Chapter 3 Repercussions
The wind rustled slightly through the trees, spraying bits of rain into Rory and Raven's faces. It was surprising how much of their time was actually spent in trees, or running through them. Huddled up against the trunk, wrapped in thick green cloaks, Rory wondered why it always rained whenever they did a stake out. Like seriously, who did she piss off?
On the other side of the tree bark, Raven had gone to sleep. Rory could hear her quiet snores. She marvelled at how easily Raven could slip off into dream land. A tree was hardly the most comfortable place to nap and they'd been up in this one for hours. Rory spent the time deep in thought, lost to the world as the mental picture in her mind watched and re-watched recent events, analysing everything, missing nothing. Raven spent it sleeping. Somehow that seemed to summarise the two of them quite nicely.
Far below them, hidden through the foliage was the beaten down road. Travellers would pass right under their tree, with no idea who was sitting up in its branches. Of course even if they did know, they wouldn't have recognised them. Raven's illusionment magic had taken over their faces, tanning them brown (or in Rory's case browner). Her dark gold hair was now braided and the colour of the bark which she leant against. Her cheeks bulged outwards guinea pig style, her nose ran straight without her impish curve at the end. Her lips were now heart shaped, a similar thickness but with a less prominent top lip that curved with a cupid's bow. Her two front teeth were ordinary sized and straight, her mouth no longer settled in a natural part. Her chin no longer pointed slightly, her face was rounded, her cheekbones hidden by the plump of her cheeks. Freckles gone.
And she was taller, leaner. Her usual large, stubby legs were gone, stretched. Her chest had expanded to fit with the average Fioran Chest size of too-big-to-see-the-rest-of-you. She had more muscle toning now, no tummy that bulged slightly over her waistline. Her behind had shrunk to fit the athletic look, her shoulder's narrowing.
An entire new face, and entire new body.
Not even her own mother would recognise her now. Although that wasn't saying much considering her mother. Rory amended; not even her siblings and grandmother would be able to recognise her now. Although actually, considering her grandmother, she probably would be able to sense through the illusion. And her older brother Fen would probably know because Tsuki, her grandmother's apprentice, would tell him just to show off. So really it was only her sister Lavender that wouldn't know.
Except now Rory thought more about it, illusion magic couldn't change the eyes, the windows to your soul. She still had her grandmother's eyes, storm grey and brooding. Would Lavender put two and two together and recognised Rory from eye colour alone? Was Lavender really that perceptive?
Rory pulled herself out of her thoughts with a slight snort. Behind her Raven jerked awake. Rory was over thinking as usual. Over analysing herself into stupidity. That's what happened when your closest companions are your own thoughts and a displaced hypersomnic Northerner. Who at that moment was muttering something under her breath, shifting uncomfortably against the bark.
"Anthin' happen yet?" Raven asked.
"Roads are clear."
"Right." Raven muttered and Rory knew she was settling down to sleep again.
It seemed like an age since Kohl had taken her, Raven and Doc out into the woods and Rory had practised bind magic for the first time. It made the events of Okator's tomb and Fairy Tail seem even further away, no longer important in the grand scheme of things. Who cared about some silly dagger when Rory could bind a man's will to her guild's vision. When the underworld was playing up and for the first time Rory was actually required to get involved. When, instead of a tomb she was up in a tree. Instead of cool dank air she got wind and rain. Instead of her own laboured silence she got Raven's snores. Instead of a dead guy at the end of the path, she got a live one.
At that moment her 'promotion' was not raking up much enthusiasm.
The tree was uncomfortable, the rain unpleasant, and her own musing even more so. At times like this her mind would go through the same old thought patterns, the same worries. The farm, her mother, what to do about her grandmother, what to do about her mother, what to do about Lavender. What to do what to do.
It was easy to forget about responsibility when you're miles underground decoding ancient runes and booby traps. It's harder when you're in a tree about two hours from home. To the east Rory could see forest covered hills that bordered the farm. The same forest that ran across the land, stretching all the way down to her tree and the road. The river would run somewhere beyond the hills. She could practically see the place of her childhood laid out and hidden behind those land masses. It was disconcerting to be so close to home, yet working. Thoughts of her brother and sister overlapped those of work, it was hard to keep them separated.
What if Fen came along the road right now? What if he had business out of town, beyond the hills and he took this road. What if she saw his light blond hair, fair Fioran skin, the imitation of their father, heard him whistling as he walked, dog at his side ever faithful.
The answer would be she'd do nothing. She would sit in the tree and watch till he was out of sight. Neither she nor Raven would move. Fennel would be nothing more than a simple civilian, taking his dog for a walk. If the weather were nicer and Fen were dressed in something more regal than a simple farmer's work gear, Raven might suggest they rob him. You know, for fun. Then Rory would have to reply that she was a bind mage now Raven, and she had more important things to do than rob farmers. Like sitting in trees. Waiting.
Waiting was always the worst part the plan. Too much time for thinking and doubting. Rory didn't like waiting, she felt uneasy. And they'd been waiting a long time. Too long. They should have come by now.
"Oi Ginger I think you need to cut your lead. We've been sitting in this tree for hours now. Nothing has come, they're not coming."
Raven grumbled, her voice groggy from sleep. "They'll come Dutch. Be patient, my lead ain't wrong."
Or are they? Rory thought. It just didn't feel right somehow. Behind her she could hear Raven muttering in annoyance at being woken up. A good friend would keep quiet and let Raven sleep.
Sod that.
"I'm bored." She announced, frowning at the sky.
Raven snorted. "Ye not turnin' yeself crazy with all that thinkin'? I can hear yer brain tickin from here. Entertain ye self with yer imagination or somethin it'll pass the time."
"That's what I've been doing!" Rory snapped.
Raven shifted in to a more comfortable position on her branch. "Then do it some more Dutch." She grunted.
"Till I go crazy?" Rory retorted. She was suddenly feeling really on edge. Thoughts about her family and their proximity was making her nervous. And the inevitable feeling of impending doom that one gets from spending their afternoon in a tree was starting to agitate her.
"Don't worry." Raven reassured her dryly. "Loopiness like that runs in a family. Yer fine."
Rory felt her stomach clench and her throat tighten. She let the conversation drop. She'd been intending to entertain herself by annoying Raven. But now silence felt like the better option and her mood for talking washed away with the wind.
Loopiness like that runs in a family.
"I hope not." Rory muttered, too quiet to be heard.
Their target did eventually arrive. After the rain had stopped and patches of sun escaped the cover of the clouds and shone down randomly onto the dirt path. The horse drawn carriage trundled along the road, yet to enter the forest and reach the cover of the trees. Its driver looked vaguely zoned out and wet.
"Told ye they'd come." Raven said, unable to keep the smugness out of her tone.
"You sure it's them." Rory asked, questioning more out of spite than doubt.
"One way to find out." And Raven slid out of the tree.
Standing in the centre of the road, hood shadowing her dark illusioned face, Raven drew her bow and stood waiting, arrow notched non-threateningly towards the ground. Still up in the tree Rory pulled up a small blue portal and reached blindly through it, her arm disappearing into the tree trunk. Her hand closed on what she was looking for and she withdrew a long wooden pole, rather like a hiking stick or the handle to a broom. It was as long as her body, or rather her regular one. Raven's illusionment made her a good head taller. The staff was thicker than the average martial arts cane and the end had been whittled into a small canine-ish creature, rather like a fox but with larger ears.
'Weapon' now in hand she joined Raven on the ground and the two stood ominously in the middle of the road, shrouded by their capes, waiting for the carriage to approach. A slight mist hovered round their feet and somewhere the birds stopped singing.
When they finally came into view the driver didn't stop immediately. When neither of them moved, standing steadfastly in the way, bow drawn and cane ready, he pulled the horses to a halt. Rory knew he couldn't see their faces, and the heaviness of their cloaks left their gender questionable.
"Who goes there." The driver shouted. "Get out the way." His eyes were shifting uneasily at the woodland to their side. The question was whether Rory and Raven were highwaymen or bandits. If they were highwaymen, then they acted alone. Depending on the guts of the driver and whoever was in the carriage they might try and fight. But if they were bandits then hidden somewhere in the foliage there would be more of them. The driver was obviously thinking about his chances.
"Show your faces." He shouted. To give him credit he did not sound scared. Merely wary. This is not his first raid Rory thought. This man was veteran is seemed.
The carriage door banged open and a bronze imperious face peered out. "Driver why have we stopped. Why-"
Raven's arrow thudded against the open door, inches from his ear. Too fast for the horses to even spook. Rory lowered her hood, knowing it made no difference as he would not recognise her face.
"Hello Kyoke." She said. Raven drew another arrow. "The Thieves Guild sends their regards."
Kyoke's face became stony. With a quick glance back inside the carriage he relied; "I am honoured to receive them." And he got out the carriage.
Young and regal looking with skin like leather, and long silky black hair, Kyoke strolled uneasily towards them. The horses began shifting uneasily and the driver spoke quietly to them, his eye never leaving the two girls.
"To whom do I owe the pleasure." Kyoke asked, eyes roaming Rory's face looking for a hint of recognition. Raven's hood was still up and she remained silent and hidden behind it's shadow. Evidently Rory would be leading this one.
"They call me Tombraider." Rory announced. "Duchess of the thieves guild. My companion here is Raven Nightingale. We've met before." Just with different faces.
Kyoke's handsome face stayed a careful mask. Though his eye's gave him away. They flickered nervously. "You're a long way from any tombs, my lady. I have no business to give you."
"Haven't you heard?" She called jovially back. "I've been promoted." Rory rested her staff casually over one shoulder and smiled, showing off her new evenly shaped white teeth courtesy of Raven. "Neutralise him."
The command barely left her lips before Raven released her arrow. It struck him in the middle of chest, but instead of piercing him, it stuck to his clothes like a toilet plunger. Electric shock after electric shock buzzed through his body and he landed on his knees, dazed. The lightning arrows were never enough to kill, but were at a high enough voltage to leave you stunned. Kyoka's head lolled. The driver swore. Raven notched another arrow and Rory approached the collapsed man.
She pulled the arrow off his chest with a soft squelching nose, careful not to touch to the rubber end and crouched down in front of him, her staff acting like a barrier between their faces. A singular prison bar.
"Now a little birdy told me that you've not been singing all that much recently." She said quietly to him. "That you've been lying to our friends about what you know. Is that right Kye?"
"No." He mumbled. "No I haven't I -"
"Oh but you have." Rory said using the tone one might use to admonish a small child. "We know you have. The Thieves Guild doesn't appreciate false information Kyoke. Doesn't appreciate it at all."
"Please, my master said-"
"Your master?" Rory echoed. "This has nothing to do with your master. You serve him in the light the report back to us in the shadows. That was the deal you made was it not?"
"Yes but-"
"To be our eyes and ears in the Green Falcon guild."
"Yes-"
"In exchange for your freedom."
"Please-"
"You owe us Kyoke. " Rory said, shaking her head. "You owe us a favour and this is how you repay our help, with lies? Without us you wouldn't even be in your guild. You wouldn't have a master. Do you want me to send you back to where you were before? Unemployed in Steven?"
"No!" Kyoke cried, sweating now. "Duchess please, you have to understand! Giving away client information is bad for business-"
"Ye ken what else is bad for business?" Raven spoke up for the first time. "An arrow in the face."
Kyoke gulped. He couldn't see Raven's face under the cowl but almost chipper tone of her voice scared him more than if she'd sounded threatening. Rory smirked .
"Secrets and favours Kyoke." She carried on. "Secrets and favours. You owe us a favour, which is to tell us your secrets and yet-"
"I know secrets!" He interrupted desperately. "Good secrets! Secrets about you Duchess! Secrets you don't know."
Rory raised her eyebrows. The amused look washed from her face. Using the animal side of her staff, she tipped Kyoke's face upwards so her was looking her in the eye. Brown to grey. Earth to storm. "And what secrets would that be Kye?"
Kyoke licked his lips and glanced nervously back at the carriage. "They're after you."
Rory narrowed her eyes. "Who are after me?"
"Duchess!" Raven's voice rang out warningly. Her bow was drawn fully now and pointed towards the carriage.
Rory didn't look away from Kyoke, frozen in position. "Who have you brought with you Kye?" She asked in a low voice. "Who else is here?"
Kyoke just shook his head, the tip of Rory's staff following the movement. "Forgive me Duchess." He breathed just as a deep, sensuous, melodious voice emanated from the open carriage door.
"~ Ah the bitter scent of betrayal. It sends shivers down my spine. Men~"
Oh no. The carriage began to tilt as the weight was shifted towards the door. Not here. A small pudgy hand gripped the door frame, another splaying flat against the open door, white sleeves pulled backwards off hairy wrists. Not now. A small black foot stuck out, wiggling in the air, there was hint of red coppery hair meeting the open air.
"Not him." Rory whimpered as the speaker emerged from the carriage, climbing down the steps on the dirt road. His very appearance made Rory tremble. The man who stood before them was short, stout with a huge, rectangular head. His large flat nose gave the impression of having been slammed several times against a wall. He wore a crisp white suit, an orange Blue Pegasus emblem on one of the shoulders. The shadow of a horse with crossed wings.
"Ichiya Kotobuki." Raven whispered, her voice thick with dread.
"You go by different faces, Raven Nightingale and Tombraider, Duchess of the Thieves Guild but I still recognise your sweet, deadly parfums." Ichiya declared bringing his short arms to a cross in front of him. "Your illusion is no match for my perception!"
"He's the one after Dutch?" Raven asked, a mixture of disbelief and disgust. Kyoke barely managed a nod, fear clouding his ability to answer. Rory looked from Ichiya to Kyoke in horror. It would have been less offensive if he had brought a guild of assassins. Preferred even. Regular betrayal she could handle, but Blue Pegasus crossed a personal line.
"And you led him to me!" Rory hissed venomously. The initial shock was wearing off now, suitably replaced by an insulted fury and personal revulsion.
Kyoke winced. "They gave me no choice Duchess!"
Rory went pale. "They?" Raven echoed weakly.
Ichiya chuckled and pulled from inside his white blazer a small blue vial. "Swoon and tremble at my own perfume of deception! Come forth men!" And he uncorked the lid.
A thick white mist bubbled over the top of the rim and filled the air like Joyan Mist that happened to smell like rotten eggs and lemon grass. Rory choked and gagged, her vision blurring. Strong hands grasped on her shoulder, pulling her and Kyoke up and back. They both stumbled into Raven who dragged them further down the road, putting a greater distance between them and the wizard. Through the poor visibility Rory saw she'd finally pulled her hood down, using the cowl to now cover her mouth and nose. Her illusioned face was of a similar darkness and shape to Rory's. The only major difference was the blue of her eyes, the only part that remained Raven. Those eye's connected with Rory's now and they were wide and panicked.
A male voice rang out through the fog "Aerial Blast!" A gust of wind blew form the direction of the carriage, dispersing the majority of the fog and confirming Rory's suspicions.
Where only Ichiya had stood before, three more men now joined him. Three younger, handsomer men. They wore black styled suits and gorgeous smirks. It was the kind of smirk where the owner just knew how dramatic their entrance was and how fucking gorgeous they looked doing it. They stood in a line behind Ichiya, staring down the two thieves and traitor. Their desired effect fell a bit short however when Rory noticed that the driver and horses had disappeared and realised that two of them had just spent the past however-long as a pair of mares. It gave her a small sick satisfaction knowing that they had been turned into horses.
"No!" Kyoke gasped, falling backwards. "Its them! I had no idea they were involved too!"
Ichiya's fog now swirled at their ankles, hovering off the road and the roots of the bordering trees. It started to rain again, and Rory wondered if they were purposefully manipulating the weather to give them a cool effect. It was the kind of thing they would do.
"The Trimens!" Kyoke cried. "Silent Night Ren!" The tall, tanned one of the three, lifted a hand to cup one side of his face, resting his elbow in his arm. "Holy Night Eve!" The small, slightly prepubescent baby faced blonde put a hand on his hip and extended his over arm pointing two fingers at them. "Hundred Night Hibiki!" Kyoke finished in horror. The middle man of the three tilted his chin, arms crossed in front of him, his fore and middle fingers pointing towards the sky.
Raven and Rory exchanged glances. On the scale of bad to total shit storm these three rested nicely in the are-you-kidding-me? section. Not good. Not good at all. No way near Titania bad, but not good. A silent conversation transgressed between Rory and Raven in that singular glance. Eve has got a haircut.
He looks like a turnip Raven blinked back in Morse code. It was a critical observation. The lad had indeed styled his hair so it lay smooth around his face with a singular tuft at the top of his head.
She and Raven may have been criminals whom Blue Pegasus had a personal vendetta against (which had absolutely nothing to do with the fact they once 'commandeered' and 'crashed' their airship Christina that one time over Bosco) but they were still girls. They still bought the magazines. Rory's younger sister Lavender had at least three posters of the Trimens on her bedroom wall. Rory had had in depth debates on which was the hottest. Just because the good looking boys Rory and Raven talked about happened to be the ones arresting them, didn't mean that their girl talk was any less validated.
"It's a shame." Eve called across the distance. "It appears your illusions are rather unappealing today. And here we were preparing to meet the faces underneath."
"There's no need to be shy." Hibiki continued in a seductive tone. "I sense great beauty under that magic."
"Not that we're interested in seeing them or anything." Ren finished indifferently, turning his head to the side and refusing to look at them.
The two thieves exchanged another wry look. Along with their 'famed' looks, the three of them were known for their womanising tendencies. Their leader Ichiya, not to be out done by his younger (and frankly hotter) comrades stepped forward.
"Surrender Duchess now and we will not have cause to damage those beautiful, illusioned faces, men!" He cried out to them, his sultry voice juxtaposing just about everything else about him.
Raven and Rory looked at each other again.
"How about no?" Rory offered.
A sadistic glint flashed in Hibiki's eyes. He rolled up his sleeves. "We were kind of hoping you would say that."
"Our mission is to take Tombraider into custody. And only Tombraider. But should you interfere Nightingale you shall receive the same fate." Ren promised.
Rory narrowed her eyes, mind whirling. Only her. Why only her? She and Raven had been partners during the kidnapping of an air ship. The crime was equal. Even Doc had been there. Why were they singling her out?
"Don't think we'll hold back just because you're women!" Eve warned, his high girly voice not really matching the gravity of the threat. Rory liked how they completely glossed over Kyoke. If she remembered correctly he used holder magic. They must have removed his items before he set them up. Either that or he just wasn't a threat with his magic anyway.
Snow began to swirl around Eve, Ren summoned a gust of wind that ruffled his already rugged hair, Ichiya brought out another corked bottle and Hibiki simply smiled.
Raven gulped. "Do we have a plan here or..?" She queried her voice rather high.
"Er, yes." Rory decided. "Run."
"Excellent."
Raven sent her arrow soaring through the air towards the Trimens. It buried itself deep into the ground about a metre from their feet. "You missed." Kyoke said dumbly. "How could you miss they are literally ten metres in front o-" Then the arrow blew up and as one they both turned and bolted for the woodland next to them, dragging Kyoke after them as the sky rained road.
They hurtled through the trees, Rory in front whacking at the foliage in their path with her stick. Raven galloped after her, pulling along Kyoke by his silky ponytail. Behind them there were shouts and blasts of magic. Forces of wind came chasing after them. It was getting harder to breathe as Ren's magic sucked the oxygen out the area. The woodland was quickly becoming a winter wonderland as the falling rain turned to a thick blizzard of snow. A Force Blast hit them in the back and sent them flying into the air.
"WHAT DID YE DO?" Raven let out a guttural, angry, air bound roar to Rory, as if their current predicament was all her fault.
"Nothing!" Rory shouted back just as angrily after she landed back on her feet.
"Well ye must have done somethin' otherwise we wouldna be ass deep in snow right now with the Hail-Mary Zentopian choir boys after us!" Raven yelled, forcefully pulling Kyoke up and out of the snow that had piled up in a matter of seconds.
"It's not them whose after her!" Kyoke told them as they ran on, teeth shattering under the thick white blizzard around them.
Behind them Ren shouted "Aerial Shot!" The ground behind them shattered. The lumps of rock began to levitate and were hurled after their retreating backs. Raven whirled round, firing her explosive arrows at the rocks, destroying them before they got too close.
"What do you mean?" Rory shouted over the commotion as she and Kyoke sheltered behind a tree next to Raven. "They seem pretty after me at the moment!" She spat snow out her mouth, the storm was becoming so thick she could barely see the trees around her.
Kyoke shook his head, his silky black hair fuzzed up and spilling from his ponytail. A singular snowflake got caught on the ledge that was his right cheekbone. "It's not personal! They're just doing a mission. Someone issued out a quest to have you captured and brought to them for three million Jewels. The flyer went out to every legal guild in the country. My guild received one too."
Raven's head whipped round at stare at them, releasing her arrow without looking. "What in the hell did ye do Duchess?"
"I have no idea!"
"Ye are not worth three million Jewels!"
"I know!"
Somewhere out in the trees Eve yelled "White Fang!" They all dived to the side, avoiding the snow blast.
"We need to keep moving!" Rory shouted. "If we stay still we'll freeze to death in this blizzard." It was one of the few facts she could remember about Eve's magic from Sorcerer Weekly. See. The magazines had their uses.
"We need a portal!" Raven bellowed as the three of them navigated through the white woodland.
"Not with Hibiki on the field!" Rory gasped back, the cold and lack of oxygen was making it harder to breathe. "I can't risk him tracing the magic back to me, it's bad enough Titania knows!"
"So what, yer plan is to just run?"
"That was the idea."
They dived over frozen bracken, skidding along the frozen tree roots.
"We don't even know whose after me!" Rory managed to point out. She could see out the of the corner of her eye, Raven's skin paling and her hair turning red. The illusion was fading, they were running out of time.
"It's a cult!" Kyoke wheezed. "They're the benefactors."
Raven's head snapped towards Rory, her eyes bulging out of her face. "A CULT?" She screeched furiously. "Ye pissed off a cult? What the hell is wrong with ye Duchess?"
"I haven't done anything!" Rory roared back indignantly. She racked her mind wildly for anything that would make sense in this. She couldn't even remember the last time she's been with a cult.
Kyoke grabbed the two of them and pulled them behind a tree, as another wave of rocks came flying out of the blizzards towards them. Pressed up close together Raven yelled in Rory's face; "Cultists don't hire mages for nothin'! Ye must have done somethin' you idiot! Complete Moron! A cult! Fucking excellent."
Rory blinked snowflakes out of her eyes. Right before her Raven's contorted face was becoming more Raven like by the second and she knew her face wasn't any better. At least the blizzard offered a poor enough visibility for the Trimens to not notice any change.
"Which cult is it?" She asked Kyoke as he pulled them through the iced shrubbery, not even bothering to protest her innocence anymore.
"The followers of some archaic priest called Okator." He yelled over his shoulder. Rory felt herself go very cold and it had nothing to do with the snow magic. Raven noticed her face change.
"What?" She hissed scathingly, spitting hair out of her mouth. Rory licked her dry lips, thinking fast.
"I might have done something."
There was another force blast from Hibiki though Rory had no idea where he was, she could barely see anything through the snow.
"Ye don't say!" Raven thundered as they once again flew through the air.
The three of them landed in a snowdrift in the middle of a clearing. Or at least Rory assumed it was a clearing, the blizzard only allowed her to see a few metres around her and she couldn't spot any trees. As they detangled themselves Ichiya's voice came floating through the white air. They began to run again.
"~You can run Duchess but you can't hide. I can track your parfum through any weather. There is no escape from me and my men~" Out of the blizzard the figure of Ichiya came into view, standing solitary and unaffected against the storm. "Surrender to my sweet parfum!" He cried, drawing out a vial from his blazer.
In one fluid motion Raven drew her bow and fired, planting her arrow in the middle of Ichiya's forehead, electrocuting him. His body tensed up in pain, his red hair standing even more on end. Without breaking stride, Rory hurtled past him, whacking him hard between the legs with her cane as she ran. The force from her blow lifted him off the ground with a cry of "~Men!~" and Kyoke slid on his knees through the gap. He grabbed Rory's stick as he slipped by, pulling it out from between Ichiya's legs and Rory used it to haul Kyoke back to his feet. It was with sick satisfaction that they left the tiny man twitching in the snow, nursing his crotch with Raven's arrow still sending shocks through his body.
They hit the trees again, literally in Rory's case, the blizzard becoming thicker and thicker and Rory wondered if Eve's magic got more powerful the longer he used it. Her and Raven's thick green cloaks were now entirely white with snow, camouflaging them against the white world. She had no idea how Kyoke was surviving in his thin silk shirt and trousers.
Raven pulled them to a stop behind tangle of icy that now looked like a frozen curtain. "We need a new plan." She gasped out. "This wood goes on for miles we canna keep runnin'."
"Where's the closest town?" Kyoke managed.
"The Loire." Rory told them. "Performers Guild territory. If we head east beyond the hills we'll hit the river and Flatlands. But there are outlying farming villages that are closer."
Raven shook her head, more of her illusion fading away with the movement. "It's too far. We need evac now." She looked pointedly at Rory.
Rory let out a growl of frustration. "I can't! We're not supposed to reveal our magic remember!"
"This blizzard is too thick for them to tell!" Raven yelled, an icicle forming on her beaking nose.
"And I'm telling you Hibiki will know!"
Kyoke looked between them in frozen comprehension. "Wait you two are mages? I thought the thieves guild was non magical!"
Raven cast her eyes to the heavens to avoid Rory's smug 'you see that's why' look. "Of course we're mages ye bampot! What d'ye think powers these! Coal?" She yelled sarcastically, brandishing one of her electrocution arrows. "Yer lookin at one of the most powerful mages walkin' the earth right now!"
Kyoke stared at her dumbly. "She's means me." Rory clarified. "Or well she doesn't. It's supposed to be ironic. Hence why we're running and not fighting."
Kyoke looked between the two. "Can your magic get us out of here?"
"No." Rory said at the same time Raven said "Yes." They glared at each other.
Then out of the snow Hibiki's voice yelled, "Surround them!"
The three of them clung together, and whipped round towards the direction of the Trimen. Behind them Ren's voice shouted "Your time's up Duchess!"
To their left Eve cried "There's nowhere to go!"
"Now!" Hibiki bellowed. "Revenge lord Ichiya and attack them at once! Force Blast!"
"White Fury!"
"Aerial Phose!"
As somewhere in the blizzard the three spells came spiralling towards them, Raven gave Rory a furious look as if to say are bloody kidding me? and Rory relented, her blue portal opening up under their feet and she, Raven and the screaming Kyoke fell through into nothing, just as the Trimen's spells crashed together above their heads.
Rory and Raven landed hard in the dumpster. Kyoke fell past them and landed face flat on the floor, his scream cutting off with impact. Their back alley was cool and shaded, yet it felt desert in comparison to Eve's blizzard. The snow that fell through the portal with them was already starting to melt in the Crocus summer air.
Rory groaned, rolling her neck. "I swear to Zentopia if the next cell I end up in has a magical barrier so I can't portal out-"
"-We'll break ye out the old fashioned way." Raven finished sluggishly, climbing out the garbage. She unclasped the frozen cloak and left it among the black bin bags. Her illusion was entirely gone now. Her clothes were too big and hung far too short off her tall, skinny frame. In comparison, Rory's clothes now felt way too long and especially tight over her hips, legs and shoulders. She joined Raven on the ground, leaving the almost comfy bed of bins and winced as there was a slight tearing sound and she knew she'd ripped her trousers. It'd been stretched to breaking point over her ass.
Wordlessly Raven handed Rory her shirt and she tied it round her waist so her behind was covered. Breaking clothes was a common occurrence after coming out of illusion. Something was always too short or too small. Many people never realised that illusion magic had the potential to genuinely change ones appearance, and not just seem like it did. Rory and Raven didn't just look like they'd changed, they had. But then again at the same time it is only an illusion of change. Which is kind of confusing. Raven's magic just followed some questionable science and Rory liked to leave it that.
At their feet Kyoke moaned and rolled over. He was met with Raven's arrow tip pointed directly over his nose. Rory was reminded of when she'd woken up in a similar situation to Titania's sword point.
The traitor gulped audibly and brought up his hands, his eyes widening under their murderous faces. "Parley?" He squeaked.
The capital city of Fiore, Crocus, otherwise known as the city of flowers was famous for its hotels, bars and yes floral displays. It was in one of the lesser known, underground bars, named The Courtroom that Kohl the barman worked amongst the sweat and the smoke.
It was a quiet day in the Courtroom, it always was. Kohl stood silently behind the bar, leisurely cleaning a glass. Through his hanging black hair, he watched the room, its occupants sitting quietly in twos, threes or alone, nursing their drinks. The air of peace was interrupted, however when down the stair way and through the only door, stomped Duchess and Raven, dragging a whimpering man after them. A few occupants turned to look as one of the girls stormed across the room.
"'The tombs owner is irrelevant!'" Rory quoted, emphasising each word angrily, as she marched towards Kohl. "'Just some priest, I think.'"
Her olive skin was flushed pink with cold, her unfavourably dark blonde hair, so dark it was almost brunette was damp and beginning to curl at the edges. Her eyes the colour of a passing storm and were flashing like lightning. For a woman with such a short, dumpy figure she could sure look imposing. Some of people who'd turned round and were watching with silent interest, drew away as she stalked by, looking down at their drinks, only looking up after she passed.
She reached the bar and slammed her staff flat against its top. Kohl raised one dark eyebrow. "Something the matter, Chess?"
She snarled. "Okator has a cult. A cult, Kohl!"
Kohl continued to look placidly at her. "I take it from your angry expression you were not aware."
Rory narrowed her eyes. "The dagger," she said quietly reigning in her anger to something colder, "you said it was magical, what does it do?"
"Does it matter?" Kohl asked. "The thing's already half way to Bosco right now."
"Well seeing as Okator's cult following has issued a three million Jewel reward for my capture to every single fucking legal guild in the kingdom, I'm gonna go ahead and say yeah, it matters."
Kohl's expression didn't change. "Ah." Rory smirked viciously as her news sunk in. Kohl did not look panicked or thrown, or any different from usual but he set down the glass he'd been cleaning and Rory knew she'd hit home.
"We just come from the Redwoods near the Flatlands." Raven informed him, joining Rory at the bar. Kyoke stayed kneeling at their feet, bound and gagged. "Where this one," She kicked Kyoke and he fell over, "stitched us up and handed us over to those pretty boys from Blue Pegasus. "
"The whole thing was a set up." Rory added. "He knew we were coming. Must have paid off Raven's lead to get us there." No wonder I had a bad feeling.
"We just escaped a blizzard that would make Icebergian's run for cover. That Eve wizard is gettin' stronger." Raven added.
"Noted." Kohl turned his attention down to the trembling Kyoke. "Now what to do with our recreant."
Kyoke gulped as he met the barman's black, soulless eyes. Of all the eyes watching him in the room, these were the ones he dared not look away from. He sat, spell bound by the black abyss of Kohl's gaze. "Please," he whispered. "Please, I didn't know it was going to be all four of them, the deal was only Ichiya. Please. I didn't have a choice-"
"There is always a choice." Kohl interrupted monotonously. "Now it is one thing refusing to pay a favour rightfully owed, but it is quite another to rat out a member of our guild."
Kyoke seemed to stop shaking. Whatever he was seeing in Kohl's eyes was making him freeze from fear. "Please let me go." He whispered. "Let me go and I will serve you loyally." He begged the barman. "Please don't harm me. Think of my children!"
"Ye don't have any children." Raven reminded him bluntly.
"Someday I might."
Rory scoffed and turned away. She couldn't bear to look at his pathetically handsome face any longer. His lack of dignity was sickening. "Just give him to the Court." She snapped at Kohl. "That way we'll know he won't ever betray us again."
Kohl looked at Rory and Kyoke practically sagged with relief as he was released from his gaze. "If that is what you wish." He said. "Would you like to do the honours?"
"Do the honours?" Kyoke echoed fearfully his eyes snapping between the two of them. "Honours of what? What's the court? The King's court? Wait, no! Not the Garou knights!"
Raven snorted humourlessly. "Wrong Court, bampot. Don't worry, ours is much more fun. Less death, more miracles." Her words seemed to make Kyoke even more terrified, even though Rory was sure he had no idea what she was talking about.
"Chess?" Kohl prompted.
"No." Rory decided, looking down without any pity at the man snivelling at her feet. "I would rather not have my first official bind be such a coward. Let someone else have him. I have a cult to deal with."
Kohl nodded once and made a gesture at some nearby men. As one they rose and picked up the ropes tying Kyoke down and began to drag him behind the bar.
"See ye around Kye." Raven called cheerfully after him as he was pulled out of sight. They could hear his cries right up until the trap door behind the bar fell shut, and Kyoke was gone. "What a cry baby." She commented, shaking her head. "And to think ye once said he was attractive Dutch."
Rory sighed and slumped forward onto the bar. Her cheek squashed against the wood and she groaned. A cult was after her. Along with probably every single legal guild in the country. Sure, as a member of the thieves guild, she was technically already a fugitive of the law. But that was different. The legal guilds weren't ever involved in her arrest and capture. Until now.
Three million Jewel, Rory thought. That's way more than what the Kingdom's official reward is. All that money over a single dagger. And she didn't even know what kind of cult Okator's people were. Sacrilegious? Sacrificial? Sacred? All three? Did they worship a volcano? Or a monstrous deity that is actually a demon from the book of Zeref? What did Okator do? Rory had just assumed he'd been a Zentopian priest. Was Okator's cult some subset of Zentopia?
Rory hoped so. Church monitored cults she could deal with. Volcano/demon worshipping, cannibalistic, virgin sacrificing, anti-trade war revolutionaries, taken a vow of eternal silence/chastity/nudity cults she could not. They terrified her at most and gave her headaches at the least.
Please just let them be vegans she prayed. Just peaceful, vegan cultists who want their dead leader's dagger back. Nothing more.
But of course, Rory was not that lucky.
Ah if only they were vegans. And poor Kyoke. Don't worry we'll be seeing him again at some point. But hey we have an actual plot line now! Fairy Tail wasn't in this chapter but I hope Blue Pegasus was a nice change. Also I'd like to mention that Raven's accent is supposed to the Earthland version of Scottish. There were a few references in this chapter, did you get them all?
Hope you enjoyed, please review and I'll see you next time.