Chapter 9: Resna Lights
Five days later, Gary looked around the base, dressed uncomfortably in a tuxedo. Resna was tonight; the gathering of world leaders to meet about current situations. Of course, the rich and wealthy were allowed in too. The plan was that the gang would sneak in, blend in with the crowd, and hear what Mercy would say.
It still bothered Gary a little about Mercy…he was almost certain he had heard the name before. But where? He wasn't sure…but now was not the time to think about it.
"Why do we have to wear these things again?" The echidna asked a certain white hedgehog. "I don't like wearing shirts like this."
"It's because those stupid fancy-pants wear these kind of clothes. Trust me, I hate wearing these too. My pants feel like they're climbing right up my-"
"Where'd you get it if you aren't rich?" Gary interrupted. Rozik smirked.
"Tell you the truth, Al'catraz stole it for me a few years back. It's a little small, but hey, it works. At least I don't have one of the girls on my tail…" That last part was a good thing, Gary decided. Seema was in another room getting her dress on, and Orea was currently attempting to give Darem a haircut…which wasn't going so well.
"I don't, like, care what you are," She growled, scissors in her hand. "You are so not going to Resna with a mullet! It looks so, like, undefined."
"If I care, ye'll be the first to ken Orea," the dragon replied hastily, trying to escape the rabid rabbit. Despite her dress and high heels (both of which were a lovely shade of pink), she was still chasing him like a desperate stalker.
"Get your scaly arse over here!" With a desperate leap, the bunny girl jumped onto Darem's back, and thrust the scissors into his messy bush of hair…just to have the clippers collide with one of his horns and break. The rabbit fell of, and Darem flew up into the rafters, where he hid for awhile. Rozik snickered at the sight.
"Now that is priceless." Instantly, Orea was in front of him, holding the broken scissors menacingly.
"You're next if you don't, like, straighten that tie," She fumed. "I mean, like, look at you! I can see your ankles because your pants aren't, like, long enough."
"…It's not like anyone's going to purposely look at my ankles…" Rozik grumbled, adjusting his tie. Gary watched, confused.
"Why don't girls wear tuxedos too?"
"Because dresses look much prettier," Orea explained, "and, like, that's how things have been for years."
"Then why don't guys wear dresses?"
"…Because…they…don't." The rabbit finished bleakly.
"Some guys wear kilts instead," Rozik added. "They usually have a funny accent like our dragon pal up there…say Scaley, why don't you wear a kilt?" A few sparks of fire fell to the ground, making the white hunter jump.
"Just because me accent sounds a wee bit off doesna mean I be wearing a man-skirt, hedgehog. How would ye' like to try one?" Another argument unfolded, and Gary was stuck wondering what exactly a kilt was in the first place. Luckily enough, the others arrived shortly, and within a few hours, they were off to Resna. It was going to be a long night…
----------------------------------------
The place was packed, needless to say. Gary had never seen so many people enjoying themselves at one time. All the different types of clothes were strange too.
"Now remember," Brom whispered to the gang as they entered, "We are to stick together. Orea, you stay with Gary. Seema, you have Rozik. Darem, you come with me. Everyone clear?" The rest of the hunters nodded, and soon walked off in the aforementioned pairs.
"Don't worry," Orea said to the echidna as they walked away. "There are a few other echidnas here, so like, I don't think anyone will figure out who you are." Gary nodded at this; they better not notice. The rabbit beside him had already messed with his looks beforehand. She had even covered up the tattoo on his cheek. There was no difference between him and the other echidnas here. Not enough to make a difference.
"Ooh, look! There's a dance over there! Like, come on Gary, it'll be fun!" Before he could protest, the rabbit dragged him off to a dance court, where he would get a crash-course in dancing.
----------------------------------------
It wasn't an understatement to say that Brom and Darem were subject to many stares that night. Brom because of his size, and Darem because no one had really seen a dragon before. True, his wings were hidden uncomfortably under the tuxedo, but that wouldn't have made much difference.
"So where be this Mercy person?" The dragon asked. "I'd like to get this over quickly, if possible."
"He should be appearing soon," Brom replied. His eyes passed over to where the various guards where stationed, remembering when he was amongst their ranks. Out of the corner of his gray eyes, he noticed two figures: a wolf and a wolverine.
"Kecht does not like wearing tuxedos," grumbled the wolf. "It doesn't have pockets for Kecht to hide his babies."
"You mean your daggers by that, right?" asked the wolverine, which was none other than Lash dressed in a light yellow dress.
"Yes. Kecht's daggers are his babies."
"Freak. And stop talking to yourself in third person! You're going to attract unwanted attention." The duo continued to walk away, and Brom was unable to hear the rest of their conversation.
"Odd," Brom muttered. "Commanders usually don't appear at Resna. It makes me wonder if Mercy's plans involve tonight." Beside him, Darem shrugged. He was too busy noticing all the stares he himself was getting.
"Not like I be the only dragon around here," he thought. "They be staring like I'm some kinda' wild animal. Stupid aristocrats."
----------------------------------------
"I'm telling you Seema, there's nothing wrong with free alcohol." This was said at the other end of the room, where Rozik and Seema were currently stationed. The white hedgehog was currently holding a glass of wine, and Seema was chiding him about it.
"We don't need you being drunk on this mission!" the mantis hissed. "Put the drink back."
"Sorry, but no," Rozik replied, taking a sip. "Bleh, I hate this fancy stuff. But a drink's a drink." He looked over at one of the many serving girls scattered around the room. "Hey, got any more of those?"
"You're hopeless," Seema muttered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lash. "…I'll be back in a minute. Try not to do anything stupid." With that, the mantis walked off, while Rozik tried to flag down a serving girl. He finally caught one after a few minutes.
"Excuse me, but do ya' happen to have any more drinks on you?"
"You know, you really shouldn't be doing that." The waitress turned around, revealing the face of a certain gothic bat.
"Al'catraz? What the hell are you doing here?" Rozik asked.
"To make sure you didn't get in trouble tonight, fuzzhead. Isn't that right Suzy?" Beside the bat, the hedge-girl nodded.
"You…brought Suzy to a place like this?" The white hunter growled. "What's the big deal?"
"Well I certainly couldn't just leave her at home," the bat replied. "Of course, if you prefer the chance that some lowlife finds her and decides to use her for something, be my guest."
"Awen't you happy to see me bwother?" Suzy asked. Rozik rolled his eyes.
"I suppose…you really didn't need to come."
"We'll see about that soon enough," Al'catraz replied. "Something bad is going to happen tonight, and you guy's will need all the help you can get." Unfortunately, Al'catraz's sixth sense about these kinds of things was rather accurate. Rozik knew this, and he had a feeling his night was about to get a whole lot worse.
----------------------------------------
"I told you it'd be fun." Orea and Gary were sitting down now after their dance.
"I guess it was," the echidna replied. "Sorry for stepping on your feet." The rabbit shrugged it off. There were a few more minutes of talking, when a platform began to rise in the middle of the room. The aristocrats and leaders gathered around it (Gary even thought he saw Brom and Darem somewhere in the crowd), and a small man walked onto the stage.
"If I may have your attention please," he said. "I am certain you all came here tonight to hear out the words of our country's leader." The crowed agreed in unison. "Then without further ado, our leader, Mercy." The man walked off the platform, and another figure ascended onto the platform. Gary's eyes widened.
Mercy was, oddly enough, an echidna like him. His fur was a bright gold color, and his quills hung down over his face. He was dressed in the outfit most leaders of Prixtal wore; a turquoise and red (the country's colors) overcoat that ended past the knees, and a pair of military-standard boots. A series of chains were interconnected about the body, eventually meeting up with the right arm, which was actually a collection of chains with blades on the end, commonly called kararigamas. A duo of eyes watched the crowd, their color fading from black to blue, and back to black.
"It is a pleasure to see you all here tonight," The voice was cold and unfeeling, making the words he just said void. "I am known as Mercy, and I have taken reign over Prixtal after our old leader was murdered…tragic, I know." Mutters sprang up, but were soon silenced.
"As you all know, most of our planet's power is running dry. Magic is beginning to dry and wither away, the demons are becoming stronger, and I am certain all of the countries represented here tonight have been subject to natural disasters, more so than the last few years, correct?" No one in the crowd disagreed.
"Do you have a solution for this?" asked a desert coyote. Mercy nodded, icy eyes scanning the crowd.
"Has anyone heard of the Maelstrom Crystals?" He asked. "Seven powerful gems, all controlled by one Lord Maelstrom Crystal on the Seraph's Isle. It is said limitless power is bestowed upon whosoever possesses all seven crystals…the power of miracles or condemnation." From his spot in the crowd, a chill went down Gary's spine.
"Fellow leaders," The Prixtal Leader commanded, "These Maelstrom Crystals are our only hope. They only thing that stands in our way is the Lord Maelstrom Crystal. The Lord is the only thing that can nullify the emeralds. The Guardians do not want us to unleash the power of the remaining seven, even though it is only to benefit our world, and restore it to how it once was."
"So your plan," another leader said, "is to find all these crystals, and destroy the Lord Crystal and it's Guardians, correct?" There was a moment of silence, marked only by the sinister grin upon the gold echidna's face.
"Exactly so." Icy blue eyes scanned the horde of leaders and nobles. "Now, who is with me?" For the record, most of them cheered with agreement.
"This isn't good," Orea whispered to Gary. "Like, just think about what that freak could do with the crystals!"
"…If everything's so bad, why didn't the Guardians help?" Gary asked. "Wouldn't there be a reason if they didn't?" Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out of the shadows, gripping them by the mouths to muffle their startled screams.
"Damned if you'll find out," Lash muttered from behind them. Holding them both tightly, she nodded to Kecht, who stood beside her with a sharp needle full of bluish-violet liquid. Arkenic.
"Kecht thought we were supposed to be discreet," the wolf complained as he injected the Arkenic into Orea.
"This is discreet enough," Lash barked. "Everyone else is paying attention to Mercy." Kecht nodded, injecting Gary now. Both figures slumped to the floor, soon picked up by guards.
"Pretty good for a freak," the wolverine said with a nod to Kecht. "I'm sure the others have been drugged by now as well. Come on, let's get a move on before our leader up there shuts up." The wolf nodded, his bloody eyes gleaming.
"Kecht agrees! Kecht agrees!" He replied happily. "Though Kecht is not sure about the bug girl doing her job right." The pair walked out, and Lash laughed.
"You mean Seema? Don't worry Kecht…with the consequences she's been given, there's no way she'll fail us now."