The party at the Banana Grove lasted for quite soti, especially when their host Kidanna, insisted on being regaled on precisely how her little sister, and her little sister’s friend, got engaged to the sa guy.
It should be noted that Kidanna wasn’t actually Alicia’s older sister, it’s just that their dad’s knew each other and they ended up getting to know each other as a result of that.
Regardless, the stories of how they all t were surprisingly similar...in the sense that death had almost claid them in very different ways.
"So wait, you almost got eaten and possibly violated by a bunch of bandits with blood-based abilities, until Zhen Liu here showed up and rescued your ass...which is when you told him that you were originally going to his funeral."
"Yup."
"You can imagine my surprise as seeing an invitation for my own funeral," Zhen Liu added.
"And as for you, you were originally going to be involved with what I can only describe as a political matchmaking outing, but on the date with him, you almost got assassinated by a weird Bloodliner calling himself Leech?"
"Indeed, and the two of us spent a lovely ti chatting as we hid away from the fact that soone was out to trying to kill us."
"I also got revenge later by giving Leech exactly what he wanted and then so. It wasn’t pretty, to say the least," Zhen Liu added again.
"Damn, boy...why the fuck do near death experiences seem to follow you like vultures circling a dying beast?"
"Probably because I almost got brained by an arrow?"
"Ah, universe trying to reclaim a death. Been there before."
"Pardon?"
Zhen Liu being forced to explain his strange relationship status wasn’t the only highlight of the party though.
During the evening, Kidanna’s interest in Lythero beca more and more apparent as she asked increasingly more personal questions.
The reason being?
Well...
"Ya know, even before I beca the leader of the Golden Gorilla Union, people found hard to approach," Kidanna admitted while a little more buzzed than what was considered healthy. "Because I was always rough, loud and rowdy and because most people see that I’m a head taller than everyone else, stronger too, that they treated less like a woman and more like a man."
"Really?"
"Which is bullshit, because even I had fantasies of soone coming in and sweeping off my feet...or protecting from an attack i could’ve totally defended against..."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing," Kidanna mumbled while blushing. "Now then,enough about , what about you? Do you have a special soone in your life that makes the days more bearable?"
"Nobody...yet, but Zhen Liu did ntion that I should find soone like that...and I’m staring to understand the appeal of it," Lythero answered while feeling a twinge of jealously at seeing Zhen Liu with his fiancees.
"You should listen to him, that is very wise advice," Kidanna wholeheartedly agreed, while ntally thanking Zhen Liu for being her unintended wingman. "Wait, why haven’t you found soone yet?"
"Quest for revenge."
"Really?"
While this was happening, Antonio was doing his best in doing small talk with Alice and Harriet to...middling success.
"So...I heard you ntion that Zhen Liu kicked you in the face when you first t. What’s all that about?"
"Well, to make a very long story short, I was trapped inside of a mask by so crazy opera singing bitch and used like a living suit of armor for the better part of sixty years, until Alicia’s and Bellona’s shared husband-to-be over there did sothing that led to being freed," Alice answered matter-of-factly. "And before you ask, my body was left in this weird hibernation state where it couldn’t age. So, I am effectively as old as I was when I turned into a mask."
"Huh."
"Oh, so that’s why you’re so interested in their fiancee," Harriet comnted once she made the connection. "Wait, what about you? Were you also in a weird situation that warranted rescuing?"
"Uh...no. I was actually part of a private army that tried to kill him...and failed.
"Say what?"
"Yeah..."
"Wait, if that’s the case, why are you travelling with him?"
"Well..."
Eventually though, the festivities had to die down as they all had plans to go exploring the [City of Mirrors] bright and early in the morning.
Originally, Alicia and her group were going to go in on a separate ticket, but that changed after this party with Kidanna.
"I’m actually planning to go in with so of my guys tomorrow morning anyways. Why don’t y’all co along with ?"
"Really?"
"Hey, what’s the point of being in charge of security without a bit of favoritism?"
’How wonderfully corrupt,’ Zhen Liu mused at the thought.
Before they fully disbanded though, Alicia and Bellona gave Zhen Liu one last bit of information.
"Oh! By the way, your cousins and Kaijin are here too."
"Really?!"
"Yes. Last I checked, they had managed to rent a tent over..."
As soon as he was given the direction, Zhen Liu ran off with Antonio and Lythero in tow.
Well, at least that was the plan.
Lythero got unceremoniously commandeered by Kidanna, and he wasn’t exactly protesting about the idea either.
"You guys have fun, I’ll... see y’all in the morning."
"Right on."
"Have fun."
As Zhen Liu and Antonio made their way at to the tent, the latter had a question.
"Wait, why am I coming along with you?"
"Because you wanted answers, and I’m going to give them to you."
"Really? Why?"
"Because knowing ones history should be a right, not a privilege."
"...huh."
...One short walk later...
[My lord!]
[Producer!]
[Ringmaster!]
[Director!]
"Xiao Liu!"
"You’re alive!"
"Hey guys, I’m back."
"Oh you weren’t kidding about them being Kaijin...huh."
When Zhen Liu and Antonio arrived to the rented tent, the latter was initially confused as hell.
Antonio had t Blazejudicator and Corpse Doll before so he was expecting to be walking into a scene that looked like sothing out of a painting depicting hell.
In other words, a collection of monsters.
So, when he and Zhen Liu entered a tent filled with so varied looking yet normal warriors, he was slightly disappointed.
Up until four out of six of the warriors suddenly transford into monsters and moved to tackle hug Zhen Liu.
The other two appeared to be young n that looked very similar to Zhen Liu. If he had to guess, they were Zhen Liu’s cousins.
"Hey, I’m Antonio. I’m a friend of your cousin."
"Zhen Xing."
"Zhen Tai."
"Wow, your Scorch Talk is good."
"Kaijin lessons can do that."
"Kaijin what?"
"Wait, wait," Zhen Liu said as he broke free from the cuddle pile the Kaijin had put him in. "Where are Hurricroak and Frosttusk? I can sense they’re alive, but my ability to communicate with y’all is mute...as you can sense."
[Oh, they’re back at ho guarding the library,] Screamira answered. [With you being compromised, we figured it’d be smarter for so us to stay behind to make sure nothing happens.]
"Ah, that makes sense," Zhen Liu agreed.
At this exact mont, Zhen Liu was reminded that the [Key To Nowhere] in his possession was still broken and needed to be repaired before he could formally return to the Library and get his ass fixed.
The only issue was that he had no idea on how to do just that. Thankfully, he could at least use the kaijin present to relay information back to the Library in a weird ga of telephone.
"Alright, so have Logos and Pathos said anything about what I could use to fix this thing?," Zhen Liu asked when he presented the kaijin with the broken [Key to Nowhere].
[Well...Logos and Pathos say that you got two options,] Nepeherage answered for the group. [You got to either reconnect the pieces with a material that spatial propertites or lt it down entirely to reforge it. Either way, you’re going to need the flas that only Aetherii can produce.]
"Aetherii flas? Why?"
[The flas you and Blazejudicator can produce contain too much innate Chaos,] Springerdermain answered. [It’s great when you need to create sothing new, but if you’re going to use it to repair stuff...rember what happened with the steamboat?]
"Ah."
[And the warehouse?]
"Getting the picture."
[And technical the milk -]
"Okay, got it, I produce too many random factors that repairing things with it might make the whole thing worse or better depending on my luck," Zhen Liu interjected.
[More like you’d end up reconnecting the key to soplace else entirely,] Razorstella added.
"Either way, where am I going to find an Aetherii who can."
"Hey, I’m back."
"Huh?"
At this exact mont, a certain purple flaming warrior entered the tent with the most casual of ease.
"I see y’all are still-ah."
"You?!"
Evidently, in a million years, Zhen Liu wasn’t expecting to see Olstenna.
User Comments
0 comments from readers