Underpaid, Undersexed, and Under Custodio
Chapter 1: Of Heaven and Earth…
[Disclaimer: This first chapter differs little from the original novel, it mainly functions as a prologue. This chapter is skippable if you don't wish to re-read novel content.]
A girl walked alone through the streets of the once-great Re-Estize Kingdom. Her surroundings were dreary to say the least. The once lively and bright plazas of the city were covered in a deep cold fog which kept most inside their homes, with the exception of the odd beggar or orphan. These unfortunate souls which were once a rare sight indeed now served as an all too common reminder of the infamous Massacre at the Katze Plains.
The grim atmosphere did little to help quell the depressing thoughts of the girl, but very few things could at this point. After all, as bizarre as it may seem, even these unfortunate peasants who had been all but abandoned by society had it much much better than the average commoner in the northern half of her country.
The girl, Neia Baraja, let out a sigh with a quiet sound akin to a whimper slipping out soon after.
She reached to her side and softly caressed her blade to calm her nerves, she briefly brushed her fingers over the etched symbol of the Holy Kingdom's paladin order. The sword was not yet enchanted as a paladin's sword should be, she hadn't earned that right yet as a mere squire, yet the sensation of its smooth steel blade still seemed to calm her when she needed it most.
Now was certainly one of those times.
She was on her way to fulfill her most dreaded duty as a member of the order, to report her failure to her current commander, Remedios Custodio. She had just failed to secure an audience with a noble who may have been willing to support the cause of the Liberation Army, and she knew with a miserable certainty that Captain Remedios would make sure she knew exactly what she thought of her squire's failure. The Captain had been seemingly targeting the girl ever since the party of ambassadors began their journey, she often brutally berated the girl any time she made didn't live up to the Paladin's ludicrous expectations. Despite all this the squire pushed on.
Eventually she arrived at her destination, the entrance of a luxurious high-end inn. This particular inn which was chosen to preserve the image of the Holy Kingdom as a strong nation, as they needed every scrap of legitimacy they could get if they were to gain any aid from the local nobility. Neia took a deep breath before entering and slowly making her way to the room her superiors resided in. She stopped and took a moment to steel herself before knocking on the door.
"Neia Baraja, reporting back"
After the squire revealed her identity the door slowly swung open and she swiftly entered the room. The room was filled with paladins, all surrounding a large table covered in correspondences from the many other nobles the group had contacted. Not one had promised support in any form. Neia once again announced her presence with a small salute, Captain Remedios responded with a short bark requesting a report.
"My deepest apologies. The Lord and Lady of the house respectfully declined. They explained that they could not schedule an appointment on such short notice, the first opening they have is in two weeks." Neia was able to keep a steady voice throughout the report, despite the fear in her heart. Remedios' expression soured before she clicked her tongue in annoyance, but thankfully the Vice-Captain Gustavo Montanjes quickly chimed in to save the squire, "Really now. Thank you for heading out into the cold. You may go back to your room and rest now."
Neia's face remained the same neutral mask she put on to avoid the wrath of Remedios, but inside she was jumping for joy at the opportunity to escape another verbal lashing, 'Thank you, Gustavo! I won't forget this!' Neia quickly bowed before hurriedly pivoting on her heel to move towards the door.
Before she could take a single step Remedios called out to her, Neia's heart instantly sank. A few of the paladins present who had previously witnessed Remedios' treatment of the squire took on discomforted grimaces. What followed was easily the most scathing emotionally charged reprimand the squire had ever endured.
Remedios described the situation in their nation that was already weighing so heavily on Neia's heart in slow painful detail. From the four major cities and unnumbered smaller villages mercilessly razed to the ground by the demihuman invaders to the unspeakable atrocities being committed within the now numerous prison camps littered all across the north. Remedios reminded the girl of all this before asking her why she didn't produce results, and when the squire's response wasn't deemed satisfactory, what she would do to ensure she wouldn't fail again. At this point some people would have already broken down into tears. Luckily, the Vice-Captain stepped in once more to save Neia from the abuse, and this time Remedios was finally reined in.
By the time the Captain's outburst was finished the congregation of paladins couldn't bring themselves to look anywhere but the floor beneath them.
While she finally escaped the painful fire of Remedios' harsh rebuke she wasn't done for the day quite yet as Gustavo quickly added his opinion that Neia should be present when Blue Rose arrived.
Remedios' face quickly took on a puzzled look, "Really? Why should she be allowed at such a meeting? Blue Rose may have crucial information needed to defeat Jaldabaoth, having a squire present would hardly be appropriate, right?"
Gustavo quickly responded, "We originally brought her to aid in our travels due to her exceptional senses, perhaps she could glean something from the Roses that we would miss."
In hindsight it seemed obvious and the squire should have been ordered to attend the meeting from the start, but nonetheless Remedios had to think about it for a moment before nodding in agreement. Gustavo made a sound argument, after all. Neia was then curtly instructed to return to her room and prepare for the upcoming meeting.
As Neia finally began to leave the room she heard the Vice-Captain excuse himself as well. Soon after she exited Gustavo pulled her aside.
"I am sorry about the Captain, I know that she has been particularly hard on you but please understand that she has suffered a great deal from the invasion. You know that during the fight with Jaldabaoth many good men died, many of whom she knew personally. I don't think she has fully recovered from that experience yet…" Gustavo began to slowly trail off as he recalled the events of the battle.
While Gustavo was remembering the battle Neia couldn't help but think 'Doesn't she know I've suffered just as much? I've lost both my parents in only a few weeks, and stories like mine are hardly uncommon now that most of the north has fallen!' Oh, how she wanted to scream this at the Captain!
Gustavo eventually returned to reality and continued, "I know it's not fair, but I believe the Captain has chosen to use you as an outlet to vent her frustrations as you didn't fight beside her like the rest of the men here" Gustavo whispered in a sympathetic tone. Neia looked into his eyes and saw what looked infuriatingly close to pity. Neia then allowed herself a small selfish thought, 'If that's really how you feel then why don't you save me?'
She could still see the pity in his eyes when he pleaded with her to bear with it for the sake of the Holy Kingdom, after all, Remedios was an irreplaceable asset to their cause. Neia remembered all the grueling effort she put in to make sure the party could even make it to this kingdom, enduring the arduous work of reconnaissance and the extremely dangerous task of scouting ahead for enemy movements. From a purely practical standpoint, she had contributed far more to this mission that this cruel "irreplaceable asset" of a woman. But in the end she understood that she simply couldn't stand up to the Captain of the order and accepted her fate.
Neia forced down her tormented emotions and managed to produce a crude facsimile of a smile "I understand, if it is for the sake of the Holy Kingdom, I will endure it." She then pushed past the Vice-Captain and into her room.
After freshening up Neia returned to the room. She quietly slinked to a slightly darkened corner of the room. This position, combined with her odd eyes, made her look like a criminal, this was in deep contrast to paladins that surrounded her, which seemed to exude an aura of justice. She wouldn't have to wait long for the Roses to arrive, but an awkward atmosphere quickly enveloped the room after her arrival. She immediately became very uncomfortable as she felt the whole room bear down on her and Remedios, but if the Captain felt anything she didn't show it.
Soon the focus of the room mercifully shifted to the door as a gentle knock sounded which was followed by the entrance of a legendary party of adamantite rank adventurers. Neia had heard stories and rumors that inseparably linked the name Blue Rose to heroism in it's purest form, and while the group looked slightly different than she imagined they still gave off the unmistakable aura of legendary heroes. She had only felt this aura once before, when she was in the presence of the Holy Queen, these people were the real deal.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the adventurers took their seats and the meeting commenced… or so it should have.
The two thieves were still standing. One of the twin thieves quickly interjected before the meeting could begin, "Wait a moment," the room became still, "before we begin I'd like to ask the name of that girl there" the thief then pointed a finger squarely at Neia.
At first Neia was just as confused as the rest of the room, but upon realizing the woman was referring to her, she felt as if she might start shaking.
"Mm," the other twin nodded, "for some reason I get the feeling she's not a paladin like the rest of you, she doesn't have a warrior's body" the thief's sister mumbled as if she too was suspicious of the peculiar outlier.
Not one, but two of these legendary individuals had not only taken notice of her, but were suspicious enough to specifically hold her under scrutiny. All in front of her entire unit. The uncomfortable feeling from before quickly reemerged, this time with a vengeance, as the focus of the room was once again cruelly centered on the girl. Neia couldn't help but think 'Why me? Why does it have to be me?'
Gustavo quickly spoke up to resolve the situation as Remedios was still shocked at the unexpected shift in conversation, "A-ah that is Neia Baraja, a squire. She has exceptionally keen senses and has been a great help in our journey" the Vice-Captain showed Neia a weak smile.
Despite the extreme pressure she was feeling from the room, a part of Neia couldn't help but be elated at her efforts finally being recognized, she smiled back.
The twins nodded in unison, and they were both seated.
The meeting was ready to begin, Evileye the fabled masked magic caster of the group, took the initiative, "Sorry about the holdup, I guess it's technically our fault we haven't discussed anything yet so shall we start? Also, there's no point in talking like fancy nobles, let's just get into it."
Lakyus looked to the small girl and began to scold her for her undignified speech, "Evileye, that's not-"
But she was quickly interrupted by Remedios who had a relieved look on her face, "Ah, don't worry about it. I have no talent for this plotting stuff myself" Gustavo looked at her with a disapproving grimace but didn't protest, after all, she wasn't lying.
Lakyus briefly looked between Evileye and Remedios before sighing deeply, "Very well then, if our client wishes it so, I don't mind."
Evileye nodded gratefully before continuing, "Forgive me but I assume you are talking to us to learn about the demon lord currently rampaging through your nation, Jaldabaoth." Remedios simply stared at the girl's mask with her mouth slightly agape.
"It would seem I am correct. Don't look so surprised, the Kingdom does a fair amount of trade by sea with your nation and the nobles aren't keen on hiding information from us of all people, plus the Adventurer's Guilds exchange info regularly. It really wasn't hard to learn about your situation here of all places." Evileye reasoned as Gagaran quietly chuckled at Remedios' expression. "Well, what do you say? How about we exchange information and you can just forget about paying us? Honestly, we'd prefer the information over money anyways."
Remedios and Gustavo looked at each other before asking to be excused so they could discuss this proposal in private, Evileye allowed it and they swiftly exited the room to speak in the bedroom next door. After a moment Gagaran gestured towards Neia before pointing at the large flask of water on the table, "Hey, bony girl, can we use this?"
"Please do," Neia responded in an even tone. She began to wonder why these people insisted on talking to her over the other paladins. And "bony girl"? Really? 'I guess I could be called skinny in comparison to all these muscular paladins, but still...' Neia began to feel a little self-conscious. Gagaran shot her a playful wink before grabbing the flask.
Shortly after Gagaran poured water for her team the two absent paladins returned and announced they would simply pay the team for their knowledge before setting a small pouch of coins on the table. A twin snatched up the pouch and began tossing it in the air as if to feel the weight of its contents before humming in confirmation. Evileye simply shrugged and began the exchange by taking a pen and piece of paper from the table and drawing what Neia assumed would be a rendition of Jaldabaoth.
After a surprisingly short wait, Evileye proudly presented her drawing. It was a crude image of what looked to Neia like a… large humanoid tree monster with long branches sporting huge claws at their tips. Even with Neia's above average senses her interpretation was shaky at best, and with a second look it seemed more like a strange bird creature with blades for wings. On its "face" rested a mask covered with sloppy scribbles which were probably supposed to emulate detail. Evileye pointed to her work happily before saying, "This is the guy, right?"
Remedios looked utterly lost, "U-um I don't-"
Before she could finish her thought one of the twin thieves snatched the drawing out of Evileye's hand and began tearing it to shreds while the other snatched the pen and another piece of paper from the table to begin sketching. Evileye began protesting the destruction of her art but was cut off when the other twin finished her sketch in record time. She presented an, in truth, far superior depiction of a slender demon wearing a strange foreign outfit and an ornate mask. She then restated Evileye's question to the Captain, "THIS is the guy, right?"
Upon seeing this, Remedios' face twisted with anger and she spat out a confirmation, any thought to continue bickering was gone immediately. Evileye carefully began once more, "Well, now that we know this is actually Jaldabaoth we're dealing with let's begin." Evileye proceeded to describe the demon incursion led by Jaldabaoth on the Royal Capital, thankfully her storytelling skills were far superior to her artistic talent.
Neia understood that Jaldabaoth was powerful but what Evileye said rocked her to the core. She knew about his demon army but the fact that he controlled at least five subordinates who could each take on an entire adamantite ranked team single-handedly was astonishing. To think that the Demon was able to wreak this much havoc while still withholding this powerful trump card, a deeply unsettling thought indeed. The paladins' expressions turned very grim.
Gustavo looked similarly bleak, "Well, what would you estimate Jaldabaoth's difficulty rating to be?" Neia wasn't very familiar with the difficulty rating system but she understood that anything in the realm of 100 was impossible to defeat if you were human.
Evileye was seemingly engrossed in deep thought as she pondered the question, this lasted a short while before she looked up once again, "This is a difficult question to answer with certainty, so it's unlikely we could give you a completely accurate estimate, but from the information we have gathered and our personal experiences with Jaldabaoth I would say with confidence that he is somewhere around 200 and could easily be higher if he has any more tricks he's yet to reveal."
Neia's face blanched. '200? She can't be serious, you'd need an army of adventurers to even hope to face that!' But Neia knew she wasn't lying, everything about Evileye's statement, from her speech to her body language, told Neia that this was the truth, it was just a completely ridiculous truth.
Somehow Remedios didn't seem so surprised, hers was the only face left nearly the same after Evileye's estimate, "And how powerful is that exactly?"
Evileye paused for a moment before stating that a rating of 100 would be comparable to an ancient dragon or it's equivalent. A being twice as powerful as an ancient dragon was almost unimaginable, dragons represented the upper limits of power that could be achieved in a mortal form. Only beings of a truly deific status came to mind when attempting to visualize something that powerful. Compared to a human like herself or Remedios, the difference was really that of heaven and earth.
Remedios was deep in thought for a moment, "If this is truly how powerful this demon is then how did you manage to repel him from the Capital? I have heard that the legendary hero Momon drove him away, but there is no way he could be that powerful, right? Perhaps he used a magical item to assist him in battle?"
At this notion Evileye underwent a notable change in posture, "I am confident that Momon didn't use any special magical items, but his fight with the demon was truly magnificent. The stories you've heard of Momon's exploits are absolutely true and I can't think of another man capable of defeating Jaldabaoth." Neia sensed something from Evileye, there was definitely a change when the topic of Momon was broached.
"Is that so…" Gustavo muttered, "If what you say is really true then it would seem that seeking the aid of Momon himself may be our nation's only hope for survival." At this the room went quiet, but Neia realized that what he said is likely true. 'If Jaldabaoth is truly that powerful then we can do nothing to defeat him ourselves, but if it is also true that he has been defeated by Momon before then enlisting his help may very well be the only shot we have.'
Gustavo looked at Evileye once more, "Do you think that would be possible? Would Momon even answer our plea for help?"
Evileye responded to Gustavo's bleak assessment with a much calmer demeanor than her previous Momon praising outburst, "I have no doubt that Momon would want to assist anyone who is suffering because of Jaldabaoth, and I'm willing to draft a letter to him showing my support" at this Gustavo's face lit up, "but I am not confident that enlisting his aid is a possibility" the Vice-Captain's expression quickly darkened once more. "There is a chance it could be done, it is easy to reach the man himself, but the issue is that he has become a subordinate of the Sorcerer King and could most likely only be sent to your aid on his order."
Everyone in the room had of course already heard about the powerful Sorcerer King, even villagers who knew nothing of politics knew of him. He was widely known, but he was certainly not widely understood. The Sorcerer King is, of course, most well known for his part in the Massacre at the Katze Plains, and while many commoners doubted the stories, the paladins need only look out the window to see the consequences of opposing the King of the undead. However, his domain has been reported to be an oddly pleasant place where all the living beings of the world are welcome, as long as they bow to the King of course. The creature's disposition isn't known, but now that the paladins knew of Momon's allegiance to him some of them began to doubt their previous assumptions.
Upon hearing of the Sorcerer King's involvement Remedios' face soured and she spat her next words out as if they were a bitter fruit, "Then the fate of our holy nation is now at the mercy of an undead, of all things. This is a complete disaster." Neia was able to just barely notice a subdued flinch from Evileye when the Captain spat the word undead. At this, she began to worry. 'Remedios needs to calm down if she's making an experienced adventurer like Evileye flinch with words alone'
Gustavo quickly spoke up, "Well, even if this is the case we still must try to negotiate with this undead, it is for the sake of our people, and I don't believe we have any better alternatives." He took one last look at the members of Blue Rose who said nothing to contradict him. "Very well, I believe we all now understand what must be done, Blue Rose, I sincerely thank you on behalf of the Holy Kingdom and it's people for your assistance with this matter."
Remedios nodded in solemn agreement, "Now if you would excuse us, I believe we have a journey to prepare for."
AN: Thank you for reading! Writing isn't easy, but for the first chapter of my first fic I'm quite happy with it. I have to give thanks to the user athiestbasementdragon for inspiring me to start writing, I followed his behemoth of a fic series for a good while (he's still making new stories to this day) and eventually the maelstrom of encouragement that is his bio got the best of me. The lack of Neia fics is a real shame and the obvious way to fix that is to write my own. One more thing, please criticize my writing, it doesn't matter to me whether it's a petty mistake or a huge problem, if it bothered you and you don't mind taking the time to tell me, please do it! So I guess that's it. Thanks again for reading, I'll see you next time!