Contrary to what the Guard Captain had thought, the spirit tiger, while indeed ethereal, was very real, as was clearly evidenced by the fact that the claw racking the tiger was doing to the golden floor was indeed leaving scratch marks in it. When the guards began to advance, Alice looked on, still trying to fully shake herself of her state of panic, and so, finally, she just bolted up and leapt up into the air, grabbing onto Shanodin's back and wrapping her legs around her waist, while holding onto her shoulders with her hands, piggybacking on the woman's back as she then focused as hard as she could, and turned them both intangible to protect them from the guard's assaults.
Meanwhile, the spirit tiger leapt forward and slashed at one of the guards, its claws cleaving right through his steel armor, and then, immediately turning, it swatted another with its long, whip-like tail. Then however, the guards stopped when out from the back of the grand hall, a loud sound of a scepter being tapped against the floor could be heard, and out from the back of the room, a large, portly, bald man appeared, walking down the steps from his position.
Lifting her head from out from behind Shanodin, Alice looked on at him, her eyes growing wide as she gazed upon a man she hadn't seen in such a long time, four years to be exact, "Midas." She whispered.
The man, naked save a loincloth he wore over his nethers, as well as a number of golden jewelry items, began to laugh heartily, "Ho ho ho, Alice my dear, you've come home! I suspected I might see you again...Such a good pet, she knows to come home to her master like a good little girl. Men, stand down, I can take things from here. Girls, this calls for a celebration, my little masterpiece has returned, just like she was trained to do. Let's all give her a warm welcome!"
At this the women all began cheering and giggling loudly, a few of them running over towards them, or really, more skipping merrily, but when they tried to put their hands on Shanodin and Alice, they found they were both still intangible due to Alice's ability. Seeing herself surrounded by these women, Alice both blushed, as well as recoiled into Shanodin's back, burying her face in it, "Mommy, don't let your guard down. Believe me, these women may look harmless, but they're wild, and liable to attack us if we aren't careful."
Midas looked on, smirking, "Ah yes, that fabled Intangibility power of yours. That always was such a problem when I was training you. Well, I know you can't keep that ability of yours up forever, and how it drains you dry to keep it up like you are right now, so I suppose I can just wait it out and then capture you once you've expended your energy. No need to risk hurting you of course."
Alice knew Midas was right, but she hadn't come all this way for nothing, "Where are my parents! And my sister! What have you done with them!"
Still wearing his confidant smirk, Midas stared at Alice for a few seconds before replying, "Oh them...Don't tell me the thought hasn't crossed your mind, my child...You know my habits...I got bored with them after you were gone, so...I sent them out into the country and them had a little hunting game with them where I tracked them down and captured them again...then...I ate them, alive." It was true, Midas was a monster, and a sick, twisted man, who engaged in some very dark delights with his slaves, including cannibalizing them when he got bored of them.
