Chapter 5

He crossed his arms over his broad chest and glowered as he watched two sentries staring at him from the other side of the large area so he gave them a certain menacing look. They didn’t seem to be expecting their guest to glare at them so intensely so they ambled off into another area of the palace. “Hey you two, get up here on the double!” Mark called down to them from the balcony. They made their way up the winding staircase. When they reached the top they saw two large throne-like chairs and two people sitting in them. One was a dark-skinned older human man in light hued robes and the other was a young human boy with brown skin and short, dark blue hair wearing a white tunic and pants.

The kid stood from his chair as they approached. “Greetings, Comotos Wellshur and Drusilla Almani. I am King Esmond the fourth! I hear from Mark that you both finally defeated that scoundrel, Tukmah, My congratulations to the both of you!” The kid extended his small hand and she had to bend forward to take Edmonds' hand in a handshake. He nodded to him and Esmond grinned and they released their handshake. He stood up straight again and blinked as his companion and Esmond exchanged handshakes. He was unsure about who the actual king was, the kid who just shook his hand, or the old man who was glaring at him? At least he pronounced his name correctly.

The kid marched his way to his former seat. “Allow me to accommodate the three of you for the night! Call for my chef at once," he was speaking to the old man beside him now, "and have him make a grand feast! Also, I’d like to see my magician, where is Yammelyan?” The older gentleman that was sitting beside Esmond finally spoke up in a gruff voice, “I believe the Chiisai is out in the courtyard, your majesty. Shall I fetch her?” Esmond, who apparently really was the King of this place shook his head, “I have my own way of calling my friend,” he lifted a hand to his collar and pulled something out of his shirt; it resembled a silver key attached to a black string around his neck but the kid held it up to his mouth and breathed on it.

There was a sudden gust of wind that moved some silver strands of hair across his face. The next thing he knew there was a very short, cloaked figure standing in front of Esmond. The small figure removed its hood to reveal a pretty normal-looking Chiisai. It raised a short, lemon-colored feathered arm in the air and it made a weird noise as the King got up to give it a hug as if they were old friends. “Yammelyan, please use your magic to entertain us! I’ve always loved your shows.”

Esmond patted his Chiisai friend on the shoulder. They nodded and stepped backward before bowing to the Monarch and everyone else in the audience. It turned tail and pulled a long, twisty twigish branch from its robes, this was its wand! It began waving it through the air back and forth until pink smoke began to hover throughout the throne platform. It pointed below to where the fountain was and a loud splashing sound was heard. The next thing they knew there was a giant undulating water bubble floating up towards the ceiling.

Yammelyan moved its wand this way and that, making the bubble expand and collapse in on itself. The bubble was even separated into smaller versions and made to dance around the audience. From the time this little show started he felt uneasy. Every time that pink smoke came near him, the entirety of the air reeked of death. It wasn’t ordinary. The Chiisai was possibly capable of necromancy but then again, it seemed too young to be dabbling in those kinds of dark arts. He was stumped so he kept his mouth shut and observed its movements all the while trying not to fidget and let Drusilla in on his uncomfortableness.

They applauded except for him and the old man once the performance ceased. Everyone else seemed to really enjoy the show. A tall and olive-skinned, lanky human man wearing all white strode up the stairs and bowed very low to the King. He was wearing a puffy white cap on his head and he had a curly mustache. “Dinner is served, your majesty!” The chef-led the way and everyone joined him down the hall to another set of large doors, though not as large as the front gates. Comotos walked into the dining hall and his jaw dropped in awe at the incredible display of food before him. The chef ran into the kitchen to finish preparing the last of the feast.

Once everyone was seated, three other servants served drinks and brought refills. He ordered his usual mug of ale as did Mark, Drusilla wanted water. They began eating happily and conversed with Esmond about how old he was and if he had a best friend. It was a grand meal; the best he ever had in his life. He was so full afterward that he decided to take a walk around the grounds of the palace, it was around midnight by then, his companion said she was going to hang out with Esmond preceding her rest time. He realized that Yammelyan had left about three-quarters through their meal.

He heard a rustling sound twenty feet or so ahead of him so he stopped and listened. He heard talking so he stalked slowly in the shadows towards it. In a small area of enclosed bushes, he saw Yammelyan pacing from pillar to post, mumbling to its wand. “Yes mistress, they arrived at the castle this evening. I did exactly what was asked of me. Yes. …Yes mistress, I will escort them there, but… I’m sorry! Please forgive me, I will bring them for sure!” It sighed heavily and tucked its wand back in its robes and then turned and screamed. It saw venom irises staring right at it in the darkness. Comotos stepped forward into the light, “You’d better have a good excuse for what I just heard little one. So your mistress knows we’re here? Does she have a job for me?”

Yammelyan froze. It wasn’t expecting him to be so sharp! Those venom orbs never moved from the Chiisai and it shook in fear. “Y-yes sir! She has asked me to e-escort you and your friends to the o-other c-continent, that is where m-m-my lady resides". He glared for a moment before finally accepting what he had just heard. “How soon does she want to see me?” He crossed his arms snugly over his broad chest and waited for a response.

It blinked and its sparkly blue sclera was barely visible with how large its irises became, “She said as soon as possible. W-w-we can rent a ship to cross the ocean and m-meet up with her." He nodded thoughtfully and was about to walk away but stopped at glared at the Chiisai again, “So when exactly did you plan on telling me this information little Chiisai, we were to only spend the night in the palace…” The Chiisai adjusted its’ cloak around its body, “I was going to tell you as soon as I-I had finished s-speaking with my lady but then y-you surprised me out here in the dark!" Her voice cracked slightly and it lowered its large orbs to the ground. He finally accepted Yammelyan’s story. “Alright, young one, but I’m gonna have to keep my eye on you. For all I know… you may be up to no good."

He walked away from the young magician, returning to the palace and he thought of his companion. “She must have fallen asleep by now.” He mumbled to himself. He thought about how he had pretty much thrown himself onto her without even realizing it until now but he then thought of how she didn’t tell him to stop. It was completely in her control to say no but… she didn’t. Maybe he was thinking too much about it, but he would test his theory out another day when they would have some privacy. For now, it was time for him to get some sleep, in the morning he would take her out into the town and show her the sights. She had mentioned that she had never left the town they met in, so he was hoping to make her happy with some sightseeing. When he awoke in the morning, she wasn’t by his side.

He frowned and remembered that they had separate rooms so he got out of bed, walked to the bathroom, urinated in the toilet, and then took a quick bath. He put his clothes on, his new fingerless gloves, his boots, grabbed his new money sack, and headed out the door. He looked down the hall and saw his beautiful companion standing around talking with the magician and a few maids. They all noticed him sauntering towards them. The maids curtsied then continued their daily chores around the castle. His pink haired friend grinned at him as he approached and stopped to stand near them, “Good morning Comotos! Did you sleep well”? He nodded, “Yes I did. Let’s go into the town." he said, "You’ll need more durable clothing for traveling.” He pointed to a decent sized tear in the hem of her skirt at the back.

The guards opened the large doors for them and they walked out of the castle into the mid-morning hustle and bustle of the marketplace to their right. He smirked as Drusilla latched herself onto his right arm and they walked with Yammelyan tagging along behind them. The Chiisai was buying a few fancy potion bottles and sacks when she dragged him into a clothing shop. It wasn’t the kind of shop he would go into normally as it was full of feminine clothing and jewelry. It wasn’t that it manufactured nervousness but he did enjoy the shinies and was even considering buying more rings for his ears, he decided against it at the last moment as his eight ear piercings were enough for him.

He especially enjoyed the modeling that she did with several outfits until she finally picked out a breathable, traveling outfit. It was maroon with brighter red accents and multi-hued pockets with large silvery cuffs on the wrists and ankles and a butterfly tailcoat that made her resemble a ringleader of a circus, without the fancy hat. He watched her as she paid for her outfit, silently wishing he could tear her out of it with his teeth. The next thing they did was have lunch at a nearby café. Comotos had his usual double helping of food since he didn't have breakfast, while Drusilla had a small plate of food, with a salad and Yammelyan munched on a vegetarian wrap.

The next place to go was the enormous harbor that Ragi Town was famous for. Comotos knew this town quite well because he had spent most of his childhood here and in the previous town where the BHO was located. He even knew of shortcuts that most of the resident locals would know about. The three of them cut through numerous alleyways and neighbouring stores and buildings before he began sniffing the air. He inhaled the salty, ocean air through his nostrils, it was simply stronger and he knew they were just around the corner from the port. He was always suspicious of this area, there were many pirates in the area that would do anything to get their grubby, thieving hands or hooks on his treasure. He walked casually with his companion latched onto his arm, but his venom-coloured orbs were constantly searching for someone that would try to jump him.

This late in the morning the port was very crowded so it was difficult to maneuver through the waves of people. All of a sudden he felt his bag slide from his shoulder with force. He tried to turn to see who would be making this life-threatening mistake to steal his hard-earned loot but only caught a glimpse of long orange hair and medium curved grey horns. Drusilla was also aware of the initial struggle and released his arm so he took chase of the fleeing form. She followed him as he followed the thief and Yammelyan wasn't very far behind, but it got lost in the crowd due to its short height. From where she was she could see him gain speed and tackle the thief from behind. They rolled and almost rolled right off the docks into the water. He raised his hand, ready to go for the throat when he noticed that the thief was a hybrid woman.

She looked mostly human except her features were slightly different, light brown skin and her ears were pointed like his, her irises were a piercing yellow colour and there were curved horns protruding from the sides of her head, her nose was also very cat-like, small and black but set on a human-ish face. She glared at Comotos and he backed up, grabbed her arm, and lifted her to a standing position. He noticed that there were a lot of guards out on the docks today and that fact might have made it harder to just knock the bitch out. As he was scanning the area, something wet and goopy hit him in the side of his head. He turned and was momentarily blinded by saliva.

He growled and stepped backward, wiping at his eyes. He heard a scream from in front of him. He wiped as much spit as he was able from his face before he and the orange-haired half-breed were surrounded by tough-looking guards. Drusilla was running towards them on the wooden dock before the guards stopped and surrounded them, so she was forced to watch the whole thing from a safe distance with Yammelyan. Comotos spotted her just in time and tossed his money-filled satchel at her and she caught it, not as neatly as she would have liked. The guards made a tight semi-circle encompassing the orange-haired hybrid and himself, the opening being where the water and dock met.

"Guards! This guy has been chasing me all morning! Please distance him from me!" she began weeping, over-dramatically. She dropped to her knees and hugged herself as if she was a frail and fragile lady who meant no harm. Well, this didn't look very good for Comotos as he was towering over her, making him look more menacing than he ever tried to be. "She's lying! Yes, I chased her down, but that was only because she had stolen my satchel! I don't take kindly to thieves!" He shouted. He was furious! No one dares to make lies about him and get away with it! Two guards helped the woman to her feet while the others surrounded Comotos. He was on his own now as Drusilla wasn't even allowed to go to him. His hands were tied in front of his body with a thick rope and he was led off of the harbor and far away from his companion.

"Take care of my bag!" was all he could say before he was punched in the stomach to silence him. The guards dragged him away to the jail in the center of the city as she looked on in utter confusion, grasping the full and heavy sack he had thrown to her. They both stared at the orange-haired lady that had the nerve to lie in relation to her friend. She was mad and handed the bag full of coins to the Chiisai and then walked up to the woman after the guards had made sure that she was alright and left. She made a tight fist and swung towards the half-breed with all of her might. Her super-powered fist connected with its target and she was knocked backward, slamming into the hull of a boat that was anchored to the dock. A look of shock and rage oozed from her face when she landed on the docks on her knees but suddenly went calm. In a flash, the woman was gone.

She was surprised only for a moment, she knew that the hybrid could exact her revenge at any time. She waited, keeping her eyes on any movements that could give away her position. Like a flash of lightning, her opponent appeared at least five feet in front of her. She lifted her leg to kick, but Drusilla was fast and jumped back. Not fast enough it seemed as she was knocked backward by a strong current of air from the woman's foot. She couldn't control herself and ended up being spun throughout the air several times before she landed roughly on her back on the sand. She looked up at her, who still had her foot in the air, positioned like a skilled fighter. She lowered her leg slowly, grinning the whole time.

Drusilla wasn't much of a fighter, but now she knew she couldn't withdraw from this conflict, she was the reason that her friend was being thrown in jail just for trying to return his stolen property. She didn't have any time to think because her opponent started running towards Yammelyan. The Chisaii shrieked and tried to hide behind the pink-haired girl as she stood up. She tried to punch the woman again, this time she missed. She pounced towards them and in one motion she snatched the satchel from the magician's feathered hands. She turned quickly and grabbed the other end of the bag before she could escape, "Let go! It doesn't belong to you!!!" she screamed and tugged the bag towards her not expecting the woman to attack and knock her out. Everything went dark.

She awoke and opened her eyes to find herself in the dark. She tried to move but she couldn't. She realized after a moment of struggling that she was tied to a pole around her torso and her hands were tied behind her with thick rope. She sighed and began to feel sorry for herself. How could this happen? What would become of Comotos? Would he die in jail because she lost the money that could have bailed him out? Tears began to fill her eyes and slide down her cheeks. Why was this happening to them right when they were about to go back and see Laina?!

She had known Laina since they were both little girls, they were best friends and almost like sisters. It was hard for her to be away from home for so long and the tears just kept flowing down her face and splashed to the floorboards beneath her. Her shoulders shook and she sniffled, trying to hold back a sob. She then heard a voice from behind her, "Don't cry, Drusilla! That woman will think you are weak. Do not give in!" That was her friends' voice! "Yammelyan?" She asked into the darkness. "Yes, the woman captured me as well. I couldn't leave you all alone after you protected me, but I could not protect the blue one's bag... she took it."

She repeatedly attempted to blink her tears out of her view and sniffled again. "It's not your fault. It's that woman's fault for being so greedy and..." She stopped what she was bordering on saying because a door above their heads creaked open and bright sunlight flooded into the room. She managed, through blurred vision, to make out the silhouette of the woman that she had fought with earlier. She walked into the room and closed the door behind her, encasing the room in darkness once more. She heard heavy booted steps coming down the stairs towards them. The steps went by her and stopped and bright sunlight once again flooded the room, but this time it was much closer. She squinted and turned her head away from the light slightly. A gloved hand cupped her chin and made her look up into the woman's eyes. Her eyes were solid yellow in colour and she had black slits for pupils. She didn't look like she wanted to fight anymore but Drusilla was still very angry.

"I hope I didn't hurt you too much, little girl. All I wanted was the money in the satchel. You folks didn't have to make it so difficult..." The woman was cut off because Drusilla had stuck out her tongue and spittled in her face. The woman grunted and wiped the saliva from her face. When she was done, a look of pure rage crossed her features and she firmly punched the pink haired girl in the face. The woman yelped out in pain and held her broken fingers to her body. Her head was harder than she realized. The door above them creaked open once again and someone else stepped into the room and walked down the stairs. She looked up at the figure and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight filtering into the room. It looked like a real-life pirate captain, the hat, the locks, the beard, even the long jacket and sword belt about his waist. The woman backed up a little bit so that he could crouch in front of her.

He looked at her tear-drenched face, then looked at his lady who was cradling her hand to her chest. He shook his head and in a deep and heavy Islander accent he said, "I hope my lovely wife didn't use too much force on ya, miss." He reached into his pocket and removed a handkerchief and wiped the tears from her face with a fatherly smile on his weather-beaten features. She was reminded of her own father, who had unfortunately passed away a few years prior to her meeting Comotos. She smiled slightly but became serious very quickly, "Where's the bag of money?" The captain raised an eyebrow and turned his head to his wife. "What's da meaning of dis, Lace? You're stealing from innocent people on the beach again!?" Lace widened her eyes, seeming to remember her husband telling her not to steal from people because there were always consequences to pay. Nodding to her broken fingers, he seemed satisfied that she may have learned her lesson.

"Go up and tell da doctor what happened, he'll fix up ya hand," he spoke to Lace and she nodded to her husband, glared at Drusilla for a moment before she walked away, up the stairs, and out the door. He turned back to the girl and gave her another big smile, "Now little lady, what dis you be talkin bout a bag of money?" She explained the situation up until her fight with Lace and how she awoke tied to the pole. "Aaaah, I see. No matter how many times I tell my wife, Lace, not to steal... she just can't help herself. I'll tell her to get the bag of money for you once she gets her hand looked after.

You mentioned you were with a man earlier... what happened to 'im?" She then remembered that Comotos must be furious with her by now. "He was taken by some guards to jail. Your wife lied about what he did. He would never hurt a woman, he even helped her up after he caught her. He wanted his full satchel back." The captain nodded thoughtfully. "Well, we should go and bail your man out soon, shouldn't we!?" Her eyes lit up with the thought of seeing Comotos safe and sound, out of jail and back at her side. It was then she realized that she had fallen in love. Diesel cut the ropes around them and they headed out towards the jail.