Chapter V: Blondie vs Red

  Rapunzel lounged in a tea house at Thyrsusstein central plaza, idly watching the passing crowd. She wore dark brown clothes, with a hardened leather breastplate and bracers hidden under a light coat. The years she had spent with the Hunters tracking Alice had gotten her used to the feeling of armor, and she felt exposed without its comforting weight. It had been almost a decade since her escape from what she now knew was an organization called Wheel.

  The waitress arrived with a steaming cup of tea, her eyes glancing down at the two swords leaning against the table. Rapunzel breathed in the rising steam, the tea's strong herbal scent refreshingly stinging her nostrils. She took out a brooch from her coat, putting it on the table and tapping it three times.

  The small unassuming piece of carved wood unfolded into a small figure, a puppet made of wood. It looked up at her, and then at the cup. At her nod, the puppet reached over the rim and dipped one of its hands, the tiny fingers made of bronze, into the cup.

  “No poison,” it said after a moment in a soft papery voice.

  One of Boy's creations. She had commissioned it after rescuing him from one of the Wheel's compounds. At the time, she hadn't known the high cost of its creation; but no longer having to test everything she drank or ate was a real luxury.

  The Wheel wasn’t quite omnipotent, but the number of assassinations, poisonings, and ambushes against her were becoming more common than was healthy. To be fair, she had been waging a one woman war against them for the last four years, but that’s what they get for being evil. Not storybook evil, not petty evil, but the cold organized evil of numbers. If something gave them more power, they took it, be it property or person. They experimented on magical creatures and were, as Rapunzel well knew, not above kidnapping.

  Her latest pursuit of them led her here, the city of Thyrsusstein. She had sensed her missing hair for the first time in years, and followed the feeling here. Sadly, she couldn’t feel its precise location, but it was definitely close. She still felt the missing strand, years later, like a lifeless limb hanging from her head. She took another sip, letting the slightly bitter taste settle on her tongue.

  The tea was almost done, and the little puppet looked up at her questioningly. She nodded again and it climbed into her cup. It couldn’t drink, but it seemed to enjoy soaking in tea and smelling of herbs. It had made her life so much safer, that she didn’t begrudge it that little pleasure. She was pretty sure it wasn't built to enjoy tea, but who ever turned out like they were supposed to?

  She returned to her people-watching. The central plaza was well-visited at noon. Vendors sold hand-food from carts, the slightly more permanent stalls sold everything from vegetables to weapons, while the permanent shops nestled in the buildings surrounding the plaza held on to the luxuries market with high-nosed determination.

  There was a huge troll at the edge of the plaza, a construction of dubious robustness balanced on his shoulders. It was a viewing platform of some kind. Two rows of chairs were nailed to it and a small rope ladder hung down to the ground, where a goblin was holding up a sign while cajoling the passing crowd. The sign read "Experience the wonder of our fair city from the comfort of our traveling troll! Only 1 Thaler p.p."

  Rapunzel let her gaze wander up to the castle. It was built on top of the plateau that rose sharply above the north-west side of the city. It was a well known castle, famously built with enchanted slabs of stone, rumored to be the remains of a giant. True or not, the smooth walls cast a shadow on the poorer district below and made a clear statement on who held the power in this city.

  She looked back down at the crowd, and her eye caught a figure standing in the distance, staring in her direction, stock still. She sighed. So they had followed her. She paid for her tea, picked up the puppet, which folded into a brooch again, and stepped into the bright sunlight towards the center of the plaza.

  The figure waiting for her was dressed in loose clothing. A black shirt and cotton pants down to the knees, a vest with a few pouches sewed on it, a belt with a large knife, and a small back pack. Oh, and no shoes. Rough, calloused feet were the least striking of her features. Her skin was mostly dark, with occasional patterns and spots of pale skin. Most unique was her hair. Cropped close on one side, long on the other, it was a mix of muddy colors. A stripe of dark brown, almost red flowed down the middle, with lighter brown and the occasional white streak on the sides, corresponding to the pale patches on her scalp. A short crimson sleeveless cloak completed the picture as Red stood there waiting for her, a cocky grin on her face.

  Rapunzel noticed a ring of metal around her throat, attached to which were what looked to be explosives.

  "I see someone finally put a collar on you." she called when she was a dozen steps away.

  Red's grin barely faded. "Gotta sleep sometimes..."

  She shrugged, and the collar rattled. She scratched at her throat.

  "So, what do they want from you?" called Rapunzel, her eyes scanning the plaza. Were those hooded figures watching them from distant rooftops?

  "Take a guess, Blondie."

  "Me, dead?"

  Red just nodded.

  "You sure you can't survive your head being blown off?" asked Rapunzel.

  "I'd rather not find out. What happened to your hair by the way? Finally got a haircut?" said Red, nodding at Rapunzel's head.

  A loose beany covered it, falling back behind her head. Only a couple of strands of blonde hair looped into her face, going back up and disappearing into the hat. There was definitely no space for all her hair, which had only kept growing since her childhood, to fit even into the loose hat.

  "Bag of holding." replied Rapunzel with a shrug.

  "Are you insane? You put your head into one of those things?"

  "Nah, it's just the bit at the very back, only for my hair." The hair in the magically expanded bag did feel a bit numb, but it also helped with the overstimulation that the hair gave her when it was loose.

  "Stop chatting and kill her!" came a shrill voice from one of Red's pouches. She pulled out a smooth green stone that was gently glowing.

  "Yeah, yeah, I'm doing it."

  "If you don't attack right-" the sound broke off as Red crushed the stone in her fist.

  "Aren't speaking stones expensive?" asked Rapunzel.

  Red grinned. "Oops."

  Rapunzel spotted a city guard patrolling the plaza and waved him over.

  "Good day sir, we are about to have a duel to the death, if you don't mind clearing the area."

  He gave her and Red the look of someone who's day had just acquired a whole lot more paperwork. He sighed and started calling for people to clear away from them as Blondie moved to the center of the plaza. A crowd formed on the periphery and people still lingering were asked to move away for their own safety. An elderly gnome woman, wrinkled and leaning on a cane ignored the protestations of the guard as she walked straight through the middle of the plaza, giving both of them nasty looks and murmuring to herself. Red waved at her. The old gnome raised a middle finger as she hobbled past.

  When the area was clear, Red and Rapunzel faced each other. Red spoke first. "Well, if you're-"

  Red jerked downwards, planting her foot into the ground, her toes getting a firm grip on the flagstones below. She launched herself at Rapunzel in the blink of an eye. A hand stretched out, nails turning into claws as it scythed towards her face. Rapunzel jerked her head to the side. Red flew by in a blur and landed on all fours, sliding to a halt a fair distance away. A thin line of blood welled up on Rapunzel's cheek.

  "-ready." finished Red, grinning a wolfish grin.

  Rapunzel drew one sword, turning to face her. She pulled on one of the loops of blonde hair peeking from her hat, and it uncoiled, longer and longer, until it reached the ground. It never touched the ground however, the excess length hovering in an spiral. Then, like a snake, it coiled up, wrapping itself around her sword arm and finally snapping around the hilt of her sword.

  Red charged again, her feet slipping on the smooth stone in her eagerness to fight. She arrived like a stampeding bull. Heavy, wide swings of her arms looking to break through Rapunzel's defense. Her sword met claws, and cut into flesh, but by the next swing Red had already healed.

  That was how Red fought. She would trade a dozen blows for one, outlasting her opponents until they made a mistake out of exhaustion. Her blows might be easy to dodge, but they packed a punch. One solid hit would break bone. At least that's how she was known to fight, and this was the show she was putting on now.

  Rapunzel put a bit of power into her sword and felt it lighten.She swiped at Red's side, catching an arm and feeling the sword stop on bone. She grunted as a push-kick flung her away, tearing the sword free. Red limbered up the arm that had already stopped bleeding.

  She charged again, grabbing a loose flagstone and hurling it at Rapunzel. Instinctively Rapunzel cut it in two, leaving her sword out of position. Red jumped in low, tackling her. They rolled painfully over the rough stones, ending with Red on top of her and readying a blow with an arm that ended in wicked claws. Rapunzel pulled on the second loop of hair from her hat. The look of battle-hungry glee left Red's face.

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  "Now wait just-"

  The coil of hair joined the one already out and blasted into Red, flinging her into the air and over a nearby cart that was selling sweets to the people watching the fight. A solid thump was heard from behind the cart and the crowd winced.

  Rapunzel wrapped the second loop of hair over her off-arm like a gauntlet.

  She moved to the side as the crowd parted to let Red through. Red cracked her neck and charged again, though this time more carefully. She swung at Rapunzel who slowly retreated to the back of the plaza. Claw met sword and sometimes fist as Rapunzel's off-arm, now empowered by her hair, was able to stand up to the force of Red's attacks. Blow after blow was exchanged, Rapunzel accumulating cuts and scrapes while Red received wounds that would be mortal for any other.

  With a growl, Red shoulder-charged her, sending her flying into one of the narrow alleys that led out of the plaza. Red gave chase and pretended to throw things at her.

  "Here?" asked Red.

  "Eye in the sky." said Rapunzel. Above them, a giant bat circled, a hooded figure riding it.

  "Shit. Alright, make it quick."

  Rapunzel's hair glowed briefly, and for a moment her movements became a blur. In the blink of an eye, her sword had pierced right through Red's throat and out the other side. She pulled back her sword and Red fell to the ground. Also to the ground fell the two bisected pieces of the explosive collar. Before they had time to even bounce, Rapunzel's two locks of hair had picked them up and flung them at the bat above them.

  Twin explosions echoed above the rooftops of Thyrsusstein, and a slightly singed bat flew away, without its rider.

  Red coughed a few times, spitting out gobs of blood. She sat up, wiping her mouth.

  "Well, that sucked. But nice to see you again Blondie, we should catch up."

  They walked back to the plaza where Rapunzel no longer saw any of the Wheel assassins.

  "We should, I actually might have some work for you."

  Red raised an eyebrow.

  "Need any help with those a-holes?" continued Rapunzel.

  "Nah, I've been with them for a few days, I got all their scents. Give me until tomorrow to kill a couple. It's more about sending a message anyway..."

  Red offered a hand and Rapunzel shook it. Not letting go, Red asked "Hey, you ever wonder if we were to fight for-"

  "No." interrupted Rapunzel.

  "Oh, you're no fun." Red picked up her backpack, glanced at something behind Rapunzel, then gave a quick nod and jogged off towards the city gates, her nose sniffing the air.

  "Ahem."

  Rapunzel turned around to find the guard that had cleared the plaza before. "So, I'm guessing you are going to pay for the damages?"

  Rapunzel put on an innocent expression, a hard thing to do with the lines of blood still bright on her face. "What damages? Nobody was injured."

  The unamused guard started counting on his fingers.

  "Scratches on the pavement, cuts on pavement, one dislodged flagstone, one count of disturbing the peace when you threw your friend over the crowd and thus outside the marked duel area, one count of leaving the duel area for both of you and finally: two unauthorized explosions over a civilian area with minor damage to surrounding property."

  Rapunzel sighed. "Fine..."

  "That's exactly what you're getting." said the guard, handing her a receipt for 54 Thaler. Ouch, that was a bit over two days wages for nothing but a few scratches on the street.

  "Pay it by end of week, or you will be officially charged. Good day." The guard nodded at her sternly and took off.

  Well, she better get that taken care off before anything else. She didn't have that much money with her, but she was part of a few guilds that acted as banks for their members. She had been trying to remain inconspicuous, but that had clearly failed, so off she went to the Hunter's guild. They could take care of her fine, and she could do with a shower after the fight.

  The guild was also relatively safe. Since the hunters tracked all the biggest dangers on the Schattenwald, Alice being only one of them, it was considered integral to the safety of everyone, and the kingdoms had long ago given it protected status. The Wheel might have spies on the inside, but any overt assassination attempts inside the guild would not go unpunished.

  After a short walk through the maze-like streets of the city, Rapunzel found herself in front of a modest three story house near the eastern gates. The exposed wooden beams and colorfully painted windows gave it the appearance of a normal multi-family house. Only the sign hanging over the entrance in polished brass betrayed its purpose. An arrow and a spyglass crossed over a shield. She entered and took a left towards the meeting and planing area of the guild. She had never been here, but all guilds had the same layout if at all possible.

  She entered a room like a mix of a tavern, an inn, a gentleman's club and the exhibition room of an overenthusiastic taxidermist. Large and small round tables were spread across the room, some occupied, while a bar counter on one side served both as an actual bar and reception area for internal guild business. Along the wall hung stuffed trophies, from normal bears and wolves to giant snake skeletons and even teeth from monsters too large to exhibit. There was even a Wolpentinger sat in a prominent place over the fireplace. It looked cute enough, a mix of rabbit, eagle and deer, until it flew at you at head height and tried to gnaw your face off. They always went for the face, and no one knew why...

  Rapunzel entered to find a tense atmosphere. People were whispering around tables, hunched together. She got a few glances, and a nod from an old acquaintance, but no one payed her any more attention. She went to the bar and greeted the guild manager. He was a portly man, who fit in well behind a counter polishing glasses. She showed her guild papers and explained about the fine. He nodded at her, saying he would take care of it.

  "Looking for work?" he asked after making a note.

  "No, I'm here on a personal errant. What's with the mood?"

  He nodded at a corner, where a group of people were clustered.

  "Hunter Hans came in barely an hour ago, he says they've lost track of Alice."

  "Lost track? How is that possible?"

  The manager's eyes didn't leave the corner of the room.

  "Ask him yourself."

  Rapunzel turned to see Hans extract himself from the group still demanding answers. He saw her and made a beeline for her.

  "Hi Blondie, fancy seeing you here." He extended a hand which Rapunzel grasped in the traditional Hunter's greeting.

  "Hi Hans. What's this about Alice?"

  He shook his head.

  "I heard it second hand. Gustav, Arthur and Bjorn had the shift, and they spotted a group heading into Alice's Domain. They tried to contact them, but they just walked in. They had them for dead, but that night the Domain vanished. They followed their trail but they met up with some other groups and scattered randomly." Hans shook his head. "Someone found something strong enough to bind Alice, and they've taken her."

  "Shit. Any ideas why?"

  "Best guess they just want her to make them unending gold or something." He took a deep breath and blinked a few times. He must have been sent as a messenger to warn the guild. He looked exhausted.

  Blinking the tiredness out of his eyes, Hans looked back up at her.

  "How 've you been? It's been what? Three, four years since you left?"

  Had it? Time flew when you were busy fighting an all-powerful organization. What were the chances that Wheel were behind this? Pretty high. There were a lot of villains in the Schattenwald, but few organizations with the reach and resources to plan something like this. And they would need a way to bind Alice... A shiver went down her spine as she made the connection. She knew of something that could resist Alice's influence, and that was in the hand of Wheel.

  "Blondie?"

  Rapunzel focused on Hans. "Look, it might be nothing, but Wheel is in the city. They might be bringing Alice here."

  "Inside the city?" Hans blanched. "Why? She could wipe out the whole place!"

  Rapunzel shook her head. "I don't know, but I've been tracking them for the last few weeks, and they are somewhere in the city. Maybe they are passing through, or maybe not."

  "Tell us where they are, we'll take them on. If they have Alice here, no kingdom will say we didn't have the right."

  Rapunzel shook her head. "I don't know where they are, just that they are near. Or at least that something they have is near."

  "Does this have to do with your BS?" asked Hans.

  BS stood for backstory. With so many vendettas, curses and quests going on in the Schattenwald, an abbreviation was needed. When a rampaging monster destroyed a remote village or a witch cursed a kingdom, they (usually) didn't go through the trouble of ensuring that only a single orphan or prince or whomever was left alive to carry out their revenge years later. Some of the more enthusiastic villains had died of exhaustion fighting a long queue of heroes with tragic backstories hell-bent on revenge.

  In short, the Schattenwald mass-produced tragic origins and heroes of destiny. So instead of wasting time listening to a long winded explanation as to why this particular farmer's son was the long lost heir to the throne of wherever, you could just say it was his BS and get on with killing the monster infesting the castle ruins. That fact that BS also stood for something else fit neatly with what most people thought of backstories.

  Rapunzel nodded apologetically. "I'll contact you if I find out more. But maybe the city guards should be informed."

  Hans nodded, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I'll inform them. I have to get a message to the King anyway on behalf of the guild."

  They said their goodbyes and Hans left for the castle, while Rapunzel headed for a bath. If the city was going to be destroyed, might as well make use of it while it was still standing...

  ~

  Rapunzel lay in the iron tub, the water starting to cool around her. She was done with washing and it was time to get back to business. She didn't move, instead sliding deeper under the water, until it almost reached her nose. She raised her hands and grabbed her hat, which had stayed on her head. Tugging it slightly back, she freed a few locks of hair. She pulled them forward and after a moment they moved on their own accord, uncoiling from her head like some undersea creature, hovering in plain disregard for gravity. Each hair separated and soon a mass of hair flowed above her, coiling and waving like the center of a storm cloud.

  She closed her eyes, letting her senses drift to where they always wanted to go. The influx of sensations from her hair grew stronger, and she focused on it. The chaotic tangle was distorted, as if something was interfering, but eventually she managed to focus on a single sensation. Sound came first, her hair picking up the vibrations out of the air. It wasn't a perfect analogue, but with practice Rapunzel had learned to understand most of it. A lot of footsteps, snippets of conversation, a scream. None of which was useful in such a large city. She ignored that flavor of sensations and turned to the next one.

  It wasn't quite vision, more like impressions of feelings accompanied by flashes of sight. Again she was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer amount, even with just a few loops out. The visions came so quickly that they overlapped. Woman, street, a hint of dread, child with dog, a golden thread, a brick wall, drunken man... She blinked to clear her stinging eyes.

  It had been there, amid the chaos, a golden thread. She focused on the feeling and her hair shifted, dialing into what she was looking for. At first all she got was that the golden thread was somewhere near. Then, that it was somewhere to the west. No surprise, as she was by the eastern gate. The feeling sharpened, and for a moment she could feel an almost painful exactness of its location. But before she could orient herself, it was gone, leaving a feeling of... familiarity? That was... not unexpected, but it hadn't happened before. Rapunzel thought of Alice. Yeah, that might do it.

  She looked out the window as she rubbed her arms. The water was now cold and the sun was well on its way to the horizon. Her hair was getting more and more difficult to control. Where she used to command it perfectly, now even just a few locks strained her senses.

  Rapunzel left the now cold bath and dried herself off. She got dressed in her second pair of clothes, leaving the first to be cleaned, along with a generous tip. Her hair had shrunk back into tight loops and she pushed it back inside her hat.

  Well, at least she had a direction. Old town, the less savory old district, where mostly illegal business took place. She even knew where to start. An old acquaintance had set up shop as an information broker. She could be exactly the help she needed. Rapunzel grabbed her belt and swords, firmly strapping it to her waist. She gave her hat a firm tug, and checked her leather armor.

  She stepped into the street, the sky above blazing a fiery orange as the shadows grew ever longer. The castle on the other side of the city blocked the evening sun and cast the Old Town district into murky twilight. Rapunzel's boots clacked against the flagstones and she headed towards the district swallowed by shadows.