A giant scarlet red rose themed steampunk blimp decorates the otherwise barren blue skies of the Forbidden Wastes. Heldine clears her throat, a soldier materializes a handkerchief and cleans off a speck of dirt from her tiara. She smiles as she slowly struts to Loc who’s sweating profusely.

Heldine: Oh darling. What in heavens are you doing all the way out here in these dangerous lands? Mother told you not to wander to the Forbidden Wastes did she not?

Loc hesitates as he thinks to himself.

Loc: (Shit. I should have known someone was tailing us. And just our luck it’s a damn princess.)

He glances at Gidget and Aldrog. Their heads are uncovered and gagged; Aldrog has the appearance of a Dyrkcen Ohgahnian, and Gidget has the appearance of a Lyrkrian Krahmlyn that resembles a chipmunk. Heldine notices him looking at them.

Heldine: Oh those two? Don’t worry about them darling. I know Mother hates their kind but if we move our wedding up to next week I’ll forget I ever saw them.

She holds his cheek with one hand and touches his chest with the other. Loc inches away, disgusted by her presence.

Loc: (How the hell am I going to get out of this with those two alive?)

Loc: I could never marry you Heldine, my customs forbid it.

Heldine: You and those cumbersome customs of yours. Didn’t I tell you that serving Mother is all that should matter to a man? Most men would sacrifice everything they held dear to be desired by a princess, yet here you are being ungrateful. But don’t worry Loc, you’ll come to appreciate true love after our honeymoon night.

Heldine peers at Rivna’s body. She gingerly lifts open the blanket.

Heldine: What are you carrying anyway?

Loc looks concerned. Gidget surreptitiously reveals a small gadget from his sleeve, it expels a small amount of steam. Heldine folds back the blanket and shrieks upon discovering Rivna. She jumps back ten feet. Rivna’s eyes slowly open.

Heldine: What in scarlet blazes is that thing you’re carrying? Men come and kill this grotesque creature at once!

The soldiers materialize golden mechanical muskets and aim at Rivna. The diamond shaped mechanical device materializes next to Rivna and her eyes glow entirely blue.

A bright yellow light forms from the steam emitted by Gidget's device and it cuts off the chains binding his arms. Gidget gets up and directs the beam of light at Aldrog's bindings and he's freed.

Rivna drops from Loc's arms and kneels low to the ground in an almost cat-like position. She bears her fangs with a subtle hiss as steam emits from the crystal at the base of her neck. The soldiers fire. Several large thin shards of ice form before Rivna and block every bullet. The shards turn sideways and fly through the bodies of all five soldiers, killing them instantly. Loc and Heldine look amazed.

Aldrog fires up the car. Gidget is in the hatch and waves to Loc as the vehicle swings around to get him.

Gidget: C'mon Loc!

Loc jumps onto the passenger's seat. He looks back as major distance is placed between him and Heldine.

Loc: Wait, the girl!

Gidget: Forget the both of them, we gotta get the hell out of here!

Heldine chases after them by running at an extreme speed. She nears the car.

Heldine: Oh darling!

Loc: She’s gaining on us!

Gidget: Well what did you expect? Nobody can outrun a damn princess.

Heldine: You can’t leave your beloved fiancé behind now can you?

Loc produces a golden mechanical pistol and fires. Heldine produces a large beautiful and regal steampunk halberd and blocks the shot with the blade.

Heldine: Oh my, starting foreplay this early? You’re a naughty one aren’t you?

Gidget: Step on the gas Aldrog!

Aldrog: She’s moving as fast as she can go! Plus she’s running out of steam!

Loc: Shit!

Loc fires more pistol rounds that get blocked. He freezes as he witnesses Rivna catching up to them on foot while still wearing the blanket. Heldine looks at Rivna in disbelief. She swings her halberd but Rivna dodges by making a fantastic leap onto the car. Steam spews from the crystal on her neck and she blows out a freezing cold mist which covers the desert behind the car with ice. Heldine slips and falls. She pouts as she slowly rises.

Heldine: I don’t know who she thinks she is but she’s about to find out the hard way who the number one lady in Loc’s life is.

Steam spews from Heldine's halberd and she mounts it like a broom with the blade end behind her.

Heldine: Here I come!

The steam turns to fire and she blasts off laughing in delight.

Gidget: Here she comes!

Still in a trance-like state, Rivna hisses. Heldine flies high and swings her halberd, smashing it into the ground just behind the car. The impact causes a massive tremor which kicks up a giant wave of dirt that just barely misses the rattled car. Heldine's eyes flash, causing the car to catch on fire. Everyone panics upon seeing it.

As the wave of dirt recedes back onto the ground it reveals a small steampunk airship in the distance. Tamar, a beautiful petite woman wearing goggles with a large black afro, giddily aims a steampunk sniper rifle. She fires.

Heldine is shot right between the eyes and falls. The airship flies over the car and a rope ladder is lowered by Tamar. Piloting the ship is Gideon, a short portly middle aged Arcane man and wearing dingy overalls.

Gideon: Thought y’all could use a hand.

Gidget: You thought right. Get us out of here!

Everyone climbs onboard just before the car explodes. Rivna leaps on and keeps her eyes to the rear of the ship as the large scarlet blimp approaches. Tamar looks Rivna up and down.

Tamar: Who is she?

Loc: I’ll explain later, we need to hightail it out of here!

Heldine rises with blood leaking from her shallow head wound. She shows little ire as she grunts and stands her halberd upright with the blade end down. Steam spews from it.

Heldine: I can’t keep letting all these wenches continue to seduce my precious Loc.

Fire blasts from the steam, propelling Heldine into the sky and onto the giant blimp. Tamar and the others watch in dismay as their ship rises in altitude.

Tamar: Damn! A bullet between the eyes still wasn’t enough to down the bitch.

Gideon: That’s a princess for ya.

Heldine is inside the busy bridge of the blimp which gives view to the vast beautiful blue sky. She points at the visible airship speeding away while throwing a tantrum.

Heldine: After them you nitwits! I want them all dead besides my beloved Loc!

The blimp spews steam behind it and it bursts into fire, greatly accelerating it.

Everyone on the airship watches the blimp close in in dismay.

Gidget: Oh no we’re as good as caught. We can’t outrun a Rose Torpedo.

Rivna leaps off the airship. Loc runs to the railing of the airship after her.

Loc: No!

A massive amount of steam spews from Rivna as she falls, completely covering her from view. Everyone watches in fascination as the steam quickly forms into a giant eagle made entirely of ice. Rivna rides the eagle to the Rose Torpedo. Everyone inside the blimp panics.

Rivna leaps off the eagle as it flies straight through the blimp, slicing it in two and causing a massive fiery explosion. Everyone on the airship watches in awe and cheers until they notice Rivna falling. Her eyes stop glowing as she looks like she’s sobering up from a daze, however she quickly loses consciousness. Everyone on the ship panics, especially Loc.

Loc: Oh no, she’s falling!

Aldrog's giant wings bursts through his large backpack and he dives after her.

Aldrog: I got you now.

Aldrog catches Rivna and flies back to the airship. Everyone looks relieved and the airship flies away into the distance.

Amid the burning wreckage of the Rose Torpedo Heldine rises to her feet, shoving off heavy rubble and coughing ash. Her attire is tattered but she appears to be fine. She looks at the sky with a twisted smile.

Heldine: Oh darling. You’re really testing my patience now.

Chapter End