Under Strange Skies
Prologue
"Quick! To that cave!" Havardr cried out as he gestured towards the only shelter he could see. Panicked noises surrounded the chaos as the small squad centred around the cart hastily made their way towards the rocky hillside. Around them, warriors prepared their shields, slings and axes, even if they knew their weapon would not be effective against what was to come. Servants whipped and tugged the frenzied ox-sized rodents, attempting to guide them towards safety to little avail.
"Go deeper! Try to find a corner!" The shouting continued as the cart was dragged into the darkness, illuminated only by faint torchlights as the sedated rodent followed the guide of its handler, the drug blocking the outside world from its muted senses. The leather-clad warrior quickly followed the convoy into the cave, turning his gaze away from the outside world. Behind him, strange lights began to flash, casting a looming shadow over the rocky ground. Even for a veteran raider like him, he could not help but feel a shiver down his spine as screams and cries echoed through the cave.
After all, it was not just another war.
No. It never was a war, any more than there's war between man and ants.
Tugged behind a sharp corner, the small team of survivors hid themselves between the rocky walls and the sheltered cart. The alien lights continued to flash, painting strange shapes onto the walls of the cave as the screams slowly subsided. There was nothing they can do, nothing but pray that they were not discovered - or at least, they would have a swift death if they were.
After what felt like an eternity, the blinding lights that defied description faded away as well, leaving behind only the scent of hot pockets seeping into the cave. Yet, none of them were brave enough to venture out just yet, instead seeking comfort from each other while Havardr's sweat-drenched hands tightened around his shield and axe.
"... Is it safe now?" The deafening silence was eventually broken by a shivering voice. Perhaps reminded of his duty, the warrior slowly pulled himself up from the cart. With heavy steps, he slowly made his way around the corner and towards the smoky entrance of the shelter. Fearful eyes peeked behind him, witnessing the raider walking up towards the exit... and stopped.
"... Havardr?" The voice asked again, but there was no reply. The man simply stood in the dusky light, his arms dangling beneath his shoulders. It was not usual for a warrior to break guard in a situation like this... although the fact that he was still in one piece suggested that, perhaps, the disaster had came to pass.
With a gulp, another silhouette moved out from the corner into the light, slowly walking towards the frozen warrior to see what his widened eyes had seen... only to be bewildered in the same way be the scenery.
The field before the cave, once lush with grass and bushes, was now scorched clean. The plastered road that guided their way was nowhere to be seen. The large convoy they were part of was scattered among the smoking debris, torn and tossed around like broken toys. There was no survivors in sight - perhaps for the best, as no minds would be equipped to survive witnessing the indescribable powers of the monsters.
As they pulled their gaze away from the carnage, though, they were greeted by something even stranger. The sky and sea was painted in a strange, unfamiliar colour, and the distant coastline was not something they remembered seeing. Even for jannies, drastic changes like that were virtually unheard of.
One by one, more survivors left the cave and joined the frozen duo, only to be rendered speechless by the sight of the outside world. It was the sound of the dazed atosanpol that finally broke their attention, and they turned around to tend the beast of burden and the cart it was tugging behind.
Only in death does duty end - as the saying goes. Now that they were not in immediately threat, they would have to resume their previous task - especially now that they were the sole survivors of their convoy.
"What now?" The shaking voice asked the warrior.
"... gather what we can." Havardr looked at the sun setting into the unfamiliar horizon. "We'll rest for the night and continue our journey at dawn."
His words were first met with silence, but in the absence of better proposals, the small team began their work despite the uncertainty plaguing their mind. Some of the braver souls approached the carnage and began salvaging what they could, while the others remained around the cart, to check on their supplies and to prepare camping for the night. Havardr would join the scavengers, but not before approaching the cart and lifting the cloth covering it, shielding its content from what they had just witnessed.
"... this will be problematic." He sighed as his gaze followed the light leaking into the cart, faintly illuminating the metal bars and the sleeping souls behind them.
First Night - Havardr
Night loomed over the confused and somewhat fearful crowd as they cuddled around the warm pyre. A small area around the cave entrance was cleared and encircled with wooden stakes and ropes, many of which being harvested from the wrecked convoy. Scouting parties would not be sent until dawn, but from what they could tell, the landscape beyond this charred field was unrecognisable - it was as if they were casted into a different world. The priestess was the only one aware of such power existing, and even then it was something relegated to myths and legends - the story of how the people of this world came from a different realm, and how followers of some of the dead gods were banished elsewhere.
Did their gods die? In a way that defied even their power to reborn? It was not a question that the priestess wished to drill upon or inform her followers.
Salvaging the ruins of the convoy yielded little of use - almost all carts and supplies were destroyed and charred with the disagreeable scent of hot pockets, rendering most of the twisted remains of their comrades likely unfit for consumption. As such, most of them were rendered into fuel for the pyre, where the few bits of edible flesh was being grilled and eaten by the survivors. Carefully carved by the priestess and roasted to the golden colour, it would normally be considered delicacy beyond the station of most of them, but the circumstance made even the sweet taste dull for most of the cannibals.
That was not the end of the troubles, though. While they were the only survivors of the convoy and escort as far as they could tell, not all of the goods perished alongside them. Amidst the ruins, several of the metal cages used to hold the spoils of the latest raids proved to be inhabited. Covered by their carts and, in some cases, sedating drugs, the captives were unaware of what just transpired beyond the veil. However, while the cages were still intact, the same cannot be said of the carts they were on - with their axles snapped and wheels shattered, it took most of the scavengers to drag them back to the makeshift camp.
"It would be impossible to travel with all the cages." The priestess concluded before taking a bite from the roasted flesh. The fire of the pyre turned the fat into a crispy gold, surrounding the still red meat around the femur. The faint scent of hot pockets was about the only drawback.
"I see... what do you propose?" Havardr asked as he tossed another charred chunk into the fire. The scraps of fat melted in the heat, causing a small wave of crackling noise as the fire danced. For a brief moment, the red fire turned into an odd colour - residues of the power that killed most of the convoy. As he turned his attention back to the priestess, he could see the petite girl brandishing her blade to cut off the tendon of her meal. Made of black mirror and carefully chipped away, the blade was deceptively sharp, and was favoured by the clergy as the tool of choice for their sacrifice. On its flat surface, he could see the indecipherable expression reflecting off it. The silence was enough to convey her answer. "I see."
"It's not an order, though." The priestess laid her violet eyes on Havardr. "Do what you deem necessary."
"... yes, milady." Havardr might be skilled enough to survive multiple raids, but he had doubts of his ability to lead in such a trying time - but it was not like there were other options. Throwing another charcoal into the fire, he stood up walked towards the small pile of usable supplies by the side. The one good thing about their dwindled numbers was that the supply would last them longer than usual - although that would only delay the inevitable if they could not find a way back home or otherwise sustain themselves in this world. Shaking his bubbling worries away, the warrior picked up some of the preserved meat from the barrel and approached his cart. The only entrance was guarded by a pair of novices - trained, but untested by war. The shaking hands holding the polearms showed their inexperience. Still, it was hard for him to blame them given the circumstances.
The guards lifted the cloth to the cargo, letting the flickering light of the pyre to flow into the compartment. The cart was angled in a way so as to not show the battlefield or the new coasts to the captives, lest they panicked from the sight... or plot to escape the understaffed escort. As his eyes adjusted to the dim interior, he glanced over the several cages filling the cart. The majority of the captives appeared to be sleeping, perhaps due to the lingering effect of the drugs... or in a desperate attempt to convince themselves of it all just being a bad dream.
He would join them in their slumber to wake up from this, but he knew better.
Purging his emotions from his face, Havardr made his way to the end of the cart, where a particularly large cage rested itself against the back of the cart. While the other cages had their floors covered with hay, this one was instead covered by cushions, making it almost comfortable to sleep in. Its sole inhabitant, though, was already awake, her calm amber eyes meeting his.
"... food." He turned his gaze aside before handing the wrapped piece of preserved meat to her. The lithe hands did not reach for it, though, resulting in him resting it on an empty bowl at the edge of the prison.
"Don't worry. It's not what you think it is." His words did not seem to encourage the captive with her simply leaning against the metal wall, looking up towards him from a sitting position.
"You look calm." He was sure that she was not sedated - in fact, she seemed almost too calm when she knew of her fate upon the altar.
"Would you prefer to see me in fear?" Her question was left unanswered, as the warrior's eyes looked left and right, checking if all the locks were intact. "They need the food more than me."
"I'll get theirs soon. Just eat up. You'll need it." Havardr had captured a fair share of captives during his tenure, but he rarely talk to them beyond ushering them to the transports. Normally, it would be the task for the clergy to care for them in accord to their ranks, but the convoy no longer had anyone qualified for that.
Save one. Part of him was not sure if he would want the priestess to be involved, though.
The warrior made several more trips to the supplies, until all the bowls in the cages were filled with food - some better than others, but they were at least enough to sustain the captives for now. Apart from the blue-haired one, the other captives appeared to still be asleep - for the better, perhaps. They were not as serene as her, and Havardr would rather not confront them - especially with a limited supply of sedatives.
"Sweet dreams." He could not help but remarked. "I envy them."
"You're welcomed to switch place with them." The amber-eyed one said, "I'm sure they'll appreciate that gesture."
"ALMOST envy them." His answer caused a small giggle from her. Still, instead of making his leave as soon as his work here was done, the warrior took a seat by the captive's cage, leaning against an empty wall as he glanced at the pointy-eared captive.
"Something troubling you?" She asked, moving her seat near her captor at the other side of the locked gate.
"No..." He was not convincing. He knew he was not convincing, but it was better than showing weakness to those who had an obvious grudge against him.
"You can tell me. It's not like I can do anything but offer words to you." The captive let out a faint smile towards him, causing him to turn his head away to the other cage. The other captive was significantly more curvy than the waking one... the view was somewhat arousing if not for the circumstances. "And I know better than to anger someone who can kill me at any moment."
"Just... stay here and don't cause trouble." It was not a request that he expected any of the captives to oblige. After all, most people were not keen on being sacrificed and eaten - especially when not in that order.
"Of course." Still, this captive was quite strange, in more ways than one. There was no doubt that she was very valuable - in addition to her apparent willingness, her likeness to one of the major gods of this world made her a potential candidate for deiphagy, and thus she had to be provided with utmost care. Did she already know of that? Was that why she was cooperative in exchange of the luxury she would receive before her sacrifice? If she was indeed cooperative, maybe he could afford to have her out of the cage to free up space... The words lingered between his lips, but he ultimately swallowed it back.
"Well... good night, I suppose." He made a hasty leave before his emotion returned to his face, shutting the curtains behind him. As the light in the cart was killed, the only remaining sources of light were the amber eyes beneath the blue hair.
First Night - Captives
The crackling from the pyre eventually went silent, with the last of the debris and carcass reduced to ash under the starless sky. Large pieces of cloth, both from the supplies and ruined carts, were turned into makeshift tents, giving the /meat/heads a sheltered, if restless night. Inside the cart, though, the silence that had persisted since the warrior left was only starting to melt away.
"Good evening." The golden-eyed captive greeted the curvy captive as she slowly woke up from her drug-induced sleep. Although the effect of her sedative had ebbed, the dullness of her eyes remained as she glanced around the dark compartment, before turning her eyes back to the blue-haired greeter.
"Ah... where am I?"
"The cannibals' cart." It was not the most helpful answer, but there was little more that she could add. The closed curtains allowed only a bit of tourchlight from outside to seep in.
"Oh..." The cowlike ears protruding from her hair twitched from the answer, her mind seemingly still processing what had transpired. As she sat up and leant against the cage, her endomorphic physique became even more apparent. Her eyes returned to the cage, before setting on the bowl of vegetable and maize congee on the other side of the cage. Her stomach immediately growled, and her moved herself towards the food. Taking a sniff from the lukewarm content, she soon poured it into her mouth.
"Get me out of this place!" The calmness was broken by a contralto shout, and the sound of the metal cage being kicked from inside. On the other side of the cart, a young, feminine silhouette could be seen struggling inside the cage, kicking against the secured lock every now and then. "Fight me one on one, you cowards!"
"Good evening." The blue-haired captive greeted as usual. Even though her calm voice was drowned out by the shrieking metal, it seemed to have an effect on the restive captive. Pulling the stocking-clad legs from the door, the sharp, almost fiery eyes turned towards her with a mix of confusion and alert.
"Who are you?"
"Just another captive like you." The elven-eared captive gestured to her gilded cage. "You can call me Wamy. What's your name?"
"... I don't feel like trusting you." The sound of kicking echoed inside the cart one more time, although the lock remained secure as always, resulting in a dissatisfied grunt. "Shouldn't you be fighting back as well? They're going to eat us sooner or later!"
"Perhaps, but that's all the more reason to conserve your strength and avoid their suspicion." Wamy's comment seemed to have cooled the firebrand captive down a bit.
"Hmph..." The parched lips soon parted once again. "Call me Lily."
"It's a beautiful name." Wamy's praise was returned with another hmph, as the red eyes turned towards the eating captive.
"That's not my real name. I still have my doubts about you actually being a captive." Lily moved towards the edge of the cage, the bandaged hand reaching between the bars to examine the cloth covering the cart. Unfortunately for them, it was nailed tightly into the wooden sides of the cart, preventing any light from leaking in without breaking the thick cloth. "I swear once I get out of here, I'm gonna burn them every single one of-"
"Thanks for the meal~" Lily's mumbling was interrupted by the succulent captive, who laid down the emptied bowl to reveal her satisifed face.
"Who... I wanna say they're fattening you up for slaughter, but it seems that step's already done." The black-haired captive eyed the cowlike captive. The narrowed eyes soon noticed the empty bowl, turning them back into the cage to see the filled bowl sitting in the dark corner. Lily's grumble stopped, and the bandaged hand reached into the bowl, dipping the liquid within for a sniff.
"We can share the food if you don't like that." Noticing the widened red eyes, Wamy picked up the pristine meal in her bowl and moved closer towards Lily. A friendly gesture would go a long way in building friendship, after all.
"No... it's alright." Lily, however, remained focused on the bowl. With the words dulled somewhat, the brunette captive moved towards the dark corner and turned away from the duo, before digging into the liquid meal.
"Oh, my..." Wamy was not sure how to make of it, but she was glad that Lily was not throwing the bowl towards her. It would be unbecoming for both of them, after all. With that, she turned her attention back to the remaining captive, who was feeling her slightly visible stomach after the surprisingly filling meal. "How about you? May I know your name?"
"Just call me Seina!" The cowlike ears twitched as she answered, seemingly without a care of the world despite the situation. It was unusual, to say the least, but somehow it was also oddly comforting. Separated by the narrow gap between their cages, the two leant against the metal bars as the topic drifted into small talks. Seina told Wamy of her homeland, a tropical paradise where body types like her was highly sought after. Wamy, in exchange, told Seina of her own homeland, a place where a certain kind of body was highly desired.
The night gradually faded away, and the duo soon became trio, before their voices eventually slipped into slumber once more.