WIEDERGEBURT Act III: Chapter 23

The Endless Desert was every bit as harsh as I remembered. Scorching winds struck my face, covered only by a straw hat. The heat was enough to make my body break out in sweat, though I was constantly circulating the water element through my body and had even created a thin film of water on top of me for an additional layer of protection.

How many years had it been since I had last been here? I could not recall. The two years Kari and I had spent in the Endless Desert were merely a small footnote in our lives, and I honestly hadn’t thought about this place since entering the Northern Plains.

I traveled over dunes without pause, walking and walking and walking. I didn’t know how long I had walked. I didn’t even stop. Day turned to night. Night turned to day. I continued walking through this vast stretch of land covered in nothing but dunes.

At some point in my travels, I eventually discovered an oasis surrounded by lush greenery and palm trees. I hadn’t realized it until I saw the water, but my throat was parched. I hadn’t had anything to drink since I began walking. The water element sustained me, but I should still probably get something to drink so my throat wouldn’t feel like it was bleeding.

Kneeling before the oasis, I removed my straw hat, reached down, and scooped some water into my hand. I drank the cool and refreshing liquid, sighing in relief. My quenched throat, dry and cracked from having not drunk anything in days, suddenly felt so much better. It was like when you received a wound that never fully healed. You forget all about it, learn to function with the wound, that you don’t even realize you’re injured until someone heals it.

However, the oasis was a dangerous place, and I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

I sensed movement to my left. Clicking my tongue, I sent out a pulse of lightning that struck whatever had moved. Loud hissing erupted from the bushes as my lightning attack fried the snake that had been hiding from sight. Seeing this creature twitching and spasming as it emerged from the bushes, I stood up and glanced around.

Six Lamia, three men and three women, emerged from beyond a large dune.

It had been a long time since I’d seen the Lamia of the Endless Desert. Their exotic dark skin was bared for all to see. Lamia in this desert didn’t wear clothes for some reason, which meant their naughty bits were completely visible. However, while these men and women were exotic and gorgeous, I felt absolutely nothing as I stared at them.

“A loan human dares to wander into our oasis?” one of the Lamia hissed. “You must either be very brave or very foolish.”

“What should we do with him?” asked another.

“Should we kill him?”

“No, do not kill him. I like the look of this one. Let me keep him as a pet.”

I stared at the Lamia as they argued over what to do with me. Were they trying to intimidate me by pretending to argue, or was this some kind of comedy routine? Either way, I didn’t particularly care to listen.

Raising my hand, I channeled lightning into my index and middle fingers, sending out a powerful bolt that punched a hole clean through the nearest Lamia. It was one of the men. My attack was so powerful that the Lamia was blasted clean off his tail, struck the dirt hard, and began flopping like a fish out of water as the electricity fried his nerves. He soon went still, however, showing that he was dead.

“You… You just killed Kamesh!” one of the females became enraged and tried to lunge at me.

I blasted her in the face with lightning.

I didn’t bat an eye as the woman’s head exploded.

By this point, the Lamia appeared to realize I was a far bigger threat than they first assumed. Two of them created ethereal purple whips and tried to cut me down, while the other two lunged at me with their swords. What were they called again? Khopesh? They were about 60 centimeters in length and curved like a hook.

Deciding to end this battle in one go, I took control of the water within the oasis. The water undulated as several globules rose into the air. Each globe rippled before shifting into one meter long spears of water, which I let loose at the Lamia.

The first one went straight through a male Lamia’s head. Seeing this, the others tried to dodge, but I controlled the water and turned them into tendrils that shifted with the fluidity of liquid. A female Lamia went down when one of those tendrils pierced her heart.

“Damn you!!”

The last remaining male Lamia placed his hands on the ground and channeled a massive amount of Spiritual Power through it. I was a little surprised to see several sand stakes erupt from the ground and try to impale me. However, I merely created a wall of water, condensed and hardened it into the consistency of diamonds, and watched as the stakes splattered against the wall.

While I was defending myself against the earth stakes, the female Lamia created purple snakes, creatures made from the poison element. These snakes slithered around the water wall and lunged at me.

Their attempt at killing me would have worked on most people. I was not most people. The moment these snakes tried to sink their fangs into my skin, they exploded as I covered my entire body with a thin but powerful layer of lightning.

The female Lamia’s eyes widened, but that was all she had time to do before I shot a beam of condensed lightning at her. It tore her arm clean off. The woman howled in agony as she began writhing on the ground, and I put her out of her misery by piercing her body with multiple water spikes.

Now the only one left was the single remaining man. Turning to face him, I studied the male Lamia as he shivered in fear and rage. He was angry, but he also seemed to realize he had no chance against me, which made him stand there in indecision. However, as he stared at my face, his rage seemed to overcome his hesitation.

“RAAAAAAA!!!”

He unleashed a fierce battlecry as he raised his khopesh and charged at me.

Seconds later, the last Lamia was lying in a pool of expanding blood, and I made sure to have my fill of water before leaving the oasis.

***

We were riding in a wagon. Although I called it a wagon, it was one of the more luxurious ones. Seats ran lengthwise across the interior. They were padded and comfortable. Likewise, the tarp covering our heads from the sun was made out from the hide of a B-rank Demon Beast with a fire element. It seemed to be capable of trapping heat, so the inside was nice and warm. I think cozy was a good word to describe it. This wagon, which had been created as a mode of transportation that could ferry multiple people at once, belonged to the Eieran Family.

We were on our way to one of the Eieran Family’s hot spring resorts, which were not located within the city. According to the knowledge we had been given by the requester, the hot spring resort we were going to was a natural hot spring located south-west of the city, in a small mountainous section that bordered the Demon Beast Mountain Range. I couldn’t remember ever traveling this way in my previous life.

Much of the surrounding area was forest and plains. The flat land the wagon was traveling through consisted of a winding dirt road surrounded on either side by farms, but I could see a forested section in the distance.

Many people were tilling the farms, raking through it with their hoes, cutting wheat with their scythes, and planting seeds into the soil. A few of them looked up from their work as we passed, but most of them ignored us.

“This princess has never heard of a hot spring before now,” Lin said as her tail slowly thumped against the floor, creating a thud, thud, thud thud pattern that echoed around the small wagon. “What is it?”

“A hot spring is a spring produced by water that’s been heated underground,” Kari explained. “The hot water bubbles up from the ground to form a spring. Most hot springs also have a very high mineral content, which is good for the skin.”

“So it’s like a hot bath?”

“A natural hot bath.”

“This princess loves hot baths!”

Lin suddenly seemed a lot more excited to know we were traveling to a hot spring. While she and Kari began chatting, imagining what the hot spring would be like, I began worrying about the paperwork back home. I had left the matters of paperwork to Mikkel and two secretaries whom I hired as temporary workers to handle the sect’s affairs while I was gone, but I hadn’t been given much time to train them. Would they be okay on their own?

“Are you feeling okay, Eryk?” Fay asked me when she noticed my worry.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” I took in a deep breath and smiled. “I’m worried about the sect, but it’s not like there’s anything I can do about it right now.”

“I’m sure the sect will be fine.” Fay hesitated for a moment before, ever so slowly, she placed her hand over mine. I smiled at her as I turned my hand within her grip and clasped our hands together.

“I hope so,” I said.

The journey to the hot spring took about six hours by wagon. Lin eventually grew tired and fell asleep with her head in Kari’s lap. I looked out at the surrounding area, which had gone from plains to a mountainous region surrounded entirely by forest. We were traveling up an incline. However, I couldn’t see anything in front of or on either side of us since it was blocked by the tarp. I could only look out the back. The land eventually flattened and the wagon soon stopped.

“We have arrived at Whiterun Hot Spring, my lord and ladies,” the driver announced to us.

After waking up Lin, we emerged from the wagon and got our first glimpse of the Whiterun Hot Spring.

The building was rather impressive, standing at what must have been five or six stories tall. It was hard to tell because it appeared to be made of many parts cobbled together. While the structure was predominantly made from stone, the slanted roofs were made of yellow tiles and there were several wooden support beams helping to keep the building’s structural integrity. I also noticed they seemed to have a Phoenix theme going. At the end of each slanted roof was a Phoenix statue.

Our driver, a man wearing a black and white tunic that most servants seemed to wear, hopped off the coach seat and bowed low.

“Please follow me, if you would.”

The man turned on his heal and began walking. We followed him as he walked past a set of wooden pillars connected by a support beam. A pair of torches sat on top of each pillar, the flames burning brightly. Beyond this was an archway that we walked through before reaching the double doors that served as the entryway into the hot spring.

As we entered the Whiterun Hot Spring, all four of us found ourselves enamored with the decorations. The marble floor was polished to a shine. There were tapestries and landscape paintings lining the walls. Several potted plants that emitted a refreshing fragrance added color to the stone interior.

A large half-circle table sat near the back, made of black marble that sparkled, and behind it was a beautiful young woman with a friendly smile. She had curly blonde hair that was cut short, bright blue eyes, and glossy pink lips. I was pretty positive she wore makeup. Her beauty seemed mostly cosmetic, and I couldn’t sense much Spiritual Power from her, meaning she wasn’t a Spiritualist.

Our driver led us to the counter, where the woman greeted us with a slight bow.

“Good evening, master and mistresses,” she said. “Welcome to the Whiterun Hot Spring Resort. May I ask how long you will be staying?”

“These four are here on request by Lord Alexander,” our driver said as he produced a scroll from the pouch hanging at his hip.

The woman’s eyes widened as she took the scroll. Unfurling it, she read the contents, her eyes widening even further. I wondered what the scroll said, but I never got the chance to read it. The woman rolled it back up, handed it back to our driver, and bowed to the four of us. This time, her bow was deeper than the previous one.

“Please pardon me for not displaying the proper respect you deserve, Lord Eryk, Lady Kari, Lady Fay, and Lady Lin. I had not realized you four were here to resolve our current problem. My name is Iona. I am but a humble maidservant working here under the proprietress, Lady Sassa. Our ladyship is currently busy and won’t be back until later this evening, but if you would follow me, I can show you to the rooms you’ll be staying in for the duration of your time here.”

“You don’t really need to stand on ceremony with us,” Kari said with a smile. “Also, you said rooms. Does that mean you plan on giving us more than one room?”

Iona, who had been in the process of moving out from behind the counter, paused and looked back at Kari. Her eyes contained a deep respect and adoration. I realized that her respect for Kari was the result of my fiance’s mother and not her innate talent. While that kind of bothered me, Kari didn’t display any annoyance and retained her polite smile.

“I… had intended on giving Lord Eryk his own room. Should I not?” Iona asked.

“No, giving Eryk his own room should be fine,” Kari said, her smile widening. “In fact, I think it works out better this way. That said, I would like the three of us—” she gestured to herself, Lin, and Fay “—to share a room. I also hope you will have our room right next to Eryk’s. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Eryk is our future husband, so we would appreciate being able to visit him during the night.”

The implications were rather heavy and impossible to miss. Iona’s face turned red, and not just her cheeks either. The crimson hue of her skin went from the roots of her hair down to her neck.

Fay was blushing too.

“I-I understand.” Iona looked back and forth between the four of us, her cheeks growing darker with every passing second. I had no idea what she was thinking. I could tell, however, that it was dirty. “I’ll, um, I’ll set you three up in a room right next to Lord Eryk’s.”

“That sounds lovely. Thank you,” Kari said with a smile.

The woman stammered out a soft “you’re welcome” before leading us away. Our driver did not follow us. I wasn’t sure what he was going to be doing while we were here, but he turned around and went back outside, so I assumed he was either planning to leave or park the wagon somewhere unobtrusive so it wouldn’t be in the way.

We walked down a hallway lined with a red rug. The glow of monster core lamps cast a warm light everywhere we went.

We weren’t the only people present. A few other maidservants, easily recognizable by their black and white gowns, wandered the halls. Some looked like they were cleaning, but others were carrying servings trays and pushing carts. All of them greeted us with polite bows. Aside from the maidservants, there were also men and women wearing bathrobes wandering the halls.

Iona led us up a set of stairs to the second floor.

“The first floor is dedicated almost entirely to our hot springs and recreational facilities,” she explained to us. “We have both indoor and outdoor hot springs, mud baths, individual baths, and rooms where you can play games like Hnefatafl, practice your archery, and there is even sparring and meditation rooms for Spiritualists.”

As she explained all of the amenities they had, our group stopped in front of a pair of wooden doors. Iona turned to us and smiled.

“The room on my left is for you, Lord Eryk. Meanwhile, Lady Kari, Lady Fay, and Lady Lin will be staying in the room on my right. If any of you wish to visit one of our facilities, please feel free to do so. However, I would like to request that you return to your rooms during the evening. One of the other maidservants will take you to meet with Lady Sassa once she arrives. There are robes that we have provided for you to wear during your time here.”

“We understand. Thank you,” I said for all four of us.

Iona handed us a set of keys, bowed one last time, then wandered back the way we had come. We watched her until she disappeared. Then we turned to each other.

“I suppose we should first see what our rooms are like,” I said.

“Once you finish looking at your room, come to ours so we can decide on what to do as a group,” Kari said.

“I will.”

“This princess wishes she could sleep in Darling’s room… n-not that there is anything wrong with sleeping in your room, Big Sister,” Lin amended her statement hurriedly when Kari stared at her with a blank look.

I could only shake my head as Kari’s frown turned into a smile as she ushered the other two girls into their room.

Since I didn’t want to stand out here looking like an idiot, I entered my room. It was larger than I would have expected for a single person. A large bed sat in the center of the chamber. There was a window near the back that granted a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains and forest. It also featured a table, a dresser, and a chest to store my items. A small coat hanger stood near the door.

The robes that Iona spoke of was neatly folded on my bed. I removed my armor and clothes, and then slipped into the robes. They were very soft and warm. I was pretty sure these robes were made from fleece.

After putting on the robe, I emerged from my room and knocked on the door to the girls’s room.

“Come in,” Kari’s voice rang out.

I opened the door and entered.

Kari, Fay, and Lin were already dressed in their robes like me. Like mine, their robes were long and traveled all the way down to their ankles. However, where my robes were stretched across my broad shoulders but closed at the chest, theirs was stretched across their bust. Kari, in particular, had a fairly notorious amount of cleavage visible. Fay did as well to some extent. Only Lin didn’t seem to have that problem, but since she was a Lamia, the robe also appeared much smaller on her thanks to her tail.

“You three look like you’re also ready to explore,” I said.

“We are, though we aren’t sure what to do yet,” Kari admitted.

“I don’t think we should visit the hot springs right now,” Fay said after giving it some thought. “The Eieran Family said they are having problems with a peeper, and I’m not keen on being peeped on.”

“We should learn everything we can about this peeper before we do anything with the hot springs,” Kari agreed.

“This princess wants to see what kind of games they have,” Lin said.

“I’d like to spar a bit to loosen my limbs,” Fay added.

“I’m fine with anything, so long as I’m with all of you,” I told them with a shrug. My words caused all four of them to begin smiling.

We debated over what to do for a bit, but then eventually decided to see what games they had. According to Iona, there was a game room on the first floor, which contained several board games like Hnefatafl to play. I promised Fay that she and I would spar for awhile after checking out the games.

We soon learned that there wasn’t just one game room. A passing maidservant informed us that the Whiterun Hot Spring Resort had six rooms dedicated to various games. One room was dedicated entirely to board games, while another was specifically for drinking games (they had several large casks filled with ale), and another was for Hnútukast, a game in which players threw bones at other players with the intent of causing an injury. There was even one room that contained a pool where water wrestling was the main sport played.

Lin was mostly curious about Hnefatafl, so we traveled into the room filled with board games. It was set up with several round tables surrounded by chairs. The boards were located on the tables and the game pieces were already set up. Game boards ranged in size from 7x7 squares to 19x19 squares. Most of them were made from Demon Beast bone, but a few were also made from bronze and glass. Next to each board was an hourglass.

Hnefatafl was a common game played across the continent, which meant it had been created before the Catastrophe. It was a strategy game in which a king and his retainers opposed an army. The player holding the king had only a small number of playing pieces to protect the king from a larger number of opponent pieces. A dice was rolled to determine how many moves the player had.

“Darling! Play me!” Lin demanded as she sat on one of the chairs.

Wearing an amused smile, I sat in the chair opposite her, while Lin and Kari took up positions on either side of us.

“Do you want to play the king or the opposing army?” I asked.

“The king!”

“Okay.”

Lin was getting really excited. Her eyes were sparkling as I set up the pieces. The king and the king’s retainers were in the center, while the opposing army surrounded them. While this made it seem like the king had the disadvantage, it was actually the opposing army that needed to work harder to win. All the king and his retainers had to do was stop the king from dying. Games like this had a time limit, so I also had to win within a set timeframe.

Kari flipped the hourglass over to signify that the game had started. Lin rolled the dice. It was a three. She enthusiastically moved her pieces to begin attacking one of my battalions. She took one piece, though I rolled a six on my next turn and took the piece she had used to attack plus one more. Lin narrowed her eyes as she rolled again and tried to attack… again.

I took those pieces as well.

It didn’t take long for Lin to realize that attacking was a horrible idea for a defender. She soon tried to consolidate her pieces around her king, but she’d already lost so many that there were gaps in her defense, which I mercilessly took advantage of. All the poor Lamia girl could do was watch in horror as one of my pawns slipped through the hole in her defense and claimed her king.

“I-I lost… I can’t believe it!” Lin cried, so shocked that she actually spoke in first person instead of third like she normally did.

“Hnefatafl is a game in which one side defends and the other attacks,” I said with my arms crossed. “Your goal is not to defeat my pieces but defend yourself until the time runs out. Of course, if you do defeat all my pieces, you will also win, but that’s harder for the defensive side.”

“O-One more game!” Lin exclaimed, her eyes filled with determination. “This time, this princess will definitely beat you for sure!”

“If you say so.”

Lin played me exactly six times and lost all six times. That said, she did improve with each round. Our last game lasted until the last few grains of sand had remained in the hourglass.

“T-this princess cannot believe she lost each time,” Lin moaned sadly as she fell from her chair and lay crumpled on the floor, crying bitter tears of defeat. I felt like she was over exaggerating, but this was likely just a result of how enthusiastic she felt about learning something fun.

“You might be able to beat him next time,” Kari said in a soothing voice. “You did almost win this time.”

“No… this princess doesn’t want to play Darling anymore,” Lin sniffed with tears still in her eyes. She looked up at Kari withher golden eyes wide and innocent-looking. “Big Sister, will you play with this princess?”

I was tempted to tell her that was a bad idea, but Kari smiled at Lin before I could say anything.

“Sure. I don’t mind playing with you.”

Since the decision was already made, I vacated the chair and allowed Kari to sit on it. I stood next to Fay as Lin tried to defeat Kari… and lost. She lost to Kari even worse than she did me. She lost so hard, in fact, that Lin could only stare blankly at the board like she couldn’t understand how she’d lost in just under two minutes.

I never said anything because we didn’t play often, but Kari was an amazing strategist, especially when it came to games like Hnefatafl. I didn’t think Lin would ever be able to defeat her. Even I had never beaten Kari at this game in my previous life.

We didn’t just play Hnefatafl. Fay and I also did some light sparring to loosen and warm up our muscles. We even tried our hands at archery. Lin was surprisingly good at that. She never missed a single target and always hit a bullseye. On the other hand, Fay and I were fairly horrible, while Kari was somewhere between the three of us.

After finally having our fill of games, we traveled back to the girls’s room, where we sat on the bed and talked until someone knocked at the door.

“Excuse me.” A young maidservant entered and bowed to us. “Lady Sassa said she is prepared to receive you now. Could I ask that you please follow me?”

The four of us stood up and followed the maidservant out of the room.

It looked like we would finally learn more about this peeper.