Nitocris IV

"GO! GO! GO!"

Emiya's shouts entered both sets of Nitocris's ears, and she snapped at the reins. The horses at the front of the cart reared high, before they began to kick up dust. As they pulled forward, it took all of her enhanced strength to maintain control. Which made it all the harder to hold as an arrow struck right next to the seat as the cart began to drop forward, sticking out of the wood of the bench. It only barely missed the corpse of Orras of the Steel-eye, the arrow barely an inch away from the metal encased socket of the second in command of the Geravali.

"DO NOT LET THEM ESCAPE!" Forah the Four-Handed's voice came from the balcony high up on the other side of the fort. Nitocris didn't need to look back, imagining the two mutated arms of the man from Mantarys, ten fingers on each limb pointing towards the escaping cart,as his silver blonde hair whipped around in a fury, "THEY HAVE THE EGG!"

The Wyvern Egg, currently in Colan's arms, almost seemed to twitch at its mention. More and more arrows flew around the cart, as the Geravali all took their station. The cart was still moving forward, through the half mile of caves and dirt, towards the gate that only an hour earlier they'd just snuck through. Nitocris kept her eyes set on the only exit from this nest of thieves, and specifically on the pulleys that might lead to it being closed.

"They are getting awfully close with those arrows!" Xuanzang shouted from behind, and even though Nitocris couldn't look back, another arrow only barely missing the haunches of one of the four horses they were using for the cart was proof enough of her statement. And then Nitocris's ears perked up, as she began to hear the air spin.

"Don't worry," Cu's voice mixed with the spinning, something that was frankly beautiful as suddenly Nitocris didn't notice any more arrows being flung in their direction, at least from her view point. She supposed it was his Lancer Class's natural affinity against Archers that was allowing him to spin Gae Bolg and knock away all the projectiles. This was confirmed when she heard Cu follow up with a, "These guys have nothing on Goldie, huh Emiya?"

"That goes without saying," Emiya agreed, and suddenly, the Bronze man was sitting next to her, wiping Kanshou along his knee to remove Orras's blood. He was looking forward, like her on the gate, and Nitocris could see from the corner of her eyes his muscles twitch, "You see th-"

"Yes," Nitocris nodded, as suddenly the gate began to close. The alert must have finally reached the gatemen. She adjusted the reins, and the horses were pulled toward the middle of the gate, as the great stone slabs that had turned this place into a fortress. Emiya nodded at the movement, before summoning his bow, and notching an arrow. They stayed like that for a moment, until they were only a hundred yards away, and Nitocris shouted, "NOW!"

Emiya let loose the arrow, and it immediately latched itself into the pulley. Suddenly, the wooden device, once moving smoothly, stopped. The men attempted to keep cranking, but it wasn't working. Nitocris could see the gates stuck, only about halfway open, but just enough.

Just enough for the horses to speed through, carrying the cart and all their team directly out, and back onto the small path down to the Demon Road. During her days in Mereen, she'd have never had thought she'd be so glad to see that decaying line of stone and mortar, but now, having just escaped the fortress of the Geravali, she would have kissed it if she wasn't currently driving a cart at over thirty miles an hour.

"Excellent!" Xuanzang shouted, and Nitocris couldn't help but agree. Nitocris then heard a snapping sound, and then a closing one. The gate had always been design that once you started the process of opening or closing, you could not stop it. That meant, by waiting for the right time, Nitocris and Emiya had not only gotten them out of that hole in the mountains, but they'd also managed to cut off any direct pursuit.

"Well,"Cu spoke up as, Emiya seemed to collapse over himself in the seat next to her, sweat on his brow, "That certainly was an adventure."

"Tis not over yet though," Xuanzang's voice carried over to Nitocris's jackal ears, and she couldn't help but nod. For a moment, those ears remained up, desperately waiting to hear the last part of their plan take shape. And then…then it happened.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSS

A hissing sound. Nitocris snapped the reins, causing the horses to change from a trot into a gallop. They needed to get out of range of what was about to happen, or they wouldn't survive. Nitocris heard screaming, and despite getting yards away, it was getting louder. Finally, after pushing the cart around two hundred yards down the small path up to the fortress, she heard the casks of wildfire go off.

BOOOOOOMMMMM

Nitocris didn't even need to look back. The world around her was lit in green, as the horrific weapon the Geravali had been using to kill patrols from the Free Cities turned on their masters. The screams, once of fear, now of agony and pain, as she knew dozens of men were now burning to death from the horrific weapon. How the Geravali had gotten such massive caches of Wildfire, she'd never know, but she knew now they probably wish they had never thought of using it.

The horses continued to gallop, now halfway to the Demon Road, the heat was beginning to grow more distant, and Nitocris was glad that this bandit king had kept the Wildfire near the front of the compound. Now, as it spread, it was going behind them, towards Forah's "Palace" and the stables. As the screams of beasts began to fill the air, it was confirmation that even if some of the Highwaymen survived, they would not be able to pursue them.

Finally, after a few more moments, the cart's wheels slammed down on the stone road, and the horses turned West. A cry of victory finally went up from the back of the cart, and Nitocris, sweat covering her body, turned back to see the whole of the fortress they'd escaped covered in green flame. She let go of the reins, and leaned back as she let the anxiety in her core pour out of her as the stress of possibly dying disappeared.

"YAH!"

She was then overcome with fear again as she leaned back, when her elbow fell on top of Orras's very dead face. She jumped, and Emiya had to reach out and grab the reins. The horses were still under control. She looked at the dead man's one eye for a second, wondering what he thought when the blade had sliced through his gut, only for confusion to reign when the head was pulled away, and then she heard the sound of something heavy hitting the ground behind them.

"Ah," she could almost hear Cu shaking his head, "Ya know, taking his head as a troph-"

"No," Xuanzang said simply, and Nitocris knew that nothing had changed her serene expression. Nitocris smiled as she heard Xuanzang's foot stand up on the back of the cart, and she could now imagine the woman pointing up to the heavens, "We have delivered righteous retribution on those demonic thieves, relieved this road of a malignant presence, and quite possibly save hundreds of lives. A fine day for the Heroes of Chaldea!"

They kept going for a moment, and Nitocris couldn't help but smile. This was a victory no doubt, and after everything she'd experienced on this wretched plane, it was nice to get an unambiguous win for a change.

"So…," Emiya spoke up. Nitocris finally looked over at her partner up next towards her. Several of the veins on his forehead seemed to have begun to bulge, and she could see a scowl beginning to develop, "What exactly has this little adventure have to do with our mission to save the missing servants?"

Nitocris slowly felt some sweat develop in large drops on the back of her head. She looked back, and saw similar sweat on the heads of all the rest of her team. For a moment, they all stayed quiet, before Emiya leaned forward, and rested his head in his hands, defeat pouring out from his voice.

"Of course it had NOTHING to do with that!"

The cart bounced as it tumbled along the demon road. It had been two months since they had managed to escape New Ghis, and all the while, they'd been bounced around by the winds, both real and metaphorical. There had been a massive monsoon that had come up only two days after they had had their call with Da Vinci, and they had been forced to take shelter on the main coast for several days. Then they'd had to sneak in and around the slaver cities, with many of the surviving Masters looking for scapegoats to punish for the disasters on the island. Then, just as they'd managed to sail around those points of interest, they'd realized they would either have to sail around the remains of Valyria and the Boiling Sea, or take the Demon Road.

Considering the boat they had stolen was meant for pleasure cruises and was already damaged, they'd decided to take the more sensible option and take the Demon Road. The next few weeks they'd traveled on foot along the demon road to Mantarys, a city that Nitocris had heard was a place of freaks from her time in Mereen…and it turned out that was exactly what it was. So they'd left quickly, only to run into a group of highwaymen using a Wyvern to attack travelers outside of the town, which had led to that whole kerfuffle with the Geravali.

And now, two months since they'd last made contact with Da Vinci, they were finally about to reach another real city.

'And,' Nitocris turned her attention over to Emiya, who had reached a level of aggravation so great that it had gone back around and made him calm again, 'We are almost to where the next Heroic Spirit should be.'

Or at least, now that they were nearing the next major city, it was appearing that they had in fact taken an acceptable route. The compass that Da Vinci had provided him was pointing at that city's location afterall, and even if it was a bit beyond, they at least seemed close to their next objective. That it hadn't gone wildly off track meant that there was no chance of a servant moving directly out of their way again like apparently happened to Arash.

'Arash,' Nitocris sighed. She hadn't been particularly close to the Persian Archer, but he was a comrade, and a good man. He would have been valuable to them were he still alive, but he had died as he would have wanted to. But by dying, he'd pushed Emiya to a level of stress that was beyond what Nitocris had imagined Emiya capable of, and he was already capable of being quite high strung. He'd still insisted after everything that all of the servants keep the ring on, just to make sure they didn't lose anyone else.

'I suppose I can understand,' she held up her ring hand, before then turning it around, and trying to cause a small breeze to provide some air. Now along the delta of the Rhoyne, the heat had truly become unbearable, with a humid stench now pervading the air, 'Though, I notice he hasn't put one on himself,' she then shook her head, 'Not my place to ask.'

The conversation with Da Vinci had been a mix. On the one hand, they now knew that Master Fujimaru was not only okay, but up and moving. He'd taken a wound, and he was still getting treatment, but he should be okay. After seeing him being wheeled out on a gurney, that he was okay was an undeniable relief to the former pharaoh. Other good news was, ironically, that there was a difference in time, that a day on Storm Glider was a month here. It meant that their crew wasn't beginning to starve, and that support could be available. That support was the best part, as a new coffin had been created, and they were keeping it ready for immediate deployment on request.

The bad news was also related to those last two points. The difference in time meant that any request for aid might take too long for anyone to arrive. They also didn't want to send the support immediately, because they were outfitting the coffin with more devices, including extra rings for greater extraction. Other issues included that they had not been able to summon Arash again, that there was still barely any understanding of the mystical force that had kidnapped Nitocris and her compatriots, and that communication would have to be put on hold.

"The communication device running right now has almost shot the battery," Da Vinci had said, "After this, I'm going to have to ask you to not use it again, since it's also the way for you to call for backup. I'll work on another comm device for when they arrive, but do try and give us some time so we can develop something with a better battery, okay?"

Well, Da Vinci had been given around two days, what with the two months they'd traveled, so hopefully she'd figured something out by now. That really was their best hope.

'Maybe our only hope,' Nitocris was laying sprawled out in the back, with Xuanzang and Colan doing the same. Emiya was currently manning the reins of the cart, while Cu was sitting shotgun, Gae Bolg resting on his shoulder. The humidity of these marshy miles almost slobbered over them, covering their skin in a coating grime.

"So, this city," Emiya called from the front of the cart, "It's called Volantis, right?"

"That's right," Cu grumbled, and Nitocris, her mind now having context beyond her life in Mereen, could only nod from her position in the back of the cart, "The absolute worst place I've ever been."

"Really?"

"He's not wrong Lord Emiya," Colan said, the boy now down to his breeches to try and ward off the heat. Nitocris had no where to complain, at least as she was only barely covered more, as was Xuanzang, "Volantis is a wretched place," the boy then looked to his write, saw the monk laying in a similar state to him, flinched, quickly finishing with "T-tis a city of slaves."

As Colan reached for his clothes, likely to cover himself and distract from the monk, Nitocris groaned and rubbed her forehead. It hadn't taken long for her to figure out what exactly Cu's son thought of the other female member of their little party. She supposed it was only natural for a child of his age to begin to have a crush on an older woman, especially one like Xuanzang. He was a growing boy after all, and Xuanzang wasn't exactly conservative in her choice of clothing.

"Really?" Nitocris could hear the question in Emiya's voice. Nitocris could nod, Emiya had been in New Ghis and had spent some time among the docks of Astapor. Those were not good places, even if there was still part of her with fondness for Mereen itself. Those places are city states running on Chattel Slavery and gladiator games. But she also knew-

"Volantis is much much worse," Cu continued, "Everything you know about the Cities of Slaver's Bay," and Nitocris could imagine the qualities that had been engrained into Emiya's minds by his experiences, "Yeah, it's all there, but see here's the thing," Cu made a point to his face, "These guys have somehow managed to make the whole system even worse."
"How?"

"Well firstly," Nitocris spoke up, pushing herself to hang over the back of the seat, and then holding her hand over her face, "Someone with my complexion can be among the wealthiest in all of Mereen," she then shook her head, "That would never happen in Volantis. I wouldn't even be allowed to touch their hands as a servant, my skin is not of the right complexion."
"Ah, racists," Emiya nodded.

"Does not begin to describe the Old Blood," Nitocris said, and Cu nodded next to her.

"So imagine this," Cu put his hands out right in front of him, "Long white hair, a constant claim of their own superiority because they descended from dragon riders, and the fact that they actually do enslave other people of the same descent if they think they can get away with it. They've continued the system of the Valyrians, even though they don't have those dragons anymore."

"Mostly because they were close enough to rob anyone of all the valuables that was fleeing Valyria after the doom," Nitocris remembered a few tapestries that a Volantine had been displaying for her and her brother, the falling dragons and the chains being placed on the arms of beautiful maidens, "and doing that, they were able to also enslave huge numbers of people, and build out massive trades for things such as glassware, jewelry, tapestry. That, mixed with domination of one of the four mouths of the River Rhoyne and a massive and deep harbor."

"And you have perhaps the wealthiest city in all of the world," Cu nodded, "They were so wealthy, they were able to afford to build a bridge across that mouth, largest in the world, with shops and taverns and," he stopped, a bad memory most likely dominating his mind, "Pleasure Houses."

"So really, it's like two cities," Nitocris cupped her hands, one on the left and the right, "On the west bank," she held out her left hand, "Is the open city, where trade with outsiders primarily happens, and where there is only the barest attempt at enforcing peace," and then she held out the right hand, "And on the east side of the river, is the old city," she shivered, "Where only those who can trace and prove their ancestors were from Valyria may enter freely. Slaves will enter, but," she winced, "I don't think I need to tell you that many don't ever come out."

"And that's not to mention what happens if you are a slave there," Cu pushed his arm back and shook his hand at Nitocris's face, "See, she may be from a bunch of slaving scum," Nitocris could only nod, it did explain why her brother had to be saved by her despite his general pleasant demeanor, "But ya see, outside of the Unsullied, they don't exactly do what the Volantine do," he then rubbed the hand over his face, "Every slave has their purpose in live tattooed onto their face."

"Tattooed?" Emiya seemed to grimace.

"Yes, when you are a child and sent into what your purpose is," Cu said, "LIike, jesters and mummers have motley all over their face," and Emiya looked over at Cu, "Yeah, all over it, even on the eyelids and on the lips."

"I believe that a horses head is for stable workers," Nitocris added, " and I believe that a cog's figurehead on a cheek means someone bound to be a rower on a ship," she added, and spotted Emiya's eyes widen, "Seen someone with that before?"

"Yeah," Emiya nodded, "Back in Qarth, when we helped Cu and Colan escape from a guy who was chaining him, most of the sailors on the ship we freed had that," he shook his head, "To think there's a whole system for something like that," he then looked down, "Those men, even if they are never captured, will always have their slavery present on their faces."

"Well, yeah," Cu sighed, before letting out a little chuckle, "Least they don't have a fly. Means your life was cleaning out elephant dung," Nitocris would have glared at Cu, but she couldn't help but let out a little snort, "You'd think it's just be the stable people, but these fuckers are so rich that they can afford to literally have slaves specializing in cleaning up pacederm poop."

For a moment, all three of them couldn't help but chuckle. It was a so absurd to be at least a little funny. Then, they stopped, and Emiya looked back at Cu.

"Anything else?"

"...," Cu breathed in deeply, before sighing, and then raising his hand to the side of his face, and tapping his index finger beneath his right eye, "A tear, only ever beneath the right eye," he stopped and stared out into the distance, "Prostitute."

Emiya sighed. Nitocris didn't need to look back to know they were talking about Colan's mother. She'd been told the story. Cu actually wasn't that talkative about his life. He'd given a basic outline, that he'd been born out in the Lands of Sunset, had served a House named Stark, fought in a massive war, and then eventually had a son with a pleasure slave in Lys. Yet he kept details to himself.

'Of course,' Nitocris thought, a frown developing, 'Maybe he's guilty,' she closed her eyes and sighed, 'I did things in my previous life as a member of the Masters of Mereen I'm not proud of, so perhaps there is something like that with him.'

"Though even then," Cu continued, "I've heard rumors about it being even worse for some of the pleasure slaves. You see, those with one tears are just prostitutes, and can even be sold to places like Lys," he then raised his hand to his eyes again, "But you see, if you have two tears beneath your right eye, you are judged to be far more valuable, and the won't let you leave Volantis itself," he then grimaced, "I don't know the criteria, but somehow, I wouldn't put it past them to have some kind of race hierarchy or something," he then shook his head, "Though I don't know how Serasha wasn't judged to be worthy of that distinction, considering her appearance."

"Remember," Nitocris added, "There is enough Valyrian blood flowing through the Free Cities that it's not hard to find someone who might be primarily Rhoynish or Andalic, and still have the look."

"Well, no accounting for taste then," Cu shook his head, "Crazy Eugenic fucks," he didn't even bother to hide the opinion beneath a whisper, "But then…well there are rumors of a third group," he raised three fingers, and placed them beneath the eye, "Special girls who are judged to be so beautiful and so worthwhile that they are dragged inside the Black Walls…and are never seen again," Cu seemed to shiver for a moment, "No one really knows what happens to them, though from my understanding, it doesn't lead to a long life. The blood obsessed, racist shitbags value these girls, but from what I understand, it's usually a very short run thing," he looked forward, "Both the use, and the girl herself."

"Okay, I get it," Emiya sighed, rubbing his temple, "Basically the ruling class are the absolute worst."

"That may be true," Nitocris spoke up, "But those aren't the most dangerous," she looked around, "Though perhaps it is my time as a slaver family member speaking, but the slaves with flame tattoos might be more dangerous," she waved her hand around her face, "There is a slave religion, worshiping the Lord of Light, R'hllor," she grimaced, "Tis a religion that preaches that all who believe in R'hllor will be called to spend eternity with him in his hall, no matter their status."

"That doesn't sound so ba-"

"They earn their way in by burning people," she cut Emiya off, and he sighed in defeat, "And not just evil masters or murders or such," she grimaced, "They often go after those they see as innocent, as pure, for the Lord of Light values goodness in his battles against the Great Other," she shook her head, "So that means they burn other slaves, freedman, and others, just as easily as they would burn one of those of the Old Blood."

"And this is allowed, because?"

"Because over half the population of the city are followers of the religion," she placed a finger on her chin, "There are five slaves for every free man in the city," she shook her head, "And four of them could be considered believers of some sort. A good number just to keep themselves from being burned," she shook her head, "But the Temple has more than enough followers that if they wanted to, they could turn the whole city into one great pyre," she then off in the distance, and she would swear she could see the tip of the tower being to pierce the horizon, "I don't know why they don't but those outside the cult often find themselves being dragged out by some of the followers and burned for the god."

"Whoever made this world really doesn't like religion," Emiya said. Nitocris nodded. They, on some level, knew this was a constructed world. There were just enough little things that showed this was thrown together, rather than an organically born set of cultures and peoples, from the strange buildings of Qarth to the lack of history for Ghis, "But, yeah, these guys sound like they would be the worst if they weren't enslaved by even worse people."

"It's like I said," Nitocris caught a small smirk on the side of Cu's lips, "Volantis is the worst," he then looked up, and Nitocris guessed he was also seeing the top of the Temple of the Lord of Light, "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

…

Nitocris reached back slowly, her eyes not even needing to turn to know that a horrific scowl had developed on Emiya's face. Her hand was soon right behind Cu's head, and she held it there for a moment, before throwing it forward.

SMACK

Cu's head was knocked down, his entire body leaning forward from the strike. As Cu suddenly got up and glared at her, she gave him her best deadpan stare in response. They stayed like that for a few moments, just staring at one another, before Cu grimaced, and turned his attention back to the road. Nitocris smirked, and then turned her head back to Emiya, who had a far too large smirk on his face. Nitocris smirked back, and they did their best to hide their chuckles while the cart bounced along the road, the massive stone temple slowly peeking into their view.

They'd been able to stare at it for the whole of the afternoon. They had seen the temple along the road, and it had only grown larger and larger as they approached it. What had once been a mere bump along the skyline was now a full mass of brick and stone, yellow and red colors mixing to give it the coloring of the sunset clouds above it. The whole thing was covered in columns, with small little bonfires on top of those columns, and smoke pouring without end into the sky above it.

'As they said,' Nitocris thought, 'The Temple of the Lord of Light is larger than any of the Pyramids of Slaver's Bay.'

The afternoon had gone by slowly, the heat and the humidity making the whole thing take as long as they could imagine. Volantis was on the Easternmost mouth of the Rhoyne, yet because of tidal patterns and a few estuaries, the Demon Road was as hot as if it were in the middle of the delta itself. And the whole time, they'd been able to watch the temple grow larger and larger.

As they approached the temple, Nictocris could not help but be struck by just how few people they'd seen. There had been a few weary walkers, but no other merchants were moving in their carts, and the few stands that had once stood to possibly supply travelers had been abandoned. There had been a few gibbets with some skeletons being hung along the Road, but they had been so picked clean that it had been months since those criminals had been hung up inside the cages.

"Not a fun way to die," Cu had said when he'd first seen one, "Out in the sun with irons strapped around your whole body."

It would be only around sunset itself when they finally reached other human beings. They had seen a small little village of around thirty wooden buildings hanging along the road. The reason that it was still there was obvious when Emiya had pointed out there was another road going inland, likely to some other town a bit inland, so it was more of a crossroads than anything else. That mixed with what looked like a few small boats on two or three thin piers stumbling out into what appeared to be a shallow harbor, to give an idea of a fishing village that also was a convenient place to build a road out to some other town from.

As they rode towards the town, they saw people staring at them. First it was a small gaggle of children, playing in a small bit of the salt marsh close to the sea itself. They had been playing with what appeared to be a dead Sea Turtle, and only turned their heads up when a small girl pointed to them. After gazing at the cart for almost a full minute, the children had run off, shooting into the town itself.

"Well no matter what," Emiya said aloud, everyone having pushed themselves to the front of the cart, all their clothes thankfully on, "These people know we are coming."

And they did. The buildings around the edge of the town began to be filled with rather ruddily dressed individuals. A few seemed to have metal implements in their hands, so Nitocris already felt a bit on edge as the cart bounced into the middle of the town. As they did so, more and more people were out on small porches or in their doors, staring at them.

"Not the friendliest lot?" Cu's eyes were watching them all closely, Gae Bolg gripped in his hand.

"YOU!" from the only building with a second story, shouted an old man, with a face of cooked mud and hair crusted by salt. He had a spear in his hand, and was waving it at their cart, trying to look threatening, and failing rather easily. In a mix of south Valyrian and some Rhonish dialect that she wouldn't have understood if they weren't magically enhanced to be able to do so, the man continued, "What Right Do You Thieves Have Entering Our Home?"

"Theives?" Nitocris looked down, and suddenly remembered, "Oh, right, the cart."

"Sir!" Emiya called up, "We are not members of the Geravali," he said aloud, and the people sticking their weapons out and around them began to whisper to one another, "We in fact, stole this from them," the whispers only grew more pronounced. The man on top continued to stare down at them like a hawk, before Emiya got off the cart, and walked out into the middle of the street, seemingly unarmed, "We can in fact tell you," Emiya said, "The Highway men lost control of their Wildfire. They are dead now, their fortress destroyed."

The old man stared at him further, before waving to a man next to him. The old man was slowly led down the stairs on the outside of the building, and was brought forward, till he was in front of Emiya. The spear was still in his hand, pointed directly at Emiya's chest, and a sneer was on his face. Emiya still hadn't called his blades, but Nitocris could tell that Cu was already tensing up for a fight.

"You say you have seen the destruction of the Geravali," he continued in his mutt tongue, "But why should we trust you?" the men armed around the cart seemed to agree, their weapons still out, "How do we know you are not spies or thrives in the night, here to carry off our women?"

"Would we have women among us if we planned to do that?" Emiya looked over at the cart, and Nitocris raised up her hand and waved.

"Do not think you can fool me," the man shook as he spoke, eyes not leaving Emiya, "you thieves are clever, tis how you've stayed alive for over a year despite what the Tigers' desire for your heads," he then pointed at them, "Is there any reason we should trust you to be telling the truth?"

"Shit," Nitocris looked over at Cu, who had snapped his fingers in frustration, "Knew we should have kept that fucker's head."

"What about this?"

Nitocris looked back, and first her eyes widened, and then her mouth spread out into a smile. High above Colan's head, the great trophy of their victory sat like the flame on top of the temple in the distance. A Wyvern's egg, often spoken about by those fearing that Forah had been attempting to birth it to imitate the Valyrians who once ruled these lands, shone in the setting sun. She could see out of the corner of her eye the widened looks of shock on many of the faces of the crowd of villagers.

Nitocris looked back, and saw the same look on the face of the elder who still had his spear in Emiya's face. Emiya, now with his customary smirk, calmly placed a finger on the tip of the spear, and moved it out from in front of him to the side. The cracked face turned and looked at Emiya, who gave a small shrug.

"So, can we put down all the weapons?"

"Thank you so much for your hospitality," Xuanzang was laughing as a glass of watered wine hung in her hand, significantly less alcoholic than the drink in Nitocris's hand, "Tis always an honor to break bread with friends."

"Tis our honor," Innar, the older man from earlier, bowed his head. There was currently a massive party in the background, though the whole of their party was sitting together at a small table with the old man. A few men looked on warily, but even then there seemed to be good nature in the guards. A fresh set of fish had only recently been pulled in during the day, and had been cleaned for cooking. Emiya had likely thought about cooking it, but had probably thought it best not to touch any food just so there was no suspicion of poisoning, "To know you have slain the Geravali and Forah, it brings great joy to us. We are free to trade with the East along the road again, and our village will soon be able to profit from travelers once more."

"So," Emiya said, "I suppose that this place is an inn or something?"

"That would be right," Innar looked up, "This is the furthest inn out on the Demon Road from Volantis until you reach Mantarys," he was speaking more clearly than one would expect from someone so lower class, though the translation that was inherent to the Heroic Spirit System meant that his mutt like dialect came through clear as day, "The other road leads to a salt mine about fifty miles out, so we were able to make some coin, but trade along the Demon Road has always been the key to Rizlen."

Nitocris nodded. Apparently the Geravali's raids had been happening for quite a long time, so it made sense that after a certain point, it just wasn't worth going out in small groups when you could easily be overtaken. Larger caravans might have been able to do so…but larger caravans would simply cost too much to send on the demon road, when trade with Slaver's Bay by ship would simply be more profitable. Forah had lucked into becoming the terror of a trade route of the poor, which was likely why no army had been sent to kill him.

'And if they had,' she remembered Green Fire lighting the mountain that night, 'They likely would have faced a far more deadly threat than they thought.'

"So how soon can the trade stuff start back up?" Cu asked, using a fish bone to pick at one of his teeth. Colan went to do the same with a fishbone of his own, but suddenly Cu reached out, and knocked it from his grip, "Do as I say, not as I do?"

"Bu-"

"Your father is right Colan," the monk spoke up, wiping her face with a small provided cloth, "Tis very rude to pick one's teeth at the table. One should seek to show respect to one's fellows by respecting manners. Even if some of those others fail to do so."

"Like Da?"

"Yes," Xuanzang nodded her head, "Like him."

"Al-alright," Colan nodded his head, before looking away from Xuanzang, who was smiling her big, bright smile at him. Cu just went back to eating some more fish, and Nitocris groaned as she rubbed her head.

'Cu's got to talk to the boy,' she noticed Colan look away from the monk as she reached across the table, likely to avoid seeing something he shouldn't, 'Colan needs to understand why he and Xuanzang are different, so he doesn't get his heart broken,' she then thought about it for a moment, 'Or perhaps more importantly, doesn't get any bones broken.'

"To answer your question," Innar continued, "We have already sent the egg to the outer guilds of Volantis. By this time tomorrow, every merchant and traveler on both sides of the bridge will know the Demon Road is again free of the Geravali. Before long, more travelers will be going out, likely buying food and drink here for their trip."

'Makes sense,' Nitocris nodded, 'Probably cheaper here than it would be back in Volantis, since the Demon Road is primarily for those who can't afford the sea trip.'

"Well," Emiya smiled, "We are just glad that we could help you all in any way we can," he then, ignoring his earlier frustration in actually having spent time on the bandit camp, leaned forward, "Though, we hope it would not be too much to ask about getting some information on Volantis."

"Ah, I see," the man leaned forward, his eyes moving back and forth over the group, "I have not been to the main city myself in some time, but enough rumors come from that," he stopped for a second, before continuing, "Place to hopefully give you an idea of what to expect when you arrive in the morning," he then shook his head, "I hope you at least have an idea of the sorts of…things that happen in Volantis. The sorts of people who live there?"

"Self-important nobility creepily obsessed with their own blood who own a massive number of slaves they insist on tattooing their purpose onto," Emiya answered, and then followed with, "And many of those slaves have turned to a religion that explicitly embraces burning people to appease their dark deity," he pointed outside, "and they have so much influence, that they've build a temple so high that it rises along the mountains when you travel toward the horizon."

"Very good," Innar nodded, "You do seem to have the basic picture."

"A wretched hive of scum and vill-"

"Cu, I swear," Nitocris raised her palm again, but Cu held out both his hands in his defense, almost taking a step back from his seat as she leaned towards him again. Colan got between them, and Nitocris sighed, before backing down. Cu smirked at Nitocris from behind his son, but stopped when Colan turned his head and looked back at him, placing his hands on his hips.

"Not a bad description," Innar continued, his old face seeming to crack into more and more pieces as he spoke, "To give you a more recent idea of what is happening, the most recent election for Triarchs has occurred, and the incumbents won again, two elephants and a tiger, as usual," referencing the political parties of the city, who were respectively for trade and conquest.

"I don't suppose that freeing up the Demon Road would help us get in with one of the Elephants then, huh?"

"No, no it would not," Innar looked out one of the windows in the inn, the dark of the night almost finally fully covering the world, "The Elephants might want trade, but they weren't willing to risk letting a Tiger go and win glory to perhaps build momentum for electing another Tiger to replace one of them," he shook his head, "The concern of the trading party's power was more important than trade itself. The last major change was about fi-no, six, six years ago, when three elephant Triarchs died in the Palace Pyre."

"Sounds like the Red Priests probably got them."

"No, if they had done it, they wouldn't have stopped at just one palace, they would have sought to burn the whole of the Old City down," Innar tapped his hand, "Twas likely just an accident, such things happen. Was only a few days after they had all won reelection, and the parties they threw likely went out of hand, and thus they were burned in their own hubris."

"Hubris," Nitocris spoke up, and leaned back for a moment, remembering the face of Forah as he had declared he was the heir of Valyria while holding up his Wyvern egg, "It often results in you being set on fire."

"Ha," the old man cackled, "Not wrong there. Not wrong at all."

"So…," Emiya sighed, "I don't suppose you know anyone who would be able to help us in digging through the city, or possibly getting into those wa-," the old man shook his head, and Emiya put his own head down in frustration, "I thought so."

And for a long moment, nothing else was spoken between Innar and the group. Nitocris looked over at Emiya, who was studying the man in front of him. More than that, she could see that his left hand was in his pocket, and was playing with what she suspected was the compass. Emiya was thinking about divulging that they were looking for someone…but there really wasn't anything they could do to give a description. All of the missing spirits had their own unique appearances, and they couldn't just say that they were looking for the whole group, because the pure amount of information they'd have to lay out to try and paint a picture would probably make it impossible for Innar to keep anything straight.

That was ignoring, of course, that the man also hadn't been to Volantis itself for a while. While part of Nitocris couldn't help but be frustrated by that, it made sense for a man of modest means and actual property to avoid a place he so seemed to hate. Hell, that a man at his station was willing to entertain women at all at this table was more than she might have expected. So they would have to take what they could get.

It was only then that the inn behind them got quiet. She could already tell that something was wrong, and part of her prepared herself to summon a spell for battle, and she could see the same trepidation building in her comrades as well. Yet as they waited, it felt like everyone was moving away from them, and instead to the opposite side of the inn. Nitocris looked back to see all the people looking out, a general whispering worry throughout the group as they pushed to try and see further out. Nitocris looked back at the old man, who seemed to have gained five years in the five seconds she looked back.

"It's happening again," Innar said. Nitocris gave a quick glance, and could see the rest of the party looking at the old man, "The Witch's Hour," he held up both hand, with all his fingers on his left hand and his thumb on the right sticking out, "six hours after midday, six minutes after the sixth hour," he brought his hands together and squeezed, "The Rhoyne shines with flame."

"Oh fuck," Emiya's eyes widened. Nitocris's mind immediately went to that wretched temple. Had the red priests become more open in their burnings. She got to her feet, and just as she turned to go and join the crowd, Innar held out his hand. He then waved at them, and pointed towards the stairwell on the side of the building.

It took only a moment to help guide the elderly man to the top of the stairs, and on the balcony they'd previously confronted the old man on, they looked out towards Volantis. The Temple still towered over the landscape, the outer fires out while smoke from the inner fire was obscured by the night. Nitocris also quickly spotted the outline of massive black walls, likely the home of the Old Blood. And she could see a massive bridge, with lights dotted around it, crossing the Rhoyne's mouth.

Yet all of that was pale in comparison to a massive bonfire, only a few hundred feet away from the bridge itself, on the Eastern Beach of the Rhine, and away from the still bustling activity on the Western Side of the Harbor. The fire, from this angle, had to be at least fifty feet high, and at least that long across. Around the fire seemed to be figures standing, all raising their hands to the air, supplicating to the fire and the light. And inside, from this angle, she could see bodies, human bodies, burning. Nitocris felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight, and she could almost imagine the smell of cooking human flesh.

"They're not moving," Emiya said.

"Yeah, seeing people just stand like that after throwing other humans in a fire," Cu's voice had just the slightest quiver at the back of it. Even for a warrior like him, Nitocris knew that a death by burning was unsettling. He'd always sought a bit of distance between himself and Jeanne and…

'Oh fuck.'

"I wasn't talking about them," Emiya said, "The ones in the fire itself weren't moving, not even in violent death throes."

"You could tell that, eh?" Innar spoke up, though Nitocris barely paid attention as she had just put together what was in store for them for this part of the mission, "Yes, that is what is strange of the witching hour," he sighed, "You see, there have always been burnings by the priests of R'hllor. Tis just a part of living life here around Volantis. Benerro has many followers, and they will at times burn someone to their god," he sputtered for a moment, "Vhagar shall always be enough for me."

"Vha-"

"Valyrian Deity," Nitocris said offhandedly, and Xuanzang nodded, though Xuanzang suddenly looked at Nitocris with concern, and Nitocris had to use all her willpower not to publicly say what she had just realized.

"It began six months ago," Innard began, "Though it was only later that anyone realized what was happening," the old man pointed out, far up the river, away from the harbor and the city, "Far out there one night, a pyre lit up. Twas not known to be a pyre, some just thought of a small camp, but later investigation by the Tiger Guards found it to match all that would come later."

"So they only investigated this later?"

"Once a pattern had been established, and someone thought to check, though that did not happen for a lon while," he then pointed a bit closer to the city, "Six days later, another pyre was lit, though this time closer," he then brought it closer still to the city itself, "And then a third pyre appeared six days after that."

"So a pyre suddenly happened, and every six days a new one popped up?" Emiya was rubbing his temples, "he then smiled, and after a while, they finally got close enough for someone to investigate, so they figured out these weren't just camp fires but actual people being burned alive," he then stopped, and groaned, "And I'm guessing it was always six people in each pyre?"

"Correct," Innar said, "I suppose that would not be too hard to suppose."

"Especially when you notice the pattern."

Cu stopped looking over at the pyre, and then looked over at Emiya. Nitocris could tell that Emiya had probably already figured out what she had, and that Cu was slowly putting it together too. Xuanzang was too busy dealing with her general horror at such a horrific religious practice, and Colan was just generally put off by the whole thing, but Cu was trying to reach the same conclusion that they were. Though they really didn't want to have to spell it out, and perhaps get the man who had let them into his village and fed them to become their enemy once more.

"So, they've been getting closer and closer," Emiya continued, "And I guess that the Old Blood started to investigate after a while because the pyres were starting to get too close, and then probably got into the city?"

"Yes," Innar said.
"So this has been going on for a while, always six days apart, and always at the same time," Emiya pointed out, "But I'm guessing the authorities haven't been able to stop it because those pyres always pop up somewhere new," he then focused his eyes, "And this one is probably as close it has ever gotten to the old city or the temple?"

"Yes. In fact," the old man tapped his chin, "They haven't been able to find and capture any of fanatics setting burning these people," he placed his hands on the railing, "Though…there have been rumors that those who are burned go willingly."

"Willingly?" Xuanzang looked back in horror, "What could drive them to burn like this?"

"No one knows, though there is a rumor that has become most popular," he leaned forward, "There are many priests of R'Hllor, almost all of whom faithfully follow the instructions of the high priest Benerro. He is a threat to the upper class, though he does not use his power too openly," he then paused, and looked around, "But there are many heretics among that faith, and at times they become less controllable. Yet," he smiled, "As with all heretical sets, they eventually turn on one another for their own heresies. So the result is most of these groups have one or two followers before they give up or are killed."

"Yet there was a rumor, of two Red Priestesses meeting together some years ago," his eyes seemed to lose themselves as the pyre in the distance began to slowly decrease in size, "They formed a partnership of flame and ash, and gathered followers," he then shook his head, "There were hundreds, at one point."

"Yet they could not agree, and so one left, and one remained, calling herself the witch of light."

"Oh Fuck."

"She is said to have gathered her followers, and then declared that she is performing a ritual to summon Azhor Azhai," Innar looked out in the distance, ignoring Cu groan of epiphany, "And that on the final day, she will be so close, she will summon him from the flame, and bring down the masters of Volantis," he shook his head, the fire finally done, "And they say that her voice is so certain, and so powerful, that the sacrifices go willingly, for they feel no pain."

"Tis not impossible for a well trained person to overcome the pain of burning," Xuanzang shook her head, "yet to have this on such a scale?"

"Would be possible with magics or potions," Nitocris offered, before slowly moving her way towards the monk. Again, they would have to have this communication discreetly, so as not to alert anyone they knew who was causing these burnings.

"Quite likely," Innar sighed, "Though, tis late now, and it would be best to be off to bed. I'm too old to deal with these burnings and the crazed fools running around setting the fires," he then looked back, "You all will come down soon, I shall have two rooms set aside, one for the men, and one for the women."

"Thank you," Emiya began to follow Innar down.

Nitocris finally came up to Xuanzang, who was looking quite sad at the now burnt out pyre. She grabbed the woman by the monk by the shoulders, and looked back, to see the old man had already walked inside. She nodded to herself, and then her chocolate eyes met plum.

"It's Jeanne Alter."

Xuanzang was notably a person of pleasant disposition. She had an ability to smile even in dark circumstances, as shown by her strength of resolve when she had been captured by Grazdan. Even when she frowned, it was usually with full control. When she encountered things that would normally disgust a person, such as the beggar with his legs fused together in a snake tale that they'd seen in Mantarys, she had not been phased, and offered him nothing but compassion and a warm smile. She was kind, courteous, and by almost every measure unflappable.

So had Nitocris not known it was coming, she would have been shocked at the look on the Monk's face. It was as though she had stepped with bare feet in elephant dung, or perhaps been covered in fish guts or sewage. Yet even that didn't hint at the pure disgust in her eyes, like something truly against her nature had suddenly been said. The monk's left eye twitched for a moment, before she finally opened her mouth.

"Oh, fuck."