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[Morrsion already gone, right?] (Luna)

[Yeah, sorry, did you want to kick it one more time?] (Syrus)

[No… it is for the best that she no longer exists.] (Luna)

[Do… you need to talk about it.] (Eva)

[No thank you, Lilly. No point in further hating the dead…] (Luna)

Luna didn’t know if she truly believed her own words.

There was a lot they needed to do. They snuck back into town without issue and began their quick preparation.

[What shall we do first?] (Luna)

[Home, I want to restock and grab our weapons.] (Syrus)

They felt movement within their backpack as they started moving around the city.

Syrus’ whispered. “Behave Cobalt, you will be back with Ethan soon.” The movement stopped, and they felt a soft head massaging against their back.

Once home, Syrus grabbed her sword and restocked her backup. Then they left to restock a final few items that they could get from Ash’s store.

[Eva, what mixes well to create a large amount of smoke, better yet if it is something Ash has.] (Syrus)

Eva knew something that would be perfect for what Syrus wanted. [Kumbler nuts, they have medicinal use but create a nasty cloud of smoke when burnt, it will take a few minutes though.]

[Perfect.] (Syrus)

Within moments, they were at Ash’s store.

Ash began a generic welcome as she heard the door opening. “Morning–”

“I need some bandages, pain-numbing medicine, and Kumbler n–”

“Hold a minute, you can’t just come in with an order without explaining your situation.”

“–nuts.” Syrus finished, “That will be it.”

“Don’t just ignore me?!” Ash slammed her foot. “I’m-a needs some answers.”

“I’m in a rush.”

“Not a good enough answer.” Ash tapped her foot again.

Syrus sighed. It would be a lie to say she didn’t expect this. “What do you want to know?”

“Where should I start?”

“I guess the boy?”

“Then I will start there, why did that teary-eyed child come running into this place asking to be hidden?" Ash Evelen knew about the kid ever since Syrus made him pick up a potion from her store.

“People were after his dog.”

“The little pup?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“They were creeps.”

Ash glared. “Syrus.”

“I was, fucking creepy bastards.”

“Syrus…” Ash couldn’t keep up the anger. She remembered the kid from yesterday being absolutely terrified. She sighed and began to gather the materials. “I’ll go grab what you want, but go to Albert’s if you want bandages next time.”

“Thank you.”

Ash silently gathered the materials.

As she started to place the items on the table, Ash asked, “Will everything be fine with the kid now?”

“It should be. I doubt they will be coming back.”

“I see.” A few more moments of silence, and Ash placed the last item on the table, the bandages. She took out a couple from her own stash; she never sold bandages, but she was making an exception today.

Syrus paid for the items and placed them in her bag.

Ash dropped her head onto her hand, whose elbow rested on the table. “You are going to need to buy me a drink and actually explain the situation. It doesn’t even take an idiot to know you left a lot out.”

“I don’t drink.”

“Surprising, but besides the point.”

Syrus didn’t respond until she strapped up her bag again. “I’ll surprise you with something.”

“It better be good.”

“No promises.”

Ash let Syrus leave without issue. Was there a lot more she wanted to ask? Yes. However, she did understand by Syrus' actions that she was in a rush and chose to put down the topic for a moment, but she was going to get some answers.

Finally, it was time to reunite Ethan and Cobalt.

There were a few places they could be. Ethan’s house, the training area, or just wandering around the city somewhere. So, to find him, Anlesa had to check each location.

Eventually, they did find Ethan.

They found the boy on the stump in the training area.

Looking down at the ground despondent.

Syrus walked up to him, but he didn’t notice until. “Hey there, kid,” Syrus spoke.

“Syrus…” Ethan’s still watery eyes looked up at her before falling to the ground.

Syrus crouched down and patted the boy on the head. “It’s okay; it’s okay now.”

Cobalt pushed his head out of the bag and slowly moved up to snuggle with Ethan.

There was no big reaction.

Ethan’s eyes pulsed in shock as his hands shook.

He expected the worst.

His trembling hands brought the pup to his chest, and he hugged Cobalt tightly.

Ethan’s voice trembled. “It’s–”

“Quiet. Don’t blame yourself for anything.”

Ethan paused. “Then… Will everything be alright?”

Luna asked. “How many people initially chased you?”

“One…”

“Were they an old lady?”

“Yes…”

Luna answered. “Then yes, you will be fine for a little while.”

[Will it..?] (Eva)

[It will be enough time to clean up, so yes.] (Syrus)

[If no one else has gone after him we can assume he is safe. If there is any cause for alarm, it would be the fact that three people died.] (Luna)

[I see…] (Eva)

They removed the tracker ages ago so there should be no immediate problem with that. Then there was the question of how many people actually knew about Cobalt being a blessed/mythic creature. If only Morrison saw him that helped, but she likely at least told everyone else from the church who was in town about him. The question was then how many people there were.

[Should we just take Cobalt with us?] (Eva)

[Not a bad idea, but he would likely just be locked in the bag for a long while. Not to mention issue two.] (Syrus)

[Issue two?] (Eva)

[Cobalt is too worried about Ethan.] (Syrus)

[That makes sense but–] (Eva)

[No, it’s worse than you think. Every hour the pup’s heart rate was increasing; he would likely have a panic attack if didn’t see him by the end of the day, and I have no idea what would happen if we kept them separated.] (Syrus)

[...but.] (Eva)

[If you want, you can ask Ethan.] (Syrus)

Eva immediately asked, “Are you fine to be separated from Cobalt for a while longer?”

Ethan’s answer was quiet but immediate. “No…”

[See…] Syrus replied. She also wasn’t happy about the situation. Whether it was because of the bond they shared or some supernatural connection they shared that Anlesa didn't know about, the two refused to split for a long while at least.

Anlesa's conversation with Ethan ended quickly after, with some resistance on Ethan’s part. Syrus told him to be careful and, if need be, stay home for a while.

With all that done, all they had to do was drop off the information before they would begin their hunt.

[Where are we delivering the book to?] (Eva)

There was a benefit to being truthful about the situation, where the information came from, and whatnot. However, for their own safety, they chose not to do that. Instead, even though it brought risk to the city, they already planned to submit the information via a detour; however, what that option would be hadn't been jointly decided yet.

[Maca.] (Syrus)

Eva paused. [...Do you think he would agree..?] She wasn’t happy with that option; it was simply passing off the trouble from them to someone innocent.

[Yes.] (Syrus)

They reached his house and knocked on his front door.

Maca answered, “Who? Oh. Syrus. Didn’t know you knew my address.”

“And I did. I need your help with something.”

“My help?”

Syrus handed him the books. They had written translated notes to what the pages said and guides for further translating if anyone wanted to do the work themselves.

Maca slowly opened a book, then walked back to let Syrus inside and then closed the door. The inside of his house was quite simple, only the bare essentials, with the exception of two extra beds.

His expression darkened. “What is this?”

“An upcoming planned attack on the town.”

“Where are the owners of these books?”

“In the ground.”

His eyes flashed a dangerous glint for a moment. Quiet filled the air. Both understood the connotations and burden of having Maca deliver the book.

He spoke. “It wouldn’t be the first time someone has done something like this. I’m assuming that’s why you are giving this to me.”

“It’s not the reason; I just knew you were nice enough to shoulder it.”

“It depends... who did these books belong to.”

“The church.”

“Fine.” He closed the book. “I’ll be your scapegoat, but you will owe me a large favour.”

Syrus answered. “I’m fine with that.”

[Why did he agree so easily… I don’t understand.] (Eva)

[He has his reasons…] (Luna)

[But…] Eva couldn’t understand and didn’t get why Syrus knew he would. It was stupid, bad, idiotic, and sad.

Maca then asked. “Now, do you need my help?”

“Besides the book.”

“Yes.”

Syrus shook her head. “No, I can handle the rest myself. I’ll be back in town after a few days.”

“How old are you?” Said Maca.

Anlesa paused. “...weird question.”

He shook his head. “Nevermind. Don’t forget to return to your family.”

“I’ll tell her you said hi.”

Anlesa left. They had to visit their next location.