Chapter 6: Betrayal
It has been exactly one week now since Valdis and Hikui had met for the first time.
Valdis began to adapt to Hikui's lifestyle and, much to Hikui's delight, was causing less and less trouble to him with each day. Still, some characteristics may remained with her.
Two days after their first operation, for example, Valdis spotted a wanted poster of herself for the first time, but was not very pleased seeing they didn't got her name and her bounty was too less in her eyes. The same day she spotted a Magnemite policeman, walked over to him and explained her discontent about her wanted poster, which she even showed him. The day afterwards they had added her name and her bounty was raised a little after refusing arrest the day before.
Another time Hikui found out Valdis was apparently reeking, and that in a very bad way. Pokémon, who unlike him and her had a nose, could smell her from far away already. Beside Hikui's worries what he might could catch while standing next to her, he told her to do something about her hygiene to stay more hidden. She straight out refused, their kind avoiding touching water as much as possible, and even sang a song from her kind why washing is not good. That night they robbed a perfumery to, at least, keep her smell down. She also had to learn it was not supposed to be ingested.
It was early in the morning, Baram Town was a busy as usual and Valdis and Hikui had just finished breakfast and where strolling through town. Valdis was showing Hikui a map of the town and told him she checked out the towns kindergarten. There were mostly Pokémon smaller and weaker than she was, so why not break in in the middle of the day? Just for the fun of it! It was not like these "brats" could defend themselves. But Hikui was not listening anymore halfway through.
A Nickit with a small oxford blue top hat was seemingly casually strolling behind them while keeping eye contact to them. Hikui felt uneasy, he knew exactly who this Nickit was, but he also knew he could no be here. In on way or another this fox Pokémon meant trouble.
"You feeling alright?", Valdis asked him, she noticed something was going on but could not say what.
"Don't look behind you, I believe we're being followed.", Hikui told her.
So Vadis turned around, saw the Nickit herself, he saw her as well and he immediately looked away and acted like he was now going somewhere else, doing something else.
"What did I just told you?!", Hikui argued with her and pulled her beard. "Let's go."
"Going where?"
"To the beach. There we should be alone and we wait if that guy still follows us or not. I don't want to walk home with someone on our heels and I would really like to hear why he's stalking us."
Casually looking, they wandered down to the sea, Hikui looking around slightly one last time to see if that Nickit was seeing them and knowing where were heading. He apparently did. Vadlis was unsure what to think about it.
Half an hour later, Hikui was starring into the wide ocean, holding his pipe in his paw, but without putting it in his mouth as he usually did, and Valdis was sitting in the sand and began piling it up to a small hill, like a lazy sand castle, because she did not knew how to kill time. She did noticed Hikui was bothered very much, but she did not wanted to ask, neither did she really care and could only guess why exactly.
Eventually, Valdis looked up and saw that the Nickit from before had actually followed them like Hikui had planned, standing on a rock near where the beach started and judgingly observed them. It jumped off and walked over to them has it's tail wiped away the traces it made in the sand.
The Nickit was quiet and Valdis did not said anything yet, waiting to see where this was going, but Hikui notices the Nickit's presence anyway. He put his pipe back in his belt and turned around.
"You've got to be kidding.", he loudly said as the fox Pokémon approached him.
"Greetings to you too, Hikui!", the Nickit greeted Hikui and lifted his small hat a little with his paw. His voice has a mockingly tone and was unfittingly masculine for such a Pokémon. "It has been so long!"
Valdis positioned herself behind the Nickit.
"I thought I had seen you for the last time when that Onix swallowed you and then escaped under the earth.", Hikui said as he walked closer to the Nickit as well and looked his straight in his yellow eyes to assert dominance.
"Not my finest moment, but as you can see destiny still wants me around!", the Nickit answered and brushed over his eyebrows.
"You know him?!", Valdis asked.
"He used to be my first and also last partner before you came.", Hikui said as he looked over to her.
The Nickit turned around to Vadlis and almost hit Hikui with his big tail.
"Oh, I believe we haven't been introduced yet. How rude of me.", hee said to her, almost like he was flirting with her. "I'm known by many names, but you may call me Kleptofix, Lord Kleptofix of Caturix on Caturix, miracle healer, artistic genius, great explorer, exotic merchant, ..."
As he was reading down his titles he suddenly stopped and quickly turned to Hikui, this time almost hitting Valdis.
"You and him?!", he shockingly asked. "Hikui, you break my heart! I thought between you and me was something special!"
"YOU were the one who took as much gold from me as you could carry and ran off laughing! I had to change my hideout to make sure you and whoever was hanging out with your did not know where I keep my goods!", Hikui snapped at the fox Pokémon.
"Hikui, please. That was one year ago.", Kleptofix said, waved his paw and tilted his head.
Hikui extended his claws. He looked like he would attack their visitor any second and he urged not to do so.
"Don't 'Hikui please' me, you slimy fox!", he threatened Kleptofix, who was backing off a little.
"Should I get rid of him for you?", Valdis offered and extended her own claws.
"Touch me and I'll scream!", Kleptofix warned her.
"First, I want to hear why you came back to me. And you better make it a good reason and look into my eyes while you talk.", Hikui him and Valdis. Secretly Valdis enjoyed seeing Hikui like this.
Kleptofix looked at Hikui, then at Valdis, then he sat down in the sand and took off his small blue top hat and placed his on the sand in front of him. He looked at Hikui as he was told.
"Hikui, I need you assistance.", the Nickit began. "You see, I've heard about a new path that was discovered inside Silent Chasm, and at the end of said path should lie a treasure. Now there are two problems. The first one is, and I really don't like to admit it, I can't go there by myself, I need the help from at least one Pokémon. The second one is, the Adventurer Guild knows about this treasure as well and I don't have much time."
Hikui looked judgingly at the Nicket while Valdis was already interested at the word "treasure".
"And why do you come to me from all the Pokémon in the world? Don't you have SO MANY other friends you could ask?", Hikui ask unimpressed.
Kleptofix to on his hat again.
"You know I gained quiet he reputation, and friends are so rare to find these days because of it. I know who you are, you know who I am, ...", as he explained, he turned around to Valdis and stopped for a moment, looking confused at the other Meowth. "Okay, I don't know you, but ... I have no other friends except you ... and you."
"If I understand this right, you need us to help you receive a treasure, because you're too weak to do it by yourself?", Valdis put together. "And how will the loot be split?"
"Fifty-Fifty?", the Nickit offered as he smiled in a very fake way.
Silence. Both Meowth were looking at Kletofix.
"Valdis, one word.", Hikui signalled her and took down the beach where the Nickit couldn't hear them.
"That guy is even snobbier than you.", Valdis laughed. "No wonder you dislike him. You're probably envious."
"I don't like him because he backstabbed me and he lies as naturally as he breaths.", Hikui told her and was still very upset. "I'm a thief and I also lie, that's true, but he is the kind of criminal I don't want to hang out with myself. Con artists, scammers, charlatans, those guys. Along with murderers and kidnappers the worst kind. One time, never again. Also, I'm not sure what to think about it. I can see if someone is telling the truth or not."
"You can?!", Valdis asked shocked and began brainstorming of the may or may not had said or did anything suspicious in the past week.
"What he said about the treasure seems to be true, but his suggestion about the split is something his body disagrees with.", Hikui said. Valdis was relieved.
"The solution is simple:", she said "Once we found that treasure we simply take all of it and then you get revenge on him for whatever he did."
"Are you gossiping behind my back?", Kleptofix asked. Without knowing it he followed them and listened to their talk. Both Meowth, especially Valdis were startled as he suddenly appeared between them.
"How bout we first look for that treasure, then we can sit down and talk about it, alright?", Kleptofix offered.
Hikui looked judgingly at the Nickit and put his pipe in his mouth.
"I suggest we go with him.", Vadlis suggested.
Hikui rolled his eyes.
"Fine ...", Hikui gave in. He took his pipe out again. "But if you try something funny, then ... then .."
"Then, what?", Kleptofix mockingly asked?
Hikui smiled back.
"Then I let Valdis here have her fun with you."
Kleptofix looked at Valdis. His expression went from worried, to disgusted to surprised.
"Her?!", he asked loudly.
"I really don't know why everyone thinks I'm a guy!", Valdis loudly complained and flung her arms in the air in annoyance. "Why?!"
Kleptofix examined Valdis from head to toe and his expression got more disgusted looking with every second he looked up and down. Hikui walked past by the two.
"Valdis, you stay here with him and wait. I need to make some preparations."
"Can't ... can't we come with you.", Kleptofix asked, still bothered by the realisation of Valdis' gender.
Hikui turned around and gave Kleptofix a very grudging look.
"I'm so not going to show you where I live."
And so he walked off and left the two alone.
Kleptofix was left dumbfounded and with the same expression began examining Valdis. She almost told him to stop starring, but he broke the silence quicker.
"So ... are you and him .. you know?", he asked and shuck his paw from side to side.
"Know what?"
"He said you're female."
"I don't get what you-", then she got what he meant. "No! No ... We just work together. Nothing more."
Kleptofix smiled, probably doubting her.
"Yeah, sure."
He walked closer towards her.
"I was worried for a moment Hikui lost it. You look and smell like as if you were locked up in a dungeon and forgotten. Seriously, where did he picked you up?!"
And so Valdis told him where she came from, why she left and how she and Hikui met.
"Sounds like your mother would give a lot of money to get you back, or if, let's say, someone held you hostage or something like that.", Kleptofix pointed out. He looked like he was getting bad ideas. Sinisterly bad ideas.
"I doubt that.", Valdis casually replied. "Captured warrior are usually pronounced dead, and I promise you I will not simply get captured."
Kleptofix mischievously smiled at her and nodded.
While doing that he also noticed her ear and foot ring and touching the latter.
"Are those pure gold?", he asked.
Looking up at her she gave him a look, clearly telling him to back off right now or thing will get ugly. Kleptofix understood and did so.
The next half an hour was very awkward and quiet before Hikui returned. He was kind of surprised to see them both peacefully. Intimidated but peaceful.
Hikui brought a sack with various items probably needed for their little adventure. Apart the usual equipments Hikui always had with them during his operations, he also took various berries and a few orbs. Mostly because this was not an usual burglary but a dungeon quest.
And so the trio headed north-east to Silent Chasm. It was also at this point Valdis truly realised the size of the Air Continent. She was not used to walk so far and not seeing water at some point, not including rivers or lakes.
Hikui lead the team while Valdis walked behind him and Kleptofix. She was told to keep and eye to the Nickit and to make sure he did not try anything funny. She developed some fascination for Klepofix's tail, brushing back and forth across the ground. She couldn't take her eyes off it for the majority of their journey and urged not to catch and play with it.
Hikui on the other hand was lost in thoughts. Kleptofix did not lied about the treasure but something was still off and he expected to be backstabbed any moment. Hopefully he could count on Valdis again. Unlike Kleptofix, she, at least, proved to be honest and also willing to learn. Maybe too honest sometimes.
Eventually the vegetation around them slowly decreasing to mostly fern and the weather became cloudy and foggy. Valdis noticed this change and asked about it. This change meant they were almost there. They arrived near a cliff and in the not so far distance they could already see their destination: Silent Chasm. A giant rock tower growing out of a grand and gray canyon, with a wide stone bridge connected to it leading into a cave.
The first thing they did as they arrived was to rest, as suggested by Valdis. While Hikui did some final checks on their inventory and Kleptofix, who overheard on their way Valdis did not now what a "Mystery Dungeon" was began to explain, with the female Meowth not listening at all.
She walked closer to the edge and looked down. There was no visible ground, only the darkness of the abyss and only the bridge between her and a long way down. It impressed and reminded her how her kind had to trust the wood of their ships.
"Wow! That cliff is steep!", she exclaimed.
"You don't say ...", Hikui answered annoyed. "If your stomach starts to hurt, then shut up about it, because mine is fine."
Valdis had the feeling she did not understood a joke.
"I already checked out where we need to go.", Kleptofix joined in. "Just keep my behind save and everything will be fine."
"Anything we need to know?", Hikui asked him.
"There could be trouble. .. you know. Usual dungeon stuff.", Kleptofix answered.
"And other things?", Hikui further asked and crossed his arms.
Kleptofix began to think.
"Isn't there this tale of a monster living around here?", the Nickit asked himself.
"Anything ELSE you might want to tell us, Kleptofoxy?", Hikui even further dug and was getting impatient.
"Shut up and let Mr. Brush Tail do his thing!", Valdis, who was getting impatient for another reason, stepped in and spoke up. "I want that treasure and I want it now!"
Both Pokémon looked at her, Hikui fed up and Kleptofix surprised.
"It is Lord Kelptofix, to both of you!", Kleptofix told them, turned around and slapped Hikui with his large tail as he did.
Valdis and Hikui followed him inside, while Valdis only had their end goal in mind, Hikui could not get the thought out of his head what he was doing right now was a great mistake and there was no return now anymore.
"I have a bad feeling ..."
The dungeon was not only the cave they ventured into, there where times where the path they took brought them outside and along narrow paths, but mostly downhill all the time. Valdis, of course, soon began to nag how long it still was and was even more bothered when Kleptofix told her, it is hard to tell when the dungeon changed constantly. Hikui then had to explain to her again what a Mystery Dungeon is.
On their way, from time to time, they encountered hostile Pokémon attacking on sight. Nothing worse, mostly just bugs. Hikui explained to Valdis these were feral Pokémon that lived here. Mostly Pokémon who rejected society and simply want to protect their territory from intruders. Valdis concluded that this meant the three of them where way smarter than them. Hikui decided to keep his mouth shut.
At level 7, deep down in the cave again, Kleptofix told the two too keep an eye out for a large stone door along a long small path. They searched for some time, making Valdis starting to doubt the Nickit's plan and Hikui's senses, but before an argument could break out they managed to find it.
"This one!", Kleptofix said.
"Always the last room where we look ...", Hikui commented bothered.
Kleptofix took off his small top hat, reach inside of it and took out a silver key, just small enough to fit inside the hat.
"I took that off from the adventurers. That's also how I know about this path in the first place.", Kleptofix explained as he put his head back on and teasingly played around with the key.
With the key in both his paws he tried to put it into the keyhole. That's when he noticed he could not reach it, it was too high for him. He began jumping up and up again, seemingly failing to not look ridiculous.
"Someone has to lift me up ...", the Nickit eventually had to admit.
Hikui looked over to Valdis. Making eye contact he gestured her with his head to do it. She awkwardly lifted the Nickit up, he jumped off her and managed to unlocked the door, with a loud clicking noise.
"That was embarrassing, but never mind!", Kleptofix told them.
After Valdis also had to help him push-open the door, it lead the trio further down a wide and long stairway. Silent Chasm itself was an awfully quiet place due to the fact the wind never blew, but this path down was even more silent and much darker than the rest of the dungeon, to the point where both Hikui and Valdis expected something sudden to happen any second.
As they walked further and further, something began to shimmer in the distance. Daylight!
"Jackpot!", Kleptofix said with glee and hurried towards the light with the two Meowth on pursuit.
They soon found themselves within a large square shaped room, still not outside, light was shining into it from the top of a wall like cliff at the other end of the room. The room itself was mostly rocky and dry and empty, except for one thing: A wooden treasure chest, large enough for Valdis to fit in four times.
Kleptofix smiled proudly, Hikui was slightly disappointed, expecting a little bit more than that, but Valdis grinned in her creepy way all over her face.
"There it is!", she called out, shoved the Nickit aside and ran over to the treasure chest. Hikui wanted to warn of possible traps, but she was already there and hastily opened the lid.
Just as Kelptofix told her, the chest was filled to the brim with coins! Valdis could not stop smiling.
"Hikui, look at all of this!", she called out and showed the two and the entrance two paws full of coins which she then let drizzle down unto the ground.
Valdis began to laugh and dug her arm into the coin-filled chest, threw them up in the air and let them rain down on her.
Watching her, Hikui felt like a parent watching their child having the time of their live.
"It's a shame we have to share it.", he said to Kleptofix and slwoly, very slowly turned is head towards him while looking directly into his yellow yes. "Is? N't? This? Right?"
The Nickit did not answer, instead he became visible nervous.
"Yes or no, Kleptofix?!", he asked him in a threatening way.
That moment, as Valdis dug her arms in again, she felt something clinging onto her left wrist. When she took it back out again a chain was no attached to it, binding her to the chest.
"What is this?!", Valdis asked the two dumbfounded. She tried to get it off, but the chain was too strong.
"Kleptofix, what did you do?!", Hikui yelled and picked him up by his large ears.
"I would say I'm sorry, but it's not like lying would have any use now anymore.", the Nickit grinned, still nervous.
From the top of the wall three figures appeared and jumped down to the three, only one did not landed on his feet. The first figure was a tall grown Mienshao with a serious and almsot bored looking expression, the second was a Poliwrath with wide shoulders and the third one, who did not made it, an equally tall grown Poliwhirl, all three whore long yellow scarfes. Hikui knew who they where and what was going on. Team Yellow, from the Baram Town Adventurer Guild.
Hikui threw Kleptofix on the ground.
"You set us up?!"
"Let me answer that.", the Mienshao said and stepped forward to the two while the Poliwrath helped his partner up. "Kleptofix scammed the wrong Pokémon and was eventually caught by us. The little Nickit here then tried to bribe us into letting him go. My two partners had the idea to use him to catch you and your partner, mainly because both of your bounties combined are higher than his."
Hikui was shaking in both anger about the Nickit and himself and in disbelieve how he even managed to trick him.
"How?", Hikui quietly asked Kleptofix. "How could you lie without me noticing?"
"That's the catch, I didn't!", Kleptofix began to explain proudly. "It was all my plan. The path we took REALY was recently discovered, there is a treasure over there, set up by me, but it IS there, and I DID needed your help, or else the take me with them instead of you two."
Before Hikui knew it, he was suddenly grabbed by his leg by the Mienshao and pulled up. In the process, Hikui lost the bag with the items he took with him. They were now looking in each others faces, upside down from the Meowth's view.
"Don't worry, I won't tell Nya about this.", the Mienshao promised.
Meanwhile behind them, Valdis was desperately pulling and tearing on the chain she was bound to. She began jumping around and hissing like crazy while the Poliwrath awkward tried to get a hold of her and his Poliwhirl buddy just kept watching her go.
Be it Valdis own strength or the quality of either the chain or the chest it was attached to, but something tor. Valdis pulled hard and the suddenly loose chain swung around like a whip and hitting the Poliwrath around the left arm, leaving a nasty mark.
"She's free! She's free!", the Poliwhirl yelled and attempted step in, but when he tried to get a hold of her, she, much to his surprise, lifted the Poliwhirl up and threw him a onto his partner.
The Mienshao looked behind him what was going on. He let his guard down, that was Hikui's chance! He quickly reached into the small sack he carried with him on his belt: Blast Seeds. Just in time as the Mienshao looked at him again, he put it in his mouth, bit down and the Meowth spat a ball of flame into the weasel's face.
In both pain and surprise he let him go. Wasting no time at all, Hikui ran under his legs and to Valdis. This should not be the day the great Hikui would be caught, and he already figured how to escape.
"You're letting them escape!", Kleptofix shouted at the Mienshao who was holding his faces, apparently more in shock than pain, while he himself just kept watching from the side line.
Valdis tried to get rid of the chain by chewing on it as Hikui came up running at her.
"Valdis! There seems to be another exit up there, where these adventures came from before! We'll get out there!", Hikui quickly told her his plan and began climbing up the wall.
Valdis was split between following him and collecting as much gold as possible.
"And the gold?!", she called out.
"Forget it! Hurry!"
"Can't we just, I don't know, take them on?", Valdis questioned. "The chubby one looks weak."
From the corner of her eye, Valdis saw something flying directly at her and just barely missed her head. The back of her head was slashed with water and a small crater was now on the wall behind her. The chubby weak one and the taller one where water Pokémon knowing water moves.
"Oh, shoot!", Valdis panicked and followed him, still using her own climbing stile.
Hikui could not understand how a Pokémon like Vadlis could be SO afraid of water, even for a feline. Fighting, he could understand, but water?
"Shoot them down!", the Miensaho ordered. A strong blast of water shot by one of the two frog like Pokémon almost hit her.
"Who is Nya?", she asked him. She was under a lot of stress, but wanted that question answered what she overheard before, but the other Meowth did not answer that question.
And the beams of water shot down on them over and over again Valdis began to panic even harder and started climbing faster. This was absolutely not as planned and for the first time since she left, she actually experienced real fear. They were both shot at multiple times, none of them directly hit, they got splashed indirectly but nothing harmful. At some point the Mienshao apparently slapped the Poliwrath. Vadlis had to get away. She had to survive. She looked up to Hikui who was still faster than she was and almost made it to the top.
Suddenly, she had an idea of how to secure her escape and at the same time could also begin their second phase of their partnership.
She hurried even more than every before, even adapting Hikui's climbing style and somehow, much to Hikui's surprise, climbed past him. She eventually made it to the top first, kneeled down to give him a hand.
Hikui reached out and almost wanted to say "Thank you" to her, but at that moment Valdis suddenly clapped her paws together, creating shock wave that almost made Hikui lose balance and fall.
"What's the meaning of this?!", Hikui protested.
"You just hold me back.", she told him, raised her right paw with shimmering, extended claws and stabbed the ground below between her and Hikui.
The part of the ground gave in a crumbled, Hikui tried to grasp a solid piece of the wall ... but he failed.
And so, the so called king of thieves fell, literally, tricked by two of his former partners. Hikui could not believe what just happened and for a moment time seemed to be froze to him.
Instinctively Hikui managed to land safely back on the ground next to the chest and on all four legs. And then he was blasted into the wall by the Poliwrath with a strong water gun.
Valdis watched from above and felt a little sorry for the Meowth, but mostly only because of the water. Shrugging it off, she hurried into a cave right behind her that would hopefully lead outside.
The Mienshao walked up to Hikui who was soaked and exhausted and still in a state of emotionless disbelieve of what had happened.
"Hikui Ishikawa, you are hereby under arrest.", the Mienshao told him. The Poliwhirl came over with a rope and tied the Meowth up. Hikui did not resisted.
Kleptofix swaggered past the adventures and over the Meowth, having the most smug expression on his face.
He patted Hikui's cheek and look directly into his eyes.
"Well Hikui, I understand why that partner of yours left you behind. Like me, she simply knows how to survive, and only the strongest and smartest ones can do so. Survival of the fittest, as some say. In the end, you have no one to blame but yourself, kid."
Hikui did not answer, but he raised his head and gave the Nickit a look that could only be described as: "The Stare of Death".
"Is the kitty cat going to cry.", Kleptofix mocked.
The Mienshao suddenly lifted the Nickit up by his large tail and made him look at him.
"Kleptofix of Caturix and Caturix or whatever, you are also hereby under arrest.", the Mienshao told him, behind him, the Poliwhirl was already holding a second rope.
"But ... but you can't do that! We had a deal!", Kleptofix protested loudly and tried to get down again.
"You know what the deal was.", the Miensaho began to explain. "You help us capture both Hikui and his partner and we'll let you go. ... where is his partner?"
Silence. Hikui smiled a little. Served him right.
"Why is it my fault you three can't do you job right?!", the Nickit yelled and wiggled even harder.
"It was your plan, and it did not worked." the Mienshao further told him. He also smiled mockingly. "Survival of the fittest, Kleptofix, survival of the fittest."
Kleptofix began to scream, he began to cry like a child that didn't got his way and did it when harder when both the Poliwhirl and Poliwrath held him and tied him up.
"Shut up and take it like a man!", Hikui snapped.
Everyone were silent for a short moment. The Poliwrath picked up the Meowth and Kleptofix began quietly sobbing to himself.
When the adventurers carried the two back out, Hikui promised himself that he WILL find Valdis, and he WILL take what was rightfully his, and he WILL make Valdis PAY.
Hikui, the king of thieves, will NEVER AGAIN work with others.
Meanwhile, Valdis ran and ran, not knowing or caring where, just fast and far away enough. Eventually, she decided she may have escaped now and these yellow adventurers would not follow her anymore.
She then walked into a randomly decided direction, hoping she would either end back in Baram Town or meet someone who could tell her. After a longer while, while also trying to get the chain off her paw unsuccessfully, she eventually came across a group of two kids, one like a dog and one like a rat, and one Pokémon looking like a large ball, all three spouting red scarfs.
Valdis told the three she escaped from some lunatics who tried to kidnap her and asked for directions. It just so happened that this strange group was on their way to Baram Town too and offered her to company them. The rat like on, a fire-type, even offered Valdis to remove her chain. He carefully melted it off her wrist.
They luckily were not so far away from Baram Town as Valdis thought first, which was good, because the dog like Pokémon began asking too many questions about the kidnappers of hers and she was also told they were not ordinary kids. As it turned out, the Adventurer Guild also used child labour. Introducing: Team Red!
Valdis made a run when they group were not paying attention.
It has gotten already late when Valdis finally arrived at their hideout and felt a large relieve when she could finally sit down by the fireplace. At was not until then Valdis realised Hikui's absence. He was gone now. Once again Valdis was all by herself again. No one telling her what to do and do not. It was about time!
She turned at the large pile of coins that used to be Hikui's. It was now all hers and she felt proud of herself. What only made it better, the pile got a little larger when she put her old pile on top of it.
Tired but happy she laid down in it and felt all the hard wealth around her. Now her own adventure really begins.
And that rat from before gave her an idea how to celebrate this.