Chapter 4: Siren (2)

In the morning, I found that I had bitten Kuti's neck and drunk her blood. She was sound asleep and didn't move at all. But I noticed her health points had decreased and were regenerating.

I opened my phone to ask 999 about this, but there was no answer. I saw Romanova still asleep in her bed. I stepped outside and found Atmaja looking much better.

"Where were you last night?" Atmaja asked.

"Kuti was having a fever. I took care of her and calmed her down," I lied.

"Oh, hey, why do you look a bit pale? Are you seasick too?" Atmaja asked.

"Huh? M-my face is pale?" I asked, trying to see my own skin. "No, it's n-normal."

"You should see a doctor when we get to Faore Island," Atmaja suggested, stretching his body. "Fandlan asked me to train the sailors. If you want to join the workout, meet me on the upper deck."

Atmaja left me still confused. I returned to find Romanova awake and changing clothes, so I stepped back outside. "I didn't see anything."

She opened the door, blushing. She didn't say anything and quickly left. I enjoyed the view of Faore Island's silhouette from here. We should arrive soon and be able to disembark.

It had been nearly two days out of the two-week limit before Majagada attacked Ludanes. Hours passed, and Kuti still hadn't woken up. I checked on her and found her awake, sitting on the edge of the bed, playing with her phone.

"Oh, come here," Kuti motioned for me to approach her.

"What's up?" I walked over to her. She hugged me and pulled me into bed again, using me as a body pillow. Kuti fell asleep once more.

She woke up to the ship's bell and the crew's shouts that we had arrived at the harbor. The four of us gathered at the stairs to disembark. The sailors had already unloaded our luggage. After saying goodbye to Fandlan, we headed to Faore Throne City, the main city on the island.

We continued our journey on foot. Half an hour later, we could see the silhouette of Faore Throne City. We finally arrived at the city's gate.

"Wait! Stop right there. Are you new here?" a guard stopped us.

"Yes," Atmaja replied.

"Ah! The Knight's Order emblem! What brings you to our city? We've had enough of the Knight's Order's mistreatment!" the guard replied.

Kuti shook her head and removed the knight's emblem from Atmaja's clothes. "This guy is a former Knight's Order member. He can't forget his past, so he often wears the emblem."

Kuti showed our mission letter. "We're here to hunt a dragon. Do you know where we should report?"

The guard took the letter from Kuti and examined it. "This is indeed our request."

Before he could finish, Atmaja interrupted, "Why do you hate the Knight's Order?"

"They're useless. They say they want to help us protect the city from sirens and strange creatures, but they always run away from the battlefield," the guard replied. "You can report to the town hall first."

"Do you know his name?" Atmaja asked.

"Let's just go to the town hall," Kuti suggested, trying to ease the tension. "We don't have much time."

Atmaja refused and said he would catch up later. So, the three of us headed to the town hall. From the east gate, we walked to the town hall located in the ruins of the city's fort. Some buildings were still cracked and about to collapse, but the residents still lived in them.

"Is Faore always like this? I-I feel like this place used to be beautiful," I muttered.

Romanova heard my muttering and replied, "After the civil war and Deity 111 left them, Faore hasn't been the same."

"The deity didn't leave us. Deity 111 will return and be with us," a resident interjected.

"Would you consider switching to Deity 999? After all, we're the envoys of Deity 999 sent to handle Faore's affairs," Kuti replied. "Maybe Deity 111 has abandoned you!"

We caused a commotion. The residents, unwilling to hear their deity insulted, argued with us. I was surprised Kuti said that and picked a fight. Atmaja joined us and argued too.

As the situation heated up, the bell rang, and the residents quickly took cover inside their homes. Guards shouted about a siren attack and ordered everyone to hide.

The city's sky was filled with bird-like creatures with human bodies, throwing stones and arrows at the city. The guards fought back, trying to shoot them down one by one.

"From outside! A group of Minos!" a guard shouted, trying to gather his comrades. "Those who can't shoot, come here and help hold off the Minos!"

Kuti sighed and readied her bow. "You help the guards facing the Minos with Atmaja. Romanova and I will take care of these bird people."

I nodded and headed to where the Minos, bull-like humanoids, were attacking. By the time we reached the gate, it had been broken down. The Minos charged in and attacked immediately.

I readied my shield and jumped forward to protect a guard about to be slashed by a Minos. I blocked the axe with my shield and returned the energy of the attack to the attacker.

Atmaja saw me and moved in, stabbing the Minos with his spear and splitting it in two with his long spear.

"A-are you okay? Get back into the fight and don't hesitate," I helped the fallen guard.

"Thank you," he replied.

I looked up and saw the bird people falling one by one, hit by arrows and magic attacks. I used my ability to draw the attention of all the Minos. Now, the Minos focused on attacking me.

About 12 Minos surrounded me. Their attacks were strong and brutal. But thanks to that, Atmaja found openings in their attacks and defeated those attacking me. When one Minos managed to hit me, it was shocked to find itself injured and confused.

I took my club and knocked it out. The guards were amazed to see us quickly finish them off. Suddenly, I felt Kuti preparing to use her ability. Black arrows appeared and rained down on all our enemies.

Now, there were no bird people left in the sky. The remaining Minos, seeing their comrades dead, fled, and the guards chased after them.

"Don't chase! Focus on saving our comrades first!" Atmaja ordered. "You should prioritize rescuing your injured friends!"

"A-Atmaja, I'm going to meet Kuti and the others. If you still want to lecture them, enjoy it," I said and left Atmaja scolding the guards.