Arista dropped her sister on a cliff next to the port city. The young rmaid princess still wasn't used to the constricting clothes, and they rubbed over all her skin like a swarm of raspy and dry sea slugs. She hated clothes, the young woman decided. However, to blend in with the surface society, she had to wear them. Her red hair was braided and it felt heavy on her head. She loved having the mane floating around her as she swam.
"Uncomfortable?" Arista asked as she shifted from her giant dragon-bird form back to looking like a human. She splurted a snort. Adyra didn't know what was so funny. "And those are made with the finest silk in the world. Imagine what she would feel if she were to wear crude hemp clothes, Nenandil."
"Don't tease her," The fairy said as she ca out of Arista's chest.
Nenandil was extrely beautiful. Her tiny features seed chiseled, her deep blue hair looked like the ocean at dusk and her white-ish skin resembled shellfish nacre. her diaphanous wings fluttered slowly behind her as if she didn't need them to fly.
"We are here on serious business," she added then hovered in front of Adyra. "Focus on the mission, okay? Rescue your sisters. Arista and I will help you, but we want you to learn a lot in this outing, so we won't help much. But we'll keep you safe, so don't fear anything."
"Okay. Look, Adyra, it will be alright. Rember you are a [Princess] but you are not automatically everyone's superior. Treat people fairly until they give you reason not to. We'll be with you. here, this is for you."
After handing her a pouch with coins, Arista transford into a fairy. Differently from Nenandil's well-proportioned features, sister-fairy had a large head that was a bit flattened at the top, giving her the appearance of a small child or a doll. Her hair was brighly white and under starlight, it seed to glow. She had light brown skin and a wide and prominent nose that resembled a sea anemone polyp. She wore a dark gray robe that glead when the moonlight caught in the right angles.
She put the coin pouch in her storage ring.
The two fairies sat on each of the princess's shoulders. "We won't talk much, but we'll be here," Arista-fairy said. "Invisible... whoosh!" She said and made a sound Adyra associated with wind.
They disappeared but Adyra could still feel their weight. Holding her staff, she willed it to illuminate her path. A walkway led from the rocky promontory to the main road where she could see so rchants.
In this Age of Eclipse, the night wasn't really night. People adapted and so slept right after the sunset, only to wake up a few hours later and go on with their life. Others stayed awake after sunset and only slept later on. That ant the streets and roads were never truly empty.
She walked to the road and made her way to the city. Two n in armor with spears were at the gates. They looked at her but didn't say anything, so Adyra crossed the gate along with the traffic.
The city itself was alive. People of all species and types walked around. Torches and magical lights of all colors decorated the streets and dispelled the darkness of the eternal night. She took her first steps into the city and heard her sister's voice in her head.
"I know what an inn is, sister!" Adira whispered her protest.
The rmaid walked with those boots clamping around her tail flukes. She stopped and stomped the cobblestones. Not tail flukes, leg feet. It was so damn strange. She also missed the weight and drag of her fin stabilizing her from behind. Wobbling a bit on the irregular paving, she slamd her staff on the stone to balance herself.
"Sorry," she said when her stunt caught the attention of so people.
She wandered the streets for a while, taking in the sights and slls. Yeah, surface cities slled bad. There was a sll of dead fish and rotten... stuff along with an acrid pungent stench she couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Finally, she ca upon a sign that had a sculpture of a rmaid crying. With a bit of difficulty, she read it. "The wailing rmaid. Looks like an inn."
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She entered and saw a bunch of rowdy people singing along with a musician. The bard's music was much cruder than what she was used to listening to, mostly Arista playing. 'My sister can do anything better than anyone!' she thought, her heart swelling with pride.
A lady with a bushy orange tail ending in white appeared next to her. In Adyra's defense, she was distracted. Very distracted. She wore a stained apron.
"What can I get you, milady?" She said with a sultry voice. Or her normal voice, that sounded sultry for so reason. "Sothing to drink?"
"Yes, water, please."
The bushy-tailed barmaid examined her from up-down. "What's your age, girl?"
"Thirteen."
She put a hand on her waist, that for so reason made her lean to the side a little bit, "You're old enough to drink sothing stronger, aren't you?"
"No, thanks. Seawater is fine for ."
"Are you..." The barmaid fixed her gaze on Arista. She felt uncomfortable for a mont, a sign she'd been {Appraised}. "Oh, I'm sorry. Please, this way. Jeffries! Jeffries, where are you, you pest!"
They walked while the apron woman shouted for this Jeffries fellow. "Here, you can sit here," she pointed at an empty seat on a booth with two won. "Ladies, could you keep an eye on this young miss here while I get her sothing to eat and drink?"
The two won wore very little clothing. Adyra wanted to dress just like them. They seed very comfortable.
"Sure thing, Elyse. She looks delicious," One of them said and discreetly licked her lip.
"She's not for the likes of you, Martha. Hands-off unless you want trouble."
"We're leaving for work soon. We just need to get hamred enough to endure our clients," the other one offered a placating gesture.
"Sure. Why don't you go adventuring again, instead of..." Elyse the barmaid trailed off as she looked at Adyra. "Nevermind. I'll get you so whiskey, okay? Just keep the guest safe."
"Right. We will. The n here know better than to bother us when we are off-duty," Martha nodded.
Elyse went off, still shouting for Jeffries.
"So, what brings a pretty and rich lady like you here," the other woman asked staring at the jewels on the head of Adyra's staff.
"I'm looking for my sisters," the [Princess] confessed, "They've been kidnapped by so evil man on a ship. Destiny's Drear, do you know them?"
Martha stopped sipping her drink. It had so foam, like waves crashing on the beach. But it was yellow, so it wasn't seawater.
"I know. They arrived a week ago from a trading voyage to that rmaid kingdom. But..."
"That's them!" Adyra stood up and slamd the table in excitent. She beca a bit angry too. "Where are them now?"
"They are still anchored in the... Hey, girl, wait!"
Adyra was already halfway across the tavern when Martha held her by the wrist. "By haia's tentacles, you are going to get yourself killed, girl. Co back."
"My sisters were on that ship!" Adyra shouted. "Against their will! Unhand . I must go and take them back!"
The bard stopped playing. Adyra suddenly beca conscious of the number of eyes on her. She flinched at the sheer number of {Appraise} attempts shot at her.
"Hey, [Princess]! Wanna co and play with us?" So drunk sailors called for her.
"What? U sure, old Goggles?"
"As sure as my {Appraise} proficiency is a hundred-fifty," Goggles the sailor chortled and belched. "Wanna bet?"
"No. We all know you have that stupid heritage Perk."
"And I'll only sell it for no less than a thousand Kingtal coins. Knife and you lose as much. Oh. What? Who are you? Where? Now? Serious?"
The Goggles fellow rose from his chair and walked out. Adyra felt her left shoulder lighter. "She'll be back soon," Nenandil whispered from her other shoulder.
Back alley of the Wailing rmaid. Goggles' POV.
"Devil Sharks bite . That's really a thousand Kingtal coins!" he shouted after appraising the large sack of coins in his hand.
"The heritage Perk," the strange man wearing shining plate armor said. "Transfer it to ."
He scared Goggles because he couldn't get a reading on the man. When he tried again, the armored man laughed.
Appraisal Blocked. Impossible to Pierce. No information is available.
It was a first.
"Okay, okay. Know that if you get a single Exp for my death, you'll suffer the penalty and the Perk will be lost."
"I know. You got your paynt, now give it to ."
Goggles felt compelled to do so now that he received paynt. "Here you go."
You lost the heritage Perk: Pioneer of Appraise.
Your Appraise proficiency is now 150 / 120
"Thanks for your ti. Don't worry, I won't harm you, ever. Speak to nobody of this," The mysterious figure said before vanishing. "For your own safety."
Back to our naive heroine.
Adyra acquiesced and returned to the table with Martha. The scantily-clad woman glowered at the room and the n went on with their business.
"Be careful around males. They are dangerous."
Adyra's eyes went dreamy, "And they make very pleasant company, my sisters told . I never had one, but I wish..."
Martha huffed, "Girl, you are too good for this kind of profession. I an, you are decked to the nines," she stared at the gems in her staff.
"My sister made these for yesterday!" She happily shared. "Aren't they nice? She told she used so stuff she had laying around."
Martha sucked in a huge breath and held it. She exhaled in an attempt to calm herself down. "Look, if your sister has that much riches 'just laying around, she could buy Goggles'--"
"I'LL PAY EVERYONE'S BILLS FOR TONIGHT! EVERYONE, LET'S PAR-TAY!" Goggles returned to the tavern shouting, a large sack of coins jiggling in his hand.
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