"The circus fire was weeks ago, your presence is no longer warranted!"

  "Leave us be, leave our city and take your beasts with ye!"

  KuliKuli heard these ramblings amongst many that shared simir protests. She sat perched over the building rooftop in her cat form which granted her and her arriving sisters and mother a clear overview of the growing crowd confronting the church. A row of nine city guards armed with gives separated the crowd from the courtyard fence. The Nekomata raised her head, squinting for a better look at the insignia and color scheme that decorated those armed men, a stark difference when compared to the spearmen who followed Perdilius. For instance, the city guards wore surcoats over chainmail whilst Perdilius' followers wore breastptes and armored gloves and boots. His men were still there, stationed safely behind the fence bars without a care for the men struggling to keep the citizens composed.

  She didn't need to wonder about the priests' whereabouts for long, as the creaking of the front gates announced his incoming arrival. Two spearmen stepped forward, followed by Perdilius himself as Raz and two more spearman trailed behind him. The priest didn't seem bothered at all by the drowning noise of angry men and women shouting for their departure, but his presence did grab the attention of the city guard in charge.

  He looked to be a tall elf with pointed ears sticking out from under his helmet, promptly undoing the strap under his chin to adjust it for comfort. He tapped the butt of his give beside his boot and stood upright, shoulders drawn back with his head facing forward. "Sir, are you the one in charge of these men?"

  "That I am, how may I be of service to you?" Perdilius replied with a humble nod, ignoring the angry scowls from the onlookers.

  The guard turned his head and nodded, his companions bowing their heads in response before parting the crowd behind them.

  "Make way! Make way!" One of the guards' voices bellowed, as the group of civilians dispersed as they commanded which allowed for someone to cross through without issue. KuliKuli leaned over the balcony roof, her little cat head inching closer down to catch a glimpse of what was happening below. At the opposite end of the road sat an elegant horse carriage decorated with oak wood and silver. Janette had just arrived, turning the corner only to be met with a guard kindly requesting her to step away from the carriage She obeyed, nodding in kind and approaching the back of the group to watch.

  A nearby city guard opened the carriage door and stood by as a shaky boot wavered down before nding on of the descending steps, followed by a cane. What followed was a middle aged man with his shoulder-length hair parted in the middle and a light brown beard to cover his neck fat, inching down the steps one foot at a time before composing himself. The same guard extended his hand to help but the man shook his head before turning back. A gentle hand took his as he helped a beautiful woman dressed in a fine pink cotehardie step down, her hand pced under the roundness of her belly to ease her discomfort. She hooked her arm around his, leaning into him as the two guided each other between the dispersed crowded who stood watching in silence with a few bowing their heads slightly out of respect.

  Perdilius directed Raz to open the front gates, allowing the couple to step close and meet him without the discomfort of the gate bars interrupting their introduction. The man held an aura of seriousness in his narrow eyes, they carried the focus to see through any fa?ade or lie pced before him, the soft lines underlining his gaze only added to their intensity while being a natural reminder of his age. He was dressed rather modestly for his position, wearing a loose fitted long dark tunic over to fit his protruding belly.

  "Your name, good sir?"

  "Pardon?" Perdilius asked.

  The nobleman's curled mustache moved inward as he pursed his lips in a look of disapproval, raising his trimmed eyebrows in return. "I would like to know the man behind this movement, this following of yours, if I may. I ask again, to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

  "Father Perdilius du Corudai." He bowed politely with a grin on his face. "And you must be the nobleman Andre Dubois of House Dubois."

  "Councilman Dubois." Andre corrected him. "And my lovely wife, Cire."

  "A pleasure." Cire bowed her head respectively.

  "The pleasure is all mine." Perdilius smiled back. "Councilman Dubois, you are a difficult man to find. When we first arrived we attempted to seek a meeting within the town hall, but it seemed that my timing was ill for neither council members were avaible. Fate is on thine side so it may seem, for now here you are without my consent."

  "Father Perdilius, we were aware of your presence upon your arrival. I apologize on behalf of the council for being unable to attend to you by your request. After the fires that kept Kershin on wide alert, needless to say we have been preoccupied with more gring concerns."

  "Yes, the release of numerous beastkin amidst the scorching ruins of a silly performance show. Though I was under the impression that it was the town hall which sent word for my arrival. Hence the reason behind my insistence for your presence to address further information regarding my summoning here. You know why I am here, yes?"

  Andre turned to his wife with an uneasy look and nodded. "We are well aware of that too, the bounty of yours. Such a high price would be more than enough for a man to purchase new nds and build a new life for him and his family."

  "So then Mr. Dubois, I must ask why then have we been met with such upsetting suggestions from the great people living within Kershin Market? This is not the greeting I anticipated upon our arrival."

  "If you are under the impression that our goals align, I am afraid you are sorely mistaken." Dubois answered him shortly. "Our town may be rge but as you know, we are under the protection of no royal family, no kingdom, no militia but our own. We look after our people here, and after the debacle of a certain Master Arcaye, we have been less than fond of outsiders bringing in beasts of any kind."

  "Yes, but I do not bring in beasts. I cleanse them." Perdilius expined with added emphasis. "I came under the belief, misguided that may be, that I was invited by your council. Should that not be the case, it matters not for someone asked for my presence here. I have reason to believe, nay, I know that the monsters I seek are within the walls of your town."

  "How do you know of this?" Andre's eyes fred as his wife tightened her grip around his arm. "These are bold cims and I for one do not take kind to false cims. Humor me Father Perdilius, do you have proof?"

  A grin formed across his face. "Indeed, I do. We have detained two beasts that y captive beneath our feet in the celr below."

  "Preposterous, take me to them!" He demanded, stepping forward when Perdilius extended his hand to stop him.

  "Councilman Dubois, I must protest. After the shortcomings from Master Arcaye, would it not be unwise to request that someone of your status risk their well-being just to see this beast with your own eyes? May I request that you send in one of your trusted men in your wake instead? Let them be your eyes, you have no need to suspect of treachery on my behalf. I hold no quarrels with you and have expressed my desire to meet as allies rather than foes."

  As Janette watched Andre turn and whisper to his wife in contemption, she felt a nudge against her heel. Looking down, she was met with KuliKuli who mewed softly before she scooped her up in her arms.

  "Now, you're sure?" She whispered to her, only for KuliKuli to nod. Reaching into her bosom, she fished out the stolen key from the night before and held it to her. "Be quick."

  KuliKuli kept the key in her teeth, dropping down and scurrying between dozens of feet of idle pedestrians watching the conversation unfold. Running around the fence until she reached the back end of the church, she slipped between the bars jumped through the open window. She blinked and looked around, finding the intrusion to be much easier than she expected. She found herself in the kitchen room, quickly putting her nose to use to find any familiar scents belonging to her friends.

  Nothing.

  Crossed, she began to search around the pce, nudging doors ajar with a push of her furry head, looking around to ensure that there was no one in sight. Only then did she feel comfortable investigating.

  Emyri, Dimyri and Na'Vi kept watch from outside. Emyri remained in her spot facing the church while her two girls split up to look from the left and right side while keeping out of sight. This was the pn KuliKuli had set for them, and for a brief period Emyri had high hopes that this might work. The council members served as an adequate diversion, maybe things would go smoothly for them.

  Dubois whispered back and forth with his wife before waving for the elvish guard to approach him from behind. "Father Perdilius, this is Daemon. Take him to the celr in my pce, I would like to know for certain if these cims of yours carry truth."

  "Nothing but, Mister Dubois." Perdilius nodded in compliance, motioning for Raz to step forward. "My son Raz will be more than capable of guiding Sir Daemon into the celr for me. I would not wish to spend a moment away from someone of your status and reputation."

  "As you wish." Andre accepted his terms, both men keeping their eyes locked on each other as Daemon followed Raz inside.

  Emyri's eyes grew wide, her cws protruding out of stress. Her daughter was still inside, if they were to find her... no. She struggled to contain herself, looking to Na'Vi who was positioned atop the roof of the neighboring building to the right of the church. She too looked surprised but kept calmed with her gaze fixated on the two men entering the building.

  "Your father, Charlemagne Dubois, he is the founder of this beautiful pce yes?" Perdilius asked, scratching his chin.

  "Burgomaster Charlemagne Dubois the third, yes. We have long missed him since his passing."

  "The third? Is there a Charles in his memory?"

  "I am the youngest of my brothers, the oldest inherited the name Charlemagne Dubois the fourth. Should we be blessed with a son, we pn to name him Charlemagne to maintain the family name."

  "Ah, so no sons have been bestowed by the Dubois family name."

  "Not as of yet, no. My dear Cire and I, we await eagerly to greet our newest addition. If it be a son then we would be overjoyed, should it be a daughter then we spoil her equally with love."

  "Good, good. Then I can assume that with your wife's pregnancy, there should be a greater urgency to keep the town safe from all threats."

  "You assume correctly."

  "Good, might I ask why then do you protest against my presence here? You and I share the same desire to keep our people safe, I only ask that you assist me in meeting my goals so that I in turn can be of help toward your goals?"

  Cire squeezed her husbands arm, receiving a gentle pat on her hand by her husband as he cleared his throat. "Let us first see to the return of Sir Daemon before we revisit this, shall we?"

  "As you wish."

  Back inside, KuliKuli dashed behind a parted door for cover upon hearing the front door open. A strange man wearing a red surcoat over chainmail under armor stepped forward, with slicked blonde hair and pointed ears sticking out from his head. Raz accompanied him, waving his hand for him to continue.

  "This way," He motioned, walking past the door where KuliKuli hid behind. She watched as Raz reached for a rusty key in his belt, opening the metal lock and removing the tch to push the wooden door open. He reached for a hanging torchlight in his hand before offering another to the elf named Daemon. "Here, for your sights. Unless you can see well in the dark?"

  "I'm a pure blood, no drow blood flow through these veins." Daemon responded, taking the torch firmly in his hands. "You first."

  Raz complied, stepping lightly as each footstep echoed down the descending stairway. Daemon reached behind and pulled the wooden door shut behind him, pausing briefly at the sound of metal hitting the ground.

  "Hm?" He kept the door ajar, spotting a key beside the doorframe. "You dropped your key."

  Raz turned back and lifted his own key, leaving Daemon puzzled before closing the door completely. He followed Raz below, the torch light encompassing the two men as a pair of dimly lit yellow eyes followed behind them with light footwork thanks to her furry paws.

  "C'mon KuliKuli." Janette muttered to herself, gncing between Na'Vi and Dimyri sat at their positions around the church from above. Looking around, she spotted one of Perdilius' men stationed at the corner of the road with his eyes fixated on her. A quick gnce and he looked away, diverting his attention elsewhere. Curious, she thought to herself before looking forward. An eerie thought crept in her head as she began to step back and spot the guard through her peripheral vision. He was keenly fixated on her, not only that but he was making a hand signal toward someone to his right. She slowly turned around, seeing him look away again only this time she took advantage to follow whom he was communicating to. A trio of guards were approaching the left side building where Na'Vi sat on the roof.

  Not good, she thought when a firm hand grabbed her arm, She jumped when someone with a noticeable accent whispered to her.

  "Dey 'ave people coming fer your friends as we speak. Try an' stay calm, you can still manage to git out from this if ye follow my words, right ss?"

  "Nyitzcha?" Janette whispered back, feeling a reassuring squeeze on her forearm.

  "Ay. I ain't gut much time so jist listen to what I need ye to do." The dwarf whispered to her with an urgent tone. "It's te fer them but ye can salvage this if ye follow my words, 'kay?"

  Janette swallowed hard, brushing her sweaty palms against her dress as the pressure was beginning to get to her. "Damn it-"

  "Don't act rashly now, Like I said ye can still make it out from 'ere. Ye wanted my help, yes? Ye got it, but ye need to follow my words closely. I'll only say dis once so listen an' listen well..."

  AnnouncementApologies for the te publishes. Recently the chapters are taking longer to write and this is partially due to the extra research and details being added to the story. In short, worldbuilding can take up a lot of time if you do some research! Thank you for your patience!