WIEDERGEBURT Act IV: Chapter 10

I’d been to the beach several times throughout my life--most notably when I was searching for an S-rank Demon Beast with a water elemental affinity. Yet while I’d been to the beach, I’d never had the chance to relax there, which seemed to be what this beach was for.

The golden sands, which had been the bane of many travelers existence, looked oddly pleasant as it contrasted against the pure blue waters and white waves. Many people aside from us were lounging on this beach. I was certain all of them were nobles. Most of them were naked, but a few were wearing loincloths made from the hide of a demon beast simply named Giant Octopus. It was a type of demon beast well-known for its stretchy hide, which could be used to create water resistant clothes.

Kari, Fay, Lin, and Siv were all wearing an outfit made from this odd material. It reminded me of the string lingerie and brassier Kari sometimes wore when she was seducing me. Kari’s was pure black, Fay’s was red to match her hair, Siv’s was silver, and Lin wore a golden top and a wraparound skirt instead of bottoms because there were no clothes like this made for lamia.

She’d been in tears when she found this out.

All of the girls looked gorgeous. Their pale skin seemed to shine in the sun, unblemished and perfect, without a single scar to mark their beautiful flesh. Their breasts were held firm by their tops, but they still had some bounce when the girls moved. I was not the only one admiring them. Numerous men and even women were caught staring at them.

I was also wearing a similar outfit, but I didn’t have a top, just a bottom, and I had to admit I felt a little exposed. I mean, I was wearing something kind of like underwear, but it revealed even more skin. Several women who walked by us had whistled and complimented my ass. Really, the nerve of some people…

“So this is the ocean,” Lin mumbled with an awed look on her face. “This princess has heard about it before, but to finally see it with her own eyes… magnificent.”

“It’s a lot bigger than I expected.” Fay placed a hand over her face to shield her eyes from the sun and squinted. In her other arm was our son, who was also dressed in something that looked like a diaper made from the same material as our outfits. “How far do you think this ocean extends?”

“My understanding is that no one has ever figured that out,” Kari said with her hands on her hips. I was briefly distracted by how her breasts bounced within the confines of her swimwear. “According to a book I read, an explorer named Leif Erikson theorized that the world was round. He then went on a journey to prove it. If his theory was correct, he should have arrived on the other side of the continent… but he never returned. Some people claim he died, but others say he reached the end of the world and fell off.”

“If there’s an edge at the end of the world, then wouldn’t the world eventually run out of water when it all fell off?” I asked.

“That’s a good point.” Kari shrugged. “I don’t know what really happened since I wasn’t there. I’m just telling you what the book said.”

We weren’t alone. Zane had also come with us. He was wearing the same outfit as me, but he seemed even less comfortable than I was, despite the fact that he was often half-naked most of the time anyway. Then again, maybe he felt awkward because seeing my wives had made him horny? I’d admit, if we weren’t in public, I’d have been sporting an erection hard enough to cut mythril.

Because none of us had ever been to the beach, we didn’t know exactly what we were supposed to do, but we observed everyone else and tried to mimic them. The first thing we did was set up an area to relax. We had a large towel that we spread across the ground and an umbrella to protect us from the sun. Most of the people we saw were lounging underneath the umbrella. However, a few of them were playing in the water.

“This princess wants to try swimming!”

“Come on, Eryk! Let’s play in the water!”

“I’ve heard the ocean is filled with salt water. I wonder what it would be like to fight in the ocean. Do you think we could have a spar?”

“…”

Everyone but the quiet Siv expressed an interest in the water, though even Siv ended up getting dragged along when Lin grabbed her hand and slithered toward the beach’s edge. A lot of people stared at her. A few curled their lips in disgust, but just as many looked aroused at the sight of the lamia and her dragon girl companion.

I would beat those people later.

I raced with Kari and Fay to the edge of the water. Lin and Siv beat us there since they had a head start, but the moment Lin touched the water, she retreated.

“Ack! It’s cold! Why is this water so cold?!”

“If you don’t like it, don’t get in. Come on, Eryk. Let’s go swimming.”

“T-this princess never said she wouldn’t get in! She was just surprised!”

The water was indeed pretty chilly, though it was warmer than the water I swam through near Nevaria while searching for the Leviathan. Once I fully submerged myself, my body adjusted. Even Lin seemed to grow accustomed to it after a while.

“Waaa! This princess is floating!”

“It’s nice.”

“Isn’t it, though? Say, why is it so easy to float?”

“It’s because of the salt content,” I explained to Lin as she and Siv floated on their backs. “When salt dissolves into water, it adds to the mass of the water and makes it denser than it would be without salt. Objects float better on a dense surface.”

“So the density of the water is the reason this princess can float?”

“Yes.”

“That’s cool. How do you know that, Darling?”

“Well, water is one of the elements I specialize in.”

While Lin and Siv seemed content to simply float along, Kari and Fay were having a swimming contest. I was holding Raul as I acted as the referee to start their swimming contest. My son was on my shoulders, grabbing my hair and staring at his mothers as they squared off.

“On your mark, get set, go!”

The pair kicked against the water, speeding through it so fast they left waves in their wake. Neither of them were what I’d call great swimmers. Even so, their ridiculous strength allowed them to cut through the water like a shark. Several people they swam past were unlucky enough to be engulfed by the waves they made.

Aside from swimming, floating, and racing, all five of us also tried something called body surfing. The idea was to swim alongside a wave, catch the wave, and ride it to the shore. None of us were very good. However, I had an advantage over the others.

“That wasn’t fair at all. You used your powers over water to ride the wave.”

I smiled at Kari’s pout. “So? In battle, it’s important to use any and every means you have at your disposal to secure victory.”

“This isn’t a battle…”

“No, Eryk is right,” Fay said with a serious nod. “This might not be a fight, but it is like a competition. When you compete in anything, it’s important to claim whatever advantage you have. Sometimes that’s the only way to win.”

Kari sighed at us. “You two are hopeless. Whatever. I won’t lose next time, even if you do cheat.”

All five of us continued to play in the water for what felt like several hours. I had to admit, it was a lot more fun than I expected. We swam, wrestled, got into fights, shared kisses underwater, body surfed, and did all kinds of recreational activities none of us knew existed. It was so much fun that I decided we’d do this again after I defeated the Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain.

I’m sure our fun would have continued, but a scream from one of the other people in the water alerted me to trouble. A woman was squealing as she held her breasts--her bare breasts. It looked like her top was gone. I didn’t think much of it at first, but then several more people screamed, and I soon realized the reason was because their tops had also disappeared.

“What’s going on?” asked Kari.

“I don’t know,” Fay muttered. “Maybe their tops got washed away by the waves?”

“Waaa! This princess’s skirt is gone!”

We turned toward Lin, whose hands were in the water, covering her crotch. She looked at me with tears in her eyes.

“D-Darling! Something slimy stole this princess’s skirt!”

“Something…” I began.

“… Slimy?” Kari finished.

We looked at each other, came to a quick conclusion, and used our Spiritual Power to leap out of the water. Channeling Spiritual Power to our feet, we landed on top of the surface and remained there.

“Fay and Siv! Get out of the water! There’s something in it!”

Fay reacted a lot quicker than Siv, leaping out of the water and landing on the surface using the same technique we were. Raul became startled and started crying. However, Fay couldn’t let herself be bothered right now when it looked like they might be in danger. Siv flapped her wings and tried to get out, but she was a second too slow.

“Hyan!” She squealed and cupped her chest, tears springing to her eyes. “S-something just stole my top!”

“Damn it.”

I placed my hands on the water’s surface, about to use my affinity for it to locate whatever had taken Siv’s top and Lin’s bottom. Spiritual Power flowed through my body. I channeled it into the water--and then several massive tentacles broke the water’s surface.

“What is that?!” asked Kari.

“It looks like an aquatic demon beast,” Fay stated as she shifted into a fighting stance.

“I’m not sure what kind of demon beast it is, but it’s not that powerful.” With a sigh, I walked in front of the two girls. “You two take Siv and Lin. Get them a towel or something to cover themselves with. I’ll take care of this.”

Neither girl looked pleased that I planned to fight this monster myself, but they didn’t argue either, grabbing the two immodest girls and heading for the shore. I didn’t look back at them as I stared at the creature, which had now emerged from the water’s surface. It had a bulbous head and a massive mouth with lots of teeth. It had a bilaterally symmetrical body along its dorso-ventral axis; the head and foot were at one end of an elongated body. Its arms seemed to be flexible, prehensile appendages that waved around. I guess you’d call them tentacles. It had eight of them, from what I could count.

I wasn’t sure what this creature was doing stealing swimwear. Maybe it had tried attacking but only managed to grab clothes with those suckers on its tentacles? Either way, I couldn’t let it remain here.

“Sorry, but you’re gonna have to die,” I stated.

I couldn’t use lightning to attack this thing since there was no way to avoid killing anyone still in the water. As I channeled Spiritual Power through my foot and into the water, I began manipulating the ocean, bending it to my will.

The water surrounding the giant demon beast began swirling, forming a whirlpool that didn’t extend past the creature, which rotated along with the water. It looked like it was struggling to get out of the current. It shot water from the ends of its tentacles, but I merely increased the speed of the whirlpool.

As I channeled more Spiritual Power, the water suddenly rose, going from a whirlpool to a tornado. Faster and faster it spun. A light mist sprayed everywhere and the wind began picking up. With another simple application of my will, I forced the water to close around the demon beast, crushing it.

The water composing the tornado was dyed red.

***

After I killed the giant aquatic demon beast, I asked Kari and Fay to escort everyone who’d been in the water out of the water and began the process of harvesting it for parts. It had a pretty large monster core. Judging from the size and amount of Spiritual Power it possessed, I’d say it was--had been--an A-rank Demon Beast. That made me wonder how such a creature got this close to shore.

Its skin felt a lot like the material used to construct the swimwear we’d bought. That meant this was one of those Giant Octopus, but since I had been told they were C-rank demon beasts, I could only assume this was an older, evolved version of that. Whatever the case, I decided to harvest and store its skin as well.

Once I’d finished, our group traveled back to our inn. Little Raul was already asleep from having played so much. He was sleeping on Lin’s chest as the lamia girl snored away on the bed without a care in the world. I thought the sight of those two sleeping together was adorable. Unlike Lin, myself, Siv, Kari, and Fay were sitting on the couches located in a corner of the room.

“What do you think a demon beast that powerful was doing so close to shore? Is that natural?” asked Kari, looking at me.

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I may not have much experience with aquatic Demon Beasts, but the powerful ones tend to live further out at sea. That Giant Octopus was an A-rank demon beast. It would normally never get so close to shore.”

“I also don’t think anyone would play near the ocean if something like this was common,” Fay added.

“Good point,” Kari said.

The four of us sat their, our arms crossed, racking our brains to come up with a suitable reason such a strong demon beast might be so close to human civilization. It didn’t make sense. Most demon beasts rank A and above preferred avoiding humans. I didn’t know why, but except for a rare few, all of them lived so far into the Demon Beast Mountain Range that seeing one was rare. Even in the Northern Plains, an A-rank Demon Beast attacking a town was a rarely heard of event.

“Could someone be controlling it?” asked Siv.

“Maybe,” Kari said.

I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s it.”

“Why not?” asked Fay.

“Because that demon beast didn’t have one of those enslavement claws the Sekbeists used to control its actions.” I uncrossed my arms and leaned back. “Of course, it could have been tamed, but taming a demon beast is even harder than killing one. Even we were only able to tame the Giga Monster because of the collar around its neck.”

“So it’s possible, but maybe not likely,” said Fay. “What other possibilities are there?”

“It might have been forced out here,” Kari theorized. “We all know demon beasts are very territorial and sometimes have disputes. What if an even stronger demon beast invaded its territory and kicked it out?”

“That is possible,” I said. “It’s also more likely than someone being able to control it… though I am still curious.”

“About what?” asked Fay.

I furrowed my brow and recalled what happened before the battle. “Demon beasts are violent and murderous, but all this one did was steal swimwear. Why? I’d have expected it to attack the first human it laid eyes on. Why steal a woman’s top?”

“That… is a very good question,” Kari said.

The four of us lapsed into silence again, but it was broken by the sound of someone knocking on the door. Thinking it was Zane, I walked over and opened the door, prepared to ask what he wanted.

It wasn’t Zane.

“Can I help you?” I asked the man standing before me.

He was a big man--bigger even than the one I beat down with my Spiritual Power for insulting my wife. His dark skin was like obsidian. For some reason, it seemed to almost have a hard quality about it, a metallic luster that made it seem more like metal than flesh. Muscles covered every inch of his unclothed chest. He was more ripped than anyone I’d ever seen. He also had a pair of really large swords shaped like khopesh but two times bigger strapped to his back.

“Are you the one who defeated the Great Octopod?” he asked. His voice was deep.

Great Octopod? I guess that was what the demon beast I killed was called.

“I am. Did you need something from me?”

“I would like you to come with me. The Emperor has expressed a desire to meet with you.”

The Emperor, huh? Come to think of it, I didn’t know the Endless Desert even had an Emperor. I guess that’s what I got for never bothering to learn about this place. It had always just been a stopping point on my adventures, so I never even tried to learn more.

Now that I knew there was an emperor, I wondered what he wanted. It was probably a favor. I doubted anyone would be dumb enough to pick a fight with someone who slaughtered an A-rank demon beast with its own elemental affinity, which meant he wanted me to do something for him.

Since I was curious, I agreed to go with them.

“Let me tell my wives what’s happening first. Then I’ll come with you. It shouldn’t take more than a moment.”

I expected the man to give me an odd look, but instead of wondering why I’d bother telling my women what was happening, he nodded as the light of understanding filled his eyes.

“Go ahead. It is never wise to do anything without your woman’s permission first.”

It seemed this man had a wife. Only a man who was married could ever understand this simple truth.

I closed the door and went back to where the girls were sitting, briefly explained the situation to them, and told them to wait for me to return.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t come with you?” asked Kari.

“I’m sure,” I said. “I believe the emperor just wants a favor. Depending on the favor, I might need your help, but this meeting will go faster if it’s just me.”

“We understand,” Fay said. “We’ll wait for you here.”

“We need to keep an eye on Lin and Raul anyway,” Kari added.

“Be safe.” Siv looked at me with a worried frown.

“Don’t worry. I won’t say or do anything stupid.”

I waved at the girls before heading back to the door. The man was waiting right outside like he hadn’t moved at all, though he stepped back when I exited the building. Now that he wasn’t blocking the door, I could see he hadn’t come alone. Several other guards were with him. None of them looked as tough, but each one had reached the Second State of Spiritualism.

“I’m ready,” I said.

“Please come with us. We will escort you to the Emperor,” the man said.

***

The man’s name was Qawuin, and he wasn’t a bad guy. He was married to one woman, had a son and a daughter, and worked at the Royal Palace as a guard. Like the others, he had reached the Second State of Spiritualism, but he had touched upon the Third State. That explained the metallic luster of his skin. He had an affinity for the earth element. In another year or two, he might be able to reach the Third State.

I was escorted by him and his group to a carriage inlaid with gold. From that, I judged they really were here because the Emperor wanted to ask me for a favor.

The only ones to enter the carriage were myself and Qawuin, while the rest surrounded it and acted as guards.

“I heard some of my men tried to start a fight with you in the middle of the street,” Qawuin said. “I’d like to apologize for their indiscretion. I’ve made sure to punish them accordingly.”

While I didn’t know how he’d heard about what happened when those people insulted Lin, I decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take the olive branch he’d extended.

“It’s fine.” I waved my hand. “I am not completely blameless for what happened. I could have found a better way to resolve this matter.”

Qawuin stared at me with an inscrutable gaze. I wondered what he was looking for, but then he asked a question I wasn’t expecting.

“Is it true you are married to a lamia?”

“It is. Is that a problem?”

I narrowed my eyes and got ready in case this man tried to start something, but he merely smiled and shook his head.

“Not at all. My wife is also a lamia,” he admitted. “She was a former slave working for the Emperor. During my time as a member of the Imperial Guard, I fell in love with her. I ended up performing a great deed in service to the Emperor and he rewarded me with her. I freed her and we married later that year.”

That was unexpected, but now I felt a stronger affinity for this man. I could respect someone who was willing to love a person despite how society might view them.

It wasn’t long before we reached the Imperial Palace, which was a complex made up of large and small buildings. Larger than Alshams villa in Cairo, much of the wall and surrounding buildings were made of limestone. Most of the buildings were rectangular structures consisting of high walls topped with towers. Each tower was decorated with a rich cornice or panels. Surrounded by lush gardens, filled with guards, and containing many hieroglyphs in service to what looked like the Eight Great Races (the eight races that come from the other eight realms), this place looked like a combination of temple and palace.

In the very center of this palace was a single building with steps leading up to a gate. The building was complex, with towers, high walls, domed roofs, and numerous archways. After reaching this building, the carriage stopped, and Qawuin led me up the steps. A pair of guards snapped to attention as we walked past them. Then we were inside of the palace itself.

The massive entrance hall we entered was filled with more columns than I thought was necessary, though it did appear they were supporting a ceiling with numerous arches. I suppose it was an aesthetic thing. After passing through the entrance hall, I was led down a longer hallway that curved around a garden in the very center of the palace. We eventually reached a set of double doors.

“The Emperor is just beyond this door,” Qawuin said. “I can tell from your skin that you are a foreigner, so I do not expect you to know any of our customs. Just remember to remain polite. This man rules over all humans here in the Endless Desert.”

“I understand,” I said.

With a gesture from Qawuin, the two guards on either side opened the door, and I walked in with Qawuin leading the way.

The royal chamber was grand. It was even bigger than Hilda’s receiving hall, where she met with visiting nobles. It had a lot of columns, which I’d come to expect, and an arched ceiling. A red carpet led from the door to a staircase, upon which sat a throne made of gold. I thought it looked gaudy. I said nothing, however, as I followed Qawuin all the way to the edge and bent a knee in deference toward the person sitting on said gaudy throne.

“My Lord, I have brought you the one who defeated the Great Octopod,” said Qawuin.

“Thank you, Qawuin,” the Emperor said.

He was an older man with graying hair, but he still had a strong body. His dark skin looked like dried sandpaper and had numerous wrinkles. At the same time, the muscles his skin stretched taut over had not diminished with age. He reminded me of Herleif, a man who looked old but still retained a semblance of youth.

This man had reached the Third State of Spiritualism.

“My name is Menes. I am the King of all humans who reside within the Endless Desert,” the man introduced himself. “Your skin is paler than any I have ever seen. You are not from the Endless Desert. Tell me, young warrior, what is your name and from where do you hail?”

“My name is Eryk Veiger,” I introduced myself, still bowed. “I come from a land called Nevaria. It is west of the Endless Desert. The place I live is very close to a land we call the Demon Beast Mountain Range, which is where many powerful Demon Beasts roam.”

“That explains why you are such a strong warrior.” King Menes nodded. “Your people must be powerful indeed. I requested you here to seek your assistance. I normally would not do this, but we have few Spiritualists with an elemental affinity for water, and the problem we face has been vexing us for over a year now.”

“What is your problem?” I asked.

“A group of marauders known simply as Sea Peoples have been raiding our lands and killing our people all along the coast,” King Menes said. “They are violent and kill without mercy. Many of our fishermen have been slaughtered at their hands. We have attempted to fight back, but they are tricky. They know the seas better than we do, and we have reason to suspect one of them has reached the Third State of Spiritualism. Every time we have attempted to follow them, the wind would always act against us.”

That certainly sounded like something someone could do with the Third State of Spiritualism. In fact, they would have had to reach that state to do at least that much.

“And you want me to get rid of them,” I said.

King Menes nodded. “I will, of course, reward you handsomely for your help. If you can get rid of the Sea Peoples, you may request any one thing of me, and should it be within my power, I will grant it.”

While I wasn’t necessarily keen on getting caught up in this land’s problems, the chance to have the Endless Desert’s emperor owe me a favor was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Standing up, I placed my hand against my chest in a sign of respect.

“King Menes, please rest assured. I will remove the Sea Peoples from your shores once and for all,” I declared, much to the relief of the king and Qawuin.