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Neta had her head down and had accepted the children's scathing indictment of her, but she looked up suddenly and hopefully when Parker spoke. She was surprised. She couldn't believe that he would still stand up for her, even after all that they'd said, and didn't think she deserved it. Neta smiled at Parker, thankful, but then she cast her eyes to the side, which were wet and trembling with guilt. "They're right..." she whispered, then spoke up. "I'm really grateful to you. You've been kind to me. But... they're right. I'm a horrible person..."

She told him everything. About X. About working as a nurse at the clinic. About the predicted stillbirths. About using her powers and saving them, thereby preventing them from going peacefully to the next world and condemning them to an awful existence in this one. She had no knowledge that releasing the juices of Plant X into the womb would cause the developing fetus to inherit its powers, but she left that part out because that was no excuse for what she'd done.

"These children wouldn't have suffered if I hadn't done what I did. I'm what they say I am. I'm nothing..." Neta loathed herself. "Your name... I asked you the last time we spoke, but I don't know if I deserve to know. Your kindness is wasted on someone like me..."
 

Fire Mana

Previously Top_Smug_
Parker sighed at the explanation Neta gave him. So that's what it was, huh? Parker didn't think that she did the right thing, and if he was in her situation he certainly wouldn't have done it. However, he also knew that it didn't make her a bad person.

"You're certainly right that what you did was terrible, but I don't think that makes you a bad person. I know these children grew up awfully, I did too, but you're not entirely to blame. You were only doing what you thought was right, and society is just as much to blame as you are. If society didn't see us Abberants as such evil creatures than none of us would be in this mess..."

Parker sheathed his sword, returning it to his back. What were they gonna do with these kids anyway? They couldn't just let them go, but they couldn't take them anywhere either.

"By the way, my name... It's Parker. And I'm not a kind person either, in fact I'm a horrible person. I kill and steal when I want something, and I'm certainly not above hurting people. It's just how I grew up, being an Abberant with no parents... What else was I supposed to do?"
 
"Parker... it's a nice name," Neta smiled. She looked at the children, who stared back at her with contempt. "I'm sorry... for everything that's happened to you as a result of my actions. To those close to you. I don't have the right to choose whether someone lives or dies, and I don't deserve sympathy or forgiveness, but I wanted to tell you..."

"Shut your mouth! This isn't over!" the seven-year-old boy spat, struggling in the vines. She was struggling too, because it was hard for her to keep them bound this long.

Then, Neta saw a flicker in his eyes. A flaming arrow sailed past her head and stuck in the vines. Then another. And another. An entire volley of them. Plant X burned at the stems and released the children, retreating into the patch of dirt on her ring. Somewhere far from their location stood an adult man, his bow ready. "You failed. Run along now. Starting tomorrow, I'll be taking over and will personally see to the capture of Neta Briarwood."

The children couldn't hear him from where he was, but as soon as they recognized the flaming arrows, they followed the distant order. They knew who was in charge. The young Aberrants fled as the man disappeared into the shadows, but not without turning back to Neta and threatening to make her feel what they'd felt all those years. Tenfold.

When silence reclaimed the night, Neta looked in Parker's eyes. She pulled his cloak close to her. "I guess... everyone has a dark side," she mused. "It's pretty late, and I'm even worse now for keeping you up. We should head back..."

That's what she said, but Neta collapsed as soon as she took a step forward. She'd used whatever strength she'd recovered to subdue those children. This boy had done so much for her, and she felt so pathetic not even being able to get back on her own.
 
As Chase saw the adult man from a bush nearby, he thought, " Who is he talking about? Is Neta an Aberrant? Probably. I need to find out." Once Chase finished his sentence, His eye started to hurt.
"Oh no........" he said. He falls back, holding one hand over his eye, and he transforms........... into a wolf. He howls loudly. He howls for a very long time, and then falls to the floor, transforming back into a human.
Before closing his eyes, he says, " This scar in my eye........I don't like it much."
 

Fire Mana

Previously Top_Smug_
"Yeah, it's really late now..."

Parker rubbed the back of his head before he realized just how tired Neta looked. As if on queue, Neta stumbled forward, collapsing after taking a step. Parker lunged forward, catching her just before she hit the rooftop.

"Well shit, guess I gotta deal with this now."

Parker sighed and hoisted Neta up onto his back, grunting as he did so. His body was a little bit sore, he wasn't used to this kind of combat.

"No idea where you live, so we're going to my place. Hope you don't mind if it's a little messy... this is such a damn pain."
 
Mallory just watched as the events played out right before him, “I really just contributed nothing...” He thought to himself, the only thing he had gotten out of t were the kid’s name, “So that fire elemental, that’s Parker, and the girl I bumped into, Neta.” He said quietly to himself as he watched Parker pick up Neta. Mallory managed to sense something suspicious, “Another feeling.” He thought to himself as he suddenly heard a howl. “There goes another one I presume.” He said as he began walking towards Parker. “Hey kid, listen so ive got an idea,” Looking at Parker, “how about I just follow you?” He continued as he followed Parker, “that’s cool right?” He asked him, “I mean, I’ve got no place to go, your place can’t be any worse.” He said waiting for a response.
 
"Sorry... you're always saving me..." Neta said weakly, acknowledging how greatly she was inconveniencing him. She lived at the inn, but she'd been unconscious while the children carried her here so she didn't know the way back. She was also more than a little disoriented.

An exhausted Neta was curious about Mallory. She'd seen him before. Maybe at the inn? He was hard to read and appeared in the most unlikely of places, so she couldn't tell what his objectives were. But if he'd come for her just like Parker had, Neta was thankful to him too.

She held onto Parker as he carried her. "I didn't know you were one of them, that you had powers. But... I don't think you're evil. The way they treat you... it's just wrong..." she whispered. "I lost my parents when I was a little girl, but I can't imagine what you've had to go through. So..."

So even if Neta had known the way back to the inn, she still would've let Parker take her home with him. Even after the kingdom took her father and the slave trade took her mother, she had connections and a place to stay. This boy had none of that. Now, she would see firsthand how he'd been living all these years, where he came from. Maybe then she'd better understand what those children went through because of her. Neta knew that she had to go with Parker, because she'd confessed her sins to him that night.
 
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Fire Mana

Previously Top_Smug_
Parker climbed down the side of the building with Neta still on his back. It definitely made it harder to do, but luckily his little trash heap wasn't too far away. Parker nodded to the bowman when he reached solid ground again.

"Yeah, I guess you can come... but if you try anything funny I'll kill you."

Parker sighed and turned his head so that he could kind of see Neta's face. She looked oddly serene considering what had just happened, probably the fact she was exhausted and still affected by the gas.

"I'm not necessarily trying to save you, I guess I just happen to be in the right place at the right time."

Parker's attempts at small talk were somewhat awkward because of their positions, probably not the time for this type of conversation. He turned his head back forward, hiding the small blush that crept to his face.

"Oh yeah, and about my powers... If you couldn't tell, yes, I'm an Abberant. I never really saw us Abberants as evil either, other people just kind of decided for us. It's pretty shitty growing up without anybody and also being an Abberant, if I had ever gotten caught I probably would have been killed. No use for a street rat anyway."

Parker turned another couple corners, and before they knew it they had arrived. His alleyway was rather spacious all things considered. There was a trashcan that he had cleaned out and used for coin and food storage, a pair of matresses made out of grasses, feathers, and torn up cloth, a larger garbage pile where he stored his clothes and weapons, and finally a few lamps placed around the place for light when he needed it. All of this was hidden away far from most civilians. The buildings around the area were almost entirely vacant, Parker had lived here for as long as he could remember.

"Well, we're here..." He announced as he stepped into the alley, placing Neta on one of the two makeshift beds.

He never had anybody over here because well, Neta was pretty much the first person he had ever known. Before this, he had never talked to anybody just to talk to them or even knew anybody else's name. It actually felt kind of nice to know somebody. He lit one of the lamps, illuminating the alleyway as he stripped off his weapons and placed them with the others. That's when he realized something.

"Oh yeah... I only have two matresses, so uh... yeah."
 
“Sweet.” Mallory said as he followed Parker to his alleyway.

Once they got there Mallory heard what Parker said about there only being two mattresses, “Well this is your place, and I’m used to sleeping on the ground, so you take it.” Mallory said as he began waving his hand slightly above the ground creating a small snow bed to sleep on, “If you guys want I can make snow bed for you, maybe it’ll be more comfortable, no offense to the makeshift mattress quality of course.” He stated as he placed his bow and arrows under another pile of snow. “By the way, my name’s Clayton, just in case you guys were wondering, I just didn’t wanna reveal my name to a bunch of kidnapping children.” He said to them.
 
Neta observed her surroundings when Parker placed her on one of the makeshift beds. It didn't need to be fancy, as long as it served its purpose. It looked pretty cozy, actually, and she could tell from the way that Parker looked at it that he'd lived here for a long time and thought the same. Neta had lived in the inn for the past 14 years, and perhaps this was a nice change of pace, to fall asleep outside gazing at the stars.

Then Parker broached the shortage of mattresses. But the bowman spoke up and offered to sleep on the floor before things got awkward between them. Although, Neta might not have minded it, sharing a mattress with him. Despite his insistence that he was just a street rat and a horrible person, she felt that he was different. No, not because he was an Aberrant, but because most men were unkind and only saw Neta as a piece of meat. But Parker wasn't like them. Sure, he spoke very bluntly, but that was the honesty about him that told Neta he wouldn't take advantage and prey on her. She hoped he was less guarded around her, since they now knew each other's powers and had a common enemy in the government.

Neta wasn't well-acquainted with the archer yet, but she was glad to know the name of this man whom she must have seen at the inn. "Clayton, it's nice to meet you... and you don't have to go to all that trouble. I'm fine," a sleepy Neta told him softly. "Thank you... for being there for me." She appreciated his presence, because she'd just been kidnapped in the night and didn't want to be alone now. Tomorrow morning she'd be at Dr. Lind's clinic, just as she was every morning. Now that she knew the consequences of her powers, she would not make the same mistakes that came back to haunt her tonight.

"Good night..." Neta smiled, then wrapped herself in the warmth of Parker's cloak and slept soundly beside him.
 
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"Ungh," said Chase. "I'm not dead right?" He checked himself and then said, " Nope. All good." He then got up, and walked away from the bush he was just hiding in. He then saw an inn and said, "Maybe I'll stay here for the night."
He knocked on the door hard for a very long time until the innkeeper let him inside, holding a lit candle in her hand. "What the bell are you doing here at 3 in the morning?" Chase replied with a, "Can i stay for the night?" She seemed a little mad about it, but she said yes anyway.

As he ate some food, he says, " Who is Neta? I'm so confused. Never mind that, I still have a mission. TO GET THAT STARGAZER."
He slept soundly, and thought, "Maybe I'll ask the people here about her."
 
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StellarWind Elsydeon

Armblades Ascendant
Staff member
Administrator
Pardon the brief interruption, but I couldn't help but notice that @CrazyCoolKid here keeps lapsing into present tense with their posts. Make a better effort to stick to past tense, please, unless you wish to receive additional system warnings that may lead to action taken against your account.

Carry on.
 

Fire Mana

Previously Top_Smug_
Parker watched as Clayton formed a bed made out of snow on the ground near the other two mattresses. A handy skill for certain, but Parker thought it would be much too cold to sleep on. Then again, the man was probably used to the cold after living with it for all these years.

"Thank you Clayton, that makes things much easier for us."

Parker decided to stay up for a bit longer as he often did, watching the stars in the sky and listening for any noise that might be made at this hour. He liked the dark, it made him feel safe. Surrounded by a void of black where nobody could see him or judge him for what he was, that's what he enjoyed most.

Eventually sleep overcame him as well. He lay next to Neta, who had fallen asleep some time ago, and dozed off with the warmth of her body.
 
The sun peeked from the horizon, signaling the start of the day. This should be just another regular day, but the owner and employees of a certain inn had been scrambling around the town looking for someone.

"I can't find her in the town's plaza." Easen said to one of the waitress. He had a habit of waking up early, and what welcomed him this morning was a panicked state of the inn workers. They said Neta wasn't in her room. The window had been forced open and there's needles and knifes on the floor. Easen had since agreed to help with their search. Fortunately Arisa was still sleeping so she won't cause any problems in his absence, probably.

"Let's search further." Said one of the waitress. Everybody nodded. Some of them went to the market district. Some went to the town's gate. As for Easen, he went to the area that he thought would be the last place these waitress search, the slum district.

After walking for some time, he had arrived at the area. Looking at the filthy houses, fragile tents and lots of suspicious looking alleys sent his mind back into his early years, far before Sir Maroonel offered him a life-changing opportunity to became his squire. He was not that different from these people. It hurts him to looked at these people without being able to help them with anything. For now though, he must focus with the task on his hand. Should he yell? Let's try.

"NETA!!! WHERE ARE YOU!" Right after he yelled, a rugged looking man answered him.

"SHUT 'ER TRAP!! WHINY BOY!!" I should know already. Easen gave the man an apology before continuing his search silently.
 
Mallory, now probably forever known as Clayton forever by Neta and Parker woke up on his small snow patch. “Damn, I managed to sleep here without dying, surprising.” He said quietly as he stood up and grabbed his bow from another pile of snow he had made last night. “Hate to leave these guys but I should probably get going, people to save, things to do.” He said as he heard someone yelling nearby for Neta, “what the hell?” He said as he ran out of the alleyway and searched for someone yelling. He found someone being scolded by a man and he approached the boy as he walked away from the man. “Hey kid, I know where Neta is I just slept with her.” A few seconds He after he said that he instantly realized his mistake in wording. “No! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it that way!” He started apologizing quickly to the boy. He sat there in silence for a while waiting for a response still contemplating his error.
 
Easen almost choked when a boy suddenly appeared and said that he just slept with Neta, though he immediately state that he just mispronounced that. Easen sighed, thankful that Arisa wasn't around, the kid would gladly tease the boy to death.

Speaking of the boy, who's he? Why his clothes looks wet? Why he called him 'kid'? Though the most important question was...

"Are we speaking about the same Neta? Pretty girl, blonde hair." Easen realized he hadn't paid much attention to her so he couldn't remember her detail more than these. "Oh, and she wears a dirt ring."
 
“Yup same one.” Mallory replied, “and I’m sorry about my mistake earlier.” He repeated as he still felt embarrassed. “Anyways, my name’s Clayton, and if you want to find Neta just follow me.” He said as he began heading back to the alleyway. It was at this moment that Mallory realized that he was wet from sleeping on the snow. “This guy doesn’t know it but I just made this situation three times more awkward than it already was just by being wet.” He thought to himself
 
Easen nodded and followed the boy. He sped up a bit so he could walk beside Clayton.

"Clayton is it? I'm Easen. Could you tell me what happened? Neta is one of the worker of the inn where I stay now. She just disappeared and everybody in the inn panicked."
 
“Well I don’t know the whole story, but I guess I can tell you my end.” Mallory told him. “So there I was, lying down in my tree looking up at the stars like any other night, I had just come back from the inn and as I was leaving I ran into a girl, little did I know that was Neta.” He said, “after a couple of minutes of stargazing I saw a little flash coming from town and decided to follow it, I ended up finding a hand of small children with Neta, she was kidnapped and this guy named Parker who also noticed the kidnapping was already there fighting the kids, Parker ended up taking them out with Neta’s help, honestly I just sat and watched.” He continued, “eventually we made it back here, Parker carried Neta and we didn’t know where she lived so he just brought her here to his alleyway, I decided to sleep here in the slums just to get a feel for it.” He said then turning to Easen, “So why di-“ Mallory was cut off as a wind blew towards him causing his hood to come off, revealing his colorless eyes and silver hair, “...Why...” he said as he quickly looked away and put his hood back on and turned back to Easen and continued his question, “why did you think to come to the slums to look for her?”
 
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When Neta heard yelling, she didn't wake up suddenly. Rather, she stirred in her sleep and kept her eyes shut with an uncharacteristic stubbornness. The shouting may not have been pleasant, but once it subsided, she seemed to be comfortably asleep once again. A few minutes later she tossed and turned some more, smiling, as if the sun's rays were tickling her awake. She opened her eyes slowly and rubbed one of them as she got up.

Neta followed the sound of two voices out of the alleyway and stepped into the blinding light. "Oh, Easen, it's you. What brings you here?" she said casually, as she'd just woken up and didn't seem to realize what was going on. Neta had slept so peacefully that she'd almost forgotten being kidnapped last night, and it took her some time to realize that everyone back at the inn must be worried.

"Clayton? You're all awake..." she said, still sleepy. Neta, on the other hand, had just gotten up.

It was then that she realized that she had to be at the clinic, which opened at nine. "W-wait, do either of you know what time it is right now?" She didn't hear any church bells signaling the hour, and there were no clocktowers in sight. "I have to be at work now! If I'm late, Dr. Lind won't be pleased! But... I can't go like this..."

Neta was still wearing Parker's cloak, and all that was underneath were her nightclothes. She wanted to return it to the boy, but she couldn't run around town barely dressed. She also couldn't run off with something that belonged to him. Most people had no qualms about stealing from a thief, but it wasn't in Neta's heart to do something like that to Parker. She'd rather humiliate herself.

She held onto the cloak, her hands trembling, as she stood before Easen and Clayton. Neta had to run back and return it, before hurrying to the inn and changing into something more appropriate. She hoped she could make it to the clinic on time.
 
Mallory watched Neta stumble to him and Easen, “Good morning Neta, this guy named Essen came searching for you.” Mallory said as he saw Neta as she said that she couldn’t go to the clinic like that and Mallory began to argue in his head over whether or not to give his cloak to Neta, “damnit man, if I give it to her I’d be helping her but I’d be showing off my eyes and hair, and I don’t want that.” He thought until he came to one final decision. He sighed as he took off his cloak revealing Mallory’s slim figure shirtless., “he-here Neta, you can take my cloak.” He said as he tried handing her the cloak, “ you’re a female, it would hurt you more if you walk around with nightclothes, than it would hurt me walking around shirtless.” He said as he grabbed his bow and arrows from the cloak.
 
Easen looked at Clayton with surprised look. Its obvious from his previous reaction that he didn't want people to look at his face, yet he still gave his cloak. Once again, Easen must admire other people for their eagerness to help. He gave Clayton an approving smile.

"Allright, Neta. Now we should hurry and go back to the inn. Everyone is worried about you, and you owe an explanation to them." Even after Clayton explained the event to him, he still didn't understand what really happened. So it would be better if Neta herself be the one to explain things at the inn.
 
"A-ahhh what are you-" Neta blushed visibly and looked aside when Clayton went shirtless right in front of her, but he quickly explained himself. "O-oh okay, thanks..."

She accepted his cloak, but she was really just giving back Parker's and taking someone else's. That's what it felt like. But it couldn't be helped. Neta left the street boy's cloak on the mattress where she slept and rejoined Easen and Clayton. Parker surely needed it back. After all, she had somewhere to be now, and he probably had somewhere to be also. They may have spent the night and maybe got to know each other a little better, but Neta had to remember that they still lived very different lives. They would have to part ways at some point.

"But Clayton, you'll need this back... s-so if you're not busy, you could walk to the inn with us if you want. I'll change in my room, and return it to you then," Neta was still flustered by the shirtless male, but she forced herself to focus on his silver hair instead.

She nodded to Easen, and proceeded to walk with them to the inn. Neta was tense at first but she relaxed when she realized that she wasn't getting as many looks this morning. The shirtless Clayton was distracting them away from her, and his distinctive silver hair and colorless eyes helped with that. Though it was sudden how he'd stripped right before her eyes, Neta was strangely relieved now.

Everyone stopped what they were doing when she was back at the inn. Neta walked right up to the innkeeper and apologized. "I'm really sorry for worrying you, Anka. I couldn't make it back here last night, so I slept outside..."

The innkeeper hugged her like a mother did her daughter. "When we noticed you were gone and the mess in your room, we feared the worst! We're just really glad you're okay, Neta..."

She stayed in the warmth of Anka's embrace for a moment, before she remembered. "I have to go now, but I need to change first. Please let everyone know that there's nothing to worry about." Neta smiled. There was no time to explain everything now, because she had to be at Dr. Lind's.

"I'll let them know. Do your best!" the innkeeper left the young woman with words of encouragement after what she'd been through.

Neta went upstairs, washed up, changed into her light green dress, and returned Clayton's cloak. "I'm grateful, Clayton! And Easen, thanks for finding me," she bowed to the two men and smiled. "I should be going now. I'm needed at the clinic."
 
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Mallory got his cloak back and quickly put it back on concealing his hair and most of his eyes once again, he was used to the cold but the only reason he wore the cloak was because of how indecent it would be to be walking around shirtless every day but also to conceal his two most notable traits. “I hope nobody that wants me dead saw me.” He thought to himself as he had a flashback to when he was younger and got beat up by a few kids, his hair and eyes would easily give him away if any of those kids saw him and he’d probably be killed on the spot. As Neta bowed to him and Easen, “It was no problem.” He said to the girl as he turned to Easen yet again. “So, Easen, what do you do?” Mallory asked him, “are you an adventurer, merchant, anything like that, or were you just passing by here?”
 
"Ah, I'm just a passerby. Me and my sister are in a pilgrimage to the Holy Ground. Our particular sect encourage to visit the Holy Ground by walking, so here we are. Still so far away from our destination." Easen answered Clayton's question fluently, it had been more than two weeks since their 'tour' started, and this answer had been effective to satisfy this kind of question. So he ended up making it their cover story.

"How about you, Clayton? What are you-GYAAHHH!!" Easen's question got interupted when headbutt slammed his back. He turned around to find Arisa stroking her own head.

"Why didn't you wake me up!! I want to find Neta too!!" She yelled and pouted at Easen, but he just sighed and pointed at Clayton.

"Clayton, this is my sister Arisa. Arisa, this is Clayton. He helped me to find Neta." He introduced both of them to each other. Arisa stared at Clayton, sizing up the boy who's almost twice taller than her.

"Nice to meet you, sir! You have a nice back!" She said with a cheerful smile. Easen was relieved that the kid didn't said something weird, although that last sentence seemed kinda suspicious. "Why are you wearing the hood indoor? Isn't it restrict your vision? Are you hiding burnt marks? I want to see!" Easen facepalmed himself, so much for peaceful introduction.
 
“Cool the holy ground, you’ve got quite the way to go then.” He said as a young girl appeared and headbutt. The sister began to complain about him not waking her up. “Hm, so there’s another name I have to remember.” Mallory thought to himself as the young girl asked why he wore his hood indoors. Mallory froze at the question for a while but he couldn’t come up with any sort of excuse, “should I just come out and tell them the whole story? They don’t look like the type of people that would betray me and I’m getting sick of this charade but I can’t just stop using the hood, it’d just give me away.” Mallory thought as he looked down at his boots. He looked back up after a few seconds and replied, “Well... um.. Arisa, I wear my hood indoors because I don’t like attention, and although covering my face would probably raise suspicion and restricts my vision, it’s a price I’m willing to pay.” He said as he let out light smile. “Anyway Easen, you were going to ask me something?” He said to him.
 
"Isn't it? We are same!" Arisa replied excitedly, she then donned her own hood. "See? I can't see much inside this. But brother always tell me to put the hood whenever- Aww!!" Easen did a light flick to her forehead with a smile on his face.

"Whenever there's situation that might put you into lot of troubles."

"I know." Arisa mumbled to herself. Easen turned his attention back to Clayton.

"Well, I'm just wondering what brought you to this place? You also doesn't look like a native here"
 
When Neta arrived at the clinic and saw the time, she realized she was 5 minutes late. Only 5 minutes. But to a girl like Neta, who did not want to cause trouble for anyone, 5 minutes seemed like an hour.

"Doctor, I'm very sorry I'm late! But... I'm here now! It won't happen again," Neta apologized nervously.

"No, it won't..." Dr. Lind replied ominously, closing the door behind her. "Come, have a seat, child." There were three people in the room now: Neta, the doctor, and an imposing, knightly man with long, dark purple hair. The young woman did as she was told and sat in the only free chair, directly facing the large man.

"Neta..." the knight began. There was a smirk on his face, and he eyed her like a predator poised to tear its prey limb from limb. "...I do hope you slept well last night. Though I must say, you reek."

Instantly uncomfortable, Neta felt a chill down her spine. Who was this man, and how did he know her name? The silence of the room only made his gaze sharper and his presence darker.

"It's been a long time, Neta. But I'd like to thank you for the work you've done at this clinic... and for the kingdom of Pless," the mysterious man continued. "Pay no mind to the horrible things the children said about you last night. Your unorthodox medical procedures that saved their lives were done without consent, but consent and free will are the very things we seek to eliminate."

How did this man know about the children? How did he know what had happened to her last night? Why... did he address her as if they'd met before? Neta shifted uncomfortably in her seat and turned to Dr. Lind with a look of bewilderment on her face, as if the old doctor was her last hope. "Dr. Lind... what's going on?"

"Your fate is no longer in my hands, child. This is over my head," the doctor replied in his gravelly voice, not even looking back to assure the puzzled Neta. "From now on, you are no longer employed at this clinic. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have several patients to see."

"Doctor, p-please wait. If this is about my tardiness-" Lind opened the door and left her alone with the strange man, letting the eerie silence reclaim the room.

When Neta resigned herself to the fact that no one was coming back for her, the knight stood and paced about the room, before addressing her once more. "Plant X, the renowned Dr. Adrian Briarwood's final work, which was oddly missing when his residence burned to the ground fourteen years ago. To think that he'd hidden it inside a ring and given it to his own daughter..."

She swallowed. "You... know about X. And about my father. But how? I don't think we've met..."

"No, we've never met face to face, but I work for the kingdom," the man told her, then smiled wickedly. "In fact, I captained the unit that seized the Briarwood house and apprehended the Aberrant living there..."

He stared a hole right through her chest with that sinister expression, but it missed her heart, which had already sunk out of the way. "You... you killed my father! And you burned down our home! You've come... to kill me, haven't you?"

"Silly girl! We didn't kill your father! If you care to know the fate of that fool... he starved himself to death and rotted in his jail cell, though we tried force-feeding him daily. How powerful the reports made him out to be! An Aberrant who cloaked his hands in blue and took down three men armed with knives simply by touching them from behind! Yet how starved and pathetic he looked when he died!" the knight boasted.

Neta was tearing up and looking away. "Stop... please..."

"Oh, don't cry, Neta! We didn't set your house on fire. We planned to do a thorough investigation of the residence as soon as we'd taken the Aberrant and his family into custody, but I can only guess that Briarwood himself started the fire to protect his work from prying eyes. He was hiding something," the man continued. "If you think I've come to kill you, you are wrong again. I am taking you alive, but from this point on you have no free will. Because, Neta..."

He paused, taking great pleasure in tormenting the young woman with this information, but knowing full well that she wanted to hear more. "Because, Neta, you can create Aberrants with your power. Like those children from last night. Each of them was born with the ability to control one of X's 15 plant species: vines, Etherflowers, Antiflowers, pitcher plants, cactuses, maple seeds, and many more. But, of the 15 children I sent to capture you, only 11 of them have unique powers," he explained, "which leaves four plants that they don't possess. Three of these are known species."

"Those children from last night, you sent-"

"I did. There are 15 of them in our care, though were 30 predicted stillbirths at this clinic that developed into healthy babies. Perhaps the others died on the streets or are still in hiding. But why don't we focus on what's important? Of the 15 plants that were crossed to create Plant X, there is one that we do not know. We salvaged Briarwood's notes from the ashes, but many of the pages were burnt and told us nothing. As for the 14 known species, none of their juices when injected into the womb produce Aberrant children," the knight interrupted. "There is a fifteenth plant out there, a species unknown even to the kingdom, from which Plant X derived that ability."

"Are you proud, Neta?! Your father was truly a brilliant man! He figured it out! The secret of the Aberrants! Where their powers come from! A question that has puzzled the kingdom for these past 60 years!" This man's emotions changed so suddenly that he seemed mentally unstable.

"60 years? But the first Aberrants, I thought, appeared 50-"

"You thought that they appeared 50 years ago. Within our territories, yes. But Pless first encountered the Aberrants ten years prior to that, when the kingdom fought a great war with the neighboring Calderon. A Plessian victory was on the horizon, until we suffered massive casualties on the front lines in the final days of the conflict. Calderon had hired foreign mercenaries that decimated our forces. They looked to be simple tribal folk, but they possessed the power to raise oceans from the ground and kill our soldiers by the thousands. Our sheer numbers eventually drew the war to a stalemate. You may know basic history, Neta, but this much you do not know," the knight continued. "The kingdom chose to keep its knowledge of powered humans from the public. Gag orders were issued to the few survivors of the front lines. But when Aberrants began appearing in Pless itself ten years after the war, their existence could not be concealed for long. They were called many things: demonkin by the Plessian Church, the wicked ones, Obscrians, Kotonaru, Elementals... At first, the kingdom captured and executed them as Calderonian spies."

"But soon, even loyal Plessians developed Aberrant powers. So the kingdom's goal for the next few decades was to study them, cut them open and discover the biological basis for their abilities, to no avail. Today, Neta, our true goal is..." the man paused, prepared to reveal sensitive information to the young woman, "...to mass-produce Aberrants and use them as tools of destruction and justice. If we harness their power, the kingdom's expansionist appetites will be satisfied. We can use them to quell unrest within Pless and subdue the people to our whims, if the need should arise."

"You want to use my power! To create Aberrants…"

"Yes! Exactly! When your father discovered the whereabouts of the mystery plant, crossed it into Plant X, and had you wear the ring, your fate was sealed. Now, you will come with me and serve your country. You'll work in a lab, and we'll summon pregnant women to your doors daily. You will give their children powers. Don't worry, we'll send you poor women who contribute nothing to society and whose children don't deserve to live anyway!" the knight laughed, with unabashed disregard for human life. "Your codename is... the Seed. You create Aberrants."

"I won't do it! I can't! Those children suffered because of me!" Neta screamed. She was crying now.

"Those children won't know what suffering is. We'll deprive them of free will so that they serve the kingdom and the kingdom only. I am looking for one who has the power to do this. We call this hypothetical Aberrant the Stargazer," the knight finished. "...But no such Aberrant exists. So we'll raise the children to be killing machines ourselves, with no friends or family. That's the problem with Aberrants as they are now, why we want the ones running the streets dead. They are mere tools and don't deserve to live among people. I am one of them, but I've pledged my loyalty to the government."

At this point, Neta stood up and tried to run, but a soldier appeared in the doorway and blocked her passage. "This is evil! I promised myself that I would never do something like this again!"

"Escape is pointless. We found you by taking in the Aberrant children you created and looking over their medical records, finding that they all had one thing in common: a predicted stillbirth. And the clinic where they were examined, we asked their parents? Dr. Lind's, where I found a certain Neta Briarwood. And now we know what you look like, so we'll have a wanted poster out for you soon. It'll be a special one. After all, you're more dangerous and important to us than any Aberrant is," the knight told Neta, doing little to stop her himself and watching in amusement as she tried to run. "You may call me Claro Gath. I will be the one to take you in."

Neta had to get out of there. She tapped her ring and shoved the soldier out of the way with a vine. The relative peacefulness of the clinic outside that tense room came as a surprise, but the tears streaming down her face were not suddenly tears of joy. Even if they had been, they'd have stopped as soon as she made it outside, where several soldiers awaited her. Neta shot her vine out and grabbed onto a chimney across the street, pulling herself onto a roof. People gasped as they witnessed her powers in use, afraid of the witch, but she was terrified herself and used whatever means she could to flee. Plant X burned as she blocked the flaming arrows that the Plessian archers shot at her. The large vine retreated into the dirt but not before buying Neta just enough time to escape. It would take X some time to recover, but the plant's regenerative capabilities were unparalleled among flora. She ran toward the one place left where she truly belonged: the inn.

"Sir, she's escaped," a soldier informed Claro as he stepped out of the clinic, taking his sweet time.

"That's no problem. Let her tire herself out. I'll find where she lives and burn her new home to the ground myself, this time," the knight responded, then addressed Neta as if she were still there. "Then I'll kill everyone you hold dear, until you have no one left in this world and are devoid of the will to live. You'll come to me yourself, because your life at that point will have no other purpose than the one I've laid out for you. And if you refuse... I'll cut off your finger. Let Plant X suck it dry, until it removes its roots from what's left of you in search of a new host body. The plan will succeed with or without you, Neta. But right now you are very important to us, so go on, tell your friends everything I've told you. We'll kill them later."

Claro was pleased that he'd finally made progress on the Briarwood case. His comrades in the Blood Knight were so focused on other, stronger Aberrants that they'd lost sight of the kingdom's true objectives.
 
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Mallory heard Easen’s question and he didn’t know what to respond, “Honestly Easen, I don’t know what I’m doing here.” He states bluntly, “I could’ve left this place, but something is keeping me here, it’s like a second sense sort of thing.” Mallory said as he grabbed his bow and presented it to Easen, “between us three though, this bow has a sad story behind it and blood stains to match.” Mallory said as he pulled out an arrow and quickly shot upwards striking a passing bird and killling it instantly. “Restricting my vision isn’t a problem, I have keen eyesight and quick thinking skills to help me survive in this world.” He said as he put the bow away and picked up the now dead bird. “Right now, that’s all you and I know about me.” He said putting the bird away.
 
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Magnus Everard was absolutely pissed. For three hours, at the most inconvenient of times, he had to endure a torment quite unlike any other trouble he has had the pleasure of dealing with. His head felt like it was splitting apart, his eyes burdened, and mental groaning was abound.

Blasted Lady Genova had come over to Everard Keep for the third time in two days! And now, she came and invited herself over for breakfast at the split of dawn! As if daybreak wasn’t his least favorite time of day already, he had to entertain this bloody noblewoman who was absolutely failing to get him to be interested in her, and not only just entertain her mis-placed flirting, but also do it with a freaking smile while running on two hours of sleep.

But, like any other proper heir to a greatly prosperous noble house, he prevailed in the end, finding the greatest satisfaction in watching her leave - wait, did she just drop something on purpose to try and bend and flash - freaking blasted noblewomen! Ugh, he needed a distraction, something to take his mind off the repulsiveness of it all. Getting up from the table, he walked into the dark corner of the room, and seemingly faded away into the wall.

——

Magnus had decided he have had enough of being an heir for the morning and decided to don his roguish street garb, complete with a black mask in order to conceal his identity. In this garb, the Plessian government referred to him as the Raven, a notorious Aberrant vigilante functioning as a bounty hunter with an almost spotless track record when it came to the capturing and killing of rouge Aberrants. What the government didn’t know, is that the Raven’s second mission was to eliminate and and all threats to the Everard family, specifically that of the Order of the Blood Knights. Until the last two years Magnus’ father had kept up the front of the Raven, but now the role was his.

Seemingly fading and reappearing in dark alleyways, Magnus travelled throughout one of the less plentiful areas of the citadel to complete one of his many tasks - information gathering. He had a wide range of informants spread across the differentiating sectors of the city, constantly finding tid-bits of news on both Blood Knights and Aberrants. His group of informants were his eyes and ears, like fellow ravens in a conspiracy.

That day, information gathering proved to be rather eventful.

Stepping out of a nearby alleyway, Magnus entered an inn that one of his informants frequently visited. Stopping by the innkeeper, Magnus gave the woman some coinage and his usual quip of “I was never here”, before walking to one of the back tables where his contact was seated.

This specific contact was a complete cheerful drunkard on the outside but actually quite smart when not burdened by his typical alcohol consumption. Right then however, the drunkard looked alert and slightly panicked.

“You looked stressed”, Magnus whispered as he glanced around the room for any potential eavesdroppers, “You have any good information?”

“You’re not goin’ to believe this, but the knights are on the move. They tried to nab a girl last night, saw it with my own eyes. Think her name was Neta.” The drunkard replied.

“They do that thing all the time, what makes this instance special?”

“Well that’s the crazy thang, they used a bunch of boys who seemed to hold a grudge against the po’r lass. Ever heard of those dang knights using child’un? Oh, but it gets better, there was only one knight this time but I gotta decent look at him. He matches the description of one of the higher up knights you gave me, Claro Gath I think it was.”

Magnus eyes gave up a flash of surprise before resuming their normal composure. “So the Order sent one of their best to capture a seemingly insignificant girl, and didn’t try to just brute strength their way through initially... I’ve made up my mind, this girl needs to be extracted due to apparent significance. Where can I find her?”

“Well, she actually helps around in this inn, rather convenient as it is. She should be back sooner or later.”

Magnus sighed, the location was convienient but the new target had yet to arrive.

“I guess all I can do is wait, however, I might need backup”, Magnus took a sealed piece of parchment out of his cloak and handed it to the contact. “I need you to deliver this to contact 3 in sector 12, can you do that?”

“Yes sir!”

“Good man. You’ll receive payment from contact three for the information.”

And with that the drunkard hobbled out of the inn, and Magnus began his wait for the young girl named Neta.
 
*RING*

*RING*

*RING*

*RING*

The church bell rang for the second time for the day. The first bell rang when the sun rise, whereas the second bell signal the high noon.

"I see you are very skilled with the bow, it's rare to see that kind of skill even in the kingdom's army." Easen looked out of the window. The church bell had rung, so their informant should be in the designated meeting place very soon. This informant would tell them the proggression in the Galilei's side and thus, would tell them when their aimless journey would end.

"It's nice to meet you Clayton. Let's talk more later, but now we have to visit one of our relative. Please excuse us." Easen stood up and grabbed Arisa's hand, but she yanked her hand out of her grip.

"I don't want to. You can go alone." Hearing her unusual response, Easen sighed and attempted to grab her hand once more, which she dodged.

"What is it this time? You are usually eager to meet him."

"I just don't want to! Go alone! I won't venture too far from this inn. I swear!!" Arisa, no, Harmonia was a spoiled and mischievous girl, but still she was raised by a noble family with direct relation to the saints, so she never took promise lightly. Of course the fact that she insisted on staying here for some reason had surprised Easen, but he decided to trust her for now. He turned his attention back to Clayton.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience. But can you look for my sister for a while? She tends to wreck things if there's no one with her. I'll be sure to be back as soon as possible."
 
Mallory heard Easen’s request about him wanting him to watch his little sister. “Um, sure.” He replied, “I mean, I’ve got nowhere else to go, so I guess I just chill here while I look after her.” Mallory said as he bent down to look at Arisa, “If that’s ok with you though.” He said looking at the young child.
 
"Wait," said Chase. "I can't sleep! I have a mission to do!" He went up to the innkeeper, paid her, and said, " Keep the change. Also, I have one question."
The innkeeper said, "What is it?" Chase said," Do you know who Neta is? I'm looking for her." The lady said, "And why do u need to know who she is?" "Because I need to speak with her." said Chase.
Then the innkeeper quickly replied with a no. "OK?" said Chase, slowly. He then had left the inn. The innkeeper, all alone now, said, "Phew. Super close" After that, Chase said, "Neta..........you can't keep hiding forever. I will find you. And we are gonna have a little talk."
 
Hearing Clayton accepted his request, Easen felt a bit relieved. "I'll be right back." He rushed to the outside. Arisa peeked from the window, ensuring Easen had gone from her sight before returning to Clayton. She looked at Clayton with a serious expression and placed a slingshot on the table.

"I want to be able to shoot like that! Please teach me to aim!" She bowed sligtly. "I will pay!"
 
Mallory watched as Essen left and then turned his attention to Arisa as she ensured he had left and then was surprised at the girl’s request. “Woah.” Mallory said as he continued to look st the girl. “Really, you want I learn how to shoot a arrow?” Mallory asked the girl. “Of course I’d show you how but I don’t think your brother Easen would let me.” He stated, “a bow can be a deadly weapon when someone isn’t very skilled at using it, and I wouldn’t want to get in trouble with your brother if you got hurt.” He told the girl, “unless you think Easen would let you I can’t, but if you think he would, then I’d be happy to teach you and if he would, you don’t have to pay me.” He told the girl.
 
"As an Aberrant of the Blood Knight, the Order keeps me on a tight leash. I am not to use my power in broad daylight for everyone to see, nor should I harm civilians. Besides... I would rather take you in the night anyway," Claro muttered to himself, choosing not to pursue Neta at this time. "But I just needed to tell you this. After all, you are the most important part of our plan, so you ought to know your role."

"Men, we're done here," the knight ordered his soldiers away. "The children know the location of the inn where the Seed is staying, and I will burn it to the ground tonight."

~~~

Neta stopped before the door to the inn and caught her breath. She had to compose herself and look like nothing had happened so she wouldn't worry her coworkers anymore. Why wasn't anyone following her, she thought, looking back over her shoulder.

It still looked like she'd done some crying, but her tears had mostly dried. Neta took a deep breath and stepped into the inn. She forced a smile and greeted Clayton and Arisa, before bowing awkwardly and excusing herself. When Anka saw her, she had the tact not to call her Neta, because someone had just come looking for her. The innkeeper just nodded and smiled nervously. Something was clearly wrong, and she wasn't safe here either.

"Anka, I may have to start work early today. I was let go at the clinic..." Neta told the innkeeper sadly, but that wasn't even the worst of it. She still struggled to pronounce the words under the weight of everything that Claro had revealed to her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that, N-... Well, you know you're always welcome here," Anka replied, almost revealing her name. "We'll start you earlier from now on, so go and put on your apron, dear."

The real questions that the innkeeper wanted to ask were Neta, is there something wrong? Are you in trouble with some people? But the way that Neta trembled told her not to press these issues right now.

The young woman donned an apron and proceeded to wait her first table of the day, where there sat an eccentric-looking man who wore a black mask. Maybe there was a festival nearby? She was still sad and confused, but she held it in and maintained her forced smile a little longer. "Good day, sir. My name is Neta, and I'll be serving you today. Are you ready to order?"
 
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"I don't care what Easen said!" Arisa pouted at Clayton with a slightly louder volume, she didn't even noticed Neta who just greeted them. "I'm sick of unable to do anything when a problem arise!" She remember the event one week ago. When she fire her power out of curiousity and put them in a lot of trouble.

"I'm just a burden for Easen anyway. So I want to be at least somewhat useful." She said with a much lower voice.
 
Magnus bore a hole into the table with his eyes, so far no girl had entered the inn. He was about to get up and leave when he heard footsteps moving toward him. Shifting his eyes slightly, he found a young woman making his way toward him. He mentally rolled his eyes, of course he had to work with another beautiful girl. The girl, outside of her current outfit, could fit right into the nobility with her flowing golden hair, pure pale skin, green eyes that sparkle in the light like an diamond, and pretty much perfect figure. She without a doubt, was actually much more attractive than the typical noble girl, and while normally a man would be flustered by her mere presence, Magnus was slightly annoyed due to past experience. The best looking women were typically the worst to deal with.

Mentally sighing, he looked for signs that this was the girl he was looking for. The tangles in her otherwise perfect hair, the worry in her eyes, and the tension and slight creases near her forehead and mouth said it all. (That, and to be honest, the mask probably didn’t help either.) So even before she gave her little sprawl about how she was here to take his order, he knew who he was speaking to.

“Alright, drop the smile, it’s fooling nobody. I’m going to be straight forward with you. I’d be willing to bet within the last day you have been attacked physically and emotionally by the self entitled group of bigots named the Order of the Blood Knights. I’d also be willing to bet on you being a reasonably important person due to the personal they sent and the methods they have used to capture you. So, I’d suggest you sit down and listen to me, as your life and lives of others may be at risk. I know I look like a lunatic in this getup, but please let me help you.”
 
Mallory heard the young girl and could instantly relate to her, “alright, small one.” Mallory said as he picked up Arisa and put her on his back for a piggyback, “first, we gotta find a spot to practice your aim, now any places?” Mallory asked the young girl.
 
"Yay, higher!" Arisa yelled enthusiastly when Clayton picked her up.

"Let's go to the back of the inn, near the stable. We can shoot some trees there." She extended her hand and pointed at the sky, or roof, since they were still indoor.

"Forward!!"
 
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