Peril Harbor - House on 22nd Street
Caila went back to the house with Marik after they finished exploring the Church of the God of Harvest and Plants. Vestern had explained the dedication to their faith quite simply. After paying a nominal fee, Caila would go through the ritual for initiation, which by all accounts was just a simple blessing by a local religious leader, not even the god himself, and that was it.
It was a bit of a disappointment for Caila, as she had expected it to be different. But after some thought, she admitted that the gods of the larger religions hardly had time to check on everyone who joined their religion.
Why did she want to join Arzen's religion? She had more than one reason. First, she wanted to find out how the inner workings of other religions operated and if she could use any of it. The other reason was that she naturally felt the potential to convert some of the believers to her religion. And finally, the third and most important reason was that she wanted to figure out a way to lure Arzen out.
Caila had no intention of going into his domain, too risky. Just look at what had happened with Baa. Most of his faithful ended up dead, and the rest were captured. Baa ended up trapped in his domain, but only because of the great sacrifice of Hellcage, who would be dealing with a weakening for a while and couldn't just repeat it again.
She also didn't know where Arzen's domain was, so even if she wanted to go after him, she couldn't. So what else could Caila do? If she couldn't go to the mountain, she had to let the mountain come to her.
Then she and Marik went back home, where they talked it over with Hellcage, who, to Marik's surprise, wasn't against it.
"She won't be found out?" Marik wasn't convinced it was a good idea.
"Liege has the Avatar in flesh and bones, still alive. Not to mention that she controls him over the range; it's not easily detectable. It's similar to how, in ancient times, the gods mated with mortals to produce mortal offspring that they could then control as needed," Hellcage explained, and Marik made a surprised sound.
"What are you surprised about? Do you think gods actually fall in love with mortal humans that often? Sure, there are cases, sometimes it's just pure lust, but in most cases, they were after the creation of a suitable inconspicuous avatar. They can't just control their believers; it has too many laws and restrictions. And creating a completely custom avatar is more about showing off than it is about being truly practical," Hellcage explained, shrugging at his headless body.
Marik rubbed his temple. "I see. So Liege won't be detectable?" He returned to his original question.
"Unless she uses her divine power on a larger scale, it's hard for anyone to figure it out. But when it comes to an actual blessing from Arzen, he would be met with resistance. That might raise some questions," Hellcage said, looking at Caila, who was listening from the side.
"It could also be a way to lure Arzen out of his domain," Caila said, looking at them.
"I'm not sure if Arzen is the kind of god that will personally go see why you can't accept his blessing." Marik didn't have a good impression of the God of Harvest and Plants either, so he spared no criticism.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Liege comes across as an ordinary boy with no blessings on him. The repeated attempts to bless him that will be stopped is not normal. There's a good chance Arzen will come to see it in person," Hellcage felt confident this would happen.
"And when it does, it will be too late for him." Caila nodded in agreement.
Marik looked alternately at Hellcage and Caila and back again. Didn't that sound too easy?
Caila turned her gaze to Marik, whose expression clearly showed his feelings. "Other than Baa, no one thinks much of me. Arzen might be a little wary already, but he doesn't really know anything. The greatest weakness of the gods is their arrogance. Perhaps if he had half a clue what danger I pose, this plan would have no chance of success," Caila explained, and Hellcage nodded in agreement.
"What happened at the End of the World didn't get out. We made sure of that. Anyone who could tell the story can't do that at the moment," Hellcage sounded pleased as he said this.
Marik remained silent, not feeling so sure about it. A bunch of things could go wrong, but Hellcage put a hand on his shoulder. "No worries. This is a strategy proven by experience. The failure rate is minimal," he reassured Marik. That calmed him a little but didn't completely convince him.
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What happened next was somewhat out of Caila's control. Suddenly, the Wendigo began to gather in the house, apparently summoned by Hellcage, who argued that it was only natural for the faithful to come to pay their respects to their god.
So Caila soon found herself sitting on the altar as if in some bird's nest, looking at the bent backs of the many Wendigo who had filled the room and were now silently praying to her. It was honestly uncomfortable for Caila and also very boring. She might as well have stayed at the End of the World; she'd basically be doing the same thing there.
The Wendigo had actually had some doubts about her identity upon arrival, but all it took was a little flame to shoot out of her eyes, and they were on their knees. Caila, however, had to concentrate on the prayers in the boy's body to actually hear them because her abilities were suppressed.
The Wendigo's prayers didn't change much from what she normally prayed for. Mostly, they prayed for food and safety, because despite everything, the community was still starving. Naturally, they wished that they could already go to the End of the World, where they were promised a good place to live.
Caila would have to discuss this with Hellcage, as she still had a use for the Wendigo here, but they could definitely move some, like the children and old Wendigo, already. This could reduce the burden on the community in terms of food.
Caila looked around and sighed inwardly before closing her eyes and waiting for this to end.
It wasn't long before she felt someone staring at her, so she opened her eyes again and her gaze fell on the two children Marik had brought.
Naturally, Caila recognized them immediately: Dali and Leo, two unique children who were quite creepy in their own way. Caila had only seen them during their prayers, and it was certainly a special experience already. Meeting them in person was something else entirely. They seemed normal, like two cute kids who stared a lot and hardly ever blinked.
Caila could have sworn Dali forgot to breathe sometimes, too. The two children stood completely back and watched Caila, who calmly returned their gaze before closing her eyes again and waiting for the prayer to end. It was a good fifteen minutes before the Wendigo finally started to move. After they finished their prayers, some left, but others stayed to watch Caila.
She waited for everyone to finish their prayers before, hiding her joy that it was over, she got down from the altar and headed straight for Dali and Leo, stopping in front of them.
"Brother, it's the dead boy." Dali looked at her curiously. "But he's not dead. Weird," she commented, tilting her head to the side.
"That's not him," Leo answered her.
"No? But he smells like him." Dali now seemed confused and looked at her big brother.
Leo didn't answer right away and looked around first before looking at Caila again. "It's just a body. Liege is inside," he finally replied.
Caila smiled. "So your eyes can see that too?" she asked.
Leo shook his head and put his hand on his little sister's head. "All I can see is a living, breathing body with functioning organs, flowing blood, and flexible flesh. But the Wendigo wouldn't have bowed to Ludwig, nor would Mr. Hellcage have brought him here."
Caila smiled again, though she had to force herself a little. Hearing a twelve-year-old talk about the internal organs and flowing blood of this body sounded bizarre. Kids really shouldn't talk like that. "You're smart, Leo. You're right."
Leo nodded his head and smiled a little, but Dali opened her mouth so it resembled a small "o."
"Oohhh..." she uttered before turning and running away.
"Dali?" Leo turned after her in confusion before following her.
Caila hesitated, looked at the staring Wendigo, and decided she'd better go too. She headed after the kids. Leo stood at the bottom of the stairs to the second floor and looked up, where Caila could still see Dali hurrying to her room. She wasn't there long and hurried back, holding Mr. Paka in her arms. She rushed back downstairs and then shoved the stuffed rabbit in Caila's face.
"You're Mr. Paka!" she exclaimed excitedly. Caila had to push the stuffed toy away to speak. She looked at the cute stuffed rabbit and then at Dali, who looked excited and didn't know how to answer. Caila didn't want to disappoint the child, but she didn't want to admit she was a stuffed rabbit either. That wasn't very dignified!
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Two days had passed. Caila had returned to the End of the World once to check on things, but nothing had happened during her absence that required her attention. That's why it was so important to have capable subordinates who could handle things without her having to hold their hands.
She then returned to Peril Harbor, where Hellcage had begun planning the transfer of some Wendigo to the End of the World. The good thing was that they had a ship; the problem was that the only one who could sail was Marik, and he couldn't leave yet. So, Marik suddenly became very busy. In addition to his work for the Monster Hunter, he now had to teach the Wendigo how to sail the ship so they could leave.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Caila was in no hurry to join the Church of Arzen for the time being, waiting for Hellcage to recover a bit first. Fortunately, his head had already formed back the next day, so he was able to walk out of the house again, but it was far from a full recovery.
Caila sat at the table with Hellcage and Kailam as one of the Wendigo leaders, discussing who they would send back to the End of the World in the first batch. Caila didn't talk much and left Hellcage to discuss all the details with Kailam. As an incarnate deity, it was naturally beneath her to deal with such trivialities... in reality, Caila didn't know anything about the ship's sailing.
So she could hardly say anything in that regard; instead, she listened and learned. The more she heard, the more it became clear to her that long voyages were very difficult to prepare for, especially when a large number of extra people and children were to be transported.
Plus, there was also the issue of the Boundary Mist, but Hellcage assured everyone that he could get the ship through it safely. Caila was really curious about this fog, but she hadn't had a chance to see it with her own eyes yet.
As the discussion continued, there was a knock on the door. Hellcage fell silent and stood up. "Excuse me," he said politely and walked over to the door, which he opened without hesitation.
"Greetings, you two. You're here for Dali and Leo, I presume?" he spoke to those behind the door and let them in.
"Hello, Mr. Hellcage!" Blue-haired Kafi greeted.
"Hello," repeated the young adult Brandon. "Yes. We agreed to go check out Mr. Ellar's shop today." He replied and then his eyes drifted towards the dining room where his gaze met Caila's.
Brandon's eyes widened in surprise. "Ludwig?!" he shouted.
Kafi also turned to see Ludwig sitting in the next room, staring at them until she flinched in alarm. His gaze always scared her.
"Aha! My new son, it seems you already know him. That simplifies things." Hellcage gave a pleased sound.
"A son?! But Mr. Hellcage! Ludwig is... he's...!" Brandon was at a loss for words and was increasingly shocked. Mr. Hellcage and Mr. Voss had adopted Ludwig? The world went crazy and pigs started flying around? Brandon almost swallowed his tongue as he was at a loss for words at the absurdity.
He was still staring at Ludwig, who didn't react in any way and just looked at them, when Brandon felt Mr. Hellcage pat him on the shoulder.
"That's all right. Of course, I know about Ludwig's past, but he's not really a bad boy, he was just in a bad situation and did what he could to survive. How could I overlook a child with such a sorry fate? So I took him under my wing and made him a new person," he explained, a smile evident in his voice.
Caila shifted her gaze to him, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. His words sounded right, but Caila knew the truth, so she found his words somewhat morbid.
Leo and Dali came down from the second floor and looked from Brandon and Kafi to Ludwig and back. No one said anything for a while, and then Hellcage spoke again. "Why don't you take Ludwig with you and try to get to know each other more?"
Brandon made a face of disgust, and Kafi's eyes bulged in fright.
Leo, however, ignored his friends' expressions and nodded his head calmly. "Okay," he said, turning his face away from the expressions of betrayal Brandon and Kafi were throwing at him.
"Great. Ludwig, come on, boy, and go make friends." Hellcage waved at Caila, who was still staring at him and sighed inwardly. She wondered what Hellcage was up to with this, trying to push her into acting like a real child.
Caila knew that Hellcage was a bit playful, but she didn't think he would apply this to her specifically, so he was definitely on to something. She looked again at the two kids who were friends with Leo and Dali. She paused for a moment at the thought, hoping she had figured out why he was trying to push her towards them.
Caila glanced at Kailam, nodded goodbye, and made her way over to the children. All five of them then made their way outside, and Caila cast one last glance at Hellcage, who bowed his head slightly in her direction.
The five walked out and made their way down the street. It was quiet. Mostly, Kafi and Brandon were chatting with Dali and Leo, though they were often pretty quiet normally. But now, no one was talking at all, and a heavy air hovered over the small group. After a moment of thought, Caila decided to speak up to try and clear the air. "So we're going to Ellara's shop?" she asked.
But it was as if she had hit some invisible switch with that. Brandon, who was the oldest, stopped abruptly, and Caila only had time to notice the way he clenched his fists before he turned sharply towards her, pinning her against the wall. Caila blinked in shock and flinched in fright as the clenched fist of the young boy next to her face slammed heavily, proving that despite his young age, he had quite a bit of strength. She heard the wood crackle under his blow even though he hadn't done any damage.
"Now listen, you little bastard. I don't know what you're up to or what you're trying to do, but you've gone too damn far with this! Sneaking up on a stranger's family? Do you even have any shame? If you do anything to Leo and Dali, I'll make sure no one ever finds your body!" Brandon growled angrily. In the past, Brandon had held back because Ludwig was ultimately just a nuisance that bothered them, but this reeked of something much more serious.
Caila was a little touched; this boy really cared about the welfare of Dali and Leo. Such a good kid. She had to force herself not to smile, because that wouldn't be appropriate at the moment, and she wondered what she would say.
But in the end, she didn't have to, because Brandon's hand, which was holding Caila pinned to the wall, was grabbed by Leo.
"Let go," Leo said calmly, but there was a serious undertone in his voice.
Brandon looked at Leo in confusion. "What, Leo, what are you doing? You know what a fucker Ludwig is," he protested.
Leo returned his gaze firmly. "This isn't Ludwig anymore," he replied.
"Ha! You didn't believe his bullshit, did you? Come on, Leo! You're much smarter than that!"
Brandon wanted to shake Leo's hand off, but was surprised to find that Leo was holding him really tightly and even started to slowly pull his hand away.
"The old Ludwig is no more. He's part of my family now. You can't hurt him, Brandon," Leo insisted firmly.
Brandon hesitated a moment more before sighing and letting go of Ludwig. "I just hope you know what you're doing," he muttered, looking frowningly at Ludwig, who straightened and smoothed his clothes before looking at Brandon.
He then suddenly clasped his hands together and closed his eyes as if praying, which caught Brandon off guard.
"I am truly reborn. I found salvation in my goddess. And I'm touched to see how much you care for Leo and Dali."
Brandon and Kafi stared at Ludwig in amazement. Leo blinked and then looked away, a slightly embarrassed smile appearing on his face.
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Somewhere on the Endless Sea
Gretel looked toward the island she was approaching. She lowered her gaze and tapped her finger on her chest.
Clink, clink.
The container nestled in her chest at the start of the journey was full, but now it was only half full. The red blood slowly rocked in sync with the rocking of the ship. She sighed. As long as she was on the Edge of the World, she had no problem with the lack of blood.
The underground Blood River was more than enough to keep her alive, and then there was the Bloody Knee, which regularly supplied her, even if it was more for its own purposes, poisoning her with flesh.
They'd been at sea for a few weeks now, and it appeared that the End of the World was quite far from any civilization. On the way, they had only encountered one other island and almost no other ships. Now Gretel was in quite a tight spot and needed to refill her blood. If the vessel in her chest emptied, her life would end as well, but as long as there were even a few drops of blood left inside, she would never die.
Gretel turned and grabbed the desiccated corpse of the sailor by the leg and dragged him to the hatch to the hold, which she opened and threw the body inside. The bloodless body was as dry as a wrinkled old plum, and the absence of blood also made the body very light. Gretel peered inside only to see, for a moment, the rest of the dried bodies of the ship's crew, which she had gradually drained during the journey.
She honestly hadn't originally planned to kill them, but when she found her vessel gradually emptying, she had no choice. Her survival was more important.
Gretel watched for a while as they approached the island and already saw signs of settlement. There was a lot of smoke rising above the trees, and she could also see an old pier with three fishing boats tied to it.
She nodded to herself before blood spilled under her feet, into which she smoothly sank, only to resurface moments later in her human form. She then turned and walked over to a large piece of stone around which ropes were tied.
The piece of stone had a lifeless, silent face, but that didn't bother Marenka. Echo was just sleeping for now. She squatted down in front of it and began to tie the ropes around herself, tightening them properly around her body so that the stone face was hidden.
By the time she was done, the boat was close enough to the island. Gretel leaped into the air, and bloody wings flew out of her body, which she spread as she turned to look at the ship below. She raised her hand, and drops of blood appeared on her fingers, which she shook off with a violent movement.
The drops of blood flew in a gentle shower towards the ship, and the moment they hit the deck, they passed through the wood, leaving a large number of small holes and making their way down to the hold. The pressure of the water quickly broke the wood, and the ship began to take on water.
Gretel no longer waited to watch the boat sink and headed towards the island.
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Unknown island - Unknown town
Gretel walked most of the way; she couldn't waste blood on useless things, and it wasn't a long journey. From what she could see, the island was smaller than the Edge of the End. It was big enough to hold one small town but not large enough to support another settlement. The rest of the island was probably used for farming, with fishing providing additional sustenance.
Gretel wondered about the procedure, whether she should do things secretly or directly. But as she neared the town, something interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up.
She stopped in front of an arched gate that was wide open. The walls of the city weren't very high, so it wasn't built like a fortress. The walls looked like they were already in need of some repair. Gretel also noticed that the gates hadn't closed in a while, as creepers had started to grow around them.
The town didn't seem to have encountered any problems that would force the locals to be more mindful of their defenses. But that wasn't what caught Gretel's attention. Rather, it was the people she saw walking down the street.
They all seemed happy. Really. Most had wide smiles on their faces. Gretel walked through the gate into town and slowly walked down the wide cobblestone main street.
The houses here were mostly stone, plastered with bright colors. The roofs of the houses had red clay tiles, most of the windows had pots of colorful flowers, and the air smelled relatively clean. Street lighting was all gas, but the lanterns that adorned some of the houses looked like they were already electric.
This town seemed to have some connection to the larger islands, as modern gadgets were starting to make their way here. In some ways, this place resembled a slightly larger village in the Edge of the World.
Gretel was interrupted by a burst of laughter. She turned her head to see a lone woman walking with a basket of groceries, who suddenly started laughing loudly. The people she passed were not paying attention to her and were also smiling. The top of Gretel's head began to tingle, and she began to be wary.
She stepped forward again and looked at the people. Smile. Smile. Smile. Smile. Everyone was smiling.
image [https://cdn.leonardo.ai/users/e70a625f-a29f-469a-912e-d78c50e456f1/generations/f15ccdfc-7651-4ce3-92bc-dd0309c1d033/Default_In_a_quaint_village_cursed_with_endless_laughter_Victo_1.jpg]
Gretel, on the other hand, frowned more and more. This place was certainly strange. It wasn't just that everyone was laughing all the time and talking amongst themselves without the smiles disappearing from their faces, but as Gretel observed, it was common for someone to suddenly start laughing during a conversation, causing everyone else to start laughing as well.
It was almost like some kind of laughing epidemic. "Another curse?" Gretel muttered to herself, knowing this wasn't normal behavior. As she moved her eyes back and forth, she noticed a woman in the window who wasn't smiling.
Their eyes met. Gretel thought that not everyone was infected, but then the woman in the window opened her mouth and started laughing loudly. But it didn't sound right. This was hysterical laughter, and Gretel could see it behind the woman's eyes. There was something there.
image [https://cdn.leonardo.ai/users/e70a625f-a29f-469a-912e-d78c50e456f1/generations/0d26bf16-61c0-4c55-8560-191ef1d2cc78/Default_Beneath_a_facade_of_bubbly_cheerfulness_and_makebeliev_2.jpg?w=512]
"Hahahaha!" The woman's loud laughter rang in Gretel's ears. Then someone quickly closed the window, and the woman was violently dragged away. But Gretel could still hear the unpleasant laughter in her mind.