With a name like 'The Unleashed', I really expected somethin' a little more grandiose than a warehouse. It wasn't even an especially big one like those Big Tooth bastards had either. It seemed more like a small warehouse a company or organisation might've used for storage, and they were livin' in there.

If they were allowed to live with these painted freaks, then they must be strong, right? There wasn't a sign, no splattered insignia or symbol, nothin'. Nothin' that announced who they were or what they were about. Like they wanted to hide themselves rather than show off their presence. It was a little underwhelmin', but we came here to deliver some salted Mammoth chunks, not to get a tour of the place.

I arrived at the front, hands in my pockets while walkin' alongside Yur and the pipsqueak. After windin' through a few back alleys, Kana had led us to this dingy old place. I was still feelin' a burnin' feeling of pride swelling up within me, even though my limbs were screamin' for a rest. That had went well. Much better than the fight against Visionary. I'd taken one step closer to her.

"Here it is," Kana announced, slowly swinging an arm back towards the building as her two pals opened up the double doors leading further inside. "Home sweet home."

"A whole warehouse?" Streiphen smiled, looking over it like it was the greatest thing in the world. "And it looks a lot cleaner than the other buildings too!"

Well, at least he was right on that. All the graffiti and markings had either been washed off, or those Aerasthetic pricks had left this place alone on purpose.

"[Is your boss inside, or will she be coming out to meet us?]" Yuri asked, her telepathic voice carrying a slight echo.

"Nah, I'll be guiding you inside myself. She doesn't come out much that openly, not for business stuff," Kana replied, turning back towards the door, revealing the long, gleaming metal bat hanging from her back. "Come on in, and don't worry about taking your shoes off."

'Business stuff'. I had no idea what their boss lady wanted with us, but if it led to some alliance with the Don, then we'd have someone in this region to use against Aerasthetic. One more advantage against those assholes we could use later.

If they decided to try anything... well, we'd be fine. I was a little tired, but between Yuri's metal plates and my speed if I got serious, unlike that self trainin' session with the Oni [Swordswoman], we'd be able to handle an ambush, especially if Yuri saw it coming. I didn't want to really get serious against anyone other than that Visionary woman, not yet. She was my focus right now. The target to beat. I had overwhelming heat, but not the ability to control it well. I needed something more reliable, like speed that could beat future sight.

After ascending a few steps, I followed Kana into the dimly lit building alongside my teammates as the two that had been with Kana took the wagon around back. There weren't any automatic [Light] Spells bound into glass along the ceiling, nor candles holding [Ignite] Spells along the walls, but the windows high above were just enough to make the corridors in front of us visible.

Even if the walls outside were clean, bits of the wall in here looked to be crumbling and cracked. They'd prob'ly moved in recently. They hadn't been able to fix this place up, or... maybe they wouldn't bother if they were only sticking around in Divastyr for a while.

Unlike us. The thought sent a shiver through me.

We saw more of their group as we went in. There were a lot of Darklings, folks with horns, tails, and coloured skin. But other than Darklings, there were-

"Western Drow? Did you all come here from Zeradonia?" I asked Kana, glancing towards one of the thin men by the wall. They had the pointed ears and long hair common to Elves, but unlike the caramel brown skin of Eastern Drow like Overcharge, this guy had a dark purple shade to him. Red eyes and white hair. Unmistakable features.

"Yeah, we did. Got a problem with us?" Kana asked, a hint of almost territorial aggression in her voice. I'd picked it up earlier, but beyond this tough guy facade, she seemed more worried than anything. There was anxiety behind it. I could find strength in that.

"Does it look like we're the type of people to give a shit what you look like?" I grinned, nodding towards Yuri.

Kana glanced over her shoulder towards Yuri's white eight legged metal monster of a mech, one housing a giant pulsating brain, and let out a small sigh.

"Yeah, good point," she nodded. "My bad, dumb question. Just a force of habit."

My eyes traced over Western Drow with jet black and purple shaded skin. No matter whether they were Drow or Darklings, all of these Unleashed people just looked... worn out. They didn't seem like a group of fighters behind these walls. They were all talking to each other in hushed voices. There was a tinge of excitement and hope to some of 'em, but most were just... tired. Some had blankets or bedrolls around them to keep out the Scandian chill, given that some of the windows were broken and letting in a draft. But even more than that...

There was somethin' wrong with 'em. All of them.

Some had minor differences to the norm, like Kana's bigger frame and larger than average horns. Others had pretty drastic changes to their bodies that stuck out way more. Harder to miss. Patches of scales. Dark fur. Bat-like wings or those akin to Harpies. Snouts that looked halfway between that of a Humanoid and a Beastfolk.

It was a little unnerving, despite what I'd said earlier. I was far from an expert on Darklings, nor Halfbloods, but it didn't look 'normal', especially given I didn't see a single 'standard' person here. It didn't seem as neat or as clean as a simple case of being born like that either. While part of me wondered if it was somethin' Chimera would've tried... it was too small scale. Too minor. Compared to the sort of mutations the rest of us had, these looked pretty simple.

"Hey, did the Watch find that other guy yet?" Kana asked as we walked. "Your pal?"

I felt a sting in my chest, working to keep both hands in my pockets.

"No... not yet," Streiphen replied, clear sadness in his tone. He should've buried that while we were walking and talking with some new group that we knew nothing about. Weakness didn't have a place around new people.

"That sucks," Kana groaned, eyes glancing up towards the ceiling. "I got really excited when I heard there was a Dragon here in Divastyr, and someone able to call one. I know they cause damage and shit, but I was hoping to see it. Someone else told me the Dragon didn't even come here, just that it was a pillar shaped like a Dragon's head. Serious letdown."

She wanted to see a Dragon? Maybe she was a little far gone mentally as well as physically if she was interested in comin' face to face with a sentient force of nature capable of fucking up the weather and sending half a city into panic.

"[It's alright. I know he'll return to Divastyr at some point if you truly wished to meet him,]" Yuri replied.

Ugh... Ever the diplomat, huh Yur? Doin' whatever you can for everyone, not just the people around you. Even when it- ugh.

"So what's your deal? Who are you people anyway?" I asked. "With a name like 'The Unleashed', I thought you'd be more of an organised fighting force."

"We can hold our own if we have to," Kana replied defensively. "The Knight started calling us 'The Unleashed' after we docked. I'm not as good as she is with these sorta politics, so I'll let her explain this stuff. All you need to know is that we wanna get on your good side."

"You want in with the Don?" I asked. "Then why'd you choose to stay here and not approach him yourselves? You know your 'landlords' picked a fight with us, right?"

Then, Kana shook her head, looking over her shoulder as a golden eye met mine.

"Not the Don. You. Equinox."

Us? She wanted connections with our team specifically? This better not just be about Fareel's stupid stunt. I didn't see any Dragon banners or statues or anything, but they better not just be fanatical worshippers or pilgrims or something.

At the end of the hallway we arrived at another set of double doors. Pushing 'em open, Kana revealed a pretty big open space. The sort of spot that a company would've put boxes, artefacts charged with magic to organise and move shit, or wagons. This place was completely devoid of all that junk, and in its place sat dozens and dozens of people. Darklings and Drow, all with weird physical deformities. They all had sleeping bags, and I saw a few Heater Boxes trying to keep out the chill that the wooden planks nailed over the broken windows high above couldn't beat. Not a single one of 'em looked normal.

"You guys're Chimeras or somethin' too then, I guess? Escapees from overseas?" I asked, slowing my walk as Kana did the same. Streiphen's eyes were filled with sympathy, something that really wasn't gonna do us any favours.

"Sort of?" Kana shrugged. "We're still figuring that part out. Oh yeah, we know Homebound has Fire Magic, but don't use any of that in here. It's sort of a sore spot."

"[Understood. I won't,]" Yuri replied. Unless they decided to turn on us, I hoped. A weakness to fire was a good thing to note, just in case.

But... seein' 'em all around here, wrapped up in blankets and chatting quietly to each other, it brought another thought to mind. It made me think of the orphans.

As much as I didn't want to draw comparisons, they were staring me right in the face. Maybe they were Adults and Casters, far from emaciated, helpless kids, but they were still... homeless. Lost. They were shacking up in a warehouse in the middle of what was practically a warzone, just like we'd been holing up in the Dronrowth shopping center.

Maybe that was why they'd needed to actually talk with those Aerasthetic bastards and get all buddy buddy with 'em. With a group this big, they couldn't really hide themselves somewhere like we could.

"Wait!" Streiphen exclaimed as we walked through and around the people. More than a few of those here jumped, lookin' right at him with shock and fear in their eyes. They looked way too threatenin' to have expressions like those on their faces, but... they did. Then, Streiphen waved, his eyes locked onto some random lady in the middle of the crowd. A Darkling with purple skin, curled horns, long black hair and... scales around her shoulders. Green scales. Varani scales. They weren't the sort I'd be able to mistake easily.

Not when I saw 'em so often whenever I went to sleep.

"Who're you lookin' at, pipsqueak?" I asked, narrowing my eyes as I pulled both hands from my pockets. "You know one of 'em?"

The Darkling lady sighed with relief at the sight of him, the shock at the sudden noise fading from her face as she stood up, handing her blanket off to the guy next to her. She brushed hair away from her face, revealing a pair of orange earrings danging from her ears.

"Miss Sheera!" Streiphen chirped, prompting a lot of the people here to look in her direction before relaxing.

"Uhh... who?" I asked, looking towards Yuri hopefully. If he'd mentioned her before, I couldn't remember.

"[She's a Darkling that Streiphen met at Bookwyrm when he went shopping for me... She kept him company for a while until she left,]" Yuri supplied helpfully, her tone sounding a little off.

"Right, right, and she's also part of some crime cabal hidin' out in a warehouse," I responded dryly, my eyes focused on her.

"We're uh... not just here to do crime," Kana responded, eyes half-lidded as they locked onto me. "At least... that's not our main goal, even if that seems to be what everyone else is here in this city to do. We're just trying to find a place to settle down in."

Great. As if Streiphen's sympathy wasn't enough, now she'd mentioned one of the magic words. 'Settling down' would've been enough. Aaaaaaaaaaaand-

"[I can understand wanting to find a place to settle down in, especially after coming from overseas. It must have been a difficult trip with so many people,]" Yuri replied, empathising aloud. There it was, right on cue. Yuri's obsession rearing its ugly damned head again. I didn't want my pride over earlier to get buried so damn quickly, but everything around me seemed determined to shove it aside in favour of other, shittier feelings.

"Streiphen!" that Sheera girl exclaimed, apologising to others as she gingerly wove around the crowd to approach us, looking towards Kana sheepishly before her eyes went back to the child. "I am glad you came."

Then, her eyes went to mine. I must've looked less than impressed, because they went straight to looking at Yuri. They didn't find much solace there either, given the lack of meaningful eye contact or expression.

"And this is... Equinox? Your team?" she asked, her tone uncertain and hopeful.

"Yeah!" Streiphen chirped. "These are my teammates, Homebound and Sunburst!"

"[It's a pleasure to meet you, Sheera,]" Yuri said as the woman's shoulders slumped with relief.

"Charmed," I threw in dryly.

"Sheera's the one who recommended we reach out to your team," Kana told us, jerking a thumb in her direction. "Said you seemed like good folk based on the kid's words, and the Knight thought she was right after seeing your group's battle against Big Tooth. Sooooo, she said we'd give you all a shot first."

The 'Knight'. Still no given name. An Epithet, maybe? Prob'ly their leader, given how she talked about 'em.

"Shot at what?" Streiphen asked, raising an eyebrow back up at Kana.

"Ehhh... I'd phrase it pretty badly I bet, so again I'll leave that duty to the Knight. Follow me," she responded, turning her eyes towards Sheera. "You gotta stay up here, alright? Oh, and can you call Meldris over here? We'll need him."

"Understood," she nodded, looking back towards Streiphen. "We will talk later?"

"Of course! Once we're done with business we'll have time to chat!" Streiphen told her. I didn't know how long I was comfortable with staying in this dingy place surrounded by transforming people I didn't know, but I could wait until a better time to bring that up.

"Meldris?" I echoed, raising an eyebrow at Kana as Sheera bowed and walked away, heading over towards the wall.

"He'll sorta be acting as a guide," Kana told me. "We've gotta ask you to do a few things first, before we go any further."

A few things? I groaned internally at the thought, glancing at Yuri in the hopes she'd bring something up, but she didn't say a word.

"Like what?" I asked, right as she reached into a pocket, pulling out... a pair of black blindfolds and a cluster of earplugs.

"So, this bit’s a secret, and the Knight's pretty tight lipped about it too, so we'll need to make sure you can't memorise the path we take to her."

"Are you serious?" I asked her, eyes moving up to her face.

"Yeah, we are. We take our security real serious, especially around the tunnels," she replied. Of course. More damn tunnels.

"What about Yur? She can't wear anythin' like that," I replied, looking up at her and praying to all the Gods that'd listen that she'd lie about her abilities.

Then, another guy walked over to our group. He was a young Western Drow with jet black skin, short and messily cut white hair, and misty grey chitin over his shoulders and arms. He had little 'horns' poking up from the backs of his hands, 'horns' that might turn into something like pincers or claws once fully grown. Some sort of Insectoid.

"Are you able to retract your zone, Homebound? The sensory thing?" Kana asked, right as the guy looked towards her.

"[I can,]" Yuri replied, giving up that info willingly despite my hopes.

Kana looked towards her pal, who I guessed was 'Meldris', and he nodded.

"What was that?" I asked, looking towards him. "Lie detection?"

"Hmm? Oh, right. Yeah, Meldris is a [Scout]," Kana informed us. "He's got Skills that'll tell him if you can see or hear him too, so no peeking."

Fuck, alright. If they had something like that, they were pretty damn thorough. In a moment of annoying bitterness, I realised they were way more thorough than the Don ever was with secrecy, even though they were living in a damn dingy warehouse!

With a sigh, I took the offered gear, tightening the blindfold around my eyes before planting two earplugs into the Human ears at either side of my head. As I reached up towards the Cat-like ears on top, I paused.

"How the fuck're we gonna follow you if we can't even perceive you?" I asked, eyes turning towards where Kana had been standing.

"We've got that covered too, no worries," she replied.

Then, I felt something prodding at my mind. Something like a weak mental prod. Something I could push out with force through my Aera if I wanted to. I'd experienced somethin' pretty close to this before, back before the Big Tooth raid. It was the same as Screen's '[Network]' ability, a back and forth system of mental [Messages].

Yeah. Thorough as all Abyss. They had thought of everything.

I reached down, clasping one of Streiphen's hands in my own, gingerly guiding him to the right before I grabbed one of Yuri's legs, too. She lifted a metallic limb off the ground to allow me to grip the tip. Gods be damned if I was going to do this without contact. Without our senses, it'd be way too easy to pick us off. If she had a problem with this, I was leaving.

"I'll be sending you directions as we go," he told us as I let go of Yuri for just a moment to put the earplugs in, blocking off sound as I heard his voice in my head. "[I'm able to send images too, so I'll be guiding you with arrows. If that's alright, then nod.]"

I did, still feeling like this was an incredibly stupid thing for us to do. If this was a trap, then we were walking right into it. I hadn't seen any gestures or parts of this place that made me suspect it was, but they could've just been good [Actors].

"You sure this is a good idea, Yur?" I murmured. Should I use [Insight] to see magic through the blindfold? No... that might count as 'perceiving' him. Fuck.

"[We'll hear them out, Sigura. If they try anything, I'll work to guard you both as soon as possible before we counterattack,]" she responded. At least she was considering the possibility of a trap. Thank the Gods for small mercies, huh? "[I'll keep my [Sensory Zone] just big enough to avoid seeing him.]"

I felt vibrations through the floor. Something big moving or shaking. If I was to guess, it was a secret passage being opened up. Then, a bright purple arrow popped into my mind, one that beckoned me to turn left.

I followed the instructions, keeping my walk slow and steady. The second I felt a thin tripwire or pressure plate on the floor, I was ripping the blindfold off and lunging.

The arrow was simple enough to keep track of. I could feel Streiphen and Yuri moving in time with me, even if the boy stumbled a little as the floor began to slope downwards. He reached over to pat my hand after righting himself. He'd clearly seen that I was concerned about this whole schtick, which didn't make me any more optimistic about this. I gave his hand a quick squeeze of reassurance as we followed Kana and Meldris down along the dip.

It must've been wide and tall if someone like Yuri could fit into it. Big enough of a ramp for a wagon to be carted in and out of, maybe. Could've been a smuggler's warehouse before falling into the hands of these 'Unleashed' people.

The corridor we arrived in seemed to be well lit. I could see golden candle light at the edges of my vision. Our group took a turn to the right, and I realised that they had made a miscalculation. If we needed to, we could keep track of our turns and steps to find our way back. I worked to commit the path to memory.

Right. Right. Left. Right. Left. Onwards.

Easy. It was right, left- left? Had our second turn been left? I was sure it... Was it...?

Gods fuckin' damn it. I couldn't remember. Why? I wasn't that distracted, was I? Unless that shitty [Scout] had something that fucked with our short term memory, I couldn't see how I'd lost track that easily. This was the sort of stupid shit that'd make even a Minotaur get lost.

I had to focus on something else. I could feel myself squeezing down on Streiphen's hand in frustration. I loosened it up, and thought about...

Why did this city have so many damn secret tunnels? I should've been glad there were no Moleman communities or whatever under this damn labyrinth, or they'd've been pissed. If crime was easier to do on the surface than elsewhere, why all the secrecy? With the amount of tunnels all these places had, it must've been woven into the sewer systems. Aha!

If we needed to, we could try smashing a wall to bust through into the sewers to escape. It was good to note, and-

Wait. I couldn't remember the directions we'd taken, but the memories of the sewer came flooding back to mind without fail. I shivered at the thought of our last experience down there. Maybe we didn't need to. We weren't bein' attacked just yet.

"[You can take them off now. We're here,]" came the crystal clear words of the chitin Drow's voice. It didn't have that same echo to it that Yuri's did.

Relaxing, I waited until Streiphen removed his restraints first before letting go of his hand to undo my own. My eyes squinted against the light of the candles that seemed painfully bright after walking so long in the dark. My legs were aching, and I was ready to just have a seat.

There were two sets of long couches on either side of a square opening at the end of a long ass corridor, but I felt no desire to sit down.

On the couch to our left was some old Eastern Drow giving me the stink eye. She was one of the very few 'old' lookin' Elves I'd seen. They didn't age as fast as Humans, and many of 'em didn't last long enough to actually get wrinkles like this old bat had. Accidents, disease, journeys. They all tended to do 'em in before old age.

She looked pretty grisled too, with a long, jagged scar over her right eye. She had dark brown skin, long white hair woven into a braid, and an expression that looked pretty damn hostile for a potential 'ally'. She wore lacquered leather armor that covered her weak side, and a black cloak with a hood over her shoulders that half-hid some freaky looking right arm. It seemed like a weird prosthetic, one that looked like it was made out of clay or hardened slime rather than flesh. It was arm shaped, but it had no veins, nerves, or anything. Artificial.

"You're Equinox then? The Chimera group working for the Don?" the old Drow said. Her voice was about as dry and disapproving as the expression, furrowed as it was by age. "I've no fondness for Chimeras, but work's work. Don't try anything funny and we'll get along fine."

Her eyes went from Yuri, to me, to Streiphen. I was used to people giving Yuri the worst of their glares, but I seemed to be higher on her list of people to give a shitty look to than her. The look softened a little once it landed on Streiphen.

"[We... don't plan on it, ma'am,]" Yuri replied uncertainly. She sounded off, and it was only now that I realised why. She was the only person who wasn't a Darkling or Western Drow in this whole damn building. She wasn't 'transforming' either, unless that freaky arm counted.

"You got a problem with me?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at the old Drow's remaining one.

"I don't, so don't give me a reason to take issue with you, Sunburst," she said back. I didn't believe that for a damn second. "We didn't call you here to fight, but we won't hesitate to do so if you cause any trouble."

Right. Like we were the ones doing all this weird, shady shit.

"Uh-huh. Sure," I responded dryly as both Kana and Meldris sat on the couch opposite her.

"This is Ethzel. She's, uh... a new hire. Temporary, I think," Kana said, introducing her with one awkward hand gesturing towards her. The Eastern Drow nodded, crossing her normal arm and her freaky grey paste arm.

Then, the double doors across from us opened, even if the room beyond it seemed covered by a black screen that sucked up all light.

"You can walk right through," Kana told us, nodding to the door. "The Knight's in there."

"This'll prob'ly be the last chance to back out Yur, I don't like the look of that," I murmured, hoping she'd listen.

"[I've checked it with [Insight], Sigura. I suspect it's just to keep others from looking in. A basic Sensory Magic curtain,]" she replied.

Right... She was able to use [Insight] without people lookin' at her 'eyes'. The mistrust and wariness wasn't as obvious with her.

"That sounds to me like you're not gonna reconsider," I sighed, moving to take the first step forward. I saw Streiphen waving to the freaky old lady as I crossed the threshold, and she gave him a nod back.

My vision went dark as I passed through the curtain of black light. On the other side was a dingy office, lit only by a single bulb charged with [Light] dangling from the ceiling above. It cast a beam on the desk below, leaving the empty, dusty bookshelves and dressers out of the limelight. It shone light down all over a desk holding a number of papers, books, and writing implements.

More importantly than that, the light shone on a very tall Western Drow lady leaning casually against the front of the desk. She looked to be around 6'7. Not as tall as me, but easily the tallest of her group. Could've been a natural thing, but given the silver Cat-like whiskers and mane of fur around her shoulders and neck, I figured it was part of her people's transformation.

She had long silver hair done up in a thick ponytail that went all the way down to her hips. She wore a white blouse and waist-high black pants underneath. The low heels of her boots tapped rhythmically against the wooden floorboards, a sound that went with the humming she seemed to have been doin' before we came in. I couldn't see the top of her head beneath a black hat with a round top and a white feather poking out of the side, and a black mask covering the upper half of her face, one with a skull-like pattern on it.

She radiated confidence, but it felt more like the playful confidence of a [Performer] or [Dancer], not some criminal or the leader of a refugee band. The difference in demeanor between her and those under her instantly put me on high alert. I could respect it, but that only made me more wary.

With a smile, she reached over to her desk, planting a finger covered in a stark white glove onto a small crystalline box. My [Insight] flared to life, catching the magic shimmering within it. My hands left my pocket, and the trap-

The soft sound of a violin and piano filled the air. The music emanating from the box caught me off guard, and I tried to relax. Not a trap. Just a song.

"Oh! Is that a Recorder?" Streiphen asked, his bright eyes drawn to the green crystalline artefact.

"Yeah, it is," the woman smiled back. "What do you think of the song? It's Ghostmouth. I'm so glad that Runedisks are as cheap around here as they are. I was spoiled for choice when it came to getting music. Really makes the place feel a little more like home."

It sounded like... jazz? Swing? Something like that. It might've been a different genre, but I wasn't that good at picking out music.

"We didn't come here to chat about music," I drawled, crossing both arms over my chest.

"But it is really nice!" Streiphen chirped.

"What's wrong with a bit of a friendly chat before we get down to business?" she asked, gesturing with one arm towards a pair of chairs on our left. "Did Kana say something to upset you on the way in?"

I turned my [Insight] covered eyes towards the chairs, giving them each a quick once over. No runes, no Charged Aera. Nothing that indicated a Sensory Spell or some kind of binding ability. Making my way over, I took a seat, swinging one leg over the other as Streiphen sat next to me.

"[Your ally was good to us on the way here,]" Yuri replied diplomatically. "[It's just been a tough past few days for us.]"

"Right, right. The Dragon thing. I heard about what happened at the docks," the tall lady nodded, sitting on top of her desk.

"So you're the 'Knight'? You don't look like much of a [Knight] to me," I told her, keeping my [Insight] focused on her. "I'm sure you don't mind if I keep [Insight] on either, do you?"

"I'm hurt," she mimed, leaning back as she planted a hand over her heart. "No, go right ahead. I'm not planning on trying anything as long as you don't. Skepticism is healthy anyway, so keep it on as long as it doesn't strain your eyes. I'm the Knight. I may not look it, but I've got the Class, too. If you end up gossiping about me outside, I go by Mastermind around here."

The Unleashed? Mastermind? She definitely felt more like a [Performer] than a criminal. Then again... the Don had a flair for the dramatic too. Maybe it was a trait all these eccentric leaders had.

"'Mastermind'? Really?" I responded with a raised eyebrow as Yuri lowered herself next to us.

"Hey, it's still better than 'The Don', cut me some slack," she grinned. "You three can just call me Val. We're all friends here."

Friends, huh? Her Aera was pitch black, a shadowy thing with wispy, shifting edges. Still, there were no designs or patterns on its surface, and the impressions I got from it weren't that pronounced. Shouldn't someone like her have a more developed Aera? Maybe I'd overestimated her.

"Why'd you bring us here then? You and your pals've been real hush hush for someone with nothing to hide," I commented, scanning the room for any magic beyond that curtain.

"No problem with being extra safe, especially in a city like this, is there? We're not exactly in the safest neighbourhood around, especially for people looking the way we do. I'm sure you three of all people don't need to be told that."

Chimeras. I shrugged back, looking towards her. Nothing out of the ordinary for the oh so welcoming people of Divastyr.

"[I'm Homebound, and these are my teammates Sunburst and Stardust. It's a pleasure to meet you Val,]" Yuri spoke up.

"At least someone's got a bit of charm in them! The pleasure's all mine, Homebound," she responded with a smile.

"[Are your group all Chimeras too?]" Yuri asked, finally taking the floor. "[They aren't like... others we've met.]"

That 'Val' lady wasn't too different from me, if it was a Chimera transformation. More hair, bit of a growth spurt, and probably extra abilities. But my transformation looked... 'complete'. She and her pals looked like they were still in the middle of changing. Maybe they'd escaped before whatever magical junk Chimera did to people had finished?

"I can't go into the full story with strangers, but we didn't bust out of a facility like the one most Chimeras escape from. Most of us were raised in a compound, if you even want to call it that. It's a long story, but we don't know for sure if we're 'Chimeras' in the strictest sense. We're transformed, sure, but we don't know if Chimera were involved. We grew up just fine, but after escaping some curse dormant in all of us kicked in, probably as an overblown security measure," she responded. "I'm sure you'll keep this to yourselves as a show of good faith though."

Yuri nodded. I didn't.

"[Of course. If we ally with your group against a common enemy, we'll have no reason to spread this info,]" Yur told her.

"You can share what I've told you with the Don, just make sure to pass on the message that I want to keep this tidbit quiet. If he wants to use that as leverage or check it for validity, tell him to do it discreetly or he'll attract some unwanted attention."

"You're all afflicted with a curse? Is Miss Sheera affected too?" Streiphen asked, worry filling his eyes and words. Worry that he could've done without expressing to this lady we knew next to nothing about.

"Yeah, fraid so. We don't know much about what it is or how to fix it, but I've been asking around, forming connections with people who might be able to shed some light on what's going on. [Appraisers], [Exorcists], [Soul Doctors], [Witches], you get the gist. We haven't found anything else, but we haven't been here long," Val told us. "It's a real pain in the ass, but it's the hand we've been dealt."

"[We haven't been here long either,]" Yuri replied. "[But we've got some contacts if you need the help.]"

She'd empathised, and now she was getting all chummy already. She could at least pretend to be a little skeptical about this lady, couldn't she?

"I'm sure you've all got a better lay of the land than us so far, but if you can point skilled, helpful people our way, that'd be much appreciated," Val smiled. "If you don't mind me asking, what Classes have you all got?"

My ears stood up straight, and the hair on my arms shot up.

"Maybe it isn't the same where you come from, but it's a pretty shitty thing to just ask that to people you've just met," I growled back.

"C'mon, don't be like that," Val groaned. "It's not like people haven't already seen your abilities. They've been shown through your group's [Light Screens] all over the place! Besides, if you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine."

Yuri might see that as a good trade, but... whatever, maybe she was right. It wasn't like we were keeping any secrets with our techniques anyway.

"[I've got the [Tinkerer] and [Cognitomancer] Classes,]" Yuri informed her.

"I'm... a [Swordsman]," Streiphen replied cagily. I'd never actually asked, because I had some common decency, but it made sense. Still, was he hiding some other Class from her? That was the smart move. I wouldn't say everything either, but I had no problem giving up my main Class.

"[Burning Pugilist]," I told her. It wasn't my only Class, but it was the one she'd be interested in hearing.

"Huh, never heard of '[Burning Pugilist]' before. Advanced Class?" she asked, raising a silver eyebrow just above the top of her mask.

I nodded, keeping my expression even.

"Alright, fair's fair. I've got the [Knight], [Duelist], and [Trickster] Classes," she told us. Even from behind the mask, I could practically feel her looking between us. Silence filled the air as she waited for our reactions.

I knew of [Knight] and [Duelist], obviously, but...

"[Trickster]? Is that even a Class?" I asked, making my doubt clear in my voice.

"It's an Advanced Class too," she smiled back. "I got it from the [Rogue] Class a while back."

I knew of [Rogue], at least. She glanced between us, but I couldn't tell what she was waiting for.

"Nothing Soul related then? Yeah, figured it wouldn't be that easy," Val spoke up.

"If you knew our abilities, then why would you care about our Classes?" I asked, keeping my eyes on her face as the front of her mask turned towards the floorboards.

"I was hoping that maybe if one of you had the Class for it, we could try to train or cultivate abilities to help, but I doubt it'd be that simple anyway," she replied. "So, I don't know how you three came here, and I won't pry either, but we came here because it's a safe place by comparison for criminals and Chimeras like us. Even if we aren't 'proper' Chimeras, we're close enough to the real thing that people would see us as them. Or worse, with how bad the stigma towards Western Drow can be, but that's besides the point. There's a person that used to be around this city who might've been able to help us, but from what I've heard they're beyond our reach now, so it's back to the drawing board."

"You called us here to form some alliance then? To find a Caster that could help revert your people's curse?" I asked.

"In an ideal world, sure," Val nodded. "But there's something else, too. Your group of five came from a Chimera facility, right? One near here? Do you know many of the other Chimeras that broke out?"

She said she wouldn't pry, but she knew that much?

"[We... didn't socialise much in there, Val. We don't know many other Chimeras,]" Yuri replied. The only one that came to mind was that 'Plague Prophet' lady, and even then we didn't really 'know' her. She was a coworker at best.

"Got it, right," Val groaned, eyes turning towards the bulb overhead. "Chances are you don't know them then."

"Know who?" Streiphen asked, his eyes turning towards the Recorder.

"There's a group of Chimeras here in the city trying to cause trouble. I know your team's got better things to be focusing on right now with Aerasthetic, but they've been getting in the way of some precious supply routes of information and wine, and I really want to just get them out of the way to focus on bigger and better things," she replied.

"A group of Chimeras? Are they ruling a territory?" I asked, feeling more curiosity well up within me.

"No, they're not big shots or anything, just a hooligan group with dangerous abilities. I was hoping you might've had some connection to them and could divert their focus or lead them into us, but that's a dead end too," she groaned, leaning off the desk and getting to her feet. "Now, I'll get to the bottom line. I want to form an alliance with Equinox. Maybe the Star too down the line, but I'm taking this one step at a time. If you can find or get these Chimeras to stop getting in the way of my work, I'll make sure you're well rewarded."

"What's in it for us? Money? Introductions to other Casters?" I asked, glancing towards Yuri out of the corner of my eye. If she had contacts, we could use those, too.

"If that's what you want, sure, but I can do you one better," Val grinned. "I can give your team a good reputation."

"Really?" Streiphen asked, his smile brightening up the room.

"Yeah, really," she nodded back. "It won't even be hard."

"That so?" I snorted. "We're Chimeras. It'll take more than a good article in the papers to do our reputation any favours."

"[It was better before the Leviathan incident, but that's brought up some new issues,]" Yuri added.

"Yeah, but I've got something way better than the papers. I've got magic," Val said, raising a single gloved hand. "Keep in mind I'm only telling you this as a show of trust. Some good faith to prove I'm serious about this alliance. My specialties lie in mass media manipulation. I'm good at spreading rumours and impressions fast through Mental Magic."

My arms bristled at the thought. That sounded useful, but I wasn't the biggest fan of Mental Magic, not after what I'd experienced of it.

"If you can do stuff like that, why not make your own group- Abyss, why not make Chimeras as a whole more well liked?" I snorted, leaning back on my chair as the back pressed against the office wall.

The question only earned me a laugh.

"C'mon, cut me some slack. It's magic, not a miracle. My abilities are great and all, but they can't deal with that many bad ideas and impressions. It’s more... subtle. Gradual," she replied with a grin.

She couldn't instantly spread solid impressions then? That was a relief, but also a pain in the ass. It'd mean we might have to put in work on top of whatever aid Val could give. Still, it was something.

"What about the EaDrow outside your door? The one with the eyepatch," I asked, jerking a thumb towards the entrance. "She's not cursed like the rest of you, is she? What's she doing here?"

"Ethzel? She's a new hire. She's got some personal beef with one of the Chimeras hanging around that group I mentioned, and I reached out to her through some alternative channels. Now we're part of a good old fashioned team-up for mutual benefit," she told us with a grin.

Right. I hoped that 'curtain' of shadow would stop her from listening in, too. Not that there was any guarantee Val here wouldn't just blab to her after this meeting was done.

"[Why did you choose us?]" Yuri asked, prompting my eyes to turn towards her. "[Are there no other Chimeras you can contact for help? Are there any here, in Karisti?]"

If there were, then they'd prob'ly be nutjobs too, Yur. We were the safest bet, no doubt. Given that the only other Chimera we'd met was that 'Plague Prophet' lady back in the Star, we were a pretty good candidate for a team-up.

"Few reasons. First off, your reputation isn't half bad. If we had to be associated with any Chimeras at all, Equinox is the cleanest. Second, your track record is really damn good. Trainmech, crashing a party of independents, and then going toe-to-toe with the Chained Wolves and Big Tooth. Your team gets into worse scrapes each time, and you're all still kicking. That much recent Experience has to be worth something. And third... well, sort of a personal reason," she shrugged. "Sheera met Stardust here by chance in Bookwyrm, and he gave your team a pretty glowing review. Sheera deduced he was a good kid that probably had good influences around him. Not the kind of stuff you'd expect a Chimera kid to be surrounded by. After that fight against Big Tooth went public, that sealed the deal. You're strong, reliable, and, if you don't mind me saying, seem pretty well put together upstairs compared to a lot of others that go through Chimera's magical fuckery."

"Gee, thanks," I drawled back. Us being sapient and not insane seemed like real high praise. Still, at least she recognised our combat ability.

"If anyone could empathise with us and help us get into contact with influential people like the Don and whoever else we should know here in Divastyr, it'd be you," she told us.

"What makes you think we give a damn about this other Chimera group? We've got our own shit to deal with even without adding more to it," I replied.

"You seem to care more about your reputation than you're letting on, and I can help with that," Val smiled, the front of her skull-faced mask turning towards Yuri. "Of course, if you need my contacts or help with other stuff then I can throw some people your way for that, too. I'm not the type to look the other way when there's a debt to be paid."

If she had contacts that could help Yur or the rest of our team...

"You better not be tryin' to trick us into doin' your dirty work and pullin' out at the last second. I'm not nice enough to forgive shit like that," I growled.

"I'm an honest gal when I want to be, Sunburst. There's nothing in it for me to just cast you aside after one mission. This could be the start of a long, promising partnership," she smiled. Even without being able to see her eyes, the expression felt genuine. Genuine enough, anyway. She lifted a single gloved hand, drawing an X over her heart before laying her palm across her chest. "Cross my heart, hope to die, on this day I give no lie, my friend."

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"I'm glad to see you all made it back safely, Equinox," the Don smiled at us from the other side of his polished desk. I settled into the plush chair he and Mr. Fancy Cat over there had set up for us. My back was thanking me for the support right away, given how much better it was than leaning against a wooden chair or a stone wall. "Screen informed me that you claimed there were other specifics and complications from your mission to report, but we'll get to that soon. From what I understand, there was combat in Karisti?"

I stretched both arms above my head, feeling my shoulders and elbows crack as I let out a satisfied sigh. Fancy Boots standing next to the Don didn't approve, but I couldn't give a shit about his stink eye right now. I was just glad to finally get this mission over with.

At least we didn't need to stand anymore to finish this off. We could give our report and chat in comfort, here. The Don's office was cozier and warmer, on a second floor in plain sight instead of underground, and lavishly decorated. He had the same sort of 'charisma' to him that Val did, but the difference in their status was like heaven and earth.

They were leaders. Real leaders, like the type Yuri would probably end up as some day. It was far from the type of cool, collected person I could've been anyway.

"[Yes, we encountered the enemy on our way back to Karisti,]" Yuri informed him.

"They were different Casters than before, correct?" the Don asked for clarification. "Any noteworthy abilities or weaknesses?"

"[No. The enemy seemed to be holding back their abilities for the most part. I suspect they were trying to probe us for hidden abilities or weaknesses during the fight, gathering data for their 'war'. One enemy freely used their magic, a Fallow Caster called 'Snowman'.]"

Fallow. Right. That was the term Screen had used when we'd mentioned Snowman to her downstairs. They were Deer-like Beastfolk. I'd spotted his antlers, but Yur had probably seen way more of him than I had with her [Sensory Zone].

"That's a shame. It would've been worthwhile to gain extra intel," the Don replied with a sigh. "We have extensive information on Snowman already. An ex-military Sword Caster with some Crown-type abilities. It's unfortunate that the others didn't reveal anything else."

"[Actually... the Caster with the umbrella, 'Umbrush', might have some sort of sight component to his abilities,]" Yuri told him.

"Oh?" the Don replied with a raised brow.

"[He claimed to know how my [Sensory Zone] worked based on something he said. That he couldn't activate his abilities because I was able to see him, so he needed to sit the fight out.]"

"Hmm... Possibly a Wall effect, or a physical transformation. What about the others?" he asked.

"[There was a Goliath [Beast Tamer] and an Oni [Swordswoman]. Crosshatch and Kirigami.]"

Yur's memory was pretty damn impressive. Maybe her zone and Mental Magic made it easier to keep track of shit, but I'd only caught the Oni and the Fallow's name. That was part of why she was the boss, after all.

"Was the delivery completed despite that minor hiccup?" the Don asked.

"[Yes... We... received some bad looks from those living in the harbour, which was to be expected, but beyond that the delivery went well.]"

"About that. You got us to deliver Mammoth meat? When you said it was gonna be a delivery mission, I was expectin' some illegal weapons or an artefact or somethin', not food," I replied with a drawl, leaning to the side in my chair.

"Yes, it was an odd delivery, but they specifically requested your team to deliver it. I couldn't be sure whether there was an ulterior motive, or simply a decision made because of your recent ability demonstration against Big Tooth, but I assumed the former. I assigned Incognito to follow you in the event of a trap, but he reported no issues. He claimed you were speaking to this group's members in the main building after the delivery."

Ughhhhhhhhhh... I really didn't need reminders about that. We'd spent way too long making small talk with that Sheera lady. Yur had been able to pull Streiphen away after a while so we could get back and make our damn report.

Still... Incognito had been around? I'd been on high alert, but I hadn't detected him the whole time. I'd been able to detect him before Dronrowth, so why? Was that a lie on the Don's part, or had Incognito's abilities grown?

Or... had he not revealed everything he could do in the first place?

"Were you able to gather any information on this new group? Incognito ascertained that they were primarily Darklings and Western Drow, but we elected to wait for your input before drawing any conclusions," the Don told us.

Now... how much was Yur willin' to say about them? I couldn't be sure what she'd want to keep quiet on, so I let her do the talking.

"[We met with a Caster that leads their group, one that goes by Mastermind. She calls her group 'The Unleashed', and they're a refugee group that fled here from Zeradonia, supposedly without ill intentions,]" Yuri explained.

"She made a dig at your name too, boss," I grinned, the amusing thought coming to mind. "Said your name wasn't much better than hers."

"How rude," the Don smiled back. "Ah well, I suppose it doesn't glow with originality, does it? But my Epithet has certainly grown on me over time, and I have no intention to change it now. Was there anything else?"

"[She wants to form an alliance with us. Her ally had some interest in Yakamoz, but... I have reason to suspect that was personal curiosity, and not a stance the group as a whole takes. They wanted help finding a cure for a transformation curse the group is afflicted with,]" she replied.

"That could certainly serve us well should we find a Caster capable of such a feat, especially in the coming war," the Don smiled, turning slightly in his seat to look out towards the black windows.

"[And she claimed that there was someone here that might be 'able to do it', but that they weren't 'here anymore'. Would you be able to shed any light on that, Don?]" Yuri asked.

The Don kept his eyes locked on the window, saying nothing. I could only guess what sort of look he had in his eyes or on his face, but Yuri must've been able to glean somethin' from it if his composure dropped at all.

"Yes, I do. 'Mastermind' is referring to a powerful Caster currently locked up in the Chrome Tower. They were formerly an independent [Biokinetic] that could alter flesh to a high degree. They were approached by the Disciples as a potential recruit, but declined their offer for reasons unknown. After the Disciples left the city, a small alliance from a number of regions came together to apprehend them. The Disciples taking an interest in them was enough of a wake-up call for others to see the threat they posed," the Don explained.

Flesh altering to a high degree? Like... adding wings or additional body parts to something? I'd assumed by the way Val had talked about 'em that they were dead or went somewhere far from Divastyr, but... guess not.

"If they're so damn dangerous, why not just have 'em executed and be done with it?" I asked. My question made Streiphen pale and shudder at the edge of my vision, but it had to be asked. Another dumb violation of their 'rules'?

"It's certainly a possibility worth considering, given the potential risks their abilities pose, but if they were to reincarnate as an Undead or vengeful Spirit with even greater magical potential and none of the restraint afterwards, such an event could be catastrophic," the Don explained wistfully. "It's always a risk one takes when strong Souls are involved."

"And... handing 'em off to the government?" I asked. "Why not just send 'em somewhere else?"

The Don looked back towards us, his amber eyes moving from person to person.

"Ah... I forgot myself for a moment. Apologies, Equinox," the Don replied, turning back in his seat to face towards us. "Scander's [King] may take them off our hands, but the Scandian government at large uses a coliseum system to execute their criminals. Rather than outright death or safe incarceration, they are given the opportunity to fight for their freedom. Should they win enough battles against monsters and other prisoners for sport, they will be offered a place in Scander's military, albeit with strict restrictions placed on them based on their offenses."

"That's horrible!" Streiphen exclaimed, planting both hands over his mouth. He'd echoed my thoughts exactly, even if he'd sounded more shocked by it than I felt. That was... pretty dangerous.

"Perhaps, but it's how things are," the Don replied, his eyes turning towards Streiphen. "It's very effective for Scandian military strength, especially while they're shackled by magical Conditions and artefacts designed to keep them in line, but they can still cause issues. One such case caused issues for Divastyr in the past. Given that the Scandian way of doing things is unlikely to change anytime soon, Divastyr was forced to change instead, leading to the way the Chrome Tower operates. Was there anything else to report, Equinox? I fear we may have gotten off track."

That was one way of putting it. Still, that was valuable info to have. I'd been startin' to think Scander wasn't as bad as people back home sometimes said it was, and now I was havin' doubts all over again. That was a risky ass way of dealin' with criminals, especially Casters.

"[They wanted help dealing with a group of Chimeras causing issues for their supply lines elsewhere in the city,]" Yuri finished.

"No friends of yours, I assume?" the Don asked, his eyes sweeping over each of us in turn.

"If any other groups got out durin' our escape, we haven't met 'em," I told the Don.

"I haven't heard anything about a group like that either, not in our region," the Don murmured, eyes turning back towards the window for a moment. "If you're invested in it or believe this alliance with The Unleashed to be worth it, then this will be something done on your own time, Equinox. A personal project."

"[Are you unwilling to give any support for something like that? It could benefit the Star too,]" Yuri asked, her voice tinged with a little too much concern for my liking.

"I'm willing to support you three as Casters, but ventures that don't fall in line with our group's current interests will be spent using time and money you've earned through other work. It will be your project alone, should you wish to take it. This 'Mastermind' reached out to you after all. Not me."

"[Understood... We have nothing else to report, Don,]" Yuri replied.

When the Don nodded, I felt a bit of relief. Yur was willin' to keep some stuff secret, it seemed. She hadn't said a word about Val's little revelation about her abilities. The Don didn't know about her weird Mental Magic.

"You'll receive your pay shortly then, Equinox. Keep up the good work. You're dismissed," the Don finished, only for Streiphen to raise his hand, catching the Human's eye.

"Umm... have you gotten any word on where Leviathan is? Or... Yakamoz?" the boy asked, only for the Don to shake his head and crush that bit of hope.

"No, I'm afraid not. It's too early to say where he might be hiding, and I have very few undersea contacts. I'll do what I can to gather information on your teammates whereabouts, but I suspect little of relevance will come up. This is beyond our jurisdiction, and a choice Yakamoz himself chose to make," the Don replied, his words a little stiffer than before.

Once Streiphen gave a slight dejected nod, I got to my feet, grinning as I turned around and went towards the massive double doors. Planting one hand on each, I pushed them wide open, letting the white light from the corridor beyond flood in as the sound of Yuri's metal mech rising off the floor rang out behind me.

We needed info then. Not just about Fareel's ritual or deal, but about these other Chimeras. I hadn't been sure whether there were other Chimeras of worth to talk to, but if they were organised enough to set up raids on supply lines, then they could think and plan. If we met up with 'em and got on their good side, we might be able to learn more about Chimera themselves.

Better yet, we could form an alliance too. Build up forces, return to that facility, and work towards paying those bastards back for everything they did to us.

The thought of the [Biokinetic] stuck in my mind, too. Someone who might've been able to fix Yuri.

Someone who could help me properly fix the mistake I'd made.