Lady Madison stepped outside to see her friends hard at work on the training ground. "Well, aren't you all spirited today."
They all stopped what they were doing and looked her way, greeting her.
"We were waiting for you," Shalista said. "I have another special activity planned."
Lady Madison shudder to think about it. "What? Are we going to run around the city nude?"
"No, no, silly," Shalista said. "We're to help out the community. A sexy warrior should be a well-balanced, approachable, helpful person. So, we're going out to greet and help the people."
"You mean like the military, which I happen to be a part of," Lady Madison said. "Lady Glinda, Lady Iocasta, and Sophia are apart of that same military, too."
"But it's different when a woman in sexy armor does it," Cordelia said. She wrapped her arm around Wendy and pulled her close. "We've built up a lot of goodwill, going from town to town proving we're more than just women in skimpy armor. We're also good people."
"Yeah," Wendy said. "We plant trees, pick up trash, save kittens, and other things, including killing the occasional monster or apprehending miscreants."
It sounded good. Lady Madison had been meaning to do stuff like that. It was tough to make time for the simpler things when she was on duty. Now, she had plenty of time. "Let's go. There are kittens to save."
Lady Madison and the others went out to do the little stuff. The shook some hands, kissed some babies, hammered a few nails, and even saved a kitten. She smiled as she looked at her friends. There wasn't a sad face among them. "This is fun."
Shalista chuckled. "I know, right? Being a sexy warrior isn't half bad, huh?"
Suddenly, they heard laughter as a group of seven women in full armor came of an alley.
Lady Madison grumbled.
"What's wrong?" Shalista asked.
"Trouble."
The women all looked Lady Madison and her group up and down. "Well what's this?" a woman with blue-dyed shoulder length hair asked. "It's a bunch of little girls slutting it up, playing at being fantasy warriors." Her gaze lingered on Lady Madison. "And at the center of it all is one of Empora's mightiest warriors. My, my, how the mighty have fallen."
Shalista stepped forward. "And who might be?"
The blue-haired woman looked her up and down. "I could ask you the same. I haven't seen you around these parts or in any of our journeys as the Artemis Knights."
"Fair enough. I am Shalista the Siren." She turned around, slapped her butt, and looked back at the woman. "I am the sexiest traveler in the world, the ultimate sexy warrior. My goal is to change the perception of sexy warriors worldwide. Surely, you've heard men everywhere saying my name with looks or ecstasy on their faces."
The blue-haired woman twisted her face in disgust and said, "No..."
Shalista turned back around, slumping her shoulders as she did. "Augh..."
"Anyway, I guess that means I have to introduce myself. "I am Lady Katya Vinzell, leader of the Artmeis Knights guild." She gestured back to the other women. "These are my Artemis Knights. I would shake your hand, but I don't want to catch whatever disease made you harlots."
"What did you say?" Shalista growled.
"Anytime, floozy," Lady Katya replied, gripping her sword.
Lady Madison stepped in between them and pushed them apart. "Hey! Come on, this is stupid!"
"No," Lady Katya said. "The thing that's stupid is that you all are walking around like that. Simply wearing such a thing is an insult the female warriors everywhere."
"Jealous?" Shalista asked with a smile.
"As if!" Lady Katya said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.
"You guys suck," Lady Zelafina, one of the Artemis Knights, said.
"I'll show you who's inferior," Sophia said to her.
All the women on both sides started arguing shortly afterwards.
This was would get out of control if Lady Madison didn't do something fast. "Everyone sit down and shut up before I get angry!"
Everyone backed down except for Shalista and Lady Katya.
"Do you honestly think I'm scared of you," Lady Katya said. "I've been wanting to kick your ass for quite some time now."
Lady Madison glared at her. "Don't test me, Lady Katya. Even dressed like this, I can crush you in seconds." Then, she realized that wouldn't help the situation. She softened and said, "We're just having fun. Please, let us pass."
"Your 'fun' sets female warriors back thousands of years," Lady Katya scolded. "It sends a bad message. Remember that."
"What's your problem?" Shalista asked. "You don't have to wear it. We're not forcing others to wear it. If they chose to wear sexy armor, that's their choice."
This wasn't going to end. "We're going, Shalista."
Shalista grumbled. "Fine, let's go."
Lady Katya attempted to spit on Shalista, but Lady Madison caught it in her hand. Then, she slapped Lady Katya with that hand. "You need to calm down."
Then, it was weapons drawn on both sides. By this time, quite the crowd had developed. If a fight broke out, innocent people could get hurt. Shalista could get hurt. Sophia could get hurt. Lady Katya or any of the other women could get hurt. She couldn't allow that to happen. "Everyone put away your weapons. There doesn't have to be a fight."
"You dare talk of not fighting after such an insult?" Lady Katya growled.
"You tried to spit on my friend," Lady Madison said. She knew what she had to do. Lady Katya liked her ego stroked. She knelt down. "You're better than me. I'm nothing more than a maggot before you. Please, forgive me."
"Hey," Shalista said, slapping her in the shoulder.
Lady Madison punched her in the thigh.
"Oww!" Shalista groaned, staggering.
"Hmph!" Lady Katya huffed. "Very well. You're free to go."
"Why you..." Shalista started.
Lady Madison stood and pulled Shalista away, saying, " Thank you."
After they got a little farther down the road, Shalista said, "That woman was being a complete jerk. Why did you apologize?"
"I wasn't going to get into a fight in the middle of the city over something as stupid as what kind of armor we're wearing," Lady Madison said. "Considering who I am, how would that make me look? Aside from that, people could have gotten hurt. Sometimes you have to be the bigger person. You can make one of your 'sexy warrior' commandments."
"I like it," Sophia said.
Others nodded in agreement.
"Well, I'm still angry," Shalista said. "I'm going to take up a quest to blow off some steam. Anyone care to join me?"
"I don't know," Lady Madison said. "Four of us are in the military. We don't generally take quests."
"Can we go?" Sophia asked. "We're off duty. Please, can we go?"
Lady Glinda and Lady Iocasta joined in on the begging.
Maybe one little quest wouldn't hurt. She'd been wanting to do one herself since she joined the Emporan military. She also saw the way the others reacted to the Artemis Knights. Shalista wasn't the only one who had some excess tension to dispose of. "Alright, let's do it."
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