Syrce fluttered to the top of the castle wall and resumed her human form. She was all smiles.
Clapping loudly, she cheered for all to hear.
"Well done, Lady Bel. You slayed the giant! What a spectacular display!"
Hearing her impassioned speech, the soldiers on the wall joined in their commander's praise. They were happy to see their fearless leader, and her joy was theirs as well. Those closest to the mossy-haired woman rallied around her and applauded loudly.
Landing next to the Saint, Noble removed her helmet and waved awkwardly at the forming crowd.
'Syrce let me kill that Feline! She could have finished that thing herself any time she pleased, but she taunted it instead to buy me time.'
Noble wasn't sure whether to be flattered or insulted. The giant had been large but not as powerful as she would have expected of a Fallen Tyrant.
Perhaps the people on the wall had weakened it, or Syrce herself had entranced it somehow. It was possible that Noble might have been able to destroy the Tyrant without Syrce or Flint, but she would never know.
The victory felt unearned.
However, the other things she had gained during the battle more than made up for it.
She had gotten a Memory! Aside from the people she loved, Memories were Noble's favorite things. It was hard to remain mad with a new prize in her Soul Sea.
Unfortunately, she would have to examine it later.
Even more interesting was her discovery about another enchanted item: the mysterious belt that Flint wore.
The Master in question floated over the wall and landed with the other two.
"I knew I could do it," he grunted. "And here I thought flying might actually be hard..."
He took an unsteady step and faltered.
"You're hurt!" Noble caught him as he tilted to one side. "That first shard got you pretty bad."
Flint's armor and shoulder had a hole clean through them that was a few centimeters wide. A mundane human would be in agony from having their bone and muscles torn apart. They might have even bled out in the heat of the battle.
Certainly, they would have had difficulty wielding a slingshot with the other hand and hitting a panther in each of his eyes.
But Flint was not mundane. He shoved away Noble's hand.
"Get off me, Blondie! I'll be fine. I didn't heal myself because there were pieces left inside. Just give me a moment." Removing his right gauntlet, he pressed around the inside of the wound and dug out a handful of splinters.
Feeling his pain, Noble wanted to help. "Would you like me to...?"
"Nope," Flint cut off any offer of assistance. 'Don't need a woman digging around in sensitive areas...' he added, accidentally letting his thought filter through their shared Memory.
'So I can share my Aspect with you and save your life, but I am not allowed to help you with a wound?' Noble raised one eyebrow as she watched him work.
'If it involves emotions or physical contact that isn't fighting, I want nothing to do with it...' The Master grunted again as he pulled out a final sliver. "There, that's it."
A frozen bandage appeared, sealing off the wound. His armor would need to return to his Soul Sea to receive repair, but he would need to find other clothing in the meantime.
For now, he would settle for the icy covering.
"That was impressive, both of you," Syrce hugged Noble and nodded at her third in command. "Why don't you two get cleaned up and then join me in a bit?"
Unlike the two Masters, who looked like they had been in a war, Syrce appeared as pristine as ever. The few scratches that had been on her cheeks were already gone, replaced by smooth skin.
'Well, that's not fair...'
'Life's not fair, Blondie, now accept the offer so we can get out of here!' Flint nudged her.
The Saint had only made the offer to both of them because of the tether, so it was up to Noble to respond on both their behalfs.
"Thank you, My Lady," Noble bowed.
"If you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to. Melodia will lead you to take care of your needs." Syrce smiled and turned to a portly man who had scurried up the closest set of stairs.
He bowed deeply. "My lady, you could not have come at a better time. We thought we were dead!"
"We aren't in the clear yet. Where is it?" Syrce's face was clouded with concern.
"This way, My Lady." The portly man bowed and led the Saint away.
Noble and Flint obediently followed Melodia down the wall, stepping onto the wide trunk of the massive tree. An entire city lay on the wooden expanse, with large branches leading to higher echelons where smaller homes and structures lay. It was as if the wide tree had been made specifically for that purpose.
With all she had seen lately, maybe it had.
Noble placed her feet on the wood and was pleasantly surprised to find it did not hurt her. The tree still had life in it, and so it was considered its own entity. That was nice.
Beside her, Flint continued to float, not even bothering to pretend to walk.
'You should fly all the time,' he said through the Memory.
'It's floating, and it isn't as nice as it sounds…' Noble sighed.
'You must not be doing it right.' Flint clicked his tongue.
The conduit between the Masters snapped shut, and Flint dropped unceremoniously to the floor.
His forward progress continued, but since his feet had not been moving, he stumbled forward into poor Melodia.
She blushed as she straightened her tunic from the bump, not seeming to mind the accidental conact.
But Flint did.
'Blast it, Blondie. Why'd you go and do a thing like that?'
Noble tilted her head innocently. 'Whatever do you mean?'
Flint grunted.
'I was floating, and now I can't.'
'Oh? You must not be doing it right…' Noble shrugged.
"Here we are!" Melodia led them to a large basin near the edge of the tree, where two grand waterfalls were curtained off by wooden walls.
There seemed to be no discernible source for the water as it fell from the branches, but Noble could see it was pure as snow.
"I will bring you fresh clothing as well," the timid lady promised, bowing.
"Before you go," Noble caught the young servant as she turned to leave. "You haven't heard of anyone who goes by the name of Roan, Aether, or Helie, have you?"
Melodia thought for a moment. "I have not. The only visitors we have had for weeks are you both and Lady Syrce."
It was possible that the others had concealed their identities and were hiding. Just to make sure, Noble spread her emotional sense in search of her cohort.
She came up empty.
The other Masters were not here, nor had they ever been. That was disappointing.
"I see, thank you." Noble dipped her head in gratitude.
Departing from her companion to head to the women's bathhouse, Child of Promise moved behind a curtain and dismissed her outer armor for the cream underpinnings.
Her feet pressed against the rough bark of the floor, bringing her a small amount of comfort to be standing still.
But as she rinsed away the dirt and grime of her journey and the recent battle, a lingering question gnawed at her consciousness.
'What's next?'