The air in the Dungeon Core's chamber was dead and cold. The only sound was the faint drip, drip, drip of the black goo of the Obsidian shard as it fell from Ace's fingers.
"This monster was a pet," he murmured to Sun, "and not a puppet after all. Some lesser power on your world is attempting to build an army, using this little 'Dungeon' as its nursery."
Before Sun could reply, Commander Thorne stepped forward, his face a masking the incredulity of the situation but still bound by professional duty. His hand was outstretched, not to Sun or Clio, but directly to Ace.
"Ace,'" Thorne said, his voice flat.
"That shard is official Bureau evidence. Hand it over. Now."
Ace looked at the commander's gloved hand, then up at his grim face, and a slow smirk spread across his lips. "
My, my. Such authority." He didn't move to hand it over. "By all means, Commander, have your little trophy. The stench it carries is... quite potent. I'd recommend gloves."
"Ace, please. don't make the situation worse than it is…," Sun hissed, taking a step back.
With a flick of his wrist, Ace tossed the shard. It spun through the air and landed perfectly in Thorne's palm.
"Souvenirs are not on my itinerary, but this little trinket might be of value after all. "
Thorne's jaw tightened. He said nothing, simply sealing the obsidian shard in a glowing, Aether-dampening evidence bag. His eyes never left Ace.
With the evidence secured, Thorne tapped his comms.
"Director Nair, the Core is secure and the primary threat is neutralized. Send in the extraction teams."
Clio, who had been inspecting the damaged Core, stepped forward. "Commander, my guild's extractioners are on standby. As per our agreement….."
"My orders are to secure this site," Thorne cut her off, not even looking at her. "You can take your mining rights up with the Director."
Clio's head snapped up. "That was not the deal, Commander!"
"The deal changed when this stopped being a simple breach," Thorne said, turning for the exit. "We're leaving."
The exit was a tense, silent march. They emerged from the dark maw of Havenworth Station into the harsh, artificial glare of a full Bureau quarantine zone. Agents and vehicles flooded the street. Director Nair was waiting for them, his face calm and unreadable.
Thorne handed the evidence bag to the team beside Nair, who nodded his approval and then turned to Clio.
"Ms. Vance," Nair began, his voice devoid of any warmth. "Due to the anomalous nature of the threat and the discovery of an engineered entity, this entire sector is now under full quarantine under the Bureau's orders.
"Director, we had an agreement. The Siren Guild has the right to…."
"Nothing…The previous accord regarding salvage rights is void," Nair stated flatly. "This is now a matter of sector security and not as simply an opportunity for your guild to to view this as a payday. Your guild is not equipped for this level of investigation."
"This is in bad faith, Director!" Clio's voice was sharp with fury. "We risked our lives in there!"
"As do we. Every day."
"What a surprise," Sun muttered, loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear.
"Another suit changing the rules when it's time to pay."
Ace chuckled. "Oh, Sunbeam, look. The little man is puffing his chest. He thinks he's in charge."
Nair's eyes, cold as chips of ice, snapped to Ace and Sun. "You Two."
"You might have had a role to play in the events that have happened so far. The only reason you can consider yourself free is because I have no legal proof to hold you."
"Yet."
He looked them up and down with open disdain. "Get out of my sight."
Clio, vibrating with suppressed rage, turned on her heel and stalked away. Sun and Ace followed her to a street corner, a block away from the Bureau's cordon. She was pacing, her hand clenched so tightly around her trident that her knuckles were white.
She called the Drake to give a quick update about the situation.
"The Bureau is stonewalling us," she growled, activating her comms unit. "They've seized the site. The monster, it wasn't natural. There was a sigil…"
"Clio. Stop." Drake's voice came over the comms, suddenly tight and serious. "Lady Thelxiepeia wants a full debrief. Immediately. And she specifically ordered you to bring the two assets with you."
"What? But…"
"Now, Clio."
A moment later, a sleek, black Siren Guild vehicle purred to a stop beside them. The door opened, revealing Drake. But he was not alone. With him stood a tall, imposing woman with short, silver hair and the unmistakable, crushing aura of a Mystic-tier Aether-forged. Her eyes, the color of a winter sky, were fixed on Ace with a wary intensity.
"Clio," Drake said, nodding. "This is Lyra, First Spear of the Guild. She will escort you all."
Lyra said nothing, simply gesturing for them to get in.
The ride to the Siren Guild HQ was silent.
When they arrived, Lyra and Drake escorted them past the main hall, through private elevators, and to the massive pearl-inlaid doors of the inner sanctum. Lyra entered with them, taking a guard position by the door, her hand resting on the hilt of her sheathed weapon.
Lady Thelxiepeia stood by her window, her back to them.
Clio gave her report. She detailed the siphoning, the monster's symbol an obsidian shard and her own moment of hesitation. Through it all, Thelxiepeia's gaze remained fixed on Ace, her ancient eyes narrowing with suspicion.
When Clio finished, the room was silent. Then, Thelxiepeia spoke, her voice a soft, harmonic hum.
"You... reek of brimstone, creature," she said, her voice resonating with power.
"A stray dog, far from its master's leash. One who has somehow managed to given even Gaia the slip. You, should truly be neither here nor there…."
Lyra tensed, her hand tightening on her weapon.
"And you reek of sea salt and... stolen time," Ace replied, his smirk unfazed.
"What you have achieved is truly clever"
"But do you think anchoring your fading essence to a dying vessel is truly wise? Afterall even the strongest anchor rusts."
The temperature in the room plummeted. The water in the crystalline tanks lining the walls began to sheet with ice. Thelxiepeia seemed to be growing taller, divine power flaring like a tempest, her voice losing its harmony and becoming a sibilant hiss.
Lyra drew her blade, its edge vibrating with energy far potent that what Clio could produce, the pressure washing over Ace and Sun.
"You dare," Thelxiepeia hissed, "in my own sanctum..."
Sun looked like he was about to faint, but Ace merely looked bored.
"Careful," he said, waving a finger.
"You're stretching your little leash. The universe always collects its debts, Lady Siren. And your bill is long overdue."
There was a long, terrible moment of silence. Thelxiepeia, stared at Ace who seemed utterly immune to her power. She had recognized him as a renegade from Hell, but his casual dismissal of her divine aura revealed a power she could not quantify.
Her rage, though immense, was held in check by a cold, dangerous intrigue.
Slowly, the ice receded. She sat. Lyra sheathed her weapon, though her eyes never left Ace.
"Who...no, what are you?" Thelxiepeia asked, her voice tight.
"Me?" Ace shrugged, his good mood returning.
"I was but a sheep who lost sight of his shepherd."
"But today, I'm on holiday. And your little monster problem is becoming a real chore."
" He saw the utter perplexity on her face and grinned.
"You must know what a holiday is, surely? If you don't…well your people are missing out."
Sun "…."
"Speaking of which... The stench on that awful obsidian rune, the one from its master? It's the same foul stench I smelled on that oaf I fought in the city. The one from the Destroyer Guild."
The air in the room changed again. The grace of divinity was gone, replaced by cold, human fury that radiated from both Thelxiepeia and Lyra.
"The Destroyers," Thelxiepeia said, her voice flat. "So, they are finally moving."
"See, why must we bother with a fight?"
" We're all on the same side," Ace said brightly.
________________________________________________________________
That night, in the most exclusive VIP box in the city's largest arena, Sun's gang members were losing their minds. The bass from the stage thrummed through the floor, and the roar of the crowd was deafening. Sun himself stood in a state of utter confusion.
"How?!" he shouted to Ace over the music. "How did you get these?! Razor's been trying for a year!"
Ace sipped his drink, looking perfectly pleased with himself. "The angry fish-goddess arranged it. A small 'thank you' for giving her a new chew toy. She said to enjoy my holiday. So I am."
At that same moment, in the quiet of the Siren Guild's headquarters, Thelxiepeia watched a monitor from her sanctuary. Lyra stood beside her.
"Lady, he's a clear threat. And he knows about you…"
"He is truly a monster," Thelxiepeia agreed, her expression thoughtful.
"But he might be something that can aid our cause... Let him have his... 'holiday.' It keeps him amused. And it keeps him in our city."
"And what of the Destroyers?" Lyra asked.
Thelxiepeia's eyes hardened, her gaze distant and filled with an old pain.
"The Destroyers took away everything from me.."
"Tell Clio to prepare for her reranking. The stakes I warned her about are here."
She turned from the monitor, her voice as cold and deep as the ocean floor.
"This is no longer conflict. This is war."