Yui wasn't fully awake yet. She was nodding in and out of consciousness in the sitting position, while Anya and I ate whatever these fluffy white pancakes she brought back were. The sweet smell of food didn't seem to be enough to wake the lion.
"I almost forgot this girl had a hard time waking up in the morning," Anya said, giggling at Yui teetering back and forth.
We had taken a bet which side she would fall on. I bet onto her food, and Anya bet she'd fall onto her back. The results had yet to be determined, but it was anyone's money.
"You forgot?" I scoffed. "I was always the one carrying her out of your house whenever we slept over."
I stuffed the rest of the pancakes into my mouth and chased it down with tea. The food here was pretty good. It was like a little taste of home. Taiq'ae gave me a real good dose of nostalgia to begin with, like a whole big melting pot of asian cultures from our world mashed together. The low-to-the-ground furniture was also reminiscent of traditional aesthetics, we sat around a table that was only knee-high.
But it wasn't Japan. To be honest, I was okay with that.
"Did you know Bishamonten would be here?" I asked Anya.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my suspicions. Couldn't know for sure, but now that I'm here it confirmed it. Might be Chika dragged us all here— which probably also includes the Blizzard of Hokkaido," she answered thoughtfully.
All four queens of Japan gathered here. Well, they weren't 'of Japan' any longer in this world. Why us, though? Was it just because Yui and I were close to Chika that she brought us here, too?
More importantly… how the hell did she get the power to transport us here to begin with?
I had so many questions with no answer. It seemed like Kaoru Sensoukouji might be our best lead yet.
"So, we gonna storm the fort again after this or what?" I beat my fists together to show Anya I was ready.
Anya burst out laughing. "Kaokao's way out of your league. She creamed you harder than a bukkake could, and you wanna go back for more?"
The anger inside me was lit up again, and Loraine wasn't here to extinguish it. I shoved Sacchan in her face to show her I meant business.
"I almost scored a homerun with her head. You saw that!" I exclaimed.
"After seeing how hard you can hit, she ain't gonna leave anymore openings. Besides…" Anya grabbed Sacchan and turned it over to show me a crack along the wood. It was about an inch long, snaking up the side of the bat. "You think Sacchan can survive against Bishamonten's Kamigoroshi?"
I wrenched Sacchan out of her hands to inspect it closer. No matter how much I didn't want to believe it, no matter how much I tried to rub it away hoping it was just a smudge, there it was— a fucking crack.
Ever since I got here… No, ever since I got it from Chika, this bat's been knocking out teeth and cracking skulls without so much as a whimper. It even took a beating from Anya but was only now showing signs of wear?
"I don't get it. Wasn't Sacchan getting stronger?" I asked myself more than anyone.
"Nnh…"
Yui was leaning so far back, it looked like Anya was going to win the bet. Then out of nowhere, Yui snorted and startled herself so hard, she rebounded back and slammed her head into her pancakes and through the table.
"I'm awake!" she yelled, pieces of the pancake slipped from her face.
I reached across the broken table with a hand out to Anya and said, "I'll take that fifty gold."
"Shark." She clicked her tongue.
It turned out Anya had taken us to an inn on the opposite side of the city, as far away from the pagoda as possible. I guess it was her way of telling me to forget about settling the score with Bishamonten for now. The tower she and Emperor Yonnu lived in, where Pino and Second Prince Theo were likely being held, was always within sight being the eyesore that it was.
Unlike the area of Taiq'ae when we first entered it, there weren't any interconnecting bridges that served as roads here. It was all paved in stone and a layer of soot and ash from all the forges working overtime. I didn't get a chance to really feel how warm it was beneath my feet. Those geezers that visited in Cynderace weren't kidding. Geothermal heat emanating from beneath the city really was a treat.
Bogart would probably like it here.
"Where the hell is that lizard, anyway?" I asked out loud.
Yui came running back from a street food vendor with two handfuls of skewers and one in her mouth. She shoved two meat skewers into my hand, another two into Anya's, and greedily kept the remaining ten for herself.
"Aww, look at you. I used to be the one feeding ya." Anya made a mess of Yui's hair after I so carefully brushed and tied up her pigtails.
"If its Bofart, mmh faw fer—"
"Chew, swallow, then talk." I plucked the skewer from her mouth.
Yui swallowed hard and sucked in a deep breath. "I saw her at a blacksmith workshop by the canal!"
"Alright. Lead us there," I said, stuffing the skewer back into her mouth.
Yui's eyes darted between me and Anya. She raised her hands toward us while still clutching the oily skewers. She was asking for a piggyback ride. I turned the other cheek.
"Okay, fine. You better not get any of that shit on my clothes, kiddo." Anya knelt low enough for Yui to climb onto her back.
It wasn't hard to find Bogart, seeing as she attracted a crowd of admirers that surrounded an outdoor forge. She was hammering away at a shoulder plate and occasionally breathed fire on the metal before hitting it again. Weaponsmithing, armorsmithing, whatever-smithing— I didn't understand any of it. What I did understand was people like Lars and Bogart were masters at their professions. You didn't have to know the ins and outs of what someone does to appreciate their work ethic.
Once she was done abusing the metal, she dunked it into a water trough. Steam hissed for only a moment, then it was replaced with ohs and ahs as she pulled it out. Bogart set the finished shoulder plate on the anvil and overhead smashed the hammer on top of it. But it wasn't the piece of armor that broke. The hammer shattered on impact, leaving her clutching the wooden handle that was left.
A couple of cloaked dark elves with twitchy eyes watched Bogart from behind the main crowd. I excused myself from Anya and Yui to sneak up behind them.
"Red-scaled beastling lizard. That her, isn't it?" one of them asked the others to confirm.
"The boss wants her alive. We'll move in when there's less people," the larger of the three said.
"I got a better idea."
They spun around and reached for their weapons too late. I had already chucked two of them into the canal. The third I socked in the gut. He fell to his knees and squealed.
"How many are ya?" I slapped his face hard enough to knock out a tooth.
"Th-Three!" he cried.
"How many?" I slapped him again.
"I told you, it's just— oof!"
This went on for a few more rounds until he was a sobbing mess, but he continued to repeat the same number.
"There's only three of us, I swear! I beg you… please, let me go…" he begged.
"I believed ya a couple of molars ago," I said.
"Then… why did you keep slapping me?" he asked.
"I'm done with the Ramaleik's shit. You can tell your pals I'm coming for them next. You think about coming after Bogart, I suggest you get some dentures ready." I threw him into the canal where his buddies were waiting to catch him.
Anya and Yui were grinning after seeing what I did.
"What? I was just venting." I shrugged.
The number of onlookers dwindled as Bogart's public demonstration came to an end. She caught sight of us and waved.
"Came to see for yourself what I can do, eh?" Bogart flashed a toothy smile.
"I've come by the guild forge plenty of times, ya damn lizard. You just never noticed," I said.
"That so? I get too absorbed. The sound of the hammer, the roar of fire— it's all I hear when I zero into my work." She fixed the shoulder piece onto a mannequin to complete the armor set, then admired her own handiwork with a purr.
I had an idea.
"Bogart. You ever worked with weapons before?" I asked.
The beastling paused. She put the hammer away and licked her teeth. Sharp, reptilian eyes settled firmly on the bat in my hand as she realized what I was really asking.
"After seeing what that thing can do in Ash'tar, how can I decline?" she said.