City of Sin

Klandor’s Sky(2)

A black speck appeared in the sky, slowly growing in size. It seemed to be an ordinary stone rod, but Umur immediately tensed up while Ramazoya widened her mouth in horror. She wanted to scream, but the wind blew the sound back down her throat. Escaping was impossible, dodging was impossible, blocking was impossible. She couldn’t move even the slightest bit.

The stone rod that had been thrown out from the side of the mountain streaked across the sky straight towards the group, burying itself into the ground right beside Richard. The earth rippled out past everyone’s feet for hundreds of metres, forcing Umur to stifle a groan as he stumbled backwards a few steps with blood streaming down his nose. Ramazoya was sent flying in an instant, a cloud of bloody mist spurting out into the air before she landed head-first ten metres away. It was a sorry sight.

Balibali had it even worse. Having been injured by Richard and then Heisa, he was the farthest away. Still, he couldn’t manage to scramble out of range of the waves in time. He was sent tumbling to the ground once more.

And yet, as unbelievable as the power of this little stone rod was, it didn’t hurt Richard at all. A small figure had appeared on the distant mountain, barely visible yet far more lofty and imposing than the majestic construct of nature beneath her.

Mountainsea was here!

The barbarian ruler stood on the summit with her braids dancing wildly in the wind, eyes screaming murder. “Your High—” Umur started, but a tremendous roar burst forth from her lips. “GET OUT!” She didn’t want any explanation at all.

Ramazoya immediately scrambled to her feet, turning to flee. She knew very well that Mountainsea was on the verge of an outburst right now, and staying even a moment longer would convince her to stain her hands for the first time in her life. Umur sighed as well, turning to leave.

“Wait!” A single word left both barbarians frozen. Mountainsea closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “Go tell the rest that this is the last time I’m putting up with this. If I see anyone who dares to challenge Richard next time, they’re dead!”

Ramazoya took off. Umur wanted to remind her that some people had started further away or were slower in running, but he knew the young girl would probably beat him up for it. He would have to guard the perimeter himself, blocking them off in advance to prevent them from disturbing her and Richard. In the blink of an eye, the only one left in the barren land was Balibali who had collapsed without the ability to get up once more.

The young girl took large strides as she made her way down from the mountain, rushing all the way to Richard’s side. She then squatted down and looked at Richard’s mangled face.

……

A raging bonfire was burning under the starry night sky. Richard was leaning against the trunk of the gigantic lone tree in the area, eyes fixed on Mountainsea who was holding a giant egg over the fire to roast it. One could see her little ears straining to hear any sounds of activity that might be taking place on Richard’s side, but her own gaze was absolutely focused on the egg.

Klandor’s barbarian ruler now appeared a little nervous.

Far in the distance, a furious snarl rang out from another old tree. Balibali woke up from unconsciousness only to find himself tied to the tree with beast tendons, his body upside down. Despite his position, even more blood rushed to his head from the humiliation.

If the other barbarians were to see him in his current state, Balibali knew he would become a joke on the entire continent. He thus did all he could to struggle and break free, but the beast tendons didn’t budge in the slightest. No matter how much he roared, he wasn’t able to change his circumstances.

The tendons Mountainsea had casually tied him up with were drawn from beasts well known for their resilience. Even if he had ten more years of training, he would still have to remain hanging until someone came along and decided to rescue him. More snarls of indignance rang out in the gathering darkness.

The egg was already cooked, but Richard continued to just watch Mountainsea work. A potion had stopped the bleeding on his face, but his wounds were still present. The shrivelled skin and flesh looked extremely terrible, revealing the ghastly sight of his bones deep within. These injuries were serious and would leave behind problems unless treated by a cleric or shaman.

However, he didn’t expect any such help on this continent, especially after learning about what Mountainsea was to them. He wanted to take the ruler of all the barbarians of Klandor away! He was already lucky enough that more people hadn’t tried to poison him to death.

Mountainsea took the egg off the fire and blew hard before tapping it a few times. Satisfied with the sound, she placed it on a rock and brandished her little fist, smashing into the egg with force. The rock beneath was smashed to dust in an instant, but the only effect on the eggshell was a small crack.

She looked around again, but unable to find another rock she just took the stone rod and whacked the egg with it. The surface instantly filled with cracks, but so did the ground. She cheered and carried the egg over to Richard, “Time to eat!”

A strange aroma wafted out once the eggshell was shattered. It didn’t smell rich like most meats, nor was it as clean as vegetables or fruit. However, a single whiff rejuvenated him. Richard inhaled deeply, feeling a surge of warmth spreading through his body. The pain he felt was numbed in an instant.

The moment she got closer to Richard, Mountainsea took a deep breath as well. A look of infatuation took over her petite face, but it had nothing to do with the egg. She was starting to drool over Richard’s “taste.”

Richard grabbed a part of the cracked shell and pulled down, but the piece only shook a little. Although Mountainsea’s actions had told him this was tough, he was still taken aback. The strength he had used in that pull was equivalent to that of a level 12 warrior!

He had to take some time observing the angle of the cracks, pulling at the optimal position to tear a small piece off and reveal the egg white within. Using the shell to scoop some up and put it in his mouth, he slowly savoured the taste. This enormous egg was quite strange. Its shell was frighteningly hard, but the albumen within melted into a surge of warmth that filled his abdomen.

Startled and delighted, he tried to scoop some more out. However, injured as he was his natural precision failed him, the fragment in his hand hitting the unbroken part of the shell. The impact wouldn’t be anything normally, but with his current situation it shook all the other injuries on his body, turning him deathly pale at once.

Mountainsea saw this and immediately took the fragment from him, quickly peeling off the cracked portions of the egg. Richard smiled at her, but a pang of sharp pain shot through the side of his face once more and warped his expression, leaving him looking uglier than if he had cried. His right hand could barely be lifted up.

“Eat it all, it’s good for you!” She scooped out some egg white with a piece of the shell, slowly feeding it to him. The insistence in her voice disallowed any resistance, and Richard couldn’t help but smile bitterly as he looked at the astonishing egg. Memories flashed by of the torturous diet Sharon had personally formulated for him back in the Deepblue, and the tonnes of dragon steak Emperor Philip had bestowed upon him in Faust. Now Mountainsea was giving him this egg out of nowhere, forcing him to finish it off in one go.

These gifted powerhouses cared more about food than anything else!

Thankfully the egg continued to melt into those surges of warmth that spread throughout his body, not creating any undue burden on his stomach.

“Why did you come over so suddenly?” Mountainsea tried to ask casually as she fed him, “It’s still a long time away from when we promised to meet!”

“Just because.”

“What are you here for?”

“Just to see you for a bit.”

“Stupid!” the girl muttered, her head lowering slightly.

“Why?” Richard asked with a smile, “I just wanted to tell you that I can already come over and see you a long time before our promise is due. When the day comes, I’ll definitely beat you!”

The young girl let out a snort, “Beat me? When the day comes, I’ll definitely throw you into the sea. Even now, if I hadn’t come in time you would’ve become a meal for the wolves.”

“You didn’t tell me you were a princess, did you? How was I supposed to know I would come across so many powerful fellows? Next time around, things will be different.”

Mountainsea fell silent for a moment, “Ugh. Just forget it and come be my man!”

“No way!” Richard refused firmly, “The only possibility is for you to come and be my woman!”

The atmosphere seemed to return to when she had just left the Deepblue, the topic shifting to something neither wanted to talk about. Mountainsea gazed at the flickering bonfire, suddenly heaving a sigh, “I’m the inheritor of the sacred totem. If I get serious, you’ll never defeat me. Keep insisting and I’ll really throw you into the sea.”

“Nope. I think it’s quite possible for me to do this,” Richard said with confidence, “You didn’t think I’d be able to come and defeat Balibali this time either, did you?”

The young girl nodded, her face brightening a little as though she had finally seen a ray of hope.