They said the new wave would unfurl its chaos on the morrow. And yet, the indeterminate deep red shadows played havoc with the sunlight seeking to nurture the earth as blood spatter cascaded over the giant mana barricades like a hailstorm of bullets, only to fade into oblivion in the blink of an eye.

Through the obscured window, Alicia and the others could glimpse the chaotic ballet beyond. Shapes of flying ships besieged the unreachable perimeter, while a colossal rock, masquerading as a Gothhotroo's nest supported by hundreds of their kind, loomed. Hundreds more were plummeting from cannon barrages, sliding on the mana shield. A sight that stirred up feelings of awe, disgust, and abject horror.

The soldiers knew no more respite nor days of rest. Not all mujinos were vanquished right when the wave occurred. Many escaped the battle and roamed the forest until their numbers peaked again by the next wave. Izel had reminded Alicia of that. The experience had also taught her the hard way. A reminder only added insult to the unease.

However, when their ship navigated the natural fortifications of the twin cliffs, Otnagochi-han emerged—the defensive front of the Mujino Kingdom's Plague, which instead of a military district as Alicia had imagined it, was a simple, idyllic town, each block separated by a verdant landscape of both small forests and grasslands. The three layers of gates at the far end of the municipal boundary were their arbiters from the next expanse. A charred, bleak land of sparse trees.

The battleground for the forty-nine waves.

Still, almost as far as the eye could see, groups of people were there if not the Kagatsean military, then the Tamoanchanese allies. Farmers, ranchers, and working women added a bit of variety to the sea of people; at least the domain was not languishing as the largest military frontline and stopover.

Their sphereship landed on a large field lined with similar ships in a giant grey spiral-roofed military base, just above the cliffs. Servants swiftly handled their belongings, and Henge guided Alicia to the separate Magisterium's entourage. Minister Taro was greeted by spiral-patterned military troops and had already disappeared into the bowels of the machine train. Tamoanchanese representatives were different; they had the same destination as the minister, though it was their custom to meet their countrymen first. This left Wisesa. Normally the lad would have been lingering about the bespectacled lass, whether he realised it or not, whether he intended to or not. But then, Alicia was assigned to the research division while he went to battle on the front lines with the others, so the previous option was no longer within reach. He should have gone with Hokutoji Taro earlier, but Wisesa, as usual, barely cared about rules, and loitering at his leisure was his way of life.

"Are you sure you can take care of yourself, Missy?" Wisesa asked Alicia. "I mean, you have two machine guards now, but with you going after the mujinos later, I doubt they'll be able to keep you from losing control."

Alicia playfully tilted her head. "Are you worried about me?" The lass' smile was simple and sweet, but her voice was subtle teasing.

"I'm going with Izel," Wisesa impulsively declared and left behind Alicia's persistent smirk without a second thought.

"I'm not using Arcane like I'm about to fight, Wisesa, but I appreciate your concern!"

"Shut up!"

Tamoanchanese's entourage vanished in a whiff of smoke, leaving only a small number of mages who showed no interest in travelling. Not when Alicia peeked at Hashomon standing still at the cliff's rim. His posture was as tall and sturdy as a model soldier's but his twitching fingers in an indeterminate rhythm betrayed his perfect pose. Her ruby eyes seemed to understand the general's attitude, lost in the contrasting scenery of the sunny city of Otnagochi and the gloom that awaited him outside the walls.

"Is he alright?" asked Alicia to Adjudant Henge in hushed tones.

"He is well," Henge affirmed with nods. "Reminiscing in an open space has become his habit over the past five years. The village Hiurui right below the portal," he pointed out kindly, "was his hometown. Many unsuspecting villagers were rendered victims from the very first mujino encounter in this nation. His wife, son, and daughter were among those poor men."

"Oh..., my condolences."

Henge shook his head. "The grief has long since passed. But..., let me bring him back to the present, excuse me, Alicia-san." As Henge approached Hashomon, he spoke in Kagatsean, "Mahou Shogun-sama. Do you require more time?"

Hashomon rotated his head slowly to his adjutant. "I'm fine," he replied, but his flippant countenance presented a puzzle.

"Then let us proceed. Everyone is waiting for you."

"Yes. I got carried away. I'm sorry." Without further words, he passed straight through Alicia and led the convoy of engine carriages.

The pumping of the engine and the whirring of the gears propelled the carriages on a leisurely five-minute safe journey, during which they had already descended the cliff, passed several sparse settlements, and finally halted in front of a domed structure.

"Mujino Research Institute," Hashomon explained to Alicia in the back seat. "Here is where you shall be stationed for the next few days."

The nomenclature struck the lass as peculiar. "How can they research mujinos if they never autopsied one?" Alicia asked.

"For now, through imageries, recordings, and tests on survivors. But with you here, everything is poised to change. Indeed, many scientists are hungry to play their blades on the muscle fibres and tissues of a mujino's body," the magic general explained with no more feeling than the rhythmic tapping of the scabbard that implied no sentiment likewise. It was as if the scientists in there were a gaggle of morbid individuals with a penchant for mutilation.

Or was that the case?

Fortunately, upon their face-to-face encounter, a group of newcomers in mint green medical attire presented normal, friendly countenances. Perhaps too enthusiastic, which rather made Alicia think they were zealous doctors with a hint of psychopathy.

"Alicia Crimsonmane!" interrupted a mid-row researcher with his coat sleeves rolled up, foot unconsciously taking steps towards the girl in question. When his eyes locked on her fragile, ruby ones sentineled by round spectacles, a squeal of excitement caught everyone by surprise. Such was a reaction typical when meeting the world of thaumaturgy's celebrity. "Everyone has spoken of you! The Arcane Wielder beyond the blessing of the Eternal Empire and all its merits. Um, the Moon Eater incident might have upset some, but hey, it's mujino or Moon Eater, right? And now, aiding us in earnest mujino research, oh, how the Divine blesses us all! Say, you have a strategy to bring us a mujino intact and without harm to others, don't you?"

The words pouring out of that person were those of a speeding train whose carriages were uncountable, coalescing into one serpentine snarl as they hurtled along. At least Alicia comprehended the final sentence. "A thought, aye, good sir," she answered with a formal smile, then lifted her skirt gracefully and bowed. "Alicia Crimsonamane of Camelot. Greetings."

"Oh, where are my manners?" He did not even take the time to laugh at a natural pace. He pulled up again his long and ever-sagging sleeves, then offered his dark-coloured hands. "Ayser Bennani, from Ubar. Scientist and healer emissary of the Magisterium. Just so you know, I was part of the physicians who treated the wizards during the skirmish against Leichenhaufen. If you don't know, no problem; after all, you were unconscious for days. Always eager to see you in person!"

In reality, Ayser was a dark-skinned Ubar man in his late twenties. Only his beard and thick, matted hair ruined his once-in-a-lifetime youthful charm. Well, it was not like he becoming a researcher and struggling in a hygienic room to find a mate. Perhaps his collection of specimens fulfilled that obligation.

Despite the interminable torrent of verbiage, Alicia retained her poise. "Oh, I see. I'm also... quite eager to collaborate, Sir Bennani." A handshake was established. After that formal introduction, Ayser was already guiding Alicia's shoulders to approach her other colleagues. Alicia turned her head away for a moment, and Hashomon had already hurried through the exit with his hand bearing the marrad communication device in his ear. Domen and Henge took the time to bow to her before following suit. Her two escort automatons manned the door.

"These are my colleagues and yours from now on, Alicia," Ayser gestured with his hand. "Kiyooka Bin and Shouni Moriie, from Kagatse. Lai Zedong, reinforcements from Chixian Shenzhou. My Magisterium colleague, Bocchoris of Aaru, and .... Ah, and many more! You can get to know them one by one. Or just call them by name. Their badges will not be taken off even during bedtime."

The shaking hands and bowing to the researchers went by quickly as Ayser pushed Alicia back down the hallway. The workforce had dispersed to various corners of the building, with all their respective business.

"So... Researchers from the Magisterium," Alicia opened a new conversation, both hands clutching the sling strap on her waist bag. "You may be short of mujino carcasses to study, but I must admit, how you pulled off a potion to disguise yourself from them is brilliant. Not to mention it works!"

Ayser wrinkled his forehead with a quirk of his mouth. "A potion to disguise yourself from mujinos?"

"Aye!" exclaimed Alicia excitedly. "Minister Taro showed us the test footage. The mujinos regarded the person who drank the potion as if he didn't exist. Hey, you know what?" Alicia lowered her voice slightly. "I know it's a classified matter, but I've helped the Magisterium a lot, and am trusted by the Grand Magus Haddock, so... if I may, could you leak a wee bit about the potion's key ingredients?"

"Alicia?" Ayser chuckled nervously. "What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" Alicia fell stunned, then shook her head cheerfully in a matter of seconds. "Alright, fine. Just testing the waters, ye ken? But I can't, being not an official member of the Magisterium. Fair enough. I respect your integrity."

Alicia expected an equally playful reply. However, the perplexity on Ayser's face became even more vivid. "Alicia, I really don't understand what you're talking about. What potion?"

"That potion. The result of the collaboration of the Magisterium and the Ministry of Defence to elude mujinos' detection!"

"I don't know what Hashomon and the others have been telling you, but you don't need to try to comfort us as if we achieved some significant breakthrough. We only researched the mujino indirectly and there were no potions as output. I accepted that by virtue of the circumstances, and the top brass also condoned it."

"Mister Ayser, I mean it." Alicia stopped her footwork. Her head began to pop up with questions. "If you didn't make the potion, then who did?"

"Another division." Ayser shrugged unceremoniously. "There's one in Takamagahara, so I heard. We send our report to Hashomon, maybe he feed it to that division and they work wonders. I don't know about the chain of command, It's not like I care about the big picture of the organisation."

“Och… Okay. I’m sorry.”

“No, no! You don’t need to. Pardon my wording earlier. I know you meant no harm."

They reached a room at the end of the building. Ayser adjusted his drooping sleeve again and turned the doorknob. "Our research room, Alicia!" he announced. "Oh, are you thirsty? What would you want to drink? Water? Coffee? Tea? Camelot tea or Kagatsean tea?"

"I'm fine, Mister Ayser. Thank you," Alicia replied, then redirected her attention to the room's surroundings.

A research room, of course. Bathed in a dominant hue of peppermint green, it was partitioned by a succession of concrete and glass enclosures. The first section was more of a study room, with bookshelves spilling over with books and piles of papers, a board full of mujino drawings and wild theories, and a giant telemedia. The second one was the one they craved, the one they longed to work in; the operations room. Chemical equipment and body coolers were there, always sparkling clean—they always made sure all the equipment was in tip-top shape should exigency arise. Several researchers were about, too, some reading books and cluttered notes, some having discussions (or gossip?) and others scrubbing the floor. A pursuit worthwhile just to occupy their time. What else could they do? They had no specimens to scrutinise. Perhaps professions with blind paychecks, like this one, were starting to mushroom among the young as a dream profession.

The researchers' silence was broken when Alicia's imposing bodyguards ducked through the door. Ayser had just been startled when he realised that the automatons would not stay further than two metres away from the lass' ponytail.

"Uhm, Miss Alicia, could you kindly request your fancy bodyguards not to get too close?" asked Ayser. "We can't risk them nudging sensitive items in here, can we?"

"You can stay by the door. Thank you!" Alicia did just that. No complaints came from the machines' mouths.

Despite all these distractions, Alicia found herself intrigued by the depictions of peculiar monsters on the board. Ayser walked up behind her. "Have you encountered mujinos, Alicia?"

Alicia nodded, her finger tracing invisible lines towards three pictures. "I've met them." But then, the writing under each portrait made her squint. "Gothhotroo! Binxtrunach! My friend said you gave them names. How do you know their names?"

"Most of the survivors," a new voice explained this time. Bocchoris of Aaru had joined them. "Some mujinos can drive people to madness, and can only say one strange word over and over again, made worse when confronted with the monster form that once ensnared them."

Bocchoris then displayed a larger image of the Gothhotroo—a bird of steel-blue skin and devoid of beak. "Gothhotroo has a psychological ability that makes people want to actualize their intrusive thoughts."

"Intrusive thoughts, Alicia, do you know what those are? Sudden thoughts or images that manifest in your mind without warning and persist. Like slapping a bald person, falling from a height, or throwing a baby against a wall while holding them beside it—"

"No need for examples." Alicia flashed a hand gesture and a half-smile, half-grimace on her face. "I ken what intrusive thoughts are."

"Oh...," Ayser stammered. "Of course. Of course, you know. Pardon me for patronising you, Miss."

"Yes...," Bocchoris drawled with a nod. "After conducting tests on survivors, we identified patterns in their brainwaves and concluded that Gothhotroo has the ability to hone in on a person's intrusive thoughts and transform them into volitional will."

"Which, in Gothhotroo's case, led someone to place himself in their mouth," Alicia added sotto voce.

"Someone has experienced that." Ayser Bennani gave an empathetic smile. "Some of us also nearly became the bird's food, but luckily no one went crazy. Yet those who did, prattled on with similar words, as if this mujino communicated with them, hence the name Gothhotroo."

Alicia then turned to another familiar monster: a humanoid dog with no eyes and tentacles on its back. "What about Binxtrunach?"

Ayser turned around, rifled through the drawer under the telemedia, and returned with a voice recorder. "Listen to this," he said again. When the tape played, she recognised the hound mujino's voice. However, Ayser began to slow down, then alternated between speeding up and slowing down its voice repeatedly as though memorised by heart until it culminated in the moniker "Binxtrunach".

Amusing, Alicia mused, brimming with sarcasm. Yet, in truth, she felt a twinge of sympathy for them. With nothing else to kill their time, they resorted to a sound recording game to name those monsters capable of wreaking havoc on civilizations.

Alicia's lips curved into a one-sided smile, signalling her disinclination to prolong the possibly futile debate. Ayser then continued with the third image. "The Zalos are actually rather unique. They call themselves Zalos," he said as he picked up a new recording and played it. The same croaking voice Alicia had heard when facing the slime-shaped mujino monster in the cave back then.

Alicia frowned at the two scientists. "Do you understand what it's talking about?"

"One of our scientists is a linguist too," Ayser replied. "He asserts that it carries a subtle Orcish accent from the Demon Continent."

"Oh, a language spoken as a spell by necromancers? But, it doesn't sound eerie and grotesque." Alicia cupped her chin. "It sounds ramblings of a drunken person. And again... isn't it the case that the language spoken by a necromancer cannot be imitated let alone interpreted by a non-necromancer's mouth?"

"What you are referring to is the true Orcish language," Bocchoris elucidated. "But by 'subtle accent,' we mean the Orcish language blended with human language. That's what our linguist has suggested. Nonetheless, it remains the most absurd language in this world."

"What did this 'Zalos' convey in the recording?"

"Introduction. 'I am Zalos, Adherent Space, Dynamic Horizon, Infinite Cosmos."

"Hmm. That makes sense."

Alicia then turned to the faces of the alien monsters. The first was a purple monster that possessed eight arms and a veined organ resembling an exposed brain. "What about this one? Formzassaz? No intention of giving it a normal name at all, eh?"

"They're not normal creatures themselves," Ayser dismissed. "This one is among the most dreaded. It often makes a 'zassazassazasszassazss' sound and it can eat anything and mimic the shape and abilities of the objects it eats. Hence the name."

"Then now it's just a matter of naming this monster." Alicia pointed to another humanoid monster with many round objects around it.

"That's new," pointed out Ayser. "We haven't got any clear clues or pictures yet, but these things started appearing three waves ago. It's the hardest to defeat, all because of that... drone things that accompany it. They can control reality."

Alicia's eyes widened. "Like the Reality Bending spell from the mystical art of Sorcery? No way!"

"Only without the Protos particles," Bocchoris continued. "And we haven't seen it evolve yet."

Their conversation was abruptly halted by the sudden ring of the telecomm. Ayser picked up the call, and after a series of hushed murmurs, a gasp escaped his lips. He turned towards the bespectacled girl, his expression exuberant.

"Alicia! The moment has arrived!" Ayser squealed. He grasped Bocchoris by the shoulders and rocked him. "Finally—oh, after all this time, Bocchoris! Alicia, it's time for you to embark on mujino hunts and afford us the chance to dissect once more!"

An utterance peculiar even for a researcher. []