Red

Red is an interesting contract on the fact that she is surrounded by unusual circumstances despite appearing rather average. Her pole-arm summoned weapon equivalent to a large bat and her skill it with are at best a little over subpar, but it's a strange weapon because of how it can morph in a battle (as it attracts nearby crystals and affixes them to the blade, simultaneously whittling the crystal down and making it sharp). Because of this, Red's polearm can often be any weapon imaginable, just on a longer stick than usual. Her personality is rather dry, and she's often quite reserved, yet she seems at least acquainted with all other contracts (yet the other contracts all agree with my viewpoint of her personality and dispositions). She's also one of the most feared contracts, not because of her strength or anything, but because of the amount of things she knows about people. Yet said people are entirely responsible for divulging such information; Red has no technical skill to influence people into telling their secrets. Finally, she has an unknown relationship with Lycan. Lycan is, admittedly, a fairly useless contract in the grand scheme of things. He hardly seems to be able to speak full sentences, and his combat approach is brutal yet simple, so much so that one would describe him as single minded. He has no tactics, nor often even an apparent semblance of knowledge over the stakes at hand. But when paired with Red, he has one of the highest mission success ratios of any contract (and he's sent on many assignments with Red, this is by no means a fluke).

There has to be a reason why Red has a near perfect mission success rate. She's capable of something that me and Kai are unaware of, and the other contracts either don't notice or don't say. She is currently under strict surveillance.

--- Shia, head of Augustia

Red supposedly comes from a far off place named Tywin, a rather small civilization that's entirely immobile. In it's prime, Tywin was a large port city that held a mass amount of commerce and tourism potential, but was ultimately destroyed by an unusual variant of a Ruelid storm. Typically, a Ruelid Storm is destructive through its launching of massive Rueliedis crystals, which often time crush and radiate disease over the city it falls on. Yet the storm that hit Tywin was a massive cluster of smaller crystals, though still tens to even a hundred feet long in diameter, and it riddled the city with disease. Almost everything in the city failed for the hundred or so years the crystals lingered within the city, but eventually the clusters of crystals were eventually removed by the surviving people. As far as I'm aware, it's one of the only cities to attempt to clear the crystals instead of abandoning the city entirely. According to Red, Tywin's location was considered a holy place by those of Tywinian descent and culture (or at least those who followed the Tywinian religion). I would assume that also explains why the city never went mobile. Everyone left in the city after the hundred or so years passed from the initial storm were typically impoverished, starving, and violent. With a loss of 92% of its population, as well as all makings of the prideful city it used to be, it was subsequently removed off many people's radar and exists only as a memory or small scratch on an old world's map.

Red obviously was born under what she calls 'New Tywin', which is the post-crystal removal era. Supposedly her life was rather typical at the time as a child, but when she developed her powers she was seen as a carrier of divine punishment from the gods. People believed that her pole attracting Ruelids was a premonition of a future where the Ruelids previously moved by the new Tywin people would be picked up by God and dropped over the city once again as punishment for the city's failure to prevent the storm originally. Under the weight of this religious belief, Red was quickly ostracized and feared by her peers, and was eventually shunned by the city in an attempt to ignore their problems and premonitions, presumably trying to make God think that they "didn't notice Red's message" or something (at least, that's the reasoning told to us by Red). Her family was allowed to stay on the basis that they irreparably damaged Red in someway as a show of faith and allegiance to the city, rather than their cursed daughter. However, her parents were unable to harm her due to their strong familial beliefs and love, and were thus marked as traitors by the city. In-line with the city's usual religious beliefs, her family was hung to atone for their sins. This wasn't, at least officially, due to Red herself however. In fact, according to Red, they were convicted of a false heretic charge, and was subsequently punished for worshipping an evil deity. Red was supposed to be hung as well, considering the interpretation of the Uryson book (A core writing behind the Tywinian beliefs) applied to both Red's family and herself, but was ignored due to the possible punishments handed down upon them by God from the fact that they would've "inadvertently" killed his divine messenger.

Red fled from home and disappeared from any official records for a couple years after that (she was fifteen at the time of abandonment and was brought into Augustia upon reaching a presumed age of eighteen). Where she went or what happened in that three year gap is entirely unknown, and she's yet to reveal any information about it either. Yet we do know that this is when she met Lycan, as the two were already well acquainted before coming to Augustia.

---Kai, head of Augustia

Red poses an interesting problem to Augustia in ways that many other contracts don't. Many contracts with secrets do openly admit to their secret when it effects the mission or the well-being of others in some way in order to avoid interrogation down the road. Red, however, hasn't budged an inch. She remains firm in the fact that if she's going to work at Augustia, her secrets must remain hidden. We promised her that her background and secrets were for her to keep under wraps, as customary to all contracts, but the scope of her secrets is entirely unknowable. Is it really okay for us to continue harboring her despite the possibility of something dangerous happening? For all we know, there's far more to her than meets the eye. You don't achieve a near perfect mission record without having something up your sleeve, and her pole-arm is not near enough to warrant such success (nor is her combat partner Lycan).

These are the things we can gather:

• Contracts who go on missions with Red report a boost in morale and general mood. Upon ending the mission and their subsequent contact with her, they feel more tired and drained than usual.

• The crystallizations on Red's skin are oddly hollow, and do not contain the expected amount of Rueliedis infection inside of them.

• Red's proficiency with her weapon, albeit quite average, is unique in the sense that she carries the same amount of proficiency no matter the shape or form of her weapon. She is also never seen training, giving us the sense that her ability with it is innate, yet mostly static.

• Her past is entirely unknown outside of original exile from her city. She has not mentioned a single thing about her time spent in those missing three years; not of a person, place, activity, anything.

In the end, Red is a mystery that could pose a serious threat to Augustia. While I doubt it's something that me or Frynn couldn't realistically handle in terms of combat, there are plenty of things Red could be doing that would blindside us. Her strength isn't the issue, it is merely the act of keeping secrets that puts Augustia in innate danger.

--- Shia, head of Augustia.

The following is a written forum given to several contracts, some forums of which had questions about Red. Only responses about Red were included.

[Ocean]: Red's not much of a talker yet. Really sad. Even though I put on the works: playing billiards, darts, beer pong (and of course acing it each time), none of it gets her to say a word, let alone open up. It can be disappointing since we go on missions pretty frequently together. But since she's almost exclusively with Lycan or on her lonesome, it can be tough to even talk to her. And, like Lycan, she'll just say a few words before shutting up entirely. Even my water tricks don't do much, despite them being even grander around her to try and impress her.

[Fyre]: She's quiet. But she is good at missions. She does not anger me either.

[Nidia]: The one who sneaks cookies thinking I don't notice? It's hard not to miss her when she's got the stench of wolf-boy all over her. Do me a favor and keep their rooms far from the others; I can't make enough food for all the people they wake up at night. She's still free to take cookies though. I just wish she'd say something.

[Quinn]: It's rare I take an interest in someone in Augustia. Consider this your lucky day, Kaia! Red's a sweet girl, and though she's distant, she's willing to listen to whatever you tell her. A breath of fresh air considering plenty of your little fools like to talk a lady's ear off. Right, speaking of which, tell Ocean to stay away from me. No, I'm not interested in his dinky little tricks, and his water irritates my wings.

[Yuridia]: Red avoids me, so I can't say much. I accidentally made her spill the beans about her relationship with Lycan, and she hasn't talked to me since. Not that their relationship was a secret, considering her attire after seeing him...

[Phala]: Red... Red... I feel ill around her. I am positive that she's a fine lady, but something about her makes me feel woozy. Please excuse me though, I am sure it's nothing. If you see Red, tell her I am sorry for avoiding her. I hope she understands.

[Mercury]: Red is, pardon my insensitivity here, a bad person. She's very casual about things, even things which anyone else would consider sensitive or inappropriate. It's as if she lacks a filter. But I can tell she's hiding things, no matter who she talks to. She has the restraint to hide things about herself, but she won't hold back when it comes to others. In some ways, it's nice. It feels like nothing is off the table with her. But I refuse to put something on the table with someone who can't respect another. And I have never once felt respected by her.

[Rayce]: That wolf-girl? Oh, sorry, I don't wish to come off so strongly like that. I'm sure she's much more than Lycan's tango partner. I don't know much about her, as she doesn't spar with me often. What I can say is that she's fairly... bland. Seems to lack any skills or abilities that give her an edge in swordplay. She never seems to have her heart set on anything either. Very unfocused eyes, even when fighting.

[Ryan]: Wow, I can't remember a time we had a question like this before for any other contract. Tell me if something is up with her; I can check the data logs whenever. Anyways, from what I've heard, Red's distant. I've talked with her a bit, but it's as if you're playing solo when she's around. She'll do her thing, you'll do yours. She's not actively rude or friendly, she's just there. But in missions, she's supposedly quite good at being a leader when no one else will step up. From those who personally work with her, such as Quinn and Ocean, they tend to hold higher views of her than the others. Perhaps you should assign someone less... extreme with Red and see what happens? Oh, and one thing to note, I got Lycan to open up slightly. Take it with a grain of salt, because I don't know fully what he meant, but it sounded like he said that Red was medically depressed. If I ever can confirm, I'll make sure to give her medication as soon as possible. Perhaps only then we'll see the true Red.

[Frynn]: Oh, doing some sneaking, are we? How unwise of you to break your promise and dig into her personal life, Kaia :). But I shall oblige. For one, Red is actually quite kind. The problem is, her version of kind is seen as rather disconnected to the others. She doesn't seem to actively participate in conversations, and many would consider her to be rude for that. But she told me before that she just likes listening. You probably already know this, but she's lonely. Yet she can't bring herself to truly talk with someone other than Lycan. And, Lycan being Lycan, refuses to talk to others about Red. But rest assured, Red's a good girl. She seems loyal, even if your actions hurt her in some ways. Though I can't say the same after this forum gets in her hands. It's bound to find its way to her.

[Red]: I am fine with you asking around. But. Please respect my privacy.

Overall, the investigations were rather fruitless. Red's fairly reserved, and unlike most reserved contracts, she has no one to open up to. While I'd like to say that Lycan is an exception, it's easy to tell that there is some sort of boundary between the two. It's not a comfortability barrier or anything, it is simply the mental differences between Red and Lycan. Lycan is rather feral with zero education, so there's only so much he can truly understand about Red.

--- Closing note by Shia, head of Augustia.

The following are major spoilers to certain events in both the main book and side stories. Read with caution.

We knew that transferring Red would cause issues. But in the end, it was too good of a deal to pass up. Having a much more financially stable company take a look at and house her was the best thing for her mental state, as well as having them provide us with extra research on my own and other contract's special conditions was an undeniably good trade. Even If we ever tried helping Red ourselves, she would fully withdraw within a few moments. In the end, in our final talk, she broke down crying. Accused of us hurting her because of how much we tried to dig into her past. At that point, she refused to come out of her room. Lycan was on edge and became physically violent to those who asked about the situation. Safe to say, it wasn't good for anyone anymore.

The problem came with the inevitable fact that Lycan and Red were to be separated. Lycan is emotionally fragile and weak, leaving him prone to outbursts. Red's closest person in her life was Lycan, and he was the only one she could open up to. But Iode Labs refused to take in someone as unpredictable as Lycan. So, when Red eventually took her leave, Lycan was furious. He had to be released from Augustia shortly after threatening many other contracts.

Red didn't object to her leaving though, which clearly meant, at least to us, she was irreparably damaged for as long as she stayed within Augustia. Whether or not this was caused by distressed induced apathy is hard to say, but we can only hope that it was a decision that she was truly fine with. She's always been fairly passive, but she's made it clear when she can't or doesn't want to do things in the past.

Suffice to say, there wasn't much of a going away party. Red's transfer and Lycan's release did create more of a gloomy atmosphere than usual, but there was nothing grandiose or celebratory behind it. Perhaps that's the nature of finally letting go of someone you failed; there's no joy to be made with someone broken like that.

It feels as if we ran away from our problems. But... it was the best thing we could do... right?

--- Shia, head of Augustia.

The following are major spoilers to certain events in both the main book and side stories. Read with caution.

After spending a considerable amount of time with her, we believe to have found the root behind her mysterious powers. Thank you once again for transferring her to Iode labs. The promised goods are still being prepared for transportation.

To begin with, Red is almost certainly afflicted with Prodeum (the enhancing drug administered into Astrid). But while Astrid became astronomically powerful, Red had a different reaction than we're familiar with.

The baseline function the medicine intended to create was still familiar: enhance the efficiency of how Rueliedis is consumed and used within the body in order to better power the person's abilities. The difference is, where the potency of the disease within Astrid was enhanced, Red's efficiency in disease processing became nearly 100% efficient. As you may know, Doctor of Augustia, much of Rueliedis' strength in its casting is lost due to how exactly powers work. The moment someone activates a power is the second the Rueliedis begins functioning to create the power. But in the end, the Rueliedis must travel from the point of origin to the point of where the power is being concentrated. Take Shia, for instance. The Rueliedis inside her body must travel from its origin all the way to wherever she forms her crystal. This process, while almost immediate to the human eye, is responsible for a major loss of potential power within the ability. Much of the Rueliedis' strength is lost by the time it reaches the destined point, thus making the casted ability less efficient than it could be. Non-coincidentally, this is why Shia's ranged attacks put her at a higher risk for her unique disease issues than her weapon or item creation; she must use more energy in order to create something further away or something not centralized near the body.

Red, however, had this irritation removed through the Prodeum. Now, her casting is near perfect. The disease within her now perfectly emulates the path of least resistance, which is typically impossible for a normal caster. Usually, the disease congregates at the part of the body closest to whatever the ability is being used at. For example, If the ability is being used nearest the foot, the disease will first move to the foot and then out to the specified position. The disease has to follow natural human pathways for this to function, it cannot leap from the head directly to the toe, for instance. Instead, it must move down the human body and bounce its way around until it eventually finds its way to the foot. Red, through the effects of Prodeum, has a strengthened form of the disease which allows blood-bonded particles of Rueliedis to permeate the human body, allowing it to travel from the point of origin all the way to the casting point without any issues of colliding with objects inside or even outside the body. It's also apparent that an outside medium, especially air, is much faster medium for the disease, and it can reach the point of casting far faster than even the most optimal route in a normal human.

This is largely responsible for Red's ability to keep her pole-arm summoned for unheard of amounts of time (during the two weeks she was told to keep her weapon summoned, the count of active Rueliedis blood-bonded particles stayed largely the same throughout the testing period). In all likelihood, Red would be an absolute monster in terms of strength if she had a power that could take advantage of her near perfect casting. While they may not quite see as large of a power jump as Astrid did, they would be at least close to the same power level as her but with the added bonus of being able to use their powers with almost zero repercussion or down time. Imagine Mercury with 100% up time on her shielding ability, or Shia with her current seemingly infinite power-growth but without the disease efficiency problems she has now. The end to such a theorized ability is almost impossible to imagine, because almost perfect efficiency, combined with certain powers, means almost perfect strength.

The most interesting part about all of this is still being researched, but you said that she's often responsible for "increasing the moods of contracts she works with," right? As we both know, the body feels more heavy the more infected someone is (due to the sluggish feeling equivalent, though to a lesser extent, someone would feel when sick). The more efficiency in the travel of bonded Ruelides, however, the lighter the body would feel again. This sensation would likely trick the brain into making themselves think that they're in a better mood due to their physical levity. You may see what I'm getting at here.

Because of the fact that her bonded Rueliedis permeates the human body, it can naturally leak outside the body overtime. Usually this doesn't mean much, but Red has a strange control of this. She's able to guide these particles to another person and inject it into their system, so to speak. Because it's a leakage of the particles, not her person-specific ability, the Rueliedis does not have a specific creation structure and therefore is not exclusive to Red's power (Sort of how Rueliedis inside of Ruelid crystals can infect anyone, and are not just radiative to certain people with certain powers). This allows Red to gift someone an enhanced version of the disease for a temporary amount of time with an unknown amount of particles. From our testing, Red isn't able to specify how much disease she gives the person, but it never seems to be an amount that hinders Red in any way. As we both know, the disease inside the body conveys information to other nearby particles certain instructions (this is how information about casting is spread throughout the body, as particles near the casting point are alerted and the notice is spread to other nearby particles which tell other nearby particles about the casting and so forth). Through this, the enhanced version of the disease is able to convey the path of least resistance with other nearby disease particles, and therefore increase the proficiency of casting. The normal disease is still unable to permeate the body like Red's special variant, but the information conveyed is still useful enough to generally increase the casting efficiency by roughly 10%. This amount is generally unnoticeable to much of Augustia's contracts, but the heavy hitters should notice a difference (though not necessarily the correlation between their strength and Red).

With all earnesty, I have no clue how she controls this. The only similar precedent we have is Shia with her ability to command her Rueliedis particles with specific instructions of her choosing rather than having the particles automate the system and thus create the casting we're familiar with. Problem with that is that we don't understand either of those processes. Both Red and Shia are cognizant of their ability to control the disease, but neither can give full instructions that benefit them in ways other than how they currently do. Theoretically, if Shia (or Red for that matter) could better understand and develop this communication, they could give instructions to the disease to better prioritize certain traveling patterns and the like. Of course, the control is likely more on a subconscious manner that they have little control over, but anything is possible in this world of ours. We just have to develop the right technology or find the right person.

But, the discussion should be put back onto something much more pressing. Red's "Prodeum" injection.

So why, my fellow Doctor in arms, does Red have this? This is not the Prodeum the world is familiar with.

--- Luciel, lead researcher in Iode Labs.