Bruno and Luca walked through the hilltop stairs up to the mansion, surrounded by the noises of their troops. Bruno looked, noticing a group running from the street toward them.
"Sir Bruno!" they called. He gave them a blank stare and conversed. "What is going on, soldier? Why do our soldiers constantly patrol these streets beneath Lord Niklas' household?"
The soldier stepped together and bowed forward. "We're sincerely sorry, sir! We received orders from Outrider Peter to split into four groups and scour the neighborhood to track down the two children that are holding that unique relic." Bruno rotated his body to the side, Luca behind him standing seriously.
"What do you mean there are two kids? I seem to remember that girl thief took it. You're telling me there's still another kid out there that you can't find? Two kids are posing a challenge to such a large army? You cannot be serious!"
The soldier became stressed. "We deeply apologize! I wish we could tell you the good news that we caught the thief, but the youngster, who's been assisting that girl, seems to be getting in the way of our objective. He's been able to outmaneuver us in every way possible."
Bruno's face grew furious. "A kid?! How does a child cause you such problems? Do we have any information concerning his identify or whereabouts?" the soldier quickly nodded.
"Although we can't be certain, we think the youngster may be a member of that new pirate's crew—the White-Haired Pirate Tim, leader of the Phoenix Pirates, as the WPD dubbed them. We can't be certain, but given that WPD refers to them as the Phoenix Pirates, there's a chance that the youngster we think of might not even exist."
Bruno tightened his grip on the suitcase and looked to the side. "I still find it hard to believe that the WPD named them without their consent. They haven't had much time in the "Vast Expanse," and they still don't have a name." Bruno looked to the side then continued.
"There is no question that the child you mentioned is a Phoenix Pirate. We cannot allow the child to wander aimlessly beneath Lord Niklas' home. Be quick to seize them! Surround the island at every entry you can, then ambush them. We'll take over the mission if they still manage to get away from you."
The soldier's face became quite uncomfortable as the sweat dropped down their faces. "Although we have already attempted to corner them, the kid is able to run, climb, and jump like a monkey. Without a good strategy, our forces are unable to seize them from high spots."
Bruno quickened his speech. "This is inconvenient. Fine, make sure to set up guards on every exit. I'll take care of the kids, understand?"
"Yes, sir! As you wish!" the soldier hurred on to gather the troops and make certain to put them on every exit of the hill's entrance or exit.
Luca cocked his head to the front. "Bruno, I can take care of the kids. I should have no trouble catching up to them. Bring the swords to Lord Niklas."
Bruno nodded. "All right. I have faith in you to find those two brats. They shouldn't ruin our work." Bruno ascended the stairs, and Luca nodded before waiting with his arms folded and eyes closed.
"And, also, Luca. Before I go, could you find Kira? I don't think it's a good idea for her to be alone." Luca became covered with his sweat, awkward. "I forgot about her completely..."
Tim waltzed through the street, slowly noticing that the troops among the city started to surrounded and block every entrance of the hill. He stood casually for the troops to approach him and bow before him.
"We advise you, young citizen, to stay out of trouble. Near the residence of Lord Niklas, there was an accident. No one may enter."
Tim scratched the back of his head. "Oh, so that's where Niklas is..." The soldiers looked at him, confused and questioned. "Um. Excuse us. We would think that you were aware of Lord Niklas's whereabouts."
Tim smiled, closing his eyes, adorably and blushing. He began to nod his head up and down. "True, true. Although I didn't expect you to tell me about his whereabouts of all people." Soldiers froze and immediately reached for the poster. They moved it in front of Tim's face, while looking at the poster.
"White-Haired Pirate, Tim, $100,000, dead or alive." The soldier slowly moved the poster to the side, only to realize that the person before him had the same face as the one on the poster. "You're 'White-Haired' Pirate, Tim!"
Tim dropped his arms and opened his eyes. "Yup, and you just told me where Niklas's position is. If you don't mind, I'll be on my way."
Sweat trickled down the soldiers' faces, making them look uncomfortable. Tim passed him and gave him a light tap on the shoulder. "Thanks." He continued to go toward the slope when the soldier abruptly yelled. Tim was about to continue when he heard footsteps nearby and then suddenly found himself surrounded by a large group of guards.
"Sorry, kid, but this region is off bounds. Any pirates attempting to thwart Lord Niklas' plans, must be exterminated, and we must do so swiftly!"
Tim looked at the soldiers that surrounded him. On his left, his right, behind and in front of him. He reached for his hood, bowed forward and smiled. "All right then, let's do this."
The soldiers wasted not one second and attacked at once. The soldier stepped next to Tim's side and slashed as he immediately raised his foot and whirled for his whole body to set itself ablaze.
The soldiers that approached him were burnt and knocked back, losing their spears, while the flames suddenly expanded outward.
His hair became longer, his body became feminine. He transformed into a girl and smiled.
"Hey, I guess this can be useful!" she chuckled and winked at the guards who suddenly became swallowed by pink hearts. Tem became confused and then gently looked down at her body.
She became embarrassed after realizing that her clothes happened to burn. "You've gotta be kidding me!" she immediately covered her chest, and stepped closer. "I forgot to cool down the heat!"
Their attention was focused on her cleavage, breasts, and behind. They could not manage it; it was too much.
The guards' noses began to bleed, and eventually they all fell like dominoes around her. She quickly blinked three times to see that none of the soldiers had been awake.
"Um..." She looked behind her, still covering her chest. "Well, I'll just leave you be..." she slowly tiptoed behind an alley, and quickly hid from the scene. She found a hanger with clothes and decided to steal it to dress herself. Once she was ready, she whirled on the floor once more, set herself on fire and transformed back into a boy.
He sighed and put one of his hands on his hip. "I'm still not completely used to this ability. That feels so much more embarrassing when you're a girl, unlike when I'm a boy." He quickly peeked from the corner and instantly entered the park where only some people stood.
"Clear..." the moment he made the next step, he slipped over something and he dropped on the floor, face palming the ground. "What the hell?!"
He asked, looking behind him and noticed a girl sleeping. She held his right arm like a plushie and rubbed her cheek against his ankle. "Soft..." she claimed.
Kira continued to drool in her sleep, while Tim tried to escape. "Hey, let me go!" he tried pulling his leg out, but to no avail. "You've got to be kidding me..." In the next moment he noticed Kira's nose wobble and close in on his ankle. "Meat..." she opened her mouth and hurriedly bit her teeth into Tim's skin.
Tim's eyes widened as he screamed high in the air. The bubble from her nose popped, and Kira woke up. She looked up at Tim and yawned.
"Good morning..." she gently stepped up, fixing her messy clothes to hide her bra and stretched. "Did I wake you up?" Tim looked at her unamused. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Kira's mind wasn't fully open. She only looked at Tim who sat on the floor, holding his ankle.
To be continued...