//------------------------------// // 9 - Safeton // Story: End Game // by Meep the Changeling //------------------------------// Vinyl Scratch - Day 5 Safeton - Mount Mercy, Wieav Vinyl sat hunched over in the uncomfortable wooden chair next to Lyra’s infirmary bed. The last three days had been more than a little stressful, to say the least. Francine’s “help”, was only partially to blame, most of the stress came instead from the Safeton itself. It’s safe alright… But I think the Fortress was safer, Vinyl thought to herself as she looked out the window at the mountaintop city and the forests far below. The ancient village, which Safeton had been built around, sat on the very top of Mount Mercy. An ancient volcano which had died mid-eruption. Safeton took its name from this event long ago, and had been constructed within the newly “plugged” crater. The ancient village had once used the carved crater rim as a defensive wall but over the years the village had grown and the wall had been knocked down. Now anyone who stood within the edge of the city center could look down across the terracotta tile roofs which stretched down the mountainside, each individual building seeming to flow together, merging into a dull orange uneven slab. From a distance, Safeton looked like a clay deposit atop its mountain. Her building’s rooves contributed a lot to this illusion, but not as much as the granite walled buildings. Safeton had been constructed from the mountain it rested upon. Even its farms were hidden in mountain valleys and placed behind natural-looking artificial walls. In less ancient times this was its defense. If one did not know exactly which mountain in the small range the village was one, you wouldn’t see it until you were almost on top of it. Safeton was well known about now. That ancient defense had also failed. In the end, something can only remain hidden until it is found, and found Safeton was. There had been a time when the Araka and Elbez living within the village had been slaves to the orks. That time ended in fire three thousand years ago. Vinyl looked down the mountainside at Safeton’s current “wall” and took a nervous breath for the thousandth time. The wall was a brick red, a common color for walls, but not so much for this particular family of wall. The wall was around three kilometers long, an average length for a fortified wall around a small community, an extremely freakish length for this particular kind of “wall”. If Chem’s disguise spell fails, we’re so dead! Why was this a good idea again? Why are we staying here?! Vinyl worried to herself, fidgeting slightly in her seat. I’d say I was worrying about nothing, but let’s be honest. The Sisters with Twilight and Cadence’s help would have a hard time surviving that… That thing! Perhaps it was a little silly to be worried about something three days after first encountering it, even if that thing was unfathomably powerful. At least, it might be silly when a couple thousand people lived their entire lives close enough to walk over and touch the absurdly dangerous thing without any difficulties whatsoever. Under any other circumstances, Safeton’s wall would warrant the fear a dozen times over. But this particular “wall” wasn’t going to be attacking anyone it encircled today. Safeton's current protection came from it resting within the shadow of a colossus. Maru the Colossus, specifically. Maru being a mutant cloud dragon, who unlike every other dragon known to their race, had never stopped growing. To the point where she now formed a very handy defensive wall when she curled up around the village which just so happened to be atop her favorite napping mountain. While her sheer bulk provided a material wall, Maru also doubled as a metaphorical wall. Anyone with a half working pair of eyes could see her atop her “bed” from a good forty leagues away, assuming the sky was clear that day. Over the many years Maru had chosen to live within The Colossus’ Range (named for her, naturally), and many warlords had approached Safeton intent upon raiding what must be a bountiful village. In the modern age the general consensus amongst bandit tribes is to marinate anyone foolish enough to attack Safeton so as to appease the Great Dragon. Vinyl turned away from the window, needing to think about anything else other than the inconceivably large juggernaut napping outside. A task which became much more difficult as the sun dimmed as if a cloud had passed in front of the sun. But it wasn’t a cloud. The rustle of scales on stone mixing with sleepy draconic murmurings and the light’s reddish tint made it clear Maru had stretched out a wing in her sleep. “Hey! Hey, Maru!” A distant voice called, its tinny quality indicating it came through a primitive megaphone. Vinyl jumped, her heart hammering at a million miles an hour. Don’t-wake-the-dragon. Don’t-wake-the-dragon. PLEASE, don’t- “Nyeh?” A booming yet feminine voice responded sleepily. “Would you please retract your left wing? We’re trying to do some weather magic and need to see the sky,” Mister Megaphone asked with immaculate politeness The immense dragoness made a few sleepy sounds, and the sunlight streaming through the window returned to a cheerful white. “Thank you,” Mister Megaphone concluded, as if he hadn’t just given a mountain sized creature an order. Sisters… This is what Ponyville is like to normal ponies, isn’t it? Vinyl asked herself. Vinyl stood up and began to pace the room. Her shift was going to be over soon. Sky would be here to watch over Lyra in just a few minutes. Someone she knew had to be here when she woke up, and Vi was happy to be that someone. But there was also mission critical things to do. Which thankfully will get us away from here. I’ll take a tomb over this place any day, Vinyl said with a shiver. It’s just a decorative wall, he said. We’ll just set down a few leagues away and walk on in, he said. Ugh… I can’t mock Chem’s line of thought. It made sense. Who the hay would look at her and think “Yeah, that’s a living being and not a sculpture.” Maybe I should take a double shift here, give Sky more time to work on fixing the Fortress’s shields and float units. Then we can leave faster. As she paced, Vi looked around the room again. The hospice room felt familiar, in a good way. Its simple wood floor, dark hardwood cabinets, shelves filled with glass bottles in a multitude of colors, and the large bed covered in hoof made blankets and pillows could have been found in any Equestrian village. Her homeland might be an arcane and industrial superpower with some of the most advanced cities on the planet, but by far most ponies lived in the smaller rural villages dotting Equestria’s face like sprinkles atop a cake. Maybe it was a desire for a simpler life, maybe it was simply a love of open areas, but this village (minus the dragon) could have been anywhere back home. Including the spiderfolk, Vinyl admitted with an internal laugh. There’s probably some place back home with people like them. Coincidently the tac-tac-tac of Arkan claws on wood echoed through the hospice’s corridors. One would think the sound of a six foot tall spider creature walking would be truly terrifying, and that is absolutely correct. Except of the case of Araka, their clawsteps sound almost exactly like an excited dog running on stone. Speak of Cerberus… Vinyl snorted in amusement, grateful for the comic timing in light of the colossus outside. The room’s iron shod wooden door creaked open as the Arakan Apothecary, Erna stepped inside. Vinyl had gotten to know her fairly well over the last few days. Erna was a very cheerful and fun person to be around, if you weren't bothered by the lower half of her body. Which Vinyl wasn’t. Erna was of the Chromium Clan, meaning her lower body was that of a Chromium spider. From the waist down, Erna’s chitinous exoskeleton was harless, smooth as glass, silver in color, and extremely glossy. The room reflected in her body like a mirror. From the waist up she looked almost exactly like the Humans Lyra obsessed over. Only with pale cream colored skin, long silvery-ashen hair tucked up under a very silly hat which Vi had been assured was traditional doctor’s attire, and wrapped up in an outfit best described as the top of a pale orange kimono with green highlights. Of course, there were also her small fangs, and the extra eyes located just above and to the sides of her main eyes. The compound orbs surrounding her mammalian eyes making it look like someone had implanted small sapphires around her eyes. The spider girl slipped into the room, doing her best to prevent the heavy door from slamming shut, which wasn’t too much due to her somewhat lacking physique. In fact the door dragged her across the floor in her attempts to prevent it from slamming shut and disturbing her patients. Just how much or even if this helped rescue the loud thud the door made as the iron edge hit the stone door jam was very debatable. Erna blushed lightly at her failure, then shrugged and rotated in place exactly like a tank, her legs skittering side to side during the odd movement. “Good morning, Vinyl!” The spider girl said cheerfully as she skittered across the floor to Lyra’s bed, her hands automatically beginning to weave the gestures for her healing spells. “Are you still spooked by Maru?” Vinyl flushed red for a moment in embarrassment. “Y-yeah.” “Hehe! Don’t worry, she’s nice! Unless you attack us,” Erna said, starting to hum as she worked, the occasional flash of green, blue, and white magic flicking between her fingers as they spun her spell. Vinyl shook her head. “She’s still a huge predator,” Vinyl mumbled. “Like, a REALLY huge one. That I’m near.” “Oh! That. Don’t worry about that. Maru can’t actually get enough meat to fill herself up. Hasn’t in thousands of years. She lost he taste for it and is into stone, wood, other things like that. I’ve got a friend whose uncle grows redmoss for her as a seasoning. You’re off the menu, you silly little lizzie!” Erna giggled suddenly flicking her left hand to send her completed spell straight into Lyra’s heart. Vinyl paused, standing silently for three full seconds. “She’s a lithovore?” Vi asked incredulously. “Yeah! It’s not like we live near the Avici Jungle and she can catch like… Eight? Yeah probably eight. Eight Terra Rescues everyday to have enough meat to eat. I asked what she’s been eating once. I think I was…seven? She burrows down into the old volcanic tunnels and eats any volcanic rock at the top of the crust. Apparently it’s similar in flavor to monkey bread. Ever have Monkey bread?” The spider girl babbled as she began to weave her second spell. “Yeah a few times,” Vinyl said as she turned to look out the window at the large wall of red scales. “Se SERIOUSLY only eats rocks?” “Well… She’s popped a few raiders down like after dinner mints, but only orks. I guess they taste good enough to make up for being like, nothing?” Erna said with a shrug. “Still… She could decide to eat your village, you know? I mean the actual village. These buildings are all rock,” Vi pointed out timidly. “Sure, but then she’d be lonely. She had a daughter a few thousand years ago, came here after she left home. If you’re still afraid, wait for her to wake up and go chat. She’s super friendly! Makes great muffins too.” “She… Makes muffins?” Vinyl asked skeptically. “You’re messing with me.” “I’m totally not. She’s got these really big surgical tools and uses them to make muffins that are our size. It’s really funny looking but she takes it seriously so don’t laugh,” Erna snickered, her main eyes closing for a moment in remembrance of amusements past. “Hold on, spell’s done gotta read her lifesigns an- Okay, good! Your friend’s still on schedule for a proper recovery. If we’re lucky she’ll be up in just a few more minutes, if we’re not, she’ll be up and about by evening.” Vinyl looked over at Lyra’s still but now healthy looking form, slightly envying how snugly and tucked into the extremely comfortable looking blanket she was. “Thanks. You’re really good. We could use healers like you back home,” Vinyl said with sincerity. Erna winced. “You keep saying that, and I’m actually not very good at this yet. Wherever your from, you should head to Metho. There’s a Healer’s Commune there, it’s where I got my medical liencene. If your village, city, or even nation has no good doctors they will send at least one to you. Everyone deserves proper care.” Vi sighed. “It’s a bit complicated… But we do have doctors. It’s just you’re really fast. Half her skin was missing, and you’ve got her looking like it never happened in just three days. Besides Doctor Lily, there isn’t anyone who could do that in less than three weeks.” Erna forwned, her eyes closing again as she shuddered. “I said it before, but just to be safe I do not want to know how she got hurt… I had enough nightmares after treating the adventuring company before you. Their wizard got swallowed by a Vespergaunt and- The things it’s digestive enzymes do to- I just-” Erna shivered and ran a hand across her eyes before continuing. “I don't want to know how people got hurt anymore. I’m happy just patching you guys up.” Vinyl nodded, her eyes darkening as she thought back to the worst she’d ever seen. The Everfree Forest. Night. The blue light of the moon filtered by trees. Six timberwolves, bigger than any on record. One lost griffon chick. A diplomat’s daughter. Talked into exploring the Everfree by some stupid, stupid colts. They tore her clean in half. Like a wet paper bag full of pasta… Because I gave the wrong orders. We failed because I made the wrong call. Vinyl bit her tongue, stopping the flashback before it went any further. “I know how you feel,” Vinyl said quietly. Erna paused for a moment, then crouched down to lay a hand on Vi’s shoulder. “Whoever you lost, I’m sorry I wasn’t there to save them. But at least Lyra will be fine, yeah?” Vinyl nodded. “Yeah.” Erna idly ran her fingers across each other for a moment then cleared her throat. “I’ll leave you two alone. Last time I treated a kobold he woke up and freaked out because his view was nothing but huge spider butt.” Vi smirked and shook her head. “Lyra is… Well, actually it’s probably best if it’s just a friend here when she wakes up. But there’s no way she won't think you’re cool.” “But… It’s summer?” Erna said raising an eyebrow as she frowned. “Oh, is that an expression? Sorry we’re a bit isolated here. I don’t hear many other dialects.” Vi nodded. “Yeah, it means she’ll think your interesting. Sort of. Better than interesting. I uh, I don't know how to translate the slang. You think I would. I was a musician before I was a soldier.” Erna shrugged. “We all forget things if we don’t do them for a while.” “It’s not that. I still write music, do remixes, It’s just the style I like went out of fashion so there’s not that many gigs anymore and-” Vinyl trailed off and gave the spider girl an apologetic smile. “Eh, sorry I didn’t mean to ramble like that. I’ll let you get to your other patients.” Erna nodded once and offered Vi a friendly smile. “It’s okay! Part of a healer’s job is to listen to people. If you want to talk more later I’ll be tending to Mister “I can totally survive that drop” in the other room. His wounds… Well, sorcerer's usually respond to arcane healing weirdly. Knock if you need anything!” Vinyl winced as Erna skittered out of the room. She’d given her a hand with that particular patient the other day. The young Arkan man had decided to personally test a “safe Fall” spell on himself. Now most of his non-vital organs were literally mud. How he wasn’t dead was as of yet unknown. “Good luck!” Vi called as the spider girl once again struggled with the heavy door. Vinyl smiled. “You too,” she said turning back towards Lyra. Unaware of the faint ripple in the air which passed through the momentarily open door before it banged shut. Grand Legion - Day 5 Safeton - Mount Mercy, Wieav The Grand Legion of Wieav isn’t a very storied military, not compared to the great nations of the world. Minic and Ritir set the bar far too high for any small nation to be seen as having a potent military force, or even a proud military tradition. When half the world is controlled by two ancient nations, there’s little a few million soldiers can do that hasn’t been done more impressively already. The Archaeidae were Wieav’s one exception. The Legion may spend most of its time fighting monsters bigger nations would have eradicated already. The Thunderstorm may be puny compared to other air forces. The Numericans may put Wieav’s meger coast guard to shame. But none of them could beat the Archaeidae at their game. There was no mystery to Wieav’s superiority in the field of assassination. Modern Wieav was stable, multi-species, and open to international trade. For the last two hundred years. Before then, only Araka lived in Wieav, and their old way of clan based governance had forged the most twisted web of politics ever seen. No outsider could comprehend it, and few born within the system knew how it worked, even as they were a part of it. For thousands of years the easiest way for a clan to do what it felt was best was to kill anyone who opposed them. Not openly of course. That would start a war. A war would hurt your clan. No, far better to kill them… And make it look like one of the countless other clans also opposing you did it. While such barbarisms were now behind the Araka, the traditions which kept their people alive for thousands of years had never fallen out of practice. Modern Wieav might be one big clan, but that pirate fleet was another clan, and so were all those other nations. And sometimes, well, sometimes trade and compromise just can’t get the job done. Sometimes you just need to put an arrow into a specific head and not get blamed for it. Also they are spiders. Honestly, that’s the real reason most people were not surprised by the skill of Wieav’s assassins. Seras was a member of Clan Banana in the service of the Archaeidae. A much feared clan, for if their little cousins bite induces an agonizing four hour erection followed by drowning in your own bile, what hell can fangs a thousand times larger unleash? The same, only you also itch everywhere. Including on the inside. The Assassin walked calmly through Safeton’s streets, easily flexing, bending and adjusting his stance to avoid touching anyone. If he were not hidden by the hypnotic powers of his ring, the mere sight of an Archaeidae would have sent the villagers running screaming for their homes. Yellow and black striped legs, with all other features hidden behind tight fitting black silk cloth wraps, and a featureless white porcelain mask. The Archaeidae’s traditional outfit. When seen by Arakan eyes, the heat, the light, the ultraviolet reflections, all of these things combined to form the image of a long dead predator. One too deeply ingrained within the Arakan mind for extinction to take the terror it inflicted to the grave with it. In order to ensure only the target would ever feel that terror, the Archaeidae wore their rings. And all who saw them simply decided not to. As long as they were not touched or directly interacted with. While advantageous this did make moving rather time consuming. However, Seras had no constraints on time. The targets had not moved in days. He had plenty of time to finish completely mapping Safeton and the area around it. The key word being had, for that task had been completed. Safeton was most certainly not the optimal place to attempt to neutralize an enemy, escape would be very difficult. Perhaps impossible. Seras was unconcerned. The Dark Lord had returned. Seras would happily die to return him to his grave. The assassin would happily die to cripple the Dark Lord’s operations. He would gladly die even to stop one of the Lord’s generals. The needs of the many make the life of one into a pittance. Even if that one was one of the Archaeidae’s own. Seras made his way through town, walking up walls and across roofs to avoid thicker crowds, spiraling ever closer to the village’s clocktower. The tall limestone tower with its massive brass clock face offered the perfect vantage point to survey his target. He arrived without difficulty, effortlessly scaling the tower’s wall in need total silence. Had anyone been paying attention, the light rattle of wood on leather, the quiet shushing of silk on silk, and the soft scraping of a slowly climbing Araka might have broken Seras’s concealment. But Safeton’s people would never have looked for such things. They were completely safe. Nothing could ever attack them in their own homes. Not with their guardian laying around their village. Seras reached the top of the tower and turned east, looking down at the hospice he’d watched the kobold general check her friend into mere days ago. His vantage point was prefect, the tower’s view directly into Lyra’s room was completely unobstructed. The enchanted lenses grafted to his upper eyes easily allowed him to watch everything occurring within the room. The armored kobold pacing nervously. The wounded one’s chest heaving as she drew breath. That would end soon. Seras reached up and brushed a finger across the clay amulet hanging around his neck. Its magic immediately linked his mind to his superior officer, Captain Jago. Seras reported, his claws finding a more solid purchase on the tower’s side as he drew the enchanted rosewood longbow from his back. Jago said urgently. The assassin asked, frowning slightly behind his featureless porcelain mask. Jago’s voice informed. Seras said, his words triggering his amulet’s secondary effect. The spell began to strip all the emotion from Jago’s words, even altering what Jago said to use better words if needed. The spell did not care about what words were spoken, but rather the intent behind them. The Archaeidae refused to make mistakes because someone misspoke. the spell translated, stopping as it sensed Jago had conveyed all the contract required. Seras asked calmly. Jago said, falling silent for several long minutes. The Assassin calmly stood on the wall. Never taking his eyes off his targets. His left hand gently ran over the arrows in his quiver as he waited, ensuring they were all in place. Jago said after listening to Captain Harrel’s explanation for a second time. The Assassin nodded to himself. Jago wished as their connection ended. Seras focused his gaze on the room’s door. His mind awhirl as he calculated several new plans. “I hope they are ready to die,” he whispered, reciting his order’s sacred mantra. “For I am ready to kill.” Vinyl Scratch - Day 5 Safeton - Mount Mercy, Wieav The hospice room door slammed shut, its echoing crunch scarcely finishing before someone spoke. “Sky wants you to sit here for another few hours. He’s onto something.” Vi jumped, her eyes widening and her hand reaching for her sword, which wasn’t on her hip but instead hanging in the lockup near the Hospice’s entrance with other patients personal weapons. Her heart racing even before she landed, Vi turned to where the sound had come from and gladed upwards even though she couldn’t see anything. “Damnit, Francine! You could let me know you’re there first.” “It’s not my fault you’re not perceptive enough to spot active camo,” the marine said flatly as she lowered her hood, bringing her head into view. “Does this help?” Vi looked up at her “face”. The Marine had refused to allow anyone to see her body in any way, typically remaining in her full armor until it needed to be recharged. She didn't have her armor on at the moment, instead wearing a fairly bland looking uniform with the addition of gloves, and a head and neck concealing mask. The only part of Francine Vinyl could see was a small strip of skin and her unnaturally blue eyes. Everything else was black fabric, with a few strands of ultra pink hair sticking out from under her balaclava here and there. The more I see her eyes, the more I buy her ‘my mutation family is hypnotically beautiful’ excuse. Vi though tot herself as she avoided looking into those infinite pools of soothing, compelling, charming... “Yeah. Also you know you could just walk in, right? You didn’t have to slip in on her… Spider tail equivalent… Butt?” Vi said trailing off slightly as her question distracted her. “Did you get the message?” Francine asked. “I’ve noticed that fear causes forgetfulness. I didn’t know that before.” “Yeah, I got it,” Vi confirmed with a nod as she sat down on the edge of Lyra’s bed. “I was already thinking about telling Sky I’d stay longer. And that’s before the nurse just said Lyra should be awake soon. “Now seriously, why are you sneaking around?” Vi’s final question carried an air of authority to it, something she’d started doing out of reflex thanks to Francine’s attempts to get everyone working as a team. Francine’s “help” was little more than a sudden return to bootcamp for early morning. Vi had tried to get out of it by informing Francine that as an officer, she outranked a sargent and didn’t need to put up with that nonsense. The Marine’s response? ‘Then act like it.’ Sometimes, words just hit home. “I’m… Uncomfortable here, ma’am,” Francine replied after a slight pause. “Yeah, the dragon has me jumpy too,” Vi agreed with a sympathetic sigh as she turned to look out the window once more. Francine shook her head and walked up to the window, looking out over the city. “That’s not it. I’m not afraid. I can’t be. They take that away from you when you sign up. I’m not meant to be here, in a civilian area. This just too… Peaceful, you know? Nothings aflame, no one is dying, there’s no danger, nothing to do. It’s weird. I don’t feel like I should be here.” Vi frowned and leaned forwards on the bed slightly. “What do you mean they take ‘that’ away from you. You keep saying you can’t be afraid. Do you mean you’re given a fear suppressing drug, or what? Because if you ask me, being uncomfortable is the very bottom of the fear scale.” “Not emotionally uncomfortable, physically,” Francine corrected. “Being here feels like I’ve got my kit on wrong. It’s not okay, you know? Ah! Annoying. That’s the word. This is annoying. I want to be in and out quickly. Minimal interaction. Go back to a nice place. Somewhere quiet or somewhere in peril.” Vi nodded slowly. “Okay, but you didn’t answer my whole question.” “Sorry, ma’am. It’s… Classified. But it’s not drugs. It’s part of your conditioning. I don’t remember ever being afraid. I don't experiance it when others do… I didn’t even really know what it was other than ‘that force which compels enemies to run away’ till a few days ago. Mostly from listening to your loud thoughts.” Vi’s eyes narrowed angrily. “I thought I told you to stay out of my head.” “I am. But I can’t not hear you if you’re shouting and I’m in the next room. It’s that kind of thing, but with thoughts. It’s always on, were programed to absorb everything, process it quickly, and react accordingly. It’s how we stay ahead of the enemy in battle. We know what they are doing slightly before or as they do it. “I guess this is why they keep us alone and away from other people. I… There’s about a hundred people in my range. I can hear all of them. I know where they are, what they are doing, who they are and why. You people are really loud, you know that, right?” Ohhhh, buck! She’s got no capability to use the ‘flight’ response to danger. She can ONLY fight! Not good!  Vinyl realized, her cheeks going pale as the implications hit her out of the blue. She’s got no idea what fear is, so she has no sense of self preservation or danger avoidance, and doesn't realize how stressful this has to be. If she really can’t turn her ability off then she’s got to be about five minutes from a panic attack. Vinyl stood up slowly, moving towards the door. “Why don’t you go back to the Fort? Let Sky know I’ll stay here and that Lyra will be up soon.” Francine nodded, took one step towards the door, then stopped. “Before I go, can I ask you something?” She asked hopefully. Vinyl nodded. “Sure.” Please be something quick and easy… If you can’t be afraid, that means you can’t panic. So if you freak out over overstimulation the only option you have left is fight. “I know you're worrying about me,” Francine said casually. “You’ve got some interesting logic there. I can’t say that won’t happen but I dont… I dont understand how or why it could. Could you explain what fear’s like? Why it changes your behavior?” “That’s a pretty big question,” Vinyl said slowly, glancing sidelong at the door. “Can it wait for later?” “No. I need to know why you think I’m a danger to the town. It’s… I agree but I don't know why I do. This is a problem. Help,” Francine ordered, her voice not carrying any worry, but starting to drip with aggression. “Okay,” Vi said again, looking around the room in search of any blunt objects. Just in case. “Well, normal people don’t want to die. For any reason. So when exposed to something that’s dangerous, they will have two basic options. Run, or fight. “Fear is what compels people to run. Courage is what compels people to fight. In most people, those two forces are… They fight with each other. Some people are runners, some people will fight, but no matter what they do they won't always do that. Sometimes they do things besides their normal-” “Yeah. I get that. But that’s just logic. That’s not an emotion,” Francine interrupted irritably. “Like, why did seeing that griffon die damage your logic so much? THAT’S what I want to know. How does that work? Why?” Vinyl cringed, gritting her teeth the moment the question was asked. “I- I don’t want to talk about that,” she began, before remembering she was effectively talking to a ticking time bomb. “I uh, I’ll make it quick. “I failed. I had a mission, and I failed. I failed bad, and I failed because I messed up. No one and nothing else is to blame. No random accidents. No freak malfunctions. No spell flops. Just me and my bad decisions. “I directly caused the death of a child. Those wolves aren't to blame. You can’t blame nature for being nature and doing what nature does. Nature can’t be at fault. It’s just a thing that happens. “I had us wait for mission specific supplies because I was worried about losing my team to super wolves, and a child died because of that. “But even worse, my team almost died anyways because the equipment we got didn’t help at all. I WASTED her time on something that made no difference. If we were just one minute earlier we could have saved her. “I made the perfectly wrong call. Things could not have gone worse than they did. We’re alive exclusively because on our homeworld, we’re vampires. Mortals would have been screwed. We almost died anyways because those wolves claws were white oak. “It’s not my first mistake. But it’s the worst. If I can make a call that bad when I was feeling completely normal, well… Now I’m worried about making the perfectly wrong call again. I don’t think I can lead anymore. I know that I can mess up really bad and that worrying about doing exactly that makes me more likely to mess up really bad because I can’t focus. “That’s fear.” Francine frowned, her cloth mask warping as sher face and jaw moved beneath. “I think I get it. A little bit.” “Enough to get out of the place that’s slowly driving you up the wall?” Vinyl asked hopefully. No point beating around the bush with the always on telepath. The Marine shook her head. “No. I still don't know why I agree with you. That explains fear. A little. But I’m immune to that logic failure. I don't experience it. Why do I agree with your corrupted logic?” Francine growled, turning sharply to look out the window again, her eyes staring out at the village’s clocktower suspiciously for a moment before turning to look out across the lands stretching out below the mountain.. Buuuuck this is BAD! Vinyl screamed inturnaly. “IT IS!” Francine snapped. “But WHY is it?!” “Who are you and why are we yelling?” Lyra asked weakly from her cozy place on the bed. Vinyl’s stumpy tail lifted in alarm at the sound of Lyra’s voice. Quickly rushing to her friend’s side, Vi gently held her hand. “It’s okay. That’s Francine. She’s a friend we picked up. But she’s having a bit of an emotional crisis right now. We need to get her sorted out,” she explained. Lyra noded, tried to sit up, moved a few inches, and moaned before managing to slowly sit up all the way. “Okay… Did Orchid make it?” Lyra asked hopefully. Vinyl paused and looked down at the walnut floor. “No,” she said softly. “She used all of her swarm’s magic to shield you. At least, that’s what Chem thinks. He… He checked the remains.” Francine turned around, putting her back to the window. “That’s fear again,” the marine grumbled. “Why? Why feel it over the loss of a soldier? Our deaths are inevitable. Expendable. That’s… That’s what we are to them… I-” She froze, her eyes widening then shrinking to pinpricks as decades of conditioning snapped like a twig. Everyone within three blocks felt Francine’s rage as her old personality violently resurfaced, logic tossed aside as there was simply too much rage for her to carry. Francine grabbed her head, rocked backwards, and screamed. Purple flames engulfing her body as her psionic might screamed with her. That’s it then… Vinyl thought knowing there wasn’t a thing she could do to save herself, or Lyra. A flash of green. A wet squelch. For one instant a long, barb-headed arrow could be seen protruding from Francine’s forehead, it’s shaft and head glowing a bright green as arcane energy bled from the weapons very essence. Then it exploded. The bright green flash nearly blinded the two mares as viscera splashed across the hospices walls. “LOOK OUT!” Lyra shouted as leapt up from her bed and tackled Vinyl to the floor. A second arrow whizzed through the air, slicing a path right through where Vinyl’s head and embedded itself in the wall where it blasted a meter wide hole into the solid slab of stone.