I woke up, and the sun was not visible; the sky was gray again. Though, this ti simply because the weather decided so, and not because of a monster. Aurora lay there all wet and asleep. Looks like she spent all her energy. Did it rain last night, or what?
Alright, this is taking too long. If only I knew where this New Continent was in the first place, but it seems to be that way.
POP! I teleported the lifeboat to the height of the clouds. Three pops. And so land is already visible.
WHOOSH! We were flying through the air on the lifeboat straight toward the ground; it seed there was so settlent on the shore.
BANG! We landed hard near the shore. Aurora jumped up abruptly, her hair completely covered in sand. I, however, landed softly on my feet.
I looked around. Everything here is so strange.
Aurora imdiately ran up to . Her fist flew right past my face. For so reason, it seed to that I needed to dodge—there was sothing dangerous in her blow.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's have peace, friendship, all that," I said. "And besides, you should say thank you."
"AND FOR WHAT EXACTLY?!" "I moved us. We got here literally in a couple of minutes."
She suddenly fell into thought and, it seems, cald down.
"Alright, let's go," I said. "I want to eat, and there seems to be a city over there."
We walked silently along the shore. "And you're the Demon of Oblivion, aren't you?" I asked. She didn't answer anything.
Then she thought for a mont and said briefly: "Don't tell anyone."
"Alright, I won't tell. How glad I am."
"And what are you glad about?" she asked, smirking.
"That such a beautiful girl is traveling with ."
"And that is happiness for you?" she asked.
"I don't know if it's happiness... If I am glad, and it puts in a good mood, does that count as happiness?"
"I don't know," she answered maliciously.
But inside I rejoiced. This is already a victory—she is answering questions and talking. I don't know why, but I was so glad. "Ha-ha-ha!" I walked, skipping from foot to foot.
Suddenly she stopped abruptly. Looked at the sand and jumped up sharply, and fire flew from her feet. So tiny black bloodsuckers had dug right into Aurora's heels. She landed, and the sand under her feet seed to beco harder from the heat. She looked at : "Why aren't they attacking you?"
"? I'm probably too cute, and they don't want to eat ," I smiled.
Her long hair hung almost to her pelvis; it moved back and forth as she walked. For so reason, I took it in my hands and for so reason put it in my mouth. When she turned around, her eyes widened in shock.
"Huh?" I said with her hair in my mouth.
She imdiately forcefully pulled her hair back and went to the water to wash. And didn't even beat up? I think I made friends with her! And what did I do? She only walked maliciously along the shore and quietly said sothing to herself.
We approached the huge gates of the city. Even from afar, the long barrels of muskets aid at us, and a warning shot flew sowhere very close. Soone from the wall shouted loudly: "HALT WHERE YOU STAND!"
We obediently stopped. Questions poured down from above. "WHO ARE YOU?!"
I looked at my companion. "Aurora, who are we?" I asked quietly. She, absolutely not wanting to strain her voice and shout, tossed to : "Repeat what I say, and that's it. We are from Mount Slick, our ship crashed, a monster attacked us." I cupped my hands like a gaphone and yelled everything to the guards exactly, repeating Aurora's words.
"Alright, co closer!" they answered from the wall. A whole bunch of ard people were already crowding there.
We approached the very gates. And what do they need such huge walls for? I thought, examining the giant masonry rising high up. Dozens of people stood at the entrance with muskets at the ready.
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So man stepped forward, apparently the head of the guard. He examined us and pointed his hand at Aurora: "You, girl, go in. And you, kid, stay."
"WHAT?" I was indignant. "What kind of... Why?!"
"Because you look very strange," the guard frowned. "Your eyes... one is completely black, without whites, and the second is just yellow. Very strange, kid. Prove that you are human!"
"What? How to prove that I am human? How does one even do that?"
Here another man stepped out of the crowd and addressed the commander: "Wait. If they are from Mount Slick, let's just ask them for information about that state, and we'll verify everything." They started asking Aurora so questions about Slick. She answered easily and confidently. And then they asked about . Aurora looked at my puzzled face, smirked mockingly and declared: "He is my servant. Just a mutt."
"Eh, what?!" I stared at her.
The guard commander, however, still doubted. "But still... maybe her mind was taken over?"
"WHAT KIND OF DIALOGUES ARE THESE, MAN?!" I couldn't take it. "What are you afraid of?"
At that mont, a person in long robes, looking like a local priest, approached the head guard. He quickly whispered sothing in his ear. The commander nodded and shifted his gaze back to . "If you are not from here, then answer: which god do you serve?"
I hung there. "Uh... what? God?" I scratched the back of my head in confusion. "Never really thought about it. And what are the options anyway? I believe in myself, is that enough?"
The priest studied my face carefully, then turned to the guards and pronounced confidently: "He is not one of them. Let them through."
I walked after Aurora and thought: what kind of strangeness is going on here anyway? They don't like my eyes, they are picking so gods.
We followed the local priest through narrow streets. The city was large, probably, or small, I don't know—it would take about five hours on foot to cross it from one end to the other. But at the sa ti, everything here was terribly compressed: houses clung to each other, forming cramped, tangled labyrinths.
The priest led us into so small stone building, apparently his modest dwelling. The first thing he did was pour us water into clay mugs. Aurora imdiately grabbed hers and drank everything in greedy, large gulps. Wow. I didn't even know she was so thirsty.
The master of the house sat at a wooden table, sighed heavily, and began his tale: "To you foreigners, our checks at the gates may seem overly harsh, but let explain everything. This New Continent is a blessed land. The earth here is so generous that even on this tiny, reclaid patch, we gather incredible harvests. Resources are in abundance."
He looked at us with a serious, tired gaze.
"Beyond our walls stretch wild lands, where real nightmares roam at night. The indigenous tribes living there worship so cruel entities. These savages revere their dark idols more than their own lives, and those, in turn, send their curses upon us. So fools in the city whisper heresy, as if they have seen these alien deities in the flesh with their own eyes... But we firmly believe that the true Light is only one, and it is he who keeps us within these walls. Life here is a daily siege. To go outside the gates is certain death. Once we sent a large detachnt outside the walls: two hundred sturdy n. Do you know how many returned? Six. Ordinary lead and steel are simply powerless against the local creatures."
I listened to him and thought: Well yes, monsters. Been there, done that.
The door to the room swung open sharply, interrupting the priest's story. On the threshold stood that sa guard commander from the gates. He cast a suspicious glance at us and said loudly:
"Well, elder, told them everything? Enough stories. And now you two, spill it: when, where exactly, and on what ship did you crash?"
I just wanted to open my mouth, but Aurora sharply put in my place: "Keep quiet. I'll tell everything myself."
She turned to the commander and, with an absolutely calm face, began to lie: "Two weeks ago we set out to sea on the steamboat 'Victory'. Halfway there we t a sea monster. It smashed our ship, we miraculously survived and swam to your shore."
The man was diligently writing sothing in his notebook and asking many questions, to most of which Aurora answered briefly: "I don't know." What a liar, I thought to myself with admiration.
The guard cast a suspicious glance at us. "Alright... Even though you look absolutely nothing like you've been fighting for survival in the ocean. But it seems you're here for a long ti. The next ship from the Continent..." Aurora didn't let him finish. "We are not sailing anywhere. Or more precisely... I am an explorer. And we are leaving the city, beyond the wall."
"Uh, what about eating?" I interjected pitifully. Aurora, not even turning in my direction, cut off: "No one gave you the floor. And what are you going to buy food with?"
"What to buy? Why buy?" I was genuinely surprised. "Over there, on the street, I saw: all kinds of at lying on the stalls, people themselves are shouting: 'Co on over, take it!'. So we'll take it."
The commander sighed, looking at like a madman: "Your mutt talks quite a lot."
"Yes, quite a lot," Aurora agreed.
"Alright," the man headed for the exit. "Don't go anywhere. Tomorrow I will co, and we will conduct an additional interrogation."
As soon as the door closed behind him, Aurora imdiately grabbed my hand, and we slipped out into the street through the back exit.
"Hey, what's up with you?" I began, while we quickly dodged through narrow alleys. Aurora looked around carefully, leading us further and further away from the priest's house. "I don't want to sit with these little humans again," she hissed maliciously. "I sat with them enough on the mountain as it is, they annoy . We could just cause mayhem here and slaughter them all, but I am interested in sothing else right now. Did you hear what that priest said? Beyond the wall, one can beco stronger."
"Huh?" I blinked, completely missing the logic. How are the things he said and strength connected?
But she had already let go of my hand and was striding swiftly toward the city gates. "Are you coming?" she threw out, not slowing her pace and not even looking back at .
Hm, I thought, looking after her. Maybe she's right. There's nothing to do here anyway, food, as I understand it, won't be given. Only why did we even enter this city then?
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