Zharia flew above, circling through the sea of tree branches before finally veering downward toward the forest floor. The monkey-like creature shrieked in response and activated mana. Wind extended from the pseudo-wings behind its back and slammed it forward, reaching my familiar.

Now.

She flipped and disappeared in a burst of gold as she rocketed out of its reach. Having its target escape, the creature tried to follow her trajectory but a crystal-covered claw swiped past its shoulder blades. The mana fueling the air mana into the wings faltered as Magnus siphoned it away.

The creature was too busy chasing the flaming bird and the momentary lapse in its mana pathways saw the critter impale itself against my tail. A wet schlitck echoed in my ears as my tail cut through the hollow bones protecting the creature's stomach.

"Ah crap," I cursed. I stood still and waved Khrem over as he pulled out his harvester. "Got eight seconds; I pierced through the lung."

"Only need six," Khrem said as he pressed the device into the creature's stomach.

I felt his mana activate the pathways in the metal, sending out half a dozen glass-like tubes through the meat. True to his word, the creature became a withered husk in six seconds. As the last drop of blood slipped into the tubes, the device rang with a soft chime. The tubes retracted and Khrem caught the harvester, tucking it away next to the two others hanging off his belt.

I summoned Chomperz while flicking the creature into the air. He sucked it in and slipped back into my chest without a word–too fast for me to even say hello.

"Are you still at odds with him?" Khrem asked.

"He's avoiding me. Haven't said a word since the fight with Mordred."

"I thought you said Chomperz was non verbal?"

"He is. He still communicates with his arms and paws. Or you know, chomping at me," I sighed. "Whatever the issue is, I hope it resolves soon."

A sharp crack to our left drew our attention but Sereza waved as she approached. Zharia perched on her shoulder, puffing her feathers in pride. The little, sloth-tiger himself had already taken to falling asleep in the felkin's arms.

"It must be weird having one of your familiars avoid you in your own soul," she said.

I scratched underneath Zharia's chin and sent over my compliments for the successful hunt. She didn't allow herself to get too haughty, not when Sturmrorex would call her out, but she accepted the praises none-the-less.

I lowered my hand and fought from sighing a second time. "He's always been different. Technically my first familiar, but not. I never made a contract with him, so he's not like the others. It does feel wrong though. Like I'm messing something up again, but I can't tell you why."

Zharia huffed. "He's being stubborn."

"He is, but I can't complain when he has a master like me."

Zharia had the good graces to cover up the brief dimming of her flames. Not even my most loyal could debate against that.

"So is that everything? You only had three of those right?" Sereza asked, motioning toward the cubes along Khrem's belt.

"That was the last. They'll continue to separate the fluids over the evening, so I am finished for now. Did you want to meditate before we leave?" he responded.

A week had passed since the tournament, and I finally managed to get Khrem to come with me, away from the bustle of the city. It just so happened that the glib-libs had a plethora of useful juices inside their body that he could use for some alchemy. They were uncommon enough it took most of the day to track enough down to fill his cubes.

We had been hunting north of the city outskirts for most of the day. Khrem wanted access to one of the local fauna, a 'glib-lib.' They were part monkey, part bunny with false wings on backs that reminded me of a plucked chicken. Their meat had a strong bitter taste that made it unsuitable for consumption but thankfully they were sought after for different reasons.

Sereza glanced my way. "Are you sure you don't want the energy for yourself?"

"For the dozenth time, I'm sure. Celenae and Teddy agreed that I should take it easy for now. Let my body rest a little. It's impossible to stop entirely, but I can starve my skill out. Besides, are you really complaining? You took part in the hunt as well."

"Zharia and Magnus did most of the work." She shrugged and sat down, closing her eyes. Sereza adjusted so that Magnus rested on her lap, but the lazy familiar never stirred. "Baah. Best to stop complaining. Knowing your luck, we'll need the head-start before you surpass us."

"What about you Khrem?"

He shook his head. "I am not as worried as Sereza. A funded alchemist pays their dues. The two of you have already invested in me, I'll ensure I help our team grow."

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He patted the cubes and I smirked. They didn't look like much but damn were they expensive. Initially, when Khrem told me about saving for one of the devices, I planned on buying as many as he needed. At nearly three hundred gold a pop, Sereza pitched in with some of her earnings. Earnings made behind my back in an unofficial betting pool during the tournament.

The two of us walked away, giving Sereza some space. I summoned my beanbag and Khrem pulled out a chair from his storage. It would only take Sereza a dozen minutes at most to gather all the energy but it was plenty enough time to relax and share drinks. Zharia stayed with Sereza, keeping watch for any nearby threats.

"Are you planning on using Erebus on the corpses?" Khrem asked.

"You know, I had my doubts about the cubes. Pricey little things to mimic a looting skill. Thought about it earlier and I realized how silly that was. Your devices have a guaranteed way of getting what you need. Aaaaand they shouldn't affect my skill too much. Erebus can still loot them after you use the harvesters. So bonus loot on top of guaranteed loot. A win-win."

"They're called extractors, not harvesters," he corrected. His gaze drifted down, toward the beanbag below me. "A harvester is more suited for separating meat from bones, along with scales and other materials. They tend to be crude but efficient The only downside is the inability to handle the more fragile materials." He sipped his lemonade and tilted his head. "You're using the strange language again. Isaac's description is most apt. It tickles your ear. Unlike any language from this continent."

"I thought you didn't want me to tell you?"

After blacking out post interrogation from Celenae, I woke and realized that keeping Khrem in the dark was silly. He already knew enough about me to start guessing at the truth.

And him knowing wouldn't be so terrible. Even if the king is toying with me, there's no reason to keep my allies in the dark. Better he knows now, then later. If he wants to leave after realizing what my brand of insanity actually was…

"I don't. Not yet," Khrem replied. "I was merely commenting. Back on the island, your vocabulary was more reserved. I brushed it off as a quirk from being from a city or perhaps small village. After spending time in the capital, I realize that your speech is truly different. It's flow, and your cadence hints at stranger origins."

"If you want to know the truth, you can ask."

He shook his head. "I appreciate the mystery. I know the others know, Sereza included. I'll earn my way to such personal information in due time. Especially when we are away from the politics of the capital."

I winced. Fair enough. It's hard to blame him for not wanting to make himself a target. Simply knowing information people wanted was potentially dangerous.

"Well I trust you already. So don't worry about it. I mean you already saw me naked."

"That was under the professional curiosity of needing to know your biology. Adapting potions to your particular strain of resistances is crucial to-"

I flicked a piece of candy into his mouth. He snapped his shark-like teeth shut on instinct, shattering the goo-filled shell. His words died as the sticky raspberry flavoring stuck to his teeth.

"You already explained this. I'm just bantering with you."

"Ah, y-yes. The flirting you do with Isaac."

"Hey, I'm not-"

He displayed a full row of teeth. The sticky raspberry candy looked more pink than red but it painted his maw in a ghastly visage.

"Oooooh, you do have a sense of humor."

"I am adapting. Broken tower has shown me it is important for team bonding. Eodyne has been a big help in explaining how she plays her role in the party."

I groaned at the thought. Eodyne's humor was practically nonexistent. Still, Khrem was trying and that made me happy.

When Sereza finished up we headed back to the city. We stuck to the roads, following the path out of the city outskirts. Nearing the gate, a caravan rushed past, joining the already extended line.

"That's an influx of people," I commented.

"Don't you know?" Sereza asked.

"I've been holed up with Celenae and Teddy for the last week. Between interrogation time, training and rest sessions with Teddy, and some time spent at the healers' guild, I haven't paid much attention to the bustle. Why? What's up?"

"Celenae's still asking questions?"

"How often do you see someone's skills evolve without using a rift or rift-based item?"

"Fair enough," Sereza chuckled. She pointed at the castle in the upper rings. "Now that the tournament is over, there's the auction. People are travelling in preparation for that."

"Isn't it private? Also when is the auction?"

She shrugged. "There's no official date, but Teddy thinks it'll be within two weeks. Your departure from the tournament messed things up. Lots of common folk asking why things happened, and what exactly went down. The houses are under a lot of scrutiny, especially the Dawnborns but even the royal assembly. It's not hard to realize that the houses had to play dirty to do what they did to you so openly. Especially after some of the royal guards were seen exiting the under-arena. Teddy suspects they are busy dealing with the fallout. That and the information you passed along to Teddy's parents apparently kicked up a storm. I heard there were a few arrests but that could be rumors."

"Huh, go figure. I hope there aren't some Mordred fans holding signs in protest." Sereza winced and my jaw tightened. "Oh come on. That's silly. I was a villain!"

"I believe the term you coined is 'anti-hero.' You were villainous, but thanks to the overreach and blatant rule breaking from the nobles, Mordred was turned into an underdog of sorts. A fighter against the corrupted," Khrem explained.

Uuuuuugggh.

"Whatever, as long as nobody bothers me, I'll be happy. I'll need to buy some new masks just in case. Actually, one moment," I said.

I summoned my mask and slipped it on. Activating the shape changing function, it settled into the wolf's faceplate and settled against my face with a mental click.

We neared the gates and walked past the row of angry merchants eager to get into the city walls. One of the guards part of the inspection tapped his buddy's shoulder and approached.

"Halt! We understand the frustration but all goods must be inspected before admittance into the city! There will be no exceptions to this rule. Please get back in line before I-"

I flashed the Lightcrest emblem and the guard froze. Color drained from his face and he straightened immediately. With a crisp salute he cut his speech and bowed.

"Please proceed through!"

His response earned a lot of grumbling protests from the spectators but we entered the city without problems.

All in all, a decent day. One perfectly calm and happy.

Sereza opened the gate and Walter appeared by her side. "Excuse me, miss Sereza."

"Aagh-ooh. Walter. What can I do for you?" Sereza answered after calming down from the butler jumpscare.

"A letter has arrived. It's from the castle," he said, producing a black envelope. Sereza opened it and Walter cleared his throat. "Excuse me, sir Cyrus. You have also received a letter."

Oh? What's this about?

I examined the letter and flipped it over to see a familiar symbol. My gut tightened and I groaned as the rune embedded into the wax glistened.

Khrem noticed my expression and moved closer. "Something bad?

"Maybe," I grumbled. "It's… from the king."

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