Hell's Missing Piece

Chepter Four

"Are you certain of what you saw?" Pouella sits opposite a very frightened coast guard, constantly asking him the same questions over and over while Naveita paces behind him, occasionally leaning over to threaten him or to club him with a huge wooden spoon, stained in the black blood of all those who inhabit Hell.
"Yes, a small fishing haul left with a body bag, I've no idea who was in the bag but i had never seen that boat before in all my 500 years of working at that station."
"Was this boat a registered vessel?"
"No milady, i checked all the papers and even called up the other main trading stations, none had any records of this boat." Naveita paces faster.
"Can you describe it, draw it even?" Pouella asks.
"I'm not much of an artist but i can surely describe the boat. Red and blue wit-"
"Wait." Naveita leaves the room for a few minutes then returns with a ghoul carrying a sketchbook and crayons. "Now describe it to the ghoul."

。・°°・・°°・。

The two rulers look at the drawing with concentration.
"Should we have let the artist use crayons?" Pouella asks, rubbing her cheek.
"It's all we had on such short notice." Naveita yawns, rubbing her eyes. Neither girl having slept properly since their friend had been kidnapped.
"Well we should chase up on the lead anyway. We should pack soon," Pouella says, sipping from coffee.
"I feel like we shouldn't leave the castle unattended, it would be vulnerable to any oncoming attacks or invasions." Naveita frowns and rests her head on the mahogany table.
"And we cannot leave that idiot Major in charge, he would be the downfall of Hell, if hell could fall." Pouella says, making more coffee.
"The aristocrats would take over and not let us back in." Naveita's reply is muffled as she buries her face in her arms.
"What about Shepard? His father was the former Steward of Fregus Civatem. Alae and the boy grew up together, should we call for him?"
Naveita sighs, looks up from the table to Pou with exhausted eyes.
"There is no one else, call him in," and her head clunks back to the table.

。・°°・・°°・。

Shepard walks up to the doors of the grand throne room, Steven stands there, a small smile playing on his lips as he watches the young man straighten his clothes.
"Looking to impress someone?" Steven asks.
"Yes actually, when one gets summoned by two of the most powerful people in Hell," he pauses to straighten his tie. "one aims to dress appropriately."
"Well then, I suppose you should probably know, these girls, much prefer bow ties." And with that Steven opens the doors to reveal Naveita and Pouella occupying their thrones, on either side of Alaecriz's throne, which is occupied by.... a pengiun.....
Shepard stops in confusion as the penguin looks up from his bucket of fish to stare at the man.
"Walter, behave." Pouella smiles slightly.
Walter then sticks his head right in the buckets with only his butt and feet sticking out.
"Shepard, you're dressed smartly," Naveita says, eyes fixed on his dark blue tie in amusement.
"I thought, when given an audience, to dress nicely," he says. Shepard seemed completely different from the guard that reported the boat.
"Should have worn a bow tie," Pouella whispers to Nav.
"Bow ties are cool," they nod at each other. A loud laugh is heard from the back of the throne room, quickly covered by a cough." Shepard turns his head and sees Steven biting his lip to keep from laughing.
"Shepard, is something distracting you?" Pouella speaks, glaring at Steven, still not having forgotten his betrayal while Naveita's expression is one much like the guard in question.
"No milady." Shepard hurriedly turns back to the front of the room.
"You are probably wondering why we have called upon your services." Naveita speaks, her eyes fixed on Walter in a look half mixed with disapproval and half amusement.
"Yes milady," he says, calmly.
"We would like you to be the Steward of Hell while we go and rescue Hell's missing piece," says Pouella in utmost sincerity.
Shepard falls to his knees and bows his head at the rulers. "It would truly be an honour."
"You will have my army and servants at your disposal until our return, should we not return in a month's time, you shall remain in this position, we need someone we can trust in control while we are gone. This way we wouldn't have to worry about Alaecriz ahead of us and our beloved home behind us." Naveita smiles. A clanging sound is heard from the end of the room, everyone looks at Steven who had dropped his sword and shield in shock.
"Miladies, may I have a word in private?" Steven addresses the two rulers.
Naveita turns to Shepard. "Leave us, we will send for you when the time comes." Shepard nods and quickly leaves the room.
"What is it Steven." Pouella frowns at the guard.
"Please, do not entrust the throne to this man. I fear he is not to be trusted." Steven's tone filled with desperation.
"Shepard and Alaecriz are childhood friends, Shepard has never given us any reason not to trust him."
"Nav, you and I are childhood friends, can't you trust me?"
"Steven. I will not have you doubting our court without any proof."
"I have none, but i feel there is something off with him."
"That is enough." Naveita rises to her feet. "Steven, you are a trusted friend of mine but it is not in your place to make such accusations." Static electricity moves throughout the room as the hairs on Steven rise and the General's eyes turn a more intense blue.
"As you wish, miladies." With that Steven turns and walks back to his post slamming the door behind him, making Walter lift his head from the bucket in panic.

。・°°・・°°・。

Alaecriz screams out in pain as another lash hits his bare back.
"That'll teach you to try running away from us." The whip bearer hisses the words, bringing the whip down on him again.
"Fifty is nothing, next time you run off it'll be two hundred."
"Lucius, stop, that's more than fifty." An angel wearing white armour walks into the prison cell. "Hello Alaecriz, do you remember me?"
Alaecriz turns his head to look at the angel.
"No, I've seen thousands of angels in my days, you all look the same to me." The boy spat at the angel's feet.
"Well let me help jog your memory." The angel pushes Alaecriz against the wall of the cell. "You killed my daughter."

。・°°・・°°・。

"KEEP UP POU!" Naveita yells back at the girl as she continues galloping forward on her nucteques. "WE WANT TO REACH THE COAST BY DAYBREAK!"
"NOT ALL OF US ARE DEMONIC IMMORTALS HERE, I ACTUALLY FEAR FALLING OFF THIS THING AND DYING." Pouella yells.
The General is at the front of the squad of legionnaires while the Ward is waaay at the back.
"Hey Boneyard," Pou says to her nucteques, "How do you think Líomó can keep at that speed?"
'They get riding practise every second day at 2.'
"Well, time to catch up," Pouella lets go of the reign and puts her hands on either side of Bone's spinal column. "Hold on a bit." Grey smoke flows and encases the bones of the skeletal horse, filling the rib cage and anchoring the rider to the form.
"Now, let's go," she orders. Boneyard immediately sped up and carried Pouella past Nav.
"See you at il Vaticano, ragazza!"
"We'll see." Naveita murmurs. "Ride Líomó." The general rests her head on the nucteques' neck and murmurs an enchantment. Storm clouds begin to gather above the rider as she and her steed begin to flicker with electricity. A bright flash of lightning comes from the clouds and hits the two, charging the pair with renewed energy and shooting them forward, leaving a trail of dust in their wake.
"Frick. Boneyard, wings," the rulers speed off, leaving the legionaries behind.
Two of the soldiers look at each other, one of them rolling their eyes and the other muttering,
"This is why we should have signed up to steady jobs," she says before yelling out to the rest of the soldiers. "Pick up speed, double time!" The nucteques neigh all at once.
Ahead of them the two rulers have stopped at the coast, and are setting up a race.
"We really should be taking this more seriously, this is the fate of Alae we are trying to save," Pouella says to Naveita, dissipating the smoke wings.
"Adrenaline is important, it keeps you awake, distracts you and keeps you alert."
"Yes true, well, race to Earth then?" Pou wiggles her eyebrows at her friend.
All she gets in return is laughter and two words, "It's on."
The two race to the shore and while clouds line up in front of the General the Ward yells out.
"JESUS TIME!" Boneyard starts running on water and galloping through waves, all while Pou stood up on his back and wraps herself in smoke that resembles a toga with a grey smoke beard.
"Oh on the morning star, WHAT EVEN!?" Yells Naveita.
Laughter, lightning, curses and fake beard stroking was all the voyage contained.