[IC] Of Shadow and Flame EP3: Rising Tension

[Chevaleresse]

A week has passed. Various magi have been at many activities in the city, most benign, some less so. The weather is quite dreary for a May afternoon: rain falls steadily, and has done so for the entire day. The time is 2 PM.

Vixen and Bark

The pair was able to find a frustratingly small amount of traces left behind by the beast, though they were able to track its movements somewhat via spikes in the local suicide rates. This was reflected in the news, dutifully reporting the deaths as they seemed to crop up almost randomly.

Vixen and Bark found themselves in a small, relatively empty building with one of these reports murmuring in the background.

". . . the alarming increase in suicide was attributed to simple causes such as stress previously, but as deaths in residential and other areas increase, police have began investigating possible connections between them. . ."

Bobby, Krys, and Dexter

Takeshi waited for the mages-in-training at his usual hideout. When they got there, he greeted them warmly. "Hey guys, how's it going today? Good? Anyway, this is going to be the last day of training for everyone. I can't really help you out a whole lot after this; Haruto will be up my rear in a flash, and I like living here. And living in general. I've got a little test for you, for lack of a better term."

Kindle

The girl found herself in one of the city's rich neighborhoods, with expensive apartments and the occasional high-class retail or coffee shop dominating most of the landscape. Hikaru had given her an address that led to a building in this area. Kindle stood in front of it; it was one of the aforementioned apartment buildings, though the units would more properly be referred to as suites. It had a very modern design, with lots of glass and clean lines. The interior had high-quality lacquered wood paneling for the walls, with the occasional painting in the shared halls.

Nagi (one day earlier)

Noriko had her doing a few small tasks to start her off, mostly familiarizing herself with Preserver territory and searching it for any hints of the beast's existence. Today, however, Noriko said she had a more specific and more important assignment for her. She stood in front of the warehouse that contained the Protector headquarters.

Faust (roughly two hours earlier)

The previous week had been fairly uneventful by Peacekeeper standards. Faust was given a full debriefing and was shown around the town and brought up to speed on the VIPs in the area for all factions, as well as several notable loners. Afterward, he was given a couple basic assignments; essentially observe and report. Today, however, he was given a more important one. He was called to the office of his immediate superior, Kaito; he was the short, blonde man he had met when he first arrived.

"I've got a job for you today that might be a little more exciting. We've got some intelligence that suggests one of the Preserver lieutenants might be trying to cause trouble; reports say it's either a split in the Preservers or some sort of attack on the Protectors. Needless to say, we can't let that happen. Here's the address we have for the target's residence, and the information we have on them." Kaito handed a small packet of folded papers to Faust before continuing. "Instructions are pretty simple; find out what's going on here. I'll leave the method up to you."

The contents of the packet read as follows:

Location: Upper-class districts. Often sighted at the building pictured. (The image shows a very modern-looking building with a simple, clean design, with many windows.)

Name: Hikaru

Gender: Unknown

Age: Estimated late teens

Appearance: Often wears semi-formal, yet baggy attire, or traditional kimonos. White hair and distinctive blue eyes. Middling height, weight unknown. Clothing obscures precise physical measurements. (A photo that appears to be cropped out of a larger, long-distance one is attached. It is not very clear.)

Known powers: Individual has not been reliably observed in combat.

Importance: Reliably reported to be Preserver lieutenant. Appears to fill an unknown administrative role alongside normal command duties.

((In your post, mention something about how you spent your week. Feelings, any particular things you dealt with, etc.))

[Felicity]

Bobbys ears perked up. "A test? Come on man, don't you have better things to do than kick our asses up and down the street in the name of a Test?" Bobby never liked written tests let alone any other kind. Bearing in mind what they had been learning, this sounded like it would be even worse...

[Hiss13]

Nagi's last few days under the requests of the Protectors (specifically Noriko) allowed her to get fairly familiar with the Preserver territory. For the most part, the requests were relatively simple but it allowed her to scope out the areas and, as an assassin, Nagi could attest to how important that kind of knowledge was. She made her way to the warehouse in which the Protectors' hide out was enclosed.

I really am too damn sentimental. Nagi thought to herself as she stood in front of the warehouse. Ever since that day she met Noriko, she had found her thoughts sometimes drifting towards drifting back to Kanade and Shinka at times. Her dreams had even become recurring flashbacks of the same event from that day two years ago. She clutched at the strap on her rifle case a bit as those memories once again flooded back into her.

***

Dammit! I knew he'd try and leave without saying a word. Thoughts raced through the girl's mind as she ran to the edge of the city looking for a certain boy. I hope I'm not too late. He left only recently. If I'm lucky, I can find him before he leaves.

Her untied blue hair fluttered as she ran through the warm Spring weather in a white camisole and jeans. After about half an hour of running, she eventually found who he was looking for at an empty bus stop near the edge of the city.

"SHINKA!"

The boy turned around to see Nagi behind him. "Nagi…you followed me?" There was a look of subdued surprise in his expression.

"Of course. Did you think I was going to let you go off on your own without a single word?"

"Nagi, I didn't want to drag you into this world. I already explained to you how dangerous the world of magi is. The more you associate with me, the more you will be put into danger."

"So, what? It's not like you aren't doing that yourself! You put yourself in enough danger that you ended up collapsed in the middle of the city!" Nagi had started raising her voice at his point.

Shinka flinched at the accusation. "Even so, I can't simply have you dragged into another world you have never experienced!"

"You're not dragging me." Nagi made a single solid affirmation towards the Mediator in front of her. "I'm stepping into this on my own volition. So, I want you to make a contract with me. I will help you."

"Are you crazy, Nagi? You're talking about giving up everything you're attached to. Your friends, family, and your peaceful life. Are you really willing to give that all up?!"

"Meh…"

"You can't be so damn nonchalant about this, dammit!"

"I know. The thing is, I'm pretty much a loner. I've never been good at maintaining relationships and in all honesty, living in this 'peaceful' life has been something I've always wished to escape from."

"I really can't convince you otherwise at all, huh."

"Nope."

Shinka sighed. "Fine, then. Are you willing to follow me to the depths of Hell, if necessary?" He extended his hand.

"Of course, Shinka." Nagi, with a huge grin, said as she took his hand.

***
Perhaps it would have been better to say that I would drag him out of Hell that day. I wonder if he would have still been as hell bent on revenge if I did that. Nagi sighed. As she focused back upon the warehouse facility, she cut off her thoughts. After all, pondering on the 'what-if's would have taken her nowhere. Right now, she had something important to focus on. At least, it was a request that Noriko seemed to claim was very important. So, she simply walked into the facility without giving another thought to her memories.

((OOC: Ended up writing a character flashback and putting it in spoiler tags...meh))

Edited June 26, 2015 by Hiss13

[Cyaloom]

"A test, for lack of better term... I guess this has to be done, whatever it is." Dexter whispered, 'quoting' Takeshi and thinking about what that 'test' could have actually been, before waiting for anyone else there to talk.

The training was difficult and Dexter couldn't deny that, but it was needed for him to perform well his new role; also, the boy felt like this new life was his destiny. He was the only one that saw that Beast, around one month before, so he must have been someone different from the others, maybe special...

[Chevaleresse]

Bobby, Dexter, and Krys

Takeshi pouted. "Oh come on. You're not supposed to figure out what the test is right away like that. It ruins the fun. But yeah, that was pretty much the plan. If you can't defend yourself against me - not that I'd go full power on you - then you're not gonna be able to. . ." Takeshi trailed off, an increasingly concerned look on his face. "Anyone else feel that?" Before he could continue, "that" made its presence known, seeming to simply appear behind the group and pinning Krys, who had lagged a bit behind the others, underneath a foreleg ended with cruel talons. The girl didn't have time to react; a transformed mage could have withstood the attack, but a human? She was pierced through. The black beast seemed to glare at the group with unseen eyes before letting out an unnatural hissing roar. Takeshi transformed, and held his blade at the ready.

Nagi

The Deviant mage found her way to Noriko quickly. She seemed to be engrossed in a conversation with Kouta and a much larger boy with a rough, bulky appearance; Nagi would recognize him as Masaru, one of Noriko's lieutenants. His nose looked like it had been broken at least once, and his build was uncommonly muscular even among the relatively athletic group that was magi. However, the Protector cut it off when she noticed Nagi's approach. "We'll finish this talk later. I've got another task for Nagi here, and you two have jobs to do." The large one sighed and stalked off, brushing past Nagi on his way out of the small conference room. Kouta followed shortly after, though he proceeded in an entirely different direction once he was out of the room; his route took him along Nagi's steps, while Masaru travelled further into the building.

"There's a Preserver lieutenant I've been meaning to reach out to, but I can't send any of my people over without them getting turned away or worse once they reach enemy territory. I need you to reach her- well, I think that this person's a woman, but it's harder than you would think to tell- and see if we can set up a meeting in some sort of neutral location."

Vixen and Bark

As the television babbled in the background, a head poked through the doorway to the room, quickly followed by the rest of a person. He looked dirty and unkempt, as if he hadn't bathed in multiple days. "Oh, hello. I wasn't expecting to find your sort here." The voice and speech pattern didn't seem to fit the appearance at all. "I assumed this room would be empty. I don't suppose you mages are using it as a base? I haven't noticed any signs of it, and after all people do still use this building on occasion."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

And just as quickly the stranger found a revolver pointing at him. Lucky Vixen she was sitting in a high top chair, one a Mob Boss would be found sitting in. The previous owner of this place had horrible tastes... but they were helping so the was good. Without turning around she she trained the revolver she had right where she heard the voice coming from. All that could be seen was the top of her head, her electric blue hair sticking up over the back ever so slightly, and the hand her revolver was in. The prefect way to intimidate someone, by not being fully seen. They had no idea your size, or shape, and no idea of what you could do. Sadly... she didn't also have a desk to put her feet up on... would've really added to the whole picture.

She huffed loudly before talking. Clearly not enthused by their new guest. "And who might you be? Talk quickly. my nerves are a bit frayed at the moment." she said leveling it right at the man. At least... she assumed it was she hadn't even looked back at him. His voice however sounder deeper.

[Jory]

Bark laughed inwardly, keeping a poker face. Unlike Vixen, he had no need to use a chair to achieve his goal of intimidating others. He hefted his shotgun onto his shoulder, looking menacingly at the interloper. "Cat got your tongue? Answer her or you won't have it for long."

[Chevaleresse]

Vixen and Bark

The man seemed to almost physically shrink when the weapons were pointed at him, drawing backwards and raising his hands. "Easy, easy!" he insisted in an almost shrill voice. "I'm a Diviner, or to humans another Mediator. I am Ihdrelic. There is no need for hostility. What is this city coming to, that one of us cannot feel comfortable in the company of two experienced magi?" He remained with his hands up, however, waiting for the duo to cease threatening his life. "I was simply looking for a suitable meeting location."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Well, that was a start. Though, she had no idea why this... Mediator was here or what he wanted. Two more questions She needed answers to. Though she know spun around the chair to look at the man. The guns were enough to scare him clearly and he was a mediator. Though... Vixen was even know to kill a Mediator or two. The ones that manipulated people to do bad for them. They gave powers that those people never wanted or needed and were tricked into serving them. She rid them from this world as well as their horrid thralls. She faced the man crossing her left leg over top of her right as she sat in the chair. Still clearly giving off a sense of menace and malice. She didn't trust him and she had no reason to. She was already forced into working with one person she hardly wanted to see anymore. "Why are you here and what do you want? If you have no reason to be I'd suggest leaving. If you have business make it quick. I'm a busy woman." She didn't make much effort to lower the weapon though she wasn't directly pointing it at him anymore.

[Hiss13]

Nagi never once responded to any of the other Protectors in the area as they scattered as she was only focused on one thing. With that, she listened attentively to the information she was given.

Nagi crossed her arms. It seemed Noriko wanted to get her to arrange negotiations or at least some sort of diplomatic meeting with the Presevers. In all honesty, this was probably the best way to get a grasp on the situation. If the Preservers were behind the recent attacks, then this would be the best way to weed out that information. If they were not, that would also be brought to the light. Even so, various issues and possibilities existed such as the attacks being carried out by an underling from either faction without the knowledge of the higher-ups.

In the end, it was a tricky situation but one where steps needed to be taken regardless. "I can do that. Do you have any information? A dossier containing name, appearance, and preferred locations would help streamline the process."

[Chevaleresse]

Vixen and Bark

"Did I not tell you? I'm looking for relatively secure meeting locations. The Diviners have been detecting some. . . disturbing energy patterns. Types that, if my interpretation is correct, line up with our oral tradition. That is why I am here. What I want is for you to stop threatening me; I mean you no harm, after all. In fact, if I am correct, my interpretations may play a part in saving the lives of everyone in this city." He examined her for a moment, trying to discern anything about her emotional state other than aggression. She was clearly suspicious of him. "I'm not entirely certain what you want from me."

Nagi

Noriko nodded, handing Nagi a slip of paper with an address written on it. It led to a particular suite in one of the richer neighborhoods. "This person's name is Hikaru. Snow white hair, blue eyes, tends to hang around that building when she's in town at all. I'm convinced that she's something other than a grunt, because I can't think of a single reliable report of her being in combat, and there's plenty of information that seems to go to her. Got everything?"

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"I just want to make damn sure. I don't have the luxury to be lax about any old person who walks up on us. I suppose you didn't just attack us when you had the drop, but I've met fools who've wasted it before. If you knew who I was, You'd be like this too." She said as she lowered the firearm. She placed it back in its holster, with a quick motion, making it clear if he did anything stupid... she'd be able to draw it once more before he could even think to change his mind. She wasn't the fastest draw in the world, but she was damn fast that was for sure. It was important to do so just in case. A Sniper Rifle wasn't much use at a short to medium range... it was good to have a back up plan that was well practiced, especially for one of her vocation.

She tapped Bark on his shoulder. "You can stand down Fido. No need to tear the man's head off." she said not ever taking her her eyes off the newcomer. She stared at him. "So... save them from what exactly?" she played dumb for now. She had no idea if he knew about the the beast they were tracking or if it was something else he was after. But, she was damn well going to find out. It was crucial information. Or it was useless... She banked on it being useful. Perhaps even if it wasn't... it was something she would deal with it in the future anyway.

[Hiss13]

Nagi picked up the paper with the address she was given. "That just means we have very minimal information about her, then. Well, I should be able to manage to find her with the address and information on her appearance, then. Would you rather I introduce myself as a hired proxy or a simple messenger to her, then?"

[Chevaleresse]

Vixen and Bark

The man's face twisted for a moment. "Hmm. Technically I am not to discuss this with magi until we have confirmed it as a group, but these patterns and this level of buildup is unmistakable." Ihdrelic shook his head and laughed, abruptly. "We really must stop allowing Mediators to take positions as fantasy writers." This was said to no one in particular, but his attention quickly returned to the marksman in front of him. "Have you ever heard of a tarrasque?"

Noriko

"I would tell her your true role as a proxy, yes. Trying to conceal information or fool her will be counterproductive. I don't know that you'll be able to meet her today, but I did get a hint that she may be expecting visitors tomorrow afternoon, so she's certain to be at her home address." Noriko's normally stern expression became somewhat more intense than usual for a moment, as she looked Nagi right in the eye. "This is the most important mission I've given to you so far. Remember that."

((After your reply to this, you'll be skipped forward to line up with everyone else.))

Gavriil

Most of the week for Gavriil was spent either training rigorously or recovering from said training. His progress was slower than they had hoped, and the other Protectors noted how hard leadership seemed to be driving him. Today, however, was a bit different. He was simply told to be well-rested and in the training arena at 2 PM, and left to his own devices until then.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Her eyebrow jumped up immediately, a look of confusion and then near laughter came over her face. Then one that was rather grim. She quickly asked what was on her mind. "Are you serious? Those things... are beyond rare. You mean to tell me that one of those is here? I really hope it isn't the beast I am hunting or this is going to get much harder than I thought it was. In all my years of hunting beasts, Didn't imagine I'd ever be fighting one of those. So... the mythical creature is real. Though I thought there was only one and they slept thousands of years... probably some hocus pocus made up for something silly like a game." She looked serious though she was hard to read. Vixen didn't really give off the most emotion when speaking unless it was a big swing, otherwise it was a rather internal process. She had been that way most of here life, though she got much worse after the incident. She shifted her weight in her chair switching the positioning of her legs. She sighed. "So... the nightmares are waking up huh? Or is this the delusions of a senile old man? I really, really , really hope it is the second... But somehow I get the feeling it won't be."

[Hiss13]

The most important mission so far. Those words echoed in her mind. Even if she was not a part of the group she was taking orders from, she knew that it was in her best interest to do her best at this job. In the end, she needed to make contact and set up a meeting for talks.

She simply replied, "Understood. I will contact you with the details as soon as I have finished making contact."

[Cyaloom]

"Not again..." thought Dexter at first, then noticing what happened to Krys. That was definitely not a pleasant sight.
Dexter's past came to his mind again, reminding him on one thing. His current goal would have been preventing that the Beasts would harm or kill other people, but now it was too late. That was a failure, because that creature had already harmed one of his new found friends.

Dexter transformed and followed Takeshi, who had already done that before, and positioned himself on Takeshi's side. "It seems these Beasts are hunting us... like one week ago." he whispered as he 'materialized' his shotgun. He decided to just wait for someone else to move, as he always did. Dexter would rather come in when a battle had already begun.

After all, his goal was not just "killing the beast", but "prevent the Beast from hurting people". There was, indeed, a difference.

[Felicity]

Everything slowed down for Bobby.

Is she dead? She can't be dead, no we're only just learning how to fight! No one dies during the tutorial, it's practically impossible unless you're bloody trying!

Another voice echoed, deeper and far darker

If she isn't dead, she will be soon. Move.

Bobbys voice wavered slightly.

I can't

The deeper voice resounded once more, almost deafening.

Then I will

Life flared into Ozymandias' clothes and hair, alight with power and his face burning with rage. He summoned the large flamethrower contraption and rushed towards the beast, swinging the nozzle towards it's face like a club as he pulled the trigger, flame spilling out after it in a bright arc, illuminating the horrifying ituation further.

[Chevaleresse]

Nagi (concurrent with other timelines)

The assassin's task brought her to a rather unusual location; one of the city's wealthy residential areas, full of expensive apartments and suites. Districts like these tended to be difficult for mages to operate in; since most crimes committed in them were of the white-collar variety, any mysterious property damage was much more likely to arouse suspicion, and digital monitoring devices were much more common. It was almost a formality to call it Preserver territory, though it did lay past a band of heavy patrols by the faction, and they did run stealthy checks on a regular basis. She was a block or two away from the address shown at most; it wouldn't take much time to reach her destination.

Ozymandias and Dexter

The beast let out a cry of startlement and pain as the flames washed over its muzzle. It reared upward and to the side, moving as far away as it could from the fiert assault. It stayed in that posture for the barest moment, then continued to spin about as it crashed down to the ground facing the other direction, whipping its tail toward the group.

Takeshi dodged backward out of the reach of the lash, and came back into a ready stance. Words were pointless in this situation; as soon as he gathered the energy, he would show the creature just how he felt about what had just happened. It was quite evident in his posture, and in the building glow in his eyes, and seemingly around him, that he was preparing an attack.

[Hiss13]

It was gaudy. It was the type of place where even the slightest damage would seem out of place. Nagi realized why Noriko felt it would be best for her to go here as a liaison instead of going directly. A Protector in a Preserver area like this would likely cause enough conflict for there to be noticeable damage and that would lead to the underground world of mages being discovered and frankly, that was too much of a can of worms for any normal mage to want to deal with.

So, she simply walked in broad daylight. As a proxy for Noriko, she needed to come off as open and honest. In the end, this was a lot like having negotiations with a client for a hit job. It was something she was very used to. So, she walked and headed in the direction of the address Noriko had given her.

[Cyaloom]

Dexter was able to dodge the Beast's tail, like Takeshi did, thanks to his improved agility when transformed. Seeing the beast laying on the ground and Takeshi's ready stance, the blonde guy realized what were his friend's intentions. It seemed to be the time for the final blow, and Takeshi was the one who wanted to inflict it more than anyone else.

Dexter didn't have much to do; there were Takeshi and Ozymandias with him. The former killed that other Beast, when Dexter was still a human with no contracts and couldn't do anything but hiding in a building; the latter killed the other Beast which showed up before that week of training... that was concluded with another encounter with a Beast: the one they were fighting at the moment.

Both of his friends were more experienced than him, who had just begun his new life as a magical person. Because of this, Dexter had always avoided to enter direct combat with the Beasts, and let other people do the job, like if he was just a spectator... he wouldn't get himself in danger, sure, but his friends were doing everything.

"Alright, let's do this. I'll just make Takeshi's job easier." the blonde guy thought, as Takeshi was still gathering energy. He just jumped towards the Beast, still staying at a reasonable distance, and tried to land a shot with his shotgun. He wasn't trying to kill the Beast himself - Takeshi was basically coming in for the kill right after him - but only to make it unable to react at anything his friends could have done.

He ran further away from the Beast after hitting it, following Takeshi with his eyes.

[Felicity]

Ozymandias leapt back from the lashing tail before immediately rushing back in and continuing the onslaught with the flamethrower, continuing to use the shaft as a makeshift club that spewed fire with every swing. Ozymandias' rage was palpable in the air and little else mattered to him. He barely registered the impact of Dexters shotgun round in his side as he continued to try battering away at the beast.

[Chevaleresse]

Ozymandias and Dexter

The blunt battering attacks didn't seem to faze the unholy creature, but the flame pouring from the end of the mage's weapon certainly did. The creature spun around again with a vicious claw swipe directly at the source of its torment.

Meanwhile, Takeshi had finished gathering energy. He dashed towards the beast with an upward strike, his weapon almost scraping against the asphalt as it came in toward the monster. This was the first in a dizzying series of vicious strikes, with the swordsman moving impossibly fast as he turned about to deliver blows at full power from every angle. The tip of his blade seemed to almost blur with the speed at which it moved as it made cut after cut, faintly whistling through the air underneath Takeshi's grunts of effort. He landed a grand total of fourteen strikes before the onslaught ended with Takeshi returning to a (fatigued-looking) guard. The beast, rather than being weakened, unfolded the wings that had been pinned against its body as the twin arms they were attached to slammed to the ground on either side of it, giving it an almost insectile posture. Two horns seemed to lift off of its face, revealing eyes that glowed a sinister violet along with the wings and horns themselves.

After a hissing roar to accompany this display, one of the wingarms lashed out viper-quick at Dexter, forcing him to move quickly or be caught by the beast.

[Shamitako]

Kindle looked up at the complex. She had triple checked that she was in the right place, but seeing how huge and fancy it was, she still couldn't believe it. She walked up to the door and before she could knock, it swung inside. Kindle had to will herself not to jump back in fright, and was relieved to see a man inside had opened it. with how much glass there was, she was surprised she hadn't spotted him from outside.

"Oh, um, hi." she said timidly.

The man just nodded and gestured for her to enter. Kindle followed his ushering and found herself standing inside a spacious living room. It had an air of homeliness, but at the same time felt very modern. All in all Kindle felt very out of place in her very casual clothes. She really wished she'd opted to wear one of her nice jackets or something.

[Chevaleresse]

Nagi and Kindle

Nagi

The assassin encountered no troubles on her way to the building. The area seemed fairly peaceful; magical beasts even seemed to avoid disturbing it, though that was probably coincidence. Entering the very modern-looking apartment building, she was greeted by a doorman who simply ushered her inside and directed her toward a specific apartment, as if her presence was expected - though he did show a faint look of surprise.

Kindle

Hikaru greeted the girl with a warm smile. They stood up from one of the couches - it appeared to be leather, or something similar - and walked over to her. "Hi, Kindle. Have you been alright recently? I know it's been a few days, but you seem to be in good shape. Here, help yourself to some-" The Protector cut off for a moment, and there was a definite shift in their posture from welcoming to almost overtly hostile. "Who are you?" The question was directed at the person who was now standing outside the open door, and was clearly a mage by Hikaru's senses.

Vixen and Bark

"If only it was. Unfortunately, it takes a truly great span for a Mediator to go senile; as you know, we modify our bodies at will, so aging doesn't present the same level of difficulty to us." The not-so-homeless man moved over to a chair and sat down.

"What you described is partially accurate and partially incorrect. The tarrasque does not currently exist, but it has existed in the past. It is, in the simplest terms, a magical beast of awesome proportions. It seems to arise every few millenia from a sort of... bubbling, in the energy fields. A large amount of energy - some claim it is the emotion of the world itself, or an act of divinity - gathers in an area. There are a number of warning signs detailed in our mythology, including the apparent jump in the population of both magi and magical beasts in this area."

"Most modern depictions of the tarrasque are actually based on the one from our myth; while it is possible it may again take this form, I wouldn't count on it. We believe that it will certainly retain the gigantic size and overall hardiness that it is known for, however."

"It's not the strange beast that has been stalking the city, however. That... is a different mystery. I'm afraid we Diviners can tell you little about that." He paused for a moment, shaking his head. "Why did she have to vanish with this kind of timing? Barely months before this awful news comes to light..."