December 7 2021

The God Hachiman of Rhozgelia

The Lonely Captain Houshou Marine Part I

"Brace for impact!" A girl exclaims at the top of her lungs, her voice coming from the transmitters in the hallway which made her voice audible wherever you are in the ship. A moment after that, the ship hits on solid ground on the mountainside. The wood and metal groans, and I hear the two wings on each side of the vessel crack and snap from the stress and punishment it took from our battle earlier. Fissures appear on the ceiling and floor, yet it was remarkably intact. The ship crashed and stumbled upon the mountainside several moments, felling trees until finally coming to a halt several moments later.

Rushia loosens her hold on me, pulling away from my chest and looking around the room that we were in. "Nii, is it over?"

I pat her head and gently put her back on the floor. "Yeah."

"Oh no… My alchemy ingredients…" She makes a disappointed sound and starts picking her things despite the severe damage that our room was in. The ceiling could collapse at any moment and I could hear the voices of our other companions in other areas of the ship. The little Necromancer stiffens, looking like she suddenly remembered something. She quickly stands up and pulls on my sleeve with wide eyes.

"Nii! What about the Druukhari girl? Is she okay?" I nod as a glowing and shimmering Gate appears behind us, illuminating the room with its golden light. A humanoid form exits from it, clad in long traditional clothes that Rhozgelian women wear. Shirogane Noel was kind enough to assist me earlier. The Druukhari floats softly onto the bed just after I repair it with a snap of my fingers.

Rushia immediately goes to her, and I follow as I kneel beside the bed. After inspecting the stranger lying on our bed, the little girl hugs my arm.

"Nii, look. The corruption is all gone!" She says in amazement with wide eyes.

"Yeah, looks like it worked…" I say with relief and look at my exposed hand. Red tattoo-like lines all over my body glowed and slowly pulsated as if in sync with my non-existent heart.

I used some Divinity to reverse the corruption, some cracks had appeared around my neck so I had to wear a scarf to cover it. I also had to reinforce some seals so the disgraced Goddess Aqua wouldn't be able to sense it. The Druukhari girl has thin but sharp horns on her forehead that went upwards, her skin was a very pale shade of grey and she was severely malnourished. At this point, she is skin and bones, the skin on her cheeks sticking to her skull. But at least she is alive. Though barely.

I can always use a mortal's life force to speed up the recovery, but mine and Rushia's are incompatible. She is part undead while I am a God. Therefore, borrowing any of the crew's should suffice. But it's a difficult process, a tiny mistake might end up killing both of them.

The Druuhkhari girl disappears inside my gate and I hold Rushia against me before I forcefully open the door and out to the broken corridor. Broken pipes and parts of the ceiling were hanging as we walked to the upper deck. A cold wind greets us, Rushia holding me closer for warmth and I survey the surroundings. The mast was broken, numerous cracks and holes had appeared and the ship was lying on its right side. We were the first to go out, and followed by the crew and Kazuma and his friends.

We meet up and first decide to get off the ship since it might collapse onto itself at any moment. When we had finally made temporary camp, I make the Druukhari girl reappear and Aqua helps me put her on the makeshift bed. After that, I sit down beside her and just look at what's become of the crashed ship. I wince after seeing that the long majestic wings that kept the vessel aloft were completely ruined. The little Necromancer never leaves my side even as I will the trees above to bend to shield us from the rain.

Shiranui Flare was conscious after being knocked out earlier but still looks a bit dizzy and wobbly. She is the last to join us after going back to get something. "Hey, where did you put her? How'd she just appear like that?" Megumin asks, with her cat Chomusuke on her head.

"Must be some form of Dimensional magic. I've heard that the Eldari Kings thousands of years ago used such magic." The Dark Elf says before momentarily closing her eyes and holding the side of her head. "Ugh, my head still hurts."

I release a low-frequency pulse and send it to everyone in the group. The white pulse goes through their body, making their internal organs and bones visible, everything to their blood vessels and naked skin under their tattered clothes. It looks like aside from minor scratches, they seem fine. Rushia sits on my lap and asks me to comb out her messy hair for her.

"Hey, isn't that Lost Magic?" The Captain asks and turns to me, suddenly realizing the weight of her words. "H-Hey, isn't Dimensional Magic a big deal?"

I shrug, not bothering to look at her in the eye. "Something like that."

They've already seen that I am unaffected by the Warp, can cast extremely high-level magic without incantations, can more or less fly and now have just witnessed me casually using my Gates to store a living breathing person. It's going to be hard to explain to them how I can do all of those things.

From deep within my mind, I hear the voice of my other Self. "Boy, I trust that you can make a proper excuse?"

"Yes yes, you don't need to tell me."

"It's something that I was born with, by the grace of the Earth Mother," I say in a disinterested tone. "Now enough about me. Captain, what do we do next? The current state of the vessel is irreparable."

A drizzle starts, prompting us to move to a more suitable location to speak. Kazuma finds a cave nearby and we make our way there. The group says nothing, but I feel unease from them when they see the Druukhari girl once again disappear inside my Gate. Aqua, Usada Pekora and Megumin tend to her as I sit down in a dry area while Rushia was being carried by Darkness. The cave seems to be a natural formation, it was dark and damp, and also wider on the inside. I do a little bit of exploring, and while I do find some signs of burnt wood and animal bones, the cave tunnel ends after only several dozen meters deep.

My current body can be easily modified with a single thought. I don't have normal bodily functions that you'd see in a human. I don't even have a heartbeat or blood. Because of that, I have to manually make a "pulse" and maintain a warm body temperature to make my little Necromancer companion at least think that I'm human. If I forgot that latter, she might even suspect that I'm a vampire or something.

"Wait here, I'll go look for some dry sticks." Kazuma was about to step outside but I stop him.

"No need." I blow at the air towards the ground nearby. A flame appears which startles everyone, which stays lit without anything to fuel itself. The light from the orange flame fills the cave, making me see the surprised expressions of my companions and warming up their cold bodies. I really shouldn't be abusing my powers, but seeing their faces like this is just too funny.

"O-Oh, I see…." He pouts with a disheartened tone, plopping on the ground right beside Aqua as she starts snickering at him. Aside from the issue of her Alchemy ingredients, Rushia doesn't seem bothered at all. She hums a tune after saying something to Darkness and Shirogane Noel, before skipping back to me and sitting comfortably on my lap to seek my warmth.

"Nii! This is just like when we were at the Goblin cave with the Goblin Slayer and his friends!" She exclaims, earning small smiles from Kazuma and the others. The little green Necromancer holds out her arms to the flame to warm up her cold hands. "I hope we can see them again. The Priestess and the Mister Lizardman were nice to me! He loved eating cheese too!"

From the corner of my eye, I see the Captain hear with exasperation. She was standing alone at the entrance of the cave, looking in the direction of her fallen vessel. Thick fog was slowly creeping around the mountainside, add that with the rain outside and it would be very difficult to go outside because of the low visibility. With the ship ruined, we can't finish the mission and link up with the Goblin Slayer and his party. We were supposed to link up with them in the next city before travelling together to one of the few major economic and trade centres still standing after the war. Not to mention that the ship is something very close and dear to her, losing it like this must hurt her very much.

I rub and pat the little girl's hair affectionately. "Hmm, I'm sure that we'll see them again. And I'm also sure that we'll be able to solve our current problem..." I make eye contact with Shirogane Noel and Shiranui Flare, who both send me a knowing look before getting up and sitting at my sides. Their other friend, Usada Pekora is busy rummaging through her things and pulling out a comically large carrot from her bag.

"Genji-san..." The Dark Elf says while looking into the flames. "I haven't had the chance to thank you for saving me earlier. I heard from the other that you singlehandedly saved everyone while I was unconscious."

"Yeah, we were all so busy running around and trying to keep the ship aloft." The polite knight says and gives me a grateful smile.

I shake my head. "No need to thank me, I was just doing what was necessary." After talking for a little while with them about the recent events, we start discussing what we should do next and divided some stuff to do between us. I would be the lookout while the others would go off and scavenge what remained of the ship. The three girls tending to the Druukhari girl never leave her side, and Usada Pekora made some food with what we had. It didn't take long before it started to get dark and cold, and after eating her fill, the Captain excused herself and went off into the darkness alone. We knew she needed some time by herself so we didn't stop her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

What the hell is this…

Before me, inside one of the boxes stored in the ship's cargo, is something I've never seen before. I left the cave earlier to do some exploring, but I sensed something inside the ship which dove me back here and traced it to the source. There was a miasma seeping from one of the boxes and I decided to break the metal box which stored it.

The thing is…the miasma is something that we recently just came across. It is the same one that hellish portals of the warp exude into the real world.

It was a grey rectangular metallic object with no external designs nor mechanisms except for the slight crack from which the miasma came. I don't know what it's made of nor its weight, but I do know that it's rather dense and half the size of my forearm.

"Hey, you know what this is?" I ask the God within me.

He answers immediately but sounds just as lost as I am. "Unfortunately, no. It has no distinguishable features for us to know if it's of Human, Dwarven or Elven craft."

"Uwaaah is that so. You think Mai would know?"

"I doubt that."

The miasma is the same as the Warp, but how is this possible? Could this be a new invention of sorts? Experimenting and tinkering with the Warp is strictly forbidden in Rhozgelia. Punishable by death to be exact. Even the Magical Associations and Academies believe it to be taboo, and that's saying a lot. Perhaps this is from some other nation? I know those secretive Dwarves have been interested in the subject. I wouldn't even take the winged Flugels in their lofty cities suspended in the sky off from the list. Mother only knows whatever they do with the knowledge that they've acquired over the centuries.

With so many questions still in the air, I decide to pick the thing up, imbuing it with numerous seals and storing it inside my Gate for future reference. As I was about to go back outside, I hear sounds from inside the ship, like someone, walking.

I go into my ethereal form, my body passing through the debris, and the broken and collapsed walls as I float deeper and deeper into the ship. I soon find out that the sound was coming from the Captain's room, and the voice inside, I recognize who it is. The light was coming from the inside which I can see through the corners of the door. I didn't bother making any source of light since I can see quite fine in the darkness. I go back to normal, my feet touching the floor without a sound.

"Captain, it's me," I say in a low voice and knock on the door. I hear her get slightly startled, but she tells me to come inside after composing herself.

Her room was mostly intact except for some damage here and there, and it was lit with a lantern powered by gemstones hanging on the ceiling. On the walls were mapped from different places, many of them having drawn with lines and scribbled notes. I had caught the Captain sitting on her bed, rummaging through her drawer with her things on the bedsheets. Her coat was on the floor since there wasn't anything on the wall to hang it on which left her sleeveless and her shoulders bare.

However, the thing first thing that truly catches my attention are her eyes, which were red and puffy. My enhanced vision made me see her wet knuckles, from tears most likely.

"You scared me, Genji-san." She says and forces a smile. Seeing the broken remains of a chair on the corner of the room, I cross my arms and decide to lean on the wall.

"Sorry I tailed you." I lie through my teeth. "I couldn't let you go off on your own in the middle of the night. You are our leader."

To be honest, I don't know how long she's been here. I didn't bother checking the ship for any life forms because I didn't expect her of all people to be here. She wasn't around the fire when I left earlier, I assumed that she was out there relieving herself out in the forest or something.

She chuckles half-heartedly. "A leader huh? Well, look at the result now." She gestures and looks around the room.

"It's not your fault that a Warp storm occurred on where the ship was."

Houshou Marine shakes her head, looking like she can't even understand my words. "No. As long as you're standing on my ship, you're my responsibility. It's all my fault."

"Thirty years before the start of the Great War which split and brought nothing but ruins on the continent, the Rhozgelian Flotilla unveiled the largest armada in existence they built in the Rodina province in secret. They proudly presented it before the God Hachiman, each ship being blessed, christened and named above his Central Temple. The Grand Armada flew through the skies, going to every major city to display as a display of power and technological human achievement. " I say, but she doesn't seem to hear me. Even so, I continue.

"A rift in reality, had opened in the north, the largest in decades. The Admiralty saw it as a chance to prove to their God that they didn't need to rely on him for protection too much. The God was sceptical, but let them do as they please since internal matters are none of his concern. The Grand Armada flew to their first battle, brave men eager to please their people, their Queen and their God. But unfortunately, what they thought was a short battle would last for weeks and would become one of the worst military engagements in Rhozgelian history."

Houshou Marine frowns in thought. "That story… I've heard of it before. Flare mentioned that it happened during the time of her great grandfather's father."

"In short, they managed to drive the monsters from the Warp back to their hellish landscape but at a terrible cost. The Armada lost more than sixty percent of its number with many falling from the skies as it succumbed to its internal damage. The God had sent his Divine servant, Mai, to witness the battle for herself but commanded her to stay her hand. He even instructed, Rayquaza, another of his Divine creations, to leave the battle to the humans. The result was humiliating for the Queen and she decided to hide the exact number of casualties from the public."

The girl nods. "Yeah, it was terrible. But, what's your point? And why do you sound like you were there?" She arches a brow at me.

"My point is that even the most technologically advanced fleet ever built is not immune to the horrors of the Warp. As for your second question: maybe, maybe not. Only the Earth Mother knows." I grin and chuckle to myself which slightly unnerves her.

Houshou Marine is feeling lost, sad and depressed at these current events. She lost her ship, her crew almost died and she has no idea where we are nor what we should do next. But she's been a good host, and a kind companion to Rushia so I am in her debt.

"Let's see… If I told you that I am a Foreigner, would you believe me?"

She blinks several times from the strange and sudden question. "Uhh… Yes?"

"But I have no reason to be truthful to you, no?"

"Well, that's also true…" She says and puts a hand under her chin in thought.

"Exactly. Two hundred years ago, swearing an oath or promise upon the name of your Patron God is done regularly. In Their Divine name, you offer yourself in Their hands, the beings which constitute reality and this world itself."

"What are you getting at?" She says and crosses her legs, put her elbow on her thighs and rests her chin on her hand. "The God Hachiman is missing. He disappeared without a trace. Making the sacred Oaths are worthless."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," I say and sit down on the desk to my left. "Anything can happen. Haven't you heard that a massive pillar of light appeared in the direction of The Capital for several days? And that high-level danger beasts are going there?"

She makes a difficult face and bites her finger. The light from the lantern above reflects against her heterochromatic eyes. "That's… No one was able to get close. The beasts in the sky are extremely territorial and live in groups, not to mention those that live on the ground."

"Exactly. What if he's just bidding his time? Sending the beasts that he commands everywhere to know what's been happening while he was gone?"

The girl shakes her head. "I dunno. Stop asking me these kinds of questions. I'm not a Priestess of that God. I never expected you to be the religious type."

I reach into my robes and take out the necklace hanging from my neck and throw it at her. "Here, you can have this." She barely catches it and looks at me with disbelief.

"H-Hey! This is priceless! You can't just throw these around like they're toys!" She chides me before holding up the jewelled necklace to the lantern above. She gulps after a few silent moments of analyzing it. "Why? Why're you giving me this?"

I shrug. "I have my reasons. But on one condition…" I pause to add weight and seriousness to my voice.

"You must NEVER sell that."

The red-haired girl looks speechless. "Wha-?! But this costs a fortune! You can get a small manse for this! This is more than enough for me to buy a new ship and last me for a decade at least!" She says and starts explaining its worth but I just stare at her boredly. In the end, she sighs when she realizes how adamant I am.

"Okay jeez. I promise."

A ball of light appears which lights up the entire room as I start walking towards her. A gate opens and a golden curved dagger with Dark Elven designs and aesthetics falls onto my hand. "I need you to swear upon the Patron God of this land."

She eyes the dagger carefully just as I sit beside her on the bed. "Is this necessary… The God's Authority and Divinity are gone…"

"Yes. This will be quick."

Some minutes go by until she finally decides to take the dagger from my hand and await my instructions. "Make an incision in your thumb, just enough to draw blood. Don't worry, I'll heal you so it won't scar."

She nods and presses the tip of the dagger on it and winces when it pierces the skin. Not long after that, the red liquid starts forming up and slowly drips to her palm.

The ball of light disappears, and I say the incantation for contracts and oaths and she repeats after me. With every word that she says, the blood on her thumb evaporates and becomes glowing dust in the air. They look like fireflies as they fill the room with warmth and golden light.

"On my blood and life do I swear that I will stay true to my word. In His name do I offer myself, my life is His and my soul is His and His alone. On the eight banners of the sunrise, on the hands which felled the great Fox, on the coat of arms of the two-headed Dragon, the Phoenix and the Dove, the spear and the bow, inheritor of the mantle of the deceased God Maranur of the Dark Elves, Highest Divinity of the Heavens, Friend of Beasts, He who destroyed the great Comet, Splitter of Mountains, Breath of Spring, Wise Lady of the Peak, The Pacifist, Godparent of the Throne, Divine Child of the Earth Mother, Guardian Deity and the Father and Mother of this land.

Oh great Deity, with this oath, I offer myself to you. May you strike me down with fire and lighting if I break the contract, and may you welcome my soul to the afterlife when my time on this Earth ends."

The incantation ends, and on the exposed part of her chest, a magic circle glows and pulsates, before slowly disappearing. I gently take her thumb, knitting the flesh back together and release it.

"It is done."

She slowly takes the necklace and puts it around her neck. The jewelled flower glows as if mimicking the beat of her heart. "It's heavier than I expected… And more importantly, the oath worked. So that would mean…" Her eyes go wide at the realization.

"Yes. The God has returned, or at least his influence upon the world."

I had expected her to look elated and jump for joy, but the revelation doesn't seem to affect her as much. "I see. Well, I'm not very religious. I mean I do make an offering of flowers before travelling at her Temples, and I do also celebrate the good harvest festival every year but..." She trails off.

I raise my hand. "It's fine. No need to explain yourself. I understand. The return of a Divine is beyond your control, it's best to leave things as they are."

She nods to herself before slowly blushing brightly after being silent for several moments. "That oath was embarrassing to say out l-loud… It was like a marriage vow..."

I grin teasingly and lean closer to her, amused at how giddy and abashed she looks. "Oh~? May I ask if you are you spoken for?"

"W-What?! No! I don't have time for that stuff!" She suddenly exclaims in a flustered manner and her eyes go wide from the expression that I'm making. She quickly scoots away from me, pointing an accusing finger with her back to the wall. "I-If you have any funny plans in your head, I-I suggest you stop all of them right now! You can't bribe me with this necklace, n-no matter how pretty and priceless it is!"

I chuckle, but it only seemed to make her even more agitated, her pupils turning into scribbles and sweat forming all over her body. "My Father warned me about men like you! Noblemen who pretend to be commoners and attract vulnerable maidens to their beds! Only for them to cast them aside just as quick. I-I won't be lured in with promises of land and m-material wealth!"

"Oh my, I never said anything about that… You are the one who is making accusations and unsupported claims, Captain Houshou Marine." I say in a low voice, and she squeals and goes red when I get closer to her. Despite that, she doesn't make any movements to get away from me. She can easily kick me away with her feet, or use strength enhancement magic, but she doesn't do that too. The magical lantern above is dim but I can see her eyes reflect upon it.

"You have a wild and fiery soul, unbridled and full of ambition. I sense greatness in it and nothing can tie you down." I hold out my right hand as a glowing Gate opens. A silver goblet inlaid with all kinds of jewels floats comfortably to my grasp. Another Gate opens and a large bottle of wine hovers in front of her.

"W-Wine?" I nod, and she reluctantly takes and puts it over her lap. She looks at the labels and to identify them, but frowns and scratches her head upon further inspection. "These characters…"

"High Elven Wine, brewed far in the West and very valuable and famous for its taste," I say and offer her the goblet in my hand. She takes it, eyeing the jewels on it and gulping. A gate appears which provides me with a goblet.

"You want to drink with me…?"

"Yes. A drink to our returned Goddess. May She watch over and bless us with Her Divine protection." I say with a small smile, the amulet from her neck briefly glows from my words. She narrows her eyes at me suspiciously and looks from me to the large wine bottle that she has. "You can decline of course. And I will depart from this room and forget about this whole affair. You can have these goblets and the wine too if you want. I bet they will fetch quite a high price in the market."

For a moment, she seems to consider doing that. And I'm quite fine with it if she said no.

Houshou Marine sighs and takes the bedsheet to cover her legs, before nodding. "Well, it would be rude to say no at this point." She pours one for me and I do the same for her.

She takes a small whiff from it and pauses. "Hmm, it smells good. And it's surprisingly cold."

"The High Elves use some of their magic to make it so. A bit of a trade secret. It will always stay cold unless the container is broken." She nods as I clear my throat. "Well, Captain. Given your station is higher than my own, I think you should be the first to say something."

"Okay, well…" She pauses again before continuing. "Let's drink to the God Hachiman and the Earth Mother, we thank them for protecting us doing our voyage, and keeping us unharmed when our vessel crashed earlier." Houshou Marine raises her cup with a small smile and waits for me to say next.

"I offer my drink to them as well. We thank them for miraculously saving the Druukhari girl, and giving me the strength to reverse the Warp's corruption upon her. I thank them for keeping my sister safe, as well as answering our call to the Oath."

Our goblets make a soft metallic sound as they meet, our arms intertwining as we drink together. It's an age-old custom to hold a feast after an Oath especially between kingdoms or important public personalities. But when it's done privately between two people, a drink is fine too.

We talk as we drink, talking about whatever comes out from our mouths. Around an hour later, her cheeks start to go red, and sometimes she randomly sways her head left and right and the other effects of alcohol slowly get to her. Still, we manage to make conversation. The sober girl laughs loudly when I say something funny in an unladylike fashion. But it's fun, talking to someone like this.

Suddenly, tears start to form in the corners of her eyes. Hiccups rack her body as she hugs the large bottle of alcohol. "My s-ship… what'll I do without my s-ship… The Guild is going to summon me for this, and the Trade Union is kicking me out. The merchants will demand compensation for their goods… My insurance won't cover all of it! My friends will leave me…! Waaah!"

She yells, chugging from the bottle before latching onto me for dear life. "W-What am I supposed to do! I'm going to go bankrupt!" I sigh and pat the girl's head to calm her down.

"There there. Don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll figure something out. And your friends won't leave you for something as trivial as this. Their souls are kind and genuine. Them doing that to you is incomprehensible." I say and reassure her, adding in a few words to set her mind at ease. Her tears stop flowing just as fast as they arrived. She lets go of me but is still quite close. I don't stop her when she chugs at the bottle again, I have more of that in my Treasury anyway.

"How are we supposed to get off this mountain... Hey, can you, like, put the entire ship in that Dimension of yours so we can repair it later?" She says sadly and shakes her head soon after. "Uwaaaahhh... Nevermind. It's probably impossible..."

The thing is... I have my vessels in my Gates... And I'm sure that I can take this ship whole just like she said.

"Hey, tell me the truth. Are you a Noble?" She turns to me with half-lidded eyes. A mixture of suspicion and drowsiness.

I shrug. "If, through the definition of 'Noble Birth', then yes. You can say that." I reply and refill her goblet.

"Hmm, is that so... I have a feeling that you won't tell me what Bloodline or House you're from even if I ask. You also seem to be telling the truth." She continues staring into my eyes and I don't back down from her gaze even as we drink. "You don't act like one, even if you're undercover, I mean-. Ah, never mind." Houshou Marine shakes her head and dismisses whatever she was going to say next.

"Please, I don't mind. It's not the first time that someone doesn't believe in me."

She momentarily looks to the side before meeting my red and golden eyes again. "Well, it's just that sometimes you act inconsistently...? Like sometimes you are super formal, then you're casual and then you're somewhere in between. It's like you switch to another person entirely." I grin and chuckle and she asks me if she had offended me.

"No, far from it. I had what you can call a 'tumultuous' childhood see. My Mother was especially demanding and my siblings and I barely had any rest." I pause to take another sip. "I wandered for many years from one corner of the planet to another, until I finally found people who accepted me for who I am."

Being created just to exterminate and seal away the Old Gods; helping Mother create the two moons that orbit the planet; eventually gaining our sense of self and self-awareness and individuality; travelling aimlessly without purpose for several centuries, sometimes with my siblings and sometimes alone; curiously observing the mortals when I visit my sibling's domains and eventually being worshipped by the ancient Rhozgelian tribes and declaring me as their Guardian Deity...

I think I have the truth right.

The total timespan is…several hundreds of billions of years, give or take. Since my siblings and I have witnessed the birth and death of the stars themselves. Now that I think about it, I'm old. EXTREMELY OLD.

The Divine part of me at least. I was only eighteen years old when I was plucked from my planet.

"Sounds tough. And wait, did you say 'planet'? I've never even left this Empire in my life!"

I chuckle at her reaction. Rhozgelians were never the kind to venture beyond the Empire's borders.

"Yes. I've been to the High Elven and Dwarven Kingdoms to the West. I have visited the dominions of the Dark Elves, Blood Elves and Wood Elves to the East, as well as some scattered City-States of the Dwarves. The Demi-Human tribes to the south, the underwater sanctuaries of the Naga, the flying islands of the Flugel, the subterranean cities of the Druukhari, the frozen wasteland of the Northern Alliance, the fantastical tree-cities of the Faeries, the fractured and conflict-stricken lands of the Orks and everything else in between. I have beheld with my eyes the civilizations of every single sentient race..."

She lets go of the mug and holds my cheeks with both of her hands. The young woman starts examining my face and ears as if her life depended on it. "What?! I don't believe you! That would take...at least two hundred years or more!" She releases me when I sent a small electric shock to her hands, and she instantly yelps. "Hey! What the heck was that!"

I ignore her complaints and reason with her. "Well, it's up to you if you believe me or not. Also, you never mentioned your Mother when we spoke earlier..." I say carefully.

"My Mother passed away while I was still young. All I have now is my Father and he's retired after getting into an accident." The girl chuckles and pats my hand as she laughs. "I knew you were a Traveller! You have this aura around you and it was my first guess! Tell me, why'd you run away from home? Committed a crime? Disowned by your parents? Killed your elder sibling to become the heir? Refused to marry your fiancee and ran off with some girl of common birth? " I just solemnly smile at her as she had her moment of mirth. She continues talking for some time until she takes notice of my sudden silence.

"Hey, what's with that look? You look kind of down." She says and leans closer to see my face amid the dim light in the room. "I'm sorry, did I say something bad?" An apologetic expression comes over her face.

I shake my head. "No. Something just passed through my mind, that's all..." I sigh and lie down on the bed and leave my goblet floating in the air. From the corner of my eye, she observes me quietly. "Something happened while I was gone, and when I came back, I was too late."

She nods and looks to the side, fidgeting with her fingers and not quite sure what to say next. "I see. Want to tell me about it...?" Outside through the broken window, a drizzle starts which breaks the dead silence of the night.

I say nothing, choosing to stare blankly at the ceiling and space out. Houshou Marine does the same and occasionally sips from her goblet from time to time. A breeze enters the room, and she shivers and puts the covers over herself. The sudden drop of temperature must have affected the lantern since it dies and deactivates.

"Sorry, let me do something about that." I sit up and wave at the window, a flat piece of wood floating from the floor and covering it. I make a fire in the middle of the room by merely snapping my fingers, directly fueled by my magical energy. It remains suspended in mid-air to not make anything else catch alight.

"Thanks, it was a bit chilly, and don't worry about it. We all have our problems. It's okay." She says after I apologize for dampening the mood.

"Thank you," I say and return her smile. Whether or not it was from the fire or the wine or something else, the redness on her cheeks was more apparent compared to earlier.

It's been around two hours since we started drinking, and this girl still looks strong. The rain outside still hasn't subsided, and it's only gotten colder. She's told me all about herself, from her childhood to how she ended up inheriting her Father's ship after he got into an accident two years ago. She also told me how she met her friends and became her crew, it made for a rather interesting and amusing tale for sure.

I have to admit that I'm much more comfortable like this; when I'm in my former form I have to be extremely careful since just thinking about something can make it turn into a reality or simple acts having exaggerated consequences. I prime example would be when Rushia and I were still travelling and resting under a tree. A caterpillar fell from the branches and landed on my face. My shriek of terror was so powerful that it levelled the forest around me, blasting and uprooting trees and shattering the land itself. Rushia was spared since she's shielded by my Divine protection. The entire area that I destroyed was about two kilometres in radius, and I apologized to the nature spirits and Faeries that lived in the area by undoing what I did. Though when they recognized my Divinity, they instantly cried out for joy and kissed my feet, proclaiming that their Guardian Deity had returned after being missing for nearly two hundred years. The Faeries revere the feminine aspect of myself, and I recall subconsciously switching from male to female, something that Rushia found amusing. While I explained to them what had happened to me, they in turn answered all of my questions as much as they can. Rushia and I had to leave them after a week and I made them swear an oath of secrecy in my name.

On a side note, I have also...engaged, in some activities with Mai in this mortal form several times before. It was just to make her shut up and stop nagging at me since she was getting annoying. And if I'm being completely honest, I was curious too.

"Hehehehe. I'm impressed. Your cheeks aren't even red yet." The Captain grins as I pour more wine on her goblet. While I was merely making small sips, she has more or less finished three bottles by herself.

"Hmm, but this stuff isn't even that strong, or maybe I've grown resistant to these kinds of things... I mean it tastes great, don't get me wrong. I guess High Elves like their alcohol light huh."

"I'm only making small sips... And yes, it's rather light, isn't it? Their kind never had the palate for strong flavours." She laughs and pokes my cheek. I take another sip and let her do as she pleases. She was now sitting on the edge of the bed and moved the table earlier beside it to put the empty bottles of wine.

"Oh? I never expected you to be the demure type. Or is it because you want to be a good role model for Rushia-chan? This dimensional magic of yours is really handy. What else do you have in it?"

"All sorts of things. As for its exact number, I don't know. I lost count."

"This is super handy, I still can't get my head around it. I was a bit startled when you put the Druukhari girl that you rescued earlier today. How'd you reverse the Warp's corruption?" She asks in bafflement, still not able to believe that I did such a thing.

"I am trained in stuff like that, but it's a complicated procedure. Her physical body might be fine but her soul and life force still need to heal. It's why I was hoping that we arrive at the next city faster..." I say.

Houshou Marine nods in understanding as she pieces the things together in her head. "Oh, so that's why... You're part of the Inquisition. No wonder you looked so used to fighting while in the presence of the Warp."

I shake my head in response. "No, I'm not. But it's an innate ability I have. I'm surprised that you know about them..." I say and give her a knowing look.

She pulls her left leg up and rests her chin on her knee and had a faraway look in her eyes. "They once tried to recruit me, saying that my 'vitality', whatever that it is, is quite strong. I know that they're a secretive organization, never in my life did I expect that they'd come knocking at our door."

My ears perk and I give her my full attention. "Did the High Priestess at the Temples say anything?"

"Whenever I ask, they talk in riddles. They say that I am special, blessed by the Earth Mother herself. Though they didn't explicitly say it, I believe that they were encouraging me to join."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because it's terrifying!" She exclaims and flails her hands around. "Do you know what the Inquisition does?! They go to wherever the influence of the Warp is at its strongest! You saw me earlier today, I could barely even hold my gun up! I think I missed all my shots since I was firing blindly!"

I roll my eyes. "That's because you're untrained. You'll be fine once you get used to it."

"That's what they always say! I heard that the training itself can kill you from exhaustion and magical depletion!" She says with slight annoyance, I think that she's had this conversation many times before. "Plus, I don't want to make my Dad worry by giving him anxiety. It's already making his poor health worse even with my Step Mother attending to him."

"I see. That's very noble of you. Your Father is lucky to have a daughter like yourself." I say and scoot closer to her, she doesn't seem to mind. "I thought you were a headstrong yet reckless girl, one that ran away from home and turned her back on her past. But it looks like I was wrong."

"H-Hah?! What are you talking about..." She says shyly and puts her leg down from the bed.

"You know, I love bright and striking eyes like yours. Especially red ones, despite your other eye being yellow. But to me, it just makes you even more attractive..." I lean in and whisper directly to her ear. Goosebumps appear and she shivers when she feels my hot breath on her skin. "Eyes are the windows to the soul, and yours is indeed fiery."

She remains still as I put my left arm around her waist and pull her closer. The black bodysuit which covers her abdomen and the base of her neck prevents me from touching her bare skin, yet it was still smooth to the touch. Even with the silk robes that I'm wearing, I can still feel her warm body temperature through the thin and silky smooth cloth. "I-I knew you were up to no good when you asked me that question earlier..." She whispers out.

"It was a simple question, and I had no other motives besides it."

"L-Liar..."

"Captain... You never gave me a straight answer if you were spoken for..." I whisper to her ear.

"W-Why're you so i-interested all of a sudden... You never made any advances on me before..."

"A chance never presented itself when it was just the two of us..."

"W-Well, you're right about that, at least…" She fidgets with the end of her skirt and looks to the side, invitingly revealing her exposed smooth neck. I lean in, and as the tip of my nose touches her skin, she makes a small yet cute sound. "Fuueee...~" Her bright red hair tickles my nose as I pull away and I continue gently caressing her sides and smooth abdomen. She shivers from my touch, and as I put my right hand over her own, she makes no move to move away. Her hand was only slightly smaller than mine, feminine and soft. And they were warm and slightly sweaty, from a mixture of nervousness and arousal perhaps. She responds positively and returns the act by touching me as well. There were some tiny callouses on her palms, an indicator that she does manual labour.

"Y-Your hand..." She says quietly and looks down, touching and caressing me.

"What of it?"

"They're...surprisingly soft."

"Are they? I never gave it much thought."

"Yeah, they are." She turns to face me but quickly looks away when she realizes our faces are quite close. "I saw you fighting those monsters from the Warp earlier today. You were flying around like a blur, equipping all sorts of weapons and firing spells that I've never even seen before. I expected your hands to be rough and hard since you seem to be adept in close quarters combat and a strong mage..."

I grin. "I see... So you saw me. I guess it was inevitable then." I say with a resigned smile. "What about the others?"

She pauses for a moment and purses her lips in thought. "No, I don't think so... I was calling for you but you didn't hear me, even with the telepathic thing."

Now it was my turn to be surprised. "You did? Oh, I... I'm sorry. I didn't hear you." I say with all honesty, recalling the battle earlier today. We didn't have time to see each other properly since after escaping from the Warp storm, we were busy tending to the ship slowly falling from the sky.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." She puts her hand over mine in a reassuring gesture when she sees my face. "The important thing is that everyone is safe and sound."

I shake my head, a slight pang of shame and regret spreading throughout my body. "No, I could have done better. If I meant it, I could have saved this ship and kept it aloft." She laughs at my words, an act that I didn't expect.

"As I said, it's okay. What's done is done, no point mulling over it now." She briefly turns to me with a cheeky grin on her pretty face. "And it's not like you can turn back time, right? If you can, then it'd be super convenient! Ahahaha!"

Unfortunately, I don't have any Divinity over the domain of Time. Only a select few of my Kin have that. The first one that comes to mind is my brother Akatosh the Dragon God of Time who is worshipped by many races and therefore has many avatars and appearances. He, along with a few, are part of their pantheon.

"That I don't. But I do have a few more tricks up my sleeve. More importantly, it looks like we have gone a bit off-topic, have we?"

"You haven't answered me yet," I ask again but she stays quiet. "Captain, it's a simple question. There is no one here but the two of us, whatever happens in the confines of this room, no other soul will know unless we tell them." The young woman gulps and I see that the pinkish hue on her face has spread to her ear and neck. I continue teasing her with gentle touches and whispering sweet nothings to her ear. She fidgets and squirms from the pleasurable stimuli for several minutes as she rubs her supple thighs together. There were times when she almost let out her voice but it always comes out as a small whimper.

The young lady cranes her neck to the side and taps my hand. When I failed to understand the message, she makes a small annoyed and frustrated sound and wiggles her shoulder against me. "T-Tch..." She clicks her tongue, turning and narrowing her eyes, though not maliciously and angrily.

I let go of her waist, but it only seemed to irritate her further. "Did I overstep my bounds?" I ask and see a nerve throb and her eye twitch. I scoot away but she instantly comes back to seek my warmth and places my hands where they were moments ago.

"Y-You idiot... DON'T SCOOT AWAY FROM ME!" She exclaims with annoyance and frustration. "You're ruining the mood...! D-Don't make me say it!" She bites her quivering lower lip. I stare dully at her and I let my eyes linger on her neck before looking at her again.

"Oh, sorry. Let me make it up to you then..." I whisper to her ear and she shivers from the hotness of my breath. I give a light kiss on her ear before going on her neck. She breathes out hotly from the contact, a mix of relief and satisfying pleasure. We stay like that for some time, touching each other as our body temperature rises from the stimuli. She lets go of my hand and puts it on my head, applying some force and holding me in place lest I pull away. Goosebumps form, and she shivers and moans with pleasure as I leave kisses all around her neck. Her breath hitches when I gently bite her ear and softly caress the lower part of her exposed abdomen, causing her to put her hand between her legs as her thighs fidget with each other.

"Captain, you're so warm. Especially here..." I make small circles with my fingertips on the area where her womb should be. She squirms and bites her lips as I caress and touch the lower part of her belly. I felt slight tremors from her nether regions, almost as if they were begging for my touch. "It's like there's an intense flame inside you."

"Hnnng~..." Her breath hitches from my touch and she stifles a moan. "H-Hmm, you too..." She replies in a lowly sultry voice and runs her fingers through my hair, as well as kissing my cheek when she has the chance. Sometimes our lips would graze against each other but never truly come into contact. She makes a groan of approval when I touch the sides of her breast, before giving it a gentle squeeze. Even with her customized jacket, they were soft, preventing me from fully touching them. I gently grope and knead them, careful not to hurt her while also figuring out how to please her even more. While we were touching each other intimately, I find the small bump on her breast and pinch it in a teasing manner. She yelps and instinctively jerks away from me, only to come back seeking my touch once again.

"H-Hng~... Mm~... Y-Yeah, just like that.." She moans out breathlessly. A fire was burning intensely within her, and I can feel the rapid beat of her heart while I touched her breasts.

Houshou Marine slowly faces me. Under the fire in the middle of the room that served as our only source of light, her cheeks were bright pink and she had difficulty meeting my eyes. Her lips quivered and some sweat falls on the side of her face.

"I-I'm not spoken for..." She says as a small misty cloud appears every time she exhales because of the coldness in the air. "S-So, we don't have to worry about anything..."

"Hmm, I see... It looks like we are the same..." I let go of her waist and play with silky smooth hair. "You see, I recently just decided to look for a partner. One that I can share all of my experiences with as I travel and experience all that life has to offer. I love a strong woman such as yourself, brave and unyielding against the harshness of the world. The aura that you emanate as well as your beauty is what immediately made me attracted to you."

She blushes madly and covers the lower half of her face with her left hand. "O-Oh s-shut it with the flowery words... I'm not that pretty. I don't even recall a guy ever hitting on me..."

"Then they have poor taste. What I see, is a wonderful young lady with a strong heart and an even more beautiful soul. All the gems and treasures of this world and the innumerable stars above are worth nothing compared to you." I say. She bites her finger and gets giddy, before hiding her face on her palms and squealing.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAH~~!"

I chuckle and pull her closer to me, her smooth and flawless skin is warmer than before. She doesn't push me away, in fact, she even rubs her head against my chest. I lean down and go to her ear once more.

"That was so adorable..." I chuckle in a teasing manner, and she briefly moves her hands to see me.

"Y-You're such a sadist..." She says in a muffled voice, and in a surprising display of her boldness, she starts lightly pulling at the tie which held my robes in place. I concede to her silent request, standing up for a moment and taking them off until I was only dressed in my white inner trousers. She blushes while telling me to lie down on the bed, and I do so while propping myself up with my elbows. Her bed, as well as the bedsheets, had her scent on them.

She sits beside me, her eyes going to the void black metallic bracers on my wrist and arms, lightly touching them with her fingertips. "What are these?"

"Limiters. To keep my consumption of magical energy in check. My Core is...different from yours." I say truthfully.

She nods and slowly caresses my chest, taking in every detail of my body to memory. My body is the same as when I was in my other home beyond the stars: a little bit on the skinny side but only because I'm not mature yet. The Captain proceeds to crawl over me until our faces are a breath away from each other. I can see the small details of her eyes, as well as a small teasing grin on her lips. My hands go up and caress her thighs where the heat coming from her is most intense and she shivers from my touch as goosebumps form.

"You don't mind doing it with me...?" She says breathlessly, her finger touching my chin and slowly going down until it reaches the centre of my chest. She licks her lips with a mixture of anticipation and excitement, looking like she can't wait to open a gift that she's been eagerly waiting for.

"No, I don't."

"You know that there's no going back after this, right? It's too late to turn back now." Despite sounding restless and needy, I hear an underlying threatening tone in her words.

"I am quite aware of that. Does this mean that you accept me?"

She leans down to my ear and gives it a lick and gentle nibble, her hot breath tickling me in the process. "Only until sunrise~." She has a cheeky smile on her pretty face when she pulls away, which suits her very well. "After that, well, who knows~? I think you're a decent man. I think having you around would make my life a whole lot easier~."

"I see, I'm glad that we still have many more hours left... I still need you to say it."

The Captain rolls her eyes and shakes her head with a small smile, muttering something about me not being able to read the mood and doing pointless formalities. I laugh, just as she reaches up and pulls on my cheek.

"I, Houshou Marine of the Houshou Pirates, am asking you to make love to me." Her voice has lost all of her playful teasings. Instead, I saw genuine affection and barely contained lust in her eyes. More so on the latter, since I can sense that she is summoning all of her willpower not to ravage me on the spot. We both smile, and a blush darkens her pretty cheeks.

"It would be my pleasure..." She leans down, and the moment that the both of us have been waiting for finally arrives.

Her lips were soft and we kiss slowly, her red hair falling to the sides of my face. She makes a low moan, angling her head to the side to get a better position. Her hand gently pushes against my chest, wordlessly telling me to properly lie down on her bed since our mouths are busy. Her scent fills my nose, a mix of her sweat, perfume and arousal. And from her lips, I taste the light alcohol that we drank earlier. The Captain adjusts her position while we kiss until she is sitting on my lower half, and I distinctly feel certain hotness between her legs. We kiss and hold each other, forgetting about all the worries of the world while within the confines of this room. She breathes heavily from her nose, her kiss becoming hungrier and demanding more from me. I am more than happy to answer her wishes and do so with equal fervour to match her intensity.

Some time goes by and she separates first and smiles down on me, a thin trail of saliva connecting our mouths. I am glad that my current body is more on that of a mortal's since I moved all my Divinity deep inside my Core. Right now, I am more Human than a God, and therefore subject to all advantages and disadvantages that it brings. I am flesh and blood, but my soul is that of a Divine's.

She was breathless, her hands and legs trembling from excitement. "H-How was it?"

"You were great Captain. I expected no less from someone like you."

She pouts cutely, before leaning down again for a brief kiss and playfully biting on my lower lip. "Marine. Call me Marine."

"If you say so, Marine. If I may..." I smile and slowly sit up, she adjusts her position as her breasts press themselves against my chest. She patiently waits for me, eager to know what I want. My hands leave her thighs and go to the back of her head, untying her bright red hair and letting them fall freely down her shoulders. She smiles shyly and giggles like a shy maiden in love.

"There, I think you're much more beautiful like this..."

"T-Thank you... It gets in the way because of the strong wind and I'm not used to having it." She says, before softly putting her hand on the side of my face. "But since you're with me, I guess it's fine like this..." This time, I was the one to lean in and take her awaiting and wet lips. Her hands touched all over my chest and torso, our kiss slowly but surely getting more and more heated with each passing moment. Her breathing was getting heavier and she was getting hotter from the onset of sexual stimulation. Not to mention that her nipples were getting aroused and she was also starting to instinctively make rubbing motions on my groin.

"Marine, you're pent up, are you?" She makes a cute disappointed sound when I pull away and whisper to her ear.

"Y-Yeah... S-Stop teasing me, please... Come on, l-let's hurry up already. I can't w-wait anymore..." She whimpers out weakly, begging for us to continue.

"Then, allow me to help you release all of your pent up stress... You may do whatever you wish to me… And when our time together is done, I'll make sure to leave a broken, twitching and drooling mess out of you… Marine~…" I say sultrily as she shivers and trembles from my voice.

Something snaps inside her, and she roughly pushes me down on the bed. She balances herself on top of me by putting her hands on my chest, but to me, it looks like she is trying to make sure that I don't escape. All the lust being built up within her is finally spilling out of control and it's up to me to help her deal with it, even if we have to go at it until the sun rises.

"I'm... HORNY!" She exclaims, forcefully pulling off her slim-fitting red vest and with its buttons flying in all directions.

It didn't take long before she was fully naked and started hastily pulling on my pants as if her life depended on it. And after that, we engaged in making love to each other in every sense of the word. Despite saying that I was the first man that she has lain with, her ravaging desire for me made me think twice about it. But as time went on, her movements were clumsy, and a bit awkward. And since the embarrassment, as well as the bright blush on her face, didn't go away, I concluded that she was telling the truth. So I had to teach and instruct her what to do, and she was an incredibly quick learner. And no sooner was she expertly using her hips and the rest of her body to make the pleasurable and erotic experience better for the both of us and doing every conceivable position that we can think of. Her insides wrapped around me like a vice, squeezing every drop of my hot seed deep into her awaiting and starved fertile womb until it seeped down her womanly folds and staining the bedsheets under us. She would take my entire length into her mouth, stroking it erratically and twirling her hot and wet tongue around the tip before I release either in her mouth or all over her face, covering her and parts of her hair with my white liquid as she laps all of them up erotically with her fingers licking each one while staring deep into my eyes. Her womb was filled with my seed, yet she wanted even more. Every climax she has only seemed to fuel the flame within her. Her breasts would sway hypnotically at me with each movement and entice me to take them with my mouth or hands, so too did the jewelled amulet that I gave her. Her eyes were always transfixed on mine, only closing them when they weren't. Her lust was so strong and made me think that if I hadn't been here, it would manifest and consume her very being itself. The room would get filled with the sounds of our lovemaking: our moans and cries of pleasure, the distinct sound of wet flesh hitting upon flesh, the bed, chair and table creaking from our weight, as well as the occasional magical spell, to spice things up. Due to it, the legs of the bed broke and gave in, but we quickly got back to it after fixing it with a snap of my fingers.

There wasn't a moment where we were away from each other's touch, with sounds of pleasure coming from our mouths; whether she was on top of me or the other way around. For while we had each other, the worries of the world did not affect us. I forgot about my ultimate goal to unite my broken Empire and peoples; to meet with my Divine siblings; and if possible, to learn what happened to my other world and if it's still possible for me to go back. And I'm sure that she can relate to my feelings. All of those worries were irrelevant while we had each other.

The feeling of her soft and hot insides refusing to let me go... The comfort that only a woman can provide... The pleasures of the flesh that Gods can never comprehend... The act of being held close and feeling someone's warmth…

Only a human of flesh and blood can appreciate such things.

After several hours, Marine's pent up lust was finally spent, giving me one last passionate kiss before drifting to sleep peacefully in my arms.

Hmm, I was supposed to post this on my birthday on the 5th of December, but I got sidetracked and here we are.

References so far: HOLOLIVE, Konosuba, Goblin Slayer, Overlord, No Game No Life, Ushio no Tora, Warhammer40k, Elder Scrolls and Fate.