Brian, Second Vice Captain of the Guard

We walked away from Mimi, her eyes still always glowing. Judging from the reports, it was certain that she gained more power than she let on. Curses, hexes, and rituals went hand and hand after all. While on paper, it appeared she was a very talented entomancer, in reality she told us the truth quite a while ago. The bugs were connected to her, and she was their queen.

Vivi was the first to suggest that they were capable of perceiving for her, as well as adding to the monster girl's intellect. Vivi's best spies were used to feed information about a couple key things in the Underground, in an attempt to find how long before Mimi realized the information. It was instant, but also it was an important step into finding the girl's limits. To Vivi it was like a game of complicated chess, where she needed to know the full capabilities of her pieces.

I let out a small sigh, pulling out my pipe, and lighting it. We walked back in silence, my adopted sister leading the way. She probably wasn't going to say a word until we finally got back into the one room she felt safest in. Vivi was used to having some measure of blackmail, or method of dealing with other people. She wanted control over the parties she needed to move, but she had nothing on the monster in question.

Vivi pointed to the newly hung sign outside the door, making it clear she wanted me to put my pipe way. I took one last puff, before following behind her again. The only thing keeping Vivi from going into a cold war with Mimi, was the fact that she delivered results, and Oswald said she could be trusted. It was a thin fragile thing, threatening to break at any moment, but it was enough to ensure the two got along. At least on Vivi's side.

We walked up the stairs, back to the room at the top. Vivi's sanctum, where all the information the guards found was processed. The room closest to her guard dog, Wyatt. Yeah, the Princess made it very clear what their relation ship was, when she tore Vivi's arm from its socket. There was already so much wrong with her, added trauma didn't help one bit.

Judging by the snoring in the room, Wyatt was already asleep, completely oblivious to who we just met. Vivi was training him to act smarter, but it took decades for elves to truly learn something, and change themselves. Though Wyatt always was different in that regard, he still struggled. Vivi sat down on her cushioned chair, and I was glad to see she was eating more than just pastries lately. Judging by the perfectly stacked plates and mugs that littered the ground.

I sat down in front of her, my hands together as she scanned the room. Finally she seemed to relax. "I sensed hypnotic magic from her wings, telepathy, and even spiritual links. She seems less guarded about people watching her now. That either means she trusts us, or feels she has no reason to fear us."

I nodded, as she stated what she learned from our encounter. "Wouldn't it be simpler to say that she acquired the spectrum of mental magic?" I scratched my chin, not really needing to pretend around Vivi.

Vivi nodded slowly, "She is gaining magic from what she eats, or likely devours. The spies reported orphanages cropping up around the same time the Harps started to disappear. Which means she's likely the cause behind that pedo ring falling."

I nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it's most likely. I can't go confirm it for myself since she knows who I am. What do you mean she's gaining magic from what she eats?"

Vivi took a small breath, "I'm not sure, it seems dormant. I could have pushed it, but my eyes might have bleed, and she would've caught on. I can sense she has access to fire, and is likely a dreamer mental mage. Though there is a gap between the magics she's absorbed. Until she can bridge it, and use more, it's likely her Hive isn't able to learn them as well. Maybe what she needs is the stronger forms of magic, or people that know what they are doing. Like the wind elementalists that can carry fire with their wind. Maybe she needs to find and eat an Avatar to access all the elementalists. I don't know, but it is all likely given what we do know."

I sat back letting her speculation wrap around my mind. "You're saying her potential to do magic is high enough that she will likely learn how to do it all with enough things for her to eat?"

Vivi shrugged, "In a sense, but her talent appeared dormant for some reason. She definitely has two; but while one was merely not being used, the other just seemed inactive. Kind of like something dark interfered with it, likely causing her problems somewhere along the line. She clearly ate a splicer though, and that might be what causes her evolutions as Wyatt put it. Her body changes after taking the most useful things, and after she finishes eating."

"Just like a Splicer Queen before it gets pregnant. Except, she isn't limited by her pregnancy. She can keep evolving, can't she?"

Vivi nodded slowly, displaying information with her crystal ball. "There shouldn't have been any wild Splicer Queens out there in the world. The classified files reported them being brought along with the mass exodus from Dark Fell. Given Wyatt's age, and when he said he arrived. We can confirm this was before the innermost walls and the prison were built. Here are the records of the Queens that arrived, and were kept in a sort of slumber by the remnants of the Black March."

I nodded, at the protected documents, realizing that I was only seeing this because Oswald gave Vivi a password to use. Her eyes skimmed the documents, until she moved forward to closer dates. "We can assume the creature known as Mimi was born around this time. According to Wyatt, the location of the cave was here." She pulled up a map, marking the places in question.

"Where are you going with this?" I looked over the documents again, realizing that a Queen was reported missing, compared to the ones reported as slain or destroyed.

She pulled up the important documents of when the first horde attacked Eclipse in its earliest days. "Infighting, demons mixed among the monsters. Creatures that should be guarding monoliths according to Oswald's hidden files. They aren't controlled by the monster king, but here they were reported. At the same time it was mainly dismissed because it helped them survive. It was the time Wyatt's talent awoke, proving it was possible for his sister to have potentially done the same. The inner walls were breached for the first and last time, but only one Splicer Queen was missing."

I looked over the documents, realizing that she found it weird. The motives of the demons were always unknown at the best of time. It was something the elites dealt with, but here they were for some reason. Right around the cave that would have kept a young Mimi safe, and ready to reap the battlefield of dying monsters. The thought made my heart skip a beat.

Vivi watched me, her eyes lingering on the texts. "There are no coincidences, Brian. Wyatt's report talked about Mimi's location with a figure known as the Old One. He said that she was further North, and trained by it. Given how Mimi almost died when she came here, we can assume she wasn't stable back then either. It's safe to assume that the Old One chose Mimi, and had her kill a Splicer Queen, and a troll to stabilize her. With Alice's talent of Symbiosis, and the Devourer talent from the bug. It succeeded, meaning the Old One is out there."

I blinked, trying to find any fault in her logic, but it kind of sense. I reached for my pipe, but stopped. It was pointless whenever she started going on about conspiracies anyway. "What do you want to do if this turns out to be true? How would we even begin to gather the evidence?"

Vivi dismissed the images, "The King knows everything important, and I say this is important. It explains why he had elites following her when she arrived. Why they were set to interfere if needed, even infiltrating my interrogation to keep her safe. At first I thought it was because the man thought she was that dangerous, but now I'm starting to think it's something more."

I let out a small sigh, "Then the appropriate people are handling it already. What you're trying to tell me, is that we don't need to worry about Mimi, and support her as best we can, right?" I raised a brow at her.

Vivi nodded slowly, "Yeah, but she doesn't know that yet. She isn't aware of her situation, or the resources she could potentially tap into. She's being allowed to grow, just like the church was."

I just barely managed to stop my eyes, not wanting her to go on that conspiracy again. Yes, the King did give the golden circle a bit of free reign on things. Yes, they were given funds from various high nobles. But, to really think our King was petitioning the Gods themselves? It wasn't likely, especially when she went on about him likely trying to resurrect the Queen, or how the Princess was likely a sacrifice or something.

I saw Vivi's eyes glowing a bit, and thankfully she decided to not press the issue anymore. I gave her a slightly bitter smile, as she looked back at her crystal ball. "You're going to tell me that sometimes things are a coincidence and there is no grand plan. That life just happens, like when we first go here, or how we met Wyatt and Oswald." She wasn't sad or disappointed, since she struggled with emotions even on her best days. At my nod she let out a small sigh, "The church is starting to make moves, and we are allied with Mimi currently. With the absence of the Pope, I expect Mimi to win any confrontations. Especially considering her sermon the other day."

I nodded slowly, "You want me to keep an eye on them, on top of the other tasks you need me to do?"

Vivi gave a slight nod, "Mimi will be essential and cooperative with my future plans. The golden circle hasn't proven to be anything more than a thorn trying to strip the Guard of what little power we have. The lumber noble knows that we can use the Church to communicate with Mimi, and I have arranged a few things to be overlooked on his behalf. They will keep in contact, which means I need reliable eyes on the Church. They are starting to work people into a frenzy over the monsters in the city. I expect more priest on tamer violence, included the tamed creatures being wounded."

I nodded slowly, "I'll have to write a couple of tickets, and over look other things that I really shouldn't. I'll need a couple of capable spies to help me with the dead drops, but it shouldn't be impossible." I smiled warmly at her, "After all, I'm quite charming when I need to be."

Vivi leaned back in her chair, "I'll just have to get Wyatt to pick up the slack you'll leave behind."

I nodded, before getting up to leave. I looked Vivi in the eyes, "Don't worry too much about things we don't have evidence for. It's a waste of time for us right now, and more than the Underground is shifting. Keep an eye on the nobles while I'm gone, a lot of them will shift loyalty since the King's grip loosened on their reigns." With that I left, just as the first bit of rain started to fall.

Captain Lindell

I woke up like usual, going over the reports I was supposed to. It still hurt a little to think about that last night I saw Alice. I understood that it wasn't my right to force my way back into the Hive, but she simply vanished. Vivian said she went into the Underground everytime I asked, but it really did hurt that Alice didn't say a word about it to me. I slapped my cheeks to focus on the day, I couldn't worry about it anymore.

The files showed that Brian was moving to the Golden Circle's area, likely on a mission for Vivian. I smirked to myself, realizing I would have thought nothing of it weeks ago. Someone needed to fill Brian's role while he was gone. I looked over the files trying to see who she was going to send out there, but there were no requests yet. A curious thing, but it was likely she needed to make a personal request. Probably some promising recruit she has connections with.

I will be the first to admit, I am no were near where I need to be for any of this espionage crap. But, I was starting to understand why it was needed. Especially after learning about the Minotaur's talent. The bastard probably had another he stole, given the reports I skimmed before Vivian shooed me away.

Getting up from my desk, I walked out to Vivian's office. She was still drinking her morning brew, while I waited for her to finish. Something like a power move, I think. I answered to her, and had to wait because she was in charge. The recruits would think I was just being nice if they saw this, and it was stuff like this that made the older guards doubt me. I really did have a lot of work to do, in order to properly earn my position and title.

Vivian looked at me, smiling a little, "Good morning Captain." I gave a curt nod, figuring this was a part of her training as well. That distance, that wall she put up. She wanted me to learn the importance of words, just like Alice did. The way she carried herself, and even how we addressed each other. Vivian tilted her head, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, and I went over the files already. Who do you need to replace Brian?" I put my hands behind my back, waiting for her answer.

She appeared a little shocked at my question, but gave me a small smile. "There aren't a lot of people I can trust to take on Brian's role. I need someone with experience."

I tilted my head, "So it won't be a promising recruit then?" I smiled a little to myself, realizing I was wrong again. Now she wanted me to guess. "It has to be someone I know, otherwise you would have told me already, right?"

Vivian gently nodded her head, "Someone you are familiar with, that goes without saying. A person that has helped Brain out with his missions before." I was still drawing a blank, and it was clear she could see that as well. "Someone with wind magic, captain."

I looked down in thought, trying to figure it out. My ears lowered, as I stared at the floor, what was I missing? Finally I shook my head, "I can't think of any guards like that. Was the wind magic bit meant to throw me off?" I offered, with a placating smile.

Vivian let out a small sigh, "It's you Wyatt. Cheshire's been more active recently, and he hasn't stolen just food lately either. I need someone that can hear at a range, and potentially capture him. Brian wouldn't be able to even at the best of times, so do your best."

I blinked in surprised, but shook it off quickly. "So the Phantom Thief is back in Eclipse. Usually he lays low after the harvest. Any idea what changed?"

Vivian shook her head, "No idea, but the things we have noticed him taking were fairly petty. Like he's sharpening his claws. Also don't call him Phantom Thief, especially not in public, we don't need more rumors spreading about the man."

"What has he stolen, exactly?" I raised a brow, before pulling up a chair for the files she was about to show me.

She waved her magic arm, and the crystal ball glowed faintly. "Books of all things, I wouldn't have thought it was him, if not for the string left behind." That was his calling card alright, a bit of string or twine left at the scene of the crime.

I shook my head, "Do we know what books he stole?"

"We do, but so many of them were just nonsensical. Most of them were about bugs, mythical monsters, petty rituals, old noble stories, and even fantasy stories about elves and dragons. It's more likely he's letting us know he is planning on something big, and this is his way of letting us know. I still want you out there, on the off chance you're able to intercept him."

There was some kind of connection there, but I dismissed it. "I'll keep an eye out for him then. I guess you want me to just walk around Brian's stomping grounds, and just keep tabs on who is going where, right?"

Vivian nodded, and I got up. "Make sure to take a map with you, and listen more than you can see. Don't forget the glamour amulet, and do your best to stay out of trouble."

I grinned, before grabbing everything I needed. What followed was a very boring day of following around thugs while pretending to be a beggar of some kind. The slums were always busy, and there were a few fights I had to overlook to keep up the persona. Though that didn't mean I couldn't use a bit of wind here or there to throw of somebody's blade, or pull their punch to keep people from dying.

I moved from spot to spot, pocketing the coppers that were thrown my way now and then. People were a bit more loose with their coin after a harvest, which meant Mother Oak would get a little extra on top of her monthly donation. I really did need to see her again, she wasn't getting any younger.

Most of the idle conversations were about the spider population starting to regrow. Something must have happened, but nothing too big by the sounds of it. Others were concerned about Eclipse's safety with Oswald's death, but with the Count out fighting the war, it wasn't that big a deal. Of course there were some talks about the rain that came very early in the morning, but it was still just idle chatter. Then it got juicy, as a few men talked about the lack of hauling jobs lately. Evidently the gangs had gone quiet since something called the Night of the Blind Eye.

I made a note of that, to ask Vivian if she knew anything. Still it was a relaxing day, despite the humidity in the air. The sun started to set, and eventually night was upon us. Normally a beggar wouldn't be out so late, but with the coin I got today I decided to risk it. I moved around the alleys, listening to the hushed whispers that started to dominate the streets. Many of them slowly talking about going to this brothel or that, while others discussed going to the bar for side jobs.

Nothing too crazy, but then a quiet voice whispered out to me. "Beggar, I have need of your services." I tilted my head, as a silver coin landed in front of me. I looked over to see a jet black dark elf hidden in the alley. She wore the shawls and veils that most of us came in with. With a shrug, I bent down to retrieve the coin, before following the mysterious woman into the darkness.

Following behind her, I realized she was using wind magic to keep her steps silent. I just needed her to confirm that she was an assassin, and I could just arrest her. She didn't even flash her dagger, like so many of the others that came to visit. She has either been away from her tribe for a while, or she meant to do me harm after she got her information. Every part of her was covered by the fabric she wore, as she blended in perfectly with the shadows.

We came into an alley crossing, where a couple of crates were set. A meeting alley, which meant she wanted to discuss quite a bit of information. Once we were seated across from each other, she crossed her arms. "Do you know where the Captain of the Guard lives?"

Well wasn't she a blunt one? "My apologies, nice lady dark elf, ma'am. He lives at the Guard house, and doesn't take in visitors, no ma'am. Lots of dark elves have tried, but most go Underground." Vivian made it very clear that I couldn't talk to them, or give them my time unless they made an appointment like everyone else.

The girl in question tilted her head back with a sigh. "Do you know how to reach out to him then? There is something important I need to discuss."

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes, "Lots of dark elves have tried, ma'am. Lots, of lots. I think you need to make an appointment, and that can take months. You live long, shouldn't be too long, yes?" I pretended to swing my body a little, as if I had a disease. Exaggerated gestures, like rubbing the back of my head and clearly looking for somewhere to run if I needed to. Not that I planned on running if she tried anything.

She let out a deep sigh, "Do you know where he might be, at this time of night? I really need to talk to him. What kind of trouble do I need to cause, to make him poke his head out?"

Okay, she's certainly been here a while if she's asking these kinds of questions. I looked down at the ground, rocking a little to really sell it. "Usually near the merchant district, but I haven't seen him there today. What do you need to tell him? I can find him for more coin." I grinned at her.

The look in her eyes, showed the disgust she had towards my disguise. I was nothing more than a coin coveting beggar, blinded by greed, and no use to society. I could hear her teeth grind a little, "No, it's a private matter. How soon can you tell him?"

"I'll find him tonight if the coin is good, ma'am. Miss lady, dark elf, ma'am. Do you have a bit of words I can say to him? Tell him where to find you?"

She took a deep breath, "Tell him that Alice sent me. I'm sure he'll probably come running."

I froze, blinking and staring at her. "What?" I was so stunned, I forgot to keep up the act. "Alice sent you?"

She raised a brow, then realization dawned on her, "Wyatt?"

I folded my hands on my lap, straightening my shoulders. "What is this about?" I moved the wind around us to keep anyone else from listening in. She clearly had the same idea, but my will was stronger. I watched her every movement, as she shivered upon realizing who would likely win if we had to fight.

"I'm actually surprised at how good you are at acting. I really thought you were a beggar, do you... do you perhaps remember me? My name is Nina, I used to take care of you both while the adults were talking."

I vaguely recalled that, but most of the stuff from those days was hard to remember. "Maybe, but that's not important. I'm busy doing my job, what do you go by around these parts?"

"Midnight..."

I raised a brow, remembering she was a person of interest for her relation to the tribes of the Underground. "You work under the Cheshire?"

She gave a slow nod, before glaring at me. "I won't betray him, and what I need to talk about is between our tribes."

I scoffed at that, "Tribes? You mean the dark elves in our homeland, or the tribes of the Underground? I'd hardly call Alice and myself a tribe."

Midnight was probably scowling under her veil, but I couldn't make it out. "The former, and you could have children to rebuild your tribe. This is about the village you have the rights to."

I spat to the side, "My father's village, the one he sacrificed for his pride. The one that I don't want anything to do with, and I have no intention on returning just to get the springs filtered."

Her eyes went a little wide at that, "You know how to do that as well? How many times have you been asked?"

"Yeah, that's the one thing my old man made sure I'd always remember. I've been 'asked' too many times, some idiots even tried to kidnap me a few times when I was younger. I'll tell you what I've told every other dark elf that comes here for that place. It's yours if you can figure out how to make it work. I don't give a shit about the wives I might be offered, the coin I could make, or even how it might help our entire race. Where was our race, when the monsters wiped out our tribe?" I glared at her, causing her to flinch.

"I wasn't aware of this. Surely you know, that it wasn't just your tribe that was wiped out?"

I balled my fists, before relaxing them. Getting angry wasn't going to make this conversation easier. With a deep breath I nodded, "Yeah, a bunch of old prudes decided protecting their land was more important than helping their neighbors. It's a good thing we didn't stand together as a race, since we probably would have been wiped out together. Point is, I have no intentions on going to my homeland, or the village I was born in. Where does Alice come into this, how do you know her?"

Midnight bowed her head a little, before looking at me with a softened gaze. "I've been talking to her, as she is now. She said you were kicked out of her Hive, and that it was childish on her part. She would like to ask if you'll rejoin?"

I frowned a bit at that, "What does she want me to do?" Everybody always wanted something, and I couldn't see Alice not needing some kind of token gesture.

"Nothing actually, there will be times she needs you later. That's between you two to figure out, but she feels you were only doing your job. It's also her way of apologizing for giving me the information to purify the spring where your village was. She felt she did something wrong."

I swallowed hard, looking away from Midnight. My vision went blurry, as I started to tear up. I didn't think it would be something that simple, that she could forgive me for pushing her so far under Vivian's orders. I let out a mix between a cry and a laugh, not quite sure how to feel. She had the right to be angry with me, and yet here we were. She let me back in, just because she thought I cared about what she gave away. "Yeah, I'll rejoin. Just let me know if you need anything to give your tribe that cursed place. Tell her... tell her that I look forward to talking to her, when she is able to."

Midnight nodded, "I will, and I think she'll talk to you sooner than you think. I'll write some papers down, and I'll just need you to sign to make it official. Can we meet here tomorrow?"

I got up as well, "We'll meet here at your namesake. Please ask Alice to come as well, if she can." With a nod, we both turned and went our separate ways.