/monster/ - The Last Bastion of Romance★

>Current party

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The frontier village of Curam was an interesting place. While its big oval-shaped palisade protected all means of civilizations the outside farms seemed to congregate on a small hamlet that gave this small village a profound urban atmosphere, doubly reinforced by all the little houses built around three major landmarks.

Its first one was obviously their main gate; a big defensive structure meant to hold out against all kind of assaults with enough space for defenders to throw murderous apparels and oils onto would-be invaders, although still untested people still held enough confidence to repulse an assault. Curam population was heavily concentrated into this pocket and so allowed its inhabitants to construct many unusual things like an open air market kept in perfect safety inside its sturdy oaken walls.

In second was a large house of stone inside a swath of green grass and flowers that seemed almost quarantined from the village. A strange house now inhabited by a family of monsters; the very reasons of your coming into this tense place as a favor for a friend for it would seem this gentle family is a victim of worrying hauntings. Sophia Brenhilda was the daughter of Curam local scholar, lady Magdalene was busy working on the farms outside the walls as a grand, general project. Waiting for the mother had you glance at an unexplainable phenomenon brought by a quick ritual of the Eye. As if stepping into another world, everything outside the boundaries of the scholar property had turned into a deep shade of red without signs of Curam villagers, only that strange house of stone and its healthy grass held onto colored banality, an anchor of sanity shielding against those otherworldly manifestations you were spying upon.

How are you to interpret such a confusing experience?

Lastly, Curam third landmark was to be your new destination: a small wooden manor coming just after their church in prestige constructed somewhere around the palisade northwestern edges. A large swath of land managed to avoid appearing outright opulent thank to its decorative stone walls and its large mansion flanked by a pair of smaller houses from which villagers came to drop various items and would either proceed deeper into the property or exit its premise. A path of cobblestone led to a strange dome-like structure as you passed the mansion metal gates but too far within to get a detailed look.

‘’Having a better idea of our community?’’ It had been a short, succinct explanation given by your new guide, this town only noblewoman; Priam Lindis. She had shown an impressive imperiousness by dispelling the inhabitant's distrust while simultaneously forcing your hands into accompanying her. Sharp, intelligent eyes of red had often stared at you when her ladyship turned to observe your progress when she explained her town directions and general geography.

‘’I think so. Anything else you can tell us about Curam?’’

Finishing with a polite bow, the only monster girl of your group spoke with confidence befitting her lineage. Lamia are rare things in this part of the world (being primarily desert or jungle dwellers), your attention was almost always stolen by her alluring lower body of a snake; a mixture of bright red and white scales produced a constant exotic aura but the pair of curved swords on her hips projecting quiet magic was enough to extinguish any fancy ideas. She would usually be wearing a headpiece similar to a crown for she was the most important noble of your country under Gwendolyn but for the sake of your mission in this place, she had decided on a refreshing ponytail.

Your guide had stopped on a fork in the road with the path splitting, one leading to the entrance of her manor while the second proceeded further onward toward that strange dome of rocks.

‘’Many little things, though nothing too interesting for travelers, only gossips to keep folks living here entertained. However…’’ Priam paused with a smile and a glance sent to you. ‘’I have a vast interest in magic and would love to discuss it in details. How many of you are mages?’’

‘’Only him’’ An abrupt answer from Olga, your second companion, and newest friends. Belonging to an order of rangers and warriors adventuring deep into the Cursed Swamp and a self-admitted mage by showing her talent, this bold-faced lie came so naturally that you felt genuinely surprised. Despite being an uncorrupted human she was still an unusual existence for not only did she possess eye-catching long hair of smooth white but her eyes were a uniform color of reds that would have raised endless questions if your host was on the rude side.

‘’All of three us are buddies who’ve agreed to travel with him and help out with his magics, we won’t be feeling stuff if you ask but we’ve studied what we could.’’ Two blatant lies told in a warm demeanor and a polite smile; for not only was she incredibly powerful but your third and last companion was safely hidden inside your cloak in silence, nobody knew of your true numbers yet. You could feel the weight of her presence on the back of your neck like a snuggling cat.

‘’Even with those swords?’’ Priam gesture at those weapons on Atasu, making her touch the dark obsidian handles in response.

‘’Magical weapons that activate once taken out of their scabbards’’ Her trailing finished when palming both pommels. ‘’It would be safer to move into a clearer area if you wish to witness their powers, your ladyship, for I’d prefer to avoid any and all chances of accidents.’’

‘’Oooh?’’ Priam raised her eyebrows with twinkles of interest shining in her eyes, bending slightly to observed Atasu sealed scimitars, you tried your best to avoid noticing the way her dress accentuated her breasts. ‘’I don’t think I’ve ever seen genuine, self-sustaining artifacts before. They truly project magic on their own?’’ Atasu silently nodded. ‘’I’d love to witness such magnificence but I will have to take your warning to heart. While I have an adequate area for you to show your mettle, the villagers are bound to grow a little nervous. I don’t like the idea of my house being isolated as you’ve seen with people coming and going, create another hubbub wouldn't do.’’ When she glanced at the setting sun, you noticed how tardy dusk was becoming with shadows from the nearby buildings spread in an ever increasing invasion and diminished sounds of activity night wasn't a far off reality.

‘’Perhaps it is a tad soon but I would like to invite you folks for supper.’’

Priam offered while glancing behind her shoulder for your trio walking at an even pace. ‘’I’d like to show a little of my magic to any fellow scholars of the gift but nothing should be done on empty stomachs.’’

While she had worded it as an offer, etiquette demanded you agree; this woman remained the sole noble of this village and to refuse her now would probably be even worse than outright rejecting her during your first encounter. While you kept your suspicions about her motive, it remained true that Priam had yet to do anything that raised reasonable doubts about her sincerity. She kept to her reputation as being a little forceful but still gallant and sociable, one step away from being overbearing.

‘’I’m afraid I don’t have much to speak about my magic, lady Priam, for I am foremost on a quest of knowledge.’’ You had tried and failed to appear demure earlier and while you were a poor liar, it didn’t mean you were ready to divulge all of your hard training to a stranger. ‘’I have no wish to disappoint you; I will not be able to exchange information fairly so if you wish to avoid the subject, none of us will be insulted. Your hospitality is already much more than we deserve.’’ The girls nodded after your words while the noblewoman stopped opening her door halfway and turned to you with a gallant smile.

‘’You’re a good man, Arawn. I’ve never believed that knowledge and information should be held to barter like commodities. Your magical origin, your capacities, how you perceive magic personally, how you use it for yourself…I love hearing about such little things.’’ She opened the door fully in one brisk movement, causing a bell to ring like it was the entrance of a shop. ‘’Let’s not burden ourselves with needless debts, I’ve invited you travelers because it is my fancy as a noblewoman and I intend to prove myself an adequate host and not keep you away too long from your original destination. As such I offer an early supper!’’

As she stepped inside her manor and gestured for everyone to follow, you were briefly taken aback by a sense of majesty coming from her home. You stood inside a big entrance projecting enough decorum to rival its outside architecture, with furniture, decorative armors and open doors to three rooms giving you a glimpse of what human nobility looked like; the Overlord seat in Luminaris was undeniably rustic in comparison.

Pulses of magical energy were spreading throughout the property with just enough force that could only be felt in this newfound proximity; your eyes searched for the source in reflex and identified it as nearby glowing plants placed throughout the mansion hallways. Red vines crawling down, enrolled around their supporting pillars of marbles, blue tulips-like flowers floating in vases of waters, sunflowers with pink petals standing from their pots and even a few small trees with ominous dark colors spread a constant wave of invisible energy throughout that constituted this first floor of Priam Lindis noble house.

‘’Surprising, isn’t it?’’ You heard the woman who had turned to watch your group, not hiding the satisfaction in her smile. ‘’A little guilty pleasure of mine, I have a fondness for watching people reactions to my research.’’ She walked into the nearest room that combined dining and study for wooden tables, luxurious chairs and bookcases shared spaces with a few alchemical lamps and naturally glowing plants.

‘’Your research?’’ Atasu asked, having kept silent for a moment when a man entered from another room to inquire with the lady, the two exchanged only brief greeting as he waited for his ladyship orders.

‘’I have a passion for botany, my magic can interact with vegetation’s, giving my enchantments a form of permanency similar to a magical object. By studying the natural occurrence of such plants I’ve been able to create my own flowers full of magic and I’ve since moved onto something a little more practical.’’ She paused, putting a hand on the big table that's easily accommodate ten people while gesturing for the various decorative magical greeneries that were anything but green.

‘’Shall we make ourselves comfortable? I can have my good valet here take care of your cloaks until you go back to Magdalene house.’’

‘’I’ll be fine.’’ You quickly made way for a chair to sit without squishing poor Inia hidden inside that concealed pocket on the back of your neck. Your companions understood as they were undeniably stressing about Inia potential discovery and occupied the pair of chairs at your sides.

‘’Well, alright’’ Priam pleasantness didn’t lessen despite her stunned stare, in fact, you spotted her amused smile during a brief exchange with her servant. Then she proceeded to grasp the nearest chair to drag it toward Olga right flank, plopped down once she felt satisfied, slammed her elbows on the table as if to make a message and supported her face with her hands, giving no qualm to her generous cleavage squishing together. ‘’Let’s do away with useless decorum, I’ve invited you guys into my house and I’d hate to see you leave stressed out. Let’s be friendlier in our chats, alright?’’

For all the warnings given to you by the little girl locked inside her home, your bad first impression of this woman was beginning to feel like paranoia instead of genuine dislike or suspicion.

‘’Hell, that’ll feel better’’ The mage of heat at your side began to warm up and the two women exchanged a friendlier smile. ‘’We ain't straight out of the sticks but as you saw we ain't too comfortable around noble people. No offense for these right?’’ She pointed to her cloak and pinched your hood.

Priam shook her head. ‘’No, it’s fine. Refreshing in fact, those times where I can avoid people being stiff are too rare for my liking. Especially with travelers, my fondness of hearing tales of the road and listen to magical talents has always been soured by my noble heritage. Could I ask about this gentleman then? Or perhaps you two could tell me what you think of his magic, for I am not mistaken in assuming you are Null?’’

She had chosen her language well, for Null was nothing more than a neutral term in reference to people unable to use magic; noble mages had a tendency to Incapable to a point that it became common language in courts.

‘’We are’’ Atasu answered, trailing a finger on the pommel of her scimitar. The fact she was still wearing them was yet another sign of your host goodwill. ‘’And his talent is unlike anyone or anything I’ve heard of, more than enough to keep us safe during our travels outside Eliaures.’’

‘’You’d do well to avoid that barbarous kingdom of iron.’’ Priam had made her displeasure of that place known earlier during her speech to the villagers and was eager to take Atasu bait to bad mouth them.

‘’They’ll go so far as attacking monstrous clerics of the clergy in their unending quest to keep the old oath of their first king alive, an endless purge of wanton barbarism because they believe themselves the frontier throughout the Allied Kingdoms. People with odd eyes and hair colors have also been known to fall victims of their overzealous knights in suspicion of corruption or some foul heresy. Priam eyes focused on Olga to make the meanings of her words that much more dreadful. Outside accompanying their liege or participating in Fallerin tournaments they’ve been banned from operating anywhere else because these madmen can’t make any difference with monstrous serfs belonging to another nation and those dwellings on their sovereign lands.’’ A sigh followed her displease glare. ‘’Truly the worst of neighbors. Fallerinians may be pompous but they are at least civilized.’’

Being ‘’civilized’’ meant treating monsters as a source of cheap labors and being constantly overseen, dragged into premade camps or allowed to live inside a village meant to house monster girls nearly exclusively… but it’s at least much better than outright extermination like in Eliaures or the slavery of Galehot and Fiacre so calling Priam a hypocrite wouldn’t be entirely true, for the kingdom of Gwalchmai does indeed give monsters peace of mind even if they aren’t considered citizens.

It’s much better than getting killed for the crime of being born.

‘’Please pardon my rant.’’ Priam cleared her throat and leaned back in her chair.

‘’Aint nothing to worry about there, lady,’’ Olga answered with her usual warm smile. ‘’Spirited words coming from a noblewoman makes good warnings and we have no intention of stepping into a fire.’’

The lady of the house nodded while letting out a sigh. ‘’May I ask something, mysterious young sir?’’

No doubt poking fun at your hood that hadn’t left your head since stepping inside the village.

‘’What is it that you can do?’’ This was her ladyship passion and an excited bashfulness had taken hold of Priam, making her lean back and cross her arms under her bust as if unaware of her generous cleavage.

‘’I… Revealing your nature to someone outside Luminaris was a first. I am a mage of Astral.''

‘’Astral? You mean those composites of magic that create the physical shell of all spells?’’ She knew her subject and thus you shook your head, even if you wanted to lie there’s no way you’d be pulling it off now.

‘’All mages manipulate astral energy but my talent is a more direct employ of the word.’’ You point toward the only window of this room drenched in colors of dusk. ‘’Stars, specifically our constellations. I can conjure my spells by doing something I call attunement with…’’

Then came a long explanation of your basic capabilities according to each concept surrounding all seven constellations, essentially relaying what has been so dutifully explained to you shortly after your awakening. Then you moved to all your exercises with Devona throughout the last two months while omitting important two things.

Your flawless exchanges of attunements with everything but Chaos wasn't something you wanted anyone to hear, it was a trump card to keep close to your chest. Then how you managed to enchant more than 400 people during that clash with the raiders in Luminaris isn't something this woman need to know, she was already thoroughly captivated by your explanations that her servants had to physically poke her shoulders to get her attention.

‘’O-oh? Already?’’ You welcomed this pause to fix your parched throat, the better part of an hour had been swiftly consumed with only your voice resonating in this big room.

‘’Alright, alright’’ Lady Priam cleared her throat. ‘’I would love to hear more but I did promise a small supper, thank you for regaling me with your tale, Arawn.’’

Small servings of cooked meat and steamed vegetables were brought to you and the girls, wafting a delicious aroma that provoked a brief movement on the lower end of your neck. ‘’Easy, now easy’’ You can only think these words, poor fairy trapped in this cloak… With food on the table, you realize none of your group had anything to eat besides a copious breakfast.

‘’I’ve never once believed that such a peculiar employ of magic could exist and yet again I find myself surprised by the potentials beyond this palisade, I’m glad to have invited you three.’’

‘’Mmf, yeah honestly, I don’t regret coming.’’ Olga had wolfed down half of her meal in the time you and Atasu were ‘’politely’’ eating your share. ‘’Way to everyone hearts are with the stomachs and I’ve been starving for hours!’’

‘’If you’d wish to come tomorrow, you needn’t try to get an appointment; just walk through my gates and my servants shall welcome you all in my stead until I can be liberated from my business.’’ It was a genuine smile that came to her face, making it that much more difficult to stand by your bad first impression, there hasn’t been a single hint of nefariousness inside her house.

‘’Maybe, maybe’’ Olga managed to chew fast enough to keep the conversation flowing. ‘’You ain't eating?’’

‘’Oh no, I’ll be waiting until tonight. Instead, I have a little something to show, as thanks for sharing something so interesting with me.’’ Priam turned toward a young woman, another servant, holding onto a small container of metal from which magic emanated in a pulse that easily lost itself amongst the sea of magical plants throughout the noblewoman home. ‘’Let me ask you three, what is it you think a mage need to excel?’’

She stood from her seat to walk toward her maiden while you and the girls ruminated on her question, with Atasu taking this as a queue to stop eating. You’d honestly prefer to go through your plate but… a sideway glance from her sharp expression was enough to make you stop.

Scary.

‘’Conflicts.’’ Olga answered first, leaning back on her chair with enough force to almost knock herself over. ‘’Gah!’’ Thus, she clumsily launched herself forward to keep her balance. ‘’Just conflict, yeah. No need for details, right?’’

‘’I’m more than satisfied with what you wish to give me.’’ She was holding onto her strange pot of metal now and came back to sit beside Olga

‘’I’d say training.’’ Atasu was next, her answer was banal and average but not without merits, prompting a friendly nod from Priam.

As for you… your mind briefly went to your short past, when you awakened with nothing, how easily it would have been to be overwhelmed by reality and your ignorance of your talents. Knowing how close you came to being lost alone in the world with powers you barely understood sent a shiver down your spine, with Inia presence thankfully enough to prevent any shuddering.

‘’A community.’’ You noticed a shift in Priam expression, she nodded with a gentle face like a proud teacher. It wasn’t an answer you needed to think upon, after all without the guidance of Tuilelaith, Gwendolyn and Devona you might have done something stupid like testing out Chaos… You truly have an unending debt to these girls.

‘’No wrong or right answers, hearing different things from three people is surprising, quite the interesting group of adventurers.’’ A sweet laugh came out of the noblewoman as she fiddled with her item. ‘’I will answer my question with this.’’

A creaking of metal followed the opening of that case and what Priam pulled out revealed itself to be an apple, a simple round fruit that was exactly like all the other plants, possessing a similar anomalous nature for it was a bright blue reminiscent of a midday sky.

‘’An apple?’’ Olga asked in confusion.

‘’Food always matter for the strong, be they mages or warriors. While monsters may operate on different rules, us humans cannot acquire strength without proper nourishment. From observing the meticulous knightly chapters throughout the kingdoms have I found that they’ve also studied how to better feed their troops, yet while warriors have scholars wholly dedicated to their proper training, same can’t be said for mages. A true source of strength might be a simple thing’’ Her clawed grip on that big apple squeezed lightly. ‘’How would a mage react to food full of magic?’’

‘’You didn’t try?’’ Again, it was Olga who spoke, while beside you Atasu had closed her eyes and turned her head, her voice barely a murmur only drifted to your ears due to your elven ancestry.

‘’With a smile of promises and a handful of hearts will the snake slither close to sink its poison.’’ Thereupon she came to a conclusion and glared at the woman showing off her mutated fruit, with no hope of giving hints or context about what appeared to be a litany. Her hostility, at least, was naked

‘’Of course, I did, any inventors that aren't willing to take a risk with their own work is a charlatan and a hypocrite. My talent with magic is unique, much like you, sir Arawn. Mother Earth bestowed me with a little eccentricity and I intend to make use of it to help anyone I can.’’

She paused to observe your group in pride, Atasu having already reined her deadly scowl. ‘’Magic has been a mystery for centuries. Nobody truly knows how to determine mages power sources, I believe that feeding it -- wherever it could be- can only be a boon for anyone magical potential and so I’ve created this altered fruit, as a way to send an essence of magic directly into the body, reenergize the weary and hopefully avoid Overcast altogether.’’

Having begun walking, Priam stopped between you and Olga then went on to gently put that unusual fruit on the table, showcasing a strangely endearing smile.

‘’Would you like to try, Arawn?’’ She offered. ‘’It’s harmless for Nulls, but also ineffective.’’

‘’I…huh’’ For a moment words fail you, for this noblewoman allures awed you to silence. From her dress to her straight back, the angle of her craned down neck and that wheat colored hair brought strong temptation, her invitation almost dispelled your suspicions but…

‘’We should be going, milady.’’ Having taken no seat, Atasu slowly detached her enrolled figure. ‘’Dusk is ending and we’d like to avoid inconveniencing our host in the night.’’ She spoke without emotion, only a clever mask of indifference.

‘’Oh, alright’’ Priam shrugged, then gestured for one of her servants to bring her a bag of silk and promptly grabbed her unusual fruit to plop it down. ‘’I’ve imposed myself long enough, although I am still offering your group a place to stay in my home.’’ She made a vague wave toward the doors. ‘’If I can help in your business in this village you need only ask, or…’’ She handed you the bag, regarding you with a seductive glare while you had to look away and pretend her cleavage wasn’t so close. ‘’…if you wish to know about my magic in more details I’d be glad to speak; I’ve only listened without explaining myself and that’s not very fair.’’

‘’Might take you up on that,’’ Olga answered as all three of you stood, smiling broadly at the gorgeous noblewoman. ‘’Lots of tricky plants in this here house making me curious so hey, let’s see each other again sometimes.’’

Priam nodded, enrolling a strand of hair around her finger with a beautiful smile, showing rows of well-maintained teeth. ‘’Lets’’

It was only a question of minutes to step outside and walk away from her property. With the light of the sun quickly disappearing behind the horizon making your way inside the darkening village proved moderately difficult but at the very least their inhabitants didn’t give anyone hostiles glares or cold shoulders as news of your invitation inside their only noble house had effectively made you something of a trustworthy sort. It was only after losing sight of Priam property that anyone gathered enough courage to speak.

‘’That felt tense, are you guys alright?’’ It was a muffled voice coming from your back.

‘’Ssh don’t speak!’’ Atasu response was immediate, leaning toward the back of your neck she nearly rolled an arm around it, making walking awkward with her slithering body so close.

Not that it was a bad thing, this is one such time you can silently enjoy.

‘’B-but it’s boring I’ve just been lying here…’’ Inia voice had dropped in volume while you tried your best to appear as casual as possible with a Lamia almost throttling you. Approaching night had thinned any crowd into near non-existence but some Curam inhabitants lingered and gave you curious glances.

‘’You’ll be getting out soon.’’ Atasu murmured while leaning away in a sensuous flow as her scaled lower body slithered to your flank, you felt her hand nears yours, patting the bag you’ve been holding onto. ‘’We should try to get rid of that thing discreetly.’’

‘’Why?’’ Now it was Olga who spoke, having been leisurely looking around she snapped to attention upon hearing the Lamia proposition. ‘’Aint nothing wrong with keeping it and if that lady was right, all of us could use it.’’

‘’Really? After she pressured us to accompany her then flaunted herself in her home, showing these abominations of magic only to give something straight out of a fairy-tale? Do you not know -how- The Knight of Winter was poisoned?’’

A popular children story where a paladin of the church was seduced by a woman (whose ancestry varied) and given a poisoned apple because she couldn’t handle her jealousy to his betrothed.

‘’You’re reaching kinda far.’’ Olga cleared her throat with an amused smile as she looked at the angry snake-woman. ’’Mister Winter was an overachiever who didn’t have enough balls to love two women. He thought to ignore his attraction and breaking the witch heart was the proper way to handle his love when all he had to do was reach out and make both his wife-to-be and that witch his lovers.’’ She growled while shaking her head ‘’Monsters version is the best.’’

Your mind drifts to the past, where a certain small nine-tailed fox made a bet about your own future relationships, leaving you wincing in the present and happy that Atasu was too bothered with Olga to notice your own awkwardness. Damn fox and her gamble on your relationships, she might… Events and faces mingle together. Gwendolyn when she spoke about her crippling suspicions of those around her, Hecate hugging your back naked in a bubbling bath, Devona sponging your forehead after a training session with the moth, Klesiah vulnerability when she revealed her ancestry, Brighid painful grimace when announcing farewells…

‘’I guess you’ve got a point’’ Huh what? ‘’At least trying to talk about this problem is better than just assuming you’ll do a better job by breaking things off.’’ Atasu had slithered away to stay beside Olga during your little reverie. Seeing her bright coils bring to mind those nights of march where she kept herself enrolled around your body.

‘’Right?’’ Olga nodded, giving Atasu shoulder a friendly tap. ‘’A kiss of passion isn’t a fucking betrayal. Guy got swept up by his romantic ideals and refused to look at reality in the face yet people never find any fault in him…’’ And on she went, explaining her deep resentment toward this popular tale for children.

It would seem the subject of Priam had been effectively shoved aside and, as you glanced down at the bag containing this blue apple wafting quiet magic, you decided to stop thinking for now.

‘’How long have those two been friends?’’ You heard Inia on your back, who could do nothing but listen.

--

It was nightfall when your group returned to its original destination. Without lamps and with every inhabitant in their houses, this peculiar ‘’landmark’’ of Curam was looking lonely, if not downright oppressive with the Brenhilda household drenched in darkness with only scattered hints of lights glinting outward from inside, their spacious lawn too obscure to find its guiding path of gravel.

‘’Why did we forgot lamps or torches?’’ Standing a little further ahead, Atasu announced this new trial. ‘’We didn’t bring any camping equipment either.’’

‘’We huh…’’ You cleared your throat while the fairy on your neck moved, having half crawled outside her resting hole you didn’t bother trying to keep her hidden anymore. ‘’…didn’t expect to be left outside. Could always find an inn’’

‘’Come on, we can just walk up and knock! Ain’t too hard.’’ Olga stride was immediately interrupted when Atasu grabbed her elbow. ‘’What?’’

‘’It’s rude!’’ Her expression was too difficult to distinguish in the shadows but her embarrassed whisper made you smile, giving you an urge to tease her.

‘’Come on, Sophia is expecting us.’’ The white-haired woman answered like someone who’s rolling their eyes.

‘’I’m hungry…’’ A quiet voice came from your shoulder as the fairy somehow managed to climb and sit there.

‘’See? Inia is hungry so…’’

‘’Hold on, someone is coming’’ Cutting straight into the middle of the argument, you pointed toward at the where a silhouette could be seen miles away from an alchemical lamp resting atop a stick. With only scarce few sources of light surrounding you, it became incredibly easy to details this person despite the distance. Garbed in puffy clothes of red, dark and gold she projected a quiet elegance and a scholarly image that thoroughly befitted your assumption about her identity; long sleeves almost hid her hands and an equally long skirt that managed to avoid rubbing the soil would have her stand naturally inside a library. As her stride increased upon witnessing your trio, her long covering of blonde hair made you pass a glance at Olga, for both women locks had similar length and thickness. On her face was a mask of slick porcelain without any identification outside a pair of octagonal holes from which eyes of red -- again, exactly like Olga’s- peered at your group in cautious curiosity.

‘’Good evening, are you lady Magdalene, scholar of Curam?’’ You asked, taking a step forward while Inia hid behind your shoulder, too stubborn to go back into her pocket.

‘’I am, yes.’’ Her voice came out muffled since her mask had no openings for her voice. Despite this handicap, she sounded… pleasant. ‘’You’ve business with me?’’

‘’Yes. My name is Arawn Loukanos.’’ Being finally able to introduce yourself brought a sense of fulfilling satisfaction; her mask prevented any hints of emotions about your historic name. ‘’This is Atasu Bantanah.’’ You gesture at the Lamia who slither closer, scales audibly rubbing upon the soil. ‘’Olga Yevdokiya’’ She voices a casual ‘’hiya’’ with a friendly wave, undaunted by the white mask. ‘’And last would be Inia hidden behind me.’’ Magdalene surprised gasp came out hollow through the mask when she saw the adorable tiny blonde hanging on your shoulder. ‘’We’ve come on behalf of Tuilelaith Helewidis, I believe she must have mentioned something about me -an elf- during her last visit.’’

‘’Ah!’’ There came a voice of recognition. ‘’I had some doubts when I saw your ears, but you truly are the…’’ Her voice, already muffled, came quiet enough to be lost amongst tonight blowing winds. ‘’Elven prince?’’

‘’Yes.’’ You had no intention of trying to deceive Tuilelaith friend. ‘’Please hear us out, our fluffy friend came to a frightening realization during her last visit, she felt…’’

While you were fully committed to relaying the story that convinced you to come, you only had to mention Tuilelaith fears to get a reaction out of this stoic woman.

‘’I understand, Tui has always been incredibly direct, for her to be roundabout like this is… odd.’’ Her quiet voice barely filtered through her mask, she went on to grasp its side and pull it off and the face beneath caught you by surprise with its bewitching beauty.

You’ve seen all kinds of women in the last two months, not only were your close friends great on the eyes but Luminaris had a vast imbalance of the sexes making women very numerous, but nothing truly enthralling like this woman now staring at you with an expression you could only describe as sleepy. You hadn’t caught at first with the bluish light of that alchemical lamp but her skin was one of peerless alabaster that went beyond pale to look deathly, those red eyes of hers thankfully seemed to possess a vitality similar to Olga and when she graced a look upon you, her features softened into a lukewarm smile; aside from skin and eyes colors there was absolutely nothing that marked her as a monster.

‘’Not too afraid?’’ She asked, lowering the mask onto her bosom. ‘’My skin is weak to sunlight and people don’t like to stare at me because I look like a ghost.’’

‘’No, it’s fine! You’ve nothing to worry about, none of us will -ever- feel uncomfortable around your or your daughter.’’ You immediately retorted with Olga making a vigorous nod. Ah dammit, there’s something about this woman standing alone in the darkness that makes her look fragile, it’s getting to your head…

‘’Hm.’’ Her forlorn expression softened into warmth. ‘’As expected from people living amongst monsters. Would you like to lodge into my home? I have more than enough space, it’d be my pleasure to welcome friends from a friend… and I’d like us to talk in details more comfortably’’

She set out at a relaxed pace that sent her long hair flowing with one of the many nightfall breezes, only making a brief stop to turn at your hesitant group, then gestured for her house with her hand holding that strange lamp resting at the end of a stick. ‘’Coming?’’

With a spring in your step, you walked beside this stoic beauty while the girls took a more comfortable pace behind you; you immediately noticed many curious stares from the scholar and pretended to see nothing, with Inia still on your shoulder trying her best to appear inconspicuous.

‘’Sophia, could you open the door?’’ She spoke after stopping in front of that big, oaken obstacle.

‘’Will do! Got company, right?’’ Came a spirited answer amongst hollows clicks of metals as numbers of locks came undone and before her mother could answer, that door was pulled inward revealed an adorable little girl.

Standing a few inches above your waistline, coming face to face with Sophia Brenhilda nearly melted your heart. White curly furs had grown to cover her legs below the knees with similar manifestation on her upper arms that left her hands human and elbows while her chest was covered in enough fleece to become something of an organic shirt. Fuzzy animal ears sprouted out of her head like a regular beastwoman while short white hair seemed to wrap under her chin; upturned sky brilliant blue eyes shone with wonders at your groups while a tail wrapped in wool peeking out from her flank.

The contrast between mother and daughter couldn’t be higher but the apparently gloomy scholar was quick to put the head of her adorable sheep daughter.

‘’I already ate!’’ Sophia exclaimed while shoving her mother hand away. ‘’Met these guys too, we talked a bit before Priam came to steal them away, good job handling her!’’ She waved a thump up in your general direction.

‘’You don’t need to constantly antagonize Curam leader.’’ Her mother spoke softly while walking deeper into the entrance hall. ‘’Give our guests a tour, I’ll be making some food.’’

‘’I’m Arawn Loukanos.’’ You nod at the girl.

‘’Name’s Olga Yevdokiya.’’ She poked her chest with her thumb.

‘’Call me Atasu Bantanah’’ The Lamia presented herself with a polite bow.

‘’I’m Inia!’’ The fairy suddenly burst out of your clothing to hover above the little girl wit ha trail of thick glittering powders leaking from her wings. ‘’We are here on something super important so I hope you can help us, Sophia!’’ Inia couldn’t sit still; her wings were flapping so furiously that you struggled to follow them with your eyes while this dust kept on spreading twinkling like stars in the night.

A spectacle that bewitched mother and daughter for both stared at the floating little blond in amazement. Poor Inia couldn’t fly or move for almost an entire day, fairy dust accumulates fast.

‘’I’ll… show you guys around. Not much to see, but follow me!’’

Inside a house made almost exclusively of stones was a comfortable layout that was evidently too big for a family of two, for only its first floor was truly occupied. Counting four rooms in total with a study, a kitchen and a pair of bedrooms, the second floor of the Brenhilda household were largely deserted save for a storeroom; all three other chambers were vacant, making for easy lodging with bedrolls.

Windows in every room made it easy to keep an eye on the field, with only the house southeastern portion as a general blind spot that could easily be investigated by exiting through the back door.

‘’Our study is super neat, that’s where I hang out with mom all the time!’’

Sophia was eager to move on and concentrate on this particular spot with good reason.

With a pair of lamps lazily burning and washing the room in soft orange, you laid eyes upon a little place full of activity. One desk next to the window revealed old architectural plans for what looked to be a barn, large comfortable chairs were spread out at random, a table with an open book revealed Sophia activity before you came to occupy her time and finally two massive bookcases occupied the near entirety of this place southern wall, with only a strange door of aquamarine on its corner to break the even flow of books.

‘’Oi oi’’ Olga suddenly spoke, walking toward that colored door to run her fingers along its surface where a strange symbol had been engraved; something like an octagon with a wave or big W inside. ‘’This is a dwarven rune. Materials of the stones are different, too.’’ She was right, while everything looked gray, the materials under that door changed into a shade of dark. ‘’It absorbs magic’’

‘’That’s where mom stores her magic items! Super fancy stuff that I can’t get to see for myself.’’ Sophia said while closing the big book she had left open on a chair.

‘’A child shouldn’t be tampering with anything magical.’’ That’s when her mother came while holding onto several steaming bowls of foods. ‘’We can eat here, it’s only rice mixed with meat and broccolis; I’ve added my personal mushroom sauce for flavors.’’

‘’Mom come you have to show these adventurers your treasury!’’ Despite her earlier claims of being satiated, Sophia was quick to snatch a wooden bowl.

‘’Hm… maybe later, if there’s something inconvenient for you, Lady Inia…’’ Magdalene gracefully made space with on one of the many small tables for the fairy.

‘’I’ll be fine!’’ Inia was quick to respond, somehow managing to land next to her food in a dizzying pirouette of flashy powder. ‘’I’m starving!’’

Food made by mothers always bring a certain feeling of nostalgia and as the sad looking pale women observed your group satiating themselves, she smiled with the satisfaction of a job well done and a surge of attractions had you wolf down your food and stare at the bowl; there were great warmth and humanity dwelling inside this gloomy looking woman. Still, unlike Sophia, in what way is Magdalene a monster?

‘’Please.’’ You began, catching everyone attention. You’ll have to worry about that deathly pale woman species another time. ‘’Listen to me, I’ll be relaying Tuilelaith worries and reasons for our comings.’’

This time, you properly relayed everything the fox told you. Prompting many comments from the excitable little sheep girl while her mother lazy sat near the window and peered out of the window, her somber eyes of glittering red observing something you couldn’t see.

Manifestations that appeared a few times each months where strange gargled mewling and scratches would wake them at night only to disappear in a minute, how they’d sometimes witness an inexplicable silhouette standing on the grass of their property with traces of scratches and ruined plants welcoming them some mornings and of course how Sophia ended up staring into a strange face one day; Tuilelaith had been thorough in her explanation and so were you in relaying all the information she gave you.

‘’Before she asked me for help, she came here two days ago, didn’t she?’’

You asked as you finished relaying the details of the vixen story; neither mother or daughter looked perturbed by your knowledge of this haunting. ‘’That’s when she felt something mess with her emotions as if trying to expel from your house. She dearly wishes to invite you into Luminaris and I can promise you that her ladyship Gwendolyn will do everything she can do accommodate you.’’

‘’I can also do the same,’’ Atasu spoke with a satisfied smirk, her coils slightly tapping the kid feet. ‘’For I am noblewoman of Lumina and can use anyone of talent.’’

You expected some kind of silence from the family, but…

‘’Hell yeah! I’ve been wanting to leave this stinking hole from the moment we came!’’ Sophia jumped to her feet while pumping her arm in the air, her enthusiasm shocking your group to silence. ‘’Let’s just go mom, Tui is super fun and I wanna see what she does, you like her too. You don’t have to let these villagers take advantages of your talents!’’

‘’Sophia, please sit. It’s not that simple’’ Magdalene had risen to her feet and glared at her daughter with enough intensity to force her silent, making the little ship whimper and jump back on her seat while you swallowed awkwardly from the displeasure on her skin of marble. ‘’I wish to try my best in bettering the life of everyone here and I think those additional farms are exactly what they need; we’ve discussed this plenty of time so please, let’s not argue tonight.’’ Warmth came as quickly as authority for this rather chilly woman and when her daughter muttered a begrudging agreement, she turned back to your group with awkward embarrassment.

‘’If Tuilelaith had only shared her worries, I would have been able to assuage her. There are a few secrets in this village, one of them is relevant to this case of haunting.’’ Taking a practiced pose, the scholar of Curam looked ready to teach a class. ‘’During the Great Crusade this location saw many battles between demons and humanity culminating in the death of a monstrous lieutenant; it was only one stage of the overall battlefield to isolate High General Lokkarn but the death toll was staggering. At time, lingering spirits of the dead manifest during the night.’’

‘’Never saw any, aside from that strange feline squatter we got.’’ Sophia had already recovered her good cheer for this comment while you and the girls listened with rapt attention, Olga looking positively intense while Inia had sat on your shoulder while pretending to be apathetic.

‘’I have. Often.’’ Magdalene answered with controlled passion, eyes opening a teensy bit more to reveal their gorgeous red. ‘’Walking in Curam at night has revealed many strange sights, from odd sounds to ethereal silhouettes disappearing inside a house or balls of lights floating across the road.’’

‘’No genuine spirits?’’ Olga suddenly asks while leaning forward, almost falling out of her chair. ‘’Nothing sentient? Only lingering energy?’’

‘’Yes.’’

‘’That doesn’t make sense!’’ The ranger jumped to her feet, face warped in honest worries. ‘’Deads leave imprints in the world after their passing, some get lucky enough to become sentient spirit who can act in on our world but what you’ve mentioned is a normal sight on a recent battlefield where people passed away together, in numbers. Strong emotions combined with their death leave an imprint we refer to as ghosts that slowly melt away in time; it doesn’t explain what your daughter saw or your smashed pots and scratches on your lawn.’’

Facing Olga spirited response, Magdalene held a gallant smile, as if genuinely happy to be hearing this retort. ‘’I see rangers of the Watches are well educated. It’s true that it is an anomaly, 200 years is more than enough for these imprints to fades… yet they didn’t. The Great Crusade was a conflict of monumental proportion but to believe it’d be causing these lingering souls to endure past two centuries is unlikely because every other major city in the Allied Kingdoms would be haunted, which isn’t the case. This makes Curam a fascinating oddity.’’ Magdalene finished with a smile and a twinkling in her eyes that made her curiosity bare, a first rare hint of passion from this aloof beauty.

‘’Hrm…’’ Olga yielded, going back on her chair with crossed arms. ‘’These ghosts are pieces of souls detached from people, it’d make a perfect feeding ground for any entity from the Swamp that feeds on things like that. I’d advice leaving, at least for the safety of Sophia.’’

‘’No way!’’ Now it was time for the little sheep to jump to her feet and she did so with energy. ‘’I’m not a coward! I don’t like this place but mom just said something super cool, why didn’t you say anything?’’ Whatever animosity she had toward Olga was flawlessly redirected for her mother who sighed in response.

‘’And have you ghost chasing in the dead of night? I think not young lady. You’re much too eager to solve any mysteries you find and besides, these events aren’t my primary concern in Curam; I want to help improve the lives of people here, no ghost will change that.’’

‘’Really? Ever since Tui left I’ve seen you gaze outside in the dark pretty often, it’s tooootally related.’’ Sophia pointed an accusing finger at her mother who chuckled in response.

‘’Yes, it’s true that I’ve witnessed an increase in activity but we don’t know anything yet, I do welcome this warning of potential danger however which is why… You shouldn’t be thinking of going outside at night -ever- and it’s about time for you to go to bed.’’ When a mother is doing discipline, you’ve no place to say anything and so all of your group waited and listened in silence.

‘’But moooooooom!’’ Sophia immediately protested, swishing her tail left and right. ’’This is way too fascinating! I can’t just, I don’t wanna sit it out!’’

‘’How many time have you ruined your sleep schedules?’’ Magdalene answered with a levered index.

‘’Ugh.’’

‘’Ten times. My patience does have a limit young miss and I -do- promise you to relay everything that happens and answer all of your questions, is that a good deal?’’ Firm and gentle, the humanity coming out of her voice was genuinely heartwarming.

‘’Only… one more thing.’’ The brilliant sky-blue eyes of the sheep girls looked away from her mother to focus on you. ‘’I wanna play a game! A game of war! You’re the elven prince so you’re good at tactics, right?’’ She singled you out, making Inia immediately fly away and look out the window.

‘’I…guess? A game of war you say?’’ That sound familiar. ‘’Is it a board game based in the Great Crusade?’’

‘’You know?’’ Sophia's ears wiggled in excitement. ‘’Yeah, it’s exactly like that but my stuff is super, super cool! Tuilelaith gave me a gift last year, it’s a -magical- board game. Super fantastic stuff, I always beat my mom.’’ Said mother actually nodded at her fuzzy daughter words. ‘’I’ll get a good night sleep if I exhaust all my brain juices so, I choose you!’’ Her spirited sentence ended with an imperious thrust of her finger right at you while the women beside you chuckled at what they believed to be newfound misery, however, how can spending time with a little girl be a bad thing?

Ah. Better keep that thought in your head. Still, you don’t quite have to entertain Sophia, trying to elucidate this mysterious haunting is much more important so you could always…relegate some duties. Atasu lived through the bitter rebellion against the Pharaoh, there’s no doubt she’s seen genuine combat and Olga has lived a long life filled with experiences you could scarcely relate to, she’ll make a good opponent for this little sheep.

>Be a man and face her head on.

>Shirk your duties and allow one of your companion to be alone with this kid.

>Free choice

I wrote way too much, but well… I had to do my best to introduce things!

As Sophia beamed and pointed at you with all the imperiousness that an adorable 12-year-old sheep monstergirls could muster, you were unable to resist warming up and smiling back at her bright face, her emotions were so outward and honest they rivaled Inia in capacity to lift clouds of unease. ‘’Should I?’’ you briefly asked yourself, straying your eyes toward your companions sitting not too far; both ladies were giving you an odd glare.

‘’You don’t wanna…?’’ Hesitation halted Sophia enthusiasm and her adorable perky animal ears flattened on her white hair, utterly obliterating whatever desires you had to force this duty on someone else. How could any man look at themselves in the mirror after refusing such a pure little girl?

‘’No I mean, yes, I’d be glad to be your opponent.’’ Your finely tuned ears picked a familiar rustling on the stone ground, scales rubbings against soils make a distinctive swishing so you pretended to ignore Atasu proximity and gladdened yourself with the fact you've dodged an arrow. ‘’I’m not too good, unfortunately. I’ve played that game for my first time three weeks ago and only had a single go. You’re overestimating me, Sophia. I can tell you that Atasu has seen genuine battlefields so she’ll make a better opponent.’’

‘’I want you tonight!’’ The little sheep shook her head and obviously didn’t want to hear anything else. ‘’I’ll think about facing that long lady and beat her tomorrow, but tonight I need to show royalty proper respect by coming at you in a fair contest of will where nothing is held back!’’ Not lacking in confidence, this sheep.

‘’Oh? Truly? You’ll beat me in this game of yours that supposedly simulate warfare?’’ Having suffered a poked nerve, Atasu slithered closer to the little sheep who, in response, put her hands on her hips and faced her with genuine bravado. Whatever charisma she tried to project was converted to cuteness because of all that adorable wool on her body, it does look so soft…

‘’A regular game last a while, I’d love to beat you Atasu, but I think our contest will need even more time! Gonna need to ask mom for that.’’ She was absolutely unfazed by the tall snake sashaying closer and closer while you did your best to ignore her arrogance, you might have to actually try in order to nurse your pride. Adults shouldn't be taken so lightly, sheepie!

‘’That won’t be happening.’’ This is when Magdalene cut in dryly. She had taken a strange pose by pinching her chin, revealing her ashen upper arm but the upward curls on the corners of her mouth still proved her humanity. Her magnificent, yet dangerous red eyes always caught you off guard, perhaps because she lacked Olga genuine friendly warmth.

Get a grip, Arawn.

‘’I’ll give you an hour Sophia, you'll need to go sleep even if your game isn't over. I’ll be here for our guests so you’ll know where to find me.’’ She nodded toward your companions, then turned toward Inia who was keeping a faithful vigil by gazing out the window. ‘’May I ask you a few questions, lady fairy?’’ Magdalene asked with a gentleness that contrasted her severe exterior while holding onto a strange, thin piece of metal and a small jar of glass, having picked them up from a nearby cupboard. ‘’I would like to scoop some of your dust to make a few tests later, I assure you it is a completely harmless and I have no intention of…’’

Unfortunately, the little sheep was adamant in making every minute’s counts. Sophia's hand wrapped itself into yours and out she went, pulling you straight into the hallway while Inia could only look in despair at the realization that you were already gone.

‘’Let’s go!’’ It took ten steps to enter her room, a cozy chamber with a single closed window for surveying the outside world. A drawer, a closet, one big bed and a large table with two chairs revealed where you’ll be spending the next hour; Sophia had already let go of your hand to rummage into that wardrobe.

‘’Got it, got it.’’ Cradling her treasure wrapped in a cloth with great care, her previous energy had metamorphosed into cautiousness as she walked for her table and placed the item on its surface. ‘’Tada! Aunty Tuilelaith gave it to me!’’ Her pride and joy was a board of stone with carved indentation that created an elaborate pentagram of faint glowering green from what looked to be emerald changed through alchemy to become slick and smooth, forming lines that carried magic throughout its surface. ‘’It’s not a true magical artifact so a mage has to activate it,’’ Sophia explained while running her hand along her cherished gift, settling on its middle spot where the symbol converged in ten circles.

‘’Looks elaborate.’’ The emeralds that made up its constructions must have cost a fortune but something is nagging at you constantly when you keep observing, a sentiment of familiarity keeping you from truly enjoying Sophia magical board.

‘’Right? We put our fingers in these circles and once it’s activated, we’ll be able to compete with our minds as long as we keep touching. It can store magic for 24 hours so we can leave a game unfinished, too. Problem is, it’s kinda boring for onlookers since the exciting stuff is taking place in our heads; though don’t think were being thrust on a battlefield or something, this thing is super educational while still acting as a game!’’

Sophia voice droned into an incomprehensible background brouhaha while your hand traveled all over the surface of this magical board. Cold to the touch with the engraving of emeralds needing some force for your fingers to squeeze into, a slick surface with only bumps on its edges to make it easy to grasp and lift…

A memory was resurfacing in the murk of your mind. Something from your childhood, whose details had been ruthlessly worn out by time, leaving behind an emotion, a sense of elation mixed with nostalgia and sadness.

--

You recall Enide, your older sister who always looked so tall because you were such a small boy. You were someplace called ‘’home’’ that was only a single, big room whose colors and density couldn'T be identified, your memory couldn’t focus on details.

Questions of your location or age weren’t important; what you -do- recall is Enide holding onto a colorful board that was letting out a constant stream of magical energy.

‘’You’ve gotten way too good at this wargame y’know?’’ How did her voice sound like? From your clear memory with Gwendolyn, you remember a playful youthful tone belonging to a casual elf of golden hairs and vibrant eyes reminiscent of the massive forest of your realm.

You don’t recall what you said but it was enough to make her smirk as she set down the board on a table; this younger representation of Sophia possession was… a little shinier. Better not tell her.

Enide fingers briefly trailed on its nexus where the pentagram opened, holding onto a small glowing tube that was related to alchemy, something you’ve often seen.

‘’Wait I don’t need to do this, you’re a mage you can activate it, silly me’’ She tapped herself on the head and put her glowing item on a pouch that never left her waist. ‘’You’ve won against the marshal so I’m not feeling so bad about your unending string of victories but this is gonna change things, cauuuse…’’ Using two fingers she pointed at something behind you. ‘’Big old daddy himself went and made it but he was too shy to be forward and give it to you, come on old man!’’ Now she beckoned this vague form you turned to observe, a tall silhouette of a man…

What did the young boy felt back then? Everything was dulled, your memory couldn’t make out much Sophia's… a good deal of confusion and fear. That day, you realize, was the very first time you laid eyes on your father.

What was his name? What did he look like?

You remember him coming closer as you observed in awe, the severe king of Luminaris was a busy man who rarely made time for family but his face was… a smudge you couldn’t identify, the broadness of his shoulder and how he towered even above his daughter remains your sole impression.

‘’You should totally challenge him, dad’’ Enide spoke while tapping the magical board. ‘’Gonna make a nice first impression and there’s no better way to see if your sweats and tears were worth anything, it's rare for our gracious magnanimous king of the forest to use our nation fund for a gift to his little boy’’ She laughed, a sweet sound full of life as she poked him in the ribs. ‘’No seriously Arawn learns fast and only lost a few times to our marshal, he’s got the soul of a commander I tell ya. Did you know Arawn?’’

She walked toward you, promptly navigating around the table to plop down on your flank while your father spoke a few words you couldn't identify.

‘’This game is actually a big deal in our war college with Humanity commanders. It’s a way to compete without fielding troops and wasting money so it -is- a way to gain good prestige and now, dad went and made the best prototype for your own pleasure cause you like playing it so much. You’ll huh, give your big sister a chance, right? I wanna see how it work too.’’

Her arm wrapped around your shoulders and you said something that made her laugh while the broad silhouette of this strange man moved to speak about something in a casual, well-mannered ways that clashed with cascading emotions ravaging your chest; you must have been 9 years old and this was indeed, the first time you laid eyes on your father.

--

That was the extent you could remember, a memory so old that it couldn’t be made whole by straining your brain. With the slick board in front of you acting as a catalyst, you could only step into the murky darkness trying in vain to recall any contexts, colors or the passage of time itself; only Enide and this gift of your father remained as anchors.

This board, this magical item belonging to this excited sheep looking at you curiously had belonged to your father and had been a gift meant for you on a forgotten occasion.

‘’You’ve got a familiar look in your eyes,’’ Sophia said while holding her chin with both of her hands, elbows resting on the table. ‘’My mom goes like that sometimes, gazing into nothing, mind fleeing somewhere that can’t be reached. You okay, prince?’’

Lingering nostalgia and fear from that vague memory were dispelled by her concern and you had to blink a few times to focus your attention back where it belonged, facing a smart young sheep-girl with a gentle face and mature eyes.

‘’I am, sorry about that. Wasting your precious time before bed, that’s ungentlemanly.’’ She smiled, closing her eyes and shaking her head with a laugh. ‘’There is something I’d like to ask you, Sophia, about this object.’’

Your mind felt feverish as you ran your fingers on the board surface with newfound reverence. This thing existence made you look back to your entire adventure before coming here, into this village to help out friends from a friend.

‘’Tuilelaith is the one that gave it to you?’’

‘’Yep!’’ Sophia agreed instantaneously with a wide grin and a thumb up. ‘’Said she wanted to celebrate our planting roots, stopping the nomad life we were doing before coming to Curam. See, mom was a wandering cleric for… all of my life, I grew up on the road with aunty Tui visiting us often, giving us all kind of stuff and making sure to hear me out when I wanted something special. Tui always worried about us, protected us I think.’’ Her wide, honest grin was a precious revelation to her adoration with that short nine-tailed Kitsune. ‘’Doing it even now since you folks are here.’’

‘’She’s been a constant presence, even as you were on the roads?’’

Nervousness created an uncomfortable ball in your chest as you suppressed some light trembling.

‘’Totally. We already are in the boonies here inside Curam but hell, I’d be camping out with mom in goddess knew where only for her to show up outta the blue.’’

Tuilelaith had described her friend, Magdalene as a woman blessed by Mother Earth; looking at this adorable small sheep made you believe Sophia shared this reality. Whatever mysteries that surrounded the Brenhilda family wasn’t your problem, you’ve volunteered to help them and it’s clear something shady is going on inside this village. No, right now your mind was threading on dangerous ground, coming at a branching path and slowly resolving itself to accept reality.

Tuilelaith Helewidis. Supreme monster, eldest of all known Kitsune and an anchor to Gwendolyn country. She was one of the two people you first laid eyes on after awakening from time suspension making your life became incredibly busy, yet this vixen had always been there when you needed her most.

When you found Devona and exited her isolated dimension, Tuilelaith showed up just in time to confront the Golden Guardian manifestation that wanted to purge your Pretender God comrade. When Hecate had her situation and killed a man inside Gwendolyn prison, Tuilelaith emerged from a portal and simply…waved all of your worries away by saying ‘’I’ll take care of it.’’ Whatever consequences there would be from Hecate calculated murder evaporated to nothing, as if the very existence of those two tormentors vanished from the city. Before that day, she had also revealed to know a secret about you and was unwilling to reveal anything until Gwendolyn could be resolved to speak about it, too.

Now… She has asked you to help this family in Curam only for you to stumble upon a magical artifact she gave to Sophia, an item that belonged to Luminaris royal family, the very first gift of a father you can’t remember.

You’ve allowed yourself to believe in that vixen, to be drawn by her charm, not exactly minding these series of coincidences because they’ve always been to your advantage and you share a genuine friendship with her… but you’ve also not gotten a step closer to finding anything about your siblings. To have seen Enide again in a hazy souvenir crippled by time merciless passage twisted your heart; if the worst did happen shouldn’t you at least deserve closure?

‘’Arawn?’’ Sophia asked while nervously playing with her fingers.

‘’Hm?’’ Emotions had drained from your face, leaving behind a cold sweat that wouldn’t warm up.

‘’What do you think about aunty?’’ Perhaps she had given up playing her game and decided to entertain a conversation.

‘’What do I think, huh?’’

All these coincidences with her actions can’t be answered for, she’s doing… she’s plotting something. Perhaps she’s been doing so from your first meeting, it’s not like you dislike talking with her; much the opposite, Tuilelaith is always fun and that day where the two of you eloped with Zipangu princess had been a wild ride that brings chuckles and good mood whenever you think back on it.

No, you need to make a final decision and resolve yourself to accept it, else you’ll keep tethering in what ifs and suspicions that’ll lead to tragedy.

‘’Shall we play, Sophia?’’ With your mind, far from resolved, you leaned forward to smile at the cute sheep whose eyes sparkles in wonders.

‘’Lets!’’

Can you bring yourself to wholeheartedly trust in Tuilelaith Helewidis? That her actions and lack of explanations are an act of an old, wise fox with your well-being in mind?

>Yes. You’ve yet to doubt anyone, now isn’t the time to start. If Tui didn’t want you to know anything, she wouldn’t have asked you to come here; she’s keeping secrets and acting rather oddly but hasn’t it been to resolves crisis for you? She’s your friend, a buddy.

>No. Once this Curam business is over you’ll need to start asking questions. About your family, yourself, your siblings and whatever it is she’s going, how she’s accomplishing her objectives, whatever they could be. It’s impossible to trust someone so shady.

(This is an extremely important choice for your future relationship with Tuilelaith and Arawn attitude toward her. Also if you'd like to do something with Sophia, then don't be afraid to suggest anything.)

‘’We’ll do something simple! Just a skirmish without campaigns or objectives to worry about, a pure clash of tactics from us amazing commanders. Better be ready mister prince cause I’ll wipe that frown off your face and replace it with an honest gape of wonder!’’ She leaned forward while running her fingers on the board, the chair creaking under her infectious good mood, an attitude that reminded you of another little girl you’ve encountered last week during your leisure time with Tuilelaith.

‘’I think you’ll be surprised.’’ You answered with confidence, this memory awakened old skills that’ll need a few minutes to readjust. ‘’Adults can learn very quickly’’

‘’Hoho? You don’t have that scary frown anymore. Good, you’ll need to focus, both figuratively and literally’’ Cheeky voice, confident smirk, and twitching ears made this sheep-girl arrogance remarkably humorous.

Perhaps she had seen your anger when you were thinking of that fox.

‘’I’m fine.’’ You placed your hand on your spot of the pentagram. ‘’I had to think about something, I’m good now.’’

That was no lie, staring into Sophia honest blue eyes didn’t pinch your heart with guilt because no matter how much you doubted Tuilelaith purpose, you couldn’t bring yourself to stay suspicious. With everything that happened since your awakening, she and Gwendolyn worked tirelessly to give you a place to belong with freedom to choose your own path, nobody influenced or forced you to become the Overlord representative inside Lumin when she had to go on business deeper inside the country. You’ve managed to grow close to your leader; after all, it had been yesterday night that she gave you a shy kiss while admitting various embarrassing things about herself.

If Tuilelaith is really plotting something, then you’ll only need to talk with her and if she can’t speak about it… well, so what? She’s a damn good friend who saved your life once and protected your moth-girl protégé during her terrible crisis, your frustration with the whereabouts of your sisters ought to be an important conversation, not the nucleus of doubts that’d poison your friendship.

Hasn’t she been taking care of this family of two? Isn’t the Brenhilda household a living testament to Tuilelaith resolve?

>With all shadows of doubts cleared, Arawn heart is settled; Tui is a friend and no amount of frustration about his missing sisters will change that. He’ll be able to meet Curam situation without distractions, granting you a permanent +1 to all future rolls in the village (if any are needed).

Leaning forward and activating Focus, your fingers gently touched a small piece of obsidian on the board center; touching it awakened a soft yet persistent ethereal drain that could only be sated with your magic.

Obliging created a pretty manifestation throughout the item where its emeralds lines light up in green glowers. Then, as an artifact, it promptly activated its function by pulling your and Sophia mind into a small, harmless dimension dubbed ‘’safe space’’ in mage scholar jargon.

An enclosed world so harmless and weak that a child ego would easily destroy it and its presence alone cannot be sustained past a week. What it -could- accomplish however was the creation of illusions; sounds and images without sensations, propelling your eyes into a bird-eye view of a plain, mountain or forest. Information flowed into your mind to customize a battlefield to your liking by simply willing it.

Yes, this is familiar… You can still feel your body and need only move to dispel this illusion; it had no imposition into the world, only your mind allowed its existence.

‘’I’m gonna be the big bad monsters.’’ Facing you was your little opponent, sitting cross-legged and leaning forward in an absolutely terrible posture. ‘’A simple skirmish oughta do fine. Maybe, hm… yeah inside Lumin forest, it’s the most detailed setting so maybe you can use the terrain to your advantage, right?’’ A cheeky wink and a cackle ended her spiel while you tried your best to avoid grinning.

This little one has no ideas how many hours you’ve sunk into this glorious magical game.

--

‘’Mommy, please! This is just… ugh, it’s legendary! Once in a lifetime opportunity! A clash of natural, trained geniuses! How can you expect me to go to sleep? Tell her, Arawn! Our game is nowhere near done.’’

An hour came and went in the blink of an eye and your intense concentration was broken when a stoic mother interrupted this supposedly casual duel of wits. You had to reluctantly let go of a chaotic, merciless battlefield to instead gaze at a gorgeous pale-faced woman gently shaking your shoulder while holding onto a mug of water with a certain fairy hovering near the doorway.

‘’Ah, yes it’s um… I mean a girl shouldn’t be past her bedtime too much.’’

Curses! Too little time, you tried your best to avoid scowling while rubbing your eyes and taking your welcome refreshment, washing off mental strain and fatigue from this duel.

‘’Come on! Mom can be convinced, lets-’’ Sophia hesitated upon feeling the glare of her mother, her ears flattened and her small tail slapped the chair, yet this sheep persevered. ’’Make sure she understands what’s happening, she’ll come to the right conclusion because she’s so smart.’’

‘’I don’t think you should argue with your mother.’’ It was best to be considerate but when you saw Magdalene pinch her chin and smile, you understood just how little you knew about this woman.

‘’Alright’’ She spoke clear mischief in tone and feature. ‘’Tell me.’’

‘’Good!’’ Sophia plopped back on her seat with enough force to cause a loud clack. ‘’Demons against Crusaders is the good od basic so I went with Luminaris forest to cause it was Arawn first time but…’’

With embellishment, excited hands gestures and too few opportunities to speak for yourself came a retelling of a contest of war that proved that, despite being small in size and young in years, Sophia boasting was not empty.

This skirmish pitted ten thousand mixed dwarves, elves and human against an army twice this size of demons and monsters in the familiar ground of your forest nation. Thereupon you proceeded to lay a defense in depth, a strategy you loved for its simple effectiveness, ease of coordination and overall low cost in manpower thank to elves providing the bulk of your forces; archers, skirmishers and rangers dancing amongst the trees built a fearsome guerilla while you replaced cavalry for a sturdy shieldwall of dwarves and human making up auxiliaries and magical talents, with of course a surprise to make up your lack of mobility: a squad of angels led by their great Hero.

Things began incredibly fast when a flood of firedogs (old demons easily summoned by wizards of olds) and goblins with torches and holding alchemical bombs rushed into the forest in a literal mass of ten thousands, flooding your careful plan with bodies and setting the forest alight in one gigantic line of flames as your men relocated while whittling down their foes who could hardly do anything but blow themselves up after getting impaled by a javelins or arrows.

The proper demonic army had already moved onto your left flank, contingents of black coloured steel wearing orcs and magic wielding shamans and goblins running around, hacking down trees and sending their little guys into traps while crossbows shot down your men as you relocated your army to endure a first, brutal clash with unpredictable fire spread throughout the forest you had an incredibly hard time coordinating your forces. That's when Sophia light infantry crashed into your soldiers an assault that had you briefly commit your angels to repulse, else the orcs spread out too far behind your lines. That's when you embattled your army near the fire to cover your flank by using Holy mages to contain it spread while runners and messengers coordinated with the rest of your scattered elves to loop around the geyser.

There was no time rest; when you managed to barely scrape an organized effort amongst your elves, heavy orcs crashed against a dwarven shieldwall, galvanized by their great general and shamans ready to wreck havocs, things began to look grim… but for all of Sophia amazing coordination and surreal initiative, she had made an important miscalculation by underestimating Humanity combined arms. Dwarves and holy mages made an unbreakable wall and you watched in delight as orcs -even empowered by fell dark and blood magics- were forced back, thereby finally instigating a reversal of fortune as your angels identified the enemy leaders.

That’s when a busybody mother came to shake you out of your hypnotism.

‘’How can something so scary be fun!?’’

Midway through Sophia grand explanation Inia had flown close to the board and grew extremely cautious of its existence as words about elves, dwarves, humans, goblins and orcs dying reached her ears.

‘’It’s fine it’s fine!’’ Meanwhile, Sophia couldn’t stop grinning while her mother stared emotionlessly. ‘’See? Wasn’t that something! You know how hard it is to coordinate your army in all this, especially after making such a huge mess of a fire. For Arawn troops to actually use the flames as a shield kinda mess me up.’’

‘’In hindsight, I was far too conservative with my flying Valkyries.’’ You hand absentmindedly rubbed the soft hair of a hovering girl, making her freeze in place. ‘’Angels aren’t meant to be in reserve, I should have split them into two groups to help coordinate my forces and keeping them in the air to relay your troop's movement.’’

It had been chaotic, desperate, frenetic, piling insane pressures as you had to juggle fire, losses, demons and an incoming army into your beloved forest.

‘’Well, mom had to go and be a spoilsport. I had a great surprise in that inferno ready to pounce but since we’ve taken a breather I feel like I’ve lost; I wanted to overwhelm you, mister prince, yet your shieldwall met with my orcs in perfect coordination’’

‘’Next time.’’ You cleared your throat while Inia made for the exit like an arrow. ‘’An orthodox battle between two human armies would perhaps be best.’’

‘’Hm. There will be a next time?’’ Magdalene suddenly spoke, her brilliant eyes shifting between her daughter and yourself.

‘’He’s good!’’ Sophia's hands clapped together. ‘’So, I’m too excited to sleep!’’ She huffed while sitting down properly, having been seated on her knees for the entirety of this duel.

‘’Not happening.’’ Her mother shook her head and firmply planted a foot on the ground. ‘’I’m glad you two had fun but kids shouldn’t be awake when we’ve already changed dates. Come on now, go to bed.’’

‘’But mom…’’ That’s when you made a quiet exit, leaving mother and daughter together as you walked back into Magdalene study, following a brilliant trail left by an embarrassed tiny, flying girl and your head still full of war, tactics and just a little bit of glory brought by this willful illusion from an object your father had tirelessly worked on in the past.

That sheep is good. Really good.

Coming back into the study revealed an endearing sight; Atasu was fast asleep in a bed made out of her coils while Olga looked unconscious beside your noble, snake friend; you expected your entry to snap her awake but it was quickly revealed that she, too, was completely dormant.

‘’Inia?’’ You asked, feeling a pang of guilt over your teasing; she was back to staring outside, hearing your name elicited an angry ‘’hmph’’ that barely carried itself through this big room. Your companions would easily have their space to sleep until morning, you decided to keep company with that tiny bundle of honest emotions.

‘’Can’t sleep?’’ You still felt the urge to reach and pat her head when she turned around to observe you with upturned eyes.

‘’I’m fine. Maybe it’s because of our synchronization but I’m not tired.’’ With a blush on her cheeks, she turned back to her vigil. ‘’I spent yesterday asleep, too. You don’t have to worry, I’ll keep watch and make sure nothing strange sneak up on us.’’

‘’There’s hasn’t been any signs of our otherworldly intruder, I’d wager it’s being cautious and observing us right now. You don’t need to exhaust yourself like that, Inia. Besides, I’m the one who needs less sleeps out of all of us.’’ When she kept stubbornly watching outside, you decided to imitate her. With the dim light of this big room, it was easy to get a grasp of your surroundings despite a pitch-black night. Shapes of houses, roads and a few lit lamps allowed you to stare at the strange village of Curam, without movements, sounds or signs of life of any kinds, an impression of solitude began to grasp your heart as this house was alone inside a wide world.

‘’What do you think of Sophia?’’ you heard Inia soft voice below you, unmoving.

‘’She’s incredibly talented for someone so young.’’ You don’t need to fake any enthusiasm. ‘’It was only a game but I felt pressured from the moment we began and couldn’t afford any distractions, she’s also very honest and full of energy. A good kid.’’ You nod, leaning away from all this perturbing darkness.

‘’Talented, right,’’ Inia mumbled, shaking her head in what seemed to be frustration. ‘’I hope things will go well…’’

Hm? Was a cloud of negativity hovering around this little one?

Footsteps behind you made you turn away from the window. Magdalene had come back after dealing with her daughter, to gently cover your companions with a pair of blankets. Your movement and footsteps made her shift those red, hollow eyes to you, then Inia and thus the mistress of this house carried herself gracefully to your side.

‘’Thank you for entertaining my daughter, I think you’re the first person she hasn’t thoroughly crushed on a first game.’’ She bowed while you rubbed the back of your head in a mixture of embarrassment and pride. ‘’Should you two not be thinking of going to sleep?’’

‘’I’m fine. I’ve been meaning to ask you as well, as the scholar of Curam you’ve been hard at work coordinating the construction of those farms it must be tiring.’’ Magdalene neutral face warmed after hearing your words, feature blossoming into a polite, yet genuine smile.

‘’Sleep isn’t something that I need often.’’ A few soft steps allowed her to close distance to a library next to the window, one pale hand running absentmindedly across many thick leather volumes. ‘’This new you’ve brought about a potential Outsider has me… worried. I’ll be awake until dawn and take a rest then, you needn’t worry.’’

Someone else that doesn’t need much sleep, your own body is just as much of a mystery as your memories.

‘’Then let’s keep each other company, I’m sure Inia is bored looking outside like this…’’ She turned around upon hearing you and blushed when Magdalene waved in response. ‘’…since all three of us don’t need rest let’s talk. I have many things I’d like you.’’

Having worked up your nerves to gaze into her dull red eyes properly, lady Magdalene nodded and went to sit on a nearby chair, her long and thick clothing giving her a floaty, ephemeral that you found genuinely attractive. Pale skin, red eyes, and subtle movement combined to give this scholar a genuinely ghostly aura that, after a few hours in her company, wasn’t oppressive at all.

I'm thinking of doing shorter and more frequent updates for the weekends while keeping my leisure pace for the week.

>You’d like to know about her past. Sophia mentioning something about traveling, where apparently, Magdalene was a cleric of the clergy…

>What kind of monster could she be? It’s not rude to ask, right?

>Ask her opinion about the identity of that cat-like being, with Curam being a nexus of strange souls that refuse to evaporate or pass on she must have an opinion.

>Reveal your finding about the Eye, that strange red phenomenon was incredibly odd, a scholar should make sense of it.

>Perhaps speak about that apple Priam gave you?

>Or do you want to find out what she’s hiding in that magical basement?

>Free choice.

‘’I’ve experienced something odd earlier today before Priam came to occupy our time, I’d like to hear your opinion.’’ As you paused to gather your thoughts while trying your best to swallow your increasingly bigger urge to know more about this mysterious woman, Magdalene didn’t seem to register your words for she faced you silently while cupping her hands around a mug of beverage nestled between her thighs.

‘’I've been vague with my earlier explanations. The constellation of the Eye is troublesome to employ because ‘’truth’’ doesn’t act like a tangible force, but I’ve found a way to make it work. By enchanting my own eyes, I can dispel illusions, even render Tuilelaith glamor useless, so when I decided to employ it this afternoon, I thought I might glimpse this intruder we’ve been sent to hunt instead, I saw something completely different.’’ You had to repress a shudder at the memory, you’d much prefer losing yourself inside the sad nostalgia of your past with Enide.

‘’To gaze at Curam strangeness with eyes of pure truth…’’ Magdalene spoke softly with gentle eyes fixated on you. ‘’Please tell me, do not spare any details.’’

‘’Yeah, talk about it Arawn. It was a scary experience, right? Bottling it won’t do any good.’’ While you weren’t anywhere close to being stressed out, Inia support brought a grin to your face and the urge to give that blond head another pat.

‘’I witnessed a world of red. There was this strange fog everywhere while houses, shops, and storehouses looked warped as if my vision was obstructed by water or smoke; none of the building seemed solid. Another striking abnormality was a total absence of people. Villagers were everywhere when we came here after making a scene at the gates and many came to wait for Priam to appear yet I couldn’t see anyone, only my companions, your field and this house remained whole, I thought of it as an anchor into reality because was truly surreal.’’

‘’Hm.’’ One hand left her cup to pinch her chin with narrowed rubies. ‘’What about sounds?’’

‘’Sounds?’’ For a moment, you’re left dumbstruck but your mind quickly work to remember everything about this afternoon, it wouldn’t do to make a scholar wait. ‘’I… I didn’t hear anything, no. Actually…’’ Yes, that’s another oddity. ‘’I didn’t realize it back then, I was surrounded by silence aside from my companions discussion. Curam was busy this afternoon, it's abnormal to be rendered deaf.’’

‘’Could you repeat this experiment?’’ Despite her aloofness, you saw a smile and a distinctive glint in her red eyes, you definitely roused an intense interest. ‘’Not that I wish to make you uncomfortable especially with gentle Inia so worried about you.’’ An adorable gasp from the fairy made it obvious she struck bullseye. ‘’Nor do I doubt your words, for you a friend of Tuilelaith and I’m sincerely grateful that you’ve entertained my daughter tonight, but… we should operate as academics and thus see if nightfall brings new oddities.’’

Slowly, like a lazy ocean tide, Magdalene rose to her feet and put her cup on a table; something so simple and lazy still left an intense impression of mysticism, that kept you hooked.

‘’I need to scour my library for a book, your description reminded me of something I’ve read. I’d like to make sure I’m not wrong before speaking.’’ Continuing her leisured pace, she walked toward that collection of books on the wall, leaving you to your own device as you faced the window Inia had been glaring out of so intensely.

‘’You’ll be alright?’’ She asked, inching away from the glass to sit down.

‘’Yep.’’ Sure, it was dreadful but you’re an elf of stern stock. ‘’Since you’re here, I’ve nothing to fear at all.’’

‘’That’s too easy!’’ Her voice came out into an uneven squeak as she tried to keep it to a whisper, Inia still blushed enough to color her ears.

Embracing Focus was easy enough, attuning to the Eye always demanded an irritating mental joust that only delayed you for a few seconds. After assuring dominance, you leaned toward the glass and peered outside, into a deep abyss brought by nightfall with silhouettes of habitations melding with the serpentine roads of Curam, your eyes had already adjusted thank with the low light of inside this study, so when your spell went off, it brought an instantaneous change.

There was a newfound clarity, a red fog that lingered amongst Curam empty roads while the nearby houses looked uneven, exactly like your earlier description giving a downright damned aura with a horizon colored in blood. Having braced for it now and with Focus dulling your emotions, observing this otherworldly manifestation didn’t rouse your first sentiments of fears that had you quickly let go of your spell. This time, you looked to satisfy your own curiosity, elven eyes peering into a red world, you couldn’t help but think of something demonic at play as if you were one step away from the underworld.

‘’Your house, your grass, your property is spared that all-encompassing red.’’ As you heard the lady scholar rummage on her library and with the even breathing of your sleeping companions sounding much louder because of Focus, you continued. This red dominating everything, red colored dirt, red colored wood, red colored darkness… and movements.

‘’Hold.’’ An ache of fear, a sense of self-preservation, tickled your spine, sneaking past Focus dullness. ‘’I think my eyes might have adjusted, I’m seeing shapes.’’

‘’Please described everything you see.’’ Magdalene had soundlessly walked behind you to look over your shoulder, you’d have jumped if your emotions weren’t suppressed.

‘’I’m seeing shapes in this red darkness. I think they might be humanoids.’’ Shadows in the night make for a difficult sight but you weren’t wrong at all, the Eye of Truth dispelled illusions -all illusions- to reveal naked honesty and there, in the deep darkness of midnight were vague humanoid shapes. As if shadows of people had decided to act on their own.

‘’They are standing motionless.’’ True enough, if they had been moving you would have immediately identified them, although it was still too dark to properly identify details, you had to strain and nearly squash your nose on the glass to see those dark silhouettes, only visible with that strange red fog that had to maneuver around their bodies.

‘’None of them are touching a single blade of grass of your field, I think they… they’re lined up on the road and staring at us.’’

‘’A-Arawn don’t be scary!’’ You felt Inia tug your arm as her voice went back to a protesting squeak as you continue to look, fruitlessly trying to find anything else.

‘’Hm, how very odd indeed… If only I could see for myself.’’

Magdalene had walked all the way to your side, holding onto a thick book of hard leather cover and some golden decorative threads dangling down its upper corner. She was showing emotion again, a casual frown, giving her features a lovely spark of humanity. With those big clothes, long hair and that book, calling her a librarian was perfect.

‘’I…maybe it could be possible. I think I -could- do something about that!’’ Inia suddenly spoke, still hiding behind your shoulder. ‘’I’m a fairy and Arawn has…’’ There was a small hesitation while you kept your vigil, for the sake of this little flying girl you decided to avoid making it any harder for her. ‘’Synchronised with me, m-maybe if I try I could perhaps share his spell?’’

Fairies are strange beings not unlike angels, closer to magic and corruption instead of souls. Spells outside Holy are always very personal things, to share it like this… well, perhaps Inia could indeed accomplish such a feat. That’d be one way to find out how to utilize your synchrony.

‘’Mh.’’ Magdalene freed hand pinched her chin. Again. ‘’I’ll have to refuse for now. I believe Arawn might be gazing at spirits of some kinds, not some stubborn dead as I’ve believed all this time. Spiritual entities don’t see the material world, they function by gazing into naked emotions and what many believe to be souls; thus, if I were to see these strange shapes he’s staring at, I won’t be able to avoid feeling a little surprise and shock, this could result in an unpredictable reaction, so it’s best to stay prudent. Are they truly immobile?’’ She spoke dryly, yet with clear warmth in her voice, as if trying her very best to avoid hurting Inia feeling who was staring dumbfounded after hearing such an elaborate refusal.

‘’Yes. Shades standing like statues on the road. Nothing braving a single step into your property.’’ Your self-preservation senses were tingling as you continued your observation of this unknown.

‘’This new development and this world of red is… it’s very troubling. Spiritual entities, in general, aren’t sentient since they consist of an amalgam of expunged emotions. They behave in two extreme; chaotic or by following patterns.’’ You felt a gentle touch on your shoulder where Magdalene came to rest, with her second arm wrapped around her book to show its title.

‘’Hell Roots?’’ It was a clear title carved into its leather front.

‘’It’s a popular hypothesis from scholars of the clergy.’’ Stepping away from the window, you observed the doll-like woman crack open her book while leafing through its content. ‘’About a dimension sticking to ours, a potential explanation for what happen after death, although I see it as an ecosystem for souls-shades I need to make sure that I wasn’t wrong and… yeah here it is. Give me a moment.’’

There came a few minutes of silence where Magdalene dull eyes of carmine stared into her book as she stood rigid, almost lifeless save for pinching a page and turning when she was done; her reading was slow and methodical.

‘’She’s, pretty isn’t she?’’ You heard Inia whisper to your ear as she slowly floated upward. You preferred to avoid answering her question and instead keep a look out into the darkness of night.

‘’Have you created a ward against these entities?’’ You asked to fill the silence while glaring daggers at those shapes.

‘’No. Since there’s only one mage in Curam I preferred to avoid letting out a constant stream of magic that’d bother her.’’ It is true that mages tend to congregate in large groups because numerous magical phenomenon mingles into a dull, forgettable sensation. You still aren’t feeling a single speck of magic anywhere in Curam, a constant stream of magic would be -very- irritating.

‘’Something I’ll need to rectify.’’ You heard a gentle snap as her book closed and a sigh escaped from one of your two sleeping companions, Magdalene showed a rare emotion of shame at her gaffe while observing Atasu. ‘’Mh. Sorry about that. I found what I needed.’’ Wrapping her arms around her book and resting her back against the wall, her voice flowed out with practiced ease.

‘’Imagine a tree with four massive roots leading to a thick trunk sprawling upward forever; this is our world. A tree held alive by its four great energies, corruption, magic, holy and souls. Now picture a branch, something growing out of its infinite torso, extending into another direction with a clear end which blossoms into smaller twigs to support leaves; all such branches are dimensions latching onto our world, one of these is Hell Roots. A place of souls, magic, and emotions that many mistakes as afterlife because our lives fuel its existence. Emotions leave behind traces of unseen energy that filter into this parasite which then become creatures that can scarcely be explained; when a predator hunt his prey, the agony of that dying animal leave a strong impact within Hell Roots. An existence tied with this ‘’agony of death’’ will emerge as a spirit-like entity, a vulgar simulacrum of souls. Are you following me so far?’’

Focus had sharpened your mind into a fine steel. ‘’I do.’’ You answered while Inia frowned in silence. ‘’You called that place a parasite because according to your allusion, our world is a tree with a single trunk nourished by four roots of mythical energies. Hell Roots is a branch, a connection to our world because it is a manifestation of magic and soul, two essences combining into one and latching on a trunk because it can’t support itself.’’

‘’You could call it the root of its own little reality, latching onto ours for energy.’’ Magdalene moved away from the table to put her thick tome on a table, then turned and walked closer to you and Inia who looked a little brighter now. ‘’It is an option for spirits of the departed to dwell into. Monmosus ancestral worship interacts heavily with that place, their forebear’s dwells there, protected by shrines they continuously enchant with their religious rituals. Oftentimes they’ll stick to a granddaughter, harmonizing with their bodies. At other they dwell inside these safe areas, avoiding the hellish existence of this dimension.’’

‘’I’ve seen it.’’ How could you ever forget that Manticore? The ‘’Tempest of Fallerin’’ conjuring a totem-like existence to lay waste to hundreds of men?

‘’It’s called Hell because the few who looked into it and recorded the experience found misery, a warped landscape, a cruel twist of our own realm where architectures became messy and shadowy with a constant fog permeating eternally with a red horizon and sky without sun, drowning in incessant red… yet worst are its denizens, these lost composites of emotions wander while preying on each other for sustenance because they are always, always seeking a body or a breach to leak here, inside the beloved Star guarded by Mother Earth and Father Sky.’’ The scholar paused, lips pursed together into a thin line as she struggled with unseen hesitation.

‘’Undead like skeletons and zombies that oftentimes rise in the wilds come from a spirit strong or lucky enough to filter into our world through a temporary gap. It is a chaotic corruption of life here, never once have I heard of entities that can… operate together.’’

It was a whole lot of taking in, there was a simple truth in this whole explanation. ‘’Hell Roots doesn’t explain the entity haunting you and your daughter, she’s the one that saw it and if there’s a near impossible breach between that reality of spirits and ours, how could it have manifested to toy with Tuilelaith?’’

Is it truly an entity from the Swamp after all? How in would such a creature interact with this cancer, this Hell Roots?

Magdalene didn’t answer while Inia went back to glare through the window, this time trying her best to appear hostile as she tried to find those stalkers only you can see.

‘’It might be the most important question I can’t answer; that entity is a complete mystery, what you’ve revealed with your spell of pure truth is more than enough to convince me that I can’t take things leisurely anymore. I’ve grown capable of handling spirits and create influences within Hell Roots.’’ There’s a bitter smile on her pale, near-porcelain face. ‘’Curam has fascinated me from the moment I stepped here, perhaps I’ve been underestimating the gravity of this place.’’

Magdalene softly leaned away from the wall to walk at a gentle stride for her library, where she gently tucked her book in its opening. ‘’To protect my daughter, my guests and my home I shall erect a spiritual barrier. Perhaps that'll cause a reaction… but I can do nothing after what you’ve told me.’’ Her long, puffy clothes made it seem like she was floating when she walked close to you. ‘’Do you have any questions? I’d… like to avoid explaining what I’m about to do. It’d be better to see for yourselves.’’

>Should you wait and support her silently without asking questions?

>Insist on awaking your companions?

>Perhaps you should try to convince her to leave, tonight. Your group has three scrolls of portals that lead directly into Lumin, why take any risks now that it's clearly unsafe?

>Free Choice.

Don't forget that you aren't tied to a single green text choice unless I say so. You are free to make a course of actions on your own, to clearly define what you guys want Arawn to do

When Magdalene mentioned Priam, the weight on your belt brought a reminder of your earlier meeting with the noblewoman, alongside her gift safely put inside a knapsack emanating a gentle, quiet magical aura that needed actual concentration to feel its flow.

‘’Ah’’ You speak before thinking and grasp that magic apple. ‘’I’d like to ask you about Priam, I’m not sure if it’s related… but I’d like you to know either way.’’ You decided to let go of Focus and lean away from the window while observing Magdalene stoic face, she seems to immediately understand your meanings, her gaze fixated on the item you were holding while Inia floated to latch onto your shoulder.

‘’Mh, one of her experiments?’’ She asks as you take out that strange magical blue apple, prompting a surprised gasp out of the fairy.

‘’Has she told you about her desire to give mages strength with using enchanted foods?’’ Magdalene goes back to her usual ticks -pinching her chin and narrowing her eyes- as you talking. ‘’An admirable goal on its own but after learning that Curam seems thoroughly plagued by Hell Roots, do you think it’s possible that she’s…’’

‘’Cramming souls into fruits and vegetables?’’ In a rare display of emotions Magdalene interrupts you, having crossed her arms under her bust while turning to offer her profile, her usual confident aloofness gave way to frustration that, for some reason, looked beautiful to your eyes. ‘’If she can interact with souls while possessing a unique gift of magic, like redirecting powers or altering the life of plants then yes, it's plausible… it could even be easy. By expunging any individuality out of these wayward existences you’ll get something incredibly close to a pure soul, so filtering that energy into a plant could… work.’’ Her voice grows quiet, as her eyes stray to stare into nothing. ‘’Rejuvenating spent energy would be a natural reaction since you’d be consuming raw souls, with your body naturally filtering lingering individualities, your own soul would swell, it’d be exactly like filling a glass of water.’’

Her voice had dropped to whispers that couldn’t be hidden in the dead of nights. You and Inia exchanged several stares, whereupon your little sidekick nodded several times while glaring at the apple in your palm.

‘’Priam really wanted us to experiment together and always dodged my attempts to bring a specimen in my house for my own personal studies, I didn’t try to pry too much into it but now… this thing.’’ She trailed off as she glared at the altered fruit in your hand. She couldn't say anything more, caught by sudden hesitation.

‘’Might be full of souls plucked straight outta the Unseen Land. Guess that lady noble wasn’t as trustworthy as I thought.’’ From the corner of the room came a jovial voice belonging to a tall, white-haired woman smirking confidently at the collection of stares coming her way.

‘’You’re awake!?’’ Inia almost yelled, making Atasu groan in protest and move in her sleep, red coils tightening around her body in a soft, gentle sounding movement of rubbing skin and muscles. ‘’Awawa…’’ She immediately calmed down, hiding behind your back while Olga walked closer she observing you and Magdalene standing side by side.

‘’Looking cute you two.’’ Upon witnessed a clear lack of reaction, her head shook in dejection. ‘’Anyhow, I woke up when Arawn went into Focus and listened ever since. Mighty interesting story, this Hell Roots; haven’t heard anything like it since Vanheim, it was forbidden knowledge out there. I learned more in this half-hour than my entire decade of childhood but see, there’s something I gotta ask ya, Magdalene.’’

Olga faced the pale blond who didn’t flinch for a moment, her doll-like features and absences of emotions brought to you a strange sting of pain as if she was suppressing her very humanity.

‘’Are you a Necromancer?’’ You’ve known Olga for only two days and this is the first time she seemed genuinely serious, despite her warm smile those eyes held steel.

‘’Why do you ask?’’ Came a dry answer, followed by a constant whistling in the air when Inia wings began fluttering in panic from the newfound tension.

‘’Absolutely no reasons at all’’ Olga laughed, then promptly slapped her mouth shut when Atasu protested again, but still remained deeply asleep. ‘’Fack, I’m clumsy. I just wanna know for the sake of knowing, is all. See Vanheim is ruled by clans with druids acting as priests, but there’s also a strong sect of necromancers, I’ve yet to meet anyone like that inside the Allied Kingdom so… I guess I’m feeling nostalgic. It'll also make me feel better, since if you are then I doubt your squatter is some Swamp entity’’

Gone was that intense expression, the usual Olga was back with a wholesome smile and a slightly hunched stance as she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. ‘’You know a whole lot about spirits, being spied on by a bunch of souls right now make my skin crawl but man hearing your explanation really soothed my fire. Right Arawn?’’

‘’Ah?’’ her sudden prompt caught you off guard, Magdalene stern gaze turned to you. ‘’Yeah, I agree, Inia is feeling much better as well.’’ Said fairy tilted her head in response but stayed otherwise silent. ‘’I only know necromancers by reputation, like raising corpses, making skeletons and laying wastes to livings I don’t really… know anything, nor do I have much of an opinion.’’ You felt like a fool, saying something so boring.

Stress slowly escaped the guarded scholar and with a flick of her hair to send it away from her face, Magdalene emotions came back in a strangely sweet irritation. ‘’You people truly are friends of Tuilelaith… this friendly inquisitiveness is really different from the villagers.’’ Then she gazed away, concentrating on giving the window an evil eye. ‘’It’s true, I’m a necromancer. It’s not something innate like proper magic, I’ve learned about it from a Grimoire and trained myself to interact with souls, then employ them for my purpose. Raising dead, casting curses and interacting with bodyless souls is the best way to describe this… craft.’’ Then a frown came to her face. ‘’It’s similar to Blood Magic insofar that a Null can acquire power so both have parallels with each other, which his probably it’s very taboo in the faith of Unity.’’

‘’Nobody like the idea of people toying with corpses but hey’’ Olga gave the distant blond a thumb up. ‘’You ain't making anybody life miserable and I'm actually learning about our fucked-up world so you pass, I’m giving ya my official seal for Good People. Arawn, Atasu Inny and your kid got it too so we're all pals now.’’

‘’Unlike Priam, you didn’t give us any reason to distrust you and above everything, we share the same friend; who has also sent me to ensure your safety. She’d knew we wouldn’t make a scene about your capabilities.’’ You snuck your own opinion, feeling genuinely relaxed about this revelation. You've been breaking break with a world-class psion, a Pretender God who can alter reality and an ungodly powerful nine-tailed fox; necromancy isn't scary at all and your amnesia is at least helpful here because you don't have to lie about this, you've no idea about any taboos tied with this magic.

Inia, for her part, stared at Magdalene in excitement, her wings buzzed with newfound energy while whispers of ‘’that’s so cool!’’ revealed her opinion in earnest.

‘’I… see.’’ There was a strain in that doll-like voice, bringing a relaxed repose to her features. She even chuckled to herself as she unfurled her tightly gripped arms. We should stop waiting.

Despite newfound serenity, her warmth disappeared, replaced by stern purpose as she took a few steps into her study, turning to you then Olga in turn. ‘’We should make our first step to understanding what’s going on in Curam, I can think of something by using this apple.’’ Magdalene makes a vague gesture at the magical fruit back in its sack. ‘’I don’t want to disturb Hell Roots too much, so we should stick to a single ritual.’’

‘’Oh?’’ Olga rubbed her palms, oozing excitement while you stood with Inia, sagely waiting for the scholar to continue as she took a few seconds to think in silence.

‘’I’d be willing to forego my initial plan to create a barrier if you’d be willing to stay awake and guard this house, Olga. I could use Arawn help to extract that apple secrets, his eyes of truth may witness something I can’t.’’ While speaking, she had walked to her basement door of aquamarine, taking a key out of a chest pocket of her luxurious dress. It was a small thing of obsidian, just thin enough to fit in a woman palm.

‘’I’m not certain what’ll happen, but I think it’s better to try something. Both rituals will probably agitate souls in Hell Roots, so it’s better to stick to a single one tonight. While I’d prefer to put friends and family in safety…’’ She paused, rolling a thick strand of blond hair around her index. ‘’…I can trust you guys to keep yourselves and my daughter safe.’’

‘’Eh, that’s a mighty honor.’’ Olga clapped her hand, ignoring Atasu protest. ‘’I’ll be waking our serpent lady and brief her, Arawn here is our leader since y’know royal blood and all. I’ll defer my judgment to his.’’

‘’Yeah!’’ Came a spirited agreement form a tiny flying girl. ‘’I wanna see what’ll happen either so I’m sticking to you, were partners!’’

>You should prioritize safety and erect a barrier. You’ll always have that apple, it can be used tomorrow.

>If Priam is truly up to strange things with souls, she might have done something with this apple, perhaps enchanting it in a way that it’ll expire very soon… Magdalene should try extracting I’s content; there’s nothing more precious than knowledge and getting it sooner is always important.

>Free choice.

‘’We’ve come to help you and your daughter, Magdalene. At Tuilelaith behest, I’ve promised to do my utmost to keep your family safe even if she dearly wishes to have you in Luminaris. Tui has given all three of us with special scrolls for a quick retreat in case of emergency.’’

You and the girls had a small leather amulet consisting of a small pouch containing a tightly wrapped scroll that only needed an interaction with your magical talents to activate. Her red eyes focused on your item as you palmed it gently. ‘’Let’s create a barrier, it’ll at least keep your daughter safe for she’s the only non-combatant among us.’’

‘’Alright.’’ A sudden grunt from the room corner interrupts the lady necromancer as Olga tries her best to avoid being rude in awakening a sleeping Lamia. ‘’Leave the apple here, it could react to my Grimoire below…’’ You saw a flash of hesitation as she turned her back to walk toward her basement. ‘’…thank you for thinking of my daughter.’’

Her voice was adorably quiet, coming out as a soft murmur that felt lows even in this calm night. You did as you were told, diligently putting the item on a nearby table not too far from Olga while the scholar took something out of a pocket near her chest, a thick item of obsidian in a familiar shape.

Holding onto her dark key, Magdalene stopped before that colored door, running her fingers on its carved geometry. A big octagon with a runic wave inside that appeared as a big W. ‘’It’s a sign for magical absorption.’’ She explained while inserting her key inside the colored handle, provoking a sharp click of metal after twisting her hand.

‘’Dwarves have discovered how to forge magical dampening metal; this house was built around this basement. I think it might even predate the Great Crusade.’’ Her colored eyes drifted toward the small fairy ‘’It should be safe for Inia, but if you feel weak then please, fly back upstairs alright?’’

‘’Mu, trust me I’ll be fine.’’ Came a quiet answer from a fairy latching onto your shoulder, your silent stare forcing her to look away while the lady of the house turned a heavy metal doorknob and pushed open a sealed door to reveal an eerie downward cascade of stone stairs leading into a basement, strangely alight with a glower of violet.

‘’Whoa!’’ Olga tensed and stopped trying to wake up the Lamia when a potent force of magic swooped out to sink into your very bones, so sharp were your senses that anything magical felt amplified.

‘’This is normal, it’s already settling down.’’ True enough, that sudden explosive gust was gone as soon as it appeared, causing one hard to wake lady-snake to open her eyes in confused frustration while you followed Magdalene when she climbed down without further waits.

It was a short journey for a room illuminated by magical light, getting closer made it obvious you were approaching something tremendous because crossing the door threshold gave a constant pressure that managed to send Inia dizzy while you concentrated on Magdalene graceful back and fluttery blond hair.

‘’When I was a cleric I had a way to keep it sealed but after moving into this home I was able to study this artifact and unleash its full potential; I’m sorry for this inconvenience.’’ She only stopped after making it to her basement, stepping through an archway and into a barren room of glowing dark purple. You had to gather your wits before following her, with Inia clutching your shoulder, appearing midway between unwell and excited.

‘’I have to admit, I’m not used to basking in something so… choking.’’ She called it a Grimoire, what is it going to look like? You’re actually dreading it.

‘’Since I’ve told you how I employ my magic, I should also show you my major artifact. Come, this light is only a manifestation of the Necromantia, you won’t be hurt. I don’t have anything else here, despite what Sophia said earlier.’’

Magdalene basement was a barren room of carved stones with only a single magical oddity occupying a space on its furthest back wall. Resting upon a small stone pillar and flanked by a pair of desks full of tomes, papers, and a few discarded chairs was a floating book projecting enough magic to make you shudders in excited fear. With covers of darkened brown and yellowish pages of strange materials similar to granite, the item itself was surrounded by a strange phenomenon akin to a heat haze, a wavering illusion of raw magical might that irritated the eyes.

‘’Ugh, there’s something with its contents…’’ Inia rubbed her face while you concentrated on its open page, finding writings that seemed… alive. Small runes carved in its rock-like surface were pulsating, moving and changing while shining its sinister purple.

You’ve seen your share of magical items in Lumin but this? This Grimoire? All your nerves stood on edges from standing in this room, your body and soul were naturally reacting, fearing this object as a major artifact.

‘’These are Words of Powers. Don’t’ stare too much, it can cause nausea.’’ Magdalene fearlessly stepped closer and closer, enough to stop directly in front of that levitating book, thereby masking its open pages with her body. ‘’Index Necromantia was created in the great age of Pretender Gods, written by a peculiar godly monarch for one of his lieutenants… later on, this very same book was used by a demonic sorcerer to bring the Allied Kingdoms to its knees during the Great Crusade. Its contents are tremendously powerful, because it grants one knowledge and authority with body-less souls, manipulating them to your purposes… like raising corpses, skeletons or forming ethereal entities. But there’s still so, so much more…’’

Her fingers delicately trailed the edge of that solid book.

‘’Necromancy is a craft about interacting and dominating souls. These glowing, changing Words are a physical manifestation of such authority; by synchronizing your own soul with this Grimoire, one can learn and remembers its incantations and thereby create rituals of tremendous power… although there is a price.’’ She half turned, looking at you with one eye over her profile. ‘’You need to use your own soul to allow its content to filter into the world, by feeding memories of its incantations, rituals and great Words a necromancer like me can interact with souls. In return, I’ll have to study it’s content again because I’ll be ripping memories straight out of my head; you could say necromancy is just like alchemy, for both need time to blossom while a regular mage needs to understand his own body to master his potential.’’

You saw something dangling from the Grimoire upper corner, a small strange dark rope similar with those silk page markers you've seen adorning regular books but when Magdalene's hand hovered closer, that strange leather string snapped at the scholar like an angry serpent and sunk into her arm, you realized she was fully expecting it because she had bared her arm by pulling her long sleeve.

Where numerous scars dotted her gorgeous skin of alabasters.

‘’Magda!?’’ Inia screamed while spearing upward. The scholar's face was twisted in pain while that serpent-like phenomenon dug deeper into her skin, penetrating it without blood and slithering in a spiral that disappeared up her elbow, giving her pale complexion a very out of place tattoo.

‘’I’m fine.’’ While her voice was solid, her features couldn’t conceal a wince of pain. She balled her hand into a fist then let go several times as if testing her sensations then turned back toward the open book whose glowering and magical projection had lessened enough to avoid feeling trampled by its raw might. ‘’This is synchronization, this Grimoire needs a little bit of blood magic to function.’’

When the book literally closed on its own then detached itself from its pedestal to float beside the scholar, your mouth hang open in astonishment. Its link with Magdalene through that dark rope looked almost like… an umbilical cord, there was a newfound projection surrounding that woman, her usual grace and soft humanity that attracted you felt scary now while that book floated a little above Magdalene's head, almost imitating Inia as she, too, hovered without incident at your side.

‘’Is it going to be dangerous, this ritual?’’ You had to ask, prompting the scholar to pinch her chin with her hand freed from this…cord.

‘

’Could be. I’ll need your eyes and… astral magic can interact with necromancy. At least, in theory, I’ve never been able to put it into practice, but this barrier isn’t complicated. I want you near to make certain nothing go wrong and…’’ She looks to Inia. ‘’I can’t afford to be distracted, so I won't be sharing your gift of magic. Perhaps we could exercise tomorrow, for now, let’s protect my home and worry about something else when this is done.’’

When she began walking her linked, floating Grimoire followed without incidents. You aren’t certain why she wanted to show you this, Magdalene could have simply walked down and completed this synch on her own; when she passed by you, your hand gently wrapped itself around her wrist.

‘’Arawn?’’ She asked as you stayed silent, your eyes glaring at her link with that floating book. Something about it filled you with dread, it was a strangely familiar feeling not too dissimilar from the nostalgia you felt upon witnessing Sophia magical board. Digging deeper, however, was impossible. The fog of your memory was too thick and you were half-certain you were mistaking something for déja vue

‘’Don’t overdo it.’’ You spoke without thinking and let go of her hand while Inia vigorously agreed with your simple words. ‘’Astral magic can support people, so please ask me if I can.’’

A gentle smile graced her doll-like face. ‘’Perhaps you’d feel better if I were to answers a few more of your questions?’’

>Perhaps. Do you have anything to ask about necromancy? Hell Roots? This protective barrier?

>Or should you swallow your tension and proceed?

>Free choice

‘’I have too many questions.’’ Magdalene chuckled as you tried your best to avoid feeling too embarrassed, she seemed relaxed, at ease when she observed you. ‘’I’ll narrow it down to one thing, namely what exactly do you mean by protection? How will it work?’’

Her levitating book slowly floated downward into her waiting arm, where she gently wrapped her limb around its big frame and squished it against her chest. ‘’Necromancer function by employing Words of Powers, it’s a way to project one authority and ego into chaotic, desperate entities and mold them to your purpose. This Grimoire contains many such spells for all kinds of summonings but there are also rituals, curses, way to create totems and fetishes…’’

Suspiciously similar to Blood Magic especially with that cord planted inside her skin; you decided to keep silent about this observation, you don't have enough knowledge to make a proper judgment.

‘’I’ll create a barrier with a ritual of the Grimoire by consuming a part of my soul and using its infinite pages as material to plant a part of my ego inside my home, there shouldn’t be any reaction to the naked eye but as a mage, you’ll be able to feel its radiance for the few days it’ll need to properly synchronize with Hell Roots and our own dimension by absorbing lingering magical energy. This protection act as a siphon, if a wandering soul were to step inside, their existence will drain and disperse; if our strange stalker is one such creature then it’ll be affected as well. We might take care of two problems at once.’’ A confident smile came to rest on her pale face. ‘’Normal people have more than enough ego and persistence in our world to be immune so none of you have anything to fear. Perhaps angels might feel uncomfortable but it won't be enough to harm their health.’’ She gestured for the stairs and you followed, her words still flowing with her ascent.

‘’Words of Powers cannot be translated, it’s not a language that can be understood by communicating as we do now. You'll hear music from instruments that don't exist anywhere close to us.’’

‘’Music… a song maybe?’’ Excitation gripped your chest and you had to ball your hands into fists to avoid breaking out in cold sweat, Inia observed you silently but raised no questions or remarks.

‘’It won’t be that elaborate.’’ Magdalene continued speaking, only making a brief stop after exiting the basement, where Atasu and Olga were sitting side by side, waiting. ‘’Words of Power are a way to use souls with no magical interactions, the basic concept remains the same: supplanting reality rules with your will. There are no concrete explanations as to why music became these Words manifestation. If I was to make a guess…’’ she paused, feeling new sets of eyes as everyone in the house listened. ‘’…it is because souls are emotions and music is the best way to communicate feelings. It is a language of spirit, of souls and humanity that is interpreted as a melody.’’

Your mind drifts to imagine a songstress, how a heavenly song managed to awaken an angel latent strength. There’s a link here, perhaps it’d be possible to learn about Pretender Gods with this Grimoire tightly held by this aloof scholar?

‘’y’know!’’ Inia suddenly thrust forward to float beside Magdalene whose hands had begun trailing the surface of her book. ‘’Necromancy doesn’t sound scary at all! Isn’t it all about death? The authentic magic of the dead and spooky things like that?’’

Her question, asked with the pure-hearted honesty that only fairies could possess, managed to cut straight into a tension felt by your companions. It was easy to see that Atasu was confused, being told that Magdalene was a necromancer was evidently hard to swallow but she wasn’t making a scene, only rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and listening intensely to whatever explanations came out of your host.

‘’This Grimoire was made to interact with souls without bodies. In essence, it is an aspect of death as we know it. There’s no answer for what's happening to one's consciousness when your life is extinguished so it’s impossible to manipulate or influence; necromancy is about understanding and using what’s left behind after the death of the ego. Undeads are a simulacrum of the living that may eventually grow into their own person with careful nurturing of whatever amalgamation of souls inhabiting a body, otherwise undead are people that have worked to acquire an immortal body, like liches and wights.’’

‘’Seems to me that it’s all about wielding an aspect of life,’’ Olga spoke while massaging Atasu shoulders.

‘’I’m a little confused.’’ Came a quiet admission from the lady-snake, as if your white-haired friend comment urged her to follow.

‘’Necromancy has a bad reputation in Luminaris but I’m…’’ Since you, Inia and Magdalene were waiting, she quickly made up her mind. ‘’I came on this adventure to challenge my worldview anyway, seeing your cute daughter convinced you couldn’t be a bad person. I should have guessed that Tuilelaith would be friend with interesting people.’’

Clutching her book, you saw Magdalene make a light bow with a genuinely peaceful expression, a gentle motherly smile that manages to squeeze your heart. ‘’Thank you, both. Tomorrow I’ll do my utmost to help you understand this Grimoire and its functions to dispel your fears. For now, I want you both inside this home to keep an eye on things; there’s always a chance this ritual could upset this unknown entity you’ve been sent to hunt.’’

Both women face immediately hardened. ‘’Aye’’ Olga spoke with a nod. ‘’We’ll keep your kid safe.’’

‘’Thank you’’ With this ever-gallant tone, Magdalene peered toward you, momentarily locking eyes with yours then gestured for her door where you set out before her, embracing focus while petting Inia head.

‘’It'll be less scary inside’’ You whisper gently, trying your best to avoid wounding her pride.

‘’Nuh huh!’’ But her bravado outweighed whatever dread she could be feeling because she promptly slapped off your hand. ‘’I’m your buddy-partner and I’m not about to fly off from an adventure.’’ There was a shine in her eyes accompanying her honest resolve that made you abandon any reproach, little Inia was working very hard indeed to be courageous and stay at your side.

‘’It’ll be fine’’ Magdalene spoke, having followed you outside to stand on the grass a few meters away from the now closed door. Still clutching her book, her red eyes scanned tonight darkness without emotion, her aloofness back to rob her pretty emotions and seal her face in unmoving marble. ‘’I hope you won’t be seeing something too horrific with your eyes of truth…’’

‘’My resolve isn’t so easily broken, you can begin without fear.’’ You had already won your mental joust to enchant your eyes, awakening to a world of reds, fogs and standing silhouettes that kept a motionless vigil on all the roads flanking this house.

‘’Nothing changed.’’ You speak as you make a full rotation to observe everything, with only the house blocking your view. Magdalene wordlessly nodded and seemingly conjured some type of force into her book because it began levitating a fair distance away.

The cord linking with its anchor flesh bulged, then pumped like a flexing muscle with liquid clearly traveling its length. ‘’It’s sucking her blood!?’’ Inia nearly screamed, only for Magdalene to gesture silence with an index on her lips while her second arm was held aloft above her head, throwing down her sleeve to reveal her numerous, numerous scar with this cord now deeply digging into her pale flesh, a set of teeth visibly embedded into her porcelain skin.

Your eyes of Truth witnessed something around this scholar, an aura of reddish purple surrounded her like a gentle flame as she cast her eyes forward. ‘’I call upon the scripture of Home!’’ She announced into empty darkness, grasping onto the leather rope linking her with the Grimoire, it somehow managed to open on its own during this levitation, the granite-like material of its pages turned with enough force to be heard without projecting a single spark of magic; three pages ripped themselves out of its cores in a loud sound of ruptured paper to lower themselves in a triangle above Magdalene's head.

‘’Aaah…’’ Came a long-winded breath while you cast your eyes away from this practiced necromancer to survey those spirits still standing on the road.

You began to hear a soothing sound, a quiet, gentle melody of a violin and piano mixing together to create a sense of peace, easing your mental strain at observing these entities standing so motionless. Out of an unmoving mouth and with both arms held above her head, Magdalene did not speak so much as project this strange melody, her usual soft tone couldn’t be heard, there was only this song at the edge of hearing and the pages out of their Grimoire burning slowly, consumed by the same purplish-red flames that surrounded Magdalene in a gentle aura.

‘’This is so pretty.’’ Inia couldn’t resist speaking while the necromancer melodious ritual continued, filling you with a strange sense of familiarity; you’ve seen something incredibly similar with Devona, although that girl usually filled your heart with passion, while here this necromancer, this would-be wielder of death made you feel at peace.

Perhaps, in a way, these rituals of souls siphoned something out of the living…

Now isn’t the time to be musing, Arawn! Slapping reverie out of your head, you ignored Inia confusion and went back to observing this hell surrounding the house, looking only into deep red and dark silhouettes that didn’t seem to react to Magdalene gentle ritual. You slowly turned to make another round of surveillance while the pages floating above Magdalene fully consumed themselves by her flame-like phenomenon, announcing this ritual final stage.

When you turned to look back at the house, you spotted movement. Not inside the windows or resting on the roof, but on its back corner, a blind spot you never looked into properly with your enchantment. Leaning out from the stone wall was a silhouette of darkness similar to those passive spirits but unlike all of them, you stared into a pair of white holes that immediately understood your action, for it promptly hid behind the wall.

You never actually searched around the back door with your magic! Had it been hiding there all this time!? No way, you did look around in your initial inspection of the house. It still has a direct access to Sophia room! Dammit you can’t warn Magdalene right now, she’s ending her ritual; the music escaping her mouth and Grimoire was disappearing, breaking her concentration could have untold consequence.

However, before you could actually decide on something, your eyes which dispelled lies and illusions witnessed the unexplainable. Cracks formed all around you exactly like broken glass spreading and spreading throughout a horizon of darkness.

And everything shattered, all this built-up damage that was your world, your dimension, broke apart exactly like the shattered glass it appeared to be, plunging your world in red, replacing the deep darkness of midnight into…into red.

‘’What!? What!? What!?’’ In a panic, Inia flew into the sky while Magdalene ritual broke, her careful melody demolished by this sudden event, sending its carefully crafted melody of piano and violin into a cacophony of sounds as if someone had thrown those instruments into a wall. She yanked her cord and caught her precious Grimoire, the book granite-like materials weighing like papers in her hand, she cast worried glances all around her, into this Hell Roots you’ve been observing for less than an hour.

‘’Inia!’’ At your words, she promptly flew back to sit on your shoulder; with newfound red everywhere the night darkness had metamorphosed into a dusk-like hour. Nearby houses had been warped, leaking constant trails of dark fumes without any fires and the silhouettes weren’t those spooky humanoid shapes anymore.

Flesh, tendrils, eyes, mouths and teeth had melded together into a mess of… things, a chaotic mixture of humanoid traits that ended like nothing you could accurately describe. Parts wriggled like worms, another bled from open pores while pus and suspicious liquids exited visible tumors, tendrils, and skeletal arms often whipping the air. Those creatures stood there, levitating, surrounding Magdalene plain house of gray stones.

Colors were back now aside from the sky, you could see red, yellow, white…

‘’Magda…’’ You spoke in a whisper as she made careful, scared steps to stand beside you, her eyes casting feverish glances all around at those entities. Inia was clutching your shoulder while doing the same. ‘’…Have you ever heard of people stepping into Hell Roots?’’

That was the only explanation you could think of, especially after witnessing this unexplainable breaking.

‘’Not like this. Absolutely never like this! Let’s go back now! Those things are going to see us soon!’’ She didn’t wait for a reply, Magdalene turned around and sprinted for her door without a slightest handicap from her long clothes and you followed without questions.

She slammed herself onto her door and would have created a hole in the wall if it weren’t made of stone, her stride only ended at the end of the corridor and into the room of her daughter while you inspected the study where Atasu and Olga ought to be, only… to see nothing but a lonely library and a bric-a-brac of notes without any hints of your companions.

You didn’t wait anymore and ran toward Sophia chamber, where it’s relatively barren interiors revealed the sheep-girl dozing on her bed, apparently undisturbed by the sounds of a rammed door and running adults.

‘’Ah… she’s fine.’’ Magdalene hugged her book closer to her chest.

‘’Your two friends aren’t here?’’

‘’No.’’ You answered promptly, gazing out of Sophia window to see those abominations moving, a few had begun to hover onto the grass, inching closer to this house. There was still plenty of distance… but there’s no telling what’ll happen once they conquer their hesitations. ‘’Those things are getting closer.’’

‘’I have no idea why this… no’’ Magdalene grunted and shook her head. ‘’Explanations come later. Those creatures are a mixture of negative emotions without consciousness, even lower than animals. They’ll pursue any attempts to acquire a body.’’ She rests her freed hand on top of her chest. ‘’Which is what all four of us have.’’

Inia wasn’t saying anything, her small hands had sunk into your clothing to keep her rigid, sitting on your shoulder wordlessly as she looked around without making a sound; her eyes were alert and focused, you didn’t need to worry about her.

‘’What should we do?’’ She asked as you turned back to look out the window toward those levitating entities.

‘’Can you fight, Magdalene?’’ trying to find that wayward entity was fruitless from this angle, but you kept trying anyway.

‘’Yes’’ She answered while looking at her daughter. ‘’I can combine my… natural magic with necromancy to create summons.’’

‘’And I can enchant those with my astral magic, so at the very least we have tools to keep ourselves alive, no need to run around like headless chicken.’’ There was also something else you could do when you remembered that lonely study. ‘’We could also hide in your basement, a safe room built by dwarves sound sturdy enough to keep us safe.’’

For some unexplainable reasons, Sophia was there, despite standing the furthest away from Magdalene ritual, that lovely little sheep girl was here in this hellish realm, her mother clearly hesitating to wake her, for she’ll open her eyes into a world of blood.

>You need to act

>Free choice.

Changing from the Eye of Truth to Aegis was spontaneous, thinking of each star comprising the constellation felt natural despite your situation with the sky glowing in ominous red; this realm, this Hell Root wasn’t enough to curb your talent.

There was no time for subtlety.

Magdalene twitched in surprise upon seeing a shield covering the entire length of this room window, its screen glowered with a pale blue power that looked inviting and refreshing in this world of red. Before she or Inia could grasp what you were up to, you had already stepped outside Sophia room to cover the nearby back door with another protective curtain and promptly plugged the kitchen openings without sparing any attention for those encroaching abominations or that entity hiding behind a blind spot of this house walls.

You hadn’t minced your spells either, having filled them with enough magic to be felt throughout the entire village; your companions would easily be able to follow your trail despite their unfamiliarity with Curam roads.

If they are even here in the first place…

‘’We should try to hold out here.’’ You speak clearly, Focus dulling your emotions to leave behind an iron purpose, however you still hesitated upon gazing at the sheep-girl who was now stirring awake.

‘’Can you summon a creature to help us? My shields can stay for as long as I feed them magic, so I’ll be able to strengthen your entity.’’

‘’Yes, yes I can do that, I’ve got something here…’’ The pages of her Grimoire were flipping on their own as she held it both handed, observing its incomprehensible portal of moving images and burning colors, to gaze into its increasing fiery purple shimmering was enough to cause a throbbing pain inside your skull, so you decided to stop indulging your curiosity.

‘’Meeh? Summon?’’ A quiet, slurred voice spoke when sheep girl began rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Her mother was far too engrossed in her book to give the outside world any mind. Once Sophia rose to her feet you felt Inia warmth leave your shoulder.

‘’Don’t be scared, alright? There’s something going on…’’ She gently tapped the fuzzy little girl fluffy ears while spreading clouds of glittering fairy dust. ‘’…take a look for yourself but don’t be-‘’

A sudden sound of shattering glasses and loud thumping on the ground from upstairs interrupted your companion; you were already running into the hallway before anyone could react. The Brenhilda household possessed a very convenient hallway since it acted as sole artery, from where you were standing you could easily see the house entrance, doorways to every room alongside a flight of stairs for this place second story, all of it easily within 8 meters, making it extremely easy to conjure shields and barricade every opening.

Moments later you saw something trying to crawl down, a mass of flesh, eyes, tendrils and mouths pushing onto your protection as if unable to understand this obstruction, that abominable mass of…emotions licked, bit and stabbed at your spell uselessly without bothering to try anything else, concentrating on pushing and pushing. It's numerous eyes nearly popped out of their sockets by rubbing too much against your astral shields, they held no twinkle of intelligence as it tried to keep going, only managing to blob its body into an incomprehensible mess of flesh and wriggling appendages.

Then you heard a soft sound of a bell coming from Sophia room, a quick run back revealed Magdalene ritual. Her book had gone back to levitating as it took its toll on what you assumed to be blood, for its cord bulged and strained from sucking fluids. Out of its pages of granites and its fire-like projection of purple power came a gathering inside the necromancer waiting palm where those tingles resonated, only for a surreal phenomenon to happen after its third and final chime.

Something came out of Magdalene body, a twin-like entity took two steps and stopped beside the woman who had gone back to clutching her Grimoire onto her chest as she extinguished its manifestation of power by closing, shoulders shaking from unseen efforts as she took a few long breath and wiped sweats off her pale forehead. With skin of dark gray similar to the material composing the Index Necromantia, this second Magdalene held similar features; blond hair, glowing red eyes with large puffy clothes, her gaze held a spark, a hint of consciousness that convinced you that it was a step above that abomination crawling upstair, there was a sense of purpose surrounding this would-be twin and its body of rock-like material was a weapon in of itself, as was a magical force emanating in a soft, even wind as if it had embraced Focus.

‘’We are in Hell Roots aren’t we?’’ Sophia suddenly spoke, undeterred by the atmosphere. A quick glance at her face revealed amazing resolve for a 12 years-old girl. ‘’I’ve had dreams of this place for a while, though nothing like this at all. Having Arawn and his fairy here is super, super strange. Can’t be a dream.’’ She spoke while pinching both of her arms and flattened ears while observing you, Inia and her mother in turn.

‘’What? Sophia, you… what?’’ Magdalene was suitably taken aback while her summon began to pace around the room, glaring outside toward those entities crashing the nearby windows in clear enmity.

‘’I’ve been dreaming about this place.’’ The little sheep-girl repeated, looking at her mother with big, honest eyes. ‘’I thought it was interesting so I decided to see if I could understand what was happening by myself. Things have, huh…’’ She paused with an awkward smile. ‘’Become crazy huh? I didn't say anything to Tui cause I thought these dreams were fun.’’

While giving this dialogue an ear, you tried to extend your sensations of magic throughout Curam, with the village starved for magical winds you’d easily feel Atasu and Olga powers… there was only one thing, a pulse spreading in even pumps from the northwest.

Could it be Priam mansion? It was the only landmark in that general direction.

‘’Aah…’’ A soft sigh close to your side revealed Inia languish discouragement as she sat on your shoulder with closed eyes and tense face. Your senses had been sharpened by this stress, this deadly atmosphere and sudden chain of events had somehow forged your body to be beyond perceptive; you immediately noticed an oddity with Inia. While she was looked to relax and perhaps master her emotions, you could -fee- her distress in a thorny flow of invasive feelings that did not belong to you, yet still managed to crawl into your body and squeeze your iron heart. She hadn’t noticed anything, trying her best to appear small, knowing how useless she was, genuinely tempted to crawl into your hood and hide.

You think you could concentrate on this sensation, this link, but should you? Do you even have time?

>You’ve successfully barricaded the house and your shields are holding on great, easily enduring those abominations pathetic attempts at breaking through but constant sounds of movement upstairs, alongside crumbling objects and suspicious splotch, made it obvious your foes were piling on this second floor; the doors seem relatively free of abuses for now so you might still have a chance to make a run for it.

>Should you try listening to Sophia story?

>See if you can help Inia? This moment might be the breakthrough to understanding how your link could work…

>Or come up with a plan with Magdalene to keep her daughter and the fairy safe in this strange new world?

>Free choice

Fairies have been described to you as a mixture of corruption and magic with a spark of life enshrined in a potent soul that rivals -often surpassing- normal human. This sensation oozing out of Inia was incredibly unusual and you had to concentrate to make some senses of it all; sounds around you droned into an incomprehensible brouhaha with only your shields pulsing in defiance against the assaults of those abominations as a constant reminder of your situation. She was sitting on your shoulder, with closed eyes and hands sinking into your clothing while emotions rippled across her frame and… managed to sink into you, like cold ethereal mud, Inia existence rippled across your body in a concert of disorientating, foreign feelings. It was a potent anger, frustration, and fear that had no place to be so strong while embracing Focus, one step away from shattering your concentration with Aegis; you can’t remember when you felt emotions like these, this maelstrom was quickly eroding whatever mental defenses you could raise.

‘’Aaah…’’ A short sigh escaped your throat as sweat poured out of your body and coated your forehead, you couldn’t make sense of Magdalene and Sophia discussion outside a vague context surrounding her dreamy adventures with this surreal, invasive situation.

‘’Inia.’’ Amidst all this stress, this sea of crushing emotions making short work of your endurance, you still manage to speak without croaking pathetically. ‘’Inia?’’ You repeated while relaxing your tense shoulders, only now realizing you were in pain from tensing too much. She finally realized you were speaking and her raging feelings subsided enough to allow some breathing room… but you didn’t want to reject this influence. It -was- Inia, your newest companion. A precious, pure girl whose innocence and optimism easily pushed everyone around her to do better, why would she be bottling such negativity? It would be easy to reclaim authority of your body, but this breakthrough shouldn’t be cast aside because you’re afraid of getting hurt.

‘’Y-yeah? Those two will be fine, right?’’ She cast a worried glance toward the small family, Magdalene would have to figure out your situation for now because you can’t concentrate worth a damn.

‘’You’re not useless.’’ You whisper to the tiny blond while doing your best to ignore your pain.

‘’Eh?’’ Her oozing self-hatred melting your magical channeling came to an abrupt stop, the vulnerability shining inside her eyes held a familiar pain, her strained face brought a reminder of a certain girl of butterfly wings. ‘’That’s… not true’’ She had recovered quickly enough to further trample on her self-worth but a wave of warmth rippled out of her, your simple words held incredible influence for this small passionate girl. Her wings began to buzz, filling your ears with a sound of wind filtering through something metallic while the entities around kept tugging, bumping and slamming themselves in unending hollow thuds. It was a welcome respite, even if her emotions were filled with enough murk to squeeze your organs in agony, there was still a saving grace because your words brought a refreshing relief to clear away this unending sea of painful doubts.

Perhaps you’re wasting precious time worrying about her, trying to find a solution to her crippling emotions but you’ve already decided to commit by welcoming these foreign sensations, maybe Hell Roots is having an unknown effect on Inia, for unlike everyone else, she doesn’t possess a strong shell to house and protect her soul; her very nature as a fairy could be incompatible with this place, making her uniquely vulnerable. If, at least, you are understanding Magdalene explanation right…

‘’Don’t think like that’’ You whisper for her and your own grace. ‘’Not in this place, this is an adventure and you have talents to offer us all. You are a fairy, a girl made of magic, corruption and a bright soul thrust into a hellish world we know nothing about.’’ You felt a pinch inside your body while you endured your fairy companion agonizing projections. It’d be much worse if she were to know about this influence. ‘’You’re not a burden and I’ve every intention of keeping you, Magdalene and Sophia safe; not possessing a perfect solution to our problems doesn’t make you useless.’’

You were already adapting to this squeezing of your heart and as you talked to your silent tiny friend, a shift in emotion lessened your burden enough to clear the haze of pain. A bashful smile and upturned eyes made would have probably squeezed your heart with warm emotions if you weren’t recovering from this choking suffering.

‘’I’m, I’m okay…’’ she whispered while interlocking her fingers. ‘’It’s just scary, being here. Dangers, it’s my first time being in danger so I feel afraid and useless because I don’t know what to do. You don’t need to… to worry so much about me.’’ Her emotions implied a different opinion, a manifestation of warmth traveled out of her to settle inside of you, bringing a smile to your face despite this place and all the dangers surrounding you. ‘’I’ll be fine, I’ll make sure I’m not in anyone’s way.’’

Somehow, being thrust into this place, this dimension of souls had strengthened the link you shared with her; your synchrony should have been one way, made for her to use your magic at a meager cost to your potential yet now her emotions kept flowing into you in ways that were scarcely imaginable. Even now, her resolve, fears, and guilt had melded together into a poisonous mud that’d fill your own body with misery.

Words failed but something else would do just as well, images of your first meeting, memories of that grand festival in the tree of flame brought you far, far away from Hell Roots, nostalgia at the angel departure and excitement upon having a new companion were honest feelings of your own that, you realized, traveled through this uncontrollable pathway. A sudden twitch had her nearly crawl into a ball, her translucid wings stopped their nervous flapping while her mouth hung open in wordless wonder. ‘’Eh?’’ those brilliant blue eyes looked around, then quickly settled on you, her small body wracked by emotive trembling, she understands what was happening on an instinctive level but could scarcely believe it.

‘’Arawn… is that you?’’ That it was, you nodded in silence, despite Focus dullness there was always an emotional core to every mages, this synchrony with Inia managed to sneak past any and all emotional barrier…

A sudden crash upstairs thoroughly brought you back to reality. Something crashed into the ground with enough force to shake the entire floor, gurgled screams, tearing and heavy slams hinted gruesome violence while bangs and crumbling noises made it obvious something must have torn right through a wall, or at least part of it.

‘’Whoa whoa!’’ Sophia jumped to her feet when the second-floor struggle ended as soon as it began.

You had already reinforced your screens as immediate reaction with this mess, shields being the most cost efficient spells of the known world meant you barely dipped into your reserves, but now if things could actually rip through those stones foundations.

‘’It’s my protector up there, I know it! I told you, mom!’’ The little sheep pointed at the second floor while you managed to get a better grip on your situation, Inia emotions still traveling throughout your body. Whatever she was saying was… confusing, getting a proper context would be helpful but now isn’t the time.

‘’Predation amongst creatures of Hell Roots is natural, souls constantly need energies to keep existing and without bodies, they’ll naturally evaporate if they cannot find anything to absorb…’’

Magdalene was barely disturbed by those brief sounds of battles, her closed book hovered beside her while her eyes looked unfocused into the window covered by abominations. ‘’…Could it be our presence attract them? No, it shouldn’t be so extreme…’’

‘’Mom? Arawn? I think we should…’’ Sophia words were interrupted by a strange event; the entire house shook briefly from a quake second-long while sounds of faraway bells slowly resounded, barely filtering through the walls.

Hollows clicks were coming from somewhere deeper into the village and, you realized, a magic spread with each hollow note.

‘’Hm!?’’ Magdalene eyes suddenly shot wide open. ‘’I get it!’’ Outside the house, you began to hear strange yips, growls, and tearings.

Other entities must have shown up, unfortunately, the abominations outside made it impossible to see anything.

‘’Arawn, I need to get into my study.’’ Said place was sealed by your magic, having raised a tall shield to reinforce its closed door. You hadn’t reinforced its windows because you didn't think to be -that- thorough, so… creatures had invaded its sanctum without a doubt.

‘’Why?’’ You could only ask while she had reached a conclusion and promptly grabbed her floating Grimoire.

‘’Priam apple is luring creatures from all over Hell Roots; at least that’s my theory. If I’m right about her experiment, then this fruit is a fragile body full of souls, making it irresistible for those entities dwelling here-’’ Interruption from upstairs made her stop talking, growls and strangely feline hisses accompanied the violence. A body hit the floor in a worrying thud while something slammed into your protective screen hard enough to be felt in your magic.

‘’I’ll have to get it. If it has already been consumed, then I think we’d do best to leave.’’ Magdalene doppelganger came to stand beside its mistress with clenched fists and a hard, hostile face whose juxtaposition with the necromancer confidence instilled an impression of cognizance in its stone-like face. ‘’I should leave her here to guard you three. I can manage on my own don’t worry.’’ She pulled back her sleeve, showing her arm attach to Index with an almost prideful look. ‘’We’ll get in each other way if we go as a group, so, please… trust me.’’

‘’Mom…’’ Sophia had balled her hands into fists while glaring at the tall blond.

‘’I’m not disregarding your story, Sophia but we need to act so we can stay alive. If your dreams told you the truth then you ought to believe in him, he’ll follow us if we need to flee. Right?’’

Getting proper context will have to wait. You weren’t done helping Inia, while you’ve certainly calmed that sea of crippling emotion you still needed to guard against some of its effects; you couldn’t shake this impression that you were one step away from making a breakthrough.

Should Magdalene be allowed to go into the study alone?

>If you agree, should you insist that she bring her summoned Wight? Or fully trust her judgment?

>Perhaps you should instead go upstairs and see what’s happening up there?

If you decide to stay behind…

>Should you have Sophia explain to you who this ‘’protector’’ she met in her dreams could be?

>Or should you spend more time with Inia and your link? You’re so -so- close to accomplishing something with her…

‘’Don’t go without your protector.’’ Your voice held firm despite your recovery from that previous maelstrom of pain, your link with Inia was thankfully lessening now that she understood that both of your feelings were in a constant free flow. ‘’I’m a strong mage, I’ll be able to raise new shields even stronger than our current protections if need be. I’ll keep Sophia safe, trust me.’’

With magic pulsing out of your body and Inia emotional turmoil still aching, Focus detachment was almost rendered useless. Perhaps that was why you felt a pang of worry when Magdalene gaze changed into near hostility. Her brows furrowed into a quiet glare where she locked eyes with you for a few precious seconds, her aloofness all but discarded. Obviously, she wanted to make absolutely certain her daughter would be safe and you’re meeting hadn’t been longer than a day, trust isn’t built so quickly. Yet her gaze shifted, trailing toward a floating fairy who gently traveled toward the little sheep-girl to sit on her head… and that somehow convinced her. Her tense shoulders relaxed and she shook her head to chase off that negative emotion.

‘’Alright’’ A soft tone barely above the surrounding noises of hellish activity, Magdalene seemed unable to face you or Sophia and thus concentrated on her magical book. ‘’I’ll make sure to be quick, Sophia you understand, right?’’

The little girl nodded silently while forcing Inia off her hair with a gentle shove, the sheep swallowed her worry and forced a grin on her face. ‘’I’ll be fine!’’ Inia kept giggling as she dodged the kid strikes. Constant sounds of ringing faraway bells and memories of the second-floor struggle made reality all too impossible to shove aside; both were keeping a brave front in this hell.

‘’Whatever happen don’t come looking. My magic is ugly, I don’t want to show it to anybody I don’t intend to kill.’’ Only now do you realize that Magdalene truly possessed human warmth for when she spoke those haunting words, there was a true absence of humanity inside her very being. A blow of magical force emerged from her body, blood oozed out of her scarred arm, dodging her clothing to gather around her fingers without dripping, yet somehow her veins didn’t bulge in Focus.

Could she be…?

No, now’s not the time for that. Magdalene wordlessly gestured for her creature and both ran outside in near-perfect organization. You dissipated the shield without trouble by cutting your flow of magic in its direction, let’s hope she has enough mettle to face off against those invaders.

‘’Ah…’’ Your sigh was accompanied by immediate sounds of battles. Violent, raging bursts of magic, breaking woods from their libraries, strange gurgling screams from the entities and thick -disgusting- ripping sounds of meats melded into a cacophony of deadly noises that, you realize, was also accompanied by a strangely soft melody, a gentle voice at the edge of hearing thoroughly out of place in what was a definitive carnage.

Despite your curiosity to see Tuilelaith friend in deadly action you felt glad to be spared a massacre.

‘’M-Mom’s is pretty tough.’’ Sophia fiddled with her hands, casting worried glances at your shields and those abominations covering its surface. Meanwhile, you walked and sat on her bed to face the entrance with a spell ready to cast at the speed of thoughts. ‘’Yeah, she’s strong, this is fine…’’ Her voice was trampled by the fight going so close, there was no stop to it; magic mingled with music and screams, forcing you and the child to raise your voices to be understood.

‘’Tell me about your dream, Sophia.’’ You lean forward to give her fluffy ears a rub.

‘’Mruuuuh! She protests with an adorable growl. You weren’t listening?’’ She says with clear annoyance while gripping and shoving your arm away, your only answer is a smug shake of yours head.

‘’I see, I see…’’ Sophia jumped when a particularly violent sound emerged from the study, a loud wet gurgling followed a burst of magic and a cacophony of destruction where lives and furniture were doubtlessly reduced to nothing, shockwaves reverberated with enough force to shake the bed. What the hell is going on in there?

‘’Ahem!’’ She wasn’t about to let herself intimidated while you kept your eyes firmly planted on the open door leading into that stony hallway. ‘’It’s been a few weeks but I’ve had several dreams about a world of red, that… well, look exactly like this place. Fog, a horizon of blood, freaky beasties that kinda look like mashed potatoes mixed with noodles.’’ A giggle emerged out of Inia, that girlish sound unfortunately trampled by the battle.

‘’My dreams repeated enough time for me to get used to it all and sorta become lucid. I began exploring my house, I’d even see my mom in her bed on odd days, it’s only when I worked up the guts to walk outside that things… changed, that’s when I met my protector.’’

Her fuzzy ears twitched with the lessening of those oppressive sounds of battles, all at once aggression was brought to a stop inside that room less that 5 meters away from here. ‘’One of those things began to approach me.’’ She pointed at a nearby abomination. ‘’So, I tried to will it out of existence since I believed it to be a dream, hold out my palm and go ‘’Zap!’’ though things didn’t exactly go according to plan…’’ Despite her hesitation, a smile still lingered on her cute face. ‘’Before it could get close to me, another entity landed on its back and squashed it into nothing, tearing right into its flesh and ripping it apart as I wondered why I couldn’t be the master of my own mind.’’

‘’Your protector?’’ Inia asked, ignoring another resurgence of magical energy and battle sounds.

‘’Yeah, he’s a humanoid creature with a black body aside from two holes of pure whites where his eyes ought to be. He’s super, super shy; always skulking, looking around corners, quick to run away. He always followed me and little by little I managed to coax him into my home and… remember when Tui told you about that time, a month ago, when I saw a strange entity looking into my room?’’ You nodded at her expectant eyes. ‘’That was him. I looked right into big white eyes and got spooked, making him run away and disappear. Following that was the usual strange happenings as you know but…. I’m convinced it was him trying to clumsily reach out, trying to protect me and mom.’’ Flashes of doubts and guilt clearly showed themselves on her youthful features and she winced when another shockwave of magic reverberated across the house, bringing an end to that harmonious melody. ‘’I should have spoken about it. I got really interested in this concept of Hell Roots after finding that book in mom library so I wondered if… well, that doesn’t matter anymore. You and mom are in dangers, I’m not smart enough to solve a mystery like that on my own.’’

Her voice slowed to a whisper and a heavy silence fell once the conflict drew to a close, sounds of rummaging as items were thrown about became the new background noise while you allowed yourself to digest Sophia little story.

She was providing an identity for the creature you’ve been asked to handle and, while she was making a slew of assumptions about its purposes, it does answer important questions about these hauntings. Olga found it odd that a hostile entity would be waiting so long before attacking, but if it is a creature of blood magic… Hrm, you can’t dwell on this much longer.

‘’Do you truly believe your friend was upstairs, killing intruders?’’

‘’I do’’ The little sheep faced you with clear eyes. ‘’That feline scream that sounded like one angry cat? That was him, it’s a noise he’d often make when things got ugly. I-I always thought that his voice sounded familiar.’’ Sophia retreated onto her herself, tensing her shoulders and flattening her ears while closing her eyes. ‘’I… I’m… I was too eager for an adventure, maybe I’ve just been imagining things?’’ There she seemed worried, her voice dropped to another whisper and for the very first time tonight, Sophia had the look of a child; lost and vulnerable, looking at you for guidance.

‘’Let’s go find your mother.’’ You can’t give her a definitive answer right away, instead, you extend your hand and she takes it with newfound resolution after slapping her cheeks. Magdalene struggle had ended, a constant flow of harmonious magic and peaceful silence had organically replaced the earlier discord. Inia silently floated behind you as you set out into the hallway, Sophia trotting behind and observed the barricaded second floor, your pale blue screens were covered in enough gores to make it impossible to see anything beyond.

To the side of those stairs was the study, now a ruin. Two out of four walls had been blown wide open, debris strewn across the wide space of grass combined rocks, woods, papers, blood and meat all of it mingling into unrecognizable chunks. Magdalene stood near the colored door leading to the basement, now the only thing standing in this previously harmonious place, and her entity glared into the new open world where abominations skittered around, different from those empty-minded beings sieging the other rooms. In the horizon of those warped houses, you saw tall creatures making their ways toward this place, each of them a mass of wriggling flesh dwarfing the height of those buildings… perhaps ten minutes and they’d reach this house.

Thankfully Magdalene was holding onto that apple, the very object of this quest. It stood in her palm casually, a simple fruit that held so much more meaning inside this maddening place. A familiar phenomenon was surrounding her summoned companion, a shade-like addition to her limbs hovered above her arms and legs like fume, pulsing wave of constant magic while the scholar stood still without looking worse or changed, save for the evident blood and viscera covering her luxurious clothing of dark, red and gold. There was no avoiding it, entrails covered the ground in an even bigger quantity compared to the debris.

’Your leather bag was my saving grace,’’ Magdalene spoke with a smile, taken a few steps to dwarf the distance between you. ‘’Instincts couldn’t figure out how to tear open a bag, I got here fast enough to prevent losing this thing but…’’ Her voice trailed off, her wet hair barely moved when she whipped her head toward the uncovered horizon. ‘’Those big creatures are a denser amalgam of souls, our luck will end once they reach us, we’ve already been surrounding by a pack of canine-like foes, they weren’t much trouble.” She waved at the mess on the floor, making a point to avoid looking at her daughter.

‘’This apple really is the cause of our trouble, it is a filtered type of energy that is just like a soul contained inside an incredibly weak body, now couple that with our presences and you’ve got an irresistible food for these starved dwellers.’

’

‘’Do you have any idea how to exit this place? We’ve been pulled right inside without any warnings’’ Her answer was a silent shake of her head.

‘’My only guess would be to repeat our steps, my ritual caused us to slip here so doing it again could be the reverse but…’’ Se handed you the apple and you took it with some reluctance, your belt still had a few bags in stocks. ‘’This bell we keep hearing is suspicious, I don’t think it’s natural to this dimension so maybe… it’s beckoning us, I don’t know what we’ll find but we can’t stay in this house forever.’’ A sigh followed a small scowl as she directed her ire toward her magical door. ‘’I doubt this thing would be able to hold against these house-sized monstrosities.’’

Trying to find some kind of anomaly with the apple was fruitless, glaring at it was satisfying but it was simple blue round fruit with only the barest of hint magic to keep it whole.

‘’Arawn?’’ You heard Inia, her small presence floated beside you and you managed to hold onto your increasing anger and frustration. Not good, not good… Focus doesn’t seem effective at all.

‘’There’s probably no easy answer to our problem,’’ Magdalene spoke while facing the open hole, all those creatures making their way slowly but steadily looked almost like an army. ‘’In our regular plane of existence, this apple is harmless because it truly does function as a recharge for spent magical energy because our bodies are a root in reality. But here, in Hell roots where souls trump body in authority? I can't predict anything.’’ She shook her head and gestured for her creature who momentarily stepped out to prevent any further incursion from your enemies. ‘’As time pass I believe we might start to suffer from a kind of disarray between body and soul. Emotions are our most literal manifestation, so the longer we stay, the more our feelings might betray us. However, this thing is immensely dangerous to us now.’’

When her wight came back, Magdalene nodded at the creature as it stood soundlessly with its strange magical power surrounding its body, those hovering extensions to her limbs were undeniably malleable.

‘’Eating it would act as a direct stimulant with our souls instead of passing through our bodies to affect our energy pool. I’ve no idea how it’ll manifest, I guess it could… help if things get desperate, it’d be easy to use your soul as a weapon like those creatures keep doing.’’

‘’I…see.’’ That was all you could say. The safety of this place would be over in a few minutes and there’s nowhere to go aside from a creepy mansion that somehow keeps ringing a deep bell despite this village church being silent. You’ve already had your share of uncontrollable emotions with Inia, so you know at least that it can get painful. Very painful.

You don’t have much time, those big ogre-sized entities will be here soon…

A serious fight is awaiting you in the choice after this one if you don’t leave the house.

>Should you wait and see, explore Hell roots for a way to get out? All of you live on borrowed time, so it’s be best to do what you can when you can.

>Perhaps you should try to find Sophia, protector, if it had been living her for a while, keeping her safe every time she slipped into Hell Roots, then you have an ally.

>Or consume this apple -- this stimulant- to gain the strength you need to protect everyone from this hell?

>Free Choice

Alright, I think we gave it a good effort but things are simply not looking to improve for this quest activity so it might be best to end, I was afraid my break would kill it and it seems to have unfortunately happened.

Maybe I'm just feeling a little too discouraged, I've made quite a few mistakes again here and there that didn't help things but I've no intention of stopping this activity but I've been thinking that my approach to making quest might be wrong. So I'd like to ask you folks a few things, like what exactly would you guys like to see in one of my monstergirls quests? Should I try a different approach, maybe see about making it work like a tabletop instead of these >greentext choices?

Anyway, for now, I'd like to get a little discussion going because I don't think this quest can be salvaged. Maybe I'm alone in believing that, I'd welcomed to be proven otherwise.