**Another section of Pardem**
After buying many card packs at a local store, Havoc and Brand wandered the streets sampling many of Pardem's delicacies.
They opened pack after pack in hopes of landing a Secret Rare.
"Fuck! Another dud! Did we buy the right packs?" Havoc complained.
"This is the Ultimate Trinity edition like from the Valley… but a lot of these cards are from last season… Even the common cards are outdated. We already have these," Brand observed.
"That's what I'm sayin'! Shit sucks! I want my eterna back asap…"
"We can return to the card shop and complain?"
"No, we'd just look like a bunch of bitches who couldn't pull, and then they'll just sell us more like that'll solve the problem."
"And we would buy them."
"And we would fucking buy them… Fuck, I hate the science behind gachas. And we willingly fall for it."
"Aye."
They passed a street food vendor with a dragonbull in its logo.
"Brand! Get a load of this! chickensnake fried dragonbull hide! I didn't know you could even cook Grade 3 beasts 'cause they just fade when they die!"
The chef at the open vendor sensed his glee and responded, "Precisely! That is why you don't kill them."
"Ohhh!" Havoc's eyes gleamed.
"You would think you'd be more squeamish hearing how they cook your own kind…" Brand muttered from behind as he joined him.
"Just 'cause I'm a Primal doesn't mean I'm vegan… Dragonbulls and Behemoths eat meat."
"Yeah, but isn't this cannibalism?"
"Is it cannibalism when you shove a screwdriver up your ass, tin can?"
"SCREW YOU! I'M FIXING MY RECTAL HIP PLACERS! WHEN YOU GET TO BE MY AGE YOU NEED TO BE MORE DELICATE!"
"'Rectal hip placers'… just call it your butthole, dude."
Brand said something inaudible as he griped, and Havoc bought them an order of the dragonbull to share.
They observed it intently as it steamed into their nostrils.
"Wow, it smells way more gnarly up close… But it looks fuckin' delicious!"
"Smells fine to me," Brand replied.
"Hypersensitive smell, my guy," Havoc said, pointing to his nose. "But I can deal with it if the grub looks decent enough."
It was then that a loud blast had sounded off in the distance, startling them both.
They both whipped their heads to where it came from—the large bell monument further toward the center of the town.
"The hell was that?" Havoc asked.
But before Brand could respond, they noticed all the citizens get some alert simultaneously…
The beeping rang across their comms as they observed the mysterious notification for a second, then faced them both.
"Uh… if you're thinking that was us…" Brand assured as they drew closer, and some had even pulled out weapons.
"Are they fucking serious right now?" Havoc said.
Then, before they could realize, the ground protruded from beneath them, crushing them within walls of earth.
A stone pillar formed from where they once were as the 'citizens' crowded it.
"That was a lot simpler than I anticipated," one of them said.
At a nearby distance from them all, another citizen had a hand sign in place, having just cast that Earth magic spell.
"Lady Evalyn will be much proud."
A larger one went ahead toward the pillar, twirling large machete-like blades as he said, "Let's carve 'em up a bit before we bring them to—"
Before he could finish, the stone pillar exploded, revealing Havoc and Brand from underneath it. The citizens covered their eyes from the debris as they both emerged.
"I don't know what the hell is going on, but…" Havoc said as he slowly rose. "I can't say I'm surprised."
"Aye," Brand replied after, also slowly rising. "There was something fishy about their overfriendliness."
"Yeah… No one is that nice to us. Especially people from the Mountain."
The same large one whipped the debris away and called, "If you think this was just a pleasant town in the Mountain, you are sorely mistaken."
Havoc and Brand faced him as he went on.
"Pardem is a town of bandits. But not just any bandits"—he took a step and the ground shuddered—"no, this town belongs to the Bloodtusks!"
He bolted forward, and the ground shattered beneath him. His target—Havoc.
When he arrived, he slammed down one of his large machete-like blades onto him.
"Bloodtusks, huh?" Havoc uttered as the blade drew ever closer.
Then his eyes gleamed, followed by the hand of a large beast, blocking the strike from the bandit.
"Huh?"
"You guys' sound like those Nightbanes we fucked up not too long ago…"
The bandit's eye twitched as he threw down his other large blade, but before he did, he floated upward, reducing the momentum of his swing.
"What the—"
From behind, Brand raised a flexed hand, using the dust and debris that had made contact with the bandit to lift him.
Then from below, Havoc leaped up and transformed his other arm into a beastly state.
"Those guys were fucking weak," he said as he made a fist and jabbed the bandit in the gut, sending him flying back to the rest of the group.
In the same instance, Brand dashed, zooming through the crowd of bandits, sending them all suspending in air after each pass-by—in slow motion.
Havoc stepped forward and a beam charged from his mouth. Once it condensed, he released it onto the first floating bandit, dragging it over, and then blasting the next, and then the next, following Brands lead.
From the distance, the one with Earth magic made another hand sign, but before he could cast, Brand had found him, glowering from behind with red digital eyes.
However, just as he was about to throw down a fist, the sound of hands clapping echoed throughout the place.
In a blink, Havoc and Brand were back where they had started, and so were the bandits they had previously ravaged.
Huh? Havoc thought. "Brand."
"I don't know…"
Then the voice of a man entered. "I see. So you mages fight like wild beasts," he commented, sight unseen.
From the crowd, a tall man swanned in. he was wearing a red-and-white tunic and pants, adorned with gold accents. His purple hair was fixed, with a strand that fell down his forehead. And he stood at about six-foot-five, slender build.
"I can't have you making a mess while Lady Evalyn is currently busy," he spoke with a voice like a royal. Despite the savages around him, he carried a different demeanor. It was elegant and posh, but the others seemed to respect him like he was some higher rank.
One of the bandits spoke, "L-Lucien… Sorry, we won't—"
"Silence. If you can't get the job done the first time, you're less than fodder," the man, Lucien, interrupted. "But I suppose that will be your role in Lady Evalyn's story. Be grateful you are the grovel under her graceful, smooth… soft feet… ugh!" He shivered at the words.
"What the fuck is this guy's deal?" Havoc asked.
"Foot fetish," Brand said flatly. "I guess he and Captain have something in common."
"Ha! That's a good one!"
"You there!" Lucien shouted. "How dare you act so casually around me. Do you know who I am?"
Havoc and Brand fixed themselves, stretching and cracking joints so as to ready for a more daunting task. The aura from them alone filled the place. Though only mere members of the Black Wolves, to weak mages, these two seemed like something more…
"Would you look here, Brand," Havoc said as he rolled his shoulder and cracked his neck. "Another self-imposed asshole we get to humble."
"Aye," Brand replied, shifting himself into his well-known fighting stance.
Their aura burst and the bandits around them shuddered; Lucien as well, though not as obvious.
He clicked his tongue and spoke, "Filthy animals. I will wipe that cocky smug off your faces, and then we will roast your corpses over the fire!"
The bandits roared, while Havoc and Brand wore wicked looks back at them.
***
**Earlier. Another section of Pardem**
The sound of a curtain shrilled as Ophelia opened it to reveal her new outfit.
She stepped out of her fitting room barefoot, wearing an elegant pink and white dress that was ruffled on the shoulders and puffed out at the bottom just above her knees.
"What you think, missy? Not exactly my style, but the fit makes me look so snatched around the waist!" she asked, checking herself out in the mirror.
Alice was sitting on a cushioned chair across her, legs crossed, and both hands over her knee. "It looks cute, I guess…" she answered hesitantly.
Ophelia pursed her lips and studied Alice impishly. "You like it don't you?"
"I-I-I said it looks cute. How does that mean I like it?"
"You're getting flustered! And the way you're looking at it means this is totally your style! That's it, I'm buying it for you!"
"But you're the one trying it on!"
"We can share, girly! Plus, it's the only one, meaning it's a hot item. I've made up my mind, it's ours!"
"Ours…"
"Aw, you wanted it all for yourself, huh?"
"I did not say that! Stop putting words in my mouth!"
The girls gathered their clothes and bought a closet-worth of outfits. The number of bags they each carried were in the two digits…
"I love how you say 'we'll share' but these are mostly just for you, aren't they?" Alice asked blandly.
"Don't be like that, missy! It's for you, Star, me, and Raeynie!"
"Counting Raeyn is like counting yourself twice… you're not slick, Ophy…"
Ophelia pranced ahead with eyes closed and a cheerful expression.
Alice sighed. "Where to next? Code is not gonna be happy when he sees all the clothes we bought."
"He'll be fine! I got the boys something too!"
"You bought a five-pack of white shirts…"
"Exactly! One for Codey, Furry, Brando, Nash, and Greedy!"
"So thoughtful."
It was then they heard a large bell ring in the distance.
Ophelia gasped and said, "Oooo! Looky there, Alice! That's a pretty location! Maybe we can snag a quick photo before we head back!"
"Didn't take you for the exhibition type."
"Exhi-wha?"
"Never mind…"
"I just like taking photos after a good day of shopping! That place over there." She looked at the tower where the bell rang. It was enormous, and appeared to be the center of Pardem. It resembled a pyramid with the way the massive staircases led up to the top from all sides. "That's going to be the new spawn point for us if ever we find ourselves here again."
"Spawn point?" Alice asked incredulously.
"Yes! Meaning if ever I need you to use your oh-so-very-useful Room magic to take us back to some place, that will be it!"
"Ah… so I'm just your taxi. Like with Belle and everyone else. Got it."
"No, no, no missy! Unlike them, you're my VIP taxi!"
"So much better…"
Before they headed over, Ophelia stuffed a few of the bags in her sub-space. There wasn't much room left for her to fit them all, so she asked Alice if she could leave the rest in her Pink Room until they were ready to head back.
In Alice's Alternate Space, or Dimensional Territory, if any objects from the real world were left in there, after a certain time, they disappear as if never existing. The time limit was always different depending on the amount or size of an object; however, Ophelia had pleaded with the agreement that after they went to see the bell monument, they would head straight back to the Den after.
The girls proceeded on their small detour.
When they arrived, the tower was much larger than their previous view of it. They looked up the gray granite stairs and admired the sleekness of the design before they made their way up. Gathers of citizens greeted them with each stride forward, all the while.
"Why do we… need to… walk all the way… up!?" Alice panted.
"Because! We make a grand entrance wherever we go!" Ophelia effortlessly replied.
"That's not… a good enough reason… to do this…" Alice squealed.
It took them a good fifteen to twenty minutes to finally reach the top, panting with hands on their knees once they arrived.
"We're here… are you… happy now?" Alice huffed.
"Hm…" Ophelia pondered.
"What now?"
"It's a lot less grand than I thought it was… It feels very… stuffy."
When she looked around, pillars wrapped around the place, leading outside. It was wide open, gray, and above them was the large bell they heard—also gray. With an odd construct ahead of them that looked anything but interesting.
"Ugh… this wasn't what I was expecting," Ophelia whined.
"The hell did you expect anyway? This place is probably older than this town," Alice said.
"I don't know… I was just expecting something… more elegant, you know?"
As Ophelia said this, crystals lit up around the place, stationed like torches on each pillar, resembling Lotis flowers. Pinging were the sounds they made, followed by the voice of a female's hysterical laugh.
The girls whipped their heads around to find it, but the woman spoke first. "You wouldn't know elegant, if it slapped you across your pretty fucking face."
Ahead of them, the construct opened, revealing stairs with a throne at the top. And on that throne was the woman who had spoken.
"I truly hate girls like you… You think you have the world simply because you have the face… the looks…" she looked Ophelia from head to toe.
As the construct continued to open, the woman who sat atop its throne could be seen more properly.
She wore a red and white maidens dress, had strawberry blonde hair that was long and curled with two loose strands tied to pigtails on either side of her head, and she was beautiful to say the least, as her violet eyes gleamed from different angles by the lit crystals all over the place.
The construct then morphed like it had a mind of its own, forming into something humanoid but like a creature all in the same.
It had eight arms and hovered behind the woman like she controlled it, or rather… it was her master.
"Tell you what," she spoke, like a cup of poured condescension. "I'll give you a crash course on what true elegance looks like!"
"Ophelia, we need to go, now!" Alice shouted.
But before they could make another move, the creature behind the woman made a hand sign with one of its pairs of arms, and she chanted,
"Spirit Grace Magic: Embargo Pact."
Ophelia and Alice glowed a purple aura for a second, as if it traced them, then faded.
Alice stepped on the ground in an attempt to summon her Pink Room. But nothing happened…
"What!?"
"Me too, missy," Ophelia said sullenly. "I can't switch with Raeyn…"
Alice's eyes trembled as they heard the clasp of another pair of arms from the creature. And the woman chanted another spell,
"Spirit Grace Magic: Ignition Pact!"
Suddenly, the lights of the crystals around them grew dim, and before they could process what came next, an explosion erupted from under their feet.