Chapter 17: Tiamat's Goal
The snake pounced on the nearest adventurer and bit him. Hard. Its fangs piercing his feeble skin and penetrated his flesh as deep as they could. Which, considering that it was still a rather small snake with equally small fangs, not that deep.
The adventurer in question screamed, trashed, trying to remove the snake from his leg once he saw the wiggling baby blue length attached to his left calf.
"G-get that shit off of me!" He yelled to his partner in crime. His expression was one of more annoyance than pain, evidence that its bite did little damage to the adventurer. However, his frowned eyebrows soon relaxed. In fact, his whole body relaxed, as the poison stored in the snake's fangs affected him. He drooled, and he slurred, before dropping to the ground, his body spasming.
"W-what the fuck is that?!" The other adventurer finally acted, trying to stomp the blue snake onto the ground, but it was too late. It let go of the leg of the downed one, and dodged the incoming strike, slithering away with a speed that surprised the adventurer, still cognizant of his environment. It seemed contemplative for a second, watching the thrashing body of the adventurer on the ground.
The adventurer who was occupied pinning Lili's arms to the ground made a grave mistake, as the young pallum liberated herself and bit his arm the moment she could reach him.
Another scream of pain. As Lili used every ounce of strength in her jaw to bite him, drawing blood before his fist hit her. She endured the pain, her head throbbed, but she kept hanging on his arm, as his fist came crashing down onto her head once more. She felt dizzy, but she kept tightening her jaws. The disgusting sound of the flesh separating was like a beautiful song to her ears. A weighty metallic taste registered in her brain as her mouth felt a liquid spill out of the wound around her lips.
Lili didn't know why she was doing it. She should have run away the moment she could. She really should have.
The humiliation… It wasn't the first time she had to deal with this sort of behavior. She had her money stolen a lot throughout the years. So why now? Lili didn't know. All she knew was the overwhelming need for revenge, to do anything she could to inflict pain on these men. It was a deep and entrenched urge that she hid in her heart—until now. And it burst forth, in the form of pulsing wrath. A wrath that allowed her to ignore the buzz in her head each time she was hit by this bastard. She closed her eyes and frowned as she used her hands to protect her head from the flutter of blows.
She relished in the disgusting metallic taste because it made her aware of her enemy's pain. It felt like the impulse that enveloped her, burning hot.
The snake, of course, didn't waste the window of opportunity the pallum offered. It dashed towards his leg. Its figure was but a blur as the friction of its body on the ground created a very brief slithering sound, like the ruffling clothes of someone that didn't want to be noticed. The blue length approached the cotton-covered calf of the man trying to get the pallum off of his arm. But it missed.
The adventurer was well aware of the threat it represented, so he jumped away, far enough it proved that he was beyond what normal humans could do. Lili was still biting him, but the suffering of having the small pallum crushing his forearm was not distracting him from the small blue snake looking at him with piercing and slitted purple eyes.
A chill went down his spine as his body experienced an involuntary shiver echoing the spasms his friend was undergoing, babbling incomprehensible sounds that just ended up with him drooling all over himself.
"S-stop biting me you damned brat!" His face warped in fury, the adventurer recoiled when pressure by the snake's cold gaze. Bravado crumbling away in front of the snake, his face cycled through anger and fear. His shaking leg contrasted with his tightened fists, as another came crashing down on Lili.
The small supporter held no doubt this was a monster in his mind. No normal animal could act this way or be strong enough to affect an adventurer. Even if they were only level 1.
And that knowledge scared her. The bastard's breathing sped up, as his eyes flickered between Lili and the snake. He wanted to run, that much was obvious, but Lili stuck to him like a hungry leech, and the signs of weakness he was displaying only strengthened her determination.
Her tired jaw collapsed harder on his arm, drawing no more than a quiet hiss of pain from him, due to the proximity of the snake. Like a ringing noise in the back of her mind, Lili, acknowledge that she could not hold for long, a dull ache spreading from the back of her mouth. However, she couldn't afford to run away either, not without turning her back to the snake. But it was a monster that escaped the dungeon. A monster that she had never seen before, the danger was too great.
The adventurer paused, and his breath hitched. Soon, a chuckle escaped his mouth, his laughter rendering his agony null. Lili's clenched mouth weakened and started to slip away, blood and saliva dripping from her. She hanged from him, her feet kicking up in the air, as the crushing pressure on his arm faded slowly.
He chuckled harder, his eyes laser-focused on the blue snake slithering closer and closer to him. The blue snake hissed, her tongue flicking up and down. Its head lowered almost to express wariness, and its wiggling slowed down. Its eyes traveled on his body, searching for something—anything.
Lili observed the snake, which looked alarmed by the abrupt change in demeanor from the bastard. Before she could ponder more on the matter, she stop another fist from reaching her head.
The snake hissed, its body jerking ahead at the same time, in a manner that had the adventurer take several steps back. Steps that the blue snake followed, taking her time.
Lili, her jaw not able to support the exertion anymore, had to release the adventurer's forearm—she blocked to the best of her ability the kick she was subjugated to the moment she did so. She raised both of her arms and felt the blow shake her body before she was sent crashing into the wall behind her. Something broke, a sickening crushing sound evacuating from her body the moment her back impacted the sturdy brick wall.
This bastard had always been know for his kicks after all.
The moment his leg hit Lili's arms, the snake attacked. This time, the adventurer did not have the space to dodge, nor was reflexive enough to do so. He had underestimated the snake's speed because he managed to jump out the first time. However, this time, the snake used a way to propel herself forward faster than ever, catching him off guard. He was bitten. Two small and prickly fangs of the snake pierced his flesh, and a freezing liquid entered his body.
The hollowness of the snake's sharp fangs matching how the adventurer felt just a couple of seconds after, his mind becoming an incoherent mess.
The adventurer's body crashed down at the same time as Lili's. She coughed, trying to fill her lungs with her at the same time because the blow took all the air out of her body. The moment she raised her eyes, she was met with the snake's purple eyes. She froze and her breath hitched, a thin trail of blood rolling down from her scalp, tainting red the skin near her left eye.
Her body tensed, strained, the pain becoming nonexistent because she was looked at by a creature that took down the two adventurers who were tried to steal something she didn't have on her person.
Her widened eyes were filled with fear, the only movement she made was her hand mindlessly grabbing the air near her thigh. And she realized, no she remembered. The two adventurers had taken away her knife.
The snake's tongue flickered as her body rose, taking a more relaxed position, one that did not imply her attacking someone. But it watched Lili's body tremble, and barely move. It shook her head left to right.
The small woman did nothing. Or rather, nothing other than looking at the snake, like it was the incarnation of death itself.
After a moment of confusion, the snake decided that retreating from Lili would be the best course of action. Its body turned towards the bodies on the ground. It slithered towards the first adventurer it bit and pierced his neck open with its fang. It took a bit of work, and a bit of qi—the snake ended up being doused in a fountain of blood, but it watched as the body of the adventurers stopped trashing. Their frames slowed down, their mouths stopped moving, their eyes stopped trembling. Slowly but surely, they were beckoned by death. And the snake watched, hissing once in a while.
Lili stood up, and also watched the adventurers die, but for a different reason. Her mind was so overwhelmed by fear, a different fear, that she had forgotten the chilling wind the snake seemed to make her feel when it was staring at her on the ground. She heaved, her emotions taking a hold of her, as her eyes rapidly darted between the two dead bodies.
She clenched her still bleeding head with both of her hands, thinking of how she was going to get out of this mess. The moment her familia learned that these two were found dead after taking her away to have some fun, she would be next on the line. Ranks separated people in her familia, and she was at the bottom. Trying to tell her superiors that these two adventurers died because of a random snake found on the street was absurd.
"N-no… N-no! What am I going to do now!" She said, before repeating it, her tone becoming more desperate with each reiteration. Why didn't she just run? Her volume got loud enough that it drew the attention of the merry snake. It hissed, and the sharp and long sound woke Lili up. She squealed and jumped away in fright, remembering that the animal—no, the monster—that did this was still next to her.
Her hands trembled as an idea appeared in her mind. It was ridiculous; she told herself. But what choice did she have? None, she was desperate. She couldn't imagine what she would have to go through if she came back to the familia—no, she couldn't come back. She had to run. Run away far from here. Her skin became pale just from imagining what would happen to her.
As the memories of an old couple and a quiet flower shop came to her mind, her eyes narrowed, and she shook her head. She couldn't run away from the Soma Familia. She took her first step towards the snake. She gulped, multiple times even, as she fought back her fear, having to clench her quivering hands together.
"Y-you!" she said, well aware of how crazy she must sound, trying to talk to a snake.
Crazy enough to think that the small tilt of the snake's head was a sign of confusion. As if the blue snake understood it was being called.
She needed to catch the snake. She couldn't run away. They would always find her, no matter what. And if they found her after discovering the corpses, she would be punished severely, or even die. This knowledge made her aware of how fast her heartbeat was, and how drenched with sweat her body was. She suddenly had to breathe manually, feeling her body would stop moving the moment she did not fill her lungs with air consciously.
She even imagined her heart stopping if she did not make it pulse each time, filling all of her body with blood.
She needed to catch that snake. One step at a time, towards her only way of surviving. Each time the sole of her shoes hit the ground, her body became stiffer. The snake stood tall, as if more and more confused.
Lili didn't have time. She knew. People would soon come here, attracted by the screams, and would discover the two bodies. She had to be quick.
Meanwhile, the snake simply observed her. The only part of its body moving was the tongue that extended from its closed mouth, flickering up and down. It was observing. And it came to a conclusion.
The next moment, the snake climbed on Lili's body, which locked down the moment she felt the blue length on her arm. It sat on Lili's shoulder and looked at her.
The pallum's soul flew out of her body with the gasp she let out.
######
Tiah Mat rejoiced at the feeling of water sliding down her body. She wiggled in the fountain, creating small splashes that crashed onto the walls of the basin she was in. The blood that stuck on her face tainted the water in a faint red color before disappearing into the central sink.
Small-Female and she had left the small street, which now hosted two corpses, and ran. They raced in the city, feeling from the scene before exhaustion slowed down Small-Female's pace. She huffed, collapsing her palms against her knees, her head pointing towards the ground as beads of sweat fell down from her head onto the bricks forming the ground. Small-Female was even hurt, her shoulder, from the fight.
Tiah Mat, riding on Small-Female's other shoulder, suffered from no exhaustion. In fact, she felt reinvigorated. Each of her cells was singing in praise and joy.
A primal part of her evolved brain—because of the qi flowing through every cell of her body—felt accomplished. A hunt well-executed, and the prey dying in front of her.
The feeling of the hunt was so intoxicating that she watched until the last sputters of blood, until the last drops of red liquid left their body. Their inert eyes and still hearts made Tiah Mat feel alive.
Tiah Mat slithered along walls, defying gravity with creative use of her qi—to stick to the vertical surface—before emerging from the water to greet Small-Female. Her tongue flickered up and down, and she was pleased to see that Small-Female had calmed down. She could not sense the torrent of emotions seeping out of her pores anymore, only the lingering scent of deep-seated fear and the bitter taste of urgency stayed stuck to her.
Those sensations confirmed for Tiah Mat that she had taken the right path. Somewhere, somehow, danger was still lurking, ready to strike at any moment. Small-Female was not saved yet, so Tiah Mat shall pursue this endeavor to its end. She held her head higher but squirmed when she thought of how her Good Master would take the news that she had protected the weak.
She even entertained the thought that her Good Master had intentionally created this situation to enlighten her. Her eyes shined at the infinite wisdom possessed by the one that elevated her from her feral confines to the start of her exaltation. However, the knowledge that her Good Master could have put himself in so much pain and trouble to grant her a minuscule piece of his wisdom made her heart ache, and the feeling of shame returned stronger than ever.
In retrospect, Tiah Mat understood her Good Master's possible decision. Helping the weak was not something she would have even thought of before, for the only one she cared for was her Good Master. Her natural instinct warred against her decision even now, whispering in her head to abandon Small-Female, and arguing that the fate she burdened herself with would not be worth it.
But… Tiah Mat steeled herself and her resolve to walk down this path only strengthened. Flashes of the dying body of her Good Master hit her and her slits narrowed. She huffed, ashamed by the idea of giving up on the path of redemption, just for her own safety.
She was foolish to think defying the Heavens and climbing the stair to the sky would be a straightforward task. Whether her Good Master had planned this situation, it served as both a lesson and a reminder for her immature mind.
The climb would only make the reward sweeter.
Her eyes were drawn to Small-Female when she spoke. Words which she could not understand, at least not fully, but which she could deduct some emotions and direct her actions based upon them.
"I-I don't think you're supposed to wash yourself in a public fountain…" Small-Female said, her voice nearly a whisper. Quiet enough that Tiah Mat strained to hear them, despite acknowledging she could hear better since her Good Master gifted her with qi.
Tiah Mat didn't understand why Small-Female would mutter as if the surroundings were not deserted as they were right now.
Alas, she could not comprehend the meaning of those words. Small-Female's eyes shifting from her to the water pond beneath her, her resigned tone and her pursed lips stated that what she had just done was not for the better, however.
Tiah Mat wondered if their enemies could follow them with the blood that glided down her head with the water. She found herself most annoyed at the thought.
At the thought of her omitting such a crucial step, she shifted uncomfortably. Tracking prey was in her blood. She knew as many ways to localize a beast as there were stars in the night sky, yet she made an amateurish blunder. Multiple in facts.
Tiah Mat hissed in anger at herself, paralyzing Small-Female in fright at the same time.
"I-I-I'm sorry!" Small-female exclaimed, her body taking a step back by reflex. Tiah Mat tilted her head to the right, a habit she learned from her Good Master, to express confusion in one's words or action.
It seemed to succeed, as Small-Female calmed down at her mannerisms.
"I'm so stupid… Such a big mistake, such a big mistake!" Small-Female brought her hands to her face and rubbed in a way that made Tiah Mat jerk in discomfort. Surely, such harsh and fast patting of one's head would not be beneficial for one's skin? Tiah Mat pondered and decided on asking her Good Master later.
His patting always evoked feelings of calmness and joy, followed by peaceful bliss. The feeling of recognition. After Small-Female's self-patting, her eyes supported a layer of wetness and she possessed a grimaced face, and her skin was red as if the herald of the sky had punished her after a long day of work,
Her Good Master held a similar shade of skin when he returned from Ember-Female's shelter as the sun left its throne to the moon.
Tiah Mat slithered closer to Small-Female, who was deep enough in her ruminations that she didn't notice her.
"What did I think…" Small-Female said, her fingers curling in what Tiah Mat surmised was anger. A wave of familiar anger, one Tiah Mat knew very well. One Tiah Mat felt when she realized she had abandoned her Good Master, out of fear and shame.
"What did I hope for, that bringing the snake to this bastard would be enough, and that he would leave me alone?!" Small-Female's voice got higher, and she bit her lips in frustration.
Tiah Mat climbed up her body and curled around herself on her shoulder. By the time Small-female's body froze from her action, Tiah Mat was already on her throne. She looked at her, in a way she hoped reassured Small-female.
They stared at each other for a long time, falling into an uncomfortable silence.
"... W-will you protect me?" Small-Female said, water pouring out of her eyes like a waterfall. She filled her words with such emotions that Tiah Mat found herself nodding despite not understanding the content of her speech. But the despair Small-Female exuded echoed to the one a cornered prey would display in her memories.
Under the bright Heavens, Tiah Mat swore.
She swore she shall protect Small-Female from harm. For she was at the first step on her path to redemption.
She was weak. She had been too weak to save her Good Master. She had been too weak to even face her Good Master. But she realized. She finally understood, looking at the squirming and trembling body of Small-Female.
She had been enlightened.
If she couldn't even protect her, how could she claim to protect her Good Master?
Such was the balance of Karma. And Tiah Mat, under the watchful gaze of the sun, had found hers.
#####
The quiet sound of hardened leather tapping against stone echoed in a dark alley of Orario. The artificial lights on each side of the street, the energy buzzing inside of them, burning bright, were not enough to fight the rampant darkness of the night.
One lamp blinked a few times, the tapping stopped and a shuffle of feet could be heard as shadows moved underneath it.
The tapping resumed shortly afterward.
The distant cacophony of alcohol-fueled adventurers sitting around each other was distancing itself from the footsteps.
Allen had left the Hostess of Fertility as soon as his mission was accomplished. After all, he did not enjoy being near his sister, or rather, he did not like the idea she could know where he was. That was why he always observed from a distance. He then proceeded to lay low for a few days.
But an order from his goddess couldn't be denied. Especially one she described as incompatible with Ottar. Allen's steps faltered for just a split second and his expression hardened at the thought of the being standing in front of his dream. The last hurdle before he could obtain everything he wanted. If only I was a bit faster… but Allen knew there was no victory in regrets.
That was why a mission he could accomplish and Ottar couldn't, was paramount to his success. The cat-man took a deep breath and resumed on his path, his steps' rhythm as monotone as ever.
A mission that only he could achieve. His special talents being taken advantage of—he couldn't be more overjoyed. Tian was a big fish, from what he gleaned from inside discussions. And Freya changed from just observing for the time being to immediately start working on him.
It was a big fish that would allow him to climb a little closer to his goddess. His heart thumped in his chest faster at the thought. He couldn't even stop the corner of his lips from rising.
Armed with a grin, Allen approached a small building in the middle of the city. While the home base of his Familia, Folkvangr, was in the middle of the business area, they owned multiple buildings around the city. The tiny storehouse in front of him, being one of them.
His eyes flickered right and left—even if the shadows would ensure his secrecy—checking whether the street was empty. It was a small street, but Allen would rather not have to deal with what could come from being recognized. Especially after the stunt he just pulled off.
He knocked on the door. Four times, with a gradually increasing pause between each time his knuckles tapped against the wooden door.
The door opened after a few seconds. Just wide enough that he could enter.
"You're back... Early," he heard someone say the moment his leather boots hit the floor of the room. The voice was like the raspy sound of the steel of a sword scraping against its scabbard. It was aggressive and buzzed in Allen's ears, who winced from the proximity.
This was one of the reason why newcomers in the Familia were not told of the existence of these places, beyond everything else it would entail.
"Yes," Allen scoffed. "He's barely an adventurer. There was no way he could have stood up to me. None of the adventurers present there could. Mia would have been the only one, but she was not here to stop me, probably my goddess' actions."
He entered the building, his pace assured, and his eyes only took a second to adapt to the darkness. A benefit of his race.
A cloak shifted through the room, following Allen behind. A dark-red and harsh cloak covering the body within it. The edges of the cloth were skewered, multiple stains of varying colors were scattered on the surface, and the tattered fibers were unraveled and falling apart.
Allen turned around, facing the cloaked individual in the bare room, except for a steel door in the middle of the floor. His eyes flickered to the ground, where a distant void replaced where feet should be.
A floating cloak, emitting a quiet, permanent, and disturbing hum, like the sound of a broken harp.
"What is… It…?" the cloak said, flying around Allen, his tone bearing a hint of amusement.
"Nothing," Allen was quick to answer. "Just… Why did my goddess order me to increase my reputation among adventurers in the city?"
"Asking me… Such a question… Heh heh heh…" The laughter of the cloak resonated like a false note being played too close to his ears. It was far from the first time for Allen, but the sense of deep-seated wrongness the cloak exuded never lessened.
"If you don't want to answer me, that's fine," said Allen, crossing his arms. "I just don't understand why such a change after I've been told since the beginning to be as inconspicuous as possible. I was even hidden from the people inside of the Familia except for Ottar..."
"You were able… To walk into… A popular pub… Then administer violence... Without getting recognized… Is that not…. The result… Of your secrecy… ?"
"All of this, for him?" Allen asked. His words were curt and his eyes narrowed towards the cloak, which shifted in the air in a way Allen recognized. Laughter.
"Do not… Be… Jealous…" The pauses in-between only irritated Allen even more. "Freya… Has a place… For everyone…"
Allen's mouth closed before he could utter what he felt. He didn't want to be one of many. He wanted to be the one among many. No, he even dreamed of being the only one, despite knowing it was not possible.
"Fair enough." He decided to not linger on this subject, knowing how he would react if the discussion progressed this way. "But why violence is the angle I have to take for getting known? Especially in such an… inelegant way."
"... Heh heh heh… I do… Not have the answer… But know… That Freya… Has been visited… By a dear friend… From the east…"
"The east?" Allen's eyes widened. "The Far East?"
"Exactly…"
Allen blinked. It meant Tian was also a danger to his position, but it would explain why he was such an important target.
Fuck, Allen cursed in his head. He wondered if he could have gotten away with accidentally killing Tian. And if such an option would be open in the future.
The metal door in the room fizzled for a second before it lit up in a deep purple light. A vortex manifested and replaced the metallic plate and was encompassed by the frame of the door. A portal had been created.
"Let us… Depart… Freya… Awaits…" The cloak whispered, stepping inside of the portal just created. Allen soon followed.
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A/N: Going to write bigger chapters from now on, averaging 5k words, instead of the 2.5k from before, so that there's no one scene or even less per chapter. But that means a longer time to get updates.
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