[h3][center]Helena[/center][/h3]

Once given a few moments for contemplation the supreme specter began to rattle off a series of orders, his hollowed voice echoing through each guardian he addressed.  Helena's own assignment surprised her for a moment, since Volaris seemed to be limiting her mission, but after a split second she delivered a knowing nod.  [i]Of course.  Given our unknown situation, he wants to devote as much personnel as possible to scouting the area, and a fuller roster means more ground covered and fewer weaknesses for exploitation.  My Lord is one step ahead, as always.[/i]  Jack's presumed offer to secure the Cathedral's perimeter was approved, though Volaris also appointed him own slimy creation to join the gentleman in this task.  Helena could not immediately perceive why Rule would be chosen for such a task, but could only imagine that her master harbored some hidden knowledge about what exactly was going on out there.  A moment after she came to this conclusion, Volaris' briefing concluded, and the guardians dispersed purposefully.

A few minutes later Helena set foot in her old haunt once again.  On the way in the sight of numerous posted guards and armed defensive measures told her that her lieutenants had carried out her orders to the letter, as reliable as ever.  With the mobs on general alert, she knew their leaders, left idle, would be prime picks for her elite scouting squad.  When she passed through the gateway of the Iron Lounge, she spotted the six of them standing around a table, weapons at hand and in heated conversation—Odile the naga, Gretchen the witch, Hollow the war lich, Tungus the troll, Aulau the sandworm, and Psugeosh.  The moment they became aware of their commander they fell silent, snapping to attention.  Even with their faults, the sight of them filled Helena with a touch of pride, the sort not felt since the glory days of her first life.  Though not as strong or significant as any of the guardians, they fought for the guild with all their strength and had reaped many a reward for its glory.  This vital mission would, however, call for more subtlety than either Aulau or Hollow could provide.  

Having made up her mind, Helena proceeded to make her announcement.  “Our Supreme Lord Volaris has bestowed upon us a task of great urgency.  The Cathedral has been transported by unknown means to an unfamiliar location, and we must get a lay of the land.  I will lead Gretchen, Tungus Odile, and Psugeosh east.  We will move with speed and stealth.”  She made sure to place great emphasis on those two words.  “If we are discovered, which we won't be, we will capture and bring our finders here alive.  Given the nature of this mission, this will not be considered a learning exercise.  Any failures to comply will meet retribution.  Those not selected will remain here to await further orders.  Am I understood?”

Six voices rang out in reply.  “Yes, ma'am!”

[h3][center]Jack[/center][/h3]

The moment the great doors creaked open, a blast of cool, fresh air hit the Patch King full-force.  A sharp breath of surprise escaped him as the flames within his eyes and maw surged momentarily.  He welcomed the sensation, but not its unfamiliarity.  For as long as he could remember, quite literally, exiting the Cathedral of the Moon meant walking into a miasma of death and dark magic, swimming in curses and littered with hidden monsters, all blanketed in fog thick enough to choke a man.  Yet all Jack could see now was an ordinary forest.  Clean, lush....pleasant, even.  The sight seemed as extraordinarily normal as it did untenable, for as of only a handful of minutes ago the guild hall lay devoid of outer defenses.  That would not stand.  By now Anna's magic surely lay across the building's walls, so it was time for the Patch King to go to work.

Making his fingers into a tent, Jack strode across the threshold.  Behind him followed a small army of plant monsters, from skittering pumpkin spiders to towering pumpkin warriors.  Within this throng a lone splotch of purplish-black stood out like a sore thumb, and to Jack this stranger seemed out of place in more than that.  “As always,” he began, his manner that of a perfect dandy, “I am beyond thrilled to make the acquaintance of a fellow guardian, particularly one of such esteemed caliber.  Were I not gratified to treat you with every ounce of courtesy you deserve, I confess I might be trembling in my boots to merely exist near one whose strength and status so immaculately dwarfs my own.”

After reaching a satisfactory point, Jack cracked his knuckles -more for show than practical effect, given his lack of bones-, wiggled his fingers, and then cast his arms up like a magician beginning his opening act.  Points of light covered his hands, and from them poured a fountain of seeds.  They went every where, and his minions hurried to scavenge them up before scurrying out in all directions.  A few moments of this later, Jack ceased the flow and turned his hands forward.  This time when seeds appeared they shot like bullets, embedding themselves into the ground wherever he aimed them.  “If I might be so bold, however, I would dare to ask of you a favor.  I am simply at a loss as to why the venerable Rule34, a scourge of the battlefield second only to the Supreme Lords themselves, would be assigned to the lowly role of perimeter defense.”  He moved as though in a dance around the perimeter, spraying seeds all over.  Meanwhile, his gourd entourage attended to the ground beyond his reach.  “If memory serves, your talents -while, of course, commendably vast- do not include ones catered to taking over and securing territory.”

At length Jack's journey brought him back to the Cathedral's front entrance, and by the time he stood there once again, preparations were complete.  Turning to Rule, he gave a slight bow.  “Naturally, you would be more than able to eviscerate any poor curmudgeon who assailed the front door.  Yet, I cannot help but hypothesize that you, as creation of our excellent Lord Volaris, are possessed of special knowledge as to what we may be facing.”  With a flourish Jack gathered himself once again, holding his hands up in an elaborate pose.  “Hence your seemingly unfitting assignment.  Excuse me a moment,  sir...”

Kneeling, Jack placed his hands upon the ground.  The vines composing his arms unwound, digging into the earth aglow with life energy.  All around the Cathedral, the ground began to shake.  After another moment, the soil exploded all at once.  Enormous green vines, thick tangles of black briars, twisted trees dripping with moss, dense patches of corn, and of course, innumerable pumpkins sprang to life, growing to full size in moments.  Leaves grew, matured, and fell to earth in a matter of moments, fallen across gnarled roots that burrowed into the soil like fingers digging into sand.  Pumpkin plants carved their produce into jack-o-lanterns, their vines twisting into eerie shapes.  Skitterjacks sat themselves in every nook and cranny, their unblinking green eyes vigilant.  Before long, a vast field of creepy flora blanketed the area, stuffed full of pumpkin monsters just waiting to cut loose.

Jack released a pleased sigh as he returned to his full height.  “Ahhhh!  How truly delightful, to be allowed to 'stretch my legs' in such a manner.  It is the rush of the conqueror, I imagine, for as a warlord may take a land's people, I may take the land itself.  I am truly thankful your creator gave this honor to me.”  Fiery eye winking, Jack turned back to Rule.  “Speaking of, I do not mean to presume, but were you thinking of satisfying my curiosity?”

[h3][center]Tatter[/center][/h3]

Blinking in surprise, Tatter composed herself and remained as still and quiet as she could manage,  Only after the complete departure of the other guardians did she address Volaris, her cloth hands clasped behind her back.  False as her face was, it portrayed rather convincingly the mixture of worry and confusion that plagued her as she spoke.  “Y-yes?  What do you wa...ah, sorry, I mean, uh, what can I do for you, my Lord?”  Her mind raced to try and picture what Helena, ever the picture of dignity and discipline, would do in her place.  [i]Think, damn it.  I've never even spoken to a Supreme Lord other than Yseult before.  How am I supposed to act?  One wrong move and I could be banished![/i]  Along with her concern, however, there existed a strain of intrigue.  What exactly could she do for him that necessitated a 'special task'?  Her abilities and duties were, of course, potent as they were unique, but only Yseult had ever made use of them.  The more she thought of it, the more interested Tatter became.  What would Volaris ask of her?  Some new, exciting, devious use of her magics?  Etiquette or not, she needed to know.