In the interim of the Vulgar Dynasty taking turns thawing Yoona, so she could also do pfree Reggie, Gala took a moment to approach Ag who was updating the board.
"Heyyyy... Sir Wuth." Gala said awkwardly, poking herself into his periphery. He let out a light chuckle.
"You don't need to address me as such, Gala. Ag is fine."
Gala relaxed a bit, but was still nervous.
"Sorry, I heard you were some prince, and I didn't want to offend you."
"In any other circumstance, I would be. But my name carries no favor here. It would be quite arrogant if I thought otherwise."
"That's... actually really cool of you!" Gala praised.
"I appreciate the accolades... Actually I was hoping to pick your brain about something." Ag turned towards Gala, but kept his eyes focused on the rest of the team.
"You're a Psion, which means you're able to pick up unconscious thought, correct?"
"Yep. But it's kinda random and not always useful." She shrugged. Ag let out a quiet sigh and lowered his voice.
"You wouldn't have happened to pick up any of Vanity's weaknesses?"
"Gasp! Are we cheating?" She exclaimed humorously.
"Shh-shh-shh! It's not cheating, it's gathering information on the enemy." Ag hushed her hoping his adversary didn't hear. It seemed like Vanity didn't notice.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night... Fine, I got something." Gala attempted to whisper into his ear, only to realize he's almost double her size. She then motioned for him to lean down. I took a few seconds to realize and follow the order.
"Vanity is low-key horny 24/7."
Ag quickly raised his head with a disappointed look. "That doesn't help me in the slightest."
"What are you talking about? Flex those muscles! Give her your smoldering look. Trim. The. Finger. Nails. Every woman likes strong, well trimmed fingers." Gala clapped to emphasize her points.
"You want me to woo her, to help me win our fight?" Ag asked seriously.
"Precisely. She'll be too hot and bothered to fight!"
Ag let out an amused sigh. "As humorous as this plan is, I am not doing it."
"Why not?" She whined.
"Because I'm not taking romantic nor strategic advice from a woman wearing a dog collar."
Gala let out a surprise gasp grabbing onto the collar at her neck. "How did you know?"
"The walls are thin Gala, the walls are thin. And please remember..." Ag begin walking away, but not before placing a hand on her shoulder and lightly squeezing the love bruises. "...the safe word is Alexandrite."
XXXXX
Once the duo was free from their mutual prisons, they sat down for a moment to nurse their wounds, each sporting their own assortment of cuts and bruises.
Reggie battled with himself for a moment before finally get a word out to the gnoll. "I want to apolo --" She interrupted.
"Yoona's sorry! She didn't mean to get so angry!" She sounded almost as if she was begging for forgiveness.
"No. No Yoona..." Reggie sighed. "Fuck... I didn't mean what I said, it's just... Everytime I look at you, I can't help but think of the family and friends I lost to the many conflicts with your kind."
Yoona pulled herself into a fetal position on the bench, a sad tone befell her voice. "Yoona understands. She doesn't like what her people does either. So mean. So violent. Yoona runs away but everywhere hates her... She goes back home where family hates her too."
Reggie sat down on the bench next to her. "I guess we both got shit families, huh?" He jokes hoping to lighten the mood. He placed his bandaged hand on her shoulder, ruffling her fur. "Those were some pretty neat tricks by the way. I didn't think you were an elementalist."
"Yoona is better at defensive and utility spells... but, uhh... Reggie fought well too..., but who was the lady that helped you?"
"It's a long story..." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck.
Before Reggie could start his story Mordeki had made his way in offering Yoona's book to her. "Here, you d-dropped this." He stammered. His frills twitching.
"Master!" She yelled while snatching the book from him and giving it a deep hug. "Are you alright?" She opened the book and got a contented face of relief.
"Uh... What's happening right now?" Reggie whispered over to Mordeki.
"I believe her spellbook is sentient, but only she can communicate with it." He replied.
"I know that feeling..." Reggie replied solemnly, watching Lady quietly sleep; draped over his shoulders.
XXXXX
While the Vulgar Dynasty battled amongst themselves, Klaus, the orc blacksmith that repaired Ag's vambraces, had his own chance encounter. While disposing some trash at the back of his shop, he spotted a seemingly human woman in the back alley sat against a wall.
Her simple clothes were dirty and torn, if it wasn't for a lack of wounds or blood, it looked as if she was attacked by a wild animal. As Klaus moved closer he could tell she was crying and muttering something. He could only make out a few words. "Sister, Sleep, and Demon."
"Oi, lass." He said quietly to get her attention. Her body instantly stiffened and her muttering stopped. She slowly craned her head up to looks at Klaus. Her face covered in tears and a look of desperation. "Please... Can you help me...? I'll do anything..." Her voice hollow and course.
Klaus didn't like dealing with other people's drama, and was considering just leaving the alley dame to her own destiny, but then he remembered a supposed dragonkin paladin that owed him a favor.
"Sure. I know a'guy."
XXXXX
Elsewhere in the forests around the capital Ave watched as Lily tore into the freshly slain carcass of a deer.
He was more confused than concerned at the sight of a human girl ripping into a full grown buck with her bare hands.
"You are much different than most human hatchlings. Faster, smarter, magically inclined. Better in every way. Why?" He asked. His intense gaze on her.
She swallowed a hunk of raw venison, before tearing out another piece. "Because I made myself better."
"Explain." He growled. She got a frightened look on her face, one that contrasted all the fresh blood on her cheeks and lips.
"I grew up alone, hunting rats, cats, and birds to survive. One day I fell in a hole, and a voice told me I can do much more with their bodies then just eat them. It also told me I could do the same to my own body."
She stood and wiped the blood from her mouth. "Now I can do this!" Her smile turned wicked as multiple rows of serated teeth protrude through her gums, and her finger formed into gnarly claws perfect for ripping flesh, wood, and stone. All while patches of mismatched fur grew randomly on her body.
"Now I can hunt much bigger, smarter game."
"Hmmm." Ave hummed. He stepped forward and carefully extracted the antlers from the deer. He then offered them to Lily. "Show me."
XXXXX
While the field was getting cleared after Reggie and Yoona's scuffle, Mordeki volunteered for him and Gala to go next.
Mordeki hastily copied what he could from his old book into the new one, planning for every spell he was going to need. Gala on the other hand was getting her own little pep talk.
Dian held her aloft by her thighs, pinning her back against a post at the back of the stadium seats. Gala winced and moaned as Dian kissed around her neck and shoulders. A blissful ache with every nick of her down feathers. "You better win your match, cause if you do I got a little surprise." She teasingly whispered.
"A surprise? You doing this is surprising enough." Gala whispered back.
"Didn't expect me to play with my puppy again so soon~?"
"Oh I'm your puppy now? Should I bark like one too?" Gala asked with a bit of jest.
"Gods, please don't." Dian laughed. "People who do that in public are freaks, we'll be keeping our really special fun behind closed doors~."
Gala got a worried look. She flashed her collar to Dian. "Was I not supposed to wear this then?"
"The collar is fine. One can easily play it off as a risque sense of fashion, but don't go telling people it's true purpose."
"Oh... Umm... I might have already told Whistle. Oops."
Dian stared for a moment before giving a exasperated sigh. "I guess I should have been more diligent in outlining the boundaries of our new relationship."
"Sorry, I guess I'm kinda used to having my relationships known." Even while being held up by Dian, Gala had a sorrowful look. Dian quickly shared it and pulled Gala into her.
"Don't be like that. I'm fine if you need to label us to the others, but please keep our private time private. The more you talk, the more question you have to answer, and once you answer, people look at you different. Frankly I could care less about my reputation..."
Dian got ravenous smile on her face as she pushed forward pinning Gala back into the post, but with a more lustful embrace.
"...But I don't like it when people look down on my pets.~"
Just as it seemed as things were about to get a little steamy between the two, Gala was called for her match against Mordeki. Dian set her down on her feet and gave her a swift smack on the ass causing her to let out a surprised squawk.
"Make sure you win so you get your surprise!" Dian winked to punctuate herself.
Gala gave in embarrassed wave before running off for the spar. She was more determined to win then ever.
XXXXX
Gala stood to one side with her quarterstaff, Mordeki, his new spellbook. Mordeki's frills were in full aggression mode. Gala had her wings spread far apart, a warning to her prey. Though both fully sapient creatures, neither could fight their biological nature of intimidation.
Bird vs Reptile.
Psion vs Purple Mage.
Woman vs Man.
Their battle would be legendary.
This is... if they battled at all.
As soon as Ag gave the starting mark, neither participants moved from their spot. After a full minute of zero movement, the uninformed of the audience started asking questions.
"Why aren't they doing anything?" Bounty asked.
"Did they not hear the start or something?" Reggie followed.
"I feel like I'm being left out of a joke..." Whistle added.
"Quiet!..." Vanity hushed. "...They're fighting. We just can't see it."
"Excuse me?" Bounty laughed.
"It's true." Ag interjected sternly as he sat down. "Mordeki is a master of purple magic, trained for his entire life. Gala on the other hand is a Psion. Able to create purple magic purely from her own willpower and resolve. If she can hold up, she stands a chance."
Dian let out a delightful chuckle. "Trust me, she has the resolve, she'll give him a good fight."
Ag switched to his soul vision for a brief moment, watching as Gala and Mordeki's flames raged in an inferno, both clawing at each other over the distance between them.
"They're both trapped inside their minds in a war for control. One minute here could potentially be days, maybe weeks of conflict for them. We won't know the winner until it's over."