Few happy moments.
Alatar actually liked this place. It was colorful, cheerful and a bit rustic, but actually really nice. A bit like in the RPG sessions he played in... in his old life... Here it was like in one big LARP ... There wasn't even a network, although in LARP it was usually not there to stick to reality, and not because after It just wasn't there... He hoped, however, that it would be created soon, maybe they would even need a network specialist. Maybe he could get a job here...
Itel looked beautiful when she smiled. I wonder if she knew about it? Probably not. Itel smiled slightly more often than Eti, and sometimes he had the impression that she smiled less often, because in the cat-like girl's eyes he often saw sparks of joy, a bit similar to the one he often saw in his sister... Now Itel was looking around with a joyful curiosity not much less than Rosie's... He liked the deaf girl, and not just because Eti was attracted to her, which made his chances with Itel... a little better. She was simply joyfull and nice to everyone... Moreover, she had amazing skills, like a hero from a story, although that was not the only thing. Sometimes he felt like the magic around her was working strangely. He noticed it in the monastery, it seemed as if it was slightly disturbing their aura, as if it was sucking out the threads of power. Then he quietly cast a few spells on her, but he didn't discover anything new. However, he didn't tell anyone about it, if only because he was cast spells on the girl without her consent. Rosie might get offended, or Eti might do something very Eti-like, like throw a grenade into his cabin. And it didn't matter that he had no malicious intentions, he was just curious what the deal with the deaf girl was.
They found a tent where Swiftwind , the main coordinator for the Victory Day celebrations, was supposed to be staying. Or something like that. Eti started sniffing, and he also felt a strange smell that he couldn't recognize, even though he wasn't an authority. They waited for a moment, wondering what to do, but as there were no sounds coming from inside, apart from a quiet humming, Lilka shouted.
"Swjftwind!"
Almost immediately, a horse with rainbow feathered wings and a horn on its forehead jumped out. They were white colored and had a rainbow mane. I think these creatures were called Airicorns or something like that.
"Did someone shout SWIFTWIND!" the horse will shout.
"Yes, Lilka. "said Eti, pointing to Lilka, whose eyes sparkled with hearts.
"Horsee!" the red-haired girl said with delight.
"I prefer to be called Swiftwind " said the horse, a bit confused.
"Listen, Hoofy. We came here for two very important matters for the future of the universe. Firstly and most importantly, we want to obtain permission to sell Ashrak , it is a completely harmless drink that you can drink without fear of your health and without the risk of addiction."
"And I have a question. Have you heard anything about the artifacts here? Where can you read about it? In some royal library or museum." itel asked .
" And let me ask you a question, where is the best one tailor here... Or at least the good one, because we are probably not as rich as the princesses and we cannot wear such wonderful costumes." Rosie asked.
"And as for my second question about a mystery that touches on an issue that worries all scientists in the Galaxy..." Eti began, but he interrupted her.
"Don't start, Eti. We all know what you want to ask."
The feline friend turned to him and spoke in that strange nasal accent she got when she started talking nonsense.
"How are you supposed to know that? You have developed the ability to read minds, or perhaps you have mastered the secret art of predicting the future. Tell us, Drakey, everyone is listening." she started wagging her tail violently."
"Maybe we should let the girl ask a question. It's interesting what the galaxy says about Swiftwind" Airicorn asked .
"Okay Eti, ask what you want..." he said with resignation and then Eti asked.
"If I prepared you for dinner, would you count it as white or red meat?"
Swiftftwind then opened its mouth and stared at them with its mouth open.
"You just met Eti and her wonderful sense of humor." he explained to the winged horse in an apologetic voice.
"I have no sense of humor!" Eti muttered in an offended tone.
Swiftwind sat down, head down , and said in a saddened voice.
"I'm not that amazing anymore. People used to be in disbelief that they saw a horse talking, but now no one pays attention to it. Do you think I've Boring?"
Rosie walked up to him and hugged him comfortingly and said
"You know, Mr. Swiftwind. We have a telepathically talking three-eyed fish with tentacles on board. This is a high bar. For us, a talking horse does not make an impression." she patted him friendly on the head, and Swiftwind smiled , which actually looked quite nice, but then he looked at Alatar, opened his eyes wide, jumped up to him so that they were almost neck and neck and shouted
"Wait, you're a Dragon! Quite small but still a dragon!"
Alatar sighed heavily and said.
"I am not a dragon, but a Dragonkin. This is completely different, please don't confuse us.:
"This Dragon is talking!" exclaimed the aricorn as if he hadn't heard what the technomancer was speaking to him.
"That's what I'm saying... we've been talking from some time. And most of both dragonkins and dragons can speak and yes it's not true at all that there are dragonkin riders." he blurted out before he could bite his tongue. He was glad that Lilka was in a horse trance, because she would probably tell him that he had just lied.
"It's kind of good because sometimes I feel like Adora would prefer me to be a dragon." Swiftwind said with sadness in his voice.
"Well, could you please answer our questions?" said the technomancer, mentally promising himself that in the future he would leave him to be eaten by Eti.
"Oh, I'll show you around" exclaimed Aricorn .
"Wonderful..." Dragonkin thought.
She watched her temporary wards interact with Adora's mount with some amusement. Of course, she did it from a safe distance. They spent so much time together during the occupation that he would probably be able to recognize her voice. That's why she preferred not to risk it.
"Who do you think built this castle? It's damn big, even in Lastwall they didn't have such big ones... Although they defended themselves against Orcs there, but real, wild ones, not like the modern ones." said Ireanis, looking at Brightmoon Castle . She also looked that way and thought about it
"Honestly, I never thought about it. Brightmoon has always been something that just is. I used to think that Angela's ancestors built them, but now I would put my money on the First Ones. Of all the places on Etheria I know of, their influence has been the strongest here." she said thoughtfully. They walked along the wide streets of the capital, covered with slabs of white stone.
"So Moonshadow is a pirate queen, right?" the silver-haired elf changed the subject.
"A pirate queen and a queen being a pirate are two separate issues..." she muttered to herself thoughtfully, but Ireanis continued her considerations.
"I once knew a pirate queen, a very aggressive woman. But since the old queen is alive, whether her daughter is the queen is an interesting question, Miss Daisy."
She frowned. This was indeed a legal problem. Purely theoretically, Glimmer's coronation was illegal and all the decisions she issued had no legal force. This could cause problems in the future and Glimmer's enemies could take advantage of it... If she had any. She looked around. The atmosphere in the city was joyful, but she could see guards around, much more modern armed than those guarding her, keeping a watchful eye on everyone arriving for the festival. Perhaps it was a habit left over from the war, or a simple safety measure, but it could also mean fear of a real threat. She'll have to find out more about it... In due time.
They reached a large park almost impossible to distinguish from the forest. Here she and the silver-haired sorceress stopped and inhaled the pure Etherian air, absorbing the power with which it was imbued. At first she thought she had forgotten how great it felt, but then she realized it was something completely new. "It's thanks to you, Adora . Thanks to you destroying the Heart, she thought. For a few moments they just stood in silence, with the trees rustling overhead. And then she heard the voice that brought her so much joy. She turned around abruptly and then she saw her. She stood there, dressed in civilian clothes in the colors of the order, but at her belt she had her sword, the new one that Rechiza was looking at. Now she realized that it was made of the same material as Eti's hand. Could this also be one of the First Ones' artifacts? This was getting more and more disturbing. But now, she couldn't think about it. There she was, with her golden hair and that beautiful smile illuminating her usually stern face. At first, her heart beat faster, filled with pure joy. The one who was so dear to her, for whom she did so much, for whom she killed, was here with her. And then her heart sank as she realized where she was. They were on Etheria, her planet, and in Brighmoon , the place where almost everyone she mentioned in her stories lived. She knew the truth about her, she even knew her damned name. She just didn't know that this was the planet she came from. That she had kept knowledge crucial to this mission from her. She had no idea what the Lord Admiral was doing, but he was clearly successful if she came here dressed like that... She had to do something quickly... Immediately.
"Good... Good to see you." she said quietly. Something in her tone or face made the Lady of Blades worry, and she walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Is everything ok…." she didn't finish because a stone fist hit her from the side. Ireanis, she forgot about Ireanis. She looked at Ireanis, who was smiling with joy and pride.
"Ha, I saved you again... From someone you once betrayed, tried to kill or tortured." she exclaimed in a happy voice. She took a deep breath so as not to attack the sorceress with fury and said, trying to contain her outburst of rage.
"This is Asindesa di Vir." She realized that she was not sure whether the elven sorceress should know the true identity of the hell knight. "My friend from Carurystal." she said, emphasizing the word friend.
"But in what sense that you said..." only after a while did the Elf realize what was going on.
"I told you I wasn't in love with anyone from my planet. – she approached the sorceress from the lost Golarion and added in a low voice.
"And I prefer that she doesn't find out where I really am from." when she was sure that Ireanis wouldn't do anything stupid, she ran to Asindesa di Vri to make sure she was okay. The Hell Knight was just regaining consciousness. She looked fine, except for a bruise under her eye. As soon as she regained consciousness, Asidesa jumped to her feet and drew her sword, so she began to calm her down.
"You're in no danger, it was my friend Ireanis. She is a highly skilled war mage who hails from the lost Golarion. It was just an accident, she is really very alert." she explained, pointing to the elf, who was smiling a bit goofily. Asindesa looked at her warily, but sheathed her weapon.
"Quite a painful misunderstanding, but I've witnessed worse." she said and squeezed the silver-haired sorceress's hand very, very tightly, until she groaned painfully, and she smiled friendly and patted her on the back, until Ireanis almost fell over. "But congratulations on your training, not many would be able to take me down with one spell, even considering that I have no armor." said the knight of hell.
"Armor?" the silver-haired wizard asked, surprised. She cursed inwardly, inwardly, but before she could say anything, Asindesa di Vir spoke.
"I'm a Hell knight... Although I'm on leave now." explained the lady of the blades. Ireanis looked at her suspiciously, but then smiled and said.
"Oh, I knew some Hell Knights on Golarion. They were very... principled people... I would even say uncompromising. On old Golarion, most of them lived in the thrice-cursed Cheliax... But enough about the past... I'll leave you to talk." she said and hurried away from them with hurried steps. She watxged the silver-haired sorceress, wondering if she was starting to suspect something.
"Is she really from Lost Golarion?" Asindesa asked , breaking her from her thoughts. She shrugged.
"He definitely believes it. I have no idea what the truth is, but I know all too well that anything is possible in this world." she said and looked at the woman who was so dear to her.
"I'm glad to see you." Asindes gently touched her face . The knight smiled teasingly.
"Judging by your reaction, I wouldn't have guessed."
She grimaced and began to explain.
"I was surprised. Besides, my companions don't know who we're working with, or even about the fleet." she said in a low voice. She doubted Ireanis was eavesdropping on them, but she didn't want to risk it in this situation." Besides, they have a quarrel with the Lord Admiral, a reasonable one in my opinion."
"What do you mean?" Asindesa asked , concerned. She sighed and began to tell her what she had learned. About the civil war on Tarak, the support of Veskarium and the tragic end, and about Jantar having some unclear connections with Antares. Asindesa listened to her carefully, with full concentration. When she finished her story, the Lady of Blades replied slowly and thoughtfully.
"I've heard some rumors that people like that don't make a career without getting their hands dirty. However, I didn't expect it to be such a terrible story. However, I can believe it. Just look at the people around him. Lady Sorrowflame and especially Lady Ka are terrible women. Are you saying that Lady Ka is a clone? No one knows her past, but she is a psychopathic sadist. Her soldiers are a bunch of scums and thugs from a dark background. She keeps them on a tight leash, brutally punishing them for their insubordination. She orders her own soldiers to be shot when they retreat without permission. And Lady Sorrowflame , she's... She's a dragon... A real dragon. Her body was transformed by numerous implants. In itself, it has the power of a small army, but that's not all. She is a necromancer, even a necrotechnician . He can create terrible monsters that are a combination of dead bodies and machines. It is rumored that it originates from the Lost Golarion. Her name there was Ashaq the Annihilator although I have no idea how much of it is true and how much is fantastic speculation. However, if what you say is true, then these two are just little devils in the service of a real archdevil." The knight of Hell rubbed her forehead. She herself sighed heavily, on Etheria dragons were considered creatures of myth and legend. Supposedly, the previous She-Ra was supposed to ride a dragon, but she considered it unlikely. But if Lady Sorrowflame was a real dragon, then it was even worse than she dared to imagine. "Every day the light around me darkens and the world becomes even bleaker." She thought bitterly and asked Asindesa di Vir.
"Does the Lord Admiral intend to come to Etheria"? She deliberately didn't use the word attack, but Asindesa shook her head and said.
"I don't think so , although I can't be sure. The Lord Admiral does not share his plans even with his own subordinates, let alone with allies he does not trust, of which I am proud to say I count myself . So far, the operation is going well. We managed to liberate Taurus from the hands of the clones who do not recognize Horde Prime's defeat. The Lord Admiral made himself at home there. For now, he seems to be waiting for the reaction of the rest of the powers of the region, including the rulers of Etheria"
She frowned and looked Asindesa straight in the eyes.
"So why did you come here?"
The Lady of Blades looked at her tenderly and with love and said.
"For you, my dearest. To experience some happy moments with you." and she kissed him.
Hoofy took them to a very nice, at least in his opinion, tailoring shop. Of course, he ignored her extremely important question and moved on with Lilka and Alatar, and Itel and Sparkling Paw entered the shop. She felt very stupid staying outside. Of course, she didn't envy them for their beautiful clothes and such nonsense, her desert coat might have been a bit threadbare, and maybe it deserved a little more washing and a few small patches, but it was suitable even for a royal wedding, and it smelled of her, she liked her scent very much . But as her friends entered, she felt as if she had been left out of some extremely important event that the two girls could share together. That's why she decided to sneak to the back of the shop. Of course, she wasn't supposed to peek on them, although she didn't know if there would be anything wrong with that. She had seen Itel naked and even made love to her more than once. Sparkling Paw had also seen her breasts, so maybe it should be mutual... But just because she had no intention of peek on them didn't mean she couldn't eavesdrop on them, that was something completely different. They had no reason to be angry with her. Besides, she had such sensitive hearing that she didn't have to eavesdrop on anyone, it was enough that she was standing close and everything could be heard. The tailoring shop had no cameras, no alarms, and no combat sentinel robots ready to tear intruders to shreds. In fact, the owners of this establishment should be grateful to her for showing their a reprehensible lack of safeguards against spies and assassins . Assassins! It was actually the perfect place to carry out an assassination attempt. If someone is naked in the dressing room, when attacked, they will be too embarrassed to defend themselves... So you can say that she wasn't eavesdropping at all, but was guarding her friends against the attackers! When she got quite close to the changing room, she froze and listened.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine. You can fence, it's almost like dancing, isn't it? " Sparkling Paw said.
"I can dance. In our village we danced, our life was not only focused on hugging trees or killing innocent animals. I heard both versions at school. It's just, you know... It was a long time ago and I've never danced at a ball or anything like that." said Itel. She sounded embarrassed.
"Don't worry, no one will judge you here. It's not like school, I've never been to one, but I can imagine how it is, and I'm sure you remember how to dance. You don't forget things like that. Even I haven't forgotten." she heard Sparkle Paw take a few rhythmic steps, but itel sighed heavily.
"It's not just about whether I can still dance. I… I don't know if I should. Since... Ever since Kesler fell, I have done everything to... To avenge my loved ones and everyone I have lost. That's why I came here, to get a weapon that will help defeat the Swarm once and for all. And now I'm going to a stupid princess dance for a stupid wedding while thousands of innocents are dying across the galaxy. I feel like I'm the one killing them myself. By dealing with such nonsense, instead of exploring this planet and finding a way to achieve victory, I accept this evil. I should be seeking knowledge about this Heart, but I'm trying on fucking dresses. I feel lousy."
Itel fell silent, but Sparkle paw took a few quick steps. "She probably hugged her… Sparkle Paw and Itel hugging together… That's interesting." She came closer, very curious, but then she heard a sound as if Itel was struggling or pushing Rosie away.
"Why are you like this! So nice! I'm always mean to you, I insult you, and you still comfort me. Why are you doing that." Itel shouted, her voice breaking.
"It's just the way I am. I don't know why... But you're just mad at me because you're jealous of Eti." Sparkle Paw said carefully.
"And I have no reason?" Itel's voice was innocently gentle. Eti held her breath waiting for the white-haired girl's answer.
"I... I like Eti." she could almost hear Sparkle Paw blushing. She was beautiful when she blushed. There was silence, broken by Itel's growl.
"Eti, you could stop eavesdropping on us."
"I'm not eavesdropping on you, I'm watching over you so that no Assassins murder you " she explained without feeling embarrassed.
"What Fucking Assassins!" exclaimed the Elf.
"Very sneaky and a bit perverted..." she explained, slightly touched by her friend's lack of understanding. The Solarian sighed heavily and said.
"Just go away and wait outside, okay."
She huffed offended but did as she was told, but before she left she heard Sparkle Paw talking
"And back to our conversation... You don't have to take the happiness of all of us on your shoulders, because you also deserve a few happy moments."
Eti waited for her friends for almost an hour, keeping track of the time. What was this about trying on clothes? For her, clothes had to be, above all, thick, warm and cover as much of the body as possible. Or they might not have existed at all. She watched the passersby with boredom. At one point, the girls invited her in and showed her what they were wearing. Sparkle Paw chose a light blue dress that beautifully highlighted the color of her eyes. Itel wore an orange-red strapless dress. She felt herself blushing at the sight. Finally, they packed the ordered outfits and went outside the store. Her friends seemed happy… Even Itel.
"Look what a nice earring I bought. Miss Deer helped me choose one that I can wear even though I have almost no ears." Sparkle Paw pointed to a fancy earring in the shape of a white rose.
"I see that the shopping issue is already behind you." she heard Grimmy's voice . There was a note of joy in it, something completely inappropriate for this woman. She turned around and raised an eyebrow, surprised by what she saw. The sorceress smiled slightly at them, and next to her stood a tall and muscular woman with golden hair. She had acid burn marks on her face, and a sword that looked disturbingly familiar at her belt. The woman looked no less basic than Grimmy, but she smiled warmly, and, even more strangely, she was holding hands with the dark sorceress, regardless of the fact that the hand shimmered slightly as it broke the illusory disguise. What does this place do to people?
"Hey Grimmy, Hey Razor. Well, Itel and Sparky Paw bought some clothes for the party, and actually, Grimmy, you should buy something for yourself too, because if you'll excuse me, you look like you're going to the funeral of someone you like?"
"Razor? Gloomy?" the golden-haired woman asked, clearly confused.
"Eti has a habit of giving others new names." she explained to her… friend, and then turned to Eti. "Unfortunately, due to my… unusual situation, I do not want to use the services of a tailor, but I have appropriate clothes with me. This is my friend Asindesa, the Lady of Blades from the Order of the Eclipse. We met on Carurystal, and now, to my surprise, she appeared on Etheria. Now we would like to spend some time together. I hope you don't mess anything up along the way.
Sparkle Paw and Itel shook their heads vehemently, and the two women went away, leaving them alone.
"But she is with the Hell Knight." said Rosie in disbelief.
"Seriously, are you surprised? Look how well they fit together ..." said Eti, pointing to the women leaving.
Alatar listened to Swiftwind telling them about his adventures with Adora She- Ra and what was planned for the Victory Day celebrations. In the meantime, Lilka stared at him as if enchanted and fed him with fruit bought from the sellers she met, and at the same time, Toshi, apparently offended by the lack of attention from her mistress, she bit the aricorn's horn and mane, and when the aricorn, absorbed in the monologue, did not pay attention to him, he lay down on his shoulder. Dragonkin and bit his neck, squeaking sadly. After an hour of monologue, Swiftwind began to tell them about the occupation and casually mentioned the Heart of Etheri. Alatar's heart began to beat faster. Now he has a chance to make a good impression on Itel. The elf will definitely look at him differently when he is the first to provide her with information about this artifact.
"And about this Heart of Etheria, so what did you do with it? Where is it located?" He asked. The mount became confused and said.
"Well, it would be difficult to hide it, it was quite large... in fact, it was all of Etheria. Among other things... Well, he's gone. It's a scary story, but it had a happy ending! - and he began to tell them about the end of the war with the Etherian Horde, what the Queen had done when she had her back against the wall, and finally about the last battle during which Horde Prime was defeated . And how Adora destroyed the weapon, releasing the magic back into the universe.
"Great story, isn't it?" Adora's mount asked at the end. Alatar nodded cautiously and replied.
"Yes, really amazing... I think it's time for us... We have to meet our friends now." He said and left, dragging Lilka behind him.
Right after disconnecting from the magical steed, they sat by the fountain. Itel stared at the sky where the moons floated, seemingly listening to the sound of the fountain. But he knew her well enough to know that she was angry and sad at the same time
"You know, Itel, we can just go back to the original plan." he started, but the Elf interrupted him.
"NO!" she turned to them and glared at them, then said. "Do you really believe them? In these lies they spread? No normal person would get rid of such a weapon. They probably deactivated it and hid the activation codes or something like that somewhere." she looked at Brightmoon Castle . – And we will get them back today."
"I'll just do one thing." Eti said, and for a moment he had the impression that she was embarrassed... But he didn't believe it... Eti wasn't ashamed.
A few minutes later, Eti knocked on the door of the tailor's shop. A pretty deer girl opened the door and smiled at her.
"Oh, it's you. Are you friends with Rosie and Itel? Do you also want to buy an outfit for the festival" she asked in a cheerful tone. She nodded and said.
"Yes, only in my case there may be a problem." she said shyly. The seamstress looked at her with sympathy.
"Oh, we served war victims many times. We have special dresses, and if you think you need it, my brother can make you a special mask. He has equipment straight from Icarus.
"This is a slightly different situation." she said and went inside, then uncovered her face. The seamstress and her partner gasped and widened their eyes. She almost smiled at the sight.
"I need an outfit, but it has to be different than what she wear... that Catra wears. And not a word to anyone... It's supposed to be a surprise..."