StarChaser: Another (18+)

Name	Sex	Callsign	Role	Species	Combat Type
Ingrid Lily	F	Starchaser Actual	Leader, Tank	Human	Melee + Ranged
Cecil	M	Overlord	Adjutant, Team Iroquois Leader	Slime	Ranged (Guns)
Zefir Aargrove	M	Baseplate	Mission Control, Assistant	Ciltran (Formerly Human)	N/A
Kvaris Enthana	F	Anubis	Scout, Fighter, Chief Adviser	Garm (wolf-girl)	Melee
Kinu Enthana	F	Amarok	Scout, Fighter, Chief Adviser	Garm (wolf-girl)	Melee
Philia Lovelock	F	King Fish	Artificer, Assistant Adjutant	Human (Daos Disguised)	Ranged (Guns)
Gwen Hartpenny	F	Outlaw	Mission Control, Maid	Ciltran	N/A
Sammy Foster	F	Night-Rider	Rearguard, Tank	Half-Orc Half-Human	Melee
Viel Yulga	F	Kitty-Five	Cantrip Sorceress	Ciltran	N/A
Siria Bluethorne	F	Ranger-Two	Sorceress, Field XO	Elf	Sorcery
Iohann of the Treanthorn Tribe	F	Prophet	Cleric	Felmoon	Melee + Sorcery
Neith	N/A	Glados, HTX	Porter, Mission Control, Drone Operator	Sentient AI	N/A
Arek Ixilos	M	N/A	Mission Control, Adviser, Supplier	Gulan	N/A

Nod Orkalios got up that morning wondering if he was going to see his last rays of sunshine. The Nemesis-Stalker Ingrid appeared in his room again and wondered if he was going to face his last moments without even a last breakfast, the only comfort he had left in his life. But Ingrid invited him over at Autumnhollow for a meal, wondering if he was going to be taken to depths of that house to face the same ignoble fate his companions had.

Ingrid’s tone however was comforting and friendly. She again insisted that despite his association he was innocent and only wanted to make sure he was well-fed as he was going to be helping them in the morning. Nervously, he accompanied her behind the grove of trees and like before, after taking her hand, Autumnhollow materialized in front of his eyes.

 

Inside the house was unlike anything he’s seen before. It was simple yet in a way elegant. It was filled with all sorts of furniture he was unfamiliar with. Nobody regarded him with suspicion as he sat down among them, the house’s occupants were the same people he had encountered yesterday. The Enthana sisters flanked the ciltran Zefir making sure to feed him as if he was their mutual husband as was the case with most Garm girls who preferred to share a man they believed to possess favorable traits and pass it down to their pups.

The Nightmane orc Sammy talked animatedly with the legendary Siria Bluethorne regarding tactics of the upcoming assault on the Guilehead stronghold. He didn’t need to overhear her name to confirm he was looking at the legendary solitary adventurer. That she was present told him a lot about this group, she was known to be incredibly aloof and distrustful so seeing her here talking to people without a hint of reserve spoke not only of the group’s collective skill but also their show of trustworthiness to her, and it was a calming thing for Nod.

The meek little ciltran Viel would have been the perfect target if he was planning to put a knife to anyone but he smothered those thoughts. He knew little about her but the fact that she was in the company of these people told him not to press his luck. For a he knew she possessed a contingent spell that turned attackers to stone.

The cleric Iohann was an adherent to Saint Ygris the Merciful which despite its peaceful-sounding name also put a premium on the lives of their clergy, encouraging them to take good care of themselves to further spread the good word of their patron saint. He was sure that she too had measures against him if he turned his hand against her.

Philia’s maid Gwen like herself was clearly a native of Elion-Nosco and was probably no stranger inflicting violence on others. She probably was complicit in Philia’s hinted brutal executions and would probably not flinch at whatever Philia had planned for him after this last meal.

Philia, Ingrid and Cecil… definitely out of the question. Ingrid was more than a war-beast, and the fact she sat at the head of the table and how everyone regarded her made it clear she was the true leader of the group. A lethal combination of intelligence and strength he could not match, her unknown language was spoken fluently and she spoke it well with Cecil and Philia. Philia on the other hand, didn’t look as strong, but there was something utterly malevolent about her. It seemed like it was the reverse, that Ingrid was the smart leader and Philia her ferocious dragon.

Cecil too was not someone he could expect to sneak a knife to. He was a slime and physical attacks meant nothing to him. The two treated him as if he was any other folk around, and this image was reinforced with him always in the company of armored and armed swarm mice, ready to attack anything he sneered at.

There were also two kobolds with them, which Ingrid seemed to be good friends with. Again, like Viel he was not sure of what they were capable of, but considering how friendly Ingrid was towards them, Nod was sure that Ingrid would not suffer any harm done to either.

Not that he had planned to anyway. What they said last night was correct, in the gang’s eyes he was already a traitor. If Philia had used an Impression Totem to make threats to the gang it wouldn’t be long before he himself would be implicated. His standing with them had never been good anyway. They merely tolerated him because he was another helping hand so long as it didn’t involve getting rough with people.

His one true worry was the constant threat of Philia no longer finding a reason to keep him alive. Ingrid was a human, a Nemesis-Stalker. No doubt she earned her strength and wits from constant abuse by her trainers. Despite how noble she acted and her status as leader, he was sure that any sense of empathy towards people whose culture used and abused humans stood wobbly on thin ice.

 

And so Nod ate his unfamiliar breakfast, interestingly enough, on a fine ceramic plate. These adventurers were quite well off, so it seemed. They dined on round ceramic plates. Sure, they weren’t bordered with gold and their designs were simple and robust but just having them spoke of a wealth far more than what they seemed to have. It also came with silver utensils, a fork, knife, and spoon even. Again, they had little to no silver engravings which he had come to expect from aristocracy, but like this house there was an understated dignity to it. Like a wise rich man that saw no purpose in the extravagant flaunting of one’s status.

“Jambalaya?” Nod asked curiously.

“Breakfast Jambalaya.” Philia said. “I had stupidly asked Gwen to make dinner and forgot to tell her we were dining out, so I thought quickly how we were going to salvage last night’s meal.”

“I can’t believe you found a solution just from seeing a bunch of shrimp and okra on your stew.” Gwen remarked.

“I can’t believe they also call it okra here.” Ingrid remarked, then pointing to him. “Nod, you’ll be leading us to the hideout of the Guileheads. Philia says it’s disguised as a small hamlet called Irons at Drifter’s Creek at the Mistdew valley. Objections?”

“It’s not like he’s got a choice.” Kinu smiled.

“He does, he can walk away.” Philia said. “Of course that means that should he attempt to get near Autumnhollow again, it’s kill-on-sight.”

The mice stopped eating and looked at him. Nod was unnerved. Those sharp teeth did not look like a quick and peaceful way to die.

“We can easily ask the villagers here at Selfir or the travelers where Irons is. So if Nod does not need to help. So long as you stay away from us, we will have no reason to get rough.” Philia continued. There was no malice in her voice, just a frank statement and a reasonable one at that.

“My offer still stands, Nod.” Ingrid said. “It’s probably not much living out there in the pasture for the first few days, even weeks, but it’s a small price to keep your head firmly on your shoulders. Also, we don’t kick people around, we just saddle them with more responsibilities, which comes with the territory of being trusted.”

“I’ll do it.” Nod said quietly. “I’m not really cut out for hurting people anyway.”

“I’m not going to say don’t try anything funny, Nod.” Ingrid said. “All I can say is that Princess Philia Elion-Nosco has carried out vile experiments on criminals before. How many, I’ve never asked. Does she still need to? Well, she did mention she still needs to refine her magic. There’s plenty of bad people around I can turn a blind eye to, please don’t give me a reason to look away.”

“U-understood…” Nod said. “And thanks…” The last he knew of any Elion-Nosco royalty, the king did have a human bastard. What he knew was that the king made his bastard human daughter a princess but it was a joke role. A stunt to denigrate his ministers and assert his final say over everything else. He also knew that Philia Elion-Nosco was rumored to be a sniveling opportunist who had never accomplished anything…

…and that could be the reason why she’s here disguised as a daos-folk, Nod realized. If Ingrid is telling the truth and then what his companions suffered yesterday was much worse than he could have imagined.

“How many are we looking at?” Sammy asked as she refilled her bowl, she was definitely liking the taste of this “Jambalaya.”

“About a hundred and fifty, less the ones’ you’ve taken out, but that’s only the chapter at Irons.” Nod said. “You hinted that you’ve left behind a warning to stir them into anger. It’s possible they could have sent a raven to the nearby chapter. Assuming the worst possible situation, they could number at three hundred.”

Ingrid, Philia, and Siria shrugged.

“And there’s captives too…” Iohann said. “How many do you think are in there?”

“About twenty I believe.” Nod said. “Last week we… they…had thirty. Six were sold off to some noble, and four died in captivity due to illness. I’d say about twelve would be scattered around the hamlet as slaves.”

Zefir looked at Ingrid “Is it possible, Ingrid? Can you do this?”

Ingrid shook her shoulders. “Nod, how did you guys survive the Red Moon?”

“We hid…” came his reply.

“Doable.” Ingrid said, returning to her breakfast.

___

The room near the front door turned out to be some kind of study of some sort. Zefir and Gwen had installed themselves on the desk, observing everything the team was seeing from…what he could only describe as observing charms. He had seen them all wear one yesterday. One part clipped to their ear and the other clipped to the side of their head. Everything anyone said could be heard by all and Nod figured why they brought him here. He was sure he was brought here so they could impress on him that the slightest infraction towards their trust would be made known to all.

Siria laid out a map on another table. The two Kobolds explained to the group the features of the land around Irons in the valley. After getting a good idea what the lay of the land is like, Ingrid then turned to Nod.

“Point to me where they’re most unlikely to post lookouts.”

Taking the proffered pencil, Nod scribbled atop the onionskin sheet that covered the map. Looking up to them, he said “I swear this is to the best of my knowledge.”

Kvaris put a hand on his shoulder. “You should wait outside of Autumnhollow.” Kvaris said, motioning with her head this was a good time to leave.

“Sure…” Nod said, he wasn’t trusted after all. As he saw himself out he wondered why the team needed to discuss amongst themselves his fate. It seemed so much of a hassle for them to do this if they’ve already made up their mind to kill him. Maybe they wanted him out of Autumnhollow so his gruesome fate would be seen by all; a catharsis for the travelers seeing justice served. Or maybe, they genuinely planned to keep their word and let him live.

He expected the next minutes being afraid but now a calm resignation settled over him. He still had his knife with him, he could at least turn it on himself. Once he’s got his neck bleeding there was little Philia could do to prolong his pain at the very least…

“Let me help please!” Cataline yelled, hurrying over. “You need to rescue prisoners right?”

Nod looked up and saw her carrying a big knapsack that made rattling noises as she bounded down the road.

“You’ll need to ask the Whales. They’re still making preparations.” Nod said. “What could you do to help?”

Cataline laid down her knapsack carefully, the sound hinted to him that it was jars carrying some of her witch potions. “I figured they would be using their wagon to quickly get in, bring in the prisoners and then get out. My potions could definitely help them.”

“Hopefully they’ll accept your help.” Nod said. “Also you probably shouldn't be near me. I was a part of the Guileheads as their lookout.”

Cataline tilted her head curiously. “I didn’t see you turn a knife to us.”

Nod sighed “I didn’t need to, most already see me as guilty enough because I marked the group as one worth taking from. I just want to meet the Gods with an honest soul, that’s all.”

“You think the Whales are going to kill you?”

“It’s not a question of If, Cataline. It’s just a matter of when…” came Nod’s answer. “ Philia E-, Lovelock is from Elion-Nosco. She said by her country’s laws, I’m already guilty by association. Considering everyone listens to what she has to say she probably is convincing them right now that I’ve no further use to them. I’ve already given them the location of the hideout.”

“Can’t you stay with us?” Cataline asked.

“Do you want to stay with me?” He asked in reply. “I’m just as complicit in Kirtus’ maiming as they are for letting this happen in the first place.”

Cataline shrugged. “I left home to avoid the star plague ten years ago in Loable. Sure, I could have helped find a cure since I was already a witch back then, but I wasn’t wanted around… they said it was a waste of time experimenting with the arcane when existing practices in magic not only have been around for much longer but also have been proven to work…. Because of that I turned my back on my hometown. You could say it was a very selfish and petty reason. We’re not saints Nod, we’re just people doing what we can to live.”

“Thanks Cataline.”

The ATV rolled out of thin air and drew up alongside the two. Philia opened the door and looked at Cataline inquiringly.

“What are you planning, witch? Our main objective is to rescue prisoners, we can’t afford to carelessly spread destruction.”

Cataline took out one of the jars from her knapsack and presented it to Philia, who quickly jumped down to inspect it. She took a light whiff and then called out “Aquila!”

The small flying construct dipped a retractable arm inside and hovered there for a minute or two.

“It’s a compound made of Brushtangle weed essence, stabilized with pulps of Garton bark and essence of Ilmakia oils. If this is charged with mana and hurled at people, it should put them to sleep.” Cataline explained.

“Compounds are an inert form of chloroform.” Aquila spoke. The words seemed to have brought confirmation to Philia. “The chemicals are there but… inactive. Cataline’s instructions of charging it with mana are probably used to stimulate the still-living plant matter into activating a defense mechanism, which when mixed with the other biological compounds create a chloroform effect.”

“That computes. Brushtangle weeds have mildly psychedelic spores which they release as a defense mechanism…” Philia said.

“That would explain why charging mana into the jars would activate the choloform compound. We can use this.” Aquila said.

Philia then turned to the two “Thanks Cataline, we’ll make good use of these. Let’s go then. Nod, get in!”

___

If Nod had any plans of using Cataline’s jars, he had long lost his chance as Cecil quickly stuffed them into his room. Interestingly it was an idea that Ingrid, Cecil, and Philia all shared as it was apparently one of the methods of using alchemy in warfare. As Cecil emptied the bag, the same disembodied music was once again playing. His interpretation spell heard words of “fortunate sons” not being sent out, presumably to war given the context.

“It won’t be me, It won’t be, I ain’t no fortunaaaate son!” Sammy sang, quickly catching to the song.

“Starchaser Actual to Hotel Bravo, we have a new passenger, callsign Watchtower. Copy?” Ingrid said to no one.

“That’s you.” Philia said as she helped Nod put on what he learned were called tac-cams and earpieces. “On the radio, you will address yourself as Watchtower.”

“What’s the significance?” Nod asked as he tightened the devices on his head.

“Because if anyone overhears you, it lessens the chances of finding out exactly who you are talking to.” Philia then gave them a quick crash course on everyone’s callsigns and etiquette when speaking.

“Copy Starchaser Actual. Baseplate registers.” Zefir replied. “Check in prior to beginning sortie. Baseplate out.”

___

 

“Have you served in an army before, Zefir?” Roofe asked, noting how professional he acted with handling radio conversations. Zefir looked up for a bit, thinking.

“No, it’s just that from the world I used to live in, there’s a lot of shows… you could say there’s like plays that accurately depict in one way or another how men of the uniform conduct themselves when communicating with others. After all, we can only understand if there’s only one speaking at a time.”

“I see… anyway, Zefir, are you sure you need us here? We should be helping the others build their cottage outside.” Mink said.

“No, we’ll need your help should the team take another route and you two are well travelled.” Zefir said. Indicating the chairs for them to gather around and sit. “That’s the reality of being part of Mission Control, we just sit here and hope everything turns out well and give the best advice we can…”

The two fluffy dogs obliged and looked at the monitors. Some were displaying what the team members were looking at, and others were showing camera feeds from the ATV.

Gwen on the other hand, was looking at her Titania drone’s feed and looking out for activity around the town.

___

The ATV halted as it was about to exit the forest where Ingrid and Cecil had fought the baatezu, which they had later learned was called the Selfir Gate Forest, which got its name as it served as the only way to enter the town, at least through the main road.

“Deploying Aquila.” Neith said as she sent out the drone, hovering it above the foliage just high enough to see around.

“No people around, yet.” Neith. “Recommend we proceed.”

“Get Falcis to watch the sides, Neith. I’m driving through now..” Philia said as she quickly cut across the road and drove into the forest on the other side. “Lights off, everyone! We’ll try to go as stealthy as we can!” She called, as she quickly flipped all the switches.

“Siria, now’s the time to cast the muffling spell.”

“Got it.” Siria began quietly muttering the chanting sequence for her spell, causing her to glow slightly. A minute later, the ATV and everything in a ten-foot wide radius around it was barely audible, and what could be heard was drowned out by the ambient sounds of the forest, the territorial calls of various animals and the rambunctious singing of birds declaring their nests and all around it as theirs and theirs alone. Further ahead the ornery calls of tuskboars warned all others of its kind that their presence was not welcome.

As Philia shut off all the lights she quickly activated her nightvision spell.

“Ingrid I’m going to need Argus.” Philia said as she wrangled the ATV through the forest.

“Gotcha.” Ingrid channeled her mana, focusing into her Detection aura and stretching it out further.

“Is it still every five seconds?” Philia asked, referring to Ingrid’s radar-like intervals between letting out pulses.

“Two and half, actually.” Ingrid said “I’ve been working it out ever since you ‘switched jobs.’”

“Huh, no wonder SEEDs had problems blindsiding you.” Philia remarked. “Iroquois, use your pellets while on stealth mode.”

“Roger.” Cecil said. “I should turret up right now and use infrared or something. I got one of these goggles.”

“Please do.” Ingrid said quickly, and Cecil opened up the hatch and went out. One of the mice quickly rolled in the divider on wheels that Cecil used to cover up the sunlight while on the roofdeck. The going had slowed down considerably now, although still much faster than a walking pace. They had slowed mostly because of Philia keeping an eye for spots she could bring the ATV through. In the forest’s darkness the ATV was nearly invisible.

The ATV splashed through a creek but the muffling spell prevented anyone from hearing it cross and in the scant rays of sunlight dappling the floor it could have been mistaken for another forest creature making it’s way looking for a meal.

 

Half an hour later they saw their first set of bandits gathered around a bonfire. Cecil’s infrared goggles and Aquila scouting ahead noticed them first and got the ATV to halt.

“I’m counting fifteen of them.” Neith said. “No reason for them to camp here unless they’re lookouts. There aren’t even any tents.

“Cecil, Ingrid, switch them off.” Philia said. At once, Ingrid vaulted out of the hatch and quickly darted through the trees. Mindful of making noise through the litter of leaves she leapt from branch to branch, using her Aegis aura to magnet herself to the tree branches and dissipate the force of impact, preventing them from rattling their leaves around.

Mission Control and the rest of the team watched (from the ATV’s monitor) as Ingrid quickly made her way to the lookouts.

“Heavy armor, polearms, all in good condition.” Ingrid whispered, “I think they’re regulars.”

“Regulars?” Viel asked.

“It means they look like veterans, these men know how to fight.” Philia explained.

“That makes sense,” Nod said. “Those are former soldiers stationed in the forest to watch out for monsters getting too close.” He frowned however, as Ingrid’s point-of-view was upside-down.

“Iroquois, stay high in the branches.” Ingrid said. “Attack on my go.”

“Rog.” Cecil replied quietly.

___

With that, Ingrid kicked herself off the branches and aimed at the strongest-looking fighter, her flying kick tore through two of them and the resulting tailwind drew others in and shredded them. Ingrid quickly spun in mid-air, her spin-kick creating the image of an armored knight in a fiery mane of red hair swinging a thirty-foot sword and cutting the fighter in half before he could notice anything.

That left seven remaining, three of which were shot with the enhanced pellets of Iroquois, punching holes through some, and summoning big warhammers that turned their head into a pulp.

Four were left to cry out in alarm and another three were turned to pulp by invisible hammer-men before Ingrid grabbed the remaining survivor. Clamping her hand over his snout she asked quietly.

“If you want to live, tell me where Irons is.”

As Ingrid looked in the direction, Cecil quickly hovered close, pointing his gun at him. Even though the man didn’t know what it was, he was sure it had something to do with the killing of his comrades a few seconds ago.

“Overlord, all but one threat neutralized. Interrogating now.” The slime said cryptically.

A talking slime, the man thought, using some high-level magic. It was probably just as if not more dangerous than the Nemesis-Stalker who had a steel-like grip over his snout.

Ingrid let his snout go but grabbed his collar. “Did you see the warning? The Impression Totem?”

“Y-yes…” The man said hesitantly, panic suddenly rising as he realized he was about to meet the same gruesome fate as those men in the vision.

“Did you call for aid?” Ingrid asked.

He nodded in fright and Ingrid shoved him away. “Start running, if you make any noise, you die. If you try to follow us, you die.” she said, pointing away from the direction of the town.

The man started running and as he did so, the ATV rumbled by him. In his mind it was some frightening monstrosity that emerged from the forest’s darkness and he ran faster, not daring to look back. Where to go, he had no idea, but anywhere from here. Anywhere away from the Nemesis-Stalker and that greater slime fiend that were working together, as well as anywhere away from that colossal monstrosity that could only be their friend.

As he ran he faintly heard her say to no one. “Starchaser to team, the cavalry’s been called. I say again. The cavalry’s been called…”

“Baseplate copies, instructions?” Zefir asked.

“Get Oberon to scout ahead of our position and see if you can reach Irons. You’ll be our eye in the sky, Baseplate.”

The ATV drew by where the fire used to be smoldering. Kinu and Kvaris hopped down along with Nod.

“What can you tell from this?” Kvaris said, looking at the thieves’ personal effects. Siria had cast a spell, summoning forth a firebird that lazily drifted around, providing light for everyone.

Nod examined the bandit’s weapons. “It’s as I guessed, these are former soldiers, they took great pride in their equipment and weapons’ upkeep. These aren’t the only soldiers among them.”

“Scavenge anything useful.” Philia said over the radio. “We can sell or reuse the things that are unbroken.”

They were done in ten minutes. The bandit’s bodies laid side by side. Iohan stood before them and made a prayer of absolution.

“May you restore your honor before the gods.” She said quietly.

Sammy examined the bandit’s rations.

“These are well-made,” she said, examining the jerky and waybread. The jerky was well-spiced and fragrant and the bread soft and with tasty herbs embedded into it. “They’re eating well.”

Ingrid came over and it reminded her of buttered garlic bread. “A little fancy, don’t you think? Those won’t keep well, that’s literally something to be eaten for lunch or second breakfast.”

“I know the baker there, it’s Falzo, he’s not a crook, but he is well-acquainted with them.” Nod said. “He’s quite indifferent to what the Guileheads do, so long as they appreciate his craft, which they do.”

“We need a baker.” Philia stated, still in the ATV. “And it doesn’t look like he cares if we snatch him.”

“Agreed.” Ingrid said, turning to Nod she inquired. “What does he look like?”

“He’s a Brave Orc. White fur with dark markings across the top of his head. His bakery is a round building with a red thatched roof. You can’t miss it, it’s got three chimneys and it’s located to the northeastern part of the town.”

“That means his head is like that of a wild boar.” Zefir explained to Ingrid. “Probably the reason the Guileheads keep him around is because he’s blessed by the Valiant God, there’s just some people you can’t touch, even if you’re a hardened criminal.”

“Got it, thanks for the info.” Ingrid said as she placed a small device into the ground and quickly buried it.

“ERV” Ingrid radio’ed in. “This is our Emergency Rendezvous Point. We will gather here in case we need to make a hasty retreat or if any of you get separated. Do you copy Glados?”

“ERV confirmed.” Neith monotoned. After everyone else worded their acknowledgement she motioned for everyone to return to the ATV. Once again, Ingrid was the last to board the ATV and she knocked on the roof, signalling for Philia to drive.

“Baseplate to Whales. I found the town. There’s quite a convention going on there. Way’s clear.” Zefir said. “Proceed carefully. Straight ahead is a cliff giving you an overwatch over the town one hundred feet below, afterwards it slopes downward the west, giving you only one way down.”

“Cecil and I are coming down to eliminate people quietly.” Ingrid said. “Kinu, Kvaris, Sammy, and Iohann, get the hostages out in batches, there maybe hurt people among them so I need Iohann there to heal them up. 189, Siria, Philia, you four will sit by the cliff and attack from a distance when the fighting gets noisy. Nod, you will sit with them and provide directions. I don’t need to tell you what happens if you mess around…”

Arthur and Sully yawned, showing off their big teeth.

“Of course, Ingrid.” Nod said.

Philia parked the ATV facing the entrance of the forest, making their getaway much easier. All the doors opened and everyone quickly spilled out. The cliffside area was mostly short grass, bordered on rocky hard ground as it approached the cliff’s edge. The team gathered by the edge and peered over the town. Most of the bandits were gathered near the river, as it was nearing lunch hour. Smoke rose from various hastily-built huts along the banks. That said, it looked like there was a feast about to start.

To the west, the slope was a gradual incline that seemed to have been dug out as it was all dirt and packed soil. No one was guarding the slopes; it seems that Philia had given them the impression that the Braves had no idea where their hideout was located.

Philia handed a pair of binoculars to Nod, showing him how to use it.

“Look through these and tell us where they keep the prisoners and the baker.” She said.

Nod was expecting Philia to snatch it back and warn him about potentially endangering the group by giving out false leads but she didn’t. He felt like she was looking at nobody in particular and it didn’t feel any more assuring. It just felt like he was now disposable, that getting rid of him was as mechanical as stepping on a bug that got in the way of a morning walk.

“I’m surprised that you didn’t threaten him, Philia.” Cecil quipped.

“No need,” Philia said “I've worked on plenty enough people to know he won't turn against us.…”

As she walked past him, Cecil could swear he felt Melrondia pass by but kept quiet about it.

She was their Dark Queen now.

INDEX: The Whales' Party Sheet