“What the Hell did you do to my door?!” Alissa screeched as she ran to the front of her home. Immediately as she came around the corner from the other room, and she could clearly see what Isaac was facing on the street, she doubled back and kept out of sight. Isaac didn’t know if she planned to help him or not, but it didn’t really matter. He couldn’t count on her to help fight, he shouldn’t expect her to. He was the one with the powers, the training.

            But she had helped him before at the InCorp building. In that case, it was life or death.

            [It is always life or death.]

            But it’s still different. There was no choice, then. Just like when I met you, we had no choice. We had to fight if we wanted to survive.

            [So what? Because you have the choice to run away now. In fact, running away would be the safest option. The most likely way to stay alive.]

            No I don’t. I promised, didn’t I? I don’t know what would happen, but I don’t imagine it’d be good. So I have to stay and fight.

            [Is that the only reason you are staying to fight?]

            Another tendril whipped out at Isaac. He saw the creature wind up for the strike, so he was able to dodge it easily. It moved a heck of a lot slower than Alkaid, almost like it was moving in slow motion by comparison. He’d been frustrated by the cat’s lightning quick movements during training, but now he was thankful for them.

            I’ve fought this thing before, and I didn’t manage to kill it then.

            [You were weak.]

            Implying I’m not weak now. So tell me, how do I kill it?

            Isaac kept up sidestepping the tendrils as the Thrall lashed out, waiting for an opening to move forward. He didn’t see one. Even at point blank before, the monster had survived.

            [This thing killed Jin.]

            Isaac felt a flash of remorse.

            [If I knew how to kill it, we would not be having this conversation.]

            Humor me. How do you kill a Thrall? Besides the little ones at InCorp.

            [First you take down its shield. Then you have to significantly damage it’s flesh.]

            And I have to do that all with defensive magic and a stick. Isaac rolled his eyes. He didn’t feel the rain anymore. He was too focused on following the Thrall’s movements.

            “Too bad I don’t have fire.” He muttered, but he didn’t want to admit that fire wouldn’t have done much in the heavy rain anyway.

            [You need to stop dodging and do something.]

            I know. Isaac admitted, ready to get the fight started. He just needed to decide how. He gave another glance to Alissa’s doorway, to see if she was still there. He didn’t see her. Time to make a decision. The next time he saw the Thrall wind up for a tendril swing, he planted his feet firmly on the ground. He was glad his boots had good grip, or they wouldn’t have been able to stay put with so much water. With his staff held vertically in front of him, he narrowed his eyes and focused on the air around the staff.

            As he planned, a blue barrier flickered to life around the staff, rectangular, large enough to protect his entire body. He braced for impact as he watched the tendril barrel towards him. His instincts told him to move, to get out of the way, but he needed to try this. Maybe the tendril would tear through the barrier, pierce his flesh like it had Jin’s. Maybe he would die. And now, dying like this, it wouldn’t be for a cause. It would have no purpose, it wasn’t for anyone, anything.

            The tendril smashed into the barrier, but it didn’t break through. Isaac felt the pressure of the blow, not against the shield, but in his chest, and in his head. It pounded like a headache, like he’d taken a hit, and yet he hadn’t. He felt stunned. Another tendril lashed at him, wasting no time, hoping to follow up on the previous hit. He thought it might be a good idea to move, but he was just too slow to react after the last attack. The tendril crashed into the barrier and the light flickered, Isaac sucked in his breath quickly, closed his eyes as he felt the strike inside.

            What good is a shield if I feel the hit anyway?

            [You are feeling the energy of the hit. But you are not being damaged. Not yet.]

            He let the barrier fade as he brought the staff down into a fighting stance. He let his breath out slowly as he recovered himself. It was time to move forward. The monster had an incredible combat range, he couldn’t stay at a distance where he was helpless.

            [When Jin wished to advance on the creature, he used a shower of sparks to distract it. He was also simply more agile than you.]

            He was also twice my size. And I dispute the agility thing.

            Isaac had been a courier, he had delivered packages faster than maybe anyone else in the city. He knew the streets of the city better than most, and he knew how to move through them, and through the crowds, with ease. And what were people if not hideous monster tendrils intent on taking his life? Feeling a strange sense of deja vu, Isaac sprinted forward through the rain soaked street, towards the monster. The staff in his hand felt like Jin’s spear. Another shock of loss deep in his stomach. He shook it off and kept moving forward, feet splashing heavily in the accumulating rain. Each time the Thrall would extend a tendril, he would alter his course, weaving back and forth along the street, avoiding the strikes.

            He was almost there. Almost in range to strike. Then what? He’d figure out when he got there. Hoping to use the momentum of his run to attack, he readied his staff, hoped he could hit hard enough to damage the Thrall’s own barrier. He struck the staff into the Lightglass shield, and it bounced off harmlessly as if he had hit a block of metal.

            “Damn it.” He groaned as the Thrall took the opportunity of his failed attacked to whip a tendril at him, one that he didn’t have time to dodge. It thumped into his chest, rather than piercing him, and the world tumbled as he was thrown backwards. Surprised that his chest didn’t hurt more, he crashed into a wall and bounced limply to the ground. Numerous joints inside him cracked as he moved to stand up. He couldn’t stay down long, couldn’t give the Thrall the opportunity to finish him.

            [There is a reason why you are not supposed to fight alone. But you are not a part of a squad. So who can you expect to come help?]

            As if in answer, a crack rang out, followed by a high pitched ‘ping’. Alissa stood in her doorway, handgun trained on the Thrall. The bullet had been pointless and ineffective. But at least she was trying. She fired again, as uselessly as the first time. The Thrall lashed a tendril out at her, and she ducked back behind her wall, hiding in the safety of her home. Isaac was glad for the moment’s respite as the Thrall was distracted.

            He readied himself to get back into the fight, mentally prepared himself once again for the possibility of death. It sickened him, to think of dying with a purpose. As he started to move forward, something else distracted the Thrall. It looked up, and Isaac, confused, looked up as well. Shards of frozen rain were starting to fall on their heads. It was hail, but a lot sharper.

            “Take that, you...octopus!” Riley shouted from the rooftops as he held out his hand, freezing the rain that fell on the Thrall. As the shards of ice fell on top of the Thrall’s barrier, they caused the shield to flicker, and then rolled to the street, shattering on impact. “Huh.” He whispered, and then he looked at Isaac. “I expected that to be a lot more effective!”

            “It’s hail, Riley!” Isaac shouted back, though he didn’t sound displeased to see him. “When was the last time hail killed something?!”

            [Its okay, Riley. We didn’t really think that one through.]

“I don’t know. It made sense in my head. You don’t have to be so judgmental about it!” Riley shouted back, shaking his head, but he kept freezing the rain. It was a simple spell, and it was at least distracting. Might as well keep it up.

            “What are you doing here?” Isaac asked, and Riley watched as the boy swiftly moved forward, taking the Thrall’s distraction as a chance to land a few strong hits on his shield. The staff didn’t appear to be making much headway, but the purple barrier did flicker brightly as it was hit.

            “I didn’t expect you to be here, honestly!” Riley lied, “I was just responding to a call about a Thrall.” Riley knew that Isaac would believe him.

            They always do.

            [That doesn’t mean you have to take advantage of it.]

            “I’m glad to see you, anyway.” Isaac said, “But that isn’t helping.”

            Riley felt a bit sour at that comment. It wasn’t as if Isaac’s staff strikes or the woman’s bullets were any more effective. It was just three people wasting their time poking a monster with a big stick.

            “We just need to keep it busy!” Riley responded, trying to focus on the shards of ice, hoping to make them sharper.

            “Until what?” Isaac shouted, dodging a tendril. The monster was returning it’s attention to the most immediate threat, Isaac.

            “Until Archer gets here.” Riley said with a smirk. He didn’t intend to abandon his high ground, having a height advantage on the Thrall was a big plus. Hopefully Isaac and Alissa could stay safe until backup arrived.

            [You are the backup.]

            I’m more support, than frontline.

            [You fight on the frontlines all the time.]

            “This is the Thrall that killed Jin!” Isaac shared, and Riley felt a surge of anger in his chest. His smirk didn’t waver. His ice shards definitely grew sharper. They started to dig into the shield ever so slightly.

            “I think we’re making progress.” Riley said, noticing the small cracks forming on the top of the Thrall’s barrier. “Aim for the top!”

            He watched as Isaac tried to hit the top of the Thrall with his staff, but it was too tall, too risky to get a strike in that high. “No good!” Isaac responded, finally backing off from the creature.

            The Thrall let Isaac go and turned now to the new threat. It looked up, and Riley had only seconds to dodge one of it’s long tendrils. The ice shards stopped as Riley rolled to the side, avoiding the hit. Archer was taking too long to show. It was about time to try something drastic. He stood up and called out to Isaac, “Try to keep it in one place.”

            “What? How?” Isaac asked back, but Riley didn’t answer. He started circling the creature as he dodged the tendrils, and Riley shrugged. It worked well enough. He took a deep breath and back away from the edge of the rooftop.

I formed a pact with a beast. That makes me a beast, too.

[That old line, again?]

But it’s true.

Pulling a dagger from one of his sheaths, Riley held tightly onto it and ran forward. He made sure to focus on the water beneath his feet, made sure he had good footing, didn’t let it make him slip. He ran towards the edge, and at the last moment, he leapt towards the Thrall. Holding out the dagger, he aimed at the cracks on the top of the Thrall, hoping the momentum of his fall would add the strength needed to shatter the barrier.

The tip of the dagger dug deeply into the flickering shield, and Riley felt his arms and shoulders jerk as he tried to hold onto the handle of the dagger. He shouted, the pain overcoming him as he let his fingers off of the dagger and tumbled to the ground below. His dagger remained firmly lodged in the Thrall’s barrier.

Isaac was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Was the boy going to judge all of his combat strategies? At least he wasn’t petrified this time, unable to move.

“At least I’m trying!” Riley shouted as he stood up.

“I think I’d call that, ‘wasting energy’, actually!” Isaac responded. “Now what?!”

“Stay calm. I’ll think of a new plan any time now.” Riley said with a shrug, drawing two new daggers, holding them in a combat stance.

The Thrall renewed it’s tentacle whip barrage, now aiming tentacles at both of them. It appeared to be able to generate new tentacles as necessary.

“Tyloki says that Jin managed to break the barrier before by forcing the creature to have too much surface area. Made the barrier weaker.” Isaac reported, and Riley mulled it over.

It made sense. The creature only had so much energy to expend on its barrier, and if it could make it’s own body mass bigger, then it would have less energy for any given point on its barrier. “Split up.” Riley ordered, and he moved away from Isaac, around the back of the Thrall. It still threw tentacles at both of them. One or two at a time, but apparently it had learned better than to barrage with too many tentacles at once.

Thralls did that. They learned, the longer you fought. They adapted and got better, smarter, more resistant. “I don’t know if we’re going to be able to take this one, Isaac. We might need to run.”

“You mean regroup, with Archer.” Isaac corrected, and Riley was surprised by the boy’s insistence on fighting.

“If you insist. But the longer we fight without making progress, the less likely we are to win.” Riley explained.

“Riley, I can’t run away. I can’t.” Isaac said carefully.

“Why not? I understand, you want justice for Jin, and for what this Thrall did to your life, right?!” RIley asked, hoping he could talk sense into Isaac, convince him that it was time to back off.

“That, but also because I promised I wouldn't. To Tyloki.” Isaac said, short of breath as he grew tired of dodging the Thrall’s tendrils.

Promised?

[A Geas, then? If so, you shouldn’t ask about it any further. It’s impolite to intrude in the business between an Indicia and his Collar.]

You never have a problem ‘intruding’ between an Indicia and his Collar.

“Alright, then if you have to stay and fight, I’m not going to leave you.” Riley assured him, still trying to come up with a better plan.

A better plan arrived none too soon. A blinding flash from down the street, silver in color, and Riley knew that Archer had finally arrived.

Archer drew a long narrow blade from the silver light at his side as he walked forward, appraising the situation. Isaac looked exhausted, he wasn’t used to actual combat. Riley looked to be holding up okay, but he looked lost. The Thrall was able to generate and extend whip-like tendrils towards its prey, but it knew better than to over-exert itself. A sparking, flickering crack at the top of the Thrall, at the base of one of Riley’s daggers.

On the top of the creature? What did he do, drop it from a rooftop? There is just no organization here at all. No plan.

“Thank goodness, you’re here!” Riley shouted to him through the rain.

Archer walked slowly, carefully, only slightly envious of Riley’s control over water. The rain was an ally to Riley, rather than an inconvenience. Either way, at least the two had made some progress, as slight as it was. As Archer approached, the Thrall whipped one of it’s tendrils at him, and he smirked as it attacked with brute force but no skill or grace. He parried the tendril with his blade, and the barrier on the tendril flickered as it hit the metal.

The Thrall threw more tendrils at the three Collars as two circled and one approached. Archer parried each tentacle easily, Isaac and Riley dodged to the best of their abilities. “Weak points?” Archer asked as he got closer.

“Just the dagger in it’s head there.” Riley said, gesturing upwards.

“How do you propose we capitalize on that?” Archer asked.

“I could jump on it again.” Riley suggested.

“Again? Jumping on it once was a terrible idea.” Archer criticized.

“You weren’t here. Don’t judge. It made sense at the time.” Riley defended.

“Yeah, right after he tried attacking it with hail.” Isaac added snidely.

“Hail? Really?” Archer asked incredulously. “When was the last time hailstones hurt someone?”

“Hail can hurt!” Riley shouted, “Enough about that! What’s the plan?”

“I say we kill this thing.” Archer said.

“Seconded!” Isaac shouted in agreement. Archer appreciated his enthusiasm.

“Isaac! Got any magic left in you?” Archer asked hopefully.

“I’d hope so.” The boy responded. “What do you want me to do?”

“Give this thing a better shield.” Archer smirked. “Wrap it up in a cocoon. Riley, can you get back on the roof? I think jumping on it again is exactly what we should do.”

Isaac and Riley nodded together, and Archer sheathed his sword in the silver light at his waist. Immediately after that, he drew a spear from a silver flash over his shoulder. He watched as Riley moved back towards the rooftop on the side of the street without hesitation. The Thrall tried to lash out its tendrils at the three Collars again, but Isaac had closed his eyes and formed a solid blue barrier, a sphere around the Thrall. All of its tendrils whipped helplessly against the inside of the bubble. Archer could hear Isaac’s grunts, even so far away, even through the rain. He knew he couldn’t keep it up long.

Riley made it to the top of the roof, seemingly with Rain’s help, and moved to position. Archer held the spear tightly and prepared himself. “Isaac, when we’re about to hit, let your shield down!”

Isaac grunted louder in response. It couldn’t have been pleasant, holding back all of the tendril attacks along with his shield. In perfect synchronization, Archer ran forward, and so did Riley. They moved in unison, a team who was used to each other, who trusted each other completely. It was a shame Isaac couldn’t see it, he was so focused on his barrier.

Riley launched through the air, and Archer’s spear tip came close to impacting the blue shield. In an instant, the blue shield flickered and was extinguished, leaving only the cracked, weakened purple barrier. All at once, the creature shrieked and spun in a circle, becoming a storm of tendrils, so dense that there was no hope of dodging them. Archer’s spear pierced into the Thrall’s barrier, chipping it, causing cracks to spread through it like spider webs, immediately before the torrent of tendrils crashed against him, sending him flying backwards, unaware of how many times he had been hit or how badly he was injured.

At the same time, Riley came crashing down on top of his planted dagger, digging it even deeper into the Thrall’s barrier, and the cracks along the Light barrier spread wider, almost far enough to meet with the cracks made by Archer’s spear. The storm of tendrils struck Riley as well, but Archer knew less about how badly Riley had been injured than about himself. He wasn’t sure if Isaac had been hit either.

When he came to his senses, he found himself being pinned to the ground by a thicker than usual tentacle. His spear was nowhere to be found, which meant he couldn’t pull a new weapon, not until he put the spear back. He glanced around quickly, and saw that Riley was across the street, pinned down likewise. He didn’t see Isaac.

“Isaac?” He shouted, but he didn’t hear a response.

“I think he’s pinned, too!” Riley shouted from the other side of the street.

Both of them struggled against their tendril that held them down. The Thrall was clearly done dancing with them, and simply wanted to be finished. Archer lived every moment ready to die, but that didn’t mean he expected it. There was no more back up coming, and for all intents and purposes, they had lost the fight in that last attack. He was disarmed and at the mercy of the Thrall. Riley’s magic had already proven ineffective against the monster, and Isaac’s magic was purely defensive.

Archer was surprised to see a woman walk into the middle of the street. She walked steadily and with a purpose, and though she looked somewhat familiar, he didn’t recognize her by name. In her hands was a gun. Not just any gun, which told Archer that she must have been rather high up in the military or in InCorp’s personal military force, ‘security’ as they called it, to have such a weapon. It was a hefty gun, thick and formidable. Most people wouldn’t take a gun up against a Thrall. This Thrall, however, didn’t appear to register the woman as a threat. It didn’t understand what gun she was holding. It didn’t know how badly it’s shield was damaged. She walked intently up to the Thrall and held the heavy gun up against her shoulder with both arms, pointing it at the cracks in the Thrall’s battered shield. Then she pulled the trigger.

From the barrel of the gun erupted a volcanic blast, superheated shrapnel spreading out and burying itself deeply in the cracks of the shield. With a bright flash and an inhuman shriek, the purple barrier shattered into a shimmering purple dust that floated slowly to the ground. The woman pumped the shotgun, and fired another blast at the Thrall, but the gun did little against the monster’s tar-like flesh. She was thrown back almost immediately by another tendril.

Archer could breath easier as the tendril that held him down was retracted, and he rolled, attempting to stand. A sharp pain caught in his chest, and he nearly fell. Looking down, he found blood mixing with the rain in the street. He wasn’t sure where he was bleeding from, but it was certainly harder to move than he would have liked. He stumbled, but managed to stay on his feet. Riley, across the street, didn’t stand at the tendril retracted. He rolled back and forth slightly, clearly nearing his limits.

Searching for his spear, he couldn’t see it anywhere around. It was hard to see with water running down his face, in his eyes, and the pain in his chest made it hard to focus. Any second now, he expected the Thrall to pierce him with a tendril and end the fight once and for all.

He saw Isaac on the ground, near the destroyed doorway at the side of the street. He appeared to be awake, but couldn’t stand. The woman who shot the Thrall was out cold a good way down the street, hopefully far enough away to keep her safe from the Thrall’s wrath.

            Then, to his surprise, the Thrall began to fade away, dissolving into the horrid smoke with which injured Thralls usually retreated.

            “No!” Isaac shouted from the ground, holding his hand out towards the monster. It was going to get away again. He had promised Tyloki that he would kill it. With the last of the energy he could muster, Isaac put another sphere of blue energy around the creature. Maybe if he could trap the smoke, the Thrall couldn’t run away.

            The black mist swirled within the sphere, smashing against the walls that surrounded it, but it did appear to be trapped after all. Isaac felt the struggles of the monster in his chest, thought he might vomit if they kept up. Looking around, it didn’t appear as if Archer or Riley were in much state to fight, and he couldn’t see what had happened to Alissa.

            Suddenly, he saw a massive furred paw in front of him. Glancing up, he found Tyloki was standing in the street. He looked dry, untouched by the rain. The wolf reached his paw down and grabbed Isaac’s shoulder, lifting him into the air. Isaac struggled to plant his feet firmly on the ground before the wolf let go, forcing him to stand.

            “You promised that you would kill this thing.” Tyloki growled, and as Isaac almost fell, he held the boy up by his collar.

            Isaac hung limply in the wolf’s grasp, all but ready to be done. “There isn’t anything else I can do. There it is. What now?” Isaac asked, gesturing at the Thrall’s smoke, trapped in the sphere.

            “Watch.” Tyloki said, and the smoke began to materialize back into the shape of the Thrall. Still trapped inside the sphere, the Thrall shrieked and slammed his tendrils wildly into the energy. Isaac cried out as the tendrils smashed against his shield, making him sick to his stomach. He looked at Riley on the ground across the street. Riley had offensive magic, he could use the water and the ice. Isaac suddenly felt naked, powerless. He wanted Tyloki’s fire, as helpless as it might have been in the rain, it was power. He wanted the strength that the wolf provided. Then he noticed that it was hard to breathe against the collar that was holding him up. The wolf was holding him up. He didn’t need the wolf’s fire to have the wolf’s strength.

            He steeled himself, and righted his legs under him, standing up of his own volition. He took a deep breath, and forced his stomach to stay where it was, not allowing himself to vomit. Tyloki’s paw let go of his collar like a master letting go of an attack dog.

“Riley, I need your help!” Isaac said, taking a tentative step forward. He had to keep the Thrall contained as long as he could, but he would struggle forward. From the side, Tyloki presented Isaac with his staff, which he took willingly. “Riley?”

“Yeah, what do you want? I’m a bit busy dying here.” Riley groaned as he slowly climbed to his feet, an arm curled protectively around his chest.

“The water, Riley. The ice.” Isaac shouted, taking another step forward. He was fighting for each step he took.

“What about it? I tried freezing the rain already.” Riley said, breathing deeply as he looked at the trapped Thrall.

“Not the rain, Riley. The Thrall. Freeze the son of a bitch!” Isaac said, and he smirked as he saw Riley smile as well.

Riley stumbled forward, hand held out in front of him, and he pressed his palm against the blue shield. He tilted his head as he looked at the captive Thrall for just a moment, before all of the water on the inside of the sphere began to solidify into ice. It had rained so heavily, the Thrall’s entire body was covered in frigid water. Slowly, moving from the bottom of the sphere upward, the creature was trapped in the ice, like it was becoming petrified. It’s upper half flailed and thrashed more than ever before, and Isaac felt each hit inside as he slowly approached.

He placed his hand on the blue sphere just as the thrashing stopped, and the Thrall was completely encased in ice. He smirked and dropped the shield, it flickered away. Glancing back, he saw Tyloki watching from the edge of the street behind him. His eyes were still empty, lacking in fire, but he was watching intently. Waiting.

Isaac didn’t disappoint.

Readying his staff, he brought it down on the Thrall as hard as he could, causing the ice to crack violently. He hit it again and again, taking out as much of his frustration as he could on the monster. He hated the thing. It had changed his life, it had killed Jin, forced him to make a pact. Everything that had happened over the past few months were the fault of this thing. As he struck the ice, it cracked and chipped and bits shattered off. He hated the thing more than he hated Tyloki, more than he distrusted Canaan, more than he despised his father.

He screamed as he attacked the ice. With one last, intense swing, the ice shattered completely, and the Thrall fell to small frozen bits. As the small bits of ice melted, the pieces of Thrall flesh inside turned to ash. It was dead. Ashes of the creature littered the street, and were washed away in the rain. He saw Riley’s face in front of him now, beaming. Off to the side, he saw Archer watching, apparently stunned.

And then he was done. He didn’t have the energy to keep going anymore. He fell backwards, and for a moment, he foolishly expected the wolf to catch him. No such thing happened. He splashed in the rain as he fell to the ground one last time, heaving in breaths as he stared at the clouds swirling in the sky. Riley and Archer’s faces appeared above him, but Tyloki’s didn’t. Soon after, Alissa joined them, he could see she was scraped up but no worse for wear.

Archer and Riley helped Isaac into a sitting position. “We need to get you back to the Registry.”

“Good job.” Archer said simply, holding a hand against what appeared to be a bleeding wound on his chest.

“Thanks for the assist.” Isaac coughed to the two other Collars.

“That’s how it goes. This is pretty typical, really.” Riley coughed himself.

The three of them laughed together, though there really wasn’t a good reason to laugh. They were all in pain, but it didn’t matter. They were sharing it. The pain, and the moment. The moment didn’t last long.

“Isaac.” Alissa called from her doorstep. “Isaac!”

He tried his best to look over at her, “What is it, Alissa?”

“Jensen. He’s gone.”

“I’d say you’re lucky to be alive, but if I did, I’d be saying that way too often.” Miria said with her arms crossed over her chest.

“At least I don’t have to stay long term, this time.” Isaac said, looking to the side as Miria inspected him. His clothes were off, but he was getting used to her seeing him in his skivvies, and she was inspecting the lingering infection in his shoulder.

“You’re lucky this didn’t get a lot worse. You’ll probably notice increased soreness over the next few days.” She instructed, poking at the tender flesh of his shoulder, which was showing a renewed glow from the veins.

“I thought I was over this.” Isaac said, referring to the infection from months prior.

“Aer infections are usually fatal. Be glad its just soreness for now. Other than that, all I can do is give you painkillers.” Dr. Ross shook her head gently and sighed, but Isaac saw her smile.

“Are you sure you don’t want to give me your number, in case I need treatment later?” Isaac asked, but it came out more awkward than he intended. He did intend on it being flirty, but instead it was just creepy.

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.” Miria laughed, “You can come get treated here by whatever doctor is on staff like the rest of you beasts.” She smirked at him. “I’ll be around. I have to go check on some other patients. You can get dressed and go if you want.”

“I, uh, yeah, okay.” Isaac stammered as Miria left the room. He usually had such good chemistry with her, it was strange that he couldn’t think of something clever to say. He figured he was just exhausted. As Miria rounded the corner and left his sight, Isaac felt something catch in his throat.

He didn’t have time to linger on the thoughts of Miria. Riley strolled into the room looking like a new man, practically bouncing with each step. Isaac wanted to be annoyed with the energy that Riley was displaying, jealous of it, since he felt like shit. He imagined that Archer wasn’t faring much better, though he wasn’t sure the extent of Archer’s injuries. Still, he couldn’t help but smile. Whenever Riley walked into a room, it always seemed to light up. He just couldn’t force himself to hate the guy.

Without saying a word, Riley walked over to the exam table Isaac was sitting on and held his palm in the air, waiting. Isaac stared at the palm for a moment, and then glanced at Riley, who was clearly expecting something. With a hefty roll of his eyes, Isaac raised his left hand in the air and clapped it against Riley’s. He found it brought a smile along with it.

“You kicked ass out there, Isaac. Anyone who said your burnout was a fluke, and that you’d be dead by the end of the year, they’ve got another thing coming.” Riley laughed.

“Wait, who said that?” Isaac asked with an eyebrow raised. “Besides Ty.”

[My name is Tyloki. Do not shorten it.]

Isaac expected a smack on his head, but apparently he had earned at least a single reprieve.

“Uh, yeah. Just Tyloki. That’s all.” Riley responded quickly, and then moved on. “You ready to get out of here?”

“Yeah, just let me get dressed and I’ll be good to go.” Isaac winced as he reached for the clothes on the table next to him with his right arm. Riley quickly moved to intercept and pushed the pile of clothes closer to Isaac, so he could get them without reaching.

Though he needed a shower, Isaac was glad that Riley had brought him and Archer fresh clothes while they were being examined. Riley’s examination was much shorter than theirs. It wouldn’t have been very comfortable to put back on the beat up armor that he had been wearing out into the city. Combat armor needed to be repaired or replaced practically every time it was worn. At the very least, it always needed recalibration, so Isaac was doubly glad that he had taken their armor up to 13th floor for the necessary work.

Isaac slipped the shirt over his head, made a twirling motion in the air with his fingers to make Riley look away as he changed his underwear, and then quickly pulled his pants on. Standing next to Riley, he suddenly had a strange thought. He was waiting for Riley to lead the way. He wasn’t sure why, but he assumed it was because they were friends, and they were sticking together, without it needing to be said.

His assumption appeared to be correct, as Riley waited to make sure he was okay to walk before moving. As they headed into the hall, Riley explained Archer’s situation. “Archer got a gash on his chest from one of the tendrils, but it was mostly superficial. It just needs some stitches, and he’ll be good to go.”

“Stitches. Why not go high tech, just close the wound with machines? Or, come to think of it, aren’t there Collars with healing magic?” Isaac asked, surprised with himself that he had never questioned this before.

[There are, but their powers are worth far more beyond simply closing wounds. And just as use of your shield has a physical component for you, their abilities drain them in a drastic and irreversible way. Healing magic is not to be toyed with. It is very rare, and used very sparingly.]

“Yeah, but Archer’s just the kind of guy who prefers the old fashioned way. It helps keep him tough, if nothing else.” Riley shrugged, and kept pace with Isaac, who was walking a bit slowly.

The pain in his shoulder had become a dull throb, like when he had been hospitalized before. He hoped that the strange fever dreams wouldn’t return. “So what now?” It had been a long day, but in truth, it was only late afternoon. Isaac couldn’t believe that his date with Alkaid had only been the night before.

“We’re going to go to the bar tonight to celebrate. Archer, and me, and Miria, and Dom. Rain will be there, too.” Riley winked at Isaac, who shook his head in response.

“What are we celebrating?” Isaac asked, though it was a stupid question.

“Follow me, there’s something I want to show you.” Riley led them to the elevator, and Isaac followed obediently, without question. If Riley was intent on showing him something, asking what it was would be a waste of breath.

They went down a floor, to level 10, where Isaac had never been. The hallway resembled the dorms and the rec floors, but there were a lot less doors. “Welcome to the Squad Rooms.” Riley spoke slowly, giving the words gravity, like they were the most important words he had ever spoken. Then he led Isaac down a blandly decorated gray hallway, and stopped at a door around the corner from the elevator. The door had a lock mounted on the wall that appeared similar to the security checkpoint in the Registry lobby.

“Open it.” Riley smirked, gesturing at the lock.

Isaac held his hand out tentatively, pressed his palm against the Lightglass square, and channeled his energy into it. The light on the lock blinked green, and Riley pulled the door open. Isaac didn’t know what to expect inside, so he just walked right in. It was so unlike anywhere else he had seen at the Registry, that he suddenly wondered if he was actually somewhere else. The walls were lined with hastily thrown together shelves and trophy cases, which in turn were covered in various eclectic memorabilia. A small stuffed dragon, a broken vintage computer system, an ornately decorated (though empty) scabbard. Isaac wondered which items belonged to which person.

“This is our Squad Room. We used to have a name, but it didn’t feel right keeping it, after Jin died.” Riley explained. “Collar squads can take outside contracts, like mercenaries. We get paid well enough here at the Registry, so to take money for those contracts, well, it’s kind of pointless. So instead,” Riley stopped, letting Isaac take it all in.

At the center of the room was a long boardroom table, with 8 chairs lined up along its edges. Sitting in one of those chairs was Alkaid, who had his feet paws propped up on the table. “So instead, we usually take trades, whatever we can get. And we keep those things in this room, to remind us where we’ve been. Remember what I said, about growing? It doesn’t mean forgetting who you are.”

In the back of the room, there were four lockers. Even from where he was standing, Isaac could see that three of them were labeled with the names of his three friends. Archer, Riley, and Dominic. The fourth locker must have been Jin’s. But that isn’t what the locker said. Isaac looked at his hand, realized that his magic had been used to open the lock on the door. He looked back to the locker. He could read what it said, but he didn’t believe it. He walked closer, Riley and Alkaid moved to stand on either side of him as he stood in front of the locker.

“This was Jin’s locker.” Alkaid said with a nod, confirming what Isaac had thought.

“But now,” Riley added, and then he paused.

“It’s yours.” Archer’s voice finished, and the three turned to see the squad leader standing in the doorway, right arm held in a sling and upper body heavily bandaged.

“Superficial wounds. Right.” Isaac cracked a smile, and turned to look at the locker again.

Isaac. Etched into a simple black brushed metal plate in white letters was Isaac.

[As much as I hate to say it, you have earned at least this much.]

Isaac wanted to think ‘Thank you’, but he knew it wouldn’t mean anything to Tyloki. He didn’t think anything at all. He fought back the tears that were forming in his eyes. For the first time in a long time, he felt at home. He was a part of a squad with people he trusted, which did not come lightly. “Wait, where’s Dominic?” Isaac asked.

“Good question, I haven’t seen him all day.” Riley said with a shrug.

“I saw him this morning with some ropes. Someone,” Archer coughed suspiciously, “broke the ARTS, so he was building a ropes course to practice. Or something. He’s probably asleep in his room now.”

“Dominic is usually a no-show. But don’t let that fool you, he is a powerful mage. He just doesn’t have the right motivation.” Riley explained why they weren’t all that worried.

Isaac accepted the explanation and let it go. “What do we do now?” Isaac wanted to take some time and inspect the room, look at the treasures that lines the walls, but he was exhausted. It would have to wait.

“If you have anything you want to add to the room, feel free. Other than that, just the formalities. If we have a meeting as a squad, a briefing before an outside contract, or a strategy discussion, this is where we’ll do it. You can keep your weapons and armors in the locker. Or whatever else you want.” Archer detailed, taking a seat at the long table.

“This is like our clubhouse. Only we are allowed in here, as evidenced by the lock on the door.” Riley exclaimed proudly.

“Now, I suggest that you go rest in your room until tonight, when we go celebrate.” Alkaid spoke in a tone of voice that sounded more like ‘insist’ than ‘suggest’.

Isaac held his hands up defensively, “No arguments here. I’m going to go sleep. Someone wake me up when it’s time to go out, okay?”

“I’ll be there, don’t worry.” Riley assured him.

Taking a look back at his friends, and the room that they had accepted him into, a tear finally fell down Isaac’s cheek as he turned and left the room, heading for a well deserved rest.

Riley’s footsteps echoed weightily through the marble chamber as he approached Canaan’s desk. Through the wall of glass on the far side of the room, he could see that the storm outside was starting to calm down, but the day still had a dark blue hue to it. Canaan was sitting at his desk, unprepared for a visitor. He looked up from his work and slid something quickly into a drawer.

Riley was used to this sort of reaction from Canaan when he showed up unannounced. He was a man who liked his secrets. Thinking he might have glimpsed Chase out of the corner of his eye, Riley turned his head to the side, but no one was there. He kept walking steadily until he stood in front of Canaan’s desk.

He tossed the folder he was carrying onto the top of the desk, and Canaan looked at it before glancing up at Riley.

“You told me to keep an eye on him, to become his friend.” Riley said as Canaan picked up the folder.

It was the dossier of information on Isaac’s life and history. “I did.” Canaan replied simply, placing the folder inside his desk.

“I became his friend. I won’t spy on him anymore. He’s part of my team now, I won’t report on him. What I will do is keep him safe, and keep him out of trouble. You can be sure of that.” Riley explained.

“That’s alright. Now that you’ve convinced him to join your squad, I have far less worries about his running off, and as long as I know where he is and can have some small modicum of control over his actions, then everything should turn out fine.” Canaan replied calmly.

Riley turned around, glad that Canaan seemed to be taking it well. He didn’t like being put between two friends like this, it would be nice to let go of the guilt of spying on Isaac.

“You can expect Chase to check up on you all from time to time.” Canaan said as Riley started to walk away.

“A new babysitter?” Riley asked without turning back around.

“There are plans, Riley. Chase is a coordinator.” Canaan said, and Riley heard the desk drawer slide open as the Director returned to whatever work he had been doing before he had been interrupted.

Isaac was mostly undisturbed in his sleep. Tyloki left him alone, presumably a reward for his victory, and no nightmares troubled him, either. His bed was comfortable, and though he was still grimy from not having showered, it didn’t bother him in the least. He slept a merciful sort of sleep, light and satisfying. When there was a knock at his door, he woke refreshed, and wasn’t annoyed that he was being woken up.

With a long slow stretch, he stood up and pulled his pants on. There was another quiet knock. “I’m coming.” Something floating to the ground caught his eye. It must have fallen off of him when he stood up. Bending down, he picked it up, a simple piece of paper, the size of a greeting card. Notes written on paper weren’t very common anymore. Most of it was digital. It said:

You’ve had so much taken from you, and so very little given.

            Turning it over in his hand, Isaac didn’t see any signature, he didn’t know who it was from. It was a little weird that they put it on him in his sleep, but the entire Registry was a little weird. Nothing new there. He jammed the note in his pocket and went to answer the door at the third knock.

            He expected to find Riley standing in the hallway, but then, why would Riley be knocking on the hallway door? He had a key. Instead, Isaac saw long golden hair, a bright red dress, a matching clutch held under an arm.

            “Miria? What are you doing here? Come to pick me up for a date?” Isaac made a joke about her dress.

            “Oh, no.” She blushed, brushed her hair back behind her ear. “I was just wearing this for the party tonight. I just had a question. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

            Isaac liked the way she brushed her hair. He liked the dress, the way that she stood tall, confidently, even when she was blushing, embarrassed. “Go ahead.” Isaac said, trying not to gaze down at the cleavage presented by the strapless red dress.

            “I got the gift that you bought me last night. The porcelain tableware.” She said, and Isaac actually had to think hard to remember what she was talking about.

            The night before, he had bought a tableware set and had it delivered to his room at the Registry, so he could give it to her later. How did she get it already?

            “Oh, um, great. Did you like it? Was it too much? I know we’re just friends. I don’t know much about gift giving.” Isaac found himself stammering to Miria again.

            “Did you know?” Miria asked, brushing her hair back again. “Did you know about my collection?”

            “Your collection?” Isaac asked, intrigued.

            “No, I guess there is no way you could have known.” She kept eye contact with him, even though he knew she wanted to look away. Something was making her nervous. “My father used to buy sets of porcelain for me when I was a little girl.”

            “Did I get you one you already had?” Isaac asked, kicking himself for just buying a random gift for someone he really knew so little about.

            “No, the opposite, exactly. My father,” She stopped, glanced away, and then made eye contact again, “There was one set he was supposed to buy me, but he never did. I had asked for it specifically, and he said he would get it for me the next time he got paid.”

            Isaac could see her eyes starting to water, and was worried that she was going to cry. But Miria Ross was tougher than that. She kept going. “Before he could, he committed suicide.”

            “I’m sorry.” Isaac said, genuinely sorry that he had brought back such painful memories with his gift.

            “No, don’t be sorry. It was really sweet. I wanted to let you know that it meant a lot to me.” Miria smiled, despite the tears in her eyes. “Maybe you’re different, Isaac Edgar Walker.”

            “Does that mean you’ll go out with me now? Just one date.” Isaac felt crass asking like that, but it was worth a shot.

            Miria shook her head, but she laughed. “Not yet, Mr. Walker. Not yet. I...” She trailed off, and appeared to be staring into space behind him. “It’s hurts when you let your life go to waste. It hurts the people who love you. I can’t do that again.”

            “I...” Isaac started, but he wasn’t sure what else to say.

            “I’ll see you later, Isaac. The party will be starting soon. You should get cleaned up, dress in something a little nicer.” Miria criticized his simple t-shirt selection, and she left before he had a chance to say anything in return.

            As Isaac closed the door to the common room, he wondered what exactly was going on. The gift had been delivered to his room, he didn’t know Miria’s address. And what's more, what were the chances of stumbling onto something so specific? Isaac pulled the note out of his pocket, read it again.

You’ve had so much taken from you, and so very little given.

            Then he remembered that it had been Alkaid who had been interested in the porcelain set. It was Alkaid who had insisted that he buy it. The cat must have known. He put the note down on the table and sat slowly on the couch. Early that morning, Alkaid had kissed Isaac, and he had spent the better part of the day wondering what exactly it meant. Now he knew. He smiled, and he whispered “Thanks” to nobody in particular.

            Jensen stumbled weakly through the door, and put his hands up to protect himself as the Vassals in the dimly lit briefing room turned on him, ready to attack if he was a threat. He was short of breath and still mostly drugged, but he had found his way back to the Vassals. The Old Man was standing before the group of Vassals, no doubt planning the next stage of their revolution. How long had it been?

            “Jensen.” The Old Man sounded surprised, “We didn’t expect to see you again. You’ve been absent for quite a while.”

            “InCorp.” Jensen gasped, leaning on a chair, and one of the other Vassals came over to help him sit down. “They had me.”

            “That is quite unfortunate.” The Old Man said simply. “What did they want?”

            “They knew that we were behind the attack.” Jensen replied. “But I didn’t tell them anything.”

            “Of course you didn’t. How did you get away?” The Old Man asked suspiciously.

            “I don’t know. Someone let me go. A woman helped me. There was a fight, I got away in the chaos.” Jensen explained disjointedly. It was hard to keep his thoughts straight, he was still so tired.

            [You shouldn’t have come here. You’re not thinking clearly. I’ve been trying to explain...]

            Sev, there you are. Where have you been?

            [You haven’t been able to hear me, but I’ve been trying to explain.]

            Why not?

            [Where’s your totem, Jensen?]

            Jensen tried not to show the worry on his face, but he suddenly realized that he didn’t know where it was. His totem took the form of a lucky rabbits foot, Sev’s idea of a joke, and he always kept it on his body. Of course they’d have taken it away when he was captured. That explained why he couldn’t hear Sev. Though clearly they didn’t put it into a Lockbox, or he wouldn’t be able to hear Sev at all, even now.

            [Of course they took away your totem. And when you were at InCorp, I couldn’t reach you, otherwise I would have rescued you. But, Jensen, think.]

            It was definitely hard to think, and Jensen was starting to think Sev was right, he should have gone home first. But without his magic, he wouldn’t have been able to get through the locked door regardless. This was the only place he had to go in such a state. Especially if he was being hunted.

            I don’t know where it is.

            [If it was at InCorp, you would have been able to hear me. It’s not there. Jensen. You can hear me now. So answer me, where is your totem?]

            “Don’t worry yourself about it now, Jensen. We’re glad to have you back. You’re an asset to this team. For now you should focus on recovering.” The Old Man said, though he sounded more than annoyed that his meeting had been interrupted. “Now, the next time we attack InCorp, it will be much larger in scale than just a single Thrall.”

            Jensen leaned back in his chair. He was still weak from the drugs, and he knew he wasn’t thinking clearly. There had to be some mistake, but here it was, in front of him, irrefutable.

            My totem has to be here.

            He glanced sideways at The Old Man, who looked away as soon as he saw Jensen looking at him.

            “The next time we attack InCorp, it’ll be an army. And like last time, there won’t be any defenses to stop us.”

            Security Chief Parker hated his meetings with President Shaw. Shaw was a hack, he didn’t know shit about running a corporation like InCorp. The fool kept an uneasy truce with the Registry, losing millions in potential profits. But Parker wasn’t a businessman, he was a soldier. So he followed his orders and he kept his mouth shut. Well, until he had a reason not to. Parker pushed his way through the door to Shaw’s office, the door had Shaw’s name gaudily lettered on the front, and steeled himself for the berating treatment he had come to expect.

            “What’s this I hear about the prisoner escaping?” President Shaw asked immediately as Parker entered the office.

            Instead of looking at Shaw, Parker looked out the window, over the city, though he disliked the view of the Registry tower. “The prisoner escaped.”

            “How?” Shaw asked, already short of patience.

            “I do not know. It would appear someone let him out. I’m already looking into who did it, but instead of helping, I’m here talking about it.” Parker said, though he immediately wished he had bitten his tongue.

            “Is this job too much for you, Parker? I can find someone else. I bet Alissa is just champing at the bit to be Chief. Can you handle this job, Parker?” Shaw asked calmly.

            “Of course I can.” Parker turned on Shaw, forcing the hatred out of his eyes.

            “You still know nothing about the attack, even months later. What happened to our defenses? If they can subvert them once, they can subvert them again. We can not protect ourselves if you don’t figure out how they got in.” Shaw spat.

            “I am working on it.” Parker spoke slowly, losing his patience. It wouldn’t do to shout at President Shaw. He was a dangerous man. “It is my belief that the Registry put the Vassals up to it, had them attack to shift the blame.”

            “If that’s what happened, bring me proof. Then, and only then, will we go to way.” Shaw said.

            Parker smiled and said nothing else as he walked out of the room. Proof? He didn’t have any yet. But that, that could be changed.

            The party was a lot bigger than Isaac expected. He thought it would be a simple get together, just him and his friends. Instead, he sat crammed into a booth next to Miria and Rain, across from Riley, Alkaid, and Archer. The booth was crammed into a crowded bar, where it seemed every person Isaac had met since becoming a Collar was celebrating, quite boisterously.

            “I have to say, this isn’t what I was expecting. I thought we were just getting some drinks to celebrate the fight.” Isaac shouted over the loudness of the room.

            “No, we’re celebrating you joining the team!” Riley shouted back, and smiled, held up his drink. He set it down without drinking anything.

            “I understand that now!” Isaac shouted.

            [You really have not earned this level of celebration.]

            People will take any excuse for a good party.

            Isaac drank, even though he had drank pretty heavily the night before with Alkaid. Even given what that drinking had led to. He didn’t even swat Rain away instantly as his paw crept occasionally onto his thigh. As the night went on, people came and went, but Isaac never felt uncomfortable, or out of place. Later, he would remember the feeling of the whiskers on his face the numerous times that Rain tried to kiss him. He would remember the number of times that Collars and Indicia climbed onto tables for seemingly no reason, and he would remember the number of times they all fell off.

            He would remember the cheers that erupted from the entire bar when he finally let Rain kiss him, because he was just too far gone to feel embarrassed about it anymore. He would remember the fumbled attempts to flirt with Miria, who he had seemingly lost his edge with. He just couldn’t be clever around her anymore.

            Despite being so drunk, he would remember the party, and everything that happened there. He would remember it because it was for him, it was with his friends, it was fun. He would remember it because for the first time, there was literally nowhere else he would rather be.

            But mostly, he would remember the moment when somebody asked, “Where’s Dominic?”

            He raised his hand, volunteering to go find the mage. There were protests from all around.

            “It’s your party, you can’t go!” Someone called out, Isaac was too drunk to be able to tell who said it.

            “No, no, it’s my party. That’s why I have to go.” He tried to say, he wasn’t sure how successfully the words came out. “So I can give him a hard time for not showing up.”

            “If you can’t find him, come back. And don’t pass out anywhere.” Riley said, slapping Isaac on the back.

            “Don’t worry. Ty will kick my ass if I do anything too stupid.” Isaac assured Riley, and he stood up, testing if he could even walk.

            It seemed okay, so he waved and left the bar, waving to everyone as he went. He’d be back soon, but it was nice to have a reprieve from the loud chaos. He didn’t even know half of the people, but they knew him. He rubbed his forehead as he stepped onto the elevator. Thing were finally starting to look up. Even with the fighting, he could get used to this. This was a life he could live.

            He practically stumbled off the elevator on the dorm floor, heading for Dom’s room. If everyone was right, Dom was probably just asleep, or everyone had forgotten to tell him about the party at all. Isaac examined his hands as he walked. He created a small barrier in his palm, which was lopsided and flickered quickly out. He had power in his hands, in his body. Today, he had killed the Thrall that killed Jin. At the very least, vengeance, no, justice felt good.

            The door to Dominic’s common room was open, so Isaac let himself in without a second thought. He looked at the few doors in the room. Two of them were closed completely, then third was open a crack. A light was shining out through the small opening, but Isaac couldn’t see anything else in the room. He walked slowly over to the room. “Dominic? Are you in here?”

            There was no answer. “Dom? The Elemental?” He shouted, reaching the slightly open door. He put his hand on the door, intending to lean on it as he called through to see if it was Dom’s room. Instead, he pushed the door, and it opened slightly. He looked through the larger gap, into the room beyond. What he saw made his stomach jump into his throat. He quickly pushed the door open, and as he stepped into the room, his heart stopped.

            Isaac wasn’t drunk anymore. “What the...” He looked around at the room for a moment, before something caught his attention on the far wall. “What?”

            What he saw made him want to turn and run from the room, but he couldn’t turn away. He didn’t know what to do. He was thinking clearly, but he couldn’t keep his thoughts on any one thing at a time. It didn’t make sense. He couldn’t understand what it meant. He needed help.

            Lining the walls of Dominic’s room was an obsessive number of photographs, all hand developed and pinned up haphazardly. There wasn’t a single bit of the wall that was visible through the mosaic of photos. And each photo was of a single, chilling subject. Isaac, and his family. Most of the walls were covered in photos of Isaac, taken in the past few months, around the Registry. As the paparazzi had been taking his pictures, apparently so had Dominic. Or maybe it was just all Dominic all along. Isaac didn’t know.

            There was a messy scrawl on a lot of the photos, but Isaac didn’t stay to read most of them. He didn’t need to linger to know that something was wrong. And when he saw the photos on the back wall, he knew he had to act immediately. On the back wall were photos of his sister Sera, his mother, Roy, and worst of all, his younger sisters. Many of the photos of him on the back wall had Xs drawn over his face. That didn’t worry him nearly as much as the arrows drawn across several photos, all pointing at one in the center. It was a picture of Sera entering the Registry the day before, when she was checking in through security. There was a large circle drawn around her.

            As he ran, he called Sera’s number on his LINK. It rang a few times before it picked up.

            “Sera? Sera, are you there?” Isaac asked frantically.

            “Isaac.” He heard her voice crack, and then she sobbed. “Isaac, help me.”