“What in the world is taking so long?” Seth wondered idly as he sat at the back of the escort skiff.


    “Looks like the Fafnir are having to wrangle some cows, sir.” The pilot commented, “The cows are not cooperating.”


    “Maybe we should just go wait back on the Aegis then.”


    “Unfortunately, sir, we are to wait here.  Captain’s orders.”


    Seth grumbled and sank into his seat.  It took another 20 minutes for the all-clear to be given and the ship moved forward again.  Once landed though, he was eager to jump out and survey the area, and Seth spotted his father’s armor not too far away…with three familiar faces sitting on their knees before him, “…What’s going on?”


    The soldiers who had come with him poured out of the skiff as expected, but their behavior immediately after was unexpected.  Three went to collect the wing-packs and helmets that had been set on the ground behind the Captain, and two each went to take the former-recruits into custody.  Seth could only watch in perplexed silence as they went by again, bringing those rebels past him.


    Seth stepped out of the way quickly when he realized they were heading his way, and went over to his father’s side instead, “What happened?  You’ve only barely deployed.”


    “Shame, isn’t it?” Lequerion answered, and pulled his helmet off for a breath of fresh air, “No surprise that we didn’t get the best produce on the first pass of the market.  We’ll just have to keep looking.”


    “Dad?”


    “Just some trouble-makers.  Don’t you worry about it.” He said vaguely.


    “But three of them?”


    “Misery loves company.  Head to the flare Ravan dropped earlier.  It’ll take you to the Gate.  I’ll be right behind you.” Lequerion pointed, and Seth could only go as directed.


    The Inquisition ship’s own skiff landed soon after, and the teen looked on anxiously as the door opened.  The unsettling sight of those Inquisitors made Seth’s stomach wretch, and he had to close his eyes and pause his march for a moment so he could reassure himself, It’s fine, they’re only gonna make me deal with one…  It’s fine…  It’s fine…


    He quickly made his way down the cattle-trail and into the creek-bed after that, getting the group out of his line of sight.  The hazy blue barrier met his sights after that, and he made his way around it as he inspected the Scar warbling in the center of it.  The creek had already been diverted by the barrier, making a big pool on the opposite side as it went by, but otherwise, everything seemed to be on the up and up.  Now, he only needed to wait for someone to open a gap in said barrier so he could get his data-panels through.


    Instead of his father though, as he’d hoped, it was the lone Myrmidon who turned up first, and Seth groaned quietly as he turned away from the sight.  He heard those footsteps getting closer though, trudging through the loose stone banks of the creek-bed, until they seemed to be right beside him.


    “…Oh, I guess I’m the one who has to open the door for you.” The Myrmidon commented, looking around for anyone else who might be coming, “That’s okay.”


    “Yes, please, just one section.” Seth answered grimly, feeling his skin twitch from the whole thing.


    “Are you okay?”


    “I don’t like the masks your division wears.  The eyes are too close together on the face-plate, too small, and give massive uncanny-valley vibes.  I don’t know why but it’s really unnerving to me.” He answered, “Didn’t they tell you that?”


    “I guess I didn’t think it was that bad.  That’s fine, I’ll just take it off.”


    “Aren’t you supposed to leave it-” He wondered, dubiously turning as he steeled himself for the unsightly visage…only to spot the face of a rather unexpectedly-cute girl to be there, “…on?”


    She pulled the hood of her cloak back after that, revealing a head of white hair with a subtle lavender tint, tied up in a thick ponytail.  A braid was tied behind each ear, up into the band at the back of her head, and linked into it.  Cool blue-grey eyes adjusted to the light, and she smiled, “That better?”


    Seth could feel his whole body turn red, “Y-yeahhhhh.  I mean, yes, very much so.”


    “Great, these masks are kinda stuffy anyway.” She huffed a laugh, and tucked the helm under her left arm, “There’s no one who’ll see me down here but you, so no harm, no foul.”


    It was only then that Seth noticed how shockingly little the woman was, and he looked her over cautiously, able to say only what stupid words came to his brain first, “You are, without a doubt, the tiniest Myrmidon I’ve ever seen.  How did you even get in?”


    She just pointed an accusing finger at him, “You may be tall but I’m older than you!”


    “Psheheh…what does that do for you?  Senior discounts at the commissary?” He teased through a laugh.


    “Rude!  You don’t even know my name yet and you’re already making fun of me!”


    Seth could only deadpan at her through the unexpected amusement, but then stood upright normally and extended a hand, “Sorry.  I’m Seth.  I guess we’re buddies for this excursion.”


    The waif looked on at him skeptically, arms crossed, but she finally reached back with her unoccupied hand, “Officially I’m Mikkela.”


    “Hi, officially Mikkela.”


    “My friends call me Kourin, though.” She noted as she held onto that hand, and gave it one proper shake before letting go again, “Guess I’ll open the way for you, then.” She added, and briefly lifted up the helmet so she could see the display on the interior, and made a gesture towards the dome.


    Beyond the brambles, Lequerion watched the skiff containing his rebels rise into the air and head back towards the Aegis.  With that unfortunate business tended to, he glided over towards the cattle-path and into the creek-bed, spotting the pair already getting to work.  A singular panel in the dome had been released, and Seth’s data panels were manifesting on the interior.  When the Captain got closer and landed, he, too, had a similar assessment of the petite Inquisitor, “They make you guys fun-size?”


    Kourin could only flip around in dramatic shock, fists on her hips, “Rude!”


    Seth just laughed, “I had the same reaction.  Kourin, that’s my dad.  Dad, this is Kourin.”


    “Oh, so we’re friends already, huh?” She puffed, and was immediately thrown off by how large Lequerion was as he landed a few paces ahead of her, “Man, you Rydells are built different.” She commented, and held her hand out a second time anyway, “Captain.”


    “Dame.” He could take her whole palm around just a few fingers, and pressed gently with a thumb so as not to squish her hand before letting her pull back again, “Aren’t you guys supposed to keep your masks on?”


    “I think I’m probably safe in the presence of a Fafnir and Lord Rylen’s favorite pet.” She teased, and glanced back over a shoulder at Seth, who could only give a pink-cheeked nod of acknowledgement, “And if it makes him feel better, then I’ll break protocol for a little while.  Easier to see if the Gate acts up, right?”


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    “So, you’re fully apprised of your role here then.” Lequerion commented, and set his own helmet atop one wing, “Your predecessors seemed oblivious.”


    “Probably because Lord Rylen didn’t want them spooked away.  The only requisite for being a Myrmidon is being afflicted, after all, not smart.” Kourin explained, “I’m not easily scared though.  I know what you guys have encountered before.”


    “If only you knew the half of it.”


    Kourin could only give a smile, “Such as it is.”


    Seth could only listen as he focused on the placement of his equipment-pieces, setting them down around the underside of the dome like he was playing a housing-sim.  Once he was done, however, there were four post-like nanotech sensors surrounding the Scar, “Think that should do it.  The Inquisitors will bring the rest down soon hopefully.  Never know how long these things will stay open.”  He turned and pointed downstream, “I’m gonna step off while they do their thing.”


    Kourin was surprised, “…The masks really do bother you that much?”


    “Enough-so that I can’t join your team, even though I technically supervise you.” He answered, and started walking.  He heard her trotting to catch up though, and watched her point at herself.


    “What if every Inquisitor is as cute as me though?  You’ll never know.”


    “That’s kind of the point, isn’t it?  You’re the only one who’s ever shown me their real face.”


    “…Yeah, you’re right.  I hardly ever see them either.” She agreed, but then shrugged, “It’s mostly guys anyway though, so you probably wouldn’t care even if you did.”


    “What’s that supposed to mean?” Seth gave her a weird look; Lequerion stayed behind to make sure the Inquisitors got there.


    “Oh, don’t you know?  The affliction hits more guys than ladies.” She answered, “I think I’ve seen one other woman besides me this whole time.”


    “…I don’t think I ever realized.” Seth considered it, “Iresha, Mr. Gabriel, the guy that zapped Miss Ren…those three Myrmidon that came with us to the Sterling Rose…I’m pretty sure they were all male…”  He looked back at the petite woman, “Maybe you’re right.  Do women-afflicted have special powers or something?”


    “Dunno, never really compared notes that way.  Everyone’s too worried about having an affliction, they never really delve into what they’re capable of.  As soon as it turns on, it’s all hands on deck to make it turn off, and then keep it off forever.”


    “That’s so sad.  I wish I was afflicted, and I keep hearing that you guys all hate it.”


    Kourin paused, finding a rock to sit on now that they were far enough away that the masks couldn’t possibly bother anyone.  Seth stayed standing, but watched her carefully, “You wish it?  How come?”


    “It’s hard to study something you can’t really interact with.” He explained, and gestured back at the Void Gate, “Mr. Gabriel told me once that he could see and hear things that none of my sensors have ever picked-up on…”


    “You don’t mean Lord Gabriel, do you?”


    “Yeah, we met before he got the role.” Seth answered, a hint of regret in his voice, “I haven’t talked to him in a year now though.  I used to really admire him, now I just…feel bad for him, I guess.”


    “Oh…  Yeah…  He and Lord Xanarken were close, right?  It must be hard to fill those shoes.”


    “We had a mutual friend who also died back then.” He continued, and crossed his arms protectively across himself, “I think that one hit him harder than Lord Xanarken’s passing, though…  Or maybe it was just different, because Lord Xanarken was an Eidolon, and there was always that…impersonal divide between them, with those mantles.  But with Miss Ren, they were together in person for months before she was…  Well…”


    “I understand…” Kourin answered, “Sorry to bring it up.  I didn’t realize you guys were tight that way.”


    “It’s okay.  The one-year anniversary was yesterday, is all.  It’s still a bit raw.” Seth said, and suddenly realized his fists were clenching against his ribs.  He quickly released them and shook his fingers out.


    “You looked kinda angry there for a second.  You okay?”


    “I think it just hit me how mad I am that he never showed up to Miss Ren’s memorial.” He explained, and rubbed his knuckles for a bit of relief, “Or maybe he went in his own time.  I don’t know.  I never saw him there, but he was up at the Mardu statue a while later, and paid respects to him, but not her.  Those spots are only a few hundred yards away from each other.  It would’ve taken nothing for him to take a moment…” He could feel his anger rising again, and forced himself to stop, “No, no…I can’t think about that.  I was only there for half an hour myself.  He literally could’ve manifested any other time that whole day.  Maybe he even went at the actual time, since that would’ve been super early this morning, rather than last night…”


    “You still have a lot of feelings for back then…”


    “I don’t want to unload on you.  We literally just met.”


    “No, it’s okay…  I lost someone I loved during the Nightlong War, too.” Kourin explained, and glanced back at the dome, “…Someone I likened to a father.  He wasn’t really my dad, but…he took me on when I’d been alone for a long time, so I got attached to him like he was.”


    “Oh…I’m so sorry.  Was he on one of the SkyFortresses that got taken down?”


    “No…  He was at the palace in Trazad when it got blown up.” She answered, and pulled her legs up on the rock so she could wrap her arms around her knees, and set her chin atop them, “I didn’t even find out until a few days later.” She could feel herself getting sad all over again, and buried her eyes against her crossed arms, “Sorry.  Guess it’s still raw for me, too.”


    Seth could only empathize, and went over to sit on the backside the big rock, offering a comforting hand to her back, “I find grief to be a really strange thing.  It’s always there, you know?  Lurking under everything…usually harmless, just kind of muddying the water a little bit…  But then at the slightest reminder, it comes out swinging, and just punches you straight in the chest.  I think that’s probably been the hardest part to deal with.  You’re fine one minute, and then just lose total control of yourself…”


    “Yeah…” Kourin snuffled, and rubbed her cheeks on the side of her arm.  She glanced back up the creek though, “…Looks like they’re done…”


    “Seems so.” Seth agreed, and pushed to stand up before offering his hand, “Back to work we go.”


    Hers was the face to get red then, but she accepted the gesture and let the teen help her back up.  They returned just as Corbin had arrived to relieve the Captain.


    Lequerion got the status report, and turned to catch his kid’s attention, “Seth, time for me to go.  Stay out of trouble, and if Kourin’s eyes do weird stuff, get back as quick as you can.  No heroics, no dumb shit, just haul ass.”


    “Yessir.” The teen gave a half-assed but well-meant salute, “Cya later, dad.”


    “Oh, and did Furion tell you about what I meant earlier?”


    “Yeah…it’s fine.  I’ll meet up with him later.”


    “Figured.  Alright, I’m out.  Kourin.” The Captain gave a subtle head-bow, and she waved as he put his helmet back on.  Those massive wings took him back towards the canopy, vanishing up through it, and Lequerion was off like a shot, back to the Aegis.


    Seth watched briefly, but turned his attention to the still-open gap in the dome, then to Kourin, “So, what’s your skill anyway?” He wondered as he stepped through; the half-bubble gave around 20ft of clearance between the Gate on every side, making it easy to get out in a hurry without having to risk too much on running.


    “Oh, my affliction?” She wondered, “I can turn myself or things around me invisible.”


    “…Oof, you must get into loads of trouble with that.”


    “Me?” She pointed at herself again, a finger on each cheek, and made an adorable face, “Naahhh.”


    Seth puffed a laugh, “Are you good with it?” He asked, moving things around slightly from where the Inquisitors had set things up.


    “Define good?”


    “I dunno, can you close a Void Gate?” He nudged his head at the one nearby.


    “…Do you want me to try?”


    Seth stopped where he was and stood upright, and gave a shrug, “I…uh…  I mean…  Okay?”


    Kourin shrugged too and let her eyes light-up, which only made Corbin completely lose his shit on the outside and come bursting in.  Seth found himself rather far away in a hurry, and Kourin burst out laughing.


    “Put me down, damnit!” The teen fussed, “She did that on purpose!  I asked her to!”


    “You gotta warn me before you do crap like that!” The Fafnir argued, “You know we’re on high-alert!”


    “I didn’t think she’d actually do it.”


    “Then why’d you ask her to!?”


    “Ugh just take me back!” Seth huffed, and tried to straighten his hair out where the rush had made him look wind-blown.  By the time he got back into the bramble-patch, Kourin had come out from the dome, though she was still laughing and had to wipe a tear from her eye, “Yeah, yeah…”


    “You absolutely asked for that.” She teased, “I couldn’t not take the opportunity.”


    Corbin was still hovering with him, arms around his chest, those lanky legs dangling under him, “Yeah, yeah…” Seth said again, face flushed.  He wiggled until the Fafnir let him go, and he went back down to the pebbles, “…I’ll be more careful next time.  Can you do it, though?  None of the other Myrmidon would take requests.”


    “Didn’t you want to do some other kind of research on it first?  Closing it this soon would kinda ruin that.”


    Seth considered, and pinched his fingers around his chin, “…Well, if you’re willing to take requests…it’d definitely help me get some info that I can’t get on my own.”


    “Yeah, sure.  What first?”


    He could hardly believe his luck, and stared at the petite woman like she was some kind of mythical creature.  With a stunned blink, Seth quickly summoned his data-panels back, and manifested a nanotech chair just outside the open octagon in the dome, “Okay, okay….okay…  Whew…  Right, so…tell me everything you see and hear, and…everything else.”  He pointed at Corbin, “Do not yank me away when her eyes glow again.”


    “…I know now.”


    Kourin snorted another laugh.