Chương 82: Chapter 81 - Ingredients

Atzi woke up the next morning hoping that Hemm had gone along with what she said. But... if this works, this reveals something very useful. I can just say I'm a spy! That's why I know all this stuff! She got dressed and headed downstairs. Hemm and Marco were busy stuffing things into two large backpacks. Hemm had just gone into the back, presumably to grab more things, so Atzi waved to Marco.

"Hey Marco," Atzi greeted him.

"We're uhh... leaving, I guess?" Marco replied.

"Oh. Yeah, Hemm told me. Good luck." Wonder what Hemm told him to get him to come along. Marco smiled politely.

"You too."

"I'll find somewhere else, it's fine." Atzi waved a claw as she approached the front door.

"Well... see ya." She headed out. She wasn't sure exactly where she'd stay, but she figured that since the Pangaeans had a bed, she could always sleep there for a night. As she wandered about wondering how to spend the rest of the day, she spotted someone she knew strutting down the street. Vance. Atzi ran up to him.

"Hey, when'd you get out of jail?" Vance laughed.

"Just now! My sister got me out, she's a prophet now!" He raised his nose up high and puffed out his chest.

"Oh yeah. She saved your ass, huh?"

"Hey! It's not like that." He wrinkled his nose.

"It's because I provide a valuable addition to her new position. I'm like… second in command. Yeah." Atzi was only half paying attention to the conversation, as she thought about Cory and the Pangaeans.

"Oh, they made you a priest, huh?"

"Nope! Too important to waste my time on priest stuff." Yep, you're so important. Atzi rolled her eyes.

"So what, you go get donations in the street at night or something?"

"Hey, that's not a bad idea..."

"Yeah, it'll definitely help the church." Atzi said, deadpan. Vance pounded his chest with his fist.

"Soon everyone will know me as the one who rebuilt Novae!"

"Yeah, keep working at it." This is one guy I'm not going to be upset about if he gets caught in the demon attack.

"Did uhhh, what's-his-name, Kevin get out too?"

"Karl? Nah he's still in jail. I'll get him out soon."

"Well, good luck I guess. Oh yeah, inn's closed down, but I guess you got a room at the temple now."

"Hells yeah! I'm gonna be resting in style." He scratched his chin.

"What happened to the inn?"

"War stuff, Hemm's taking a break and heading back to Cthy for a bit until it cools off. Getting hassled by spies here and stuff."

"Spies?!" Vance gawped.

"Sostran ones, yeah." I wonder if Alana and the others got the ingredients. Knowing what those are could be useful.

"I noticed someone standing around outside a bunch, recognised 'em." Vance chuckled.

"They're lucky I wasn't there. Say, maybe they're why I went to jail..."

"Oh, yeah, could be. They're assholes. You got your warrant cleared up at least?"

"There's nothing The Ancestor can't do!" Vance started walking off.

"Smell you later, lizard lady."

"Yeah, yeah." Yep, he's definitely gonna be dead in a few days. Well, not my problem. As Atzi continued to wander, she thought more about how to use him in future loops. Him getting out.... not that useful, it's more useful when I tell his sister in advance so she owes me one. She eventually made her way all the way up the street and all the way back down, eating along the way. It was late afternoon when she stopped near the gate that served as the southern entrance to Sostra.

It was her second time that day seeing someone she didn't expect. The statue-like person, holding, by its neck… … a chicken? There's no way it can be that chicken, right? Atzi ducked into an alleyway to spy on him. That is so weird.

"What exactly am I going to do with you…?" the Statue-like person asked the chicken. It let out a choked bawk in response. Just then, three robed figures ran up. Weston, the serious looking mage. Phyllis, the attractive aspirant. And Octavia the apprentice, huffing and out of breath. Weston raised his hand and said in a gravelly voice, "Give us the chicken." Phyllis nodded. Octavia added a meek, "Please?" Water. It is the same chicken. Atzi kept a careful eye from her alleyway hiding spot.

"No," came the statue-person's simple reply. Weston frowned.

"If you dare resist us, then by the authority of the academy, we will have no choice but to take it by force." Oh, this is gonna be good. Well, I know that I met them later in the loop, so they must survive and get the chicken. So maybe the statue-person isn't as scary as they seem. Or they just hand it over? Still holding the chicken in one hand, the statue-person did not move, as if taunting them with inaction. A small crowd began to form of people wondering what was going on.

"So be it." Weston stomped on the ground and the earth below the statue-like person began to sink. Atzi remembered the same trick being used twice. One by him on herself, and another time by Terra on Alana. The statue person remained standing atop the sinking earth, as if no magic had been used at all. Their feet not moving an inch. Atzi stared. How is that possible? Physillis raised a hand and, after a short chant, launched a beam of light. They batted it away with their empty hand.

The light shot sideways, nearly striking an onlooker. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The crowd, screaming, retreated.

"Woah." Atzi whispered under her breath. Okay, maybe I should take lessons from them… Guards shuffled to the side of the scene. The statue-like person merely glanced at them, and suddenly they looked too afraid to move forward.

"This isn't someone we can take..." Weston said.

"My turn." The statue-like person grinned viciously, and shot off in a run towards the three. The chicken squawked. The mysterious person grabbed the chicken by the tail and yanked. The chicken let loose a scream with a gout of fire, covering the three. Then the flames swirled, vanishing into a single point, and Atzi saw a fourth mage standing with the students, seemingly having arrived from nowhere. She wore regal robes, red and brown, decorated with animal carvings of metal and wood. Head Councilor Justina.

She stared down the statue-person.

"The beast you are attacking my students with is property of the college. Return it and I will let this insult go." The statue person hummed.

"Oh… you're strong."

"That's right, so-""I wanted to fight someone strong!" They leapt at her, deadly palm outstretched like the one that had killed Atzi. Justina parried the blow with a pillar of stone, then countered by melting it into lava launched at her foe. It was countered by a leap, into a kick downward. Justina only blocked it as her arms became wrapped in rocks. Several chains of fire snaked up from her feet to grab onto the statue-person. They snagged on, only for them to shake free as they spun away.

The fight became a dizzying back and forth of action which Atzi could barely track. Just by being nearby, Weston was harmed as he tried to help Justina with his own magic, only to be caught in the shrapnel of the fight between the two. The guards had long ago backed away, nowhere to be seen. Although the damage was local, Atzi wondered why nobody else had shown up yet. Was it beneath the gods and their prophets? Did everyone think Justina could handle it?

Even as Justina gained the upper hand in their exchanges, every injury the statue-person took didn't seem to slow them down at all. If anything, each nick and every drop of blood that welled out of their body only made them faster and stronger. Justina, meanwhile, finally seemed to be losing her energy. She had used numerous spells, and what Atzi could only assume were her own martial arts. She was panting.

"Yes! This makes me feel alive! More!" They were still grinning.

"Councilor!" Weston cried out.

"Stay back! You can't handle this!" Justina bit back. She swirled more fire into her palm, ready to strike out again. The statue person squatted low, prepared for another exchange.

"Are we interrupting anything?" came a new voice. The statue-like person stopped, no longer paying attention to Justina as they turned towards the voices, a look of bewilderment and fury on their face. Justina hesitated, eyeing the newly arrived trio with caution. The center figure of the three wore two sets of robes, yellow underneath and black over the top. Emblazoned in green on his outer robe was a sword crossed with a hawk, the symbol of the nation of Dyme.

His face was long and angular, and he wore small glasses. He showed no fear as he strode into the area of the fight. Flanked on either side of him was a soldier wearing the light metal armor of the country, and a priest in all black and a collar of gold. The Dymish man in the center continued, "We apologize for the actions of our… wayward child. They managed to run away from home and, I understand, are causing all sorts of trouble." Councilor Justina wiped blood from her lip.

"So, they're one of yours, then." Dyme, huh...

"You three… I'm not going back!" The statue-person charged at them, so much faster than they had been moving in the fight with Justina. The priest waved his hand and suddenly the mysterious person dropped to their knees, seemingly in pain.

"You do not have a choice."

"We shall take them with us," the Dymish man declared. The soldier moved forward.

"The chicken?" Justina asked.

"Naturally, you may have the creature they stole." He motioned to the soldier, who then pried open the grip of the statue-person, letting the chicken free. Before it could run, Justina swiped it, clutching her hand over its beak. Then she looked up.

"Who are they, exactly?"

"The one and only child of the General," the man announced. Atzi recalled the General was the god of Dyme, from what Terra had taught her. So that's it... I really need to ask them about their martial art again, and figure out a way to survive the first hit. The three men dragged away the Dyme demigod, while Justina took away the students and still-struggling chicken. After making sure the coast was clear, Atzi exited from the alleyway.

She felt like she'd learned a lot, though she still couldn't figure out what the chicken had to do with anything. Did the statue-person train it? But that didn't make sense… She shrugged. She'd figure it out eventually. It would be night by the time she made it to the hideout, so Atzi made her way to the sewer entrance in the slum, to meet up a day in advance. Maybe I'll even find out more information that I wouldn't have otherwise.

When she stood before the thick iron door, she noticed there was water coming from under it. Weird, she thought as she knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" came Cory's voice.

"Atzi," she said, suddenly very glad she came back early. There was a shuffling of locks, and the door opened. Immediately, Atzi heard whimpers and cries, followed by a scream. Cory's hand gripped her around her shirt, and pulled her in. The door slammed shut behind her. She didn't have time to think about Cory touching her, as she gazed upon the large cages. Cages filled to the brim with people, what must have been nearly a hundred between them all, packed so tightly they could barely move.

Their clothes were dirty and ripped, some with injuries that hinted at a struggle. Some stuck their arms out their cages towards Atzi, a cacophony of begging.

"W-what? What's this?" Atzi asked.

"The ingredients," Cory replied, as simply as if she were referring to objects.

"Y-you're sacrificing people?" Cory stared at her.

"You knew people would be hurt. These are just some of them. Or have you lost your will to help us?" A single twitch of her hand was enough to make Atzi realize just how much blood was in the room, from those locked in the cages. Water, oh Water. They're going to kill all these people! If Atzi gave the wrong answer, she was certain Cory would kill her, too. She feared she'd die for even hesitating too much, a sign of her loss of 'will'. Atzi gulped.

"N-no, of course not." Then, Atzi heard a familiar voice from nearby.

"Atzi! Atzi is that you?!" Atzi turned her head slowly, dreading who she was about to see. Many of the feathers that would peek out from under her white scales were missing, plucked out. Her bright cyan priestess robes were partly torn, and eyes were bloodshot like she hadn't slept. It was Jem, the priestess of the Water. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Jem...?"

"Atzi, these people are crazy! You have to help us!"

"You know her?" Cory asked Atzi, an edge to her voice.

"K-kind of. Barely." Atzi swallowed. What the hells do I do here? She looked between Cory and Jem. Even if she tried anything, Cory would just kill her. She turned back to Jem.

"I... I can't..."

"Atzi! You can! This is just a test from the Water! I believe in the goodness of your heart! I've always believed you were a good person!" Atzi winced. This is bad. I thought it'd be.... random people who got hurt! It's different when I know them! She looked down at the floor, absentmindedly noticing how it was slick with water. Nearby, Cory frowned, her arms crossed.

"I need to know you're on our side. We're doing the right thing, Atzi. You understand that, right?" No! I don't! Atzi felt too powerless to yell. Everything she'd done up to that point would be useless if she tried to fight back, and she wouldn't be able to save Jem, anyway. She had to make Cory believe her, or else it would be the same.

"I understand, I'm just, it's just…"

"It's a lot, I know," Cory said.

"I understand feeling uneasy, even though it's necessary." Nothing about her posture or voice suggested Cory felt similarly.

"I... sorry, I..." Atzi covered her mouth with her claw and barreled through the wooden door, off to the side room. She dived under the covers of the bed. Are they gonna kill me? Are they gonna kill her? Wait, they are gonna do that, fuck. Fuck! What do I do? Time passed with nothing more than muffled cries. Cory didn't even knock on her door. Atzi was left alone with her thoughts and a bed. If I go through with this, I can find out what's going on in Hasen, and maybe stop a war breaking out in the future.

And everyone will come back to life again anyway, isn't it better if I figure that out? Isn't it? She gripped her skull. It's necessary. It's necessary. Why did it have to be me, why couldn't it have been someone who's good at things like this? I hate the responsibility! The words of Hemm echoed in her head.

"Just because you do something bad for good reasons, doesn't make it a good thing to do." Atzi whined. It's not fair, how else am I meant to figure out what goes on in Hasen? This is my one shot - I am not doing this again, ever. I can't go along with this plan a second time. Even crying into the pillow, fearing for her life, and to the muted sounds of suffering, Atzi eventually drifted off to sleep. She dreamed she was slitting Jem's throat as Hemm watched on, silently judging.