"We are here to honor the two heroes who fought in the Wave this day! The veteran Hammer Hero Khana, and the newly summoned Axe Hero Dante! Tonight, we feast!"
The grand hall of the Faubrey palace was the very definition of decadence. Rich tapestries hung from the walls. The chandeliers looked to be made of gold with gems embedded in them. Tables were near the edges and filled with a wide range of different foods.
And, of course, the place was filled with nobles.
Cheers and applause surrounded us as the king finished his proclamation. King Faubrey, the Pig King, was everything a I imagined him to be: short, fat, and slobbish. I was not looking forward to having a private meeting with him, which I might end up having to. I didn't even like looking at him.
Khana and I stood at the bottom of the short steps that led up to his throne, where he was already sitting, even when he gave his speech. The nobles wasted no time closing the distance to us as music started to play. Some stayed to the sides, either thinking of how to approach us or biding their time, I'm sure. Even hours after the Wave ended, I really wasn't in the mood.
All the noise from the nobles was just that: noise. My son wishes to join a hero's party. Would you like to enter the service of my family? One of my daughters would like to court you, Sir Hero. The noise of politics didn't help my mood any.
I knew I was supposed to actually talk with these nobles, but I just couldn't get out of my own head. Mirellia was here. I saw her off to the side with a few knights. I just needed to speak with her and…I didn't even know what the plan should be. Tell her my intent to travel to as many hourglass, including Melromarc's? They had a Star Hero, so I couldn't just say I'd choose her country, even if Aultcray couldn't wield the Staff right now. I wish Eddy was here. He'd have everything figured out by now and could just tell me what to do. Though, he'd be in an even worse place right now if it was just him. Eddy might have gotten a plan together, but only I had the stomach to do whatever was necessary.
Thankfully, Khana's party helped run interference for me. Rato wasn't here for obvious reasons and Hailey…well, Rato needed to have someone with her for safety, just in case, and no good would come from letting a gluttonous filolial into the banquet. When she got a human form, she could come.
With their help, I was able to sidestep most of their questions and suggestions, citing my desire to relax a little more after the Wave. Most took the hint, though a few required a few more polite reminders. All throughout that, I had to smile. I was a hero, after all.
Eventually, I made my way to a free table. I flagged down one of the servers to bring me a pint of something alcoholic to drink, in addition to the one he just gave me. Then, I sat down, allowing my thoughts to return to what happened the rest of the day.
After we were done with the Wave, we checked around the farming complex for any stray monsters. Most of them were already dead, and the few that survived were even weaker than before. A result of being cut off from their world—in this case, the Wave. It was something explained in the packet, but I didn't understand all the details of it, so I only really considered the end result.
Anyway, after an hour or so of that, Khana took us back to the capital. It took a couple hours to bring everyone, since she had to wait for her portal skill to come off cooldown to get the rest of her party.
In-between trips, Khana suggested I go back to Baric's place to have him look at my armor and get it patched up. It actually had an automatic recovery function, but it wasn't really designed to handle curse damage. Fortunately, treating it was easier than treating cursed wounds, but he needed to hold onto it for a few hours. Its condition wasn't really on my mind all that much, and I got it back before the celebration, so it wasn't an issue. He also said he upgraded it a little with the bones from the skeletons, after asking what we fought. I'd forgotten armor could be improved like that.
I also went by the church to pick up some holy water. I showed them the dagger the girl used and they sold me some water based on its strength. One application soon after, and another tomorrow, and I'd be good to go.
The rest of the time I spent alone. Well, not entirely. I had something I needed answers for.
~Earlier~
I sat on the bed in the room we rented. Rato was outside with Hailey, doing something. It wasn't anything bad, I just didn't know exactly what. For this, I needed to be alone.
At the edge of the bed with the Axe on my lap, I closed my eyes in concentration. The way to do this was pretty simple, but it was my first time trying it. Soon enough, the sound around me silenced.
When I opened them again, my goddess was sitting before me. I was back in that void, the lavish office desk between us. She sat there with her hands folded and what I could only assume was a smile on her face. Even after agreeing to work with her, I still couldn't properly see her face. It was still a not-blur to me.
"You're first Wave was today, correct? How did it go?" She spoke first, leaning in slightly.
"I killed a child." That was the only thing I cared about.
It felt like her mouth hung open slightly. "That…must have been difficult for you." She knew my character, knew what things I didn't want to do. This was at the top of the list.
I explained what the girl had said to me, and my own thoughts on the matter. Like many things, you couldn't really appreciate something until it was right in front of you. In this case, I couldn't really grasp the cruelty of a god.
"Was it a lie? Was she actually a grown woman who was reincarnated and she just tried to trick me?" I hoped that was the case. Unfortunately, my goddess shook her head.
"I learned a little from the body you absorbed into the Axe." That was indeed something I did. It didn't feel right to leave her smoldering corpse just lying there. "I don't know exactly how long she was alive each time, but it wasn't very long and she did indeed get reincarnated at least four times. The wear on her soul was imprinted on her body, compounded by the frequency, and it hasn't been tended to at all."
That was something she explained to me before, mostly because it pertained to my family's wellbeing. Souls remerged with the world they were from for some time, up to a few years. They were 'cleaned', in a sense; memories were washed away, sometimes leaving behind harmless traces. Since my predecessor was an old soul, he needed the rest or risked severe damage. For my family, a single time wouldn't be an issue.
"Is there anything you can do for her?" Again, she shook her head at my question.
"From what I know of you, a comforting lie isn't what you're looking for. Sorry. She is connected to Pahadron. I have no influence over her soul. I know you have a code, but…"
"No. It…is what it is." It was important to me to at least try.
I didn't think there would have been anything I could do. The souls in my goddess's care can't be taken from her by any of her competitors. It stood to reason the reverse was also true.
"Was there anything else?" She asked, though not unkindly. Speaking to her in this way was supposed to be a rare thing, something to be done if I had a pressing concern or needed clarification.
"…You mentioned bonuses for Wave monster XP, and I have plenty of that now." That was something we didn't discuss too in-depth, since getting me started was more urgent.
She nodded and, presumably, gave me a smile. "Let me show you your options."
~Present~
And now, here I was, stuck playing the hero. At the very least, I had a bit more time to myself. I glanced around the room a bit to get a feel for things.
Khana's party looked to be enjoying themselves. After blocking a few nobles, Garth and Trusi started up real conversations with some of them. Omir mostly kept to himself, though he had a drink in hand. Martin, however, looked too nervous to speak much, hiding his face under his wizard hat.
The king was speaking with a few nobles who approached him. I couldn't help but notice that his current 'wife' wasn't there. That wasn't exactly her role, though. Khana had confirmed what I knew of the man from the web novel and bits of the light novel. Taking 'brides' from noble houses who chose not to deal with rebellious or dangerous daughters, or as tribute, or to simply earn favor.
That was another good reason for Rato to not attend. Even if her identity wasn't somehow revealed, she was just property. A hero's property, but still property. As it was, Trusi was keeping her distance from the throne, though I doubted the king would try something with her hero present. A bad move, especially with a second hero present. Trusi could handle herself well enough, too.
The king was thoroughly repugnant and I would very much like to chop his head off one day, but certainly not today. That would be too politically disastrous. Translated: I'd make enemies of too many nobles who had deals with him. If nothing else, he was cunning enough to keep his throne and collect thousands of 'wives'.
After I've achieved my objective here, my goddess would give me a vacation. Basically, until my body died, I could do whatever I wanted. That man on the throne was at the top of my list.
There was really only one other person to take note of, that being Queen Mirellia, who subtly glanced my way a few times. I'd make time for her…once this feeling of dread and self-loathing passed.
As for the other hero at the feast…
"Hey, little man!" Khana practically shouted as she approached. "Enjoying the food?"
"I'm not hungry." I told her. More alcohol was already delivered with more on the way.
"Sure you are!" She sat down next to me. I realized she was carrying a plate when she slapped it down on the table. "Come on, eat!"
I could just tell trying to argue with her would be pointless, so I did as I was told. I was used to it. Eddy could get like that sometimes, though it was usually because I chose to eat some jerky instead of a proper meal and he just wasn't having it.
The plate was massive, containing a number of different foods. I opted for the large drumstick, which I was pretty sure was filolial. Hailey probably wouldn't be mad at me eating it. If my memory was correct, Filo wanted to eat other filolials at one point.
"There we are." Khana smiled as I took a bite. I had to admit, it was pretty good. "You got ale, and now you've got food. All you need is a woman and you'll have a proper celebration."
"There's nothing to celebrate." I told her plainly.
"Sure there is! We beat back the Wave and no one died. It's a great victory worthy of a great banquet!"
"I killed a girl, Khana." I said, staring her down.
"I have eyes, little man." She said with a shrug. "I just don't know why she was there in the first place, or why she was attacking a hero during the Wave."
She was reincarnated by a god and angry at the world. It's not like I could just say that. Too much information with too little reason for me to have it.
"But we can worry about that later." She slung an arm around my shoulder, a mug pushed in front of me as she grabbed another one. "Tonight, we feast, and we relax!"
I didn't move my hand toward the mug. It took all I had to not snap at her. Instead, I took a breath and tried to speak.
"Don't you care?" I asked.
"She was trying to kill you, and you defended yourself. It's ugly, but it can't be helped. You're alive because the person trying to kill you is dead. That's all there is to it."
Her blunt words were spot on, spoken like someone who had to do something they really didn't want to do. I could feel a small smile creep its way on my face for a moment.
"Heh. I've been telling myself something similar all day. Doesn't really make it any better." I said, the bitterness in my voice disappearing.
It was funny, too. My old associates would sometimes ask how I was even alive. I would always say, "because everyone who's ever tried to kill me is dead." Real life wasn't a story. You didn't defeat an enemy and let them live, especially in my line of work. Not unless you could get something out of them.
"And that's why you're a hero." Khana patted my shoulder. "You know, Omir saw how you acted at that slave trader's place."
"Doing what needed done?" I asked.
She shook her head. "He told me how you looked when you saw a child locked up there. You made the kind of face someone makes when they have to swallow bitter medicine. If I had to guess, you considered buying them right then."
"…Is there a point there?" She was right, of course. I hated seeing children in pain. I didn't like it before Mary was born, and I hated it even more after. Everyone in our group then knew about that. If someone in our group tried messing with kids, they'd be taking a long dirt nap.
"I get the kind of person you are, little man."
"I doubt that." I grumbled, taking another bite of the food and reaching for my mug.
"If I had to guess, the only reason you couldn't kill that girl sooner was because she was a young girl, and not because of her strange power."
"Hm." With a grunt, I took a large swig of ale.
"You hesitated. It's bad for your survival, but I still think that's a good thing. You should hold onto that part of you." She gave me a slap on the back before lowering her voice. "It's not easy to get that back."
I glanced at her and saw the solemn expression on her face. The way she spoke, I don't think she's had to kill a kid before, but there was something there. I was curious, but I wasn't about to pry.
But what she said…I shouldn't hold onto that. I had a goal, and I couldn't let something like that slow me down again. Otherwise, the next time might be my last.
The conversation, thankfully, turned a bit lighter from there. Well, it was more about my performance during the rest of the Wave. How many monsters did I kill? How many at once? Did I get any good drops? I didn't know how many I killed, but enough to give me a few levels. I now sat at a cozy level 33. It was like hunting usapils or large gatherings of balloons, but worth more XP. It would definitely be more efficient to fight a few powerful monsters instead of hordes of weaker ones, since doing the latter would leave me much more tired for much less gain. As for drops, mostly potions or ingredients, though I did get a nice dagger, aside from the one the girl had.
The boss was split between Khana and I. There wasn't enough of it for a third hero, so it was a good thing Lloyd wasn't there.
Mummy Axe
(abilities locked) Equip Bonus: curse dampening
Equip Effect: Despair
The hilt was curved and covered in gauze that reached up to the head. Other than that, it was a one-handed axe. I hadn't tested out the effect yet, but it seemed pretty self-explanatory. The equip bonus was really nice, but I saw a limit. Resistances came in different levels, so this told me I wouldn't be getting anything better.
The other weapon I got was nice as well.
Bone Axe
(abilities locked) Equip Bonus: attack 4
This one was one-handed as well and seemed to be made entirely of bones.
The stats on both were good. The Mummy Axe was going to be my new main axe for a while and the Bone Axe had a good defense stat with heavily reduced attack.
"I need a second axe." I said aloud. "You find anything that gave you a second hammer to swing around?"
"Hah! I wish." Khana gulped down her drink. "I'd be killing monsters twice as fast!"
I didn't doubt that one bit. Maybe I'd find something like Raphtalia had from the books. A shield would be good too, just as a bit of extra armor, but I've been using that halberd form, and I did have a couple two-handed axes, even if I didn't use them. Plus, I'd be too tempted to smack someone with it and get shocked.
"Pardon me, heroes." A new voice said.
When I looked over, I saw the queen of Melromarc walking toward us with a few knights at her sides. One of her hands was resting on her front while the other held a fan up to her face.
"Are you enjoying the festivities?" She asked politely.
"Sure are!" Khana responded boisterously. "The king knows how to throw a party."
"He does indeed." The queen nodded slightly. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mirellia Q. Melromarc, queen of Melromarc. I am most pleased to meet you."
"Dante MacRory, the Axe Hero." I said, giving my face a quick wipe to get any filolial meat off.
"Khana, the Hammer Hero." She didn't remove her arm from around me, where it had been since she sat down.
The queen met our eyes as we introduced ourselves. "I do not wish to take too much time from your relaxation, so I will be brief. Are either of you considering Melromarc in your travels?"
"Can't say I am, Queen." Khana spoke first. "Omir wouldn't be welcome there, and the rest of my party wouldn't be welcome in Siltvelt."
That was a pretty safe answer. She didn't ask, but it let Mirellia know Khana wasn't considering her country's longstanding enemy over her own. Since both had a Star Hero defending them, it wasn't like either one was a place she'd stay anyway.
"Understandable." Mirellia gave another slight nod. "And what of you, Hero MacRory?"
"Eventually, yes." I said honestly. "Khana is taking me to Shieldfreeden, then Zeltoble after."
I had decided not to interfere with or influence the summoning at all. That would have been another variable I couldn't account for. Sure, we might have gotten better heroes and better political circumstances, but we also could have gotten worse for both. As a bonus, this would give me an in with the queen, and one of the heroes, barring any other changes. I help the Shield Hero, who Malty and the church will target, and I'll be looked at favorably by both him and the queen. No real plan made there outside of broad strokes, but I'd roll with that for now.
I was likely the only hero she'd get to help, outside of whichever one her country would have gotten, since Aultcray's staff wasn't listening to him. None of the other heroes cared for the conflict between Melromarc and Siltvelt, so they likely wouldn't be enthusiastic about going to either place. As Khana mentioned once in passing, Conrad had formed a party with some people he knew for the Wave, a mix of humans and demi-humans. Even if he wasn't likely to stay in Faubrey, that would make it more difficult to be in either Melromarc or Siltvelt.
Mirellia probably already knew everyone's temperaments and preferences, or had a good idea of them. This was just her confirming it.
"I am pleased to hear this." Mirellia closed her fan, letting a soft smile show on her face. She gestured with her fan to one of the knights behind her, who stepped forward. He carried a nicely crafted box in his hands.
"I have heard you are a newly summoned hero, the reason most likely having to do with the Waves of Calamity starting. As such, I would like to offer this gift to aid you in your travels."
The knight stood in front of me and opened the box. Inside was a crystal ball sitting on a pillow to cradle it.
"Please, accept this token offering from Melromarc." She said, opening her fan to conceal her face once more.
This was a pretty nice gift. Rato told me these things were expensive, so I was more than happy to accept a gift for something I was going to do regardless.
"Just hold it and feel like you're absorbing something." Khana whispered to me.
I did as she said and took the crystal ball. It was a little strange, almost like realizing I had a limb I never used before. Soon enough, the crystal shattered.
Spell acquired – Faust Fire Shot
And now my party had offensive magic, and me with a use for my otherwise useless MP.
"Thank you." I lowered my head slightly, since I was still seated.
"You are quite welcome, Hero MacRory." The queen nodded. "Perhaps you will enjoy your stay in my country after you arrive."
"I can't say I will." I said. "Enslaving people based on race alone doesn't sit right with me."
The knights looked annoyed, but Mirellia was the picture of calm. Keeping part of her face hidden likely helped. "You may wish to visit the Seaetto territory while you are there, then. Many demi-humans live there without fear of enslavement."
If only she knew what was to come, or what might come, as it were. I couldn't really say much else, since any warning would be pointless without evidence. "I'm sure not everyone is happy about that." Instead, I let a little annoyance from the day come out.
"I admit, the process toward a lasting peace has been a long one." Mirellia said. "With luck, the break in minor conflicts the Waves have afforded us may lead to just that."
"Hm, right…" I grumbled. Aultcray and the church wouldn't let that happen, though it was mostly the latter. Probably. Again, other differences might exist.
"You don't think that's so?" Mirellia asked, seeming earnest.
"I may not know politics that well, but I know people. They like what they like and hate what they hate. Some people will hold onto a grudge for decades and think of nothing else."
"Hm, yes." Mirellia nodded evenly. "You have not been in this world for long, but I suspect you are referring to my husband, the king."
"The Staff Hero." I corrected. "I'm curious why you want a Star Hero when you already have one."
Her face didn't so much as twitch. The knights with her, however, were growing increasingly annoyed with my statements.
"As king, his place is in governance rather than combat or adventuring. Should the need arise, he is more than willing to take to the field again." Mirellia responded.
"I'm sure that's true. It's not like his power as a Star Hero has left him or anything." That got an actual reaction out of the queen, whose eyes widened.
"Okay, I think you've had enough to drink, little man." Khana said, pushing the mug away from me. She stood from her seat, pulling me up as well. "Sorry about him, Your Highness. The Wave took a lot out of him."
"Understandable." Mirellia raised her other hand, calming down in an instant. "Rest well, Hero MacRory, Hero Khana."
With a nod, Khana led me away from the table. There were a few people nearby as we walked, but they slowly moved out of the way.
"Geez, little man. You can't just go insulting royalty and stuff. I mean, not to their faces." Khana said, keeping a hand on me. "I don't like Melromarc or Siltvelt either, but that wasn't really smart."
"Sorry about that. I just…" I tried to speak, but found my words weren't coming as quickly. Arguing with Mirellia or picking a fight wasn't my intention. It just sort of came out. I may have drunk too much, especially since I realized I couldn't even stand properly on my own.
"Nah, I get it. With all the learning you've been doing, you probably already know slavery isn't as common in Faubrey." I didn't know that, but I let her continue. "Selling a child, your own child, is rare but it does happen. In Melromarc, catching an entire family wouldn't be unheard of. Plus, there are some really monstrous people in the world who like to hurt kids for fun." She had no idea how right she was.
We arrived at a room in what I believed was the guest wing. Khana opened the door and led me in. She sat me down on the bed, looking down at me.
"You good on your own?" She asked.
"Yeah. Thanks for that." I said.
"Don't mention it." She smiled, though it quickly morphed into a grin. "Say, did you want that third thing you needed for tonight?"
"What third thing?" I raised an eyebrow at her.
"A woman." She leaned toward me. "I said you needed a woman. Lucky for you, the best one is available!"
That did sound pretty nice. And, well, she did offer before…probably. It was still a bit hard to parse out what was teasing from genuine statements. Context clues told me it was the latter in this case.
"Yeah, that'd be fun." I told her.
"Well then, show me that's what you want, little man." Her face was a few inches from mine.
I reached my hands up and held her face between them. She kept that smile on her face as I leaned forward and kissed her. It started small, then quickly grew in ferocity, our tongues intertwining and wrestling in each other's mouths. Before long, I found myself standing again, holding Khana close to me.
When we separated, she held onto my shoulder. She wasn't quite breathless, but she looked down at me, more than a head taller. "That's what I'm talking about." She grinned, then gave my armor a tap. "I think you'll need to get out of this."
"Yeah." It was almost two weeks now that I'd last been with a woman. I was overdue.
We fumbled with our armor to get it off, the hunger for her growing in me. I'd already shifted my axe into its bracelet form, Khana doing the same with her hammer. With every piece that came off her, another scar showed. Not going to lie, every scar I saw made me want her more.
"You're taking too long." She said, removing the last of her armor.
"If you want to help…" I didn't need to finish. She was on me in a flash, pulling at the straps with one hand and my hair with the other.
"You're in for a fun night, little man." She practically growled into my ear.
Once the last of the armor was off, she yanked off my shirt and pushed me to the bed.
"You said you liked it rough." I commented, the haze from the alcohol and my own yearning clouding over me slightly.
"I hope you can deliver." She licked her lips like a predator ready for a meal.
The rest of the night was nothing but a fulfilling blur.
~The Right Man~
"Ugh…" The light hurt.
I couldn't remember the last time I got hungover. No, wait, I did. It was when almost everyone I knew died, except for my family. That was a pretty bad day. Would have been worse if most of them weren't assholes.
Why did I even drink so…oh. Right. I killed a little girl yesterday. Well, at least the thought of that didn't sting so much anymore. Not something I want to be numb to, but that was better than feeling like shit.
"Grah…It's still early, little man." I heard above me.
It was then that I realized what my current situation was. There was an arm around my back, holding me against something firm and warm to my left. It was Khana in both regards. I was also completely naked, as was she. The events of last night started coming back to me.
"So, we really had sex, huh?" I said, moving my head slightly. What I previously thought was a pillow was actually Khana's right breast. Baric had mentioned a spike sticking out of her right breast before, and there was a scar there, a little above her nipple.
It wasn't a shock that she could survive something like that. Out of her armor, I could see she had a lot of protection there. The woman, frankly, was stacked. Underneath them, I could see quite a bit of muscle, as well as on the abs that peaked out from under the bedsheet.
"Guess we're waking up, then." She grumbled. After running her hand over her partially braided hair, she turned down slightly to look at me. "Glad you enjoyed yourself."
"You got me drunk and had sex with me." I stated, though I wasn't angry.
"You drank plenty all on your own and I helped you relax a little. You were relaxed, weren't you?" She argued. I didn't comment. "Besides, you made the first move." I did vaguely recall that.
But seriously? I'm not an alcoholic, but I may have had a bit too much to drink last night. I had a few gaps in my memory. First off, however…
"Did I just join a harem?" I needed to figure out my non-physical position here. I also wondered if this was what women felt like in this position. Probably not.
"Hah! You wish! Although…" She scratched her chin with her free hand.
"…A sexual conquest, then?"
"Eh…close enough."
Today was a day for gender equality, I guess.
That wasn't quite uplifting, but I found I didn't mind it all that much. Actually, even if I was a harem member…I couldn't say I found the thought all that distressing. Although, a reverse harem that was actually sexual seemed…counterproductive, in practice. Mares and studs and all that. If the sex itself was the goal, however, then never mind.
"The main point was to make you feel better. And hearing you calling out my name a lot told me we did just that." Khana waggled her eyebrows.
Well, she accomplished her goal. If she did this because she was a hero, I'd have to point out how much she was stretching the word. One thing she said caught my attention. "We?"
Her eyes widened just a smidge. "Ah…" She looked off to the side, scratching the back of her head. "Well…maybe you had just a little too much…"
Another thing came into my awareness, something I should have noticed earlier. There was a pair of arms wrapped around my hips. What I thought was Khana's side against my stomach now felt more like the side of someone's face.
I leaned up and pulled back the sheet that covered us to see who it was. I was expecting Trusi, being the only other woman in Khana's party. It was a false hope. Who I instead found…
"Martin." I said his name, getting a nervous smile in return.
"Hey-Hi-Um…Good morning, Sir Dante." He detached one of his arms from me—the one that wasn't beneath me—and gave a little wave. His mop of dark blue hair partially obscured his eyes before he wiped it back.
I had a lot to drink last night. I also had a job to do. I really shouldn't have gotten that drunk.
I looked back to Khana, who was doing her best to not look at me. "Can we circle back to you getting me drunk to have sex with me?"
"There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this." She started, still not looking at me.
"And that is?" I asked.
"Well…" She moved her jaw around. "I'm very charismatic?"
"Not that much." Close, but not that much. Though, I was in this position, so…
"It was your fault?"
"Wow." That was a bullshit thing to say no matter which people were involved in whatever position, man or woman.
"It is!" She turned to face me, pushing herself up into a sitting position. "You're too good-looking!"
"Throwing around compliments isn't helping."
Martin pulled his arm out from under me, leaning on both of them as he sat up. "Miss Khana, you said he wouldn't be mad!"
"He's not." Khana pointed at me. "Does he look mad?"
"He looks…annoyed." Martin turned his head away.
"I am annoyed." I confirmed. "But…not mad, I guess." Sure, they knew I wasn't interested in men, but it could have been worse. Admittedly, Martin wasn't bad-looking. I might even go so far as to say he's cute, but more in a pat-on-the-head kind of way. Still, I had to be sure of something. "Did we…" I didn't finish the sentence, instead gesturing between him and I.
Khana laughed. "Does your ass hurt?
It did not, in fact. I wasn't quite sure where my level of annoyance should be, but at the very least, Martin wasn't going to get a bloody, broken nose.
"Martin's does, I'm sure." Khana snickered.
"M-Miss Khana!" His face turned beet red at her words.
"Come on, you both liked it. Little man wasn't complaining when he was having a go at you. Or when you were giving him a little kiss down below. Though, he was too busy giving me the same thing. Oh, and when you were both going at me—"
"Please stop!" Martin cried out, covering his face and falling over Khana's legs. "No dirty talk!"
"That was dirty talk?" I asked Khana as she leaned over to stroke Martin's back.
"The dirtiest it gets during and afterwards." Khana said. "Martin here doesn't like that sort of thing. At least, when we involve someone else. He's shy like that."
Seeing what all we must have done last night, I highly doubted that, but I wasn't about to tell them their business.
"I'm still a bit surprised he's here." I said instead.
"Why's that? I already told you he wanted you." Khana replied.
"Yeah, but, I thought you were just teasing him, or…" The other members of her party did place a bet on how things would end up. I believe Omir just won a gold coin from both Garth and Trusi.
"I prefer women. Martin prefers men. Manly men, specifically. We both appreciate a nice set of toned abs, but Martin takes it further." Khana glanced at me. "And, wow. You have a lot of scars on you. And muscles. And a pretty imposing demeanor when you put your mind to it."
"He's very strong, rough when I wanted him to be, but still gentle." I heard Martin speak softly, peaking between his fingers with a blush on his face. His eyes weren't on mine, but centered around my chest.
Doing what I did, being more than just in shape was handy. That was even more the case here where my physique was quantifiable. And Khana was right: I did have a lot of scars. Knife wounds, bullet wounds, a dog bite, and a few burns. The last one was from a different incident, not the bomb that killed me and my family.
Khana simply patted his back. "See? Martin knows what he likes."
"I suppose I should take the compliment." I sighed.
"On top of all that, you're also a man I'm interested in. That's pretty rare, you know. Considering all that, how could Martin not want you to bend him over and have your way—"
"Khana!" Martin shouted, forcing her to look at him with both hands pressed against her cheeks. "Please stop!"
Her reply was to give him a toothy grin.
Thinking about it a little more, I gave Martin a good look over. He was still a short guy. A small frame and not a lot of muscles, but the ones he did have were incredibly toned. I could only assume that was from traveling and fighting with Khana. These nighttime activities didn't hurt any, I'm sure.
"Heh. Well, I am an exceptional lover." I told the pair, my mood improving somewhat.
"No need to brag." Khana hooked an arm around Martin and pulled him to her as she leaned back onto the bed again. He held onto her, burying his face in her breasts. "But, yes. You have a lot of lovers back home?"
"Not the word I would use, but yeah." I paused and realized something pretty important. "Say, uh, should I be worried about you getting pregnant?"
"Nah." She waved me off. "No need to worry about that. I have it taken care of."
That was a relief. I wondered if the women at that brothel took the same thing or something similar to whatever Khana had.
"But, well, I guess I did go a little too far yesterday." Khana admitted, scratching her cheek. "And I did combine a few goals here."
"Well, you aren't the first woman to take advantage of me when I'm emotionally vulnerable." Though, that time back then did come with quite a few perks.
"When you put it like that…" Khana's hand moved to the back of her head.
"Eh, whatever. I might have just gone out to a brothel, assuming I could find one without slaves. This saves me some silver." If slavery was less common here, I shouldn't have that much of a problem.
"I'm glad we're a better choice than brothel workers!" She grinned, showing her teeth.
"And, since you were the one to join us, I don't feel too bad about the age gap." I said to Martin. "It's not like I'm disgusted about sleeping with a man, or boy, though I need to qualify that."
"Man." Martin corrected, though not forcefully. Part of his face was obscured by Khana's right breast.
"Be that as it may, ask properly next time."
Martin perked up at that. Khana, likewise, gave me one of her signature grins. "Ooh~. So there's going to be a next time?" She asked, waggling her eyebrows.
"We'll see."
I couldn't really be mad at the two of them, since they did make me feel better for a time. With all the killing I was sure to do in this world, a single sexual encounter with a guy wasn't the worst thing. But that only pushed yesterday's thoughts down for a little while.
"Thanks for the distraction." I told them.
"Hey." Khana grabbed my arm just as I was about to swing my legs to the edge of the bed—which was massive, by the way. "You did what you had to do."
I paused before I responded. "I still don't have to like it."
"But you have to accept it." She said. "Come on, get back over here until whatever negative thoughts you're having leave you alone."
I didn't think she'd give me much choice, again, so I scooted over to her. Martin slid to one side, leaving me room on the other. "Are you sure I'm not in a harem right now?"
"Ha! I mean, I won't say no." Khana grinned, relaxing in the bed and looking toward the ceiling. "And you're at the right age for Martin."
"He's half my age." I said, lying next to her.
"I'm 15, not 14." Martin mumbled.
"That's hardly any better." I told him. Of all the things I'd have to come to terms with about being here, someone being considered an adult at 15 was now at the top. I was glad my goddess said I'm immortal, because I was pretty sure this would put me in a lower ring of hell. Or not, since adulthood was more fluid in different time periods. It was all moot anyway, since apparently hell wasn't actually real, but still.
"Anyway," Khana slid her arm across my back, keeping me close, "you want a distraction from your thoughts or to work through what happened? I'd prefer the second one, since I still don't really understand, but it's your call."
I really had to hand it to Khana. She acted like a meathead—and kind of was, really—but she was aware enough to ask what I needed.
After a few moments, I responded. "I killed a girl."
"Yes." She nodded.
"She would have killed me if I didn't."
"Yes, again."
"I didn't have a choice."
"Not at all."
It was simple, really, just agreeing with what I already knew. Hearing it did help a little.
"I've killed lots of people before." I decided to take another step. Maybe I was feeling a little too comfortable, but it felt good to say it.
"Oh?" She didn't look at me, still keeping her gaze upward.
"A lot of them deserved it. Some of them, less so. But never, never, have I killed a child." It was one line I would never cross, even before Mary's birth.
If some kid had a gun pointed at me and I only had a moment to react, I'd either be dead or hate myself forever. I was glad no one ever thought to try putting me in that situation. Well, a few actually did, but the kids were far too slow on the draw. I was able to get the gun away from them or otherwise keep them from shooting, never needing to kill them. None of them were trained killers, like I was.
"Can't say I know your history, but the Star Axe still chose you. You've got to be doing something right, or otherwise be worthy of it." Her words—while they would be true under normal circumstances—did little for me here. I was somewhere on the Axe's list of candidates, so it wasn't technically untrue.
"Hm…" I couldn't really let any of that show, so I just nodded.
We spent some time lying there, Martin on one side of Khana, me on the other, her arms wrapped around us. If we weren't discussing this particular topic, I'm sure I'd have more to say about that.
"Hey…" Khana spoke after a few minutes of silence. "Listen Dante," her saying my name was more than enough to tell me she was going to get serious, "that girl you killed…she might not have been a young girl at all."
I tilted my head to look at her, seeing her continuing her staring match with the ceiling.
"Miss Khana…" Martin said softly, his arm moving up her chest to her shoulder.
"I can't help it. He's a good guy, so I don't want him to suffer for this." She said, turning to him and giving his shoulder a squeeze.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, but I had a bad feeling in my chest.
She took in a deep breath. "See, there are some people that have, well, lived a life before this one. Some are pretty destructive, doing whatever they want. I've seen you fighting, and even if you're new to using an axe, a little girl shouldn't have given you so much trouble, even with that freaky dagger and weird power."
That's partly what I've been trying to tell myself. I was at odds with what the girl said, always dying young and never being able to really grow up, despite how many years she's lived. But what Khana was saying…
"How do you know this?" Despite asking, I already knew the answer.
"This is my second life. I'm reincarnated, too, having memories of my first life."
I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. Nothing about her suggested she was one of them, but she just admitted it.
Not her. Anyone else I met so far but her. Khana went out of her way to help me, to make sure I was prepared to fight in the Wave and make sure I didn't die. She introduced me to a good blacksmith, overlooked my meddling in Rato's imprisonment, and even had one of her party members show me how to properly use one of my weapon forms. She showed me some of her moves, too, since our weapons were similar. It couldn't have all been a lie.
And then, she looked at me. What I saw on her face…it was like she knew. I was a pretty observant person. Khana, as I've been learning, was similar.
The next instant, we were both out of the bed. I'd quickly rolled to the side and jumped off. Khana had pushed off longways and landed on her feet. Martin looked confused, pushed to the side but still on the bed.
Khana and I stood, both naked and unarmed, save for our weapons transformed out of their bracelet forms. Both of us were ready to strike.
Author's Notes:
Cliffhanger!
This chapter ran on a little longer than I intended, but that's fine. I won't make it a habit. (The author lied as naturally as he breathed.)
Thinking one more chapter of this, then back to Forging Legends for a few, then we'll see.
