I should start by saying that it made perfect sense that the legendary Heart Stones would be so far apart from each other.
Regardless, I still didn't like the idea...
It took us a month to reach our destination this time. Thankfully, it was cut down by The Leviathan's high speed, but still...
A month on this ship with Rastair...
This damn giant woman!
Not once had I gotten the impression that she actually had a thing for me... She was just a pervert.
The rest of the crew had no idea how she really was. Apparently, Captain Rastair was utterly terrifying as far as they were concerned.
It made me wonder how she kept her secret personality so well hidden.
Regardless, we had become quite popular among the crew. They liked us because we had earned the respect of the Captain.
If only they knew.
Rastair named herself our 'eternal best friend' and was terrified of us. Additionally, she was also helping us in exchange that we would find a way to grant her immortality.
Not that it was the only reason... At some point, I began to think that she just enjoyed spending time around us. She kept harassing Carlos, Jallah, and me as well.
I couldn't say that I disliked Rastair. She was certainly interesting... We sparred at one point and I was genuinely surprised by her strength.
She fought using a combination of magic and close-range attacks with her glaive. Against a normal human, she would be a fearsome opponent. Not only was she very tall, but she had a lot of strength as well.
Regardless, we eventually reached the island called Gahu.
It was a fairly large island with a very low population. Just the occasional village. It was a peaceful place without much in the way of money, treasure, or military might.
There were, however, strange golems that roamed the island. They attacked anyone that wasn't from the island or meant to cause harm. They were seen as the protectors of Gahu.
As a result, most people just left them alone.
Our ship pulled close to the island and we had to walk the rest of the way.
I say walk, because even when Rastair offered us a boat, Isabella said she could use barriers to walk on water.
Isabella made some stairs using barriers and the specially chosen team of people got off of the ship.
I was to be team leader again, while both Isabella and Cassandra would, once again, be my second in command and the support for the group.
Lastly, Jallah and Rune would be accompanying us this time around.
The reason was that we needed someone inquisitive. Someone able to do detective work and search for hidden things.
Since Jallah was the former Head Investigator of the Enforcers, he seemed like a perfect choice.
Jallah had a tendency to make jokes and mess around. Even if he wasn't half as bad as Michael was, he was always deadly serious underneath his smile.
He requested Rune to follow as his bodyguard and assistant as well.
Rune had also been receiving lessons in swordplay from Rastair since we got on the ship. As such, she carried an enchanted cutlass at her side.
One that she planned to use if she ran out of knives and ammunition.
As we walked on the barrier sitting just within the water, Isabella clung onto my arm.
"Umm...Isabella? Are you okay?" I asked.
"Hm? Of course I am! I'm just glad to be away from all of the women who are after you..."
"What about me?" Cassandra asked as she switched in and snuggled my arm.
"Except you...unfortunately..." Isabella said.
She held by arm even tighter.
"Don't worry, Isabella. I don't plan to abandon you. Not now, not ever."
"It makes me so happy to hear you say that. I wasn't worried, though. I love you, Mizik!" Isabella said happily
"I...ugh...." I managed.
I clutched my head and felt myself covered by a refreshing light.
"Go away, you damn curse! Stop hurting my Mizik!" Isabella said angrily.
"Yeah! What she said! I'm going to murder Difar... I must kill him...for my darling Mizik... No one hurts my Mizik and gets away with it... Hehehehehehe...." Cassandra mumbled.
Okay, can we turn down the crazy for a minute?
"Go away, sister! Let me have him to myself!" Isabella said.
She continued to lovingly lay her head on my arm while pressing her chest against it. It was highly effective on me.
"Wow, Mizik. You're a pretty lucky guy, you know- GAH!"
Rune hit him.
"Why is he lucky!? Don't you have me!?" She said.
"Of course I do! I'm not saying I envy him...geez... You don't have to keep hitting me!" Jallah said tearfully.
"I...I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I love you, Jallah!" Rune said apologetically.
"Awwww! It's okay! I forgive you!" Jallah said.
Love is certainly in the air... If only I could enjoy it...
We reached the coast and I checked the map.
According to the map, there were four villages all surrounding the mountain. With at least two more built onto the roads on the way up.
One of the villages was just at the base and served as a place for people to rest before heading up.
Currently, we stood on the coast closest to this particular village. Since the sun was beginning to set, we planned to visit this one to rest before beginning the climb.
I made sure to tell Cassandra not to use her crazy illusions.
It wouldn't be necessary since they had roads carved into the mountain itself and I didn't want anyone worshipping us like gods.
"So...which direction is this village?" Jallah asked.
"It should be straight ahead according to the map. Let's get moving," I said.
Isabella made sure to walk extra close to me as we pushed our way through the forest.
Eventually, we stumbled upon a large golem made of black stone. It had a glowing crystal in its chest.
It simply stared at us.
"We mean you no harm. May we pass?" Isabella asked politely.
The golem sat quietly. Completely motionless.
"I think that's a yes. Shall we go?" Jallah asked.
I nodded and we slowly crept around the golem.
As we did, it turned its head to stare at Isabella. Even after we had put some distance between us and the golem, it continued to look at her...
I silently wondered if it could sense hostile intent from Cassandra. But it didn't attack, so that must have meant she had no intention of hurting anyone.
After another half hour of walking, we reached the village at the base of the mountain.
When we arrived, one of the townspeople turned to us curiously.
"Travellers? Welcome to Alba Village! It's so wonderful to meet new people!" The man said.
He was an older man with a warm and gentle expression.
"Greetings, sir. We seek passage through this village to climb the mountain. Would you let us rest here for the night?" Isabella asked with a smile.
"Why of course miss...eh...o-oh my goodness... L-lady...Isabella!?" The man said.
His eyes went wide as he stared at Isabella and he dropped to his knees.
"My Lady! It is such an honor to meet you in person! I am humbled!!!" He said with tears of joy in his eyes.
"Lady...? How do you know my name? I'm afraid you might have me confused with someone else..."
"You are indeed Lady Isabella! The goddess of holy protection and divine radiance! Your aura...your hair...even your beautiful eyes and smile! Everything about you screams that you are our goddess!" The old man said.
Isabella looked to me for help and I just frowned.
"This isn't your goddess. She's my wife. Regardless of the similar name, I-"
"How dare you! You assume that our divine lady is your bride!? She is our goddess! The nerve!" The old man said.
I was just about ready to shoot this guy. Isabella could tell and gently grabbed my arm.
"Mizik is my husband whether you like it or not. We have been married for many years now and I would appreciate it if you could show him some respect!" Isabella said angrily.
The old man bowed his head to the ground.
"I...I have sinned! I didn't mean to offend you, Lady Isabella! Please forgive me! I will show this man proper respect if he is your beloved! Surely such a man is beyond blessed to take the hand of our divine Lady!" The old man said.
Oh boy...what are we about to get involved in...?
"Right...well... Could you please take us somewhere to rest? These two are our companions. Please show them proper respect as well," Isabella said.
The old man looked up at Jallah and Rune, then smiled.
"Our Lady says that you two are treasured companions! You will be shown the utmost care! Please make yourselves at home! Eh...what are all of your names?" The old man said.
I stepped forward.
"I'm Mizik. These two are Jallah and Rune," I said.
I would have tried to correct him on Isabella's identity, but honestly, it might have been better this way for now...
If they thought she was their goddess, it might be a benefit to us. Besides, it was better than the alternative.
If they didn't believe she was their goddess, they might have tried to chase us away. I didn't feel like causing another massacre right now, so I would let it be. I made sure to talk to Isabella through telepathy as well.
"Isabella, just run with it for now. You don't have to claim to be this goddess, but let's see where it takes us, okay?"
"Very well... It's annoying, but I'll leave it be..."
"No fair... Isabella always gets everything... Most of all, Mizik..."
"Cassandra, let Isabella stay in control, okay?"
"Of course, darling! If you ever desire my presence or my body, do not hesitate to ask!"
"Yeah...uhh...I won't hesitate..."
"Excuse me for a moment... I must inform everyone of your arrival. They have preparations to make!" The old man said.
He ran off for a few minutes and came right back. He bowed his head to Isabella.
"Forgive me for making you wait, Lady Isabella. I hope I wasn't gone too long!"
"It was literally less than five minutes. I'm not going to get angry over that," Isabella said.
"Thank you for your benevolent mercy! Please follow me then, Lady Isabella! I'll take you to a proper place to rest!" The old man said.
"Okay... Lead the way..." Isabella said hesitantly.
We followed the man for a short while and were led to a very well-furnished shrine.
I could see statues of a woman surrounding it and even a few paintings.
It was true. The woman in them looked exactly like Isabella. What the hell was going on here!?
Many people were bowing their heads and some began pointing at Isabella. They started cheering and gazed in awe at her. Some even wept tears of joy.
She just looked at me worriedly.
"Just roll with it..." I whispered.
She gave a silent nod and we were led into the shrine.
The old man bowed his head and left.
We were soon greeted by another man wearing a beautiful robe.
"Welcome, Lady Isabella! Welcome to our humble village! You caught us just as we were finishing our nightly prayers. To think you would personally come to visit us... Your benevolence knows no limits!" The man said.
"Of course...uh, who are you?" Isabella asked.
"Oh! Please forgive me! I meant to introduce myself, but I was just so excited... I am the priest of this particular shrine. My name is Irwin. If you don't mind me saying, Lady Isabella...you are so much more beautiful than the paintings and statues would suggest."
"Umm...thank you. This is my husband, Mizik," Isabella said.
Irwin looked quizzically at me.
"You have taken our Lady's hand in marriage? Who are you? Are you taking advantage of her benevolence!? SPEAK!" Irwin said.
Watch it, shithead. I'm not afraid to shoot you.
"I'm Mizik. I'm just the person she chose to marry and I'm not taking advantage of her in any way," I said.
"Don't you dare talk to him the way!" Isabella said angrily towards the priest.
Irwin dropped to his knees and bowed his head.
"My divine Lady! Please forgive me! I meant no disrespect! I merely seek the best for you, Lady Isabella..." Irwin said with tears in his eyes.
"I-it's fine! Please just stop crying!" Isabella said.
"Lady Isabella is so kind and compassionate! Truly any man to hold her hand in marriage is a wonderfully blessed individual! Oh, how I envy him!" Irwin said.
You're really starting to get on my nerves...
"So, about our living arrangements?" Isabella said.
I could tell she was growing impatient. I worried that soon, Bravery would force her to act out again.
"Why, of course! As we speak, your followers are eagerly preparing you a special place to sleep within this very shrine. At the same time, a place is being prepared for the other three that you brought along," Irwin said.
"No. I want them all to be close by. Especially Mizik. I want him to sleep in the same bed as I do," Isabella said.
"B-but...we have rules against anyone touching her divine radiance! Your purity must be maintained!"
"My purity? I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I'm not exactly pure anymore. Not for a long time, anyway," Isabella said as she glanced at me.
"I knew you had married... But if this fiend has laid his hands on you... Wait...those eyes! Is he the Green-Eyed Demon!?" Irwin said angrily.
He looked about ready to explode but Isabella pulled out her sword and pointed it at him.
"Take it back. Mizik is NOT a fiend! He is my husband! And definitely not a demon!!!" Isabella said while gritting her teeth.
There it is. Thanks, Bravery.
[My vanguard has always stood for my honor and respect. This is perfectly natural.]
"Th-the divine sword...Bravery...!? It is you! It truly is!" Irwin said.
He dropped to his knees again and dropped his face to the floor.
"This is getting ridiculous... Who are you people!? How do you know about me!? Speak!" Isabella said.
Irwin looked up curiously.
"You weren't...told?" He asked.
"No one said anything to me about it. None at all."
"There is a pantheon of puny gods reigning over our world, but they foolishly do not include Lady Isabella. Regardless, we have a prophecy that claims Lady Isabella will descend upon our world from the sky. She will heal the sick and injured. She will protect our island from invading pirates. Lady Isabella will banish the horrible and weird fire demon dwelling on our island! She will unleash a great power from the temple above the clouds and use it to destroy a coming darkness! The stories say she is modest, kind, compassionate, and loving! And that she is exceedingly beautiful in every way! She wields a divine sword called Bravery that grants her, her allies, and all of her beloved followers divine protection!"
"Ehm...pirates? There's a ship off of the coast, but we've already made sure that they won't hurt anyone..." Isabella said.
"ISABELLA BE PRAISED! THE PROPHECY HAS BEEN FULFILLED!" Irwin shouted.
"Oh my... This is getting out of hand..." Isabella said as she lowered her sword.
"There is also the part about a Green-Eyed Demon accompanying her..." Irwin said as he looked at me.
"You wanna die or something?" I asked.
His face lost all color as he looked around nervously.
I am THIS CLOSE to shooting you.
"Yeah this is getting really weird. How did these prophecies come about? Who gave them to you? Furthermore, how did you know what she looks like?" Jallah asked.
"They were given by a great seer hundreds of years ago. He came from a land called...hmm...Earth? Yes! He wrote sacred texts about Lady Isabella and preached the word of her love, kindness, and beauty to our people! Unfortunately, we cannot read the texts as they are in the language of his homeland... He saw visions of the future and that is where he first laid eyes on Lady Isabella!" Irwin said.
Earth? I've never heard of that world... Or at least I assume it's a world. I didn't see a land by that name on the map.
"Just...bring me these texts! I want to read them, Irwin. Also, have the followers set up two rooms right next to one another for the four of us. I'll be sleeping next to my husband whether you like it or not. And if that isn't acceptable, I'll be sleeping outside on the ground," Isabella said.
"No! Nooooo!!! Lady Isabella must not sleep on the ground! I would be executed for such heresy!!! I shall see to your needs at once!!!"
Irwin ran off immediately.
"I'm looking forward to reading these ridiculous texts..." Isabella muttered.
And I'm just going to prepare to shoot some of these people. It's probably going to happen at some point. My patience is wearing thin.