Chapter 43: Dawn

We explore the warehouse, and after several minutes of surveillance, I gain an understanding of the area. The outpost exists between the frigid northern tundra and Mareovosa. This keeps them away from populated areas while enabling a broad reach of nearby population centers like Tahnar, Mareovosa, and even Regale.

This methodical placement incorporates extensive camouflage with numerous external threats such as miles of icy forest and the monstrous slimes. These factors allowed such an extensive operation to foster despite killing dozens of people from different areas. Whoever organized this utilized resources and tactics available to only nation-states.

Regardless, after we gather the shards of Gaia, Deluge and I will crush whoever or whatever controls this operation, but other tasks take precedence first. The numerous boxes sprinkled throughout the room harbor a variety of different treasures that Aether and I both agree to donate to the university.

By exposing this place, the mountains of jewels, armor, and other valuable commodities will find a use at Mareovosa which many will appreciate while enabling the university to act against this operation. Despite my own capacity for this labor, the extra assistance will prove necessary for handling future issues.

Fighting against such a large, powerful entity with only the three of us will be a burden I refuse to bear. If I Garner support, I will walk several steps closer to freeing the souls trapped by this syndicate. That, and avoiding the savagery of murdering dozens of troops will assist my sanity.

Despite these reasons, I can't deny that having a modicum of social support would bolster my moral. This feat of my mine would be documented allowing me to reverse many of the unscrupulous rumors floating around about me. My reputation with fellow students may one day cause circumstances that lead to my peril, so granting the university such ample benefits delays this inevitable conclusion.

That’s the idea at least. Even though we search the crates, we leave everything as is preventing any assumptions about our character. Afterward, Aether carries me through the forest allowing us to reach his hiding spot within minutes. His speed and inexhaustible stamina prove useful, and during our crossing of through the trees, I find myself dwelling on my past actions.

Killing required so little thought, yet accepting the action forces me to come to terms with more than just the thought of murder. The monsters dwelling within me no longer seem the same. I can no longer blame Deluge for my actions.

I distanced myself from the atrocities I committed using excuses and my inexperience as blockades. This spree of murder corrupts these conclusions about myself. Who am I to judge another person when I have performed such evil for the sake of no one but myself?

That may not be true, but that is how I feel. I comprehend my motives, I understand my reason, but it doesn't change the fact I wallowed in bloodshed. My work is among corpses. My mind is defiled by this massacre. Now I will lie to those around me, and in the wake of my thorn covered path, no respite nor shelter protects me from the blood on my hands or the claws ripping from the earth while pulling me to hell.

Deluge rasps snapping me from my stupor with a whip of words, “Your guilt is an excuse.”

I raise an eyebrow as I say, “ My guilt keeps me human.”

Deluge says, “Hah, hah, hah. You retain your Humanity not through what you feel, but through what you accomplish.”

His voice hardens as he continues, “This guilt you carry is a barrier for avoiding the harshness of the task set before you. You will be forced to kill in the future. Accept it, and move on.”

His words shred my shame to tatters. His utter simplicity prevents any misunderstanding. I say resonating the defeat I feel, "I don't want to do this anymore. This feels awful. I feel awful..."

Deluge says in the tone of an old man reminiscing, "I have learned much about humans since melding with you. Humans guide themselves with many things from their emotions to their traits to their desires."

His words become a snarl as he says, "Each owns a different origin. Traits are innate. Ideals are born through reason...Emotions are fickle."

He grates his words against my ears as he says, "Humanity's capacity to control these feelings creates the largest difference between them and other animals. If a mother is angry at her child, she abstains from striking them. If a brother finds his sister committing a murder, he may reject his feelings of repulsion and assist her with disguising the act. That control is what makes you human, not your feelings."

His words alter into a somber baritone as he says, "You can be a beast driven by any of these forces, but by living through the ideals you forged in the fire of your mind, you may live with the soul of a man...in the body of a monster."

A weight falls from my shoulders. My chest lifts. My mind clears. I feared my own path. I dreaded my own future. In the forest of my mind, the woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep...and miles to go before I sleep.

My resolve solidifies as I say, “Just as I could live with the soul of a monster...in the body of a man.”

Deluge and I reach an unspoken resolution with the exchange of words. My path is set. My will is iron. No more doubts. No more hesitation. Now is my time to move. Now is my time to shine with brilliance as I live just like a sunset. Just like my parents.

After several minutes of Aether carrying me, we reach Aether’s valley before we say our goodbyes. As I reach campus, the sun sets obscuring my vision. I missed my training with Joan for that annihilation. The thought tilts me into a bad mood before I restate Deluge’s own words in my mind - live through my ideals.

Easier spoken then acted upon however. I arrive at our spot in the library, but Joan no longer studies here. Strange. She studies here two hours every weekday till just after sunset. From the parts of Joan’s personality shown to me, I speculated she maintained a strict, ever pressing schedule at all times.

This never changed her playful attitude whenever we spent our time together. It meant she worked with intensity and tenacity until she completed her job before she released her mind from her self imposed restrictions. She lives with discipline in other words, so something exceptional must of occurred if she neglected staying here.

The most obvious conclusion presents itself like fingers snapping in front of my face. Petra must have returned. The timing aligns with my actions well since I planned on reporting to her.

With this in mind, I trot across campus toward the GC while planning my excuse for the cave before I enter the training room with the torches flickering across Petra’s skin. She, Joan, and the monocled man I crushed in conversation earlier stand around speaking with one another. Petra says,

“Look Alcott, Jack is one of, if not the strongest man I’ve ever fought, but he couldn’t beat a golem let alone leave a crater in concrete.”

Alcott blushes as he raises his right hand shaking his monocle shouting,”Do you believe me such a fool? He lied to me about his name, so why wouldn’t he lie about his own abilities!”

Petra rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms saying, “What are you trying to say? Just spit it out.”

He shouts, “I....I beleive he is the demon...”

The sounds of the room silences as I trot behind him. My shadow covers him as I stand a head taller peering down at him saying, “Alright, so now I’m the golem crushing demon who stole a remnant of Gaia?”

He turns around before his complexion purples as his veins bulge. He says in a tone pouring with loathing, “So where were you aye? I heard you missed practice.”

I put on the grimmest air I’m able before I grate my words, “Instead of accusing tall first years of being demons, Im reporting a matter of absolute importance.”

Alcott stammers backwards before I walk up to Petra saying, “I'm sorry our reunion came with such poor news, but we must handle this immediately.”

Petra grins slightly before she says, “Alright, if you insist, though I planned on giving you a surprise as you arrived.”

I grin myself before I extinguish the spark of happiness as I say, “I found a warehouse northeast of campus while I probed the area near the slime cave of before.”

Petra squints her eyes as she says, “What? How the hell did someone make anything work 10 miles near there?”

I grimace as I say after a dramatic pause, “I found a massacre with bodies spread throughout the cave beneath the storage housing...They were using human souls for golems.”

The declaration oppresses the people near me. Petra’s eyes widen for a moment before she stammers, “W-what? Human souls? Are you sure? How did you know?”

I say, “I will admit this already, I’ve been able to see souls since I was child, and for some reason, I can even manipulate the souls stored in gems. Because of that, I can’t actually gemchain.”

Petra’s horror dampens as she purses her lips creating a look of disappointment before

I continue, “This allowed me to discern the difference between these golems and others of the same quality. These sights peaked my curiosity, so my lack of caution got the better of me before I heard a crunching sound...”

I gasp while pulling my real emotions from under my skin as I say, “The demon butchered the men and women without remorse. He sliced and slit. He crushed and clobbered. I couldn’t move. It was like I was watching my body through someone else's eyes.”

Petra places her hand on my shoulder as she meets my eyes saying, “It’s alright. Even a squadron of gemchainers couldn’t stop that thing. Any lone man wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

I meet her gaze as I say, “He stole the souls of the humans in the gems.”

She flinches before she rasps while releasing my grip, “This is unprecedented. I was informed by Alistair whenever I arrived of other news. The golem of the end disappeared without leaving a trace. The shard of Gaia disappeared from the slab of alexandrite. Now this demon’s harvesting hordes of human souls.”

Alcott’s eyes pop open as he says, “The golem of the end is missing? This is...I can’t believe it.”

I place a hand on my chin as I say, “We can’t fully determine if all these events are correlated. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions and lose ourselves in the resulting panic. Let’s rationalize this.”

I raise a finger pointing towards the ceiling as I say, “The monster stole a shard of Gaia before the golem of the end disappeared. It is just as possible that the golem left to fight the monster if not far more likely than joining forces with it.”

I raise another finger as I say, “Gaia must be calling for justice by asking for the golem to apprehend it. This makes sense. This leads to my other point. After the demon left the dungeon, I found a pulpified golem plated in iron.”

I raise another finger as I say, “If the demon could perform such damage, it wouldn't have left any gemchainers alive during the fight for Gaia’s shard.”

I clamp my hand into a fist, “That means the Golem caused such damage while trying to find the demon. It’s safe to assume the tree thrall isn’t against us.”

Petra raises an eyebrow as she says, “That sounds like a lot of assumptions tied to together with a thin string of logic.”

I shake my head as I say, “There is no such thing as a thin string of logic. There is either logic in a scenario, or there is none. I have never seen something imbetween. Regardless of what you believe, you can’t deny evoking a frenzy over this will cause turmoil rather than safety.”

Petra nods before Alcott says as he taps his chin with his monocle saying, “You're telling me that you saw the aftermath of some massacre then escaped without anyone noticing or notifying anyone?”

My eyes and voice laces with iron and ice as I say, “This is coming from the man who accused Sophia of punching holes in walls and me of being the demon. You should think before you speak.”

Petra snaps, “Do not talk to professors in such a disrespectful manner.”

I turn towards her as I raise my eyebrows saying, “I’m speaking of a dire matter while Alcott’s derailing our conversation while accusing me of killing over fifty men alone. Each of the guards could gemchain. Several of them even had diamonds on them.”

Alcott says, “So how would you know what they had on them? Did you steal as well?”

I roll my eyes before Petra bites her lip silencing her commands. Alcott continues saying, “I’ve done nothing but elaborate in a logical, unbiased manner.”

Petra pinches the bridge of her nose before she says, “Look, you’ve been arguing with me for the last hour that my best student as well as Alistair’s new podigy punched a hole in the wall and carried a golem across campus.”

Alcott’s face and veins bulge once more as sweat begins to plaster the sides of his hair to his face before he snaps, “Nearly a hundred students saw it!”

Petra lets go of her nose before she holds her forehead with her hand as she says, “And they say him jump off a roof leaving a crater, and he crawls and runs up walls, and he took on 7 fassars at once, and he snapped a violin by pulling it apart. The list is endless Alcott.”

She lifts her head staring at him as she says, “You know what he did do? He beat one of the best gemchainers in the world not only once but twice in a row. He brought a tarantula arm to the academy for study.”

Her voice fills with outrage as she continues, “Yenno, Joan told me he even saved Sophia’s life after a mishap with her soul forging. That’s an exaggeration probably, but these are events documented by professors respected in their fields.”

Alcott shouts, “I saw him leap from that same roof! He did land while creating a crater! This perfect student is the demon, and I will prove it. You just wait!”

He stomps out of the room huffing with each step before he slams the door. When the door closes, one of his coattails catches in the doorway causing him to slip with a thud against the outside of the door. Petra pretends to repress a laugh by covering her mouth, but her bluntness shows through her facade as she snickers at his mistake.

The snicker transforms into a full blown laughing fit whenever Alcott tears his coattail escaping the scene without recovering it. A feeling of guilt almost spawns in my chest at the pitiful sight...almost. Before I knew it, a grin formed on my face, but I smother the expression as I say,

“We need to focus here Petra.”

Her laughter snaps into silence as she says with nonchalance, “Alright, alright. Any other pertinent info?”

I raise an eyebrow as I say, “I thought you would be all stony faced about this.”

She shrugs as she says, “A lot of bad and good news fell on my shoulders today. If I took every bit of it like I was carrying an anvil, I would have already been smashed under the weight of it all.”

I nod while squinting my eyes, raising my eyebrows, and frowning as I say, “That’s a fair point.”

She grins before she says, “Well, would you like to hear my surprise before we leave to assess the area?”

I rest my chin on a loosened fist as I say, “You sound excited. That’s rare.”

She says, “You're going to represent us in the upcoming freshy tournament. That’s why.”

Her smile takes a malicious tone as her eyes shine while she says, “Ohhhhhh I can’t wait. We are going to CRUSH the opposition. It’s going to feel soooo good.”

I say, “I can’t gemchain though. How will I be a part of that?”

She punches my shoulder as she says, “We’re gonna lie about that.” She spreads her arms above her head while she stares between her hands saying, “We’ll have you announce during your introduction, ‘I won’t use a single gemchain to defeat any of these opponents in any of these rounds.’ It’s going to look so good for me.”

I chuckle at her energized response before I say, “You’ve got a competitive spirit Petra. Try not to let anyone see it.”

She clenches her fists as she says, “Oh, but that’s the best part. I’ll be rubbing as much salt into their wounds as possible. Joan lost the tournament last year to some bastard Donovan from their pompous academy.”

She looks back at me before she continues, “Oh the irony. They’ll be trounced by the son of the man they cast out.”

The statement offers me a sharp sense of satisfaction and alarm at the same time. I say, “Who told you about me?”

She raises an eyebrow as she says, “Hmm? Oh, I sent Geralt a letter detailing your ability to fight, so he sent a bundle of funding our way along with some legitimate information about your background.”

I frown as I say, “I can’t tell whether I should be pleased or disappointed.”

She shrugs before she says, “Our family hates the Donovans, but since your parents had the foresight to see how awful they are, I’ll allow Joan and you to fool around.”

My composure cracks ever so slightly before she continues elbowing my side as the topic of the conversation walks through the door. She bounces on her toes with vitality as a grin grows on my face.Joan says, “where were you earlier? It was lonely practicing without you.”

My smile evaporates as I motion my hand across my throat while tensing my neck before Petra says, “I was just mentioning how you wouldn’t stop talking about Jack whenever I first got here.”

Joan blushes before she says, “Well...I mean we are dating and all.”

I redden as well before Petra’s teasing ends as she says with a surprising sincerity, “I’m happy for you both. Don’t let it get in the way of training however.”

The declaration turns our mild pink into a deep crimson before I say, “Of course, but you act as though we just announced our engagement.”

Petra’s grin dampens before she says, “for the last 200 years, every Huxley women has married the first person they’ve dated.”

Joan blushes crimson before I say, “But she has experience with men. At least I thought so.”

Petra shrugs before she says, “That just means she’s messed around with other guys. You’re the first person's she’s been serious about...hah.”

I redden like a rose before Petra waves her hand saying, “Regardless, Jack’s missed practice for a good reason Joan.”

We go through the same boring shock and awe of my story once more before we trek several miles as they ride on horses in full gemchainer gear with a troop of other members following behind us. My weight might break the bones in a horse's back, so I pretend I harbor a fear of horses.

Petra says after my declaration, “So you’re willing to fight the best gemchainer in the world, yet you won’t ride a horse?”

I shrug as we walk through paths in the underbrush. I’m leading them through the opposite side of Aether’s path of broken rocks and foot imprints ensuring our secrecy. Despite rolling off Petra’s comment, Joan says,

“Jack, is there a reason you hate horses?”

Two strings of thought connect in my mind before I say, “Uh. Well...My parents died from thunder striking our carriage...I just remember the horses howling before they ran off leaving me alone. Ever since then, I can’t look at the beasts the same.”

The grim answer causes her to wince before I pace beside her resting a hand on the outer thigh of her plate mail as I say, “It’s something I’ve accepted. You didn’t open up any old scars.”

Petra chides, “Oh, but I think you may be tugging on her heart strings there loverboy.”

I snap back grinning, “At least she has a heart to tug on.”

Petra rolls her eyes before she says, “You’re not the first one to point out my lack of a heart, and you won’t be the last. I doubt any man will ever see that side of me. Their all too weak.”

I slick my hair back with my hand as I say reeking sarcasm, “But I am the one who got closest, am I right?”

She leers at me before she says, “Actually yeah. If you wanna date, I’m all ears.”

Joan opens her mouth while backing away before Petra busts out laughing at her cousin’s reaction,

“Hahahaha. You should have seen your face. It was priceless. I’d fight another tarantula slime just to see that again Hahah!”

I struggle to quell my own laughter before Joan punches my shoulder. I let myself be pushed away from her as I chuckle with Petra for a moment before I swivel my momentum back to Joan as I say to her,

“And I’d fight against fate if only to see you smile.”

Joan grins before she turns her leg over the side of her steed as she jumps into my arms saying, “Then carry me all the way to the lair to prove your love tough guy.”

I grin as I say, “Not a problem milady.”

After thirty minutes of walking, a slight fatigue forms in my arms, but Joan and Petra’s bewilderment at my stamina amuses me far more than the slight burn. We reach the warehouse with the sun having set 30 minutes ago, so I guide us by using scent. Petra notices as she says,

“How did you figure out where to go?”

I shrug before I set Joan on her feet. I say, “Joan and I’ve been studying for several weeks now. I researched the stars for several hours using the different positions during different seasons as a reference. I then found the average days till the next equinox. After memorizing the alterations in positioning of this point from the university, I can come here at any point during the night.”

My father performed jus this feat whenever our guide lost himself in the woods. I could have used the same method as well, and Petra blinks several times before she stares at Joan saying, “You never told me Jack was smart. I thought he was some country bumpkin-brute.”

Joan shrugs her shoulders as the orange light of nearby torches dances on her skin. She says, “He’s a man of many talents.”

I raise my arms flexing as I say, “Yeah. I’m pretty cool.”

Joan giggles while Petra pokes my arm saying, “Your looking different from the last time I saw you now that I get a closer look. You’re lookin kinda...gray.”

Joan looks at me closer as I lower my arms. Joan says, “I think your right Petra.” She looks at me as she raises her eyes saying, “Have you been eating silver recently? Scared of the plague?”

During the Plague of Alta, people believed that silver would cure their ailments. This worked against them in many ways however. Deposits of silver build in the eater’s skin turning them blue and eventually killing them as the deposits destroy their kidneys and cause nerve damage to their brain. I Deluge spoke of the specific organs that would fail after I spoke with him about it one day.

In this instance, Joan’s essentially calling me crazy. I raise a hand as I say, “Your guess is as good as mine. My father may have been half geshian and my mother half aquarell.”

Petra shakes her head as she says, “I’ve met many geshians during tournaments. They never get above five feet if their a girl, and the men never pass five foot five.”

I divert the conversations as I say, “Isn’t it strange how some answers only leave you basking in darkness?”

Petra says, “Well hopefully a few questions will be answered here. After we enter let’s keep the idle chatter to a minimum. The demon may still be here.”

I frown as I say, “I have the feeling it ran from the golem, but being cautious rarely hurts people, though I’m no expert in the field.”

Petra notices the door hanging with dozens of holes and slabs of iron hanging from the charred exterior, so she says, “The gemchainers really put up a fight then?”

I shake my head as I say, “You haven’t even tasted what they’ve done.”

We walk into the room with the metallic lumps spread across the floor while scorch marks appear in a semicircle coming from an enormous hole in the wall. The corpses of two of the gemchainers slump against the walls while the other two sit covered in tiny splotches of iron while they reek of rotting and burnt flesh.

Petra and I handle the sight with a sense of serenity. She shakes her head while I lack almost any reaction, but Joan retches from the sight, so I walk over saying,

“This was the worst of it besides near the golem. It’s a lot to take in.”

She blinks her eyes several times before she rasps, “It....I knew I would have to see this one day as a gemchainer but...It just hits so hard.”

I move my arm around her waist as I say, “It’s alright. I reacted worse whenever I saw it earlier.”

Petra glares at me as she says, “You didn’t even react earlier.”

I glance towards her as I say, “This isn’t the first time I’ve seen a slaughter Petra. Geralt should have told you about the carnage of Tahnar.”

Her eyes soften as she says, “Ah yes. He said you hid in a barrel while a demon......”

I raise an eyebrow as I say, “What is it?”

Petra takes a step back from me before she says, “You...that’s quite the coincidence.”

I stand up from my crouch with all my hieght as I snarl, ‘Alright Petra. Are you accusing me of being the demon as well?”

She squints her eyes as she says, “I never said so, but it does seem rather strange.”

Joan grabs the edge of my arm before she composes herself out of necessity. She says , “It’s alright Jack. I don’t think Petra was accusing you of being the demon. She probably thought your soul power was drawing it in or something.”

Petra says ,”Ah...yeah. Of course. I didn’t think about what I said. I didn’t mean it like that.”

I tap my jaw as I rest my face in my hand saying, “Alright. Whatever.”

Petra shrugs before she says, “Alright then, let’s uncover what the fuck happened here.”

I nod before Joan and I peer at the spot where I removed the iron from my body.

Petra smudges a burn mark with her finger as she says, “These are some high level gemchains. I’ve only known around 3 gemchainers who could mold iron with one of them being a member of the guard for Mareovosa...”

Petra grabs the sides of a one of the sliced man’s faces before she pulls them together saying, “Well, I can’t believe it...It’s him.”

I wince before I say, “You know this person?”

Petra nods before she lets the pieces of him fall apart as she says, “This is david. He was a real troublemaker. Never like him, but I didn’t want to meet him again like this. He had a real talent for heat and metal gemchaining. What a shame.”

I nod before Joan says adding to the analysis, “The way these pieces of metal fold...they follow along the lines of muscles of humans. Amazing”

My eyes open wide as I swallow at her declaration. How the hell did she figure that out?

She says, “I’ve studied the human anatomy extensively, and these marks mimic the insertions to a lesser extent. This iron was molten, leaked into the creature, and cooled before it ripped them out. What kind of demon are we fighting?”

I say as I tap my fingers against my sides, “Uh...A tenacious one?”

She nods before she picks up a few clumps saying, “I’ll take a few pieces with me for analyzing later.”

I sigh before I say, “Of course, but try not to spend an abundance of time on each clue. It might lead to a dead end without reward, and there are an abundance of clues to check.”

She nods before Petra says, “Hell, I know this girl too. She was Eleanor Ice. At least that’s what we called her back at the academy. She could create a blizzard so dense and strong, chunks of ice would be hanging off her victims.”

The puddles of water stagnating at the edges of the room reaffirm her suspicions, so I say, “There’s quite the pools of evidence to support your claim as well.”

Joan glares at me before she says, “That was an awful joke.”

I shrug before I say, “The tension of the day’s catching up to me.”

Joan nods before turning to the samples saying, “I could understand that.”

Petra says, “I can’t believe it. I know all of these people. How the hell did the demon kill all of them? It could have wiped the floor with our gemchaining squad if that was the case.”

I scratch my nose as I say, “It looks like the golem crashed into this room through that entrance over there. It might have taken the brunt of their attacks while the demon used the shock of the earthen thrall breaking through the stone as a means for surprise. It’s just a theory though.”

She nods before she says, ‘It matches up with your other theories so far. I was kind of skeptical about your claim at first, but the pieces are coming together nicely.”

I say with a wicked grin, “There’s other good news as well. These crates carry an enormous amount of treasure. I’ll admit I thought of taking some myself, but I figured the university would put the items to better use.”

Including all their property I’ve destroyed, I’d say this trove makes up for it and then some. I pay my debts after all.

We pilfer through the containers finding hoards of alexandrite, diamonds, amethyst, and opal. Literal tons of dried foodstuffs also gives the operation a ridiculous amount of longevity so that they could brave through a winter snowing regardless of how long it lasted. I say as I swim in my thoughts,

“Why hasn’t it snowed here at Mareovosa? We’ve been in winter all this time. Seems odd.”

Joan says as she handles a jewel inspecting for impurities, “The dry season hits us in winter. During the summer, you’ll find constant showers from the clouds. You’ll be sick of rain by July.”

Joan’s pool of knowledge never dissapoints my expectations as we finish inspecting the goods. Petra values the treasure at over 5 million gold pieces. That’s equivalent of three years of Bigel’s taxes. The amount exceeds any hope of my comprehension, so that sensation expands whenever we inspect several of the other mines. They add around 2 million more pieces to that sum.

Petra says, “This is the largest criminal organization we’ve ever seen. It’s as large as a kingdom...I can’t believe this.”

I squint my eyes as I say, “Really? This is all a state could muster up for resources?”

She balances her hands as she says, “There would be far more people involved, but as far as quality is concerned, absolutely.”

After the small chat, a palpable atmosphere of silence infects us. The piles of corpses no longer bother anyone as we adjust with the flexibility of the young and openminded before we reach the opening room with the tunnel leading to the slimes center of control.

I say, “A colony of slimes resides in that colony down there. Let’s handle them later.”

Petra and Joan stare at me as though glaring at a foreign entity while they stop walking. I assumed they would react like this, so they wouldn’t dare enter below. Joan says, “Jack...a colony of slimes?”

I shrug before I say, “Uh...yeah.”

Petra shakes her head before she says, “How the hell did you meet up with them?”

I look around before I tap my foot saying, “I er, walked up to them?

They lean closer to me gasping in surprise before I flick both of their foreheads. I say, “This is annoying. Stop being so damn surprised at every little thing that happens. You both look like foolish children.”

Joan leans back for a moment before she giggles while Petra brushes off imaginary dirt from her shoulder before she says, “Ok. Alright. I guess you’re right.”

I nod before we reached the mushed golem and the corpses of the first few people I met here hours ago. Petra walks over using a charged gem for extra light before she kneels beside the man who caught my neck in earthen pillars before she stands up cursing,

“Holy fucking Gaiadammit.”

I jog over before I say, “What is it?”

She pushes the sides of her head as she says, “This is Gannon...my brother.”

A wave of nausea hits my stomach before she says, “The little cunt.”

The nausea transforms into confusion before I rasp, “Aren’t you...sad?”

She looks at me while squinting her eyes and leaning her head up as she says, “I would be, but this piece of shit is blemishing the Huxley name. He was supposed to be the new damn instructor. Aghhhhh shit.”

Joan walks over before she says, “Wow...So that was Gannon?”

I peer around as I say, “He seems to like using a single gemchain rather than a variety of them.”

Petra nods as she says, “He had a different approach to gemchaining then most. He could channel his gemchain at lightning speed, but he only had 2-3 he could use. It allowed him to become a force in gemchaining circles without having that much talent.”

Joan sighs before she says, “For people without wells of talent, he would have been a perfect teacher.”

Petra kicks the top half of his skull away as she snarls, “But the bastard sided with a bunch of human soul stealing mongrels.”

Joan cringes as her eyes close while I stare at the flopping piece of Gannon’s head before I say, “That was gross Petra.”

She glares at me before she says, “With a student of Joan’s caliber, two instructors, and the strongest gemchainer as a disciple, the Huxley family would have been ushered into a new era of prosperity...It would have been amazing.”

Petra shows more of a familial spirit than I expected. She seems to love the people close to her deeply. It’s touching.

Petra snickers for a moment before she says, “It would have been glorious to gloat over the Donovans or the Malcoves.”

A crooked grin forms on my face despite the situation before Joan nods her head as she says, “It would have been something special, that’s for sure.”

A small chuckle escapes my lips before they stare at me. I shrug as I say, “You’re both funny when you're together. It’s like you build on one another’s silliness.”

The sound of metal tearing enters my ears before a pillar of earth appears from underneath me smashing into my testicles. I keel over before Petra walks over as she somehow maintains a serious expression. She she says with a feigned seriousness, “This is serious business Jack. You’re acting nuts over here.”

Joan and Petra burst into near excessive laughter before I lift myself a second later cracking my neck as I say, “Says the person attacking their student’s nutsack for giggles.”

Petra stares at me before she says, “You must have some small balls if you can stand up after that so quickly.”

I lean towards her as I say, “Coming from a woman who’s never seen a pair.”

Petra blushes slightly at Joan for a second before I say, “I was right. Wha-” A low rumble interrupts my speech before Petra and Joan jump into their gemchaining stances while Petra shouts, “Get down Jack. The demon could be here.”

I shake my head as I say, “It’s probably the slimes.”

She squints her eyes before she says, “We should check it out just to be sure.”

I frown as I say, “IAh, how about no. The slimes pose a threat far greater than that single demon. I assure you.”

Petra shakes her head saying, “I don’t believe it. They seemed to have never attacked the human here even though a tunnels between us.”

Joan adds, “You’ve also snuck up to them Jack. It was far more dangerous then than now.”

Disagreeing with them now will raise suspicions, so I frown as I say, “Alright then...They have slimes that will make the tarantula slime look like a puppy however, so let’s be wary.”

Petra nods before they pace down the tunnel with me following behind. After several minutes, two familiar voices resonate with their unnatural power as Aether and Razor talk while huddling around a giant, glowing chunk of purple corundum. Aether’s blue mixes with the lavender light of the stone bathing the scene further in the fanciful atmosphere.

My chest clinches up at the sight, but I fight down my panic before Petra whispers, “That’s the largest slime ever seen...A queen...Or perhaps even a variation of one.”

Joan whimpers in awe, “They were legends...Wow, they are both so beautiful...”

I place my fingers over both their lips as I whisper, “We don’t want to alert them off our presence do we? Let’s just listen for a moment.”

Getting them to leave expresses its impossibility as they absorb the sights and sounds before them with a childish wonder. Even I must admit, the sight of two beings of such power speaking evokes a sense of awe. It makes me feel small, but in a way that expands my own definitions of the possible rather than restricting me. It refreshes my spirit.

Aether’s voice reverberates its alloy of gentle wind and immovable mountain as he says, “Hmmm, I’m surprised you maintain the organization of so many minds so well. Whenever I oversaw such a collective, it was simple since they each loved me...Incorporating standards of voting sounds difficult.”

The razor queen drags her claw across the ground generating a set of blazing, red sparks in every direction as she says with her voice soothing her allies while paralyzing her foes, “It is a balance. I am no true collective like you. While my children are connected to me, they can decide for themselves much of how they spend their time.”

She taps the same claw as she says, “They obey out of their own free will out of gratitude, at least I believe so.”

Aether nods before he says, “I wonder when Deluge will appear...You will like him. His goals remind me of your own.”

Oh man...Please forget to mention my name. Razors orbs float in the air as they dance while she says, “Ahhh. He sounds interesting. I’d like to speak with Jack and him both. I’ve never seen a human so willing get close to me. It was refreshing.”

Aether nods as he says, “It surprised me as well. Whenever he freed me, I remember the other human wishing for me to stay locked in that room forever. He is a kindred spirit to me.”

Joan and Petra stare at me with their heads swiveling in a perfect, fluid motion before Razor nods her central orb as she says, “He harbors one of you within him. He is the first of his kind I believe. Never before has a biomni been within a creature let alone one of such profound sentience.”

Sweat pours from my face as Joan and Petra’s stares grow in intensity while I bite my lower lip. My life with these people is over...Everything ends because I underestimated their fear of slimes. It’s all over from a simple mistake.

Aether nods before he says, “I trust him. I will put my faith in the path he has chosen. While killing the mortals above proved gruesome, it needed to be done. No soul should be shackled in such a cold, unfeeling body as a slave for all time.”

The eyes of Joan and Petra widen until they nearly pop out as my left eye twitches under all the strain. Razor says, “He has earned my trust through his trust in me. It would be interesting to see if he could become the ambassador between our races.”

My chest heaves as their stares transform into piercing glares that bore through my skin. A blue slime rolls up before it taps my side with a gentle bounce before I rest my face in my hands.

Razor turns towards us saying, “Ahhh, it is good to see you Jack. Did you bring friends?”

Author's note: I'm actually sorry for this cliffhanger guys. I'll make sure to update soon so those still following closely won't have to wait long for a resolution. I took a week break because I went on a vacation to Florida with my family. It was awesome, and I didn't write because it tends to be a consuming process. Regardless, hope you guys like the chap.