Characters: Aisha, Roxanne, Countess Olivia, Kadaj, Mundo, Isaac, Quentin, Grandpa, Narsis
Location: Royal Box Section
Time: Day 4 - 3:21 PM
Aisha leaned over Roxanne’s body, now lying on a couch in the back corner of the royal box section, and touched her palms to the Black Knight’s chest. “I’m sorry, this is the best I can do without my scepter. You will feel better soon, though. The Light will heal you over time.”
Struggling to keep her eyes open—if only as slits—Roxanne smirked and a trickle of blood ran down her white lips. “Haa… I’ve seen the other side and there is no Light… There is only…Darkness… Forever…dark… Forever nothing…”
“You’re delusional. You need to rest.”
Roxanne laughed and then sputtered out mouthfuls of blood. Her breaths were heavy and her skin was a sheet of ice. “Never a prayer when you need one… Where are your gods? Who is going to come for me? Where…where is your precious Light…now?”
“Don’t speak like that! You were hurt. But I will help you.”
“Help me…? Are you so blind…? I am not on your side. I am…on the other side… Forever. There is no going back.”
“No!” Aisha said, pushing harder on Roxanne’s chest. “There is a way. I will show you. I will take you there.” A warm white glow surrounded her fingers and began to radiate across Roxanne’s body. Her armor was gone, shattered to jagged slates on the floor, and her skin was cut through to the bone in most places. Blood covered her, the tattered remains of her clothing, Aisha’s robe, the floor, everything.
But Roxanne just continued to laugh, even if it came out as a hacking cough that only worsened. “I wish… You know what I wish? I wish I could kill you… I would love to fight you…and watch you die in my hands… I would love to watch the Light die in my hands… Fade to nothing… Like me.” She threw her head back and guffawed, gurgling through a mouthful of blood. “You stupid bitch. You can’t save me… You are nothing…without your Light… You stupid bitch… Nothing…”
“Forget her, Aisha,” Mundo said from the tableside. “We have to get out of here before Isabella returns.”
“I’m not leaving her! She’ll die.”
“Um… So?”
Aisha said nothing. The glow around her fingers intensified. She pressed harder, shaking her head to brush away the falling strands of hair.
Rearing his hind legs, Narsis leapt onto Isabella’s chair and lifted his head to the edge of the table until the leash jerked him back. “Don’t bother trying to convince her. You need to leave now! The fate of us all depends on you.”
“But what about you?” Mundo asked. “I hate you, but not enough to leave you alone with a psycho like Isabella. She’ll kill you.”
“She’ll kill us all if you don’t warn the outside world soon. NQIM is our only hope. You have to find that chat room and contact somebody we can trust. And you have to go before everybody returns!”
It was true. Queen Isabella, Fallon, and the Paladins were gathered in the arena. The only girl in the room, besides Aisha and Roxanne, was Olivia. And her mind was elsewhere. But Kadaj’s was not.
“What are you all planning?” he asked, prodding his rapier into Mundo’s gut and then turning it on Grandpa, Isaac, and Quentin. “You’re going to try to escape, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Mundo said, pushing away the rapier.
“Well, I’m not coming with you.”
“That’s okay, we don’t want you to.”
“I’m staying here with Miss Olivia.”
“That’s nice. Really, we don’t care.”
“You will,” Kadaj said, turning his head. “Miss Olivia, Miss Olivia! The captives are trying to escape!”
“Huh?” Olivia said, shaking out of her daze. She rolled her eyes and then put a hand to her temple, trying to steady herself. The sun was bright and she squinted to look at Kadaj and the other Men, but something was gone, distant, in her gaze, and she seemed miles away from anybody.
“Miss Olivia…?” Kadaj said. He lowered his rapier and stepped forward. “You’re looking more pale than usual. Are you okay?”
“Yes, of course,” she said, but her voice was surreal, like she was muttering in her sleep. Then she opened her eyes and woke up.
Kadaj didn’t know what to do, so he put a hand on Olivia’s little finger and pointed to the Men with his other hand. “Miss Olivia, the captives are attempting to escape. I would stop them myself, but…there are four of them. I must ask you, for the sake of your cousin, to help me stop them.”
“My cousin?”
“Yes, the Queen, Isabella.”
Olivia’s lips curled. “Yes, Bella… Sweet little Bella…”
“…Um, well, no… That’s not the Queen Isabella I’m talking about…”
“Bella would be angry if her prisoners got away.”
“Yes! She would.”
Olivia didn’t even think about her next move. With a sweep of her hand, she gestured for the Men to continue on their way out the door. “I have to put up with Bella. She’s my cousin. But there’s no reason you guys should have to suffer with me.”
“Miss Olivia!” Kadaj exclaimed.
“Ha!” Mundo chuckled, flicking Kadaj’s ear with his thumb and forefinger. “Looks like we know who wears the leash in this relationship.”
“Not funny…” Narsis muttered from the chair.
“Y-you can’t just let them walk away,” Kadaj protested. “They’re fugitives, Miss Olivia. They’re enemies of the state!”
“Oh, please,” Olivia said. “Everybody’s an enemy to Bella unless they drop to their knees and stick their head up her butt.”
“But Miss Olivia…”
“Shhh…” Olivia said softly, pressing a finger to her lips. She kissed it and then tapped it against Kadaj’s nose, knocking him back a step or two. Then she nodded to the Men and smiled. “Go now. Bella will be back soon and I want to be the one to tell you that you escaped.”
Mundo was stunned. “…If I had a hat, I would take it off and bow to you, my dear countess. You have granted us all a wonderful blessing.”
“The blessing will come in Bella’s face. I just love to see her angry.”
“Well…I don’t know how we can thank you.”
“You’re part of the Gallahorn Clan. You do good deeds for people without expecting anything in return. I like to think I can be like that too. I want to be like that.”
“…Women like you make this world almost worth staying in.”
“Hm?”
“Nothing…” Mundo shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
There was an awkward silence for a moment, but it was broken by Grandpa’s cane as he thumped it against the table. “I think we are all grateful for the countess’ kindness, but let it not go wasted. We must make our escape before the Evil One returns, or all will be lost.”
“Yeah!” Quentin cheered, raising his flute. “Let’s escape! I’ll sing an escape song. What kind of beat should it have?”
“How about the face kind?” Isaac said before landing a fist in Quentin’s nose. His face caved in. Throwing the Bard over his shoulder like a sack of worthless grain, Isaac grunted and turned to Olivia. “Babe, I’ll check you later. You rock, girl.”
But Kadaj was back on his feet and steamier than ever. “What is the meaning of this ‘check’? What are you planning to do to Miss Olivia when you escape? Will you return to…‘check’ her!?”
“Chill, man, that’s not what—”
“Again with the ‘chill’! This time from a Warrior. But I know you have no ice powers. I am no fool!”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
“You will all pay for this! I will see to it. There will be no more ‘checking’ or ‘chilling’ once Queen Isabella finds you. Then you will know only one word—pain.”
Mundo poked Kadaj in the chest. “By the time Isabella finds us, we’ll be out of this world and back in our own. And your world, my pajama-wearing friend, will be unplugged for good.”
Kadaj scowled, but he knew he couldn’t stop all four of them, so he stood back. Mundo, Grandpa, and Isaac, with Quentin’s body still thrown over his shoulder, hopped aboard Narsis’ fat head. He waited for them to grab onto one of his horns before he dropped to the floor and let them off.
“Remember,” he said as they stepped off his head, “everybody who is trapped here is counting on you. The NQIM is the only way to contact the outside world. If you fail, we’re never going home.”
“I know what the consequences are,” Mundo said. He started walking towards the door, but he stopped to look back at the impish creature that was once his friend. “…Thank you, Narsis. This may be all your fault, but at least you’re trying to correct your mistake. I’ll do whatever it takes to get you and everybody else back home safely.”
Giantess World
