“Yeah, because we would all be totally cool with that.” Erica interjected with a roll of her eyes; “Why is every Trog we’ve met so obsessed with blood?”
Naturally, the Chameleon answered her rhetorical question.
“Because we can taste it. All the time.” She explained as her tongue darted out to do just that; “I can taste yours now.”
“It’s true.” Miranda added; “Trogs are right up there with Wolfen when it comes to tracking, though they do it by taste instead of smell. You’re my first Chameleon though.”
“Lucky me.”
By the flat tone of her voice, it was clear Kriss didn’t feel that way about it.
They left her alone after that.
Miranda refocused her attention on the Ogre, relying on her years of experience and all of the patience she had cultivated while working with Nameless to get as much information out of the innocent monster as she could.
Once they were back in the city, the senior operative led them straight into the Bastion before turning to hers and Nameless’s bond-mates.
“Why don’t you lot get some lunch while me and your man take Tora and Kriss in?”
She received several flat looks at the suggestion, so she rolled her eyes.
“The room is going to be packed to capacity with just Tora in it!”
“It’s alright girls.” Nameless nodded; “I can fill you all in later.”
Erica snickered at the obvious opening.
“You better fill me later.”
Along with Milly and Ophelia she gave Nameless a peck on the cheek and ruffled Nina’s hair, the Gigas showing no sign of doing as Miranda asked.
The operative gave her a pointed look, which of course was ignored.
“Whatever, come on.” Miranda sighed.
“Where are we going?”
“To where I work when I’m not being led around by the nose by you and yours.” She replied irritably.
A couple minutes later they were in a converted briefing room where a dozen men and women in grey uniforms were working, with seemingly every scrap of information they had gathered about Jonathan and Evadne pinned up all over several large boards mounted on the walls.
“This is basically the nerve center for the hunt for Evadne and Jonathan.” Miranda explained to Nameless; “You’ve met Commander Morrow?”
The room had gone silent at the arrival of the Ogre and the commander in question quickly made her way over to them to see what was up.
Nameless and Miranda both saluted the uniformed woman, while Nina yawned, though she kept one eye on Kriss when she did.
The woman’s uniform was the definition of neat as she returned their salute, a puzzled frown on her face.
“Yes, we have met, once. At ease. What’s this about?”
She was looking as much at Tora as she was Miranda, the Ogre meanwhile looking very out of place as she did her best not to break anything in the crowded room, the enormous girl already having to hunch to avoid hitting the ceiling with her head.
Kriss wasn’t much more comfortable; her eyes were constantly darting around at all the unfamiliar faces while her scales frequently blended with the background of the room, causing Nameless to squint at her whenever he noticed.
A half hour later, the commander knew as much as any of them, and the news of an entire clan of missing Ogres proved exactly as alarming as expected.
Afterwards the conversation turned towards Nameless and Miranda’s experiences in the search for Avita Longinus.
“We have a team there now, with an Undine on site to relay everything they find. But that network of tunnels is beyond anything we’ve ever seen.” Dawn Morrow offered a sympathetic expression to Tora as she filled them in on their progress; “If there were any Ogres there, they are long gone. Along with who knows how many other monster girls.”
Tora sniffled at the mention of her clan. The simple girl hadn’t been able to follow everything that they had talked about, but by now she at least knew that the Aegis genuinely wanted to help her.
Without really thinking about it Nameless reached out and took her enormous hand with his, the giant smiling wide at him when he did.
Kriss’s eyes narrowed when she noticed the kindly gesture, but she didn’t make a thing of it. Not knowing anything about Tora’s clan, she’d only been able to answer a handful of questions about her mother Cass’s connection to Evadne, and even then the information she provided had more or less already been discovered by the Dragon Xalanth and Lady Essig when they were looking into Nameless’s past.
Finally they were dismissed, with instructions to temporarily board the Chameleon and the Ogre at the auction house where Nameless was assigned.
It wasn’t ideal as the place was already brimming with all of the monster girls who had come into the city seeking safety, but the building was built sturdily enough to accommodate a wide range of monster girls, including Ogres, even if they had never been seen in it.
After saying goodbye to Miranda and her bond-mates again, Nameless and his girls were soon alone with the two other monsters, and the questions that he so desperately needed answered began to bubble to the surface.
Not important questions, at least not in the grand scheme of things, but important to him.
Most of them circled around who Kriss was as a person, but the one he wanted answered the most was as simple as it was hard to articulate.
Do you have love in your life?
Having lived without it himself, Nameless knew how critical that was.
Soon they were on the ground floor of the auction house, Nameless and his bond-mates deftly avoiding the painfully nosy Ginger while they got Kriss and Tora settled in.
“You’ll be safe here.” Nameless promised; “We’ll figure out what comes next for you two later. Would you, uh, like something to eat?”
Since he’d yet to have lunch himself, it was all he could think to ask to keep the conversation going.
The Trog let out an unhappy hiss.
“I don’t need you to tell me what is next. And I don’t need you to take care of me.”
“And I don’t like people arguing with my mate.” Nina countered with a glare; “Be grateful you still have all your limbs.”
The grumpy lizard girl had made a very poor impression on the Gigas.
But Nameless interrupted before the two of them could start bickering again.
“Look, Kriss, I-we need to talk right? I mean, we’re family!”
Her eyes widened and her scales turned scarlet with ire at his words.
“We are not family.” She replied harshly; “My mother was my family. She is dead, and as far as I can tell, she is dead because of you.”
Milly and the others drew in a sharp breath when they felt the stab of pain from the harsh words through their bond with Nameless.
Even a few months ago such an accusation would have been devastating to him, but now he recovered quickly and replied without shame or hesitation.
“So is mine. And our father. And my friend. The number of people and monsters whose deaths you could hang around my neck isn’t a short list.”
He didn’t sound sad, only tired, but his Gigas felt differently.
“Start listing them and see what happens.” She grumbled, the building shaking slightly with her annoyance.
It was going to take her a long time to get over the Chameleon’s ambush, though she was more angry with herself for being so caught off guard.
Before anyone could debate further, Ophelia drifted over to Nameless’s side.
“Dearheart, why don’t we leave it at that for now? We can talk about all of this once everyone has had a chance to get settled.”
He was about to argue, but the unfriendly expression on the Trog’s face remained, so he allowed his bond-mates to lead him out of the room.
“Goodbye Tora.” Milly waved awkwardly just as the door closed behind her.
The Ogre, having silently fretted throughout the brief but tense c
onversation, waved back with an honest smile, though Milly didn’t catch it.
The pair of them now alone in the spacious room, Kriss watched as Tora sat on the massive bed.
The Chameleon frowned as she considered all of the things she had learned today, about herself, but also about her big blue friend.
“He seem nice.” The innocent monster suggested when she noticed the other girl’s attention.
Kriss sighed as she took off her sword harness and rolled her shoulders to loosen them.
“That... isn’t important.”
Suddenly Tora was giggling, as if the Trog had made a joke.
“Yes it do! It only thing portant! He nice. But he also sad. Yous be nicer to him!”
Once again the Ogre was behaving as if she was the one looking after Kriss.
The Trog made a noise in her throat but then her look turned contemplative.
“We were together for a number of days, why didn’t you tell me about your clan?”
The blue girl shrugged, her good mood evaporating at the reminder.
“Yous not ask. Yous always want go places, and I want follow.”
Her jaw began to tremble slightly, and Kriss sighed at the pitiful sight.
Without hesitating she held her arms out, and Tora brightened again as she pulled her into a much needed hug, the Trog’s legs and tail dangling as she was enveloped by the big girl’s cleavage.
“You still could have said something.” Kriss’s voice was muffled by blue tit-flesh, so it was easier for her to conceal that her words came out thick with emotion.
Tora had been a pain in her ass since they’d met, but she’d quickly grown used to her, even fond of her.
She’d been on her own for a long time after her mother was killed, so even though her efforts were clumsy, the fact that Tora was trying to look out for her felt... nice.
Which led to more complicated feelings when her thoughts inevitably returned to the physically underwhelming, yet still somehow imposing, figure that was her brother.
__________
While Nameless and the other were dealing with Tora and Kriss, Volka was in the Bastion, responding to a summons that she had known had to come eventually.
She stood before the Aegis high council, her helmet under one arm and a questioning eyebrow raised, while to one side Lady Essig looked unhappy, Xalanth at her side.
The white haired woman had met Volka in the hall and followed her inside, earning a few scowls from the councillors at her uninvited presence, not that they dared complain about it in front of her Dragon.
“Volka- pardon. Dominar Volka-” Margaret Bloom began, clearly trying to be diplomatic.
“That is who and what I am.” The Valkyrie replied mildly.
“The Aegis has stood for centuries. As you well know. And in that time we have always maintained a strict chain of command. Having fought in the war I’m sure you can appreciate the necessity of that.”
“I can.” Volka nodded, her usual cheekiness gradually fading.
Now Booker spoke, his expression stern.
“In the midst of this crisis we’re up against, you and yours have been acting more or less without oversight. Don’t think we’ve forgotten how you absconded with the Brael and Saenga tribes, not to mention Lilly and her pack.”
The Valkyrie was outright frowning at the accusations, but she let the one-eyed man continue.
“When it comes to Evadne, we can’t be working at cross-purposes.” He insisted in a more conciliatory tone; “That chain of command? Aegis Armstrong is at the very bottom of it. And since you are his bond-mate...”
The way he trailed off made his meaning clear to the Dominar, and she sighed at the folly of what he and the other councillors were suggesting.
“I could argue that Lilly and the Saenga were not under your jurisdiction, but that is beside the point.” All of the mirth was gone from her posture as her back straightened; “Aegis Booker, esteemed councillors, I am Dominar of the Angelic Hosts. My knee bends to no one, not even my husband. As it must be in this. Forgive me, but you are simply not prepared for what is to come.”
One of the other councillors shook his head in exasperation.
“Did ya not just hear us say that the Aegis has stood for centuries? Angel you might be, but it is our sworn duty-”
The Dominar’s eyes flashed with light, while the council nearly had the wind knocked out of them by her sudden ire.
“Do not lecture me upon duty! Or have you forgotten that your oath calls upon the blood of my people?” She demanded, glaring at the councillor until he swallowed and had to look away.
Volka slowly shook her head as she looked to each of the human leaders.
“How many battles have you waged?” She asked with her voice now deadly calm; “How many times have you stood shoulder to shoulder with thousands, knowing many or perhaps all of you were marching to your deaths?”
Her sacred armour showed little signs of the struggles she described, but they could not doubt her words.
She began to pace slowly before the suddenly anxious council, her helmet still tucked under her arm.
“And how many times... have you picked your way through the dead and dying, desperate to save as many as you can even as exhaustion claims your limbs?”
It was a grim and deliberate reminder of the state of Lipton Falls when the Aegis arrived to find the result of Evadne’s unleashed rage.
Volka paused in her pacing, taking a moment to meet each of their gazes once more.
“You speak of the founding of the Aegis as if I was not present for it. I know well your mandate, as I helped the original council draft it. And I also know well your duty!”
The five councillors were beginning to look like children being rebuked by the irate angel, while Sadie wasn’t bothering to hide her smirk at their expense.
“As for the warriors I am assembling, do not misunderstand my intentions. I do not seek out war. I have seen far too much of it already, lost too much to its fury. But war is what Evadne intends, and indeed, it is what she has already brought against this world. Or have you already forgotten about the tribulations faced by the Longinus family?”
She sighed again as she turned her shield to consider her heartstone in its center.
“When I tell you that you are not ready for this, it is not a critique of your courage or abilities. No one is ready for war, not even those who have seen it and know well its indiscriminate wrath.”
With firm movements she set her helmet on her head and strapped her shield to her arm again, as if preparing to go to battle right in that moment.
“I will act now as I must, as I should have done from the moment Evadne revealed herself. I admit it was my mistake to delay accepting the mantle of Dominar. But now we can only move forwards, and no longer can we do so with half-measures! Real preparations need to be made, stocks of food and medical supplies need to be assembled, as well as caches of weapons. And above all else we need to take account of our disparate forces.”
“Many of the preparations you’re talking about, we’ve already made. But at the end of the day, the Aegis is a peace-keeping organization.” Margaret Bloom said carefully.
Volka drew in a deep breath, her eyes still glowing as she looked at the headmistress of the academy; in hindsight she regretted the silly prank that ended with the woman in the Undine training pools.
And in that moment she made a decision that would drastically change the landscape of the Aegis forever.
“Just so. But there can be no peace to keep so long as Evadne lives. To that end, I must now take command of our efforts to regain it.” There were a few gasps of surprise at the decisive words, but she spoke over them; “I hope that I do so with your blessing and assistance, because no one living knows the burden. Save the very special few such as the Flametongue. If you understood as well as she, you would not object.”
“I will follow you, daughter of light.” Xalanth said with a slight bow of her head; “As
I once did your ancestors.”
That gave the council pause.
It was a heady thing for a Dragon to submit to anyone other than their bond-mate.
Booker drew in a heavy breath.
“Alright, Dominar Volka. I’ll... admit you’ve given us a lot to think about. Would you allow the council some time to discuss this?”
The Valkyrie met his eyes, her bearing still stern and proud even as she nodded her head.
“Do not take over long. Our enemy does not wait for us.”
If only she had known how true her words would prove to be.
Chapter 34:
Touching Off
After having spent the morning getting accustomed to her new home, Rebecca gathered her nerve and headed out to the Aegis academy in the early afternoon.
Soon she was taking in the sight of the sprawling academy grounds as she followed the signs leading towards the administration building, Miranda’s letter clutched in her fist.
Her bond-mate had offered to go with her and make the introductions, but Becks wanted to prove that she didn’t need any hand-holding.
As she watched a nearby group of cadets running through a nasty looking obstacle course under the watchful eye of a pair of instructors, she lamented that decision.
“Can I help you?” A gruff voice sounded right beside her.
Her ears went flat to her head and she let out an odd little squeak at being surprised, turning to look up into the frowning face of a scarred and muscular bald man.
She coughed to clear her throat before holding up the letter, almost like she was afraid that she was in trouble somehow.
“I’m Rebecca sir. Miranda, my bond-mate Miranda, she um... I’m supposed to learn here?” She finished lamely.
Instructor Kavanaugh’s frown softened, if only a tiny bit, and he took the letter.
“So you’re a legacy?” He asked.
Becks didn’t have a clue what that meant, so she shrugged noncommittally.
Whatever her response was, it didn’t seem to matter as his attention turned to the letter. It was so crinkled from her nervous hand-wringing that he had to rub it back and forth against his thigh to smooth it out before reading it, causing her to blush deeply.
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