Chapter 6: A Humble Request
Eli instinctively bowed, though he knew it was a terrible one that wasn't elegant in the slightest. His whole body was shaking, and it was quite obvious. The red one looked at Eli with a smile; no doubt he was thinking of all the ways he could hurt someone as small as him. The butterfly looked at him with disgust. It was obvious that he thought of humans as lesser beings, as something that should be crushed under his boots. The cat looked at Eli with curiosity, like… a cat. They had a finger up to their chin and their head tilted. "Why are you here?" The butterfly asked. Clearly, he wasn't interested, and he felt that killing Eli would be much easier, but for some reason he held back.
"I… I… m-my name is Eli, sirs and miss, and… I c-come from a distant island to the north seeking… seeking… I wish to speak to your king, please." Eli said, his whole body shaking like there was an earthquake that only he could feel. "He's bold." The red one said. "Though he sounds and looks like he's going to fall over and die of fright." The butterfly said, mocking Eli. Eli rose from his bow and looked to the three. "Why should we let you see the King?" The cat asked. They seemed amused by Eli's quivering. "Well, I don't have much to offer, but I brought this." Eli said as he dug through his bag. He pulled out the thermos that had his mother's onion soup.
Eli knew how ridiculous it was, but still he felt like he needed to offer something. As he brought it out to offer it, Shroud knocked it out of his hand. It fell to the ground with a metallic clang. He went to reach for it, but the cat stepped on it, stopping it from rolling. They then picked it up and inspected it. "What's this?" They asked. "It's an onion soup my mother made… nobody has ever made one better than hers." Eli said with a nervous laugh. The cat opened up the top. They planned on pouring it out to torment him, but the smell caught them off guard. They pulled it in closer and got a better smell of it. They found it to be quite pleasant. The cat didn't want to show it, but they were interested in this soup. They simply put the cap back on and held on to the thermos.
"You got anything else?" The red one said as he grabbed Eli's bag. He opened it, turned it over and dumped out everything. "Hey!" Eli objected, but a sinister glare from the butterfly pacified him. The second thermos with Misha's fish stew fell out. The red one grabbed it and picked it up. "More soup?" He asked. "No… it's a fish stew made from tundra trout, a fish that only lives on my island, same with the vegetables that are also in the stew." Eli said. Shroud didn't mind watching Eli get tormented, in fact he enjoyed it as long as he knew Eli's life wasn't threatened.
The butterfly began speaking. "Why is a human like you demanding audience with the King?" He asked. "Oh no! I'm not demanding… I'm simply asking on the behalf of my people." Eli said timidly. "Listen, human, you aren't worth to even see the King from afar. You are a worthless little speck on the King's planet, and you will—" "Hey, this is actually pretty good." The red one said after tasting the stew, interrupting the butterfly. "Youpi! Do not compliment the human!" The butterfly said. "Oh… sorry." He said.
He turned away, trying to hide the fact that he was still eating it. The butterfly let out a sigh and said, "Where was I?" "You were calling me worthless." Eli said. "Right… I'll get to the point. We are going to kill you then feed you to the King. That is the only way you're meeting him." He said with a wicked smile. Eli was afraid, so he had to think quickly. "Okay, humor me for a moment… give me one last chance to prove myself?" He begged. The cat chuckled and said, "Fine, but we'll make your death slower if you fail." They smiled wickedly at him, fully expecting his failure. "Use gyo, and look at my shoulder." Eli said as he pointed toward Shroud. They humored him and did it. They were surprised by the black mass sitting on Eli's shoulder.
The cat approached him and tried to poke the creature. Shroud responded by whipping at them with a tendril. The cat was surprised by the creature's speed. It was almost too quick for them to see. "Interesting…" The cat said, another smile forming on their face. Eli could feel their wicked curiosity, but still, he had to say, "That was his version of a warning shot, by the way. If he really wanted to kill you, he would have." "I doubt that." The cat said. "Do you really want to test that?" Eli asked as he looked at them, dead in the eyes. The cat looked back and felt an intensity that they never expected a human to have. They unconsciously took a step back. "What is that creature?" The butterfly asked. He was now genuinely intrigued, even if he didn't want to show it. "I'll explain everything to your king… please, let me meet him." Eli begged. The three elites looked to one another. From the looks of it, the other two were leaving the decision to the butterfly. He let out a sigh and said, "Very well." He began moving toward the palace. Eli began following behind him, the other two elites getting behind Eli.
They moved into the palace, the shelter instantly getting cooler than the outside desert. Eli let out a long, relieved breath at the cool air. He was expecting the elites to ask, but they didn't seem to care in the slightest. "Why did you come here?" Eli asked. The three elites were dead quiet. "Not ones for conversation, huh?" Again, he was met with silence. "I get it… you're only tolerating my presence, right?" Once more, he was given only a deafening silence. He let out a sigh as he gave up on trying to get something out of them. As they walked deeper into the palace, they passed by several Chimera Ants.
They were all different from one another. They passed one that looked like a humanoid cheetah, another that looked like a giant, blue crawfish. There was another that looked like a humanoid tiger. They all eyed Eli with a morbid curiosity. Eli tried not to pay any attention to them. "So, uh… why didn't you guys kill me before I got into the palace?" Eli asked. "Neferpitou was interested in you." The butterfly said. "Is that the king?" Eli asked. "No, that's me." The cat said. "Oh… I'll call you Nef." Eli said. "I prefer Pitou, and you are not allowed to call me that." Pitou said. "Okay, whatever you say, Nef." Eli said. Pitou stopped for a moment, dumbfounded by the sudden confidence that Eli had gained. They shrugged it off and kept following.
It was then that they made the final climb up to the throne room. The King was waiting for them. He was a curious-looking creature. He looked mostly humanoid, but his body was covered with green exoskeleton. The King glared at Eli with his purple eyes. "Who is this?" The King asked. The three elites took a knee and bowed. "Your Highness. This human wished to speak with you… he has something we believe you'll be interested in." The butterfly said. "Pouf, are you trying to decide my interests?" The King asked. Eli was confused at the King's sudden shift. It's almost as if he was looking for something to be angry about. "No Sire! This boy possessed something—" Pitou tried to speak up, but the king held up his hand, stopping them. "This is between me and Pouf." The King said. "Now, hold on a second. Don't get pissy with your own soldiers. They seem to love and respect you to no end, so get mad at me if you're going to get mad at someone." Eli said as he approached the King, losing all of the fear he felt earlier. Youpi looked up at the boy, confused at the fact that a human was attempting to defend his two associates. "Who are you?" The King asked. "I'm Eli. I come from a village called Eilsar. It lies on a forgotten island to the north. I've come here to make a deal with you." Eli said.
Eli himself was getting angry with the King. He didn't like people who were quick to anger, so he didn't very much like this King. "Why would I make a deal with a human?" The King asked. "Look at my shoulder using gyo." Eli said. The King humored him and looked. He saw Shroud and became interested. "What is that creature?" He asked. Eli approached him and sat down. "This is a long story, so I thought I'd get comfortable." Eli said. "Don't waste his time." Pouf said. The King held up his hand to silence the elites. "This story is important?" The King asked. "You need to hear it to understand the weight on my shoulder." Eli said. "Very well. You may proceed." The King said.
Eli cleared his throat and began, "As I said before, I come from a forgotten island to the north. My people have lived there for thousands of years, and for thousands of years, these parasites, known as the Shades, have plagued us. We are infected with one at birth, and we live with them for the rest of our lives. It wasn't always like this though. Three thousand years ago, my people were gifted with great power. Every last one of our ancestors had abilities that could warp the very fabric of reality. They were gifted with extremely powerful nen. They lived in peace on their island, shaping the land using their powers and coming up with new techniques and abilities that would rival gods." Eli said. He paused to let his throat rest for a moment. He saw that the King was fully interested in this story.
"One day, one nen user, one that was extremely gifted, even by my people's standards, got greedy. He set his sights on the rest of the world. He wished to become a tyrant, one that would hold everything and everyone in his iron grip. Nen users from outside the island learned of this development and arrived to stop it. They combined their nen to create a curse on my people. They created the Shades, parasites that feed off of nen." Eli said. "So, that is what rests on your shoulder?" The King asked. "Not quite." "Explain." The King demanded. "You see, the nen user that wished to take over the world was too powerful for normal Shades. They died the moment they touched him. Instead, the foreign nen users sacrificed their own lives to create Shroud, the most powerful Shade of all. Normal Shades die the moment their host dies, but Shroud is different. He can move from host to host freely. He only feeds off of the strongest nen he can find… I am his latest host."
The King didn't like the implication. If Shroud only fed off of the strongest, then this boy was claiming he was stronger than him. "Are you saying you are stronger than me, boy?" The King asked. "That's not for me to decide. That's up to Shroud." The King stood tall above Eli and looked down at that black thing on his shoulder. The King squinted his eyes, spite coming off of him in waves. The King then released his nen in a massive burst, casting a bright, almost blinding light, illuminating the entire room. The three elites were astounded at his show of strength, and smiled in awe. Pitou thought for sure that Shroud would be deterred, but what they saw horrified them. The disgusting thing's crimson eyes never shifted in the slightest.
It continued feeding off of Eli, just as it always had. The King took that as an insult and began straining, making his light even brighter, and his nen even stronger. But, still, the disgusting parasite ignored the King, just as a human would ignore a tiny insect. The King strained himself too much, and nearly passed out. He stopped the flow of nen, and nearly fell over. He hunched over and caught his breath as he stared on at that black blob. It had rejected him completely. "You see now?" Eli asked the King. He then turned around to look at the elites, who couldn't believe what just happened. "Do you all see?"
Eli looked back to the King, who was not happy in the slightest. He was visibly angry, his teeth bared. It was then that Eli became aware of the King's tail. It was long and cylindrical, with something that looked like the needle from a syringe at the end of it. "So… what did you come here to ask?" The King asked as he sat back down in an attempt to calm himself. "I want to free my people from the curse. I want to find a way to remove the Shades." Eli said. "What would I expect in return?" "You will have the loyalty of my people. They'd follow you without question." That alone seemed to interest the King for a moment, but then he asked, "What else?" "This thing sitting on my shoulder has three thousand years' worth of nen inside of its belly. I'm sure you could find some use for that." The King did have a use for that, and it excited him.
The King smiled and said, "Very well. I accept your offer." The King extended his hand. Before Eli took it, he looked up at the King, then back to the elites. He thought about their diet. He knew they ate humans, and he wanted to stop that. "I have two conditions." The King got visibly uncomfortable at that. "What?" He asked. "Condition one: until you remove Shroud and the rest of the Shades from their hosts, you and your people are to stop eating humans." Eli said. The elites didn't like it. "That's absurd!" Pouf said. The irony appeared to be lost on him. The King held up his hand before any more objections could be made. "The second condition?" The King asked. "You and your people will not harm any humans in unprovoked attacks." Eli said. The King let out a sigh, obviously hesitant. "Mr. King, I don't mean to be rude, but if you want Shroud and my people, you have no choice but to accept, because if you say no, I will leave and never return." Eli said. He knew that he had to be tough now, he had to be confident and stalwart in his goal.
The King looked to him. He admired Eli's tenacity, his determination. "Very well. I accept your terms." The King said as he extended his hand once more. "Sire, you can't seriously be accepting those terms!" Pouf objected. "Are you questioning me, Pouf?" The King asked. Pouf went quiet and bowed his head. "No, your Highness." He said quietly. "Good… Pouf, you will spread the word to everyone." The King said. "I'll kill this boy myself, so we don't have to make any compromises!" Pouf said, and he charged toward Eli with a blinding speed with the full intention of killing him. Before Eli even knew that Pouf had moved, Shroud reacted, whipping at Pouf with one of his tendrils, slicing his arm clean off. Pouf stopped dead in his tracks, purple blood spilling out, staining the floor.
Pouf's arm was lying lifeless on the ground. Pouf went limp and fell to the ground as well. Neferpitou rushed over to him. They shouted, "Dr. Blythe!" A strange creature manifested from Pitou's tail. It looked like some kind of nurse made out of cloth and stitching. It lacked legs, its body collapsing into Pitou's tail at the bottom. The belly of the creature opened up, revealing several surgical tools. Eli didn't pay attention to any of it though. He was on his knees, turned away from the scene. He held his head tightly in his hands. "No… dear God, no. Not again…" He mumbled to himself, having flashbacks to old memories. "Pouf… you will be punished after Pitou finishes mending your arm. For now, I will discuss my deal with the boy—" "Wait…" Eli said, snapping out of his shock and interrupting the King. "I believe… Pouf's arm being sliced off is punishment enough… besides, now that he knows Shroud's power, he won't try it again… right, Pouf?" Eli asked as he looked to Pouf. Pouf was humiliated by the fact that he was being helped by a human. "Right…" Pouf said, all though hesitantly.
The King was satisfied with this. "Very well. Eli, I would prefer for you to remain here until our business is concluded. You will remain in a room in one of the outer towers. Youpi, take Eli to the eastern tower." The King said. "Yes sir." Youpi said as he rose from his bow. He came over to Eli. "Let's go." He said. Eli followed him out of the room, taking one last look at Pouf before leaving. Youpi guided Eli through the halls. The other Chimera Ants were looking on at Eli with much more curiosity than before. Youpi showed Eli up to the top of one of the watch towers. There was a room at the very top, but it didn't seem like it was meant to be lived in. It was just meant for a soldier to stay in to go through their nightly duties. There was a bed and a desk, the only furniture in the room.
The eastern side of the room had a doorway leading to an outer balcony. There was no door, so it was more of a permanent passage. Eli didn't mind the draft. "This it?" Eli asked. "Yes… I'll retrieve your stuff that I… scattered in the courtyard." Youpi said. Before he left, Eli said, "Don't apologize for it." Youpi thought he was being sarcastic, so he said, "I'm sorry." without meaning it in the slightest. "I meant that literally. I don't want you apologizing for it. I'll get my stuff myself." "Why don't you want me to apologize?" "I don't want you to pretend to be nice to me just because I have a deal with your king. I want to earn your kindness and respect." Youpi was confused and had no idea what to say, so he just left as he shook his head.
Eli dropped his bag by the bed then went outside. He went to the courtyard where all of his stuff was. He gathered it all, brushing off the dirt. He then went back to his room at the watchtower. He brought out his journal and set it onto the desk. Luckily, there were a few pencils for him to use, along with a sharpener. Eli then proceeded to detail the latest events, explaining everything that happened. He didn't stop there, though. He then started sketching some of the places and people he saw. He made rough sketches of Misha, the boat that took him to this continent, and he started sketching the three elites. The sun began to set before he got very far in his sketches, so he stopped then went to bed. It was very nice for a soldier's bed Eli thought.