Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Chapter 36: Long Is the Night for the Godless, part VII



   Augi was overjoyed when the they came across a village in the middle of
the Vargranian highlands.  She was looking forward to spending a night
sleeping in a warm bed.  Moreover, any step she was taking right now caused
her pain.  Pain in Augi's sore fucked asshole.  She felt her anus twitching
and opening up again all the time since she had been fucked by Calys and
Aka.  Augi was afraid that she might accidentally shit herself because her
asshole wasn't shutting properly.  She was sore in more ways than one.

   Calys had reunited with Aka, so she looked like a walking knight's armor
once again.  She was neither in a particular good nor bad mood.  Her
relationship with Augi had become reasonably intimate, but not to the level
that they were dating.  Although it was very well conceivable that the
wizard with the blond twin tails might've gotten pregnant from all the
semen she had pumped into her asshole.

   It was quite a small village with not more than fifty inhabitants. 
There was no inn, but the owner of one of the houses agreed to let the
travelers spend the night in a spare room for a small fee.  It was already
evening and a terrible storm was blowing outside.  Not only Calys and Augi,
but also half of the village's population gathered in the house's parlor at
night.  The big room was comfortably warm and there was lively chatter
going on.  Some of the guests had brought food that they shared with the
others.  Augi was happy to receive some soup that warmed up her stomach.

   Here Calys and Augi also found out that there was another visitor in the
village right now.  She was easily identifiable since she was the only
other girl whose hair wasn't raven black.  The girl had cute pink hair that
was partially braided.  Her dark mantle looked as if she had traveled near
and far.  Both of her slender pale arms were heavily tattooed with flashy
colorful pictures.  She also wore dark eye shadow which was quite the
extraordinary sight in such a remote village.  At second glance, there was
even another visitor here: On the girl's right shoulder sat a tiny naked
fairy, half the size of a human's forearm.

   When she noticed them, she came over to Calys' and Augi's table.  Now
they saw that she was carrying a wooden lute with her.  She smiled friendly
and honestly at the two other strangers.  "Greetings!  My name is Jio. 
It's good to see that I'm not the only foreigner here." Calys and Augi
agreed and gave their names, but remained a little skeptical of this girl.
Augi stole glances at the fairy on Jio's shoulder, but the tiny being
seemed to be completely indifferent to the humans' conversation.  Maybe she
didn't even understand them.  Jio was eager to get into conversation with
them.  "So...  what is it that brings you to this deserted land?" Augi
looked over to Calys, unsure what to answer.  The tomboy retained her poker
face.  "It's an assignment that's not meant for everyone's ears." Jio
seemed to be amused.  "Oh!~ That sounds exciting!  But don't worry, I won't
pry into your secrets."

   Augi felt like getting friendly with Jio.  "So are you a bard, Jio?" The
pink-haired girl nodded proudly.  "Indeed, I am.  I travel from place to
place, singing ballads and telling tales.  Of course, I am always hoping to
learn new stories and songs from the people I meet on my wanderings." That
caught Calys' attention.  "So you know a lot of legends?  Have you ever
heard one that involves a ghostly castle in the highlands?  It...  it's
said to look exactly like Vargran castle, but the people there all have
white hair and very strange, cruel customs." Jio looked into Calys' eyes
for a while before she answered.  "No, I'm afraid that I don't know this
one yet.  But I'd love to hear more about it." Augi gave Calys a worried
look.  Had she just given away too much?

   Before the situation could get even more awkward, they were interrupted
by the owner of the place who walked up to their table and addressed Jio.
"Are you finally going to play a song for us now?" Jio seemed to be
flattered by the invitation.  She smiled.  "Of course I am." The
conversations throughout the room gradually died down until it was
completely quiet.  Jio put the five-stringed lute on her thigh and tuned
the instrument for a short while.  Then she spoke a few whispered words to
the fairy on her shoulder.  Neither Calys nor Aka could understand anything
of what she said since her voice was way too low.

   Then Jio started playing.  The chords she used were strange, but
fascinating.  The music sounded unlike anything the people here had ever
heard before.  Some of the tunes were on the verge of being discordant, but
they still sounded truly beautiful.  After she had played for about a
minute, the naked fairy began to accompany her by singing.  Her voice was
crystal clear and easily loud enough to be heard in every corner of the
large parlor.  The words she sang were incomprehensible and probably
belonged to an ancient language that no one here understood.  But one
didn't need to know the words to be entranced by the incredible beauty and
sadness of the fairy's song.  Everyone in the room was completely
mesmerized by this unusual pair's musical performance.  Many of the
villagers had tears in their eyes.  Augi was even weeping, wiping tears
from her cheeks every other moment.

   When the song ended, everyone applauded.  The audience was truly
overwhelmed.  Calys and Augi were no exception.  They both had impressive
traits themselves, but none with which they could enchant people to such an
extent.  Several people walked up to Jio to tell her how impressed they
were by her performance.  She seemed to be used to receive a lot of praise.
The fairy on the other hand went back to her former lethargic state in
which she completely ignored her surroundings.

   An old woman spoke up.  "A very nice song, indeed.  Since I heard that
you're looking for stories, I will you an old tale that the Vargranian
people know." The woman might've been forty, which was quite an old age. 
The human body became weak during their thirties and most people died of
some sickness before they became this old.  There were hardly any people
who reached an age of fifty without using life-extending magic or drugs.

   The woman began her narration and again, everyone in the room was
listening quietly.  "It is the tale of a little girl from the highlands
that lived a long time ago.  Her mother was very poor and they didn't have
a home, so they traveled the highlands as beggars.  They were starved and
miserable, but they still retained their faith in the goddesses.  She was
poor, but the girl's mother was a very beautiful woman.  One day, a
traveling merchant proposed marriage to her out of the blue.  She offered
the woman to take both her and her child in, provide for them and take them
to faraway lands.  The only condition she had was that they had to stop
worshiping their goddesses since the merchant was a heathen.  The girl's
mother valued the well-being of her daughter over her own salvation and so
she agreed.

   But although the girl was living in wealth now, the fact that she wasn't
allowed to pray to her goddesses anymore pained her soul.  She didn't have
the strength to run away, so she had to live as a heathen.  The girl knew
that she would go to hell when she died and be tormented in all eternity
for the sin of forsaking her goddesses.  It was then that the girl
remembered another Vargranian fairytale, one that is even older than the
one I am telling you right now.  It was a story that parents told their
children to scare them.  When you stray from the right path, the Kapla Wolf
will eat you.  And not only will he eat your flesh, he will even devour
your immortal soul so that you cannot go to either heaven or hell.  But
when the Kapla Wolf dies one day, your soul will be freed and you will be
reborn, gaining a second chance not to repeat the mistakes of your previous
life.  So, in a way, it was a scary fairytale with a forgiving ending.

   The girl knew that the Kapla Wolf was her only salvation.  Only in this
way, her soul could be saved from the flames of hell.  So she began to pray
to the Kapla Wolf in secret.  Every night before going to sleep, she looked
into the night sky and whispered the words: 'Please, dear wolf, come and
eat me.' And then, one night the time had come.  A giant black wolf stood
before her bed.  Although it was so big, it seemed to be starved.  It
wanted to eat the girl.  And although the little girl knew that she would
be killed, she had a smile on her face and greeted the horrible wolf
politely.  She knew that her soul had been saved."

   Again, the mood in the parlor had changed considerably during the old
woman's narration.  It seemed to have brought most of the villagers into a
strange sentimental mood.  Jio had really enjoyed the strange story.  She
walked over to the old woman and expressed her thanks face-to-face.  Calys,
on the other hand, stood up and got ready to return to their room.  "I've
heard enough for tonight, I think..." Augi looked after her, still dazzled
by both the song and the following narration.  "What's wrong?  Don't you
like fairytales?" Calys looked at her as if she had just said something
stupid.  "Fairytales?  You really are naive, Augi..." Augi looked after the
armored girl as she walked away, unsure what Calys had meant.



   Calys had a hard time falling asleep that night.  Too many things were
going through her head.  At some point, she just couldn't lie down anymore.
Since Aka was fast asleep, Calys covered herself with a blanket and walked
outside.  Since there was still a gale blowing outside, she didn't feel
like taking a walk.  Instead, she just sat down on the stairs in front of
the house.  Even with the blanket covering up her body, Calys still
shivered in the cold.  When this was over, she wouldn't be returning to the
highlands anytime soon.  Probably never.  Calys stared into the cold dark
night and kept thinking it through over and over.

   At some point it all became clear to her.  The true reason why Viora had
sent them on this mission.  Why only a few Vargranian warriors and a couple
of shady outsiders had been involved.  The reason why Viora had never told
them about the 'other' Vargran castle.  And why all of the black-haired
Vargranian warriors had been put to death there.  Calys spat out.  Once
again, her world view proved to be right.

   A frail girl with torn clothes and gray hair walked through the night
towards Calys.  She didn't seem to mind the terrible storm and despite her
look, she didn't stagger once.  The girl looked at Calys with hollow eyes.
"I'm hungry.  So terribly hungry..." It made Calys cringe.  She looked at
the ashen girl warily.  "You must be Kapla then." A flickering light
appeared in the thin girl's eyes.  "How do you know my name?" Calys sighed.
"Must be coincidence.  Look, I don't care about my soul's well-being.  I'm
not afraid of going to hell since I don't plan on dying anyway.  So be
warned: If you plan on eating me, I'm going to put up a fight.  And I
already killed off some of your mutts the last time we clashed."
Kapla shook her head.  "There is nothing that can withstand my hunger.
All will perish." Her subsequent howl shook the earth.  Calys had witnessed
the Kapla's howl once before, but not from this close.  It felt as if her
heart was being crushed by an iron fist.  She couldn't even breathe during
Kapla's otherworldly howling.  Perhaps this girl was right and she really
wouldn't be able to withstand her.  If all had to perish, then so did
Calys. But even if she was destined to die here...  Calys clenched her

small fist.  She would still put up one hell of a fight.

   Moments later, the black wolves were roaming the small village in search
for food.  It shouldn't have come as a surprise anymore by now, but Calys
was still shocked to see that the villagers rushed out of their houses and
towards the wolves.  They didn't even take their time to get dressed after
they had been woken up in the middle of the night.  It didn't matter
anyway. Whether they were dressed or naked when they died didn't make any
difference.  Some came out alone, others were holding the hand of their
loved ones.  Mothers came out together with their children, some even had
babies on their arms.  And all of them were killed.

   It didn't take the giant armored wolves more than a single bite to snap
a villager's neck.  Then the beasts immediately proceeded with eating them
up before the soul had time leave the killed person's body.  With their
dagger-like claws and teeth, they ripped the naked bodies into pieces and
devoured all of it.  Skin, Flesh, bones, innards- it didn't matter to these
hungry monsters.  After a few heartbeats, there was nothing but a dark
blood stain left of the victim.

   Every single one of the villagers must've been out on the streets now.
All either dead, dying or waiting to be killed.  While they were waiting,
they had to watch as their friends and neighbors were being killed,
shredded and ultimately devoured.  It was a horrible sight, even for
someone who had decided to die.  The naked women comforted one another so
that they didn't lose their determination.  Some of them prayed.  But even
if they would've decided to turn around and flee now, it would've been too
late.  The wolves wouldn't let anyone leave this scene of carnage alive. 
One wolf ripped off the entire head of a child that was still in her
mother's arms.  The mother screamed in shock at first, but then she
gathered her courage and offered the beast the remainder of the little body
in her arms.  The black wolf looked at her for a few moments, then it leapt
at her and tore open the woman's throat.  Then it greedily ate up both of
them, mother and child, at the same time.

   Calys watched the massacre in horror.  Her state of shock was only
interrupted when Aka came rushing at her.  The sight of the small gray girl
immediately revived her will to fight.  "Good timing, Aka!" Within a flash,
they united.  Of course, Augi was nowhere to be seen.  She was probably
hiding somewhere, invisible, her panties filled to the brim with shit. 
Reunited with her armor, Calys drew herself up to her full height.  By now,
all of the villagers had been killed.  Their wish had come true.  But Calys
wasn't ready to give in so easily.

   Now that they had finished off of the villagers, the wolves turned
towards Calys.  Again, it were at least ten of them.  They didn't seem to
be satisfied with all the flesh they had just eaten.  Rather, their hellish
glaring eyes looked as if the taste of blood had left them with the craving
for more.  Calys stood with her back against the house's wall so that she
couldn't be attacked from behind.  Four wolves walked towards her, growling
ominously.  Calys gnashed her teeth.  "Come and get it, assholes..."

   And that they did.  All four of them attacked her at the same time.  Two
black wolves leapt at her to bite her head while the others lashed into her
body.  But Calys' and Aka's teamwork was perfect.  Out of Calys' left iron
fist grew a giant shield with which she beat back the two wolves who were
aiming to bite her lower body.  Her right forearm turned into a long
fearsome blade with which she speared the head of one of the wolves who
leapt at her.  But there was still one left.  It would've probably ripped
Calys' head off if Aka hadn't reacted in time and pulled up the bulky
helmet.  Calys heard a loud rattling noise as the wolf's teeth hit the
metal just an inch away from her temple.  "Thanks, Aka..." she whispered.
"You just saved me there!"

   Although the helmet didn't have any opening to look through, Calys could
use make of the fusion with Aka's body to look through her metallic eyes.
The situation certainly looked dire.  One of the wolves had bitten into the
armor's right leg.  Although the beast's teeth weren't sharp enough to
penetrate the armor, it still obstructed Calys' movement.  More wolves
appeared out of the darkness.  Calys gulped.  In the last battle against
them, she had had some comrades on her side to divert them.  This time, she
was all on her own.  Would she be able to get away if she ran now?

   Calys took a step forward and again there were wolves leaping at her. 
She couldn't even say anymore how many there were and from which directions
they came.  The blade and the shield on her arms changed into one huge war
hammer that she wielded with both hands.  Her sweeping blow shattered the
skulls of at least three of the black wolves.  But there were too many
attacking her lower body.  Combining their strength, they were able to make
Calys lose her balance, stumble and eventually fall on her back.

   Calys hissed.  "Fucking..." She knew that it was impossible to stand up
in this armor without separating from Aka first.  But this would leave her
vulnerable.  She had no doubt that the wolves would tear her into shreds
within seconds.  She brought out blades in both of her hands to fend off
the attackers, but there was not much that she could achieve.  Teeth and
claws smashed against every part of her metal body.  Calys was completely
helpless.  She felt being pulled in all directions at once.  Her iron body
was tough, but these beasts were also incredibly strong.  It was only a
question of time when they would rip the armor into pieces, forcefully
interrupting Calys' and Aka's fusion.  Calys cursed.  The thought that she
at least wouldn't go to hell wasn't comforting in the least bit.

   A sound penetrated the thick black night and it also pierced the hearts
and souls of Calys and Aka with ease.  Even the fearsome wolves remained
frozen in place when it reached their ears.  Calys recognized it.  It was
the voice of Jio's fairy.  But while her last song had been melancholic and
mysterious, this one was simply soul-shattering.  Calys couldn't even begin
to put the feeling in words, but it was extremely beautiful and horrifying
at the same time.  The longer the song lasted, the more she lost control
over her own mind.  She felt being sucked into the strange song's realm. 
Calys began to remember vague events that she had never witnessed.  Things
that had happened hundreds of years ago, in a world that looked completely
unlike anything she had ever seen.  It made Calys' heart bleed from
unfamiliar wistful pain.

   When the song finally ended, Calys was surprised that she was still the
same person in the same world that she had been in previously.  Her
memories of the odd things that had just happened in her mind quickly
faded. Only when her eyes fell on Aka, Calys realized that they had been
separated during the song.  But also the wolves were gone.  Instead there
was the gray-haired girl, kneeling on the ground with a confused look on
her face.  Calys' heart almost skipped a bit.  She yelled at Aka.  "That's
our chance, Aka!  Strike her dead, now!"

   But before Aka could even lift a finger, the scene was interrupted by
Jio who was plucking strange chords on her lute.  "I don't think so, Calys.
I didn't save your life so that you could take hers.  If you really want to
kill each other so badly, I won't stop you from doing so.  But only after
you explained each and every detail of this intriguing story to me."