Variables and Constants

by thestripybag

Sometimes to gain inspiration, a new outfit, or because they're bored Caleb and Levia gaze into the Multiverse. This is a collection of snippets and stories from across different dimensions and timelines. Cross posted on Ao3. Chapter 4: Void Special Star Guardians edition Feel free to vote in the poll located in my profile for favorite OCs

5. CNMU Season 1Stripey's Dream Journal

A/N Hello, welcome, welcome, welcome to Season 1 of the Conflation Multiverse. If this seems crazy and the theming is weird then good; go with it and get to the end to learn why or you just read the chapter name. Anyways this is a compilation of shorts from the main storyline of REbooted and I hope you all enjoy them.

XxxX

Conflation Multiverse

Episode 1

Heading into work at his office stationery company, the Orc Boss Gruut Snarl checks his inbox and finds a threatening letter. Apparently Silver City's resident xenophobic cult have sent him an ultimatum telling him and his nonhuman employees to leave town. The alternative being that they will send a small force to burn down his business and force them to leave. With the police not wanting to get involved unless it's an all out takedown on the cult, and lacking time to get enough boyz to defend the company himself, Gruut Snarl decides on a different approach. Picking up a flier that also came in the mail, the orc decides to make a call to another fellow new company.

CNMU

Two miles just off the outskirts of Silver City's winding rivers and iconic silvery skyscrapers, sits a humble two story brick building. With their fliers sent out, Fleetfoot Mercenary and Investigation Enterprises is open for business; mostly. Getting up from his soaked bed, Caleb greets the day by brushing his teeth before going into the kitchen to brew some coffee. Looking around at the boxes needing to be unpacked, the mercenary mage sighs and notes they could use more furniture. Putting on his second best black suit and rinsing his mouth out, the cofounder heads to his office and takes a seat behind his desk. The recent college graduate barely has time to sit down before the desk phone rings and he eagerly answers it.

"This is Fleetfoot Investigations and Mercenary Enterprises, Caleb Fleetfoot speaking. Sir I will let you know that I am not a git and we do provide defensive services. Yes the flier does mention flexible payment plans. The payment is usually determined on site and only after the work has been done; we do however expect payment within one day of completion but we won't bankrupt you or anything like that. I see. Well I'd like to thank you for choosing us for this and we'll be on site within the hour." Caleb informs the ork as professionally as he can while fisting pumping in excitement. Summoning a bottle of champagne from a pocket dimension in his suit, the mercenary pops it to celebrate his company's first official mercenary-based job.

Smelling the cheap wine from upstairs, a human sized blob of red slime emerges from Caleb's bed and sinks through the floor to reach him. Opening one of his desk's drawers, the slime reclaims the piece it used to listen in on his call. She then takes the opportunity to remind him of the investigation-based job that came in yesterday. Spitting out a photograph of a brunette girl, the slime's fellow cofounder quickly loses his excitement at the reminder of all the recent missing children in the area. He remembers how grief stricken her florist mother was when she came to tell them about Ryleigh's disappearance. Sighing, Caleb quickly puts his hands around the pile of ooze and promises her that they'll completely commit to the young brunette's case after this job. With that settled the pair gather as many weapons as they can carry inside of Caleb's suit and leave to meet Mr. Snarl.

CNMU

Arriving at a five story office building made of glass and steel, the mercenaries spend all day constructing a plan after surveying the area. Built along one of the city's rivers, this river covers the northern and eastern sides of the building; to defend this front Caleb deploys a beast known as the "octopanda" into the waters. Turning their focus to the lawn separating them from the street to the south and the parking lot in the west, Caleb's fellow cofounder sets up an automated system of Cecil Beam Turrets on the ground floor. She also leaves "presents" for the incoming cultist spread out across the southern lawn. With the office supply building now fortified, Caleb heads towards the southwestern corner of the building and flips a desk over. Using it as cover, he takes a seat before his partner undulates next to him.

"Hey beautiful, considering what we're dealing with I thought that old orc might give us some issues. Real glad he calmed down when he saw you were a non-human too. Alrighty then, it's almost sundown which means it's almost showtime. You know what to do but please be careful dear." The young man tells his companion before sending her off with a pat to the "head". As she slips away to complete her task, Caleb takes this moment to perform a weapons check; he proceeds to lay out a Chempunk Chainsword, a silver and steel bastard sword, and a holy blessed revolver paired with an infernal pistol.

Just as promised, when the sun sets four freight trucks and two skiffs acting as transports for the cultist appear. Counting them as they emerge, Caleb finds that each truck has over a dozen followers each and that each boat is holding six members each. He also notes how they are all wearing suits like his except with bowties; this annoys him as they are basically unintentionally mocking his professionalism. Hearing some shouting coming from the riverbank side of the building, the magus can only assume they found the "octopanda". Opening a small portal to confirm what is happening, Caleb sees that one of the skiffs has capsized and soon after a large, black and white, aquatic bear with the beak of an octopus and eight furry tentacles is tearing apart the crew. As the other boat prepares to flee a rocket soon destroys it as well and Caleb realizes his partner didn't want to leave him just yet. Meanwhile outside, the cultists hear the commotion and rush forward to kill any defenders they can. Their assault is cut short however when one of them suddenly explodes and they realize that the front lawn has landmines everywhere. Not wanting to give them a chance to recover from their "presents", the mercenary mage quickly turns on the CBTs and begins to open fire with his pistols as well. With nowhere to take cover, the arsonists quickly run for the cover of their trucks. By the time they are in relative safety ten seconds have passed and over three quarters of them are dead. The final straw that breaks the camel's back and routes them is when Caleb combines his pistols into their Purgatory form before launching a ball of lightning towards them. Seeing one of their trucks explode, and realizing that whoever is inside is playing with them, the cultists make a break for it with the truck they are hiding behind.

Giving them a chance to "escape" before emerging from his spot, Caleb watches them from a distance before he starts to transform. Growing several feet taller, the magus' head quickly turns more canid and skull-esque before sprouting large dark horns. His clothes are just as suddenly torn apart as flailing tendrils run down his spine before being replaced by a cloak of steel blue feathers. Using his now elongated arms and legs, Caleb moves onto all fours before climbing up a nearby building. As the wind blows the wispy gray hairs across his Dark Self's body, the mercenary mage begins to stalk after the fleeing trunk using a trail of slime it was leaving behind.

CNMU

Tracking the fleeing cultists to an old meat distribution center underneath a highway, Caleb turns himself back to normal before sneaking inside. Finding an old emergency escape route sign the magus is able to plan out his route. If his numbers and thinking is correct then the cult's leader will be in the overseer's office on the third floor; with any luck the information for who is bankrolling them will also be there. Using the arrival of the panicking cult members to cover his infiltration to the second floor, he is almost immediately hit with the smell of rotting meat. Following the scent Caleb arrives at a locked down and puts his hand to it before opening a portal through it. Looking inside he sees several mounds of bodies in the process of being looted. As he gets ready to leave the magus instead hears several approaching voices and insides jumps into the room. Trying to find a place to hide, the mercenary takes a breath before diving into the pile of corpses.

"I can't believe we're being put on looting duty! Seriously how the fuck did that orc set up any of that in time? Hand me the circular saw." A pale, tall man tells the blonde woman next to him before putting on an apron. He is then forced to wait a bit as she takes one last drag of her cigarette.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Here. Oh wait can you help me hook up this elf? Seriously, how are they so light footed but heavy?" She asks her companion before grabbing the dark elf by their legs. Pulling the body off of the pile, they are too busy to see Caleb slightly sweating as he begins to panic a bit; not so much at the prospect of fighting but that if he does they might alert the entire building.

As if sensing the danger he is in, an older man suddenly starts stumbling into the room before he falls over. The pair of killers stop what they're doing and go to help their convulsing elder when suddenly a stream of crimson erupts from his mouth. They aren't even given a chance to scream as the pile of ooze encases both their heads and melts them by turning highly acidic. A few seconds pass before the now decapitated bodies hit the floor and the magus pulls himself up. Sticking his hand towards the pool of blood and slime he then cast his own personal reformation spell. Feeling the flow of his magic and latching on, Caleb's companion reforms herself into the appearance of a nude woman; one that is slightly younger than him and with red hair that ends in pink highlights. Using her human form's legs to walk towards the death woman cultist, Sona flops onto her body. Understanding what she wants, Caleb prepares a new spell and casts it to give her a magical replica of the deceased blonde's attire.

"Ugh, never really did understand people who liked vore. Oh don't look at me like that, besides did you plant the explosives just as planned? Who am I kidding of course you did. Come on Red, let's see if we can find what I want here. Thanks for the save by the way." Caleb tells his partner before trading one slime soaked detonator for the old man's bowler hat. Patting her on the head, the pair of mercenaries make their way to the third floor and locate the empty cult leader's office to begin searching.

The Fleetfoot co-founders eventually succeed in their goal after finding a safe hidden behind a filing cabinet. Using her acid to melt the metal box open, Sona watches as Caleb speed reads through the various documents and notes inside. Once he is done and sets down the last page, the magus chuckles a bit at the irony that the xenophobic cult has been mostly funded by a demonic entity. In exchange for funds the fiend has been asking for children with high magical potential. Finding it a bit odd such a fiend would be operating outside of it's jurisdiction in this part of reality, Caleb double checks the papers but finds nothing explaining it; instead he finds out the creature's location. Having everything they need, the pair make a call to the local police and make their way towards the exits. Reaching the back loading bay area, the duo are confronted by a pair of guards. Not wanting to waste anymore time on the cult, Sona flings out two globlues of acid that melts one guard's heart and the other's head. Speed walking away so they can hurry to see if they can save Ryleigh, the investigators don't even take the time to take in the sight of dozens of patrol cars arriving before a massive firefight breaks out. Before they teleport away, Sona takes Caleb's hand and together they activate the detonator. With the cult's headquarters erupting into flames behind them as the sun starts to rise in the distance, the Fleetfoot Investigators disappear.

CNMU

Appearing in a scrapyard just east of the city, Caleb and Sona search the mounds of metal for traces of demonic magic. Their search eventually leads them to a dilapidated trailer that Caleb decides to enter alone while having Sona keep watch outside. Making his way inside of the ominous residence, the magus instantly recognizes that he has just entered a pocket dimension; especially since the door closes behind him and disappears. Cautiously making his way inside of the residence, the investigator doesn't need the warping shadows, breathing floorboards, or constant echoes of misery to know this is truly a den of evil. Summoning his bastard sword, Caleb channels mana into it and causes the blade to become electrified in order to act as a makeshift torch. Hearing something scurrying away, the magus looks around the corner of the nearby dying room and notices a flicker of candlelight. Following the source of the light underneath a table he finds a terrified young girl in rags. Despite approaching her as calmly as he can, the child yips in alarm before turning into a mouse and running away. Sensing where the immature druid is going by following her magic signature, Caleb finds that she has slipped under a nearby couch and decides to instead greet her magically instead of physically this time. Extending it like a hand, the girl feels what is almost like a storm coming towards her but one that brings her comfort instead of fear.

"Little lady, can you understand me? If you can, I came here to save you and bring you home. Ryleigh, your mommy is very worried about you and wants to see you again." He calmly tells the little mouse before she emerges from hiding. Waiting for her to transform back, Caleb then picks her up and decides to ask her what happened while he plans their escape.

"I-I found out that I had magic and I got so scared that mommy w-would find out so I ran away! Then these people in suits grabbed me and then, and then they brought me here. She was so nice to us but then when she wanted to play hide and seek Timothy said he didn't want to so she ahh!" The sobbing druid girl is unable to finish her blubbering explanation as she looks up. Clinging to the ceiling with eight arachnid legs on it's side is the demon, a nightmarish creature with reptilian hind legs, no face, and strands of flesh acting as clothing.

Dropping down to impale the adult intruder, the demon isn't prepared for when he transforms his arms and smacks it away mid-air. Not wanting to give it a chance to recover, Caleb grabs it and slams the fiend into a nearby wall before punching it hard enough to embed it in place. With the creature stuck in place for now, the magus quickly picks up Ryleigh and runs off with her. Recovering shortly afterwards, the fiend follows after then but it stops near the dining room when it notices a dying candle on the ground. Swatting it to extinguish the light, the fiend leaves quickly to resume it's chase once the burning obstruction is gone.

Sensing something is wrong, Sona tries to head inside of the trailer but finds she is unable to open the door. Knowing that her partner needs her, the slime increases her acidity to try drilling her way inside. Her minor hopes that it would be easy are quickly dashed when the trailer starts to regenerate. This doesn't deter her however as she only increased her corrosive assault on the residence while draining it of any magic that tries to stop her.

Meanwhile inside, Caleb has escaped back to the foyer he entered from but still doesn't see a door. Turning towards the approaching skittering sound, the mercenary mage charges the lightning in his blade before firing it. While the fiend is able to dodge the electrical attack, Caleb is able to notice that it still flinched in pain once the light of the area increased. Channeling more power into his blade, the magus illuminates the room and forces the demon back. Turning back to check on Ryleigh he notices a small hole appearing in the wall of the residence. Checking to make sure the fiend isn't looking, Caleb tells the druidic child to escape while he tries to finish this. Transforming herself back into a mouse, the girl leaps out of the small hole and finds herself in a mass of slime. Relenting her attack upon feeling something enter her, Sona gently ejects the child out of her before she starts to make the gap big enough for Caleb to escape as well. Noticing his partner's efforts, the Durand graduate starts to cover the growing doorway with a barrier of shadows. Feigning his strength weakening by slowly dimming the light of his blade, Caleb stares down the demon before him. "Come and get me!", the magus yells at the fiend before it rushes towards him in a mass of undulating limbs. As it pounces towards him, the investigator springs his trap. Dispelling his barrier of shadows to let in the rising sun's light, Caleb ducks and lets the fiend fling itself outside. With his foe in a compromised position, the magus unleashes another bolt of lighting that ignites the entrance of the trailer on fire. Flawlessly executing his plan, all that's left for Caleb to do is shove fire multiple blessed bullets into it's burning body before decapitating it with his chainsword.

CNMU

A day passes and Caleb is finishing up a call as Sona walks into his office with their orders from Burger Emperor. Hanging up, the magus gets up from his desk and carries his partner upstairs to their newly refurbished living room. Laying her down on the new purple couch they bought, the Fleetfoot co-founders cuddle together, distribute each other's food and relax.

"Mmm this feels nice. I know it was just supposed to be just business when we got all those cultists killed but between the two million unit reward and the stationary for life from that orc… mmm I'm glad they're dead. Aren't you my gooey gal?" Caleb confesses while nuzzling his partner before she picks up a piece of chocolate from the table. Jiggling a bit from giggling at his thought process, Sona agrees before tossing the candy into herself.

Moving herself so that her head is in his lap, the slime girl enjoys it when her partner starts to stroke her head. Eating a burger in one hand while enjoying the feeling of the ooze's purring against him with his other, Caleb gets an alert on his phone that their mail has arrived. Finishing up their food, the investigating pair head back downstairs and find a letter asking for their help in the reception area. Reading it over, the mercenaries learn that a local noble family is currently suffering from a haunting of some kind and are requesting help. Looking into each other's eyes, Caleb snaps his fingers and the pair are quickly dressed before heading out to see about this new job.

XxxX

Episode 2

While driving towards their latest job Sona's phone gets an alert and after checking it she pulls over. Showing her partner that today is her day off, the slime prepares to swap seats with Caleb but instead he gets out. Seeing that he wants her to have the car today, the mute waves him goodbye and leaves him to walk to the job. Making her promise to find him first thing tomorrow morning, Sona then does a burn out before speeding off. With that sorted out, Caleb heads towards the elite residential district and is approached by a carriage upon arrival. The driver then gets off to open the door for him to step inside.

"Excuse me sir but if you're heading towards the Cohazi manor perhaps you would like a ride yes? { "I am but no thank you." } Oh come now don't be like that. My name is Eliza Cohazi, good sir and I have it on good suspicion you are one of the mercenaries we hired. { "Well then I suppose we can talk about the mission on the way." } I promise you that you won't regret it, we even have a mini fridge in here." The brunette with shoulder length hair and blue eyes tells the mercenary before he hops in. Moving her purple dress to reveal the drinks, Caleb nods in appreciation before retrieving a cola.

"Well Madame Eliza, would you kindly tell me more details about this job? The letter that was sent to us was rather vague and I'd like to know what I'm getting into." The hired gun asks his employer before taking a sip.

"Funny that you mention that as I took the privilege of making debriefing folders for anyone who took up the job. In it you will find the names of all three hundred and forty two servants who were there during the attack, a skeleton key to the main house, and a map of the grounds. Your objective is to exterminate all monsters found on the premise by any means necessary. Is that clear?" The matriarch states in an almost hostile tone. Reading over the various papers, Caleb looks up after memorizing them and confirms his goals.

CNMU

Thirty minutes later the carriage arrives at the gateway to the Cohazi mansion and Caleb steps out. Looking around he sees a team of mages keeping up a powerful barrier around the premises. He isn't however able to see the residence directly as a small forest is obscuring it alongside a thick mist. Stretching a bit before heading inside, as soon as he breaches the barrier the mercenary receives a text. Coming from an unknown number, the text informs him that alongside his current objective he is to locate any sensitive documents inside of the building. Apparently should he do so then he'll receive a bonus upon completion of the mission and is given codes to access a computer in the basement. Ignoring the message for now, Caleb walks through the woods until eventually he finds an ebony and ivory walkway. This path leads him to the mansion which above ground has three floors and radiates pure malice. Seeing various dismembered bodies everywhere he doubts he'll find any of the employees listed before. Upon closer inspection of the building, just from outside he can see damages ranging from destroyed windows, several rooms on fire and others flooding out with water.

'You've gotta be fucking with me. I'm from F. M. I. E. not S. T. A. R. S. unit. Seriously they've gotta be trying to hide some shady bullshit if they're calling in mercenaries to handle this place. Oh come on that giant centipede isn't even trying to hide while moving between those two windows. Seriously, the only people who wouldn't be able to tell this place is stupidly dangerous would be the blind or an NA player.' Caleb thinks to himself after appraising the building. Summoning a sword cane, he makes his way to the front door and uses a spell to make it explode off it's hinges.

Instead of stepping in right away, the Durand trained mercenary summons an illusionary bunny and sends it ahead. Barely even getting past the doorway and already the false prey is attacked from the ceiling by an ooze. Poking it in the nucleus to chase it away, Caleb is almost immediately attacked from underneath by a giant dire mole. Dodging the blind creatures wild attacks, he tries to blast it with some magic but finds his thoughts interrupted by a psychic presence coming from the house itself. Help does arrive however in the form of a bloodsoaked, muscular man in chainmail and furs leaping onto the beast from the second floor mezzanine. Wielding a pair of flaming axes, the warrior begins hacking away at the mole while laughing the whole time. Hearing the creature wailing in pain, Caleb unleashes a bolt of lighting to stun both the viking and the beast. With them both immobilized, he uses his demonic arms to remove the warrior and push the creature into a portal to be healed. While he hates hurting animals, F. M. I. E. co-founder hopes the warrior won't be too upset.

"Hahaha! Not bad for some milksop who looks like he belongs in an office job. My name is Olaf Gustav, and you are?" The surprisingly jovial redhead asks before wiping his hand and offering it.

"Thank you for the assist brother and sorry for the friendly fire. Do you know if there are any others like us in the building? Maybe even what caused all this?" Caleb asks while shaking Olaf's hand.

"Unfortunately I haven't found the source of this madness but I do know of a goblin by the name of Ziggs who ran from me on the second floor." The gore-covered man informs Caleb and even points him in the other mercenary's location.

Taking this new information into account, Caleb heads towards the goblin's general location. Evading any creatures he runs into, the hired gun eventually hears a noise behind a partially broken door. Slowly opening the door, he is barely able to see the tripwire hooked up to a holy hand grenade. Carefully disarming the trap, he then makes his way inside of the expensive bathroom and hears movement coming from the bathtub. Finding it filled to the brim with murky waters, Caleb carefully starts to poke around it with his cane. His investigation is met with another holy hand grenade coming out of the bath which he barely smacks away in time. As the divine explosive goes off, he transforms his arms into their demonic form and frantically reaches around the opaque liquid. Grabbing onto something, the F. M. I. E. cofounder pulls it into view and finds himself looking into a goblinoid dressed in a bishop's robes. Setting Ziggs down next to him, the magus drains the tub before grabbing onto the holy bomber's collar before he can leave.

CNMU

"Just don't hurt me! Oh wait you're not one of the creatures, unless they have some kind of shapeshifter? { "I am another person sent here." } Uh huh, well my name is Ziggs Klenik. Oh umm I wasn't just hiding in here, I was just uhh warding the pipes, yeah! I did it so none of the nasties could get out through them." The cleric wizard says so he can save face. Nervously chuckling a bit, the twitchy demolitionist doesn't fight it when Caleb picks him up and brings him to the lobby.

Finding Olaf still there, the three come up with a new plan and split up to cover different objectives. While Olaf is sent to secure the perimeter, Ziggs is sent to the treasury on the third floor, and Caleb heads into the basement to investigate. On his way down, the magus slips halfway and lands on his back before sliding down the remaining steps. Having all of the wind knocked out of him, he quickly gets back up and stumbles down the hall until he accidentally hits a hidden panel on the wall. Rubbing his sore back, the man walks into the hidden room and finds a computer atop a security console. Using the codes he received earlier to accept them both, Caleb finds what he was sent for and, under instruction by Lady Cohazi's brother Mayor Bates, begins downloading all footage and files he can. While they are unloading, the mercenary begins to run through the various footage over the course of the incident.

Apparently the incident started at least over a week ago as a hit team was sent in to clear the underground area. Finding what seemed to be an underground menagerie, all of a sudden the cages opened without warning and everyone of them was massacred. As he scans through various clips, Caleb disturbingly enough keeps noticing a shadowy figure in each. Searching the room for more information, he eventually finds a journal and skims through it. By the time he is done gathering materials, Caleb has a flash drive full of footage, the owner of the house's journal, and manilla folders detailing each creature legally housed here. Having an alarm go off on his phone telling him to meet up outside with the others, he quickly packs up everything in a nearby briefcase and leaves.

"Hey Ziggs I was wondering, do you have anything to exorcise a place? { "Obviously." } Great, cause I think there is a wraith or something here causing all this." Caleb informs the explosives expert who sets to work. Once he has set Satchel charges all over the property, the trio stand outside on the black and white walkway.

Setting off the explosives of holy light and flames, the mercenaries hear a might roar as the holy flames are extinguished. The rumble and non-divine flames then form into a hydra of shadows that breathes smoke into the sky.

"Oh shit!"

"Oh shit!"

"Oh yeah!"

While the trio are coming to terms with this development, far in the distance an attack helicopter begins taking off after receiving an unusual waxing. For now this is irrelevant to them since Ziggs and Caleb are more concerned about providing Olaf ranged support while he charges in. Ignoring the flames and smoke, the berserker climbs up the beast but is nearly swallowed by one of it's three heads. Seeing their associate about to be devoured, Caleb pulls him to safety via a Coercion line while Ziggs tosses a holy Bouncing Bomb at the hydra's body. As it's heads are all destroyed in the blast, the monster lives up to it's appearance by growing two extra heads for each one lost. It then breathes down torrents of noxious fumes which Caleb opens a portal to redirect. Nodding to each other, Ziggs throws out a Hexplosive Minefield of light rays that slows the beast before Olaf throws his axes at it's underbelly. Reaching their target, the berserker's weapons detonate and take out the creature's legs. With the monster now immobilized, Caleb fires off multiple Coercion lines to tie all of the hydra's heads together. The trio of hired guns then combine their magic together and in a beam of light, flames and spacial magic tear the hydra apart.

"Good work gentlemen, that should stall it long enough for us to end this." Caleb states before the three of them rush down the walkway. Just before they reach the woods however, the magus stops his companions before transforming his arms and tearing one of the ivory slabs out of the ground.

Revealing a corpse, he then nods at Ziggs who destroys it in an explosion of holy fire. With the body turned to ashes and the mist around the estate fading, Caleb explains the truth behind their mission. The corpse belonged to the house's previous patriarch who had spent his life studying various creatures. Sometime last year he died and Eliza, in a lazy attempt to keep the creatures tamed, hired a necromancer to keep her husband's spirit bound to the house. Eventually due to a failure in upholding the ritual he was driven to madness and began haunting the premises. Apparently the team sent in the footage Caleb found earlier, Mayor Bates hired an assault team to do what they were sent for. Evidently they failed and posts went out to any mercenaries or local groups they found willing to answer. With that cleared up, the party make their way to the main gates where the mages from earlier and a hit team have gathered. This clean up crew aren't even given a chance to fight however as a barrage of missiles immediately wipes them out.

"Well my ride's here. Have a nice day Ziggs and Olaf, hopefully we don't have to fight in the future. Hey Sona, how was your day off? Looks like you got busy and had some fun. Anyways we've got some work to do still, oh wow that's a nice sunrise." Caleb notes as he boards and the pair fly back home.

CNMU

Taking hours to decrypt any hidden information and remove the redactions from the documents, the pair uncover some disturbing news. Aside from the mansion incident, the mayor has also been secretly shipping in weapons for an unknown purpose. Deciding it would be best to fully leak this information, the pair upload the information they gathered online and get ready to leave so they can mail the documents. As Caleb starts to wonder why Sona would steal the most dickish of flying vehicles, the ground starts shaking. Opening up a portal into the air, the magus jumps into it and from up high he sees Silver City emerging from the ground on giant mechanical legs. Throwing Sona in so she can see what he saw, the two adopt a serious expression before boarding their newly stolen helicopter to go help.

XxxX

Episode 3

"Okay Sona you know what to do. Wish me luck." With that Caleb jumps out of the helicopter they're in and lands in front of the moving city. A few minutes later the flying machine crashes and explodes; he's confident Sona is fine though.

Launching a flare into the sky, the warrior magus gets the massive war machine's attention. Shedding it's shining buildings, the former Silver City is now covered in gun turrets for purposes ranging from anti-tank, anti-aircraft, and anti-personnel. It's main feature would have to be the massive sonic cannon on it's back. Seeing the upside down city walking away, Caleb sprouts feathery wings and flies after it. One of the guns begins to track him but is quickly destroyed by the mage with a beam. Having gotten the now stopping fortress' attention, the F. M. I. E. cofounder flies directly in front of the death machine.

"I didn't think any of the freaks were left over from when the city flipped. Who are you?" A voice asks over the fortress' speakers. Caleb recognizes the voice over the broadcast as the mayor that they were going to ruin.

"I am Nobody. Now would you care to explain yourself or would you like to skip the formalities? I mean one option at least let's your crew get a last prayer or two in." The magus confidently shouts back with magic amplifying his voice. Sensing the upcoming conversation, Caleb uses this time to both mark his targets and allow Sona to find her way inside.

"Do you know the history of this nation? Of this city? The short of it is we lost a war to a nation of xenophiles and were forced to let those creatures into our lands. So it didn't take much effort to get the funds to build this super weapon; especially under the lie of it being a monument to peace and cooperation. Was that good enough for you?" Mayor Bates sarcastically asks the private investigator before turning all weapons onto him.

"I remember that battle, I studied it back at Durand. Yeah we shoved your asses in when you started making concentration camps for nonhumans. I suppose you didn't learn anything the first time and Durand doesn't like repeating themselves; neither do it." With that Caleb opens a portal and unleashes a massive beam. The main cannon on the Silver City walker's back is destroyed before all it's weapons open fire.

Meanwhile on the inside, Sona is currently undulating through some sewer pipes when she hears voices. Moving towards the source, she finds an opening leading into an engine form and slips inside. Creating dozens of beads, the slime woman sends them rolling around the room. Once she has everyone in the area marked, the co-owner of F. M. I. E. sends out a beam of magic that ricochets off her separated pieces and kills her enemies. Picking up one of the dead worker's blueprints, she figures out she's in the upper deck's engine room. The walker is apparently split into three layers, each with four engine rooms similar to the one she's in, and that the central controls are located underneath city hall near the core.

Back outside, Caleb is targeting the walker's legs to keep it from leaving and posing more collateral damage. This stratagem poses two main problems however, one is the amount of weapons protecting the legs and second is the risk of destabilizing the city; since it was flipped the potential civilian survivors would be at risk of being crushed. Avoiding the barrage of explosives and high caliber rounds, the magus flies underneath the city to escape the fortress' targeting systems. If the information he obtained from the mansion is true then it means there are less guns underneath. One place he knows for sure that is safe is Gruut Snarl's company since the mayor's lackeys weren't able to make him leave. Checking to make sure he's out of sight, the mercenary mage begins to alter the ground underneath the front most legs. While able to handle a direct assault well, the legs aren't able to maneuver well and end up sinking into the ground.

Before the legs sink outside, Sona has just cleared out the rear area of the walker. Due to F. M. I. E. and their efforts , the entire city ends up flipping onto it's frontside. Increasing her body's adhesion, the slime woman ends up walking down the now vertical hallways. Eventually she arrives at the core only to find it sealed shut. Sending out a sound wave around her, Sona is able to use echolocation to find a vent leading inside.

"What the hell happened?" Bates wonders as he recovers his consciousness several minutes later. Taking in his altered surroundings, he sees the rest of the command crew are left in various states of injury and consciousness. "Someone help me up and get the damn rear crew on comms. I wanna know why they didn't react in time."

On his command his secretary helps him into a stand position but he notices something is off about her. Her hand is extra sticky and, after looking closer at his surroundings, he sees a vent has been burned open. Bates then feels a numbness in his right hand before looking down to see it being consumed. The woman's face begins to melt and what takes her place is a large pile of red slime. He can barely scream before Sona slams her entire mass onto him and devours him whole. With her main target eliminated, the slime begins to expand and fill the room with her all-consuming form. Once the command sphere is emptied, she begins to make her way towards the rest of the crews.

An hour later Caleb has rescued as many civilians needed to start a rescue operation; a half hour after that he is in the bank clearing it out. While putting as much gold into a bag of holding as he can, the floor melts and Sona emerges. Transforming back into her human looking form, the slime woman now stands several feet taller than Caleb. Noting that she could use a place to digest, the magus opens up a portal back to F. M. I. E. headquarters. Once the pair have stepped through, Sona quickly reverts into a blob and Caleb plops on top of her before the partners fall asleep.

Several weeks pass and the survivors have already begun rebuilding a small town. Caleb is even walking home from grocery shopping when he decides to head by the park. He is fairly sure he can find a swing set there among the ruins when a sound gains his attention. A humvee is driving on the road near him and his instincts take over. Summoning explosives underneath the armored vehicle, the mercenary mage forces it to flip off the side of the road and down a small hill. Blinking to the passenger seat, the magus reaches inside and pulls out the barely conscious man inside.

"Who are you people? Why are you looking for… oh no." Caleb mutters as the color begins to drain from his face. On one of his would be assailants face is a mask made of petricite.

Realizing the remnants of the Mageseekers have found out his location, Caleb throws the passenger back inside and sinks the Humvee underground. He then teleports several miles away from headquarters and begins to run there as fast as he can.

XxxX

Episode 4

It's times like this that the Durand Graduate known as Caleb Fleetfoot is glad that he is not entirely human anymore. The moments where he can't use magic for fear of attracting unwanted attention. As the rain begins to pour down hard around him, he sincerely hopes that the rumbling in the distance is thunder and not explosions. Even as the dirt road underneath his feet turns to mud and his lungs burn he keeps running as fast as he can. To his joy the two story brick building that is their home is still in one piece. He quickly snaps out of this thought and continues to run home before bursting through the front door. Less than a minute later, Sona enters through the lobby ceiling and finds the mud covered Caleb stacking as much furniture into a barricade as he can.

"Oh hello dear, soooo I just learned that we're gonna have some surprise guests in a bit. I was thinking that we should redecorate the place for them." The nervous private investigator jokes before awkwardly chuckling. Feeling his distress, Sona pulls from within her a cup of tea for her partner; and a glock for their "guest".

"Can't take a break now dear. I'm gonna go set up a teleportation circle in the basement, would you be so kind as to start setting up party favors for the guests. Also I wanted to say I'm sorry Sona, you're about to be in danger because of something I did." Caleb tells her before they split up to set up defenses. Half an hour later dozens of armored personnel carriers arrive outside the property. Dressed from head to toe in petricite enhanced tactical gear, the Mageseeker Tactical Extermination team has arrived.

This assault has been over a year in the making, it is the Mageseeker's attempt at taking revenge on the man responsible for their devastating losses last year. After graduating from Durand Hireling University Caleb was involved in a campaign that led to the toppling of nine planet spanning governments under Mageseeker jurisdiction. Although the troop losses, cuts to their fundings, and destruction of equipment were severe the worst loss was of their leader, General Bertram Crownguard. With the loss of their leader at the pereiopods of a shrimp-eagle hybrid, the Mageseekers were spiritually broken and since then Tiana has sworn vengeance.

Returning to the present, hundreds of Mageseekers are currently awaiting orders outside of F. M. I. E. to attack. Stepping just past their vehicular barricade is the invader's CO, a man of the Inciter Class by the name of Dusan Ahdikari. Pulling out a megaphone, the dark skinned man begins to try and negotiate the surrender of both targets. Despite having the numerical advantage, the Mageseekers know better than to underestimate the pair; let alone if they're backed into a corner.

"Caleb Fleetfoot, aberration! Come out peacefully and we may spare your lives. We can even cut a deal, we'll let the slime go if you surrender Caleb. So come out now, put down any weapons you have, and get on your knees!" Is the ultimatum Dusan gives the pair. Looking at Sona for her opinion, the mercenary is happy to note her holding her etwahl even tighter.

"Get on my knees? I'm not your mother last night! So bring it on you Phantom of the Opera looking mother fuckers!" Caleb retorts back before a sharp note rings out from next to him. A soldier's head next to Dusan ends up falling off after a sonic blade cuts it. "Damn Sona, good kill but that was somewhat cold of you. But I feel you, these bastards are the reason our home isn't quite like home right now."

With that soldier's death both sides freely open fire upon each other. Despite the amount of bullets and explosives being used, the Investigators are well protected by Caleb's wards and a force field generator. This has forced the Mageseekers to try and force their way into the building. Trying to use their superior numbers, the tactical team attempts a three pronged assault on the jack of all trades business. The left most team quickly comes under fire from Cecil Beam Turrets while the right has a flock of giant shreagles dumped onto them. Rather than try their luck with a frontal assault, the central team decides to stay behind the vehicle barricade and call for backup. Rolling in from both ends of the road are a pair of tanks while an attack helicopter is teleported in. Using their heavy weaponry, the tanks destroy the turrets and the shreagles which opens up the remaining infantry to get to the building perimeter. Sona and Caleb would try to stop the foot soldiers but the helicopter's machine guns are proving a nuisance. The final straw for Caleb playing things safe though is when the tanks begin using their turrets to wreck the building and start shaking it violently enough to cause Sona discomfort. Opening up a portal, the Durand graduate lands on top of the left tank before cutting off the hatch with his chainsword. Throwing a grenade inside, the magus then transforms his arms into their demonic state before forcibly turning the barrel at the other tank. Seeing the enemy tank's machine gun turning towards him, Caleb jumps inside and fires at the turret. With the other tank disabled, the investigator opens another portal and jumps onto the attack copter. Quickly beating both pilots to death, he then pilots the helicopter towards the central part of the Mageseeker force. Sending the vehicle crashing into the opposition, Caleb teleports back into F. M. I. E. HQ but doesn't see Sona on the second floor. Hearing gunshots on the first floor, the magus rushes downstairs and sees that several teams have breached the building. Surrounded by acid burned corpses, the red slime is currently strangling three soldiers with her pseudopods while another is screaming as their face melts. After she is done killing their foes, the ooze woman transforms back into her human form before rushing to check on Caleb.

"I'm glad you're okay too. Sona, I've got a bad feeling about this. We need to get to the basement now." The jack of all trades confesses to his partner who looks back at him with an upset look on her face. Watching her pick up her etwahl and an enemy assault rifle, Caleb walks up to her and hugs her from behind. "I know you love this place, I do too, but as long as we're together we can make a new home anywhere we go. I promise you that we'll find that place one day. Please trust me."

Hearing his pleas, Sona takes Caleb's hand and tugs him towards the basement. A minute later a nuclear missile completely destroys F. M. I. E. Headquarters as the Mageseeker ship in orbit watches. While it may have cost them a lot of elite troops, Tiana is glad that their previous most wanted is dead.

Unknown to the Mageseekers though, Caleb and Sona are now standing on another planet. Spitting up blood from overexertion, the magus is helped up by his partner and the pair limp into a nearby city. With only the weapons they brought, a couple of drop bags, and a dream, the pair are already planning a way to get funds for their plans.

XxxX

Conflation Episode 5/0

Running out of an alleyway with the sound of sirens nearing him, Caleb enters a plaza holding an automatic rifle and a duffel bag of money. As civilians are running around him screaming, the magus flips over a cafe table to use as cover when several SWAT arrive near him. Engaging the officers, the bank robber is buying time for his partner to arrive so they can flee the city together. While normally the freelancers would be willing to do work for money, the threat of the Mageseekers and destruction of most of their assets has made them a tad desperate.

"Come on jello shot where are you? Sorry I don't want it!" Caleb shouts as he smacks a stun grenade back at the officers. As the police form a barricade with shields, one of their helicopters also arrives to give them air support.

Emerging from the nearby sewer with her half of the score, Sona sees one of the police choppers flying by overhead. Undulating her way onto the roof of a bookstore, the ooze notices Caleb has become pinned by several SWAT units. As the snipers on board the helicopter are flown in closer to get a better shot, she takes her chance and strikes. Like she's seen her partner do before, the alternate Maven sends out a tendril and slingshots her way onto the aircraft. Quickly pulling the gunmen out of the helicopter, she then moves to hijack it from the pilot. When she expands to consume him though the man manages to see her in his peripheral vision and in a panic pulls his taser out. This ends up proving effective as when he fires in a frenzy the prongs hit Sona's core. While a normal projectile might have passed through the slime's nucleus, due to the nature of the prongs, the freelancer is instead subjected to an internal electrocution.

Swapping back to Caleb's perspective, the magus hears a loud hissing sound before the officers pinning him down crushed underneath a falling helicopter. Seeing their chance to escape appearing before them, his joy soon turns to horror as he sees Sona limping towards him. Running up to have a closer look at his partner, the magus notices that the left side of her form is melting and drooping. Ignoring the pain within, Caleb quickly uses what little magic he has to try and reform Sona's normal state but this only works temporarily. Starting to panic, Fleetfoot has his partner latch onto him and begins to carry her.

"Shit! Hold on Sona I know where to get the help you need. You! Give me your keys now! Step away from the bike or I'll blow your fucking head off!" Caleb shouts at a couple who just step out of their sidecar equipped motorcycle. Firing a warning shot into the air, the pair of bank robbers proceed to then make their getaway in the ensuing chaos.

Escaping the city limits and driving along the coast, Caleb drives as fast as he can to a special clinic across the border. Feeling her hand reaching for his thigh, the magus takes it in his own and holds it gently. Eventually several hours pass and as the sun starts to set, Sona begins to drift out of consciousness to her partner's dismay.

"Hey, don't fall asleep muse. I know you like to hear me talk away so umm oh I've got it, remember the day we met?" Caleb asks his companion before returning his other hand to help steer the upcoming curves. Extending her neck, the ooze woman puts her head into his lap as he starts to tell their story.

Almost a year earlier, Caleb was visiting a remote jungle planet to search for his parents. Remembering his promise to Quinn, the older twin has spent the last month using all his resources to find their birth parents. Wanting to look good for his family, Fleetfoot is wearing his suit but somewhat regrets it as he trudges through a path of mud. Despite his shoes becoming dirtier, the magus is still grateful for the break in the recent rainstorms. Eventually he comes upon a collective farming community, and after some questioning, begins to walk towards a farm at the base of a cliff. As he nears the simple white and black ranch, hesitation begins to take hold of him.

"Okay dude you've got this. Hello Mr. and Mrs. Fleetfoot, I am your son Caleb. Your daughter, Quinn, wasn't able to come with me because she's busy with Sentai Team stuff; oh she says the theme is a phoenix robot and little sisters. Now we don't expect anything of you but we would like some answers. Alright, that seems like a good enough introduction." The Durand Graduate assures himself before he steps onto the property. Immediately sensing something is wrong, Caleb simply opens a portal to a sun and sucks the structure into space. Watching the disguised monstrous entity clawing at the ground before being sent screaming into space, the young man yells to get the attention of a nearby farmer. "Oi! What the hell is this?!"

"Thank the lord in Paradise, everyone, it's a miracle! This young man has banished the demon that has cursed our village for generations! How can we ever repay you sir?" The farmhand exclaims as others begin to gather towards the now vacant lot. After several minutes of inquiring about his parents, Caleb is disappointed to learn that they were never actually here. As it would happen the demonic house had set up connections to lure others like the magus to it.

Bidding his farewells, the magus wanders out of the hamlet before he comes across a dirty river. Tearing his shoes and socks off, Caleb then gets ready to soak his feet to calm down but first scans the rushing waters for pathogens. His magic soon picks up an oddity coming from upstream which appears as a streak of crimson. Deciding to clean up the environment, he uses a spell to extract the foreign substance from the rapids. Catching some faint twitching from the mystery goo, his training kicks in and he casts a spell to reform the slime to it's base state.

"Well I'll be damned, a slime. You've gotta be more careful when you go for a swim, do you have somewhere I can take you? Wait, can you first make yourself look a bit more humanoid so I can understand you better?" Caleb requests before the creature shapeshifts into a red version of him. Repeating his questions, the young man learns that the slime is a she, has no place to go, and can in fact understand him.

"Hmm, how about you follow me for a bit and we can take it from there, sounds good?" The magus offers the stranger before offering his hand. Feeling a massive sense of deja vu and certainty, the slime woman accepts his offer and the pair leave for another world.

Back in the present, Sona is hearing Caleb finish his side of the story when they arrive outside of a hospital. Weakly latching onto his side, the slime woman is gently carried towards the entrance when she starts to remember that day. She remembers that it was not long after her kingdom broke out into civil war and she was deposed.

On the remote jungle planet of Rangu there exists a kingdom predominantly inhabited by nonhuman species. Each species that inhabits these lands is given a chance to rule for at least one generation. In this case, the high elves were set to adjudicate and pass it onto the slimes. However, so much time in power allows for corruption and they wished to retain power by force. In the ensuing chaos, Princess Sona was caught in an explosion and fell out of the palace throne room. Falling into a nearby river, the slime soon found itself distorted via the current and sent drifting along with it. She would never learn of her people's triumph though as after several days she was gone. Weakened greatly by the blast and the water pulling her apart, Sona was preparing to embrace death until she felt a tugging sensation. Feeling her form stabilizing, the exile quickly recovers and takes in her surroundings before a voice says, "Well I'll be damned, a slime."

'Of course I remember that day my dear. How could I forget the day you saved me and we started our life together. I will admit at first that I used you as a means to escape potential hunters; but over time that has changed. We started to work together and even without a voice you always knew what I wanted. Maybe one day I will be able to express my feelings to you with words but until then I will just have to show it with my actions. Please don't feel guilty for my current state.' Sona thinks to herself before fading unconscious as the sun starts to rise. Seeing his partner turn into a ball form, Caleb holds her tight and prepares to enter the hospital. As he gets ready to open the front doors however they suddenly swing open and a horde of undead flood outside.

XxxX

Episode 6

Being pushed down by the dozens of undead around him, Caleb soon finds himself underneath a zombie. Panicking since his arms are busy carrying Sona, Fleetfoot prepares to use what little magic he has to detonate in a fireball when something strange happens. Rather than trying to eat him, the zombie instead stumbles back up and tries to help him. As the crowd disperses, several nurses and doctors arrive outside after them.

"Good job everyone. You all handled the fire drill very nicely, now head back inside. Good lord! Sir are you okay and someone quickly get a stretcher for this slime!" A red headed svirfneblin shouts before Caleb hands off Sona to her associates. After the gnome briefly checks the magus' own health, the good doctor leads him to the waiting area to rest.

After driving all night yesterday, Caleb is woken up by the same doctor who admitted the investigators this morning. Apparently he was tired enough that the freelancer managed to sleep through visiting hours and must go now. Telling him that Sona is in surgery, the distraught man is given a pamphlet detailing several local accommodations before he begins to leave. While looking for information on the nearest hotel, the magus ends up passing near the rehabilitation ward. Seeing a reinforced door wide open, he glances inside and sees an Eternalized; a warrior skeleton encased in magic resistant metals. Watching the soul stealing creature struggling to play a guitar, Caleb knocks on the door frame before getting closer.

"You've gotta tune it first. Also try putting your hands here and here Ms… Ife. Ife, that's a nice name. Well anyways I should get going, good luck with your playing. I'll also just close the door behind me so you don't get in trouble." Caleb informs the undead before leaving her room and the hospital. As he starts the stolen motorcycle they came in on, the investigator in him can't help but wonder why Ife's room was the only one open.

Over the next couple of weeks, Caleb visits the hospital everyday; to check up on Sona but also to see his new friend. Early on in his visits he learns that the hospital has recently undergone several renovations. Using special wards, they have become able to house magical creatures and suppress them enough to help them. As such creatures, for example undead, are allowed to undergo a rehabilitation program to undo mental and spiritual programming. A side effect of this however is that the hospital has had to temporarily exclude magic based treatments as the wards drain magic. Fleetfoot takes note of that fact and even manages to determine the range of the field; he learns that it ends just past the fountain on the front lawn.

During his latest visit however it seems that an incident has occurred. While taking roll call in the rehabilitation ward, a nurse found the dead body of a doctor. Seeing as the body was found drained of his soul and considering where it was found, the culprit could be almost anyone. Approached by the hospital's director, Khatar, Caleb is offered the job of solving the issue. Considering how delicate the situation is due to the suspects, they would like for him to find the culprit before the police can get too deeply involved. Taking the elf up on his offer, the freelancer requests any possible footage of the incident. The security is also ordered to make sure no one in the area at the time is allowed to leave. After securing the crime scene, Caleb goes to the phone booth outside of the hospital limits and makes a call.

"Durand Hireling Academy, what do you want? Caleb! How are you? The old lady was worried when she got word Mageseekers were coming to find you. Also I've got like four people on hold but I can talk with you." Secretary Vex dully informs her senior before checking her nails. Even though they came into Durand at different times, the yordle recalls the time she spent with Caleb to not be too bad.

Caleb actually managed to catch her at a decent time as she just woke up from a nap. Making sure her desk is still messy, the yordle goes to grab a soda from her mini fridge. Remembering her red and black hoodie was zipped up over her face, which causes her to resemble Shadow, Vex undoes it enough to drink.

"Kind of shit to be honest. My house got nuked, my partner got tasered and is recovering, and now I've gotta solve a murder mystery. I could really use a supply drop." Fleetfoot tells the Head Mistress' secretary while flipping through the list of suspected species. Thinking about calling in backup, the graduate decides against it as he lists off what he wants.

"Okay so that'll be a standard bolter, ammunition, Project Survivor's Guilt, as well as repair and maintenance kits for your weapons. Anything else?" Vex asks while pretending to take notes on her note pad. Telling her to say hello to Nita for him, Caleb hangs up and several minutes later a crate is beamed near him.

Rearmed and restocked, the magus makes his way inside and to the security room. Together with the Director, Head of Security, and Chief Physician, they begin to review the footage of the incident. Fast forwarding to about three forty six last night, the camera feed begins to become distorted. Eventually the footage returns to normal but after witnessing the murder, everyone forgets immediately afterwards. Going back to the notes given to him, Caleb is unable to find anything to help on the species list. With the security footage being a bust, the investigator decides it is best to interview the various inhabitants of the ward. Spending the next eighteen hours questioning potential witnesses, Mr. Fleetfoot grows tired as he gains no leads. Feeling like there could still be use from the footage, Caleb is granted a copy of it before deciding to head back to his hotel. First kissing Sona's inert form good night, the freelancer leaves for the night.

After another day of failed interviews, Caleb notices some writing on a male nurse's arm as they pass by. When he asks them why they have names written in marker on their arms, the lizardfolk mentions that they recently had several Silence admitted. As he is the only one to know about them except the Director, the lizardfolk leads the investigator to their room. Peering into the room via the reinforced door's food slot, Caleb only notices one of the creatures waving to him before he writes notes about them on his own arm. After he forgets, the magus then sees his notes and begins inspecting the door. Seeing no forms of damage on it, Caleb quickly rewatches the footage and afterwards confirms with more notes that the Silence were there. While he leaves to submit his evidence to the local police, Ife catches his attention by banging on her door.

"Hey there blue, heard you might get discharged soon. Look I know you wanna hang out right now but I have to go submit my evidence. I think the Director might be behind this killing and I need to… is that a mace behind your dresser? Did Khatar plant it here to try and frame you?" Caleb asks the Eternal before she nods yes. Checking the hallway for observers, the investigator opens her room, carefully takes the weapons, and beckons her to follow him.

Feeling the need to get Ife to the police, the investigator leaves his motorcycle's engine running and before going back for Sona. Rushing back to the entrance, he isn't surprised to see the Director standing there but is shocked to see him holding Sona.

"Khatar, don't make this worse for yourself and give me Sona. Do it and the police might have something to arrest." Caleb growls out at the man holding his partner hostage. Throwing the slime into the air, Khatar takes advantage of Caleb's protective instinct and tackles him.

Watching Sona bounce on the ground before rolling across the front lawn, Caleb pushes the elf off him and rushes to grab her. Picking her up, the investigator attempts to reach his motorcycle before a rock hits him in the temple. Stumbling for a bit, Fleetfoot is soon tackled again as the slime lands near Ife. Dragging the young man towards the fountain, Khatar begins to drown him. Surprised by the elf's strength, Caleb is unable to go Spectral and he starts to feel his consciousness fading. Hoping he at least bought time for Ife and Sona to escape, the magus soon feels the weight above him being lifted. Coughing and sputtering, the mercenary sees the Eternalized patient dragging his assailant towards the hospital limits. Reaching out his hand to stop her, all Caleb can do is watch as his friend crosses the warding threshold. Due to the nature of her resurrection, the mineral-covered skeleton drains the life essence out of Khatar at the cost of her own being. Going to his friend's corpse, the freelancer sees the hospital's director is still alive but greatly weakened. Picking up Ife, Caleb hears a squelching sound coming from behind him and notices Sona's form awakening.

Taking a day to wrap up the case, Caleb is able to uncover the remaining details of the case. As it would happen, Khatar was a lich using the hospital as a phylactery and taking the souls of dead patients. He was also planning to auction off several patients from the rehabilitation ward when the victim overheard him. Before they could leave to tell anyone though the Director caught them. Analysis of the body puts the date of this incident at over a month ago. Afterwards it was only after a series of coincidences that Khatar chose to act the way he did. Having an Eternalized admitted, the wards to give him an alibi, and the F. M. I. E. duo arriving were just what he needed for his cover up plan. Tapering with the footage to include images of the Silence, he then planted a weapon in Ife's room hoping the police would find it when they were called in. The bastard even figured he could pin some of the blame on Caleb somehow. His plan went out the window however, as Ife got the magus' attention and the rest devolved into the attack last night. Submitting his findings to the police, Fleetfoot and Buvelle quickly leave town after securing a boat ride to their next job. As the shore draws further away, Caleb pulls his partner closer and the two embrace as he begins to cry over his lost friend.

XxxX

Episode 7

Standing outside of an average suburban home, Caleb and a law mage currently engaged in a battle of wills. While the F. M. I. E. co-founder is doing all he can to avoid being ripped apart by chains of light, his opponent is trying to keep his self proclaimed "doctrine of immunity" in front of him. As long as this piece of paper is intact nothing besides it can touch the magistrate; especially not a spear of dark magic Caleb is trying to have fly into him. Before long the contest reaches it's apex and Caleb gets a feeling in the back of his head. Quickly ducking down, the magus is able to avoid a sniper round passing over him. This round is a special one infused with petricite and upon hitting the doctrine tears off a piece of it. Bypassing his magic's rules, the bullet is able to drag the document with it before piercing Hieromancer Stephen Dimaggio's head. Despite being shot in the head, the representative of the Courts of Discipline and Order is still alive long enough to be finished by Caleb's spear. With the target down, Caleb checks his phone and finds that the Chaotic state of Bordonia have sent him and Sona their payment; two rites of passage to get off world. Texting his partner, who is two miles away on top of a pharmacy building, of their success, Sona quickly puts down her sniper rifle and picks up their bags. In the short time the F. M. I. E. duo have been here they have learned that while the locals might be difficult to work with, they are when it comes to people traveling off world with no background checks or questions asked; they also performed an oddly charming musical number to convince the pair to kill the recently arrived hieromancer.

"Alright let's see we've got a ride on a ship called the Ishimura. What the fuck? Isn't that like one of the most cursed ship names ever. Guess we aren't leaving our room for the entire trip. Plus if it gets really bad I suppose we've always got this." Caleb notes while feeling the silvery hourglass that is Project Survivor's Guilt in his pocket. An artifact designed by the magus himself, it is a powerful device capable of reversing time and allowing those not present at an event to change it as though they were there.

CNMU

A week of space travel later, the F. M. I. E. duo arrived at the moon of Nuewei, a military colony and customs port, unharmed. Unharmed but not untested since the ship managed to find a way to become infested with necromorphs as per it's namesake. Despite most of the ship becoming infested, Caleb and Sona are able to turn back the clock and clear out the ship. While Sona is struggling to get out of the ship due to her greatly increased mass, Caleb realizes they could use more legitimate documents from here on out. Telling his partner to take her time and go on her own adventure, the magus heads towards the local police station to get their paperwork in order. Watching her partner walk away, Sona waves to him goodbye with one of her pseudopods and gets to work on digesting all of the necrotic flesh within.

Eventually arriving at a skyscraper, the magus first notices that each floor has shutters covering all of the windows. Thinking at first it might be due to some nighttime security protocols, that idea is quickly shattered when he hears gunshots inside. Noticing the front door is going into lock down, the freelancer makes a split second decision and manages to phase his way inside.

"Oh god damn it why would this place have an anti magic barrier! Well actually now that I said it out loud if they ever needed to detain any mages wait are those zombies?" Fleetfoot thinks out loud while several living corpses start to shamble towards him. Quickly throwing one of the undead to the floor and stomping on it's head, Caleb then removes the pistol from it's body and opens fire on his remaining enemies.

CNMU

For the next few hours, despite the police and others engaged with various undead and mutants across the station, Caleb is still sent on a bureaucratic nightmare. Charging through the twelfth floor with his shotgun ablazing, he finds his way into an office where an officer is currently using an automatic pistol to put down one of their zombified coworkers.

"Excuse me, I heard this is where I can get my 52-A stamped. Are you the person I need to go through to get it or is there someone else?" Caleb asks the desk worker behind a bullet proof barrier. At that time several zombified dogs enter the room but a well tossed grenade deals with them quickly.

"Do you have a 33-C? You need to have a 33-C sir. [ Well where can I get that from because I only have a 67-D? ] You can get it on the ground floor but the room might be locked so you'll have to go into the boiler room. There you'll have to arrange a three dimensional chess board to get the power back on." The brunette woman with glasses flatly answers the citizen before he leaves. Realizing she might have to check out early and escape herself, the officer goes to find the forms for it as well as the 52-A stamp.

Clearing his way back to the main elevators, the magus prepares to head to the ground floor when a young woman's voice asks him to hold the doors. Shooting a few suppressing rounds with his pistol, Caleb holds the elevator open long enough for the blonde to enter. Dressed in a battle-ready red, black, and silver environmental suit fused with a suit and tie, the freelancer can tell she is a Durand student. From the lone silver ribbon on her left arm he knows she is in her first year. Meanwhile the golden badge over her left breast, showcasing a pair of swords in a cross, means she is in the mercenary and support courses.

"Thanks. Phew, I don't think I'm meant for running around like this. Seriously, physical education sucks. Oh wait how rude of me, my name is Lux and it's a pleasure to meet you." The Durand Student says before holding her hand out. Shaking it, Caleb is reminded of his own classes and isn't surprised one involves a zombie outbreak.

"Caleb Fleetfoot. Yeah it does but you'll get used to it. On a related note, what is your mission here?" The Durand Graduate inquires before flashing his own badge; one that is iridescent but with the mark of the mercenary and economics courses via a scale weighed with ammunition and coins.

"Oh wow it's an honor, umm sir. I was told to plant an explosive in the basement to level this building. Also apparently the person responsible behind this attack is attempting to evacuate via the roof. I was probably going to make my way there afterwards and kill him or something." Lux informs her senior before revealing the explosive device she took from the evidence room. While helping her set the timer on the way down, Caleb tells her to wait for him to get to the roof before she engages the target.

CNMU

After one hour of solving several underwater puzzles, setting up a three dimensional chess board, getting his 33-C, and using a crane to help Lux set the bomb, Caleb finally goes back to get his 52-A stamped. Expecting to have to perform more bureaucratic madness, he is pleasantly surprised to see the officer from earlier left the stamp for him. With F. M. I. E's travel papers in order, the freelancer detonates his own explosives to disable the building's anti-magic field generators. Feeling his powers slowly returning to him, Fleetfoot teleports his way to the top floor which is infested with undead mutants. Not feeling a need to fight them anymore, the magus simply transforms into his Dark Self and moves along the ceiling. Eventually arriving on the roof of the police station, Caleb spots a distortion of light moving near the helicopter preparing to take off.

"Fuck you pigs! This is what you get for not giving me that permit for my genetically engineered cow farm." An irate man shouts before stepping into his getaway vehicle. As Lux drops her invisibility to try and take him down with a Final Spark though out of nowhere a fighter jet aerial rams the chopper and explodes.

"What the fuck just hap… oh hey Sona. Good news I got our papers sorted and I even found a cheap personal ship for us to use." Caleb informs his partner who flails her arms above her head in joy. The magus also notes how her current form is a mix of her two; retaining her human appearance while clearly being abnormal with crimson skin and white hair. "Okay I'm gonna be straight dear, this new look does wonders for me since it's a mix between both of your other looks. Come on Sona, let's get out of here before this building explodes and keep looking for our new home. See ya later Lux."

With that goodbye, the Durand student disappears in a flash of light as the F. M. I. E. duo teleport to the street below to continue with their goal of finding a place to call home.

XxxX

Episode 8

Temporarily settling on the temperate planet of Emiea, a world with such humidity that the sky is purple, Caleb and Sona begin to run several odd jobs out of a cheap apartment. On one such job the magus is helping an elderly woman figure out what is causing noise underneath her porch. Deciding it would be better to head into the basement and look through a window, the freelancer begins to discuss pricing.

"I'll be honest when I say that the cost might depend on what I find. I mean it could be raccoons, opossums, a false hydra, or some other monster slash animal." Fleetfoot notes off while trying to pry open a window. Given instructions not to harm the mystery creature if it's harmless, the old lady goes back upstairs for her own safety.

"You should stop now human, if you don't then I will slit your throat." A woman's voice declares to Caleb when he finally opens the window. Unable to see anything and not wanting to use night vision, Caleb summons a miniature sun. "No! Not sunlight!"

"Yeah! Suck it you vampiric child? No that's not right because you should be burning right now or at least getting a tan. What's your name kiddo, maybe?" Fleetfoot asks the small pale girl wearing rags. Helping her crawl into the basement, he sets her down and turns on a nearby light before extinguishing his miniature sun.

"What just happened… you. Don't forget I gave you a chance, now die!" The now grown shadowy woman shouts before summoning a massive jagged sword. Before she can even take a swing however, Caleb summons his small sun again and she reverts back into a child again.

Unfamiliar with such a creature, he enchants the sun to hover over the girl's head before they leave together. As the old woman asks him what his cost will be, Caleb is so fascinated with the mysterious girl he tells her the job is free. On the drive back to the apartment he learns that the girl's name is Riven and that she has no place to call home. Feeling bad for the mysterious creature, the magus stops to buy her a light blue peasant dress and cheeseburgers for lunch before going to see Sona. When they arrive back at F. M. I. E's temporary stay, Sona has just finished cleaning the place; she did this via her slime form undulating around and absorbing the place clean.

"Hello dear, this little lady with me is named Riven. She'll be staying with us for the unforeseen future. Now I'm going to need you to watch over her for a little bit since I'll be going to Durand. Gonna see if they have any information on what she is. By the way, if that sun somehow goes out before I'm back, just put her into some sunlight. See ya later." Caleb announces before pulling out his iridescent badge. Focusing on the trinket, he finds himself teleported in front of Durand Hirelings University.

CNMU

With over thirty thousand acres of learning space spread across a pocket dimension, along with various buildings that house their own miniature worlds for learning, Durand prides itself on making the best freelancers and guns for hire across the Conflation multiverse. While walking towards the library, Caleb sees students of all manner of species racing to their classes and remembers more of his time here. From observing the end of the thousand year war between the gray aliens and the spiders, to being turned into living soup in order to be remade for a science project, imprisoning an eldritch god as an art project, getting black out drunk at a party and waking up with an arachne, and his finals test where they went on an expedition to nuclear devastated city.

CNMU

(Two years earlier)

Amidst the blasted remains of the metropolis formerly known as Ganta, hundreds of Durand students are wearing their armored environment suits and scanning the now abandoned city. With it being the last day of the expedition, the students decide to delve into the network of tunnels under the city. Making their way towards the ground zero site, the expeditionary force's geiger counters and motion sensors begin to go crazy. It doesn't take too long after for the students to become engaged with hostile mutated creatures. From undead ghouls to living shadows to various oozing animals, the hirelings in training fend off these enemies while collecting samples and artifacts. Near the back of the Durand forces is Caleb who currently is helping to guard the supply train as they travel deeper into the caverns. Suddenly a woman in robes phases into existence next to him before taking a look around. Any Durand students nearby quickling take note of the visitor and salute them; Headmistress Nita has arrived.

"Mr. Fleetfoot, how are you doing today? Do you have any plans for after this test if you survive? Also please walk with me, I'd like to see how everyone is doing and add them to my calculations." Nita requests of her student before she begins walking towards the front of the expedition. Knowing better than to go against the powerful woman's suggestions, Caleb reloads his bolter before jogging to catch up to her.

"I'm doing fine ma'am. To be honest I'm not really sure what I wanna do after Durand. I've got a major in mercenary work and a minor in administration but… I feel like I'm at a disadvantage. Like without magic how can I compete against others?" The rank fifty fourth student confesses before slowing down to walk side by side with Nita. As if to hammer home his point, a nearby pyromancer clears a room with a single spell while Caleb would have needed explosives.

"Pumpkin tell me what rank you are again. [ Fifty fourth ma'am. ] Think about that, out of the hundreds of students here you managed to get a high rank without magic. You're even about to prove why you gained that status in a bit if my math is right." Nita confidently declares before pointing to where he needs to go. Saluting the Durand leader, Caleb runs ahead to see what she means.

Currently leading a squad of four is a black furred rat-folk named Twitch, the group of friends have managed to locate a way deeper into the ruins. Deciding to charge ahead and claim anything inside for themselves, the fiftieth ranked student dissolves the wall of webs blocking a set of automated doors. Thanks to the University powering the area, the ancient doorway opens and the team enters a decontamination chamber. Once the doors behind them close and a timer runs out, Twitch's team is free to roam ahead. Coming into a circular room overlooking a pit, the squad finds most of the floor covered in toxic waste except a cross pathway just above the pool and several large eggs.

Outside of the door, Caleb watches as an arachne by the name of Caralyn runs to the now closed door. Seeing his former fling trying to pry open the sealed doors, the mercenary student runs up to try and help. The commotion the two make in their efforts also manages to attract the attention of others nearby. When more students attempt to aid them, the red headed jumping spider girl explains that her web sense ability detected hidden enemies before Twitch's team went in. As though to prove her point the sounds of gunfire and other weapons begin going off past the decontamination room. A ping noise then sounds above the doorway and it opens on it's own with over a dozen Durand students having arrived to help. However due to their various species and sizes they are unable to all fit inside.

"Caralyn, go tell the instructors what's happening. Anyone who is around my size or smaller will follow me into the decontamination room." Caleb orders those around him. Quickly recognizing his plan as the best at the moment, the students break off into teams.

Alongside a half orc, merfolk, goblin, rat-folk, and another human, Caleb's team are processed and enter the death trap to see what they can do for Twitch's team. Arriving to see the rat and only one of his squad mates still shooting at their enemies, the reinforcement team notes their enemies appear to be large spider and scorpion hybrids. With help having arrived, Twitch and his still moving teammate fall back before both teams open fire on the creatures. They quickly come to realize however that the enemy is proving to be resistant to ballistic weapons before needing to take cover from acidic spit. Quickly scanning the area for the two missing team members, Caleb finds them amidst the toxic waste; still alive but in a melted state from the waist down. Realizing they need to open up an escape route, the rank fifty fourth student looks around some more before finding a doorway sealed with webbing. He manages to shoot his way inside while his comrades hold off the increasing horde of spiders coming down from the ceiling. Caleb ends up discovering a partially melted skeleton slumped over a set of control panels. Pushing the remains to the side, the Durand student disables the decontamination room's protocols in time for a cool wind to enter the room.

The students engaging the spiders are quickly warned to take cover as several grenades are tossed into the room; only instead of exploding like normally, they instead release a blast of ice magic and special foam to cancel radiation. Entering the room flanked by a dozen students deploying more of the special explosives is Professor Draven. Wearing a set of aviators, the white walker lets out a booming laugh before manifesting two axes made of ice and tossing them up. The cross shaped weapons then soar high into the air before exploding into a blizzard in the next above. While the mutated creatures' frozen corpses are falling and shattering against the ground, the Durand teacher checks the patches on his elbows before raising one hand to catch his spinning weapons. Ignoring the snow falling all around him, Draven notices Caleb leaving the control room before pulling out a notepad from his Durand colored jacket.

"You were the one who opened the doors, right? I think between taking charge in an emergency and your quick thinking a promotion is in order. Hey Support students, can you get these two out of here before they croak; I'm gonna have to tell the Headmistress about what happened just now. Not that she probably needs me to, frigging Laplace's Demon." Draven mutters that last part before bumping into the smiling Nita. Before he can even say an excuse or apologize, the flamboyant ice creature sees her tap the air before webs completely cocoon him.

"Careful Draven, after all we didn't visit these ruins in every timeline. But I do agree with your assessments that Caleb adapted well and Miss Caralyn was an excellent support. Now then, I'd like for the top fifty of the graduating class, from Caleb Fleetfoot to valedictorian Karl Uuntecka to head into the depths of these ruins and defeat Vilemaw. I've calculated it is in the pit below, and considering these creatures think themselves worthy of harming Durand alumni, we will show them the might of Durand's finest." Nita announces to all of the students in the ruins who cheer on their chosen classmates. Before Caleb can use a grappling hook to enter the lair of the Spider "God" below, Nita phases next to him and puts a hand on his back.

CNMU

(Back in the present)

Caleb has just found the text he is looking for in the library archives when he feels a hand on his back. Ignoring the familiar touch, he reads the book he found and learns that Riven is an astrayi; an entity created when a magical child grows up experiencing only hardship. Speed reading, he can now confirm his earlier learnings that while in sunlight they can be temporarily reverted into a child-like form. The Magus also learns that the adult self can be influenced while in this state. Coming up with the simple plan of treating the astrayi's well, he hopes to help Riven's true form. Checking out the book from the library's sphinx guardians, Caleb returns to his partner and Riven in what seems like only several seconds to the nonhumans.

XxxX

Episode 9

( 12:32 PM Take Two )

Amidst the rubble of a destroyed school, a woman is sifting through the rubble. She soon finds what she is looking for, an hourglass made of silver with a man's severed hand clutching it. Prying the appendage from the device, she turns and sees Caleb spasming on the ground and struggling to cling to life. Sona is next to him and holding his hand as the chemicals destroying the magus take hold. As the life finally starts to leave his body, the woman feels hope and the hourglass begins to glow with purple light. Channeling her magic into the device, the world around the interloper begins to reverse and she forms a blade of sunlight.

CNMU

( 4:27 PM Take One )

"Riven, I'm back. You weren't poking the magic sun again were you?" Caleb asks of his young companion before closing the door to their hotel room. As the man sends out another text to his partner asking where she is, the astrayi finishes up her cleaning.

"No! I wasn't. Okay, maybe a little but I only touched it because I wanted to get a better look." Riven whines to her travel friend who gives her a stern look. Satisfied with her answer, the man smiles and prepares to compliment her cleaning but instead turns to the sound of the hotel door opening; standing in the doorway is a crying Sona. "What happened?"

Pulling out her phone, the slime woman shows an article about a recent terrorist attack that destroyed an elementary school. Neither of them need to say anything to one another before the magus begins to pack up several tools into a satchel. Telling Riven to come along, the trio teleport in front of the police station handling the crisis. Walking inside they find the place in chaos as officers scramble all over the nearby county to address disturbances and distraught citizens. Overall it's very overwhelming for the magical "child" who is quickly picked up by Sona. Carrying the false ten year old, the F. M. I. E. founders locate the Chief of Police's office and enter to find the man answering multiple calls.

"Andra unless you've… who the hell are you three?! Get that kid out of here! This place isn't for a child."

"We good sir are mercenaries for hire and the ones with a solution to your problems."

"Unless you can bring back the dead I don't wanna hear it. Been scammed before by supposed magic folk."

"We offer an even better solution. Using a device in my possession we can simply turn back time and infiltrate the school. All we would require is a contract of payment and your problems will be as though they never happened." Caleb advertises to the stoic faced man before revealing Project Survivor's Guilt. With nothing to lose, and everything to gain, the police chief signs a magical contract and time begins to reverse.

CNMU

( 7:03 AM Take Two)

"Why do I have to go with you to school?"

"Because I need you nearby in case things go wrong. Sona just used her turn with the PSG and I need you here to use it if something happened to me."

"Okay."

"Good. Now you got your backpack? { "Yep." } Lunch? { "Yep." } Smile? { "Mmm, yep!" } Alright now enjoy your time here, maybe try to make a friend or two, and I should see you soon." Caleb tells the astrayi before they enter the school grounds. While Sona is off warning the local authorities of the threat, Caleb infiltrates the school under the guise of a custodian and Riven as a new student.

As Riven is being introduced to her class, the hired gun goes over the school's layout plan and finds several inconsistencies. While she is learning factions, Caleb is investigating a wall that should have a room behind it. Phasing past the concrete brick wall, the man avoids triggering a self-destruct trap and finds the room to be full of documents. Going through them, he takes note of the terrorist group's chemical weapon plan and finds the materials used to be incredibly unstable. Coming to the conclusion that the explosion was actually an accident, the magus takes photos of all the plans and sends them to Sona.

'Damn I've been in here for a while haven't I? Welp that's enough incriminating evidence for one day, I should check on Riven before I search for that lab they made.' Caleb thinks to himself before leaving the room and continues his custodian act. Working his way towards Riven's classroom, the magus is about to try and peek inside when the door opens instead.

"Oh custodian Geralf, sir, would you please walk Amelia here to the second floor bathroom? Also afterwards maybe you could figure out what is causing noises in the bathroom here on the first floor. I've been complaining about it to the principal and other staff members but no one listens to me apparently." A mousy teacher asks of the school janitor before the ratfolk woman waves over her student. Accepting Mrs. Alexia's request, the magus guides young Felicity and waits for her to finish before walking her back.

"Felicity, hurry, we're about to start the next round of Jeopardy."

"I'll be right there Mia. Thank you sir." The little elephant girl tells Caleb before rejoining Riven. Seeing that the astrayi is having fun with her classmates, the investigator leaves her be and heads to the bathrooms.

Investigating both restrooms, the man eventually finds the floor to be hollow underneath one of the stalls. Examining more closely, Caleb finds a number pad hidden inside of the toilet tank and reaches into his satchel. Pulling out a Durand Engineering Cutter, he uses the crossbow shaped device to emit a signal that activates the panel. After a few seconds the floor slides open to reveal a ladder that he promptly climbs down. Cautiously advancing through the underground passage, Caleb finds himself barred by a metal door. Cutting his way past the door's lock, the magus finds the terror cell's underground laboratory. Finding a cell of glass next to a control room, the F. M. I. E. co-founder ignores those in favor of large open vat of toxic chemicals. Suddenly from one of the cages hanging overhead a rat falls down and into the brew below. Checking the time and finding it just past noon, Caleb realizes that something is about to happen that causes the explosion and his theory is proven right when the rat leaps from the chemicals as a hulking monster. Screeching rapidly, the mass of muscles and eyes quickly turns and breaks open the metal container.

"Ah, I see how this place exploded now. All I've gotta do now is, oh no." Caleb mutters out before watching the creature drink the leaking chemicals and begin to glow. `I thought it would've attacked me and I would've had more time!'

Quickly thinking of a plan, the mercenary gambles on a way to fix two problems in one go and opens a portal. Appearing before Riven, Caleb quickly opens another portal behind her before pulling out the PSG and shoving her away with it. Knocking the girl outside of the blast radius but failing to give her the device, the Durand graduate braces himself for the familiar feeling of death.

CNMU

( 12:26 PM Take Two )

Riven wakes up minutes later with her ears ringing and a gooey hand shaking her awake. Looking up at Sona's horrified face, the girl remembers what just happened and rushes towards the burning remains of the school. Doing her best to ignore the innocent bodies around her, the astrayi finds Caleb twitching under some rubble. Digging him out with help from Sona, the two find that his back is quickly dissolving before their very eyes. Through her teary eyed vision, Riven watches the struggling man desperately heaving for breath before firing a bolt of magic. Following the spell, the albino girl sees a glint of silver and realizes what the magus is trying to tell her with his final actions.

"Thank you both for these past six months. I see now what I need to do. Now it is time for me to help you both as you've helped me." Riven tells the two before reaching out for the magical sphere gifted to her in that basement half a year ago. Absorbing it, the girl begins to mature and the sun itself seems to focus on her.

As her skin becomes sun kissed, the woman's short hair turns from a wispy pale white to an iridescent purple. Her small shoes begin to break before revealing feet similar to a lion and a matching tail appears. Feeling amazing as her body begins to grow patches of scales, Riven gives Sona a smile that reveals her sharp teeth before turning to sift through the ruins. Finding the dying man's creation, she takes it into her bronze scaled hands before roaring with the might of a sun and channeling her magic into it.

'So this is who I truly am. Those two are truly interesting creatures if they could fix me. I'd like to see where we go from here.' Riven thinks to herself as time reverses around her. Waiting for the right moment, she jumps through the portal Caleb made leading into the underground lab and waits a bit before noting what she needs to do.

CNMU

( 12:12 PM Take Three )

Cutting his way past the laboratory bulkhead, Caleb gets a sense of Déjà vu and cautiously opens the door. Hearing the sounds of machinery, the magus sneaks his way towards a glass room. Hearing footsteps inside, the man pulls out a gun and points it at the head of the person who walks out.

"Whatever it is you're doing, stop it now."

"I'm already finished. We won't have to worry about any nasty rats exploding either, see." The purple haired woman adds while pointing towards a nearby scorch mark. Sensing something from inside of the control room, Caleb holds the woman in torn clothes hostage and walks her inside.

"That's my PSG. Riven, is this you?"

"It is me, Caleb. Funny enough I actually went back an hour earlier to figure out the controls. Don't worry though I just finished the vat's lockdown sequence." Riven informs her travel companion before he puts away his pistol. Reclaiming the device, he quickly looks through it's usage history with a spell and confirms what she said is true.

"I suppose you'll be wanting a change of attire? I don't want you leaving us still dressed as a little girl."

"I would like the change in clothes, but I'd also like to say with you two."

"What? Riven in case you haven't noticed Sona and I are kind of vagabonds right now."

"I know but you're also some of the most interesting people I've met in a long time. Plus it's not like I have somewhere else to go." She tells the man as the vat's lid finishes lowering and secures. Several minutes later Sona arrives with several tactical police officers and she feels a bit paranoid seeing him next to a strange woman.

"Hello Sona, it would seem Riven's magic resolved itself thanks to us. Anyways we should probably leave soon and get her some new clothes. Supposedly she thinks we're her ticket to an exciting life." Caleb informs his worried partner before opening a portal for them to step through.

"Of course I do. I mean in the time I've known you two you've murdered you way out of prison, punched death itself, and got into a blood war with a clan of geese. Hell, just today you stopped a terrorist plot and saved an elementary school." A flabbergasted Riven blurts out and draws the attention of the nearby officers. Realizing what she's done, the trio quickly close the portal behind them as bullets start coming through it.

CNMU

"This is why we watch our words in public. Though I guess we were going to be leaving that world soon anyways. Our next job is on a desert planet nearby." Caleb talks towards Riven who doesn't seem to be really listening. Waiting for Sona to finish bandaging his right arm, which has a bullet wound, the two F. M. I. E. founders then walk up to look out the window of the space freighter with the chalkydri.

"I'll remember next time. Also I remember it's why you don't like novels anymore. { "Did you hear anything else I just said?" } Yes. Oh is it going to be a world you've been to before? I remember some of the battlefields you've been a part of were on desert worlds?" Riven asks with genuine excitement and curiosity. Seeing the wonder in her eyes, the magus simply sighs and summons a water bottle for each of them.

"Thankfully no. I don't want to revisit old stomping grounds and drink up. We don't need you dying of dehydration before or while we're there."

"Fair." The chalkydri woman answers before turning to look back out at the stars.

XxxX

Conflation Episode 10

Traveling the sand worm inhabited deserts of Taetera via dune buggy, Riven finds herself with a problem. The chalkydri admittedly was a bit naive but she truly thought once her age issue was solved she would be able to understand Sona. As it turns out either the magus is crazy or shares a truly unspoken bond with the mute to speak for both of them.

"This sucks! I get that the locals wanted one of us as insurance until the job was done but why did they have to pick Caleb? You don't think they did it on purpose do you? Oh who am I kind probably, hope he's okay. Or maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to be upset about how we don't know how to talk to each other; plus I thought it would be my first job with him." Riven whines to Sona who is just trying to not melt from the heat. Seeing her lamentations just flying over the slime's head, the driver decides to just enjoy the sunlight and the journey.

CNMU

Back at the planetary palace, Caleb is trying to make the best of his time dangling from a pair of antimagic shackles in the dungeon. Admiring the sandstone wall in front of him, the magus thinks back on the job's meeting and wishes he had just gone with the ladies. His boredom is alleviated when the cell door opens and he is reminded of how much the local ruler erks him. The smug man has even only brought the dungeon master along in a show of arrogance. Sensing a monologue coming along, Caleb starts tapping his foot against the wall.

"I trust the accommodations are to your liking? After all, I wouldn't want anything less for the infamous Caleb Fleetfoot? { "Eh, could use the wifi password." } Cocky peasant. Just wait until the Mageseekers arrive and I hope they send me a tape of what they do to you. { "Kinky." } You idiot, a simple trap of a bounty and you fell into a trap." The portly man in green and black robes taunts to try and irritate the Durandi. At that moment, the magus receives a reply to his tapping and turns to face the boring man.

"You know something, I wonder if I can get out of here and rob the place before my lady friends get back. I mean I could wait for them to free me, and they could, but I'm getting bored with you."

"Ha! Without magic? Also I hope they return as well, such pretty things."

"Wow you just like looking like an ass don't you? Okay chief I'm going to level with you, whatever fantasy you're having isn't happening; in this lifetime or any timeline. I mean Riven can call down the sun and I wouldn't recommend sticking anything worth losing near Sona. Tell you what, I'll play along a bit more so you can tell me why you're doing this." An increasingly annoyed Caleb requests of the fat man before tapping again. This time he gets back a funny joke but holds in his laugh so the plan can work.

"Aside from the reward for you being handed in alive? Well nothing personal I assure you. I simply want those mage hating fools in my debt so they can solve some of my issues. { "It's okay, ED is surely common in your family." } Silence! If your bitches kill off that demon kidnapping women then I don't have to deal with it. If not then I can hand you off and demand it's removal from the Mageseekers. I can't lose!" Dale confidently states before the ground tears open and he is devoured by a sand worm. Spitting on his hand cuffs, Caleb tears himself from the wall and then taunts the jailer into hitting him. When the lanky man tries to punch his face, the magus Spectral Dashes past his would-be warden and kicks him into a wall.

"Ha! Told you that acid gland had its uses Sona. Now then, let's hope this place doesn't have too many deadlocks." He mutters to himself before summoning his engineering tool and sending out a signal to open all the dungeon's doors. As the now freed prisoners are busy revolting, Caleb rushes upstairs and hopes that the girls are okay while he begins his search for the castle treasury.

CNMU

Unaware of the ongoing revolution, the non-human members of F. M. I. E. have arrived at their destination. Walking up to the blue beach house's front door, Riven decides the best approach would be to kick it down. This fails spectacularly as she slams her foot into the door, almost breaks it, and lands on her ass. Shaking her head in disappointment at the woman's amateurish attempt, Sona simply traces her acidic finger around the sections with potential locks. Hearing the seals falling onto the floor, she calmly pushes open the defenseless door before throwing a globule of healing slime onto Riven's foot.

Exiting the desert heat, the pair find themselves inside of an air conditioned house filled with aroma candles and floors covered in flower petals. Walking through the surprisingly pleasant demonic den, the investigators eventually find their kidnap victim relaxing on a pink heart shaped bed. Approaching the Lunari Priestess in her dimly lit bedroom, they close the door behind them before waking her up.

"Oh my, are you two here to see Slxylith as well? I'm not interested in a group-some for my first time so you'll have to wait. Being pent up sucks but I was here first after all." The woman tells the two strangers before fixing her pink shirt. Both hired guns give her a look of disgust before look at each other and shaking their heads.

"She's definitely not pent up and I'm working on it in my own way. So would you mind explaining to us why you'd go to a friggin demon to solve your umm issues?" Riven inquires of the willing kidnap before Sona climbs into the bed. The chalkydri then wonders briefly why the slime starts bouncing up and down before brushing it off.

"I wanted to go out on my own terms. { "Elaborate." } I'm supposed to marry one of the king's sons but I didn't want to. I also knew that I couldn't just go back to the Lunari since they expected me to do that. So I figured screw it, literally, and went to find a demon I heard roamed the desert; bonus points for it being a pleasure demon." The white haired priestess confesses before snapping towards a nearby chair. Riven sees what she wants and throws her a pair of jeans to put on.

"Caleb told us about that creature, he says it's a demon that lures in people who can't stand not getting laid and eats them. So smart choice. { "Bite me." } Anyways we need to get going so we can help him and get paid. Heh, he's probably destroyed the place by now and might be coming here himself." Riven informs the false captive to see if she changes in mood. She smiles as Selene realizes how dumb she's been acting; it also helps that her arranged marriage is probably canceled now anyways. "You can tag along and we'll try to set you up if you'd like."

Seeing the merit in Riven's offer, the Lunari is happy to accept this arrangement but Slxylith isn't and reveals itself. Crawling out from underneath the bed with humanoid arms, the blue and yellow centipede-esque creature screeches at the intruders. It then curls up into a ball and begins to glow with red markings across it's chitin. Quickly grabbing the priestess and dashing to the side, Riven and Selene barely avoid the monster as it rapidly rolls past them. Tearing up the tiled floor as it goes, Slxylith slams through a table with a bucket of champagne before bouncing off a wall to turn around. Needing to summon her blade, Riven pushes away the priestess before being slammed into the ground by the demon. Unfurling on top of the chimeric woman, Slxylith unveil's it's massive tongue to start straggling her. Watching as it ignores an acid attack to it's shell, Sona grabs a nearby lamp and swings it underhanded into the being's face. Riven then takes the chance to catch her breath before summoning her sword to bisect the demon at it's midsection. Instead of dying, Slxylith simply abandons the lower half of it's body and skitters towards Selene. She tries to crawl away but is pinned down and dragged under the monster. Crying for help, the priestess is silenced by her assaulter's tongue and her body starts to become absorbed into it. Rushing forward to stop the tasteless scene, Riven is smacked away by the creature's tail end but Sona is able to avoid it by becoming a blob. Climbing onto the demon's back, she transforms her arms to match Caleb's transformed one and tries to pry Selene away from one of the segments consuming her. Lacking the raw power to do so however, the slime changes her strategy and instead increases her corrosiveness before cutting off Slxylith's tongue. Rearing back in agony, the demon leaves itself vulnerable to a decapitation by Riven. Now just a head, the creature still refuses to give up and latches onto the swordswoman's shin. Feeling it bite it's way up her leg, the chalkydri tries to pry it off and upon failing calls for help. Smashing it with chairs, a table, and Riven's knee once it crawls over it, the trio are eventually able to leave it stunned and squirming on it's back. Exposed and weakened, Riven finishes Slxylith off with a thrust through it's remaining form with her massive blade.

"Ouch, my leg's going to be killing me for a bit. Huh, I suppose it's better than those people. Help me up so we can get the fuck out of here." An exasperated Riven asks the others before taking one last look at the demon's decaying segments. Leaving the skeletons of it's past victims behind, the two hired guns give Selene their dune buggy and a case of money. As she drives off to live her own life, they then wonder how to best get to the castle when a sandcrawler drives nearby.

CNMU

"Alrighty then, now how am I going to move all of you with me? Sure I could put you all into a pocket dimension but the vault is radiating an antimagic field." Caleb wonders while looking at the dozens of duffel bags filled with loot. His answer soon arrives in the form of a massive sandcrawler crashing through a nearby wall.

"Hey tiny, what are you doing down there? Why don't you put the money into the cargo bay so we can go world hunting." Riven calls down from the control deck while Caleb chokes on dust from the debris. Chuckling at her bad joke, the magus and his cohorts quickly load up the entire vault's payload before backing up.

"You're only an inch taller than me and it's by my choice. Anyways you're right Riven, let's see if we can find a new home." Caleb comments as they drive away from the exploding castle. While the non-humans ponder which place to settle, their human companion thinks about who to call to help build their new headquarters.

XxxX

Conflation Episode 11

On a scenic route by a forest a traffic jam has the F. M. I. E. crew sitting bored in their convertible. Wondering what is taking the driver in front of them so long, Riven steps out to investigate. When she looks into the truck's window she sees a monkey man looking terrified and follows his line of sight. In front of the line of cars is a goose in the middle of the road pecking at dirt.

"Riven, get back in the car, now!" Caleb shouts at the chalkydri after peaking out to see what she was doing.

"What why?"

""We need to go, Sona start the engine!"

"Are you serious, it's just a fucking goose! Move it you little cretin." Riven commands of the avian demon before poking it with a stick. Hearing it honking at the woman in annoyance, Caleb panics and uses a Coercion line to yank her back into the car.

"Drive! Free Bird it now Sona!"

With that the slime slams her foot onto the pedal and drives onto the nearby closed road; the goose in it''s maliciousness starts chasing after them. Quickly hitting triple digits on the speedometer, the trio's car smashes through warning signs and construction cones. Sending the car flying over a collapsed bridge, Sona lands them onto another section of interstate and heads into oncoming traffic. This doesn't deter the feathery monstrosity who then starts to contort it's body to evade Caleb's bolter rounds. Ignoring the screams of civilians as they crash all around her while she narrowly avoids them, the hired gun swerves the car to go off road and begins to drive up a nearby plateau's slope. Using it as a ramp, the convertible is sent flying over a dozen feet into the air and across several gaps in the path below. Eventually they return to the road and hit a turn too hard which causes the vehicle to hit a barrier before flipping. Seeing the vehicle now in flames, the goose flies into the burn wreckage and self-destructs to destroy any possible remains.

CNMU

"And that's what I was doing before I got here." Caleb tells the group of non-humans from his Durand days. Cracking open his can of cola, he hopes that the other F. M. I. E. members have made it to the rendezvous point.

"Crazy dude, like all I get to do is watch over my dad's store all day." Jessica bemoans before taking a sip of her Sidecar. The woman then pulls out her phone before taking a selfie of her alongside her college squadmates.

"I'm sorry but what happened to the two ladies that were with you? Also it didn't follow you did you?" A concerned gazer male asks while picking up his water as his eye stalks look for a potential feathery threat. Despite this, Ged is glad he was able to take the day off from his job as a hospitaller.

"We'd be dead if he was. Still, liches, mageseekers, geese, prison breaks, and demons, it's like you've never left Durand huh Caleb? By the way did you ever figure out what happened to your parents?" Elise asks of the man before taking a sip of her decaf; after all, unlike her canid skull headed friend she doesn't believe it's five o'clock somewhere. Picking up a finger sandwich, she shrugs before taking another and slipping it into her handbag for later.

"Yeah mom basically ascended to sylvan godhood for banging an entire commune of those deprived creatures into submission. Apparently she took dad as a consort, I'll just tell Quinn they died so it's less disappointing. I've also picked out a new spot for an HQ and I was wondering if you all would like to help me build it." The squad's token human informs his friends before Vex enters the cafe they're in. Quickly shuffling towards the table, the yordle then crawls up into her seat before she curls up into a ball and starts crying.

"Damn kiddo, what happened?"

"So many greeble groblers in the shadows! I hope for Christmas Santa gives me a nightlight." Vex whines before wiping the tears from her eyes and looking into her senior's dead eyes. She quickly apologizes upon recalling that the previous class of Durand graduates don't like talking about Christmas.

"Hey Jessica, are your cousins still working with him?"

"Yep. You still got that restraining order against Prancer?"

"He kidnapped me after that operation! Of course I do!"

"Ah shit, here we go again. Hey Vex, did I ever tell you how our squad was formed and our first mission?" Caleb asks of the alternate Gloomist while Jessica and Ged start arguing. Elise then silences both of them by webbing their mouths shut so he can tell the sophomore.

CNMU

(Several years earlier)

After a hard day's work of scavenging for his eldritch corporate overlord, Caleb finds a letter in his bunk. Looking around to see if one of his coworkers is watching to play a joke on him, the young man opens it and finds a message written in red ink on red paper. Reading it's instructions, he doesn't even hesitate to accept it's terms and gives himself a paper cut to activate the summoning spell. Abandoning his day to day of struggling to meet quotas for a free ride through college, Caleb finds himself on a massive campus and walks his way to the initiation ceremony. Finding a massive hall filled with millions of every humanoid imaginable, the human struggles to find a seat. Eventually he finds one next to a sleeping gazer near the edge of a row. The seat next to him is then taken by an anomaly with black fur panicking about being late. Her fears are subsided when on the stage the Headmistress herself manifests without warning and adjust the podium's microphone.

"Alright everyone is here? Yes. Welcome to Durand Hireling Academy, here you will learn a variety of skills so you can achieve your dreams. As you all know this is a free ride but you will be at mortal risk on the regular. Now then I will explain to you all how your missions will work, teams of three will be under the direction of a fourth who is your support. While out in the field should one of you die, you will typically respawn after a brief resurrection timer. Should your entire field squad be wiped then it will force your support out into the field. They will then be tasked with resurrecting all of you; however if they die then you all will not respawn. So help each other and survive until the mission is completed; then do whatever you want before we recall you all. Any questions?" Nita asks the crowd of fresh meat before one hand pops up far in the back.

"You're not just going to drop us all off now into a warzone?"

"No we aren't going to do that, right now. We'll actually be splitting up, all of you, into a variety of zones now. By the way, for every second seat, the person to your immediate left and right is now your squad for the next four years. Until you come back I want you all to know you're worthless, if you survive though then truly welcome. Good luck!" She shouts at the nobodies before her as they are then teleported to various points in time and space. With over twenty million students enrolled now, Nita wonders who among them will be in the remaining two hundred and forty; or well she knows already but can still ponder.

XxxX

Episode 12

Appearing at a military encampment, some of the Durandi alumni are split up and given their equipment. Sitting down in a warehouse and going through a seminar explaining combat, the trio of Caleb, Jessica, and Ged listen intently to the aasimar teacher; unlike some of their classmates who are, metaphorically, on another planet. Apparently they're the second wave to enter a decimated city here in these icey waste. The mission is to learn what happened at a nearby facility, combat an alien horror that has appeared, and clear the area of resistance.

"Be careful of Dark Insurgency in the area. So any other questions?"

"Am I gonna get cancer?" A country sounding chicken humanoid asks his fellow feathered nonhuman.

"Umm You're not covered. That's not service related and besides we're a secret organization so yeah. Get out there, learn about each other and yourselves, listen to your seniors, and have fun. Also look out for falling rocks." The man with golden skin tells his students and troops before disappearing in a golden blink. From there the troops mount up into humvees, although Ged spots a man yelling at his tiefling teammate to "Back demon!" before they form a convoy to enter the quarantine zone.

CNMU

(Five minutes later)

"You know if we were driving in like my dad's hatchback I'd be worried about running over zombies. But this is a humvee sooo." Jessica commentates before hitting the gas and plowing through half a dozen undead. Up ahead and all around the Durand Mercenaries are performing similar actions as hordes of zombies approach them from all around.

"Ah, we're being welcomed by the civilian populace."

"Enough jokes you three. Focus now on helping to establish a FOB. By the way, before you ask, I'm your Field Officer and Coordinator Elise Kythera Zaavan. Try to avoid getting us all killed you morons." The trio hear over their shared headsets before also hearing about the recon FOB being set up..

"You know what bitch, fuck you! I say we suicide pact this and make you have to come out here. { "What?!" } Ah! Hahaha! The looks on your faces." Caleb taunts before they hit a zombie so hard it flies dozens of feet into the air screaming. Jessica is the first to laugh before Ged nervously joins in and they pull up to clear out a building. Eventually they make their way to a warehouse and upon opening it a zombie covered in growths emerges; exploding and covering Ged in it's entrails.

"Oh shit Ged, are you good?"

"I feel good!"

"Y-you feel good?" Jessica inquires as the gazer is now covered in glowing purple veins and their eyes are all dilating rapidly. Taking out a syringe from the team medic's vest, she injects him right in the neck while Caleb notices something off.

"Why are there gummy bears in my pocket? I ate the last ones but I keep finding them in my pockets the fuck is going on?" He asks while emptying out his pockets and putting it back inside; only to find more gummy bears.

"Uhh I don't think that's the anomaly we're dealing with. Anyways let's oh god no!" Jessica screams before another zombie does to her what happened to Ged. The medic wakes up from their haze and quickly pulls out another syringe to do the same treatment to the team communications officer.

CNMU

An hour, and hundreds of undead bodies, later the mercenaries are moving steadily through the city when suddenly music starts playing; boss music. Caleb barely has time to look to the team shooting next to him when suddenly a rock flies through the air and destroys them alongside a humvee. On all sixes, a crimson Rift Herald rushes a gunline made of dozens of mercenaries and starts to crush, throw, or eat all of them. This creature also kills the twin as after failing to find a machine gun with ammo it pounces onto and crushes him. Half a minute later, Caleb respawns on top of a ruined building next to a kangaroo vastaya. The sniper then starts chuckling a bit out of shock when a rock crushes another team and wipes them.

"Ohoho shit! They died."

"Yeah, screw friendly fire just hit it."

But no matter how many bullets and anti-tank weapons the alumni pour into the creature it refuses to die. After a boulder nearly hits them from their snipers nest, Caleb and Jonas climb down to street level. They arrive in time to see a man get crushes in the monster's flaws before deciding to book it.

"Oh damn it's eating the rest of the men."

"Fuck the men run!"

CNMU

Eventually the creature kills everyone in the area and falls back to stalk the remaining troops. Cautiously moving forward, the armored column reforms but then as they pass through the ruins a mine destroys two humvees. Ged manages to get out of the flaming wreckage but can't find Jessica until he turns towards the flames. Not able to convince a salamander or an efreet to get her out, the gazer just continues to move up with everyone else. As it edges towards midnight, the students are resupplied and one of them finds a dancing robot. Unfortunately one of the other students hallucinates it as something else and shoots it off the cat girl's shoulder. They would attempt to then hold a funeral for the tiny thing, though noticeably not the fifty two people that have died so far, when Dark Insurgents begin shooting at them.

"Fucking insurgents."

"Need a ride infantryman?" Jessica asks the aberration while dancing to the sound of her humvee's machine gun fire. Seeing a horde of undead arriving to consume both Durandi and Insurgent flesh, the many eyed being hops in; only for the vehicle to get hit with a rocket and explode.

CNMU

"Alrighty then driva, into ze facility, forward." The kommandant orders as several LAVs roll up to a large dome that is surrounded by several ruined buildings. Dark Insurgents appear once more to harass the students and it gets so bad that Caleb abandons the lead LAVs.

"Yeah stay away from that one it's about to explode." He screams out to his approaching team members just before the kommandant and his squad die in a fiery blaze.

"O-M-G Prophetic! Also damn these Darkness Insurgency dudes hit differently at like midnight." Jessica notes out loud as the trio start to crawl under a wall. Clearing out the remaining terrorist, the Durandi's call forth several people to start cutting their way in when a familiar song starts playing.

"Rift Herald West! Rift Herald West"

Everyone hears over the comms before a rock destroys one of their remaining three LAVs. With the last two being held up by undead, a team of second years consisting of a lizardfolk, orc, and gnome lure it into a nearby building. Caleb and the others can only watch as none of them return but succeed in detonating explosives to drop the apartment complex onto the alien monster.

"You think they got it?"

"I heard it scream after the explosion went off so maybe?"

"Run! Run away! That wasn't a death scream, it was a rage scream!" A kitsune with cream colored tails screams as she flees the ruins before the Rift Herald erupts out of them. Letting the squad leader of that brave squad pass them, the remaining Durandi open fire to slow it down until the LAVs can arrive. At the cost of over five squads they do manage to hold out long enough; a hail of explosive rounds finally downing the alien monster.

"Woo, Durandi are successful yet again. Good job boys." A senior by the name of Samira tells Jessica before they climb down a watch tower.

"Uhh I-I-I don't know about success. Not including the first wave, a dark alien monster from the blackest sun escaped this facility before killing and eating half of us." The malo counters before checking her ammo just in case.

"Look for a standard Durandi op, those are some low casualties." Her senior counters while the remaining students go on a rampage destroying the labs. Back at base, Elise and the other officers notice seismic activity is increasing.

"Oh my God, everyone it turns out that there is a whole colony of Heralds manifesting under there. Immediately evacuate to the nearby air strip where a pilot will be arriving shortly." Everyone's coordinators announce to their teams over the long comms before panic sets in. Seeing the plane approaching, the students have only a few minutes to get on-board or be left behind. "Fucking run boys! Guns on your backs!"

Running outside, Caleb manages like a few other squads to cling to the sides of a passing LAV. Hearing the roars of several Heralds as they emerge, the twin looks up into the approaching blizzard and sees the cargo plane coming in for landing. Once the LAVs stop to cover their retreat, the engineering student quickly hops off and begins to run as fast as he can towards the escape vehicle. Ignoring the sounds of exploding rocks and a screaming halfling as he smacks against the ground in front of him, the freshman is able to board the plane. Seeing Jessica struggling to get inside however as the plane starts to take off, her teammate quickly unbuckles his seat and reaches out to pull her in as the ramp closes.

XxxX

Episode 13 (Season 1 Finale)

"The mission was completed and after that the pilot decided it would be funny to crash." Caleb finishes telling Vex the story before contemplating what to order for lunch. After Jessica orders enough booze for everyone, the others order a double cheeseburger for Caleb, a caesar salad for Elise, and a plate of spaghetti and meatballs for Vex; the others also order refills for their drinks.

"So will you ever tell me what you guys had to do on Christmas?"

"Never, now I hope the other F. M. I. E. members are doing okay. You know what fuck it, I'm changing the name to have the initials F. I. M. E. then I can say it'll be all FIME whenever someone asks." Caleb rambles on before they start to plan out where to buy things. They also use it as a group therapy session to share more old war stories with the yordle.

CNMU

While the Durandi's are busy shopping, Sona and Riven are watering a blue cube. They've chosen a serene location next to a small lake and waterfall, deep in a lush forest and surrounded the building site with love, flowers, sandbags, and traps. Aside from possible future intruders, the traps are also for the various forest animals that have been harassing the two non-humans. After giving their future home it's daily hug, the two are suddenly snatched up by a pack of sabertooths, wampus cats, ball tailed cats, and other mythical felines. While Riven is panicking about being eaten, Sona simply leaves behind a trail of acid burns and slime.

CNMU

The next day, Caleb arrives with his friends only to find the future F. I. M. E. site in ruins. Running up to the blue cube, the Magus and Jessica quickly put their ears to it.

"It says that a bunch of like cat monsters showed up and the two others watching over it." Jessica translates to the others not also trained in Engineering. The twin meanwhile starts to look around and sees some acid burns on a nearby tree.

"Alright, you guys babysit it and make sure it's not scared after what happened. I'm going to find my employee and a special friend." Caleb tells the others before running after the trail of slime based destruction. Figuring this might be one of those, "I need to do this on my own" moments, the others shrug and listen to his demands.

If not for the trail Sona most likely left behind, her partner wouldn't be able to find the direction they were taken; almost as if the forest, if not the planet itself, is covering for the kidnappers. As he crosses over a small brook, the Durandi hears a crashing sound from nearby. Charging his way is a Towering Pairofant who is tearing up even fully grown trees with it's tusk. Running as fast as he can out of it's path, the hired gun comes to realize that the pachyderm isn't just on a wild attack but is a part of a coordinated one. Still rather than turn and fight his instincts tell him not to and instead he continues to let it herd him to where he's supposed to go. Ducking down as various exotic birds and lizards start swooping down aiming for his head, Caleb redirects those he can't with portals. Eventually his chase takes him to a clear in the woods where a pack of mythical felines attack him. Using a Coercion line, the Magus flings it backwards and uses it to fling himself on top of the pursuing pairofant. Utilizing the presumed connection between the creatures, Caleb not only makes the felines hesitate to attack him but also gives him time for his next trick. Pulling out his engineering tool, the Durandi then sets it to emit a sound similar to a cat whistle. This… somewhat works, as it turns out he doesn't know a lot about animals and ends up making a pachyderm whistle instead. Sending the creature beneath him into a frenzy, the twin holds on as tight as he can while the giant starts charging forward.

"Wow buddy! Slow down!" Caleb starts shouting while frantically trying to adjust the sound. His mount however isn't listening, instead it is stopped when the trees and plants before them clump together enough to form a barrier.

"Stupid human! Eddy calm down!" A woman's voice commands from the nearby brush before a trio of massive pakaa burst forth. Their leader is riding the largest of these jungle cats covered in grass green fur and dark green chitinous mask; she is wearing her own mask to match theirs.

"You! You're animals kidnapped my friends and I want to know why?! I also want you to release them to me unharmed." The Magus demands of the Huntress before making sure he is holding tight to Eddy. Gently petting the alien pachyderm, he observes the leader of this makeshift back; from her cloak of grass for camouflage to her dress of pakaa fur.

"Come down here, cowardly human. I have told your kind that they can stay in their cities but that the land would fight back. You intended to settle where you weren't supposed to and paid the price." She growls out at the man before hissing at him and revealing her cat-like features; a pair of large pointed ears and appendages.

"You're beautiful but if you hurt either of them I will destroy your forest." A simple demand and threat yet she is drawn to both the start and his face; a face with eyes of amber turning cool.

"They are my prisoners, human, though my kulpakaa note their taste is strange. Are they poisoned? Some stranger suicidal weapon?" She asks him before he ponders the questions she gave him.

"Sona must have used her human form. They're not humans, one is a slime and the other is a chalkydri. They are my associates and I ask you again to either bring me to them or face consequences." He demands of the local guardian before leaping off of the pairofant's back. Surrounded by animals that would gladly try to rip him apart, he is relieved at the moment that she calls them off.

"Your kind, call me the Kashdaji Queen. While I find the first part offensive, the second part is accurate. My family have been the apex predators of these lands since the first saplings and it is my honor to protect them as well. I will release your allies but in exchange you must fight me. If you fall then I will hunt them until they either die or escape back to the cities I allow." The woman tells Caleb as an ultimatum and makes him consider his position briefly.

"Deal. Know that I don't intend to lose." He warns her before taking his suit jacket and rolling up his sleeves. While taking his hand off his left arm, the mercenary manifests his engineering tool and fires a bolt of plasma at the druid.

Raising her spear up in time to barely block the attack, the queen of the wilds sees that it is barely charred. Looking at the man's face he simply shrugs with a smirk before adjusting the settings to his weapon from flash to bang. Taking an actual shot at the woman now that she's ready, Caleb ends up falling backwards when she rolls out of the way and throws her spear at him. Seeing her prey lying on his back, the druid pulls out a sabertooth knife from her belt and pounces at the man. As the handcrafted weapon nears his face however Caleb sinks into the ground. It is then instinct alone that makes the guardian leap away from where she was as he reemerges to grab her. Landing next to her spear, she takes it up once more and points it at the man.

"You fight well. Not many people would know to jump away, hehe ouch!" Caleb yelps and looks down to see a carnivorous plant biting his leg. While it doesn't immobilize him it does distract him enough for the woman to shapeshift.

Pouncing at her prey, the pack mother pakaa expects to see fear or regret; not a pair of demonic beast hands stopping her. Having her momentum used to throw her away, Caleb still ends up on his back but manages to make some space. When the other animals and plants try to then attack the infernal intruder their queen stops them with a commanding roar. Pouncing towards the invader, she roars once more and surrounds him in a circle of brushes. With his vision obscured, the Magus waits for the Queen to attack him. Suspecting a back attack he swings in anticipation but only hits air. This opens him to being Swiped across the side but he is able to stop her before she can go for the Takedown. Holding her maw opening, he tries to snap her jaw only for her to transform back and throw a javelin at his face; which he catches in his teeth.

"You're not entirely human are you?"

"I am human; I'm pretty sure at least. My buddy messed with my physiology a bit for a school project but I came out human enough. But you must mean my transformation; just a bit of internalizing externalizing like you do." Caleb comments to the woman before changing back and tossing her spear to her. She proceeds to take off her mask to reveal the emerald feline eyes beneath and the long pointed ears on her head.

"If you identify as a human then I don't. That is all we have in common, trespasser. Now, defend yourself or become prey to Nidalee of the Pakaa!" She shouts before rushing towards him with her spear in hand. Summoning his engineering tool, the mercenary reconfigures it to form a hilt shape and from it a bastard sword made of plasma and kinetic energy; he smiles at the correctness of splurging for such an upgrade.

CNMU

A week passes and Caleb's companions are already finishing the foundation of the new headquarters. Hearing the sounds of battle over the horizon suddenly stop on the eighth day, they await the results. It's around mid-afternoon when they sense the approach of the victor and prepare to meet them. Stepping out of the brush covered in cuts and bruises is Nidalee and Caleb.

"You fucked her didn't you?" Jessica bluntly asks her best friend before taking a seat on a nearby bag of cement mix. Summoning a parrot to her side, NIdalee then throws it at the malo's face.

"No we didn't mate. We did cuddle though after fighting for a week and talked it out."

"She's willing to let us stay here and build the HQ but that's it. Also she wants to see other places with us and get to know us. Basically she wants friends ow!" Caleb yelps after the jungle queen slaps him in the arm for being tactless. Rubbing his wound, he walks forward with his new partner to get to know the others.

Weeks then pass, together the group steadily makes the new F. I. M. E. home and eventually make a modest, almost fairytale style manor. When it's finished Nidalee uses her connection to the planet to cover and surround the building in flowers and vines. Sona for her part made sure that the first brick used in construction was the same as the old headquarters as well as the door knob. Riven isn't sure what to add so after making sure the plants get plenty of sunlight, she carves their names into a support pillar. Finally after letting his friends help him create wards and protections for their new home, Caleb uses his engineer's tool to forge a key that makes it a true home befitting F. I. M. E. With the work finally finished, the quartet and their friends decide to have a picnic on a nearby hill with poplar and maple trees for shade.

"So then Jessica asks us the day before if we have five pennies and a brick of C4 .but we thought she was just memeing. Next thing you know we're in a cave with a demon monster she just throws it at him while Caleb is yelling "Crucifix! Crucifix!" at the top of his lungs." Ged finishes telling the story of how they did survival training and earning some laughs. The gazer does make sure to omit the part afterwards where they then skinned the demons to the Magus' chanting to do so.

"This is nice. I like this." Caleb mutters while looking at some of the closest people to him. He wishes Quinn was here but she said she'd stop by soon with the rest of her sentai team. While to the others it may seem like he's just acknowledging the mood, the twin is also admitting something for the rest of his selves. For that is the secret of the Conflation multiverse, a realm built upon the dreams of all other places in the grand multiverse. Should one learn of this fact and say it out loud they would ascend to a being of unfathomable power, but Calebs don't want such things. They just want to be able to be surrounded by their loved ones and allies in times of peace. "This is nice."

XxxX

A/N Thank you for reading all of this insanity which I suppose since most of this was inspired by dreams makes sense. It's kind of a different experience I suppose seeing them all together instead of spread out among the REbooted chapters. If you folks have a request for a prompt you'd like me to try either in the multiverse stories or the other stories feel free to message or contact me somehow. All support is appreciated, happy New Year, I'm always down to discuss things with others, and I hope to see you all soon. : )