A squeal of delight rang through the air as metallic steps could be heard marching hurriedly. Poly blanched seeing a young woman in silver armor running toward her. Suddenly, she was in the young woman’s embrace.

“She’s too cute!” Rose screamed, her cheeks rosy. “I have to have her for myself, she must be mine! Too, too, too cute!” She rubbed her face against Poly lovingly. Rose loved elves, even more than she did her fellow humans. Seeing such a small and adorable elf, she couldn't hold herself back.

Squeezed and looking toward Dwindle, who, like the others, was standing by awkwardly watching, Poly choked, “Help…me…”

“Lady Rose,” the dwarf coughed awkwardly, “I’m not sure you know this, but that small elf is not a child. She is an adult Ahweldi elf.”

Rose pulled away her rubbing face to peer down at Poly who gasped for breath. Within the depths of Poly's round golden eyes, one could glimpse the wisdom acquired from a life spent in an enchanted forest. With her face shaped like a delicate heart and her large round eyes, accompanied by her distinct pointed ears, Poly embodied the quintessential image of an Ahweldi.

Poly grunted heavily as she found herself thrust back into Rose's bosom. "She's just too adorable!" Rose squealed with delight, squeezing haphazardly tight around Poly's petite figure.

“Um…” Dwindle murmured, not knowing what to say.

“You're coming with me right now, and we're going to try all my favorite desserts. Oh, and you must wear all the clothes I pick out for you," Rose continued without pausing. "Then we'll go to the park, and I'll introduce you to all my friends. Except for Gertrud, she's a grump and doesn't like elves. But I absolutely adore elves, I love them, love them, love them!”

“Sherry! Holdol!” Rose commanded, and two servants swiftly emerged from separate rooms, bowing before the young woman. These were highly ranked servants within the Verdinant household, second only to Dawrite himself. “Escort the adorable Miss Poly and attend to her every need. Indulge her with the finest delicacies and dress her in the most exquisite attire.”

“But I don’t want…” Poly tried to argue before she was abruptly whisked away by the two servants, who dragged her down a corridor.

“Poly!” Dwindle sputtered, his concern evident. He didn’t know Rose well enough to guess at the young woman’s intentions. He looked toward Red for help, but the latter stood idly by, seemingly unbothered, inspecting his fingernails. “Champ!” Dwindle exclaimed but soon corrected himself. “Uh, I mean Mister Showman. They’re taking Poly away!”

“Manager,” the showman yawned. “Ease up on the dramatics. You can’t oversell it.” He suddenly straightened his posture and spoke with a solemn tone, “Those candy asses are taking Poly away, oh yea.” He relaxed again and gestured with his hands out. “See? That’s how it’s done.”

“…When is Red coming back out?” Dwindle wondered aloud, not sure why this person in Red’s head was in control of Red’s body for so long. It hadn't been like this before.

“I am Red,” the showman scoffed, waving off Dwindle's concerns. "Once we're ready to leave, let's go shopping, manager. It'll help you relax. We'll get some Versace shirts and Gucci shades. I'll show you how to look like a winner, that's right. Red Rumble and his trusted manager are going to paint this town red.”

“But what about Poly?”

“She’s with Rose. Rose is a friend.”

“Red doesn’t have friends…” Dwindle worried.

“I met her the other day,” the showman explained. “We used to be enemies, but now we're on the same team. Oh, speaking of which, get some writers to come up with a name for my team. I'm thinking 'The Unstoppable Showman and these other guys.' Not bad, huh?”

“You guys were once enemies?!”

“Stop worrying so much, manager. You’ll get wrinkles that way.” The showman teased.

“Red, about our rematch…” a voice prompted. They turned to see Van had approached, his posture straight and his head held with pride as always.

“Save it,” the showman denied, turning away.

“Wait a moment, you can’t just…!”

The showman cut him off, refusing to entertain the conversation. "No," he stated firmly. "Did you think I didn't notice your trembling back there?" Van fell silent, his dark blue eyes fixed and unblinking. With a hint of disdain, the showman continued, "Why would I wrestle someone who only shows up when the odds are in their favor?"

Van wanted to argue, to assert that facing an Alabaster Champion was an insurmountable challenge, but he couldn't find the words. The showman's own success against the champion hung in the air, a stark reminder that what seemed impossible was accomplished by the very person before him. With a dry gulp, Van stood in silence, unable to defend his position.

Shaking his head, the showman moved on, making his way towards the snacks being set out by the servants of Rose's sage symbol carriage.

“…I’ll show you I’m just as brave as you, Red!” Van suddenly shouted, drawing everyone's attention. He unsheathed his blade and pressed the flat side against his forehead. “I'll demonstrate the worthiness of the Feather Talon sword style. I'll show you that I can match your skill, Red!”

The dwarves, already settling into the plush furniture, shifted uncomfortably in their seats. The others averted their gazes, experiencing secondhand embarrassment from the peculiar scene. It felt as if they were witnessing a poorly scripted play.

The showman remained oblivious to Van's determination, engrossed in sorting through the array of food displayed on shiny metal plates. Meanwhile, Dwindle hastened down the same corridor where Poly had been taken.

“Allow me,” Nasset offered, kneeling beside the showman and picking up morsels to feed him. Unabashed, the showman leaned back in his chair, accepting the gesture as Nasset fed him. Nasset smiled contentedly, her satisfaction stemming from witnessing the display of the showman's warrior prowess earlier at the brothel.

“Such a shame to see you still alive,” a venomous voice seethed.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The showman and Nasset turned to find Zini hobbling over to sit in a seat next to the showman, his eyes gleaming with disdain towards Nasset.

Nasset saw the burns on Zini’s body and threw her head back as she started to laugh, “You look like roast chicken!”

Zini clenched his teeth in frustration, attempting to draw mana from within, but faltered and convulsed in pain, causing Nasset to laugh even harder.

“Enough,” the showman rebuked the Badlander woman to which she pouted. He then pointed at his mouth, and she resumed feeding him. “Servants, we need a healer over here!” He grunted with his mouth full.

Zini was swiftly taken away to another room within the spacious carriage interior.

“What a shame,” remarked a diminutive voice. The showman noticed that Polopp had approached him. “I wanted to discuss with that young man about the quasi-demon. If demons truly are breaching into this world, it could mean the end is near.”

“This tiny gnome is a trickster,”Nasset grumbled, eyeing the gnome with scorn. After witnessing the showman’s glory robbed from him during battle, she found it hard to trust this creature easily.

“Quite,” Polopp replied warily before turning his attention back to the showman. “Speaking of the end times, I’m not getting any younger, and there’s no time like the present to begin my research.” He beamed a wide smile. “So, shall we get started?”

“I don’t think so,” the showman replied, his voice muffled by the food in his mouth.

“Um, but we had a deal…”

“You made that deal with the other Red, not me.”

A deep frown stretched the gnome’s mouth downward as he grumbled, “That isn’t fair, entity. You should honor the wishes of your host.”

“Well, he’s not here, little gnome,” the showman sneered. “I’m in charge now.”

Polopp winced but suddenly grew rigid, realization dawning upon him. His blue eyes shimmered as he locked his gaze on the showman, who was leisurely lounging and eating. It became clear to Polopp that the entity should have departed by now. The gnome had devised a time limit for the soul enhancing potion he had administered to Red, along with a mechanism that would trigger Red's emergence once the designated time had elapsed. The entity shouldn't hold power any longer.

“It seems you're finally catching on,” the showman remarked, smacking his lips as he continued to eat, observing Polopp's deep contemplation.

“How is this possible? Your host should have come out by now...” Polopp mused with uncertainty, rubbing his beard anxiously.

“Did you know that the gate we entities stay behind can be kept shut by whoever is on this side of it?”

Polopp's mind raced, trying to make sense of the showman's words. He considered that by “gate,” the showman might be referring to the “mirror” that housed the soul. Could the “mirror” truly be a gateway of some kind? If not, why would the showman describe it in such a manner?

Just then, the carriage door unexpectedly swung open, even though they were in the midst of rapidly moving through the city. A knight adorned in gleaming armor stepped inside. As the gazes of many turned toward him, the knight offered an apologetic smile. “Please excuse me, good people. I am here merely to check on some friends.”

A servant approached Jon Toler, the King of Diamonds, and bowed respectfully. “This way, Mister Toler. Jack and the others are waiting for you in another room,” the servant informed. Jon bowed his head formally to the strangers watching him before he allowed himself to be led away.

With the knight’s sudden appearance and departure, Polopp redirected his attention to the showman, eager to delve deeper into the mysteries surrounding Red's "mirror" within him. However, the showman disregarded him, busy in conversation with Nasset.

“I think I’m ready…” Nasset whispered to the showman.

Rubbing his protruding belly, the showman yawned, “Ready for what, my dear fan?”

Scarlet ran across her face as she replied, “I want to lay with you now and receive your seed…” She nearly hiccupped as the showman seized her waist and pulled her onto his lap.

“I’ll do anything for my fans,” he assured, drawing Nasset closer to his lips.

His movements seemed oddly practiced, Nasset noticed, as if he had been with women before, although their exchange in Dwindle’s home had shown the opposite. Unbeknownst to her, remnants of Red's entities still clung to their past experiences, influencing their behavior in certain ways.

The showman was well-acquainted with the ways of romance, having engaged in numerous scandalous escapades to captivate his fans, who avidly devoured tabloid stories about his exploits.

Seeing the showman press closer to her, Nasset yelped and pulled away.

“I’m not sure anymore!” Nasset exclaimed, now breathless.

The showman nonchalantly shrugged, “That’s alright, my dear fan! I never pressure anyone into anything except marveling at my performances.” He then settled her back down beside him, allowing the comfy chair to absorb him into its cushions as he resumed rubbing his satisfied belly.

Nasset stood beside him, unsure if he had psyched her out or not. Perhaps he had been playing mind games with her, she was uncertain.

“...You'll still honor our agreement, won't you?” she asked timidly, her voice barely above a whisper. She was mindful of how the showman had dismissed the gnome earlier and unsure if she would be treated the same way in the future.

“You’re my number one fan, aren’t you?” the showman said with a serious tone. “I would never let you down.”

“Stop saying such things,” Nasset murmured, averting her gaze as her cheeks flushed. “You keep making me feel strange inside with those kinds of words…”

“That’s the power of showmanship!”

A burst of delight echoed through the carriage, catching everyone's attention. In another room, Rose's ecstatic shrieks filled the air as she laid eyes on Poly, who appeared before her in a graceful white lace gown. The servants had taken great care to clean and dress the tiny elf, presenting her as a vision of beauty to Lady Rose.

“You're absolutely adorable! You're going to be the death of me!” Rose exclaimed joyfully, her gauntlet-clad hands slapping against the metallic surface of her armored thighs from excitement, causing even more of a racket with the metal-on-metal clanging.

Meanwhile, Dwindle stood outside the room with growing concern, hearing the raucous sounds. Uncertain about what the human female was doing to Poly, he hesitated to intrude. He couldn’t barge in on a woman in the midst of dressing. He was a dwarf that was raised right after all.

Poly stared back at Rose with chagrin as she desperately hoped for Dwindle or Red to come rescue her from the clutches of this seemingly insane human woman. A mirror was brought before her, and as she gazed into it, she saw a reflection that was unrecognizable.

Poly’s golden eyes widened staring at what looked like a fairy princess of the forest. Her once tangled dark green hair now cascaded in smooth waves, gleaming like reflections of light on a river. Her face no longer held the marks of life in the slums, the black smudges that slum dwellers typically had were all gone. She playfully twirled her gown, marveling at the shimmering sparkles that danced from the material.

A dress like this had always been a dream for Poly, an extravagant human garment that she had once whimsically included on her list of things to experience back in the Ahweldi forest. It had been a fantastical notion, something she never seriously believed she would fulfill. Yet, as she twirled again, she couldn't help but think, how lovely…

A squeal reverberated through the air, nearly causing Poly to lose her balance as Rose's gauntlets clanged in enthusiastic applause.

“You're absolutely stunning, little elf!” Rose cheered, her excitement contagious. The servants surrounding them all nodded in agreement, causing Poly's cheeks to flush with embarrassment. “I’m going to take you to all the grand balls and show you off to my family and friends. They will be absolutely enchanted by you!”

Poly couldn't believe her ears. “I can attend a ball?” she asked, a mix of surprise and hope filling her voice. The idea of experiencing such a lavish human gathering had only existed in the pages of books she had read, never once considering it would become a reality for her.

Observing the hopeful light glimmering in her round eyes caused Rose to snatch up Poly into a tight hug. “You can go anywhere your heart desires!”

Meanwhile, outside the carriage, the driver jolted in his seat upon hearing the squeal emanating from Lady Rose.

“What in the gods’ names is going on in there?” the driver wondered aloud. The recent events had been quite turbulent, and he was uncertain if there was more in store.

Just then, a figure gracefully landed next to him on the driver's seat. Looking up, the driver's eyes widened as he beheld a tall and muscular stranger. What caught his attention the most were the pointed ears adorning the stranger's head.