CHPT 176: Striking Truth.

Ursula sat idly through her Tangent's Class while the Professor droned on about the oddity of how the Loot Heroes earned in Tangents changed based on the region or part of the world you were in.

It was an interesting subject that gave way to dozens of questions and theories she'd gladly tune into if this morning never happened.

Ronin's sudden appearance combined with Claude's telling of how he was attacked by the twins clouded her mind entirely. Bringing back the memories of their shared time in the Deviant like a seasonal storm in the midst of returning.

The blood, violence, fear and Monsters fought to dominate her thoughts— and they did.

She sat in the medium sized classroom decorated with shining glass cases of Loot from Tangents and Tangent Crystals, vividly remembering everything that plagued her dreams.

She could even smell the moisture in the air as she recalled the rain that fell in the dark forested Deviant while the giant Wolf Monsters hunted them— played with them.

The one Claude later told them was Jack could've easily ended her. The oily black furred monster killed the other few students with ease— using his talon-like claws to tear through each and every child he killed. But all he gave her was a puke inducing gut punch. The monster spared her— and she was still injured for weeks.

The barrage of thoughts and returning traumatic memories forced a question to ring out from within her mind, silencing everything she was reliving for the moment.

"How did Claude survive that night if the twins are anything like Jack? How did we survive that night in the Deviant?" She thought as she remembered him standing in the dark grassy field, willing to kill himself as he cast down the twisting wooden tendrils that blotted out the Moon and sent them at the Monster like a bolt of lightning.

Knock! Knock!

She was pulled from the ominous thoughts in her mind in response to someone knocking on the door.

Her Professor of the class was a middle aged man with sun tanned skin and balding black short hair that went by, Prof. Teach. He was a man who spoke about important objects such as Loot and Legendary Weapons with so much excitement you could practically see it radiating like smoke from his balding head.

That enjoyment she noticed when he spent his time intricately explaining Weapons like Excalibur or Honjo Masamune, faded as soon as he peeped through the rectangle window in the center of the light brown wooden door to see who knocked.

"Here we go…" Ursula groaned as the door opened and a member of the Detection Corps stepped inside and spoke silently to Prof. Teach while looking from the man to Ursula.

"Alright Ursula, class ends early for you today. Your presence is needed elsewhere…" Prof. Teach said, followed by students beginning to whisper and chatter amongst each-other as if they didn't already know where she was going.

"Let's get this over with." Ursula thought as she headed out of the classroom and followed the male Detective wearing a long black cloak.

***

Their walk lead them down the long hallway lined with classrooms filled by studying students and lecturing Professors while Ursula and the male Detective silently walked across the black and orange tile floor. Followed by them clearing flight after flight of stairs until she found herself standing at the entrance into the Library while the Detective opened the door for her to enter.

"This is where we'll be conducting our collection of intel from students." The Detective said through tired eyes that looked like they hadn't been closed in days.

"So that's what we're calling it?" She commented before stepping inside, knowing this was nothing other than an interrogation.

As soon as she stepped into the Library with its walls of books and high ceilings full of beautiful historic art, the scent of old paper, leather and wood filled her nostrils. Followed by the memory of the last time she was inside.

One of the first times she learned Claude suddenly became unable to talk about his home situation or parents without storming off angrily. A topic she still strongly wanted him to open up about that worried her. And lastly, the Demonic Monster that could possibly be stalking them all. The HellBreeder. Luckily they haven't heard or seen anything of it since the Snake Claude defeated, but it made her think.

"Why was it taking so long? Was it changing more creatures? Or fighting someone else? What could it be doing?" She shivered at the thought as the Detective led her past the front desk at the center of the Library, and towards the back where the Books on Gods and Demons stood in the distance surrounding the table.

The same table that Marshall Leon stood in front of while more Detectives waited nearby.

"Ursula. You've grown since I last saw you." Marshall Leon said kindly through eyes that betrayed his smile.

"That's what happens when you haven't seen someone in four years." Ursula thought plainly before nodding along with his words and approaching the table.

"Please, have a seat." He said as he beckoned to the seat across the table from him.

Ursula closed the distance in the silent Library, the only sound being the chair sliding over the compact burgundy carpet as she pulled it out from under the table and took a seat.

The Detectives surrounding them shifted in their attempt at relaxed positions while she looked up at the powerful Hero looking over her from across the table. This was surely an interrogation. Despite the lighthearted tone of his deep accented voice— he positioned himself in a way to look even more imposing than he already was, forcing her to be the only one to sit was purposeful. An attempt to make her feel small. Something she trained to avoid everyday, nobody makes Ursula feel small.

She sat up straight, puffing out her chest and widening her bulbous shoulders while she looked around at the Detectives.

An affiliation she didn't know much about, but if they allowed Det. Cyrene to stalk Claude at the twins request then they couldn't be very well minded individuals. The only problem was, they were meant to look like simple onlookers of the event— associates as Marshall Leon said it. But the 5 men and 3 women that surrounded them— seated on tables and leaning against bookshelves, were watching intently, calculating and analyzing everything with the skills they gained from their Classes.

"So, before we get down to business. I thought we'd catch up. It's nice to finally talk with a student I already know."

"Please don't." Ursula thought angrily before replying, "Alright."

"I haven't stopped by to see your brothers or Rory since our last S-Ranked Tangent together so tell me how they are. Last time I saw them….they were second years at this very University." Marshall said, sounding almost robotic as he attempted to sound caring.

Ursula shifted in her seat before responding, "Liam and Shane are doing fine. They've recently joined the Grand Knights Guild…"

"Amazing. I can't wait to see them in battle. We need more Knights like your father." Marshall said while looking like he was going over a memory.

"No the fuck we don't." Ursula thought while she sat in silence.

Marshall continued his trip down memory lane with Ursula, slowly sounding like an actual human— which was worse then his previously even robotic tone of voice since his kids were literally missing and he was reminiscing over the good old days of destruction.

They talked about her brothers, other Knights and her father for another uncomfortably long amount of minutes when he suddenly asked a question that turned the discussion from uncomfortable to enraging.

"How's your mother?"

Ursula stiffened for a moment, muscles tended and fingers curled into tight fists while her heartbeat pounded rhythmically like a jackhammer in her ears.

[Berserker's Rage:…..10%…..11….12%]

She cleared her throat and fought to regain her composure while she wiped her eyes. Attempting to hide the way they switched from honey brown to icy blue before finishing as glowing white orbs of mindless rage.

In her mind it felt like the internal battle lasted minutes, but by the time her fingers dropped from her face, only seconds had passed.

"I don't know….." Ursula replied flatly.

Marshall made a confused expression, "What are you talking about?"

Ursula leaned back in her seat, no longer interested in trying to match the imposing body language of Ronin, as tears streamed down her cheeks— immediately freezing against her skin and forming glimmering markings around her icy blue eyes.

"I don't know how my mother is, because she ran away."

Marshall Leon turned his head and looked sideways as he considered her words— like the information was merely a trivial fact he just learned. "Huh. Well I'm sorry you all had to deal with that." He replied as if her mother leaving was just a slight inconvenience.

[Berserker's Rage: 12...13….14…15%]

That wasn't even the worst part.

Marshall glided over the topic and broke off into an outer monologue about his conquests and achievements in the Tangents. Talking about the Monsters him and Rory took down and the— borderline, worlds they destroyed in the process.

While he continued to speak, Ursula drowned out the heartless Noble's words— as someone else's voice took precedence in her mind. The only person to talk about wanting to be a Hero. The person who saved her from death twice. Claude.

She was right to find it so off for these powerful Heroes to talk like this. Sure the Tangents being completed saved people and stopped the monsters from continuing to change the earth— burn there would always be strong individuals to do such a thing. They weren't Heroes. The man standing in front of her remembering the way he ripped apart Elven Kings and Orc Chieftains with joy was no Hero. In fact, she could probably count the amount of true Heroes she knew on one hand.

The realization struck her like a spear through the heart.

In a world full of Monsters, violence, chaos and individuals with incredible power; She only knew one person trying to be a true Hero…