Moonlight Arc: Nana’s Mission

Nana didn't know if she were to be annoyed or glad.

Her mentor sent her to Antoinerei, the city of prodigies, scholars and brilliant minds, to investigate the sightings of the Blood Demon Queen Alice. As much as she was flattered at the thought that the Moonlight Archer had placed such a task on her shoulders, she just wants to go to the Academy of Magic and visit one of her Leonin friends, or maybe explore the Enchanted Forest and taste all of the mushrooms that grew near a pond that she found a day ago.

On the other hand, an acquaintance, Harley and his sister Lesley were just a few paces away from Antoinerei, near the borders of The City of Scholars. She was sure she would pay a visit to them, particularly the bright and charismatic magician.

The feline wizard gleefully explores the city with a large grin, her pet Molina, a peculiar blue creature, in tow. Even she was in an important mission assigned by her mentor to look for signs of the evil queen, she couldn't help but marvel at the city decorated with mechanical infrastructures and oddly shaped inventions. Some items were uniquely molded to host magic, and the streets were littered with different people. Nana has occasionally visited the city, but it still doesn't cease to amaze her.

Just then, a loud boom echoes through the crowded street. Nana shook with alarm, her boomerang in hand and Molina standing cutely, but firmly, beside her.

The townspeople weren't all that fazed by the sudden explosion which caused Nana to tilt her head in confusion. Even weirder when the townsfolk turned their heads to the Leonin and snickered behind their palms. Nana blushed in embarrassment and quickly settled down.

"What just... happened?" She asks incredulously. She didn't really think that someone would answer, but the feline spun around when someone cleared their throat and heaved an annoyed sigh.

"Sorry. It's just an inventor named Diggie. He loves making things explode with those time bombs of his." Nana instantly knew the mechanical legs and the signature goggles of the blonde protector. She grinned at the ironclad male and gave a hearty wave.

"Hi Bruno! Long time no see." Bruno nodded in greeting and fiddled the glowing ball, his weapon, on his mechanical foot.

"Yeah, long time no see Nana. Looking good as always," he playfully grinned. "What brings you here in Antoinerei?" Nana's eyes were instantly cast in a shadow, her eyebrows meeting to a worried frown.

"My mentor, Miya sent me here. She told me that there were sightings of the Blood Demon Queen near the borders of this city. I think it's better that you know this too considering you're the protector and all." Nana has never seen Bruno become tense and rigid. He was always that one guy who loves to laugh in dangerous situations, that one guy that would cut the awkwardness of a conversation like it was nothing. A free spirit, she thought.

But there he stood, tensing at the name of the evil queen. Bruno has heard stories of the vile creature but never has he experienced her wrath for himself. He considered it lucky. But when push comes to shove, he might as well take on the bloodthirsty royalty by his oath to protect the city that gave him the ability to walk.

Nana and Bruno's exchange were cut off when another barrage of explosions sent a cloud of smoke and scattered debris everywhere. The both of them passed pointed looks to which Bruno irritably sighed.

"Well, let's talk about this in Diggie's place. He might as well have some advise for us to give." The protector rests his arms of his sides and trudges his way to the inventor's abode.

"He can help us?" Nana has never met this Diggie person, but judging the way the townsfolk were used to the explosions, she could only deduce that this was a normal occurrence. This inventor was a reckless one.

"He might be slightly on the crazy side, but trust me, he's a good guy." Somehow, Nana was convinced by the reassurance. But she still wasn't sure.

The duo arrived in front of a wrecked front door. A single yellow flower was all Nana could see wiggling above the endless wreckage. A feathered head pooped out of the mess, followed by bright big eyes framed in circular goggles. The bird person giggled and comically waved at Bruno.

All that Nana could think of that moment was that this inventor was as cute as Molina.

And Nana was sure that Molina will throw a hissy fit when she hears that someone was cuter than her.

"What brings you here, my dear friend Bruno? I'm sure that this is just a normal sight you see everyday." Diggie flapped his wings and pulled out a staff with a birdhouse tip. The Leonin was sure that she has seen every weird thing in the world by now.

"We're here to ask for advise. Something... urgent came up, you see." Bruno scratched the nape of his neck in worry, a habit that Diggie caught up to.

"Well, you came at the right time. I was just finished with my newest inventions." Diggie flapped his wings and guided over what remains of his house. His big bright eyes found Nana's as he landed in front of Bruno. "And who might this be?" He asked whilst gesturing his wing towards the feline.

Bruno spared a quick glance and ruffled the top of Nana's pink hair. "This right here is Nana. She's the one who has information on the urgent problem." Nana was sure her hair became a nest after Bruno's intense hair-torture.

"Well, Nana, pleased to meet you! I'm a brilliant inventor who has achieved more praises than you can count," he preened his feathers and puffed out his chest in pride. "With horology as my craft, Diggie is my name!" Nana laughed in glee despite the terrible news she would bring her newly acquainted comrade.

"Nice to meet you Diggie." She giggled. Diggie twirled around and gestured the both of them to enter the wreckage he called his home.

"Please do make yourselves at home while we discuss this urgent matter. I believe a cup of tea is most suitable for this occasion." Nana held back a grimace. The ceiling was practically hanging on a singular pillar for dear life, the windows were shattered to smithereens and the mere sight of the splintered wood was evident at first glance. Bruno looked unaffected by while ordeal and chose to pat Diggie's feathered shoulder.

"Hey man, aren't you forgetting something?" The inventor merely tilted his head in confusion. But when Bruno gave the broken house a pointed look, Diggie instantly gasped and hurriedly turned to his wrecked home.

"Oh yes! I forgot about this." He laughed and waved around his birdhouse staff. The inventor waved his wing and chanted incantations of foreign tongue. The building immediately fixed itself slowly, the splinters of broken wood vanishing from sight. Bystanders didn't spare a glance at the scene, but Nana was dumbfounded and amazed.

After a few moments of waiting, Diggie repaired his house in a heartbeat. Nana's eyes twinkled in awe. "How did you do that!" She exclaimed. The inventor merely laughed and opened the newly fixed door. Bruno could only laugh at Nana's naivety and childishness.

"It's just a little bit of time magic, is all," Diggie gestured the duo to come in, to which they immediately complied. "Now, about that urgent matter you had to discuss." Diggie's eyes suddenly became serious, something Nana didn't imagine the funny fellow to become. She hesitated to speak but a gentle nudge from Bruno was all it took for her to start her tale. They sat in the bench of Diggie's abode with cogs and other trinkets decorating the surface of a lone table top in front of them.

"Well, I was sent here by my mentor to investigate sightings of the Blood Demon Queen Alice. It was pure luck that I found Bruno when I entered the city." Nana explained. Diggie's brows furrowed and her feathers shook. He thought of possible motives for the queen's untimely visit. What could a magic based demon get from a guarded mechanical city like this?

"It's safe to say that she was here to look for something. If the rumors are true, she wouldn't just waste her energy to visit a heavily guarded city like this." Bruno announced. Diggie nodded in affirmation.

"Indeed. All the prized possessions we have are all in the City of Scholars. There is nothing of importance in this city." Nana bowed her head in thought, her furred ears twitching in worry and her tail bushing ever so slightly.

"In any case, we should alert the city's guards about this. As the Protector of Antoinerei, it's my duty to do so." Just as Bruno started to rise and go to the city's heart, a massive quake raptured the earth. The newly fixed glass from Diggie's front windows cracked by the sheer intensity to which the winged inventor didn't take lightly of.

"Hey! I just fixed that!" Diggie fumed. Citizens panicked and ran in a frenzy outside the wooden door. Bruno instantly bursted out of the house in response to the citizens that he promised to protect. He froze upon the sight of dark clouds covering the usually sunny skies. It swirled eerily, vexing the people who were caught in the fray. The air suddenly turned crisp and cold, biting deep into the skins of the mechanical man.

Despite the thick fur of the Leonin, and the feathers of the great inventor, they couldn't stop themselves shivering from the sudden intrusion of cold air. It's wasn't freezing, but it was enough to send a chill up your spine.

"W-what's going on?" Nana asked no one particular. She was scared, the inventor and the protector could both see.

"Judging by the irregular patterns of the overhead clouds, I would say that this is the works of a mage." Diggie tried to explain the anomaly, but ended up with more questions.

Who was the caster? Why is it here? What is the motive behind?

Suddenly, a heart dropping laughter echoed through the empty streets. This made Nana's tail spring up and rustle, her ears flattened and teeth bared with a hiss. Molina instinctively went in front of her, ready to charge at the enemy before it could reach her master.

"Nana, what is it?" Bruno asks, worry laced in his voice.

Nana could only reply with another hiss when the sky suddenly turned bloody red and a winged figure appeared in front of them through crimson mist. Her laughter only intensified in magnitude and her mere presence made it hard for Nana to breath. The webbed wings and the sharp nails of the beautiful woman only added more fright than calm.

"It's her." Bruno and Diggie didn't know if Nana's stance was meant to attack or retreat. But one thing is for certain.

The Blood Demon Queen Alice has arrived.