Fangs of Evil

Outcomes

Arkayna slowly opened her eyes, lightly groaning in the process. As she rose up, every muscle in her body felt like they were on fire, causing her to groan more loudly, sore from the tissue destroying venom. It took her a moment to realize that she was in her room. Not her normal room, but her room at the stronghold. Gazing at the mirror on her desk drawer, she was still in her mysticon form. She could see just how battle ravaged she was, particularly from her fight with Zarya.

Talking of which, Arkayna looked to her left side and saw Zarya in a chair, napping. If the princess had to guess, she had been there for the remainder of the night, not wanting to leave her twin's side. Poor thing must have passed out from exhaustion. After all, it had been a hell of a night.

In light of this, Arkayna got up from her bed and powered down into her civilian attire. Looking at her arms and hands, her cuts and bruises were gone. She smiled, it was nice to know the transformation heals as well. A quick look at her room clock revealed it was a little past noon. She took a quick look at Zarya with a small smile. She walked to her twin, and lightly touched her shoulder.

"Thank you, Zarya." Arkayna whispered. She was very touched by Zarya staying by her side. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel guilty for "making" her do so, given the circumstances. The kind princess then pressed her lips on her sister's forehead, just lightly enough so she wouldn't wake her. After all, she deserved some rest after last night. As she left to join the others, Zarya smiled subconsciously, knowing her twin was alright.

Back downstairs, everyone watched the news intently, waiting if the media had anything to say from last night. Sure enough...

"Serena Snakecharmer arriving on scene! This just in, a local address in one of the most dangerous parts of the Undercity had blown up. Very few locals were injured from the explosion, those that were are quickly being tended to by the astromancers."

Piper had a very tense expression, and with good reason. She knew that the worst part of this broadcast was yet to come.

"The current whereabouts of the king and queen of Drake City are still unknown as of this time." Serana then got a call on her Bluetooth, with an indiscriminate voice talking rather excitedly. "We know take you to our beloved philanthropist, Creed Slitherwick!" And there it was. "On to you, Max!"

"Thank you for lending me your ears, citizens of Drake City." Creed said, in a somber tone that was nothing more than a facade, standing at a podium in a theatre. "The news of our beloved King Darius and Queen Goodfey is indeed a terrible outcome. My sincere condolences to the royal Twins and King Gawayne. By all means, the search must continue, and we cannot rest until they are found! I certainly won't. May Gygax help us on this never ending quest."

A thunderous applause could be heard in the background, just before Serena coming back on.

"There you have it folks, despite all the despair, Mr. Slitherwick is the shining example that hope still exists in our city!"

Out of frustration, Malveron turned the TV off. "People actually believe that load of minotaur crap?" He asked irritably.

"He's good at getting people on his side, I'll at least give him that much." Doug added, earning him irritated looks from present company. "Well, he is." He responded meekly.

"A rare moment indeed, but Doug's right." Zorlon sighed. "Deception and trickery are powerful weapons that can easily fool those who are impressionable or simply want to believe a cause is favorable. Creed has clearly mastered this horrible art."

"And since he destroyed his hideout, there's no solid evidence that he was involved in the kidnaping." Em said.

"Ugh, I really hate that guy!" Piper exclaimed, uncharacteristically tightening her fist. Luckily, her mood changed at the sound of a familiar voice.