We will have to get out of this situation without Loki getting hurt. The leader of their squad approached us and threw two balls in front of us. In an instant, they transformed into cages, surrounding us from all sides. I was in one cage and Loki in another. The Mojo lifted us and headed towards their settlement, which did not bode well. I knew things were out of control; Loki was terrified. I could break out of the cage, but I couldn't risk losing Loki. I needed to devise a plan to ensure our escape without harm. At least our hands and feet were free, and I still had a bag of mana seeds in my pocket, which I would use at the right time.
When we arrived at the settlement, we saw a crowd of Mojo welcoming us. That's what I thought, but from what they were saying, it seemed our capture coincided with some kind of festival or competition. They took us to the queen's palace, though it could hardly be called a palace—just a vast hall. Suddenly, all the Mojo bowed down, kneeling and humming, which was their way of greeting the queen. The queen entered, looking very different from the regular Mojo, with bright colors and horns shaped like a crown surrounding her head, and a smile on her face. She looked at us and said, "What is this welcome? These are our guests." Of course, I understood what she was saying, but Loki could not, hearing it as if it were hieroglyphics. I continued to pretend that I didn't understand their language, for my own benefit, acting submissive and foolish.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Their queen, named Candace, asked the leader where he had found us. He replied that he had found us at the border with the Kojo, thinking we were their spies or creatures allied with them, describing us as hideous and foul-smelling. I was surprised by how he described us. The queen ordered us to be freed from the cages but to be kept under guard, as we would be part of the festival's events tomorrow. We were taken underground, where there were strange creatures, a kind of incomplete and insane Mojo. Loki was trembling with fear amidst all this. I whispered to her not to be afraid, that I had a plan to escape. We only needed the ceiling and the mana seeds, and we would be back in my room in the blink of an eye. To activate the portal, we couldn't be under the watchful eyes of those we didn't want to see us. If it was just Loki and me and we found a ceiling, I would activate the portal for us to escape.
This seemed easy when I thought about it. As soon as we arrived at the place where we would stay until the next day, I noticed that the walls had eyes everywhere. From what I understood, the kingdom had a creature under the queen's control, watching everyone—it was her eyes and ears, making it difficult to surprise or attack her kingdom. This was why the Mojo ruled this world. Loki fell asleep from fear and exhaustion, while I stayed awake, observing how the eyes worked. There were five open eyes in our room, all watching us. I crouched to avoid being noticed, took a mana seed, and activated its power, directing it at one of the eyes, closing it. To my shock, I heard the queen's voice inside my head saying, "Close another eye, and you will both die."