Chapter 3: Fool for the City
Sunbeams streaked through the windows, stirring Yuki from her sleep as she rolled off the bed. Standing up, she yawned and stretched a bit, taking a look at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a full-body pajama made of fleece and her feathers were ruffled from turning over in the bed. She yawned widely as she took a comb and began to brush her headfeathers, making sure they were nice, clean and fluffy before getting changed for the day ahead.
Walking outside her room, she was greeted by the large expanse that was her home. Gorgeously decorated, artistic masterpieces dating to the very moments the Ancient Dragons landed on Avalice adorned not only the halls but also the downstairs kitchen and living room. Sliding down the stairs, Yuki began to prepare herself a nice bowl of cereal as she turned on the TV and began to watch a cartoon, chomping down as she watched TV.
However, a thought would enter the falcon's mind as the cartoon seemed to melt into a blur of what it was, as though it was starting to matter less and less. …Why isn't Mom here? The falcon thought as she watched the TV. A strange sense of unease filled the falcon. It wasn't immediate, sure, but the longer time passed, the more strange it was that her mother wasn't up and getting her ready for school. When Yuki finished her cereal, she washed the bowl before heading to her mother's room.
The room, much like the kitchen, was adorned with ancient Dragon artifacts and artwork, imported from Shang Tu to the south. Yuki looked around. "...Mom?" She called. No response. Glancing around, she noticed something off. Faint red spots on the carpet. It wasn't like her to be spilling wine all over the floor... Was it?
Tracing the red spots, she found they led over to some wood flooring leading to the closet. Opening the door, she found nothing but beautiful black dresses with gold trim, though the red spots suddenly stopped short at a few floorboards.
Yuki blinked at the sudden stopping of the spots before tracing her wing over the floorboards. She poked at it until she found a very faint gap to stick her fingers into. "Huh..?" Yuki gasped before she pried the floorboard open. There, she saw a deep, dark basement made of stone, nowhere near as lavish as the upstairs. A single figure lay motionless at the bottom. She had no idea who it was… But it clearly was not her mother.
Yuki sweated as she quickly shut the floorboards and stood back up, pacing herself backwards before she bumped into a larger figure, turning to see the cold glare of her mother. "M-M-Mom..?" Yuki breathed, her heart rate accelerating as she saw her mother not as a reassuring presence… But as a threat.
"What are you doing here?" The taller falcon snapped.
Yuki woke up in the Shoheki's bed in a cold sweat, panting fiercely as she attempted to regain her composure. Looking around, she saw the actual environment. It definitely was function over form, but it was in such a way that it didn't feel like a prison. The bed was comfortable, there is a bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower, a closet and dresser, and a TV with a VCR player connected to it. Taking a deep breath, she rolled out of the bed and began to take a shower, washing herself with the provided soaps.
Dammit… That dream… Yuki thought as she scrubbed herself. I thought they stopped a year ago… Why am I getting it now..? In spite of how thoroughly she was washing herself, she felt as though she would never be clean from the whole experience.
A few knocks came from Yuki's door. "Yuki? It's me, got you something." The voice of Yuuto spoke through her door.
Yuki exhaled. "I'm taking a shower, I'll be out in a second!" She shouted back before turning off the water and drying herself in a towel, swiftly getting herself dressed before opening the door. "What?"
Yuuto blinked as he saw Yuki. "...Thought I'd get you some breakfast." He spoke. He held a tray containing a medley of cooked fish and vegetables, as well as some orange juice.
"...Huh." Yuki spoke, taking the tray. "Thanks. So, anything new on the whole Crimson King job?"
"Yeah, we got communication from someone within. The Legate." Yuuto spoke. "I'll explain more alongside Boss after you eat, but apparently they're going to help you get in."
"Right, I'll head down when I'm able." Yuki nods before shutting the door, Yuuto walking back to Boss's office.
After about half an hour, Yuki walked into Boss's office, fully clothed and fed. The falcon looked at the desk, folders strewn about with a few papers left on top.
"Welcome, Yuki! Please, do take a seat!" Boss smiled.
Yuki nods, sitting down. "So, I hear you guys got some communication from a Legate. Anything to note there?" She asked.
Boss nods, passing her a note. "This one is actually for you." Boss spoke. "I suppose their words would best explain what will be going on."
Yuki took a look at the note. It was a jumbled mess of numbers and letters. "...This is complete fucking nonsense." Yuki spoke.
"Indeed!" Boss grins. "Because he used encryption! This is sensitive information, you know?" He then passes another paper. "Here is the translated version."
Yuki blinked, looking at the paper. "You couldn't have given me the translated version to begin with?" She asked, taking a look at the note.
To the infiltrator:
I am not only surprised you are willing to partake in this, but also at your supposed enthusiasm for this mission. I sincerely hope you know not only what you are getting yourself into, but also just how difficult this will be, especially for me.
Joining the Kakuchu isn't a matter of just walking up and applying. You need to actively assist in one of their deeds. Piracy. Theft. Extortion. Assassination. Infiltration. The Drug Trade. You'd need to find something to be good at, and directly assist a Kakuchu member to get some level of respect, to spread the word. Such a thing is rather difficult, especially since we cannot exactly coordinate a prime means of getting in. That, and this does come at rather short notice
Thankfully, I have a plan to not only get you in, but get you close to one of the higher positions, you will need to assist a member of the Court of the Crimson King, the people closest to the figure in question.
You will assist the Emerald Emissary, one such member, in infiltrating Shang Mu's central bank for Gold Gems. However, I will warn that you will need to learn sign language to understand him. He is not deaf, so he can understand others just fine, the problem is he cannot talk.
On top of that, another obstacle is in the way: The Crimson King has left HQ for an undisclosed reason, and as such, is leading operations indirectly. You would need to find a way to goad him to approach in-person and kill him then. A major job directly benefiting him would suffice, whatever it may be, or finding a lead to approach him otherwise. It is either those or simply waiting for whatever he is doing to cease, the latter being particularly less than ideal.
I wish you the best in this endeavor.
-Legate
"Right… So I need to meet up with the Emissary, help him rob a bank, and after that… Find some way to get the King in the same room as me and kill him there." Yuki summarizes.
"That, and you'd need to not arouse suspicion for some time, so you'd need to actively help them until the opportunity is right." Yuuto adds.
"Like a grand game of Chess where you only have two pieces and your opponent is the largest underground organization in Shang Mu." Boss spoke.
Yuki sighed. "Well, this is certainly a pain in the tailfeathers, no wonder everyone else just went more direct." She spoke. "What about the Court? Who's in there?"
"The Court consists of several members, each of them remarkably powerful Affinity Users." Boss began. "All of them use pseudonyms like their leader, and as far as we are aware, they consist of the Black Queen, Lavender Doctor, Marigold Mandarin, Cerulean Samurai, Emerald Emissary, and the Void Prince."
"Black Queen and Void Prince… Any relation to the King?" Yuki asked.
"Yes, though the Black Queen seems to be more long-distance. As far as we know she's in charge of logistics for the drug trade in other Kingdoms, namely Shang Tu and our humble abode of Shuigang." Boss explains. "The Void Prince, meanwhile… Apparently he is but a child, the son of the Crimson King and Black Queen. The Prince is a completely rogue variable, but might be a more reliable lead."
"So we got one big happy family. Joy." Yuki deadpanned. "Though it seems like the kid's completely alone if what you and the Legate are saying is true. His dad's gone AWOL, and his mom is apparently in another Kingdom, either here or Shang Tu…"
"You think he'd want to help?" Yuuto asked.
Yuki nodded. "Positive. Unless he's got another parental figure in his life, something's tellin' me he's not entirely fond of mom and pops over there."
"A good idea on paper, but what makes you so… Certain of this?" Boss asked.
"...Personal fucking experience. I'll leave it at that." Yuki sharply responded.
Boss nodded. "Right then, are there any other questions before we begin the preparations to send you on your merry way?" He asked.
"None. The sooner we get this guy out of the picture, the better." Yuki responds.
"Right, then I shall coordinate your transport and identification!" Boss spoke before staring into the distance for a few seconds. "...Done! You'll be entering a truck on the top floor before spending the rest of the trip by airship!"
"Wait what the fuck do you mean do-" Yuki began before noticing an ID printer spitting out a card. Walking over to see what it was, she saw her face superimposed on a white background with the name "KORI KAZE" written at the top, alongside her physical information. "...Huh?"
"It's a pseudonym. What, you weren't expecting to walk in with your own name, right?" Yuuto asked. "Kori Kaze. Shang Mu native, homeless, desperate for a quick chunk of change after taking a trip to Shuigang to visit family."
Yuki looked over the ID for a few seconds. "...Damn, but how the hell did Boss manage to make this thing? I didn't see him punch anything into a computer." She asked.
Boss chuckles. "Child, you have not the faintest idea…" He grins. "Consider this but a mere taste of my own capabilities!"
"...Your Affinity?" Yuki asked.
"Hah! Nonsense! I'd say I have something greater!" Boss grins before lifting his hand and taking off a glove, revealing a mechanical hand. "What you see before you is but the first Avalician cyborg! The pinnacle of Shoheki technology, the greatest in all of Avalice!"
"Huh?!" Yuki spat, seeing this. "Your arm? How the- What the- HUH?!"
"You mentioned me having a mere prosthetic yesterday, did you not?" Boss smirks. "Believe me, I have much more than a mere prosthetic! My entire body was rebuilt from the neck down to be the pinnacle of Avalician technology! You shall find no one like me outside these walls!"
"Then why the fuck are you sending me there when you can, I dunno, walk in and drop a bomb on those guys?" Yuki asked.
"Because a job like this requires a degree of subtlety I clearly do not possess, child." Boss answered, calming down. "Besides, several others attempted the head-on approach to results you are already aware of."
"Fair enough, I guess." Yuki shrugs. "Right, then I'll just get to the transport, then." She spoke, turning around and leaving.
Yuuto turned to Boss after she left. "...I'll go with." He spoke.
"Eh? Why would that be, eh?" Boss asked, smirking. "Ohoh, do not tell me you fancy her, do you?"
"What?! No- I- Huh?!" Yuuto responds, sighing. "Look, I don't exactly get many opportunities to talk with anyone outside the Shoheki casually. Guess it'd be interesting, you know? Didn't exactly talk much yesterday after her tests."
"Heh, suuuuure." Boss chuckles. "Well then, I shall leave you to it, it is not as if you have anything somehow more important anyways."
"Thank you, sir." Yuuto bows, walking out of the office behind Yuki.
Boss sighed, closing the door automatically behind them. "Heh… Jung und liebevoll sein…" He mused, returning to his work.
When Yuki entered the elevator, Yuuto wasn't far behind, entering with her as the door closed on them, sending the pair upwards.
"So… Nervous?" Yuuto asked.
"...Somewhat." Yuki answered. "What, suddenly taking an interest in my well-being? You're the one who's sending me on the job."
"I mean, yeah…" Yuuto nodded. "...Where are you from, anyways?"
"Shuigang." Yuki answered.
"No, I mean… What area?" Yuuto asked.
"Quit while you're ahead, pal…" Yuki spoke, looking to him. "Besides, it isn't like there's too much to this place anyways. Cold, barren wastes with some water nearby. You're from Shuigang too, right?"
"Shang Mu, actually." Yuuto answers.
"Shang Mu?! The fuck are you doing here then?! The move must've been fucking ridiculous!" Yuki remarked.
Yuuto looked to the side. "Yeah, suppose so…" He sighed.
"...Got baggage?" Yuki asked, tilting her head.
"Well, no, I… I kinda only had my clothes on my back at the time…" Yuuto answered.
"You know that isn't what the hell I meant, you dork." Yuki spoke.
Yuuto was silent.
Yuki sighed. "...Sorry if I hit something close to home, but if it makes things any better, that makes two of us." She apologized.
"Really?" Yuuto asked.
"...Yeah. Rather not talk about it though." Yuki spoke. "Probably best I don't add my bullshit onto yours. You clearly got more than enough to be concerned about."
"Fair enough, I guess." Yuuto spoke.
The elevator reached the top soon after and the duo left for the truck.
"Wait, before you go…" Yuuto spoke, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a crumpled piece of paper and a pen. He then proceeded to write a phone number. "If you're ever in any trouble, call me. I'll try to get there as fast as possible."
Yuki took the paper and looked at it. "Hm, good to know." She spoke. "Probably not gonna need it anyways."
"You never know." Yuuto cautioned. "Just… Be careful, alright?"
"Eh, don't worry about me." Yuki shrugs. "I'll be back." She spoke, walking to the truck and getting in.
"...Bye." Yuuto spoke, watching as the truck carrying Yuki left the headquarters, rumbling into the forest…
When Yuki got to the port, she presented her paperwork to the guards and managed to get on the ship without issue. Looking out one of the windows, she saw her home, the one place she knew all of her life grow smaller and smaller as the vessel rose, before it began to disappear behind the southern mountains as the ship flew to Shang Mu.
Here I am. Going into a war that wasn't even mine to begin with... Yuki thought, staring into the distance. ...It'll be worth it. It has to be. Even beyond the damn blank check...
Yuki sighs as she leaned back on her chair, closing her eyes to take a nap for what would surely be a long flight across the continent. One which, thankfully, would be uneventful save for some turbulence.
Meanwhile, in Shang Mu
In a dimly lit room, a figure enveloped in the surrounding darkness pulled out a strange deck of cards, lighting candles nearby to see what they read. His hands shuffled the deck, before laying it onto the table face-down.
Taking a deep breath, they pulled the first card. It depicted a figure standing on the edge of a cliff, a knapsack over their shoulder and a white rose in their hand, the sun shining brightly behind them. The Fool. "The Infiltrator is starting their journey, ignorant to the world around them… Optimistic about what's to come." He pulls another card, this time depicting a muscular figure holding open the mouth of a mighty lion. Strength. "They are confident in themselves, going in without fear and a mighty conviction in their heart…" They pull another card. It depicts a wheel in the clouds, winged creatures adorning the corners. The Wheel of Fortune. "In spite of their inherent strength, they will be tested… Perhaps on the quality of their character?" The figure then pulls a last card, one depicting a castle tower struck by lightning, burning and crashing down to the ground. The Tower. "Whatever the result may be, nothing will be the same after this. I can only hope it means the infiltrator is going to actually kill the King…" They sigh, packing the cards and shuffling them once more, putting them away. "No matter. I just need to stay out of their way. I should stay safe if I can do just that…"
Yuki woke up from her nap in a place largely unfamiliar, the sights and sounds of Shang Mu rushing by the airship. The bright midday sky was rather strange to see in the context of the eastern Kingdom. After all, all the advertisements regarding moving there showed the glamorous city at night, where all the nightlife lay, yet with how the light shined, the corruption was laid bare. The streets were largely unkept, with robots zipping around to pick up litter, at least as much as they could attempt to. The cleanest areas were, of course, the areas around statues and political advertisements. The 2008 Shang Mu Mayoral Election was coming up in but a few days, and the choices glamourized the candidates available to choose. One was the incumbent Mayor Zao, seeking yet another term in his long reign as Mayor. His statues were virtually everywhere in the city, giving him an air of power and authority, yet his clearly short stature was not doing him any favors. By contrast, the challenger, one Kyushei Ryuu, was one of the only people ever to be in the conversation as possibly overthrowing Zao's term as Mayor. The posters advocating for him make sure to point out his status as a war hero, that he would protect the kingdom of Shang Mu from the rise of the Crimson King and the Red Scarves.
Bullshit, both of them. Yuki mused, seeing the advertisements pass by. Neither are gonna do anything to actually fix anything, it's all about their damn image. The airship let off a soft chime just after she finished her thoughts.
"Attention, passengers, we will arrive at the Great Zao Station in a few short moments." The pilot spoke over the intercom. "Please have your passports ready for checking at the security checkpoint."
Yuki looked at her ID. Kori Kaze… Time to start rolling. She thought, getting up to stretch slightly and prepare to disembark to the red kingdom.
Once off the airship, she went into a line a couple dozen people long awaiting clearance to enter Shang Mu proper. Looking off to the side, she saw one of the passengers struggling to break free from the grip of a few officers, one of whom holding a rather large black bag labelled "CONTRABAND".
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN MY IMPORTS ARE 'CONTRABAND', HUH?! YOU THINK I'M GONNA PERFORM A TERRORIST PLOT WITH A BUNCHA RAISINS?!" The struggling passenger shouts before being smacked upside the head with a heavy baton. Yuki winced at the struggle before advancing forwards towards the checkpoint.
"ID or passport, ma'am." The security guard, an elderly female lamb, dryly spoke. Yuki passed her ID and passport to the guard shortly after. The guard adjusted her glasses to read the passport in more detail, tension hanging in the air as she was completely silent.
"…Well?" Yuki asked, leaning to one side.
The lamb looked up. "Quiet." She spoke. "How come I've never seen your face before?"
"Excuse me?" Yuki asked.
"Yeah, how come I haven't seen you?" The lamb asked.
"What, you see everyone who passes through here?" Yuki asked. "Kinda ridiculous if you ask me."
The lamb leaned forward. "I see. Everyone. Who passes through security." She spoke. "So how come I've never seen ya?"
"Fell asleep at your job?" Yuki snarked. "Look, I'm passing through now, I've got literally nothing on me, and-"
Yuki was tackled by a few guards. "HEY! WHAT THE FUCK!" Yuki shouts as she was being pat down. A wallet was pulled out and looked through before being put onto a table.
"What the hell are you bringing?" The lamb asked.
"LADY, I LITERALLY HAVE NOTHING BUT THE FUCKING CLOTHES ON MY BACK!" Yuki spat. "MY PAPERS ARE FUCKING LEGIT, TOO!"
"Whose phone number is this?" A guard asked, taking out the piece of paper containing Yuuto's phone number.
Yuki sweated as she saw what was brought out. Shit! Yuuto's number! If I say too much I'm done for! She thought. "It's from a friend! I don't have anyone else, okay?!" She asked. "Just give it back, I did nothing wrong here!"
One of the guards took a look at the passport. "…She's right, this looks clean." The guard spoke, passing the passport back. "Not a single aspect that's mildly suspicious."
The lamb took the passport and scanned it through. Thoroughly. She then sighs and packs that with the ID and phone number. "Fine. Welcome to our fair kingdom of Shang Mu." She spoke.
Yuki got back up as the guards let go, dusting herself off. "Thanks for fucking nothing, asshole!" She spoke, taking her belongings with her. That was fucking close… She thought, sweating as she exited the station and began making her way towards the bank.
Back at the station, the guards looked at the elderly lamb, who seemed to be twitching. "Shang Mu native coming from Shuigang, how have I not seen her come up in the records?!" She asked.
"Maybe you just missed her?" A guard asked.
"…No. I never miss a thing." The lamb responds, twitching. "…I'm going to need to take a further look into this later. In the meantime, let's just keep up processing."
The guards nodded before continuing their duties alongside the lamb.
Once outside of the port, Yuki sat at a bench across from the Central Shang Mu bank. It was an ornate building, decorated in traditional red and gold and looked so secure that it'd take an all-out assault to break into. Yet here she was, about to collaborate with one Emerald Emissary to break in. As an entrance exam, of all things.
Soon after, a figure robed in forest green sat near. He was a tall whitish-beige canine with a long snout and a single bang to the left side of his face. He glances at Yuki for a few seconds, as though to evaluate her.
"You… You're the Emissary?" Yuki asked, sweating.
The hound closes his eyes, before making motions with his hands. "[Whatever gave you that idea?]" He signs. "[You look oddly nervous, I thought you would be more enthusiastic to join our ranks.]"
"To be fair, I wasn't exactly sure how difficult it'd be before looking at this damn thing. Cameras everywhere, place looks dense enough to survive a direct bombing, whole nine yards. It'd take a miracle to actually break in." Yuki responds.
"[Then we get in. Quiet.]" The hound answers. "[There is always a weak spot in operations like this. Can you see one?]"
Yuki looked at the building deeper. There was a loading bay where Gold Gems shipped in would be delivered to the bank, where they would presumably be stored in its coffers. "The loading bay?" She asked.
The hound thought for a few seconds. "[Good idea, but it probably will not work as well as you think it will.]" He points out. "[Either one of us knocks out a guard and breaks in that way, we'd be spotted almost instantly when we get a box out. I have a better idea.]"
"And that is?" Yuki asked.
"[In a few minutes, an armored truck will deliver the gold gems to the bank. It has the least amount of protection in this whole process, but do not be fooled. We would need to be on high alert no matter what. The instant we commandeer the truck, we will be under attack until we successfully make the delivery.]" The canine explained. "[Are you following along?]"
"Somewhat, not entirely the best with sign language." Yuki answers. "We take a truck, drive it back to HQ, and protect ourselves from any guards looking to follow."
"[Exactly.]" The hound answers. "[Now, we wait.]"
Yuki stared ahead, waiting alongside the hound. He gave off an odd sort of gentle warmth, a calmness in spite of the high stakes situation he was in at this very moment. This clearly was not his first rodeo, he absolutely exuded experience.
An armored truck began driving down the road towards the bank, the hound standing up. "[They are here. Hold still, wait for my signal.]" He signed.
"Aaaaaand what the hell would your signal be?" Yuki asked.
After a few seconds, his arm unraveled into a long string that reached into his pockets to pull out an odd jade-green revolver with a leather grip. His aim was swift and his shot was true, killing the driver immediately.
"SHIT!" Yuki spat, running towards the truck as it was now barreling out of control in the streets. The civilians screamed, trying to get out of the way towards safety, yet Yuki wasn't. She used her powers to summon an ice wall to stop the truck as soon as possible and open the door, where she found another guard pointing an assault rifle at her.
"FREEZE!" The guard spat. "YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR-" The guard was suddenly encased in ice and shoved out by Yuki's powers, sliding along the floor as she got the driver out and onto the sidewalk beside him.
"Yeah, no, I got something more important to do." Yuki spoke, shifting the truck into gear and reversing before speeding away from the bank. Soon after, she heard police sirens behind her. "Shit!" She spat, looking in the rear-view mirrors. Two police vehicles seemingly appeared out of nowhere, giving chase to the pirated truck. Behind those, she saw the hound pursuing the police cruisers, using his string to swing from building to building in hot pursuit.
Yuki grunts, closing her fist and pointing at the street, firing several icicles at the floor behind her. The vehicles swerved out of the way to avoid getting their tires popped. "Great! These guys actually know how to fucking drive!" She shouts, swerving to the left and finding the road blockaded up ahead by SWAT vehicles. "MOTHERFUCKER!" She screams before swerving towards the right to avoid the cops.
The Emerald Emissary took note of Yuki's direction and swung towards her, landing on the van and breaking into it, seeing a screaming Yuki pointing an icicle at him. He grunts, using his string to take the steering wheel and other controls to swerve the van to the left, where they began driving on a boardwalk street.
The sound of helicopters roaring overhead soon interrupted Yuki's train of thought. "Take the wheel and get us to HQ ASAP!" She shouts, opening the door and climbing to the roof, where she stared down one of the helicopters.
"By the order of the kingdom of Shang Mu, you are under arrest for endangering the lives of innocent civilians and attempted robbery! Please stop the vehicle and come quietly!" An officer shouts through a megaphone.
Yuki grunts, pointing at the helicopter. "As if!" She shouts. The helicopter responds with gunfire, attempting to stop the truck, while Yuki lines up her shot and fires towards the guns. The shot was true, the guns flying off as the helicopter was forced to retreat. Yuki breathed as she saw several more helicopters swoop in, but before she could shoot to bring those down, the van swerved into an alleyway and onto a back road, speeding into the deeper, inner city. The falcon breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could go back down to rest, she heard rapid footsteps coming from the boardwalk. Looking behind, she saw a gray wolf with blonde hair rushing towards the truck, electricity coming from behind him. "GET DOWN HERE!" He shouts.
"Hit it!" Yuki shouts to the Emerald Emissary, the truck soon speeding ahead of the wolf. The wolf snarled to himself before a loud electrical hum emanated from his hands, leaping up to the truck to stare down Yuki.
"What, think you're going anywhere aside from prison?" The wolf snarled, baring his fangs. He was a somewhat large figure, wearing a traditional red armor, notably used on Shang Mu's police officers with a somewhat muscular figure. Electricity danced around his body as he sized up the falcon. "Someone as young as you shouldn't be considering working with these fiends!"
"And someone like you shouldn't be working with a bunch of self-righteous bootlickers!" Yuki responds. "Get the hell off the truck before you get hurt!"
"As if!" The wolf shouts, discharging electricity towards Yuki. The falcon yelps, summoning a pair of ice fists to block the bolts. As they struck, the ice let off steams of hydrogen from the electricity now coursing through it.
"What the fuck?!" Yuki exclaims, looking at the steam. Shit! Can't get the steam back to water! It isn't water anymore! She notes before attacking the wolf with a flurry of punches. The wolf dodges each blow and retaliates with an electrically charged punch, knocking Yuki back towards the front of the truck.
"You are talking to one of General Orrega's best and brightest!" The wolf exclaims. "Corporal Everest, 2nd Division of the Shang Mu Army! I've dealt with filth like you for years!"
"Oh, soldier boy, huh?" Yuki snarked, freezing his boots to the roof of the truck and slamming him with an icy fist. The wolf grunts as the blow connects, but he grips the icy fist to break it apart. Yuki grunts as she attempts to keep its form, but the more she tries, the more the electricity breaks apart the bonds held between the molecules, rendering it hydrogen and oxygen once more alongside the ice on his boots. "Give up! I have every-" The wolf boasts before suddenly being shot in the head from the side, falling back to the road. Yuki looked to her side and saw part of the Emissary's head alongside his revolver held up by some string. Yuki's breath was heavy as she looked back, seeing the man who just threatened her be left behind for dead. Shit... Didn't want it to end like that... Yuki thought, her heart racing. And now the Emissary likely pissed off his buddies. Probably wasn't the first time he did it...
Yuki got into the truck from the other side, panting as she saw the apartment building the duo were approaching.
"…This is your HQ?" Yuki asked, to which the hound responds with a simple nod. "…Gotcha. Fucking hell, I'm tired…" She breathes.
You and me both… The Emerald Emissary thought.
When the duo parked into a parking garage beneath the building, several men emerged into the garage from a door to open the back, unloading crates upon crates of gold gems. The falcon looked at the sight curiously before noticing another curious sight, a gray goat clad in yellow robes approaching her with an elderly large light purple rat with red eyes and deep purple robes.
"So, this is the new recruit we were promised?" The rat asked. "She seems a bit... Green."
"[She is more than capable. I know it.]" The hound signs, getting to her side.
"Capable?! Dude, that's an understatement! Getting the truck and having enough nerves to drive that damn beast before you took over? Hah! That shit was all over the news!" The goat grins. "Say, what the heck's her name, anyways?"
"Kori Kaze." Yuki answered. "And you are?"
"The one and only Marigold Mandarin, purveyor of all things rockin', rollin', and destructive in nature!" The goat smirks. "Aaaaaand this old fart is Lavender Doctor, our resident espionage expert."
"Silence! I am many years your senior and if it weren't for me, you'd still be rotting in that prison cell!" The rat snapped before turning to Yuki. "Hrmm… I admit you look somewhat… Familiar."
"How so?" Yuki asked.
"You remind me of the Queen, somewhat. Hopefully you can live up to that sort of expectation." Lavender Doctor answered. "It's mostly because you appear to be the same species, though I highly doubt there being any actual connection between you two."
"Yeah, never heard of her." Yuki responds.
"To be fair it aint like she shows up all too often, holed up wherever the hell she is!" Marigold Mandarin spoke. "She's like a ghost, it's like she doesn't even exist! Ha! Just like her kid!"
"Huh?" Yuki asked, somewhat stunned.
"Eh, it's whatever, lil' brat doesn't really matter, not like you'll see him anyways. Come on, let's show you the digs!" The goat smirks before going through the door, Yuki, the Emerald Emissary, and Lavender Doctor following shortly after. Behind them, however, a deep shadow emerged from a wall, looking at the group leaving for the base's interior before it too began to pursue...
And so, Yuki joins the Kakuchu and goes on her first mission! But who is the Legate? How will Yuki be able to work alongside someone she doesn't know? And what of the Void Prince? Find out next week in Chapter 4: Paranoid!