August 8 2022
The God Hachiman of Rhozgelia
Rescue
After five days of non-stop flying, I finally see a settlement in the distance after enhancing the sensory element of my body. A small town on three hills where traders and travellers can resupply before going on their journey.
Although…
I click my tongue and open a telepathic link and put my pointer and middle fingers near my ear. It's much more efficient this way than searching the entire ship for her.
"Marine, we have a bit of a situation." I immediately say when I hear the affirmative pinging sound when the link was received.
"Oh? What is it? You never call me this way." She replies and I can sense her tilting her head to the side in wonder.
"It's better to see for yourself. Come to the base of the highest mast." After around two minutes, I see her emerge from the door that leads to the interior of the ship. She raises her head when I call out to her and takes a step back as I hover down to the deck. She appears to be wearing a thin and airy white dress that ends at her ankles, very commonly worn by Rhozgelian women in their households. The hood and veil are also put aside for now. It's a simple robe not that different from a Yukata but grants more mobility and comfort. During winter or on cold days, they wear a thicker and more insulated version of it. She laid her hair down today instead of her usual bun. The pendant and jewelled hair pin that I gave her glints under the early morning sun.
Not to mention the shiny ring on her left hand which matches the chrysanthemum flower.
"Ah! It's freezing here! How can you stand this with just a single shirt and wool pants on!? Wear a coat at least!" She starts nagging like an old lady while shivering and clutching her sides. A small white cloud forms under her nose every time she exhales and I laugh when the wind blows her untied hair right to her face.
"Looks like you feel cold. Come here." Orange flames envelop my hands but leave my clothes and skin unharmed. She immediately comes closer and seeks my warmth. After telling her to prepare herself, I put my arms around her waist and back of her knees and leap up the wooden poles until we arrive at the highest point on the ship. Unsurprisingly, she's scared as ever.
She sighs with relief upon stepping on the lookout platform. It's colder here and much windier as I hover and match the speed of the ship.
"What is it that you wanted to show me?" She holds her hair and dress to keep them from wildly flapping around because of the wind. I open my gate and hand her a retractable binocular. If memory serves right, this is an offering from a Dwarven trading caravan that they placed in one of my Temples to the east and is roughly three hundred years old. She holds it to her eye after I point to the northwest, but not before observing its intricate and Dwarven origins.
"We should be near Khalgiye after I looked at the star's position last night. There's a place that makes the best milktank steak I've ever had!" She says while configuring the zoom and focus mechanism of the device. I close my eyes and stay quiet.
"Hmm… Looks like they burned the fields early this season…? Wait. There's a fire! Why is-" She puts down the contraption and slowly turns to me after several tense seconds. I can hear the accelerated beating of her heart and her fingers were quivering at the revelation.
"Something must have happened. A separatist raid or an accident perhaps... I can see the wreckage of a ship not far from the outskirts. I'll scout ahead, this could be a trap." I sigh and shake my head. My words break her trance-like state and she looks up at me with disbelief.
"What?! No!" She continues speaking against it while I carry her back down to the deck. Both of us get startled when the ship's horn sounded.
"Hm… Looks like whoever is in the command room has seen it." We quickly figure out that it was Noel and make our way to her. She is quite alarmed as well as Shiranui and Kazuma. The three of them immediately oppose my idea.
"Who said I was going alone? I'm bringing you two and Tsuki. " Noel and Shiranui look at me incredulously. I expected them to refuse but after sharing a glance they both nodded in agreement. I tell Marine to drop altitude and remain at a certain distance until I give the order. The ship's wings turn vertically for the engines to face the ground as we hovered and landed behind a hill to hide our descent as much as possible. They retract into the vehicle itself after support beams from below keep it standing and not falling to the side.
Now that I take another look at it from this angle, my aircraft doesn't look and feel aerodynamic. There are too many unused rooms, it should become smaller and lighter. I think I'll have to take it apart again and personally oversee the retrofit sometime in the future.
After giving my Druukhari servant a special veil and raiment to protect her from the sun and also taking some supplies, we make our way for the ruined town with the three girls riding on Liz's back while I fly beside them.
This modest temple was once dedicated to my name. Even though the roof had burned and collapsed and the interiors ruined, the main walls made of hardy stone still stood. The people of this town venerated my female aspect because I can see several statues of myself covered in ash and debris. Even so, I can feel my Divinity from this place. It feels invigorating and I think it would regenerate much faster if I exposed myself to one of the larger Temples in the big cities.
"My Lord...?" A voice calls out to me. It was my servant who only just recently pledged her life to me. She wore a white hood and a semi-transparent veil yet I can see the concerned expression that she has.
"Sorry. I was lost in thought. Come on, there's nothing we can do here." She nods and follows me out of the collapsed and burned doors while carefully stepping through the debris. The warm sun greets us as well as some black smoke from the still-burning buildings nearby mixed with the receding morning chill. Noel and Shiranui are waiting for me and I shake my head with disappointment.
"Nothing. No bodies or anything that I can get a clue on what happened here."
"Maybe they evacuated before whoever or whatever did all of this arrived?" Noel says helpfully.
"That would explain why there are a lot of valuables still inside the houses. Still, all of this is strange. A bandit raid or any invading force would never do that." Shiranui adds and we talk in hushed voices while going from building to building. There's honestly not much to go since this settlement is rather small and compact. I wager the total population here numbered less than one thousand. We are surrounded by ruined buildings and smoke from the occasional fire which we immediately put out anyway.
"There's not even a crater or any signs of battle… And the fire looks as though it was from an accident which then spread quickly from house to house because of the dry wind and how close the buildings are. Not all of the buildings have caught fire." I say after coming out from the eighth house that we searched.
"I think we have reason to believe you are right, my Lord." Tsuki agrees. "Supplies are plenty here. Should we take them?"
I shake my head. "No. My Gates are more than sufficient and the inhabitants might come back here." I say after putting down a small painting of a family of four. The father looked to me like an Aeldari with his human wife and two sons.
"As you command." She says and bows.
Progress became much quicker after I decided to use my Life Sense spell while simultaneously flying overhead. I was done in about an hour and go back to the rest of my companions who were resting in the Temple. I soon remember about the fallen ship on the other side of the settlement and turn around to go there.
I sense movement from up ahead and after using my enhanced vision, a smile forms on my lips when I recognize the figures.
"Goblin Slayer!" His plumed helmet turns in my direction and he grips his sword hanging from his belt. I see his other companions stand up and then wave their arms excitedly when they recognize me.
"Lord Red-Eyes!"
"Golem Master!" The Lizardman and Dwarf run up to meet me as I land just in front of them. I receive their warm hugs and pats on the back as the Goblin Slayer, Priestess and the High Elf catch up. The five of them look like they've been through a lot as I observe how dirty and beat up they are. After a brief exchange, they usher me to their makeshift camp which they built using the salvaged remains of their fallen aircraft.
"What happened to you lot? Didn't you go on ahead from Ludtz?" I ask as we sit under the shade of a large tree.
A shadow seemed to go over all of their eyes, and the Dwarf speaks first when no one else was willing. "We were waylaid by these Demonic entities and our airship was heavily damaged. Savage and horrible things. Our crew was fatally wounded and we had to bury them after crashing." He pauses before continuing.
"The townspeople helped us as best as they could but they had to evacuate when their priestess sensed an incoming incursion from the Warp. We decided to stay to allow them time to escape. The town priestess, her fellow sisters in the faith and a few psychers blessed us with numerous spells, enchantments, runes and their familiars for us to hold for as long as possible. We lured those demons out of the town and fortified this place."
The young blonde girl nods grimly, "We managed to hold them off for an entire day before the mist finally dissipated and we've been stuck here ever since."
"For how long have you been here?" I ask.
"Around a week."
"And no rescue craft came?" They all shake their heads in unison.
"The head priestess said that if we survived, it would be better to just stay put and help ourselves to the remaining supplies. Danger beasts are especially agitated for some reason after the eruption of that mountain to the south." The High Elf says and takes a sip from her water skin.
I get up from my seat feeling very much sympathetic toward them. Move so on that eruption part since that was my fault.
"Don't worry. I have a ship just outside of the town. Tonight you will fill your bellies with fine food and drink and sleep on warm beds." They give me their gratitude and promise to pay me back in the future. Using my telepathy, I command Tsuki and Marine to rendezvous with my position. I see my airship rising from behind the distant hills with its six majestic wings and Liz with the recon team on her back giant back running with her huge and muscular legs towards me.
After the Goblin Slayer and his companions get acquainted with Marine and her crew, Rushia takes it upon herself to show them to their rooms so they can rest before taking a bath. I can hear her fast little steps in the hallway right now.
"Nii! They're smelly!" She exclaims as she bursts into our room shortly followed by Suu and Chomusuke as they start playing near my feet.
"Oi, you bratty little girl! I don't recall teaching you to be rude!" I look over at her while treating Tsuki's arm and thigh. She had suffered a nasty gash when some debris fell from above not long after I separated with her. She refused any form of healing magic from Shiranui and preferred waiting for me instead.
Rushia studies me while I stitch the wound shut with a needle and a surgical string that I made using alchemy. I chose the natural method instead of using magic so Tsuki's immune system and the rest of the body can be stimulated after being in a coma for so long. I apply pressure on the wounds and put medicinal herbs and ointments before dressing them in cloth that I ripped from the sleeves of my white robes. Once it's fully healed, I'll remove the scars with my magic.
"It's a good thing that you thoroughly washed the wounds with hot water. Here, drink this. It serves as a pain reliever and hastens the healing process." Her pleasant features were relatively calm throughout the process, but she made a funny disgusted expression upon tasting the contents of the flask.
"I know I know it's very bitter and leaves a foul aftertaste but you have to finish it all…" I pat her head as a reward when she does so. I sense her delight at being touched like this and is secretly disappointed at being interrupted when Rushia sits on my lap and takes a whiff from the flask.
"Bleh! It smells bad!" She exclaims and recoils.
"This is expert-level alchemy and you have a long way to go before you're fit to learn." I pick her up and place her back on the bed and she immediately starts asking Tsuki what happened outside. She missed all the action since she was still sleeping and now she wants to learn all the details. The Druukhari smiles fondly and follows her request.
"Tsuki, stay in bed and rest; Rushia, don't bother our new guests," I say and turn to them right as I'm about to close the door behind me.
"Okay!"
"As you wish, my Lord…"
I arrive at the common room to see Kazuma and all other available hands preparing spare bedsheets and other essentials for my newly arrived friends. I try to help but they say they're fine without any extra assistance. The rumbling from the ship's engines gets louder as I open the thick door which also helps in pressurizing the interior. We have just exited the upper layer of some clouds and the sun is high in the sky.
I take a stroll around the deck to kill some time and walk upside down under the great wings like a vampire to check for some damage. Going under the belly of the ship with the ground under, or in this case, above, my head feels strange and I had to manipulate the air around me since my hair kept blowing onto my face.
"Oh! This is the perfect place for me to stretch!" I say out loud. White light starts appearing from my back and transforms into a pair of white feathered wings five times my total height. There were streaks of red, gold and black which made a rough Z pattern that merged at my spine. If I take my clothes off, they would perfectly align with the red tattoo-like patterns which run on my arms and legs which also merge at the centre of my chest. The tattoos only appear when I use my Divinity, like turning normal weapons into Divine Constructs and shattering a small portion of the mortal realm to speak with a Lesser Goddess who happens to know another Goddess who's in this vessel. Clue: She has blue hair and possesses a strong affinity for water.
I release my usage of advanced gravitational magic and fall from the belly of the ship. It feels awkward to use them after not using my wings in some time, but the familiarity soon comes back. The memories of flying over the Capital with Mai when I first arrived in this world resurface and I start to miss her once more. I fly for some time using my feathery appendages and follow the ship from under it.
An idea pops into my head and I release a Familiar that I haven't used in a while. I open my Gate and out comes a Skewer. A huge and sleek apex predator with a wingspan of 20 meters. It has a somewhat similar appearance to manta rays although very much larger. They have no olfactory senses and also don't have any eyes. Instead, they incorporate an advanced form of Sonar and their high sensitivity to magnetic fields gives them an amazing sense of direction.
Their species manoeuvre through the air by propelling themselves through the use of internally created methane gas, which is then combusted within the 4 jet pods located on its wings, in a way reminiscent of modern-day jet-propelled aircraft of my distant home. This is coupled with the movements of their wings. They do not flap but squeeze, shifting their shape to shift flight patterns. With these two adaptations, they are capable of travelling at speeds of up to 322 kilometres per hour, making them one of the fastest creatures in this world. But since becoming my Familiar, she is capable of flying far past that.
The great beast staggers for a bit, most likely from how sudden I summoned her before she regains her bearings and makes an insanely sharp turn to follow right beside me. The long lance at the top of its head is a tongue which they use to impale prey and suck its nutrients out. I take out a small diamond-shaped device which can record both sound and images and start relaying my message.
"Make haste Sarie," I put the device in a pouch strapped under her left wing, "deliver this to Mai back in the Capital. Fly as fast as you can and let nothing hinder you. This ship is going to Vaastgord and will arrive in three days. We will wait for you there. Go with my blessing."
She turns and ascends sharply above the ship with me on her back. The thick and puffy clouds hide us from any prying eyes. The pods on her wings vibrate and rumble, charging up methane and magical energy. I let go just as she releases all the built-up energy and shoots off with a trail of white leaving the tips of her wings. I wait until she becomes tinier than a speck in my vision and folds my wings behind my back to dive sharply and continue following the ship from below.
I need the exercise. Lazying around in my room or retreating into my Gates aren't appealing ideas right now.
It was only several hours later when I met with the Goblin Slayer and his companions again for a rather late dinner. All of them look freshened up and are wearing new sets of clothes which I got from my Gate. What surprised me most of all was he was without his signature plumed helmet. He has a handsome yet slightly scarred face yet still handsome nonetheless. Even the girls at the dinner table can't help but glance at him now and then.
"I have to say, the technology of this continent is a thing to behold." He speaks after not joining in the conversation for some time and only does so when the priestess whispers to his ear. The Lizardman and the Dwarf agree with him and the latter adds that the things his kind have made pale in comparison.
"True, we never had things like this back at home."
"Your vessel is indeed very impressive. It's amazing how we're so high right now." He says and laughs nervously, "It's intimidating when I look down from the sides of the deck and my ears hurt when I go outside."
I receive their compliments graciously while getting my foot stomped on from under the table by the redhead beside me. Her crew flash me unenthusiastic expressions when I nod and smile at them, except for Usada. She's warmed up to me since Suu and I always help her out in the kitchen. We discussed the topic with everyone else a few days ago and concluded that this airship is indeed mine. Mainly because this was the fusion of two ships from my gate and my golems didn't use any salvageable, or lack thereof, parts from Marine's crashed ship. I'm honestly surprised that she assumed this was hers. She's still a bit moody about it and hasn't invited me to her room since.
"Yup, it's veeeeeery impressive…" Marine says with a sarcastic smile which no one except her friends seems to detect. All it did was earn nods of agreement from everyone else at the table.
"Where did you learn about this stuff anyway? From an aeronautics academy?" Kazuma asks after handing the Lizardman several slices of cheese who happily receives it.
"..." I pause for a moment. This could be the perfect time to reveal to them my true identity. Rushia knows my Flügel form while Shiranui and Noel are leaning towards that idea as well.
"I… Well, people would regularly come to me for advice. You know, military and trading clans, stuff like that..." I say with some difficulty while receiving looks of admiration. I'm not exactly lying since both Rhozgelian monarchs and flotilla admirals alike would ask for my wisdom on the matter.
"That is a lot of responsibility for someone so young. You must have had an office of sorts since you are a consultant. Where were you stationed?" The Dwarf ask curiously while the others listened intently. He must believe me to be one of those clerk types.
"A terrible misfortune occurred and I was forced to move. Right now, I go wherever the winds take me." My reply causes him to bow his head in apology for ignorantly asking about such a sensitive topic. I tell him that he hasn't offended me in any way and open up another conversation to prevent the mood at the dinner table from becoming gloomy.
"The contract that we signed with the guild ends when we arrive at Vaastgorod and we failed anyway because of what happened. What's going to happen then?" The blonde priestess asks. She's dressed just like Marine and fits her very well.
"I think they'll grant us a pardon. Stuff like this is getting more and more frequent." I listen carefully while Marine explains. "It's not our fault that this happened. No wonder the Inquisition are trying to fill in their ranks." Everyone else at the table is engaged in conversation one way or another and no one looks left out. Even the tight-lipped Goblin Slayer would add in a word or two.
I get asked what I plan to do upon our arrival. "I'll stay in the city for some time to look for some leads. There was something suspicious hidden in our cargo hold and I want to know who's the recipient." Marine frowns at the new information but decides to stay quiet. What I'm talking about is the strange object that oozed warp energy. My theory is that it is responsible for the sudden appearance of those warp gates some weeks ago.
"So… Captain, what do you want us to do while you're off doing you're own thing?" Noel asks sceptically with a raised brow. Her other two crew mates momentarily stop their conversations to listen to what I have to say.
I shrug and swat away Rushia's hand since she tried to reach for my alcohol-filled glass. "Do as you will. You are free to search for other employment or serve another master. I won't stop you. Oh, but if you do, please tell me beforehand so I can give you a parting gift. I don't exactly need you."
Marine winces and turns to me while lowering her voice, "Geez, that was way too harsh. Try pulling your punches." I gesture with my hands dumbfounded as to how whatever I said was wrong.
"Huh? I don't get you." Instead of replying like a civilized person, she elbows my ribs. The blob of slime on top of my head turns sharply to her as a result.
The Knight pauses for a moment before nodding and exchanging glances with her fellow crewmates. "Don't worry. I'm not going to do that… Captain." She backs down from my stare and looks down at her food.
"Good."
I get up with my glass in hand and call everyone's attention by lightly tapping it with my jewelled knife three times. I'm at the head of the table and soon they all turn their heads to me.
"A moment, please. I would like to use this opportunity to thank our very skilled chef for preparing this feast for us. She is a hard worker and it would greatly displease me if her talents were to go unrecognized." They smile and clap and turn their attention to Usada who is very much surprised. She gets beet red and shyly returns pleasantries.
"Despite the circumstances behind our reunion, I am glad to see you all once again. You have done well to survive out there and the townspeople will sing praises and tell stories of your heroism. You have saved the people of Khalgiye and you should be proud." I raise my glass as they all follow my lead.
"We thank the Mother Goddess and the God Hachiman, may they continue to guide and bless us. Tonight we shall drink and feast and make merry in your names!" They give their loud and lively resounding replies and we all drink together at the same time. I missed this. I used to do this every year during the summer and winter solstice in front of millions of my people at the Grand Temple in the Capital. I would invite my divine siblings from all over the continent and the great city would celebrate for seven days and seven nights straight. I want to do that again but I'm not sure how I can unite my once great empire.
The redhead beside me flashes me a cheeky grin when I sit down. "Not bad. Could have been better." She nudges my arm with my glass in hand and interlocks it at our elbows. The contents of our glasses spilt into each other when they bumped and made contact.
She's initiating the same gesture when we drank and then she made an oath some time ago. When we were in her room in the wreckage of her ship during on first night together.
But this cultural gesture has a very different meaning in the absence of an announced contract or oath, and when the two parties are male and female. Not to mention that this is quite outdated and isn't used as much as I thought.
She grins when I hesitate. "You're putting me in a very tough spot Marine." From the corner of my eye, only her surprised and blushing friends are paying us any mind. Everyone else is busy eating, talking on listening to someone. It seems that they're the only ones who truly understand the deeper meaning of this gesture.
Her red and golden eyes similar to mine glint under the light orbs above that illuminate the entire room. She hasn't broken eye contact with me since she started her little "show" and knows full well what she's doing.
"A bit too late to hide it anymore, no? I think the others already have an idea. They're more observant than you think." She giggles and winks.
"Do you seriously want to go all the way? This is too hasty, even for you. Can we just do the bare minimum please?" I reply. Even though I accept her proposition, I still want my say in the matter. She pouts and gives it some thought for a moment before nodding reluctantly.
"Fiiiiiiine. you're no fun… It's gonna send mixed signals for sure." The disappointed pout becomes a charming smile. Her blush deepens when I return the gesture and I even thought of doing the exact opposite of what I want and taking her right now for all to see. I've heard that that's what they do nowadays anyway.
"C-Come on. Let's get this over with. I can't wait anymore." She says shyly and fidgets with her white dress.
I nod as our lips touch each other's glasses and start drinking from them. We maintain eye contact while doing so and she smiled in the middle of it. After drinking all of the contents, we untangle our arms and I kiss her on both cheeks and she does it to me as well.
"See? That wasn't so bad." She says cheerfully and pours me more wine. I see that Usada, Noel and Shiranui are busy talking amongst themselves in hushed voices and pretend not to notice them. They look rather excited and I can't blame them.
I take a small sip from my glass and observe the festive scene in front of me with satisfaction. "I guess so."
She puts her left hand on my lap and the ring that she wears sparkles when I gaze upon it. I hold and caress her soft and gentle hand and she smiles sweetly in response.
"I'm looking forward to whatever adventures you have in store for me…Captain."
The Skewer is a creature from the book Expedition by Wayne Barlow. I highly recommend reading the book or watching the film!