Rupegia

Chapter 164: The Four – Part 3

I'm momentarily distracted by the Queen's tight little ass and cute pussy lips, as her body is so perfectly sculpted that I suspect [Alteration Magic] shenanigans. Cucking a King is also one of Roxanne's and Yunia's fetishes, so we have a short moment of relaxation as we dive into our filthy fantasies.

But then the Hau-Hou pair comes back a couple of minutes later, so we harden our expressions again, for this is the moment of truth.

The two sit back down, then the Queen slowly and deliberately begins her speech, her expression still perfectly stoic and unreadable, "King Wolf, Queen Ciel… let's make a trade. The Sky Lands' Hallowed Cloak, the massive enchantment that hides our lands, isn't a physical barrier, and though it has great utility for our military, it's useless in the case of an invasion. Ever since you and the other Realm Travelers arrived in this Realm, an ancient Sky Fortress, called a dungeon by land-dwellers, has appeared in the path our expeditions take to enter the Broken Skies, and this Fortress has been slowly drifting towards Kini Kaina.

"We're unable to move out of its path, as this beautiful city has grown so big and complex that any movement of the floating islands would cause massive damage to its structures. We also can't deal with this militarily as this Sky Fortress, the Fortress of Calamity, is so vast that the monster swarm has grown larger than our fleet. But the Gifted Realm Travelers have been able to sneak in and out multiple times, so we hope that they'll be able to destroy the Fortress' core this way."

Then she makes a pause for effect, but her mental stress becomes so high that she clenches her jaw hard enough to make her face tremble. She is dealing with an existential threat to her kingdom while having to choose between potential catastrophe and death or the loss of independence that comes from asking for help from the infamous and opportunistic Avgi Empire.

Having to admit that you're a weak ruler after hundreds of thousands of years of tradition isn't easy.

But Queen Patika finally offers us the proposal we've been waiting for, "If you help The Four Travelers accomplish this, we'll allow you to meet with them and take them with you to achieve your divine-given purpose."

Ciel suddenly realizes something and immediately shares it through [Bind], "Now it all makes sense! They believed that the Gifted were sent to help them with this Fortress of Calamity; that's one of the reasons why the Hau-Hou are so protective of them. But now that a fifth Traveler has arrived with a different goal, they've realized that the purpose of the Travelers is more than just that."

But I'm too distracted by something else to reply to her. The fact that this cute, fuckable, little Queen Patika is daring to use the permission to see the Realm Travelers as a bargaining chip makes me unreasonably angry. I did manage to hold back my anger before because I believed the Travelers weren't being exploited, but this is borderline.

I understand very well why she's doing this, but I still hate it.

The girls promptly work to soothe me while Yunia takes over my body and stoically gives a counter-proposal, "If we save your capital, we'll require all the help you can give us towards finding the Lord of Storms, with both information and ships."

"You're asking for quite a lot," the King lets out a subtle growl, breaking his stoicism to show a bit of anger.

But the Queen is more level-headed and deems this a fair trade. "We can give you command of a whole expedition, and I'll pray that the Gods protect these men."

The King gives her a glance, likely surprised by her response, but I feel like they're both a bit desperate for a solution to their problem with the Fortress, so Yunia's request is exactly the middle ground for both sides.

"Shall we swear upon the Gods?" Ciel gently suggests with an amicable smile.

I'm back in control of my angry lizard, so I take the lead and make my carefully-worded declaration, "I, Wolf Ryder, swear to guide the four Realm Travelers towards destroying the Fortress of Calamity."

The Queen takes a couple of seconds to think, then she follows up, "I, Patika Hau-Hou, swear to give you command of a whole expedition to aid you in fulfilling your divine quest."

Once she finishes her oath, a little "knot" is tied within my heart, the sign that the Gods have listened and will judge our actions towards fulfilling it.

"Now, take us to the Travelers," I immediately demand.

The negotiations back with the Diplomat Tamapa are suspended, for this is too important a meeting for the girls to not participate. In fact, everyone is allowed to come because this is a damn historical moment. Five Realm Travelers, five Gifted people, five Threads of Fates that shall change the world.

"They have Gifted?! What in the Vol-shite is going on here?!" Urmeie exclaims as she's informed of where we're going. Even she understands the significance of this. Then she suddenly frowns and raises her lips in anger. "Wait, was this your primary purpose for coming here?"

Alissa feels a bit of smug satisfaction from making the Princess feel like a fool, and her smugness is compounded with that of the girls as their emotions mix through [Bind]. "Consider yourself honored that we allowed you to come even though this is such an important moment for Wolfy," my cute fox confidently asserts to the mama bear.

"Hmm… alright," the entitled Princess grumbles in acceptance with a glare. She can't really complain about not being told everything when she explicitly tells everyone that she doesn't care about politics.

And so, we gather inside a [Warp Space]-enhanced carriage that fits us all. We can't take all of the Companions and Celestial Horns with us, but we still take a handful for appearances' sake.

Alissa grabs my left hand, Ciel grabs my right, Lina sits on my lap, and Gify turns on her "soul massage" to help manage my rising anxiety.

"Why are you so anxious?" Aoi innocently asks through [Bind].

The question puts me in a pensive mood, temporarily allaying my stress. "I don't know… I just… really don't want Lily to have also been brought into this world."

"If she's here, you two can finally be together again," Hana points out.

But that doesn't comfort me at all. "I don't want to be together with her anymore. I abandoned my old self, and I don't want a constant reminder of what could've been. Not to mention that I did cheat on her not even a month after arriving here."

"Couldn't help it. Who could resist that cute little orange fox?" Roxanne playfully teases and rubs her cheeks against Alissa's furry ears.

And our adorable orange bundle of love tries to hide an embarrassed smile because everyone agrees, especially Ciel, that she's the cutest fox. But emphasis on fox, because Lina is the cutest loli.

Our chocolate angel ignores the jab at her crush on Alissa and soothingly preaches, "You were seeking comfort and safety when you were feeling alone and shaken, so the Goddess of Love most likely didn't judge you harshly for what you did, but the God of the Sun would appreciate that you do something to atone for breaking your vows to Lily."

I raise a questioning eyebrow. "Isn't bringing technology and progress to this world enough to atone?"

"Atone to her," she clarifies with a wry smile.

Lily is a pretty fucking vengeful person, so I'm not sure what the fuck I can do to atone…

"You look tense," Caterina quietly states as she stares at me.

Of course, I am. If Lily's here, I'm surely fucked!

"And you don't," Urmeie grunts questioningly to the Punisher captain.

Who frowns confusedly. "What do you mean?"

"Did you know that there were Gifted here?" the Princess interrogates.

"Yes…" Caterina hesitantly answers.

And mama bear looks around. "Am I the only one who didn't?" Her eyes fall upon Hukarere, who simply grins under her wolf helmet.

"I didn't…" Alcander chimes in rather shyly. He's been very quiet this whole trip, likely because the high number of women is overwhelming for him. I think he's more of a "boy's club" dude, considering how often he banters with Silvano.

"But you aren't important," Urmeie bluntly replies, then turns back to Caterina. "Why didn't the temple tell us?"

That actually makes Alcander smile wryly, so we also smile wryly at him in support.

"Because there'd be a swarm of imperial nobles trying to recruit them with varying levels of forcefulness," the Punisher captain answers matter-of-factly.

"Hmph…" the Princess grunts sourly. She knows enough to not deny that.

"I feel a bit less tense now. Thank you," I calmly state to the irreverent royal.

"You're welcome," she grunts again and crosses her arms as she starts to sulk, bunching up her massive, furry tits alluringly.

"And I believe you deserve to know the truth," Ciel kindly states to Alcander. There are Companions and Celestial Horns listening, but it's starting to become a pain to keep this secret from getting out, so we might as well…

"It's almost like a door has been opened to the other Realms," he thoughtfully remarks, and we see a couple of helmets nod to that before the girls return to being stoic.

"More like something terrible is coming that needs this many heroes," Caterina soberly states.

"Oh…" he hums in realization.

And I decide to voice a bit of dark humor, "We just have to destroy a sky fortress called Fortress of Calamity for now, so there's nothing to worry about, really. But there's also a chance that someone I know might be one of the Realm Travelers, so let's not think of such dreadful things for now."

Everyone but the wives raise their eyebrows in concern, but then Urmeie gives me the perfect follow-up, "Well, now I can't stop thinking about it."

And I just grin cheekily, so they realize that I'm joking and chuckle, lightening up the mood a bit.

But the relief is only temporary, as my anxiety slowly comes back.

Eventually, the carriage stops in front of a guest mansion at the opposite end of the palace, and I feel my hand shaking as we disembark. I didn't even break a sweat when we faced Reinhold, so I'm actually feeling worse now than I did in the most dangerous fight we've had so far.

Our guide opens the double doors and invites us in, so I put one foot before the other and lead our large party inside as my heart attempts to leap through my throat.

Before I know it, we're entering the living room, and I see five faces turn to us, but one draws my eyes instantly.

It's… Lily.

I blink, and the world changes. The five of us are now in a dark room, standing still and simply staring at each other.

Our separation was necessary for the required conditions to be met, but now the Gods have brought us together, for we're ready. And so, we must begin a journey together.

I'm first. Heitor Da Cruz. Jack of all trades, master of none, but with infinite soul potential.

The second is a lanky snow lionfolk. U Thant. Bringer of light, creator of shelter, and the flame in the darkness.

The third is a young, beardless gnome. Samkelo Nkosi. A Seer able to unravel the fabric of reality and manipulate it to his will.

The fourth is a light blue Thalanthro girl. Chesa Nagangrap. Brewer of storms, provoker of volcanoes, and raiser of waves.

The fifth is a dark-skinned dwarf girl. Lily Sinngh. An unbreakable body and an unyielding will made to deliver fear upon her enemies.

Five chosen, each from their own homeland; five Fates, each with their own path; five heroes, each with wondrous potential. Finally united.

The Gods command us to work together, for we won't survive if we don't.

I blink, and we're back, but everyone is silent, for a flash of pure godly power has awed everyone into speechlessness.

"How interesting…" Alissa hears a hum coming from the extra person sitting with the four Travelers, a squirrel-headed Chimera man wearing a frilled white robe that seems like something a healer would wear.

"Toto?!" Lily suddenly shouts as she stands, grabbing my attention again. Pronounced "toh-toh," it's a nickname that I haven't heard since the reverse-Weeper dream back in Legado.

"Lily…" I whisper as I stare at her in awe. She's just like her Lolily avatar from when we used to game in VR; a dark-skinned loli with dangerously sharp eyes that could see through any mask and the prettiest little lips that could spew the most profane filth you could imagine. Her black hair is straight and cheek-length instead of wavy and shoulder-length, while her dark-brown skin is a bit darker than I remember, but then again, she wasn't dwarf-sized the last time I saw her that wasn't in an illusion.

Her cute little face warps in pain as tears form in her eyes, and then also in mine. "[It's you!]" she switches to English.

I slowly nod, frozen in place. "Yes…"

And she rushes toward me, but I almost instinctively push her away. I don't want this. I hate this. I hate this. I. HATE. THIS!

"Why you…" I mutter, my voice starting to crack from the pain.

She crashes into my chest, but she's so light that I barely feel anything. Then she hugs me, and I'm suddenly lifted off the ground as if I was a mere stick.

"L-Lily?!" I shout in worry and confusion as she starts to squeeze me a bit too hard.

"[It's you! It's you! It's you! It's you! I can't believe it's you]!" she shouts repeatedly in elation as she spins me around.

"[Yes, yes, yes! I also can't believe it's you]!" I shout back, also in English.

But then she suddenly stops and puts me down, allowing me to see her viciously sadistic grin. "[Wait… you're King Wolf Ryder]?"

I reflexively cringe, the first time I've ever felt embarrassed about choosing my name. "[Yes… that's the name I chose in this world]."

She smirks and snorts, a beautiful and fresh expression that tickles my heart. All that's missing is her beginning her sentences with "senpai." "[You fucking chuuni, y-…]" But she stops her banter before she can even begin as she realizes something, and then her eyes slowly turn to the harem behind me. "[YOU'VE MARRIED MULTIPLE WOMEN]?!"

Oh, fuck…

"[I have…]" I mumble meekly.

And her high-level aura starts to leak out, so powerful and overwhelming that even the dragon in me gets concerned. To make things worse, her angry face is something that still affects me, driving a dagger into my heart because I've made someone I care about very angry. "[YOU FUCK! I WAITED FOR YOU]!"

"[I was alone-…]" I stiffly begin.

But Lily was never one to wait. "[You TOLD me that you'd wait]!" she angrily interrupts. Her high-level aura is like pure anger, which fits her very well because she was always a berserker with a thing for ripping and tearing.

But then I frown at her words. "[I did…]?" I hum confusedly. I specifically remember us talking about how, in an isekai scenario, it's more realistic if the MC quickly gives in and fucks other people for comfort.

And my confusion just makes her angrier. "[YOU PIECE OF SHIT]!"

Then [Battlefield Perception] activates, and I [Dodge] her awkward slap, as I'm a full head taller than her, but that makes her even angrier, so she immediately storms out of the room.

She's the kind of person that can get a bit too angry, and she knows it. "Anger issues" is what she calls this problem, but to me, it's mostly that she struggles to control how loud she is, and she also feels guilty when she blows up like this, so she runs away to not embarrass herself any further.

"Holy shit…" Roxanne and Urmeie hum in unison as they give me a sympathetic look. It's pretty obvious to everyone what just happened.

Ciel and Alissa both pat my shoulders at the same time, but my sadness over getting her angry quickly passes, leaving me with only my original reason to be sad: the fact that she's here, in this fucked up world.

Though there's something "off" about her…

And that brings my mind back to the vision. I got a weird impression from the other four. "Each from their own homeland" is the "knowledge" that stands out to me. Just like the quest to find the Lord of Storms, it was simply imprinted upon my mind.

But wait, there's more. The girls (and, I assume, everyone else) felt a flash of godly power that awed them, so the vision was certainly the work of the Gods. But then the knowledge that "our separation was necessary for the required conditions to be met" is also sticking out to me.

I sigh and facepalm, a bit overwhelmed at what just happened. An awkward silence falls upon the room, and even Yunia doesn't know what to say since she isn't exactly used to having to deal with Divine Interventions.

U Thant is the first to break the silence as the lanky snow lion hesitantly remarks, "Well, uh, I don't think introductions are necessary?"

I shake my head and tiredly retort, "They are. Only us five got the vision from the Gods. Everyone else still doesn't know your names."

Then my eyes again fall on the extra person sitting by the Travelers, the squirrel-headed Chimera that's supposed to be a healer, so I use [Sense Soul] on him, and the girls and I all freeze in confusion.

The Chimera twitches in surprise as he hums, "Oh? Oops…" And he used an oddly earthling-like idiom.

Then I blink, and he's gone.

"Whaka?" Samkelo, the gnome, questions in confusion.

"Who the fuck was that?!" I shout as I look around. He's completely gone without any trace of mana left, just like the thing that saved Alki-Alki.

Caterina [Equip]s her armor and draws her sword as she shouts in rage, "Heretic magic!"

But nobody reacts except for our men, who also draw their weapons. The Chimera soldier guides and the Travelers all look just as dumbfounded as I am.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. WHOA! EASY! WE AREN'T HERETICS!" U Thant shouts as he raises his hands in surrender, and I grab Caterina's sword hand to stop her while the wives calm down our men.

The Gods have made it clear that the Travelers are allies, so we have some questions we need to ask our Sky Lander hosts.