"No!" I struggle to open my eyes, as if they've been glued shut. I can barely move my limbs at all. Where am I? This doesn't feel like the flea-bitten mattress I've come to know and love. No, it feels...nice.
"Give me the totem!" Midas? Is that Midas? Which means...ah hell.
"Don't touch me!" With tremendous effort I force my eyelids apart. Low candlelight welcomes me back to consciousness. The blurry outlines of Midas and the mystery assassin stand a few feet away in a heated debate. I stifle a groan while I slowly turn my head; it feels like daggers pierce my skull with every movement, my vertebrae grinding against each other. Marinette sits nestled in a large chair, curled up in her large robe, her eyes locked on me. She smiles and waves her stubby fingers in my direction. I screw my eyes shut and take a deep breath. Why couldn't I have just died?
"Excuse me," I rasp. My tongue feels like sandpaper. Nobody except Marinette pays me any attention. The lizard woman yanks the boar totem from Midas' grip, dancing back out of his reach.
"Excuse me!" They finally notice me and stop, each wearing their own brand of shock and rage. "That's better," I whisper, sitting myself up, arms shaking.
"You should be dead," The lizard woman says in disbelief.
"I should be a lot of things," I groan in reply, "But dead ain't one of 'em. Now, tell me what's going on." A cacophony of shouting and expletives follow that nearly burst my eardrums. Midas lunges for the assassin but she spins out of his reach in a moment. They stumble back over a table. The assassin deftly leaps to her feet while Midas simply rushes after her in a half-crouched position.
"That totem is mine!" Midas shouts. I sigh and reach down for my one remaining kusarigama. I sling the chain forward, the weighted ball burying itself in the wall, separating the two combatants. They both turn to me with a snarl.
"You have no right to—"
"Shut up," The assassin takes a step back, and even Midas gives me a puzzled look. "I'm honestly tired of this shit. I nearly died. Do you understand me?" I look at each of them, pulling my chain back, gripping the wooden handle of my weapon tight. I'm done with this. "Now somebody is going to start explaining what the hell is going on." For a moment, there's silence. Then, Midas lunges forward, yanking the boar from the assassin's hand.
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"I got it!" He shouts gleefully, holding it high. Marinette appears and smacks the back of his head, plucking the totem away and handing it to the assassin.
"Here you go, dear," She smiles, sitting back down in her chair. "Do your thing," She says, waving her hands. The lizard woman looks cautiously from a deflated Midas to a smiling Marinette, and then to me. How does she even know where we are with the blindfold on? She looks down at the boar totem and I shrug. In that second, nobody moves or dares to breathe. Then, the woman grips the small wooden statue firmly, and with a ripple of lean muscle, snaps it clean in half with a sharp crack.
"You crazy bitch!" Midas starts forward, but Marinette's glare halts him. The lizard woman pulls out a large diamond ring, shining in the low light. Marinette stands slowly, shuffling over to the assassin.
"Splendid," She mutters, looking from the ring to the assassin. "And whom do I have to thank for revealing this to us?"
"I am Wikolia the Wyvern," She replies, standing tall. I snort and her head snaps in my direction. "Do you find that amusing?"
"No, Namonai the Desperately Poor, finds nothing amusing about your..." I tap my mask in thought, grinning the whole while. "Title."
"You know nothing, magwhin." She mutters, tapping her claws on her scales. Odd, most would have snapped at me. Oh this is going to be interesting.
"Easy now, Miss Wyvern," Marinette says, stepping between us. How does she maintain a straight face while saying that? "He meant no offense. Now, please, direct us. You have found the item; where does this path take us now?" Wikolia stops tapping, inspecting the gold and diamond wedding band. Her split tongue flicks out and she recoils a bit, hissing.
"You are looking for Kamapua'a, the boar god." She says, holding out the ring. Marinette pushes the ring back, smiling.
"Keep it. You're going to need it when you take Namonai to this boar god." She wants me to go with the Wyvern girl? Really?
"No!" Wikolia protests.
"Listen to Marinette!" Midas thunders, ripping off his gloves. That's my cue to leave. I stand with a pained groan, joints popping. I grab Wikolia by the elbow but she yanks her arm away. So, it's going to be like that, huh?
"I wouldn't test Midas," I whisper. I know that if she wasn't wearing that blindfoldd, her eyes would be searching all over my face. The great thing about a mask is nobody can read your expression. I tug on her shirt gently as I begin to walk. "Come on, let's just get this over with." With reluctance, the Wyvern begins to follow, muttering softly to herself the whole way. This is going to be fun.