Alicia and Sven stood in a field of what for all appearances was a deserted barn. Sven hefted a bag full of coins. “We’ll nearly clean out Vi’s closet at this rate. I’m worried she won’t be able to recover whatever debt she has. I feel bad.”
“I don’t.”
Sven adjusted his mask and called out in a loud voice. “Felice! Are you here?”
A small patch of earth shifted ahead. A scruffy white teddy bear poked its head out as if expecting beams to soar at its face. It fixed its small black button eyes at the two. “Hm? Interesting. Interesting. I don’t recognize you.”
It pointed a small plush arm at Sven.
“I’m part of a new gang called the Black Cats. We took over the Dire Wolves you previously worked with. I’ll pay for some of your weapons and items.”
Sven observed the vessel. A stuffed animal, yes, but if Felice was controlling its movements, then he could also read her body language. It swerved its head from him to Alicia. Intrigued, from the way it tilted. Suspicious, from its tense posture. Greedy, and most of all hungry for excitement, from the way it leaned forward.
“How much?”
He held the bag towards her. “Three thousand coins. This is a sample. But we want to meet you in person.”
The bear froze. Its eyes fixed on the coins. Then it doubled over in laughter. “Kekeke! That’s all?” It collapsed to the dirt, wheezing. “You must be joking! You want to meet with such a paltry amount?”
Sven watched in unnerved silence as the teddy bear rolled around. He kept his composure. “What would satisfy you?”
The teddy bear stopped laughing and picked itself up. It assessed Sven, noting his steady gaze. “I’m quite busy with another client’s work already. One I’ve been preparing for a good time. It’s becoming more dangerous to travel and I suspect the Kingdom is after me.”
It spoke sharply. “Who are you, exactly?”
He replied in an unflappable tone. “A traitor to the kingdom. One of my fellow members had a falling-out with his partner. Related to the king and queen’s policies. I agreed with him. I have no feelings for the kingdom or its rulers, myself. I wish to carve out my own path in life.” A lie spun out of truth was easier to maintain than pure falsehood.
Felice’s puppet calmed down. “You’ll have to excuse my suspicions.”
The toy jumped from the patch and did a slow twirl, as if doing ballet, putting a hand against its cheek. Considering. If it could, Sven suspected it would have grinned. “Now, I need proof you’re not working with the kingdom and that you’re worth my time. Eight thousand coins.”
“Of course. You’re a successful business person.”
The toy nodded in a self-satisfied way. “Yes. You understand. I would enjoy a little sweet revenge. How about this? Capture a little Anima. Bring him or her to me, in secret. Keep those adventurers away. Then I want to kill the child in front of my eyes. I want to see something interesting. Surprise is always the best. Fear, and pain. Those wonderful expressions of confusion. Eh heh heh heh.”
Sven’s breath hitched. He forced himself to keep calm and stoic. He glanced at Alicia. Her usually impassive demeanor held fear and repressed anger.
He could see Felice’s logic easily. She enjoys sowing chaos. She wants to make herself feel powerful. She wants to ensure we have no compunctions going against the kingdom, as we claim.
His training and instincts raged against him, but he offered a stiff nod. “That’s worthwhile. We will need time.”
The teddy bear headed back to its hole. “You have four hours. That’s the best I can offer you.”
“It’s settled.” He felt bitterness in his tongue.
“Good, good.” It bent down and scraped an address onto ground dirt with its arms. “Let’s meet at a factory I run. I want to show you some of the wares I have. Then you can pick your items and we can be quick.”
The teddy bear vanished in the dirt.
Sven and Alicia retreated. He took out a phone. Despite his best efforts his hand trembled. “Enrique? We have a problem.”
----------------------------------------
Enrique gave Cecelia a chagrined side glance. “I do have one idea, but it’s strange. We could pretend to capture—”
“I’ll do it.” She was firm.
“You wouldn’t want to…what?” He stared, her words registering in his ears mid-speech.
Vi’s voice came in. “I don’t agree with this. It’s too dangerous.”
Sven spoke from his device. “I also can’t agree. There’s no telling what Felice will do. Surely there’s other options?”
Vi was holding her mirror in front of her. “Felice is making her way to a factory.”
“She gave an address. I’ve sent it to everyone now.” Sven tapped out a text.
Cecelia pouted. She checked her phone, seeing the location and latest uploaded video on social. “That’s where your amulet came from…this is a big problem, isn’t it? People’s lives are at stake.” Then she fixed Enrique with a determined, straightforward gaze. “I’m going. You need me! I want to see this whole thing through.”
Enrique slowly nodded. “We don’t much choice. No time.”
Vi’s voice was filled with concern. “Cecelia—”
He cut her off. “She’s going. It’s her choice, and I’m good with that.”
“No!” Sven’s tone was heated.
“I’m the one who asked for your help,” Enrique snapped. “That makes me the leader here! Cecelia and I are going through with this. In any case, we have my link with Vi and you two are strong yourselves.”
Sven clenched his teeth. “Idiots! You’re too young to think straight.”
Enrique tapped the button to end the call. “Let’s rejoin him and Alicia.”
Cecelia and he made a quick stop at a bank. It was a small one and resembled a shop more than anything, with warm lights, counters, and smiling Anima. He strode to a male bear teller. “Five thousand gold. Cash. Be quick about it.”
The teller held out a small device. He frowned. “Ah, I do not advise you to do that. Your account has a negative balance—”
Enrique struck the counter with his fist. “Do it or people are going to get hurt.”
The teller’s eyes widened. “Are…are you threatening me?”
Okay, maybe he could have reworded that. “Put it on my partner’s tab.”
After getting the money, which the teller appeared to be very anxious about, they raced to Vi’s house. Cecelia waited outside, lugging two large coin bags. She glanced around the neighborhood. “Ah, the houses here are so cozy. No wonder Auntie Vi likes to live here—”
Suddenly, a black hooded figure swooped behind her. She screamed and then the figure, with a festival mask like a cat, clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Shut it, it’s me,” Enrique hissed.
“Mmrph!” Cecelia exclaimed. She mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, “Peanuts!”
Vi was worried. “Cecelia, I’m coming over as soon as I can. You need to run away.”
Enrique tried to assure her. “We’ve got this, Vi.”
A nearby home’s lights turned on and he spotted a motherly face peek out a window. The light quickly shut off, but not before he saw the expression of astonishment on it.
“Shoot. Let’s move!” He yanked Cecelia’s hand.
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“What is it?” Rick turned from his seat on his black dragon, Ender, to look at Charlotte.
The backpack girl tugged at her hair. She wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I was thinking, um, we should make an apology online. For fighting at school? I could lose followers. Also also, I don’t know about using your Partner Swap on so many girls. Didn’t the queen mention the System could punish you for that? Maybe you should disband the harem you want to collect—”
Rick stared at Charlotte as though she had come from another planet. “What’s gotten into you?”
She looked up, uncertain. “You’re always so assertive, and I thought that was cool, you know? You do whatever you want, and that’s super cool, but lately I thought that’s not so coolll—”
“Charlotte.” He leaned forward and she shrank back. “Are you kidding? We’re getting so popular. Eradicating the Dire Wolves got us the king’s attention. Blackstar is becoming one of the strongest Guilds thanks to using that Swap on so many. We’re throwing the Guild a big party later, remember? I have so many females lining up for that night. What’s the point of me doing all this if I can’t even do what I want with some NPCs? I’m your partner. Don’t my interests matter too?”
“Y-yes,” she stammered. “Of course I support you! But you shouldn’t hurt people or be pushing them to do things—”
“My rank’s shooting up. We’re past 8300. I’ll be everyone’s Hero and everyone will love you, Charlotte. Forget about apologies. I do whatever needs to be done.” He squinted at her face, brows furrowed. “Did someone talk to you? A troll on your channel? Some overly righteous snob? Tell me who.”
She tugged the sleeve of her jacket. “Her name’s Cecelia. She’s a first-level student but I don’t remember her.”
He turned away to focus on flying the dragon. He took out his phone. “Let’s see, let’s see…I can’t recall a small fry like that…”
“She’s a cat girl. Fluffy white ears and tail, you can’t miss her.” Charlotte’s voice was sullen and much less eager than usual.
Rick found some social media posts. He smirked. “She’s cute. Quite popular, too. Don’t worry, I’ll talk some sense into her.” He turned to grin at Charlotte, who glanced away. “You stay home, rest up, and let me work my charms. She’ll be another supporter to us. Let’s check her address…eh?”
He stared at the screen, then swiped to a notification in his bounties app. “A new bounty…last seen at a residential district, near Pine Way, by the capital. A kidnapping? Is that her?”
Charlotte followed his eyes to an image and squealed in shock. “Oh my stars! How’s that possible? She was there before my deliveries got interrupted by that weirdo!”
“Not to worry.” Rick smiled, his eyes shifting the way Charlotte knew when he had an idea. “I’ll rescue her and show we’re not bad people. You’ll get the credit. It’s perfect.”
----------------------------------------
Felice stepped through her house and into a hidden chamber. A fountain of dark water stood in the center. Inlaid through the marble was a crystalline structure spreading down like veins. It resembled the center of a shrine dedicated to a demon. Felice didn’t care for such rituals or dedication. However, it happened to be one of the scant few ways to get in touch with perhaps her most valuable client.
She bent over the fountain and placed a hand into the water. “Osmodeus. I place my offering to communicate with your contractor.”
Ripples spread from her touch. The water darkened to a black color. A minute after she intoned, a shadowy face with red eyes appeared in the reflection.
“Allblades. The preparations you’ve asked for are ready. Can you send me the money?”
The face was impassive, its voice harsh and cold. “I want proof. Detonate the bombs. Show me images.”
Felice waved a hand. “I’ll do it as soon as that ignorant girl finishes handing them out as I suggested. Too early, and the kingdom will react and I will miss any remaining victims. The bombs must have crystals within their range in order to activate.”
His reply carried a hard undertone. “Make sure you are not caught. My payment is based on the condition of spreading confusion and destruction throughout the kingdom. This will feed my powers and open the gates for further strikes. I will not take kindly to failure at this critical moment.”
The Fae laughed. She gingerly tapped her shoulder, wrapped with a bandage. “You need not concern yourself. I’m always thinking ahead.”
Her client was paranoid to ludicrous levels. She had worked with him a few times to earn his trust, but it was an absolute pain to hear him constantly speak about avoiding being watched.
“Your bombs are a good test run, but only part of my equation. Once my mana crystals are spread throughout the land, I’ll be able to expand the range of my toy network. It will make moving goods much easier and give me free reign with any future deals. With such a dispersed network, I’ll become untraceable. A shadow with a web of toys at my command.”
“You talk too much. My time is limited.”
She was irked. Wasn’t he impressed by such deviousness? Surely a famed assassin could appreciate good, careful work. “You know my past record. I’ve already done assignments for you. You did receive plans from the Elarrian remnant by my hand.”
That reminded her of the meeting with his little cat worker. “By the way, your assassin wanted to meet with me for a deal. She was next to a man I haven’t seen before. Is this your doing as well?”
A short pause from the shadowy figure. “So the System has given her a partner,” he said finally. “This complicates matters. She is acting under my command and goal, but until now she has had enough freedom to act out the details herself. I will give her instruction soon.”
“If you say so. Let’s wrap up…eh?” Felice noticed one more oddity.
Time to speak through scrying was already precious, yet Alblades limited even that time as a precaution. The fountain’s connection was not weakening as much as she expected.
A slow smile spread on her face. “You’ve become stronger. I won’t pry, eheh. Are you finally going to step out of the chaos lands?”
The red eyes gleamed with a contained, ruthless fury. “Very soon. Do not let them find you.”
The water rippled. His reflection was wiped away without a trace.
----------------------------------------
“I have no idea what’s going on, even after you explained,” Cecelia told Enrique.
He sighed. “Sorry. We’re pretending to be bad guys to catch the real bad guy. That’s the gist of it.”
Vi was quiet. “If you’re going to do this, we need to stay one step ahead of Felice. That’s why I went through the trouble of a blood mirror. I’ll feed you information. Cecelia, get away whenever you have the chance.”
“Felice could still suspect us,” Cecelia added.
“Sven and Alicia should arrive first. I’ll talk with Enrique because I have an idea of what she might try.”
Enrique shrugged. “Okay. We should start as a group. Three of us go with Cecelia, then you whenever you get there. Safety in numbers.”
Later, Sven and Alicia stepped to the factory Felice had marked for them. Enrique followed a short distance behind them with an arm around Cecelia.
“Looks deserted.” Sven peered at the hulking, iron-gray multi-story structure. It sat still. The paint was faded and surrounding machinery was covered in rust. “I don’t hear anything. No one going in or out.”
Alicia blinked twice. “The inside could be soundproofed.”
“Hey!” Cecelia tried to wave to Alicia, but Enrique clamped a hand over her mouth.
“This is a kidnapping, stupid!”
“He’s just concerned about you,” Sven assured her kindly.
An awkward silence stretched between them. “Why did you come back?” the man asked.
Enrique turned his head aside. “I’ve been a jerk. I was never good with people. Thought I needed to change that.”
His mask tilted at Alicia. “Must be good to finally be free of the gang. I thought you’d leave the first chance you got.”
Alicia needed a second to realize why he thought that. He still believed the Dire Wolves had been the main threat to her. She wanted to tell him she still wasn’t free, though she couldn’t. She searched for an excuse. “Azurelane did promise me freedom. I thought I needed to repay her.”
Enrique was surprised. Sven glanced askance at Alicia with brief approval. She didn’t recognize it as approval, because she hadn’t seen such an expression. The closest memory it resembled was a short nod Allblades gave her years ago, when she had finished one of his tasks. Still, it stirred up a warm feeling inside. With it, a yearning for more.
Sven jerked his thumb towards the factory. “Let’s head in.”
Enrique hesitated. It was dark now. Rain came down in a light drizzle. The place gave off an eerie, heavy atmosphere.
“I won’t let anything happen to Cecelia,” the man promised. He took hold of the white-eared cat girl together with Enrique.
Vi spoke up. “She’s on the third floor already.”
They walked through an open set of large iron doors. Alicia turned out to be correct. Inside was whirring of pistons and levers. Giant grinders, conveyer belts, steam vents, gears, piles of iron ingots and plates moved in their positions. Stuffed animals ran hither and thither. They sharpened swords against stone, hustled armor pieces off belts, and dunked blade-shaped iron into what appeared to be lava pits. More toys lined the walls on shelves, sitting limp and inert.
“These look mostly finished,” Sven murmured to Alicia. She nodded in confirmation. The group’s attention were drawn to a set of colorful gems being fitted into amulets. Enrique grit his teeth, finding them similar to Yecna’s necklace and the red amulet he had encountered already.
Several stuffed animals turned their heads towards the newcomers in unison. A loud, tinny voice reverberated through the factory, as if coming from each toy at once. “Welcome, welcome. Consider it a privilege to be allowed in. I trust walking through my workshop will inform you on what you’d like. I’ll meet you at the third floor.”
The group headed up a clunking metallic staircase.
They passed some kind of testing room, where two gems sat and tendrils of glowing energy flowed out and into three inert toys. Two exploded violently and Cecelia yelped. The other flickered and blended against its surroundings, though its outline still shimmered as light hit against it.
The workshop became progressively darker and darker the higher they went. Stuffed animals lurked from around corners and above large crates, eyes glittering and mouths turned up in permanent smiles. Cecelia’s breath came faster. She clutched Enrique’s arm so tightly it was painful.
He held out a hand to emit a small flame. The only other dim light came from overhead, marking their path forward in a line. They stopped in front of a pale woman with pink pupils. She was similar to the illusion Alicia had seen, medium build, wearing blue eye shadow and a dress of pink and white. Cecelia’s eyes were drawn to a small silver knife in the figure’s hand.
Felice’s mouth parted into a vicious smile. “Excellent. I see you have what I came for. Leave the money here. Keep the child steady now.”
Enrique’s heart was beating madly. He gripped his sword and tapped into Vi’s psychic link, praying it worked. Felice is here. She’s in the center of the room. Right in front of Cecelia. We’re moving out!
Felice advanced towards Cecelia, the knife glistening as she twirled it between her fingers.
Cecelia put up a terrific struggle against her kidnappers, throwing out her arms and shouting. “Let me go! What do you want? Get away from me!” Her eyes were glazed with terror and her breath came out in a panicked hitch.
Vi spoke calmly but urgently. She’s not in the center. She’s on your left, facing Alicia. Enrique.
What? Enrique swerved his gaze to Alicia. She stood aside from the other three, watching with a hint of unease. He forced himself to react in spite of himself and threw up a red energy shield around Cecelia. The others responded as if that was a signal they had been waiting for. Sven created a second shield surrounding Cecelia. Alicia raised her arm and blasted a black beam straight to Felice’s chest.
Then to everyone’s surprise, the beam passed straight through the Fae’s body like a ghost. She grinned. “How unexpected. I was hoping to impress you.”
“It’s an illusion!” Sven shouted, at the same time that a shimmering outline darted from in front of Alicia and jabbed at Cecelia’s shields, throwing up yellow sparks in a powerful collision that shattered Sven’s shield and nearly broke Enrique’s.
Enrique unsheathed his weapon and unleashed a red beam from his blade. The outline leaped away. Its features shimmered in the dim light. Alicia jumped after the indistinct form. The assassin fired more black beams and summoned two shadow clones in wisps of black light.
“She has some type of camouflage spell. She can blend into her surroundings. The darkness is to her advantage as well.” Alicia’s eyes scanned before her in earnest as she raced after the Fae.
She’s on the second floor, Vi relayed to Enrique.
“She’s trying to escape! Down on the second floor!” he repeated for Sven and Alicia.
Sven scrambled down the steps. “You take Cecelia and get her out of here! Alicia and I will find Felice!”
Enrique grabbed Cecelia’s hand. The two fled down the nearest stairway he could find. Rumbling sounded and the patter of many plush footsteps squeaked along floors below. Metal scraped ground and energy hummed through steel.
As soon as Enrique set his foot down on the second story, a hail of yellow beams soared at his face. He dived and tackled Cecelia. As they hit the floor he glimpsed a horde of stuffed animals stampeding over, wielding swords and knives.
“A little help here!” he called to Vi.
I’m on my way. Hold your sword. I’ll send some memories. Remnant and I will teach you.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
He slashed with his weapon, sending a fiery red arc into the nearest attacking toys.
First you need to identify good cover.
I already know to find— An image popped in his head of Aurelius ducking behind an overturned vehicle. Enrique, already mid-way to a set of crates, changed his mind and dragged Cecelia to a hulking set of machinery. He cringed as the crates were shredded apart and beams rattled the makeshift barrier in front of him.
Cecelia was wide-eyed. “Oh my skies, those toys are moving! They have weapons!”
“Yeah, get used to it,” he grunted.
“This is the fifth craziest thing in my life this week!” Cecelia cried.
Vi went on calmly. When under attack as a unit, one basic tactic is “fire and maneuver”.
Enrique’s mind flashed with something like a short video, except he was in it and seeing through it. Aurelius peeked out from a set of cover and thrust out his sword. Waves of ice and blue-white beams flew from the blade in a pounding barrage. He could hear distant shouting as craters blew open and geysers of frozen dirt were flung skyward. From the side, he saw Vi sweep forwards and position behind another barrier, summoning her own series of blasts. Then he moved in. More than mere senses, his every thought, practice, and instinct drilled into every muscle movement was made known to him.
As the video ended, Enrique’s aura gathered around him. He held out his sword. Massive flames and red beams roared from the point and from his body. “I’ll do suppressive fire. Cecelia, you’re the moving element. Go to that conveyer belt ahead and close the gap to the enemy.”
“O-okay!” She raced to the belt, surprised by the sudden change in his words. As she did, black wisps formed next to her, making a vaguely human form that ran by her side.
“A shadow clone?” She chanced a glance at Enrique, who was still hammering the enemy with a furious blaze.
Stuffed animals fell in spectacular fashion. Stuffing flew off, plushie limbs and arms detached, and ax-shaped runes went dark. Toys exploded and scattered.
The shadow clone next to Cecelia raised itself up and promptly fired another inferno of beams. Enrique used the covering fire to slide to another position past Cecelia. “We’ll push past them and find an exit!”
Some toys ducked and seized nearby items to resist the onslaught. They hauled up shields, hurled crates to absorb impacts, or yanked machinery and tables out as makeshift barriers. Three teddy bears weaved past attacks and aimed their weapons at Cecelia. She cried out as pieces of the belt snapped off and a blast hit the front with a bang.
“Overdrive!” Enrique fastened his red amulet around him and rushed to intercept the bears.
Another mental video hit. When it comes to melee combat, arguably the most important aspect is footwork. Good footwork places you in striking distance of your opponent and out of their own strikes.
Can you not talk like this is a class lecture?
Mid-run he found himself as Aurelius. He performed side-stepping and movement drills over and over. Left to right, front to back, being careful where he positioned his feet. He wanted more variation. That wasn’t an option. He could sense someone watching the very few drills he was learning, silently noting his every mistake. He was sweating and it was maddening.
Enrique dodged streams of light. He mimicked one drill. Though he didn’t have the body to do it well, he adjusted to get the basic form down. He swerved around the first teddy bear as it lunged and slashed a knife arc. Without pause, he thrust his blade and struck it through the chest with a roar of flame.
The remaining two teddies attacked him with beams from swords larger than they were tall. He summoned a shield and stumbled back as each slammed against it. The acrid stench of smoke, burnt metal, and ash nearly made him choke. Enrique poured more energy into his shield. With a mix of panic and bemused surprise, he found himself backpedaling from the two toys. I can’t hold on much longer!
Don’t just block. Turn your attack into defense. Attack and defend at the same time, if possible.
She showed another memory. This time he was in the midst of a confusing battlefield. Spells and beams of light flew every which way at him. He formed a small shield of ice in his left hand but with his sword blasted beams straight through a set of frontal spells. They pierced two blurring figures advancing towards him. He blocked side strikes with his shield and continued with an aggressive offensive, cutting through enemy beams and disrupting their assault.
Enrique took the cue and brought his blade up. A shield of blue formed near his arm, courtesy of Vi. As he brought his own shield down he slashed at the teddy bears pounding him. A giant red arc blew through the beams and struck them down in a flash of orange flame.
Cecelia watched with undisguised fascination as he waded forwards, using the small shield to deflect spells while striking with his sword. The blade lit up with yellow electricity as he stabbed through a toy. Lightning flew out and connected with several nearby stuffed animals, which collapsed to the floor, sizzling sparks.
“Wow! How…how are you doing that?”
“Aah! Why’d that—” He broke off and swiped with his arm as more yellow lightning flashed out in a ball and struck another group. “Explode!” A flame erupted around a circle of toys. The shadow clone next to Cecelia ran ahead then fired black beams so he could advance more. His blade hurled out beams of ice as he delivered a slash at the nearest wave of opponents.
It was like his blade and magic pouring out of him was having a mind of its own, while he himself had suddenly gained a fluid, experienced fighting style in the blink of an eye. “It’s not really me. It’s a team effort,” he grunted.
Then his blue shield abruptly vanished. An electric ball from his sword flew wide, tearing into a wall, and the blade’s electricity cut off. The shadow clone disappeared. He froze in shock. Cecelia grabbed his leg and pulled him down, in time for a fierce barrage of beams from the stuffed animals to soar past. Intense heat brushed against their skin and the ground rattled from impact.
Vi? What’re you doing?
Sorry. I’ve been injured lately. I’m in some trouble. Can you send me your shield?
He concentrated, in his mind transferring his relatively crude shield spell to Vi like a ball of light attached to a string. What’s going on?
Get Cecelia out.
Enrique suddenly heard silence from his communicator and the link. “Shoot. Shoot!”
The two glanced around and glimpsed a doorway with dim moonlight streaming in. Cecelia pointed. “There!”
He swiped at the doorway. “Explode!”
Dust near the exit blew up, breaking the door into a large, gaping hole. He shoved Cecelia forwards. “Go! I’ll cover you and find the others!”
Enrique slashed at the toys, sending up walls of flame, energy arcs, and throwing smoke at their faces in a desperate effort. She narrowly slipped past a hail of attacks, and then charged through the exit.
----------------------------------------
Cecelia ran hard and fast. The factory receded in the distance. Soon she was out in the open, on a path to a safer part of the city. Adrenaline surged within. As she slowed, gasping for breath, she tried not to remember the sheer terror of seeing Felice stalking towards her. Suddenly, a large black dragon swooped down from the sky. Its rider, an adventurer, reached out his arms and hauled her up to sit with him.
“What are you doing? Let go of me!” Cecelia kicked and struggled with her arms.
The adventurer, in a dark blue outfit with an “X” icon and dark hair, wrestled her in place with an amused smile. “You don’t need to worry. I’m here to rescue you now.”
She continued to fight as the dragon soared away. “No! You don’t understand!”
Rick held out a hand as if to calm her. “Have no fear. My partner Charlotte alerted me to your kidnapping. I’ll take you to your house. In time, I’m sure you’ll feel thankful that a dashing mage like me was quick to act. I think I’d look great on posters when I become a Hero, don’t you think?”
Cecelia stopped to stare at him. “What? What about Felice? What about the others? Did you see my video?”
He blinked. “Felice? Others?”
“She’s a traitor to the kingdom! She’s going to hurt people!”
The dragon landed. Rick set her down. He chuckled. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. You’ve had a great fright. Doesn’t Felice run a toy shop? Charlotte and I have bought toys from her quite a lot, and I can assure you she’s harmless—”
Cecelia slapped him in the face.
Rick’s mouth dropped open in shock. He rubbed his cheek as Cecelia yelled at him.
“You dumb nut! That factory has a bunch of people risking their lives and fighting to catch her! Be a real hero and help them out!”
Rick took a step back, sliding a leg over his dragon as Cecelia gave him a fierce glare. “My. What a nuisance. Run on home, little cat. I’ll let you off this time, given your mental condition, and get my reward from the ministry.”
He flew off. He was curious, though. He angled Ender back in the direction they’d come from.
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Meanwhile, Alicia and Sven had run into their own horde of toys. “Reinforcements,” Sven cursed. Alicia pulled a knife from her suit. She glowed in a black aura. Her black shadow clones tore through swaths of the stuffed animals. Black beams from her knife shot down even more. Her eyes were fastened on a shimmering outline which zigzagged and continued to flee.
“We can’t let her reach the first floor,” Alicia growled. She pumped her arms and legs in hot pursuit.
Sven slashed with his knives, sending out green arcs and wind blasts which hurled toys out of the way and cleared a path for her. “I can barely see her. She’s too fast.”
“Not as fast as me,” Alicia snarled, as the two barreled down the last staircase. She vaulted down, ignoring the steps to propel herself from a wall and slide down a rail affixed to the stairs. Sven followed with surprising agility for his size, propelling himself forward with a gust of wind behind him. Enrique burst down with them from another passageway, nearly colliding with Alicia in surprise.
“Watch it!” She shoved him aside.
“We need to pin her down,” Enrique gasped out, winded.
“Can you do a psychic link?” Sven arrived and grabbed him as he stumbled forwards. Enrique made a face. “I can try. Me and you?” The man nodded.
“We’re wasting time!” Alicia snapped, racing ahead.
Felice hit the first floor running, dodging beams from Alicia and one of her clones. Her outline shimmered and then her body became visible in brief, frenetic flickers. The real Felice was much like her last illusion, though carrying a small gem as well as a knife.
A powerful spell like that must have limits, Alicia reasoned. It wasn’t a natural ability, so Felice must have equipped the magic to herself in some temporary way.
Enrique unleashed a flurry of flames as Alicia’s clones surrounded the Fae. Felice ducked and weaved. Many small stuffed animals scurried to her aid, swinging enchanted weapons at the clones and attacking the trio. Sven reached into his cloak and yanked the pin off a grenade. “Enrique!”
Sven tossed the bomb in Felice’s direction. The grenade curved mid-flight as he pushed it with a puff of wind. Felice, grinning, spun to avoid the grenade. At the same time she twisted to dodge flames and darkness beams. Her smile disappeared, however, as Enrique held out his hand and activated his link. He shoved the grenade at her face with Sven’s gust of wind.
Felice had her nearest toys perform a suicide tackle in an attempt to push herself out of the way. The grenade detonated with a thunderous bang and a colossal explosion. Shards stabbed into stuffed animals. Felice was flung against a wall and slid down, dazed.
Enrique advanced, blade at her chest. “End of the line, you sick freak!”
“It’s over, Felice!” Sven added.
Without warning, a side wall burst open. An adventurer with a huge sword leaped off of his black dragon, separating the trio from Felice. Rick saw the toy shop owner and turned to her with surprise. “Felice?”
In an instant, Sven hurled a burst of wind at himself, Enrique, and Alicia. The three landed behind a large, scorched piece of equipment.
“What are you doing?” Enrique hissed. He went up to aim at Felice but Sven grasped his arm.
“That’s a guy we met before. He’s strong. Let him take care of Felice.”
Enrique gawked. “Are you joking? Then Rick gets all the credit! Let’s beat him and Felice both up!”
Sven shook his head. “This way gets the job done. He’s not an idiot. He’s confused about her being here, so they don’t seem to be working together. Rick may figure out what’s going on.”
“That’s stupid!” He seethed, attempting to push himself forwards.
The man pulled him back, eyes flashing. “This is no time to be childish because you don’t like this person! The important thing is we defeat that dealer!”
Enrique turned, anger radiating out from his mask. “Childish? What’s wrong with being a kid? I’m leading here! When I was leading my gang, everyone was a kid! We didn’t have adults telling us what to do! We made our own decisions, and we ended up doing fine by ourselves—”
“News flash, Enrique! You’re not in a gang anymore! Alicia and I are not the people you worked with!”
The two glared at each other, breathing heavily.
----------------------------------------
In the meantime, Felice rose shakily from the wall, seeking a way out. Stuffed animals lay at her feet, silent and still.
Rick cocked his head, surveying the mess, and took a step forward. “Didn’t expect anyone to be here. I did sense the building shaking, which was quite peculiar. What happened? I thought I’d find some kidnappers.”
Felice huffed, inching her way to the side. “I suppose I should clear up this situation.”
She held out a hand and scraped a mark on the wall with her knife. It glowed with purple light and a teddy bear walked up next to her. She pointed at its chest. It began to shimmer and an illusion formed on it like a screen. The screen popped up a video of the entrance to a luxurious mansion.
Rick was puzzled. “That’s Charlotte’s house. What does that have to do with anything?”
Felice’s lips turned up in a devious smile. “I have a confession. I’ve been making use of mana crystals in some of my stuffed animals. The crystals, you see, allow me to tap into my toys and see through their eyes. What you’re glimpsing now is like a surveillance feed through one of Charlotte’s last purchases.”
The adventurer watched with growing concern. “Why would you do that? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I wasn’t planning on doing anything.” Her words were blatant lies, but she relished speaking them as Rick frowned.
“What…?”
“However, you two are such valuable customers that your house became my base of operations. Charlotte has so many toys. A storehouse of crystals so strong they can transmit spells to many places, including where we are now. It’s been right under your noses, but that has helped me monitor many business opportunities. Unfortunately, I have enemies. Now that it’s come to this, I have no choice but to…hm?”
Felice broke off as she and Rick saw a fox woman outside the door of the mansion. The door was ajar. The fox woman was carrying a struggling horned girl who had her mouth open in a scream of panic.
“Charlotte?” Rick jumped towards the screen, as if he could dive into the feed and free her. “That’s the fox I saw earlier! How dare she! What’s going on?”
“Wait, wait, I can’t believe I didn’t catch this. Rewind.” Felice held out a hand in a purple glow. The screen warped, re-formed like solid light, and then showed Vi entering the mansion. The arms dealer recovered her surprise, and with a grin angled her fiction in another direction. “Are you familiar with this stranger? Some kind of troublemaker, I take it.”
“Not well. A pathetic excuse of a former adventurer,” Rick scoffed.
Vi approached Charlotte who stood with a stuffed animal in her arms. Without warning, she wrenched the toy from Charlotte’s hands and hurled it across the room. Rick balled his fists. “That is uncalled for!” Then he gasped as Vi seized Charlotte. The horned girl beat at the fox woman, kicking her legs, swinging her arms, and wailing. Vi turned to leave the room as Charlotte continued to fight.
Rick cried out. “I can’t believe this! This has to be because I hit her earlier. How dare she try to take out her revenge on Charlotte! What a coward. I’m going to find that fox and pulverize her with my Godslayer!”
Felice, following his train of thought, egged him on. “You should rescue her as fast as you can. It’s good I caught this disgusting act with my toys. As a Fae, I can assure you someone like that will have a horrible plan in store. If you don’t come soon, I’m worried your partner will get hurt.”
The adventurer’s eyes were transfixed on the screen. He didn’t notice as Felice made a jagged circle rune against the wall. Magic roared out. Her eyes gleamed as she stared at the house, and then swiped an arm. Detonate.
The mansion exploded in a maelstrom of flames. Glass shards and broken tiles littered the floor. Huge concrete and steel slabs lay melting in a crater of ash.
Rick’s eyes bulged. “Charlotte!”
Without a second glance at Felice, he sprinted to his dragon mount and flew off.
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Minutes before.
Vi hummed as she cradled a toy in her arms. She rang a doorbell fixed on a towering mansion. Massive doors swung open. Charlotte stood dumbfounded.
“Who’re you? How did you get past the gates?”
“Hello!” Vi gave Charlotte a bright smile. “I don’t believe we’ve officially met. I’m Vi. You’re Charlotte, aren’t you?” She presented the backpack girl a blue stuffed rabbit. “I’m sorry I ruined your toys when Rick attacked me. I hope you can forgive me.”
The horned girl was more befuddled. Her face reddened as she took the toy and held it against her chest. “Um, it’s okay, I guess. I can always buy more. Do you want to come in?”
Vi stepped inside. “Is there anyone else with you?”
Charlotte shook her head. “I’m by myself. My partner Rick told me to stay home. He went off on his own!” She pouted and set the stuffed animal down on a nearby table.
“Do you like being with your partner?” Vi walked closer as Charlotte flounced onto a couch.
The horned girl bobbed her head. “Yeah. Though lately, not as much. He’s been doing things by himself more. We have a new Guild called Blackstar and he’s been attending meetings. We want to find a new headquarters and he went on a mission without me. Rick’s been getting more interested with a lot of female members in the Guild too.”
“Awww, it’s okay, sweetie.” Vi patted Charlotte on the head. The girl flushed.
“I meannn, it’s not that bad. He says I’ll always be his favorite in his harem, and I think he believes it—Oops!” She clamped a hand over her mouth. “I wasn’t supposed to mention that!”
Vi blinked. “Mention what?”
“Nothing!” Charlotte cried.
“As long as you’re both happy, the kind of relationship you have doesn’t matter, right?”
Charlotte slowly put her hands down. “Y…yeah. Why are you here?” She hopped from the couch, searching for something to do.
Vi gave her a friendly pat with a tail. “I’m a waitress, so I’m always concerned about others—”
The fox woman broke off as Charlotte wandered over carrying a stuffed animal. A beanie with powder inside.
Vi wrenched the toy away and hurled it across the room. Charlotte’s eyes became big as dinner plates. “Wha?”
Vi’s All-Seeing Eye scanned through walls and into surroundings. Stuffed animals were littered everywhere. Packed in boxes near a streaming setup. Neglected on floors, in a garden, in hallways, in shelves and cabinets. Sitting in a collection at the bedside in Charlotte’s room. Glow-in-the-darks of every color. Felice’s new beanies interspersed in nooks and crannies at random. As I predicted, this could be a disaster.
Vi seized Charlotte with her tails. Charlotte screeched. “Aaaah! Let go!” The horned girl pounded her with arms and legs.
Vi turned and hurried out the door. Charlotte glowed with green light and scrabbled for her backpack. The fox woman pried and gently adjusted her grip as the girl struggled, trying to avoid injuring Charlotte. This proved difficult as nearby rocks, roots, and even a gust of wind suddenly shot towards her. Charlotte was young, but relatively strong. She delivered a kick at Vi, yanked the backpack zipper, and pulled the front of a toy snake which she used to promptly whack Vi in the face.
It was like being hit by a semi-truck.
The horned girl screamed, “Heeeelp! I’m being kidnappppped!”
Vi dodged and weaved as jagged boulders burst from chunks in the dirt. Roots tried to ensnare her at the same time as Charlotte’s stuffed snake wildly fired a beam out of its eyes. Vi rolled Charlotte along like a sort of makeshift burrito in her tails. She needed to move forwards, but there was much more draining her energy besides a physical tussle. At the same time she was also activating her psychic link with Enrique and directing him.
She heard him snap, Can you not talk like this is a class lecture?
Her body was already glowing with blue light. She sent spells through the link and with a spare tail glanced at the blood mirror to track Felice. She ducked, hopped over spiked rocks, and batted the stuffed snake aside. “I’m trying to help. You’re in danger.”
Then the girl spotted her bandaged arm, which was still stained with blood. Vi followed her gaze. A spark came in Charlotte’s eyes and the backpack girl opened her mouth.
“Charlotte, sweetie, please don’t—”
Charlotte bit down hard on Vi’s injured arm.
The bandages came undone and red seeped out. Vi grimaced.
Vi considered herself a very patient fox. At that moment, however, she was very tempted to give Charlotte a forceful tap on the head and give her an early night’s sleep.
Charlotte not only kept her mouth fastened on the injury, but the backpack girl used her snake and also summoned nearby boulders to slam Vi’s body with the force of a bludgeoning mace.
Vi? What’re you doing?
Sorry. I’ve been injured lately. I’m in some trouble. Can you send me your shield?
Enrique’s red shield formed around her. Charlotte made an “Unk!” of surprise as she was dislodged. Her snake and rocks pelted against the shield.
Vi raced ahead. She gripped Charlotte with all her tails to avoid a repeat incident and prepared herself.
“Aaaaah! Meanie! Meanie! Get away! Where are you taking me? I want to go hoooomeee!” Charlotte poked her head out and grasped desperately for the house.
The mansion exploded. Vi was hurled off her feet and wrapped Charlotte around her as Vi collided on the ground. A colossal fireball mushroomed out of the towering structure. Ash and smoke filled the air. Debris thudded to the dirt.
Charlotte’s eyes were huge. “What…?”
The backpack girl slumped as Vi deposited her to the ground. Charlotte stared at the ruins. The majestic rooms, chandeliers, marble walls, garden, decorations, every floor, wiped out in an instant. Even the building’s reinforced steel and concrete were shattered.
“My…my house…it’s gone…” Charlotte’s breath came hard and fast. An unfamiliar terror and fright gripped her like a chokehold. Tears filled her eyes.
Vi bent down and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry. I need to find the one who did this. Stay here. Your partner will be picking you up soon.”
Then the fox woman staggered up and disappeared.
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“Well. He was useless.” Alicia, not wasting time, summoned more clones. A beam shot out and narrowly missed Felice’s head, blowing a hole in the wall.
“Did he just…run away?” Enrique spluttered.
Sven reached in his cloak. “Look, we can still defeat Felice, but we need to work together. And Enrique, that means you need to get your head out of your a** and focus. The mission is what matters.”
Enrique met his eyes and made a tight nod.
Sven then turned to Alicia. “Do you trust me?”
She gave a short nod of her own.
“Then here’s what we’ll do.”
The trio charged Felice as she ran to the nearest exit a short distance away. She slashed her knife against the walls, carving explosive runes. Passageways and stuffed animals all around burst into hot flames. The floor rocked and quaked. “Ehehehe. Hahaha! Try to stop me, and I’ll take you all down with me!”
Sven jumped past an exploding teddy bear and slid under a grinder as it soared over his head to embed itself on a wall. “You’re not getting away!”
He tossed his remaining grenade and summoned a flurry of wind. Felice made mocking smile as a small stuffed rabbit jumped to intercept it. “I won’t fall for that a second time!”
Enrique held out his sword and then noticed his body’s orange aura intensifying. Explosions rang around him in a disorienting haze. The intercepting rabbit blew up. A teddy bear made a flying tackle at his face.
“Enrique!” Sven shouted.
Suddenly, flames from explosions compressed together and formed into red wisps. They made the shape of a head with eyes, a gaping jaw, and two horns. A large, serpentine body attached itself in pieces to the head.
Enrique grinned. “First Form: Dragonflame!”
The dragon flew from his blade. Many stuffed animals charged and fired weapons, but flames only gathered around the shape as it snaked forth. Felice’s face turned fearful as she turned a final corner but the dragon followed, blowing straight through toys.
“Impossible! This can’t be happening!”
Felice then grinned as she reached three steps from the entrance. “You’re too late. You’ll never reach me!”
To her shock, Enrique didn’t bat an eye. “Who said I had to reach you?”
Sven shoved out a twister. Alicia, invisible, had been catapulted earlier in front of the entrance by his flurry of air. She summoned a beam at Felice.
Felice, trapped between Enrique’s flame dragon, Sven’s wind storm, and Alicia’s darkness beam, had a face that was both laughing derisively and full of fury.
The Fae yelled at Alicia, “He will know! You will be punished for this!” With a raging effort, she sent all her puppets at Alicia. They hurled crates, equipment, vents, iron, or themselves at the cat girl. Alicia’s eyes widened. She summoned a black shield.
“Alicia!” Sven threw out another wind gust to pull her to him. Eruptions lit up, knocking her skywards.
Felice opted to dodge Alicia’s beam, but wasn’t fast enough for its impact. A gigantic explosion of black energy and red flame smashed through the building.
Sven caught Alicia. “I’ve got you.” His face was filled with worry. Her head and body throbbed. Her vision blurred and began to go dark.
The last she saw was Vi bursting through the door, her blade pointed at the toy shop owner lying on the floor.
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Felice awoke with her back against a wall. Her head rang. Intense pain informed her she’d broken multiple bones. She thought she was going to throw up. She was in a sitting position, in a chair, a pair of handcuffs around her arms.
In front of her was a woman with black fox ears and tails, sword drawn. There was no one else near. The place was deserted.
“Ah. If it isn’t Azurelane. The former general and number one Hero.”
Vi wasn’t smiling. “Tell me what you were planning. Your last operations. Who you were working for and what he’s told you. I want details.”
Felice smiled. “I’m not saying anything. What is the meaning of this? I’m a kingdom citizen, I have my rights—”
Vi’s blade drove into the wall, a hair’s breadth from the Fae’s ear. “Talk.”
Felice’s eyes went wide. She coughed and then chuckled, shakily. “You want to know why I did this? It’s been so boring in your kingdom. Especially the last ten years or so. Peace as dry as bland paint.”
Vi pulled her sword from the wall. The blade lit up with blue electricity. Her eyes glowed.
Felice laughed, a high-pitched noise. “What are you going to do? Torture me? That’s illegal.”
“In this room, no one can hear you scream.”
The Fae’s pink pupils were dilated, sparks reflecting in them, but she still managed a smirk. “How awful. You aren’t allowed to do this. Your kingdom may let someone stop a crime, but you can’t arrest me and hold me. Are you an adventurer? Are you part of the enforcing government like the Ministries?”
Vi was silent. Lightning sizzled. Her eyes were cold.
“I think most have forgotten about you, is that right? They only remember your partner Aurelius now. Those that remember, tell stories. I heard rumors, you know. Whispers. You killed our prince. You hunted down groups of Fae and they disappeared into darkness, never heard from again. Incidentally, the Kingdom happened to gain lots of secret information entrusted to those groups. It’s only a coincidence, I’m sure.”
When Vi spoke she had gone deathly quiet. “You appear to be misinformed. There are many ways to gather information.”
Felice burst into a fit of pained laughter. “Kekeke! Do you see yourself right now? Besides, where’s your evidence? Oh, wait, you don’t have any. Would that hold in a trial?”
Charlotte’s mansion was destroyed. Felice’s factory was reduced to rubble. She was sure her lottery toys had exploded around then, devastating houses and leaving little trace behind. The kingdom could theoretically piece evidence together from whatever remained, but it would take a good while.
The toy shop owner stared Vi in the eyes. “In the end, what’s the difference between you and me? A few bad choices? Someone who doesn’t restrict herself with silly conventions? How far is too far?”
Vi gripped her sword. “After the war, the Anima Kingdom was merciful and allowed Fae like you to become fellow citizens. I personally pleaded this to King Malgus. We let the other races into our lands and gave you assistance in starting new lives. And this is how you repay us?”
Felice smiled. “What of it? What will you do, Demon? Strike and you’ll only prove you’re as heartless as me.”
Vi could feel exhaustion creeping in. The overuse of her Eye. She could hear the voice of her ancestor, Zeta the First, speaking in her mind. It feels good. It’s fun. You can’t stop. An overwhelming desire to choke Felice, to knee her repeatedly in the stomach, or treat her body like a lightning rod filled Vi’s being. Images of satisfying futures filled her mind. 20%. 30%. 40%... She fought it inside.
Her voice was low. “I should have done what I wanted, back then. I should have committed genocide on all the nations.”
What made the side effects worse was the fact if she did allow the insanity in, she wouldn’t grow weaker. She’d be stronger.
Vi raised her blade, arms shaking.