Chapter 68: Face the Music

Now while Vega and Krimm were having a heartfelt moment, you might be expecting the other three to be also experiencing an event of such emotional significance. It certainly was emotional, I’ll give it that.

Lady Lai, the bandit Skaldi and the party had last seen months ago back in Core Civitus, was standing right in front of him. Sure, he was bleeding from the nose, so he was a little disoriented. However, he could not deny the full size and scope of Lai and Chakrit's sudden appearance. No amount of confusion could make that unclear.

“Lai…”

“Skaldi…” She put her hands on her hips and bent forward, staring down at the shorter elf. Skaldi did the same, taking a deep breath and looking furious.

“You son of a bit-”

“~No choreograph slaps please.~” Amir groaned, putting his dagger back and pinching the bridge of his nose.”

“Quiet you!” Skaldi and Lady Lai ordered at the same time. “Finally, we meet agai-”

“Who are they? I’m still kinda new here.” Sorbet asked, bending down to Chakrit.

“They’re the Falconers. So called bandits that are made up of Amber Chakrit, a guy who is exhausted, and smart at making shit or whatever. And Lai over here is dumb and tall.” Skaldi dryly listed off traits on his fingers.

“Not an inaccurate description, but could be better.” Chakrit had no complaints, adjusting to this sudden appearance of Skaldi quite well. Lady Lai however seemed to be taking in all that was happening, particularly relating to Skaldi.

“What-what the fuck, what is this crap? What’s with your outfit? Are you wearing makeup?!” Lady Lai launched out of the trapdoor and landed in front of the redhead.

“Yes bitch.” Skaldi snapped his fingers at her.

“Also he’s wearing fruits to fake having boobs.” Chakrit pointed out, like a totally fucking nerd.

“And I look damn good.” Skaldi added. He wanted to continue to bicker and annoy Lai, but he sobered up from the surprise, he knew he had a job to do. “Anyway, what are you doing here?”

“Stealing stuff.”

“Fair enough. But it's not very clear.”

“Hold on, I’m still not getting who they are?” Sorbet raised her hand, out of the loop on their relationship and history.

“Really? Failed to talk about me and Chakirt, huh Skaldi? About how we helped you with the Concert of Combat? Is that giving you any reminders?!” Lady Lai’s face went fierce red, burning like hot coals.

“Concert of Combat? Is it just alliteration for some event?” Sorbet shrugged, which made the ones who could understand her look at her like an alien.

“No worries, it’s only the most popular and dangerous arena match in Iozia’s history!” Chakrit screamed at her, upset that she couldn’t even begin to imagine how important it was.

“Calm down! You might give away our position. Now, please take a breath.” Skaldi held out her hands in a friendly fashion. Lai calmed down only slightly, while Chakrit composed himself enough.

“We’re going to need to catch you up on some things.” He said to Sorbet, groaning in disappointment.

“We’ll do that later. Chakrit, can you explain in more detail? What you both are doing. Please?” Skaldi offered a hand to him, which Chakrit took as he climbed out.

“Okay… where to begin… Ah. At the beginning! It all started when I was born-”

“Not like that! I mean, what are you guys doing in the manor?”

“Oh, we’re trying to steal from the bank.” Chakrit shrugged.

“Isn’t the bank inside Jantok Sky?” Sorbet questioned, which led to Lady Lai turning from an angry red to an embarrassed red.

“Yeah… sure… I totally knew that…”

She totally didn’t fucking know that.

“Hey guys! Want to see me chug this pot of absolute gaarrbage?” A voice yelled down the hall, followed by several voices chanting yes following by a gross chugging.

“Move, get into the floor!” Lady Lai pushed all three down into the trapdoor, followed by Chakrit closing it as he entered.

In the dark wooden floor, sprays of sawdust and cramped space made the whole thing quite tight, especially with how big Amir and Lai were.

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“Who were they? Are the watchmen here?” Lai asked, worrying that her family had found her out.

“No. It's just the party outside coming inside to celebrate… uhh, Neo Rem Day was it?” Skaldi corrected, trying to remember what day it was.

“Neo Rem Day? How long have we been underground?” Chakrit wondered, wiping a sweat on his brow. The pounding of steps from above them came, and they all went quiet. A small group was standing above the trapdoor and likely were doing what you might be expecting them to do.

“Look, we’re trying to find your family to go talk to them. Can you just show us the way and we don’t have to talk anymore.”

“Shit, that easy? Sure!” Lady Lai, wanting to spend no more time with Skaldi, struck the wooden boards they were all crouching on.

“Wait, what are you doing?”

“Making a way!”With a firm fist, she punched and a large crack formed. Followed by another. And another.

The floor split apart and they all fell down, landing atop on convenient plush carpet and rugs. Dust and wood splinters were the worst they had to deal with, with Amir coughing especially.

“~Nevermind. Skaldi, kick her ass when you get the chance.~”

Getting up from atop each other, they felt a slight relief from the landing.

“See, I told you those petals were lucky.” Sorbet happily rose up and scanned the room, before stopping at the corner.

“Ouch… my everything. Where are…” Skaldi laid face down on the floor. He pushed himself up and stopped as well, seeing the entire Lai family in his view.

Well, I shouldn’t say family because it isn’t quite accurate. A more apt word would be… clan.

Roughly about a hundred fifty two people, including thirty eight children or so. All of them were eating dinner, sharing a great long table decked out with whole roasted animals galore. Servants pouring wine and water, incense burning. There were even some priests as well. And all of them had their mouths open, open because five people just busted through their ceiling.

It’s roughly the second most unexpected thing that had happened to them that day. The first was what Skaldi saw on the horizon.

Using Skaldi’s head as a footstool, Lady Lai stood up and waved at the whole room, as if nothing was the matter.

“Hi ma! I’m back after vacation!”

Within a matter of minutes, everyone was locked underneath the manor. So much for being sneaky and using subterfuge.

Though the accommodations were spacious and the bars were made up of wood, they were stripped of pretty much all equipment. Well, asides than Sorbet boobie thingy. Everyone sat on one side either on a bench on the hard ground.

Lai were forced to the other side alone as a group voted punishment for getting them all locked up.

Five watchmen, decked out in garb specifically designed to reflect the Lai family’s fashion senses, eyed the whole group. Their weapons and armor stacked on a shelf, with their other trinkets there.

Except for Skaldi’s bag of handing and smoke bomb, which he had managed to successfully hid in his dress. And if the watchmen had noticed, what were they going to do? Ask to see his tits? What fucking creeps.

Not to say that he could use them, seeing as they were all trapped. No way out, aside from waiting. Sorbet, shivering on the ground, was taking this the worst. Skaldi, who was simply waiting for another person to throw his plan off the rails, was taking it the best.

“Hey Lai?” Skaldi asked, resting his head on his knee.

“...yeah?”

“...that was really d-”

“You shut up or I will turn you into a crime scene.” Lai pointed only a finger back at him.

“Yeah, great talk.”

“Not gonna lie, not our finest moment.” Chakrit stood, walking over to the bars. Though he could tell the watchmen were tracking him, he couldn’t see their eyes, which made it all the more nerve wracking.

“Not… not like this.” Sorbet's voice quivered with worry.

“Hey, we’ll be okay. Ain’t nothing wrong. We’ll get out of this.” Skaldi crouched down beside her, laying his arm around her.

“I know… I know. I just… I don’t like being trapped. I want to be free.” Sorbet brushed over her multi-colored skin. Looking over it with a vague sense of imprisonment. She was disturbed by something, a faint tear coming to her eye and she quickly brushed it away.

Skaldi wondered what had happened to her in Jantok Sky. If there was something sinister in there. Despite that, he knew that would wait. He had to assure her they would survive this.

“We will be free. Just give us some time. To figure something out.” As Skaldi finished, Amir rose from his seat and sat beside Sorbet.

“~...calm down little one. All will be right.~” Amir offered a hand to Sorbet, which she slightly recoiled at.

“Heh, does the big guy think I’m a kid or something?” She giggled a little, still frightened but in a better mood. She gave a small half five to Amir. It was very cool.

“It’s nice you guys are all supportive and shit, but we need to come up with something. Amber, Skaldi, get over here.” Lai motioned the two to her. Chakrit wetn without second guessing, but Skaldi didn’t. He wanted to stay with his team and work with them. But there wasn’t much they could do, so he decided to head over to the Falconers.

“Gotcha. Any ideas on getting out?” Skaldi asked, looking back on Sorbet as he spoke.

“Well my family is rich, so the floor breaking open and stuff shouldn’t be a problem. However, I doubt whatever you guys were doing is going to go through well since we’ve broken their trust.”

“I doubt we’ll get killed. But imprisoned for a couple years, likely.” Chakrit grabbed onto the bars, resting his head against them.

“Fuck. We can’t stay for anymore than a month.” Skaldi spoke quietly, not wanting to raise alarm in an already bad situation.

If what he saw on the horizon, only a couple minutes ago, was real, then they were in really big trouble.

“By the way, what were you guys doing here?” Lai asked, crossing her arms at Skaldi. He wondered if he should tell her all the details, seeing that there were watchmen nearby. But knowing that a violent and forceful escape wasn’t going to happen, he let caution go to the wind.

“The team and I are working for three Oligarchs, and they want to recruit your family.” Skaldi kept it quick and easy to digest. Both of them tilted their heads in mild surprise.

“An elf working for Oligarchs? Have things really gotten that bad for you?” Chakrit teased.

“Yeah, and why do you keep on wearing that flower thing on your eye, isn’t that uncomfortable?” Lai questioned, also not knowing what had happened to Skaldi. The redhead brushed his hair away and took off his eyepatch.

“Not bad for me, but bad for… like… all of Iozia?”

“You lost an eye? YOU LOST AN EYE?”

“Yeah yeah, shit happens. Fell down a sewer, snake skin cleaved my face with an axe, Vega saved me, big whoop.”

Lai made sure to take full advantage of Skaldi’s disability, by standing out of his line of sight and flipping him off.

“Again, very confused. Why are some Oligarchs trying to hire Sun’s family?” Chakrit raised a brow.

“My name is Lady Lai, not Sun.”

“Yeah, and I get paid a decent wage.”

“The fucks a wage?” Lai said, confused by the concept.

“Listen!” Skaldi grabbed both of their shoulders. “You don’t know have bad things have gotten. Not with me, but something happening soon. The Tripolians are going to-“

A great crash silenced the room, the doors to the prison opened. The five watchmen turned and got down on one knee.

Two figures approached the bars of their cell, with the same staggering stature of Lai and a fierce yet calm look on their faces.

“Ma, Dad?”

“Silence Sun Lai. We’ll have much to discuss with you later. Now… for buiness…”