"So, what is it that happened to you after I left?" Alix sat down on the floor in front of Nuka as she calmly questioned the bird. Nuka nervously threw her eyes all around the room like she was looking for an escape but there was none. She finally realized that this was something she had to do and looked Alix in the eyes.
"A few years after you left, I think around three, I met someone. Someone passionate and a bit reckless. Someone that knew what they wanted out of life and were fighting there way towards it. You get what I mean?" Alix nodded in understanding.
"You found someone to replace me." Nuka quickly shook her head.
"Not replace necessarily, but I definitely saw a bit of you in them. That was probably why I was so willing to help them. Also they were looking for me so I would say that they technically found me." Alix rolled her eyes impatiently.
"I don't care about the small details, just tell me what happened." Nuka reared back a bit, shocked at how rude her friend had gotten over the past few years. Though she quickly let go of her feelings of discontent and continued.
"They were an alchemist. This person was looking for something to be their next big muse which is when I came along and nudged them a bit."
Alix raised her brow in confusion. "How exactly did you help this person? I am the only one that can understand and communicate with you." Nuka shrugged her wings.
"Well, that's the thing. I didn't need to talk to them. I just needed to give them what they wanted." Alix furrowed her brows trying to understand the meaning behind Nuka's words. She didn't have much time to think as Nuka just told her.
"I gave her a few of my feathers."
"You what?!" Alix shouted making Nuka flinch slightly. "Why would you give an alchemist your feathers?!"
"She asked for them, okay!? And besides it wasn't like I thought they would actually do anything for her and she already had some on her soI thought it was okay!" Nuka was trying to explain herself but Alix could see in her eyes that the bird regretted that decision.
"You thought it would be okay? Do you even know what those people..." Alix paused a moment to calm her frustrations before continuing. "How did she already have some of your feathers?"
"I don't know. She just asked if I was the owner of the feather that she had and asked if I could give her some fresh samples for her research." Alix grabbed the bridge of her nose in frustration.
"I swear, I disappear for a few years and you go around trusting alchemists with your mana organ." Alix sighed. "Well, they should have left you alone after that, right? You are just a beast type monster after all so your mana organ can not really lead to many, if any, advancements."
Alix looked back at Nuka and saw that was no longer facing her but had a deeply pained expression on her face. "They stopped after that, right?" Nuka didn't look at Alix. She simply shook her head in denial.
"She must have had the breakthrough that she was searching for because she started to come find me on a somewhat monthly basis. She even started asking me to keep up with my shed feathers as they could still help her to some extent."
"And what did you do?" Nuka shrugged with a relenting smile on her face.
"I did what she asked. Every month I would give her any of my shed feathers and some fresh ones. We did this for around four or five years before..." Nuka hesitated.
"Before what?" Alix could see the bird tremble slightly in fear. Like she was afraid of what her next words could do. "Come on, Nuka. You can tell me." Alix on focused Nuka's heartstring and placed a hand on the birds head. Nuka looked up into Alix's eyes.
"We're going to become the best in the word together. Remember?" Nuka smiled meekly and nodded.
"Of course I remember. The Twin Mistresses of Magic, right?" Suddenly the sliver string connecting the old friends began to shine. It was no longer faint and weak. It was shining strongly a bit stronger than even Alix's connection with Mo.
Mo felt a bit jealous about this but he would never admit it. Luckily for him that only lasted a moment before the string returned to its original state.
"Though I have just discovered a flaw in our old plan though." Alix said causing Nuka to cock her head questioningly.
"What's the problem with it?"
"You being just a beast category bird means that you do not possess any sort of magical abilities. So I would really just be one magic mistress and her bird best friend." Nuka smirked proudly.
"Well then do I have some news for you!"
"News? What kind of-"
'Lexi, someone's here." Alix perked up when Mo's voice rang through her head.
'Do you know who it is?"
'I think I do. But I don't think yer gonna like my answer. They're downstairs right now." Alix nodded and turned back to Nuka.
"Looks like we have some uninvited guests intruding on my childhood home. Give me one second while I go deal with them." Alix stood up rushed to the door.
"Allie wait!" Alix stopped and turned to Nuka. "What is it?" Nuka slightly scratched her talons against the hardwood floor nervously.
"Don't get hurt, okay? I still have something really important to tell you." Alix shrugged.
"It isn't very easy to cause me injury, old friend. Let me show you just how much my magic has improv-BAM" Alix went to leave the room but was instantly blown back into it when and sharp yet blunt object smashed into her gut.
Alix rolled backwards into the room and laid gasping in pain. "Looks like it was a bit easier to hurt you than you thought you arrogant brat!" Alix looked up to see a tall scaled figure march into the room.
"Leroy." The lizardman smiled.
"Wow, you actually remember my name? And here I thought that we didn't make enough of an impression on your life!" Leroy crouched over Alix holding his Morningstar in hand. Alix tried to stand up but he slammed the weapon into her stomach again inflicting more damage.
Alix wheezed in pain as tears started to fill her vision blurring it slightly. Though she could still see well enough to notice a second figure walk into the room.
"Leroy! I can't believe you got to her before me! I've been dreaming of beating this little loudmouth down every night since she summoned a tidal wave to whisk us out of Nogreni!" Joana stood behind Leroy with her sword sheathed to her side and her arms folded.
"You were the one that told me to check upstairs. It ain't my fault that I happened to find her here!" Joana clicked her teeth. She was annoyed but he was right.
"Well, you can't kill her right now anyway. Remember?" Leroy's face scrunched as he thought deeply about why he couldn't kill the Djinn's enemy when he finally remembered.
"Right. Total discretion. Which means no mess, no cleanup, and no corpses." Joana nodded.
Alix watched the two. She was perplexed at their being here. "What do you two want? Are you here for me or maybe you're trying to kidnap another noble?" Joana cackled.
"Oh, trust me. You are so lucky that we aren't here to get revenge or I'd just be beating the shit out of you right now!" Joana looked to the side and smirked. "That's what we're here for." Alix followed the goblin's gaze and froze when she realize what, or rather who, they had come for.
"Nuka? Why do you want her? What sort of backwater job did you nobodies scrounge up this time?" Leroy faked a wince.
"Oooh, there are those insults. For your information kid, we're actually here on rather well paying job. Now stay down." Leroy stood up and looked down at the still in pain Alix.
"I have an entire list of painful things that I know both me and Joana want to do to you." Alix was glaring into Leroy's eyes while Joana started to walk over to Nuka. Right then, Alix saw Mo rising out of his bowl and preparing to attack.
'Don't worry, Lexi. I may not like that Avaricious Avian but I know you care for her so, I won't let them take her." Mo started to summon forth the Abyssal Sea when he was suddenly hit by a third person that entered the room.
"Mo!" Alix watched as he slammed against the wall and lay unmoving. Her eyes shot back to the door burning with rage directed at the orc that was now entering the room.
"You idiots! Did you forget about the magic fish or did you just think you could handle it this time?" Leroy and Joana waved dismissively at their leader.
"Oh calm down with your High Tide Lineup. We knew about the fish we just waited for you to deal with it." Nuka tried to hop away from Joana but wasn't fast enough as the goblin easily scooped her up.
"LET GO OF HER!" Alix screamed and tried to get up again but was hit with an arrow in the thigh. She winced but still tried to stand but her body suddenly stopped working. She lost feeling in her legs and hit the ground without even being able to catch herself.
"W-what d-did you-"
"What did we do to you?" Karic cut off the struggling Alix. "That was just a little gift from our client in case the bird got a bit feisty. Now, I don't very much see why we would need Crippling Manta Venom for a bird but I had no reason to deny free handmade venom from an alchemist."
Karic walked over to Alix while coating another arrow in venom. "Now this stuff may be powerful, but one dose probably won't be enough for a fighter like you." He pulled the arrow out of the jar and admired it for a moment.
"So I may as well hit you with a double dose." Karic slammed the arrow into the girl's other leg. "G-agh-aah..." Alix tried to scream but she could barely move her mouth at this point. This venom was extremely potent.
"I-I-I'll k-k-kil..y-you.." Alix struggled to get those words out but the Djinns heard them. They all walked calmly out of the room. Joana still giving Nuka a swig of the venom to make sure the job went as easily as possible. Karic was the last one out of the room as he stopped and turned to Alix one final time.
"I do hope you try to kill us, Alix." The orc sneered at the girl.
"I want you to feel the same frustration as we stop you from achieving whatever grand goals you have! I want you to feel helpless as we slice that precious fish of yours apart, piece by piece. And I want to see the despair enter your eyes when you realize that all of that happened because you stuck your nose where it didn't belong." Karic turned on his heels and left the room. Alix tried to stand or crawl or do something to chase them but she couldn't.
Hell, she couldn't even focus enough to control the Abyssal Sea because she was worried about Mo and Nuka and Trou-
Wait.
Moved just her eyes around the room scanning it. But she couldn't find what she was looking for. So she called out through her connection with the peccary. 'Trouler. Trouler!"
She didn't get a response but she didn't stop calling. She desperately called to him until she ran out of time.
Alix felt the last of her strength leave her body as her rage finally reached it's peak and the girl lost consciousness. She had to lay and watch as the Djinns took Nuka. Watch as they injured Mo. And now she was worried that they may have taken Trouler. Alix had only one thought before passing out.
'Damn those Djinns!'