Dragonfire II: The Twilight Invasion

Chapter 17: In This Hell

After checking on Lui and finding no small shortage of their cookies eaten, Albedo and Kei were ready to go. Sammy first portaled them into a small stadium of sorts. There was an ice skating rink in the middle where people were...ice skating, obviously. The stadium was made of stone, with blue torches close to the ice. Though it wasn't freezing temperatures, the torches were likely enchanted to keep the water frozen. The stadium did not have a roof, allowing plenty of fresh air to flood the rink and booths on the sides. There was a small bar tucked away to the side, with the aforementioned booths in place of bleachers. This small stadium appeared to be a restaurant and an ice skating rink. Or the booths were just there for design. Regardless, they approached a fence keeping the ice skating rink separate from the rest of the stadium. From there, they spotted Reina in her casual clothes. She wore a black hoodie, blue jeans, and black ice skating boots. She was also wearing a black beanie, with a red scarf. She was skating...or trying to, anyway. A girl was attempting to help her. She had pinkish-white hair, in a very literal sense. Some strands of her hair were white, while others were a lighter pink. She had blue fins on either side of her head, with three spines each. The fins were suggestive enough that she was a sea-born. The three spines, however, signified that she was a Mermaid. The reason for this was that her fins progressively got larger from bottom to top. Other sea-born, such as Nereids, had less defined fins. Mermaids were also known for their beauty, and beautiful she was. She had stunning blue eyes, with a heavenly face paired with them. She had lighter, pale skin like velvet, with the body of an angel. A mere glance in her direction was enough to take one's breath away. She wore a frilly white dress, with white ice skating boots to match. 

She was absolutely stunning. She was also completely stunned. After all...she was witnessing Reina stumbling around like a fool. As it turned out...Reina wasn't quite so good at skating. She fell down onto her hands and knees, causing the other girl to laugh. "Don't laugh at me!" Reina exclaimed, standing back up. She spotted Sammy and the others looking at her and skated over. Well...stumbled over, really. She stopped, however, when the other girl stayed behind. "Come on, Iana!" She exclaimed. Iana...the stunning girl, skated over to her, helping her to the fence. "I'm not an old lady who needs help crossing the road, you know. You don't have to hold my hand." Reina said. Iana said nothing, letting go of her as they reached the fence. "Hey, guys! We're getting ready to take out the bandit camp." Sammy said, "Oh, alright." Reina replied. She held her arms out dramatically, causing magic to engulf her body. In the blink of an eye, her armor was on! She had her escrima sticks on her back, ready to go. Iana, on the other hand, was still in her dress. Reina turned to face her. "Are you feeling up to this? You don't have to go if you don't want to..." She said. Iana ignored her, skating to the exit of the rink in silence. Reina turned back to the others with a nervous smile. "She'll...need a minute." She said, "Is she alright with this?" Sammy asked, "In truth...probably not. But...it's for the best...probably." Reina answered. She skated up to the fence, or so she thought. She realized the hard way that she wasn't wearing her ice skating boots anymore by slipping on the ice! She fell face-first into the fence with a comedic thud, followed by a loud "Fuck!" She stood up, holding her forehead in pain. She jumped over the fence a moment later. "Are you alright?" Albedo asked, "Yeah...I'm good..." Reina answered. 

Kei was curious, having finally seen Iana personally. "She doesn't speak?" She asked, "She does...she just...well...she doesn't really speak often. She'll give you the cold shoulder time and time again but...please...give her a chance. She's a sweet girl...she's just been through a lot." Reina answered, "What happened to her, exactly?" Kei asked, "These...Bandits we're hunting...they once captured her. She was their slave for...years. She's been put through horrible things...over and over again. I've done the best I can to take care of her, but she's never really gotten past it. I suppose she may never get past it. But...at least we can take care of these Bandits, and put an end to their enslaving." Reina answered, "I see. I'm...sorry if I asked something uncomfortable." Kei said, "It's alright. If it helps you understand, I'm okay with telling you. I just want the best for her..." Reina replied. A few moments later, Iana approached. She wore silver armor, with a blue waistcloth and matching shoulder cape. Curiously, she did not have a gem in her armor like the others, though there was clearly a slot for it over her manubrium. The armor had a unique style, as it was fashioned to look fish-like. It had silver fins coming off certain parts for design, giving her the appearance of a water mage. Perhaps she was. Albedo and Kei would find out in due time. After all, they were about to head to the camp to fight. "You ready?" Reina asked. Iana nodded slightly in response, causing Sammy to give a thumbs-up. "Alright! One more stop!" She exclaimed. With that, she portaled them to a small library tucked away in some corner of the city. As the exterior of the buildings in the city suggested, it had wooden walls. It had a ceiling within, however, rivaling the thatch roof outside. The ceiling, like the walls, was wood. It had a gray tile floor, with plenty of bookcases around.