There is a concept in many religions known as 'karma.'
The idea is that one is rewarded by the universe (or some deity) based off the actions that one takes. Good deeds would be rewarded, and bad deeds punished accordingly.
Neia's religion, one which followed the Four Great Gods- did not technically have a concept of karma. Of course, sinners would no doubt be punished by god's wrath, and after death one's soul would pass on to either heaven or hell based off one's deeds, but there was no real idea of equivalent fate based off of one's actions.
Neia could only wonder, regardless, what on Earth she had done to deserve such a thing.
As the lowest member on the totem pole in their party, taking care of the prisoner fell on her. It wasn't hard keeping him in check- he was not much stronger than a normal person (and Neia had some training as a paladin).
No, what was difficult was not strangling him with her bare hands.
He was annoying to the extreme. For one, he started off by flirting with Neia. Neia wasn't sure if this was because he wanted to find an opening to escape, or because he was just genuinely interested in her.
She didn't care either way for the attention.
"Now come on now, surely a gorgeous girl like you could flash me a wonderful smile?" he asked her.
Neia's face had basically had a frown tattooed on it ever since this whole journey had started. Just from well, everything.
"Come on, at least take that mask off and let me gaze at your beautiful eyes-" Dantallion began to say, before Neia got so annoyed she took off her goggles and glared right at him.
Now, Neia's eyes were generally considered to be scary- people thought she was glaring at them even when she was just trying to glance at them. It was her father's eyes- the glare of the Mad-Eyed Archer that was feared even among the demihumans of the Abelion Hills.
This fact regarding her eyes was something she was well aware of- and ashamed of. Many children hadn't wanted to play with her because of them. It put other people on edge.
This one time though, she was thankful for it.
Because not only did she take off her goggles, she was actually glaring right at Dantallion.
Indeed, she made it a point to give him the meanest look that she could muster.
A look that embodied all of her frustrations on this journey up till now.
Dantallion then made a noise that sounded like a pig who had been poked in the rear with a pitchfork- Neia even thought that he might've pissed himself.
Ah, there was blissful silence for twenty minutes after that. And Neia had a wide smile on for one of the few times on the trip.
Throughout all of this, Momonga and Remedios were walking on ahead. Momonga had been able to magic out where the feather had been found, and a quick divination spell later and they finally had some idea of where they were going.
"I think we can rest here for the night," Momonga said. With a flick of his wrist, he made a [Fortress] appear.
If there was any silver lining to this horrid trip, Neia thought, it was that they didn't have to sleep outdoors.
This relief was short-lived as unfortunately, Dantalion seemed to have regained his composure.
"So, are you going to untie my hands?"
"No," Neia replied flatly.
"Ah I see, this way, if I need food, you'll have to feed me with your own hands," he said with a smirk. "I, see, so that's your grand plan all along."
"Didn't you have enough after you saw my gaze?" Neia asked.
"Hey- I am a man of substance, alright," Dantallion said. "Even creepy girls like you turn me on too."
"Captain- can we execute him?" Neia asked. "Technically he's a traitor since he tried to rob us. I'd recommend crucification, though I think being drawn and quartered could also be considered."
"Leave him for now," Momonga said. "He may have more information that I could tap into." In truth, Momonga only wanted to spare him so that he could experiment with memory-manipulating spells a bit more, but no one needed to hear that.
"Oh? You don't have to play so hard to get you know," Dantallion said. "I can clearly tell that you've completely fallen head over heels for me."
Neia took off her goggles to give him yet another glare.
Dantallion flinched a little. He wasn't completed sure that Neia didn't have some sort of racial skill- like the paralytic gazes of the oldest of Nagas or the Basilisks. Perhaps Neia had trained in the dark arts and managed to copy their racial abilities?
"You talk a big game," Neia smirked. "But that's about it."
"H-hey, it isn't like that," Dantallion said. "I intend to be with all kind of girls you know, those with large breasts, with small breasts, maybe even an elf or two... I'm not just interested in collecting traditionally attractive girls, you know?"
"What are you, making some kind of harem?" Neia asked.
"Indeed!" Dantalliion said. "That is my ultimate goal- I will first hone my thief skills, and then I will become the King of Thieves! I will have mountains of gold and diamonds- and along with that, I'll have a huge harem! I will have women with large breasts, flat-chested women, women with medium breasts- oh, and I think I'll also have a Rabbitwoman and an Elf too. Maybe even a half-elf. Well, looking at you, I guess all harems do need an ugly woman so that the other girls can feel good about themselves so maybe you'd be interested in-"
He got no further as Neia punched him in the gut.
Momonga shook his head. Yeah, Peroroncino and this kid would probably get along very well- except the thing was that Peroroncino may have the skills to back that kind of talk up.
You'd think that would shut Dantallion up, but about five minutes later he was on things again.
"Ah, would you mid untying my hands?"
"Absolutely not."
"How will I eat then?" he asked. He then smirked. "Oh- do you really want to feed me with your own hands? You didn't have to be so shy you know-"
"-you're not getting dinner." Neia said. "I mean, you can stay hungry overnight, right?"
Now this was one of the few things that seemed to actually perturb Dantallion. "Ahahah- wait a moment... I haven't eaten all day!"
"Just like so many other people in our Kingdom," Neia retorted. "How unfortunate, but I think that you can go a few more hours without food."
"No wait, hey I take things back- you know uh, have lovely eyes, and I was just kidding about all that- wah! Please feed me!" he said.
Neia smirked- she would slowly end up becoming a sadist if everything kept up like this. But, she coudln't help but gloat at his displeasure given all he had done.
A Few Hours Earlier, Momonga's POV
"Are you sure we shouldn't... do something?" Momonga asked Remedios.
That boy, Dantallion, and Neia were trailing behind them. It was clear that Neia was becoming very frustrated with having to do this.
To Suzuki, what Dantallion was essentially doing would count as sexual harassment in any workplace scenario. Granted he doubted that the Holy Kingdom had very strict labor laws, but still, she should do something, right?
"Do something about what?" Remedios asked.
"Neia is clearly not comfortable with handling that boy- we could use an undead summon to keep him in check instead-"
Remedios grimaced at the mere whisper of the word 'undead.' "No- let's not use any more of them then what is necessary."
"Do you truly hate the undead that much?" Suzuki asked.
"They are the enemies of all life," Remedios said. "It is quite literally in their names- undead. If they are not mindless drones like the lowest of Skeletons who wish to harm all life- they are Liches who are like the ones who took over this nation. I would never trust an undead- the mere sight of them makes my skin crawl. I would not even want to be associated near one- and many of the residents of the Holy Kingdom think the same. If we were to go around with an undead, it would shake their faith in not only us but Her Highness the Holy Queen as well. I cannot let that happen."
Momonga felt his shoulders sag at her description of the undead- he had felt like there might've been some hope for them to get together if...
Wait a moment- get together?
He turned his gaze towards Remedios- this time trying to truly think of her as a woman. He had never had a wife or girlfriend, so he had no idea on what to do in this kind of situation now that he had developed somewhat of a crush on the paladin.
Why did he even like her in the first place? He couldn't truly put it into words. Perhaps part of it was that she reminded her of someone he admired in Touch Me (though Touch Me had never been so close-minded, granted part of that was because they had all been playing a video game and not living in a an actual world with terrible consequences if things went wrong). Or maybe it was something else entirely.
He had no idea what the right way was to approach Remedios- but he was definitely sure that whatever Dantallion was doing back there was the wrong thing.
As a matter of fact, right at the moment, Dantallion made a noise which made him think that Neia had kicked him in the nuts- though when he looked back all he saw was him quivering as she had removed her mask.
Yeah... that likely would've done it even better. He shuddered at the thought of those eyes.
Later that evening, when he once again summoned his [Fortress] so they could stay inside, things proceeded as usual. Truth be told, he had no need to rest, and if he remembered correctly he did have a few [Rings of Sustenance] on him- but he didn't fully trust all of them yet enough to lend those things out.
"Ah, I guess it's time for dinner," Suzuki said and he pulled out a magic item of his that could generate food at the expense of a small amount of mana.
Neia seemed endlessly relieved when he told her about this- clearly she had been expecting to have to prepare the food for everyone otherwise. Would Remedios really make her made a meal for all of them- well, now that he thought about it, the answer was likely 'yes.' Remedios, sadly, despite all that he liked about her, reminded him of the worst qualities he would find in a boss.
And that would've been the end of it- had it not been for him receiving a signal from one of the guards outside of the Fortress. "Hmmm...?"
"What is it?" Remedios asked.
"There is a Demihuman outside the gates," Momonga said.
"Then kill it," Remedios said with a shrug.
Momonga sighed. "It isn't acting in a hostile way. It approached the guards and said that it wished to ah... parlay with us? Is that the right term?"
Remedios looked like she had just stepped in a pile of dung. "What could it possibly- ah, forget it, invite it in and torture out all the information we can get from it."
"We don't really need torture when I have magic," Momonga retorted.
"Torture it anyway."
"Why?"
"It would make me feel better."
"Would that really make you feel better?"
"I don't see how it could make me feel worse."
"Ugh... we should at least listen to what it has to say first," Momong said.
Remedios crossed her arms but didn't protest too much. "Fine."
"Alright, let the Demihuman in," Momonga said. Neia got up to open the door for him- which meant that he had to run after her to tell her to stop. "You can't touch the gate, only I can open it." He wasn't sure if it would also inflict damage on her if she touched it like back in the game, but he didn't want to take chances.
"Ah, right ah- sorry," Neia said and withdrew as Momonga opened the gate.
At first Momonga couldn't see what the Demihuman was- he was expecting some large beastman or the such, but it was only when he heard a voice from below and he turned his head down that he saw the creature in question.
"Eurgh!" Neia said.
'Eurgh' in his opinion, Momonga thought, quite described the creature in question very well. It at first looked like a cockroach, but on closer inspection seemed to be closer to a cross between an eel and a maggot of some sorts. If he had still been human, Momonga would've likely recoiled, but in his undead state he had a greater presence of mind than to do such. He wasn't sure how much Demihumans understood human vocal or facial expressions, but he did not want to offend this guest before he had even talked to it.
"Greetings," the Demihuman said.
"A Pandex?" Remedios asked.
"Close... I am one of the Zern," the creature said. "I would like your permission to come in, as well as permission to communicate with the leader of this military group."
Neia flicked her gaze between Momonga and Remedios- come to think of it, who was really the 'leader' when it came down to it. Neither of them seemed to fight about it though as the Zern was ushered in.
There was an uncomfortable pause as everyone sat down- well everyone except for the Zern who instead chose to somewhat stand up though it only accomplished this approximately halfway by rearing up its upper body. Momonga was the first to break the ice, "Ah, although I am unsure of the customs of the Zern, would you care for some food?"
The Zern took a look at the food laid out on the table and said, "Thank you for your kind offering, and this one does not wish to insult you, however this food is not of the kinds that Zern typically eat, and I would like to decline."
"Ah, no matter, ah, if you would tell me what kind of food that Zern typically eat I will make a point to prepare them in the future," Momonga said.
"Ah, we tend to eat the bodily fluids of other animals- and on occasion our own kin," the Zern said. Neia flinched at those words. "But rest assured that being heteromorphs we truly do not need sustenance for very long and can go long periods without eating. It is of no consequence."
"Heteromorph/" Remedios asked. "Pardon me, but are your race not classified as Heteromorphs but rather Demihumans?"
Momonga was surprised that Remedios of all people would've paid attention to such a distinction.
"I do believe that spells that work upon Demihumans but not Heteromorphs can harm you?" Remedios continued.
Ah, of course, she knew of it because she wanted to know about the best way to harm them. Well, it was only to be expected, he thought, based off the fact that her country was regularly invaded by Demihumans that she would know a lot about them, with a clear focus on their weaknesses and abilities.
"Ah, we are all truly Heteromorphs- our weaknesses to spells that normal Heteromorphs are immune too is a racial weakness of ours," the Zern explained.
Momonga shifted- he felt it was a bad idea if you were a representative of your race, to give out information like that. Granted, it seemed that Remedios and Neia already knew this stuff, but stiill, if he had gone around spouting details regarding his weaknesses Punnito Moe would've cracked him over the head.
"Enough of that, what brings you here?" Remedios snapped.
"Ah, let me begin by introducing myself, I am she called Boobeebee, a Hero of the Zern," she said.
At word of this, Dantallion began laughing uncontrollably and started rolling on the floor. The reason for this was unclear until he managed to get out, "Your name... is 'boobies?'" between chuckles.
"Ah, is something the matter?" Boobeebee asked.
"Ignore him," Neia said. "This human is mentally disabled." She then kicked Dantallion in the ribs for good measure.
There was another pause, during which Momonga realized that they should introduce themselves. Remedios did not want to- likely because she thought that such a thing would be beneath her, so he decided to start with a cough. "I am Momonga- a powerful magic caster from a distant land. The undead you see gathered outside are under my control."
"I thought as such," Boobeebee said.
"I am Remedios, Captain of the Paladin Order of the Holy Roble Kingdom," Remedios said flatly.
"I am Neia Baraja, a Squire of the Paladin Order. This boy is well, a prisoner of ours, don't pay him any mind," Neia said.
"I see," Boobeebee said. "Well, I have come as a representative of my race to make an alliance with you humans."
"An alliance?" Remedios asked.
"Indeed," Boobeebee said. "You must understand- that we did not serve that Night Lich willingly. Our species normally just lives underground in tunnels and forages for food- we have no desire to fight the humans however, that Night Lich took our King hostage and we were forced to go along with his plans. And we woudl continue to be his slaves till this day, however... disturbing news has reached us. It appears that that Night Lich has killed our king- leaving our race with only one remaining prince. We cannot for much longer live under this Night Lich's fist."
"A king huh... wait, I remember something about the males of your species," Neia said. She strained her memory to try and remember what her lessons had taught her.
"Nearly all of our species are born as females," Boobeebee explained. "Males are extremely rare- and when a male is born, they are considered royalty immediately. As long as a single male remains, our species can continue. Us females do most of the work of gathering and the like, while the males' only job is to breed to make children."
"Amazing," Dantallion said, now that he had caught his breath. "Your society is wonderful- truly wonderful! I aspire to build something like that!"
Everyone ignored him of course.
"With our King dead, we must rescue our prince or our species will be completely annihilated," she said. "Our prince is being held hostage in a fortress not far off from here, and we would request your aid in freeing him."
"And what do you expect to give us in return?" Remedios asked.
"If you do this, we will flee this realm and all of our soldiers will no longer be a part of the Night Lich's army," she said. "We number about 3,000, and we believe that the loss of our forces will cripple his army."
Remedios crossed her arms. "It does not seem that the potential benefit to us is worth the cost."
"We shouldn't rush to that conclusion," Momonga said. "First, can you tell us anything more regarding this Night Lich and his abilities?"
"We do not know much, but rumors spread," Boobeebee said. "He is said to come from a land far to the East, and has come to this country in the search of a rare object."
Remedios drew in a deep breath. "An object?"
"Yes, a powerful magical item of some sort which is rumored to be here," Boobeebee said. "I do not know what it is however, forgive me. There is a chance though that our prince may know more about this than I do."
"Hm... what of his powers and abilities?"
"I do not know their full scope, but it is said he can cast magic of at least the Seventh Tier. He is capable of challenging the heads of all Demihuman and Heteromorph tribes and coming on top, which is why he was so easily able to unit the tribes," Boobeebee said. "This one has not personally ever met him, so this is all speculation and hearsay."
"Do you know anything about the location of the Holy Queen?" Momonga asked.
"Ah... hm... there was talk of an important hostage that was taken by that Night Lich..." Boobeebee said. "Though again, apologies, but this one does not know the finer details of this matter. Again, it is however possible that our prince had heard of it- as it is our prince has met the Night Lich in person unlike I."
"So you want us to help you because 'maybe' it will give us some more information?" Remedios asked., clearly skeptical.
"I still think it might be worth it," Momonga said. "How good is the security at this camp?"
"There are several Demihuman species around, however, a good portion of the guards are the Zern themselves. With this, we believe that a stealth operation might have a good chance to succeed," Boobeebee said.
Momonga, like any sane RPGer, hated stealth missions, but from what she was describing it seemed doable. The main thing was that he wanted more information regarding this Night Lich- and whether it would even be possible to take it on in combat.
"I have a better idea," Remedios said. "Let us go and stomp every single Demihuman in our way. I have no time or patience for such a mission."
"I feel like that is a mistake," Momonga said. "We should go ahead and try to save him given that it won't take too much of our time."
"I concur," Dantallion said. "As they say, 'it is only when a mosquito lands on your balls that you realize that brute violence is not the best solution to your problems.' We should seriously consider helping these Zern out."
"You don't even get a say into this matter!" Remedios said as she glared at Dantallion.
After a lot of 'hmms' and 'hrrghs' they managed to convince Remedios that saving the Zern prince was a good idea.
Something they would start on first thing in the morning.
