Somebody Stop Him [A Progression Fantasy Epic]

Balancing two steaming lattes in fanciful Silverfox mugs carefully, I navigated the crowded Silverfox balcony, the scent of roasted beast croissants, coffee and spiced mana-wine thick in the air.

Silver and argent banners with stylized winged foxes rippled overhead, and chattering Mystagogues in matching robes milled around, already forming cliques and comparing enchanted stationery and exchanging Omnigram numbers. My eyes scanned the lower balconies as I made my way back to Cinder's table, taking in the sights below.

Then I saw her.

On the lowest balcony, amidst the red and black banners of House Gorefield, sat a figure that made my heart stutter. She was tall and wide like a Knight, even sitting down, with the unmistakable feline grace of a dragon-cat. Her scales and hair were a deep, shimmering blue, like twilight over a glacier, and her tail, tipped with black spikes, flicked rhythmically as she leaned over a large sketchbook. Gorefield robes draped loosely over a black leather dress that shimmered with tiny, sparkling blue gems.

My breath caught. Green eyes, framed by dark lashes, lifted from the page, and for a fleeting moment, they locked with mine. A jolt, sharp and electric, ran through me. Not just recognition, but a visceral pull, like a soul-chord vibrating in resonance.

I inhaled deep, searching across the Astral and myself with Scrutiosmia.

Images flashed unbidden behind my eyes: a girl in a wheelchair, her spirit fierce even in vulnerability. The terrifying, oppressive, crushing darkness of the Deep. Whispers of Echoes, centipede-people that I hunted and devoured. Arx. The crystalline citadel Mage Tower. Katsburg.

"Katherine…" The name escaped my lips, a soft whisper lost in the general din of the hall.

Her gaze, sharp and intelligent, flickered, held mine for another beat, then just as quickly, she looked away, her attention returning to the sketchbook in her lap.

Dazed, I continued walking, the image of her face burned into my mind. Katherine. She was here, in another house. It made sense that she ended up in Gorefield. She desired darkness like nobody else due to her Stollwurm nature.

Reaching Cinder's table, I carefully placed the latte down in front of her, the gold dragonflakes shimmering on the creamy foam.

"Here you go, oh fearsome dragon-bae," I said.

Cinder took a long, appreciative sniff of the coffee, then a slow, luxurious sip, her blue eyes half-closed in contentment. "Took you long enough, kobold. What were you doing, milking the dragons yourself? Wait, did you buy yourself a latte too?"

"Is that not allowed?" I asked, sipping on my latte. "Do you want your handy kobold to dry out and perish from lack of coffee?"

Cinder made a "mrrrr" bothered noise, burying her face in the large mug.

Magdaline Satoshi was the next of our group to be called. She moved with her usual silent glide to the dais, knelt, and struck the Slayer Sword into the Leviathan tile. Her grey robes flared, the colors swirling, and then settled into the same cool silver and deep argent of House Silverfox when lighting struck her.

She came up to our balcony and sat on my left side, staring at me with blood-red eyes.

"I'm starting to remember you," she said.

"Good things, I hope," I smiled back at her.

She nodded, blushing ever so slightly. I wondered if she just recalled our prison dance after she nearly murdered me.

Dean Otter's voice boomed again, announcing the next Mystagogue I knew. "Vespera Simmi!"

I looked down.

Vee, with a theatrical flourish of her black and white wings, strode towards the dais, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. She knelt before the Saxtant Knight, grasped the Slayer Sword with practiced ease, and struck it down. Her grey robes erupted in a dazzling display of light, colors swirling and shifting with chaotic energy, a miniature storm mirroring the one overhead. And then, as if mirroring Cinder and myself, a blinding flash of lightning struck her from above, and her robes settled into that of House Silverfox.

Another lightning bolt and another clear Lazarus bracelet came into existence.

Cheers erupted from our group on the Silverfox balcony. Vee, grinning triumphantly, relinquished the sword and bounded off the dais, taking off using her wings, flapping to the balcony and heading straight for our table.

She landed beside us and then pulled up a chair, squeezing in between Cinder and me, offered and accepted an electric high-five from Cinder and Magdaline, her grin widening. "Silverfox! We did it, babes! Dream Team, assemble!"

"About time," Cinder grunted, taking another sip of her latte. "Though I was half expecting you to go Pyroclast, with all that 'world domination' talk."

"Pff," Vee scoffed. "Silverfox is where the real powah's at! Cunning, strategy, and… well, us." She winked at Cinder, then turned her bright gaze on me, her smile turning subtly inquisitive. "The fook was that, Lexxy?"

"Was what?" I asked.

"Six minutes and eighteen seconds."

"What?" I blinked, confused.

"You were talking to the sword waaaaaaaaay longer than anyone else," Vee explained, her head tilting slightly. "I was beginning to think that it would cast you out from Skyfall for your lack of magic or something." She teased.

"Har har," I rolled my eyes at her.

"I saw your lips moving down there. What did she tell you?"

Cinder paused mid-sip, her blue eyes narrowing, suddenly interested. "Yeah, kobold. Spill. What, you couldn't choose a house or something?"

I hesitated, the echo of Ein Sof's voice still resonating in my soul. How could I even begin to explain the cosmic conversation, the whispers of entropy, the System Wizards, the breaking of Absolute Syntropic Rules? It sounded insane, even to my own dimensionally skewed ears.

"I didn't chat with the sword," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully. "I spoke to... something else."

Vee's silver-gold eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Something else like what?"

I took a deep breath. "The Wormwood Star Leviathan. Ein Sof. Infinity."

Cinder choked on her latte, sputtering and coughing, dragonflakes flying across the table. Vee's wings stilled, her usual bubbly energy momentarily suspended in stunned silence. Mags didn't say anything, simply sniffing the air, preoccupied with reconstructing her own lost memories with Scrutimancy.

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"The… what now?" Cinder managed to wheeze out, wiping dragonflake-dusted foam from her chin. "The Wormwood Star Leviathan? You spoke to… the Leviathan?" Her voice was a mix of disbelief and a strange, unsettling awe. "Come on, don't screw around like that!"

"We're supposed to metaphorically slay the evil one, not speak to her," Vespera clicked.

"I didn't get that memo," I shrugged.

"You didn't get the…" Cinder growled. "How… what…"

"You, me, bar, now," Vespera grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me to the bar.
Then she purchased a bottle of Akazian Berry Mana Wine from the bartender and chugged the entire thing.

"What'd the sword tell you?" I asked her as her body relaxed.

"Generic word-salad," Vee said, pantomiming her conversation. "Wat house you wan'. I want Silverfox plz'. The Pact is thus struck."

Then she stared at me. "Why are our bracelets transparent?"

"Because we are bound by Dagaz," I said. "Because of a ritual we did on Arx."

"Dang, I'm missing a lotta valuable info," Vespera brushed her feathery mane back with magisteel-clad talons.

"Maybe I can transfer my memories to you?" I asked.

"Ye, that'd be swell. I'll set up a thing," she nodded.

"A thing?"

"In our dreams," she replied.

She purchased two more wine bottles and dragged me back to Cinder and Mags. We watched the ceremony for a while until another familiar name boomed from the lips of Dean Otter.

"Iogann Wanderer!"

A figure with fluffy, grey wings and a distinctly moth-like appearance shuffled forward. His robes hid his frame, and large antennae twitched from beneath a wide-rimmed green hat that shadowed his face. He moved with a hesitant gait, almost as if he was afraid of being noticed. He knelt before the Saxtant Knight, grasped the sword, and struck down. His robes flared, colors swirling, and then… silver and argent. House Silverfox.

Iogann looked genuinely startled, as if he hadn't expected to be sorted at all, let alone into a house like Silverfox. He accepted his scroll and Lazarus bracelet with a trembling hand, then wandered off the dais, looking utterly lost and overwhelmed by the bustling hall. In another minute, he stood at the edge of the Silverfox balcony, glancing around with wide, dark eyes.

Magdaline stood up and glided over to Iogann, and then with a gentle hand on his arm, steered him towards our table. Iogann offered no resistance, allowing himself to be led like a lost moth drawn to a flickering lantern.

"This is Io," Magdaline announced, pushing a chair towards the mothman.

"Um. Do we know each other, Miss shark?" Io looked up at Mags.

"We started dating before the big Celestorm overwrote everything," Magdaline rumbled.

"We… did?" Io asked.

"Yes," Mags nodded. "I can smell it. I'd like to resume our relationship. Do you still have a flying van?

"Yes. I didn't take the train. It's parked in one of the landing lots."

"Good. I like it. Ask me out on a date when you get used to me, and take me somewhere nice, yeah?"

Io nodded and then sat down next to me, seemingly accepting his unexpected big shark GF.

"Welcome to the fox den, Iogann!" Vespera chirped, her enthusiasm infectious. "Don't be shy! We're all cool foxes here!"

Magdaline inhaled deeply, her red eyes flicking over our group. "Smells like… almost everyone," she stated, her voice low. "Just one missing."

"Katherine," I said. "She's in another house."

"Gorefield," Magdalene inhaled deep and looked down at the lowest balcony where the green and black banners hung. "Gorefield is acceptable. We will reconnect with her later," she said.

Despite the mild pang of disappointment at Katherine being in a different house, a warmth spread through me. We were together. Cinder, Vee, Mags, and now Iogann. My friends. My pack. My… Clan. Family. People who actually cared about me and didn't just call me names and smack me like Ember did.

We settled into a comfortable silence, enjoying the steaks, wine and croissants courtesy of the attentive Kitsune waiters. The Silverfox balcony buzzed with excited chatter, a mix of nervous energy and burgeoning camaraderie.

Cinder, having finished her latte polished off a beast croissant with a satisfied smile. She dug into her extradimensional case and produced her elegant, black and stylized rainbow-wings style guitar.

"Yass!" Vee clapped. "A Cindaaa-rrr-enade!"

"Yo, what's your specialty, little moth?" Cinder asked Iogann.

"Opening gates to doomed worlds and acquiring snacks," Io answered. He reached into his leather bag hand sinking deep and got pocky sticks for everyone. "Here."

"M'kay, I gotchu," Cinder unwrapped a 'Nonpareil Punch' pocky package and chewed on a chocolate stick for about a minute, eyes closed.

Then her eyes shot open. Her hands spun the guitar and then she struck the strings.

"In Silverfox lair, enwrapped by cloud dance,
Where tricksters weave their dark romance.
A band of misfits, wild and free,
Bound by fate and mystery."

Her gaze flickered over Vespera.

"Vee, the Thunderbird, bright and bold,
With sparks of chaos, stories told.
She dances fast, she flies so high,
A storm of feathers 'cross the sky."

Vespera swayed left and right with the tune, black wings with white tips fluttering, extra-pleased with being included in the song. Cinder's eyes shifted to Magdaline.

"Magdaline, the Scrut, with senses keen,
Smelling truths that lie between.
In depths of past, her mind does delve,
Answers only she can shelve."

Magdaline gave a small appreciative nod. Cinder's gaze moved to Iogann, who shifted slightly under her attention.

"Io, the Moth, with wings so frail,
Opening doors beyond the veil.
To doomed worlds, he finds the way,
And brings back snacks to light the day."

Cinder puffed up and grinned wide as she began singing about herself.

"And I, the dragon-bard so grand,
A Quetzalcoatl in silver-rainbow light.
With Charmchain songs, I weave my spell,
To bind us together swell."

Rainbows exploded from her wings across our entire balcony section, drawing curious eyes to our group.

Then, Cinder's sky-blue eyes locked onto mine, a definite smirk playing on her lips. She paused, her voice softening slightly, a hint of something deeper, almost vulnerable, creeping in.

"But then there's you, green eyes so deep,
Secrets that your soul does keep.
I feel a pull, a phantom trace,
A smile I don't recall, in time and space.

Who are you, kobold, strange and sly?
Why does my heart remember, why?
A flicker of a forgotten name,
Whispers lost in memory's flame."

Then Cinder turned to the other silver-robed foxes.

"In Silver Tower, we'll make our stand,
A den of foxes, hand in hand.
Through cunning plots and whispered schemes,
We'll chase our wild, Mystagogue dreams."

She strummed a final flourish, the sound echoing and fading into the excited chatter of the Silverfox balcony. Applause erupted from the nearby tables, and even a few whistles and cheers.

Vespera clapped the loudest, whistling through her beak-teeth. "Bravo, Ci! Whoo-hoo! That was… surprisingly… not gloomy! Someone's finally lightening up!"

Magdaline nodded. "Good dopamine release for House cohesion."

Iogann offered a small, hesitant smile. "That was… very nice," he said softly. "Thank you for including me in your song."

"Excellent job, Ci!" I clapped, my heartbeat rushing into the stratosphere from the mind-melting Charmchain 'love-me' rainbows she was casting around herself.

Cinder slipped her guitar back into its extradimensional case with a smug look. "Of course, it was! I wrote it."