Mortimer was once again waiting amidst the empty plains. It seemed to be his "thing". Waiting. Periodically he would check the pactio to see whether or not she was in range. Once she finally arrived he would activate the card and bring her right to his side. From her message earlier they needed to meet in person for a handoff and they needed to make the transaction as soon as possible.

Normally Mortimer had his ear to the ground in any number of groups and agencies but this time the only contact which came through was from his Minstra. Either she had been misinformed... or this was so important that secrecy was on the topmost scale.

Kagami knew she'd come within range of the pactio... And was expecting this. Seh sighed, knowing she was putting both of them in danger by doing this but also knowing that someone had to receive word... Before it was too late. "There's this group of radicals made up almost entirely of vampires. They're working to overthrow the government... I only received this information by making them think I'm on their side. Their leader is known as Te... And what you said of Umi... He reminds me so much of that."

She paused for a moment, wanting to see what else Mortimer wished to know.

"First of all I want to know why you are telling me this? From what I can tell a nation of vampire radicals is something that would be advantageous for you and others like you. They have been oppressed for centuries so I can understand their resentment towards other civilizations and races, but why is it that you are willing to go against your own kind?"

Mortimer said this last bit with a bit more venom than he intended. He was still a little angry at her sudden departure and had gone through the stages of grief... but with her reintroduction he seemed to be relapsing and was now once again in anger.

Kagami could barely believe she wouldn't have done this a few months ago. "Because, I don't want you... Or any of my other friends... To get hurt!" She shook her head. "I never asked for this. If I could have denied being turned into what I am, I would have... I know that much about when I was human. But since that resistance in the end was useless, I'll do what I can to stop people from going through the suffering I do every day. Life isn't fair from the start, but unlife is even worse."

She did her best to remain calm, despite the anger in Mortimer's voice. She wondered if she could talk him out of it, if she could perhaps reason with him. She now regretted having spent so much time away from him, and her sorrow could be seen from the tear dripping down her face.

Without warning Mortimer was embracing the tearful Kagami. Yes he had been angry but he hadn't meant to hurt her. He wanted to let her know that even if he was angry, even if he was spitting out curses, even if he was killing or crying or laughing, he still loved her.

All this he tried to convey through that embrace, and he hoped that she would understand. He held her like that for a long time before releasing her, yet still he maintained physical contact, his hands on her shoulders while looking deep into her tera stained eyes.

"It's okay Kagami. Now please, if you can I'd like you to tell me a bit more of what you know of them...okay?"

Suprised by the embrace, Kagami had to use a lot of mental effort to keep herself from pushing Mortimer away. As it ended but Mortimer kept his hands on her she wiped away her tears. "Te is right about one thing, and that's that vampires never will be fully understood." She sighed, pausing a moment to gather her thoughts.

"While they are few in number, their numbers are increasing fast and those they already have are quite powerful. I probably wouldn't be able to take more than 3 of them, and the leaders... Forget it." The worried look on Kagami's face spelled it out for Mortimer. "Conflict is inevitable... And I don't want my friends caught in it, but I feel I have to stop this somehow..."

"If what you say is true and conflict is inevitable, then we need to know everything we can to minimize casualties. Running away is out of the question. A vampires primary diet is the blood of living creatures and with so many humans in the area there's going to be fighting. We need to cause enough damage that negotiations can come into play. And to do that we need information. We need to know the size of their army, the armies standing condition, the strength and magical aptitude of each soldier, their equipment, their location, current and future projections and most importantly the time they are moving. We need to know S.A.L.U.T.E"

"Lets see then. As far as numbers, they're in the dozens but will reach one hundred within the span of two weeks, if things keep going at the same pace. They're fairly well trained, and most of them are best with ranged attacks, magical or otherwise..."

Kagami got out a notebook in which she'd taken notes while she'd been at their base. "The good news is they've decided to rely upon their own ability to withstand injury rather than buy extra armor. Apparently Te thinks it'd just be a waste of money."

"That's wonderful Kagami. Now all we need is their current location and its layout. Don't worry. If we know this much then I know at least a dozen people we could bring on this... All we need is their homebases blueprints inside of a week and we should be able to make a move before they do..."

Kagami flipped to a bookmarked page in the notebook. "I'm surprised Te wasn't curious as to why I was doing this, but I tried to map what of the base that I could." She showed the page to Mortimer. "As for where the base is... It's deep within Hellas." Kagami wasn't surprised they'd chosen that location, it was the best thing a group of radicals could do for the safety of it's members after all. And they were still within range of a source of nourishment...

Speaking of which it'd been a while since Kagami had had blood, and due to Mortimer's proximity she could feel her fangs tingling for want of it.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you" He said as he gave his little spy a peck on the cheek. "Good job Kagami. I'll see you at the war council!" Spinning on his heel he was already flying away as a swarm of bats, the necessary material clutched in his collective claws.

Kagami blushed momentarily, it'd been so long. She was starting to reconsider her descision to continue life as a nomad. Before all the bats could get away she grabbed one, with her other hand waving at the rest of the swarm as it flew away... Once again Kagami found herself alone. But at least she had sustenance now, she'd been working herself to the bone these past few weeks and desperately needed it.

"Well hello there Kagami, how are you doing?" Asked the former bat now turned into a chibi version of Mortimer. "HOw are you this fine evening?" His oversized cibi eyes glowing in the starlight.

"Uh... Quite good, although... Sorry I have to do this." She said before she hesitantly bit the little chibi Mortimer. The chibi looked so cute she had a hard time doing this to him, but she had to...

Rewards

Emi: 1 SP, 1 MP and 110,000 Drachma
Mortimer: 1 SP, 1 MP and 110,000 Drachma