The village of Iatukat had been emptied as Mereana told us, with the houses left intact but no signs of its inhabitants. When we looked into some of the houses, there was telltale evidence of struggles, but barely any spilled blood. I suppose the villagers had already been rounded up for the most part, and only some dissenters had to be chased down. In either case, there's a clear trail leading away from the village, the grass trampled and bushes cut down to make way for a large number of people.
There's a totemic statue very similar to the one dedicated to Rangi - or rather its remains. It's been burned to charcoal on a pyre, as a statement to the villagers to tell them that their god is powerless. Well, he was weaker than the god I killed in one hit, so he must have been quite weak in comparison. I'm sure Rangi wouldn't fall to just a spike to the throat - if I can even penetrate his skin, that is.
"[Smells awful.]" Tokomaha says while looking down on herself with an annoyed expression. She's wearing clothes we found in one of the houses, since unlike me, she can't erase her sexual characteristics. I didn't really mind, but Awhina and Mereana both immediately went to find something that would fit her. It's a typical traditional dress worn by women around these parts.
I have to say, she may actually be even more enticing with clothes on. Since it means I can peel them off of her, and clothed sex is also quite exciting. Maybe we could-
No, this isn't the time for that. My libido is acting up again, ever since I got a taste of it yesterday, after a pretty long dry phase. When we finish our business at the capital and I find a clue about how to get back to the Demon Continent, I'll grant myself the leeway to go at it for a while. I'm sure I'll have a day or two's time to have fun with Tokomaha then. When that day comes, I won't let up until she completely melts~
Ugh, thinking about it just makes me want to do it right away...
"[Let us move on. There is nothing left here.]" Mereana says and saddles up and we follow suit, leaving the village behind us soon. She shows remorse at the fact that she helped turn this place into a desolate ghost town. But she acted under duress, so she can be forgiven to a certain degree. And she did lay down her arms the second she was no longer being forced to obey, so she deserves some leniency. I doubt the villagers who died or were taken away would think the same, though. "[Manoa is a four day's ride away. The city is under the jurisdiction of Rapania the Sea Witch, so we will have to be careful.]"
Hm? Sea witch? That sounds interesting. Maybe she's someone I can have some fun with and-
No more thinking about that kind of stuff... for now...
"[A sea witch?]" Awhina looks grim as she asks for confirmation. It seems she knows what those are and understands how dangerous or difficult they are to deal with. At least that's what I gather from it.
"[Rapania? She's meddling in the affairs of man now?]" Tahiri scratches her chin and looks at Mereana skeptically.
"[You know her?]" At this point I shouldn't be surprised that she knows every non-human. She knew Rangi, she knows Tokomaha, and apparently she knows this Rapania. "[Hard to deal with?]"
"[She's... complicated.]" I haven't seen the God of Storm like this before. She seems melancholic, completely unlike her usual character. "[Rapania's story is a tragic one.]"
"[What happened to her?]" My children ask in unison. I want to know, too.
But Tahiri goes silent and refuses to talk about it. Maybe she was friends with her before and something happened between them. In either case, we'll have to go through her on our journey to the capital, huh?
In the evening on the fourth day we approach the city of Manoa. It's located on a peninsula, with a wide cliff jutting out over the sea. We have been moving through a jungle and across a steppe, and it took us around a week, but I doubt that this is the other side of the continent. I guess it's part of a larger peninsula, and Aoranam and this city lie on different sides of it.
Apparently the definition of city in the Adanak Kingdom is a bit smaller than in the Kingdom of Lares. It's about half the size of Hovsgaerden, and while I would still only count it as a village, it's the biggest settlement I've seen around here so far. It even has a wooden palisade wall and a gate house.
But the guards standing watch aren't watchful at all. Their heads are lowered as if they're asleep, and those who are actually visibly awake just stare out into nothingness without paying attention to us. We walk into the city without being bothered at all. Guess seven pretty colorful looking people aren't reason for concern around these parts here. Especially with someone like Tokomaha, who sits on her horse cross-legged and without a saddle, or Tahiri, who's actually lying on her mount and looking up into the sky.
The houses in the city are built with wood, but look much sturdier - and most of all - more secure and closed-off, than the ones in Aoranam. Instead of large windows, they're actually quite small and all covered with curtains or even wooden shutters. Of course, there's no glass here either, so I have to assume that this kingdom either lacks the technology or only the richest can afford it. Since the climate is pretty hot, they can get away with having no window covers, though.
Something is bothering me.
"[This place is dark...]" I comment and look around. It's not like the city is empty, but the mood of the people seems really depressed. Nobody is talking and everyone just single-mindedly walks towards whatever their destinations are, never looking around, let alone glancing at us. "[Or is your way of riding a horse really that normal around here?]" I turn to Tahiri with that. Nobody in our group commented on it, and the people here aren't paying attention to her, either.
"[Hm, what do you mean?]" She lifts her head and her gaze seems to suggest that my question is strange. I'm not the strange one here! You're the strange one!
Now I actually feel like the odd one out for asking...
"[Be careful. We could be attacked by Rapania or her people at any time.]" Mereana is the only one who seems to be on edge, her hand on the hilt of her sword. I don't know if that will help her against what I imagine a sea witch to be, but if it helps her calm her nerves and gives her a sense of security, who am I to question it?
"[Why would she attack us?]" Nobody should know that we're on our way to bring down the God King, and we're just a bunch of - admittedly strange - travelers. Furthermore, this is within the domain of the kingdom, and for all intents and purposes, Mereana is still wearing the armor of a commander of its army, even if there's a slave's brand on her cheek.
"[On our way to your village, we had to stay here for a night after our march from Uarapo... The next day twelve men were found dead in their tents and thirty-five others had gone missing...]" She recounts with clear bitterness in her voice. "[Felgar clearly knew about this, but he did not care because they were slaves.]" I'm led to remember the flamboyant god, and it seems that he fulfills the exact image I had of his character from the little I saw of him.
"[Rapania attacked your men, even though you're from the same people?]" Awhina asks in astonishment. To her it's unthinkable to attack and kill her own people, considering they are neighbors she grew up with. But even now, she cannot understand that slaves are treated as mere property. Still, this sea witch sounds like a pretty evil being, huh? "[Why doesn't your king judge her?]"
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"[Because she produces results.]" Mereana looks grim at this statement. "[More than a military leader, she is an oaiatup.]"
"[What does 'oaiatup' mean?]" I turn to Awhina and my children, but they don't seem to know, either.
"[Someone who does research.]" Surprised at the fact that none of us knew the word, Mereana explains. "[Rapania is a flesh agnuhot utukám.]" And another word I don't understand. But this time, she seems to interpret my questioning gaze the right way, since she immediately clarifiest using easier words. "[She uses live sacrifices for her magic.]"
That sounds really evil, yeah. Something like a necromancer, then?
"[All of us can handle ourselves, so you don't have to worry about us. Well, Uten, Saten and I will keep watch.]" And obviously Tahiri, but I don't even know if she'd get involved in any fighting, if the attackers are humans. She might just avoid combat with her uncanny ability to dodge everything, no matter how impossible it might seem. Also, her past with this sea witch may be troublesome, so I can't expect any help from her. "[Let's find a place to stay.]"
It wasn't that hard to find an inn, although the innkeeper wasn't that friendly, eyeing us suspiciously and obviously staying defensively behind his counter. But the place itself seems unexpectedly clean, so he's forgiven. Not like my children or I are going to lie down or even sleep tonight, since we need to keep watch.
"[I wanna see more of this city!]" And there's the problematic one speaking; Awhina has been fascinated with the architecture and the existence of clearly defined dirt streets ever since we saw the city from the outside. It's her first time in a settlement other than where she came from, so obviously she'd want to make some more memories around here. It's like she completely forgot all the talk we had about the dangers of the sea witch who governs this city.
"[I'll come with you then.]" I'd rather not let her walk alone out there. "[You two stay here.]"
"[Whaaat? We want to see more of the city, too!]" Of course, the twins complain.
"I have an important task for you two. Protect Mereana, but when people come and try to take you away, act like powerless children and let them." I speak to them in our language so that it won't be overheard by anyone else. I don't mind the others knowing, but if the walls have ears, they'll be scratching their heads over this. "Treat it as a game. Of course, if you feel that her or your lives are in danger, you can fight with all you got."
"Ohhh, that sounds like fun." They're hyped up for it, but it's still only a what-if scenario. It's not guaranteed that something will happen - although I feel pretty confident that something will.
"[Tahiri, come over here for a moment.]" I wave the God of Storm over, who has been watching our exchange with curiosity.
"[What is it?]" She raises an eyebrow but does as asked.
"[Keep an eye on my children and Mereana, but don't interfere, unless you really feel the need to.]" I put an arm over her shoulder and pull her closer, whispering into her ear. I'm telling her this, knowing that she'll most likely not interfere even if what I constitute as "need" arises.
"[What are you planning?]" Looking at me skeptically, she asks my intentions.
"[I don't really know if you can call this planning, so I won't tell.]" Sticking out my tongue, I separate from Tahiri and turn back around to Awhina. "[Let's go, then.]"
"[I'm coming, too. I-it's not like I want to go with you, though! We just happen to share the same walking direction!]" I completely forgot about her; Tokomaha comes forward and expresses her desire to come along. Uwah, what a textbook tsundere thing to say...
"[Oh no, you're staying with me, Tokomaha. We have a lot of stories to share.]" Tahiri jumps in and throws an arm around the petite goddess, physically holding her back. I had almost forgotten about the so-called God of Growth, since she had been uncharacteristically quiet ever since we entered the city. Maybe she was really excited, but didn't want to admit it.
Thank you, Tahiri, for keeping her away from us. This is going to be a date between Awhina and me, so we don't need a third wheel.
"[Shall we?]" With this, Awhina and I leave the inn room together, to go sightseeing. I'm actually really aiming at gaining some relation points with her, since we haven't had that much alone time together recently. Let's see how far it gets today.
There's not much left of today, though. The sun has already disappeared behind the buildings and is nearing the horizon, its reddish hue tinting the sky on the other side purple. And unlike Kongenssoevn, Manoa doesn't have a bustling nightlife or lamp crystals to illuminate the streets. We'll have to return before it's completely dark, but considering the size of this city - in name only - I doubt it'll take us longer than an hour to make a tour.
Not like there are any special sights to see, except for maybe the castle on top of the hill at the tip of the cliff, which is overlooking the city. It's the only building made of stone, a fortress that just screams of an evil lair. Well, it is home to a being called a sea witch who uses human sacrifices to perform magic and conduct research.
Luckily, Awhina doesn't request to go take a look there, instead opting to try and find the marketplace, a thing she only ever heard about from Mereana. From experience, I know that markets pack up before the sun goes down, since the many traders come from outside and have a long way back home. Or because they can't afford to illuminate their goods and prefer to be up again right before sunrise. In either case, I don't think it'll be a place as colorful as the bazaar in the cities of the Khurut Sultanate.
Really, many of the people creep me out. Some of them are walking without looking where they're going, or just standing around and staring holes into the air. Others stumble about aimlessly and let their arms dangle at their sides. They're like zombies, some even giving off sighing and moaning sounds for apparently no reason. There are a few possible explanations that I know from games and stories, but I'd rather hope they're just dead drunk...
Whatever the case, I have my Chaos senses, so I can pinpoint their presences around corners and through walls. I won't be ambushed, unless it's by something that isn't alive; and it lets me know that these aren't zombies, since they give off life signs.
"[What do you think?]" I ask Awhina, who seems quite fascinated with the sights. This is the first time she has seen houses that are more than one story tall, and the clothes these people wear look more subdued in color and design. It's a whole new experience for her, who has been living in an isolated patch of the world so far.
"[Everything is so different, but also familiar.]" Looking around, she responds absentmindedly. "[But the people aren't as open and friendly as back home.]" That's for sure.
"[That's just how it is in a city.]" Especially in one over which an evil castle looms and where people are kidnapped to be experimented on by a sea witch. "[The more people there are, the fewer of them you know personally. So they keep to themselves more.]"
"[Are you from a big city?]" Since I seem to be speaking from experience, she asks this. I haven't told her much about my past, since I felt like it would only serve to distance her and her family from me. After all, she's a human and I'm a demon, even if, by their people's definition, she's technically a demigod.
"[Yes, a very big one.]" But maybe it's alright to tell her more, since at this point she knows and likes me for who I am, and won't care about what I am.
"[How many people live there?]"
"[I think it was around thirteen million.]"
"[Huh?]" She turns around to me with huge eyes.
"[Hm? ... oh.]" I accidentally told her the number for the population of Tokyo.
"[Take me there someday! I want to see what thirteen million people look like!]" Now she's excited. The problem is that it's not on this planet, most likely not even in this dimension. "[Promise me!]" Damn, when she makes these eyes at me, I can't resist her. And she's intentionally bending her knees and back, so she can look up at me, even though she's quite a bit taller than me.
"[Y-yeah, someday...]" I just can't win against that expression. Then I grab her shoulders and pull her towards me.
"[H-huh?]" She makes in embarrassment and motions to distance herself again, but I quickly spin her around.
In the next moment, the hook that would have caught her by the waist goes through thin air and misses. We've been completely surrounded by a bunch of people dressed in black, with skull-like masks covering their faces, and wielding long hooks and other tools used to capture without much injury.
"[Who are these people?]" Noticing that my action wasn't flirting but actually to save her, Awhina looks around with her usual attentive expression, the same as when she helped defend the village against the slave army. It reminds me of the fact once again, that she's not the typical damsel in distress that needs saving; she can handle herself, and could be considered quite powerful in her own right.
"[I have a guess.]" These must be Rapania's underlings, here to catch the newcomers to bring them in for experimentation. The sun is just about to disappear behind the horizon, but these guys didn't even wait for it to be completely dark, to start kidnapping. I guess at this point public opinion doesn't even matter for them anymore, since they have the city under control.
Really though, how did I not notice them approaching? Even now, my Chaos senses aren't picking them up. Maybe it has something to do with magic, or it's possible that they're actually undead?
"[Let's find out.]"