32 Back home

Mandy heard the sound of hands clapping. Eh? It came from the room with the apple tree... were they back?

Looked like Ian had noticed too.

Some voices followed, even if Mandy couldn't quite catch the words, she heard August's, Leum's and Veri's voices and soon Albus came out from in-between the branches.

"Food," Albus requested weakly.

"You'll be staying for dinner, right?" Mandy asked Ian, as she got up. It looked like Albus had worked hard and without much reward.

Ian nodded, staying where he was.

As Mandy started to prepare sandwiches, August and the other two came out as well. They all looked tired as far as Mandy could tell, but different to Albus those three looked to be in a very good mood. Veri had a huge chest in her hands and she placed it down by the wall.

They all sat down around the place where Mandy and Ian had had their tea party.

Leum glanced over at Nelly and crossed his arms in thought. "Aug, is it a problem if Ian runs into deep trouble?"

Ian, Chilli, and Nelly all froze, looking at Leum wide-eyed.

"What?" Ian uttered, then looked over at Chilli, who shrugged her shoulders.

"...Yes, it would be a problem," August said, confused.

"In that case, I'd recommend Ian to spend Friday here, especially the night,"

Leum said.

Ian looked confused, but something seemed to pass his mind. "A storm is coming?"

Leum nodded.

"And that means?" August asked.

Ian too looked at Leum, the confusion still there.

"I had a feeling this knowledge might be lost since I haven't seen any ferals around. In short, in the age of legends, there was a tribe who raised wittens with the goal of contracting them, since that way it is possible to develop a water alignment aptitude. There's one problem, though - during the first storm after contract the master's body goes through a change, and they go berserk for the night."

August looked interested.

Ian was shocked speechless.

"Is that why she ended up being a high grade familiar despite being a witten?" August asked.

Leum nodded.

Ian looked at the two of them with disbelief. "Berserk?"

"Yes, you might go around destroying things and hurting people without knowing what you are doing," Leum said.

Ian gulped. "Then let me impose, please," he said.

In the background, Mandy had borrowed Riveria for heating up cans of all kinds of food and soon brought over Budha bowls for everyone and a teacup of chilis for Chilli. She had been listening to that conversation, but Ian and August had asked all the questions she would have asked. Looked like Ian would have been in trouble, but things would work out as long as he stayed a night at their place.

"How did it go?" Mandy asked about their side of things with sparkling eyes. It had been a pity she couldn't go, but she sure expected a story at least.

"Good," August had been about to end the story at that, but continued seeing Mandy's look. "We saved the prince, dumped him on Tiamat, then Tiamat went around to clean up the mess and I got some unexpected rewards."

Mandy smiled, hearing that. That was good then.

"It looks like Salamanders won't come to destroy my housing anymore and the mess in the library will also clear up - but to pay for resolving that I'll need to accompany Tiamat on some strolls and block her presence," August added.

Oh. Okay. "Can I come along?" Mandy asked.

"Leum and Veri will need to guard her nest, but you and Albus can probably come along," August said.

Leum and Veri didn't look happy about the plan, but they seemed to accept that.

August spoke to Ian then. "I will send Kenneth a text about the results and will tell that you are under an oath, so he won't ask you for details."

Ian nodded at that.

No one asked, so Mandy didn't tell about her conversation with Ian and all the interesting bits she had heard. She knew that August had an upcoming deadline, so all fact-checking would need to wait.

As soon as August was done with food, Mandy saw him write up a text.

[Ian is silent. I removed the problem from the city. It's above your paygrade. 7,8,9 might act up still, rest are resolved.]

That sure was an unsatisfying report, but it was a very August-like report.

[Wow! Thanks!] Was the reply from Kenneth.

Kenneth seemed happy about it, though, so she supposed it was fine.

Unlike Mandy's expectations, August didn't move on to writing as soon as he was done with food and waited for Ian to leave, before asking.

"Leum, can you find out if Dustbun organs would fall under haste potion effects?"

Haste potion? A potion that speeds you up? Was that how August aimed to resolve his pressing deadline issue?

Leum called forth the by now familiar water orb. "I only have enough energy to do one, what do you fear might happen?"

"Will I be in a lot of pain if I take a haste potion?" August said. "As in, would it work on me, but fail to work on the dustbuns in me due to a lacking dose?"

Leum moved the orb and replied. "Yes, you'd be in a lot of pain, so your guess is probably spot on."

August let out a huff. "Albus, can you regenerate my lung, liver, and blood?"

Albus startled a bit. "Sure, as long as you lift your presence concealment. I need to read your aether structure for that."

August took off his jacket, placing it on the shelf, then unbuttoned his shirt, while everyone, Mandy included, looked at him with some heat in eyes.

August squinted, but still took off his shirt, then drew a breath and revealed the reason why it had been a good idea to block his own presence.

The forest apartment had had a bit of that 'holy grounds' feeling before, but now it was almost overpowering. All the flowers bloomed brighter and seemed almost glowing, the plants livened up and August himself felt like he was covered in light. His hair too seemed to grow longer at a visible speed stopping somewhere below his chest now.

Even his squint towards his own hair looked godly... and that somehow made Mandy crack up. Despite being an unmistakable diety that induced feelings close to awe in her unconditionally, he was still the same person.

But, true, if he walked around like this, she doubted he could have normal interactions with anyone. His presence wasn't oppressive like the one Veri and Leum had when they captured August, but it was of a similar magnitude. If Veri and Leum were like strong beasts, August was like an untouched landscape of wilderness - a presence that made one feel small and awed, yet only as scared as nature could make one with its indifferent rules that didn't favor anyone.

He wasn't a god to love or to fear, but a god to coexist with.

"Which do I start with?" August asked to Albus.

"Blood," Albus replied and walked over to August.

August nodded and drew a sign close to his heart.

"Come out gradually," Albus talked towards August's chest as she placed her hand on it and red blood started swirling around her hand then floating next to August.

It took less than a minute for a considerable blood patch to form. Albus moved her hand off his chest and at the same time, the swirling blood patch seemed to open up like an egg and a beautiful girl with milky skin, blood-red long straight hair, and bright red eyes appeared wearing a revealing red dress. Her ears were slightly pointy, but still human-looking.

Mandy knew this girl was supposed to be a dustbun, but she was human sized and had a powerful presence. She smiled revealing typical vampire teeth.

"Hello, I used to serve as August's blood, I don't have a name yet, but pleased to meet you all."

If Mandy had to match this girl up with something then she would say she was something like a true ancestor vampire.

"This does explain why haste potions wouldn't work," Leum said.

"It does," August agreed.

The blood girl took a seat nearby, minding her own business and soon two more popped up - also girls. They looked like sisters - not identical in any manner, but very similar. Liver had sharper looking eyes and a bob cut and Lung had princess curls.

Meanwhile Mandy asked to Leum. "Why does it explain that?"

"They are all Novus stage," he said. "It would take an extra potion for each of them."

Mandy recalled reading that name in the dustbun book, but she only knew it was a stage above rank 4, nothing more.

Along the way, Albus removed all scars August had and moved her hands over his ribcage on the right side, then went down his left leg, then straightened out and took hold of August's left shoulder. Her expression remained determined even if August looked to be a bit at a loss. After sliding her hand over August's neck, she retracted her hand and stepped back.

"Done," Albus said with a satisfied look.

"Thank you," August said, but before he could draw a breath to erase his own presence again, a tremor ran through the apartment and somewhere close something ominous started pulsating, sending more tremors.

The room with the apple tree!

August disappeared and the next thing Mandy knew she was thrown into a different house along with the vampire girls, Albus and even Veri and Leum, meeting the eyes of a shocked looking teenage girl with brown hair, brown eyes and a ponytail.

The house itself looked a lot like the apartment - with plants and flowers all around it, it also had the charged fog shimmering around, but it was far bigger.

"Uh-- hello, again," her eyes stopped on Albus.

A boy a bit younger than the girl soon came down as well.

Yet it seemed like only Mandy paid the two any attention. "What do you see?" Leum asked to August.

"It looks like a randomly forming gate, but there's something wrong with it," August replied with a frown.

"Is it glitching?" The boy called out.

"Yes," August replied, now looking towards the boy.

"It's a space-time gate, then," the kid said. "Something from either past or future is trying to come through."

"A barrier with people in it came through, the gate broke," August said.

"I'd go see them in your place," the kid said. "Time-leapers tend to be unstable, they often disintegrate soon. They might have a message for one of you."

"Thanks," August said and disappeared, soon everyone got pushed back into the apartment.

...Who was that kid? The girl knew Albus... the house was clearly August's domain. Mandy felt frustrated that this was totally not the time to ask.

They appeared not in the room they had been in previously, but by the entrance of the room with the apple tree. Mandy didn't fail to notice that August had snatched up his shirt and was putting it on, his presence having returned to being human.

"What is this mess," Albus said while squinting and Mandy too turned to look towards the figures behind the barrier.