"I see. So it's mutual," the captain said, nodding in relief as though he'd just solved some strange puzzle.
"Hmm, in a way, it is," I muttered, my eyes flicking to the faint shimmer of Kayda's wings.
"In... never mind," he said quickly, shaking his head as though to banish the thought. "You wanted to know where the black market is located, right?"
"Uh."
"Okay. It's here, at the docks. Underwater." He pointed straight down, toward the waves lapping against the pier.
"You don't say." I looked down, genuinely surprised.
"Yeah. Best place to have it-you can run away easier."
"Hmm, I guess you can run easier then," Kayda said thoughtfully.
"Haha, it's like the mafia," I said suddenly, laughing. "They are always involved in drug-related activities at the docks."
"Mafia?" The captain's brow furrowed, confusion plain.
"Don't worry about her. She's just talking to herself," Kayda said smoothly, nudging me away before I could explain.
"I... I see," the captain muttered, clearly unnerved but unwilling to push the subject.
"Now, how do we get access to the black market?" Kayda asked, her smile polite.
"Come to my boat later tonight, and I'll take you there." He gestured toward his vessel moored nearby.
"Uh, that will be great, thank you," Kayda said, nodding.
"Hey, Kayda, do you think we'll need to swim to get to the black market?" I whispered, deliberately loud enough for the captain to hear.
"Hmm, I hope not," Kayda replied, her eyes flicking nervously to the captain.
"Don't worry, that isn't needed," the captain said with a hearty laugh.
"Aah, that sucks," I muttered, pouting exaggeratedly.
"Anyways, let's go. We have more things to do. Meet you later, Mister Captain." Kayda gave a polite wave as she tugged me away.
"See you later," the captain said, turning back toward his ship.
"Hey Kitsuna," Kayda asked the moment we left the docks, "how did you make him tell us?"
"Hmm, I looked around yesterday in my spare time," I explained casually. "First I checked the slums for any dealings, but all I found there was the fortress. Knowing that was a dead end, I went to the docks and asked around. Apparently, that captain is quite the softy. So, I went to his ship, climbed into his crow's nest, and sat there staring out at the sea like I was longing for freedom."
Kayda blinked. "You... played with him."
"Yes. He also asked me to join him," I admitted with a shrug, "but I said I was too young. For that reason, he decided he'd help me if needed. Well, that and the fact that I showed him I was cursed." I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly.
"I don't understand you," Kayda said, exasperation in her voice. "One night you regret how you've been acting, and the next day you do it again."
"...Yeah, it's my way of living," I said, my voice softer, tinged with a sadness I didn't often let out.
"Well, in some cases it's not bad to be like that." Her tone gentled, and she laid her hand on my shoulder, warm and grounding. "You just need to know the line."
"I will try," I said, smiling faintly at her.
"Haah. I will try, try, try-what exactly does that mean? You don't try. You do, okay?" Kayda scolded, her voice snapping with sharpness.
"...Wait, you sound like Mom," I said, smiling without realizing.
"Stacy? Hm. Yeah, I guess that's something she would say," Kayda said, her eyes softening as she thought about it.
"But you're right. There isn't something like 'try.' There's only doing. Hahaha! Thanks, Kayda, for reminding me." I laughed, wrapping her in a sudden hug.
"Uh, it's fine," she muttered, cheeks flushing.
"Now, to the slums!" I declared, releasing her before springing up onto the nearest roof.
"Oi, don't just jump on people's roofs like that," Kayda said, following me with a flap of her wings.
"What, why not?" I asked, genuinely confused.
"Because it's not actually allowed."
"So? Who's going to catch us? City guards?"
"Y-yes," Kayda admitted, already anticipating my reaction.
"Pfft. What are they going to do, try to catch us? We both know city guards are far too slow. All they can do is yell at us to stop, and that won't do anything."
"...I can't really deny that. City guards are fragile," she mumbled, clearly giving up.
"Oh, I know. Why don't we make it a race? "The first person to the location wins."
"Why?"
"Because it'll be fun! And I always loved doing parkour in my past life."
"Parkour?" she repeated, brow furrowed.
"Hm, how to explain... It's like running through a training course, but you use the city as your playground. Illegal, but fun."
"I see. Are there rules? And what does the winner get?"
"Winner gets one wish, like always. There are no restrictions. Use everything you've got to get to the location."
"Is that so... You already know where it is, don't you?"
"Uh, I've been calling it a fortress, after all," I said with a smirk.
"Okay. How do we start?" Kayda asked, eyes narrowing competitively.
"Oh, when this-"
"You there! Stop right there and come down right now!"
A voice boomed from below. We looked down to see a lone city guard glaring up at us, hand on the hilt of his sword.
Kayda and I exchanged a glance. Then we both burst out laughing.
"Stand still and come down to the ground!" Kayda mimicked between wheezes.
"What a hypocrite," I chuckled.
"I am from the city-"
"Yeah, no one cares," I cut him off, waving dismissively.
"Okay, let's go when this hits the ground," Kayda said suddenly, pulling a knife from her belt. With a flick of her wrist, the blade spun up into the air, glittering in the sunlight.
Uhm forgot to press the publish button. LOL
TheRealSkolliecreators' thoughts
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Chapter 122:
"Fuck! That backfired." I shouted, frustration ripping out of me as I skidded and landed on the tiles of a slanted roof, just barely managing to steady myself. The wood creaked under my boots, dust rising from the impact. Kayda touched down gracefully beside me a heartbeat later, wings folding back in smug composure. From here, only a few hundred meters away, the fortress loomed-an ugly, domineering shadow in the heart of the slums.
"Hehe," Kayda giggled, clearly savoring my sour mood. She tilted her head with the faintest sparkle in her golden eyes. "Now what will I ask?"
"Tsk, I didn't think you'd actually use your dragon form just to win this stupid race," I snapped, flicking my tail irritably. The scales along my arms still hummed faintly from my half-transformation, fox energy prickling at the edge of my skin.
Kayda smirked, her fang peeking in the corner of her smile. "Well, you used your fox form."
"Because you used your dragon form!" I shouted again, more out of wounded pride than anything.
Her laugh was maddeningly light, almost melodic. "You also used flash steps the entire time."
"Yeah, because you just flew straight over everyone while I had to dodge through alleys and leap rooftops!" I threw my hands in the air dramatically. "I had to keep hiding, sneaking, bouncing between chimneys like a damn squirrel while you just-" I mimicked her flapping my arms, "-floated over the crowd like it was nothing!"
Kayda covered her mouth with her hand, pretending to hide her laughter. "Yeah, but you said there were no rules."
"...True," I grumbled, shoulders slumping. "But doing that ruined the entire purpose of the challenge. The whole fun of it was supposed to be weaving through the city, pushing limits. Not just... flapping!"
"Excuses, excuses," Kayda teased. Then her tone softened as she tilted her head, curiosity slipping through. "Anyways, how did you know where this place was?"
"Aah, easy," she continued before I could answer. "I've been to this city plenty of times before. I might actually know it like the back of my hand."
My mouth fell open. "That's unfair," I muttered, puffing my cheeks slightly.
"Not really," Kayda said smoothly, stretching her arms behind her head. "You already knew where it was, too."
"Yes, but you're faster than me. Especially in dragon form." My words came out defeated, heavy with the weight of my wounded pride.
Kayda's grin widened. "Haha, there were no rules. You said it yourself."
I groaned and ran both hands through my hair, pulling at the strands in defeat. "Sigh, well, what's your wish then?"
"Hmm..." Kayda tapped her chin in exaggerated thought, then let her grin turn playful. "There's a festival in a week. Let's go together. Oh, and wear a kimono, okay?" She winked.
"Ugh, are you serious? A kimono?" I wrinkled my nose.
"Yeah." Kayda's gaze slid down and up me with a boldness that made my ears twitch. "I think you'd look good in one."
I bit back a groan. 'A danger-looking fox girl plus kimono equals... hotness.' The thought burned its way through my head. Damn her for knowing my weak points.
"Tsk. For some reason I can't even refute that anymore," I muttered, glaring at her half-heartedly.
"Hmm," Kayda tilted her head, studying me more closely now. "Did something happen with you?" There was a note of worry in her voice.
"No-no," I waved my hand too quickly. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Let's get back to the main thing," I said, forcing my eyes toward the fortress.
The fortress quickly distinguished itself from every other crumbling shack in the slums. Its four looming stories stood tall, walls gleaming pale marble that didn't belong in this part of the city. The metal windows caught what little sunlight reached through the smog, like watchful eyes. It was too pristine, too fortified. It didn't belong here.
"It really is a giant fortress," Kayda breathed, sighing. "It wasn't this big last time."
"Yeah? But how the hell did the Anabald even try to siege this thing?" I muttered, narrowing my eyes.
"Huh? Don't you see the giant doors at the bottom of the building?" Kayda asked, giving me a weird look.
"Oh. I see door-like shapes, sure. But those are no doors."
"Nova, don't you see the hinges on the sides pointing out?"
"Oh, you mean those little metal plates?" I squinted.
"Yes, those little-" Kayda froze mid-word, then frowned deeper. "Wait. They're fake."
"Jip," I said, crossing my arms smugly. "There should be other entrances hidden around, built into nearby structures. It is impossible for two thirty-centimeter hinges to support a marble door. And why would the hinges be exposed outside where anyone could just break them off? Smash those, and the door would fall on its own."
Kayda blinked, then chuckled softly. "Yeah. That's a clever trick."
"Hmm. I bet the place has self-repair too."
"Probably. Those hinges are too obvious. The Anabald team from last night should have targeted them first."
"Yeah. And yet, there's no sign of battle here at all this morning."
"Aah, that's probably because the Anabald care too much about their deceased comrades and servants."
"So they retrieved the bodies?" I asked, amused.
"Yes, most likely," Kayda said, disappointment flickering in her tone.
"I see. What a waste of time-"
"I would advise you not to finish what you are thinking."
The voice came from behind. Cold, sharp, male. Kayda and I turned together.
A man stood there, late twenties, built like a war statue. His armor gleamed black and white, plates overlapping with the heavy grace of a great beast. A massive greatsword strapped to his side glinted menacingly. His bright blue eyes pierced the distance, striking against his otherwise dark figure.
"Heh, that got you mad," I said, smirking, masking my instinctive jolt of tension.
The man narrowed his eyes, silence speaking louder than words. His hand slid toward his sword.
"Oh, you want to fight?" I taunted him while stepping protectively in front of Kayda.
'He isn't weak,' I thought, every sense sharpening. 'And I don't know how fast he is.' My smirk remained steady, even as my grip tightened.
"Tsk." He vanished.
My eyes widened as he reappeared directly in front of me, blade already plunging.
"Ugh!" I grunted, grabbing the steel with my bare hands.
"Die for the devil's cult," the man muttered in a flat, lifeless monotone.
"Nova!?" Kayda shouted, horror lacing her voice.
"Don't worry," the man sneered, his weight pressing down. "You'll be joining her in a few seconds. Wh-?"
"Hehe," I grinned, blood dripping from my lips as I held the blade deep inside me. "You missed, idiot."
His eyes went wide. "What!?"
"Cheers, idiot."
A beam of searing heat shot past me, cutting through the air in a blinding flash. The man's head erupted, vanishing in a burst of light and smoke. His body staggered, suddenly headless, blood hissing on marble.
"Nova, you're being too careless!" Kayda whined, smacking me sharply on the head.
"What? You were surprised that he got this close without us noticing," I retorted, while my gaze lingered on the twitching corpse. A complicated weight twisted in my gut.
"Yes, but provoking him? And trying to shield me in the process?" Kayda crossed her arms, her glare sharp but her voice thick with worry.
"I wasn't trying to protect you," I waved dismissively, coughing up a little blood. "I'd survive his stab. You wouldn't."
Kayda pouted and muttered, "Whatever suits your needs."
"Yeah, yeah. Now help me get this sword out of me." I grimaced as I tugged at the hilt that was sticking out of my chest. "This damn thing doesn't want to budge."
"Here, let me help." Kayda stepped closer.
"Dammit, why isn't-oh, he's falling over." I blinked in annoyance as the heavily armored corpse tilted, dragging me with it.
Crash.
"Shit, that armor was heavier than I thought," I cursed as the roof buckled under us, collapsing in a cloud of dust. Wood splintered, tiles shattered, and suddenly I was falling, still skewered on the sword, the weight of the corpse pulling me down.
Crash.
"Huh? "Oh fuck." My eyes widened as I looked down through the gaping hole. Darkness stretched below-deep, endless.
"What's wrong?" Kayda called, peering into the hole.
"Kayda, help! There's nothing under this roof. This house-it's an entrance or a trap linked to the fortress!" My hands yanked desperately at the sword lodged in me.
"This thing isn't coming out... Ah, got it!" I exhaled in relief as the blade finally slid free.
"Come on, let's get out," Kayda urged, her wings twitching nervously.
"Oh, fuck-this isn't what I wanted!" The words tore out as the weakened roof gave way completely beneath my feet.
"Nova!?" Kayda screamed, lunging forward, her hand catching mine.
