Inside of a large room-like area, couches sat, a table, the surrounding walls made of glass windows, displaying the entire plain of grass, dancing in the wind as they soared by. Lucanaship B-Z4, a vehicle known for its leisure than speed. It was essentially a hotel shoved in a ship.
Crim crossed his arms, "so is it normal for a guild to steal from another?"
"Nope," Ai Mei bluntly replied, "it's weird. Of all people, I would've never expected it to be them. They're already quite popular. Even if… they're a bit aggressive."
Ai Mei looked back at her sister, who seemed to be tweaking out a bit. Which was pretty understandable. All their stuff had been stolen right under their noses, after all.
Elaine walked back and forth, biting her long nails, "I can't believe this…! Why would the Greyvan guild of all places steal our stuff??" I mean…"—Elaine faced Mei, slapping her hands onto her own head— "What did we do to them???"
Ai Mei sighed, looking out to the grassland, "I dunno 'Laine. But if I had to guess. They may be the reason for all the bandit attacks happening around here."
"But their guild is nearly on the same stature as ours! Those…Those butt-faced jerks!!"
Ai Mei slapped Elaine's bottom.
"Ow!!"
"Calm down, would ya?" Ai Mei sighed, "we need to devise some kind of plan."
"Really?" Crim asked, tipping his head over a bit, "thought we were just gonna cause havoc."
"I like your boyfriend already, Mei Mei…"
Ai Mei flicked Elaine's head.
"Stop bullying me!"
Ai Mei sat a hand on her wide hip, "this is an entire city we're talking about. We go in headfirst we'll be throwing random civilians around too, y'know? And then we gotta deal with the Lord of the city as well."
"True…" Crim agreed, "but we're talking about complete thievery. I feel like kicking their ass has some justifiable actions to it. How about we at least try and speak with 'em and go from there?"
The sisters nodded.
After all, there's no way the Lord of an entire city hadn't noticed what's been going on either. The entire place is untrustworthy at this point.
It wasn't long until ten minutes had passed, the group of three had soon arrived at the city where the Greyvan Guild is located, known as Heedin. Very similar to Tayon, open-mid-rise buildings, a very simple area where people could live in peace. Sigils and banners on buildings of the Greyvan Guild, a man holding a gold coin. However, the atmosphere itself was odd. Crim eyed all the nearby structures, roads, sidewalks. 'This place is a ghost-town,' the young man said to himself.
Elaine's head went back and forth, inspecting everything, suspicion slowly showing on her face, "what's going on…? There's no one here."
Crim looked to Mei, "uh—is there like a tradition where people just disappear from town?"
Ai Mei kept the same pondering expression, "no…" She replied quietly, "Heedin City is usually packed with people… this is weird."
"Well," Crim said, "looks like the plan changed…guess we better prepare."
Ai Mei nodded in agreement, without civilians here, no one would be dragged into it, at least. Still, this seemed like a trap, however. 'I guess we'll just have to see," Ai Mei thought to herself.
Soon enough, making it to the threshold of the Greyvan Guild, the three exited the lucanaship from the hatch. Staring at a huge black gate, men standing guard, a brick road leading to a large building just a hundred meters back.
"Oh! Look boys, it's the twins from the Vale guild!" A guard laughed.
Another scoffed, "the hell are you guys doin' in our territory, huh?"
Ai Mei frowned, stepping forward, "our stuff got stolen. Trackers show you idiots have our merchandise. Mind giving our stuff back?"
A guard cackled, "WHAT?? Do you even hear yourself? Why would a guild like us even try to do that. Unless you're trying to cause trouble…y'know what that means right??"
The other grinned, "A Guild War…"
Ai Mei gritted her teeth, and Elaine was growing even more anxious.
Crim raised a brow, whispering to Elaine, "hey…uh—Elaine? What's a Guild War?"
"It's when two rivaling guilds battle head on when problems arise between them. Killing isn't allowed, so it's more like an average brawl…but…as you can see, we don't even have the people for a proper one…"
"What about those guards?"
Elaine sweated, "well…while they do work for us, they only do so because we pay them to keep the guild safe in our absence. Not from loyalty. So, we're kind of…outnumbered."
A guard laughed, "you idiots haven't had a guild war in over twenty years!! What the hell do you think is gonna happen??"
"Right??" After their dumbass dad died!!"
As the men laughed amongst each other, Elaine glowered. A vein nearly popping from her forehead. Ai Mei's eye had slightly broadened and grew stoic. She lowered her head slightly, looking back, "Crim…"
"Yeah?"
Ai Mei raised a hand, grinning evilly, "looks like we're going with your plan." A pulse of translucent chaos exploded from Ai Mei's palm, destroying the gate and shooting the guards back.
Crim's grey eyes nearly popped from his sockets.
Elaine looked as if she was going to faint, "MEI MEI WHAT'RE YOU DOING??? Do you wanna get us jumped??"
Ai Mei scoffed, "they're not about to just disrespect dad like that! I tried to be calm but that's gone now. We're gonna make them pay for stealing our stuff!"
Alarms blared across the entire city of Heeden, and more people came rushing from the Greyvan Guild doors. It was a full-on charge! The three all tensed, watching the militia of guards and fighters push forward.
Ai Mei chuckled, "sorry to drag you into this Crim."
Crim shook his head, rolling his shoulder, "we'll I volunteered to help. No reason to whine about it now. I gotta get that battery either way. Let's get this done."
"Right!"
The three charged forward themselves, running past blasts of elements and beams that came their way.
Elaine yelled, eyeing a few enemies growing closer, "three incoming!!"
Crim nodded, and white flames blasted under his feet, shooting to them under a second. Crim flipped, dropkicking the middleman, sending him straight back.
"Oh shit!!" One yelled, fixing himself, sending a punch to Crim.
Crim maneuvered, spinning past the man's fist and sent his own hook to the guy's cheek, slamming him into the ground.
Crim landed onto his feet, and swept a kick to the other ankles, uplifting him into the air. Crim shot a heavy punch right to his gut, blasting him off, skidding through the ground, crashing into the gates.
Ai Mei grinned, "looks like you can handle yourself pretty good, huh?"
Crim smiled, "gotta protect myself somehow."
Crim, Ai Mei, and Elaine pushed forward, fending off more people. Fists, kicks and men flying around. It was utter chaos! But the three were standing their ground, taking down any enemy that stood in their way.
As another man pushed forward with an axe, Ai Mei lowered herself into a Shang Fu stance, hands forward. "Tiger: Roaring Fall!!" Ai Mei's fingers clenched to match a tiger's paws, and unleashed a powerful palm onto the man's chest, projecting him onto another behind.
An enemy came from the side, swinging a punch forward. Ai Mei blocked the attack with her arm, and sent a knee to his chin, knocking him out, cold.
Elaine herself, despite how shy she was, was handling herself perfectly fine. Elaine leapt into the air, flipping, and spun down as she performed a helicopter kick, taking out multiple men, one by one. Each attack from her powerful legs took them down with ease.
Elaine rolled as she hit the ground, and pressed her palms onto the brick floor, sprouting her feet forward and crashed them into a woman's chest, sending her flying into a nearby tree!
The three warriors were growing closer to the building, but reinforcements kept piling in.
It was a war at this point, but with Crim, Ai Mei, and Elaine's skill together. This was a three-man army!
Elaine's hands were moving quickly, fast, taking out more enemies simultaneously. A punch to one's chest, another to the gut, kick to the legs sweeping them off the ground!
Another woman screamed, pushing to Elaine from behind, "you little shit!!"
Elaine squealed like a mouse as the woman threw a fist. Yet Elaine dodged it like a rabbit jumping from a predator.
Elaine brought her fingers together like a knife, and spun, chopping the woman's neck as she got behind her.
The lady of Greyvan slumped, falling to the ground.
Crim raised a brow, a bit surprised "nice one Elaine."
"Thanks…" Elaine chuckled, sweating.
Further near the entrance of the guild, a pair of men pulled out a piece of artillery.
Ai Mei's hazel eyes noticed it immediately as she took down another man, "Crim watch out!!"
The men aimed and fired, sending a huge metal ball burning in flames straight to Crim.
Crim made a confused expression as he raised his arm and hammered his fist against the ball. Brick, dirt, dust flew into the air as it crashed into the floor, creating a giant crater.
Crim squinted his eyes, looking to the pair of men, "a fucking cannon, of all things??"
They flinched, eyes nearly shooting from their sockets. "What the hell?? The cannons reinforced with chaotic energy!! It should be well over supersonic speeds!!"
The other looked back to someone standing just before the doors of the guild, "these kids are weirdos, madam Yuer! They're breaking through our defenses like nothing!!"
A woman scoffed, biting her bottom lip, walking forward. Tall, composed, eyeing the three walking down every enemy that stood in their way. A wide-brimmed hat crowns the top of her head, tilted just enough to shadow her slim face.
Long, straight golden-brown hair smoothly falls down her shoulders and back. Her face carrying a single, sharpened black eye.
White off-shoulder skirt with ruffled edges on her top half, round just over her developed chest area. The dress split down her left thigh, revealing black tights that covered her entire leg. Boot-like heels are the same color as her tights.
Yuer looked back to giant bloke, standing near the height of seven feet. He is literally a man made of muscle, huge traps, shoulders, chest, biceps, triceps, forearms, legs. A pair of beady eyes and green hair. Wearing a black tank-top with baggy black pants stuffed into his large boots. A chain wrapped around his waist, used as a belt.
"Capreece," Yuer spoke calmly, "come, we need to handle them while reinforcements come."
Capreece cracked his large knuckles, stepping forward, "fine. But I got that boy. Not wasting my time with little girls."
"Deal."
Yuer and Capreece leapt, landing right before the three.
Crim, Ai Mei and Elaine all paused their stampede, glaring at the two.
Yuer sat a hand on her wide hip, "well then, to think the rabbit of the Vale Guild decided to join this little…scuffle, with her protector?"
Elaine frowned, "this is all meaningless! There was no reason to steal our products! Just give our stuff back and we'll be on our way."
"Not gonna happen, missy," Capreece scoffed, "our guild leader has a little vendetta against your little guardian."
Mei tilted her head, pointing to herself, "me?? What did I do??"
Yuer shrouded herself in pink aura, "you'll find out soon enough…"
Without warning, Yuer and Capreece pushed forward, fast. Yuer to Ai Mei, Capreece stomping to Crim!
Capreece lunged with a strike, his fist flying towards Crim.
Crim hastily raised his arms, taking the full, powerful blow of the attack. He slammed his arms down, moving Capreece's and sent a kick right to the buff blokes' chest, knocking him back.
Just as Yuer got to Ai Mei, Elaine acted, leaping between the two, spinning a kick straight to Yuer's chin.
Yuer weaved under and released a palm to Elaine's chest.
Ai Mei quickly pushed Elaine to the side, catching Yuer's wrist just before it flew forward.
Yuer raised a brow, "oh? Fast, aren't you?"
Ai Mei performed her own palm attack. Yuer lifted an arm just in the neck of time, defending herself from Ai Mei. Her feet trailing through the brick floor as she held her stance, smiling.
"Mm," Yuer hummed, "quite the strength you have for someone small."
"I'm like—five-four, lady."
"Hardly."
Ai Mei didn't waste a second, leaping over to Yuer, releasing an onslaught of attacks. Yuer held her own, blocking each strike that came her way. But the tide was slowly shifting, Yuer underestimated Ai Mei, each fist, kick, growing faster, stronger than the other.
Yuer's eye had widened, "now's my chance!" She finally saw an opening and shot an uppercut to Ai Mei's chin.
Ai Mei weaved, barely dodging, and spun, slamming her elbow to the top of Yuer's head.
Yuer was sent flying, flipping like a stick being thrown from a child, crashing headfirst into the ground.
Capreece and Crim soared over, flying past them, duking it out. Capreece growled, raising his arms over his head, pulling those giant hands together and swung them down like a axe.
Flames blasted under Crim's feet like a small bomb, and the young man maneuvered past Capreece's attack with a flip, swinging a kick onto the man's neck, knocking him straight into the floor!
Dirt and dust flew, Crim landed just a few feet from the crater, on guard. His grey eyes followed Capreece, slowly exiting the smoke like a horror movie villain, completely unharmed.
'Damn this dude is a tank…' Crim thought to himself.
Capreece rolled his huge shoulders, grinning, "gotta say, you're a skilled little bastard, huh?"
Crim hopped on his toes, "and you don't seem to be in the best shape, old dude."
"A smart-ass mouth," Capreece laughed, clenching his fist, "perfect." The orange aura around Capreece's body enhanced, growing stronger, more chaotic, and denser than before.
'I should probably stop 'em,' Crim thought to himself, and flew forward, already before Capreece.
Capreece sent a hook and Crim slipped under, sweeping a kick to Capreece's ankles. But Crim noticed there was no shift, at all. Capreece stood tall, looking down at Crim, unimpressed. The giant man wasn't affected in the slightest way. Capreece let out a sharp breath of air and grabbed onto Crim's leg.
"Ah shi—"
Capreece flung Crim around like a dog with a chew toy!! Slamming Crim into the ground back and forth, side to side. With one last crash onto the floor, Capreece tossed Crim upwards, and socked him on the stomach. A shockwave exploded, and Crim was skidding across the grass.
"Crim!!" Ai Mei shouted.
"Eyes on me dolly," Yuer hissed, sending multiple kicks to Ai Mei.
Ai Mei blocked the first, second, dodged the third and pulled both her arms back, slowly breathing, "monkey: Multi Palm Volley!!" Ai Mei released a ferocious attack, her hands moving at speeds a normal yuman couldn't perceive, striking Yuer back-to-back.
Elaine, on the other hand, was watching from the sidelines, anxious, watching as her sister and Crim fought against the new pair of enemies.
'Crap…" Elaine winced to herself, 'I gotta help…I can't be some helpless idiot! C'mon Elaine, y'know Shang Fu too!' Elaine was giving herself a peptalk and her resolve was building up! She can't sit on the side and let her sister and Crim handle all the work. Elaine needs to step up!!
But little did the three notice that there was a predator waiting for the time to strike.
A man stood behind a nearby tree, eyeing Elaine closely, "that's the guild leader…" he said to himself, "if I get her, we'll have an advantage. Then I can get a raise!!"
The man turned, readying himself to attack, "now's the chance…here I go!!"
The man raised his hand, chaotic energy growing from his body, preparing to charge a strike to take Elaine down.
Crim and Ai Mei felt a small spike of chaos growing around her perimeter. Ai Mei quickly snapped her head back, coming to see the man aimed at Elaine's back, about to take her down!
"ELA—"
Yuer pushed with another attack, "you're fighting me right now!!" Yuer shot a gut punch, then kicked Ai Mei to the ground.
Crim gritted his teeth, and just as he lunged to Elaine, Capreece grabbed Crim's leg again, throwing him into the wall nearby.
Ai Mei was trying her best to fend Yuer off, but the woman wasn't letting go. She was like a snake after they latched onto their prey.
"BEHIND YOU ELAINE!!!" Crim yelled as he picked himself up.
Elaine hastily turned around, coming to see the man, a fully charged ball of flames right before his hands.
"Oh…" Elaine softly let out. Her determined eye depleting from hope, and fear crept in like shadows of the night.
Just as the man was about to fire, Crim's black ring on his finger flashed a violet light.
Gusts of wind soared through the area, and a black shoe came crashing onto the man's cheek. A blast of air exploded, shaking the tree, the ground, and the enemy was sent crashing, rag dolling through the brick road!!
Everyone paused.
Ai Mei raised a brow.
Yuer growled, "now what?"
Elaine looked as if she seen a ghost.
Capreece paused as he walked, looking back to what happened.
Crim grinned, "about time…"
Skysin stood where the man was, confused, his lips frowned abnormally, like some monkey looking around, "what the hell is going on?"