“Like I was gonna just let you capture me. I’ve been running all my life, you think I’m just gonna suddenly stop now? Hell. No.”
Shibo gasped, finally pausing to regain his breath in a narrow alley he had stumbled upon.
“Soooo… where exactly am I?”
Just before reaching the village entrance, he had managed to slip away, darting between two houses with surprising agility for someone of his size. It was quite remarkable how elusive he could be.
His current goal was to understand the village’s general layout. Such a thing was necessary if he were to be able to escape any danger that came his way. And so, he climbed up a robust building for a better view, taking note of two structures in particular. The first was a grand palace looming in the far distance, likely the chief’s stronghold. The next was a massive stone gateway bustling with horses and wagon’s entering through it and into the village.
Contrary to what many believed, Amazonia was far from a secluded paradise. It had forged an official alliance with the continent of Sparta, creating a vibrant cultural exchange while preserving its unique identity. The islanders spoke Enochish, a common language that connected the two realms as well as the language of the gods, which they learned from Aamil.
And coincidentally, the group arrived on the same day a large trade shipment from Bushin and Chamelot was delivered, offloaded at a small port on the island's edge and carried in by the Amazonian women.
The procession of horses entered the village one by one in an orderly fashion. Each wagon was subjected to a thorough inspection before being allowed inside, and it was during this scrutiny that they discovered the last wagon was suspiciously empty, its cargo cleaned out.
"What was in this wagon?" the inspector inquired of the warrior guiding it in.
"I-I think it was fish and chocolate."
The inspector furrowed her brow, contemplating the mystery. “And you didn’t witness anything unusual?"
She shook her head, "Not a thing."
With a weary exhale, the inspector resolved to issue a warning, pulling a small microphone from her belt. Firmly grasping it, she activated the village's loudspeakers, declaring, "Attention, everyone. A thief has escaped with goods from the chief’s imports. Please report any suspicious activity to the palace or the guards."
Meanwhile, Shibo, uninterested in such matters, leaped from the rooftop and sprinted through the outskirts of the village, a tapestry of trees and grass. Well, he hadn’t quite made his way through it, because his attention was grabbed by an intriguing sight he happened to stumble across, or rather, it was a small fire wafting the aroma of steamed fish that caught his attention. The intriguing sight only caught his gaze after that.
He'd spotted a brown-skinned girl, likely tanned from the harsh sun -or rather, the natural rays produced by Gaia as their sun did not serve that purpose, even before it was destroyed. She had long black hair tied back in a ponytail, her large, expressive eyes fixed on the delectable morsels she clutched in her hands. Like her fellow Amazonians, her attire was minimal, consisting of leather and patches of leaves, except she decorated hers with an array of ornaments made from animal bones and tree nuts, adding a wild charm to her appearance.
As she indulged in her meal, the loudspeaker continued, “They’ve stolen a significant amount of chocolate and fish, so keep an eye out for anyone who carries those scents.”
While fish was abundant, chocolate was a rare luxury, cherished by the people of Chamelot. Many longed for a taste, but the steep prices dashed their hopes. Oddly enough, it was this coveted treat that Shibo noticed hidden in the corners of the girl’s mouth, her lips not even trying to conceal the evidence.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Upon spotting him, she swallowed the mouthful of food and greeted him with a cheerful, “Yo!”
“…………”
(Yep. I can smell it. This is my rotten luck coming back to haunt me.)
“Hey, can’t you hear me greeting you? That’s kinda rude you know.” The strange girl pouted, fanning the steaming fish on the fire in front of her with eagerness. “I hope you know you aren’t getting any.”
Shibo had initially intended to slip away unnoticed, but her bold declaration prompted him to retort, “I wasn’t asking for any!” However, as he began to shout, the irresistible aroma of the fish wafted into his nostrils, triggering a delightful response in his brain. This particular fish hailed from the waters of Bushin, and while a few might venture into Amazonia, it remained a rare delicacy, far from being a “common dish.”
“Hmmm, what was that? I didn’t quite catch it.” she teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she sensed his hidden desire for a taste. A flush crept onto Shibo’s cheeks, and the rumble of his stomach only fueled her amusement. “You’re hilarious, dude! You’re nothing like the elders say men are.”
“H-Huh? What are you talking about.” Shibo asked, puzzled and a bit embarrassed.
After licking the chocolate lingering on her lips, she seized the skewer holding the fish and took a massive bite, her words muffled by the food.
“They say men are like wild beasts, and that all they think about is ‘sexy stuff.’ But you seem just like any ordinary person.”
Shibo didn’t know if he was supposed to take that as a complement or not, but a part of him wanted to have hope that she was being nice.
“N-No one in today’s age says ‘sexy stuff’ in that context… What’s your name anyways?”
After swallowing her mouthful, she grinned and replied, “Palola. That’s who I am!”
“Well, Palola. You shouldn’t lump all men together like that. Don’t you have a father or something?”
It was well-known that men were banned from Amazonia, a rule that had persisted for decades, perhaps even a century. Shibo’s curiosity piqued at the thought of how they managed to reproduce without men around.
“Are you even listening? I told you…” she said, shoving another piece of fish into her mouth. “…Men aren’t welcome here. As for my father, the elders say that babies come from the love between a woman and the stars, and that the stars are our fathers. Tuh! Bunch of deadbeats.”
(The stars are their father?! What the hell kind of b.s. did I just hear… Wait is it actually true?) Unfortunately, Shibo is what one might call an “idiot”.
“What’s your name anyways, mister guy.”
“It’s Shibo.”
After swallowing the fish, she plopped down onto the ground, rubbing her full belly. If you’re wondering whether she managed to devour all the food from the wagon in the brief time it took Shibo to arrive here, the answer is a resounding yes. This girl, barely 155 cm tall, had somehow polished off an entire wagon’s worth of fish and chocolate in record time. The chocolate was one thing, but how on earth did she cook and eat all that fish?! Or I guess how on Gaia?
“Well then Shibo. Wake me up when it’s dinner time.” she said, her voice trailing off.
In an instant, she was fast asleep, sprawled out like a starfish, snoring softly as if the ground beneath her was a plush mattress.
Shibo hesitated, pondering his next move. Should he stick to his original plan of fleeing the village? Perhaps he could turn her in for a bounty? No, he had learned his lesson from the last time he tried that. His options were to abandon her and the friends he had just made or to don the mantle of a hero, attempting to rescue them from their captors. Naturally, he opted for the former, sprinting back into the embrace of the trees and foliage.
His aim was to scale the towering wall that surrounded the village, given that the entrance was swarming with guards. But as he began his ascent, a low growl echoed through the air. It was a creature reminiscent of a pangolin, yet far more menacing. These beasts occasionally dug their way into the village but had never posed a threat to its inhabitants. The issue was that Shibo didn’t resemble a villager in any way -his clothing, stature, and even his scent marked him as an outsider. To a wild beast, he might as well have been a different species, perhaps even a potential predator.
The creature lunged at him, sending him crashing to the wall as it opened its large jaws for a bite.
"Bad boy!" a commanding voice rang out, freezing the beast in its tracks. "This boy is with me, so leave him be."
As if obeying a master’s command, the creature turned and retreated into its burrowed hole. Shibo laid there, nearly at a loss for words. It was a creature that seemed capable of clawing its way through a person’s guts, and even nibble on a few intestines, yet it had heeded the girl’s commands without question.
The words "Who are you...?" escaped through Shibo’s lips as he stared at her in awe.
“It is as I told you, Shibo. My name is Palola. But if you need more than that, then you may call me a Saint, one who wields the power of God.”