"[Ah? It is you, Blackcloak.]" The Faun ex-general immediately perked up the moment I arrived. Using his usual spear as a crutch he rose up from his crouching position with slow, deliberate motions, shedding the orange film of light covering his body in the process. Once he stood straight, he raised a fist to his chest in the customary salute and added, "[Greetings to you.]"

"[I wish a delightful evening upon you as well, general,]" I returned the courtesy with a smile, and the ram-headed muscleman in front of me let out a low, rumbling chuckle in return.

"[Aye. This night was made for hunting.]"

"[In that regard, I defer to your experience,]" I responded as I surveyed the wooded area of the city park around us. "[May this be the grounds upon which we shall lie in wait?]"

"[Aye. The Chimera shall pass by these woods in two nights' time. Is it thine wish to inspect the slaying grounds?]"

"[Such were the intentions behind my visit, yes,]" I replied. By the looks of it, Brang wanted to get going right away, so I hastily raised a palm to halt him. "[Forestall your equines, general, for before we shall attempt to scour the land in a mundane endeavor, I wish to attempt something that may yield results in a different manner.]"

"[Is that so?]" He set the butt of his spear against the soft ground with a quiet 'thunk' sound and gave me an intrigued look.

"[Aye. I wish to employ the Rites of Dominance in an effort to aid our exploration of the land.]"

"[You wish to scout the terrain whilst we test our mettle in combat?]"

"[Your assumption is within the distance of striking upon the truth. I wish to have one pair of our specters of Dominance locked in battle, thus fulfilling the spirit of the rite, while the rest of our specters shall scour the land and seek to commit its lay to memory in preparation for the day of the covert slaying of the beast.]"

Brang's ears swiveled around for a while, an act I have long since associated with confusion, but at last he raised a hand to his chin and told me, "[Such use of the Rite is, to say with soft words, highly unorthodox.]"

"[That, it may be, but is it an act that we may pursue?]"

"[I see no true obstacle in our way,]" he granted me in a contemplative tone, then after he rubbed his chin a bit more, he flashed a toothy smile and added, "[At the very least, it shall serve as a novel experience.]"

"[Undoubtedly,]" I responded with a grin of my own.

With that said, we locked eyes for a moment, and the odd, tingling sensation of Dominance quickly followed. As previously agreed, I immediately sent out an orange ghost copy of me, and Brang did the same. The two phantoms immediately entered into a familiar routine that was very reminiscent of the battle we fought the first time; he had more range and experience, I had more mobility and better reflexes, resulting in a stalemate.

That said, I don't want to brag or anything, but my own specter was doing considerably better this time around. It was probably due to us sparring like this every other day or so, but I got quite used to Brang's movements. When I had my training spear with me, I could even land a few lucky hits on the guy every once in a while. I didn't have it on me this time though, so I had my specter focus on dodging instead.

Once the familiar rhythm was established, I sent out four more transparent phantoms, and my 'opponent' followed suit with four of his own. Once they were out, I had them scout on our left, and as if by an unspoken agreement, Brang's copies did the same on our right. I waited for a couple of seconds to see if there were any complications or unintended side effects, but everything seemed to be perfectly normal, so I simply allowed the specters to continue exploring in a slowly expanding circle.

That said, while I admit that getting the map of my surroundings slowly etched into my brain was, using Brang's words, 'a novel experience' indeed, it wasn't particularly riveting after a while. As such, I decided to try and strike up a conversation with the Faun. I mean, if I had to stare at him like this for an extended time anyway, I might as well make the most of it.

"[So, general...]" I casually addressed Brang, yet to my shock, he actually blinked in surprise and nearly broke the connection. The specters wavered for a moment, but once he regained his balance, they also continued on as if nothing happened.

"[I sincerely request that you refrain from surprising me like that in the future, Blackcloak. This heart of mine is no longer young enough to bear with it.]"

"[My apologies of the most sincere kind. I only wished to converse while we await the completion of our exploration.]"

The Faun gave me an odd look, then stated, "[It is rare to find an opponent who may employ more than three spirits of the mind. To think you would possess leeway to converse even under the weight of five of them tells volumes of thine willpower.]"

"[I admit I find it unwarranted, yet I must thank you for the compliment all the same. With such things spoken, if talking under the Rite of Dominance strains you so, I'm willing to decrease the numbers of our spectral facsimiles.]"

"[Nay. I may be old, yet I shall not shame myself by backing down from a challenge, even if it's you who propose it.]"

"[Hearing so fills me with feelings of mirth.]"

Brang gave me an appreciative, if somewhat shallow, nod.

"[If so, then may I humbly ask why you addressed me?]"

"[I only wished to engage in conversation of diminutive size.]" That didn't come out right, so I lightly cleared my throat and tried again. "[I meant to convey that I wished to inquire about your wellbeing, alongside that of your men.]"

"[Thy request strikes me as odd. Have you not seen to our needs in detail? Thine stewardship provides us with food, shelter, and purpose. We can seldom ask for more.]"

"[Not even that second table of indoor sports?]" I teased him a little, and just as I expected his ears immediately turned in two different directions as he hastily told me:

"[Mayhap with the exception of that.]" We both stifled our snickers, lest they would interrupt our oh-so-heated mental battle. "[With such things told, I must confess that thine treatment of me and my kin is remarkably pleasing.]"

"[Is that so?]"

"[You have already earned the loyalty and respect of the young ones.]"

"[How about yours, general?]"

"[Well, you would be hard-pressed to earn something you already possess, wouldn't you agree?]" he responded between chuckles, and I couldn't help but smile along.

After that, we remained silent for a while, at least until Brang addressed me for a change.

"[You inquired about my wellbeing. May I do the same in turn?]"

"[Certainly, if you deem that courtesy dictates so.]"

"[Aye, albeit I admit I do wonder about thine welfare beyond the realm of courtesy.]"

"[Is that so? What makes you entertain such worries?]"

"[For the sake of explanation, I would call upon thine troubled countenance upon thine arrival.]"

"[Your eyes are sharp as ever, general, for I was troubled indeed.]"

I intended to leave it at that, yet seeing the expectant look in Brang's eyes, I ultimately decided that I might as well tell him about my problems. I didn't expect him to give me advice, but I figured that getting it off my chest couldn't hurt, and it was as good a topic as any to pass the time while we explored the area. As such, I did just that, and I gave him a footnotes version of the 'argument' I had with Judy.

He listened to my words with his full attention, and once I reached the end of my retelling, he gave me a sagely nod.

"[I must agree with thine lover's concerns.]"

"[You do?]"

"[Aye. For the family to remain strong and independent, the continuation of thine bloodline is paramount. Only by siring progeny can you ensure that thine legacy shall endure and thy descendants may one day proudly wear thine mantle.]"

"[... I wish you no offense, general, but I hope with sincerity of the most sincere variety that you are aware that I am not a Lord of the Abyss. I possess no title or mantle my children may inherit.]"

"[Hmmm. Thine words ring true. Thine title of regent is one of importance, yet one which is not subject to inheritance.]" At this point he paused as he tilted his head to the left in yet another familiar gesture. "[Yet, if that is the case, then why did thine betrothed wish for a child?]"

"[I must explain, for I believe you are laboring under a misunderstanding. Her wish of intimacy had more relation to the endeepening of our interpersonal associations rather than procreation.]"

"[Truly? I must confess, I am not well versed in the intricacies of such matrimonial relations, for my kin engages in no such thing.]"

That actually reminded me of something I wanted to as for a while already, and given the opportunity Brang just presented, it would have been awfully sloppy of me not to strike the proverbial iron while it was hot.

"[Do forgive my curiosity, but this question has plagued my mind for days: do your kin possess females?]"

My Faun companion once again found my question perplexing, at least based on his ear-movement, but he soon answered all the same, with a head-shake slow enough to keep our eye contact uninterrupted.

"[Nay, Blackcloak. My kin does not possess thine kin's dimorphism.]"

I decided to put aside the question of how the Faun language was complex enough to use terms like 'dimorphism', yet it was so rigid it made me jump through hoops when trying to describe Snowy's and Crowey's nicknames, and instead I focused on the actual content of this answer.

"[If that is so, then from whence do your neophytes spring forth?]"

...

Okay, that's it. I wanted to ignore it, but I can't.

First off, I only wanted to ask, 'Where do baby Fauns come from?'. How did such an innocent question turn into that!? And what even is a 'neophyte' anyway!?

In the meantime, Brang was completely unaware of my linguistics-induced existential crisis. He considered my question very seriously, and at last he told me, "[My kin is borne from the Emperor's Well.]"

"[Please do elaborate,]" I prompted him, and he obliged without any objections.

"[My kin was conceived by the power of the Emperor. The first Fauns were all fully grown by the time they first opened their eyes to the world. We do not sire or bear little ones.]"

"[If so, then by what method do you procreate?]" I asked, followed by a relieved sigh; this time I managed to use the right terms.

Brang fell silent for a while, and while I couldn't perfectly read his expressions yet, because of the surface emotions exchanged between us during Dominance, I could feel that he was a little conflicted.

"[Upon our demise in our duty, all of the Faun Abyssal are entitled to our final rites. The fallen is taken to the Well of the Emperor, and from the bodies of the dead, a new scion is born, carrying the will of their predecessor.]"

"[Just so?]"

"[Just so.]"

"[... The lights you shed upon my question revealed just as many things unknown to me as they made known. May I request that you enlighten me even further?]" He immediately nodded, so I continued without any further ado. "[You mentioned the Wellspring of the Emperor a number of times. Could you elaborate on its details? Is it one of the famed Wellsprings of Primordial Magicka of the Abyss?]"

"[Thine supposition is correct.]"

"[If so, then which clan of the Abyss does it belong to?]"

"[None. The Well of the Emperor is neutral ground, guarded by the Faun Undivided. It awaits the return of the one true Emperor, for only he may bind the Well to his will.]"

I guessed as much by the name, but I still flashed an appreciative smile at the helpful Faun.

"[I welcome your explanation. I have one more doubt, and I hope you could assuage its incessant itch: if your neophytes are reborn from the flesh of the fallen, then how do you increase your numbers?]"

"[Thine question is astute. In words as straight as a well-made sword: the more venerable the fallen, the greater the number of the scions who emerge from the Well after their final rites.]"

"[I believe I understand,]" I told him and fell silent as I contemplated on what I just learned.

In short, Fauns were mono-sex, they had no childhood, and when they died, their bodies were recomposed into one or more new Fauns, each one inheriting bits and pieces of the original's memories and/or personality. I reckoned the last part was so that they could cut back on basic training and make them combat-ready ASAP, but even without that deduction, it was easy to tell that they were a species artificially created and bred for battle. That wasn't surprising at all.

The thing that actually baffled me a little was that, while they were obviously made and conditioned to be murder machines, they weren't single-minded murder machines. They had their quirks, their odd artistic talents, and Brang was a straight-up virtuoso of the air hockey table. Now, I could chalk a lot of this up to the good-old placeholder development hypothesis, but there still had to be a grain of potential in them to develop in such directions. I wondered; was I mistaken about the Faun being simple mooks? Did they have some sort of more nuanced narrative reason behind their existence? Or was it just my inadvertent meddling causing bigger waves than I ever imagined?

All of those were questions for later though, as my attention was drawn back to Brang upon him letting out a wistful sigh, followed by a tingle of forlorn emotions being transmitted to me through Dominance.

"[Generals in service of the houses all receive grand processions upon their fall. I also wished to be laid to rest in such fashion, yet I'm afraid the chances of such an occurrence are all but vanishing. It is truly a—]"

"[Halt, general!]" I interrupted him with a tinge of panic in my voice. "[I implore, nay, I order thee to cease elevating your banner of demise!"]

The old Faun looked me funny for a moment, and then asked, "[Pardon my ignorance, Blackcloak, but I have yet to learn about this… 'banner of demise' you speak of.]"

It took all my willpower to keep myself from facepalming in frustration. I already had a terrible time when it came to expressing simple idioms in Faunish; just how was I supposed to explain tropes like 'death flags' to him? Nevertheless, I had to give it a try, if only so that he would stop looking so comically confused.

"[A banner of demise is...]" I began, only to stop as I ran a couple of permutations of the explanation under my breath before settling on, "[It is a choice of words which make the shedding of your earthly coil more likely.]"

"[Is that so?]" Brang mused, and it was easy to tell he wasn't completely convinced. Whether that was because of the strangeness of the concept, or because my explanation was inadequate. Either way, I felt obliged to press on.

"[It is so, and so I request that you watch your words. I would be truly troubled if the funeral procession you described ever came to pass.]"

Brang blinked at me in surprise, followed by a strangely jovial chuckle.

"[If you request so, I have little choice but to obey and avoid these 'banners' you speak of in the future.]"

I couldn't help but involuntarily narrow my eyes in response to his words, and even though he sounded completely serious, I couldn't help but feel that he was taking the piss out of me. That said, a promise was a promise, and I was just about to drop the issue when I was jolted by something one of my specters saw.

"[Trouble approaches! General, prepare to disengage!]"

I barely even finished my line by the time Brang cut the Rite of Dominance short and he readied his spear.

"[Is it the Chimera?]"

"[Nay, something much worse!]" No sooner I said that, I confirmed Rinne dashing towards us through the wooded area on our left, her slasher-grin all but glowing in the dark. I could've sworn that when I checked her location before I Phased over, she was nowhere near the park, but that was the least of my problems at the moment. "[We shall continue this conversation at a later date! For now, I shall distract her, and you must use the opportunity to hide your presence!]"

"[Understood!]" Brang responded with the kind of gusto you would expect from a military man… ram… person. Let's go with guy.

With that sorted I quickly dashed to the left, allowing my Faun companion to do the same in the other direction, and I called out to the annoying huntress in the only way I could be sure I would get her full attention.

"Rinne! Look out!"

Now, let me make one thing clear: I expected her to look my way, and maybe even bark back at me about calling her by her name again, giving Brang a few precious seconds to activate his invisibility Sigil and slip away. What I didn't expect was that she would twitch, veer to the side, and then run head-first into a tree with such a painfully loud 'thunk' that it made me involuntarily shudder. So… would this make her a creepy, annoying, highly visible, and clumsy ninja? That's a lot of adjectives…

I really, really wished I could just leave and pretend I didn't see anything, but my inner good Samaritan vetoed my every attempt to just turn around and flee the scene of the crime, so I resigned myself to my fate and walked over to the young woman cradling her head on the ground.

"Hey, Mountain Girl? Are you all right?"

She froze when she heard my voice again, and she immediately jumped to her (somewhat wobbly) feet.

"Yes, we're the perfect image of fineness!" she declared in a loud voice, but a single look at her teary eyes and the large, red lump on her forehead was enough to tell that she wasn't. "We were hit by a surprise attack, but it would take more than that to deter us from our eternal quest for the eradication of—"

"Yes, yes, you are very edgy as usual," I cut in with a not at all subtle roll of my eyes. "I guess that means you're all right."

My unwanted conversational partner honest to goodness puffed out her cheeks in indignation, but before I could tell her that no matter how much she did so, it was waaaaay too late for her to try to reinvent herself as a cutesy moe archetype, her eyes abruptly opened wide and she glanced around in a hurry.

"Where is the foul creature of the underworld!?"

"I think he ran away in the commotion," I told her while taking a half-step to the right, so that I would partially block her line of sight of the already cloaked Brang. As far as I knew, she couldn't see through Snowy's invisibility Sigil, but it never hurt to be careful. I decided to keep her occupied for a little longer, so I asked her, "What are you doing here anyway? I thought we agreed that we'd meet near the docks today."

"Yes, we did," she told me while wiping the corners of her eyes with the lapels of her suit. "We were heading there under the deep, ever-permeating darkness of the night when we recognized the unmistakable stench of the despicable creatures of the Abyss."

"So… you're telling me you followed your nose here?"

"Yes, we did," she declared rather proudly, completely ignoring the incredulity in my voice. "Here, we saw you engaging the horrid monstrosity, and we rushed forth to share in the bounty of the bloody carnage that was sure to follow!" After saying that, she touched her forehead and let out a small, pained hiss. "Yet, before we could paint the ground in the garnet of flowing life, we were struck by a cowardly attack by some unseen assailant!"

"No, you hit a tree," I told her on no uncertain terms.

"Nonsense," she rebuked me with one of her mincing looks that seemed to ask whether I was blind or just stupid. "We are Onikiri no Tsukaite Rinne!"

"That doesn't change the fact that you hit a tree," I repeated, this time with added exasperation.

"That's not how Rinne remembers it!" she declared with an actual pout on her lips. It only lasted for a moment though, as her face slackened and, a few seconds later she gave me an apprehensive squint. "Onikiri says that you're a suspicious person. She said that you must be working with the creature of the underworld, and called out to me to allow them to escape! Were you?"

That was surprising. It looks like her sword was pretty sharp after all.

…

That was a terrible pun. I feel ashamed, and I apologize.

Anyhow, I shrugged my shoulders and told her, "No, I just wanted to warn you."

"In that case, it's fine," she declared with so much conviction I felt like I was hit by conversational whip-lash. She didn't seem to care (or notice), as she pressed on by telling me, "Let us embark on our journey to find and massacre the creatures of the underworld! The night is young, and carnage awaits us!"

"Yes, yes. Let's go," I spoke in resignation, following which my creepy… well, no, actually. Calling her creepy at this point was kind of inaccurate. Lately having her around started to feel more like I was looking after a chuunibyou cousin over spring break… except that cousin was actually older than me. She wasn't really creepy anymore, just kind of cringy and annoying.

Putting that tangent aside, I sent a covert nod to the still cloaked Brang observing us from afar, and I followed after Mountain Girl who, for some reason, began to prattle about the number of cats she found in the neighborhood. Oh well, at least it was no longer about bloodbaths and overly flowery monologues about hunting.

…

Oh, how far my bar for acceptable topics has fallen…