The shattered plains beyond Capra’nor vanished swiftly under To’Wrathh’s speed. Broken roads, crumbling cliffside, and the constant roiling storm above were her only companions, save for the single blinking IFF tag further up ahead.

It hadn’t moved for the past five minutes, almost as if waiting for To’Wrathh to arrive. Likely it really was. If she could see the tag, so could whoever owned it see her.

The ground under her turned from smooth to utterly destroyed as she soared above the battlefield of her final clash with To’Aacar. Where he had ripped apart the ground with occult slashes, throwing rocks every which way to clobber her into an early grave.

At the center of the broken war-zone, a lone figure stood, examining the destruction left behind. Shimmers floated above her, reflecting light until To’Wrathh’s vision grew defined enough to recognize the source - floating flat plates of metal. Surrounding a white figure half concealed by a large wide-brimmed hat, like that of a witch. The staff held at her side paired well with the odd look.

This had to be To’Sefit. The Feather sent by Relinquished.

To’Wrathh flew closer, slowing her descent to lightly land nearby, and then observed the unknown Feather. She was taller than To’Wrathh by a head, even from a short distance that was apparent. With the boot-like metal heels only adding to the height.

“My, you must be my newest little sister.” The woman said, still observing the broken ground as To’Wrathh approached. Two long white pigtails fluttered in an invisible breeze, much lighter than actual hair. That massive hat with a wide brim, tilted slightly off center. From afar it had covered most of her features, and up close, it did even more to hide the Feather’s face..

A smaller halo rotated slowly on itself, around the opposite tilt of the hat, escorted by those small metal plates, orbiting further around her. Fractals glowing brightly on each. No side weapon of any kind on her belt, back or legs. Just the staff she held in a hand, and a long flowing ornate robe of violet, black and white. Something felt off about this.

To’Wrathh scanned the clothing finding nothing of note. Then she verified the weapon, trying to determine another angle of danger. Metal shards, interlinked with silver wiring, floated around the staff end. That was the only return she could identify. Possibly occult blades, following the same setup as To’Aacar’s left hand.

“It’s not polite to stare, you know?” The Feather said, smiling softly. “Why, if you keep looking at me like that, this older sister of yours might think you’re looking for a spar.” She let go of the staff, which floated dutifully behind her, leaving both her hands free. The plates behind equally shifted around, going from a lazy orbit to flowing behind her like wisps as she walked forward to To’Wrathh. “As much fun as that would be, I don’t think you would appreciate being on the other end of my target locks. Nobody ever is, I find.”

“That wasn’t my intention.” To’Wrathh said, aborting her scans. “I was merely curious about your weaponry.”

To’Sefit’s eyes seemed to snicker, while a hand hid her smile. “If you’d so like, I could give you a demonstration. Although let's settle for another time, I’m here on a task as you can tell.” She said, coming within a hand stretch away. To’Wrathh allowed the unknown Feather to approach this close. There wasn’t yet any reason to expect an attack.

Pale white hands lifted, reached To’Wrathh and cupped her cheeks lightly while violet eyes looked down from above. “My, my, look at you. So adorable! You’re the newest little sister of mine, how precious. The one that was uplifted from one of the lessers, a spider chassis?”

“That is correct. I was originally a spider construct. Mother considered me of acceptable mettle.”

The Feather’s smile deepened. “It took years of adaptation before I passed the initial stages of her selection. Feels like it was only yesterday that I took my first step into this world.”

“Identify your purpose first, sister.” To’Wrathh asked. “I have deadlines I need to attend to.”

“Ah, I beg your forgiveness, that was rude of me. And here I was lecturing about being polite." The Feather let go, taking one step back. "I am of the twelfth generation, To’Sefit.” She said, taking a bow. “The one stepping elegantly further into theosis.”

“A difficult name.” To’Wrathh said, considering the implications. Theosis? Was this Feather attempting to become more like the pale lady?

“Aren’t all burdens worth the while, heavy by nature? Else they wouldn’t be worth pursuing.” To’Sefit countered. “Mother’s Feathers are lacking ambition, I find. It’s a dreadful shame. We should all aspire to be more than simple Feathers, I believe. But enough about my thoughts. I’ve told you my name. Would you let me know who this cute little sister of mine is?”

“I am of the fourteenth generation, To’Wrathh, the one who remembers and transcends her history.” She said, feeling oddly belittled.

“And you say my name is difficult.” To’Sefit giggled, clearly enjoying the parallels. “Sounds like you’re after the same as I am, only in different words.”

“I don’t seek divinity.” To’Wrathh said. “You still have not defined your purpose here.”

To’Sefit waved a hand, “You started as a spider, and became a Feather. And now as a Feather, where will you go next? Transcendence has many definitions. Perhaps the steps you take might make you reconsider that definition a few times as you reach each peak. As for why I’m here, I’m sure you can take a guess.” She said, waving a hand around the destruction. “Who else do you know nearby that would cause such destruction? None of this was mite made.”

“To’Aacar?”

To’Sefit nodded. “Yep, that would be it. A second generation Feather as well. Rarely you see one of their kind running around. They’re famously reclusive, you know? This is likely where he fought his last, I suspect. The lady sent two others and myself out to investigate what happened to him.”

No other reports or nearby sensors had detected the approach of two other feathers. Or any lessers assigned under her command? The Feather seemed to have come completely alone. “Where are your companions?” To’Wrathh asked.

“Splitting up to get things moving faster, naturally. While our assigned leader investigates reports and logs in the archives, I’ve been ordered to get first hand visuals and report those back to him. Tedious, can’t be helped.” She shrugged, eyes closing as she shook her head. “Every now and then, this older sister has to get her hands dirty. Such is the way, I’m sure you understand.”

“Alone?”

To’Sefit laughed, “Why, are you worried about me, little sister? Don’t worry, I am quite confident in my abilities.” She gave a wink, then leaned forward, as if whispering conspiracy in her ear. “Secretly, I’m hoping our little feather killer shows up to pick a fight with me. All alone out here, don’t I make for a tempting target, hmm? Would get everything sorted out faster. Deathless have been reckless occasionally. Who knows, I might get lucky and eliminate this thorn in our side without any more effort.”

“I am not worried about your status, elder sister. Only ask to know the status of the investigation.” To’Wrathh said, carefully. “Where is your third in this case?”

To this, To’Sefit laughed like a chiming bell, standing back up from To’Wrathh’s ear. “Sleeping away until called on, as he always does. I happen to know him quite well. He’s quite lazy. An odd trait for a Feather, however the results he delivers can't be questioned.”

“I assume that means you don’t know your leader as much?” To’Wrathh asked.

To’Sefit didn’t answer, instead a hand reached out to rub To’Wrathh’s head. “So many questions. What an inquisitive little thing you are, how delightful. Did you care that much for your mentor?” Her eyes flashed brighter for a moment. “My, my. You didn’t, did you?” She hummed while To’Wrathh froze up, not knowing how this Feather was extracting so much information out of her by simply looking and rubbing the top of her hair. No data breach or any kind of cyber attack was noted. “Did you like him even a little? ...Ahhh, a strike a miss there, clearly. Nervous about something?”To’Sefit laughed as if she could see the thoughts going through To’Wrathh’s mind, while the Feather tried to figure out exactly how she was being read so easily. “What could you be nervous about? Your elder sister is here to handle everything now. Don’t worry.” To’Sefit hummed, hand retreating back, a finger now tapping her chin in thought. “Afraid for yourself then? ...No, looks like I missed that guess. Are you nervous I’ll break something in your domain, perhaps? Oh, much closer that one. Let’s see… Afraid I’ll step into that little city of yours and mess around with your pets perhaps?” Her eyes widened, “My, my, my, seems I hit a nerve. Attached to those pets? How eccentric of you.”

“I prefer them to be labeled by their correct designation. They are test subjects, not pets.” To’Wrathh hastily said, deciding to completely turn off all subroutines controlling her features. She needed to stay in character. If To’Sefit had the same sadistic tendencies as other Feathers under that smiling face, any weakness would be noted and abused. She hated trying to command her facial details manually. The result always looked stilted and completely off. There was no choice right now.

To’Sefit tutted, head shaking slightly in disappointment as To’Wrathh’s face fell into a neutral position devoid of any life. “That’s no fun,” She said, hands reaching out to pinch To’Wrathh’s frozen features. To’Sefit tugged a few times. “Did this elder sister here scare you off with all my questions? Hmm?”

There was something off about this Feather, despite her current friendly demeanor. To’Sefit felt like a predator hiding under the water, waiting for prey to pass by, eyes just slightly above the waterline, ever watching.

Danger seemed to push down on To’Wrathh’s shoulders, like an oppressive blanket.

The longer she stayed here, the more chances there was to give To’Sefit details she couldn’t afford. That feather clearly had means to extract information from her by simply talking.

She made a choice to extract herself as quickly as possible once she got the current status of the investigation.

“We can discuss at the conclusion of the current investigation. I request access to what your team has currently discovered.” To’Wrathh asked, trying to move the conversation away. “I would like to assist the investigation in order to close it. I have work I am attending to.”

“No need to rush. We have plenty of time. If that Deathless didn’t pounce on little old me standing alone and defenceless on this field for the past half hour, I don’t think they’ll be coming out at all. It’s clear to me that whatever came after your mentor, it was personal and the Deathless must have been left only limping after the fight.”

“Why this conclusion?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” She said, chuckling. “You are still only a few months old. Hardly have any fractals picked out, a newborn. No matter how cute you are, the world will gobble you right up if it can.” Her hand blurred forward and flicked To’Wrathh’s nose. “Boop. Just like that. Whatever could kill To’Aacar, why, that could easily rip you to pieces. Since you’re still in one piece with a city of defenseless humans nearby under your command, I think that points in a certain direction, don’t you think? Deathless are many things, but one thing they all have in common: They are drawn to causes like flies to honey. Put humans in danger and you’ll find one of their kind coming by soon enough to try and save those bags of meat. That this Feather-killer hasn’t come after you yet means they were either killed in the crossfire or still limping around. Given To’Aacar’s shell isn’t anywhere I looked, I think they only barely managed to live through the fight to drag your mentor’s shell away. So, we have a rogue Deathless licking their wounds hiding around somewhere in these cliffs, holding a Feather’s soul in stasis, biding their time before coming after your city. Or perhaps, hiding inside your city itself even.”

To’Sefit turned her gaze back onto To’Wrathh. “What can you tell me of your mentor and operations? Perhaps we can find some more clues there. Your mentor hasn’t done a good job with his logs. Too many holes everywhere, it’s quite troublesome.”

Of course he hadn’t. To’Wrathh had gone a long way to eliminate and obfuscate To’Aacar’s logs. “He considered me a liability and refused to cooperate with most of my plans, choosing to separate our tasks instead of working together.” She said. That part was true. “Anything he did was isolated from me. I do not know what happened to him, however I completed the mission without issue after his disappearance.”

To’Sefit hummed, not reacting to the lie. “That’s no way to mentor. What an awful older brother, I would have expected better from the esteemed second generation if they were given direct order from the Lady. I suppose it does fit their type, they never like to work with us newer models, you see.” To'Sefit laughed aloud.

To’Wrathh said nothing, to which the other Feather took the wrong meaning from. “Don’t worry. We’ll find out what happened to him sooner or later.” To’Sefit smiled. “This older sister of yours is more reliable than that mentor of yours. In fact, I don’t believe your mentor taught you anything at all with that kind of attitude, did he?” Those eyes flashed again, and the Feather’s smile deepened. “I see he didn’t. I suppose I should make up for his absence. You are far too adorable to be left out alone out here.”

“...What do you mean?” To’Wrathh asked, dreading the answer.

“I’ll take you under my wing and teach you how to be a proper Feather. You’re but a few months old, someone had to teach you the right ways. Or else the world will gobble you up like it did To’Aacar.” The hand reached out again and rubbed To’Wrathh’s head, fingers digging into her hair, almost affectionately. “Look at you, experimenting on silly humans instead of sharpening your teeth on proper targets like Deathless. Leave those pickings for the lessers. We hunt more worthwhile prey.”

That predatory smile never left To’Sefit. “And speaking of, I don’t think I’ll learn much more out here. Show me that city of yours. Let’s see what you’ve been hunched over all this time since.”

The world slowed for a moment as To’Wrathh turned on part of her combat systems. She needed to think. To’Sefit was clearly going to find out her betrayal almost immediately the moment she tapped into the local Undersider city’s recordings or security camera logs. She’d discover no experiments were being done, that the humans were left to their own devices. She’ll find the evacuation plans.

To’Wrathh could not allow To’Sefit to take a single step inside her city. However, the moment she became defensive about it, the Feather would start to suspect. But something had to be done to bar her passage.

An excuse?

No, that wouldn’t work. There’s only one option that would distract a Feather. And she had come equipped for such an eventuality.

“Elder sister, you spoke earlier about a possible spar.” To’Wrathh asked, reaching.

To’Sefit laughed, waving a hand. “Oh relax, I wasn’t serious. How could I be? I don’t do silly things like fighting my targets. I eliminate them. There’s a world of difference there.”

“What do you mean?” To’Wrathh asked, feeling nervous at her elder sister’s utter confidence. Then again, To’Aacar had also been just as confident and he’d ended up destroyed.

To’Sefit hummed. “Feathers specialize in roles. Usually after a decade you’ll know what fits you best. I can help you discover where your talents lie. Your mentor, for example, was a front line support assassin. Specializing in hunting down fleeing targets, as far as I’ve seen his file. In a fight, his type would take point and handle the distractions at the start, such as human allies the Deathless fight with. Mobility would keep him alive during the fight, and once the Deathless are scattered, wounded and running, he’ll chase them down. Like most of the second generation, they seem tailor built as single-target eliminators. He would be the kind that would give you a fight-fight. My role is different. I am the long range damage, built to crush things like cities and groups of Deathless.”

“A long range siege engine?” To’Wrathh asked, feeling optimistic. She could take on something like this.

To’Sefit laughed. “Yes, exactly that. This is why I say I don’t fight. If I have a clean shot on something, it’s no longer something.”

To’Wrathh considered all her possible choices. But the result returned again and again to only one option. She had to eliminate To’Sefit’s shell in such a way that no suspicion would be raised.

So completely and utterly that the Feather would require time to rebuild. Time she could use to evacuate the city.

If To’Sefit was built to destroy things from ranged, then against a melee oriented fighter with To’Wrathh’s speed, there was a way to win that spar and ‘accidentally’ deal too much damage to To’Sefit’s shell.

To’Wrathh had brought Keith’s new and upgraded weapons to bear with her. She had all the training of Tenisent. And she had all the experience of fighting opponents like Kidra and To’Aacar.

Could she do this?

No. That wasn’t the right way to think of it.

She had to. Failure was not an option.

“I am the one who remembers and transcends her history.” To’Wrathh said. “You said before that transcendence had many definitions. This is one of them. I must overcome challenges I could not before.”

To’Sefit laughed. “I won’t deny you, of course. What kind of mentor would I be if I did? But it won’t be a spar, my cute little fledgling. It will be a lesson instead. Don’t worry, once we’re done, I’ll keep a watch over that city of yours while your shell is rebuilt.”

Next chapter - Returning home