We'll go Sneaking About

"Should we be walking about out here?"

Lygawa glanced about nervously, down the next deserted narrow lane between the streets and smaller houses, as the sunlight faded from the sky.

"We're looking to attract attention here, just go with me..."

Mai wandered down the small stone street some more.

"But should we be making... so much of an effort - won't we start to look suspicious?"

Mai stopped as Lygawa made a good point; if they looked like they wanted to be captured - then they'd be less likely to be snatched, while the dragon's uncertainly grew as the darkness did in their surroundings.

She must really hate the dark and unknown...

Mai was just about to give up on the night, head back for the hotel and hope for better luck for tomorrow, when a figure in the dim light caught her eye, and she stepped back into the shadowy tiny side-lane.

"Hey there miss, what'cha doing out here by yourself...?"

A shady looking guy approached Lygawa, who was still visible in the darkened street.

Mai put her hand up, indicating her companion stay where she stood, to the others puzzlement.

"You hear me little lady?"

The man in the dark hood slowly continued to get near, while Mai ducked back further out of sight, but prompted the silver dragon by pointing her finger toward him.

"Uh, oh me... I was just looking around... to see the... uh, streets were cleaned -?"

Luckily for the two, he didn't appear interested in what she was saying.

"You're quite a cutie, what do you say we go somewhere?"

"Oh I don't think I'm allowed to... mister...?"

She glanced back toward Mai with hesitation.

"Come now, a beauty like you can have a bit of fun with a strong man like me..."

He got even closer, but unable to make out what Mai was indicating she should do next, she stepped back and looked at him with displeasure.

Mai made another frantic set of gestures again, but they were apparently unseen.

"Come with me and you'll have a night you won't forget - I promise..."

He had a sharp smile, but dark untrustworthy eyes.

"Sorry, but I'm not inclined -"

Whoever it was; they made a quick lunge at the thin silver-haired girl; but didn't get any grasp on her at all.

Lygawa instead put her fist into the man's face, sending him clear across the street's width and crashing against the opposite buildings wall, where he collapsed.

"Lygawa - that was a perfect opportunity!"

Mai burst back out into the faint light.

"Sorry - my instincts just..."

"I wanted him to take you hostage..."

Mai redid her hand gestures, showing her pointer finger being wrapped up and pulled away.

"I couldn't see well enough... and how was I suppose to know what those signals mean?"

"I guess your right... but I hoped he could at least get us to wherever they went with the people they already grabbed..."

They turned their attention to the crumpled person, who quietly moaned in pain. Now exposed, they could see he was wearing a shiny buttoned jacket, just like the big properties doorman wore.

That would make perfect sense...

"Do I have permission to terrify this evil doer, to get what we need then, yes?"

Lygawa looked to Mai, who gave her a quick nod.

"Uh... demon!"

He croaked out, as Lygawa got a good purchase on his jacket and lifted him up to her height.

"Oh I'm much worse than that - now tell me what I want to know!"

She gave her best evil looking and sharp toothed grin, before bringing her free hand up to show off a sharp, elongated claw on her finger.

"Or else the last thing you'll see; will be your own dark eye...!"

They left the would-be kidnapper without a further scratch, tied up tightly with a ribbon, as he had blurted out all he knew to the dragon and her keeper, before passing out.

Following his description; the two found a large shed, which held at least a couple of people inside, as far as they could tell, thanks to Lygawa's sharp and helpful ears. Mai could tell her eyes were almost useless in the true dark, as she was almost bumping her face into every object where the street or buildings lighting didn't reach, so Mai had even started to lead her about by hand.

"Couldn't we have just left this to those other humans?"

"What if somebody needs us to rescue them?"

"But... why us?"

Mai felt like this was the right thing to do, and since her hunches usually played out well, she didn't really second guess it now.

"Are you scared...?"

The mighty dragon did sound rather shaky.

"No...! But... I can't see..."

"Shush..."

Mai spotted someone else approach the shed from the street, before going to the doors and opening it up carefully to go inside.

That looked a lot like the Baron's head-maid just now...!

"What's going on in there now?"

Mai asked, so Lygawa readily relayed.

"The lady is upset, she says; 'you risk too much to get another so soon'..."

A pause while the keen eared dragon listened again.

"The loudest man says; 'you can't get us the boy, so what is the use of you' ... then; 'this will be the final straw that will bring the people upon them' ..."

If fit what Mai had 'seen' before, that whoever these people were, they wanted the Baron and his family to suffer and fall, though she didn't get the true motive behind their actions, these had to be the ones responsible for the rumor spreading and the crimes themselves.

"I also hear frightened girls whispering too..."

Lygawa added, making up Mai's mind.

"We're going to save those in there that need saving."

From the nearby corner they hid behind, Mai lead the almost blind dragon over to the doors by hand, where they got set to barge in and surprise the offenders.

Sending up a handy little light spell, that Mai had practiced with, some time before, she sent a single shot high overhead, which then burst brightly and slowly showered bright sparkles down - like a firework, but in super-slow speed.

With the illuminating flare deployed; no doubt the police were now in route, as that had been the indicated signal the women would give, but with no way of knowing how long they'd take, the two already at the doors planned to breach them then and there.

"Okay, let's go..."

With a steady glow from the overhead flare, Lygawa could see everything again, so knocked the door down with one good kick.

"What was -! Who are you...? ...Maid's?!"

The apparent ringleader shouted as the two ladies burst into the large shed.

"Surrender at once, fiends!"

I've always wanted to make a heroic entrance like that...!

The clear leader reacted first, as he launched a small summoned fireball their direction, but Mai immediately countered with her own better watery one.

"I'll distract this one; you take down the rest..."

"Yes, yes!"

The dragon-girl darted off toward the others in the wide space, while the 'leader' started throwing more fire magic about. Mai tried out a little dispelling magic of her own, successfully snuffing out the flames before they got anywhere near harming her or Lygawa. 

Her dragon companion went on the quick offensive, promptly stopping one bald man from grabbing something - a leaver right beside a cage of young women, putting him face-down instantly.

Swiftly striking down the next two men, in rapid succession, the super speeded dragon-girl gave an extra hard blow to the last one who had targeted Mai with the flame magic, sending him skittling from the centre of the room to one of the walls. This left the head-maid all alone, but she had already slumped to her knees with surrender, before either rescuer got anywhere near her.

"Please, it was all my brothers' idea!"

She wailed with surprise and fear.

Mai went for the caged women, who hung above a deep water filled pipe precariously, so carefully she unlatched the door and opened it up, but instead of relief, the girls within stared at something behind her in fear.

Mai turned to see what the others looked at with growing horror.

"Lygawa!"

The older maid had suddenly produced a big knife, wielding it around to plunge into the unsuspecting silver-haired girl's back.

But not even fully turned to see her, the lady was twisted into the air, battered away harmlessly by the dragon's unseen tail, whose owner casually uttered.

"Oh... she was a bad one too?!"

The tree younger girls steamed out of the cage and hugged their saviours.

"They were going to drown us if we didn't do what they said!"

One cried out before Mai, who was rushed by them all.

"You're alright now, everyone is safe..."

A hustle from outside the fallen door got their attention.

"This is the town guard - throw... down..."

A half-a-dozen armed men stormed in, to find five young women and an assortment of battered perpetrators on the ground around them.

The presumed leaded, still carrying his sword in hand, marched over to the women.

"Someone better explain what's going on then?"