An Evening Most Chocolotastic II.

Day 4 of The 129th Rasheul Great **** Tournament
6:44 PM

Estelle Bright. Secret agent.
Mistress of stealth. Princess of subterfuge. The mayor of Skulktown.
I'm an octopus who walks like a man.

Don't tell anyone, but I'm on a secret mission. Allie picked just the right girl for the job. It's totally like her to see past the fact I was a loud, bat-swinging maniac who answers to 'miss Bright.'
That's the very last thing they'd expect stuffed under a food cart and smuggled into the Lil Worm's room. Right under their noses.

The cart stopped moving.
I could tell from how the squeaking wheels no longer drilled my ears. Either that, or I'd gone mad from the incessant noise and subconsciously confined myself to a state of perpetual sensory deprivation.
Yeah, that was far more likely.
Still, I had to make sure. I carefully pulled the bedsheet out of the way. Just for a quick peek.

Yes!
It was very much her room. Could be my room too. Or Allie's room. Or any of the hundreds of identical rooms in the fighter dorms. But what other room was upended into an opulent pillow fort?
I'm gonna call this a jackpot.

Some guy stood there. Dressed up like he was tough shit. That's one of Ojou Sama's mooks if I ever saw one.

His back was turned away from me, so I snuck out from the cart without so much as a peep. Then, I reached my arm back in, rummaging through the bottom...
Until I found it!

My bat!

Right in my hands. Where he belongs.
Godammit! Words fail to describe how good it felt! I felt naked walking around without him! Almost as naked as the three chicks he faced. Each a different size, shape and color. The one thing they had in common was their lack of clothes, something that amused our tough guy to no end.
"All right, the lot of you." He announced to them, "Dinner's served. Yeah... Not much of a dinner, is it? Hope you ladies like sweets though. Cause you're not getting anything else before your new owner comes back."
He laughed at them hard. So hard he didn't hear me approach from behind, my bat reeled over my shoulder.
By the time he turned around, I was but a step away. His pupils dilated.

POW!

Didn't even get his face the time of day to turn confused or surprised. Still had that smug grin on his face when he hit the floor.

The last thing he saw before getting knocked out cold was the bat flying towards him by a hot babe in an adorable maid outfit ( as if I'm gonna let Allie be the only one who gets to dress up all cute in this ploy! )

He was still alive. Of course. I'm a professional bat wielder, after all. Just because I can crack a mountain with my stick like an egg, that doesn't mean I don't have a delicate touch.
Well, I don't. But who needs a delicate touch when my Pacify skill can render the target **** without permanent damage?
He'd wake up soon enough. Good as new.

I pulled out the stuff from the food cart. The stuff that wasn't food.
Just a roll of pink duct tape, and a pair of my panties. Clean, of course. Or at least clean enough to gag him with. Really, I only started wearing them two days ago.

I rolled him up in the tape like a parcel. Over and under, and all around. His arms were tied behind his back, and his legs wrapped together. He looked just like a birthday present, only missing the bow. That piece of hunk wasn't going anywhere.

So I unlocked the door and opened it for my fellow maid, greeting her with a salute.
"The premise is secured, maam!"

She looked down at the **** man on the floor, "...I asked you not to use excessive **** unless necessary."
"Oh, there wasn't anything excessive about the **** I used!" I waved my hand dismissively, "When my **** gets excessive, you'll know it."

Allie sighed. She sauntered off to the middle of the room, facing the audience of braindead bimbos.
"Ladies, allow me to present to you your just dessert..." With a dramatic twirl she lifted the silver cover, unveiling the ornate fluffy chocolate underneath, "An extra sweet helping of Freedom Cake! Soaking in Liberty Sauce and delivered straight from the Underground Railroad! Operation Chocolotastic is a resounding success!"
I waved my hand before the dazed face of the horse lady. She didn't even flinch, "I don't think they can't hear you. The lights are on but there's no one home. You got any way to deal with that?"
Allie scoffed, "Just who do you take me for? I know exactly the right thing to bring the gals out of their stupor. And I've prepared myself accordingly!"

Oh, that's right! Allie's a mad scientist! She probably had some anti-hypnosis device tucked away somewhere all along!
No idea how she was supposed to carry it in a maid dress without pockets though.

She placed the silver cover over the fake angel's head, picked up a ladle from the cart and just banged at it over and over.
"WAKEY WAKEY, SLEEPY-HEAD! TIME TO GET UP!"

"BWUUAAAH!" The fake angel winced back, covering her ears, "Son of a beeswax! What the fudge...?"
Allie grabbed her by the shoulder and shushed her, as if she hadn't just created enough noise to wake up half the city. She met the Fake Angel with a wink.
The Fake Angel's grew a smile when spotting Allie, which quickly morphed into a scowl.
"... Great. She got you too, huh? Welcome to the Loser Lounge."
"Wha... Hey!" Allie shrieked, "She didn't get me! I'm here to bust you out!"
"...Then why the fudge are you wearing that thing?" Katie gestured towards Allie's outfit.
"Why wouldn't I wear this adorable getup?" Allie picked up the hem of her skirt for emphasis, "It's a perfect mix of style, modesty and sexy! All in one package!"
"Sure, whatever you say. Looney. But me? I'd rather be naked than go anywhere near that thing."
"Well, you are naked." I pointed out.
"Of course I frigging am!" Katie spat, "Why do you think I said it? I burned that cheese during my first break of lucidity! And theirs too for that matter! Serves her right, heh..."

Allie lunged at Katie and wrapped her arms around her in a big warm hug, "Damnit, I missed you so much!"
Katie patted her back, "Hey... No worries. I knew you were gonna stop being such a gosh darn coward and pull off some crazy cheese."

Aww, that's sweet

The other girls also got the alarm bell treatment, and soon enough five chicks of varying degrees of lucidity found themselves in the room. None of which were its owner.
Never had I been looking forward to anything more than I have to meeting them. Allie had gone on and on about them as if they were the best thing since sliced bread, and by the looks of it they were not gonna disappoint. I imagine that's how it'd gone down if we had time to get acquainted, but alas that was not to be.

We didn't linger to chat up but got straight to the game plan. We went over what was gonna happen next step by step, as if Allie hadn't gone over it with me a thousand times already.

The buxom babe's blonde hair bounced by bounding before us. Mindy, her name was. A magician. The first **** the Worm got her hands on.
"...I've got no idea who you are and how you got here. But truly, Stranger, I am in your debt."
Allie chuckled, "Just happy to be of help! No one should be the **** of another. Not that I can go around freeing everyone who's in bondage, but the Snake Lady... She just messed with the wrong crowd."

I opened the window. Night had fallen outside, yet a blanket of lights from densely packed houses stretched over Rasheul's shadow like a second nightsky below. The city never slept, but it spent all night on the crapper.
We climbed down with a rope made from tied together bedsheets. Of course I had to carry the Horsey on my shoulder, but I bet that was scarier for her than it was for me. I also carried the bound guy under my arm and my bat in my hand. Glad the Tournament didn't skimp on the bedsheets.

Once on the ground we scampered off in different directions, each of us traversing the network of alleyways running throughout the city. I found myself in the entertainment district. Bombastic signs on the buildings blinked in colorful lights. In that part of the city it might as well have been daylight, except it's not nearly as lively during the day. The chaotic noise from the crowd washed over the streets, drowning out the catchy ambient music from inside the shops and bringing to life the city in its indiscernible hum. I couldn't tell where the laughter of one person ended and the crying of another began.
The wrapped up boytoy hung over my shoulder throughout the ordeal. You'd think I'd stick out that way in the bustling streets, but no. I actually found out it was quite the fashion around those parts. I'd catch more attention not dragging along a captured boy like a sack of potatoes. He sure was a squirmer though. Kept screaming through the gag.
After a few well-placed spanks on his bottom he started behaving though.

Now, I had a bit of trouble finding my way to the edge of city. Allie said something about heading south. Even pointed out the south constellation in the sky. But I knew it was best to always trust my guts!
Of course, it'd be even better if my guts had walked the streets themselves. But amidst the tall buildings, flashing lights and copious amounts of exposed skin, there it was. In some dark backalley, the looming walls of Rasheul.

I scaled the stone as if running across it, kicking myself off the wall so as to jump between it and some casino until I reached the ledge. While dangling from a single hand I hoisted myself on top of the walls together with my man parcel.
No guards patrolled the perimeter. No one can keep their eyes everywhere at once.
I leaped down into some bushes and headed into the woods, roaming the outskirts of the dark forest until I spotted the three large rocks Allie had designated as our recovery point. We were supposed to gather there after the heist.
The Horsey was already there by the time I arrived. Of course. I'm fast, all right, but I'd still get around faster on horseback.
But the Fake Angel? How did she get there before me? Did she use her fake wings to fake fly over the wall or something? She mumbled her cute little fake swears under her breath as she pulled shards of glass from the soles of her bare feet.

Allie and the mage arrived last together. Water dripped from her cute little skirt, and her shoes covered in mud. So... They went along the Rubine River, through the culvert. What a nifty idea.
But as is all too often the case, the shortcut turned out to be a long cut. Not that either of them were the physical sort. None of us really expected them to get ahead of anyone else.

I hoisted my boy up on Horsey's back like cargo.
"There you go!" I dusted off my palms, "You girls could use a little plaything on the long winding roads to keep you company!"
"Thank you, miss Bright." She replied, "And let me just say, good luck on the Tournament."
Allie and I exchanged glances.

"Uni..." Katie sighed, approaching Horsey as she shook her head, "You're out of the loop as all heck. But, hey! Don't worry! I'll fill you in on everything you've been left out of. Gotta warn you though, cheese is about to get crazy."

...My greatest regret was not getting to see the fake angel's face when she learned about what she missed out. Sadly I wouldn't have time to fill her in on all the killer viruses and devil trickery that's been going on since she was captured. But I'm sure she'd find out as soon as she got access to magic vision.

"Well then, ladies." Allie announced, "It's been a trip, but... I suppose this is where we part ways."
"What?" Horsey looked back to her, "But... We're not gonna stay together?"
Allie shook her head, "Yeah, I was hoping for that too. But you're escaped slaves now. Girls on the lamb! If you don't keep moving they'll find you and take you back to her. Try not to move south. That's exactly where they'll expect you to go. I'd recommend taking the byway east of here. Not that much traffic, not that much guarding."
"Allison... " Horsey walked up to Allie all teary eyed, "Please. I don't want to part with you. Let's go together. There's nothing in that Tournament. I know that better than anyone. So can't you just..."
Tears welled in Allie's eyes as well, "Uni... If I went with you it'd just make it harder for you to hide. So... Just go. Please. Don't let me know where you're headed. It's... Better that way. "

Allie picked up three sets of travelling clothes from behind the shrubs, including hooded cloaks. She also pulled out a large leather satchel.
"Here's all the money I earned in the Tournament." She handed them over to the fake angel, "Don't go spending it all in one place."
The fake angel opened the satchel to peek inside, "Holy frick! We're loaded! With this we can live like mother-fudging queens! What? You sure you're' fine giving all this cheese up?"
Allie waved the air away, "Just take it. For you it's a fortune, but back in my world those coins are only worth the gold they're printed on. Which... Actually might still be a lot. But hey! You need it more than me!"
The fake angel wrapped her arms around Allie, "You're one of a kind friend, Allison. Don't you fudging dare let them nab you."
"Heh, don't you worry. I'm not letting them within nabbing distance."

"Damnit, Allison!" The Horsey yelled, breaking out in tears, "You just got us out of slavery, and... And... And now you're just going to leave us for good!? How dare you? How can you expect us to just accept that!? It's just..."
Allie interrupted her by wrapping her arms around her, "Hey, it's all right! This isn't the end of our story, you know? It's just that now each of us gets the chance to make a story of our own."
The Horsey sniffed, but smiled, "Yeah... If I leave it up to you, you'll make one hell of a crazy story."
"...You bet! It's gonna be the craziest story! Keep your ears wide open. This won't be the last you hear of me!" Allie patted her on her hind, "And... Try keeping an eye out on Katey, all right? She needs someone to keep her from running head first into trouble."

"What was that?" Katey yelled.
"I said you need someone to keep you from running head first into trouble," Allie explained, "And make sure you keep running headfirst into trouble extra fast from now on."
Katey laughed.

With that they turned and left, looking over their shoulder while waving all the meanwhile. We waved back until they disappeared into the shadows.
Allie sighed. She turned to face me with a smile, but that smile was strained. I could tell from miles away.
"Ugh... Let's get back into the city, shall we? I'm... Exhausted. Lucky for me I'm not doing any fighting tomorrow."
"You know, it's fine if you wanna cry." I pointed out.
"...I'm fine."

No sooner had she said that when I found her wrapping her arms around me. She cried into my shoulder.
"They'll be all right. You've done a lot for them." I patted her on the back.
"...I'll never forget them, Estelle." Allie uttered between sobs, "Not for as long as I live."
"Hey..." I shot her a smile, "I know you won't."

Our tender moment came to an abrupt end, the bushes rustled ominously. Someone was there. Someone had spotted us. We thought we were ever so careful and did everything right... But there ended up being a witness?

I tapped Allie on the shoulder, getting my bat ready. Just in case.
Our little intruder stepped out from behind the bushes, first as nothing but the silhouette of a busty gal in heavy armor. When the sillhouette stepped into the starlight her face was revealed. Turns out she was none other than...
"...Sanakia?"
Allie stepped forward to meet her.