Humans could do a lot of things wrong. For all the good they did, there was always something bad that followed. Humanity was complex, capable of doing both right and wrong, and they certainly did a lot of wrong in their pursuit of the current point in history, wiping out so many races until they were all that remained.
When it came to children, however, they were all one of the few things that could be called a pure human. Children did not inherently know sin; instead, it was the world they came into that shaped them into the way they were. The circumstances of one's birth were an interesting thing.
Unfortunately for Falco and the others, children were also very grabby with things that they liked, and almost every child alive liked the Arcane Knights.
'What's even happening?' Davi didn't say anything out loud and simply accepted his fate. He kept his arms folded and managed to keep his usual blank look on his face, even as six different kids swung off his arms or climbed up his back. They were all so young and so light. Despite that, they somehow managed to overpower his three other companions.
Pock was giving several kids piggyback rides, the mutant having a good time and laughing as he did so. Falco was on the ground with a swarm of kids, all tugging and yanking on his feathers, causing him to let out loud yelps and swat at their hands, but he didn't put up much of a fight and let them do whatever they wanted to him. Finally, that left Olivia, who was the only one not swarmed by kids since she climbed up a massive shelf, escaping the horde.
"Thank you all for coming!" The man in the shark costume played some tunes on the guitar he had. It wasn't an electric one, and the music in question had a heavy 'campfire' feel to it. "The kids sure do love Arcane Knights! We've been trying to convince Pantheon to have someone drop by for weeks! I'm so happy you guys came right during story time! I was just telling the kids the story about the hungry, hungry dragon."
Davi's eyes suddenly narrowed, and the look he gave the shark man caused the guy to stop playing his music. "Dragon?"
"Not your dragon, Davi!" Olivia shouted down. By now, she was fully seated on a shelf that was twelve feet off the ground. "I actually know that story! Rosco used to tell it to me every night before bed! He never sang it, though."
The Hungry, Hungry Dragon was a story about an extremely hungry dragon. Shocking! In it, the dragon would eat and eat and eat, getting bigger and bigger. It consumed all the food in a kingdom, which made the people living there sad. This led the dragon to feel bad, and it flew into space. They say it went to the kingdom of the sun, the holy land of eternal flame, and that it brought back a feast for the kingdom, which led to a happy ending.
It was a story that she didn't really like once she became a teenager, since it was a bit too childish for her taste, but it was popular with a lot of kids since most people thought dragons were cool.
"Would you like to hear the song?" The man in the mascot suit asked.
Olivia was about to say yes, but Davi spoke first. "No." The man said in his usual robotic tone. "No Dragon songs. Are you Narcis?" He demanded.
"Oh, you want old man Narcis! Why didn't you just say so?" The shark man let out a laugh and set the guitar down. "Hang on, I'll go grab him."
While he was gone, the kids continued to play with the Arcane Knights, tugging on their cloaks or feathers, seemingly having the time of their lives. When the mascot returned, he was followed by a dark-skinned elderly man. He had a hunched back and walked with a cane, limping as he moved forward, and his eyes lit up when he saw the four Knights.
"Great Haru, have our prayers been answered?" The old man, whom Davi assumed was Narcis, beamed with joy. "Knights really came to visit? I thought Myth refused to send any our way! Always said they were simply too busy!"
"We're not with Pantheon." Falco finally spoke up and got to his feet, ignoring the protesting kids. "We're with Phoenix Flight. Alice Ward sent us."
Instantly, the smile on Narcis's face faded, and his lights grew a little dull. The hand that gripped his cane grew tighter. "I see." His voice lost some of the joyful tone that had been present moments ago. "Kids, why don't you follow Sharky and help yourselves to some popsicles!" His happy tone came back, and he nodded to the man in the shark suit, who waved his hands and began to lead the kids away.
"Your library has popsicles?" Pock asked, a little surprised.
"I find it helps keep the kids busy." Narcis let out a chuckle. "Honestly, this place might as well be a daycare. Only people who visit it are parents looking to have someone watch after their kids." The man shook his head and clicked his tongue, growing serious once more. "I take it you have the 'stuff' if Alice sent you."
Falco reached into his pocket and pulled out the wrapped brown bag, holding it up. "That's right." He tossed it to the elderly man, who caught it.
Narcis felt the package, weighing it in his hands, and then nodded his head. "Alright. Come this way."
"There's more?" Falco frowned and folded his arms, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "I was told we were just dropping that off, nothing else."
"Well, you don't have to come, but wouldn't you like to see who this stuff is for?" Narcis raised an eyebrow. "I think it's important that you see why you did this all for. Why were you guys required?"
"I want to see," Olivia spoke up before anyone else, and she slid off the top of the shelf. Delivering the package was already a crime. She had done something wrong. If she was going to cross that line, then she wanted to at least see the people whom she was harming. Maybe she could help convince them not to take whatever drugs she had delivered.
"I'd like to see as well," Davi admitted. Like Olivia, he also wanted to help as many people as possible. He'd do whatever it took to make sure the people in front of him were alright.
Falco eventually sighed. "Right. We'll follow. Come on, Pock."
Pock looked back to where the kids ran off to, a little bummed that he wouldn't be getting a popsicle himself, but he did follow along as Narcis took them to the back of his library. There was an old wooden door, which he opened, and stairs led down into a dark basement.
The place smelled heavily of dust, and it wasn't very big, being cramped with dozens of old shelves and books that were still wrapped in their packages. It seemed to lead nowhere, but appearances were often deceiving.
Narcis shuffled through the messy room and ran his hand along the wall. A section suddenly pushed in, and the sound of stone grinding on stone echoed out as a section near the back began to lift, revealing a hidden area within the library. Davi's hand tightened into a fist when he saw it, and Olivia felt the hairs stand up on her arms. She glanced at her friend and saw that he was studying the new doorway.
She knew exactly what he was thinking. It was shady enough that a librarian was making deals of some kind with Alice Ward and getting packages delivered to him, but for him to also have a room like this ready…
She was starting to think that Narcis wasn't the innocent old man he appeared to be. Falco also looked a little alarmed but managed to keep his confident look. Pock, meanwhile, was playing with his zippers, but his eyes darted back and forth, and he appeared to be on guard, pretending to be oblivious.
"We're almost there." Narcis walked through the newly formed doorway, and more stairs led down. This time, some lights came from the bottom of the stairs, and when they did finally step off the stairway, Olivia let out a gasp at what she saw.
Unlike the basement, this place looked nice. It was clean and well-maintained and illuminated with dozens of lights that hung from the roof. The floor was made of wood, and it resembled a small apartment complex. There was a TV near the back, which was playing news about the incidents occurring in Rossum. A kitchen branched off, as did a bathroom and various bedrooms.
A large couch was placed in the center of the room, in front of the TV, and four people were seated, watching the news. One of them turned when they walked down the stairs. He was an older man with grey hair and a thick beard, and the clothing he wore was clearly from Rossum, resembling the attire worn by rice farmers. Ken's outfit had been expensive and made of fine silk, but this man was poorer than poor.
Next to him was a woman, likely his wife, and two kids, all dressed in the same worn-out clothes he was in.
Also, alarmingly, they were all clearly sick. Their skin was ghastly pale, and heavy bags were under their eyes. Red blots grew out of their flesh, some bleeding dark gunk. They all had horrible coughs, but the man, the father, still managed to smile.
"Narcis! Did you come to join us for dinner? Who are these? Friends of yours?"
"No, Mister Liu." Narcis shook his head, and he held the brown package up. "I've come for something far better. At last, I can help cure you." He tore open the bag, revealing various bottles of pills. Each pill was bright blue and shaped like a fish's tail.
The father jumped to his feet, looking emotional. His wife did the same, and the man rushed over and hugged Narcis tightly. "Thank you, thank you; you've saved my family."
Narcis patted the man on the back. "As much as I would like to take credit, I'm afraid I couldn't do anything. It was Madam Ward who did all the work, and these fine knights helped deliver the package."
Mister Liu let go of Narcis, and he turned, reaching out and taking Davi's hands. "You've helped my family more than you can ever know."
Davi shook his hand and then looked at the pills that his wife was taking. The woman was already giving one to the kids. "What exactly did we deliver?" He questioned.
"It's only fair if you know." Narcis let out a heavy sigh, and he suddenly looked older. "Do you know what Blood Pox is?"
Olivia looked a little queasy as she nodded her head. "Yeah, it was a disease back in the time of Haru, right?"
"Yes. Blood Pox comes from the hydra in the sea of blood." Narcis explained.
The blood hydra was one of the strongest monsters around and was said to fall just under dragons in terms of power. Not only that, but its dungeon had fused with the ocean it was in, corrupting it. While it lacked the power of a dragon and thus could in theory be beaten by a strong enough warrior, it never left its biome, save for infrequent occasions, and fighting it while it was in the blood ocean was next to impossible due to the vast power-up it got when it was in its dungeon, as well as the curses that seeped in the air.
It was this ocean that surrounded the Mordheim nation.
Narcis continued to speak. "Our kingdom, like the Mordheim nation, has come in contact with the blood hydra in the past. This eventually led to us developing a natural cure to the illness within our Cores, which was later passed down to our kids. Because of this, hundreds of years later, practically all our people are immune to the virus that comes from the great beast. Rossum doesn't have that same immunity, though."
Liu began to speak next, a sad look in his eyes. "I don't know why they're attacking our land. I don't know what they want either." His voice quivered. "It isn't a war. It's a total invasion. They burn our villages and don't just kill soldiers but also the women and children. They're so close to the rotted land that they carry it upon themselves. The sickness they are immune to has become a bioweapon, which they unleash on us, flooding our wells with blood and ruining the crops that we grow. My family became infected when we fled our homes and came to your land."
"Why didn't you visit a hospital?" Falco spoke up. "I know that our people are immune to it, but strong enough healing magic should have been able to cure you."
"They aren't allowed to be here," Narcis muttered sadly.
"What do you mean?" Olivia felt a lump form in her throat.
"Esteria let Rossum's people come in as they pleased at first." Narcis's hand gripped his staff so hard the wood creaked. "They put most of the folks who were coming here to work, trying to get the secrets of pill crafting from them, and using them to do jobs no one wanted to do, and of course, the people of Rossum had to accept, because they were in a new land and had no home or wealth to their name. Even the nobles from the land of Rossum would find that most of their status was gone or meant nothing. It wasn't so bad at first, but things worsened with the war. It became clear that an increasing number of people would flee across the sea to escape the invading nation, and that was when Esteria changed. It no longer allowed its borders to be freely crossed. They put a tax on it and other requirements. A tax that kept increasing the more Rossum people migrated. Eventually, it got to the point where people could no longer pay to enter the kingdom unless they were wealthy ahead of time or had something they could offer to the kingdom. Liu and his family were just farmers, though. They aren't Cultivators or pill crafters. What little they had was destroyed in their village. They lack the Bells to pay for any hospital care, and if the kingdom found out they were here, Liu and his wife would be sent to prison or put to work while their kids are shipped away from them. My assistant and I found them first and took them into our care. There isn't much I can do, but I can at least give them a few good meals and help them with the Blood Pox until a better solution is found."
"T-That's horrible!" Olivia nearly seethed as she heard the story.
How many times was she going to learn about how corrupt the system of the kingdom was? Sure, there were many people living good lives, and it was foolish to think that every person would be able to achieve a happy ending, but there were also many other places filled with people who were suffering. Liu and his family didn't deserve to die because they didn't have money, and they also didn't deserve to be locked up for fleeing from a country that was being destroyed from the inside out.
Once again, it showed her that there needed to be some sort of change. The world would be a much better place if more people were willing to help each other out.
Narcis led them out of the room and reclosed the door once the family had all taken their medication. The pills were from Rossum, and it would take several before the Blood Pox would be cured. Most of Rossum's elite had them when they fled, and Alice had to pay a pretty Bell to get her hand on some.
Narcis felt grateful to his old friend. Having Alice Ward on his side was one of the greatest choices he ever made.
"Thanks for dropping the supplies off." Narcis gave a nod as he walked the Knights out of his library. "Please tell Alice she did a good job."
"We'll do that." Falco placed a hand on the old man's shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze. "You're doing the right thing also. Thanks for helping them."
"I'm doing the best I can." Narcis let out another tired sigh, and he looked so frail and weak. "It's not much, but it's the least I can do. Madam Alice plans to give them jobs once they're done. She can ensure they're left alone and earn some money. It won't be pretty, but at least they'll all be able to stay together and will be healthy and safe under her care."
"Madam Alice seems a lot nicer than I first thought," Olivia admitted. She had thought this job was going to be bad. That she would be delivering drugs to some addict. Madam Alice seemed like a scary lady, yet she did all this for strangers.
Davi was right. You really couldn't tell who someone was just by looking at them. Actions spoke a lot louder than words.
The kingdom might have been flawed, but there were still good people in it. People who were willing to help those who needed it out. Of that fact, Olivia was grateful.
"If you ever need any help with anything, you can call on Phoenix Flight." Pock gave the man a thumbs up, and Narcis laughed, finally having a bit of joy back in his tone.
"I might just take you all up on that offer." He admitted.
"We'll rush over anytime," Falco announced. "You can count on our guild!" His words would have meant a bit more, but several birds pooped on him as they flew by.
They waved Narcis off, and once they were done, Pock reopened a portal, and they finally left, leaving the city behind. When the portal closed and the streets became silent, something shimmered in the air, and a figure appeared.
The entire time, someone had been watching Phoenix Flight.
Whisper, the vice captain of the Pantheon guild, stood, a frown on her face as she watched the portal fade away into nothingness. In reality, Cinder and the other members of Pantheon never fully trusted Phoenix Flight and instead allowed them to be, as Whisper had been tracking them the entire time. Thanks to her magic and her power over illusions, they never even noticed she had been right behind them.
Whisper's earpiece buzzed, and she reached up, turning it on. "Whisper." The voice of Battery came through. "You followed them, right? We felt them leave. What were they up to?" He demanded.
Whisper looked back at the library, which had the family within. "Nothing shady." She finally said. "They did what they said they would. They just came to see a friend."
"Seriously!" Battery sounded pissed.
"Yep." Whisper let out a fake yawn and turned away. "I guess Phoenix Flight isn't as bad as we all thought." And with that, she hung up. Whisper smiled softly.
Meanwhile, outside of the city, far, far away, Snow looked around Lotus. "That's odd?"
"What is it?" Ashley asked, the former maid looking around. Sera stood next to her. Her, Sera, and Snow were patrolling Lotus City, while Ash, Max, and Sky patrolled Lillian.
"It's quiet?" Sera noticed it as well, and she felt spooked. The last few times they had come to Lotus, the people had cheered and were happy to see them, but now not a sound could be heard. Not even of cars driving down the road. No one was walking down the street either.
Snow reached for his sword and looked around, a frown hiding underneath his helm. The gates to the city hadn't been guarded, though they rarely were, and so he didn't even think about it as he entered. Now that he was inside the city, his nerves were telling him to get out.
There was an attack or something. That much was clear. Why didn't Lotus call for help, though? He didn't sense a dungeon nearby; in fact, he didn't sense anything. No dungeon meant the city would still be able to call for help. Even if a dungeon did suddenly open up, it would take a bit for the entire city to be overrun, and there'd be signs of a fight, but there was just nothing. Not to mention no dungeon was big enough to cover an entire city, besides the kind that used to hold the dragons, who were all dead now, or the blood hydra, which was stuck out in the ocean.
Snow reached beneath his helm, where an earpiece was. "Sky, do you read me—" Static blasted through his ear, and he winced.
"Our phones aren't working either," Sera muttered, looking down at her phone, which was dead. Ashley's wasn't any better.
"Fuck? Is it a dungeon?" Snow questioned. "No. The area would have changed, and if it was one with a barrier, then we would have felt the barrier crossing in." He shook his head and growled. "Alright, we're leaving. We'll go as far as we can until we can radio Sky, then she and I will—"
"Ril Liquid Cloud."
'Drip.'
'Drip.'
Drip.'
The sound of water droplets hitting a surface… It was followed by a smell. A horrible stench that burned the three Knights' noses.
Snow felt his blood freeze at what he saw. Something large with the head of a horse and a body covered in green fish scales now stood before him. It was dripping wet, and the ground behind it was moist. The thing's lips were forced back, showing gums that were dripping with blood, and its beady eyes stared at the three of them.
Before Snow could move, a cloud of something formed over them and began to drop. Liquid covered them head to toe, and the stench grew worse, and Snow realized with horror what it was.
Gasoline.
"No!"
It was too late.
The monster brought his hands together. "Row Liquid Ignite."
And all of Lotus was set aflame.