When Tay got off work she expected to have to drag Chis back home from the shelves, oddly enough he came with barely any protest, following her like a duckling as he was clearly lost in his own thoughts. He was weirdly distracted, even more quiet than usual. His bright amber eyes, the irises filled with almost white lines that made them seem fractured, looking around the library like he expected to see something around every corner.

He was still checking out a pile of books, the boring kind, which made her feel a bit less worried but it was still... concerning.

Once they were outside she decided to broach the topic

"Hey are you okay?" When Chisson didn't immediately respond she specified "Did something happen today" if it had she would storm back in there and take care of it, job or no job.

Chis seemed to recognize the tone of her voice as he snapped out of the silent gaze, "No… no… its just… thinking. Deciding if I want to do some stuff."

"Am I stuff?" Tay asked, faking her flirting tone, They hadnt actually gone there yet but, a joke would disguise the real question. It was a bit easier for him to answer something personal when he was denying something embarrassing.

The parts of Chisson's cheeks not covered in chitin blushed "No! no… its kinda… still figuring it out… I need to think on it."

That was his way of saying it was to personal to share yet. Even to her.

Tay could except that. She didn't like it. It made her helpless to help him. But she could except it, for now.

Anyway she had her own things to think about. She had felt it in the middle of her shift. The constant light pressure in her core suddenly becoming a tingle. It wasn't quite uncomfortable or pleasant, but like weirdly both and yet neither. It was like needing to pee, needing to sneeze, hunger and just general horniness had combined themselves into a new urge that was tugging at her mind. The urge to condense her maou. It felt really weird.

This was supposed to happen at the edge of the birth stage. She had been expecting it after her fight with Benson had left her core feeling like it wanted to pop, but it had come on so suddenly almost out of now we're leaving her barely able to focus on putting books away.

The sensation would grow stronger as time went on, until she either succeeded in evolving or went crazy from it in some cases she had heard of both had happened. The only way to ward it off was do as the urge bayed and condense.

As soon as they got home, Tay was automatically allowed passed by the door vines as Chisson was grabbed, she tore off her shoes and ran over to the couch crashing down in a sitting pose and just as quickly starting to spin her maou in a condensing spiral.

She stopped as she had to stifle a sound that she would deny till the end of her days would have come out a moan.

Her core felt like it was on fire and cycling sent such a shock of euphoria and relief though her soul that her vision blurred at the edges. Her face a bit warm she checked to make sure she was alone in the room, not sure if she was absolutely relieved or vaguely disappointed that Chisson was not where to be seen.

The urge didn't let her consider it for long, stabbing her with a spike of desperation through her mind.

This time she resited the urge a bit and started off slow, cycling didn't normally feel like this, usually it was just like breathing, natural simple.

Right now just this slow spiral was enough to make her mind buzz her thoughts trying to turn to mush. Her breath caught, but she forced herself to breathe despite the feelings arcing though her. The speed wasn't anywhere near close enough to condense a single wisp of maou. With an effort of will Tay increased the speed slightly, having to force back the desire to continue increasing it as the euphoria swelled along side the spin, taking a few seconds to let her instincts settle she steeled herself, fighting not the bask in the sea of bliss her soul was at the moment.

It was there for her to sink into. To drown her mind in and feel good in every way possible.

Her focus lapsed as a hairline fracture appeared in her defenses.

The spiral began to speed up, disorganized and wild.

'No!' She pulled back sealing the cracks in her mental walls "if fucking Bensen can manage this so can I." Rallied those thoughts she spent the spiral up by another controlled inclement.

The tiny part of Tay's mind that wasn't participating in the internal War between desire and control was really hoping that her actual body wasn't reacting to this. It wasn't quite sexual but it was close enough that she was pretty sure certain physiological reactions would apply.

She couldn't feel anything from her body, it was like trying to spot a constellation during a fireworks display allshe could really tell was her breath was alternating between fast and heavy and the slow control she was trying to maintain.

The next increase in speed was absolutely mind-boggling, she was pretty sure she heard herself shriek. Her thoughts didn't come in words anymore, mind felt like a fog just barely held together by her will.

Still there was enough of her there to realize that she had finally somehow reached her maximum velocity, now she could condense.

Her core howled with glee at the concept, and she almost lost her focus again.

Gritting her teeth held a drop of maou in the center of the spiral, expecting the discomfort of the the act be her safeguard, something to anchor herself to. But soul had other plans, it buzzed with the prospect of release, desperate want suffused her and her walls not only cracked but threatened to crumble.

The discomfort was there. But it was only a counter note, a spot of cold only making burn seem hotter. Even still she grasped it making it the center of her world as instincts flared against her sanity

She wanted to slam all her maou together. To finish this, to feel the wonderful sensations she was sure would come with success.

It felt like torture as she slowly, it felt so overwhelmingly slow..., slowly guided another droplet of maou into the center of a spiral, adding it to the center mass like molding two pieces of clay.

The shock made her even physical body to flinch. Her instincts spiked, growing even more, like hot knives through her control.

She held on. Forcing herself though another. And another. Each feeling better, making her temptation mount, as her will diminished.

Finally it was too much for her to take.

Her will broke and her mind fogged as her instincts swelled.

Her maou, like a title wave rather than a slow trickle, slammed into the bead of condensed power she had managed to formed.

She felt it as it shattered. Felt it like a starving woman watching her last chance at a meal stolen away.

She thought she heard keaning, like that of a pained beast, coming from her own throat but her thoughts were to hazy to be sure.

The pressure, the desire, the instincts were all fading, giving her back some semblance of her sanity, but not entirely.

It was stronger than when she had started, more desperate. Her soul itching like a million bug bites.

But she was exhausted. Her maou used up in her failed attempt. No matter how much she wanted to she couldn't try again until her core had refilled.

She just hoped she could manage to get some sleep.

It was going to be a long night.

The next morning Chisson didn't see Tay anywhere around the house. This wasn't really concerning because she often left earlier than him, her schedule was a lot more flexible than his.

As he walked to work alone, he tried really hard not to think The question looming over his head.

Would he be going to the North Woods?

For one, part of him that felt like he should avoid it like the plague. A stranger had walked up to him and told him that he had the secret to Chisson's biggest desire, and told him to meet him in a secluded area alone.

To be fair the 'alone' part hadn't been said but Chisson felt that it had been implied.

But on the other hand…

He had to known Chisson's biggest desire. Down to the specifics. Maybe even suggesting that he had experienced it himself, although, that could have just been Chisson's imagination.

The question was like a spider web in his thoughts, every unsuspecting train of thinking always seemed to run into it. Sticking to everything and running between like strings.

It would be so easy to Simply mark it off as a a prank at best and a murder plot at worse but…

He didn't want to, there was a part of him that was determined to believe that Just maybe this was a thread of Hope.

The idea kept nagging at him the idea that maybe there was a way to fix him. That maybe there was a way for him to be more than just… himself.

Chisson put effort and keep silencing in the thoughts there. He was at work now and Mr.Resh what's the type of boss that what act like a second of distraction was costing him hours of employee labor

Chission had just clocked in, and was wiping down the tables for opening when Mr. Resh intruded him

"Hey Bug, finish up at that table! I need you to go out. We got a hoard of Shade-rats out by the garbage it's going to become an infestation if you don't do something about it."

"Okay, um… sir, what am I supposed to do about it?" Shade rats were soul-beasts and while he might be able to handle one by the sheer fact that he was like ten times their size, a pack of them was Way Beyond his level.

"You're supposed to get rid of them! Figure it out. I don't care how you do it. What I'm paying you for."

"But…"

"Not another word unless you want me to dock your pay for the day. It's a simple request, get rid of them. If you cant do that then don't bother coming into work tomorrow"

Chisson sighed, Resh was in one of his moods in that would be literally no way to convince him otherwise on this.

He took his time finishing up the table, trying to consider the best course of action, but his thoughts kept turning to the fact that if he had any semblance of proper control over his maou this probably wouldn't even be something he would have really had to consider, which in turn led him back to thinking about Kamel.

Soon, Chisson gave up and decided he'd have to wing it. He'd to figure out exactly what to do once he saw the situation for himself.

Finally, he finished making sure no one would catch something from just sitting at the table and squeezed past the guys behind the bar, who Ignored him and refused to move, and headed out the back door to the trash.

As always The smell hit him like a bolder to the balls, He had no idea why it smelled so bad, It was like despite the offending fluid being removed on a weekly basis, the scent from every drop of vomit, and other unspeakables that end up abundant in an environment frequented by drunks, that had ever been cleaned up since the bar was opened had decided to stick around and conglomerate in a single foul mist.

In short, he could taste it.

Chisson deeply considered just letting himself fall over and die retching just to get it over with, instead he walked closer to the trash can.

Shade-maou was probably the best maou type for stealth, so these rats weren't just going to be in plain sight.

He'd have to put some effort into looking for them.

He held his breath as he went through the trash that had piled up over the week, being extra careful to check any patches of shadow or dark spots he came across.

One of the Shadows moving caught his eye and he felt his attention try to flicker away from it.

Shade maou. Something was using it to hide. something weak enough that he that he could, with a little effort, see through it.

He managed the focus just enough the catch a pinkish tail attached to a lump of black fur Scurry into one the more shadowy piles.

"Gotcha" Chisson whispered, carefully stalking toward the pile, that was likely the rat nest.

He took one step, then two, then another until he was close enough to pounce.

He tore into the pile, thinking that exposing the rats would cause the group, however big or small it was, to flee.

His eyes widened as rather than ten or fifteen, around fifty pairs of beady dark eyes stared up at him snarling a huffing, hissing growl. Then the rats were gone, their growl seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere as their stealth kicked in.

One rat's power he could push through.

All of them working in tandem might as well have ceased to exist from his senses point of view.

He searched for them but anytime he managed to catch a glimpse he suddenly found himself looking somewhere else. He backed away slowly and heard the hissing surrounding him.

Then the bites started. His Lifeline taking repeated tiny jumps downward, along with little bolts of sharp pain

Chisson wasn't proud of what happened next. He would call it a tactical retreat but everyone else who happened to be at the bar during that moment called it running away screaming like a baby.

It was honestly up to interpretation.

"Mr.Resh, I don't think I can deal with those rats on my own. There's a construct shop a few blocks away, you mind if I run there and grab something?"

Resh thought for a moment stroking his soft milky chin " fine" he spat " but all the time you miss is coming out of your pay, and you forfeit your lunch break today, AND you're paying for whatever you get out of your pocket I'm not giving you a single extra coin, you shouldn't need extra shit do what I hired you for."

He wants that some of the concessions but there is no way he would say no. A familiar fire was beginning to burn in his chest. No matter what it cost him he was coming for those rats.

The walk to the store was alot more pleasant than the walk to work. With his new rat based hatred to occupy his thoughts.

Any passing mind-soul would have instantly noted that this was an obvious tactic of self diversion, but if any passing Chisson on the street had the thought they didn't say anything.

The time of day meant that the road was busy but not packed. Most people were at work right now though there were many who were just on their way and others who had other things to do.

Most ignored him like any stranger on the street, but many, probably those Nacent-stage or above, gave him odd looks ranging from pity to confusion or even disgust. At his age having absolutely no progress in his core probably made scanning him like glancing at a man with the arms of a baby.

Some would assume the truth, that there was something keeping him from condensing his maou to evolution, others would make the assumption he was lazy but he had never put effort into condensing or that he wasn't trying hard enough.

And some would assume the first and feel disgust anyway.

Chisson ignored it all. He was used to it and his anger served well enough as a distraction from this as the events of yesterday.

The squat utilitarian buildings of the shop district began to loom around him. Their eye catching colors & signage contrasting they are simple forms.

Chisson was taking this all in noting that he was getting close to his destination, when he was startled by a crash, loud enough that pretty much everyone nearby flinched, followed by swearing.

"Selino's Left tit! Damn it all!" Chisson swirled to look at the source of the shout finding the crowd parting around an older man leaning over a pile of crates that he had odviously dropped. More floated in the air around him drifting in twirling like leaves caught in an updraft. The man crouched beginning to pick up his dropped belongings, as people moved around him to go about their business.

He was clearly struggling what getting the last few boxes into a stack he could carry, so Chisson went over and picked up a few.

The man looked up and gave Chisson a nod of acknowledgment the feathers that grew in place of his hair fluttering with the motion "Oy, Thank kid. You'd think a Young-stage wind-soul'dve been able to float all those boxes, eh?" He snapped a talon tipped finger " it turned out to be just over my limit but I still wanted to get them all in one trip. Weakness of all men isn't it"

Chisson picked up the two boxes that remains on the ground they were heavy, enough that his arms were already starting to feel it "Yeah, but really who has the time for multiple trips."

There had been at least one time where Tay had actually had to heal him from strained muscles after one of his "one trip dips" she had also disappeared into her room for a while after that so all in all he supposed it was most likely a success.

"Exactly boy! Which is why your help is so welcome. Now on we get to it! Get this shite to the shop any later and I'll be out of business."

"I… Well… okay." Chisson shrugged, Resh could wait a few more minutes.

The man didn't even seem to register Chisson's attempt to protest either way, he just walked on a couple of boxes in his arms as the rest hovered behind him "I'm Dorias. Dorias Caqen." He gave Chisson a bounce of his head, "Ya are?"

"Chisson. I don't have a last name…"

"Iye, Chisson is just fine of a name by itself. Chisson. Strong enough. I would shake your hand but neither of us are really in a position to make that easy"

"Will a 'it's nice to meet you' do as a replacement?"

"If it must, boy. It's nice ta'meetcha too."

They walked in silence for a while Chris somewhat wondering why Dorias hadn't seems to react to his core at all, as a Young-stage evolutionist he had to have sensed it, the ability to scan was gained with the nascent stage and would have only gotten stronger with evolving to young.

Chisson had heard young-stage evolutionist, the stage after Nacent, could see exactly how much maou you had in your core. He wasn't actually Sure if that was true but even if it was an exaggeration it had to come from somewhere. So why wasn't Dorias reacting?

"Here we are." The bird-like man said bring Chisson back to the moment.

"Oh!?" Chisson's eyebrows shot to his forehead as he looked up to the store they were standing in front of. It was a store that sold echantments and constructs, any maou infused tools and trinkets anyone could want. Chisson had never been inside before but he still recognized it.

"Whats wrong? My store spook ya?"

"No. It's just this was the store I was on my way to. What a coincidence?"

"The world is barely a speck kid. Callin it small is an understatement."

But was it too coincidental? Chisson felt like he had been experiencing a lot of coincidences lately and adding another one onto the pile finally made him stop to feel… he wasn't sure. Like it wasn't so simple?

" since you're a customer, let's go get these put up and get you taken care of." Dorias lead Chisson in and had him put down the boxes near the back of the store. "Thank Apex that's done. Now, what do ya' need?"

Now came the 'fun' part, if you hadn't noticed yet bringing it up definitely would call attention to it "Well, my job is having a problem with some shade-rats…"

"A low level beastie."

"Yeah… well, my boss assigned me to take care of them. And… I can't do that myself, so I was wondering if you had something that might… help."

"On account of your core?" Dorias asked calmly, sound getting completely unsurprised and unaffected.

"Yeah. How'd you… i mean, you don't sound all that shocked"

"I scanned you when you first started helpin' me. You're what, 17? 18? I'd give you 16 at youngest. And you still have a core the size of a babe's. That doesn't happen if there ain't something wrong." He looked Chisson up an down " just didn't want to be rude is all. My son had a similar problem early on but he grew out of it, he ain't no Evolutionist, mind you but he got the nascent. I try not to judge."

"Oh." Was all Chisson had to say.

"So, let's get you set up with the right toy"

Dorias lead Chisson to an aisle that seemed to be stocked with traps, cages, repellents, even some wards on the more expensive side of things, pretty much every someone can use to deal with beasts however they needed to.

"Whats your techniques do you have bound right now, boy? The common maou devices are pretty damned varied in function do you want to get one that will complement your style"

Chisson pursed his lips, " I mean I have some techniques down but I can't use any of them it's the same problem that keeps me from evolving"

"Really!? I've never heard of that one before. even if someone's maou had a hard time condencing they've always been able to use basic techniques, from what I know anyway" the shopkeeper shrugged, " guess that just broadens our options, I assume you don't got a physical fighting style I should make sure I'm in line with."

Chisson felt a little offended at the idea that just because he couldn't use his maou he didn't know how to fight. " actually I specialize in close range fighting" he demonstrated with a jab followed by a left hook.

"Oy? Well at least that's something to work with." the shopkeeper sounded way more surprised than Chisson would've liked, and began rummaging through the shelves walking back and forth though the aisle. "Fisticuffs… no techniques… gotta assume low output force...Birth-stage maou… here 'e is." He pulled out a small leather case off of one of the shelves "This is about all I have for ya. These are designed to help kiddies stay safe from weaker beasts. They draw of ambient maou when they can, so you shouldn't have to power them unless you don't work around alot of folks." He opened the case revealing a pair of gloves. they were marked with obvious enchantment, the runes sewn into the lime green fabric with blue thread. The sleeve for each digit extended to about the second joint cutting off there to leave the rest of the finger bare, The Only Exception was the thumb which would be completely covered, a line of runescript ran across the fingers. Chisson stared at the devices, they looked. Well… not cheap but, like Dorias said, like baby's first enchanted item, he was shocked that they even came in his size.

"Do they come in any other colors?"

"If ya want hot pink and orange they do."

Chisson let out a frustrated huff would have sounded more at home from Tay, " what exactly do they do?"

"These are called beast whistle gloves, when all five fingers are together, it preps the enchantment. Then all you need to do is hold your thumb to the side of your finger." He slipped on the glove to demonstrate, his thumb pressing against the side of his pointer finger. There was a slight hum that filled the air, like a high note held on a woodwind instrument.

"Okay I guess that sound would get annoying after a while but I think most beasts would tear a kid apart before that started to bother them"

That's because you're only hearing the top layer of the sound the rest of it is much too high for most races to be able to perceive, and is specifically calibrated to make beasties feel like there are knives going down their ears

Chisson's eyes widened; he was getting it now. "How much?"

" usually this would sell for 250,00 Lincs" Chisson winced at the price that would be pretty much all his pay for the day " but since you helped me out earlier I'll give it to you for 100,00"

More than half priced. It was still more than Chisson wanted to spend. He could buy meals for a couple days with that. Still wasn't really in a position to him to pass up the offer

"I'll… take it." Chisson almost felt physical pain as he pulled out his wallet and poured out a pile of ten Linc coins. The loops of metal same clinking against each other in a Melancholy song.

"Here ya go kid." Dorias said, tossing Chisson the case with the gloves inside.

The next few minutes were spent putting them on and getting used to their function, Dorias taking some time to direct Chisson on exactly what to do to generate the effects, and other things such as how to wash them and maintain the enchantments. None that was overly complicated the devices were made for children and if Chisson couldn't figure them out he might as well get eaten by rats anyway.

As he walked back to work Chisson repeatedly pressed and unpressed the activation on the gloves. Noticing the flight Paths of birds swerving away from him and small rodents scampering away his approach.

He would admit that he was a bit excited. Probably a bit too excited for someone who is planning to beat up a group of animals barely the size of his foot.

So, it wasn't just the taste of Revenge that had him giddy…

Maybe it was because what he was currently wearing was the very first construct that he had ever owned that could, vaguely, only barely, if you stretched it, be considered a combat construct.

He had always wanted one. Even when he was a kid, before his failure to use any techniques the idea of a floating blade or a Hammer that could create craters bigger than him was something often fantasize about.

He'd just never bothered both due to the price and the fact that anything that would actually really do something in a fight were far beyond his ability to power.

What you had now were gloves that would mildly annoy a dog but it Still counted.

Finally he stepped into the bar, Resh blocking his path as soon as he was off of the main floor

"You better have got something." He looked Chisson up and down, looking peeved when the entonid wasn't holding any obvious weapon

"I swear bug of you waste almost an hour and still can't clear out those vermin your even more useless than I tho-"

Chisson held up the gloves, making sure Resh could see the runes sewn into their surface "don't worry, sir. These should do it."

Resh glared at the gloves like Chisson was trying to sell him counterfeit jewelry and Chisson took the chance to explain what they did.

Resh grunted "good enough. Now go do your job."

Chisson didn't hesitate.

He stepped out of the back door, his stance wide and his fist raised.

He saw nothing but he could feel the malevolence radiating from the piles of trash.

Sounds of chittering and hisses filled the air

"Come at me you waste eaters"

The battle was epic,it was legendary, and it was pretty short.

The rats charged and Chisson agitated his gloves. A few of the stragglers bolted but the majority of the Swarm seems to take solace in the each other's support and only hesitated as they crashed towards him like a wave.

Chisson punched out at the mischief of rats as for a moment it faded in to view.

He felt his hand connect even as it returned to stealth, it was like punching a pile of bags filled with jellitin and he tried to pull some of the force to the best of his ability. He wasn't a monster.

Even still, his attack plus the sound from the gloves was enough to convince the beasts that this spot wasn't worth the effort and as swarm they turned and dashed away into the alley.

Chisson thew his fists up, pumping both of them in Victory.

Then he felt kind of silly so he stopped.

It had been a while since he had won a fight if you could even call this one. Still the rush of adrenaline and waves of Pride where addictive.

It took him back to all of the victory he had had as a child. Before maou came into play. How many more could he win if he had working maou?

And with that his thoughts were dragged back to Kamel.