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From the moment they’d sensed the two big souls, Ibai hadn’t stopped blabbering--mostly to himself and with such speed that Hector couldn’t even follow what he was saying. It sounded like Ibai was trying to formulate a plan or something, and kept looking at Hector as if looking for approval, only to continue talking anyway.

And now, Hector found himself here, in another decimated room, staring at the back of some giant, black dragon-man-thing. He looked around and saw a host of downed servants that he recognized. Zeff, Dimas, Melchor, Xuan, Asad.

“Why, hello there,” Ibai was already saying. “You gentlemen are from Abolish, am I right? Wait don’t tell me! The Black Scourge and the Salesman of Death! Yeah? My name is Ibai. I’m an aberration, if you couldn’t already tell. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Well, aren’t you friendly?” said the yellow man. “How did you get in here?”

“Oh, are you asking because you sealed this room off?” Ibai asked. “How did you do that, by the way? A force field? Are you a force field guy? I’ve never met a force field guy! How does your power work? Or is that a rude thing to ask? If so, I apologize. I’m just naturally curious. Always have been. You know how it is.”

Ivan was stepping closer. “It’s been a while since I met someone who likes to talk as much as I do. I’d rather you answer my questions first, though.” He raised a hand to encase Ibai in a blue field, but the aberration was already gone by then, ported to the other side of the room and leaving Hector standing next to Gohvis.

Ibai and the Salesman kept talking, and Hector was a bit too concerned with those glowing red eyes to look anywhere else. And so he and the Monster of the East just kind of stared at each other as they listened.

Hector was surprised at how calm he felt--at how he wasn’t immediately shitting his pants, anyway. He couldn’t seem to change the massive frown on his face, though. Or his wide-eyed stare. Or the way that his whole body was leaning backward, as if preparing to be stepped on.

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“Girl in the mask?” Ivan scanned over their audience before settling on Emiliana Elroy. “Interesting. What makes her so special? Tell me, and I’ll give you all the rest of them, too.”

“No, you won’t,” said Gohvis.

“Ha. Fine. So if I give her to you, what will you give me in ex--?”

“You are not giving her to me,” said Gohvis. “She is mine. Try to take her, and I will kill you.”

“Ah...” The yellow man’s gaze returned to Gohvis and lingered there. “I actually believe you this time. You really would fight me for this girl, wouldn’t you?”

Gohvis just stared at him.

“Hold on. Is she--?” Ivan broke for a look of genuine excitement. “Is she your kid? Can you have kids? Is she your lizard baby?!”

For some reason, the Monster chose not to respond to that.

“Does she have a lizard face?! Gohvis, please! I’ll let you have them all if you just show me her lizard face!”

“She is not my child.” The Monster was beginning to sound exasperated.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“...So no lizard face?”

“No.”

“Well, forget it, then. Anyway, I’d enjoy fighting you, but not over something so trivial. You can have her if she means that much to you.”

A muddy brown swirl chose that moment to arrive.

-+-+-+-+-

Hector had felt it like everyone else. Even the non-servants they’d gathered outside the castle were talking about it. This ominous pressure. Most of them were Rainlords, though, so they seemed to have a better idea of what it was. Hector needed Garovel to remind him.

True giants were here. Two of them, according to Garovel. And the Elroys were caught in their path, naturally.

Hector didn’t know what to do. More so than usual, even, because Garovel didn’t know what to do, either. That, and he was still feeling a little woozy from whatever Rasalased had done to him.

Ibai, on the other hand, was a different story.

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Only the barely-standing Lord Elroy remained. And without warning, a surge of water appeared, jetting toward the Salesman, only to break upon a faintly blue wall. The waves swished back and slammed against another nigh-invisible barricade, becoming suddenly boxed in. The crashing waves were abruptly silenced as no sound was able to escape the Salesman’s box.

“Stop,” said Gohvis.

Ivan tilted his head as he eyed his new aquarium. “Water? Ha. Look, Monster. It’s the new Water Dragon. This one’s name is Zeff Elroy, as I recall.”

Zeff was pinned to the floor now beneath a blanket of blue energy. Xuan hadn’t even seen when the Salesman managed to do that.

Gohvis took a step closer, but that was it. With reptilian eyes and no visible mouth, his expression was unreadable.

“But perhaps you already knew that,” said Ivan. “Is this why you are here? You have some affection for these rare abilities? I know the feeling. It is a bit of a shame to just snuff it out like this, but on the bright side, there will probably be another one in a few generations, right?”

“Stop,” said Gohvis again. “...Please.”

That gave Ivan pause, along with everyone else in the room. “Excuse me?” said Ivan, sounding genuinely stunned. “Did you just say please?”

Xuan saw a new expression on the Salesman’s face. Confused thinking. Gears turning.

“Wait a minute,” said Ivan. “Don’t tell me... oh, Monster, don’t tell me. Oh my, oh no. Ha. Aha. Monster, are these people your kin?”

“NO.” That one word made the room tremble, sand and dust trickling from the perforated ceiling again. Gohvis didn’t wait for a response this time, however. He melted out of sight and reappeared behind Zeff. “Take them all. I don’t care. But the girl in the mask is mine.”