Mia was walking down the market with its now crimson streets from the setting sun. She was cheerfully walking, swaying her arms back and forth, making the large loose sleeves on her white robe, to soon follow after their motion. The streets start getting emptier and emptier as it gets darker.
Hmm, most are going home now. Guess you really don’t want to stay outside when it’s dark since bad people start lurking about. That makes our job easier.
As she continues strolling casually the passer-byes started hurrying to get home quicker until there is almost no one apart from a few shops still closing and some people transferring goods to be delivered. The street lights turn on giving off a nice warm orange glow to the street. As the sky continued to darken the town got very quiet and you could hear from every nearby house families talking and having dinner together.
Those who were still outside were going really fast now, almost running as the sun had almost completely exhausted its warm light for the day. The girl continued to walk calmly she continued to go deeper and deeper into the city. The guards had already switched with the night patrol and could be seen every other street. One of them, a priestess wearing a white dress that almost seemed to be glowing in the distance, approached her as she was the only passerby of the streets now aside from the guards themselves.
“Excuse me?” a gentle and almost ethereal voice called out to her. The priestess was now standing in front of her with a benign smile on her face while she held her staff in both hands close to her. She could clearly see that she was indeed glowing but not her dress, but very skin.
Judging by the pointy ears and light-blue skin I assume she’s a moon elf…
“Yes?” the girl replied with excitement in her voice.
“I’m sorry but it’s really late now to be outside and I don’t remember you being part of today's guard. Are you by chance lost or maybe you’re looking for someone on duty?”
“Yes! You see I was supposed to be meet my brother to go to the inn we’re staying in together, but he had something to take care off and I completely forgot where the inn was!”
Not that I ever bothered remembering…
Mia continued to wear a cheerful smile as she said her reply in one quick breath and looked like she's ready to go on like this for a few hours.
“Oh my! Then do you by chance remember the inn’s name?”
“Nope!”
“Do you at least remember how it looks…?”
“Yep! It was fancy!”
“I see, but I meant if you remember the details of how it looks…”
“Yes, yes, fancy details!”
“…So if you were to see would you be able to recognise it?”
“Probably… there arent many inns that look like it so asking the reception would tell us…”
“I see… would you like me to accompany you while you check?” The streets are quite dangerous at night.” The whole time the priestess was also wearing her slight smile giving off a caring appearance. Neither of them had really changed their facial expression during this whole conversation.
“I would really appreciate that!”
“That’s great! The Big Eyed Puppy Inn is the closest one to here!”
“What a cute name!” Mia almost jumped up as she squished her tiny fists into balls in front of her.
“It is! The owner is really nice and she loves cute puppies so she takes care of a lot of them at the inn and that’s where its name comes from!”
“So cute! Though sadly I don’t remember seeing any puppies so it’s probably another one…”
“Aww, that’s too bad… I wouldn’t have minded going there myself…” the elf replies with a slightly sad tone, but not letting go of her pure smile.
“Maybe we can take a small detour?~”
“Maybe some other time. It’s late and your brother is waiting for you plus I’m on guard duty right now.”
“Aww… Then I guess we should postpone the puppies for now… What’s your name by the way??”
“It’s Linata.”
“Ah, that’s also a cute name!”
“Thank you. Now the problem is which in should we go to… there are so many, maybe we should just go to the crossroads and decide there…?”
“Hey, do you have any teleport spells?”
“Why are you asking? Do you have anything in mind?”
“What if we teleported on to one of those big towers in the distance and looked form up there!” she was, of course, referring to the many tall watchtowers scattered around the city.
“That’s a wonderful idea! Yash, I can do that one moment.”
As she said that she turned around and lifted up her staff forward “Lunar gateway!” and a silvery glowing portal suddenly opened in front of them. Without either uttering a word they just entered.
Upon exiting Mia’s hair and robe were pushed back as the strong winds hit her. Her slim body shivered under said robe from the sudden cold, but surprisingly Linata seemed unaffected despite her dress appears to be made out of silk.
I don’t know if she has an enchantment against the cold if she’s just naturally resistant… I guess if she IS a moon elf then it only makes sense that she’d be active during the night. Maybe that comes with resistance to it too?
The blue-skinned girl's sudden question brought her back to her senses and sadly the cold ones too.
“Can you see your inn from here…?” I’m sorry but I forgot to ask your name…” she says looking worried.
“Oh, it’s Mia! Don’t worry about it!” saying that she put a hand over her eyes to shade them from the non-existent sunlight. There were lots of houses and buildings, big and small but mostly the same size all scattered around the city, some with almost identical shapes and some with rooms and wings that defy gravity itself with many brilliant lights shining from afar - some warm yellows, others melancholy blue.
“Wooow, soooo prettyyyyy” she was amazed by the beautiful scenery in front of her for a few moments before she finally snapped back to it and continued her search. She could spot from there not only the way they came from, the market and even the specific shop she was at earlier, but even the portal array used to move between the cities.
Guess it makes sense that you’d be able to see so much of the city from up here… They are watchtowers after all… Let me see… Well, some look both like an inn and a warehouse so I guess being fancy wasn’t at all on their priority. I wonder if they even get guests…
She slowly turned her head around.
I gotta look carefully so I don’t miss it… as I’m sure I will at least 5 times… Ah, there is a group of buildings in that area that are 3 stories so those are all probably inns...
“There it is! I’m sure of it!” She pointed at an indeed luxurious inn further into the city past the town centre.
“Wonderful! I can’t see the streets from there, but there’s a big crossroad nearby and it’s a straight line to the inn so I’ll place the portal there!”
“Okay!” saying that Linata opened a new portal and went straight in with Mia right behind.
It got a lot warmer as I exited… Just how close to hyperthermia was I!?!?
“It should be this way.” The priestess gestures with her staff down the road.
“What, that’s so far away!”
Linata giggled. “Well, it’s the only way so you should try to go as fast as possible if you want to get done with it as fast as possible!”
“Wait, I got a better idea!” as Mia said that she walked a few steps towards the nearest lampost and she pulled out a rhomboid amulet and opened it. Inside was a blue gem which she pressed and it started blinking. After a second a male voice called out as the gem glowed continuously now.
“Where are you?”
“Umm, I think I’m on a crossroad near the inn…?” Mia replied with a scarred expression.
“You think?”
“Yeah… I called you to ask if you could go out so I can see if it’s the right one…”
“So NOT ONLY did you get lost again BUT you also want ME to go out in the cold just because you’re too lazy to check?!?”
“No, no, no! You got it all wrong… I just am not sure if it’s the right one!”
“Then why not just go in and ask?!?”
“As if I know the inn's name or how it looks on the inside?!?”
The male voice just sighed in return as the gem stopped glowing. Mia just turned to look at Limara when she saw her walking slowly to her with a slightly concerned expression.
“Was that your brother…?”
“Yes!”
“Wasn’t it a bad idea to bother him this late…?”
“Naaah, he was totally happy to hear me, he was just hiding it so he isn't embarrassed!”
“If you say so… Well, I guess we just wait and see if he pops out now, right?”
“Yep!”
As the two girls were waiting in the distance some high heels could be heard slowly coming towards them. Out of the shadows slowly emerged a tanned woman wearing a golden mask and a dress-like garment with lots of golden-coloured stars, crescents and sun decorations all around it with a big crescent on her back, the bottom of it starting from the bottom of her shoulder line reaching up to about twice her heads size with the filled part being on her right. She also wore golden gauntlets, knee pads and heels all with spikes on them.
She spoke with a soft entrancing voice.
"Now what are young girls such as yourselves doing in a place like this at this late hour?"
She appeared to be taller than both of them and walked with an air of maturity and confidence around her. Lina responded normally with her soft voice.
“We’re just trying to find the inn she’s supposed to go to.”
"And have you by chance seen a short blonde girl wearing all blue?~"
"Hmm… I don't think so…" She replied after thinking for a bit.
"Are you sure? That would be very sad. Then have you seen this leader demon boy wielding a giant sword and demon magic?”
Lina instead of replying instantly like she did till now she attempts to hide her emotions.
Those are very specific people… what does she need from them… That boy sounds the leader of the demon adventurer group that formed recently…
"I guess I might have seen a man like that, but I’m not quite sure. " She says putting a finger on her lip. "And may I inquire you as to why you have decided to ask us random passerby's all of these questions so suddenly?"
“Well you see girl, there are some people that work for some people and some people that pay some people and I'm the person who has to mediate all of that. So I'd prefer it if you didn't get in my way and helped out instead. So have you seen anyone resembling them or are you just wasting my time?"
"Oh, well I’m almost positive I haven’t seen anyone that matches them. I don’t remember anyone like that. Sorry." She says with a soft smile.
"I see... And by chance were you the ones who were on top that top tower a few seconds ago...?"
"Yes, we were. You seem to have quite a good vision to be able to see us from all the way up there."
The strange woman laughs courtly as she puts a hand on her mouth "I do indeed, don't I." She says giggling "And how exactly did you wind up here so fast? It must have been a pretty nice view up there." She grins maliciously.
“Oh, it definitely was! Too bad we didn’t get to enjoy it.”
The woman starts walking slowly towards the two while Lina was replying.
"I think you should have enjoyed it as your final memory." As she was walking towards the two she suddenly leaps towards Mia materialising a longsword with a giant round crescent guard and swings it at her.
