We soar through the midnight sky like an uncaged bird, as I look up at Demistar- “Hey, where are we going tonight?!” I ask over the roaring wind, causing her to look back down at me. “We’re going to meet Volestra today!” My eyes widen at the name- THE Volestra!

Volestra for those of whom may not know, is a legendary creature. Due to the rarity of her species, she’s extremely famous. It’s no mistake that many consider her the most beautiful woman in the world, for she is the legendary mermaid!

We continue to soar onward, until we finally arrive at one of the great land masses that rest atop orion itself. We land on the great creature, and rest for a bit. “Sorry about this, I need to replenish my mana real quick. I’ll go see if I can find something to eat.” Demistar says, as she walks away. I walk over to a tree, and tear it from the ground. I lift it over my head, and carry it over to a nice opening.

“Alright, now for the fire.” I say, to no one in particular, as I slash off the top of the tree I had torn down, and light it. The leaves will make a nice start for the fire. I use some tentacle sprouts to press the canopy into itself, and wait for the sound of the branches cracking before releasing my grip on the tree. I quickly walk around it for inspection, and~ Good! This will work.

I look to the sky, and the moon is nowhere in sight, it may rain- “I’m back!” Demistar says, from behind me. “I brought you back something too, of course-” She walks around me to look at the tree. “Amazing, your strength has already grown this greatly. And yet, you’re still so young…” She says, as the fire builds bigger and bigger. “Come on, you’re pretty strong too. Besides, I’m sure you’ll catch up with me in strength in no time, we’re the same age after all.” I say, as she walks over, and I built a giant tarp from my mana. “Ah, you noticed. Yep, it’s gonna’ rain soon. I could feel it in the air.” She says, taking a quick glance at me, as she walks over to the increasing fire, and builds multiple metal rods. I place the tarp on the metal tods, and run it through on all corners until it’s safely in place, and above the fire.

The tarp lifts, and Demistar blasts a hole in the middle, and builds another smaller tarp to let the air out- “Oops, could’ve blown the tarp right off, haha.” She says, as she lands next to me again. “So… Are you hungry?” Demi says, as she tosses me a chunk of meat she must have cooked earlier. “By the way... Did the fire have to be this big?” She says, as I take multiple bites into the piece of meat, and shred it with my teeth. “Oh, yeah, I guess I could have made it a bit smaller...” I say, as I finish my chunk of meat. Demi walks over to the trunk, and floats up to sit down on it. “Big tree you chose too, haha!” She says, as I use more tentacle sprouts to lift myself up to sit next to her. “Yeah, I guess I really should have thought more through…” I say, as Demistar hands me some more of the meat. “I was hoping to practice cooking while we were taking a break, but I don’t imagine I could cook on THAT thing- Well, maybe if I had a big enough pan… Nevermind that- You’re a genius… You know that Rigel? You’re still only six years old, and yet you’re well spoken, well mannered- I mean, I’m a Robot, so me being as smart as I am is a given. But I’ve never met anyone twice our age, that’s half as smart as you are.” She says, with a cute, but simple grin on her face. “Thanks, I’m… Glad you feel that way.” I say, as she hugs me. “Yep, I just wanted you to know how amazing you are.” She says, as she rubs her cheek against mine, practically making me hug her back… “Thank you, Demi…”

-√Z2-

“I apologize, your majesty, but I cannot find your daughter ANYWHERE.” Rigel’s Personal Butler says, as I sit on my throne. “Another disappearing act… We cannot allow this to go on. What if she hurts herself?” My husband says, causing me to take a quick glance at him-

“I’m right here!” My daughter shouts, running into the room- “Oh.” He says, as his arms go slack. She runs over to us, and jumps into her father’s arms, as I stand and stare. “Wh-Where were you, Rigel?” He says, as he embraces her. I walk over to join the hug, as my daughter speaks up. “I was playing hide and seek with Demi!” She says, surprising us- “Oh, I didn’t know she was still here. I figured she would have gone home by now-” He manages to get out, before I interrupt him. “Oh, she said she had trouble flying through water, and wanted to charge up her batteries before she took off.” I say, as I pull my daughter out of his grasp. “Oh, okay then. Well where is she?” He says, as my daughter blankly stares at him.

Rigel slides out of my arms, and runs towards the doors she entered from- “This way!” She says, as we follow after her. A few corridors later, and we suddenly lose my daughter. She’s completely disappeared... Demistar opens the left door, and runs up to us- “There you are! Rigel and I were looking for you! Do you know where she is? We got separated...” She says, surprising us. “We just lost her, we were looking for you!” I say, equally surprising her- “Oh, that’s weird. Well, I guess we can all look now.” She says, and I simply nod. “Good idea. Come on then.” I say, as a dart away at full speed- “Regel, wait!” My Husband says, surprising me- “The poor girl can’t move that fast!” He says, pointing at Demistar, making both Her and I realize the difference in our power. I quickly apologize, and run at a more manageable speed.

A few hours of searching, while finding and losing one child after the other, we finally find them both in the same room. “I found her!” They say in perfect unison, while pointing at each other. I simply clap my hands, while my husband walks up to pick up my daughter. “Alright, you two have wasted enough time. Don’t you think? Your father and I have business to attend to, Rigel. You can play with your friend for a little longer, but then you should send her home.” I say, as she turns to look at me, her face slowly losing its joy… “Okay… Thank you Momma.” She says, as she jumps down from my husband’s arms again, and runs off with Demistar.

“I was starting to believe that would never end…” He says, as he rubs his eyes. “It was fun, though. Let’s get to work, honey.” I say, as I walk away with him.

-√Z1-

We land in the city… So this is where she’ll be holding her concert… Volestra the Mermaid! “I’m gonna’ go get snacks. You wanna’ come with?” Demistar says, as I watch people shuffle about getting the concert ready. “Oh, yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” I say, as stock music plays over the speakers...

We sit on a bench and lazily watch the clouds, as they lazily drift across the sky, while eating the snacks we got with Demi’s money. A car rushes by, surprising me- “Woah!” I shout, as I quickly turn to look at it. “Just a car, Rigel- Oh right, you probably never seen them much, since you live in Ryleth.” She says, as I simply look at her, then wrap my arm around her to hug her. “You’re silly.” I say, and we both start giggling.

A little while later, a woman screams, shouting about some item that was just stolen off of her. “I’ll get this-” Demi says, but I spot the criminal, and ensnare him in a bunch of tentacle sprouts. Shouldn’t take too many, most people I meet aren’t half as strong as me. Demi stops in place, and turns to look at me. “Thanks Rigel!” She shouts, and I give her a simple thumbs up. She approaches the orb of tentacles while people stare in confusion. The Police arrive quickly, and surround the orb. “I’m Demistar of Neotopia, my friend and I have apprehended this criminal.” She says, as she floats up to shake the police officer’s hands. He simply nods, and I open the tentacle trap, watching the guy try and dart away, but he’s caught by the police man anyway. “Alright, we’ll be returning any stolen goods, and then you’ll be escorted to a holding cell.” He says, before tossing the guy over to some other officers, then turning to look at Demi. “Thank you for your help, miss. Have a nice day.” He says, gathering the other officers, and leaving.

“Well, that just happened.” Demi says, as she approaches the bench to sit down with me again. “Ha, yeah. Who even was that?” I say, as I giggle to myself- Demi stops for a moment, surprising me, then pings in realization, like a computer loading up information. “Are you okay there, Demi?” I say, as she sits down with me again. “Oh yeah, I’m fine. I was just loading up information on those two.” She says, surprising me further. “Really, do you know them?” I ask, curious about any possible relationships I wasn’t aware of- “No, I didn’t even know they existed until now. I’m just pulling from Neotopia’s database. Let’s see now, that Police Officer from earlier, is a high ranking member of the force, his name is Einzor, and he’s well known around here for his overwhelming presence and effectiveness in his line of work. That criminal- Rezalsky, his name- Would have definitely been caught, intervention or not. As for Rezalsky, he’s known primarily for his fear and anger. He’s got a mental disability, so I’m now hoping the police will be able to help him.” She says, finally finishing. “I hope he gets better too.” I say, as we finish our snacks.

A few hours later, still cloud watching… “Hey, Demi. Do you know when the concert is actually happening?” I ask, causing her to look at me, then think to herself for a moment- “Oooh~ Are you here to see my concert?...” A woman says, from behind our bench, surprising me- “Oh hey, you must be Volestra.” Demi says, while I’m just lost for words- “Yeeehp~ That’s me alright…” She says, as she rests her arms and head on the bench- “W-Would you like to lie down?” I ask, as I slowly get up from the bench- “Ahhh~ You’re so kind, but I couldn’t…” She says, as she slowly stands up. “A-Are you really a Mermaid?” I ask, as she walks around the bench, revealing the rest of her beautiful dress… “Ohhh~ You knew that?... My folks back home got really angry when I skipped town to start singing…” She says, as she sits down on the bench, where Demi was sitting. One of her eyes slowly open, and I can see her beautiful blue eyes, a shade of which I’ve never seen before… “Ahhh~ I get it now... You’re a Kraken… I’m sure you know better than to use our commune, at such a young age... “ She says, causing me to simply nod. “Yes, Mother strictly forbids. I know.” I say, as she slowly nods. “Mmm… That’s a good girl… Are you excited for the concert?...” She asks, as I climb up on the bench to sit next to her. “Yeah, I’m super excited! I’ve been a big fan for a long time!” I shout excitedly, surprising her- “Oooh~ That’s a BI~G surprise… My natural demographic are usually girls in their teens…” She says, as she continues to lie there. “Hey Volt! Hangin’ out with the kitties again?” Another woman calls from the distance- It’s Shade Sister, she’s the guitar player in the band, she’s pretty laid back too, but not as much as Volestra here. Aside from that, she’s a pure-black tabby demihuman. Her hair is completely black, aside from the bright purple streak she must have colored. “Heeey~ Shade… Yeah… They wanted to know when the concert would be starting…” She simply nods, and walks over to us. “Alright, rad. So how’s it goin’ kids? Neat hair.” She says, after looking at me. “Thanks, you too.” I say, causing her to give me a thumbs up. “Yooo~ Did you know this girl here’s a Kraken?...” She says, surprising shade. “That’s pretty cool. That means you’re a legendary creature right? Oh! I heard you guys can read each other like books, tell me all of Volt’s secrets!” She says, leaning against the bench, as I hold my legs in excitement. “N-No, I could never! Mother told me I’m not old enough for it yet!” I try to calmly say, while Volestra slowly opens her eyes, and looks at Shade. “Yeaaah~... No secrets for you dummy… Back to bed…” She says, falling asleep again- “Whatever.” Shade says, while rolling her eyes. “So, what’s up with you two? Why’s your friend’s skin so pale?” She says, as she kneels down to our level, and points at Demi. “Oh, that’s Demi. She’s a robot.” I say, making Demi walk over from whatever she was doing. “Yep, I’m the most advanced robot in the world. I’m Demistar, and that’s Rigelask. What’s your name?” She says, obviously not being as big of a fan as I am. “Oh, I’m Shade Sister, but everyone just calls me shade.” She says, making Demi quirk an eyebrow. “Oh, that’s a weird name. Where’s it come from?” She asks, making me question it too now… Yeah I never really thought about it before… “Oh, it’s an old family thing. ‘Thought shade sounded cool. Well, I do have an actual name, but I’m not allowed to reveal it, or they’ll-” She suddenly stops, and I notice her look at Volestra- I slowly turn, and Volestra is just glaring at her. “S-Sorry Volt. Almost forgot again...” She says, with a nervous look on her face, causing Volestra to fall back asleep... “Sorry about that kiddos. Volestra’s just very maternally driven.” She says, as she herself begins to calm down… “I get it.” I simply nod, and she holds out her fist in front of me, confusing me- “Ha, I knew you were cool. Come on kid, fist bump.” I just stare at her confusedly, and Demi speaks up- “Rigel doesn’t get out much, she’s never fist-bumped anyone.” She says, surprising Shade. “Oh, I get it. Here, you just ball up your fist, and press it against the other person’s fist. It’s how the super cool big kids like me make friends.” My eyes widen a little, and I return her fist bump. “I-I’m your friend?” I say, holding my hands together! “Heck yeah dude! I’ll save the both of you two VIP spots, tickets are on the house.” She says, surprising both me AND Demi- “Wait, you have the pay for the tickets?” Demi says, staring at her. “Yeah. How do you think we reserved that spot for our show? Money’s going to charity of course, and MAYBE a little for us.” She says, rolling her eyes. “Heh… ‘Guess I should’ve realized…” Demi says, poking her fingers together nervously… “Ha, well you two are super lucky then, ‘cause we almost ran out of spots.” She says, pointing her thumb at the guy taking down the ticket stand- Wait- That’s the drummer! That’s Robbaolosk, he’s another Demihuman, specifically a mythical naga. Not to be confused with the legendary gorgons, or naga demihumans. You can tell by his snake tail, and lack of snake hair. Shade turns around, and calls him over- “Hey, Robby, get over here, come meet my new friends!” She shouts, grabbing his attention. I quickly jump down from the bench, and hide behind Demi- “D-Demi, h-he scares me…” I say, as I stare at him over her shoulders. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” She says, as he continues to slither over. “Hey-Hey-Hey! Ch-Ch-Check it yo! ‘Caught the girls playin’wit’ the kitty catties again! How’s it hangin’ tigers?!” He says, his stutter really coming in clear, as he waves finger guns at us. “You’re scaring my friend.” Demi says, as I continue to hide behind her- “‘Man that’s cold dawg, I don’t bite!” He says, slumping over, and his sunglasses drooping down his face a little. Oh yeah, there’s the bright green streak in his hair- “Hey man, you heard’em, your ugly mug’s freakin’em out. Beat it skippy.” Shade says, earning a mean look from him. “Well maybe I will, ya’ bun-ch-ch-ch ingreats! Come draggin’ me on outta’ mah beezneez, makin’ me think I’mma get to hang out. You don’t see me tellin’ you to come on over’ere’n’then tellin’ you ta’ leave like you just started hackin’ up another one’a yer’ hairballs.” He says, earning a PUNCH from the other side- “I don’t cough up hairballs, jackass!” She says, while he rubs his cheek. He goes in for a swing at her, but he’s stopped short by Volestra’s gaze, just like how shade was. “Aaalright~ Calm down you two…” She says, her gaze locked until they calm down and apologize. She falls asleep again, and Robby simply crosses his arms. “Well there goes my mood, dawg. Ya’ just had to go ahead’n ruin it, now didn’t’ch-ch-cha? At least I was havin’ fun with my hammer.” He says, pulling out the aforementioned hammer. “Do you like building stuff?” I ask, causing them both to turn and look at me with surprised expressions on their faces. “Hell yeah I do! My OLD MAN was a construction worker! He taught me everything I KNOW, princess!” I’m completely surprised, I never knew this about him.

I slowly walked out from behind Demi, and a little closer to him- “How did you know I’m a Princess?” I ask, surprising all three of them- “Say what, bruh?” He says, making me realize he had no idea- “For real? Where ya’ from, your majesty?” Shade says, as she finally sits down. “Oh, I’m from Ryleth, the eternal kingdom.” I say, causing them both to simply nod. “Well yer’ welcome to come chill anytime, slick! I gotta’ go finish wit’that ticket stand though, so I’mma just skedaddle on outta’ here-” He says, before slithering away, and returning to the ticket stand. “He loves that stupid hammer almost as much as he loves his drums. ‘Might be a super nerd, but he’s the guy we look to when we don’t know where to go.” She says, as she stands up, and grabs the guitar strap draped over her shoulder. “I should also get going, I sadly have stuff to do too. Don’t fall asleep on us Volt, your singing is the most important part of this one.” She says, as she stands up and looks over at Volestra. “Mmm~ Yeah, yeah, you got it…” She says, as she continues to rest lazily on the bench. “Hey, I’m heading off to meet up with the twins actually, you should come with’.” She says, as she points at the stage with her thumb. “I would love to!” I say, holding my hands together again. “How come you call Volestra, Volt?” Demi says, surprising her. “O-Oh, huh. It’s because when you first hear it, her voice hits you like a lightning bolt.” She says, as she weirdly contorts her body to look at us while talking- “She’s part cat, so she’s super flexible.” Demi whispers, while covering her mouth, and I simply nod. Shade finally faces forward, and I spot the two final members of the Volt-six. Obviously it was named after Volestra’s nickname, but I’m not quite sure where the six comes from.

The “twins” look down at us… The two are Obsidian, and Graphene, they’re from a family that name their children after different materials and elements. They’re twin dire-wolf demihuman, both born at the same time. “Hey.” Graphene says, and returns to setting up the sound system, while Obsidian just stares as us. “Yeah, they’re not as chummy as the rest of us, but they’re still family. You know how it is.” I simply nod. Before I can say anything, Demi speaks up- “Neat. What’s she play?” Demi asks, surprising both of them. “Ah, she’s usually on Synthesizer, but she also plays backup singer for Volestra, she’s got an amazing voice. Which she’ll be showing off today.” Obsidian simply rolls her eyes, and returns to staring at us. “Yeah, ya’ better run off already. Obsidian’s line tends to be super territorial and instinct driven.” Shade says, as Obsidian begins to lift herself, and growls at us-

Demi grabs my hand, and we run off- “Thank you!” I shout, waving at them as Demi and I run off. “No problem!” She says, as she and Obsidian waves back at us, the ladder doing so more begrudgingly, yet genuine.

End of Chapter: 4√Z2 “A little adventure, meet the band!”

Thank you for reading.

“Heey~ Thanks…”

“Yo-yo-yo, ch-ch-check it! Thanks for readin’, dawg, that’s rad!”

“‘Thanks guys.”

“...”

“Thanks.”

"Thank you for reading this story."