Episode 16 Queen’s Port—The City by the Ocean

Kunai, Ryuu, Ivy, Ayame, and Sasha stand blinking their eyes as they struggle against the bright rays of an artificial sun hovering over their newest locale.

The group of five stands before an arched entryway, where on each side stands an armed guard dressed in uniform armor complemented with a machine gun.

“An artificial sun?” Ryuu questions, staring up into the clear blue sky filled with puffy white clouds. He blinks painfully, his eyes no longer used to the bright light up in the sky.

“That is correct,” one of the guard replies, “Queen’s Port is heavily occupied by gangs, and as the police force, we must maintain a peaceful environment for the law-abiding citizens. This artificial sun is a mechanism recently implemented to help discourage criminals from acting out.”

“Pretty creative, huh?” Sasha answers proudly, using her hand to shield her eyes against the sun.

“I’d say…” Ryuu mutters to himself, “Their technology around here is impressive…an artificial sun is light years ahead of our technological advances in Maple World.”

“Well, shall we enter then?” Sasha asks brightly, as her comrades remain standing around blinking rather stupidly.

“Uh…right!” Ayame and Ivy reply, bumping into each other rather dazedly. Sasha giggles at the sight of them.

Unawares of a mysterious figure watching them in the darkened entrance to a casino, the group presses onwards into the middle of town.

Meanwhile, this mysterious figure shifts restlessly, staring almost hungrily at this strange gathering of people. He leans lazily on a Kage, yawning sleepily.

“So tell us more about this Queen’s Port City,” Kunai says aloud to Sasha, as he turns his head awkwardly from side to side, gawking at the many casinos and darkened clubs.

“Queen’s Port is, as the name suggests, a port city. We are actually very close to the ocean right now, and if we head just a little bit further, we’ll see the shore,” Sasha replies.

“A long time ago the Charemis Monarchy, which has ruled all of Night World after the disappearance of our former master Grendel, built this town seeing it as a bright prospect of trade, but we haven’t had much luck and the Queen herself abandoned this town.

“As a result, Queen’s Port was bought off by some rich corporate owners and they transformed this town into their liking. However, these new owners were even bigger crooks and before everyone knew it, Queen’s Port became a haven for gangsters, smugglers, and other shameful occupations.”

“Then…why are we here?” Kunai mutters, blinking and glancing apprehensively around as if a burglar is going to sneak up on him.

“Because,” Sasha answers, “This is a great place of trade and exchange regardless of who the regulars are. We’re bound to hear something if we stick around long enough. Besides, it’s not like everyone here is a crook. There are some honest people around here, some of whom I actually know. The mayor, for example.”

“Must be quite a job handling this dump of a town,” Ryuu mutters bitterly, staring at an intimidating-looking bum on the street. “With all these crooks and criminals, I’m surprised he doesn’t just quit and run away to a better place.”

“The mayor is still determined to transform this town into the place the Queen had hoped it would become,” Sasha replies, “That’s why he still insists on staying here. I can’t say that his wife is all too happy about it, though.”

“Oh, so he’s married?” Ivy asks curiously.

“Yes, they have a little boy together. I believe he must be about six or seven by now,” Sasha replies. “I haven’t visited Queen’s Port in a few years at least, though.”

“Well where should we head first?” Ivy asks, looking about at her rather unpleasant surroundings. Several men huddled around a flame burning inside a trash can sit idly nearby dressed in raggedy clothing and surveying her with perverted glances.

“I think we should probably head to Mayor Stan’s house,” Sasha suggests.

“Is that the name of the mayor around here?” Ryuu asks indifferently.

“Yes,” Sasha answers, “I was thinking he may be able to help us, especially considering I’m good friends with him. It’s possible he might have information useful to us.”

Kunai blinks, scratching his chin thoughtfully. Ivy turns to him, perplexed at his sudden transition into a state of pensiveness. “Um…Kunai? Is something wrong?”

“Uh, no, nothing…” Kunai stutters. ‘Isn’t there a Chief Stan in Henesys…?’

“Ah!” Sasha says out loud, “Here we are!” She motions ahead to a respectable two-story house painted a light blue. It stands proudly on top of a slight incline, where the land plunges down immediately into a steep cliff overlooking the ocean.

Ivy and Kunai marvel at the blinding brightness of the ocean water, reflecting the brightness of the sun’s rays. Ryuu turns to Ayame and Sasha. “So, is this Mayor Stan’s house?”

“It is,” Sasha replies, “he should be at home, considering he doesn’t like to go out into the streets without his guards protecting him.”

“And what happened to his guards?” Ayame asks wonderingly.

A dark frown appears on Sasha’s face momentarily. She stares down at the ground for some seconds before answering her. “I read in the newspaper the other day that they were assassinated by a gang called the Reds.”

“Assassinated?!” Kunai cries in alarm.

“That’s horrible!” Ivy exclaims, her voice softened in shock. “Why would they go after the guards?”

“To leave the mayor wide open for attack,” Sasha answers. “Since he’s the prime leader in the opposition of gangs, the gangs are always looking to assassinate the mayor, but he’s a sneaky one, and he’s managed to avoid his own murder dozens of times. It’s why not many people want to be his guards; this is at least the fourth time he’s had to look for new bodyguards.

“However, the worst part is that these gangs just treat killing the mayor as a game. There are two rival gangs which rule most of Queen’s Port—the Reds and the Blues. They’ve been competing for years over who can kill the mayor.”

“That’s awful…” Ayame murmurs, a look of disgust appearing on her face. “To treat murder as a game…”

“Sasha?” a male voice suddenly interrupts.

Sasha jumps in surprise, and turns to her left, where a man dressed neatly in a pale gray vest and pants stands, holding plastic bags in each hand. A pair of square glasses hovers over the bridge of his nose.

“M-Mayor Stan!” Sasha stutters in her surprise. “We were just about to visit you!”

“Well I can see that’s pretty obvious by the looks of it,” Mayor Stan replies, lowering his plastic bags to the floor with a sigh. He readjusts his glasses, which had been sliding down his nose.

“What are those for?” Kunai asks, pointing to the plastic bags on either side of the mayor’s feet.

“These?” Mayor Stan asks, shrugging slightly, “I was just out grocery shopping, that’s all.”

“But I thought that you were still searching for guards again!” Sasha exclaims. “Since when do you leave the house without your guards?”

“Well, I gotta eat…” Mayor Stan shrugs gloomily.

“I see…” Sasha mutters, her face falling.

Stan shakes his head, smiling slightly. “Sasha, why don’t you and your friends come inside?” he asks, as he gently pushes open the door of his own home. “My wife’s gonna be making potato salad tonight with these provisions I’ve just got. You guys can have dinner with us if you’d like. Come on! We’ve got cookies!”

“C-Cookies?” Ryuu scowls, his eye twitching slightly.

Kunai, Ryuu, Ivy, and Ayame follow Sasha’s lead, taking seats at a long wooden table in the middle of a respectably well-lit rectangular dining room. A large glass window at the end of the wall, curtains drawn and allowing the sun’s rays to penetrate the room.

Mayor Stan takes a seat with a smile at the head of the table, while his wife enters with an apron, setting the table with dishes laden with delicious-looking food. She then hurriedly leaves the room, calling out the name of Alex, her son, for dinner.

Ryuu squints critically at the potato salad and at the plates of steamed cod, caught fresh from the ocean while Mayor Stan speaks.

“I see then. So to sum it all up, Sasha, you’ve teamed up with these four people here on a search for the Third Phoneme Lily, hidden somewhere in this world?” Mayor Stan asks.

“That’s pretty much our situation,” Sasha replies.

“You wouldn’t know anything would you, Mayor Stan?” Kunai asks eagerly, “You see, we’re in a pretty big rush to find her as soon as possible, but we haven’t been able to find anyone who—” Kunai suddenly spins, along with everyone else in the vicinity of the room, as a high-pitched shriek rings from within the house.

Mayor Stan jumps to his feet, crying out loud, “Anna! Anna! What’s the matter?!”

Anna faintly steps out into the dining room, as if in a daze. She wobbles as she walks, apparently stricken with some sort of affliction.

Mayor Stan catches her as she sways and swoons. “Anna! What in the world is the matter?”

Anna does not reply, but hands Stan a letter written in blood, which he grabs immediately with a slight glint of dread in his eyes.

Stan begins reading the letter, and his eyes begin to widen more and more as he progresses through it. Finally, he stops, and places the letter down on the table, his hands shaking violently.

Stan then seats his wife in his own chair, and leans huddled over the table, his entire body convulsing with chills. Sasha glances apprehensively at the couple. “M-Mayor Stan! Is something wrong?!”

Ryuu dashes to his feet, and grabs the letter, reading it. His eyes widen as well, as he finishes reading it. “Kidnapped?!”

Kunai bends over the letter, and reads it for himself:

“To Chief Stan:
We’ve kidnapped your son. If you ever want to see him alive again, bring your wife’s gold watch to the Gigolo Casino at 7 PM tomorrow. Come alone.

The Reds”

“A ransom?!” Kunai cries.

“There’s no choice…” Stan mutters, his composure completely shaken. He turns to his wife, a look of desperation in his eyes. “That gold watch is a family heirloom…but it seems we’ve got no choice, Anna…we’ll have to give it to them.”

“O-Of course…” Anna murmurs, “Just give it to them! I don’t care about it, so long as little Alex is safe…”

“Mayor Stan!” Kunai protests, “You can’t honestly think about complying with their letter, can you? They told you to come alone…it’s no question that it’s just a trap to lure you there and kill you!”

“It’s a risk I’ll have to take…” Mayor Stan replies solemnly, “I’d never forgive myself if they did something to Alex. As his father, it’s my responsibility to make sure he is kept safe.”

“Then if you must go, take us with you!” Kunai cries, “We’ll make sure that they give Alex back and don’t hurt you!”

“No,” Mayor Stan objects immediately, “Stay behind. Do not follow me. If they see you there with me, they’ll kill Alex for sure. You don’t understand these gangs—they’re reckless and nothing is too bold for them.”

“That’s why you’ve gotta take us with you!” Kunai persists, “Look, I’ve got Dark Sight, and so does Ayame. We can turn invisible and follow you there, they won’t know the difference! If they show the slightest sign of not fulfilling the deal, we’ll beat them on the spot!”

“A-Are you sure?” Mayor Stan stutters, “These people are dangerous. You might get hurt.”

“Tch!” Kunai smirks, “I’m sure I’ve fought with way tougher bad guys than these punks! We’ll be fine. It’s your life that we’re worried about.”

“Okay,” Mayor Stan replies, “I’ll bring you guys along. But,” Stan continues, turning to Ryuu, Sasha, and Ivy, “since you three can’t turn invisible, I cannot bring you along with me.”

“Heh,” Ryuu smirks, shouldering his sword, “I think you’re gonna have a little trouble ordering us to stay behind. Don’t worry; we’ll stay in the background in case a fight does break out, but there’s no way you’re ordering us, especially me, not to come along.”

“Fine, fine,” Mayor Stan replies, “you can all come along! But like I said, it’ll be dangerous…”

As the sun sets towards the end of the next day, the sky is painted hues of bright orange, red, and pink colors, gleaming under a net of yellow-orange clouds.

The tall towers of casinos, hotels, pubs, and strange, shady buildings all stand under the shadow of the setting sun, which grows elongated as the sun sets and becomes distorted.

Mayor Stan walks down a main boulevard of Queen’s Port, apparently alone. In his hand, a beautiful golden watch glints in the dusk light and the chain on it clinks softly in a golden tune.

Unknown to all but Mayor Stan, beside him walks two invisible sentinels: Kunai and Ayame. Both have their weapons drawn, bracing for an ambush.

Far behind them stalks Ryuu, Sasha, and Ivy, peering over the boulevard from the second floor of a closed governmental building.

Sasha glances over at Ryuu, who is muttering to himself and appears to be in some sort of abnormal trance. She waves her hand in front of his eyes and he blinks. “Ryuu…is something wrong?”

“Mayor Stan, Alex the son, a gold watch…that sounds familiar to me somehow,” Ryuu mutters, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “I can’t put my finger on it.”

Mayor Stan finally pauses to a halt in front of a shabby casino, its appearance of that of a derelict building. A sign hangs over the dilapidated entrance, titled, ‘Gigolo Casino.’

Out of the corner of this shady complex a group of five gangsters, all wearing Red Bandanas, appear, each of them armed with a Blood Avarice.

Their leader, a haggard-looking man with a long, deep scar running across his right eye steps forward, hands on his hips and a large frown upon his face. By his side stands his lieutenant, a girl of about Kunai’s age with bright red eyes and long silver hair, partially concealing her face. One could not help but notice her conspicuously ample chest.

This girl wears a Red Bandana like the rest of her comrades, but goes even further, accommodating her bandana with a pair of Red-Hearted Earrings, a Red Napoleon, a Red Moon Set, a pair of Red Cleave Gloves, and Red Ninja Sandals, along with her Blood Avarice.

“They…really like red, don’t they?” Kunai blinks in the shadows, murmuring to Ayame.

Meanwhile, Sasha, hidden in the second floor of the governmental building, gives a loud shock of surprise upon seeing the girl. “She’s…!”

Both Ryuu and Ivy glance at her in alarm. “Hm?” the two of them murmur.

Kunai stands stock-still, drooling as he stares, invisible, at the lieutenant before him. Ayame sighs and wipes his mouth clean for him with a handkerchief. “Men…”

“Lieutenant Claire,” the leader growls to his lieutenant in a gruff voice.

“Yes, Leader Reed?” Lieutenant Claire replies.

“Take the watch from him,” Leader Reed answers with a smirk, “and show him to his dear son.”

“I’m warning you…!” Stan cries agitatedly, “If you’ve done anything to my son, I…I won’t forgive you!”

“Keep cool, Mayor,” Kunai whispers in Stan’s ear.

“Yes, sir,” Claire replies, and saunters up to Stan, her hand outstretched in anticipation of the golden watch. Stan drops it in her hand with a look of pure repulse and follows her into the casino.

However, before Mayor Stan even crosses the threshold, two of Reed’s men seize his wrists, and bind them together with a handcuff-like device. Stan cries out loud, struggling against the hold of the device.

“We’ve got you now!” Reed shouts victoriously, while his men laugh raucously. “That’s a bomb we’ve strapped onto your hands! You may see your son all right, but the time limit is one hour, because after that…”

A smile plays around Reed’s lips as he pauses for dramatic effect. “BOOM!” His men burst out laughing heartily, giving each other high-fives as they ridicule Stan on the spot.

“Damn! Help!” Stan cries, causing the gangsters to tense momentarily in puzzlement.

Suddenly, Kunai and Ayame appear out of nowhere, weapons braced for attack. With a swift, unseen movement, Kunai nails one of the gangsters on the spot with a Steely between the eyes. The gangster falls to the floor unconscious instantly.

Meanwhile, Ayame dashes from gangster to gangster, shredding them with her Geta. They fruitlessly attempt to block her blows as she explodes past them, but she easily overpowers each of them.

Finally, the only two that remain are Leader Reed and Lieutenant Claire. The two of them stand side by side, staring at angrily at Stan, while Kunai and Ayame stand guard on either side of him.

“So,” Reed snarls angrily, “Sneaky as always, Mayor Stan? You always have to have your guards ready by your side, and it seems you’ve found a couple capable ones this time. But what did I say about coming alone, huh? HUH?!”

Mayor Stan tenses under the supreme anger of the gangster leader standing before him. Meanwhile, the automatic clock on his handcuff bomb ticks hurriedly, the seconds scattering away like a puddle of water held in a cupped hand.

All of a sudden, another of Reed’s men exits from within the interiors of the casino, alarm written on his face. “Leader! Leader! There’s big trouble!”

“What now?!” Reed cries, turning around in a rather intimidating way.

The subordinate freezes on the spot, the effect of his leader’s intimidation taking effect right away. “I…well! A-A Priest broke in just now, and took the hostage away from us! We were helpless, he was just too powerful…”

“WHAT?!” Reed yells, rounding on his subordinate. “THEY TOOK THE KID?!”

“Y-Yes sir!” the subordinate replies, cowering before his master.

Kunai and Ayame glance at each other, pausing in light of this new bit of information. “Someone escaped with the hostage?” Kunai mutters seriously to Ayame, his eyes narrowed.

“It couldn’t have been Ryuu and the others, could it?” Ayame mutters.

At that moment, several beams of bright white light fall like meteor showers from the sky, exploding upon the ground in frightful droves. Everyone in the vicinity of the attack jumps in surprise.

Reed and his lieutenant glance around apprehensively, searching for the hiding place of the attacker. However, as suddenly as the attack had begun, the barrage of Holy Arrows end.

The only trace of the attacker remains as an unseen Priest hidden beneath the folds of a cloak departs, carrying a Kage in his hands. A tear slides down his cheek as he turns to face a frightened boy tied to a chair.

Next Time: Episode 17 Crimson Sky

Arai: Hey everybody~! Mr. Arai is going to be doing the previews from now on! Next time—

Ryuu: You can’t do the previews, you idiot! You’re supposed to be dead!

Arai: Oh, oh! Next time is a flashback episode! Guess who it’s about!

Ryuu: [grumble]

Episode 17 Crimson Sky coming soon!