Pakal

[esercito sconfitto]

inspired in the sense of being of extraordinary quality and inspired in the sense of being inspired by characters from The Felloship of the Ring
bad pun indeed

[tirepanted3]

Interesting... It's like a USB story in reverse. Definitely nice to have an occasional change of pace and see the standard disguise/infiltration techniques from the perspective of someone who is neither mugger nor victim.

The idea of a priestess as USB victim is intriguing. A powerful and respected officiate getting mugged for her clothes - somehow more amusing than when it happens to an ordinary woman. I would have liked to hear a description of the priestess' outfit - perhaps it was like the ones mugged by the women who infiltrated Matilda's Temple in "Breaking Out"?

[Trackman281]

I was hoping you'd carry this on.

Great opening with Coulter, so this is a sort of a prequel to the first one (maybe), I'm just guessing from the opening, guess I'll find out as I read on, although her opening scene was great and I this would certainly her murderous tendencies as we witnessed in part one.

Eztli's an interesting character, although I can't shake this feeling like something bad is going to happen to her. So far this is really good, I'm liking the idea of only finding the victims half naked without actually seeing the mugging so we have to play out the whole scenario in our heads, this is definitely a new take and I for one am really enjoying, so it's definitely paid off.

This was a great short story and I thoroughly enjoyed it , although I can't help but wonder, how deep into the fantasy realm are we going to go are we going to go to levels such as The Witcher or maybe even to levels such as the Dark Souls trilogy or indeed as Esercito said keep it to levels like Lord of the rings. This entirely new universe you've created is rich with potential and possibilities and I just simply can't wait for the next chapter as you've got me craving for more.

[rufusluciusivan]

escercito sconfitto: Thanks!

tirepanted and Trackman: Having the perspective of someone who is neither the mugger nor the victim was indeed the point and it was funny to try it. However, it also has the unfortunate side-effect of making it harder to include the descriptions of the clothes. (The example of the priestess' outfit and its lack of description is revealing: in-universe, the characters know what a priestess outfit looks like, therefore they won't feel the need to describe it in a conversation.)

tirepanted: To answer your question about what the priestess outfit looked like, it was less austere than the white robes worn by the priestesses of Matilda's Temple. Xochitl was wearing a light orange robe with dark orange trimmings on the edges, a light green cloth sash around the waist and a matching light green headband, as well as long earrings, bracelets and a necklace all made of copper and adorned with obsidian stones, plus a travel hat and a travel cloak in her baggage. The fact that you find her mugging amusing is rather... amusing ( ) given the fact that, in-universe, most of the characters would find it to be a huge sacrilege, as priestesses are sacred persons. Though (as it will quickly be mentioned in the next part) in their mythology the gods all died long ago, and though their power is only symbolic since the Mages hold all the political power, priestesses are still considered the guardians of the gods' memories and knowledge, and they are very popular given the fact that most of their tasks revolve around helping the people (healing the injured and the sick, providing agronomic advices, handling schools...) It's actually, with her black dye, a clue that the green-eyed spy is not from Pakal.

Trackman: Yes indeed, it's a quick prequel to develop and explain Coulter's personality. I wouldn't know yet how deep into the fantasy realm we're going to go. I guess it will depend on how much exposition people can stomach between uniform stealings.

Wasn't expecting so many comments (and developped comments) for this small update. Thanks a lot!

[Trackman281]

Well if the world is well crafted (which it already is) and both the characters and the lore are fascinating and addicting (again which it already is). I'm cool if you want to let your imagination run wild and really dig deep into the fantasy realm, again this is just my opinion and I'm happy with whatever you decision you make.

[darth chlorophorm 2]

I'm only partially through the story, but so far it's very good.
The shapeshifter's a great idea for a character in these types of situations. They assume the appearance of their target & all that's needed is the clothing.
I like your use of magic in the tale.
Even though my stories are mostly about superpowered beings and are based in science, magic is a very big interest to me.
I've been a student of the occult for nearly three decades.
I was once a member of a society of likeminded people who also practiced the Dark Arts.
Even my fiancé was a Wiccan and was a member of a Coven of local witches.

[rufusluciusivan]

I'm glad you like it. Having a shapeshifter indeed allows to try slightly new scenarios. I must confess however that my interest in magic doesn't go above and beyond literature, though I hope that the rest of the story will be to your liking.

[rufusluciusivan]

Chapter 2: The Shapeshifter and the Artist

Chapter 2: Part 1

**************

Legend said that, long ago, a black star of death and fire fell on the world and killed the gods, leaving humanity on its own and without their guidance.

Then Ce-Manco Topiltzin K'etzal K'oatl led the Pakal people and took possession of Chichen Itza, the city of the former gods. At his side, there were the first Sun Mages, who were said to be children that the gods had with mortals. At the top of the Grand Temple, they proclaimed the birth of the Pakal Empire; and they swore that, one day, their descendants would rule the entire world.

Nowadays, only two people were still free of the Empire's domination.
Northwest of the Empire, the Gengis were controlling the huge lands of the Great Steppes and the Far North. They were a people of stern often semi-nomadic riders, divided between several confederations called 'hordes', that were themselves divided between smaller principalities called 'khanates'. The guerilla tactics of their mounted archers, coupled with the magic of their shamans, allowed them to repel several Pakal invasions. It was said that their shamans drew their power from their land itself, and that the Great Steppes and the Far North were so much imbued with their magic that the Sun Mages had trouble using their powers there.
East of the Empire, the kingdom of Ghazan was the last organized sedentary kingdom to still refuse the Empire's authority. Separated by the sea from the main continent, they were protecting their independence with their huge fleet and obelisks infused with magic-blocking crystals built on all the coasts and in all cities.

Yuka found it strangely symbolic to see a member of each people in the same room. Was it a sign of destiny?

Yisüi was talking with Rashid.

The blond-haired former slave hadn't returned home, at least not yet. Only Coulter might be able to transport her there, if she wanted – which was not guaranteed given the redhead's bad attitude since Yuka's latest confrontation with her. And even if she agreed, the forces that were blocking the powers of the Sun Mages in the Great Steppes and the Far North were also affecting Coulter's powers. Therefore, Yisüi was still with them. She didn't seem too bothered by it however. Compared to being a slave, being their 'forced guest' was much better, even if she didn't have much choice in the matter as she was considered a fugitive since her failed execution.

Rashid El'Haroun was the younger son of the king of Ghazan, second in line to the throne behind his older brother, and was leading the foreign intelligence network of the kingdom on behalf of his father. The young man was around Yuka's age, with green eyes, light curly shoulder-long brown hair, and a tanned skin that was lighter than the skin of a subject of Pakal. While she denied it with everyone (including herself), a part of Yuka was still lucid and couldn't deny that she was attracted to the young man. Rashid had an exotic appearance, which gave him an exotic charm. While he was of noble birth, he didn't look down on people, no matter how low their social status was, as proven by the fact that he was treating Yisüi like an equal. And most importantly he never considered the shapeshifter with fear or worry because of her powers, like many people did.

Rashid was also Yuka's employer and, as his older brother was already engaged, he was the most coveted hand of his Kingdom.

Which was making things very difficult...

**************

The narcotic potion that they used to make sure their victims wouldn't wake up in the middle of one of their missions was also a great weapon to neutralize a still-conscious guard.

All you needed was a rag and the element of surprise...

Azeneth had both.

The guard had her back turned on her. She was wearing brown leather sandals, an ample tunic reaching up to the knees, a leather belt with a metallic buckle, and a cloth headband covering her forehead. Leather protections were strapped around her forearms and her calves. While her outfit was slightly similar to the ones worn by the 'Black Headbands', the red colour of this soldier's tunic and headband was the proof that she was more high-ranking. So did the discarded macuahuitl that she had put on the floor, next to her. The guard was rummaging through the storage room of the annexe for some supplies.

Because of the brown hair, Azeneth deduced that this soldier was from one of the vassal kingdoms of the north, where people's hair were various shades of brown. The guard had round chestnut eyes, and a white slightly tanned skin. She wasn't especially muscular-looking, though her body was still fit. She was taller than average. Her chestnut brown hair were shoulder-long, but still braided into numerous small braids. Black stone beads were tied to her braids.

Azeneth jumped the woman and clamped the soaked rag over her mouth and nose. With her other arm, she blocked her victim's arms, pinning them to her sides.

“WMMHHH!!!”

“Shhh... Just calm down... It's not poison, it will only make you sleep...” Azeneth whispered to her.

“Mphh?! Mhhh!!!”

The guard tried to stuggle, but even though Azeneth wasn't more muscular than her, she was clearly a better fighter.

Muscles are meaningless. All you need is a good technique.

“Consider yourself lucky. Had we fought fairly, I may have been forced to kill you...” the metis added.

“Mblblblbl...” Wether it was because she was surrendering or because she was affected by the narcotic fumes, the guard's struggles weakened.

“That's the spirit.” Azeneth said with a smile.

“Mmmhhh...”

The guard's body relaxed and went limp. She was now deeply asleep.

Jinora watched her friend lay the guard on the floor. She was nervously rubbing her hands. “Is it good?” she asked.

Azeneth smiled at her. “Loosen up, Jinora... She's all yours.”

The nervous black-haired woman swiftly removed the guard's belt, headband, tunic, and sandals. The brown-haired guard was wearing a brown cloth loincloth and a matching stap of cloth wrapped a few times around her breasts and her back as undergarments.

These underclothes were reminding Azeneth of the ones worn by the guards they mugged at Ce-Tlaloc's palace, and by many others before.

“Have you ever wondered what our task would look like if commoners had more choice when it comes to underclothes?” the metis couldn't help but comment.

“What?” Jinora asked.

“Nothing. Just a random thought.”

While Jinora was dropping her own clothes on the floor and slipping into her disguise, Azeneth grabbed a few brown blankets that were stored in the annexe. The fabric was thick and hard-wearing, clearly as strong as a rope. The metis used one of her sharp steel knives to cut the blankets into strips. Then, she used her makeshift bonds to tie the soldier's hands behind her back, then her ankles and her knees, before trussing up her upper-arms and her shoulders. Finally, she stuffed the mouth of the brown-haired woman with a few small pieces of cloth, and cloth-gagged and blindfolded her.

Azeneth dragged their victim by the legs out of sight, in a corner of the room. Jinora was done disguising herself.

The metis took a few steps.

“Now, I'll look for her friend...” Azeneth muttered to herself.

A figure suddenly appeared behind her.

A guard had entered the annexe. She was wearing the same red uniform as the one they just neutralized, and was a tall woman with a tanned copper-coloured skin, coarse shortly-cropped black hair and almond-shaped dark brown eyes. A full-blooded Pakal through and through.

The guard was probably looking for her partner.

Jinora's eyes widened.

“Azeneth! Careful, behind you!”

The soldier was as surprised as them, but she was well-trained. She quickly recovered from her surprise and attacked the metis, brandishing a warrior's macuahuitl.

Thanks to her friend's warning, Azeneth was able to block her arm just in time to prevent her from striking with the wooden club embedded with obsidian blades.

The two women lost balance and rolled on the floor.

**************

Rashid, Yuka, and Yisüi heard a voice behind them.

“Did I hear right? There will be another infiltration?!”

Great. Coulter's here. Yuka thought. Perhaps they should have dissuade Yisüi from fetching her...

The redhead shook her head angrily. Her armpit-long curly hair fluttered.

Outside of infiltrations, Coulter never tied or braided her hair; and even during the infiltrations, she only did it because she had no other choice if she wanted to blend in. In the Empire, it was considered improper for a grown woman with long hair to let her hair down in public: Pakal women either had short hair, or were tying or braiding them. Charioteers were the only exception, though Yuka didn't know if it had always been a part of their culture or if they did it to distinguish themselves from the subjects of the Empire.

The shapeshifter would of course never admit it in front of anyone, but she was jealous of Coulter's fluffy curly mane. She wished her default appearance would include such hair... Sadly, even a shapeshifter couldn't choose their natural appearance, and the dark brown hair her body had in her default appearance were rough and coarse. Yuka actually even took Coulter's appearance once, when she was alone, to see how possessing such a mane felt like... (And she was hoping that Coulter would never find out, as the redhead would fry her alive if she did.)

The red-haired mage-woman took a step forward. She glared daggers at Rashid. “I thought we agreed that the next mission would be...”

“We agreed that we would do anything to ensure our success.” the prince calmly interrupted her. “And we're not ready to fight the entire Order of the Sun Mages head-on. Infiltration is the best tactic we can use for now.”

Coulter snorted. “Stealing clothes is just a cheap tactic used by cowards to avoid a fair fight.” She crossed her arms. “What if I refuse to help you this time?”

“You can refuse, of course. But first, I want to offer you a deal.”

Yisüi and Yuka frowned. What was Rashid thinking?

Coulter raised an eyebrow. “A deal?”

**************

In a one-on-one fight, only a small handful of people could rival Azeneth. The black-haired soldier was not one of them.

Azeneth pinned the guard on the floor, the metallic blade of her knife under the black-haired woman's exposed throat.

“It's the only warning! Yield!” she growled.

The guard was a trained muscular soldier, but having a steel knife on her throat broke down her resistance. She gave up and stopped fighting.

“Good. Since you surrendered, I won't have to kill you. Howewer...”

Azeneth knocked her out cold with one punch to the temple.

The black-haired guard grunted, and stopped moving.

Jinora gave her friend a disapproving look.

“What? I didn't kill her.” Azeneth justified herself. “She'll just have a headache when she wakes up...”

She then looked once more at the unconscious woman.

“Hey, Jinora...” Azeneth added.

“Yes?”

“Do you remember what Coulter always says about stealing clothes?”

“That it's cheap and for cowards?”

“Yes. I wish she was here right now. To see how cheap it is...” Azeneth joked ironically.

She then stripped the second guard, who was soon down to her underclothes – and was then trussed up, blindfolded, and gagged with strips of blankets next to her brown-haired companion. The black-haired guard, surprisingly, wasn't wearing the same undergarments as the other soldiers they mugged. She was clad in a white linen sleeveless undertunic and white linen thigh-long underpants.

Underclothes imported from my father's home kingdom... Azeneth noticed.

She disguised herself with the second guard's uniform and picked up the woman's discarded macuahuitl.

The metis then glanced at the guard she defeated. She smiled. “Poor thing. She thought she stood a chance in a one-on-one fight against me... I admire her ingenousness.”

“How can you joke about that?” Jinora whispered. “She almost killed you... She could have given the alert!”

“But she didn't. You're always too anxious, Jinora... You should smile more. Live a little!”

“But...”

“The Mages may have taken a lot of things from me, but I will never let them take my happiness or my ability to smile.” Azeneth gently interrupted her friend. “I smile and I joke to show them that they can't affect me. They can't rule over my life.”

Jinora kept silent.

“Let's go.” the metis concluded.

**************

Coulter was intrigued.

“What is your offer? Another catalyst? Didn't you offer me one in exchange of the little invention you want me to work on?” she asked.

Rashid indeed asked Coulter to work on a new type of restraints, combining her magic with ribbons of cloth. Azeneth and Jinora were currently stealing the catalyst she was supposed to receive as payment.

“No. I'm offering you something much more valuable.” Rashid answered.

The mage-woman chuckled. “Surprise me.”

“The identity of a certain spy with emerald green eyes.” the prince said, as if it was an insignificant information.

Yuka's heart missed a beat. What?!

Coulter was taken by surprise. She stopped smiling, and blinked a few times. She opened her mouth, but was unable to ask a question.

Yuka's gaze went from her to Rashid. Did he truly know the identity of the woman who helped the Mages find Coulter's wagon train by infiltrating them?

“How could you possibly know that?” the redhead finally asked.

“I'm leading an intelligence network, remember? Collecting informations is what I do.”

There was a moment of silence. Coulter was observing Rashid. She wasn't even trying to hide her avidity.

“Tell me.” she ordered.

Rashid shook his head. “Now, now... You can't ask for your payment before having done your part.”

Coulter squinted. There was a dangerous glow in her amber eyes.

Yuka suddenly felt afraid. The shapeshifter took a step to put her body between Yisüi and Coulter, in order to shield the blonde. What if the red-haired mage-woman decided to get the information by force? She was in the hideout, she could use her powers freely. She could crush their bones, melt their skin...

Coulter was maybe thinking of doing that. Or maybe not. Then, she noticed that Rashid was wearing the inversed-catalyst as a necklace.

The red-haired woman smiled wickedly. “We have a deal. Let's shake hands.”

**************

Ce-Ome was living a rather humble lifestyle for a Sun Mage. He was a scholar, and had little interest for material affairs outside of his studies. While he had inherited a huge palace, he didn't have many guards or servants to take care of it. A good part of the building was therefore left empty and abandoned; and even in the parts that weren't, there weren't many people.

Azeneth and Jinora were pretending to be patrolling a corridor in the south wing. There was no one. The Mage himself was out, with most of his guards, and most of the servants were resting.

They suddenly heard footsteps.

“It's her.” Jinora whispered. “She's alone, just like Rashid predicted.”

The tanned young woman had brown eyes and ebony black hair tied up into a high braid. She was dressed in a white calf-long acolyte robe, with a white cloth sash tied around the waist, and brown leather sandals. She was also wearing gold hoop earrings and one small gold bracelet on each forearm.

These clothes and jewels were showing that she was part of the Order of the Sun Mages, albeit at the lowest rank. Although women were rare among the Sun Mages, there still were some. However, this specific young woman was an acolyte: a novice and an assistant. She couldn't wield magic yet. Depending on wether she showed real potential or not, she would either be allowed to learn how to use magic or she would remain a glorified domestic all her life.

According to Rashid's informant, this young woman was called Itzel and was Ce-Ome's assistant.

“Ce-Ome really doesn't want another Mage to steal the credit of his discovery... Nobody could have guessed that a low-ranked novice would be tasked with carrying his new catalyst...” Azeneth whispered to her friend. She then smiled. “How unfortunate that his lover happens to be one of Rashid's informants...”

Itzel the novice was carrying a leather pouch. She was looking slightly ill-at-ease. Her right hand was constantly resting on the pouch.

“She looks so nervous... Are you sure she's not related to you?” Azeneth jokingly asked her friend in a whisper.

Jinora was too anxious and too focused on their task to react.

Itzel passed next to them. With the exception of the three of them, the corridor was empty.

The acolyte briefly glanced at Jinora and Azeneth, but paid them no heed. While she was a low-ranked domestic as far as the Sun Mages were concerned, being part of the Order still made her superior to two common guards.

Jinora suddenly jumped her from behind and immobilized her arms, just in case she knew a few magic tricks.

“What the...” Itzel exclaimed.

Azeneth swiftly punched the acolyte in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and preventing her from screaming.

“Oooooof!”

Azeneth hand-gagged her.

Then, she and Jinora forced the acolyte to follow them in an empty secondary corridor.

Itzel was trying to talk through the hand that was gagging her. Azeneth could easily understand that it was threats. Probably some stupid things along the lines of: You'll pay for that! or Do you know who you're dealing with, peasants?!

Azeneth punched the acolyte a second time in the stomach to shut her up. Then, the metis forced the young apprentice to look at her in the eyes.

“I'm sorely tempted to slit your throat and be done with it.” Azeneth growled. For once, she wasn't smiling. “The only reason you're still alive, even though you're part of the Order, is because you're a low-ranked grunt. The real Mages probably wouldn't even be able to remember your name to put it on your grave. And if I have to kill a Mage, I'd prefer them to be someone important. But go ahead, try my patience. I dare you.”

Itzel's defiance melted. She lowered her head to show that she was admitting defeat and kept silent.

“Good girl.”

Azeneth and Jinora led the apprentice to the east wing of the palace, one of the parts of the building that was left empty and abandoned.

“It should be isolated enough.” Jinora commented.

Azeneth smiled devilishly.

Itzel's eyes widened. But you said you wouldn't kill me! she tried to say through the hand that was gagging her.

Azeneth hit a specific part of the acolyte's body, between the shoulder and the neck, with the edge of the hand. The young woman grunted and passed out.

“I said I wouldn't kill you, not that I would leave you free to roam the place. Dummy.” Azeneth mockingly commented to her victim.

Jinora laid Itzel on the floor. She and Azeneth stole her pouch and looked inside.

There was a lapis-lazuli blue oval-shaped polished stone, attached to a gold chain as if it was a necklace. It seemed to be glowing slightly, but perhaps it was only an effect of the light.

“The catalyst...” Jinora commented out loud.

Azeneth eyed the unconscious acolyte and her acolyte robe. She noticed that there was a hood on the garment. Well, she maybe wasn't a shapeshifter, but she knew that often the right clothes were enough to fool everyone. Especially when there was a hood to hide most of her head...

“I'll take her clothes. Should be easier to leave the palace while wearing them.”

She set to work and stripped the young woman.

“Also, I think she deserves the humiliation way more than the two guards we mugged do.”

“What about me?” Jinora intervened.

“You'll play the part of my escort.”

Even though her victim was unconscious, Azeneth couldn't help but take a dig at her. “I mean, someone as important as a low-ranked acolyte deserves to be escorted...” she ironically commented.

Once the clothes and jewels were removed, Itzel was left wearing only a deep purple sleeveless underdress.

Azeneth whistled between her teeth when she saw the colour of the woman's underclothes. “This tincture is worth a lot. Now, here's one woman who thinks the sun shines out of her as...”

“Azeneth!” Jinora nervously exclaimed, her cheeks slightly red.

Azeneth rolled her eyes.

She took off her uniform, put on the acolyte robe, and tied the cloth sash around her waist. She also put on the jewels and the sandals. Then she cut the discarded red guard tunic into strips with her knife, and used the makeshit bonds to tie up Itzel's wrists behind her back and bind her ankles.

The metis also tore the lowest part of the acolyte's underdress, leaving her legs and the bottom half of her thighs exposed. She stuffed the strips into the young woman's mouth. She used a final strip to cleave-gag her victim. The metis maybe ruined an expensive article of clothes for her gag, but she was perfectly okay with that.

“And done!” Azeneth put on the hood of the acolyte dress and looked at Jinora. “Now, let's go.”

They hid the half-naked Itzel in an alcove of the east wing. Before they left, Azeneth slapped the acolyte's butt, making the unconscious woman moan.

"Any place, any time!" she joked.

**************

Coulter left as soon as Rashid finished explaining the mission to her.

“I don't think it's a good idea to treat her that way.” Yuka commented. “I don't think it's a good idea to make her hate us.”

“Coulter already hates everyone, even herself." Rashid said. "Well, except maybe that merchant woman Eztli, whom she never talks about, but I'm just being rhetorical here...”

“That's precisely why we should be wary.” the shapeshifter insisted.

Rashid looked at her with an intrigued expression. “Did you have a conversation with her? It's the first time I hear you talk that way about her...”

Yuka hesitated. She didn't want to reveal to him the scene she witnessed when she used the inversed catalyst to stop Coulter.

“We have already enough enemies as it is. We don't need to create more of them.” she said instead. “I know it's hard to feel sorry for her, and she's not making any effort to make herself more likeable, but... Maybe we should take the first step.” The shapeshifter hesitated, then she added: "Just like you did for me. Remember? There aren't many people who are ready to trust without fear someone like me, someone who can easily take their appearance and take over their lives... Some even kill us on sight. But you didn't fear me or look at me with disgust. You never did."

Rashid kept silent for a moment.

“We'll see." he finally said. "But only after the next mission. This time, you're going to the heart of the Empire, where the Mage's hold is the strongest. You're going to Chichen Itza.”

**************

"Things were really tense with your friend..." Yisüi commented after Rashid left to send a few coded letters to his spies.

"Coulter's not my friend." Yuka corrected her.

"That's also what she said about you..."

"I'm not surprised."

The blond-haired former slave hesitated.

"You have something else on your mind?" Yuka asked her.

"I would like to properly thank you. You saved my life and you gave me a place to hide. But I don't know how..."

"You don't need to. It was the least I could do after what I made you live through... I'm surprised you don't resent me. After all, because of me, you've been forced to change life."

Yisüi shook her head. "Being a slave was not a life. I'd rather die than become one again... You, Jinora, Azeneth, and Rashid have treated me better than Ce-Tlaloc ever had."

"It must have been tough, if being kidnapped by us is considered an improvement."

"In a way, it was also a rescue."

"In a weird way perhaps..."

"What I mean is that... I do not want you to be harmed. You, Jinora, Azeneth... and even Coulter. Please be careful."

Yuka smiled. "You shouldn't worry. Danger is our speciality."





Chapter 2: Part 2

**************

Chichen Itza, the capital city of the Pakal Empire, was a huge sprawling city that was built on and around the isthmus linking up the two parts of the continent. Therefore, it controlled the only land route between the eastern half and the western half of the continent.

At the center of the capital city, there was the Grand Temple, where the Emperor and his court lived. They claimed that the building was the center of the universe.

The town was also a huge trading port. Ships from all over the world docked here to trade goods. Among them, there were the numerous caravels sent by the kingdoms and the city-states beyond the ocean. Since they weren't threatened by the Empire's expansionism, they were happy to trade with it.

Or to send diplomats and various emissaries.

**************

“Are you sure Jinora will manage to play her part? She's not exactly the most confident of us all...” Azeneth whispered to Yuka.

The two friends were watching their companion from afar. They were disguised as mere guards. For once, they didn't have to mug someone to get their clothes: Rashid gave them fake tunics. The only woman they had mugged (for now) was the official who provided Jinora's clothes – and who was currently hidden among the merchandise in the wooden cart covered with a big tarp on which they were leaning.

“She'll be fine. She's tougher than you think.” Yuka answered. “And besisdes, she was the only one who could impersonate an official of the port...”

“My father was a merchant and I think...” Azeneth started to say.

“Do you have an intricate knowledge of the administrative laws, of the protocol, and of several languages?” Yuka interrupted her.

Azeneth smiled sheepishly and kept quiet.

Yuka suddenly heard a few slurred moans behind her.

The real official, concealed in the cart, was waking up. She was a woman with dark almond eyes, braided armpit-long black hair, a soft tanned skin, and a curvaceous body. Jade beads were adorming her braid. Her hands were bound behind her back with ropes. Her shoulders, her knees and her ankles were also tied up. She was cleave-gagged and blindfolded with rags. She was also stripped down to a grey knee-long underdress with no shoulder straps that was clipped under the armpits.

Yuka looked under the tarp. “No, no, no!” she whispered to the trussed up woman. She grabbed a piece of cloth and a terracotta bottle. She poured the narcotic potion on the piece of cloth, and clamped it over the lower face of the woman.

The official let out a feeble sigh, stopped stirring, and was once again deeply asleep.

“It's the second time!” Azeneth complained. “Can't you make her breath it a little longer?”

“Well, we wouldn't have this problem if you had thought of bringing the veils like I asked you!” Yuja retorted.

They suddenly noticed the figure getting off the caravel in front of which Jinora was waiting.

“She's here. I'm going with her. Watch over our 'cargo'.”

Yuka walked quickly and took place next to Jinora.

**************

Bommare, a city-state that was trading with the Empire, was supposed to offer a precious gift to an influent Sun Mage called Ce-Tochtli, owner of a powerful mercantile house, as a way to tighten their trade ties. Rashid's informants intercepted a letter in which Bommare's officials were explaining that they were going to send one of their finest painters, to make portraits of him while using the finest and most recent artistic techniques. Bommare was indeed considered the most refined city of the world when it came to culture and art.

The painter was a woman, which was good news for Yuka since she hated taking the appearance of men. Her shoulder-long hair were a shade of blond that the shapeshifter had almost never seen in any other person, outside of a few merchants: dark blond, a little orange-colored. They were tied up into a loose braid with a red ribbon. Two long locks of hair were framing her face and falling on her shoulders, one on each side. The painter's soft round eyes were ocean blue and seemed slightly bigger than the eyes of a Pakal native. She was of average height, thin and fit, with small round breasts and a light skin.

The painter was wearing a long sea blue gown with short sleeves over a white kirtle with long sleeves, and gold bracelets around the wrists. Her gown had a hard golden collar and was fitted at the waist. A white piece of cloth was tied around her waist. Her feet were protected by black shoes. Her head was bare.

Jinora took a step forward. She was looking very solemn while wearing the outfit of a port official: brown sandals, a blue calf-long tunic adorned with red and yellow geometric patterns and a dark blue cloth sash, as well as bracelets, earrings and a necklace adorned with red coral.

“Alessia-Arte Benedetta Lucia Isidoria of House Sforza-Visconti. I welcome you in the Empire.” Jinora said.

The young woman smiled. “Please, call me Alessia. I've always disliked how aristocrats from small houses feel the need to compensate by having long names.”

Even her voice sounded different. She had a lilting melodious accent.

“Besides, I'm not here as an aristocrat, but as the representative of the painter guild of my city.” Alessia added. “I have been chosen by my colleagues to paint two portraits of Sun Mage Ce-Tochtli. One for him and one that will be given to the doge of my city. This is a great honour.”

She bowed and Jinora bowed back.

“Porters will take care of your baggage. We will escort you to the palace of Ce-Tochtli.” the fake official announced.

Alessia looked slightly disappointed. “So soon? I was hoping to be able to visit the city a little before... Everything here looks so different.”

Jinora hesitated.

Yuka decided to intervene. “Mistress, if you want, we could... make a few detours on our way.”

Alessia smiled at her. She wasn't bothered by the fact that a mere guard was addressing her directly, even though she was an aristocrat. “That would be lovely. But you can call me Alessia. Or Alessia-Arte if you're uncomfortable.” She added as an explanation: “I was born an aristocrat, but I renounced my title when I joined the guild.”

Yuka decided that she was finding this woman sympathetic.

**************

The porters they hired weren't working for Rashid. However, since they thought that Jinora was a genuine official, there was no risk that they could betray them. They were sent to bring Alessia's baggage to Ce-Tochtli's intendant.

The young aristocrat was following Jinora and Yuka. Of course, her two guides were going to use this opportunity to lead the painter in a deserted part of the town. Alessia was maybe sympathetic, but Yuka still needed her guise and her clothes to enter Ce-Tochtli's palace. Unaware of the threat, the painter marveled at the sight of Chichen Itza.

"Everything here is so huge..." she was commenting.

"Chichen Itza wasn't the city of the gods for nothing." Yuka answered. "I take it that it's your first time here?"

“Yes. For my guild and I, this meeting is a golden opportunity. Sun Mage Ce-Tochtli agreed to let me have a look at his collection of jewels and works of art. I am authorized to sketch them. This will allow me to draw them in future paintings as part of the setting.”

“This seems to be a good project.” Yuka commented.

On the pretext of taking a shortcut, they entered an empty alleyway.

“Allow me to compliment you on the choice of your dress, mistress.” Yuka said. “It's beautiful.”

Alessia chuckled.

“I can't introduce myself to Sun Mage Ce-Tochtli while wearing a plain dress smeared with paint. It would bring shame to my city. And I won't be using paint the first day anyway. First, I have to layout the sketch.”

They passed near the door of a small seemingly abandoned house. The alleyway was empty, and isolated from prying eyes by the nearby buildings.

This was the moment!

Yuka grabbed Alessia's right hand to stop her. “Wait!” she said to her.

“Uh?”

“I think I saw something...” Yuka lied, playing the part of the concerned guard who had just seen a potential threat. She didn't let go of the painter's hand.

“I see nothing.”

“Must have been my imagination... By the way, I apologize in advance.”

Her palm started to glow slightly.

“For wha...” Alessia's eyes suddenly widened. She stuttered a little and her body had a few spasms. Then her eyes rolled back. With a moan, she lost consciousness. Her body turned limp.

“For ruining your projects.” Yuka answered, keeping a firm hold on the artist's hand, pulling her towards her and catching her motionless body to prevent her from falling. Alessia's chin fell on her shoulder and rested there.

The shapeshifter couldn't wait to take Alessia's look. It was the first time she was taking the appearance of someone from beyond the ocean. An entirely new hair colour, an entirely new face shape, an entirely new eye colour... No coarse black hair this time!

She gently slung Alessia over her shoulder.

“Whew! She's a little heavier than I expected!” The shapeshifter patted the unconscious painter's rear. “Nothing personal, dear.”

Jinora looked at the young painter's face: her white skin, her orange-blond hair. “One thing is certain though. We couldn't have pulled off this caper if we didn't have a shapeshifter among our ranks...” she commented.

Yuka smiled. “I appreciate the compliment.”

Followed by Jinora, Yuka quickly entered the small house that actually was a hideout belonging to Rashid's network.

**************

Coulter was waiting inside. Clad in a guard uniform, she was looking sullen. At her feet, there were several discarded rolls of black ribbon. The red-haired mage-woman was gazing at a lapis-lazuli blue oval-shaped polished stone that was attached to a chain as if it was a necklace.

The stone was the new catalyst that Azeneth and Jinora stole during their last mission.

“Shouldn't you be happy?” Yuka asked her, while still carrying the unconscious Alessia over her shoulder. “This catalyst you're wearing is supposed to help you conceal the use of your powers. You've been waiting to possess such an artifact for so long...”

Indeed, the Ghazanite crystals that they were using in their hideout to block a Mage's ability to 'smell' magic had one major flaw: they were burning the skin, even through the clothes. It was a strange property, that not even scholars could explain yet. The crystals weren't hot and couldn't burn or set fire to inanimate objects. But they were corroding the skin and all the living things they touched as if they were burning them.

“It can only conceal little spells.” Coulter retorted. “I can't use my powers to fight. Even a full illusion is out of the question...”

Yuka kept silent. She could have said compassionate words along the likes of: 'That's too bad.' or 'I'm sorry.', but they wouldn't have felt genuine.

Instead, she carried Alessia to the straw mattress in a corner of the room and gently laid her on it.

The unconscious young artist was looking peaceful, cute, and vulnerable at the same time. The shapeshifter looked at her new set of clothes.

“A dress with one plain colour. So exotic...”

Yuka unknotted the cloth sash around Alessia's waist and removed her bracelets. Then, carefully in order to not damage the garment, she pulled up the artist's dress from the bottom, and removed it, before doing the same with the kirtle.

Alessia was wearing a light white smock as underclothes. Luckily for her, this specific type of undergarment covered a good part of her body, only revealing her arms and her calves. Yuka chose to not remove the smock and to let her victim keep her dignity, as Alessia was a nice person.

“Are your new restraints ready, Coulter?” Yuka asked the red-haired mage.

“Use ropes for this one. I couldn't make many of them, and they'll be more useful inside the palace.”

Yuka groaned. “What's the use of creating better restraints if you're not going to use them...?” she complained.

The shapeshifter grabbed a few coils of ropes. She made sure to not tighten the knots too much however. She wrapped ropes around the artist's arms, both above and below her round breasts. She also bound her thighs and her legs. She crossed the young woman's wrists behind her back and tied them up. Finally, Alessia was cleave-gagged and blindfolded with clean pieces of cloth.

Satisfied with her ropework, Yuka took a deep breath. Her short dark brown hair grew longer. They became lighter, until they were dark blond, a little orange-coloured. Her tanned skin turned white, her green-hazel eyes became ocean blue and slightly bigger. Her angular face became rounder and softer.

“All done...”

Now, Yuka-Alessia had a lilting melodious accent. She looked at the real Alessia's discarded dress.

“I can't wait to try these clothes...”

Nervous, Jinora was rubbing her hands. “We should hurry or we'll be late...” she remarked.

However, the two women didn't notice Coulter's crafty smile.

Yuka dropped her guard headband, her belt and her guard tunic on the floor. She was now down to her underclothes: white linen thigh-long underpants and a strap of green cloth wrapped around the breasts and the back.

Suddenly, Coulter made a gesture of the hand.

One of the rolls of black ribbon sprang to life. As quick as a snake, the ribbon flew across the room... And wound around Yuka's arms, immobilizing them and pinning them on her sides.

“What the?!” Yuka exclaimed. “Coulter!”

Jinora let out a shriek of surprise.

Yuka tried to break free, but found herself unable to do it. The ribbon was as strong as a rope... and as sticky as glue! It was stuck to her body, as if it was glued!

Coulter laughed loudly.

“Coulter!”

“What? Didn't you say that you wanted to see my new restraints in action?” the red-haired mage retorted with a huge smile.

“Not on me!”

“Can't take what you dish out, eh?” Coulter approached her. She was looking very smug.

Yuka's cheeks became red because of her anger. “We're in the middle of a mission! We don't have time for that now!”

Now standing just in front of the shapeshifter, Coulter rolled her eyes. “Fine. Jinora can remove them. They're made so that the victim can't break free, but someone else can peel them off. The process is just long and painful.”

Jinora approached the shapeshifter to help her.

“The quick way, Coulter!” Yuka barked.

“Fine...” The red-haired mage approached her head and whispered to Yuka. “It was simply a little reminder... to keep your mouth shut about what you've seen...” She then made another gesture of the hand. The ribbon of cloth immobilizing Yuka's arms stopped sticking out, loosened, and fell on the floor, releasing her.

Yuka sent Coulter a mean look, and grabbed Alessia's dress. “You should finish disguising yourself as well instead of goofing off...” she said, refusing to let the redhead have the last word.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if you don't want to dye and braid your hair, it's time for you to use your magic. The stone will conceal a small illusion if it's limited to the face and hair...”

“Fine.”

Another gesture of the hand.

Coulter's amber eyes became dark brown, and her curly red hair became black, coarse, and braided. It happened so fast, even faster than a shapeshifter's transformation... However, Yuka knew that it wasn't real. If she tried to touch Coulter's hair, she'd still feel the parts that were now invisible.

Fortunately, people rarely tried to pat a guard's head...

Yuka finished slipping into the dress and the shoes, then tied the white cloth around her waist.

“She's here!” Jinora urged them after checking outside.

In the alleyway, in front of the house, Azeneth was stationing their cart.

“Splendid timing!” Yuka commented.

Azeneth and Jinora quickly carried Alessia and laid her on some sacks next to the bound-and-gagged official, before concealing the two women with the tarp.

“I will bring them to the main hideout.” the metis announced.

“Remember that she can't be harmed under any circumstances. We are not looking for war with the city she's from.” Yuka said. “Besides, I find her sympathetic.”

“Of course!”

Yuka looked at Coulter and Jinora. “As for us, we are expected in Ce-Tochtli's palace... I wouldn't want to make him wait.”

**************

Note: Hope you liked this new instalment. Personally, I really enjoyed writing the part revolving around Alessia, though I couldn't resist adding a prologue allowing the non-shapeshifting people to have their chance to shine. On a side note, I was thinking of posting all chapters on this same topic instead of making one topic per chapter like with the previous stories. Let me know if it bothers and if you'd prefer a one chapter = one topic format.

[meditions142]

I really, really enjoyed Azeneth taking out the two guards.

First off, the first guard was great. Azeneth used the narcotic potion and while the potion was doing its work I love the comments she makes to the woman.

Also fun with the second guard the way she gets the upper hand, forces the woman to give up, and then punches her in the head to knock her out.

And of course the guards' undergarments were great. I love that the brown haired girl the same style undergarments we saw previously. The loincloth and strips of material over the breasts is really sexy. And then a fun surprise that the second guard was wearing something different.

Fun addition to the story.

[rufusluciusivan]

I have a hunch that scenarios involving guards is your favorite type of scenarios.

The first part of this chapter was specifically there to give Azeneth a chance to shine and have her own short uniform stealing-related adventure. The little details such as the two different ways to knock out the women or the surprise of the different sets of underwear were a good way to bring diversity. This part was also a way to highlight Azeneth's effectiveness as a fighter. It was for a good reason that Yuka asked her, and not someone else, to neutralize a guardhouse with only Jinora as backup (and Coulter, but she wasn't helpful). Her personality makes her a character I like to write. She's had a tough life, but decided that she'd be happy nevertheless; she's laid-back, but also very confident in her skills (and with good reason). Her comments just come naturally.