by Envy Mercury
“It's kind of like you did with the lock. That would be smaller, easier work, though. You can do all kinds of things, as long as there isn’t an anti-magic spell cast, and you have the mana you need for the job. Smaller things like the lock, you can do fairly easily. Clothing would be a step up, I suppose. When you created me, that took a substantial amount of mana,” Mecci explained.
Holy shit. I created Mecci with magic? I was badass, or I use to be badass. I also now knew why she was so snarky. I made her somehow for the win.
“I think I am going to try to make some new clothes to wear,” I said.
“Make sure you do it in the middle of a group of people,” Mecci said, waving her arms out and around dramatically. “That way, you fulfill your pervish fantasies even more!”
“I am not like that!” I stated as the group of former inmates looked at me with ‘I’m judging you’ expressions. “I’ll just go change over behind this building,” I said as I pointed to an area that was hidden and not full of people to fulfill perv desires I did not have. I gave a slight wave to the group as I walked away to my special non-pervy secluded area. I took one last look around, and then I stripped off my clothing.
Then I threw up. I threw up some more. I tried to keep it quiet so the others wouldn’t overhear my impression of the exorcist. I was fallen down, on my knees in the nude. My eyes were watery from the dry heaving. God, this was the worst and a situation that I really, really, really wanted to avoid.
I wasn’t sure how much longer I would last without my kit. There had to be something in this world to get me by. There was magic, all kinds of things. If they had beer, they had to have some sort of drugs. I slowly stood back up and focused on what I needed to do.
I thought about what type of styles would be proper in this world, remembering what I had seen others wearing. Which frankly was either commoner clothing or inmate rags. Then I thought about some video games I use to play. That would have to be something close to what I would need. I didn’t really want to have a wizard type look. You know, an old man with a cloak and a staff. A cool staff would be kind of awesome, though. It just didn’t sound like a staff would be the sort of accessory I would use. It seemed I had an image to uphold here. Maybe I should think about characters that fit that. I started to think of some villains that I faced in some old games I played. Then, I thought of a tough one that was hard to beat. Maybe I should have thought of all of those details before I undressed. Oh well.
I looked down at my nude body, then I closed my eyes. I felt the magic go to my hands like it did with the locks in jail. I pictured the outfit on me, but I tried to imagine natural fabrics rather than graphics from the game. I felt my mana drain. It drained a lot as I fell to one knee. That was when I noticed my knee was cushioned from the rocky ground. My new clothes were comfortable and looked like I had imagined. The fabric had more properties from my world, like if you purchased it from a high-end store. I felt pretty badass, and when I walked back to the group, I walked with a bit more swagger. Well, as much swagger as someone with withdrawals could muster.
I now received looks from the group as I walked my swagged ass back to them was not what I was expecting for how cool I looked. Mecci dropped to her knees like she had the wind knocked out of her. She started to shake a little bit. Concerned that she was ok, I reached towards her slightly. That was when she fell over onto the ground.
Mecci was laughing again. She laughed some more. She laughed without holding back. She laughed with no concern that we would be noticed. Tears streamed down her face, and she pulled herself into a fetal position. She raised a trembling hand and pointed towards me and my swag.
“You look like a bird! A bird that is a pimp. Those are the most feathers I’ve seen anyone wear that wasn’t a bird. In fact…” She continued in broken sentences from laughing so hard. “You have more feathers than birds! It hurts, Master! Laughing this hard, it hurts so much. I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time.”
“So, it doesn’t look cool?” I asked.
“Today is great. I got my Master back, got rescued, and I am laughing harder than I have in my life!” She said as she started to get back to her feet, wiping her tears again as she stood back up. “I mean, with the feathers, it doesn’t look cool; it looks pretty warm, Master.”
My threads consisted of dark boots that reminded me of motorcycle boots but more lightweight. More comfortable and more stylish. I had black pants that slipped over the tops of the shoes. They were like dark jeans but made better than high-end jeans. I had a dark shirt with small square sections with no fabric in which you could see my skin. Then it had a colossal boa built over the shoulders. Was it casual? No. Looking at me, I suppose I did look like a flamboyant bad boy model. It was better than what I was wearing from my world, so there is that. Thinking more about it, I could see it drawing more attention to me. It was an outfit that would make you memorable. I guess I will just have to try to go a bit low key. Not like our group was super low key anyways. I put the cloak back on.
I reached down and patted Mecci’s head. “Alright, let’s keep going to this Yumi’s place.”
We had finally come to an end of our short travels to the guild of Yumi. The area was pretty much the shithole side of town. I could see how some could be fed up with the government or whatever the fuck was going on in this place. There were a ragtag bunch of people in this area. There was what I would assume were demi-humans. They were more human than an animal, but I did see the differences. It was like games and anime: fancy cosplay, but real ears. There were also humans. They all looked like they got along fair enough, but all of them looked like they were not getting along with the world. They were poor as shit.
The market area where I first arrived in this world was full of what I would maybe consider more middle class, guessing at people's financial standing here. Where I was now would be equivalent to the slums. It really broke my heart. Especially seeing children here. They looked like they needed some clothing, some food, and a bath. Their homes would shelter them from the weather. Well, unless it rained a lot, it also seemed some housing had dirt floors. The buildings also weren’t very structurally sound. I mean, I’m no contractor or carpenter, but even I could see the issues presented here.
People were greeting the rescued that returned with us, but they were very wary of Mecci and me. You know when people aren’t sincere and direct with you, but you can tell. Like they give a half-assed greeting or look away when you see them, and they have absolutely no real conversation with you. Well, I really didn’t blame them. It’s not like I am some socialite that made friends with everyone. I didn’t just mean here either. In my world, I stuck to myself. Worked, played some games. Watched streaming platforms. I also looked like I was really sick.
I was brought out of my train of thought when we came up to a building. Old man Warren motioned for us to stop and hold up a second. He told us that he would handle talking to Yumi. Fine by me, who knew what we were getting into? Mecci looked like her typical carefree self. Wish I had some of that. In fact, I would have to sort out a way to feel better like that soon.
We walked into the old building. It looked better on the inside, but not by much. It resembled a large dive bar. One of those bars, at first glance, you knew there was a high probability for trouble. Then you would notice things here or there that needed repairs or that were missing. Shitty wood on a bar, missing light covers. Bathrooms that required some significant maintenance. Guild members were looking like bar patrons hanging out drinking and chatting it up. Some smiling, obviously drunk, the frisky fucks. Some chatting up Warren and company as we walked along. Some drooled over Mecci, she had a cloak on, and that would still happen. She just had that vibe she put out. There were a few guild members that gave me the stink eye, naturally. I would say half and half on the lust look and stink eye.
We came up to the bar, there was a really short cat girl running things there. She was hidden behind the beer taps. I wondered if she had to s
tand on something to reach things back there. An oriental woman was sitting on the edge of the bar indulging in a big glass of beer. She was laughing and appeared to be talking to the catgirl behind the bar. She had long black hair that was down and partially pulled up into a bun on the top of her head. It looked like two small daggers were in the bun to hold her hair up upon her head. I knew that they probably were very sharp and practical, not those infomercials- keep your hair up, and if you act now, get free shipping, overpriced plastic shit hairpins. She had green eyes and looked like she was wearing dark makeup. She was stunning. I could also tell she was dangerous.
I was looking at her outfit, which consisted of a yukata style that showed some legs. She had some garters with more weapons on her thighs. My eyes wandered up the rest of her figure. Her outfit as a whole was more like a yukata blended with an assassin. Bold and very sexy. Finished with the touch of a sword she had on her person. How did this show me she was dangerous? It didn’t. The look she was giving me after the tour my eyes gave her body told me how dangerous she was. Yeah, she was scary. Fuck my life, she looked pissed.
“Lady Yumi,” Warren greeted her as he bowed before her.
“Warren,” she said as she looked towards him. Her facial features softened a bit. “It is good to see my servant has returned.” She looked around at everyone else in our group. “We were highly concerned when we learned of the street guards capturing you all.”
“Yes, Lady Yumi,” said Warren. “I left here to get more supplies for our bar. There were none in this district, so I had to venture out a bit further. That being the case, I took a few of us for peace of mind and also to have more bodies to carry the supplies back in a quick fashion. Normally that isn’t an issue. But for some reason, we were blamed for some crimes and taken into custody. I believe it fate or luck that we have returned here.”
Look at this guy. His demeanor totally changed in her presence. It was like just standing before her. He cleaned up into a well-mannered guy and carried himself well. Well, he wasn’t clean, and he still smelled like ass. It was more his aura that he gave off changed. Who was this old man?
“We were set free by a fellow prisoner, Lady Yumi. He is the man here with us now,” Warren said as he gestured towards me. “You will know of him.”
Yumi’s gaze fell onto Mecci and me as she seemed to be analyzing who we were. Her thumbnail clicked against the handle of her sword. No one said a word. After what felt like minutes had gone by, she finally spoke. “Why would I know some pimp and a trollup? You know very well about my feelings regarding prostitution.”
“I think...” I started to say only to be cut off by Mecci.
“Lady Yumi,” Mecci said as she stepped forward, giving a fancy bow of her head while she kept eye contact with the guild master. “I am named Mecci, and my master is not a pimp, and I am not a prostitute…” This was interrupted by another voice.
“HE IS A PERVERT!” squealed a voice from behind the bar. A very familiar voice indeed. The catgirl that was running the bar was no other than the angry cat girl from earlier.
“She a little young to be running a bar?” I whispered to Mecci. This caused the cat girl to lose her shit.
“I am not a damn kid!” the cat girl hissed. “I am a 21-year-old adult! Spinner of yarns!”
With a flick of her wrist, Lady Yumi unsheathed her sword partially and slid it back in. Making the hilt hit the sheath with a snap that drew everyone’s attention to her. She cleared her throat. “Warren?”
“I suggest we let Mecci continue, and I will speak with Mew after,” Warren said. “Mew, head to the back.”
“But,” Mew stammered.
“Now.”
I didn’t really know what to expect after all this. What a shit show. Lady Yumi motioned for Mecci to continue. Mecci bowed again. Look at her being able to get serious. Mew had left a beer on the bar, so I reached over and picked it up. I quickly slammed it down in one go. It will help me get by.
“You may know of me, I am that- Mecci. I was taken into custody after I summoned the return of my master to this world. With my mana depleted, I could not defend myself. By fates, my master was also brought into custody into the same place I was detained. He rescued me from torture, then we rescued all of them as well,” Mecci said as she pointed to Warren and the rest of the jailbreakers.
“You could not be him,” Lady Yumi said as she took her hand off her sword and nervously squeezed the front of her top into a bunched up crinkle of fabric. Which also happened to make her cleavage pop. I looked away slightly, which she noticed. “A liar would only look away during a statement that is untruth.”
I looked back at her, “Lady, I’m just trying to not piss you off from appearing to ogle your breasts.” I put my hand on my hip and gave her a firm stare. Might as well go with it. I was feeling a little better. “I am Rezner, and this is my familiar Mecci. We have been invited here by your members we helped escape capture. We require assistance.” I stared at her, hoping I didn’t look creepy. She blushed.
“Rezner would not require assistance,” she mocked. “Rezner is more powerful than anyone I know or I have known.”
“Maybe we should discuss this in private,” Mecci said.
There was a slide, and a pop sound as Lady Yumi slightly pulled her sword from her sheath and returned it in a flash. All eyes were on her as she hopped down from the bar. She was very confident. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about following her to our private meeting.
“I will return,” she said to everyone. “Do not dare disturb us.” With a flash of her eyes towards us, she started up the stairs to above. I looked back at the room as we left up the stairs, the guild members returned to drinking, and some were pretending to tip back the booze and drink up, but they were watching us. Warren directed that we should follow her up the stairs.
“If you don’t look, you will miss it, Master,” Mecci whispered close to my ear while gesturing up towards Yumi. I looked around, and I didn’t really notice anything that stood out. Well, nothing but Yumi herself. Mecci indeed seemed like a deviant. I suppose it’s my fault if I was her creator. I could see the appeal of what she was showing me. As she walked, Yumi’s sword sheath swished back and forth in the air. Mecci was pointing out to me how her ass swayed back and forth. I knew this was what Mecci wanted me to notice because she giggled when my eyes fell upon it. I also knew that Yumi would probably murder me if she knew I was looking. No, I didn’t want to die today. I turned towards Mecci and gave a look showing how I disapproved of my death.
“What? You know she likes you,” Mecci said to me.
“No, she does not like me,” I said.
“You’ll see.”
“You are right. I see my grave.”
“Don’t be dramatic.”
Yumi turned and faced us over her shoulder. “In this room over here,” she said. I swallowed down my fear. We followed her into the room.
The room wasn’t anything super special. It was old as the rest of the building. The room was very organized. It appeared a lot of work had been put into it to at least make it appear more elegant than it was. There was a shelf with some books on it. The images on their covers and spines appeared to be generalized around meditation, sword, and some martial arts. I chuckled, thinking about self-help books, and teaching dummies to kick ass. If it existed here, that would most likely be the book they handed to me. A few paintings looked of good quality, but not like some rich people commissioned some custom work of them. Yumi had a desk with some paperwork on it. A quill and some other items sat upon it that would probably translate to office materials. Of the objects of the room, these were high-quality looking supplies. It would be like if you had a rich relative come to stay in your shithole house, and she packed twenty suitcases of crap to make herself feel more at home.
“Nice place,” I said as I took a seat where she gestured us to sit. She sat across from us with a severe face, her hands up, and her fingertips touching. “The pain
tings are pretty nice.”
“The only thing nice about this place is that it keeps us dry,” she said. “If you are who they say you are, we are the same in that regard.”
“That we are dry?” I asked.
“At least you have humor. I meant more as we have both had things taken from us. We both had our territories stolen from us, and the paintings were created for me as gifts.” She sighed, crossed her arms, and leaned back into her chair.
“I see.” I felt she was leading this somewhere. What did she need from me? She was like a badass, take what I want kind of girl, organized, and probably a killer. I was just me, a waste of a human being that had addictions that messed with daily living life. They saw me as what I use to be here, someone like her. Maybe, someone better than her. I had a hard time seeing it myself. Might as well see what she wanted. “So, what do you want from us Lady Yumi?”
“Yumi. You can just call me Yumi,” she said.
I crossed my arms. “Yumi, let’s get to the point.” Maybe a little too direct.
She sat forward in her seat and put her elbows on the desk in front of her. “I made attempts to reacquire what is mine. Victor, after he took over everything you had, that still wasn’t enough. He is that type of being that nothing is ever enough. There are always goals of more. I never had issues with Victor, and I have always been pretty neutral. A girl has got to get by, you know? I never enjoy being involved in all that political nonsense. It can get messy quick.” She leaned back into her chair a bit more and crossed her legs. I noticed her slight increase of grip on her sword. “We were attacked at my manor. I bearly got out. Anyone close to me was killed if they did not escape. He stole my magical sword and melted it down. My sword was priceless. He destroyed it in front of me to make a point.”
“At least you are alive, ya know?” I reminded her.
“I think he left me alive because he wanted to gloat and show how great he is and how worthless I am. Many would have killed to have that sword. He killed my strength when he defeated me, stole my sword, and destroyed it in front of me. He proceeded to take my home, then he murdered my friends. Now I am but a spark of what I was.” Her eyes looked furious, behind the moisture I noticed in the reflecting light. I didn’t really blame her for feeling that way. Man, this guy sounded like a prick. It was something else to add to the list of reasons I didn’t like myself, another notch in the belt that was my fault. Why would I leave to let all that happen?
