Prejudice and Predicament II

Lupus smirked. "Of course not! You should have more faith in me," She scoffed, conceit lacing her tone. Then she tapped on the Stellius ring adoring her index finger, and a blue holographic display flickered into the air, similar to the HUD screen inside the cockpit of the Armatus suit.

Cocking his head to the side, even more confused than before, Jack asked, "What are you doing?"

"Saving the man's life, as requested," Lupus replied casually, her golden eyes glowing in the bright holo-screen's light as she searched for something. 

"Oh…" Jack shuffled closer, standing beside Lupus and peering at the screen with curiosity. It resembled a list, filled with glyphs and modern languages. As Lupus scrolled through her a wiggle of her finger, "Is that a hospital directory? Or are you calling an arc ambulance?" He asked dumbly.

"Pffft!" Lupus nearly burst out laughing. "An arc ambulance? Jack, your imagination really conjures the strangest words," She blurted, extremely amused.

Jack awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and let out a soft, forced chuckle, realising how ridiculous his question sounded. 

To his defence, mages tend to slap the word 'arc' in front of anything that called it arcane with magical ability, so far he had heard of arc boots, arc comm., arc poison, arc blades and so on.

"Although my Iasis can heal most surface wounds, it is only classified as a greater essence, you see. It can stabilise his condition, but his curse requires a more skilled healer than me. So, what I'm doing right now is checking for anyone in the area who possesses the mythic essence of Iasis," Lupus explained patiently, her eyes skimming the list.

"That's really convenient," Jack remarked.

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he murmured, "The mythic essence…" Then, recalling a past lecture, he exclaimed, "Lesser, Greater, Mythic… It's the most powerful essence after the Primordial, right?!" He struck his palm with his fist in realisation.

"Oh?" Lupus gasped, raising a brow at him. "You actually remember such things? My esteemed Novitcius," She quipped, smirking at her man, her small fangs glinting endearingly.

Jack responded with a sheepish smile, humbly accepting her praise.

"Aha! Found it!" Lupus exclaimed gleefully, then tilted her head slightly. "Virgo division… Novitcius mage? Odd…" She mumbled, puzzled by the mismatch of name, essence, and status.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, grabbing her arm in anticipation.

"She has mythic Iasis, but she's just a mere Novitcius… It doesn't make sense." Lupus frowned. Typically, acquiring an essence as powerful as the mythic class would at least grant someone the title of Stellius Mage or even Lunarius Mage. The fact that this Novitcius mage had not received a proper rank was incredibly bizarre to Lupus.

Seeing her troubled expression, Jack asked softly, "What's her name?"

"Terissa Mercier. She's a maiden mage under the Virgo division," Lupus returned a reply. She then tapped lightly on an icon next to the list.

Jack observed the screen. Two icons appeared — one of Lupus and the other of Terissa. A line flickered back and forth for a minute before finally connecting.

"Umm…? May I ask who this is?" came Terissa's voice, divine and echoing as though she were speaking from a heavenly chamber.

"This is Lupus Hoffmann, Olympian Mage of the Agility Division! Requesting your assistance!"

"O' Mother Gaia, I'd be happy to assist you, Miss Hoffmann. My name is Terissa, but please call me Triss," She replied, her tone soft and featherlight.

"Okay! Trissy!" Lupus returned. Jack strained his ears, listening intently. It was one of Lupus's traits — she could make any stranger feel like a close friend within three sentences. He admired her social skills for that.

"I'll get straight to the point," Lupus said, casting a worrying glance at Rhok, who now appeared more at peace. 

"Please do, Miss Hoffmann."

"We have an injured man. I believe he has been cursed by the Shadowbringers," Lupus explained, gesturing in the air.

"A D~deadman's Brand… O' Holy Mother," Triss murmured, her voice suddenly shook with terror and disbelief.

"Correct!" Lupus said, clasping her hands together.

"Would you mind bringing him to my location? I'm at the defence tower outskirt of Hasenwald, just southwest of your current position," Triss instructed, determination strengthening her voice.

"Wow… This Triss mage is actually quite nice. Not only is her voice divine, but her act of kindness is, too," Jack mused.

Lupus hesitated. "How do you know where we are? I haven't sent you our location yet."

"O' it's a long story. Please come to me, and I shall tend to the man. Whether he is an enemy of Osten or not, we are all living beings. Life is precious and should be preserved at all costs. As the wise one enlightened us in the Book of Old, we shall never place a price on life itself." The dreaminess in Triss's voice made her words oddly captivating.

Lupus's frown deepened and Jack noticed the uneasiness in her, "How does she know all that?" Lupus wondered, her bunny ears twitching reactively.

"Understood. We'll head to you right away," Lupus said, and the line disconnected. She glanced at Jack, wearing seriousness on her, "She's definitely a clairvoyant of some sort."

"A clairvoyant?" Jack asked, incredulous.

"Yes. She can see, hear, and even feel those who come into contact with her," Lupus stated bluntly, stepping in so close that her voluptuous chest pressed against him.

Jack turned away, his face flushing. "W~what?" He stammered, clearing his throat reflexively.

"Don't even think about anything weird around her. Got it?!" She pointed a finger at his face. Her usual playful expression had vanished, replaced by a stern glare.

"Yes…" Jack replied reluctantly, though one question gnawed at him. "How do I stop the thoughts, especially the intrusive ones?"

As if she could read his mind, Lupus smirked. "Think of me instead! That's how!" She instructed, part playfully, part sternly.

Jack nodded vigorously, his head wobbling back and forth in obedience.

Thus, Jack and Lupus took off in his sleek Armatus mobile suit, with Rhok secured safely in its massive arms, setting their course toward an ancient structure, the defence tower, looming in the distance near the mountain ridges.