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Vega Of The Wastes
Chapter 47: The Black Gate (Part 2!)

Chapter 47: The Black Gate (Part 2!)

Chapter 47: The Black Gate (Part 2!)

In the end as he stepped out of the changing room towards the watchmen, he ended up staying with the puffy pants, sleeveless shirt, and a vampiric bit of waist ‘gear’.

“A corset? Ouch.” Florato winced at the sight. It looked very good on Skaldi, but didn’t illicit any good memories.

“Yeah? What’s the problem?”

“Saw a friend of mine wear it once. She had to peel it off and it left her skin aching hot pink.”

“Ha. Just needs a man wearing it. That’s all.” Skaldi held his head high, as a strong breeze blew past. “By the way, love that flower look you have.”

“Yeah, it's cute.” Florato gave a genuine smile, feeling pretty and pretty happy with herself. “But honestly, if you’ve been subject to what I’ve been in terms of ‘focusing on certain parts of your body that you’re insecure on’, you’d have an aversion to this type of stuff.”

“I’ve faced insults too. Don’t forget, feminine looking body?” Skaldi pointed up and down to his form. “I’ve learned to appreciate what my momma gave me, as you Iozians say.”

“I know, I was just making a joke. But, change the word boobs to balls that basically captures the absurdity of how I feel.”

“I don’t need to. Vega!” Skaldi called out, as Vega jumped up and stood at attention.

“Yes sir?”

“Do you like my boobs?” Skaldi put out his chest and threw his hair back with his thumb.

“Yeah Skaldi, your boobs are awesome! Also your personality!”

“Thank you. See?” Skaldi snootily looked at her.

“What about my personality?” Florato pushed him aside, wishing to get that type of moral compliment more often.

“Florato, ya are a person near and dear to me and I love ya like the moons loves the sun!”

“Aw…” Florato’s sweet heart warmed as she clasped her hands together, resting them on the side of her face.

“And ya are essentially my first girlfriend.” Vega rubbed her bandaged nose. If she could blush, she would be blushing at the moment. However everyone was terrified at the fact she had said something very homosexual, in front of the guards and the watchmen. Not even Skaldi’s antics showed any sign of sus shit, so they all waited with bated breath.

“Why are you looking at us? Being gay is legal in Jantok…”

“Oh! Oh, what?” Florato seemed pleasantly surprised and somewhat relieved.

“Yeah, legalized a hundred and forty years ago.” The deep almost sinister voice of the watchmen contrasted the subject, speaking in a sweet conversation tone.

“Yep. My daughter has a gay girlfriend. Had a wedding a couple weeks ago.”

“I have two dads.”

“My dog is gay!”

“Huh… guess we can do that wedding ring idea after all.” Skaldi laid his arm on top of Valiato, causing her to slap him off while she laughed.

“So… just confirming, gay shit is okay?” Bolato gingerly asked.

“Yeah. So long as you’re not with one of those disgusting ghosts.”

“Uhh-”

“Those filthy, degenerate ghosts.”

“Ohhh no.” Florato and Skaldi hugged Valiato close, as if shielding her from the scornful comments.

“Fuck ghosts!”

“But beside that… you homosexuals are fine.”

“Totally chill!”

“A gay person is my best friend!”

The overwhelming love of one minority versus the complete abject hate of others was… comedic to say the least.

“~Hmm. Iozians.~” Amir knew the tone, even if he couldn’t understand their words. “~Kid. We’re leaving.~”

“Right… you guys have… fun…” The leaving of the father and daughter brought the group’s once cheerful mood down once more. Even if they could bring the plans to the Oligarch, that wouldn’t not improve anything related to the poor lifes of the ghosts.

“Darn. Welp, let’s get on-on with the show!” Vega high fived one of the guards, breaking the last three out of their ashamed stupor. How could they have forgotten?

“What is your reason for coming to Uvi Jantok Sky?”

“To deliver a package of urgent importance. It is from Graham.”

“Oligarch Graham? Must have been years since we’ve seen that tarang around.”

“Oligarch who?” Vega tilted her head and scratched her chin.

“Yes. Oligarch Graham. Member of the Marian family and the Oligarch of Suncatch and Diotrix?”

“Huh, cool.” Vega dug in her chest and pulled out the box. The black box. Bolato snatched the box out of her hands and began to analyze it thoroughly.

“From the Graham?”

“Yep-yep. Luiocleses told me to transport and that I did.”

“For your great service during this time of strife…” The watchmen paused, trying to come up with a proper word to refer to Vega. “...Construct, you will be allowed to enter into Jantok Sky and deliver it to our Oligarch.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Can-can I bring my friends?” She hugged the elf and the actress and pressed her face between them.

“What is their rating Dioato?” The watchmen called out to one of the guards, who instead was wearing a skimpy tunic.

“Roughly eight. If they pass the survey then a ten.” The guard spoke from a clipboard, written with pen and ink.

“Understood. We will begin the survey for your friends, if they pass, you’ll be able to enter.”

“Is it multiple choice?” Florato groaned out, not looking forward to a boring test.

“It is based on responses. Are you ready?” Skaldi and Florato nodded. “Have you recently shaved your legs and armpits?”

The strangeness of the question made Florato and Skaldi frozen. They were expecting questions about if they carried weaponry or certain medical requirements.

“I don’t have hair on my body?”

“And I’m pretty sure you can see that for yourself?” Florato told the watchmen. As he answered, the guard gave an approving groan.

“Do you exercise at least twice a week? This includes walking for three hours, weightlifting along with sports for one hour or running for thirty minutes.”

“Yeah. Had quite the fight yesterday.” Skaldi presented the arrow wound on his arm and stomach, also gaining a groan of approval.

“Sort of? I mean, I practiced archery and had a fight two days ago. Does that count?”

“Yeah, she’s the one that shot me.” Skaldi playfully punched her in the shoulder, while the actress laughed for a second.

“Indeed it does, but do bodyweight exercises more often.” The watchmen continued, making Florato a tad bit more insecure. “Next question. Have you ever had sexual relations with a creature that is considered non sentient?”

“Well, there was a really ugly guy in college.” Florato sarcastically responded.

“That hardly qualifies. And you elf?”

“I was that really ug-”

“Shut up.” Florato groaned and tried not to laugh at Skaldi’s joke.

“Haha. Okay, okay. No, I haven’t.”

“Understood. Final question. Do any of you know how to give head?”

“Head?” Vega asked.

“You don’t know what head is?”

“No, none of us know what ‘head’ is. Do you mean a head?” Florato questioned, very confused now by the survey. Skaldi seemed just as puzzled as everyone else. The watchmen groaned in disappointment, as if he expected them to know the skill of head.

“Hmm. What is their rating now?”

“Nine.”

“...that passes. It's a shame none of you know how to give it.”

“Right…” Bolato turned away from the watchmen and appeared a bit uneasy. That somehow, these men outranked him and were capable of reading. That they were somehow smarter.

“You three may enter. Only go where there are watchmen. Do not waste the Oligarch’s time.”

“Gotcha. See you later sweetie.” Skaldi waved him goodbye as they proceeded to walk up the bridge. Within a couple minutes the city behind them became shocking further away, like it had become a watercolor painting. In contrast, the gate and the wall showed a greater number of its details.

Atop the wall battlements marched to the end of the horizon, with archers every twenty feet. Pillboxes every hundred feet jutted out the wall, adding another layer of defense. This wall, in a creepy manner, didn’t feel defensive.

Near the gate an extremely long crane connects the top to the bottom, using chains instead of rope. The scarecrow looked at the workers operating it, wondering how such a massive machine even operates. Curious, she’d have to ask the Oligarch if she had time.

Every minute, they stepper higher and higher. Florato and Skaldi’s breathing grew heavier and longer, as they were climbing to the sky. The scarecrow turned around and gasped at the sight. They were so high up that they could finally see the country side, of all the windmills, watermills, orchards and farmland.

One standout part was a part of the wall, not as thick or high but descending down until reaching the height of eighty feet. Like a crow perched above a gravestone.

“Huh, makes ya small, don’t it?”

Yet, the sound of the place was off. Not the type of dry and tired that might join a place of defense. Rhythm, in Vega’s words, was killer.

The foul water beneath them smelled of dung and rubish. Vega dared to look over the bridge, seeing that they were several hundred feet above the moat. Having expected salmon and other fish, what she saw were wooden spikes. Old ribs and skulls laid on these spikes with some having barnacles on them. They weren’t even hidden.

Vega, do you still think you’re safe?

“I’m glad that we’re here. Sure beat-beats that island.”

“You got that right. Could barely breathe there!” Skaldi stretched out his arms and laid his hands on his head, relaxing, enjoying the buzz of alcohol.

“Sure beats the boat. There’s only so many hours you can spend in a wooden ship before you start to go mad.” Florato added on, relieved to have her feet on solid ground.

Not quite the answer I’m looking for. Ah, here’s this. Do you think your friends are safe?

“Once we get this delivered, everything will be looking up, right Vega?” The actress kept moving forward, not paying attention to how Vega is acting. The sort of movement of the eyes and head, visibly listening to two different people.

“Maybe… might not make us rich.”

“That’s true, but we can fix that later.”

Will there be a later to fix? Will there be an after?

“I hope-hope so.”

“What, are you feeling bad because some of us got hurt?” Florato thoroughly enjoyed Vega’s caring attitude. Not too much to insensitively pity someone in pain but enough to be present and warm. Yet here, Vega wasn’t worried about the past pains. The future, her worry was on future ones.

“Yeah. I actually cried when Valiato got hurt.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Florato had never expected Vega to have been so hurt by such an event. Everything looked like it had not phased her. Not even dead bodies. “We can talk about it after we’re done. I know the Voice, the Assassin stuff, the celestial crap is weighing on you.”

“Don’t worry, after killing that bad guy, I’m feeling a lot better.”

Don’t lie to yourself. Don’t lie to her.

“You sure? You really are a strong person Vega.”

She might be speaking from the heart, but we both know that’s not true. You’re just a ghost.

“Maybe…maybe…”

Gargantuan is too small. Mammoth is too animal. Fleshy is too human. What word describes the gate?

“Before we open the gate, you must pray.”

“For what reason?”

“This gate is holy. This gate is sacred. No one enters without a prayer.” The watchmen changed from a man of military background to a man of Recorian background. As if he had been appointed as prophet, he less spoke and more taught. This gate is perpetual. This gate is unbreakable. This isn’t a gate. This is the gate.

Florato was the first to pray, choosing to stand and clasping her hands together, in the fashion of the Jukikos tribe. Excluding her thumbs and her index, her fingers hugged the hands close, making the shape of a cathedral and its steps.

Skaldi bent his knees, and began to murmur half forgotten prayer songs. Here, he felt the bruises on his skin. The acid in his stomach. Cuts and splitting of his arrow wounds. And his lost eye formed a chasm on his face. He didn’t feel weak or a failure of a man. He was a survivor and he had made it.

The scarecrow sat down on the bridge, not quite knowing what to say. She loved Recor and the world he and the spirits had created. She didn’t lose faith, but she lacked the same assured nature that she had back in Cold Cavern.

Ah, what would you say before god? What would you say before me?

Staring up at the gate, Vega came up with a word that would begin her prayer. Cosmic. Cosmic love had brought her here and it is that same cosmic love that would get here out. That love would push her. Don’t stop, don’t let go.

A thin stream of light broke through, as all three of them opened their eyes at the glow.

The gate had opened. A false light had broken through the clouds.