Chapter 10: Obscured Machinations
"Ugh, FINALLY! You morons think you're so tough that you can ignore me?! The great Violet Vixen?! I'll show you! I'LL SHOW YOU ALL!"
A strong wind suddenly blew from behind our fuchsia foe, propelling her directly at us like a rocket. Normally, a girl in a flowery dress wouldn't strike fear in the hearts of even the most reclusive cowards, but at speeds like that, it was downright terrifying. Not a single one of us were able to evade that attack.
After suffering that aerial impact, we had trouble defending ourselves, because everything was in a blur. Literally. Between the onslaught of gale force winds and the enemy they had in tow, it became hard to discern much of anything clearly. She was quite the handful to deal with already, but this was completely different. Lily had staged a ruthless roundabout assault. Front, back, left, right, she just kept on coming from all angles, not letting up for a second.
"You just dunno when ta quit, do you?! Even now! Just give up already!" The winds swirling around us blew even faster, each subsequent strike hitting even harder than the last. "GRAAAAH! You're all so annoying persistent! All the more reason I shoulda finished you off when I had the chance! But no! 'Stop for now' she said! 'A warning shot should ward them off' she said! And then she asks me to get rid of you all?! I'm surrounded by stubborn IDIOTS!"
As she spouted some… creative monikers for us at the top of her lungs, I wondered about how to fight back. Perhaps if I could predict her flight path, I could mount a counterattack… Lead my strike, and then I may just be able to land a solid hit! So as soon I caught another glance of our flying foe, I swung my sword ahead of her. It was difficult to pull off, but I somehow managed it. However, from how it felt, I only managed to barely nick her. Despite that, the deafening scream she let out seemed to suggest otherwise. Immediately, the raging winds encompassing us died down as our enemy fell to the ground.
"That stinkin' hurt, you jerks! WAAAAAAAAH!"
Though I was relieved the conflict had stopped, it felt a little… anticlimactic. She started crying loudly, clutching her barely-wounded shoulder. I must say, the sight of this didn't really incite any remorse. Her petulant childish antics and melodramatic sobbing didn't leave much room for sympathy.
"I hate you! I hate you ALL! I c-can't believe you would dare harm someone as pretty as m-me! ME! Y-you… y-you monsters!"
"This coming from the one who just tried to kill us?"
"SHUT UP, NAKED BOY! I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR OPINION!"
As Lily's tantrum wore on, our group slowly made our way past her and over to our true destination. Exhausted as we were, we still kept on going. But as we made our way over to the residence devoid of light, a couple questions still lingered in my mind. I looked all around and found no sign of our silver-haired comrade. I thought she was by our side battling our flowery foe, but she must have disappeared at some point. Where could Tiger have gone to? Was she all right? And could Lily really have been done in that easi-
That's about how far I got in my thoughts before a fierce gust of wind knocked me down flat on my face.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA! I can't believe you morons fell for that! Thought the great Violet Vixen would go down that pathetically?! HA! You idiots are even dumber than I thought! So long, you PESTS!"
Lifting my head, I could see a large cyclonic veil of wind surrounding the fuchsia fighter, ever increasing in size. I wasn't sure how in the world she was doing this, but I had to put that thought aside. What were we going to do about it? My mind raced to find a way to avert this impending crisis, but nothing I came up with would resolve it effectively. Then, a single statement echoed through the open chilly air.
"Cease this at once, Lily!"
From the doorway of the deceptively small house, stepped forth the mechanical-suited figure, speaking with the same voice I heard in my dream last night.
"WHAT?! W-why should I?! You asked to stop 'em, and that's what I was doing! Whaddya want now?!"
"That is indeed what I told you. However, your course of action would have done major damage to this town! That is not the purpose to which I bestowed unto you my portable wind generator for. Do you think your sister would approve of this destruction? Most certainly not!"
"B-but! B-but!"
"No excuses! And you dare speak to me in that kind of tone? You really need to remember who you are speaking to!" The faceless figure spoke angrily, causing the floral-garbed girl to immediately fall silent, head hung in resignation. Then the suited entity turned in our direction. "But there will be plenty of time to discuss that later. It appears more pressing matters at hand. Slash, JJ, and you, Azure. I believe this person was in your party upon your arrival.
After a beckoning gesture was made, out came Tiger from the darkened abode, who was thankfully unscathed. My yellow-tied friend was the first to express his concern.
"Tiger! What happened? When did you separate from us? And what exactly were you doing in there?"
"I apologize about leaving you three behind. When I left, you all seemed to be holding your own, so I tried sneaking inside to see if I could track down Season or even Raina inside those walls… But my efforts were dashed when I was discovered… Sorry about making you all worry."
"So that's why… I'm just glad to see you're all right."
The steel-clad entity spoke up once more. "It is evident you have not heeded my previous warnings, both verbal and projectile. However, as a person who desires to settle matters in a civilized manner whenever possible, I shall admonish you again. Leave this town of Overlook and never return."
With his voice steeped with determination, Slash retorted against the figure's advice. "No! We came here with a purpose, and we intend to fulfill it! Who are you anyway?! And how did you know our names?! Are you the one who's holding our friend Raina?!"
"…Hmph. I must say, as… uncouth as Lily is, her reports were completely accurate. Inquisitive, determined, not taking no for an answer… It truly is a shame I had to make an enemy out of fellow, albeit hot-blooded, scientist. …Very well then. I know the type of people you all are. You will not stop, at the very least, not before hearing an explanation. So first off, let us start with proper introductions. My name is Elsa. And Raina is my dear niece."
"Wait, what?! You two are related?! Why are ya doing this then?!"
"I will explain all to you… provided you let me speak. So, as you like to put it, Slash, just 'sit tight.'" Elsa took a slight pause, and resumed speaking. "We all used to live in the same spacious house, a significant ways away from this town. Given all the relatives and caretakers we had living inside, there was hardly ever a dull moment. Overall, I suppose one could say life was good. However, fate has always had quite the morbid interest with our family. As was the case with me in my youth, the flames of adversity struck our household, forever changing our lives, especially that of your friend's. Our family was never the same. …With her parents' departing, I was left with the task of caring for Raina, as well as her sister, Lily. And for a time, despite being in the midst of this trial, we were content with our lives. But then that niece of mine decided to move to a different town. I was certainly shocked to hear this; after all the happy times we spent together in my mansion, she wanted to venture off on her own? To this day, I am not entirely sure what prompted her to want to leave. Regardless of what it was, I tried to dissuade her from going through with this. But it was to no avail; she was adamant in the plan she set for herself. It was on that fateful day, she left the rest of us behind."
Up until now, I had no idea that the girl of my dreams also had a tragic past. This revelation certainly had a marked effect on Slash, as he became less talkative than usual, gazing downward at the snow-covered landscape.
"I… see…"
The steel-clad entity continued on. "About two months later, we had received a letter from her. It stated she had become the mayor of a town named Overlook. It was then that I knew what I had to do. I had to bring her back. The following morning, I left my expansive mansion in the hands of our very capable caretakers, so Lily and I could set out to find this town she had apparently achieved a place of power. I would like to say we found her immediately, but that was not the case. To be completely truthful, it was not easy tracking her down. I never knew how many towns actually had the same name as hers. However, we were eventually successful in seeking her out.
Upon arrival, I implored my niece to come back to the home in which I cared for them. Raina stalwartly refused. Upon inquiring about her motives for remaining here, she said that she wanted to improve this town. I kept trying to convince her that someone else could easily do the same, that someone else could become the next mayor. However she went on about her duty to the townsfolk, and the new friends that she had met. …In retrospect, I can see that it was to you she was referring…
Seeing that she did not budge on this matter, I decided to fall back on my contingency plan of moving in to Overlook. As for Lily, she decided to move to another town bearing the same moniker as this one a short distance away. Though I was reluctant at yet another family member of mine leaving my side, I knew this town could only hold so many residents. On the other hand, its close proximity and capability for constant contact had mitigated that fact. However, that did not change that we were still not quite together. I was going to bring her back one day."
"So, I take it that not too long ago, you succeeded in that? And now you keep her locked away against her will?"
"My, my, Azure, you certainly do take after that… impractically-dressed friend of yours. Have some patience. There is still plenty to explain, so listen. …My plan was to bide my time, waiting for the precise moment her resolve began to weaken. I had Lily keep surveillance on her as she spent time with the various people she came in contact with, while I quietly watched, hidden from view. It was glaringly obvious that the direct approach was going to have little, if any effect on her. In any case, the day-to-day matters went mostly the same. She would spend plenty of time with you all, as well as devote vast amounts of resources to continue improving this town around you. I must admit, she has done a fine job in transforming it in to a kind of paradise. But my determination to bring her back never faded."
With the sound of clanking metal, Elsa clenched her fists.
"In fact, it only got stronger after she encountered a certain person. It was that dark-haired stalker you know as T. At first, things appeared benign enough. Just another case of unrequited love in for an abrupt awakening. However, it did not turn out that way. He became the boyfriend of my dear niece. Hard as it may be for you to believe, I actually wanted to be happy for her, I really did. …But then she changed. On the surface, it seemed to be innocent young love, but I could tell something was afoot."
"And that's when you took her away, isn't it!"
"…This is a bit of surprise. I thought that you, of all people, JJ, would stay silent until the end, but it appears that was another thing I was mistaken about. Back to the topic at hand, Raina started growing more distant, slowly losing interest in several things that once she had enjoyed. She tried to maintain a façade of everything being as the status quo, but I was able to see past it. …Which brings me to the answer of that oft-asked question. That answer… is no. Yes, she is under my supervision, but I had no hand in locking her away. The reality of the situation is, she isolated herself… out of her own free will."