After a long day we arrive at the doorstep of Mary Ebberay's house, although waiting for us there already was Revenant. He looked towards us both, walking like how you expect a couple to walk, yet my disdain was still evident below a smile that had subconsciously crept up there. I suspect Revenant was already aware of Elizabeth's Eidolon, so when he grimaced and chuckled, I already could read his thought process.
"Seems like you had fun. I have to get you caught up before we head inside."
"Alright, sorry for making you wait, man."
"It's fine; you aren't that late anyhow. Thing is, even though Mary was unsuccessful, I had more people accept the invitation than I had thought. In total it's five people, so with all of us combined, it will be a table of nine people."
"Damn, what a way to flex your contacts."
"It isn't all too humorous. Most of these guys are weird, similar in vein to Calypso or Li-, uh… Sylphara."
He had meant to say 'Lis', but he didn't want to tell it to her face that she was weird, likely considering how weird some of the other characters he invited could be.
"I'll go through them one at a time: first is Calypso. Nathan, you already know him, but for Lis' information, he is a rich guy from Beta with a kind of ghoul skulking over his shoulder that likes to act high and mighty. He is a Link 5 Eidolon Hunter and independent from any groups."
"Oh? This affects me as well?" Lis had asked.
"Yes, Lis, you are also part of this tea party, so you too have to be made aware of the guests. Next is… hmm… let's start with Samuel Planters. He is a guy with orange hair, and he is 'plus-sized' if you catch my meaning. He is the most 'chill' of the group, but he is currently stressed due to his 3-year-old daughter and alcoholic wife."
"My condolences," I said.
"Yes, one of the reasons I will never get engaged. Next up I'll pick Don Fuego. Ex-leader of a gang, though that gang kind of combined with two other gangs, demoting him to 'only' an elite member of that group. He wears a metal suit; you can't miss him. He also is someone that can be spoken to if you are careful about his history."
"I assume Don Fuego is a codename similar to how you're called Revenant."
"Correct, the two of us are the only ones with a codename at the table. Second to last I'll pick Aiden Phuls. He is dressed like a priest in white and gold. He was born into a cult and still is part of it, even so, for the sake of your life, please refer to his association as a church, and don't let him think that you know the truth."
"Noted. So, the last one must be the weirdest?"
"Yes and no? She is someone representing Lady Ismer at this table, as she would obviously not be able to show up here herself."
"I feel like I've heard the name before…"
"You've heard the names of everyone from the Alpha Echelon Zone at some point in time before."
"Huh? You have contacts in the Alpha Echelon Zone?"
"Don't worry, it was a one-time contract that I did for her in the past; we don't have anything else besides that going on. She was the least likely person to accept it as such, but oh well."
"So is their representative problematic because of that?"
"No, they just have a pretty bad personality, but the pressure of having someone reporting to a person like Lady Ismer at the table adds to it. She's one of the many maidservants employed by her and goes by the name of Emily Cherry. She wears an appropriate uniform and has pink hair."
"It's way too cold to wear a dress in the middle of winter. What is wrong with her?"
Elizabeth cleared her throat.
"Uh, sorry Lis, but you also should wear something warmer."
In response she just shrugged. I guess she is keeping out of this conversation to leave us space to talk?
"That concludes the guest list though. They're pretty silent right now, so one of us three will have to break the ice once we head in."
Revenant opens the door and holds it open for us to enter. The inside is warm in temperature and color. It looks like a pretty average middle-class house, and it has traces of having just been cleaned. We are led into the living room to spot all 5 chairs being taken already, leaving only a couch that can fit three people normally.
As already warned ahead of time, each of them stood out. There was Calypso Verda lounging in the lounge chair, then the other people.
Aiden Phuls wore white and gold liturgical vestments and had pale skin with long white hair, which was braided into a bun held together with two golden pins forming an X shape. He held an emotionless expression with glowing golden eyes. He also wears a golden floral tiara, long white gloves, long white stockings, and golden gladiator boots. For weaponry, he had two golden-bladed hula hoops resting on his shoulders as if weightless, and a gem-studded estoc floating beside him at the ready.
Don Fuego has a very heavy-duty black steel mech suit in a steampunk aesthetic. The head had slits similar to a toaster grill with firelight beaming out. Pipes sticking out of his back spewed out black smoke, covering the ceiling in soot. He was sitting by the window, obviously.
Emily Cherry was wearing a standard French maidservant uniform. She is short, skinny, and has only a small bust. She has half-lidded brown eyes with an uninterested expression. Her face was thickly caked with makeup, and she had pink hair bound into two ponytails that reached to her hip. She also wears a backpack that has many keychains dangling from it and badges attached to its sides, each of them representing some sort of lover's item or some anime character. Her uniform had many buttons and stitching needles attached to it alongside two kitchen knives at the sides like holsters. Currently she sat on an outdoor flip chair, toying with a knife.
Last was Samuel Planters. This guy was about the size of Revenant, so slightly above 6 feet tall. He was quite old, with wrinkles and sunspots across his face, and he was likely between 300 and 400 lbs in weight. Even so, he had vibrant but unkempt orange hair with a scratchy beard, the hair dancing around, seemingly animated. He wears a set of jeans and a red checkered shirt. By far the most important detail was their tattoos though. They had maybe around a hundred butterflies as tattoos across his body that moved along his skin, even sometimes blackening his fingernails or the sclera of his eyes. On his back comfortably rests a macuahuitl 1 made of glowing hot obsidian chunks.
1 I like to mention obscure weapons without further context, but I'll make an exception here. It still is best to do your own research, but basically a macuahuitl is a wooden Aztec 'club' with sharp flint or obsidian blades lining its edges, making it look sort of like a saw. Still, I would suggest looking up the weapon.
I, Revenant, and Elizabeth sat down on the couch, with Mary soon after bringing in tea and biscuits, then squeezing onto the far end of the couch with Elizabeth to join in.
"Ahem, thank you for your hospitality, Miss Ebberay."
Samuel was first to speak up. Most others nodded or reciprocated the gesture in a similar manner, Mary smiling in response. Then I decided to break the ice.
"Thank you all for coming. As you are all likely already aware, I, among others, have taken it upon myself to hunt 'Superbia-06-4-114', otherwise known as 'Ferrous Sovereign', and I need help to do so."
"Shut up, who asked you?" called out Emily in response.
I had gotten a bit too lax and held my expectations a little too high. As such, the fact that we live in a shitty society had completely slipped my mind the past day. Suffice to say, my cheer that I entered the room with had vanished in a flash. Elizabeth was next to speak up in an attempt to break the ice.
"I had spotted an egg within an area that was attacked by Ferrous Sovereign."
"Are you from a farm or something? Leave your egg obsession to yourself!" Emily had cried out again.
"Continue." Calypso had then cut through, now leaning forward in deep interest.
"Fuck me, guess I'll eat my words or whatever." Emily, now realizing that it was certainly not a normal egg that was spoken of, had pursed her lips and leaned back slightly.
"The CNC manufacturing plant in the Beagle District had been attacked by Ferrous Sovereign during a strife between two parties, thus leading to a pretty serious case of the Spiritual Corrosion. I myself have seen stage 2 Corrosion Sores in addition to miasma and these eggs."
"That bastard threw me for a decoy." Calypso mumbled under his breath.
"From what I found out due to a cleaner, this Eidolon is highly intelligent. He's very shrewd and can plan ahead, lay traps, and understand human psychology. There it was also suspected that he intentionally created seedbeds for the Spiritual Corrosion, likely with a larger goal in mind." I threw in as well, this time uninterrupted.
"How much about their history is known?" Samuel asked.
"Not much. He already existed for some time before the incidents but only recently started acting again. They attacked two locations so far and rigged the 'Altus Opus', which is likely its 'lair', with traps. He also abuses people and Eidolon to kill its own opponents. It wants to fight only in one-on-one duels." I replied.
"So what you are saying is that it might be out to create a disaster using Singularity Eggs? I'd personally bet on that theory myself at least." Calypso chimed in.
"May I step outside for a phone call?" Asked Emily.
"Go ahead," Mary replied.
Emily stood up and hurriedly stepped out of the room. dialing a number.
"You know, as a Link 5, it should be my duty to take care of this Spiritual Corrosion on sight." Calypso throws into the room.
"Well, the government was intent on sending a group of Link 6 to 7 hunters to clean it out, likely sooner now that the egg has been mentioned. What is it about anyways?"
"Ah, bold question for someone of low Link, but Nathan, I'm in a pretty good mood, so I'll give you the down-low. These things are essentially Corroded Spirituality condensed into a singular point, and they hatch stage 3 Corrosion Sores, thus the term 'Singularity Egg'. They're a big issue, not because they're strong on their own, but because they can individually start a chain reaction to a global calamity, so these eggs are heralds of annihilation. The topic is a can of worms, so you'll have to find out yourself someday."
After the explanation, Emily steps into the room again timidly with a flushed face.
"Um, Mister Verda, could I talk with you in private?"
"Lady Ismer is interested, I imagine?"
"Yes."
"Alright, I'll follow. In the meantime I suggest the rest of you hand out your phone numbers. You never know~"
With that, both Calypso and Emily leave the room to discuss something likely important. I take out my phone and share my number with the group. Luckily the phone was paired with a SIM plan, because otherwise I'd likely have forgotten to get one.
[…]
The child had a heavy and dim soul, painted in colors of almost exclusively pink, with only faint embers of orange swirling about. She was tied up and bound to her love interest, who I previously had seen toying with said strings like a marionette. She is just another toy, and her submissive, but obsessive, nature left her a particularly malleable toy to her mistress. How kind of her to let me play with her toys as well~
"So, what do you suggest? I already have an idea, of course, but you wouldn't want me to do the work here, little maid, right?"
I love the whispers entering my irises. With them it is far too easy. Even with just this little expression of power, I had already tainted her soul further orange, dragging the color from near death. A lovely color.
"Ah, I offer you the following in stead of my mistress: In return for the retrieval of a Singularity Egg to anywhere within the Beta Echelon Zone, you are to be given a total of 1500 Phalite, an alpha relocation permit, and all known information on the 'Altus Opus' stored in the government database."
"That is all?"
This child is still backed by a fine and ripe lady, one that has grown up nice and dangerous. I can push her though.
"I demand more. You see, the retrieval of a second egg is… challenging, far more than the first egg. My efforts really shouldn't be paid back lightly. What I ask of you is a permanent contact to your mistress and 2500 Phalite instead, and I also ask her to endorse my future actions."
The child scampers farther away with her prized phone. Ah, the innocence. You cannot hope to play these tricks on a Link 5 you know~
Time for me to use an incantation. My treasured Gilded Ghoul, would you be so kind as to cast my incantation for me? You are always so nice and quiet; none would even know you cast the incantation. This time it is my Mokumokuren call, specifically 'spying' and 'clairvoyance'.
"Mistress… They asked for permanent contact, 2500 Phalite and your endorsement for future actions."
"Jeje, ei teth lalalu ael Feilu habajiyux."
"I will tell him that."
Ah, I really do like this child's mistress a lot. The great tongue of the Seilaorya? I must admit that she has outwitted me thus. An ancient language that I cannot understand. Ah, but this child was taught it? Then it is no wonder she keeps her little ducklings in line so well. And there she comes.
"Mister Verda, she accepts most of your terms, although she would rather not be forced into endorsement. Oh, and I forgot to mention this since it is a given, but this conversation never happened, and this deal doesn't exist."
Oh, what a lucky day for me~
"I suppose that I must settle for what I have then. I do look forward to our cooperation then."
That last request I had just thrown in there, so it wasn't of any major importance, though it still is quite peculiar. It was a watertight plan by them to distract me from finding out about this Singularity Egg. The unexpected variable was me meeting Revenant and later being invited by him to this event. No, Revenant had only been there at the time because of Nathan, and it was because of the request of one of Nathan's acquaintances that this invitation was extended to me.
Hahahahaha, this is just great! I just bet on the golden horse!
Nathan Verren, I do look forward to seeing where you end up, haha.
[…]
I hear the click of a door followed by footsteps. We just finished exchanging numbers, so it's good timing. He even had the foresight to make us write our numbers on the paper where he had already entered those of himself and Emily.
Emily seems more embarrassed and passive now, opposite to Calypso, who looks like a million dollars with a wide smile as if he had just won the lotto, though that wouldn't surprise me, given what I know about him.
"Elizabeth Amelia Lazuli, Aiden Phuls, Don Fuego, and the Revenant. I wish to hire you to join me in the eradication of the Spiritual Corrosion. Each of you will receive 25 Phalite in payment. Should be enough of an incentive for all of you, though everything we talked about so far isn't allowed to leave this room. I'd even pay an extra 5 Phalite for your silence. This applies to not just the Link fours."
Whatever these two talked about flipped a switch in Calypso or something. He was always very adamant, but this seems very sudden, even for him.
"Next, I would like every Link 3 present here to go after 'Ferrous Sovereign' in the meantime. For assisting Nathan in that regard you would each receive 10 Phalite each. Oh, Nathan, for you I have a special task for an extra bit of pocket change. I want you to tell me every little bit of information you can find out about that Eidolon once this is over, and I mean even your wildest speculations or hallucinations. I would also ask Revenant to join Nathan for this trip, thereafter joining our group for the raid."
This guy…
He's just throwing around money like it's nothing. 25 Phalite is enough to buy a luxury sports car, a hot air balloon, a small yacht, or even a tiny island somewhere. He is giving out that kind of money per person. Yes, I know that he is at least a multi-millionaire given that he lives in the Beta Echelon Zone, but this is still outrageous.
I mean, obviously I'll accept his request. I get to be in a group with Mary, Revenant, Samuel, and Emily against Ferrous Sovereign, greatly increasing our odds, and I would get more money. After this mission I might as well buy a car; it saves me walking everywhere all the time.
Though why did he choose me specifically? If it came down to it, I'd pick Revenant or Samuel, since both seem to be pretty keen in regard to these things. Could it be that he knows about my ability to hear Eidolon, which I recently found out to be not normal? No, at best he has a hunch. Who am I kidding? He is a gambler; of course he'll jump at a hunch. Why am I surprised?
"Any questions and/or objections?" Calypso asked.
In response, Revenant, Elizabeth, and Emily raised their hands.
"Elizabeth?"
"I hold special macarons that can recover various parts of myself, from physical and emotional damage and exhaustion to even spiritual energy recovery. As such, I would like to accompany Nathan's group. I cannot risk his safety."
"Good point, approved. Next is… Revenant?"
"Why did you choose me to accompany Nathan?"
"You should be aware yourself, but I'll indulge your question for the sake of teaching the young'uns. Your incantations aren't really effective against Corrosion Sores, yet one of your incantations in particular is very useful against a magnetism domain Eidolon like 'Ferrous Sovereign'. Besides, you have excellent stamina and martial prowess, so you can manage two different battles in a day. And last is Emily."
"I decline. I specialize in fighting people. That particular Eidolon completely counters me."
"See your participation as one of my clauses for 'the offer' then. You wouldn't rob your mistress of what she wants for such a selfish reason, right?"
"Ugh, fine."
"Amazing. Well, let us discuss our game plans in two groups. The Link threes and the Link fours plus me."
Oh, wow, the spotlight is on me now without Calypso, Revenant, or Elizabeth. I wouldn't consider myself the most persuasive person there is, but hey, I only have to convince the girl that told me to shut the fuck up.
Calypso snaps his finger.
I experience a surge of vertigo; the warm hearth becomes as cold as a freezer, and the open window lets in sweltering heat; the floor becomes the ceiling, and the ceiling becomes the walls; My vision flashes between moments of grayscale and moments of childlike vibrancy; the silhouettes of people wibble and wobble, shifting to monsters, shifting to myself, and shifting through time and space.
Stop. It had stopped as suddenly as always, though I am still not used to it. Calypso and his gaggle of Link fours have disappeared, leaving Mary, Emily, Samuel, and me. I suppose it is my turn to start with this strategy meeting.
"As Calypso said, we should discuss among us now how we plan on surpassing 'Superbia-06-4-114'."
"Uh, who decided that you're the leader?" Emily retorted, because of course she did.
"Can't you shut up? Nobody gives a sh- damn about who 'the leader' is, but if you really care that much, then I vote Nathan to be a leader." Samuel, who had been on edge because of fatherhood all this time, at last snapped, in this case at Emily.
"I would also like to get to the meat and potatoes of this, so if it will make you happy, I too vote for Nathan as leader." Mary had agreed, cementing the fact that being a jackass is a universally hated thing.
Emily was left aghast, somehow not having thought that her clever comment would have been torn apart so easily. She lowers her head and doesn't speak up again for now.
"Anyways, I would suggest that we begin by describing our own abilities. I can also give some insights into Revenant and Lis. I am a Link 3 Eidolon Hunter with 'Avaritia-09-2-022', an Eidolon that allows healing to a degree. I also possess four Sin Equipment with various minor functions, and I have four Incantations. One sealing incantation, and three calling incantations. Among them I have Baku, Ittan-Momen, and Jubokko."
"Wait, Nathan, you have a Link?" Mary asked.
"Yeah, just got it tested. Failed at the miasma part."
For some reason the room erupted into a series of 'ahh' and 'makes sense' with nods of understanding around. It seems I just so happen to have touched on the most relatable thing for a Link 3, I guess.
"Anyways, Lis is a vampire with pretty good incantations that allow her to have silent steps and supernatural strength. Besides the vampire Eidolon, she has another, though it is pretty much irrelevant against an Eidolon. Her weaponry is close-to-mid range and made up of Sin Equipment. Supposedly she is also very well suited to fight against Spiritual Corrosion. Revenant has a powerful Rank 5 Eidolon sword, and he is very skilled in martial combat using weapons. His incantations are primarily utility and only for specific situations."
Trying to explain their powers made me realize how little I myself knew about them.
"Well, I'll go next. I'm Mary Ebberay, your host. I do not have Eidolon Equipment. I use a Sin Equipment battleaxe in combat. My incantations include basic to expert sealing, resurrection, and five different calls. These calls are focused on support, specifically scouting and distraction."
"I'm Sam; my macuahuitl and butterflies are my Eidolon. I excel in both solo combat and battles versus multiple foes. I can also take care of area control should it be required. My incantations are nothing worth mentioning. Technically I can also heal, but only technically."
"Uh, as I said before, I'm not great at fighting Eidolon. My Eidolon Equipment cannot really be used against another Eidolon without a long preparation time, and even then it has lesser effects. I am best as a support during battles against people. Each of my three knives is a unique Sin Equipment, but they're made of steel, so I can't use them against 'Mister Magnet' or whatever he was called."
"Ferrous Sovereign."
"Don't care."
Wow, what a team. No wonder that Calypso sends us Revenant as well. Even then Lis wasn't confident in our odds, joining herself.
"Uh, shit. I guess Revenant, Samuel, and Elizabeth will stand at the front line; I and Emily will have the vanguard to protect Mary, and Mary will be support plus resurrection for the team. Elizabeth will be there as a medic between fights, but if push comes to shove, I or Samuel can heal. Then we hope for the best?"
You know, I'm pretty sure that Calypso could defeat that guy on his own. Don Fuego and Aiden also sound like people that would be really good against this guy. I guess that is the difference between our Links. Us Link threes rely on gimmicks to win and are horribly flawed in like half the possible scenarios. Link 4 people are pretty good at fighting most things that come their way and can make up for their shortcomings. Link 5 people then have no innate flaws, and they are deadly, though from what I suspect, they always have ways to be outplayed. I guess Link 6 would then be flawless and powerful, but then the idea of Link 7 just sounds ridiculous. No wonder, then, that there is no Link 8.
"This formation would then hold until we are in the fight with Ferrous Sovereign proper. At that point Mary focuses on defense, and I and Emily go towards the front line as well, in hopes of overwhelming him."
"Hold on. Me? At the front? I will just die there. You can't make me do that!"
"As long as we can protect Mary, you don't have to worry about death."
"Nuh-uh, I'm not taking that for granted. There still is a price for dying, and I am not risking Lethe or Acheron."
"You'd be fine with Cocytus, Paraphon, or Loimos?" Samuel butted in.
"Yes, I could, just barely, accept them."
The rivers of the underworld. A certain mythology was already quite close to the truth some time ago, but more rivers were discovered. Besides the five rivers of resurrection they mentioned, there are Styx and Phlegethon, which are associated with sin. Phlegethon for cleansing (via immolation) and Styx for immortality at the cost of humanity (pretty much the essence of Eidolon).
Resurrection comes at a price. The caster only has to use a lot of Spiritual Energy and expensive incantation ingredients, but the person being brought back to life can only leave the underworld via one of five specific rivers: Lethe, Acheron, Cocytus, Paraphon, and Loimos. One does not get to choose; it is random. Each of them has a different bundle of pain attached to it, which is the price.
Whilst Samuel and Emily are arguing over their 'rivers of the underworld tier list', or whatever, Calypso and the rest of the people enter from the front door.
"Alright, you kouhai 2, ready?"
2 A kōhai (後輩) refers to a junior in Japanese, opposite to senpai. It can refer to workplace, school, or just age in general. In this case Calypso, being a Link 5, is a senior towards the room of Link 3 hunters.
He looks into the room, not even waiting for an answer, and then he snaps his finger.