A calm silence had fallen over the beach, only the sound of the gentle breeze atop shallow waves could be heard. Within it the swaying green glow of the platform brought a feeling of serenity and tradition to the now ruined village.
Threy and Mako had gathered around the centre of the platform at Key’s guidance and the dragon bean hopped out from under Threy’s oversized witch hat. With a soft thump of her little feet she landed within the centre of the circle and closed her eyes, her breathing turning rhythmically.
“Woah…” Threy and Mako exhaled in awe, eyes growing wide as they looked around. The green glow grew brighter, swirling whisks of emerald gathering around Key as she drew in the runes’ vibrant magic. And within the rising wind echoed low a chorus melody of warm joy.
Key’s eyes opened and with a echoing cry the centre of the seal beneath her erupted in a brilliant beam of emerald light that. The sound of a large bell resonated through the air. All around them the cove began to unfurl into swirling emerald sparks that began to whirl along the platform’s outer edge.
“This was a seal meant to keep the Skeleton Pirate King’s evil contained. But he was too strong and so only his weakest warriors got trapped herein. That monster even pushed an imprint of himself into the seal to pervert it for his own goals. But now no evil remains and the seal can be released!” Key explained with a cheerful grin and hopped onto Threy’s shoulder.
Amused he tilted his hat and she cutely scrambled back under it. Wig Regained, echoed in Mako’s mind and she had to cover up a giggle.
“How long…?” Before Threy could finish his question, the emerald cocoon collapsed around them.
———
“Agh!”
“Woah…!”
“Eeep!”
“Haa…?!”
The glowing sphere before the barrier flared three times with three figures soaring to just below the ceiling before landing back on the floor, sprawled all over each other. With the quite sound of shattering glass the barrier broke apart into glittering light.
Eyes swirling dizzy for the second time that day, Key rolled out from under Threy’s hat and sideways into the wall.
“T-that long…” She answered his question belatedly. Uuh, when would the world stop spinning?
“Huh, you’re pretty comfortable to land on, Threy!” Mako chirped pleasantly surprised from under Threy… wait, something wasn’t right with that. She furrowed her brows.
Threy sighed and climbed back to his feet, not even bothering to reply as he helped his best friend back to her feet. Which was more than answer enough as to what was wrong here as a third person had followed them through the sphere.
Looking dazed and about as dizzy as Key laid a girl of straight, bronze and rust red hair on the floor. Bangs and the ends holding a spiking pattern. A pair of pointy cat ears twitched cutely atop her head alongside a slim tail out from under. She wore a pair of round, bronze framed glasses and was clad in a comfy, dark red sweater and black pants.
“Woah, she’s nearly as big as me…” Mako awed, admiring the curvy mounds prominently filling out the cat girl’s sweater and that had cushioned her fall so nicely. Curiously she gave her own a few testing squeezes and wondered if they would make for similarly great pillows. She would have to ask Threy about that later.
“Awawawawa…” The cat girl mumbled dazed as she was still out of it.
“…hey, I recognise her. She’s the receptionist back at Zaunder’s Inn.” Daniel spoke up after giving her a curious glance and blushed at Tania’s unbelieving stare.
“Hoooow?” She stretched her question deliberately.
“I dunno… she was just kinda memorable and I noticed she had been at the reception when we left for the con…” Daniel shrugged awkwardly, feeling strangely embarrassed as he rubbed his neck. There really wasn’t more to it, she just stood out to him in his memories. And he realised he said too much when Tania’s disbelief widened into a mischievous grin.
“Oh? Did you like how she looked…~?” Tania teased him and he groaned, palming his face hard as he didn’t even deign to give a reply. “Did she always have those big milkers~?”
Under evil giggles, Tania flitted around Daniel as she relentlessly poked him with embarrassing questions and fingers from all sides. She had just hopped onto his back with a clingy to somehow meet his blazing gaze when Felicia finally managed to blink herself out her daze.
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Slowly she sat up and looked owlishly down at herself. With crossed eyes, she look up at her flicking cat ears and then stared at her idly swishing cat tail. For a moment her gaze went blank and…
“…WHAT THE FREAKING HELL IS GOING ON???” Felicia cried out with comical tears streaming down her face as her arms fell to her side and she gazed pleading for answers towards the sky, too bad the ceiling was in the way. And the sky was fake anyways.
Awkwardly Daniel and Tania froze in their tomfoolery and exchanged guilty looks.
“Hey, ah, can we help…?” Awkwardly Tania spoke as she slipped from Daniel’s back.
“Huh…?” Felicia made with large, watery eyes and wobbling underlip as she only needed to look slightly up to meet the shark girl’s gaze. And her eyes looked past her, locking onto Daniel’s blazing eye.
Her eyes went blank and her lolled to the side with a dumb smile as her soul slipped out of her body.
“N-No! Don’t go…!” Tania scrambled wide eyed in panic to stuff Felicia’s soul back inside, all while Daniel sweatdropped in disbelief from behind.
Key would have liked to help but the world was still spinning far too much for her liking. Ugh, this was the worst.
———
Tania and Daniel breathed in relief when Felicia had finally calmed down and her soul wasn’t immediately trying to leave her body at the sight of his blazing eye. They had moved into one of the now available guest rooms and were sitting across each other. Key was still a bit sick from all the dizziness and enjoyed being Daniel’s lap as he gently rubbed her tumbling sides and belly.
Sheepishly Felicia rubbed her neck, giving a nervous laugh.
“Ahaha, s-sorry about that…” The now cat girl said, still feeling weirded out as all heck about all of this but no longer losing her head over it. Her sister could never learn!
“Is fine…” Tania awkwardly coughed in reply, feeling rather bad about it herself. With a smile she introduced herself. “My name’s Tania, or rather Gao Mako in this body. You can call me Mako or Tania.”
“And I’m Daniel but can also go as Threy in this body. Go with whatever you feel’s more comfortable to you.” Daniel added, feeling a bit unsure what to feel as Felicia deliberately stared at his blazing eye.
“I’m Key… blergh…” Key groaned weakly in his lap.
“W-well, then I’m Felicia. Or Alice…” Felicia trailed off at her new body’s name and groaned. “Just call me Lisa, please.”
“Okay, Lisa it is~!” Tania laughed.
———
“So, do you know or remember what happened…?” Daniel approached the most important question as introduction came to a close and Key had started to feel better, the dragon bean now resting atop the table instead.
“Right… there was that wave of darkness and I got swallowed up. When I woke up I was inside this inn, working behind the reception, and skeleton pirates suddenly attacked…!”
Basically Felicia just hid under the counter the whole time and didn’t really see anything that actually happened. Then there had been a flash of emerald light and when she decided to sneak up the stairs she accidentally tripped into the glowing sphere, leading to her hiding in the seal’s mirror inn the whole time until Daniel and Tania arrived.
“…and please tell me I don’t need to fight them as well.” Felicia desperately pleaded, sprawling out on the table with comical tears filling her eyes.
“Uhm, I don’t think so?” Tania sweatdropped, glancing unsure to Key. “Right, Key?”
Smugly the dragon bean puffed her chest out which had been a really bad idea but stubbornly she powered through the painful aching rumbling of her belly to answer, sweating profusely.
“Very likely not! Felicia should be able to remember what her actual job here in Floreta is. But I doubt it will be combat related.” Key nodded confidently before crumbling panting on the table. A cute whistle blew from her lips. “Pfiieh… I think… I think I could recall for you as well… if needed?”
But Felicia had already closed her eyes and furrowed her brows as new knowledge echoed in her memories.
“… I don’t like just knowing stuff.” She finally pouted cutely and then cheerfully grinned. “But I’m this inn’s owner and have my own wandering shop where I can sell you stuff on your adventure! Phew, that’s much better than having to fight against monsters.”
Relived Felicia wiped away some imaginary sweat. Confused she tilted her head to the side as a shiver went up her spine. Huh, what was that about?
“Perfect, let’s take a look at your wares right now!” Daniel clapped into his hands, blazing eye curled into a grin.
Felicia froze and a wooden laugh escaped her as she averted her gaze, sweating hard.
“…ehehe, my stock is scattered all across the land apparently. I can’t sell you anything yet, sorry.”
“Ah, of course. Makes sense. Otherwise we could buy all the late game good stuff right at the start with enough grinding. Yes, makes sense. Makes sense.” Tania nodded with the great wisdom of anyone who had played a classic RPG before.
“True, true.” Daniel nodded in full understanding.
“Aha…?” Felicia nodded along, sweatdropping as she didn’t understand at all.
———
It was still barley after midday when Threy and Mako stepped out of the inn, now named Zaunder’s Haven, and waved towards Felicia as they got ready to continue on their journey. The cat girl merchant waved after them from the door with an awkward smile before walking back inside. Even as all of this was still the weirdest shit ever to her, she promised to help them out as much as she could.
“I wonder how she’s going to get ahead of us…” Threy mused with sparkling eye, stroking his chin.
“Well, she said she has no idea! Only that we definitely can’t come along for some reason.” Mako cheerfully replied, arms crossed behind her head as took the lead with long strides.
“Then we just have to follow the beach to find her again…” He nodded with a smile.
“And then take on that Skeleton Pirate King’s fleet of ships!” Mako added with a wide grin.
“Though I wonder if we get to the islands before or after the fleet.” Threy mused as they recalled Sarah’s hurried words.
There was only one way to find out! And with the sun lighting their way, the duo left behind the tutorial and entered the first true level of Meadow Beach.