"Missy, can you even wear clothes? Is it because there isn't a specialized clothing replacement thrall department like in Camelot that you can't change?"
"Hold yer whist! I've only been in the changing room for two minutes!"
"Normal women only do so in one! Why, too embarrassed to ask me to zip up your dress? Because if you are, then I'm unwilling!"
"I-I didn't ask, ye daft!"
Wisesa, draped in a bathik cloth, lingered outside the dressing room of the boutique with his accomplice, the Pulomas spy Badra. The youth's gaze roamed elsewhere in the establishment, ensuring that the shopkeeper had absented themselves, while he reclined upon a wooden chair, scuffing his feet upon the ground. Badra himself stood sentinel near the window display with arms crossed. The rustling of the changing curtains heralded the emergence of Alicia in her new uniform.
The Nusakencana spy knew just the right garb for the lass. A lengthy scarlet blouse dress that complemented the shade of her hair, complete with a snowy collar, black ribbon tie, and a headdress. Beneath it all lay a knee-length skirt, a white apron with frayed edges, black tights, and a pair of leather shoes. Her hands were cloaked by white gloves, concealing her scar from prying eyes. Alicia rubbed her palms together anxiously, unsure as to where to hide her ruddy cheeks. The guise of a maid was a peculiar one for her to adopt.
With measured strides, Alicia traversed the floor. She should not have been self-conscious, for the two men before her seemed rather taken with her new appearance. Even Wissa, though only slightly so.
"You make for a better maid than a witch," Wisesa teased her.
"Enough prattle," Alicia issued a reprimand, her face still aflame. She darted a glance at Wisesa for a fleeting moment before casting her gaze elsewhere.
Badra, however, seemed the most astonished of them all. He blurted out a few words in Yawanese while clapping a small hand. "He says you look very lovely dressed like that," Wisesa translated. "He is confident that you can blend in there perfectly."
At this, Badra's grin widened, his thumbs raised. Alicia shuddered.
"H-how is it possible to blend in perfectly... Surely the butlers there are familiar with each and every one of their staff...!" whimpered the bespectacled lass.
"You're overthinking! Stop it!"
"It's hard to stop when you suffer from an anxiety disorder, ken!"
"Anxiety disorder—what in the world is that? There's no such thing, don't start making things up!"
The girl's irritation heightened as she listened to the young man's testimony. As Wisesa drew nearer, her agitation only intensified. "Hey, listen. Badra is there too. If there's anything, he'll help you. I need you both. You want to save the Pulomas kids, don't you?"
Alicia looked down, stunned. The girl's lips pressed tightly together, her left hand absently stroking the drooping right arm. The perpetual flush on her countenance betrayed her unease. "I know..., but... a maid outfit? Is there no other recourse?"
"Gods, Alicia, you're just a waitress! Your job is to deliver the food, serve the drinks, and clean up the mess. Your mind has been polluted by erotic media in the books or the telemedia, I guess."
Now that saying deserved a kick in the shin! An expletive teetered on the brink of the young man's tongue, and the boutique was almost alerted by his recoiling hops if only the expletive had leapt out. The lass's already reddened hue now resembled that of a boiled crab.
But Wisesa suppressed his explosive urges and pulled Alicia out of the boutique back to their lodgings. There was no way they proceeded to the royal sanctuary without a scheme in place.
Badra had at least one piece of valuable information: an updated copy of the Alas Purwo palace plan. Wisesa's recollection of the palace rooms where he once resided was still vivid, and based on the plan, not much had changed. After shoving the unimportant utensils off the table, he placed the plan on top of it.
"Alright, here's the plan," Wisesa was already acting a master planner. "As undercover operatives, your job is to scout and find out all the information you can about Bathara Kala. Alicia, you'll disguise yourself as a maid to serve the boys, while Badra will act as a civil guard around the party like he always does. Since the incident with his spy partner, access to the magic vault has become even more restricted, but ironically it's still not overly strict. When you enter the Alas Purwo magic vault, Badra can't get too close to you!"
Wisesa pointed at a room in the left corner on the second sheet—the floor plan sheet downstairs. "I've never been inside the magic vault myself, but the entrance threshold is here, I believe. My word on the new vault access policy is an irony is because Badra said that, in order to flatter a number of guests, there was a small magic heirloom tour party session there. Access is minimal, and only one or two maids are allowed in at a time. You'll have to find a way to bypass all kinds of service duties on the main floor and break into the party downstairs."
"And while I'm in the magic vault, I'll pretend to serve the guests and look for where Batara Kala might be," Alicia interjected.
A small correction for Alicia. "Not only do you need to find his position, but you also need to find out what manifestation he's in. That affects our plan later."
"Since Bathara Kala is an excessively valuable asset...," Alicia pointed to a picture of a gold-coloured booth, with the words Magic Prisoner Exhibition, "I'm guessing it's located at the most closed point of this. If the security of the magic vault is already tight, this room will be guarded by more soldiers..., or shamans, than the other heirloom collections."
"Of course, and you can use your charms to catch their attention, and if possible... gather more information about Bathara Kala!"
Upon hearing the suggestion, Alicia looked down, stomping her foot a few times. "Ah, Wisesa! I dislike the idea of using my charms! A nerd like me cannae be that attractive!"
Wisesa patted the lass' shoulder after hearing her cute complaint. "You just proved my point."
Alicia became even more dispirited. "This is going to end badly."
Suddenly, a loud thump on the table brought the girl back to her senses. In an unpleasant way.
"Listen, Alicia!" Wisesa exclaimed. "Alas Purwo's magic vault is full of magic heirlooms left behind by the shamans of the past. I know your nature. So you better don't get carried away and gaze at the display cases of insignificant artifacts for too long. One servant more interested in magic than serving others is putting a wanted mark on her head!"
"Ye could have told me that without making my heart fall out like that!"
Wisesa narrowed his eyes. "I don't know, I don't think I believe you."
"Fine, you be the servant!"
"I can't be a servant, you idiot! The whole of Lojitengara already knows what my handsome look looks like!"
"Handsome, ye say? That’s absurd."
"You said that to me in the forest!"
"I never did!"
Once again, Alicia and Wisesa fell into their habitual debate, and Badra was left out, dumbfounded. But in the end, his mouth broke into a flat smile. Oh, if only I had those days back then, Badra thought. The verbal spar came to a halt when the two youths glimpsed the hapless nobleman drifting along, but in wishful thinking.
Wisesa surprised Kenthol Badra by using Yawa's tongue to render his prior explanation. The instructions were completed, and Badra took out a small chest, handing something inside, one for each person present—a small black sphere.
Wisesa recognised this device. "This is a marrad, a radio wave communication device. Through the regulator on this chest, I can choose which marrad is connected, and I can hear all your conversations. Since foreign magic is not allowed in the palace, we can exchange information using this. Put this in your ears, and don't let the authorities see it!"
For a village lass like Alicia, this device was a novelty. Could it be what the Magisterium wizards used when telecommunication was unfeasible during incidents? Communicating with a sleek black orb without any wires appeared nearly magical to her.
Badra fiddled with the contraption attached to the small crate. After he finished the last setting, the smooth sound of the radio caressed Alicia's right ear. But Badra's voice testing the clarity was cut off by the uproarious shouts of Wisesa, nearly deafening them. Thankfully, Badra slapped him on the head so Alicia did not have to.
With all the preparations in order, Alicia departed the inn in Badra's company. Yet, before leaving, she approached Orb in the bag to relieve some of her worries. "I willnae be long, Orb. If Wisesa's messing with you, just reduce him to ashes!"
"What was that? What do I need that orb again for anyway?" Wisesa retorted.
Orb squawked. That's a bit much, Alicia, it sang. It should be you need to take care of yourself. Don't take rash action.
Alicia chuckled. "Sorry, sorry. Just kidding. Okay, I'll go. Wish me luck... You pals better do it!"
***
Luxurious engine carriages queued to enter the palace, congesting the city's thoroughfares and further swelling the already substantial pedestrian masses. Nevertheless, Badra and Alicia seemed to glide through the multitudes as if she was a very important person, despite being just a pretty servant. But the fierce gatekeepers remained unimpressed and stood poised with rifles in hand.
One soldier with a kuluk hat akin to the one Badra had sported in the past—a sign of a squad leader—approached them and addressed Badra in Yawanese. Badra explained the purpose of their arrival, which prompted the soldier to cast a gaze at Alicia in her maid uniform.
"Woman of the West... Are you really here as a party maid?" the soldier queried in the common tongue.
"Don't stutter, Alicia, or I'll throw your Arcane ball into the sea!" threatened the marrad in Alicia's ear. Wisesa was too stupid to realise this was making her more nervous.
"'T-true, s-s-sir!" the lass replied.
Wisesa thumped his own forehead in the room.
"Hm. I shall require your name for the registry."
Wisesa whispered again through the marrad. "Don't use your real name. Use... uh... ah, I don't understand Western names. Just come up with something!"
The bespectacled lass winced. All the guards and shamans around them observed in astonishment, and Badra held his breath.
"'Miss, what's wrong with you—"
"Aethelburg...!" Alicia answered. "Aethelburg, of Gelliwic."
The troop leader's gaze intensified, and Alicia's eyes widened, unaware of the implications of her response.
"A Camelot woman?" The guard laughed, then exchanged remarks with the fellow guard on the opposite side in Yawa's tongue. "Very well then, Miss Aethelburg. My men shall escort you to the servants' quarters for orientation." The troop leader gave a short whistle, directing his staff to guide "Miss Aethelburg" and "The Useless Spy According to Wisesa" into the palace to meet with the other attendants. One obstacle had been successfully overcome. A long sigh escaped Alicia's mouth.
"Aethelburg, a strange name for a girl, but not bad. You know your field as a 'Western expert’,” commented Wisesa.
Alicia's whisper was clearly heard through Wisesa's marrad device. "Aye, of course. Thanks for nothing."
"You're welcome."
Upon entering the servants' quarters, she was greeted by an unexpected spectacle —foreign servants of all kinds. Among them was a woman hailing from Europa, her homeland, though Alicia could not tell which country. There were also doe-eyed maids from Kagatse and Chixian Shenzhou, brown-skinned women from Ubar, the Pillar Country, and the exotic Paititi maids dressed in gold (the Paititi were infamous for their love of gold). Alicia's vision swayed, and her mind raced with thoughts on how to access the magic vault amid this sea of women. She could not help but consider using her charms as a lady, whether she wanted to or not.
Just then, a white-haired, lightly bearded butler swooped through the door. He too was of foreign origin, and although he claimed to be a butler, his ostentatious attire made him seem more like a walking treasury or even a procurer (at least that's what Alicia's overactive imagination suggested). He inspected the maids as if appraising an aged bottle of wine, then straight into a briefing. It was a briefing after all, what was there to tell at length?
"Okay, all of you!" said the butler. "You already know what your duties are—your duties as servants to the guests of this feast. Panggaraknagara Lojitengara has gone to great lengths to organise the closing party of the harvest festival, so as reasonable human beings, embarrassing the host should not be on your mind! Spilling drinks on guests, breaking dishes, pacing the party as if you were guests yourselves, and displaying rudeness will get you dragged out of the palace, and your fees forfeited!"
Who would have thought that women would go all the way across national borders just to be waitresses at a party? The world was wicked, but Alicia was sheltered from these harsh realities thanks to ten years of living in Trinketshore, well off.
"Okay!" the white-haired man concluded. "Now, off to the kitchen and deliver all those refreshments and beverages!"
The girls scurried off to the kitchen. As for Alicia, she picked up a plate of ten petite green cakes topped with brown sugar syrup and grated coconut, their steam still rising. Even when she held the plate with gloves, she could sense the heat seeping through. She slowly opened the door and revealed nobles and merchants cloaked in soft fabrics and glittering jewels. []
"Missy, can you even wear clothes? Is it because there isn't a specialized clothing replacement thrall department like in Camelot that you can't change?"
"Hold yer whist! I've only been in the changing room for two minutes!"
"Normal women only do so in one! Why, too embarrassed to ask me to zip up your dress? Because if you are, then I'm unwilling!"
"I-I didn't ask, ye daft!"
Wisesa, draped in a bathik cloth, lingered outside the dressing room of the boutique with his accomplice, the Pulomas spy Badra. The youth's gaze roamed elsewhere in the establishment, ensuring that the shopkeeper had absented themselves, while he reclined upon a wooden chair, scuffing his feet upon the ground. Badra himself stood sentinel near the window display with arms crossed. The rustling of the changing curtains heralded the emergence of Alicia in her new uniform.
The Nusakencana spy knew just the right garb for the lass. A lengthy scarlet blouse dress that complemented the shade of her hair, complete with a snowy collar, black ribbon tie, and a headdress. Beneath it all lay a knee-length skirt, a white apron with frayed edges, black tights, and a pair of leather shoes. Her hands were cloaked by white gloves, concealing her scar from prying eyes. Alicia rubbed her palms together anxiously, unsure as to where to hide her ruddy cheeks. The guise of a maid was a peculiar one for her to adopt.
With measured strides, Alicia traversed the floor. She should not have been self-conscious, for the two men before her seemed rather taken with her new appearance. Even Wissa, though only slightly so.
"You make for a better maid than a witch," Wisesa teased her.
"Enough prattle," Alicia issued a reprimand, her face still aflame. She darted a glance at Wisesa for a fleeting moment before casting her gaze elsewhere.
Badra, however, seemed the most astonished of them all. He blurted out a few words in Yawanese while clapping a small hand. "He says you look very lovely dressed like that," Wisesa translated. "He is confident that you can blend in there perfectly."
At this, Badra's grin widened, his thumbs raised. Alicia shuddered.
"H-how is it possible to blend in perfectly... Surely the butlers there are familiar with each and every one of their staff...!" whimpered the bespectacled lass.
"You're overthinking! Stop it!"
"It's hard to stop when you suffer from an anxiety disorder, ken!"
"Anxiety disorder—what in the world is that? There's no such thing, don't start making things up!"
The girl's irritation heightened as she listened to the young man's testimony. As Wisesa drew nearer, her agitation only intensified. "Hey, listen. Badra is there too. If there's anything, he'll help you. I need you both. You want to save the Pulomas kids, don't you?"
Alicia looked down, stunned. The girl's lips pressed tightly together, her left hand absently stroking the drooping right arm. The perpetual flush on her countenance betrayed her unease. "I know..., but... a maid outfit? Is there no other recourse?"
"Gods, Alicia, you're just a waitress! Your job is to deliver the food, serve the drinks, and clean up the mess. Your mind has been polluted by erotic media in the books or the telemedia, I guess."
Now that saying deserved a kick in the shin! An expletive teetered on the brink of the young man's tongue, and the boutique was almost alerted by his recoiling hops if only the expletive had leapt out. The lass's already reddened hue now resembled that of a boiled crab.
But Wisesa suppressed his explosive urges and pulled Alicia out of the boutique back to their lodgings. There was no way they proceeded to the royal sanctuary without a scheme in place.
Badra had at least one piece of valuable information: an updated copy of the Alas Purwo palace plan. Wisesa's recollection of the palace rooms where he once resided was still vivid, and based on the plan, not much had changed. After shoving the unimportant utensils off the table, he placed the plan on top of it.
"Alright, here's the plan," Wisesa was already acting a master planner. "As undercover operatives, your job is to scout and find out all the information you can about Bathara Kala. Alicia, you'll disguise yourself as a maid to serve the boys, while Badra will act as a civil guard around the party like he always does. Since the incident with his spy partner, access to the magic vault has become even more restricted, but ironically it's still not overly strict. When you enter the Alas Purwo magic vault, Badra can't get too close to you!"
Wisesa pointed at a room in the left corner on the second sheet—the floor plan sheet downstairs. "I've never been inside the magic vault myself, but the entrance threshold is here, I believe. My word on the new vault access policy is an irony is because Badra said that, in order to flatter a number of guests, there was a small magic heirloom tour party session there. Access is minimal, and only one or two maids are allowed in at a time. You'll have to find a way to bypass all kinds of service duties on the main floor and break into the party downstairs."
"And while I'm in the magic vault, I'll pretend to serve the guests and look for where Batara Kala might be," Alicia interjected.
A small correction for Alicia. "Not only do you need to find his position, but you also need to find out what manifestation he's in. That affects our plan later."
"Since Bathara Kala is an excessively valuable asset...," Alicia pointed to a picture of a gold-coloured booth, with the words Magic Prisoner Exhibition, "I'm guessing it's located at the most closed point of this. If the security of the magic vault is already tight, this room will be guarded by more soldiers..., or shamans, than the other heirloom collections."
"Of course, and you can use your charms to catch their attention, and if possible... gather more information about Bathara Kala!"
Upon hearing the suggestion, Alicia looked down, stomping her foot a few times. "Ah, Wisesa! I dislike the idea of using my charms! A nerd like me cannae be that attractive!"
Wisesa patted the lass' shoulder after hearing her cute complaint. "You just proved my point."
Alicia became even more dispirited. "This is going to end badly."
Suddenly, a loud thump on the table brought the girl back to her senses. In an unpleasant way.
"Listen, Alicia!" Wisesa exclaimed. "Alas Purwo's magic vault is full of magic heirlooms left behind by the shamans of the past. I know your nature. So you better don't get carried away and gaze at the display cases of insignificant artifacts for too long. One servant more interested in magic than serving others is putting a wanted mark on her head!"
"Ye could have told me that without making my heart fall out like that!"
Wisesa narrowed his eyes. "I don't know, I don't think I believe you."
"Fine, you be the servant!"
"I can't be a servant, you idiot! The whole of Lojitengara already knows what my handsome look looks like!"
"Handsome, ye say? That’s absurd."
"You said that to me in the forest!"
"I never did!"
Once again, Alicia and Wisesa fell into their habitual debate, and Badra was left out, dumbfounded. But in the end, his mouth broke into a flat smile. Oh, if only I had those days back then, Badra thought. The verbal spar came to a halt when the two youths glimpsed the hapless nobleman drifting along, but in wishful thinking.
Wisesa surprised Kenthol Badra by using Yawa's tongue to render his prior explanation. The instructions were completed, and Badra took out a small chest, handing something inside, one for each person present—a small black sphere.
Wisesa recognised this device. "This is a marrad, a radio wave communication device. Through the regulator on this chest, I can choose which marrad is connected, and I can hear all your conversations. Since foreign magic is not allowed in the palace, we can exchange information using this. Put this in your ears, and don't let the authorities see it!"
For a village lass like Alicia, this device was a novelty. Could it be what the Magisterium wizards used when telecommunication was unfeasible during incidents? Communicating with a sleek black orb without any wires appeared nearly magical to her.
Badra fiddled with the contraption attached to the small crate. After he finished the last setting, the smooth sound of the radio caressed Alicia's right ear. But Badra's voice testing the clarity was cut off by the uproarious shouts of Wisesa, nearly deafening them. Thankfully, Badra slapped him on the head so Alicia did not have to.
With all the preparations in order, Alicia departed the inn in Badra's company. Yet, before leaving, she approached Orb in the bag to relieve some of her worries. "I willnae be long, Orb. If Wisesa's messing with you, just reduce him to ashes!"
"What was that? What do I need that orb again for anyway?" Wisesa retorted.
Orb squawked. That's a bit much, Alicia, it sang. It should be you need to take care of yourself. Don't take rash action.
Alicia chuckled. "Sorry, sorry. Just kidding. Okay, I'll go. Wish me luck... You pals better do it!"
***
Luxurious engine carriages queued to enter the palace, congesting the city's thoroughfares and further swelling the already substantial pedestrian masses. Nevertheless, Badra and Alicia seemed to glide through the multitudes as if she was a very important person, despite being just a pretty servant. But the fierce gatekeepers remained unimpressed and stood poised with rifles in hand.
One soldier with a kuluk hat akin to the one Badra had sported in the past—a sign of a squad leader—approached them and addressed Badra in Yawanese. Badra explained the purpose of their arrival, which prompted the soldier to cast a gaze at Alicia in her maid uniform.
"Woman of the West... Are you really here as a party maid?" the soldier queried in the common tongue.
"Don't stutter, Alicia, or I'll throw your Arcane ball into the sea!" threatened the marrad in Alicia's ear. Wisesa was too stupid to realise this was making her more nervous.
"'T-true, s-s-sir!" the lass replied.
Wisesa thumped his own forehead in the room.
"Hm. I shall require your name for the registry."
Wisesa whispered again through the marrad. "Don't use your real name. Use... uh... ah, I don't understand Western names. Just come up with something!"
The bespectacled lass winced. All the guards and shamans around them observed in astonishment, and Badra held his breath.
"'Miss, what's wrong with you—"
"Aethelburg...!" Alicia answered. "Aethelburg, of Gelliwic."
The troop leader's gaze intensified, and Alicia's eyes widened, unaware of the implications of her response.
"A Camelot woman?" The guard laughed, then exchanged remarks with the fellow guard on the opposite side in Yawa's tongue. "Very well then, Miss Aethelburg. My men shall escort you to the servants' quarters for orientation." The troop leader gave a short whistle, directing his staff to guide "Miss Aethelburg" and "The Useless Spy According to Wisesa" into the palace to meet with the other attendants. One obstacle had been successfully overcome. A long sigh escaped Alicia's mouth.
"Aethelburg, a strange name for a girl, but not bad. You know your field as a 'Western expert’,” commented Wisesa.
Alicia's whisper was clearly heard through Wisesa's marrad device. "Aye, of course. Thanks for nothing."
"You're welcome."
Upon entering the servants' quarters, she was greeted by an unexpected spectacle —foreign servants of all kinds. Among them was a woman hailing from Europa, her homeland, though Alicia could not tell which country. There were also doe-eyed maids from Kagatse and Chixian Shenzhou, brown-skinned women from Ubar, the Pillar Country, and the exotic Paititi maids dressed in gold (the Paititi were infamous for their love of gold). Alicia's vision swayed, and her mind raced with thoughts on how to access the magic vault amid this sea of women. She could not help but consider using her charms as a lady, whether she wanted to or not.
Just then, a white-haired, lightly bearded butler swooped through the door. He too was of foreign origin, and although he claimed to be a butler, his ostentatious attire made him seem more like a walking treasury or even a procurer (at least that's what Alicia's overactive imagination suggested). He inspected the maids as if appraising an aged bottle of wine, then straight into a briefing. It was a briefing after all, what was there to tell at length?
"Okay, all of you!" said the butler. "You already know what your duties are—your duties as servants to the guests of this feast. Panggaraknagara Lojitengara has gone to great lengths to organise the closing party of the harvest festival, so as reasonable human beings, embarrassing the host should not be on your mind! Spilling drinks on guests, breaking dishes, pacing the party as if you were guests yourselves, and displaying rudeness will get you dragged out of the palace, and your fees forfeited!"
Who would have thought that women would go all the way across national borders just to be waitresses at a party? The world was wicked, but Alicia was sheltered from these harsh realities thanks to ten years of living in Trinketshore, well off.
"Okay!" the white-haired man concluded. "Now, off to the kitchen and deliver all those refreshments and beverages!"
The girls scurried off to the kitchen. As for Alicia, she picked up a plate of ten petite green cakes topped with brown sugar syrup and grated coconut, their steam still rising. Even when she held the plate with gloves, she could sense the heat seeping through. She slowly opened the door and revealed nobles and merchants cloaked in soft fabrics and glittering jewels. []
