The smell of cheese, cigars and earth permeated in the air as I my vision gets momentarily blinded by the light. Or lights. Lots of people and different types of lights welcome my vision as soon as I open my eyes. The waitresses wore skimpy clothing and were serving out cheese and wine as a hand holds mine. It was Nelen, and she drags me rather forcefully as she stomps on the floor like a kid. Huh. Being led by a girl isn't as bad as it looks like.
"Come." she says. "Arra's this way."
"What is this place?"
"The Gallows."
"Are we getting hanged or something?"
"No." she says in an amused tone. "One of the places where the rejects of society hang out."
"Wait... Doesn't that mean this place is dangerous?"
"Don't worry." Nelen gives me a reassuring smile. "Let's say I have a bit of reputation around here. I got you."
"... Whoa. Cool... If you weren't gay, I'd probably go for you."
"I'm flattered. Sadly, that's not the case."
The room must be twice the size than the bar above it. No. Maybe even wider. Almost everyone had a weapon on their backs, like they're going to get jumped any second now. I pick two pieces of cheese as I pass by an unoccupied table and observe some more. So even Snakes and Goats come here, too. Interesting... Oh. There's also something very familiar about those black robes and crooked weapons... Hmm... Black robes and... Crooked weapons.....
Shit! It's those guys back at the forest! FUCK!
"N-Nelen..." I whisper. "Psst. Nelen!"
"What?"
"Can I just stay outside?"
"No. We've come this far. Why turn back now?"
"I think I need to pee."
"There's a bathroom here. Oh! We're here."
Oh, boy.
Nelen leads me to a group of Snakes and Goats gathered in an unorganized manner. They surrounded the scene, almost making it seem impossible to see who or what they're looking at. Nelen pushes through the crowd and the smell of cheese and cigars doubled in amount. I can also smell a fruit of some sort. My face bruises as a large guy clad in heavy platinum plates unintentionally elbows my face, and he just looks at me for a second before turning away. Rude bastard.
"Rude bastard." I shout just enough for him to hear, but he ignores me.
"My men would not do such a thing."
A deep voice attracts the attention of the officers. There, sitting on a lounge table, were three figures. One was an old guy, dressed in the same black clothes as the bandits, but had a large odd necklace dangling across his neck. His facial hair grew white, and he wore a black blindfold patterned with eyes all over. He looks cool and ridiculous at the same time. The second one also looked old but his large figure stood out proudly amongst the officers. He had a large scar across his nose and right eye, and he wore a plain white shirt and pants. The third figure looks in our direction and waves at me. What the heck is Arra doing there?
"Like I said, I'm not accusing all of you." the man in the white shirt laughs. "Just the select few who did it."
"I. REPEAT." the husky voice of the blindfolded man echoes. "We did not kill your son. Even you must know we're better than that."
"Only your people know voodoo magic, Hamir."
"There are a lot of people who know the art of voodoo. Do you not remember we teach them as well? Old age has really gotten into you, Alistair."
"Guys! Over here!"
Arra smiles and taps the seat next to her. Some of the Goats and the guys in robes turn their attention to us, and Nelen tries to drag me in. I pulled back. It's embarrassing. Nelen gives me a cold stare and I sigh as we both make our way into the lounge table. A large wheel of cheese and three bottles of wine can be seen on it, and I couldn't help but think if these guys are addicted to gas.
"Are these guys addicted to gas?" I whisper to Arra, and she tries to hold her laugh. The two old men turned their heads at us, even though the one is blindfolded. I'm guessing he must've heard it.
"Mind introducing me to your friend, Arra?" the man with the scar says.
"Yes, father. His name is Sol, and of course you know who this is?" Arra points her hand to Nelen...
Father?
"Why did you come here, dear?"
"My friends and I are also looking for Cerberus. Mind if we join in?"
"... All right." the old man sighs after seeing his daughter's cute smile.
"Cerberus?" I ask.
"The group responsible for the strings of mass murder involving Chimerians and nobles until now. Apparently, that's the nickname the Stassians gave them. The three-headed dog who guards Hell."
"Why is the group only targeting nobles and Chimerians? Why is it named after a three-headed dog if it only has two members? I thought the group only had Sergei and the bandaged one."
"No one knows about their motives, but there are rumors circulating that there's a third person involved, and the one in the bandages isn't the one controlling him."
"A third person involved? Ridiculous. It's only one of Hamir's lackeys. I'm damn sure about it." Arra's old man scoffs as he fills his glass with wine.
"Alistair, you foolish old man." said Hamir. "Only a fool like you would accuse my people without concrete evidence. Prove my people did it, and I shall off them myself!"
"Who are these guys?" I whisper. "The one with the blindfold speaks like a king. It's kind of funny."
"My name's Hamir, young boy."
"My name's Sol. Nice to meet you, Hamir." I tried to offer my hand, forgetting that his eyes were covered.
That was stupid idea. Fuck. Three and a half seconds worth of attention from my stupid gesture. I pull my hand, seeing some of the Goats trying their best to contain their laughter. The ones in the black robes seem to do the opposite, though. Their eyes glare at me longer than normally, and Nelen catches this. She glares back to the ones glaring at me, and they looked away. Arra tries to hold her laugh by chuckling lightly, but his old man's a different story. His hearty laugh reverberated throughout the room, surprising some of the men near Hamir.
"What's happening?" Hamir asks.
"The boy just tried to offer his hand to you, lad."
"Is that so? Then that would've been comical. If only I had eyes to see..."
He chuckles, despite the air having an almost choking effect because it was below the ground. Only the two old men seem to be unbothered, but the Chimerians standing behind Arra's old man have been eyeing the men in black for quite a while now. Hamir's men also seem to be doing the same. Nelen slices three chunks of cheese in the table and hands it to Arra. Arra stares at Nelen for a second before smiling and taking the piece. Nelen then offers me my share and I gladly accept.
"Who are these guys again?" I whisper to Arra. She seems to be amused, so she whispers back.
"That man, on the left side, is Alistair Farhas, one of the three generals commanding the Chimera Legion. Cool, right? I'm actually a daughter of a general."
"Your father's a general? Whoa... Do you, by any chance, have a sibling named Alden or something?"
"Yeah. Aldwynn. Why?" she giggles.
"N-nothing. Hahaha. Who's the one on the right?"
"The blindfolded man on the right side is Hamir Arshalam, one of the leaders of the many religious cults here in Stassi."
"Exactly how many cults are there in Stassi?"
"A lot, but Hamir's followers are the only ones who are known to use voodoo on their ceremonies, so I think father's pressing him for..."
Arra, as if she remembered something, becomes quiet after that. Oh. That's right. His brother was killed. I should keep quiet as well. Arra takes something out of her pocket and pops it in her mouth again. Medicines, perhaps? Nelen looks at her with worry, but Hamir's deep voice entrances us once again.
"How about an offer? We shall aid you people in finding these so-called perpetrators of ours, and you tell Visar to introduce a law allowing our sect to perform voodoo legally."
Alistair slams his hand on the table.
"The dead are not to be played with, you bastard."
"THE DEAD DON'T TALK, IDIOT!"
Hamir's voice literally echoes throughout the whole room. I looked for movement in the crowd, but got nothing. The Goats painted their faces with shock at Hamir's outburst, but the Snakes stare at Hamir with condescending eyes. Some of Hamir's men returned their gaze, and some even grabbed the handles of the weapons. This is not looking good. Hamir, realizing what he did, sighs and lowers his voice.
"Even I am not as dumb as to think that playing with corpses is justifiable. In fact, I abhor it. But what about the families they've left behind? All we're asking is seven minutes of life, Alistair! That would be enough to make them confess their sins, and confess the ones who killed them! Absolute justice! They can also say their last words and come to terms with their loved ones! Wouldn't that be amazing?!"
"Your men do more than that, Hamir! You know it! Your people use voodoo to commit crimes!"
"Think about your son, General!"
Alistair's face is even more furious. Nelen's eyes were sharp as she stared into Hamir, who's stroking his necklace now. My throat feels dry. Maybe a good wine will do the trick. I was about to reach the glass when a hand stops me. Nelen looks at me and shakes her head.
"A sip of that wine can knock two horses out."
I look at the bottle. It was half-empty.
"What exactly are you implying?" Alistair snarls at Hamir as he downs a glass.
"Your son, Ald---"
Alistair takes the bottle of wine and throws it towards Hamir, to which he replies by catching it. In a second, spell books and blades were all over the room. A few metal trays can be heard dropping at a distance, and there's the smell of alcohol again. Are all of these guys drunk? Everyone's stiff as a board. No one's moving... So I grabbed another chunk of cheese from the table. Eating is one way to release the tension.
"Do you want to die that badly, General? I personally think a formal duel with myself would be a fitting end."
"I personally think you can fuck off. You can't kill me. You know it."
"Wise for someone who's going to be a dead man. I think you should k---"
"Everything here's so unreasonable. Cliché, too." I said as I munch on the cheese.
"Well... Someone said it." Nelen agrees.
"If you guys are going to fight, then do it already. Otherwise, what's the point of letting your weapons out?"
I was about to grab a bite again when I notice something flying in my direction. Hamir throws the bottle with a spinning motion, and my head manages to swing on the left just in time to avoid it. The bottle, whatever it was made from, shatters and turns into dust in less that three seconds. I'm guessing the bottle's made from magic, too. This world is very interesting.
"You talk like you can fight, boy." Hamir says.
"I talk like I mean it. And no, I can't fight good, if that's what you're saying."
"Surely you must have a secret to that bravado of yours." Alistair grins.
"My secret is my ignorance."
Instead of a response, I got a chuckle from each of them. It lasted for a few seconds before Alistair turns his head to me. His eyes seem to be sparkling for some reason.
"Your boy's got backbone, Arra. Where did you find him?"
"Father. Can we just ask for information instead of arguing? I'm getting the feeling that this has been going on for quite a while, now."
"Oh, right. Onto business... "
Alistair pours three glasses of wine and hands it to Hamir. The Chimerians and the ones in the black robes stare like kids as he slides the other glass in our direction. He laughs again as Hamir instantly finishes his share with a couple of large gulps... Does he want her daughter to drink with her?
"Come drink with us, Half-Demon."
Nelen sighs, takes the drink, and chugs it all down in one go. No one expected what happened after that. The table, which has been holding the cheese and the trays, turned upside-down in less than five seconds as Nelen kicks it with her right boot. Her face is as red now, and her demeanor as lazy as mine. The sound of trays rotating and the smells of cheese and dirt mixed together urged me to leave, but I couldn't because I need to protect Nelen and Arra... Well, Nelen looks like she can protect herself, but Arra's a different story. Will we ever get the information we need?
...
What the heck is Nelen doing?