I snap off a quick message to Gil as Click goes back to tell everyone what's happening. Absolutely no reluctance or fear shows in the crowd as it speaks; though a few constructs don't seem excited to go to war. Can't blame them at all; even if they've been under system control, this is still their home. The system is still their creator.

There's bound to be some lingering feelings after this long.

Jumble gently nudges my side. "Do you think everything will go smoothly?"

I snort and ready a sarcastic response, but one look at her smirking face tells me all I need to know. Of course things aren't going to be smooth. For all we know, the people that attacked our tower are on their way to reinforce the horizonguard–wherever he is. I scratch my neck and pull out my Class Card to ask about Clutter's progress… and… uh…

Blood trickles down my neck. Dull pain, like the picking of a scab, prickles from my neck and straight into my head. I slowly lower my hand to blankly stare at the blood and bits of flesh under my sharp nails. Since… since when have I been doing this? And why the hell hasn't it been bothering me? Literally mutilating my neck as a nervous tick isn't something to just overlook.

"Shelby?" Jumble nudges me again. "Something wrong?"

I swallow around a drying throat. "Jumble, when did I start clawing at my neck?"

Jumble raises an eyebrow. "You've been scratching your neck for as long as I've known you. But… I think it got worse when we went into the apartment. That's when you first drew blood."

The apartment. Think back to the apartment. Did anything happen… well, obviously yes, but not that'd lead to this… this self-mutilation. I wipe my hand off on my heavily damaged shirt and cover the wounds on my neck with the other. Why did I start doing this? And why did I finally notice how weird it is now of all times?

My new earrings twist ever so slightly, pulling at my skin. I try to ignore it… but there's no way it's a coincidence. These things just made me aware of the scratching. I've been doing it for at least a few months. And the change happened before I met Jumble. Everything seems to point to one of two specific times; when we found the fake shellraisers in the underground lab…

Or when I first finished an uplifting trial.

I slowly grip my shoulder with one hand; that's way too on-the-nose to be wrong. Of course the uplifting things did something to me. It'd honestly be weirder if they didn't. So what the hell is it? Am I infected in some way that Pearl can't sense? Shit, did I get infected with construct material at that point?

The air in the room shifts, and with it, all attention falls on me. Click and all the other constructs look to me for marching orders. I want to say I remember all of their names… but I don't. Should've spent a little more time here getting to know them before I send them off to their potential deaths.

Too late for that now. So I straighten my shoulders, lower my hand, and put on a deadly serious expression. "This is our only chance, people. In anywhere from a few hours to a few days, the horizonguard will clear this quest. If he does, people will die. A lot of people. But I know that doesn't mean anywhere as much to you as it does to me. You're here for one reason and one reason alone; to strike back at the system that stole your lives from you."

A raucous cheer erupts from the group. I don't feel like I said anything that deserves a cheer, but even Jumble pumps a fist in the air with righteous anger. Must've said something right.

"Now, my friends, we move!" I punch the air with vigor, ignoring the stinging complaints from my neck. "Iif the system gets what it wants, this place will reopen its doors with brand new victims! Are we going to let that happen?!"

"NO!" the crowd chants.

I bear my teeth in pride. "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's give the system what it deserves!"

Another, somehow louder cheer fills the room with noise. My awareness feels everyone else filing in through a dozen strange, teleport-doors that apparently the constructs have easy access to. They all take one look at the rowdy crowd before deciding to join in on the hype. It takes a few minutes for literally everyone to show up, and by the time the room is full, magic and nerves spark around the air like tiny fireworks.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Llaliu and Shatterhand walk out of the crowd and make for us. Shatterhand glances back at Gnash–who looks a hell of a lot better already–and sighs in relief.

"Hey, heros. What happened to the shirt?" Llaliu motions down at my clothes. "I can see a little more than I think you want to display."

I shrug and zip up my jacket. "That better?"

Laliu stares for a second, then snorts in amusement. "Boss, your jacket's shredded too. It's a wonder you didn't get ravaged, but hey, that brooch must've deflected the blow a little."

Brooch? Fleur's brooch. I reach for it instinctively, and… there's a huge scratch right down the middle. Maybe it did save me from those scythe-like claws. Damn, it'll be nice to see her again. Wonder how she'll react to Jumble.

"Yeah, maybe it did," I smile as I lower my hand again. "I'll have to get Agathe to make me some new things. Honestly, I'm amazed the thing lasted as long as it did."

Dark threads wind out of nowhere as I finish speaking. They latch onto my clothes, then spin all the way down to my feet in a blanket of velvety purple darkness. I barely have time to make a surprised noise before I feel my clothes… well… unraveling. Even though at least a few items definitely weren't made of threads. Less than a second later the blanket constricts inward, form-fitting to me in a way that definitely shows more than I'm comfortable with.

Llaliu and Shatterhand have the decency to look away. Jumble just stares, eyes wide and drinking in my form. I roll my eyes and gently turn her face away. Only then does she start to blush and stammer out an apology.

"Here."

I jump at a wispy voice at my side. One of Agathe's cloaks floats limply in the air, holding what looks like a perfect replica of my clothes pre-damage. I take them with a nod of thanks, and she just… disappears. Well, that solves that problem. I quickly slip into my new clothes with Agathe's bodysuit on underneath, fluff the jacket for no reason whatsoever, and re-pin Fleur's brooch to the breast.

"We good?" Llaliu asks.

"We're good," I confirm. "How about you? Anything interesting happen while we were gone?"

Llaliu shakes her head. "Just a lot of skirmishes, at least on my end. Some of the others were still exploring or scouting, but it looks like all that stops now. You found where the horizonguard is holed up?"

"Sort of. Clutter's tailing Dani right now, and that should lead us right to him."

"What about Rina?" Shatterhand cuts in. "Was she an accomplice, or a hostage?"

Jumble grimaces. "Accomplice. Now she's a flat-out system pawn, too, so there's no saving her. If you have to put her down… don't hesitate for a second. She won't."

A hiss escapes through Shatterhand's teeth. "Good to know. One more question before we leave you; did you find Gnash's anchor?"

I hesitate, then shake my head with a sigh. "I want to say yes, but we haven't yet. A new ally–Ebb's her name–led us to a vault where she thought they might be stored. Turns out they weren't there."

"Of course it isn't that easy," Llaliu mutters and crosses her arms. "Well, if we find anything like that, we'll be sure to relay the info. Thanks for getting Gnash back, Shelby. You too, Jumble."

Jumble and I give our respective nods as the pair turn and head back for the crowd. Neither of us have to look too see the undertone of disgust beneath our smiles; knowing that potentially everyone here could die if we don't find a way to destroy the quest. A chime from my Class Card mercifully breaks the moment. I pull it out just in time for another to hit–this one from Clutter.

I read through them quickly. Tension fills my shoulders as I get confirmation on two fronts. Gil is ready for the army to show us. And Clutter followed Dani to where the horizonguard was apparently last seen a few hours ago. It's time.

Jumble raises her chin asking for confirmation. I nod. She returns the gesture, then claps her hands to draw everyone's attention back to us. Silence fills the room for all of two seconds before a brimming anticipatory buzz asserts itself.

"We're moving out to an ally's store. Once we're there, we'll combine forces with some allies we freed at the same time as Gnash," Jumble explains. "They're ex-stonestep solutions, so they'll know a little more about what's going on than we do. Be as wary of them as you want, but don't let it get in the way of our final goal; stopping the horizonguard from clearing the quest. I just sent everyone who can receive messages the location of the shop. Use your doors to get there as soon as possible, then follow whatever he tells you to do. Ready?!"

Another cheer, and before any more words can be spoken, the mob of constructs rush for the walls. They open doors one by one, each revealing a part of the hallway very close to Gil's store–some of which I can see the ex-stonestep solutions people mulling about through. There's surprisingly little conflict when they pass through, and within seconds, there's only three of us left in the room; me, Jumble, and Click. From the way it watches everyone leave without moving a muscle, that doesn't seem like it's going to change.

As the last door shuts, Click turns to us. With a twitch of its head it urges us towards the other side of the room, where another door cracks open with a dim light filtering through. I raise an eyebrow at Jumble, who shrugs and moves to follow the construct. As we get closer and closer, shadows appear in the dim light.

A very buxom paindne. A bony, emaciated paindne who moves as if it's made of liquid. And a figure with long fingers and equally as long proportions. I know all three of them at a glance; Slice, the liquid construct, and the heretic. What I don't know is why they're all here.

But I can hazard a damn good guess.

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