After some deliberation, Geffen Yuly's branch followed the trail of the concealment spell.
It took them a while, walking in circles until they stumbled on a dilapidated house not far from the group of Homunculi they had bewitched. Unlike most buildings in Priene, it was built entirely of wood and unusually small, looking more like a shack.
Its collapsed door and windows were roughly sealed with wooden planks, blocking any attempts at glimpsing inside.
Still, Geffen needed but a glance, with perception magecraft, to deduce its nature.
"An obvious trap," he sighed. "I can see a multi-layered Theurgic Field inside despite the concealment. Its presence is so heavy it's tugging at the surrounding flow of Mana... What shoddy work."
Zur's brows creased. "It's the same trap as the ones in Juktas, right? I presume the moment we open the door, we'll be blasted with a wave of dense Mana infected with the Pale Malady."
"What then? Should we activate it from afar?"
Geffen looked at the ever-eager Hadas, then shook his head. "Ilana made too great a fuss earlier today. Whatever we may discover is not worth the Temple of Stars' scrutiny, for now, at least."
Yellow Mana glistened atop his finger as he drew inscriptions from the language of Kabbalah in the air. They clustered into a circle, then grew in size, spreading over the ground until they covered most of the abandoned house's surroundings.
Immediately afterward, he took out a spherical object the size of a human head, rolling it towards the newly established occult circle.
The artifact, seemingly made of glass, started mimicking the colored glimmer of the Mana underneath it, pulsating with the same rhythm. It buried itself in the soil, after which multiple small mounds of clay, mud, and rock rose around it.
They were slumbering Golems, shapeless, until the time came when they would have to answer their creator's command.
"We can't know for sure if they won't use the passageway inside the house as an emergency exit," Geffen explained to his Homunculi. "When that happens, the Golems will awaken and ambush them. The concealment spell plays in our favor here since it partially shrouds their presence."
He spun around, heading toward the apothecary. "Let's call it a night and group with the others. We've ascertained at least one entrance, but it's not feasible to investigate further without warning the Henosis Seekers. We don't want to start the assault yet."
The four Homunculi shadowed his steps, intently listening.
"Tomorrow is the day we strike. We'll go through the entrance to the subterranean network indicated by Lady Quinctillia and search for their northern base from there. Underground locations are inherently easier to conceal due to the constricted flow of Mana, so there's a great chance we'll face one of the Archangels. Ready yourselves to die for the renascence of the August One."
Geffen kissed his palm and touched his forehead, followed by his Homunculi in perfect synchronization.
"To the renascence of the August One," they echoed.
—
In an ordinary house, bordering the banks of River Danaus.
"Honestly!" Ilana bellowed in frustration. "Why did Master Yaen chastise me? I've won my battle, haven't I?"
The branch leader was sitting cross-legged on the floor, encircled by erratic, floating threads that dug through her body.
Next to her, a Homunculus with the appearance of a stitched woman stood in waiting. Her body was parted in the middle as if sewn from the limbs of two different humans. Her right half was pale and sported a brown eye and red hair, while her left half was copper skinned with a blue gaze and black curls.
Her mismatched mouth, barely sewn together, opened as she spoke melodiously, "The enemy is the Henosis Seekers, Mistress. You vanquished a Bishop from the Temple of Stars."
"And what about it, Meir?!" Ilana declared as the threads made of thin, Homunculus skin coiled around her, stitching her wounds. "She said I was a common whore. She's an enemy, too!"
"You had forgotten to cover your breasts in public, Mistress," Meir calmly explained.
"But it was such a nice breeze..." She pouted, glancing over the window of their temporary hideout. From there, she could see the Theatre of Priene, as well as the glittering flow of River Danaus.
Her black-and-purple gaze then landed on the other side of the room.
Heavy, chaotic thuds resounded, caused by two wooden chairs jumping repeatedly. They kept falling on the limp corpse of a little boy, splattering his flesh while their rails creaked in a mocking hum, mimicking a laugh.
Not far from them, a rectangular dining table had sprouted a serrated maw and was devouring the carcass of a middle-aged man, most likely the father.
Two Homunculi were carefully skinning the mother in another corner, soon to be used as material.
This little family was the previous owner of this abode, a quiet, happy household. However, since Ilana needed a suitable base to strike the Henosis Seekers tomorrow, they had been converted to a more practical purpose.
Surely, they would understand their part in the grand scheme of things and bless their fortune for having contributed, ever so slightly, to the prophesized return of the August One.
"Shirin, Serya," Ilana addressed the two Homunculi amid the flaying. "Where is Yitav?"
"I am here, Mistress," a sensual voice answered, slowly opening the door. "I've just returned."
She had gorgeous shoulder-length blond hair, gentle features, and a pure, greenish gaze. Her figure, while slightly plump, fit the taste of most men in Hierapetra and would have qualified her as a beauty if not for the second pair of arms attached to her abdomen.
When in public, Segment IV Yitav usually hid them under ample garb, but this time she used them to hold a balding middle-aged man in a tight grasp.
His eyes were unfocused and vacant, hinting at a spell-induced daze.
"I've captured the Theatre's supervisor," she added, throwing his body to the ground. "I believe his name is Duris of Priene."
"Ooooh~" Ilana exclaimed, her lips curving into a twisted smile. "Such a clean little patch of hairless skin. I wonder what he would look like with a carved skull."
Devious inspiration sparkled in her glare, but she soon snapped out of her reverie. "First things first! We need to question him. He will require all of his brains for that. Poor thing doesn't look that bright even untouched."
Ilana exaggeratedly shook her head, feigning pity. Right afterward, her beautiful face beamed, and she yelled, "Alright, Meir!"
"Yes, Mistress?" The Homunculus inquired, still standing next to her.
"Let's use the rack!"