Into Places Unknown

The days had come and gone and soon enough, winter was in full swing, the frosted, frigid winds of January ripping across all of Earthland. It promised little warmth, running out days quickly with its icy grip so that the cold nights could maintain their dominance. Days, somehow, seemed to go slowly and yet somehow too quickly, though that may have been the ever ticking countdown to Genesis being taken off planet. Though Grubar had set a hard deadline for how long he could -- or rather, would -- be willing to wait to take Genesis in, he had been convinced a few times to delay. It wasn’t hard, being a creature that seemingly enjoyed the attention of others, especially women, and there were a handful of women that were more than happy to attend to him in exchange for more time. As much as he was a professional that wished to get his job done, there seemed to be a soft spot in his heart for the situation and the people wrapped up in it. Truly, it felt that he, too, wanted to be done with Maker and protect the tiny backwater planet full of humans.

Progress was being made but it was slow and, perhaps worse, was just how careful and patient Maker seemed to be. While Mercury’s ‘clone’ had been awakened from its slumber under the guise of being controlled, Maker had done very little to include her in projects. He was careful about what he said to her and how to mention certain aspects of his goals, happy to keep her on the teetering edge of interest and curiosity. Worse yet was the fact that attempting to triangulate the positioning of his base was next to impossible, for one reason or another. In the end, it came down to the efforts of the outside forces working to locate him while Mercury and her clone sought to keep Maker’s interest and focus.

Not that there was any evidence or information lacking to be told. In fact, there were some interesting, if not troubling, developments that required a full meeting to discuss. The sideways adventure of Scourge and Saffron had brought them upon a Rhaegarian, claiming to be working with Maker, though on what remained a mystery. He had claimed to be related to the former matriarch of the du Wolff family, which painted a very troubling path moving forward. They had arranged a meeting on New Rhaegar, to reveal and summarily discuss their discoveries and what it meant for their attempts at stopping Maker.

Vandrad stood at the docks of the developing island nation, staring out at the sea beyond. He wore a familiar jacket, a bright green overcoat that he’d once worn on his first mission encountering Mercury. Though that one had been torn asunder by his own hands, he’d procured another one and left it away for some time. Now as he stood on the stony outcropping, overlooking the gentle bay in front of him, he found in it limited but comforting warmth. There was a look of deep introspection on his face, a glower that was not unusual to see. Vandrad was not one to walk around with a bright, warm and welcoming smile after all. But he seemed more pensive than anything as the cool wind whipped past him, drawing his hair back and waving it along the invisible ways of air.

Two months at this point and they were no closer to confronting Maker. For a man that prided himself on getting results quickly and easily, it was frustrating. He knew that everyone was working as hard as they possibly could but that didn’t make the lack of results any less irritating. At this point, all he wanted was some kind of coordinates so he could glass the entire region, just to ensure the alien bastard was dead and gone. But somehow he knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

“It never is,” a voice spoke from nearby. The former prince’s head twisted around to glance in the direction of the source… only to find nothing but air. Yet another troubling development that he had opted to keep to himself was the appearance of this mysterious voice. It had first spoken up the night that Mercury had gone on the mission to investigate Genesis with Scourge, Agatha and Ruzatz. Ever since then, it had spoken a handful of times, often barking some comment at what he was saying or thinking. No body ever appeared to take ownership of the words and Vandrad was left to stand and ponder, concerned that something was stalking him from beyond the veil. Usually he had no issues seeing specters and spirits, so whatever it was, it was beyond that.

“You look spooked, nephew,” Simon’s familiar voice came from his other side, prompting Vandrad to turn the other way. His uncle had grown out his beard ever since their arrival at New Rhaegar, going for a more rugged gentlemanly look after seeing Vandrad and Gren’s own facial hair. His hair had grown out a bit more as well, which he carefully caked in pomade to give it shape and body. Truly, the diplomat of the Du Wolff family could make any look work and make both men and women swoon. “Don’t tell me Themmy purchased a haunted island?”

"No, nothing like that,” Vandrad mumbled, putting aside his temporary concerns as he turned to face his uncle. “Are people arriving yet?”

“Most likely, yes, though I haven’t been to the mansion -- palace? -- yet. I suppose ‘palace’ makes more sense, given the eventual rise of our king,” Simon said, a small smirk tugging at his lips as he met his nephew’s gaze.

Vandrads scoffed and marched past the man. "Enough of that. There are far more pressing matters.”

“Yes, yes, impending doom and all, I understand. But it never hurts to comprehend both present and future, issues and revelations. And even you must admit, Vandrad, the newly crowned king and queen taking down an invader from beyond the stars, saving the world from enslavement, is quite the boon when its comes to negotiating alliances and trade routes,” Simon remarked as he followed after Vandrad.

"All matters that you’ll be in charge of, if I have anything to say about it,” Vandrad cast back.

“That’s the fun part! You do have the say. Well you and Mercury but I think your darling wife-to-be has a few other positions in mind for me,” the flirtatious man said, eyes drifting upwards almost in fantastical contemplation. Chuckling at his own depraved fantasies, he moved a bit closer and clapped his nephew on the shoulder as they walked. “No worries, nephew, I’ll be here to help out in any way I can. But perhaps we table this conversation until after we have this ‘eye-opening’ discussion with Scourge and Saffron, as it was so well put. I certainly won’t complain about seeing that gorgeous woman again.”

Vandrad snorted. "You’re barking up the wrong tree. Saffron isn’t like to take any interest in you that way.”

Simon, once again, chuckled. “So I’ve heard. But when has that ever stopped me? Now come, let’s see who has arrived…”

After a little bit of back and forth between the group, Mercury used her gun to once more open a portal back to New Rhaegar. After a quick glance through before the rest of the party, they entirety of the gathered group stepped onto the chilly, windy ascent that led up to the palace. Genesis looked out in amazement, cupping his hand over his brow to admire the view while Blade took it in with his usual, neutral stare.

“Yeah I was picturing more ‘island getaway’ and less ‘isle dominion’. It has a full city below us,” he pointed out as he noted alongside Dinah at what their expectations had been before. Mercury admitted that they hadn’t expected to see the grand scale of the island either but it seemed Themmy, Vandrad’s mother, had the taste for the grander things. The Silver Wolf mage insisted that they would love the woman and that, possibly later, they could get a full tour but at the moment, it was in their best interest to go and meet up with the rest of the group. And so they followed after her, heading into the grand palace that Genesis also commented on and complemented and down into the deeper depths.

They arrived at an already almost-full reception room, everyone chatting amongst themselves why they waited. All the attention turned to the new arrivals as Mercury led them to the head of the table and apologized for intruding before introducing the homunculus, his captain and Blade. Rather than take the time to introduce every single person at once, as that would take more time than they probably had patience for, she introduced the closest people at the table.

“My, my, what a handsome specimen,” Cyrene commented, eyes roaming over Genesis and then Dinah and Blade. “Are all the people that come into your life so attractive, Themmy?”

“I’m just blessed that way, I guess,” the former duchess remarked playfully, even as she began to stand to offer her hand to the three. Vandrad, Gren and Mythal did the same, taking each of the offered hands and offering quick remarks.

The only time Mythal changed demeanor, truly, was when he approached Dinah, the smallest of smirks on his face. “Hello Dinah. You can just call me Mythal. And it is very good to see you again. Ya were so fun the last time we saw one another.” And once he had made his introduction, he stepped aside and turned so he could watch the interaction between Serilda and Dinah with an amused grin on his face.

They were all treated to a rather bashful display from the noblewoman, which was completely unlike her. Though Vandrad didn’t have anything to say in reply to Mercury, he snorted and flashed the briefest of grins. Serilda was a woman of poise, rarely if ever thrown by what she saw or encountered. But by now they knew the story of Dinah and Serilda’s first interaction and that made the re-meeting all the more humorous, even for the often unamused Vandrad. After a moment, Mercury’s attention turned to the missing Scourge and Saffron spoke up, stating that she was sure he would show up once he finished whatever frivolous, no doubt self-involved act he was partaking in. Vandrad snorted again, his smirk remaining.

Saffron got treated to a nod from Blade and a wave and a ‘sup’ from Genesis, who was clearly trying to relate to Saffron with a similar vernacular. As the newly gathered trio went to take their seats, Blade paused a moment in thought, his head turning slightly. “Scourge is arriving.”

“Scourge is arriving.” The mysterious voice spoke once more, parroting Blade’s words at the exact same time he said it. Vandrad’s head shifted slightly, his eyes looking away from the alien in search of the source of the voice. At the same time, Scourge did, in fact, appear, materializing out of thin air with his fingers still resting on his forehead.

“Looks like I’m right on time,” the former Dread Master spoke as his hand came away from his face. He was wearing his usual black tunic but he had a long brown overcoat over it, the collar popped up, creating a frame for his face and neck.

"You should have arrived when Saffron did, seeing as you both called this meeting,” Vandrad was quick to chastise Scourge, his eyes already turning back to the former Dread Master.

“Well that’s because she’s a teacher’s pet. Hard not to be with how strict you are,” Scourge shot back with a smirk before giving a long wave to the entirety of the table. “Greetings friends and strangers. I’m Scourge, former Dread Master, infiltration and information specialist for the Rune Knights and generally the one getting in trouble.”

"That much is true,” Vandrad replied with a scoff.

Scourge did a quick head count before he continued, ignoring the future king’s reply. “Based on what I can see, everyone is here that needs to be here. Okay!” he clapped his hands together. “Mythal and Serilda already know a little bit about this but we left out some details because, frankly, it involves the du Wollfs, the Rhaegarians and our dear intergalactic friends as well.”

“Saffron,” he said, turning to the blonde bombshell. “Why don’t you get us started? I just got here and could sorely use a minute to sit.” Giving her a playful grin, he pulled up to the closest chair and sat down, lounging a bit, jovial despite the tone of the story that was to come.

Scourge flashed a grin at Saffron as she commented about her people pleasing ways, or lack thereof. After introducing himself with a flourish, the former Dread Master decided that he’d let Saffron take the lead in reviewing their mission for everyone. She complained, stating that he shouldn’t just throw things on her as it had been his mission. “Yeah but you were there for every part of it and I just came from a very exhausting mission. Have some pity.” Obviously, it was impossible to tell if he was lying or not but he hadn’t come bursting in on flame like the last time so it seemed unlikely he was telling the truth. Nonetheless, he remained seated and the blonde bombshell didn’t put up much more of a fight, wanting to unveil their information just as badly as he probably wanted to.

She leaned forward and went over everything from the beginning; the premise of their mission, the possible link to Maker and his friend that had helped smuggle them as slaves. They had been appealing enough to catch the leader’s eye and had been brought before him. But there was where things had gotten jumbled and even Scourge stopped lounging and leaned forward as Saffron revealed that he had been recognized by a stranger and introduced himself as a Rhaegarian working for Maker by the name of Seberg Tiri.

Cyrene, understandably, stiffened in response. Themesycia, Simon and Everance each had their own looks of confusion, the name ringing familiar but long forgotten for one reason or another. Saffron let that news sink in before she continued, outlining his attack on Scourge and his massacre of the palace denizens. He had left Saffron alive because he saw her as a possible challenge, the blonde bombshell explaining that Seberg seemed to be the kind of person that liked to challenge other’s in a game of strength. He’d apparently worked for Xavier on Rhaegar and had earned the nickname Wolf Hunter because of his actions of hunting and murdering members of the du Wolff family line. He was also Beatrix’s brother, per his own words.

That’s when it hit the three elder du Wolffs, their eyes widening almost in tandem as they heard the news and were reminded of their forgotten memories. He’d told Saffron that he only cared about Beatrix and didn’t have anything pleasant to say about the du Wolffs as a whole. He’d been manic in their fight, more of an animal than a real fighter and it allowed him a competitive edge against her ability to get stronger every time she was hit. She knew it hadn’t been magic so she assumed it was the special ability that Rhaegarians had. When Scourge had returned to the fight, it hadn’t turned the tide in their favor in the least and it seemed the only reason they survived was because Seberg had been told to leave. He’d revealed the magic he had, called Time Skip, and had finished the fight without them having any kind of means of protecting themselves before he took off.

It was a lot to take in and Scourge had been listening but mostly he had been watching the reactions. It had been Cyrene’s reaction that had been the most visceral and though he’d never met the woman, he could practically feel the fear ebbing off of her in waves. “He claimed that his blood had some kind of… controlling effect. The man that he used as his cover, and wound up being a fucking android, had slipped his blood into… I don’t know, water and food, I’m guessing. The slaves came under his control and rebelled. Violently. Serilda and Mythal can confirm that a lot of the slaves had been killed in terrible states. Men, women and children that had fought against armed guards and despite being injured or debilitated, they kept fighting. It was… horrendous.” Scourge always did his best not to come across as rude, especially to people he felt were allies, but he couldn’t help but gesture towards Cyrene. “Madam, you look like you’ve seen a ghost. I’m guessing you know of Seberg?”

“Seberg is the one that slaughtered my family and the du Wolffs,” she said softly, nodding solemnly. “He was called the Wolf Hunter because he had a twisted desire to kill off anyone related to Bacchus or… Themesycia,” she admitted softly, glancing at Themmy out of the corner of her eye. “Xavier’s hatred for the betrayal against his father enraged him so that he was more than willing to let Seberg hunt as he saw fit. Only a handful of us were captured alive, as Xavier wanted to keep some in prison as a reminder to anyone else that thought about rebelling against him.”

“Mother didn’t speak of Seberg very often,” Everance spoke up, a look of pensive conflict on her face. “We knew of him but father stated that Seberg had been vocally against Beatrix marrying him. When she had done so against his wishes, he had gone off. Safe to say that hostility didn’t temper over time or conflict.”

“I’d never heard of his blood being… controlling. Perhaps that’s another one of his magics that he gained here?” Cyrene asked.

“It’s possible but… could it be part of his Blood Marker as well?”

Cyrene shook her head. “No. Seberg’s ability is called Apex Hunter. It allows him to constantly overwhelm his opponent's, increasing his strength, speed and mental processing to unthinkable levels. It’s why he lays down challenges; I’ve seen dozens of my people try to take him down. Men and women that had their own enhancing Blood Markers that normally would have granted them victory. But each and every time, Seberg flew past their limits and crushed them.”

Themesycia sighed softly. “Between that and his new ability to control people via his blood, this spells immediate danger. Allying with Maker with such abilities could allow Maker to take control of large groups of people, forcing them to serve him through Seberg. Entire cities could become slaves to his goals, whatever they may be.”

"Then we hunt him down and kill him ourselves,” Vandrad spoke up, offering his own brutal answer to the problem.

“That seems the easiest answer, Vandrad, but it may not be as easy as you present it. If his Blood Marker truly makes him a superior fighter, then it’s safe to say that whichever one of us he fights would only serve to make him stronger.”

"Not if we hit him with everything we have before he knows what’s happening. Locate him and unleash our strongest spells without his knowledge. Blood Marker or not, he would hardly be able to survive such an onslaught.”

“A very good point. I’m inclined to agree with Vandrad here. The problem is that we have no idea where Seberg is.” Scourge glanced over to Mercury. “Has Maker made any mention of Seberg while your clone has been around? Anything that may hint to where he is or what he’s doing?”

Mythal didn’t have a whole lot to get excited about in recent days but seeing Dinah and Serilda’s reconnection was definitely worth the wait. Despite all the preparation that his future wife could make for the meeting, it was still impossible for her to speak evenly and without a slight stumble. She spoke with full composure for the most part but added what could only be considered a flirtatious comment at the end of her greeting. It was hardly anything large by most standards but for the Voidwalker, she may as well have looked the woman over and licked her lips. She pushed on, refusing to let anyone, most likely Mythal, jump in and point out her comment as anything more than friendly banter. But it was good to hear that saving Dinah had inspired her to go out and protect other people from the same shit she’d had to endure. Apparently she had considered joining the Rune Knights but also understood that some things were better handled outside the law. A fact that even Mythal could agree with, to a point. Nonetheless, Serilda certainly wished to have the woman over for dinner, which the captain agreed to.

Soon enough, Scourge had arrived and the true reason for their meeting could begin. Saffron went over the details of their mission, going more in depth than what Serilda and Mythal had been informed about. They learned about the reason for their travel to the slave ring and what they had intended to do but, more importantly, they learned how it had all gone wrong, notably at the hands of a rogue Rhaegarian named Seberg Tiri. The name caused quite the reaction in Cyrene, Themesycia’s sister. It didn’t take an empath to feel the terror that ran through her spine. Saffron continued, outlining what Seberg himself had told her about his history. Cyrene revealed the nature of his ability, Apex Hunter, and the details of it were… unsettling. It seemed he could continuously increase his fighting capability by fighting strong opponents, which meant that, theoretically, he could become nigh undefeatable if he were to fight someone immensely strong. Worse, he possessed another magic that allowed him to take control of people if they ingested his blood. Scourge had warned Serilda not to attempt to take the blood in the slave city and analyze it using her magic and it seemed it had been a good idea.

Cyrene opened up a bit about Seberg’s reputation on Rhaegar and how Xavier had used him to take out his enemies. Seberg was a terrifying warrior from the sounds of it and the fact that he had aligned with Maker made matters all the more troubling. Vandrad, of course, suggested they wipe out Seberg quickly and efficiently and while Themmy didn’t believe that was possible, Scourge seemed to agree that using the full force of several spells would overwhelm his ability to adapt. It sounded good in theory but there was still the matter of finding him. Scourge turned to Mercury, asking if she had learned of Seberg during her clone’s time undercover. Unfortunately, it was the first time she was hearing about it. She had to be careful on how she infiltrated the system, not wanting to blow her cover, and he didn’t trust her well enough to reveal all of his plans and schemes. But now that she had a bit more information from the outside, she would be able to listen and look for clues regarding Seberg or any research that may be related to his abilities. It was understandable that Maker probably had taken blood and other specimens to analyze and investigate, based on his history. Plus there was still the matter of the other missing Rhaegarians that he’d taken away.

Serilda spoke up then, asking Cyrene about Seberg’s hatred towards Bacchus and Themesycia. She understood, based on the words of the Rhaegarians and Vandrad, why Xavier had developed a deep seeded hatred but Seberg sounded just as scornful as the former God-King before the pairing of Bacchus and Beatrix even occurred. “He never told anyone of his reasons or, if he did, none of them survived to tell the tale. I don’t even think Xavier truly knew,” Cyrene admitted with a small shrug.

“Not that Beatrix herself was the best person,” Themesycia spoke up. “It’s possible that they just… had different approaches to torture. Seberg was more up front, while Beatrix could be more subtle.”

“Torture?” Mythal asked, raising a brow.

“She made my life while I was growing up hell. She degraded me, insulted me, treated me separate from Simon and Everance, who were her actual children. It was only thanks to Bacchus that I got any kind of education and Simon and Ever were always loving and caring, unwilling to let their mother’s hatred infect them.” She reached out for her adoptive brother and sister’s hands, taking them in her own.

"That is not all she did,” Vandrad spoke up.

Themesycia met her son’s gaze. “Vandrad, you don’t…” she started to protest.

"It’s fine, mother,” he stopped her gently. He knew that what he was about to tell was something that only a handful of people knew, understandably . "She abused me. She upgraded from the way she treated Themesycia. She would… use her magic to cut me, slice my skin and make me bleed. And then she’d let it heal and scab, only so she could cut me again. I have dozens, if not hundreds of scars across my body and they are all from her. She also murdered Yuna, my mother’s former fiance. That was the final straw that caused me to snap and kill her. I was six years old but she had hurt me for years before that.” Inhaling softly, he glanced about the table. "She is no different than Seberg from what I’ve heard. And, like her, he should be put down hard, fast and without hesitation. Maker may believe he has a resource, maybe even an ally, but if he's anything like Beatrix, Seberg has his own agenda that he is using Maker for.”

“No doubt Maker believes and is operating the same way. Allies are not something he considers as long term investments, even if they are useful.” Blade finally spoke up, offering his own bit of knowledge that he had concerning his brother. “And I am deeply sorry about the trials you have suffered.”

"It’s in the past,” Vandrad dismissed the condolence, as he had with almost everyone that had done the same thing in the past. "We must focus on the future of this world. We are running on limited time and we may need to make a move first, if only to utilize the resources we have on hard without losing them.” His eyes snapped to Genesis briefly in recognition. "If we can’t take out Seberg in one shot, then we need another alternative for his ability and his magic. Does anyone have any ideas?”

Vandrad made it very clear that he didn’t want to linger on his trauma. He was merely elaborating on Beatrix, so people understood that her and Seberg were cut from the same cloth, though their hatred was still unexplainable for the most part. Mercury held his hand gently, showing her support and it was well appreciated, though he would never say as much to her in front of anyone. With that out of the way, Vandrad laid down the opening for anyone to suggest some kind of plan or idea to how they could better handle Seberg’s superhuman abilities.

It was Saffron that spoke up first, stating that she didn’t have anything completely solid. She knew that the Rhaegarian had been disgusted for having to use his time magic, considering it a cheat. But he still possessed it and between that and his Blood Marker, he seemed an insurmountable mountain to transcend. She theorized that some other kind of time magic could be used as a counter but they didn’t really have access to that easily. She wanted to go to Oak Town library to read up on some tomes and books there, in hopes of discovering something to help them. Especially because she firmly believed that her and Scourge were going to be his prime targets; Seberg having displayed a near rabid focus on the former Dread Master and blonde bombshell. That meant her and Scourge were the perfect bait… so long as they could come up with the perfect way to stop his abilities.

“He didn’t understand Saffron’s magic but he knew that it had potential to make her stronger and, in turn, make him stronger. And I think he just appreciated that I don’t die as easily as he thought,” Scourge remarked, a dry comment that lacked his usual humor.

Mercury spoke up and said that she could check with Silver Wolf’s scholars and have them comb through their database for a counter magic and Serilda jumped on the idea of doing the same with the Engineering records of the Rune Knights. “I know it’s not time magic but I also have managed to master both Crash and Nullification magic. It gave me a fightin’ chance against Faera, though these old aching bones didn’t,” Gren remarked with a chuckle as he gestured to his body. “Dunno if it’ll mean anythin’ to the guy’s Blood Marker but Nullification might be useful against his time crap. Countin’ that yer able to use it before he traps ya.”

“Actually…” It was Patricia’s turn to speak up. “Sorry to interrupt but could I…?”

Themesycia waved at her, inviting her to speak. “Thank you,” she said, standing up. “Saffron, you possess a branch version of Energy Monarch or, rather, I theorize that you have a magic that is part of a greater whole like Energy Monarch. I hope you don’t mind but Vandrad explained a little bit about what your abilities are, as I, too, possessed a clone of Scourge’s Energy Monarch for a time and have dedicated a good amount of time to studying it. Now your physical form takes damage and the energy that is used to hurt you is then transferred to your own magical core, thereby enhancing your latent physical abilities. In theory, you should be able to absorb the kind of magic used and be able to… utilize it yourself.”

“Wait,” Scourge chirped up, leaning forward. “You mean like the Ark?”

“Similar function but not as specialized. The Ark, from what I’ve been told, is more of a compendium of godly or demonic magics, with a core centering around an anti-magic particle that has been called ‘dreadether’. Dreary name but moving on. Saffron’s magic draws off of the ethernano of a spell or the force of a physical attack and reinforces herself. Hypothetically and with enough training, she should be able to temporarily absorb and recalibrate a magic spell used against her. That’s, of course, if her variation of Energy magic reacts in the same way that Vandrad and Scourge’s does.”

"It’s an idea,” Vandrad admitted, leaning back with his arms crossed. "We’re only just begun to help her master utilizing the energy to bolster herself. I imagine trying to go in this new direction would take time as well.”

“And that’s counting that he even feels compelled to use the time magic against her. It seems he’s only willing to use it without any other choice. The main problem is the Blood Marker.”

“Unfortunately Blood Markers are not something you can just… cancel out. They are as natural to our forms as an actual organ. To use your verbiage, one would need a self-reinforcement magic that could push the person’s limits in an even race against his ability. That or taking him by surprise before he has a chance to adjust.” Cyrene added. She knew the best about Blood Markers and, frankly, what Seberg was capable of. It was just poor luck that she hadn’t added anything truly helpful, despite her wanting to.

"Like I said, it’s an option, at least for the time magic. We’ll cross the bridge of his Blood Marker when we get to it. I doubt Saffron will leave him much time to adapt next time anyways.”

“And what’s most important is that we draw him away from Maker. Separating them forces them to fight a battle on different sides without the aid of the other. And if we can counter his time magic, Seberg won’t be able to go running back to him.” Themescia added in.

“Then we can put that bastard down once and for all,” Grubar spoke up out of the corner. “And I can collect my reward.”

Blade nodded. “So we keep working. Trying to decipher what we can and finding out Maker’s weaknesses. I don’t imagine it’ll be much longer before we’re able to strike.”

“Good.”

The matter of specializing Saffron’s magic was a new and welcome revelation and hardly anyone would probably be surprised it came from Patricia. After all, Patty had proven herself an avid ally in opening all sorts of doors when it came to magic function and its allocation among the gathered people. It also helped that she had spent a decent amount of time with a manufactured version of Energy Monarch and worked under Maker as a researcher. If anyone was going to have thoughts and ideas that were outside the norm, it was the good doctor.

And it did present a useful alternative to counter Seberg’s magic. If the blonde bombshell could use her branched version of Energy Monarch to absorb and dismiss the time magic, it would keep the Wolf Hunter from stopping everyone and getting away. Unfortunately, that didn’t present much advantage against his Blood Marker, as Scourge and Cyrene both spoke of lamentingly. But before they could move the topic to a natural conclusion, Mercury spoke up with her own thoughts. The attention of the room turned to her as she stated that just because a Blood Marker hadn’t been countered before didn’t mean it was wholly impossible. She even believed that Maker himself may have created a jumping off point for them. She continued, referencing back to the dagger that had been used to damage Vandrad’s magical core. Though she didn’t have the exact copy and was missing a key piece of material, Mercury theorized that they could alter the purpose for their needs. She even believed that Maker would most likely be working on a similar means, as he needed something to counter Seberg when their alliance reached its conclusion. With that in mind, Mercury had a direction in which to alter her search and snooping while staying under Maker’s ‘control’.

“You may be correct,” Blade added, nodding. “Based on the analysis I did on the blade, it did seem to possess a strange ability to deactivate specially activated muscles and organs within a body. It had been crafted with a targeted purpose, though its activation material is still missing. Mercury and I have been working with another wizard, Cillian, to try and locate the source but to no avail so far. But I believe with her; this might be a true means of stopping Seberg from surpassing anyone he fights. With that in mind, we will have to redouble our efforts.”

“A part of me feels concerned about the possibility of erasing a person’s Blood Marker. But as you said, Maker is probably working on the same idea. I’d much rather the people in this room come up with a use for it and utilize it for good means rather than him. All I ask is that it is destroyed after it is used; I wouldn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands after.” Cyrene provided her own thoughts. Though she understood the usefulness of the weapon, it was evident that she was concerned about their being something so powerful to hold over her people.

“A fair request,” Themesycia added with a nod.

Saffron opted to speak up then, stating that she would be happy to try and develop her magic in the direction of Patty’s suggestion. She didn’t believe that Seberg would wait long before trying to get to her again but, as she saw it, it was still worth trying. Vandrad gave Saffron a firm nod of agreement.

It seemed they had reached a natural conclusion for that part of the conversation and Serilda looked over at Blade, wanting to initiate the second reason for their gathering. He gave the Rune Knight Field Marshall a nod in return before she adjusted her sitting position. When she spoke up, she reviewed the fact that a good portion of the gathered group had embarked on a mission to the gambling establishment that Genesis had inherited. The homunculus grinned and gave everyone a small wave as she continued, explaining that he was connected to Maker but, more surprisingly, he had revealed a rather shocking piece of information that needed to be shared.

“Much obliged for the introduction, Lady Sinclair. And you can all just call me Genesis; I’m no sir or mister, not even really a gender, in a way. I mean I possess all the means of a man and can absolutely use them to give men and women--”

“I don’t think your ability to procreate is getting called into question, Genesis. If anyone needs additional information, they can ask,” Blade interjected before Genesis could go too far down his rabbit hole.

“And I hope they do,” Genesis remarked, giving Cyrene a wink, which earned him an amused smirk. “Anyways, I am what you would call a homunculus. I’m an artificial creation of Maker’s own imagination. After he had devastated Teras Prime, Blade’s home, he used the combined knowledge of Blade’s people to create me…”

“Combined knowledge?” Cyrene asked with a furrowed brow.

“Oh yes, it was a whole thing. Some kind of multifaceted ritual to absorb all the knowledge of the planet into one person. Anyways, he was hoping to use me as a bodyguard because he couldn’t keep all of the knowledge in his own body, meaning he had to purge it. So he created me and Knowhere; a kind of receptacle that he could keep all of the knowledge and access it. He used Knowhere to educate me, teach me about the universe I lived in. What he didn’t expect is that I would very quickly grow disinterested in being a petty bodyguard. So I escaped and went traveling. I went from world to world, learning what I could, making ton of money and making a lot of men and women very happy. I also may or may not have come to blows with policing establishments a few times. I eventually came here and took up residence in O Palácio Flutuante, becoming its owner once the previous one unfortunately passed.”

“But!” He continued, gesturing to Blade. “I learned, while being educated by Knowhere, about legends and tales from the Terran’s past. That included a story of how they came into being, after a goddess arrived and laid the groundwork for the Terrans. Apparently she came from another world, one that was called Rhaegar.”

“Wait, what?” Cyrene asked, sitting forward. Themesycia, Simon and Ever also sat forward, eyes widening in surprise. “Did you say… Rhaegar?”

“Yes ma’am. I didn’t think it very important at first; origin stories are always varied and hard to prove, especially since Terrans firmly believed in natural evolution. But when I told Blade the story, the look of shock on his face was enough to tell me that I had struck something interesting. It wasn’t until later I learned that your people came from a planet called Rhaegar. The likelihood of that merely being happenstance is… well, very low.”


“As far as I know, the du Wolffs are the only ones that ever left Rhaegar. But with so many people on a planet, it would be impossible to quantify the chances of someone escaping before,” Themesycia said, rubbing her chin lightly. “Plus your people had fully evolved into a space-faring race. That would have taken thousands of years of evolution. If someone came from Rhaegar, they would be… ancient.”

“There are always tales of people disappearing but they are legends, fairy tales,” Cyrene said, nodding softly. “It’s understandable why others may classify us as ‘gods’. We are immortal and do possess our Blood Markers, which gives us unique abilities. But anyone that old… I can’t imagine many of them are still alive. Most of our people, though blessed with long lives, only live a few millennia at the maximum before something ends up taking us. Disease, war or what have you. And I’ve never heard of a Blood Marker that allows a Rhaegarian to create life.”

“Once I had been told more about the Rhaegarians, it did seem a bit unlike, save for the Blood Markers. But there’s no denying that the name of your planet and people have been recorded in the Terran’s history. Somewhere there’s a connection and it seems to be this mysterious goddess.” Genesis continued. “Unfortunately, there wasn’t much more about her in Knowhere. Or, if there was, I was never educated on it. It’s possible there’s more but I would need access to the device to check. And Maker has that stowed away.”

“No doubt by now, Maker has made the connection. He did capture and take away several of the Rhaegarians, including Seberg. Perhaps he is trying to find the connection as well?” Blade asked rhetorically.

“Based on what I’ve learned about this Maker, I’m sure he is. He seems desirous of more power and knowledge and a mystery like this would be too hard to ignore. Which means we will have to catch up and beat him to the punch.” Cyrene stated with a firm nod as she looked at Blade. “If there’s a connection between our two people, we must find it out. For who knows what other secrets we may uncover about our beginnings.”

Mercury, understandably, didn’t immediately agree to Cyrene’s request and Vandrad knew she wouldn’t. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to but even he understood that such an ask was near impossible for someone of her capabilities. The Xocili waited a beat before she explained that she couldn’t keep that promise, as the plans couldn’t be erased from existence. She didn’t go into too much detail about the biology of her people but she verified enough that the plans for a weapon of that caliber would always be there, stored within her memory banks. What she could promise was that the only physical copy that would be made would be used for Seberg and she wouldn’t allow the crafting of another unless it was approved by the Rhaegarians, counting that they were even capable of achieving its realization in the first place.

Cyrene did not need to wait to give Mercury a gentle nod. “That is more than acceptable. I know I was asking a lot and I appreciate you being honest with me. I trust you and your people and I know you’d never seek to use such a weapon against any of the Rhaegarians without reason.” She gave Mercury a meaningful smile and then, seeking to lighten the mood of the room up, the smile turned into a playful smirk. “You’ve got a good one there, Vandrad. You better be careful we don’t try to steal her. I have no problem sharing her with Themmy and Gren.”

Vandrad simply rolled his eyes as the room gave a small chuckle, a small alleviation of the tension that came with such meetings. With the topic settled and handled, Serilda turned the attention over to Genesis, who continued to air the room out with humor, inadvertently aided by Blade as well. Still, he carried out his explanation and dove right into the matter that needed to be discussed; the seeming connection between the former Terran people and the Rhaegarians. To say that he dropped a bombshell was putting it lightly; all of the Rhaegarians looked like the rug had been pulled out from underneath them and even a few of the Earthland natives were as shocked.

It didn’t quite make sense; from what they had gathered, Rhaegar was located in an entirely different realm and travel between that world and the one they resided in was not easily managed. Vandrad had done it by some sheer, unexplainable power, as had the rest of the du Wolff family long ago. There was also the hiccup of a Rhaegarian possessing the ability to bring forth life from a wasteland, blessing a planet that would eventually evolve into a thriving society. It was yet another wrinkle in the curious histories of both civilizations and without much in the way of providing answers. What they all seemed to agree on was that Maker, undoubtedly, had picked up on the connection, one way or the other. Mercury said that she had been keeping an eye out but so far there wasn’t anything she could feasibly track and follow. Granted, she was having to work at a slower pace; making sure she was staying within or just past the parameters of her ‘override’ that Maker could view as ‘acceptable’ behavior. If she pushed too hard or even hinted that she was trying to find something specific, he would most likely figure her out.

That meant that whatever they hoped to find, they had to work a bit harder… and be more patient. Hosrius, who had remained quiet since their arrival, had been listening intently as information passed around the table quickly. It was when this conclusion came to a head that he lifted his gaze to look over at Grubar. The Scengar wore a… pensive look, which was odd to see on the alien. But he didn’t seem all too upset by the matter. That or he was trying to pretend that he wasn’t hearing the insinuation that they would be continuing to work slowly, so as to have possible deniability. After all, if the Organization caught wind that they had located their target and hadn’t acted… well, it was best not to think about that.

With the heavy topics out of the way, the group was able to relax and provide a few more introductions. Blade hung close to Cyrene, talking with her in matters surrounding the Rhaegarians. Soon enough, the meeting was winding down, allowing people to take the opportunity to head home. Before they departed, Saffron took both Vandrad and Scourge aside to decide on a path on how to best begin her training.

"It wouldn’t hurt to get Patricia involved in some manner. She’s the one that suggested the idea; she may have an idea of how to execute it. Beyond that, I believe we’ll need an outside magical source to see how well you can replicate and counter. I doubt using our own versions of Energy Monarch will provide you the ample room to begin your training,” Vandrad commented, his arms folded over his chest.

“I can bring Rogier to Fairy Tail. She has a new look so she’s less recognized and she can also use Water Binding magic. Nothing better for learning to adapt to something than a binding-type… plus I doubt Saffron would complain about being tied up by Rogier,” Scourge added with an impish grin, ignoring the glare from the future king.

Vandrad decided to ignore the second part of his comment. "Arrange it. We can begin immediately.” With that decided, the rest of the group bid their farewells and headed out. Scourge rained platitudes on the gathered company and waited until no one was looking to flash Saffron a flirty wink before he was off, claiming he had to see a man for some information. Vandrad would remain on the island as Mercury took her gathered party home, watching as she disappeared into her portal along with Genesis, Dinah and Blade.

“She’s about to have a really good time. He won’t though.”

The voice spoke once more and when Vandrad turned, instinctively, to search for the source, he saw… something. It was brief and was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared but for the briefest of moments, he swore he saw someone sitting on the edge of the table, right by him. He hadn’t even had time to make out any features before they were gone.

He narrowed his gaze at the fleeting sight, though he remained silent about it. His concerns were growing but he couldn’t share them, not until he was sure of what was happening…

Meanwhile, Mercury had dropped off Genesis and Dinah. The homunculus had made a compelling argument for her to return after dropping off Blade, which apparently involved three other strippers from the casino and a jacuzzi filled with champagne. At the very least, he made her promise that she would come by soon to visit, even saying he would rope Dinah in to come and hang out with them, which earned him a square kick in the shin from his captain.

Soon enough, it was Blade and Mercury alone in her quarters. She remarked about how well it had gone and admitted she wasn’t pleased about Maker having a weapon in the form of a Rhaegarian. Though it was better to know of it now and frankly, it provided some kind of clue for them to run off of rather than emptily working with no progress alongside Cillian. Blade nodded. “Yes, it is troubling. Maker has seemingly acquired more knowledge and dangerous allies than I expected. He continues to prove how cunning he is but with this information, we have a new path to follow. Just… not tonight.”

He turned and looked at Mercury. “We have worked ourselves to exhaustion over the past few weeks, with very little rest. And while this meeting was a good reason to step away, it didn’t provide as much relaxation as we have earned.” He paused as he formed what he was trying to say in his head. “I am aware of the… ambiguity of your matrimonial promise to Vandrad. Rather, I understand that there is, what’s it called… ‘wiggle room’ for other partners. I know you have heard of Norkan IV and the Nowana people, so you are probably aware of their practice of haiestrimony or, to put it in Earthland terms, ‘passionate release of stress’.”

He held her gaze without fluster or concern. “I believe it might serve us well if we were to practice this, with one another. It would allow us a release of tension that I believe has been present since our meeting and would focus our attention away from our studies. The most progress for such tiresome ordeals is often made when not committing to it fully with one’s mind. If you would rather not, I understand -- I didn’t want to overstep any bounds but I felt that we had a connection and with your relation being so free, I saw no reason not to make the suggestion.”

While Blade was putting forth quite the offer to Mercury, hundreds of miles away, Scourge was reappearing after teleporting. But as his consciousness took in the surroundings, he frowned. He’d locked onto the correct magical signature but all he found was… darkness. He turned around and found a single light hanging in the middle of the room, illuminating the cement floor that looked aged and unkempt. “Not exactly where I was expecting to find you,” he spoke out loud, expecting to hear the voice of his contact.

“Nor I,” a voice spoke up out of the dark. Scourge’s gaze flicked to the source as it stepped into the light, his eyes widening in surprise as Maker became illuminated by the light. “Imagine my surprise to find you here.”

“Well it must be my birthday!” Scourge said with a smirk as he thrust his hand out, looking to summon his blade of magic. Yet… nothing came. As he looked towards his arm, he noticed an odd wristband attached to his arm. It didn’t look advanced at all but rather a flimsy piece of metal. Yet when he grabbed at it, it wouldn’t budge. In fact, it seemed to dig in deeper to his flesh.

“Pesky, isn’t it?” Maker spoke up, pulling Scourge’s attention back to the alien. Maker stood before him, his own hand held up and showing the band attached to his own wrist. “Now then,” Maker continued, smiling as he crossed his arms behind his back.

“What say you and I have a discussion?”