"Let me go, let me go!" Alita tried to say, struggling as she was dragged into the shadowy alley. Pax wasn't far behind, fighting with equal intensity.
Tense moments passed before they were finally released. "This spot will do," came a calm but firm female voice. "Oops! Sorry for bringing you here like that, but I see you're both girls too, which is why Troba's power didn't affect you."
"Girl? Who are you calling a girl?" Pax shot back, visibly irritated, glancing around for answers.
The voice remained unfazed. "So, why weren't you affected by Troba's magic?"
Pax crossed her arms, pride evident. "Because of the Red Shadow armor I'm wearing. That answers your question."
"Interesting," the voice murmured. And then, from the shadows, two imposing figures emerged. Both women possessed athletic builds and defined muscles, though one towered over the other.
Alita quickly turned to face them, assessing the situation. "So… you're part of Fuertelia, and you're also a woman," she stated, striving to keep her composure.
"Yes, of course. We're women of this realm," replied the taller one, whose blonde hair shimmered even under the dim light of the alley.
"Your friend isn't very bright, is she?" the other remarked to Pax, her dark hair framing sharp, piercing eyes.
"Who are you, and why did you bring us here?" Alita demanded, her tone a mix of distrust and determination.
The dark-haired woman stepped forward. "A thousand apologies. I am Ragil," she said, gesturing to herself before pointing to her companion. "And this is my sister, Maxin. We're the ones who captured you."
"Hello, I'm Alita, and this is Pax," Alita responded, still skeptical. The sisters gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
But Maxin frowned as she studied Pax. "It's strange that a man wasn't ensnared by Troba's charms," she said, raising an eyebrow.
Pax sighed, clearly frustrated. "As I've already told you, I don't owe you any explanations, but yes, I'm a man. And this suit protects me from other shadows." She shifted again, trying to shake off any accusation or suspicion.
"Fine, if you say so, we'll believe you. But you're the enemy if you're wearing that shadow suit," the sisters declared in unison, ready to strike.
"Wait," Alita interrupted quickly, raising her hands in a gesture of peace. "He's with us. He's helping Prince Paltio of Avocadolia search for the pieces of the Magic Scepter of Avocios."
Alita's words seemed to have an effect, and the sisters lowered their guard—though only slightly. "Oh, I see," they replied together, exchanging curious glances.
"Now that everything's clear," Alita continued, "you can tell us what happened here. Where are the other women of this realm? And why are the men acting like lovesick fools over Troba?"
Ragil spoke up, her expression hardening as she recalled the events. "It all began when that blonde vixen arrived in our space. She started playing her instruments with that ugly voice of hers, and magically, every man—including the king—fell under her spell. Ever since, they've followed her everywhere like obsessed fans."
Maxin nodded, completing the tale. "Her magic doesn't seem to work on the women of this realm. Some of us tried to stop her, but she brought her army and turned the men of this land against us. They defeated us and captured our companions, locking them away in a heavily guarded tower. Our mother, a great warrior, managed to save us and told us to seek help. That's why we were waiting for someone stronger to arrive so we could defeat Troba and free the women of this realm."
"The two of us alone couldn't do it," Maxin added, her gaze determined yet heavy with concern. "But with you two, things change. We'll have a better chance of freeing others."
"But my friends…" Alita interrupted, her voice trembling with urgency. "I need to rescue them as soon as possible. If Troba has them, they won't last long. Slowly, we've seen her drain their energy. She's already finished off the elderly and some of the younger ones," Ragil explained, her tone grim, reflecting the gravity of the situation.
"The only way, as my sister said, is to free the other women and fight to save everyone in this realm and defeat Troba," Maxin declared, crossing her arms. "So, Alita, do you accept? We don't make deals often with outsiders, but you seem decent. With your magic, you'll help us."
"Well…" Alita began hesitantly. Before she could continue, Pax interjected with a mischievous grin: "She doesn't know how to use magic. She's always lived in Avocadolia."
"Oops! That's too bad," the sisters replied in unison, visibly disappointed. They had hoped Alita's magic would be their ace in defeating Troba.
"I do have magic!" Alita suddenly exclaimed, remembering the ring Mok had given her. With a swift motion, she summoned a jet of water that shot toward Pax, sending him flying several feet backward.
"Well, that might actually work," the sisters said, exchanging surprised but satisfied glances.
"Alright, it's a deal," Alita declared, regaining her confidence. "If you save my warriors, you'll help me rescue my friends."
"Of course, girl. We'll help you because we also need to save our father and brothers," the sisters responded. "It's a deal, then," Alita confirmed firmly.
"Fine, if I can't do anything else, I suppose I'll have to help… though I hate the color yellow," Pax muttered, resigned but willing.
The four of them stepped out of the passageway, torchlight illuminating their path. The sisters led the way, guiding Alita and Pax as they pointed out the route ahead.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Paltio and his group found themselves trapped in what appeared to be a kind of prison. They were immobilized against the wall, unable to move. Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the stairs. A figure descended slowly toward them.
"Oh, they're awake already. Hello, my dear Troba," the three prisoners said in unison, their voices filled with an unnatural adoration for the badger woman.
"Well, you're quite the audience. Give me a bit of your energy," Troba replied with a sly smile.
"Yes, take it all," the three responded mechanically, their voices monotone and devoid of free will.
Troba began to play her instrument, and the energy of the three started draining from their bodies. Though enchanted, Paltio could feel his life force slowly fading. Deep inside him, Golden tried to communicate, but something blocked their connection.
"Paltio, Paltio, are you alright? I can't leave your seed, and I can't summon Toco-Toco to help you. What's going on? Can you hear me, boy?" Golden shouted within Paltio's mind. But the prince was completely under Troba's spell, unable to respond. The energy of his seed dwindled rapidly, causing instability and trapping Golden, rendering him powerless.
"Ah, this dose of power is the best I've ever consumed," Troba declared with a satisfied grin, feeling Paltio's energy flow into her like an endless torrent. However, noticing that the prince—along with the other two prisoners—was beginning to collapse, she stopped. "Well, I think that's enough for today," she murmured, gently stroking Paltio's face.
"I can't destroy my source of life so easily. I still need you, boy," Troba continued, her voice dripping with malice. "This one recharges me as much as an entire village would in a day. This is fantastic. How lucky I am to have found you… or rather, that you came to me."
Troba paused briefly before asking, "Do you know? I'm waiting for a prince named Paltio, who's searching for a piece for the great leader. But I don't know if he's passed through here yet. So, tell me, what's your name, boy?"
However, upon noticing that the young man had already lost consciousness, she sighed with feigned indifference. "Oh well, it'll have to wait. No matter."
Troba left the place, leaving Paltio and his friends bound to the wall in what seemed to be a dark, damp dungeon. Before departing, she lifted Paltio's head and gave him an enigmatic smile. "I don't like coming here often, but for you, my source of energy, I'll make an exception. Here, I can keep my true form hidden. This will be our little secret," she whispered before ascending the stairs and disappearing into the shadows.
In the meantime, Alita walked alongside Pax, trying to coax more information out of him. "Do you know anything about the Yellow Shadows and this Troba?" she asked, her tone a mix of curiosity and urgency.
Pax responded with disdain: "Not much, girl. It's a small legion, but I do know Troba can subjugate entire cities and armies, placing them under her control. I thought it was a myth, but now I see there's some truth to those rumors."
"So, why did you decide to follow me instead of joining her from the start?" Alita questioned, frowning.
"Because I didn't like her from the moment I saw her," Pax retorted sharply. "And besides, I don't owe you any explanations."
The argument between Alita and Pax continued until Maxin intervened firmly: "Enough. We've arrived."
Ahead of them stood an imposing tower, tall and narrow, resembling a four-story building. At its peak, barely visible, was a small window. The tower was guarded by ten warriors of the Yellow Shadow, clad in gleaming armor, each holding a spear in one hand and a torch of green fire in the other. The glow of the flames illuminated the base of the tower, surrounding it completely.
"Damn it," Maxin muttered, observing the scene in frustration. "There's no way in. Everything's blocked."
Ragil crossed her arms, deep in thought. "Perhaps, sister, we should change our strategy and try something different," she suggested, evaluating possible ways to infiltrate.
From her position, Alita carefully studied the tower and its surroundings. "I think I have an idea," she finally said, turning to face the group.
"Good, share it with us," Maxin and Ragil said in unison, their expressions expectant.
Alita began explaining her plan with enthusiasm, gesturing to emphasize each point. As she spoke, the sisters nodded, visibly intrigued. "Yes, I think that could work," they both said, exchanging approving glances.
But Pax, annoyed, couldn't resist making a sarcastic comment: "Oh great, Miss Know-It-All. I don't think it'll work."
"Oh yeah? And how would you do it?" Alita shot back, pausing her explanation to confront Pax with a challenging glare.
"I'd go straight in and take them all out," Pax replied arrogantly, letting out a small chuckle. "Yellow isn't exactly my favorite color."
"That would alert them, calling in more soldiers, and they'd finish us off in no time," Alita countered, crossing her arms. "We may be 'Strong,' but Mom said it would be too risky and easy to get captured," Maxin interjected, pointing toward the group of guards with a worried gesture.
"Fine, go ahead with the pink-haired girl's plan. I'll be over there watching you all get caught," Pax said, walking away with an air of indifference.
"Let him go. The three of us can handle this: you two with your strength and me with my intellect. Plus, we have water," Alita declared, glancing at the ring Mok had lent her, her confidence renewed.
The girls prepared themselves as Alita had instructed. The plan was to lure one of the guards, infiltrate the tower, and free all the prisoners. It seemed simple… they just had to find the dumbest guard.
"Look over there, that guard seems clumsy," Ragil pointed out, watching as one of the soldiers dropped several items and stumbled around awkwardly.
"Good, that one will do," Alita declared, her eyes gleaming behind her glasses with an intensity that was almost frightening.
Ragil tossed a small pebble toward one of the soldiers. "Hey! Who's throwing things?" the guard demanded, visibly annoyed.
"Was it you?" he asked his companion, who quickly shook his head.
Another pebble struck the same guard, but this time he managed to spot where it came from: a nearby corner.
"Whoever it is doesn't know who they're messing with!" the guard exclaimed, abandoning his post, clearly irritated by the persistent pebbles.
"Hey, wait! You can't break formation or leave your position," the other guard warned.
"I don't care," the first replied, striding forward with determination. "Wait!" the second insisted.
"The person throwing these things has no idea who they're dealing with, and they'll either show themselves now or I'll take them out," the guard threatened, brandishing his spear menacingly.
No one responded, and at that moment, another stone landed on him. "For cry out loud! Who's doing this?" the soldier growled, growing angrier by the second.
Suddenly, a jet of water doused his torch, extinguishing the green flame instantly. "Thank Avocios, it worked!" Alita whispered, unable to hide her relief. "Girls, it's your turn," she instructed.
Quickly, Maxin and Ragil sprang into action: one positioned herself in front of the guard while the other moved behind him, silently knocking him out.
"What's with the glasses, girls?" Alita asked curiously, noticing the strange lenses the sisters were wearing.
"They're our night-vision goggles. Do you like them?" the sisters replied in unison.
"Well, yes, but I already have glasses, so I don't think I could wear another pair on top," Alita answered with a smile.
"Drag the guard into this alley," she ordered, pointing to a dark corner.
"And now what?" Maxin asked, relighting the guard's torch while Ragil dragged the unconscious soldier into the alley.
"Now, our plan begins," Alita announced with determination.