Chapter 5: The Groping Shadows
The elven inn was calm and cozy. Its interior had a nice palette of light colors to it, reminding Katrina of milk chocolate. Soft greenery was sprouting out of walls here and there, making it seem like the place was in the middle of a forest. The air was filled with the smell of pastry and the sounds of violin, masterfully played by the local bard. Katrina and Sophia sat opposite to each other at the table in the corner.
The redhead wanted to choose one near the large window, but Sophia convinced her that she likes this one more, for obvious reasons. Most of the other tables were free, as the number of patrons was quite low. As was explained by a good-looking, young waitress who brought them their menus, people weren't very fancy going to inns nowadays, everyone was saving money and trying to stay away from public places.
The folks here were mostly relaxed about the girls' nudity, which was a relief. Although one family got a bit agitated, with a white-haired woman having to explain "where those aunties lost their dresses" to her curious kids. Sophia tried her best to focus on her tiredness and hunger, her cheeks rosy from all the attention. The redhead, on the other hand, was a bit disappointed that the rumors of naturist solar elves that she heard on the way here turned out to be exaggerated. At least this inn didn't feel like it had anything to do with naturism, as even the waitress was fully closed, wearing a long emerald dress under her apron.
The nudies ordered some traditional elven food, happy with the mayor's promise to cover their expenses, and began discussing the case. Katrina said that with the provided information she'll be able to deal with some archmages quickly. Studying their abilities beforehand and encountering them one at a time with swift strikes should've been enough to get the upper hand, even though their insanity was a very chaotic factor and would mean a lot of risks. Seems like they'll still have to improvise.
As to what caused the craze, Katrina was at a loss just like everyone else. She said that the counselor Gunther seemed suspicious at first, but it turned out he was suffering as well, albeit to a smaller degree. Still, the redhead advised Sophia to not trust him, just like any other wizard. The blonde had to ask why the redhead has this prejudice.
"Wizards are posh and pompous folks, very proud of their new magic that can be learned easily and doesn't abide by the natural laws. Yet, they're also overconfident, which often leads to grave mistakes or outright loss of control. That's new magic for ya, trying to master the whole world while barely mastering your own powers. Trust me, I had to learn it the hard way," Katrina's gaze became heavy for a second, " especially pyromancers."
Sophia nodded and leaned over her cream soup, its warm flavor felt like heaven after today's adventures. Katrina was eating her fried chicken, and the way she did it managed to attract a couple of gazes. The redhead didn't seem to follow any etiquette, as she grabbed and ripped the food with her bare hands, bit into it like a savage beast, and occasionally licked her fingers. The contrast with Sophia's polite and slow eating was laughable. Yet, the priestess didn't find her companion disgusting, on the contrary, she seemed oddly endearing.
"Well," the redhead said when their meal was over and they got up from their seats, "let's go for an evening walk, get some fresh air."
"Oh, I thought we got enough air already," Sophia said in a pleading tone, her legs tired from all the climbing, walking, and riding.
"Come on, no time to be lazy! You need to be at your maximum physical capabilities if you're to help me fight the wizards. You'll have enough time to rest before tomorrow either way!"
Katrina energetically jumped behind the chair, causing the patrons to gaze at her bouncing boobs. Sophia realized that she won't be able to walk away from this one and got up with a sigh. The night was cool and windy, Sophia felt slight goosebumps appearing on her skin and her nipples getting harder. Katrina grabbed the priestess' hand and suggested they walk arm in arm, her magical warmth spread across the blonde's body like a pleasant wave.
"I sure hope we don't get mugged," Sophia chuckled nervously.
"Oh, as if I'd allow it," Katrina touched the handle of her sword with a smile.
The trade district seemed very different at night: no glowing lights of the marketplace, no crowds of citizens cutting each other off to buy something cheap, no carriages and pack horses blocking the way for the pedestrians. It was quiet and dark, very dark, not a single source of life except for the moon and the shining stars.
Several minutes in and Sophia became more comfortable. She stopped covering up as there was no one around, and rigorously conversed with the knight. The girl told Katrina about the market, where to buy which products, how the prices are and how shady some merchants may get. Then the topic shifted towards magic, Sophia told how Zardiw used to be a town full of wielders with a population that didn't want anything to do with the new magic. This was due to the high amount of solar elves who stayed true to their traditions. The Kingdom of Tholcing, however, had planned on renovating its magical practices for the sake of convenience and military might.
The king's servants got their way six years later, when the magic academy was built in Zardiw and started accepting students. Mayor Ridzwalt supported the idea despite being a wielder himself, thinking that it'll benefit the town and give way to progress. And it did for a while. It turned out Zardiw was full of various contraptions that worked with the use of magic, and now many of them stopped working due to the craze. So the city's infrastructure was partially paralyzed as well. Katrina remembered seeing abandoned carriages, houses, and odd instruments lying on the streets before, but she attributed them to general panic.
Then, the blonde talked about her church and the sun salutations they used to do as part of their ritual. Katrina listened carefully, only sometimes interrupting with questions. The priestess seemed like a walking encyclopedia, which was very useful considering there was very little information about the town given to Katrina beforehand. They spent a great time, strolling arm in arm until a loud thud from behind interrupted their discussion.
"What was that?!" Sophia jumped and instinctively covered her breasts.
"Hey you, come out!" Katrina looked back at an entirely dark street as if to provoke a possible enemy.
"I... I'd rather come back," the blonde began to shake.
"Oh. No need to worry. Even if there's somebody here, my sword will make a short work of them!"
"Well, I do... A-a-a-h, something grabbed my leg!" The priestess shouted.
Katrina ignited her sword in a second thanks to her lightning-fast reflexes. However, as she was about to strike, she realized there was nothing holding her companion.
"You must be imagining things," the redhead shouted, "but I think we can come back if you're scared and..."
She suddenly felt a firm grip on both her hips, the girl's reaction was flawless as she swung her blade across. There was sizzling and weird black smoke dissipating in front of the redhead. She undoubtedly hit the target... But what was this target?
"Alright, we're going back home!" Katrina said in an energized voice and grabbed her friend by the hand.
