Page 2327

"What do you mean by 'aura,' exactly?" said Hector. "You're not referring to its soul, are you?"

'No,' said Pauline. 'Souls and auras are linked, but they're not the same thing. They can have profound effects on one another.'

Profound effects?

Hector wanted to ask for further explanation, but everyone was waiting on him, and he felt like this could turn into a rather long conversation if he allowed it to.

"Well, if you insist on helping, I won't try to stop you," he said. "But I want you to stay close by. If something does happen, I'll try my best to keep you out of harm's way."

'Oh my. So gallant.'

"That's not--what I--agh..."

'Hee hee. Are you embarrassed?'

Aw, shit.

Hector turned and started walking back to the iron dome he'd made for the others. "Just don't go off on your own, please."

'That's fine. I can scout pretty far away without moving at all. Oh, and hey, should I reveal myself to your friends, too?'

Hector stopped and half-turned. He didn't need to look, since she wasn't actually visible, but he at least wanted to talk in her direction again. "Do you want to?"

'Mm, I don't know. It'll be a little awkward if you're the only one who knows I'm here, won't it?'

"There are Lorentian politicians over there, you know. My people would be fine, but they'll probably freak out if they see you."

'Yeah, but I'll be lonely if I can't talk to anyone!'

Hector just looked at her.

'Alright, fine, I'll stay hidden. I guess you'll just have to talk to me enough for everyone.'

"...How? If I respond to anything you say, they'll think I'm crazy."

'That sounds like a YOU problem.'

He couldn't tell if she was joking or not. "Just... we'll talk later, okay?"

'I'll hold you to that, Lord Darksteel.'

Page 2326

Hector couldn't deny that her abilities might prove useful here, even just judging from what he knew Sparrows to be capable of. He doubted he even understood the full scope of what they could do.

But still.

"Your father--"

'Isn't here, right now,' said Pauline.

"But he can find you no matter where you are, can't he? Because of your psychic bond?"

'Oh, you know about that, do you? Well, not to worry. He has to actively be looking for me in order for that to work, and right now, he has no reason to think I am anywhere out of the ordinary. Not to mention, he's been quite busy lately, himself. He probably won't even have time to worry about little old me.'

"But if something were to happen to you, he'd never forgive me," said Hector.

'And if something were to happen to YOU, our country would suffer tremendously.'

Flattery now? Hector wasn't buying it. "I'm a little more durable than you are."

'I know how to keep myself safe. And maybe you, too, if you're nice to me.'

Agh. What the hell was he supposed to say here? Or do, for that matter?

Maybe... just roll with it? For now, at least?

Hmm.

"...Alright, well, how would you even go about gathering intel on this monster?"

'First, I'd go observe it.'

"...That would be insanely dangerous for you."

'Well, I wouldn't waltz up to the thing and poke it with a stick, if that's what you're thinking. I'd scout it from a safe distance.'

"How would you locate it, though?"

'Hmm? Oh, I already know where it is.'

Hector couldn't help blinking at that bit of news. "What?"

'It's emitting a powerful aura. I can sense what direction it's in from here. Sorry, I forgot that you adorable humans can't sense auras. Or at least, not very well. That must really suck. No offense.'

Page 2325 -- CCXXV.

((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 2 of 2))
Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Five: 'Emissaries unto the Gloom...'

Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

Aw, fuck.

'I believe you've already met my father,' said Pauline.

"...Yeah," said Hector. "I have. Did he tell you to follow me?"

'Aha... No.'

"Then why are you here?"

'Curiosity, primarily.'

He frowned. "This place is dangerous."

'No kidding.'

"You should go home," he clarified.

'Heh. I'm a big girl. But I appreciate your concern. How long have you known I was following you, by the way?'

He ignored that question. "Do you even know what's going on here?"

'Do you?'

This was getting obnoxious. "Ms. Gaolanet, please just--"

'I'm not going home, no matter what you say. You might as well get that silly notion out of your head, right now. Do you have any idea how difficult it was to keep up with a freaking airplane? I'm flesh and blood, okay? After all that trouble, I'm seeing this little adventure through with you to the end.'

Hector was getting the distinct impression that Pauline was going to be even more difficult to deal with than Hanton.

'In fact, perhaps it's better that you noticed me. I was considering revealing myself to you eventually, anyway. Once I'd observed you for a bit longer. So maybe we can think of this as just speeding things up a little.'

He stifled a sigh. "Why are you so interested in this?"

'Oh, multiple reasons, really. But let's just say that I'd like to know more about Atreya's very own Lord Darksteel. Seeing you in action is reason enough, I think.'

This time, he really did sigh.

'By the way, not to sound too conceited, but I think you could probably use my help. I mean, it's impressive that you were able to get the jump on me the way you did, but I've been listening to your conversation long enough to know that you are in dire need of good information. And gathering intel is what Sparrows are best at.'

Page 2324

((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 1 of 2))
Roman seemed curious as well, but even though he already knew about the existence of Sparrows, Hector still couldn't explain the circumstances without alerting the Sparrow who was probably listening to their conversation at this very moment.

He would have to be quick. Now that the wind had died down again, he couldn't actually sense the bird anymore. It was almost definitely still there, but Hector was sure that it would fly away as soon as he got close. He would've liked to be more diplomatic in his approach, but he highly doubted that an unknown Sparrow would stick around and talk to him, even if he asked nicely.

So he did it all in an instant. Simultaneous materializations. He domed everyone in with soul-infused iron and also launched himself straight in the direction in which he'd sensed the bird.

And yes, it was definitely still there.

He bolted across the tarmac in the span of a single breath. The Sparrow barely had time flap its wings once before he'd clapped its entire invisible body in iron, save only the beak.

Immediately, he could feel the psychic assault on his mind, the same oppressive sensation as when he'd first met Hanton Gaolanet.

"That won't work on me," said Hector. "Just calm down. This doesn't have to turn into a fight. I only want to know who you are and what you're doing here."

'Then why did you attack me first?!' The telepathic voice was somehow feminine. Hector didn't know how he could tell that. He just could.

"Only to prevent you from fleeing. Here." And he annihilated the Sparrow's iron coating to demonstrate that he was telling the truth.

The Sparrow remained invisible to his eyes but not the Scarf. She flapped her wings with seeming disorientation and kicked up a few new gusts of wind on her own, but she didn't start trying to fly, and after a few more moments, she settled back down.

There was tense silence, but given her body language, Hector was hopeful.

"...Tell me who you are," he tried.

'My name is Pauline Gaolanet.'

Page 2323

A suddenly cold gust of wind interjected in their conversation, causing everyone to brace themselves against its biting touch. Then in the distance, a bolt of lightning flashed across the night sky, followed very soon afterward by its accompanying boom.

The others all looked briefly in the direction the bolt had been in, and Hector did the same, but his mind was simultaneously elsewhere.

Because that gust of wind had showed him something through the Scarf.

Quite far away from the group, on one of the grounded airplanes, Hector had briefly sensed the foggy outline of a figure. And a large one--familiarly large. It had only been for a fleeting moment, but he was pretty sure of what he'd just sensed.

A Sparrow.

Impulsively, Hector wanted to look over in that direction immediately, but he resisted. He was pretty sure that they would just be invisible, anyway, and they might suspect that he was onto them if they saw him looking right at them.

Was it Hanton? Hector doubted it. The Lord Gaolanet would've known better than to try to hide from him.

Whoever it was, this was a problem. Before anything else, Hector needed to know if they were hostile. Because if they were, then he couldn't trust anything that his eyes were telling him, right now. Everything was potentially an illusion.

"Excuse me," said Hector, drawing everyone's attention. "I know this may seem odd, but could you all wait here one minute? There's something I have to take care of. I won't be long."

Understandably, they were all confused, and it took him a little while to "explain" without actually explaining. He told that he knew he was being a little weird but that everything was fine. And even after he'd convinced the Lorentians, the Rainlords tried to come along, too, so he had to tell them to stay and guard the Secretary.

They didn't say much, but he knew they weren't very pleased by that.

Page 2322

((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 2 of 2))
The Secretary's frown remained exactly where it was. "But if it was the monster, then why did it not come for us as well? I was wondering that previously, yet now I feel foolish for not having realized it sooner."

Stoutamire chimed in again. "Sadly, I think you may be right, ma'am. And if that's so, then might it not be safer to remain here? With Lord Goffe?" He addressed Hector directly. "Your offer to give us your plane is incredibly kind of you, but now I can't help worrying that the real danger for the Madame Secretary may not come from this mysterious Beast at all."

Hector cocked an eyebrow. "Just like that, you think the monster isn't real?"

"Oh, no, it may well be," said the Ambassador, "but so may the threat on the Secretary's life be. I cannot speak for the rest of us, of course, but I feel much safer now that you are here, and to be quite blunt, I would rather not leave your side just yet. What if the Beast is somehow able to bring down the aircraft?"

That pulled a couple of disquieted whispers out of the man's unnamed associates.

Hector made no response, though. He supposed the guy had a point. They didn't actually know what the monster was capable of. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility that it could attack the airplane, especially if it could alter the weather.

But Hector still couldn't help mistrusting Stoutamire's words a little. There was something in his mannerisms that Hector found slightly unsettling. Perhaps it was the lack of genuine fear in the man's eyes. The Ambassador somehow looked happy about having an excuse to stay.

Hector tried not to rush to judgment, though. He probably shouldn't base his decisions off of things like "the look in someone's eyes," eh? The fuck did that even mean, anyway? He may've been a lord now, but it wasn't like he'd suddenly gained lie-detecting powers or anything.

Page 2321

((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 1 of 2))
The Secretary did not look pleased. "You think they may have betrayed me."

Hector cocked an eyebrow. Was she getting upset at him? "Do you think that they may have betrayed you?"

She looked like she wanted to say no, but she only frowned, instead.

"...Can you think of a reason why they might leave you here?" said Hector.

She glanced at Stoutamire, then at the three attendants. "I... have my enemies. As any public figure does."

"...But is there something more specific?" said Hector.

She exhaled. "Ah... you're looking for what you would call a 'credible threat,' no?"

Was he? It just seemed like a sensible thing to ask about, Hector thought.

"There was an incident a few months ago," she went on, "wherein three members of Congress were convicted of treason."

That was certainly news to Hector.

"I was... tangentially involved, you might say," she said.

"How so?" said Hector.

"I bankrolled the lead prosecutor when all of his other funding had mysteriously dried up. I tried to keep my name out of it, but I suspect my efforts only went so far."

Hector couldn't help feeling like he'd just heard a secret that he might've been safer not knowing. It was quite a familiar feeling, actually.

"It is unlikely that those three were the only conspirators," she said. "If they wanted me dead, then I suppose it would be quite convenient if the Beast of Lorent took care of it for them. No need to risk an assassination attempt. My death would not look suspicious at all this way, would it? How could I have been so blind?"

Hector held up a hand. "Alright, well, let's not jump to too many conclusions yet. It was just a thought. We don't actually have any proof that your bodyguards betrayed you. It really might've just been the Beast that got them."

Page 2320

Carlos whispered to him again. "Lord, that is highly alarming. Please ask her for more details."

Hector didn't need to be told either of those things. "How exactly did your two bodyguards disappear?"

"Ah--well, one moment they were there, and the next they were not," she said. "We looked all over the airport, but we were unable to find them."

"Okay, but--" Hector hesitated. He wanted to be careful with what he said, but he needed better clarification. Was she actually talking about people vanishing before her eyes? Probably not, right? And broaching the subject of invisibility was more likely to alarm everyone in the group. He decided to rephrase his question. "...So let me make sure I understand. One moment, they were there, then you turned away? And then when you looked back, your bodyguards weren't there anymore?"

"Yes, that is correct." The Secretary sounded mildly confused, perhaps wondering why he was asking for clarification on something so simple.

Okay, so probably not invisibility, then. For a second there, he'd gotten flashbacks to both Dunehall and the Gaolanets' Estate. In a background thought process, he wondered if the Scarf would work as well on detecting invisible aberrations as it did on invisible Sparrows.

"Lord," came Carlos' voice again, "ask her how well she knew her bodyguards."

Hmm. Hector could see where he was going with that question. "How well did you know these two bodyguards of yours?"

The Secretary looked suddenly even more confused. "I... not very well, I suppose." And she blinked. "You're not suggesting that they..." For whatever reason, she left that sentence unfinished.

Hector, however, had another question for her that she might not like very much. "Is it possible that the Beast didn't get them? That they just left on their own?"

Her posture stiffened somewhat. "What are you implying, Lord Goffe?"

Hmm? Was he approaching a sore spot? "I'm just trying to understand the situation here."

Page 2319

((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 2 of 2))
Secretary Karr was visibly taken aback. "That is an incredibly generous offer, Lord Goffe! You would be leaving yourself with no means of escaping this place. Are you sure that would be wise?"

Before answering, Hector glanced toward Roman. He was the one actually paying for that plane, after all.

Roman merely returned a slight nod, apparently not feeling the need to actually interject into the conversation personally.

"We'll be fine," said Hector. "Please, take it and go."

The Secretary of State looked around at her people for a moment, then gave Hector a nod. "Thank you. We will do as you ask. But before we go, do you have any other questions for us concerning the Beast? Or anything else?"

Hector mulled it over. If this was really going to be the last chance he got to talk to any of the Lorentians before the hunt was on, then he probably shouldn't waste the opportunity. But what should he ask about?

"...Have you learned anything new about the creature since I last spoke to Ambassador Stoutamire?" said Hector.

It was her turn to think. "I already mentioned the abnormal weather. We were not previously aware that the Beast possessed any such capabilities. I suppose it could be unrelated. We have no actual proof that it is causing these strange disturbances in the environment."

It was good to be skeptical, Hector supposed, but he highly doubted that it was just some freak coincidence.

The masked Carlos Sebolt leaned in to whisper something into Hector's ear. "Lord, ask her where she last saw her security team."

"Your security escort," said Hector. "You said they went missing ten hours ago?"

"That's right."

"Where was the last place you saw them?"

"Ah... they were not all in one place together," she said. "They went missing around the same time, but I remember seeing them surveying the area in pairs. The most alarming moment was when my two personal bodyguards disappeared. Unlike the others, they were not supposed to leave my side at all."

Page 2318

((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 1 of 2))
"Frankly," said Secretary Karr, her voice suddenly wavering, "ah... no, I probably should not be here at all. I only meant to greet you upon your arrival. I did not think that once I came here, I would be trapped."

Hector blinked. "Trapped?" And he noticed her gaze as well, going back and forth, as if watching for something.

"As I said, the storm yesterday knocked out most of our electronics. We lost all ability to communicate with the outside world until only a few hours ago. It was quite a frightening ordeal, I must say."

Stoutamire chimed in again. "Oh, indeed! We were worried that the Beast would attack at any moment! So you can be sure that I am not exaggerating or merely being polite when I say that we are quite pleased to see you now!"

Damn. Hector eyed the distant treeline in the darkness. The airport was fairly large, but it still seemed to be surrounded by forest. The monster could literally appear from any direction, in that case.

So far, these people didn't sound that scared, but maybe they were just trying to remain professional and not panic their subordinates.

If he were in their shoes, he would probably be pretty fucking terrified. He could only imagine what they must have gone through in the last day.

"Is someone coming to pick you up?" said Hector.

"Yes, we received word that a Special Operations team was being deployed here over two hours ago," said the Secretary. "They have... yet to arrive."

Hmm. Hector eyed their small group another time. It was just the Secretary, the Ambassador, and three apparent attendants. "Did you not have a security team escort you here?" he asked.

"We did," she said. "However, they went missing about ten hours ago. We have no idea where they are."

Holy shit.

Hector stopped walking, which made everyone else do the same. "Well, we have an airplane and a spare pilot," he said, very calmly. "Why don't you take them both and go somewhere a bit safer?"

Page 2317

Hector had offered an iron mask to Roman as well, but the man refused--"on principle," he'd said. Apparently, he took his disguises even more seriously than Hector thought. Either way, it wouldn't be quite as big of a deal if someone recognized Roman, since he was at least Atreyan, so Hector didn't press the issue.

"I did not expect you to bring such a large group," said Secretary Karr, "but this is encouraging to see. If there is any way in which we can help, you need only to ask. You are doing this country a great service. Come, let us walk."

The two parties became one as they moved toward the airport terminal together. Normally, it might not have been so easy to chat on the open tarmac like this, but there were no other airplanes either coming or going. It didn't escape Hector's notice how empty the place looked.

"Have you already evacuated this area?" said Hector.

"For the most part, yes," she said. "There have been a number of anomalous events in this area that suggest the Beast may be closer than we first thought."

Hector kind of wanted someone else to take the lead in this conversation, but that obviously wasn't going to fly, since he was the only person in their group who wasn't trying to keep a low profile in one way or another. "Events like what?" he asked.

"Frequent changes in weather, for one thing. This place was covered in snow three days ago, but you wouldn't know it now. Then it was blisteringly hot, and just yesterday, there was an electrical storm that knocked out most of our electronics."

"Oh," said Hector. "That would explain your lantern, then."

"Hmm? Oh, yes. We found a few of these in storage. Thankfully, we at least managed to get some of the radios back up and running."

Hector found that concerning. "Sounds like this area is pretty dangerous, then. Should you even be here, right now?"

Page 2316

It was a bit difficult to make out their faces in the darkness of the late evening, but as they got closer, Hector realized that the one on the right was Ambassador Stoutamire. The man was not first to step forward and speak, however. Instead, it was a middle-aged woman in a long red coat with feathers along the collar.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Lord Goffe," she said, holding up a rather archaic-looking lantern for illumination. "Welcome to the Imara Province. I am Larissa Karr, the Secretary of State for the Lorentian Federal Government." She offered him a gloved handshake, and Hector took it.

The Secretary of State? Didn't that make her super important? Or did it? Hector wasn't too familiar with the structure of foreign governments. Hell, he was still learning about Atreya's government.

Ambassador Stoutamire shuffled forward to shake hands with him as well. "Apologies for the lack of warning, Lord Goffe. Had I known, I would certainly have informed you that Secretary Karr would be here to meet you. Oh, you must think us terribly unorganized."

"It's no trouble," said Hector.

"Things have been especially hectic around here, you see," said Stoutamire. "Why, just yesterday, the power--"

The Secretary decided to interject. "That's enough, Ambassador. Lord Goffe didn't come all this way to hear us complain."

"Ah--yes. Forgive me." Stoutamire stepped backward with a stiff bow.

Secretary Karr regarded Hector again, this time lingering on his companions. "Who is this that you have brought with you?" she asked. "Your hunting party?"

"That's right," said Hector, figuring that was as good a term as any. With the Scarf, he could sense that Salvador Delaguna was fidgeting a bit more than the others.

Hmm, perhaps he was worried about being recognized. Hector had made iron masks for all the Rainlords, so that wouldn't be a problem, but Salvador was the head of House Delaguna, which made him quite an important political figure in Sair. Maybe that was making him uncomfortable unconsciously or something.

Page 2315

((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 2 of 2))
They spent the remainder of the flight discussing more hypothetical monsters that their reapers had mentioned. The only thing they knew definitively about the Beast of Lorent was that it had managed to avoid being identified despite Lorent's best efforts, so most of their proposed monsters were ones that could operate stealthily in one form or another.

At length, however, the conversation became more obviously about entertaining one another than it did about actually trying to discern what the creature might be. Among others, Hector brought up something called a jajarith, which was a kind of man-eating frog-beast that supposedly came from Qenghis, while Roman brought up something called a tomokooni, which was a freaky badger-like humanoid-creature that crept up on people while they slept and flayed them alive in order to wear their skin as its own.

They hadn't been competing, exactly, but after that, Hector decided that Roman had won. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be so open-minded about the possibility of all these things existing, after all.

"Apparently," Roman was still saying as they were getting off the plane, "the jury is still out on whether or not a tomokooni can pass for a human being. Voreese wasn't too sure on that part. But regardless, I have to imagine that the Lorentian authorities would've noticed a bunch of flayed corpses lying around and told us."

"Y'know," said Hector, "everyone likes to talk about how great the power of the imagination is, but sometimes, I think it might be the most horrific thing in the world."

"Could very well be."

A small group of people were waiting for them on the tarmac--which Hector found a little surprising, considering how they'd changed planes at the last minute, but he supposed the pilot must've radioed ahead.

Page 2314

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"I'm not doing it by myself," said Roman. "You can back out, but so will I."

Hector's mouth scrunched up. "Fine."

And so, for the next several minutes, the two of them braved a world of pretty fucked up shit. Unfortunately, even Roman couldn't find any "academic" articles, per se, but at length, they did happen upon a website that was full of words instead of artwork.

Which was something of a relief, at least.

The site itself seemed quite primitive, though, so Hector impulsively figured that they would soon move on from it, but Roman actually started reading that giant wall of text on the front page.

Hector decided to give it a go as well.

The text did indeed mention the Yigorosk by name and even described it as a creature first mentioned in ancient Luughian mythology. The Yigorosk supposedly emerged from the depths of the Luthic Ocean and laid countless eggs, which then hatched and terrorized the western coast of the Luughian continent for a hundred years.

It also stated that most modern scientists believe the Yigorosk to be either fictional or extinct due to the fact that no fossilized remains of it have ever been found--and because the only "historical record" that even mentioned it belonged to Harundel the Elder, who was apparently a notoriously unreliable and eccentric figure in ancient history.

Then the author of the website said that modern scientists were fools and claimed to have not only personally seen a Yigorosk, but also killed it and used its remains to create a powerful aphrodisiac.

Then the text started getting weirdly sexual.

"Who wrote this shit?" said Roman.

They scrolled down and found a link to a credits page.

"'Harundel the Younger,' apparently," said Hector.

"I want the last few minutes of my life back," said Roman.

Page 2313

"So is this actually real?" said Roman. "Or is it mythological likes the ones Voreese was talking about?"

"Garovel said it really existed like two thousand years ago," said Hector.

"Hmm. Doesn't really sound like a forest-dwelling monster, though, so why does he think it might be this 'Beast of Lorent?'"

"Supposedly, it could goo-ify almost any kind of environment to suit its needs. And it was known to migrate to new regions when threatened by hunters."

"Did you look this Yigorosk up on the internet?"

Hector hesitated. "Y-yeah..."

Roman cocked an eyebrow "And? What'd you find?"

"Uh... not what I was looking for."

Roman seemed confused.

Hector considered how to explain. "...Tentacle monsters are really popular online."

Roman no longer looked confused. A smile flickered across his face as he attempted to maintain his composure, but it didn't take long for him to start laughing outright.

"It's not that funny," said Hector.

Roman settled himself. Mostly. "Sorry. Heh. So, I guess, the term Yigorosk didn't help to, heh, narrow your search?"

"No." Hector frowned. "It sure fucking didn't."

Roman snorted again. "That's still a little strange, though. If it really does exist to this day, then you should've been able to find some actual academic articles about it."

Hector scratched his chin. "Maybe I'm just bad at searching for stuff online."

"You think so? I thought all young people these days were well-versed in using the internet."

Hector smiled. "Hey, maybe you should look it up."

Roman just stared at him a moment. "I see where this is going, and I don't like it."

"I'm sure you'd be better at it than me."

"Alright, y'know what?" Roman pulled out his phone. "I'm willing to walk over this land mine if we do it together."

At that, Hector's enthusiasm waned a little. "Eh..."

Page 2312

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 20 of 20))~~
"Not sure," said Roman. "I think Voreese said it's supposed to eat you afterward."

"So it's like tenderizing your soul by torturing you?"

"Maybe." Roman shrugged. "But like I said. Mythological. Probably not real."

"Right... and I don't suppose you know if servants are immune to its soul-sucking powers, huh?"

"Why would we be immune?"

"Because our souls don't even belong to us. They belong to our reapers."

"Mm. That's one way of putting it, I suppose. I don't see why that would make us immune, though."

"Well, I know for a fact that we're immune to certain aberration abilities."

"You do? How do you know that?"

"Because the first time I fought Geoffrey Rofal, he tried to consume my soul. Didn't work."

"Oh, right. Him. I'd almost forgotten about that little bastard."

Hector made no response. He wished he could forget. He knew he never would.

Roman took the opportunity to change the subject. "So what were Garovel's theories about this monster, then?"

"Were those two the only ones that Voreese brought up?"

"No, but I'm tired of talking about them. It's your turn."

That was fair. "Ah... he told me about something called a Yigorosk."

"Scarier name than Wamp, at least. What's its deal?"

"Basically, it's a giant tentacle monster."

"...Is that it? Maybe I'm just jaded at this point, but if all it's got going for it is a bunch of tentacles, then I doubt it would stand much of a chance against six servants. Or even one, for that matter."

"Well, it can also camouflage itself. And it's supposed to be pretty durable. Kinda like the worms in the Undercrust, was what Garovel said."

"Hmm. Still not impressed."

"It stalks its prey while camouflaged and then springs on them when no one is looking and drags them back to its gooey lair--which it made from its own bodily juices, by the way."

"Okay, well, that's fuckin' gross."

"Mmhmm."

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"It's supposed to do all this because it feeds off of your fear or some shit," said Roman. "And it only tries to kill you when either your fear reaches a critical point or it becomes dissatisfied with the amount of fear you're exhibiting."

"Wait, so it tries to kill you no matter what you do?" said Hector.

"Guess so."

"Shouldn't there be, like, a special rule or something to help you stay alive? That's how these mythological stories usually go, isn't it?"

"I dunno, man. Like I said, Voreese didn't offer anything in the way of proof--even anecdotally. And the Rainlords said it wasn't real."

Hector spared a glance at the other passengers and lowered his voice. "The Rainlords didn't know about Sparrows, either."

Roman opened his mouth, then perhaps thought better of whatever he was about to say and closed it again.

"And besides... I've met two gods in the last six months--one of which, even Garovel thought never existed. So you'll have to excuse me if I try to keep an open mind about these things."

Roman scratched his forehead. "Well, when you put it like that..."

Hector let the silence linger for a moment longer before saying, "So did Voreese mention anything else?"

"Yeah. She said it could also be something called a Wamp--which is another mythological creature, by the way."

Hector's brow depressed a little. "A Wamp? Doesn't exactly sound scary..."

"Right? Apparently, it's an Old Mohssian term that doesn't really have an accurate translation."

"Hmm. So what does the Wamp do, then?"

"Sucks your soul out of your body and tortures you in a hellish nightmare of your own imaginings."

Hector's pressed his lips together flatly. "Oh."

"Yeah. Doesn't sound too fun."

"Does it have a particular reason for doing that to you? Or is it just an asshole?"

Side Story #1 - Colt - Page 34

"Are you really so desperate for a drinking buddy that you'd hit up a total stranger like me?" said Colt. "No offense, but I find that a little hard to believe."

Malcolm's smile faded somewhat, and he scratched his head. "You think so? Guess I got a little excited, seeing an unfamiliar face for the first time in so long."

For some reason, Colt really didn't like this guy. But that wasn't so strange, he supposed. He didn't like most people. He allowed his eyes to fall upon the man's bulky arm. Those were indeed bandages under his sleeve. "What's the story there?"

Malcolm concealed his arm behind him a little, then put it back down at his side again. Judging by the expression on his face, he seemed surprised. "Noticed that, did you? Most folks haven't. Got a keen eye on you, fella."

Colt made no response.

"And you're the type to be suspicious of people, too," said Malcolm. "Might make a good cop. Oh, or perhaps you used to be one?"

Shit. That was sloppy of him, Colt realized. This guy had such a relaxed vibe to him that Colt had all but forgotten that Malcolm Beaumont was a policeman himself. Acting a bit dumb or airheaded was a classic tactic to get people to let down their guard when trying to pump them for information.

Colt felt like an idiot for not having seen through it sooner. Despite how suspicious he was of Malcolm, he somehow hadn't expected Malcolm to be suspicious of him, too. It made perfect sense, though, that a cop would be mindful of any new faces around town. Rex had done the same thing when Colt first arrived.

"I've done some private security work in the past," Colt said. That wasn't true, but it was part of his new identity here in Snider. "And I'm a father. Being suspicious comes naturally."

"I see, I see," said Malcolm.

Colt spotted some more bandage wraps in the man's shopping bag. For replacing the ones he was currently wearing, no doubt. A minor detail, perhaps, but it meant that Malcolm's injury was a significant one, not likely to heal very soon. "So what's the story, then? You hurt yourself, friend?"

"Oh, are we friends now? Already? If so, I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised. Seemed like you were givin' me a bit of the cold shoulder."

"And it seems like you're dodging questions."

Malcolm chortled. "So what if I am, huh? A man has a right to his privacy, don't he?"

Colt could manage a smile at that. "He certainly does. Though that's pretty hypocritical, comin' from Mr. Curious over here."

"Heh, fair enough. Tell you what. Join me for a drink, and we'll spill our guts to each other."

And for a moment, Colt was honestly tempted. If he didn't currently suspect Malcolm of being a murderer, he might've agreed. Hell, a part of him still thought it might be a good idea. Some killers were quite talkative, after all. Holding onto dark secrets like that wasn't easy for everyone.

But no. Colt resisted. "I appreciate the offer," he said, "but I think I'll have to decline. I'm not in the habit of drinking with people I don't know. I'm not even that much of a drinker in the first place, truth be told."

"Ah, that's a real shame. But I understand. And look, if you change your mind, I'll probably be over at Sam & Jenny's for the next few hours. Know where that is?"

"I do."

"Alright, then. See ya if I see ya." He gave Colt a wave and turned to leave.

Colt tensed, trying to think of some way to stall the man further without actually committing to anything, but mercifully, Bohwanox chose that moment to phase through the store's closed doors. Colt exhaled a quiet breath and tried to guide the reaper with his eyes. 'Follow that guy.'

Boh stopped just as he and Malcolm were passing one another. 'I gotcha.' Then he pursued Malcolm's leisurely walk out of the building.

Well, that was one less thing to worry about. For now, at least. It was better to just let Boh observe Malcolm for a while before actually engaging with the guy directly. Colt had the twins to think about. The less time they spent around murderers, the better.

Not counting himself, that was.

He was fully aware of his own hypocrisy in that regard, but he didn't really give a shit. He would be a hypocrite a thousand times over if it meant keeping the kids even a tiny bit safer.

Eventually, he got to the front of the line and finally managed to talk to Fred Millerman.

"Ah, Mr. Thompson," said Fred immediately upon seeing him. "Here for that stroller you ordered, no?"

Colt was a bit surprised that the man remembered him--and not just his name but also his order. They'd only spoken briefly a week ago, and it seemed like Fred had plenty of other customers to keep track of.

Maybe this was another symptom of being a suspicious outsider. Hmm.

"That's right," said Colt. "You got it?"

"Yes, sir, I do," said Fred, holding up an index finger. "Give me one minute." He turned around and went through a rear door, presumably to fetch the product in question from storage or some such area.

There were more people waiting in line behind Colt, but he didn't recognize any of them, and he wasn't feeling very chatty, at the moment.

Unfortunately, Bohwanox was.

'This Malcolm guy is awfully friendly,' came the reaper's private words.

'I noticed,' said Colt. 'Learn anything yet?'

'I only just started following him.'

'I know. I just figured you wouldn't be wasting my time unless you had something important to say. My mistake.'

'Wow. What crawled up your ass this morning?'

Colt made no response. A part of him knew that the reaper hadn't done anything to deserve that, but another, stronger part of him was too stubborn to apologize.

Page 2310

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 18 of 20))~~
A question occurred to Hector, and it made him smile, so he couldn't help asking it to Roman. "Does Voreese have any theories about what this monster might actually be?"

"Oh, sweet Cocora, does she ever," said Roman. "You don't actually wanna hear all of her crazy ramblings, do you?"

Hector returned a slight nod, as if to say that he kind of did want to hear them.

Roman groaned. "Did Garovel not bombard you with any wild theories of his own? He must've, surely."

"Oh yeah, he definitely did," said Hector, smile widening. "That's what gave me the idea to ask you about Voreese."

"Ah, I see. So you're amused by the thought of me suffering through the same sort of thing that you did, is that it?"

"Pretty much."

"Alright, well... I guess I can give you the abridged version. Heh, but only if you tell me some of the crazy shit that Garovel said, too."

"Deal."

Roman took a moment to think. "She mentioned something called a Ceese. Apparently, it's a type of 'evil spirit.'" He made air quotes with his fingers.

Hector asked the obvious question. "Evil spirit? What does that mean?"

"That's what I said. She couldn't provide details. Probably because it's a mythological creature and never actually existed. I asked some of the Rainlords' reapers, and they were a bit more forthcoming with the truth. She was just trying to scare me, I think. She's like a little kid sometimes, I swear."

"Ah." Hector was still curious, though. "...So what's so scary about a Ceese, then?"

Roman breathed a partial laugh. "Well, it's supposed to stalk you from the edges of your peripheral vision, always staying just outside of your view, somehow. And as it gets closer and closer, it begins to laugh at you--or at least, that's what it sounds like. Might just be its breathing, since it's not actually supposed to be human."

"Huh..."

Page 2309

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 17 of 20))~~
This was Hector's second time seeing Lorent from the air. The trip to Sair had afforded him the opportunity once before, but he'd been considerably more distracted by Lynn's presence during that flight.

He was able to get a better look now.

Ambassador Stoutamire hadn't been kidding when he'd said that Lorent had a lot of forests. That was all Hector could see across the entire horizon. Were there even any cities in this country?

Ah, yeah, he managed to spot an occasional building peeking up among the trees here and there. Wow, did they really just build their towns in the middle of the forest like that?

Suddenly, he felt a little bad. He probably should've known a lot more about this country, considering how close it was to Warrenhold.

Well, hopefully, this trip would help change that.

"Is Garovel complaining to you?" said Roman, who was sitting next to him.

"Hmm?" said Hector. "Ah. No? Complaining about what?"

"About not bringing him along," said Roman. "I just left, and Voreese already won't shut up."

"Ah... well, now that you mention it, I'm sure Garovel will get around to it, eventually."

"I'm tempted to tell her to go bother Garovel instead of me, but if he's not annoying you already, then I'm afraid she might infect him with her whining."

"Heh. Oh, uh, by the way, thanks again for your help with the Bank."

"Don't sweat it." After a beat, Roman bobbed his head to the side. "Well. Okay, maybe you can sweat it a little bit. That's ten million troa I've got riding on you."

Hector's laugh was a moderately nervous one. "I'm sweating it plenty, I promise..."

"Seems like it's going pretty well, though, yeah?"

"So far."

"Well, even if it all goes pear-shaped, don't worry. I'll bail your bank out for you."

Hector blinked and looked at him anew. "Really?"

"Hell no! Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how much money you're talking about?"

Hector's expression flattened, and he went back to looking out the window. "Suddenly, I'm starting to miss Voreese."

Roman snorted a laugh of his own.

Page 2308

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 16 of 20))~~
Salvador chortled and slapped a meaty hand on Roman's shoulder, making the man's whole body shake. "You are a strange one, Mr. Fullister!"

"Do you have some way around those reporters for us?" asked Carlos.

"It just so happens that I've got a spare plane that we can use. One that our media friends over there don't know about."

Hector was reminded of something. "That isn't the same plane that you stole from the Vanguard, is it?"

The Rainlords all snapped to attention in unison at that question.

"Oh, no, don't worry," said Roman. "I got rid of that thing a long time ago. Can't just leave a loose end like that hanging around. Even if it is worth millions of troa."

"So you bought a whole new plane, then?" said Hector.

"Nah, I only chartered this one," said Roman. "Less expensive this way. I do want to get another one eventually, though."

Roman guided them to the hangar where it was being kept. It was a handsome machine, painted white-and-silver and bearing the black insignia of a sword with wings--the logo of the Gray Rock International Airport.

"How long ago did you charter this thing?" said Hector.

"Oh, it's been a good while," said Roman. "Almost twenty-four whole hours."

Hector just shook his head and laughed as he boarded the plane.

It didn't take much longer for the small crew to finish preparations. Hector also discovered that Fidel Blackburn was a certified pilot, and with Roman's permission, he was allowed into the cockpit with the aircraft's otherwise lone airman.

Soon enough, they were in the air and leaving the country.

With Lorent being so close, Hector had at first thought that an airplane wouldn't be necessary, but after a quick geography lesson on the internet, he realized that Lorent was actually kind of huge--and their destination was the Imara Forest, deep in the heart of the country. This way, it would only take a few hours to reach instead of all night.

Page 2307

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 15 of 20))~~
In this case, though, those caves alone probably wouldn't have been enough. There were more reporters waiting for him at the airport concourse. By then, the Rainlords had rejoined him, and he was faced with a difficult decision. Split up again? Or just encase all the cameras in iron? He'd done the latter before, and it certainly hadn't won him any points with the media.

He was more concerned about the reporters noticing the four Rainlords in his company. He doubted any normal person would recognize them, and if they acted casual, they could just pass as normal bodyguards, but it was still a risk that Hector preferred not to take.

Hmm. Maybe he could just armor the Rainlords up.

No, wait, that would freak the media out even more, wouldn't it? They might think there were suddenly five Darksteel Soldiers or some shit.

"Having problems?" came a deep, yet oddly familiar voice.

Hector turned to see that it belonged to a uniformed pilot. Then he did a double take when he saw that it was Roman Fullister. "What're you doing here?"

"You didn't think I'd let you go to Lorent without me, did you?" The base in his voice was so much heavier than usual.

"...Are you using vibrations to modulate your own voice now?" said Hector.

Roman chuckled. "Yeah. Pretty neat, right? I should've tried this out ages ago. Once I get the hang of it, I feel like I might be able to pull off some killer impressions."

Hector exhaled half a laugh. Roman had been staying at Warrenhold with everyone else, so him showing up at the airport like this was highly unnecessary.

Carlos Sebolt was the first to point that fact out. "If you wanted to come along, you could've just accompanied us when we left the castle."

"Where would be the fun in that?" said Roman, returning his voice to normal.

Page 2306

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 14 of 20))~~
It wasn't just Salvador accompanying him, though. Matteo Delaguna, Fidel Blackburn, and Carlos Sebolt had either volunteered or been selected to come along, too.

And much like the treasure hunting teams, they weren't taking their reapers with them. The fact that the so-called Beast of Lorent had already "killed" multiple other servants was an unsettling notion. Perhaps that bit of information was mistaken or exaggerated, but either way, caution seemed like the wisest course of action.

It would be weird to be away from Garovel for so long, and Hector wasn't looking forward to it, but at least he'd still be able to talk to him whenever he wanted.

Unlike the trip to Sair, however, word had gotten to the media about the Lord of Warrenhold's trip to Lorent, and now there was a crowd of reporters camping out at Warrenhold's main gate. Thankfully, the aboveground walls had already been repaired or completely rebuilt, so at least there weren't camera crews all over the castle grounds like there were last time, but it still made leaving more difficult.

He didn't want any of the Rainlords to be caught on camera, especially Lord Salvador, so Hector had to leave first on his own and draw the media away so that the Rainlords could meet up with him later.

Hector couldn't help thinking that this might not have been such a hassle if he'd managed to explore more of the cave network that Warrenhold was part of. He'd done it multiple times previously when searching for the location of the underground waterfall, but after finding it, the exploration effort had lost most of its fervor. Plus, he'd had about a million other things distracting him, lately.

Those caves, though, were something else. They were an absolute labyrinth, and Garovel even mentioned that there was a good chance that they extended beneath most of the city, perhaps even connecting to the subway system. And if that were true, then there were bound to be other routes back up to the surface elsewhere.

That sure would've made it easier to leave the city without drawing so much attention.

Page 2305 -- CCXXIV.

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 13 of 20))~~
Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Four: 'O, crusading champion...'
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

The trip to Lorent happened quickly. Hector had expected more pushback from both the Queen and the Rainlords when he told them about what the Lorentian Ambassador said, but they all seemed to understand. In the Queen's case, she actually sounded somewhat pleased about the idea, telling him that his victory would help to improve relations between Atreya and Lorent considerably.

Why she was assuming that he would succeed, Hector wasn't quite sure. He didn't want to dampen her spirits, though. Apparently, there had been some trade disputes with Lorent going on in the last few weeks, and it was hindering some kind of building project that the Queen was working on. She promised to tell him more about it when he returned.

The Rainlords were not quite so enthused by his departure--which, admittedly, warmed his heart a little bit--but they were still very supportive and of course insisted on sending strong warriors to help him.

In fact, if he hadn't said anything, half of their remaining forces might've ended up accompanying him. It was the Babbadelo-situation all over again.

However, who to actually bring along proved to be a difficult decision to make. Most of their strongest warriors were in Vantalay at the moment, so the most powerful servants in Warrenhold currently consisted of Zeff Elroy, Joana Cortes, Salvador Delaguna, Dimas Sebolt, Horatio Blackburn, and Nere Blackburn--in no particular order.

But all of those people were the heads of their respective families. They had the most responsibility and would therefore be the most sorely missed. Hector didn't want to bring any of them along.

For some reason, though, Salvador Delaguna wouldn't take no for an answer. All the other heads seemed to understand Hector's perspective, but not him.

"You think I'm too important?" the giant man had said. "Boy, you're more important than any of us. And I'll be damned if I let you go off and face some mysterious beastie all on your own."

Page 2304

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 12 of 20))~~
'The more I learn about this town, the less I like it,' said Ezura. 'If Graves is really here in Ridgemark, then why the hell hasn't he gotten rid of Abolish?'

Evangelina could tell where she was headed with that question. 'Officer Brand didn't name any Abolishers who can stand up to a Field Marhsal.'

'Exactly. So why's he dragging his feet?'

'Maybe he is worried about collateral damage. There are plenty of innocent tourists still in the city. And if the casinos refuse to evacuate civilians, then I imagine Graves' job becomes much more difficult.'

'You might be right,' said Ezura, 'but even if that is the case, the question remains: why doesn't he just strong-arm them into evacuating the city?'

Evangelina tipped her head to the side a little, considering that thought. 'Technically, the Vanguard is supposed to respect local sovereignty.'

'Hah!'

'I am aware that we represent a rather potent counterexample.'

'An understatement if ever there was one. I don't believe for a second that Graves is just sitting around like a good little boy. This country is at war. Local sovereignty, collateral damage--these things are already in flux, at the moment, even without the Vanguard's input. If he hasn't run Abolish out of here, it's not because he doesn't want to. Someone really strong must be getting in his way.'

Evangelina almost didn't even want to say it. '...The RPMP?'

The reaper sighed. 'I don't want to entertain the idea that they could have someone that powerful on their payroll, but right now, it's looking like the only explanation.'

A worrisome thought, to say the least. But Evangelina could also see a potential bright side. 'Well... if that really is the case, then perhaps that is to our advantage.'

'Maybe. But I've never been much for optimism.'

A faint smile crossed Evangelina's lips. 'Believe me, I know.'

Page 2303

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 11 of 20))~~
Jun, on the other hand, Evangelina had never heard of. It could've been someone who had only recently made a name for themself, but whoever it was, if they were being mentioned in the same breath as Graves, then they were bound to be extremely dangerous.

Bah.

She'd hoped that none of the Marshals would be here in Vantalay--or at the very least, not in Ridgemark--but it seems that wasn't to be.

They'd just have to be that much more careful, she supposed.

Diego and the policeman continued their chat for a while longer, but Diego didn't manage to get any other useful information out of him. And thankfully, Officer Brand did indeed leave them alone as he said he would.

Finally, they all got back in the car and resumed their journey out of the city.

No one said anything aloud for a long while. Perhaps they were afraid to.

'That policeman worries me,' said Ezura privately. She was still attached to Evangelina's torso, hidden beneath her cloak.

Normally, Evangelina saw reapers as quite large birds--storks, to be precise. Their black-and-gray feathers smoldered like fire while their eyes glowed white or sometimes yellow or even occasionally red. When they were hidden like this, however, their large size made no difference whatsoever. That was what happened when reapers attached themselves to someone else's soul. Their usual appearance melted away, and they became little more than an amorphous blob stuck to the person's body.

'I thought he was surprisingly well-mannered and unintrusive,' said Evangelina.

'I thought so, too,' said Ezura. 'His personality isn't what concerns me. It was the way he showed up like that out of the blue. He said he'd been watching us the whole time, but I still didn't sense him until he was basically on top of us already.'

'Well, your senses are hindered by my cloak,' said Evangelina.

'Sure, but it wasn't like I was blind. I was paying close attention to our surroundings in case any more Abolishers showed up.'

'Hmm.'

Page 2302

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 10 of 20))~~
"Risto, Orma, and Voss," said Brand. "If you encounter anyone with those names, I recommend you walk the other way. They're liable to get you into trouble."

Evangelina was familiar with all of those names. They were all infamous Abolishers. On par with the Killer of Krohin, arguably.

She wasn't afraid of them. If not for their mission, she would've relished an opportunity to take each and every one of their heads. The amount of misery that they were collectively responsible for over the years beggared belief.

Officer Brand wasn't done, though. "Those are the ones you should probably avoid the most, but I would also recommend staying away from anyone named Jun or Graves. You'll find nothing but trouble from them as well, I suspect."

Evangelina didn't react, but she sure wanted to. Having been a member of the Vanguard herself for over twenty years, she knew that last name particularly well.

Field Marshal Graves.

She'd never had the opportunity to meet him--which was perhaps to her benefit now, since it meant that his reaper wouldn't have her soul memorized--but all of the Field Marshals had their own mythos surrounding them. The lower ranked Vanguardians loved to talk about them, to swap fantastic tales of questionable veracity.

No one was ever quite sure what to believe when it came to the Field Marshals--and she'd heard that was by design. The legendary stories about them served to muddy their actual histories and thereby protect any innocent people who might've been connected to them.

One of Abolish's favorite pastimes was raiding a place that a Field Marshal once called home. In addition to enjoying the slaughter and destruction, they no doubt hoped to bait the associated Field Marshal into a trap.

Even among the Field Marshals, though, Graves was regarded as perhaps the most mysterious. Supposedly, he'd once fought Dozer to a standstill, yet that was the only story Evangelina had ever heard circulating about him. Beyond that, his past was a complete blank.

Page 2301

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 9 of 20))~~
Diego gave a second laugh. "Your Mohssian is very good, by the way."

"Thank you."

"Are all RPMP officers as fluent as you?" said Diego.

"Being multilingual is a prerequisite for the job, yes."

"Ah, because of all the tourists Ridgemark gets?"

"Indeed. In truth, I speak six languages."

"Oho! Impressive. I only know a bit of Valgan, myself. Trying to learn more, you know. What are all the languages you speak?"

"Valgan, Mohssian, Lhugian, Vaelish, Yenish, and Ghisi."

"And which is your native tongue?"

"Ghisi, technically, but I spoke Valgan for most of my adolescent life, so my accent probably sounds more akin to that."

"Aha. You, sir, sound like you've had an interesting life."

"And you, sir, sound like you are buttering me up in order to ask another question. You can simply ask. I shall answer to best of my ability."

Diego snickered.

Evangelina merely listened, but she was hardly surprised by the initiative Diego was taking here. He'd always been a bit of a conversationalist, and while this might've seemed like an inappropriate time to be engaging in small talk, Officer Brand was clearly a valuable source of information.

"You got me," Diego admitted. "I suppose what I'd really like to know is who those people who were bothering us were. Do you know?"

"I'm not at liberty to say, I'm afraid. My apologies."

"I figured as much. Shame. Then can you at least tell us if there are any other people we should watch out for while we're in Ridgemark?"

Officer Brand was quiet a moment as he met Diego's gaze, perhaps trying to take the measure of him in some way. "As I said, Ridgemark is safe. You don't need to 'watch out' for anyone while you are here. The RPMP will protect you perfectly."

Diego nodded. "Of course. I did not mean to imply otherwise."

"I'm sure you didn't." Brand's sky blue eyes drifted between everyone. "However, there are a few names you may wish to be mindful of. In the off chance you hear of any of them."

"Oh?"

Page 2300

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 8 of 20))~~
Wow. Evangelina could hardly believe her ears, especially after the policeman had just mentioned people being on a 'watchlist.' She almost wanted to push her luck and ask him why he didn't seem to be concerned that they were all concealing their faces, but she held her tongue.

Officer Brand took a moment to check his phone before addressing them again. "In any case, I hope you all enjoy your stay here in Ridgemark." He handed a card off to Diego. "If you think of anything regarding those men who were bothering you, please give me a call. Or you can just dial 883, and the operator will help you."

"Thank you, Officer," said Diego.

"You are welcome. And before I go, a word of caution: Ridgemark is safe, but everywhere around it is a lawless zone. You people seem like you intend to leave the city, and while I obviously don't intend to stop you, I strongly recommend that you reconsider. You will be taking your lives into your own hands, if you do."

"A 'lawless zone?'" said Diego. "That's a strange way to put it. Isn't everything within Vantalay's borders subject to the laws of the Vantalayan government?"

Evangelina was fairly certain that Diego was playing a bit dumb with those questions. He'd received the same briefing that the rest of them had with regard to Vantalay's unique political circumstances. He probably just wanted to hear Officer Brand's take on the situation.

"Ah, well, being foreigners, I suppose it's to be expected that you wouldn't know about that," said Brand. "The truth is, you can't rely on the Vantalayan government for anything. Whether it's protection, funding, food, or healthcare--it's always in flux. Occasionally, they'll help you. Most times, they won't. Even before this war, that was the case, and now it's just doubly so."

Diego gave a small laugh. "Those're some pretty strong opinions you have there, Officer."

"Not really. You should hear some of my coworkers."

Page 2299

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 7 of 20))~~
He couldn't say? Evangelina found that very odd. Why would the location that Officer Brand had been observing the situation from be a classified subject?

"Did those people say anything to you that you would like to report?" said Brand. "Any information you could provide regarding their activities or plans would be greatly appreciated."

"Unfortunately, they did not tell us anything like that," said Melchor.

"Are you sure?" said Brand. "I should add that there is a financial reward for actionable intel on these people."

A reward?

Truthfully, that did pique Evangelina's interest a bit. Too bad the mission came first.

"We are quite certain," said Melchor.

Diego decided to chime in. "Would you mind if we asked you a question, Officer Brand?"

"Of course. Feel free."

Diego adjusted his crimson hood and cloth mask. "How far does the RPMP's jurisdiction extend, precisely?"

Ah. Good question, Evangelina thought.

"The city limits," said Brand.

"I see," said Diego. "So the town of Miro is of no concern to you, then?"

And for the first time, Officer Brand's easy smile turned into a frown. "I'm afraid so."

"Hmm?" Diego's head perked up a little. "Is that remorse I hear in your voice, Officer Brand?"

The policeman made no response.

"Could it be that you know what's happening there?" said Diego.

"Not exactly, but the rumors aren't pleasant. But the same can be said for the rest of the nation. My job is to prevent those same things from happening here."

"I see," said Diego again.

And there was silence.

Evangelina expected more questions from the policeman, but he didn't offer any. Perhaps he was expecting more from them.

She decided to seize the lull in the conversation for herself. "Perhaps I shouldn't be asking this, but you've been very amicable thus far, and I would like to trust you, if only a little. Why have you not asked us what we are doing here?"

"It is not my business to interfere with yours," said Brand.

Page 2298

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 6 of 20))~~
Hopefully, this peacekeeping effort wouldn't turn out to be Sai-hee's doing, but that would at least make more sense to Evangelina than all this strength being concentrated into the hands of the locals.

"Could you please present your passports and accompanying documentation to me?" said Officer Brand. He even gave them a smile--a pearly white one, no less.

Ah. Their papers had already been checked and double-checked at the port, so there was no reason to expect them to suddenly fail here. Diego moved to retrieve the items in question from a briefcase in the car.

While they waited, Evangelina eyed this Officer Brand up and down.

Quite well-built. And handsome, in that youthful way. There was almost no chance that he was as young as he appeared, though.

Evangelina couldn't sense any kind of overwhelming soul power from him, but that didn't mean anything conclusive. The Lord Goffe never exhibited such oppressive pressure, either, and he was obviously very dangerous in a fight.

Plus, there was just something about this man, something about the way he carried himself. Calm, yet attentive. Speaking clearly and with confidence.

She wondered if all members of the RPMP were like this. If so, what kind of training did they receive?

Documents in hand, Brand took a moment to look them over, and his reaper joined him.

"Excellent. Thank you." The policeman offered them back to Diego, who returned them to the car. Brand regarded his small audience again with his bright blue eyes. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. You see, the people who were just hassling you are on an active watchlist, of sorts."

Melchor was the first to respond. "You were observing that encounter? From where, exactly?"

"That, I cannot say," said Brand. "I can, however, offer an apology for not stepping in immediately. Things are a bit tense in Ridgemark, at the moment. I have orders to only intervene directly when a situation escalates to violence."

Page 2297

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 5 of 20))~~
Melchor opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted.

"Hello in there," came the apparent officer's voice. It was rather soft yet still masculine, and his Valgan accent was faint.

Now that Evangelina was looking, the police officer actually had a bit of a babyface.

"Sorry to trouble you," the officer went on, "but would you mind exiting the vehicle? I have a few questions. I promise I won't take up too much of your time."

They were more than a little reluctant to do so, but none of them were eager to get into a fight with the local police, either. They all stepped out of the limousine one more time.

Evangelina saw a reaper floating just behind the man, observing them all from over his shoulder. If his unusual entrance hadn't been enough of a clue, this was confirmation. But the fact that he had actually brought his reaper along was interesting.

Taking that kind of risk meant one of two things: either he was very confident in his ability to protect his reaper, or he was trying to be courteous and diplomatic. In some circles, keeping one's reaper hidden was a sign of ill-intent and distrust. Allowing the reaper to be seen, therefore, was sometimes regarded as an extension of good will and openness to discussion.

"Thank you for your cooperation. I am Officer Brand of the RPMP."

That was the Ridgemark Private Military Police. There was no government-run law enforcement in this city. The RPMP was instead jointly-funded and operated by the largest companies in Ridgemark.

Evangelina had known this, yet it was still somehow difficult for her to wrap her head around the idea of local law enforcement being powerful enough to keep the peace between Abolish and the Vanguard. Surely, there had to have been other players involved, right? Foreign influence of some kind?

Page 2296

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 4 of 20))~~
At length, the loudmouth began to look more smug again. As the time ticked, he was no doubt starting to believe that Leo had indeed been acting.

Until the sound of sirens arrived.

It was an unfamiliar noise to Evangelina's ears, unlike the sirens they used back in Sair. These were more piercing and whistle-like. But the sudden frowns on all of the Abolishers faces told her everything she needed to know.

Without another word, they dispersed like cockroaches, with only the loudmouth lingering a moment longer to spit on the ground in front of them.

Once they were all gone, Leo started chortling.

"Why are you laughing?" said Melchor. "The situation may have been diffused, but the police will still be quite inconvenient to deal with. I'm not even convinced that simply crushing them wouldn't have been the wiser course of action."

Leo only laughed harder, however. He stuffed his phone into his pocket and got back in the limousine.

Everyone exchanged confused looks before joining him.

Once all the doors were closed, he explained, "I didn't actually make the call. Those sirens were just a coincidence!" And he kept laughing. "Talk about timing, eh?!"

Evangelina had no words.

Nor did anyone else, apparently.

Their driver started the car back up.

But before they could get rolling again, someone else appeared in the middle of the road.

From above. Evangelina's view was partially blocked by the roof of the car, so it looked as though a man had dropped down from seemingly nowhere and then was suddenly leaning on the hood of the car, peering through the windshield.

A man in a policeman's uniform.

Leo's laughter cut off, instantly replaced with a confused grunt. "What the frick?!"

Everyone looked at him again as he double-checked his phone.

"Dudes, I swear I didn't call nobody!" he said.

Page 2295

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 3 of 20))~~
"Pretend all you want. It's obvious that you're just--"

"Cool. Yeah, I'll wait right here. Hmm? No, I'm not too worried about that. They seem pretty toothless, honestly. All bark, know what I mean?" He broke for a laugh. "Really? Wow. Okay, awesome. Thanks so much. Yeah, I'll stay on the line."

The loudmouth was no longer loud. Instead, he was red in the face with visible veins around his temples.

Leo was just tapping his foot as he waited. His face was still mostly obscured by his hood, but he looked in the direction of the most talkative Abolisher again. "I'm not sure what local response times are, but if you plan on attacking us, you'd better get on with it."

The other man just scowled.

"Or could it be that you were actually trying to goad us into attacking you for some reason?" said Leo. "Heh. Afraid of the law around these parts, maybe?"

And abruptly, Evangelina understood. It seemed odd at first that any servants--especially those of Abolish--would be wary of conventional law enforcement, but Ridgemark was no normal city, was it? Somehow, it was maintaining order despite harboring seemingly huge numbers of both Abolish and the Vanguard.

So who were the peacekeepers around here?

If the nervous looks on the Abolishers' faces were any indication, then Leo had hit the nail on the head.

They still weren't down, though. The loudmouth had apparently run out of tough talk, but none of them were budging.

And so they had a silent standoff, of sorts, as they waited for the authorities to show up.

Supposedly. Even Evangelina wasn't sure if Leo had actually called the police or not. He could've just been acting. Perhaps that was why Abolish wasn't leaving. They wanted to see if he'd been bluffing or not.

Page 2294

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 2 of 20))~~
"Your silence strikes me as a tad suspicious," said the loudmouth. "Got something to hide, do ya? I know a few people who might be able to get you talking. Why don't we go and--?"

"Yo, this is getting real tiresome, my dudes." Leo's voice cut through the other man's like a hot knife through butter, and everyone turned to look at him. "I dunno about any of you guys, but I'm in a bit of a hurry."

The loudmouth remained undeterred. "It's rude to interrupt people, friend."

"It's more rude to block the road, daddy-o. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's illegal."

"That's a fair point. What say we all go some place quieter and have a nice chat?"

Leo whipped a phone out of his cloak. "What say I call the police? I'm not feelin' too chatty, myself, but I bet they would be able to help you out, don't you think?"

The loudmouth's smile disappeared for the first time. "Don't play dumb with me. It's obvious that you don't want any cops sniffing around your business. Just look at all of you."

Leo wasn't even looking in his direction. "Hey, what's the emergency number in this country? Anyone know?"

Evangelina noticed a few discontented rumbles among the Abolishers and couldn't help being surprised. Were they actually afraid of the civilian police showing up? Why?

Leo hadn't gotten an answer out of anyone yet, but he'd started dialing, anyway. "Well, maybe I can just guess it."

"Stop your bluffing," said the loudmouth. "There's no way--"

"Yes, police? Hi there. Oh, you speak Mohssian, too. That's convenient. Hey, I'm not too sure where I am, right now, but could you, like, figure out my location or whatever and send someone over here? Like, someone really strong, I mean? There are some hooligans blocking the road and harassing me and my buddies."

Page 2293

~~((National Rescue Dog Day - page 1 of 20))~~
No doubt, that was why these Abolishers were acting so boldly despite having no clue who they were going up against. So long as their reapers remained hidden, they weren't in any real danger. The worst that could happen to them was being taken captive, and if they were low enough level, their superiors might even consider them expendable enough to be worth that risk.

The Rainlords, on the other hand, had more to worry about. Evangelina was confident that they could stomp these chumps into the pavement, but engaging in open combat in the middle of the road would also risk exposing their identities. Ideally, they wanted to avoid that. They had only just arrived in Vantalay, after all.

No one said anything. Even the noise of the vehicles passing them on the road seemed to fall away.

The same nameless Abolisher decided to speak up again. "Say... you folks wouldn't happen to be on your way to a little town called Miro, would you?"

Evangelina's breath caught. How did they know that?

Still, no one said anything.

It had to be an educated guess. Whoever this man was, he must've known enough about the situation in Miro to suspect that the two men they captured the other day might attract reinforcements.

It was either that or... Adan and Esai Blackburn had talked.

More than anything, Evangelina didn't want to believe that. Rainlords wouldn't tell the enemy anything. It was a matter of honor. And if they had, then they would have at least informed their own reapers of what they had done so that the reinforcing team could be told that the enemy was expecting them.

Unless... their brains had been frozen immediately after confession. Then they wouldn't have had the opportunity to tell their reapers anything.

Evangelina's jaw clenched. The more she mulled over the possibilities in her mind, the more she wanted to kill these bastards and be done with it.

Page 2292

"Oho!" came the loudmouth's voice again. "So you did understand me! Well, now! Don't I feel foolish! Here I was, paying you compliments, thinking you were polite, and the whole time, you were actually being quite rude. It's not nice to leave people hanging when they're talking to you."

Yeah. This man was almost certainly from Morgunov's side of Abolish.

Evangelina elected not to respond, and she was rather pleased when no one else in their group did, either.

"Hmph! Our intentions were purely academic, you know. We were merely curious as to why the lot of you were attempting to hide your souls. Why, a more suspicious person might think that you were up to no good--but not me. I'm very trusting. I'm sure I'd be content if you would only tell me your names and show me your faces. Sounds reasonable, right?"

Evangelina could see the twitchiness among some of the Abolishers. The talkative one seemed calm and collected, sure, but his friends were pretty obviously just waiting for an excuse to fight.

They were about to get it.

Melchor decided to speak up first, though. "You are about to bite off more than you can chew, friends. I suggest you rethink this strategy of yours."

That was far more diplomatic than Evangelina wanted to be, right now.

Oddly enough, however, it did seem to give these lunatics pause, and the apparent leader looked around at his group. "...Is that right? Well, we appreciate the warning, friend, but with all due respect, I don't think you have any idea how much we can chew."

The main problem was that Evangelina couldn't see any of their reapers. She could see a few observing from a distance, but there was no way to know if they belonged to Abolish, so wantonly attacking them might just bring down a completely different group of servants on their head.

Page 2291

((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 2 of 2))
Melchor Blackburn didn't sit around to discuss what to do. He immediately got out of the car, and everyone else soon followed suit.

"Aha!" came the same voice from a moment ago. "Good listeners, these ones! How nice to encounter someone with a bit of courtesy for a change! This town is chock full of so many rude and vulgar people, you know!"

Melchor said nothing, nor did anyone else.

Evangelina eyed the apparent hostiles from beneath her hood. She counted twelve in total. Three on each side of the car. The ones behind them had appeared last.

Double their number. Not exactly good odds, but it was far too early to be worried. She knew most of the faces of the truly threatening members of Abolish, and none of these fools resembled any of them. It was possible that there was an unknown threat here, of course, but it was highly unlikely.

She'd seen more than her fair share of overconfident jackasses in her day.

"Why so quiet?" said the same man, having walked a bit closer so that he no longer had to shout. Perhaps he was the leader of this little troupe. He was quite tall--comparable to Diego and maybe even Dimas--and with that long black hair of his, Evangelina might've mistaken him for a woman if not for his deep voice. "Ah! Could it be that you don't speak Mohssian? My bad. I'm still not accustomed to all these Valgan-speakers."

The man motioned to someone else, who began saying something in Valgan, but Evangelina decided to interject.

"What do you want?" she said. She wasn't kidding herself. This was probably going to escalate to violence any moment now, but if there was any hope of avoiding all the attention that a fight would bring, then she had to at least try.

Page 2290

((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 1 of 2))
Granted, she had expressed her disapproval of the Triplets before the war began. She was now inclined to cut them a modicum of slack for having to deal with such an unexpected development in their mission.

And as tempting as it was to blame them for their recklessness, a part of her felt as if she would have done exactly the same thing in their shoes.

They may have been young. They may have been a bunch of goofballs.

But they were not meek.

They had put themselves in danger just to increase the odds of their mission's success. To save those poor townsfolk.

Just because their plan hadn't worked out perfectly for them didn't meant they hadn't acted like true Rainlords.

Regardless, she was still planning to give Raul a piece of her mind when she saw him.

The limousine came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the road, and the passengers all looked around in order to figure out why. It didn't take long to noticing the line of people standing in front of the car--followed by a few more who appeared at the vehicle's flanks.

Their driver muttered something in Valgan. Evangelina didn't speak it, but the timbre of his voice made his fear apparent to her, nonetheless.

Shouting arrived from one of the men standing in the road. More Valgan.

Ezura, Evangelina's reaper, was kind enough to privately translate for her. 'They said, "Come on out of there, whoever you are."'

Hmm. Evangelina didn't recognize any of their faces, but she almost didn't even need to. The expressions on those faces... she'd seen them countless times before.

The smiles of madmen.

And their behavior? Standing in the middle of the road? Just for a chance to talk to a few people whom they apparently knew nothing about? It was a fair bet that this was Morgunov's side of Abolish here.

Side Story #1 - Colt - Page 33

<<Page 32 || Side Story Table of Contents || Page 34>>

Colt craned his neck to get a look at the front of the line.

"Yeah. Thanks, Fred." The husky voice belonged to a man who was almost wider than he was tall. He wasn't fat, exactly, just very short and broad. And he was wearing a coat, but Colt could see something bulky beneath the left sleeve. A cast? Or maybe just bandages. Either way, it meant he'd sustained some kind of injury.

Much like Brick.

And supposedly, this man was Brick's true owner. Colt doubted the coincidence. Had they both been injured at the same time? By the same thing? Brick seemed like the protective sort, so it would make sense if he got hurt defending his master.

But if that were the case, why wasn't he still with his master? Had they somehow gotten separated during whatever happened? Hmm, that seemed unlikely, too. Brick, despite being an asshole, struck Colt as a pretty intelligent animal. If he'd gotten separated from his master, he probably would've been able to find him again easily enough, either by scent or just by returning to their home.

Unless...

Colt's eyebrow twitched as the thought occurred to him.

Did they both have injuries because they fought each other? Had Brick been attacked by his owner?

Colt supposed the opposite could also technically be the case. Maybe Brick was the one who attacked his master. But given the way the dog had been acting around the kids and around Alice, Colt didn't want to believe that. True, the bastard did seem to have a real attitude problem with him specifically--and perhaps men in general--but if Mr. Beaumont really had raised and trained Brick, then that shouldn't have mattered.

It was extremely rare for dogs, especially well-trained ones, to go against their masters. For any reason. In fact, it was so rare that Colt was beginning to think that this guy might not actually be Brick's master, after all.

'Boh, I think I found Janet's father,' said Colt. 'I need you here.'

'Where are you?'

'Orden. Largest store in town. It's called Anything.'

'Okay, I've seen the place. I'll be there shortly.'

'Hurry. I'm not sure he'll be here much longer.'

Indeed, the man was already on his way out of the store. Colt tried not to stare, but he must not have succeeded, because Mr. Beaumont stopped as he was passing and looked straight at him.

The man rubbed his own cheek with his free hand. "Do I have something on my face?"

"Oh, ah, no," said Colt. "Sorry. Thought you were someone else."

"That right?" Mr. Beaumont smiled. "Who, if you don't mind my asking?"

Colt did mind, as it so happened. "Doesn't matter. Why you askin'?"

"Heh. Curiosity. Y'know, it's pretty normal to recognize people in this town. And yet you, I don't. What's your name, friend?"

Really? This guy was one those people? Colt wouldn't have guessed just by looking at him that he was some kind of social butterfly. Somehow, that made him seem like less of a suspect in Rex's murder, but Colt wasn't about to rule it out, either. Charismatic killers certainly existed, too. "Colton Thompson," he said. "But you can just call me Colt. You?"

"Malcolm Beaumont. Good to meet you, Colt. You new around here?"

"I am."

"Adorable little kids you've got there."

"Thanks. You got any of your own?"

"Sure do. Just one, but she's a handful alright. She's already twenty-three now, but most days, I don't feel it. I don't look old enough to have a daughter in her twenties, do I? Be honest."

He actually didn't, Colt thought. Barely had a gray hair on his head, even if he did have one of those impossible-to-age faces. "Nope," he said.

Malcolm's smile only widened. "That's what I like to hear. You're a good man, Colt. Telling the truth like that."

Colt supposed that had been a joke, so he tried to return a small laugh. He expected the conversation to die there and for Malcolm to move on, but for whatever reason, the man just continued standing there in the middle of the store. Sure, they were at the back of the line, so they weren't getting in anyone's way, but it was still awkward as fuck.

Impulsively, Colt wanted to ask him what the hell he was doing, but this was actually ideal for the investigation. He was buying time for Boh to arrive and memorize Malcolm's soul signature. This was a lot better than following the guy out of the store and around the town.

Soon enough, though, Malcolm found a new subject. "Hey, you like beer?"

Colt almost wanted to lie but decided against it. "Not particularly. Why?"

"Oh. Uh. Was just wondering if you wanted to share a couple." He held up his lone shopping bag, which harbored a six-pack, some hot dogs, and a few other things that Colt couldn't quite make out. "If you don't drink, though, I understand."

Colt couldn't hold his tongue anymore. "You're awfully friendly, y'know that?"

Malcolm gave a curt laugh. "Nice way of putting it. Desperate to make a friend might be another."

"That so? You made it sound like you already knew everyone in town."

"Fair point. Lookin' for a certain kind of friend, though, if you know what I'm saying."

Colt didn't, really.

Wait a minute.

Oh shit. Was this guy coming onto him?

"What's with that look?" said Malcolm. "I say something weird?"

Colt, despite himself, tried to be delicate. "I think you might be barkin' up the wrong tree here, pal."

Malcolm seemed confused for a moment, until a surge of realization washed over his face. "Oh! No, no, no. Not like that." He snorted a laugh. "Holy cow, not like that at all. I'm looking for a drinking buddy, okay? Nothing beyond, er... that."

Frankly, Colt didn't believe him. But the goddamned reaper still wasn't here yet. "You ain't got anyone to drink with?" he asked.

"Not no one," said Malcolm. "I got a few. But I could use another, know what I'm saying? I'm a man of many varied tastes and interests. Helps to have different folks to shoot the sh--the stuff with."

Well, if nothing else, Colt appreciated the man's ability to censor himself in front of the twins.

What a fuckin' weirdo, though.

<<Page 32 || Side Story Table of Contents || Page 34>>

Page 2289

Leo's reaper had remained at Warrenhold, but everyone else had brought theirs along. If they were to be confronting the Killer of Krohin, it was likely that they would have need of hyper-states.

Hopefully, that would be all they needed their hyper-states for.

Here in Ridgemark, the potential danger was obvious. Just walking the street, she could feel the presence of powerful people in this city. Precisely how powerful, she couldn't tell, but with all the unknown reapers she saw flying around, any obvious conflict that broke out would either be quickly put down or immediately escalate to city-destroying levels.

According to some last-minute intel that Lord Goffe had provided for this mission, the major players in Vantalay were not just the Vanguard and Abolish but also the local companies. Apparently, Ridgemark's "peace" was being maintained by powerful business owners, primarily the hotels and casinos.

Which was why Ridgemark was still allowing foreigners into port, much to the chagrin of the Vantalayan military.

It was honestly amazing how this city could still have so many tourists when it was so close to several active war zones. However, it was thanks in part to all these tourists that their plan to conceal their souls was at all viable here. The city's patrolling reapers would've had a far easier time noticing their little group of repeated souls, otherwise.

And even now, that was still a risk, Evangelina knew. They needed to get out of Ridgemark as soon as possible.

Raul Blackburn was not there to greet them at the docks, but he did hire a driver for them and left a code word that confirmed it was his doing. After the capture of his two brothers, Evangelina was actually somewhat relieved to see that he was taking extra precautions. She had not been the most confident in the Triplets' suitability for this mission, and thus far, her fears had not been proven unjustified.