Records of Rebirth

Typhon glared at them coldly, extremely disappointed by their antics. He likely chose his team because he valued efficiency over sentiment, and they didn't understand.

He wasn't wrong, but it said a lot that his biggest supporter, Ophelia, was unsettled by the team he chose. She kept glancing from me to him, in disbelief. Perhaps she wanted me to intervene, but I focused on the clamouring nestlings instead.

They were still arguing amongst each other, and my patience was waning.

When were these nestlings going to learn?

They all had their own factions, loyal followers, and even favourites, when they should have been unified. How could they claim to belong to my Pit when this was their default state?

I didn't want to see them fight or for their factions to fragment even further than they were now. If so, they were no better than the Serpent clan that waged wars against themselves!

Their behaviour was truly appalling and as my irritation rose, the atmosphere soon turned cold as a dangerous aura leaked out.

Ophelia sensed it immediately and yelled at the nestlings to stand down. It was quite out of character for her, so they immediately froze in shock. Those that were quick-witted immediately funnelled into orderly rows, suddenly realising something was wrong. 

The others soon fell back, and the cave fell to silence, with the occasional sniffle of a sob being heard.

I glanced at Ophelia who had joined the nestlings to bow, and Typhon who stood beside her but stared directly at me. There was no point in shouting now, because this would take more than a warning to fix.

I checked to see the positions of Arsinoe and Morgana on the atlas. Their serpent icons were bright red, meaning they were still alive and moving at a rapid pace. Ironically, the two belonged to Typhon and Ophelia respectfully.

Although I didn't want to place any blame, this was the result of Typhon and Ophelia playing favourites.  They set the example for the nestlings to follow through and it was shaping their very being.

I believe Morgana set out herself to find results, with no intention of coming back no matter how dangerous it became. This fact was evident in Ophelia's nervous behaviour and her incessant worry for 'her' safety.

I listlessly sighed - this was quite the conundrum indeed.

As for Arsinoe, she likely followed because she knew Typhon would come after them as soon as he knew, perhaps before they faced any difficulty. And considering how quickly he returned, she was not wrong. 

No matter how much my commanders denied it, Morgana and Arsinoe were clearly their favourites.

|[You can stop now.]| I asked all the nestlings to lift their heads.

It was like my Commanders were trying to solve a problem without knowing the cause.

[My team is very skilled.] Typhon said, matter of factly.

And I agreed.

There was nothing unsatisfactory about those he chose, but he was simply too certain!

How could he assume to know everything I was looking for?

|[How did you select them?]| I asked.

A low murmur of excitement spread through the nestlings, but none of them left their orderly formation to suggest themselves to me like before. It was like their earlier outburst was all a mirage.

[I chose them based on their hunting experience.] Typhon confirmed.

[Morgana isn't a creature to hunt.] Ophelia said in a low voice, her voice trembling with sadness. [You said you would bring her back.]

[I will.] Typhon briefly glanced at Ophelia's sulking figure before turning to me. [If you tell me what you're searching for, I can adjust it accordingly.]

Hmph! Why did this brat sound so sarcastic?

It wasn't that simple!

Regardless of what they felt, it was difficult to see them argue, so I asked both of them to join me to discuss the issue.

|[To give everyone a fair chance, some members need to be reworked.]| I said. |[The others have been working hard, It's only right to give them a chance to do more.]|

Typhon looked over at all the bright eyed nestlings staring at us and sighed.

[I don't have a problem with that.] He replied. [But we can't wait too long. The longer we leave them out there, the more trouble they will cause.] 

[Typhon is right.] Ophelia admitted. [I know Morgana better than anyone. She won't be satisfied until she has achieved what she set out to do.] 

Hm.

Typhon gave her a withering stare, but even with this Ophelia was much calmer knowing I was taking over the selection process. 

|[This won't take too long.]| I replied, before addressing the waiting nestlings. |[All those that wish to participate can come forward.]| 

They started coming forward one by one until 26 grinning nestlings stood before me, and I felt myself twitch in irritation.

How could none of them opt out?

|[You don't all have to volunteer.]| I frowned, but none of them went back.

|[You won't be blamed if you decide to stay.]| I repeated, to the same result.

Looking at all the nestlings staring at me, I had a feeling these brats had sinister plans to make my life difficult! 

Typhon maintained a straight face throughout, but even his stoic look had softened a great deal, while Ophelia awkwardly turned away to hide her smile from me.

I sighed in exasperation and proposed another solution. To reduce their numbers further they would have to demonstrate their abilities to me through combat. 

The rules were fairly simple. Each one had to show their abilities was at an advanced level, while being able to use their magic for a long period of time without depleting their stamina.

After giving them instructions, the nestlings immediately split in half and began to fight against each other.

Typhon and I scrutinised their chaotic performances carefully. With [Appraisal] I already knew many of them had powerful [Poison Magic] very close to LV10, but I was looking out for those with a unique mastery of their magic as well as skills related to combat. 

It was no use being good at one thing when they couldn't use it to fight off an enemy or escape. 

Lyra was just like this and she was the first to be taken out by Delphine who did not hesitate to strike. Even though she was excellent at Healing magic, her combat skills were not up to par.

But where she failed Europa performed exceptionally, dealing out precise, almost surgical cuts to his opponent to incapacitate them. They were defeated so quickly he even had time to treat their injuries after the fact, proving his Healing abilities did not hinder his combat abilities at all. 

It wasn't that I did not prioritise those with more than one type of magic - their offence and defence just had to be balanced. Typhon was a good example of this, but he was very rare and not everyone could be like Ophelia who possessed three types of magic and still maintained good offensive abilities. 

Among them, Typhon's chosen team performed very well. 

Cygnus was another I couldn't take my eyes off, as it was very difficult to track his movements. He only came third because he had gone to another room in the middle of his match, returned with a mouthful of fruit and an angry dark fae in pursuit, all before taking out his opponent. 

He even interfered in three other matches by mistake as he tried to dodge her tiny fists.

This only worsened with frequent sneak attacks by Cassio who did not hesitate to use [Earth Magic] to weaken the stabilities of others, or Andromeda who took quick jabs at those who weren't paying attention.

Because of them, other friendly matches quickly descended to brawls with nestlings lashing out at the wrong targets because they didn't know who hit them.

I frowned at their antics, feeling a headache coming on. 

Aside from them Otreia, Oteiza and Aquila were all fighting for their chance to qualify, but their opponents were proving too difficult.

Oteiza suffered a quick defeat by Demos. Aquila had the misfortune of pairing with Apollo whose ridicule only worsened her already fragile state, and Otreia was paired with Artemis who was very much against her going to Arsinoe.

At her defeat, Typhon could no longer hide his grin from me. Considering his team was holding their own, I sighed in exasperation.

|[I should disqualify them for cheating.]| I broodingly said.

[You could.] Typhon admitted. [But you never said they couldn't take on more than one opponent.]

This. 

I was appalled by his shamelessness - the system's quest had never looked so tempting until now.

Ophelia noticed the tension and intervened. [I don't agree with their actions, but if we wait any longer, they will be in danger. I don't mind who goes, the important thing is that we save them.]

Although she changed her mind she still looked anxious about it, and that didn't sit right with me. I had to remind her of something she was overlooking.

|[You're not wrong to worry about them.] I told her. [But they chose to go off on their own. They wouldn't do so if they didn't have a plan. Isn't your worrying undermining that?]|

|[If we rescue them too quickly, they'll have nothing to show us for their treason.]|

Ophelia felt silent, while Typhon scrutinised me closely.

Perhaps she realised she was actively hindering their ambition, but from what I had seen of them, if Arsinoe didn't come prepared - then Morgana would have. Out of all the nestlings she seemed the most eager to improve.

And even then, I would never let them come to harm. 

I checked the Atlas once more to see they had separated. Both of them were fighting, but only one was noticeably agitated. And for every creature they killed, my [Notoriety] increased by 40 points.

At this rate, there was little I could do to stop it. It went up for anything minor. A new kill, a new Veladrys sprout, a new attribute. The alerts were never ending, and I'd gotten so used to them that I barely reacted. 

The important thing was that they were both alive and one [Blink] away if their little adventure ever got out of hand - was what I thought when something else caught my attention.

As I zoomed out of the Atlas, I noticed several little problems in the form of black [X] marks. 

Those pesky little elves I tagged were moving again. Their destination - a little too close to my territory for my liking. 

My eyes lit up with malice, and several nestling matches screeched to a halt around me. 

Were they that eager to die again?