"Those numbers don't make sense, Kat.", Franqiss said, Katelyn gring at him. This was driving her up the wall. She had received some numbers from Lyna, about a project Lyna was working on, but something had been shifty. So, she had asked Franqiss for double-checking with his calcution ability.

  "Laid out like this, I can see that. But why ?" Katelyn folded her arms, frustrated. This is a waste of my time. The numbers Lyna had given her made no sense, that much was obvious. "What am I missing ?"

  "Maybe Lyna was just bullshitting you ?", Franqiss answered, Katelyn gred at him. She would much rather not have to deal with this kind of bullshit.

  "...I'll get the truth out of her.", she answered. "Tomorrow." We cannot afford wasting that much time on this kind of crap... "It's getting te anyway". Franqiss nodded in agreement, and the two went their separate ways.

  Luxanxa woke up from her dream at the first light of dawn, pulling away a strand of green hair. She looked at her hand, and the small artifact she was holding, which gleamed slightly within her hand. Was it truly a dream ? The artifact within her hand spoke more than any word, and none would dare disobey.

  She had been chosen as the new High Priestess. A position Luxanxa would be the first to argue she was wholly unqualified for. But the Will of the Heavens was absolute, and she would bear her new position with all the grace she could muster.

  When she opened the door to leave her chambers, still tightly clutching the priceless item, she heard people talking away. It seemed like they had come for her. She gulped, changed into proper clothes, and went to meet them.

  Less than an hour ter, she was in a carriage going towards the castle, with part of her dream and heavenly orders revealed to her. Force an Outsider called Lyna to leave the royal castle. Luxanxa sighed internally.

  And there I hoped to not cause too much trouble on the first day.

  Katelyn stomped through the castle, furious. It was the next day, and she was looking for Lyna, to figure out what kind of games Lyna thought she was pying.

  A commotion dragged her attention, and she turned a corner. Lyna was here, having an animated argument with a small group of people. The princess was watching, and so was a tall and very curvaceous green-haired young woman. They had complicated expressions on their faces.

  "What's going on here ?", Katelyn shouted, projecting authority in her voice. Everybody instantly turned to face her, and the princess walked over, the tall woman shadowing her, Katelyn forcing her eyes on the princess.

  "Greetings, Outsider Katelyn.", the princess said. "I am... not entirely certain myself."

  "Ah, ehrm, hello, miss Outsider.", the green-haired woman said. "I... am High Priestess Luxanxa.", the woman expined. Huh ?

  "Wait. What happened to Sir Kvutar ?", Katelyn asked. The old man had gone missing with no warning a week ago or so, but she hadn't expected a repcement already.

  "Sorry, but I don't know.", the priestess apologized. Nothing I can do about it. Best to roll with the punches. It was faster and cost less energy.

  "Don't apologize.", Katelyn grumbled. "You don't know, you don't know. So. What's going on here with Lyna anyway ?", she continued.

  "Orders from the Heavens.", the princess answered. "They want her out of the castle.", she expined.

  "Is that so ?", Katelyn asked, incredulous. That's... annoying.

  "Yes. I had the order, and several of the higher-ranked priests did as well.", the priestess confirmed. Katelyn grumbled. Once again, nothing I can do about it. But I'm going to have be to be opportunistic here.

  "Okay. Do you mind giving me a sec ? I have a conversation to have with Lyna.", Katelyn said, trying to keep her displeasure from mounting. Lashing out at uninvolved third parties was unseemly and a futile waste of time to boot.

  "Go ahead.", the princess answered, and Katelyn nodded, taking a deep breath. Showtime, she thought as she stomped towards Lyna, who turned towards her. "What the hell have you three been talking about ? I'm in trouble over there !", she said.

  "Well, I have a problem.", Katelyn answered.

  "Problem this, problem that, there's always a problem with you ! Maybe you're the problem at this rate !" Katelyn grumbled. My problem is with you, Katelyn thought, but she didn't verbalize it. She wasn't here for petty verbal jousting.

  "The problem I have right now," Katelyn started, her words exacting, "is that the numbers you gave me are not adding up.", she continued. "And I want to know what kind of games you think you're pying."

  "What do you mean, "don't add up" ?", Lyna answered, sounding almost snide as she imitated Katelyn. "Does it, like, matter that much that they add up ?"

  "Yes. Very much so.", Katelyn answered, gritting her teeth and keeping her temper tightly controlled.

  "Why, though ? Who cares ?", Lyna deflected, shrugging. Katelyn bit down on her seething rage. If you want to py it like a petunt kid, then we'll py it like a petunt kid !

  "I do. Because, in case you forgot, I have a job to do.", Katelyn started, each word excruciatingly heavy with frustration. "What I want is the facts. Because the facts are what matters. I do not have the time or patience to deal with this kind of nonsense. Or it is all bullshit ?"

  Katelyn felt her blood boil as Lyna didn't answer, simply staring at her. " Have you been bullshitting us since the very beginning ?", Katelyn asked, speaking faster, about to scream, her eyes starting to bulge out as she had an horrid realization. "How much have you lied to me about ? To all of us, even ?" she continued.

  The silence grew heavier, like a weight pressing on Katelyn's shoulder, worsening her frayed temper. "You know what ? Fine !", Katelyn said. "If you want to py those games, have it your way, but I don't have the time or energy to spare to help you. You're on your own.", she spat out, stomping out through another corridor.

  It had been a few more hours. Katelyn had washed her face, was a fair bit calmer, and opened the door to the workshop she shared with her remaining cssmates. Around a dozen and an half, give or take. The remainder had left... or gone missing.

  They turned to face her. "Ah, Tserellin.", Ms. Scandia said. "I was starting to worry. Did something happen ?" Katelyn was typically a very punctual person, but the earlier events had messed with her schedule.

  "Yes. A few things, in fact.", Katelyn started, before looking over her cssmates. Everyone was here, save for Lyna, of course. She took a deep breath. "So. You may or may not be aware, but there's a new High Priestess."

  "Huh.", Heustam said, before ducking against the table, dodging a small magical projectile from Titanja, the dark-skinned girl gring at him while clinging to her doll. "Missed !", he said, although he knew very well that the projectile could not even injure a fly, merely knock it off-path.

  Of course, what he's actually asking is "Is she hot ?" Although Katelyn didn't care about Heustam being a weirdo, nor had she the time or energy to. As for the priestess... Well, she wasn't Katelyn's type, but Katelyn couldn't deny the new High Priestess was quite good-looking. Katelyn shook her head. "Anyways.", she continued. "Lyna was forced to leave."

  "Now I didn't expect that.", Trenran said, folding his muscur arms. "Do you know why ?", he asked Katelyn, frowning. He didn't sound particurly suspicious and mostly seemed confused.

  "Order came from the Heavens themselves, to the new High Priestess and a few other clergy members.", Katelyn recounted as accurately as she could, Junille too shocked to be upset. "I don't have any more information.", she continued.

  A sudden noise came from the side, and it took everything in Katelyn's body to not jump out of her chair. Rickard opened up the door and entered the room with his usual swagger. "Hey, guys, have you seen High Priest Kvutar ?", he asked. "I've been looking over the cast..."

  "He's been missing for a week or so. They sent a new High Priestess.", Katelyn answered bluntly. "She doesn't know either, so don't ask her.", she continued. Let's hope I can keep him away from her. She felt a little wistful for a short moment, but she quickly shook it off. I owe Zoemie that much.

  "WAIT, WHAT ?", Rickard shouted, Katelyn cmping on her jumpiness, the handsome, blond guy looking genuinely taken aback. "I... I didn't know that ! Well, fuck !", he said, before leaving as quickly as he entered.

  "Should we be worried ?", Titanja asked, clinging to that doll of hers further. It was a highly stylized doll of a brown-haired, red-eyed girl in a red and white outfit, with stubby limbs and massively oversized head and eyes.

  "No.", Katelyn answered, before Junille finally seemed to jolt awake, fleeing the room while starting to tear up. Which is not something Katelyn wanted to involve herself in any further.

  Princess Torjekva and Luxanxa wandered through the castle. "Yes, it is Sir Kvutar who brought the Outsiders in, on account of divine revetion.", Princess Torjekva expined.

  "It must have been rather trying.", Luxanxa answered, and the princess simply looked away.

  "What is done is done; I do not fault Sir Kvutar for his actions. Who are we mortals to judge the pns of the Heavens ?", the princess answered after a moment, before the conversation was interrupted by Outsider Junille dashing through a crossing corridor, notably upset.

  "Is she... one of the Outsiders, Your Highness ?", Luxanxa asked.

  "Yes, her name is Junille.", Torjekva answered. "Lyna was a close friend of hers, despite everything Outsider Lyna has done." Torjekva crossed her arms. "She must be shaken from the events earlier today."

  "Shouldn't you assist her ?", Luxanxa asked. She could sense a degree of concern coming from Torjekva's voice, it struck Luxanxa as unusual.

  "It is not that I do not wish so, Lady Luxanxa", Torjekva answered. "But I cannot show that much favoritism. Remember that to much of Xvodanian nobility, Outsiders are a project of the church and not the crown."

  "Would you not want them to be a project of the crown, Your Highness ?", Luxanxa asked. If nothing else, I would like the assistance. It was a rather complicated mess she seemed to have had inherited from her precedessor.

  "Sir Kvutar was adamantly against it.", the princess answered.

  "But I am not Sir Kvutar", High Priestess Luxanxa countered.

  "Then we can negotiate about it, if you would be amenable.", Princess Torjekva answered. There was a shadow of a smile on her face. "Do you wish to meet the Outsiders now ?"

  "I believe it would be easier to meet them ter, on a face-to-face basis, Your Highness.", Luxanxa answered. "I fear getting overwhelmed by a rger-scale introduction, and they may need time to recover from today's events."

  "A reasonable choice.", the princess answered. "Outsiders are important people to Xvodane, but they are unusual in manners and knowledge. Smaller-scale meetings might be better to come to understand their mentality and individual talents."

  It was ter the same day, and Rickard sat down on the room with his adventuring buddies, going over the news. "It's not even that she's a woman.", Rickard snarled, furious. "I don't give a fuck about that. It's the sheer... "Oh yeah, the old man ? Who gives a shit ?" factor that's pissin' me off so much."

  "I hear you, man, I hear you", the axeman answered him.

  "Do you think he retired ?", the mage asked, and Rickard bit his lip. Can't deny it could have happened... Sure would've appreciated being warned beforehand.

  "I wish I could tell.", Rickard answered. "Thing is, if he did, it would be really damn mean of us to show up at his new pce to drag him back to work..."

  "It's not about bringing him back to work, though.", the axeman said. "It's about making sure he's alive and well." All of the men around this table owed High Priest Kvutar, and they owed him up to their very lives.

  Rickard looked at his buddy, his eyes so piercing they could bore a hole in hard granite. "...You're right. Let's look for him. Make sure he's okay, and maybe update him on the situation. And nothing else." All of the men nodded, and left their separate ways.

  They needed to gear up for investigation, driven by the closest thing to true heroism they, Rickard in particur, had ever been capable of.