Chapter 50: A Palace out of Place

How one assembles and conducts their homes can tell you a lot about the person living there.

But what if this person is a ruler?

“What did ya guys find out? ?” Vega kept her gaze high, mainly observing the palace for all its awe and its horror. Unless you craned your head fully up, you could not steer your gaze from the palace.

“That everything is expensive.” Florato crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at the city behind her.

“And that no one here sells quality booze. I could get wine for only a silver, but now I can only get nonalcoholic shit for three gold. This whole place is a scam.” The elf crossed his arms as well, except it was placed more on his belly.

“...did it taste weird?” The scarecrow said half confused and half intrigued. She never had tasted anything before, so the topic of food was always interesting. And yet, that was not what she was expecting.

“Ehhh… a strong five to a weak six.” Skaldi waved his hand a bit to indicate how mediocre it was.

“Is that really it-it?” Vega squinted her eyes at the two, having anticipated a greater discovery.

“There’s only so much that you can do in an hour. Plus, this lady wanted to spend time at a tea parlor. There’s tea back in Jantok Rock!”

“Last I remember, there aren’t any dead bodies, gangsters, or slums here.” Florato bumped her shoulder into Skaldi, making him go off balance for a moment.

“Come on, that’s part of the charm. I think random murder is routine around here.”

“Oh, ya have no idea, Skaldi.” Vega giggled, glad to have helped another person.

“Well, you could have left at any time. And, I don’t know, have I actually done something worthwhile?” Florato uncrossed her arms and held her hands up. “Also, didn’t you drop your drink Skaldi?”

“Ehh, it was a rental.”

“Guys, ya could have just said ya-ya found nothing.”

The three stayed quiet for a bit, allowing the tension to simmer down. After a minute, Skaldi raised his hand back up.

“Actually, there was one thing. I saw those pretty people again.”

“And?”

“No, I mean I saw the same people again. Like, they looked pretty similar to the one’s outside.”

“That’s not much… but I appreciate Skaldi.” The scarecrow couldn’t hide her disappointment.

“...It’s beautiful, I’ll give them that.” Skaldi said with a twitch of disgust. He genuinely enjoyed how everything looked, but he felt something close to righteous anger. How could such a palace be so close to such an awful slum like Jantok Rock, he thought.

“A little too much. Maybe he’s compensating for something?” The actress looked out to the basin, seeing the waters change from a delicious blue to a gray as the shadows of the palace fell down.

Personally, I think it's brilliant. I’ve always admired how you Iozians build.

“I suppose that’s right.” Vega admitted, finding the vagueist amount of common ground with the Voice.

Of course I’m right. But what about your friends?

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’ll feel a lot better back in the shitty side of town, that’s for sure.” Skaldi walked backwards to face them both.

“You’re just saying that because there was no alcohol here.” Florato shot back.

“Hey, you try drinking that ‘Mirage’ recreationally and then come back to me on a ‘lack of alcohol’. And no, cider is not a good substitute.”

“What do ya mean?”

Do you really think that finding out the truth is going to change what's going to happen?

“Well, it's like replacing butter with something that’s not butter. Sure, it tastes like it, but it doesn’t get that… I don’t know… that feeling. That form.” Skaldi snapped his fingers.

“I-I don’t understand…”

Ah, you may believe you are more than your parts. You may think that you’re, how you say, the kindness and suffering in this world.

“I suppose you wouldn’t understand, since you don’t have any taste buds.”

“You know, what if the Oligarch grants us a boon? Maybe he could do that for you Vega.” Florato slapped her shoulder, briefly bringing her back into the conversation.

“Taste buds? Ha, what-what’s next, I get an actual nose?”

“Shit, I’d wish for a new eye. You never miss that twenty five percent of vision until that's gone.” Skaldi spoke fondly of the idea, as if it were some romantic vision, pun very much intended.

“I got that. But I-I think it's fine.”

You’re a very bad liar and you know that. There’s a reason why you made HIM promise.

“You act like you’re the one who's lost an eye, hay girl!” Skaldi was playfully annoyed, expecting Vega to either bounce off it or make some bizarre remark.

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“I know-know. But that’s not it…”

“...Vega?” Skaldi stopped in his tracks as Vega bumped into his chest. “Vega what’s wrong?”

“I-uhh-”

“Wait, are you talking to the voice now?” Skaldi hunched over her as she backed away ashamed. “Has… has this been happening the whole time?”

“No! That’s not-I’m just talking to a friend, that’s all!”

“Calm down, you’re not in trouble.” Florato separated the two before they could start again. “Just take a moment before you guys start saying something the guards will hear.”

“Alright. Alright. How long has this been happening?” Skaldi spoke slowly, as Vega attempted to prepare a worthy enough response.

“I… uh… I…”

Come on, be that helper they need you to be.

“Shut up.” She turned around, shaking the air as she yelled up, facing the clouds where she heard the Voice.

“You are talking to him.” That confirmed the actress’s suspicions but she held her tongue.

“Sorry… I’ve told ya that he’s been talking more and more recently. And ever since we’ve gotten to this place he’s been talking none stop-stop.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s just that the asshole doesn’t know when he’s not wanted.” Skaldi shook his fist in the direction of the cloud she yelled at.

Ouch, my poor heart is hurt! It’d hurt more if it didn’t come from such a pathetic drunkard. Much less one that is a sodomite.

“Ya are a fuckin-”

“There you go again. You really aren’t lying.” Florato looked up to where Vega was speaking too. She started to feel sad. Never did she want her friends to be dragged into the fight.

“Guys, let’s just take care of it-it after we get out of here.”

“Vega, let’s deal with this weed now before it overgrows, alright?” Florato took her hand and squeezed it tenderly. Her eyes were calming this close, so she couldn’t help but to concede.

“Okay. He’s… just being an asshole. Saying sour stuff about me and ya guys sometimes.”

“That does sound like it. Well, I haven’t exactly heard of this guy, so I can only guess.” Florato shrugged, keeping the situation light.

“Anything else? Any details or messages?” Skaldi put his arm over her shoulder.

At least she has some initiative. What she lacks in combat she makes it up in being such an adorable fool.

“You can trust us. We’re in this together.” The actress reassured her.

Are you? Are you really in this together? Because, as far as I’ve seen, the moment things turn good, they suddenly leave you. They head back to their rooms. They simply disappear.

“...”

Come on. You know you want too… Tell them exactly what I’ve been saying. No, tell her what you're thinking.

“That’s it. That’s all. All he’s saying is nothing but bluster.” Vega’s soft spoken and wild eyes assured Florato. Nothing was the matter.

But not Skaldi. Not him. He knew something was up but he kept it to himself. He understood that inner doubt all too well. He knew she was hiding a part of herself.

The echoes of the marble halls bounced off each other like a glass ringing. Columns were made of wood from nature nymphs, breathing a soothing quality into the palace. The three could only look at the architecture of the building and stay only on the carpeted path. Small fences barred off certain rooms, like how a casino would to a VIP only room.

No candle light as this palace had windows of orange glass leaking in sunlight. However, this light turned unsettlingly red, pervasive and dark.

No guards, no watchmen, not a person aside from themselves. The last time they had seen a person was at the gatehouse. It was starting to freak them out. Florato couldn’t stand it anymore.

“So! What have you guys heard about this dude? Must be pretty rich or something.”

“Yeah, there’s a reason why they call him King Siliphum.” Skaldi stopped to look at a tapestry on the wall, depicting the spirit Silphuos. Of a rainbow of colors, it showed the story of the spirit and the field of Siliphum she had created.

“Are those all of his fields outside?” Florato couldn’t believe that even an Oligarch could own so much land.

“Technically yeah. Bolato once said that Oligarchs own and rule their cities directly or something.” Skaldi replied, keeping his eyes on Vega.

He saw her enjoying the style of the palace, like she was walking through a museum. Her eyes sat on artwork, on how the building assembled itself, and never seemed to be looking away to talk to the Voice.

“I haven’t heard much about this guy, but I heard that he’s the youngest Oligarch out there. He’s like a twenty something.” Skaldi said, letting go of his gaze on Vega. If he was going to find out what the Voice was saying to her, he’d need to properly prepare, he told himself.

“Really? I thought it was still his father that was ruling.” The actress noticed a line up of statues showing the many previous Oligarchs of Periatus. Instead of standing up like Sanguian type of statues, they all were sitting in a meditative stance holding one hand up. They too had been painted a golden yellow, almost glittering. In fact, they were the few objects that weren’t touched by the crimson light.

“Hey guys?” Vega had finally spoken up since the bridge. “Do ya notice something weird about this place-place?”

“That this guy is really super special awesome and we shouldn’t talk shit?” Skaldi immediately projected his voice throughout the palace, trying to make sure Vega didn’t upset the Oligarch or watchmen that could have been there.

“Well, yes that. But… there isn’t anything related to Recor here?”

“Huh. You’re right…” Florato agreed, finally accounting for not what was being shown, but what hadn’t been shown.

Strangely, there were no idols or religious artwork of Recor. Instead, most of it was dedicated to Nemesis. Recor was the lone god to the Iozians, but Nemesis was the strongest spirit. And the sort of opposite to Recor.

The artwork showing her was abstracted, mainly frescos and sculptures on the walls. Wearing the armor of a centurion, the top half of her head was a steel helmet with a blind eye poking out. Spikes of the type that come from roses grew around her. Her dress was a seductive black and her limbs were long and terrible.

Are you starting to regret your decision?

“Nothing to worry about guys…” Vega felt a twinge of shame, for not taking into account what they might see.

“There is so much. Too much…” Florato’s fears started to take a hold of her.

Nemesis sported fangs that of sabertooths, nails like crow beaks, and silk the color of strangled death. She was shown to be magnificent in her cunning, offering deals and reviewing those that would pledge fealty to her. Demons and their parent devils were depicted.

On one fresco, she conjured and created dragons that could melt stone with their flames, myrmidons who could cleave men in half and…

“Is there something bothering all of you?” A youthful boyish voice echoed, coming from the dark. As they all turned towards the direction, they saw three figures on a staircase, leading up to the rest of the palace.

A shorter man of peach color, carrying a specter in one hand and grapes in the other. Wearing knee length trousers and a robe draped over his left shoulder, most of his thin body was exposed. His hair sported jewelry and sparkled like blood in light.

“I hope you don’t mind my Krasue.”

“Your what?” Skaldi was unfamiliar with this term, but Vega’s jumping up and down made him feel a tad bit more scared.

“Krasue? I’ve never met one-one before.”

“Huh, what are they? Are they good?” Florato, mistakingly, took her excitement as a sign to relax.

“Totally! They eat flesh because they’re hungry all the time and don’t get me-me started on the guts!”

“G..guts?” Just as soon as Florato finished, the Krasue floated down the staircase, circling high above them.

Youthful, beautiful women with black hair like night and skin like milk. One distinct problem to the person that might be getting a bit too excited by this image…

“Holy shit! Where the fuck is the rest of their body!?” Skaldi gave the most reasonable reaction out of all of them, jumping back out of reflex.

Floating heads with long hair with their gross organs connected to them. And their mouths craned open like a snake, showing bloody teeth.

So… not exactly conventional beauty.

“Holy shit! That’s so cool!” Vega gave the least reasonable reaction, leaping up to grab at the organs.

“...those are real? Right?” Florato requested, her forehead turning a violet of fear.

“Indeed.” The Oligarch replied with a smile on his face.

“.......”

Uhh…Florato had fainted, being the sort of middle ground between the two. Vega turned to her and put her arms to her head.

“Well… that ain’t good.”