Gacha Gacha Hero

“You never told me that your dog could talk.”

Tasha held Eins up with two hands. The dog chewed on a barley biscuit held between two paws. Tasha took her time rotating the poufy package up and around, viewing the canine from every angle. She pressed on the dog’s tummy. She poked at its ears.

“We never told you our dog couldn’t talk.” Luke gave a thin smile.

Tasha patted Eins down. “You were right. He really does have tiny little wings.”

The five of them were seated on a bench next to the main road leading into the city. Tasha’s smoking carriage was parked behind them.

“I thought that you liked weird things.” Ash said.

“I like apocrypha.” said Tasha.

“What’s the difference?”

“Apocrypha are fragments of otherworldly knowledge. They are incredibly rare. Every one unique. Each a cryptic puzzle demanding years of rigorous study to decipher.” She lifted up Eins. “This… this is a talking dog.”

Eins wiggled its snout. “I’m not just a dog. I’m also a god.”

Tasha looked at the others.

Ave shrugged. “He says that sometimes.”

#

“Sugars! Caffeines! Sedatives! Come one and all. Get your sprigs. Come and get your sprigs!”

The Street Bee strolled down the boulevard. A large wooden case was strapped to his back. It *Rattle*Rattle* as he walked. A flat cutting board was attached to the straps and hung down in the middle of his chest. Dozens of colorful sheets of wax were laid out on the plank. A bullseye lantern was mounted on the front of the plank with a plump candle burning inside.. A glass bell on the lantern *Jingled*.

“Come get your sprigs!” The Street Bee bellowed.

Tasha waved the street vendor down. “What do you have for sedatives?”

“I have Mint and I have Earl Gray. They’re all grade one.” he replied.

“Mint please. What do you guys want?” Tasha looked at the others.

“Sugar?” Luke glanced at Ash. Ash nodded. “Two sugars.” Luke held up his fingers.

“Nothing for me.” Ave said. Eins pawed her leg. “Er, one more sugar.”

Eins yipped.

“They’re five pend each.” The Street Bee disclosed.

Tasha raised an eyebrow.

Ash grimaced. “We, uh, didn’t bring any money.”

Luke picked some hay out of his bangs.

Tasha looked at Ave.

Ave avoided eye contact.

Tasha sighed and fished some coins out of her pocket.

#

The Street Bee grabbed one of the wax sheets on his chest desk. He rolled it into a cylinder about a centimeter wide. He pulled a pastry syringe with a long metal nozzle out of a compartment in his backpack. The vendor *Whistled* as he injected a minty gelatin into the wax rod. When he was finished he put the syringe away and used the candle mounted on his plank to soften the wax and seal the ends of the cylinder.

He passed the wax sprig to Tasha.

Tasha took the sprig, put one of the wax ends in her mouth, and started chewing. She let out a long minty sigh. “So you’re a Royal Summoner?”

“The Royal Summoner.” Luke nodded. “Yeah. Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I wasn’t sure if I should bring it up.”

“Actually…” Ave droned. ”It’s almost been a month.”

“Since I left the Capital?”

“Yeah. The Royal Summoner is an important position. I expect that you’ve been replaced by now.”

“Do you think so?” Luke marveled.

“There’s no way they could pretend you’re still around. Not with your unique talents. So they probably told everyone that you were fired. Or maybe that you died.”

Ash patted Luke on the shoulder. “You’ve been fired? That’s great! It means you can stop, telling, people, that you’re the Royal Summoner.”

The Street Bee pretended not to hear anything and handed a wax sprig to Luke.

Luke took the sprig in a limp hand. He stared at the ground. “Huh. I’ve never been dead… before.” He stuck the sprig in his mouth but forgot to chew.

#

Tasha stooped to swept some stray straw off of her carriage. “If you were fired then what’s the problem?”

“No problem.” Ash answered quickly.

“Before Luke left…” Ave added.

Ash *Groaned*

“He may have summoned the Demon Lord. *Shrug* We’re not entirely sure. But we’re pretty sure.”

Tasha chewed the end of her sprig. “What does that mean?”

“It means we’re going to save the world.”

Ash pulled the end of the shower curtain up over his face. “You two, are waaay too truthful with people.”

*Whistle*

The Street Bee tried to finish the last sprig as fast as he could.

Ave stood up. Shoulders back. Spine straight. Feet shoulder width apart.

“Listen, we are out to save the world. The Council is up to something. They manipulated Luke for their own ends and the two of us are going to help him. Or did Luke make a mistake when he ran halfway across the Kingdom to find his best friend?” Ave looked at Ash.

“We’re brothers and no he didn’t.” Ash kicked some dirt off of his foot.

Luke gently elbowed him in the ribs.

Ave stared into the distance. “I spent four years in the military blindly following orders. But I’ve decided that I am going to save the world. From now on I say what I want and do what I want. I’m not going to hide in the background anymore. Oh shit! Everyone hide!”

Ave kicked over the bench. She shoved Ash, Luke, Eins, and Tasha to the ground.

#

The group fell on top of each other behind the bench like a human pile of leaves.

Ave growled.

Ave hissed.

Tasha spit out a ball of wax.

#

After a painful untangling of elbows and knees, four humans and a dog peeked over the edge of the toppled bench.

A grand procession entered the city through the gates. A line of Capital Guards on horseback led the way. Next was a sports carriage with a retractable roof and plush leather seats. And following at the rear two more all-terrain carriages with Guards seated on the roof watching the crowd.

As the sports carriage passed their position they could see an old man with a long white robe reclining in the cab. His utter indifference to the commotion that his arrival was causing bespoke his familiarity with getting his way.

Luke asked.

Ash added.

Tasha worried.

<...> Ave hushed.

The Street Bee leaned over and handed the last sprig to Ave.

She whispered to him.

He whispered back.

Ave took the sprig.

The Street Bee frowned.

Eins yipped.

The Street Bee hurried away.

Ave handed the wax sprig to Eins. Then she dodge-rolled over to Tasha’s carriage.

Luke asked.

Ave pulled her breastplate out of her backpack. She snapped it on with clockwork precision. She checked her reflection in one of the carriage windows, frowned, then turned and headed towards the street.

“I’m going to get some answers.”

Ave weaved her way through the crowd until she was in the street next to the marching soldiers. She effortlessly changed her pace as she approached the group of Guards. Her legs fell into a perfect measured march with the others. Without looking at anyone else she stepped into line with the rest and unobtrusively merged into the ranks of soldiers.