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Micchi Versus the New World - Chapter 133
🕑 Added 2022-11-17 02:16:16 +0000 UTCAlt link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ByesbzKA1By2aNPURf0hQxeBvj-rJ3MVP1MISbkb6tk/edit?usp=share_link
Chapter 133
It only took an entire day of rest before some of the crew recovered from the bug. Everyone was up but still very woozy and weak. Whatever hit us wasn't an ordinary sickness, but at least it was short-lived. Hopefully.
Ririko and I gathered enough people who were able to hold a meeting in my airship to catch them up to speed. By the pale color of their faces, they hadn't fully healed up yet. However, even a miserable flu or cold wasn't able to hide how suspicious they were when I told them.
"They surrendered?" Rugal scoffed.
"To be more precise, Lady Katrine surrendered the crystal. It's real, so we have no reason to believe otherwise," Lilim explained.
"I find that hard to believe. If anything, this is a ploy to lower our guard. We should take advantage of their de-powered obelisks to strike swift instead." The beastman searched each person's eyes around the table to find anyone who would agree.
"Normally, I'd agree with you. Problem is, a bunch of us are still sick. Which is why I'm heading down there with Ririko first," I said.
After a pause, the table erupted into a shouting match between the upper chains of command. It was too dangerous. It was probably a trap. We would be leaving the airships defenseless… the whole laundry list.
"If you're going down there, then I'm coming with you!" Loraine insisted.
"Me, too! You really think we're gonna let you walk in there alone?" Yui asked.
They were both wrapped from head to toe in blankets, looking like an awkward thumb with their faces as the nail, snot dripping down their noses, and shuddering in their seats. One of the symptoms of the sickness was pretty bad chills. Yui was usually good with the cold like me, which was how I knew it got them bad. Underneath the table, their legs were buried in Kawa's toasty mane to stay warm.
"Yeah, not happening. You both ain't in any condition to leave the ship," I said.
"But… Right! I'm the Sultana of Amarinth! If we're speaking with Lady Katrine, a member of the UKD should be present." Loraine pouted angrily at me.
"I agree with Micchi," Jouann chimed in. "Sultana, please allow me to go in your stead to represent Amarinth's and the UKD's best interests. Would that suffice?"
"This ain't a picnic, but suit yourself." I shrugged.
Loraine reluctantly agreed, but she continued throwing a silent tantrum at the thought of not being by my side.
Rugal grunted with disapproval for a different reason. "I don't like it, but I shall stay here. At least one commander should remain with our forces and the airships."
We ended the meeting there. As people left the conference room, I caught Yui sulking in her seat with Frey trying to console her.
"Mad that I ain't letting you come with?" I asked.
"What do you think?" Yui huffed. "Well, guess I'm not surprised. Ever since middle school, you never liked the idea of me following Anya and Chika. But where else was I supposed to go? You guys were the only ones I had."
"Sorry, Yui… It's just—"
"Ahhh! Fuck your excuses! If you're gonna leave me here, fine! I'll slack off while you get all nasty and grimy again. Come on, Frey. Let's go find the others," she said, hopping off the seat to leave.
"Awww. Did Mewcchi and Wui have a wittle fwight?" Ririko cackled quietly from behind.
"Screw off, Ririko. You're still on thin ice, bitch. What's the hold up, Jo? We're heading out!" I shouted.
"J-Just a moment! I'm gathering my things, and it's not Jo. The correct pronunciation is Joo-ahn!" Jouann exclaimed while stuffing papers into a satchel and being helped into some light leather armor.
The four of us, Lilim, Jouann, Ririko, and I headed down to Roila on foot. The city was a lot more impressive the closer we got to the walls. Unsurprisingly, demon citizens coming in and out of Roila gave us uneasy glances. A female demon riding on a wagon whispered something to her son, causing him to look away and panic. Farmers stopped plowing their fields to make a run for their homes.
"What's Katrine like?" I asked Lilim, who levitated along beside me.
"In a single word: ambitious. It actually comes as no surprise that Lady Katrine would surrender. I suspect she has ulterior motives," Lilim said.
Ririko made an ugly yawn. "Probably wants you to dethrone Chika, so she can climb back onto that high seat. Surprised you haven't pieced that together yet."
"Wait. Seriously?" I swapped between Lilim and Jouann, both of them nodding having come to the same conclusion.
"This sort of backstabbing is the norm in Amarinth— of course, not any longer since the Sultana changed the law such that usurpers aren't to be recognized!" Jouann added in panic.
Like I thought. Politics was too fucking complicated. Only one thing mattered in any world, and that was strength decided who stood at the top. It was why Chika loomed over us at the very peak. This Katrine bitch was in over her head.
When we reached the massive gates reminiscent of Grishant's mountain entrance, an army of demon soldiers poured out of Roila to surround us. Or so I thought. Without weapons drawn, they fell into formation to frame a path leading into the city. But not for us. It was to keep the citizens from wandering in, because their queen was coming through.
Lady Katrine rode out on a demonic stallion, flanked by other riders with less impressive mounts. The demoness sat sideways on account of her flowing crimson robes. Two pairs of thick horns curled behind her head like a crown, decorated in all sorts of jewelry, gold chains and bands, and tattoos or some kind of ink. Unlike the color of her people, she had a light human complexion.
If it wasn't for the sword sheathed to her waist and staff wielded in her right hand, I'd have assumed Lady Katrine was the kind of leader that didn't fight. Well, we might end up finding out sooner or later.
Demons behind the line of guards dropped to their knees. Even Lilim, who defected to my side, kneeled down.
"Welcome!" Lady Katrine began in a voice simmering with arrogance and pride. "I welcome you to the grand city of Roila, capital of Sathorayne. I am its esteemed ruler, Katrine Amadri Kuruscan, the former de—"
"Blah, blah, blah. Get on with it. You wanna get back to being the top dog, so you surrender, hoping that we'll kick Chika off for you. I miss anything?" I asked.
Lady Katrine and the other three stared at me in shock.
"By the gods, she has no tact…" Jouann groaned under his breath.
"Shit, Micchi. Wanna ask how the demon wipes her ass, too?" Ririko sighed.
"What? It's true! What the fuck is the point of beating around the bush for?" I fired back.
The demons, soldiers and citizens alike, began murmuring amongst themselves. Katrine was the most tripped up about it, her distressed eyes flicking to each of her subjects. The light complexion made it easier to tell she was flustered.
Suddenly, Katrine erupted into boisterous laughter.
"A jest! One made in poor taste! The surface dwellers have quite the humor. No one would dare betray her mightiness, the demon lord!" Lady Katrine exclaimed.
The soldiers started laughing first. Seeing them, the citizens who gathered behind them did, too. Just like that, the atmosphere went from tense to joyful in seconds.
"Oh, you know how it is with people who've never played politics!" Ririko walked past me and presented herself in front of Katrine. "But what I really want to know is how do you keep your skin absolutely glowing? I've got to know what your skin-care regimen is! Maybe we can trade secrets? I'm Ririko, but you can call me Riri~"
"How enchanting! A surface-dweller with finesse—" Lady Katrine extended a hand down to shake with, but as soon as they clasped, their arms became entombed in ice.
Ririko dragged Katrine down from the stallion. Every soldier drew their weapons, and the citizens of Roila ran away screaming. That chaos lasted only a split second. Katrine came face to face with a shard of ice. Her soldiers froze, scared of taking another step.
"Ririko, what the fuck?" I called out with Sacchan in my hand and was ready to throw down.
"Micchi might not know a thing about politics, but I do. Now I know why you sent that gargoyle. You surrendered in secret without telling your army or your people. My guess is you want to look like you're on Chika's side while plotting her demise with us. I dunno what kind of game you're playing, but we don't want any part of it," Ririko said accusingly.
"Heh. So, we're coming out swinging then? Well, alright. You heard the caked up bitch. You surrendering or not? Say it out loud so the city can hear!"
Lady Katrine grinded her fangs so hard, we could hear the crunch. Whatever plan she had brewing between those horns just went down the shitter.
"Lay… Lay down your arms… The city of Roila surrenders to the surface-dwellers," the demoness declared.
A lot of them didn't. They held on for dear life. Kudos to them for having more loyalty towards Chika than Katrine though, but now wasn't the time to play martyr.
"Jo, I hope you got a weapon on you," I said.
"Are we about to fight? I'm not a fighter! I'm a diplomat!" Jouann trembled at the sight of many now-aggressive demons.
"F-For the demon lord!" a soldier rallied a number of others and charged past Ririko's icy barricade.
I came between them and drove a foot into the earth. Fissures opened up, spewing pillars of flames that stopped them in their tracks. I snuck up to two while they were distracted, grabbed their heads, and bashed them together. Another demon thrusted his spear forward and missed, so I snatched the pointed end and snapped it off.
Three demons banded together to cast a spell.
"No, stop!" Katrine yelled. "Do not anger the surface-dwellers, otherwise—"
"Give it your best shot and make it count!" I didn't know what they cast until I couldn't move my feet anymore. Looking down, both legs were beginning to turn to stone. The petrification continued up to my thighs, waist, chest, and finally…
"Master?!" Lilim cried.
The spellcasters were in disbelief, and the soldiers around them were stunned.
"We did it… We defeated the brutish menace!" one of them exclaimed and walked right up to my statue form with a sneer.
"If ya wanted to get me hard, then all ya had to do was ask for a fight!" I smirked, cracking the stone around my mouth.
The demon flashed with horror right before I buried a rocky fist into his gut. He collapsed to the ground and barfed up breakfast. Their petrification spell chipped off like layers of dust until I had full control of my body again.
"That's enough! Any more and the entire city will fall to shambles. Is that what you fools want?" Katrine asked.
Realizing how outmatched they were, the demons begrudgingly sheathed or threw away their weapons. They fell back in formation and pulled the injured away, but now looking a lot more unnerved after learning of Lady Katrine's surrender for the first time.
"See, that's all you had to do. Not so hard, was it?" Ririko had a look of satisfaction and evaporated the shard of ice from Katrine's face, then helped the demoness to her feet and brushed the dirt from her shoulders.
"Have you… any idea what you have done?" Lady Katrine asked as she chewed off a nail. "The fallout that will ensue from this? You may very well have incited a civil war. So be it. This has changed nothing. The invitation I extended to you still stands. Will you accept?"
"Lead the way." I grinned.
Lady Katrine climbed back onto her steed and gestured for the other mounted demons to offer their horses to us.
"That could have gone better." Jouann heaved a sigh.
We followed Lady Katrine into Roila on horseback. The magnificent demon city was paved in smooth stone, built in tall blocks packed closely together to form walls of homes. The architecture reminded me of Cynderace fast forward a hundred years into the future, but with the criss-crossing bridges and elevated districts of Taiq'ae.
Demon citizens went about their business, trading, chatting, and frolicking like we weren't just about to lay siege to the place. Many were dressed finely, whispering to each other in secret while eyeing us.
Citizens were replaced by guards and soldiers as soon as we reached Roila's palace, Lady Katrine's seat of power. It was less like a castle, and more of countless floating towers interconnected by bridges that rotated around a giant spire at the center.
"Nice place. Be a shame if it all came crashing down because someone is too easily agitated," Ririko said as Katrine led us to a stop in the round courtyard surrounding the palace.
"Your threats are not lost on me. I understand the danger you pose to me and Roila. From the beginning, I wanted to do things carefully and quietly. There are many in my court who are still fiercely loyal to the current demon lord. By now, they should know you have entered the city and heard news of my miserable, public display of surrender. It means they will be harder to find. I'll cut to the chase—"
"Bitch, you can't just give us a long spiel like that and say 'cut to the chase'. That's not how it works. You're supposed to start with that and spit it out!" I growled.
"Okay, okay! Goodness, surface-dwellers have no patience. I need your help to root them out. Do so, and I can consolidate power in Roila to keep its innumerable forces from impeding your advance on the demon lord," Katrine explained.
Something above us exploded. Not just one, but many. One of the towers detached from its ring and came crashing down.
"Stay inside if you wanna live," Ririko said, creating a dome barrier of ice around us.
Stone and rubble showered the courtyard. More explosions set off across the city, and another tower crashed down somewhere behind the palace. People screamed in the distance. Soldiers scrambled to help those in need.
"Ahhh! Curse the two of you! This is exactly what I was trying to avoid!" Lady Katrine cried.
"Then why the hell didn't you tell us to keep our mouths shut when you sent the gargoyle in the first place?" I yelled over her.
"I didn't expect you to just outright BLURT IT OUT AND THREATEN ME TO CONFESS!" she shouted back.
