February 23, 2019, 2:20 pm. Ominous wuff-o-clock.

It takes me less than two seconds to make it to the central room using quick teleport-hops. My party screen tells me that Rufka and Tipan are safe. So, I follow the Tether towards Kellica, rapidly teleporting through the outpost until I'm outside the command centre. Ael'thani is climbing to her feet, but Kellica is on the far side of the wall separated from us. I reach through to the tether, and the connection feels... frazzled. Deciding not to risk a group teleport, I use Kellica as a jump point, and move inside, Pausing the second I appear.

Kellica is on the ground, fully enclosed in her metal form with a burly K'tharn atop her. Several of the little nubs of metal we've been using to knock people out are sticking out of the second K'tharn's fur. Guess she's immune to their effects. Which means she's probably a venom mage too. A quick analysis confirms she is, and that her name is Petra. Her mouth is frozen open in a nearly silent scream, which I ignore as I direct metal bracers to form around her wrists and ankles. When Pause ends, I yoink her up. I can feel her contesting my control but a quick use of Anchor shows that she's not breaking out right away.

While I'm holding Petra in the air, Kellica quickly flips to her feet. She spares Petra a quick glance but runs forward to a stone block in the centre of the room. The second she lays her hand on it, a pulse shoots out.

"Self-destruct deactivated. Communications re-established," Kellica breathes out as our quest pings with a completion. Then she glances at me, "Any casualties?"

"Not on our end," I reply, having already been informed through party chat that none of the entrance guards had been hurt. "No sign of Pogell though."

The venom mage manages to get one of her hands to swing forward at that, and I look towards her. "Petra, right?" I ask, stepping closer. "Any chance you know where Pogell has gone?"

Petra just glowers in response, struggling against her bonds.

"You know, I never asked, what are you guys doing out here anyway?" I direct this question toward Kellica, stepping around Petra to look at the controls. But she's talking to the K'mintar through the console. I think. I don't actually know who she's talking to.

This question Petra deigns to answer, which is nice of her. "This is a training facility. You put my doshni in harm's way without even knowing you were coming here. If so much as a hair on their heads is out of place, I'll-"

"That's enough of that," I say, muffling the sound of her threats with a sphere of wind. Her concerns are understandable. And honestly if the guards hadn't attacked, we wouldn’t have invaded by force.

"Vaus-damned burner," Ael'thani says as she steps into the room. Then with a glance towards Kellica, she grimaces. "I mean, Vaus-damned Zanbia-fucker."

I... is she trying to be nice towards Kellica?

Deciding we have more important things to focus on, I ask, "Did you find any sign of Pogell?"

"Yeah, he was here. She said as much before going ballistic on Kellica," Ael'thani replies, nodding her head in the direction of Petra. "What even was that?" She asks, though this time she's looking at Petra.

"She... uh, can't hear you. Wind sphere," I say even as I drop the effect. Which leads to the room quickly being filled with more of Petra's ranting.

"Hey, you, shut-up!" Ael'thani yells at Petra, which earns her a glare, but does get our prisoner to quiet down. "What in Astra's name was that traitor doing here?"

"Pogell is no traitor. She serves the true will of the Weavers," Petra replies, attempting to spit on Ael'thani. But I catch it and send it straight back home.

While Petra chokes on her own spit, I turn to Ael'thani. "Ever heard of the Weavers before? I mean, I know about Reapers. And... lots of other factions, actually. But this one is new. Is it related to the Taken?"

"It's another name for Reapers. Bio-weavers," Ael'thani replies, glaring at Petra. "One of the threats we're supposed to be protecting the Aetherium from."

"Damn. You guys really suck at your job then," I say, while looking back at where Petra is finally recovering. "Their influence seems to keep popping up everywhere."

"Hey!" Ael'thani protests, turning her glare on me. I just raise an eyebrow in response, waving at the floating Petra. I don't even bother mentioning the whole Ivicka incident. Partially cause we haven't told anyone about the Reaper involvement there. Considering the System was ready to wipe out the entire planet at the hint of one being present, we've kept our Reaper discussions to a minimum.

As Ael'thani glances at Petra, she grimaces again. "Okay, you're right. But that's not really my fault. I've only been out of training for a few weeks."

"Just saying," I reply, looking towards Kellica who's finally finishing whatever she was doing on the console. "So?"

"Pogell was here. This giant heap of Zanbia dung gave her full access to the capital's network. She's gone to Aethire," Kellica says, then before I can register exactly what she's doing, Kellica spins towards Petra.

A spike now protrudes from Petra's chest, and she starts gasping.

"What the fuck?" I say, stepping forward to pull the spike out, only to be stopped by Kellica's hand.

"It's required to subdue her. As a venom mage, she can't be brought to the K'mintar without being drained first," Kellica says, waving at the spike. As if in answer, blue dust starts emanating from the end of the spike, filling the air before fading away. Almost instantly, Petra stops struggling against the shackles I've been using to hold her in place.

"You failed to mention that you needed to drive the mana-spike into her chest when we were going over the plan," I grouse, but hold off any further objections. She had mentioned that she might need to use the mana-spike if the venom mage wasn't cooperative, but still...

"I... may have been feeling a little spiteful," Kellica admits, looking at Petra. "She always insisted that being isolated from the others was a good thing. And that we deserved the insults."

Oh. I never even thought about... of course Kellica would know the venom mage trainer personally. "Not a great mentor, then."

"No, Tel’thoni. Not great," Kellica says, shaking her head before turning away from Petra. "The K'mintar has declared our Vigil a success. And as a reward has made me team leader. Ael'thani, Lik'tik and I are to report to Aethire as soon as possible. She has warned me that you Outlanders and Rufka are tagged, however. There have been... riots. And the ministers are placing the blame on your shoulders."

"I'm going with you," Tipan says from the doorway, where Rufka is standing just behind her. "The ministers won't be able to declare me a criminal without invoking my father's wrath. And if Pogell still has my book..."

"I take it that means you didn't find it," I state more than ask, turning towards Petra. "How about you? Did you see Pogell with a book?"

Petra's eyes light up, though not in a magical way. No, it's far creepier than that. Those are the eyes of a believer. "Yes. Pogell was here with the sacred text. The work of the Weavers was open to her, though it remained concealed to my unworthy eyes."

"Don't suppose she left it behind?" I ask, not expecting her to answer.

"Why would the prophet leave behind her most sacred tool?" Petra asks, twisting to stare at me as if I was the crazy one here. Which, fair.

"Yeah, didn't think so," I reply, shrugging at Tipan.

She and Kellica start talking about where to go.

"I'm coming too," I decide, "Might need to keep..."

Rufka is shaking her head, a sad smile on her face. "Mum set up those defences. If we're tagged users, we'll be caught in seconds. Unless we want to fight our way through, we're not going to be able to return."

"I... that's stupid," I grumble crossing my arms. Smoulder, who was contemplating the floating Petra notices my grouching and gives up on her task to comfort me instead. "Well, at least I can teleport you to Betheryne. Save you travel time."

"Oh. That'll work out great. Mum's there, and you can take her to the K'mintar," Rufka adds, nodding.

"How are we on the no-go list but your mum isn't?" I grumble.

"She left herself a backdoor so she can ignore it," Rufka replies, as if it's obvious.

"And... couldn't she do the same for us?" I ask, staring at my thiani, pulling her away from the others.

"Uh? Probably? But I know she didn't include me cause..." as Rufka trails off, she turns to the side, her ears laying back.

"Cause?" I press, squeezing her shoulder to let her know she doesn't have to answer despite my curiosity.

"Cause I wandered off when I was a cub, and she used the network to track me down. And decided it would be best if it always worked," Rufka admits with a low grumble.

I can't help but blink a couple times before I start laughing. The others look over at us, but I wave them off.

"Okay then. We can't go into Aethire until your mum fixes the network or they rescind our crime-lord status," I squint upwards at the plain stone roof. "Guess that means we're back to building the tracking array. If it points to Aethire... well, I guess we'll need you guys to deal with it."

"Mum'll help," Rufka says, squeezing my shoulder. "She's very anti-slavery."

"You do remember that we found her working in shackles, right?" I ask, amused despite myself.

"Bah, those were decorative," Rufka disagrees, scrunching up her face. "She wasn't any more held than I was last-"

Clamping a hand over Rufka's mouth, I nod. "I get it." She smiles through my hand, but otherwise remains silent.

"Tel'thoni, if you're ready?" Kellica says, stepping forward with the other Taken and Tipan behind her.

"Don't do anything too crazy. I know Genitha is powerful, but she gets distracted," I say even as I wave everyone in. Including Petra, who Kellica keeps held in one hand.

Then we teleport to the Nexus point in the Builder's city of Betheryne. I'm half expecting the mini-minotaur to be waiting for us, but instead we arrive in an empty courtyard beneath the silver control spire. I feel an irrational burst of annoyance that there's a fully functional tower right here but press it down. Besides... maybe I can scan it and we can copy it in Burnesq. Though it would probably require large amounts of enchanting.

Bah.

Genitha is having drinks with the mini-taur when we arrive. And dancing. There's ghostly music playing, and the Geral's feet rest on Genitha's thighs as they move about in a dance that reminds me somehow of that time mom got us both ballet lessons. Except they have the grace that me and mom utterly lacked. Same amount of stepping on each other though.

We all wait in silence until they finish, at which point there's a light round of applause from us earthlings. And Rufka.

Then we're updating Genitha and she's saying goodbye to Geral.

As I'm giving hugs to Tipan and Kellica, Genitha steps forward. "What no hug for your thiani's mother?"

I glance at Rufka, and she gives me a small nod. So I step forward and give Genitha a hug. Which she turns into a tight squeeze, while whispering, "You take care of my kitten, understand?"

I find myself nodding as Genitha moves on, giving Rufka a tight hug. Something about the way she said that has me frowning. As Rufka comes up next to me, throwing her arm over my shoulder, she asks, "What's wrong?"

Before I can answer, Genitha calls out, waving goodbye to us before teleporting away with Tipan and the Taken.

I stare at the empty spot for a moment before turning to Rufka to answer. Which is when Josh asks, "So, back to Glimmering Sands? Or do we go to Raz's? Beth kept waffling between them as respawn points."

Oh. I forgot. Looking at my notification, I confirm that Beth's cooldown has been reset.

Beth is back.

...TPWM...

February 23, 2019, 7:06 pm. The first hour of Beth's third life.

After a minute of discussion, we decide to return to Glimmering Sands. If Beth revived in Raz's, she can always return here. When we arrive in Glimmering Sands and there's no sign of her near the Nexus point, I check access to Raz's. But it's not available, a countdown saying it'll be back in range in twelve hours. And there’s no messages yet.

Even more reason to think Beth is at Raz's.

Still, Josh and Rose aren't arguing about tv. Or anything else. We're all quiet as we move to the inn. Pefe greets us with a giant smile, and soon has a warm meal ready. My mind returns to Genitha's strange request before teleporting away.

"Rufka, is there any reason your mum might be worried about meeting the K'mintar?" I ask, pulling her back from joining the game of Astra's Stride Roberts suggests after dinner. An attempt to distract Josh and Rose, I think.

"No, why?" Rufka asks, her eyes drifting towards where they're pulling out the board and placing the pieces.

A small smile tugs at my lips for a moment before a frown replaces it. "She asked me to take care of you before she left."

This manages to get Rufka's attention, and she turns to look at me with just her lower eyes. "What did she say, exactly?"

I repeat Genitha's words for her and Rufka half-jumps out of her chair as she spits out, "Ukila above, mum. You promised!"

"What did she promise?" I ask, suddenly worried. And not just for Genitha. Tipan and Kellica are with her.

"That she wouldn't..." Rufka trails off, her eyes closing as she settles back into the chair. "Vaus take me. This is my fault."

"I still don't know what you're talking about," I point out, starting to feel a little annoyed.

"We're going after the Aetherium. Maybe not directly, but this Fallen thing? That's being controlled by one of the ministers, no doubt about it," Rufka says, leaning back in the chair as she stares upward. "And we're enemies of the state. Mum's gonna confront them. Maybe the K'mintar. Maybe the council. And she's planning to spend her life to do so. At least twice."

"You're sure?" I ask, suddenly feeling much more worried. I can still feel the tether connecting me to Genitha and the others. I could Focus on them and see what they're doing. Maybe even teleport into the city in time to get Tipan out.

"No," Rufka admits, taking a lot of the wind out of my sails. "I don't know what she's doing. Because she didn't tell me. Again."

"I can check," I say, though I hesitate. It's been a while since I last looked through someone's eyes. Maybe it'd be better to send a message to Tipan through the Nexus.

"Please," Rufka says, squeezing my hand.

I nod, discarding my previous train of thought when I see her worry. When I attempt to Focus on Genitha, there's resistance. My Focus starts draining rapidly, but I can't seem to stabilize a connection. So, I take a breath, then switch to Tipan. This time, I'm able to connect almost instantly.

When I make the connection, Tipan stumbles, but she looks around, then whispers, "Lexi?"

I nod, then realizing how silly that is, I say, "Yes."

Back in my real body, I can barely feel Rufka squeeze my hand. Which surprises me. I didn't have any sense of my body when I did this last.

Instead of speaking, Tipan gives a subtle nod as she walks behind Genitha and Kellica down an ornate marble hall. The walls have bright tapestries hung along the walls, with detailed busts carved out of gold. Wherever they are, it's as ostentatious as any mansion I've seen on tv.

When they get to the end of the hall, they're stopped by a pair of guards who are more shadow than visible form. Their crossed swords are visible enough though.

"I'm here to see the K'mintar," Genitha says, her voice flat and cold. "Liz is expecting me."

The guards hesitate, but after a second, they pull their swords back, one of them pushing the door open with a shadow-dappled arm. Pretty sure they could've just used magic, but I'm starting to suspect a lot of people do things physically for the ceremony of it.

"You're meeting the K'mintar already?" I ask, and I can feel Rufka squeezing my hand again. I must be speaking in my real body as well.

Tipan nods again but remains silent as they step into a room that looks half-office and half-armory. At the desk set against one wall, is one of the shortest K'tharn I've ever seen. She's almost as small as a pu'shaha. Her brilliant orange and red fur purge any hope of her going unnoticed though. At least, not without magic. When Genitha enters, the small K'tharn turns towards her, the beads woven in her brace of short braids clattering.

"Of course, you choose to visit now," the K'mintar grunts, pushing her chair back. "And did you really have to put little Kellica through two weeks with your daughter?"

I feel Tipan suppress a snort, and I can't help but share her amusement at this diminutive K'tharn referring to Kellica as little when she's at least two heads shorter.

"You know that those weeks were good for her," Genitha replies, crossing her arms and glaring at the K'mintar. "And my visit wouldn't be as ill-timed if not for the traitor in your midst."

"Yes, yes, unpleasantness for all of us. Did you bring it?" the K'mintar asks.

"Bring what?" I can't help but ask, and Tipan gives a small shrug. Not that I expected her to know.

"Of course. I promised, didn't I?" Genitha replies, handing over an ornate box of white wood and gold filigree. The K'mintar opens the box, takes a deep breath, then smiles before closing it and putting it on the crowded desk behind her. Despite Tipan tilting her head and closing her upper eyes to focus better, she's unable to catch what's in the box.

"Now that, that's dealt with, we just have the matter of the-"

The door slams open, making Tipan jump slightly. Not enough I would've seen it, but enough I definitely felt it. Doesn't help that her boobs are apparently very bouncy. Does she use magic to keep them from visibly bouncing? Smart.

"K'mintar," one of the guards interrupts my thoughts about Tipan's breasts. "Someone has breached the cells."

The short K'tharn, doesn't hesitate. Faster than Tipan can track, she disappears. When Tipan turns to Genitha, it turns out she's gone too. Kellica is standing there with her mouth open, and Tipan steps forward, grabbing her by the shoulder. "What's going on? What cells?"

Tipan's question shakes Kellica out of her stupor. "The stasis cells. Where we keep the prisoners the council declares too dangerous to be allowed free."

"What? You keep prisoners here?" Tipan asks, following as Kellica finally starts moving.

"No. Not here, they're in a complex-"

Whatever Kellica was going to say is lost as something washes over them, shattering the connection. The last thing I see is a blue tinge.