Chapter 6
“Soo why are you out here Anna, oh amazing priestess woman moo?” I ask after my recovery from a near death laughter accident. She puts her arms proudly around her waist.
“I’m glad you can finally see the magnificent me! I'm on a mission for my sister! She wants me to be on the lookout for suspicious people! She even gave me secret spy rations and everything!” She pulls out some pieces of candy from her dress. Sits down on the ground and starts sucking on one, rocking back and forth in joy with her eyes closed, little Nya’s coming out of her mouth every little bit.
Zel leans over to me and asks sincerely, “Can we keep her wan?” I smile back and shake my head, wishing the same thing.
“Hey no whispering, wait… you're all pretty suspicious… you could be spies?! Have I already fallen prey to the antics of the enemy?!” I can't help but burst out laughing, what is this kid?!
Keeks swaggers over and picks her up by the scruff of her neck, “Oh we are definitely spies! Nyehehe” She tries to fight off Keeks’s grabbies, but unable to resist, just goes limp in her paw.
“Nyaaa I’ve already failed the mission!” Keeks puts her down and she looks up at us with teary eyes, still sucking on her candy.
“Nah I’m kidding, we just here to play! Any cool places to play here nye?!” Wide eyed the girl looks at us all one by one, then dashes over to me, wrapping herself around my leg at my astonishment. “Ooh you caught another one milky nyehehe”
I look down at the wide eyed girl, she looks up into my eyes. “Okay milky, you're gonna follow me and we are gonna have fun okay?? I'm in charge though nya!” I shrug and nod, then look at Keeks with death in my eyes, goddamn milky?! I sigh in derision.
“Lead the way oh amazing priestess moo~” She giggles in happiness and pulls at my clothing to lead the way to wherever we are going.
…
After 20 minutes of walking through the woods and following the path labeled ‘Saints Rise’ the forest turns to fields. Countless flowers and white, pristine rocks litter the pure green grass, reds, purples, blues and yellows ahead of us. It's like a dream that you would never want to wake up from. She keeps pulling us through the field talking non-stop until it starts going up. At one point Anna asked to be picked up, I put her on my shoulders and Keeks gasps in shock, mutterings of, ‘but that's my spot!’ that I try my best to ignore coming from beside me.
From Anna’s non-stop talking we learn a bit more about the village, that it's been around for thousands of years, protected by the blue fairy. The patron of the village that has kept everyone safe. The first of the line of saints found this place and fought a great evil, with the help of the blue fairy it was banished, now the blue fairy keeps watch over the seal of the bad thing and in turn they bring her everything she needs like candy and happiness.
Sounds like a fairytale all right, I guess the game takes all that kind of thing from the real world and jumbles it together with their own lore, it's fair but it also means it might be a bit predictable? I look over and Zel has her cute thinking face on. She hasn't said a peep but keeps looking at Anna and then around a lot. All I can really think about is this being the most amazing date spot! Picnic! Flowers! K-kissing!?
“We are here nya!!” my pathetically innocent gay thoughts are thankfully interrupted by Anna’s yell. Looking ahead I see a cliff edge, and before it lies a statue of pure white marble, kneeling and facing off the cliff. From the back I can see that it's a cat woman. I stare off and am shocked at how high up we are, we are definitely on a mountain. Off in the distance I see spots of towns and plains, water… wait, that's the ocean… where actually are we? We can't be in the mist continent… there shouldn't be any towns or cities left over the wall from what little I know?!
I feel a hand slap against my face as a furry little kitten tries her best to climb down my body, when I got to grab her to help she hisses a little at me, “I don't need help, I'm the priestess nya!” I close my mouth and do as I'm told, be the best scratching post I’ve ever been.
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She gets to the ground and runs over to the statue, bends down and seems to make a prayer in front of it. “This is my great great great great… great… great? Grandmother! The first of the saints! She watches over the world and stuff from here because she really loves people! Or at least that's what the village always said… I thought she always looked kinda sad… Anyways! As my protectors and helpers I need you to help me pick flowers for my sister nya!” She looks mighty proud of herself.
Keeks leans over to the both of us, “Is this part of the dungeon? I was expecting more like.. Waah ppsshh aarrgghhh!! Kinda things nye?!” I shrug and look at Zel, she shrugs too.
“I think we are still in the story portion of it all, some games would have build-up to the combat, considering how in-depth this game is about its lore I'm sure we just have to follow along until we need to save Anna… or something…” We clap a little at Zel, Keeks gives her a thumbs up, she blushes in response and looks away.
“Thank you, thank you! Now get to work! I want at least 20 white flowers before we need to go back for the feast tonight! We can't miss the feast! I heard there's so much meat and candy and wonderful things from afar hehehe… mmnn candy…” Keeks instantly perks up at the mention of food.
“I-is it free food nye?!” Anna looks at her in confusion.
“What is free food? Like food that can move?! CAN FOOD MOVE WHERE YOUR FROM?!” she leans over us and bursts out in curiosity.
“N-no Keeks means like… when you don't have to pay for it wan!” She looks again in confusion.
“What do you mean by pay nya!” We look at each other and then back to her.
“Ahh don't worry about it! Let's find those flowers for your sister moo!” Zelia leans in to us as we walk a little away.
“I’m guessing they all share the food and just work for everything instead of using a monetary system… that or she is sheltered as fuck wan!” I would have to agree with either of those.
“Yeah she didn't even know about milfs, gotta be sheltered nye!” I give her the side-eye in amazement.
“Yeah… that or she’s eleven you dummy, moo…” I sigh and pat her on the head, ooh you poor poor brain fried sex fiend.
We spend the next hour searching through the fields, white flowers seeming to be the least common variety here, worrying me that we are killing them, until I find one that's attached to another of the flowers.
“I think the white flowers are some kind of parasite to the other flowers! All the ones I’ve found are either grown because they have taken over anothers roots and killed it completely, or attached and sucking the nutrients from them… I’ve never seen such a flower before wan.”
“I mean we are technically in a nightmare… maybe they are some kind of nightmare plant? Weird but not super surprising, as long as we keep a lookout for anything dangerous I'm sure it will be fine moo.” At least I hope so.
We finally collect them all, Keeks getting the most with the prospect of food, free food even, pushing her to her limits. Anna counts them all, and then counts again to make sure, and then again… or maybe she doesn't know how to count that high. “Y-yeah that's definitely 20 of them! I counted them so I'm sure! N-now, sis gave me a bag to put them in to keep them safe!”
She pulls out a white bag and puts them all in there, then ties it up tight.
“Mission complete!! Sister is going to be soo happy with me nya!” she puffs her chest out and we clap for her, making her even more proud of herself.
“Uppies milky, we can get back to the village with time to spare nya!” Keeks looks in shock at her and then at me, her eyes misting.
“B-but I want uppies nye!?” I sigh and pick up Anna first, letting her wrap around my neck, and then pick up Keeks, putting her into my chest, she wraps her arms and legs around my body in happiness with a small muffled squeal.
“All I can offer you is my arm in this trying time Zel moo” She giggles and wraps her arm around my own, her warmth permeating my skin as her head snuggles into my arm.
“As long as your by my side love wan~”
“Hehe, onwards to the village of saints moo!”