Chapter 155: Arrival in Eldoria
"Make sure you don't say another word after what you did, you filthy pervert," Samira said, still furious about what had happened a few hours ago. "We're almost there, so I hope you stay quiet and only speak when we ask you to, okay? We don't want you causing more trouble." This time, it was Monica who spoke, giving him a gentle smile while squeezing his hand so tightly that she nearly crushed it.
"Hey... there's no nee—" "Yes, there is." She said, giving him a sinister smile, and he was starting to get scared of their reactions. It was as if three demons were holding him hostage. And well... he could only accept it.
"Are we almost there, Carlos?" Beatrice, who had been quiet until now, observing how everyone was treating Strax... with reason...
Well, Strax was a bit surprised because for a moment, he had completely forgotten that Carlos was with them on this trip... The man had been very quiet lately, ever since... "Ah... he's afraid of us..." he thought. Well, it wasn't a big deal, but revealing his secret must have shocked Carlos, who started avoiding all of them in some way...
"Well, whatever." He thought as he continued to watch his wives staring at him intently... They seemed like dragons ready to attack at the slightest wrong move. "Seriously, how long are you going to stay like this? At least let me explain." He said...
What exactly had happened? As soon as he moved away from Evelyn and Lyana, the damn Lyana went running to tell his wives that he was "shamelessly ogling their bodies." And well... it wasn't exactly a lie, but it was far from the truth, and the worst part? They assumed it was typical of him to do something like that... And they weren't wrong either, but...
"Is that true, Strax? Then go ahead, say what you want to say!" Samira said, furious, but he just ignored her and looked at the most rational one. "Monica, what would you do if I told you that I think I found something important that we've been looking for?" he said with a smile...
"You found it by leering at the bodies of two defenseless women with those greedy eyes of yours?" She questioned, more serious than usual...
"I saw something that might be of interest to us if it really is what I think it is." Strax said with a confident smile as he spread his arms over the backrest of the seat. "Then tell us, you perverted genius who prefers spying on other women instead of your own wives." Samira said, and she was quite... "Are you mad because...
I didn't spy on you?" he asked, incredulous, not understanding why they were so angry, but now...
"Samira... why don't you stay quiet?" Beatrice said, giving her a deadly glare that almost made her tremble with fear. Beatrice's look was utterly fierce, and one of her eyes even twitched with rage just from Samira suggesting such a thing...
"You could have said something, you empty-headed fools. Besides, I have a reason." Strax said as he looked at them, "Those two aren't human." He revealed. Of course, with the help of the System, he had already realized that, but...
"Lyana's ears are cut... She's probably a—" "Elf," Monica completed, with a thoughtful look... "Then..." she murmured, "We might find our alchemist on this trip." Strax said with a smile, clearly eager to find both the blacksmith and the alchemist to create the bodies for his future wives and Xyn...
"That look..." Samira said, noticing how Strax was staring, "You really want to bring those Dragons into the mortal world, don't you? You know they won't have any power, right? If you're thinking of something like th—" "You still don't get it, do you, Samira?" Monica questioned, and Samira looked at her curiously, "What is it?"
"He doesn't care about using their power... he doesn't care if they're strong or not... This bastard just wants them for himself." Beatrice said, finishing Monica's thought. Indeed, mother and daughter thought alike.
"Oh, so we have a detective here," Strax said mockingly, but then refocused on the situation. "I'm not sure about Evelyn, but I believe she's also an elf. But Lyana... I wonder what happened for her to have her ear cut like that; it was a pretty ugly scar. It makes sense that she uses her hair to hide it." Strax commented with a hint of sorrow.
Despite finding Lyana insufferable and somewhat resembling Samira with her quick temper, he could still recognize someone who had suffered. After all these years, he had seen so many terrible things, both as Strax and in his former life before transmigration.
"I'm thinking of trying to get closer to them to gather more information... Even if it's just a little, it's better than wandering in a void with nothing. Are we on a mission? Yes, but we know it doesn't matter much. Eldoria won't wait for us to act, and this auction... For some reason, I feel our spy will be there...
maybe even selling the information they stole." Strax said, analyzing the situation as a whole.
Why would a spy come at such an important moment? Why would they have to come right now to spread information about Vorah? So many problems at once, and now a clue about the Elves living on the human continent...
"You're making that face again," Monica said, looking at him. Her analytical gaze didn't miss how his expression seemed like... "You're worried about them, even though you don't know them," she said, and Strax just gave a slight smile. "It's fine, I just want to understand the situation. Besides, obviously, we need an elf..." Strax said.
It was the best of both worlds—he could understand and help them while they could help him in some way. It was a perfect exchange, like a contract.
"This bastard..." Samira whispered. She didn't like the idea much, but what could she do? She was already getting used to the situations Strax put her in.
"We're arriving," Carlos said, and everyone turned to the window, where the view of the city unfolded in the distance. The descent of the hill revealed stone towers, houses stacked on top of each other, and streets winding towards the horizon. A mixture of anticipation and nervousness hung in the air.
The relief of finally reaching their destination was visible on everyone's faces, but there was also tension, uncertainty about what awaited them in that city.
"Finally," Samira murmured, relieved but still cautious. "I hope we don't have to deal with more unpleasant surprises." "We know something will happen; nothing here ever goes our way, so give up on that idea, Samira," Beatrice said, completely neutral. She already knew what was going to happen—after all, NOTHING ever works out for them immediately.
"I wouldn't bet on it," Monica also commented, more to herself, as she watched the city quickly approach. "But let's see what awaits us."
Strax looked at Monica, who still maintained her firm expression but with a touch of softness in her eyes. "Whatever the next step is, we're ready. Right?" he said, trying to instill confidence in the group.
Samira nodded, looking at him firmly in an encouraging way. "Yes, we are. But stay alert. This city might seem calm, but we know appearances can be deceiving," she said, but her face... didn't encourage anything...
Strax noticed the changes in her expression... "Is that how it is, huh?" Strax thought. It was time to find out more about his little burning flame, which seemed to be at a rather low temperature right now. "Carlos, send a message to the Black Blade. We're arriving, and I'd like to speak with her...
alone," Strax said, unable to see Carlos's face, but he agreed and commented, "We'll be in the city in minutes. I hope everyone is ready for whatever comes next. I've already sent a carrier pigeon to her." Carlos, who remained focused on the road, calmly guided the carriages while Strax looked towards the city gates.
Elsewhere in the City...
"I'm leaving for a few hours, going to visit a friend," Cristine said as she finished adjusting her outfit—a light leather armor with a bracer and a black mask that covered up to her nose, leaving only her eyes and dark gray hair visible. "You know we can't leave here. The Council decreed it." The other woman responded as she emerged from the darkness of the city's sewers.
The place was utterly claustrophobic, with the only sounds being the rats and the water cascading down.
"Since when do I bow to those irritating old men?" Cristine retorted, leaving the woman speechless. It was the first time she felt that... "Are you... thinking of betraying the organization?" the woman asked Cristine, her face now visible in the dim light of the place they were guarding.
"Betrayal? You really want to talk about betrayal, Yennifer?" Cristine questioned, her eyes glowing in the faint light. "The betrayal happened when our mother was killed because of those idiots... Or do you think I'm in Vorah just gathering information for them? That plan is still in motion, especially with the reinforcements I've secured..." Cristine murmured. She had a plan, and now...
"It's time to avenge Mom, Yennifer." Cristine said, disappearing into the darkness...
Leaving Yennifer alone...