(33.2) Welcome to Deika

Blood splatters in an arc and the shine of a blue blade reflects the faint lights as it is sheathed.

From the overhead descending on hard light platforms wearing a red cloak, Julius descends. A disapproving look is revealed as he pulls back his hood to look at the scene.

"Must we go over this every time, Dener? Verify the target is otherworlder then eliminate them. That's it."

Julius makes a hand motion, greeting the helmed Old Guard pair before he turns his attention properly on the situation.

From the folds of his cloak, Julius pulls out several vials of colourful liquids and mixes them together. Within moments, it glows a vibrant purplish-red colour.

"Nowhere in those two simple steps does it read 'taunt' or 'gloat' whatsoever."

He kneels down next to the body and inspects it carefully then does the same for the head.

"Otherworlders are extremely dangerous. A cornered one, more-so. Cognizant or not."

Julius crushes the otherworlder's head underfoot and grinds it into the stone. Then he douses them both in the glowing mixture before pulling out a red orb and using it to set the garbage pile and corpse aflame.

Dener groans. "Lay off the serious talk, Jules. Do you know what the world's like after TWO Storms? The amount of deaths there've been? I need to blow off steam somehow."

Squelching sounds draw their attention to see the noble sith girl, Jasmine, repeatedly stomping on the otherworlder's head with an angry look.

"Girl'd be a good fit for the Old Guard if she hates otherworlders that much, eh?" Dener strokes his chin thoughtfully.

"Stop. The Old Guard does not recruit." Julius instructs the two Old Guard waiting at the end of the alley to take care of the mess and to get the lady back home. "If she wants to join us, it is her choice, but we cannot take actions to sway her decision."

"Ah, is that so? I forgot…"

While that is being dealt with, Julius and Dener exit the alley and enter the underground districts winding streets. The thick scent of cooking meat mixed among spices and seafood filters into their noses now that they aren't surrounded by garbage and blood.

Julius takes the lead, guided by his grumbling belly as he searches for the nearest eatery luring him in with its appetizing scent.

"Eh, forget it." Dener's hair flicks up to show off his bestial ears and the furry belt around his waist unwraps itself to reveal two long feline tails. "What brings you here, anyway? Last I heard you were looking into some girl taking down Dead like a horse on fire North of New Pinacca."

Julius opens his mouth to respond but gets cut off.

"Oh, that reminds me! There's a rumour that the Land Bridge making up Caalcia's southern border was taken down by an otherworlder earlier this year. Izzat true?"

Julius tries to respond but is cut off again.

"Oh oh! But rumours also say that the otherworlder was killed when that Narrative started. Uh… the Coronary. Know anything? Your home base is New Pinacca, ain't it?"

Julius points down a street where a particularly delicious smell piques his interest and guides Dener there.

"Oh oh oh! Actually–"

"Dener!" Julius scolds him silently with just a look. "You are the most talkative tiger narithe I've ever met. Relax and let me speak as well."

Nodding, Dener presses a clawed finger to his lips. Julius sighs deeply and leads them into an open air bar set along the corner of a crossroads where a particularly delicious smell of roasting meat and baked seaweed wafts out from.

Julius finds them a seat in the corner with proper sightlines to every direction while also blocking them from view.

"I met the girl, an alleged Acolyte of Mune, in the mountain village of Flats." Julius says once they've sat down. "The encounter was rather strange."

"An otherworlder?"

Dener whistles at a passing server that balances several trays on her tentacles. The woman juts her chin out toward another server – a ratkin narithe girl that eyes him nervously – scurries over with menus and leaves just as quickly.

"Uncertain." Julius raises a brow at the interaction between Dener and the rat girl. "Have you ever known someone to have an abnormal reaction to the Equaliser?"

"How?" Dener flicks through the menu quickly and frowns. "It's all in leven… anyway."

Setting the menu aside, Dener adopts a thoughtful look. "Well, if their magic weakens or disappears, they're an otherworlder. If nothing happens then they're of Tsarjar. How did the Acolyte girl react?"

"There was no reaction when I used it."

"Well there's your answer!" Dener proclaims. His loud voice draws the attention of the ratkin girl again who comes back, presuming an order was ready.

Not wanting to bring more attention, Julius follows Dener's lead and they order a simple meat stew with a salty broth and onion.

"The Acolyte is just an Acolyte." Dener says once the ratkin leaves.

Julius shakes his head. "No, listen. I was of the same thought. Skies, everything was normal that night. Awe-inspiring and a proper humility check for myself but normal. At least until I spoke with her the following day."

Dener's ears twitch and his eyes widen in curiosity. Behind him, his tail thumps against the wood of his seat lightly.

"Her mana was in flux. When it reached its climax or what caused it, I cannot say… but the more I think back on it, the only conclusion I come to is the Equaliser." Julius traces a long, thin finger against the wooden table surface in quick circles as he muses. "Right after I used it, she had free-cast a water spell, throwing her mana out of order further. Of course, she and her surroundings were struck with the dehydration from free-casting then and there but… the rest of the village also suffered consequences of severe dehydration, albeit much later."

"A delayed ripple effect? What happened then?"

Julius nods, pressing his lips to his clasped hands as he recalls and recounts the state of Flats that morning.

Walls of buildings that weren't inhabited had completely collapsed in on themselves.

The bodies of small animals and vermin were scattered all over, all having died from dehydration. Some children too that were near the animal corpses, had become sick from varying levels of dehydration, though none were so bad as to be critically endangered.

Even the walls of better kept buildings were also cracked, as if all moisture had been ripped away. Fortunately, the people behind more properly cared for walls as well as those further from the Flats' central square were largely unaffected or completely untouched.

"When I saw her again that morning, she was in the middle of being run out by half the village until I stepped in." Julius leans back as his and Dener's bowls are suddenly placed on their table by the ratkin server. "Her mana was in severe flux, to such a degree I would have believed she had just been through a brutal round of torture. Yet she looked completely fine. A little unnerved from being chased and attacked but safe."

"So what are you saying? The Equaliser broke and made her mana go haywire? That's impossible."

Julius hums to himself thoughtfully as he starts into his stew. He smiles briefly, finding it far tastier than expected and digs in.

Dener follows suit and the two eat in silence for a bit, occasionally scanning the crowd for nothing in particular.

Once they finish, Julius resumes his thoughtful posture and gives Dener a serious look.

"Against the Equaliser, otherworlders lose their power, no matter what type of otherworlder they are. Natives are unaffected, of course, so…"

Julius clenches his jaw tightly and lowers his head. He warily scans the bar, searching for any eavesdroppers. Once satisfied, he whispers his question.

"What happens if a Narrative existence is targeted?"

Dener chuckles. "And what drew you, the most logical man I know, to think that?"

"I sent her to New Pinacca on a job to handle restlessness in the catacombs. After seeing her handle a wraith, surely some intruding spirits and animated corpses would be no issue."

Dener's ears twitch. "Then you mean… the rumour of the battle in New Pinacca otherworlder against a Narrative being?"

"I think so. The timeline of events would fit."

"That would be one storm of a coincidence if you really met it." Dener's serious expression breaks with his sudden guffaw. "Honestly, Jules. You've been in the wild too long! What are the odds of running into the very monster that started one of the Narratives? Uh… Courtesan? Coronary? Something fancy like that."

Julius frowns. He stands up and slams a pile of coins on the table, startling Dener. "Crowns, you mean. Namesake of the universal currency."

"Uh, right. Crowns."

"And you better hope as much as I, that the other Narrative does not have personified entities. Else the honour of meeting is mine, as I survived an encounter with a vicious, cruel, uncaring monster in the guise of a human before it and the others decide to end the world."