Now that she’s free to do what she wants again, Astrid turns her attention to some guild activities. Helping Leandros and Gerhart with some of the Fighter’s Guild’s problems felt refreshing, especially since the guild is a little short of some of its members. Since she’s not too far from the Consortium’s guild hall, Astrid decides to drop by. Maybe she can find someone with a bit more dedicated time to help Cypress learn some more advanced techniques to get in – not that Astrid doesn’t want to teach her, but Charon’s got its usual funny business going on again, so there’s lots to do.

Once she arrives at the guild hall, it quickly becomes apparent that the jerk involved in some of the more drastic problems the guild has been dealing with has been located. So not only does Astrid need someone to help her teach the more complex parts of alchemy, she needs a partner in this mission because the half-dwarf is more than happy to break up some illegal and dangerous activities in the sewers of Sol City.

There’s no point in sitting idly, so while she waits for someone to show up, Astrid reads over the available documentation on his guy. She promised Cantio she’d be careful when doing something dangerous, so she’s going to stick to that. Drumming her metal fingers on the table, Astrid pours over what information the guild has about Malik, but there’s a good chance any of it is outdated. The only confirmed information is the location, his bodyguards, and that they need to arrest him and destroy his lab. Well, this will be interesting.

---

Minions: Exalted Sky/Polearm, Sea/Blade, Earth/Blunt
Quest details:

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Perfection in a Bottle
Participants: Two or more
Location: Sol City
Post Requirements: 10 posts per person, 250 words per post
Description: We have located Malik's lab deep in the sewers of Sol City and need help in detaining him before he can set his plan into motion. Head into the sewers, assault his base, take him into custody, and burn the lab to the ground. But stay on your toes, he has access to a variety of tools and keeps two mercenaries with him at all times. Not only do we need to bring Malik in for questioning, but his lab must also be destroyed and any left over serums should be brought back to the guild for inspection.
Special Requirements:
- Malik is Immune to any damage or effects from Poisons and Toxins
- Malik has 3 minions who can operate on their own
- Malik must be arrested and detained
- Lab must be destroyed
General Quest Reward: +2 Renown, +1 Mystical Archive Ticket

All the quest details: talesofcharon.proboards.com/post/36817/thread

Astrid Stormstone asked for a teacher, someone competent…

What she received instead was a bastard.

There was no rest for the wicked, and that held especially true for the Charlatan. Morrigan had a lot of frying pans in the fire at the moment. First was their ascension to knighthood on a whim, then there was their secret work on a golem as part of their mage’s guild research…

And a few Consortium missions here and there. What could they say? They were perfect in so many ways, multitasking one of them. They’d taken care of a few missions for the alchemist’s guild while out on their travels - always moving, because stopping and thinking meant they had to actually think about things, and that was the last thing they wanted to do right now. Most recently had been the investigation of the strange flower circles with Kvasir, which…

Anyways. They had potions to make, and curses to investigate, and scams to pull off… they were swamped!

Just the way they liked it.

They whistled an old Zeinavian carnival song as they made their way through the guild’s hallowed halls, ready for whatever the day was to bring…

And they found Astrid Stormstone instead.

The kid looked like she was deep in concentration about something; someone with more tact wouldn’t bother interrupting, and leave her to her devices. Fortunately, Morrigan was blessed with an utter lack of any. They crossed their arms and smirked - the action possessed none of the venom it did when they met, but all of the wicked mischief.

“I’m surprised to see you here, Astrid Stormstone. What, did your babysitter flake on you so you had to come with your dad to work?”

An insult that made no sense considering Cantio wasn’t even a member of the Consortium, but whatever. They were running with it.

---

Bringing Pets
Nugget (Phoenix, Beastmaster III) - counts against pet cap
Adult Form Bubbles, Adult Drake (Mount) - counts against pet cap
Back Bog Leech - doesn’t count against pet cap
Clawdius (Gargoyle Rook) - doesn’t count against pet cap

When the door opens down the hall, Astrid looks up for a second but goes back to reading the paragraph she’s nearly done with. Sure, this might be faster or easier if she fed the report to her little book wyrm and had it recite the information back to her, but that little golem isn’t present today. She doesn’t typically bring it somewhere that books can’t be destroyed for personal gain.

Astrid’s brow furrows when she hears familiar footsteps that she can’t exactly place, but the expression falls completely when Morrigan Moonweaver speaks. The smarmy tone in their voice nearly makes her roll her eyes into the back of her head, but Astrid plays along, spinning around the edge of her chair and propping her prosthetic elbow up on the back of it. “First off, Da ain’t in this guild. Can’t believe yer gettin’ yer guild halls confused. Second off, I’m lookin’ fer a babysitter a’ sorts. Too bad I don’t trust ya as far as I can throw ya not ta get me killed on this mission.” Her other hand waves the paper as a teasing smirk crosses her face.

Setting the paper back down, Astrid turns back to the table with the report laid back on it. “Too bad it’s just you. I was hopin’ someone who could be a proper teacher might walk through that door. Shame ta see what kind a’ folks the Consortium is lettin’ in nowadays.” As rude as the words that leave her mouth are, they’re filled with significantly less disdain than they might have been a few months ago. Morrigan may not be her favorite person in the world, but after their most recent encounter, Astrid finds that she doesn’t hate them nearly so much. “How’s lettin’ Kaivalya out fer a walk now an’ then goin’?”

Morrigan wrinkled their nose before their features smoothed out to a more pleasant expression; the twinkle in their eye indicating that they’d finally thought of a scathing retort. Oh, they intended to devastate her in this battle of wits. Of course, verbally sparring against a literal child shouldn’t really be considered a victory, much less one someone should be proud of; but people who said that had clearly never met Astrid Stormstone.

Morrigan knew better than to underestimate a kid because of their age. Especially this one. She threw her words around like hammers, and the little shit knew her hammers.

They tapped at their chin with a smirk. “Oh, I suppose I did make that mistake. After all, being as multitalented and complex as I am, I just so happen to be a member of several of Charon’s most prestigious institutions. It seems I’ve crossed the memory in my mind.” They bragged, to the person who happened to be in more guilds than them, including her own.

Still, the mention of a real, honest to gods babysitter made Morrigan laugh. “Seriously? After everything we’ve been through? I’m shocked and upset. Perhaps I ought to pop by the Mage’s Guild after all and ask Cantio what he thinks of the fact that his daughter doesn’t trust his very best friend in the whole wide world.” They pressed a hand to their chest with an affixed scoff.

… Admittedly, their curiosity was piqued. Astrid Stormstone was a stone golem of a dwarven being - if even she felt she needed help, then it was bound to be something juicy.

They leaned over the table, snatching the paper from where she’d left it, skimming the contents. A potion counterfeiter… illegal experiments… an ex-consortium member. “And you think I can’t help with this? Or act as a proper teacher? I’ll have you know, Astrid, it takes a schemer to catch a schemer. There is no one better qualified to find this man than myself. And another thing! You’re looking at one of Fish’s mentors, thank you very much. I am a wonderful teacher and a delight to be around, thank you very much.”

Just look how well Ceres Celestia and Ophelia Oluwandai were growing under their tutelage, after all - and Morrigan didn’t even have a spell to their name to teach the kids!

They opened their mouth to fire off another witty retort when Astrid asked a question that made them feel as if they’d been sucker-punched. Morrigan wheezed, furtively glancing this way and that to make sure they were alone. Astrid knew that name - Cantio knew that name. Kamille did… of her own volition.

(And Kvasir would, too, if Morrigan wasn’t such a fucking coward.)

No one else was allowed to know.

“I’d be careful throwing that name around in public if I were you. As far as the world is concerned, Kaivalya is legally dead.” They toyed with a strand of their own hair, twirling it between ring-clad fingertips. For a moment, there was a glimpse of vulnerability in their face - and then it was gone. “Slow going. On a tight leash. Even if I were to acknowledge that they aren’t dead… I’m not the same as I once was. But,” They smirked, “You’ll be pleased to know that I’ve been just fine on my own without pretending to be a wizard.”

They leaned forward, tapping at that paper. “Now, about that mission… I can consider myself invited, right? I am awfully bored, and I find my schedule uncommonly empty this fine afternoon. If you asked politely, I could consider lending my services. For free.”

After all, there was no one else around, and they were better than nothing…

It would be a shame if someone much better than them showed up right about now.

Beist squeezed through a door leading off of the guild hall and further into the building with a huff. He brushed the green robes he was wearing down, smoothing out some wrinkles, before looking around. The hall wasn't very crowded, and his view was practically an aerial one. He smiled as he spotted the blonde hair and red horns quickly. He hadn't expected her to be here, but he wasn't surprised. He was well aware Astrid was a member of the Golden Consortium too, and at such a young age. He approached cheerily, his tail swaying slightly behind him. His cheerfulness only very slightly faltered as he noticed who she was talking to.

As gigantic as Beist is, he can walk surprisingly quietly when he's on solid ground like the marble floor of the guild hall. It also helped that the hall was large enough for him to maneuver around easily, along with the fact that Morrigan was far too distracted boasting about themself to notice the looming shadow of his approach behind the purple Fellblood.

Overhearing just a bit of their conversation as he walked through the hall. He heard them mention a few things, though their conversation was a bit muffled from the distance and the idle chatter of some others in the hall. He thought he heard a name he was unfamiliar with though. From what Astrid had said, he thought this may be some pet or such, having to take it out for walks now and then. He loved animals, especially magical ones, so his interest was piqued. When he was close enough, he leaned down behind Morrigan to speak softly in their ear.

"Who is Kaivalya? A companion of yours?" He asked with a smile.

---

Bringing Pets:
Woolful in space pocket
Light Elemental (My Best Friend) in space pocket
Lightning Elemental in space pocket
Griffon (Sleigh Bell) in pet pocket
Magma Ignalis (Stables) in pet pocket

Astrid’s brow furrows when Morrigan boasts about all their guild accomplishments. Ah, of course, they’re just tooting their own horn, so Astrid snorts and nonchalantly says, “Huh, I ain’t ever seen ya in the other four guild halls.” The fourth, of course, being Astrid’s guild recently founded with Fish, but she won’t specify that unless Morrigan deigns to ask. It’s funnier to let them wonder.

“I mean, if ya want ta be the one ta tell him that ya let somethin’ bad happen ta me, then sure, I don’t mind bringin’ ya along,” Astrid says, shooting Morrigan a wicked smirk, which gives them an opportunity to snatch the paper away from her. With a huff, Astrid looks up at them while they read over it. They’re not technically wrong about being someone fit to help with this, Astrid just really wishes someone else would. Then again, if she needs to disappear Morrigan, a dangerous mission is the place to do it.

Somehow, it never really occurred to her that Fish and Morrigan knew each other, and Astrid looks genuinely baffled that Morrigan has mentored the little bird. “I’m surprised Fish put up with ya long enough ta learn anythin’ from that big mouth a’ yers,” she says. “Then again, they’re pretty smart, probably the smartest person in the Consortium, so maybe I ain’t so surprised.”

And that’s when she hits them with another whammy by asking about Kaivalya, which, to her credit, is a question coming from a place of genuine curiosity. While they fumble over what to say, Astrid turns in the chair to look up at them properly. “Aye, I am glad ta hear it!” Astrid says with a smile that somehow feels proud of them for being themself. Heck, she even starts to consider their offer to come along on this venture. However…

Seeing Beist approaching behind Morrigan, Astrid’s whole expression shifts to pure excitement, and she briefly forgets about Morrigan. “Grampa Beist!” she shouts, immediately leaping from her chair and bouncing through the air^[1] to throw her arms around his neck if he’ll let her. “Ya got perfect timin’! I was just lookin’ fer someone fer a couple a’ projects, an' I almost got stuck with this knucklehead.” The temptation to harass Morrigan about Kaivalya by telling Beist is strong, but Astrid holds her tongue. It does not stop her from giving Morrigan a smarmy look from atop Beist’s very tall shoulder.

---

1. Step of the Wind
(Bro idk what pets I'm bringing, two of them are tied to subclasses lol)

F-Four other guild halls?

Morrigan thought there were only four guilds in the whole of Charon! It must have been Astrid Stormstone’s overactive imagination… if there was a secret elite guild which only accepted the best of the best of the nation, Morrigan would naturally be a member. Surely.

“… You must have just missed me.” Morrigan waved a hand. “Busy schedules and such. A master’s work is never done, and when you’ve got as many pans in the fire as myself, you don’t tend to linger for long.”

They had to scoff at the implication in Astrid’s words. “As if that thick skull could be harmed or penetrated by anything. You can’t use that guilt tripping on me, Astrid Stormstone. I of all people should know.” They were the one to ram it directly into a wall during that unfortunate incident at the Black Sun Spire, after all.

Besides. They didn’t want to think about what might happen if Morrigan did babysit on this mission and Astrid happened to get hurt, and Cantio Von Lumen found out…

It was then they noticed the glint of metal where it oughtn’t have been. That definitely wasn’t armor.

Morrigan was entirely unfamiliar with prosthesis, so it took them an embarrassingly long time to realize that was not a real flesh and blood arm at all.

“Hey, that’s cheating! You could just blame that on me and get me in trouble with your father-“

Wait.

“NOW HOW IN THE HELL DID YOU EVEN LOSE THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE?” Oh, fuck. This was bad. Did Cantio know about this? Was Morrigan going to have to draft up a letter to him? Morrigan had no qualms in involving children in their scams, but they drew the line at grievous injury. Whoever did this had to be truly depraved. And more importantly, powerful enough to land a scratch on the brat from hell.

It was at that moment that Beistmild walked in and interrupted the rest of Morrigan’s interrogation with a question that made their heart do an acrobatic fucking pirouette out of their chest.

Morrigan whirled around with a yelp, because Ginma’s Gravestone how was he that stealthy. “No one!” They screeched. “Kaivalya is a pet. Yes. It’s…” They hastily pulled out a Skewt in a jar from their bag, “This little bastard! I caught him quite recently and was asking Astrid Stormstone for pet care tips.”

There. Couldn’t have been smoother.

Thankfully they didn’t have much time to dwell on the conversation, because Astrid picked that moment to fly over and envelop Beistmild in a hug.

Morrigan threw their hands in the air in exasperation.

“How many grandparents do you even have?” First Kamille, and now this. Did that make Kamille and Beist -

No. Morrigan didn’t want to know.

For their own sanity they dropped that line of thinking and stuck their tongue out at Astrid instead. “On the contrary, this knucklehead should probably fulfill their obligation of protecting such a sweet grandfather and granddaughter on an outing, hmm? You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

They wanted in on this mission. It could mean getting rid of another scammer in the area and taking over their territory -

No, scratch that. They were reformed. Kind of. This was to get rid of another scammer and steal his stock. Yes. That was better.

Beist smiled happily and let out a slight chuckle as Astrid threw her arms around his neck. He put a hand on her back, returning her hug and giving her some support as he stood back up with Astrid still clinging to his front. He didn't mind at all as Astrid climbed from around his neck to sit on his shoulder. He was happy to see her. It wasn't surprising that he might run into her at the Golden Consortium. He already knew she was a member.

Beist's tail swayed back and forth as he looked at the skewt in the jar. Morrigan could easily notice there had been some changes. Not only was the tail now mottled with splotches of white scales among the blueish green, but the tail was much larger, resting on the ground behind Beist as the now golden feather duster-like tip swayed in the air. Beist's face also had some whiskers that he hadn't had the last time he'd seen Morrigan.

"Oh, a skewt! They're just adorable, aren't they? Hellot there, Kaivalya. It's wonderful to meet you. I have a skewt of my own. I named him Spooky." Beist gave a slight chuckle. "Because of the skeleton-like pattern on his skin, you know? Wonderful creatures. They produce a very slippery slime that I've been experimenting with, trying to learn its alchemical uses. Sadly, I left Spooky at home. It would have been fun to introduce him to Kaivalya here." Beist lamented.

"But if you need some care tips, I'd be happy to help! First tip I would like to give-" Beist said as he reached down and delicately gripped the lid of the jar with two fingers. He gave it a quick turn, popping the lid off. "You shouldn't be keeping the poor thing trapped in a jar! That's just cruel! If you're worried about the mucus, they only produce that as a defense mechanism when they feel stressed by something, like being trapped in a jar, for example." Beist lectured Morrigan with a hint of anger in his voice. He cared very deeply for these animals and didn't tolerate this mistreatment.

He held a hand out for the skewt to climb onto as he looked to Astrid again. What was Morrigan shouting about? Had Astrid lost something? He couldn't see the difference in her arm, as the side it was on was facing away from Beist.

"Projects? What kind of projects? You know I'm always happy to help my granddaughter."

He looked back to Morrigan. "Well, most people have four grandparents you know. One set for each parent." He said before realizing he may have made a mistake. Astrid had been adopted by Cantio, and he never heard anything about a mother from her. He didn't know how many grandparents she had. Had she also adopted them as grandparents, like she had him? Could what he said have offended or hurt her? He looked at her with an apologetic look. 

Astrid looks at Morrigan with the smugest expression the dastardly twelve thirteen-year-old can muster. “Morrigan Moonweaver, yer hard ta miss.” The backhanded compliment comes perfectly delivered and with so many hidden implications. They’re so gaudy, they’re easy to spot. She’d never miss an attempt to smack them. And of course, they’re a big dumb liar. But they’re working on it. Sort of.

It comes with its own backhanded compliment from Morrigan about her own skull being too thick to hurt, which… fair. But she won’t give them the satisfaction of laughing about it!

Their eyes lock on her arm propped on the back of the chair, then they start off on a rant, then they stop and go absolutely mad. Astrid follows their gaze down to look at her arm then looks back at Morrigan and opens her mouth to come up with some way to explain it but then she sees Beist and the moment, thankfully, is forgotten.

Astrid stifles a laugh watching Morrigan flounder over not only calling their past self a pet, but now naming their skewt that so the name will be uttered over and over and over again. A hilarious self-inflicted wound, really. Beist probably would have understood if Morrigan deigned to tell him about their past, but Morrigan made their bed, and now they get to lie in it. Astrid enjoys this little victory.

As she settles in on Beist’s shoulder, Astrid considers her grandparents count and says, “Three adopted grandparents. Beist, Kamille, an’ Bellighul. Though I ain’t seen or heard from grandpa Belli in a while…” Maybe she should swing by the villa again to see if he’s there next time she’s in Zeinav. Oh, but Beist says people have four grandparents. Astrid nods a little, considering that that makes some sense. Then again, most people have two parents, and hers are presently a clumsy but lovable fellblood and a ghost. “Eh, me family is weird, but that’s what makes ‘em special. We all picked each other, so that’s the best kind a’ family, ain’t it?”

Giving Beist another clunky hug around the neck, Astrid drops down to the table, rattling it and everything on it with how solidly she lands. Fists placed on her hips, Astrid proudly says, “Anyway, there’s an ex-member a’ the Consortium stirrin’ up trouble, an’ I wanna go kick their butt! If ya wanna join me, I’m happy ta have ya.” Considering what she just said, Astrid pauses, then she gives Morrigan a playful stink eye. “An’ aye, that even goes fer you, Morrigan.”

The arm subject had been dropped for now, but Morrigan would be returning to this later. If they were anyone else they might have pressed the issue… yet empathy was still a difficult concept for them to grasp, so while they were logically alarmed at the prospect of Astrid Stormstone lacking an entire arm since last they met, she was still relatively okay as far as they could tell, so it was a lower priority than saving their own skin vis a vis the terrible skewt blunder and gaining access to this anti-scammer venture.

Cantio Von Lumen had to know. Right? Right.

Their stupid gambit did the trick, even if Morrigan had to wince at Beistmild’s repeated use of their old name. It did not… sting as much as they thought it might. It was still hopelessly awkward.

They’d take getting chided over poor animal caring habits over Beistmild learning their secrets.

“Ah…” Morrigan reached out their hand for their Skewt, who’d been freed by Beistmild in the gentle giant’s anger. “Force of habit. I’m used to keeping my most dangerous and poisonous creatures in jars, and I acquired this little fellow quite recently - I’d not had time to evaluate its slime for toxicity. I’m sure they would, uh, love a play date with Spooky at some point!”

The skewt, now thus named Kaivalya, because Morrigan had to lie in the grave they’d dug for themselves, remained perched on Beistmild. Oh, well. Morrigan would get their hands on it later.

“Four grandparents?” They’d not had any, as far as they could remember. All of them must have perished before Kaivalya - Morrigan, before Morrigan was born. They’d never particularly cared. Given their own experience with dear old mama and papa, Morrigan had decided long ago that family was fairly overrated.

Though… there was a spark of truth in what Astrid said.

They thought of Austri and Sindri Sigurros, and how they’d been so utterly kind to Kvasir, and Morrigan in turn.

“It grows weirder every time I hear about it.” Morrigan replied with a half-hearted shrug. But it made the kid happy, and it wasn’t hurting anyone, so who really cared how many people she adopted? They returned Astrid’s stink-eye, sticking their tongue out. “Well, duh. I just said I’m coming along. You two are going to need someone whose specialty is poisons and counterfeit potions.”

Still overselling their skills, but… at least it was related to skills they actually had, and not magic they didn’t possess. Baby steps.

They clapped their hands together. “Now. What’s the plan of attack? Are we thinking, torch the very flammable things in his lab, or some other lame idea?”

Beist gave the skewt some gentle pets in his hand before holding it out to Morrigan to take back. As much as he cared for animals, he wasn't the type to go around stealing them from others unless he knew they were irredeemably bad caretakers for them. Morrigan had already proven themself... capable? Maybe a strong word, but good enough.

"The mucus is harmless unless maybe you step in a puddle of it and slip. It makes a great lubricant. Astrid and I used some of it in making a new mechanical golem body just recently. Those metal plates still don't make a sound!" Beist said cheerfully, beaming at Astrid.

"Oh, neither of you have yet to visit my new home. You should bring Kaivalya with you when you do. I'm sure Spooky will love it." He added.

Beist was surprised to hear that Astrid had also adopted Kamille as a grandparent. He didn't think the Witch of Moonglade would appreciate being called a grandma. He also wondered who Bellighul was. He had never met someone with that name, but they were apparently another adopted grandparent of Astrid, so they were essentially family to him already.

"Yes, the family you choose is more important than the one you are born into." Beist repeated the saying with a nod. He was glad Astrid looked unaffected by his words. It even seemed like it just gave her inspiration to go adopt one more grandparent. "I agree. Of course, I feel the same way about all of my companions. They mean the world to me, and you do too."

Beist reached a hand down and patted the top of Astrid's head with a warm smile before he looked at Morrigan, his smile becoming more mischievous as he reached another hand down and also gave Morrigan some pats. Maybe Astrid was rubbing off on him a little, as he felt like teasing the Fellblood. "And I suppose I care about you too, just a little." He said jokingly.

"Oh, kicking butt, well, you know I'm not much of a fighter. I prefer peaceful solutions more..." Beist started saying, but he looked at Astrid with worry. If he refused to help that meant she would just go do this dangerous mission without him. Even worse, she'd be going with Morrigan! "Well, I'd be glad to help if you think I can. I can at least offer some support with my potions."

Considering that Astrid didn’t really think much about how many grandparents people typically have before today, Beist putting a number on it not only means that she has another slot she definitely has to fill, but also a number to beat. Astrid wonders how many aunts and uncles people have typically while also counting up the number of people that she has officially (and more importantly, unofficially) added to her family. There can always be more.

Anyway, the mission. That’s the focus now. A devious grin spreads across Astrid’s face.

“Let’s go make a mess.”

---

While the three of them head toward the location indicated in the dossier, Astrid fills Beist and Morrigan on the rest of the details from the thing. For Beist, it’s a courtesy that Astrid is happy to provide. For Morrigan, it’s because Astrid doesn’t think for one moment that they’ll actually read all the details. Either way, she of course offers the official document to them to go over while they travel.

“The short a’ it is that we need ta beat him up, arrest him, an’ get rid a’ the operation,” she says in conclusion while they walk through the sewers. Astrid is especially vigilant down here considering her last trip into the sewers resulted in upsetting a mob that then tried to murder her and her best friend multiple times. There’s no telling if any of those people have been following her or trying to find an opportunity to stab her. The sewers would be a great place to dispose of a body.

“I think it’d be real funny ta take away his potions knowledge or his magic,” Astrid says with a smirk. “Or like… swap bodies with him.” She shoots a glance at Morrigan in particular, recalling that the two of them managed to make the most out of the item that cursed them with one another’s form. There are so many ways the group can generally just be a nuisance without even having to fight, and Astrid is all for making this mission in the sewers a fun one.

Morrigan winced once more when Beistmild used that name again. Ugh. This was already a massive mistake.

They’d just have to get used to it.

“I was not aware that you’d settled down.” They said with a grin. To be honest, it had been some time since Morrigan and Beistmild had seen one another. “I suppose, since you care about me so much, it would be prudent for me to come by and visit, no?” They said with a wink; if Beistmild was going to tease, Morrigan could prod right back. They were certain the last thing he wanted was for Morrigan to actually visit his new home.

“Aww, but the peaceful solution is so boring!” Morrigan replied.

Perhaps it ought to have been more frightening that Morrigan and Astrid were on the same page, for once. Malik had a big storm coming.

---

There was a strange aura permeating Sol City as the group made their way to the hideout that had been identified by the Consortium. A rather dreary time of year, late winter giving way to early spring. An especially dreary place, because this criminal – Malik Imann – had taken refuge in the sewers of all places.

Whatever happened to committing crime in style?

The fellblood had to suppress a disgusted grimace as their sandals touched smelly dirt and grime that would take ages to wash out of their silks. If there was one thing they hated more than grime, it was the nauseating stench; they thought they’d gotten enough of it in their last foray into the Marsh Flats, yet here they were. Not to mention the cramped area meant they had to leave Bubbles behind aboveground, leaving only Nugget as support.

The firebird was currently perched on their shoulder; her long, elegant tail swooping behind her as the trio ventured closer and closer to Imann’s laboratory.

Morrigan grinned, picking up what Astrid was putting down. They’d… sort of paid attention to the spiel she’d given on the way here. There was a criminal, distributing potions on the black market, conducting illegal experiments. Supposedly, he was as vicious with magic as he was potioncraft. They did have their half of the monkey’s paw in their bag…

“It would be fun to take the unfortunate master Malik Imann for a spin.” There was a hint of mischief in their voice, one that said they’d absolutely relish the opportunity to destroy his own lab with his magic while he watched helplessly; a thought they didn’t dare voice while the good Beistmild was still here. The gentle giant likely had an inkling that Morrigan was not exactly as… capable of miraculous feats of whimsy as they claimed. Or any miraculous feats, really. But it was still safer to keep mum on the nasty curse business for the time being.

And as for taking away his magic… Morrigan could do that too.

They were considerably less excited about that prospect.

They pulled out the sword from their belt – a wicked, curved desert dancer’s blade that seemed to sing in the air with the same uncanny tune Morrigan’s own odd abilities did – and gave it a flourish, mostly to show off. “Do we know how many men Malik Imann has working in his laboratory? It wouldn’t be fair for me to hog all the fun of taking him down. I’ll be sure to leave a few for you.”

They immediately fumbled their flourish and dropped the Unweaver into the sewer gunk.

"Well, the wagon got a bit too cramped for me and all of my companions." Beist admitted, a little embarrassed. With his increases in height, the wagon was less of a home and more like a sleeping tent. He couldn't even stand up straight inside it anymore. It just wasn't as comfortable as it used to be. He also couldn't fit all of his adopted animals in there anymore, and couldn't help that he kept adding even more.

"Of course! I'll mark down the location for you." Beist agreed, not even refuting caring about Morrigan. Even if it was the charlatan, Beist was too overjoyed to have visitors to care. He showed Morrigan and Astrid a map, pointing to a spot on it in Moonglade. "This is about where it is. We could have a barbeque. Oh, there's a lake that's lovely to swim in right now. You could bring your swim suits. Invite some friends. I'd love to meet Cantio, and I haven't seen Bubbles in a while. You can bring Spicy Pawsage, and Kaivalya, and any other pets of yours as well. I have plenty of room, and a field they can play in." Beist went on, cheerfully making plans for everyone to come visit him at his new house. He was excited just thinking about the first time he'd ever have visitors.

Hearing Astrid's sneaky plan of taking away all of Malik's magic or switching bodies, Beist almost felt bad for the guy. He had no idea what was coming for him.

---

"Why do bad people always have to make their hideouts in sewers...?" Beist muttered to himself as he waded through the muck, hunched over in the cramped (for him) tunnel. Beist and Morrigan could agree, the sewers were awful. At least Beist wasn't in sandals. His magical clothing was currently reshaped into a white shirt and a waterproof set of forest green fishing waders, covering him from feet to chest with straps over his shoulders and keeping him clean and dry. Even his tail was covered in the leather waders, looking like a slimy green eel swimming along the surface of the water behind him as he walked.

In Beist's lower pair of arms, Astrid was held, safe and clean, out of the putrid water. Beist had offered to carry her, not wanting to make her have to get soaked in the filth that was certainly rife with diseases.

He considered taking some of his transmutation tonic just to become a bit smaller and make this trip more comfortable, but he decided against it. His strength and size might be needed in a fight, and his tonic could also be useful in a battle. It would be foolish to waste it to make himself weaker knowing they were about to face an extremely dangerous enemy.

During the trip, Beist looked to the firebird on Morrigan's shoulder with a smile. He didn't have one of those among his menagerie of animal companions, so he was curious and interested in the creature. If they weren't in the sewers and sneaking up to a criminal's hideout, he would have liked to have a discussion about it. Maybe Morrigan could bring it along when they came to visit his home.

He looked at the copy of the mission report Astrid had given him.

"It says here, he has three mercenaries working for him. I believe it would be safest to assume all three are with him now and make a plan to deal with them." Beist whispered to Morrigan, using the light of the firebird to read in the dark tunnel.

Beist watched Morrigan's sword splash into the gunk and chose not to say anything about it. The Fellblood was already suffering enough. With a quick glance from the spot where the sword had sunk to Morrigan, he held the paper up to cover his face.

---

Morph Suit
Extra Arms

Seeing the location of Beist’s wagon on the map, Astrid realizes that she hasn’t been to the place he usually parks it and decides that an adventure to grandpa’s house is in order. And with all the pets? She almost forgets about the mission for a minute while considering what kind of fun a barbecue could be. “Considerin’ the last barbecue got interrupted by a volcano dragon, I can’t wait!”

---

Astrid does absolutely no complaining about Beist’s offer to carry her in his arms in the sewer. First of all, it means she doesn’t have to deep clean her boots and greaves like she does every time she goes to the Marsh Flats. Second of all, it makes her taller than Morrigan so she gets to look down her nose at them as a treat. Third of all, who else in her family is going to give her the little kid experiences of shoulder and piggyback rides she never got? Actually, Blue Raspberry can (and probably has), but it’s different when it’s a grandparent!

While they consider a plan, Astrid watches Morrigan with one eyebrow cocked above the other, utterly unimpressed by their flourish. And then they drop it in the drink, and the half-dwarf can’t contain herself. Her hand covers her mouth to quiet her snickering, but it still echoes through the sewers, creating a chorus of Astrid voices all laughing at Morrigan like a mocking crowd. “I didn’t know yer full name was Morrigan Butterfingers Moonweaver,” she giggles.

Eventually, the three of them reach an area that looks suspiciously overgrown with bits of moss and mold growing on the stones that don’t exist in other parts of the sewers. It’s a clever way to disguise an area to look untouched, but to the right person, it stands out as plainly as this group of adventurers does in a crowd. Astrid hops out of Beist’s arms to stand on an overgrown walkway and starts investigating the bricks. Yeah, something is weird here, and it matches the description in the dossier.

Stepping back from the wall, Astrid focuses on her prosthetic for a moment, and the blue light that seeps out from the gaps glows brighter as she increases the flow of magic into it. Runes etched into the surface of the metal start to glow and lift off of the surface, seeming to hover over it while twisting and turning.^[1] Her eyes sparkle with magic, and Astrid prepares one of the most dangerous (and helpful) spells she knows: the one she learned from Scern.

“Ready?” she says, looking back at Beist and Morrigan for confirmation.

Which she doesn’t wait for because the minute she looks back at the wall, Astrid slams her right arm into it, shattering the bricks and opening a hole for the three of them to charge into.^[2] She promptly does, bounding over the rubble and into the underground lab of Malik Imann and his lackeys, who are, for lack of a better word, utterly shocked by the arrival. “KNOCK, KNOCK!” Astrid shouts before releasing the magical tension in her arm like a taut bowstring.^[3,4]

Beneath the first two people she sees, magical chains burst up from the ground and wrap around them. The chains glow white hot and sear their skin, and the men let out startled and pained yells. This leaves two others, and one of them happens to be Mister Imann himself.

---

1. Arcanatek Prosthetic - Arcane Mode [post 1/3] - does not consume spell limits of the next 3 spells
2. Baloth Muscles
3. Dual Cast
4. Scern’s God killer