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“Sure,” with a smile, Staxius strolled through town. Time was eight, the shop barely opened. This didn’t discourage, walking alone could be seen as fun. Watching people work, to see how excited some were about the concert. Many children dressed in uniforms traveled by foot and public transport. It differed a lot from Hidros, kids were allowed to go back home after school was over.

‘Must be nice to return to a lovely home after a day of work,’ a few minutes of walking, Staxius stood on an overpass. The hands rested on the railing; cars drove underneath. Above, planes and airships flew, the massive buildings in front hid the sun.

“I can’t wait for the show tomorrow,”

“Yes, I can’t either, he-he,” dressed in mini-skirts, three girls walked by. They spoke with enthusiasm about tomorrow’s show.

‘Me neither,’ he turned around and faced the commercial district. “Time to go get some presents.”

“Finally, let’s GO,” she cheered.

.....

Minutes turned into hours, they walked – Staxius went crazy on the spending. From clothes to weapons and little gadgets, he bought things that many could only dream of affording. As promised, he got a noose for Diane – even here, the want to annoy that lady could not be quelled. The presents were mainly clothing and accessories. For weapons, he bought a peculiar looking sword, one of the lengths of a longsword but refined and sharp. It had a small curve that eased in slicing off what might stand in the way.

“Sir, that sword hails from the east. It was made by a well-renowned craftsman,” the reseller tried hard to pitch the deal.

“Sure, I’ll take two and show me your most prized item.” 800 gold was left and a few coppers. There were already more than enough presents, it all got sent back to the hotel. On the way to the weapon shop, their driver drove by; to which he offered to help.

“Here we are,” placed on the table, a piece of armor.

“Is that supposed to be the item?” what laid before was a crest, one the size of a coin. A black crest with a skull and nothing else, the eyes looked alive.

“That’s our most prized commodity, a piece from the helm worn by Admis during the fight against the invaders.”

“Admis as in the goddess of destruction?” it seemed too good to be true, how could something that valuable remain in a shop. Surely if it was authentic, collectors might have jumped on the occasion. With that in mind, Staxius watched – the eyes stared deep into the seller’s soul.

“I-I a-assure you, it’s real...” he gulped, the breathing grew erratic.

“Even if it’s real, what’s the point of owning such a thing. First and foremost, it’s rather unappealing for something worn by a goddess. Second, I feel nothing coming out of said item, and thirdly; a god-level item would not lounge around in a well-established shop.

“I-I c-can’t argue y-your logic,” he panted, people around started to take notice of the scene. “How about this, buy three of those long swords and I’ll throw in this trinket as a gift.”

“For the supposedly most prized item, you sure are willing to get rid of it,” a dark-aura emanated from the man’s back. Sheathed in a beautiful black and grey scabbard, he bought three. Each held different colors and designs. 200 gold for each one, a price that seemed cheap at first but was a whole lot. Money left was 200 gold, Adete had grown frustrated by all this shopping.

“Let’s have fun as you asked,” what he came out to do was accomplished. Both headed into the entertainment district and remained there till three in the afternoon. The rendezvous with Aceline and Scott slipped his mind, they were three hours late. The smile on the batgirl’s face was well worth the effort.

In the end, both parties returned to the hotel at four.

*Click,* the door opened, “thanks for ditching us,” Scott walked in with the lady behind.

“Don’t mention it,” he laid on the couch and watched television. The entire kitchen was filled with presents wrapped nicely. Expensive brands and companies could be seen all around, some receipts were scattered here and there.

“WHAT IS THIS?” the manager exclaimed in shock; a 200-gold coin bill remained on the counter.

“Why are you so angry, it’s not like I’ve spent your cash?” he sat upright and turned.

“Why am I angry? We’re paying you 100 gold coins for this job and you tell me you’ve spent twice that amount on a sword.” Scott threw a tantrum, Aceline stood back and laughed, Staxius’s antics always brought a smile.

“Sorry mother,” the tone smug, Staxius stood, “-catch,”

“What is it?” he caught the present.

“New pair of glasses, don’t worry about the prescription I did some snooping around, they should fit perfectly,” the body face the singer. “No need to worry,” she looked perplexed, “-I’ve got you something as well,” rather than throw; he handed her a box. A box in which laid a microphone, one filled with precious stones and gold. “I know it looks a bit fancy, but tis a present.”

Both were left in shock, for a 100-gold coin job, Staxius spend ten-times that amount. For the next hour, Scott continually pestered the man about the information of how rich he was.

“Could you just shut-up, dinner time has come,” the day came to a close. One not that eventful. Preparation was in order for tomorrow, the jet was said to leave on the same night. Waiting another day wasn’t feasible, the company back home wanted Aceline to come as soon as possible. As a change, instead of going to the fancy restaurant, Sugar invited everyone to a party. One hosted in a tavern, a place more familiar which felt home.

Drinks were served, people sang, the crew relaxed. Staxius chose to sit in a corner and watch, Aceline had fun with Sugar. Scott took quite a liking to the silent bass player. Trying to remain inconspicuous, he stayed back. A smile could be seen, he rejoiced in seeing others have fun, Adete sat on his shoulder.

“Tomorrow’s the last and final day,” he mumbled. Fondly enough, the mind yearned to see the shop. Xula’s face came to mind several times. In the right pocket, a glove was pulled out, the same one she threw. Tis was something he would never let go nor forget.

*Driing, Driing,* a new day began. The precious night ended early; the performers had to keep in shape. The first few hours after waking was utter chaos. Clothes went missing, Scott lost his mind, the idol yelled.

“CALM DOWN AND GET IN THE CAR,” Scott cried.

“We are calm,” Aceline replied with a soft voice, the car stopped.

“Today’s the day we’ve all been waiting for,” news about the event was broadcasted on a special channel. “-It shall be the first music festival organized on such a scale. Many stars are scheduled to come with prince Ernis in the guest list.” The camera panned in and out of the arena, the podium got a massive upgrade. The screens almost doubled in size, the spectator area tripled, it went back further than before. Akhtar had to invest more money, a condition mandatory.

An investment that proved to be worth the effort. People queued, around 100,000 from what it seemed. It wasn’t filled to capacity yet, one quarter remained. The hype came from the incident prior, the riot made many curious.

“Over here,” a guard guided the car through a narrow road.

“Welcome to paradise,” Akhtar stood and personally welcomed the performers.

“Thanks,” Aceline bowed, her face turned red – excitement could not be contained. Music was played by local bands and artists. Warm-up for the main events.

“Follow me this way,” Tom waited, he was assigned to her crew. “Good to see you,” the manager spoke, the aura changed from friendly to serious and down to business.

“Good job,” a voice whispered; Akhtar’s eyes opened in shock, “- you made the festival a success,” it faded into the background. Intrigued, he turned around to see no one. The moment the body faced forward again, Staxius smiled with a wink.

“Here we are,” they stood near a caravan, “-please take as much time as you want. The main event starts at four. The bands will perform for one hour each, you’ll be the closing act. Then after all the artists are done, the stage will be open for bands to perform all together and have fun. The whole event will run till midnight – there, local bands will take over again leaving the main performers free to head home or assist the show,” the briefing ended.

“Well, better get ready, I’ll be off to survey the area and make sure nothing happens.” *Click* the door opened, “-make sure to have fun and sing to your heart’s content. I’ll be in the crowd cheering.” In a blue mist, he disappeared again.

“Damn this place is impressive,” he teleported onto a support beam. Below, the camera crew filmed the event, he sat atop and watched. The eyes closed; no strange aura nor maleficent intent could be sensed. The head swayed back and forth to the beat; the crowd cheered. This was unlike anything he saw, the show at Claireville Academy could have been child’s play.

“People sure love music,” Adete hovered. “They sure do,” the screens displayed the artists singing their hearts out. The hours felt like minutes, the show was well organized. No breaks nor stops were seen, people changed seamlessly on stage, the music never stopped. Before one realized it, four in the evening came by. Sugar was the opening show.

As rumored, many movie stars and including the prince were seen in the VIP area. Surrounded by bodyguards, ones with weapons. Seeing him walk on stage, the girls went nuts, the cheers echoed throughout the vicinity. He played, many other big-name musicians dropped in, the music continued.

“Aceline, it’s your turn to jump on stage,” the moment of truth came; she stood with a pearly white dress. Her hair combed as if a princess, her hands held the expensive microphone.

“Go give them hell,” exhausted, Sugar stepped off. From the high energy and fast-paced songs, Aceline walked in. The crowd cheered just as loud, the pride of Hidros was ready. Her outfit mesmerized many, the musicians behind were well dressed.

‘Show them what you’re made of,’ far back still on the beam – he stood and waited.

The music began off slow, it made the crowd fall into a trance. She sang, her voice touched the hearts of many. Mid-way through her performance, the beat changed, with a pull of a string, the dress fell; her outfit changed. The rhythm altered, Sugar jumped on stage and so did the other stars.

Earlier, she requested that for the others to join her on stage. Rather than standing out, the emphasis was put on having fun. The more people meant more entertainment. Also, her songs were very popular to the point that many musicians learned it by heart.

The crowd went wild, she sang, they played. Amidst those people who shone, she lit brighter and shone even clearer. The Pride of Hidros had only begun her journey into stardom.

“She sure is something else,” Adete commented on the performance. “Yeah, being able to link all those people’s hearts as one. Making the rather self-centered Sugar give up on the spotlight; she’s a force to be reckoned with.” Hours on end, they played till exhaustion. No sign of disturbances was seen, the crowd seemed tired but continued to show the energy.

It reached nine, the music stopped. “Thanks for coming,” she bowed; the others followed suit. “Encore, encore, encore,” they demanded more. They could not just leave, the crowd wanted more and tis was their job to deliver. At that moment, Sugar took her mic;

“STAXIUS HAGGARD, IF YOU’RE OUT THERE – COME HERE THIS INSTANT,” the speakers roared, it nearly deafened the spectators.

‘In your dreams buddy,’ he sat back and smirked.

“STAXIUS,” the musicians called out simultaneously, they all witnessed him playing the guitar a few days prior.

“Yeah, not going to happen.” Adamant – they called without stopping. It grew annoying, the crowd’s emotion changed to violent and erratic.

“You best jump on stage, vampire.”