Chapter 9: Day Drinking

Luna sat proudly atop Lulith's shoulders.

One leg dangled over each side of her neck.

In her hands...

A map.

Upside down.

She studied it intensely.

"Hmm..."

She narrowed her eyes.

"I see..."

Luna cannot read, even opening up a book to study will activate her curse which causes her to fall asleep instantly until the book is out of reach.

Lulith looked up.

"...Do you?"

"Mm."

Luna nodded wisely.

"So that's how this is."

Luna stroked her chin like a wise wizard with a long beard.

"..."

"...Princess."

"What?"

"...The map."

"What about it?"

"..."

"...It's upside down."

Luna looked at it.

Turned it upside down.

It was now the correct way around.

"..."

"...You have passed my test, you will be rewarded with a fish once we find our way back to Atlantis."

She nodded.

"I knew something felt backwards..." she says to herself quietly.

Lulith sighed.

"...Where exactly are we going?"

Luna tapped the map confidently.

"We're gonna go day drinking."

Silence.

"..."

Lulith slowly looked toward Stefan.

The little bubble floated beside them.

Moustache immaculate as always.

"..."

"...Isn't she a child?"

Stefan ignored the question completely.

He floated forward.

Whistling.

Well...

He couldn't whistle.

But somehow everyone got the impression he was.

"..."

"...You're unbelievable, are you going to be responsible if she becomes an alcoholic?"

Stefan merely floated forward not caring for the words of a mere slave.

The trio would follow Lunas lead.

The journey...

Was unnecessarily complicated.

Luna insisted the map was "speaking to her."

Nobody questioned what that meant as knowing Luna the map might actually whisper secrets to her.

They climbed into a storm drain.

Walked through knee-deep water.

Luna pointed at a rat.

"...Dog."

"It is not a dog."

"...Tiny sewer dog."

Stefan picked up the tiny sewer dog and cleaned it before putting it in Luliths pocket.

The rat was bamboozled and even more so when Stefan gave it an id badge that had the name "Franky Frank let me be Frank with you Frankly" written on it.

The rat being but a rat accepted the words as it's new name and decided to make itself at home in Luliths pocket.

Twenty minutes later...

They emerged from another drain.

Directly inside somebody's garden.

An elderly man watering flowers stared at them.

Luna waved.

"Good morning."

"..."

The old man slowly looked at the watering can.

Then back at the three strangers climbing out of his lawn.

"..."

"...I need to quit drinking."

Luna nodded sympathetically.

"Me too old man"

Then they walked away.

Another ten minutes...

Luna declared the quickest route...

Was over a building.

Lulith questioned nothing anymore.

They climbed up the high rise old building.

Lulith just walked up the side of the building while Luna, Stefan and Franky played cards on her chest.

Luna was sitting comfortably as if between two cushions.

"You're veery comfortable..."

Luna was practically melting in place as she hasn't felt such comfort in her life.

"...I'm promoting you to chair."

Lulith sighs.

"Many thanks princess, it's the job I always dreamed of."

Stefan on the other hand was winning massively, neither Luna nor Franky could compete with a professional gambler like Stefan, partly because one is a child an the other is a rat, but even then that is not an excuse.

Luna threw a card out of frustration, Franky seeing this also threw one of his cards.

"Uggghhhhh...I order you to let me win Stefan!"

One may say this is cheating, however the truly enlightened will understand that what Luna just did was a masterful play as she used everything at her disposal to win.

Meanwhile the two cards that were previously thrown went through a window and embedded themselves into the heads of two women robbing a helpless man, saving him from a cruel fate.

The man looking at the two women is confused and looks out of the window only to see a a weird group gambling on the body of a woman who is casually walking up a building.

"...Thanks...I guess..."

"...Although I was looking forward to being taken captive by them."

Luna looked around as she heard the man speak but not clearly.

"Y'all hear something?"

Franky swapped his cards with Lunas while she was looking around.

When Luna looked back at the gang they all shrugged.

They then crossed rooftops.

Jumped laundry lines.

Stefan saluted several pigeons.

One saluted back.

Stefan had infiltrated the animal kingdom already, this was possible due to a sparsely known fact that bubbles are actually animals themselves and are actually the ancestors of many species.

Eventually...

Luna pointed dramatically while staring up on Luliths head with her dirty sandals that she used to walk in sewers..

"There!"

A modest little pub stood on the corner.

Warm lights.

Wooden walls.

A faded sign swinging gently in the breeze.

Lulith blinked.

"..."

"...You actually found one."

Luna smiled proudly.

"I told you."

"The map speaks."

Luna was just hearing the swoosh of the wind, maps don't speak...not usually at least.

"..."

"...Sure it does."

Standing outside...

Were four men.

Leather jackets.

Cheap tattoos.

The kind of smiles that made both men and women cross the street, not because they were particularly scary but rather very perverted.

A woman stood in front of them.

Late twenties.

Chestnut hair tied neatly behind her head.

An apron covered in flour.

She held the pub keys tightly.

One of the men sighed dramatically.

"...Anastasia you wench."

"You've missed another payment."

She lowered her head.

"...I'm trying."

Another laughed.

"We're done waiting."

"If you can't pay..."

He looked her up and down before licking his lips.

"...You'll just have to pay another way."

The others laughed.

One kicked over a flowerpot.

Another smashed a window with his boot.

"...And we'll burn this dump down while we're at it."

The pub owner clenched her fists.

But...

Did nothing.

One of the gangsters slowly reached inside his jacket.

Pulled out a pistol.

He pointed it casually toward her.

"...Last chance."

Luna tilted her head.

"..."

She sniffed once.

Then twice.

"..."

"...You guys stink."

Silence.

She wrinkled her nose.

"..."

"...Do you ever take showers?"

Luna takes showers, quite literally she takes showers, who knows what nefarious reasons she has.

The gangsters turned together.

"..."

"...What did you say?"

Luna pointed directly at them.

"I said..."

"...You smell."

"...Like wet farts seasoned with rotten eggs."

One man's eye twitched.

"...Little brat..."

He raised the pistol.

"...Say that again."

Before he could aim...

The air changed.

Something...

Watched them.

It wasn't visible.

It wasn't audible.

An overpowering killing intent washed over the street.

Cold.

Silent.

Absolute.

Every gangster froze.

Sweat poured down their faces.

Their hands shook uncontrollably.

One tried to breathe.

Couldn't.

Another dropped his gun.

The third whimpered.

"..."

"...Monster..."

THUD.

One collapsed.

Then another.

Then another.

Within seconds...

All four lay unconscious on the pavement.

Luna blinked.

"..."

"...Huh."

"They got sleepy."

Stefan calmly floated forward.

As though nothing unusual had happened.

Lulith stepped over one unconscious gangster.

Looked down.

"...Pathetic."

She spat on him.

"...Filth."

Stefan stopped.

Turned toward her.

For the first time...

He raised a thumb to Lulith.

Lulith froze.

"..."

"..."

"...Really?"

Stefan nodded once.

Then resumed floating.

Lulith couldn't stop the tiny smile creeping onto her face.

"..."

"...God what's wrong with me...why am I so happy about the approval of a bubble?"

She quietly stood a little straighter.

Luna jumped down from Lulith's head.

Landing perfectly.

She walked up to the stunned pub owner.

Hands on her hips.

"We're here to day drink."

The woman blinked.

"...Excuse me?"

"The best booze you've got."

Luna pointed at Lulith.

"...And maybe some milk for my newly adopted stray...or chair now I guess?"

She smiled warmly.

"...Don't worry though."

"...She's potty trained."

Lulith buried her face in one hand.

"..."

"...I should have just died to that damn bubble."

Luna had already wandered inside the pub.

The pub...

Was warm.

Unlike the streets outside.

A fireplace crackled quietly.

The smell of roasted meat, fresh bread and old wood filled the room.

Several old men sat around a table playing cards.

A pair of construction workers quietly drank in the corner, one had a weirdly twisted leg but didn't seem to mind.

Someone was asleep face-first on the counter with a note beside him saying 'if this man wakes up before I'm back knock him out again'.

Everyone...

Stopped.

Their conversations died instantly.

Three strangers had just walked in.

One...

Was a little girl covered in sewer mud.

Another...

Was an impossibly beautiful blue-haired woman.

The third...

Was a bubble with a magnificent moustache.

Nobody questioned the bubble, magic just fixes these problems.

People in Westwood had bigger problems.

Luna confidently marched over to the biggest table.

"It's ours now."

Nobody objected.

Mainly because Stefan looked at them.

One man immediately remembered he had left the oven on, surprisingly though the man was homeless.

Luna climbed onto a chair.

"...Ha."

She folded her arms proudly.

"Only natural."

"..."

"...To admire a Princess such as myself."

Everyone awkwardly looked away.

Stefan floated over carrying...

Three menus.

Nobody had seen him pick them up.

He simply...

Had them.

He carefully handed one to Luna.

One to himself.

One to Franky.

Franky proudly accepted his.

Even though he couldn't read.

Luna stared at the menu.

There were...

Far too many words.

Fortunately...

Pictures existed.

"Hmmm..."

She poked one.

A large steak.

"...Cow."

Another.

Soup.

"...Wet."

Another.

Bread.

"...Circular rectangle."

She continued analysing the menu like an archaeologist uncovering ancient secrets.

Stefan suddenly pointed toward a picture.

A plate.

Upon it...

A neat stack of cigarettes.

Luna blinked.

"..."

"..."

"I didn't know you could eat smoke sticks."

Stefan nodded confidently.

Luna nodded back.

"..."

"...Earth cuisine is strange."

Outside...

The pub owner slowly stood.

Still shaken.

Lulith offered her a hand, she was looking down on the pub owner with interested eyes.

The woman hesitated.

Then accepted it.

A gentle pulse of mana flowed through her body.

Even old injuries fully healed.

The woman gasped.

Then...

Without hesitation...

She knelt.

Her forehead touched the ground.

"Many thanks, Great Witch."

"Please forgive me for failing to recognize Your Grace."

Lulith looked down.

"...Stand."

The woman obeyed immediately.

Lulith lowered herself until they were eye level.

"...What is your name, girl?"

"My name..."

"...Anastasia Wellingworth, Your Grace."

Lulith smiled faintly.

"...A pleasant name."

She leaned closer.

"So tell me..."

"...Why didn't you kill them?"

Anastasia blinked.

"...Pardon?"

Lulith's smile remained.

"My dear Anastasia..."

"...Did you truly believe..."

"...I couldn't feel the mana flowing through your veins?"

Silence.

Lulith's cyan eyes narrowed.

"Had you truly wished..."

"...Those insects would have become nothing more than red mist."

Another pause.

"So..."

"...Why didn't you kill them?"

"...I..."

Anastasia frowned.

"...I'm not sure what you—"

Snap.

The world disappeared.

Anastasia stood alone.

A mountain.

Endless rainforest.

Dense emerald fog.

Everything...

Silent.

Too silent.

Something enormous shifted within the mist.

A silhouette.

Then another.

Creatures...

Far larger than mountains.

Watching.

Waiting.

She instinctively dropped into a low stance.

Two hidden daggers appeared in her hands.

Mana surged around their blades.

"...Good instincts."

Lulith's voice echoed softly.

Anastasia spun around.

Lulith stood behind her.

Hair flowing gently.

Her eyes...

Pure white.

A cyan halo floated behind her back.

She looked...

Divine.

Terrifying.

One finger gently rested against Anastasia's forehead.

"I hate liars."

"This..."

"...Is your last chance."

Anastasia's heartbeat thundered.

Slowly...

She released the daggers.

They clattered against the stone.

She raised both hands.

"I mean no harm to Your Grace."

Lulith nodded once.

"...Obviously."

"...Had you possessed even the slightest killing intent..."

"...You would already be dust."

She stepped closer.

"So..."

"...Explain yourself..."

"...Before my patience runs thin."

Anastasia took one slow breath.

"...I'm..."

"...A branch manager."

"...The Lesser Districts."

"...Roads Three through Forty-Two."

She swallowed.

"I work..."

"...For the Red Moon Army."

"A revolutionary force..."

"...Trying to reclaim Westwood..."

"...From those disgusting pigs..."

"...Who call themselves witches."

The moment the words left her mouth...

Her face turned pale.

"..."

"...I..."

"...Apologies—"

Lulith...

Laughed.

A genuine laugh.

"You think..."

"...You'll win?"

Anastasia met her gaze with a burning passion.

"With all due respect..."

"...Yes."

Silence.

Lulith stared at her.

Then...

Smack.

She casually slapped the back of Anastasia's head.

"Ow!"

Anastasia stumbled forwards, rubbing the back of her head.

"W-What was that for?!"

Lulith folded her arms.

"You can't even defeat a lowly mountain coven from Tibet, a singular witch is enough to take control of this worthless city."

She sighed.

"And you intend to wage war against the Witch World?"

"..."

"...Ambitious."

Anastasia lowered her head.

"...We'll grow stronger."

Lulith raised an eyebrow.

"Suppose..."

"You do."

She slowly walked past Anastasia.

"Suppose your little revolution succeeds."

"The corrupt officials fall."

"The gangs disappear."

"You slaughter a whole coven."

"Westwood is free."

She smiled.

"...Then what?"

Anastasia hesitated.

"..."

"..."

"I..."

"..."

"I suppose..."

"...An even stronger force either destroy our revolution or enslave us."

Lulith stopped walking.

"...Would they?"

Anastasia looked confused.

"...Wouldn't they?"

Lulith smiled.

Then...

She snapped her fingers.

The rainforest...

Died.

Leaves blackened.

Trees crumbled into ash.

The endless green horizon became...

Grey.

Dead.

Rotting.

Mountains of shattered concrete stretched as far as the eye could see.

Collapsed skyscrapers.

Broken highways.

Rusted tanks.

Thousands...

No...

Millions...

Of skeletons.

The sky itself had turned yellow.

The air tasted of sulphur.

Iron.

Death.

Anastasia suddenly couldn't breathe.

She collapsed to one knee.

Her throat burned.

"W-What..."

"Cough..."

"I..."

Lulith didn't even look at her.

"Circulate your mana."

"You foolish brat."

Anastasia immediately obeyed.

She sat in the lotus position.

Mana flowed through her veins.

Slowly...

Her breathing steadied.

She looked up once more.

The wasteland stretched forever.

There was no life.

Not even insects.

Only silence.

Lulith pointed toward the horizon.

"If your rebellion succeeds..."

"...No witch will waste time searching for your members."

"...or bother enslaving you who are like a rabid dog that cannot even listen to its master."

She looked at Anastasia.

"They will simply erase the city."

Anastasia stared blankly.

"..."

"...Why?"

"...Why would they..."

"...Do something like that?"

Lulith giggled.

She casually conjured an extravagant throne from blue crystal.

Then sat upon it.

Crossing one leg over the other.

"What reason..."

She asked softly.

"...Does one need..."

"...To step on an ant?"

Silence.

Anastasia slowly looked down at her own hands.

They trembled.

"..."

"...Then..."

"...What do we do...?"

Lulith leaned against her throne.

"...Nothing."

Anastasia looked up.

"...Nothing?"

"It'll work out somehow."

"..."

"...That's your advice?"

Lulith shrugged.

"My Master is here."

"As long as she walks this city..."

"...Interesting things will happen."

Anastasia frowned.

"...You sound awfully confident."

Lulith smiled.

"I am."

The wasteland...

Began changing once more.

Ash became grass.

Skeletons disappeared beneath roots.

Trees erupted from the earth.

Within seconds...

The endless rainforest had returned.

Birds sang.

The magical mist rolled gently through the valleys.

As if the apocalypse had never existed.

Anastasia slowly stood.

"..."

"...How do you know?"

"And..."

She looked around.

"...What even is this place?"

Lulith stood from her throne.

The throne dissolved into blue droplets.

"So many questions."

She smiled.

"To answer your first..."

"...You'll discover soon enough that you're fortunate my Master chose Westwood."

She turned away.

"And your second..."

She gently tapped the air.

Cracks spread throughout reality.

"This..."

"...Is my Inner World."

The jungle began shattering like glass.

Everything dissolved into white.

Anastasia's eyes widened.

"..."

"...An Inner World..."

"No..."

She finally understood.

Only a being above a certain realm could create something this complete.

Her voice cracked.

"YOU'RE..."

"...A QUASI-PERFECTION!?"

Reality returned.

She was still kneeling outside the pub.

The unconscious gangsters hadn't even hit the ground completely.

Barely a heartbeat had passed.

"..."

"..."

"...What..."

Lulith simply walked past her.

As though nothing had happened.

Inside the pub...

Luna was still studying the menu.

She frowned deeply.

"..."

"...Stefan."

The bubble saluted.

She pointed at a picture.

"I don't think cows are supposed to be this expensive."

Stefan nodded solemnly.

Clearly...

Inflation was a serious issue.

Lulith slid into her chair.

She calmly pointed toward the drinks menu.

"I'd like the champagne."

Her finger moved slightly.

"And..."

"...The chocolate-covered strawberries."

Luna looked her up and down.

"Hmm..."

She tapped her chin.

"I suppose..."

"You've behaved yourself."

"I'll allow it."

Lulith smiled ever so slightly.

"My gratitude, Master."

The front door opened.

A cheerful voice called out.

"Welcome!"

Anastasia walked over carrying a notepad.

Her smile was warm.

Professional.

As though nothing extraordinary had happened outside.

She stopped beside the table.

"Good afternoon."

"What may I get for everyone today?"

Lulith watched her for a moment.

Then smiled to herself.

"..."

"...She recovered quickly."

Perhaps...

There was hope for Westwood after all.