One week into Fokusar’s journey, after days of continuous travel, the train ground to a halt near the borders of a massive kingdom.
The trio prepared to step off.
Vermont wore her long brown coat, her messy hair catching the wind.
Fokusar was dressed in his signature black vest, white shirt, and black jeans, while Glacia bundled up in a heavy fur coat and a warm ushanka hat.
Before stepping outside, Vermont looked back into the train car.
Shory was sitting at a coffee table, calmly shuffling a deck of cards.
“You’re not coming to these negotiations, Shory?” Vermont asked.
Shory looked up at her, continuing to slide the cards through his fingers.
“No.
Negotiation is what you do best.
It’s not really my style.”
Nodding, the three of them stepped out onto a gravel path.
After a brief walk, they stopped before the kingdom’s imposing gates.
The outer walls were built from thick wood, but the inner fortification was a massive wall of solid stone, standing as tall as a pine tree.
Two guards clad in heavy knight armor stood at a strict watch.
They passed through the gates and entered the kingdom.
The streets were lined with quaint wooden houses.
Suddenly, Vermont’s eyes widened as she spotted a street vendor.
She broke into a run, stopping in front of a stand selling candied apples.
She glanced at the sign: 3 Frost Coins.
Reaching into her pocket, Vermont quickly pulled out three coins and handed them to the vendor.
Glacia and Fokusar watched from a distance as Vermont walked back to them, holding the candied apple and smiling like a kid.
“You’ve got a sweet tooth, huh?” Glacia asked.
Vermont took a sharp bite of the apple, chewing before she answered.
“No.
It just gives me a lot of energy to use for my calculations.”
Glacia let out a sigh, and the three of them continued down the bustling street.
In front of them rose a grand, towering royal palace.
As they approached the entrance, two strict guards blocked their path.
“Peasants, what is your business here?” one of them demanded.
Vermont stepped forward, still holding her candied apple.
“We are visitors.
We are here to negotiate with the Queen.”
The two guards exchanged a look.
The strict guard turned back to them and grunted, “You are allowed to pass.”
The heavy doors swung open.
Vermont, Fokusar, and Glacia walked inside, entering a long, magnificent hallway illuminated by fancy lanterns.
They marched all the way to the end, stopping before a tall, menacing throne.
Glacia looked around the empty room, frowning.
“Where is the Queen?”
Suddenly, a low, smooth feminine voice echoed from above.
“Who is here to meet the Queen?”
A woman with long purple hair and piercing orange eyes slowly descended from above.
She appeared to be in her early thirties, with a striking, curvy silhouette.
The long tail of her royal dress floated elegantly in the air behind her, completely defying gravity.
She landed gracefully onto the throne.
“Apologies for the poor welcome.
I am Queen Nexton,” she said smoothly.
“Anyway, what is your mission, visitors?”
Vermont cleared her throat, stepping forward with a professional posture.
“Your Majesty, we are here for one thing only.” She pointed up toward a large, brilliant piece of red-and-orange shiny crystal embedded in the high ceiling.
“That Blaze Stone.
We must have it to unfreeze Hell.”
Queen Nexton swirled a glass of wine, barely even looking at Vermont.
“And what is the point of all this ‘unfreezing’ nonsense?”
The diplomatic smile faded from Glacia’s face.
Vermont maintained her composure and replied, “According to our studies, because Hell experienced a flash-freeze, many creatures here are starting to evolve rapidly.
Worse, they will mutate into dangerous abominations.”
Queen Nexton placed her wine glass down on the armrest of her throne, a teasing smirk playing on her lips.
“Why take the risk?
When you peasants could just stay safe inside your borders.
We are sinners.
We do not change.”
Vermont’s professional pride shattered.
Seeing the negotiation fail, Vermont and Glacia turned to walk away.
But Fokusar stood his ground.
He glared up at the throne.
“You are a Queen, but you refuse to protect your world because you don’t want to risk it?
What kind of a queen are you?”
Queen Nexton’s orange eyes widened, flashing with a brilliant, dangerous light at the insult.
Seeing the danger, Glacia and Vermont rushed back, trying to drag Fokusar away.
Fokusar tried to resist, snapping at the guards, but Glacia swiftly brought her fist down on the back of his head.
Fokusar dropped unconscious.
Wasting no time, Glacia and Vermont carried him and bolted out of the palace.
Once outside, Glacia let out a frustrated sigh, glancing at Vermont.
“What Fokusar did was incredibly reckless.”
Before Vermont could answer, the loud murmurs of a crowd echoed down the street.
Civil ian guards were shouting, pointing in their direction.
Suddenly, one of the royal guards pointed directly at Glacia.
“There!
There is the white-haired woman who insulted our Queen!”
BANG!
A bullet whizzed past Glacia’s face, missing her by a hair.
She snapped her gaze toward the source of the gunshot.
A guard stood there, racking the lever of a smoking rifle.
Glacia looked at Vermont in total disbelief.
“They have firearms?!”
It wasn’t just one sniper—an entire battalion of guards was mobilizing, and every single one of them was armed.
Vermont, now hauling the unconscious Fokusar over her back, tightly grabbed Glacia’s hand.
“Run!”
Glacia, Vermont, and the dead-weight Fokusar sprinted through the city streets as the guard battalion flooded the alleys behind them, gunfire echoing through the stone walls.
Relying on her sharp mind and quick calculations, Vermont ducked into a narrow, dark alleyway.
A group of guards aggressively followed them into the shadows.
But before they could fire, a mysterious figure stepped out from behind a stack of crates.
Holding a heavy wooden chair, the stranger swung violently, smashing it over the lead guards.
The men crashed hard onto the cobblestones.
The mysterious savior turned to the trio, brushing off their hands.
“Looks like you’re on the run, huh?
So am I.”