After the introduction the questions began. It was simple stuff like “What is your name”, “What is your relation with the people we captured with you”, and “Did you harm anyone and why” the standard set of questions you’d expect the police to ask but then he got to slightly harder questions.
Lieutenant Akida:” In relation to your race, are there any questions that are safe for you to answer”
I looked at him quizzically after he read the question from the set of papers he was holding “I…I don’t quite understand the question”
The Lieutenant looked up and answered “Well it says here that some gods like to keep the mystique of their creation’s origin. Sometimes it’s for an important reason, other times for a ’Godly’ reason. Regardless, ruining it for them usually ends badly for us mortals. Are there any questions about your origins that might do that?”
That was an opportunity, based on what Gole warned me and Viola about…
“Practically everything” I answered, barely holding back a smile.
Our origin story is just an information hazard thanks to the way the gods of this world would view it.
Lieutenant Akida raised his eyebrows in surprise and almost looked sorry for me.
“Well, I wish you luck Miss Firstborn. That eliminates all but one question. Are you aware of the crimes of that…” He picked up a set of notes and skimmed through them “That so-called ‘Laughing curse’ woman”
“You mean Beast” I asked.
Lieutenant Akida:” Beast? That's her name? Thought it was a derogatory term.”
Kabiliti: “I think it is,”
Lieutenant Akida:” Then why do you call her that, better yet, why does she let you call her that?”
Kabiliti: “I don’t think she does. It’s just a placeholder I think”
”A ‘placeholder’?” Akida sceptically asked. I nodded
“Ok” he shrugged “I don’t think delving into that will be important so back to the original question. Do you know of her two murders and cannibalism charges?”
There’s confirmation that Winda’s no longer our friend. I nod to his question, but he strangely repeats the question.
“Miss Kabiliti, Do you know of her two murders and cannibalism charges? Please verbally confirm or deny this time”
A bit confused, I answer “Yes, I know those crimes but she doesn’t deserve to be punished for them”
Lieutenant Akida:”Oh? Why shouldn’t she?”
Kabiliti: “Because it was her fault.”
Lieutenant Akida leaned in closer, his gaze dead serious:” Then who’s?”
Kabiliti:” Her parents.”
At that Akida paused, pulled out a pocket watch, checked the time, and then looked back at me, completely bewildered by my statement and its implications.
Lieutenant Akida: “By ‘her parents’ I assume you're referring to Winda Madaki’s parents, who were killed and eaten. I’m I correct?”
Kabiliti:” Yes, you are.”
Lieutenant Akida:” The cur- I mean Miss Beast, has already confessed to killing and eating the parents of Winda Madaki.”
Crap, they must have interrogated her first “Yes, she did do that but it was due to the torture she suffered”
Lieutenant Akida pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly not believing my claim “Did she tell you this?”
He started pacing around the room. He probably thinks someone tricked me well enough that I think she’s a good person. But I do have a God card I can use. I just need to be careful how I use it.
Kabiliti:” No.”
Lieutenant Akida:” Then how and why do you-”
Kabiliti: “Through divine power, I saw her trauma and how her parents were transforming a child into a monster. Right now she is no Monster and doesn’t wish to be.”
Lieutenant Akida stared at me. Now he knows a god was involved and Beast’s innocence is being backed by a god’s divine actions. And if my suspicions are right, he won’t challenge the actions of an unknown god. I could barely hold back my smile as he groaned out. “This is above my station”
I’ve won!
Lieutenant Akida: “You and your group shall remain detained.”
Crap.
Lieutenant Akida: “A high-ranking representative of the Royal Government will be here to assess your unique case in about a week or three, we don’t really know. Her words are as good as the Nabagereka’s so she should be able to properly deal with this, 'unique' case. You shall be fed and taken care of, please follow me back to your cell”
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He opened the door and led me back to the cell with two extra guards waiting outside the room. When I got back Chuma was sitting cross-legged on the floor reading from a small tower of books that weren’t there before, Beast was sitting on the bed, hands chained to her legs and muzzle clamped shut with a set of Iron chains.
Chuma: “Your back! Good, they added a floor mat for our good behaviour and requested some books. For us to read while we wait”
I point to Beast “Why was she the only one chained and…crudely muzzled”
Lieutenant Akida: “She resisted.”
“She panicked when the guards took your and Viola’s unconscious bodies” Chuma countered
“she tossed a man and incapacitated another” Akida nearly spat
Chuma: “Violently panicked, but she did calm down and apologised”
“You apologised, she did not.” Akida corrected, glaring at Beast the whole time while Beast grinned back.
Kabiliti: *sigh* “And you?”
Chuma:” I protested and defused the situation, hence the good behaviour mat”
I walked back into the cell while the Lieutenant shut the door and left, taking the guards with him. I sat next to Beast. Then I realised something.
Kabiliti: “Wait, so how did they interrogate Beast?”
Chuma:” They did it while the both of you were sleeping, then returned us both just in time to see you two get fed a Potion. Then what I told you happened, happened. I think she even went as far as to call you two her ‘goddesses’ though I think she was just referring to your creator, or I guess creators.”
So she knows we’re gods.
Chuma continued “I don’t know if they’ve told you yet but we’re being sentenced as a group. And Beast has committed A LOT of property damage but I do count as a Noble thanks to me officially being a Dumuu clan head, mainly because I’m the only Dumuu in the city, but my title should last long enough to help”
Kabiliti:” And help how?”
Chuma closed his book and put it down before explaining: ”It’s simple, I can delay the fine when we receive it and if we get a death penalty I can turn that into a large fine.”
Kabiliti:” That still sounds bad”
Chuma: “Yes, but we won’t instantly become debt slaves or killed and with a fate quest, we’re guaranteed to get a lot of Pesa!”
I turned to Beast, sceptical of his confidence, but even she was nodding in agreement.
Kabiliti:” Wow. You guys really have a lot of faith in this quest”
Chuma:” Of course we do, it’s a legendary type of quest that lasts decades and always creates legends! Kabiliti trust me we’ll be fine.”
At that moment Viola arrived and asked the same questions I did, but the Lieutenant just left before anyone said a word.
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Our stay in the cell was uneventful but we did start to learn how to read thanks to the books Chuma requested, after four hours a guard came to give us food, and drink and to unmuzzle Beast.
After our first week, we could read like a four-year-old. The written word was extremely context-heavy in this part of the world, I swear every tenth word required context to tell if they meant ‘there’, ‘their’, or ‘they’re’.
In week two; Chuma gave up on teaching us and the guards have started a betting pool to see if we can teach ourselves to read like 5-year-olds.
In week two and a half; we gave up and made 3 guards 300 coins richer, Beast has offered to teach us. Apparently, some rich kid had been asking for us for weeks now, Lieutenant Akida came in to ask us if we knew him. Chuma said he competed with him once but didn’t know the guy personally.
In week three, we are officially five-year-olds in terms of reading. Beast is a surprisingly good teacher. Lieutenant Akida said the representative arrived but couldn’t meet with us yet, mainly because a lot of people expect us to be punished for the shit that happened to Beast. Conveniently Winda can’t be found in the city. The guards gave us some more books and started a new betting pool. Oh yeah, the Garrison is back and they look like hell.
Week four; A guard slipped us a language comprehension book to help us, It was in a different language. Every time the other guards see it they crack a smile and I don’t blame them.
Week five; language book guy struck out. Heard him yell “Nooo!” when the guards asked Beast if we were at a 6-year-old level yet. Heard some loud drumming on what should be Friday, well Friday since we arrived.
Week six; feels like we’re forgetting something…Anyway, We’re finally as good as six-year-olds and 8 guards won the bet, including the lieutenant.
Week six and a Half; everyone is in a rush and stressed. Tried asking what was going on but everyone was too busy to answer any of our questions.
Week six and a Half Plus a day; We’re meeting the Nabagereka tomorrow, the fucking Queen herself!
I couldn’t sleep, No one could. Me and Viola found ourselves hypothesising reasons for the Nabagereka to want to meet us, Chuma was practically panicking, and Beast looked like she had accepted death for some reason.
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Chuma:” We’re doomed, we’re so dead”
Viola: “Come on, you’ve been saying that for hours but you have still failed to tell us why”
Chuma:” It doesn’t matter why, this is HER city and if she’s coming here, then it has to be to punish us for ruining it!”
“For the last time, that doesn’t make sense! It has to be something more.”
”Doesn’t matter, We’re doomed, we’re so dead” Chuma repeated. He’d been like that for hours now. We tried asking Beast about Nabagereka but she’s just been unresponsive while looking out the window.
Kabiliti, telepathically: “Wait kind of ruler is she, that this is their response”
Viola, telepathically: “That ‘Innovator’ title she has must be one of vanity”
Kabiliti, telepathically: “Or fear”
Viola, telepathically: “Yeah. Ok let's go over the possibilities again: She can’t want our powers because theirs no way she could have heard of them”
Kabiliti, telepathically: “She can’t want our offspring because we are visibly inorganic and are two women so we should appear practically… ugh ‘unfarmable’ for anything”
Viola, telepathically: “The guard's report should say we are involved with God stuff so she should want to mess with us.”
Kabiliti, telepathically: “That only leaves ‘she wants to make a deal with us’ but we have nothing, at all”
Viola, telepathically: “We have that fate quest”
Kabiliti, telepathically: “Yes there's no way she could have found that out. Even if she got tied to it like Winda did, she wouldn’t know who we were or where we were. She specifically wants to meet us”
Viola, telepathically: “And to her we should look like slightly interesting troublemakers not worth visiting, Yeah…”
Kabiliti, telepathically: “Then what could it be?“
Viola, telepathically: “I don’t know Sis, Just doesn’t make sense”
It had been 2 hours of thinking, but we could figure it out. Why was a Royal, capital Q, Queen coming to meet us? Guess we just had to wait till tomorrow. And God was it a sleepless and stressful wait.