As Elsie finished dramatically congratulating herself, the door opened again, and Ivan cautiously stepped through, looking around at the aftermath. He was now clad in imposing white-and-gold armor, intricately plated with vibrant green gemstones adorning his chest, which made him seem far more noble than he had any right to appear. The polished armor seemed almost too grand for Ivan's slightly awkward stance, as though he were a child who had borrowed something far beyond his rank and station. He blinked nervously at the hall, his eyes finally resting on Kaiser.

Kaiser, feeling Ivan's gaze, fixed him with a deadly glare. "Not. A single. Word."

Ivan's mouth snapped shut, and he nodded furiously. "Absolutely, sir. Nothing. Nope. Not even thinking about it."

Kaiser sighed deeply, ignoring Ivan's obvious curiosity, and turned sharply to Celestine. "Do you have it?"

She nodded swiftly, producing a small, emerald-green disc from her pouch and handing it to him without hesitation. Kaiser took the disc and snapped it cleanly in half. As he did, vibrant green dust burst forth, swirling around him like a miniature storm before swiftly being absorbed into his body. Ivan, intrigued, leaned in a bit too close, trying to subtly expose his shoulder, hoping some of the healing dust might find its way to him.

Celestine immediately grabbed Ivan by the collar, dragging him back sharply. "Ivan, do you honestly not understand how a med-pek works?"

Ivan coughed awkwardly, trying to regain his composure. "Well, I do—of course I do. I just… thought my shoulder felt a little sore, and Kaiser doesn't seem like he really needs it anyway."

Kaiser's eyes narrowed dangerously, his voice icy and quiet. "Ivan. Remember what I told you."

Ivan snapped rigid, saluting sharply. "Yes, sir! Absolutely, sir! Ivan remembers perfectly, sir!"

Kaiser suppressed another sigh, recalling that he had explicitly warned them not to reveal his regeneration. Celestine had described med-peks as objects imbued with healing Sol—easily breakable items, specifically crafted to heal minor to moderate injuries. Kaiser felt some measure of relief as the external wounds knitted shut, though his cracked ribs and lingering poison stubbornly persisted. Still, he felt stable enough to stand.

As he attempted to rise, Elsie and Aria immediately rushed forward to help. He waved them off brusquely. "I'm perfectly capable—"

Aria smirked mischievously, crossing her arms. "Oh, sure, old man. You look totally capable. Don't break a hip standing up now."

Kaiser paused, narrowing his eyes dangerously. Then, with exaggerated slowness, he reached a hand toward Aria, who instantly brightened, smugly triumphant.

"See? Was that so hard—WHA?"

Before she could react, Kaiser rested his hand firmly atop her head and pushed down just enough to lift himself to his feet, using her like a piece of furniture. Aria's feet slipped from under her, and she landed unceremoniously on the polished floor with a loud thud.

"Ouch! Kaiser, you absolute jerk!" she yelped, sprawled indignantly across the floor, hair wildly disheveled.

Elsie burst out laughing, pointing at her. "Elsie saw that! Kaiser is a real villain! Does Aria need help standing up?"

Ivan covered his mouth, trying desperately, and failing spectacularly, to suppress his laughter. Celestine merely shook her head, smiling faintly despite herself.

Kaiser straightened, smirking down at Aria with mock superiority. "Careful, Aria. Perhaps you're the one who needs help standing."

Elsie, eager to prove her usefulness, reached out a strong, muscled hand to help Aria up from the floor. Aria took it, grumbling, "Finally, someone sensible—"

But as soon as Aria put her weight on Elsie's grip, Elsie, distracted by how well her new gauntlets matched the rest of her sleek, skin-tight armor, let her focus wander, and her hand slipped. Aria promptly crashed back to the floor with a loud, echoing thud.

Aria looked up at Elsie, pure betrayal on her face. "Are you TRYING to kill me? I swear, I'll put spiders in both your eyes!" Her threat was so dramatic, her hair standing out like a halo of wild, crimson fury, that even Ivan, usually terrified of her, snorted with laughter.

Ivan doubled over, pounding the air with his fist. Celestine's hand flew to her mouth, shoulders shaking as she tried and failed to suppress her own laughter. Even Elsie, oblivious to the danger of Aria's wrath, grinned and flexed her biceps. "Elsie is very sorry! Elsie thinks maybe Aria should practice landing more, just in case!"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Everyone laughed except Kaiser, who merely observed Aria's glare and mused inwardly, She really will do it. The world will wake up one day to eight-legged monsters crawling from noble's beds. He gave Aria a rare, conspiratorial nod, which only made her eyes narrow further, as if she suspected him of planning the same fate for Elsie.

Celestine, recovering, moved to help Aria up herself, only for Aria to smack her hand away with a huff, refusing all assistance. "I don't need help from any of you! I'm surrounded by traitors."

Celestine, not offended in the least, just laughed. "I apologize, Aria. Truly." She wiped a tear from her eye, still smiling. From the depths of her ornate pouch, she produced five small, circular boxes, each the size of a coin. She held them up for all to see, letting the colored glass glint in the light.

"Now, before you all try to maim each other further, does anyone know what these are?" Celestine's tone was playfully regal.

Ivan, always eager to answer anything that wasn't a test, piped up. "Vizbots! My uncle used one when he took a Tale about a runaway goat herd. Said it got everything on record, even when he got knocked into a pond."

Celestine nodded, pleased, then caught Kaiser's slight frown. She turned to him, voice gentle. "They're little lenses and at the same time recording devices. We wear them on our person for every Tale. That way, the Liberatorium has proof of what really happened, so no one can fake a Tale, claim a reward for something they didn't do, or take on a quest far above their true rank. At the end, you give your statement, and then the Liberatorium watches the Vizbot's memory before giving final approval."

Elsie, meanwhile, had already begun trying hers on as a necklace, grinning and admiring herself in any reflective surface she could find. "Elsie will look even more heroic on video! Elsie is ready for her close-up!"

Ivan grinned. "Just don't let it catch you tripping over your own cape, Elsie."

Aria glared at both of them, still brushing dust off her backside. "Laugh all you want. Just wait until the Vizbot records the moment I save your lives."

One by one, the newly minted party of Liberators began the strange, slightly humiliating ritual of putting on their Vizbots. Each was a small, polished lens, no bigger than the tip of a thumb.

Celestine, as expected, was first. With a deft, practiced motion, she slipped off her right glove and pressed the Vizbot gently to the inner corner of her eye. It clicked, painless, and her golden iris flickered once as the device merged seamlessly into place. She barely even blinked, the mark of someone who'd done this too many times before.

Elsie yanked off her gauntlet with a flourish and, before anyone could warn her, popped the Vizbot into her eye as if it were nothing. She didn't so much as flinch. In fact, she grinned and struck a dramatic pose, fists on her hips, cape fluttering behind her. "Elsie feels no pain! Elsie will look spectacular on every angle!" she declared, apparently unbothered by the odd metallic glint her eye now gave off.

Aria hesitated, fidgeting with the delicate device, then slowly peeled off her glove. She looked at Celestine for reassurance, then at Kaiser, whose expression promised nothing but the usual severity. With a steadying breath, Aria pressed the lens to her eye. There was a tiny pop and then discomfort hit her like a bucket of cold water. Her blue eyes went wide as she blinked rapidly, tears prickling at the corners.

"Ow, ow—how are you all not bothered by this?" Aria muttered, blinking and rubbing at her face. "It's like sand in my eye—no, like a bug—no, like sand and a bug."

Ivan squared his shoulders, peeled off his battered glove, and copied Celestine's calm. He pressed the Vizbot into place, jaw set, lips pressed thin.

For a moment, he seemed to manage it, until his face screwed up and he blinked furiously, a few fat tears gathering at the edges of his eyes. "No big deal," Ivan croaked, voice just a bit watery. "Not… not that bad, really."

Elsie stifled a laugh, but Aria just shot him a sympathetic glance, still trying to blink away her own discomfort. "It stings, right? See? Those two must be freaks."

Ivan sniffed, valiantly ignoring her.

And then came Kaiser.

He removed his armored gauntlet with a heavy clank. He barely glanced at the Vizbot before seizing it between thumb and forefinger. Without so much as a flicker of hesitation, he pressed the lens to his eye, hard. Too hard.

For a heartbeat, his eye turned a startling shade of blood-red, an angry flush creeping into the white. There was an audible squelch, and the Vizbot settled deep, deeper than anyone else dared. Kaiser didn't even blink. He just locked his gaze on the far wall, as if daring the world to admit he was in pain.

The rest of the group watched with a mix of horror and awe. Ivan's jaw dropped. Aria forgot her own discomfort, staring. Even Celestine paused, a faint grimace twitching at her lips.

Elsie broke the silence with a delighted cackle. "Kaiser looks like a real villain now! Someone get him a dark cloak and a castle—oh, wait, he's already halfway there."

Celestine, finally regaining her composure, cleared her throat. "If everyone's finished torturing themselves, we should be on our way." She drew their attention to the far end of the vast chamber, where a wide, circular platform awaited, rimmed with elegant runes that pulsed with gentle blue light.

"This has already been programed to take us to our destination," she explained, her tone regaining its gentle command. "The faster we begin the Tale, the sooner we can return home, and the less chance for any… further surprises."

Elsie was still admiring her reflection in a polished suit of armor nearby. "Elsie will be famous. Elsie will look so good in the Liberatorium records. Maybe Elsie will get a statue."

Aria, finally resigned to her own discomfort, snorted. "If they put up a statue, it'll be of you tripping over your own cape."

Celestine led the way to the platform, regal and composed as ever. Ivan and Aria followed, trading jabs, while Elsie flexed and spun for an imaginary crowd, making her cape billow dramatically.

Kaiser, bringing up the rear, felt the gentle pressure of the Vizbot in his eye, a tiny, persistent ache, but nothing compared to what he'd endured. He paused just long enough to scan the chamber. For a brief moment, he considered the absurdity of his role. But even he had to admit: there was something about the chaos that was… almost enjoyable.

Celestine looked over her shoulder, her golden eyes searching for his approval. He gave her a small, curt nod.

"Let's go," she said softly.

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