Catpurr 31: The Twilight Plaza Incident

Catpurr 31: The Twilight Plaza Incident

On a brisk afternoon, in a white tiled plaza filled with adventurers, Adam stood, another face amongst the crowd of people attempting their trials and forming up teams to raid floors.

"Are you ready?" Sehn asked, tugging the hood over Adam's face a bit more. The boy sweltering under the heat of the sun.

"As ready as I can be." Adam huffed. Time to be inconspicuous.

After walking for nearly an hour, Sehn,Titania, and Adam had made their way through the densely packed city, moving over bridges and gates that lead to a central plaza dedicated to entering the tower.

Twilight square it was labeled, or, as those in the guild like Sehn and Titania called it, the Plaza of Departure. A place filled with adventurers, merchants, and entertainers. Flocks of adventurers challenging the tower that was separated into two parts.

The labyrinth, where those not chosen by gods could enter freely and delve its depths, or the Abyssal tower, a place where only those with tickets like Adam could enter. However both places were dangerous, the Tower, doubly so. But at least the labyrinth gave those not chosen a chance to earn rewards by hunting monsters and materials.

The others had wanted to see him off, but between the adventurers flooding the hall, hungry patrons, and customers looking to put in orders, the Guild staff were booked solid.

"Ok. Remember, all you need to do is approach the waystone then brandish your ticket." Titania said, pointing at an obelisk in the distance where several people were taking turns entering through portals that would appear every few seconds.

"You got everything lad?" Sehn asked, with Adam checking himself over. Four vials of mana regeneration, three vials of HP regeneration, ration cubes, and his two daggers on his waist. Between his leather armor, cloak, basic adventurer tools, and hidden mana potion, Adam was as ready as he could ever be considering the circumstances.

"Yeah." Adam replied, adjusting the small bucklar on his leather clad forearm.

Sehn nodded, the trio moving forward towards the lines as eyes began to settle on Adam.

"Bit short to be entering."

"Is that a kid?"

"No way."

"Take your kid to work day?"

"Maybe it's a filthy dwarf?"

"I've never seen a dwarf, aren't they shorter?"

"You're thinking of Gnomes, dwarfs are about ten feet tall at least."

"Wait what? That doesn't sound right."

"Why do you think they're called dwarves? Cuz they dwarf you."

A myriad of voices sounded out, many of which didn't care to conceal the subject of their discussion.

Just keep moving. Adam said to himself as Sehn and Titania flanked his sides, acting as honor guards and assisting him toward the altar, pushing through the crowd.

The trio paused, standing in front of the white pillar etched with various runic encryptions.

"Thank you Sehn. Titania. For everything." Adam said, brandishing his wrist toward the white obelisk he stood in front of. Immediately, it glowed.

"Bloody hell."

"No way."

"Seriously?!"

"I wonder which god chose him." The onlookers clamored out.

"The best thanks you can give is getting out alive lad." Sehn smiled, gripping the leather strap of the coffin on his shoulder. "Just do what you need to do to survive lad."

"I can do that." Adam promised as his ticket glowed, responding to the obelisk.

Suddenly a purple void ripped open mid air, its magical energies releasing a large gust of wind that sent the crowd back and nearly removed Adam’s hood if not for him grappling it at the last second.

So much for being inconspicuous!

The energy in the air spun, rotating until it expanded then reshaped, forming a door of sorts with bones forming a doorframe that was quickly filled in by a purple door with a snake devouring itself stenciled in the middle. Unlike the circular portals that were common all around him, Adam's was square, corporal, with a handle bar made of an outstretched skeletal hand that reached out to him as if to shake his hand.

The door landed, hitting the ground in front of Adam with a loud thud as the crowd around him collectively gawked and stared.

The once booming and rambunctious city square was now silent. Not a word or sound besides the wind blowing by. Even the birds and the merchants had stopped their chirping.

“WHAT KIND OF PORTAL IS THAT?!” A man cried out, shortly before the crowd began moving, shifting, and racing towards Adam’s position. Eager to peak at the phenomenon transpiring in front of them.

“MY GABBAGES!” A merchant cried out as a stampede formed.

OH CRAP BASKETS! Adam went wide-eyed, a tidal wave of adventurers charging toward him to get a look at his “portal.”

“Crap! This is bad!” Sehn pivoted, slinging his coffin off and throwing it at a group that tried to rush over, making them stumble as Titania punched her fists together, releasing a blast of green energy that sent another group back.

“Adam! Into your portal now! Don’t let them see you!” Sehn cried as an adventurer leapt over the pile of people to reach Adam, only to be plucked out the air by a murder of crows that suddenly appeared, carrying the man who began screaming as he was flown away.

Lunafreya?!

Suddenly a massive frame of a woman landed in the square, slamming a metal chair into the ground that sat the Vilenciel guild master. The woman stood up, heels clicking against the concrete where she swept her raven hair to the side and bellowed.

“BE STILL!”

[You have been designated as an unintended target of the skill: Voice of Command]

[Skill effect resisted!]

As a notification hit his interface, Adam spun, watching as the entire rabid crowd went still save for a few stragglers.

Victoria turned, an odd look on her face before she pointed at the door. “Go. Now. This will only delay them for a few moments.”

In the heat of the moment, Adam didn’t need to be told twice, he spun, reaching out and grabbed the outstretched hand of bones. He yanked, opening the door where he was immediately greeted by several skeletal appendages that pulled him in.

[CONCATULATIONS! QUEST COMPLETE!]

****

Now back at the guild hall, Sehn and Titania sat in Victoria’s office, awaiting the woman’s response as she paced around.

“Ok. What the hell was that?” The guild master demanded as she turned to stare out the window that was filled with clamoring adventurers, church officials, and nobles demanding answers to the incident in the plaza.

Titania and Sehn shared a look, before both turned to the woman.

“We have no idea.” Titania said as Sehn removed the ice pack on his black eye and confirmed Titania’s answer. “Maybe… Maybe it has something to do with him being a demi?”

Victoria pinched her nose, wondering how she was going to explain this. Already she could sense the research institute clamoring their way toward her with the nobles and church tripping over themselves for answers.

“Get in contact with Coco, see if she can offer any insight to the boy’s portal.” Victoria sighed before snapping her fingers. “Lunafrya.”

“Yes mistress.” The gargantuan woman appearing from the shadows and bowing.

“Find Leona and have her put a statement out that the abilities and information of our members is confidential. And that we will be taking no questions. Church or otherwise.” Victoria instructed.

“As you command madam.” Lunafreya said, disappearing in a murder of summoned crows as Sehn and Titania quickly left to fulfill their task.

“Trouble is brewing.” Victoria frowned, a headache blossoming in her mind as she stared out the window toward the castle out in the distance.

A/N Check out Royal Road to catch up to Season 2!