Artamus

---

Miles Riverbend

---

Whether the therian woman listened to his command, Miles had no time to confirm it visually for he was assailed by an avalanche of blades, a veritable wall of jagged death. He was on the back foot immediately, twisting, ducking and turning his blade as humanly fast as possible. It was hard to believe that this hybrid had once been a human. Unable to cope with the barrage of vicious attacks, some of the cuts inevitably penetrated his defenses. Luckily he was able to relegate them to just that, simple cuts. In the midst of it he was keenly reminded of his earlier fight with April and through it, he laughed. He laughed at the absurdity of the situation and he laughed at the irony of his thoughts. For a second, Miles almost wished he was back performing simple, dumb, boring guard duties.

“Superhuman modifications and you still can’t kill me!?” he berated the indifferent doll, sounding snider than he meant to be. Quite honestly, Miles was close to pissing his breaches. He just hadn’t the chance to appreciate it. “Aren’t you ashamed? Is that all you’ve got, hybrid?!”

Miles was sweating hard within seconds, pushed to the brink of his capabilities. Side stepping, he avoided having his neck severed by inches and successfully countered by delivering a kick to its stomach. Guess he finally had a reason to be grateful for all those years of tedious sword drills. At the same time, Miles was counting the number of hits being absorbed by his sword, painfully aware of the impending dead line. The hybrid’s rate of attacks was relentless. Discarding all notions of skill in favor of raw strength and speed, it could simply destroy a man’s blade or outlast his endurance. Miles’ sword had already taken over a dozen solid impacts, how many more could it resist? One strike? Two? Maybe even three?

Miles never found out the answer. He was so focused on staying alive that Ahmeil’s tackle caught him completely off guard. Miles barely glimpsed the swift blur of movement from the edge of his vision before the wind was knocked out of him. He gasped, feeling his entire body rattle like it had been hit by a bull. Somewhere in the process he lost his sword, but that was the last thing on his mind upon meeting his savior face to face. Lying above him, the woman’s eyes flickered briefly to assess his condition. He reciprocated the courtesy and noticed growing pools of red staining in her side.

“This is an unusual position,” he groaned, organizing his scattered wits, “Usually I’m the one on top.”

"You... should run...I'm faster. I'll draw... that... thing," she huffed anxiously, the first signs of emotions other than hatred to surface on her proud features. Switching turns, Miles gaped in amazement, her sudden change in disposition almost as surprising as her unwarranted tackle. She hardly seemed like the same ruthless monster that slaughtered over a dozen of their men.

“And here I was thinking you’d love nothing more than to see the death of us humans,” Miles returned, sarcasm dripping from his words, “That’s a very enticing offer, but as enticing as it is, it won’t work. A hybrid chasing a therian is only going to get more unwanted attention in Altheim.”

She pushed up, heaving the weight of her wounds. Miles could hear the hybrid fast approaching and leaned down to gauge its proximity. Not that he would’ve felt safe if several continents stood between him and the wretched things, but he thought it sensible to be prepared. Alarmingly, the hybrid had already reached their makeshift exit. Miles rolled up immediately and unsheathed his knife in response. Better to be armed than unarmed.

"Hurry... don't waste this," she urged, readying her blade.

Miles frowned at the sorry state she exhibited, his brows falling with the motion of her sword. Therian or not, the outcome was abundantly clear with wounds as severe as her own. Deprived of an arm, he couldn’t believe she was still capable of hefting the awkward weapon, let alone wielding it with any efficiency.

"Hey! Come here!" she yelled, daring its attention.

She didn’t wait for his consent; she didn’t even pause to consider the flaws in her plan. The sound of her voice drew the attention of the hybrid like a starved predator to an easy meal. Its head lulled side ways to regard her, and almost in anticipation, it gave chase. Miles ran quickly to keep up with her, spitting profanities all the while. Another burst of air ensured that he stayed outside of the hybrid’s range.

“Your sword!” he exclaimed.

Yanking her sword arm, he forced them to a skidding halt. In another movement, he swiveled around to face the monster, taking the therian with him. Even with her assistance, his arms struggled to support the weight of her obnoxious sword. “Aim with me when I say so!”

Miles thrust his knife at the hybrid, lodging the blade in its ankle. Miraculously, the collision dislodged its footing, sending it tumbling into a wall. Miles wasn't a fool though. He knew from first hand experience that the hybrids could walk out of an explosion laughing. However, a lack of self-preservation was also perfectly exploitable.

“Now! Sever the legs!” he roared.

His teeth clenched as the heavy sword swung overhead, falling like a guillotine. The blade connected with the base of its shin, tearing flesh, bones and whatever it met. Separating the foot from its limb, Miles decided that was good enough and leapt back.

“You have to think quick to be quick,” he snapped at her, “That’ll slow it down enough for both of our getaways. I suggest you tell your leaders to prepare for war.”

She hadn't been expecting the human to run after her, nor to grab hold of her weapon and help her to bring down the hybrid that was hell bent on killing them both. Taken completely by surprise she couldn't do anything when Miles pulled her around and took hold of her huge weapon. Ahmeil barely comprehended what he wanted to do. Completely at his mercy, she was moved around as Miles threw his dagger into the hybrids ankle, causing him to tumble forward. In a matter of seconds, Miles had pulled Ahmeil around and dropped her sword downwards at the legs of the creature.

Figuring that was good enough now that the thing couldn't walk anymore, Miles drew away and looked at her. Ahmeil's gaze was still locked in astonishment at the creature that lay writhing on the ground, trying to get back up to continue its hunt. It would most likely bleed out in the dark alleyway.

“You have to think quick to be quick. That’ll slow it down enough for both of our getaways. I suggest you tell your leaders to prepare for war.”

Ahmeil barely registered what he was saying as she turned slowly to look at him. Her eyes were wide still with the shock of seeing the creature. It hadn't really sunk in what exactly was going on. Slowly, she sheathed her weapon and took several steps away from the hybrid thing that lay on the ground. Her eyes flicked back over to Miles as she moved away, down a darker alleyway.

"I'll bear that in mind," she muttered, "I don't suppose it'll be you whom we'll be fighting. Whoever made this... thing... I wish them a most painful death," Ahmeil cursed, her words slipping between clenched teeth. Her hardened look returned somewhat as she continued her slow retreat into the dark alleyway behind her. With a lump in her throat she narrowed her eyes at Miles.

"Don't think this makes us friends," she started, "But for now it seems we have a common enemy."

Ahmeil turned on her heel and fled down the alleyway then without waiting for a response. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest as she ran. What had she done exactly just then? Was she really intending to fight alongside a human against such things? It didn't seem there was any other choice. All that was left was to convince Val about the situation. Ahmeil hardly believed that he would be so easily swayed. In fact, she was very sure that he would be against what she had to tell him. Her lips pulled into a frown as she made it through the city and towards the gates. Her appearance shuddered slightly as she changed her form into that of a common woman she'd spotted just moments before. With that, Ahmeil passed through the gates and headed out into the wilds.



“Step aside. The wounds aren’t fatal, suggesting she wanted to torture him. Nonetheless, it was a rushed job. She was clearly running out of patience. It also seems you’ve done half of my job for me...in any case, I still need to close the remaining wounds. He’s lost great portions blood, but he should be fine. Keep treating people like this and I’ll be out of a job soon! Well done faceless.”

Touya stepped away to allow Reginald to pass him. He only glowered at the man's back as he stated that Touya had done most of the work for him. The Therian watched closely as Reginald worked around the man and began ordering the men around.

“Hold his wounds closed and get a gurney! We’ll move him to an operating room and advance from there. Thankfully we’re already in a hospital. Don’t worry, we won’t let her escape,” Reginald said, the last part directed at Touya.

The tall Therian didn't answer still. At the moment he didn't care if Ahmeil got away or not, his only concern right then was for Damea who had nearly bled out completely. He could feel anger at the back of his throat as he tried to swallow the lump that had formed there. What would he have done if Damea had died? He wasn't sure, and he certainly didn't want to find out either. It was the same for April. Should anything happen to her, he would most likely destroy everything.

“I’ve sedated her. She shouldn’t be fighting. There are aspects about her health that we haven’t had the chance to assess yet. Until we do, I request that you take her back to her room and keep her there. After that, you and I will have a discussion about this faceless woman who just killed twelve of my men.”

They entered the room soon after as the men brought the bed for Damea and began wheeling him away. Touya was going to follow, but his eyes had settled on April's still form and his heart leapt to his throat. What had happened to her!? Reginald was quick to explain as Touya rushed over to her and knelt down. Gently picking her up he listened to the mans explanation as he cradled her close. His icy gaze lifted to glower at Reginald.

"I thought I said no more sedation..." Touya growled, "It seems I cannot take my eyes off of her even for a second when you're around," slowly the Therian stood up with the woman in his arms, "I will take her there, but if you wish to speak to me you will come with. I'm not leaving her alone," Touya turned on his heel and headed for the door.

---

April Rosevolt

---

When she awoke again, April was back in her patient room, reclined against the quilted covers of a hospital mattress. Her eyes fluttered as she listlessly took in her surroundings, rich in a palette of natural stains. The sterile environment was a far cry to her latest memories, polluted with blood as they where, and ever so slightly disconcerting given the duplicate architecture. Not that she had a chance to explore the facility, but from the brief glimmer of exploration earlier she could imagine getting easily lost in here. The therian’s absence came with an explosion of anxiety as she fought down the impulse to scream his name out.

Forcing her neck to twist over, she noticed a chair propped against the wall and realized she was in the same room she’d slept together with Touya. Someone had taken the time to ensure she was comfortably settled, laying her in a neutral resting position. White sheets that receded at the end of the bed served the rudimentary purpose of thermal insulation, concealing her lower half. Further out was Touya’s taught figure who seemed far more assuring than any painting.

His presence seemed to shake the fatigue from her mind and she pulled up near instantly. “I’m sorry, I’ve kept you waiting again haven’t I?” she asked, guilt riding her words.

Touya noted her movement the moment she woke up. Her eyes wandered around room before finally resting on him. She sat up and the Therian almost moved to stop her, but he figured she should at least try to move around a little bit. It would be good for her system, especially with Reginald having her asleep for so long.

He sighed as she asked him what happened after she collapsed, "You don't need to be sorry. I wouldn't let any danger come to you. I know that you would much rather be in the fight than stand on the sidelines," he started, "Damea is... in critical condition last I heard. Ahmeil nearly killed him, but he should be fine soon, assuming Reginald does his job properly."

Touya tapped the edge of the chair he was sitting in restlessly. It wasn't that he didn't think that Reginald couldn't heal the man, he just didn't trust the man at all. There was a nagging feeling that Reginald would do other things than just heal the man if he had the time to. With a heavy sigh, Touya stood up and walked over to April's bed side. Sitting himself on the edge he reached over and took her hands in his.

"I wanted to tell you that Damea and I talked about going and getting another Therian from the wilds. One that knows our technology like Sheree did. We wanted to bring them here so that they can work on yours. To make it... easier. If done right, you'll have feeling back in your limbs and they'll be like mine, a solid part of you." He said slowly, "and no scars... nothing else. I figure I will have to use my healing to help the transition while the other worked on you.

"With Reginald's help we could numb your body so you won't feel any pain. But, I also wished to ask you what you wanted. I did not wish to go through with this plan if you did not want it. I'm only offering it because I know that we can help you to feel better. But that's all I can offer," he whispered the last part, his eyes locked on her metal arms. His fingers tightened around hers, though he was sure she couldn't feel it. His eyes burned and he tightened his jaw, strength was what she needed, nothing else.

"So, you noticed that also," she murmured, sucking the bottom of her lip. Her eyes roamed over to where their hands connected, noting the absence of feeling with despondence. They shot up after a moment, following the length of his arm before settling upon the turbulent blue orbs of their owner. She'd never seen such a conflicted expression in her entire life, but Touya wore it like a mask bolted permanently to his features. "Touya, what happened to me isn't your fault. Still it seems like you're forcing all the responsibility on yourself. I can manage fine if you want to go check on Damea, I'm more worried about you. What do you want to do?"

Directing her other arm around his shoulder, she pulled him to her chest whilst twining her fingers in the hairs on the back of his neck. "I'm sorry your brother was killed," she said, speaking over his head, "Everything that's happened, everything that's happening...it must be hard to deal with."

Releasing the therian, April leaned back against her pillows and smiled softly. "As enticing as it is to be able to wave away my condition, I don't think that'd be a good idea. The last time you tried to heal me it felt like my body was unraveling," she chuckled morbidly, tucking a wayward strand behind her ear, "But if you're taking a break from all of this, I'd be glad to join you. I think you need time away from Altheim, just...don't let Damea come along. I'm not sure I'm ready to handle his relentless chatter quite yet."

As she spoke, she pulled him down into her shoulder, running her fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck. The long braid tugged as she moved her hand. He didn't mind and allowed her to pull him down. He was conflicted. That much was so true. He didn't know what to do anymore, he didn't know how to help her and that was the most frustrating. Touya's teeth ground together as he leaned against her, eyes squeezed shut.

When he was released from her hold, she fell away from him and rested against the pillows. Touya hadn't answered her the entire time she spoke, unable to think of anything to say in response, though as she answered his proposition he felt a tightness in his chest. As much as he wanted to help her that way, if April didn't want it, he wouldn't force it. Though he did wish to offer her the same help but without his healing.

"Don't worry about my brother. It was a long time ago I'm sure. Ahmeil just didn't know how to deal with it at the time and her only option was probably Val. I wasn't there to help her, so that's my fault, but it is nothing that you need to worry about. Right now, you are my only concern."

"April, at least let one of my people look at this," he said raising her arm up as an indication, "I won't heal you while they do it, but I'm sure they can do more for you than what Reginald is doing. All he does is sedate you! That does nothing!" Touya couldn't help but to raise his voice a bit as he spoke.

"He knows nothing of this technology, and if he ever had the chance he would kill you just so he could have the chance to examine your body! I won't allow that!" Leaning forward he brushed his hand across the side of her face, "I won't allow any more harm to come to you. This..." his voice shook, threatening to break as he gazed at her, "This is bad enough."

He had to calm down. Touya looked away and took a deep breath that shuddered in his chest. Her suggestion about leaving Althiem was very tempting, but he also feared for her safety. The words of the woman saying that the moment they left the building would be their last still wove around his mind. Would that still apply? Would Reginald really close his doors on them? Touya's eyes closed tightly as his brows came down in irritation. Why did he care so much if Reginald turned them away?

Touya could heal, and he was strong. With Damea they both could protect April until they reached a Therian settlement. So what was keeping him there still... What was it.

"Perhaps... a vacation would be a good thing," he muttered.

Strangely, she burst out laughing at the mention of Reginald, or maybe it was Touya's comment on sedatives that did it. Carefully, but clumsily, she held a finger up to his lips to repress any further outbursts.

"You've done more than enough for me already. You saved me Touya. Stop anguishing over this and think of yourself. You're going to pop a blood vein at this rate," she cautioned, eyes twinkling with amusement despite his apparent despair.

"Knowing you, Reginald probably hasn't even gotten a chance to have a proper look at me anyway," she said coyly. Moving her arm again, her hand pressed over their point of contact, afraid to relinquish the warmth that swelled on her cheeks as his hands brushed over them. This she could feel. "On that note, you're going to have to explain everything that occurred while I was gone at some point. I'm not sure why you're working together, but I can see that I'm missing half the story. I shouldn't have accused you so blindly in the first place."

"In any case, maybe having an expert look at these limbs might not be such a bad idea," she admitted, frowning at her indistinguishable reflection as she inspected an arm. "There's one more thing though. Something I've been meaning to tell you since i returned but haven't had a chance to."

April grew somber abruptly as she allowed her arms to drop into her lap. "I know the location of the hybrid facility."

Out of everything she said, it was the mention of her knowledge about the facility that struck him harder than anything else. His eyes lifted to hers quickly, jaw slackening at the shock of her statement. Was it true? Did she really remember where their facility was? Touya could hardly believe the words from her lips.

"April... you know what that means right?" He muttered. Slowly his shock wore off and his eyes narrowed, glinting dangerously. He wanted to know right then where the facility was, he wanted to leave that very moment and go destroy it with every ounce of power he could wield. His revenge was being fueled even more so just by the sight of her arms. He felt the swelling anger at what they'd done to her coming back again.

"Tell me, April. Tell me so I can wipe them off this land."

"I was afraid you'd say that," she muttered, catching the dangerous glint in his eyes, "And the answer is no. I want to help the rest of the prisoners there as well, but not until we're ready. Not until we have a plan. They have an army of hybrids, Touya."

In the midst of her explanations, April had unconsciously started to fidget with her hands in her lap. She was serious when she'd suggested a vacation. Some small part of her desperately hoped that the therian would spare himself any further pain. Some small part of her still ached for an escape. A knock came at the door suddenly, startling her from her thoughts. April's gaze was drawn to the voice behind the door as Reginald spoke out to identify himself.

"Hello? May I come in Miss Rosevolt?" he asked politely.

"Come in," she called out. Before the doctor could enter, she directed an anxious look towards Touya, mouthing the words 'please stay'.

The door clicked as the handle turned downwards. Reginald's tall figure appeared in the doorway, alone and dressed in his hospital scrubs. He looked harmless, congenial, friendly even, but April had made that mistake before. Her eyes regarded him warily as he stepped into the room, smiling amicably to show he was safe.

"Sorry, did I interrupt a conversation?" he mused, noticing the proximity of the pair. April's head shook in response but said nothing otherwise. "Apologies it took me so long to get here. I didn't want to leave the operation until everything was complete. Damea will be fine. We just finished patching up the last of his wounds."

"Why are you here?" she asked, almost hissing the words as her fists took clumps of white sheets into them.

Reginald chuckled at her bluntness. He did miss her candid personality. "I'm here to talk about the therian woman, and you, Miss Rosevolt," he answered, "Although if you're not comfortable discussing your condition, I'm happy to postpone the questions."

Touya half growled at her response. She would say that. However, he understood the implications. If there were innocent lives there, he would wish to help them too. It would do him no good to go in and destroy everything. That would only set him back on his desires to unite the humans and Therian's.

He was about to answer her in kind when a knock on the door came. It was Reginald, and he was allowed entrance from April. Touya's gaze narrowed at the man as he entered, apologizing for the length of time it took for him to come to talk. Not that Touya really cared, he hadn't wanted to converse with the man all that much anyway.

However, he did smile approvingly at April when she hissed at him, asking why he was there. She still had her fire. How very... appealing. Turning to regard the doctor, Touya's frown reappeared again.

"I would rather we not have a discussion about her," Touya replied bitterly. He didn't want to put April through the terrible reminders if it were at all possible.

"What do you wish to know about Ahmeil?"

"I assure you, the questions are for her own good," Reginald insisted, "Through a number of preliminary tests we've discovered that the black liquid you vomited largely consists of human blood. Miss Rosevolt, you succumbed to a violent episode in the hallway earlier. Surely you of all people would recognize the need for proper counselling."

He paused, sighing at the needless hostilities, "If nothing, now would be an excellent chance to catch you up on recent developments. Now about this faceless woman, what does she want with you?"

---

The Scientist

---

"All preliminary checks complete. Systems stabilized. What are your commands sire?"

"Proceed as planned, initiate offensive protocols. Humanity regains its supremacy today."

"Initiating offensive protocols. Your directive?"

In the gloom of the oil slick floor space, hundreds of hybrids jerked to life. The lifeless dolls that they were gazed back at the metal stage, obediently awaiting their orders. Each aberration was a master piece in itself, the culmination of a pain staggering modification process and years of advanced research. The scientist and his colleagues had been working tirelessly for the past few months, though with the public's support things had greatly accelerated.

"It's quite an achievement. Congratulations," Victor Hawthorne admired, sweeping his approving gaze over the multitude of bio-weapons. As horrific as they seemed, in them he saw a means to an end. Prosperity, authority, expansion. "The main problem is, how do we discover the rebel's location?"

The scientist nodded, "Evidence indicates that therians prefer to be nomadic, my suggestion would be to pursue the rebels as a primary objective. Though doing so may risk inciting additional uprisings, eliminating the figure head will-"

"No, the rebel's are already aware of our project i'm sure. They'll hide and keep hiding, but we can draw them out. We hit the rest of the therian settlements. As many as we can and as hard and fast as possible. Therians don't possess networks of communication, whereas we do. We have the advantage of surprise," Victor stated.

"I assure you, the questions are for her own good. Through a number of preliminary tests we've discovered that the black liquid you vomited largely consists of human blood. Miss Rosevolt, you succumbed to a violent episode in the hallway earlier. Surely you of all people would recognize the need for proper counselling."

Touya would have asked whose blood it was that she'd spat up, but he was too consumed with irritation at Reginald's mention of having to have 'proper counselling'. What April needed was a trainer. She was different now than before. She would have to start from scratch, learn to control her anger that would drive her new body, learn to control her strength because she was much stronger than before, and if at all possible, learn how to use her new limbs in the same way the Therian's do. Perhaps Touya was treating her too much like his own kind, but it was the only thing he knew.

"If nothing, now would be an excellent chance to catch you up on recent developments. Now about this faceless woman, what does she want with you?"

Touya shifted on the bed and took hold of one of April's hands unconsciously. Leaning over, he rested the other arm across his knee and looked at Reginald squarely, "Her name is Ahmeil. She was my sister by marriage to my brother. This must have happened when I was away trying to negotiate with Val, but it seems that my brother had been killed by a group of humans. I don't know the details to that, but she's said they killed him right in front of her. She's lost her mind to that, rage is what drives her now. Ahmeil used to be loving, sweet and would never harm anyone or anything. Obviously that's changed, she's part of Val's group now, something I wish would have never happened," Touya sighed and looked away as he spoke. The Ahmeil he remembered was not the one who ran around Artamus now. She was cold blooded, a killer and someone he was eventually going to have to go up against, just like Val.

"She wants to kill me because I do not share her same views, and I disagree with Val. Regardless of how many times I've been proved wrong about humans," he growled the last part, eyes narrowing in on the doctor and his hand tightening over April's, "She thinks that I should have joined Val without question, but because she's found me working with human's her rage has increased and now she's hell bent on killing all of us. I believe it's because she thinks that my brother would want something like this, when he very well wouldn't. But telling her that at this point would be fruitless. She's especially ticked off because Miles and I went to kill Val, something of which I thought we'd achieved."

Touya turned to look at April for the next part of his explanations, "Reginald sent Miles and I on a man hunt in order to get you and Damea back. He wanted us two to go kill Val and when that was done he would return you both to me. However, while I was gone his incompetence is the blame for what happened to you. I can't tell you how hard it was not to kill him when I found out. I insisted on finding you, so I went back to the building with Miles and Damea. We encountered our first hybrid there. It was there also that I found I could heal the damages done to a human being created into a hybrid. Though I don't know if it was because we'd already injured it so much or if my healing had done it, the hybrid died right after I finished. Thus I was afraid to heal you at first, but it was better than nothing. I won't try it again, though."

The Therian returned his gaze to Reginald then, his mind working through his original plan of getting a Therian there to work on April's arms, "While I'm thinking of it, I want to go find a tribe of Therian's. If we find someone who knows our technology, like I found to fix mine, they can help April far more than you or I can. Victor was trying to imitate our technology, if that truly is the case than my people can help her further. They can make it so she can feel her limbs again and so that the weapons inside are much like my own and it won't hurt her anymore. My only condition is that I'm taking her with me and I'm leaving Damea in your hands," Touya leaned forward then, his voice dropping to a menacing growl and the armor across his hands slowly coming out to cover his fingers in long silver claws, to further the effect that he wanted, the three arm blades snapped out as well, "But if I return to nothing, and I find that Damea is missing just like April was before, I swear to you, no machine of yours will stop me from hunting you down and running my sword through you as painfully as I can manage."



The moment she'd left the city she'd turned into her wolf form and was bolting across the wilds. It took her four in a half days to reach the forest where they were holed up far to the east. By the time she got there, she was so tired that the only thing she could really thing of was food and sleep and nothing more. However, the moment she stepped into the camp she was met by a furious Val.

"Ahmeil," he growled at her, hands crossed over his bare chest as he glowered at her. She stopped dead in her tracks, having shifted back into her Therian form.

"Val, I... I can explain."

"I wish to hear it than, inside the tent," he jerked his head towards his tent and she followed him almost like a child having been caught red handed doing something wrong and about to get handed her punishment. When they entered the tent, Val motioned for her take a seat and she did as he ordered.

"Val I-"

"Do you realize how worried I was for you? I woke to find you gone! And all that Gretta could tell me was that you'd left and there was nothing she could do to stop you! What were you thinking Ahmeil!?"

She flinched as his voice rose at her, he must have noticed because he stopped and stared at her. Ahmeil wasn't one to flinch when he reprimanded her, no she usually had her cold glare on her face, was stone still at all times, but something was different. Val leaned forward and took her face between his fingers, his eyes narrowed as he inspected her carefully. She didn't more, didn't say anything, just let him do what he was doing until he was satisfied.

"What happened to you?"

Ahmeil took a deep breath and in the next hour explained to him everything that she'd witnessed after she'd entered the city and attacked Touya's friend and him. As she told Val about the hybrid, she shuddered as she spoke about it, the feelings of disgust and horror washing over her again. When she finished, her eyes were gazing at the ground beneath her feet and her fingers were intertwined with nervousness.

Val leaned back from her and sighed deeply, "What have they done?" he muttered to himself.

"They are as dangerous as ever, but... Val... we can't do this alone, not like we have been."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting that we find Touya and his company and offer to work with them."

Val was silent for some time as he sat there, eyes staring up at the ceiling of the tent. His fingers tapped the edge of his muscular arm as they were crossed once again over his chest. Ahmeil's eyes wandered and she noted the long scar going vertically down his chest, the wound that almost took his life. It was still fresh, pink and looking slightly inflamed. Val must have been up and moving around too much in the past few days. It would be something he would do.

"Work with human's hu? When they are the one's creating these horrific monstrosities? I really wonder what happened to you Ahmeil, what are you not telling me? What did they do to you?"

"Nothing! Val! Please, you have to trust me. I'm suggesting we work with Touya and his company because they know a lot about who we will be fighting against. We can't just blindly go in like we've always done. These hybrids... they are not something that we've faced before. They are much stronger and I doubt a entire group of us can combat them easily."

"Than you doubt your own kind," Val growled, suddenly shifting and leaning forward, his narrowed eyes startled Ahmeil and she unconsciously leaned away from him, "You've grown soft again. Is it just because you saw something that you didn't like? Is it because it scared you? Ahmeil! Pull yourself together! You're suggesting that we work with the very same people who killed your husband and with the very same people who are now creating these creatures!"

"Val!" She screamed back, earning his reaction of pulling away, startled, "You don't understand! These things... these monsters... they can crush us without a thought. This thing... was mindless, it felt no pain. I highly doubt it died back there in the streets where we left it. They are on a whole different level than we are. You have to listen to me. Trust me I don't want to work with them, I want to kill them just as always, but I'm afraid now because I'm afraid of losing everyone here. Whoever created that thing, I fear that there are more and they aren't just going to stay in the cities. I fear that they will coming for us and we'll lose more than we've ever lost before."

Val didn't stir as he watched her. Her gaze wavered as she stared at him, there was true fear in her eyes and she was hoping, praying that he would finally agree with her. He leaned back, an eyebrow lifted as he stared at her. She hoped that he could see that she wasn't lying, hoped that he could see her trembling at the very memory of what she'd encountered. After several moments, he leaned forward again and took her shaking hands in his. His voice softened as he spoke to her again.

"Ahmeil. We are strong as a people. I know that you're afraid, but you need to turn that into something you can use. Fear will only get you killed. I can see that this is something to be reckoned with. However, I'm not so willing to go find Touya right at this moment. I want to see these things for my self and if we as a whole group truly cannot bring them down than we shall explore our other options," with that Val stood and left the tent and a terrified Ahmeil behind. She sat there, breath shaking for a long time as she fought back tears of anguish. He wasn't going to listen to her. It was going to take those things coming and destroying them before he listened to her.

---

April Rosevolt

---

Reginald’s response was to act with his usual charming impassiveness as the conversation dragged on, immune to Touya’s public displays of hostilities. Even the dismaying news about Val’s survival utterly failed to faze him. Perhaps the doctor was simply labored by greater concerns by that point for it had the opposite effect on her. April had seen its likeness before, on the blood swept fields of Ungalor and the murky glades of the Great Forests. Always the medic exuded a calculated patience that sent shivers of dread down her spine. Touya’s aggravated expression only exacerbated her suspicions and her hand instinctively squeezed his in return, an unbidden coping mechanism.

As she processed the therian’s recount of the past few weeks, it occurred to her that Touya had endured a great deal despite the relatively short passage of days. Fighting the hybrids, Val, and coping with her abduction. The risks were innumerable and a thrill of happy sensations rendered her olive complexion red. Obviously the therian would’ve done the same for any of his friends, but it was exactly those qualities she felt an engaging attraction to. It was an unusual twist from the enraging despair that his reckless behavior typically incurred.

"While I'm thinking of it, I want to go find a tribe of Therian's. If we find someone who knows our technology, like I found to fix mine, they can help April far more than you or I can. Victor was trying to imitate our technology, if that truly is the case than my people can help her further. They can make it so she can feel her limbs again and so that the weapons inside are much like my own and it won't hurt her anymore. My only condition is that I'm taking her with me and I'm leaving Damea in your hands," Touya said before drastically altering his tone. April flinched as the audible snap of hidden blades indicated that the therian had drawn his weapons. Panic rose in the back of her throat and for a second she pictured him painting the walls in dark sprays of crimson. "But if I return to nothing, and I find that Damea is missing just like April was before, I swear to you, no machine of yours will stop me from hunting you down and running my sword through you as painfully as I can manage."

Of course the statement was accompanied by his standard death threat. Both April and Reginald regarded the therian with erected eyebrows for entirely different reasons however. The lack of trust between Reginald and Touya was so well established it may as well have been carved into stone. Regardless of the absence of choice, it was far more surprising that the therian would consciously make the suggestion himself. To April at least it was clear that the medic had expected another debate.

Reginald’s head started to nod as he spoke, watchful of the sharpened claws. “I can’t say that’s a bad idea given the modifications to her body. She needs an expert who’s able to work with biomechanics and unfortunately, engineering is outside the expertise of me and my colleagues,” he admitted, stroking his jaw thoughtfully, “But I can’t guarantee that we’ll be in the same position the next time you return. It won’t be long until Victor finds this facility now that your faceless friend so kindly intruded. Neither can I guarantee a safe exit or entry back into the city like last time. Victor has the support of just about everyone in Altheim now. It feels like something big is about to happen.”

“Touya, you don’t have to do this,” April protested, squeezing his hand harder to gain the therian’s attention, “We’re in the middle of crisis. My well being is secondary compared to the rest of the population, I can wait. Instead we should be using this time to plan.”

Her sentence finally piqued the interest of Reginald who raised another cursory eyebrow in her direction, “What else were you planning for?”

Abruptly, the floor seemed to catch her attention. April fought through a wave of negative emotions as she considered the situation. Originally, she never intended to inform Reginald that she possessed the knowledge of the facility’s location. It seemed natural to believe he was in league with whoever was creating the hybrids. In light of recent developments, she was now reviewing her decision.

“Nothing, a getaway might not be such a bad idea after all,” April murmured, looking back towards Touya’s hard bitten features. Remembering her wish to remove the therian from the war, perhaps this was her opportunity.

“Then it’s settled,” Reginald confirmed, clapping his hands together in a conclusive fashion. “I’ll make the necessary arrangements for you both to leave. In the meantime we’ll look after Damea and help him train in his abilities. Hopefully our facilities won’t burn down in the process…When you want to contact us again, don’t use the pigeon services. Victor has hawks planted everywhere. Instead, we’ll use messengers. Slightly outdated, but it lets us blend in more. I’ll have a man dressed as a pilgrim posted in the markets once a day, for two hours after sunrise. Miss Rosevolt, be careful out there. Any strenuous activities might counteract your recovery. It would be better to avoid any fighting.”

Several Days Later

Touya was lost in thought as he led the way through the wild lands outside of Altheim. They'd managed to leave the city via Reginald's plans, simple as they were. Guards changed shifts at certain times and there was a very small window where those passing through the gates were not seen. It was then that Touya and April had left the city. Before hand, Touya had gone through Reginald's facility and had procured a few things on his own. A few things being a sedative, and a drug that would numb the body to any pain. These were taken for April's sake, not his own.

The last thing on his mind was when he'd went to visit Damea before leaving. He felt terrible leaving the fire mage behind, but Damea's smile and encouragement made it a little bit easier. The mercenary had told him to take care of himself and April and that when they met again, he would be a better fire mage than he was. Touya closed his eyes and sighed softly to himself. Looking back he made sure that April was still right behind him. They would stop soon as they'd been walking for some time and he did not wish to overexert her.

The Therian began looking for a place to stop in the wilderness. The yellowing grass swayed in the cool breeze and not too far ahead there seemed to be a patch of shorter grass. He decided it would be there that they would stop to rest. He started that way and once they reached there, Touya sat down upon the grass and looked up at April. With a small smile, he motioned for her to join him.

"Rest a bit," he said and waited for her to join him before he pulled her into a hug, "Sleep if you wish. We are not in any hurry. The plains are enormous, it will be some time before we find a tribe. They wander all the time, so we'll run into one soon enough."



A deep breath filled his chest and Damea woke up again. His eyes slowly opened and he was looking up at a bright ceiling. With a soft groan, he pushed himself upwards and felt the tight pull of bandage around his waist and stomach. Damea winced slightly and glanced around as one hand snaked around his waist to help alleviate the dull pulsing pain. Reaching up, he ran his other hand through his messy hair and tried to put some semblance of control into the frizzy locks of white hair.

How long had he been sleeping? It was hard to tell being in a room with no windows or anyway of knowing time. Last he remembered being awake, aside from the Therian woman trying to kill him, was when Touya had come to talk to him. The Therian was leaving with April on a 'vacation' as the tall silver haired man had put it. A small grin spread his lips as he recalled their conversation. Touya hadn't wanted to leave Damea behind, but the mercenary knew full well that he was in no shape to go gallivanting around the wilds of Artamus. If anything he would just be a burden to the both of them.

Swinging his legs off the side of the hospital bed, Damea stood up slowly. He winced a second time, hissing in pain as he stood up and could feel the pull of stitching in his side. His fingers curled tighter around the bandage and he hoped that he hadn't ruined any of Reginald's work, though if he did... well the fire mage couldn't care less. Put the doctor to more work, it would be good for the damned traitor.

Using the furniture around him, the mercenary made his way to the door, foregoing putting on a shirt as it would be far too much work. Instead he worked his way over in just his pants and bare feet. Once he reached the door, Damea reached out to open it, his fingers curling around the handle. For a moment he imagined Reginald walking through the door and yelling at him for being up, causing a mischievous grin to cross his features.

---

April Rosevolt

---

Surrounded by wild grass, April kept her gaze alert as yellow blades brushed past her trousers. They swayed restlessly, chasing every direction the wind turned at a whim. Ironically, there was little danger to encounter out here in the fields. Maybe a few razor snakes or bull worms, but most critters would simply run at the sight of them. The problem lay solely with her. Ever since she’d regained her senses, April felt constantly threatened by everything. Even an appropriately shaped shadow would fire off mental alarms. She almost didn’t know how to function normally now that her life was in tatters. Standing a several feet well above the waist line grass was Touya, the one exception. She was content to follow behind him for the time being, though their positions felt awkwardly reversed. April was a former Lieutenant of Altheim’s armed forces. Leading from the front was her job more often than not.

April didn’t know how therian senses worked. From her understanding, they could simply ‘sense’ the presence of another within certain vicinities. How accurate they could pinpoint the location was a different story altogether, but she couldn’t help but ponder its affects on therian society, most notably the lack of secrecy. Her thoughts brought on a new wave of anxiety as they walked, what would they think of the abomination she’d become? Would they even agree to aid her? Assuming they could. To add to her sorrows Touya’s behavior over the past few days was becoming inexplicably frustrating. She understood his prudence in matters concerning her condition, but his priorities were discouraging almost to the point of suffocating.

They arrived at a small clearing in the plains, another intended sidetrack to sate her condition’s requirements. Touya sat down by example and gestured for her join him in the short break. Hesitating, April bit the bottom of her lip and couldn’t help but glance around in one final check for hazards.

"Rest a bit," he soothed, smiling to assuage her fears. It took a few more moments before she accepted his invitation and joined him down on the ground. Her movements were timid as she made her way over and settled down like a robot. Unlike the facility’s bolted doors and steeple secrecy, she was exposed out here. And quite frankly, April had never been more terrified of being exposed in her entire life. What he did next caught her completely off-guard. Noticing her troubled expression, the therian leaned forwards and wrapped his arms around her in one fell swoop. April released an audible gasp as she was dragged to his level, though her tensions eased considerably.

"Sleep if you wish. We are not in any hurry. The plains are enormous, it will be some time before we find a tribe. They wander all the time, so we'll run into one soon enough."

Her head found the crook in his shoulder and for a moment, she rested there, absorbed in his presence. “Touya, I want you to know that I love that compassionate side of you,” she murmured finally, breathing in his woody fragrance, “But surely you don’t need to keep treating me like fragile packaging, especially not after we slept together.”

She leaned back and kissed his cheek, “It’s been a while since you last saw your own people. I want you to think of this as a chance to relax. You can tell me more about them in the process, your customs, traditions, anything.”

---

Damea Reese

---

Contrary to Damea’s imagination, it was Abigail, and not the good doctor who greeted him at the doorway. Appearing in a fur greatcoat, her hand hovered where the handle would’ve been had the mercenary not pulled it away seconds before she could reach it. Probably just as well or she’d have likely slammed the door into his face. Upon seeing the half-naked man, the fiery redhead’s only reaction was to raise an eyebrow in amusement.

“Planning to toast bread like that?” she asked, angling her hips and planting her hands against them. “Good, then you should be up for a bit of training.”

She flicked her thumb over her shoulder, indicating to a man behind her. Or more precisely, to the Beast Slayer known as Miles Riverbend. Miles waved cheerfully in return. “Reginald’s busy with organization and preparation. He’s excellent at that sort of stuff. He also mentioned somewhere along the line that you needed more tutoring in the event we’re attacked before Touya returns,” she explained, “So you get to deal with me and rich boy over there.”

---

Abigail brought them to the same room Damea had used prior to train, although the space had been vigorously scrubbed clean of burn marks. Once again she took to the balcony, like it was some prime time viewing platform reserved only for her. Miles and Damea awaited in the assigned arena. Damea's gear had been returned to him, just as Miles was now armed with his own long sword and knife.

“We’ve had an excess of bread go missing from our inventory in the past week,” Abigail said above them, “I can only assume you’ve been the cause of that. Why don’t you show us the fruits of your labors?”

"You wish to know of my people?" He asked her, slightly shocked at such a request. It didn't last long though and he smiled as he leaned back with her cradled against him. It took him some time to figure out where to start, but once he did it seemed the words flowed from his lips easily enough.

"I'll start with Thriy. It is our place of rest when we pass from this life to the next. Thriy is a large palace with thousands of rooms that hold all that believe. When we die, we go there for a time before we are sent elsewhere. No one know's how long you stay there, but it is said to be a beautiful place with pure white walls, marble columns of carved pillars that line the halls, and the Lord of that place is said to be just as beautiful with long silver hair and the purest of golden eyes. He is called Invalli, which simply means Lord.

"Our people used to be separated into different clans based on what animal we could shape shift into. But now, there are no such thing as a clan only that of a wandering group. It all depends on where your beliefs lie as of now. Whether you'll be a nomad or be with Val in his quest. Even so, our traditions remain the same, Invathi means Leader, or closer yet, Spirit Leader. They are the elders of the clans, and are usually the closest to Invalli, spiritually anyway. Then there's Havantha which is brother and Havanthii which is sister. They are just formal terms, used when we meet someone we do not know very well. Or used for family, close friends even, depending on the person."

Touya sighed as his gaze watched the sky over head. The cool breeze was beginning to blow a bit stronger and he could feel that a storm was on the horizon. How far out it was, though, he wasn't sure. Even so, he wished to find shelter as soon as possible. Turning his head, he gazed down at April, "The rest of our traditions have mostly been lost because we've been sleeping for so long since coming here. The only thing most of us remember are the stories we're told about a world we originate from. That world was so technologically advanced that we ended up destroying it. How, though, is beyond me and most other Therian's as well. The only one's who would know are long since dead. All that's left are stories, and stories change over time."

The Therian shifted so as not to have April fall, letting her know of his intent to get up before doing so, "Come," he said, offering his hands to her, "It feels like it will rain soon. We should find a place to take cover for a while. The season is changing again."



Damea grinned as the fiery red head explained that bread had gone missing recently. Yes, that was his fault. However, the little bit of training he'd done had gotten him somewhere. His control, it seemed, was getting better every time he tried to ignite something. He'd finally been able to toast his first piece of bread the day of his assault. Putting aside the memory of his elation at such a feat, Damea eyed Miles who was standing across from him.

"I'd be more than happy to," the fire mage replied, flicking his gaze upwards toward the woman. He'd donned his armor -albeit a bit painfully- and was more than ready to show off what he could. Drawing his blades he faced off with Miles, flipping one long, slender weapon in his hand. Tightening his grip, he leaned over slightly and ran the tip of the blade across the floor. He was more than practiced in this event. Creating sparks was his specialty. The moment a spark cracked to life, Damea took hold of it and the flames ignited over his blades.

It took a moment for him to control them to only light the steel of his swords, but once he had it under control, he grinned mischievously. Flicking his mismatched eyes upwards, Damea flipped his swords twice around simultaneously creating a loud noise with the fire as they whirled through the air.

"Shall we dance?" he shifted his body into a fighting stance, raising both swords. One was extending outwards from his body, facing Miles' chest, the other hovered near his hip, the blade facing Miles as well.

---

April Rosevolt

---

It wasn’t long before Touya was absorbed by his reminiscencing. The initial surprise slowly faded from his expression, paving the way for an easy smirk. Even his posture eased, releasing hours of tension from his rigid shoulders. She imagined the cause was more peaceful memories, or at least ones less turbulent than their current experiences. He started slowly at first, recalling the unspoken history of his ancestors like some forgotten memory.

April discovered a great deal as he spoke. Thriy was basically the therian’s equivalent of an afterlife, a safe haven for recently department souls. Similarly, a lord resided over the mythical plane, one which embodied the therian’s idea of perfection and ideals. Not unlike their own religious sects, though April had never paid much attention to them. Strange how entirely different races developed comparable, yet diverse beliefs. They even had an established social order, though theirs seemed infinitely less convoluted than human societies. Perhaps nomadic lifestyles simply erased that necessity.

"The rest of our traditions have mostly been lost because we've been sleeping for so long since coming here. The only thing most of us remember are the stories we're told about a world we originate from. That world was so technologically advanced that we ended up destroying it. How, though, is beyond me and most other Therian's as well. The only one's who would know are long since dead. All that's left are stories, and stories change over time," Touya continued, growing somber abruptly as he looked down at her.

“A world typically refers to the entire planet. Are you suggesting you destroyed this one? Or are you referring to a completely different planet?” April asked, unable to comprehend the immensity of his statement. Insinuating disbelief, she gave a slight shake of her head. It couldn’t have been another planet. That was impossible. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how they traveled here if that was the case. “What sort of power could even destroy an entire planet?”

His movements caught her attention and she quickly realized she was preventing him from getting up. Of course he was simply being considerate, had the therian really wanted to, he would’ve simply lifted her up or worse, carried her. The embarrassing thought was enough to motivate her into scrambling sideways to get off him. "Come. It feels like it will rain soon. We should find a place to take cover for a while. The season is changing again," he said, motioning for the both of them to stand.

“Right,” she nodded, pulling herself up on his hand, “We shouldn’t waste more time than we have to. The longer that facility stays running, the greater the danger to both our people.”

---

Miles Riverbend

---

"I don't know why I signed up for this," Miles complained, unsheathing his sword with obvious reluctance.

"You didn't. I forced you to help Because you where lounging around with nothing to do!" Abigail hollered above them. Growing impatient, she ushered the fight to continue with a frantic gesture. "Hurry up and lose! You men talk too much!"

"There's nothing wrong with a bit of relaxation!" he responded, angrily shaking his other fist up at her.

Narrowing his gaze at the mercenary, Miles held the blade up to his face like a shield. "Word of forewarning Damea, I still have my reputation to uphold. You won't be winning," he chuckled as his eyes finally regarded the flaming swords. Even from his position he could feel the heat baking the surface of his skin like a miniature star nova. Most peculiar was the mercenary's fighting stance, with both blades held at the ready. To Miles, it was ever so slightly reminiscent of Touya's style which couldn't have been coincidence.

"Well, let’s see who's the better swordsman," he said finally. In one fluid motion, Miles lunged forwards to cover the distance between them. His sword came first, a flash of silver to the eyes of men as the pointed tip hunted for the mercenary's chest. The move was purely diversionary for behind it followed an air blast which aimed to dislodge his opponent's footing.

Damea grinned at the man as he lunged forward. He could feel the pressure of wind behind the blade, moving it faster. Moving out of the way was out of the question because of the speed, however, it didn't mean that the fire mage couldn't block it. In fact, he was rather excited to have the air induced steel come straight for him.

Preparing his body, and his injured side, he stepped carefully and as the sword came at him, his blades crossed, catching Miles' weapon between them neatly. The mercenary then lifted his swords upwards, directing Miles' up and away. What was more, the air currents that rushed passed served to further ignite the inferno on Damea's blades.

"You're air only serves to strengthen my fire," Damea called out tauntingly, "Best try to find something else to use."

Turning, Damea brought Miles' sword downwards and at the same time sent a nice kick towards the man's exposed stomach. If the move hit, it would bring the mercenary around in a full circle, and he would set up again, the same way. A mixture of his old style and that of the Therian's. Oh how he missed a good fight.

The violent clash of blades reverberated through the course of his arms as Miles' sword was sent flying. He cursed as his arms followed momentum, leaving Miles exposed as he frantically tried to recover his guard. In response to the opening, Damea's flames roared with approval, absorbing his air blast with a fiery whoosh.

At this close range, it was impossible to dodge the mercenary's counter strike. Miles span back as the powerful kick struck his stomach, landing with a soft thud. In the process of his recovery Miles could feel his belly lurch from the blow, threatening to release its contents. He almost lost his sword also.

"Cocky," he huffed, feet squared to maintain his stability, "Allow me the chance to amend that."

Without leaving a chance for Damea to press his advantage, Miles' wrist flicked outwards abruptly. Drawn from a water canteen, the motion sent tendrils of water snapping outwards like whip cracks. Miles aimed for the swords and eyes, intending to disable the fire mage in one fashion or other.

Damea's eyes widened with surprise, the quick maneuver had come just as the mercenary was resetting himself. Water sprayed at him, and his reaction was to lift his blades and close his eyes, turning away from the spray. His swords sizzled as their flames went out and his face was drenched in the remaining mist.

Water dripped from the ends of his unruly hair and he lowered his swords to grin at Miles, "Well, at least I know now that you can fight against a fire if anything were to accidentally burn down," he teased.

He dropped his arms hard throwing the water from the blade edges. He knew Miles wouldn't give him enough time to reignite his blades, not that it would take much, but he wanted to show off more than just that. Damea shifted, one blade held down the other loosely up and pointed right at Miles' chest again.

The fire mage rushed forward quickly, closing the distance between them in a few steps. He used the sword that was already up to connect with Miles' weapon. The other one he dragged across the floor. The tip wasn't at the right angle to create any sparks, but as the mercenary twisted around to ensue another kick, the tip sparked and he directed the flame to his boot that was headed right for Miles.

Quick and adaptable. It was rare for Miles to be able to fight such physically capable opponents, not that he enjoyed the challenge. Quite the contrary, he was more than willing to take any easy win granted to him. Something about the mercenary's enthusiasm was greatly infuriating however.

"You're enjoying this way too much," he growled back.

Though the initial flames were extinguished in a hiss of steam, Damea hardly seemed bothered by the setback. In fact, the man somehow managed to steal the initiative as he rushed forwards, one sword grating across the floor whilst the other hammered into Miles' weapon.

Too predictable. Anticipating another fire attack, Miles swung outwards, deflecting the first blade. Rotating his hands back, he prepared for the next blow but wasn't expecting it to come from so far below. Instead of the blade, a fiery boot ignited in the face of the Beast Slayer. Miles reeled side ways, altering his momentum abruptly with a timely airblast. Singeing the fabric of his jacket, he avoided being engulfed by the blaze just barely.

"You call that a fire?" he hissed. Projected to the mercenary's flank, Miles flew past and lashed out with the butt of his pommel.

Damea laughed as Miles growled in contempt obviously irritated that the colorful mercenary was finding their engagement most entertaining. The fire mage twisted around to try to follow the man, but Miles' movements were too quick and he felt the pommel of the sword collide with his lower back, the area where he'd been injured. With a hiss he fell forward, stumbling around as he tried to get his balance back from the burning in his side.

It was a losing battle and Damea fell to the floor on one knee, gripping his side with a few fingers as he still held his sword. With a quick glance downwards, he noted that his clothing was becoming stained with blood again. He knew the little hit he'd taken hadn't done that, but he figured it was his kicking that had re-opened the wound, undoing all of Reginald's stitching. With a soft smile to himself he twisted his body around to face Miles.

"You want a fire? I'll show you one," he grinned. With the reminder of his wound, he could already feel that he'd lost a bit of blood, maybe too much. It was dizzying, the movement he'd just made. Either way, he wasn't done showing off yet. Slamming the tips of both blades into the floor, they sparked just enough and he ignited the weapons again, but this time, he pushed his limits and the fire stretched outwards from his kneeling position.

It snaked around him in a protective circle first, the air heating and causing his clothing and hair to seemingly shimmer in the heat wave. Then it stretched outwards, quickly, towards Miles, flowing across the floor like snakes. However, the rush of orange flames stopped short as Damea swayed on his knees. With a slight cough, he laughed at himself.

"Damn...A little too much, hu?"

His body toppled over, swords following as he became far too dizzy to stay upright. Closing his eyes, he pressed a hand against the wound and the other to his forehead. His flames were still going and it was everything he could do to keep them from going out of control even as he himself tried not to black out.

“Empire’s teeth!” Miles cursed, backing away from the ring of encroaching flames, “Abigail?! A little help here?”

“The cleaners are going to be mighty annoyed again,” Abigail mused.

“Yes, and I’m going to be mighty annoyed if I catch on fire!” Miles snapped back.

Abigail made a tut tut noise and waved her finger in the face of Miles, “Now now Miles, how do we ask someone for assistance?”

Miles gave her a furious glare, “Please!”

“That’s better,” Abigail laughed. Outstretching her arms, she gazed down at the floor space, targeting the blistering flames. In a similar enactment to the previous incident, Abigail’s fingers pinched the air. Miraculously, the fires were extinguished, snuffed out like some invisible force had smothered the life from them. “Done.”

“Moving the air to create a void. Without oxygen a fire then dies. Not many people can do that,” Miles said, sheathing his sword. “Your fighting style, it’s a mixture of therian and something else. Such aggressive tactics won’t work against a hybrid, it’s too direct.”

“He wasn’t fighting a hybrid though, was he?” Abigail responded, waltzing down the staircase to join them. Miles offered his hand out to Damea as they waited on her. “Your fire control is progressing well though. More combat experience should help foster your abilities. Mind helping him train Miles? You’ve been getting rusty yourself.”

The man all but hissed at the insult, “I don’t see you fighting out there.”

“Last I recalled you haven’t been on the frontline in months either. What happened? Too busy growing fat from your guard duties?” Abigail mocked, wearing a snide expression. “You two need to train daily. It’ll be good for your skills. Now, I suggest you go have the medics look at those wounds.”

A few days had passed and Touya had led April through the wilderness on a hunt for a group of Therian's that he hoped could help her. At first he'd not thought of anything solid, nothing that would help either of them, but then it came to him. A realization that almost made him irate with himself. The place where the Therian's had originated from, the caves where they'd been sleeping for decades before hand. There should still be some machinery left there, and even if there wasn't, he figured that with the approaching winter, some of the tribes may have migrated back to the caverns for shelter from the extreme cold.

With that, he had taken a different route and headed for the mountains, the caves beyond the forest of Creeid. It had taken them the better part of a day to get through the trees. When they made it to the mountain's base, what met Touya was a disheartening sight. The mouth of the cavern where the Therian's had woken from, was caved in.

"Havantha," a voice called from the trees. Touya turned and put his hand out to cover April. Even if it were his own people, he had trust issues, especially if they happened to run into someone from Val's group. A young man walked into the area, his hands raised up as he greeted Touya.

"Havantha," Touya returned and his gaze flicked around, "What happened here?" he asked in their language.

"Val and his band destroyed the mountains opening, my clan and I were nearby, on the other side of the forest when we heard the explosions. We came to see what had happened, but encountered many soldiers. We hid from them, so as not to be detected," the youth answered in kind.

"I see," Touya whispered, "Do you and your clan have a technician?"

The young man nodded his head, violet eyes bright with curiosity as he looked over to April. Reaching back, the boy tugged at his shoulder length black hair, "What do you need him for?"

"My friend," he motioned towards April, "She needs his help."

The young man strode forward, peering at April. Touya lowered his arm and allowed the other Therian to gaze at her. It wasn't but a few moments that he looked at her and he reeled backwards with a cry. Touya, alerted by the sudden sound, stepped in front of her again and reached back for his weapon. His heart beat quickly as he gazed at the youth, eyes narrowed slightly.

"Monster," the young Therian said softly in their language. Touya growled at the boy at the word and leaned forward menacingly.

"She is no such thing."

"But... she is not Therian! She is... human... why, why is she like this?"

"Because the human's did this to her against her will. That is why I'm here. I need your technician to help her to feel better. She has no feeling in her arms, and her body is in pain. You have to help her."

The young man stood there for some times, his violet eyes wide with a bit of fear and some curiosity still. He flicked his eyes back and forth between Touya and April. Finally, after some time, it seemed the young Therian had gathered his wits about him again and he straightened. Reaching up, he adjusted the belts that crisscrossed over his frame, holding slender pieces of metal against his right shoulder and another that just barely peeked over his left shoulder, obviously covering his shoulder blade.

"Alright, follow me then. But on one condition... she won't hurt us... will she?"

Touya straightened and let go of his weapon. The boy was obviously doing something that someone else normally did, the bits of hesitation in his voice were now painfully clear to Touya. Maybe it was his first scouting mission, and the boy was far too naive to think of anything else to say, trusting to easily. Especially since Touya was another Therian. With a sigh, he nodded his head to the youth and looked back to April.

"He's agreed to bring us to his tribe," he told her in the common tongue. He was aware that their entire conversation right then had been entirely in Therian and felt a bit guilty at the fact that she could not understand what they'd said. However, at the same time he was happy that she hadn't heard some of it. Though he was sure she'd deduced something from the young Therian's reaction to her just a second ago.

He took her hand in his and started after the black haired boy who moved swiftly through the trees just to the right of the cave in. It took them some time to make their way through the forest again, but as the day was fading to darkness, firelight was seen ahead and a few minutes after they'd set foot in the camp of a Therian tribe. It was probably the largest group of Therian's that Touya had ever laid eyes upon and felt a bit of pride and released tension fall over him. He had worried about his people for so long, and yet here they were still pushing forward.

The community was nothing short of a small village, with tents of wood and leaves set up and people still bustling around to finish their daily chores. The sounds of metal clashing could be heard at the far end of the camp and the smell of fire told Touya that it was a kind of smithy that had been set up. There were children as well, running to and fro between the tents and the open area that the tents encircled. The young Therian looked up to him and pointed towards a tent that was closed.

"He is there, his name is Grashath."

"Thank you, Havantha."

The boy beamed at him and then his eyes widened slightly, "I'm Sharye!" he blurted out almost as if it were something he'd forgotten to do earlier.

Touya smiled down at Sharye, "Touya, and this is April," he said introducing her as well. Sharye nodded his head to both of them and then stepped away, allowing Touya to lead them over to the tent that belonged to Grashath. Their entrance had not gone unnoticed as several of the Therian's were watching them, a few of the children had even run up to the three of them upon entrance as well. At the door of the hut, Touya reached up and knocked lightly.

"Enter," the Therian words were thick, and old sounding. Touya opened the door slowly and allowed April to pass through first before he followed. Behind him, Sharye came as well and put himself off into the corner, seating himself upon a stool.

"Grashath, I brought you visitors."

"Yes, yes, I can see that Sharye. Young these days," the elder Therian sighed with a shake of his head. His eyes were dark in color, his pale features held some wrinkles and his hair had turned gray, though the long braid still marked him as a warrior of their tribe.

"Havan-"

"Grashath is just fine," the elder said, waving his hand to interrupt Touya's formalities, "What is it you need. Obviously you're not wounded. Is it the woman?"

"Yes. She's a human who was... altered by her own people, unwillingly."

Grashath motioned for them to come forward, "Let me see her in better light."

"Go to him," Touya told April gently, and gave a soft push on her lower back.

---

April Rosevolt

---

“Looks like they’re closed for business,” April muttered observantly as they faced the demolished cave mouth. A screen of boulders plugged the gap which would have otherwise provided entry into the cavern, barring entry to all.

"Havantha."

Replicating Touya’s reaction, April spun around to face the intrusion. She didn’t get far, faced with the therian’s deterrent arm in front of her. She didn’t even reach for her weapons as a man materialized in the clearing. Lavender eyed and wiry in build, the youth looked almost too young to be scouting alone. He approached them with his hands raised in the sky, a gesture to show he was unarmed.

"Havantha," Touya responded, acknowledging the greeting with equal courtesy. He then switched to his own tongue, leaving her clueless as to their topic of conversation. The pair exchanged casual words for a few seconds before she inevitably became the subject of their discussion. April knew it because of that anxious feeling of being talked about, a notion she was well accustomed to as a former Lieutenant. Not that she felt competent enough to handle any reactions then. Maybe the constant aching had dulled her tenacity. Nonetheless, there was no getting past the fact that she was essentially a different person.

The most painful indicator was his frightened yelp upon scrutinizing her. As he came forwards at Touya’s behest, he instantly withdrew. Horror, revulsion and shock impaired his expression as he stepped away frantically, like a man afraid of infection.

“Anghenfil.”

The meaning was lost to her, but April understood a derogative word when she heard it. Fortunately, Touya jumping forwards to defend her provided enough of a distraction to override her initial despair. Instead, April’s alarm heightened as the therian touched his sword handle.

“What’s going on Touya?” she asked, preparing her own weapons. Prior to embarking on their journey, she’d taken the precaution of arming herself with a mace and short sword. Better to have something rather than nothing. Of course, without the ability to feel beyond her elbows, it often felt like her arms were caught in a state of perpetual weightlessness. She had the wrist blades as well, but just how much could she rely on them? Could she even control the mechanisms willingly? Their introduction to her body were about as effective as giving a human who’d walked their entire life wings.

It took some time, and a few calm assurances, before the youth managed to calm down. April allowed Touya to do all the talking, fearing that any intervention on her part would cause another uproar.

"He's agreed to bring us to his tribe," Touya informed her helpfully, shifting back to the human dialect. Not for the first time that day she had reason to be thankful for his invaluable efforts.

“That’s good,” she nodded, “I was afraid he was going to attack us back there, or worse, alert his people.”

Unwilling to waste further time by dawdling in the wilderness, Touya took hold of her hand and chased after the boy. The distance between them and the therian camp was further than her first impressions. It wasn’t until the sun fell beneath the mountains that camp fires started identifying themselves in the distance. They appeared as pin pricks of orange, flickering like candles in the night. Drawn to the light, they followed the indicators until reaching their destination.

The therian camp was similar to the first one she’d visited, only much, much larger. April gasped in amazement, stunned by the high concentration of therians. She’d never seen so many gathered in one location and that only exacerbated her alienation. Pitched tents littered the clearing, and in enough numbers to give the impression of rich density without the overcrowding of Altheim. April was largely surprised at their lack of security for Touya and she managed to walk in without so much as an interview, though her appearance did draw the attention of a few suspicious individuals.

Their objective lay at the opposite end of the therian camp, a large tent which housed a billowing furnace. She entered first, followed quickly by Touya and Sharye. Despite outward appearances, the tent felt cramped on the inside, particularly with the four of them. A gruff, old therian welcomed their entrance and April listened attentively as he spoke with Touya before waving her closer. Strangely, his reaction was measured and calm.

"Go to him," Touya said, nudging her gently.

Once again their roles had been oddly reversed, with her as the patient and him as the guardian. April felt particularly self-conscious as she stepped closer to Grashath and presented her arms. They whirred with a life of their own, seemingly oblivious to the whims of their keeper.

“Wait,” she told them, “Before we try to resolve my issues, we need to warn your people about the hybrids first. Me being here should add credibility to their existence and we know that Victor will attack at some point. The sooner we get the word out, the better.”

“Wait. Before we try to resolve my issues, we need to warn your people about the hybrids first. Me being here should add credibility to their existence and we know that Victor will attack at some point. The sooner we get the word out, the better.”

Sharye perked up from his seat on the other side of the room, his gaze shot straight to April as she spoke. His voice startled Touya, and the Therian was sure it had startled April as well. He didn't realize that the youth knew how to speak the common tongue, "We know already."

Touya whirled around to face him, his pale gaze wide with shock, "How...?"

"This camp didn't used to be that large. My tribe was very small for many years, not even thirty people. Just recently we grew to this size. Attacks on the Therian's have been wide spread, and those that survive have fled. Those that learned of the news also came, seeking shelter. I feel like something big is going to happen, something that we're all going to be a part of eventually."

Touya turned away and lowered his eyes. Grashath didn't seem to be affected by their conversation, that or the elder Therian didn't understand. Touya looked up to the man as he examined April's arms.

"Lay down," Grashath instructed in Therian. Because she would not understand, Touya relayed the information to her. In the meantime, his mind was on other things. It was no wonder that the elder Therian wasn't all that surprised by her appearance, nor that of many of the villagers. Sharye was a different story, being in the forest for so long, he was sure to have never seen a hybrid. Only hearing stories, of course that would explain his earlier reaction to April.

"Can you feel this?" Grashath asked April, again Touya relayed the request as the elder Therian prodded her skin gently, just above the added metal.

Switching to Therian, Touya turned his attention to the elder, "Is there anything you can do?"

The elder looked up from his work and frowned at Touya, making the tall Therian feel a bit embarrassed about his outburst of worry and questioning. Sharye laughed lightly across the room, earning a glare from Touya. The youth quickly quieted down, though his lips were still pulled into a grin of sorts.

"I may," Grashath answered as he returned to his work, "We've got the tools to fix a regular Therian's mechanisms, we've very little medication to numb her body though."

"I've got that," Touya answered and reached into his pouch on his belt. Carefully, he handed the vial to the elder who took it and eyed it for some time.

"This'll be more than enough. Where did you get this?"

"From an... acquaintance. He's a doctor."

Grashath nodded and put the vial aside, "Has anything else been done to her aside from the surgery?"

"No... just our acquaintance sedating her every chance he got," Touya growled out the words, his hands balling into fists, "I don't know what drug it was that he used on her, but I disliked it. Gave me a terrible feeling. And I tried to heal her when I first saw her, but she's told me that it feels like she's being unraveled when I do it. I dare not try it again."

"Idiot."

Touya shot his eyes upwards towards Grashath in shock as the elder shook his head, "You may be able to heal the metal of a Therian, but to try to heal metal in a human. What were you thinking? You're undoing the work that's keeping her alive. The system is directly connected her nerves, directly connected to her life support. She's no longer something that you can just heal. This'll take a lot more than that. If she were wounded on her flesh, that may be a different story, but I suppose you were trying to heal the metal parts of her. Thinking that it was of Therian design is a mistake. This is nothing of the sort, though once I'm through with her that'll be different as well. However, you still won't be able to heal her metal. What else is there?"

Touya, a bit shocked at being reprimanded in such a way stood silently for some time as the elder prepared a needle and stuck it gently into April's arm. For a moment all he could do was stand there, his mind gone blank. He stuttered for the first time ever, fighting to find his voice.

"Um... She... can't fight, very well... Or rather, she's too strong for her own body. She doesn't know how to control her strength, or her emotions anymore. That may be directly tied in too."

Grashath nodded his understanding, "Makes sense. The one's we've heard of and that I've seen are mindless. It wouldn't be surprising if those damnable humans tried to create something that they could control via this strange technology. To fall into a fight would mean the loss of her rational thinking. Perhaps it has something to do with engaging the weapons, or maybe it's just a system that engages when a key action is being done before her. Who knows. I'll do what I can, but to be honest, that part will be up to her to control. I suggest you two stay here for some time. Train with the others. You might learn something," Grashath ended, directing the comment directly at Touya and then over to Sharye.

"What did you look at me for!?" The youth complained loudly in Therian. Grashath shook his head and then waved his hand to both of them.

"Leave. I need quiet to work. She won't feel anything, I promise you. I don't know how long this will take either. Sharye, show him around, get him familiar with things, and take him to Bordal."

"Auh, kunxi kunxi..." Sharye responded. The young Therian hopped off the stool he was occupying and led Touya from the room. The Therian was a bit reluctant to leave her, but trusted his people highly so did not have any fear lingering in his chest as he left.

"What Grashath hasn't told you is that we are preparing for a full out war. That's why he wants you to meet Bordal."

"Who is this, 'Bordal'?"

"Our military leader at the moment. He's the one whose in charge of training everyone who's never fought before. Even I'm being trained."

"That explains your being out in the woods, scouting. Aren't you a bit young?"

Sharye bristled at the comment, balled his fists and with a heated blush shouted up at Touya, "No I'm not!"

Touya's eyebrow rose as they walked down the street and Sharye's blush grew deeper. He turned away and crossed his arms, "I'm just as capable as anyone else. I bet I could hold my own in a fight with you," he grinned then, sneaking a quick glance upwards at Touya.

"Oh... really now?"

Sharye laughed mischievously and the laughter reminded the taller Therian of the mercenary back in the city. He couldn't help but smile back and reach out to run his hand through the youths hair roughly, tousling it easily, "Let's see about that."

---

April Rosevolt

---

"We know already," responded the youth in human dialect. The sudden reveal was almost as surprising as the revelation that the therians were already aware of the hybrids. Aware and preparing for war. April mouthed a disheartened ‘oh’, facing the floor mat in guilt. This petty whim of a holiday had been far too selfish. How many more lives were lost because she chose not to assault the facility? If that was the case, why not be more cautious of her existence? Why could she, a former hybrid, so easily walk into a camp full of therians who had experienced such savage violence and be offered their aid?

“Naharita karana.”

In the midst of her gloom, it took sometime before April realized the elderly therian was addressing her. Shaking the thoughts from her system, she forced her gaze up sharply, showing mild embarrassment at having been caught brooding. Once he’d regained her attention, Grashath’s old hands swept over a table of sorts. Dumbfounded, April stared at him with a sort of blank expression until Touya articulated the words for her.

"He said lay down," he informed.

April did was she was ordered and sat her lithe form on the examination table before pulling her legs up and around. A rush of adrenaline shot through her system as she came in contact with the cold, featureless slab. One so like the dissection table of her nightmares. The backlash from past memories was excruciating, and she only just managed to resist the urge to scream and run. Apprehensively wriggling into position, she had to half squint as the lantern glimmered directly above her. Once she was rigid, the seasoned technician took to her side and spoke another intangible sentence. Experimentally, he prodded her arms beneath the metal.

“He asks if you can feel him?” Touya interpreted once more.

She nodded, wincing at the pain invoked by his poking. Whatever Victor had done to her, the results of their modifications still felt unpleasantly raw. When he was done, she scratched at the nexus of her arms, trading his touch for her own. Touya started to speak again; in the language she recognized as therian. Most of it came as gibberish. Nothing but incomprehensible jargon to her ears. Instead she relied on facial expressions and tones to recreate conversations, filtering babble for words of her own.

Their discussion was terribly long and grave in voice. By the end of it, Touya looked faint almost, and bowed his head in weariness. There were several moments of stuttering, in which the therian struggled to reform his composure, and finally the needle was inserted into her vein. April glared at the implement digging into the crook of her arm, engulfed by a growing sensation of numbness. She wasn’t quite sure why it distressed her. Maybe she was just being irrational.

From the corner of her vision she caught the shift of movement that indicated the youth was leaving. Touya started to follow, his long braid of silver hair swaying behind his shoulders. Her body sagged at his absence, and she wished he’d remained to keep watch, but the situation was grim indeed. Both of them knew the stakes and duty was more important then.

“Please, just make it quick,” she said, entirely certain that he wouldn’t understand her.

---

Waiting for Grashath to complete his operation, April lost track of time in the deeper hours of the night. She imagined the verdict was still out the window as far as successes went. They’d have to wait until the drugs wore off before deciding if the procedure was effective or not. Fear occupied her usually clear mentality with the prospect of further unwarranted modifications and it managed to stave off her exhaustion for a time. Grashath preferred working in silence for the most part, focusing entirely on the surgery. The only sounds that punctuated the air were often just the noises coming from outside. Eventually she succumbed to her growing weariness and fell into slumber.

When she awoke the next morning, April’s first instinct was to secure her wellbeing. Curious and suspicious, she lifted her arms into view, anxious to find what had changed. Her eyes scanned the technician’s intricate handiwork, oblivious to their alterations until finally she rested them and felt the cold sting of metal beneath her hands. For minutes, she remained frozen, wondering if she’d imagined the feeling. Then she brushed over her cheeks, trailing the sides with her fingers, and exhaled a belated sigh of relief. She could feel again.

Noticing her activity, Grashath appeared overhead. The technician was accompanied by Sharye, though the former made no motion to speak until gestured to do so by his superior.

“Are you well? How are your arms?” Sharye asked.

“Good,” April replied slowly, allowing Sharye a brief moment to convey the expression back to Grashath before speaking again, “Is Touya around?”

The youth nodded, but pressed on as Grashath continued to speak. “That’s excellent. Grashath wants to inform you on a few things before you proceed. First, he says he discovered your back has been reinforced to support the strength of your arms. Avoid water or you will drown. Secondly, your arms require regular maintenance to keep functioning,” Sharye said, “Lastly, avoid heat also as the metal can burn your flesh.”

The door opened just as Sharye finished speaking and Touya walked into the room. His eyes immediately settled on his woman who was still laying on the table. From the looks, though, she seemed fine. It took him only three strides to reach her side and he reached out and took hold of her hand.

"How is it? Can you feel again?"

"She can," Sharye said with a broad smile, but Touya waited for April's confirmation before he settled down next to her. Pulling a chair close to the metal bed, he seated himself and rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. Turning to Grashath, Touya motioned to her forearms, more particularly towards the weapons that hid inside.

"Can she wield them?" he asked in Therian.

Grashath nodded as he answered, "There should be no pain as well. What will have to be done now is getting her used to the weapons inside and how to use them," the elder Therian sighed heavily, "The problem is there's not much time before we go after this mad man who's making these... hybrids. He needs to be stopped or I fear for not just our own kind but the human world as well."

Touya nodded as he turned to look at April. Sharye came next to her as well and leaned over the table with bright eyes and a bit of an embarrassed expression on his face, "I... I'm sorry. For the other day," the youth said as his head slowly bowed and his black hair fell over his eyes.

Touya reached out and patted the young man's back gently. He turned to April after she answered the young Therian and took a deep breath. He hoped she was up for what he was going to suggest, "April. I know that you probably wish to rest a bit more after having Grashath work on you, but we need to train you. You don't know your own strength right now, you're stronger than you used to be. Also, you have to learn how to use your weapons in your arm, calling them whenever you want and not just when a fight breaks out. It's uncontrolled that way. We'll be taking years and years of training that us Therian's go through, and putting you through it in a couple days. It's going to be tough, but I believe you can do it.

"This camp is getting ready for a fight and we all have to be ready in the next few days. The hybrid facility, we're going to launch an attack on it and destroy it as quickly as possible. One of the men here that will help us to train is Bordal, he is a very good warrior. I believe with his training you will become an even better warrior that what you were before. Are you ready?"



Ahmeil woke to a burning pain pulsing in her side and lungs filled with smoke. A cough filled her chest as she lifted her head up off the ground slowly. It was a haze, her memory. It all had happened so quickly, too quickly. She pushed herself up onto her hands and knees and reached over to clutch her side with a gloved hand. Turning her head, she looked quickly through the crackling orange and black around her.

She couldn't see very well, but every now and then the black plumes of smoke cleared just enough to reveal shimmering red flames and the bodies of many Therian's littering the forest floor. A heavy hand landed on her shoulder and she startled. Looking up, she spotted Val standing over her. Behind him were several more Therians, but not nearly enough to fight of the hybrid attack. Her heart fell as she counted the men behind Val.

Twenty.

Only twenty had survived and they had been a group of more than a hundred. Her eyes were wide with shock as she stared up at them. Val frowned at her and leaned over. His hands gripped her under her arms and lifted her easily onto her feet. He glowered at her, but it wasn't out of anger. No he was worried, frightened as well, but he was hiding it much better than she was. He wanted her to hide it too, to get a hold of herself and help him, just like always.

"Come on, we're leaving."

"Val..."

"Quickly. We'll make our way out of the forest. It's going to burn down completely anyway. The smoke seems to be slowing down the hybrids, but it won't last for long. I doubt it's really bothering them at all."

"Where will we go, Val?" One of the men asked.

"Back to Creeid. There's a group of Therian's there. They may not like me, but I won't let our people fall to such a monstrosity. We'll need to warn them."

"That'll take days! We won't make it in time!" Ahmeil countered.

"We won't be in this form, our other forms are much faster. Now go!" He shouted and pushed Ahmeil to lead the way. As she ran through the forest, her body shimmered and behind her the others as well. Even in their animal forms, they would not make it to Creeid for another two days. However, Val was right. It would take much longer if they stayed in their Therian forms. Ahmeil could only hope that the difference would be enough to reach the other encampment in time. Beyond that, she didn't know what Val was planning to do. In her wolf form, her eyes narrowed and she pushed her speed. Overhead there were a few birds as well, behind her an assortment of animals. What she had to do right then was get those left out of the forest first. Then she could think about the future.

---

April Rosevolt

---

April fell strangely silent as she listened to the implications of her condition, uncertain how to react at first. Nonetheless, what she felt in her arms did well for her mood and she confided that simple consolation. The sound of the door opening startled her and she turned around in time to witness entrance pave way for Touya. A draft of wind crept in, rustling through her unruly blonde hair as he stepped inside. She jerked to attention and looked at the pale therian who studied her in turn. "How is it? Can you feel again?" he asked urgently, desperate to hear her words of confirmation as he marched inside. She felt his fingers twine between hers and couldn’t suppress the jubilant smile that bloomed over her pink lips.

“I don’t know, maybe you’ll have to remind me what it’s like to feel again,” she muttered, grinning mischievously. Her blue eyes examined his form affectionately, debating which of his features she’d take the pleasure in touching next. Perhaps she’d toy with his elegant silver mane first. She wished she could indulge in everything like a normal couple and laugh without a breath of concern for their safety. That was not the way of their positions, however, not until the war was over and the prospect of peace was real.

Touya nodded approvingly and retrieved a stool to sit next to her before striking a conversation with Grashath. His thumb started to draw circles across the back of her hand, and that she could certainly feel as he posed a question to the aging technician. Grashath responded with his usual despondence, a grim expression of foreboding she could recognize every time the therian spoke about her condition.

"I... I'm sorry. For the other day," Sharye said, sneaking in an apology. April blinked at him in surprised, wondering how long the youth had languished over their meeting. The thought seemed almost trivial in retrospect, but she smiled appreciatively in reply.

“No, thank you for helping and guiding us here.”

Touya shifted positions as he waited politely for the conclusion of her sentence. Lingering in his posture she noticed the overbearing strain that typically accompanies the bearer of bad news. The tightened shoulders, a hard gaze and pursed lips, all the tell tale signs informing her she should brace herself for whatever he was about to say.

"April. I know that you probably wish to rest a bit more after having Grashath work on you, but we need to train you. You don't know your own strength right now, you're stronger than you used to be. Also, you have to learn how to use your weapons in your arms, calling them whenever you want and not just when a fight breaks out. It's uncontrolled that way. We'll be taking years and years of training that us Therian's go through, and putting you through it in a couple days. It's going to be tough, but I believe you can do it,” Touya encouraged.

Whilst digested his proposition in silence, April mentally chided her suspicions for expecting worse. Knowing Touya, posing the suggestion seemed invariably more painful for him than it did for her. He’d gone to great lengths to secure her safety, and now he was forced to jeopardize it once more because of circumstances outside of his control. She very briefly considered scolding the therian to assure him it wasn’t his fault, but knew the better solution in this case was to lead by example. Rather more, she was sick and tired of her own helplessness. Ever since her return she’d been wholly reliant on Touya, a burden, and if they were offering to change that, she would gladly accept it.

"This camp is getting ready for a fight and we all have to be ready in the next few days. The hybrid facility, we're going to launch an attack on it and destroy it as quickly as possible. One of the men here that will help us to train is Bordal, he is a very good warrior. I believe with his training you will become an even better warrior that what you were before. Are you ready?"

“I understand completely Touya,” she said, facing him staunchly, “Teach me everything you can.”

Twisted around, she lowered her feet from the table and touched the floor. There was still some ceaseless ache in her limbs, inevitable given the complex nature of the operation. And that would no doubt persist until everything had the chance to properly healed. Undeterred, she stood up alone and detached herself from Touya. Retrieving her clothes which lay folded in the corner, she slipped into her boots and jacket.

"Tell Grashath I'm grateful. But what does he want in return for helping me?" she asked, reattaching her weapons. Her hand's movements were fluid now that she could sense the objects between them. "People don't generally help others out the goodness of their heart. Pure benevolence profits no one."

"Tell Grashath I'm grateful. But what does he want in return for helping me? People don't generally help others out the goodness of their heart. Pure benevolence profits no one."

Touya watched her as she had her back to him and slipped into her clothes that she'd had on before, her traveling clothing. His eyes widened slightly with a bit of shock before they narrowed into irritation. He crossed his arms over his chest as he watched her. She seemed more fluid with her weapons this time and he had to conclude it was because she could feel them again. Even so, he was irritated with her that she would even suggestion something like that.

"What... no one can help the one they love without wanting something in return? No one can help someone just because they want to? Because you think it doesn't 'profit' that person? I don't know what world you come from, but ours does not rely on wanting something in return just for a good deed. He wants nothing in return, and neither do I. I've gotten what I wanted already," he told her sharply.

Turning to Grashath, he relayed her thanks though he did not continue with the rest of what she said. The old Therian nodded and turned away. He left the room and went back to whatever he had been working on before they'd interrupted him the night before. That or perhaps the old man had gone to sleep. Sharye looked between Touya and April, an eyebrow raised. The youth, unable to keep to his own, questioned April's motives to Touya in Therian.

"Why did she do that?"

Touya sighed heavily and shrugged, "I don't know. She's always been like that though," he let his shoulder sag for a moment before a smile slightly curved his lips, "Though, I suppose that mean's she's feeling much better if she's back to her old self."

Sharye smiled too, brighter than Touya's, and looked over to April, "Come on! Let's go see Bordal," he said to her cheerfully. Sharye went to her and took her hands in his own and began pulling her out of the room towards the door that led outside. Touya followed right behind and fell into step behind Sharye and next to April.

"I forgot to mention, I sent one of the Therian's here to the closest town. I told them to give Reginald a message, letting him know about our position and what's going to happen. I can only hope that they'll be ready in time to join us. They should get it in the next few days."

"Bordal!" Sharye yelled and ran ahead of them to the tall and very broad Therian that stood leaning against a waist high gate. He was looking into the area beyond the gates before the youth had called to him. Turning, the large Therian settled his good eye on the dark haired boy before lifting to look at Touya and April.

"Havantha, Havanthii," Bordal greeted them both, "So, this is the woman hybrid. Isn't she a bit... small for you, Havantha?" The older Therian said in common, his facial features were completely serious as he gazed at April. Touya, on the other hand put his hands on his hips and replied back in Therian to which Sharye doubled over in laughter. Bordal only gave a slight grin in response, never moving his gaze from April.

"Well then, lets see how she does. Have you explained to her the situation?"

"Yes."

"Does she have weapons in her arms?"

"Yes, but it'll take some practice for her to get used to them I'm sure," Touya replied.

"Naturally. Come, Havanthii, you're going to train with me," Bordal said and straightened himself off the gate. Opening it, he motioned for her to go first and join the others that were sparring in the enormous ring as well. Touya took Bordal's place then and leaned against the gate to watch. Sharye had pulled himself up to sit on the fence, balancing his body perfectly on the rounded wood pieces so as not to fall off.

"Which one?" Sharye asked.

"April."

The youth looked to Touya with a shocked expression, "Really?"

"For the first round. She'll surprise him. After that, though, who knows."

---

---

"Damn it!" A hand slammed down on the table, scattering the papers that were there. The hand belonged to a youthful looking man with short lavender hair that was unkept, wild looking eyes and an sneer on his lips. The three men in the room with him startled as he shot up from his chair.

"Sy, what happened?"

The man named Sy glanced up to the one who asked the question and he slowly sat back down, pulling the chair back to himself. Reaching up, he brushed his hand through his unruly hair and sighed heavily. For a long while he was quiet, but then his lips formed into a grin and he returned his crimson eyes to the men before him. His smile was that of a mad mans, and his eyes flickered with their usual wild light.

"It seems that we've got ourselves a nice chance to show to the world why technology and Therian's are a problem for the good people of Artamus," he placed his hand on a piece of paper and slid it over to one of the three men standing in his presence, "Find this place, Krause. And when you do, tell me immediately. We'll be making a nice visit to them."

The headline of the paper read 'Science's newest Engineering Feats: Monster or Advancement?'. The picture below was that of a human that resembled a Therian.

---

April Rosevolt

---

"What... no one can help the one they love without wanting something in return? No one can help someone just because they want to? Because you think it doesn't 'profit' that person? I don't know what world you come from, but ours does not rely on wanting something in return just for a good deed. He wants nothing in return, and neither do I. I've gotten what I wanted already," he snapped.

A brief look of surprised manifested as April was met with his reprimand. Touya sounded extremely offended when she’d suggested an ulterior motive, something he must’ve thought applied to his own actions. Not that it was entirely irrelevant.

“Mmmm, you certainly have, but I wonder if that’s enough to satisfy you?” she mused, sauntering over to where Touya stood. April paused besides him facing the other direction, and apart from the disparity in height, their shoulders were centimeters from touching. “I only wished to convey that charity doesn’t make the world go round and that I’m willing to repay the debt or help if there isn’t one. A volunteer that feeds the starving still needs food to eat.”

She let the matter drop, knowing better than to argue further with him on what essentially boiled down to a difference in cultural beliefs. This was his territory after all, in a manner of speaking, and her time with the other therians had shown her that their behavior tended to be unusually selfless. Still, the thoughts bothered her until Sharye pounced on her arms. The youth appeared much like a ghost and her body followed as it was jerked in the direction of the entrance.

“Wha-?”

"Come on! Let's go see Bordal," he exclaimed, practically dragging her through the doorway. His excitement was palpable at the prospect of seeing even the slightest bit of action. April frowned, recognizing the familiar youthful exuberance so commonly associated with trainees. Before the horrors of war touched them.

“Touya!” she yelped, instinctively calling on the therian for assistance. Touya remained unperturbed as he casually materialized out of the exit and tailed the duo.

"I forgot to mention, I sent one of the Therian's here to the closest town. I told them to give Reginald a message, letting him know about our position and what's going to happen. I can only hope that they'll be ready in time to join us. They should get it in the next few days."

“You sent him to meet Reginald’s contact?” she asked, more to herself than anyone else, “That’s good thinking. I just hope he’s successful in reaching them.”

By the time her sentence was completed, Sharye had successfully guided them within the premises of a training ring. The relentless clang of weapons was indication enough of their arrival, though any lingering doubt was erased by the permeating stench of sweat. Sharye’s hands finally relinquished their grip as the boy hurried to catch the attention of an intimidating individual. As tall but broader then Touya, Bordal was every inch the warrior she’d been led to believe.

Turning to address the intrusion, his eyes snagged on them, studying his new recruits with impunity. "Havantha, Havanthii. So, this is the woman hybrid. Isn't she a bit... small for you, Havantha?" he said, his voice rumbling deep with amusement. Her blood rushed to her cheeks at the insult, made all the more blatant by the fact that Bordal had switched to the common tongue. Years of ingrained military experience must’ve kicked in then for she somehow resisted the urge to retaliate with a crude remark.

Sitting on her anger for the moment, April told herself to wait until she was inside of the spacious arena before releasing it. “So, what are the rules?” she said, stepping a few feet away from Bordal and planting her hands on her hips.

Bordal slowly unsheathed his weapon as he faced her. She was so much smaller than him that he was partially afraid he'd break her in the first few swings. Her question was simple and he huffed slightly at first.

"Rules? Are you not a fighter yourself? There is only one thing a warrior must know. Honor. Fight to win, Havanthii. Leave the nasty tricks to those that are ruthless and have no sense of self," his deep voice rumbled from his chest as he spoke and he twisted his large sword around so that it glinted in the day light. The steel reflected half of his face, his one good eye trained on her. The other was pale, a large scar trailing over that side of his face telling that eyesight was gone from the side.

"Uoin," he said and motioned with his hand for her to come at him. In the meantime he stood still, his sword lowered and looking almost like he wasn't going to guard at all.

"Then please teach me well," she replied, undaunted by their size discrepancy. Her face scrolled up towards Bordal, her hair strung out and unrestrained by their usual braids. To all other observers, she looked like a frail kitten, and Bordal was the indomitable bear. Analyzing his posture, she was shocked to discover a complete lack of openings despite his casual appearance, though that only fueled fires of her anger. He was underestimating her.

Reaching down, she unsheathed the sword by her waist and hefted it gingerly. It had only been a month or so since she last used one, yet the experience now was entirely different. Somehow it felt lighter within her grip, it barely felt like she was lifting anything.

A contest of strength was likely to end in his favor, and she was certain he could match her speed on equal terms. Quickly, she came to the only conclusion available and bounced forwards. Her movements were fleeting as she easily covered the distance between them, bringing her sword around in a deadly arc. She didn't expect the first strike to hit so the moment their blades collided, she span side ways, favoring his blind side as she delivering a torrent of blows.

Touya raised an eyebrow as she came at him, aiming for his right side and then switching to his left immediately. Next to him Sharye snickered slightly, the youth leaned forward on the railing and grinned broadly.

"I knew she was going to do that," exclaimed the youth.

Touya sighed heavily. He would have thought that she would realize that when one has a weakness, they train to cover that more than anything else. In Bordal's situation he'd trained and learned that his blindness was a major point of interest to others. They thought that because he was blind he would not realize that they were going for that side. Thus the reason for training all of his senses.

Bordal batted aside her first strike and then watched as she shifted her body. He noted the movement easily, her body language had told him that she would switch sides the moment she struck. The large Therian turned and followed her, letting his blade take every hit that she delivered. He hadn't even struck back yet.

"Body language, Havanthii," Bordal said and once he'd taken the last of her hits, he finally swung out at her. He bent over slightly and leaned forward with his sword. The weapon swiped horizontally at her.

Much to her horror, fighting Bordal was like fighting a brick wall. Each of her strokes cut thin air, deftly averted by the aging therian. How preposterous. April's mind swam in discomfort, reeling from having been so easily rebuked. He was tormenting her purposefully and each gust of wind past her eyes and ears came with a surge of irritation. After the dozenth blow, she swerved back with a huff, her sword close to tatters from the force of their collisions.

Spontaneously, he attacked her, bringing his sword around in an vicious arc straight to her stomach. A searing pain coursed through her arms as she deflected the powerful blow, just barely avoiding disembowelment. She cried out in agony, unused to the fresh wave of sensations that jolted her wrists. Wobbling back in the dust, she teetered on the edge of collapse.

Don't stop April, attack, defend, attack. She found herself trembling as her eyes traced the movements of her opponent and she sprang back with a powerful thrust. Taking advantage of his lowered form, she ran past and vaulted up, using his shoulder as support. She managed to tumble and go with the fall, slicing his back at the same time.

The sharp cry stung Touya's ears and made him grind his teeth. Had it been any other situation he would have rushed in and killed the man who hurt her. However, this was training and Bordal was doing his job. April was a quick learner however.

Utilizing her body she vaulted over him, tossing herself up and over via Bordal's broad shoulder. This surprised the tall Therian and he was far to slow to turn around with her up in the air. As she came down, her sword followed and there was a nice thin gash down Bordal's back. The Therian grunted from the wound and turned on his heel to face her.

"Better, much better," he commented. Twisting his sword around in his hand he went at her again, "Use your body. Balance is key. Find where you feel most balanced. Your weapons will feel like an extension of your own body once you've done so. Fluid and grace gives you speed and power," he instructed as he attacked again.

April nimbly hopped up and around from her forward roll, bringing herself face to face with Bordal. In the time she had to study his moves, it was obvious he knew how to protect his blind spot. Fortunately for her, so far all he'd done was defend. Unfortunately that was about to change however.

There was no time to celebrate or consider his advice for he was upon her instantly. Bordal was frightening as he launched forwards, spinning his blade so fast there was nothing but a steel-blue whirl. It came down in a series of alternating swings, crisscrossing her sword guard. April's teeth ground as she blocked, twist and side stepped in a fervor of desperation. For a moment she managed to hold her own, sustaining only several shallow wounds, until her sword shattered under the build up of stress.

Shards of broken metal careened outwards, pattering the arena with tiny fragments. Astonishingly, instead of yielding like a normal opponent, April met the challenge head-on. Growling, she tossed the handle high into his face and then lashed out with a sweeping kick at his legs, praying to topple him.

The swords shattering filled the air, sparkles of steel went flying all over the dirt training grounds. One would have normally given up after getting their weapon destroyed, but April was no such person. Bordal, having pulled back after completely shattering her weapon, barely caught the jagged end of her blade as she threw it up at him randomly.

It was a good move and in the next instant, he lost sight of her. The woman dropped down and kicked her legs out, tying them up with his own. The power in her attack wasn't lost either and Bordal stumbled. Sharye yelled out in excitement from his spot and Touya leaned against his hand, a smile curving his lips. She'd definitely proved herself a worthy opponent to the Therian.

Bordal let his heavy mass drop to the ground, but he hardly stayed still. He used his mass and momentum to flip his body backwards and land with one knee on the ground, the other lifted. There Bordal knelt and eyed April from a distance. After a moment he stood and sheathed his weapon. Walking over to her, he offered her his hand to help her back to her feet.

"You're a good fighter with and without a weapon. I believe this training will not take you very long. However, human's steel still needs some improvement. Get fixed up via Grashath and then get to a smithery. Sharye can help you, find a new weapon Havanthii. We'll start again later today, if you're up to it."

"Thanks. I hope I wasn't too small for you to hit," she panted, graciously accepting Bordal's assistance despite the taunt. She rose up, tittering from the rush of her victory and adrenaline before returning to Touya.

April crashed over the fence, resting her elbows on the wooden post to remain upright. Gazing up from her heaving chest, she cocked her head side ways and grinned at him. "So, did you win your bet?"

Touya returned her smile as he leaned over and put his fingers under her chin. Lifting her head upwards slightly he brushed his lips against her cheek and moved to her ear, "More than met my expectations. Though..." he started as he pulled away his voice rising slightly from the whisper, "You did have me worried at the start. Come, lets get you fixed up with Grashath. Though I hope the old Therian doesn't have a fit about having just done you up only to come back a little beaten up," Touya said with a bit of a frown.

Opening the gate he allowed April to come out of the arena, leaving Bordal behind as he'd turned his attentions to the others that were training in the yard. His loud voice could be heard as he called out orders in Therian to the group. Touya led the way to Grashath's hut once more and Sharye fell into step a little bit ahead of them. The bright youth twisted around on his heel and beamed at both of them.

"Say, Touya. Can I teach Havanthii our language?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you're her lover," his eyes flicked over to her for a second before lifting back to Touya who shook his head slightly.

"She is her own person, Sharye. You can ask her."

The smaller Therian bounced over to April and walked beside her, "So, would you like to learn Therian?"



The mercenary was practicing by himself in the cold night. He'd been fighting with Miles for the past few days and reopened his wound more than once. Reginald couldn't have been very happy every time he went back in to be restitched up. Either way, the man was pretty good and hiding his true feelings, something that reminded Damea of a certain Therian. Damea's practice continued though, and the day before he hadn't had to go see Reginald for his wound never reopened. He was healing quite nicely if he said so himself.

The fire mage worked his body into a sweat as he moved from one side of the room to the other. For some reason he couldn't sleep that night. Agitated over something, a deep nagging at the back of his brain as if he were missing something or that something was going to happen very soon. He didn't like the feeling and because it kept him up, Damea figured he'd put the time to good use rather than just laying in the bed trying to sleep. So he made his way over to the training room that he and Miles were sharing.

He practiced his Therian sword play, mixing it with what he used to do long ago. The street fighting that he'd grown accustomed to before training with the Therian's. It was a fairly deadly mixture, but as Miles had said before, it would not be enough to fight against a hybrid. They were fast and insanely strong, both more so than a Therian, which was saying a lot. So, Damea had to come up with a different style, a better way of fighting that would match that of a hybrids, or at least hold its own against one. The mercenary came to a sliding halt as he stood in the center of the room, chest heaving.

He'd been at it for a few hours, working from one end of the dimly lit room to the other. He hadn't ignited his flames either, not that he didn't have control over them, just that he didn't want to alert anyone that he was up and make unnecessary commotion for everyone else. He was rather proud of his progress the last few days, though. Damea had been getting much better at controlling his magic, and it was made even more apparent the more he healed. With the added strength he felt he was making much more progress than before.

The mercenary had to admit, though albeit a bit hesitantly, Abigail's crude suggestion of toasting bread had done it's job to get him to control the flames better. Why he hadn't thought of that was beyond him, but then, he'd always been afraid of losing control and hurting people he didn't wish to hurt. Damea twisted the blades in his hands and took a deep, steadying breath. Closing his eyes he stood stock still for a moment before his body shot into action again and he continued his own personal training.

---

April Rosevolt

---

Her body bristled on contact, still sensitive from the adrenaline pumping into her veins. It was more than mildly distracting to have the therian so close to her so suddenly. He always surprised her that way, and April couldn’t help but wonder if he had a natural affinity for charming woman. Remembering her earlier desires, she almost yanked on his braid in return, but resisted out of sheer embarrassment. Touya’s lips nudged against her soft cheeks before pausing at the brink of her vision.

"More than met my expectations. Though...you did have me worried at the start. Come, let’s get you fixed up with Grashath. Though I hope the old Therian doesn't have a fit about having just done you up only to come back a little beaten up," he chastised, his voice arching with his legitimate concerns. She caught the pointed look he was giving her and shrugged in a helpless manner.

“Afraid I would lose control again? I thought you wanted me to train,” she slumped, tired from her exertions. In all honesty, she was amazed she kept it together. Her arms were sore also, jarred from repeated deflections, but she didn’t wish to burden Touya with more information than necessary, “Plus, you even said it was going to be tough. Though, I must admit I was a little confused at first. Most people I know don’t train with real weapons; you therians certainly like to live life on the edge. We both held back because of it, probably.”

At those words he frowned, or maybe it was the prospect of facing the stern technician that turned his expression. Whatever the case, he engaged the gate mechanisms and ushered her outside of the arena. Behind them, Bordal was already in the process of resuming their harsh regime, sending his low tone booming over the clearing. A final glance at the cyclopean man confirmed her suspicions as the surrounding therians began performing a different set of drills in a mechanized fashion.

They made their way back to Grashath’s tent without delay, Sharye pacing ahead and functioning with his usual joviality. Watching him bounce from one side to the next made her feel older than she actually was. “Still, I need to get used to these blades,” she muttered, motioning to their hidden compartments with distaste, “Do you know when your people plan to move out against the facili-”

"Say, Touya. Can I teach Havanthii our language?" Sharye asked abruptly, still somehow managing to talk and keep pace despite his liveliness. April raised her eyebrows in astonishment, wondering what the youth could possibly be intending. Her mind chewed on the harsh words Touya had said to her earlier. Maybe he was right. Perhaps the youth intended nothing more than to help her and she’d simply lived too long in selfish fear.

"Why are you asking me?" asked Touya, partly incredulous.

"Because you're her lover," Sharye answered rather bluntly. She began to chuckle at their back and forth banter now.

"She is her own person, Sharye. You can ask her."

Sharye switched sides eagerly, landing to the right of her. "So, would you like to learn Therian?" he said, much like an entrepreneur.

“Hmmmm,” April hummed, her bottom lip forming a pout and making a show of debating the thought. She stroked the ends of her metaphoric beard and gazed at the boy skeptically. “I dunno…I mean, I could always just have Touya teach me.”

She allowed the sentence to expire, waiting to see the boy’s reaction before she continued, “How about this then. You tell me what Touya said to Bordal earlier, and I’ll…”

April lulled contemplatively, briefly considering how she could possibly repay the boy for his assistance. “I’ll teach you a thing or two about scouting.”

---

Damea Reese & Abigail

---

The doors to the training room parted abruptly, giving way to the fiery red head. Abigail looked up from the towel around her neck and stared at the mercenary for a brief moment of surprise. She was outside of her usual uniform, wearing a simple tank top and trousers with the obvious intention of performing some physically demanding task. All of it was black. She was thin, but not overly so for Abigail had an athlete’s body and a decent height on her. Almost the equal of Damea’s.

“Looks like I’m not the only one who can’t sleep,” she said, grinning curtly. Without needing permission, she waltzed into the room and laid a sack down by the far wall. Turning to face Damea, her arms crossed over her chest as she shifted her weight to the left. “Though from the looks of it, you’ve been getting a lot less than I have. How about we spar? You can tell me what’s on troubling you in the process.”

She licked her lips and strode forwards, adopting a martial stance in the process. Damea was dressed in his own sweat and was a fair size broader than her. By far the most striking of his qualities was his mismatched gaze though, a swirling mixture of green and red. Reginald had informed her about the man's mercenary background since, though you could always learn more from the actual subject themselves. “Why don’t you try use your fire against me? I promise I won't hurt you too much. I have a few questions myself about you also if you don't mind me asking," she said, working her own magic.

Sharye looked apprehensive as April answered him in kind. Then his face brightened and his lips pulled into a smile as she told him that if he started by telling her what Touya had said to Bordal earlier, that she would return the kindness by teaching him some scouting tricks. The youth beamed as he whirled around and began walking backwards, facing her with his hands behind his back. His gaze flicked over to Touya before he answered her request to which Touya turned away to hid his faint blush that had appeared on his face.

"Touya said 'size doesn't matter, and she's perfect for me'," Sharye grinned, then laughed as he went right back to his place next to April's side. By this time they'd reached Grashath's hut and Touya opened up the door.

Reaching out he took hold of Sharye's arm and pushed the youth inside, "Alright, that's enough of that," he said trying to get his embarrassment under control.

"There's still plenty to do, more so with you tagging along now too," he mumbled the last part. With a sigh, he shook his head slightly as Sharye ran off into the back of the hut to call for the elder Therian. The boy seemed to have an abundance of energy, something that Touya wished he had at the moment. His gaze shifted down to look at April with a bit of a shrug and a smile, "He feels like a child to me. To answer your question earlier, we're planning to leave at the end of this week. There are still many clans that are supposed to be coming, so they are waiting for those clans to get here before we make our move. This gives us plenty of time to train you as much as possible and also to have word reach Reginald and Damea."

"Injured already?" Grashath announced as he entered the room, the words were in Therian, but Touya was sure April got the gist of the comment due to how he was scrutinizing her with his gaze. The elder motioned for her to seat herself upon the operating chair once again and dug around for his tools. The injuries weren't much, small scratches at most upon the metal, but Touya had a feeling he understood what Grashath was sighing about.

"You'll be seeing her more throughout the week I'm sure," Touya commented in return. The elder exhaled his breath through his nose in a short huff, almost like a half laugh.

"Keep it to scratches, will ya?"

"He said to try to keep it to scratches only," Touya interpreted for her, "He'll be done with this very shortly than we can head over and get you some new weapons. I'll see if I can explain how to draw out your blades too. It's a natural process, much like how you just tell your body to move forward. If you want it to happen, it'll happen."



“Looks like I’m not the only one who can’t sleep."

Damea whirled around, his weapons held tightly in his hand as he'd been startled by Abigail's entrance. He watched her for a few seconds with his swords up before he lowered them and breathed out a sigh of relief that it was only her.

"Though from the looks of it, you’ve been getting a lot less than I have. How about we spar? You can tell me what’s on troubling you in the process,” she said as she crossed the room and set down a large sack of... stuff.

He raised an eyebrow at her, curious as to what it was she was carrying. The fire mage didn't spend time wondering what it was though as he rested his gaze on her lithe form. She was dressed in a simple tank top and pants, but the look was... more than complimenting. Damea shook his head, as beautiful as she was, he wasn't about to like her. After all, she was the one who coldly suggested that they dissect April.

“Why don’t you try use your fire against me? I promise I won't hurt you too much. I have a few questions myself about you also if you don't mind me asking."

Damea's lips twisted into a grin, "Oh ho, really? That should be my line," the mercenary returned softly, though with a bit of uncovered malice, "I'll be happy to answer any questions you have, though. As to what's bothering me..." he took a deep breath and struck his swords together to create the needed spark. Flames outstretched across his blades and flickered brightly. The room was like a dance of shadows as the firelight illuminated everything.

"A lot bothers me. Most importantly, the lack of confrontation from the hybrids," he started and shifted his body into a fighting stance as well, "And also the fact that we haven't heard a word from Touya and April yet. Something's going to happen soon, I can feel it. It's too damned quiet," Damea moved then coming at her with his swords first. He figured she would extinguish the flames as that was what she seemed really good at. Of course the sword attack was just a front to keep her attention up on his upper body and not his legs.

---

April Rosevolt

---

Sharye beamed at her proposal, the prospect of interaction adding to his already bustling enthusiasm. April frowned in response, genuinely perplexed as to how the boy so freely offered his aid. In Altheim, it was more often the case that you needed to pay people before they provided any service. Quickly he began back peddling as a fiendish expression appeared on his features.

"Touya said 'size doesn't matter, and she's perfect for me'," he smiled before laughing aloud.

“And here I was thinking he just had a thing for punishment,” April mused smartly. The slim smirk that etched into the hybrid’s lips spoke for her as she caught Touya’s blossoming red cheeks.

"Alright, that's enough of that," Touya intervened, gently restraining the youth before further humiliation could be incurred. "There's still plenty to do, more so with you tagging along now too."

Sharye laughed again and disappeared into the tent’s interior as he went to go fetch the technician. "He feels like a child to me,” Touya said once the youth was outside of earshot. He sighed exhaustively before turning to regard her. “To answer your question earlier, we're planning to leave at the end of this week. There are still many clans that are supposed to be coming, so they are waiting for those clans to get here before we make our move. This gives us plenty of time to train you as much as possible and also to have word reach Reginald and Damea."

“He certainly is boundless,” April observed, offering her partner a queer look, “The hybrid facility is firmly secured in the heart of Altheim. Near Glendale Prison. If you move out in force, and in the open, the people will panic and retaliate in kind. From what I heard, Victor already has public opinion under the sole of this thumb. I know it’s fruitless of me to hope, but I want to prevent this war from escalating anymore than it has. If we act brashly now, we could wind up in a long-term conflict. When you do have a meeting to discuss your plans, I'd like to be there.”

The familiarly gruff voice of Grashath startled her speech as they re-entered the technician’s home. He waved her to sit imperiously. No greeting, or any form of expected courtesy welcomed them as they entered, and this time April didn’t have to understand therian to know that the man was displeased. She sat down as instructed, frugally shirking her jacket so not to impede his work, and positioned herself as comfortable as possible. Once again the two older therians exchanged a few incomprehensible words before Touya translated.

"He said to try to keep it to scratches only," he recited, "He'll be done with this very shortly than we can head over and get you some new weapons. I'll see if I can explain how to draw out your blades too. It's a natural process, much like how you just tell your body to move forward. If you want it to happen, it'll happen."

“This isn’t even my own body anymore,” April grimaced before sighing, “I’ll try my best to keep the injuries to a minimum anyway.”

Not that she knew what else to expect from Bordal’s training, especially after their first session. The apprehension she felt was strange in hindsight. April had experienced several wars over her career and hundreds of fights, but now that she’d changed, everything felt different. “From what I can say though, I’ll certainly be needing a new weapon.”

---

Damea Reese & Abigail

---

"Oh ho, really? That should be my line," Damea said haughtily, though with undercurrents of antipathy. She could almost pin point the moment he remembered their second meeting and grinned as he clapped his swords together. Flames sparked to life in response and swiftly branched out to cover the length of his blades. "I'll be happy to answer any questions you have, though. As to what's bothering me..."

"A lot bothers me. Most importantly, the lack of confrontation from the hybrids," he explained, adopting a fighting stance in tandem to hers, "And also the fact that we haven't heard a word from Touya and April yet. Something's going to happen soon, I can feel it. It's too damned quiet."

“You know, this city has been awfully quiet lately,” Abigail admitted but said nothing otherwise. Damea was fast and sure footed as he came at her, swords thrusting at a blistering pace, but Abigail had no intentions of fighting the straight fight. She zigzagged with unnatural swiftness, avoiding her would be opponent like an adult keeping a ball from a child.

“It may very well be that Victor has decided to move out, in which case that would explain the lack of recent hybrid activity,” Abigail said, pinching her fingers and extinguishing his flames once she was far enough. “Boring. You’re path of attack is too predictable if you assault me linearly.”

She said this, but Damea was still fast approaching, and she was about to hit the boundary. “Usually there would be a public announcement in the event Altheim’s forces were dispatched. Getting your people to support the war is half the battle. But Victor knows we still have enough numbers to threaten him. He’s desperate to find us and hide his weaknesses at the same time.”

Abigail puffed out a breath of hot air, twisted and sprang off the wall. Her trajectory carried her well over the mercenary’s head where she landed in the middle of the room with a gracious back flip. Spreading her arms, she waved them in and out mysteriously before concussive air blasts hammered Damea consecutively from both flanks.

“In which case, your friends might already be fighting,” she told him cordially, “And we’re missing the perfect opportunity to strike the hybrid facility. Or it could be a trap to lure us in.”

The woman was very quick on her feet as she dodged him, but not only that, taunted him too. She was calling him boring. How rude. Of course, if he cared to think about her commentary without getting angry at her, he would see that she was right. Damea had the uncanny habit of coming straight onto the opponent with no real intention of doing anything else. As she backed up in a zig-zag pattern, his flameless blades missing her with each strike, she continued to speak.

"The people will have a war, whether they want one or not with how things are going now. It'd be best to take Victor out as soon as possible without dragging this thing out for too long. If anything we should be trying to find his weaknesses and exploit them as much as possible," Damea struck out at her again, stopping his speech to gain the strength and concentration needed to attack her properly.

However, Abigail turned and leapt off the wall, twisting her body in the air as she literally jumped right over him. He was amazed at such a movement and for a moment even in awe as he watched her twirl around him. Damea turned around, but was far to slow as she weaved her hands in and out strangely before her. A second later and he felt the overwhelming pounding of hard air currents crushing into his frame. He was knocked backwards from the first couple, and then felt as if he were crushed between the air again and again.

His eyes closed from the pain and pressure, gritting his teeth as he tried to gain air into his lungs once more. It was hard to breathe after being pummeled so hard. He couldn't move an inch under her attack, stuck as he was he found it hard to get his hands to cooperate and strike another spark of fire. The most pain came from his side. Though mostly healed, the skin was tender from the stab wound given to him by Ahmeil. It was making him dizzy as he tried to stay standing. Damea wasn't about to give up though and managed to get his swords crossed with slightly trembling hands. The first strike produced nothing as the angle was off and the strength behind it wasn't there. It was the same for the second and third attempts too.

He was about to give up completely when he tried it a fourth time out of pure anger at his situation and managed a spark. The blades ignited and the wind currents helped to drive it to an amazingly hot, burning inferno. He didn't waste a second and formed the fire into a ball, something he'd been practicing as of late. The ball twisted and curled and he launched it at her.

"Yes, we're missing a great opportunity to fight," he said when he was free of the buffeting wind against his body, "I've got some things I wish to show those damned hybrids..."

---

---

Day Four at the Therian Camp

Leaning up against the rail Touya watched April and Bordal, this time Sharye was sparring with them both as well. The time for them to be getting ready to invade the facility was growing ever closer. Two more days and they were leaving for the place. Already the camp had grown in size as the past few days they'd gained many more Therians. Stories of attacks in the wild by the monsters filled the air as the many tribes and clans came together. Each story seemingly more gruesome than the last, it was driving Touya insane just sitting and listening. He wanted to do something about it.

He was deep in thought, hardly paying any attention to the sparring go on in front of him when the yell rang out through the camp. Already on edge, Touya whipped around, his arm blades snapping out and both swords drawn. He was expecting to see a hybrid come waltzing through the camp to destroy it, but no such thing happened. Instead, what did enter the camp was the last person he thought he'd see ever again. Ahmeil was leading and behind her followed only a handful of Therian's, one of them being Val.

Many of the people backed away from the small group that entered the camp, some watched curiously from their home. Touya on the other hand took an offensive stance, allowing his power to build around him. If he hadn't been noticed before hand he certainly was right then. The glowing blue light around his body was enormous, more than usual as he glowered at the approaching Therian's. Ahmeil's eyes widened as she spotted him, where on the other hand, Val only glowered as well.

"What are you doing here, Val?"

"I could ask you the same, Touya," the Therian shot back. Val moved and put himself in front of his group of people, some of them reaching for weapons already at the sight of Touya. Val motioned with his hand for them to not draw, "Seems the humans have finally fallen so far as to create monsters to try to eradicate us. Didn't see that one coming, did you Touya?"

He didn't answer Val as the man strode forward, placing himself a few feet from Touya's magic engulfed frame. Val's gaze flicked over to the training grounds were many of the men were now leaning against the railing, some of them looking as if they were ready for a fight just like Touya was.

"We were attacked," Ahmeil's voice came from behind Val, half startling Touya who had forgotten she was even there, "The hybrids nearly killed us all. Out of the hundred or so we had in our group, this is all that's left," her hand motioned to the twenty that were behind her. Touya's eyes widened slightly, an eyebrow lifting in shock as he took in what she said. Ahmeil moved up next to Val, placing herself in a spot where she could put herself between the two men easily and quickly, "We did not come here to fight, we came here because we need help. Just like you do."

Touya huffed in irritation, however he slowly lowered his blades and with a flick, they folded back down and he sheathed them. The arm blades slowly slid back into place and his glowing body went back to normal as he let go of all the energy around him. Val lifted his head in a show of superiority that Touya wanted to wipe off his face so badly.

"Never thought that you and I would fight together again, Touya," Val called as the tall Therian turned his back to the group and made his way to a secluded part of the camp.

---

Damea Reese & Abigail

---

She didn’t think he’d have the strength to overcome the ferocious gales. She didn’t even think he’d have the capacity to ignite another fire in all that wind. Abigail barely saw the fireball as the air combusted and then howled in her direction, eliminating any chance to construct her usual voids. Desperate to dodge, she threw herself sideways, just barely escaping the fiery projectile as it screeched past her ears like an angry phoenix. The blaze scorched her shoulders and hair, and for a second, she thought she might literally turn into a flaming red head.

Toppling onto her right side, Abigail winced as she rolled back and then leapt up. Her breath stalled as the woman’s arms stretched out, quickly forming another void to extinguish any flames on her. She stepped back before she could suffocate and exhaled.

“That was very dangerous,” she huffed, flicking stray strands of hair behind her ear. Abigail’s bottom lip wrinkled in the form of a pout, though her eyes still twinkled with a trace of amusement, “I think I’ve got the perfect idea figured out for you.”

The doors burst open once more, suffusing the room with harsh, white artificial lighting. Appearing by the entrance was the familiar sight of Reginald’s assistant. The man was in an obvious hurry as he blundered into the duel and held the door open with his shoulder. “Commander?” called Reginald’s adjutant. Upon sighting the red head, the man gulped and briskly adjusted his posture into one more respectable. Mirroring Damea, his brow was caked in a layer of sweat, but most noticeable was the urgency in his tone.

“Yes Mister Hans?” Abigail answered, raising an eyebrow at his incursion.

“We’ve received word from Touya, Reginald wishes to convene a meeting immediately,” Hans replied, blurting out the news.

“I see. the other officers will likely still be asleep. Why don’t you summon them Mister Hans?” Abigail suggested. Assembling the others would also give her some time to re-dress.

The assistant nodded and left the duo alone once more. At this point Abigail was already walking over to retrieve her knapsack, her mind elsewhere. “Join us, I invite you,” she said, bending over to lift the straps over her back. She made a conscious decision to sling the band over her right shoulder, avoiding the burns on her left until they could be treated. “It’ll be easier to say things once rather than repeat them to you later.”

“Victor has no weaknesses. He’s willing to sacrifice anything, any piece on the chess board to solidify his dominance,” she spoke. Abruptly, she tossed him the towel she’d brought in with her. “If you and Miles work together, with his air and your fire, you fools could become quite the combo. I’ll see you soon.”

---

April Rosevolt

---

Attack, defend, attack. April thrust back after narrowly dodging a sweeping kick, her sword singing in the air. There was no monotony to her movements, or Bordal’s. Arms, legs, weapons, anything went as far as the therian commander was concerned, and his variety of attacks was truly admirable. She was getting used to constantly having to be on her toes now, to the rush of adrenaline as it pumped through her veins. After the disappointing results of her trying to activate her wrist blades, it almost felt refreshing to focus on something she was capable of doing.

She was so focused on combat that she almost missed the ripples of unease which spread through the camp. It took Bordal suddenly lowering his sword before she broke out of her concentration. Startled by the giant cyclopean’s passivity, she stopped midway into her strike and leapt back. “What’s going on?” she asked, hearing the commotion now.

Following his gaze, her blue eyes widened at who she saw stalk into the clearing, and April began to visibly shake. Her mouth opening and closed slightly, her fury taking away any semblance of control she once had.

“Val,” she hissed the name like it was poison to her tongue.

Of course, the first person the terrorist went to address was Touya, their old grudge rekindled. Watching them was like watching the reunion of a divorced couple as Val stepped forwards, placing himself purposefully in front of Touya. Both men squared up to each other, their powers bubbling on the verge of exploding.

"We did not come here to fight, we came here because we need help. Just like you do," stated a therian woman, appealing to the two rivals with reason. The same woman who tried to kill Touya.

"Never thought that you and I would fight together again, Touya," Val croaked, boasting an awfully superior look. Touya said nothing, to irritated to speak a constructive word, and sheathed his weapons. Behind him, April had other ideas however.

“Murderers,” snarled April, the handle of her sword almost snapped in her hands. With his back turned to them, she launched herself forwards, her fingers curled and wrist blades unconsciously drawn.

The sound of April's snarl caught his attention and by the time Touya had turned around to see what she was going on about, she'd launched herself at Val. Her hand tightened around the sword in her hand and she looked ready to run the man through with the weapon. Not that Touya minded all that much, he would like to kill the man himself, he just worried about April's condition and losing control over herself. Even so, as he made his way back to the commotion, he didn't do anything to stop her. Not even when Val raised his arm, blades coming out of his wrists, and stopped April's advance. Steel ground against steel as her wrist blades connected with his own.

"You're from that time before..." Val mused softly, his gaze lowering to look down at April, "First you take him hostage, then dessert him, now what? Because you've become something... else you've run back to him?"

"That's enough," Touya growled and stepped forward. He wasn't about to pull April away just yet, but Val's words were grating on his every nerve and pushing his patience. Ahmeil moved, putting herself between all the three of them as best as she could. Something had changed about her, Touya could tell, what happened to do such a thing though was beyond him. Her eyes were softer than before, her voice not so cold.

"We need each other right now, please. Don't toss away help so easily," she said. Touya lifted an eyebrow as he watched her carefully. Was she still trying to hold onto her crueler side or was she just trying to look strong in front of everyone to cover the fact that she'd finally snapped out of her downward spiral? Whatever it was, Touya was seeing right through it and he was sure Val was too.

Reaching out, he took April's arm gently, "Come. You can kill him later. But right now, she's right. We need all the help we can get if we want to take down the facility."

"Where is this facility that you speak of?" Val asked abruptly as he lowered his arm and let his blades slide back in slowly.

"You'll find out when we get there," Touya snapped back.

"Touchy, touchy," Val muttered and switched languages, "Sure you can trust her? She's become a hideous monster now. Don't you think they've meddled with her mind just a bit? Maybe they let her loose because they knew she'd run straight to you. And now you're going to trust her just like that and let her lead all of us to our deaths. If you've seen them you know they are not something that we can handle on our own," Val's voice dropped as he continued and he took a threatening step forwards towards Touya.

"I warned you about those damned humans. I warned you that they were nothing but rotten and evil. I figured that they would do something like this and that is why I was trying to stop them. Not to mention we need to ensure the survival of our race. What did you think those damned rats would do with technology such as what they have? They certainly can't seem to use it for anything good, even amongst their own."

"Watch what you say, Val. She may be human but she's learning our ways. And she is by no means a monster," Touya shot back, his voice growling deep in his chest. He turned and put himself between April and Val, stepping forward just as Val had done, though this time he seemed to be more menacing than ever before, "I hear you say that again and I won't hesitate to run a sword through you. It won't matter if we need your help or not."

Ahmeil tried her best to keep the two separate, but she was failing miserably. Val only eyed Touya for a long while before he stepped back. His dark gaze shifted to look at April from just behind the taller Therian. He smiled at them both before giving a short laugh and turning on his heel. The Therian walked away with his men in tow. Ahmeil watched as he went and then looked back up to Touya.

"I'm-"

"Leave."

"Touya, I-"

"I don't know what's happened to you, or what is going with you in that mind of yours Ahmeil, but you'd better leave right now. You say you want to help us? Than start by keeping him away from us," Touya ordered and turned his back to her. Leaning down to April he kissed her gently on her cheek and took her arm in his hand to start leading her away.

---

---

“We’ve received word from Touya, Reginald wishes to convene a meeting immediately,” a man said as he burst through the double doors of the room. Damea whirled around to look directly at the man. His thoughts whirled immediately onto the Therian's whereabouts and what the man was up to. He'd been thinking about Touya for days, wondering what was going on. The mercenary had half wished he could have gone with both of them when they left, but he knew at the time there was no possible way. He was still recovering and would have been a hindrance to them both.

Abigail answered, but Damea wasn't really paying attention. He was lost in thought, half startled really that Touya had sent word so soon. It had the mercenary wondering if things were actually going well or not. Damea was brought out of his thoughts as Abigail turned to him and her voice, having been directed at him, punctured his revere.

“Join us, I invite you. It’ll be easier to say things once rather than repeat them to you later.”

Damea nodded slowly, only partially following her request. Though he did, however, notice that she favored one shoulder and a closer inspection told him that he'd actually managed to graze her in the last attack. His face flushed as he realized that he'd just burnt a woman, and to top it all off, she was technically his superior. He was sure he'd never hear the end of it.

"Uh...I-"

Abigail cut him off both with her next words and having tossed a towel at his head. The white piece of cloth covered his face for a moment and he missed her turning and heading for the door entirely. Pulling it off his head, he eyed her as she talked.

“Victor has no weaknesses. He’s willing to sacrifice anything, any piece on the chess board to solidify his dominance. If you and Miles work together, with his air and your fire, you fools could become quite the combo. I’ll see you soon.”

The doors closed behind her, leaving Damea in the room holding the towel. He stood there, eyes narrowing slightly as he glowered at the spot where he'd last seen her. Fools, hu? How... unbecoming of you, he thought to himself. With a sigh he dried himself off from his earlier workout and replaced his swords into their sheaths having dropped them when the towel was thrown at him. Damea started for the double doors and headed out into the hallway to where he knew they would all be meeting up.

"No weaknesses hu? You may not think so, but everyone has a weakness of some kind. It's just finding it that's the difficult part..." he mused to himself as he opened the door to the meeting room.

---

April Rosevolt

---

Her lips drew back into the visage of a snarl as their two opposing forces clashed violently in the clearing. There was a resounding clang as two blades collided, one human, one therian. Val’s impetuous ease at deflecting her only fuelled the ambers of her rage, causing her to press in with all of her might. It was his smug manner that lit the match and bristled every fiber of her body however. She wanted to kill to him, to wipe of that conceited grin from his noble features and repay the debt of her comrades and Touya.

For a moment she forgets where they were, their cause, and abandons all reason. That single compulsion, combined with whatever the scientists had done to her, was slowly consuming her mind. Engulfed by a tsunami of hate and abject despair, April almost erupted there and then. Vying for control, their two blades trembled against one another, but it was Val who struck the first fatal blow.

"You're from that time before...First you take him hostage, then dessert him, now what? Because you've become something... else you've run back to him?"

And just like that, his words rattled her harder than warhammer. She let out a cry of anguish and sliced her arms forwards, ready to kill or die trying. “It’s not like that,” she hissed.

"That's enough," Touya interrupted. He moved forwards to physically restrain her, clearly concerned about her declining mental condition. The therian’s hand around her arm was enough to placate the hybrid, and all of a sudden her anger fell apart. "Come. You can kill him later. But right now, she's right. We need all the help we can get if we want to take down the facility."

In the wake of her outburst, April’s shoulders slackened in defeat. The wrist blades receded with a life of their own, disappearing as quickly as all of her hate. She allowed herself to be ushered away silently, unwilling to say or do anything of her own conviction for fear of her own lack of control. Neither could she fully refute the claims of therian terrorist. She’d felt like a burden ever since she returned, and everything, all the gains she’d achieved so far in recovering wouldn’t have been possible without Touya.

The soft touch of his lips against her cheek broke her trance and she looked up as Touya began to pull them away from the retreating parties. It was a tentative truce at best, and ultimately unsustainable given all of the bad air between them. April questioned if allowing Val to take part in the attack of the facility was a good idea at all. Assuming they succeeded in halting the production of hybrids, surely the terrorist would seize that chance to attack Altheim.

“She tried to kill you. Val almost did also and he killed all of my men,” April said once they were out of earshot. The thought made some of her anger return, causing her fingers open and close on nothing. “How can you be so calm?

It was an honest question, and her eyes betrayed her disbelief as she directed her mind to more immediate concerns. There was no point in dwelling over ‘what ifs’, at least not yet.

---

Dean ‘Havoc’ Reginald

---

“What’s the news?” Abigail asked upon entering conference room.

Reginald looked up from his papers, as did Miles as the abrasive woman barged through the doors. Surprisingly, Damea followed close after and the two men shared a brief moment of wonderment at the coincidence. Inside, the room was sizable, warm, cozy and well lit. A giant rectangular table inhabited the center of the room, surrounded by a perimeter of comfortable desk chairs. By the east side of the room was a row of side tables, and on top of them, some trays of finger food. Apart from Miles and Reginald, there were also several other individuals who waited. Most notable of them was the Captain of the Jaeger Guard, Kim Castern, a dour faced individual who sported a stylized moustache.

“Our faceless friend sends his regards,” Reginald responded, smirking slightly as he glanced towards Damea, “Both of them safely arrived at a therian camp. A rather large one as well going by his description.”

Abigail nodded and immediately strode towards the closest available chair, which happened to be at the head of the table. She waited until she was well seated before speaking again. “The situation?”

Given that Reginald had gathered just about everyone, it wasn’t hard to guess that something important had almost been included in the message.

“The therians plan to attack the hybrid facility,” Reginald stated, “And Touya was kind enough to disclose the information of its whereabouts to us.”

“So April did know the location,” Abigail murmured, “Where? When? How?”

Reginald’s face scrunched up in a way which suggested that the message had been frustratingly vague. “Close to Glendale prison, unsurprisingly. They move out in two days. Which means they’ll likely arrive at here within the week or more, depending on how many people he brings. He didn’t mention how.”

Abigail’s eyes narrowed as she grimaced at the horribly blatant lack of information, “I knew I didn’t like where this was going. Vague as ever that therian is.”

“Which probably means he wants us to meet them,” Kim said, filling in the blanks.