It wasn't unusual to find the headmaster gazing through the window in his office, watching his students leave once their last class has been dismissed. Above the academy was the bell it was known for, ringing to signify the end of the day as wind carried stray leaves and the occasional plum blossom.
That was how it has been for the Elk, possibly for a millennium or two now. Whoever was keeping track? Definitely not him. It wasn't too different for his former sworn brothers, Tiger and Goat. The former, still as strict as ever, and the latter, still with that mirthful wise persona that the Elk jokingly compared to another headmaster from a certain book about wizards. Which, he did not appreciate, given the author.
But the Elk? These recent years have left him feeling...weathered, for a lack of better words. Not to say he was ungrateful for his job, no. He was honored to be the founder of one of the schools that started the era of peace between humans and demons, even if it was after the golden-eyed one's absence.
Running his fingers through his bookshelf, he enchanted the plum-scented candles to light up, with the sky dimming. Rain, perhaps? That was what the gray clouds were suggesting. His suspicions were confirmed when one by one, small droplets fell on the window pane. There weren't any pitter-patters yet, but more drops fused with each other, causing the small bits of water to trickle down.
Pulling the soft velvety curtains shut, the candles were the only sources of light left. That was, until the Elk placed his palm on a scanner, summoning screen projections hovering above his office desk. Emitting a soft green light on his face, he tilted his head down and opened his hand.
A drive, containing a defunct version the game that caused the citywide sleep. The beta version, possibly. Plugging it into the scanner, the projections were suddenly filled with the game's source code, where all of the game creator's findings were hidden. The amount of damning evidence this person was able to gather was impressive, the Elk gave him that.
Seeing these pictures, corrupted pictures of this girl, this supposed current host of the bone demon? That was a cause for concern. He wasn't there himself when she last caused damage, only catching glimpses of her before she was imprisoned though. So why this was sent to him specifically was...odd.
So, he kept digging. Wax pooled and trickled down the the candles, as the scent of plum filled the air. These findings were definitely alarming to be sure. The disappearance of Bai He, or Lily, was something that the bone demon took advantage of. He remembered it making headlines, first reported by news anchors, Xia Shihan and Ao Heng.
It was easy then to see how the demon possessing the girl took that to her advantage. Luring the most vulnerable person with what they thought was the missing girl in the screen. Next thing they knew, they were yet another converted subject of the youngest spider sister. And as the findings here suggested, once that bone demon found no more use for the victim, they were a prime target for shard harvest.
The pitter patters on the window turned into a downpour. Elk hoped that all of the students made their way home by now. Nonetheless, he resumed his research. What the Lady Bone Demon was doing exactly with this collection of powered shards, he did not know.
Although some of the image files suggested she turned to luring other demons with empty promises for shard fuel, like she once apparently did with two of the demons during the Weather Station's malfunction. It wasn't hard to see why, considering the amount of people going missing decreased significantly. That was mostly thanks to the city's police department changing for the better, after they faced scrutiny from the public with the release of those scandals and all.
But he was still confused. He was already working against the bone demon by being affiliated with Cervidae, his sworn brothers being no different. Being the past advisors of the organization's head, he trusted Stag to do the right thing. Elk himself already took action against those working against them.
Yes, the Leopard King of the Southern Hill was once a frightening rival of the Stag. But all that remains of his kingdom was his descendants. Leopards and lynxes, children of the king and Queen Emerald, leaving them as orphans after the king's death and the queen's imprisonment. So no reason to fret now.
Regardless, the Elk saw why it was necessary to keep them captured for now. If they were to interfere with Cervidae's plans as some form of revenge, or maybe even form an alliance with the Serpent Insurgency...But the latter was the Python council member's headache, not his.
So the Elk was still puzzled. What was he supposed to do with all of this information he was given? Scrolling through the projected screens, he found an audio file. Out of all of the things here in the source code, this seemed to be the most recent, as if added in a hurry. He could tell because although the other files were renamed to be more secretive, this one's file name was untouched. And according to the name...
It was converted from a recorder.
The Elk opened the file...
And clicked play.
--
The leopard panted, resting against a tall rock and dropping himself on the flower bed of saffrons. Bruised and battered from the heist he pulled back at the Gingko Gourd Kingdom, he took the opportunity to rest after being chased by the guards. What mattered to him was that he was now holding the artifact you asked for. The Golden Cloth Rope.
Leaning his head against the rock, he let the rain fall on him. Trickling down his soaked fur after days of tracking down the item's location, planning his little stunt, and finally putting it into action. Finally paying off. He could worry about being soaked under the rain later. What matters was that the hard part was over.
"You there!"
"Buddha almighty!-"
The leopard backed himself away from the sudden voice, wet grass staining his fur. He was so ready to summon his claws, glowing a bright white along with his markings. But instead of the armor he was used to seeing from the kingdom's guards, he relaxed at the sight of a spider demon with lime hair.
"Is that how you greet people sitting in the rain?!" Barked the two-tailed leopard, not appreciating this stranger interrupting his well-deserved moment of peace. "You see some guy resting, and your first instinct is to shout 'you there'?"
"My shallowest apologies for catching you off-guard, then." Syntax snarked back, already irritated enough by the rain ruining his coat, along with his hair that he worked hard to groom and spray. "But it seems that both of us have more pressing matters to attend to."
"Oh yeah, you're one of those spider goons, huh?" Picking the golden rope up, he dusted off any stray blades of grass from his fur and clothing. "Beat it, the deal's off. I don't want anything to do with your little errand girl-"
"And neither do I." The spider demon clarified. Walking out of a gingko tree's shade, he forced himself to step into the rain once again. He carefully observed the leopard as his aggressive expression changed into a confused one. "As long as that girl is there, my queen and my clanmates are in danger."
"Took you long enough to realize, huh?" The leopard growled, his grip tightening on the rope. Skepticism was still evident within him. Once, he was fooled into thinking that girl had his best interest in mind. He wasn't going to let this spider do the same. "Well, it was nice chatting, but I got places to be-"
But before he could leave, a mechanical spider arm stabbed the rock behind him, barely missing a whisker. Leopard snarled at the unsmiling scientist. "Of course you have to be difficult."
"Obviously, despite the evidence I've compiled, I still don't know enough about this supposed bone demon to take action." Syntax monologued, fixing a strand of his hair sticking out. As much as those words held true, he still could not shake off the feeling of familiarity with that girl.
"And from how you were able to see through her tricks when your own comrades couldn't, that tells me you discovered something about her that made you run for it at the last minute." As he continued, chartreuse eyes drifted from the skeptical leopard, down to the golden rope. If "I just want to make sure I am completely updated in my knowledge. I'm assuming that rope is going to help against her?"
"Apparently? Look, I couldn't care less about you or your clan. If you want a way out like me, then you're better off talking to the blue cub." Spat the leopard, rolling his eyes in impatience. "This rope's apparently supposed to help against the bone demon according to them, but I don't know what the entire plan is, nor do I care. All that matters is I'm getting protection in return, in case it doesn't work out."
"Protection?" Syntax quirked a brow. He couldn't exactly tell if the leopard was telling the truth, or just making up lies to get him to leave. Pulling his sleeve a bit to keep the rain from getting into his watch, he retracted his mechanical arm from the rock. "And who's this blue cub you're referring to?"
"You know, flute kid? Short hair, blue highlights, water powers?" Leopard listed the things about your appearance and such that he remembered the most. This scientist should know who he was talking about, right? "I don't know what their name is, but that's your problem-"
"Bell." Syntax recalled. He's only had one encounter with you, that being your little encounter at the cloud. Maybe he wasn't able to remember you as much, since you've only shown yourself to him for a brief moment during New Years, but he has heard the others refer to you with that name before. "If that's true, then it means they've been making bargains even after I released the Sleep Bug..."
"Yeah well, it's great you found out what you're looking for, but I'm gonna go now." The leopard bid a lazy goodbye, slouching as he left the area. Syntax only rolled his eyes, but did not protest. He's heard everything that he needed to hear. He watched the leopard disappear into an abandoned mine shaft, before going back under the gingko tree's shade and pressing on his watch.
Despite this short and rather rude conversation, Leopard couldn't shake off the anxious feeling suddenly plaguing him. What was wrong? He already escaped the kingdom, he already had the rope...So why was he feeling this impending sense of doom all of a sudden?
Now inside of the mine shaft, the rain no longer fell on him. The cave filled with creaky cart tracks suffering from wood rot was the only thing separating him from the curtain of droplets outside. He was safe from the rain now, but he still didn't feel...safe. Leopard tried shaking it off, letting his night vision lead him through the otherwise dark cave.
But the feeling still lingered...
As he was trying to recall something he might've forgotten about to warrant this feeling, thunder struck, and the air suddenly went still. A voice, one he didn't want to hear. The last voice his friend, the Rhino King heard...reached his ears.
"Wow, do people not care about terms and conditions anymore?" You commented dryly from behind.
"And here I thought you'd learn from your friend."
...
Syntax's web-patterned coattail trailed from behind, adding to his irritation with it slapping more droplets on the back of his legs. What could you, this little backup hero, possibly have in store? Frogs narrowly avoid his steps as his boot stepped into a puddle of mud, making him wince. Annoyed at the little inconvenience, he shook his leg to get the mud off. Noticing the frogs curiously eyeing at him, he hissed at them in return.
He has never been out here in the surface for this long. At least not before he was turned, not like he remembered anything about the events before. He usually had his goggles help with getting his eyes to adjust to the light, but of course, the world had other plans. How did he go from being the Queen's most important subjects (in his very biased opinion) to being this pitiful creature slouching in the rain?
Looking up at the gray clouds, he let the droplets fall on his lavender face, closing his eyes for maybe a minute. This might be his first time experiencing rain after being turned as well, the other past times he was in the surface usually accompanied by clear skies. The droplets continued to fall on his face...and then stopped.
Opening his eyes, he saw the droplets slide down as if he was shielded by an invisible umbrella. Holding his hand out to test this theory, his still dry hand confirmed his suspicions. Something within him suggested to turn around, leading him...
To you.
"Heard you were looking for me." You stood behind him, keeping a leopard-themed chess piece inside of your pocket. With your water powers coming in handy, this so-called invisible umbrella effect followed you as you approached the spider demon. "You here to capture me too, then?"
"On the contrary. Though I see you went into hiding as well." Syntax acknowledged, to your displeasure. Ever since almost getting harvested, more and more demons were being sent to target you specifically.
The scientist noted you clicking your tongue at the mention, these past days obviously not being in your favor either. "It would be fair to assume she turned you into a target as well, especially now that she spread word about you being a passenger."
"A little birdie, well- Leopard, told me she shifted to making more empty promises with demons once growing your queen's clan with the city folk became more annoying." You divulged, with new information you recently gathered just a while ago. "Giving them errands, making them think she'll harvest them immediately, then giving them a 'second chance' to get me harvested in their place. So yeah. Looks like we're both prime targets, comrade."
"...Your first mistake was revealing that you already knew about her." Syntax then criticized. He was there, after all. There to see it all unfold between you, Xue, and the girl. "The moment you ran to warn the woman with you, you sabotaged yourself. You made the demon aware that you knew about her before she made her true intentions known."
"And I can safely say in my experience that once you know too much about her, once she identifies you as a black piece threatening her white army..." The scientist paused as thunder roared from the distance. Droplets sliding down blades of grass and saffron petals, splashing some snails in the process.
"...She'll do everything in her power to eliminate you."
Now, you saw what Syntax was trying to do. Laying down your current circumstances while not divulging any of his own. He was trying to make you rely on him more, than the other way around. Calling you a piece, even, rather than a player. After all, you were still in opposing sides, and the chances of betrayal aren't out of the table.
But at the same time, he was right. Everything he listed about LBD very much aligned with her MO. Not only were your options being limited, your body was getting weaker from the lack of food and sleep you forced yourself through. Insomnia was creeping back again, and you already had a growing tolerance with Sandy's tea. You have yet to see how the curse played into this, nor do you hope to either.
"...Then how about we stack the odds in our favor?" You suggested, eliciting a curious look in Syntax that said 'go on'. Stepping closer until you were beside him, you gazed at the sky of endless rain, a sheet of gray cotton blocking off the sunlight from reaching the earth. "In your little clan? I have a comrade from the inside. You might recognize her, might not. Point is, if you want to keep your queen safe, you'll want to keep her safe."
"Neither Vulpes nor Cervidae tracking devices will work. LBD will be able to sniff that on her, and immediately identify her as the mole." You began, wiping off the mud from your own boots. "Nah, we need spider tech. It's perfect for keeping up the illusion that it's just there to update the others in the clan about her whereabouts. Who better to help with that than their tech guy?"
"Very well then." Syntax nodded, taking notes using his watch, projecting screens out of it. "Is that it?"
"Not exactly. If you still have records about your original plans with the potions the girl stole, that'll be helpful. And as it turns out, your human self has some useful stuff with that palm print of yours." You hinted at his past as someone in Vulpes. Recalling what Spindrax said, the doc had a lot of research regarding how to revive Suzhen. After all, the ritual can't start with her still encased in that cocoon. Then, there was the stolen potions from when you used the vase.
"Then there's the matter of adding security in the museum. We're in an arms race, doc. We can't risk more of these demons stealing weapons to fulfill the girl's empty promises." You continued, then alluded to his past with Tang. "Besides, you might find someone there you might recognize as well."
"You sure are trying to bring up my human self, are you?" Syntax spat in offense, clearly seeing what you were trying to do. "Next, you're going to give me a spare jar of the serum?"
"Funny you mention that, but I have different plans for it." You chuckled, before digging both of your hands inside of your pockets like you usually did. You already had the golden rope inside of your backpack, leaving you with just this conversation to finish before you can leave. "Nah. I just thought it might be handy to jog your memory a bit."
Giving him a knowing look, he saw his reflection through you eyes.
"Because I have a feeling that you're weirdly familiar with the bone demon's host, too."
--
"Friend Bell, you seem to be rather pushing yourself too far." Rasmus muttered through pants, holding his knees before standing back up. Sunwheel in hand, he reverted it back to its flute form before approaching you. "Why are you so adamant on not using your water abilities?"
"I can't rely on it all the time, Ras." You hissed through a bruise, refusing to revert your moonwheel and still firm on continuing your training. Nearby was the water curtain, keeping you and the others inside of Monkey King's cave for the past three hours now. "Water can still be absorbed, evaporated...frozen..."
A memory of your fight with the Lady Bone Demon flashed in your head, each and every attack you send, only freezing into tall structures of ice before it could hit her. Shaking your head back to reality, your grip on the moonwheel tightened. "I just have to be ready for anything, you get me?"
"I do, but...the way you've been ignoring your own health is quite alarming." The tailor acknowledged, sharp magpie feathers dissipating to signal that he no longer wanted to spar. Not if you were going to act like this. "I know that these recent events have been making you shoulder a lot, but you need to listen to your body."
"Ras, I already have one tiny floating babushka to scold me about that." You commented dryly, your eyebags starting to develop again, just further proving his point. "I don't need to add a taller non-floating one to the roster."
"Make it three!" Mei shouted from the porch, sitting beside Sandy. Oh right, they were watching you two train. "It's always 'I'm busy' this! 'I'm doing something' that!" Rolling your eyes, you slouched before reverting the moonwheel back to a flute, shrugging in a way that said 'happy?'
Meanwhile, MK watched from inside of the hut, dangling his arms outside of the window frame. Gibby perched on the window beside him, looking at him to see what made him so glum before watching you and the others as well.
"...How come everyone kept me in the dark about this?" MK muttered, a bit of betrayal laced in his tone. He felt ashamed for feeling this way about his friends, but he thought they were...better than that. "About the Lady Bone Demon, about these plans..."
"To be fair, the others don't exactly know either." Gibby winced, her eyes drifting to land on the blue giant and the dragon girl in particular. She didn't know when you plan to reveal what was going on to them, despite you already making them help without even knowing. "You know, I thought Bell was kind of a jerk for it, too."
"I don't think they're a jerk! I just..." MK sighed, resting his head on his arms. "I don't really like being kept in the dark about this kind of stuff. First the Monkey King, and now Bell? Am I really not reliable enough? Was, was the Lady Bone Demon ri-"
"Hey! I don't want to hear you agree with anything that bully says!" Scolded the gibbon, leaning close enough for their noses to touch. She retracted herself before huffing, grumpily crossing her arms. "What matters now is that you know. So are you gonna wallow about it, or are you gonna show that bone girl why they call you the Monkie Kid?!"
"How can I be the Monkie Kid if nobody believes me enough to trust me with their plans?" Asked the hero, catching the attention of some of the monkeys nearby. "I-Is there something I have to prove?"
Gibby sighed, looking at the poor boy with pity. Sitting on the window frame, she swung her legs while watching you still forcing yourself through your training with Rasmus. "...Do you know how all of you got your codenames?"
"No...?" MK gave her a puzzled look, following her gaze to the others outside. While you and Rasmus continued to spar, Sandy was patting a disappointed Mei's back when her phone's battery drained in front of her. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, let's first start with Spindrax. Her codename is UV, right?" Gibby swayed her head to the side, remembering the sleepover at Xue's, when you all discussed about the new codenames. "Ultraviolet light is used to reveal stuff like invisible ink, stains, and other stuff. It's like your gold vision. Like UV light, Spindrax is why we know certain stuff about what LBD is doing with Spider Queen."
"I still can't believe she's a spider demon too..." MK added, before chuckling. "Hey, that means she's helping me get over my fear! Maybe they're not as scary after al- AHHH!" He flinched, tripping backwards as Silky walked on the window frame. Some objects ended up falling off the shelves, unbeknownst to the oblivious gibbon as she continued.
"Then there's Alix! Her codename is Gamma, like gamma rays." Gibby chirped, just excited to share what she learned from her conversations with Xue. "Gamma rays are used to tell what kind of stuff other planets are made off, so scientists can compare it with earth's! Like how Alix is learning about the saffron stuff and comparing it with the Vulpes stuff!"
MK groaned, pulling himself back up before leaning on the window. He didn't bother interrupting Gibby, since she seemed to be having that same zone Tang gets when he does his narrator voice. "Rasmus' codename is X, like X-Ray! People use X-rays to see bones."
Her gaze then went to Rasmus, using the sunwheel to blow sharp magpie feathers for you to block. "Like Rasmus is scanning the bone crypt's sigils so Vulpes can unlock the ports! Then there's Red Son-"
"Wait, Red Son's in on this?!"
"He's IR, right? So Infrared!" Gibby continued, her tail wagging with all of the new knowledge she got to show off. "It's easy to see why, his name is on it! But also, he's installed Infrared scanners on the bull clones scouting the city, so he can tell where LBD usually captures people, since it's a lot colder in those places."
"And then we have Bell! Their codename is Mic, which means Microwaves." Moving onto you, she then watched you as you stopped to pant, not doing much to quell your friends' concerns. "Microwaves are used in radar, like how Bell is the first to detect anything weird and plan around it."
MK was still having trouble listening, his eyes fixated on the curious tarantula while he kept shaking. Gibby then looked at Mei, still bummed about her drained phone. "Mei, she's Radio. Radio Waves are usually used for broadcasting stuff. She has a lot of people watching her livestreams, and her dad is even a news guy!"
"And then...there's you."
MK looked beside him, making eye contact with the gibbon beside him. Now that Silky went elsewhere, he returned his focus on the conversation he didn't hear half of. "...W-what about me?"
"Your codename, is Vis." Gibby tilted her head with a smile. "Visible Light. MK, you're the only one in the spectrum that can be seen with normal eyes. Like how the entire city has their eyes on you. You're the face of the city..."
"...And that was what the others were so worried about. If you have that much attention to yourself, you kind of attract...bad people too." Gibby smiled sheepishly, her face then falling into a solemn one. "And, knowing that LBD is out there...You're at the biggest risk."
"Then...I have to show everyone that they're worrying about nothing! Then they'll stop leaving me in the dark!" MK pumped his fists with pride, summoning his staff. "If I just trained more, if I could get strong enough, then the Lady Bone Demon will have nothing on me!"
"That's the spirit!" Gibby cheered, gathering all of the scrolls Monkey King left for the hero, containing all of the lessons he needed to learn. Well, she tried. Instead, she made an annoyed sound as her arms keep phasing through. She gave up with a sigh, before regaining her energy for the task at hand. "So what's the plan?!"
"I-" MK winced, scratching his head. There really isn't any way around it, huh? He hoped that maybe there's another way to make him stronger, since he's still a bit lost when it came to the self-training he's been doing for these past weeks. "Uhhh-"
The door opened, revealing the rest of you. Mei immediately dashed inside in search for a charger, while Sandy went to look for a glass of water, opening the minifridge. Before MK could ask why, his answer came through the form of Rasmus supporting your exhausted self, sweating a bit more than usual.
'Perfect timing!' MK thought.
"Guys!" He beamed. "Right on time!"