Paradise Lost: Kill the Memory

Chapter 10

Arela pointed to a word and an accompanying diagram in the book she'd given to Starlight and Alexandria. “Try again. Alos,” she said, a small rune appearing in her palm before a storm appeared in its place, dissipating quickly. “Channel your inner frustration, your confusion, into the rune lattices as you make them.”

Starlight nodded her head before she held up her palm and tried it once more. “Alos,” she said, the rune forming before repeating what had happened with Arela's spell… only it looked far less impressive.

“Good, good, but try and keep the lattices more precise. That way the spell is more powerful,” Arela explained.

Alexandria had been observing both Arela and Starlight as they performed the spell, wanting to see some examples before trying it. Seeing Starlight succeed, Alexandria finally made her first attempt at the spell. She held up her palm and read the rune. “Alos,” she said. The rune appeared in her palm, glowing brightly before disappearing, and… nothing else happened.

Hikan sat nearby watching the little lesson with a smile on his face. He glanced at Shell as she sat next to Arela, jerking her hand and saying, “alos” over and over again, but having no luck at all with it. He grunted a bit as he felt a weight push into his shoulder, looking to see Cataclysm with his four front legs on the back of the bench, watching the landscape go by. He shook his head again and settled back in. We're certainly an odd group, he thought to himself, closing his eyes again.

“Hmm… That's strange, it should have worked. You did everything perfectly from what I can tell,” Arela said, humming in thought as she looked at Alexandria.

Alexandria thought it over for a few moments. “Well, the magic that I can already use is purely inherited,” she started, half talking to herself as she thought out loud. “I haven't had to practice it at all… Maybe my body isn't used to learning new magic somehow, if that makes any sense?” Arela hummed in thought.

“I suppose…” She looked to Starlight, seeing her practice over and over. She giggled. “Don't get too magic happy, Starlight. You could accidentally create a real storm.”

Starlight's latest attempt faded and she clenched her hand and pulled it back into her lap. “Sorry,” she said, giving a sheepish grin. “I just get a little too into learning new spells.”

“It's fine, really,” Arela said. Starlight smiled before her head turned to look at Cat as his claws started to click against the window, the outskirts of Canterlot coming into view as they started to pull into the mountain city.

Hikan opened his eyes and leaned his head back to look out the window. “Ladies,” he said. “Welcome to Canterlot.”

Alexandria looked out the window and was awestruck by the large city. “Wow…” she said quietly.

“It's huge…!” Shanghai added from Alexandria's shoulder.

“Wow… It's almost like Koganusan…” Arela breathed. Hikan looked at her. “A very famous dwarven city, known as the Capital of Trade and nicknamed 'The Laboring City' by Lleiyans back in the day. It had large statues of the twin ancestors, Rickul and Grosh, on either side of it's gilded gates.”

“Oh,” Hikan said, blinking before giving a smile. “That sounds a lot like Canterlot. Certainly a place for the hustle and bustle of trade and economy, though, here, Celestia and Luna rule the heavens.”

“That sounds like Triyte and Litgh,” Arela noted, before shaking her head. “Either way, I loved Koganusan. My mother used to take me there for the famous Dwarven treat, rsiuli. Gods, I loved that stuff.”

“Well,” Starlight said, getting to her hooves and letting Cat jump up onto her shoulders. “Let's hope you enjoy it here, too.” It wasn't long before the train pulled into the station, brakes screeching as they came to a stop. The group made their way off the train, stepping onto the platform as the sun was starting to make its descent in the sky.

“Alright, guys,” Hikan said, taking in a breath of air. “First things first, we need a place to st-” A loud growl interrupted him and, as he turned his head to follow its direction, Shell put a hand to her stomach, eyes wide in embarrassment.

“U-um,” the disguised Changeling stammered before giving a nervous smile. “Excuse me…?”

“Seems like someone's hungry,” Alexandria noted with a grin. Shell gave a nervous breath of laughter. Hikan watched for a moment before he put his hand to the pouch at his hip.

“Hm…” Hikan hummed, thinking for a moment. “There should be enough for us to get a good meal before we start trying to ration…. Any preferences for what we eat?”

Alexandria shook her head. “Don't worry about me,” she said. “Being half Yokai, I don't need to eat as often as humans.” She then glanced at Starlight. “Or ponies, I guess,” she added.

“I'm curious if they have something that milord had me try once, I believe they were called… donuts?” Arela said, finger to her chin as her brow furrowed in thought adorably.

“I do remember Twilight telling me about her favorite pastry shop,” Starlight said. “I could actually go for some Bitalian food right about now….”

Hikan was quiet for a moment before he lifted a finger. “How about… we find a Bitalian place for dinner, then go to Donut Joe's for dessert,” he said, ignoring the surprised look from Starlight. “How's that sound to you guys?”

“Again, I won't be eating, so I'm fine doing whatever,” Alexandria answered.

“I love it, let's do it,” Arela said with a smile.

Hikan nodded and smiled before turning and pumping his fist into the air. “To food!” He said excitedly before heading towards the platform booth to get a map of the city. With the map in hand, and several odd looks in the group's direction, he began to lead them through the city, following the route the ticket pony had provided them. Shanghai was looking around in awe, oblivious to the surprised looks she was getting.

Arela was likewise looking around in awe, although she did notice the stares. She shivered as the few pegasi around stared at her wings in particular, knowing why they were doing so thanks to being avian. Hikan mostly ignored the crowd before the angel shivered.

“Hey,” he said softly, slowing down to keep pace with her. “What's wrong?”

“J-Just a few lustful stares, I-It's fine, I got a lot back home, too,” she said unconvincingly.

Hikan raised a brow before looking out at the crowd. He lifted his hand and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in protectively. “C'mon,” he said quietly. “Let's just find that Bitalian joint.” She nodded, leaning into him as they walked. After a few more minutes of walking they found their way to the front of a mostly white building with a deep purple roof. Gold cursive writing above the door spelled out, “La Mela Dorata.” They went inside and found that the line, though moving, was rather backed up. Arela frowned, but continued leaning into her Devoted.

“I'm glad I don't need to eat yet,” Alexandria commented, eyeing the line with a small frown. Then, out of nowhere, Hikan felt a small, heavy bronze looking box fall on his head. A note was attached to it.

“GAK!” Hikan started, his head falling forward as the box fell towards the ground before getting caught in a turquoise aura. Starlight levitated the box up into her hands as the man rubbed his head. Taking the note in her other hand, she started to read it out loud.

“Hello, young Hikan. This is Stateran. I nearly forgot to give this to you. It is a Bali, a great weapon of the dwarves. It only requires you to fill it's cartridge with magic to reload. As for the appearance of it, on your head, I figured it would be easier to displace it with my temporal magic. Sorry if it hit you on the head, I was aiming for in front of you. The magic must be raw alone. Any kind will work, as long as it is raw. It refines it itself. Also, this is a top of the line model, from the peak of the dwarven empire, so treat it well. Signed, Stateran.” Starlight looked up with a confused look. “Why on Terra would he give you a weapon of mass destruction?”

Hikan looked up with an annoyed look. “Why would anyone ever give anyone else a weapon of mass destruction as a gift?” Alexandria asked, an eyebrow raised. Another note fell, this time landing on Hikan's face. The assassin pulled the note off, his brow ticking a little before he read it out.

“This item has been given to you because I have seen your future, and it is not pretty. You will need this weapon. I cannot say when, but it will happen. Know that I never give these out anymore, as the war during the Cataclysm of Lleiya saw so many of these in bandit hands that I had to intervene. Don't make me come down there and retake it. Sorry that I didn't explain this on the first note, there was little room. Stateran,” Hikan finished, putting the note down with a pat of his hands against his sides. “Well… I'll just take that and put it somewhere safe.” He plucked the box from Starlight's hand and stuck it into the pouch on his belt.

He looked up to see several ponies staring at them, some putting a protective arm around their children. “...What, you guys don't get gifts from Gods?” The man asked the crowd, looking around. Some seemed even more worried and others just rolled their eyes, but the effect was the same as they all looked away. The rest of the wait was much less eventful and eventually the group made it to the podium to be seated.

“Welcome to La Mela Dorata,” the hostess greeted, looking at her chart of open tables. “How many are in your-” she looked up and went wide-eyed when she saw the group. “...party?”

“Um,” Hikan hummed, looking around and doing a quick head count. “A table for five please.”

The mare blinked for a few seconds before tearing her eyes away and looking towards her chart again. “Uh, t-table or booth?” She asked, looking up again, albeit nervously.

“Hm… guys?” Hikan questioned, looking at each of them.

“Again, doesn't really matter much to me,” Alexandria said.

“A booth sounds good to me,” Arela said, nuzzling Hikan's arm.

“Definitely booth,” Starlight agreed.

The hunter nodded before giving a smile and looking back to the hostess. “Booth, please.” The mare nodded her head and grabbed some menus and silverware rolls.

“If you'd please follow me,” she said, before leaving the podium and walking further into the restaurant. Hikan nodded and followed after her, putting a hand over Arela's shoulder as Shell, Starlight and Alexandria followed. She led them through to the back of the restaurant to a booth that hugged and curved with the corner of the building. She set the places before stepping back to let them take their seats. Hikan moved out of the way to let the ladies take their seats first. Arela pulled Hikan with her to the back of the booth, then patted a spot next to Hikan for Starlight, giving her a knowing smile. Starlight gave her own smile before she slid in next to Hikan. Shell took the chance to slide into the booth on the other side of Arela. Alexandria then sat down on Starlight's other side, deciding to give Shell some space, knowing she was still bad with being near people other than Arela.

Arela smiled, wrapping a golden wing around Shell comfortingly. Shell let out a small breath and relaxed before the hostess spoke up again. “Your server will be with you shortly,” she said, giving a small bow of her head before scampering away a bit more quickly than was necessary. Alexandria watched the hostess leave, a small smile on her face, though with a hint of embarrassment in her expression.

“I think we, uh… 'surprised' her,” Alexandria commented.

“Well, to my knowledge, most High Angels or angels in general in other worlds don't have golden wings like me, much less as large as mine,” Arela noted. She lightly ran a finger down one of Hikan's wings. “And my Devoted is practically in the same boat.”

“That's… not what I meant…” Alexandria said.

“It's because we're not ponies,” Shanghai piped up.

“I think it may be a bit more than that…” Shell said, pressing her pointer fingers together nervously.

“Like the fact that three of us aren't native to Terra at all?” Hikan asked jokingly, lifting up a menu as he tried to play off the shiver that had run down his body at Arela's touch. Arela grinned a bit at this, making a glance to Starlight and subtly motioning for her to try it. Starlight frowned a bit at this before picking up a menu… but she couldn't help her eyes glancing at Hikan's wing. After trying to hold it, she smiled mischievously before doing the same as Arela had before. The man's entire body arched and shivered, a chattering noise coming from him. “Chchchch- Would you two cut that out? That is so weird!” He said, not agitated or angry, but definitely weirded out by something.

“Hello, my name is Gaelle, and I'll be your waitress for the night.” The sudden statement had the young man looking up to see a griffoness that resembled a blue jay standing at the front of the table with a pen and pad. “Can I get you guys anything to drink?”

“No, I'm okay, thanks,” Alexandria said, shaking her head.

“Water, please,” Arela said politely.

“I'll take water as well,” Starlight said with a smile. “But could I get some lemon with that, too, please?”

“Of course,” Gaelle answered, scribbling in her notepad before turning to look at Hikan and Shell. “And for you two?”

“You don't happen to have any green tea, would you?” Hikan asked, giving a little grin when the griffoness nodded. “Great, I'd like a cup, please.”

The waitress nodded her head before looking at Shell, the disguised Changeling shrinking back a little. “U-um,” she started, looking at each of them. “I-I'll take, um… green tea?” The griffon smiled at her reassuringly before scribbling down Shell's order.

“Alrighty,” Gaelle said, giving the group a smile as she put away her pen and pad. “I'll be right back with your drinks and I'll get your orders.” With that, she nodded her head, turned and walked away. For any that paid attention, she walked with a certain practice, something small but noticeable that turned more than a few heads in the restaurant.

“She seems to like the attention of men,” Arela noted, watching her.

Hikan watched her go with a critical eye. “She certainly does…” he murmured before his eyes traveled to other patrons. “...The mares don't seem too deterred either, though….”

“Hmmm…” Arela hummed in thought.

Alexandria watched Gaelle leave. “It doesn't seem like she's trying either,” she commented. “It seems to come naturally to her, almost as if she put a lot of practice into it…” Alexandria was quiet for a moment before adding very quietly, under her breath so that not even Starlight next to her could make out the words, “though it's oddly effective…”

Hikan's eyes narrowed for a moment… before he picked up his menu and started looking through it. “What she does on the side is her own business,” he said quietly, Starlight blinking at him.

“Are you saying she's a-” she started only to be stopped by his look. “Right, her business, not ours.” She picked up her own menu and looked through the dinners. Arela frowned at this.

“Reminds me of one of my old friends who taivente,” Arela said with a shiver. “She was sent to Triyte's Wastes for almost killing a man from not stopping.”

Even Hikan shivered a bit at that. “It's probably best we don't bring it up,” he said quietly, eyeing a picture of stromboli.

“I can't sense any lust from her…” Shell suddenly spoke up in quiet whispers. “In fact… she seems genuinely happy to be here…”

Alexandria's brows furrowed in confusion at that. “What do you mean she seems 'genuinely happy to be here'?” she asked.

Shell flinched a little. “I-I mean, she wants to be here,” she tried to explain. “It feels like she wants to be here rather than… somewhere else….”

“Well, why don't we ask her about it?” Arela suggested.

Starlight winced a little. “Maybe we shouldn't,” she said slowly. “Sometimes… ponies run from the pasts they're ashamed of… Prying isn't really polite anyway….”

Alexandria was quiet for a moment, looking down at the table. “But sometimes bottling up your feelings and just running away from your problems can be just as bad…” she said a little quietly. “Sometimes it's better to tell someone and seek help instead of hiding…”

Hikan was quiet for a moment before his eyes caught a flash of blue coming towards them. “Not a word to her,” he said definitely. “Her business is hers and hers alone until she invites us in. That's how it's always been and how we should remain moving forward.” Arela shrugged and laid against her Devoted.

“Alright,” Alexandria said simply. Starlight and Shell nodded their heads just before Gaelle stopped in front of their table, carrying a tray with their drinks on it.

“And here you are,” she said before reaching up to take one of the glasses. “Water for the angel, water with lemon for the unicorn, and green tea for the, um…” she paused at Hikan, her eyes resting over him. “Um, dra- for you sir, and for the mare.” She finished serving the drinks before straightening up and smiling once more. “Are you guys ready to order?”

Arela nodded. “I'd like the… Kenoli?” Arela shook her head. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

Gaelle nodded her head with a smile. “Trust me, it's a lot better than it sounds,” she said, giving a little wink before looking towards Alexandria.

Alexandria smiled sheepishly as she answered. “Actually, I don't need to eat very often, so I'm not having anything,” she said to Gaelle. “Unless you want to try something Shanghai?” she added, turning to look at Shanghai.

Shanghai thought for a few moments, looking at Hikan's menu. “The, um… rahv… eye-all… Um…” Shanghai struggled to pronounce 'ravioli'.

“You want the ravioli?” The griffoness asked the doll, giving her a patient smile.

“Um, yes, that looks nice,” Shanghai said with a smile. “I'll have that, please.” Arela smiled at Gaelle.

“Alright, sweetie,” Gaelle said, scribbling in her pad before returning Arela's smile and looking towards Hikan. “For you, sir?”

“I'll have the stromboli,” he said, giving a small smile as she nodded and wrote his order down.

Finally, the waitress looked towards Shell, the mare shrinking a little. “U-um, I'll have the… pasta sampler…?” she said quietly before she received a warm smile from the griffoness.

“Coming right up,” she said, flipping her notepad closed and slipping it into her apron before taking their menus. “I'll be back with your orders ASAP. If you need anything, don't hesitate to wave me down!” She smiled one more time before turning and leaving towards the kitchen.

Alexandria watched her leave again. “She seems like a nice person,” she commented. “And she didn't seem to have been fazed by our mish-mash group either.”

“I think I could allow her in, if that's okay with you, my love,” Arela told Hikan.

The assassin blinked at the sudden suggestion before giving a little chuckle. “Where did that come from, Arie?” He asked in good humor. Arela blushed.

“I-I well, Starlight opened me up to the idea, s-s-so…” she explained.

Starlight blushed. “D-don't drag me into this!” She said hastily, holding her hands up. “That was totally just an observation.”

“H-Hey! Don't leave me with this!” Arela said. Hikan looked to each of them before giving a little laugh while Shell looked thoroughly confused.

“Oh, I can see it now,” Hikan said before taking on a joking stage voice. “'Hey, miss waitress, do you want to join me and my Devoted as a part of our herd? It'll be great and we have cookies!'” The hunter snickered a bit at his own joke.

“Well, I do like cookies,” Hikan's eyes shot open as he looked up to see Gaelle refilling Starlight's water glass, looking at him with a smirk and mischievous eyes.

“I-I-I-I-” Hikan stuttered out before Alexandria spoke up with a grin of her own, a hint of mischief in it.

“You did technically offer it to her out loud,” Alexandria started. “And she did technically accept the offer. I think it would be rude to not let her join us at this point.”

“I think it would be interesting, at least. Besides, another avian would be comforting,” Arela pointed out.

Hikan looked to each of them before his head sank down and hit the table. “How do I get myself into these things?” Came his muffled voice as he shook his head into the table. Alexandria tried to hold back a small snicker at his reaction… The key word being 'tried'. Starlight's eyes jerked towards the Yokai before her lips puffed out and she put her hand up to cover her mouth as a small giggle escaped her.

Gaelle smiled at the little group before putting down the unicorn's now full glass. “Thanks for the offer,” she said with a simple smile. “But I've got my own little family to take care of.” Her head jerked a little towards the kitchen. “That's your order. I'll be right back.” With that, she turned and started to walk back to the kitchen.

Arela sighed, but leaned further into Hikan. Hikan lifted his eyes, but left his chin on the table. “These things really do just keep happening,” he muttered.

“You know,” Alexandria said. “She does seem like such a nice person. I honestly wouldn't mind if she were to join us.”

Hikan looked up to watch the griffoness disappear around the corner. “She does seem to lighten the room,” he said before he leaned back and shook his head. “But you heard her. She's got her own family to worry about, and have you guys forgotten why we're here? Juno could attack at any moment and we can't stop to watch out for someone else. She'd just end up getting kill-” A loud crash from the front of the restaurant interrupted him before a feminine scream filled the air. Many of the restaurant's patrons jumped to their hooves and rushed to the front of the building.

“What the hell…?” Hikan muttered, Starlight and Shell already moving to leave the booth.

“I have a feeling that's our cue to do something…” Alexandria said, getting to her feet quickly.

“I was looking forward to trying that… Um, 'ravioli',” Shanghai said, her voice slightly disappointed. “But if someone's in trouble, then the best thing to do is help them.” Arela nodded, flying out of the restaurant to the front of the building. Starlight, Shell, Hikan and Alexandria joined her not long after and Starlight's eyes quickly widened alongside Shell's before the unicorn threw her eyes into Hikan's side, trying to make her forget what she'd seen. Alexandria stared, her eyes wide, unable to look away.

A bright blue pegasus mare with a soft green mane laid in the street, her body twisted, broken, and naked, blood pooling out from the dozens of stab wounds in her abdomen, but her face was the most nightmarish of all. Her eyes and ears had been removed and her mouth gaped, gasped, and choked as blood poured out from between her lips. The hunter stared at the scene before he and the others were pushed out of the way by a blue blur.

“Gentle Breeze!” Gaelle shouted, running forward before she knelt on her knees over the mare. Her hands hovered over the pegasus as tears welled up in her eyes. “Oh… what did they do to you…?”

The mare jerked her head a bit towards the presence before her lips started moving and unintelligible groans escaped her lips, weak and strained as they were. Gaelle broke. She let her tears fall and sobs started to wrack her body. “What happened…? Ge, who did this to you? Where's Garrick? Ge… where's my cub!?”

The mare stopped her groaning and coughed, black ooze spurting from her mouth before she laid still. Gaelle's eyes widened and she put her hands over her friend's shoulders. There was no movement for several moments before Gentle Breeze's arm began to move. It raised up before her fingers pressed into the pool of her own blood that had formed around her head. Her hand came back down, her clean palm brushing the ground until it felt a space big enough for what she needed… and began to write.

The griffoness' eyes stared as the message formed before her… until the pegasus' hand suddenly convulsed and rubbed one last line before lying still. Gaelle stared at the message before tears welled up in her eyes once more and she shook her head. “No…” she said quietly, her arms wrapping around her friend. “No. NonononoNOOOO!!!” The waitress' pained scream filled the air as she threw her head back and flared her wings before dropping her eyes to cry over the dead mare. Alexandria finally managed to tear her eyes away once her view was obstructed. She hesitantly looked at the scribbled message on the street. It read 'CHT' with an awkward arrow pointing down to the word 'Garrick'.

“…'CHT'…?” Alexandria said out loud in confusion. “Is that an acronym for something…?”

Hikan's eyes narrowed. “Shell,” he said sharply, jerking the disguised Changeling's gaze to him. “Scan the crowd for emotions that don't match the situation.”

The mare stared at him for a moment before she nodded her head and closed her eyes. Her ears swiveled and her eyes scrunched and relaxed for several moments before they flew open. “Down the alley, across the street,” she said, not looking in that direction. “There's a stallion watching. He seems… almost giddy.” She shivered at that. “And on the other side, at the edge of the crowd, there's another that feels… relieved. …They're starting to move away now.”

Hikan nodded his head. “Starlight,” he said quietly. “Use your staff and go after the one in the alley. Arela, follow the other one from the sky. It's important that neither of you are seen.”

The unicorn stared at him for a long moment before she wiped her eyes, hardened her gaze and nodded. She summoned a small portal and pulled out the Staff of Secrets before she disappeared completely from sight. Arela wiped her own tears and flew up, muttering, “Falis,” and disappearing as well. Hikan took a deep breath before he looked at Alexandria. “Alex… could you talk to Gaelle?” He asked. “I'm… not exactly gentle.”

Alexandria looked at Hikan for a moment. “S-Sure,” she said. She took a deep breath before she approached Gaelle. “Excuse me, Gaelle,” she said gently as she carefully put a hand on Gaelle's shoulder. The shaking griffoness suddenly stilled before she lifted her gaze, the feathers on her face soaked and eyes red.

“O-Oh, it's you,” she said, rubbing her eyes and standing up as the guards started to rush through the crowd. “Y-You're that girl from earlier… What… What do you want?” She wasn't being rude but she certainly wasn't doing well.

“This pegasus here,” Alexandria started, gesturing to the corpse. “It seems like she was a good friend of yours. Also…” Alexandria paused for a moment. “It seems like your child is missing. I can tell that you're really upset about it. Me and the rest of the group I'm with would be willing to help you, but… Only if you're willing to accept our help of course. We can't force it on you.”

Gaelle stared at her for a moment before giving an extremely shaky breath. “...I don't think anyone can help now,” she choked. “The only thing left is to… go back….”

Alexandria's brows furrowed a little in stubbornness. “It's never too late to try and get your kid back,” Alexandria said firmly. “If we know where to look, I'm sure we'll be able to do it. If you know where to start, then please tell me. I can't just ignore something like this.”

Gaelle looked at her for a moment before she took another breath. “...Not here…” she said quietly.

Alexandria's eyes narrowed a little. “What do you mean by that?” she asked. Before Gaelle answered though, Alexandria realized something and looked at the message on the street. “…Does it have something to do with this message?” Alexandria asked. “Maybe you know what 'CHT' means?”

Gaelle stayed quiet but she nodded her head. “Just… follow me,” she said before she started back towards the doors of the restaurant. Alexandria followed, giving Hikan and Shell a glance and a 'come on' gesture with her hand as she passed them. Hikan followed after them, nudging Shell gently to make sure she was with them.

The griffoness led them back inside and to the back of the restaurant, through the kitchen and into the storage room. She turned and looked at them before she let out a sigh, sinking down to sit on a box with her head in her hands. “What am I doing…?” She muttered quietly.

“Just relax,” Alexandria said, putting a hand on Gaelle's shoulder. “We're going to help you, alright? If you know what 'CHT' means, then you need to tell us. That'll make it easier for us to track down Garrick, I just know it will.”

The waitress turned her gaze up to the Yokai before she took a deep breath. “CHT stands for the Circle of the High Tower,” she started. “They're an organization that started in Canterlot's underground hundreds of years ago. They control just about every branch of crime in the city. Drugs, theft… prostitution…” She stopped and looked towards the ground. “They run the entire underworld…. Years ago, when I was young and desperate, I… approached them. At first, I just danced in a few clubs. Y'know, just sort of showed myself off for a few extra bits… but it didn't stop there. They… they approached me and told me to stand on a street corner. I… I didn't want to, but… it wasn't a request. I was forced to go out, night after night, and do… such horrible things… I eventually got another job that paid enough that I could quit, so… I just stopped showing up. They tried to contact me but I ignored the messages… and so they decided to be more… direct. One night, after work, I was kidnapped and they… they tied me to a bed in some warehouse somewhere. The Circle hired a local gang to watch over me for… Gods, I don't know how long… and they… they-” She stopped and looked towards the ceiling, trying to hold back her tears as she tried to gulp in air. “They… took turns on me… One after another, they raped and tortured me, always driving me just past the point of breaking before they stopped… I don't know how long they held me there, but it didn't stop until the warehouse was raided by the guards… The Circle didn't contact me after that but… They had achieved what they wanted… I got pregnant. Garrick was born, and for the longest time, I thought we were safe… but a few weeks ago, they sent another message.”

“They wanted Garrick… They said he was their creation, their property… They wanted me to give them what was rightfully theirs… but I refused. And now… now Gentle Breeze… They must have ambushed her while she was bringing him to me… Don't you see now?” She looked up at them with a desperate look. “I can't escape. The only thing I can do is go back to them and hope they have mercy on me and my little cub…”

Alexandria was silent for a few moments, a mixture of anger and determination on her face. “No,” she suddenly said firmly, getting a surprised look from Gaelle. “Hikan,” Alexandria continued without turning. “We're going to topple a criminal syndicate. And I refuse to change my mind. I'll do it myself if I have to. This is outrageous. I refuse to let this scum remain in Canterlot.”

“I wouldn't have it any other way,” the hunter answered, barely contained malice in his voice. “Starlight, what did you find?” He turned to look towards the cracked door before it opened and the unicorn shimmered back into existence.

“Aw, I thought I had you…” she muttered before her face turned serious. “I followed him for quite a few blocks before he got into a carriage and took off. I couldn't keep up with them after that.” Arela came in next, seeming to be holding back her own anger. It was obvious she had heard the news.

“I know the pain of rape well, Gaelle,” she said, wrapping an arm around the griffoness. She looked to Hikan. “The stallion I followed got into a carriage as well. However, I was able to keep up with it. It arrived at a dilapidated, two-story house alongside another carriage, presumably the one Starlight mentioned. The two stallions got out and were greeted by a dark gray stallion with a scar over his left eye that went down and through his lips. After that, the three went inside. Because I had already been gone so long, I decided to return and report my findings instead of following them inside.”

“Probably for the best,” Hikan said before looking to the others. “We go in and see what we can find. Our primary objective is Garrick, assume everyone else is hostile.”

“Wait,” Gaelle interrupted, drawing the hunter's gaze. “You actually plan on going in there and fighting the Circle? You're either stupid or have a death wish.”

“Pretty sure he does,” Starlight said with a shrug, drawing an annoyed look from Hikan. “Besides, we can take care of ourselves.” The griffoness gave her a look of disbelief before the assassin noticed and gave a chuckle.

“Trust us, Gaelle,” Hikan said. “This isn't our first rodeo.” To make his point, a whirring noise sounded out and the black and orange clawed gauntlets formed over his hands and forearms. Taking his cue, Starlight summoned her armor and sword, Cataclysm coming to peek out over her shoulder.

“The last thing you'd want to do is underestimate any one of us,” Alexandria added. She paused for a short moment before suddenly unleashing a two-Spellcard combo in order to prove her point.

Reverse Sign [Turn Over]

Bolt Sign [Lightning Strike]

Gaelle was caught off guard as the first Spellcard suspended her upside down before a lightning bolt shot from Alexandria's hand… and struck right next to Gaelle's head. After being given a couple moments, Gaelle was returned to the floor, right side up. Arela simply summoned her WarSuit and halberd, blinding everyone for a moment and making the griffon's eyes widen at the armor's size.

Gaelle blinked for a few seconds. “O-Okay, point made,” she muttered. “You… can you guarantee I'll get Garrick back safe…?”

Hikan gave a sad frown and looked to the floor. “I'm… sorry, Miss Gaelle,” he said quietly. “But… nothing is ever guaranteed in situations like this. I won't sugar coat it… I'm not good at it. We will go in, and we will get you answers… but I don't know what those answers will be…” Suddenly, Hikan was punched roughly across the face.

“Don't say that, dammit!” Alexandria shouted at him, extremely agitated. “The whole point of doing this is to get Garrick back! If we can't get the kid back safely, then everything we're about to do will have been pointless! I refuse to tolerate that!”

“Agreed. I won't allow a child to die,” Arela concurred.

Hikan put a hand to his face as he stumbled a bit. He rubbed the spot for a moment before he looked up at Alexandria. His eyes weren't angry, not violent or wrathful… but sad and knowing, showing years on years of horrible experience. “...Guys, you need to be just as ready as I'm trying to make her,” he said, nodding towards Gaelle. “His chances are extremely high but… we're going into unknown territory… I'm hopeful but… it's the truth.”

Alexandria remained silent, a defiant expression on her face. After several moments, she crossed her arms and turned to face the door of the storage room with a 'hmph'. Arela gave him a sad look, as well as Gaelle.

“I know war, and I know it well. Even if this isn't a full fledged one, I know how it works. They will use any edge they can. If it means killing innocents, they will do it. I have seen countless peoples fall to fire and brimstone, to becoming naught but slaves, whether for sex or otherwise,” Arela's look was full of fire and steel as she turned to Gaelle. “But I will do all in my power to save your child.”

“I won't accept any harm coming to that child,” Alexandria said darkly, not moving or turning an inch.

Hikan's gaze looked between each of them before he gave a sigh. “...Let's… get going,” he said, turning to exit the storage pantry. “It'd be best if we could fly. Starlight-”

“Yes, Hikan,” she said, coming up behind him and patting the back of his shoulder. “I can keep up.” She flashed him a reassuring smile. He hesitated a moment before he gave his own small smile.

“Let's get this show on the road,” he said before looking back and hardening his face. “And let's show these bastards a good time….” With that, he left the pantry and started on his way out of the restaurant.

Hikan knelt down on a rooftop three buildings down from the dilapidated two story that Arela had led them to. An orange visor covered his eyes as he scanned the building. “What's the situation?” The visor raised up and he looked behind him to Shell and Starlight, the unicorn tapping her finger on her sword blade after asking her question. Hikan turned back around and put his back to the small wall before answering.

“The building is just a cover,” he said. “There's an entire complex underneath it, spreading out underneath the buildings to either side and the street. Four rooms, the biggest being a storage room and the others housing several heat signatures. I count seven up in the house itself and I counted a total of forty-two on the lower levels. ...This isn't going to be fun.”

Alexandria spoke up suddenly, having been quiet the whole way there. “I was thinking on the way here,” she started. “I realized that, yes, several Yokai from Gensokyo appeared in Ponyville, but…” She paused for a moment and gave Hikan a look as she continued. “That's not to say that Ponyville is the only place they've appeared in. I'd recommend caution as we proceed. We have no idea who or what we might encounter. Who knows? It's not outside the realm of possibility that the Circle could have picked up a Gensokian whose skills happened to interest them.”

“If they have, then the threat level goes from being two to three, and not a low three either,” the hunter muttered, scratching his chin.

“Indeed, and there's something more going on. A child of Triyte is near. Not a blood relative, but a creation… I sense occult magic,” Arela said, shivering as she was next to Hikan.

“'A child of Triyte is near'…?” Alexandria repeated, somewhat confused. “What do you mean?”

“A Fallen Angel,” Arela replied with a quiet growl.

Hikan raised an eyebrow before he let his gaze fall towards the rooftop. “...Anywhere near our target zone?” He asked. Arela hummed in thought, wings glowing a little.

“...No, in some kind of dungeon, further below,” Arela informed.

Alexandria's eyes widened and her brows furrowed. “In a dungeon…!?” she said. “I'm not sure what a Fallen Angel is, and even though it sounds like it could be something unpleasant or even unfriendly… Putting anyone in a dungeon is wrong.” She then turned to the building. “I'm personally making it a secondary objective to free them.”

Hikan thought for a moment before he lifted his hand and rubbed his face. “This is quickly starting to become a level four mission…” he muttered. “Maybe even five…. Not something I wanted to drag you guys into on the first go around….”

“I'm sure we'll be fine, my love. This isn't my first battle or infiltration,” Arela assured, hand on Hikan's shoulder. The assassin looked to his Devoted with a worried look before he let out a relaxing breath.

“You're right,” he said calmly before going back into tactician mode. “Alright, first, we need to take down those seven guards and find a way down to the sublevel. Shell,” the undisguised Changeling looked up, “you're going to play the distraction.”

“Um…” the Changeling hummed, putting her index fingers together. “H-how would I do that?”

Hikan grinned. “Easy,” he answered. “Walk right on up and sway those hips a bit.”

Shell's face and fingers fell at that. “I, um…” she said hesitantly.

Alexandria was silent before speaking up hesitantly. “I mean… if it works, then…”

Hikan smiled at the Changeling. “You'll be just fine, Shell,” he said. “Because while you're outside, Starlight and Shanghai will infiltrate the top floor and take out the guards.”

The suggestion caught Alexandria by surprise and she seemed like she was about to protest… before she stopped to think about it. “…I guess that would be fine…” she said hesitantly. “I just hope it isn't so far away that Shanghai gets hurt. I'm still not sure how far she can go while retaining her pseudo-invincibility that comes from sharing my life force. There might not even be a limit, but still…”

“She still has that combat mode, right?” The hunter questioned.

“Yeah, but…” Alexandria answered. “You remember what it looked like, don't you? I'd think the Circle might try to capture her if they saw that. I can't say how successful they'd be, but I still wouldn't want to take my chances.”

“Just checking,” Hikan reassured. “Just in case they get into a tight spot.” He looked towards Starlight and Shell. “No mercy. None at all. These guys are killers. Murderers. We take them out, all of them.” The unicorn stared for a moment before her eyes narrowed.

“Right,” she answered, her voice taking on a darker tone as she drew her sword off her lap. Shell simply nodded her head.

“I'm not sure how comfortable I am with Shanghai potentially… killing people, but…” Alexandria said slowly before steeling her gaze. “In a situation like this, I guess I have to be ready for extreme measures.”

Hikan looked to her before giving them a sympathetic look. “I'm sorry, Alex,” he said. “I know you're a pacifist… but this isn't a game. These guys won't give us a second chance or hesitate, so neither can we…”

Alexandria was silent for several seconds. “…I know,” she finally said. “Alright Shanghai, you heard everything Hikan said, right?” Shanghai nodded. “Then go with Starlight. Don't show any mercy, but save your HDD as a last resort, okay?”

“Okay,” Shanghai answered, drawing her broadsword.

Starlight got to her hooves as a portal ran over her sword, exchanging it for her staff. “Let's get going,” she said, holding a hand out and helping Shell up as she took on her mare form. With the Changeling disguised the mare activated her magic and her body started to disappear starting at her hooves.

“Um, hang on…!” Shanghai said quickly, causing Starlight to stop, returning to being completely visible.

“What's wrong?” Starlight asked Shanghai, a little confused.

“Um…” Shanghai hummed. “If you go invisible, then I'd lose you and wouldn't be able to follow you. I don't think that would be a good thing.”

Starlight was quiet for a moment. “Maybe if you hold on to me, I can get us in close,” she suggested.

“Okay,” Shanghai answered. “That would make it easy. If I'm holding you, then there's no way I'd lose track of you.” Shanghai then grabbed onto Starlight's shoulder in the same way that she does with Alexandria.

“Alright,” Starlight said before her horn lit up again. “Let's do this.” her body slowly faded away and disappeared completely. It looked like Shanghai was grasping the air itself. The doll suddenly vanished and Shell blinked.

“I-I guess that's my cue…” she said before going to the edge of the building, wings flaring into being in green flames before she jumped over the barrier and floated gently to the ground in an alleyway. The Changeling smoothed out her clothing for a moment before she walked out of the alley and started towards the hideout, adding a sway to her hips.

Meanwhile, on the roof of the house just beside the two story house, the sound of crunching gravel suddenly stopped. “Okay, Shanghai,” Starlight's voice whispered. “You ready?”

“Um…” Shanghai's voice answered quietly. “Don't you think we should have some sort of plan? Like, I don't think we should just run in and do whatever…”

“Agreed, what do you suggest?” The invisible unicorn asked.

“Ummm…” Shanghai hummed. She was silent for several moments. “I don't know. I'm not getting any ideas.”

Starlight was quiet for a moment before she spoke up again. “Why don't you go in and hit first, then I'll follow and take the rest?” At this point, Shell had reached the front of the building and the sound of a squeaking door sounded out from the street level. “Whatever we do, we better do it quick.”

“Okay,” Shanghai said. “I'll do something that you can follow up on.” She then became visible as she let go of Starlight's shoulder and then went over to the closest window and slipped inside.

Inside, she found that somehow none of the guards were looking in her direction. She went to the nearest one and tapped his shoulder. The stallion turned quickly and hefted the crossbow in his hands… only to stop and blink at the doll. “What in Tartarus?” He questioned out loud, drawing the attention of the other four in the room who were staring out the window.

“What're you- What the buck is that?” One of them said, turning to look at the stallion and doll. The five stallions all came to stand in a circle in front of the doll, some fidgeting with their weapons. Shanghai looked at the circle of guards, her hand at her mouth, trying to think of what to do next.

They all stared at her for a long while before one, a dark brown unicorn shook his head and raised his crossbow, aiming it directly at Shanghai. “Enough of this shit,” he said, his finger starting to squeeze the trigger. Shanghai noticed this and started panicking, but wasn't sure what to do. Ultimately, she didn't move and the bolt landed a direct hit.

“Oof,” Shanghai uttered, recoiling as the bolt slammed into her stomach before dropping to the floor. “That was really rude,” Shanghai scolded the guard with her brow furrowed. She was completely unscathed. They all stared wide eyed before they lifted their crossbows as well.

“What in Tartarus is this damn thing!?” One of them asked, panic rising in his voice.

“Someone get a hold of the boss!” Another said. A third, a red unicorn, lit up his horn, preparing to cast some sort of spell.

“I'm a Fairy,” Shanghai said, answering the panicking one. “But you're all starting to be troublesome, so why don't you all just stop!?”

Shanghai [Perfect Freeze]

Suddenly, Shanghai used her very own Spellcard. It was the ability she'd inherited from Cirno. Without warning, all of the guards, being grouped together in one spot, were frozen in one, big block of ice.

The air behind the stallions shimmered and Starlight flickered back into existence. “Wow,” she muttered before a couple of thuds sounded out from downstairs. Her gaze shifted towards the window for a second before she nodded towards the door in the room. “Come on, let's get to the others.” Shanghai nodded and then opened the door Starlight had nodded towards, going to leave the room.

As the Fairy left the room, Starlight started to follow her only to hesitate for a moment. She looked back to the frozen guards, a halting look in her eyes. After a moment, they hardened and she lifted her sword and ignited her horn, the blade following suit. She swung it out and five bolts of energy shot from her weapon, piercing through each of their chests where there hearts should be. She lowered the sword and let her magic die down before following after the Fairy.

Downstairs, they found Hikan dragging the body of a stallion inside, bringing it to a stop next to another, both with holes in their heads. Shell stood to the side, undisguised once more while Alexandria stood just inside the front door, a little off to the side. Arela was by one of the other doorways, in her shining golden armor and with her halberd equipped. She was checking to see if any more thugs were coming in. Shanghai rushed over to Alexandria giddily.

“Hehe, guess what Alexandria?” she asked, clearly excited. She then continued without waiting for an answer. “I beat up all the guards upstairs all on my own!”

“Really?” Alexandria answered. “Well, good for you. That's really impressive.” Shanghai's smile was absolutely beaming. Starlight's eyes looked to the little Fairy, but she quickly looked away, going to stand next to Hikan as he closed the front door.

“Did she take care of it?” Hikan asked, his normally warm tone gone and replaced by the voice of the assassin.

Starlight only nodded her head. “Y-Yeah, she got'em,” the unicorn said, drawing the hunter's eyes to her. He took one look over her then glanced at Shanghai, before he turned back and nodded his head in understanding. His gaze jerked away from her and down the hall.

“Okay, guys,” he said, drawing everyone's attention. “This is where things get dicey. From here on out, no more stealth. We get in, we hit hard, we get out. That's the plan. Any questions?”

“Just one,” Alexandria said from the front door. “What's our first target? Garrick, or the Fallen Angel?”

Hikan's visor reformed in response and he looked towards the floor. “...I think the cub is in one of the back rooms on the first sublevel,” he muttered. “At least, that's where the smallest heat signature seems to be tied up. If I'm reading this right, there's a ton of magical energy being dispersed around down there and every line leads back to another heat source farther down on a second level, albeit it's just the one room.” He looked back up after the analysis, the visor lifting up. “The cub's closer than the Fallen Angel, but there's a hell of a lot more guards between us and Garrick.” He stopped and looked around to each of them.

“Wait,” Alexandria suddenly said, her brows furrowing. “You said that there's a bunch of magical energy being fed from the Fallen Angel through lines all over the complex, right?” Hikan nodded. Alexandria's eyes widened. “A generator…” she whispered. Then her brows furrowed even further. “They're using the Fallen Angel as a damn magic generator…!”

“That's… That's despicable! A filthy tila they may be, but being used as a living battery…” Arela growled.

Hikan looked towards Starlight and Shell, and the unicorn did not look happy. “I think we may have to split up for this one,” Starlight said. “As much as I hate to say it, that seems like the best option.” she looked at Arela, Alexandria, and Shanghai. “If you three go after the Fallen Angel, the rest of us should be able to grab Garrick.”

Alexandria looked at Arela. “Alright,” she said. “Sounds like a solid plan to me.” Arela nodded.

“It shall be done, my love,” she said resolutely.

Hikan looked at each of them in turn before his armor whirred to life onto his arms. “Then let's do this,” he said before starting down the hallway until he stood in front of the wooden door under the stairs. Pulling it open revealed an elevator on the other side. He looked to the group and perked an eyebrow. “Who wants to go first?”

“I think you guys should go first,” Alexandria said. “Your elevator ride will be shorter, and you'll still have to navigate to Garrick's room after that. We just have to ride the elevator down to a floor which is just a single room. Doing it that way should maximize efficiency.”

Hikan nodded before looking at Shell and Starlight. “Let's go, then,” he said before stepping into the elevator. Starlight nodded her head and started forward, Shell right behind her as they entered the elevator. Hikan closed the door and a soft rumbling sound filled the air.

Hikan reached behind his back and pulled his tristaff from his belt, twisting his wrist and making the three pieces click together before he unsheathed his survival knife and started to screw it into place at the top. “Shell,” he said, drawing the Changeling's attention before he tossed the spear into her hands. “Remind me that we really need to get you a weapon when we get out of this.”

The Changeling looked at him before nodding and looking in front of her, waiting for the door to open once again. Slowly, a concerned look spread over the insectoids face. “Will Lady Arela really be okay?” She asked, looking up at the man.

“They'll be fine,” he reassured, giving her a quick smile before looking back to the door with an angry look. “But we need to worry about ourselves for the time being.” The elevator started to slow down and he stepped forward, extending his arm wings and wrapping his main wings around his body. “You guys get behind me. When the doors open, we charge and give them all the hell we can. We've got to buy the others some time and get Garrick out of here.”

The mares each took a step behind him, the motions being all the hunter needed to know. “Let's give'em hell,” Starlight said darkly, Cataclysm coming over her shoulder and starting to growl as his blood red eyes sparked. Shell's head tilted forward and her entire demeanor changed just before the elevator clicked to a stop, a ding sounding out.

The door opened and several stallions turned in surprise only to be cleaved in two as the orange wrapped warmachine rushed forward. Blood splattered into the air as more guards turned their eyes towards the elevator only for many of them to take their final breaths as the group continued their mad dash into the room, Starlight and Shell taking out their fair share of goons.

The group came to a stop in the middle of the storage area, Hikan's wings flaring out, Starlight's magic glow surrounding her horn and sword, Cataclysm jumping from her back as he showed off his ability to increase his size, and Shell twirled Hikan's spear expertly, green flames streaming from either end of it.

“What in Tartartus is going on out here!?” A voice shouted out, a door slamming somewhere near the back of the complex. “Seriously! I can't even sample our products without you idiots causing some sort of commotion!” A dark gray earth stallion came out from behind a stack of crates, his right eye opening a bit wider at the sight of the group. The other eye seemed to be hindered by a rather ragged scar that started at his jawline, went over his lips and disappeared somewhere under his white and black fedora. Hikan's sharp eye scanned him quickly, and he tensed up, not liking what he saw. The stallion was wearing a white dress coat with black slacks and shirt. A blood red ascot hung from his neck, matching the three vertical stripes on the black band of his hat. And his body language said he wasn't fazed at all.

“Who in Tartarus are you supposed to be?” The stallion questioned, stepping forward a few steps. His eyes scanned the group for a moment before he huffed. “Let me guess, that bitch Gaelle hired you to get her kid back.”

“Actually,” Hikan said, straightening up, his claws clicking against one another. “We're doing this for free. Must be your lucky day.”

The stallion chuckled darkly at that. “It sure is,” he said. “I get paid double a month's salary to kidnap a whore's cub, get to torture that sweet little babysitter of his, and finally, you bring me a new weapon, a trophy head, and two more bitches to sell.” He looked up at Hikan with eyes that pulsed with killing intent. “I'd say this has been a damn lucky day.”

Hikan clenched his teeth together before lowering down into a fighting stance. “I'm so going to make you eat those words,” the hunter growled, the others tensing up.

The stallion smirked as his hands reached into his pockets. “I'd like to see you try, kid,” he answered, pulling out and putting on a couple of brass knuckles. “Before they drag your asses through Canterlot, I'm going to carve the name 'Coal Swindle' into your chests!”

“Kill these bastards!” Hikan shouted, his orange visor shooting down before he rushed forward. Starlight, Shell, and Cataclysm followed suit, each rushing at another side of the warehouse.

Starlight was the first to act, her sword flashing through the air as crossbow bolts rushed at her. Her blade cut through several of the bolts while others shattered against a magic barrier. The firing stopped and the stallions stared at her in shock. Starlight smirked and rushed forward, jerking them back into action, some trying reload while others dropped the useless weapons and pulled melee weapons out. The unicorn suddenly disappeared in a flash and while the goons flailed their eyes about to find her, a scream filled the air before being cut short. They all turned to find one of them falling to the ground, a gaping hole in his chest and his head rolling through the air, blood trailing as the unicorn spun through the air, dead, narrowed eyes leveled at them.

The ponies gasped and took a step back, those keeping their crossbows hefting and firing their weapons quickly. The mare's hooves hit the crate behind her and she pushed off, lunging towards them, slashing the bolts out of the air. An earth pony with a hammer rushed to meet her, swinging his hammer only to be stopped as Starlight flipped her hooves over her head and planted them firmly against the haft of the weapon. She pushed off of it, launching herself into the air and dropping back down with a pulse of magic, coming back down to skewer the stallion to the floor.

A click caught her ear and she quickly raised her hand, swiping it through the air and rocketing six lances of magic into a crossbow wielder, the magic dragging him back and slamming him into a crate, the magic piercing through his shoulders, hips, and chest. He stayed upright for a few seconds before slumping to the ground with a thud.

Across the room, Hikan rushed Coal Swindle, the stallion jumping back as his minions ran forward to cover him. Two rushed the assassin, one drawing his sword as the other lit up its horn and hands. The sword wielder reached the man first and swung out… only to pause as his blade fell to the ground with a clank. He barely had time to lift the broken hilt of his weapon before his field of vision started to widen. Two halves of the stallion to either side, blood spewing forth like a fountain as Hikan rushed through him. The mage's eyes widened and he threw his hands forward, balls of magical energy launching at the man. Hikan wrapped his back wings around his torso, tanking the hits easily before leaping forth and spinning with his wing scythes held out. The orange sails cut through the stallion multiple times before the hunter and corpse hit the floor. Coal Swindle stared in disgust as his men tried not to retch. “What are you?” The boss questioned with a voice full of fear. Hikan's visor leveled at him as he straightened up and started to walk forward again. “A sinner,” was the man's only answer, a monstrous growl seeming to follow the words out of his throat before he rushed the terrified group, a red shine glowing from behind his visor.

As Starlight continued to fight, one of her opponents got a kick in on her chest, forcing her to skid back. She fell to her knees as she tried to catch her breath. She looked up and suddenly everything became a blur. The stallion that had kicked her held a spear poised over her before a growl jerked his gaze behind her and a black and white blur rushed over her head. The pony only had time to scream in fear as Cataclysm forced him to the ground. The Nil Dragon lunged forward with his jaws, chomping down on the stallion's face and throat several times before the demon got a hold of his throat properly. With a sudden and vicious jerk of his head, a sickening pop filled the air and the stallion ceased all movement. Cataclysm opened his jaws and let the head fall to the ground before he lifted his burning red gaze to meet the rest of the group. The Nil Dragon let out a feral growl as Starlight stepped up next to him and the charged the crowd together.

Shell twisted through her own opponents like a whirlwind, busting through them with ease, though most of them managed to dodge out of the way with only minor injuries. However, three of the ponies weren't so lucky. A pair of pegasi rushed her with clubs, one swinging at her legs and the other at her head. Just when it looked like the Changeling had no chance of dodging, Shell dropped her knees, bending before she shot through the air, her body slipping right through the gap between the bat-like clubs. Each one felt a tap on their backs as the insectoid jumped past them, each throwing the other a confused look. Shell hit the ground with her shoulder and rolled to her hooves, twisting her body so that she faced the two. She let the spear fall from her hands before she crossed them over her chest and to her shoulders, palms out as flames leapt to life in them.

She uncrossed her arms, throwing the flames from her hands at the pair, the spell circles on their backs suddenly flaring before the flaming lances pierced their centers, the stallions screaming out in pain as the bolts exploded through the other side. Shell's eyes narrowed and she closed the thumb and ring and little fingers of her hands before seeming to jerk them through the air. The bolts of flame followed her movements entering and exiting the pegasi multiple times until the two looked more like empty space than ponies. The stallions fell to the ground as the flames died and Shell let her eyes go to the group of shell shocked goons. With a deft movement, she kicked the spear back into her hand as she stalked forward, twin orbs of flame flaring behind her shoulders.

Hikan dropped to his knee, letting an axe sail over over his head before he jumped back up, his left hand grabbing the unicorn's chin and throat and lifting him off the ground. His right hand flashed forward, claws sinking into the stallion's chest again and again until he stopped moving. Hikan held the dripping corpse for a moment before dropping it to the floor. He turned to face Coal Swindle, who had somehow gotten behind him. The stallion had a gash on his forehead, his hat missing and letting his messy grey and black mane hang into his eyes as he watched the monster walk towards him with bloody claws and wings, the field of carnage behind him the testimony to his savagery.

Coal clenched his teeth and raised his brass fists. “Come on, then!” He shouted, standing his ground. “You don't scare me- GAK!!!” The earth pony looked down at his belly, watching as his intestines started to slip through four slash marks, blood already pooling at his hooves. The stallion stared in shock before a dead smirk crossed his face. “Ya couldn't at least let me die with my hat o-” He was cut off once more as a ripping sound filled the air and something tugged on his chest. His eyes widened at the sudden black scaled arm protruding from his chest. He slowly raised his eyes to see the fist of the assassin holding onto his now red stained and dripping fedora. Coal's eyes widened before he shuddered and fell limp.

Hikan lifted the corpse a bit before viciously throwing his arm to the side, the body sliding off his arm to tumble across the ground. With a jerk of his hand, he dropped the hat and started to walk back where he and the others had started, stepping over the mangled corpses of his opponents without blinking. He stopped at the center of the crates, the others meeting him not long after. “Targets?” He questioned, looking towards each of them.

“Eliminated,” both Shell and Starlight answered, Cataclysm shrinking down and jumping up onto the unicorn's shoulder.

Hikan nodded before he turned and started towards the back of the complex. “Good, now, let's do what we came here to do.” The pair nodded and followed him to the back where they found three doors. The hunter looked towards the left door and inclined his head towards it. “Starlight, get the mares and get them out of here,” he turned to look at Shell as Starlight moved to do as she was ordered. “Stay here and make sure we don't get any surprises thrown at us.”

Shell nodded. “Yes, sir,” she said diligently. Hikan gave her a small smile before turning and going towards the door, only to stop and look at a blood red banner that hung off the wall. A simple brown circle took up the center with four diamond shapes taking each corner, each a different colour, blue, green, gold, and white. Hikan tilted his head for a moment before lifting his clawed hand and casually slicing out a length of cloth. “This should do,” he muttered before starting forward again.

Before he could reach the door however, the right-hand door - which had a sign that read 'Do not enter. Exit only for generator room emergency staircase.' - burst open and a human-looking woman with short brown hair and long pigtails came rushing out. She had an absolutely terrified expression on her face as she glanced behind herself as the door swung open… Before she slammed right into Hikan due to not watching where she was running.

Hikan looked down at her and blinked. “...What?”

Her very wide eyes snapped to Hikan. It took her only a split second to register all the blood covering him. She instantly froze up, her fear-filled expression plastered on her face.

Hikan looked over her and, noticing a lack of chains or signs of abuse, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Talk quickly,” he growled out, his claws clicking against each other as he turned his body towards her.

She almost screamed as she brought her arms over her head to cower under them. “P-Please don't kill me!” she said quickly, almost hysterical. “I-I'm only human! I-I just wanted to research building tanks! That's it!”

Hikan's eyes stared at her for a moment before his clawed hand clenched into a fist. “You had better run while you can,” he said in a low tone. “If you're still here when I walk back out, you will die.” Without hesitating for even a moment, the woman bolted away in the direction of the elevator. The assassin watched her go before he let out a breath. “I must be getting soft in my old age…” he muttered before he turned back and turned the knob in front of him, entering the room.

He closed the door behind him and the room was plunged into darkness, a small whimpering the only thing to stimulate his senses. He turned his head before his visor switched modes and the sound of a sonic wave echoed out. The white outline of a light switch shimmered into life on his visor and he lifted a hand. Flipping the switch flared the fluorescent lighting to life. His visor went back to its normal setting and he turned his eyes to see one of the last things he expected. A young hippogriff sat tied to a chair in the center of the room, a gag tied around his head and in his beak, his bright violet eyes staring at him. To be fair, he looked a lot like Gaelle, especially when it came to his blue feather head and wings, but a quick glance down revealed hooves that started black but started fading to white further up.

The young “cub”, he was going to have to do some thinking on that later, stared at him with fear ladened eyes and the hybrid only started to struggle when Hikan stepped forward. “Garrick, calm down,” the hunter said, holding a hand forward, palm towards the ground as the hippogriff stopped and went back to staring at him. “Your name is Garrick, right?”

For a moment, there was no response before the cub nodded his head. Hikan gave the best gentle smile he could before letting the armor on his left arm and face retract with a whirring sound. “My name's Hikan. Your mom sent me here to get you.” Garrick stared at him, his eyes full of disbelief. Hikan sighed a bit, giving a bit of a disheartened frown. “You're just going to have to trust me on this. Now, hold very still….” The hippogriff's eyes widened as the man suddenly hooked a claw under the gag and yanked sharply, the fibers of the cloth severing easily. Hikan took hold of one end and gently unwrapped it from the hybrid's head, Garrick coughing a few times to get air moving properly through his airways again. “Better?”

Garrick looked up at him before nodding his head. “Y-yeah…” he said softly, drawing a small smile from Hikan.

“Good,” he said gently before straightening up. “Now let's get you out of here.” With that he rounded the chair and severed the bonds holding his black talons to the chair before doing the same for his hooves. Garrick stood up and rubbed his wrists, getting the blood flowing through them as he stretched his wings. The hunter waited patiently for him until the cub looked up at him.

“Let's go,” the assassin said, holding out a hand as the armor retracted, the hybrid taking it after a moment's hesitation. Together they started to walk towards the door, only stopping when Hikan held the cloth out to Garrick. “You may not want to see this…”

The cub looked between him and the blindfold before stopping to look up at him. “I… think I'd rather just close my eyes,” Garrick said slowly, receiving a nod from the man. The hippogriff squeezed his eyes shut and Hikan lifted his gaze to the door, opening it and walking through. Shell and Starlight were waiting on the other side.

Shell looked over Garrick, a sad look coming over her face before she took on her disguised form. “You poor thing…” she said quietly before looking at Hikan. He only shared the melancholy look with her before giving a sigh.

“C'mon, let's get him out of here,” he said before he started to lead the cub out of the warehouse, maneuvering him expertly around the numerous bodies lying on the ground. They reached the elevator and Hikan pressed the 'up' button. Not long after, the doors opened and they all stepped in. The group turned and each of them got one last look at the bloody carnage they had wreaked on the bunker before the doors closed and took them to the ground floor. When the doors opened, the hunter led the young hippogriff out of the house, avoiding the last two bodies before slipping outside to find Alexandria and Arela sitting down with another woman wrapped in some sort of canvas.

“You can open your eyes now,” Hikan said to the hybrid, the cub's eyes blinking open to be greeted by the moonlight. Alexandria remained motionless, her head still down, continuing to obscure her face. Arela smiled at the cub, who's eyes were wide as he looked to her large and golden wings.

“Hello, tylin,” she greeted warmly.

Garrick stared at her with a look of dumbstruck wonder before his beak started working again. “You're… you're an angel, aren't you…?” The young hippogriff questioned, the awe in his voice unmistakable. Arela giggled and nodded.

“A High Angel, at that,” Arela said with a smile.

Garrick smiled at her for a moment before looking at Hikan. “Does… does that make you a demon?” Hikan's soft smile fell at that. Arela shook her head.

“Nay, tylin. He is a…” she thought about it for a moment. “...Dragon Warrior.”

“Oh…” the cub said, looking at the hunter. “Sorry….”

Hikan sighed but waved his hand. “No worries, kid,” he said gently. “I've been called worse.”

Arela smiled, ruffling the cub's hair. “We'll be seeing your mother in no time, tylin.” Garrick groaned a bit, but had a little smile on his face all the same. Arela looked around. “Is everyone ready to get out of this dump, then?” With the exception of Alexandria, who remained motionless still, everyone nodded. After several moments, Shanghai suddenly let go of Alexandria's shoulder with a startled 'Ah…!?' and backed away from her a bit, an extremely worried expression on her face.

Hikan's attention snapped to the pair. “Shangahi? Alex?” He asked, turning towards them. “You guys okay?”

Alexandria remained silent. “Ah, um…” Shanghai stuttered while wringing her hands a little, clearly distraught over something. “Alexandria's mind started to feel all weird suddenly.”

Hikan raised an eyebrow before he started to step forward. Kneeling down, he put a hand on Alexandria's shoulder. “Hey… you doing okay?” He asked, a worried tone sinking into his voice.

After a few moments of silence, Alexandria finally spoke. “…Awww, you're worried about me?” she said. Her tone was… Incredibly mocking.

Hikan's eyes narrowed and he stood to his feet. “Yeah,” he said shortly, suspicion in his voice. “Why wouldn't I be?”

“Ooooh, I don't know…” Alexandria answered, still in a mocking tone. “Maybe because…” she then lifted her head to look Hikan straight in the eye. She had a dangerously mischievous twinkle in her eye and a massive, shit-eating grin on her face. “…All the women you care about seem to end up dead?” she finished as she stood up.

Hikan's eyes widened and he stepped back. After a moment, his eyes narrowed. “Measure your next words very carefully, Alex,” he said in a low tone.

“Just think about it,” Alexandria said. “It's true, isn't it? Can you remember any women that you've cared about that are still alive?”

“Alexandria-” Arela made to say.

“Maybe you're next?” Alexandria said to Arela, cutting her off. Alexandria began to casually inspect her nails as she continued. “If you think about the trend, it's a certainty that you'll die prematurely… And it's all because lover-boy fell in love with you.”

“That's enough, Alex,” Hikan growled, stepping forward as his eyes hardened in the sign that the actual Hikan was coming forward. “I don't know what you had to do or see down there, but whatever it was does not, and will never give you the right to bring up things like this.”

Alexandria's dangerous grin widened. “Who knows?” she started. “Maybe your little angel will die today? Maybe even…” Alexandria suddenly rushed behind Arela, grabbing both her arms and pulling them behind and up, preventing Arela from being able to do anything. All this happened impossibly fast, her speed surprising everyone present. “…Right now.”

Hikan was in front of Arela in the next instant, his arms wrapping around her as his wing blades formed and pressed against Alexandria's throat. “…Let go…” he said, his murderous intent so clear that any doubt in the air shriveled up and died.

Alexandria seemed completely unfazed. If anything, her grin widened and her eyes seemed to sparkle a little. “Ah, the rage and hatred filling your voice…” she said. “It's music to my ears.” As she finished speaking, she released Arela.

Hikan dropped his blades and put his hands on Arela's shoulders. “Star, Shell,” he barked, the two mares rushing Alexandria to stand behind and in front of her. He let his gaze go back to his Devoted. “Are you okay?” He asked, voice shaky. She nodded numbly.

“Y-Yes, I'm fine,” she affirmed. He let out a heavy sigh and hugged her tight.

Alexandria laughed darkly. “Are you maybe naive or something?” she asked. “I don't necessarily need to be close to someone if I want to kill them.”

Reverse Sign [Turn Over]

Suddenly, Hikan found himself between Starlight and Shell, Alexandria standing next to Arela, lightning sparking from her hands. Their positions had been flipped. Hikan's eyes widened in surprise. “Alex, stop!” He shouted, stepping away from Shell and Starlight. “I don't know what you're playing at, but stop it, right now!”

Alexandria's grin widened greatly to show off her teeth. “Make me,” she challenged. Hikan stepped forward, reaching her in what seemed like two steps.

“You do not want to do this, Alexandria,” he said darkly.

“Maybe I do,” Alexandria answered a little teasingly. “How do you know what I do and don't want to do? Maybe I'll just keep trying to kill your little angel until you kill me instead? That sounds like it could be kind of fun.”

“No, it doesn't,” Hikan said quietly. “Dying is not something you want to do, and I don't make a habit of killing my friends. Now, cut. This. Out.”

“I see,” Alexandria said. “So the reason why it's so hard to frustrate you is because you see us as friends? Alright then, if that's the case…” she then glanced over to Shanghai, who was somewhere behind Hikan. “Shanghai, could you be a dear and stab Hikan in the back?”

“N-No!” Shanghai shouted, causing Alexandria's expression to falter for only a split second. “You're suddenly acting all weird! Please, snap out of it!”

Alexandria paused for a moment. “Fine,” she said, shrugging. “I'll just do it myself.” With that, she then jumped into the air, quickly flying behind Hikan before firing a bolt of lightning towards his back. Dorkifu revved to life, and he turned, throwing up his arm-wing, tanking the lightning bolt with the glowing orange sail before he jumped after her, his back wings flaring. “Arie, you and the others get Garrick back to his mother!” He shouted as he flew at Alexandria.

Arela stared for a bit, before quickly grabbing the other Angel and taking Garrick's hand. “Come on!” she cried, rushing down the streets. Starlight and Shell ran after her, Starlight throwing a look over her shoulder as Hikan reached Alexandria.

The assassin blinked out of sight before appearing over Alexandria, twisting his body to bring his leg down in an axe kick.

Despite the suddenness and swiftness of the attack, Alexandria still managed to completely avoid it. “Too slow!” she taunted as she retaliated with a tightly compacted pattern of small sparks. Hikan drew his arm wings together and let the bullets slam into him, grunting a bit as they detonated. He threw his arms apart before boosters formed on his back and launched him forward, his fist reared back.

Alexandria simply faked a yawn as she moved to the side, avoiding the punch. “Are you even trying?” she asked, her tone almost genuinely incredulous… Almost. The man came to a stop and swung around, his leg coming up to shoot towards the side of her head. She simply ducked under the kick before retaliating instantaneously with a lightning bolt to Hikan's stomach and a shout. “Stupid!”

The assassin was pushed back from the blow, his abdomen smoking as burn holes sizzled. And he looked up with a smirk. “Only if I was fighting alone.” A buzzing sounded out next to her and a bright flash and a concussive blast went off next to her head. Alexandria's eyes widened as she tried to quickly move away from the noise… Only to be partially successful as the blast clipped her head and her vision blurred from the force of impact.

“Finally getting serious, are we?” she said after a few moments, shaking her head as her vision cleared. “Good.”

Thunderous Sign [Thunderbolts]

Suddenly, many lightning bolts began to rapidly strike random locations in a 25-meter radius around Hikan. “…Now I can too,” Alexandria said with a smirk. Hikan let his visor form before he started dodging the bolts, his HUD brightening in red the closer the lightning got to him.

“This is ridiculous,” he muttered before his other three wisps formed. “Take her.” The four wisps buzzed around her, keeping just out of her reach before one of them rushed her face and the others kept her mostly contained. Alexandria did a stationary midair backflip to avoid the rushing wisp.

“Are you trying to make things difficult?” Alexandria asked Hikan mockingly. “I do love a good challenge.” Alexandria then started adding a ton of sparks into the mix for Hikan to dodge as she continued to effortlessly dodge each time a wisp charged her.

Hikan rushed out of the way, raising his wing-blade to tank whatever he couldn't dodge, wisps suddenly rushing at her much faster from every angle. The moment one passed or glanced off of her, another would zoom after her.

“What pests,” Alexandria said, unable to continue shooting sparks. “Don't you understand the concept of personal space?”

Repulsion Sign [Push Away]

Suddenly, the wisps were very forcefully repelled away from Alexandria by some unseen force. “Finally, I can breathe,” Alexandria said jokingly as she resumed her assault of sparks, the lightning bolts from before still striking around Hikan.

Hikan let out a growl before he looked up, one eye turning orange. “I've had enough of this,” he muttered before his back wings formed a shield over him. “Trump Card; Dragon's Rule.” Dorkifu whirred to life like never before, his wisps suddenly disappearing in dust as burning orange lines started to dart over his form. Black armor started to pour over his body like waves until it covered his body completely. Two amber orbs burned on his chest plate as twin cannons formed on either side of the growing wisp extensions on his wrist. Claw-like armor formed over his boots, vicious armor going up his leg to form into spikes that jutted out and away from his knees. Boosters formed on his back as more cannons took shape on the arcs of his wings, the last wisp extensions forming on his shoulders. A draconic helm formed over his head before his orange visor materialized and slammed down over the helmet's red eyes.

“Fancy~” Alexandria said mockingly. “Where'd you buy it? I think I-” Hikan's clawed gauntlet suddenly wrapped around her face and shoved her back. Boosters fired as the hunter dragged her back and slammed her into a wall, Alexandria barely even having time to register what was happening as the brick wall cracked from the force of impact.

“AAAAAHHHH!!” Shanghai suddenly screamed as the impact was made, dropping towards the ground like a rock a moment later. At the same time, Alexandria went limp in Hikan's hand. The assassin's visor turned to see the doll fall towards the ground. With a blur of movement, he appeared under Shanghai and caught her before she hit the ground.

Shanghai struggled weakly to get up in his palm. “D-Don't…” she mumbled weakly, her voice quiet and very strained. “…Hurt… A-Alex-… andria…”

For a moment, the draconic mask showed no sign of life before it jerked up towards Alexandria. “Shit, the link,” he said in realization. The visor lifted before the face plate split into six and slid back to reveal Hikan's face. “Shanghai, I'm not going to- I didn't mean- damn it, I'm sorry…”

“G-Gotta… Protect… A-… Alex…” Shanghai mumbled weakly, either completely ignoring Hikan's words or just not hearing them. Hikan looked sadly down at the doll before he sighed and turned, walking back towards Alexandria's unconscious body.

“Hold it right there villain!” a very familiar voice shouted from behind Hikan. “Without turnin' around, gently place the Fairy on the ground!”

Hikan gave a loud sigh. “What now…?” He muttered quietly before he slowly lowered to the ground and placed Shanghai down next to Alexandria softly. Shanghai then gripped Alexandria's dress tightly before also losing consciousness. Hikan then straightened up. “So what next? You want me to put my hands on my head and get on my knees? Because if not, I've got to get these two somewhere safe.”

“Yeah, so you can kill 'em I'm sure!” the voice responded. “Now put your hands up in the air where I can see them and slowly back away from the Yokai!”

“This is ridiculous…” the man muttered before raising his hands and starting to back away.

“Now turn around slowly!” the voice shouted at him once he was a good eight feet away from Alexandria. “And don't try anythin' funny!”

“If I was going to do anything, I'da done it by now!” Hikan shouted over his shoulder before turning around. What he saw behind him was exactly what he had expected to see: a very familiar magician in black clothing pointing a very familiar octagonal device at him.

“Now then,” Marisa said. “You're gonna explain yourself. Quickly.”

Hikan stared at her in surprise before he sighed again. “You've gotta be fucking kidding me…” he said under his breath before looking up. “Me, Alex, and the others came out here to rescue a kidnapped cub. We split up because Arela sensed another angel and when we met back up…” he paused and looked back towards Alexandria and Shanghai, a sad look on his face as his hands fell. “Alex wasn't acting right… She started making threats, acted aggressive… I was just trying to subdue her…”

“…I was watchin' the whole time actually,” Marisa said. “So I already know she was bein' all weird… But it look'ta me like you were tryin'ta kill her.”

Hikan opened his mouth to argue only to stop. He closed his lips and lifted his armored hand to look at his clawed gauntlet. “I… went too far…” he said quietly. “She… said some very… painful things to hear and I… couldn't hold Hikan back like I should've. I'm not even sure I tried…”

Marisa was silent for several moments. “…That still doesn't give you the excuse to kill her,” she finally said. “I know Alex, and she's not like that. Obviously, somethin's causin' her to act strange. We just gotta find out what and put a stop to it.”

“I wasn't going to kill her!” Hikan shouted, his orange eye flaring, Marisa tensing in response, before he calmed down. “I don't kill friends…” He turned and walked back to Alexandria before slowly lowering down and picking her up, being sure to place Shanghai gently on her stomach before standing up. “We gotta get her to somewhere she can rest…”

Marisa hesitated for several moments before putting her device under her hat as she approached Hikan. “I was just comin' to check on Alex 'cause I had a bad feelin' 'bout somethin',” she said. “But I think I'll stick around from here on out, 'cause this seems like a big deal.” Marisa then picked up Shanghai and gently placed her in the front pocket of her dress. “Don't want this little gal to fall off Alex while we fly back to wherever the others are.”

Hikan nodded his head. “We'll have to enter the restaurant from the back,” he said, his wings extending out. “I can't take this armor off until I get somewhere to rest or I'll be worse off than Alex here.”

“Alright, gotcha,” Marisa said as she got on her broomstick and the two took to the air.

Arela's head immediately snapped to the restaurant's back door as it opened. She rushed to the sound, barely managing to stop herself from barreling into Hikan's chest when she noticed that he was carrying Alexandria. Her tears couldn't be stopped even if she wanted.

“Hey, guys,” Hikan said, sweat dripping from his forehead as he stepped in. He stepped up next to Arela and hugged her with a wing, leaning sideways to kiss her on the crown of her head. “Sorry for making you worry…” Arela simply leaned into his wing, wrapping one of her own with his as she kept crying.

Starlight stood up from her seat across from Gaelle and Garrick. “Hikan… what happened?” She asked, worried eyes going over him and the Yokai in his arms.

“You don't really haffta concern yourself with that right now, alright?” Marisa said as she stepped in behind Hikan. “For now, we need to get Alex and Hikan somewhere to rest. Hikan says he'll collapse once he takes the armor off.”

“I don't think there is somewhere to rest here,” Arela said after wiping her tears away.

Shell looks up worriedly. “We can't stay here,” she said. “Someone is bound to notice us…”

“She's right. With all the chaos we caused, we're bound to have attracted the attention of the Guards,” Arela noted.

Gaelle was quiet as she listened to them go back and forth. After a moment, she looked down at Garrick before she took a breath. “You all could stay at my place for a little while,” she said, looking up at them. “It's the least I could do after what you've all done tonight.”

Hikan looks at her before looking to the others. “Any objections?”

“Hey, I get to stay somewhere for free,” Marisa said. “I ain't complainin'.”

“I can live with it,” Arela said softly, nuzzling into Hikan's side.

“It sounds fine to me…” Shell said, agreeing with Arela.

Starlight nods. “It's certainly a lot better than the streets,” she said before looking at Gaelle. “Thank you for the offer.” The griffon nodded back.

“It's settled then,” Hikan said tiredly, adjusting Alexandria a bit. “We'll crash with you for the night.”

“You can stay as long as you like,” Gaelle said, looking up at him. “I know what it's like being new to the big city with nowhere to call home. Just until you guys can find your own place, hopefully something big enough to support all of you.”

“I know the feeling as well. I once had to live in Koganusaun to investigate an Angel trafficking ring. While it was nice having such a large apartment, the depravity of the dwarves there was… Well, not very pleasant,” Arela concurred.

Starlight grimaced at that. “So, Miss… um…”

“Bludedge.”

“Miss Bludedge,” the unicorn filled in quickly, giving an embarrassed chuckle. “Um… which way?”

Gaelle just giggled a bit at that. “The building right behind the restaurant,” she said, a little humor returning to her voice.

“Well, ain't that convenient,” Marisa said with a grin. “'Cept it's an apartment buildin', so why don'cha lead the way?”

“Come on, my love,” Arela urged, gently pulling Hikan with her to the door. Gaelle giggled a bit before standing up with Garrick in tow and leaving the building.

“Your little group sure is strange,” she murmured good naturedly as she passed by Hikan.

Hikan blinked at the griffoness before looking back towards his group. Slowly, a smile touched his face. “Yeah… yeah we are,” he said before turning to follow her out the door.