While Cain watched the blacksmiths work on their higher grade attempts to implement the method that he had shown them, things were taking a strange turn on the Eastern Continent. So far they had only seen a few Mythic Beasts, nothing that the armies of the cities couldn't deal with, at least those cities that still stood after the initial chaos, but midnight had just passed in Port Nefheim, the last location on the Continent to see the day change, and something was most definitely off.
The beasts in this area had always been either Fae or more primordial, with a heavy bias toward Dinosaurs and otherwise extinct species. But for some reason, that wasn't true this morning. They were under attack by humans. Crazy stupid humans no less.
They had killed most of the attackers before they realized how weak they were, but Neffie had stopped to capture some of them, for curiosity's sake.
It wasn't like nobody had ever attacked the port before, but if they did, they usually had the power to back up their confidence that they could take an established city and not just lord it over a small fishing village somewhere.
"Either you talk, or I am going to let the Watcher take over this interrogation, and he's not nearly as nice as I am." Cixelcid sighed as he interrogated the human that his daughter had captured.
They spoke with a strange accent, but they were understandable. The only strange thing was, that not a single one of the attackers seemed to have a Class. Even this one he was interrogating didn't.
The big vampire growled, and the man seemed to panic at the sight of his fangs. "You're not human at all, you're a monster just like that tiny demon."
"Of course, I'm not a human, she is my daughter and you will speak respectfully about her. Now, tell me what in the world you were thinking, attacking Port Nefheim?" Cixelcid tried again.
"Port Nefheim? Damnable Demons just capturing a city and claiming it as their own." The man said, then spat on the ground.
"There was no city here before we arrived. Duke Cain of Skyview built this place only a year ago. Look around you, can't you tell that the entire dungeon is new? We're on the ocean shore and there isn't even any rust on the shackles." Cid complained to his clueless prisoner.
"Release me, you vile demon. When the Chosen One, beloved of all the gods hears of your villainy, he won't spare you." The prisoner demanded, and the Watcher, in human form for the moment, stepped forward to read his mind and see what he was talking about.
The man began to scream as the Watcher forcibly tore through his memories, looking more and more confused as he went.
"As far as I can tell, they are from before the System. Or maybe after it? It is hard to tell, nothing he knows existed when we left, and none of it is in the records of this time. His energy signature says he is from this world though, just not here. It's not a local feeling, he is far too weak like he is mana deprived." The Watcher explained, then suddenly screaming came from another cell at the end of the hall.
Not just a little bit, like someone had been whipped, but a constant mournful wail, accompanied by incomprehensible screaming in a language that Cixelcid didn't know.
"Does anyone know who the Divine Oracle is? I've got him here, and he is exceptionally rude." En, the Bear Kin Monster Hunter called across the dungeon, making the prisoner that Cixelcid was interrogating burst into tears.
"Please, not the oracle. He is a pure soul, he doesn't deserve this." The prisoner begged.
"Then talk if you don't want him to suffer a horrific death." The Watcher complained, still upset that he couldn't get anything useful out of the man.
"We were just out on patrol, then when we came back to the city to end our shift, we saw your men had taken over the walls, so we attacked to retake the city. I swear that is all I know." He pleaded.
"En, why does it smell like roasting flesh? bring the Oracle over here so we can talk to him." Cixelcid called, wondering what the big bear kin was doing to get answers.
She carried the oracle over to the cell that Cid was working in, the bottoms of his feet were slathered in oil and blistered from heat, but the rest of him looked fine. Cixelcid was familiar with the method of torture, if done correctly, the bones of the feet could be cooked clean and charred black before detaching and falling to the floor after days of agony.
In this world, that wasn't a death sentence, any decent healer could repair the damage in seconds before it got to that point, which really only made it that much more horrific.
The Oracle was in a trance now, clearly having a vision, and the Watcher tuned his senses in to see what was going on in the Oracle's mind.
"I've got it. I know where they're from. They are the holy armies brought with the Human Gods when they invaded and tried to kill off the Ancients before the Old Gods intervened and drove the Human Gods back to their own realm. That's why he smells like this world, but not here." The Watcher said happily.
"And they don't have a System because it didn't exist yet. What did they even do for power that they thought they could challenge the other races?" En asked, only partially enlightened as to the nature of their presence.
"They were granted holy power by their gods and enhanced it with magical items. That part didn't seem odd to anyone, because magical armor is something everyone wears now, so we overlooked the implication.
"So they were thrown through time? Is that even possible?" Cixelcid asked.
"Of course it is. Even the System does it on occasion. It was a quest that sent Cain back in time that started the weird head-patting thing that the bunnies have going on. He disguised himself as one and healed someone who was kind to him, and things kind of snowballed from there." The Watcher explained.
The Oracle was starting to wake up now, and the Watcher turned to him in intrigue, still reading his thoughts. "What do you mean you're not part of the holy armies? What else would you be doing here, calling on the power of the Human Gods to attack the other species?"
The Oracle didn't say anything, but the Watcher seemed to get the answer he was looking for. "Maybe it is a few generations past that when they still thought they were alone because they were isolated? He really wasn't from the Holy Armies, though that is still the only explanation for his beliefs that I can think of. If I dissect him I can see if Holy Power from a Divine Rank being has changed his internal organs."
En looked like she wouldn't mind, but Cixelcid didn't want to kill prisoners as confusing as these two just yet. There might be more like them somewhere on the Continent right now, and they might be more competent.
"You, Oracle. Can you still access the Holy Power?" The Watcher asked, and the man shook his head nervously.
"Only a little. I might not be a high Priest, but an Oracle still has some power. I fear that if I use what I have stored, I won't be able to renew it. Many of our soldiers used their reserves heavily against the monsters in the woods before the attack on the city was called. I was too far away to be able to stop them, even after I had the vision of battle." The Oracle sighed.
"Interesting. You likely won't be able to recharge your Holy Power quickly, though there is a bit of it in the air still, so it might be possible. Until we determine that you two are not a threat, we will be holding you here. With regular meals and no more forced questioning, plus I will have someone heal the Oracle's feet.
En, please take him to the next cell." Cixelcid decided, then waited while Cain was informed by the Watcher about the strange happenings here.
If this sort of thing happened everywhere, it could be an issue. Or maybe not, due to the nature of the new arrivals. Cixelcid simply didn't have enough information to know if they were coming from other times as well, or just this random point after the war, but before the last of the Human Gods' influence on the planet had waned after they were defeated by the Creators.
"The Guild Master says others have seen strange people around as well, but you were the first that was attacked. Some were spotted near Long Fang Valley, so he is sending a few of the Beastkin to go talk to them and determine if they are hostile, and where they came from." The Watcher explained, making Cid wish he hadn't been dragged out of bed at midnight without coffee.
If for nothing else, they deserved a bit of his animosity just for attacking in the middle of the night. What sort of patrol does that? At least have the decency to wait until after first light when he was awake. That would be the kind and humane thing to do wouldn't it? Or was that just the lack of sleep due to twin toddlers and an overactive Neffie clouding his thought process?
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel