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Days had passed since the team had returned from Yellowknife, and everyone had tried to return to life as normal for the time being. Lighris had gone back to his shop, reopening it for business and calling on a few clients he had left, explaining his sudden absence as a family emergency that had taken him away for a few days. Tsume was focused on helping Buniq settle in while getting back to her job at the Lo’Raven mansion.

But things had not gone back to normal for everyone. Vinge had been closed in his room for the past two days, stepping out only when he was called to dinner by Kyle or Avelyn. But otherwise, he had hardly come out, his beak buried in a certain book, and several papers spread out on the desk in front of him where he had been taking notes.

Though he took in the information within the book, the gears within his mind were thinking back to their encounter with Korban’s callous half-brother, Sash. The sergal had defeated all of them with relative ease; he had taken blows that would’ve killed or at least incapacitated lesser men. He commanded magical powers that exceeded even Kieran’s skill, and far more variety at his disposal than Korban.

All of this and more played through Vinge’s mind, corroborating with the information he took in from the book. His eyes darted across the pages of texts written thousands of years ago, and had been the foundation for modern tactics, conflict resolution and the fame of brilliant strategists across history, seeking a solution within the pages.

Then, his face lit up as the gears in his mind finally stopped, and he began to piece it all together… But there were still some things he needed in order to make the pieces fit.

“A.V.I,” Vinge called.

“Yes, master Glaseros?” The robotic voice replied.

“Are you able to access footage taken by the Blue Lightning armour?” he asked.

“I am able to access the footage. Would you like me to display it on the television in your room?”

“Yes, please. I wish to go over our battle with the sergal before; playback everything the armour recorded,” he requested.

The television switched on automatically, and the footage Vinge had requested began to play, from the moment Avelyn had first donned the armour to the ensuing battle. The ice phoenix focused intently on the sergal, watching his every move with studious intensity… He watched first the battle between Sash and Korban, feeling a pit in his stomach when the battle turned one-sided, and Korban was impaled upon his own sword.

“Playback, two minutes. Show that duel between those two again, reduce speed by ten percent,” he bade and watched the battle a second time, once again focused on Sash.

He voiced his next question to A.V.I. “By any chance, do you have the contact information for Korban himself?”

“I do. But I will need authorization before I can release personal information to you,” A.V.I. insisted. “I can contact him on your behalf, however.”

“Alright. I just need to reach him for some additional information soon,” he said before going back to watching the video again.

The footage, by now, had reached when the others had jumped in. Avelyn had taken to the air at this point, but she still had a clear view of the battle. He watched how Sash took hits from both Volcan and Buniq, giving their first indication of his constitution - besides the healing factor. He watched how Sash defended himself against Kieran, freed himself from Tsumé and utterly devastated Lighris with his speed. Once again he asked A.V.I to play back his attack in slow motion.

The onslaught Lighris endured had been blindingly fast; even the camera on the Blue Lightning could barely follow Sash’s movements. Every swing of the sergal’s blade had been carefully aimed to avoid vitals, incapacitating Lighris with a series of cuts that left the lightning phoenix out of commission. Certainly, the culmination of injuries might have killed Lighris regardless, but there was help readily available to prevent that.

“Was he just trying to make a point?” Vinge asked, thinking out loud.

Sash could have easily killed any of them. Yet, even when Volcan jumped in, striking him with his heavy blade and unleashing his fiery wrath upon him, the sergal never once went for a lethal blow… Except for with Korban himself. He had been the only one that Sash was interested in striking down; he cared nothing for the rest of them.

“Maybe I can use that,” he thought to himself, his eyes falling to the book still clutched in his hand, searching through the chapters until he found one he was looking for.

The gears in his mind, once again, began to turn…

“A.V.I,” began Vinge, not taking his eyes from the book. “Please contact Avogadro and let him know I’d like to talk to him when he is available. I may need his help. And, while you are at it, contact Korban as well. Let’s set a lunch date.”

“Master Avogadro is currently on the driveway with Master Darwinson and Miss Mondiale, testing a new weapon. I am unsure as to his itinerary; he does appear to be quite sporadic as of late,” the AI replied.

“I will go speak to him directly, then, thank you,” said Vinge, closing the book and setting it down on his dresser before he started walking to the door. “In the meantime, can you still contact Korban, and let him know I wish to see him at his earliest convenience?”

“Affirmative.”

With that, Vinge left the room, and made his way through the mansion, almost automatically as his mind continued to turn over the details within. There were still some gaps he needed filled, but he had a plan - a way to remove Sash from being a concern.

All he needed was a way to draw him in…

Outside the mansion, in the driveway, Kyle and Avory were studying the latter’s new prototype, and Tsumé stood nearby, watching. She had taken a break when she heard Avory had a new invention to test and wanted to see it for herself - though she had become wary of it when she discovered that it was built with the same kind of technology as the Disruptors.

“It should be fine, just so long as he doesn’t point it towards you, Tsu” Avory called over to his girlfriend after noticing her apprehension, “it’s fully enclosed.”

“I’ve been on the receiving end of that tech enough times, thank you,” she said, stubbornly. “Knowing you’ve now pioneered some way to turn it into a projection instead of an emitter, I’m staying well over here where that is not pointing my way.”

“Well hopefully we can use this to take down our foes without hurting you and our friends,” Avory insisted as he turned back to Kyle, adjusting the straps over him as he held the large device under his arm, slung over his shoulder like a minigun, “Comfy?”

Kyle took a moment to test the weight of the weapon, turning it over in his hands and turning his body with it to see how fast he could turn with it to respond to perceived threats. “It's a little bulkier than what I'm accustomed to, but I'll manage,” said Kyle, confidently.

“I've not been able to make the technology smaller yet but keep it's effectiveness. I am still working on it,” the inventor revealed. “Ready to give it a go?”

“Ready,” replied Kyle with a nod.

Down The driveway, a small wide contraption was set up in the distance. Small coloured gemstones glowed under each in the sunlight, assumed to be the different rums of mana, otherwise known as Phoenician Stones.

With a small device in his hand, Avory pressed a button, and a fountain of water shot into the air from the cradle, coming from the deep blue aqurum.

“There; try aiming at the base of the fountain,” Avory instructed.

Kyle angled the weapon, aiming as best as he could manage to where Avory had indicated. He took a deep breath to steady his aim and squeezed the trigger.

The whirring sound of the canon increased rapidly and grew in volume, but nothing came out. Behind the two though, Tsumé shuddered, feeling the effect of the disruptor from afar; it was a weaker sensation than the other times she had been subjected to field generated by P.A.C.E’s devilish devices, but she still recognized it.

“I don’t think it worked,” remarked Kyle, “I didn’t see anything happen…”

“You’re off target…” Avory commented, stepping forth and reaching around to the controls of the weapon, turning a dial that, with each click, turned on one of four laser sights positioned around the barrel of the canon, turning it further to light up the two horizontal and then the two vertical laser sights together before turning it all the way around so all four light up, giving Kyle a clear indication to where he was pointing it, and noticed that the four lights were just off to the side of the base of the fountain. “That should help…”

“Alright, let’s try this again then,” said Kyle, adjusting his aim until the lasers surrounded the intended target, steadying himself with another deep breath once more before he squeezed the trigger again…

The device whirred louder again but nothing appeared to come out; however the blue glow from the aqurum gemstone faded and the fountain stopped in an instant.

“There you go…” Avory commented with a smile.

“I see… So, it’s just focused radiation, not an energy beam - that’s why I couldn’t see it, since radiation doesn’t have a form, right?” Kyle asked, making sure he understood the weapon’s function.

“Radiation is just a method of transferring something. I assume you’re referring to if something is radioactive, like nuclear waste and such… That’s quite different, but I think you’ve got the jist of it. That’s why the laser sights might help show you where you’re aiming.” Avory remarked as he pushed a couple of buttons on his phone for a plume of fire to erupt from a red pyrrum gem further down the cradle.

Kyle repeated the process, taking aim at the Pyrrum gem and successfully achieving the same result with the projector; the flames died out promptly, and the gem itself sat lifeless in its place.

“Even outside of the range I can still feel some of the power coming from that thing,” Tsumé commented, a hand on her chest. “I’ll never get used to that…”

“It’s never going to be perfect, but it’s better than naught… we need this if we’re going to stop mana users not on our side,” Avory assured as he pushed a couple more buttons to allow for a gale of wind to shoot up some streamers; a needle of rock jutting out and arcs of lightning all erupting out of the cradle together, accompanied by the fountain of water.

Kyle had just begun to angle the weapon for another shot when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. “Civilian present,” Kyle said suddenly, angling the projector to face upward instead of ahead, as Vinge stepped into view, coming from the direction of the house.

“Hardly a civilian, Kyle,” Vinge remarked, having overheard the human. He gave a nod to Kyle as he passed, and then turned his attention to Avory. “I hope my timing is not too inconvenient,” he said, “but I wanted to discuss something with you.”

“I did hear from A.V.I. you’d be coming,” the inventor replied, “how can I help?”

Getting to the point, Vinge explained. “I’m putting together a plan to deal with Korban’s half-brother,” he said. “Knowing that other demon is on the way, I wish to remove Sash as a potential threat before it arrives. I’d rather not be forced to fight on two fronts against two equally uncertain opponents, if you follow me.”

“You want to deal with him?” Tsumé asked. “Well count me in, but… How? You saw for yourself, that none of us could really hurt him - not even Avelyn when she hit him like a falling meteorite. All that did was piss him off.”

“There are other ways to ensure he will no longer be a concern to us,” said Vinge, “I will need Korban to fill in a few blanks. But,” he looked at the item Kyle was holding - the disruptor cannon. “...What is it that you are testing, if I might ask?” he asked.

“I’m still working on a name but it’s a disruptor but directional. I’ve used the technology to focus its effect in a single direction to become, essentially, a ray gun… or cannon, I suppose.” Avory replied, “I saw the sergal was affected by Avelyn’s suit disruptor, just as Volcan was when we fought him possessed. So, I prioritized this project…” he informed before gazing over at the earth phoenix again, “...Despite its obvious concerns from our phoenix friends, which I have to apologize for, but it’s our best chance.”

“It may be the key to doing what I have in mind,” said Vinge, mostly to himself. “What is the range, width of the emission, and how long can it maintain a constant projection?”

“I’m still not sure what the range would be; with that size of spherum it would go… maybe a range of a thirty-eight-metre radius before what I call the mana equilibrium; but focusing it like this I’m still uncertain how it would react as I have not been able to capture any information so far for my models. It might spread out particles to reach further before expiring; it might condense it to be more potent over the same projection… maybe nothing? Or something entirely different…”

“Those first two are my leading ideas… that’s part of the test today.” Avory remarked, rambling on a bit. “...What was the other thing you asked?”

“How long could it maintain, if you were to fire it constantly - say at a moving target?” Vinge repeated.

“At a moving target?” Kyle echoed, and then looked at Avory, unsure what to offer to the answer.

“Theoretically you would still need to lead your shot; not by a huge amount though considering the speed of the particles; but it is a consistent burst for as long as you shoot.” Avory remarked; “It will go on for as long as you’ve got power. Unfortunately, I cannot power it from elcrum or even use any elcrum lensing on the power course to amplify or even power it, as it gets nullified by the disruptor itself. So, this is all traditional power sources like fission; as we’ve got here.”

Vinge hummed in thought, lifting his left hand to his beak and biting down on his index finger as he thought. Then, he took the finger from his beak as he looked at Kyle. “How confident are you that you could shoot that accurately, in short, controlled bursts? Maybe if you see your enemy trying to use magic?” Vinge asked the human.

“As I mentioned to Avory, it is heavier than I’m accustomed to,” replied Kyle. “Truly, I don’t know. I don’t want to give you false hope for whatever scheme you’ve got brewing.”

“Vinge, what exactly are you planning?” Tsumé asked.

“I intend to meet Sash in a contest,” replied Vinge, “one where I intend to slowly strip away every advantage he has, until there’s nothing left.”

Tsumé tilted her head. “...How? We already established, we can’t even hurt him,” she said.

“An enemy who is physically superior to you in every way, often finds their Achilles heel elsewhere,” replied Vinge. “No matter how developed, physically, Sash is, his mind is another matter.”

Kyle caught on. “You mean to get into his head,” he said.

“Precisely,” replied Vinge.

“I’m not sure I follow,” said Tsumé, looking at Avory to see if he understood what Vinge was saying.

“I don’t doubt you, V.” the raven replied, catching Tsumé’s gaze and turning his look back to the ice phoenix, “But do you even know the guy? How are you supposed to get in his head when you don’t know him?”

“That is why I need to talk to Korban - the only one of us who has had extended interactions with him,” said Vinge. “While I crossed blades with Sash briefly when he attacked us, it was not long enough for me to understand what was in his mind. Korban can fill in that gap for me.” He looked at the weapon in Kyle’s hand. “That new instrument of yours may take away his magic. Which leaves only his speed and skills to contend with.”

“Well, in terms of skill I’d say you’d be the best one to bridge that,” said Kyle. “But the guy moves like greased lightning. How do you stop that?”

Tsumé perked up. “By turning their speed against them,” she said.

All eyes turned to her. “How?” Kyle asked.

“What if, bear with me, when he tried to dash at his opponent… He couldn’t stop?” Tsumé replied.

“That’d make him a victim to his own speed, like a car without brakes, and-” Kyle paused mid-sentence. “Riiiight, I think I’m catching on.”

“The rink where we first met Vinge,” added Tsumé. “If we can draw Sash there, it steals that advantage.”

Vinge, for his part, smiled at his earthly counterpart. “Well played, Tsume,” he complimented her. “Yes… The rink is perfect. Now we need only wait for Korban, so I can get the last information I require from him. He should be on his way now.”

“...This guy can cast hellfire,” Avory reminded them, shaking his head a bit in disbelief while gesturing to the cannon Kyle held; “I’ve got one of these and then disruptors in our suits. Do you think we can keep him powered down to not melt the whole building, let alone your thin sheet of ice?”

“No, I think Vinge is on to something,” Kyle offered. “If we have the lights off in the bleachers, Sash won’t be able to see us, right? Can sergals see in the dark?”

Tsumé shrugged. “Asking the wrong gal there.”

“Either way, as long as he doesn’t see us firing this at him, keeping him from using his magic, he won’t come after us. Even if he did notice us, Vinge will be keeping him busy,” Kyle offered. “No matter how fast you are, you can’t be in two places at the same time.”

“Well, that’s all well and good but what about Vinge himself? Won’t the emitter affect him too?” Tsumé asked.

At that, Vinge looked at Avory. “Do you still have those spherum harnesses, like we used at P.A.C.E’s base?” he asked.

“I do. I’ve worked on them a little bit more; they’re a bit stronger but still never going to be perfect,” Avory revealed.

“It’ll be enough to mitigate the ill side-effects of the disruptor,” said Vinge with a nod, as he peered off in the direction of the street, spotting a familiar form approaching by the road. “And with this, all of the pieces shall now come together…”

~~~~~

When Korban had received the phone call from the Lo’Raven mansion, he had been expecting it to be Avory calling him. Imagine his shock, however, when it turned out to be the artificial intelligence, A.V.I, instead, and not even calling on behalf of Avory… But under request from Vinge.

Given how unsocial the ice phoenix was, Korban could not even guess what he could want. Still, the fact that it also came from Vinge meant it must have been very important. Without much delay, he mounted his motorcycle and sped off out of his trailer and onto the open road toward the Lo’Raven residence.

He arrived at the mansion skidding to a halt after about ten minutes of driving, announcing his arrival with the roar of his engine and the screeching of his tires skidding on the driveway, kicking up some smoke as he stopped. With that, he dismounted his bike and flipped the kickstand down before approaching the others present. He found Vinge waiting for him up the driveway, along with Kyle - carrying a strange new device under his arm, slung under his shoulder, resembling an extra large T-shirt cannon launcher, and Avory and Tsumé, all looking up as he approached.

“Ya know, y’all are lucky I had no jobs lined up.” Korban announced while putting his hands on his hips. “So, what do you kiddies need my help with this time? F.R.I.D.A.Y. told me that Vinge had something he wanted to talk about… well here I am, so whatcha need?”

“...Who’s Friday?” Tsumé asked.

“I think he’s referencing a movie,” Kyle remarked, “He probably means A.V.I.”

Korban strolled casually toward the group, taking notice of the device Kyle was holding. “…You now becoming Stark’s new lab intern or something? What’s that gizmo you got there?”

“Little something new he’s been working on,” said Kyle, “but I think before we get into that, I think you’ll want to hear what Vinge has to say.”

Vinge, hands clasped behind his back, looked squarely at Korban. The expression on his face showed no hint of anything but his usual stoicism, leaving no room for question that what he was about to say was important…

And yet, Korban still could barely believe the words that left Vinge’s beak, despite them being said with absolute seriousness. “I need your help, in dealing with your half-brother,” he said plainly.

Korban’s jaw hung slack for a long moment, staring incredulously at Vinge in silence before he forced himself to blink a few times to bring himself back to reality. “...I’m sorry, there must be something wrong with my ears - rewind a bit. You want… my help… in dealing with my brother.” Korban repeated. “Did I hear that right?”

When Vinge nodded, he shook his head in response. “...Yer delusional. You saw firsthand the kinda power he wields, and he was taking it easy on you. If I couldn’t beat him in a fight, what makes you think you stand a better chance?”

“If my plan works, Korban, it will remove Sash as a potential threat for a time,” he said, plainly. “You saw for yourself on television; that thing that looks like Volcan. The only reason it could have to come back to Canada, is that it is back to finish what it started before.” He unclasped his hands. “We can’t fight two powerful enemies at the same time; if we are facing one, the other could come at us from behind, and that other is Sash - he is certain to sense the battle when we engage that dark phoenix.”

Vinge met Korban’s gaze. “That’s why I need you to tell me how he thinks, or confirm suspicions I have begun to form myself,” he said. “Only with these will I complete the puzzle and know how to defeat Sash.”

Korban let out a long sigh, turning away for a second and rubbing his face with his hands for a few moments before turning back and looking Vinge dead in the eyes. “And what if this grand plan of yours fails, eh? You got a fall back for that?” He asked pointedly.

“‘He who is prudent when the enemy is not, will be victorious’,” Vinge recited, before continuing. “When we faced Sash before, I had the impression he saw us all as inferior, and that he was holding back for no other reason but the thought we weren’t worth his efforts - except for you, that is.”

Again, he clasped his hands behind his back as he went on. “That pride is his weakness. I aim to break it.”

“Well, lemme clarify a little something about that.” Korban stated. “Yea, he’s got a superiority complex, and yea, he could have killed you all, but chose not to fer a number of reasons. The top three being that you weren’t his main target, you weren’t worth his time and effort, and because he literally is more powerful than you are. If he wanted to kill you, all he had to do was flip the switch and…” He began pantomiming instant slashes followed by sounds of blood spurting out and falling dead into several pieces. “Like I mentioned, he was just toying with you. He only showed you a fraction of what he could do. Hell, he was taking it easy on me, and look what happened!”

“Korban,” Tsumé said, stepping forward. “Vinge is right. What have we got to lose? We can’t fight Sash and that thing with Volcan’s face at the same time. If that battle takes us right into the city, there’s no telling how much destruction they could cause.”

“Not to mention, what is Sash going to do when he sees that guy?” Kyle added, “It was his emergence that drew him here in the first place, right? If we’re fighting him, and Sash jumps in, we don’t have a prayer against both of them at the same time. Hell, we might just end up caught in the ensuing crossfire between them.”

“One unknown enemy, and one enemy we have some knowledge of; Sash must be the first one we deal with,” said Vinge, glancing at Avory. “And we may have something ourselves that Sash will never see coming.”

“I assume you mean the Disruptor Canon?” Avory cocked his eyebrow back at him, “I’ve managed to design this device that my glamorous assistant is demonstrating for us here, that focuses the energy from a disruptor to be used to target individuals rather than a whole area.” he informed before shrugging, “just like a regular disruptor; the effect is visually invisible so I assume that’s what V is referring to; the only tale-tell would be the laser sights that would most likely have to remain on to actually see where you’re aiming, as it’s a big heavy thing that you can’t really hold up to your eye to aim, can you?” he added looking over at Kyle.

“Unfortunately, yes,” agreed Kyle. “This prototype is pretty bulky and hard to aim with as is; even if we have Sash on ice like we were discussing, he’ll be moving around too much for me to keep it locked on him.”

“What about controlled shots; you time them only to when he’s about to use magic?” Vinge asked.

“Now how the hell would I know when he’s doing that?” asked Kyle, “I’ve seen Kieran use magic; he uses motion to trigger his spells. Does Sash do that?” He directed this question more to Korban than Vinge.

“He doesn’t need to,” Korban answered. “Sash practices Arcane magic. His abilities lie in his natural access to the dark arts, which makes him more akin to a Sorcerer than a Wizard.”

“If they’re incantations, doesn’t that mean he still needs to speak them?” Vinge asked, silently admitting that his knowledge of magic was still quite limited, even after spending so much time with Kieran.

“You fought him, you tell me,” Korban retorted plainly. “He cast a spell or two against you when you crossed blades I’m assuming. Did ya hear him say any sort of chant before he launched it?”

Vinge thought back to when he had battled Sash, trying to remember if the sergal had indeed spoken any words before casting his fire ring spell at him. He couldn’t recall hearing anything when Sash had done that, but he did remember Sash speaking before using a different fire spell against Korban in their fight. “...Ayyan-E Tammash…” he repeated the words he recalled. “I heard him say it. Yes, he uses words of power for his incantations.”

“Given how fast he heals, I don’t suppose slicing him across the chords is going to stop him from using any of his hocus pocus?” Kyle asked in rhetoric.

Korban glanced at Kyle with a raised eyebrow as if to say ‘what do you think’ before turning back to Vinge. “Okay, so he uses incantations on his more powerful spells. In my defense, I’ve never seen him do that one in particular before, so I was just as shocked as the rest of you when he pulled that off.”

“Ah… So weaker spells, he’s mastered using without incantation,” said Vinge, rubbing his chin in thought. “I’ll have to be on the lookout for those… Maybe I can find a way to signal Kyle when to fire the device if I think he’s about to use a spell.”

“I could add a remote trigger to the cannon for you. That way, provided he’s aiming it in the correct direction, you just need to press a button to fire,” Avory offered, before thinking, “but if that’s the case… I could create a gyro platform for it to sit on and move automatically… how would it track though…” the technician muttered holding his chin as he drifted off into through.

Korban couldn’t help but roll his eyes… Vinge was working out of his league, he felt; he was trying to challenge someone who even Korban struggled with, and who all of the other phoenixes had struggled with, and ultimately none of them could stop. It did sound like the ice phoenix had a solid plan in the works… Against any other opponent, but Korban still harboured doubts.

“Look, Vinge.” Korban began. “I hate to be a negative Neil, but yer trying to compete with shit that’s way beyond yer league. I’m not doubting yer skill with a sword or yer tactical intuition, but Sash was a professional bounty hunter just like me before he went rogue.”

“I dunno how many times I gotta keep telling you this, but the night you all fought him after I supposedly kicked it? He was toying with you. He wasn’t even trying to kill any of you, and if he wanted to, you’d all be dead in ten seconds flat. Before you try to refute my claim, you’ve only seen him once… I was his partner before finding out we were related. I know him better than you ever could in a hundred years…” He kept explaining.

“On top of that, yer forgetting to take one big thing into consideration here…”

“And what is that?” Vinge asked, patiently.

“You all said that after I had kicked it, and you all got your collective asses handed to ya, I suddenly changed into some fiery demon form with wings and everything.” He stated before gesturing to Vinge. “Who’s to say that if you get lucky enough to deal a killing blow, the same thing won’t happen with him? Even worse… Who’s to say he already has his own demon form in his back pocket?” He asked pointedly.

“If Avelyn kept her disruptor active, she could have finished him off, it seemed,” Avory interjected.

“It doesn’t work that way, actually,” Kyle cut in then. “The disruptors only stopped people from the metaphysical - elemental powers or summoning magical forces, but it didn’t take away abilities they possessed naturally. That’s why Volcan kept his strength even while under its effects; it can’t affect targets at a genetic level. Likewise, it wouldn’t stop Buniq from transforming into a werecat.”

“We’re getting off topic,” said Vinge. “I only need the Disruptor to deprive Sash of his magic. The rest, I have worked out. Now…” he looked at Korban again. “The only thing I still require… Is how to draw him in.”

“...You’ve really taken everything into account? Including what I just brought up?” Korban asked, still unconvinced by Vinge’s words. He then rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You’re fucking insane… but you know what? It’s your hill you wanna die on man. Far be it from me to stop you from cuttin’ yer life short.” He added abrasively. “As fer drawing him in, well…” He gestured to himself. “No better target than yours truly.”

Vinge nodded. “Then let’s get to work,” he said.

~~~~~

The question remained, of course, how Korban was going to draw Sash in… It wasn’t like his half-brother carried a cellular phone with him, so Korban had no way to reach out to him even if he wanted to.

Even if he did believe Vinge’s plan might work - which, of course, he didn’t - how the hell was he going to bait Sash to the hockey rink? Until recently, Sash hadn’t even known Korban was in the city, not until Kyle had let it slip when the sergal had trespassed at the Lo’Raven home. Of course, at that time, Sash hadn’t even been looking for-

And just like that… The idea hit Korban like the blow from a hammer…

Without any hesitation, he started speed-walking toward the mansion, making haste to find who he needed to see. When asked where he was going by the others, his reply was cryptic, stating he needed help with baiting his brother, and there was only one person among them who could help, before stepping inside.

He began exploring the mansion at first, hoping to find Buniq in the common areas. Eventually, he found her in the kitchen, pouring for herself a cup of coffee and wearing a bathrobe that was slightly too small for her - likely leant to her by Avelyn or Tsumé, who were nowhere near her height.

She looked up when Korban walked in and opened her mouth as though to say good morning, when she happened to notice the look on his face, and her expression hardened, suspecting something was wrong. “Korban?” she asked.

“Sup.” He replied quickly, standing a fair distance away from her. “Look, this is gonna sound crazy coming from a guy like me, but hear me out a sec.” He said to try and ease her suspicions before continuing. “Thing is… Vinge is cooking up a plan to lure my bro into a trap, and essentially I’m the bait. Of course, he doesn’t use tech of any kind, so… the only way I can draw him in is… if I unleash my newly acquired demon powers.” He explained.

She set down the cup in her hand and turned to him. “You want to learn how to control it,” she said, not even a question, “to call upon it at will, as I do with my affliction.”

“Give the girl a prize,” he remarked, leaning against the counter. “Right now, I don’t know the first thing about bringing it out, let alone controlling it… All I know is it happened when my life was in serious danger, and then boom! Devil mode, activate.” He said with a shrug.

“The first transformation to such a form is brought about by significant stress; it is not uncommon,” said Buniq. “I knew several of my people - werecats like me, for whom it was the same.” She took a step toward Korban, studying him. “To master it though, the first step is, of course, to make sure you know it is there. You are aware you transformed, but do you feel any different since it happened? Anything at all could be significant.”

Korban rubbed the back of his head for a moment, looking off to the side before he answered. “A little.” He answered finally after a long silence. “Fer one, I’ve noticed I’ve become a helluva lot stronger physically. Like… I used to bench press about a hundred pounds, but now?” He flexed his arm a little. “Now it feels like I could lift up my whole trailer with one arm.”

“Increased strength,” Buniq repeated. “And what about aggression; do you feel any sort of hostility or anger that you cannot explain?”

“Nah. At least not out of the norm.” Korban answered. “Though… sometimes when I do get angry enough, I start to feel a little hot. Like… lava tryin’ to burst out of a volcano kinda hot.”

“And that was not normal for you before?” she asked, “And I ask because of the possibility of past trauma I’m not aware of; no disclosure needed. But if this was not normal for you, that could be part of it.”

Korban grimaced and frowned at Buniq. “My past traumas are my own problem. I’m lookin’ fer help controlling this new power of mine, not a shrink,” he remarked abrasively, taking a second to calm down before answering her question. “No, this wasn’t normal before. I’m hot-tempered, yea, but I’ve never literally felt hot whenever I get angry or something… Besides, my affinity is ice, not fire, at least the way I am now.”

“Then it sounds like the instincts of the demonic side of you, much like my own affliction’s natural instincts, are attempting to force their way into your mind,” she said. “Right now, there are two sides of you. The man before me, and the demon inside. Both will inevitably battle for control if a balance cannot be reached.”

“...Sooo what you’re saying is I need to find a way to become one with my demonic blood? That’s it?” He asked.

“Essentially, yes,” said Buniq. “You find a way to balance the two sides, without losing yourself to it… There is a way, but it is dangerous. The demon could see it as a potential opening, and try to seize it. I do not know how your demonic side might think on its own; it’s not driven by instinct like my form, but the attempt will be there nonetheless. Like a trapped animal, seeing an opening in its cage, and making a run for it, heedless of what might lay beyond.”

Buniq looked into Korban’s eyes. “When that happens, though… You must be ready to catch it, before it can escape. Like setting a trap… Otherwise, it will overtake you.”

Korban crossed his arms in front of his chest, his ears twitching as he listened to Buniq’s words. “So basically, it’s like I need to let it out on a leash… One that won’t break whenever I try to draw it back in,” he said as he nodded a few times. “Alright, I think I get the concept… Now how do we put it into practice?”

“You have to try to bring it out, by opening the way,” explained Buniq. “By instinct, you are holding it back by force of your will. But, before we attempt it, I recommend we go somewhere more remote. If you try to do it here, well… I don’t know what your demonic side is capable of but I’d rather not let our host’s house,” she gestured at the kitchen around them, “be the testing ground.”

“Well, if the burnt-down grassland was any indication, I don’t doubt I’d send this place up in flames,” Korban answered, then his eye twitched as an idea came to mind. “...Ya know…? I think I might know the perfect place to kill two birds with one stone…” He remarked, a devilish grin forming on his face.

Buniq tilted her head and arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Vinge is puttin’ together a plan to knock my brother outta the equation, at least temporarily…” Korban answered. “He needs a way to lure him into this old ice rink in order to execute this plan of his. I don’t exactly have much faith in it, but we could also use that rink to practice what yer tellin’ me, and lure my brother into the trap.”

Buniq looked intrigued as Korban explained the plan. “I see… That could work,” she said. “It removes us from presenting a danger to the citizens, and, if it catches your brother’s attention, we shall have him where we want him… Or, well,” she added, “where Vinge wants him. But, I don’t even fathom what he has in mind, to fight someone like that.”

“I don’t either, but it’s his plan. If he wants to risk his life like that, who am I to stop him?” Korban asked rhetorically. “Anyway, let’s go let Vinge in on our own little plan. I think he might like what we’re puttin’ on the table.”

Buniq nodded. “I’ll get dressed,” she said, and turned to head back to her room.