Readying your lance, you approach slowly.

Doesn't look like any survivors - they're all incinerated pretty well. The entrance is dark, and the tunnel beyond darker.

Something seems to be moving around in your pack, and you feel the folded cover flipping open and smacking the back of your head.

Some sort of creature starts shouting with a moderate-toned, chirping-like quality.

???: "Danger! Danger! Danger!"

Something pointy pecks the back of your head.

???: "Dangerdangerdangerdangerdangerdanger!"


________________________________________


Black Mage 1: "Depends on what you're asking about. The range calculations were done by Judith, she's a killer spotter. Getting the bolts to go where she wants them to be is lots of training. If you're wondering about those supershots, that's burst casting. Can't train for that, it's an innate ability."


________________________________________


You quickly pace towards the noise of battle with Hexestahl drawn, tracking and closing in on the blue blur.

Rounding the corner of a partially-collapsed building, the blue shape is right in front of you, standing on the other side of the street.

It resembles a deathly-pale human in a dark blue hoop dress, but the proportions seem nightmarish. Slightly taller than you with a neck that is a few inches longer than normal, a mass of long, curled witchmetal horns that closely resemble hair, and thin, dainty limbs. A large greatsword-like weapon with an overly wide guard is rigged to its back somehow.

The figure stares at you with amber eyes, unmoving.


________________________________________


She scratches her head, seeming slightly nervous before responding.

Miimas: "The Internalism ideology."

You give a look saying that you have no idea what that is.

Miimas: "It's like, the concept of progression, internally, rather than externally. Instead of building weapons like guns and cannons, you are the weapon.

This area is known for being pretty heavy in that, though it seems that it's more extreme in the far south-west.



Where I come from, the place is considered to be heavy Externalism. Guns, tanks, machines. Magic is more rare.

I can't use magic, but I want to. To get stronger."


________________________________________


Whelp, back to the capital building. Walking through the familiar halls, you end up in front of the lord's office, guarded by the usual soldiers and mages, but now there's a miniature form of Lucida, with a small girl inside that looks familar.

Aucupe: "Hi Kyeltziv!"

???: "Small Ensi, very danger! Fire!

Run yes! Very run! Get more fight!"

Black Mage: "It's a massive casting amplifier that lasts for, well, it's gone pretty much right after you use it. Takes some time for it to build up again. It's some sort of component of the spirit that's separate from regular casting."

Black Mage 1: "Hereditary. It's been specifically bred for a long ways back.

And by massive, pretty much one-shot-kill on a witch queen if you have insane aim. Break the core shell, bolt burrows through the expanding matter, destroys the memory stone.

It's a skill the top burst casters dream of mastering, maybe one or two every few generations can pull it off. Adele Uzziah's a name you'll hear when you ask around about it."


________________________________________


Miimas: "Not other continent, just far west on the coast.

Tanks, they're like, these big metal boxes on uh, wheels with chains, powered by burning fuel. Drive over rugged terrain. Has a giant gun on it that can rotate and blow crap up.

Machines, lot of factories. Places where you have mechanical contraptions that build stuff, powered by a waterwheel or burning fuel.


It's pretty impressive that over here some people can just like, materialize matter in front of them."

Black Mage: "Hmm. Powerful mage, ranks pretty high among the hunters, has some influence over politics. She was never interested in SSM, served in the military for a bit and then hunted witches for money. Filthy rich now.

Anything specific you're wondering about?"


________________________________________


She shrugs her shoulders.

Miimas: "A lot of societies aren't compatible with Internalism. Too easy for people to rebel or just, do crime, y'know? Externalism is a lot more common, and there are not many places that are Internalism extremists. There's apparently a group of people somewhere to the south-west that live in forests and seem to be really primitive, but are some of the strongest mages in the world, or something."


________________________________________


Aucupe: "Nope! I traveled with John and Lucy and Andrew, I saw Null, too, she was from Heartstone. We also got Monk from Heartstone, but I never met her before.

Who is that?"

She points at Kuori.


________________________________________


???: "Ensi inside. Chirop inside.

Think Chirop dead. Smells fire."


________________________________________


The creature smiles, performing a curtsy without bothering to look at you while you circle.

It then speaks in an all too human voice, a smooth, feminine tone.

???: "A fourth like you. It is so good that you have been cooperating so well."

You manage to get a better look at the thing on its back - shaped like a large blunt greatsword with an extremely wide crossguard, made of twisting and cracked witchmetal that makes it look like charred wood. It's not clear how it's fixed to the creature, perhaps some physical connection where it's contacting it.

She(?) stands straight, looking at you with glowing amber eyes and that sinister, inhuman smile.

???: "It was not planned that we would meet so soon, but it has happened."