Published at 9th of September 2025 12:25 pm

Book 5: Chapter 6 Aftermath [Part 2]

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

“Why didn’t you save him? Why?” Larynda’s voice rang out, thick with accusation. “What was all of this for?”

I let her words wash over me like waves crashing against a cliff. The half-elven girl looked at me, her eyes condemning. Then her gaze fell on Kidu’s hewing spear leaning against the wall, and she broke down, collapsing to her knees in tears.

Stoic, I stood as tall as I could, my expression hard as stone. “For as long as I could, I tried. Tried and failed. I could not save the man who was Enkidu Kreshin of the Three Bears tribe. His life was cut too soon here in Al-Lazar, against a foe even he couldn’t overcome… a foe I’m not yet strong enough to defy.”

“They say the gods struck him down for blasphemy… but why?” Larynda sniffled as she picked herself up, her gaze searching my face. Then, as if finding an answer in my expression, her eyes widened with a mix of awe and despair. “It’s true, isn’t it?”

Guiltily, I looked away. “I’ll feed you no lies… it’s the truth,” I admitted.

“Do you know…?” she asked, her voice tinged with morbid curiosity, the weight of grief making her seem older than her years.

“Yes, I do. Vincenzio is right—the Divines toy with us, casting us down or punishing us on a whim. And Kidu…” My voice cracked. “Enkidu was one such casualty. The Goddess Iasis did come…”

It felt as if thorns had scraped across my tongue, as if the truth itself resisted being spoken. Interesting.

“... and punished Enkidu? A goddess? A Divine from stories and scripture? The Mother of Monsters herself? Why? I can’t believe it!” Larynda’s voice quivered with disbelief.

My expression grew dour and grim. “Believe me or not, it is true.”

She sank into a nearby lounge chair, her ornate staff slipping from her hands onto the thick, opulent carpet. “It’s… a lot to take in. Vincenzio used to go on about it. I never fully believed him. But his illness… that curse—it was real, wasn’t it?”

There was a soft knock on the still-open door.

“Forgive this one. One saw that the door was open,” came Vincenzio’s steady, measured voice, each word precise as the measure of a clock. Such perfect timing.

“Come in,” I replied, the weariness settling into my bones. “Forgive my relaxed attire; you have me at a disadvantage.”

Vincenzio stepped inside, his movements as soundless as a shadow. His corpse-pale expression was a mask of quiet reserve. How he remained so untouched by the relentless Al-Lazarian sun was a mystery, but there was something about his otherworldly pallor that seemed fitting to his class or ‘Calling’ as this world liked to call it. It was as if he belonged to no world touched by light. He closed the door behind him slowly and deliberately.

With hands clasped before him, he bowed at the waist, his expression solemn. “My condolences,” he said simply, his tone polite but as unyielding as stone. He drifted over to Larynda, who sat slumped with her face in her hands, fingers tangled in her hair like claws. “Come now, child. Let us give the man some privacy. You know he did all he could to save Enkidu. Do not burden him with blame,” he murmured gently, though his voice bore no softness.

Larynda lifted her head, her eyes red-rimmed with withheld tears. She looked at me with a fragile defiance that flickered like candlelight in the wind. She was holding back her grief in check, a sign of my influence, perhaps. Girls should cry, I thought. It cleanses.

“Do you swear vengeance?” she asked, her voice small, yet aflame. I saw spite in the green of her eyes.

I lowered myself into a chair, feeling the weight of her question settle on my shoulders. “Though I cannot strike at a Divine directly, I can make those who glorify her name feel her regret. Let Iasis lament,” I replied, my voice low, each word as heavy as an oath. “The Adventurer’s Guild.”

What was one more godling to add to my list of vengeance?

“It may seem little, but it is how we show we are unbowed,” Vincenzio added, his voice sounding tired by the long years. “One will no longer cower under a rock, hidden from their gaze.”

“But, Gil… they’re not all bad… Meli… I mean…” Larynda murmured a weak plea.

“No, perhaps not,” I replied, my voice softening only a fraction. “But their Guildmaster certainly is. When the storm abates, I’ll take his head—and woe to anyone who stands before me.” I exchanged a nod with Vincenzio, who returned it with a grim finality. “Our accord will be honored.”

Larynda glanced from him to me, determination fighting through her exhaustion. “I can help!”

I held her gaze, the steel in my voice unyielding. “You’re needed here. If they send other magic users against the Salahaem, Vincenzio will need you by his side. That is how you will help.”

She looked ready to protest, but whatever she saw in my expression kept her silent. Larynda gripped her hands on her sides and nodded.

With that, Vincenzio laid a guiding hand on her shoulder, and they left, their footsteps quiet as shadows, leaving me alone in the dim silence of my quarters.

*****

A new day had come. The storm had lessened, though ‘abated’ would be too generous a word; its fury had only slightly diminished. Odd that I hadn’t noticed until now the constant noise it brought, like an endless, rumbling backdrop to everything.

The halls and corridors of the estate were littered with fighting men, lounging in various states of indolence. Some reclined carelessly, while others sat tense as drawn bowstrings, their eyes darting about. The unnatural storm had worn away at their trained confidence, making even the seasoned warriors uneasy.

As I passed, they regarded me with a mix of puzzlement, fear, and awkward respect. They saw the spear in my hand. It felt empowering, but it did little to soothe the hollow ache left by my friend’s absence. Enkidu was no longer here.

A servant girl, slender and graceful as a swan, stepped into my path with a deep, respectful bow. Her long hair nearly brushed the floor in her display of reverence.

“Samasa, the Lady Aelayah wishes to speak with you,” she said in a clear voice, keeping her gaze lowered.

“I am on my way to attend to a private matter,” I replied curtly. “Tell Aelayah that I will see her at my convenience.”

Her eyes widened slightly at my casual use of the highborn’s name, but she rose with a measured bow, masking her reaction with a professional air. “Apologies, Master Gilgamesh, but the Lady Aelayah insists that you see her now,” she replied smoothly, adding a slight emphasis on Aelayah’s title.

I slammed the metal butt of Enkidu’s spear against the tiles of the floor with a resounding crack, and she jumped, startled. There was a boldness in her demeanor that begged correction.

“Then I will see her now, if she so insists,” I agreed with a wicked smile. “And tonight, you will report to my quarters.”

“But…” she stammered, the non-sequitur taking her off guard. “I… I serve only the Lady…” she continued to bleat, eyes widening with fear.

I took a step closer, meeting her gaze fully, catching the subtle scent of her perfume now tinged with the faint trace of fear.

“Tonight,” I repeated, my voice a low command. I could almost feel the raw force of my Charisma washing over her, the dice of fate rolling as they willed.

She shivered, casting her gaze down once more. “As you wish,” she murmured, surrendering with a bow, trembling as she stepped aside.

Sometimes you had to put people in their place.

Share