before things got ugly.

"—Master Juvah, I'll do it."

"What? Ochette, you don't—"

The bangles on her arms shook as she stood and brushed the crumbs off her dress. Ochette gave Juvah a firm look of determination and resolve.

"I want to Master Juvah. I know what it's like to be scared and alone like that. Human or Beastling, it doesn't matter, she needs help and I'm one of the only ones who can."

To both Juvah and Ochette's amazement, Cohazeh gave a waist bow which her followers repeated.

"….Thank you, truly. This girl….she's precious to me." Cohazeh said slowly as if trying to process what she had just done.

"If we're going to coexist then we have to work together. Your problems are our problems, and our problems are your problems."

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves now."

Ochette laughed and picked up her axe from nearby. "We can talk more about this later. C'mon Mahina, we have to get moving before it gets too dark!"

"Right behind you, Ochette!"

Together the duo dashed southward and out of the village.

At this point, Ochette knew the path by heart. She'd heard the legends. She knew them by heart.

About Tera, the volcanic turtle that made the earth shake and bleed with each step.

Glacias, the majestic bird, brung icy winter fury by flapping her wings.

Finally, Cataracta the storm dragon whom both the sea and lightning answered to as their undisputed master.

Together alongside Draefendi, they protected Toto'haha in ancient times.

She'd listen to Master Juvah tell the story a thousand times. She felt the power of the ruins—even now it was a beacon attracting her to its location. Could it be the same for others? Those thoughts plagued her mind as she zipped through the trees.

As she got closer to the tomb, the air became heavier and tense. Her bow and Mahina's magic saw more frequent use than usual as the monsters attacked them out of agitation, yet even they too thinned as the tomb got closer.

"Almost like…they're afraid."

Ochette sharpened her senses. The path to the tomb wasn't northern Toto'haha but it could be just as dangerous on the right day….or night.

"We should keep moving," Mahina replied from overhead. Ochette nodded and the pair pressed forward.

Eventually, the sun fell and gave way to the night by the time they got to the bridge that led to the mural.

Her ears perked up, and she thanked her lucky stars that she was a wolf beastling, allowing her night vision. The girl was sitting right in the clearing, curled into an unmoving ball.

Ochette wasted no time in dashing up to the girl and gently put a hand on her back. "Hey, are you okay?"

The girl unfurled and let out a groan. She opened her eyes and blinked seeing Ochette crouched over her. She flinched back and gave a squeak of surprise once her pupils dilated to focus.

"Y-You're Ochette!"

"Hmhmm." she nodded, "You know about me?"

"Me and my friends see you go hunting for things all the time. We think it's fun to pretend to be a hunter like you are. Matter of fact…that's what we were doing earlier. We…went out of the village to...to play and….I felt something calling to me."

"Calling?"

"Not like a voice but a feeling. Something warm. I don't remember the rest."

Ochette stuffed down the feeling of pride inside in favor of looking at the mural in unease. It felt ominous yet alluring underneath the moonlight.

"You must've blacked out. It's amazing you got this far all by yourself." She pointed out

"This far?" The girl shook her head frantically, "Where am I, Ms. Ochette?"

"Tomb of The Warden Beasts," Ochette answered bluntly. She ignored Mahina's indignant hoot above her.

The girl let out a shrill shriek and frantically stood up. "Oh no, oh no, oh no! Auntie Hazeh will skin my hide for this! I have to get back by yesterday!"

"Pfft…" Ochette tried and failed to stifle her laugh at the realization of who this girl was. In turn, the girl gave her a confused stare. "Auntie Hazeh? You're telling me Cohazeh is your aunt?!"

"Umm…Yes? My name is Hazel, Auntie Hazeh took me in when my parents passed away in the war on the western continent. When we moved here, she told me to stay away from this area."

"Did she tell you why?"

"She mentioned a fire once but nothing else."

"Weird. Anyway, I'll guide you back to the village. It isn't safe here."

"Ochette!" Mahina said in warning, pointing a wing at what she saw.

Ochette followed the signal and saw various birds, including explicitly daylight birds, perched all around on the top of the totems littering the area. As one they all started chirping once the attention was on them.

"Leave!"

"Retreat!"

"Get out of here!"

"You must go for your own safety!"

"Calamity approaches, young huntress, disciple of Draefendi!"

"Big predator."

"It comes in hurry. Not long before arrival."

"Monsters fled while ago. Birds flee next. You go too!"

"We stay to warn you!"

As quickly as the birds started chattering, they stopped at the same time and took off to the night sky.

Hazel instantly huddled to her side and Ochette wrapped an arm around her. "W-What's going on?"

Ochette ushered the young girl forward. "The birds….they sense something bad coming. We need to go now—!"

The huntress stopped in her tracks and cliched her head. The sound of glass breaking that she was all too familiar with rang through her ears. Nearby she could hear Mahina wince in sync.

"Not now…" she whined. She squeezed the girl's shoulder and let out a gasp of realization seeing the girl was still a girl and not a coffin.

"She's still human!" Mahina said incredulously.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Hazel asked.

"Don't worry about that right now," Ochette barked. "We have to get moving before—!"

A low growl sounded out from the jungle. In front of the trio, a black blob oozed up from the ground with a disgusting swishing sound. It grew creepy branch-like arms and a fluorescent blue serious-faced mask bubbled to its surface for a face. Before it could even move, it was hit by a fire spell from Mahina that stunned it just long enough for Ochette to leap and slash through the mask using her axe. The shadow monster groaned and burst into harmless sludge.

The moment Ochette landed, she waved her hand beckoning the girl behind to follow.

"What was that?" Hazel cried out.

"Monsters that only appear during this time. Hop on my back, if we slow down, we'll get surrounded, and protecting you is my first priority."

The girl quickly did as she was told and latched onto her back. She wrapped her legs around her waist and her arms around her neck. Ochette took a second to make sure she was secure between her quiver, bow, and satchel. Satisfied, she jumped to the nearest tree branch, Hazel screaming in her ear.

"Sorry if this ride gets a little bumpy, but speed is necessary here. I hope you'll forgive me." Ochette said as they bounced from branch to branch and stone to stone.

"No, it's actually pretty fun!"

"Then hold tight!"

Ochette kicked up the speed crossing the water basin using weathered totems in the middle. Mahina fired spells at any shadow monster that dared show their mask, pincers or horns, allowing Ochette to move unimpeded.

Her nose twitched and an acrid smell started out faint but quickly became overwhelming.

"Mahina, do you smell that?"

"Yes, it smells like fire, and a big one at that!"

Her ear swiveled as she picked up the unmistakable sound of fire cackling. "It's in the direction of the villages! This isn't good…."

"Auntie Hazeh…"

Within minutes Ochette landed in a clearing just south of the village. A mixture of both humans and beastlings had gathered, a majority of them covered in soot and debris. Others, who were wounded, were being tended to on the ground. The children were huddled together regardless of race.

"What happened here?" Ochette said as she approached the group and let Hazel off her back.

"Villages attacked." A bear beastling man said. "Without warning."

A human woman spoke next. "It was a huge monster, no one had ever seen anything like it."

"We evacuated as many as we could." The next man said.

"Master Juvah, Cohazeh… fighting now!" A bird-beastling man squawked.

Ochette caught Mahina's eye and nodded. She then petted Hazel on her head comfortingly. "You go with the other children now, me and Mahina have to go help."

Hazel gave a meek nod and joined the other children who were gazing at her with wonder. She looked back at Ochette one last time. "Please don't let my aunt die!"

"I wouldn't even dream of it. I'll be the guardian of Toto'haha someday. That means I'm responsible for everyone." Ochette said with a confident smile. Her words trigger a smattering of cheers and "be careful" from the gathered crowd.

A wolf beastling traded glances with the human next to him and then extended his claws. The man raised his sword. "We stay here. Fight strange monsters."

The man's expression turned fierce. "We have to work together to protect our vulnerable. Can't afford to squabble here; those weird ass monsters with the masks have been attacking nonstop too. If you help our leaders beat the main one, I bet it'll probably end."

Ochette gave a thumbs up and ran off towards the fray, Mahina trailing close by.

It didn't take long before she got to the center between the villages. As the villagers had said, Juvah and Cohazeh were locked into combat with a monster of massive proportions.

The beast had the look of a chimera. A wolf's body and head with fur dyed blue. Intermixed in its fur, scales like a lizard could be seen around its appendages. A silvery-white lion's mane sat around its huge head, caked in purple dripping venom from its open maw filled with sharp teeth. Instead of a tail, a snake protruded from its behind firing spells every so often. Even more dangerously every so often the snake would bury its head in the ground and when it did more shadow monsters would rise up in response.

Cohazeh and Juvah were working in tandem against it. Juvah would try to keep the beast occupied at close range while Cohazeh hammered it from long range. However, Ochette could tell; tell that they were losing the fight. Juvah's once pristine white fur was smattered with blood and dirt. Cohazeh wasn't in much better shape, her chest was heaving, and her famed ice spells were easily broken through by a single claw swipe, not to mention the incoming wave of monsters.

Ochette's eyes widened as the beast pinned Juvah to the ground and the Snake raised its head and charged a light spell. Thinking fast she took her axe, streamed lighting through it, and threw it. She heard the swoosh as it combined with Mahina's wind spell. The surrounding monsters were incinerated by lightning as the axe passed on the way to its target.

The beast let out a ground-shaking howl as the snake fell to the ground and blood spurted everywhere.

Ochette let out her own beastly howl as she darted like a shooting star, and slammed into the chimera's flank, sending it sliding away.

"Ochette!"

Juvah was floored at his student's sudden appearance as she calmly picked up her axe, her sight not leaving the menace that attacked the villages.

"Guess I showed up just in time, Master Juvah."

"Did…you…find the girl?" Cohazeh asked before Juvah could make a remark.

"Your niece is safe."

"Thank goodness….Though at the rate this is going, I might not live to see her."

Ochette watched warily as the beast rose to its feet. Shadows ready to rise bubbled underneath it. She readied her bow in anticipation.

"You two get out of here, or at least out of the way. I'll handle this."

Juvah struggled to stand up. "You can't do this alone."

"I'm not alone, I have Mahina." She said and gestured to the nighttime bird in the air whose beak was charged with light magic of her own. "Together me and her will be the guardian of this island and protect its people."

The lion and current protector stared at his successor for a moment before nodding his head.

"Protect….find….lost…"

Everyone in the area reacted when the beast spoke in a deep vaguely feminine voice.

"This….is no ordinary monster. Be cautious." Juvah warned, then quickly padded over to Cohazeh and caught her collar in his jaw to forcibly drag her out of the way and to help others who hadn't left yet.

Ochette growled as the beast lowered itself to pounce. Sweat went down her neck as she waited for the exact right moment to fire. The sound of cackling magic behind her let her know Mahina was ready for her signal.

ROOOOAAAARRR

She fired her arrow at the beast's open mouth only for it to swat it aside with its claw. Mahina fired her magic from above but it didn't even penetrate the beast's hide much less harm it. Ochette rolled out of the way as the chimera landed where she once was. She unleashed five precise shots at its soft underbelly.

The arrows struck true, and Mahina followed up with a lightning spell using the arrows as a conductor. Electricity coursed through the monstrosity and its skeleton could be seen intermittently.

Ochette, not wasting the opportunity, brought out her axe and swung. To her amazement, it was caught by the handle as if it had a pair of hands instead of paws. It raised its remaining paw and Ochette closed her eyes preparing herself to be raked across her body.

O…Och…

She opened her eyes and saw the chimera had frozen mid-swipe, it claws dangerously close to her body and nose twitching in her direction.

Ochette yanked her axe back and jumped away creating distance.

"…...ette….Ochette!"

"How….How do you know my name?" She half yelled, holding her weapon in front of her defensively.

The beast lunged again, and Mahina launched a wind spell that pushed a startled Ochette out of the way. The owl then cast an ice spell that formed a frigid barrier between them.

"Ochette, we need to stay focused!"

"I'm sorry it's just—"

"Ochette….kin…...smell same!"

The beast rammed its head into the ice and let out a whine as it dug in its flesh.

"Mahina…." Ochette said slowly. "I don't think it wants to fight." She took a sniff of the air and sure enough the beast smelled almost the same as her….and nostalgic to boot.

"Who are you?"

"Ochette…..me….daughter!"

The area became so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Ochette's ears flattened themselves against her head and a deep sense of dread formed in her stomach as she considered why the main part of the body was a wolf.

She hesitantly approached the barrier and reached through a gap in the jagged sideways icicles acting like Cheval de Frise. She ignored Mahina's squawk of warning as she placed her hand on the beast's snout. It snarled but didn't attack. Eventually, it stopped and lowered its head. If it had a proper tail, Ochette was sure it would be wagging.

"You're my mom, aren't you?"

"Daughter….sorry…."

Familiar heavy footfalls came to a halt next to her. Cohazeh offered her opinion first and broke the silence following the shocking revelation.

"I didn't think the battle would be over this quick…So you're the former torch-carrying guardian."

"Oh, Septima…I hoped we would meet again; but not like this. What happened to you?" Juvah's eyes were sad as he watched the daughter stroke the mother's head and fur.

"Daughter look….calamity witch…...pain….attack Toto'haha."

Juvah tilted his head up to the moon and its reddish tint stood out in the night sky. "So, the time has come."

Septima leaned into her daughter's hand as much as she could. In Ochette's imagination, she could see an older lady who looked much like herself standing on the other side of the ice in a twisted mirror image. Despite being warped to a monstrous beast her eyes were the same olive green as Ochette's own.

Ochette channeled lightning magic in her free hand. Septima tensed at the sight but relaxed when Ochette used it to melt the ice instead of attack.

For a brief moment, everyone paused to see what Septima would do now that she had free access to them. Septima, growled and snarled, seemingly at war with herself, but then leaned forward and pushed her huge head into her daughter's arms, eliciting sighs of relief from Juvah and Cohazeh.

Ochette started to laugh as Septima started to lick her, and in turn, she ran her hands in her mane.

"No matter how hard evil tries to twist it, a mother's love will always shine through," Cohazeh commented.

Juvah hummed in agreement. "It always amazes me at what she's able to befriend." He watched as Mahina hooted and landed on Ochette's head, turning the sight into some sort of strange group hug.

Ochette was so busy basking in the affection and the others preoccupied watching, that the sound of jangling chains went unheard and unnoticed. A monster in a blood-covered trench coat had burst from one of the shadows in a wretched flower bloom, sickly wheezing heralding its arrival. Its duty was clear and ingrained: Kill all those who trespassed in the area for too long. Make them scream in agony until they can't anymore.

The long blood-covered revolver glinted ominously in the moonlight, and the milky eye under the burlap sack homed in on its target.

A thin arm lifted the revolver to the target and a slim finger rested on the trigger. The small girl and bird had to be taken out first, instinct deemed them somehow more important to kill than the others.

The Reaper squeezed the trigger.

Two gunshots rang out through the night heard by all.

Two bodies fell to the ground with a thud…..

Ochette slowly pushed herself up from the dirt to see a bleeding Septima standing over her, a great gash in her side from the impact of the attack. Her sight quickly flicked over to the line assailant who she instantly recognized.

"It's him!" Mahina cried.

"The Reaper…."

Ochette cursed herself for not being more aware. She and Mahina had their fair share of run-ins with the "scourge of the scarlet moon" as they called him. He was the one monster they never bested. Even though she was no longer a scared pup, he proved overwhelmingly strong and varied in his attacks. Whenever he appeared the top notion was always flight, never fight.

Now as she watched her mother's body fall to the ground, running wasn't an option anymore. Blood rushed to her head and her heartbeat revved to unreal speeds.

She could feel it.

A bright flame burned inside her, and her body sparked with pink lighting. Ochette reached down into her gut and let out a deafening roar!

The harsh loud noise stunned both enemy and ally alike, sending everyone to the ground.

Ochette ran forward on all fours, she lunged, and her claws emitted a streaky pinkish-white light. She jumped and slashed both hands in the air, in response, giant claw marks gouged themselves in the Reaper, his weapons, and the ground. The attack sliced through the strange metallic weapon like a hot knife destroying them. The ground around him fared no better; a giant X-shaped groove with the Reaper at the center formed the aftermath of the attack.

However, Ochette wasn't done, not by a long shot. As she fell, her jaws gained a white glow; a respondent pair of giant pink jaws appeared around the Reaper. A meaty crunch followed the scene of the deadly stockade snapping shut on its victim who burst into purple dust and mist. In the sky, the moon returned to its normal color.

"Ochette….That was—You…!"

No one in the clearing could find the words to describe what they had just witnessed as they helped each other back to their feet.

Ochette didn't acknowledge them or her achievement as she ran back over to where Septima lay. The world faded away from her as she focused on her wounded mother. She pressed an ear to her body and heard faint breathing that was getting slower. Her silver hair came away matted in red when she lifted her head.

"No no no…"

Hot tears formed as she dug into her satchel and pulled out a healing grape, she crushed it and pressed it to the wound. She let a small sob as the makeshift compress did little to staunch the flow of blood. Septima lifted her head and gave her daughter a weak lick of affection.

"Please my child….don't cry…better this way."

"How could you say that?! I just met you and now I'm losing you."

"Witch made me….attack kin. Great pain, even now. Daughter keep me sane….no….guarantee remain that way. Me no want to hurt kin anymore."

Ochette started to openly sob as her mother's pulse got weaker and weaker.

"But you're the guardian…You can't hurt your kin. You wouldn't ever!

"You….guardian now…. Protect land in my stead…gather ancient beasts….The calamity witch seeks—" Septima coughed up a glob of blood from her slow-moving mouth. "—She seeks…to bring…scarlet night on island. Must stop with beasts."

The daughter reluctantly grabbed the paw of the mother in both hands. "I-I promise." She blinked hot tears out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry…for not being there….I wanted…..to be family." Septima's wet green eyes gained a brief clarity to them. "You…so beautiful…wish you…met sister….Glad I saw you….one last time."

Septima licked Ochette one last time before finally going still.

Mahina landed on Ochette's shoulder and nuzzled her neck.

Juvah laid his body on the ground and his head rested on his paws.

Cohazeh extended a hand in maternal instinct but yanked it back thinking she would do more harm than good.

For years they would remember the sorrowful howl aimed at the moon.

—X—

"Hoot-Hey, Ochette. Are you ready?" Mahina flew out of the thicket of trees and landed on her partner's shoulder.

Ochette rose up from the grave she had been kneeling over, hands pressed together in prayer. "Yeah, just finishing up saying goodbye to mom."

They had buried her mother and previous guardian near the cliff overlooking the Slumbering Sea. It wasn't too far off from where Juvah and Ochette herself stayed. In a strange twist of irony, within the week that they buried her, flowers bloomed from the site serving as a natural marker.

"So do we have any leads on where the ancient beasts are-hoot?"

"Eh, that's easy," Ochette said, waving her off with a lazy smile on her face. She popped a map out of her satchel and unfurled it for Mahina to see. "Glacias is obviously in the Winterlands. No other places would make sense. Birds like to roost, so I imagine she's in the top peak that separates Stormhail from Winterbloom." Ochette made a face of annoyance. "I had to do some reading for the other two. The Wildlands are known for volcanic activity so that's where Tera's at. Cataracta is in the Harborlands; the place that deals with the most storms."

Mahina spun her head around in a 360. "Sounds like a world adventure, good to know you have it planned out. So where are we going first?"

"New Delsta City!" Ochette said happily pumping her fist.

Mahina had to flap her wings to keep from falling off. "Ochette why?!" She chirped. "Don't you think that saving Toto'haha is important?"

"Mahina, you stress too much, you'll have gray feathers in no time at this rate. Toto'haha is important, yeah, but think about it; this is our chance to see the world! So many places to visit, so many people to meet. Ooooh, I'm so excited!"

"When you put it that way-Hoo. I guess I can see the appeal."

"Then it's decided! We already got the okay from Master Juvah, and the others are waiting to send us off."

The owl trilled happily as Ochette began walking. Ochette however, turned her head one last time to glimpse the grave of the person who brought her into this world.

"Goodbye…...Mom."

She let out a sigh and faced forward, continuing to walk.

*tap*

Ochette's eyes widened at the soft yet firm touch on her back, pushing her ahead into the unknown with courage in her heart.

"Hoo? What's wrong, Ochette?"

Ochette gave Mahina an enigmatic grin and straightened her back, the pops of her spine underneath the morning sun bringing the dawn of a new day.

"Nothing, Mahina….Just a bit of encouragement is all."

---

Castti-Unsettling Memories

Winterbloom.

What an oxymoronic name for a city—At least for the profession of the apothecary.

The winter by sheer will of the world hampered most of not all but the toughest plant life.

If you asked Malaya, the only thing that bloomed in the city was the criminal underbelly of the Snow Hares slowly expanding their domain to the Crestlands and Brightlands and clashing with the Blacksnakes.

If you asked Malaya's boss, Castti, she would say the harsh weather brings out the most beautiful blooms. The sparse few plants it did provide were some of the most lucrative to be had.

That was Castti, always looking at the light—to the dawn. Malaya couldn't exactly blame her. She had treated victims in the war, they both had. They had seen untold horrors that would have most men screaming at night for their mommies. As a mender you had to adopt that way of thinking, to forever hold hope, lest you go insane.

The other option was hedonism. To indulge in an almost futile effort to forget, or to overcompensate, indulging in life to offset the loss of it.

For some, it worked temporarily.

For others, it sparked a further decent leading eventually into nihilism. From there the only cure was death. Both Castti and Malaya had seen it and the horror it brought.

As the group's resident warrior, Malaya knew she walked that fine line…...Well, Andy too she guessed. The big difference is that Andy's vice was work in a sense. He believed that through work he'd be able to help people and pursue his unrequited love for Castti at the same time.

Her vice?

The sheath of her sword Murasame felt cold against her hip, even through her tights and dress. The snow only added to the already frigid temperatures on this blustery day. Malaya sighed, her sword had a silly little legend attached to it about bringing precipitation wherever it went, and for once an inkling of belief nestled in her mind. Certainly, helped throw off the thieves currently stalking her.

The crunching of their boots on the snow gave away their position clearly. She scoffed at the amateur behavior. She'd thought that given the country they were in, they would have learned to avoid doing that. Especially after the last time her and Castti were here.

Guess not.

She shoved her hands in her pockets and made a conspicuous turn into an alley. The group of thieves branded by their rabbit tattoos followed blindly behind her.

Three minutes and a round of screams later, the fresh snow covering the dirt and grime was now painted red. Malaya huffed and sheathed her blade, the silver almost turning invisible underneath the climate.

"Don't worry boys, my strikes weren't lethal. I dropped some supplies at the end of the alley to patch yourselves up." Malaya palmed the weighty bag of gold she'd taken off who she supposed was the leader. "I'll take this as compensation. Call it a 'thanks for not killing me fee'"

"You bitch…" The leader said as he clutched the stump that used to be his arm while his comrades were already crawling to the supplies she left. "You're a…fucking psychopath!"

"Says the guy who tried to rob an apothecary in a snowstorm."

"Go to hell."

Malaya shrugged as she put the bag in her satchel. "With what I've seen and done…it isn't exactly out of the question."

She adjusted the strap of her bag and waved farewell as she walked away, only the noise of frantic scuttling of appendages in snow answered her back.

In her own opinion, the precipitation the sword brought was the blood of those it ate through painting the ground. It suited her just fine. Despite her profession, there was always an underlying lust for battle. She was the warrior for a reason. Still, she never let that stop her from helping whoever she could, that was the duty of Eir's Apothecaries, and she would uphold that until the day she died.

Malaya picked her way across the snow and frost-covered city without further incident. She came to the hill in the northwest part of the city that housed the mansion or rather the mansion greenhouse where Eir's apothecaries had currently set up shop.

The latch of the door creaked and groaned as she pushed inside.

"Heya, Malaya. How'd the supply run go?" Andy called from his corner on a stack of crates, stuffing fruit in his mouth with gusto.

Malaya decided not to comment that he was talking with his mouth full again. "So-so. Found a decent amount of herbs and game outside the village. Yourself?"

"Helped a couple of folks showing signs of hypothermia. Mostly older people trying to chop wood, so I did it for them."

"And Randy?"

"Still out there, you know how he is," Andy suspiciously eyed the slowly darkening clouds, the singular sign that the sun was about to set. "He's been assisting the town doctor nonstop. When not that, he's been serving soup and kissing babies. He could run for mayor if he wanted to. Only the boss works harder than him."

Even now from the back part of the greenhouse, Malaya could hear the shuffling of her boots and the rustling of the stems, stalks, and leaves. "Speaking of, I should probably go make sure she eats, bathes, and sleeps. Maybe not in that particular order."

Andy patted his stomach as he laughed. "Good luck with that, it would probably be easier to teach a bull how to waltz than to drag her away right now."

"Who knows, we taught you how to be a medic."

Andy dramatically dropped the apple he was holding in his lap and held both hands over his chest. "Ouch! You wound me so…."

"You're an apothecary, patch it up, put a bow on it, and move on."

Malaya cracked a sardonic smile at Andy's booming laughter and went to the back area.

Like one of those newfangled machines, Castti was whirring away, plucking parts of plants to put in her mortar while mumbling incoherently to herself. If anyone but another apothecary stumbled upon the scene, Malaya figured there was a fair chance she could be committed to an asylum.

"Hey, boss," receiving no reply, Malaya clapped her hands next to Castti's face as she walked past. Unsurprisingly, she ignored that too. Left with no other choice, Malaya braced herself and yanked Castti's arm. The moment she did, she blinked and found the floor and ceiling had reversed themselves. Thankfully, Malaya had prepared herself mentally and righted back to her feet before she could hit the ground.

"Nice, hip toss."

In spite of the action, Castti still had the mortar in her palm and the pestle in between her fingers. "Malaya! You know better than to do that."

Malaya casually brushed off her clothes and sat on one of the piles of bricks that were stacked to serve as pots and barriers. "Sue me. I had to do it to get your attention. You were off in your own little world again."

"Working that long?"

"Working that long."

Castti sat down next to her and deposited her tools beside her.

"You have blood on your boots by the way," Castti commented.

"Oh. Sorry." Malaya produced a flask and poured it on her boots, in the process making Castti roll her eyes due to the fact they were technically indoors. The clear pungent liquid made her leader wrinkle her nose in addition to the movement of her eyes. Malaya gave a small smile knowing the gestures were just for show. Many nights they had spent passing that same flask back and forth after a particularly hard day. Childlike giggles and snorts serve to drive away thoughts of reality.

"Did you at least give them what they need to…you know…Not die?"

"You know it." Malaya acknowledged her concerns then produced two rolls of bread from her bag and passed one of them to Castti who nodded gratefully. "How's progress?"

Castti's grimace was quickly disguised by a forceful bite into the buttery roll. "Not as much as I'd like. I've identified it as an inflammatory bowel disease. Crohn's Disease for its chronic nature."

Malaya raised an eyebrow as Castti angrily shoveled the rest of the roll down. She didn't need to be a genius to guess why.

"It's incurable…." Malaya said finally addressing the proverbial elephant in the room.

Castti deflated when Malaya put the dilemma in words. "It seems so. I feared as much when we left last time, but this visit outright confirms it," she admitted but then regained some of her posture. "I might not be able to cure it but I'm sure I can make an elixir to ease the symptoms."

"Better than the other quacks who came through and said absolutely nothing could be done." Malaya laughed. "I still remember the look on that one guy's face when you said that."

Castti gave her friend a wry smile. "It just grinds my gears when health providers don't even try. If we can't cure it, we should find a way for the patient to live as normally as possible."

"I'm just worried about Lady Rosa's daughter," Malaya said, voicing her thoughts.

"If she were to pass, her cousin, Greg, would be able to assist in affairs of the estate."

Malaya scoffed. "I would trust that kid only as far as I can throw him–Which is pretty far, but still, I don't like the look in his eye….It's reminding me too much of Trousseau these days."

"Malaya, do you have something to say about him?" Castti softly questioned a slight edge to her voice.

Malaya knew at this point she should pick her words carefully. "I'm just saying…...Ever since you two came back from New Delsta and then we met Ren, he hasn't been the same. He's been shut away mumbling to himself and his concoctions have become more corrosive in nature. Neither of those things are new to our eclectic little group but call it a hunch. His backslide has been more...intense than what I've seen. Where exactly did you two go anyway?"

Castti's stare lingered on her for just the right amount of time to make her uncomfortable before relenting and flitting to the ground. "A place called Lostseed….That's where we went." Her gaze turned far away. "It's weird….I don't remember how we entered the place–Just exiting through the New Delsta sewers. To be honest, Malaya, if you told me I was whisked away like a fairytale, I'd believe you. Even now it feels like a bizarre dream. The full moon was large and ever-present no matter where you went or what time of day it was…"

…..

….

..

.

With every exhale her foggy white breath could be seen clear as day. Each step they took had an unnatural echo to it and even though they had been walking for what she was sure had been almost an hour, the moon never changed position. It seemed so close, that Castti swore she could count the craters. It was almost as eerie as the unending night that plagued the area.

The Apothecary scratched her head as she pulled out her map. The gondola driver called this area 'Lostseed' but no matter how hard she searched, it failed to appear on a map. Frowning and then putting her map away, Castti upped her pace to match stride with Trousseau as he ascended the stairs.

"You seem to know your way around the area."

The white-haired man cocked his head and looked at the moon. "I guess so…I don't know why but this area….It feels like home for some reason. Once we climb these stairs we'll be in the higher district of the town."

"Higher district? Shouldn't we have passed through the lower district? Logically speaking of course." She looked over the bridge they were crossing and saw the supposed lower district was covered in a thick stagnant layer of fog rendering only worn rooftops visible.

"Shortcut. We're headed to the castle."

Castti's eyebrows raised and disappeared under her bangs, she shook her head and returned her expression to what it was. "I am your boss, you know. Don't you think it would have been a good idea to tell me where we're headed beforehand?"

They passed by a neighborhood that would best be described as unsettling. Windows were broken and houses were dilapidated. There were people, but they all had unmoving blank stares. Their eyes followed them as they passed by, but otherwise remained silent.

Trousseau offered a helpless shrug. "Like I said–I just know. It's coming to me as I go. Then again, that's the life of an apothecary, right?"

"I concede the point," Castti says while looking around as if they could be attacked at any moment and suppressing a shiver spoke again. "But can you understand my concerns? This place feels….off somehow. Wrong. You may feel at home, however, I have the feeling that I'm not supposed to be here."

"Can a land actually reject a person?"

"Seems just as plausible as knowing the area without having stepped foot in it."

Trousseau put his index finger and thumb on his chin. "I wonder if it's similar to a failed blood transfusion. Could the magic in the area be corresponding to that in our blood? Is there an area in the Harborlands–your homeland boss–that corresponds to you?"

"If there is, I haven't found it yet. Also bold you're implying this place is your homeland."

"It's the only explanation that makes any kind of sense," he reasoned. "Affinity decides what class you are good at, even if you choose another path. I believe that same concept can be applied to the land itself!"

Castti smiled as he went on a tangent that could have landed him as the prime discussion in a Scholar's guild. "There you go, same as ever. Jumping to a new theory and pursuing it as gospel."

"Wouldn't you? The way progress is made is by debunking and destroying old theories touted as truth and–Oh? I'll have to save that rant, we're here, boss."

Castti turned her attention back to where they were headed and as Trousseau said, a massive castle sat in front of them. Somehow the castle looked more unsettling than the neighborhood. The structure was built as if a child had stacked blocks together at random in an effort to emulate the actual structure. The towers had extended productions that jutted out sideways every so often.

As they approached the drawbridge lowered and the portcullis raised with a harsh thunking sound and the clinking of chins that seemed amplified in the noiseless town. Trousseau excitedly crossed before she could offer a word of advice or warning. Castti sighed and unholstered her axe as she followed behind.

They dashed across the bailey and into the reception hall. The moment they passed the threshold Castti saw someone was waiting for them.

A man wearing lavish clothing stood at the top of the grand staircase. He wore a brown coat and black trousers with brown-heeled boots. His forecoat and black dress shirt were unbuttoned leaving his muscular chest exposed. His long hair was snow white and his eyes blood-red. He was giving them a warm friendly welcoming smile, but Castti found it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Combined with the castle, Castti didn't like what she was seeing. The place was a wrapper on a child's piece of candy. Appealing and eccentric on the outside, but who knew what lurked beneath once the surface was peeled away?

"Hello, esteemed guests. I've been expecting you." The man said. "My name is Claude—Claude Cronqvist and I would like to extend an official welcome to the town of Lostseed, for I am its proprietor and ruler."

"My name is Castti Florenz, and this is Trousseau." she gestured to both of them in turn. "Where exactly is Lostseed?" Castti asked, preempting Trousseau's own question.

Claude's smile became wide, and he swept some bangs back in line with the rest of his hair. "Lostseed exists on the backside of New Delsta. Think of this city as a…estate. Only those of my family's bloodline are allowed on the premises." he then focused his sight specifically on Castti. "….Or those accompanying them."

"Wait….You're telling me I'm related to you and everyone we saw on the way?!" Trousseau yelled in stark disbelief.

Claude laughed. " Instead of 'welcome to Lostseed' I guess I should be saying welcome ho—"

Claude was cut off as Trousseau rushed forward, Castti just barely missing the attempt to grab him. When he reached Claude, he tackled the man to the ground and started relentlessly punching every inch of him he could reach.

"You! Where were you when my sister was dying?! You bastard!"

Castti had to put Trousseau in a Nelson hold to drag him off, Claude. Fortunately, he wasn't as strong as Andy or Malaya.

"I'm sorry for his behavior," Castti said over a struggling Trousseau. "His sister is a—very sore spot."

A curiously unharmed Claude stood up and dusted himself off. He gave her an appraising look that lingered on her arms. "It is of no consequence. I would have done the same in his position."

"Then why even bring us here?" Trousseau growled, knowing that yelling wouldn't make a good case to get out of Castti's iron grip. Unless he felt like being asphyxiated to unconsciousness via his pressure points.

"Once I learned of your plight, I sought to invite you here as compensation," Claude explained, his smile turning coy. "See, my castle here in Lostseed touts one of the largest libraries in Solistia. Most likely the biggest outside of Montwise. A trove of knowledge if you will; it would behoove me to lend that boon to the benefit of the famed Eir's Apothecaries."

"So, you've heard of us?" Castti asked, a note of caution in her voice.

"The name of your little group has spread farther than you know here on the Eastern Continent," he said, waving his arm, and gesturing to the castle as a whole. "I've heard tales of the ferocious Malaya, the hardy Andy, my relative Trousseau, and of course…You the marvelous Castti."

Castti wasn't sure she liked the inflection he put on her name.

Trousseau relaxed and Castti finally felt he was calm enough to be released. In an almost mirror image of Claude, Trousseau dusted himself off.

"I still remember my sister's symptoms like they were yesterday. If there's a chance your library may hold some nugget of archaic knowledge I haven't found yet, then it would be worth it to stay for a night or two. Anything to help another person later down the line."

Trousseau looked to her for approval and Castti obliged him with a nod. Claude aside, she was quite curious herself. Malaya and Andy could fend for themselves for a little.

Claude clapped his hands. "Well, then it's settled. Will you two join me for dinner before we check out the library?"

"Lead the way."

Dinner was an interesting affair. Plates of lavish food were brought to them by impeccably dressed waiters. The issue was that they were a mixture of teenagers and young adults. If Castti had to guess, not one of them was over twenty-five. Adding onto the oddity, the meats all seemed to be undercooked, to the point where they could be described as bloody. Trousseau and Claude didn't seem to mind at all. Castti on the other hand, cursed the fact she didn't know any discreet flame magic. As such, she stuck to the soups and plant-based dishes.

Even weirder, she felt that Claude stayed focused on her rather than her companion his kin, specifically her neck and breasts. It was dangerously close to downright ogling. She stayed quiet as Trousseau asked many questions and Claude answered without missing a beat.

In time, dinner came to a close and Claude led them to a massive library containing multiple levels, it looked more so out of a university than a simple home library.

"Do feel free to look and read all you wish," he said. He snapped his fingers and various ladders rolled themselves across the area and books literally flew off the shelves, either rearranging themselves, stacking on the tables, or even flying right to his hand.

At their awed expressions, he softly smiled and spoke. "It's an enchantment inscribed in the walls of this place when it was first built. A piece of lost magic, I'm afraid. But certainly, very handy for research," Claude says, handing the book he was currently holding to Castti.

A shock went up her spine a soon as she touched the worn hardback cover. Her eyes scanned the title, and she subconsciously said it aloud. "The Book of Night…." The book was appropriately colored midnight black which seemed to suck in the gold lettering of the title.

"Yes…" Claude says slowly. "I'd consider it one of the most interesting pieces in the collection, personally written by an ancestor of mine. I would be highly interested in your thoughts after reading it. It has proven to be very…enlightening for those who have seen its secrets."

"I'll keep that in mind," Castti said, having a sneaking suspicion that she shouldn't let the book out of sight as long as she possessed it.

Claude then went on to ramble about the location of various subjects and their locations in his Athenaeum. A couple caught her eye, such as a section on herbology around the region and books on numerous mental disorders, an area she thought she would do well to brush up on. Trousseau on the other hand gravitated toward books containing information on infectious diseases and poisons to understand how they spread through the body.

After making sure they had an armful of books he left them be for the time being. Castti noted he almost melted into the shadows. Trousseau left to his own corner a determined look stuck on his face.

When she sat down and placed the books on the table, three immediately caught her attention. A book on the theory of collective unconsciousness by a man named Jarl Cung, a book on Dohter's legends and myths, and finally The Book of Night.

After sitting down, she reached for The Book of Night and turned it in her hand. Strangely it lacked an author name. A small voice in her mind whispered to put the book back, but her natural inquisitiveness won out and she opened the cover.

'For man was made in the image of the gods, but the gods were born from the chaos. It is that chaos to which we return when man as a collective whole is deemed unworthy by the gods.'

Just like everything else she had encountered that day, the opening statement reeked of wrongness, but she couldn't put her finger on why.

She gingerly flipped the page, and her eyes widened a bit when she read the title.

…..

….

..

.

A light hand rubbing circles on her lower back is what started to rouse her from her slumber. Her eyes jolted open when the hand drifted further down just barely touching something it wasn't supposed to.

By instinct, she grabbed the wrist that the hand was attached to and flipped that person over the table, knocking it over in the process. The sound of metal impacting on wood followed and Castti raised her head to see Claude using bladed chains to right himself in the air and land with a bow, the chains retracting under his sleeves.

"Don't touch me!" She shouted in a daze, having half a mind to throw her axe.

"Forgive me," Claude said, putting a hand on his chest in a half bow. "I find physical contact is the best way to wake a sleeping beauty like yourself, I didn't imagine there would be some trauma associated with it."

"There are many who would seek to take advantage of an apothecary during wartime—Especially a female one."

Claude's eyebrows raised to his hairline. "Excuse me, are you implying that you were—"

"No." She cut him off, a flat unamused expression on her face. "But I have seen enough cases to put me on edge."

"My deepest sympathies," he apologized again. "Allow me to help you clean up here then perhaps you can join us for breakfast."

"That would be appreciated."

Using a single hand, he tilted the table back into position. When Castti squatted down to collect a book she could have sworn she heard Claude click his tongue.

"Is something the matter?"

"Nothing besides the fact you've forgotten that I can do this." He snapped his fingers, and the books flew back onto the table.

Castti wasn't convinced. Given his actions and words earlier, he was disappointed she didn't bend over to give him a clear view of her behind. Even now his eyes lingered on her breasts before turning. Frowning, she followed Claude as he gestured to her to follow what she assumed would be the dining hall. Secretly she muttered under her breath to keep her magic charged. She stashed her hands in her dress pocket as the temperature around her hands fell from the ice spell.

"You know I had a room prepared for both you and Trousseau. What could have kept you so long you fell asleep there?" He asked, tilting his head back as he led her along.

"Reading of course, is that not why you lend us the library in the first place?" She answered glibly.

If Claude took offense to her tone of voice, he didn't let it show. "Yes, of course. Allow me to ask which books enraptured you to the point of sacrificing comfort."

"I finished The Book of Night," she admitted. "But a book by a man named Jarl Cung is what kept me up."

Claude briefly paused in his walking. Castti inwards sighed in relief when he started moving again. A split second longer and she might've blasted him.

"Interesting combination, If I do say so myself. As I mentioned last night, what is your opinion on The Book of Night?"

"To be honest, I feel the book is incomplete."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. The book's primary focus is on the sins of humanity and their worst possible atrocities. It culminates with virtually a manifesto on the reasons humanity should embrace the night and oblivion as a collective failure to the inherent will of the gods."

"Then you'd be interested to know that—

"—However, it lacks a section on hope."

"Huh?" Claude said, openly befuddled and mouth agate, completely stopping as Castti walked past him on the stairwell placing the book in his stunned hands as she went by.

"Yes, it lacks a section on hope. No matter how bad things get I believe that by the same token humanity has a penchant to harm one another, they also strive to help and make things better. The good in humanity exists alongside the bad. The hope is that things can get better, that they will get better, and that someone has the desire to assist at the lowest point. I feel that's the essence of being a medical provider. That's why I think the book is incomplete."

Moments passed until Claude's bellowing laughter bounced off the stone wall. Castti paused in her own walking to stare at the laughing man.

Claude eventually collected himself and addressed her. Castti noted that for once he was looking her in her eyes rather than her woman parts. "Excuse me. I just want you to know you have an answer Dohter herself would probably be proud of. It makes me wonder if you were born to be an apothecary."

"Thank you, I don't think I deserve that much praise."

"Nonsense you are truly a one-of-a-kind woman. I hope to have the pleasure of getting to know you in a more intimate setting."

Castti scoffed and started walking again. "Please don't hold your breath."

Claude's footsteps echoed behind her, she didn't want to imagine where his eyes were looking. "That's what they all say at first."

"No means no. Those who don't take that lesson have found themselves one leg shorter sooner than they would like." Her dark tone and implications finally silenced him the rest of the way to the dining hall.

When they entered the dining hall Trousseau looked up from a book he was buried in, absolutely beaming.

"You know, boss, a lot of this stuff is pretty niche. Did you know a certain plant that grows only here has a ninety-nine percent lethality rate once inside the body? Even touching the stuff is enough to make black splotches show up on your skin."

"You seem to have taken to poison-making pretty handily," Castti replied sitting down across from him while Claude took the head. Servants immediately and wordlessly placed plates of food in front of them.

Trousseau sipped his juice and set the glass on the table with a clinking sound. "As an apothecary, we have to be familiar with both medications and poisons. To be honest they're interchangeable depending on the situation. For instance, if you use a healing spell on an undead opponent, it's the same as poison to them."

It didn't escape her notice that the servants shuffled uneasily when Trousseau mentioned the undead. Too many things either put her on edge or just didn't add up. Her gaze flicked up to see that as usual, Claude was staring at her, however, his expression was unreadable.

Trousseau seemed to be happy as he asked question after question to Claude in a repeat of last night. She was quite amicable about his situation. Even among the other apothecaries, Trousseau proved to be a loner, mostly talking to herself and Malaya when not treating someone. Maybe knowing some of his kinfolk still existed would do wonders to bring him out of his shell. If she had to put up with at least another day of Claude's sexual harassment, then she could do it so Trousseau could get everything he deserved out of the visit.

—X—

'The Shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge, and it therefore, as a rule, meets with considerable resistance. Indeed, self-knowledge as a psychotherapeutic measure frequently requires much painstaking work extending over a long period of time.'

"So, the shadow basically involves admitting a pre-existing fault of the self that was previously denied." For some reason that line of thought seemed wholly familiar. She had heard the legend of the 'demon clan of Ku' who tapped into the instinct to go into massive rampages. Perhaps that was the power of the shadow?

Castti went back from the page she had dog-eared to her current position. She had been reading the book for the past couple of hours (She would say the sun was going down but the concept of 'time of day' was pointless in Lostseed). Cung's theories and views on the sense of self and the ego were practically enthralling. Especially considering the clash it provided against The Book of Night that promoted the embellishment of the negative. Cung on the contrary, preached acceptance in order to learn and improve.

She was about to read the next page when a harsh crashing sound and a bloodcurdling scream came from the floor above her. She dashed to the ladder and climbed quickly.

When her head poked above the ladder she had to duck down as a vial passed over her head followed by a furious scream. Down below the vial burst, releasing an unknown corrosive that ate through a table, causing Castti to wince.

"Trousseau, cease this immediately!" She ordered when she stepped on the platform. Trousseau wasn't listening to her in the slightest. Her companion's fists were clenched tight, and his face twisted in madness. "Trousseau!"

This time her yell reached his ears and his red eyes snapped to her. For an instant, she feared that she might have a fight on her hands; Trousseau could be even more ferocious in combat than even Malaya when provoked. Thankfully his eyes lost their crazed lunacy.

"Boss…" he wheezed.

"What happened? Why were you acting like that? Are you okay?" Questions about his well-being poured from her mouth as she tentatively put a caring hand on his shoulder.

Trousseau forcefully brushed off her hand. "I'm fine….Better than ever actually; just had some….realizations." Grimacing, he stood up straight, grabbed the book he was reading off the table, and tucked it securely under his arm. "There are some things I need to ask Claude. Please excuse me."

As Claude had before, the shadows seemed to cling to Trousseau as he turned the corner and left a puzzled Castti behind. She hoped it was her imagination, but she saw a glimpse of a familiar black book in his possession.

—X—

From that point forward, Castti saw less and less of both her companion and her host as their stay extended to close to a week. She was happy to have no more sexual harassment from Claude, but she also worried for Trousseau. On the rare occasions she did see him he became increasingly disheveled in his appearance. Gone were the books about diseases, in its place more books and lexicons on poisons took their place. When they talked, he never asked the innocent questions about the world that he used to. Now he asked pointed questions about when she made the distinction to kill and when to save. Moral quandaries that would take her a minute or two to formulate an appropriate response.

Eventually, he nonchalantly walked up and told her he was ready to leave. Within the hour, the duo found themselves at the drawbridge.

"Take this," Claude said, handing him a heavy rucksack. "It shall be more than enough for whatever you intend to do. If you need more….Well, you now know where to find me."

"Thanks," Trousseau said, nearly emotionless.

Claude gave Castti a blatantly lustful once-over that made her face contort. "You may have left this time by the grace of the gods. But next time you come back, I won't let you say no to getting to know each other better with our bodies instead of words."

Her eyes widened in alarm at the sheer brazenness of what he just admitted to planning. Her head turned to her companion to check that she wasn't going crazy, but Trousseau's face remained blank and dispassionate.

Claude watched them and laughed upon seeing Trousseau's lack of a reaction. Wordlessly he turned his back and walked back to his castle, the portcullis falling after he left.

"Did you not hear what he just said!?" She practically screamed at Trousseau after Claude had left.

"Does it matter?" He blankly replied, turning and leaving her behind. "In the end none of our actions matter, so why care if it happens? Even better, it gives a plausible reason to kill him, right? Would you kill someone who commits that crime? If you ask me, being killed off is probably to his benefit."

Castti could only stare dumbfounded at Trousseau's back as he gave a dark chuckle and continued to move away from her.

What happened to him?

…..

….

..

.

Castti finished her recollection to an aghast Malaya.

"Castti….That's fucking scary what you just told me."

"Which part?" Castti replied back mirthlessly.

"Oh, I don't know. Like the Whole goddamn thing!?" Malaya said completely livid, not that Castti could blame her. "But let's start with the fact this Claude guy said he was going to fucking rape you and Trousseau said–Not. A. Damn. Thing. In your defense. In fact, that bastard about outright encouraged it using some nihilistic bullshit as justification."

"Malaya, your voice." Castti said in a stern voice, pointedly staring at the hedges in Andy's direction. The crunching and munching sounds had gone conspicuously quiet.

"Let him hear. This concerns all of us."

"It does but now is not the time or place. Something happened when Trousseau read that book and talked to Claude, but for some reason, it didn't affect me. We can talk to him about it when we return to Healeaks; right now, focusing on Winterbloom is our priority."

"Fine…" Malaya relented. "But I need a drink after that, and you do too. No boys allowed!" She yelled the last part to a startled Andy who fell off the crates if the sound was any indication.

Castti chuckled as Malaya grabbed her wrist and pulled her along, intentionally taking a path to the door that avoided Andy.

—X—

By the end of the next two hours, they found themselves in the local tavern. A mug of booze sat next to each lady. However, it was far from their first.

"Don't worry about the cost, Castti. This round is on me."

"I'm the one who decides the wages though," Castti pointed out.

Malaya pulled out the pouch of gold she had pilfered from the Snow Hares earlier that day. "Not when I'm the one bringing in the bacon!" She said happily, slapping a handful of leaves on the bar counter to cover the current tab.

Castti rolled her eyes but still took a drink of the bitter liquid. "Evil money never stays."

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? By law, you're the evilest person in the tavern. Of course, no one in this town would rat you out, but still."

"Must you ruin my fun, Malaya?"

Malaya scoffed and took a swig of her own beverage. "And they call me the impish one…." She muttered. Her attention then fell to the bartender. "Hey, what do you have for entertainment around here?"

The bartender in question set down a glass he was polishing and shrugged. "Aside from talking to the masses, I do have decks of cards if you want to alleviate your boredom that way."

"No musicians in town?"

"Yeah, that's too damn bad." A man called from a far corner. "In New Delsta there's been this new upstart place, had a guy named Ren somethin' or other calling himself the 'Wandering Wildcard'. The guy could put on a damn good show. Definitely gave me the bangers 'n mash for my buck, I'd say. If I were the owner of this blasted place, I'd try to ride the wave and get a full-time performer."

"Wait a second…." Malaya might've been tipsy, but she could still put two and two together. "Did this guy happen to have frizzy hair and silver eyes?"

"I'm not one to look at another man's eyes but he did have a damn bush on his head. I bet even combs n brushes run in fear of him. Needs a bloody pair of shears to tame that 'ot mess is what I say."

The two ladies caught each other's eye.

"Yeah, that's him," Castti sighed out with a sheepish smile on her face. "Nice to hear he's doing well."

"We know that guy," Malaya replied back to the man.

"Oh yeah? Maybe you can tell 'im to head this way instead of going to the bloody Crestlands. I 'overheard this crazy religious chick wit freakish strength going on bout how she hoped the bloomin' bastard would face the divine rays of 'er goddess while he was there or some shit like that. Funny considering how she was one of his backup singers almost every night I was there."

"Thanks for the info," Malaya said, trying to keep from laughing. "We'll pass it on if—when—when we see him again."

"Please do. I'd pay top dollar for that!" The man's drunken cheer was greeted to hoots and hollers from around the establishment.

Malaya elbowed Castti, wagging her eyebrow. "Wash away a creep with a gentleman. How about we take a trip to the Crestlands? All we have to do is head south. Nice little training exercise alongside the clerics would be the perfect excuse."

Castti returned Malaya's gesture with a playful shove of her own. "You're drunk Malaya. Besides, he'll come to us eventually."

"Someone's confident."

"It's weird….when I think about him, I feel warm inside." She realized how that sounded only after it left her mouth. An opportunity Malaya didn't waste time pouncing on.

"Aww, Castti. Did we really get to witness love at first sight? I never imagined you to be—"

"C'mon be serious here, Malaya. I'm struggling to put it into words but it's like….I can physically touch the bond between us." Castti closed her eyes and placed her hand over her heart. Mentally she reached out to what she shared with Ren. The bond felt like the thinnest layer of frost after a harsh winter ready to give way to spring, but not quite there yet. She felt…wiser–like she could solve anything.

"Maybe it's a soul tie," Malaya said, clearly having not given up on teasing her superior. "I've heard that people can form those. Usually through sex. Did you guys do the monkey dance before waking us up?"

"Normally I'd say yes to be funny, but this time, no. You could actually be right about some sort of soul-tie" Castti could feel the blush burning on her face. Worse, she couldn't tell if it was because of the alcohol or not. She wasn't exactly opposed to a younger man. It was just embarrassing having it pointed out.

"Eh, there could be worse people to be tied to–like Andy," Malaya said through her ale.

Castti snorted. "Ouch. He's not even here and you make fun of him. Do you like him?"

"First, ew gross. Second, he makes it too easy. He gives off that vibe, you know? That older brother you can't help but to heckle. I mean if someone outside our group did it, I'd kick their ass."

"That's good to hear," Castti said in relief, the alcohol making her more emotional. "I always intended for Eir's Apothecaries to function like a family when I took over from my predecessor Eir."

Malaya slung her arm around Castti's shoulder and gave her a drunken smile. "A family we intend to keep growing! Next time we see Ren–we force him to join the group. Even if I have to *hic* give up my trusty Murasame!" She emphasized her point by bringing her sword out of its sheath and waving it around.

A round of drunken giggling came from Castti as she watched the other patrons and the bartender back up in fear.

"Careful Malaya. Don't say things you might regret later. You've had that sword since I met you in Hinoeuma."

"Bah. Ren could probably use a sword that 'causes precipitation' for that hair of his. Two birds. One stone. He gets to fix his hair, and I get rid of this sword."

Castti snorted then went to full-blown laughter as she imagined Ren looking like a drowned cat.

"There's the drunken Castti I know. You're such a giddy drunk. Let's just laugh the night away!"

Malaya raised her mug and Castti clinked it against hers in a toast.

---

AN: Very long one

Now we're in the meat of the Interlude. We're going to cover all eight Travelers in turn. I had two goals when writing these.

Give each character 3k words at the minimum. Want to give you guys a good glimpse of who they are and what their drive is.

Make a genuine effort to not have them be canon rehashes of their chapter 1s

In the original draft, this arc wasn't planned at all. While writing, I realized that most of you guys who are reading this are familiar with P5 and P5 only. Octopath is very niche after all. Given there are eight storylines Ren is interfering with at once, it would be out of left field for me to drop these characters and plot points on you guys at seemingly random intervals. So this arc is here to avoid that.

Will it drag the pace? Yes, depending on your viewpoint. Do I feel it's necessary? Also yes. Is there a story to tell here? Definitely yes.

Besides, it's refreshing to write about Non-Ren stuff. He isn't the center of the universe.

Now that's out the way, let's discuss the two characters featured in this chapter.

Ochette is an interesting one. People liken her to Tressa from the first game, but I view Ochette as her foil actually. Throughout her storyline, despite acting innocent and whimsical, she shows flashes of how she's acutely aware of the darker tendencies of life and how harsh reality really is. I wanted to capture some of that adult aspect here. Made it sort of into a coming of age kinda style.

I did take a lot of liberties with Cohazeh here, but she has a line where a character points out that if she wanted the beastlings gone, it would've happened expeditiously. So, I wanted to play with the "why" that statement brings. Why exactly does she settle for coexistence with the beastlings despite coming off as a cold-hearted bitch in the story proper. Questions that will be answered down the line(In Ren's story). Of course, this means her character is radically different, but I hope you're able to enjoy it regardless.

Castti is a character who's already appeared so I had to get creative here, so….I wrote about an event many people agree should have been a cutscene instead of an offhand mention. In the game proper Castti mentions being in Lostseed but doesn't remember why in a single throwaway banter line. Also yeah, Castti is immune to the Book of Night. That's actually a canon occurrence. Another throwaway line. So Castti's story here is me stringing together little trinkets of knowledge.

Her relationship with Malaya was based on Maya and Ulala. Despite secretly resenting her, Ulala was always there for Maya. The same applies here.

Claude was intentionally meant to be skeevy by the way, and yes it was as uncomfortable writing it as you probably were reading it. Yes, his last line specifically. This story deserves the M tag for that alone. There was simply no way I could see Castti making it out of Lostseed without something like this happening.