"I really think we need a new job."
"Uh huh." Axel murmured as he gazed up at the stage. His bisexual mind was firmly caught up in what the gnoll girl on the stage was doing to herself with her tail. It was definitely a sight worth a second look.
This was the kind of bar any respectable human wouldn't be caught dead in. Or rather, they might be caught dead in… as food for one of the patrons. Fortunately, Axel was as far from respectable as it was possible to be and still be breathing. That and his little friends had made him a permanent fixture of the Down and Out Bar in the city of Amateru.
Amateru itself was as far as possible from respectable as it was possible for a city to be without being burnt to the ground by an outraged populace. Built on the edge of the Sword River, just as the river opened into the Gulf of Dark Storms, it was a perilous but rich location. Trading ships from all over the world passed through… along with pirates, buccaneers and every kind of criminal and non-human imaginable. Considered to be a festering hive of evil by most, Amateru had managed to secure its position by a combination of diplomacy, geographical advantage and military and magical might. The Gulf of Dark Storms was aptly named, and the great weather witches of the city could rile it into a devastating cauldron for any invaders by sea. And anyone approaching by land would find steep cliffs in their way… and the Black Jewels would have them. The elite fighting force of Amateru, they kept themselves honed to razor sharpness. The rulers of Amateru never forgot that many, many other lands longed to put an end to them.
Axel was only peripherally aware of this. Most of his mind was concentrating on the gnoll, who had moved on to several indecent acts with a human looking girl for a partner. The audience of men, and not a few women, were rapt. Except for one of his friends.
"Really. This gig is starting to suck, Axel." Roxas picked up his mug, taking a long drink of his dire brew and sneering a little at Sora. The brunette boy was staring up at the stage with a deer in the headlights look on his face. Roxas was sure he was suffering a boner under the table, not that he was going to look to check.
"Uh huh." Roxas blinked and turned his head to look at the redhead, seeing the dreamy expression on his face… and suddenly realized that Sora might not be the only one with a boner.
"And your bisexual ass isn't going to see anything of MY ass for a week if you don't pay attention to me!" Roxas snarled, and Axel's attention abruptly snapped off the stage to his lover. There was nothing like a threat of enforced abstinence to get his attention.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Axel said contritely as Roxas glared. He could spot the grin threatening to peek out beneath Axel's apology. But he finally sighed and repeated himself.
"We need a new job, Axel. I know you owe Riku but we're barely getting by these days." Axel winced at the reminder, and glanced at Sora. The younger boy was still fixated on the stage, not listening at all. But Axel could see that he was a touch too thin, not quite malnourished but not well fed.
None of them were at their best. Riku was a crackpot. Axel had admitted it to himself years ago. Axel still owed the man… owed him more than he could repay… but it didn't change the facts of the matter. He was a man on a mission, and that mission was to clean up Amateru, one dead criminal at a time. He was an angel hybrid, so he had the power to be a genuine threat… but the city was mostly laughing. For every criminal they took down, there were two more stepping up to take his or her place. And it didn't pay worth shit. Riku seemed completely indifferent to that, but Axel was getting very tired of living on mushrooms. And he was sure it wasn't healthy, even if they were underdarken varieties.
"I know. But…" Roxas tried to feel understanding as he watched Axel glance at his wrists. The scars there had never quite disappeared. "You know what he did for me."
"Isn't seven years of your life enough repayment?" Roxas said softly, dead serious, and Axel lifted his gaze to look into his blue eyes.
"Maybe it is." Axel finally said, and Roxas blinked. He hadn't expected Axel to say that, and it gave him a sudden hope. Was Axel getting tired of it all? "If it were just me, I'd stay, but…" Axel glanced at Sora, and Roxas understood.
Roxas and Sora were both demon-kin. Born to the same succubus, they were full brothers… but Roxas was five years older than Sora. Their father was a powerful wizard, powerful enough to enslave a succubus to his whims. Neither one was at all interested in the children they had created. They had been thrown into the streets like so much trash. But even an infant demon-kin was capable of surviving. They began to walk within hours of birth.
Still, Roxas knew he probably wouldn't have made it if he hadn't run into a redheaded boy. Still raw from his experiences, Axel had dragged Roxas home to Riku and begged the angel-kin to save him. Understandably unhappy about the presence of a demon-kin, the half-angel had finally caved to Axel's begging and let him stay. And five years later, when Sora was born, Roxas had felt the emanations of his distress and gone to save his brother. Just in time… Sora had been cornered by a pack of feral worgs. A few moments later, and there would have been nothing to save.
The two brothers were very different from each other, yet oddly similar. They both had very spiky hair, although Roxas' was blond while Sora's was brown. Roxas showed his demon blood plainly, in little black horns in his spiky blond hair and tiny bat wings that fluttered with his mood. Sora could have passed for human, as long as you didn't notice his sharp nails. Despite being the son of a succubus, Roxas was more in tune with his violent nature than his sensual one. He didn't charm people, he ripped their hearts out. Sora, though, was a charmer. He had all the succubus instincts, and could make people love him with just a few sweet smiles. It was mostly unconscious now… Sora was very young, barely two years old… but Roxas knew it wouldn't stay that way. Sooner or later, Sora would learn how to use his unnatural charm. And it was just as well. Roxas had all the toughness of a true demon, but Sora was almost as fragile as a human. He needed all the advantages he could get.
The three of them were absolutely inseparable, and Roxas smiled as he looked down at the ring on his finger. It was just gilded brass… all they had been able to afford… but it was in the shape of a crown. And Axel was wearing an identical ring on his right hand. Amateru didn't give a damn who you married, as long as you paid the proper taxes on it. And thanks to the politics and diplomacy involved, such marriages were officially accepted by almost all nations. Not that it would stop them from getting stoned to death in some places, but Roxas didn't plan on ever leaving Amateru.
"…I need to talk to Riku first. Try to convince him this just isn't working." Axel finally said after contemplating his beer for a long moment. Roxas was tempted to sneer, but just heaved a sigh. Riku did mean well, really. But…
"When he's got an idea in his head, knocking it out again takes an act of god. Or the devil." Roxas said sourly, and Axel flashed him a grin.
"I know, but I've got to try. Maybe it'll make a difference when he realizes I'm serious." Roxas snorted. He doubted it would… but maybe, just maybe it would. Riku had been thoroughly charmed by Sora, and Axel had been his loyal follower since he was twelve. Maybe the threat of losing them both at once would concentrate the half-angel on something other than his quest for justice. "Um… do you mind if I…" Axel looked at the stage, and Roxas sighed, rolling his eyes.
"If you must." Roxas was completely gay, and while he could see the attraction of breasts in a fluffy pillow, urge to suckle sort of way, he was immune to the performance going on. "Sora, stop wanking off under the table." Sora squeaked, tearing his gaze away from the stage, horrified.
"I was not!" Roxas grinned and glanced over as the door to the tavern slammed open with a loud crash… then blinked.
"Huh, that's weird." There were a half dozen human soldiers in the tavern now, along with a couple of magic types. Either they were good at what they did, to be invading the Down and Out like this, or they were suicidal. They didn't look suicidal to Roxas. The crowd in the bar seemed to feel the same, and just watched curiously as the group consulted something and looked around the room. Curiously, no one was running yet. Usually, when someone was a target of a group like this they'd already be trying to scramble out the back door.
"What is… Oh. Flying. Fuck." Roxas blinked at Axel and went pale as he saw the redhead slowly sinking under the table. This was bad. So was the way Axel reached up, grabbed their wrists and dragged the two startled demon-kin down with him.
"What have you done?" Roxas hissed softly to him, but Axel didn't answer, peering out from under the table. There was the sound of feet heading their way, then…
"WASSUP BITCHES!" Axel abruptly threw the table at the soldiers, knocking several of them down and vaulting through the rest, dragging Roxas and Sora with him. Sora yelped but Roxas recovered from the surprise quickly, pounding after Axel as they hit the streets running.
"What did you do?!?" Roxas shouted to Axel, who just shook his head.
"Nothing!" Roxas didn't believe that for a second but decided to save his breath. He could hear feet behind them, and these people were determined.
"Prince!" Roxas blinked at that call behind them. Someone would bring royalty to Amateru with less than a brigade? Were they insane? Axel only redoubled his speed. They were breaking away but-
WHAM! The wall of pure magic materialized in front of them abruptly, and all three of them smacked into it with bone jarring force. Sora went down like a load of bricks and Axel wasn't much better, clutching his head and groaning. Only Roxas was semi-functional… and he was stunned in a different way. Something like that was powerful magic, really powerful… like archmage powerful. What in hell could Axel have done to piss off someone like that? Then the soldiers fell on them, and Roxas belatedly started fighting. There was a lot of swearing as the soldiers got them under control, but they seemed incredibly well prepared… for Axel at least. The redhead managed to get himself back together enough to try to summon his chakram, but one of the soldiers dug an icy spike into his side, making him scream in pain and losing the grip on his fire just long enough for them to yank his arms behind his back and start putting on chains.
"Let me go you hamster fuckers!" Axel writhed in their grip, green eyes flashing as he panted at the strain, his red spikes almost glowing in the dim light of evening. Roxas pretending to be cowed… and suddenly launched himself at one of the magic types. If only they could be eliminated… the next moment proved that was a bad idea, and Roxas screamed as he was hit with a lightning spell. It wasn't meant to kill, but it was clearly calculated for maximum pain. Roxas lay twitching as the soldiers hurried to get chains only him as well. "You have no right! None! Let me GO!" Axel's shriek was impressive, but no one in Amateru cared. The passersby were watching the scene curiously, but not about to take any action.
"Will you come willingly, my prince?" The wizard who had taken down Roxas asked Axel, calmly. Axel snarled back.
"Not in a million years!" The wizard, a blond haired man, regarded him thoughtfully… then nodded.
"Then forgive the discourtesy." He gestured, and one of the soldiers punched Axel in the head. Axel slumped to the ground, unconscious, and one of the soldiers spoke up.
"Sir. Should we bring these… creatures as well?" His distaste for demon-kin was obvious, and Roxas snarled a little, revealing his sharp teeth. The wizard turned his head to regard them thoughtfully, and Roxas saw he had icy green eyes. He would have been attractive if he'd been a little less cold.
"Yes, I think so. He clearly values them. They might be useful." The soldier nodded, and Roxas found himself and Sora being dragged along as Axel was carried to a ship at the harbor. Roxas could only stare, stunned, as he recognized the crest on the sails. This was a warship… from Lusteria, the largest and most powerful empire in the world. And he suddenly realized that that was the colors the soldiers were wearing… silver and black, the colors of Lusteria.
Surely this was some kind of horrible mistake. What could the empire of Lusteria want with two demon-kin and a former slave boy? But… they'd made it clear that they were only interested in Axel. And Axel had known it. He'd known they were after him immediately… and the wizard had called him Prince. Roxas mind was in turmoil, and he desperately wanted to know the answer to one question…
What was going on?