Starchild Crusaders

by J. J. Pavlov

  We soon reach a tiny backstreet restaurant barely larger than a kiosk. Under an awning in front of the door are two small tables that seat two people each. One of them is occupied by a rotund man with a full beard that wears a chef's apron, arranging tattered playing cards to pass the time.

  When he spots Jalil, he jumps up and greets him in a full-throated voice. The people of the Khurut Sultanate are quite warm-hearted, even more so than those in the small villages of the Kingdom of Lares. I guess climate does affect dispositions and tempers.

  "This is Fareed El-Qadir. He best cook in Moqadis." Our guide introduces the man to us, who pats his hands on his apron and shows us a friendly smile. Then his jaw drops when he sees Hestia's wings.

  "Tell him to prepare all the dishes he has." I produce a large leather pouch filled with coins from inside my clothes and shake it to induce a rattling sound in it. "And make them big portions."

  "All?" Jalil blinks.

  "Did I stutter?" I raise an eyebrow, and he flinches before immediately interpreting for me. The two men have a back and forth during which Fareed glances at the two of us repeatedly with round eyes. But it seems

  our guide can appease his curiosity about our identity, and the chef goes inside to prepare the meal.

  The people tailing us are coming closer and forming a wide ring around the table we sit down at, but still keep far enough away that I'm not bothered by their presence. Their chatter provides the background noise of a bustling street, which is so sorely missing in this backstreet locale.

  "Let's give them a show." I caress Hestia's cheek across the table and gesture for her to lean over. Glancing sideways to the peanut gallery with a suggestive smirk, I kiss the fallen angel on the lips. A murmur runs through the small crowd, which intensifies when our tongues intertwine visibly.

  We separate after a minute that felt like an eternity. During that time, it was as if only the two of us existed, and my surroundings only slowly return in ripples, at the end of which the speechless onlookers appear. Many are staring with their mouths hanging open.

  "What brought this on, Chloe?" While breathing slightly heavier than before our kiss, Hestia asks with a glowing smile. Whenever we share in intimacies, I can see the figurative flowers bloom around her from the joy she radiates.

  "I just felt like it." Caressing her cheek once again, I give her a look filled with all my love. She nuzzles into my hand, and I feel the world around us melt away once again.

  Technically, this is our first date. We've done some bold things out in the open on the library balcony, but we never had a moment like this. My mind has been so preoccupied with returning to Kamii that I forgot that another person I love is right by my side. She deserves better than playing a secondary role, especially when it's just the two of us.

  Then I notice Jalil sitting right next to us at our table, his eyes swimming from me to Hestia and back. For a moment, I completely forgot about this side as I had been focused on the other one with the crowd.

  "What are you looking at?" Looking down at him, I growl. He jumps up with a squeal and scurries over to the other table. It seems he forgets his place if I loosen his reins too much.

  Turning to the gathered people on the other side, I let my gaze sway across their eyes. One after the other falters and retreats, and soon we're back to being alone in the alleyway. I'm sure two otherworldly girls kissing at a table on Fareed's restaurant will spread throughout the city like wildfire.

  The first dishes arrive soon after. Fareed's cooking has to compete with our still fresh memory of Hassan's dinner yesterday, but visually, the first few items are quite similar and equally enticing.

  An assortment of cold appetizers is placed on our table, and I look over them one by one. There's a fresh salad with grilled nuts sprinkled on top of it, and instead of a dairy-based sauce as I'm used to from my previous life, it's garnished with oil and vinegar. Cold grape leaves stuffed with rice is a highlight for me since I always associated them with sophisticated meals. A plate with grilled white cheese and fresh vegetable-based spread are served with flatbread, and a bowl of spicy beans in a reddish brown sauce stands in the center of it all. So far, many of them overlap with the dinner Hassan prepared, and I assume it's because those are the traditional foods in this region.

  Fareed has put on a professional smile after accepting that he has two divine beings eating at his small restaurant. He then glances at our guide with an eyebrow raised, wondering why he's at another table now.

  "Jalil, come here and eat with us." I gesture at our table and signal for our guide to join us. While I did drive him away for staring at Hestia and I kissing, I feel that during a meal it's the more, the merrier.

  "Thank you!" He quickly comes back over and nods to me in gratefulness.

  "How is it?" I ask while breaking a piece of flatbread and handing the other half to the fallen angel.

  "This is just as good as last night's dinner." She admits in embarrassment, as she had to chew and swallow the food already in her mouth quickly to answer me.

  "Ladidon Jiddaan, Fareed." Jalil turns to doubtlessly convey our praise to the chef, who laughs heartily and returns to the kitchen to prepare the next set of dishes.

  The second wave of food consists of lamb chops in a lemon sauce, slices of kebab meat with a garlic-smelling dip, leavened bread filled with cheese, grilled eggplant-like vegetables with minced meat, and poached eggs in a sauce smelling suspiciously similar to that made from tomatoes.

  I can't put either Hassan or Fareed's cooking above the other, as both are incredible. The portions are quite large, just like I asked for, and at one point Jalil taps out after eating his fill. Hestia follows soon after, while the chef keeps bringing out dish after dish of local specialties.

  Eventually, he asks our guide whether or not to stop, but I tell him to keep going and finish his menu. Onlookers have gathered once more, but I don't care as I polish clean one plate after the other and the food disappears into my unfathomable depths the moment they move down my throat. Of course, I don't waste the taste by gobbling it down and leisurely take in all the unfamiliar aromas.

  Finally, we reach the desserts, and I'm blown away by the assortment of pastries, dried and fresh fruits, and puddings. They're not just sweet, as many incorporate spices I tasted in the savory dishes as well. The broad diversity and variety cause even Hestia, who threw in the towel earlier to try some.

  Most of the pastries are crunchy with a softer core which is soaked in sweet syrup. Some have diced dried fruit inside them, others contain cream or are dough throughout. There are three different types of puddings, one with rice, another with fruits and one plain. Each and every dessert is distinctive enough so that it doesn't feel repetitive when I try them one after the other.

  At this point, the onlookers are murmuring among themselves at the sheer amount of food I've consumed. Hestia's black wings are reason enough to believe that I'm also not human, but the fact that I just ate large portions of every single item on a restaurant's menu without letting even a little of it show on the outside must have given them certainty.

  When we're done with the meal, I look at Hestia and Jalil. Both have stuffed themselves to the point where neither would want to move for a while, but the time for enjoyment has to come to an end; I want to continue on our journey.

  "What's the fastest way to the capital?" I ask our guide while Fareed begins to clear the table. Well, I already know what the fastest way is, but I can't use that with a wingless human accompanying us. And I don't want to carry him, nor make Hestia do it. "Is it possible to make a non-stop trip there on a ship?"

  "I not know. Can ask in harbor." Jalil replies truthfully, then grins mischievously. "Can offer pay for fast travel."

  "Stop smiling like that." I order him, and he purses his lips in fear. It's not that his idea is terrible and he shouldn't be smiling over it, but rather that he looks too much like a rat while doing so. It gives me the urge to squash him. "By ship it is. Let's go th
en."

  "Now?" Hestia is the one who asks, as she leans back on her chair while subtly massaging her belly.

  "Yes, now." I stand up and pull out a leather pouch filled with money, which I drop on the table. The heavy thud speaks volumes about the amount hidden inside it.

  Fareed still proceeds to open it and peek inside, and his eyes widen in surprise. He asks Jalil something, but the latter waves him off with a wry smile and replies while gesturing in the direction of the alleyway leading back to the main road into which I'm already trudging.

  "Shukran! Shukran jazila!" The chef calls out after us. It's the same words that Hassan said when we left, so I assume it's either an expression of gratitude or one of farewell.

  The crowd parts to make way for us, as I stride ahead without paying them any attention. I dined like a queen, so behaving like one is par for the course right now. Of course, under the surface of all the fun I have, I never forget my goal of reuniting with my loved ones as soon as I can.

  Chapter 55 - Tentacle's Creed

  From afar, I see a massive pyramid towering over the sprawling city of Qusantinah, capital of the Khurut Sultanate, which easily eclipses the citadel of Kongenssoevn in size. The top third is plated with gold and features a gigantic eye motif with lines spreading from it radially, symbolizing the sun. And at the current angle of the setting sun, the eye is brightly illuminated while the city below is beginning to light their fires and candles.

  We've been traveling on a sailing barge for the past six days without a single stop to go on land. The Nahar Bahasa fed into the Nahar Moyatilhayati just as Basim told me while under duress. It's a vast, life-giving stream around which settlements and fields are sprouting far and wide. Even as we reach the outskirts of the city that has grown considerably beyond its impressive walls, the fields don't disappear until we reach the first river checkpoint.

  "Pyramid is Al-Qahirah. Relic of lost nation, now sultanah's palace." Jalil points at the monolithic structure at the center of the city. He told me along the way that he has never been to the capital but heard many stories about its wonders and the remnants left by the lost civilization that existed in the sands before humans resettled their ruins.

  Looking downstream, the river continues to the horizon unbroken by bridges. According to the captain of this ship, Qusantinah lies by the sea, but there's a law that forbids commoners who aren't members of the Bihar Altabahaqi, the sailor caste, to board ocean-going ships. Punishment is death, so nobody dares to smuggle people.

  I'm sure I could find somebody to do so anyway, but we still have to travel to the Mineva Republic before we can board a ship that'll take us directly to the Kingdom of Lares. But I also hope that we can use a different method of travel altogether.

  Before we reach the harbor, I signal for Hestia to come over so that I can cover her wings. I didn't care about people seeing her in smaller towns and cities before, but this is right under the noses of the governing body of this nation. They may have gotten a message about us from the academy and could be searching for us.

  "Can you not do the other thing?" The angel girl asks while fidgeting visibly. She means my transforming into a bodysuit to cover every inch of her skin except for the head. It seems that she's feeling restless now that a kind of routine has returned to our life which had been upended with our banishment from the academy. Our late night outing on the library balcony is over two weeks in the past now, and she may be subconsciously seeking pleasure again.

  "No, I want to be out and about myself." Putting a collar made from my own matter on her while responding, I cover up her wings in plain sight of Jalil and the sailors, whose eyes almost pop out at the magic trick I just performed.

  According to what our guide found out, magic in the Khurut Sultanate is reserved to the Al-Arruwa Altabahaqi, the shaman caste. Unlike the other castes, this is the only one that accepts anybody based on merit rather than birth - as long as they're men in celibacy. They live and study magic in a place called the Qaat Al-Arruwa, the Hall of Spirits. From his description, it sounds far more heavily guarded and exclusive than even the Royal Academy.

  The only reason I'd want to go there is to see whether or not they have a transportation circle in their basement. Humans capable of magic are too dangerous, so I'd rather not poke the hornet's nest without good reason. In other words, I need to investigate before doing anything rash.

  But if there is one, I'll only need to find out the unique appearance of the circle under the academy. Then I can teleport back rather than take the long way by traveling halfway around the world. Hiding Hestia's wings prevents us from becoming a sensation so that I have more freedom in my movements.

  Currently, I'm closer to the appearance I had in my previous life than when I was in the academy. I changed my hair back to black and turned my skin darker to blend into the crowd better. Jalil didn't recognize me at first, and only when the fallen angel came to talk to me did he realize that it was me. It was quite funny when he apologized profusely for speaking so rudely to me, thinking I was just another passenger on the ship.

  The gangplank is let down onto the pier, and I descent it quickly to feel solid ground under my feet once again. I've never had motion sickness in my life, but spending several days on a vessel that is in constant swaying is still exhausting even for my untiring body. Though I guess not sleeping contributes to that too.

  Jalil immediately gets to work, asking around to find out where the best inn is located. Since he has never been to the capital before, his worth as a guide has fallen significantly - and he's very aware of that fact, which means he has to make an extra effort to not become obsolete to me.

  Hestia leans on my shoulder and nuzzles into my side like Kamii usually did. Her image of a pure girl has already been compromised long ago, but now she's almost like a seductress, pressing her breasts against my arm to elicit a response from me. With the collar around her neck, people will think of her as a slave that is eager to please.

  With our guide leading the way, we walk down a bustling street canopied by sheets of colorful linen. It's filled with busy stalls and vendors loudly peddling their wares, and the masses are moving along slowly. Aside from an abundance of food that I catch myself eyeing, there are exotic clothes, tools and trinkets made from various materials, and even animals for pets or livestock are sold here.

  The sun has already disappeared behind the buildings, and oil lamps are brightly illuminating the bazaar. Whereas in other towns activity would die down around this time, the capital seems to be only getting started.

  I had the presence of mind to make Hestia wear a headscarf to hide her silver hair. It also covers her face a little, and only those who come very close to her notice her fair skin and red eyes. Luckily, the flow of people doesn't allow for those who realize that something's special about her to stop and make a scene. But more than a few have already stared at the both of us in surprise.

  Along the way, Jalil speaks to owners of temporary stalls that sell wares on the expensive end of the scale and asks them which inn is the most luxurious. The sailors didn't have any knowledge about it because none of them have the money to afford such a lifestyle. But I have to praise our guide for his quick thinking; those merchants most likely came from far away to stay in this city for a while until their merchandise has been sold. Some of them have several slaves working for them at the same time, so they must be rather wealthy.

  Soon, we leave the bazaar and enter a broad dirt street where donkey-drawn carts travel alongside people. I would have thought that camels are a staple here, but it seems they're only ridden in the desert and stay on the outskirts of this city. Horses are a rarity only few can afford, and seem to be used mostly by guards in uniform scale armor.

  As expected of any large city, there are the less fortunate, amputees, and street kids. Even though my clothes look quite shabby, considering I collected them from a dump, they surround me and ask for alms. I think it's because they see me holding Hestia's chain. And any
body who can afford a slave this beautiful must be very wealthy - or so goes their reasoning.

  Pulling out a bag of money from inside my clothes, I grab a handful from it and throw it behind me. The crowd of orphans and poor come down on the coins like a flock of pigeons scrambling to get a bread crumb. Jalil stares at me like I'm a madwoman; among the alms I just gave out were several gold coins.

  Speaking of gold, the currency in this nation isn't just made of a single denomination. I haven't paid attention to the contents of the leather pouches because I didn't need to before, but Jalil informed me about the three kinds of coins that the currency of this nation - called 'dhakka' in the Khurut language - consists of.

  They are nohason, fidiyaton, and the dhahaba I already know from the auction for Hestia - copper, silver, and gold. Unlike what is usually the case in fantasy currencies where each denomination is always a multiple of ten of the one below it - be it a hundred or ten - this nation has a peculiar exchange rate. Twelve nohason copper coins make up one fidiyaton silver coin, and twenty-five fidiyaton are one dhahaba gold coin.

  When the kids and adults alike start to seriously fight over the money, I feel a shiver of excitement run up my spine. Just like how I revel in terror and fear, seeing these lesser life forms go at each other's throats for mere money does provide me with pleasure and entertainment.

  Wait, did I really just think that? I blink a few times and shake my head. Before I can consider trying to break them up, guards converge on our location. I don't need this right now, so I turn around, pull Hestia along, and walk away at an unsuspicious pace.

  I've never felt inclined to either side of the sadism or masochism spectrum, but ever since I gained this body, dark and sadistic urges have begun surfacing. In my previous life, I disliked seeing people argue, let alone become physical. But just now, I wished for what was already a fierce fight to escalate into bloodshed. Between children no less.