Having made the river, Virulina broke the surface (so Lexor could breath) and swam a good distance away from the mall.  Eventually she found a secluded spot and beached herself, shaking off Lexor and reverting back to her human form.  Virulina shook out her wet hair and helped up her old comrade.

"Congratulations... you've been rescued.  Now how about you tell me who those people were and whatever else you know of their schemes?"

"Wha, what exactly just happened...?" Lexor managed to ask as he sat there looking flabbergasted at the recent developments, before collecting himself to answer some of Virulina's questions, "They call themselves Phantoms, monsters that somehow dwell inside people. They take over their host, retaining memories and other things to blend in with everyone."

"As the woman earlier said, they are after Gates," Lexor continued as he tried to dry himself as well, slowly getting up to his feet while continuing to explain, "They say I am one, and apparently even you are one. They'll try to mess everything up in our lives, but for some reason they won't kill us - at least most of them won't. I still have no idea what exactly they want from us aside from that."

"Moreover..." Lexor said as he pointed at Virulina, "What did you just do!? Have you always been capable of that?"

Being turned into a 'phantom' didn't sound like Virulina's idea of a good time.  Apparently Spectral Knight phantoms (and presumably Darkling Lord varieties too) retained their totem powers... making them very dangerous.  The 'Gate' term was still a little unclear to her.  As for an explanation, Virulina did her best.

"It's a gift from a wizard, you and a handful others are supposed to have them too.  Try to envision an armadillo, maybe you might rediscover yours.  This may sound outlandish, but its no stranger than those others we just faced.  Whoever this white robed man is, he has changed things from happening as they should have.  And I think he is going after the handful that I just mentioned.  The woman we just met was accompanied by two of them."

Virulina looked about for some means of transportation.  Even passing cars would do.  Back at the station Virulina could make plans to pull Cindarr to her side.  Then it was a matter of locating the other uncorrupted Darkling Lords and Spectral Knights.

"A-armadillo?" Lexor asked, a bit incredulous to being compared to such a little creature as he sighed, "I suppose it could be worse."

The area Virulina landed was quite far from the road, and it was eerily quiet in the middle of the night. Fortunately there seemed to be a vehicle approaching and headed for the city.

Virulina led Lexor towards the road, but had him wait out of sight.  Then the Darkling night brushed off her clothing and put out her hitching thumb.... along with a wave of her hair and coy smile.

It looked like Virulina has no need to worry about keeping Lexor out of sight, with the latter staying low among the shrubs to hide and wait as the Darkling Lord did her work. A truck soon came into view and slowed down to a halt before the spot where Virulina stood, with the window coming down to show a familiar face once again.

"Miss Virulina?" Cindarr asked when he poked his head out, then pulled back in to open the truck's door and got out after getting the truck parked properly, "W-what are you doing out here at this time of the night?"

Cindarr driving a truck this way was an amazing stroke of luck.  Virulina gestured for Lexor to join her outside the gentle giant's vehicle.

"Just secret media stuff between me and my new source.  Could we get a lift into the city?  I had actually hoped to speak with you again..."

"Oh, of course! Of course!" Cindarr quickly replied as he motioned for Virulina and Lexor to get on the truck without any further questions before he himself climbed up and started driving, "I was heading back to the city myself! It gets lonely at times driving by myself so it's nice to have some company once in a while."

As she spoke, Virulina kept a watchful eye on the road and its surroundings.

"You might miss that loneliness.  I've been looking into some sort of cult surrounding this mysterious white robed man... and it looks like they are up to some shady activities.... kidnapping and brainwashing.  I think they might come for 'you' in particular, Cindarr.  There are others on their hit list that I want to get to first."

Virulina had no direct proof that the white robed man was the mastermind.  But it seemed simpler to tie all the strange stuff into his mysterious arrival (and make a retraction later).

"Oh this is Lexor, one of the people that the cult is after."

"Good evening, Lexor. I'm Cindarr," Cindarr greeted in a welcome tone as he gave Lexor a quick glance before looking back on the road they were taking, "You two looked like you got into somewhere rough. Everything all right?"

Lexor on the other hand, was relatively quiet. His eyes were focused at looking outside, trying to make sure they weren't followed by anyone out there. Despite getting through yet another close escape, it looked like every encounter with those things were taking a heavy toll on his mind.

Virulina had to stop a reflex roll of the eyes.  Cindarr was rather dim and prone to missing details.  Fortunately his strength made up for it, in most situations.

"We just met the cult, Cindarr.  When I say they are dangerous, I speak from first hand experience.  Now Lexor, make yourself useful and tell me what you know about a man called Darkstorm.  He's of middling age, brown hair and bearded.  He may have some bootlicker with him called Mortdredd.  I believe the cult will be looking for them..."

"Oh, right..." Cindarr replied absentmindedly as he concentrated on driving for now. It took Lexor a moment before he finally spoke up, still shaken by the most recent experience with those monsters.

"Darkstorm... and Mortdredd, you say?" Lexor asked as he tried to think back on people he knew, producing a leatherbound notebook with several small paper pieces sticking out from it. He tried to get a look at its contents despite the low light visible from the passing street lights.

"One of my associates know about Mortdredd," Lexor finally said as he stopped on one page, "The man doesn't show up much and usually avoid meeting people in person, staying low-key as much as possible. We might be able to arrange a meeting with the man with the right persuasion."

Virulina glanced at the book, curious as to where Lexor had obtained it from.

"Point me to the right person and I'll do the rest.  If Mortdredd is low key then my media credentials might make him nervous... I'll keep that in mind."

Now that things were coming together, Virulina needed to find a safe location for her band of followers.

"Hmmm.... If it's all right with you, you could stay at my place for the night..." Cindarr said as he continued to drive the truck down the highway, "It's not exactly the best place, but better than being chased by some strange cult?"

"I'll try to get in touch with my colleague then, see when we can arrange a meeting..." Lexor added as he put his book away for now, looking like he has somehow calmed, "I don't have a phone on me, better if we can find a payphone to call from. It wouldn't be great to have any of them trace us too soon."

Virulina yawned.

"I could certainly do with a little cat nap.  If you see a payphone, stop the truck and Lexor can make his calls."

Things seemed to go well that night, and Lexor was able to make his call before they retire at Cindarr's home. It was rather cramped - a simple single unit apartment was humble in every word and form. That and there were a pet items meant for dogs and cats placed in a bucket in one corner.

Cindarr offered the bed for Virulina to use, while he and Lexor would sleep outside the bedroom on the beaten up couches.

Taking the bed for herself without hesitation, Virulina got a decent night's rest.  In the morning she splashed some water on her face and tried to look presentable... before looking in on the others.

"Morning.  Lexor, tell me about today's meeting.  Cindarr, what are our breakfast options?"

Cindarr has just stepped back into the apartment when asked the question, while Lexor was just getting up after some decent sleep in what looked to be a long time.

"Hmmm... Ah, that's right..." Cindarr said after a short pause after remembering something, still holding on to the door jamb and then prying the whole thing clean off the door, "How about an early morning dose of DESPAIR...?"

An unusual aura surrounded Cindarr as his voice changed, his body becoming larger and hairier until he resembled a beefed up silverback with horns on his head. Plated armor covered his arms and legs and a hammer was held firmly in his hand. Before Lexor could realize what was going on, what once was Cindarr leaped onto him and pinned him down on the crushed couch. The hammer was then set upon the cowardly man's chest to keep him from getting up.

"Really?  All of this work and they still get to you.  Oh, look.... what a cute bird you have at the window."

Hoping that enough of Cindarr was in this Ape creature, Virulina tried to use his fondness for animals as a ruse... to pluck Lexor from his grasp.  Otherwise it was going to turn into a fight.

"As if that would distract me like that buffoon who was my host!" the ape-beast responded as he focused on Lexor, gripping his neck with his free hand, "Now... what exactly drives you to despair? The others have been chasing after you all this time but could not manage to break you. Surely there's something that you hold very valuable aside from your life?"

Her ruse had failed, but Virulina took comfort in learning more about her foe.  It would seem that she was dealing with some sort of magical possession.  That made it difficult to apply lethal force (a downside), yet it hinted at a chance of restoration.

"I'm tired of all this chasing as well.  Are you the White Robed man... or just another servant?  And your wasting your time with him.  He'll die before despairing, so your little intimidation is pointless."

"Heh, maybe... But humans all cling to something valuable that keeps them going..." the Cindarr-Phantom laughed as he roughed Lexor up, "You should have seen this one - begging pitifully as the things he clung dearly to were destroyed before his very eyes... His very being shattered into countless pieces and let me use his body as I see fit!!!"

Lexor was still flailing the best he could despite what the Phantom was doing to him, something dropped from his coat pocket from the commotion.

"Hoo...? Why would a lowly creature like you keep something as crummy as this...?" the Phantom asked as he picked up the worn out notebook Lexor kept on his person.

"N-no...! Give that back!!!" Lexor suddenly struggled harder as he tried to reach up for his book, "I've spent nearly all my life to collect all of that...!"

Virulina took the possessor's dodging of her questions as a sign (that she was on the right track).  Instead she moved to cover Lexor's vulnerability.

"Oh no, please... not the book.  Its our only copy."

Hamming up her acting to the max, she sought to sow doubt in the possessor's mind... enough that she could make a play for the book.  Ordinarily she'd have no problem taking the hand off, but this was Cindarr... so maiming was out.  She'd have to make a grab for it instead.

"Awww.... I'm sorry..." the Cindarr-Phantom said as he seemed to regret his actions and about to give back the leatherbound book to Lexor, only to crumple up the thick book in his hands with such strength that it tore the pages apart, "... NOT!!!"

"N-nooooo!!!" Lexor called out as he tried to reach for the remains of his book, wide-eyed before he went limp on the spot he laid. Hairline cracks appeared along his forehead as purple light leaked from within, slowly spreading down through his body.

"Ohohohoho!!! That's it! Go ahead and give birth to a new Phantom!" the gorilla-like being proudly declared as it got off from the despairing Lexor, now turning his attention to Virulina, "And now... You're next!"

In a contest between her own welfare and those of Cindarr or Lexor, there was no doubt.  Virulina drew her sword and swung at Lexor's neck... seeking to decapitate him before he could transform.

"Its a miscarriage for you..."