Cat Empress
Different from the nighttime, the daytime in Cat Paradise was surprisingly busy and peaceful in comparison. Cat folks cleaning, all of them working together cleaning all the trash from the party last night.
Things develop in interesting ways for Noah and Lumine. They both wake up together in a place they didn't know.
Lumine gets up first.
She panics and rubs her head trying to process what's happening. She tried to remember what happened last night. Lumine is very sure that she wasn't drunk at all. Then, how did things turn out like this?
Turning her eyes around the unfamiliar room, she saw a couple of Cat folks wearing armor and long spears on their sides. All standing straight lines up like a well-behaved soldier.
"What's happening?" Noah rubs his eyes and yawns widely.
"?!"
Lumine snapped up and then slapped Noah to reality.
"Wake up, Noah!"
"Why? Huh? What is this place?!"
"Don't be startled The empress of Cat Paradise simply wants to know a few confirmations."
The familiar Cat girl from last night said. Noticeably, she's wearing a cute frilly maid outfit. The cat maid explained but that doesn't explain why Lumine and Noah woke up in this room.
The door opened and there a beautiful woman with snow-white skin and hair arrived. Her face was tine and her lips shiny. Rosy cheeks and eyes are as beautiful as sapphire. She's wearing a kimono and her bell chimes every time she makes a step.
She is the empress of the cat paradise tribe named Yukime.
"Good morning empress. I bring the suspicious people like you wanted."
The cat girl greets and makes a bow. Noah and Lumine follow. They then turned their eyes to the maid.
"Suspicious?!" 2x
Lumine walked beside Noah and whispered: "I have a bad feeling about this. She called us suspicious after all."
"Should I blast the room and run away?"
"Nope, let's have a conversation with them first. Remember, I'm the princess of peace after all."
Yukime approached but not Lumine and Noah. She turned to Karla and delivered a good smack to her head.
"Ouch! That hurts!" Karla crouched and rubbed atop her head which grew a little red bump. "Why?!"
"Karla know what you did. You have lots of important jobs to work on but you chose to have fun last night instead of helping me out."
"Having fun was part of life. I can't just ignore the scent of high-quality cat nip."
"You silly cat maid! I'm losing more fur because of you!"
The empress pulled both of Karla's cheeks until they swelled red.
While on it. Karla pointed her finger at Noah and Lumine.
"That's why, I bring these two."
"Huh?"
The empress looks with suspicious eyes to Noah and especially to Lumine.
Yukime's eyes could see the life energy floating around. Odd to other life energy, Lumine's energy feels undetectable. This is impossible because all living things must have some form of energy with them.
Is she alive? Yukime thought.
"Without a doubt, they'll be a great help on our side..."
"We're not against helping people in need, but this scene is scary. These cat soldiers around us are freaking me out. They all look ready to strike."
Lumine said.
Karla walks to one of the cat soldiers and pokes their eyes with her sharp nail.
"?!"
"Hahahaha… No need to be afraid. They are fakes. These are just ultra-realistic statues we created to intimidate some people who try to enter this room without anyone's permission."
Noah and Lumine were shocked.
"They're not real!?" 2x
The details of each cat soldier standing at the side of the room were indistinguishable from the real ones. The craftsmanship that created this masterpiece was unparalleled. Lumine who grew up in a wealthy household thinks that none of the realistic statues in the castle was par with the cat statues.
Yukime composed herself back to her prim and beautiful aura. "I deeply apologize for Karla dragging you here. I told her that she could simply invite both of you normally. I'm happy that you both are willing to listen and help us with our problem."
"It's nothing… Nothing really bad happened… They just woke up here." Karla protested in the back.
"Still that sounds like kidnapping. Anyways, Going back."
Noah and Lumine agree.
Yukime grew a serious expression and asked:
"What do you mean f what you said earlier, Karla?"
Karla jumps to Noah.
"You're able to sense his enormous energy right? If we're able to tame his power. Destroying those idealist dragon people will be easy."
"Tame? What are talking about?! Noah is my knight. He is my one and only knight! Don't go stealing another servant. We're going to listen and help out if we can. That's all we can do. If things aren't going fair and square. We better leave this place right now."
Lumine said.
"Knight? Are you a royalty I assume?"
The empress muttered.
"Yes, Lumine is from the kingdom in the sky."
"Never heard about that place before… But that stops us from beating the bush. Looks like no matter how we talk there will be no understanding… Karla!" Yukime ordered.
"Roger!"
Swift as wind. Karla punched Lumine's guts.
Lumine's eyes rolled white after receiving the impact. Her knees crumple down to the floor.
"I'm sorry. I always thought that you looked like a princess. By the way, Royalty is our enemy."
Noah moves to avenge his princess.
However, before he is able to take action his senses shake. Noah tumbles down. He tried to use every muscle in his body to stand but it was useless. He's unable to stand. He lifts his head. His vision blurs out.
I can't see right… I feel dizzy… I feel like vomiting. He thought and lifted his eyes to Karla. Poisoning?
The beautiful snow-white cat girl whose looking down on him with a wide cruel smile. "Seems like we have another one as our soldier."
"What did we do to deserve this?" Noah asked forcing himself to stay awake.
"You still awake after taking lots of my fragrance. I'm amazed. You're proving that you do have lots of potential."
"I'm asking you…"
"Royalty is a piece of shits and we cat folks hated them to every fiber of our fur. No worry, we won't kill you, princess. That's if you cooperate with us…"
Karla walks behind Noah and smacks his head.
Putting Noah unconscious.