Greed:
We were now stepping foot onto lands that no one, aside from the Mountain's people themselves, have ever set foot on.
There was a town called Pardem that we stopped by to gather supplies. A fairly advanced town that reminded me of LeHarla back in the Valley. And much to our surprise, many of the residents had welcomed us with open arms.
It was odd to be treated so friendly by everyone. It almost felt unnatural…
However, when considering the Mountain jurisdiction's conditions, it was probably because they never got visitors aside from those who resided in the Mountain. A simple glance at our attire told them that we were not from here—especially in the way we acted. It probably also had something to do with the fact that we had just come from the capital without so much as a war being ignited. Perhaps they were elated in a way to finally have tourists.
Star was running around the place, checking each and every shop and market for Choco Bars. And of course, I was on babysitting duty…
"Teddy! This place sucks! I haven't found a single Choco Bar dealer around! What is this atrocity?!"
I extended my bottom lip to the side, teeth slightly showing, and outwardly expressed embarrassment as the residents had heard her. "Sorry. Don't mind her. She's dyslexic."
Star gaped at my comment and knocked me on the head.
"The hell, Star!"
"If anyone is dyslexic, it's the people here! How do you not have a single Choco Bar?! Do you all live under a damn rock?" she shouted at them. "Oh wait, I forgot. You live in the Mountain. It's basically just one giant rock!"
Again, I expressed embarrassment on her behalf.
"S-S-Sorry! We're just leaving…" I assured them, but they didn't seem to be offended by her sudden outburst.
As we turned the corner to leave in search of another area to find her prized snack, I attempted to scold her. "Star, you need to be more polite. These people don't get visitors often… Or at all for that matter."
"I see why…" she pouted.
"You should be grateful they're treating us so kindly."
"They should be grateful I didn't skewer them upon their blasphemy of not having the best snack to exist in all of existence."
I sighed, and observed my surroundings. The place was mostly a vibrant gray, adorned with silver accents on every building. The cloudy skies reflected off of most of this place, giving it a more ornamental vibe—gray on gray on silver.
Star and I had separated from the rest of the crew somehow. I didn't even want to leave the Den, which was parked outside Pardem. But…
"Hey, idiot! Your fucking subordinate is running off in an unknown location! Go get her!" Code yelled.
I looked at him with disdain, turning around to head to my quarters…
So much for that…
What a drag…
"Oooo! Teddy, look! That place looks promising!" Star crooned, pointing off toward some distant field.
When I looked off the higher-ledge we were passing by, I saw only patches of green—mostly rock—and in the distance, was a circus-looking tent that seemed a lot larger than our view of it.
"No," I said plainly.
"Aw, come on! Please! Please! Pretty please?"
"No."
"Teddy, ple-h-ease!" she begged.
We had already strayed too far from the group. The least we could do now was try to find our way back to the Den. I'd drag her if it came to it.
Problem was, everywhere I looked, I couldn't seem to figure out where the hell we were…
My sense of direction was as good as a wolfdog that used its eyes instead of its nose to find its mark. Eyes that were blindfolded for that matter…
Star's was no different. None of us would ever let her go off on her own, lest we never wanted to see her again. I'm sure Brand wouldn't mind that…
Aside from us who split, the rest of the crew were off on their own shenanigans: Ophelia and Alice had gone to check out some boutiques, Brand and Havoc went to find a card shop, Jo went off to find a sweet shop to indulge in—she probably should have accompanied us, but she refused to join me on my side quest to find Star… Nash went back to his room, Daz and the Arabella maids remained at the Den as well to keep tabs on Envy, and Code went off on his own to gather Mountain local ingredients and supplies.
We had been gone for about an hour. And this place was anything but a 'small town'.
Like clockwork, everywhere we went, people treated us with respect, even bowing when we passed by.
"Keeper, it's like that day all over again," I muttered.
"What? The day we effortlessly saved the Valley from that dragon-insect thingy?" Star asked with eyes elsewhere, exploring.
"It was anything but effortless…"
"Yeah, 'cause one-shotting a fucking Grade 0-like monster wasn't effortless," she countered, still not facing me.
"It wasn't that simple."
"It was that simple, dummy-Teddy."
I glared at her sidelong as I watched her eyes light up at the sight of something ahead of us in the distance.
"THERE!" she roared, and dashed off faster than I could keep track.
"Star! Don't run off—" I gave up mid-sentence. "Goddamn it…"
She had bolted over to a suspicious vendor with exaggerated signs and lights, welcoming herself in.
When I finally caught up, the sign overhead said 'Exotic Valley Finds'…
Curious name for a vendor…
The place was like a tent propped up at a random intersection on one of Pardem's many winding streets.
I brushed open the cloth entrance of the place and found myself in a dark room with two pathways that led into pitch black.
All right. I need to retrieve this bitch and get the fuck out of here. If this doesn't scream sketchy, I don't know what does.
It was then that I was greeted by a mysterious figure I had hardly sensed. "Welcome to Exotic Valley Finds! How may I help you?"
I looked at the creep up and down. He was wearing a colorful coat with rounded glasses that reflected off unseen light. He was bald, but he had an exaggerated mustache that seemed to twitch when he spoke.
"Yeah… I'm looking for my friend. She rushed in here just before me. Pink hair, a crown that looks like horns (a lie. People didn't need to know what she really was), yea high," I said, gesturing.
"Hmm…" the sketchy man said. "I don't recall seeing anyone like that recently…"
"That's bullshit. She ran in just seconds before I arrived," I said sterner.
"I'm sorry. I truly do not know. I'm the only one who works here, and you're my first customer of the day!"
"How did you not see her?"
"Perhaps she went to another, similar vendor?"
"Not possible. This place stands out like a sore thumb."
"I'm sorry, sir, but if you're not here to buy, then I'm afraid I'll need to show you the door."
"And I'll show you the floor if you don't tell me—"
Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice.
"GREED! GREED!" Star shouted from the shadows of one of the hallways.
"Star!" I looked at the sketchy man next to me. "You said she wasn't here…"
"My goodness! How did you enter without my knowledge young girl?" he said in an almost believable tone.
"Greed! They have it! They have Choco bars!"
"Seriously?"
"Yeah look! They have buttloads!"
She pulled out an entire barrel of Choco Bars from behind her.
I stared at it for an uncomfortable length of time before speaking to the man once again. "How did you smuggle these in?"
"Smuggle? No, no… I make trade with Valley vendors on the border," he effortlessly replied.
"No. Valley vendors only do trade with the Ocean, and sometimes the Sky jurisdiction."
"Perhaps you are mistaken. The Valley vendors I deal with do."
"No vender would risk dealing with Mountain vendors. Even the trade itself would ignite a war between the two Kingdoms. It's just not worth the risk," I said, turning to face him fully. "That's why I was thrown off by the name of this place. The only way you'd ever have anything from the Valley was if you were dual citizens with the Valley and the Mountain. But dual citizenship between the Kingdoms was banned after the war. The only people who are allowed to have them now are Royals and high-ranking mages. A small-town vendor like you would have had their license and citizenship revoked, even if you had it before the war…"
The man's glasses gleamed more light as he lowered his head.
And as he did, I raised my hand toward Star.
"Also…" I said, as I rested my hand on her shoulder. "Star doesn't ever call me by name."
Right then, the place rumbled and the place wobbled like some fucked up funhouse.
"My… our leader said you were some dumb shmuck who would easily fall for a trap…"
"Your leader must be a fucking idiot," I said intimidatingly, glowering at him.
From where 'Star' was, another voice responded, "Don't you ever call SirVelm an idiot, you trash dog!"
When I looked, another female had appeared in Star's place. She was taller, shapely, had black hair, and pale skin.
"And another thing," she uttered. "Get your fucking hand off my breast, you filth!"
I had barely noticed. But when I looked, I most definitely was fondling…
"Woops…"
"At least act like you have shame, you perverted mut!" she shouted as she raised a hand, and an exaggerated shield manifested from the ether.
She slammed it down, striking the nook of my neck, but I remained, and the shield clanged like we were the only ones in the room for a fraction of a second. I remained unmoved—unscathed.
"How did you withstand that?" she spat.
I only glowered as the sketchy man from behind spoke again, "Melina, Sir Velm warned us, did he not? We must fight in other ways with him…"
"Don't lecture me, Edison…"
There was that name again… Sir Velm… Who the hell was that?
But before I could respond, the place wobbled intensely, and then a void appeared like it was in some adjacent dimension along the one we occupied.
If it's magic, I can—
Before I could complete the thought, I found myself in a vast green field.
Above me, the clouds drifted at a slow pace upon the blue skies, and there was a pleasant breeze.
"I'm getting really tired of these damn illusions," I muttered to myself.
But the sketchy man—Edison's—voice entered in again, "Then, you'll be happy to know that we are not in one."
He and the woman, Melina, appeared yards away from me on another hill. She was noticeably taller than him, and he was noticeably older than her.
The man's attire had changed from a colorful coat to one of blue and white—long like a scientist's, matching the woman's elaborately detailed dress as she now had on a decorative white wide-brimmed hat that was tilted to one side, giving her a mystic kind of vibe despite her lighter colors.
"The minute you stepped into this place, you entered my Dimensional Territory," he said, raising his arms. "And in this space, the more normal you are, the more dangerous the consequences…"
I was silent for a moment. Shadows covered my eyes as I digested what he said.
Then a lunatic laugh sounded from me as I replied, "You two really don't know who the fuck you're dealing with, do you?"
The woman clicked her tongue, manifesting a massive shield to her side. "I will enjoy slamming that handsome face of yours beneath my foot!"
"Gee, don't threaten me with a good time, miss… We've only just met."
"For someone who's about to die, you surely are a bit too carefree, now aren't you?" Edison said.
"I don't know," I replied, lifting my head up to the pretty skies above. Something about this place seemed… nice.
***
**An unknown location**
Star woke up in a dimly lit space.
When she sat up, she looked around.
"Teddy?" she uttered, rubbing her eyes.
"No 'Teddy' here… however, I have something similar," an unknown voice chimed in.
Just as it did, the place lit up, followed by the wild cheer of a crowd. The place was like a giant tent, with lanterns, festoon lights, and banners that said 'Come. Sinner. Dance' along with the face of a jester on them. And where she stood was like a platform or arena of some kind.
"Is this a fucking circus?" she uttered.
The male chuckled as he revealed himself above in the air, standing on some barely visible wire.
"We prefer, entertainment space," he replied. His features were somewhat shadowed, but she instantly noticed his stark blue eyes, followed by the silhouette of horns upon his head.
"So, circus," she replied flatly.
"Very well… and on that note, you are the clown."
As he said this, two Zonrogues emerged from both her sides. The crowd roared.
Star rose, closing her eyes only for a moment before opening them again to view the man above. When her green eyes locked in on him, she held a ferocious expression as she spoke, "Then how funny would it be if I clawed you down here, and rammed your horns between these beasts' asses?"
He smiled wickedly. His teeth gleaming from within the dark.
"I'd like to see you try, daughter of the Demon Blight."