Character: Gawain Acuity

Species: Quilava

Age: 16

Nickname: Lord Acuity

Year of character creation: 2014

Story: The brutal prince of Acuity. Due to his lack of facial expressions, he's very hard to read. His displays of affection usually show up in extraordinary gifts for the Lodestar. He appears to be talented at metal work, given his handmade tail bracelet and other jewelry.


Furret Abigail heaved for air. She had reached the point where any amount of oxygen wouldn't alleviate her exhaustion, even the clean, open breeze of a spring meadow. She raised up an unsteady paw to the blue sky.

"Mercy," she huffed out.

"Me showing mercy won't make you stronger, Abigail."

Furret Jessie stepped forward and covered Abigail in her shadow.

"It's times like these you should think of your father and keep going," Jessie said. "I refuse to let you teeter on the edge of greatness any longer. You are talented at offense. You are at your best when you are focused and angry, but you never pull out your real strength without some sort of catalyst. You need to control yourself. Think about how they took him away."


Furret Abigail, complete in grayscale, sat on the edge of her bed and fumbled with a large brush. She first tried to roll it across the fur on her tail, and then yanked it. It didn't work. It caught on her fur and got stuck.

"Tangled fur? Painful brushing? Fur loss? Tired of trying to use those violent brushes on your fur? You need the brand new, revolutionary North brush!"

Color popped into existence. Abigail rolled a shiny new brush across her tail with ease. Several diagrams popped up around her.

"This brush is designed to detangle your fur in seconds!"

"It's incredible!" Abigail said with a bright smile. "Even with my job, I can get up and go at anytime!"

"Unlike those no-good brushes of the old days, the North brush boasts over four-hundred contact points simultaneously, reducing pressure and working with fewer strokes!"

Abigail pushed the brush along her tail. "It just glides right through! You have to see it to believe it. Being this nice with it has never been so easy!"

From the side, Zoroark Aaron sauntered in. He froze in place, wide-eyed. Abigail swished her tail and stood up. She walked forward, did a little spin, and ended up in his arms.

"The new North brush! Available at the number below! Call now and buy two for fifty-percent off. While supplies last!"

Abigail winked and placed her paw under her smiling lips. "Maybe you can impress your prince-charming!"


Rain trailed down her windows outside. The sky turned so dark, the afternoon looked like nightfall. It reminded her of summer days out in the country.

Abigail grinded out paperwork in her room. For all of her encounters, she had to file a mission report, meet with the Council for discussion, and then a bunch more hullabaloo. She let some movies play in the background while she worked on her bed, and used a dictionary as a backboard to write on. Her attention left her for a moment when that commercial came on. They had only filmed it the other day. Things moved awfully fast with them.

It took a lot of takes. Abigail only got the hang of it when she realized they wanted the perfect amount of fake. She'd act more natural next time.

A knock came to her door.

"Come in!" Abigail called.

As expected, Zoroark Aaron walked in. As he opened his mouth to speak, he paused, and glanced at either side of the doorway. Abigail had set a few piles of paperwork there. They reached up to his hips.

"What's this?" Aaron asked.

"That's all the paperwork I finished today," she said.

"You did all this today? How fast do you write?"

Abigail tossed aside a sheet of paper and started her last one. Aaron came closer and leaned over to see her paws.

"Holy crap," he uttered. "No wonder you have so much free time…"

Abigail tossed aside the last paper onto a short, scattered mess and looked up at Aaron. "So, what's up?"

"Talked to Esmeralda. She still said she only wants to talk to you, so, that's still a thing for later. You feeling okay?"

"Yah."

Abigail's window vibrated. The floor rumbled. She jumped at a flash of light outside and clasped her paws together.

"Afraid of thunder?" Aaron asked.

"Well, when I'm in a skyscraper," she hissed out.

"There's a lightning rod on top of the building, though. It can't do anything."

"I know. Doesn't help."

He smiled. "Nice jacket."

Abigail glanced down.

She had been wearing his blue leather jacket for most of the day. It had a satisfying weight to it, like his claws on her shoulders.

"Oh, uh, yah," she said. "It's pretty popular."

"Makes you look hot."

Abigail's chest lit up in flames. She leaned back.

Her door opened.

"Come in!"

Abigail gripped Aaron's shoulders, pulled back, and threw him over her head. He fell over behind her bed. She combed over her fur and painted a casual smile on her face. Victini Anne floated through the door with a small notepad in her hands. She looked up, opened her mouth to speak, and sized up her piles of papers.

"Geez," Anne breathed. "How fast do you write?"

"Hi Anne," Abigail said. "How can I help you?"

Aaron's arm rose over the side of the bed. Abigail whipped it with her tail.

"I don't have anything for you," Anne said. "Just checking in. "Did you finish all this already?"

"Yah."

"Cool. I'll take it out of your hair."

A psychic pulse raised the piles of paperwork in the air, and they, floated out of the room, along with Anne.

Abigail spun around and reached off her bed. She picked up Aaron's bewildered face and pulled it up close.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot."

Abigail shoved him back down and flipped back over. Anne turned around.

"There's a festival in Southern Valor today," Anne said. "You should go take a load off."

"Take a load off?" she asked. "I've been training back up every day. I can't just 'take a load off'."

"Yellow Clan found information in the Counselor Mountains. They're coming back to deliver in person tonight. We'll be having a long discussion tonight."

"About what?"

"They say they've discovered what the orbs are for, and what the Rioters want exactly. They're bringing in a large shipment we can't afford to lose. Get some R&R and be here in top form by midnight with your boy band."

Abigail whipped her tail at Aaron's rising arm again. "Got it," she said.

"Alright. See you tonight."

"See you."

Abigail let out a breath when Anne closed the door. She turned back around for Aaron.

He wasn't there. She looked left, right, under her bed. He'd disappeared. She pushed back up to the top of her bed and looked around for him.

"Aaron?" she asked.

"Yah?"

His voice whispered in her ear. Abigail turned around and dragged his smiling face down.

Her door opened, and Victini Anne floated in, again.

"Oh, forgot one more…" Anne said. She rubbed her eyes and stared. Her mouth hung open.

"Dammit Anne, what now!?" Abigail hissed through her teeth.

"U-uh, nothing," she squeaked out. "N-nevermind."

Anne slammed the door shut. Abigail let out a sigh and looked back up again.

She started to understand the Valorian blessing a little bit more, through the red hue on his face. He didn't "fear" anything, but he could still overthink and second-guess like anyone else. He could still be nervous, in his own way. She found a quick way past that.

"I need pears for my island in Animal Crossing," Abigail said.

"O-oh," Aaron said. "So, uh…"

"Pears, Aaron."

Aaron's eyes darted up. "On it."


Aaron worked very fast for those pears. Yup, entirely for the pears. After all that pearing around, Abigail looked up information about this festival thing Anne mentioned.

It took place over the whole weekend. They had booths selling kebabs and fried dough and curly fries and fried oreos and fried oreos and fried oreos and holy crap what was a fried oreo?

Her training and skipped meals left her a touch lighter than usual. Maybe she could afford some more chub.

Furret Abigail looked through her growing echelon of clothes and picked out an outfit made out of things Aaron, Zen, and Gawain gave her: she kept on Aaron's jacket, and added Zen's necklace and Gawain's tail bracelet. She added perfume and brushed up her fur to be puffy and soft. She moisturized it every day now. It made her feel… special.

With that done, Abigail prepared herself for fried oreos. She stopped eating for a few hours to ensure maximum volume, and lazed about watching TV and cuddling her tail around a pillow. Dramatic music added an extra flair to one of her favorite shows. It showed a vast, wintry landscape and zoomed in, further down until it focused on a building.

"It's the dead of winter in the Acuitan countryside, one of the coldest, most notorious climates on the planet. Hillary's restaurant may not survive the winter. The air between the employees is frosty, and the roasts…"

A Dubwool lifted a tired hoof to his face. "Come on, guys! I've seen a snail soaked in coffee run faster than you!"

"Are even colder…"

"You're lazy, he's up to his armpits in her work. I mean, just what…? There's no cohesion here. No teamwork."

Chef Ram has never taken on a challenge like this, before…"

The camera zoomed in close on a Wingull's face. "Hillary is… Just… Like. This place is like being in a school where every teacher is awesome but the Principal's a bi-"

"Will he keep his cool?"

"Janice," a Sandile said firmly. "We know you tend not to clean up after your little… 'accidents'."

The camera panned to the sweating face of a Goodra.

"Or will this restaurant… go up in smoke?"

"Oh my gyawd. There's rats in the chow mein!"

"Find out on this episode…"

Abigail watched TV for a while, but after the channels turned to soap operas, she got bored. Using her time wisely would help her feel better about her upcoming feast. Esmeralda had been detained for a while. Maybe now would be a good time to learn something from her when they spoke alone.

The idea grew on her. Abigail pushed off her bed and committed. She walked out into the empty mid-day hallways and to the elevator. As a courtesy, she had to speak with Vivian first, the Nightlight Council member who oversaw their policing. Out of all the Council, she talked with him the most. He seemed to appreciate her paws-on approach, but nevertheless, she kept him at arm's length.

Her father got sick and died in Nightlight custody. She still had a prick in the back of her mind that would tear half of the building down.

Abigail checked herself over one last time before the elevator doors opened. Boxed away offices, printers, and tables coated the floor, and rows of harsh lights on the ceiling. A Dunsparce ran right past her to take her spot in the elevator as she stepped out without even a glance. By her estimate of past visits, only half of the floor's workers were in their offices. The other half scampered around with papers, tablets, and even another Council member: Azumarill Raphael, who sped walked with a Pansage.

They must've had big preparations to make. If something major had happened, her phone alarm would've sounded off.

Abigail moved in the direction of Braviary Vivian's office, the largest one. She saw him in front of hisdoor door, speaking with a Starly. Once he saw her, he cut off his conversation and trotted over. Furret Abigail straightened out her posture.

"Miss Lodestar," Vivian greeted with a huff. "I can't help with much today. There's a lot of setup to be done."

"I want to speak with Esmeralda," Abigail said.

"She's in the interrogation room right now. We were just about to move her back, but, take your time."

"Thank you."

Abigail kept her eyes trained forward. She continued on to a short hallway, closer to the back corner. At the end, gray brick walls outlined the interrogation room. She rubbed down the length of her arms; the air chilled. The formal vibe of the floor wasted away at the foot of a cast iron door. Abigail grabbed the heavy door handle, yanked down, and pulled hard. It scraped on the cement floor inside, then brushed on the hallway carpet.

Lilligant Esmeralda sat inside at a small concrete table, on one of two uncomfortable, cold metal chairs. Abigail shook out the ghost of pain in her arm from when she swung her microphone, and made a mental note to follow up on what that was all about.

Esmeralda didn't look up as she sat down.

"So," Abigail said. "Will you at least tell me something?"

Esmeralda folded her arms and looked away. Abigail huffed.

"Look," Abigail continued, "this is really just between you and me. I can pardon a misunderstanding, but, I just want to know… something? Anything? Please?"

"If I told you," Esmeralda said, "you'd be in danger."

"In danger from what? From who?"

"If I said that, you'd be in danger."

Abigail lowered her head to the table and stared her down. "Listen, I don't know if you noticed, but I can take care of myself pretty well."

"You should avoid collecting those eye orb thingies. Just let your mom handle it."

"They threatened to destroy Valor Castle…"

"Uh huh. Exactly."

O-kay…

"Did you know Chad would be there?" Abigail asked.

"I didn't know he was on this side of the planet," Esmeralda defended.

"Me neither. But, I'm starting to get pissed off at people not telling me things. My own mother, and now you."

"Abigail."

Esmeralda's voice lowered. She glanced around and sized up their surroundings, then leaned over the table with her arm raised over her mouth. Abigail leaned closer in to hear.

"You are in dangerous company."

"Uh… Who?"

"Your boy band."

Abigail's heart thumped. Her warning came out in a hiss and left in a short breath.

Zen? Gawain? Aaron? Dangerous? Really?

"What?" Abigail asked. "What do you mean by 'dangerous'?"

"If you let me go, don't tell anyone when," Esmeralda said. "I'm going to leave Valor, and take refuge in Verity. I guess all I can tell you is good luck, and try to contain yourself."

"Contain myself?" Abigail questioned with a grimace.

"The Veritan blessing. If they suspect you don't trust them, I don't know what will happen to you."

"What… the hell do you mean by that?"

"Just what I said." A bit of Esmeralda's usual glow returned to her face. "Remember! Just act naturaaaaaal," she sang.


Abigail, in fact, struggled to act natural after that conversation. She waddled back to her room and scared herself half-to-death with random theories. The princes were some of the only friends she ever made in the city, and now, her idol called them 'dangerous'. Her implications bothered her more.

Whether on purpose or accident, Esmeralda just told her that they were dangerous enough for her own mother to keep away and beat around the bush. And one way or another, she couldn't think of any other reason a bounty hunter like Chad Longfellow would try to stop her. All of it conflicted with what she had learned from the past few months.

She trusted those three with her life. During this festival, though, maybe she should ask them things she normally wouldn't. If they really were a threat, something had to give it away.

When the evening rushed in, Abigail left her room and distractions behind. In the carriage ride over, she signed off for Esmeralda's release on her phone. She trusted her intuition on it.

Crazy to think about, though. She decided a huge part of Esmeralda's life with a swipe of her finger. How could this kind of power not go to anyone's head? Had it already gone to her's? The more Abigail thought about it, the worse it felt.

Outside her window, the Nightlight tower sunk into the horizon. A web of highways led from different portions of Valor to the center. The southmost edge sat along the ocean, so it saw a lot more activity than ones like the eastern road to Verity, or the northern road, far north, to Acuity. That meant sitting in traffic.

Abigail used a pair of earbuds to chill to some music: Aaron's playlist. She never would've guessed he liked rap. He surprised her with things like this all the time, though.

After a few hours, the carriage pulled to a stop in a busy place. An avalanche of footsteps surrounded her carriage on all sides, and continued without end. Abigail hadn't tried to hang out at a place this public ever since her attempt at a Valorian concert. This time felt different. Her feet didn't shake when she stood up, and her heart rate stayed the same. She had this.

Abigail threw open the back doors of the carriage. On cobblestone roads, species of all shapes and sizes walked between and around different stands and tents. She tipped her driver his fair due and set off for the side streets, where the princes agreed to meet up.

Zoroark Aaron, Floatzel Zen, and Quilava Gawain leaned up against a cement wall of a small, closed antique store. Abigail stifled any doubts with a deep breath in, and out.

They were her friends. If anything, this would just be a courtesy to Esmeralda; a gesture to prove to her and herself that she had just lost her mind a little. All of them pushed up to a straight posture when they noticed her. Abigail dipped her head low and waved. Their faces lifted.

Gawain's least of all. He usually forced out a stiff smile. Instead, she only loosened up his frown. He swayed from one foot to the other, and had bags under his eyes. He must not have slept well.

"Hey," Zen bobbed his head up. "You pick a restaurant?"

"Uh… Fried oreos…" she said.

"Oh. So you're finally eating more than a salad today?"

"Yup. So, what's the festival all about?"

"Just celebrating the summer harvest," said Aaron. "Since our mission is in the area tonight, figured it might be a nice way to relax."

To destress? That reminded her…

"Hey," she kept her voice intentionally nonchalant, "when am I getting briefed on what we're doing tonight?"

"That can wait," said Aaron. "Just relax for now."

"I appreciate you trying to help me relax, but-"

"You'll be up all night," Zen cut in. "We'll tell you the details later. Just because you're Overlord doesn't mean you have to have the stress of everything on your mind constantly. We're just sharing the burden."

"But you're welcome to know right now if you want," Aaron finished.

Eh.

"Okay," Abigail decided. "Fried oreos first, and then you can tell me at the spa."

"Deal."


Furret Abigail scraped powdered sugar off her lips in the local spa's front lobby. The journey consisted of a massage (which apparently involved a hammer), a sauna, and a small second-floor room with two hot tubs that boasted a far-off view of the southern coastline. She gazed out the window with her tail curled along the edge of her tub, and her clothes set on a table by the door. In time, steam fogged up the glass. She closed her eyes and breathed out.

Zoroark Aaron occupied the other tub.

"I think I get it now…" Aaron said in a low voice. "Feels like a different dimension. I thought it was all about being pampered, but it's about relaxation. Maybe women do deserve rights." He hung his head off the edge and smiled, waiting for her response.

"Yah," Abigail said. She nestled her back against the warmth of the tub wall. "Just maybe." She snickered and rolled her eyes.

"So, you really didn't feel the hammers?"

"I thought they were hands doing that choppy thingy."

"Huh…"

"So, what's really going on tonight? What's the Yellow Clan delivering?"

"The inactive body of a Legendary species. The one the Rioters plan to use."

Even in steaming water, a cold chill passed through her chest. Abigail opened her eyes, only to stare at the cream ceiling.

"Southern Valor is surrounded by the ocean on three out of four sides," Aaron said. "It was chosen to be stored here since it means that if the worst comes, we only have to defend in one direction. The body's going to be stored in one of the arenas here, and guarded by the Valorian army at all hours. If the Rioters don't attack, we can be sure someone will be watching to check for some kind of weakness in our formations. You're here to help prevent that."

"I get it," she said.

"We've got your back. But, realistically, you're the most reliable. You only need to think about one part and follow through. Helps not to stress about it for hours on end."

The spa definitely dulled the impact. She could handle it, especially so well prepared.

"Back in a few," Aaron huffed. "I could use a few more minutes in the sauna."

"Sure."

Abigail peeked.

Indigo fur cascaded down as Aaron lifted himself up. Delicately, with his claws, he pushed some aside to reveal his piercing yellow eyes. Without his ring to hold it in a ponytail, his fur spread out in a heap over his back. Abigail's eyes fell away as he walked past her and left.

Some time later, it got to her.

Whether Esmeralda had lied or not, she succeeded in creating some doubts; in her friends, her own family, even herself. What kind of happenstance led all three of them to pick her? She couldn't be that pretty…. Maybe.

Aaron stepped back into the room, rolling his shoulders and smiling to himself. Abigail choked on a few sentence starters, then…

"Hey Aaron?" she asked. "Am I really that pretty?"

"Yes, like, actually," he answered on reaction. "Wait, what's this about?"

"Uh, nothing." She turned her nose away.

"Don't worry about stuff you read online. The reality is that you're still as stunning as when I first saw you. And no matter who you choose or whatever happens, that won't change. Also, I think I lost my wallet."

"Uh, what's it look like?"

"Blue. Like everything I own."

"Ohhhhhhhh… That might be in my room."

"Ah, damn."

"What do you need it for?"

Zoroark Aaron tied his fur back into its usual ponytail. Furret Abigail leaned up. He finished drying himself off with a white towel for a short moment, then turned back to her. Abigail's tail swished around in the water as he walked behind her. Despite everything, calm silence loomed in the air.

"Dunno," he said. "I just wanted to buy you something expensive to be honest."

"Buying me expensive things isn't necessary."

"Yah, you're right. But, I'm worried about you."

"Why?" she asked.

"Are you sure letting Esmeralda go was a totally sound idea?"

Abigail breathed out of her nose. "What do you mean?"

Her voice trembled, just a little.

"Did she tell you anything to try and get under your skin?" he asked. "I'm your friend. You can tell me anything. For all we knew, she could be in league with your mother somehow. Heck, if you knew where she went, I can have her back here in hours, just like that," he snapped his claws.

Abigail's jaw clenched. "I let her go as bait."

"Bait?"

"Yah. She's famous. Wherever she goes, people are bound to take pictures. Since the incident didn't go public, she'll probably go back to the Rioters if she's one of them. I'll be able to get a guess at her location based on where most selfies and things with her are taken."

"And if she's not?"

"Don't lose anything by trying."

"Oh, I get it. Guess that's a classic. Pretty smart."

Abigail smiled and let go of a breath. She supposed people who came up with bullshit could be considered smart in their own way. Whether Esmeralda lied or not, she'd be prepared.


Evening gave way to a moonless night. The arena in question sat along the edge of the coastline. Beach sand curled around the back portion of its cement walls. Buildings, plazas, and stores were scattered in a mile-long radius around it, filled with an open grassland.

The Nightlights made a hard ask. Combined with the suburban darkness, Abigail, Zen, Gawain, and Aaron had to make sure no one entered within a wide perimeter. Zen observed the beachfront. Gawain used his flames to light up the grassland area around the front of the arena.

Cold wind struck Abigail's fur, or at least the small portion of it unprotected from Aaron's deep blue leather jacket. She watched from above, on the cold, metal roof of the arena. She didn't know where Aaron had gone. Officially, this had become a Valorian military operation. He might have traveled to the convoy itself. It entered the town ten minutes from midnight.

Abigail saw a blaze of light from miles away as it marched closer. The metal under her feet vibrated. Pictures of it probably swarmed the net by now, but that wouldn't matter. The specific defense of the arena had to stay secret. They would be most vulnerable when the convoy arrived, when everything would be set up.

This position irked her. They really could be anywhere. Her old teacher, Lauren, probably had a plan fine-tuned to perfection from days of thought. If Abigail failed, she might not know it until it was too late. Tonight mattered.

Over a half hour, the convoy drew closer.

The carriage had to be double the size of the largest ones in Valor, designed to hold larger species like Snorlax's and Steelix's and the like. Even then, those were still made of wood. Metal sheets plated this one, with no decorations to spruce up its gray exterior. The box rolled along like a boulder on wheels. Abigail paced in a short circle as she watched its approach.

Her phone vibrated. She pulled it out of her pocket and picked up Aaron's call.

"Hey," Aaron said.

"What's wrong?" Abigail asked.

"Nothing. Just see you acting all intimidating up there."

Furret Abigail peered down. From the top of the supermassive carriage, Zoroark Aaron waved up at her. She waved back.

"I don't see anything," Abigail said.

"That's likely," he said. "Only a leak in Yellow Clan or in the upper echelon of the Valorian military would've let anyone know about this ahead of time."

Abigail walked to the edge of the roof, right before the slope sharpened and turned into a steep drop. "Let me know if you need me."

"Yah. Will do. See you in a few."

"Yup."

Abigail placed her phone back in her pocket.

"Would you like to know a secret?"

A hand placed on her shoulder.

Furret Abigail spun around.

Something fantastic greeted her when she turned. Autumn petals fluttered down from the spindled, bare branches of trees, and set the clear water of a lakefront ablaze in color. Grass brushed against her feet. A crystal sky, unobstructed, rained down sunlight.

Another Furret stood in the lake, soft ripples echoing from her feet. Abigail looked, and recognized the Furret to be herself. One of her best selves, at her full potential. It would have been like looking in a mirror, but there were some differences. Three golden rings adorned her right paw, each imbued with a gemstone; one yellow like the innermost edge of the sun, one azure like the outermost edge of a lightning bolt, and one pink like water corrupted by a drop of blood. The sword, Sacred Treasure Lobera, hung from her other paw.

Abigail's doppelganger taunted her with swipes at the water. What had she been doing before she arrived at this lake? Or in her youth? She couldn't remember.

"Remember when your father died?" she asked.

What kind of question was that? Of course she remembered.

Her potential stepped forward. Abigail copied her and stepped out onto the water. The splash of water didn't make a sound.

"He was murdered," her other self said. "And you've forgotten you were looking for the one who did it."

Abigail's eyes fell away. "I… was a lost person. That's not the most important thing anymore."

"There's nothing important to you anymore. You fight your own mother while she desperately fights for justice. You loaf around all day, fattened and spoiled by those princes like some sort of pet. Did you really think of yourself as some goddess beautiful enough to impress three princes?" Her paw pushed on Abigail's chest. "You are an experiment to them."

Abigail stepped backwards. "Stay back," she warned. Her voice quivered.

Had she always worn a brown leather cape? Her chest burst into flames. Anger.

Her other self clutched at her chest and struggled to breath. "I need closure."

Did she always have a gilded crown? What would her father think of her search for revenge? It'd been so long. She barely remembered what he was like to know.

Abigail stood stiff as her paws caressed her face. She reached to tear them off.

"Be my Scion," she begged. "I'll give… you… Closure."

Abigail snapped away.

Against the sunset, her gift to him, a six-eyed titan dragged a hunk of jagged metal it could call a sword behind it. Layers of moss plated its feet. Black bars layered its white body. Gold rings surrounded it's wrists and shoulders, her golden rings.

"A legendary knight that never loses. It'll rip apart that tower and every single Nightlight Dome. And when we're done, we'll sic it on Valor Castle for good measure. And then Verity Castle, too. Everyone who failed the people we loved."

That legendary knight.

"Abigail?"

Abigail spun around.

Zoroark Aaron stared at her. His indigo fur blew around his face and pelted his sides.

"Uh, everything good?"

"Y-yah," she murmured.

She had no idea.

How long had that trance lasted? Abigail looked down at the fur on her chest. It hadn't been pushed down, or ruffled from her other self clinging to her. Did all of that just happen in her head?

Who was she kidding? It must have. She really hoped this wouldn't be the start of a mental breakdown…

"I'm up here to help in case now," Aaron said. "No one saw anything though. It looks like we're clear."

Abigail flinched.

"What is it?" Aaron asked quickly.

"I just remembered one of my old teachers can literally hide in shadows," Abigail said.

"The Marshadow?"

Of course.

Lauren was the strategist, true, but Joshua had a good enough memory. If they knew, they'd send him inside alone to scout out their defense as they built them. The arena lights cast a shadow over the entire town straight to their doorstep.

Aaron smacked his lips. "Yah. We don't have a protocol for that."

"Set up a perimeter around the arena," she ordered. "Send Gawain to cut off the shadows if he tries to escape. I'll stay up here and rush to wherever he's found."

"On it."

At this point in the game, Marshadow Joshua had to be the only possibility left. He would be almost impossible to catch under normal circumstances. If she could capture him now, it would be huge.

For the next few minutes, Abigail watched a line of different species form a circle around the arena. Fire types used their flames to cut off the shadows the arena lights cast. After some time, she realized most of the soldiers had slowly left the arena and turned it into a trap. With the shadows cut, Joshua couldn't have done much if he really was inside.

Abigail slipped off her jacket, walked to the inner edge of the roof, and fell down to the hard dirt floor. She landed with a heavy poomf. Empty stands loomed over her on all sides. The enormous metal container had been placed on the opposite side of the arena floor. Other metal equipment, still not properly set up, filled the stands closest to it.

Marshadow Joshua stood out in the open. In each of his hands, he held an orb, one silvery, one blue, both with white centers. Abigail recognized the silvery one from the casino. The blue one was new.

A harsh metal creak echoed from behind Joshua's head. He remained still. The wall of the metal container fell. Abigail's stomach dropped.

The edge landed two paces behind Joshua's back, and kicked up a cloud of dust. Abigail stared over it.

The box opening unveiled a titan-like figure, the same from her vision, possibly three times her height. Its color had drained out to look like stone. Joshua tossed each orb in the air behind himself. They flew to the statue like magnets. Two columns, lined with three empty holes each, ran down its front, and the orbs shot towards each of them. The blue one placed itself in the left column on the second row, and the silver one in the right column on the third row.

Abigail's eye scrunched. A small headache flew by.

"You're surrounded," Abigail announced.

"I already won the sacrifice play," Joshua said. "Once the Eyes are returned, they can't be removed. That's two for the price of one."

"Is it really worth it?"

Joshua's face lowered. "Your father would be doing the same thing for me."

"Going crazy?"

Joshua smiled. "Yah. If he knew what were happening to you now, the city would be on fire,"

"What's happening to me?" she repeated.

Joshua raised a hand, a gesture for her to stop talking. "Just act natural," he said.

He didn't phrase it that way by coincidence. They were trying to tell her something.

Just act natural… If she did that, then she would fight Joshua, and take him in. That worked in her favor either way. Alright.

Marshadow Joshua bent down to a near-kneeling position. Furret Abigail expected a lunge straight for her skull. He twisted in the air and slammed his foot down. Abigail crossed her arms and blocked.

Her arms collapsed. Abigail stepped back. Joshua pushed off his right foot and struck her chest.

Abigail ignored it and slugged him in the chin. Her fist reached first. Joshua's arm fell away. He tumbled away on the dirt floor and realigned his feet underneath him. His face lit up.

She recognized it, too. With the help of her training, Abigail's full strength had come back. She lacked the motivation to move that fast for a long time, fast enough to beat Joshua in a quick draw. He wouldn't even feel it in a few seconds, but he received the message.

Joshua lunged. Abigail sidestepped, grabbed his arm, and flipped him. She whipped her tail down. Joshua bounded off his arms and lunged again.

Abigail curled her tail into a screw. Marshadow Joshua's leg plunged into the trap. Her tail swung and drove him into the dirt. She jumped and slammed her paw down.

Joshua rolled away. Cracks spread out on the ground. Abigail rolled her digits and stood up straight. Joshua stole a couple of deep breaths.

"Losing stamina already?" Abigail asked.

"I didn't exactly have enough notice to carbo load like you probably did."

"I am literally powered on fried oreos right now."

He straightened out. "Me too. Spent three weeks on my usual diet to prepare for the guilt."

His smile brought her straight back to her days as a Sentret. He taught her lunges, hooks, moves like the ones he used as the base of his combat. He challenged her to do seventy pull-ups on the hefty branches of an oak tree, then a hundred the day after that. She still remembered the mushrooms he told her to avoid, and the ones that were edible.

"Screw this," Abigail huffed. "Why are you fighting us? Can't one of you just spit it out?"

Joshua breathed deep. His hands formed a wide circle around his hips. A blue orb manifested and shot towards Abigail. She wound back and slugged. It shattered. Joshua disappeared from sight. Abigail checked around herself, above, then below.

"I made a promise."

Abigail's shadow took on Joshua's shape. The overhead lights surrounded her with four long shadows, and all of them were Joshua. He still only had one body to strike her with. Plus, she had her own promise to keep.

A hand grabbed her right foot and yanked. Abigail's balance shifted. Joshua leapt out of the shadow in front of her and came down with his hands balled up in a fist over his head.

He left himself open to a move he taught her. Abigail shot up and nailed him in the stomach with Sucker Punch. Joshua's body collapsed on itself. She flung him down to the floor. He landed on his arms and legs, then promptly fell on one knee clutching his stomach. He usually took that better.

Joshua caught his breath in seconds. He closed the distance step-by-step.

Only he didn't keep his hands raised to attack. Joshua smiled and gestured her closer. Abigail watched his movements carefully.

"Abigail," Joshua whispered. "Life isn't a fairy tale. Never forget why you stayed in Valor after your father passed."

Another warning.

Joshua walked out of the arena with his hands over his head. Nightlight agents came and bound him in a slow, calm fashion. The situation, her fight, deteriorated into nothing.

Abigail returned to the roof of the arena and sat on the edge with a paw on her cheek. Joshua brought her back to a piece of reality that had started to skip her mind. She had no doubt the princes were her friends now, but, maybe they all chose her at the Royal Parade for another reason. Maybe they were too embarrassed to tell her.

The Valorian military set up a circle of laser cannons on varying levels in the stands. The statue was bound by thick metal wires, often used in construction, by its arms and legs. Try as they might, no one found a way to pull the orbs back out of their sockets. The military pinned all their hopes on a powerful Rhyperior's drill, and it failed to get them out. Abigail sat on the edge with a paw on her cheek.

"Hey."

Abigail flinched at the voice, then let go of her breath.

Raichu Aden showed up out of nowhere on the roof with her. He always walked so quietly… His fur seemed to have an added layer of dirt and edge to it. He'd been gone for a good bit.

Abigail's eyes zipped to his right paw. He held onto a silvery orb, an Eye, no doubt. She stood up. Aden lifted it up in front of his face.

"I found it in the Counselor Mountains," he said. "I haven't told anyone."

Abigail stayed silent as she formed a reply. "W-why?"

"No particular reason."

"Do you… not trust Aaron?"

"I do. But I like having secrets in case. Trust shouldn't be automatically given to the Nightlights, or anyone." His deep brown eyes rolled around to point at her face. "They'll sniff it out if I have it. Or well, it's likely they will. So." He reached out. "Want to share a secret? Don't know if it might come in handy."

Abigail stared at his paw for a moment. She plucked it out of his grip, studied its surface, and hid it in her pocket.

"The Valorian people could use every safety net they could get," said Aden. "And since you're just a citizen like them, I think they'd choose you to be their last line of defense. Have a good night, Lodestar."

"Thank you. Good night."

Aden turned back and hopped down. She imagined the military wouldn't be satisfied with simple equipment protecting the arena. They'd probably leave guards at all hours, synchronized by moves, styles, maybe even the weather. Zoroark Aaron attended to a line of different species in conversations. Once he ran through them all, he attached a Grappler to his wrist, fired it at the ceiling beneath her feet, and pulled himself up.

Abigail smiled passively at him. He smiled back. The silence weighed heavy for her.

"Hey Aaron," Abigail greeted.

"Hey. Not much longer. You did good. I know it must be hard."

"Yah, thanks."

"Soooo, what's up?"

"Do you love me?"

Abigail swallowed. Aaron cocked his head and swung his arms wide as he sauntered closer. Seconds passed by, where she could babble on or pretend she hadn't asked or tell him not to answer. Her tongue froze stiff. Aaron's smirk grew into a smug grin. He walked close until the edge of his breath touched her forehead. Her tail swirled in a short, fast circle.

"Is that a dare?" he asked.

"U-uh."

"Well, let's see."

Aaron's claws curled under her chin. He leaned down and kissed her. Wind pushed his fur around them. The weight of the orb in her pocket battered against her side.