"You're telling me! What in the name of the Gods was that?!"

Gauge echoed his prior inquiry in frustration, his voice a mixture of anxiety and disbelief. Argent frowned at the question, staring out over the decimated remains of the aberrant jellycap. Their simple weekend task had proven itself to be an ordeal with much deeper roots than they had bargained for, and earning a bit of money had long since stopped being the issue at hand.

"...I'm not sure--"

Argent admitted, trying to play the situation out in his head. There were many factors from countless angles, too complex to make a judgement call off assessments alone. What was 'likely' or 'statistical' had long since hurled itself out the window, complicating any ballpark estimations one could possibly make... But the alchemist wasn't the type to get hung up on data alone– lack of a clear, proven path was not enough to freeze him in place– particular as he was, Argent was driven by his instincts as much as his ethics, his morals as much as his methods. In the world of alchemy, sometimes you had to go in blind. Sometimes experimentation was the only way to progress, and gain knowledge.

"--But whatever it is, I feel like we need to get to the bottom of it."

Gauge was not so certain.

"Do we? This is clearly more than we signed on for, Argent. Our supplies are running low, we don't know what the hell is happening... And, most importantly, we don't know who does know."

Argent tipped his head, picking up on the slightly accusatory tone in the rogue's voice. Catching the inquisitive motion, Gauge expounded on his remark.

"Something isn't right with this place, Argent. Something isn't right with the contract. Things have been rubbing me the wrong way since we got here, there are too many details out of place."

"I understand that you're suspicious, but what could the town have to do with this?"

"I don't know..."

"I don't see how they benefit. We've witnessed townsfolk legitimately wounded, bodies piled up in medical care.. We saved Dakker and Lea from being attacked, and rooted out monsters from the forest. The people in the village seem tired and miserable. It doesn't seem malicious to me."

"I don't know!"

Gauge shouted in exasperation, gritting his teeth.

"I can't tell what's going on... But I'm uneasy, Argent. I think we should cut our losses and leave."

The two boys sat in silence for a few minutes, their thoughts running circles as they looked out over the clearing which had housed their battle. Chunks of fungal flesh and metal shrapnel littered the area, giving it an almost alien look. Rising to his feet while gingerly nursing his wounds, Argent took a few steps towards the tattered husk of their foe. A part of him understood very well where Gauge was coming from, and truly he even agreed with the rogue. Instructor Liamra's words of warning echoed in the back of his mind yet again, emphasizing the subtle fear that crept underneath his stomach. A sensation of danger, foreboding, lingering at the edge of his logical thought... But there was also determination. A desire to do right by the town, and a burning sense of inquisition. What was here and why? How big of a threat was it? If they left, what would befall the people; and if they stayed, what could befall them? He couldn't leave. He had to help, and he had to know.

"I hear you, I really do.. But I'm not running away from this, Gauge."

Argent said as he looked back, hoisting himself up onto the remains of the gigantic animate. Rolling back his sleeves, he pulled a seax knife from his belt and began to delve into the organic matter.

"Let me rephrase what I said before.. It isn't only that I feel we should get to the bottom of this... I want to get to the bottom of it. I want to help these people, and I want to understand whats happening here."

Gauge stared after his companion for quite some time, shifting his weight on his feet. His eyes held a mixture of frustration and uncertainty in their stone-blue depths, as he looked between Argent and the forest. Turning his gaze back in the direction of the town, he stared into the treeline, biting the corner of his lip. His hands clenched and eased involuntarily as he did so, until at long last the boy released a heavy sigh and stripped off his cloak. Throwing it aside, he rolled up his own sleeves and moved to join Argent upon the Jellycap. The alchemist looked over at the rogue as he approached, grinning at him. Emotions swelled in Gauge's chest, flashbacks gnawing at his mind, images of panic and death.

"If things get bad, Argent... I.."

"Hm?"

The rogue faltered under Argent's gaze, turning his own eyes away and shaking his head as his expression hardened-- returning to his usual, aloof self.

"..I'll drag you out of here, if I have to."

Gauge muttered under his breath, and Argent blinked. There was a firmness there he wasn't used to hearing in Gauge's voice, but the rogue did not look at him again. Instead focusing intently on digging into the mushy flesh. A rough hour passed, but the boys' searching proved futile. There was no argonite to be had, no organs, no anomalies. Nothing Argent could use to try and pin down the difference. Wiping the sweat from his brow, the alchemist sat back on the pile and huffed, shaking his head.

"I guess it's down to the source, then."

He muttered, cutting off several samples of the misshapen flesh and shoving them into bottles. Once he was satisfied with what had been collected, he stood and jumped off the mound of fungal debris. Rolling out his shoulders and gingerly pressing on a few of the places where he had been pierced by shrapnel, Argent took a moment to stretch down and touch his toes, standing up with a groan.

"If only Instructor Spinette could see us now..."

He commented, drawing a reference to the High-Elven Ranger's notoriously extreme 'field studies' which she so loved to drag their class through. Gauge snorted at the comment, picking his cloak up and throwing it over his shoulder whilst putting a hand on his hip in one of Instructor Spinette's typical poses.

"She'd just laugh at us, and say 'don't get killed'."

Argent chuckled. It was pretty accurate, all things considered. He could imagine the exchange in their instructor's voice.

"So... What's the move? If you want to stay and do this, you call the shots, and whatever happens I'll defer to you-- but I retain the right to pull the plug whenever I feel you're in too deep."

"Huh.. So you can sound professional."

Gauge punched him in the shoulder, perhaps a little firmer than could be considered playful. Under the dull pain of the blow, Argent pulled himself back, respecting the message being given and putting himself back into business mode as well. Clearing his throat, he gathered up what was left of his belongings and equipment from the clearing, and motioned for them to head back to camp.

"Alright. Walk with me."

The two talked tactics as they moved through the forest depths, returning to their meager outpost with only a few hours light left in the day. Breaking into his alchemical gear, Argent didn't waste any time setting up the equipment necessary to ascertain the final piece of information they would be able to get before having to make their move. Quickly heating three vials of liquid aether, a solvent used to determine the inherent Kai content of materials dissolved within it, he fed a chunk of collected aberration into each of them.

"Why so many?"

Gauge questioned, watching curiously as the liquids frothed and began to change in colour.

"Sample size."

"Huh?"

"Well, granted.. This is still minuscule in scope. Not to mention somewhat abstract. Ideally, when conducting something like this, we would want samples equal to ten-percent of the population value of our subject... That's.. A little difficult to apply, in this case. But 'two out of three' is basically the smallest average I can draw, if for whatever reason there are inconsistencies."

"Such.. as?"

"Who knows? Sample contamination, maybe.. It could be anything. However–"

Argent cut himself short as the solvent did its work, all three vials becoming the same, deep shade of murky violet.

"--It doesn't look like we'll have that issue."

He lifted one of the vials and swirled it around, the reflected light glinting through the liquid and dancing in the green of his eyes. A slight frown tugged at the corner of his mouth as his thoughts seemed to carry him somewhere else, until Gauge cleared his throat.

"So uh.. What does that mean exactly?"

"It means, well.. As might seem obvious given the circumstances.. That thing was attuned to Dark-type Kai."

"Well, that would line up, considering the way it completely devoured my shadow arts.. Right?"

Argent shook his head, sighing in frustration as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Does it line up, though? Was it already innately dark, or what if the reason it's attuned to dark is because of your shadow spew? Could it have had some sort of open-ended absorption ability? What if this was a mutation, or a fluke?"

Something seemed to register in Gauge's head, like a piece clicking into place, and he responded very firmly.

"It's not."

"Huh?"

Gauge looked at the vials carefully, their twisting colours striking a point in his memory from the town. He reached out for one of them, holding it against the sky and shaking it the slightest bit in order to watch the way the purple hues shifted.

"Do you remember the wounded huntsmen? The ones under the enclosure at Eophi's shop? Their bandages, those injuries that they were having issues treating.. They were seeping something close to this colour, weren't they?"

Recollection snapped to the forefront of Argent's mind, and he believed the rogue's words were correct. Julie and Eophi had seemed reluctant to let them see what was happening inside the medical area, but Argent swore that even at a distance, he had glimpsed the same as Gauge had just described. It wasn't an absolutely concrete factor, but given the total circumstance, it would have to be enough... And... The more he thought about it, the more that could play directly into their favour.

"Gauge, give me a piece of Vitra Argonite."

Argent instructed, as he took the three vials of liquid and poured them into a single large bottle. Moving quickly, he placed the bottle over the heat and stripped a sprig of Shyvirre berries hastily into it. Reaching out for the Argonite, he took the small crystal from his companion and set it into a mortar. Gauge immediately cried out in dismay as the pestle came down.

"Hey, wait! That's!"

He huffed, visibly pained by the loss of potential revenue he had just witnessed.

"Don't sweat it, this will pay out ahead."

Argent reassured him, crushing the stone into a fine powder. Adding it in once the Shyvirre had all but dissolved save for its skins, Argent corked the bottle and shook it violently, breaking apart what residue was left while simultaneously siphoning the effects of [Enhance Reaction] deeply into the mixture. The fungal material originally introduced to the liquid aether base had created what amounted to a low-tier shadow essence; Actively combining it with the restorative properties of Shyvirre berries and bonding it with Vitra Argonite– known for its efficacy in warding and protective magicks– resulted in a powerful tincture of chaos resistance. An outcome which was thanks to Argent's unique arts, in no small part. If the townsfolk were suffering from the lingering effects of dark type arts, this would certainly perform admirably as an 'antidote', allowing them to resist the onset of any damaging or debilitating effects long enough for healing to take place.

"Take this into town and trade it to Eophi for as many healing potions as she's willing to spare, she should understand what it is.. Anything extra you can get, haggle for the materials we talked about before."

"Again?"

Gauge griped halfheartedly as he took the potion, clearly not thrilled by the idea of returning to town and interacting with Eophi.

"Sorry.. But you're faster than I am, and I have things I can start doing here."

The rogue grumbled, but nodded.

"Never thought I'd regret being fast."

"Wait till you start dating."

Gauge gave him an incredulous look, as though he couldn't believe the quip had come from the mild-mannered alchemist.

"Woooowww. Really?"

Argent smiled innocently and shrugged. Gauge rolled his eyes, speaking over his shoulder as he turned to pursue his assigned errand.

"You're not allowed to hang out around Seren anymore. She's ruining you."

Chuckling at the retort, Argent turned his attention back to the camp. Kindling a flame and stoking it with a few smaller logs, he nestled them tightly together to quickly create a bed of coals for cooking. Prepping the rations for the pot, he set the water to boil and added the dried ingredients before digging into his equipment and getting to work. The warm glow of the fire became more and more prominent as the sunlight gradually faded into the evening dark, accompanied by the faint scratching and scraping of Argent's tools. Sounds which paused only when the alchemist took a moment to tend the simmering pot of stew.

After some time had passed, Argent pulled the pot away from the bed of coals and to the side, just enough to let it keep warm while he settled into a cross-legged position on his bedroll. Closing his eyes and allowing his vision to fade, dipping into the shimmering visuals of the Aether Plane, Argent extended his consciousness along the pathways of his arts. The combat he had survived throughout the course of the day, particularly the encounter with the aberrant, had left the central basin of his arts filled with swirling aether. It was enough to fill a node, perhaps even two. A surprising amount for so short a time, even if it was drawn from combat.

Considering the situation at hand, I should probably invest in a bit of offense...

He spoke internally to himself, pressing his vision down the branching paths of the Elemental Aspect. It was by far the less developed aspect of his two, as might be expected of someone who possessed a greater aspect. Creation monopolized the vast majority of Argent's attention, as it was both powerful and synergistic with his alchemical inclinations. However, when it came to arts concerning raw power, Element may have been one of the most common aspects... but it was undeniably effective. Elegant in its simple and direct manifestations, so to speak.

Lingering at the beginning of the elemental tree, Argent considered the nature of the enemy at hand. The aberrant nature of the giant jellycap aside, they were in a forest, facing off against opponents of Fae origin. Fire seemed the most obvious path, and it was one of the few branches he had actually developed, due to the utility of the low-level art, [Kindle]. Stretching beyond the initial arts, Argent pushed himself to the furthest open node. Guiding the pooled energy from his center along the path until it filled and illuminated the art in question. [Firebolt]. It was a simple ability, aptly named, but it performed exactly as advertised. Allowing the caster to launch a flaming projectile, which at its most basic level was comparable in size and speed to the bolt of a crossbow.

It's not much.. But it's something.

Or so he told himself, uncertain of whether the intent was to console himself or rationalize the decision. The path opened further beyond the newly filled node, branching out to the sides as well as upwards in a web of new possibilities, but before Argent could bring himself to explore his attention was pulled away by a flashing sensation deep in his center. As though a wave of light moved through him on its own, sapping the remaining aether from his core and forming it into a sphere. Though shocking at first, the sensation ebbed into familiarity as Argent realized what was happening, watching as the sphere took up a position alongside [Enhance Reaction]. It was another art, a unique art, which had manifested itself in response to his scaling power. Navigating to it, he assessed the newly formed node. [Kai Mirroring].

'The Mirror of Creation. May all things return to their source, and surpass it.'

"What.. in the..?"

"Argent!"

Gauge's voice was both a shout and a hiss, as he rushed into the clearing. His distress was obvious, even before he grabbed Argent by the shoulders and shoved the alchemist towards a tree.

"Get up. Get up! Questions later, climbing now!"

He commanded, all but throwing Argent into the branches above as he grabbed him by the ankles to hoist him upwards. Shaken, but otherwise following the situation, Argent grabbed hold of the nearest branches and pulled himself upwards into the tree. Climbing several layers higher, he tested the limits to which the branches could support his weight before stopping. Gauge was only a few moments behind him, moving nimbly between the leaves. As Argent opened his mouth to question, Gauge pushed his fingers over his lips while shaking his head. Suddenly from below, the sounds of rustling underbrush and heavy panting filled the areas around the camp. Clumsy footfalls snapped twigs as they went, until the source of the clamour came into the visible circle of the campfire's light. Shaggy, sickly timber wolves, devoid of their usual coordination and grace. Their fur was matted and dirtied, muzzles hanging open loosely as they panted in sporadic, unnatural gasps. For a brief moment, Argent began to consider the possibility that they were undead– until the firelight caught an angle on one of the shambling creatures as they circled the camp, revealing grotesque patches of fungi growing from sections of the animal.

He looked at Gauge, seeing the same recognition dawn on the rogue's face. The two boys waited in stifling silence, their breath baited tight in their chests as they waited for the assembly of wolves below to make a move. Gradually they began to depart, turning back into the treeline and moving off into the forest, back in the direction of the river. Gauge did not move nor allow Argent to move until the creatures disappeared from the range of [Find Aura].

"Wolves? Mushwolves?? Is that even a thing?"

"Normally I'd be the one asking you."

Argent voiced his disbelief and Gauge retorted, as the two of them dropped down from the tree.

"I've read the bestiary entry for Jellycaps nearly a dozen times since we started this job, and there is nothing about controlled creatures anywhere in it. Nothing about that giant one, either. None of this."

"Those wolves stalked me here all the way from the village. It's like they were waiting for something."

"What?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, but I'm telling you, this wasn't by chance.. They didn't just wander over top of our camp, or smell our food. They came looking for something, deliberately."

"They were.. Infected. Did you see? There were fungal growths all over them."

Gauge nodded his head grimly.

"When I was setting traps earlier, I saw a Jellycap that had caught a wolf. It was dragging it away, deeper into the forest."

"That doesn't make any sense... That.. That's not how they behave! Not how they hunt! Jellycaps kill and consume, they don't gather. They don't store. They shouldn't even have the intelligence for it."

"Well.. I think that only really leaves one option as to what's happening here."

"..Something else is controlling them.."

Argent muttered under his breath, finishing the deductive statement. It seemed insane on the surface, but there was a principle that alchemists and scientists alike oft abided by... When faced with situations that defied all conventional conclusions– the only remaining solution, no matter how unlikely, must be true. Gauge nodded his head, his expression grim as he looked out into the forest.

"Yeah.. And whatever it is... It has become actively aware of our presence here."

The boys sat in silence, each considering the reality of their situation in their own ways. Things were getting to a point of critical risk, bordering on what a prudent adventurer might consider unacceptable. Argent acknowledged this fact, though it didn't make him any more willing to step down. He stewed in quiet for a time, contemplating the options they had to mitigate the threat, but the biggest factor playing against them was time. And, he regretted to admit, the fact that they were somewhere they were not technically allowed by the Academy to be. Even if they could have found the time to ask for help between now and when they were due back for Monday morning's homeroom, the problem would then become who they could safely entrust their unsanctioned activities to. Otherwise, if they broke away and tried to secure the support to re-attack the situation, it would have to wait at least until the following Saturday. That was an entire week for either another adventurer to resolve the issue in their absence, or worst case, for things to spiral out of control and endanger the village. Moving around the fire, Argent stripped off his cloak and set it down beside his backpack.

"Last chance to back out."

The words came with a playful undertone, but the look in Argent's eyes belayed the seriousness of the statement. They were at the point of no return, and if they proceeded past this point the only way out other than victory would be a full blown retreat.

"We might not know exactly what it is, but we know we're walking into a fight, Gauge. I need to know that you're in it with me. There won't be room for reservations after."

The rogue nodded, understanding the message being sent. He had been outspoken about his doubts and hesitations and appreciated Argent's tact in addressing them upfront.

"We may be in over our heads.. But, Gods be damned, we can burn that bridge when we get to it."

Argent felt a warm relief rush through his chest at the response. He nodded gratefully, and the companions grinned at one another, reaching across the fire to bump their fists together.

"I'm with you."

"Right. Let's get to work."