Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks or Slayers

Sherra's Folly Trois

After her last confrontation, Sherra decided to change priorities. No more was she going to face off against Lina and her friends, at least for now. Instead, she was going to infiltrate a highly significant location and observe. That would make Dynast very pleased despite her previous screw-ups. So, there she was, sneaking into the very heart of Terra Cyclonia.

As she skulked one of the hanger bays, she couldn't help but smirk. Those poor fools didn't expect anything. They may have been considered the most powerful force in Atmos. But they had no idea the power their kind possessed. Once she has observed them long enough, they, along with the rest of Atmos, will know their might.

"Oh hello, Sherra," a very familiar and preppy voice said, stopping her dead in her tracks. Slowly, she looked behind her to see a young woman in priest garb smiling. Her unique long hair and blue eyes were recognizable to any Mazoku. For underneath her innocent demeanor was a devious being on par with Xelloss himself.

"Hur-Hureikar!" Sherra said, beads of sweat dripping down her face. "What brings you here?"

"Well, the same as you, I guess." Overlooking her nervousness, Hureikar tilted her head in a charming demeanor.

Of course, she'd figured as much. The other Dark Lords would've sent their own to investigate the Cyclonians. However, she was still bothered that she was so casual about it. Didn't she know that they should've been observing in secrecy? The Talons working had noticed them though. But they continued with their duties anyway.

Just then, a brash and booming voice shouted, "Hey! Hureikar! I thought you were gonna watch me train!" The two of them turned to see a large muscular man walking towards them. From what Sherra had recalled, this was Snipe, one of the commanders in the Cyclonian army. She, like many others, had wondered why he was in such a high position given his low intelligence. A proven fact for the long amount of time it took for him to notice her. "… Who's this?"

"Oh, that's Sherra. I guess you can say she's a coworker of mine. Though she's a bit of a stickler." She let out a small giggle.

"I'm not a stickler," she grumbled as she gritted through her teeth. Then, she noticed something very odd. Their close proximity to each other and his flighty feelings of affection made her pale a bit. "Wait, are you two…?"

Hureikar blinked for a moment before letting out a small chuckle. "Oh no, no. I guess the proper term for us would be 'friends with benefits'. You see, he lets me get to roam around unhindered, and in exchange, I give him-"

"ARGH! I don't need to know that!" shouted Sherra, not wanting to imagine such things. Perhaps her previous endeavors against Lina had made her wary about it. In any case, she still needed to focus on her current mission even if it wasn't going as planned.

Composing herself, she looked at her with arms crossed. "So? I take it you've managed to establish some sort of pact with them."

"Oh yes," she answered, "In fact, Master Cyclonis has offered aid for any Mazoku as long as our interests are aligned. I suggest you meet with her if you or your master wish to collaborate with them."

She scoffed, crossing her arms with pride. "Ha! Like we would ever work with some snot-nosed megalomaniac brat!" She soon noticed their stunned faces as well as sensing an irate feeling from behind her. "… She's right behind me, isn't she?"

With no hesitation, both Hureikar and Snipe nodded. Then, Sherra looked behind her, seeing a small yet scary-looking girl standing there. She was tapping her finger along her arm with an unpleasant glare. It was safe to assume that this was Master Cyclonis.

She seemed to be unamused, raising an eyebrow at her. Shortly after, she questioned, "And may I ask who you are for calling me that?"

"Oh, that's Sherra, general to Lord Dynast." Hureikar smiled, approaching Cyclonis with a glide. "You must forgive her for such disrespect. She tends to think lowly of humans."

"I see…" Cyclonis remained collective, though there were still intense feelings from her. Then, she said, "I suppose she's here to make a pact with us as well? Otherwise, we'll have to throw her off the terra."

"Tha-That's fine! We-We'll be happy to assist with your endeavors!" Sherra answered, frantically waving her hands. While she wasn't too keen on the idea, having them as momentary allies would be preferable. It would even be easier for their future plans. She would just have to play along with them until then.

Despite the initial skepticism she sensed from her and the dumb one, she seemed to believe her. "Alright, I'd assume you would join us for tea?"

"Oh yes! You must join us," Hureikar said while smiling.

"But Master Cyclonis!" Snipe whined, "Hureikar said she was gonna watch me train!"

She looked over at him and giggled. "Oh, don't worry. I'll watch you later, okay?"

"… Tea?" Sherra stared at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yes! We usually have a tea party to discuss matters of affair," she explained. "I usually partake in them by myself. But Lord Dolphin joins us sometimes too."

She stood silent, her mouth slightly twitching. The last thing she would want to do was mingle. Forcing a smile, she held her hands up and waved them. "Well, that sounds fun. But I'm busy with other things and-!"

"Why, miss Sherra! How could you be so callous?" Hureikar exclaimed as she got up into her face. "Master Cyclonis is willing to grant you a partnership, and you wish to decline her offer for tea?! What would Lord Dynast think?"

With a sudden jerk, Sherra realized her conundrum. Dynast was already displeased by her previous failures, and she couldn't go back to him now. She could run off to some other place. But all things considered, she didn't want to risk it if he ever found out. She had already let him down too many times as is.

Glancing, she noticed Cyclonis and Hureikar staring back at her as Snipe stood behind them, looking confused. She could sense the tension coming off of them which almost made her sweat. Her mind now questioned whether she should stay for tea or just teleport away then.

Five Minutes Later~

"Would you like some tea, Miss Sherra?"

Sherra, who was sitting between Cyclonis and Hureikar at a decorative table, sighed. "Oh yes, I would love some imaginary tea, Master Cyclonis."

"Oh, it's not like that," Hureiker said while smiling, "It's actually a blend from Terra Tranqua."

"Huh, I see." She watched as Cyclonis poured her a cup and she went to drink it. Honestly, it didn't seem that bad. But she then remembered her original goal. She felt embarrassed, going from being serious to taking part in tea parties. Hopefully, her master wasn't watching her right now.

Unfortunately for her, Dynast was watching from his throne room in the Frozen North. His fingers drummed the armchair as his eye twitched. To think he expected Sherra to be more resolute in her mission.

"Looks like they're enjoying themselves," chimed the blasé voice of Beastmaster Zelas. She leaned against his throne while also observing the tea party. "Seems nice that they get to drink tea and stuff."

"Then perhaps either you or Xelloss should join." Dynast twitched again, not giving her one glance.

Zelas then let out a laugh. "Nah! I already have Xelloss observing both the Sky Knights and the crime syndicates. Also, I prefer having my wine."

Seeing her walk off, he sighed as he placed a hand over his forehead. He then turned back to the projection of the tea party. Maybe he shouldn't be too hard on her. She did manage to set up an affiliation with them, albeit an unnecessary one. Still, this may prove useful in the long run. He planned on at least congratulating her once she returned. She deserved that much anyway.

So, he continued to watch the tea party. Hopefully, it wasn't going to be that much longer.

Author's notes:

And that's pretty much it for the Sherra saga. Don't worry, she may reappear sometime later on. But this is pretty much it for her, at least for now.

I feel like this is the best one overall because a. she deals with the Cyclonians and b. Hureikar's involvement. Hureikar is my other fav from Knight of the Aqualord as she is kinda like Xelloss. I wanted to write her out as well and hopefully, I did a good job with her character.

Anyway, hope for more writing next year and maybe a multi-chaptered story.

Please Read and Review!