April 1st, 1566 ME
"Anti-Mamono Zone" of Floria
Nikolas Mason
As I traveled back to Ashwood Plaza, I reflected on the past few hours. My initial conversation with the single mother and her two children had stuck out the most for me. I knew that the citizens of Floria didn't trust Mamono, but I didn't think it was that bad. I had initially thought that they would be slightly more receptive towards married Mamono, but that clearly wasn't the case. I also recalled trying to introduce a single man to a married Dullahan and make them have a normal conversation. Thirty minutes of trying to convince the man that Mamono were friendly had led to thirty seconds of awkward at best small talk. Afterwards, the man ran back into his house and locked the door, refusing to come back out.
On my third house call, I had done the same thing with a woman, trying to introduce them to a married Jinko. It had lasted more than thirty seconds, but it almost immediately devolved into a screaming match. It reminded me of how Elise talked to Amaya and Delilah. Accusations of corruption, insults, and distrust. Unsurprising given the woman had lived under the Order for her entire life, but it didn't hurt any less.
They refuse to listen. If only these people believed an eighth of what I told them about monsters, their lives would be greatly improved.
I reached Ashwood Plaza, sitting across from the Chief God's statue. Combined with the constant rain and lack of maintenance, it had been significantly worn down. The marble that made up a majority of the statue was either missing chunks, or splotched and dirty. It was sad seeing it like that, despite me turning my back on the Order and the Chief God.
Sitting at the foot of the statue was Amaya, with her disguise gone. Thankfully, there was no one around to see us. The Lilim's expression was a mixture of both sadness and frustration. I hadn't realized that it would've been even harder for her to connect with the anti-mamono citizens, despite her disguise. The words of the mother rung in my ears. The monsters usually take on a female appearance.
Amaya perked up slightly when she saw me, getting up and bounding over to me. Before I could say anything she wrapped her arms, wings and tail tightly around me. "Oh, Nikolas! I'm so glad that you're here!"
"Is something wrong, Amaya?" I asked, reciprocating the multi-limbed hug the best I could. She looked so distressed. A part of me felt guilty for putting her through this, but she needed to experience this.
"Barely anybody would talk to me! I only managed to get three people to open the door to me and they treated me like a pariah! It's like they saw through my disguise!" The Lilim sobbed. "Are me and Delilah really that bad?!"
I patted her on the back to try and calm her down. "What did they say to you?"
"I asked one of them about what they thought about me, and they accused me of being an abomination that was planning on killing everyone… Another one told me that I wasn't needed, and that the Order would've solved everything…" Amaya choked out. "Nikolas, are the laws I made King Emyr enact too harsh?! Did I not give the humans enough protection?!"
"No, Amaya. Those laws were fine. It's just… The Order's lies run deep. These people have been, eating, breathing and living the Chief God's falsehoods. It's all they've ever known their entire lives. Every authority figure has repeated the same thing to them. Monsters are evil. Monsters eat humans." I reassured her, while trying to control my anger myself. It wasn't enough that the Order had to be hostile to almost all monsters, they also had to lie to their citizens about how they behaved. Where did we go so wrong?
Amaya didn't respond, instead laying her head on my shoulder. Her soft, silky hair brushed against my neck, with her black horns rubbing against me all felt very comforting. "...Nikolas… Almost two years ago now, you came to Royal Makai asking for help. I answered your call. I promised to help you make Floria a better place, but I need to ask you something… Did Floria even need Mamono to make it better?"
I stopped to think. Would the Order have been able to stop the riots and unite everyone? No, I concluded. The pro-mamono citizens would've been furious. They knew the truth, and all the Order had to convince them that they were wrong were lies. On the other hand, the anti-mamono citizens refused to believe the truth when it was right outside their door. We did the right thing.
"No. Look on the bright side, at least you stopped the riots. Nobody is getting hurt anymore. The Order wouldn't have been able to do that." I told her, hugging her tighter. "You're better than them."
"But… I thought I was the one causing the riots. The people of Floria were scared of me, that's why they were fighting amongst each other."
"You might've had a part in that. But it was the rumor that King Emyr was surrendering that started everything. That happened even before the Order knew you were here."
Amaya sniffled. "Maybe Delilah was right. If we had just done things Druella's way and turned Floria into a Mamono Realm, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation."
"Maybe. But that would've just made humans even more terrified of us than they are now. The Order would've fully utilized that fear, making us seem worse than we actually are. The way things are right now, people outside of Floria at least know we can coexist. There could be a monster meeting her beloved for the first time at this very moment, because of how we did things." The last part made Amaya grin a little. Her smile was contagious; I was happy seeing her happy.
"When you put it like that, my original plans for this city do seem too extreme. Besides, I don't want to ride off of Druella's coattails." I wiped some of the tears from her face.
"I'm glad you understand." All the talk of morals and doing the right thing reminded me of someone. "If you don't mind, I'll be staying here a bit longer. I have one more thing I need to attend to." I told Amaya.
"What is it?"
"Elise. I need to speak to her about something." The mere mention of my former captain's name made Amaya's smile turn upside down. The Lilim hadn't been pleased to learn that she had broken out of the cave, even though she was about to let Elise leave anyway. The barrier had prevented Elise from leaving the room without a monster's help. Amaya had ordered her troops not to let her escape, which meant someone had disobeyed her.
"About what? I know she's your former captain and you care about her, but I think it would just be better to leave her alone. She hates you enough already."
"I know she hates me but there's a certain someone that she might have information about. Someone that's been suspiciously absent despite everything that's been happening." Amaya didn't probe any further. Instead she nodded, giving me a kiss and flying off towards King Emyr's castle, leaving me alone.
I looked at the map I had brought with me. A red "E" marked Elise's house, a blue "K" marked Kenton's apartment, and a yellow "S" marked Suvina's house. I began heading towards Elise's house, mentally bracing myself for the verbal hellfire she was going to unleash onto me. As I got further and further away from the pro-mamono part of Floria, the streets got even more quiet. The silence was deafening.
I reached Elise's manor. Mentally preparing myself, I knocked on her door. A few seconds passed, then Elise's maid, Amias, opened the door. The woman looked at me for a moment. "Nikolas. I presume you're here to see Elise. Am I right?" She asked, worried.
"That's right. I must talk to her."
"I must warn you, Elise isn't in good shape right now. She barely leaves her room or bathes, and she's been drinking more and more. Whenever I try to talk to her, it's either her asking me for another drink or telling me to go away. I wish you the best of luck. Maybe you could talk some sense into her." Amias warned me.
I shook my head, saddened by Elise's descent. She used to only drink on special occasions. "I'll try my best." I told Amias. The maid stepped aside and let me in.
"Her room is upstairs. Her door has her name printed on it. You can't miss it." Amias pointed to the stairwell. I headed up the stairs, slowly approaching Elise's room. On my way there I noticed a door with the name "Eryn" printed on it. Is Elise neglecting her brother? The thought worried me.
I reached Elise's room and knocked once on her door. "Elise… It's Nikolas. I'm here to talk to you…" I braced myself for her response, only to be met with silence. "Elise? Did you hear me? I need to talk to you about something. I promise I'll be quick, alright?"
The door flung open, revealing Elise. It took all of my willpower not to gasp at her state. Her hair was overgrown and messy. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked like she had barely gotten any sleep. Her breath stank of alcohol. My former captain looked at me for a second, before trying to slam the door in my face. I put my foot in the door, not letting it close.
"Elise, I need help with something! It won't take long!" Elise swung the door open again, glaring furiously at me.
"The nerve of you to betray your friends, and then come asking for help. I can't believe we were ever friends." She growled angrily. My former captain doubled her efforts to shut me out of her room.
"I want to know where Kenton and Suvina are. Have you seen them recently?" I got straight to the point. Surely, they had visited her at some point.
Elise's eyes widened when she heard Kenton's name, then she began laughing bitterly. Her laughter then broke down into crying, and then quiet sobbing. I just watched, not knowing what to do. "You want to know where Kenton is?" She asked quietly once she calmed down.
"Yes, I do. Is he okay?"
"No, he's not okay. He's dead, Nikolas. He killed himself. All because nobody was there to help him in his time of need." Elise choked out. "He's gone. It's all our fault."
My heart sank. "No. Kenton didn't. He couldn't have…"
"He did." Elise retreated to the back of her room, grabbing a piece of paper and showing it to me. "Look at what he left me. Read it." She ordered.
I took the paper from her and began to read it. My eyes widened. It was a suicide note, signed with Kenton's name. He talked of not being able to fix things on his own, and how I had abandoned him. I thought back to our last conversation together. Looking back, I wished I had done things differently. Convinced him that I was right rather than belittling him for being wrong.
I wanted to talk to him. Convince him that Mamono aren't evil.
"I bet you're feeling regretful." Elise spat at me. "The two of us were all he had after his parents were monsterized. You abandoned him for the very beings that made him an orphan. How does that make you feel, Nikolas? Maybe he would've still been here if you hadn't betrayed us! If you hadn't stabbed me in the middle of the forest, I would've been there for him!"
"I…I didn't mean for this to happen… I just wanted to help Floria." I said quietly.
"Help? Well, almost half of Floria is too afraid to come out of their homes. You're doing a piss poor job of helping. Maybe you should reconsider if Floria even needed your help in the first place."
"It did! Floria was being torn apart by its own citizens. The King told me that the Order refused to help!" I retorted.
"Refused to help?" Elise laughed ruefully. "Or maybe, he was just a fucking turncoat that thinks the Order can't help, and thinks that monsters are sooooo much better than us. The damn traitor barely even gave us the chance to leave before the monsters came. Look at what good he did for this place."
There was a long period of silence as the two of us just looked at each other. Elise trudged over to her desk, grabbing a half empty glass of wine and downing it in one gulp. She looked nothing like the organized, proper, and intelligent woman I knew her as, instead resembling a homeless drunk. It was disheartening to see her like this, despite our numerous moral disagreements.
"...What about Suvina?" I asked, trying to change the subject. "Have you seen her lately?"
"Nope. Last time I saw her was when we captured the Ratatoskr. For all I know, she just packed her bags and vanished from Floria. Can't trust anyone these days." Elise grumbled. "All I know is that she wasn't there for Kenton, just like you. At least she didn't stay here and fuck things up further, unlike someone."
What a horrid turn of events this was. Kenton had committed suicide and Suvina had vanished from Floria. Yet, something didn't add up. Kenton was a dedicated follower of the Chief God, yet committing suicide was against the Chief God's teachings. I decided to tell Elise. Maybe it would improve her mood.
"Elise. I think Kenton might be alive." Elise immediately turned towards me with a shocked expression on her face. A few seconds later she went back to staring at the ground, shaking her head in disbelief. "Think of it." I continued. "Kenton follows the Chief God closely. Committing suicide is against her teachings. Why would he disobey her?"
Elise's eye narrowed. "It's not unheard of for followers of the Chief God to commit suicide. Besides, the amount of stress caused by nobody being there for him might have pushed him over the edge."
"Regardless," I continued. "There's a chance he might be alive. A small one, but a chance nonetheless. If you see him I want you to tell me-" The last part of my sentence seemed to anger Elise immensely. She walked over to me and punched me hard in the jaw, sending me sprawling to the ground.
"I am not telling you anything, you goddamn scumbag. If Kenton is alive, emphasis on 'if', he'll be staying with me. He doesn't deserve to listen to all your bullshit about how monsters actually love us." Elise retorted as she stood over me. I got up, rubbing my jaw.
"Listen. If he is alive right now, who knows what he could be doing. He could be plotting a rebellion. The fact that a bunch of Floria's heroes and nobles went missing after the integration can't be a coincidence." I paced back and forth around the room. Elise sighed and shook her head.
"If he was planning a rebellion, why didn't he invite me, then?" Elise questioned. "As for the heroes and nobles? Probably dragged away by your monsters, never to be seen again." I stopped. She had a point. Elise would have been a valuable asset for any rebellion Kenton might be planning.
I must investigate this further with Amaya and Delilah.
"I need to go." I announced, heading towards the door.
"Good riddance, old 'friend'." Elise sat back down at her desk. "Make yourself useful and tell Amias to bring me another drink." I didn't grace her request with an answer, slamming the door behind her. A muffled "Fuck you too" came from her room. It would be better if she was forced to get a drink herself. Maybe then Amias would confront her about her behavior. Passing by the maid, I waved her goodbye and exited the manor. While I was talking to Elise, the rain had started back up, drenching my clothing.
"Fantastic." I mumbled. I quickly took shelter from the pouring rain and viewed my map. My next stop would be Kenton's apartment. Maybe there, I could find some clues on his whereabouts, if he was even alive. I gathered my magic and created a small barrier above my head to protect myself from the rain, and began traveling towards Kenton's apartment. As I traversed the anti-mamono zone of Floria, the rain simply got more intense. It made me wonder if a Ryu had immigrated to Floria.
A few minutes later I arrived at my former ally's apartment. I tried the door, only for it to be locked. I looked around. Breaking the door down was something I could easily do, but that would attract the attention of the guards, and I didn't feel like dealing with that. Instead, I gathered my magic to cast an unlocking spell on the door. The lock clicked open, revealing Kenton's room.
The room was dark but well-maintained and clean, a far cry from what I was expecting. He had made his bed before he had left, and the floors looked spotless. Opening Kenton's wardrobe revealed a few extra pairs of pants and shirts. I sighed, disappointed. Half of me was expecting some big clue leading to his whereabouts. I searched his living room, finding nothing as well. In an act of pure desperation I began rooting around his trash can, only to find nothing there as well. I sighed and exited through the window that I came through.
I telepathically called out for Amaya to pick me up. As I waited for her, I tried to make some sort of conclusion. The fact that Kenton had left the window open and his room clean had to mean something. I just didn't know what.
April 5th, 1566 ME
"Anti-Mamono Zone" of Floria
Elise Maxwell
My head was screaming for a drink. My hands were sweaty and shook constantly. Amias had refused my requests for a drink. Damn it! Can't she see that I'm suffering!? I need this! My room had quickly regressed to its unclean state and even worse. For once I was glad that I didn't have a job anymore. There wouldn't be a chance in hell I would be able to focus on anything. I laid down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.
"I'm sorry Kenton. I'm so, so, sorry. You didn't deserve any of this. I wish I was there for you." I said out loud, my voice raspy from barely talking. "Maybe the two of us could've done something. A Lilim and a Malef Dragon…" I let out a choked laugh. "I say the two of us would've curbstomped those monsters together… If only we hadn't been betrayed by one of our own…"
A buried memory of me and Nikolas together resurfaced. Years ago when we were still friends, I had proposed to him. He had declined, saying he was interested in someone else. I was upset at the time. I let out a laugh. "Who knows what would've happened if he had said yes that day… He's the last person I would have kids with."
The thought was hilarious. It was so hilarious that I kept laughing for a full twenty seconds. I didn't want to stop laughing. It helped me focus on something other than my splitting headache. But alas, I couldn't do that forever. I stumbled out of bed and out of my room for the first time today, not even bothering to clean myself up. Thankfully, I didn't run into Amias or any other maids on my way down to the cellar. If Amias saw me in the state I was in, she would probably be furious.
I grabbed one of the small beer bottles off the shelf and immediately began chugging down. A minute or two after I finished the beverage I felt calmer. The tremors and shaking stopped, at least for the time being. I felt great. Amazing, in fact. I felt like a starving animal that had just stumbled across a five course meal in the middle of the forest.
I temporarily snapped out of my euphoria when I heard someone coming downstairs. I quickly hid and waited for the person to leave. To my horror, it was Amias. She began to take the bottles off of the shelves, placing them in a box. After all of the bottles had been confiscated she took them upstairs. The bitch had just taken away the closest source of drinks to my room.
Well, how the fuck am I going to satisfy myself now? I wondered. Then, I remembered something. The Satyros at the bar. She had said that the drinks wouldn't cause monsterization. I can trust her. If she says it won't it probably won't!
Once I was sure the coast was clear I snuck out of the cellar and out the door. I was halfway down the road when I realized I hadn't put on my eyepatch, but I couldn't be bothered to go back and get it. I'd probably be fine without it. Amongst all of the freaks with tentacles, wings, and horns walking around Floria right now a woman with a scratched out eye wouldn't be weird.
I passed by the church of the Fallen God that I had visited the day before. Even in my tipsy state I knew it was a bad idea to go in there. I wasn't sure I would be able to escape in the state I was in. On closer observation however, I noticed that something. The stained glass windows that had depicted saints being straddled and ridden by dark angels and valkyries had gigantic holes in them. I cautiously peered through the window and saw a large rock sitting in a pile of glass shards.
That's poetic. The priests would probably have it repaired by tomorrow, but I respected the dedication nonetheless.
In my peripheral vision, I saw someone dart around a corner, too fast for me to get a good look at their face. But I didn't care. The Satyros bar was only a block away. I could hear the drinks calling my name. I quickened my pace, pushing past a werewolf and her husband going the opposite direction, refusing to stop. The canine monster snarled in irritation and held up a single furry finger in my direction.
I burst into the Satyros's bar, nearly tearing the door off its hinges. The Satyros from yesterday came over to me. "Oh. It's you again. Are you going to actually buy something this time?" She asked, able to recognize me without my eyepatch.
"YEAH! I am!" I shouted, much louder than I had intended. I was excited. "Give me that drink from Royal Makeye or whatever it's called!"
The Satyros seemed stunned at my sudden change of tone. "There's no need to shout ma'am. Also, it's Royal Makai, not makeye. What a change in tone…" She mumbled under her breath. She grabbed the same crimson red bottle and poured me a glass. I immediately drank it all, relishing the feeling. I hadn't felt this alive in a long time.
I threw some coins haphazardly onto the bar. "Another!"
"Another!"
"Another…"
"A…"
"..."
It felt like hours had passed by in a second. I found myself in a random alleyway, laying face down in the dirt. My head was spinning, and it felt like my surroundings were melting. I tried to get to my feet but failed, falling back down. Grabbing onto a nearby trash can, I managed to get to my feet but immediately fell down again. I heard footsteps coming into the alleyway, stopping right in front of me. I looked up, and saw… Kenton?
My mind raced. He was alive. "Kenton?!"
The man shook his head. "Sorry lady, that isn't my name." And just like that, all of my hopes were dashed. The man bent down and helped me to my feet, and I got a good look at him. He looked shockingly similar to Kenton, being slightly shorter and having black hair as opposed to brown. He wore a plainly designed red shirt and dark brown jacket, with gray pants. "I saw you passed out and decided I'd help. It's getting dark out." The man looked around nervously.
"I can walk on my own."
The stranger shook his head again. He threw my left arm around his shoulder. "I don't think so. Hold on to me."
The two of us slowly walked out of the alleyway. Some of the monsters that were still outside gave my new companion hungry looks, prompting him to walk faster. I did my best to keep up with him, but my feet still dragged. "Where are we going?" I asked.
"My home. I assume you don't have one?"
"How rude of you! I am a well-respected hero… Or I used to be. I don't know anymore. But I have a house. We can walk there together and then you can drop me off." I explained. It felt somewhat insulting that he thought I was homeless, but as I took a look at the shape of my clothing, I could see why he thought that.
The man's eyes widened. "You're a hero? Really?" He exclaimed, surprised. "Heroes usually don't get so drunk that they pass out in the middle of an alleyway in a city full of monsters. You're lucky no Demon or Succubus decided to monsterize you while you were out cold."
A chill went down my spine. The thought of passing out as a human and waking up as a monster felt terrifying. It would be like dying while sleeping and being replaced with a doppelganger. My drunkenness had put me in serious danger. "Oh…"
"Yeah. You've got to be careful around these parts. I took a huge risk coming out this late just to help you. The more aggressive monsters start hunting around this hour, and the guards aren't always able to stop them." My companion looked around once more, urging me to go quicker. I recalled the Dullahan from yesterday stopping the Hellhound.
I'm stunned there's even guards. I assumed Amaya and Delilah convinced King Emyr to let the monsters rape whoever they want. I guess they care about their laws, to some extent.
"My house is over there." I pointed towards the manor. My heart sank as I realized I would have to deal with Amias, who was likely furious that I was out drinking the entire day. I knew I had a problem but if I stopped drinking I would have even more problems. The two of us stopped on the front porch's stairs, taking a breather.
"Well. I'll be leaving now. Don't want to spend too much time outside with monsters prowling about. You should get some rest and maybe lay off the bottle for a day or two." The man said after a few seconds. He got up and began to leave.
"Wait!" I yelled out. "I just realized. We never introduced ourselves. My name is Elise."
"Christos. Christos Torres. Nice to meet you, Elise." Christos said before walking off, disappearing around a corner. Somehow, I found myself worrying for his safety.
If only my sword wasn't corrupted.
After a few minutes of just staring into nothingness, I entered the house. By some miracle, Amias wasn't here. It had probably gotten so late that she got tired of waiting for me and went to bed. Either way, I was thankful. I quickly went upstairs and headed to my room, but someone was blocking the hallway. Sitting on a chair was Eryn, looking displeased with me.
"Eryn?"
"Elise, we need to talk. Amias and I are worried about you." His voice was uncharacteristically stern.
"I've heard this talk already from Amias. You don't need to repeat it." I was tired. I wanted to go to bed.
"Oh no, I feel like I need to repeat it because you don't seem to be getting the message. You need help. So, therefore, me and Amias have put aside our fear of monsters, and hired someone to help you for completely free. A Bogey, they're called. One that specializes in therapy."
"How is a monster supposed to understand how I feel?! They're the ones that are responsible for everything!" I snapped at Eryn, harder than I should've. He seemed unfazed by my tone, continuing to talk.
"I've scheduled for her to meet you tomorrow. Be ready." My brother said, mimicking what I had said to him yesterday. That was the last straw. I walked past him, throwing open the door to my room and slamming it shut behind me. Not bothering to take off my clothes, I fell down on the bed, almost instantly passing out.
April 6th, 1566 ME
Hidden Order Safehouse
Valerie Lockhart
I brushed my orange hair in front of the mirror, reflecting on the events of the past few days. The past week had barely left any time to rest but I had pushed through. From outside the tiny bathroom I heard people talking to each other. Mixed in was the clanging and jingling of armor. I exited the bathroom and looked upon the resistance me and my new ally had built up.
I didn't even really need to do this. I could've used my endless connections to call in an army of the Order's finest to liberate Floria from the monsters, but my ally had insisted on doing this. He had said that a massive battle would attract too many monsters, and keeping things contained would be better. I saw his logic, and so the two of us decided on a more quiet approach. One of my new allies, an Elf scout by the name of Kirsten, came over to me. She took off her forest-green hood, revealing tied back, short blonde hair and green eyes, looking similar to Elise.
We had only known each other for a week or so but the two of us immediately sympathized with each other. The elf had been living alone in the forests outside of Floria, hunting and trading for supplies with the Order. When the surrender deal had happened, the forests became too dangerous to live in for her. She had joined us, in hopes of restoring the status quo.
"Hey, Miss Lockhart. Didn't know you liked looking at yourself in the mirror so much." She teased.
"I need to be in perfect condition for the Resistance." I explained. If the leader of a group took care of themselves, the people they led would likely follow suit.
"You looked fine before."
"Fine isn't enough, Kirsten."
"Whatever. Where has your friend been?" Kirsten looked around. "Haven't seen him around for a while."
"He's been in the basement for a long time now. Whatever he's doing down there is keeping him quite occupied." Kirsten replied, pointing me towards the basement of the safehouse. "He dragged something down there earlier today, mumbling about how he needed to educate someone."
"I see. I'll go check on him now." Kirsten nodded and the two of us separated. Kirsten rejoined her fellow Resistance fighters, while I headed down to the basement.
Opening the large metal door and slamming it shut behind me, it was shocking how quiet it became. The din of my allies almost completely died out. My footsteps were deafening, as were the voices of my friend downstairs. I eventually reached the bottom. The basement was sparsely decorated, almost unfinished looking. Exposed wood beams and cobblestone walls surrounded us. In the middle of the room, was a single chair bolted to the floor with someone chained to it with a bag on their heads. Next to them was Kenton, circling around them like a coyote.
"...What would Elise think of you if she learned that you were doing this to me? Did she not tell you to respect your allies?!" The voice yelled. Even with the bag above their heads I could detect traces of anger and fear in her voice.
"Think of it this way. Elise told us to look out for each other. So as your ally, I'm going to make sure to set you back on the right path. No more frolicking with monsters, no more disrespecting the Chief God." Kenton replied. He took something out of his pocket. "No matter the cost. I'm just looking out for you, Suvina."
The woman, apparently named Suvina, began thrashing around violently in her chair, desperately trying to escape, all while insulting and belittling Kenton. He punched her in the head and grabbed her by the neck. He turned around, briefly acknowledging my presence before going back to interrogating Suvina.
"Do you know how sickening it feels, to spend years protecting something, only for the people you thought you could trust to sell out to the very threat you were protecting them from? You have no idea how furious I was when I learned you and Nikolas betrayed us. The last time I had been that upset was when I learned my mother had been corrupted. But unlike Nikolas, you can still turn back. You have a chance at redemption, to do the right thing. All you have to do is join us."
"Go to hell, Kenton." Was all Suvina said to him. Kenton let out a sad sigh.
"Alright then. If you're so insistent on doing things the hard way, we'll do things the hard way." Kenton turned towards me. "Ah. Hello, Valerie."
"Hello." I gestured towards Suvina. "Fellow teammate of yours?"
"Former, more like it. Caught the coward trying to flee from the city. Can you believe that? She has the power to make things better, yet she instead runs away." Kenton shook his head in disgust. "Despicable. Absolutely despicable. I had to rough her up a little. She'll be a valuable asset to the Resistance if she cooperates."
"I see. But why not try to get Elise to join us, rather than Suvina? She'd be much more likely to sympathize with our cause."
"I was going to." Kenton's expression darkened. "But about a little over a week ago, I saw her walking with a Lizardman. She even let the monster into her house. My spies have been observing her ever since. I like to believe that she hasn't betrayed the Order, but considering past events, we can't rule that possibility out."
"The spies have informed me already. Your faked death has had some… worrying effects on her mental state, the spies told me. She's been drinking heavily for the past few days. In addition to that, she's been… strangely apathetic to everything that's happening around her. She barely even leaves her house anymore." I explained. "The Lizardman hasn't shown herself since the twenty-sixth either. Still, hold off and observe her for a few more days to be safe."
"Understood. In the meantime, I need to convince Suvina to come over to our side." Suvina began thrashing around again, muffled yells coming from underneath the bag.
"Actually, we need to review our plans for the eleventh of April again. There's some changes I made to your initial plan." I said before beginning to walk back upstairs. "Suvina can wait, she's clearly not going anywhere. Get some guards to keep her from escaping and head to the conference room." I ordered Kenton.
"Affirmative." Kenton replied. He began speaking directly into Suvina's ear. "You got off lucky this time. I'll be back down here soon, and you'll be getting double the torture."
"If you're willing to wait a few days, I could give her something that would make her comply if that would help." I offered. The best scientists in the Order would likely have something to speed along the process while keeping her body intact.
"That would be good." Suvina desperately shook her head no, but none of us heeded her concerns. The two of us left the basement and headed to the conference room.
Inside, two more of our allies were waiting, a hero and a mage, both twins. The twins immediately stood up from the chairs when they saw me and saluted. I nodded, acknowledging their presence, before beckoning them to sit down again. Kirsten entered the room as well, sitting next to them.
"Annette." I addressed the mage. "Have you placed the teleportation circle in King Emyr's castle?"
"Yes I have, Miss Lockhart. The room has been soundproofed and hidden from sight, just as you ordered. The King and his disgusting cohorts will not see us coming." The mage proudly announced.
"Good. Now, I don't think I need to remind you all what the eleventh of April means to monsters." Annette's brother, Andreas, raised his hand.
"I don't. Care to explain, Miss Lockhart?" I sighed in annoyance.
"The eleventh of April is what monsters call, 'Ascension Day'. It's the day that the Mamono Lord spread her energy around the world and changed all monsters into what they are right now. Now, our spies have informed us that Amaya, Delilah, Nikolas, and King Emyr will be celebrating Ascension Day at this location, along with several of their allies." I took a folded up map of the Florian Castle out of my coat and placed it on the table, pointing at a large, rectangular room. "We will attack at an hour before midnight; Amaya and Delilah will be busy having sex with their husbands, so they will not see us coming."
"I've been waiting a long time to do this." Kenton exclaimed, no doubt excited to teach his former teammate a lesson.
"So have I. Never liked the King. There's always been something fishy about him." Andreas responded, Annette nodding along.
"Good to see all of you are motivated. "Annette, Andreas, you will deal with Delilah and the King. King Emyr may be an incubus but he has no combat experience, so Delilah will be the only real threat. Kenton and Kirsten will be responsible for Amaya and Delilah."
"What about you, Miss Lockhart?" Kirsten asked.
"I will be on standby to teleport you out of there in case you succeed, or things go south. It is regrettable that I won't be able to join you all, but the Chief God's High Council has deemed me too valuable to lose." I explained. I had asked my fellow council members if I could accompany my newfound allies on their mission only to be rejected. It was upsetting, but understandable. "If you need to escape, simply say 'Abort' and I will teleport you back."
"Now, for the actual plan of attack. Annette, show us the entry points." Annette took a pen and drew two arrows facing into two rooms, one labeled with the name 'Amaya' and the other labeled 'Delilah'.
"The arrows point to a large window facing the beds, where Amaya and Delilah no doubt will be… fornicating with their husbands. I trust all of you know how to use sensory overload spells?" Everyone nodded their heads. "You will overload their senses, then go in for the kill. They no doubt will survive the first hit, but the spell will give you a much needed edge in the fight."
"One more thing. Follow me to the armory." I got up and exited the room with everyone following behind me. Entering the armory, I pulled four green coats off of a shelf and gave one out to the group.
"Coats? For what?" Kenton asked.
"These are not any ordinary coats. They hide your spirit energy. Amaya and Delilah are capable of sensing energy, so wear these at all times if you want to get the drop on them." I explained. "Anyways, that will be all for now. Train for the eleventh, you will need all the practice you can get. In the meantime, I must make a trip to Olisvine." Everyone nodded, exiting the armory and fanning out around the safehouse.
I headed towards my room, containing a teleportation circle that led directly to the Order's Capital. It turns out I would be visiting my fellow council members again sooner than I expected.