Bach had always considered himself to be unremarkable, but in the present moment, he truly believed that he was out of his depth. He stood a bit away from the table, eyes shifting between the side of the table where Pendrick sat and the opposite side where Frid sat uncomfortably with the woman next to him. The two men looked tense, which did very little to help his nerves.
"Bach Strickland," Minerva suddenly called out, causing the man to jump in surprise. "Pendrick Dorn, and Gewalt... but your real name is Frid."
The three men, aside from Bach, barely concealed their discomfort. It wasn't that she just knew their names—even Bach's last name and Frid's real name—but that she seemed overly familiar and the air around her unusual.
"...It's not too surprising that you know us," Frid said, playing it cool. "But what do you mean you were waiting for us?"
Minerva smiled.
"You're wrong," she said, not answering his question. "And you're asking the wrong question."
Frid's eyebrow rose. "I'm wrong?"
A light, airy laughter filled the room as the absurdly beautiful and elegant woman wiped a tear from her eyes.
"Sorry, I forget it's your first time meeting one," she explained, calming down. "A seer that is."
Pendrick's eyes widened. 'Shit!'
Minerva smiled at him, shaking her head.
"Don't worry," she said reassuringly. "I'm not from the Sanctalugia."
Against his will, a sigh of relief escaped Pendrick's lips. He caught sight of Frid's eyes, questioning him about the exchange. He shook his head and mouthed a "later", receiving a nod in return.
"While that does reduce my questions, I'm still confused as to why a seer would be all the way out here in a low-tier Haven."
Minerva hummed playfully. "Lukaria is a much more important place than you think."
"But to be fully frank, like I said earlier, I was waiting for you." She leaned back into the chair, playing with her silky hair with her fingers. "This meeting—as a start—and all the other ones to come."
Pendrick gauged her responses and reactions before pausing and cursing himself mentally. He reminded himself that he shouldn't get caught up in her tempo. He had simply believed her claim of being a seer, but hadn't received any proof. Someone like him had to keep doubting; it was how he had survived for so long.
Minerva stopped smiling for the first time. She focused on Pendrick. The visitors felt unease at the gaze, the blond man especially, as he stared back at her. It looked as if she was looking into his core and beyond.
"Earlier, dear Frid here said that it wasn't surprising that I knew you," she spoke, not looking away from him. "I told him he was wrong because he assumed that I knew each of you for your fame or infamy."
"Pendrick Dorn. Hurry up, or Alicia will be gone." Pendrick shot up, eyes wide, and his chest heaving.
"Bach Strickland. The tragedy of your family plagues you. Take note of what you currently possess before it is too late." Bach's mood turned grim.
She turned to Frid briefly, frowning, then looking away.
"I'm sorry."
Frid looked around at everyone, agitated at his ignorance as to what was even happening. He prepared to voice his frustrations, but was beaten to it by Pendrick.
"Okay, you're a seer," he said, his breathing laboured. "I won't doubt you anymore."
"Good." Minerva smiled. "You want my assistance with your escape plot. I'll help free of charge, for now."
Pendrick's eyes narrowed.
"...What will you ask for later?"
"I don't know yet," she replied casually. "There's nothing worthwhile from what I've seen so far."
She looked up at Helis, musing while humming to herself.
"Like I said earlier, we'll meet many more times after this, so I'll tell you whenever it comes to me."
Pendrick swallowed, unhappy with how this meeting had been turned around against him. The only consolation was that they achieved what they had set out to do despite having to deal with this serpent.
"If that's everything, we'll be going now." Pendrick stood up, pushing the chair back in the process.
Helis stepped around the table threateningly, almost as if telling the blond to sit back down.
"I believe you intended to use this room a little longer," Minerva said. "Feel free. But I would like to have a talk with Frid here."
The helmet wearer's eyes narrowed, his gaze shifted toward Pendrick, who seemed to think it was a bad idea to stay any longer, much less to entertain the woman further.
He stood and walked around the table to stand in front of the hulk of a man.
"Take it easy, Rick," he said, squaring off confidently against Helis. "I've got this."
Helis looked back at his mistress for his orders. When she shook her head, he stood down, turning and walking over to open the door.
Minerva moved from her chair, steadily making her way outside. She turned as she stepped just outside the door frame.
"Let's go now, dear Frid."
Frid shuddered at how she addressed him. He didn't like it, and he found her to be a type of odd he didn't particularly enjoy. Turning back to his companions, he gave a mock two-finger salute.
"I'll be back," he said resolutely. "You guys go on with whatever you have to do."
Pendrick and Bach watched his retreating back move further and further away before the door slowly shut behind him.
The blond slumped into his chair. He had to rapidly reevaluate the situation and their plans now. To him, the seer was a useful ally, especially since she was open to helping. The issues were that debt she would have hanging over them and her character. She was unreadable and tried excessively to appear kind and gentle, but it felt off. Something told him that the favour she would eventually call in would cost them more than they were willing to give.
"Pendrick..."
Green eyes turned to look at their owner's sheep-like associate. His train of thought was promptly brought to a pause for the time being.
"Ah... right," Pendrick said, still kind of out of it. "I have to catch you up to speed still..."
Bach looked at the door and then back to the other man.
"It's okay, you can always tell me later."
Pendrick sighed, sitting straight and motioning for Bach to fill the seat Frid had been in.
"I can't tell you later," he said. "That reckless guy of all people told me to consider everywhere unsafe to speak."
"Something about a guy working for Fernand."
A look of understanding flashed across Bach's face.
"Simon."
"You know him, too?" Pendrick's brow raised in surprise.
Bach fought back the stress building in his system and the memories that accompanied it. He was now aware that the goal was escape, and since they clued him in on it, it meant they had already involved him. He didn't mind. He was meek, but he wasn't willing to stay a slave forever. The obstacles, however, brought the dream back to the ground.
'Is it even possible?'
"We can be free." Pendrick looked at a humming, black stone that stuck out from above the door. Bach looked perturbed, wondering if he could read minds.
"I can't read your mind," Pendrick cut his thoughts short. "I'm not like that creepy woman. You're just obvious."
The blond almost regretted making the comment about the seer when he remembered she could likely see this moment, but then decided he didn't care.
"You see that stone?"
Bach turned to look toward the door behind him.
"I noticed since we first got in here," he replied. "What about it?"
"It's a Hazestone. Simply put, it's a rock that has been steeping in the Haze for an extremely long time."
The sheepish man looked back once again, making a reassessment of what he had assumed to be just an ordinary clump of dirt.
"So what does it do?"
"It lets loose a watered-down version of the Haze in the room."
Bach jumped up, grabbing Pendrick by the collar and shaking him violently.
"And you just let us sit in here all this time?!"
Pendrick did nothing to free himself from the man's grasp, continuing to speak even while being rattled around.
"Relax," he spoke, voice vibrating from the motion. "It doesn't possess any of the harmful aspects."
Bach stopped, scratching his head, still uncertain.
"It's used for something entirely different," Pendrick said, a smirk forming. "Try using your Gift."
The scrunched-up hand stopped in the middle of the cloud of black hair. He looked at his friend, blinking.
"To do what?"
"Anything, you idiot!" Pendrick snapped. "Just use it."
Bach flinched and then turned his focus inward. He tried to think up an image in his mind. Sensing the blond's ire even with his eyes closed, he settled on picturing his old family dog. Maintaining the visual, he started trying to activate his power. He felt the familiar rush of something in his chest, pulsing out like a heartbeat separate from his own, then his eyes snapped open.
Nothing.
"...What's going on?"
He looked at Pendrick, who had a satisfied look on his face.
"They say that in the Haze, Gifts stop working," Pendrick explained. "This isn't exactly that, but apparently Hazestone distorts a Gifted's abilities, creating a similar effect."
"In here, we have the extra protection of avoiding any unforeseen incidents."
Bach looked at the rock, almost in awe.
"This must be how they fight against the Gifted out there in the frontiers."
"I heard it doesn't work like that," Pendrick replied absentmindedly, crushing the man's excitement. "I was hoping it would remove the slave seal since it's the result of a Gift..."
He drummed his fingers against the table, appearing to be deep in thought.
"We'll have to count on Balroc finding a solution for us after all." Pendrick snapped back to attention. "When we leave, use your ability on us. We have somewhere else to be that I didn't tell Fernand about."
'While we're at it, I should look into seers.' A scowl formed on the blond's face. 'I don't like that she can peer at us any time she wants.'
"Will you clue me in on where we're going this time?" Bach asked despite already expecting an unfavourable response.
The door opened again just then, Frid walking back in silently.
Pendrick's eyes followed the man as he moved to sit beside him.
"It's a surprise. You'll have fun," He answered Bach quickly, then turned fully to Frid and crossed his arms. "You good?"
Frid let out a hollow laugh, exactly like in the slave chambers when this all began.
He looked Pendrick dead in the eyes and spoke.
"Rick..." He started, voice uneven. "We just shook hands with a demon."
Pendrick Dorn had gambled everything, including his life, multiple times over. Those words, coming from someone he knew to be a monster of a man, triggered feelings he had never felt before. He felt his body flush with an otherworldly unease. Revisiting all the obstacles that faced them— new and old—in his mind, he stood up slowly.
"Fucking hell..." he muttered under his breath. "We don't have the luxury to sit around. Let's go."
Pendrick recalled that nothing ever came easy, especially not for him. He decided that if the world applied more pressure, then he would push back harder. He would not end here.
That change in mindset would be the first domino to fall, leading to great turmoil.