The Corrupted Syndicate

"Wait, you said something about the Mother of Spinners? If my memory seems to be right, it's Arankaali, correct? The giant spider queen that took hold of the kingdom of Y'svaleys. The one that Raven failed to liberate and then Wolf managed to slay her."

"How did she even end up with Lunaris when Beast had declared that the Mother of Spinners was dead and gone?"

The rabbit's words seemed to strike Mavislin as odd as she slowly turned to look at him. Meanwhile, Matt was already done healing the wound and he thanked the heavens that the blade had not destroyed her tendon.

"Wolf didn't manage to kill her, he saved the townsfolk but he was forced to retreat while I was called in. By the time I reached, the giant spider thing had fled. The next thing I heard was that the Prince of Darkness had bested her with his fists..."

The dragoness and her bunny slowly turned to look at the Viceroy, who was bored and twirling a lock of his hair while reading the plan.

"Oi."

"I have a name."

"I know. I also know you've got a working set of ears," snapped Matt, challenging the Viceroy.

"So, do you expect me to punch her to a second death?" questioned Zenos, unimpressed by the rabbit.

"Perhaps, but I am more interested about the aftermath of her. What did you do with Arankaali's corpse after you defeated her?" questioned Mavislin, raising her eyebrow in suspicion.

"I can scarcely recall the details, for that battle was devoid of any true entertainment... Yet, I vaguely remember some attendant clad in gleaming blue armor approaching, offering a tidy sum for the spider's carcass. I accepted the coin and went on with my day, unbothered."

"Why do you both stare at me so?"

"Have you not just realized what you've just told us?! That you willingly gave the Legion, your enemy might I remind you, something that would further their experimentation?!" screeched Mattheos, unable to believe what he had just heard.

"It was of no consequence to me, for the Legion was scarcely worth my notice in those days. That beast fell before my blade long ago, when I was but a youth, not yet fully grown."

"Back then, I had only the Syndicate in my sights, and I cared little for the spoils of my victories—save for when they pressed payment upon me."

"It was at their insistence that I accepted gold for the carcasses, though it mattered not," explained Zenos, with a bored tone.

The dragoness wanted to bang her head onto the Viceroy's, to see if she could crack it open to find anything worth in there.

"Ok... So, you at least have some idea of how to defeat her, right? Then it should be alright for us..." said Mavislin, shaking her head at how clueless the blonde was.

Then again, he was right. During that time, the Legion was barely even called an organization, let alone a force to be reckoned with.

The bigger threat was the Northern Cartel against the Corrupted Syndicate, in which the latter had led a successful siege against the Northern Cartel's largest land.

"One could say that, but I would not place my trust in it. I'm not claiming I cannot defeat her—only cautioning you not to grow complacent simply because I have bested her once before. She may have grown stronger, just as I have," warned the Viceroy as he stretched.

"He has got a point... Very well, I understand. Let us both tread carefully against the Mother of Sinners. Oh, that's right! Do you happen to remember the name of the person that took the spider?"

"I believe it wasn't his real name... But he was called Larkspur," recounted Zenos.

Mattheos was lost in thought until he heard the name roll out of the blonde's mouth.

"Larkspur... It has been so long since I heard that name. He knocked me out with one punch when I had been downing too many drinks at the local bar. After that, I heard he was in some secret group and I couldn't be bothered about it."

"Though one thing is for sure; he gets very crazed over experiments and surpassing the body's limits," replied Matt.

"Why does everyone have a thing for experimentation nowadays... I'm getting tired of hearing that," complained the dragoness.

"Though I do not have any interest in it, I cannot deny its usefulness when done correctly. The monsters that we have slain and will do so in the coming battles are proof of such. Especially the 'calm' queen of the Moon; Lunaris," replied the Viceroy.

The dragoness let out a yawn before slamming her back onto the hard ground, with Matt shooting out his palm to cushion her skull.