The Wondrous and Equally Treacherous Plans of Pleiades

{PLEIADES POV)

"So, a Cursed Titan is approaching the Dark City…"

[Mhm.]

Sunny glanced at the pair of Soul Shards at his feet, then at the corpse of the Terror. "And... we only have two weeks to prepare to conquer the Crimson Spire and escape this hellhole?"

[Yup.]

He raised a finger and tapped it against his palm.

"So you somehow plan to get everyone on Nephis' side, have them lay siege to the Spire, and also gear them up with good Memories?"

[Decent Memories, actually passable, yeah let's go with passable.]

"…Okay, and you also plan to hold off the Titan while we escape?"

[Yeah. So just seven things to do. Nothing much, really. The only problem is these damn Cursed creatures wield concepts as weapons. I'd rather fight a Great one but oh well. You have to work with what you are given.]

Sunny frowned slightly, confusion tugging at his brow.

"You said six. What's the seventh?"

[Ohhh… uhhh, well…]

Regis chose that moment to manifest. His presence sank the room into a heavier shade of shadow as he emerged with a smug gleam.

"The seventh is to fix his sexual frustration."

I felt a familiar and powerful urge to crush him with a tentacle, but restrained myself. Instead, I sighed. Sunny looked and waited for me to respond, with earnest expectation no less.

[That's not even close. He's just being a jackass.]

"Better a jackass than a thirsty—"

[JUST SHUT UP!]

Regis retreated, grinning with all his oversized teeth.

"Just messin' around, boss man."

Sighing inwardly, I summoned the Luggage. Its many-toothed jaws creaked open wide. Sunny bent down and stuffed the sacks of Soul Shards inside.

Regis eyed the Terror's corpse and raised a brow.

"Why not make that thing into an Echo?"

As Sunny finished with the Luggage, i dismissed the Memory and Sunny approached the corpse, inspecting it curiously.

[Well, it'd probably come back as a Fallen Tyrant thanks to the loss of its heart. And... I think it's already been through enough.]

Regis shot a dirty look in Sunny's—my—direction.

"So this thing gets a free pass from being enslaved, but I don't?"

[Yes.]

He looked offended. I ignored him and shifted my attention to a raven perched in the Dark City. Commanding it to fly, I watched through its eyes as it soared over the city's expanse.

Passing over the Rebellion's encampment, I saw the cohort just minutes away from returning. The camp would erupt in celebration any moment now. So i had only a sliver of time to prepare.

[Okay, time to incite some conflict. Sunny, give me control.]

Unbothered, Sunny sighed and gave a crooked grin.

"You know, I'd feel a lot more comfortable giving you control if you didn't say things like that."

[Ah, but it's so fun to tease you. Now gimme.]

'>>Why not just take another body? Kill a guy, or a girl, if that's your thing, and take over that.<<'

While syncing into Sunny's body, I diverted a strand of thought to respond.

'[Did getting coddled by Effie fry your memory? I can't take the body of another because of Fate. Sunny's my only option.]'

'>>No, no, I get that. But just conceal yourself from Fate and take over a body.<<'

'[I'll just stick with what I've got.]'

'>>Just another way of saying you don't mind being a femboy.<<'

'[First thing you'd do is take over a woman's body. So i don't wanna hear it.]'

'>>Hundred bucks says you'll be in a lady's body at some point.<<'

[First find a hundred bucks.]

Now fully in control of Sunny's body, I stretched, then summoned the Luggage once more. From its gaping mouth, I pulled out the exoskeleton and the outfit of my alter ego.

"I could say 'time to clown around'… but eh, too cliché.'

************************************************************************

{SEISHAN POV)

Taking slow, measured steps down the long hallway that stretched toward the cafeteria, I passed a group of hunters led by Pathfinder Breila. She halted her pace as I approached and offered a genuine half-smile.

"Lady Song, I'm glad to see you here. Say, would you consider going on a hunt with me tomorrow?"

'Straightforward as ever.'

Carefully crafting my expression, I gave her a pleasant smile and replied softly, "While I hate to disappoint, I'm afraid I have a great deal of work on my hands."

She returned a warm, understanding smile, though there was a flicker of disappointment in her eyes.

"Ah… that is rather unfortunate. But, I was ordered to fetch you and Mister Gemma."

'Another meeting? Has Nephis and her Cohort been taken care of? Did the assassins succeed?'

"All right. I suppose my plans will have to wait. Also... it seems you still haven't gotten over Gemma. Am I right?"

Breila's face flushed a soft pink, and she coughed, looking away.

"My lady, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

A genuine smile curved my lips as I followed the small team of hunters through the corridor, quietly and without comment.

Breila was quickly becoming a star in the Dark City. Her Aspect was capable of generating stunning shockwaves through motion, it was incredibly effective in battle—especially in a group formation.

'What a breath of fresh air… and her scent is…'

I stopped the thought cold.

'Control yourself.'

As we passed the cafeteria, I glimpsed inside and saw that many of the most important members of the Host had already gathered—Gemma among them.

I didn't miss the slight pout on Breila's face as she spotted him seated next to Kido.

'Cute…'

Falling in with my handmaidens, I was greeted by their smiles and soft bows. I stood among them, my gaze sweeping across the room until it found Breila again—now at the rear of the room. Her bluish eyes flickered just once, passing over Gemma with a subtle look of longing.

While I studied the silent exchanges flowing through the chamber, the air grew tense. Armor clattered against the smooth surface of the Castle's floor, a sound that echoed ominously.

A man dressed in a flowing golden mantle stepped through the open doors. Behind him, Tessai followed—hulking and trembling, his face pale and drenched in sweat. Harus came last, walking with slow, deliberate steps, his eerie smile hanging loose.

The Bright Lord's steps echoed with unnatural weight as he ascended the staircase leading to the throne.

All those in his path bowed or turned their gaze, myself included.

He stopped before the throne, and then, with slow ceremony, turned to face us before taking his seat.

Tessai now stood directly in front of me—and I had never seen him this nervous. The realization hit swiftly.

'The assassination attempt had failed.'

Looking closer, I spotted it—his right hand was bandaged, blood soaking through the linen. Two fingers were missing—his pinky and ring finger, cleanly severed.

The silence was suffocating. Then came a tap—a single sound from the armrest of the throne. A sigh followed, muffled by Gunlaug's golden helmet.

"It would seem that the newly rising Changing Star has returned…" he said, his voice carrying easily through the room.

"Even though she wasn't meant to…"

His gaze shifted slowly to Tessai. The giant's knees began to shake immeddiatley.

For a long moment, Gunlaug just stared.

Then, with a low grunt, Tessai dropped to one knee and bowed his head, a deep shadow falling across his face.

While his face was hidden beneath the golden visor, it was clear that Gunlaug was furious. The very fact that Tessai had been forced to sacrifice two fingers was proof enough, clearly it was an offering made in blood for his failure.

"Now that she has returned, the little rebellion she sparked will grow bolder. They'll think they can overthrow me… and we don't want that."

He paused, grumbling lowly. Then, suddenly, he slammed a fist against the throne's armrest with a metallic clang. "We don't want that, do we?"

Instantly, the hall erupted with a flurry of passionate affirmations, shouted all at once in a mess of hollow loyalty. None of it made sense.

Out of petty spite, I simply mouthed a curse without speaking. He wouldn't hear it anyway.

With a raised hand, Gunlaug silenced the crowd. His shoulders slumped slightly, the tone of his voice now tired, but resolute.

"It seems we will have to take offensive measures."

Tessai stirred, finally recovering from his earlier disgrace. He lifted his hand and waited.

Gunlaug's gaze pinned him in place, making the giant tremble again. After a long pause, the Bright Lord gave a curt nod. Tessai straightened, barely keeping himself upright.

"I propose we send everyone! Crush them in one fell swoop. We're better trained—they may have similair numbers, but not our skill!"

The silence stretched and Tessai looked hopeful however Gunlaug's gaze bore down again and shot down all of his hope.

"Yes, that would be ideal" he said, voice cold.

"If only we had ten more veterans to help us."

The comment struck like a blade. Tessai flinched and immediately backed down, silent again. Before Gunlaug could continue, a whistle sliced through the air.

A card shot across the room like a bullet, aiming straight for the throne. Gunlaug moved his head just in time, the card embedded itself into the throne with an unnatural twang, humming with power.

Blades were drawn and memories were summoned. I called forth the Sunlight Shard, and the warhammer manifested in my hand moments later.

Then, from the shadows, a figure emerged.

A man in a long, tattered overcoat. A clown mask covered his face, porcelain white with crimson marks. He walked calmly, unbothered by the army of deadly warriors surrounding him.

He stopped in the center of the room, casually scratching the cheek of his mask.

"Ah… seems I'm intruding. My apologies."

All eyes turned to Gunlaug, awaiting a single word. But the Bright Lord did not speak right away. Instead, he leaned back in his throne, his focus completely centering on the clown.

"Apology not accepted. You seem familiar… say, didn't you scam some of our hunters out of their soul shards?"

The clown cocked his head.

"Scammed? No no. They failed—like real grown-ups. Can't blame me for their incompetence."

Gunlaug's gaze shifted toward a cluster of shamed figures, likely the hunters in question. Then it returned to the masked intruder.

"You know you can't leave this place now that you showed yourself."

The clown nodded solemnly and summoned a Memory.

It was a simple ebony cane, its handle shaped like a long, curved beak.

"Of course. I came here to do battle. With this, I offer my loyalty to the Blessed of the Sun God— the Changing Star."

He raised the cane and pointed it directly at Gunlaug.

"And don't even think about hurting her if I fall in battle. Not that I plan to die. After all…"

A faint, unsettling giggle escaped the mask.

"I am the strongest sleeper in the world."

Stillness returned and everyone tensed. Then Gunlaug finally leaned forward, brushing imaginary dust from his mantle.

"I was planning to attack the rebellion anyway. Your interruption won't change that."

The clown tilted his head, snapping it back theatrically.

"…You were going to attack regardless of my interference?"

Gunlaug gave a small nod, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The clown stood frozen. Then he slumped slightly.

"…So my grand entrance was unnecessary?"

Another slow nod.

A long pause.

Then, deadpan through the mask:

"…Fuck."

A/N: Taking a one week Break from writing, Trying to find a job so maybe it'll be longer than that.