Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

While a decision was being made with Malefista, the rest of the crew was informed to be on standby. Awaiting orders from their general, and at any moment ready to be teleported by whatever means the she-devil had to offer. But some were afforded the luxury to simply gather themselves and look after one another.

Aradin was amongst them and with his party gathered inside the civilian quarters, he knelt by June’s side and held her hand while she quietly slumbered. Drained of all strength after putting up a courageous front in front of a god, she was tired beyond all reason. The others–mostly Raven’s lovers and the family of his other companions watched him quietly, soothing her in her sleep.

Caressing her cheek, keeping her hand held to stave off nightmares and the gentle strokes through her flowing hair to lull her further into sleep. The scout’s heart bled for his wife. She had suffered so much already, and now, she suffered even more. If there was an end to this torment, he prayed to stumble upon it. And seeing him closing his hand in prayer, his party and those around him either dropped to their knees or sat upright on their bed and began praying as well.

“Mother,” dropping the burden of battle from his shoulders, Aradin closed his eyes and thought only of Athenia. “I pray, I beg, and I serve under your heels. Bring our daughter back to us, bring balance to this chaos as perfect as is the balance of two gods nestled within your divine self.”

“O’ara’diyah.” The room erupted in prayer, following the scout’s lead.

“Bring back the children still to be nurtured by their mother’s bellies. Keep them sheltered until then and do not let doubt take root in our souls, for there’s far too much to incite it.”

“O’ara’diyah.”

“We serve, your faithful servants…” Opening his eyes, Aradin stared at his wife’s peaceful expression. “Let our service be rewarded, here and in life beyond this world.”

“O’ara’diyah…” And with that, his prayer came to an end.

The others moved about freely inside the room once more, attending to their own problems. For some, like Aelin, Brenna, Rose, and the rest of the civilians of Athenia, it was to lie in wait for Raven to come and talk to them again. They’d lost their children, or such was the impression they were under; alas, the phantom movements inside their bellies inspired some confidence to the contrary.

Moxy, Choux, and Daema, too, were present inside the room, but instead of worrying about the children, they were worried about the ship’s repairs and meals. Holly, Jess, and Dandy were even more lost than the previous trio. Frazer had just returned to them after attending his duties towards the soldiers whom he had trained, and this whole experience had the women in his life worried sick and more anxious than ever. Josare’s presence was some comfort to the women, as the slim girl herself was a woman and thus more understanding of their fears than a man. Even so, their unrest was only rivaled by that of Lincy and Maryline, both of whom Monty was desperately trying to soothe.

“Everything’s gonna be fine, trust me,” he assured, but from the troubled look on their faces, it didn’t appear that they’d bought his words at all.

“Everyone,” walking into the room out of nowhere, Maria clapped her hands and drew everyone’s attention to her. “Jenna is going to check all of you for injuries, and Tia will check you for any lingering curses. Be in your bed and don’t move too much. This should be over in an hour at most.”

“Are we sure that there are no more people being mind-controlled?” Rising from his seat, Elowen–the map maker and the secret ruler of Eclanor’s information network, clenched the legendary rifle in his arms and held it at the ready, just in case. “You’re the first ones coming here after that battalion and his company. How do we know that you’re not trying to curse us instead of curing us?”

“Father, what’s going on?” Gureia–his daughter asked, but he kept his gaze set on Maria.

“Elowen, was it?” Taking a step forward but keeping her distance, Maria reached for a necklace that dangled from her neck. Taking it off, she pinched the ankhan brooch between her fingers and held it at the same level as her face. “You may not know the girls behind me or me, but besides your little town of Eclanor, there’s Athenia. I used to be its queen, and I’d be damned and dead before someone managed to mind control me into betraying my own people.”

“And I’m just supposed to believe you?”

“Forget it,” putting the necklace back on, Maria turned to the rest. “I will just check the others; you can stay in your corner sulking or whatever.”

“We’re finally in agreement.”

“God, this place is miserable…” With so many people around, Maria’s patience was running thin. Everyone had some problem with something or the other, and even when trying to fix it, someone would have an issue with the method.

’At least, we’re safe, I guess?’ She said to herself, unsure how long that would last.

Making things worse, a sudden announcement came through the voice ducts carrying Regalia’s voice through them.

“All civilians! Hold on tight! We’re about to teleport to Eclanor through some unusual means! DO NOT LOOK OUT THE WINDOW! DO NOT SCREAM! DO NOT PANIC AND MOST IMPORTANTLY DO NOT TRY TO LEAVE THE SHIPS!”

Her advice fell on deaf ears as her urgent tone only fueled the panic in everyone’s hearts. And the sudden eruption of water under the ships brought forth the screams. A pair of massive burning hands had pierced through hell’s ocean, grabbing the tridents, each and every one of them. Feeling a sudden downwards tug, everyone felt as though the ground beneath them was trying to escape from under their feet.

It was then that they finally took Regalia’s advice seriously and grabbed onto something as the hell’s demonic beast dragged them into the water. A trip from the hells to the oceanic desert, nobody could’ve expected another such surprise, not today, not ever. But the deal with Malefista was already made, and it was time to show up and defend the attacked kingdoms.