Saki
I appeared in the air and looked down. I regretted it instantly. I was over two hundred feet in the air and below me was a grey blob that kind of looked like a wall? I began to fall and panic flooded me. “TAMA!” I screamed loudly.
I felt as Tama grabbed me from behind and I closed my eyes right before we vanished. I felt my feet safely touch the ground and I opened my eyes just as Tama spoke. “Nya! Tama is happy you are here. Tama was training these guys and Anna said they were in trouble or something!”
I looked around at all the city guards and a few adventurers, most likely on duty as guards at the walls. I sighed as I saw broken arrows, multiple areas of blood splatter, and I didn’t even want to know why two of the guards were actively sobbing. I just knew Tama was involved somehow. Which meant damage control. I turned to Anna, who was luckily still a GI on Tama. I had been worried she might have jumped off and done something crazy.
“What happened Anna, explain?” I asked seriously, leaning in and talking directly to her. To most it would look like I was talking to Tama’s belly button. But I had learned long ago it was pointless to try and hide it with Tama.
“Well, you see, Tama was just minding her own business when..” Anna began, but I waved her off.
“Okay, now the truth Anna.” I stated simply. Making sure to have my eyes glow gently purple to get my point across. Her gi form stopped shimmering and she spoke seriously.
“Well, Tama didn’t want to wait in line so she blinked up the side of the wall. That guard captain over there noticed her and tried to arrest her for trespassing. Tama mistook that as training and..”
“And she utterly destroyed the poor guards stationed here..” I finished with a sigh.
Standing and looking over at the guard captain. Clearly it was the man with the shield and sword with full plate mail. I couldn’t see anything wrong with him, but based on the way he was nursing his left leg, Tama went for the knees.. again. I walked over and looked him in the eyes. He flinched and stepped back. Tama clearly scared these guards half to death.
I sighed and said “On behalf of her royal majesty, Fuyuki Tamaneko. I, royal advisor Saki hereby call off this...” I trailed off and looked over at Tama before sighing again. “training session. Please recall your troops and send someone to escort us to the palace.”
The guard captain looked at me like I was insane, so after a moment I just opened the command window and after a moment of shock at the amount of options available while in the city, found the man in front of me and gave him an order through the system. He looked at me puzzled, and I remembered that, much to my chagrin. They couldn’t see those commands. But he should at least be compelled to..”
He suddenly spoke up, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Everyone, return to the post and after some rest, get back on patrol! I will personally escort the princess and her royal advisor to the castle.”
I avoided sighing in relief and instead simply nodded at him as I turned to tell Tama we were going to the castle. Tama was gone. I paused, considered for a moment. Then turned back to the guard captain. “It seems her majesty has gone on ahead. Why don’t we set off and perhaps we will find her along the way.“ Inwardly I screamed at Tama and slammed my head into an imaginary wall. Outwardly, I put on an illusion of me smiling and followed the guard captain down a flight of stairs. We walked out into a room full of guards. Many were injured and I idly wondered how much damage Tama had actually done.
“Sorry for the mess Royal Advisor. There has been a growing amount of monster attacks lately and the injuries have been piling up. We simply don’t have enough healers to keep people out there.” The captain said wearily as we made our way through the guard room.
I pursed my lips under my illusion. I made my illusion give a sympathetic look at all the injured while I wondered why there were increased monster attacks. At the bare minimum, it wasn’t Tama’s fault.. I hoped.
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I looked back to the guard captain and asked “Why don’t we have enough healers?” The question was just meant to show concern. I didn’t really need his reasons, once I reached the castle I could pull up the city menu and really look at what was happening.
But it was important to look like I cared. To be fair, I did care. But mostly about Tama and where she was. This was all secondary.
I noticed as one of the mage guards coughed up blood and frowned. Something didn’t sit right with me. I stopped and turned to face the mage entirely. I turned invisible and allowed my illusion to follow the guard captain to the other side of the room towards the exit door. I had my illusion ask to wait a moment. I quickly snuck over to the mage and looked at the blood. It had specks of silver and black.
My face darkened and I stepped back quickly. Turning, I looked at the blood around the area and noticed it all had the same silver and black.
Now I was beginning to panic. I calmed myself and took my place back where my illusion was and spoke up. “Alright, sorry, I just had to fix something.”
“Of.. of course your greatness.” The guard captain said uncertainly as we left the building. It seems we had a plague on our hands.
I calmly walked behind the guard captain. It would be disastrous to mention this right now. Mere days before the coronation. But something had to be done and soon. I hoped someone at the Castle would have an answer.
The regent mentioned having multiple advisors.
We exited the building to a city street and made our way down. Everyone seemed fine for the moment. But that was how magical plagues worked. By the time it was fully active… I winced as I looked down. My illusion kept pace and casually looked around unperturbed.
“Ah, captain, I noticed some people looked a little sick?” I casually mentioned, trying my best to appear nonchalant.
The guard nodded and looked forlorn. “Yea, recently more and more have been coming down with something, but it's mostly been stuck to the old part of the city for now. We have the area quarantined until after the coronation. The general believes while it is a problem, until we have a new queen. There isn’t much we can do.”
I flinched at that, luckily he didn’t see it due to my illusion covering me. Clearly, the illusion had left the poor district. That means they know something is up. But based on the captain's reaction. Either they don’t understand the full extent or the General is keeping it under wraps.
We passed by some alleyways on the way down the main thoroughfare. I glanced down at them and saw nothing. They were empty and that was alarming. Thugs hung out in those alleyways. If there were none, then something was very wrong. I moved up plague infancy to plague maturation. It was clearly still not active. But it was spreading fast.
We finally reached the castle gates and for once, I felt Tama’s pain. Walking through a clearly plague-addled capitol city was unnerving to put it mildly. If anyone could heal it though, it had to be Anna. At the very least she had to know a way. I originally considered an advisor, but Anna is an ancient water spirit…
The royal guards to either side opened the gates and as they slowly creaked open I felt an involuntary shiver crawl down my spine. Tama normally wouldn’t have gotten through here without talking to the guards.. If she were anyone else. But this was Tama and I had a feeling I knew where she was already.
Walking through the beautiful courtyard and up the steps. I paused for a moment at the big doors in the foyer. I had studied castle layouts when I was younger for.. Reasons. But, now, standing in front of this door. It felt.. Surreal, like this was all really happening.
Sure, it was one thing to know Tama was actually a princess. It was easy to say she had to become queen and coronation was happening. That I was her royal advisor. But out of everything. Standing in front of these double doors did more to cement me in reality than anything before this.
Tama… Tama was about to become queen.
Carefully, I opened the door and walked inside. I quickly made my way across the foyer to the second set of double doors. I took a deep breath and pushed.
The doors swung open quietly and on the other side was a massive room with embroidered red carpet with pillars on either side. The kind of craftsmanship that would make any village blacksmith cry tears of joy. At the end of the hall, upon a small 3 steps up, stood an empty throne.
I frowned and looked around the empty royal throne room. I was positive Tama would have been here? Carefully, I entered the grand room and made my way quietly to the throne. The sound of my footsteps echoing quietly in the large hall.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the little fox.” A voice spoke. It was familiar and I instantly brought out all nine tails and summoned my void.
The doors to the throne room suddenly slammed shut and laughter peeled through the room. “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t get you back after what you did little fox? Did you like my present? Don’t worry, you will be joining them soon enough.”
I turned to see her standing at the doors I had just come in. I hissed instinctively and looked around for a way out.
