"Wait...what?"
I was in shock.
"You weren't aware? That order was sent out a while back for her capture, but some people chose to ignore it. She's been slowly building an army to attack Elysium and take you down," Aldaril said.
"Why the hell would she go so far!?" Isabella said angrily.
"Beats me. Akari is really petty about such things. A minor offense can usually result in humiliation, serious injury, or even death with her. If she's going to such lengths for you, it's likely that you pissed her off royally. What happened, exactly?" Aldaril asked.
"That's...a long story," I said.
"We have time. Tell me while we make our way to Sagral," he said.
"Very well..."
* * *
As we flew to Port Sagral, I explained the entire situation that happened from the moment we departed Aldaril's mansion all the way to the mountain.
Once I finished, Aldaril simply frowned.
"I hate to say I told you so, but..."
"I know, dammit! I should have shot her in her sleep and dumped her in a lake! But I was being cautious about the dragon."
"I understand. Which is why I can't really blame you. But in hindsight..."
"Yeah...I get it. We would have been just fine," I said.
"Just promise me you won't let her get away if she bothers us, okay?" Aldaril said.
"It wasn't on purpose. Cassandra awakened her Ultra Aspects and Akari used the opportunity to escape. She's really good at running away," I said.
"It's a specialty of hers, actually."
"I can see that!'
Aldaril and I talked for a while longer until we drew closer to Port Sagral.
As we got close, I decided to allow our troops to stay onboard the Astrum.
If we were potentially fighting an army, I didn't want collateral damage. Besides, the two squads we had were supposed to be support troops and onboard guards for fighting Corruption. Not normal people.
Aldaril decided to leave Nasuria onboard as well...despite her protests.
Nasuria was concerned that Aldaril would get hurt. She was very attached, according to him. Meanwhile Aldaril just wanted to teach her to be independent.
After all, he wasn't her father and had no intention of being her parent forever.
Currently, the three of us were descending from a gravity lift out of the Astrum. Night had fallen and it was dark outside.
Aldaril, Isabella, and myself. Although I guess it would be four, counting Cassandra.
As we touched the ground, I felt someone grab onto my arm and hug tightly.
I looked over to see Cassandra quietly humming happily.
I wondered to myself why Cassandra had yet to mellow out with her obsession. It had been five years since we arrived on Delvandal and she'd only become more attached.
I really thought it would eventually pass. But it seemed like she had no intention of letting those feelings go.
Regardless...
She continued holding onto me happily and we made our way into town.
Since the Astrum had a reactive plating on the hull that could make it invisible, no one noticed its presence.
And that was unbelievably convenient considering what Aldaril had told us about the supposed army dwelling here.
We were here to fight the Corruption. Not the people.
Aldaril put his hood up and walked behind us.
"Are you worried that these people will recognize you, Aldaril?" Isabella asked.
"Not particularly, but I don't really want to draw attention either. Perhaps you two should change your clothes?" Aldaril said.
"I can help with that!" Cassandra said happily.
Before I could say anything about not wanting her to strip me down and dress me, I felt a haze come over my body.
Suddenly, I was wearing different clothes and so was Cassandra. We were matching...
It was a dark robe similar to what Aldaril had on. It cut off into a pair of pants just below the waist to allow freedom of movement, but still wrapped around my backside and legs similarly to the trenchcoat I used to wear on Ignitus. We appeared to be a group of uniform mercenaries.
"Ooooh! You look so cute like that, Mizik!" Cassandra said.
"What...? What did you do...?" I asked.
"I used my illusion power to make us some solid clothing. No one will be able to see what we really look like in a mile radius. Although...I have to stay out to maintain it..." Cassandra said as she looked up at me with a hopeful expression.
Oh, for crying out loud...
"Isabella, stay back for now... Cassandra will help us deal with this place," I said.
"Yaaaay!!!" Cassandra cheered as she hugged me.
"Hmm...I have to admit that is an amazing power. Much more than my own shadow visions... It's so much more complex..." Aldaril said.
Cassandra either didn't seem to notice that he spoke or chose to ignore him.
"Not going to respond? That was supposed to be a compliment..." Aldaril said.
"I do not receive praise from anyone other than my darling Mizik. Especially not from people who have tried to hurt him in the past. I am sure you understand," Cassandra said coldly.
"Ah...so it's like that, then..." Aldaril said.
He seemed a tad disappointed.
"Cassandra, Aldaril is an ally and a friend. Please treat him with respect," I said.
"Of course, darling! Anything for you!" Cassandra turned back to Aldaril and smiled. "Thank you for your compliment. I won't treasure it as much as I would if it were from Mizik, but I appreciate it nonetheless," Cassandra said.
Aldaril seemed mildly content with this and didn't reply further.
Sorry, that's as good as it'll get. I can order her to be nice, but I can't force her to actually like people...
Eventually, we came across the ruins of the Dark Knights guild that we nearly destroyed five years ago.
It seemed like they hadn't bothered to rebuild it yet.
When we stopped, someone ran straight up to Aldaril and hugged his leg.
"Ah...Nasuria...? What are you doing? I ordered you to stay on the ship!" Aldaril said sternly.
She ducked down somewhat and looked a tad fearful.
"I...I missed you..." She said meekly
He just sighed.
"Stay close to me, okay? I'm not angry with you, but...how did you get off of the ship?" He asked.
"I used my powers to follow silently... I...umm...we? Wanted to be with you," Nasuria said uncertainly.
"Keep her safe, Aldaril. We have company," I said as I felt a mild presence of impending doom.
Several Corrupted soldiers rose from the ground.
They were simple humanoid variants.
Nasuria cowered in fear as Aldaril held out his lantern.
A magical shield appeared around the two as several skeletal knights rose from the ground to meet the humanoid variants.
However before anyone could attack...
The humanoid variants crumbled to dust.
In a moment of confusion I looked around to see Cassandra shake the dust off of a shadowy dagger.
She smiled at me.
"I took care of them quickly with my Aspects! Are you proud of me?" She asked.
"Sure. Good job," I said.
She looked ready to burst with happiness and started breathing harder.
Relax. Seriously.
"I'm serving Mizik! This is my purpose in life!" Cassandra said.
"That girl is weird... Like a pervert..." Nasuria said. Then she looked at Aldaril. "Do you want me to be like her, Master Aldaril?"
"Eh...n-no... Please no... By the Eyes, please no..." Aldaril said.
Suddenly, a piece of the floor shifted and I saw a pair of eyes staring at us in the dark.
It dropped back down immediately and I looked at Cassandra. She was already walking slowly towards it.
"It seems like we might have a curious pair of eyes to gouge out," She said with a smile.
I thought about stopping her, but I honestly didn't care anymore.
The old me would have tried to at least talk to the person, but...
I was more concerned with remaining hidden. Cassandra was doing me a favor.
Just before she reached the loose floorboard, it flew off and someone leaped out. The figure shot straight up into the sky and stopped.
I immediately recognized it. The figure sprouted nine tails that glowed with a brilliant pale light.
Moments later, I felt an extreme pressure emanating from it...much greater than before.
It seemed that Akari had given up on the idea of fighting us normally. She had started by entering her divine fox form...
She landed with a magical explosion and readied herself.
"Well well... So you've finally come for me, Mizik. I see you brought your ugly slave as well..." Akari said while baring her fangs.
"Get over yourself. We're not here for you," I said bluntly.
"Eh..? What? You're not!? Why!? Aren't I like...your arch-nemesis!?" Akari said.
"Don't make me laugh. No. You're a minor annoyance. Emphasis on MINOR. What we're dealing with is something that threatens the entire world...or rather, all worlds. The Corruption," I said.
"Ehm... Hey...you mean those monsters from that Black Ooze stuff, right?" She said
Please don't call it that!
"Yes, but it's called Corruption. It's a threat to every world in existence. It already destroyed two of my home worlds and if we don't stop it, this one is soon to follow. Its Master is an abyssal god. The King of the Abyss," I said.
"Then the abyssal god you mentioned is...huh. That's pretty deep. But how do I know you're not making this up just to get me to put my guard down?" Akari said.
What an absolutely ridiculous question. Are you brain-dead or something?
"Are you sure we shouldn't just kill her anyway, Mizik? She's actually extremely dangerous in this form. She might actually pose a real threat..." Aldaril said.
"Please be quiet for now, Aldaril. Akari, I have no reason to make any of this up. Leave us alone and we'll spare you just this once. Get out of our way," I said.
"That sounds like a terrible idea, Mizik," Aldaril said.
"Aldaril!" I said angrily.
"I'm not about to just let you go! Besides, I can sense the presence of two legendary heart stones. Where are they? And what is that thing on your chest?" Akari asked.
"This device houses the Heart of the World. It gives me a lot more power than I had before. Cassandra...or Isabella, whichever...has the Heart of the Sky. Combined with Aldaril, you're outmatched. Even in that form," I said.
Despite my words, I could feel a tremendous amount of power coming from Akari. A divine fox was no joke. If we fought right now, I would actually have to get serious.
And I didn't feel like destroying half a continent.
"Hmm...good point. I would rather not fight you just yet. Eh...hold on a second... Who is that?" Akari said as she looked at Nasuria.
Nasuria hid behind Aldaril and peered at Akari.
"This is my apprentice. She's not supposed to be here right now, but she tagged along," Aldaril said.
Akari stared in shock at Nasuria.
"What...!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SISTER!?!?" Akari screamed in rage.
Damn it all... I'm so tired of these coincidences...