Chapter 6: Faore Seat's

The next morning, we set out to defeat the dragon and the fanatics on this island. The residents of the Throne City of Faore saw us off. Atmaja could breathe a sigh of relief, having successfully reformed the Faore guards overnight.

The satisfaction was evident on his face as he proudly recounted how he transformed the Faore guards in just one night. We simply listened and continued our journey.

The journey to the hill was smooth without any disturbances. However, at the foot of the hill, we were blocked by dozens of fanatics. This place had already been fortified with walls and a wooden gate surrounding the hill. The only way up the hill was through the gate, now guarded by dozens of people.

"These are just grunts, right? Not like when we were with Majagada, right?" Kuti shot an arrow into the air, using her ability.

A rain of arrows hit and pierced them. They fell and got up again. I was a bit surprised; they were undead? Kuti shot her arrow again, defeating them once more. This time, they turned to dust and vanished.

"Clones?" Kuti asked me.

"It seems so. It'll be a bit tough fighting these fanatics," I replied. "We need to find out who's creating these clones."

From the bushes emerged a little girl with white eyes. "Help me! I'm being chased by a group of fanatics!"

With his high reflexes, Atmaja leaped forward to protect the girl, stabbing twice at four people chasing her. The fanatics turned to dust.

"Little girl, why are you in such a dangerous place?" Romanova asked.

"My brother was captured by the fanatics in the forest over there! Please help save him!" the little girl replied.

I felt something was off. This little girl alone in the forest suddenly asking for help? Atmaja and Romanova attended to the girl. Kuti had the same suspicion as me. We decided to discuss it first.

"So, I think this is suspicious. You see a little girl wandering alone in the forest? It doesn't make sense at all, especially if she's thinking about saving her brother," I began the discussion.

"Hey, she's a child asking for help. What if what she's saying is true?" Atmaja said. "How could the deity's envoy not want to help a child?"

"Fine. We'll help this girl," Kuti said.

Atmaja asked the girl to show the way. We followed a path in the forest, not knowing where it led. Along the way, I couldn't lower my guard. It was too strange for a pair of siblings to be in the forest alone.

We arrived in a small clearing with a few tents. There were fresh bloodstains, and the four of us inspected the campsite. Atmaja called out to the girl, "Where's your brother?"

The girl smiled and stepped back a few paces. "Here."

She floated into the air and gave a signal. Dozens of fanatics emerged from the bushes, beginning to surround us. I was right, and Atmaja looked panicked and nervous.

"I was right," I said, preparing to fight.

Roots emerged from the ground, binding my hands and feet. A man appeared from the ground, standing behind me. "Drop your weapons. We only need this one."

He pressed a sword to my neck. Heh, try cutting my neck, and it'll be yours that gets cut. Kuti was reluctant to lower her weapon and kept her bow aimed at the man behind me.

"Be careful, Thomas, he can silence our special abilities," Kuti warned me, lowering her weapon.

The man smiled and whistled, instructing all the fanatics and the girl who trapped us to retreat. "You're coming with us. Our deity wants to meet you."

He dragged me into the ground, and my vision went dark as I gradually lost consciousness. When I woke up, I found myself in a cell, my hands chained to the wall, and all my gear gone. I was only wearing shorts.

"Where am I?" I asked.

No answer, just the echo of my voice. I heard the sound of waves crashing and then noticed the water slowly rising in the cell, eventually reaching my chest.

"AH!" I struggled to get out.

For nearly two hours, I was trapped in the water-filled cell with no sign of the water receding. Instead, it rose higher until it reached my neck, making me feel cold. Fortunately, the water level suddenly dropped drastically.

My body shivered, and I began to lose consciousness again. Until I was jolted awake by a series of blows. I looked up to see the little girl who had trapped us. She brought bread and meat.

"Time to eat," she said, forcing me to open my mouth. As soon as I did, she shoved the bread and meat into my mouth. "Finish it!"

I choked, and she hit me again. The girl grabbed a jug of water and poured it into my mouth forcefully.

"What are you doing? Didn't the deity tell you to treat him well? He's the bargaining chip with Deity 999, you know," came the voice of an adult man.

"I'm just testing my new toy," the girl replied. "How does it feel to be imprisoned with water up to your neck?"

"Terrible," I answered.

"Oh, you stutter." The girl kicked my stomach.

"S-stop it," I pleaded.

"Engrain this in your head. I love Theodora," the girl said. "Don't resist and don't rebel. If you keep fighting, you won't be ready to meet my deity."

"The water is rising again. Let's go. See you tomorrow, my toy." The girl kissed my neck.

They both left me again. The cold crept in, and the water began to rise again. Damn it, what is this? I couldn't use my special abilities because of the silencing effect from the man and the chains binding me.

The water rose to my neck. I couldn't sleep or rest. I resigned myself, closing my eyes, hoping this would end. When I regained consciousness, I was in a house. The windows were barred, and a fireplace burned.

I immediately approached the fire to warm myself. But the girl appeared again from behind me. "Three days and still not dead, a new record."

"Th-thank you," I replied. "P-please stop this torture. What do you want?"

"Think for yourself," the girl said, sitting on my back. "I've found a good prey. Also counting how long until he realizes his envoy is missing."