Chapter 8
"Aye it's good to be back grr! Time to make some money ain't that right boys harharhar!" A bear man covered in pockets and belts sits down at the tables for the feast near us, instantly eliciting an elbow in my side from Zel. I look over pouting while she tilts her head to the group of people, seeming to be merchants… or bandits dressed as what they think merchants look like. "Yeah boss, it's always a goldmine, if only we could become their suppliers! We could live like kings, and not just every ten damn years nyehehhee!" A Gnoll sits down next to him, the same kind of laugh but more menacing and high pitched than Keeks.
"Ahem, you come here every ten years moo?" I strolled over and put my arms around my waist, showing off how tall I am to the crowd. I can see there's 5 of them, all different races, but all ones that could easily be in a gang, physical animalistic types, meat eaters.
The Gnoll peeps up first, anger in their voice, "Yeah so's what's, who's asking nye?!" Speaking like an 80's gangster, I have to pause myself to try and not speak the same way.
"We's- uhh we are mercenaries, it's our first time here, we aren't merchants or anything so we won't take any of your share so you don't have to worry moo!" The Gnoll hmphs and turns back to the group, the bear man still looking at us starts talking, slowly at first, then building up over time.
"Welcome to the Saints Village then mercs! I'm Bertilous of the Brawn and Brains Mercantile company. I'm not sure how you got entry if you're only mercenaries but welcome anyway. If it's your first time you gotta learn the secret rules grrr!" the Gnoll starts laughing to the side, muttering about secret rules. Yeah they are probably going to try to fleece us, like I hadn't dealt with gangs on the street before.
"Oh yeah… the secret rules, right moo…" I lean over the bear, rising above them, knowing exactly how to deal with such situations from all my experience. < Bone Control > I bring a fist to the bear's head, the same feelings rising up from my youth, the hatred of what those kinds of people will do to anyone they could, even a teenager.
A single bone pierces slowly out of my fist, elongating towards the bear's eye, stopping inches from it. "This secret rule would happen to be… bad for us would it moo?" I widen my eyes, questioning as I feel them tremble in my hand. Maybe I should just teach them a lesson, then they can't hurt me or the people I love, right? Right, do it. A voice says back to my own question.
I feel a hand on my shoulder, fingers touching my neck, I freeze. Looking down, the man is trying to speak, paralyzed by fear. Oh… did… I do this? I pull back, eyes now wide with confusion. Why did he have to remind me? I feel a clang on my hand as Keeks seems to have reached around and flicked the bone on my hand, I instantly retract it, this time feeling it slide back through the opening, the skin closing around it, I wince.
I look back at the bear and smile, "Sorry about that, I don't take threats well, what were you talking about a secret rule again moo?" They all look at each other and Bertilous coughs and in response.
"Oh nothing nothing, just a joke between friends gargargar… we are friends, and friends don't hurt friends. ahh Since you're new here is there anything you need to know, grr?" He laughs nervously, Zel thankfully takes the lead on the questions, my head pounding in my skull as I take a step back.
She straightens herself out, compiling all her questions in the front of her mind and regurgitates it all in one blow, "What happens every 10 years? Why can you not come in at any other time? Have you tried getting in before the 10 years? What is the blue fairy? Is there a blue fairy myth in your world? What is the blue fruit? Does it have some properties that make it rare? What do you trade with the villagers? Considering your friend's comment it seems that you make enough on this fruit to last 10 years? Or is it that you do other work? If you're a mercantile company and not just a merchant group you should be established, where are you established? Where is the saints village located? What year is it? Have you noticed anything different in the village or wrong? Oh, I am Zel, this is Lil and this is Keeks, pleased to meet you, please answer our questions… well I'm waiting wan?"
Zel has brought out a notepad and pencil and is waiting determinately for them to start speaking, all of them looking at each other and trying their best to remember everything she said as they fumble over their words, she is looking at them like prey, I feel she is intimidating them more than I did. She is their weakness, confident intelligence, a woman needing answers.
"Well uhhh, ya see, uhh the… which was it again… oh! When I was a young cub, me dad put me on his knee and said… he said…" If this man was a robot I'm betting right now he would have smoke coming out of his ears, the look of confusion and desperation at trying to answer the questions that he had forgotten and instead regressing to a story about his childhood.
A gravelly voice comes from next to us and we all turn, "Ahem… are yall done messing with my fatherarrr?!" A stocky, thick younger woman, probably in her twenties, reddish-brown fur covering her body. She throws down a huge backpack full to the brim onto the ground at the table's feet, facing us with accusing eyes. We all marvel at this built woman and look back and forth from her to Bert, he looks at his daughter with such happiness at her arrival time.
"Damn old man you popped out a hot one nyehehe!" Keeks is the first to react to her arrival, with the most endearing of statement. The young bear woman blushes in response and turns to Bert.
"Dad what in the three hells is going on grr? Also you were supposed to wait for me, rarr!" She is grumbling and making cute growling noises to finish her sentences, I almost wish we could swap. With a look of confusion still on Bert's face I decide to step in.
"Your father was trying to swindle us so we had a nice talk. My partner may have said too much and overloaded your fathers brain, so apologies for at least that. I'm-" As I'm about to introduce myself Keeks inserts the name 'milky' and I push her over to her glee. "I'm LilMoo! Shush! This is Keeks and this is ZelAwoo, we are adventurers and were asking some questions about this place before Bert blew a fuse."
She looks puzzled at our words, looks at her father and his crew and seems to ascertain something for herself. "Ahh of course… Welcome honored adventurers, I apologize for how my father acted, sometimes he smells money and can't think of anything else. I Am Elaintile of the sea of tree's clan, if there's anything you would like to know you can ask me… I feel it would be unwise to ask my father much of anything if it doesn't involve coin rarr." her voice has changed to something liking to addressing royalty, even her little growl at the end seemed sophisticated and higher pitched. I think she may have made a mistake somewhere…
"Ahh yes… ahem, we would love to know more about this place, especially of the ceremony and what's known about it outside moo?" She looks puzzled, as if we should already know about it since we are here, but straightens herself out, putting her hands behind her back clasped as if giving a speech in school.
"Oh noble ones! I will try my best to extend my knowledge to you… It is said that hundreds of years ago the people of this village escaped destruction by demons, before the great wall of course, when they got here they found a hidden goddess, the blue fairy, she asked to be worshiped and not left alone, every 10 years she must be worshiped and adored upon, otherwise this village will be exposed to the world, the barrier that you crossed to get into the area is of her make, it stops anyone from entering or leaving. Each lineage of Saint will stay by the Blue fairies side to bring her peace and protect the rest of the village. Uhh… was that good enough oh great adventurers rarr?" She bows and looks up at us, hoping that she did a good job.
"A+ Student, what happens at the ceremony wan?" Zel is writing furiously on her page and without looking up addresses Elaintile, she seems to think to herself and tells us as bluntly as she can.
"This village has a particular custom, the saints always have twins at birth, two girls, the first of the twins is to be the leader of the village, the other twin is to be offered in bonding to the blue fairy, to live out 10 years with her until the next ceremony when the next of that kin is offered, as it has been for hundreds of years."
I can feel a screaming in my brain, this is wrong, something is really wrong here. "Wait wait wait… what happens to the ones 'offered' to the blue fairy moo?!" She scoffs and then realizes I'm serious.
"Uhh she basically becomes one with them to live on by her side for all eternity as the blue fairy is a god rarr." I motion and shake my head, not really understanding what she means. I feel a hand on my shoulder, it trembles and I know exactly what she's going to say next. "They become one with the blue fairy… they die miss moo rarr."
I close my eyes and think to the words I had with keeks previously, sighing I look at keeks, "We might have to burn this village down after all…" Keeks alights with happiness.