My Servant System

"A shame, really... I was hoping that we could have enjoyed that curry before we had to do anything, but oh well... If Khisba Oasis is being threatened, I suppose we needed to head out right away..."

Anput pouted slightly as kicked her foot out, sending a small wave of sand into the air as we inspected our mounts and double checked our resources and maps, making sure we were heading the right way with the right stuff.

I glanced at my mate and said "Whilst I don't particularly care about this 'Khisba Oasis', must you be so selfish at the moment? Aren't these your subjects that are being potentially butchered at the hands of a Fiend? But all you're worried about is the curry that may or may not have been served tonight?"

That made my mate pout as she kicked another small cloud of sand up into the air, watching as it descended slowly down the dune and joined the rest of the golden grains that sprawled out in every direction around us; it was almost unfathomable to think that this desert could be so vast and almost unending, and yet... it felt like it, and even on the map it was a sizable chunk of land that was about two thirds or so of the Empire, which, again, was absolutely massive.

Now just because it was massive didn't mean it would take forever to travel, and as the sounds of light snarling and grunting filled our ears, I doubted it would take us longer than three or four hours to reach Khisba Oasis on mounts, but still...

That was a lot of sand that laid between us and Khisba, and the amount of grains that resided between us and there was probably a number I had no idea even existed, let alone could comprehend.

"Bah, the only benefit of Khisba is the grain that they grow thanks to the water they live around. The people there... all of them suck. So stuck up and boring as a collective, so desperate to remain mediocre so that only one of them has to do any sort of thinking... Khisba is a terrible place to be. Beautiful, but terrible. I think the only reason people visit Khisba willingly is to find themselves a quiet, shy concubine to amuse themselves..."

Tapping her chin, Anput stared out over the sands before turning back to me, the Jackalkin shrugging her shoulders as she said "Why you would want a thoughtless, quiet woman to be your concubine, I have no idea. Sounds boring and terrible for a home life.", which made me lessen my stare somewhat as I watched her turn fully to gaze upon our mounts.

"The reason people like Khisba women, dear daughter, is because they don't have a thought in their heads! It's everything you could want from a concubine if you plan on having a harem. Someone who won't get in the way of the wife, won't get any ideas about the children, someone who will just do what you want whenever you want them to. That's why people appreciate Khisba women."

The Sultana strode forwards with an equally tall, actual Jackal beside her, the two looking at us with stoicism as they joined our group, which was a bit of a surprise since I had assumed we were going to be traveling with just a few Death Jackals instead, but...

Well, again, I won't deny the supervision of someone this powerful, and when she added "Ah, and yes, I will be joining you on this one. I want to gauge your skill level from afar and understand where you currently reside strength wise. You will be fighting Ka'Volan without my assistance though, so don't expect help. I just want to observe." I nodded in understanding, though I glanced at Lady Kio afterwards since she was glowering at the Sultana.

"Observe their fight or observe the women of Khisba? Don't think I forgot what we were arguing about before they arrived, Anubi!"

"It wasn't an argument Kio."

Clicking her tongue, Lady Kio rolled her eyes and turned towards Anput, who she pointed her finger at and hissed "You had better watch your Mom and make sure she doesn't get any stupid ideas! Unless you want an Aunt for all but of two days before she has to return to Khisba in a basket."

Anput blinked before smiling wryly at her Mother, who kept staring at her with determined, slightly angry eyes as she tried to get her point across, before nodding when Anput said "No, I would rather avoid that sort of trouble."

"Kio, I must admit I am a tad insulted that you think my taste in women is that bland. If I ever take a concubine, she'll likely be from Sak'hrat Hakim."

"Huh?!"

Lady Kio's head whipped around almost fast enough to crack her own neck as she glared at her wife, who just nodded and stroked the silky smooth fur of her mount, who was doing its best to stare straight ahead and avoid looking at anything nearby.

"Yes, Sak'hrat Hakim... The city of our scholars and artists. A beautiful city full of beautiful women, smart women... If I take a concubine, she will be from Sak'hrat Hakim, and likely from one of the Academies that specializes in our culture and traditions. Yes... that would be quite nice..."

She nodded to herself and followed the gaze of her mount, all while Lady Kio's lips curled up into a snarl as she held back the desire to rip the Sultana limb from limb, which I had to admit was rather admirable; the rest of us silently stood in place, not wanting to potentially attract the anger of this already aggressive woman.

"Well, we must be off soon; I don't entirely like Khisba either, but it is still apart of the Sultanate and is therefore entitled to protection. Don't miss me too much now, my love."

The Sultana reached for Lady Kio only to pause when the Dogkin slapped her hand away, her anger flaring and causing us all to hold our breaths as we watched from the side, wondering what would happen next...

Only to be surprised when the Sultana just shrugged and reached for Lady Kio again, who slapped her hand away again, but didn't expect her wife to do so once more, and succeed as she moved faster than Lady Kio could.

Pulling her forwards, the Sultana looked down at her snarling, angry wife and tilted her head as she said "Kio, my love, I've told you many a time that I will not take a concubine unless you agree.I want harmony within my family, and harmony stems from the Mother, and no one else. If she isn't happy, no one is happy."

"Then don't mention-!"

"And besides, Kio, you need to calm down my love. It isn't just you who is angry right now; our pups are boiling inside you as well."

Touching Lady Kio's stomach, the Sultana somehow made the woman freeze before her anger fizzled out completely, leaving behind a rather tame Dogkin woman who just nodded and let the Jackalkin pat her head.

"Take care of yourself for me, my love. I'll return soon."

Kissing Lady Kio, she let her go and nodded to her, and we watched silently as the previously growling Dogkin demurely turned and made her way back into the city, joining the various Death Jackals and returning to the safety of the city's walls.

"Come on then. Get mounted; we have a long journey to make."

"How..?"

"Hm?"

Giving Anput a glance, the Sultana followed her gaze back to the city and nodded as she said "Kio has always been temperamental, and she can be a tad hot headed, but she listens well, especially when it comes to family. Besides... she usually isn't calm when we discuss this subject?"

That made me blink, and before I could think about it - and think if I wanted to know the answer - I blurted out "That was calm?!", which was mimicked by Jahi and Leone, who were staring at the Sultana in shock.

"Yes. If she was actually angry, she would have tried to pull that dagger of hers. I can't tell you how many times she's tried to stab me to prove a point... and she is one of the few that has managed to actually land a blow within the last few decades."

Shaking my head, I turned away and began to grab my bag and bedroll, tying them onto the back of the Jackal's saddle and ensuring they were secured before climbing onto the giant 'dog's' back, idly noting its soft golden fur and how it didn't even let out a huff at me mounting it.

"That's enough of that, let's get going! The sun is wasting and we should get there before nightfall right? Let's talk and ride!"

The others seemed like they wanted to get to understand this a bit more, but after I pointed at the vast ocean of golden sand in front of us, they all nodded and got onto their own Jackal's, preparing to set off towards Khisba Oasis, where we would have our first 'trial' in the Sultanate.