Indigo Afina – Treasure Hunting
Though her thorough scrutiny of both the point of interest and its immediate surroundings turned up nothing out of the ordinary, Scarlet knew by experience that anything both valuable and visible would never be freely available to take. All sorts of people from all across the world took advantage of the idea that if a person exhibited even the slightest indication of greed, they deserved whatever misfortune or tragedy came their way. To be sure, some people did, but Scarlet disdained the idea that the simple act of collecting a treasure hunt's treasure would warrant some sort of karmic retribution.
The facts were these: she stood in the center of a quiet street lined by houses, staring at a red lacrima placed without ornament or ceremony on the tarmac. No hidden plates, panels, or walls were visible even to Scarlet's keen eye for detail.
Oh, well. Not like I can just leave it there. Sighing, the clone reached down and plucked the iridescent crystal. She lifted the lacrima a few inches from the ground and looked around carefully for any signs of activity. A few moments later, Scarlet rose to her full height, and turned to go away. A sudden cacophony of slams and shouts elicited a roll of her eyes.
How did I know?Goblins poured out of every door and window in the adjoining houses. Scarlet drew upon the power hidden within her tome,
Defense of the Ancients, and rose from the road a squadron of red-eyed statues. These statues, reminiscent of Demetri with arms outstretched, began to fire a steady stream of red energy blasts at the Goblins, scattering and destroying them gradually. With a huff, Scarlet strode airily away, leaving the statues to fight on her behalf.
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Now regretting her plan to take the farthest, most out-of-the-way lacrima, the true Indigo was totally out of breath when she stumbled into the park where the book
Seven Days to Die emanated a magical signature. Frenzy Plant's number-one sorceress approached the half-dry pond and caught her breath when she saw the mutilated body of her clone. The sight of a woman who looked freakishly like her nearly cleaved in two caused Indigo to retch, and she knelt quietly in the rushes until the heaves stopped. Trying her best to avoid looking at Straw's body, she fumbled for the lost book, and when her fingers touched the cover she instantly un-equipped it, causing both tome and corpse to dissolve. Shakily, Indigo got to her feet, and started back toward the Doma Flau just as the thirty-minute warning came out. On the way, she thought about the wound sustained by Straw.
Only a greatsword and an expert user could have done something like that. I won't be able to get Straw to tell me; if I don't reform her fresh, she'll be too traumatized by the memory of dying to be of any use. All the same, I have a good idea who in this treasure hunt might possess both a blade and the ruthlessness to do something like this. If I come across Damian, I will spare no mercy.A few minutes later, she arrived at the gate to the Doma Flau. Before her stood Ash, Teal, Vert, Scarlet, Plum, Sepia, and Sapphire, making a total of eight.
”Hello, everyone. We're all here; Straw was destroyed by the Blade of Phoenix Wing, and failed to collect the yellow lacrima. Has everyone else done their job?”Each clone nodded in turn. When it came to the holder of
The Order, Ash replied,
”I was unable to prevent anyone from getting inside. Damian went overhead, and Shujin somehow knew all about my magic, even though Frenzy Plant doesn't keep public profiles. Once this is all over, we should make sure that our information is secure.”Indigo nodded and requipped one of her lesser-used tomes,
Fibbage. What looked like a thick and heavy encyclopedia was in fact a single hollow compartment with no actual pages. The sorceress put all the lacrimas -except the extra violet- inside and banished it, frustrated at the fact that the yellow one had been stolen and there was no way to find where another was.
Big flaw in your treasure hunt, Sheldon. If someone steals someone else's, that person has no way to find any other lacrimas of that kind, and has to resort to bargaining.All eight Indigos waited by the main gate, ready to attack any contestants that came near by land or air.
The sound of commotion elsewhere in the camp drew the attention of Jane Putcher, whose coffee break had deterred her from guard duty for the moment. Slurping the rest of her drink, the
former piratess heaved her Priveteer up and took off running. Her coat fluttering in the wind, she rounded the corner of the Jail Tent just in time to see Ike step toward Argus and Isla. Instantly she froze, more out of hardly believing her good luck than out of shock. Though he looked different, Ike was a welcome sight. Yesterday, the report Indigo gave explained how a cruel young witch trapped him in a painting, stating that nobody knew how to free him. Evidently the B-rank soldier had managed to free himself, though his altered appearance begged the question:
at what cost? Meanwhile, the combined silhouette of Isla and Argus formed an entity just begging to be shot. Ever since the demon escaped from Ni Rensa yesterday, General Sanders gave the word that any Frenzy Plant soldier should attempt to incapacitate and capture Argus on sight. Meanwhile, the entire guild had been told by Indigo everything she knew of Isla, and despite her age the painter was to be captured as well.
With this in mind, Jane stepped forward and pointed her revolver cannon's barrel at the trio.
“Well, if it ain't Frenzy Plant's most wanted! Sorry about this, Ike, but we can't 'ave you killin' the painter or the demon just yet. General wants a li'l talk with 'em. Why don'tcha take a nap instead? Sleeper Cells!” Instantly, the Privateer loaded with six canister pills. Holding down the trigger, Jane fired off all six in quick succession in a spread pattern. When each one hit the ground or a living body, it would explode into pink gas and release its fast-acting sedative. Given the spread pattern, the sleep cloud would be pretty much impossible to evade.
