Since Deria fell, time has passed, and a few days have now passed since that event. Sanryu's duo is Lurue, has turned into a trio, Fenrya wanted to add to his will of hers, still understanding what he has to do with her future, but for now he will drink a lot of milk from Sanryu.
"Ok, that's Strath, our destination. Fenrya, since you are a tabaxi, you cannot enter the city, unfortunately Alterac is a region that does not want members of other races within its domain...can you manage to sneak into the city without attracting attention?" Sanryu asks Fenrya if he could enter the city without being detected.
"It's not a problem, once inside, I'll wear a hat, so I can at least walk in the streets, I'll precede you. As soon as you enter the city, I'll track you down with my sense of smell, see you later." Fenrya is a tabaxi girl, so she has a very developed sense of smell, much more than the human one, she is drawn towards Strath.
"Well, let's get going too, Lurue." Sanryu tells the goddess to start walking. "Luckily we managed to get your documents created in time, this makes everything easier." Sanryu thanks her good sense, if I had waited any longer before asking for the creation of Lurue's document, the goddess wouldn't have it with her by now.
"Humans always manage to complicate their lives, with these daily formalities." Lurue finds these human matters a waste of time, but she can't help but pursue them, otherwise she would have to wreak havoc throughout this region.
"Unfortunately, our society works this way." Sanryu also thinks like Lurue, but to live peacefully in these lands, she must stick to the local rules. "From what I know, Strath has a higher number of inhabitants than Deria, I think it is around 1500 inhabitants, but beyond that, it has nothing particular to note. But we have bad news, in this city there are no It's a guild hall, so we won't be able to undertake quests, and as a result, we have no chance of earning coins. We would have to settle in this city for a very short time, otherwise we would run out of coins." Sanryu doesn't want to stay in this city for an extended period of time, otherwise she would starve.
"Why don't they have an office in this city?" Lurue asks the boy.
"Well from what I've been informed, Strath is positioned in a good spot in the region, where there are few threats in these parts, the cities around act as a shield for Strath. And it's the largest city, closest to the Impenetrable Keep , so they're relatively safe around here." Sanryu answers Lurue's question.
"Mhh they are in a protected place, so they are very calm." Lurue notices a certain tranquility in this city, especially from security. The guards themselves exude an aura of calm, almost never having to deal with concrete threats. 'If the Skaven reach this city, it will be easy prey for them.'
Sanryu and Lurue approach the guards, handing over their documents, they obtain permission to enter the city. "We should immediately look for an inn to sleep in, it's been a long time since I felt the softness of a mattress." Sanryu could only sleep on the grass or against some logs, as all his camping kit was lost in the Skaven invasion, including his sleeping bags.
"What's wrong with sleeping in the middle of nature? You're getting soft with all these comforts you allow yourself... don't make yourself sag, I don't want a weak companion." Lurue may have softened in these last days, since they had that night of love, but she is still a woman dedicated to the wild nature, she and she doesn't want Sanryu to rest on his laurels.
"Don't worry, it won't happen, especially now that I've discovered my power, oh at least part of it." Finally Sanryu was able to manifest that power, but not to the full potential of that time. He is unable to manifest that sphere, for the moment, he can only make that blue halo appear around his body, increasing his physical and mental abilities. And just as Lurue had surmised, for now the only way to recharge that power is to have sex. This way of charging has both a pro and a con, the pro is understandable, the con is that when Sanryu runs out of that power, he has to go to bed with women in order to recharge, otherwise he will always find himself dry.
"Don't make the mistake of relying too much on that power, you still have to know it well, and then if you empty your container, you have to stop and go to bed with us, to recharge it... I don't think the enemy gives you the Time to fuck during a fight, don't you think?" Lurue warns Sanryu not to rely too much on that power, she could prove to be a double-edged sword.
"I will be very cautious, don't worry." Sanryu reassures Lurue, promising not to do anything rash.
"Here I am." Behind the two, Fenrya joins them, with a headdress on her head, covering her ears, although the shape of two growths can be seen from the hood, people don't pay much attention to it.
"Now let's go look for an inn, then I'll go and see if I can get a greatsword and some leather armor, I hope I can buy something decent." Sanryu only has fifty silver coins with him and including the cost of the inn, it will be difficult for him to buy much.
"If you want, I have these coins here with me." Fenrya gives Sanryu a pouch that he had clipped to his belt. "We tabaxis don't know what to do with it anyway." The tabaxi society of the jungles of Lustria do not have a currency, but use barter.
"Really? Thank you so much, Fenrya. I'll return the favor however I can, I promise." Sanryu happily accepts the bag of coins and counts its contents. "One hundred and twenty moments of silver! Where did you get them, Fenrya?" Sanryu is surprised at the amount of silver inside the bag, and asks the tabaxi girl where he got it.
"From the humans I killed, they wouldn't be of any use to them anymore." Fenrya has no problem saying that he has killed humans.
"Well quite direct, but it's also true that they no longer need them." Sanryu is amazed at Fenrya's simplicity in saying such things, but he'll get used to it. "Well, then I guess we can go looking."
Sanryu's group starts looking for an inn to stay in, so they can spend the night in a comfortable bed and in a warm environment.
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In a very dilapidated mansion, inside a large room, a debate is currently being held by several people.
"Marquis Walter, please listen to us!" Commander Jery pleads with a specific person. This person is Marquis Walter, the noble who controls the city of Strath, but there are many differences between him and Marquis Berdo, for example their physique. If Berdo had a well-trained physique, Walter let himself go a lot throughout his life, as he has a very round belly and his limbs are fat. His face is also very full, with a goatee on his chin and a thin feather moustache. His head is balding, with only a few hairs around it, black in color, mixed with gray, a sign of old age. "If you don't send an urgent message to the King now, those rats could arrive anywhere before we can react in time." Jery tries to convince the Marquis to warn the king of the Skaven invasion.
"You're too agitated, Commander. Do you really think that some sewer rat could invade the entire Alterac region? I don't know how you managed to lose Deria, but the same thing won't happen in the other cities, and besides, I've never heard of these "humanoid rats"." Walter seems very relaxed about the matter, not caring much about it. "I will send scouts to ascertain this invasion, to verify how big this threat is, if you want you can send some of these men with my scouts, so we can facilitate the work." Walter will send scouts to Deria, to see this threat.
"It's no use, don't you trust our words?" Jery is amazed that the Marquis didn't listen to what the commander is saying.
"I trust your words, but I also need to see with my own eyes, and when I say my eyes, I mean my faithful scouts." Walter turns his gaze towards Zaria, the latter is also present in this meeting, as the daughter of the Floga family, she is currently the only representative of this family, she must participate too. "I am sorry for your loss, Miss. Zaria, your father was a faithful servant of the King, as well as one of the best in this kingdom, my sincere condolences." Walter seems apparently sorry for Berdo's death, but Zaria, like many, knows that these sentences are lies. Almost everyone knows the discontent that flowed between Walter and Berdo, the two had their reasons for hating each other, and Zaria knows this very well.
"Thank you for your condolences, Marquis Walter." Zaria bows slightly and thanks the marquis, even though she did it without any sincerity, which is also noticed by Walter.
"Since we are gathered here, I would like to take this moment to propose a question." Walter looks towards Zaria. "Miss. Zaria, I am aware of the bad luck that has befallen the last generation of Floga, no magician with real talent, how horrible, I'm sorry." Walter is intentionally sticking his finger into the wound, Zaria grips the hem of her skirt with her hands, trying to stay calm. "And therefore I would like in some way to help some of our dear friends, who in the future could prove to be a good thing for the whole kingdom. I propose a marriage between our families, the Aspides and the Floga, Miss. Zaria will be the betrothed of my son eldest, Gosh, and their heirs will certainly be of undoubted talent, capable of bringing Floga to the glories of the past, what do you think?" Walter surprises everyone present with this revelation, shocking Zaria especially.
"A-a wedding? But right now there is no leader in my family who can discuss such an arrangement, I'm sorry Marquis Walter but-" While Zaria is trying to avoid such a proposal, the Marquis takes on a 'horrifying expression.
"Forgive my words, I expressed myself badly, it is not really a proposal, but a duty that you must fulfill... this is what King Joffrey II himself says." Walter takes out a piece of paper from his pocket and hands it to his personal servant, who begins to read that letter, which seems more like a mandate.
"I, King Joffrey II, of the royal family of Ryleigh, hereby authorize the union between the two noble families; The Floga is the Aspides, in a political marriage. The two spouses will be Gosh Aspides is Zaria Floga, who these words are law and as such, they will have to be carried out to the fullest extent possible by both families serving the crown." The servant finishes reading the mandate.
"Eh-eh, as you can see Miss. Zaria, everything is already decided. Don't worry, we have already started preparations for this wedding, since the Flogas are going through a bad time, my family will take care of organizing everything. The wedding will happen in a few days, I advise you to use this time to get to know my son, I'm sure you will both get along very well with each other." Walter still has a horrible look on his face, enjoying his supremacy with the family he hates the most.
Zaria is completely silent, and her face seems to be blank hearing this news. Apparently, the King himself ordered such a marriage, and she cannot do anything to prevent such an event, she certainly cannot go against the words of the most important figure in the kingdom. "I understand. Thank you for your concern, can we go now?" Zaria asks permission to leave this room.
"Of course, after all we are done discussing all the matters at hand, aren't we Commander Jery?" Walter turned to Jery, waiting for his response.
"Yes, as you say, we're done, with permission." Jery bows slightly and leaves the room with Zaria at his side.
"I hope he will send those men of his along with my scouts, I'm counting on it." And with the Marquis's last words, Jery closes the door of the room.
"I'm sorry, Miss. Zaria...I didn't think it would end like this, otherwise I wouldn't have taken you with me." Even the commander is shocked by this news and apologizes to the girl.
"There is no need to apologize, commander, this is how things are among nobles…it is we with this social rank, we can do nothing but obey such responsibilities, now with permission, I will head to my room. " Zaria doesn't even look towards the commander's face, she walks towards her temporary room.
"Of course miss." Jery greets the girl and walks in the opposite direction.
Tears slide down Zaria's cheeks, falling to the ground. "I don't want this marriage." These are the words that the poor girl whispers to herself.