The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

The Situation (Spring 17)

XVII.

Audrey tugged Madoka's shoulder. It was a warning to not do anything rash. Was this body hers now, since she could crush those insolent people easily? The Sovos stranger was much more imposing than Armor, with fangs and a confident grin spread across his scaled face. He was the closest thing Audrey described as a lizard man, though they probably should not provoke him.

Another lightning bolt flashed, accompanied by thunder and he finally spoke to the silent girls.

"May I have a word with you two?"

It was not a question— it was a demand. So the pair followed him, not without Madoka giving one last stomp on the unconscious adventurer who dared to reach for her princess before exiting. She had a sinking feeling that she knew exactly who this person was. She just wished it was not raining! Her princess was going to be soaking wet. Still, they hurried along while the Sovos remained silent as he strode towards the Guild Hall.

"De— Déjà vu," Madoka muttered as she took the sights of the place. She still tripped over the words. The room was much more spacious than the one in Livertorjan, but still had a similar layout. The balcony above had plenty people discussing commissions, while no one batted an eye at the pair. Good, she thought, clutching her shoulder.

"That temper of yours is gonna get us in trouble," Audrey groaned. "I think this guy is about to give us some bad news."

"Let's go get it then," Madoka sighed. She wanted to ask if she had any better ideas when it came to dealing with fools like that, but it she most likely did. She stuffed her shame deep down and prepared to to receive the bad news. Audrey looked at her and acquiesced. They both knew exactly what the Sovos man was and the maid's anticipation rose with every step up the stairs.

The office was also quite spacious. Madoka peered around the doorframe before tiptoeing in. Audrey followed her in, and soon she saw the man standing at the window. To Madoka, he was the most dragonlike and noble out of all the Sovos people she has seen. He was facing away from them looking up at the moons without any indication of hostility. Instead, a small snort escaped his nostrils.

Was that amusement?

"Heard the news from Luxgor of your exploits."

His voice was husky, like music sweeter than the Knotting chimes from the Frost Queen's Hall. The Dragonman turned to face them with a fanged grin on his snout. The silver scales on his body reflected the twin moonlight off of them perfectly and revealed red webbings beneath their translucency as he breathed as if they were coated in beautiful Ice Domineering strands. His pointed ears and horns tipped back as his eyes narrowed in on them.

"Here is the situation," he moved on from the awkward silence. "The Circle has been hungry for centuries, cracking apart and swallowing fools whole as it hunts. Those towering stones jutting high to the sky in ridges are called Petals. They divide this country in sections, and you'd do well to remain careful in Petal 1 and Petal 2. The disturbances, the roar of the earth, make it a natural predator for adventurers. Weak adventurers. And yet, here you two are. I am Drezgor, Acting Guild Master of Gladeban. The real Guild Master and my party's leader, Lady Gechick, has left to investigate why the disturbances have been worsening lately. Gold rankers are flooding the Labyrinth now that she's active. That leaves me with you two. Iron ranks."

Madoka gulped at the mention of Gold ranked adventurers. She crushed a few of those so easily and yet it brought a lot of attention to them. Drezgor pulled out a shiny necklace. It was a Diamond tag! She knew now why she felt power emanating from him, but was not sure it made a difference to her from a regular Gold tag.

"Lady?" Audrey asked, her eyes gleaming with wonder as she stared at the shining tag.

"You're lucky you have me. If she saw what you did to those fools she would have challenged you," he puffed out heated smoke from his nostrils and tucked it away, much to Audrey's dismay. "And you would lose."