“Amazons…?” Riveria inquired.
“The very same! From that one lady god’s familia,” he continued. “We might have our fair share of brothels on the backstreets, but these ain’t no ladies of Meren! Don’t recognize a one of ’em…Then again, could just be my mind playin’ tricks on me. After all, this town’s the gateway to Orario, so we get all sorts of folks comin’ through here from one day to the next…” he mused, head cocked to the side as though suddenly unsure of himself.
Loki and Riveria could only look at each other in silence.
Velvet curtains lined every wall in the magic-stone-lit room.
The velvet rug, the vases, the sofa—everything was dyed a deep crimson. There was something almost licentious about it as every corner oozed a brothel-like aura. It contained not a single window; the entirety of the room was underground. Inside, its walls were filled with Amazons of Kali Familia, clothed in warriors’ attire.
Argana, Bache, and others were lounging around the room, each one idling about on their own, as Kali lay sprawled out upon the couch, petite lips parting for a lethargic yawn.
“…”
Without warning, Bache, who was standing off by herself in silence, turned her eyes toward the entrance.
As if in response, the room’s sole door opened.
“—You’re all here. Perfect.”
The newcomer was a copper-skinned goddess.
Her body was adorned in gold, from the circlet around her head to her earrings, necklace, bracelets, and anklets. As far as clothing was concerned, she wore nothing but a loincloth and a few strips of fabric for a top, all of it tied together by a belt at her waist. Everything about her seemed molded to incite the lust of male eyes, from her ample chest and supple limbs to her salaciously curved hips. She was stunningly gorgeous. So much so that clothes would only hinder her beauty.
The Amazons of Telskyura, having known nothing but combat their whole lives, were taken with her immediately.
Even if the “femme fatales” they’d heard of only through word of mouth did, indeed, exist, something told them they’d still pale in the face of the beauty before them now. It didn’t matter that they were all women the same as she—the mouths of everyone in the room dropped in an entranced stupor, and their cheeks flushed a brilliant red. As Argana directed her eyes toward the newcomer in delighted curiosity, Bache furrowed her brows in an attempt to resist before turning her gaze away.
A fiendishly bewitching allure filled the room, strong enough to captivate men and women alike and liable to put even other gods in their place.
The goddess twirled a long kiseru pipe between her fingers as her eyes narrowed in provocation.
“Finally! We’ve been waiting for you!” Kali piped up with her usual smile of confidence as she rose from the sofa, the only one in the room unaffected by the newcomer’s charm.
As the goddess entered the room, a trail of women followed her. They, too, were Amazons, similar to Kali Familia. Every one of them boasted a monstrous body, practically mistakable for a two-meder-plus monster, yet stunningly beautiful with long legs.
There wasn’t one among them who was nothing short of a goddess herself, clad in combat garments that accentuated the cascading valleys between their breasts and the bare curves of their hips. And yet, even in spite of their beauty, it was clear from how they carried themselves, with not a single visible opening, that they were every bit living, breathing weapons of destruction.
Their beguiling patron deity took her seat on the sofa across from Kali.
Kali’s followers, in turn, took their places behind Kali, while their visitors did the same opposite them.
With the table in the center of the room between them, the two goddess-led factions faced each other.
“This may be a little off base this late into the game, but I just wanna confirm—you’re Ishtar, correct?”
“That I am,” the goddess Ishtar confirmed with a smile.
Ishtar Familia.
A large familia known for its superior combat prowess even among the familias of Orario.
Reigning over the Pleasure Quarter in the southeast, its enormous sphere of influence was said to be the greatest in the city, and its warrior courtesans, known as the “Berbera,” were easily strong enough to rival the most skilled first-tier adventurers.
Their patron deity was the goddess of beauty Ishtar.
A goddess whose enchanting guiles could ensnare the hearts of thousands—the very embodiment of beauty itself—and who kept the brothels of the city firmly under her thumb.
Kali, however, didn’t hesitate a moment in the face of Ishtar’s authority.
“You’re a bit of an odd duck, you know that? Sending a request to a far-off country like ours.”
“Which is why I explained my reasoning in great detail in the many letters we exchanged. I’m not afraid to use whatever means necessary.”
In fact, it was at Ishtar’s behest that Kali and the rest of her followers had journeyed to Meren in the first place—a certain request letter, signed by the goddess of beauty herself, had simply shown up on her doorstep one day.
“…I will bring down that woman—Freya,” Ishtar asserted, a dark flame burning in her amethyst eyes.
There was no one Ishtar despised more than Orario’s other twin head, and coincidentally the other “goddess of beauty,” Freya. It was jealousy that spurred her hatred—she envied the other goddess’s prestige, renown, and, most of all, the fact that she was considered the most beautiful goddess in all the world.
Ishtar refused to be known as simply the “Goddess of Jealousy,” deity of an envy so powerful, the gods had warned them it would upend the fate of humans and plunge the lower world into chaos.
No, Ishtar had pledged herself to bringing her rival down.
Which was exactly why she’d requested the help of Kali Familia in realizing her scheme now.
“I had no idea what to expect when that first secret message of yours came,” Kali remarked, thinking back to the first letter she’d received from Ishtar more than a year ago.
Freya Familia was easily the strongest in Orario, and Ishtar wasn’t stupid enough to think she could take them on herself. Her only option if she had any hopes of proving victorious was to request help from one of the world’s much smaller powers—Kali Familia, with its warriors that rivaled Orario’s first-tier adventurers. And so she’d felt them out time and time again, not only with her letters but through the observations her messenger Amazons brought back from the island nation.
Though Kali hadn’t believed the letters at first, after multiple envoys and tributes of Superior-grade armaments, she’d finally agreed to give Ishtar’s request some thought.
“All things considered, it didn’t take much to catch your interest.”
“It’s a great opportunity! To do battle with the famed Freya Familia…and really, you musta done your homework before comin’ to us. You knew this’d be right up our alley.”
The true reason Kali Familia had decided to heed Ishtar’s request, even going so far as to leave their own country, was because of the chance it offered—to fight against the irrefutably powerful Freya Familia, the strongest in a city already known for its capable factions.
This was an offer Kali and her combat-craving Amazons simply couldn’t refuse, and it was a serendipitous meeting of interests for the two goddesses.
Ishtar crossed her slender, tanned legs as she and the young goddess across the table exchanged smiles. Catching the sidelong glances of Kali’s followers eyeing her every move, she brought the tip of her kiseru pipe to her lips.
“I’ll only let you know my initial plan for now. Wouldn’t want you and your girls to run wild or anything, now would we?”
“What, you don’t trust us?” Kali scoffed.
“I’d watch my tongue if I were you, little Neanderthals.”
Ishtar’s warning was accompanied by a puff of purple smoke from between her lips.
Behind
Kali, Argana and the other Kali Familia Amazons sported contentious smiles directed at Ishtar’s followers. The enormous women behind Ishtar responded in kind. Though the alliance had been formed, the atmosphere in the room seemed liable to combust at a moment’s notice.
“Samira,” Ishtar called out, slicing through the tension.
An ashen-haired Amazon approached the short-legged table between the two goddesses, unfolding a scroll atop its surface.
It was a map of Orario.
“Our territory is here—the Pleasure Quarter in the southeast. Freya Familia’s home, on the other hand, is located here, right in the middle of the Shopping District. To put things in perspective, Meren is located to Orario’s southwest,” Ishtar explained, her thin finger pointing out each location on the map.
“Hmmm…interesting. Then the enemy’s already nicely sandwiched between us,” Kali mused with a nod, leaning forward across the table. “A pincer attack, then?”
“Precisely,” Ishtar confirmed with a smile. “My familia will begin the attack, and while Freya and her followers have their full attention on us, you and your warriors will sneak in from behind.”
Ishtar had chosen an ally outside the city itself not only to ensure her plan’s secrecy but also to guarantee their attack would come as a complete surprise. Even the strongest familia in Orario wouldn’t expect an attack from outside the city’s walls. Even more so if the attackers boasted Level-6 combat power.
“And what’re we supposed to do about those crazy-high walls, huh? I’m sure they’ve got guards, yeah?”
“There’s a certain…company I’ve got wrapped around my finger—Albella. Simply come in by freight, and you should be able to pass by without an inspection. If you’d like, I can even open the gate for you myself the day prior,” Ishtar explained, the corners of her mouth curling upward as her irresistible charm did its work. “Once you’ve finished preparing, we’ll invade Freya’s territory…And once the fighting begins, that will be your sign to attack,” she finished. Her aura embodied callous ferocity despite her commanding allure.
Helping an outside force infiltrate the city was a serious crime, but Ishtar had no qualms about making enemies with the Guild. Such was the tenacity of one who’d spent too long ruminating on her own humiliation.
As Ishtar finished relaying her plan, Kali’s eyes narrowed.
“Heh. The jealousy of a goddess truly is a terrifying thing. A shame, really, that one so beautiful could have fallen so far,” she mused, chuckling at the irony. While her outward appearance and voice resembled a young girl’s, the bite behind her words and the way she stared daggers made it plain that she was no child.
Ishtar made her rebuke while she smiled.
“Say what you will, but I will do anything to bring that woman’s world crashing down around her.” As the goddess’s smile widened, her gorgeous features bordered on the demonic.
The sheer intensity exuding from her every pore had reached the point where it was overwhelming Kali’s followers.
“At any rate, that’s as much as I can tell you now. Even barbarians like you should be able to follow such simple instructions, yes?”
“Heh, charming as ever. But simple’s good. After all, this is our first time meetin’ face-to-face. Can’t expect too much, now, can we?” Kali agreed, playing off her opponent’s effrontery with congeniality. “What day we lookin’ at?”
“Preparations are taking longer than planned; however, feel free to use this inn as you like until the day arrives.”
“How generous.”
“I know. You should feel honored.”
Ishtar had taken care of everything since the Amazons’ arrival, from their port-entry permit to their lodgings, while her followers made constant treks in secret between Orario and Meren. In fact, the “Amazons” mentioned in a certain bar in another corner of the city were the Amazons of Ishtar Familia.
“Still, even with the lavish fineries, we’re still here just twiddlin’ our thumbs…My girls wanna get out there and fight, don’t you, Argana?” Kali leaned back against the sofa and glanced back to where Argana was currently standing behind her.
“We do,” the Amazon replied, a snakelike smile gracing her lips.
“That Warlord especially. Gotta see what he’s really made of.”
“That boaz is just one of many in Freya’s entourage. Don’t act out of turn,” Ishtar hissed, purple smoke escaping her teeth.
“I know, I know! We’ll wait like good little girls,” Kali responded with a wave of her hands, looking more and more like a mischievous child. “Speakin’ of, this your whole familia, Ishtar?”
“Are you really that imbecilic? My familia is equally as large as yours. I left most of them back in the city and brought only my top girls with me here. Why do you ask?” the goddess of beauty inquired with a tilt of her head.
“Just wondering if your girls here would be the only ones tackling the front end of the pincer attack, is all. Our friend the Warlord’s a Level Seven. He alone would be enough to take down my Argana and Bache. Just don’t want the whole thing to be over before it even starts,” Kali remarked none too delicately as she glanced at Ishtar’s entourage. She, too, had left the majority of her familia back in Telskyura. From her point of view, what with her party of mostly Level 5s and 6s, Ishtar Familia didn’t exactly seem the best choice for a frontal attack.
While Ishtar’s followers were quick to anger at the remark, Ishtar herself simply smiled.
“There’s no need to worry. I have something special up my sleeve,” she assured, throwing a glance at one of the women behind her.
The woman in question was the only one in the group of a different race.
Though her face was hidden by a pure-white veil of feathers covering her head, from the tail protruding from her hips, it was clear she was of animal-person descent. Her curves betrayed her femininity and, when coupled with her robes, gave off the impression of a priest or kazuki-adorned Shinto shrine maiden.
She didn’t respond to her patron deity’s knowing glance, remaining completely silent and apparently devoid of any sort of enthusiasm.
“…Hmm?” Kali eyed the girl curiously.
In return, she found a set of gorgeous green eyes staring back at her from behind her facial covering. Almost immediately, however, the long-legged woman next to her blocked her view, face stern as she hid the veiled girl behind her back.
“I’m basically serving you victory on a platter. Any leftovers are yours for the taking…Feel free to have a ball,” Ishtar offered, and her followers behind her responded with bestial smiles.
Kali’s followers couldn’t help but grin in return at the alluring proposition.
“While I’m not sure how I feel about this trump card of yours…I guess it’ll have to do. So long as I get the gist of it. For now, we’re just supposed to sit tight, yeah?”
“Exactly.”
“That bein’ the case, I’d like it if we finished this whole business of my compensation, then.”
Ishtar’s dark hair fluttered, glimpses of purple visible amid the rich obsidian. “I’d be glad to pay you as much as you’d like. Simply name your price, and I’ll—”
“Keep your money. I don’t need it anymore. I want somethin’ else.”
“Oh?”
“And I want it before all this goes down, too,” the miniature goddess asserted, the tiniest of trembles audible in her voice.
Ishtar scowled. Eyes sharpening like needles, she looked at the other goddess head-on. “…Go on.”
“Loki Familia’s currently here in this port. Don’t get me wrong—it’s got nothin’ to do with us. Just a coincidence, is all. Seems like they’re here huntin’ some kinda man-eating flower monster or whatsit.”
“Man-eating flower…? Ah yes. Those.” A disdainful smile crossed Ishtar’s lips as she made the connection in her mind. “And? Don’t tell me…?”
“You got it. I was hopin’ to go up against ’em.”
Ishtar’s eyebrows rose in identical arcs. “You can’t be serious. Going up against Freya and her followers is ludicrous enough. Loki Familia would be even more so. I can’t have you bloodied and bruised before the fight with Freya even begins!” she snapped, voice cracking.
Kali raised her hands in supplication. “Sorry, sorry…I wasn’t being clear. By ‘them’ I didn’t mean the whole familia…but two certain sisters within the familia.”
At the word sisters, Argana’s lips broke into a smile behind the goddess.
“You see, Loki’s gotten her hands on a few of my kids. Well, former kids, at least. I lost the two of ’em in a rather…unfortunate incident. Still tugs a bit at my heartstrings, you know?”
“…You speak of the two Amazonian twins?”
“One and the same! I’d very much like it if my Argana and Bache could go up against ’em.”
Ishtar tossed a puzzled glance at the two Amazons in question.
The two were sisters, the same sand-colored hair falling over their shoulders. While one wasn’t even trying to contain her mirth, the other remained stony and silent.
And yet, while their attitudes may have differed, both of them were imbued with the same carnal desire to fight.
“Two sisters who left…two sisters who stayed…Which ones turned out stronger, I wonder? Will the ones who come out on top break free of the vessel they’re trapped in? Will they reach new heights—a new level?” Kali mused, half to herself, as her eyes stared off in the distance. “I want to see that battle. The carnage. I want to witness for myself which choice was correct…in a shower of blood.”
With a quiet intensity, Kali’s voice grew more and more heated as she spoke.
Her eyes glinted beneath her mask, her throat trembling in imminent ecstasy.
This time, it was the Amazons on Ishtar’s side who shuddered, nerves on edge at their glimpse of the goddess of war, blood, and mayhem in all her glory. It was clear that the woman before them now sought not just combat but a brilliant fight to the death.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria, Vol. 6 Page 12
