Aeda steadily swirls her arms around as she keeps herself stationary in the aquatic realm she finds himself under. Her copper red eyes sting from the fresh water that's not so much painful rather than mildly irritating. A concern she easily disregards.
Aeda estimates that she's been holding her breath for about two minutes, maybe longer. That's a new record and it motivates her to carry on for one more minute. She always enjoys these sorts of challenges, but she wishes that she can test her skills against another competitor.
She may as well test her fortitude for another two minutes.
Accepting her own challenge, Aeda decides to let time pass by observing her surroundings. Given that she is in a rather dull lake with no schools of fish, hidden treasure or remains from dead victims, thankfully, the only point of interest that Aeda can observe is the aquatic ceiling with the white orb of the sun beaming.
She rolls her eyes, losing interest already. If her suffocating lungs won't force her out of this lake, boredom surely will.
Roughly thirty minutes pass when Aeda notices something casting a shadow over the lake, making her gleefully ponder that rain will soon fall However, her hopes are quickly dashed when she sees a thin figure blotting out the sun.
Aeda conjures an idea of who it might be, but before she can spring to the surface, the figure nimbly leaps into air with such grace that Aeda bubbles out an alarmed cry and swims to deeper depths to evade impact.
Aeda barely dodges the newcomer as she's merely inches away from physical contact. When she has a clear view is revealed, all she sees upstart with raven hair and sharp ears is a cheerful prick.
Aeda growls, gritting her teeth before pouncing at the intruder who cackles bubble up to the surface.
The two struggle beneath the depths until their shriveling lungs wreck them both. A stalemate hastily declared as the two race upwards.
Aeda is the first to breach through the aquatic ceiling, gasping a large breath of air to relieve the painful pressure in her chest. Her newcomer follows suit shortly after her.
"You cock!" Aeda shouts. "You annoying, skeleton railing, poorly timed daft tit! You ruined my record!"
"Ho there! Peace, Aeda!" The Daft Tit gasps and laughs through his short breaths. "I p- I promised my favorite human that I would keep her company throughout the day! Or are you getting senile in your old age."
Aeda is still not amused but calms herself. "Bleeding void, you continue this, I'll have the temper of an old prig!"
"That's why I'm here, you lovable short fuse!" The elf jests.
Aeda says nothing and swims to the grassy shore with the carefree elf following not far.
A brisk chill wrecks her body as she slips out of the water and the autumn wind only adds to her torment.
"Bleeding void… I'll be ill before the day's done in this lovely weather." She mutters, clattering her teeth.
"Well, we can either… dispose of our attire and rely on…"
"Kit, if you finish that sentence, I will skin you and wear you like an antique coat!" Aeda threatens.
"Oooor…. We can make our stealthy entrance into the cinema with warm cocoa." Kit offers a more preferable alternative. "It just opened up and they have a production in a few hours at the very least! I figure we can be there for the glorious occasion!
Aeda flashes him an incredulous glare, grasping herself as she shivers. "The cinema. As in The Mashinma Cinema, which is in Gierrox, might I add, which is about almost a day's journey away. And you want us to travel there for a production that starts in a few hours at most. Brilliant idea!" She feigns her excitement before muttering under shaky breath. "Y-you're an adorable Daft Tit, but a Daft Tit nonetheless."
Kit drops his cheerful demeanor and replaces it with a hurt scowl. "If you can restrain your sarcasm, I'd appreciate it!"
Aeda rolls her eyes. "As you wish. Let me be b-blunt and direct then: We can't get to Cierrox. Obviously, we don't have mounts and even if we d-did, it's STILL almost a day's journey to get there!"
That is when Kit brandishes a confident smirk. "Well, consider us fortunate we won't be taking mounts then. I claimed the next best alternative!"
Aeda raises a brow, a little curious to know what he means by that. "Next best alternative? Like… teleportation? Are you confessing that you're a sorcerer outcast?"
But Kit just grabs her by the wrist. "Just come with me, you unpleasant prig!"
As she is jerked forward, Aeda can feel a brisk but powerful breeze hitting her cold body. "Cold! Cold, cold, bleeding cold!"
Despite her vocal complaints, the human and the elf depart the park and onto the chaotic streets of The Royal Capital.
Aeda can feel an uneasy weight drop into her chest as she's guided through the rowdy crowds that are Capital's citizens. Like a frenzied swarm, they wrecked havoc wherever they go. She witnesses the glass window of bakery violently breached with a volley of rocks before several people climb their way in to reap what they can find. Seconds later, the door is breached from the baker within only to be brutally bludgeoned in the street by ravenous denizens while the perpetrators chaotically disperse a the hidden bounty of dull looking bread and glistening sweet rolls.
"Think we can claim a sweet roll before we move on?" Kit calls to Aeda through the commotion.
Aeda sheepishly shakes her head gazing wearily at the crowd. "I think they've all been claimed, sadly! Besides, I'm not much for sweetrolls no more!" She shouts still feeling the frosty chill plaguing her.
"Such a bore!" Kit teases.
"Shut it! I'm freezing!"
"Still? Here consider my cloak yours.
Aeda is caught off guard as Kit yanks her sharply to the left, changing routes and sprinting into Raird Square, the heart of the Capital.
Known as the crown jewel of the city, and all the Kingdom, Raird Square has been beautifully conceived with smooth tile earth with a majestic titan Peacock crowned in the center. Sparkling ornaments and rich colors fill the marble carved bird that symbolizes the capital. Truly a spectacle Aeda wishes to savior were it not for the unwelcomed company.
Aeda's chest tightens as the innumerable mob clotting up the square immediately unsettles her.
"Brilliant! Who did the Angarde round up THIS time?" Aeda blurts out their name.
Despite its fledgling status, the Angarde Militia's ranks have alarmingly been filled to the brim. Bound by their zealous hatred for the Crown, and an unquenchable passion for change, it is the Angarde that now reign over the Royal Capital while the King might as well be rendered a glimmering marionette. They look no different to any other denizen in this city but adorn black pieces of cloth wrapped around their upper arms, and viciously armed from makeshift tools and kitchen knives to clear-cut weapons like swords and muskets.
"Yeah, that's them. From what I heard, they gathered up more posh sods to set an example or something."
"What are the odds?" Aeda's trembling voice drips with extreme reluctance.
"Calm, Aeda." Kit soothes tenderly acquiring her wrist. "I shall guide you."
Aeda shallowly expels the air from her nostrils before murmuring meekly. "My thanks."
Kit leads Aeda straight into the horde, and with her still suffering from her soaking cold clothes and brisk wind, Aeda lacked the reflexes (I always found it tricky to maintain a story in present tense: it sounds like this sentence slipped into the past tense for a second) and the will to avoid bashing into people.
Thankfully, but more shockingly, none of the Angarde did not seem to care. Aeda does receive some offended glares, but they either soften or just brush it off to direct their attention back to the center of the square to the main attraction.
At the core of Raird Square stands a garishly opulent fountain that is occupied by a tall intimidating man with a metallic mask cloaking his face with the quilt coating grafted alongside the set sends shivers down Aeda's spine. She's seen him before but thankfully from far distances. To see him at such a close distance leaves her legs trembling like jelly.
"Willux Tierron." She breathes out her name.
"Ho there, Oath-sworn brethren!" His voice is low and smooth though his aura overshadows the square whole. "I deign hoped such grave tidings were not true, but these four… cretins concocted a conspiracy to snuff out the age we are determined to give birth to!"
"Traitors!"
The crowd erupts with such rage and frenzy it's almost deafening. Aeda has to shield her ears with the palms of her hands to prevent them from overloading. She reluctantly releases them as the crowd's jeers simmer down leaving the speaker to carry on.
"These... turncoats are charged with the following: Refusing to respond and adhere with mandates of the Angarde, harboring invaluable tithes and tributes that can benefit our home, the many, and our realm entirety, secreting His Majesty from his rotten Eternal Palace and away from the Angarde,"
Hostile words elevate by just mentioning the King alone.
"…And oh-ho this- my personal favorite, truly, nearly escaping the city the night before for sanctuary in the Imperium and then return… with an army!" He brutally strikes the jaw of the middle-aged man closest to him the same time he said 'army'. "The same Imperium that defiled our realm, ravaged the many, all while those who dare call themselves our stewards remained unmolested by their wrath!"
For Aeda to hear the people jeering and even lunging rocks at the accuse makes the girl lock in place in fear. Her mind constructs a frightening scenario of her being up there, on her knees, at the mercy of those bloodthirsty commoners, men and elves alike, demanding her life in the most savage way imaginable. It's a scenario nearly causes her to faint if not for Kit jerking her arm to follow him.
But it is not long before a new thought troubles her.
"Is what he says true? Were they truly planning to betray us so?"
"Later, Aeda!"
The four on their knees, battered and frightened did not even squeak one word.
Aeda just looks down at the floor. "Kit, please let us move on! I feel everyone threatens to suffocate me whole!"
"Almost there." Kit assures her, continuing to guide her through the crowd.
Aeda sees Tierron slowly kneel to his knee and turns the man's face with his cheeks. The man bites his lips and shudders when glaring at his masked face.
"Fortunately, my brethren may pardon all of your charges, if you offer us invaluable gossip in return." His smooth deep voice blends with a menacing urge. "So, for your sake, and the sake of my kin, I ask you sir: Where. Is. His Majesty?"
Aeda feels her heart stop when her eyes capture every millisecond of the captive man defiantly spitting into the Tierron's face. All she can think is that Tierron will mutilate him on the spot in retaliation.
Tierron sighs and hangs his head. "Truly? Was that necessary? Futile resistance aside, you do know I adorn a mask, yes?"
"You've won nothing, traitor!" The prisoner hisses. "His Majesty is safe, and your little kingdom, y-your paradise? You'll lose it all from the righteous wrath by those who serve the Goddess!"
The crowd grows restless, demanding for the man to be executed.
Tierron, however, strikes a different tune. "Ahh… but that is where I must rebuke you. It's not my kingdom, sir. It never has been. This realm belongs to them." He motions his hand out to the people. "And if you won't deliver what they desire, then I fear that you must pay in blood."
With a blink of an eye, Aeda sees Tierron perform a precise quick cross wave with his arm, and blood begins spewing from the man's throat before he falls to his side twitching and choking while a crimson red puddle forms around him.
Aeda can feel her stomach threatening to spew nasty fluids from her mouth as she watches the bloody mess lay out before her eyes. She turns to the remaining captives who are now trembling and sobbing.
She watches Tierron march to the blubbering young man, his boots clicking against the marble surface.
"F-Fort Saint Laikuna!" The young man sobs. "His M-majesty is hiding within Fort Saint Laikuna… please let us go… we'll be faithful to your cause… pleasepleaseplease…"
Tierron shushes and gently pats his shoulder to soothe him, but for Aeda it's all the more frightening.
"You have my gratitude." Tierron says lowly before rising to his feet and stares out to the crowd. "We have our answer, my friends! And now the choice is now yours to make: If you feel this is a waste of time then, I suggest you step aside and proceed with your day. But if betrayal haunts you so, if eager you are to right wrongs bridled upon you, and if you wish to carve an age of our own design, then I ask you to stand with me today as I storm the bowels of the Emerald, to the rotten heart of St Laikuna, and together we shall guide His Majesty down the path of pure unadulterated righteousness!"
The cheers and roars are unanimous in their support for Tierron with raised fists and weapons.
Tierron mimics them, roaring, "For Angarde!"
"And all!" His mob choruses.
"For Angarde!"
"And all!
"FOR ANGARDE!"
"AND ALL!"
The mob thunders onward, following Tierron determined to see this through.
Kit finally leads Aeda out of the occupied square and up an upward path leading to the new heights of the Capital.
Suddenly Aeda swipes her wrist from Kit's grasp getting the elf's surprised attention. "Aeda?"
"You wanted me to see that, did you?" Aeda snarls.
"No, Aeda, that pa-"
Aeda ruthlessly cuts him off and aims a finger at his nose. "I know the Angarde, and I know almost everyone are turning to them in this chaos! I'm not the oblivious one, Kit! Even a girl like me knows where the wind is blowing! Everything from the King, the mobs, the Angarde, my father and aunt, I just… can I go ONE WEEK without any of this FUCKING IDIOCY!"
Kit, remaining silent through Aeda's spiteful words, sadly nods, nonverbally acknowledging that the fault is his for leading her through the Square.
"I knew…" Kit hesitantly starts, pausing as he bites his lip. "I knew the Angarde would be sentencing the poor sods today. But I didn't know they would be present that early! Swear on my life, Aeda, I had no idea!"
Although still crossed, Aeda's hostile gaze softens as she sense the truth in Kit's words.
"You want me to believe you? Then you take me to Gierrox." Aeda tells him. "If the Angarde wants Capital, they can bleeding well have it!
Kit slowly nods. "So… no reserves then? You're willing to leave your own family?
Aeda flashes him a hardened look. "I still got my big girl breeches, do I not?"
"Looks to me you gone and wet them." Kit teases.
Aeda takes in a deep breath before flashing a wide unsettling smile. "You're such a good friend warning me. I feel like returning the favor. Here, just one jab and you won't have little Daft Tits running amok!"
"Woahwoahwoah!" Kit cries out shielding his crotch. "Uh… as generous as that sounds, I prefer a more…. painless solution!"
Aeda feigns a frown. "Aww… if I can't do that, then what kind of friend would I be?" She casts aside her façade and walks past him with a fuming look on her face.
"Friend?" That is the only word Kit intercepts through Aeda's words. "Wait! So we really are friends!
"Bite your tongue." Aeda curtly warns.
"No!" Kit insists. "You said friends! Twice! So you do see me as a friend! I knew it!"
"Just shut up, and escort me to your magical route!"
"No! Stop!" Kit risks himself by blocking Aeda's path and resting a hand on her shoulder. "Alright. A bargain then." He offers.
Aeda raises a brow. "A bargain?"
"Aeda Lutisina, if you swear on this spot your friendship," Kit kneels before Aeda and takes her hand. "Then upon my honor I will deliver you to Gierrox as you desire."
"You so love to torture me, do you, you hopeless romantic?" Aeda scoffs and jerks her hand away. "I have a counteroffer, your Daftiness: You escort me to Gierrox, and I will swallow my pride and dignity and say that word…"
"What word?" Kit muses.
"Bargain or no bargain?"
"Fine, fine! Bargain!"
The two solidify their agreement with Aeda meekly shaking Kit's hand.
"Now do you know the way to Vilae, or do you not?"
"Just leave it to me!" Kit proudly acknowledges.
Once again, Kit takes the lead with Aeda following without her friend chaining her with his hand, thankfully.
"I'm starting to think this route is within our imaginations." Aeda murmurs dryly.
The leader and the follower finally reach the pinnacle of the path leading them into a more glamorous world than the one below.
"Welcome to posh land, sadly not our destination." Kit says theatrically.
"Oh, woe is me."
Emerald Quarter, like Rairde Square is known for it's unspoiled beauty, sterile white marble buildings with shimmering diamond roofs and glistening ornaments. Kit and Aeda carry on down the main road and they can see mesmerizing gardens that look as if they've been tended by the most talented gardeners throughout the continent.
However, recent events have tainted this long untouched haven.
It's a horrid sight that threatens to make Aeda's throat and joints lock, but she presses trying not to look at the brutality.
A shriek of horror is heard not too far and a terrified woman in a white gown falls from the steps of an opulent structure with a young elf woman, tall and lanky in stature, like all her kin, adorning modest vest and breeches, savagely clawing slippers from kicking feet, a heartbreaking wail heaves from the fetal curled woman as her thief skimps over to a pair of disheveled glazed-glaring children before gingerly gifting the little one for his cut covered bare feet.
Alas, the indecent noble woman is not the only victim.
A pair of Angarde escorts a herd of battered residents, shoving them along as they whimper and murmur prayers to the Goddess for protection. Another pack of the armed mob raid a defenseless estate while a wife weeps over her husband's broken body. And several frighteningly armed elves haul off with a bounty of food, and ethereal valuables away from the gates of the Eternal Cathedral.
To Aeda one thing is clear: Pierron really does control this city, and with he could control all of the Kingdom!
"Hey! Didn't you hear me?" A feminine voice asserts itself snapping Aeda out of her trance.
She gasps feeling a force of energy coursing through her body as all of her senses heightened by the chaotic scene going around. It's only when she feels a hand aggressively squeezes her arm is when she swings it around on impulse freeing it.
"Woah, woah!" The same female voice is taken aback. "Calm yourself!"
"Aeda! We're safe!" Kit's voice chimes in. "She won't hurt us!"
An alarmed Aeda gazes on the same elf woman who seized the noble lady from her home towering over her by several inches. Up close, she's a fair skinned girl with copper hair revealing her right ear that's similar in human size but having a much sharper superior edge, which is common among all elves.
Aeda can see she's armed like the rest of the Angarde with a simple but viscous looking metal pin capable of inflicting severe trauma.
The sight of the hammer alone makes Aeda's skin prickle.
"What business do you have in the Emerald District? For your safety, I advise both of you to leave immediately."
A brief pause passes.
"Speak quickly or move on!" The elven woman hotly presses.
"Oh no worries, love, I have him to protect me."Aeda nudges over at Kit. "My faithful servant is here to escort me to my magic route."
To say that the Angarde elf is not amused would be putting it mildly. Aeda can see a vein pulsating from her head, but a dry scoff indicates that her interrogator is growing impatient rather provoked by her wily remark.
The elf seizes Aeda by her shirt and yanks her close. "Indentured servitude? That's a serious offense!"
"Pardon? A wha- are you incapable of understanding my tone pattern?! No! If anything, I would happy to be rid of him, but the Daft Tit latched on to me like a leech!"
The elf is taken aback by Aeda's courage and her expression softens.
"Fair ladies I thank you both for not tarnishing each other's beauty!" Kit nimbly slides between the two and pushes them away from each other. "What the fair maiden says is half true, heroic one! 'Tis true I willingly accompany her wherever we go, but not as a parasite, but as a-."
"I will neuter you if you finish that sentence." Aeda threatens in a low tone.
Both women flash him awkward glances from Kit's regal-esque tone.
"Have you been socked in the head or something?" The Angarde militant directs her question to Kit.
Aeda shakes his head and mutters. "Unfortunately, no. Though I believe he might benefit from one."
The elf's grip around the hammer tightens.
"We're just attempting to reach Gierrox is all." Kit is direct this time.
Despite Kit's poor imitation of probably a romanticized knight from those children's books, seeing the elf woman's aggressive aura diminish is most welcoming.
"Truly?" Suspicion still lingers from the militant's voice. "If you want to travel to Gierrox, you're definitely traversing the wrong path."
Aeda's jaw tightens. "Don't you have a rebuttal, Your Daftiness?" Her deadpan tone boils with rage.
"Quiet." Kit flicks Aeda on her forehead with his index finger before directing his attention to the woman. "I know of a… quicker way to to Gierrox that happens to be in Emerald."
"And what's this quicker way?" The woman is adamant.
"Kit, just confess already!" Aeda pressures him.
"Fine!" Kit laments. "Some posh Junker has claimed one of those new airships. The plan is for us to… forcefully borrow it and fly to Gierrox in a matter of minutes."
"What?!" The woman exclaims.
"Be your pardon?" Aeda is taken aback by this discovery. "Graf Vun Saur? So you intend to rope me into thievery?"
"Forcefully borrow!" Kit emphasizes.
"Oh, right. And I want to forcefully borrow the Eternal Palace for a week!" A smug smile forms. "So when do we strike?"
"I know how to secrete ourselves in!" Kit defensively says. "I wouldn't bring you along if I thought it impo- wait, what?"
"Oh? Stage fright got the best of you all of a sudden?"
"Sorry, I... I expected more reluctance or outright objection! Ponder I have to tell you my scheme ever since we departed from our leisurely swim."
"Kit, an Imperium junker cowers in opulence while the Capital is sacked by re- by the Angarde. After what those dastards unleashed upon us all those years ago, this is personal." She answers. "But you are certain you can smuggle us in?"
"I assure you, yes! I'm speaking from experience of course!"
"Well, that's reassuring! I trust you also know how to take the helm of this airship?"
"From what I heard, the mechanics around piloting one is simple an idiot could control it!"
"Then... this can work! A grand escape all while that Vun Saur prick is left to his just desert fate. What are we waiting for? Let us be-"
"You two are aware that my presence still lingers, right?"
Both Aeda and Kit are silenced by the voice from the elf woman who appears irritated.
"Oh! So you are." Aeda morbidly gazes at the stone tiled ground. "Well... don't act so wary, for how can we possible... help me here, Kit."
"I fear we might have overplayed our deck here."
"I'm afraid you're out of luck, friends." The woman strikes down their hopes. "From what I've heard, Von Saur cut off his estate from the rest of the Quarter."
"What? The Angarde can't raid one estate because it's cut off?" Aeda mockingly queries.
"We definitely can." The elf defends. "But compared to more serious matters, the Junker is a small fry."
"More serious matters?" Aeda repeats. "Than a junker? Truly?"
The elf shakes her head. "You imply like I will reveal to you our intentions. And you claim him the daft one."
"Why am I not surprised?"
"Fort St. Laikuna." Kit answers.
Aeda repeats. "Fort St. Laikuna?" She sighs resting her head against her hand. "But of course, how can I neglect the obvious?"
The woman shifts uncomfortably but says nothing.
Kit presses on. "Well if you recall that poor posher back at the Square, that's where His Majesty is seeking refuge, correct? Not to mention there's a healthy bounty of fresh weapons that the Angarde is hungry for."
"Oh, void…" Aeda breathes out, processing this information. " A tinder box within a powder keg, truly."
The woman purses her lips. "If you two weren't planning on stealing something from that Junker, I would throw you two in custody for just blurting that out loud."
"If we really were loyal to the Crown, we would have never mentioned this in front of you." Kit reasons. "Specifically me, of course."
The elf slowly nods. "Fair point."
"Well, you heard it from her." Aeda wittily starts. "The Junker's estate is secluded."
"That doesn't mean we still can't smuggle ourselves in" Kit remains unfazed. "Secluded or not, my hidden path is still open."
"I can't believe this." Aeda remains just as enthused as she was about this before.
"Aeda, please!" Kit takes her arms and forces her to face him. "I wouldn't even consider this if I thought it would be dangerous."
"I can take you to there if it'll make the both of you quiet!" The woman proposes.
The two friends look at her in shock but Aeda is the one who looks the more suspicious.
"There must be a catch?" Aeda skeptically says.
The elf nods. "Using your wits, I see. I keep watch over you. If what you say is true, then I'll know you two are not spies. And once you're done with that airship, I'm confiscating it for the Angarde."
"Steal if you wish to be more direct." Aeda mutters.
"Done." Kit declares.
"You're fine with her stalking us like some deranged killer?" Aeda snaps.
The woman scowls. "As if you have any choice in the matter!" She reminds her, resting her weapon on her shoulder. "Consider yourselves lucky that you're not being hauled off like the rest of these posh twats."
"If she believes us, we have nothing to worry about." Kit adds. "Aeda… please… You know you want to see the Cinema as much as I do."
Aeda bows her head down contemplating on the paths lay before her. It's because of Kit, the only elf she's ever personally known, that she's in this insane position. And now, thanks to him, they're both under the custody of the Angarde. The Angarde that now reigns in the streets of the Capital.
And despite it all, no matter how outlandish and impossible as it sounds, she has a chance to escape to Gierrox, which is likely safer and more tame than here in the Capital. And the fact that Gierrox has just constructed the Cinema, Aeda knows deep down she can't miss an opportunity of seeing something potentially marvelous.
"I get to be the first to set foot in Gierrox." Aeda sets her terms.
Kit smiles and pats her shoulder. "Looks like we're all in agreement then."
The elf nods and motions her arm to follow her. "This way, and stay close."