The sound of a revving engine coasted through the streets as Tobi drove through the village. Ri-is' arms wrapped tightly around his waist as they drove. Their morning ride came to a halt when they spotted some kind of scuffle near the village entrance. Tobi slowed down, allowing Ri-is to get off of the motorcycle and approach the group of people. Ri-is was never one for confrontation and immensely disliked having to use unnecessary force but as a Prince, he couldn't simply ignore it.
"Is there a problem here?"
Ri-is' voice was soft and often reflected his meek demeanour but it was by no means a sign of weakness. In fact, the mere tone of his voice was enough to instill a ghostly chill into anyone who was caught on the less desirable side of the Prince's good books. The guards at the gates turned around and greeted Ri-is. One of them pointed at a man throwing a fit and trying to push past some other guards.
"THAT LITTLE BITCH RAN OFF WITH MY SON! THE STUPID WENCH WITH PIGTAILS! WHERE IS SHE? I'M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT MY SON!"
The man's drunken fit was enough cause for Tobi to get up and stalk protectively over to Ri-is. Admittedly, Ri-is would rather not deal with the drunkard. Luckily for him, he didn't have to. He felt a firm hand on his shoulder and turned to see none other than Wild standing behind him.
"Good morning your Highness. I ask that you not worry yourself with this matter. The Empress has sent me to deal with him."
"Mother? Does she know the man?" Asked Ri-is.
"He's a previous offender. According to our investigations, he's an abusive alcoholic who also happens to be the man who kidnapped Princess Isabelle," Wild explained calmly.
Ri-is glared at the man. The simple fact that this man laid his filthy hands on Ri-is' precious niece was enough to send him into a fit of rage. The ground beneath him began to pulse in a colourful array of shadowy movement, it wove its way past the guards and towards the man. When it was directly in front of him, hundreds of slim, spiked chains sprung from the ground, piercing the man over and over again until he was a bloodied, heaving mess. The chains began to spark as electricity surged through them, electrocution him violently.
His screams startled the guards. When they turned to see what happened, they found him collapsed on the ground gasping as if the air in his lungs had vanished all of a sudden. He screamed loudly and curled into himself, overwhelmed by pain. It perplexed them, nothing had happened for him to be in such a state. They turned back to Ri-is, his eyes now glowing eerily. It was an illusion. Luckily for the man, Ri-is wrath was soon quelled by Tobi slipping his fingers into Ri-is' and pulling him back to the motorcycle.
"Come on. I'm sure they have everything under control," reasoned Tobi.
Ri-is' expression softened when he looked up at Tobi. He responded with a simple nod before releasing the man from his illusion and letting Tobi plop him back onto the motorcycle.
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|Evening|97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡih7OJYhtbk
July•1•xxxx
Avarice pushed through the tall grass that obscured his vision, followed by his squadron of knights. He always thought that it was a little pathetic that so many people couldn't navigate through simple grasslands. However, As soon as he found himself face to face with what all the other explorers before him had seen, he suddenly understood how the grasslands had claimed so many lives. Where the ground wasn't hard and uneven, it was soft and mushy enough for their feet to sink into it. If they weren't careful enough, the muddy footing would pull them in like quicksand, as noted by the dirty boots, articles of clothing and the occasional fingertips that peaked out from the ground.
The group maneuvered their way through the land, going off nothing but the hidden runes of the Solarian soldiers before them to mark their way. It seemed like they had been walking forever. Stopping to rest was out of the question as the sounds of unfamiliar animals began to echo through the long strands of grass, accompanied by the setting sun. Nobody had thoroughly explored the grasslands before the craze for the Nightless City, so gods know what kind beasts lurked within its depths. After what seemed like an eternity of aimless wandering, they finally came across a clearing. It was a base set up by the soldiers who sent them word of the lead on the Nightless City.
Avarice and his men got to work settling themselves into the base. He had thought it best to take two or three men with him, all armed with firework signals in the event something went wrong. They dressed in civilian clothes and ventured back into the thick of the grasslands. The faint shimmer of lights told them that they were getting closer to the village. All the rumours of the golden clad village did not do it justice. They approached the entrance in complete awe of its beauty. Thus began their undercover mission to find the chief of the village without arousing suspicion. If anyone did find out that strangers had finally found their hidden land, it could spell more trouble than they thought the cherry inhabitants were capable of causing.
They split up, each one of them taking a different path through the village. The beauty in the way the village lit up at dusk was enough to rival Solaria's. For the most part, it seemed to be a rich land. Many food vendors sold the finest and freshest foods, the spices gave off the richest of aromas and everything from the clothing of the villagers to the architecture told Avarice that the village had indeed been very well off. It was unsurprising though. After all, they had been hidden for so many years in a land of never ending resources and protection.
The few guards that did pass by Avarice gave him friendly nods and walked right by. From what he could tell, they weren't as armoured as Solarian soldiers but their light attire and small daggers tucked away and hidden in their cloaks meant that they were definitely much more agile and stealthier. Avarice continued down the street, surveying his surroundings. He himself had a firework signal, of a different colour than the others in order to let the troops at the base know that it was safe to move in. However, he never got a chance to use it because as he was walking, the pouch it was in was pickpocketed right off of him.
Avarice spun around to see the thief running off down the street and without missing a beat, he took off after him. Despite being rather athletic himself, the thief was able to outrun him. He followed the thief all the way down the streets and through winding alleyways. At some point during his chase, he stopped, realizing that he had found himself in a rather sketchy part of the village. It was eerily silent and unnaturally dark compared to the beautifully lit city streets. Avarice walked down the alley with caution. The sound of hastened footsteps alerted him to a doorway that he wasted no time in running through.
He was frozen in his tracks again, unsure of where to go next. It was as if the thief had completely vanished when he entered the building, like he didn't even exist to begin with. Avarice listened intently for any sounds or signs of movement. The inside of the building itself was also quite dim. For all his efforts he was rewarded with the faint sounds of thumping and various muffled voices that came from almost every room. Avarice tiptoed through the dimness. He poked his head around the corner to see a figure rush into a room. He followed close behind. When he arrived at the door he could hear the muffled sounds of shuffling from within the room.
Avarice scoffed. "Heh, sleazy thief thinks he can hide from me." He laughed to himself. He grabbed hold of the door and without warning threw it open in an attempt to surprise the thief. However, he was instead met with a sight that made the Prince go red in the face as he stumbled back in shock.
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