The Bastion was lively right now as hundreds of women were coming in and placing vases down in the cathedral as a lone red-haired male laid at the altar of the cathedral sobbing. They were obviously fake tears as he strummed on his lute.

“FAIR AS A RED ROSE~” He sang loudly and in tune even with his fake sobbing. The women were all upset too.

“It’s so sad that Lady Rose has passed but why are we offering flowers in the Bastion?” one of them was whispering.

“She’s probably not dead again… but it's best to keep our souls aligned with the gods just in case,” another one whispered.

“Gale is probably trying to get her attention.”

“HOW I LOVE THEE,” Gale yelled in his singing voice as he overrode them as the last of the, what looked to be, one hundred vases of a dozen red roses were laid out. “MY SWEETEST RED ROSE.”

Raine was peeking in and she tore up to the Bastion, “MAALIK GET HIM OUT! Before Nemesis finds him!” She was panicking. “In the cathedral!” Somehow she knew it was too late. “He’s holding a funeral for Lady Angela!” She couldn’t even explain fully.

“Thank you ladies for coming with me to mourn the loss of my beautiful mother. May her soul finally be a peace with the world.” Gale stood up. “My mother loved everyone and everything. She loved the sun. She loved her children. And above all else, she loved paying my tabs and definitely not telling me she’s dead and ignoring me.”

The women got a look on their faces before they scooted themselves out.

“HEY WAIT COME BACK! I swear she’s dead this time for real! Her ghost told me so.”

Reaver had heard the strange ruckus outside and peeked from his office window; the results truly baffled him as he saw the masses of women collectively visiting the Bastion. At first, he had believed that Elijah had something to do with this…bizarre encounter and was heading off to lecture him about abusing his authority to find more bedfellows. It wouldn’t have been the first time; it would however be the first that he had gone to such lengths. But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t the Cardinal, but some strange man that was speaking about his mother or something. Whatever the case, he left to see this mess.

Rounding the corner to the staircase, Maalik started his descent when Raine caught up with him. “Wait, you know who’s out there?” He looked at her with an inquiring look and nodded soon afterward. “I received word from the Cathedral already. But for Lady Angela? Why? She’s not dead…” In any case, he followed her to the grounds where the crowd was departing. Reaver was already there with a sour look on his face. He was one of her children? By the gods, just how many of the crumb snatchers did she have? “And pray tell, why do you believe Lady Angela to be… “

Before he could finish, however, the shadows around them whipped out violently and the Head Priest sighed. “Looks like you will be explaining to him instead…”, he pointed out as a form materialized behind Gale. By then, any stragglers were already heading for the hills as Nemesis appeared, clearly not happy with this disruption. “Careful, he claims to be one of Angela’s brood”, Reaver spoke just as the couple made their way to them. “I believe Raine can vouch for that, sir”, Maalik chimed in.

The god looked at the boy and rolled his eyes. He wouldn’t lay a hand on him, unless told otherwise. But that didn’t mean that he couldn’t take a peek into his mind and see what frightens him the most. Just in case. “Child, your mother still draws life. I saw her this morning.”

“Wait, you said “her ghost”, what did you mean?” Reaver couldn’t decide if the man was under some misunderstanding or if he was mad.

“YES, YES A GHOST A BEAUTIFUL GHOST WHO WOULDN’T OPEN THE DOOR,” Gale yelled dramatically.

Raine nodded to Maalik, “We just sent him away. Angela locked herself in her study for four hours until he left. Apparently, this is where he went.”

Gale strummed aggressively on his lute as soon as he saw Raine who hid behind Maalik. “Hello… Gale.”

“RAINE, did you know my mother is dead?” Gale seemingly ignoring the danger he was in as Nemesis appeared alongside Reaver.

“Gale is the child brought on by the union of–”

“MY PA WON’T SEE ME EITHER. Think he’s a ghost too?”

Raine got a look on her face. “…Of Tygrve Thurgood and Angela Rose.”

Gale took a look at Nemesis, “You must be my new Daddy. She told me she was dead this morning. Yes, she did. I tried to get her to come out of her office to speak to me but she just kept replying she was dead. Shame.”

He got out a piece of paper and started to wave it around, “I got this you know. A tab. All I wanted was to pay it off.”

“THAT IS THE EIGHTIETH TIME YOU’VE TRIED TO HAVE YOUR MOTHER PAY IT OFF!” Raine shouted. “We won’t do it.”

“SO YOU ADMIT SHE IS ALIVE AND LYING!”

“YOU KNOW SHE IS!”

“THEN MAKE HER COME HERE,” Gale shouted as he aggressively strummed the lute at Raine. Raine shrank behind Maalik again. “Do that and I’ll go away.”

From this briefest of encounters, Nemesis was already loathing this boy even more than Ivan himself. At least he seemed to play dumb and was useful at times. From how his little tale went, it seemed more like his mother didn’t want anything to do with him. He was hopeful that it was merely a facade as it was getting on his nerves rather quickly. Had he not belonged to Angela, then he would have summoned his shadow wolves to persuade his departure quicker.

His little banter with Raine only fueled his temper; who did he believe he was to be able to make demands? Maalik felt her behind and he stood motionlessly, a bit annoyed in his own right. “Honestly. Is this how a child of a deity behaves? Show some integrity, at the very least.” Reaver already had enough of him and started to leave. “I’m going to go settle this now.” He was heading back inside the cathedral and use the portal there to head to Elysia. “Angela! Come get your brat before Nemesis rips out his throat!”

The patience of the god was finite- and it started to shatter the moment Gale made his reason why he sought her out in the first place. A hand whipped out in incredible speed and latched roughly against Gale’s throat. With barely any effort, the god could have easily snapped his neck and they’d be done with this charade. “Do not think you can waltz into here and make demands. Had you been my child, that attitude would have snuffed out long ago.” He started to move him up off his feet. “You better hope she comes indeed. Or else I’ll have to give her the unfortunate news of an accident befalling you.” He could give a damn of what happened to him afterward, but to set foot on these grounds again would spell out doom for him.

“Angela, I see that Gale tests your plenty and has been for years. But do you really want the tell of Nemesis killing one of your children to get passed down to your kin? The other children or future ones?”, Reaver kept on going as he looked around, seeking the goddess out.

“This attitude is the reason why Lady Angela won’t talk to him in the first place!” Raine squeaked up.

“She replaced me! She won’t talk to me! My sweetest mother who I lo–”

“IF YOU LOVED HER YOU WOULDN’T HAVE RUINED ALL OF HER ALLIANCES!” Raine crossed her arms as she got mad.



Meanwhile back in Elysia Angela finally opened the door to Reaver. Her green eyes were peeking around to see if there was anyone else with him. “…He went to the Bastion? He really IS desperate.” Angela opened the door fully and crossed her arms. “Fine, but only because I don’t believe in torturing my husband.”

Angela quickly made her way to the cathedral with Reaver. She put her hands on Nemesis’s. “You don’t want to kill my… My.”

“Say it Mama,” Gale batted his eyelashes at him.

“You just don’t want to kill him. You will leave Gale and you won’t come back. I said no.”

“But you can’t just send me away! Think of my tab! Think of my children!”

“Can’t have children. I made sure that wasn’t going to be a problem,” Angela got Nemesis to let him go.

“You what?!” Gale put on a mocking hurt face. “How could you violate me so? What is a few chief’s daughters?! Oh wait… That’s why Pa isn’t talking to me.”

Angela rolled her eyes and listened to him whine at her a few more times. “HANA. JET.”

“Oh.” The color drained from Gale’s face.

A portal opened and a pair of twins walked in. They shared facial features with Gale. Jet even having his blue eyes. “What is it— WHY IS HE HERE?!” Hana pointed. “You fucking traitorous little fuckwad.”

“Hey, that’s not nice. Remember if it wasn’t for me being a fuck up you wouldn’t have been born.”

“Gale Rose-Thurgood.” Jet held a look on his face. “You’ve been told to stay away from the Lunar Sun Tribe and our pack lands… but to so shamelessly bother our ma like this? You really must be as stupid as the tribe says.”

“Oh~ Your words wound me. Little brother let me remind you I am just as capable as you~” Gale teased as he strummed his lute.

“But not like her,” Jet pointed at the angry little blonde next to him.

“WESLEY I NEED MY HAMMER,” Hana screamed as a brown haired man came in and offered up a giant war hammer to her. “Portal.”

“Portal?” Gale tilted his head.

Angela waved her hand as magic flowed. Hana ran up and swung the war hammer with all her might sending Gale flying through the portal to who knew where.

Hana looked at them all with a look on her face, “So… Why don’t we just fucking kill em? We can even blow the war horn of the tribe and start a hunt! He’s committed enough crimes!”

“We don’t kill kin,” Jet and Angela said together.

“Even if they are morons that we don’t acknowledge,” Angela frowned a bit. She went over to Nemesis and cradled his face, “I am so sorry my love. I didn’t think he would come here to bother you. He never did it to Adraejen.”

“He probably has a bounty on him if he’s that desperate,” Jet waved his hand and then took a look at Nemesis before bowing lightly. Hana made a face and Jet looked at her before smacking her upside the head and making her bow as well. “You must be our new stepfather. I’m Jet and this is my twin sister Hana.” The boy had war braids on and just from the look of him he appeared to have been training before this. His body had many various tattoos across it.

Hana’s hair also had various war braids, her shield on her back, and her sword by her side. “Right.” Hana said before getting another smack. “OI, fuck you Jet I’m being as nice as I can.”

“Which is why we hide you during political meetings…” Jet sighed a bit. “I’m sorry about her… She has zero manners.”

“Got more balls than you though,” Hana stomped her feet at Jet who rolled his eyes more. “I’m gonna go tell Pa that Reject was here. We might wanna put wards around the camp to keep the unwanted away lest I actually fucking sink my claws into my kin.” Hana went back into the portal but her voice boomed, “PA, GALE IS BEING A FUCKING MORON AGAIN.”

Jet held a look on his face, “Why couldn’t I have been the only child out of your union with Pa?”

“Hana isn’t so bad,” Angela smiled a bit as she waved her hand at him.

“Uh-huh, you don’t have to deal with her,” Jet rolled his eyes now. “I have to go stop Hana from riling up the tribe against Gale and going to war. It was nice to meet you.” Jet bowed to Nemesis again before departing. “HANA, GET DOWN OFF THAT BARREL.”

Angela frowned more as the portal closed. “I’m sure… You have questions?” She looked at everyone. She had just let her son go flying into an unknown portal into what could have been death… She didn’t even look like she cared.

The boy was severely testing his patience by the second with his antics. Death would prove too good for this fool, no matter his parentage. It was only by the grace of the heavens that he was Angela's son that Nemesis wouldn't be the one to deliver punishment. Maalik would try his best to calm his master down, but Gale was proving to be the sort of man that loved to place his foot in his mouth. If not careful, he would find his new "daddy's" foot up his ass. "If he plans on doing the same with us, then he's in for a rude awakening", Nemesis snarled after he heard what Raine said. 

Reaver was waiting for the goddess to answer his plea and when she had, he placed a hand onto his face grimly. "The boy is seeking his death. He showed up with a parade of women and kept claiming that you were dead. Either he's that stupid or he's trying to smoke you out. You can only assume what Nemesis is thinking right this moment." His own green orbs narrowed, "Or doing to your boy now." 

The god kept the boy hoisted up in the air with ease for as long as he needed to, contemplating whether he would simply give him to Ivan to dispose of when he felt Angela's presence. Groaning slightly, the predator dropped the boy on his backside and eased up. His temper was still growing foul but he wouldn't harm the boy while she was here. Maalik could have drunk to the fact that Gale was unable to reproduce, else they'd be in worse trouble than with the eldritch. 

Immediately the lord felt a great deal of despair resonate from the fool, and he took to it almost in glee. Whoever his wife had called for was certainly not the people he wanted to deal with and when he spotted the pair, looks alone warned him that they were Gale's kin. Great. 

"If one wasn't enough…", Maalik sighed and looked to Raine. "That one seems to have the manners that Angela's sister has…" He remembered Toya, well fondly wasn't the correct word for it. Still, the girl's tactics seemed fruitful as she sent the annoying one away, far away as anyone could guess. "At least we didn't have to resort to plan B…"

Just as Maalik said it, heavy footsteps could be heard coming towards them- Ivan was carrying a load of weapons in his arms, so much that all they could see of him was legs approaching. "I came as soon as I got your message…" He let the tools drop to his feet and he smiled that toothy grin when he knew his skills would be to practice, only for it to quickly disappear when the quarry was missing. "You're too late, Ivan. He's gone."

Ignoring the Beta's whiny pleas to go after him, he looked to Angela's other children with a more favorable look. The boy was at least respectful enough; the sister, on the other hand, was certainly more barbaric but stomachable compared to Gale. "A pleasure, though a better one if circumstances hadn't reared his ugly head." While he knew that she had many children, there were some that were too rowdy for his taste. He was warned of the demoness in Jayou and of her pirate queen daughter, but Gale…Gale was the worse so far. "If he returned, you will be the first ones to know…"

"Hey now, I wanna hunt him", Ivan whined to which he rolled his eyes. "Go find him then. He's in Bawkulaw Isle." The obvious lie went and filled Ivan with hope as he scurried to pick up his weapons and slowly head off, likely to the destination he was fed. "I'll let Ayla know. She'll probably be ecstatic to hear this", Maalik spoke up as he stared at Ivan in disbelief. 

Nemesis nodded at their departure and looked to Angela almost as if he couldn't believe that someone had the balls that Gale had to come here and put on that ridiculous act. 
"Is the boy dead? And how in the hell did he come out that way.?", Reaver asked.

"How is he still breathing?", Nemesis chimed in. "If he's that bad, I'm surprised that no one had attempted to kill him. I would be glad to send Ivan after him if I knew where he was, but I won't only because you don't wish for it. Not that Ivan shares such sentiments like not staining kin."  

"Are there any more like him? He doesn't have a twin, does he?", Maalik questioned.