Author's Note: Thanks for the support in the form of followers and favorites. This story's publishing was a little unique in that I offered Snafu the Great first crack at the first chapter I wrote. After his blessings, I published it, and now I have to work like a mad man to continue the story. Have no fear, I'm committed though. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 2: Interesting TimesIt had been a whirlwind week since their audience with the Emperor for the Tachibana brothers. Eiichi was running to and fro, like a demon possessed. Eito spent most days like a scared rabbit trying to stay out of Eiichi's way.
"At least the day had dawned clear and bright…surely a good omen?" Eito wondered to himself. He stood on the pier in the quiet port city of Kurata Port, watching his brother make final preparation to board the waiting ship, and then face his destiny. The day had finally come, the point of no return, and Eito felt he had to make one last plea.
"Brother… are you sure there is no way I can talk you out of this madness?" Eito said, desperation creeping into his voice.
Eiichi finally stopped in his frenetic pace, slowly turned, and eyed his brother, much like he would an annoying insect. "What would you have me do Eito? Hmmm? You heard the Emperor…" the last word came out in a sneer, "…the time for timidity is past. We must be bold!"
"But West brother," Eito blurted, "why does it have to be West?!"
"Because North, South, and East have been done over and over and over!" Eiichi emphasized each "over" with hand gestures, a touch of hysteria entering his voice.
"Because they are safe!" Eito countered. He continued, "People go West, they don't come back! Please brother… see reason!"
"Safe?! There is no safe brother! I, Eiichi Tachibana will raise this family to glory, or die in the attempt!" Eiichi said. Eito could see the eyes of a zealot reflected in his brother's eyes. He realized any attempts to dissuade him would be pointless.
With no more words to say, Eiichi picked up his last bag, and made his way to the gangplank. As he reached it, he stopped and turned his head to cast one last look at his younger brother. Eito bowed slightly while Eiichi lowered his head in return. The moment over, Eiichi once again turned back to the gangplank, and began his ascent to meet his destiny. As Eito watched his brother, he could not shake the feeling that it was the last time he would ever see him.
It was the fifth day of the Unification festival and it was glorious! With the sun up, not a cloud in the sky, and only a slight breeze, it was the perfect day for three ladies to have a "Ladies Day Out". On the right was Koyuki Kazahana. She was the star of 2 movies (so far) based on the works of the now famous writer of romance novels, Murasaki Shibiku. She was dressed in a Green kimono with gold trim. Her dazzling smile was on display as she was repeatedly asked for autographs. In the middle of the trio was Koyuki's biggest fan, the Empress Consort of the Unified West, Hinata Namikaze. Dressed in a casual outfit, black with her signature violet flowers, she was probably the most powerful of the group, but surprisingly garnered the least attention, which suited her just fine. Kurama, the third in the group, was on the left. She wore a provocative outfit which consisted of little more than a vest cinched and clasped at her waist, which in essence meant her top was low cut to her navel, and a skirt which did little to hide her shapely legs. This semi-public display of her ample bosom caused more than one male to suddenly trip or walk into a wall, and a few husbands to incur the wrath of their wives as they were caught staring. These acts threw the three women into fits of giggling as they walked.
They were walking down one of the narrow streets leading to the "Capitol Bazaar". This was a huge square that once a year became home to people selling everything from trinkets, to exotic pets. There were stalls selling treats and sweet meats, things to drink, and there were also stalls with games for children to play. There were also games of skill for adults to try their luck to win prizes. The street they walked down was also lined with stalls, but generally, they did not have the best, or most unique products, as those were usually sold by the vendors with the pull, money, or savvy, to have a stall in the square itself.
As they walked, Hinata glanced around to see if she could catch the 2 Devas that were sent to shadow them. Sadako Asahina and Kaede Kuriyama, being women themselves, completely understood the need for a ladies day out, and so had volunteered when the Boss had brought up the idea for an escort for his wife's party as they spent the day at the Bazaar. Hinata was disappointed she couldn't pick them out without using her byakugan, but confident they were there, all the same.
Giving up her attempts to spy on their tails, Hinata glanced to her left and inquired, "So, Kurama, why do you do it? Why punish these poor men? Are you trolling for a mate?"
"Men are pigs, my Lady," was the reply, "and they get no less than they deserve!" Turning a bit somber, she continued, "As for a mate, I've already chosen one, but he is already mated to another."
Hinata sensed the sullen tone of Kurama's voice, and understanding dawned in her. "Oh, Kurama, I'm so sorry." she said as she held her fist over her heart.
Kurama saw Hinata's reaction, her eyes widened, and she flung her arms around her to pull her into a crushing hug. "No, no, no… it's not like that! Don't worry about me Hinata." As she drew away from her, she kept her hands on Hinata's cheeks as she said, "I am so happy he chose you as his mate. I love you both, and would die before I let anything harm you. I never, ever want to come between you two, believe me!"
"I know that." Hinata said as she pulled Kurama's hands from her face and kissed each one. "We love you too."
Wiping tears from their eyes, both women took a deep breath before Kurama exclaimed, "And that's why I torture these pigs!" as she spun to leer at the gaping men.
"How romantic!" Koyuki gasped as she clasped her hands in front of her mouth. "Do you think Murasaki would consider this a plot for his next book?"
Hinata spun on her, "Absolutely not Koyuki! This should be treated as a national secret!" she said, scandalized.
Hurt, Koyuki said, "Of course I would be discreet my Lady! The names would be changed!" her mood brightened as she imagined herself playing as the Empress. "But what a story it would be."
All three women were sharing a smile, when a huge man, well over 2 meters tall, and half as wide, stumbled onto the street from a doorway in one of the buildings that lined the road. He had obviously been drinking, as he staggered towards Kurama. His eyes went wide like saucers when he saw her, and he reeled towards her, arm outstretched, mumbling something about "melons from heaven."
As he approached, Kurama took interest in him and when it looked like he was going to get rough, she obliged by grabbing his wrist, extending his arm, and using her hip to toss the man that was twice her size unceremoniously to the ground.
Jostled by the sudden scuffle, Hinata and Koyuki shuffled to the opposite side of the street to watch the spectacle. Hinata however, with her keen senses, lifted her nose in the air as she caught a most exquisite scent… chocolate mixed with cinnamon, two of her favorite flavors. She turned to see an old haggard lady at a small stall which proclaimed to have "The Best Tea in the Empire!" Hinata went to the stall and asked, "Excuse me mam, but where is that chocolate smell coming from?"
The old lady looked up, and her eyes went wide as she saw it was the Empress she talked to, "Oh my Lady!" she exclaimed as she bowed, "You must mean my special blend of tea. Made only from the finest tea leaves from the Wave Country, flavored to perfection with chocolate from the valleys of the Southern provinces and cinnamon from the Land of Mists, it is the very pinnacle of perfection. Would you like some?"
Hinata's eyes went wide as she exclaimed, "Oh, yes please! That sounds delicious!"
The old woman turned and poured some piping hot tea from a pot she had on a burner behind her. She turned back and offered a large steaming mug to Hinata. As she gratefully accepted and brought the cup to her lips, Sadako's hand appeared on Hinata's hand as if she materialized out of nowhere.
"Please my lady, I must check it first." she said.
Mortified, Hinata looked at the old lady, who shook her head and said, "No offense given my Lady. I would expect nothing less."
Reassured, she allowed Sadako to test her drink. Sadako brought the cup to her lips, and swirled a swig around in her mouth before swallowing. Satisfied, she nodded as she handed the cup back to Hinata who took a sip from the cup and nearly swooned. "Oh, this is heavenly!" she praised. "How much do I owe you for this?"
"Oh please my lady, I'm just happy you like it. Consider it a gift."
"Well, I would like a cup too!" Sadako exclaimed, "One with a lid if you please."
The old woman complied, and Hinata paid for the drinks, with a hefty tip included. "My lady is too kind." the old lady said inclining her head.
The noble ladies both bowed as they turned to the entertainment behind them. Kurama was in the process of performing a double kick, both landing precisely on the chin of the last man who had "vowed vengeance" for his large friend's unconscious state. As she flipped backwards to land once again on her feet, Hinata was grateful that Kurama's move was too fast to allow gravity to work its magic on her skirt, because she was fairly certain a riot would have ensued.
She turned her smiling face back to Sadako, but found she had already disappeared.
As they finally made their way down the street and into the bazaar, all eyes were on the three noble ladies. This is why no one noticed when the old lady, a smug grin on her face, turned and walked right into a shadow on the wall, vanishing from sight.
The three imperials walked through the bazaar, oohing and ahhing over this and that. Kurama purchased a pendant that hung down between her breasts, hoping to draw further attention to her chest, and torturing what she believed was the weaker half of the species.
As she walked, Hinata watched the various games people were playing. One game in particular caught her eye. For a small fee, contestants were handed three kunai, and there were various targets you could throw at. Most people trying their hand at it however, were missing badly. The kunai wouldn't fly straight, and none of them were sticking to the targets.
She walked up to the stand and paid to play. She was handed the three kunai by a nervous looking carny. She tested the weight and feel of the blades and something just didn't feel right. "Byakugan!" she said as she scanned the knife.
"Hmmm, no wonder these kunai wobble when thrown…" she thought to herself, "the blade is hollowed out, and the handle is weighted to throw off the balance."
She looked down range at the targets. Some were stationary, and some were moving, one in particular looked like a paddle with a nail driven through its handle and the bulls-eye on the paddle. It was quickly spinning around where the 'nail' would be. She looked at the carny and asked, "Which target would give me the biggest prize?"
"Th-the spinning one in the mi-middle m-my Lady."
Without taking her eyes from the carny, she rapidly extended her arm and flicked her wrist three times. Each time, she released one of the faulty kunai, allowing it to rotate once, using the weighted end of the knife to do the work, and bury the point in the target.
THOK THOK THOK! The carny turned his head and looked in disbelief… three perfect strikes, each in the center of the bulls-eye of the spinning target, all without looking.
"Well… looks like three grand prizes for my Lady." he said nervously.
Hinata looked at the toys, and selected a huge, purple, stuffed unicorn for Moka, then she told 2 children that had been trying unsuccessfully when she walked up, to each select a grand prize as well.
"Sadako!" she said to no one in particular.
The Deva appeared instantly at her side. "Yes my Lady?"
"Three kunai please." Hinata requested with her palm out. After she laid the knives in the Empress' hand, Sadako vanished again. "These are the kunai you will use for your game from now on carny..." she said leaking killing intent, "… and if I EVER catch you running an unfair game again, I will skin you alive with your own faulty blades, do I make myself perfectly clear?"
"Y-yes mam! Uh, I mean, Empress! I uh, m-my L-lady!" he managed to stammer.
Satisfied her message was received, she released her byakugan and turned to stride away from the stall. Kurama, who had watched the whole exchange, looked over her shoulder at the carny. She growled at him, baring her suddenly sizeable canines, her eyes red with slitted pupils. The carny fell over the counter of his stall, and didn't look over it for a long while. This sent the three women into another fit of giggling as they walked off.
Kurama turned back, "That was fun!"
Hinata paused, swooning slightly. The other two women looked on in concern, but Hinata brushed their concern away with a wave of her hand. "I'm fine," she said, "…it must be the heat."
As they walked off, the three women were oblivious to the peril Hinata was in, but one set of eyes, burning with malice, watched with interest as the Empress and her retinue made their way through the bazaar. Satisfied her plans were proceeding well, she once again turned and faded into the shadows.
Eiichi vowed to never to eat again. He had grown tired of eating, and then sacrificing up a grizzly offering to whatever water-borne gods decided to throw him in this hell of never ending nausea.
He had been at sea for almost a week and he was beginning to realize why no one ever went west. The skies had been overcast for four days now, and they seemed to be darkening, which frightened him a little. Eiichi decided to make his way to the bridge and see if he could enquire as to when the Hell they might be near land.
As he arrived at the bridge, he was somewhat comforted that most of the sea-going men in here looked no better than he did.
"Captain, is this normal?!" Eiichi asked.
The elder man seated in the captain's seat, wearing a weathered trench coat, turned his head, and cast an amused look at Eiichi. "Ha! Tachibana! Perfect! I want to show you what your money bought for you!" He said as he rose from his chair and gestured to the younger Tachibana to join him in the front end of the bridge.
"Look out there." he said pointing out the forward windows, "See that?"
Eiichi looked in the direction he pointed, and was awestruck by what he saw. The horizon for as far as he could see was canopied by clouds that were blacker than any he had ever seen. Waterspouts would form and collapse back into the sea, and winds whipped the seas into whitecaps too numerous to count. The thing that impressed him the most was the lightning. He could see so many flashes of it that it appeared the heavens were held aloft by pillars of wild electricity. The sight was both incredible and terrifying on a primal level. "Magnificent…" he whispered.
He was snapped out of his reverie by the Captain, "Yes, it is…" he said, "… and we're going to get a first-hand look at it."
Realization dawning, Eiichi's eyes bulged as he said, "You can't seriously be considering taking us through that!"
"Ha, ha ha!" was the Captain's response, "Of course I am! Do you see a way around it? Neither do I, and I'm pretty sure that's west, which is where you paid us an awful lot of money to go!"
Eiichi shook his head, "Wait, what… pretty sure? What do you mean PRETTY sure?!"
"Damndest thing I ever seen!" the Captain said as he gestured to a small pillar with a crown of glass standing next to the Captain's chair. "This is the compass, and as you can see, it's useless."
Eiichi looked at the compass, and as he watched, he saw it spinning madly, first clockwise, then counter clockwise, never stopping in one point. "But, but… how?" he managed.
The Captain shrugged his shoulders, "Tachi, I've been on the seas for over 40 years now. You been doin' this that long, and a man just knows what directions are without seeing it. Call it instincts. Batten yourself down in that chair there, and I'll get us through." he said with a wink.
The next hour was a blurred nightmare for Eiichi. The storm was so powerful, the Captain had to yell to be heard as the ship was tossed like a toy in a bathtub. Eiichi could swear he remembered the Captain whooping maniacally as the ship stood almost straight up while traversing a wave, only to slam down bow first after cresting the wave, and rocketing down the other side. Eiichi had thought having a seat belt as a part of a chair on a ship ludicrous. Now he counted his blessings that this one had one, and that he had used it.
"Were almost through it!" the Captain declared as he looked out the port windows. It was for this reason, that he didn't see the freak wave that crashed into his ship from the opposite side. It hit the bridge with enough force, it shattered the windows. The Captain was impaled by multiple shards of glass, one of which slashed his jugular. He bled out on the deck of his bridge, while his men struggled mightily to keep the ship righted. Unfortunately, they didn't have the 40 years of experience the Captain did, nor his "instincts". The ship and crew finally succumbed to the storm, giving themselves up to the merciless sea. At one point, the ship's gyrations were so violent, that the Captain's chair Eiichi was belted to, was wrenched from the deck and both it and Eiichi were tossed unceremoniously against a bulkhead. As he started to lose consciousness, the last thing he saw was the Captain's face, close to his, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, a huge smile on his face, then darkness took the eldest Tachibana.
When Eiichi regained consciousness, the first thing he noticed was the storm had ceased. He managed to pull himself up to a seated position, despite the protestations of his now throbbing head. The second thing he saw was he was now alone on the bridge, even the Captain's body had been removed. He stood up, and wondered if his wobbly legs would support himself. As he looked around, the scene outside the window was eerie. The ship was now enveloped in a thick fog. He also noticed the usual thrum of the engines, was now eerily silent. He was about to go outside, when two crewmen entered the bridge from the opposite hatch.
"Tachibana!" one of them said, "We thought you were dead! Actually, we were coming up here to dispose of your body." he added a bit sheepishly.
Eiichi managed a smile, "Tales of my demise have been greatly exaggerated thankfully." He looked at the man who had spoken and asked, "You're the first officer, right?"
The man nodded, "Himura, and this is our navigator, Ito."
Eiichi bowed to both men in turn. "May I ask what the status of the ship is?"
Both men shared a dark glance before Himura turned to Eiichi and said, "The ship is currently adrift. We suffered hull breaches in #1 engine room and that compartment is now flooded. #2 engine room suffered partial flooding which we now have under control, but the boiler will not be operational for some time. We have provisions to last another week, but after that, we have to start rationing. I'm sorry."
Eiichi waved both men off as took in the latest information. "Adrift?!" he thought to himself. "I-I need some fresh air." He said to the officers as he stumbled through the hatchway.
"Of course!" both men said as they bowed to the merchant. They still knew where their paychecks for this run were coming from, and were determined not to upset the cash flow. Both men turned to go about the job of repairing their stricken ship.
Eiichi made his way towards the bow of the ship. Ignoring the greetings of any sailors he happened upon, lost in his own thoughts, he at last arrived at the prow of the ship. He rested his arms wearily on the handrail and wondered, "How did it come to this? Was it greed? Pride? My father haunting me?" A vision flashed in his mind of Fusao Tachibana scolding him, "Idiot! You've ruined everything! You are a failure and a disgrace! I now only have one son!"
Eiichi placed his face into his arms, and quietly began weeping. It was for this reason that he didn't initially notice the fog start to dissipate. As it cleared, from the starboard side of their ship, a large shape loomed as it got closer.
Eiichi heard the sound of water lapping against something large. As he raised his head, he was greeted by an ominous sight… it was a ship! But where it was obvious the ship he was on was just a scow, made to transport people and goods from point to point, this ship was bred for war. The main deck was low to the water line, and bristled with weaponry. There were huge caliber bores in front and back, accompanied by what looked like boxes on pedestals on either end as well. The rest of the deck, as well as the superstructure, was peppered with smaller caliber weapons as well. Another thing about the ship was it was huge! Eiichi estimated it was over 250m long and maybe 30-40m high. Painted all in black, it stood in stark contrast to the fogbank that surrounded it, and that seemed to move with it, as the ship slowed to a stop in front of his vessel. The one word that popped into Eiichi's head when he looked at the vessel was 'predator'.
Eiichi could see the other ship lowering smaller boats in the water, presumably to board his ship. He debated as to whether this warship promised salvation or damnation. Looking at the ship one last time before turning back towards the bridge, he feared it would be the latter.
The Queen of Darkness rested her forearms on the hand rail. She was on the balcony of her temple that faced the port. As she relaxed, she watched the preparations for the invasion of the Western Empire continue. Supplies, weapons, vehicles, were all being loaded onto transport ships
"Soon." she thought to herself, "Soon I will have my revenge."
Waiting in the shadows behind his queen, Kyo waited quietly until his presence was acknowledged. To intrude upon her private musings was to invite disaster. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long.
"I have set plans in motion Kyo. The die has been cast." she said without turning.
"As you say my Queen," Kyo stepped from the shadows as he continued, "however, we have had an opportunity presented to us I believe we should consider."
"What opportunity?"
"One of our ships intercepted a freighter from the Western Empire." Its crew has been taken to the holding cells. One of the men however is a merchant, a man by the name of Eiichi Tachibana. He's a man desperate to reinstate his family's wealth and power."
"An opportunity indeed," the Queen stated, the wheels already turning as to how to fit this news into her schemes, "desperation can easily be molded to our designs. I should ready a proper greeting for our guest. I have just the thing."
She turned from the balcony railing and started walking towards the interior of the temple.
Kyo lingered for a bit, studying the view of the bustling harbor. Nodding as if reaching a conclusion, Kyo turned and followed his Queen into the temple depths.
Eiichi was scared. He'd been scared in the past, but this was a primal fear, instinctual, the fear felt by prey that was in the jaws of a predator. He was currently in a small 3m by 3m cell, a dingy cot and slop bucket his only companions.
He had implored his captors to release him, that he was only a humble merchant. His pleas had fallen on deaf ears however. Now as he sat on the floor of his cell, he started to hear the voice of his father. "Eiichi… you are worthless! If your mother could see you now, she would be ashamed of you, as I am…"
Eiichi sat huddled in the corner, his knees drawn up to his chin. As he cupped his hands over his ears, and started gently rocking back and forth, he muttered, "Shut up, shut up, shut up…"
He was released from his torture by the sound of a key being turned in the tumblers in the lock on his door. When the door was opened, an imposing figure, dressed in armor, filled the doorway. "Come on." was all he said.
Eiichi lurched to his feet, and blinking at the sudden light from the hallway, he staggered out of his cell, and followed the imposing figure down the hall.
The Queen stood with Kyo in a large circular room as she looked on with interest at the preparations for their latest test. In the center of the room was a circular pit roughly 10m in diameter and a little over 2m deep with two large poles coming up from the floor. Soldiers were currently bringing in two crewmen from the ship they encountered. By the cut of their uniforms, it was obvious they were officers. They looked to the floor in revulsion as they were led in, as it was covered in some unfamiliar black fluid. It didn't splash as they walked through it, but seemed to suck hungrily at their boots. It writhed as if there were snakes swimming in it and a thin black smoke wafted from the surface. They both looked tired and scared as they were each in turn chained to separate poles with their manacled hands attached to a turnbuckle above their heads.
She turned to her advisor and said, "I am curious about this new spell and how well it works."
Kyo nodded as he turned his attention to the doorway where a guard led the poor merchant into the room. Eiichi was dumbstruck and stumbled as he took in the scene in the pit.
"Ah, Tachibana-san, so glad you could join us." Kyo greeted him.
"Eiichi started to muster his courage, "Wha-What is the meaning of this!?" he asked while gesturing towards the pit and the two prisoners secured to the poles, "I demand to speak to someone in charge! We are on a peaceful mercantile mission and do not deserve this treatment!"
"I don't wish to discuss the tedious maritime laws governing your 'invasion' of our sovereign waters," Kyo continued as Eiichi turned apoplectic, "but I can grant your audience with our leader. May I present the Queen of Yami No Toshi." he said turning to the hooded Queen standing next to him.
Eiichi bowed deeply, "My apologies your grace, we meant no offense, and seek nothing more than trade opportunities between our 2 nations. I promise you, we are no threat-…"
The Queen cut him off with a gesture of her hand, "Firstly, you are here uninvited. We value our privacy. Second, I will determine what is a threat to our nation, not you. Third, you will not speak unless I ask you a question is that clear?"
Eiichi stammered an answer with his head still bowed, "Y-Yes your highness." He was curious though, the hood she wore made it impossible to distinguish facial features, but he was sure he had heard her voice before.
She turned to the prisoners, "Do you recognize the two men in the pit?" When Eiichi nodded, she continued, "Who are they?"
Eiichi peered at the two men, "The one on the left is our first officer, Himura, and the other is the navigator, Ito."
The Queen turned her head back to Eiichi, "Which man do you value more?"
Involuntarily, Eiichi fell into old habits acquired from years of appraising merchandise, he surveyed the two men, weighing their worth to his mission. Himura, he knew was a leader of men, responsible for maintaining discipline and morale on the ship, but Ito was responsible for charting a course home. Eiichi then remembered when the Captain had shown him the compass and its gyrations prior to entering the storm. "Ito might be useless under conditions like that, but that is when the crew would need morale the most." Eiichi reasoned to himself.
His mind made up, the merchant looked to the two men, and said, "In my opinion, Himura, would be more valuable to me, I'm sorry Ito."
Himura's relief was contrasted by Ito's outrage, as a large armored man came up to Himura's pole and with one swing of his sword, broke the chains that bound the prisoner, and allowed him to sag to his knees in thankfulness.
As the first officer struggled to his feet, Ito was screaming curses at Eiichi, "You motherless, greedy bastard Eiichi! Look me as they kill me! LOOK AT ME!"
Eiichi raised his eyes as Ito's mouth went shut with an audible snap, as the soldier that had freed Himura, waited until the officer regained his feet, and then casually drew his sword across the man's neck, slitting his throat from ear to ear.
Himura's gurgled disbelief was drowned out by Eiichi's tortured screams, "Himura, NO! What the fuck is wrong with you people!? I thought you released him!?"
As Himura tried, and failed to stem the flow of his life's blood from his severed neck, he sank to his knees, and pitched forward to land face first in the black morass covering the floor. There was no splash, just a slight movement of the smoke-like effects coming from the strange liquid as he tumbled.
The Queen turned to Eiichi, a sneer heard in her voice, as she said, "My dear Eiichi, I never asked you whom you wanted to SAVE, I merely asked you who was more important to you, and I gave him a clean and painless death."
Eiichi's response died on his lips, his face turned to the Queen's when he heard a moan and a liquid scrape sound coming from the pit. He slowly turned his head toward the doomed navigator.
Ito was paralyzed with his fear, his mouth open in a silent scream, his wide eyes fixed on the body of Himura. That body twitched once, twice, then slowly started to draw itself up off the ground. Any hope Eiichi had for the first officer's resurrection died when he saw Himura's eyes. There were no longer any whites or pupils, they were completely black, and eerily reminded Eiichi of polished obsidian.
Ito found his voice, as the animated corpse of Himura shambled towards him, and he started screaming as if his life depended on it.
The Queen turned and gestured to a serving girl who shuffled towards her. "I want to show you something merchant."
"What is this madness!?" Eiichi yelled as he spun on the Queen, "You murder my crew mates, and you just expect me to-…"
Eiichi's protests were silenced when he saw the round tray the serving girl brought over. Upon this tray was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, a statue, roughly 45cm tall, of a man and a woman intertwined, and reaching toward the sky. It was made of a metal that shone like silver, but had almost a translucent quality to it, like he could see deep into it.
Eiichi's eyes reflected the metallic sheen of the statue, as he held his hands out to it. "May I… touch it?" he whispered. Ito's screams were now being joined by the sounds of ripping flesh.
"Of course Tachibana-san," the Queen purred, "I want you to be our partner. I want you to sell hundreds of these statues to the citizens of your capital from your store."
"May I keep one for myself mistress?" Eiichi asked reverently.
"Of course Eiichi," she purred in Eiichi's ear, "we are going to make you rich."
"Rich…" Eiichi whispered, the voice of his father banished.
"Allow one of my servants to escort you to your quarters while we make preparations to send you home, hmm?" the Queen nodded to a servant who came forward to gently lead Eiichi away.
Ito's screams had faded to quiet sobs punctuated by ripping noises as the corpse of Himura slowly tore him to shreds, but as the merchant was led away, all thoughts of his stricken crew mates were swallowed by the dreams of the future and emotions sparked by this wondrous statue he held.
The Queen and Kyo watched the two leave with disinterest, the moment interrupted by Kyo as he asked, "Why the ridiculous looking statue? Couldn't there have been something else you could have used?"
She glanced at the spectacle in the pit as she responded, "I found that if I molded the star metal into an aesthetically pleasing shape, that the glamour spell I cast on it, would have a positive effect on the subject, so yes, I had to use that ridiculous, lovey-dovey pose, to evoke the most positive response in whomever sees it. You saw his response. We put him through a most traumatic scenario, then in the blink of an eye, he forgot about it when he saw the statue. The spell works so well, people would kill someone for the statue if I asked, but for now, I just want them to buy it, and spread them throughout Kimon."
Kyo had a growing appreciation for the deviousness of his Queen. "Maybe the Gods were right." he mused.
He was roused from his reverie by the Queen, "I must make my appearance soon!" she said, "I'm going to oversee the preparations personally."
As she turned and walked briskly from the room, Kyo looked one more time at the bloody mess in the pit. "Interesting times indeed." he mused.