Everything…all of it…the entire operation is falling apart…
These are the lingering thoughts that fill Flenn's mind. Flenn, a bunny demi-human, stands frozen in place, mesmerized by the scene in front of her.
The yells of people fighting for their lives, the screams of the victims, the sounds of despair–all share one source.
All it takes is just one thing to create a chaotic ripple that affects the lives of several people.
That one thing, gigantic in size and even bigger in impact, was none other than–
"What are you doing, Flenn?! Don't just stand there while everyone else's lives are on the line! You're either on our side or that dragon's. Choose already!"
Flenn bites her lip and forces her trembling to temporarily cease. As brazen as her personality lends her to be, when faced with a life-threatening force that could end everything she lived for on a whim, she could night fight her nature to cower. Calling her cowardly wouldn't be fair–is it not natural for the body to fear losing its life?
"I-I'm still on our team! Why ask something so silly, Sylow?!"
"Then use your abilities and fight!"
Whoosh!
"?!"
A sudden leg thrust struck Flenn's backside, pushing her body towards the dragon. She looks behind her at the culprit–a hare demi-human running away for his life.
"Hey, what gives?! Get back here you–"
Thud!
"Ack?!"
A couple of bodies fly towards the woman, she only narrowly dodges. The bodies are those belonging to none other than her comrades, her fellow Dark Mercenaries. Flenn rushes over to their side, her trembling amplifies as if her body is warning her "Whatever you do, don't end up like this!".
"Edd! Miffy! I-I'm sorry we didn't do this sooner, but we need to retreat. I cannot carry more than my own weight, so you two will have to muster the remainder of your strength to–!"
The dingy white fur on Flenn's body rose up in conjunction with her bunny ears. Her body could feel an inexplicable sensation–the molecules in the air are generating heat with gradual intensity…
No, there is no fire or heat source to speak of. Rather, a blast of concentrated coldness that dipped so low into the negative temperatures that it intensely burns those in its wake. Flenn, one of the incoming recipients, bent her legs, squatting her butt to the murky ground, then sprang up high into the air.
SWHOOOOSH
In perfect timing, Flenn positioned herself high enough to avoid the brunt of the cold air. In such a tropical locale, weather this cold isn't just unheard of–it is unnatural.
Despite avoiding doing this action for as long as she could, Flenn turns her head towards the source of the anomaly.
The dragon, not making a sound, closes its gaping mouth, staring coldly into Flenn's eyes. Unable to stomach the intensity for a second longer, Flenn averts her eyes back to her comrades…or rather–
"No…nonononononono…Edd, Miffy…their bodies are completely…"
She swallows her breath, the air still lingering with frost.
"...unsalvageable."
With her still heart, she glanced at the dragon. The dragon is cold, calm, and calculating. Its body blocks the cave tunnel passage to the heart of the islet. As a final gambit, she takes a dagger from a corpse and throws it towards the eyes, the cold eyes that stare at her. Not waiting to see its effectiveness, she immediately turns around and hops away, faster than she ever has before.
"How could this happen? I-it wasn't supposed to go this way!"
__________________________________________________________________________
A few hours earlier, just past midnight…
"Hold it right there, bunny–the area beyond here is off limits! Stay in the main area along with everyone else, or I'll have to escort you myself."
The bouncer cracked his knuckles, the sound of the cracking rivaled that of the jazzy music being blasted throughout the building. The weight of his words are a mismatch to his slim stature. The bunny woman chuckles, unable to hide her inability to take him seriously.
"Oh don't be silly, Malu. You know exactly who I am."
"Don't make me repeat myself! You are unauthorized to go beyond this door and are trespassing. I'll give you one last chance to beat it, or I'll–"
"Playing the tough guy role, huh? Fine, you win!"
"!!!"
The bunny lady opens her wardrobe, revealing her exposed chest only to Malu who is in front of her. Despite the lack of natural light, Malu's eyes dilated to such a huge degree that anyone could mistake the color of his eyeball to be orange. He wipes a drop of blood from his nose, while the mastermind behind this effect smiles cheerfully at her handiwork.
"Yep, that's the Shadow Star all right. Now I recognize you, Flenn."
"Malu, if you wanted to see my breasts, then you should have just asked. Pretending not to know my identity as a Dark Mercenary isn't cute, you know."
Flenn shakes her head, lightly "scolding" Malu in a teasing tone. Malu shrugs his shoulders.
"Don't blame me, my job doesn't allow me to let anyone through unless I am shown that symbol. The pay is way too good for me to risk it all."
"Hmm? Using your job as an excuse to peep, aren't 'cha? Oh, you men are such perverted animals."
"Oh don't try to act all preachy–we all know you enjoy doing it."
"Teehee, maaaybe."
"Hey, Malu. I was wondering if you–oh no, don't tell me…"
"?"
Abruptly interjecting herself into the conversation, a young lady decked in cyan and yellow clothing arrives from the revolving door, face palming the moment her eyes meet Flenn's. In response, Flenn casually waves.
"Flenn? Sigh, I should have known. Everyone's waiting inside for you–stop flirting and come on!"
"Relax, Miffy, I'll be there in a moment, okay–?!"
Refusing to waste more time, Miffy snatches Flenn by her arm and yanks her through the revolving door. The room beyond is a sizable lounging area that is full of life despite the time of night. Among the various activities occurring simultaneously, in the distance at a particular private booth, a couple of guys wave as the girls move closer.
"Finally, Flenn is here. What took you so long?"
"Let me guess, you were caught up flashing Malu again, weren't you? Don't know why you're so proud of your mid chest–I've seen better tonight at this club alone. Though you're not bad for a bunny, I suppose."
The mask of sexy innocence falls from Flenn's face, replaced with gritting teeth and flared nostrils.
"Shut-it, Sylow! As if you hares are any better."
"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't mention hares, did I? Your insecurities are showing, Flenn."
"!!"
Just before Flenn was about to unleash her pent-up frustration, Miffy slams her hand on the table, forcing both demi-humans to fall in line.
"Both of you fools, knock it off! Sit down so that we can discuss the plan!"
"Tch, you sure like to act like our mother sometimes despite being the second youngest one…"
"What was that, Edd? Trying to stand up for Sylow again?"
Striving to be a savior, Edd attracts all of Miffy's animosity towards himself. Given that her now low voice and glowing yellow pupils screamed "death", Edd instinctively turned his head away from the immense pressure.
"Nope, not at all, madam! Anyway, let's get right to it."
Edd reaches into his jacket and takes out a small device around the size of a typical insignia. He sets it in the center of the table and promptly activates it. A ray of light projects outwardly, displaying a 3D holographic map.
"As my reward, one of my recent clients told me about this mystical islet that's floating in the Iniku Sea."
"Wow, you managed to nag a gig like that in dinky Port Navarig?"
"Heck yeah I did, Flenn!"
"Save the gloating for later, Edd."
"I know, I know, getting back on track. 'Alpha's Arcadia', that's the name of this sweet islet."
"'Alpha's Arcadia'? That sounds like a lame colloquial name a bunch of men came up with!"
Flenn wrinkles her nose in disgust. In the same spirit, Miffy rolls her eyes.
"You're one to talk, Flenn. Don't you like showing your basic bunny body to men?"
"It's not my fault men are so easy to manipulate. What I do is strategic, but it doesn't mean I can't find those sorts of men disgusting."
"Oh yeah? Then–"
SLAM!
"Do. I. Even. Have. To. Say. It?"
"...thank you for keeping us in line as per usual, Miffy. Guys, please let me finish to the end–it gets even better, I promise. As I was saying, Alpha's Arcadia or AA for short, is reportedly known for its luxurious resources. At the heart of the islet lies a beautiful paradise–a mystical garden with a pristine lake whose waters purifies the body. Just imagine the various elixirs we could brew with that and the profits we could make!"
"That sounds worth it, I suppose…but is there a catch? Surely it can't be that easy."
"Your skepticism is understandable, Flenn–even I asked the same question. Fortunately, nothing of the sort was reported. The most difficult part is getting there, but I'm sure Sylow has our rides covered."
Edd snaps his fingers and points ecstatically at Sylow. Sylow gives a thumbs up and pats his chest.
"You bet I do."
"Fantastic, so let's head out in the next hour–it's best to complete this quest before dawn and it'll take at least a couple of hours just to travel to the islet…"
"Wait, I have a question…"
"Hmm? Miffy actually wants to ask something? By all means, go ahead."
"The name of the islet is Alpha's Arcadia, which as Flenn pointed out, sounds like a name men would come up with. That would imply that this place has a special reputation among men…I can't shake the feeling that you and Sylow have ulterior motives that you aren't telling Flenn and me about. What else is at the heart of that islet?"
Edd and Sylow look at each other and grin, nodding their heads in agreement.
"Every man's desire."
___________________________________________________________________
"Flenn…hey, Flenn! Wake up already, we are almost at shore."
"...Sylow?"
The sound of a familiar voice filled Flenn's long ears, alerting her mind to reactivate once again. Flenn slowly rises up from her laid-down position, the light from break of dawn behind Sylow catching her eye.
"Surpised to see me? You collapsed onto the ground before you could reach the shore. I assume that you must have tripped over something, causing you to faint."
"Or maybe it was the fact that I was RUNNING FOR MY LIFE FROM A DRAGON THAT KILLED OUR PARTNERS!!!"
"...or that. That's also plausible."
Putting aside any sense of personal space, Flenn plunges herself towards Sylow, tightly gripping him by his collar. Her pinkish nose slightly grazes against his, their breaths touching.
"You talked about everyone working together, just to push me towards the dragon so that you could escape? You're a hypocrite!"
"Look, I was just doing what was the most logical thing for me to do. Why stand there and wait for all of us to die? Besides, you spent most of the time in the backseat cowering, while the rest of us were at least trying to put up a fight. There was no way that I was gonna risk dying for someone like that, so since we were no longer operating as a team, I did what was best for me. You of all people have no right to lecture me!"
"But that's…that's…"
Sylow's harsh words, behaving like a magical spell, drains the life from Flenn's fingers, causing her to loosen her grip. All she can muster the strength to do is sag her head.
"...Besides that, it's not like I completely abandoned you. I went to prepare our boat ride so that we could leave asap. That's why I was there to save you after you collapsed…"
"...thanks. Is that what I'm supposed to say?"
"I'm…not sure. What happened back there was messed up–none of us could have predicted that a ferocious dragon would have been guarding the islet."
"It wasn't supposed to be there at all!"
"Right. So don't blame yourself–we know that our line of work comes with risks anyway. Though uncommon, those risks also included…you know."
"...yeah."
The sun rises at the break of dawn.
"The best thing we can do at this point is recuperate, then warn other Dark Mercenaries about that dragon. Though I know some of them are insane enough to take the risk regardless."
"But what if there were someone strong enough to kill that dragon? Or move it out of the way at least."
"Personally, I'd just abandon the whole thing…but to give up on obtaining the potential resources in the heart of that islet…would be a waste, wouldn't it? I'll let you take the lead on this one–do as you see fit. I'll turn off cruise control and get back to steering."
Furrowing her brows, Flenn crosses her legs, looking down at the gentle waves of the sea. She dips the tip of her finger into the water, basking in its coolness.
"Someone who can take on that dragon…"
She grips her chest with her slightly wet hand. The telltale signs of dread that were once there from earlier, have metamorphosed into indignation.
"...no matter what it takes, I'll find you!"
The sound of her exclamation, creates ripples through the sea.