Since the day that Nate had shown his ability to use corruption not once had he had time with the Grandmaster. Certainly she would pop in and out for the briefest of times. Often this amounted to little more than her poking around the edge of the training field.
Nate's training had the most gains with his Corruption ability so much so that Theodora often appeared to praise him. Praise was not something that would be coming from the current interaction.
Deep within the recesses of the Grandmaster and Wayne's estate was a large ticking clock. More aptly put it was the conflagration of hundreds of clocks. Long since wound to precise dates and times. Numerous hands pointed at things such as death, love, and wealth. The same hands or others might just as easily be pointing at sickness, and wild animal attack.
In many ways as Nate stared at the wall of clocks there were as many and as few of these 'Hours' as there were stars in the sky. Death often was not a finale to their clock. What he thought to be speculative pointers drew lines out to heaven or hell.
"The current population of Mawe is Forty thousand. It's one reason that they are becoming a city. Do you know why that is relevant?" The Grandmaster asked languidly.
Mrs.Cotten's body was draped over a chair, clothes ruffled, her normally multi faceted robes spun out into heaps across the floor. They dragged up to her body long tentacles of fabric. Nate had seen this look before, rough hollow eyes, and withered face. The same look that his mother made when working herself to the bone.
"No." He said flatly.
The two were within the gloom that was her necromantic chambers. Wayne had immediately set about calibrating his golems once they reached the basement. Not even a word about their plans, but Nate thought he was running from being around the woman. It's what he would do if he could.
Barrier spells spiraled under foot, he only knew this from the fact they crackled as he entered. It would be years if not decades before he could perform a similar feat. This was no show of power or overly cautious precaution. Spells of this magnitude rolled off her as easy as he took a breath.
"Of course not. You wouldn't, would you." She uttered bitterly before stopping herself with a shake of the head before continuing. "It is the Parade. One was sent out to every city. Varying different branches and representatives, switching up who speaks and where on regular bases. At least that is my guess."
"You wanted to talk about the plan to fight Zeus." Nate prompted no interest in the Parade beyond its coming death total.
"I am. If you would listen to me for once in your… No, I am in fact assured of our victory against my student. You can call him by his real name if you wish. Daniel. He was a bright boy similar to you. I took him on early in my life."
"What a hundred years ago?" He mocked.
"Quite close to a hundred into my life. So while you mock me, you should know well how to treat your elders. He too chose to run from me later in our paths. He did not believe in my divine clock work. Such a fool. Just because of rounding errors."
Questions bubbled up in Nate's mouth but he pushed them down just as quickly. She was volatile much like she was in life. He would have to choose his questions and try to limit his anger and attitude. Else she might break their deal. He couldn't be sure what it would mean but he wouldn't do that to Renee.
"Rounding Errors." He asked to bring her out of contemplative silence punctuated by nibbling on her thumbnail. A practice his mother would have abhorred.
"Your mothers body might be affecting me. On the other hand you frustrate me. Look at all the work that I have placed into my experiment. Just look, all this time over a hundred years of engineering, I should have started during the war. Allied forces be damned. Worthless the lot of them." Nate waited patiently, whatever had happened had her spiraling.
"Now here is a normal person's clock. Wonderful, beautiful, perfectly calibrated. Showing their entire life in order. All I need to do to find out more about them is activate minor magic. I could find out how and when they would stub their pinky toe. Is it not wondrous? I might weep tears of joy if not that it was my own hand that made it." Anger suddenly bloomed over her face as she turned upon Nate.
"But you! You dare fall out of sync? Look at the hundreds of clocks each relying on the other smoothly pressing into one another, gears gliding perfectly. But the two of you, meddling in the affairs of gods? Look at your time piece. Before I could see you, all of you, and that was enough for whatever was left of your mother. Proof you were destined to become a happy member of society." She paused to take a deep breath while Nate looked for a way to escape. He didn't want to hear what his future might have held, something clearly had gone wrong.
If he heard it he felt he could go mad. Knowing the future was impossible to Nate. An impractical thing which he fought against, the deep swirling pit of fear that had first forced him out of the house. Maybe that was why what was left of his mother was so angry? He couldn't be sure.
"You would have run away with that girl and gotten married. Settling down somewhere far away. Teddy could have fulfilled his true purpose becoming a great necromancer. It all would have come together so nicely." She spat.
"Why did you make me a necromancer? If this is what the machine said?"
"He killed your father, No? Then again he was there when Wayne saved you. Your clock changed and I saw that I might make it big. Two Necromancers for the price of one. You surprised me with each action your fate changed, garnering more and more momentum. I considered simply giving you that final push into stardom but you ruined everything.
That god he felt it too, your oddity. That's when I realized it, the truth. Your fate was broken from the start. You, you, don't understand any of this do you?" Tears streaked down her face as she slammed a fist into the table. The room rumbled when she did so, dark shadows playing on the peripheral vision alongside the sounds of garbled chanting.
"Stop." Nate commanded.
"Not only that but he's here. Look at the clocks you two have broken. Horrible, vile, wicked, creatures." She stopped ranting and the light once more rushed back into the room. She straightened herself and pulled the robes back up around her.
"I must apologize. This shell seems to be too compatible with me. Everything within is spilling out. I shall cut off your spirits, prying ears and eyes for a moment. I assure you this is about the defeat of our enemy. Worry not, I am in control for now." She did herself up into a regal figure which might match the proper and true Grandmaster.
A flick of her wrist shot runes and spell circles all around him that hummed for a small moment. After he reached out with trepidation for his spirit house. Relief passed through him as he felt it safe and secure. Everyone within was just fine.
"Now before I foolishly lose myself again. You brothers were right, as long as someone can analyze his new formula we can locate his flaw. Once pierced his power will be cut off. But do not think that he will only have his Temple to rely upon. In the end the stars say you will finish this task, success and failure lie with you." She said with some amount of haste.
"Then is what you or her, or whatever said before true? Am I abnormal?"
"I'll cover this quickly. Yes, you might be stronger then most but you were meant to be normal. My meddling with fate and then Daniel's plans are all tangled up now. Right within that web is you."
"Fine. So we find the weakpoint, hit it, and then kill him? Sounds super simple." She shook her head at his words.
"I know what you've promised in your contracts. You will have to give up some if not all of your soul to succeed. Knowing that, will you still carry forward upon this path?"
"If I was going to stop, I would have done so long before now. You can't see where my fate will lead. I will be the one to determine what part of myself I will give up."
"I might not see it, but fate is already laid before us all. My clocks are still bound by certain constraints but that does not mean your future is not already written."
"You were wrong about me from the start, who's to say you weren't wrong about fate." Nate said, turning to leave.
"You might not have killed before, even if you have it won't be easy. At that time you shouldn't hesitate in front of your enemies. That includes former friends."
"You mean Kent." Nate replied bitterly.
"Who knows?" She answered.
Nate reached the doorway, his hand pausing hovering just over the doorknob. This felt like the final time he might be able to question the Grandmaster. His whole body begged to leave the woman alone but he cast a look over his shoulder.
"Mandy asked for a crossroads contract, she wants to help. Is there any way she doesn't die?"
"Hmm…" She let out a long puff of air. A flick of her finger hovered a book out from a shelf deep within the inky black corners of the room. Drifting over Nate turned to take it. The cover read "Making Monsters: By Adam Lavoro".
"Use that and check the pages I have marked. Her mother comes from a renowned family. It would be a shame to lose the power that lies within her soul."
"So you see it as her fate to die." Nate commented, staring down at the book.
The woman's eyebrow raised at his words. She hadn't figured that he would catch on without reading the book. Well, that could have been the host body depreciating him. It had become so strong since they had met face to face. Such uncontrollable emotions.
"Good luck with the operation. Might want a doctor on hand." He passed out of the doorway into the hall with only her words to comfort him.
"Nate?" Lupita formed to his side fur clinging close to his side as she took his arm.
"Where are the others?"
"Asleep, save for Theodora and your Father. She said it would be best if I checked in on you." She smiled at him reassuredly.
"And my Father." He asked coldly, staring at the name on the cover of the book.
"He still doesn't seem to want to come out of the office. Unless of course you need his help. Are you alright? Did you tell her about everything that happened?"
"She didn't ask, I don't think she cares what we were doing. This was all going to come down to the two pieces she couldn't see fighting." His words elicited a curious look from the girl. She reached up and brushed a strand of green hair from his face.
"It will all be ok. We have a family to grow, don't we?" He warmed at her touch and started down the hall.
"Let's head back, it's time we create another member of that family." His words made Lupita smile broadly as they headed back to the hospital.
***
He was not more then ten paces into the interior of the hospital when Doctor Mei appeared at his side. She adjusted her spectacles at him with keen eyes. They spoke volumes and he followed her away from the normal people who milled around the lobby.
Travelling down they arrived at the basement in relative silence stopping far from the morgue. She leaned against the wall with a pensive look. Nate had a long enough day as it was and prompted her to start speaking.
"My husband might talk to you about this as well but I figured it was best I mention it. Mandy's brother has been visiting the hospital looking for his sister. It seems he too is at odds with the Mayor. If you want Mandy to not succumb to the Crossroads contract then you should send her with him. If he takes her away from the town it would be all for the better."
The doctor's words felt like an ice bath. He was preparing to make Mandy into a monster just to help, but was the help even needed? She would be weak at the start and time was running low. If he wasn't affiliating with the Mayor then her brother was a better option. Dr.Mei saw the look on his face and continued with her words.
"Furthermore, after Renee's operation tomorrow we should send her and your brother along with Mandy. Get them clear of Mawe just in case."
The second part of what she said went without saying. They would need to clear out his brother and well he wasn't sure what to call Renee yet. Sister-in-law seemed awfully too quick of an assumption. Still the two of them would be sorted in short order.
"Are we sure he'll be out of town when the clash begins? If Mandy can confirm it then, then, we'll send all of them away. The burden is for us to carry."
"Our family will do what we can but once your masters make their move I don't know how much help we shall be. At most I think we can guarantee no matter what happens we'll keep a barrier alive and defend this place." Dr.Mei smiled bitterly knowing her own abilities lay outside of the battlefield.
"Don't worry we nearly won when it was a sneak attack. This time we'll have it." Nate said oozing confidence. Whether or not she believed him the two continued on over the morgue.