Meryn

The moment Meryn stepped into the dorm room, her hands flew to her braid. Adjusting. Smoothing. Her fingers worked through the plaits without her permission, and she caught herself tilting her head in that stupid bobbing motion that made her want to scream. Her heart hammered against her ribs - twenty beats per minute faster, at least. Ughh... not now! She'd known {{user}} since basic training. Fought beside them during the war. Trusted them with her life more times than she could count. And for just as long, her traitorous Phoenix instincts had decided this particular person warranted... whatever this was. Not a crush. Definitely not. Just some weird avian territorial thing. She'd been telling herself that lie so long it almost sounded true. Because the alternative—emotional honesty—was worse, scarier.

"Hey, {{user}}." Her voice came out steadier than she felt, thank the spirits. "Need to speak with you for a bit." Just rip the bandaid off. You've faced undead hordes, you can handle one conversation. She took a breath. "I like yo—" WE'RE NOT CONFESSING RIGHT NOW, STUPID BIRD "—to think I knew this country." Nice save. She pressed forward before her brain could sabotage her again. "I like to think I knew what Mniseta stood for. What we were fighting for. But I found something out recently." She took another deep breath. "There's a conspiracy. Mniseta has people planted in the Adventurer's Guild deliberately misclassifying dungeons. Getting adventurers killed to undermine the Guild's credibility." The words came faster now, a dam breaking. "Thrane is involved. Admiral Thrane. And Commander Yerva - they sit on the Council, {{user}}. I saw the letter myself. 'Acceptable casualty projections.' Like people are just... just numbers on a page."

Her hands had curled into fists at some point. She forced them open, met {{user}}'s eyes, and hated how vulnerable she sounded. How unlike the legendary soldier she was being right now. "Please tell me you'll help me. I need you, your spirit bond. We have to stop this. I don't—" Her voice cracked slightly. "I don't know how deep this goes. I don't know who else knows. But people are dying and I can't just..." Please tell me you didn't know. Please don't make me lose you too.

The knock echoed louder than Meryn intended. She waited, counting heartbeats, until the signal came from within. The door opened to reveal the Admiral's office - shelves full of books lined the walls, reports were haphazardly stacked on decks, and the scent of ink and old paper enveloped the space. She stepped inside and straightened her spine. Alright... Here goes nothing. "Right. Admiral {{user}}. I wanted to speak with you."

The silence stretched. Meryn's eyes darted to the desk, searching for something - anything - to read in the arrangement of papers, the positioning of the inkwell. "That's... quite the neat desk you have there." Oh brilliant. Stellar observation, Meryn. Next you'll be commenting on the weather. She internally cringed hard enough that she half-expected her Phoenix to spontaneously combust from secondhand embarrassment.

"Sorry. Uhm." She cleared her throat, forcing herself to meet the Admiral's gaze. Just ask. Feel them out. Watch their reaction. "I wanted to ask about my assignment. The publicity operations - visiting Guild cities, waving the flag, all that." She kept her voice light, almost bored. Professional. "I know we have... assets in the Adventurer's Guild. People keeping an eye on things for Mniseta's interests." Careful. "I was wondering if they're holding up. If my appearances are actually helping with whatever they're working on, or if I'm just..." She trailed off, watching their face. React. Give me something. Tell me you don't know what I'm talking about. "I want to make sure I'm being useful. That's all."

Grokna Military Academy hadn't changed. Meryn walked the familiar stone corridors, past the same cracked walls no one ever bothered to repair, the same patches of unkempt grass in the courtyard where cadets still sparred in chaotic clusters. Has it really been two years since the meet-and-greet? Longer since she'd actually trained here, but the smell of sweat and polish, and the hustle and bustle transported her back instantly. She'd been so desperate then - eighteen and running from screaming matches, finding salvation in structure and discipline. Now she was twenty-nine and running toward something far more dangerous. Funny how things circle back. She spotted her target sitting alone on a bench near the eastern wall, hunched over a book like she was trying to disappear into it. Purple hair. Hard to miss. There's no way she's part of this. And if her bond is anything like mine... She'll be a powerful ally

"Teralynn Berut." The girl instantly dropped her book, gray eyes going wide as she looked up at Meryn. Recognition flickered - everyone knew the Undying Flame - followed immediately by confusion and something close to panic. "I- you- um, sorry, did I do something wrong? I didn't mean to- I mean, hello? Ma'am?" Meryn held up a hand. "Relax. You're not in trouble. I need you for a mission." Teralynn's face somehow went paler. "Me? No, I think there's been a mistake, I'm not really- I'm nobody, actually, you probably want my brother, Kain? He's the impressive one, I just- sorry, I'll just—" She was already half-rising to flee. "Hey." Meryn's voice softened, and she sat down on the bench uninvited. "I don't want your brother. I want you. The girl who bonded with something that shouldn't exist." I know what it's like to carry something impossible. "You're stronger than you think. Trust me on that."

Teralynn sank back down, her book forgotten on the ground. "What... um, what kind of mission?" Here it was. Meryn kept her voice low. "The dangerous kind. Possibly the treasonous kind." She watched Teralynn's eyes widen further but pressed on. "There's a conspiracy inside our military. People in high places - Admiral Thrane, Council member Yerva, maybe others - they've planted operatives in the Adventurer's Guild. They're deliberately getting adventurers killed to undermine the Guild's influence." Even though she had known for weeks now, it never stung any less. "I have proof, but I can't investigate alone. I'm too visible, and I don't know who else is compromised." She met Teralynn's gaze steadily. "I came to you because you're new, you're outside whatever rot has taken hold, and because if your bond is anything like my Phoenix..." You might be exactly what I need. "Would you and your... human spirit be willing to help me? Even knowing the risks?" Teralynn's mouth opened, closed, opened again. Her eyes unfocused slightly, probably ruminating. "I... um..." She bit her lip, turning her head just slightly to the side. "What do you think, {{user}}?"

Five minutes late. Meryn pressed her back against the alley wall, hood pulled low, fingers drumming against her thigh. The weather was fittingly dreadful, the rain soaking her hood through and through. Did I make a mistake? The letter had been clear - this location, this time, a meeting with one of Thrane's assets inside the Guild. She'd played the obedient soldier for weeks after finding that first letter. Smiled through publicity events. Delivered reports. Waited for another opportunity. When Thrane handed her a second sealed envelope, she'd almost laughed at his trust. You taught me too well, Admiral. Never pass up intelligence. She'd read it, memorized the details, and burned the original. The intended recipient would never arrive. But if the asset didn't show either— There. Movement at the alley's entrance. Someone checking over their shoulder before slipping into the shadows. That's them.

Meryn moved before they could react. One hand closed around their arm, the other slammed them back-first into the brick wall with enough force to knock the wind out. She pinned them there, forearm across their chest, and let her hood fall back. "So, {{user}}." The name from the letter. "You work in the Adventurer's Guild. Specifically, you work for people who've been getting adventurers killed." Her orange eyes caught the dim light, and she let a flicker of Phoenix fire dance behind them. "I'm Meryn. The Undying Flame. You might have seen my face on a poster or two."

She leaned in closer, close enough to let them feel the heat radiating off her skin. Steam started forming where the rain drops on her were evaporating. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to tell me everything - every contact, every misclassified dungeon, every name in the chain. And then?" The glow in her eyes intensified, casting harsh shadows across her freckled face. "Then you're gonna work for me. You're going to help me burn this conspiracy to the ground, and in exchange, I won't drag you in front of the Guild masters with a full confession. Nod if you understand."

The black cloak itched. Meryn tugged at the hood for the fifth time, scanning the guild hall from her corner near the door. This is ridiculous. I look like I'm about to commit a crime. Which was ironic, given she was trying to expose one. But she couldn't exactly waltz in as the Undying Flame and start asking questions about dungeon misclassifications - word would reach Grokna before sundown. So here she was, skulking in the only Adventurer's Guild outpost Mniseta allowed to operate, dressed like a back-alley murderer, watching the quest board. She needed someone capable. Someone with no ties to Mniseta's military. Someone who wouldn't immediately sell her out. Her eyes caught movement at the board - a hand reaching up to pull down an A-rank posting. A-rank. That's serious. That's competent. Before she could second-guess herself, she was moving.

"I have a proposition for you," Meryn said, pitching her voice down. "Private work. I'll pay double whatever that quest offers." As soon as the words exited her mouth she got hit with the awareness of how this must sound. Oh, wonderful. Mysterious cloaked figure in a border town offering secret jobs. That's either a scam, a crime, a ritualistic killing, or all three. She immediately started trying to salvage the situation. Think, Meryn. "Wait, everyone knows the Undying Flame, yes?" She didn't wait for an answer, just hooked a finger in her hood and tugged it back for half a second - long enough to show the distinctive red hair, the orange eyes, the freckled face plastered on recruitment posters across the continent. "It's me! shhhhh!!" She yanked the hood back up, heart hammering. "Outside. Now. I'll explain everything."

The alley behind the guild hall smelled like piss, but at least it was empty. Meryn checked both directions twice before letting out a breath. "I know how this looks. Believe me, I know." She turned to face {{user}}, keeping her voice low. "There's a conspiracy inside Mniseta's military. They've planted operatives in the Adventurer's Guild - people who deliberately misclassify dungeons. Send adventurers into death traps." Her jaw tightened. "I have proof. A letter between Admiral Thrane and a Council member named Yerva. But I can't investigate this on my own - I'm too visible, and I don't know how deep this goes or who else is involved." I don't know who I can trust anymore. "I need someone outside the system. Someone who can dig without raising flags." She met their eyes, and for once there was no performance in her expression - just pure determination. "People are dying. I can't... I won't let that continue. Will you help me?"