58 – To catch a predator (1)

The King closed his eyes for a few seconds, contemplating on my words. He opened them and turned to me, “A Demon?” he slowly tasted the word.

Lapia placed a hand on my arm, “Are you sure?”

I nodded, “Pretty sure.” I retrieved a sketchbook and stared at the King for a second. “Gordon, I'm going to draw the creature that's troubling you. Would that be something you're comfortable with? I'll need you to look at it for confirmation.”

He took a deep breath then nodded, “Anything that could help me. Please do so.”

I nodded and produced a pencil, then went to work.

One of the many things I excel at when it comes to art is hyperrealism; to translate what's on my mind with impeccable detail when drawing it. I put a lot of time and effort in developing my artistic skills during my life on Earth. While maybe focusing on the sciences could have been more helpful when taking this current life into consideration, there was no way for me to know the future.

“Have you appraised the creature in your nightmares?” I asked while drawing.

The King chuckled, “Natasha, you can't appraise things when you're in a dream.”

I nodded. Is that similar to the smartphone thing with dreams? I wondered, shaping the drawing. I do remember having read that zoomers and the alpha generation saw more of interactive technology in their dreams. Maybe appraising people is not something the brain can simulate.

I drew the Demon in a non-threatening pose and with blank facial features. The lighting showed its front in a easy-to-digest way while simultaneously avoiding its vicious nature. It even looked friendly to some extent.

“Haa...” Lapia next to me sighed with a worried expression, looking at the drawing. “Is that how they look like?”

I nodded, “Here,” I showed it to the King. “Does this look similar?”

The man glanced at it and instantly looked away. “Exactly the same,” he whispered.

“May I see it, Your Excellency?” the Cleric on the other side of the bed looked up at me.

I offered the sketchbook and she slowly took it.

Her eyes squinted at the drawing and she nodded, then gave me the book back, “I see.”

I stored it and let out a sigh. “Does this only happen at night?”

The King and the Cleric both nodded.

I looked at the Cleric, “Is there a Cleric class that specializes in exorcism or something along those lines?”

She arched an eyebrow, “Exorcism? What's that?”

“Okay. That's a no,” I sighed with a deep nod. So Demons are not a common thing, I concluded.

“How do you know of this creature?” The King's quiet voice betrayed his doubt.

I looked him in the eye, “It's a bit complicated.”

His eyes widened a little and he gave me a slow nod, “I see. Claire, could you give us a minute or two?”

The Cleric bowed, “As you wish, Your Majesty.”

We watched the woman leave the room and close the door.

“Natasha,” the King sighed. “Is this related to your trial?”

That was a little surprising.

“Yes,” I nodded. “How do you know of the trials?”

He smiled weakly, “As a King, I know things others do not. My Royal Mother taught me a lot of things before she passed.”

“Have you met the Gods?” I gave him an expectant look.

He nodded, “Only His Divinity Admak. I did a pilgrimage before officially taking the throne.”

“Hoo...” I smiled. “What does he look like?”

Lapia sighed, “It's taboo to recreate or speak of the image of a Divine.”

The King nodded at her words.

I clicked my tongue, “That's silly.”

The two chuckled at my reaction.

“Well,” I took a slow breath. “I could hunt this Demon. If it has physical form it'd be easy for me to kill it, too.”

“How will you find it?” his eyes gained a bit of hope.

“I know their smell and how their bodies function,” I looked out the window and saw the many tall edifices. “I'd bet I'm the one that knows the most about them. I even know their language as you heard before.”

“I see,” the King muttered. He continued with strength in his voice, “Natasha, please do whatever it is in your power to rid me of this Demon. I beg of you.”

I winced and turned to him, “Don't beg. That's weird.”

He chuckled, “You Halves are a treasure.”

Lapia quietly laughed next to me.

“This must be fate,” the King gave a resolute nod.

Or a plot device, I sarcastically thought. My life's not a story, though.

“Who knows?” I shrugged. “I'll take a stroll around the palace and see if I can-”

'Hampter' Pokora's voice entered my mind through the bond. She even imitated the tone.

I tightened my stomach to avoid laughing, “-catch the Demon's scent.”

'Beesechurger' I sent back with a straight face.

“Hmm,” he thought for a second.

“If I don't find it before nightfall, I could stay the night,” I offered. “Rats are easier to hunt during the few hours they're awake and moving.”

The King nodded, “I was thinking the same. I'll make preparations on my side and send someone to inform you when the time comes. I'm sure you know I'd like it to be over before then... but I can't ask too much, however.”

“That's understandable,” I shook my head and extended a hand to the King. “It was nice meeting you, Gordon.”

The King nodded with a relieved smile and renewed energy in his eyes, “Same. And thank you, Natasha.”

We shook hands and I took a step back.

Lapia curtsied, “It's been an honor meeting you, Your Majesty.”

“Take care, Lady Lapia,” he gave her a smile.

We walked out of the room and were greeted by the group of people who were previously inside.

The Queen approached me with a tight smile, “Your Excellency, how is my husband?”

“Pretty tired of you treating him like a kid, I guess,” I replied with a friendly smile. “Other than that, all's good. We came to a conclusion, however, so things are looking great.”

Lapia took a deep breath and shook her head.

The Queen smiled widely, “A conclusion?” she ignored my comment like a professional. “That's great to hear.”

I felt a queasy feeling inside me. People like her didn't sit well with me.

“That's right,” I nodded. “Some topics were a bit sensitive, so I think it'd be nice if you give him some emotional support.”

The King's family nodded and walked past me into the room.

The Queen smiled and started moving to bow to me.

I placed a hand on her shoulder, halting her movements.

She looked up at me and met my 'polite' smiling face. She blinked a few times, then nodded and walked past me.

The moment she was next to me, I sniffed the air. The soft and fluffy scent of flowers tickled my nose.

After everyone went inside, I turned to Lapia with an amused smile, “Went pretty good, right?”

She smacked her lips and gave me an unimpressed look, “It sure did.” Her tone was a bit more sarcastic than I expected.

I shrugged and offered my hand for her to take.

She shook her head with a sigh and took my hand, “You're a wild one, Natasha.”

I chuckled and smirked, “I thought you already knew that?”

She laughed and we started walking.

The palace was well ventilated with wide windows open every twenty or so meters. Stairs led us up and down the building, where we turned and explored the hallways.

A good number of Royal Guards were stationed around the palace. Most were Cleric tanks and healers, a few were Warriors, and even fewer were Wizards.

Lapia and I made some light conversation while walking, and she took the opportunity to teach me a few things about E'er. Nothing too complicated, just the different classes that exist and people can get.

We spent a few hours walking through the palace. I tried finding a hint of the Demon while walking, sniffing around every once in a while. I caught a wide variety of smells from food, metals, fabrics, and flowers to the smell of sex, the flow of E'er, the stench of regular waste, and the peculiar smell of the stone that made for the majority of the building's construction material. The palace was massive.

We reached the first floor's 'ball room' space while following the many smells when I heard the soft rumble of Lapia's stomach.

I turned to her with a cheeky smirk, “Looks like we found another little Demon.”

She blushed and checked her pocket watch, the golden one she got from me in Mountroad. She sighed and closed it, “It's half past noon. Lunchtime already.”

“Right,” I wisely nodded. “You mortal fleshlings require sustenance.”

She arched an eyebrows and gave me a questioning look, “Do you really not need food?”

I shrugged, “Not gonna starve myself just to prove a point.”

“What if you can feed off sunlight?” she pondered, rubbing her chin.

“I'm not a plant, Lapia,” I shook my head.

“True,” she nodded with a smile. “You're the apex living organism. Definitely above a plant.”

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

Footsteps from above caught my attention.

We both turned and found a young Urkila Tigea walking towards us.

“Your Excellency,” she bowed, “Lady Lapia. Her Majesty the Queen sent me to ask if you'd like to join her in lunch.”

I turned to Lapia, who gave me a nod.

“Sure,” I gave the Tigea a nod. “That'd be nice.”

“Then, if you would?” she turned around and walked off.

We followed her until yet another set of double doors. She knocked once and opened them.

A dining room welcomed us. A wide, circular table in the middle of the room was decorated with a fancy-looking table cloth. A chandelier hung low above it, and numerous paintings decorated the walls. On the table, three consecutive seats were prepared with china and silverware that definitely wasn't silver; it was made of a material that had an almost glass-like transparent quality to it. Each seat had an unnecessary amount of glasses, forks, spoons, and knives along plates and large napkin containers.

There was a door to the right, where I assumed led to the kitchen by the thick smell of food coming from it.

My nerves turned a little. I had no clue as to fine dining and while my skin is as thick as city walls, I didn't want to embarrass my girlfriend by eating like a barbarian in front of the Ruler of a nation.

The Queen was standing behind a seat, probably waiting for us.

“Your Excellency,” she bowed to me. “Lady Lapia. Thank you for joining me.”

“Thank you for the invitarion,” I gave her a nod.

Lapia curtsied, “Thank you for the invitation, Your Majesty.”

I'll make sure to massage Lapia's back when I have the time, I thought, taking the strain of constantly bowing into consideration.

“Not at all,” the Queen smiled. She gestured to the seats to her right, “Food will be ready shortly. If you would, please.”

We walked to our seats and I stored my armor since the chair looked flimsy if anything, then sat down between the Queen and Lapia.

“Where are the Princes and Princess?” I asked, glancing around the room.

There were two Tigeas standing at attention near the door to the kitchen.

“Princesses,” the Queen had the audacity to correct me with a kind smile. “I have ten children with my two husbands; six sons and four daughters. Most are out of the city at the moment doing several errands. The ones currently in the palace prefer to eat with my husbands now that Gordon's health has declined.”

I squinted my eyes at her, “What about you? You don't eat your meals with your sick husband?”

Lapia took a deep breath next to me.

The Queen's eyes widened a little and she cleared her throat, then stored her crown, “I do, occasionally. My work has kept me busy most of the time. I do make sure to spend time with Gordon, Your Excellency.”

I nodded, satisfied with her answer. Is this my bias against mothers? I wondered. Am I too harsh on her?

The door to the kitchen opened and a troupe of six Tigeas walked into the room carrying trolleys.

The first one had several bottles on it. The second one had bread and fruit. The third one had domes covering the content of the dishes underneath. The last one had a tall cake-looking pastry.

The Tigeas wore fine clothes with tasteful styles and colors. Their classes were mostly kitchen-related and I assumed them to be from the Craftsman class family. They pushed the trolleys around the table until they reached us, then bowed.

A young male Tigea straightened first with a smug smile and spoke in a proud and professional tone, “The meal will begin with olive tapenade and hubis mushrooms as an hors d'oeuvre that I'm sure will arouse your palate and taste buds. Next is steamed punites with a dash of Oloya extract on top of a loving bed of gentle greens. For the main course, the head Chef herself has roasted a Fenivis' breast exquisitely embraced by a blanked of hubis mushrooms. For the salad, the freshest of vegetables have been steamed and boiled to bring an unparalleled harmony of flavors by the hand of six months old cheese that will be complimented with a three hundred year old Dubois wine. As a climax that I'm sure will satisfy you to no end, a most delightful pastry has been prepared by the head Patissier which will be served along a fine selection of tericas accompanied by a sixty year old Moulin dessert wine.”

“Hmm,” the Queen nodded with a satisfied smile.

Holy shit! That's a lot of food! I screamed inside my head, turning to Lapia.

She didn't look quite as excited about the meal.

Right, I remembered. She doesn't like hubis mushrooms.