Irium

What!?

Did I hear that right?

I probably didn't.

"You heard me, Irium."

I did not. I misheard him. I definitely misheard him. He couldn't actually be-

"I am gonna do it. That's my end goal."

And so, Cartel Hopkins does not let me deceive myself as he predicts my thoughts correctly and argues against them.

But, if he's really serious about this, how will he pull it off?

"You are heading down a path where a single mistake could potentially lead to your doom." I say, as if it isn't obvious he himself would know that already.

"Yes, that I am." He says with a smirk, "And I am not going to stop walking this path."

"…"

"I am going to continue walking on this tightrope, trying to the best of my abilities to not fall down." He seems determined, which I just hate to see as this is something that makes my resolve towards changing the past look like nothing.

"Well?" Niviks asks in a questioning voice, "Are we cool now? Or are you still mad about that whole thing?"

I – have no idea. I don't want to let the fact that I was almost killed and had to see the villagers die as well go. But, these two said that they weren't the ones who first hired those mercenaries, it was Dues. If that's true, I shouldn't be venting my anger at them. Also, what Cartel says about his end goal, man, this could change everything – for better or for worse.

"We are at a truce, for now." I say so, as that is the best consolation I can give myself for trying to hold back.

*****

For whatever godforsaken reason, I am again unable to scry on Irium. This happened once in the past after the point when he was rescued from a particular group of villagers and a bear by an old man. I had become unable to see anything past that. This is the second time this is happening. I don't really think it is Irium's doing though. There's someone else who is doing this. And considering that, I decide to ask a few questions.

"Hello there!" I say to the young Frost woman at the reception of an inn. This is the inn of Rania City. This is where, upon his entering, Irium stopped appearing on my Scrying crystal. Therefore, there must be a clue here.

"How can I help you?" The receptionist seems uninterested in holding any sort of conversation and just keeps proceeding with her work as she asks that in a dry tone.

"Well, I am looking for an old, mean looking guy. I-"

I stop speaking, seeing how the receptionist starts looking at me in a weird way.

"What is it?" I am pretty sure I disguised myself to look like a normal Frost woman. I don't think she should recognize me. I mean, I used the highest-grade shape-shifting mage-craft there is so there's no way someone like her could tell the difference. But if not that, what is she showing me that weird expression for?

"Are you also looking for a birdlike alien?" She asks me as if it would be obvious.

I shake my head in denial as I don't even understand who she is talking about. The receptionist then says, "There are a lot of guys like the one you described. I need more details."

Well, if that is the case,

"What the-"

The receptionist gawks at me as I give her a sketch of the person I am looking for. I believe he is named Niviks but I'd rather act like I don't know that.

"Well, he is here, alright." She again starts showing a weird expression. "Go up from those stairs and the first room you see will be his."

As she says so, I start heading towards the stairs. I hear her cursing with something like, "Bloody whore thinks this is a missing person department or something?" I guess she might have had a bad day. Might as well ignore her and move on.

*****

A little alarm-clock-like device suddenly starts beeping.

"What the hell is that for?" I ask.

"It's to tell me when someone not from Frost enters this inn."

Meaning, there's someone in this inn besides me who is not from this planet.

"Do you people have any idea who it could be?" I ask as I see Cartel and Niviks getting up from their chairs.

"Nope, no idea." Cartel answers and Niviks just shrugs to say the same.

Turning around, I notice the place the door should be but isn't because of me and I look out of it. Niviks makes the alarm-clock-thingy go silent and joins me.

"See anybody like that?" He asks.

"Nope, everyone looks like Frosts to me."

"SHIT!" From behind us, Cartel yells a curse.

"W-what happened!?" Niviks asks as he looks back.

"What happened?" He says as he grits his teeth. "That bitch is here."

What bit- no, wait! By bitch, he doesn't mean the BITCH, right?

"I am gonna go disappear. We can't let her see me." He says and without hearing anything, jumps off the window.

Since this is the first floor, I guess he wouldn't die by that. But still, that would've hurt.

"That was something!" Niviks remarks in a casual tone but then turns stiff as he glances at the stairs, "But he is right, we can't let her see him."

I nod, as I now perfectly understand what he means. And soon, the bitch of our nightmares finally shows herself. Even though she shows up as a Frost, the vile aura around her gives it away. I bet she had suppressed this aura before to not let us recognize her in time to completely escape.

"Well, well, have you a found a friend in an old man, Irium?" Hearing her disgusting voice, I almost throw up in my mouth.

She smiles with satisfaction and changes her appearance back to her human form.

"Dues ex machina, right?" Niviks questions.

"Yes, but you insignificant geezer needs to refer to me as the God!"

*****