My Servant System

"Besides being exhausted, are you feeling alright Leone? I saw you using that magic, so I assume you'll need something to drink soon?"

I pushed my way through the crowd, not caring to be nice about it as I made my way towards Leone and the others, deciding to just take the swiftest route, which was straight through these people who were just milling about with no clear purpose.

The ashen haired Vampire looked up from the glassy ground and stared at me, her pallid face remaining blank for just a moment before her crimson eyes focused on me, which made me tilt my head slightly as I realized just how exhausted she was after that fight.

"I... I should be fine... besides, I think... I know what I want to drink tonight..."

Leone glanced over at Anput, who was grinning as she indulged in the attention of her people, though when she heard that she glanced back at Leone and met her gaze, the Jackalkin just shrugged and didn't give her an answer, which in and of itself was, in fact, an answer.

"Well, that's good to know. I think I need a drink myself, just to be able to ignore this damn heat... anyways, it seems we got a bit lucky! Ka'Volan decided to leave some of its bones for us; such a charitable Fiend, Ka'Volan. A shame there seemed to be too much muscle between its ears to help us even more~!"

Showing off the pile of bones in my arms, I grinned at Anput as she sauntered over to take a look, the Jackalkin once more having her attention shifted as she went from each thing she liked; the praise of those weaker than her, the desire from any of her three lovers, and something that she could forge into a new weapon or piece of armor.

"Oh wow... this is some nice loot for a fight like that~! Hey Leone, look at this skull! Whatcha think? Would make a really cool staff wouldn't it?! If I use some of these other bones as decorations - amplifiers, really, but ornamentation is important too - I could make a pretty awesome staff for you~! All we would need is some other metals to conduct your mana - or wood, depending on the specific look you want - and some other minor materials too!"

Her excitement prompted Leone to smile tiredly at Anput as she said "That sounds... like a fun idea, Anput, but perhaps we can talk about it... sometime later, in private? Perhaps over a meal...", the Vampire's exhaustion making itself known even more as she yawned and leaned against Jahi, who had taken her from Anput as soon as she reached them.

"A-A meal is something we can arrange for you..! Our saviors, please, come this way! Come into Khisba and let us show you our gratitude! We have food, water, alcohol and more waiting within the city! Please, let us treat our saviors right!"

An older woman approached us with a slightly strained, worried smile as she tried to 'convince' us with free food and drink, her thin figure hunched over a tad with age while her eyes were beginning to get cloudy, but even then she was still a decent looking woman.

And it was more than amusing to watch as she let out a gasp when those cloudy eyes landed on the Sultana, recognition coursing through her veins like ice water as she stiffened up and choked out "S-Sultana!?", only to fall to her knees and press her brow against the sand, prostrating herself swiftly.

Instantaneously the rest of the people of Khisba began to do the same, surprise and shock once more consuming their minds as they went from being attacked and faced with likely certain death, to now having their ruler standing amongst them without so much as a word.

"Rise... you've already been through enough. Let's go back into the city where it is shaded, hm?"

Her indifferent tone clashed slightly with the words of concern, and as soon as she finished speaking the Sultana began to walk towards the city proper, leading her small entourage of Jackals behind her into Khisba like she owned the place...

Which... I guess she technically did...

With the realization of who was standing before them, the people of Khisba then turned towards us and began to piece things together, starting with the most obvious - Anput.

"Begum?!"

Anput grinned at them all and nodded, basking in their attention and admiration for a few moments before turning back towards the older woman and helping her to her feet - not out of kindness, but instead to ask her a selfish question.

"Do you guys have curry?"

Blinking away the confusion as best she could, the older lady stared at Anput blankly as the Jackalkin continued on, ignoring her confusion as she said "I forgot how damn good our cuisine is here! The spices, the heat, the flavors... oh it just tastes so damn good! I don't mind the pastas and grilled meats and breads of the Empire, but I really missed curry and naan, falafel and even kebabs~! Please tell me you have curry?!"

Grasping the woman's hands, Anput stared at her intensely as she waited for an answer, which made me sigh as I walked over and kicked the back of her calf just hard enough to make her jump away.

"Pardon her miss, she's just... been a tad homesick. I've heard some good things about Khisba, and food is one of them? We traveled all day, so I must admit we were all looking forwards to a nice meal."

"O-Oh, well... I can't say I don't understand that sentiment, I just... hope that our cuisine can do justice to your palates. So please, come this way Begum... and yes, we do have curry."

"Thank the Gods..."

I glanced over at Anput and frowned at that, though she didn't notice as she followed behind the woman and continued to bask in the awe and adoration of her people, but as soon as I asked "I thought you liked my cooking?" she paused and stiffened, unsure of how to proceed.

Some of the people nearby looked away instantly, some furrowed their brows in worry and concern, and some hid small smiles as they watched the Jackalkin desperately try and come up with a way to get out of this 'trouble' she had found herself in, and she seemed to be thinking creatively.

Her solution to buying herself some more time and some brownie points was to approach me and begin transferring the bones from my arms to hers, carrying them for me and murmuring "Let me get these for you, my love... they must be heavy!"

Staring at her for a few more moments, I just let out a huff and sped up, walking past her and catching up to Jahi and Leone, who were just behind the Sultana as they all entered the city of Khisba.

Ignoring my mate, I made my way into the city as well, taking in the simplistic sandstone architecture that barely differed from that of Muqai Al-Maedin, with the primary difference being the utilization of dome roofs more often than the flat roofs that allowed for an open, additional 'floor' of the buildings.

To compensate for the lack of space above, Khisba was a spacious place once you entered the city proper, with each building being a decent distance away from each other to allow for patios and other communal areas to take roots around their walls.

Some buildings clearly shared an area with one another happily, creating a large yard for them touse as they pleased; benches and chairs rested around tables beneath canopies, and various game boards and storage containers littered the area.

It was a serene, simple city, and the space paired well with that simplicity as you walked around, the clean roads freshly swept of sand and the walls of the buildings smoothed out from both maintenance and weathering.

Everything was just... simple and efficient, which was a breath of fresh air compared to the bustle of the other cities I had been to, and as we approached the center of the city - and by proxy, the Oasis itself - that fresh air was tinged with citrus and the crispness of moisture in a place that usually lacked it.

The people of Khisba tried to follow us as closely as they could, but when they reached the edge of their houses or businesses, they reluctantly stopped and began to get their minds back into normalcy now that the Fiend had been killed.

Those that remained with us were either the soldiers, the mages, or the rich and influential of the city, but even the rich seemed 'simple' compared to some of the merchants I had seen at Muqai Al-Maedin, their clean robes or smooth cloth dresses not bearing any ornamentation or other displays of wealth that I had come to expect.

Instead, they seemed to just value being clean and, like their city, simplistic in dress, which was just another breath of fresh air for the time being, and hopefully an indicator of how they would act when we reached wherever it was that we were heading to.