-RELGION, YAMABIKO SHOPPING DISTRICT-
"Fresh fruits and human flesh, right here! Come and get yer fresh fruits and human flesh!"
"Overworlders go green with envy when you wear Regina's latest fashion line, 'Bloodied Roses'~ Now on sale for $700~"
"Hexes, curses, ancient spells, familiars, and more when you stop by Nico Nico's Magical Emporium! Now with a sale on cat familiars and kappas: Buy one, get one free!"
The shopping district was as busy as Scarlet remembered it, all types of demons, from the small, stilt-legged Prinnies to the giant manticores, shopping around for the best of the best. Yamabikos shouted and echoed from every rooftop, advertising their stores and trying to survive in this business-eat-business world. The district itself had a more eastern flare, with demons of the far east, such as the hearty Tengu and the cold Yuki-oona, more of a common sight than trolls and ogres.
Sora and Tina had to weave through the crowds to get anywhere, although they simply could not get past the wall of fat and blubber that passed them by like a whirlwind, knocking them down on their asses. Scarlet did not weave through them; she shamelessly shoved her way through the crowds, without so much as an apology. Once the succubi reached an alley, they hid within, the two smaller succubi catching their breath as the buffcubus took out a notepad.
"So, we gotta find someone who might know about these little witches," Scarlet said as she read what was on the notepad slowly. "Ra might know, little cheeky bastard he is. Always bragging about how he knows this and knows that, blah, blah, blah."
Sora helpfully added, "I know Penelope might know! She works at the magic emporium and always overhears rumors from people!"
"Um, um... Maybe... maybe Renais?" Tina said, tilting her head a little and looking down, unsure.
Scarlet shook her head. "Renais wouldn't know anything; she's usually busy dealing with other Prinnies to pay attention to stuff. Either way, we should start with those two. Hopefully neither of them will want us to pay them up the ass just for a scrap of info."
----YAMABIKO SHOPPING DISTRICT, RA'S TENT----
"Oh, I see," said the scrawny, rat-eyed demon, waving his hands around a crystal ball Scarlet was sure wasn't dusted in years, nevermind cleaned.
She always hated this place. All those eyes strung up on lines like Christmas lights, some even moving and watching... the overwhelming smell of lavender, thick enough to even see... Ra's voice, which reminded her of a used carriage salesman, with a voice slick as oil and so honey-sweet, it made her want to barf.
And yet, she watched as the demon, robed in purple with a giant eye embroidered on the top, waved his hands around a grimy crystal ball before raising his hands and voice for dramatic effect, the ball beginning to glow dimly. Sora and Tina leaned in for a closer look, but they could not see beyond the dirt and dust that clung onto the crystal orb. Even if they could, they would only see swirls of gray deep within.
"I see," the rat-eyed demon repeated, hunching over and staring at the orb. "I see all!"
"Yes, yes, we get the point," Scarlet grumbled, "so what do you see, Ra?"
"Almighty Omniscient Ra to you, red hair," hissed Ra, glaring at Scarlet for a moment before turning his attention back to the orb. "But yesss, I see it... girls of colored hair... seeking gems of yore... Holding the power to strip life from those around them... Those whose parents never loved them... Abandoned them on the streets... Left behind like day old fruitca-"
"Skip the sob story here, we just need to know what they're up to!"
"But don't you pity them, o red hair? I mean, look at them! Barely 12, yet with such horrid pasts! Do you not feel their pain?"
"I only pity them because they have stupid names," Sora interjected. "Like, who names their child Sunflower?"
"Someone who names their kid 'Sky'," Tina said, snickering a little and ignoring the glare Sora gave her. "Really, though, does anyone feel sad for somebody for long when they keep doing evil things? It's not really an excuse for murder."
"Or arson."
"Or grand larceny."
"Or muggings."
Ra let out an exasperated sigh. "You are determined to murder such children for the sake of this fleeting notion of justice?! When they haven't had the guiding hand to lead them to the light?!?"
The succubi were silent for a moment before Scarlet said, "I'm only willing to give them as much mercy as they're willing to change. Otherwise, I'm punting their asses so hard, they might soar into the sun."
"I suppose there is no stopping you then, from abusing mere children."
"Oh, shut up, you probably ripped the eyes out of some dying kid's body more times than you can count on your fingers. Now stop trying to guilt-trip us out of a cash source and tell us where they'll be!"
The buffcubus could have sworn that, for that moment, she was in the middle of one of Sora's favorite, sappy romance movies, where the man's eyes meet the woman's as they stared at each other. Only this made her feel more awkward than loved, with those eyes boring a hole in Scarlet's soul, ever yearning...
"That'll cost you," the demon said after a minute or two, holding out his grubby palms. "$50, if you please." He paused for a moment before he made a toothy grin, his awful breath stinging Scarlet's nose as he leaned in close to her and whispered in that sickeningly sweet voice, "Or you can pay me with those beautiful blue eyes you have, red ha-"
The next thing he knew, a table was flipped right into his face, everything on it crashing down onto the floor, just as he did.
----YAMABIKO SHOPPING DISTRICT, NICO NICO'S MAGICAL EMPORIUM----
"Colorful witches?" asked the little horned baphomet girl as she swept up dust, dirt, and fur off the floor of the shop. "You mean the Flower Witches, right? I've heard some terrible things about them!"
As Tina oggled at the horned toads and six eyed mice, Sora took out her notepad and pen and said, "Go ooooon, Penelope. Our wallets depend on your testimony!"
Penelope kept sweep, sweep, sweeping, although her face scrunched up, as if lost in thought. Her eyes widened as something came to mind and she shouted, "Right, right, horrible things! From Miss Kiki, I heard that they were stealing a lot of tomes and gemstones! They tried to rob us the other day, too! I even remember the exact book they were trying to steal: 'The Ordrak Stone', by Ylrl'thrpt! Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous stuff!"
"Ordrak Stone...?" Sora couldn't help but stare. "What in the heck is an Ordrak Stone?"
"W-well, it's a stone in the shape of a heart that is associated with powerful magic. It has the power to enhance the magic of anyone who holds it, and grants the user the ability to mutate life as they wish! It can also sell for a looooot of money if anyone finds it, and ooooh, if they have some other bits and pieces, they can summon that monster Ordrak again, to destroy Orion as we know it!"
Scarlet crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes as she asked, "So these girls may have this Ordrak Stone?"
"M-maybe."
"A stone that can damn well bring about an apocolypse."
"Yes."
"That can summon a giant fucking demon who is strong enough to rip Orion a new one."
"Y-yeah, definitely!"
A grin played upon Scarlet's lips as she cracked her knuckles.
"Things just got more interesting!" the buffcubus chuckled. "Three little witches, with a stone and some knowledge about how to summon a powerful monster! This is the kind of bounty hunting I live for! Tell me, Penelope, you know where those little shitheads went?"
The baphomet looked down at her hooved feet and replied quietly, "N-no, ma'am. You'd have to ask someone else."
Scarlet gently pat Penelope on the head, giving her a gentle smile. "Well, thanks for the info. We'll be sure to make use of it." The buffcubus then turned to her cohorts and said, "Hey, let's-a go, you guys! We have some more info-digging to-"
She stared at Tina, who now had an armful of six-eyed mice in her arms.
"Tina, put those down, we don't have the money to care for them and you know this."
"B-but they looked at me with such sad, sad eyes, Scarlet! Such sad, sad eyes!"
"Our pet cat would eat them."
"BUT THEY'RE SO CUTE AND CUDDLY AND-"
Sora and Scarlet had to wrest the mice out of her hands and put them back in the cage before dragging Tina on out, the purple-haired succubus flailing and crying about the poor, poor mice she had to leave behind.
----------------
The succubi wandered around the shopping district a little longer, asking passerby after passerby about the Flower Witches. They didn't turn up much of anything, though, or at least nothing about their whereabouts or their plans for this night. When the sun, peeking out from purple, hazy clouds, began to set, the trio sighed, slumping against a store's walls.
"We got info on their possible plans, but not where the heck they'll be when they pull it off," Scarlet groaned, taking Sora's notepad and reading through the notes she took while they were with Ra and Penelope. "The most important information, and neither of them could tell us."
"You mean Ra tried to gyp us before telling us," Tina said, adjusting her glasses and braiding her hair nervously. "And asked for your eyes."
"And got flattened for it. Ugh, hate that slimy bastard! Creepy in every way imaginable! And Penelope straight up didn't know. We're running out of options, fast."
Sora sat up straight, putting a hand on her chin and making a distinct "Hm," noise before the lightbulb above her head turned on. Excited, she asked, "Wait, why don't we ask him? I mean, he would know lots of things, and he knew a lot of things last time we talked to him!"
Tina and Scarlet paled in an instant.
"Him?!? What the hell do you take him for, a charity? He's not gonna give us jack shit if we don't bribe the hell out of him!"
"It's worth a shot, though! He's always up-to-date and everything! And we can always find him at the same place: Reggi's Raving Ramen and Sushi Bar!"
"But Sora!" Tina said, terrified out of her mind, "Don't you understand?!? We don't have the money to pay up for his demands or bribe him or anything! And people who tried faking him out, tried making it like a debt to be paid later? They died! We can't rely on him, not one bit! Well, not as long as we only have five dollars to our name!"
"Don't you have any coupons? I know you stockpile on them to try to stretch a dollar out like a rubber band, Tina!"
"I mean, yeah, I do, but I wanted to save them for us!" Tina couldn't help but blush and look down at her feet. "You know, when we go and eat out together, like girl friends."
Scarlet turned to Sora, determined to see that they got the info they needed. She then turned to Tina, who was desperate to keep the coupons and avoid relying on this particular informant. She couldn't blame her, honestly. Not many people actually enjoyed his company. In some ways, he could be considered worse than Ra.
But unfortunately, it broke down into one simple question: Earning the money from this bounty, or not getting anything at all?
"Sorry, Tina," Scarlet sighed, standing up and dusting herself off. "We're gonna have to break out them out early; this guy might be our one-way ticket to pockets full of cash."
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