Ag stood with Reggie still dangling over his shoulder, Mordeki standing behind him focusing on a purple rune.
"Are you done yet?" Ag asked with a perturbed tone.
"Just... another... minute..." Mordeki replied through some strain.
"You said that five minutes ago."
"His mind was weak... while he was... riled up, but now he's... asleep... much more willpower... to break through."
"Fool could have at least told us where Bounty and Whistle were before we knocked him out." Ag huffed.
"Got it!" Mordeki exclaimed. A purple wisp of magic formed between his and Reggie's head. He saw through his eyes; specifically the events within the last hour. "He left them at a place called the Moonlit Musician. Let's go."
XXXXX
Whistle sat quietly looking over the magical wooden menu with a somber expression. His leg tapping the floor with anxiety. In stark contrast to the lively company around him including the stage band playing a calm yet jazzy tune.
"There you are. Where's Bounty?" Ag asked on approach; followed by Mordeki and Reggie, who was now awake with a spiteful grimace. The three sat down at the table with Whistle.
"Oh hey. He's just in one of the back rooms getting treated." He pointed over his shoulder without giving a care. A downtrodden tone to his voice.
Mordeki put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright, Whistle?"
He let out a sigh that couldn't quite be heard over the music. "No, I'm not. I choked. I should have relied on my instincts and instead Bounty got hurt. I knew that kid was trouble, but I just sat and watched."
"We all make mistakes. Even I have proven that I can't be the most reliable." Mordeki stated humbly.
"Heh, if it makes you feel any better; we lost the kid." Reggie said with his own cynical tone while leaning back in his chair. "So I guess you can look forward to a rematch with the little brat."
"I'm not sure if it does really. That means she's still out there waiting to attack him again."
Ag sat forward in his chair. "We've heard no word from Ave, so I assume he's still looking for her."
"You sure he can do anything about her? There was three of us and she was able to run away." Reggie interjected.
Ag got a more serious look on his face. "I'm not sure how to say this, but there's a beast dwelling inside him that could rival any one of us."
There was a brief silence at the table.
"...Wow. That's cryptic as shit." Reggie said slightly amused at Ag's seriousness.
Whistle turned to Mordeki. "Are all Lizardfolk like Ave?"
Mordeki gave a dismissive wave with his hand. "I assure you. Me and Ave are cut from a VERY different cloth. He still has the usual lizard mentality, objective, lack of emotion, survival focused, but his body has been irreversibly changed due to necromancy. I, on the other hand, was given human intelligence and emotion when I was hatched through advanced purple magic."
Mordeki paused for a moment with a pensive claw against his chin. "I guess the best way to describe it is more like... I get friends and lovers, while he gets followers and mates."
"Speaking of friends and lovers..." Reggie finally got a smile on his face. As he spied a trio of human hostesses in matching white dresses. "Evening ladies."
"Evening gentlemen." The tallest one started. "How may we serve you this night?"
XXXXX
Bounty awoke with panicked breathes. His cheeks once again matted by tears. He tried to move his hand up to wipe them away but quickly found he was tied to the table he laid on. He struggled to get free, but the straps around his arms and legs refused to give reprieve.
He gave up the struggle and rested for a moment. 'Of fucking course.' He thought to himself. 'Let me guess...'
"I see you're finally awake." A familiar feminine voice called from behind him out of his view.
"How'd I fucking know...?" Bounty muttered to himself under his breath.
Bounty heard footfalls behind him that slowly approached before making it's way around to his side where he got full view of Color in a white dress under a blood-stained leather apron. Like the fanciest butcher on the street.
"You surprise me every time we meet." Bounty said with amusement. "First you sleeping dart my friends, and now you have me strapped to a table looking like you're about to amputate my leg."
"And you surprise me." She replied in a similar tone. "First I see you rummaging around in a pile of corpses, and now I have you strapped to my table looking like I just patched up your stab wound while you cried like a newborn kitten." She laughed while Bounty's pride had been wounded as much as his leg.
"I don't cry!"
"Oh really?" She moved her hand over the bandage on his leg and pressed her hand against the wound all while still looking at Bounty in the eye with a smile.
"Augh! Son of a bitch!" He cried out. Tears formed at his eyes, but they weren't from the pain.
"See, told you."
"Why!?" He asked out in confused desperation.
"Because I don't like when people try to lie to me." She said starkly. She then leaned in closer to Bounty and spoke coquettish and quiet. "And I like to see cute guys in pain."
"You sadistic bitch." He hissed. She gripped the wound again in response causing him to let out another cry.
"I'll just take that as you're bad at flirting. Now, let's cut to the chase. You came looking for me for information. Let's just call fixing up your wound 'professional courtesy'." She give him one last sly smile before replacing it with something more serious. She took her hand of his wound and propped herself at the edge of the table.
"You want to know more about those that caused that massacre, but if I'm trading information, you need to offer up something for me first."
Bounty relaxed with a begrudgingly sigh. "Fine. What do you want?"
There was a brief quiet as Color walked to a nearby table, grabbed a folded piece of paper, and walked back. Bounty immediately recognized the royal seal on it. The writ of passage.
"Who and what is the Vulgar Dynasty?..."
'Fuck... Could have asked me literally anything else.' Bounty thought.
"...I've asked my contacts in every part of the city. You aren't with the adventuring guild, the church, the college, or any mercenary company. Yet... 10 unknown foreigners appear out of nowhere, and seem to have enough power to wonder in and out of the King's home at will..."
She walked around the table to his head and slammed her hands on the table on both sides. Bounty jolted in surprised and tensed upon feeling claws press against his neck ready to tear.
"I repeat. Who, and what, are the Vulgar Dynasty?"
Lucky for Bounty, he had a lie prepared. "I would love to tell you, but I'm cursed by a jinx. Anytime I reveal someone else's secret, they miraculously drop dead. If I say another word all of us would die, and you'd never know."
Color narrowed her eyes. If eyes could kill, this would be a genocide. She then broke out into hysterical laughter, struggling to even keep standing. After a few moment she half gathered her composure while wiping a tear from her eye.
"Haha. I gotta commend you. That was the most ludicrous lie I've ever heard. And you were so serious too. Heh. Oh sweet Saleen that was good. I like a guy who can make me laugh."
'I can't tell if she wants to kill me or fuck me. Why do I always attract the psychos? Why can't I get a woman with nice, gentle, maternal vibes that doesn't tie me to a bed or table unless I ask for it. Is that too much to ask?' Bounty thought giving Color enough time to fully get her bearings.
Color walked back over by Bounty's legs. She raised her hand with claws extended. A serious look back onto her face. "I told you I don't like liars."
"Wait! Wait!" Bounty panicked. "I can't tell you okay! I'm not supposed too." He breathed nervously. Mentally preparing himself to possibly get stabbed again.
Color retracted her claws, and wore another flirtatious smile. "That's all you had to say. I wouldn't want to make you do something you don't want to..." Bounty got a shiver up his body as Color dragged a finger along his exposed chest. She learned forward to whisper near his ear. "...After all, consent is rather sexy."
"You got a real twisted way of showing it." Bounty whispered back.
Color giggled in response. "So, about what you want..." She leaned back up. "They call themselves the Sapphire Dawn. Some secret shadow government, or cult, or something, I don't know... All I do know is they've been causing some trouble here and there in recent years. They all wear that symbol as a tattoo on their fingers. I think they're planning something big, but again, I don't know what it could be."
Color moved around the table undoing all the bindings around Bounty's limbs. "But since you can move freely around the country with the King's backing, maybe you can gather some more information for me that you can actually tell me." She offered a hand for Bounty to shake after he sat up. "Deal?"
Bounty hesitated for a second. Unsure if she could be trusted, but as much as he would want to deny it; he always falls for a pretty face. Even if that face is absolutely bad for his health.
He shakes her hand and gets instantly flushed with that feeling of dread, sadness, and despair. Less of a gut feeling of a terrible decision, and more like a nostalgic recollection of his sins. He pulled his hand to wipe the sudden mist from his eyes.
"You sure cry at the drop of a hat, don't you." She teased.
"I don't cry! It's just...."
"Just...?"
"Do you know what you do to me every time you touch me?" He asked very seriously.
She let a singular promiscuous laugh. "So now you're trying to flirt with me?"
"No, I'm--" He was shushed by a finger being pressed against his lips. "Shush. You don't need to be so bashful, nor do you need to explain anything to me."
It was obvious Bounty wasn't going to get any words out to her, and at this point he was contemplating just letting her have her way with him. Just when he was ready to submit they heard a bell ring elsewhere in the room.
"Shit! It's my shift!" Color jumped away hastily getting the bloodstained apron off and adjusting her dress. She tossed a crutch to Bounty before getting mentally prepared for her role. "Feel free to take your leave when you see fit... Or~, you can wait till after my shift and we can continue where we left off~." She finished with a wink and a blown kiss before leaving the room.
Bounty sat in silence for a few seconds before hopping off the table and stabilizing himself. He then thought to himself. 'Yeah, fuck that. I need to find Whistle and leave. Fuck this place. I want to go home.'