Dr Elias stood calmly in the centre of the room, his hands clasped behind his back as though he were waiting for a guest rather than standing inside his own ruined laboratory.
The room looked nothing like it had when Kaela first entered. Broken equipment littered the floor, overturned workstations blocked several paths, and shattered glass covered the tiles. Smoke drifted from damaged security systems, while one of the automated turrets hung uselessly from the ceiling by a bundle of wires.
Kaela barely noticed.
She stopped a few metres away and glanced around.
"So, where's your monster storage?"
Her eyes moved across the laboratory.
"I'm sure you've got some living monsters around here."
Elias smiled.
"I do."
Kaela sighed.
"But you're not just going to hand them over, are you?"
Elias shook his head.
"No."
Kaela rolled her eyes.
"Of course not."
"You'll have to beat me first."
Kaela stared at him before laughing.
"You're not even a Titled."
Elias's smile widened.
