Paradise Lost: Kill the Memory

Chapter 14

It had been a few weeks since the raid on the Circle’s drug ring, and Asala had been training the group hard. The first thing he taught them all was how to use ki, although it was still a learning process for them and none could fly with it yet. Of course, most of them did not need to, but Asala assured them learning to would give them more speed in flight. Regardless, all they could do was create orbs of it and launch them. So, in the afternoons, Asala would have them work on energy control, and in the early mornings, he would have them work on speed and power.

Currently, they were all in the main training room, trying to land just one hit on Asala with whatever means they could, as they were told to by the alien.

“Hyah!” Shanghai shouted, striking at Asala with her broadsword, only for him to disappear and flick her on the head, sending her back.

“Nice try,” he said. “But try to use your ki more.”

A ki blast shot towards Asala's head, burning with turquoise light. Asala deflected the blast with his tail, knocking it towards Shell. The Changeling's eyes widened as the blast soared towards her before she thrust her arms forward, palms out and a thin ki shield formed only to be shattered as the blast detonated against it. Starlight winced as Shell was thrown back a little ways. “Sorry, Shell!” She called out. Asala was suddenly right by Starlight, and her eyes widened as he whacked her away with his tail, knocking the unicorn into Alexandria. Alexandria caught Starlight and quickly put her on her feet.

“Thanks, Alex,” the mare said, readying her hands for another go.

“No problem,” Alexandria said, before taking to the air and rushing Asala, firing several blasts of electrically charged ki at him.

Asala launched his own barrage, these ones being green, tossing them like a certain warrior all feared, and then launched two more at Alexandria. Asala's ki blasts moved many times faster than Alexandria's reaction time, and it was nigh impossible for her to dodge. When they collided with her, he appeared behind her and flicked her forehead.

“Too obvious. Try again,” he said, then had to dodge a deep red coloured blast from Ayis, which he did so easily. She yelped when she was punched into the falling Alexandria, the two landing in a compromising position. Arela tried to sneak up behind him, only for him to flip over her head, and then grab her with his tail, spin once, and throw her into Hikan. Ronzul tried to create a blast in his hands, being the one most unused to using energy like this, and thus he was slow. Asala simply grabbed the dwarf by the arm, canceling the charging attack, and slammed him into the ground. “Too slow. Try again.”

Hikan caught Arela around the middle with his arms, slowing her down before putting her on her feet, all without using the black, clawed digits of his hands. “You okay?” He asked, fear in his voice. Arela nodded, groaning a little bit as she rubbed her neck.

“The grip was a bit tight, but I'm fine,” she said. “He didn't grab me hard enough to choke me.”

“Battle has no conversation, lest the converser wishes to die,” Asala said from behind them. “Unless you were trying to distract them, there is no point.”

Hikan looked over his shoulder, the four-pointed pupil in his eye narrowing to a slit cross. “C'mere!” He shouted, spinning and spreading the claws wide as he poured ki into them before he threw out five arches of slash-like energy. Asala simply batted them away with his hands, and then sped over to Hikan and punched him in the face, making him tumble head over heels a number of times. Then Nyilla came hurling through the air, having been thrown by someone. She brought her fist forward, an aura of deep red ki surrounding it. Asala turned just in time for her fist to meet his face mask, and though he did not budge, he did retract his mask, and then look down to her as she fell to the ground.

“Very good, Miss Nyilla!” he praised. He looked to the others, all panting and sweating from the hours of training. “Well, that's it for now, everyone. Feel free to do as you wish, now.” He looked down to Nyilla. “You, little one, get to have an ice cream cone!” Ayis groaned.

“Ugh… Always denied the good stuff…” she mumbled as she removed her face from her Devoted's chest. As she glanced at Nyilla, she saw the Fairy looking at her with a smug look and her tongue sticking out.

Hikan put his clawed hands under him and pushed himself up, taking deep, heavy breaths as he did. Asala noticed this.

“Are you alright there, Hikan?” he queried, a tinge of concern in his voice. The man gave a gruff grunt in response to this as he got back to his feet, tail dragging on the ground.

“I'll be fine…” he answered, turning away before starting to walk off the training arena and towards the private rooms.

“Ah'll be back at mah hovel, if'n ya need me,” Ronzul said, walking out of the room after picking himself up. Arela watched her Devoted go with a sad and concerned look. A hand rested on the angel's shoulder.

“How's he doing?” Starlight asked gently. Arela shook her head.

“Not good. He's been getting worse by the day,” she told the unicorn. Starlight looked to the angel before watching Hikan's retreating form. The claws that swayed at his sides, the devilish horns that poked out of his hairline.

Starlight's eyes watered for a moment before she just patted the angel's shoulder. “Just… hang in there,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper. “He'll come back around….”

“Starlight, he's been like this since you two woke up. And he won't talk to me about it, either,” Arela told the unicorn. She looked to Hikan, then hung her head. “Has… Do you think he… lost interest in me?” Arela asked fearfully.

The unicorn opened her mouth to answer before closing it again. “Of course he hasn't.” Starlight turned to see Shell walking towards them. “If anything, he loves you now more than ever.”

“Right.... Thanks, Shell,” Arela said, before turning and walking away. Starlight watched her go worriedly before giving a sigh and turning towards Shell.

“Look after her, won't you?” She said in passing before she headed off in the opposite direction, Cataclysm shimmering into existence next to her as she walked. The Changeling looked between the two retreating pairs before giving a sigh.

“If only they could see what I could…” she muttered before following after Arela and Hikan at a distance. Asala watched this from afar, stroking his chin in thought as Nyilla licked her cone of ice cream, which he had made with the one spell he knew: Magic Materialization. He sighed before walking out of the room as well, then to the courtyard, where he found Elise waiting for him, the bow Teigu, L'Arc Qui Ne Faut, in her hands.

“Alright, I'm ready for today's lessons Asala,” she said as Asala approached. Asala nodded.

“Good,” he said, walking over, before walking a bit farther, so he was opposite her, as well as a good distance away. “Today, we focus on speed. Should you need arrows, just tell me, and I will make some for you.”

“Ugh…” Elise grumbled under her breath. “Alright, I'll see what I can do.” She then turned to face Asala, putting her free hand to the full quiver, preparing to loose the whole quiver of ten as fast as she could. She took a deep breath, then took the first arrow, nocked it, drew the bowstring and let the arrow fly before quickly moving her hand back to the quiver to grab another arrow. The process took around three seconds for each arrow. The amount of spread on the arrows was rather massive too, not a single one coming even close to Asala. By the time Elise loosed the ninth arrow, Asala could almost picture the smoke above Elise's head; she was downright fuming. As Elise drew the bowstring with the tenth and final arrow of the quiver nocked, she angrily shouted one word: “Asala!” She then loosed the arrow, which went way off course, only to change its trajectory mid-flight and beeline for Asala. Asala sighed, grabbing the arrow out of the air and breaking it.

“Temper, Lady Elise. Just keep trying,” he told her calmly.

“Mmmmmff…” Elise growled angrily. After a moment, she sighed. “I dunno why we gotta practice firing speed when I can barely loose an arrow as it is.”

“It is one of the basics of using a bow, Lady Elise,” Asala explained.

“Yeah,” Elise said. “But wouldn't I need to know how to properly loose an arrow before I can start loosing them faster?”

“You learn both skills as you go, but, if you so prefer, we can focus on just the one,” Asala said. Elise sighed again.

“Well… You definitely know more than I do, that much is clear,” she said. “If you think I should be learning both together, then that's probably the way I should be doing it.” She then went to start collecting the nine arrows that were littering the courtyard. “Just lemme get these arrows back and I'll be ready to continue.”

“Very well,” Asala said, staying where he was.

Meanwhile, Hikan sat on the edge of the couch in his and Arela's room. The same place he'd been sleeping since coming out of the stasis pod. He stared down at his claws. The sparkling white talons. The black scales. The orange accents. His fingers clenched and he squeezed his claws into his palms, pushing harder and harder until a single, minuscule drop of blood seeped out from under one of his talons. He gave a sigh and let his hands fall open, still staring at the small droplet of blood.

A knock sounded at the door. “My love…? Can I come in?” came the voice of Arela. The man looked up from his spot on the couch.

“Arie…” he said, his voice monotone and only just audible through the door. “You don't have to ask permission to come into our room….” The door opened, and Arela walked in. She moved over to him, sitting down next to him and resting her head on his lap. Hikan didn't move as she did this, simply letting her do it. She shot a frown his way.

“My love…” she said softly. She reached a hand up to his face. “Please… talk to me.”

The hunter stayed quiet for a long while. “…I don't know what to say…” he answered quietly. Arela was starting to tear up.

“Do you… Do you not love me anymore…?” she asked, fearing the answer.

The man winced at that. His hand moved instinctively to hold hers only to hesitate and come to rest once more on his knee. “…Of course I still love you, Arie,” he answered. Arela was crying openly now, her tears falling down her face to the couch below.

“Then why do you not embrace me? Why do you shy away from my touch? My love, is it my body? Am I unsatisfactory? Please, tell me!” Arela sobbed.

Hikan looked at his Devoted with misery in his eyes. “Arie, it's not you,” he said, his hands moving to hold her only to stop. “It's not you. It's not your body. You're definitely not unsatisfactory. The problem is… it's….” He paused for a moment and looked back down at the floor, turning his palms upward where the tiny droplet had trailed a red line over his palm. “…The problem is me….” Arela looked at him in shock, her tears falling faster.

“I'm… I'm turning into a monster, Arie,” he said quietly, voice tightening. “A-and after what happened to you… I can't stand thinking that one misstep. One single slip… and I could hurt you….”

“My love…” Arela began, before tackling the man, the two falling back on the couch as Arela looked into his eyes with her own tearful ones. They were filled with pain. “I am yours. And you are mine. I would never consider you a monster. Even if you hurt me, I know it would never be intentionally, that it would be a mistake, and I would never fault you for that.” She gripped his shirt tightly. “So please…” she said, hot tears falling onto his chest. “…Don't berate or make yourself out to be some monster. Because you are the man I love. And seeing you like this…” Her lip quivered as tears aplenty fell from her beautiful face, marring it with their streaks. “…That's what really hurts me.”

Hikan's eyes stared wide up into hers before his look of surprise faded into sorrow. His finger twitched and ever so slowly, his hand lifted towards her crying eyes and, for the first time, the talon on his thumb retracted. Gently, his hand cupped her face, his thumb gently wiping away the tears that streamed down her face. “I'm so sorry…” he whispered, voice tightening up as tears welled up in his cross-pupiled eyes. Arela pressed her face against his hand, one of her own reaching up to grasp it as she finally smiled at him, tears still falling.

“I'll forgive you…” she said, before burying her head in his chest. She then looked up at him, still smiling. “…As long as you never do this again, and give me a second child to mother.”

Hikan gave a small chuckle at that. “I can do that,” he said before lifting up to place a kiss on her lips. Arela kissed him back fiercely.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” Elise's extremely frustrated scream from all the way in the courtyard suddenly cut the mood to smithereens in an instant.

Hikan gave a sigh. “…Elise is practicing archery again,” he muttered. Arela giggled a bit.

“Yeah…” she said as she placed her head against his chest again, hugging him, her wings wrapping around him as well. The hunter smiled and wrapped his arms around her, his claws withdrawing into his fingertips.

“I love you,” he said quietly.

“I love you more,” Arela said softly. The man simply chuckled and held her a bit tighter, enjoying the physical contact he'd kept himself from for weeks.

Outside, Starlight sat on the edge of one of the wall towers, Cataclysm curled up behind her as she stared out at the rest of the city. A small sigh escaped her, drawing her knee up to her chest and wrapping her arms around it as her other leg hung off the edge. She heard the sound of feet behind her, and turned to see Asala standing there.

“Something wrong, Miss Glimmer?” he queried, stopping beside her.

The mare turned back to look out once more. “Just… thinking about things I should've said,” she answered, her chin coming to rest on her knee. Asala hummed in thought.

“'Love is blind', yes?” he said out of nowhere.

The mare let out a mirthless huff of laughter. “Yeah…” she said. “I… I didn't think I'd never get the chance to tell him how I feel….” Asala nodded.

“Miss Biore told me your situation. From what she said, she's been waiting for the right time to tell him about you,” he said. He looked down to her. “I told her recently you should be the one to do it. You still have a chance. From what I've gathered, she agreed to a herd with you. So, the question is, why do you wait?”

Starlight was quiet for a moment. Her eyes swam with so many emotions, but her lips never parted. 'She's scared.'

“CAT!” Starlight shouted, rounding on the Nil Dragon, the demon lifting his head to match her gaze with his.

'What? You weren't going to say it,' Cataclysm challenged. 'If you kept up like this, you would have just… withered….' The mare was quiet at that, staring at the demon's eyes before she gave a sigh. Asala smiled at Starlight, sitting down next to her.

“Fear is good. It drives you. But letting it rule you is far from good. Don't let it be a tyrant. Let it be a stepping stone to a new future with the man you love,” Asala advised. The unicorn looked up at the alien, her eyes searching his for some answer.

“…How?” She asked. Asala smiled, lightly flicking her with his tail.

“You know the answer to that,” he told her. “Simply go up, and ask him. That's all there is to it. If he turns you down, then move on. Life is about continuing the journey. Don't let it end or stop short because of fear.” Starlight stared at him before looking away towards the city street below.

“…It's that simple?” Asala nodded, patting her shoulder.

“Yes, yes it is,” he told her truthfully. The mare was quiet for a second before she jumped off the ledge. The street below rushed up to meet her and she closed her eyes before flipping her legs over her head and putting her hooves under her before turquoise magic spread from her horn to the rest of her body. She slowed her descent until she came to a gentle landing on the sidewalk, and going to enter the front door.

Back at the top of the tower, Cataclysm stared over the edge. '…That went well.'

“Hush. She is fine. If the look on her face was any indication, then the talk actually did go well,” Asala told the dragon.

The demon rumbled in his throat. 'Almost sounds like you doubted how that would play out,' Cataclysm replied with an amused snort. Asala flicked the dragon on the snout.

“Hush,” he said, although it was obvious the dragon was right. Cataclysm sneezed softly at the thump before looking up at the alien.

'…I'll bite you,' the demon warned, throwing his head back a bit and letting a rumble run through his throat, though it wasn't exactly threatening. Asala gave the demon a look.

“You could certainly try. I wouldn't recommend it, though, not unless you wish to be my next meal,” Asala shot back. The demon gave a draconic chuckle.

'I probably don't taste all that good,' he replied before laying his chin on his legs. '…You really think she has it in her?'

“Young Cat, never underestimate the will of women,” Asala told Cataclysm, leaning back. “Never.”

Hikan walked through the base with a lighter step, a sort of glow to him. Then, Marisa came up to him carrying Nyilla.

“Hey Hikan,” Marisa said. “I really wanna use a Teigu, 'cept all of 'em have rejected me. I was wonderin' if you could do somethin' about that. I brought Nyilla too, 'cause she also wants a Teigu.”

“I feel like I'm not really all that helpful,” Nyilla explained. “I can't do much on my own, so I thought I'd be more helpful with one, except they're all too big for me.”

Hikan turned to look at them with a raised eyebrow. “First off… how many times have you gone to the infirmary, Marisa?”

Marisa grinned. “I lost count,” she said. The man stared at her for a long while before his hand met his face and he sighed.

“You know you could've been killed, right?” He asked in a flat tone.

“Yup.” The hunter just shook his head.

“Okay…” he said before looking forward again, continuing towards the armory. “Did you at least feel one that was kinda not as painful as the others?”

“The ax one,” Marisa answered. “It wasn't so much excruciatin' as it was just very painful.”

Hikan nodded his head at that. “You understand that even if what I'm planning works, there's no guarantee that it'll bond with you.”

“Couldn't we just keep tryin' then?”

Hikan looked down at her with a stern look. “Depends,” he said, gaze still stuck to hers. “Do you want to die for something as trivial as a Teigu?”

“These Teigu seem really cool and powerful,” Marisa said, meeting his gaze with her typical casual grin. “They don't seem too trivial to me.”

Hikan simply searched her eyes before looking around. “What I'm going to try could depreciate the abilities of the weapon, or even drop how much it takes to kill someone if it doesn't bond with them.”

“By the same logic, it could improve the abilities or make it less likely to kill someone when rejectin' 'em, right?” Marisa argued.

Hikan pursed his lips. “…We're dabbling in science and alchemy that is centuries old,” he answered. “The only record of how these weapons were made was a single book… a book that was destroyed.”

“Yeah, okay, but if you think about it, my argument could still be true, right?” Marisa said. “If it could make 'em worse, then it's only natural that it could also make 'em better instead.”

“It's not that simple,” Hikan said, his voice becoming even more worried as they reached the armory. “Here, in this world, I do not have the same materials, or even the same form of magicks. What I do will not make them any less likely to kill you. Maybe up their power, maybe change their abilities, hell, even their temperaments, but… it can only increase the killing power towards any they deem unworthy.”

Marisa was silent for several moments. “…Fine. I'm willin' to take my chances,” she finally said, a serious expression on her face for once. “And if I die, that'll be my fault, and my full responsibility.”

The man was silent for a long moment before he nodded his head. “So long as we're on the same page,” he said before looking towards Nyilla. “The same applies to you, too.”

“Actually,” Nyilla started. “If one of these Teigu things rejects me, I won't feel any pain, and it sure as the Wastes won't be able to kill me. So, if you ask me, it doesn't really matter.”

The hunter gave a little sigh before pushing the door open. “On your head be it,” he muttered. “Now, let's get your Teigu picked out. Marisa, if you would please retrieve Belvaac.” Marisa nodded quickly before heading to the safe the Teigu were stored in and opening it. She placed Nyilla down inside, then picked up Belvaac. Nyilla looked around at the other Teigu inside before her gaze fell on the ring, the smallest Teigu they had. She grabbed it before following Marisa out of the safe.

“All set?” Hikan asked, looking between the two of them.

“You betcha,” Marisa answered, using her foot to close the safe behind her.

“Yes,” Nyilla said simply.

Hikan nodded before turning on his heel. “Let's get to the forge, then,” he said, starting to walk away. “And hope that everything goes right at the end of all this.”

Marisa's eyes lit up. “So you're gonna be reforgin' these Teigu?” she asked. The man nodded in response.

“That is the only way I can think of to change the weapon's affinity for you,” Hikan said. “As for Black Marlin… well, if we're resizing it for Nyilla….”

“Well, I wouldn't say resizing would be what I was thinking of when I grabbed the ring,” Nyilla responded. “You were talking about how the abilities could end up changing, so I just grabbed the smallest one. Seemed to make sense to me.”

Hikan shrugged. “Fair enough,” he said as they approached the doors of the forge room. “I hope Ronzul has stocked up on durable metals.”

“This is Ronzul we're talkin' about,” Marisa pointed out. “I'm sure he's got more than plenty of metals.” The man opened the doors and immediately squinted his eyes as the heat hit him. His visor formed over his eyes before he stepped the rest of the way inside.

Inside was a number of smelters, shelves behind them filled with metals that were both familiar and alien. A forge was in front of the smelters, a number of channels from them leading towards it. An anvil rested beside the forge, and as they walked closer, they saw that the shelves had plaques to show which metal was which. Ronzul was currently rummaging through one of them when he noticed the three.

“Well 'ello there! What brings yew all ta' tha' forge?” he queried, turning to them with a bronze bar of metal in his hand.

“Marisa and Nyilla are dead set on Teigu,” Hikan answered. “And rather than let the former kill herself trying to force it, I decided it'd be best to try and reforge them instead.”

“Ah see… Well, allow me ta' help ya then. Yew'll need a dwarf's touch fer this,” Ronzul said.

The hunter was hesitant for a moment before he nodded. “Alright,” he relented. “Two sets of hands are better than one, but all the same we'll still have to be careful.”

“Lad, Ah've helped make tha' very kinds o' crossbow yew've kept on ya, and those are more o' a pain ta' make then yew may think. A lot more,” Ronzul told the hunter. “Trust me, we'll be fine.”

Hikan nodded. “Let's get started then,” he said before turning towards the others and holding out a hand. “Marisa, if you would please.”

“I've been thinkin',” Marisa said as she handed the ax Teigu to Hikan. “I've always wanted to try usin' a lance. Hmmm, or maybe a flail… Ooh, or a big hammer… No, I can't quite decide… I think I'm leanin' towards a lance though…”

Hikan raised an eyebrow as he drew Belvaac towards him, sharing a look with the dwarf. “…Actually…” he murmured before looking back towards Marisa. “Could you go find Shell for me?”

Marisa was confused by the sudden request. “Huh? Why?” she asked.

“I may need her help,” the man answered simply before turning to Ronzul. “You ready to get started?”

“Lad, a dwarf is always ready ta’ smith,” Ronzul told the hunter with a toothy grin as he put the bronze bar down. Marisa was silent for a few moments before she shrugged and left to get Shell.

“Let's get started, then,” Hikan said before turning to the forge with the Teigu in hand.

“Right, lad. We're reforging it, correct?” At Hikan's nod, he gestured to one of the smelters. “Then toss it in one o' those, and we'll git started.” The man lifted the weapon, pausing just for a moment to look at the ax.

“…Won't take long… promise,” he said quietly before putting the weapon into the smelter. After that, Ronzul moved over to the bellows and used his foot to press on it, keeping the forge at a good heat level. He pointed to the pile of coal with a shovel nearby.

“Start shovelin' some coal in 'ere, lad,” he told Hikan. The man complied and made his way to the pile, taking up the spade before beginning his task.

This continued for a good while, up until Ronzul motioned for him to stop and moved over to a lever by one of the channels, pulling it and changing where the molten metal would flow. Then, he moved back to the smelter and opened its door to the channel, allowing the metal of Belvaac to pour out and down the channel, and then over to a pool for the metal. Ronzul walked over and then looked to Hikan.

“Go grab that li'l Flame Tosser. We'll need it ta' keep tha' metal hot until tha' lass comes back so we can imbue it with tha' right properties,” Ronzul said, pointing to what looked like a primitive flamethrower. Again the man nodded, striking the shovel into the ground before sliding off the heavy coat he wore, followed by his shirt and throwing them in an out-of-the-way corner. With that, he made his way to the device and hefted it.

“No wonder you dwarves are so good at this,” he said as he made his way over. “I had to remake Dorkifu with a hammer and tongs.”

“Well, bein' the favored children o' tha' Divine Smith helps too,” Ronzul said with a grin. Hikan just chuckled.

“So… what exactly do you want me to do with this thing?” The hunter asked.

“Git it on, then use it on tha' metal ta' keep it nice and hot,” Ronzul explained. “There weren't enough room ta' allow me ta' make a proper Dalvasken, but a good ol' Flame Tosser is a close second.”

Hikan took a moment before looking the device over and finding how to turn it on. He then aimed it towards the melted metal of Belvaac and pulled the trigger. A torrent of white-hot flames jumped out of the tube, washing over the melted Belvaac and keeping it at the right temperature. It wasn't long after that before Marisa returned with Shell.

“I brought Shell,” she announced. Shell looked about nervously before her eyes stopped on the man.

“Um… what did you need?” She asked, her hand going behind her back to clutch onto her other arm.

“Nothing major, I promise,” Hikan answered, never looking away from his work. “But maybe a little odd. Do you have any hair or nail clippings we could use?”

The Changeling stared blankly at him. “S-some… what?” she questioned.

“Have you lost it Hikan?” Marisa asked, an equally as confused expression on her face. “'Cause it sounds to me like you've gone all kooky. Not sure what in Hakugyokurou you'd want Shell's hair or nail clippin's for.”

“For the power of change,” the man answered simply. “You wanted a lance, a flail, a hammer, so… why not all three?”

Shell stared at him for several long moments. “Why didn't you just say so?” She asked before stepping up next to him and extending a hand. Eldritch flames leaped to her fingertips before the magical flames jumped forward to combine with the Flame Tosser's. Marisa's eyes widened at Hikan's words. After a couple moments, a large grin spread across her face.

“Ooooooh, I've got a real good gut feelin' about this…” she said, rubbing her palms together, a familiar twinkle in her eye. Hikan glanced towards the witch before giving a little grin and turning back to his task.

“Alright, lad, Ah think that's good enough,” Ronzul said after a good few minutes of bathing the metal in flame. He looked to Marisa. “What do ya want tha' basic form ta' be? A spear?”

“I was leanin' more towards lance than anythin' else, so yeah. A lance,” Marisa answered. Ronzul nodded.

“Right,” he said, before walking over to another lever and pulling it, the metal disappearing down a drain. “Follow me, lad. Yew too, lass. We hafta' find tha' right mold fer ya.” He then made his way to a stairwell leading further down. “Quickly now!”

Hikan let go of the trigger, wiping his brow and setting the flame tosser aside before he followed the dwarf to the stairwell, Marisa not far behind. Once down there, they saw what looked to be a storage room of molds, all on shelves, with a forge and anvil in the center of the room and the channel next to the entrance of the stairwell, the channel connecting to a place where molds would be put. Ronzul walked over to one of the shelves.

“Alright, lass, pick a mold from one o' these,” he said, gesturing to the shelf he was at. Marisa came up to the shelf and looked over it. Soon, her eyes landed on a mold for a lance with an ornate tip on it. She picked it up, a sparkle in her eye.

“Aw, wow!” she said. “This one looks really badass!”

“Good eye, lass. That's one o' tha' few molds fer a Vilg Ah have left from when mah family last visited,” Ronzul appraised. He gestured to the channel. “Go place it at tha' end o' tha' channel, and we can really git started.” Marisa made her way over to the end of the channel with the mold.

“Mind if I ask what a Vilg is?” she asked as she walked.

“It's tha' name o' tha' famous lance mah family is known for makin' back in tha' heyday o' Lleiya. In tha' human tongue, it means, 'King's Piercer',” Ronzul explained as he walked over and pulled a lever, the molten metal pouring into the mold.

“Ooh,” Marisa said, clearly interested. “Did any of 'em have special names?”

“Well, there was tha' Northen Lion's Fang, or, 'Grity Fit Lang', in dwarven,” Ronzul said as he waited for the metal to cool down. “Then there was tha' Demon Queen's Gambit, or, 'Rilv Riyt Wronf'.” Ronzul then looked down at the now cooled metal and removed the mold, grabbed some gloves, put them on, and pulled the lance out. He gave it a once over, then looked to Marisa. “Whatcha think, lass?”

The shaft of the lance was relatively normal, if made of a strange, navy blue metal instead of wood and also being one piece with the tip. Said tip looked very abnormal however: it was a very elongated triangle shape with slightly rounded edges coming off of a circular disk. There was a slim, triangular hole hollowed out of the center of the triangular segment. The disk at the base was just a little wider than the rounded triangle, and there were two large barbs on each side of it. At the center of the disk, right at the bottom of the hollow bit, a small, blue, spherical stone, which seemed to be a sapphire, was embedded into the metal. The disk then made a steep taper into the shaft. Finally, all the outer edges of the tip were bladed and a glimmering golden colour.

“It looks so cool,” Marisa said, practically snatching the reforged Teigu from Ronzul's hands. Ronzul wrenched it from her grasp.

“Careful, lass. It's still quite hot. There be a reason Ah'm wearin' gloves,” he said.

“Oops, right,” Marisa said. “I got a bit over excited, heh.” Ronzul then took the lance over to a workbench that none of them had noticed before, near the corner. He looked to the drawers and hummed in thought.

“Lass, come over 'ere. Ah need ya ta' tell me which kind o' grip ya prefer,” Ronzul said. Marisa quickly made her way over.

“Preferably somethin' with a lotta traction,” Marisa said. “Somethin' that'd make it difficult to drop it.”

“Alright, let's see 'ere…” Ronzul started to rummage through some of the drawers, looking through different kinds of faux leathers and fabrics. Finally, he found some faux sheepskin, and gave it a once over. “This should do nicely!” he said as he grabbed the lance and wrapped the sheepskin around two points of it. First the bottom, then the top below the blade. Then, he fastened it securely by placing platinum rings at the edges of the wrapped areas, the rings popping on with a click as they fastened to it. Then, Ronzul turned to Marisa.

“Alright, lass, any kinds o' decoration ya want for this 'ere beauty? Ah could gild it or engrave it, if'n ya want,” Ronzul offered.

“No, it's plenty cool lookin' already,” Marisa said. “Ooh, I can't wait to try it out.” Ronzul chuckled, handing it to her.

“Alright then, 'ere ya go. Jus' be careful, it's still a bit hot,” he told her. Marisa grabbed the leather grips, hefting the weapon.

“Is it weird for me to say that it feels like it was meant for my hands?” she asked. “Or is that from a personal bias or somethin'? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I've fallen in love with this thing just lookin' at it.”

Hikan grinned and gave her a pat on the back. “That's because it was meant for your hands,” he said before backing up a little. “But, let's see if all that hard work paid off.”

“You said somethin' about the ability to change when you were talkin' to Shell, right?” Marisa said. “So, I should be able to change this from a lance to somethin' else?”

“Theoretically,” the hunter answered. “That's at least what I was going for.”

“Let's see if I can't get me a hammer then,” Marisa said. The words were barely out of her mouth before the lance head glowed white and became a round hammer with a thick spike on the back. The shaft remained unchanged, and the weapon as a whole was still a single piece, and still made from the navy blue metal. Finally, the hammer head was decorated with golden highlights, mostly situated on ridges.

“Well would ya look at that! Quite a sight, yeah?” Ronzul said with a laugh as he nudged Hikan with an elbow.

“Ha HAH!” Marisa laughed, hefting the hammer into the air triumphantly. While doing this, Marisa made a mental note of how lightweight the weapon seemed. “Take that! Ain't no pain either! I knew I had a real good gut feelin' about this!”

Hikan chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back a bit. “First impressions are a big part of it,” he said. “I had a feeling everything would turn out okay after you said you had a good feeling about it.”

“Now we just need to name it,” Marisa said, slinging the unnamed Teigu over her shoulder. As she did this, the hammer head glowed white and reverted to the original lance tip, signifying a return to its dormant state. “Got any suggestions Ronzul? Maybe some old Vilg your family made could gimme some ideas.”

“Well, there is Geirskögul, although Ah don' know what tha' word means, as it was coined by m'lord, Stateran, the Great Being,” Ronzul said.

“Ooh, that sounds cool,” Marisa said. “Very legendary and stuff. I like it, so I'm gonna be namin' this Teigu after it. From this moment forward, I hold Geirskögul, the universal polearm.”

“Sounds great ta' me, lass,” Ronzul said with a grin. Hikan simply smiled and shook his head.

“Just take care of it,” he said, letting his arms fall to his sides. “If you do, it'll take care of you. And remember that it still has tricks up its sleeve that we don't know about, so be careful.”

“That's great and all,” Nyilla interrupted, standing on the steps they'd used to enter the room, still holding Black Marlin. “But I'm still waiting you know.”

“Right, sorry Nyilla,” Hikan said, coming over to her. “What's say we get started?”

“Great,” Nyilla said. “I honestly don't care what you make for me, as long as it's small enough for me.”

“Fair enough,” Hikan said, holding his palm out for her to step up on, Nyilla gratefully doing so. The man carried her up the stairs back to the forge, his eyes screwing up in thought before he snapped the fingers of his unoccupied hand. “I think I got something.”

“What's that, lad?” Ronzul queried. Marisa silently followed them up, carrying the now-named Teigu, Universal Polearm: Geirskögul.

“A bit of a… reach advantage,” Hikan said before holding out his other hand to the fairy. “Ring, please.” Nyilla silently complied, dropping the Teigu into his palm. The man closed his hand around the tiny ring before turning to Shell. “Thank you. Now, if you would wait with Shell while me and Ronzul get this finished up.” He extended his hand to Shell who held out her own in response. Nyilla stepped onto Shell's palm and turned around to face Hikan before silently sitting down cross-legged.

The hunter nodded towards the fairy before turning to the dwarf. “You have any experience forging energy weapons?” He asked. Ronzul shook his head.

“Closest we dwarves e'er got ta' those in tha' Pentagon o' Tacitus was tha' crossbow yew got on yer hip,” Ronzul said, pointing to the cube on Hikan's waist. The man glanced down at the cube before looking back.

“So, I'm going to be on my own on this one?” The hunter asked. Ronzul nodded.

“Sorry, lad, it seems so,” Ronzul apologized. He looked to a clock hanging on one of the walls. “That time, eh?” He sighed. “Well, Ah gotta head ta' tha' castle. Tha' Princesses want ta' know 'bout this 'ere fort, and I gotta make sure they don' git wind o' yer illegal biz.” Ronzul put his gloves away and started to walk out.

Hikan's eyes widened at that and continued to stare at the spot the dwarf had been before the door closed and shook him out of his stupor. “W-well, I should probably get started,” he said shakily as he walked over to a furnace. His visor came into being over his eyes once more before he lifted the ring, pinched between two black-scaled fingers. He glanced at the furnace and once more at the ring before he gave a shrug and thrust the ring and his hand into the burning coals.

“You sure you're gonna be okay doin' that?” Marisa asked. Once again, the man shrugged carelessly.

“Th-There's no pain,” he answered. “Why should there be any reason to w-worry? Everything's going to be fine….”

“You don't sound very convinced to me,” Marisa said. “You sure there's no pain? You're not lyin'?”

“Y-yeah,” Hikan replied shakily, claw still sunk wrist deep into the burning embers of the furnace. “The flames aren't that b-bad. They're actually kinda comfortable….” Marisa raised an eyebrow.

“If it doesn't hurt, then everythin' should turn out just fine,” Marisa said, though she still sounded a bit sceptical. “If you're speakin' truthfully, then you need to relax. Your stutterin' is throwin' me off.”

“S-Sorry,” the man said, shaking his head before sinking the black claws deeper into the coals. “Guess… I guess I'm just not in the right mindset for reassuring people.”

“Ah, yukkuri shiteitte ne,” Marisa said. “You'll do a great job of reforgin' that ring. Have some more confidence in yourself big guy.”

Hikan was quiet for a while before he pulled Black Marlin from the furnace, lifting the white-hot metal to his visor to inspect it. “…It's not the Teigu I'm worried about,” he said quietly before turning and going to the anvil and setting the ring down on top of it before he reached into the pouch at his side and pulled out miscellaneous small tools.

“If it ain't the Teigu,” Marisa started. “Then what are you worried about?”

The hunter was once more silent as he started working on the ring with his tools. “…It's been over two years,” he said. “And yet… the princesses haven't caught onto us….”

“And how exactly does that worry you?” Marisa asked.

“Why wouldn't that worry me?” He retorted, lifting his hands for a moment. “The entire army of Equestria could come crashing down on this place and we could do nothing. Each of us could be thrown in prison… or worse.”

“Should that happen, call upon me,” came the voice of Asala from behind them, causing Marisa and Shell to jump.

Hikan glanced over his shoulder for a moment before looking back to his work. “What would that accomplish?” He asked. “You'd break us out and then what? We'd be even more guilty than when we were arrested.”

“Do you care more about being guilty, or being safe, Young Hikan?” Asala asked evenly. “Either way, I could trump your princesses, as well. I have done so in my world, even if it was not of my own volition.”

“I would rather we not put the life of the innocent in danger,” the hunter answered, his voice becoming a low growl. “Rule number one around here: everything we do, everything we sacrifice, is for the good of the people. If we went to jail and you broke us out, how many lives would that endanger?” Asala simply stared at him for a while. Then, he turned to leave.

“As you wish,” he said, walking back up the steps. As he reached the door, he finished with, “Just remember. It is either safety of self, or safety of others.” With that, he left.

Hikan was quiet for a long time before he muttered something that was only audible to him. After a few more moments, he put his tools to the side and lifted his wrist, Dorkifu's canon forming before he aimed it down in front of him, firing out a single intense laser. A moment later, the beam cut off and the canon deformed before Hikan stood up and turned back towards them, hand closed around something.

“I'll think you'll like this,” the man said, holding his hand out to Nyilla before he opened it. Black Marlin had been twisted and reformed until it formed a sort of hilt with a cage in front of it, the dragon-like decoration now facing towards the sky, mouth open as if ready to spew flames. Nyilla looked at it for a few moments, but instead of picking it up, looked at Hikan.

“…What is it, and what's it supposed to do?” she asked.

“Well,” Hikan started, giving a shrug. “It's a whip and it should allow you to increase the range at which you can attack and even interact with things.”

“I see,” Nyilla answered, looking back to the hilt, her eyes more interested than before. She then picked the Teigu up. After looking it over in her hand, she lashed out with it, and a beam of bright orange energy came forth like a whip. “Interesting…” the Fairy said as she looked at it, the energy whip hanging from the handle. She then shrugged. “I don't get how it's supposed to let me interact with things though.” As she shrugged, however, the energy mimicked her shrug, much like an arm.

Hikan smirked. “A bit like that,” he answered before he leaned back. “So, what are you going to name it?”

Nyilla thought for a moment. “I have no idea,” she finally said.

“Ooh, ooh, how about, 'Doll's Wrath: Kamshik'?” Marisa offered.

Hikan looked up a bit, nodding his head back and forth for a moment. “That has a bit of a ring to it,” he said.

“Doesn't it?” Marisa said with a big grin. “Sudden inspiration can be the best.”

“It does seem to fit…” Nyilla agreed. “Sure, let's go with Kamshik.”

Hikan nodded his head for a moment before he seemed to have a thought. “…Thank you both for this,” he said. “This has actually been very relaxing.”

“Heh, no problem,” Marisa said. “Now, I think I'll be goin'.” With that Marisa began to leave.

“Oh no you don't!” Nyilla said, using Kamshik to grab Geirskögul by the lance tip before pulling herself over to Marisa. “You're not leaving me behind.”

“Heh, my bad,” Marisa said casually. Marisa then left, a fuming Nyilla on her shoulder who was giving her a bit of an earful. Hikan smiled a bit and shook his head before he started making his way out, Shell following behind him.

The man’s grin slowly faded as they walked, though, drawing the Changeling's attention. “What's-”

“I may leave for a little while, Shell,” he answered before she could finish her question. “I… think I need some time to clear my head.” Shell slowed to a stop, still watching the man as he disappeared down the hallway and a worried look formed on her face.

Elsewhere, Cataclysm lay next to the wall of the guards' mess hall. For whatever reason, he had taken a shining to the armored guards that Ronzul's friend had provided them. Maybe it was the hubbub and energy they were always exerting. Maybe it was the shiny gold armor. Or maybe it was the food scraps they sometimes threw towards him. But, at the moment, the demon simply rested his chin on his forelegs and gently exhaled a steady stream of shadows from his nose. However, trouble was brewing for the sleeping Nil Dragon as Shanghai peeked around a nearby corner, suppressing a giggle. The mischievous Fairy was planning a prank at the expense of poor Cataclysm. Shanghai silently made her way over to her target's rear and carefully placed her hands against it, making sure not to wake the dragon. She waited a moment to make sure Cataclysm was still asleep, then finally executed her prank.

Shanghai [Perfect Freeze]

Frost formed on the demon's ass as it was rapidly chilled to a very uncomfortable temperature. The demon's eyes flew wide open, jumping to his feet, growing in size and giving out a startled hiss as he spun around and snapped his jaws together in front of the doll. Shanghai's eyes widened for a moment before she broke down into uncontrollable laughter.

“Ahahaha! That-! Th-That was-! Just so-! S-So funny-!” she managed to stutter out, clutching her stomach as she continued to laugh, having fallen onto her back on Cataclysm's back. The Nil Dragon stared at her as she laughed, ears folding back.

'What were you thinking!?' He questioned, the entire room privy to what he said now. 'I could've seriously hurt you!'

“B-But…” Shanghai began to say as her laughter died down and she wiped some tears from her eyes. “It was so funny, heehee…”

The demon was quiet for a long moment before a breath escaped him and he started to shrink back down to his normal size. 'Maybe to you,' he replied. 'But I wouldn't have found it funny if I had bitten you in half.'

“I would have been fine,” Shanghai said, still smiling widely. “After all, you can't hurt me unless you attack Alexandria. Plus, even though I wasn't trying to, I did learn something from you just now.”

The Nil Dragon still only stared at her before lowering down on his stomach again. 'Just… don't do it again.'

“Heehee! No promises!” Shanghai said before getting up and flying away.

The Nil Dragon sighed and simply closed his eyes once more. 'That Fairy…' he murmured mentally.

“Got a little freezer burn there?” a male voice said with a chuckle.

'Keep laughing, Iron Sights,' the Nil Dragon answered, lifting his head to look towards the thestral stallion. 'I still remember last week when you hopped around like the floor was on fire, just because the coffee was a little too hot.'

“H-Hey, I told you that was reflex!” Iron Sights said with embarrassment.

A humorous rumble made its way through Cataclysm's throat before he let his head rest again, the shared chuckles and laughs of the guards soothing him.

“You're leaving?!” Ayis shouted. Asala winced a little at the volume, but nodded all the same. “Why?! I still need to beat your tail from here to the Frigid Wastes!”

“And I'm still pretty bad with the bow,” Elise said. “I'd like to keep training you know.”

“You have been very helpful in getting us to where we need to be,” Shell added, her arm reaching behind her back to hold the other.

“I'm afraid I must leave. My pupils back home are… worried, we shall say,” Asala said apologetically. “I'd rather not make them worry. Much as I have grown fond of you all, this is where we must part ways. For now.”

“Alright, we understand,” Alexandria replied with a nod.

“But I wanted to kick your ass! It's so much fun fighting you!” Ayis whined. Asala chuckled.

“Apologies, Miss Filya. Much as I enjoy our bouts, this is my duty. I can't just go back on my word and leave my prized pupils to rot, after all,” Asala explained.

“But-!” Ayis began.

“We. Understand,” Alexandria interrupted, being a bit forceful with her tone. “Isn't that right Ayis?” Ayis looked to her Devoted, then sighed deeply.

“Yes, love…” she said in defeat.

“Will you at least come visit us?” Arela queried. Asala smiled and nodded.

“Of course, Miss Biore. You are all my pupils as well as good friends,” Asala affirmed.

'Perhaps next time you'll share a bit more,' Cataclysm said, giving a good humored rumble as he sat facing the alien. Asala laughed a little.

“Hmhmhm, perhaps. We'll have to see, won't we, piccolino?” Asala said, ending with a word in his native tongue.

“And maybe we can fight again! I'll keep training so I can beat you into the dirt!” Ayis cheered. Asala smiled.

“I look forward to it, Miss Filya,” Asala said warmly. He turned to Hikan, who had been silent, and extended a hand. “I trust you will remember my words, Young Hikan?”

“I remember them,” Hikan answered, taking the offered hand and shaking. “But I also remember why I started doing this in the first place.” The man took a moment to look off to the side where Gaelle and Garrick were working on the young hippogriff's homework. Asala nodded.

“Good, now, I have one final thing to give you all before I leave,” Asala said.

“What's that?” Arela queried. Asala pointed his hand to the ground, a yellow beam shooting from it, and then, eight, orange orbs with eight, purple stars in each of them appeared, all about the size of a baseball, if not a bit bigger.

“My token, one for each of you. Well, almost, but I figure Young Cat would rather I not steal all his potential chew toys.” He shot a wink to Cataclysm.

“Thanks Asala,” Marisa said. “Very thoughtful of you, 'specially considerin' Yukari disappeared with the one used to summon you originally. She probably still has it, I'll be honest.” Asala chuckled.

“Indeed,” he turned his back to them, waving goodbye as he did so. “Farewell, everyone,” he said, walking away. Then, he stopped, realizing something. “…I forgot that none of you were the ones who summoned me.”

“Can you not go back without needing the person who summoned you here?” Daiyousei asked.

“Not always, no. It's either random, or caused by the summoner saying a certain phrase,” Asala explained. “Is there any way to contact the woman who summoned me?”

“Yukari?” Marisa replied. “Yeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhh… Good luck gettin' ahold of her… 'Cause you probably won't be able to…” Asala sighed.

“Well, I suppose I shall be staying after-” he began, until a black portal appeared under his feet and swallowed him up, closing quickly. The group was silent for several moments.

“…Well, he did say it could happen randomly…” Alexandria said.

Starlight blinked at where the portal had disappeared. “Well…” she said quietly, giving a little sigh. “Let's hope he gets home safe.”

“I hope so,” Arela agreed.

“Yeah, would kinda suck for my favorite sparring partner to just up and die,” Ayis concurred. Everyone looked to her. “What?” Alexandria smiled as she shook her head.

“Just…” she started. “…Never mind.”

Hikan chuckled at the group before his smile faded a bit before he looked towards the armory for a minute. After a moment, he let out a sigh. “Well, with our sensei gone, it's up to us to keep up our training until something comes up again.”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Alexandria agreed. “We never know when we'll get our next lead, so we need to make absolutely sure that we remain diligent.”

“Well, we have new abilities, so as long as we keep up with the regimen he left us, we should get stronger, right? I mean, he did say that with ki, there's seemingly no limit to power,” Ayis pointed out.

“That does seem to be the goal,” Starlight said, flexing her wrist a bit. “Next time, the Circle won't know what hit them.”

“I can get behind that,” Arela agreed.

“This ki stuff is kinda like magic,” Marisa noted. “It shouldn't be too hard for me to get the hang of it. On top of all my usual magic, it'll probably make me strong enough to just bust up one of those Circle places on my own. That'd be fun.”

“Heck yeah sister!” Ayis agreed, offering a fist for Marisa to bump. Marisa didn't hesitate to follow through, a big-ass grin on her face.

“Careful, girls,” Hikan said with a little chuckle. “Remember, we're not the only ones that have taken time to improve. And there's still tons of Teigu out there, so we still need to be careful.”

“Ah, you're such a party pooper,” Marisa said with a frown, hands on her hips. “Besides, I'd be just fine now that I've got Geirskögul.”

“Just-” Hikan paused as he raised a hand, taking a moment to let out a breath. “Just don't let your guard down and… be careful….”

“Yeah sure,” Marisa answered dismissively. Hikan shot her a look before he gave a little sigh and began to walk back towards the living area.

“I'm going to rest for a bit,” he said over his shoulder as he walked. “Let me know if anything comes up.” Arela frowned, and looked to Starlight, as if asking her something, the unicorn only giving a small shrug in response. Arela sighed, walking after her lover, but not before sending a final look to Starlight. After that, she came up next to him, following him inside the fort.

Ayis turned to Alexandria. “Well, we need to check on Yis, right babe?”

“Yes, wouldn't want her getting into any trouble,” Alexandria answered, following Ayis towards Yis' room.

Once there, they found the young angel giggling happily as she hung onto a chandelier, chewing on one of the lights.

“Yis! Get down from there!” Ayis cried.

“Can't take our eyes off her for one minute without her making trouble…” Alexandria muttered, putting her hand on her face before flying to the ceiling to get the mischief-making child. The child resisted, however, hanging on tightly to the chandelier, starting to throw a tantrum for being denied her new chewtoy. “No,” Alexandria said firmly as she descended back to the floor. “Being all the way up there is too dangerous for you Vyala.” The young angel whined and whined, until Ayis came up and took her from Alexandria, and she calmed down, burying her head into her mother's bosom. Ayis gave a sigh at this.

“Seems she still sees you as the bad cop,” Ayis said a little sadly. Alexandria nodded.

“I know,” she answered. “She's just too young to understand that I'm always so stern with her to keep her from hurting herself.” Alexandria shook her head with a small frown. “I'm tempted to just leave her be the next time, then maybe she'll learn her lesson when she goes and does get herself hurt…”

“It is tempting, but let's leave that for when it's more trivial. I mean, if she had fallen from up there, she'd have gotten more than just a bruise,” Ayis replied. “Seriously, the ceilings are like, sixteen or eighteen feet above us in every room.”

Alexandria sighed. “Yeah, but the problem is, it's almost never trivial with Vyala,” she retorted. “She's always been putting herself into all kinds of serious danger. I remember the last time; she found a damned lighter lying around. She was about to scorch her tongue from chewing on it when we came to check on her just in the nick of time.”

Ayis winced at the memory. “Yeeeah… I see your point,” she said, looking down at her daughter. Said daughter had apparently fallen asleep in her arms, making the mother smile a little. “Well, maybe we should take a note from what sensei taught us?” Ayis proposed. “Remember? Back when he first came here and she first met him?”

“Yeah,” Alexandria answered with a nod. “Next time we'll 'take it further'.” Ayis smiled, walking over and kissing Alexandria on the lips briefly.

“We'll get through it no problem, too,” she said with a grin.

“I have no doubts about that,” Alexandria responded, returning the grin. “The only thing I'm really worried about is that Vyala will still be a little troublemaker when she grows up.”

“Yeah, don't want her turning out like me in that respect,” Ayis concurred. She looked to the crib they had been given for the young angel, and walked over to it, placing her inside it. Only for her to whimper and thrash a little in response. “Crap, she's having a night terror…” Alexandria came over and gently picked the child up, shushing her quietly.

“Ssssshhhhh, everything's okay…” she whispered to Yis, beginning to rock her slowly and gently. To their surprise, Yis started to actually calm down, something she'd not done with Alexandria since her birth. Alexandria smiled, continuing to gently rock the baby angel.

“That's amazing! She actually calmed down with you!” Ayis cheered quietly, pumping a fist as her wings flapped in tandem with the motion.

“I know,” Alexandria whispered back, barely audible so as not to wake the child. “I'm… afraid to put her back. I don't want to accidentally disturb her rest. If it's okay with you, I'd like to sit in the chair here and just let her sleep in my arms.” Ayis smiled radiantly at her lover.

“That's fine, babe. Just be mindful of her horn,” Ayis replied. Alexandria nodded before carefully making her way over to the chair in the room and sitting down in it. Yis was still sleeping soundly in her arms. Alexandria sat there quietly, watching the baby sleep. After a few minutes of tranquil silence, she felt her eyelids grow heavy. Before long, she herself fell asleep, lulled by Yis' quiet, steady breathing.

Ayis smiled warmly, walking over and moving a stray strand of hair from Alexandria's face. She then kissed her forehead, and quickly rushed over to a drawer to find a certain device. After some rummaging, she found it, and took out a camera. She had been given a rundown of how it worked from Starlight, and snapped a picture of her lover and their child. With glee, she took out the photo and stowed it away in her pocket.

“Totally saving this for later,” she said, before going over to the couch and taking its blanket, then walking to her family and wrapping it snugly around them. With that, she laid down on the couch and fell asleep herself.

Later that same day, it was discovered that the food stores were running low. Alexandria ended up being nominated to get food. She stepped out through the large front doors and began making her way across the lot towards the sidewalk. She barely made it halfway, however, before, without warning, shackles suddenly appeared on her wrists and ankles, her feet immobilized, and a chain connecting the wrists together behind her back, which quickly shortened to immobilize her arms as well. She made to shout, but a hand clapped over her mouth before she could make a peep.

“Shush,” came a woman's voice from behind her. “I just want you to do something for me. It will only take a minute, and as long as you listen to me, I will let you go alive. Understand?”

Alexandria didn't move a muscle. The woman sighed, taking her hand away from Alexandria's mouth. Shanghai is connected to me, Alexandria thought to herself. If I focus enough, maybe I can relay to her that I'm in trouble…

Meanwhile, the woman made her way in front of Alexandria. Alexandria's eyes widened when she recognized the woman as being the one that had been in the secret Circle drug ring they'd hit a little while back. She remembered seeing her flee when they started their attack. This woman was surely a Gensokian, though not one Alexandria knew.

The woman had long, pure white hair that was done up in a braided ponytail, held together at the end with a blue strip of fabric that was made into a small loop. She also had sky blue eyes and she was wearing a dress that was blue and red, the colors separated into quadrants. The entire dress had constellation designs on it, and she wore what appeared to be a blue nurse cap with a red plus symbol on the front and more constellation designs, and on her feet she had some simple, black shoes. She was holding a small vial with a shimmering golden liquid inside.

“All I want for you to do is drink the contents of this vial,” the woman explained, holding the vial forward. “Do so, and you will be free to go.”

“What makes you think I'd willingly drink some dubious substance?” Alexandria challenged. The woman closed her eyes and shook her head.

“I thought it would come to this…” she said. “Reisen!”

“Yes, Lady Yagokoro,” Suddenly, another person came around to Alexandria's side. This other girl had pale purple hair that reached almost down to her ankles, and red eyes. She wore a black jacket over a white shirt and a red tie, and a white skirt. She had brown shoes with rolled-down, white socks and… what seemed to be slightly crumpled, white rabbit ears on her head.

Reisen made a finger gun with her right hand. Seeing Alexandria's unimpressed expression, she pointed it right next to Alexandria's foot and put her thumb down. There was the sound of a gunshot, and a very real bullet mark in the dirt. Reisen then pointed the finger gun at Alexandria's heart.

“You have five seconds to drink this before you are shot through the heart,” the woman Reisen referred to as Yagokoro said, holding out the vial again. Alexandria realized that her hands were free again, though she knew that if she tried anything, Reisen would shoot her dead in an instant.

“Five.”

Alexandria looked at the vial, still a little hesitant to drink an unknown liquid.

“Four.”

She closed her eyes tightly, conflicted.

“Three.”

She grabbed the vial, and inspected the contents more closely.

“Two.”

The liquid was completely opaque, and resembled gold in color, shimmering in the light.

“One.”

Alexandria sighed, gripped the vial, closed her eyes and threw back her head, downing the golden liquid in one go. It had… A strange taste that was some combination of sweet, salty, tart, and bitter, and it was surprisingly viscous but slippery, going down her throat with ease. The odd taste caused her to drop the vial, which shattered on the ground.

“Alex!” The shout rang through the courtyard as the doors to the base flew open, Hikan racing out with his claws glinting in the sunlight as Starlight came flying out to hover behind him, Cataclysm coming to a rumbling halt beside them, his size increased even more than it had been in the drug ring hideout. Marisa and Daiyousei were with them too, Marisa wielding Geirskögul, and Arela was beside Hikan, halberd at the ready. Ayis was right behind Shanghai, who was at the front of the group, worry etched on her features until she noticed the two suspicious people near her Devoted, one she recognized as being from the Circle drug ring.

“Alex!” she cried.

“Zero,” Yagokoro said, finishing the countdown despite the fact that Alexandria had done what she wanted. Before anyone could do anything, Reisen put her thumb down, and a gunshot rang out again, putting a hole straight into Alexandria's heart. Time seemed to slow down as everyone looked on in horror as Alexandria fell forward towards the ground, unmistakably dead. At the same time, Shanghai's eyes had widened, her breath having caught in her throat. She fell towards the ground, beginning to glow, before halfway down she exploded into a cloud of small sparks.

Dust kicked off the ground from where Hikan had been as his form disappeared… but not his killing intent as the pressure seemed to crush down on the area. The man reappeared in front of Reisen, claws already poised to plunge into her eyes as his own glowed in burning orange.

Just before Hikan went to strike, however, the sound of arcing electricity building up started from behind him. He quickly turned around to see electricity overflowing from Alexandria's body, arcing from it to nearby ground, and after another moment, there was an electrical discharge. Immediately after that, the cloud of sparks that came from Shanghai - which if anyone had looked, they'd have noticed that it hadn't dispersed - began to concentrate back together before another, much smaller, discharge brought the Fairy back into existence. After that, Alexandria pushed herself up to her hands and knees, bringing one hand up to her chest where her heart was situated, finding a severe lack of a bullet hole.

Hikan skid across the dirt, wings flaring as his claws dug into the ground, bringing him to a grinding halt. “...Alex?” He questioned. “But how…?”

“Excellent,” Yagokoro said. “I have not lost my touch for making the Hourai Elixir.”

“The 'Hourai Elixir'?” Alexandria repeated as she got to her feet. “Is that what you forced me to drink?”

“Yes,” Yagokoro answered. “It is an elixir that grants the consumer absolute immortality. I simply needed a test subject to make sure I had made it correctly.”

“You were testing it!?” Ayis exclaimed. “Meaning it might not have worked, and my Devoted could be dead right now!? Damn you, you're not getting away with that!”

“Sorry, but I'm a busy woman,” Yagokoro said. “Reisen, if you will?”

With Yagokoro's prompt, Reisen moved, and put her index finger to the side of her own head. Suddenly, everyone felt light-headed and out of breath. Their vision blurred before they all fainted.

Alexandria was the first to regain consciousness. She looked around. Yagokoro and Reisen were both gone. Slowly, Hikan and Cataclysm began to stir, the Nil Dragon shaking his head with a disgruntled growl. Ayis shot up next, a flurry of blood red thorns following her as she jumped up, ready to fight and tear limbs, before noticing that the two women were gone.

“Dammit… Dammit dammit dammit vayl utu hi grend!” Ayis roared, thorns writhing around her wildly as her anger surged.

“Ayis!” Alexandria said, quickly making her way over to Ayis. “Ayis, calm down, please!” Ayis rounded on her, then faltered as she saw her Devoted there instead of an enemy. The thorns withered away and Ayis tackled her Devoted to the ground, her wings wrapped around her tightly along with her arms.

“Thank Triyte you're okay… I swear to the Gods that if that jeler had killed you…” Ayis growled.

“It's okay,” Alexandria said comfortingly. “I'm not dead.” Alexandria paused for several moments. “And… I don't think I ever will be.” Ayis paused.

“…What do you mean?” she asked after a few seconds of thought.

“You heard what that woman said, right?” Alexandria asked. “About the Hourai Elixir?” Ayis shook her head.

“I was too focused on rending her in two, healing her, then doing it again and again,” Ayis said honestly. Alexandria sighed, shaking her head slightly.

“Well, the Hourai Elixir apparently grants whoever drinks it absolute immortality,” Alexandria said, repeating the woman's explanation. “And just before you guys showed up, she forced me to drink some. Considering that I got shot through the heart and most definitely died from it, but am alive, speaking to you now, the Elixir works. I'm pretty sure I'll just keep coming back if I die.” Ayis blinked a number of times.

“I’m not sure whether to be overjoyed that I will no longer outlive you, or still be angry for that jeler killing you,” Ayis said. “…I think I'll just settle for not letting go of you at all tonight, and actively hunting down those two yilps whenever I have the time.”

“Uh-huh,” Alexandria responded. “You know, it makes me feel kind of sad, and a little strange, knowing that now I'm guaranteed to outlive you.” Ayis smiled softly at her Devoted and kissed her.

“Well, think of it this way. If I do die, you can visit me anytime at Triyte's Bulwark,” Ayis said.

“That does bring me some comfort,” Alexandria said, giving a small smile of her own.

“But man, you're gonna be livin' forever, just like poor Mokou,” came Marisa's voice. The two turned to see that everyone else had woken up while they were speaking with each other.

“Doesn't sound that bad,” Hikan groaned as he helped Shell to her feet where she had dropped behind the two women.

“It is lonely beyond compare, if how my lord is is any indication,” Arela commented as she stood up, helping Starlight up as well. Marisa nodded.

“Mokou'd agree with you there,” she concurred.

“My master used to say that he thought the same once, until his master quoted one of his famous poems,” Ayis added.

“What's the quote?” Daiyousei asked.

“'Mortal lives are fleeting, and most do not see the wisdom and beauty of life to its fullest. Immortals have all the time in the world to gaze upon the bare face of life, and say that they still have more to see,'” Ayis recited. “Master Hyl drilled that into my head pretty early on, since I had had my own times with mortal races.”

“I wonder what Mokou'd think if you told her that,” Marisa commented.

“You'd probably have to ask her,” Starlight muttered, leaning heavily on Arela as she rubbed her head.

“Regardless, those were some insightful words,” Alexandria said. “I'll be sure to remember them. Anyways, you should probably head back inside instead of standing out here. I've still got to go get the food.” Ayis didn't move from her position on top of Alexandria.

“I think she wants to stay with you,” Arela said with a small smile. Ayis nodded, hugging her Devoted tighter to herself. Alexandria smiled, shaking her head.

“Alright, you can come too,” she said. “Either way, I've got to get the food.”

“Don't worry about it, Alex,” Hikan said, he and Shell finally recovering enough to stand straight. “I'll go for you. I think you deserve that at least.” Alexandria looked at him for a moment.

“…Alright,” she said. “Thanks.” She then stood up, Ayis still clinging to her. She paused for a few more seconds. “…Don't die on us,” she added in a joking tone of voice and a grin. Ayis giggled, kissing her on the cheek.

“Don't worry,” Hikan answered, his voice dangerously low in comparison to the Yokai's light tone. “We won't.” With that, he turned and nodded his head to Shell, the changeling bathing in green fire before she was disguised as the pair walked out onto the sidewalk.

“I think he needs to lighten up a little sometimes,” Alexandria commented as she made her way inside, basically dragging Ayis along as she entered with the others, though Cataclysm stayed behind. The Nil Dragon shrank down to his normal size before he padded up to Shanghai.

Are you alright, little one? He questioned, worry etched into his mental voice as he gently nosed her.

“Yeah, I'm okay,” Shanghai answered. “But it did feel kind of weird when the one rabbit girl did something to Alexandria.” The demon looked at the little Fairy for a long moment before he suddenly stood up on his rear legs and wrapped her in a hug.

...You died, Shanghai…. This time Cataclysm's voice shook, a low rumble making his body shiver.

“…Died?” Shanghai repeated. “So… That means Alexandria died, and… That weird feeling… Is how it feels to die?”

The Nil Dragon could only nod his head in response, holding her a bit tighter as mist started to form in his eyes and he squeezed them shut.

Shanghai was quiet for a little while. “…But, both me and Alexandria are alive now even though we died,” she said. “Does that mean that I won't die if Alexandria dies anymore?”

...I don't know… he answered gently. I just don't know….

Shanghai gave Cataclysm a look. “Are you okay?” she asked. “You're acting kind of weird.”

A low rumble echoed through the demon's chest in response, a warm, comforting rumble that resonated through the Fairy's body. ...I will be… he said quietly. ...Do you remember what I told you in the cafeteria…?

“Ummm…” Shanghai hummed in thought. “…Which part?”

The part where I said it wouldn't have been funny if I had bitten you… the Nil Dragon answered gently.

“I remember it,” Shanghai said. “Why?”

...Do you know why I said it…?

“No,” Shanghai responded simply, shaking her head. Cataclysm slowly let go of the Fairy, backing away so she could see his face.

Because I can't stand to see you hurt, he said quietly.

“But…” Shanghai started. “Even if you did bite me back then, it wouldn't have hurt. You can only hurt me through Alexandria.”

The Nil Dragon looked the Fairy up and down for a moment before a small sigh escaped him. I don't want to see you hurt, he elaborated, pushing his nose into her gently.

Shanghai put her hand to her bottom lip, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Why not?” she asked.

Cataclysm pulled back once more to look back at her. Because… we're a family, he said. And family looks out for each other.

“'Family'…” Shanghai repeated. “Then… I'll be looking out for you too!” With that cheerful statement, Shanghai then went inside, leaving the demon as the last one outside.

Cataclysm watched the Fairy return inside, waiting for her to disappear from sight before the feathers around his neck rose aggressively, a low growl rumbling from him as he dropped back down onto his front legs and walked to the spot where Yagokoro and Reisen had been standing. He lowered his snout to the ground and inhaled deeply through his nose, opening his mouth slightly to let the taste of the scent sink into his memory. He lifted his head and seemed to glare at thin air for a moment before he finally turned and made his way back inside the complex.

Elise was in the small library in the fort, looking for any interesting books. She'd been told about Alexandria being in trouble earlier, just like everyone else, but unlike the others, she hadn't gone to help.

She heard the door to the library open as Arela entered, who noticed her. “Elise? Why are you in the library? Didn't you hear Shanghai?” Elise turned only just enough to look out the corner of her eye at Arela. After a few moments, she turned back to the bookshelf, shrugging.

“It's not my problem,” she said simply. “And what's it matter to you why I'm in here?” Arela frowned, walking up to Elise and stopping next to her.

“It matters because a member of our team died,” Arela explained. Elise was silent for several moments before sighing.

“I gotta admit that that really sucks,” she replied. “Not that I'd have been able to change that if I was there anyway.” Arela's frown deepened.

“You know, none of us may know you that well, but you could at least try and be more open,” Arela said.

“I don't see why I should,” Elise answered. “I'm being given a room here, and in return, all I've gotta do is give support when you guys make one of your attacks, that's it really.”

“Would you rather not have us supporting you when you are in trouble, or in times of sorrow?” Arela countered with a raised brow. “You have no one left around here but us.”

Elise froze at this, and was silent for several moments. “W-Well…” she stuttered, struggling to come up with an argument. Arela's look softened and she walked over to Elise, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“All I'm offering is friendship. All any of us are offering is friendship. In this world, at these times, would it not be better to have people to fall back on?” Arela asked. Elise was silent again as she tried to hide her troubled expression from Arela by looking away. Just as Arela thought that Elise wouldn't answer, Elise spoke.

“I…” she started hesitantly. “…guess so…” Elise finished, a bit quiet, still refusing to look at Arela. Arela smiled lightly, patting Elise's shoulder.

“Take some time to yourself to figure this out. I won't push you on this, I'm only… Making sure you know your options.” With that, Arela turned to leave, walking towards the door.

“Wait--!” Elise called out to her suddenly. As Arela turned back to look at Elise quizzically, Elise had turned to face her, but was still looking off to the side, avoiding eye contact. “I'll… consider the offer… I guess…” Arela's smile grew and she nodded to her.

“That's all I ask,” she said before walking out the door.