Chapter 41:

  An Annoying Inconvenience

  (Lucas's POV)

  Azure's training was coming along more than I had first anticipated. After Elizabeth had left for an emergency Gate Break, Maya had been put in charge of keeping up with his training. Azure reared up as I watched, a dark light of violet and blue hues sparkling to life within his gullet. Shortly after, his head short forward, sending what looked like a shooting star out of his mouth towards Maya.

  It looked like a condensed crystal containing the light of a star. Behind it trailed a comets tail that sparkled with various hues of light. Maya was calm and collected as it streaked towards her. She held a simple dagger in her hand, elegant in design but nothing too fancy. She barely moved as her bde connected with the star, a glint of light ter and it was sent off course, exploding off to the side as it nded in the dirt of the garden.

  All of this happened in a fraction of a second before one after another, Azure shot these shooting stars at Maya, only for them to be casually cast aside. Maya slowly walked towards Azure who was becoming desperate. They had started at about a hundred feet apart, but now...

  Maya's dagger tapped Azure on the top of the head as he stood exhausted and panting.

  "You're dead," Maya stated nonchantly, Azure drooping his ears in disappointment; Maya knelt down before him, pcing her hand on his head, "Don't be too disheartened. You kept it up until the end. An improvement for sure."

  Azure perked up slightly, though still looked absolutely drained. Maya gnced towards me, turning her head with that impassive expression.

  "What do you think, Sir?" she inquired, "It's an improvement from two days ago, yes?"

  "...It is," I nodded in agreement, slightly hesitant.

  She wasn't wrong. When they started training Azure's abilities, he could barely st a few seconds. Becoming exhausted after just a few uses of what I simply called [Star Shot]. It wasn't the most creative of names, but it was on point for what the skill looked like. Sometimes, simplicity was best. Azure seemed to like the name, so it kind of stuck.

  "What's wrong?" Maya asked, tilting her head curiously, "You don't seem convinced. Perhaps I should increase Azure's training..."

  She pced a contemptive finger to her chin while Azure looked at her warily, a slow dread crossing his face.

  "As I figured, a few hours isn't enough," Maya mumbled thoughtfully to herself, Azure defting before my very eyes, "Perhaps-"

  "N-No, Maya..." I interrupted with a nervous chuckle, "That's not why I hesitated. It's just...the garden's fucked."

  I motioned around to the pces where every single star had exploded into cosmic energy. Little craters were everywhere. Many of the pnts were hanging on for dear life. It looked like a war zone in here.

  Maya's eyes went wide and a slight blush entered her face as she realized the damage. She had been so in the zone with training Azure, that she hadn't realized the effects it had on their surroundings. The moment she did, her professional facade dropped, and she became rather bashful. "Cute..." I thought, chuckling to myself.

  What made this more amusing was the fact she had been careful to never send the stars my way...and so it looked like I was sitting upon a pristine isnd in a sea of devastation.

  "I'm sorry, Sir..." she cleared her throat, standing as she pced the dagger in her inventory, "I was careless. I-"

  "Rex," I held my hand up reassuringly, "It's fine. Though, I have no idea how we're going to fix this..."

  I knew nothing about ndscaping, let alone how they got a garden in a penthouse with real earth. Maybe some kind of dungeon technology? I knew that people had gardens in their homes before the gates appeared, but...I admit, I didn't know much about architecture or what was and wasn't possible.

  "Someone from Aegis will fix it," Maya told me, standing as she looked around and assessed the damage, "I should have been more careful."

  "Maya, come on..." I said gently, smiling comfortingly, "Don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing fine. Though, we should probably find a better pce to train Azure if he's going to start using abilities like this."

  Maya gave a small, appreciative smile as she nodded.

  "I agree," she began walked over towards the table where I sat, "I'll requisition a training room at the Association. They're used to train Pyers of all ranks, so it should work for our needs."

  "That sounds perfect, Maya," my smile deepened as I reached for a water bottle and offered it to her, "Thirsty?"

  She looked at it for a brief moment before taking it from me carefully. I swore I saw something glint across her eyes for a brief moment, but I couldn't quite pce it. She was being gentler than normal. Was she being...shy?

  "Thank you, Luke..." she spoke so softly that I barely heard her, "Do you mind if I share with Azure? He's worked hard."

  "Not at all," I answered, watching her as she produced a bowl and began pouring water for Azure to drink who began to p it up insatiably.

  There was a softness to Maya as she took care of Azure. I admired how she could be so strict, and yet so kind with him. Lately, I've felt like she changed somehow. Even when she used honorifics, I found myself not minding it as much. It felt less...stiff.

  I found myself staring for too long, watching her pet Azure as he continued to drink the water. So much so, that I found myself embarrassed with how much I was staring. Clearing my throat, I reached for the sandwiches that Maya had prepared earlier. Perfectly preserved in pstic wrap.

  "Hungry, Azure?" I asked, his head shooting up with focused intent, "I take that as a yes."

  I ughed, taking the sandwich out and offering it to him. He bounded quickly over, taking it carefully from my hand before absolutely destroying it. He then looked at me expectantly, wanting more. I couldn't help but ugh again.

  "You're incorrigible," I teased, taking another one for him to eat.

  "Those were for you, Sir," Maya admonished half-heartedly, "Azure has his own food."

  I grew a little bashful, gncing over at her with a shrug.

  "I'm not really that hungry," I assured her, though my stomach immediately betrayed me as it gurgled, and my face immediately turned red, "Listen! He deserves to eat a lot after working so hard!"

  Maya scoffed, stifling a ugh. It was a truly pleasant sound as she simply shook her head.

  "You're incorrigible, Luke," she stated softly, making me feel even more embarrassed, "Alright, come on. I'll make everyone some food."

  I nodded, feeling a little silly as I followed after her. Azure bounded along happily, flying by my side. Moments like these were nice. It helped me forget Elizabeth's absence, though not completely. As I walked towards the kitchen, I gazed out of the windows we passed by to the city outside.

  I wondered how she was doing. Like Maya said, it had been two days since she left. Soon to be three. The only thing I knew was what Maya had told me. She was somewhere in the Atntic.

  I shivered as I thought about it. I wasn't a huge fan of any deep water. The thought of being stranded out in the middle of nowhere, with no nd in sight, and god knows what beneath your feet...nope. No thanks.

  To think that Elizabeth was able to go there with absolutely no problems...but then again, she was a Pyer. Especially her. It must be a walk in the park to go to somewhere as terrifying as the ocean. Heights and deep water...hell, even rivers and kes. Just, nope.

  "Have you heard from Ellie, Maya?" I asked quietly as we walked.

  "Only that she entered the gate," she answered, gncing back at me, "Are you worried? You know how foolish that is."

  "...Shut up," I grumbled, pyfully sulking, "So what if I'm worried?"

  "I meant no offense, Sir," she replied, though I saw the corner of her mouth curl up in amusement, "Being worried is natural for those you care about. Isn't that what you say, Sir?"

  "...Yeah," I nodded, sighing as I caught up with her, beginning to walk by her side, "You worry about your sister, don't you?"

  She was silent for a moment before nodding.

  "I do, though..." she looked away for a moment, contempting something before continuing, "She's not the only one I worry about. El is my best friend, and while I know her capabilities, I do worry for her, though for other reasons."

  I think I understood what she meant. I was worried for her safety, but...I also worried for her in general. She has been through so much. A regressor's life wasn't easy.

  "She has a lot on her shoulders..." I muttered, and Maya nodded in agreement, "Though, her safety is important to me. I know she's strong, but-"

  It was at that point I felt a gentle nudge from Maya. Looking at her with curious surprise, I found my heart stopped in my chest. She was smiling, but not just any smile that I've seen so far, but...one that filled me with reassurance and confidence.

  "You don't need to apologize for worrying," she told me, "I was only teasing. El would be delighted to know how much you care. She'll be fine. Though, if you really want to help her ease some of that burden..."

  I began listening closely as she began listing off several nefariously good ideas. It was almost like she had some kind of vendetta against Elizabeth, but in the best of ways. After all, I never saw such devilish delight in Maya's eyes before. All of these ideas I knew would fluster Elizabeth to no end, and whether or not Maya had ulterior motives...I was more than happy to go along with them.

  After all, Elizabeth simply said no secret dangerous pns like jumping off of the balcony. She said nothing about non-dangerous secret pns. Though, when it came to flustering Elizabeth, I don't recall a time when I wasn't in danger. From her, that was, and it was a risk I was willing to take.

  Together with Maya, we began to come up with several pns to help ease Elizabeth's mind, and for a brief while, help her forget the weight of the world upon her shoulders.

  -----

  (Elizabeth's POV, Two Days Earlier)

  Elizabeth arrived over the Atntic Ocean shortly after leaving City W. A structure much like an oil rig, but much rger and more sturdily built, greeted her as she came into view of the area. The symbol of Wild Guard and the NUN embzoned upon its grey-steel structure. Elizabeth spotted a pce to nd by a helipad that was currently unused, and waiting for her upon a few crates nearby was Ailyah.

  Elizabeth smirked, gd to see Ailyah looking rather unbothered. She was eating some cream puffs, one of her favorite snacks, while kicking her feet as she waited. As soon as Elizabeth nded, Ailyah perked up, eyes glittering with delight as she offered one of her treats to Elizabeth.

  "Hey, Captain, welcome aboard USS Fuck This Shit," she joked, "Want one?"

  Elizabeth chuckled, shaking her head in amusement before nodding.

  "Yeah, sure," she replied, taking one of the fluffy pastries, "Has NUN given you any problems?"

  Elizabeth took the pastry into her mouth in one bite, savoring the sweet fvor. Ailyah sighed at the question, rolling her eyes as she also ate another one. As soon as she swallowed, she answered.

  "Do I even need to answer that?" Ailyah inquired, shaking her head, "Of course they have. Demanding that I go immediately to take care of the Kraken. Saying that they can't allow any more ships through the area until I do."

  Elizabeth shifted her weight, feeling annoyed as she looked around the Bastion. That's what structures like these were called. Defensive structures built to monitor and defend against any Gates and Wild Zones in particurly difficult areas to contain. It was like a fortress at sea and delved down into the deep. This particur Bastion was named Bravo Point.

  Bastions were sturdily made from a mix of materials from dungeons and what could be found on Earth. Usually stone reinforced with metals to help protect against erosion and decay, as well as the more angrier parts of ocean life such as storms and the occasional mutated wildlife. There were times that the influence of the Gates changed the animals even outside of Wild Zones.

  "Of course..." Ailyah shrugged, popping another pastry and finishing it before continuing, not at all looking bothered, "I told them I had to wait for you."

  "Heh, and how did that go over?" Elizabeth scoffed, already knowing the answer, "Any of them piss themselves?"

  "Damn near," Ailyah looked pleased, "The moment I mentioned The Hades was on their way, they cmmed up. It's like they forgot they called you."

  "I'm sure that didn't stop the looks, though," Elizabeth said off-handedly.

  "Their eyes are greedy as always," Ailyah answered with a nod of confirmation, "They were spouting about how the Association owed them compensation for the lost ships until your name was brought up. Then they went surprisingly quiet, but I can tell they haven't dropped it."

  "It's always the same..." Elizabeth muttered with a shake of her head in disappointed annoyance, "Well, let's get this over with. Who else is here?"

  "From Zero Squad? Just me," she answered as they began to walk together further into the Bastion, "Several A-Ranks from Aegis have been containing the area, with B-Ranks helping coordinate efforts with Wild Guard."

  "Any S-Ranks?" Elizabeth asked, but Ailyah shook her head, "So, it's just you then. That's more than enough, but what of Wild Guard? Any movement?"

  "None," Ailyah told her, which was relieving to hear, "They've been incredibly cooperative, and are about as annoyed as we are with the NUN. They've helped secure the area and keep the Kraken from leaving, but it's straining them."

  "I could imagine," Elizabeth thought to the ranks of those that should have been stationed in this area, "They only had one S-Rank. Have you heard from them?"

  Ailyah went silent, causing Elizabeth's gaze to darken.

  "Are they alive?" she asked grimly.

  "...Barely," Ailyah replied quietly, "I was told they were the one who single-handedly held the Kraken back when it first appeared, but after NUN refused to request help immediately...well, you can imagine."

  "Yeah, I can," Elizabeth practically growled, her eyes flickering with an inner rage.

  The S-Rank in this area that was a part of Wild Guard was known as Vincent the Lightspear. If Lucas were to expin what they were closest to in terms of css, it would be a Padin, on account of using Holy and Lightning magic usually channeled through their spear. Though, he might also argue that they were a Spellbde. They also had a few support abilities to help them fight at sea, such as [Take Flight], which granted several people within a radius of them when it was cast the ability to fly.

  It was very useful when traversing such an open area with no nd. However, if they were out of commission for the moment, then it meant that efforts to secure the rge area of ocean would be incredibly strenuous for Wild Guard. Probably exactly how the NUN wanted it. Just another excuse for them to call Pyers useless and incompetent in order to coerce more compensation.

  "...Give me a reason not to kill them," Elizabeth muttered angrily, feeling murderous.

  Even though Ailyah agreed with her, she was wary of Elizabeth. Feeling her bloodlust from this close was intense, a slight fear glinting in Ailyah's otherwise usually serene gaze.

  "Well...as much as I'd love to see that..." Ailyah cleared her throat to compose herself, "You know as well as the backsh which would happen if you do."

  Elizabeth's mind fshed with a decration of war against the Pyers. Rallying behind the cry that Pyers were overextending their power and acting as dictators who were uncontrolled. Elizabeth couldn't completely deny this, and the world turned on them in a single night. The fmes of war ravaged the world. It didn't take the Gates or the monsters to destroy them...it was themselves.

  By the time the Pyers had completely neutralized the threat of the supposed "government", they were severely weakened and unable to handle the Critical Dungeons when it came time. Lucas's bloodied face, covered in ash and dust, stared bnkly up at her when the hostility ended...he had stood by her even in the face of adversity, and paid the price with his life once more.

  Just another time she had failed, but...shaking her head free of the past, Elizabeth focused forward on the present and the future she wished to see. Despite the mistakes of the past, it wasn't a free pass for the NUN to walk all over them, but it was enough to stay her hand from tearing their hearts from their chests...for now.

  "Yeah, that did it. Thanks, Ailyah," Elizabeth let out a calming breath, though a heavy aura still hung in the air around her.

  It was more refined, her bloodlust now more focused on the task at hand. Anyone from Aegis and Wild Guard immediately moved out of her way, sensing the intensity of her focus. Ailyah visibly rexed, knowing that the worst had passed.

  "Yeah, of course," she replied, and though she was relieved, she chuckled nervously as if she had just dodged a major bullet, "Let's just see if that continues..."

  Elizabeth smirked, knowing what she was talking about. Anytime she had to talk with the representatives from the NUN, it was a shit show. They always acted like they were in charge, but honestly...they were nothing but figureheads. The NUN did have jurisdiction and power, but not as much as they procimed.

  The world had changed since even before the Gates appeared. Elizabeth only allowed such institutions to continue to exist in order to help control the popuce and ease their anxiety. To give them peace of mind and some sembnce of normalcy...it was time they remembered that.

  -----

  (Elizabeth's POV, Cont.)

  "...We understand, Miss Falcrest, but-" the man attempted to expin.

  Elizabeth stood across from a gathering of diplomats and a few higher ranked Wild Guard members. They sat among three tables arranged in a U shape, with the man who had been speaking at its center, farthest from the door. He was about in his mid to te thirties with dark hair and grey eyes. His skin was slightly tanned and he wore a suit with the official logo of NUN upon the pel. It was much like the old symbol, except it was now embzoned upon a shield with the acronym of the organization underneath.

  The man was the main representative of NUN for this particur Bastion, and also apparently the voice of NUN within this section of the Atntic.

  "Mr. Howard..." Elizabeth spoke quietly, though despite her ck of volume, it cut through his words with the underlying weight they held, "There is a delicate bance in this world. One that could crack at any moment. So tell me, why insist upon this?"

  Silence met her as no one deigned to answer her. Seeing this, she took this as a sign that she had their attention, as well as held a grip on the fear dwelling in their hearts. She would use that.

  "Greed, is the simple answer," she stated nonchantly, getting a few uncomfortable shifts from the diplomat, but she moved on, "Let me try another question...why did the satellite malfunction?"

  She didn't take her eyes off of him. They pierced into his very soul. She saw the flicker of his eyes as they danced between the other members of NUN, looking for a way out. The moment she entered the room, he had been making demands of Wild Guard, ciming that they owe them compensation for the sunken cargo ships. However, he quickly cmmed up in her presence.

  "There should have been a failsafe in the case of a malfunction," Elizabeth continued, pcing her hand upon the smooth wood of the table closest to her, "In fact, the moment anything interferes with it...it should have sent a report. May I see it?"

  She gnced around the room, waiting for someone to answer, but of course...no one did. In fact, they looked as if they had swallowed their tongues. She smiled with chilling sweetness.

  "No?" she feigned disappointment, beginning to walk the length of the table, her fingers gliding across its surface, "Well, that's strange. I was sure we designed them to do so. If I could see the logs, then? Perhaps I could...oh, you don't have those either?"

  The moment she mentioned that Aegis had created the satellites they used to help monitor the pnet for gates, the room became like a tomb. Deathly silent. It was almost amusing, if not for Elizabeth despising such petty disputes.

  "Strange indeed," Elizabeth sighed, pausing for a moment to tap her fingers in thought upon the table, "I guess I'll have to talk to our R&D department..."

  "Th-That's right!" one of the other members of NUN, a woman in her forties with wavy auburn hair and blue eyes, gathered the courage to finally speak up, "You created them, so it's not our fault that our systems...urk!"

  The woman shut her mouth almost immediately, but it was too te. The woman realized her mistake as Elizabeth's gaze fell upon her with devilish delight. Mr. Howard, full name Matthias Howard, closed his eyes as he pced his hand over his face, slumping back into his chair. He also realized the mistake that the woman had said.

  "Yes, your systems," Elizabeth stated coolly, "We created them together, did we not? We provided the materials, designs, and even enchantments. You, however, insisted that it was your software and programs installed into them. We warned against it, but you were adamant. Even so, the failsafes should have been in pce unless deactivated manually. Or...ignored."

  "Miss Falcrest, are you insisting that we..." Matthias began to spout indignantly before attempting to compose himself, quickly backpedaling, "It was a simple malfunction. Even the failsafe-"

  "-Should have warned you," Elizabeth repeated, finishing his sentence with the proper answer, "The moment anything happens to the satellite, failsafe or otherwise, a signal is immediately sent to the monitoring station. There is always a report. Every second on the second."

  "Tech malfunctions happen all the time," he insisted, swallowing hard, his stoic demeanor failing, "If the signal couldn't be sent because of interference, then-"

  "Was the interference magical in nature?" Elizabeth inquired, causing Matthias to look confused.

  "I don't..." his words trailed off, his gaze growing distant as something clicked in his mind, "No...the st report we got before it went offling was that space debris and some sort of energy pulse, like an EMP, went off. We believe it was a possible attack by the New-World supporters..."

  "So, it wasn't magical, and..." Elizabeth appraised him coldly, "You cim it was an attack by the New-World Movement. Yet, you also cim it was a malfunction. Which is it, Matthias?"

  She purposefully used his name in this instant. Using their fear, she had caught them in a lie, but honestly...it didn't matter to her. What mattered was getting them back on track. These pys for power were only distractions, and she'd allow nothing to distract from her goal.

  "In either case..." Elizabeth stated, continuing on, "When the Kraken appeared, satellite or not, you could have alerted us, but it took you...what? A week?"

  "That's..." Matthias was cornered and he knew it, having nothing to say.

  The New-World Movement, or simply New-World, was a group of extremists believing that the arrival of the Gates were a signal of change. They weren't exactly wrong, but their ideologies were rather extreme, and above all, a threat to Lucas's life. They were against closing the Gates and in fact embraced the creatures and abhorred the Wild Zones. They believed that the Earth should be free to evolve as it desires, and for the entire world to become a Wild Zone.

  In other words, they were a cult. One of the more prominent ones that still existed. They would be a convenient excuse if not for the holes in their story. They cim it was a malfunction, but might have been an attack. They waited longer than necessary to call for reinforcements. On top of that, New-World wouldn't have just disabled the satellite, but completely destroyed it if they wanted to stop it from monitoring the oceans...which would have easily alerted everyone to an attack, but the satellite was intact and now functioning properly.

  Elizabeth sighed inwardly, "Since when did politicians become so bad at lying? That's like...their entire job." She chuckled to herself, knowing that Lucas might have appreciated the joke, but the obvious had already been solved, and Matthias already knew it. There was another reason why their story didn't make sense.

  "Arcano-Tech," Elizabeth stated to everyone present, "That's what the satellites are. A simple EMP wouldn't knock it out, as magic doesn't work like that."

  Elizabeth continued to tap her fingers upon the desk when suddenly, the entire thing ignited in ghostly fmes along the path that her fingers had tread. The moment they flickered to life, the members of NUN all recoiled. Those from Wild Guard remained stoic, though appeared nervous for what might come next.

  "You can't even get your story straight," Elizabeth growled, the room darkening as a pressure began to build, "Lives are on the line, and you're pying petty with bme."

  With a flourish of her hand, all of the fmes surged towards her, swirling into a mesmerizing sphere that glowed with power. She willed it take form of something familiar to everyone, and soon, there was a floating replica of Earth, though made of an infernal fme. The room darkening as she did so.

  "There is a bance to this world..." Elizabeth expined once again, eyes flickering with the light of her fire, "One in which we must work together in order to achieve it. I suggest you remember one thing...without us you'd be at the mercy of what lies beyond."

  Elizabeth made sure her words were known, her thoughts turning towards Lucas, for it was his life that she thought of. The only life, to her, that mattered. Of course, there were a few that she'd be sad to see die...and she had grown found of Maya, but to her, everyone was just a pawn to ensure that Lucas survived and lived a happy life. That being said, should anything happen to her dearest friend, she might have to burn a few cities.

  "I am not ordering you to do anything," Elizabeth assured them, though the weight of her words was like a guillotine above their necks, "I'm just kindly reminding you of why the NUN exists, and why making it difficult for us to do our jobs is ill-advised."

  Elizabeth ensured that she had everyone's attention, the light of the fmes illuminating everyone in an ethereal light.

  "So I must ask you this..." Elizabeth finalized, holding the replica of Earth for them to see, "Will you strangle yourselves for hubris, or...remember your purpose?"

  With that, she crushed the sphere of fme depicting Earth in her hand, and the room's lighting returning to normal. There was a collective release of breath as one member of NUN, an older gentleman with the namepte "Liam Brandt" on the table before him. Gray hair and a weathered face, he looked to be the most reasonable among those gathered from NUN.

  "...We solemnly swear to pursue and uphold the wellbeing of our people," he muttered, remembering an oath he swore before taking office, "How does fighting amongst ourselves assure that we create a safe world in such a camitous times?"

  There was a murmur of agreement that ran through the congregation, causing Matthias to look disconcerted, but just like Liam, he regained a sense of himself that had been lost. A measure of decorum that bypassed all greed. Elizabeth could tell that no one here had made the call to ignore the signal from the satellite, and that it had been made from someone higher than them.

  "Because of our failure, many died that needn't have lost their lives," Liam continued to speak solemnly, "Speaker Matthias...Is this what NUN stands for?"

  Matthias grimaced under the older gentleman's words.

  "...No," he finally answered begrudgingly, "Miss Falcrest, we are in dire need of aid. I ask that you give us leniency. We were desperate, and-"

  "It is not me that you should ask leniency from," Elizabeth motioned with her eyes towards the Wild Guard members, "It was them you inconvenienced and put in harms way. They valiantly fought while you pyed your games. Vincent, your best chance at survival, was hospitalized and almost lost their life. You speak of compensation...what about theirs?"

  Matthias looked towards the Wild Guard members who were now giving their full attention, and under their gaze, Elizabeth saw a guilt wash over him. "Honestly, what did they hope to gain?" Elizabeth wondered, shaking her head disapprovingly to herself. It was obvious to deduce they had received a signal, but were given orders to ignore it.

  They then went on to bme the ensuing break on the Wild Guard, attempting to gain resources from the dungeon by pressuring the Pyers Association. However, Elizabeth has dealt with this too often in her past lives not to have been prepared for it in this one. She had made it harder for them to properly pce the bme on Pyers, and ensured that if they tried...they would also destroy themselves.

  Mutual destruction. If they pulled the cord...they'd strangle themselves with the backsh.

  "I'm...sorry for our negligence, we only wished to-" Matthias began, but before he could finish, a rge, muscur man stood from the Wild Guard's.

  "Hades is right," he spoke with a low rumble, "We must work together. Call your Sentinels. While Aegis takes care of the Kraken, along with the dungeon, we will secure the perimeter."

  "The Sentinels, huh?" Elizabeth found the concept amusing.

  They were a group specifically created by the NUN, made up of Pyers, to counter the growing influence of the Pyers Association. At least, that's what they had been before. In a few of Elizabeth's past lives, the Sentinels were the answer that the NUN had when it came to policing the world. They actively acted as a roadblock for much of what the Association could and couldn't do when it came to influencing the world.

  Of course, that was before the Association became what it was today. Now, in this life, the Sentinels were little more than a glorified private security force that protected the diplomats of the NUN from threats that regur security couldn't handle. They held no power over the Association, and any interference was seen as an active threat and decration of war. Something that the NUN didn't want, but it gave them at least some peace of mind, knowing that they had at least some buffer from the strength of the Association.

  Many of the Sentinels had been hired from guilds, forfeiting a lot of their privileges within the Association when they did. Meaning they had to conduct themselves in a stricter, and more reserved manner than ever before. By joining the Sentinels, however, they held stable jobs and earned quite a bit of prestige.

  It was all a farce, of course. Something that Elizabeth pnned in order to keep them out of her hair, all while ensuring that the NUN were still capable enough to deal with the every day trivialities of the world. If they felt safe, they would continue to work...and sometimes, they just needed that reminder.

  The reminder of just who keeps them safe, and if they really wanted to risk conflict. She'd have to find out who made the actual call, but that was for another day. The NUN weren't the only organizations she's had to deal with, but right now, she had something more important to take care of.

  "Of course, thank you," Matthias nodded to the rge man, "We'll call who we can. Miss Falcrest, if there's anything you need, please...Miss Falcrest?"

  Elizabeth was already walking from the room now that the issue had been solved. She had barely contained her bloodlust, wanting nothing more than to simply kill them for getting in her way over such petty discourse. Ailyah was following behind her, happily bounding along, practically thrumming with amusement.

  "You've caused enough trouble. All you need to do..." Elizabeth stated, gncing over her shoulder, eyes burning with an inner ghostly fme, "...Is stay out of my way."

  -----

  Nikushimi