Chapter Text
"Greetings! Welcome to Sandspray, the City of Plenty, and trade capital of the Federation! How can we help you?"
The desert sun overhead was bright - not to mention uncomfortably hot - and Alu'Phie raised a wing to shield her eyes from its glare. As an angel, she usually loved feeling the sun's warmth on her face, the glow of its light behind her closed eyelids, and the sense of calm it gave her. Not so long ago, she wouldn't even have entertained the idea of shielding herself from the sun, in any situation.
Not so long ago, she would've had a Mask of Protection to shield her from the excess heat and light.
But two years ago, those days, among other things, had come to an end - which meant that now, in this moment, she needed to endure this heat and light, along with whatever other environmental extremes this world had, whether she liked it or not.
So far, she definitely didn't like it - but Alu was here on a mission. And, like every other, she would see it through.
Still holding her wing above her, to let her eyes adjust, she turned to the source of the cheerful voice that had addressed her. It belonged to a young woman; a lamia, slightly older than her, with tan human skin and sand-colored scales, speckled with black. Her face was framed by long, topaz hair, the tip of a single fang just visible against her lower lip as she smiled, and her slitted eyes met Alu's, her expression patient.
This woman was not a simple guide, as her greeting might have at first implied. She was, in fact, the Demon Lord Telasia Ocotillo; the leader of this city, and the ruler of the surrounding desert. Her authority was understated, but signified by the small gold crown atop her head, and the aura that surrounded her, which seemed to draw others' attention to her on instinct.
That was not the only thing about her that drew attention - but Alu silenced that thought before it could fully manifest. Thoughts of that nature didn't serve her in any way whatsoever, or anyone else for that matter.
There was a time and a place to dwell on them - and now was most definitely neither.
"The pleasure is mine, Your Grace", she responded, keeping her tone level to hide her discomfort. "I'm Captain Alu'Phie, from Paradise City. I'm the elected head of the delegation appointed by Lady Trohna. We're here as part of the exchange program proposed by Ambassador Narsisca."
Beside her, there was a barely-audible grunt - no doubt that was Alani, trying to contain whatever response she was tempted to give. Alu ignored her; this wasn't the time for trading barbed comments with her second-in-command, either.
"Ah, of course - the visitors for the Perches, correct?", said the Demon Lord, to which Alu nodded in confirmation. "The Supreme Archangel's letter informed me that you'd be arriving here first. Your hostess should be arriving soon - in the meantime..." She gestured towards a nearby sandstone gazebo. "Perhaps you might like to rest in the shade for a moment, to get used to the heat."
The lamia turned to the person next to her - a feminine-looking human male, wearing a clearly expensive burgundy dress - and asked, "On that note; shall we return home ourselves, Marcel?"
The young man, Marcel, returned the smile, before pressing a kiss to the Demon Lord's cheek. "Good plan, my love - no doubt Marcille is wondering what's become of us."
And with that, the two departed, soon vanishing into the flow of people bustling through the streets.
Grateful for the chance to gather herself, Alu made for the gazebo, hearing the rustle of wings behind her, as the other delegates followed. Sighs of relief were let out as the group entered the shade, each member finding a seat on one of the smooth sandstone benches they found there. There was even a small well next to them, from which everyone took turns to fill and refill the water containers they had each been issued.
After swallowing her latest mouthful of water, Alani finally spoke up. "Are they serious? We arrive precisely on time, as per our orders, and they can't even be bothered to be here to properly greet us? Unbelievable."
"Then don't believe it", Alu responded. "They might not have even arrived in the city yet. Besides, we were greeted, and by one of the Demon Lords and her husband, no less, both of whom doubtless had to make the time for this - that still counts as an official welcome."
Alani snorted. "Of course you'd think so. We were told what to expect before leaving Paradise - the least they could do is honor those same parameters, especially for a delegation that their leaders requested." She took another long drink. "Good diplomacy requires courtesy from all parties. Anyone in the upper echelons understands something that simple."
As the other woman strode over to the well to refill her water, her words continued to circle in Alu's mind.
'We were told what to expect. Anyone in the upper echelons understands.'
Those words applied to so much more than just this singular mission, she knew.
After all, Alu had spent most of her life being told what was expected - both of herself and of others.
And she had never truly been a part... of the upper echelons.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Ever since her earliest years, not much had ever been expected of Alu'Phie Soleotto - either from her parents, her peers or her instructors.
She had been born to a low-class family in Paradise City's outermost residential circle, as far from the Basilica of Light as was possible without actually leaving the city limits, and as a result, had inherited the stigma associated with such people. Her father worked as a server at a small eatery in the closest business circle, which paid just enough for them all to get by, while her mother stayed at home to manage the domestic tasks.
Because of the circumstances of her birth, Alu's opportunities had, of course, been limited - which had only spurred her to try and improve her social standing, and with it, her family's. To that end, she had set her sights on becoming a soldier, perhaps a knight if she could, which had led to her sending a letter to the city's military headquarters, located in the Basilica, in which she volunteered to join the angels' armed forces in whatever capacity was deemed fit for her. At the time, her parents had protested, urging her to withdraw, but Alu had remained resolute in her decision, stating her desire to make sure they were provided for, and that this was her repayment for them doing their best to raise her in spite of their circumstances.
The Basilica's response came sooner than any of them had expected, and Alu had been relieved to see that her application had been accepted. As the letter had instructed, she had packed and left for the Basilica that same day, and by the time the sun had set, she had found herself in a dormitory in the barracks, which she shared with eleven other recruits and volunteers. Most of them had been of common birth, like her, although she hadn't recognized any of them; as far as she could tell, she had been the only one from her particular area of the city.
But there had been one exception - one person in that dormitory whose birth differed from everyone else in that particular room.
The girl in the bunk above and across from hers - Alani Ord'ur.
She was the second daughter of Lord Claudius Ord'ur, head of Paradise City's justice system, and the current Archangel Sariel - a fact that she hadn't missed a single opportunity to remind everyone of, regardless of their rank. In fact, her very first words to Alu had been: "Listen well, commoner; I expect you to learn to fall in line quickly, and to show me due deference. As a daughter of the noble House Ord'ur, I outrank everyone else in this room by default!"
Her haughty attitude had immediately rubbed Alu the wrong way - but when training had started the next day, it had quickly gotten her nowhere. Their instructor, a female greater angel of middling age with her hair in a severe bun, had been unimpressed with Alani's conduct, which led to the beginning of a long streak of reprimands for insubordination and extended discipline sessions after training. Alu, meanwhile, had kept her head down, heeding the instructor's directions, and following each one to the letter. She was never praised for her diligence, but neither was she deemed as needing additional discipline.
Eventually, not long after she had turned fourteen, Alu had received notice that she was to be assigned as a squire to the Knights of the Shining Wings, the order of warriors charged primarily with the defence of Paradise City. Apparently, her instructor had noted her dedication, and notified her superiors, making particular mention of Alu's unwavering resolve to excel. She hadn't expected such an elevation after only just over a year in her position, but neither did she object; any and all opportunities to advance were needed, if she wanted to achieve her goal.
After her reassignment, Alu's days were spent either training, running errands, or helping to maintain the Knights' equipment. The work was hard, as she had expected, but she never once complained, instead making sure all her tasks were completed properly. Thanks to the War of Light and Shadows, she never found herself short of motivation, knowing that her work all contributed to a righteous cause.
It had all made sense to her, back then; she had a goal, a plan to get there, and an admittedly early career that already showed promise. All she had to do was keep up the effort she was putting in, and her family's future was secured.
And then, one day, everything had changed - not for her, specifically... but for the entire world.
The day the Midnight King defeated Lady Trohna.
When she heard the news that an unknown Demon Lord had bested the Supreme Archangel with a single strike, Alu hadn't believed it at first. But she was disabused of that disbelief almost at once, when she heard the ominous prophetic warning from the Three Oracles, urging the angels to choose peace instead of continuing the war, which had sparked panic and confusion throughout the city.
Despite this, Alu had striven to continue with her duties, choosing to believe that all would happen as the Heavenly Father intended. That work saw her take to the battlefield a few times, as directed by Lady Princip'a, who had assumed leadership following the announcement that Lady Trohna was in a coma, and showed no signs of waking anytime soon. On those occasions, Alu saw for herself the camaraderie and strength of the non-humans on display, and while she was careful not to let it show on her face, what she saw scared her; they weren't primitive or animalistic, as she had been led to believe, but fought with drive, conviction and commitment that rivalled her own.
It was that fact - that they so clearly fought for a cause, one that they completely believed in - that frightened Alu.
And then, the day the war ended... she met the Midnight King for herself.
He had come to Paradise alone, following his victory at the Siege of Jasbern, and the subsequent concession of Lady Trohna, who had awoken from her coma not long before, and then invited him to meet with her. Alu had been one of the two on guard at the warpgate runway that day - and as a result, they were the first people in the city that the Midnight King encountered. His visage had been terrifying - dark grey skin, black featherless wings, horns at his temples and silver eyes with black sclera, his body clad in dark armor, and mounted on a great black beast, which bore the hindquarters of a muscular horse, whilst the front half resembled a black-feathered eagle - but his manner, to Alu's surprise, had been cordial. He had been unexpectedly polite, even offering her congratulations on her recent promotion to captain.
On that day, Alu had simply escorted him to the Basilica and back again, following his conversation with Lady Trohna - and after his departure, she had assumed that she would never see him again.
But in the time following the war's end, the Midnight King returned to Paradise several times; first for Lady Trohna's funeral, about two months after overseeing the establishment of the Reborn Kingdom of Easchelna, and then again a week later for Lady Anast'a's coronation as the new Supreme Archangel.
It was because of his most recent visit, however, that Alu was now in Sandspray, along with eleven other angels.
Despite the establishment of this new peace, thanks to the signing of the Sun and Moon Concordat, problems of varying severity were emerging with the angels' integration into the Midnight Federation. According to various reports, most of these problems stemmed from the mutual lack of cultural understanding and respect from both sides, and while they weren't a huge issue individually, they were slowly becoming a major obstacle on the path to coexistence.
If left alone long enough... they could potentially cause the war to begin anew.
To address this very real concern, the Midnight King - or, to use his name, Marx Umbral - had spoken to the other Demon Lords, as well as the queen of the new human kingdom, to find a possible solution to the problem. In the end, that solution came from an angel; specifically, Sanad'l Narsisca, who had once been the heir of House Phona, and was now happily married to one of the Demon Lords, in addition to being appointed as one of the angels' ambassadors. What he had proposed was simple; a continent-wide exchange program, in which a small group of angels would spend a period of time in one of the Federation's cities, while another group, this one comprised of races from the continent, would do the same in Paradise.
Lady Anast'a had agreed to a trial run of this proposal, and had gone about selecting candidates almost immediately. There were to be twelve people in each group, enough for both manageable accommodation and variety of perspectives, and each would stay in their respective destinations for a period of six months, after which they would return home and share their experiences.
Alu had volunteered for the trial group, as had five other members of her order - including, surprisingly, Alani, who at that point was her second-in-command, something she made her displeasure with clear. Before the week was out, six more had joined them, completing the group, after which Lady Anast'a had informed them of where on the continent they would be going, specifically.
And the answer had been...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
An unfamiliar sound suddenly reached Alu's ears, drawing her back to the present, and she rose, trying to pinpoint the source. The crowd had thinned a little by this point, the area now quieter than it was before, but Alu still had to strain to hear the sound she was looking for.
Click, scrape. Click, scrape. Click, scrape.
There it was - a repetitive, even sound, like someone tapping knives against a stone, then drawing those same knives against that stone.
Alu could already guess exactly what that sound was - and it wasn't being made by metal.
Approaching them from the direction of the city center, her steps purposeful and measured, was a humanoid woman; her skin was pale, like many humans, but with the barest hint of a tan, and her hair, which fell to rest just on her shoulders, was a light shade of lilac. Her body was fit, without even a suggestion of excess fat, and she wore a light and airy white robe, which seemed to drift in the slight desert breeze. Her eyes were the deep brown of polished wood, and framed in long lashes that matched her hair, and on her right arm, she wore a long brass wrist cuff, which looped around her arm from wrist to elbow.
She was, undeniably, quite beautiful, and could have been mistaken for a human - if not for two, quite prominent features. The first of these, and the most obvious, was the immense pair of feathered wings that rose from her back. Unlike an angel's feathers, which were usually pure white, the newcomer's feathers were the same shade as he hair, and bore flecks of gold pigmentation on their undersides.
But it was the second feature that drew Alu's eye - the one that was also the source of the clicking and scraping she had just heard.
It was the woman's legs.
Instead of the pale skin that covered the rest of her body, this woman's legs were covered in overlapping, yellow scales, smooth and unblemished, starting at her knees, and covering everything, right down to her feet.
And instead of the ten toes that most humanoids had... each of her legs ended in four long talons, three facing forwards and one facing back, and each talon was tipped with a long, white claw, sharp as any sword or spear, and curving like sickles, the tips digging into the sandstone below.
This woman wasn't human - and neither was she an angel.
She... was a harpy.
"Greetings to you, honorable delegates", the harpy woman said, addressing them all. "May I speak with the person in charge?"
After taking a moment to register the question, Alu answered, "That would be me, madam. Please allow me to introduce myself." She bowed slightly, before offering her hand to the woman. "My name is Alu'Phie Soleotto - Captain of the Knights of the Shining Wings, and appointed leader of this delegation. Forgive me, but might I inquire if you are the one who has come to receive us?"
"Indeed, I am... Captain Soleotto", the woman confirmed, adding an odd, melodic lilt to the word Captain. Her voice was eloquent, and carried the cadence of someone of high class, or at least thorough education. "Please forgive my late arrival - I took my time journeying here today, possibly more than I should have.
"As for my name - I am Alexis Vortexus, leader of the harpies, and ruler of the Perches."
Alexis Vortexus. Even her name sounded melodic and sophisticated, Alu thought. "You were punctual enough. The pleasure is ours, Lady Vortexus."
"Lady Vortexus? Blech!" The harpy visibly shuddered. "Lady Vortexus is my great-grandmother! Please, just call me Alexis - or Miss Alexis, if you must. I've never been exactly fond of honorifics or titles, despite my position."
Alu blinked in surprise. That... was not the reaction she had been expecting. "I... see", she said, composing herself. "Please forgive me... Miss Alexis; I wished only to show due deference to a figure of authority-" She ignored the sound Alani made in response to that. "-especially since you are being generous enough to host us for the duration of this exchange."
Miss Alexis was silent for a few moments, using her hands to smooth out her feathers. Finally, she responded, "I appreciate that. You need not apologize, not for trying to be respectful. In truth, I probably should've seen this coming.
"But, speaking of the exchange", she continued, turning on her heel and looking up to the sky, "I am, indeed, here to personally escort your company back to my home, which lies some distance to the northeast of here, and where you'll be staying for the next few months."
She looked back at Alu over her shoulder, and her expression made Alu feel... strange. It was a look that spoke of promises, intrigue... and more than a little mischief, if the glint in her eyes was anything to go by.
"So, then... Captain - shall we be off?"