“I know you're an heir.”

  Noelle stared wide-eyed at Evantra’s calm response to her grand proclamation, identifying herself as an heir of Demeteria Agricorporation. The monster that tended to the continental greenhouses that kept a steady flow of produce into the capital cities, and who was currently attempting to terraform Mars.

  “T-that’s imposs—”

  “I read your journal,” Evantra said matter-of-factly, watching as Noelle coloured crimson at her words. “You didn’t really think I was going to let a total stranger under my roof now, did you? Still… I was impressed that you kept the bit about selling your apartment out of it, not to mention you were light on details about your family. Couldn’t find anything about you on the net, when I looked either.”

  “Y-you really don’t have any concept of respecting privacy, do you?”

  “Blame my trust issues,” Evantra grinned shamelessly as Noelle let out a sigh.

  “That’s why you’re so trusting of me, then? Mutually assured destruction?”

  Noelle's voice was low and solemn, and Evantra couldn’t help but let out a snort. The girl’s implication was clear. Corporate heirs were often targets for other megacorps or rogues. A single ransom could net you ectocreds in the millions, or even more desirably–

  Contractual leverage.

  “No. Or at least, it isn’t the only reason. I haven’t misled you about my abilities, for one. As easy as it would have been to do so. Still, it doesn’t hurt to have some blackmail material on hand. Is Demeteria on your tail? Is there anything that could interfere with us?” Evantra stared expectantly at her, and the girl flinched back before shaking her head once more.

  “I’m dead to my family, as are they to me,” Noelle whispered under her breath, before her gaze hardened. “If you’re concerned about them pursuing me, you won’t have to worry. Besides…” Noelle trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid as her shoulders shrank.

  Evantra simply nodded in silent agreement.

  No matter what you say to me, what assurances you give…

  There will always be an inherent risk in associating with you.

  An heir.

  Even assuming you are ‘dead’ to Demeteria, our fates are intertwined if they ever choose to pursue you.

  So…

  Evantra watched Noelle, whose gaze was carefully averted from her own.

  Evantra clapped her hands together.

  The sharp sound jolted Noelle from her reverie.

  “Well then! I’m guessing you don’t have access to a convenient wealth of resources that we could use to fund our endeavours, do you? I could really use some cybernetics. Maybe even a nice outfit, seeing as I still don’t have a frilly dress to transform into. I suppose Taco can cosplay as my cute companion, maybe we'll get a cute costume for him too. In all honesty... it’s starting to get quite disappointing. Feels like I’ve been scammed. Some magical girl I am.”

  Noelle’s eyes widened in confusion, stunned by Evantra’s response.

  She slowly shook her head in response.

  “Guess we’re just going to have to get rich the old-fashioned way then,” Evantra said.

  Silence hung in the air between them.

  “Thank you,” Noelle whispered with a soft smile. There was a mixture of relief and incredulity in her expression. Her shoulders were still drawn and tense, expecting further questions poised to drill ruthlessly into her origins.

  Evantra simply nodded.

  If there was anyone who understood, it was her.

  Despite blatantly disrespecting Noelle’s privacy, she still understood.

  There was dignity in some secrets.

  Secrets, which had no place in even the most private of journals.

  What mattered was that Evantra had delivered her answer to Noelle's wordless question.

  If we burn, Noelle Laurent, we’ll burn together.

  Evantra watched as Noelle collected herself, sitting just a little bit straighter in her chair.

  “Where do we go from here?”

  Evantra got her up to speed on what Trevor had shown her in the police station. The pictures of the victims, along with their descriptions. The lack of any leads of substance tying the murders together.

  “I spoke with him, and he tried to throw me off the trail. He told me that Caliburn has no reason to cover it up. I don’t buy it.”

  “Neither do I.”

  Evantra looked up in surprise at Noelle as she bit her lip, mulling over Evantra’s words.

  “For one, they might not want to attract the attention of another corp to their activities here, whatever they might be.”

  Evantra nodded slowly in agreement before she continued.

  “Caliburn. I’m not convinced they’re here solely for their mining endeavours. The significant increase in Veilcreatures, all hailing from Avalon… I think we have the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.”

  “Hmm?”

  Noelle bit her lip as she rose, beginning to pace before her.

  “First – to address your current bottleneck. The occult artefacts you mentioned. In the circles I used to run in… I heard whispers of Ghostslayers chancing upon strange objects in the lost territories. Also in the Mythic Veilsurges... in the rare times Ghostslayers have been able to venture into them and return. Corpo families and execs keep them as curiosities, from my understanding. Strangely, when I tried looking into it on the net, I was met with nothing,” Noelle whispered under her breath, pausing, before she continued.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “The thought of a cone of silence over objects that break the rules of reality on the net stretches all belief, doesn’t it? At the very least, you’d expect the usual AI drivel that muddies the waters as to the truth, spitting out articles to the contrary, but there’s nothing. I refuse to believe that the governments and corpos know nothing about them and ignore the potential that they offer, especially from what we know of your abilities.”

  Evantra nodded, following the girl’s train of thought.

  “You’re proposing we sneak aboard Caliburn’s barge? Searching for occult artefacts that the siblings might plausibly have in their possession, and to steal them? All while looking for evidence of their involvement in what’s going on in Wisptown?”

  Noelle nodded, a light blush rising to her cheeks.

  “I like the way you think… but nope. That’s a great way to get killed. Still, your heart’s in the right place. I’ve got another idea, which will help us kill a third ‘bird’ with the very same stone.”

  Evantra looked down towards her phone.

  “If Wisptown is experiencing a surge in Veilcreatures, then there’s little chance that they aren’t posing a nuisance to Caliburn down in the caverns,” Evantra said. “It’s time we give Clark Hallewell a call and grind out some levels, so that when we do come across the next artefact, I’ll have a better chance of consuming it. Once I gain their trust, I might be able to move around their barge with a little more freedom, and with any luck, find out what their purpose here is.”

  Noelle stared at her.

  “That’s bloody brilliant. Corpo funding and backing, Ghostslayer training and the opportunity to rack up Veilsouls and levels in the process if they point you at any Veilcreatures.”

  Noelle rose, muttering to herself as she started to extrapolate on a plan.

  As she did so, Evantra’s face fell.

  In truth, she knew that there was one more lead that she could pursue.

  But she knew for a fact that she didn’t have the heart to do so.

  At least, not yet.

  ***

  Noelle’s POV

  Noelle Laurent watched as Evantra shut the door to her room with a soft click.

  The moment that she left, Noelle slumped in her chair. She placed her face in her hands, the rush of the conversation still lingered with her, the adrenaline that it brought still sluicing through her system.

  A magical girl.

  Her eyes darkened.

  It’s clear to me that she still doesn’t entirely trust me. The fact that I was already apprised of her skillset and the knowledge of her identity probably reassured her enough to disclose it to me.

  Beyond that… her eyes.

  Noelle recalled the haunted look behind Evantra’s cheery fa?ade. What she had taken such care to conceal from her. Adopting masterfully curated levity to present a persuasive image.

  She’s desperate.

  I don’t think she ever would have given me a chance if she hadn’t been pushed to the end of her rope like she has, with no one else to depend on.

  Their words rang in her ears.

  Benjamin, the friendly, unassuming monk who himself hid behind his own mask of levity and his favourite Wraithkiller SWS. Another individual with surprising depth. Revealed when Noelle had gotten to know him throughout their many sessions where he had taught her to fix the drone.

  And most of all… Trevor’s words to her.

  In order to gain Evantra’s trust, to truly start over, she would need to dig deep. It went beyond gradually showing Evantra her worth as a techie. That was the single thing she could take solace in – that she would easily provide. The skills and knowledge that she brought with her were not the issue.

  “Coward.”

  The words came out as a whisper.

  Redemption was not a luxury afforded to everyone.

  There were people who were beyond reproach. Truth be told, abandoning someone in their greatest hour of need and expecting them to give you a chance was an act of sheer folly.

  Noelle stared at her trembling hands as she bit her lip, clenching her eyes shut and angrily swiping at a tear that fled down her cheek.

  Redemption was within her grasp, and it had a price.

  All it cost was the courage to confront her own demons.

  ***

  “You want to sign up for our Ghostslayer program?”

  Clark Hallewell almost tripped over himself as they strode together through the metallic hills of the junkyard. Juno had shot her a dirty look when she requested Clark’s contact, but it seemed like the corpo must have mentioned her in idle conversation, seeing as he agreed to hand it over.

  Currently, Clark was staring at her like a kid in a candy store staring at their favourite candy. That was, if it had hopped up to them, and invited to place itself in their belly to save them the trouble.

  “I think… I could use your guidance. There aren’t a lot of options out here in Wisptown. You looked out for me when we dove into the previous Veilsurge as well,” Evantra shrugged.

  Her words were convincing because they were true. Caliburn’s Ghostslayers did look out for her in their brief scrap in the Sahara, despite her reservations about them.

  Clark beamed at her, gesturing towards the mining barge above them.

  “Happy to start immediately? Let’s get you outfitted.”

  ***

  Clark guided her to the terminal that Caliburn had established on the ground. Evantra stared at the towering tunnelling vehicles at least ten times her height, which were under maintenance. Caliburn techs scrambled to attend to them. The sound of afterburners igniting drew her attention a short distance away. Caliburn had established a shuttle bay which ushered people to and from the enormous barge, which cast a shadow across the junkyard beneath it.

  The Spirit of Nimue.

  Evantra and Clark stepped aboard one of the shuttles, and she swallowed down a lump in her throat as they made their way towards the barge.

  One of the major disadvantages of their plan was that Evantra would lose contact with Noelle for extended stretches of time. They would only have the benefit of regrouping and strategising when she was off Caliburn’s mining barge.

  Wearing a earpiece in plain sight was the best way to attract heat and suspicion. She would only risk it after having gained a degree of trust, when Caliburn lowered their defences – assuming such an opportunity ever presented itself.

  Clark had excitedly told her that the Spirit of Nimue had taken numerous voyages to the asteroid belt. Evantra supposed that it was the closest thing to walking on a spacecraft she would get to experience in the foreseeable future.

  The ship’s interior was clad in a dark gunmetal grey that lined its corridors. Attendants in crisp uniforms went about their tasks with fervour, taking moments to nod or borderline bow towards Clark as he waved to a couple of the workers.

  It featured wide, sweeping windows that provided an unimpeded view of the junkyard below, and Wisptown beyond it. She could practically see the entire town sprawling outwards, and she had to wrench herself away from the sight to keep up with Clark in his enthusiasm.

  It’s a maze in here.

  I have to familiarise myself with the layout when I have the chance.

  Still… I’m in luck. There’s a notable lack of security detail up here. I suppose that’s because entry and exit to the barge are so tightly controlled, the chances of someone slipping through to board are minimal—

  Never mind. I stand corrected.

  Evantra and Clark emerged from the lift into a corridor unlike the rest of the ship.

  The floor was paved with a dark, golden carpet. The walls were furnished in mahogany wood, giving the section of the ship a facade that you would sooner expect to encounter in a high-end hotel. Even the attendants on the floor were dressed differently, sporting smart, black uniforms with golden highlights.

  “Hey, Guinevere. Here to see the sis.”

  Clark spoke to the empty air before them. Evantra took an involuntary step backwards as the Ghostslayer shimmered into existence. She looked over the woman's cybernetic skin, which had returned to its default shade of black, with a gentle gradient that darkened towards her feet.

  Guinevere guards the siblings’ quarters. That’s going to be a hurdle.

  Evantra’s eyes hovered over the woman’s startling green optics, which glowed similarly to Lancelot’s crystal blue.

  Though I might have just the thing to surmount this obstacle.

  All that's left to do is to test it.

  “Of course, Master Clark.”

  Guinevere stepped to the side, fixing Evantra with a cold stare. She didn’t even give a second glance towards the Nagantra at her waist, and that fact alone sent a shiver down Evantra's spine.

  It spoke to her utter confidence that she was not a threat to any of them.

  Elaine Hallewell rose from behind her desk, ruby red eyes narrowing as they alighted on Evantra.

  “Idiot brother. What have you come to—”

  CATALYST DETECTED

  · Catalyst of the Trove Seeker