8th of December.

  With a loud thud, the trunk’s door shut close upon the two trussed up Bck Roses. One a handsome solfrith with warm, reddish undertoned complexion like mahogany, the other an autumnkin feyfolk with fair complexion with hints of golden yellow matching her hair flowing down onto her chest line in messy, voluminous waves and her bangs angled over the right side of her pretty face adorned with a wide strip of silver sealing tape. The two mewled softly in their gags in the dark confines, still reeling from the abrupt thrusts of Leittik’s fists.

  The two halted Leittik’s car on the nearly empty highway, noticing how she drove in great haste after riled from the days of being hunted. Just a breath away from the Landing Port. It could only happen to me as usual. She thought at the time as she watched the rge patrol car park behind her, its hull painted bck as the feathers of ravens. From its rge, opened up doors, the two elvish beauties stepped forth in their sleek, dark uniforms with their coat’s angur, square and broad colrs stiffened against the wild, odorous winds decreeing chaos upon the order of their vibrant strands.

  Expecting the two oblivious Bck Rose Vordriars to be on her tail, she feigned ignorance for a moment, stepped out with a genial countenance to greet them, then when the solfrith neared her, took her down within seconds, then teleported behind the other and with a swift thrust into her stomach ced with a spell, knocked her out cold in one hit. Thanks to the hasty nature of the few drivers passing by, she managed to stuff the two into the trunk where she secured them with their own bindings – a pair of mana ties that quickly clicked in pce, tightened around their wrists and ankles, then sealed their pretty lips with the tape before closing the small distance that remained.

  Now she stood, morosely and with a foreboding feeling before the Regulus Landing Port – named after the first Prime Mayor of the metropolitan world – expecting the worst, pnning out a route of least resistance when it came to the guards who most definitely had awareness of a fugitive that was her. Before she headed towards the grand pyramid with a golden tip – surrounded by grand parking lots on each side, circled by the bridge-like highway and rge gaps numbering eight, from each a tower arose with rge, rectangur ptforms where various voidvessels rested and reloaded with goods and passengers.

  On her wiry, hourgss contoured form she wore a stylish leather jacket of a blue-bck shade, made from a top-grade Mist Calskin possessing a silky, subtle and firm texture with an etheric, misty blur to it like hoar on windows during winters. On the top a broad colr circled her neck which she folded down tenderly to drape over the padded shoulders and her chest line. The hem itself uneven as the front ceased just at her waist whilst the back slightly longer, which she lifted to hide her pistol wreathed in cloaking spells, tucking it into her tight pants kissing her skin bck as the starless night, speckled with purple, crimson and azure streaks dancing like the borealis over her homend.

  Beneath the jacket, her honed chest was hugged tightly by a yered shirt. On the bottom it formed a knitted, jet-bck shirt thick as the winter types, on the bottom tucked into her pants, on the top ceasing in a neckline curling outwards, sitting just below her firmly held shoulders. From there a more silken yer of a nightly bright violet sprouted, draping softly, appearing lightweight even as refined waves formed along its otherwise smoothened surface, ending in a narrow colr slit open at the center with a zipper extending down to where the thinner yer of the shirt begins.

  As the wind blew into her dense and yered, short wolf cut hair of bck and blueberry purple highlights, Leittik inhaled deeply the unwholesome city air filled with bile of factories. Though it still calmed her a little as her boot’s thick soles beaten against the paved, dark grounds of the parking lot as she approached near towards the northern entrance.

  ***

  Night cloaked the world by the time Faenia caught up to her prey – almost. She cursed the heavy traffic of the accursed metropolitan world and most if not all of its highways and roads. Though in the end she could bme only herself for not choosing an aerial method to traverse the distance between the Reach-Tower and the Regulus Landing Port north-eastwards from it. At least, I am here, near the finish line. She though basking in the gmour of the gargantuan pyramid – one of the eighteen wonders of this colony.

  Gold tip risen close to the sky, emanating a light each time as grand voidvessel approached from the upper spheres. Then mostly a bck marble infused with metal from the nearby worlds stretched sntingly down until gold took its pce once more in the form of base frame. A minimalistic, yet opulent structure as the bck walls, golden frames and tip remained devoid of any decorative carvings, embossments, only four statues of Regulus Donicus – an Arghyrian settler of the distant past – stood proudly before the four entrances where four gardened squares offered respite for the waiting travelers.

  Faenia’s first instinct was to head directly inside the pyramid after she finally found a free parking spot besides a small, bck magicraft car with an evenly, angur hull. But upon stepping out and amplifying her senses, she detected two presences, familiar to her own in a distant way. The presences of her two Sisters in the very car on the right of her’s. Myelia truly bathed me in her radiant smile. Holding her hand out, index finger pointed, an etheric silhouette of a key formed before its tip, and fitted right into the trunk’s door which clicked open, revealing the two Vordriars lightly bound and gagged.

  Slowly, she parted the thick bck and burgundy red bangs looming over the solfrith’s warm forehead, and with a light tip sending a wave of freeing inscriptions, broke the yoke plummeting her in a quasi-sleep. Then Faenia quickly used her nails to loosen the tape at the edges, and tore it off in one go. “Where is she?” The solfrith asked following a hiss as clinging tape pulled her skin in a st effort to stay.

  “Heading to escape through the nding port. But leave that matter to me. Free her and alert our Sisters and the others. She may head for the Voidstation.” Faenia said aided her Sister out from the trunk and cut the mana ties binding her wrists and ankles. The solfrith nodded and as Faenia parted from them, began to free the feyfolk from both the spell and bindings.

  ***

  “Everything is in order. Thank you for your patience. The check point is at the eastern wing. Hope you have a fine road ahead!” The tall human with skin red as cinnabar recited the usual mantra of the clerks of the Regulus Landing Port. Leittik thanked her and rejoined the flowing river of people, whilst from the corner of her eye she kept watch on the chatting Snow-Scaled Vordriars nearby.

  With care, she maneuvered betwixt the flock, walking against the tide whilst slightly altering her pns sensing the two approaching vordriars. A stalwart, handsome orii elf with piercing sun golden draconic eyes and long, flowing hair slicked and oily neatly cascading down the back of his angurly oval head. Besides him, a timid looking half-elf with fair bluish complexion, a lovely face with slight draconic contours including the defined jawline and the cheek beneath her light crimson eyes. Ptinum white hair, lush and vibrant formed gentle waves as they flown down towards her jaw.

  Noticing a service door, sensing no one behind it, Leittik altered her trajectory towards it and hastily passed through it, the two as she expected sourly done the same. Hiding behind another door in a small space, she quickly smmed it onto the man’s face, knocking him down. Her pistol drawn, she aimed and pulled the trigger, the projectile silently soared through the air, and thrusted into the meager bosom of the half dark elf who with a yelp, colpsed onto her back.

  A st swift strike delivered upon the orii elf knocked him out amidst rising back onto his feet, then Leittik hastily reached into her coat’s inner pockets and pulled out the hefty roll of bck sealing tape. Three times she wrapped it around their ankles and wrists, then tore off oblong square sized strips, fixing them over their lips before dragging them inside the small pce where they cramped onto each other.

  Stepping out, making sure no one seen her she rejoined once more the river, heading for the teleportation circle taking her to one of the nding pads. But upon a few steps, just before the toilet she stopped noticing a few more guards chatting with occasional gazes taken towards the flocking crowd, searching and ced with suspicion and alert. It seems this pce has been notified. What to do? What to… do?” As she ruminated whilst impacted by the hurrying folk bashing against her frail looking form, she noticed a stewardess of a star elven kindred near the dy’s toilet.

  One who hauntingly resembled her, complexion, body shape and hair all combined. As she turned even their faces resembled to an extent – broad forehead, slightly less broad, though her cheeks appeared more definably angur compared to Leittik’s rounder, whilst their jawlines equally tapered in a gentle line. Both had almond framed eyes, dark and starry, ornamented with two luminous silver pearls, though hers was slit ats center thanks to her dracorith blooded mother. And from afar, her nose appeared equally slender as hers, though on closer inspection the bridge was slightly broader for the star elf stewardess.

  Noticing the stewardess putting away her mirror after adjusting her silvery, luminous makeup, Leittik followed after her. Stepping in, she became a bit unease as her pn to stole upon her was foiled by the mere yout. On either side, stalls lined facing each other, whilst facing the entrance door, a golden framed window adorned the wall, before it the stewardess gasped seeing her quasi-doppelganger. “Small universe huh?” But she quickly assumed a calmer stance as she approached and stop before the vatory, washing her hands.

  “It is.” The stewardess answered with a chuckle, followed by a soft and short groan when Leittik chopped at her neck where her bck, suede leather suit-jacket’s round colr, stirring the surface of the shoulder featuring a slight, crescent moon-like fre at the outer edge. Leittik swiftly intercepted the unconscious stewardess who have fallen backwards against her expectations, then dragged her inside the nearest stall.

  Gently, Leittik pced her upon the ceramic seating, then began to undress her. First, she buttoned down the single-breasted suit-jacket, then pulled her arms out from the simple sleeves ending in embroidered, elegant cuffs. Followed that, came off the velvety, deep purple dress shirt with spreading, pointy colrs. The st two came down quickly, the two glossy heels and the long, wrapping round long skirt of simir, refined suede leather.

  “Nothing personal.” Leittik leaned closer and as she whispered; her warm breath stirred the stewardess. Their lips interlocked, and her fingers stroked her vulva once pyfully before Leittik began to undress herself.

  ***

  “Might as well I should have expected.” Faenia whispered staring at the naked, bound and gagged stewardess with slight burgundy red streaks upon her cheeks as she dreams sweetly of Leittik. A wide strip ran across her mouth, her lips protruding forth beneath the glistening, smooth textile whilst her arms bent behind her back, bound with a few loops of the bck sealing tape whilst her ankles were tightened against the frame of the ceramic toilet.

  “But she must not be far ahead.” She added whilst her eyes glowed ethereally whilst the two Vordriars she freed waited eagerly for her order. As Faenia ruminated deeply on the matter, the next steps, her gently curving jawline gradually disappeared in the folds of her slick outfit’s high colrs offering a modest glimmer as they showered in the warm light of the toilet.

  “Shouldn’t we awaken this poor soul?” The feyfolk asked with her own cheeks reddened from the scenery and its implications. Faenia shook her head. “Won’t be necessary. She was a stewardess of the Fauran Guild of Voidfarers, she will most likely head for their Voidstation and then take off from there with a vessel.”

  “There is at least four teleportation circles going up there.” The solfrith stated.

  “Go inform the Snow-Scaled Host’s vordriars. Then check the eastern, southern and western ones. I’ll go for the northern.” At her commands, they nodded and left the bound stewardess to her sweet dreams on the ceramic throne of bodily reliefs.

  ***

  As the glow of the Mirage Mirrors fall upon her pretty, boyish face, her quasi-etheric skin drunk the light voraciously whilst her eyes skirted around the borders, swallowing the little stars in the bck pond. She searched and searched for an appropriate vessel no one would notice setting off, first picking a rge vessel, a merchant company owned Flottirion with which she could easily pass through the blockade around the pnet. But decided against it as it seemed after unloading the goods, two guards remained behind the guard the vessel. Then the next few Leittik gnced belonged to nobles of the Dominion or the wealthy diplomats of the Federation. The tter he decided against simply knowing they may be used as scapegoats one their vessels were discovered amiss from the hangar.

  “Shush. There is no one to hear you for an hour the least.” Behind her, soft muffled moans came from the two Ginnungriaths of the Bck Rose Order. Facing the entrance to the small post, a stygian deep, mulberry red skin with a vague oily quality to it, her silky, long hair of a deep, warm brown with subtle chocote hues coiled into a perfectly circur bun whilst her slender horns zigzagged up from her broad forehead hidden by the thick, yered bangs. Her deep-set purple eyes and wide, thin lips sealed each by clingy bck sealing tape.

  Behind her and connected by a wide loop of the metallic textile rope, sat still unconscious from the hit an umbral elf of exceptional beauty – as far as Leittik went thanks to her profession. Her hauntingly white skin glistened under the glow of the embedded mp, smooth and unblemished as the contrasting dark uniform. On to said uniform, her plum red hair cascaded in tousled waves, extending to her chest circled by the tight rope sapping her mana and stamina.

  “Just sit still, and I guarantee it will be a mostly eventless day for you two.” Kneeling before her, Leittik gently lifted her head by the chin wedged betwixt the high, sleek colrs. For a moment the urge to press her lips onto the stygian’s came over her. With a deep breath, she exorcised these feelings, though she took in a hefty amount of the perfumed scent of the stygian with vaguely elven qualities. Like with her previous victims – most of whom failed to catch her – she pnned to put the two under the yoke of the dream spell her mother taught her when she was merely fifty.

  But sensing the dwindling mana within her meager arcane points, and to her luck finding no potions on the two guards or in the few cabinets, she decided to prudent about the usage and leave some just in case she runs into another hunter. A choice she rightly thought so was well made, even at that present moment as she arose and once more stared at all the fifteen Mirrors hanging from the walls like oblong pentagonal excrescences with lofty snow-silvery borders resembling serpents with flowery scales.

  “That shall do it.” Upon pcing her palm upon the operating orb on the center of the broad console, information flown into her mind in regards of the lone vessel in a mostly derelict hangar three or four levels below. A long, cylindrical voidvessel bearing the mark of a smaller company dealing with spices from Dhurrokis, with oar like extensions serving as the engines pushing the vessel in the interminable nothingness. “Nothing personnel.” With a swift strike at the nape, Leittik knocked out the stygian before hurrying out with a jovial expression as freedom was only four or three levels below.

  ***

  After three days of – relentless in her future report – pursuit, Faenia caught up to Leittik. As if Myelia herself guided her from the back, she teleported up onto the 50th Level of the Regulus Voidstation hovering where the sun doesn’t shine. Compared to the nding port, she easily jostled through the vast corridors, and just as she was about to head the opposite way, fate and Myelia smiled upon her. Leittik still dressed in the pretty stewardess uniform hurried towards the elevator.

  Just a second too te, Faenia was as the elevator’s door closed shut the moment, she made the turn. Hurriedly, she descended the four floors and now having a palpable view of the escaped agent, she tailed close, mingling with the thick crowd on the 46th level. Whilst trailing after the still clueless Leittik, she adjusted her waist length coat and the full body vest beneath, tucked the few escaping segments of her iridescent purple dress shirt, tucking them back into the tightening grip of her pants. Both hands in her jacket’s waist pockets stretching diagonally, one hand grasping her wand pistol in the expanded space, the other a smoke bomb in the worst case Leittik attempts to lessen the distance between them.

  For a moment she stopped when Leittik absconded from the flowing crowd, turning towards the mostly empty hangar where the cylindrical vessel awaited her. Faenia herself stopped for a moment, took a long breath, etheric water flowing, phasing through her leather boots and pants, and slowly enveloped her legs, muffling any and all noise they would make. She reached for her silenced wand pistol veiled by the back hem of her stylish jacket, and followed after Leittik who remained oblivious of her st pursuer.

  Faenia peered at Leittik slowly descend down the stairs, gradually shrinking, swallowed by the metallic floor from where she stood. Dashing after her, she contempted on the spell, then as she slid inside, stopped only by the railing, she hid behind a lone crate rge enough to cloak her from Leittik who turned around for a mere moment.

  First a mana bullet wreathed in the prime essences of death and mind arcana combined passed through Faenia’s mind. A spell a bit unpredictable with the wrong measurements. Astrydril herself wouldn’t mind if the target died, on the other hand, Lythienne would have ordered her to capture Leittik alive preferably. Killing her would deprive them of the opportunity to experiment what traits she inherited from her parents. Which was why she quickly discarded her preferred combination after a short pondering on the matter.

  In the end she simply wreathed the forming mana bullet within the angur chamber in the prima materia of the Mind Arcana, pouring her firm will to simply deprive Leittik of her consciousness until she was delivered into the cws of their prison colony. She leaned out, right eye squinting hard as she stared through the trigger, the other closed behind the waterfall of white hair, her shapely chest beneath leather and silken rising back and forth, whilst she reguted her breath, blood and mana flow, then without a sound the mana bullet flew out from the octagonal barrel, flying straight towards Leittik.

  Leittik stood still, relieved at st that freedom was only nine or ten steps away. Days spent in the foul metropolitan world were at st over, and she could want nothing more than to take a bath first after she returns in the Federation Space. All the headaches, the sleepless nights spent grappling her pistol, staring at the doorway knowing hunters prowled out her ir, were over at st. She thought, then her heart started beating, whipped by fear as a weight dropped over her mind, a weight her body could not handle as strength faded from her now trembling legs.

  She struggled with all her might, but the spell, the tendrils conjured by it, unseen but clearly pulling her into the abyss pulled, pulled and pulled her closer towards the cold metal floor where the blurry reflection of Faenia stood behind her. “…so young.” Was all Leittik heard as the spell won and her lids shut closed whilst she kneeled before the precipice of her freedom.

  Author's Note:

  And another one. The st for this year, concluding the Faenia's hunt with Leittik's capture. An ending that I changed at least three times with writing, six times in my head.

  The first idea I had, which remained in my head was a longer scuffle between the two agents, where Faenia would end up captured, bound and gagged and possibly even a war prisoner on a Federation Colony. But that changed as one of my vows will be for the longer stories is to make the Bck Roses, and to be honest the others a bit more competent as that was another I feel am cking even though in world all the Orders have quite the renown. In short, I have a stormtrooper problem.

  The "fight" also got shorter. Much shorter. Partly as I often forget I want more, cowboy like fights when it comes to 1-on-1, and partly because it made more sense that even the tomboy Faenia would go for a more surreptitious way to complete her mission. And in a way it circles back to the first story, featuring another Federation agent who got captured and was held prisoner by the Bck Roses.

  So to make up for the loss of a concluding damsel in distress scene, I expanded and added a few more DID and GID segments. Originally the only two were the stewardess being found by Faenia and the Mirage Mirror Segment with the two Ginnungriaths of the BRs. Even the stewardess knock out scene happened offscreen in the first version.

  Anyhow, in regards of next year, the January and February will have the shorter Bound Diaries featuring damsels and guysels in sticky situations, then maybe March will have a longer story, depending on how I am faring with the short novel story.

  So thank you all for reading this work of mine this tumultuous year and hope you all enjoyed at least most of my rambling about spies, damsels, guysels, assassins and so on in a magipunk world and hope you stay on board for next year.

  With that take care guys and happy new year to all of ye!

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