The blade gleams in the night’s lights, and with extreme swiftness, the man closes the distance and swings his sword at the unarmed Frank.
Amethyst manages to step forward to clash with the man’s two-handed sword stance in time, shoving Frank aside, who slams against the alley wall but comes out otherwise unscathed.
“Well done. I knew you could block that.”
Amethyst’s sheaths grind against the sword, but it doesn’t even cut into them.
“Leave us alone! Whoever you are!”
Amethyst swings her elbow blade at him, but his opponent shifts his blade to another angle and catches it on the blade too.
“You don’t even care to know? You wound me. But I suppose it’s fair, poor Vic won’t ever know what hit him either.”
He breaks the stalemate and steps backward.
“Vic!? What do you know of this morning?”
“Plenty of things, like how long I slept, what I ate for breakfast... though, I wouldn't recommend salads with nuts, I hear they’re hard to eat.”
“What? Were you there?”
“Me?” He scoffs and tips his hat covering his face momentarily.
“Of course not. How could I not know about all this? It’s all over the news.”
A grin emerges on his lips, he faints a slash from the left but steps in close turning the strike into a stab toward Amethyst’s chest.
He’s too close to Amethyst for her to defend herself in time, so she attacks back, bringing her dagger hands down.
They clash, both of their hits connecting.
“That’s simply not fair…” The man staggers away from the force of Amethyst’s sheathed blades pummeling his shoulders, only managing to chip her chest armor with his lunge.
“F-Frank, what should I do- I- The sheaths!”
She looks back at Frank, but he’s not where she saw him last.
Further behind her, he’s on the ground, mouth tied with thin white string, caught in a net made of the same substance, completely restrained.
On the other side of the alley are two more strangers.
An old graying man dressed in white, with two snake heads hovering over her shoulders, the bigger one has the white string still running to Frank's net.
“Atro... keep her occupied...”
“Incompetent fool...” The snakes speak in turn.
Reeling back the net, while walking toward Frank, is a muscular woman in sporty shorts and a tank top, with two gems embedded in her face; on her cheeks.
“Frank!”
Amethyst hears a faint click of a trigger, and turns back, just in time to take the laser on the sheath, absorbing it, and blackening its surface.
“Come on, Amethyst. Let’s continue our dance.” Atro holsters the laser pistol, and brandishes his blade with both hands again, charging at Amethyst.
“I only dance with Frank.”
The gems all around her body begin to glow: the dormant conflagration runs in her veins, pushing through into all of her blades.
A muffled whoomp sounds as her blades ignite inside of the sheaths. She takes the sword hit with her heating-up protectors, embers flying from the seams.
“You won’t have him!”
Amethyst shouts, and runs his elbow blade’s sheath across Atro’s blade, snapping a few of the belts holding it in place.
Then, all at once, the fastening leather belts all ignite on her sheaths, and they drop off. A purple fire rages inside the fabric, as they fall to the ground, drooping and partly melting.
Amethyst advances and swings, a blade engulfed in purple flame cleaves Atro’s sword clean in two. She tries to get a hit in, but even with his sword gone, he’s evasive as ever in his retreat.
With him pushed back, Amethyst turns around to Frank. The muscular woman has already collected him, having heaved the net and Frank over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
They are at the very end of the alley, before a hover van with an open side door.
“Now that we’ve warmed up… let’s get serious.”
Amethyst turns to the direction of the immediate danger, to see the massive sheathed sword drop to the ground with a thunk, jutting out of the asphalted ground.
Atro throws off the broken sword hilt and his black jacket, revealing his topless and chiseled chest completely.
A hairy arm behind him picks up the massive sword, unsheathing it.
“N-no way... M-mother?!”
The second sword is a purple crystalline blade, with just a hilt outfitted to its staggering size, with instinct, she recognizes it to undoubtedly be a part of her Mother’s elbow blade.
The swordsman crosses his arms and turns his back to Amethyst, showing off the massive gorilla arm wielding the greatsword.
Grotesquely, the large arm is sprouting from his back, numerous scars and red spots on his bare skin tell of the operation’s recency.
Immediately after, the man’s head turns an unnatural 180 degrees, looking now at Amethyst with his back turned.
He lowers his stance and shuffles in a backward walk that looks incredulous and somehow equally terrifying.
In a downward motion, he brings down the blade at her.
Amethyst’s flaming blades receive the heavy blade with both dagger hands.
“A parent’s blade, slaying their child, how poetic. But do not fret, should you fall to this blade, we can call it your Mother’s will.”
“Hnnh!” Amethyst strains underneath the force, and glances back towards Frank.
The snake person just closes the van’s side door, and she only gets a glimpse of his restrained body. The woman stands next to him and looks back at Amethyst, her expression unreadable.
“Do not look away!” Atro rotates the sword, and breaks Amethyst's block, forcing her blades apart and her to step back out of the way.
With her attention forcibly brought back, she takes advantage of the gigantic sword's slower recovery speed and launches a counterattack: swinging with her dagger hand, followed by the other hand’s elbow blade.
Atro avoids narrowly getting hit, as her dagger almost singes the hair on his chest, and the elbow blade’s wide arc catches the rim of his hat, cutting through it.
“Frank! Do you hear me?! I... I will come for you, I will find you!”
The monstrous swordsman's normal hand takes off his burning hat and pats the small flicker of flame away before perching it back on his head.
Meanwhile multitasking with his nimble legs, focusing on defense, outmaneuvering the untrained blows of the Tyrchid, and blocking those he cannot dodge, though unable to return any attacks himself.
She hears the van’s passenger and driver doors close.
No!
I- I can’t let them get away!
Amethyst tries to retreat toward the van, stopping her attack, but she has to walk backward, turning her back on this man would be too dangerous.
Atro follows her a few steps behind, and with this refuge from combat, unholsters his laser pistol with his normal hand, propping it upside down against his shoulder, starting to fire.
Amethyst’s retreat is slowed down considerably, unable to do anything other than hold her ground. Atro catches up to her keeping up the laser fire while swinging the crystal armament with decisive blows.
Amethyst feels overwhelmed, parrying and blocking the powerful strikes of his massive arm’s sword, and deflecting the projectiles with her other hand.
Somehow being able to keep up with Atro’s expert movements and spray and pray tactics.
A laser passes next to her head, which she was unable to block, another grazes her shoulder armor and breaks into red sparks blackening the spot but unable to penetrate.
Amethyst hears the hover van rev and drive away.
“No! You can’t do this!”
This can’t be happening!
“Who’s going to stop me?”
“Why!?”
Her flames spray around and fly from the clash of their blades, but they are not reaching Atro. She can feel her strength waning.
She extinguishes his fiery blades, as they don’t have any effect on her mother’s blade, nor can she catch him in them.
“Giving up? I’m just getting started.”
The sound of the hover van getting further and further away fills her with dread.
She takes the brunt of the next strike with her left elbow blade, and then stabs forward with his right hand, Atro quickly jumps backward to avoid getting hit.
“Never.”
Amethyst uses the momentum to keep on swinging, and at the same time, Atro’s laser pistol seems to finally run out of battery, as he withdraws it from his shoulder.
“Sorry, I meant, I’m just getting started on getting out of here.”
He jumps backward, and turns around, putting his head back in its usual place. Atro walks backward normally, with the now reloaded pistol, laying down rapid, accurate, fire for his retreat.
The bolts are far too numerous and aimed at different areas of her body, making Amethyst unable to chase after him, able to only slowly creep toward him in the laser shower.
He holsters the pistol, pops on the helmet, and jumps on the hovercycle with finesse, speeding away.
For a step, Amethyst chases after him but decides to turn the other way.
Running through the alley, she spreads her wings, but it's too narrow for them to fully open.
She bumps her bony wings to the walls, the film falling off, unable to form the needed area for flight.
She reaches the end of the alley, but at the streets, there’s no sign of the van, only a few fearful and shocked civilians leaving the scene.
Unable to do anything but wait a moment for the substance to spread and harden, before being able to take into the skies.
She flies directly up, scanning the streets with her enhanced vision, but cannot spot either: the hovercycle or the van.
She flies even higher, to be able to see over more buildings, but it is of no use. The streets are simply too numerous, with too many vehicles going way too fast.
The buildings obstruct much, as does the vegetation, tall trees covering her view to many locations.
Amethyst’s lips press together and stifling heat spreads on her face.
No… No!
How… why?
Frank…
Who were they? Why did they take you!?
Pain throbs in her head, in her mind.
What do I do now?
No, calm down…
“Hello?”
I can do this. I just have to find them, rescue Frank.
But how?
“Excuse me?”
They must be from Intergalactic-
“Miss! Miss!” A quiet voice borne from somewhere carries in the wind.
Amethyst looks down, there’s somebody, a kid, waving at her from below.
She lands back down, before the Sinel kid, who wears tattered formal clothes too big for him.
“Miss. This is for you.” He holds a folded piece of paper for her.
“What is it?”
“A message.”
“Can you… read it for me?”
“Okay... I wasn’t paid to do this, but if Miss requests it...”
The boy clears his throat.
“If you want to see Frank alive, do not go to the Galactic Police, do not tell ISSA, and do not attend the ISSA court tomorrow.
The day after that, go to the ISSA’s offices, and withdraw your Sapient Species application.
We will contact you after that, for where you can collect Frank, unscathed, from.
Thrilling regards,
your Mysterious Duelist ;).”
“Why do you have this? Who are you?”
Amethyst brings her blades forward.
The kid lifts his arms to the sky.
“I was paid in advance, to deliver this message after they left. It was the man dressed in black, with a big hat, Miss.
He even drove me around on his hovercycle and dropped me off before all the fighting.”
Amethyst retreats her blades. “I see… sorry if I scared you.”
“It’s okay, Miss. I wasn’t scared. It’s not my first time being involved in something like this.”
“Huh? Are you with them after all?”
“No, it’s just... I live on these streets, I don’t have a home, so, you’d be surprised by the demand that third-party untraceable messengers have.”
“How is that possible? How do you not have a home? There’s houses all around and even the forest nearby.”
“But you need money to stay in houses, and almost all of them are already in use by others, though, I do sometimes live in the forest, yes, even if it's not allowed.”
“All alone?”
“Yeah.”
“I see... That’s terrible.”
“I guess? Before my parents died, they always said that it was our fault, and we deserved it.
I don’t really know what to think, but I’m doing a lot better than some other people. You know, I like being alone, anyway.”
“I see your point. But everyone needs a home.”
“Don’t worry about me. It was nice talking with you, Miss. I should go. It’s bad if we are seen together.”
“Oh... I wouldn't mind.”
“It’s okay. I’ve seen you in the G-TV and ads, I’m sure you’re an important person. I hope you can save your friend.”
Steps approach them.
“Good evening, citizen.” A senior Galactic Police officer greets Amethyst.
“There have been numerous reports of noise and disturbance in the area. Do you know anything, seen or heard something perhaps?”
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
The kid doesn’t react to the Police's presence.
Amethyst wishes she could just ignore and not answer the question too, but she has to make a decision—be the one to take action.
“No, I haven’t heard anything.”
The Policeman looks her over.
“Are you alright? You… seem to be damaged, or hurt?” He gestures at the chipped armor on her chest.
“Oh, no, I’m alright, more importantly, this kid isn’t, he doesn’t even have a home.”
“A-ah, I see… Is that true-?” The officer asks but then looks at the kid, and falls silent, looking away instantly.
“No, Metropolis is my home, and I can take shelter at the Sinel residences if I need to.”
The officer coughs with a frown cemented on his face and a sudden flash of anger visits his features.
He looks back to Amethyst with a calmer expression, seemingly ignoring the kid like he’s just air.
“All seems to be in order then. Have a good night, citizen.”
“But how can this be alright? This child is without a home? This must be some sort of crime, right?” Amethyst asks.
“Well, no. Uh, these things happen.”
“In the fine city of Metropolis? The shelter of Sapient life?”
The police officer looks bothered but still does not even look at the blue child.
“Miss... it’s fine, I should go.” The kid runs away.
“N-no, but-!” Amethyst shifts her weight to catch him but changes her mind. He would be fine… probably.
And besides, how could she even stop him without hurting him?
Their size difference is huge, and while she could hug Frank without hurting him, that was an act done, while stationary.
The officer sighs a relief and goes on his way as well.
Only after he has left, Amethyst realizes that she’s not wearing her protective sheaths. Thankfully, the officer seemed to be oblivious to her need to wear them.
What do I do?
I can’t be going around without them... But I don’t know where Bafrouk’s workshop is either, much less the Police station… and they told me to not go the Police anyway.
I don’t know if they somehow know if I do, I can’t risk that.
I... I...
There is no time for that, the sheaths don’t matter.
I need to find Frank.
If I am punished for that after the fact, then so be it.
They can take my blades, cut them off, make more knives or swords out of them like Intergalactic has from my Mother’s for all I care.
I won’t need them anyway after I’ve saved Frank.
***
Some time later.
The strong smell of space-potatoes, their dirty and earthy smell, makes Frank’s nose twitch and irritates his eyes.
A sack covers his face, unable to see much at all, only glimpses of light and colors through the frayed rough fabric.
The van’s door is opened, and he’s grabbed again and lifted on the shoulder of somebody, ragdolling him, legs over the shoulder.
The strange sticky string restraining his limbs, and gagging his mouth is firm and unyielding,
It tastes bitter and salty, his lips feel like they are going numb, perhaps from its tightness or something else in the string.
A creaky door is opened, and they step inside some building.
The lights are rather bright, and chattering fills the air, the clinking of glasses, movement of chairs, and steps sound all around.
Where are we?
Is this some sort of bar or restaurant?
...
Don’t they care that I’m kidnapped here?
I’m literally hung over a shoulder!
The bright lights are left behind, and next are wooden stairs that seem winding and endless with their turns.
Finally, another door later, he’s put down on a chair and the sack is taken off his head.
He is in a room, akin to a medium-sized hotel room, with minimal furnishing, an old dark wood floor, and otherwise looking rather run down to boot.
There’s a large window at the back of the room, veiled with a thick light-blocking curtain.
“What a sad little thing.” The bodybuilder woman holding the sack says.
“I could have just run you down and grabbed you myself. What an overkill it was for all three of us to be there.”
“Should have sssaid so.”
“You can crush him to death next time and fail the misssion for all we care.”
“Oh shut up you noodles, it wasn’t personal.”
“Whatever you sssay.”
“Brute.”
“I agree, I want to see you do that, Beam. That’ll be our plan next time.”
She shakes her head.
Atro, the topless man with the gorilla arm holding onto his side approaches Frank.
He grabs the strings muffling his mouth and pulls them underneath Frank’s chin.
“Shall we find out what happened, before we sidetrack too much?”
“What happened? I’d like to know what-”
“Shh…” Atro presses his finger over Frank’s mouth.
“Don’t talk unless asked, and as you’ve probably deduced, shouting for help here won’t do you any good either.”
Frank holds his tongue for now.
“It’s a bit pointless, isn’t it? We got the wrong guy, no way this is him.” Beam says.
“I mean, he’s the right guy, but still the wrong one. You know what I mean.”
“A pitiful if not ssspirited man.”
“Carelesss and weak.”
“What are you talking about?” Frank muffles against Atro’s finger, who then flicks him over the nose with it.
“Well, how could it be anyone else? We heard it was the man who is with Amethyst.”
Atro paces around and then turns to him again.
“Tell me, did you kill Sola?”
“Who?”
“Right, you probably know her as... Luna. Anyway, same question.”
Beam reacts to Frank’s changing expression.
“No way. You- you did it?”
She slams a debilitated table in the room, dust billows up from its cracked surface.
“You’re shitting me. Tell me you’re not serious.” She stomps to him, winding up a punch, but instead taps him on his forehead with the iron knuckle, but it still hurts.
“Huh? Answer me.”
“I killed Luna. It’s true.”
The snake heads erupt in what can only be described as laughter, they sizzle and wheeze.
“Well, I’ll be.” Atro takes his hat off and looks inside like something profound is located there.
The scary face of the gem-embedded Beam wilts, sadness and despair overwhelm her expression.
A heavy hand like bricks falls on Frank’s shoulder, it grips like an iron clamp.
“You took her away… she was my friend. Now I’m all alone again...” She whispers with hatred-laced words.
Frank’s face contorts; if she doesn’t let go, his shoulder’s not going to survive the next burst of anger intact.
Beam sighs.
“Left alone with these two knuckleheads...”
“Two… heads…?”
“If you meant the rest of us… you should have sssaid three headsss… Dimwitted damsel…”
“Knuckleheads? Better check your own hands for the only extra knuckles around.”
Atro continues:
“And how was she your friend, she insulted us all constantly?”
Her grip loosens, just in time to only leave Frank with a nasty bruise, hopefully at least.
“Bah, you wouldn't get it.” Her head is downcast. “That was comradery in its purest form, shooting the shit, bantering back and forth.”
Beam continues:
“Everything that’s ever said to you, you take as a personal insult, your skin is so thin you might as well not have one at all.”
“Hah, that a line you picked up from her?”
Atro puts the hat back on his head and hides his eyes.
“Don’t get me wrong, her departure was unfortunate, she was my rival after all.”
“No. She was my rival.” Beam steps toward Atro, and they continue to argue in circles, going head to head, in the middle of the room.
Karme and Kaarme sit back, slumping their host body onto a flimsy chair, the other snake head grabs a jug of liquid to its fangs and pours it into a glass the body’s hand is holding.
“Entertain usss, we can only see...“
“...sssuch boredom in our future.”
The other head bites open a bag of snacks, 'Crispy CreamGelatin', and takes a few of the cube-shaped treats to its hand, the mouth of their host opens slowly, like a rusty door, and the 'food' is smacked inside.
It coughs some out before the liquid is practically thrown in the mouth, some of it gurgles up, but most goes down.
Atro and Beam stop to size each other up.
“I… uhh, didn’t mean to kill her, if that makes it any better?”
Both of them glare at Frank. “No, that makes it even worse,” Atro says.
“That just means, she was weak. That she didn’t get taken out by a worthy opponent.”
“Like you’d know anything about those, you ran from Amethyst, didn’t you?”
“I- I did not! I had her on the ropes, but we accomplished what we set out to do, so I… retreated.”
“Hah! Ran away!”
“I did not! She- she was a worthy opponent, her natural usage of her blades was most fine and dexterous. Such finesse in the movements of her strange body.”
Beam laughs.
“What! How- how dare you!?”
“Strange… strange body? You of all people say that?”
Beam doubles over laughing and her positive expression causes lasers to shoot out from the crystals on her face onto the wooden floor.
The laser fire singes the floorboards.
“T-the person with a hairy ape’s arm on their back!?” She laughs even harder, small flames and splinters start to fly.
Atro draws the crystal sword with his hairy arm. The moment Beam hears this, her face returns to a fierce, if not mad expression, and she receives the amethyst sword with her iron knuckles, hitting it from both sides to stop it, instead of taking the sharp blade end first.
The two of them engage in melee combat, inside of the room. Laughing, taunting, and screaming, letting out pent-up frustrations with each other that must have been building up for who knows how long.
A chair is placed next to Frank. Karme and Kaarme sit down, and the other head holds out the bag of snacks to Frank.
“No thanks.”
The bag of snacks retreats.
“As for usss… we don’t care either way...”
“But… it’s better Sola is gone, it’s better, if it’s the three of usss.”
“Why is that?” Frank asks carefully and averts his face from the puff of dust and splinters as Atro’s sword cleaves an old table in half.
“We’ve been interested to sssee...”
“...Which one is truly ssstronger…”
“Once either one killsss the other...”
“we may get assigned to a new squad, or get more interesssting people to join.”
“You want them to kill each other?”
Frank first looks at the man’s face, but it looks more dead than alive, and he focuses on the snakes apparently controlling the man’s body.
The two snake heads look back, as if confused.
“It is the way of the world, the weak are killed, and the strong survive.”
“We care not of these people, of thisss world-”
“-of this universe, it is all irrelevant, ssso very dull.”
“We are all who remain, we are chosen by Intergalactic.”
“All our other kin were slain and we barely sssurvived as well-”
The snakes speak at the same time: “-but we proved our cunning and tenacity when we took over the one who severed our heads... Proved our worth.”
Frank ruminates on the snake’s conviction, on their history, and shakes his head.
“What a sad existence… Is that all you are? Do you merely just exist for the worldly pleasures, of being used by your enslaver?”
“It is our fate, as the losersss.”
“Tell us, what else ssshould we do then?”
“You could do... anything. You’re the only ones remaining, shouldn’t you make the most of your lives, instead of wasting it in this trite way?”
Frank nods at the two exhausted combatants and the room that has been properly smashed up now.
“Would your brethren have wanted you to yield to your genociders? To spend your life with dimwits like those two?”
Both of the snake heads sway and their beady black eyes shimmer.
The immensely red, sharp-as-a-line, irises look inquisitive, directly staring at Frank, a wordless stare that seems to carry any and every meaning at the same time.
Then, they turn to look at the fighters.
“Disssappointing,”
“both ssstill live...”
***
With the Police Officer and the kid having both left, Amethyst shatters her wings on the street to fit back into the alleyway, a few passersby watch her disgruntled.
I didn’t realize I left behind such a mess…
She shakes her head, returning her attention to the matter at hand.
Sorry, Frank, you told me that smelling you was rude, but... I’m sure you’d understand.
Amethyst smells the air around the alley, trying to find something to follow, to get on their trail.
She finds the scent of Frank’s raspberry shampoo easily enough, but unfortunately, that trail ends at the location where he was abducted into the van.
The street is full of smells of electricity, of magnetism, they blend and are all too similar for Amethyst to pinpoint either the hovercycle or the van’s trace.
She then smells the paper, it’s hard to make out the scents, as the kid seemed to have held it tightly in his sweaty palm for a while.
Looking through the alley, she finds the sword broken in two, and the jacket his swordsman-nemesis discarded.
Smelling the coat with her antennae, she gets a strong trail.
She packs up the broken down sword inside of the jacket, and folds it in two, covering the blades, then lifts it up with two dagger hands onto her arms.
I might need these… if for nothing else, than to remind me of the scent.
She sets out to follow the trail left by the man’s strong after-combat sweat.
Since the hovercycle is a ground-bound vehicle, at least, she hadn’t seen one actually fly in her time in Metropolis yet, she opts to walk to better follow the trail.
The nightly streets of Integrity are rather sparsely populated, but as she nears Innocence's crossing, the forested river area, more and more people are around, heading in the same direction as she.
Over the driveway bridge with a walkway, much wider and with worse scenery than the pedestrian bridge she and Frank crossed before, she arrives at Passion. The heart of Metropolis’ nightlife: filled with entertainment facilities and everything else one might look for to have a good time.
Here the floating night lamps provide atmospheric lighting, instead of bright light, some storefronts have gotten their own, which pulse or rotate with patterns, creating these beautiful and energetic light shows on the streets.
The trail is getting hard to follow, and Amethyst stops some passing citizens, some outright refuse to talk to her, and one even breaks down crying as they see her.
None can confirm a hovercycle fitting the description going through the area recently, however, some remember seeing a topless man with a great big sword instead speed down the streets.
She follows the faint trail with their directions through areas of strobing blue lights, with holographic birds and butterflies flying in the air, into the green district with around-the-clock open Arcades, bowling halls, laser tag, and other recreational centers.
Then, she ends up in an area with pink as its main color, there seem to be fewer customers in this area, but it is offset by the great amount of Sapients and mostly female staff who lure customers inside buildings with blurred windows and grand entrances.
For a while, she follows the main street, until the trail takes her through an alleyway.
At the end of it, she finds just what she was looking for. A silver bike with yellow and lime-green highlights painted on its shiny surface.
There's no sign of the driver and she leaves the ally, into a side street, but loses the trail completely near the driveway.
Floating in the area is also a very faint smell of Frank but without a direction.
The swordsman must have boarded the Van here...
Amethyst looks around for clues but sees nothing of note, this side street is much more deserted than the main road, with the places here looking more rundown and shadier.
“You there! Hello?”
Somebody hails her across the street, standing alone before an establishment called: ‘The Queen’s Jewels.’
A gold-tinted entrance resembling that of a palace, with two columns that, however, appear rather chipped and in dire need of a repaint.
“Me?”
“Yes you, come over here.”
Amethyst crosses the carless street and arrives next to her.
“Nice to meet you, Honey,” a tall gorgeous Garanea addresses Amethyst, scantily clad in a medium-long white dress.
Her skin is shining dark, like irradiating irresistible blackness. All along her arms, deep purple runes slowly pulse glittering light.
The dress hugs all her curves and opens up to reveal her navel, where an especially large glyph surrounds her belly button.
“Are you looking for a good time?” She says in a husky voice.
“Actually, yes I am. I’m having a rather bad time right now.”
“Oh, um… right?” She runs a hand over her exposed thigh, long lustrous nails dancing on her skin.
“Tell me exactly... what you had in mind, I’m all ears.”
“My... um... husband has been kidnapped… Can you help me? You know, since you were offering and all- Oh, but don’t tell the ISSA or Galactic Police about it.”
“Really…?” Her sharp but short ears twitch, and the many golden rings penetrating them shingle.
“Honey, I don’t really know if I...”
Amethyst’s demeanor reacts to her negative response, her antennae slumping, as well as her posture.
“Oh, fine, what do you want to know? I’ll see if I can help.”
“T-thank you! Have you seen the owner of that hovercycle? Where did they go?”
“Hmm…” She throws her long hair back, which flows in lush waves down her shoulders, her strands somehow darker than the night around.
“Sorry hun, I said I’d help, but I ain’t no snitch, at least for free.”
“B-but... I don’t have anything...?”
“Well, you look quite the exotic little thing, I’m sure you could quickly make some-”
“Oh, actually, I have this jacket and a broken sword? I don’t need them anymore since I remember his scent, do you want them?”
Amethyst shakes open the jacket and reveals the broken sword.
“I… Ugh… I guess I can take them...” She takes the pieces of the sword with pinched and cautious hands, holding them between two fingers like they were infected with some disease.
She throws them both to the side, they clatter loudly as they land near the trashcans next to the Queen’s Jewels, shaped like cut diamonds.
“I’d much rather just have this jacket.”
“Oh, okay. That’s fine.”
She tries the jacket on, and it fits well enough, a little too big around the shoulders and drooping at the back.
Muttering something under her breath, she sighs and then looks at the alleyway.
“The fetching swordsman got off the bike and then boarded the hover van that was waiting for him.
It was light gray in color, and they went that way”, she points down the street. “Two streets down and then left.”
“Right, thanks,” Amethyst says and smiles, then an idea hits her.
“Actually, the man who used that bike is a criminal, so it’s okay to take the vehicle. It’s yours to keep until somebody looks for it.”
“W-what are you on about? I don’t think-?”
“Oh, but remember, if the owner comes to ask for it, then just give it back to them.
They can’t blame you, because that’s how loaning works, so don’t worry about it.”
Amethyst beams with pride splashed all over her face.
The Garanean beauty stares at her before shifting her gaze to the brand-new, absolutely gorgeous hoverbike in the alley on the other side of the street.
“Fuck it, why not.”
“Don’t worry, it’s fine. I’ve done something like this before.” Amethyst nods reassuringly.
“Thank you, now this was a good exchange. What’s your name?”
“Oh, I’m Amethyst. Nice to meet you...?”
“What a coincidence, I’m Opal, a precious gem as well. Or well, that’s my, ahem, stage name, if you get what I mean.”
She winks with a hand on her chest.
“Oh, you’re a performer? Then I wish you luck in your next performance.” Amethyst smiles sincerely, a pure smile that makes Opal wince.
“You could say that. A very personal performer. Say, if you're around the area alone or with your husband, I promise to give you a discount if you pop inside Queen's Jewels next time.”
“I'll keep that in mind, thanks! I'll have to rescue Frank first, though.”
“I'll pray to Araltera that destined hearts may be united once more, and look forward to your future patronage.”
Amethyst says goodbye and continues galloping down the street.
She thinks about flying now that she isn’t following a scent, but she feels, she might miss things from up above.
And she certainly wouldn't have talked to Opal if she’d been flying.
In a moment, the roar of a motorcycle sounds and speeds next to Amethyst.
“It had keys in!” Opal shouts at her and revs the hovercycle.
“Wohohohoo!” She shouts wildly, shooting down the road, her long hair fluttering in the wind.
It looks like her dress and jacket barely cling on, as she lives it up on the bike.
Two streets down, she drives donuts on the road, sadly not leaving any marks due to the hover nature of the vehicle, but indicating for Amethyst where the car turned to, and then speeds away in the opposite direction.
The quiet of the night returns, in the rather deserted streets.
Amethyst continues to have similar encounters, where she trades various things for sightings of the van’s direction to these people standing around in the night.
In return, some ask her for autographs, others just request to touch the side of her blade or her armor, and one even practices braiding her hair.
The constant conversations are a little exhausting, this is definitely the most she’d ever talked in her life, but it also kindles the hope in her heart.
Despite all the bad things that had befallen her and Frank, these strangers treated her with kindness, and helped her, even if most of the time it was through a fair transaction.
She feels there’s something beautiful in that.
I really hope I’m getting close now...
She avoided thinking about what would happen if she failed to find Frank in time, what if she became totally lost in the city.
What if, Frank had already been taken off-world, flown to some other planet?
How would she ever find him again?
She imagines that she'd go after him with a spaceship, travel to some new planet and they'd have a repeat of their chance meeting, this time with their roles reversed.
However, she’d let him out of the cage immediately without hesitation.
Thinking such a silly scene lifts her spirit for a moment before reality comes rolling back in.
Will a scenario like that be the next time we meet?
…
Suddenly, a faint scent of Frank and the swordsman re-emerges. She circles the building, to find a metal garage door that's pulled down, from somewhere between its dented edges, she smells them.
It's too faint for them to be directly behind the door, and making a scene at least before she's more sure where Frank is isn't something she wishes to do.
She finds the main entrance, it's a restaurant bar motel, called: 'B.B.B.B. Bed, Bar, Breakfast...' The last B-word of the sign has its lights burned out so she's not sure of what it is.
Amethyst enters; inside there are plenty of tables around with customers talking, eating, and drinking.
On one side of the wall is a stage with some metal poles, where humans and Sapients perform acrobatic tricks, attracting a crowd.
The further she goes, the stronger the smell gets. She spots a backdoor that likely leads to the garage, and stairs that lead upstairs, that go right past the bar.
However, the entrance is blocked off with a large red-ribbonlike rope extending across the door.
Amethyst walks up to the barkeep. It’s a Flibma, who looks way too tall for its kind until she notices it has assimilated slender robotic legs as a part of its slimy, color-changing, body.
Its voice is robotic, but surprisingly expressive, although the voice converter seems to be damaged as it speaks strangely.
“Yo, ain’t seen ya ‘round, what can I getcha?”
Amethyst quickly glances through the drink and food menus plastered above the counter.
“You wouldn’t have ‘information’ on your menu?”
“It’s a definite mayhaps, whatcha’ on the market fo’?
“Have you seen a... person, he’s got cute long blond hair, some would say too long maybe. He wears a lot of green too, an unhealthy amount.
He’s got enchanting eyes that look orange in some light and brown in others. Additionally, his voice-”
“Nope, nevah seen such a bloke in my whole jiggling-life.”
“Are you sure? I’m sure he’s been here recently. Maybe you missed him?”
“Lass, too many questions is askin’ fo' trouble. Yo’ better scoot unless ya buying.”
“Buying with…?”
“Money! Them moolahs, the cold hard cashomaroonies!”
“Oh, but... I don’t have any money... Mind if I check upstairs before I go?”
“Yo’ deaf or somethang? Unless you renting, with m-o-n-e-y, yo’ ain’t goin’ up.”
Amethyst just smirks sheepishly. “Pretty please?”
The barkeep presses a button behind the counter.
“Johnny boy, vacate this lass from these premises, won’tcha?”
A Redlar, a muscular cat Sapient as tall as Amethyst, arrives next to her. His fur shines and has a pattern of white vertical stripes on the red mane.
“It’s Johnaby. This the troublemaker?”
“Right, right, Johnny, if you see ‘er come back, send ‘er packin’.”
“But I- This is important!”
I have to get upstairs but...!
“Now, don’t do anything stupid.”
Johnaby’s long whiskers twitch, his clawed paws are huge, their insides covered in thick leather-like skin. His arms and biceps are enormous, at least three times as thick as his neck.
“I’ll fold you twice over and snap off your blades before you get another step that's not towards the door. Your move.”
Amethyst doubts if he could actually do that, but given she’s not familiar with his type of Sapient, she doesn’t feel exactly confident in defying him.
She gives in and starts moving to the door with him.
Why can’t he just let me upstairs?
I- I have to save Frank!
But... I don’t want to fight anyone either.
Especially, if they’re not the ones who took him.
“And stay out if you know what’s good for you!”
The door is closed, leaving Amethyst out on the street.
Should I have told the Flibma he’s been kidnapped?
Plead to him with proof?
...
I don’t think that would have helped.
She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and concentrates, her senses heighten.
You’re here... I know it, but...
What do I do?
...
Wait...
Frank, is that you?
https://www.artstation.com/victoria_mick1