A Vulpine Spanner in the Works
Chapter 35: Rooting out the Troubles
[Zaryusu]
Day 30:
As Kashia and I stepped through the [Gate] that she had conjured, I still couldn't get over the slight disorientation that washed over me from being at Haven-Lake one moment, and at the Great Lake of Tob the next. As my feet became submerged in the shallow water of this section of the lake, I looked over to see Kashia join me as her boots splashed into the water.
The goddess looked up at me before asking, "So, you feeling confident about your first mission in diplomacy?" This was followed by a good-natured smile filling her face. One thing of interest that I've noticed since last seeing the real Kashia, not the copy that typically runs the day-to-day of the village, is how her eyes have changed. Before, her eyes had looked quite human, even with the unique orange eye-color that they had.
But now? They seemed to have permanently changed to be a glowing golden with slitted pupils, just like her copy. One of the few reasons I could still tell the two apart from one another is the differing personality traits that each had. I haven't had the chance to ask why this was the case, and I didn't know if said question might offend her.
"About as confident as I'll ever be. In the years since the war between the tribes, none have made an attempt to unite all the tribes under one banner as the scarcity of food made such long-term alliances too volatile." I answered with reasonable worry.
Kashia patted me on the back in reassurance, "Then you'll become the first to do so. Besides, you do have me accompanying you, so that gives an added advantage in these talks."
I gave the kitsune a teasing grin in response, "I hope that whatever added advantages you end up giving me doesn't involve holding a bunch of children or, gods forbid, the adults of the Red Eye by your tails."
Kashia gave me a mock look of shock, "That was only one time! Besides, I'll have you know that I haven't terrorized any children for some time now." Raising my brow to her, I gave Kashia an accusing look. After a few moments, she finally faltered, "Okay, maybe I have snuck up on my daughter a few times to spook her."
That reply took me by surprise. She has a daughter?! "Kashia, I didn't realize that you were a mother." I remarked aloud.
A large smile grew on her face, "Yup! Even if I've only recently adopted them, I absolutely love my two girls." Kashia admitted proudly.
I see. "What made you adopt them?" I asked curiously.
As I said this, I looked further ahead of us and saw the village of the Red Eye tribe which was less than a hundred yards from our slowly approaching position. It's mixture of mud and wooden walls were quite impressive as our tribe didn't have such an advanced defense. But between the wooden posts of the walls, I noticed multiple lizardmen moving within the village, likely in reaction to us.
With luck, the Red Eye tribe would be reasonable and not attack us without hearing what we had to say. It also helped that I had the mark of the Traveler upon my chest which gave me some leeway in moving about the tribes without immediate hostility. At least, it usually did.
"It started with me originally mentoring my youngest daughter, Ninya, in magic almost a month back. But then, I found out that her sister, Tuare, needed help, so I rescued her. Following that, as time went on and we got closer, I instinctually saw them as my daughters. They found out and agreed that they saw me as their mother."
"It's nice to hear of a family finding each other so quickly." I congratulated, "I assume that they're aware of your species and divinity?"
"Correct on all accounts. I didn't even tell them since they managed to figure it out by themselves." Kashia answered.
"Smart kids." I remarked which Kashia did nothing to refute. It wasn't much longer before the two of us had arrived at the gates of the village where I could see a few of the Red Eye tribe waiting outside with their spears in hand, but not pointed at us.
A few moments later the gates to the village opened and an elderly lizardman slowly hobbled his way out to us on a cane while a few others helped him walk.
To be honest, I was quite impressed at the lizardman's advanced age. Even though the Green Claw tribe had a few elderly members, we were more of the outliers as not every tribe could afford to take care of their elders. That was in addition to surviving the conflicts our tribes went through.
"Greetings, Traveler and stranger. What business might you have with the Red Eye tribe to appear before us as you have?" The elder lizardman hailed calmly.
"Greetings, elder." I said with a nod of respect, "I am the Traveler, Zaryusu Shasha. With me is my friend and ally, Kashia Blanc. We wished to speak with the Chief of the Red Eye tribe about a beneficial proposal of alliance."
The elder gave me a nod of understanding, "If this is the case, then we shall escort you to the one who leads us and let them decide."
I gave another respectful nod, "Thank you, elder." I gave a look to Kashia and the pair of us came to an unspoken agreement before walking together through the gates and onto the wooden platform rising out of the water on stilts. We slowly followed behind the elder and his escort as they took us across the village.
All the while, members of the Red Eye looked at us with curiosity or suspicion. Yet, most of this attention was directed at Kashia due to her unique species. While they've likely heard of or seen the rare traveling human before, they've never seen what appeared to be a human with the ears and nine tails of a fox. Compared to her, I looked normal.
"Not the most cheery bunch, are they?" Kashia asked quietly. I understood what she meant as I felt that there was a dourness among this tribe. The only question was what must have caused it?
"I feel it, too. We could probably ask their Chief about it. Perhaps try to aid them with whatever is causing it since that could help to smooth over talks." I responded back.
It was only a little longer before the elder stopped before a hut, slightly larger than the others. He then turned to us, "The one who leads us waits within."
With another shared look, Kashia and I went inside to begin our meeting. The moment I stepped inside, I found myself frozen in place as I looked upon an image of absolute beauty.
Smooth white scales, the color of the purest snow. It was only interrupted by the light-red, almost pink, markings that wrapped around her neck, torso, and limbs. This didn't tarnish the beauty of her scales, it only enhanced them.
Her eyes gleamed like rubies in the darkness of the hut, almost making me lose myself within the inquisitive intelligence hidden within. A necklace of jewels wrapped around her neck, adding further color to her body as an orange shawl traced in yellow patterns rested across her shoulders.
"Greetings, visitors. My name is Crusch Lulu and I am acting chieftain of the Red Eye tribe." Crusch said, her voice like a song that I felt ended too early.
"Hello, Crusch. My name is Kashia Blanc. It's a pleasure to meet you." Kashia said, though her voice seemed almost like background noise as I continued to gaze upon perfection that seemed to have been perfectly crafted by the gods.
Her tail moved slightly, like a charmed serpent as I noticed her expression become one of slight sadness. Yet, why should the epitome of beauty ever be sad?
"I see, even the bearer of Frost Pain, one of the Four Great Treasures, looks upon my bizarre body with disgust." Crusch said with a trained acceptance before I felt myself walk towards her without thought in my actions. Crusch's ruby eyes gazed at me with confusion, "W-What are you doing? Is something the matter?"
In what was possibly moments, but felt like an eternity to me, I found myself sitting on my knees in front of the beautiful woman before me. Then, without any conscious choice, a high-pitched mating cry erupted from my throat.
I found myself absolutely mortified as I saw Crusch's hands cover her mouth in shock. Then, I heard Kashia giggling behind me, but I ignored it as I gazed at those ruby eyes, "I-I'm…uh…p-please excuse me for a-any offense I may have given." I said in apology as I felt my tail shoot up straight into the air in the beginnings of a courting ceremony.
This was embarrassing beyond measure, yet, at the same time, I noticed that Crusch's snowy tail matched mine like a mirror. Did I just doom these talks before they even started? Or did Crusch feel what I did as well?
"It-It is fine, Zaryusu of the Green Claw. As acting chief of the Red Eye, s-such an o-outburst does not offend me." Crusch said. She knows my name?
Actually, of course she would know my name, considering that I bear Frost Pain. But…she knew my name. It was…
"Both of you have come to my village today," Crusch said, nodding to both me and Kashia who now sat next to me. How did I not notice her do that? "But I'm not fully certain as to what your goal for visiting today is."
"Marry me." I blurted out with complete sincerity. I think that Kashia might've been snickering at me, but all of my focus was on the shocked expression of the snow-white beauty in front of me as she looked at me, almost frozen like a painted image.
"What?! M-Marry you?" Crusch said as the weight of my words finally caught up to her. She quickly covered her mouth with a gasp and a slight redness covered the scales over her snout.
At the same time, I finally understood what I had asked and became embarrassed once more. "I-I mean-what we arrived here to ask was if your tribe would be open to-to joining Kashia's alliance." I explained quickly, before adding, "But I am serious about my proposal to you."
"Y-You must be joking, right?" Crusch asked as her tail wagged back an forth in the air, an action I unconsciously matched with my own. "W-We have only j-just met…"
"Yet, I cannot deny falling in love with you as soon as my eyes set upon your form." I admitted as my heart quickened. "B-But feel free to answer at a later date when we get to know one another better." I added, trying to avoid foisting such a heavy request upon her until she felt ready for it.
"Know each other?" Crusch asked almost without thought, yet I found my voice had all but left me in that moment, leaving me frozen, like the ice from Frost Pain. "It's just that I find it surprising that you don't find revulsion or disgust when looking at my body like others might. You see, once in a while, an albino like myself is born into the Red Eye tribe with an aptitude for a Talent. It is part of the reason that albinos can become the second-in-command of the tribe. For instance, my Talent gives me an aptitude for priestly abilities."
"That's interesting, Crusch. Has it always been albinos that have been born with talents or do all children born from albinos have talents?" Kashia asked with curiosity, making Crusch ponder the question.
"From what I can recall correctly, the children of albino lizardmen born without the trait have a fifty percent chance of inheriting a Talent, while those born with albinism always have a Talent. It just doesn't happen that often since most lizardmen view albinos with some disgust." Crusch answered
"Your scales are the beautiful color of freshly fallen snow on the peaks of mountains." I interjected. Crusch's tail smacked against the reed-covered floor of the hut.
"Beautiful?!" She asked nervously.
"Without question." I answered. "But we-we should get back on topic about our offer." I said quickly after, "As I'm sure you've noticed, a massive stone tree stands in the Great Lake of Tob."
Crusch nodded in agreement, "We witnessed it rise from the lake, yet we didn't send anyone to scout as we were uncertain as to what might happen were we to send any of our people to investigate." She explained.
"Then to explain it, I must tell you of a goddess that came to the Green Claw tribe and offered us aid so that we wouldn't need to worry about food or attacks. In an effort to prove her ability, she created the massive stone tree within a few minutes." I summarized.
"An actual goddess visited you and did this?! That just seems so impossible." Crusch said with a tone of slight disbelief. She wasn't wrong about how impossible this seemed. For the past few weeks, I've been witness to everything I had once thought impossible be made possible.
"Honestly, that feat wasn't really difficult for me to accomplish." Kashia casually admitted next to me, "If you want difficult, try organizing an ever-expanding village of multiple races while also preventing a nearby human city from discovering it."
Crusch's ruby eyes widened as they turned to look at Kashia. "Y-You're saying that…"
"I am a goddess who conjured that tree, yes." Kashia said with a friendly smile, "I'm also here to help you and your tribe, if you're open to accepting my aid."
Crusch began to breathe quickly as she heard this before attempting to regain her composure and calm herself. "By aid, Miss Kashia, what would you want in return? And this is if I fully believe your claims."
"If you truly need aid, then I am willing to give it to you at no cost." Kashia answered with a smile, "I'd be overjoyed if you and your people were willing to join my settlement like the Green Claw, but if not, then it is no bother to me."
"If my people and I weren't open to joining your settlement, why help us? What is it that you gain from helping us?" Crusch asked with reasonable suspicion.
"Knowledge in the fact that there is one less group suffering in the world. From what I've been told by Zaryusu of the problems that not just the Green Claw tribe, but that all the lizardman tribes have faced is constant famine and starvation." I decided to add to Kashia's words with my own after she said this.
"Crusch, before I met Kashia, I was attempting to test out an innovation that I discovered while traveling outside the lake and forest called a fishery before another famine occurred. This innovation was to create a sustainable method to harvest fish, yet it would take some time before the efforts of my labor bore fruit. Thankfully, Kashia arrived and was willing to both give me the resources to greatly expand this operation and feed my people in the meantime." Saying this, I pulled a small fish from my satchel, about four inches long.
I noticed Crusch's ruby eyes quickly flit to the fish in my hands with a hungry look. A look I was very familiar with during my life in the Green Claw. "Kashia, would you?" I asked.
One of her golden tails snaked over to me until its tip hovered above the fish. Then, a circular array of magic appeared over the fish and we watched as the small fish grew to a massive proportion of four feet. I watched as Crusch's jaw dropped at the feat of magic.
"Is that permanent?" She asked with amazement.
"Yes. Additionally, I can provide the Red Eye with salt to preserve your food if requested." As Kashia said this, a small pillar of salt grew a foot in front of where Crusch was sitting.
The beautiful snow-scaled woman hesitantly picked up the small salt pillar and gained a thoughtful twinkle in her eyes. It was pleasing to note that Crusch was considering this as her tail slowly moved back and forth behind her.
"During the warring times, the Red Eye was the only tribe that abstained from the final battle." Then, Crusch's tail stopped moving and she set the salt pillar down as her expression hardened, "We had lost all taste for fighting and starved rather than kill our own kind."
"I remember that your tribe didn't take part. But how did your tribe survive without any food? Was it in part because of your priestly abilities?" I asked curiously.
"No. Instead, our Chief arrived to us after being gone for a few hours with fresh meat. At the time, none of us knew where he attained that meat, but we did have a suspicion. Yet, we were all too hungry to care. It always happened after a family was expelled from the village."
A look of shame crossed Crusch's face as I also suspected what it was that she spoke of. "Cannibalism?" I asked. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Kashia had stiffened upon hearing this.
"We pretended that we didn't know what it was as another family would be expelled, and the Chief would come back with more meat." Crusch admitted, "Eventually, this came to a head as we couldn't ignore what we all knew, so we mutinied against the Chief under my banner as I was the second-in-command.
Even with our greater numbers, the Chief didn't back down to the very end. When I struck the final blow against him, instead of rage and anger, he gave me a smile of warmth and happiness, and I understood what he had done."
I tried to think of what reason would make the former chief of the Red Eye so happy. "And what was it that he did?" I asked as I couldn't fit the pieces together just yet.
"Our tribe was brought closer together after the conflict, and our heavily shrunken numbers made it so that food was not the issue that it once was." She answered and I finally understood.
"He performed the most hated actions in order to villainize himself so that you wouldn't suffer the guilt of what you'd all done. He saved your tribe at the most extreme cost." I summarized.
Crusch's ruby eyes looked to the floor as she nodded her head. "Yes. He made himself into the villain to protect us all. And even though I despise the actions he was forced to take, I respect why he did it and find myself unable to hate him. Yet, I still wonder if there may have been another way?"
I gave Crusch a nod of understanding, "None of us mortals are omniscient or omnipotent when faced against such choices. If the Green Claw had been put in the same situation as your tribe, we may have done exactly the same as you.
We can't change the past, but we can take what we learn from our prior failures and regrets to make a better future." I consoled which made Crusch raise her head to me.
"And yet, I still live with the disgrace of what we all did." Crusch replied with self-loathing evident in her tone.
"I do not see a disgraceful woman before me. I see a beautiful soul leading her tribe away from their past actions." I retorted to dispel her self-deprecating words.
Crusch gasped at what I said before she blushed and smiled, "I thank you for your compliments. You have a way with words." She said, making me smile as my tail softly moved back and forth in appreciation.
"Crusch," Kashia began, "trust me when I say that I've seen some of the most unspeakable actions in my life, especially so in desperation. Quite a few of the ones who performed said acts didn't think twice about what they did. The fact that you and your tribe hold regret and wish to be better already puts you as immeasurably greater than others." The white-scaled lizardman seemed surprised at the goddess' words, but also appreciative.
But what Kashia said next was something I found unexpected, "Besides, one of the most horrible ways to test the limits of someone's desperation is to make them starve. I know what it's like to live off of less than the bare minimum needed to survive. The constant pain of an empty stomach that makes you so desperate to relieve that you'll eat dirt and mud just to make it go away. The way you can both see and feel yourself wasting away as the body eats itself to persist a little longer."
The dark look in Kashia's eyes told me exactly how acquainted she was with starvation. It made me wonder what must've forced a goddess to endure such a harrowing experience?
"I won't judge others when they are forced to endure such pain. It also makes me more than willing to help prevent others from having to experience it."
Crusch seemed to look at Kashia with what almost seemed like a sense of kinship. "You went through such hardship as well?" Crusch asked.
"Yes, I did. Back when I was younger and a lot less powerful."
"It seems that mortals and gods can face similar hardships to one another. Thank you for telling me this." Crusch said in appreciation, "Zaryusu, as it was said earlier that the Green Claw lives in a settlement created by Kashia, what could you tell me about it from your personal experience?"
"It is called Haven-Lake. It originally was only inhabited by goblins and hobgoblins until it gained ogres and trolls. Then, humans and elves arrived, followed by the Green Claw tribe, and then kitsune which are Kashia's people. It doesn't have any discrimination against races and it's steadily growing as more people join.
Because there isn't an innate worry of safety with the walls and protectors guarding it, or food as, while Kashia helps to bolster our supplies, we're able to focus on growing our own. Since joining, the Green Claw hasn't needed to focus on surviving and can now look towards the growth of our people." I explained to help convince the beautiful woman before me.
"What about leadership?"
"While Kashia is in charge overall, there is a council formed from leaders of the multiple different groups in Haven-Lake that help decide policy. Kashia doesn't usually disagree with the council's decisions unless it might be bad for Haven-Lake's long-term health." As I said this, a look of interest grew in Crusch's ruby eyes.
"Would it be possible for me to see Haven-Lake for myself before I made any decision?" Crusch asked, "The prospect of it does sound tempting, but I have to confirm it beforehand."
"That's more than fair, Crusch." I replied with a smile.
['Princess' Renner]
Sitting behind my desk in my study, I watched as my newest 'maid' opened the door to my study and let in my latest guests. She was a very beautiful woman who fit into the dress of her uniform teasingly well. She stood three inches taller than me, boosted another inch with her shoes.
On the topic of her uniform, it appeared just like any of the other maids' within the castle. Yet, there were a few customized touches to it that were expertly hidden on it, such as the hooks on the inside of the skirt going down the side of her right leg that could easily be undone to provide more freedom of movement for her leg. Another was a small flap at the back of her dress at the tailbone which was hidden under the bow tying her apron.
My maid had a heart-shaped face filled with beautiful features and a pair of intelligent red eyes hidden behind a pair of gold spectacles. She had long pink hair done up into a braided bun with her side bangs freely going down to her chest.
This maid was known as Suzanna Zorra by the rest of the castle; a beautiful 'human' woman that I had hired recently as my personal maid and assistant. In truth, her name was Tsunami, a kitsune that Kashia had left to protect me from any future threats that were likely to come for me the further my bid for the throne went.
Tsunami had been ordered by Kashia to protect me and follow all of my commands. It was very interesting to be in command of a being that Kashia said was more powerful than adamantite-plate adventurers.
Upon first meeting Tsunami, I was almost instantly able to recognize a few things about her. She was absolutely romantically infatuated with the goddess, obsessed even. And this was just my first observation from watching all her body language and reactions to what Kashia did. That was only the simple facet of her personality.
It was when our eyes met that I fully understood. Tsunami was just like me and she knew that I was just like her. And yet, we both knew that Kashia didn't have a single clue about either of us.
That was an interesting conversation the pair of us had after Kashia had left…
"Renner." Tsunami said with a knowing grin that was visible behind a translucent pink.
"Tsunami." I said with the rare smile of my true personality towards another living being.
I watched as the pink-haired woman slowly walked up to me. At the time, before she began wearing her maid uniform, she had arrived wearing a suspiciously similar outfit to Kashia's, minus the hat. Yet, the skirt was much shorter, the dress was more revealing, and it was all colored a pink darker than her hair.
"I feel we shouldn't mince words, Renner; one who was gifted a cup of my beautiful Kashia's blood to drink. Even with the ring you wear to hide the proof of my Kashia's gift, I can still see the overflowing devotion in you eyes. Some of it is towards my Kashia, but the rest is to another." She said while stroking my cheek. "Who is it that dominates your devotion so readily?"
For once, I felt no fear of reprisal from being perfectly honest with the pink kitsune as I knew that she would never tell another soul, just as she knew that I wouldn't either. We both were at a standoff which I found exciting instead of worrying.
"My Climb. He is the one that I want to own in body, mind, and soul. And I will have it." I gave Tsunami a look of amusement, "But I find it interesting that you refer to your princess as 'my Kashia'." I answered with a musing of my own.
"That's because she is my Kashia. She is beautiful and perfect in every way imaginable. I love her mother, Inari, but when my beautiful princess summoned me into this realm and I laid my eyes on her, I knew that she was the one destined to be my mate!" Tsunami then gave a huff of disappointment, "Yet, she has currently chosen a human as her mate."
"And what do you plan to do about it?" I asked a little intrigued. Tsunami gave me an amused look before laughing.
"I hope you don't think I plan to kill the man, do you? I could never upset my beautiful Kashia like that. Instead, I'll just wait." She answered with a smug smile.
I rose a questioning eyebrow at this, "You'll just wait? Why would that be?" I asked.
"You humans have extraordinarily short lives. In but the blink of an eye, you'll die after a mere century or so. And while there are methods of achieving immortality, I'm very certain that her human mate could be convinced to not use them. And even if that wasn't the case, I can just watch and wait since no one is perfect, least of all the mate my Kashia has chosen.
One day, he'll screw up and hurt my Kashia. On that day, I'll be there to comfort her and give her all the love she could ever want."
At Tsunami's mention of immortality, I became incredibly interested, something that she took notice of. With a smile, the pink kitsune leaned close to me, "Oh, something I said which my mistress has taken interest in?"
"You already know." I answered, "There's a method that would allow me to be with my Climb forever?"
Tsunami rested both of her arms around my shoulder like a lover might, "Quite a few, inquisitive 'Queen-to-be'." She answered before a wide grin split her face, "But a lot of them are so boring. No, the best method is to become a kitsune. You get an immortal lifespan, stronger with age, Inari-blessed looks, more pleasure in all the right ways."
Tsunami looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Possibly using [Wish Upon a Star] could do it, but that has risks. Some impossibly rare items not of this realm could be used, but you might die of old age before getting a whiff of their locations. Finally, Lady Inari, and eventually my Kashia once she becomes strong enough, can simply transform you without issue. But, as goddesses, that requires one specific thing to be done by mortals beforehand…"
"Worship." I finished, receiving a nod from Tsunami. What a unique idea, completely abandoning my humanity and obtaining immortality with my Climb. The only trade off being that I needed to spread worship of Kashia and her mother. Yet, such an endeavor wasn't that difficult to perform. I already had an entire operation in place to aid the commoners which did wonders for the public's perception of me.
Readjusting some of my charity works or creating some new ones, all under the name of the Fox Princess, would rapidly gain her goodwill and worship if done correctly. For instance, aside from Re-Estize, I originally only needed to open up a charity in Re-Blumrushr, Re-Beauleuror, and E-Pespel to have knowledge of my altruism spread across the entire kingdom at a quick enough pace due to the operations being spread between the cities and towns.
From there, the goodwill from the people allowed me to convince Father to increase his aid to me, eventually allowing me to spread a charity in each of the cities. Once completed, it was simple work in making the charities self-sustaining before I let them run by themselves, all the while collecting the goodwill of the people due to my name being attached to them.
Creating a new charity in the Fox Princess' name is easy. What would take more work is handling the church as they would take immediate issue in a new religion spreading. But one convenient aspect about the Church of the Four Great Gods is that the Head Priests of the church were all located within the city's grand temple. That made it much easier to deal with them in one fell swoop.
But this also meant that I could strike the heads of the church in one fell swoop. But that would take some planning to pull off.
Killing all of them was one option. It would certainly cause a measure of chaos in the church as all of their priests and such would be focused on reorganizing their leadership or investigating the cause of their deaths. But that was only a stop-gap at best.
The chaos would subside within a month or two, and they'd likely retaliate against the only suspect at hand; the newly growing Order of the Fox Princess. Too many issues would come from that.
No, the best method to weaken the strength of the church was to attack their legitimacy. Break the faith of the church, and all of their followers would leave in droves. And what better way of breaking faith than to show its preachers being corrupt with evidence, fabricated or otherwise?
"Already assembling a plan to help our goddess?" Tsunami asked.
"Of course. I'll just need some time to iron out the details and assemble the pieces together. The faster I do so, the faster that my goddess gets empowered and I get to be with my Climb forever." I answered.
"Wonderful."
As I watched 'Suzanna' stand aside at the door with her head head bowed, I couldn't help but find some amusement at the role she was playing. A powerful kitsune that could slaughter this entire castle, and she was acting like a simple submissive maid. There was no doubt that she found this role amusing as well.
It was a game to her, and Tsunami enjoyed every minute of it.
The first to step through the doorway was my Climb, leading the adventuring group Blue Roses after him. While I had seen the group from a distance, I had never personally interacted with them before. Yet, I had read up enough about each of the women to get a good picture of them.
The first to step in was the group's leader, Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra. Some would call her quite beautiful, with long blonde hair, bright green eyes, a lovely face and figure in an expensive pink dress. An outfit one would wear when meeting with those of a higher class, not when adventuring.
It appears Lakyus prefers courtly decorum unlike her teammates.
From what I know of Lakyus' history, she was a noblewoman that readily took to the life of an adventurer. During this, she had attained one of the Swords of Darkness called Kilineiram the Demonic Sword. Shame that I didn't get to see it up close today.
Then again, from the other bits of information I've learned about her, she has to constantly mentally battle the sword into submission to prevent it from possessing her. Perhaps it was a good idea that she left the blade behind in this meeting. It wouldn't do for Tsunami to execute my future employee when we've only just met.
The next, most noticeable, member of their group was the extremely muscled and tall blonde woman in heavy crimson plate. Her name was Gagaran. I didn't need to have intelligence or the ability to read people to know a boisterous and talkative personality when I saw it. Her blue eyes scanned the room with interest, though I had to hide my scowl of anger as her eyes lingered on my Climb for too long.
Hopefully, she doesn't do anything that would require me to permanently 'fix'.
Following Gagaran were a pair of identical twins. Both women had hazel, almost orange, eyes with their blonde hair held up into ponytails. The pair both wore orange scarves and trousers, dark leather breastplates, and mesh underneath it all. Both were almost impossible to tell apart if not for the blue on the scarf and pants of one and the red on the other.
There were named Tina and Tia, and from what I knew of them, they were former assassins turned adventurers. From what I could tell of their body language, both were quickly observing the room for traps, enemies, and escapes. Additionally, it was exceedingly easy to tell that both had already come up with numerous plans on how to kill me, my Climb, and Tsunami if it came to it.
Yet, from the way it seemed, they weren't even planning my death intentionally, just as an ingrained habit. Perhaps I might have some use of them for specific jobs that could be accomplished at a later time. At least, if I could get the rest of Blue Roses onboard since it was easy to tell their loyalty.
After all, they could probably earn more money by taking assassination missions rather than adventuring jobs. Yet, they remained in Blue Roses instead. That meant something greater than money tied them to the group.
Finally, the last of their members stepped in. She was a woman of short stature that was completely encased within a crimson cloak while her face was covered in a white mask with a few black decorative lines. The only visible part of the woman was her long blonde hair that fell from her hood. This was the most mysterious member of the group, Evileye.
It was incredibly difficult to find anything on the elusive woman. All I know is that she's a powerful mage.
Oddly enough, instead of studying me or my study, her attention seemed to hover on 'Suzanne' for a few moments before Evileye finally followed after the rest of her companions.
Putting on the expression of a star-struck princess, I spoke, "Ah, Blue Roses, it's such a pleasure to finally meet all of you!"
"The same could be said of you, your Highness." Lakyus replied with a respectful curtsy. "We never would have expected to personally be requested by the Golden Princess herself."
"Regardless, I'm honored that great heroes like yourselves took the time to hear my humble request. For that, I thank you all." I said like a shy princess before her idols. I was happy to note that Lakyus and Gagaran looked at ease, yet the twins and Evileye still seemed unreadable.
"That's quite the praise to be given by royalty. Thanks, your Highness." Gagaran said with a wide grin.
"If I may be so bold to ask, how might Blue Roses be able to help you? I assume that what you need from us doesn't fall in the realm of a normal job." Evileye surprisingly spoke up and asked. It appears that she's the more inquisitive one of the bunch.
"You are correct to assume that this urgent request of mine doesn't fall into the normal realm of typical jobs." I answered, "But before I tell you, I must request that you keep what is heard to yourselves."
This caused a weighted seriousness to fall upon the room. "Not a word of what you say shall be heard by any outside this room, your Highness. That is something we can promise." Lakyus answered for the group.
"Thank you." I said with an audible relief, "Two days ago, it was discovered that Father's cousin, Alecto, was the leader of Eight Fingers and that the rest of their organization's leadership was dead or horrifically punished." That statement surprised all of the women as I noticed that even Evileye flinched at hearing this.
"How did this happen, your Highness? We've been on the trail of Eight Fingers for months now, yet we still were unable to get near their leadership." Lakyus asked.
"I make no jest when I say that it was actual divine intervention. An actual goddess called the Fox Princess sent Alecto through a portal of magic into Father's throne room. He had been cursed to speak of everything he knew of Eight Fingers. This was in addition to him being merged into a parody of a golden throne with a crown bound to his head." I was pleased to note how this had captured their interests, especially Evileye's.
"An actual goddess did this?" Gagaran asked aloud. I felt my thumb absentmindedly rub the golden ring on my right index finger as I thought about my goddess.
"Yes. The Fox Princess struck down the entire leadership in one fell swoop. What's more, when the mage that Father sent for to dispel the enchantment on Alecto attempted it, he was unable to do so and said that it was on a level that he didn't know possible.
But even with some doubts on whether Alecto's enchanted words were lies or not, some of it was proven true when a few of Eight Fingers' operations were discovered within the city on Cousin's word." As I said this, I could see the many thoughts going through the minds of the five women.
"If this is the case, then what is it that you need from us, your Highness? It appears that much of the issue with Eight Fingers has already been sorted by this new goddess or will be by the king." Lakyus questioned.
"Therein lies the issue. While Father and the other nobles have learned of the location of multiple operations of Eight Fingers, it is tempered by the continued disbelief of the other nobles and the mire of disagreements on how to act. In that time, what remains of Eight Fingers will have time to reorganize and go into hiding where they can continue to harm the innocent people of the Re-Estize Kingdom."
I put on the appearance of a princess with conviction and added, "While the other nobles might argue over what should be done, I can't sit and wait for action. I have to protect my people! It doesn't matter if they are noble or commoner as I care about ensuring that all of my people can live without the fear of the Eight Fingers' guillotine hanging over their heads!"
Then, I took on the appearance of a girl who was slightly nervous, "I want to do so much for everyone, but I need help to make it happen."
Through the face of desperation I presented, I felt the warmth of satisfaction as the reactions of Blue Roses became sympathetic towards my plight. Then again, it was a given that they would accept my request beyond just the money. Blue Roses was known for hunting down Eight Fingers which made convincing them with my endorsement all the easier. What I really wanted was to spread the news that I was the one to immediately take action against Eight Fingers while the rest of the nobles sat around and delayed any response.
This would help to launch the idea of my competence in the minds of the public, both commoner and noble. That, in turn, helped to establish a legitimacy in comparison to my brothers before I finally took my throne. From there, I would rule the Re-Estize Kingdom as its eternal queen, Maiden of my goddess, Kashia Blanc.
It's odd to think about. Before I drank Kashia's blood and became her Maiden, the only person I cared about in this entire world was my Climb. Yet, after I received that vision of the great white tree with Kashia and what she could become in combination with the pure raw connection I felt with her, this mindset of mine had slightly changed.
Don't misunderstand, nothing could ever be more important than my Climb and how I felt about him. But before, I felt absolutely nothing for anyone else. Even my family was nothing more than people who shared a name and blood with me, with Father taking some slight importance due to his position and what it could give me.
Now, I felt something for another person besides my Climb. It was a strange…warmth. Was it affection? Adoration? Love?
I know that it was nowhere close to what I felt for my Climb, but it was the first time I felt something for another being. It instantly put her above all of my family as they meant nothing in comparison to her. Would this make her the equivalent of familial love, such as a mother, since she was greater than Father? I know that it is not romantic as my Climb will be the only person to ever receive it. But I just don't understand what I felt fully.
Until I have fully understood what it is that I'm feeling, I shall assume that it is familial until proven otherwise. After all, since I felt nothing for Father, then it must be familial. Though it still feels odd to contemplate an emotional connection to anyone other than my Climb.
On another matter involving my consumption of Kashia's blood is my new status as one of her Maidens. From what I was told, they are some of the rare few who consumed Kashia's blood and attained a higher connection with her compared to others, which was represented by glowing golden rings that manifested in one's eyes.
It was after this happened that my sight had changed. When I saw Kashia after the imbibing, I saw golden motes of energy that floated around and into her. The greatest concentration of which was around her nine tails. Yet, oddly enough, there was also a large concentration of these motes that gathered on another, unseen, limb that I watched slowly get larger. Like a phantasmal tail.
It was fascinating to watch.
"Your Highness," Lakyus began, "we would be honored to aid you in subjugating Eight Fingers. They have been an organization that we've been hunting for some time now, and they need to be removed if Re-Estize and her people are to prosper."
Gagaran gave a short laugh and patted her massive war pick, "If you have knowledge of their locations, then I'm excited to hunt down these rats! It's been so frustrating tracking down Eight Fingers because they constantly hide from us like cowards."
"I'm in agreement. A few surgical strikes against Eight Fingers before they know of what happened to their leadership would help to break them into a disorganized mess that would be all the easier to pick apart." Evileye remarked with sound logic.
I put on a grateful expression for the group, "Know that I won't leave this duty to the kingdom unrewarded. You will all receive 40 gold each for the services being rendered." That perked all five of the adventurers up.
"That is a very generous reward, your Highness." Lakyus remarked.
"I see this reward as not being generous enough," I replied. This emotional mummery was more for my Climb's sake than for Blue Roses, though it did aid in endearing me to them, "If I had more gold to give to all of you, then I would. I see the aid and protection of my people as priceless. For now, all I can give you is this humble reward in addition to my eternal gratitude."
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Tsunami smirking in amusement, unseen to everyone else. For her, this was like watching an entertaining play, with the actors all perfectly playing their parts.
"Then we will make certain to not let you down, your Highness. What is it that you would have us do?" Lakyus asked. I nodded and signaled for the adamantite-plates to come to my desk before I pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment from a drawer in my desk.
I swiftly unrolled the parchment and placed a few books at the edges to keep it in place. On it was a map of the kingdom with markings written on it that pointed out locations that Eight Fingers was currently operating from, along with minor details as to what was being done.
My map was exceedingly more detailed than the information that Father had currently obtained from Alecto. Like idiots, he and the other nobles were taking too long to question Alecto, and he only had information on the aspects of the organization that he was aware of. In comparison, Kashia had obtained the knowledge from all the leaders of Eight Fingers and put it down on this map and within a journal that I kept hidden in the secret compartment of my desk.
"These are the locations of numerous operations happening around the kingdom." I explained before pointing to three points marked from the capital at north-west, north-east, and south. "I want to quickly take these two drug farms north of the capital and the black market south quickly.
I have no doubt that news of what has happened will quickly spread, regardless of Father keeping it silent. But if we take these three bases first, that will help to delay news from spreading to other Eight Fingers members."
What the team didn't need to know is that Kashia was already taking out numerous different operations before anyone could react. The map I had on display showed places that I could assault so as to gain fame and credibility for my eventual ascension to queendom.
"Interesting. Have you brought any other teams into this assault or are we moving from location to location?" Lakyus asked.
"I've sent three groups of orichalcum-plates past those spots, with one going north of the capital, another heading north-east, and the last heading south-west." I answered truthfully
Evileye then pointed out a path leading to E-Pespel and E-Rantel. "What of this area? Why is it completely clear of any Eight Finger activity in comparison to the rest of the kingdom?"
"From what's been learned, it's because the Fox Princess already eradicated those bases." Saying this, I pointed to four empty spots that Kashia had informed me of when creating this map.
"At least this goddess works fast. Seems we'll have to race to keep up if we don't want her taking out the three operations you want us on." Gagaran noted, her tone thrumming with excitement over the competition.
"It will probably a good idea for us to start at the black market together before splitting up to take down the drug farms." One of the twins, the girl with blue in her clothing, said.
"That sounds doable. Especially because the two drug farms are close enough together that we can rush to each other's aid in a fast enough manner." Evileye agreed.
"Looks like we have our plan, your Highness. We'll just need to pack up and prepare before leaving within the next two hours." Lakyus stated, finalizing their plan.
"Excellent! Soon, the kingdom will be freed from the awful shadow of Eight Fingers. Thank you all for agreeing to this." I said as the ever-thankful Golden Princess.
"Thank us when we've completed this mission." Evileye answered.
"I'll make certain to thank all of you again once you have finished." I replied with a smile. Everything was going just according to plan.
In a few days, I'll have the knowledge slip among the populace that the Golden Princess used her power and resources to hire adventurers to finish off the threat of Eight Fingers once and for all so she could protect her people. At the same time, it would also be known that, while the Golden Princess was hard at work, Father and the other nobles were all in disagreement over the next course of action.
It would give me the appearance of competence and urgency to fix the kingdom's issues while making the other nobles appear incompetent and slow. Following this, two things would happen.
Barbro, once far enough away and unable to argue against it, will have information leak on his ties to Eight Fingers. That will sour the opinion of the public against him while most nobles would try distancing themselves from the man who had been working for a traitorous and power-hungry cousin of the king.
That last part was a little embellishment I added. From what Kashia told me, Barbro only worked with Hilma who kept his ties to Eight Fingers secret from the others to maneuver a stronger position within the organization. But the possibility that Barbro would try to aid another in treason and kin-killing would be more than enough to extinguish his right to rule.
As for Zanac, he was easy enough to deal with. I'd get him to simply abdicate. Over the years, I've noticed that my older brother is a pragmatic patriot to the kingdom. If I could get him to understand that I am the most competent of the family, and the best choice to ensure the kingdom's prosperity, he'd aid my bid for the throne. If not, then there was the other method.
Tsunami is a powerful mage. In her repertoire of spells was [Control Amnesia]. With her agreement, we had planned to rewrite Zanac's mind to have always been loyal to me. I kept that as my secondary option because editing his memories could be more noticeable to others compared to attaining his sponsorship.
Everything was so simply coming together.
[Unknown]
The sun was beginning to set across the Abelion Hills as my squad and I made our scouting patrol outside the Great Wall. Our reasoning for doing so was because in the past week or two, attacks on the Great Wall had just ceased. There didn't seem to be any obvious reason for this to occur, so we were sent to find out.
I couldn't say for certain what might be going on, but ever since we first ventured out past the wall, I've been getting this uneasy feeling from the pit of my stomach. Yet, I kept my thoughts to myself, especially because the other members of my squad didn't have that fond of feelings for me.
It was best to just keep quiet and follow orders.
At the same time, looking at my squadmates, it was obvious that they felt something was wrong as well. They all tried to hide it, but something didn't feel right. It was hard to decide if I should feel happy that I wasn't going crazy with what I felt or extremely worried that we might all be in danger?
I didn't let my gaze linger long on any of the other soldiers, else they might think that I'm glaring at them. Instead, I looked back towards our captain, the paladin named Francus.
He was completely covered in heavy steel plate, with the only color bleeding through being the blue tabard over his armor and the small bits of brunette hair that poked out from under his helm.
At the start of our mission, Francus had been quite jovial and talkative to each of us, me included. But as time went on, that friendly personality faded until only a serious expression remained on his face.
"Has anyone else noticed how quiet the area is?" Jaspar, a knight well on his way to becoming a paladin, asked. His green eyes scanned the area as his hand rested on the pommel of his sheathed sword.
For once, I decided to speak up, "Yes, sir. There should at least be animals making noise. It's just silence." Glancing at the small hills around us, I couldn't spot a single animal in the area.
"When something has the animals spooked like this, then it usually means that something dangerous has taken nest nearby." Antony stated as he unslung his bow from his shoulder and pulled an arrow out from his quiver in cautious preparation. I followed him and did the same with my own bow.
"Then we're all in agreement that something feels off." Francus said in ominous agreement. "Let's reach the top of the hill up ahead with the dead tree and see if we spot anything from that vantage point. If not, we head back to the wall and come out the next day with a larger squad."
As Francus said this, he pointed to the tall hill ahead of us where what looked to be a red tree, devoid of all leaves, sat. But the further I continued to look at the tree, the more that something seemed wrong about it. But orders were orders.
The sooner we reached the top of the hill, the sooner we could leave. So, I followed everyone else's "Yes, sir!" With that, we quickly began trekking up the hill. By now, Francus had unholstered his mace, a weapon of green mithril, while Jaspar unsheathed his steel sword.
Bit by bit, we made our way up the hill, and as we did so, I noticed some strange red roots poking out from this hill at random intervals. And with the slowly setting sun, I thought that I could see these roots moving.
Perhaps I was seeing things? I hope I was just seeing things.
"Odd plants on the ground. Never seen the like before." Jaspar noted.
"It's a big world, Jasp. Can't see every plant that exists." Antony answered back. The further we got up the hill, the more red roots seemed to cover it. Finally, when we reached the top, Francus stopped in his tracks, an action we all copied.
"By the gods. What is this?" Francus, normally calm and collected, asked in shock and horror. Looking past him, I found my blood run cold.
Up ahead was the red tree, with its twisting roots and branches. Sickeningly, I saw various animals grown into its branches that all seemed alive. Yet, towards the base of this tree of crimson wood and bodies, the tree seemed to have grown out from the body of an orc. Multiple roots and branches had burst from its body, but the worst part about it were the demi-human's eyes.
They looked at us with terror, fully alive!
Looking around the tree, I spotted multiple bundled masses of roots which I could see an arm or a leg sticking out of each. The twitching and slight thrashing of these limbs told me that more orcs had been ensnared by whatever this was and were still alive.
"Everyone, we need to leave, now!" Francus ordered which seemed to trigger immediate chaos. Roots shot out from the ground like spears, aimed at each of us.
Francus stepped aside to avoid the root spear as Jaspar blocked his arboreal attacker with the flat of his sword.
I almost failed to react in time as the pointed end of a root aimed at my head. I managed to jump back quick enough to avoid being impaled before batting the root aside with my bow. But then I heard a cry of pain from Antony and looked over to see a root that had fully pierced through his right breast.
Watching frozen with a mixture of horror and morbid curiosity, I saw the tip of the root poking from his back seem to split into multiple parts before burrowing back into his body. Then, Antony was forcibly yanked off his feet and over to a tiny mound of red roots. He tried fighting against the root and scrabbled to pull out a dagger and start hacking at the plants.
Yet, all of it was in vain as he didn't have enough time before being brought in contact with the mound. The moment his body made contact with that writhing red mass, they sprung out and burrowed into more areas of his body, fully anchoring him as more roots wrapped around his body.
All the while, he screamed in agony until most of his body was fully covered, muffling any further sounds he made. Yet, I could see his left arm sticking out of the cocoon thrash uselessly about.
"NEIA! YOUR LEFT!" Francus' voice pulled me back into the moment and I looked over to see another root strike at me. This time, I wasn't as fast since a blinding pain erupted from my eye as the vision in it went dark. But even through that agony, I managed to pull away quick enough to avoid the root burrowing into me with a grotesque tearing. A scream of pain tore from my throat as I did this.
Warm blood dripped down the left side of my face as I put my hand to the wet and raw wound before forcing myself to look over to the root I just dodged. What I saw filled me with a sense of horror and loss as impaled on the end of the root was what remained of my eyeball and the dangling optic nerve behind it.
A moment later, Jaspar charged over and cut down the root with his sword before it could try and attack me again.
Shakily, I dropped my bow and pulled out my sword as Francus gave a shout, "Get down the hill! I'll cover you both!" Following this, his mace glowed with a white light, "[Smite]!"
Smashing it down on a mass of roots attempting to strike him, they were all quickly obliterated in an instant.
"Let's go, Neia!" Jaspar said as he began moving down the hill with me quickly following after. I slashed down another root aiming for me and hurried my pace. Ahead of Jaspar and I, it seemed that the hill had fully come to life as red roots quickly started springing from the ground.
Jaspar made certain to cut down any roots in our path, and I did my best to strike any roots that escaped his attention. Behind the both of us, I could hear Francus continuing to fight, but I didn't have the chance to look behind and see how he was holding out. I could only trust that, as a paladin, some monstrous plants wouldn't be enough to bring him down.
We were making quick headway down the hill as we fought for our lives. I slashed a root apart as it was about to hit me, yet I suddenly heard Francus scream from behind me and turned back to see our squad leader, a powerful paladin, having been impaled by multiple roots from different directions as he was brought to his knees.
My heart was pounding as I watched Francus continue to try fighting, but I knew that it was over for him. There was nothing I could do for him as he'd share a fate just like Antony.
Turning away from him, I saw, to my horror, as two roots raised up behind Jaspar like a scorpion's tail. I'd let myself be distracted from keeping any stray roots off him, and now he'd suffer for it!
"JASPAR! BEHIND YOU!" I cried out, too late, as the roots impaled him just as he turned towards the threat. That was all it took as more roots took this moment of pause to stab into him and begin growing.
I heard him screaming and thrashing as he was soon cocooned in roots, leaving only me remaining on this hill able to fight.
Yet, I was doomed. Too many roots had grown out at the bottom of the hill, preventing me from moving forwards, and going back up the hill was a death sentence.
My vision was starting to blur as blood continued leaking from my empty eye-socket. More roots were growing around me, and I found myself slowly praying to any of the gods that might be listening to help me. I didn't want to die like this.
Slashing another approaching root, I had to constantly keep turning my head to make up for my missing range of vision. But there were more roots growing than I could fight off.
Please, help me! Someone!
I suddenly heard the loud cawing of a raven as lightning rained down around me and blasted apart any roots nearby. Then, my remaining vision was suddenly surrounded by a wall of black feathers and I felt my consciousness soon leave me.