Hanging above the head of the table where Lady Auguste was seated was the kingdom's red banner that depicted the head of the golden jackal. Like the banners of the other nations, it symbolized the "personality" of the country. The Fallavrok Kingdom was represented by the jackal because although a fierce predator and competent hunter, it was not above hunting for scraps and carrion, depending on what suited its appetite. Sitting there, dressed nearly entirely in red, the baroness herself gave off the aura of a predator.
"I'm sure you're probably aware, but with how much your unit has dwindled, the Cloudian 4th army is probably going to be either reformed or disbanded," the scarlet-clad woman began as one of the trembling servants placed a plate of lamb chop and stewed potatoes before his mistress. "But until you guys get moved around, you need to bolster your numbers. I mean, you guys are a pretty pitiful fighting force in your current state."
"You are correct, My Lady," Silverbell nodded. "Any forces that you can spare temporarily would be greatly appreciated."
"I have several garrisons that amount to 10,000 men total, so I'll gladly give you 1500," the Baroness smiled. "We Fallavrokians and Cloudians should help each other out when we can. My men will march with yours, and one commander to another, I'd recommend that you guys head to Andres Fortress. We have a huge number of forces accumulating there, I think our alliance is about to start a major offensive."
"Thank you, My Lady, that would be greatly appreciated!" the gnome nodded rapidly. "Andres Fortress is only a few days march from here, I'd be happy to get back to the battlefield too. What do you think, Lady Oakina and Private Razar?"
"I trust your judgement, Corporal," Oakina nodded in agreement.
"You mortals call this food? What disgusting beast did this come from?" Razaranje interjected, holding up his own lamb chop, evidently oblivious to the discussion at hand. "I feel bad for you all. You'd probably die if you could taste what we gods eat."
The destruction god couldn't understand why Oakina and Silverbell looked so mortified at his words, although Lady Auguste's shocked expression before jovial laughter was amusing. As an all-powerful immortal, holding his tongue was still very foreign to Raz.
"Your soldier here is quite brash, he talks like a young lord" the baroness snickered, wiping her eyes.
"Young lord? I'm somewhere between 1 or 2 billion years old, my dear," Razaranje smirked. "I apologize for not eating this…slop, but I have a divine palate to uphold."
"1 or 2 billion…Corporal, how many blows to the head did you say this guy received?" Lady Auguste laughed, leaning back in her chair as she loosened her corset after taking a forkful of lamb into her mouth.
"A-anyway, shall we continue discussing the transfer of soldiers?" the gnome stammered trying to change the subject, with him and Oakina red in the face in shock over the god's disregard for the situation. "Perhaps the subject of weaponry and—
"No need, I'll have a division of 1500 assembled for you by tomorrow morning, end of discussion," the baroness interrupted. "Now it is getting late, so I insist that you three spend the night here. Surely you're weary from your travels, and I'd be happy to host some war heroes."
"We really should get back to our troops," Oakina spoke up meekly, having only nibbled on her food. "But we appreciate the offer, My Lady."
"Nope, I insist! I'm locking the castle doors anyway so you're stuck with me regardless," Lady Auguste winked as she took another swig of grog. "Sit tight you three, I'll have some guest rooms ready for you. Until then, feel free to ask any of these servants for dessert or something. I'll oversee the preparation of the rooms."
Standing up, the baroness excused herself as 1 of the guards left his place by the door to walk along with her out of the room. Now in the room with only 4 servants and 1 other guard, the trio spoke amongst themselves.
"Well, we got what we came here for, but I'm a little weirded out by the baroness's insistence on us staying," the gnome admitted.
"There is something off about that woman, I mean look at these poor servants over here. They look like they've been horribly abused," Oakina added solemnly.
"Hey, you," Razaranje snapped at one of the disheveled men standing at the ready. "What happened to you guys? Why do you look as though you've all undergone torture or something?"
"LORD RAZARANJE!" Oakina and Silverbell exclaimed together, once again caught off guard by how blatant and direct Raz was.
The servant just stood there, however, mortified at the very question. Instead of answering, he just remained still and stared at the dining room's stone floor.
"I am talking to you, mortal," Razaranje said again. "This baroness mortal interests me, she carries herself like a goddess. Tell me of her."
"Lady Auguste has some…particular tastes," the remaining guard interjected, answering for the servant as he stepped forward, his armored boots clanging on the stone. "The servants of this castle are all young men that she finds attractive. Some are former soldiers, while others are just unfortunate men from Whiphurst that catch her eye."
"S-so what, she has them tortured or something when they displease her?" Silverbell asked.
"On the contrary. Lady Auguste is the one who beats, whips, and cuts these men, and not necessarily out of punishment, but for her own enjoyment," the guard continued. "As I said, particular tastes. There are about 30 of these poor servants in this castle. I don't know how she does it, but the baroness finds the time to give them all attention in some way."
"Hahaha, sadistic and hedonistic, your rulers really liken themselves to gods," Raz commented as he leaned back in his chair, before taking a large gulp from a bottle that had been left on the table. "This mead wine isn't bad, I almost feel foolish for insulting the beverage quality here now."
"This is the downside of feudalism, the lords and ladies of the land have so much damn power that of course they can get away with this" Silverbell scoffed.
The guard returned to his post, amazed at what he thought was a strange unarmored Cloudian soldier. Although the servants remained at the beck and call of the castle's guests, Oakina and Silverbell dared not to ask them for anything, feeling guilty over the fact that they were basically abused slaves that had no choice but to work in the service of the apparently-cruel baroness.
Lady Auguste reappeared around 10 minutes later to personally guide the trio to their room. On the 5th floor of the castle was a massive bedroom that housed 4 large beds, with 2 on each side of the stone-clay room. A huge window by the rear of the apartment gave the occupants a view of Whiphurst at night time, the gentle glow from many lanterns and torches spread across the building like fireflies. It was dark outside, and the only movement in the hallways now were guards changing shifts.
"A lavatory is across the hall, and my servants have prepared fresh towels, rags, and soap in the tub room next door in case anyone would like a bath," the baroness said as she saw the 3 off at their room. "Have a pleasant night, and if you need anything, feel free to ring the bell hanging outside your door to summon one of my slaves—ah, servants."
Bowing in gratitude, Oakina and Silverbell watched the lady leave, before sighing with relief as she disappeared.
"I feel bad that we get to sleep on a comfortable bed while our comrades are out there camped by the wall," the gnome said as he stripped off his armor and fell backwards onto the bed next to Raz's. "Lady Oakina, if you need privacy to get disrobed or anything, just let us know and Lord Razaranje and I will leave the room."
"Speak for yourself, I'm not moving," the god of destruction replied, falling onto his back on a bed as well. "Besides, I've already seen the priestess naked."
"L-Lord Razaranje!!" Oakina exclaimed, her face a bright pink-red as she panicked while she turned to the corporal. "Silverbell, I can explain! This isn't what it sounds like!!"
Razaranje just grinned as the gnome smiled nervously, eyeing the two suspiciously. Closing his eyes, the god didn't need to sleep, but the deities were capable of "turning off" their minds temporarily to put themselves in a sleep-like state in order to meditate or to just kill time. As he started drifting off, he could hear Oakina continue trying to explain why Raz had seen her naked, while Silverbell kept reassuring her that it was okay. Eventually, they both fell silent, and the priestess especially could soon be heard snoring loudly.
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A nudging woke Razaranje up late at night, where he immediately sat up in bed, blinking in the near-darkness at a pair of wide, amber eyes staring at him hungrily.
"Come with me," Lady Auguste ordered, now dressed in skimpy, deep-red silky underwear that was only barely covered by a long, flowing, black nightie. "That's an order."
"I don't normally take orders for mortals, but again, I suppose I have to deal with you for the good of these acquaintances here," Raz replied, nodding to the slumbering Silverbell and Oakina in the moonlit room.
"Yes, come with me now," the baroness said again, licking her lips. There was something odd about her now. Her eyes were wild and full of life, while her mouth was in an incredibly wide grin that bore her teeth. Her large chest was falling and rising heavily, as if she were feigning for a good meal that was right in front of her.
The god didn't think much of it and merely followed after the scarlet-clad woman as she took his hand and led him to the stair case. Their apparent next stop: the dungeons.