Kuroinu: The Power of the Third Eye

Chapter 3

Heruka

Volt woke with that burning pain in his stomach. He got up slightly to notice a scar on it. That damn monk. He had quite the balls to just straight up attack him, and to assume a completely different form too while he was at it. Just what the hell was that all about? Kin never said anything about them taking different forms. The Dark Elf Queen and her knight escaped. They must have escaped after everything that just happened. Still, that monk was going to be in for it. Even if he tells the Seven Shields Alliance, it won't matter. By this time, that declaration is already heading out to Feoh.

Tepu could see the blue sky once again through Rapten's eyes. It was dark out. It was hard telling from day and night with that red sky. He could see the moon. It reminded him of Mt. Sumero. He had followed Olga's directions. It was good that Rapten has such a good sense of direction, even in unfamiliar lands. He wondered how the ladies were doing…

Tepu's Inner World

The two elves stood in a cave filled with fire and magma. Sitting in the center of this cave was Maha, the Fire Heruka that they saw earlier. The Heruka grinned at their presence.

"It's been a while since a woman has ever stepped into my lair." Maha said. "And my, what voluptous women you are. I can see why that weakling wanted to screw you so bad."

"Weakling?" Olga asked.

"That Volt man or whatever his name was." Maha said. "He had the strength of a warrior, but not the flame that I have."

He stood up.

"We could have had one hell of a party if the kid didn't turn him down. But he takes his religion a bit too seriously." Maha said. "But hey, I can't be mad at him. Now we got you beauties going along with us. Mind partying with me?"

"I want no part in whatever 'party' you have in mind." Chloe said.

"Ah… a woman with fire in her heart. My type of woman." Maha said. "I like my women the way I like my weapons, forged with the fire of a warrior with a sense of honor."

A Heruka who values strength as well as the drive in a warrior. This Maha was definitely strong and was very war-like. He favored strong willed women as he would favored a field of battle. Olga had noticed various Indri scriptures throughout the cave, no doubt Tepu's thoughts about Maha. According to these scriptures, Maha had every right to be called the strongest beast. He had killed a belu, a type of orc that lived high up in the mountains and took it's head as a trophy, something a beast would have done since the belu were more savage and stronger than the average orc. She was surprised by his physical appearance and some drawings of Maha. The paintings on the cave walls suggested that he looked like a true beast when in actuality, he was more reminiscent of the Oni that come from the eastern lands that the Shrine Maiden comes from. According to other scriptures, he was once a soldier who had lost most of his limbs and wished for death, only to become a fayth as payment for his good deeds of protecting his people from injustice.

A person with a soul sealed in a statue to dream and later create a physical manifestation of these dreams through what the Indri call Iddi, the life force of all living beings.

And those physical manifestations happen to be the Heruka, the fierce deities that know just how to fight.

When Olga took that in mind, it seemed pretty normal for the Indri. For them, becoming a fayth means becoming a Heruka, a spiritual guardian for priests going about their pilgrimage.

It made her think of Braska, the man she saw in the encampment. He had slaughtered many orcs and goblins, but not before he was skewered by a thousand blades and succumbed to blood loss.

It always made her think why the Indri would only send one of their own kind into Eostia when they could descend upon it like an army. They could have easily ended the war if they had multiple Heruka surrounding the Black Citadel. But then she heard Tepu mentioning a balance between harmony and discord. Did they value the balance to the point where invasion seemed wrong? That they thought it wouldn't restore this balance? Then there was a balance between happiness and sorrow. The Indri must see happiness and sorrow as polar opposites that needed to be balanced. Yes… maybe that is the reason. Perhaps it was their way of living.

They went to a waterfall where a woman was supposedly drinking out of a gourd. The woman had dark skin, looked almost human, her hair tied into large balls, running down to her feet. She was wearing clothes alright. She looked like a belly dancer. She stopped drinking and looked at the ladies. She looked drunk.

"Oh hello there ladies… here for a drink?" The woman asked.

"No thanks… I'd rather not be intoxicated at the moment." Chloe said.

"No thank you Ms…"

"Sonam." The woman said. "I am the Water Heruka."

Sonam puts the gourd down and walks over to the women. Her body morphed into water and streamed towards Olga before reforming itself. Sonam slipped a finger up Olga's abdomen while grasping Olga's cheek with her other hand.

"Oh… you seem to be filling in the right places~." Sonam said. "Oh how I envy you."

"Let me guess, all the men seemed to love you and now you miss having a physical body." Olga said.

"Oh the men loved the way I danced. And I was quite the looker." Sonam said.

She went over to Chloe, who quickly backed from Sonam.

"Now dear, no need to be so… ugh. You get the point." Sonam said. "Nonetheless, you two look so… tempting to the eye of the beholder… so voluptuous… oh how envious I am…"

A screech was heard.

"Duga… oh Duga… does anyone feel bad for Duga?" Sonam asked.

"You know him personally?" Olga asked.

"Well… no." Sonam said. "See… he has lived a life full of pain. He was… a special case. His dreams took the form of a horrifically tortured beast that had been mummified and bound in chains. The physical manifestation of suffering and sorrow and pain. Destined to be in agony."

"Fated to live with agony…" Olga said.

"You know, you should see him. He might even calm down if he sees you." Sonam said. "In fact, allow me to take you to his place."

"Actually, that won't—"

Sonam turns into water and grabs the two elves and shoots upward. She traversed all the way to an island bounded by chains. Sonam left the two there.

"Go right on in and be nice to him." Sonam said before leaving the two.

"Wait! Gah! Should have known she'd—"

"Well, we can't stand idly by." Olga said. "Let's go."

The two elves go in.

The elves moved down a corridor filled with chains. The elves entered a chamber and found what appeared to be a towering two part creature. The top half looked like a mummified being with its head covered in bandages. It had fangs on both jaws. The eyes were light blue. Blood flowed down its eyes. The lower half looked like a horned beast with three eye sockets in the skull. The Heruka noticed the elves and looked down. It snarled.

"That's… Duga?" Chloe asked.

"Yes. It would appear so." Olga said. "I can sense great power from it. It projects an aura of death and fear."

"Death and… fear?" Chloe asked.

"It is like looking at a ghost." Olga said. "Fascinating."

Duga snarled.

"It seems it cannot speak…" Olga said. "Maybe the pain has made him forget how to talk."

An idea came to mind.

"Are you Duga?" Olga asked.

The Heruka snarled in response. It began to speak, but in a language that sounded ancient.

"What is he—"

"He says that he was never expecting women to enter his domain." Olga said. "I know this language. It's an ancient form of Indrian language."

"You know how to translate it?"

"Yes. I know all of the letters, words and syllables." Olga said.

"What is he saying now?"

"He says that the monk would come here and sing the Hymn. Hearing it soothed his soul." Olga said. "A song to ease his suffering."

Rapten saw a castle and a city built around it, protected by the walls.

'Is this the place?' Rapten thought. "Hey! Ladies, we're here!"

"Alright, touch down somewhere quiet." Olga commanded.

Rapten dove for a spot that seemed isolated. The Wind Heruka landed on a tree before touching the ground. The Heruka faded into the wind. Tepu stood on firm ground. He looked around. The place seemed quiet. His third eye opened as Olga and Chloe jumped out of his head.

"Yup… judging by this atmosphere, I'd say this is Feoh." Olga said. "It's good to finally look at regular sky again."

"And depending on what you do, it may be the last." A voice said.

The group turned around. There stood a woman with armor with a sword. She had blonde hair and blue eyes.

"I don't know what has possessed you to come here, but I will not allow you to escape your judgment, Olga Discordia." The woman said. "I am Alicia Arcturus, and by the order of Celestine Lucross, you are under arrest. Resist, and I'll use lethal force to restrain you."

A/N: And so ends this chapter.

Duga

Being the Heruka that embodies pain and sorrow, Duga is a Heruka that would bring death with his magic. But upon using it, he will experience pain. His fayth had lived in so much pain and sorrow that his dream manifested into this horrid form that personified suffering and death. Two halves, one being his humanity while the other was a beast who wants to lash out at anyone who has either wronged him or he finds malicious. Only the Hymn of the Heruka calms him down.

Sonam

Her fayth was a dancer. She would always bring smiles upon all her people, both by her dancing and singing and through... pleasure. But then she grew tired of that life and became a fayth to have something new. Thus her dream created Sonam, the Water Heruka known to get drunk when she isn't on the job.

Maha

Maha values strength above all else. If one was not strong, he didn't see a warrior. He saw a weakling. He has a strange attraction with women who challenge him, as he sees such women as worthy warriors and childbearers of potentially strong children who would grow up to become a warrior.

Till we meet again.