“What are you really doing in this anomaly?”

Tanya blinked, studying him for a few seconds.. Whatever she had expected him to ask, this certainly wasn’t it. “I told you,” she replied in a calm, polite voice. “I’m an adventurer.”

“And what does that mean?”

“It means I’m a freelancer for hire,” she explained, straightening her posture. “Bounty missions, capturing terrorists, providing security, locating anomalies like these and… exploring. Essentially anything legal that involves payment.”

“I see,” he dragged the words out slowly. “So you wish to plunder this place.”

Had it been anyone else, Tanya would have ignored it completely. Hell, not even Zuken Banksi, for all his infamy, had been able to get the complete truth about her past out of her. But this was Lukas, and it was absolutely necessary that she answer every question truthfully. Or at least as close to the truth as possible. Denying him an answer was not an option.

Especially…

Especially not with how close he was standing. Just a few steps more and—

“Why,” she asked, her voice low enough for it to be a growl, “is that important?”

“It’ll tell me whether you’re for or against what I’m planning next.”

A non-answer type. She hated dealing with those— as if Banksi weren’t enough. And worse yet, this man was an Outsider, someone she wasn’t sure she could profile based on bremetan values no matter how similar their physiologies appeared to be. What would he do if her mission to destroy the anomaly went against his wishes? Would he attack her? Kill her? Have his way with her? It could be something very pleasurable if she allowed it though. Force her to do something against her bidding? Turn on her… friends?

He’d already destroyed more than his fair share of monsters in that very chamber. And that reminded her of his power. Given everything, she was reasonably certain he wasn’t fighting for the anomaly, if such a thing were even possible. So maybe he wanted to loot the place himself and use it to gain wealth? Favors? Business opportunities?

Then again, he was an Outsider. Maybe batshit crazy was just plain batshit crazy.

Tanya softly exhaled. “My associates and I wish to destroy this anomaly.”

Lukas’s jaw dropped. “Destroy it?”

“…Yes?”

“How?”

Tanya narrowed her eyes. The shock in his eyes was too sudden to be anything but genuine. “You… you do know what anomalies are, right?”

Lukas just rolled his eyes. “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

Faith? How does he— ah, nevermind.

“Then you should already know how to destroy one.”

“Let’s just say I don’t, for the sake of this conversation.” He paused, going absolutely still for a moment, before relaxing. “Or, rather, there’s something I want to attain before you proceed with your destruction. Something that can help me find my way back home.”

A lost soul? He was becoming more and more difficult to not relate to. “And that is?”

“Irrelevant to our discussion,” came the sharp retort.

Tanya nearly stepped back from the sudden aggravation lining his tone, catching herself just as her foot was about to leave the ground. Clearly, she’d hit a nerve. Rubbing at her face in apprehension, she studied the scene before steeling herself.

Rule One of Adventuring— never let them see you sweat. People expected you to know things, and that could be a big advantage. If you screw up and look as confused as everyone else, it would tarnish the image you’d built up.

“Fine,” she shrugged, keeping her tone overtly casual. “I was going to hit the anomaly’s Omphalos with my Everfrost. I’m reasonably certain I can bleed its energies out, and the anomaly should start collapsing promptly after that.”

Let’s see how you tackle that one.

She had to tell him the truth. Not the complete truth, of course, but at least a kernel. And the sudden stiffening in his posture at the word ‘Omphalos’ wasn’t missed by her. Clearly, he knew quite a bit about anomalies, which made her wonder once again whether he really was an Outsider or just fucking with her.

Not that she would mind.

“So?” Tanya arched her back, shifting her hips in a typical interrogative fashion. “What do you think? Is that fine with your highness?”

“Depends,” he sighed, though she couldn’t tell whether it was in annoyance or resignation. “What’s more important to you? Killing the anomaly, or doing the deed yourself?”

“What the hell’s the difference?” she snarkily retorted, before her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as his words finally hit her. “Are you saying—”

“Yep,” Lukas grinned. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Olfric didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

On one side were two Asukans. He himself was armed with nothing more than a harder-than-average rock spike. Zuken was already down on his knees, trying to squeeze out a little more juice for another spell without killing himself in the process. The changeling didn’t count.

On the other side were a pair of demons that looked like twisted hybrids between a praying mantis and a spider, crafted out of a meshwork of carapace and metal and layered with ligamentous tissue holding everything together. It had a long, thick tail with sharp protrusions coming out the end. They also had two pairs of eyes on a triangular head with black, metallic spikes erupting out of their back. All in all, they painted a twisted caricature that could be considered anathema to anything that enjoyed living.

Calling it a mismatch would be a laughable understatement.

Not like they had any other choice but to fight.

“Think you can trap them for a while?” Olfric asked his ally, eyes trained on the spider-esque monsters. “Or maybe just collapse the entire ceiling? If we buy some time, we can find a way out of this hellhole—”

“Nope,” Zuken grunted. “Even if there’s a way out, I’m not leaving Tanya behind.”

His knuckles turned white from gripping the makeshift weapon in his hand. “If you go through with that, you’ll just get us all killed.”

“Zuken’s right,” the changeling’s annoying voice butted in. Did he forget to tell her she wasn’t allowed to speak? “We won’t leave Tanya back! Not after everything we’ve been through. We’ll— LOOKOUT!”

Olfric was never a fan of taking orders, and at some point in the near future, he was going to have to sit this changeling down and explain to her why telling him, an Asukan noble, what to do had condemned her to a life of eternal suffering. However, he also liked living, so there was that.

Acting purely on instinct, he drove the rock spike into whatever appeared in front of him. Which, incidentally, turned out to be the head of one of the monsters they were trying to kill.

The monster let out a vicious, pain-filled screech, but before its partner could retaliate, Zuken quickly cast a spell and turned the floor beneath its legs into quicksand. As the other constantly tried dragging itself out of the pit, Olfric pushed his trusty rock spike deeper into the— former —monster’s head.

“Come on,” he hissed. “Just a bit more. Stop moving around so much!”

Said monster continued to scratch and claw at him, slashing its appendages in furious agony as if it hadn’t heard a word he was saying. Why was it so hard to get some damn respect around here?

“STOP IT!”

Olfric stopped short. He glanced back towards the changeling, who had, surprisingly enough, walked up ahead in what was surely a feat of bravery and stupidity. “DON’T ATTACK US!” she yelled, as if the monsters would listen to her. “GO AWAY! EAT SOMETHING ELSE!”

But then, to his utter surprise, both monsters actually paused. Even the one with the spike still lodged in his skull had stopped screeching and stared at the girl like she’d grown a second head.

“Did you not hear me?” the changeling replied, her voice stern like a scolding mother. “I said go away!”

Olfric blinked, not trusting his sight for once. From what he could tell, it actually looked like the monsters were considering her suggestion.

“Elena—” Banksi hissed from his vantage point.

“No, Zuken,” his woman— Elena snapped. “I’m— I’m getting tired of doing nothing on this trip. So you two,” she glared at the monsters, “are going to walk away from here and leave us alone.”

She took another step forward and stood right in front of the monster Olfric was trying so hard to kill. She was within arm’s reach of him. “You don’t have to hurt us and we won’t kill you,” she went on, her voice now surprisingly caring. “Run away, and everything will be fine.”

The monster in front of them stared at her blankly, its two pairs of beady eyes glowing, yet empty. It took a measured step backwards, and Olfric carefully pulled out his only weapon from its head, his heart practically in his throat.

…

And the monster swerved its forelimb in a large sweep, straight towards the girl’s exposed, fleshy neck.

Tanya was confused.

She didn’t like being confused.

“You… you want to destroy the anomaly yourself?”

The strange young man just returned her gaze, keeping his silence, and she couldn’t help but scowl. First, he’d claimed to be an Outsider of all things, which was foolish on multiple levels. If any of the High-Lords heard, he’d be immediately captured and taken to the main city to be experimented upon for the rest of his natural life. And that was after the Haviskali Governor was satisfied with the claim. Though, of course, given his linguistic ability, trying to pin him as an Outsider was going to be hard.

Though, on second thought, did she even want to do something like that?

Lukas was strong. He was powerful. He’d fought and pushed the Ice back, something she didn’t even know was possible. He was… unique. Even discounting the inexplicable attraction she felt for him, he was someone who could either become a powerful ally or an equally dangerous enemy. And with yokai skulking around, it was only a matter of time before they came to Haviskali.

Looking for her.

And that was assuming she even survived this mission— hopefully with her teammates alive this time —in the first place. And to do that, having a strong individual who she completely trusted could be useful.

Tanya sighed. It wasn’t much to fall back on, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. Between his strange abilities and her powers, not to mention heritage, they’d make a powerful team. That much was guaranteed. And maybe if she introduced him to Wuodan in the future…

She vehemently shook her head. She was reading too much into it.

Baby steps, she reminded herself. Bit by bit.

“So why do you want to destroy it?”

“Destroy what?” he asked quizzically. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say he was actively trying to be a simpleton. The truth, of course, was slightly different than that. He was trying to make her say it out loud. That way, he’d know if their goals aligned, and then how to twist them into his favor.

It was like talking to another Zuken Banksi. An alien, Outsider-esque Zuken Banksi.

Well, I’ll bite.

“You want to destroy the anomaly, right? So why do you want to do that?” He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it. “No jokes. No tricks. No gimmicks. Just tell me the truth. I’ll even help you.”

That seemed to get his attention, as his shoulders eased a little.

“I told you,” he began earnestly. “I’m looking for a way home. And for that, I need— well—”

“Power.”

It wasn’t a question or suggestion— it was a fact. After all the pretty decorations and icing, an Omphalos was a thing of pure Power. Power that was beyond the use of any bremetan. The Anomalous Energy that saturated the entire anomaly from the Omphalos was incredibly deadly to a bremetan upon direct exposure.

It was why she had to use her powers of Frost to leech it all away. The Frost would feast upon it and freeze the entire place by the time it was all done.

“That’s right,” he affirmed.

And the truth came out. The only question now was—

“How are you going to do it? Anomalous Energy is harmful to bremetans.”

“I’m not bremetan.”

“Your physiology says otherwise.” She gave him a quick once-over. “I don’t see any scales or… extra parts.”

“How about you buy me dinner first?” he chuckled, giving her a blinding smile.

She blankly stared back, though her heart beat just a little faster.

“Certain aspects of my power allow me to use such energies,” he rolled his eyes.

“To use Anomalous Energy?” she asked incredulously. “How do you know that? Have you used it before?”

She could see the frustration rising within him. Just a little more and he’d crack like an egg. Well, that or he’d attack her and they’d fight. Again. Either way, it would lead to, well, something. Standing here at such close proximity was doing odd things to her insides, and she wasn’t sure how long she could take the tension.

Seduction by talking someone to death. That had to be a first.

“I’m reliably certain I can use it. Why does that matter?”

And wasn’t that a loaded question? Why indeed. Still, it looked like pushing him in that direction wasn’t working— he’d just continue to stonewall her. Maybe a different angle would work more in her favor.

“Tell me something. If this works, will it be enough to get you home?”

“It’s a start.”

“But not an end,” she added, feeling a smidge of pride at the thin glare he sent her way. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what the hell he needed to do to get home that required more power than a Class 3 anomaly’s Omphalos.

“Perceptive, aren’t you?”

And there it was. The anger. Poking the dragon in the eye was risky, and while she could admit she was having fun, the situation could just as easily spin out of her control.

Then again, that wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe he could—

“It was a no-brainer. So if this is just the start, then where are you going to live after this is all over?” she asked, feeling strangely upbeat over gaining control of the conversation. “The anomaly will be destroyed, the desert above kills everything that walks on its surface during the day, and all kinds of beasts and wraiths haunt the sands at night. Asukan warriors patrol the border just miles away from here.”

She was deliberately building up tension, drawing things out. She knew it. She knew he knew it. The whole thing was just… exhilarating. Was this how Zuken felt all the time?

Lukas may have overpowered the Ice within her, but she could still come out on top. Not that bottom would be disappointing, by any means.

“Is this your attempt at intimidating me?” he asked in a composed tone, cupping his chin. She’d seen Zuken perform the same gesture countless times.

“Is it working?”

He didn’t answer.

“You can’t enter Haviskali without authorized identification. And Cyffnarian soldiers tend to attack first and ask no questions after the fact. You have no clothes on your back, no money, and given your atrocious manners, probably haven’t had quality food in some time. Regardless of whether or not I survive, it’s obvious that you need help.”

“And let me guess,” he pinned her with a flinty stare, “help that only you can provide?”

“Well, not me personally,” Tanya replied, flipping her golden curls, “but my team definitely can. We came to destroy this anomaly, but got separated midway. If you help me find them, I’ll convince them to help you in return.”

He seemed to ponder her words for a moment.

“And if they don’t?”

It was a fair question. She was still walking on eggshells around town, especially with the whole Blues fiasco. If she brought in another person now, a completely unknown person, it would only attract unnecessary eyes. But this was Him, and she couldn’t just—

“Don’t worry, they will. We’re adventurers. There’s always work available for someone strong like yourself.”

Frankly, it was a shitty proposal, all things considered. Maybe Zuken would consider his application for entering into Haviskali, maybe he wouldn’t. Worst case scenario, she’d have to resort to underhanded means to—

“—cord.”

Tanya paused. “Excuse me?”

“I said,” Lukas replied, his teeth gritted, “we have an accord.”

He slowly extended his hand out, and Tanya couldn’t help but narrow her eyes at the odd gesture. It didn’t look like he was preparing a spell or anything. So what was he trying to do? Hold her hand? Not that she was complaining.

She glanced up at him again.

He nodded almost imperceptibly towards his hand, which just remained there in mid-air. As if… as if he was waiting for something from her end. Was it for her to replicate the gesture?

Tanya softly smiled, and took it.

Go figure. He did want to hold her hand. And then shake it up and down for some reason.

That was fine. It felt nice.