Chapter 18: Missing Link

I believed her. I could tell that Maelise was being genuine with her words. But for the record, I made it loud and clear that I didn’t want her keeping any secrets from me. I was their blood squire. It was my job to protect them, and I couldn’t do that without full transparency. She apologized, and we made quick amends. She’d even agreed to advise the court to keep Dera-Dera fed routinely at the very least, seeing as they wanted her alive. Soon enough, Maelise was back in her merry spirits. Even so, I had a difficult time getting the war prisoner out of my head…

When we made it back to the main foyer, Lucile was already down the hallway. Maelise caught her attention, while accidently drawing a few eyes my way. A couple girls started to strike up light conversation with me, but shortly after, I started to get swarmed. Four turned to seven, and seven girls turned into a crowd. They were dressing me with gifts; flowers, food, gold, and some extra items for the road.

“You must be prepared to trek our land, blood squire! It can be very unforgiving!”

“Finally, someone who can save our goddess, and slay those forsaken gods!”

“Here, take these nudas!”

“And more ammunition for your shotgun!”

“And food for your travels! Here, I even made you a sash! It’s very durable, and you can store a variety of items in it!”

“Do you want to take my owl on your voyage? His droppings make a good spark for fire!”

“Eh, thanks. But I’m all right.” I did however let the pretty pink-haired siren dress me with the sash she made, and it matched my threads nicely. She stuffed the nudas, my ammo, and the food inside their designated compartments. I was curious to see if my stats updated, and sure enough, it did:

Relo-Stats

…

[Items]

1400 nudas

5 packs of 20 12 gauge bullets [c]

10 snack bars [c]

2 mana restoration vials [r]

Mana: 100/100

I thanked them all, but they kept trying to give me more items to travel with. Until Lucile walked over to us with Maelise, the expression on her face concerned.

The monster girls dispersed without Lucile saying a word, the elegant woman giving me a placid smile. “I am sorry to hear that you haven’t acquired your special abilities, blood squire. It seems that although your weapons are enchanted, they do not possess the means to execute our enemies more effectively.”

“To no fault of your own. I’ll make due.”

“That is unacceptable. Please, I insist that you take one of my skilled elemental mages for your journey to Greed’s country.”

“And leave your castle unprotected?” I smiled. “It seems that you don’t have very much confidence in me, Lady Lucile.”

She chuckled. “Believe me, I do. But you underestimate how important those abilities are. Which isn’t your fault. You haven’t seen the full potential of Relo’s beasts yet. So, how about this. Travel to Zedra, Litheenia. There, you will meet a high alchemist, Pothesly. She’s our local cultivator along the border of our capital’s original location. She will give you a strong weapon to compensate for your lost abilities.”

“What is she cultivating?”

“Enemy souls into weapons.”

Well, I was sorry I asked.

“When you are in the area, make your crest present. Her location is hidden from the public eye. Once she sees the blood squire, she will make herself known.”

“With these two girls, I’m sure I’ll do just fine. But I’ll never deny a new toy to play with.”

She smiled sweetly. “That is good to hear. I fare you safe travels, blood squire. As well for you Maelise, and Lady Faye.”

“Thank you, Lady Lucile,” Faye bowed.

Maelise waved cheerfully. “We are coming back with our goddess! You can count on it!”

The lady of the court acknowledged them, and then she inched closer to me, her intentions unclear. Her face began to heat up, that tender expression on her face finally telling me what she wanted to do. And… I’d let her. There was no harm in letting the lady in the court give me a parting kiss, Maelise clearly disagreeing with a loud cry of protest. She cradled my face lovingly, and when I opened my eyes, I saw how wildly her bushy tail started to sashay back and forth. “For good luck,” she whispered. “I trust that you will come back to us in one piece. It would be a terrible shame to lose someone as brave and bountiful as you.”

“Lady Lucile!” Maelise squealed.

“All right, can we wrap up the farewells? We are on a time constraint, aren’t we?” Faye interjected, the jealousy in her voice not so subtle this time.

++++

We walked down the bridge, with one mission sitting along the horizon—retrieving the goddess of lust. It was an important first step to taking back the land that was once ours. I represented the Litheenian people, and I took that role seriously. Just like I had a responsibility back home to protect those in need, I had a responsibility here to carry out my duty. It just so happened I was killing two birds with one stone—I defeat the gods of sin here, while solving the crisis back in Ebonmere.

“Lady Lucile has eyes for my husband!” Maelise cried as we walked. “What else would she have meant by bountiful? She wants to have your babies!”

“You know, with the shortage of men in Litheenia, I believe that one man having many wives isn’t as strange as you’re making it seem,” Faye said.

“No one ever said it was strange! It is commonplace! That doesn’t mean I have to be okay with sharing my blood squire!”

“You mean Onessa’s blood squire?” Faye chuckled. “Unfortunately, it seems like Butcher is for the entirety of Litheenia, not just you.”

Maelise gave her a dark squinty look. “And do you fall under that jurisdiction, white mage?”

Faye glared at her back. “How many times do I have to tell you that I am not interested in courting your fake husband?!”

“Fake?!”

“Hey, question,” I interrupted their bickering, looking around as I stopped pacing forward. “Exactly how are we going to travel? I doubt Lucile expects us to get far on foot.”

“Of course not! We have wings!” Maelise said enthusiastically. “Look up!” I did as she told me, noticing only one out of the two wyverns circling us. The red one was there, but the blue one was missing. When I looked down to question her about it, I noticed the other wyvern, tucked underneath Faye’s cape, chibi-sized.

Faye yelped as she looked down to notice she had unexpected company. The creature had huge golden snake eyes and a stubby snout, and bluish grey scales from head to toe. Unlike a dragon, it had no front legs, but a barbed tail, and eagle-like claws on the upper joint of its wings.

Okay, I’d admit, the damn thing was sinfully cute.

“Party, meet Pochi! He’s one of Onessa’s pets, and Lady Lucile allowed us to borrow him on our little adventure!”

I noticed he took an immediate liking to the priestess mage. Even after Faye brushed him off, he pitter pattered closer to her on the bridge with his wide feet, sniffing and circling along her boots.

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“Ahh! He’s sizing up his meal!” Faye cried.

“How did he get so small?” I asked Maelise.

“Onessa’s wyverns have the special ability to do that. He can shrink and return back to his normal size at his own will. All we have to do is give him a command. Pochi is very obedient like that. More than Mamome.”

I snickered. “Well, it’s good to have him on the team.”

“I am not riding that thing! Especially not airborne!” Faye protested.

“Well, it’s either that, or you expose yourself walking on foot. Either way, your stubbornness will be dangerous for you and the party,” I snipped back at her. “Just accept Pochi’s assistance. Besides, he likes you.”

Pochi glanced up to Faye with those big yellow eyes and cooed a purr that seemed to have melted Faye’s heart. He flapped his wings like a bird taking a dirt bath, then shook his head vigorously, flinging the small gnats away.

Well, I was pretty sure that adorable gesture sold her.

She went cherry-faced, cupping her cheeks with a soft, “Awww!” The wyvern had bird and cat characteristics, warming the feisty lady’s cold soul. Faye scooped him up, Pochi wagging his barbed tail happily. The darn thing even gave her an appreciative baby flame burp.

“You better take good care of him, Faye! These wyverns are our goddess’s children!”

“Aren’t you the cutest little thing?” Faye sang, cradling Pochi in her arm as she stroked his scaly head.

“Now we wait for Nayla. She will transport us back to Litheenian grounds.”

“Right. I had almost forgotten how we’d gotten here in the first place,” I said.

“A moving capital is something that takes time to get used to. Trust me. Same as learning the nation’s names. You already know Lady Lust’s nation is called Litheenia. Pride’s nation is called Aganthago, Greed’s Bydo, Wrath’s Reggadon, Envy’s Pazethra, Gluttony’s region is called Ugammu, and Sloth’s is called Pyrum. All the regions form a geographic circle around Lucifer’s island, Naatos.”

Remembering those names was going to be a challenge, wasn’t it?

Just as she said that, I heard galloping at a distance, closing in from behind us. “I’m so sorry I’m late! I overslept. Last night patrol took a toll on me!” She panted, then straightened her back and ogled me. “It’s good to see you again, Knives!”

“Likewise.”

“And Faye,” she grinned ear to ear. “Looks like you’re doing fine as well. You found yourself a pet?”

“Yes, something she can’t flex that bitter tone at,” I sassed, Faye too busy smothering Pochi to snap me a cold comment.

“I don’t have time for your witty remarks, Butcher.”

“See? She’s in her happy place. Looks like we were really the ones who lucked out.”

Nayla giggled. “I heard she’s a white mage now. I wish I could accompany you, blood squire, but I am needed at the capital.”

“I appreciate the offer, Nayla, but don’t abandon your post for me. We’ll get Lady Lust back. In your patrol, did you find anything worth noting?”

“Nothing I haven’t seen before.” She sighed. “Looks like the inland regions have been getting hit pretty hard. But Lady Lucile just told me that you are traveling toward Zedra.”

“That’s not too far from the original Litheenian capital site,” Maelise reminded me.

“Yes, which is where the heat is coming from.”

“Which force?” Maelise asked.

“Wrath’s.”

“Damn it!” she wailed.

“I take it that’s better than Pride or Greed, though,” I said.

She sighed. “Yeah, but not by much. What an unfortunate coincidence that he’d have his soldiers in the same town where we’re headed to.”

“We’d clash with them eventually.”

“But without your special traits, it will be even harder for us,” Maelise said.

“No special abilities?” Nayla repeated.

Maelise grimaced. “Long story.”

I turned to Nayla. “What are their levels looking like?”

“Low mostly,” she replied, then gave me a satisfied expression. “Sounds like one of our girls showed you the ropes?”

“The basics at least, yeah. Maelise showed me how to check my stats out.”

“I didn’t get very close, because my duties remain along the border of Litheenia. Still, I saw a few of them. But I’m still trying to wrap my head around your predicament here. As a blood squire, you entered Relo-Hell, and your presence here enchanted your weapons, allowing you to kill demons, something you couldn’t do on Earth. So maybe if you visit the Essera—”

“Tried it,” Maelise interjected. “Personally, I didn’t think it was required, but I guess it made sense why it would. When we Litheenians took from the Essera, we were appointed our specialties. I thought that my Serrian had only needed to be blessed with Lady Lust’s Kiss for his special moves to populate.”

Nayla gave Maelise a judgmental look. “Your Serrian?”

Maelise flashed her a snobbish smile. “Anyway, the only difference with my hubby here is that his section was locked from the very beginning. Unlike ours, which was just empty. The binding ring glowed regardless, but it remains locked.”

“Maybe it needs a trigger,” Nayla said.

“If so, we have no idea what it is,” I followed.

“Well, you better brainstorm on it fast. Because there’s no way Onessa’s legendary knight came unstrapped to save us from hell! The concept is just ludicrous!”

“Maybe it’s something right under our noses…” I said, musing. “Well, whatever the case, we can’t wait on it. Time is already against us. There’s only a few regions left unturned in Litheenia, right? We need to move.”

“I’m hoping that Pothesly’s sword can hold you over until then,” Nayla said with faith shimmering in her big eyes. “I believe in you, Knives of Earth! This is the beginning of a very promising future for us Litheenians, and the start of a great chapter for all of us! Do our goddess’s work with pride, and let her power course through you, making you stronger!”

Nayla clapped twice and moved us, our Peacekeeper transporting my party to the outskirts of Litheenia.

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