"Another bottle..."

"B-But ma'am... Y-You have already..."

"Does it look like I'm drunk to you?"

The waiter reluctantly filled her glass with wine before pacing away to move onto the next wagon.

After seeing him walk off, Vixella gradually took the glass of wine and began to stir it around in front of her.

"Vicky is such an alcoholic~"

The only other person in the wagon on the other side of the booth came into view through the translucent glass of wine.

"Yeah... And my 'dad' also once told me not to talk to strangers..."

"Hecc~ Stranger~? I'm your best friend~ Blanche~"

Vixella took a sip from the glass of wine as she glared at the bored-looking woman who slowly leaned herself onto the table.

"Come on Vicky~ No need to be so antisocial~"

Completely ignoring the strange woman in the top hat who she didn't even know, Vixella instead faced the windowpane.

The withered fields shifted by as the pneumatic train maintained its speed onward Vespelia whilst puffing out steady puffs of air.

Taking another sip from the wine glass, she was frustrated to a great extent since she just couldn't get drunk.

This was all thanks to the so-called 'Hero's Blessing' which gave her enough Life Force to negate even alcoholic effects.

"Trying to forget about something~?"

Vixella slowly rested down the glass of wine before sighing.

"Woal~ No need to be troubled~ Vicky~ Relationship problems~?"

Blanche raised her hands as if to apologize.

"I was reminded of someone who's long gone, that's all."

"Oh~ Sorry for your loss~ Your husband~?"

"Wife... Probably... I can't remember..."

"Woal~ You're into girls~!?"

"Look", Vixella sighed, "Just who are you to barge into my personal-"

"Chillax~ I have a good reason~ This cartridge~ You recognize it~?"

"Aah, wait... That's... One of the shotgun shells...!?"

"We were lucky that they missed it... Those guys were Vespelia's Special Force~"

"So you're informed... But do you know why they seem to be invincible when I shoot at them...?"

"Their uniform is coated with portable magical emitters~ Not mention the armor~ It's all enough to stop some low caliber pellets~"

Vixella slid the empty wine glass to the far tableside, out of view.

"You seem to know quite a bit about them."

"Well~ I've worked with them in the past~ Creating a new type of weapon~ My idea was to be selected but-"

Before Blanche could finish her sentence, Vixella who abruptly stood up from her seat interrupted her.

"Vicky~?"

"We need to move... There's a hijacking."

A while later, Blanche finally broke free from Vixella's grip that had dragged her all the way towards the Strider wagon.

"Hecc~? What are you doing~? Aren't you going to save the passengers~?"

"Is there a point? Let's just get out of here."

Vixella turned away and grasped onto the lever which would detach the wagon from the train.

"But Woofers' is also taken hostage~!!"

Blanche claimed angrily as she pointed back out the wagon door.

"Your dog? Alas, it's just a dog-"

"Then at the other hijacking a few days ago~ Why did you save everyone you could~"

Vixella eyes narrowed slightly as she began to hesitate.

She loosened her grip of the detach lever and looked away.

"Y'know~ Vicky~ Would the person you've lost want you to act this way~?"

"You're right... Sarah always said... She always told me..."

Vixella squinted her eyes as she rested a palm against the metallic frame.

"Go on~"

"Every day... Every night... She told me... My eyes are as bright as the sun... And that I should keep them that way..."

"Told ya~ But stupid Vicky~ Your eyes are dim- Waaait~ They're not dim anymore~!?"

Vixella brushed aside some welling tears as she snickered before grinning.

"Aah... Now that that's out of the way... Shall we go save your doggo and the hostages then?"

"But damn~ One hecc of a wife or whatever you had~  For her to say something so cringe~"

"Sorry, what was that...?"

The metal frame she rested her palm on was then crumpled as she turned over to Blanche with a smile.

"Joke~! That was a joke~!!!"

A CENTURY LATER

(IT'S JUST A PRANK BRO Transition Music)

"Finally... We're out."

"Hecc was that interrogation procedure~"

"The District Watch has a lot of time to waste when it comes to hijacking interrogations."

WOOF!

The pitbull pug which was big enough to fit in Blanche's arms barked out in return, seemingly agreeing with them.

The two walked away from the Vespelia station in mutual silence before Vixella leaned back to stretch her arms.

"Aah... By the way, those soldier guys said they'd deliver the package to their so-called 'higher-up'... Got any lead from that?"

"Vicky~ Those guys work directly under the Vespelian president unless they're needed for critical military operations~"

"So you're implying that someone related to the president of Vespelia took the package...?"

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Hecc if I know~ What if it's just the president himself~"

"Right... How long will it take for us to track these guys down?"

"About a week~ Max~"

"That's troublesome..."

"Listen here Vicky~ How about you just save your energy for later~ We'll both lay low during the coming week~"

"Alright, I'll leave it to you then."

"But may I ask~ What was the package~?"

"Let's just say it's something related to Lady Iris."

"You mean the Symphotian president's daughter~!?"

Blanche leaned back slightly as she seemed a bit surprised.

"Don't sound surprised... The crate was big enough to fit a person and supplies inside..."

WOOF!

The dog, surprised as Blanche, barked out.

"Damn Vicky~ You sure are tangled up with some important people~?"

Blanche smiled as she looked down and stroked her dog's head to calm it.

Vixella then racked her brain to remember the other 'important people' she knew.

"Important people... Important--- Aah, like... Sir Wolfe?"

AWOO!

The pitbull, surely dead from shock, howled out its last.

Blanche made an extremely uncertain face as she stroked her dog harder while profusely sweating.

"Woal~ Hahaha Vicky~ How close you are to them~?

"Friends... You could say they're both indebted to me, I guess."

"Haha~ My dog is dying from shock~ Just who are you~?"

"I already gave you my business card...? Anyways, where do you think they took Lady Iris?"

"An old abandoned warehouse outside of town~?"

Blanche pointed a finger over her shoulder.

Vixella shook her head softly.

"That's a bit lame, right? I would just hide her where one would never check... Like a police station or something..."

"Police Station~?"

Blanche, clearly not understanding this term, raised an eyebrow.

"District Watch Station... Was what I meant..."

"Vicky sure speaks weird sometimes~ But to imply that~ Should I start digging around those kinds of places then~?"

Vixella yawned and gave Blanche a firm nod.

"Go ahead if you trust my gut feeling."

WOOF!

The pitbull pug agreed.

"Then that settles it~ Now, let us lay low in that crappy motel just around the corner here~"

"They serve dinner?"

"No... But there's a good restaurant nearby if that's what you're asking for..."

"Alright, let's go then!"

The three, including the dog, eventually walked around a corner as they went up a small walkway.

But elsewhere in Vespelia...

A dark and enclosed room.

The young man who sat behind the dusty metallic desk had messy brown hair and dark sanguine eyes.

He wore black leather trousers alongside a long crimson coat that rested against the armchair he sat upon.

The arms that were crossed idly on the tabletop gestured towards the two sharply dressed men by the door.

This gesture did indeed reveal forth his tattered left sleeve where a mechanical prosthetic arm was present.

The two husky men dressed sharply with jagged metallic masks then hauled the large and tall crate into the room.

The lamp above was knocked against by accident as it began swaying about, tensing up the atmosphere even further.

It yanked left and right, making creaky metallic sounds above them as the men swiftly cracked open the crate with a crowbar.

There was a slight shift in the air as the front panel popped down and flushed dust away from the cold basement floor.

The man from earlier who sat by the armchair firmly stood up and paced around the desk towards the open crate.

A slight whirring sound came from his right mechanical leg as the young man came to a halt beside his two goons.

The coat's collar was now covering his mouth as he glared with keen eyes at what was inside the crate.

The lamp then finally came to a stop as he tilted his head slightly and gestured the men to buzz off.

"So... We meet again, Iris."

"Overseer Willis..."

((Too lazy to draw full body so here's the collar visual and face reference.))

((FYI: Original Concept is from a character 'The Guy' made in Roblox Highschool. Roblox is wonderful. Trust me.))

((LOL DIS BOII EDGY AF DUDE AHAHHAHAHA!))

[https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/362703793596399618/566226842080772107/EdgeDerius.jpg]

(("He's anime alright." - John 2019))

(("For fuck sake Vix, when are you going to draw my character?" - Kasper 2019))

((Left Mechanical Arm! Just a rough reference, not mine! // The leg is quite the same? Powered by wind-magic combustion!))

[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/362703793596399618/537384069722406932/kcollins_PROP_view.jpg]

((Crimson Coat Thing... Something like this? // Collars have no seams + popped up... It covers the mouth when standing straight.))

((His left sleeve tattered... Revealing the mechanical arm... Damn might this character design be a bit too edgy-!?))

[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/362703793596399618/537383808006225946/steven_ref.jpg]