Andromeda was lead down a series of corridors by the young woman who had come and got her. After several twists and turns, they reached a large and open room like a prison cell block. The young woman bowed her head and disappeared into the labyrinth of the facility

Ferdinand and Carrion were stood in the middle of the room, with Eli and Albert standing beside them. Eli had normal metal chainlinks, while Albert had an arcane looking set of blue glowing cuffs. “Oh good, you’ve arrived, this was something we needed to speak about.” Ferdinand said.

This had been the first time Andromeda had seen Eli since he stabbed her on the ship, and the first time she had seen Albert since Cylas. Both looked worse for wear, Eli had grown a slight stubble since she had last seen him and his hair was ragged, Albert was a little better off owing to being a bit younger, but his clothes were just as torn up.

Her thoughts rolled around her her head, on the one hand, Eli had directly stabbed her in the back, both literally and symbolically, and the next thing she remembered after that was waking up face down on a beach. While Ferdinand did explain some of his reasoning from Eli’s own statement, she could still remember the pain of her ribs breaking, and her organs being pierced, it was probably the worst pain she had ever experienced in this world. Even though just being stabbed doesn’t stack up to what Albert did, the fact that he did it after they traveled so long together almost hurt more then being stabbed.

On the other hand, there was Albert. Ferdinand had coached her through the situation as soon as he found out about it, but it still didn’t feel real. Albert had eavesdropped on her and Ander Plact, then ran off to become some kind of criminal demi-god using that information, he didn’t say anything to her or anyone else, he just ran. Only then to get caught by Andromeda’s intending assassins and made to work with them, up to and including capturing Alice. Despite that, she literally only discovered this a few days before, and she had apparently caused him to explode just the the other day. That dissonance made it hard for her to feel quite the same way as Eli. She was upset, but in the way someone does after getting bad news, not being betrayed.

Eli also seemed to be in their midst, but per Albert and his own’s word he didn’t assist them in any meaningful way. In contrast, Albert was heavily involved, and even directly assisted in getting everyone where they were now. Even considering that, Albert professed up and down that he was working under duress, but even when asked Eli never gave an excuse for going along with it, rather then resisting.

“If I tried to list all the charges levied against them, but that would take a long time. The stand outs are attempted murder, espionage, aiding a terrorist organization, accessory to assassination, and that’s not even including the crimes we don’t know about yet.” Ferdinand said.

“Normally in situations like this, they would be processed and sent to the capital for trial, but considering the fact that you’re an Arch Mage, their crimes are elevated beyond the legal system.” Carrion said. Andromeda saw the colored drain from both of them, this was the first either of them were hearing about it as well.

“As such, their fates come down to your decision. There is quite literally nothing you aren’t allowed to enforce upon them if you choose, up to and including death.“ Ferdinand said.

Even with her complicated feelings, the pure look of desperation and fear on their faces made her stomach turn. She was upset, hurt, and traumatized in Eli’s case, and actively betrayed in Albert’s, but seeing two people who she at one point called friends reduced to this state was painful.

“Can I ask them a few questions?” Andromeda asked.

“As I said, you are allowed to do anything. We can even force them to speak the truth if you need.” Ferdinand said.

“That’s alright.” Andromeda said. She stepped forward, first toward’s Eli. He was plainly terrified, but despite that he struggled with himself as he stood there. Not letting himself break down even as she looked at him. “Do you remember what you said to me when we met back in King’s Grove?” She asked.

“What?” Eli asked, confused by the question.

“When we met, right as we took off towards Salsi, do you remember our conversation?” Andromeda continued.

“Do I… We- I scared you I think.”

“After that, what did you say?”

“I- I introduced myself, I think. Why?”

“How did you say it? Specifically.” Andromeda insisted, then Eli got what she was going for.

“I said… My name is Elias, but my friends call me Eli.”

Andromeda leaned in, until her face was just a few inches from his. When he looked, he noticed something different. He almost didn’t see it, but after seeing her so many times, he noticed what was different. The faint glow in her eyes, the one that made her seem just a little bit off whenever he saw her, it was gone. Left now where just the plain blue eyes you might expect to see on any other person.

“I want you to make the decision. What should I call you, Eli, or Elias?” Andromeda said, a range of emotions played across his face, but then he took a deep breath and looked at her.

“I don’t know what you want me to say. I thought we would all die, you were tearing the boat apart and threatening everyone. What I did was wrong, and every moment free moment I have I think about what I could have done different, but I did was what I thought was right at the time.” Eli said.

“I’m not asking if you did regret anything, I’m asking you to make a choice. Eli or Elias?” Andromeda asked. Eli shook his head again.

“Look, I’m not stupid. You can try to appeal to my conscious if you want. But I know that if I say no they’re gonna throw me in a hole, and that’s if I’m lucky.” Eli said.

Andromeda reached her hand up to his head and grabbed a handful of his hair and made him look at her. “Stop overthinking this and just answer my damn question. Eli, or Elias?” Andromeda said. She dropped Eli’s head from her hands and stepped back. Eli struggled internally to form an answer, and then he grimaced.

“Fine, call me Eli.” He said. There was a pause as she considered his answer, then turned to Ferdinand.

“He’s cleared of all charges, and has legal immunity for the next year. Also, I want him put on salary working for me for that duration.” Andromeda said. It took a moment for everyone to process what she just said, especially Eli.

“What?” Eli asked incredulously. Ferdinand and Carrion expressed similar feeling, enough that Andromeda felt she had to explain.

“Do you plan on stabbing me again?” Andromeda asked.

“I don’t plan on it. Why?” Eli said, still confused.

“Good, I don’t plan on being stabbed. As for the legal immunity and pay, assuming I don’t make it out of here in the morning, your head will be the first that rolls for it. The money is just to give you a good reason to stick around in case I do.” She said.

“But why?” Eli asked, Ferdinand stepped between them with similar feelings.

“I have to agree with him. If you’re looking for underlings or workers, you have the entire expanse of the work force of this country to choose from. Why choose someone who has probably shown to not be trustworthy?” Ferdinand said. Andromeda brushed him aside, an act that subtly caught everyone off guard.

“He already did it once, and it didn’t work. To be honest, it’s because I know him, and I can’t say that about everyone in this country. If he tries to turn on me again then I’ll know it was because of something I did and not because some random person mysteriously had bad blood with me. You said I could do whatever I wanted, and this is what I want.” Andromeda said. Though they all had their disagreements with the logic for various reasons, everyone also knew that she was right. There was nothing they could do to stop her.

“If that’s what you want, then I can’t argue, but what about him?” Ferdinand asked, pointing to Albert.

“That depends.” Andromeda said, she stepped away from Eli and looked up and down at Albert.

“Be honest, even if I let you go free. How likely are you to live through the year?” She asked. Albert, who at this point was still reeling from the reality of his situation, had fallen to an even lower state of despair.

“The only way I don’t die in the next few days is if I fake my death and leave the country. Even then I’d probably not make it more then a few weeks.” He said.

“That’s because of this favor thing you told Ferdinand, right?” Andromeda said.

“Yeah, I have maybe a week before I have to say something, and I’m sure you won’t want me broadcasting this information to every criminal in the country.”

“What would it take to keep you alive and healthy for an extended period of time?” Andromeda said.

“Like I said, I’d have to fake my death and leave. But besides that there isn’t much I can do by myself.” Albert said. Andromeda turned to Ferdinand and Carrion.

“I want him to stay mostly safe and not be murdered in a week. What can you do to make that happen?”

“If I had to do it, faking his death wouldn’t be hard. A sting gone bad would be convincing for most of the corruption in this country, but he’d have to lay low somewhere remote for a while for people to really think he’s dead.” Carrion said.

“How about King’s Grove?” Andromeda said.

“It’s possible, especially with all the drama surrounding it that could be made to work.” Carrion continued. Andromeda returned her attention to Albert and, perhaps not smile, gave him an approving stare.

“That’s the plan, no surprise, you’re coming with me too.” Andromeda said.

Albert couldn’t muster the words to express how he felt, it was somewhere between relief, terror, and trauma. But he did manage to nod his head, which seemed to please Andromeda.

“Alright, that’s that. Both of them are free, and work for me. We’ll talk about pay later.” Andromeda said, turning toward the others. Then Eli cleared his throat to gather their attention.

“Hold on, are we just going to be your slaves? You say you’re going to pay us but It doesn’t sound like were working for you, it just sounds like you’re holding our lives over our heads.” Eli said, Albert elbowed him in the ribs and shushed him.

“Keep me our of your complaining, I’d take slavery over the alternative.” Albert said. Andromeda raised her hands to calm them both.

“Whoa, whoa, no, nobody is going to be a slave. The job offer is just me being nice. If you want I can have them set you up somewhere safe and never see me again. You just have to say.” Andromeda said.

Eli sighed. “Don’t tear apart any ships I’m standing on and I won’t try to stop you.” Eli said.

“You have my word.” Andromeda said.

Eli and Albert were begrudgingly discharged and taken to regular dorm rooms to wait out the situation. There was only a few hours left before they were to take Andromeda to the Arbiter, and while forgiven, the chances of something going wrong due to either of them was being taken seriously.

Andromeda and the others had returned to the observation room, not for any particular reason, but because it was central to the facility and made getting anywhere easier when starting from there. Andromeda and Carrion were talking about the best way of getting back to Aeroae, while Ferdinand and Rapture spoke quietly about something neither felt interested in sharing. The door to the room opened, and through it walked Alice.

“Hello everyone, I was wondering if I could talk to Andromeda again?” She asked. Everyone looked at each other for a moment, then they all realized that no one had told Alice that Andromeda had recovered. The last few hours had been hectic and she wasn’t around after all.

“Uhh, sure? What’s up?” Andromeda asked.

Alice froze in shock and waved tapped her ears, acting as though she heard something strange. “W-Wait, Andromeda, where are you? Are you outside the containment room?” Alice asked. This only confused everyone more, and Andromeda walked over to Alice. She waved her hand in front of Alice and looked around her.

“Can you not sense me?” Andromeda asked, but this caused Alice to practically jump out of her skin and scream.

“AHHH, WHAT THE-!?” She yelled, falling backwards and smashing her head against the wall, which made her yelp again. Without even thinking, Andromeda’s mind fell back into the back of her head and she felt White move to the front. Her skin turned white, as did her hair, and the color drained from her eyes until it was blood red. The spitting image of a Medea.

Now in control, White didn’t miss a step and picked Alice up off the ground. “Are you okay?” White said, unaware that her behind her Ferdinand, Carrion, and especially Rapture were aghast. White put her hand to Alice’s head her regenerative aura eased the pain.

“Andromeda?” Alice asked, sounding like a lost child. White realized her voice didn’t sound right compared to Andromeda, and faded back down into the depths of their mind. Andromeda rose back up and continued just as she had.

“I'm right here, what's wrong?” Andromeda reassured. Alice held onto her hand tightly and reached around to touch her. Unsure if she was hallucinating.

“I can't sense you. It's like you're not even there,” Alice said, Andromeda lead her a nearby chair and sat her down.

“Assuming you’re using Divination to sense her, that might be because the majority of her soul is gone,” Carrion interjected, walking over to them. Still looking at Andromeda in shock.

“What!?” Alice exclaimed. She practically jumped out of her skin and started panicking.

Andromeda tried to calm her down by holding her hand, “It's fine, I'm alive and walking around. I can live without it,” Andromeda said.

“What does that mean? How? How can anyone do- I can’t, I just-” Alice asked. Then her eyes went wide.

“I don’t know, I’m trying not to think about it, I just want to make it through the night.” Andromeda said. Alice stood suddenly, and walked to the other side of the room. “Alice?”

“Don’t mind me, I just had a moment of clarity is all.” Alice said. Ferdinand quietly signaled to the others that they should leave for the moment, and soon after they were gone. Leaving just Andromeda and Alice in the room alone.

“What did you figure out?” Andromeda said.

“I’ve been thinking about this all wrong. I thought this would be a rescue mission. I thought I would be come in and save you from the evil man who wanted to hurt you, and that I would be able to feel the flow surrounding you, and know you’re there. But all this time I forgot that you were in danger, I was thinking about myself, and how I felt. You’re trying to stay alive, and you don’t know how you’re going to do that, while I’m here waiting for the moment I can invite you to tea. I just realized how childish I’ve been. You’re dealing with real problems, and all I can think about is me.” Alice said.

“Don’t say that, whatever the reason you came here, the fact that you came at all means it wasn’t selfish.” Andromeda said.

“It’s not about being selfish!” Alice snapped, she put her hands in her head. Andromeda just put her hands up and waited for Alice to finish.

“I’m sorry, but easing my conscious won’t make this easier. After you left, I didn’t even consider if you were alright. I just lamented the fact you were gone. It never even occurred to me that something could have gone wrong. All I did was worry about how it affected me.” Alice said.

“I don’t know what to say, I’m not mad that you didn’t come looking for me sooner. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt.” Andromeda said. This only upset Alice further.

“It’s not even a little disappointing that the only reason I came here is because I wanted to see you? I literally only wanted one thing, and didn’t care how I got it. The worst part is that I’m more upset about that then happy that you’re safe. I’m just selfish.” Alice said, burying her head in her hands.

“But you’re still happy I’m safe, right?” Andromeda asked.

“Oh dear gods yes, just hearing your voice clearly again is making my heart jump. But I can’t-” Alice said, only to be interrupted by Andromeda picking her up by the arms and lifting her to her feet.

“That’s all I care about.” Andromeda said.

“What?” Alice said, startled by the sudden movement as well as the statement.

“You might care about your feelings more then mine, but you still care about me at least a little. I can’t expect you to look out for anyone more then yourself, especially not the person who keeps getting you in trouble.” Andromeda said.

It took several moments for Alice to compose herself. Which was heard because she felt like she wanted to cry. “That’s fine? But the only reason I came was to make myself happy?” Alice said.

“Yeah, I mean, the fact that just seeing me was enough to make you do something so extreme, that can’t just be selfishness. It makes me happy that you’re happy. The fact that I can do that for you is flattering.” Andromeda said.

Alice felt a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time wash over her. Relief. Pure relief that made her want to cry, and owing it to herself, she did. Alice dove into Andromeda’s arms and buried her face in her shoulder, and tears fell from her eyes over Andromeda’s silk robe.

Alice held on to Andromeda so tightly that she could hear her heartbeat in her chest. For a moment, she even dropped her awareness of the flow just that she could focus more on the feeling. Even if she couldn’t sense the flow of Andromeda’s soul, this was close enough.

Andromeda held onto Alice in kind, listening as she quietly wept on her shoulder. It was moving and humbling to have her hold so tight. She fought the urge to cry herself, because Alice needed someone to lean on at that moment. She hadn’t thought about it until then, but it had been a long time since someone had held onto her this tightly. Even a short while before with the Landers was casual, tights as it was. This felt like Alice was afraid Andromeda would disappear if she let go.

As much as she wanted to continue holding Alice close, she knew that time was short and patted her on back. “I know you’re comfortable, but we do need to get back saving my life.”

Alice squeezed Andromeda once more, then let go. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and nodded. “Alright, but if you can forgive me being selfish just one more time, I want to help. If I don’t get in the way.” She said.

“Absolutely, but only if you promise to make sure I don’t get you in trouble again.”

Ferdinand and the others were called back in and the five of them deliberated on their final plan. To call it a plan though was still a bit generous. “Alright, if I have this all right in my head. We have essentially two options. First, we try and manipulate The Arbiter using Whisper while she’s in control. If that looks like it’s not going to work, we have Rapture break reality, and if that doesn’t work…” Andromeda said, only to throw her hands up in the air.

“I did have some far fetched idea, but I don’t know how feasible it would be.” Carrion said. Everyone looked at him with an expecting expression which he took as a signal to continue. “Elias said that he was placed in some kind of time aware discordance due to Andromeda. We we can somehow make that happen to The Arbiter, and have it remain consistent, she would be locked in a single moment in time. Whether the curse she has the island under is a kill switch or a dead man’s switch won’t matter. She won’t be able to react quick enough to do anything.”

“The thought crossed my mind as well, but if he is to be believed, that happened due to circumstances I’m afraid we can’t cleanly replicate.” Ferdinand said.

“Is this related to the silver hair phenomena. You said it wasn’t something you and I should speak about. But surely you can speak about it with her.” Ferdinand said.

“I can, but its a personal topic.” Ferdinand said, but when everyone gave him side eye, he relented. “Crowely will never let me hear the end of this- Alright, I’ll speak about it. But you must all promise me that what I am about to say never leaves this room. I’m already at risk for just mentioning it.”

Everyone agreed, and Ferdinand gripped the bridge of his nose. “So, I probably shouldn’t need to explain this, but the abilities of the Arch Mages are not what we would call “Magic”. They follow entirely different rules, and generally don’t make sense to those who observe their use. That much I feel is clear. However, the exact nature of the Arch is different.”

Ferdinand goes on to say:

As per its name, the Arch is a force that binds together various otherwise unconnected beings together. Contrary to popular belief, this force is not exclusive to the Arch Magi, nor are we the first to use it. We are however the only sanctioned users of it in Legoria. The name actually gives away its true nature. The Arch is a force that builds up and strengthens itself due to the connections between its users.

Imagine that the nine High Magisters are all arranged in a circle. Each High Magister is connected to every other by a string, or in other words ,an “Arch”. Each unique pair of High Magisters has their own Arch, and the closer and more inter-personally connected they are on an emotional level, the stronger the connection becomes, and in turn the power in said Arch increases.

Now, you may wonder, The Arch Mages are the ones with the abilities, but the High Magister’s don’t seem to have that same quality. In reality, they do, but its not the same as the High Magister. When a High Magister meets a person, there is a chance that The High Magister will receive a kind of vision from the Arch itself. This isn’t seeing the future, but more a kind of insight into the person we meet. With this, and assuming an Arch Mage isn’t already chosen, we grant this person a name. For Andromeda, the only insight I received that of a blinding white light, so powerful and bright that even in my mind it was blinding. Thus I chose the name White. The same goes for the rest of you, your High Magister had the same vision, and the name they chose for you was due to that vision.

The name is in essence the creation of the Arch between the High Magister and the Arch Mage. But its not an equal connection. In fact, it is actually more of a leash or tether. It allows us some control over you, any of you. But due to this, you are granted much greater connections, which grant you your unique abilities. Its a trade-off, the High Magisters gain control of powerful beings, but those beings in turn gain power that could destroy their masters, the balance is kept, and nothing was gained.

While each Arch Mage is granted unique abilities, they are not the only thing that is granted. On top of these abilities, the Arch embodies itself within the bodies of the Arch Mage, and if an Arch Mage were to be lost, or even just terribly injured, the Arch too will be damaged. As such, it has a fail safe. What it is in reality, or why it exists in the way it does is unclear. But if the life of an Arch Mage is put in extreme danger, it will imbue the Arch Mage with substantial Arch energy, and ascend them to a state approaching a god. What exactly this form does and what abilities it grants differ from Arch Mage to Arch Mage, but what is clear is that An Arch-Imbued individual is one of the most dangerous beings on this plane of reality, and I’d go further to say it rivals the gods themselves.

The room was frigid, and Ferdinand witnessed as everyone around him all processed the information differently. Carrion looked shocked, Rapture looked confused and upset, and Andromeda was so far beyond livid that the only indication she was responding at all was the twitch in her eye. Alice, on the other hand, was the least outwardly upset.

“That is honestly just terrible.” Alice said. A feeling everyone else shared.

“It goes without saying that this is a hard topic to speak on, and you now know why I avoided talking about it.” Ferdinand said. Without warning, Carrion’s clawed hand balled into a fist and cracked Ferdinand across the cheek, sending him flying towards the opposite wall, and indenting himself into the plaster.

Alice ran to his side, but was disturbed to see that Rapture and Andromeda didn’t do the same. “What are you doing? Help me get him up!” She said, Rapture didn’t move, but Andromeda looked between them.

“Hey, I get it, but that was too much. I’d be in trouble if he was holding my leash when you did that” Andromeda said, though her voice didn’t sound entirely convinced of what her words were saying.

“That is true, I should be more careful about how my actions might harm others. My apologies.” Carrion said, almost mockingly. Alice pulled Ferdinand to his feet and Ferdinand coughed harshly, a tooth fell out of his mouth in a glob of bloody spit. “I hope I haven’t hurt you too much.” He went further to say.

Ferdinand gripped his jaw and winced, but didn’t complain. “In all honeshty, I was exshpecting worsh. But I won’t push furder.” He said. Andromeda pulled him over by the sleeve so that he was standing right next to her.

“Don’t move.” She said, and then everyone watched as her appearance changed again, She put a hand up to Ferdinand’s cheek. Ferdinand felt the swelling in his jaw and aching teeth ease, and the taste of blood in his mouth faded. Then finally, the tooth he had just lost disappeared off the floor and returned to his mouth. He rocked his mouth back and forth only to find all sense of pain was gone. He wasn’t entirely sure, but he thought a cavity he already had was gone. Andromeda’s form faded back to its normal color and she put her hand down. “I’ll call that even for you keeping me and the other’s alive until now, and you two, don’t breathe a word of what you just saw. Alice, I’ll tell you later.” Andromeda continued.

Respecting her word and not having the mental fortitude to diverge on another tangent, Carrion carried on as if he just saw nothing. “Back on topic, with this new information. I’m going to withdraw my suggestion related to Elias. Putting Andromeda in mortal danger to execute such a plan wouldn’t be wise.” Carrion said.

“Well, it’s actually something we might need to consider. Depending on the method they use to kill her, it might activate this altered state. If that happens, The Arbiter might take it as a threat.” Ferdinand said.

“Do you not know how it works exactly?” Carrion asked.

“How long have you been an Arch Mage without knowing it was a thing at all?” Ferdinand asked. To that Carrion had no argument.

“If that happens, one of you need to stop me. I’m not going to let some voodoo bullshit risk people’s lives when I didn’t ask for it.” Andromeda said.

“It’s not that easy to just-” Ferdinand said, only to have Andromeda put her hand up in front of his face to stop him.

“You’ve already lied or withheld information from me at least three times. I’m sure you have a lot more hidden up your sleeve. You had better let it not get to that point, or I swear, alive or dead, I will make it right. Am I understood?” Andromeda said. Ferdinand just nodded solemnly and stayed quiet. “Back on topic again,” Andromeda said, “I’m actually wondering what the process of getting over there is going to look like. Are they going to send someone, or are they expecting me to walk?”

“I had the foresight to consider this beforehand. Against my better judgement I sent a messenger to meet with The Arbiter and her people a few nights before.” Ferdinand said. “A man by the name of Fort will arrive here. We are then to send you along with him, and they don’t care if anyone else comes along as long as they don’t interfere with the operation.”

“That sounds incredibly foolish, but after my interaction with that woman, it doesn’t surprise me.” Carrion said.

“Will we be safe if we go along with her?” Alice asked.

Carrion gave her a strained look. “We? This is far too dangerous to bring anyone but the exceptionally ready, not to mention-” Carrion started to say, but then he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and eyes he couldn’t rightly see gazed upon from everywhere and nowhere at once. It was enough that he stopped himself short.

“Excuse my disrespect, Lord Arch Mage, but I will be with her regardless of what happens. Even if you don’t allow me, I’ll be there whether you want me or not.” Alice said. Carrion looked to Andromeda for support, but she conveniently looked the other way.

“You’re life will be in grave danger. Should anything go wrong, the city will become a bloodbath.” Carrion insisted.

“I’m not changing my mind.” Alice said flatly. With Andromeda once again refusing to meet his gaze, Carrion felt the blood rush to his head in preparation for the upcoming headache he would experience and just sighed.

“The Arbiter and her forces seem more focused on nothing getting in the way of this happening. Looking at it from their perspective, it would be foolish to upset us. If they injure anyone then all trust will be lost and we will go on the offensive.” Carrion said. Ferdinand nodded sagely covertly thwacked Alice on the back of the head for being difficult.

“I can’t think of anything else to cover. Our options have been severely limited. All we have so far are disorganized ideas and half considered back up plans.” Ferdinand said.

“Too much planning just means plans fall apart more quickly. Either this will work, or it won’t…” Andromeda said.

It wasn’t long after that, at the crack of dawn, when the man named “Fort” arrived. He was almost stopped by the border teams that Carrion had implemented after the Situation with The Arbiter, but it was caught just before the situation escalated and they tried to arrest him. He was now being escorted by the border team to where they were.

Andromeda and the other’s waited in the open clearing just outside of the facility. A location reserved for aerial transport on the occasion its needed. Beside her was Alice on her left, and Ferdinand on the right. A short distance behind them was Carrion and Rapture. Rapture was going to come with them, but Carrion would remain in case something happened in their absence. There was too much at risk in case this was somehow a trap.

At the edge of the clearing, the border team exited out of the brush, and they were followed closely by a man. But calling him that didn’t do justice to his size. Even though he stood several dozen yards away, he was a massive man. Wrapped in a coat that could easily be used to tarp a doorway, he was a giant. As he got closer, the distinct sound of a rumble came with each step. At first, they thought it must have been a trick of perspective, but as he got closer, Andromeda could hear his heaving breath. Sounding like that of a large beast, barely able to keep himself upright under his own weight. His name was apperently “Fort”, and it almost felt like that name wasn’t appropriete, this man was like a mountain.

To this point, Andromeda was trying to put on a brave face. Not wanting to lay bare the idea she was afraid, but as this hulking mass of humanity looked down at her, his chin buried in his own chest because he had to look directly down to see her, she struggled to remember to breathe, let alone put on a strong face.

“Are you Andromeda Noelle?” He said, his voice reverberated even in the open air.

“I-I am. Are you Fort?” She asked. Fort only nodded, the he looked past her and at the rest those standing beside her.

“What of them?” He asked.

“They intended on coming with me, is that a problem?” She asked. The man stared intensely at her for several moments before blinking for what Andromeda swore was the first time since she could see his clearly.

“As long as they cause no trouble, I don’t care who comes with you.” Fort said. Then he turned without another word and started walking back the way he came. She gave an uneasy shrug, and followed after him. Everyone else following soon after.

At first, the border teams followed them through the forest, but Ferdinand called them off after a short time. The walking mountain that called itself Fort never made a sound, but it was clear from the sounds of his bestial breathing that he was displeased by such a well armed group following them. Nobody felt comfortable speaking. Even with a High Magister and not one, but two Arch Mages, no one felt comfortable taking a step out of line. Such was the presence Fort exuded.

They continued on like this for a while until Alice whispered quietly under her breath “No…”. She sounded absolutely devastated. Andromeda tried to see what was wrong, but all she could do was bury her head in her hands and cry. After a few more minutes they breached into a forest trail, and surprisingly, there was a carriage. There were even attendants and a driver. Alice ran forward toward the attendants, but stopped just short of them. She muttered something before falling back to Andromeda’s side.

“They’re not… them…” She said, then the door to the carriage opened, and out walked a figure that immediately made Andromeda’s stomach violently turn. It was a woman with black hair, wearing an outfit that walked the line between mage finery and a black dress. She had green eyes that even from a distance made Andromeda uneasy. Her overall appearance wasn’t anything that should have upset her, but just looking at this woman made her feel ill.

“Greetings, originally I was going to have you escorted by our friends here. But I figured I might as well introduce myself early.” The woman said.

“Are you The Arbiter?” Andromeda asked.

“I am, at least, that is the name I have elected to give those who kept you from me. Come and sit, we have much to talk about!” The Arbiter said, sounding strangely excited. Then she looked at the rest of the group and looked annoyed.

“Your tag-alongs can walk behind the cart. There isn’t enough room for more then two” She said. Andromeda didn’t want to seperate from the others, mostly because Andromeda was unsure if she could stomach being in close proximity to The Arbiter. Regardless, she forced herself to step up into the carriage. The door was shut behind her and she sat down on the seat across from her would-be killer. The carriage began to move, and Andromeda once again couldn’t get over the disturbing feeling she got looking at the Arbiter.

“Excuse my saying, but it has felt like an eternity since this operation began. I was starting to wonder how much longer it was going to be. I’ve been so excited to get a proper look at you.” The Arbiter said.

“Please don’t talk to me, let alone act like this is a good thing.” Andromeda said.

“Oh but it is!” The Arbiter said. Then she reached a hand forwards and took a strand of Andromeda’s hair in her hands. “Ah, split ends. That’s annoying.” Andromeda smacked her hand away and glared.

“I don’t know you, and I don’t really care what you want from me. But we’re not playing games here. This might just be another day in the life of a career killer for you, but it’s my life we’re talking about.” Andromeda said.

“There’s no need for worrying yourself like that. Stress will put wrinkles on your face, and neither of us want that.” The Arbiter said. The way she said that, it made Andromeda even more uncomfortable then she already was. She was speaking like someone who had a vested interest in Andromeda’s condition.

“I guess if I’m going to be forced to spend time with you, I might as well ask some questions.” Andromeda said.

“I suppose that couldn’t hurt.” The Arbiter said.

“Who, or what, are you?” She asked.

“Oh-ho? Asking some big questions right off the bat. I thought you’d be a little more casual about it. Well, It’s a bit personal.” The Arbiter said. Andromeda’s annoyed stare broke her though and she continued. “I can’t give you an exact answer, but you may be able to tell with a look that whatever I am, it’s not entirely human. But rest assured, the parts of me that matter to you are human. But there are indeed some parts that are not.”

“Does it matter if you tell me? Its not like I have many options even if you do.” Andromeda asked, then the Arbiter shook her finger dismissively.

“Oh no, excited as I am, I’m still a professional. Revealing sensitive information is bad practice, even if its risk-free. All I’ll say is that my capabilities are not limited by that of a normal human.” The Arbiter said, Andromeda rolled her eyes. The way this woman was going about this was like an interview.

“If you don’t mind, may I ask you some questions myself?” The Arbiter asked.

“What will you do if I say no?” Andromeda said. Only to have the Arbiter give her a sly smile and look out toward the road.

“Oh, you know, I would just be heart broken. I might even make the rest of the island’s problem.” She said, then turned her green eyes back to Andromeda in a way that upset her on a deep and instinctual level.

“Fine, just don’t hurt anyone.” Andromeda said. She remained calm on the outside, but her heart nearly burst of of her chest. It took every fiber of her being to not glare and hold her temper.

“Like I said to that fox-faced beastmen Arch Mage, I have no interest in hurting anyone.” The Arbiter said.

“Whatever lets you sleep at night. I’ll ask a question, then you ask a question. No trying to dodge any questions with half-truths.” Andromeda said, and this made the Arbiter smile.

“Of course.” She said, once again making Andromeda’s blood boil.

“Alright, first, you won’t tell me what you are. But at least tell me why you’re going to such lengths to kill me? It can’t be that hard to kill one person.” Andromeda asked.

“Well, you say that, but you know just as well as I do that you held in a secret government facility for a week, and part of that was before I made my orders clear. So you tell me. There must be some reason we couldn’t have taken you.” The Arbiter said.

“But even before that-” Andromeda started, but the Arbiter put her finger up again.

“One question at a time, we’ll get there eventually.” She said. “My question, what are your hobbies? Do you spent any time exercising? Maybe some kind of sport? I mean when you’re not globe trotting to your death and all that.” Arbiter asked. The question utterly astounded Andromeda by how out of left field it felt.

“Uh… not really? Why?” Andromeda asked. The fact that she was angry was now vastly overshadowed by her confusion.

“Is that your question?” The Arbiter asked.

“No. I’m just confused.” Andromeda said.

“I wouldn’t expect it to make sense to you.” The Arbiter said, Andromeda scratched her head in thought, tryuing to puzzle out what that question even meant. But the Arbiter locked eyes on her finger tips and reacted poorly.

“What is this!” The Arbiter asked, taking hold of Andromeda’s hand and looking closely. Andromeda was so shocked by the sudden mood change that she didn’t even resist at first. “Your hands, what kind of bleaching is this. This will be so hard to remove!” Andromeda again slapped her hand away and glared.

“What is wrong with you?” Andromeda yelled. Andromeda anticipating so many things, but it felt like she was being chided by a touchy aunt rather then someone who intended to kill her.

“I see that my reports weren’t as complete as I hoped. There will be hell to pay in the morning once I’m done.” The Arbiter said, more to herself then to Andromeda.

“You forced me to ride in here with you, could you at least not make this more difficult then it needs to be?” Andromeda said.

“I will do nothing as long as I am unhappy. You will explain what these bleached marks are, or I will-”

Andromeda lunged forward and she gripped The Arbiter's throat, her eyes practically burning with an unwavering rage. The entire carriage trembled as she pushed her against the seat. "Listen to me very carefully," she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "If you touch a hair on anyone before I’m in the ground, know this: I will dedicate every waking moment of my existence to ensuring that you suffer the full weight of my fury. They will need to create a new word for what I’ll do to you, because nothing before or after this moment will be able to fully describe what I will do to you." She said, then she let go of the Arbiter’s throat and sat back down.

The Arbiter rubbed her throat and fixed her collar. “I can see that you’re upset, and I concede that my actions were untoward. I’ll remain quiet until we return.”

“Good.”