"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

With night setting over the Outlands, the remains of the Broken Glass Alchemical Company took their carriage outside the boundaries of Skeleton Water and set up camp to discuss their next course of action. Or, more accurately, Caractacus brewed some tea over the campfire while Phoebe screamed into his ears. Magni awkwardly sat off to the side as the Aipom went off on the arrogant scientist.

"I leave you alone with them for like…what, an hour?! I leave you alone for one hour, and I find that you sold off my friend and my barely-an-acquaintance over a stupid duel?!"

Caractacus rubbed his ear before shooting her a glare. "Well, if you had a problem with it, you should've spoke up sooner."

"I was LITERALLY not with you!"

"Well, that's your fault, not mine."

"GAH!" Phoebe pulled on her fur as she stomped through the campsite. "Fucking fuck fucker fucking…FUCK!"

"You really need to expand your vocabulary," Caractacus advised. "You sound like an uneducated twelve-year-old trying to act mature."

She growled. "I would strangle you if I could!"

He sighed. "Will you relax? We have a few days to come up with a plan."

"What plan? If Lord Rimmer even assumes you try something sneaky, he'll execute Lamecaster on the spot while serenading both our executions. There's no way out of this."

"I'm referring to your inevitable victory against him."

She laughed bitterly. "Oh, really? Great! I'll just warm up my rifle while he sings about my death! You saw what he did to Lamecaster! What am I supposed to do? I'm armed with a knife, a gun, and ten tons of sass! Those won't help me in this scenario!"

Caractacus sighed. "You are so negative."

"And you're a pain in the ass!"

"I'm being an optimist. Thanks to Lancaster's spectacular defeat, I was able to analyze Amadeus' technique and determine the components that make it work."

She scowled. "Oh? And what's your conclusion?"

"You're screwed."

"I ALREADY SAID THAT, ASSHOLE!"

Caractacus rolled his eyes. "The problem is that it operates by way of sound. It's not a normal attack. It'll automatically home in on anything within the song's range and cut them down. You can't dodge it so long as you're listening to the song." He glared at her. "I did, however, notice something during that irritating sonic blast he pulled."

Phoebe relaxed her arms and glared. "What?"

"You weren't nearly as affected by it. We were all writhing in pain, but you seem mildly irritated at worst."

"…" Phoebe looked aside.

"You lived in this town at some point, and you seem to know something about Amadeus Rimmer. If you want any chance of winning Evelot and Lancaster's freedoms back, you best tell me what you know about his technique."

She turned her back to him and huffed. "What's the point?"

"You're the one offering herself up as tribute. You tell me what the point is."

"Ugh." She pulled on her ears and continued pacing around the campfire. "I wouldn't nearly have as much of a problem dueling him if it weren't for the fact he was a Deadly Seven. No, scratch that, had I known he was stronger than those two dimwits back in the gorge. Meanwhile, you're treating this like some game just because your life isn't at stake!"

Caractacus shrugged. "Can't be helped. After the damage I took, I vowed never to let anyone hurt me again." He groaned and massaged his ear. "Though, that sonic blast was hardly appreciated. I'll make a note to modify my Negative Space to nullify sound next time."

Phoebe collapsed onto the ground and covered her face. "So stupid. I promised to protect Evelot, and now this happens. Ugh, what was I thinking? I'm not equipped to fight opponents like this. I'm a schemer, not a brawler!"

Magni lifted his head. "Can't…run away anymore."

"Ugh, I know, I know! It's still stupid…"

Caractacus crossed his forelegs and huffed. "Getting angry won't solve anything. Perhaps for today, we get some sleep and try to come up with a plan in the morning."

"…Yeah. Yeah, get some sleep. Right." She stood up and walked away from the carriage. "I need to cool off for a moment. I'll be inside later."

Caractacus stood up. "I'll prepare your bed for the night." He made his way inside the carriage, slamming the door behind him.

Magni stared wearily at Phoebe as she walked deeper into the vast stretches of desert. He sighed before curling himself back up. "Friends angry…"

With the privacy of the carriage to himself, Caractacus dug under a secret compartment in the floor and pulled out the hidden ancient cube, Alpha. He placed it on the dining table and checked its sides for any changes.

He squinted, noticing that the lights that once promptly blinked on the engraved eyes had since gone cold.

"Burkhard's not too far out of range, and Magni's just outside." He scratched his chin. "And Lancaster was with me when I was experimenting on you, and you showed no signs of reacting to his presence. That means…are you perhaps reacting to Evelot Faucher?"

He reclined back into the kitchen booth and crossed his forelegs, examining the cube as his mind raced with questions. With his discovery that one of the company was reacting with Alpha's power source, it implied some kind of connection. The problem was discerning the origin of that connection and what it meant. However, even he didn't know the full might of Alpha's secrets.

That being said…

"The Fauchers have been in contact with similar constructs. Could it concern their research?" He folded his paws under his chin and leaned on the table. "Logos. What secrets do you carry? What ancient creatures discovered the truth behind your power?"

It was almost unnerving staring into the eyes of the cube, feeling as if it was staring back at him.

"Would you only reveal your secrets to Evelot Faucher?" Caractacus asked. "Or is it that you don't trust me?"

He didn't expect a response from the cube, though it made a good companion for idle conversation. It kept the senses active in his isolation.

"…Heh." He picked it up between his paws. "Is this the art of friendship? Not my specialty, but I try and treat you right, dear Alpha. All I desire is knowledge. I want to know what the ancient legend of Logos was really about." He sighed and set it back down. "But not something to be uncovered in a night."

He stepped away from the table and headed to the rest area to make up the beds. I'll need to run more tests without alerting Evelot Faucher, at least once we've recovered her.

With his back turned to the cube, he failed to spot the brief shine of the cube's eyes glimmering at him.

"You REALLY wanted to kill him, didn't you?"

Phoebe grimaced, feeling the weight of Cracked Phoebe atop her shoulders. "I can't think with you breathing down my neck."

The bloodstained hallucination leapt from her shoulders and landed in front of her counterpart. "Why are you wasting your time with this pointless duel? Who cares if Amos dies and Faucher gets taken away? You don't need anyone. They'll turn on you eventually. Why would anyone need you in their life?"

Phoebe walked around her, marching to a pile of snow. She turned and collapsed back into it, letting it cool down her boiling blood. She growled from the biting cold before relaxing into it. "Why won't you leave me alone?"

Cracked Phoebe kneeled over her. "No matter how fast you run, you'll never outrun your own shadow. Your father taught you that a long time ago."

"This part of me isn't me."

"What you just said is a contradiction. How can it not be you when it IS a part of you?" The visage snickered. "Everyone has a little something in them they don't want the rest of the world to see, so we have to suppress it. You don't want Evelot seeing the true savage that you really are. You resent her optimism, so much so that you've had thoughts of hanging yourself or bleeding yourself out in a bathtub to get the point across. You can't deny your own nihilism."

"It's not nihilism."

Cracked Phoebe smirked. "Then what is the nature of our relationship?"

"Parasitic."

"You're so cruel." She sat down beside the Aipom and laughed. "Look, you know you can't beat Lord Rimmer. Then again, maybe it won't be such a bad thing. You can go back to being the murderous little monkey you were raised to be. No more morals and high ground to hold you back. Become a single-minded killer just like your father, and you'll never have to feel conflicted about anything ever again. Just give into the bloodlust. Let yourself drown in it."

Phoebe closed her eyes and growled. "I'm. Not. Hearing. This."

"Heh. You're so pathetic. No matter which route you take, one thing is for certain: you can't live without me." The bloody visage's laughter echoed through Phoebe's mind as she vanished along an imaginary gust of wind.

"…" Phoebe finally released her held breath and glared at the murky night sky. "I really hate myself."

10th Rebirth Moon, 908 – Skeleton Water, Morning

Two guards opened the door to the town jailhouse, letting Amadeus through. The fancy Kricketune stepped lightly with his arms tucked behind his back, approaching the far cell in the back. Two more guards stood watch by the cell, keeping an eye on their special guests.

Though defeated and firmly at his mercy, Amadeus knew to be wary of whatever tricks an outsider could bring. Amos had his pincer and stinger confiscated once his guards figured out how to safely remove them, and Evelot was left with her medical supplies only by the grace that they couldn't access her shadow storage. Even so, she wasn't the main threat.

As of now, I remain in control. I will not allow anything they do to catch me off guard.

He stopped before the cell and faced inside. "Good morning, Lancaster. Faucher. How did you both sleep last—"

Laying still inside the cell, completely catching Amadeus off guard, was poor Amos wrapped tightly in a thick padding of gauze with only his eyes visible underneath. His eyes visibly twitched underneath the cumbersome bandages while Evelot sat off to the side shaking with suppressed giggles.

It took all of Amadeus' willpower not to break his stoic expression, though his mustache noticeably lifted from a sharp gasp that nearly turned to laughter. After regaining his composure, he cleared his throat and said, "Y-You are looking well, Lancaster."

Amos glared. "Fuck you…"

"I wasn't aware your injuries were that bad, though very few survive after a duel with me. I rarely see the repercussions of my attacks in the long term." He bowed. "I would've taken the merciful route of executing you to spare the pain, but your companion has taken the liberty of winning back your freedom."

Amos rolled his eyes. "Lucky me…"

Evelot stood up. "I-Is Phoebe okay?"

Amadeus bowed again. "Ms. Burkhard, Mr. MacGyver, and your steed are just outside the town. Our duel will commence in two days, though I see little reason to get your hopes up. I have a schedule to keep."

Amos shuffled to the back wall and propped himself up against it. "Tch. Why are you bothering us?"

"Perhaps to make a deal." Amadeus leaned closer to the bars. "Your friend has no chance of beating me. It'd be best if she gave up and put aside this foolishness, but she's the stubborn type. She won't give into my demands so easily. The concerns of a friend, however, might keep her from going down unnecessary paths."

Evelot's eyes widened. "You're asking us to convince her to drop the duel?!"

"Under the condition we carry out our original deal. Your departure to Cain Underhill…and your departure to the afterlife."

Amos scoffed. "First off, the monkey's not my friend. She's an irritating thorn in my side. Secondly, I'm not making deals with the asshole who nearly sliced me to ribbons. If she gets herself killed trying to prove something, by all means. I don't give a shit."

Evelot gasped. "Ammo! That's mean!"

Amadeus laughed softly. "What a cold heart. Have you no understanding of sympathy?"

Amos scowled. "Have you no understanding of how much of a pain in the ass you are? Why are you even wasting our time with this shit? You made it clear yourself you could defeat her, right?"

"I rather not spread anymore unnecessary bloodshed."

"…Uh huh. Sure."

The lord sighed. "So uncivilized." He stepped away from the bars and walked back to the exit. As he left, he said, "If you wish to see the light of day again, you best hope she doesn't run away. It's in her nature…as a demon."

Amos made no comment as the jailhouse door slammed shut. He stifled a groan and tried to relax against the wall as the guards went back to their posts. Evelot awkwardly shuffled back to the Gligar's side and plopped herself down, nervously fiddling her hands together.

"…M-Maybe I could use Phantom Force to—" she whispered, but Amos shushed her.

"This entire building is surrounded, and I'm in no condition to fight. That's why neither of us are drugged. He knows we can't get far." He closed his eyes and sighed. "All we can do is wait for Burkhard to rescue us."

"…" Evelot looked aside. "I'm surprised."

"Hmm?"

"You're placing a lot of trust in her rescuing us."

He scoffed. "She better, or I'll haunt her until she's old and gray!"

She groaned. "Annnnd there it is."

"…Still—" Evelot's eyes widened as Amos readjusted his sitting position. "She was clearly unnerved about coming to this place, and he called her a demon for some reason. She lived here, didn't she?"

"…" Evelot looked down at the floor.

"…You knew she lived here, didn't you?"

"…" She scratched behind her head. "I…I didn't want to say anything. Phoebe doesn't talk much about herself. The bits and pieces she did tell me were…obviously censored for my sake."

"Hmph. So, what do you know?"

"Only that if my parents hadn't taken her in as an assistant, we would've found a dead Aipom wasting away in our garbage." She sighed and gazed sadly at the ceiling. "You wouldn't think so from looking at her, but…I think Phoebe was suicidal at one point. I think she's tried to take her own life several times before meeting me. She…never goes through with it, though. I don't know the details, but I kind of guessed from her dour attitude back then. She's gotten better, but there's still that anguish inside her."

Amos glared softly. "No wonder she was so desperate to save you back then. You're the only friend she ever had."

"Yeah…"

"Do you think she'll be able to win?"

"Phoebe is strong. She's clever. She's…unrelenting." Evelot wiped her teary eyes. "But I don't know if she'll be strong enough to beat Amadeus. Not after what we witnessed. We're entering dangerous territory going up against the Deadly Seven. We've finally encroached on the upper rings of their mountain, and we can't contend against its wild fury."

Amos rolled his eyes. "Okay, spare me the dramatics. I get it, we're in way over our heads with these guys. Not like I'm doing this thinking I won't lose more than my pincer and stinger."

Evelot narrowed her eyes. "So, why do you trust that Phoebe will win?"

"Tch. Why else? She's a bitch who'll kill anything that looks at her funny."

"Amos, that's mean…"

"…" He sighed and leaned his head back. "Above all else, what other choice do I have? I'm dead either way, so I might as well put some faith in her skills. Not like it's totally baseless. She has the cleverness to pull off a win. That much I do know."

"…" Evelot closed her eyes in a gleeful expression. "Aww, you two are becoming friends~!"

"Tch. As if." He shook his head and glared at the cell bars. "But regardless, I know she'll find a way to win."

"I have no fucking idea how I'm going to beat Amadeus!"

Caractacus and Magni sat in front of the carriage, grimacing as they watched Phoebe draw in the sand with a stick. She was attempting to come up with plans to beat Amadeus, but she fell short every time she came to some inkling of a breakthrough.

"Agh! Earplugs won't work! Stupid! Oh, I'll just wait outside the town and snipe him once he—agh, he'll expect that, too! Alright, how about—no! Stupid!"

Caractacus' eyes wearily tracked each ruined diagram stomped out in the monkey's tirade. Feeling himself succumb to nauseum from listening to her prattle, he raised his paw and asked, "Mayhaps better results will come in your future if you let me assist?"

She snarled at him. "I don't need your help after last time!"

"It was literally yesterday. Get over it. Besides, I thought you were willing to accept my help."

"Yeah, that was because I wasn't thinking straight on the account that you got Evelot and Lamecaster sold off!"

He shrugged. "Tomato, tamato…"

"Ugh!" She plopped down in the sand and threw her stick away. "This is so useless!"

He crossed his forelegs. "Well, seeing as how you have accomplished absolutely nothing in the last hour, perhaps now is the time you explain to me why you were able to so easily brush off Amadeus' sonic blast."

"Tch. What does it matter? The sound was still able to hurt me, and it's not like it'll help much against the rest of his technique."

Caractacus glared. "We're dealing with a rather unique application of Perish Song, so I advise you cooperate. I'm doing this out of the kindness of my own heart."

She rolled her eyes. "Kindness? Oh, fuck off. You're the biggest dick around these parts, and I've known Lamecaster for much longer, so that's saying a lot!"

He smirked. "Are you saying I'm incapable of compassion and understanding?"

"Two words that don't exist in your world. You don't even care about what happens to them. You're just in this for your own amusement." She turned her back to him. "What do you know about kindness?"

"…" He looked off to the side. "Good question." He shook his head and continued, "Back to the matter at paw, my abrasive behavior is only to push you into cooperating for the sake of your friends."

"Lamecaster is not my…oh, forget it."

"Burkhard, you do want to rescue them, right?"

"…" She groaned before turning herself back around. "Fiiiiine. Yes, I know a little bit about his technique, but it's not going to do much for me."

He shrugged. "Elaborate."

"Ugh." She shook her head and tried to recall what little she remembered of the soulful serenader. "You were right about how it worked. Anyone who listens to the song will be placed into its automatic detection range, leaving them susceptible to being cut. However, there is a way to dampen it."

Caractacus grinned. "Fantastic! And what is the method?"

"Humming."

"…One more time?"

"Humming."

"…Humming?"

"Yep."

"…Huh. Okay."

She groaned. "To be more specific, you can dampen the sound if you hum the song he's playing to yourself. I've found that the closer you match the rhythm, the less the song affects you. I was humming to myself when he threw that sonic blast out."

Caractacus massaged his chin. "Matching the song's rhythm to perhaps negate the sound from reaching your ears? Or acting as an extra layer of defense? Either way, I understand the mechanism." He glared. "But if you know that, why does knowing this not help?"

She growled. "Because you also have to be clear of mind when humming the song."

"Huh?"

"Perish Song affects everyone, including himself. Amadeus learned to nullify the effects through his modifications. Or, as he so eloquently put it…"

"…He conquered the despair of his own soul." Caractacus glared. "Scintillating. To spare him of the music's ill effects, he channeled his very spirit into the song and became one with it. No fear of defeat or despair to weigh him down. Some studies claim Perish Song brings forth dread in one's heart until they can no longer bear the weight. If that is to be believed, Amadeus found peace within himself to properly control the technique. My, that is marvelous…annnnd, looking at you, I immediately see the issue."

She scowled. "Gee, thanks."

Magni grimaced. "Don't get."

Caractacus patted the Scolipede's head. "In other words, our angry friend here is too angry to nullify the effects of Amadeus' technique against herself. Kind of amusing."

Phoebe scoffed. "Please, you were affected by it, too. I'd like to see you do better."

"Sadly, I'm not the one in danger, so perhaps another time." Caractacus scratched his chin. "Even so, this information could prove invaluable. Despite our limited time, I could cobble together some means to block the sound. Earplugs would be a start."

She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't matter in the end. I still can't beat him. Even knowing how his technique works, it doesn't change the fact I'm still susceptible to it. No one but him is immune."

"…" Caractacus glared. "Then perhaps helping you sort out those complex feelings will help."

She smirked bitterly. "You want me to spill my heart out to you? Please. As if."

"If you're worried about the repercussions of his technique, finding the best way to make yourself resistant to it is the first step. If what you're saying is true, that it requires a clear mind to be used, then digging into the depths of your own despair might help."

She scowled. "You have no idea the demons that fester in my mind."

"Demons aren't real."

"You sure about that? Because you seem like someone who has demons of his own." She leaned forward. "Just because we can't see them doesn't mean they don't haunt us. Whether of the supernatural variety…or of the trauma that lingers over our shoulders."

"…" Caractacus sighed. "Then tell me about this demon of yours. If you want to save Evelot and Amos…"

"…" She groaned before leaning back on her hands. "I don't go around telling people this stuff, mostly because I don't have anyone to talk to about it, but I don't exactly come from the best of households. Actually, the reason I was so hesitant to come here wasn't because of Lord Rimmer, but because this used to be where I lived." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I visited my childhood home."

"Your…home, huh?"

She smirked irritably at the ground. "It was more like a torture house. Oh, the things I remember vividly during my time there. It was like looking through a collection of family portraits, reminiscing of the good ol' times, complete with blood and chains." She glared. "That was my normal growing up. It's how I saw the world, and it…did things to my head. I've tried my best to suppress it, but…those memories still haunt me."

Caractacus looked aside. "Haunted by the past, eh?" He shook his head. "Why exactly did you go back there?"

Phoebe pulled out the sheathed sword behind her back and tossed it over to him. "To say fuck you to my dad."

Caractacus picked the scabbard up in his paws and used his mechanical arm to draw the sword out. Upon seeing the broken blade, he sheathed it back in. "I…don't think I need further explanation."

She grimaced. "It sucks that he got the last word in. Laughing and grinning, saying he was so proud because he saw the demon I was becoming. No matter how much I change, he died without ever suffering for anything, knowing he had a successor."

Caractacus glared. "Successor?"

"My father was a serial killer. He just loved cutting people open. Didn't matter the species or age." She covered her face, laughing angrily. "There was this girl I liked when I was a kid. It was just a little crush. My father took it too seriously and wanted to see if her heart was in the right place." She clenched her teeth tightly. "He said he approved, and he let me have her heart."

"I don't see what the issue…is…" The Boltund's eyes widened. "Wait, are you…being literal?"

"Gave to me like a toy to hug while I slept."

"…Oh."

"It never bothered me because…that was my normal. My father loved cutting people open, and he gave all the discarded flesh to my savage of a mother. More beast than mother. She was always nurturing around me, but it was likely just her instincts. She couldn't understand anything beyond her savage instincts, and my father just kept making her revert further and further into those instincts so that he could have complete control of her. He had her chained up in their bedroom. The walls in that house were thin, and my room was literally a wall away from theirs. I heard things a child shouldn't have to hear."

Caractacus grimaced. "What the actual…? What was wrong with that man?"

"I don't think it was anything wrong with him. It's just…a side effect of growing up in the Outlands. He understood perfectly what he was doing. He did it anyway…because why the hell not? He doesn't have any excuse. It was all perfectly sound to him." She clenched her fist. "And now I carry his demons with me. I've killed…so many just because I could, and I never thought twice about it. It was just ingrained into me. It was my instinct."

"…And you went back to your house hoping to prove you had some control over your life."

She sighed. "And yet I'm still haunted. I made that deal with Lord Rimmer thinking it would be better to go out like my mother. Become oblivious to the world and forget that I failed Evelot and Lamecaster. Why would I want to remember failing Evelot? After all the kindness she injected into my sorry life?" She laughed bitterly. "I know I'm going to lose. Might as well go down fighting and let myself become the savage I was raised to be."

"…" Caractacus awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "I…wow. Uh, that's a lot to take in."

"Now do you see? This is just a gesture of goodwill. I'm fully prepared to die just so I can stop feeling like this." She stood up and made her way toward the carriage. "Because if I can't save Evelot, what's the point of anything anymore?"

"What are you doing?"

"Sleeping. And hoping I never wake up." She entered the carriage and slammed the door shut behind her.

"…" Caractacus sighed. "Well, that was a depressing way to start the morning."

Magni finally sat up and glared down at him. "Not helping."

"I'm doing everything I can."

"No. Not."

He rolled his eyes. "Look, if she's going to be a pain over it, I don't know what more I can offer."

"Healing."

"Just because I can perform surgery doesn't make me a trained doctor. I learned that stuff from books and back-alley dealings—"

"Healing. Of mind."

"…Still not that kind of doctor." Caractacus chuckled bitterly. "Besides, you don't want me giving therapy."

"Then…understand."

"Having one-word conversations with you isn't exactly the most stimulating activity for the brain." Caractacus rubbed his chin. "Though, you provide something of a useful starting point. Understanding her pain? If we want any luck of rescuing Faucher and Lancaster, helping Burkhard overcome this mental barrier would be the key. But where to start?"

He looked down at the disposed sword thrown at him by Phoebe. He picked it up again, recalling that she claimed the item from her family home.

"Heh. Well, all branches of life start from the roots."

Phoebe had made good on her word and passed out in her bed minutes after entering. Caractacus pulled the blanket over her before gathering his belongings off the table. Magni waited by the open door, keeping watch for safety's sake.

"I must admit, her description of this literal torture house excites me. Curiosity never fails to excite the mind." He swung his bag onto his back and rolled his shoulders. "A little deep dive into the subconscious. Perfect way to spend the afternoon."

He glanced at Alpha, who remained stationary on the dining table. Deciding it was far too bulky to bring along with him, he gently turned the ancient cube until its eye pattern was staring at Phoebe.

"How about you keep an eye on her, pal? Ward off any bad dreams or whatever." He laughed. "I say that like you're one of those dreamcatchers. Amusing. Well, perhaps you'll provide some security as she drifts into whatever nightmare plagues her."

"Go now," Magni groaned.

Caractacus rolled his eyes. "I hear you, big guy." He trotted to the door, closing it shut behind him and plunging the carriage into darkness. "Alright, to the murder house, we go!" his voice rang from outside.

The sound of Magni galloping away echoed softly through the carriage until all returned to silence. Phoebe curled up under her sheets, her expression unreadable in her sleep.

"…dreamcatcher…security…nightmare plagues her…"

The eye of Alpha lit up in a soft blue glow, staring directly at Phoebe as her visage reflected off the pattern.

Phoebe grimaced in her sleep, stirring lightly and gripping into her pillow as she gnashed her fangs together.

"…ward off…bad dreams…nightmare plagues her…"

"Uuuuugh…" Phoebe's tail hand gripped into the sheets. She buried her scowling face into the pillow as she trembled. "No one…l-loves…a demon…" she muttered.

"…to the murder house, we go…"