Ch 118. The King

Kaguro

"This is it, I'm afraid we must part ways here, but I assure you that you'll be in great hands." Bael approached us with a flattering, but ultimately fake smile on his face as he ushered us over to meet the group of four before pointing out the tiara'd woman in white.

"The lovely lady you see here is Cardinal Palantia, she's in charge of church affairs in the capital and she'll be taking care of any needs you might have during your stay."

The woman curtsied politely along with a slight nod of her head, showing she agreed with what Bael was saying.

"It's nice to finally meet you Keaton, we are all honored to be in the presence of a fledgling of god," her brown eyes shining like pearls as she spoke. Clearly interested in me, and maybe in more ways than one. "If you need anything for your development... or pleasure, please let me know," hanging onto the last part for emphasis. 

Ah, so she really was coming onto me? Somewhat awestruck at the situation, appraising her curiously while Tammy clung tighter to my arm, putting on a slightly possessive air. 

Not that I had any complaints about this welcoming, but seeing how extravagant and unorthodox our arrangements appeared to be, not to mention how forward in 'that' manner that our host seemed to be, it really clashed with my mental image of what the church was like.

"Is it okay for you to say things like that, you know, from a religious perspective?" I couldn't help but speak my mind to the sultry cardinal.

Tia's eyes shone with a hungry light, biting her lip seductively before explaining. 

"Keaton, you were chosen by god. And being chosen means that no matter how dirty you want us to be together that's all god's will. So, do you want me to prove just how dirty this girl here can be? I wouldn't mind warming your bed tonight." 

I was shocked, for any woman, much less a cardinal of the church to be this vulgar and this open with her propositioning.

The man at her side coughed once to interject, "That's enough Tia, besides... I do believe Selkerah would mind what you're doing here, and you do know how poorly this would go over later." leaning in towards me as if he were telling a secret, "Don't fall for this vixen's honey trap, even if she likes to brag about her prowess I'd hardly imagine it's worth the trouble."

"Selkerah is her husband I take it?" I asked, curious who this other name was supposed to be.

"Wife." They both replied almost simultaneously, I'd never even heard of two women marrying before, causing me to doubt my ears. Coughing to hide my surprise. "If you can even call that ogre she's married to a woman that is," the young man added before laughing boisterously, receiving a frustrated stare from the woman in white. 

Palantia sighed, feeling that her opportunity had possibly slipped her by. "No men ever approach me after they know that," she said while pouting. "I haven't felt a man's touch in so long..." her words drifting off as the young man by her side chimed in again. 

"Selkerah's one of us, you know what I mean?" Gesturing between the two of us like we were a pair, before leaning in with a whisper, "and is very possessive over Tia here."

Tia acted like his words were the finishing blow for her chances, almost cringing in pain. 

"Us?" I asked, somewhat confused at what he meant. 

"A chosen one, he means. I'm not one by the way." Tia added, pushing up her assets as she folded her arms unhappily at the young man. 

"She's Selkerah's plaything, as much as it irks me to have such a disgusting woman as part of my organization, I have no choice but to tolerate this lewd being's existence."

"How can you of all people call me disgusting!" The woman set off on a tirade, but something the both of them said had caught my attention. This man was a chosen? Someone like Crow and I?

"...and who are you?" I finally asked the golden haired youth, not wanting to be rude, but I was still confused as to who exactly this young was supposed to be. 

He grinned playfully in response, looking like he had been waiting to be asked that.

"I'm the king."

I couldn't tell it was a joke or the man was being serious... giving him a second appraisal as I tried to figure it out. Truly I hadn't ever seen the King before, Honestly when I thought about it, nobody in our group had ever seen him before either, but why would the king be here of all places? 

"I'm being serious you know?" The purple-robed monarch waved his hand in front of me, the golden bangles around his wrists jingling as he tried to my attention."King Baelywn, at your service." He said while giving an exaggerated bow, mocking the deference people showed to him. 

"--Y-your majesty!" Marcella squeaked up from the back, as the eldest daughter of the Marcets, one who had been groomed for high-society, she was the quickest to act. Darting into a practiced bow before Cal followed along and did the same. Everyone following suit other than Belle who had to be elbowed to do so. I didn't know what was the proper etiquette, but I still tried my best, but something felt off as the young king stared at me. 

"What are you, a role-player? Cut that out." Staring at me like I was weird for doing it, even if though he didn't seem to care about the others who were doing the same, treating them as air. 

"But... aren't you the king?" I asked hesitantly.

"You think I'm a king back on Earth? So stop it, you're weirding me out."

I didn't exactly get it, but it seemed like I had made some kind of social faux-pas that existed among the chosen ones, and while I tried searching the fragmented memories inherited from my failed body-snatcher, I didn't have a full enough picture to understand why.

"Anyway, come on in and we'll show you around. I think you're really going to like this place, we've all put in our little touches." The king said while motioning to the door. 

"Not coming in? Tia asked of Bael, who was staying behind while looking towards me and my group who had shunned him earlier, but Bael shook his head with regret.  

"That's... I do believe I may have offended our guests earlier, my continued presence would be unwanted."

"Oh my... that's terrible, offending our guest like that. What a bad boy you are." Tia gasped in an exaggerated manner, covering her mouth with a hand as her eyes went round like a pair of iridescent saucers. I don't think she was trying to make herself sound sexy, but everything she did seemed to exude a certain sexual frustration.

Coming to a stop, the king cleared his throat apologetically, as if he himself were the one who had offended me. Slowly breaking into a devilish grin as he looked at Bael with an expression that resembled how a snake would view a frog.

"Amends need to be made then. Isn't that right? The most important rule our church follows is to follow the chosen: please the chosen, and worship the chosen. Offending one of us is exactly the opposite of that. Since Bael is part of my church, and the sins of the son are the sins of the father's I'd like to make things right with you. Keaton, you're the wronged party, so you should decide how we deal with him. Would you like to kill him now for the experience? Or would you prefer letting him suffer a while longer?" He asked while motioning to the silently standing Bael. 

I looked at his majesty with a confused expression, not quite understanding. Kill him? It's true Bael had offended me earlier by inciting a fight needlessly, to tell the truth I was even planning on killing him myself if things went wrong, but it still all seemed a bit extreme. Wasn't Bael still part of the church? He was someone they trusted enough to handle personal missions, how could they kill him off so easily? 

"Do you not have a preference? Still, I'd like for us to start with a clean slate." Baelwyn said while cocking his head at an angle, as if deep in thought. "Ah, I've got it, how about you be the one to decide." Turning now to Bael himself, who seemed to just take in a breath of resignation while steeling his expression behind that mask-like face of his. 

"If possible... I would like to become food for the Gods." Bael said through gritted teeth, as if he were fighting every word. Begin to lick his lips now as if he was now suddenly terribly thirsty, beads of sweat flowing down his temple which he proceeded to wipe away with a handkerchief from his coat pocket. 

"Excellent! Crow it is then... but 'Bael', how to do you reaaally feel about it? He asked playfully and the 'mask' on Bael's face slipped away for the briefest of moments as he let out a terrified scream. 

"Why! That's the worst one, why would you send me there of all places! Haven't I done everything just as you wanted!" Bael cried out desperately before instantly snapping his mouth shut, his facial expression slowly returning back to its normal poise if not for the copious sweat that poured down from his brow. 

"A bit too much information, thank you." The king smiled malevolently at Bael. "Now how about you get nice and compact for us then?"

The second crack in Bael's expression broke through as he grimaced again before complying. Crouching down at first, but then to our horror twisting his own arms, legs, fingers, and toes into horrible directions with the most sickening of cracking sounds. The mass of flesh writhing around in agony as it tried to force itself into the most compact shape possible for the human form. In a short few seconds it had turned into a near perfect cube that shuddered with every breath it took, no longer resembling anything close to its former shape. 

Clapping his hands once, the king got the attention of the two veiled maids who watched the scene without blinking. "Bring this to Crow, would you? Some nice new materials for him to work with."  The two maids proceeded to struggle with the cube shaped abomination, their delicate arms and legs shaking under weight of lifting an adult man, but still managing with the both of them working in coordination as they carried it off with unsteady steps to who knows where. 

"Well, now that that's taken care of, shall we go?"

All of us looked at the king with a mix of terror and disgust while Tia held her nose as she watched the maids carry off the disgusting living flesh, somewhat angry at the king for what he had just done. "You're terrible. Do that disgusting deed somewhere else. Look how grossed out Keaton is."

The king just shrugged off the woman's complaint, grinning arrogantly. "You don't understand because you're not one of us Tia, Keaton wouldn't have picked us if he had a weak stomach, would he? So many other gods for those of fairer preference." All the while looking at me like I was a kindred spirit.

"I would prefer if you didn't show such things to my women." I said with a hostile tone, glancing at Tammy who had fainted in my arms from witnessing such a horrifying sight, then to Marcella who was already in the throws of retching up everything she had eaten earlier. Strangely enough, only Belle was oddly calm, only on-guard against a possible threat with claws extended and tail alert, but otherwise not bothered by the violence. I myself felt more than a bit nauseated, but it seemed like the man or monster in front of me thought of us as equals, and I could use that for the time being.

"Ah, right. I suppose this all was a bit too stimulating a sight for the average vessel. Allow me to fix them for you. " Snapping his fingers again before I could react, and as if by magic the horrified reactions from our side ceased immediately as everyone became disoriented and aimless, but otherwise unharmed.

"I'm sorry, who are these people Keaton?" Embarrassing really, but I just can't seem to put my finger on it." Cal stumbled forward with his usual bravado, asking me in a dazed state.

"Memory manipulation?" Even more alarmed now. "Don't do that again." I warned Baelwyn a second time. My skin crawling with danger as I saw more and more powers being put on display.

"Catch your interest? It's a fun skill. And relax, I'd never use it on you. We're all friends here aren't we? Could you imagine if users on the same side fought openly, it would be pandemonium. Now let's have that look around the place, shall we?"

But I didn't budge an inch, letting my displeasure be known. If he was going to attack my comrades this openly, we couldn't coexist. 

"Not just me, I don't want you using skills on any of my people." I clarified my position, trying to set boundaries in the hopes that he would respect my position.

His enthusiasm faltering for a second, as if I had just poured cold water on is mood. "Didn't realize we had another Selkerah on our hands... fine. I won't touch your toys if that's what you want."

"He really is like Selkerah isn't he? And male..., are you sure you don't want me in your arms tonight? " Tia asked as she fluttered her eyelashes at me, but I shot her an angered look. I was in no mood for her games right now.

Swallowing my pride as our group began to follow along, hired mercenaries in tow, as we toured the estate. The king walking the halls openly with a swagger, acting as our guide while pointed out all the parts of the mansion he thought I would like. Which to be honest was not exactly my taste. Halls leading down to dungeons or torture chambers made his eyes go bright, while pretty maids and elaborate wall hangings were nothing special. I had to admit it was a very nice place, if not for the strange company we were sharing. 

"Your majesty-- or rather, Baelwyn was it?" Remembering that he seemed to hate me calling him a king. 

"Please, just call me Bael." He said while giving off a genuine smile. After seeing such a brutal scene earlier I couldn't help but think of that smile as anything more than a cheap mask. 

"Could you just lead us to our rooms? I believe we're all tired fro the trip." Motioning to my companions, who were all still feeling the effects of having some of their memories wiped. 

He frowned before nodding, leading us deeper down into the maze of hallways, before we finally arrived at a set of double iron doors, a stone tele inlaid within the metal. 

"This will be your section of the property, do with it as you see fit. All of the chosen have their own branches like-wise. Use it for your research, or your relaxation; I won't infringe. I've stocked the area with maids that will attend to your needs, let me know if you run out." Winking at me as if I were going to be killing them off. 

'Bael' as he had requested to be called, dug into his pockets to produce a small mage badge and black coin from his pocket. Like the one the previous 'Bael' had held onto. Handing the two objects to me before patting me on my shoulder. "A mage's seal and my coin, I'm sure you'll find good uses for these. Go on and have some fun every once in a while, there's a lot that my city has to offer." He said while winking again.