Wren's heart started beating a death metal drum beat in his chest but outwardly he was all calm composure as he said, “Aaron, we were just about to sit down to some breakfast. Care to join us as you tell us to what we owe the honor?”

Aaron studied the two for a moment before he said, “I suppose it harms nothing. It has been some time since I've partaken of Earth specialties.”

Aaron stiffened defensively as Wren summoned some furniture and bathrobes for himself and Jaden. There was something about Aaron's predatory gaze that set Wren on edge even further than the fact he was even there. He summoned more helpings and further selections to hide the access of his storage as he sat down to help himself. Gesturing for Jaden and Aaron to help themselves as well.

After seeing the foods and and condiments that Jaden and Wren selected, Aaron seated himself and selected a few things from among the platters that had already been sampled as he said, “I'm quite put out by you, Wren. One short term and one long term investment have been derailed by you. I'm quite surprised you recognized me with a glance as well. I am certain that we have not met before.”

Putting on his Ephyra face, Wren said, “Our personal interests were poorly misaligned up to this point but it need not continue in that direction, that is, if you can keep your hands off those who I have showed interest in. At the very least, handle them with kid gloves if interaction is unavoidable.”

Jaden grew dangerously close to going on the offensive when Aaron leaned in over the table, his obscuring wreath of gloaming spreading out, as he said, “ And who are you to accede any compromises to?”

Wren exercised a bit of internal healing power to get his nerves and pulse under control as he replied evenly, “Someone who won't be ransomed for or saved but will be avenged... thoroughly, for the slight to my patrons. Prideful people are frightening when angered. They may not even spare your extra-planar associate. How are they doing by the way?”

Aaron leaned back and retracted his gloaming, revealing rotten and spoiled fare as he said blandly, “Unknowns are vexing are they not? And to me, you are a singularly perplexing unknown.”

Wren affected a small sigh as he waved his hand to remove the spoiled fare and replaced it, as he allowed an innocuous ball to roll down to the sand, resting in front of his foot. Aaron was just as wary as the first time but didn't hesitate to help himself to the spread as before.

Motioning with his eyes, Wren got Jaden to help himself to the fare and sampled it as well while he said, “I'm truly not that enigmatic, Aaron. I'm just far better informed than most. For instance, there's no need to target and sacrifice a holder of the flames of purity to get the sealing pillar from the forest above Under City. If I had more quickly realized your goal there, I would already possess it to offer you. Unfortunately you are far ahead of schedule.”

The goal that caused the death of Rohn, you piece of shit!

The gloaming receded from Aaron's face just enough to see the upward tilt of one well shaped eyebrow before it closed over again.

Aaron slowly nodded then said, “If you can do as you say, that would go a long way to earning my regard and good will. I would of course need to keep hold of your close friend here as a sign of good faith until it was accomplished.”

Wren, who had rolled the ball close to Aaron with an innocuous switch of crossed legs, prepped a small use of psionic force to roll it against Aaron's foot as he said, that is understandable. After all it's your modus operandi to,” Wren released the force as he finished, “to apprehend a victim.”

As dark bands snaked up Aaron's form, locking his power away as it stole the gloaming fae's speech and sight, Wren added, “It's a shame you have a distinct lack of desire to release someone once you have your hooks in them.” Wren stabbed a stillness enchanted needle into Aaron's heart and before sliding a silent mind enchanted needle through Aaron's temple he said, “And who said I want your fucking regard! As for your good will, it has so little value, I wouldn't even wipe my ass with it.”

After throwing Aaron into the outer edge of his devouring void space, Wren grabbed the slack jawed Jaden and used his void space's porting to quickly move them to the underwater palace before quickly getting to work reconstructing a pale imitation of his father's symbiotic armor with a few new infernal twists. As he evaluated the work, he saw it was a bit shoddy but it would hold for a few weeks before needing to be replaced.

Wren donned the new armor, which Jaden mirrored, as he powered up the defensive barriers and traps of the underwater palace. Wren sat in the throne/seat as he lifted a more elegant looking one out of the floor and motioned for Jaden to sit in it.

As Jaden sat in the slightly effeminate looking seat, with a slightly disenchanted look he said, “You know, this is my family's home.”

Wren looked over at Jaden and burst out in slightly manic laughter as he said, “We could be overtaken at any moment by who knows what kind of contingency plan of Aaron's and you're unhappy with how cute your chair is compared to mine? God, I love you... There's a good reason for this arrangement though.

“This throne has control mechanisms for many features of the palace in it. Yours is actually a lot neater though. It has the ability to transport any who sits in it and up to three others nearby, to your great-grandmother's hamadryad. Essentially, I'm trusting you to know when it's time to cut and run. If you knew how to operate the control orb in the arm rest, I'd happily switch chairs with you.”

After another hour went by filled with tension laden conversation and Wren secretly fiddling with precision control of his void power to siphon Aaron's spirit without damaging the restraints and enchanted needles, Jaden asked for the fourth time how much longer they were going to just sit there. As Wren sighed and was about to answer Jaden, a booming spirit enhanced voice said, “Immediately reveal yourself and release my body or I will start rotting the meat off your pretty red haired friend and her husband.”

Wren appealed to his inner self, drew upon his manifestation and replied in a nearly equally loud psychic emanation tinged with eerie undertones, “Since both options result in the same or worse ending, I choose the option where I start peeling your astral body into strips and chew on it like the bacon you made me leave on the beach earlier. That is, until you can oath to me that any damages and life lost in your endeavors has been restored and returned where they were before you rudely interrupted their activities. 98% left. Make that 97%.”

Jaden looked at Wren in shock and said, “You-You're eating ancestor Aaron's soul!?”

Jaden shivered when Wren turned to him and replied with lifeless eyes, “I will do things far worse than that to him if he doesn't do as I say.”

Wren returned to his augmented mental voice and said, “You're not moving yet? When I get another percent of your spirit out of you, I'm going to fashion a modified god-killer curse out of it. So if you're waiting till I pop like a tick you're sadly mistaken. I know at least six more ways to gainfully employ your hard earned progress till you dust. Each will increasingly be harder to recover from if it takes you too much time to bend that stiff neck of yours and do as I say, TRASH!”

As Wren bent to the task of creating the most beneficial and nastiest toys in his woefully small repertoire to while away the time, Jaden finally cracked a little under the pressure and said, “Wren it shames me to admit that you are frightening me. I feel as if I'm losing you in small degrees every time you finish another one of your... projects.”

Wren looked at Jaden sadly as he replied, “Lilly was nearly dead by the time he got here. He killed Jampa as soon as I had finished speaking the second time. Your father has no idea where Rohn and Imani are. Ephyra and your father have secreted everyone else we care for away but Ephyra could cave at any time. She's already lost her youngest clutch. I have no choice but to commit to this course of action now.

“If we bow to his demands, even once, we are all finished. He will slowly pick us off one by one as he uses us up to get what he desires. Glaucous is keeping me updated for now but until I get Aaron below 50% he's going to keep cooking up more insidious schemes. He'll keep them under his ability to undo, just in case, but I think you'd be surprised how far a Tier VI existence can go before they pass their ability to retract their actions.”

As Wren spoke to Jaden, gloaming mist began pouring through the connecting tunnel towards them. Wren casually tossed out a god-killer needle towards the fog that shot through it like lightning to its source. Afterwards, Wren collected the loosely dissipating fog with a void bead and stored it in a ward box within his middle void. Using the sound formation, Wren projected his voice over Seaside.

Wren said, “I don't know if you didn't believe that I could make them but if you do something as devoid of intelligence as that was again, I'm going to start pushing those needles into your testicles.”

Wren thought at BZ, “Do you know the names of any Abyssal denizens of notoriety?”

BZ promptly replied, “One that is likely known to Aaron that might take interest in Aaron's body if you could contact them, which you can't? Praxis, Zebul and Mother Midnight. The last is a bit unbelievable but she is known widely as a collector.”

Wren once again turned to the augmented psychic force but this time he pinpointed Aaron's signature as he projected, “ Since you seem interested in pushing this game as far as you can before you even contemplate doing what I want, I'm throwing in the towel and seeing what your corpse will buy me from the Guardian Alliance. Your mostly stripped soul might be a nice present to Praxis or Zabul. I haven't decided but I'll definitely chose the one who'll hand you over to Mother Midnight. I'm not negotiating, this is a statement of intent. You have ten seconds to oath your compliance or I remove your ability to do else. May the Eternal Circle have mercy upon those that will be ruined by my impatience.”

As his avatar appeared in the tunnel, Aaron responded, “Arrogant insect! You will set me back centuries but I can recover from the loss of my main body.”

Wren smiled coldly as he said, “Not when it lies in my hands. Do what is required before it is too late... Principle of contagion.”

In Wren's void space, a special god-killer needle infused with the first secret of the Infernal Engineers, entered Aaron's other temple. Black veins began rapidly spreading on Aaron's secondary form.

As Aaron stared in disbelief at his form Wren said, “Spiritual distillation, gather!”

Mixing the effects of the Infernal Engineer's principle of contagion with Abyssal Alchemist's spiritual distillation, Wren started to draw all of Aaron's fractured soul clones' core existences back into the main astral body as it started liquefying. It wasn't without cost however. Wren's SE was being eaten up at such a pace that within five seconds, it would begin eating through his own astral body to fuel the process. It wouldn't be enough time to do more than lightly cripple the clones but he hoped it would be enough to scare Aaron into conceding. It took three and Wren immediately stopped as soon as Aaron started speaking the oath.

To keep up the image of his strength, Wren ate the special god-killer needle to replenish his severely depleted reserves as Aaron completed his loophole filled version of Wrens demand.

Wren didn't even bother acknowledging as he said, “Principle of con-”

Aaron interrupted to speak a far more clear oath of cooperation with only two major flaws that BZ pointed out, which Wren immediately slapped Aaron in the face with.

After getting those addressed Wren requested Aaron stay as he said, “Now we will be done after a 'Year and a Day' subordination oath and a Millennial non-aggression pact.”

Aaron paused for a moment before he agreed to do so if Wren would oath the release of his main body upon completion of his current oath. Wren countered that he would do so if Aaron retrieved the Ring of Fealty from it's current owner, a ruler of a slaver's city-state, and the Amulet of Safe Sleep from it's, before turning to complete his oath. Since they were easy tasks, Aaron agreed before they each swore their oaths. This time, Wren didn't bother pointing out the subtle but dangerous loopholes in both of Aaron's new oaths, that without BZ's input he'd have had no chance of spotting.

The Rohn that was mine, do you see this Aaron running to do your first testing errands? This is my tribute to you.

It took less than an hour for the items in question to be delivered before Aaron turned to undoing the harm that he had done. As soon as BZ confirmed that Jampa had been added back to the participant list with Lilly's negative statuses removed and Glaucous had confirmed the return of Rohn and Imani, Wren had BZ file a dummy report with the SYSTEM that had the Guardian Alliance representatives picking up Aaron at coordinates marked by a petrified live oak, with Wren getting the AP and material rewards but had the rep to be given to an imaginary demigod trying to earn their way into the SYSTEM by joining an organization.

Wren stuck the remaining contagion god-killer needle into Aaron's temple and as the remaining clones died he drew out the spirit he had liquefied, into a crystalline vial. As soon as Aaron's main body died, he collected the escaping astral body into an intricately patterned ward box and activated a contagion inspired spirit gathering array on it. Wren then had Jaden use his great-grandmother's throne to send it and the corpse to the secluded hamadryad for pickup.

Even after all that, I have no idea if I've done enough to end that cockroach for good but damned if I didn't give it all I had.

Bounty Notification: For aiding in the capture of Aaron Gauthier, the following rewards have been granted...

1500 AP

1 Tier V evolutionary medicine

Reputation: +2 Bounty Hunter's Association, +1 Abyssal Vanguard, +? ???, -2 Infernal Vanguard,... +5 Guardian Alliance (Satyrus branch only)

Rewards and Gratuities var. (collect material goods at any safe-zone lock-box) *SYSTEM registrar

A little later, Glaucous arrived. As the big man snatched up Wren into a painful bearhug, Jaden silently radiated heated displeasure but said nothing. After sharing a round of discourse on events, Wren summoned another meal that the famished couple finally got to eat along with Glaucous.

After finishing stuffing his face, Wren said, “This changes things, a great deal many things. First off, I don't feel like it's good idea to put off the processing of your, for lack of a better term, dirty SE. G-man, I'm sorry to say that I kinda used all my three initial bonds to create the one I have with Jaden. We both may have underestimated just how much inner me was infatuated with him.” Wren gave Jaden an affectionate gaze.

Glaucous smiled broadly, “How can it be underestimated? You barely deserve a man as fine as my son. It just shows how much wiser your inner self is.”

Basking in the glow of his father's praise, Jaden's earlier frostiness slowly dissipated as he said with burning ears, “There are more important matters to discuss. Are we simpering womenfolk?”

Wren looked at Jaden coolly and said, “Better hope Lilly never hears you say something like that. She'll skin you alive and I'll let her get halfway done before I stop her. That's only because I love you and mama Ku will want her share... But you're absolutely right about needing to get back on topic.

“There's no need to wait till I achieve and solidify Tier IV. I just so happen to have a replacement idea. In some ways it's even better and your son gets to help... Don't look at me like that, Glaucous. You know damn well I wouldn't even come close to suggesting something like that!”

Wren pulled out the crystalline vial, missing a fifth of it's original content. After prompting Jaden and guiding him through the process, Wren had him run traces of silver and black flames through the liquefied astral body to remove impurities and any remaining signatures that might still be within it.

Holding the vial, Wren said, “Your father can nourish and encourage your growth in death as he did not in life. In it's current form, this heavily condensed SE is corrosive to other SE types aside from life spirit. As it decompresses, it will dissolve the false divinity and faith power you possess into a more neutral condensed SE. There would be a chance for several minor side effects, save that he was your father and what information I have on this states that this process is frequently used in the Abyss for a flagging elder to strengthen their offspring.

“This is the most important part, Glaucous. Split it up over three days. Before every dose you need to meditate on the part of yourself you wish to strengthen and which parts you wish to dissolve and hold that image firmly while the liquid is active. I can't coach you further but consider carefully what you wish to be because this is something you can only do once safely. I'm not certain if it will be too much or not enough but in the event that it's more than you need just absorb the excess into your astral body slowly as it decompresses.”

With a bitter face, Glaucous mentally shared, “It saddens me how impersonal all this, sounds, is.

Wren replied, “I feel the same, heart-brother, but for your son's sake and the relationship you wish to have with him, it has to be.”

I've never had to deal with putting out 'old flames' in my past life but knowing what I have now, it makes it bearable. There's only one person in this whole reality that could challenge that resolve. For both our sake's, I hope he's moved on happily.

Wren took in a deep breath and released it, along with his thoughts on the past as he said, “We don't have much time for me to get away with something now that a time stamp is placed on Aaron's capture. I had intended for him to take the fall for a lot of things till his bounty got kicked up to a level where others would handle him but things are what they are. Since that's the case, can you drop Jaden and I off as far into the bone meadow as you can, Glaucous.”

Glaucous' eyes widened as he said, “That's insanity! Are you trying to get my son and yourself killed!?”

Wren's eyes carried a hint of steel as he said, “There are easier ways to die if that's what I wanted. Your lack of faith in me is tragic.”

Glaucous looked between his son and Wren as he said, “Will you still go if I do not take you.”

“Yes.” Wren replied firmly.

Glaucous knocked his son unconscious with a movement of faith fueled power and said, “I will take you but you go alone. If you die, I will remove your memory from his mind and soul. It will cost me dearly and harm my son but he will live.”

Wren said, “It's your hell to pay when he wakes up but for what it's worth, I understand. I don't agree but I understand.”

As Glaucous wrapped them in a jet of water he said, “If it wasn't for my faith in your ability you would have a place beside him until this foolishness passed but even so, there is risk and there is suicide.”

A generous amount of time and a nap in transit later, Wren stood alone at the banks of a two month, seasonal swamp. The rain was pouring down heavily as Wren summoned a void enhanced spectral transport. Wren took an appraising look around him before setting out.

Not long into his journey, BZ informed Wren, “This area contains lethal levels of radiation but as long as you remain within the field of your void construct, you should not be affected.”

So that's why Aaron needed a person who had purifying flames embodiment.

As Wren reached an island of flat land littered with bones and covered in a carpet of dark flora, he was forced to descend as the energy construct of his transport began to break apart.

Wrapping himself in a veil of his void realm, Wren continued walking on as he asked, “Buzz, what just happened?”

BZ responded, “A strong eldritch essence field is mixed with the radiation here. Your summons are temporarily unavailable.”

Wren shook off a sudden feeling apprehension. As he continued walking further in, the feeling grew stronger.

Are you trying to warn me, inner self?

Wren's inner self was just as perplexed as he was.

Wren nearly jumped out of his skin when BZ chimed in, “You're on a cursed ground now, Wren. You would normally be immune or at least resistant enough to realize the feelings were not yours but the source must be too strong.”

As horrible as all of this is, What kept Aaron away?

Every step felt heavy. Wren's mouth went dry and his intuition was starting to pick up something that unsettled it deeply.

“You have passed the point of no return, trespasser. There is no path but forward and when you fail, we feed to continue our vigil,” said a despair inducing voice.

BZ said, “Five Tier VI oath-bound astral bodies. There is over a 60% chance they will not attack unless you turn from your objective.”

Wren said, “Why will I fail?”

One of the entities that could only be sensed but not seen responded, “Only aesthetics, holy beasts and family may approach our Mistress' tomb to pay respect and tithe. All others will feed us so that we may keep our vigil. We await your decision to flee or proceed and be judged trespasser.”

Wren took a few more steps forward as he felt their agitation grow, then said, “Who is your mistress?”

Silence was his answer till he moved again and five voices said simultaneously, “World Mother Satyra.”

Shit... Alright Glaucous, good call. That still doesn't answer what Aaron would want from here.

In the distance, Wren saw an obsidian pillar. His time was running out to find answers before this turned into a fight for survival and BZ had no insight yet to give.

Out of picante, Wren asked as he walked at an execution block pace, “I suppose it doesn't hurt to ask. Do you guys know why a potentially Infernal Host connected, Tier VI gloaming fae would be interested in sending someone here?”

Silence reigned for a time before a vaguely feminine voice said, “Are you another victim of Aaron's?”

With vitriol, Wren said, “No. Today, he was the victim. I handed the corpse of his main body and most of his astral body, along with his soul core, over to the Guardian Alliance.”

“Are you able to offer proof?” said the same voice.

Wren removed a ward box from his void space. Opening it, he revealed a rotting bead and a small crystalline vial to the open air.

A sinister male voice hissed, “He may have proven to be a nuisance but he did provide us sustenance. I will mourn his passing.” A wheezing chuckle filled the air.

Be glad this isn't past me. You would have just earned yourself a ticket to oblivion.

Wren said angrily, “Well, Mr. Chuckles, if I hadn't stopped him he would have whipped up another Black Tide to come eat your billowy ass.”

Another voice tinged with age and decrepitude joined in to say, “He speaks truth. Whistlethorn spoke of children, one matching his description, having a most comical battle with an abomination that no child of the forest would willingly approach. He partly carries the air of an aesthetic and is the mate of one who carries holy beast blood. It skirts the oath but qualifies. For the sake of his service to us, I would say to let him pass and pay tithe if the menhir will allow his approach.”

The sinister voice rejoined, “We need his sustenance. Unless one of the gate's symbols alights, whether you join or not, I will feast... That is, unless he offers me the contents of that vial.”

Wren's temper overtook his common sense and said, “I'll give it to anyone but you! I'd rather take it myself and drag you with me to oblivion, greedy fuck!”

A commanding voice said, “You overstep yourself, assassin. Either our oath requires us to do our duty or it does not. Knowing what I do of your past antics, I assume you only mean to scheme for more resources... Know this, if even a single symbol lights enough for me to see and if you choose to ignore your duty, there will be only four tomb guards from that day on. What say you, Magus?”

The feminine voice said, “As long as even one symbol has the faintest glow I will leave him pass as long as he takes no more than the prescribed amount of the three gifts of the Mother that any aesthetic or holy beast may. If you will accept my word, Knight, I will inform you of a weaker glow since my sensitivity is higher.”

The commanding voice said, “I will. Healer, you need not speak, save your strength.”

Not exactly sure why he cared, Wren asked, “What's wrong with the healer?”

The commander replied, “Since the beginning, Healer has refrained from predation on sentients and aided us in resolving the madness that overtakes us. The aesthetics that used to come and willingly shared with them, stopped arriving centuries ago and their frequent efforts to resolve Assassin's excesses has weakened them.

Wren thought at BZ, “Will the liquefied astral body have side-effects on these guys?”

BZ replied, “No. Their existence is maintained on the material plain by consistently using minute amounts of SE vapors produced by LE consumption.”

Wren said, “I had plans for this but I honestly have decided to wait for a better material. If the healer is willing, I will give him the vial.”

An unearthly wail followed by the sinister voice's curses, filled the area. Both the Knight and Druid pleaded Healer to take the offer as Mage explained to Wren that he needed to open it for them. It wasn't that they couldn't affect the world around them but there were strict restraints on what they could do. Deciding to follow through with his unfathomable impulse to waste valuable resources, Wren opened the vial and watched the contents evaporate in a streaming line till it was gone.

The commanding voice said, “It will take some time for Healer to recover but they are grateful and so are we. It changes nothing on what I and Mage must do if you fail the gate but I would regret. Judging by your actions, I would say that there have been many less worthy to pass.”

Heartened by the recommendation, Wren sped up his pace towards the torii-like entrance to the inside of the sealing pillar. Wren paused for a moment and took a deep breath before stepping in.

The commanding voice said, “The aesthetic symbol glows brightly in my vision and I can barely perceive the glow upon the holy beast symbol. Was your vision or recounting mistaken and this is a female with child?”

Ooookay. Gonna just ignore I heard that.

The feminine voice added, “There are many explanations for this phenomenon. The most likely would hurt your sensibilities, Knight. I would like to add that the family symbol also glows but it is a faint thing, even in my vision... Once you are done paying tithe you are allowed three measures of each, aesthetic.”

Wren nodded and walked to the menhir. He was lost on what to do next until he began inspecting the standing stone. Below the flowery and religious memorial script there was a place indicated for the supplicant to place their hand, paw, flagella or other podia.

Wow. I just thought about a giant giardia lamblia waltzing up here to pay its respects. Total nightmare dream fuel.

Mustering up his courage, Wren placed his hand on the sigil. With a feeling of sinking through mud, he disappeared.