Dum♪

Dum, dum dum♪

Dum♪

Dum, dum dum♪

An infectious beat urges its listeners to dance.

I know you need it♪,

I need it too♪,

I know you need it♪,

It’s good for you♪,

I know you…......

A masked figure sings, repeatedly, almost hypnotically, as people effortlessly sway to the tune, their eyes glow sky blue, minds float high above the metaphorical clouds.

Club Hedon, founded three years ago when a mysterious masked woman appeared and had it built, off the back of her frequent excursions to the Holy city,

She would offer the people rewards, money, drugs, a place to indulge them in.

Soon after, money once again became a common resource, traded in the Unholy city,

Prior to this, people lived in fear and uncertainty of their inevitable downfall,

Now they are artificially at peace,

Lost in themselves,

Until…….

Zaap!

………….

Boom!

A surge of lightning, strikes club Hedon, directly hitting the magic crystal powering the club, causing a minor explosion

The colorful lights go out, the hypnotic music silences.

“What, was that lighting!?”

“Is it a storm?”

“How can there be a storm down here idiot!”

The hedonistic crowd argue amongst themselves in confusion over the sudden outburst.

OOMPH!

A body launches across the room though a wall, crashing into the group of people,

“One of the rats!” Someone exclaims,

“Are we being attacked?”

Through the newly created ‘entrance’ in the wall a person steps though,

His blonde locks pointed upward now, hazel brown skin glowing as sweat drips off his muscles, his blue eyes cast an intimidating stare,

“The bastard cousin!?” someone identifies him,

“It’s Apollo?”

“Why are you attacking here, have you lost your mind?”

“Get him!”

Apollo cracks his fists upon noticing the masked members of the Sewer Rats approach.

“This is private property bastard,

You can’t use your status as a technical member of the former royal family to go on a rampage here

You must suffer the consequence of your actions!”

They member’s charge forward to attack,

Before they can move any further an arrow fires from behind Apollo,

Hitting the ceiling overhead a gush of water begins to fall,

While simultaneously a blast cold wind hits the falling water freezing it into a curtain of ice.

The people gaze in awe at the sequence,

“Eh em” Apollo clears his throat, trying to find a bossy tone to use,

“I would like to formally apologize to you all, I don’t mean to intrude on your pleasure, but unfortunately,

This is the only way for us-”

“-Only way for you to what!?” Tori walks forward, her whip in hand,

She cracks it loudly releasing a surge of lighting of her own,

“Do you have a death wish?

This is a business you just barged into, causing a ruckus!

There is nothing you can say,

No excuse in the world will save you from this punishment!”

Tori lashes her whip forward at Apollo,

He lunges forward attacking her head on,

Crack!

The whip smacks Apollo right on his chest, he stumbles back in pain, before lurching himself forward again

Thumph!

Before Apollo could strike, Tori slumps to the ground unconsciously

“Wah!? Apollo looks around confusedly

“Well, that was easy.” a sly voice says entering the room,

A shadow from under Tori makes its way back to the little man,

“Pinoki,

I had it; you didn’t even let me attack yet!” Apollo complains,

“I was making things easier for you.” the little man drawls,

“We came here to tear down this establishment and maybe knock out some of the sewer rat members,

Not have one on one battles with them.”

“I guess that is correct,” I interject approaching through the hole in the wall with Lyra,

“I would’ve liked to see how that fight would turn out between the two……….”

A group of the masked members gather, drawing near us

“We have you cornered so what is this about knocking ou-….”

Snowfall strike!

A strong blast of snow blast right at them,

“That would’ve been you Kage, if Zinnia didn’t interrupt,” Lyra boasts gesturing to the now struggling masked men in a heap of snow,

“What do you want from us?” one of them pleads

“This is just a way for us to send a statement to the person in charge” I step forward,”

“………”

The building goes silent,

Deafeningly silent,

…….

I attempt to speak but I can’t even hear my own voice,

I look to Lyra and the others, she’s shouting frantically but we hear nothing,

What is this?

“What is wrong with you people!” Karina’s voice groans through the quiet abode

“Don’t answer that,

Oh, wait you can’t,”

Her voice echoes from somewhere nearby,

“Back here,” she directs,

Glancing at Apollo, he nods to affirm we should go on

Leaving the defeated members behind we make our way to back, where Pinoki brought me previously to Tori’s office.

“Shut the door behind you,” Karina instructs taking off her mask as we enter,

She sits behind table, a pipe in hand mirroring that of the queen.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Lyra demands finally able to hear her own voice again.

“I used my sound magic to mute the entire building,” she explains lazily,

“And aren’t I the one who should be demanding explanations?”

“We did this so we could ask for your assistance,” I reveal

“Ha!” Karina laughs,

“You barged into my establishment, destroyed almost everything, attacked my men, and say it was for my help?”

“Are you delusional?”

“It had to be done,

This place had to be destroyed, that way the people will have some time to prepare for what’s coming,”

“Prepare for what, that so called enlightenment?

Can’t wait for it actually”

“I’m not talking about that Karina,

They have to prepare for the collision of both cities.”

“The what of what?” Karina puts down her pipe turning to Apollo

“Why are you joined up with this, I thought you were the hero type?

I’m not surprised that the thrill addict and depressed snowflake would go along with something this idiotic, but you.”

“How about I turn you into a snowflake,” Lyra growls

“Hey Hey! No need for that Apollo tires diffusing the situation immediately,

Karina,” he starts,

To me this a lose-lose situation, the way I see it is that we can sit around and get consumed by our addictions while waiting for our eventual downfall at the hands of someone else,

Or we can do it ourselves,

That is to choose how we go out,

Sometimes the only way to save someone is as simple as giving them a choice,

Live or die?” Apollo finishes,

“I think it’s time you stopped running away from that choice,” I add to his statement,

“So, what your saying is that I should not aim to live out the rest of my days enjoying my pleasures,” Karina breathes

“But instead help you fight

For a chance to fight

In a battle that can’t be fought,

You sound ‘higher’ than most of the people who come here Kage,

I kind of like that actually,”

…….

“Will you help us or not?” Lyra questions blandly,

“With your attitude, I might not,

But,

I, like this one, Kage I mean,

He interests me,

So, for the sake of following my desires, I will listen to what you have to say,

Now explain to me in great detail exactly what you want me to do.” Karina urges

“We have to go back topside again soon, Pinoki pipes up,

“And after what happened last time, they may be expecting us,

We need your team for a diversion, your skills for stealth,”

“Hmm,” Karina thinks,

“What exactly is so important that you need to go back up for?”

….

“Umm,” Pinoki scratches his head, his glance meeting mine,

We both let out a laugh,

“What’s so funny?” Lyra presses,

“Well, umm, you see,” Pinoki says awkwardly

“We don’t know yet.”