The next day, Petra and the girls went out early to visit one of Sevensen's famous food markets. They walked through the brightening streets, searching between different vendors and food stalls.
Wind and Soryn walked in front like sisters, while Petra walked behind, matching her quick trot with Nebula's silent steps.
The variety between dwarven food, elven food, and human food was huge.
Soryn and Wind shared a cup of 'Greencap Pudding', a silky green pudding that combined crispy chips with local mushrooms, Petra nibbled on 'Badger Bread', the fantasy equivalent of spicy sticks wrapped with garlic bread, and Nebula walked quietly, occasionally pulling an orange berry from a paper bag at her side. These were 'Sunberrys', a snappy berry that was common all around Pillomal.
They eventually found a free-standing stone wall to sit down on.
Around them was the lively chatter of pedestrians, the intertwining smells of constantly changing food, the sound of music that reflected the soul, and the brightening sky that beckoned the day.
The girls leaned against the wall, while Petra jumped up and crossed her legs. They enjoyed their morning snack like this, and as they ate, the morning passed.
* * *
Later that day.
We turn to a small store that was hidden in the shadows of a shallow alley.
This building was old and decrepit, falling apart at the seams. Mold and moss cloaked its corners, and the pungent smell of rot hung lightly in the air.
Within the building was the sound of skittering insects and a heavy scent of sulfur.
The blackened front desk stood before three aisles, each stretching back into the darkening room. The walls were lined with sealed cages and bottled medicine. Poisons, Antidotes, and drugs were grouped together unevenly in small cupboards. It was unorganised and messy, giving off a sense of silent chaos and a complete disregard for order.
The cages that littered the floor were filled with countless insects.
Some of these insects were grouped together by species, while others were too big to share a cage. There were spiders and scorpions, snakes and centipedes. The right wall had a large display of pinned butterflies, and the left wall was blocked by a sealed display of old manuals.
The eyes of the imprisoned bugs flickered with a cold ruthlessness that was unique to poisonous insects, and those that came here would often feel as if they were being watched.
This was the home of Sevensen's most famous insect breeder.
-
In the back of this store was an ongoing argument, one between the owner and a new guest.
The guest was not here to buy, instead he was here to inquire, to question. He had come with a purpose, and one that held a certain level of urgency.
Albert continued to push, his voice more commanding than usual. "I know this was the last place she visited! I want to know what she was here for!"
The hunched old man shrank back, his shivering body strangely unnatural.
He spoke, quivering as he explained. "I-I-I told you, even if I knew, I-It's impossible to share customer information!" He stuck out his chest in confidence, despite shrinking back even further. "That is our policy, our creed! W-we are very loyal, even the city lord can't glean any information from us!"
Albert gritted his teeth.
Time ticked by, and the Laton Castles inquisition was not far away.
Albert was one of Dorthy's few friends, and he understood that if the people from the eastern region got to her first, even if her disappearance was an accident, Dorthy's fate would be unbelievably cruel.
This was especially so after the first calamity.
The importance of the Heavens Chosen was unquestionable in the eyes of the world. Even if they had to put her on a leash, even if they had to bind her mind with forbidden magic and tame her will with unspeakable evils, Dorthy would never be allowed to escape, losing everything in the process.
Even Albert was conflicted.
He understood Dorthy's importance.
Regardless of the reason, the only thing that remained for Dorthy was either a life of slavery or a life of pursuit. He hated this situation, and he couldn't understand why it had come to this.
He was torn between helping his friend and acting for the betterment of the world. Both of these required Dorthy to first be found, but it also gave him time to think.
Albert clenched his fist.
His eyes sharpened and he continued to push the villainous shopkeeper. This decrepit and frail old man was the only clue he had left.
They continued to argue until something interrupted them...
The shopkeeper was the first to notice it.
He was part mantis, and this part of his bloodline seemed to suddenly freeze following an inexplicable chill that ran through his whole body. He stiffened, his small beady eyes shifting away from Albert and slowly moved towards the door.
He seemed to sense something, and his act dropped.
He raised his skinny and frail little hand, signaling Albert to pause.
Albert closed his mouth, his brows furrowing.
Before he could ask, he finally noticed the change as well.
The shop had become deathly quiet.
The skittering of insects, the clicking of claws, the serpentine hissing, the vibration of wings, and the shuffling of shells… In a moment, they all fell completely silent.
Albert raised his head, looking around.
What was this unease that he suddenly felt?
Why did it feel like something was coming?
Not long after, the silence was broken by the crisp chime of a bell.
The front door was opened, and the light sound of footsteps echoed throughout the room.
The shopkeeper jumped, and his little heart started to beat faster.
After a long moment of silence…
What followed was a collective uproar!
The room flashed from absolute quiet to an explosive uproar.
Albert was shocked by the sudden change.
The caged insects suddenly became erratic. They jumped and ran, smashing into their caged walls and barred prison. Smashing shells echoed on metal surfaces, and high-pitched screeching stretched through darkened halls. The small store was filled with the deafening vibrations of thousands of flapping wings all resonating together.
It was a symphony of chaos.
The hidden instincts that lay dormant in the bloodline of every insect began to flicker all at once.
This didn't come from reverence, instead, it bloomed from an uncontrollable fear.
The old man raised his head, forcing his body to calm down.
He looked towards the door, wanting to see just what had caused this outburst.
From the front came a small child with long green hair that had been tied back into a twin ponytail. Her stride was casual, bordering on unrestrained. She walked like a little master, not putting the surrounding people, no, the surrounding world, in her eyes at all. She had a cute and innocent face, but onlookers would often feel as if there was a hidden mischief.
This was the first time Albert had seen this little girl, but something in the back of his mind flashed. He felt as if he had seen her before, but he just couldn't remember.
While Albert's attention was drawn to the new guest, the small old man was overwhelmed by the collective uproar of the surrounding insects.
This was the effect that Petra's physique had on normal insects.
For her, this place was just her next stop on today's agenda. It was a lively place with a wide variety of surprisingly fun insects. She was unable to feel the deep-rooted anxiety that grew from every bug on display.
Unlike this carefree brat, the shopkeeper was completely overwhelmed. Looking into the vengeful eyes of the thousands of insects that had all suddenly awoken their innate wisdom, he felt like he was going to be overthrown and publicly hung, like a traitorous king that had been dethroned! The moment these insects found a way to escape their cages, he suspected that he was going to die!
Petra skipped through the store, followed by the three maid girls.
She found the short old man who was cowering underneath a nearby shelf. He seemed to be the one in charge, so she ignored Albert, and skipped over to the old man.
She talked to the man, forcefully drawing his attention with a 'Petra Kick'!
She put her hands on her hips and swung her waist around in an attempt to look very bossy.
Albert watched this strange little miss casually command the uncooperative shopkeeper. He remained quiet, standing to the side.
In his silence, his mind was turning.
Although she was trailed by three maids, this little girl didn't give off the feeling of an aristocratic child. Even if there were aristocratic families in the north, which there weren't, then there was still something that was a bit off about her.
He furrowed his brows.
He couldn't figure out why this little girl drew his attention so strongly.
Even after the little girl left with a full load of poisonous insects and dried herbs, Albert still couldn't remember where he had seen her from.
* * *
Petra and the girls spent the rest of the day shopping.
They had come to Sevensen to make up for the last of their stock before opening for business.
When they filled up, they would leave the city, splitting their gains between the Tower Spider and the courier aunts. The courier aunts would take the excess supplies back to the Emerald Ghost Tree and leave the main bulk with Petra and the girls.
With each trip back and forth, Petra had to fight off the clingy little Poya who refused to separate from her. She wasn't brought along because her mere existence turned out to be quite poisonous, but this girl was starting to display something similar to withdrawal symptoms.
It was worth mentioning that Petra could not contract Poya. This was a 'human', not a 'beast'.
In addition to the situation surrounding the Tower Spider, Petra also noticed the increase in Easterners around Sevensen. Although she wasn't sure, these people seemed to have a military background, and they all seemed to be looking for something.
Petra really didn't care, as long as they didn't bother her.
Returning to the inn, the girls went to their rooms for the night.
-
That night, the girls were greeted by some special guests.
From the long shadow of night emerged five dark figures. These five figures wore tight black clothing that was lightly embossed with obsidian runes. Their bodies flickered with a silent layer of spiritual energy, and its black light carried a certain 'unseen' property, one that made the wearer's existence fade into the night.
These were not assassin's, instead, they were kidnappers, or at least, unlucky assassins who were forced to play the role of kidnappers.
They flowed into the tavern's halls like a silent wind, their movements unheard and their actions unseen. When a door opened, it became the act of the wind, and when the floor creaked, it became the prowl of a stray cat. Shadows twisted past the walls like clouds passing under the moon.
The robed figures seeped through the halls like mist and reached the door to Petra's room.
The door cracked open, the light inside not even shifting its state. Five shadows flashed, their forms like the streaking shadows of a flock of birds projected through the window.
They did not raise their blades, instead, they moved to incapacitate.
These shadows were each a second realm combatant, so they could naturally tell that Petra and Nebula were weak, far too weak for them to take seriously. That's what they thought at least.
However, when the bindings came down, they suddenly found themselves in trouble.
The first to snap their eyes open was Nebula. Her movement was quick, slipping out of the bed and drawing a nearby weapon.
The second to react was the snake. Its head shot up, slithering from underneath the bed and lunging towards someone's leg.
The assassins reacted quickly. One met Nebula attack, another drifted around her back. Nebula blocked the attack from the front and dodged the attack from behind.
The snake's attack was dodged by one of the shadows stepping back, while another shadow crushed down with his boot towards the snake.
The final shadow blinked through the room and plunged his hand into the blankets, yanking Petra from underneath.
This all happened in an instant, but the tone of the battle was already set.
After the two attacks that sought to kill Nebula had failed to connect, their follow up came in the form of a clear powder that was blown into Nebula's face through a concealed weapon held in one of the shadow's mouths.
To the side, the boot landed on the snake, its loud thud quelled by an unknown enchantment.
The man who pulled Petra from the bed used a sheet to bind her, then used a second layer of ropes to tighten the blanket for good measure. He flung her over his back and turned his attention to the fight.
When he turned, what he saw caused his eyebrows to jump.
Nebula did not fall to the powder, so her counter came swiftly in the form of a slash to the throat. The snake that had been 'crushed' rose from beneath the boot with a strength unbefitting of its small size. Its fangs sank into its assailant.
The man holding Petra stepped forward, wanting to help… But seriously, did he think touching Petra was something that just anybody could do? Ignoring any of Petra's intentional counterattacks, just the remnant poison left behind by the Sky Strike Dart Frog was lethal.
His body rippled with weakness, then he fell to his knees, dying an instant later. Petra spilled to the ground, her little eyes still stuck in a groggy state. As she awoke, she raised her arms in a quick and cute stretch, completely unaware of the ongoing fight.
When she rose, the 'bindings' disintegrated like paper.
She didn't even notice them.
Another slash culled the life of the second assassin that targeted Nebula, leaving only one shadow and one sapphire statue left behind after the snake's poison took hold.
The surviving shadow was quick.
He gave up on capturing Petra and flashed to the window.
Bursting out, he dove into the night.
Whoosh!
Unfortunately, his hopes would be dashed by the lightning-like speed that came with the Dart Frogs attack. He was hooked, and his body was dragged back by the foot.
The assassin was ruthless, with a swing, the leg caught by the sky Strike Dart Frog was severed, allowing him to...
Whoosh!
Before he could even leave the ground, the same tongue shot out again, this time grabbing him by the neck. His severed leg didn't even have time to fall to the ground, which was how fast the second attack came.
He was dragged back, like a man in a noose.
A moment before he died on the road, he stared back at the Inn window. He glared, wanting to see the face of the monster that attacked him. He bit down, breaking something in his tooth.
Petra walked over, looking through the window.
She tilted her head, wondering what was going on.