2018-03-05: A Lunarnyan Sidequest

• Cutscene: A Lunarnyan Sidequest
• Cast: Rosaline Calice
• Where: ????, Lunar
• Date: 2018-03-05
• Summary: Rosaline finds herself in a strange new world, where she finds a feline friend and mewfound purrpose.

---

Rosaline's vision filled with green as her eyes opened.

At first, she had thought she was still in the Pleasing Garden. But no, the smell in the air was completely different, the sun warm but not harsh, the humidity more... well, actually pleasant.

She sat up, her entire body aching. She was in the middle of a forest clearing, more verdant than any she had ever seen before. Was she in a dream?

No, no, she WISHED this were a dream. She was still a Hellion, she had just gone through those horrible Elw ruins with Garrett, Ida and Millenia, then... killed Berserk. She still couldn't believe it. And then came the Lord of Calamity, and that white light... which was meant to send him back, right?

Rosaline looked up, and there it was, confirming her fear. Hanging in the sky.

Filgaia. What did they call it here? That's right. The Blue Star.

Where were the others? She sniffed the air, extending her spiritual senses and confirming that Ida and Garrett, at least, were out of sight but not too far off. There was that, at least. Being around with anyone else she knew, let alone on this alien world, would be awkward at best.

While she was lost in thought, she noticed something in the corner of her eye, amidst the trees. She stood up to approach it, curious. It was a wispy flame, floating in mid-air, its pale color constantly shifting. She knew what it was. She had summoned those, before, with her new powers. She had just done so against Berserk, in fact.

It was a soul.

She held out her oversized, clawed hand, and placed the soul in her palm. She had never actually seen errant ones like these before. Was this specific to Lunar, or something she had awakened to in the heat of battle? Should she do something with it, or just let it roam free? Or she could always awaken it and ask.

But before she could, another odd sight caught her eye, something that she was sure hadn't been there a second ago. It was a large, garish treasure chest, colored light pink and baby blue, with golden trimmings forming a stylized cat's face. At the center was a lock bearing a paw-print sigil.

Still cradling the soul, Rosaline reached for it, curious.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC59hR6rICM

In a puff of smoke, the chest opened and a diminutive shape leapt out to stand before Rosaline. The Hellion blinked several times as a feline beastperson the size of a small child stretched out before her. They were covered in fluffy pink fur, with an oversized cat's bell around their neck.

"Meow thaaat was a good nap!" they said, licking a paw to brush over an ear, while Rosaline wondered once again if this was a dream.

"Um... Hello?" The smaller one only just now seemed to notice her.

"Oh! Purrdon me. Why, why, you're rather tall for a Katz, aren't you?"

"A... Katz?" Rosaline squinted. Was this a joke?

"Ah, nyaver mind, you're just a beastwoman with a purrple problem. Say, isn't that a Katz Spirit in your paw?" They pointed to the soul in Rosaline's hand.

"Maybe?" Rosaline was starting to get irritated. She had had a very long day. "What of it?"

"Well, fur starters, if I can purrsuade you to give it to me... I could furnish you with some travelling supplies, and why not a change of clothes?"

Rosaline had no particular attachment to the clothes she had stolen for herself, which were now ripped and torns in several places, not to mention drenched in blood from the last few hours' events.

"...I wouldn't say no," she decided, suspicious but too exhausted not to go with the flow.

"Purrfect!" the Katz said, holding their paws under their chin.

A quick fade-to-black later, and Rosaline had changed into her new outfit. It was nice, too, that she had found a stream to wash the blood off her skin and fur so quickly.

She was wearing a sort of long robe the likes of which she had never seen on Filgaia. It left her shoulders bared, and despite its floor-trailing length, an opening at the front meant she showed more ankle than she had ever before. But she didn't care that much about modesty anymore, and one massive upside to it was that it fit her so perfectly. Even in her Hellion form, with its oversized forearms and legs, the wide sleeves and skirt gave her ample maneuvering room.

The entire garment was in various shades of purple, covered in beautiful, intricate patterns reminiscent of flames, souls and scars, accentuated by gold trims. A red sash held it all together-- She had needed to use the strings she could conjure up to tie it. But all in all, it was comfortable and looked quite... elegant, actually. She liked it.

"Thank you," Rosaline told the Katz, softly. "It's perfect. Or should I say, purrfect." She smiled, crouching down to their level.

"Myeah, you look like a regular Kimono Mimi wearing this. I thought it would be appropriate for a nekomancer like you. Althena-shunning priestesses like to wear things like these on the continent we don't talk about."

"What?"

"Scratch that, don't worry about it." The Katz waved a pretty pink pawsie dismissively.

"But how did you know I'm a neko... necromancer?"

"Ah, yes! Well, only the most pawerful of nekomancers can see Katz Spirits, you see. Actually... Hmmm."

Rosaline tilted her head. "Yes?"

"We've had a bit of a catastrophe lately, let me tail you. Several Katz have been studying fur Katz Kollege entrance exams, and they've collapsed from so much stress and exhaustion that their souls litterally floated out of their mouths! Katz Kollege is not kitten around!! So meow their souls are scattered all over Lunar. If you come across some in your travels, I'd like you to bring them back to me, if pawsible. I have many more fantastic prizes to give you in exchange!"

Rosaline thought it over, tapping a claw to her cheek, and nodded.

"Hmm. I'm likely to be very busy, and I don't plan to stay on this world for very long. So I can't promise anything... but I'll try. How many are there to find?"

"Several hundreds."

"W-What?!"

"It's fine, it's feline. You look like someone who'll use every tool at her disposal to collect Katz Spirits. It's a bit of a pasttime among Lords of Calamity, you know!"

Rosaline considered the thought. She pointed at her face with a claw, sheepishly.

"Do you... Do you really think I could be Lord of Calamity?"

"Not a chance." Rosaline slumped. The Katz went on. "Everybody knows the Lord of Calamity is a Filgaian orphan girl. Maybe you'd still have a shot at Lord of Catlamewty, though!"

Rosaline nodded and stood up.

"All right, then. Where can I find you?"

A shadow fell over the Katz's face. Light glinted in their eyes, ominously.

"Don't worry about finding us... We'll find mew."

And with that, the Katz waved a paw and wandered off. It seemed the chest had disappeared when Rosaline wasn't looking. Once again, she was all alone, the reality of her strange, dire situation setting in once more.

...This... This really WASN'T a dream, right?