Chapter 12: Dolls and Shifters
After their meeting with King Gunther, the gang decided to relax in Rigulus before heading out to their next desination.
Leo, Renee and Fyuria decided to head to the shopping disctrict. Fyuria looked around as she sees many people shopping and browsing through the shops.
"Oh my... So this is a shopping district?" Fyuria gasped before turning to face Leo and Renee with a curious look by saying "Shall we take a look?"
Renee thought about it, she was also interested in what the shops have here. The wolf girl was new to this world and she doesn't want to leave a bad impression here.
Renee came to a conclusion with Fyuria's question by smiling and replied with "Sure. We can take a look around. What about you, Leo?" Renee asked the swordsman.
The swordsman in question nodded in agreement and replied "Well, we do have some time, and perhaps a stroll will do us some good. It does seem oddly calm, considering the war."
The three took a stroll through the shops. Fyuria sqeualed in delight as she sees some jewelrly and other good items on sale.
"Oh my, this is so exciting! Everything all lined up in front of the stories..." Fyuria arburtly looked away in shyness and muttered "Oh... I... Well, you see. I have had little time for this sort of thing since I joined you."
Leo chuckled a little before placing his hands on his hips with a charming smile by responding "Well then, today is your chance to look around all you. But please try not to get lost."
Renee nodded in agreement and said "I agree with Leo. We have all the time we have during our stay in Rigulus."
Fyuria's eyes brighten with excitement as she grabbed Leo's arm and dragged him towards a shop, saying "Of course. Come, Leo! Hurry!"
Renee sighed and smiled, shaking her head and muttering "Kids..." She calmly followed the two.
Later, the three were at a doll shop. Fyuria spotted a tiny doll with red hair. Fyuria gasped in delight by looking at the door in all its beauty.
"Oh, look at this, Leo! A tiny doll with red hair! Is it not adorable? Oh, Leo... I want it!" Fyuria begged as she stared at the doll in all iits beauty.
A female shopkeeper smiled and noticed Fyuria looking at the dolls in atoshment and beauty. "Welcome!" She greeted.
Renee looked at Fyuria with a miminaim surprised look and said "We have no idea you liked dolls so much."
Leo walked up to the syrium and added "I would be happy to buy it for you, but are you sure you want this one?"
Fyuria nodded vigorusly and answered "Completely!"
Leo closed his eyes and chuckled, then he said "Once your mind is set, there is no moving it, is there? Excuse me, ma'am. Might I buy this one?" The swordsman asked the shopkeeper.
The female shopkeeper giggled politely and told him "Oh, don't call me ma'am! You seem like a nice young knight, so I shall give you a deal!"
Fyuria got happy and acknowledged "Oh thank you, miss!"
Leo paid for the doll and soon, the three were outside of Rigulus. Fyuria was admiring her new doll.
"I feel so happy! Thank you, Leo! The red hair looks so pretty on my new doll..." The syrium giggled as she cuddled her doll.
Leo smiled and placed one hand on his hip and saying "If you are happy, then so am I, but we did not think you to be the sort who likes dolls."
Renee nodded and smiled. She added "Yes. You like them very much, do you?"
Fyuria nodded and said "Well, I do. I was always envious of other children with dolls when I was a child. I found an abandoned doll in the trash at a nearby human village. I fixed it up and took it with me everywhere..." The syrium looked down, looking gloomy all of a sudden.
Renee sensed Fyuria's feelings and she wanted to know what made her like that. She asked about 10 seconds "What happened to the doll?"
Fyuria looked up at the wolf girl's perspective and replied with a sadden tone "It burned with my house when Gridamas attacked... I was so sad... I still miss it."
Leo's mood turn unpleasant upon hearing that. The swordsman's country have commited so many crimes, robbing syrium children of their childhood memories was among one of them. The former general knew he has to stop Gridamas before it is too late.
"I... I am so sorry..." Leo responded out of sympathy.
Fyuria smiled softly and reassured him "You needn't apologize, Leo. When I lost my doll, you had yet to be born. But now, I have a much better one, thanks to you!" The syrium closed her eyes and smiled. "This one will be ever more special to me."
"I hope you cherished that doll forever, Fyuria." Renee gave a small smile.
Renee's POV
And that day, Fyuria's bond with Leo grew a little. She is starting to trust him even more. And when I talked with Leo, I could see her peeking from one of the alleys before hiding quickly. I could sense it... Love is in the air. The next day, Luana wanted to chat with Leo about something...
Normal POV
Luana looked around to see if there is no one there. Smiling to herself, Luana turned to Leo and asked "Seeing as we are here in Rigulus, what do you say we stop by my house?"
Leo pondered this for about a minute and nodded by saying "Well... We've not reason to rush ourselves, I suppose, so I believe I will take you up on your offer."
Luana clapped her hands in excitement as she leads Leo to her house. It was a medium size white house with a garden. The two entered the Luana household.
Luana turned to Leo with a cheerful smile and exclaiming "Welcome to the humble Luana household. Make yourself at home!"
Leo looked around the household, it was well organized and clean. "This is your house, then... So simple and clean..." Leo blushed madly and stuttered "What am I doing, examining a woman's house like this!?"
Luana looked at Leo curiously and asked "Are you surprised to see it so empty? At times, it's full of presents, but I give those away to the orphanage." Luana looked at the ceiling with a calm smile and said "After all, I rarely see the inside of this place. I would rather give away things I have no need for."
Leo nodded and said "I suppose that explains the lack of personal belongings." The swordsman was right. Luana was a nice and caring person, giving away her presents to the orphanage.
Luana smiled softly at Leo and said "Well, I am a war orphan myself, darling. I had a rather unhappy childhood. I do my best to make the lives of my fellow orphans just a little bit happier."
Leo was serious upon hearing Luana's sad past, but he smiled bravely and said "I see... Then we must see our promise to stop this war and bring peace to the world through to the end."
Luana closed her eyes, smiled and said "I believe we can do it! It may not be much, but you have my help. Brave Leo, I may not look it, but I'm quite useful."
Leo closed his eyes, smiled and replied "Then I officially ask for your help, Luana."
Luana smiled like a seducttress and asked "In that case... Shall I give you a peek at what I can do?"
Eyebrows raised, Leo asked "One of your entertainer tricks?"
Luana blushed a shade of red and responded "I suppose you could it that, in fact, this is my best trick. But first, you need to get on the bed..."
Renee's POV
When I saw Leo that day, he was blushing like a red tomato... What on earth happened that day when he was chatting with Luana? I suppose it should be kept a secret. Still, I wonder what happened...
The next day, normal POV...
Outside of Rigulus, Ellis, Renee, Noire, Neptune and Vert heard a commotion. To find out what it is, the five heroines left the kingdom and rushed to the source of the commotion.
When they got there, they saw a 19 year old boy with brown hair, wore red clothes with black pants, brown boots and wielding two swords, one made of fire and one made of ice. Strangely, he was wearing a black amulet with a blue gem embedded on it on his left arm.
Next to the boy was a 18 year old girl with blond hair, wore light white clothes, has a strange red gem necklace around her neck and was wielding charkams. Like the boy, she was wearing an white amulet with a red gem embedded on it on her right arm.
They were facing black creatures with red glowing orbs as part of their bodies. One of them hit the boy in red with its claw.
The boy held his arm and spat "D-Damn it!"
"Lloyd!" The girl gasped in shock and terror seeing her friend hit like that.
"Colette, get back!" The boy ordered as he tried to lift his right arm
"Holy crapparoni! Those two kids are about to gobbled up by those strange monsters." Neptune gasped, wondering if those things have a digestive system.
"We cannot ignore this matter. We need to help them." Vert frowned as she used a similar method Neptune and Noire used and made a spear appear. She grabbed it and charged at the strange monsters.
"Come on, guys! We need to save those two kids!" Noire shouted as she transformed, Neptune and Renee followed suit and charged into battle.
Vert jabbed her spear at one of the strange monsters, striking its red orb, causing it to shatter into millions of pieces. The monsters noticed that and began to prowl on the heroes.
Lloyd gasped as Renee, Neptune and Noire got behind.
"Who the hell are you?!" The red twin swordsman shouted, wondering it they're friend or foe.
"Now is not the time, we need to get rid of these monsters first!" Renee turned to Lloyd and shouted.
However, just as the wolf girl and her friends were about to attack. Something really fast trike down three more of those strange monsters.
"What on earth?" Neptune muttered in confusion and awe as she and her companions looked around for the source.
Colette looked up and pointed "Up there!" They followed her gaze and saw a glowing red woman of some sort floating in mid-air!
"What the hell?!" Noire's eyes widen in shock. "H-How... How is that possible?" She muttered in confusion.
With a yell, the woman spins like a drill and prowls through the black monsters like they were nothing, slaughtering all of them.
"Whoa..." Renee was left breathless upon seeing that.
"I know..." Neptune nodded, feeling there is no need to transform, so she, Renee and Noire reverted back to their normal forms.
The woman landed a few feet between the heroes and her glow disappeared.
She was perhaps a 19 year old woman with yellow hair with a black ribbon, wore a black dress with yellow designs in addition with a black cape, black boots, red eyes and next to her is a mysterious space fur looking cat on her shoulders.
Renee walked up to the mysterious girl carefully.
"Careful, Renee... For all we know, she could be one of Summeril's minions." Vert warned, but then she noticed the gold bracelet on the woman's left arm. "...On second thought, she could be like us." She changed her opinion quickly.
The woman looked at Renee and about 10 seconds later, she waved causally.
"Um... My name is Renee Roberts. These are my friends, Neptune, Noire, Ellis and Vert." She made sure her body language and speaking would make sense to this woman.
"Yes. Thank you for helping us. What is your name?" Ellis looked at the woman with a innocent smile.
The woman smiled back and answered "My name is Kat, and this is my partner, Dusty."
To be continued...
Next chapter: Cave of Darkness: The Treasure Hunter and The Rogue Rebel Hero