Note: I've become aware that, according to a recent poll, Riesz was voted the favorite protagonist of the game (Angela second and third Hawkeye. Kevin got fourth, Duran fifth, and Charlotte sixth). If that's the case, sorry, but I'm going to be giving her a bit of a hard time in this one. Updates might be a bit slower, as I'm also working on a rewrite of another story, so sorry about that. Nevertheless, I will try and 50/50 it as best I can.
With that said, I hope you enjoy it!
Night at the Bar
She sat on the chair in what was once King Joster's chambers, hands clasped and her chin resting on them. The flames had long since been extinguished, lest the entire castle burns to the ground, and the damage that had been done was repaired. After all, this place belonged to her now, and she would not have an unkept palace. Isabella surveyed her surroundings, noting how pristine the quarters were, despite the invasion that had taken place—so fitting for the head of a place such as this. Though she wasn't entirely so, she kept this place as a testament to her dear Majesty's power and soon to be conquering the world.
And what better place to start than that of Laurent, one of the supposedly strongest nations in the world? At first, she was somewhat apprehensive when she had set out to this place, pondering whether or not their plan, let alone Bill and Ben's mission, would be fulfilled. It was rather incredible how easy their minds were to take control of. At least, once she threw in how Bill would be killed just as Eagle had been had Ben not submitted to her, she showed a bit of her true self to him to sell the point. At least they proved their effectiveness was just as good as their bond. Indeed, her Majesty was pleased. Such a thing made her entire form grow warm; she cupped her cheek, imagining her Majesty's hand in place of hers. And his lips on her-
"Mistress!" Isabella was broken from daydreaming at the sound of two voices shouting in unison, two ninjas approaching and kneeling before her, smoke trailing off of them from their abrupt entrance. "We bring news!"
As tempted as she was to chastise the twins for interrupting her fantasy, the witch reminded herself that she wasn't here to get caught up in such things. "Very well." she simply stated. "What do you have to say?"
"There is talk in Palo of a darkly clad knight roaming around," Bill spoke up. "Those who have seen him have little idea why he's come."
A dark knight? She had never heard of anyone like that. "When had he come?"
"Just a short time ago," Bill answered. "There are some theories about why he's here, yet apparently, he was last seen going up the Heavensway."
Heavensway? What could he have needed for trekking the mountain? Let alone willing to risk the wrath of those harpies? They had been thankful that those meddlesome bird women hadn't tried to encroach on the castle's territory, but their absence was somewhat troubling. What else could they be so preoccupied with that they wouldn't pay mind to the fact enemy territory was so open was a mystery. Nonetheless, some were found just a bit away outside the borderline, which they were quickly chased off. And if the twins' report were accurate, then this 'knight' would be heading right for harpy grounds. She would have them look into this further, yet there were more pressing matters at hand for the present. "Has the Amazon's Secret Base been found?" Isabella questioned.
"No, Mistress," Bill answered.
"Not yet," Ben added.
Isabella's features tightened, clearly displeased. Since the takeover of the citadel, many of the soldiers and staff had been slain; the most important figure is that of their king, something she took great pride in, seeing the man's importance in the war that took place nineteen years ago. But still, there were several that had escaped as well. Had that blue-haired woman not intervened with the remaining surviving troops, the king's daughter would've joined the ranks of the dead. Yet they escaped before they could be dealt with, and those sent after them were never seen again. Isabella presumed them to be dead, yet she cared not whether they were dead or alive. A few losses mattered not in comparison to what she and her dear Majesty were trying to accomplish. To hell with Malocchio. Once the time was right, he could have the little slut back home, yet the boy was unharmed. Majesty made it very clear that he was to not have one mark on him.
"Keep looking," Isabella ordered. "Leave no stone unturned. Every one of those wenches is to be found and executed. They must be made examples of for the glory of the Kingdom of Nevarl." she then flicked her wrist. "And keep your ears open for news of this dark knight and any other new arrivals. Now go."
Bill and Ben lowered their heads. "Understood," they said in unison, disappearing in a puff of smoke, leaving Isabella alone.
She thought of what she had just heard. A darkly clad knight, this could spell trouble. Granted, it seemed that he didn't seem interested in Laurent, yet this knight belonged to someone. Yet whose orders was it following? Certainly not those of the Majesty. Could he be sent to also search for the Mana Stone here? Regardless, he would not have it. She would send troops to follow him and see what he was up to. No one would interfere with her dear Majesty's plans.
She remembered the first time she touched the young man's chilled flesh, the cell he was kept in so lonely and dark. Her claws gently trailed over his skin, careful not to scratch him; he had already been beaten and bruised badly. Those that were to nourish and protect him, to treat him in such a way, not even her kind treated their children like this. This was unforgivable. He was better now, having moved on from that place in his life, and soon, he would become ruler of the world.
Yet this knight would have to be watched. For if he were here on behalf of someone else, then perhaps his Majesty would have some competition.
Port of Palo
It was rather strange that they would still allow ships to be docked here, yet given the area was invaded, they would still want supplies such as food and drink to come in, seeing as Nevarl now occupied the site. From the above deck, six boxes opened up and looked to see desert-clad men overseeing the shipments coming in, whether day or night, the moon currently shining up in the sky.
"Here it is." the skipper said; one of the border guards had come to inspect the cargo. "That's all I brought with me." The guard went on the deck and was immediately drawn to the six boxes. He surveyed and studied them, then drew out one of his daggers and plunged it into the top of the box. "Hey!" the skipper cried out, going over to him. "Now, why'd you go and do a thing like that?! You don't know what's in there! It could spill out for all you know!"
"That's why I stabbed the top." the guard answered smoothly, waiting for a reaction from the box, only for it to remain quiet. He then stabbed the others, only to receive no sound. "All right, " he said, calling others dressed like him. "Take them." They boarded the ship and took the boxes, noting how heavy they felt. Yet their superior had confirmed that nothing alive was in there, so they took them and set them down on the docks with the rest of the shipments.
Upon turning their backs, they saw that all the boxes were open; they contained nothing inside.
"That...that meanie!" Charlotte huffed. "Who does that jewk think he is?!"
"Good thing you're so short," Angela said, rubbing her shoulder. "That jerk nearly tore through my outfit."
Hawkeye said nothing, surveying Riesz's reactions and mood. She was tense but also, more notably, determined. Peering around the corner, they saw the state of the once peaceful town: civilians were still walking around and doing their business, yet it was clearly without any ease or general contentment. They were constantly under the watchful eyes of the invaders, said invaders seemingly around every street corner, atop every roof, and everywhere else that needed some surveillance. "Move along," they commanded, voices dull and without many cadences. "Move along."
Riesz clenched her fist; she practically trembled. 'Bastards…' she thought, yet she couldn't act now. No, she would have to reserve vengeance for later.
"Stick to the shadows," Hawkeye advised. "I know how these guys operate." with little reason to argue, the group of six did so, sneaking around building corners, hanging out between structures, and keeping out of well-lit areas.
"What's with these guys?" Angela asked. "They seem kinda...out of it." Indeed, the Nevarlan natives acted more like automatons than human beings.
Hawkeye didn't answer out of fear, remembering the choker around Jessica's neck, yet nonetheless, he had to say something. "Riesz," he said to the Amazon Princess. "I...I know how it must look," he said. "But...but they're not evil people."
Riesz was silent for a moment, continuing to examine the thieves standing guard over the town and people. Then, "...but they are killers."
'Not because they want to be.' the thief said nothing, but at the same time, he pondered how exactly they were going to get to where they needed to go.
"I can't see anything!" Duran moaned, Faerie emerging from him.
"Keep it down! They'll hear you!" she chastised. "Besides, we need to find Sylphid as soon as possible…."
"Well, you can fly," Angela said. "Go up and see the rest of the town."
Agreeing with this suggestion, the winged woman flew upward, looking and getting a full view of the port town and spotting several Nevarlan agents stationed all around. "They're everywhere," she reported, coming down. "At this rate, we're never going to get out of here."
"We will." Riesz then said. "Even if we have to fight every last one of them."
"Uh, for now, though," Hawkeye interjected. "I think we should make ourselves scarce. Ok?"
Riesz bit her lip. He was right. She was getting too worked up. Yet to see her kingdom, her people treated in such a way, made her want to jump out and take them all on, illogical and stupid as it was. She couldn't lose herself to such fury, as tempting as it was. At least, not yet.
"You're not going to get far then." a voice suddenly said, all of them whirling their heads back to see a young woman standing behind them. Her hair was a light blue and tied back in a half ponytail, and her form was garbed in a golden necklace and bracelets; she appeared to be a dancer. Her top covered her chest; it was green and bore more than a passing resemblance to that of the dancers in the Night Market. She took a long, split, dress-like skirt of bright pink with a pair of poofed, green pants and pink slippers on her feet.
"Eliza?" Riesz asked, the young, blue-haired woman's hazel eyes widening upon hearing her Princess's voice.
"Your Highness! Captain!" she leaped forward, essentially hopping on everyone to get to her Princess, taking the blonde in a tight embrace. "You're safe! By the Goddess Herself, you're safe!"
"Nice...to see you too…." Riesz said, somewhat off-put by the rather dramatic display of emotion. She was too thankful to see her scout's safety, yet was this necessary?
"Ow…" Duran moaned, getting up. "She a friend of yours-"
"Shh!" Eliza shushed. "Not so loud; they'll hear you!"
'Says the one that was screaming not a moment ago.' the soldier thought.
It was then that Eliza noticed Hawkeye. "Who is this?"
Riesz noticed the thief getting tense. "Don't worry. He's with me." her Princess assured her.
Eliza studied the violet-haired thief for a moment. "Hmm...yeah." she then said. "He doesn't seem like a bad guy, " she said, smiling. "Besides, he's too cute."
"Well, thanks." Hawkeye thanked her. "I think I like you."
The blue-haired amazon's cheeks flushed. "Oooh...I think I like you too!"
"Ok, ok. Enough of that." Riesz was going to put a stop to this immediately. And the smirk Hawkeye gave her didn't help matters either. "Eliza, what's happened since I've been gone?"
Eliza's features fell. "Not much that's been good," she confessed. "The entirety of Palo's been under siege by Nevarl, and the guards must inspect any shipments that come in." Charlotte huffed in response, still remembering the knife that nearly caught her. "Food and other supplies are allowed to come in, though mainly because they take it for themselves." she glared, looking down. "But, so far, the base hasn't been discovered. Any that try and follow end up falling prey to the defense put up."
"Well, at least there's that," Riesz said. "But," she gestured to Eliza's wear. "What are you doing wearing that?"
"Oh, this?" the amazon pointed to herself. "Oh, it's my work outfit."
"Work?"
"Yeah. I have a job now."
Yet before anyone could ask, a voice called out. "Hey! Where are you?! Drinks need to be refilled!"
"Oh! Uh...coming!" Eliza shouted, then turned to the party of six. "Follow me. No one will see you if you go the back way. There's a storeroom you can hide in."
With little other option aside from possibly getting caught, they followed the now hired waitress through the back entrance of the bar, hiding behind the corner as Eliza went to tend to her 'customers.' Yet as she took some glasses to be refilled, she spotted a green-haired young woman dressed similarly to her and went over. "Go to the laundry heap and get six pairs of uniforms," she whispered. "The Princess is back."
Merci nearly leaped for joy but composed herself. Now that Eliza had returned from her break, it was her turn to take some time off and now was their chance to take back their kingdom.
Riesz's patience and restraint were wearing thin. It wasn't enough that these people went and invaded her land, yet they shamed her people?! Barbarians! Still, she had to restrain herself. At least for a bit longer. "So...when's one of your friends coming back?" Angela asked, feeling rather cramped hiding in this spot with five other people.
The amazon captain sighed. "I'll admit, Eliza is a little...scatterbrained, but...I trust her," she said. "For now, she's our ticket to getting through here safely."
Suddenly, footsteps were heard, Eliza rushing to the back with what appeared to be elaborate outfits in her hands. "Here," she said, holding them out to the group. "These will let you slip by. Although…" she averted her gaze from her captain for a moment. "Two of you will have to be uncovered. Merci could only get four." she then shoved a uniform in Riesz's hands. "Here. You take the first one."
Riesz was somewhat surprised yet shook her head. "No. That wouldn't be fair to everyone else." She then turned to the others. "I shall go last."
"But...but captain!" Eliza protested. "They'll see you!" She then took Riesz by the arms. "They're still looking for you! And if they catch you…."
"Wait." Hawkeye then said. "There may be another way." Both Eliza and Riesz looked at him; then, he turned to Angela. "Do you still have those outfits you bought from the Night Market?"
"Of course!" Angela answered. "After the money I spent on that, there's no way I'd give it up!"
"And it just so happens your captain purchased one too." the thief mentioned.
"Huh? But what does that have to…." Eliza began, but then she started to understand.
"What?" Riesz asked, pondering why everyone's eyes were on her. No, they couldn't mean...no. No, no, no. Not! She wouldn't wear such a thing! But she soon realized she had no choice. "Fine." she groaned, turning back to Eliza. "Where's the dressing room?"
"Upstairs," Eliza answered. "Though, I think you should change in the storeroom." she then looked to the other four, three men and one small girl. "I gotta get back to work. Good luck!" with that, the blue-haired amazon returned to her duties, leaving the six alone.
Riesz was handed her outfit, her cheeks flushing red at sight. So she was going to do this…." Well," Angela then said. "Might as well get it over with." she then pushed Riesz into the storage room and thought for a moment. "You too." She grabbed Charlotte and dragged her in as well. "No peeking," Angela said to the three. "Then again...I don't blame you if you tried to take a peek." she then centered her eyes on Duran. "Especially you."
"Get in here," Riesz commanded, clearly flustered.
"Geez, pushy." Angela rolled her green eyes and shut the door, leaving the three men alone.
Do human women always dress separately from men? Faerie asked.
It's a human thing. Duran responded.
Well, that made sense in a way. She certainly wasn't comfortable with her host seeing her naked.
"Guess we'll have to wait our turn," Hawkeye said, Duran in turn groaning.
"But that'll take forever." the soldier complained. "Auntie already takes enough time getting ready in the morning." and knowing Angela, who knew how long her 'fitting' would be. But then, both young men heard the ruffling of clothing, looking to see, to their shock, Kevin up and taking off his clothes. "The hell are you doing?!" Duran asked, the beastman looking up, curious about the problem.
"Undressing," he said. "That's what we're supposed to be doing, right?"
"Yeah, but...!" Duran hissed; Hawkeye was snickering. "Stop laughing! It's not funny!"
"But we do this all the time back home," Kevin answered. "I thought nakedness was simply the natural way we were all created."
"Well...yeah. But…" the Valsenan soldier still growled at how Hawkeye found this situation humorous.
"We are sent out into the forest at only a few years of age without any clothing so that we must rely on our instincts and-"
"Ok, ok! Enough!" Duran shouted, then hushing himself to try and not draw any attention. Hawkeye was near bursting out laughing. "Hey, hurry up in there!" the soldier said, knocking on the door. He wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. "Wait! Kevin! Don't take your underwear off!"
Later
"Ok, everyone set?" Faerie asked, looking and surveying everyone. Duran, Hawkeye, Kevin, and Charlotte wore Nevarlan ninja with mouth coverings, though some alterations needed to be made. For one, Duran's hair had to be 'smooshed' underneath the helmet to fit him up and had to brush a good amount out of his eyes. Hawkeye and Kevin fit in their attire well, though Kevin seemed to be slightly uncomfortable due to the shoes he was forced to put on. Finally, Charlotte was too small, the top oversized and covering her arms, and the pants had to be stuffed into her shoes practically.
"We are," Duran said but then gestured to the closet. "Save for two."
"Be right out!" Angela said, the door then opening, she strutting out to show off her (at least in her mind) shapely form. Upon her body was a Nevarlan dancer outfit akin to those worn by the Night Market Dancers and Eliza, only this one bore some notable differences. A circlet of gold rested around her forehead, a small headpiece clamped around her ponytail, holding a red veil that draped over the sides of her head. A red top with linings of green and golden beads trailed around the shape of her breasts, and a trail similar to the veil trailed along the lower part. She bore no pants; a thin, red skirt split in the middle rested on her seat, clasped together at the waist by a single, golden chain, allowing everyone to see her red bottoms lined with gold trimmings. In addition, she wore lilac stockings that came down to her ankles and red slippers with curled-up toes resting on her feet. "Well?" Angela asked, noting the eyes were surveying her. "Oooh, you flatter me, boys!" she giggled, regained their composure, and looked away. Charlotte, however, looked frustrated.
"So pretty…" she said. "Why can't I weaw something wike that?"
"Sorry to say, you've got no assets yet," Angela said, flipping out her hair. "Wait a few years. Or, in your case, ten. Maybe twenty." Charlotte only huffed. "All right," she opened the door. "Come on out of there!"
Silence emitted from inside, though eventually, Riesz exited, revealing herself to everyone. Though, unlike when she was fitting into her outfit in Beiser, Angela had taken off her headpiece and tied her hair up in a high ponytail with her ribbon. She didn't particularly like how the young men's eyes studied her, let alone how Charlotte was sizing up her chest (or lack thereof) to hers. "Ahem!" Riesz cleared her throat, bringing everyone to attention.
"Oh, come on, they have needs." Angela chuckled, her smile growing wider when she saw the other Princess grow bright red.
"Moving on…" Riesz strained. "We need to move out and, when possible, make way to the base."
"Oh, great! You're ready!" Everyone turned to see Eliza with an empty tray under her arm, having delivered the last of her rounds for now. "Oooh, Princess, you look great!" the other amazon said. "Divine even! Why there's not a prettier woman in all of Laurent-"
"Eliza." Riesz interrupted. "This reeks of 'I want something from you."
Eliza sighed. "Well...it's sort of like this…" she then fell to her knees. "I'm so sorry, captain! Forgive me! Please!"
"Eliza! Eliza, please! Get up!" Riesz commanded. 'You're causing a bit of a scene…' though no one had come to see what was going on, from behind the corner, she could see some eyes peering their way in curiosity as to what was going on back there. "Just tell me. What is it?"
Dancing.
Dancing.
DANCING?!
"I'm so, SO sorry!" Eliza apologized up and down. "But the girls that were on are sick, and we've got no one else to fill their spots!"
Riesz growled to herself from behind the curtain, she and everyone else on the top floor. Currently, she and Angela were on a stage while the boys (and Charlotte) were outside mingling with the soon-to-be spectators of their performance. "What am I going to do?!" She groaned. "I don't know the first thing about dancing!"
"What's there to know?" Angela questioned. "All you have to do is waggle your hips," she said. "And maybe give them a little tail if you know what I mean."
Riesz shook her head. "No! No way!"
Outside of the curtain and located in the back of the spacious room, the other four party members were going around, surveying the spectators and keenly listening in for whatever conversation potentially interested them. Though Kevin was displaying some considerable difficulty, clearly not used to wearing shoes, his movements were uncharacteristically awkward and stilted. "You ok there?" Hawkeye questioned, Duran just raising a brow.
"H-Hurts…" Kevin moaned. How in the world did humans STAND these things?!
"It won't be for too long. Hopefully." Duran said, Faerie then speaking to him in his mind.
Try and see what everyone knows here. These guys look pretty shifty, but if what I've seen with all of you is true, alcohol makes lips a bit looser. Even with his Auntie's brew taking most of the pain away, Duran needed no reminder of the terrible hangover he had. Soon, everyone spread out, going in separate directions.
Hawkeye came to a table with two individuals being served by Eliza, who only gave him a passing yet nervous glance before going off. "Hey guys." the thief greeted, steeling himself as the two others looked at him. 'Ok,' he thought. 'Don't see them as friends. Talk like you are strangers.' "How's it going?"
"What's it to you?" the desert man asked, Duran off-put by his remark. Yet Faerie reminded him to be calm and not attract too much attention to themselves.
"Well…" Duran started. "Can't a fellow...thief have a conversation?"
The two looked to each other, then back to the young man. "For a fellow thief, we've never seen you before."
Duran stiffened. Well? Faerie said. Say something!
I'm working on it! Duran cleared his throat. "Well...I'm...new," he explained.
"We've never seen you in the guild." one of them responded. "Let alone in Nevarl."
"Well…" the soldier said, trying to come up with a reply. "I...I'm from here, actually," he said. "And...I'm sort of interested in joining you guys."
Ok, that was it. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. Lifting his leg, he took the shoe off and threw it, knocking someone in the back of the head. "Oops. Uh, sorry." Kevin apologized, making sure to throw the next shoe more lightly. Only for it to hit someone else. "Sorry again," he said.
Nevertheless, it was a relief that he had those dreadful things off his feet. He could only hope his toes weren't broken thanks to the shoes. Nevertheless, he made his way through the crowd, deciding who to talk to.
Charlotte peered around, feeling somewhat insecure as she felt like a child amongst a group of rather unsavory characters. Yet that didn't bother her. It couldn't. She was a brave girl. She had to be, for her Grandpa and Heath. "Oof!" She was then sent to the floor, bumping into the back of a bar patron. The thief looked down, and his anger quickly turned into bemusement. "Well, you're the shortest pipsqueak I've ever seen!"
The blonde got up and dusted herself off. "I'm not THAT showt." she complained. "And I'ww have you know I'm fifteen yeaws owd."
"Yeah. Go home, kid. The last thing we need is a drunken toddler running around." the other thief said, Charlotte, in turn, puffing out her cheeks.
"Aww wight!" she then leaped on the table and grabbed the cloth of one of the thief's headdresses resting under his helmet. "One, I AM fifteen! Two, I've got some questions for you!" the thief was silent. Whether it was due to actual intimidation or shock, he didn't know, or it was a bit of both.
"Joining us?" the thief chuckled. "Don't make me laugh. You know nothing of thief life, kid."
"Yeah, go on home to your mama."
Duran's eyes narrowed, yet Faerie urged him to maintain his composure. "Well...I do. I've thought it over, and I want to join your cause." he said. "Laurent's been ruling this place long enough, and it's about time some new management came in." he was somewhat speaking loudly to let everyone hear his declaration to them. Though he could've sworn, he listened to a low growl behind the curtain.
The thieves looked at each other, then back to the disguised soldier, silent for a moment before finally speaking. "You know what? Fine. We'll bite."
"Finally," Duran spoke, then caught himself. "I mean, you will?"
"Yeah." the other thief said. "Course, you've got to do something for us."
He knew that there'd be a catch somewhere.
"The amazon's secret base?" Kevin questioned.
"Yeah." the thief said. "We've been searching for it ever since we got here."
"Not long after the invasion, some lady got on the boat out of here, and the Mistress said it was probably their Princess. There was another girl with her, who a couple of buddies of mine went after. But that was the last anyone saw of them."
Despite not having many positive feelings for these people, Kevin couldn't help but ponder with some degree of worry about what happened to them. "Do you think they were...killed?"
The thieves then went silent, a display of actual concern indicating that perhaps Hawkeye's reservations weren't entirely unjustified. "I don't know." one of them said. "Anyone that's gone there hasn't come back."
"Reports say there's a cave system near the way to the Heavensway."
"Heavensway?" Charlotte asked, pondering for a moment, but then tightened her grip on the thief's headdress. "What's that? Tell me!"
"It's an area that's not too far away from town!" the man said, his companion baffled by how quickly the tiny girl got so vicious.
"Whewe?!" she hated her speech impediment at times like this, yet it seemed that, to her delight, she was getting her message across.
"Just climb the hill outside of town! It's right outside it! You can't miss it!" he said. "It forks off in two directions, though!"
"And what's in those diwections?!"
"O-One of them leads up to the mountain, the home of the harpies! The other to Laurent!" he answered.
"But," the other thief began, amused at his friend's cowardice. "One way is said to lead to the Mana Stone."
"The Gusthall?" Hawkeye questioned the thief that had told him, nodding.
"It's said that King Joster had it installed, and the winds are said to be produced by the powers of the Elemental, Sylphid himself, to protect it."
"It's said that no one is strong enough to penetrate the winds." the other said. "Not unless they know the secret way. Not even Isabella's magic can get through." Hawkeye stiffened. "Speaking of, the amazons aren't the only ones she's ordered us to look for."
Hawkeye knew the answer already. "Ah, yes," he said. "The...traitor, Hawkeye."
"And the murderer." the other thief added. "Mistress Isabella said she saw him kill Flamekhan's son in cold blood. Yet he escaped before his sentence was executed."
"The Mistress has said that such a person would be trouble." the other thief said. "Though, I don't know why he would come here. He's probably long gone. Dead somewhere in the desert, being picked apart by vultures."
Hawkeye said nothing, yet he wanted more than to dismantle their accusations. "So," still, he continued. "What of Flamekhan now? Of his daughter?"
"Oh him?" The thieves looked at each other. "Both of them have been dealt with."
Before he could ask any more, suddenly, several lanterns were blown out, leaving only the lanterns above the stage lit. Neither Riesz nor Angela needed an explanation of what that meant.
"Well…" the amazon sighed. "Here we go."
The curtain lifted, revealing the two young women, everyone going silent and gazing at them, clearly liking what they saw. The urge to cover herself was suppressed (albeit with much effort), yet Riesz was still unsure what to do.
"Just move a bit," Angela whispered, beginning to sway her form to and fro, back and forth, clearly not sure what to do either, yet the show couldn't stop now; it had just begun.
Riesz joined her, shifting her hips and moving her arms in wave patterns and whatever else she thought a dancer should do. She had no idea. Angela, however, was proving to be more entertaining for the audience, her movements much more fluid and less stilted, displaying her legs and lifting her skirt to present her bikini-clad rump, yet it seemed that the audience could tell that these two were relatively inexperienced. Not to mention boring.
Perhaps seeing how good their reflexes were would liven things up.
Suddenly, the smashing of glass was heard, and a lantern that had been situated on a table was thrown. "The hell?!" Angela shouted, looking around to see who threw the object at them. Only to then feel something hard meet her forehead. A mug that was half full of beer had been thrown, Riesz catching her as she stumbled back.
"Who did that!? How dare you-" she was interrupted by a mug thrown at her, beer splashing right in her face. Soon, several things were thrown in their direction, from food and drinks to glass lanterns and the candles inside.
The four minging in the crowd looked on. "On second thought, maybe I don't wanna be dancing up thewe." Charlotte murmured.
"This isn't good," Kevin observed, quite surprised at the callousness of these people.
"Oh no," Eliza said, cupping her hand over her mouth. "Poor captain…"
Duran was about to step in and give more than a few of these guys a piece of his mind (as well as maybe a fist or two if it came to that), yet two hands seized his arm. "Wait a minute!" Hawkeye hissed. "Not a good time to cause trouble!" Kevin was also holding him back.
"Trouble?! I say that they've already caused it!" Duran said, pointing to Riesz and Angela. "You're just going to stand by and let them do that?!"
"Cool your head," Faerie whispered, poking her head out of Duran's ear and looking at Hawkeye. "I'm sure you've got a plan. Right?"
The thief pondered for a moment, though he knew he couldn't afford to do it for too long, lest things get more heated and Duran cannot hold back any longer. Yet then, he thought of something. "Hold him for me, would you?" he asked Kevin. "I'll be right back." with that, he went down to the lower level.
"Whewe does he think he's going?" Charlotte asked, confused.
"No clue," Kevin answered, Duran, looking in the direction the thief went. Angela and Riesz were still at the mercy of the unruly patrons.
"He had better make it back up soon, otherwise…" the soldier growled, wishing he had taken his sword with him from the storage closet. Wait a moment, the storage closet! Before he could or anyone else (Faerie included) do anything, Hawkeye came racing up the stairs, and with a flick of his wrist, he handed two items to the two young women on the stage, Riesz catching hers. At the same time, Angela had to pick hers off the ground, ducking under some nuts.
"Here!" a drunken thief said. "Have another!" he threw some fruit, only for the sharpened blades attached to a lance slice clean through them.
Riesz held her spear firmly in her grasp, eyeing the crowd as if daring them to try and throw something else. And indeed, a few more mugs and objects were thrown in her direction, slicing through or beating back all of them. As she watched her and made sure to stay a few feet back to avoid being hit, Angela surveyed Riesz's movements as she twisted and turned…"Hey." she whispered. "Hey, stop a minute."
The amazon paused, lifting it to block another thing thrown at her. "What?"
"The way you're moving…."
"What about it?"
"Don't you see? Look!" the sorceress pointed out to the crowd. While many still seemed interested in seeing how much they could throw for her to block, they seemed more intrigued by her now. Riesz twirled her lance in the air, the crowd seemingly entranced by its movement and how she managed to maneuver it in her grasp. Then, Angela looked at her wand and Duran in the group. "Psst! Lumina!" she whispered. She had an idea, though she wasn't sure if she could pull it off. After all, could the spirits do what she had in mind?
'Oh, hun!' Lumina then said in her mind; that she noticed her wand glowing. 'Something like that is so simple for us! Just relax and concentrate.'
She'd have to if they were going to get out of here without getting more stuff thrown at them, let alone get this nice outfit of hers torn up (she didn't care if it would start something, anything happened to this, she'd kill whoever did it). Taking a deep breath, Angela held the carved wood, and a slight glow began to emit from it, yet instead of a high-powered beam, a small light came out; she waved the wand around to see that the light left trails wherever it went. This had the attention of the crowd.
With mindfulness of Angela's position, Riesz continued to swing, spin, and maneuver her weapon. At the same time, Angela did what she had previously done, though she was allowed much more flexibility now that she had an extra flair. Twirling and spinning, she waved her wand, the light trail following wherever it went. The crowd seemed to especially like it when she spun around and held the rod up high, the light creating something of a spectral corkscrew that surrounded and turned around with her.
They were getting to see the better half of them all, even if it was mainly drunken (and male) fascination. Riesz didn't see herself dancing, her mind visualizing several harpies and Needlebeaks all around, each to strike her down. Yet they, unlike their natural counterparts, were slow and sluggish, allowing her to perform some more exaggerated motions and twirls with both her weapon and body. Angela, however, was all in, not needing to imagine anything. She twirled and leaped but also thrust and shook the more 'round' portions of her form, her rear and chest seeming to be the two things the crowd loved to see move.
In the back, the other four watched on, each having different reactions to the scene. Charlotte was in awe but had quite a bit of jealousy at the fact the two women looked so pretty while she was stuck in these clothes. Not to mention, at this point, she knew it'd take years to catch up in her looks with them. Especially in what were supposed to be her 'best' areas. Kevin appeared intrigued, yet the sight of skin didn't raise much in him. It was quite the social shock at how everyone seemed to be enthralled. Angela and Riesz looked all right, though they needed a bit more muscle on their bones; by beastman standards, they looked a little too lean. Then again, he wasn't one to talk; his physical physique has always been smaller than the rest—especially Ludgar. Duran was somewhat taken aback. True, Riesz was ok, yet he didn't think Angela could move like that. And...had her curves always been there? Hawkeye had quite the poker face, yet even he couldn't contain some of his impressment at the young women, especially the amazon. He should've thought more ahead; of course, Riesz would not know what she was doing. Yet it was then that it hit him: the way she fought...if that could be altered somewhat, it'd sort of count, right? Thankfully, it worked (not like he was worried or anything, oh no.), and now, he could enjoy the show.
The crowd urged the two young women on, demanding more as they performed. Eliza then remembered it was near closing time, so the two would have to hurry it up, mainly for her sake. She HATED having to be running after hours, which would mean that SHE would be the one that would have to lock up. Everyone always left her when they ran over. Angela had gotten an idea and urged Riesz to bring her spear over. Confused, Riesz did just that, and then the sorceress urged her to spin her lance. The light from her wand traveled along with her spear as she turned around, creating a spinning 'disk' of light that radiated all the spectrum of colors.
Just think about it, and you'll do it. It's a simple trick. Lumina assured Angela, in turn, nodded and raised her wand. Time for the finale.
Suddenly, light poured out from the wand, covering both young women in a colorful wave, and then, what appeared to be tiny sparklers came out from the wand's top, traveling up high. Riesz spun her weapon, the colors getting caught up and creating an upward tornado of a rainbow that surrounded the sparklers. Then, after a short time of doing this, the tornado exploded into several sparkles that filled the whole room, the rain of multi-colored light falling and disappearing. The crowd's judgment was unanimous. They all applauded for the two, some slamming the tables or whistling to give off their approval. Angela gave a smile and a flip of her hair, giving a bow to her adoring 'fans.' She gave Riesz a minor slap on the back to urge her to do the same; the amazon was mainly caught off guard by just how much everyone seemed to like their performance.
Eliza and the other waitresses got to work lighting the lanterns to signal the show was over; Angela and Riesz stepped off the stage and went to the other four party members. "That was awesome!" Charlotte cried out, wishing that she had some extra height and meat in all the right places. Kevin only nodded in response, Duran finding himself unable to say much of anything.
"You two look like you enjoyed yourselves." Angela noticed Duran growing bright red.
"Well...yeah. I mean, you were...ok." the soldier said, clearing his throat.
"I've got a record of everything going through his mind during it," Faerie said, popping out of his ear. "Would any of you be interested in hearing-AH!" she was silenced when Duran slapped the side of his face, wincing at the amount of force he didn't mean to exert.
Hawkeye noticed how Riesz seemed to avert her gaze from everyone. "You did well out there," he told her; she seemed to fidget.
"Yes, well...thank you for your contribution to the whole...dance...thing." she cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. "Well...now that that's dealt with," she saw that several of the patrons were leaving. "We can go and make our way to the base," she whispered.
"F-Fine by me." Duran coughed, still trying to ease the heat in his cheeks. "Which way?" he asked, the room now empty, the lanterns being put out, signifying closing time.
"The Princess and I will lead you to it," Eliza said. "The rest of us are going there too. I'll have to take you guys along the ridge path."
"Ridge path?" Angela asked.
"Oh, don't worry," Eliza answered. "It's not as bad as it sounds. Well, sorta." she averted her gaze for a moment. "But hey, you guys look like pretty good climbers." She snuffed out the last lantern, everything now dark, save for the moon shining through the window.
They were all unaware, however, of the set of prying eyes and ears from above, a small crack in the boards in the ceiling revealing a set of eyes that surveyed the group of seven below. The hidden figure then turned to the rest of their undercover colleagues, nodding in confirmation.
They would be led right to them.
Note: To those who don't know (as I was asked some time ago), Circle of Mana was a card-based game in the series released on the phone, though I don't think it ever came to America. Angela's outfit is mainly based on one of those cards, while Riesz is more based on Pameala/Phanna's attire depicted in the Circle of Mana game.
That said, here's wishing you all good health, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you!
