Dark Mer

32

In the following days, everyone recovered from the experience in their own ways. King Edmund and his people went back to the Dark Kingdom, after King Edmund took a bit of time to attempt to bond with his son – all except for Quirin, who moved into the nearby Old Corona so he could be close enough to visit Varian in prison. He took up farming as a profession, which seemed to suit him just fine, and waited for the day his son would be forgiven.

Three days after the event, Demanitus walked up to the flower that trapped Zhan Tiri and smiled. "Finally found something that will keep you locked away, did she? This should keep you bound until the day she dies. But, that's for another generation to worry about." He turned to the city gates. "Now then...I should go return this body and return 'Vigor' to Madame Canardist."

He headed out of the city, humming to himself. "But...I did enjoy being human again, for a time. Perhaps he wouldn't mind being swapped a bit longer."

--

"So...it's over." Eugene sighed as he and Rapunzel looked out at the city from her balcony. "What now?"

"What now?" She smiled at him. "We have a wedding to plan."

"Oh, really? Now?" He blushed.

She giggled and kissed him happily. "Of course! Let's go tell my parents!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along, laughing.

"We still need to replace the door Varian broke off." Eugene commented.

"We'll let my parents worry about that." She decided.

--

Down in the dungeons, the guards were having a bit of a dispute.

"I just think that a mustache would suit me." One of them said.

"No, no. I'm the mustache guy." The other shook his head.

"Hey, why don't we ask one of these prisoners about it?" The first guy looked towards the cells.

They heard something rolling on the stone and looked down to see a pink ball rolling towards them. "Huh, what's that?" He asked, kneeling to touch it. As soon as he did, it suddenly burst open and a pink gas was released into the air. They let out groans as they collapsed and started snoring. Behind them, the ones in the cells also fell asleep, those that weren't already.

The door opened wider and the blond man with glasses walked in, a metal mask covering his mouth and nose, whistling some nonsense tune as he passed right by the sleeping guards. He stopped in front of Varian's cell and pulled out some kind of gel, which he put on the lock. He stepped back, pushed a button on a device he held and it exploded. The door swung open and he nodded before walking over to kneel in front of the cell.

"Just a bit of moon water, stolen for study during your fight." He commented as he took out a bottle and poured the contents onto the fire around Varian to douse it. Then he put the bottle back in his pocket and walked in to lift Varian over his shoulder. "Alley-oop."

"Nn..."

"You'll be out a little while, little god." He assured the sleeping teen and carried him past the sleeping guards and right out the door. "I'll be taking him, thanks~!" He waved with one hand and then closed the door as he left.

No one was awake to even try to protest it.

--

Stealing the airship during the hectic aftermath of the battle was child's play, no one was bothering to guard it and the black rocks that anchored it had been destroyed. The man had hidden it safely somewhere outside town and now headed right for it.

"Hhn...nnn...."

He shifted the precious cargo on his shoulder and then walked over to kneel next to a pond. "Here we go." He carefully laid Varian down in the water and let out a low whistle as his legs fused with a glow and changed into a fin, all of his scales retracting aside from what was on the fin. "Wow." He noticed that the blue streak that had been on his left leg was on his fin now, matching his blue streak in his black hair.

"Mm..."

He sat next to the sleeping Mer and checked a pocket-watch. "You should be waking up soon."

"Nn...nn?"

He looked over at the Mer, who was slowly waking up with a fluttering of dark eyelashes. "Ah, good." He closed the pocket-watch and went to his bag to get a sandwich out, which he offered to the Mer with a smile. "Hungry?"

"Th-Thirsty..." He rasped.

The blond shrugged and used the empty bottle he used to store moon water to gather up water from the pond and offer it to him. "Here you go."

Varian took the water and eagerly drank it. Then he accepted the sandwich and ate that with just as much eagerness.

"Feel better?" He asked once he was done.

"More?" Varian pleaded.

The man shrugged and offered him his own sandwich, which the Mer devoured quickly. "Okay, now do you feel better?"

Varian nodded. "Thank you."

"Hey, don't worry about it." The man got up and stretched.

"...Why did you save me, though?" Varian frowned. "You look...kind of familiar. Did I see you during the fight?"

"Oh, you saw me? Yeah, I was the one that said 'oh, it's a cage match'!" He grinned. "And I saved you because I think you can help me." He sat in front of him, his legs criss-crossed under him.

"Help you?" Varian asked.

"I'm trying to find something. Er, seven somethings, actually. Totems, that lead to the greatest knowledge, a secret library built by Lord Demanitus." The man explained. "With your moon powers, finding them and getting to that library will be a cinch!" He held out a hand. "So, what do ya say? Help me out?"

Varian looked around, then sighed and nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?" He grinned and Varian took his hand, using it to pull himself out. The Mer's body glowed and covered itself in scales again as he stepped out of the water to stand with him. "That...is so cool. So...you're always covered in scales?"

"I mean...yes?" He shrugged.

"Huh. Oh yeah, intros! I know who you are, Varian, but you don't know me." He draped his arm over Varian's shoulders. "Name's Hugo. And you and I, friend, are you going to do great things!"

Varian looked towards the castle in the distance. "...Okay."

End