The next morning was a pain. Not because I didn’t get any sleep, but because Amber was so sleepy when she woke up, she stumbled and dropped the cauldron of porridge all over me. After that disaster, we realized that the rain had picked up overnight. Uncle looked up through the waterfall-like curtain of water. “Great, looks like a deluge.”

Amber, who was busy removing the porridge stains with some alchemical cleaner, looked over at him. “Deluge?” Uncle grimaced. “It’s a rare occurrence that can happen during the rains. The downpour will increase without warning, so it’s like waking into a waterfall falling from the heavens. The worst part is, it’s going to last awhile, so we have no choice but to travel through it.”

Through the near constant flow of water, we could see three huge, indistinct shapes approaching. “Speaking of, uncle, looks like our rides are here.” He gave an annoyed grunt. “Well, let’s get this over with. The sooner we get moving, the sooner we will get through it.” We stepped out of the cabin and, even through our waterproofed gear, got soaking wet almost immediately.

Joy, it was going to be one of those days, wasn’t it? Well, it couldn’t be helped. I would have to bear with it, regardless of how much this annoyed me. Besides, I was better off than uncle and Amber, who could actually feel cold.

“Wh-what are these things?” Amber looked scared, and rightly so. These were quite the ferocious-looking creatures. Three huge and rather strange creatures. Their fur coating was black, with white stripes here and there, except the face, which was covered in bone white fur. Build wise, it was like someone had taken a wolf, tiger and horse and mashed them all together.

Their hind legs were hoofed, and they had a horse like tail, while their front legs were feline like a tiger, and their muzzle that of a wolf. Small bone-like protrusions grew underneath their maws, dripping a red ichor like substance, visible even in the rain. While a pair of dagger-like fangs were at the forefront of their maws. “Bloodstalkers, the namesake of our tribe, in the wild these are some of the most ferocious predators on the planes.”

An older feline beast-kin riding the largest of the three commented as I examined them. “And quite the fine specimens of their species at that.” Uncle stroked a smaller one with a calm expression as he talked, as if he was appraising horses. The Bloodstalker made a gurgling sound that I think meant it approved.

Nari, who rode that Bloodstalker, patted its flank and looked at me with a smile. “You will be riding behind me, Amber. Keari you will ride with mother and you, Moor, will ride with Ursus.” She nodded over to the third mount, which I now realized wasn’t a Bloodstalker at all, but a massive beast covered in shaggy black fur. “Of course I will have to ride the Musk, well then, Ursus old pal, just give me a moment, and I’ll saddle up.”

Ursus looked amused, as uncle shrunk the cabin and then clambered onto the massive beast, with help from the huge beast-kin. I walked over to the Bloodstalker and gently put out my arm, so it could get a sniff of me. It made a strange expression as it did, then sneezed.

Well, with no other choice and now just ignored by the Bloodstalker, I approached the side of it and accepted the hand reaching down for me. “The way my daughter tells it, you were the one who set the camp of those monsters to the torch, even in this weather.” She spoke softly enough that no one else would hear through the constant drone of the rain. “If so, I would recommend you keep quiet about it until you are off the plains. Things are far tenser here right now than it’s been for a long time, for a multitude of reasons. And that becoming common knowledge would cause all of us a host of issues, alright?” A gag order, eh? Fair enough. I could do without the undue attention anyhow.

I got myself as comfortable as I could on the back of the Bloodstalker and put my hands around her waist. “Internal politics or something like that?” She changed the topic, which all the answer I needed. “You saved my daughter and brought vengeance on those who killed her husband. Know that from this day forward, you can count Narja, Chief of the Bloodstalkers, as your friend. And should you ever require aid and our Tribe can provide it, we will. The same goes for your gnome friend.”

That was a surprise, in more ways than one. “I… will admit my knowledge is lacking about how things work among the tribes. However, I take it such a pledge is not to be made or taken lightly, so I will graciously accept it and hope you’re not offended.” Narja gave a dismissive snort. “I have never been one for ceremony when it’s not required. Me and my tribe, we are creatures of action. Some customs are to be adhered to, yes, but you can be blunt and open with me.” I could see where Nari got her down-to-earth, no-nonsense personality, not to mention the will to resist adversity.

As the three Bloodstalkers started out of the camp, lightning began flashing across the sky and the rain intensified even further. “Gah, a deluge and a thunderstorm simultaneously, just great. Hope you all enjoy being cold and wet. This won’t let up for hours, if not days.” Narja was barely audible over the sound of falling water. “How do the plains not turn into a bog or even a lake with this much water coming down?” Narja paused for a moment. “I, I honestly don’t know. I have never really thought about it, but I guess some kind of natural magic or the like, or maybe the local dungeons absorb it.”

By now, the Bloodstalkers had gone into a rapid trot, and we were leaving the camp behind. “Let’s just hope the thunderstorm doesn’t intensify. A lightning strike in this weather can turn into a death sentence anywhere, even remotely close to the impact, because of the rain.” I could imagine how that would turn out with the rain coming down as strongly as it was. “How long does these deluges even last?”

I could feel Narja shrugging. “A day, or three, is the usual. The longest I know of lasted a week. Damn near starved our tribe to death because we couldn’t hunt in those conditions. On the upside, deluges usually mean the end of the rains isn’t far off. The rains began late this year, however, so who knows when it will actually end.” That explained why uncle said the rains should have passed. “Is it unusual for the rains to be late?”

Narja tensed up, so either that was unusual, or an ill omen. “It’s not common, no, don’t think it’s happened even once in my lifetime, but isn’t completely unheard of either. But according to the tales, when it happens, it’s usually followed by strife or upheaval.” So, an ill omen, then.

As I was contemplating this, the Bloodstalkers slowed down and growled while sniffing the ground. “Narja, what’s going on?” She shook her head and attempted to get the Bloodstalker to move on, but it ignored her commands and veered off to the left. As we were carried along, we saw them approach a small moving, hazy shape through the curtain of water. As we approached, we could see what appeared to be a small girl sitting in the rain, bawling.

She was, strange. Her feet looked like oversized cat paws. She had a long grey tail cat ears and oversized hand/paw hybrid. As the Bloodstalkers got within sight range, and she noticed us, she stiffened, her sorrow replaced with obvious fear. I looked over at the others, then after a brief hesitation hopped off the Bloodstalker. “Hi there, little one, why are you crying?”

She looked up at me, still guarded, but seeing me sit there on my knees next to her, she seemed to slowly calm down. “Glu got into a fight with sister Invi, then Glu went to find brother Avar, but Glu couldn’t find brother anywhere and now Glu is lost.” I gave her a pat on the head, and a smile. “I see. Do you live nearby? If so, I am certain we could take you there.”

Glu looked at me, now her expression turning hopeful. “Really? You would help Glu?” I looked over at the others. “That’s fine, right? If it’s not too far out of our way, I mean.” The others hesitated. I could understand why given recent events, but this little thing needed help. “Come on uncle, you would sense if she wasn’t sincere, right?” Uncle closed his eyes for a few moments, then nodded. “Alright, kiddo, Glue, was it? Tell us where do you live, if you can describe it, maybe I can find it.” Glu looked at uncle for a few moments, as if working up her courage.

“Glu is Glu, yes. As for where Glu lives, she lives in Sphinx Lady’s Labyrinth.” I cast a glance at uncle. “That’s… not where I think it is, is it?” Uncle hopped off the Bloodstalker and walked towards the small girl. “You’ve got far off the trail indeed if you are from Labyrinthia’s Maze.” Glu’s reaction to those words was pure joy. “You know where home is? Please let Glu come. Glu doesn’t want to be alone!” She looked on the verge of tears again.

I looked between uncle and little Glu and back again. “Uncle?” He took a deep breath, then picked up the little thing. “Sure, but you better be careful not to get separated from us, OK?” Glu nodded as Uncle carried her back towards the Bloodstalker. However, he didn’t even get more than a few steps, before loud rumbling could be heard, emanating from Glu herself. “Sorry, Glu hasn’t eaten since she began looking for brother Avar.” Ursus fumbled through his pack and pulled out some dried meat. “Not much, little one, but this will have to tie you over until we can make camp. Trying to make food in this weather is pretty much impossible.” He trailed off as Glu grabbed the dried meat and began crewing through it at a monstrous pace.

Glu didn’t seem to mind the meat was soaking wet from the rain, either, as she took her place in front of Ursus on their Bloodstalker. Narja gave Glu an odd look. “Let’s get moving. We have wasted enough time for now, and still have days to go before we reach the forest.”

The trip continued the rest of the day with no interesting events until we made camp for the night. Amber had just finished cooking a rather tasty looking meat stew for dinner, using a recipe Bellina Fizbottle had given her. “That smells great, Amber. I can’t wait to dig-” my words were overshadowed by a growling noise from Glu’s stomach.

“I… think it might be better if we give Glu the first helping. Sounds like she needs it.” As the meal progressed, it quickly became apparent that Glu’s appetite was… immeasurable. By the time I had finished my one bowl, Glu had downed four and had consumed an entire plate of conjured food. Said food would see a normal man stuffed after just a few bites, and she was showing no sign of slowing down.

Narja and Nari looked at her with expressions fighting between intrigue and worry, and I was certain I had a similar expression on my face. Amber was too busy laughing, while uncle seemed, completely unfazed. I shot him a confused glance. He shrugged. “I have an old friend of mine, whose appetite is on par with this one. She looked human, but was actually a half-demon. With that in mind, you quickly learn to accept that appearances can be deceiving and that even a small child like Glu might need far more food.” Huh, even more of uncle’s past I didn’t know. I was hoping he would feel comfortable being more open about it one day.

At the mention of that old friend, Glu perked up. “Lady Demon, she’s nice. Glu likes her a lot since she’s always friendly to Glu. She and Lord Pointy visit now and then, and there’s always lots to eat when they do!” Uncle tried and failed to suppress a smirk. “Lord Pointy, huh? Eliandar would find that one amusing, I’m certain.” Glu gave uncle a somewhat confused look, shrugged, then went back to eating.

As soon as she did, Ursus entered the cabin. “This thing is ridiculous, Moor, where did you get it?” Uncle looked up at him and arched an eyebrow. “This cabin, I am positive it didn’t have a stable this morning, and decidedly not one big enough to house three Bloodstalkers comfortably. Not to mention, the outside of the hut is so small, we should be sitting in the middle of said stable right now.” Uncle resumed eating for a moment, then glanced over at Ursus again. “It was a parting gift from Rael, though I suspect it was Minos, who made it. This sort of thing would be beyond most Artificers, after all.”

Ursus walked over to the table and sat down and reached for the cauldron, and with an annoyed grunt noticed it was empty. Uncle looked up from his own plate and gestured over to Ursus’ as it filed with meaty stew. “Sorry about that. Turns out, our little friend over here has an... appetite.” Glu looked up at uncle, then with slight hesitation held up her empty plate. Uncle sighed, and with a snap, it was back to full, earning a delighted squeal from Glu herself. Ursus looked over at Glu, gave a very slight smile, then began eating his own food in silence.

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As I appeared in the room, Invidia looked up from the book she was reading. “Avarus, what-?” She didn’t get further as I slapped the book out of her hand and grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground. “What have you done?” She just gave me a blank stare. “Brother, I don’t know what you’re referring too.” She grabbed my arm and tried to pry herself loose, more annoyed than anything. “Glu has missed three meals.” She paused. “Why would I know why Milunia has stopped stuffing herself? And could you stop using that stupid nickname? Even she’s begun using it now.” She wrenched herself loose as she spoke and flew backwards up to the ceiling.

Her tone was spiteful, but I could see a hint of worry in her expression. The door opened, and our big brother walked in, he looked, out of sorts, which was unusual. “Avarus, as you asked, I looked through the entire labyrinth. She’s not here at all. More worrying, I found this in her room.” He held up what looked like a small metal box, a box that was currently empty. Invidia flew closer. “Fastus, isn’t that Milunia’s food can?” He shot Invidia a scathing look. “It is, and from what information I have gathered, Milunia was last seen leaving the labyrinth “To convince brother Avar to come back.”

Invidia’s complexion grew pale. “W-what are you insinuating, brother?” Fastus pushed past me, handing me the box as he did. “You have three days to find her whereabouts, Invidia. Fail, and I will drag you to Lord Rubolg and Lady Penumbra myself.” Invidia gave a startled “Eek!” and vanished. I turned to Fastus. “You think she will find her?” Fastus turned around. “Despite how spiteful and wretched Invidia can be, she’s still Milunia’s sister and actually cares for her. I know she will do her utmost to find her. I’ll bet my pride on it.”

As he left the room, I called after him. “ I’m not taking that bet. I might be greedy, but not stupid!” Hopefully, Invidia would find Glu in time. Because if Lord Rubolg or Lady Penumbra didn’t tear her apart and remade her from scratch, the Boss surely would. Glu was still so young, she hadn’t “settled,” yet. Which was why she was kept here to begin with.

If the wrong people encountered her without the means to keep her bottomless pit of a stomach in check… Well, unnatural disaster probably would be a pretty fitting description. Then there was the other issue. I would now have to take time off to look for Glu. The idea of losing out on all that gold really irked me to no end, but…

It was Glu, my only younger sibling. She was… precious to me, unique, and far more valuable than mere gold. I would not let her degenerate into a literal walking disaster. “Hang in there Glu, your brother Gree is coming for you.” With a heavy heart, I left the room to report to the Boss that I’d have to take a leave of absence. Invidia was going to pay back every coin I lost because of this, even if I’d have to wring her out like a wet towel to do so.

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Dammit, why’d that little brat have to run off? It should have been obvious it was a joke. Milunia, why did you have to be so naïve? It was almost enough to make me jealous… almost. Bah, I couldn’t just hide away and expect all of this to go away. If Milunia had been missing for three days, who knows how bad the situation was. The only spark of light in this current situation was that Avarus hadn’t told Ira… No! Not thinking about that, anything but that.

Argh, it was so unfair. Why did everyone like the little brat so much? What was so great about her? But… even so… I knew first-hand how bad it would be to go on a rampage. If Fastus hadn’t found me and brought me back to the Labyrinth… “Dammit, I’m such a fool. Hang in there Milunia, I’ll make this up to you, promise.”

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“What do you mean I don’t get a leave of absence, Boss?” Greed looked absolutely livid as he looked up at me. “Because your current mission is too important, and also because little Gluttony is in good hands.” Greed paused for a moment. “I thought you said you couldn’t see the future of any Embodiments?” His tone shifting from frustration to intrigue.

“I can’t see your sister’s future nor preordain her location if I am looking for her, no. But her timeline has intersected with that of an old friend of mine, and I can see his.” Greed seemed to finally puzzle it out. “You knew this would happen.” There was no enmity in his accusation, just resignation. “Indeed, I let it happen because both your sisters need the possibility to grow. Envy hasn’t left the Labyrinth since her own near disaster thirty years ago, and Gluttony requires real-world experience if she is ever going to grow into her own. They both need to face adversity to actually grow, and that means leaving the Labyrinth behind, since it provides everything they need.” Greed mulled over my words, his shadowy form shifting in various ways, before he sighed.

“I understand. I… take it Fastus knew as well, I didn’t think of it back in the room, but that perfectionist wouldn’t forget to inform you, after all.” When I nodded, Greed deflated completely. “Damn you, Fastus, you prideful jerk… you could have told me rather than let me make a fool out of myself…” He vanished from the room. As he did, I could hear him mumble something about Fastus and payment.

Indella looked up from the couch where she was lounging. “Huh, Greed took it better than the others did.” I walked over and sat down beside the couch, and levitated my teacup up as I did. “That’s because Greed has more faith in her than they do. To them, she is still too young, still not old enough to face the world.” Indella sat up and picked up her own teacup. “It’s because of Envy, isn’t it?”

I took a few sips from my cup. “Indeed, that disaster had all of them become overly protective of little Gluttony, which stilted her growth. Envy’s growth similarly halted from her fear of her own powers, and self-imposed imprisonment within my domain.” Indella just shook her head in frustration. “And you couldn’t kick her out because of her condition, right?”

An obvious question, with an obvious answer. “Correct. Forcing her out against her will would see her relapse, or worse. What I needed was for her to leave of her own volition. Personal growth, if you will.” Indella finished her tea and rose from the couch.

“And you’re now hoping this personal growth will lead to something positive. Well, you’ve always had a knack for finding good solutions based on gut-feelings, so I’ll trust you on this one.” She gave me a half-hearted smile and left the room. She was annoyed, which was understandable. I had no way of knowing what would come of Envy’s little stint outside, but I knew what would come of her staying inside my domain, nothing.

Sometimes the worst possible result of failure was the fear of failure itself. This crisis had helped Envy overcome her fear and her own jealousy towards her younger sibling. If that was all it took for a positive change, then her experiences outside would likely lead to further growth. The same growth the most of the others had already undergone. “Good luck to you both, little ones.”

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The boats beached themselves with a loud scraping against the sand. Only provisions for now, but that was acceptable. The food and shelter would help reignite the morale of the lesser acolytes. I couldn’t blame them for their low morale, either, as they had first hand witnessed the loss of all my vessels. “Be careful with the food. We have precious little as it is, so make sure it’s rationed properly.”

The last thing we needed now was wasting what little we had received. As I gave the order, a wave of dizziness hit me. “Gah, already? It’s too soon. Argh, useless even for this, aren’t you Izrah?” Damn it all, this is what I got for using an unprepared vessel. Without the proper rituals and enchantments, I was burning through Izrah’s life force to keep myself anchored here.

My presence would kill her if this went on for too much longer. However, I had already arranged for a spare body, so I could vacate this puppet while it still had some use. “Mistress, the supplies and tents have been taken care of. If it pleases you, I would be delighted to show you to your quarters and out of this horrid weather.” I looked over at the servant, who stiffened under my glare. “Then lead the way, and prepare something hot to drink for me afterwards.”

The servant bowed and led the way to a nearby tent, far smaller than my previous and only contained basic amenities, but it was better than nothing, and it kept the damn rain from leaking through. “It’s adequate, now hop to it.” I sat down on the small make-shift bed. This body required rest, but not yet. I still had work that needed to be done.