Adventures of the Late Night Crew

For streets around the music and roaring laughter could be heard pulsing rhythmically from the Late Night, the city of Victubia’s premier bat and centre for entertainment, ‘The Bar That Never Sleeps’ it had been nicknamed by the locals. Late Night certainly lived up to its namesake, no matter what time, day or night, someone was bound to be found roaming the floors of the Late Night club.
Even now with dawn but a few fleeting hours away the building still blared with the sound of life. The inside of the club was well furnished and tidy. Varnished wood panels skirted the pale pink walls and the soft wine coloured carpet gave way to a polished wooden dance floor.
At the end of the dance floor, pressed up against the wall was a raised circle platform draped by thick red curtains where performers from all around Victubia and lands beyond would come to perform and entertain the land. At the moment the pair upon the dais were not your usual performers. Lady Gabbi, Victubia’s respected Mayor, a young woman with fair skin and wavy brown hair was twirling joyously as she blew on a dainty silver flute which was well as singing beautiful melodies also turned the sound into swirls and flashes of rainbow coloured light.
The other performer, a man of average height and slight of build, had only been in the city for a few days and before tonight was quite likely to have been thrown in jail. Thankfully for him he had managed to escape such a fate. His skin was almost ghostly pale and his eyes, which now were closed, were such midnight blue they were almost black. A mop of curly brown hair flew about his head. He too was playing a kind of flute, this one gold with delicate black patterns engraved on it. Over his shoulders was a large emerald and golden coloured snake which tilted its body from left to right with the flow of the man’s music. Two more snakes, these of ruby and sapphire pattern, were twirling at his feet coiling around one another and swaying as if they were ribbons dancing in the hands of a ballerina.
Against the wall adjacent wall was the bar itself. The mischievous and mysterious owner of the Late Night was none other than Lord Cryaotic, a man who to but a select few was a complete mystery. His face was permanently hidden beneath a white oval mask. The only features on the mask were two circular ‘eyes’ and a thin line of a ‘mouth’, somehow however the mask still allowed the man to see, breath and speak perfectly. The man’s slicked back brown hair flowed out from behind the mask but as for his actual facial features, they were largely a mystery. He like the rest of the Late Night Crew wore a red-orange waistcoat with the Late Night insignia on the breast atop a black shirt and trousers. Each wore a smart black tie with a broach specific to each of them on the tie knot. On their hands were black fingerless gloves. The bar was stocked full of the best drinks Victubia had to offer, and many special elixirs Lord Cry (as he was commonly known) had crafted himself.
Some would cause the drinker to see in black and white for a short period. Others would cause the drinkers saliva and hair to change colour and one drink in particular was so spectacular that it could impose upon its consumer such a relaxed temperament that they would literally float on air. For you see magic and the paranormal were commonplace in Victubia and Lord Cryaotic was hardly a novice in the subject. Lord Cry himself at the moment had consumed one too many of his own elixirs and was attempting to waltz with Lord Russ, Lord Cry’s dear friend and fellow member of the Late Night Crew.
Lord Russ hadn’t really much choice in the matter but had thankfully managed to grab and consume a large quantity of some beverage before he was whisked onto the dance floor; it had seemed to help as after a few minutes the pair were laughing to the point of tears, Lord Cry’s mask slipping just enough to see his mouth curled into a beaming grin.
Also on the dance floor, and looking far more graceful about it, were Lord Scott and Lady Raven, two of Lord Cryaotic’s infamous Late Night Crew. Lord Scott was a tall man with short dark hair and a stubbly black goatee on his chin. Lady Raven was beautiful and had waves of dark brown hair flowing about her head and down her back, her fringe and the strands running down the sides of her face were all golden blonde. Both were smiling content and twirling as the music and singing of their friends swirled around them.
Six figures were crowded around the bar, four sat at the front of the large ornate wooded object, two standing behind it. On the left hand side of the bar were two men and one woman. The woman, Lady Marzia, was very beautiful with long ringlets of hair and large brown eyes; she was smiling affectionately at her husband, a tall handsome man with sandy hair and beard who was conversing loudly and enthusiastically with another man with brown hair and a dark brown beard. The pair was discussing a ghost that was rumoured to haunt one of the old workshops near the outskirts of town.
One the right side of the bar sat a woman with flowing scarlet hair. Lady Red was sipping a drink and watching Lords Cry and Russ dance like idiots. The woman chuckled to herself and finished her drink before standing and heading to the dance floor and extracting Lord Russ from the Late Night owners’ clutches and waltzing around the floor with him. Lord Cryaotic shrugged and noticing his infamous and mischievous cat had wandered downstairs began to drunkenly stumble after it in an attempt to catch and hug it.
Behind the bar and listening intently to the jabbering men’s fanciful tales of wonder were Lord Cry’s two loyal and long suffering barmen, Sir’s Kirby and Ricky. Both men were peculiar sights to behold, one so more than the other. Many moons ago Lord Cry had been experimenting in crafting new elixirs and had convinced the pair to be his test subjects. The ordeal had left Sir Kirby with pointed ears, golden eyes with slits for pupils, his canine teeth were pointed like fangs and his skin was streaked with orange stripes as if he had been out in the sun for an extended period while wrapped in bandages. Originally he had transformed completely into a talking feline but after time his appearance had begun to revert back to normal.
As of yet however Sir Ricky’s ailment had yet to be found a cure. Lord Cryaotic’s innocent experiment had left the man as what appeared to be an anthropomorphic stack of pancakes. Despite spells, incantations and potions Lord Cry had yet to find a way to revert his friend to his former appearance, much to the poor man’s chagrin.
Queen Minx, Victubia’s loved and revered ruler, a tall and beautiful woman with chocolate coloured hair tinted with violet, sat in a large ornate chair. She was accompanied by her trusted adviser Lady Krism, an equally beautiful tanned girl with jet black hair. One of the advisers’ eyes was of natural colour; the other was the shade of a sparkling ruby. Few had ever questioned why and fewer still had ever received an answer.
The two women were accompanied my Madam Ziegs, a short pretty girl with an oval shaped face. Her hair was shoulder length, straight and brown. Very practical considering she was the owner of Victubia’s most successful animal sanctuary and pet shop. Madam Ziegs could supply literally any creature imaginable to her customers, be it mundane like cats, dogs or rodents, or something much more fanciful like phoenix’s, griffin cubs or even pigmy dragons.
Finally, ‘guarding’ the door was the tall, dark haired and bearded Lord Snake. His voice was deep and his attitude stern. He was the Late Night’s sole security officer and also Queen Minx’s occasional royal guard. At the moment his back was too the wall and his arms were folded, his head tilted downwards. Secretly he was smiling to himself at the shenanigans around him, but he’d never let his fellow Late Night Crew members know that.
The events preceding this gathering hadn’t started off so joyously.

***

Several hours earlier, just after sunset, Queen Minx was standing at the balcony of her room in her castle. The spot looked over much of Victubia and the site that met her eyes was one to behold. The many lamps and lights of the dwellings in the city had ignited in the absence of the sun. The little flames flickered and added their small luminescence to one another, creating a glow of golden and orange across the land. No matter how many times her majesty had seen the sight it still left her breathless.
Her imagination drifted on the wind and her eyes glazed at the beauty of her city. For what could have been hours the queen stared out into the open air before her attention was piqued by the sound of footsteps behind her. The woman half turned, her demeanour once again serious and slightly annoyed.
“What is it that you want? Can’t you see I am enjoying some privacy” she snapped shortly. There was nobody behind her; her room was empty save for herself. She turned completely, now facing her room, she was sure she heard someone enter unbidden.
She did not notice until it was too late the large sapphire and gold snake that slithered up from underneath her balcony until it sunk its needle-like teeth into her ankle.
The queen shrieked at the stabbing pain, prompting the snake to let go. She whirled around and gasped at the creature, momentarily paralysed with fright before the adrenalin took over. She made to stomp on the snake but as her leg lifted her vision blurred. She wobbled on the spot for a second before collapsing backwards with a thump.
From behind the curtain near the door that led out to the balcony appeared a man. He was of average height with much curly brown hair, dark blue eyes and pale skin. He wore thin wire glasses over his nose. Atop his head and flyaway hair was a bizarre cross between a black top hat and tricorne, adorned with red and gold feathers.  
He wore a white shirt underneath a black waistcoat with deep red swirls embroidered on it, a gold cravat, smart dark trousers and a red velvet jacket with intricate black embroidery around the collar, cuffs and sides. On his feet was a pair of ostentatious golden boots that looked as though they had been crafted from shed snake skin.
The man gave the snake a small smile “Very well done Nox” the snake lapped out its tongue and hissed appreciatively. He then turned to the queen and his expression changed to one of sorrow.
“I am of course very sorry ma’am, I’m certain I’ll pay for this later, but this has to be done” he crouched down onto his haunches and grabbed at the thin chain around the queens throat. With a small yank the delicate chain snapped and the man held in his hands a small key.
With another look at the fallen queen he sighed and retrieving a large comfortable pillow from the woman’s bed, placed it delicately under her head. Hurried footsteps could be heard coming down the corridor just outside of the queens’ room. The curly haired man rushed to the balcony and ushered the snake to follow. The pair slipped over the edge of the balcony on a cord from the man’s belt and disappeared before the door to Queen Minx’s chamber opened.

***

The queens’ eyes began to flutter as her consciousness returned. She had been placed upon her bed by her servants, her faithful adviser Lady Krism was sat at her bedside, her hands cupped around her queens. The girl gave a large sigh of relief as the queen sat up, still shaking the grogginess from her head.
“What the hell just happened to me?!” the queen bellowed.
“Calm down sweetie” Krism said softly “You’re okay” that was enough to calm the woman a little.
“I remember… It was a… Snake. Yes a snake, it bit me!” Her eyes darted to her leg; she lifted her dress slightly to find two pinpricks in her ankle.  “Was anything taken?” she asked Lady Krism.
“No ma’am. However…” the woman was cut off as the queen’s eyes widened in horrific realisation. She grabbed at her necklace to find it was gone, along with the key.
“The key’s gone. The key to the royal vault!” With surprising vigour for someone who had been unconscious just minutes ago Queen Minx threw herself out of bed and barked at her guards. “Search the vault, and find the man or woman responsible for this!” The guards hurried off without another word.
With a considerably softer tone, though still with some edge, Queen Minx turned to her advisor “Krism, gather the Late Night Crew” the girl nodded, and with a quick kiss to her queens’ cheek the girl rushed off too.

***

Lord Snake had received the summons but a few minutes ago so when heavy furious rapping on the door to the Late Night occurred he quickly opened the door. “Good evening Queen Minx, a pleasure to see…” he was cut off as the Queen and Lady Krism swept over the threshold.
“Not now Snake, I’ve had more than enough of reptiles this evening” the queen said waspishly. Sir’s Kirby and Ricky were at the bar, waiting intently for orders. Lords Ken and Pewdiepie were already present, along with Lady Marzia who detested the idea of her husband getting into danger so had insisted on accompanying him. Lords, Russ and Scott were also present, as were Lady’s Red and Raven and finally Madam Ziegs.
“Where is Lord Cryaotic?” the queen demanded of her friends. As if on cue the man walked into the room from the employee area which led to the bedrooms of him and his staff. Apparently the man had missed the summons and had only come downstairs to see what all the fuss was about.
He had left his mask, along with all other garments but his underwear upstairs. Everyone in the club of course already knew of his actual appearance but that was the least of his worries right now. There was an awkward pause where everyone’s eyes were glued on the half-naked man.
Queen Minx planted her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. She did not care for the male form; she much preferred her pleasure in the shape of something much more feminine.
With and awkward cough Lord Cryaotic pointed to the door he had just come through. “I’ll just, go get dressed” he muttered before promptly disappearing.

***

“Well the good news is you haven’t been poisoned.” Madam Ziegs explained, “It would appear that the snakes bite did nothing more than put you to sleep for a short while. Thankfully” Being an expert in many magical creatures Madam Ziegs was the go to authority on any kind of wound inflicted by a creature, she was well versed in poisons, their effects and their cures, knowledge which had proved invaluable time and again.
“That is a relief. But besides my health the matter still remains that the vault key is gone and we are no closer to finding the thief.” The queen pointed out.
“The guards did not report anything stolen, however” Lady Krism continued where her friend left off. “I would think that whoever stole the key would have made off with as many valuables as he could. Even the contents of your room would be enough to travel far away and live in relative comfort for quite a while, but nothing has been taken from the castle”
“As for finding the culprit, I may have a solution” Lord Cryaotic said crossing over to the bar and extracting a large tome from under the counter. He flipped the book open to the appropriate page and hovered his hand above it. The lights in the room instantly extinguished, plunging the group into darkness for a moment before the book itself begun to glow with a warm golden light.
“Wollof eht liart” the masked man announced clearly. The book glowed deep blue for a second and then its luminescence was extinguished. The lights around the room flared suddenly back to life.
“What was that supposed to do?” The queen queried irritably.
“Behold” the masked man said, pointing a finger at where the queen had been bitten. Beneath her dress two small points of light were glowing the same blue as the book had moments before. And accompanying them were glowing blue footprints leading out of the door.
“The spell I cast will lead you in the direction of where the animal is, follow the trail, find the snake, find the thief” the man said, obviously pleased with himself.
The queen offered an impressed smile and turned to her companions. “Lords Cryaotic, Scott and Russ shall accompany me. As will Ladies Red and Raven and finally, Lord Snake will make up the last of our party.” The task force drew their weapons and turned to leave, save the queen who addressed the rest of the room. “The rest of you shall remain here, Lady Gabbi shall arrive shortly and I want you to bring her up to speed.”
As if on cue the Mayor of the city burst through the door. “Sorry I’m late, I’ve only just gotten word” the woman panted, she looked most dishevelled and very tired. “Am I to understand that the royal castle has been robbed?”
“In a manner of speaking” the queen replied with a small smile at the woman. “Krism I would like you to…” but her highness was cut off by the protest of the red eyed girl.
“I’m coming with you” she stated matter-of-factly, drawing a scimitar from her belt pointedly. The queen opened her mouth to argue but after a moment of consideration closed it again and gave her adviser a short nod.
“Madam Ziegs, I would like you to explain the situation to the mayor. We shall return shortly with the thief”
“Yes ma’am”
“And Lady Gabbi, until we return the royal guard is under your command. Make sure that if out culprit attempts to escape that he is caught. Ken, Marzia and Pewdiepie will assist you in any way you need.”
“Yes your majesty” the mayor said with a small curtsey.
With that the queen and her taskforce left the building.

***

The curly haired man stood in the cave, awaiting the taskforces arrival. He knew they would find him as he wanted them too. Thankfully they did not take long. Their voices and footsteps could be heard outside and the man braced himself.
The man’s three snakes, Nox, along with an emerald and gold one, Naja, and another ruby and gold reptile, Rutila, edged towards the cave entrance, hissing defensively as the Late Night Crew crossed the threshold.
With a pointed look at Naja the snake stopped and exchanged a look with its master before hissing at his two companions. They all turned and retreated behind the man.
“At last” the queen called triumphantly “we have you cornered”
“Hardly cornered when I was expecting you” the pirate pointed out.
The queen glared at the man coldly, her hand thrust outwards. “The vault key. Return it to me. Now” she added warningly.  The man buried his hand into his trouser pocket and extracted a thin broken chain with a key on the end. He tossed it to the queen without a fuss and folded his arms.
The Late Night Crew exchanged unsure looks. Surely if this man had gone through so much effort as to sneak into the royal castle, render the queen unconscious and escape with the key to the most precious mound of treasure in all of Victubia then why would he return the stolen item so quickly and without complaint.
“What is the meaning of all of this” Lady Krism asked from beside her majesty.
“I require your help with something.” The man said simply, and honestly.
“Funny way to go about it” Lord Snake muttered just audibly.
“If you needed help why would you not just ask?” Lady Red asked sceptically.
“It’s complicated” the pirate added.
“Penny for every time I’ve heard that” Lady Raven smirked, Scott quickly shushed her.
The pirate rolled his eyes are removed his hat, placing it on the rock next to him before plunging into his tale.
“I am known as Captain Snakecharmer…” the man began before Lord Cryaotic interrupted.
“And your real name is?” the masked man queried.
“And your real name is?” retorted sharply. The masked man nodded slightly before allowing the captain to continue.
“I have lived a majority of my life as a pirate, ever since I was a small boy. After many years I became captain of the ship, and with every new captain comes a new set of rules. Under my command while we would of course keep some of the treasure we... collected, to ourselves we would share a lot of it with the poor and the more deserving. We kept what we needed to live and maintain the ship and our weapons, but no more.”
“Over the years of course one or two of the older crew members, most likely embittered by the fact that they were not captain and that they had been surpassed by a man much younger than themselves, inspired to mutiny. I was locked away in our ships brig for a number of weeks while they planned what their next move was to be” The man paused, smiling cunningly as he did so. “Or at least they thought I was imprisoned. When a man has called a ship his home for as long as he can remember he learns things than many others would not notice, like the secrets and hide-aways that only children can find. I know that ship from top to bottom, if I had wanted to escape I would have.”
“Then why didn’t you?” asked Lord Russ.
“They betrayed me. I owe them a returned favour” the man grinned wolfishly. “For you see, while I was in the brig I heard them plotting and scheming. They plan to break into the queens’ castle and steal the key to the queens’ vault and make off with as much treasure as they can get their disgusting greedy hands on. That key right there” he pointed at the silver object the queen held in her hand.
“So you stole it before they could?” Lord Cry asked.
“Precisely. I apologise for the action of course, but rather I steal it the way I did than the queen and lord only knows whoever else get killed in my ex-accomplices theft.”
“But, how does that benefit us?” Lady Raven wondered aloud.
“Easy, I steal it the night before they do. I lead you to me and then to them and finally they are arrested unawares before their plan can even begin to be put into action” The man practically leapt for joy at his plan.
The Late Night Crew, Queen Minx and Lady Krism were all impressed, but that didn’t change one fact.
“As noble, if bizarre, as your intentions were Captain” Queen Minx explained “you still committed an illegal act and must be punished for it.”
The man’s face fell. “Of course, I understand. At least I can take solace that those black hearted scoundrels will suffer the same fate. Follow me” he instructed, walking past the group with his three snakes at his heels and out of the cave. The group quickly followed.

***

“See there. That is my ship” Captain Snakecharmer indicated the large vessel in the dock. Even in the darkness it was a sight. The name “King of Hearts” was written on the hull in fancy black writing over a bright red heart wearing a golden crown.
“A little ostentatious don’t you think” Snake said matter-of-factly.
“What would ever give you that idea?” The captain smiled mock-innocently before entering a nearby tavern.
Inside the shabby establishment were a few men, none of them looked particularly favourable. They turned as the door swung open and the captain sauntered in, followed by his new companions. The mouths nearly dropped to the floor.
“Surprised to see me?” The captain grinned. The three men instantly drew their swords.
“Captain, First Mate and Quartermaster” the curly haired man nodded at each of the men in turn. “You have each disgraced those titles and are wholly undeserving of them” he growled drawing his own cutlass. The three men charged at him but he was ready.
He expertly parried the Quartermaster’s strike and spun on his heel, kicking the man backwards into a table which collapsed under his weight. Next came the First Mate who swung his sword ferociously, the captain matching his every blow. With a swift slash the curly haired man sliced deeply into the other man’s hand. With a shriek he dropped his blade and was shoved to the floor, trying desperately to stop his hand from bleeding.
“Two down, one to go” Captain Snakecharmer taunted. The other Captain roared and charged at his enemy. The pair rained strikes down on one another, the curly haired Captain losing all of his sarcasm and humour, his face a mask of concentration and anger.
The pair locked swords, each pushing against the other with all their strength but neither man would budge.
“I’ll kill you” the false Captain spat venomously.
Suddenly the younger man smiled “Oh really?” he directed his eyes above them and grinned.
The other man looked up and screamed. Rutila, the red and gold female snake materialised out of thin air on one of the rafters above the men and with her tail wrapped around it to keep her stable she struck at the older man, sinking her long needle-like teeth into his shoulder.
With a roar of pure agony the man collapsed on the floor, unconscious from the pain and shock.
The young man’s companions were wide eyed with awe, and surprise. Lord Snake nodded, he was a hard man to impress but the Captains skills in battle were very admirable.
“It’s not that big of a deal” Captain Snakecharmer shrugged.

***

With the three leaders of the King of Hearts rebellion apprehended the remains of the crew surrendered to Victubia’s royal guards without a fuss. The group had returned to the Late Night with Captain Snakecharmer in tow. He knew his own arrest was inevitable but at least he would be able to set his affairs in order beforehand.
Upon entering the establishment everyone already in the building were stuck silent, their eyes glued to the Queen, who smiled.
“The crisis has been resolved” she stated, the group exhaled. Lady Krism then delved into a lengthy explanation of the nights events. Mayor Gabbi was most interested and relieved; she turned to Captain Snakecharmer after the story was over after a hushed conversation with the Queen and Lady Krism. She opened her mouth to speak but he politely held up a hand.
“I am aware of what must become of me now.” He said sadly, with a small smile. “But before I go I would just like to present you with this” from his trouser pocket he extracted a small silver flute and handed it to the Mayor “This will play music and convert a portion of the sound produced into light. Take it as a token of my apology for causing your city such distress” Mayor Gabbi was shocked into silence at the man’s acceptance of his fate and his generosity.
He turned to Madam Ziegs “I would like you to take care of Naja, Rutila and Nox for me. As you have probably guessed they have been magically bred. Rutila can turn invisible, Nox has a bite that acts as an anaesthetic and Naja can form a telepathic link with anyone he trusts. I’m sure they will be of great help to all of you.” The three snakes looked at their master, clearly sad and understanding the mans’ plight.
Finally he turned next to the Queen “I again apologise to you, your majesty, and would like you to take my ship and add it to the naval ranks. I won’t be needing it anymore” he added morosely.
“Oh I think you will” the queen said kindly. The man frowned in confusion. “You may keep your ship and keep your pets. You shall not be going to prison today or anytime soon.”
The man dared to smile slightly as the queen continued to speak. “I have discussed it with Lady Krism and Mayor Gabbi, and we have all agreed that you are free of all charges. You are free to live in Victubia a free man and would like to invite you to put together a special crew that will help counter and defeat crimes such as those your ex-companions perform.”
“Thank you” the Captain spluttered, he did not know what to say, he was speechless. “I won’t let you down your majesty” he bowed for effect and his three snakes hissed happily.
The queen smiled and turned to Lord Cryaotic. “I think after tonight we could all do with a drink”
“Yes ma’am” he replied “Free drinks on the house!” he called to the room as they all cheered and music began to play and trail into the night.