The Encroacher battle had proven to be much more effective than Tristan had anticipated. Since his escape from the school, he had seen the slow trickles of Experience and understood how long it could take to gain a Level in Nyarlea. To hear Matt obtain 93 Experience in mere minutes was simply jaw-dropping.

Tristan approached as Jeenie entered the arena to retrieve the collars from the didrillas.

“What does that collar do?” Tristan asked, pointing at Jeenie’s hand.

“O-oh, this?” Jeenie held the collar by the tip of its leather strap, and Tristan nodded. “This strengthens the Encroacher. Magni spent an exhaustive amount of time with my mother experimenting.” Jeenie sniffed the jewel embedded in the collar, nodding to herself. “After a while, they realized that the stronger the Encroacher, the more Experience it gave.” Jeenie rose to her feet and shook the collar for effect. “So we made these things. Boosts their offense, reduces their defense.”

“That’s why I got so much Experience?” Matt asked as he came up behind her. “Because they were stronger than they were supposed to be?”

Jeenie looked at Matt over her shoulder. “That’s right. On a frail Encroacher like didrillas, it can be pretty hefty to—” Her voice trailed off, her gaze attached to Matt’s torso. After a while, she shook her head and averted her gaze. “I-I-uh, anyway. These things are great on Encroachers who aren’t very sturdy to begin with.”

“But it’s a risk,” Tristan reasoned. “You strengthen the Encroacher too much, and it could prove to be more than you can deal with.”

“That’s why we caged them,” Jeenie said, shrugging. “Get a stick or a spear and start stabbing them at a distance. Free Experience. Does make getting the collars out a little tough, though.”

Tristan and Matt exchanged wide-eyed stares.

“We could hit Second Class, hell, maybe Third Class while we’re here?” Matt asked.

“I doubt that,” Tristan said, pinching his chin in thought. “These gems look expensive. There’s also no guarantee they won’t break after some time. Am I correct?”

“Heh. Well, you’re a smart one.” A breathy sigh escaped Jeenie’s lips. “I like that in a man.”

Tristan smiled. “So, then, what are the particulars?”

“Well,” Jeenie said, composing herself and breathing deeply, “the gems do break after a while. They require the enchantment of an [Arbiter], so as you can imagine, they are not cheap to make. It’s hard enough to find an [Arbiter], let alone one experienced enough to enchant a stone with such complex magic.” Jeenie sighed. “On top of that, the enchantment is temporary, and as the wearer grows weaker, the magic has to work harder to bridge the power gap, thereby shortening the lifetime of the enchantment. So it’s best to kill the Encroacher as quickly as possible to make the most out of it.” Jeenie’s cheeks pinked as she waved her hands in front of her. “I-I’m sorry if that was too much to explain all at once! Erm, does that make sense?”

“I think so,” Tristan said. “You’ve cleared up a great deal for me, so thank you, Jeenie.”

“Y-yeah! Of course! Any time! Haha!” Jeenie bowed her head and continued to collect the collars in silence.

Keke soon approached from behind Tristan.

“You did great, Matt!” She put a gentle hand on his arm. Tristan had seen that gesture hundreds of times. He hid his smile under his hand as she continued, “You’ve gotten good at this.”

“You think so?” Matt said, the slightest hint of blush coloring his cheeks. “Thanks, Keke. I guess I should get this taken care of quick, huh?” He gestured to the wound on his arm. It had healed substantially since the initial attack, but the skin was red and welting, like a nasty sunburn.

“Let me see.” Keke lifted his forearm. Her stare glided across Matt’s arm, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “It looks worse than it is.”

“When you’re finished, why don’t we pay Melly a visit?” Tristan suggested. “I’ve been wanting to check in on Destiny and Lara, anyway.”

Matt and Keke exchanged looks and nodded.

“Yeah, sounds good,” said Matt. “Think we should get Cannoli and Ravyn too?”

“No,” Keke said, shaking her head. “Let’s leave them alone for a little bit.”

Exiting the First Shell was a stranger experience than Tristan had expected. As immaculate as the Second Shell was, it didn’t hold a candle to the First. If the Second Shell was New York City, then the First Shell was Beverly Hills.

A few of the catgirls were still cleaning up from the tunnel's collapse, and, as far as Tristan could tell, the peace between them had been maintained. He hoped the relations between the Shells would only continue to improve. There would be much to discuss once Cailu and Naeemah had sorted out their affairs.

Melly was quick to answer the door when Tristan knocked.

“Oh, it’s you! Your name was, uh…”

“Tristan,” Tristan said, smiling. “Melly, right?”

“Yes! That’s me! Please, come in!”

The door shut behind them, and Melly motioned them upstairs. Each step was sturdy, devoid of the squeak Tristan was accustomed to hearing during his short time with Matt and his Party. A long rug of red and white fabric trailed from one end of the hallway to the other upstairs, bedrooms lining the wall to their right. Melly stopped at the second door, pushing it open and stepping inside to make way for everyone else.

Tristan walked in to see Destiny perched on a small stool beside her sister’s bed. She turned her head toward Tristan, her eyes red and puffy. She wiped away the remnant of a tear and approached with brisk and quiet steps with a finger to her lips.

“They fell asleep just a quarter of an hour ago,” Destiny whispered.

“How are they doing?” Tristan asked.

“Better now.” Destiny bowed at the neck and put a hand to her chest. “They’ve been having fits off and on all day.”

“Fits?” Matt asked.

“They had fevers for a while,” Melly explained. She gestured toward the bed in the back where Ceres was resting. She had her hair down and back turned. “Ceres’ was exceptionally high. But, I’ve never seen an injury that bad before.”

Matt visibly swallowed. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Yes. They just need time to rest.” Melly nodded. “It was fortunate they came to me when they did.”

“Anything else we should know?” Tristan asked.

“Well, the wounds were infected. There was a great deal of dirt and grime.”

Probably from the tunnel collapse, Tristan thought bitterly.

“Destiny has been invaluable as a triage partner.” Melly looked at Destiny, smiling. “I’m not sure I could have saved both of them if not for her. She’s a talented [Alchemist].”

“I had to do what I could,” Destiny said with what Tristan knew was a forced smile. “I’m just glad they’re finally stabilized.”

“Is it okay if Keke and I sit next to Ceres for a bit?” Matt asked.

“I don’t mind,” Melly said, shaking her head. “Just be quiet. They haven’t been able to sleep much.” Reaching into her [Cat Pack], Melly procured two small blue marbles and handed one to Tristan. “If anything bad happens, shake that until it glows.” Melly held up her other marble and pointed at it. “When one glows, so does the other. That’ll let me know if something happens. I need to go visit my daughter and let her know what’s going on.”

“Will do.” Tristan pocketed the small rock.

“Great. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Three beds were lined up parallel to one another, their headboards against the far wall. Lara slept in the center while Ceres occupied the bed beside the curtained window. Tristan, Matt, and Keke entered the room as Melly brushed past them, shutting the door behind her. Quietly, Tristan and the others each took a stool from the neighboring table and sat beside their respective Party member.

“How are you holding up, Destiny?” Tristan asked. He gave her some time to answer.

When she didn’t, Tristan reached for one of her hands and put his palm on top. He massaged the knuckle of her pinky, and they watched as Lara breathed slow and deep.

After a time, Destiny readjusted her hand and slid her fingers between Tristan’s. Gradually, her grip tightened, and a tear escaped the corner of her eye. She shook her head and rested her forehead in her free hand. Tristan glanced at their entwined hands and noticed the dried blood under her nails.

Tristan fought the emotions welling up in his chest. Destiny had said on countless occasions how dear her sister was to her. No one else in this world was more important to her than Lara. Seeing her sister’s blood on her hands must’ve been traumatizing.

Tristan continued to rub his thumb against Destiny’s hand while she quietly sobbed.

Lara’s skin was an ashen pale. Deep, dark bags hung under her eyes, and her cheeks sunk into her thin face. A rag lay draped across her forehead while beads of sweat collected around her hairline. Tristan looked away, noticing Lara’s maid uniform hanging over a rack in the room's opposite corner. Blood pocked the whites of the dress, a dark stain barely visible between the threads of black. The entire left sleeve had been torn off.

“She’s going to be okay,” Tristan said.

Destiny sucked in her lips and leaned her head against Tristan’s shoulder.

Tristan kissed the top of her head before resting his head against hers. Truth be told, the tunnel fight was still replaying in his head. The image of Lara bent over, bleeding over the stones, had begun to haunt him. A couple of inches to her right, and she would’ve been dead. Tristan swallowed hard at the thought.

Cailu was right. If anything was going to change, they’d need to take this more seriously. Another misstep like that could mean the end of their lives.

I will never be so powerless again.