The Incandescent | Standalone Story |

Chapter 2 ~ The Private Detective

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~ Planet Ghatom ~

Five years later

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"Could you slow down, Mara? This is too high for me to climb," Drave panted as he stopped to rest, lowering his head, while keeping close to the sail he clung onto. The wind ruffled his short blond hair, his face cast downwards, as he struggled to regain his strength, feeling dizzy from the climb.

This is why I prefer solo assignments, Mara thought, sighing heavily. I get things done much faster alone than with someone.

Mara stopped and turned around, waiting on Drave to catch his breath. Glittering stars, what's taking him so long? We would've reached the top deck by now if he didn't eat too many sweets. No wonder he's having a sugar crash and probably needs a restroom break.

The Decuir siblings were sent to planet Ghatom on their latest assignment to arrest a Vanquesha lifeform. It was the third time they attempted to catch the slippery thief, only for him to get away again.

Vanquesha lifeforms were notorious for thievery. Made of a substance that looked like transparent tulle fabric, see through but not entirely, they floated around elegantly, ranging in color and sparkles. Though incapable of verbal speech, they were able to communicate telepathically and through physical gestures.

Like crows, the Vanquesha loved everything shiny. They stole everything from rare tea blends to fresh baked pizza, enjoying them in the air, as they twirled around with slices of pizza that disintegrated into their strange bodies.

The Vanquesha were native to planet Ghatom. They sometimes traveled to other planets, always in search of something to steal and enjoy. They were mischievous and playful, not malevolent beings. It was rare for them to harm a person, though they were capable of afflicting harm by drowning a person in shadow or sparkles.

Mara and Drave were both private detectives. Shortly after Iro burned the family estate and rose garden, Mara requested to begin her career as a private detective. Her brother followed her lead, wanting to stay together with his sister, the only family he had left.

The Decuir siblings moved to planet Dusaro to train. After successfully completing the training, they were hired due to Mara's shapeshifting ability and Drave's sound manipulation ability. Mara was driven and self-motivated, while Drave tagged along just to be with his sister. He was a bit of a klutz, annoying Mara whenever his antics got them into unsavory predicaments.

"So we're chasing sentient fabric?" Drave asked Mara, the dizziness fading as his head cleared.

"Yes," Mara confirmed, turning back towards the sail. "I just saw one. We'll need to counter him by going up the sail and around the steam bend. Just gotta avoid the hot air from the steam engines below."

Drave carefully glanced down from the dizzying height. The steamship was several distances in the air, above a bustling city. Though neither Iredescent sibling was afraid of heights, since they had wings they could materialize in case of a fall, the thought of falling into the city, impaled by a spire tower or crushed on the street, wasn't an appealing thought, and so Drave swallowed his nervousness and continued to climb further up, avoiding looking down.

Drave paused in his climb when Mara withdrew a coil of coated metallic black rope and swung it out towards a hook on the steam bend, which was like an exhaust pipe that let out steam. Though it was several waistbands thick, the rope attached easily. The cloth-like material was a strong flexible form of metal, specially formed for such purposes.