Eislyn rubbed her eyes and blinked, in a state of even more disbelief than when she first saw the Mother Tree.
As she and Su had approached one of the major entrances, they had started to encounter people clearly returning or leaving to perform some sort of work outside of the deadwood. Each and every person who saw them froze, wide eyed, before quickly scurrying out of the path. Some began whispering to each other, too quiet for Eislyn to make out even with her enhanced hearing. Many people started praying, kneeling as they faced Su. If Eislyn had been alone she would’ve been highly offended, but she could tell most of these people didn’t even notice her next to their real focus.
The strange behavior didn’t stop there. Evidently a scout or worker must’ve alerted the guards at the entrance to their arrival, because as soon as they walked up they were greeted with an army of maybe 80 armored men. Su stopped in place, meeting eyes with the guard captain at the front.
In the next moment, every guard kneeled. The captain averted his gaze, looking to the ground. He opened his mouth and shouted. “It is an honor! To think the great demigod Su would grace us with his presence! We missed you sir!” Every guard behind him repeated in unison, “We missed you!”
Eislyn couldn’t understand the source of this behavior. She had been with Su for thirteen years, and though his body had clearly transcended its limits long ago he was still human at heart. Probably. In this moment, Eislyn realized she didn’t actually know her protector very well outside of his stories.
“Don’t be like this Derrick, stand up. It's been forever since I’ve seen you, you were still in training at the time! To think you’d become the captain of the force, I’m so proud of you.” Su approached the procession and assisted the captain, Derrick, to his feet. Eislyn could see the captain beaming beneath his helmet, evidently happy for the praise.
“Thank you, sir, for the praise. I could never hope to match you in my life but I like to think I’ve earned my position.” Derrick’s voice was overflowing with pride.
Eislyn couldn’t help but gawk at the procession, failing to understand what she was seeing. She looked at Su, smiling and chatting away with the soldiers who all clearly saw him as superior. Now that she saw the behemoth next to normal men for the first time, she realized something: Su is not normal at all.
—--
This day felt like it would never end to Eislyn’s poor, unsocialized mind. Her initial excitement for this excursion had long died down, and now she simply scrunched her shoulders up and made herself look as annoying to talk to as possible. After the initial excitement with Su, the guards had really taken a liking to Eislyn when they deigned to speak with her instead of their idol. Eislyn had to admit, she was a bit bitter about being ignored so much despite also finding the attention tiring. Her conflicting emotions were new to her, hard to put at ease.
Eislyn could spot their destination from where they were inside the tree, the guard headquarters. It was a mushy textured building, likely carved into a massive fungus, Eislyn decided. It had a few windows at slightly odd locations, not quite lined up, that all glowed with the same soft yellow light as the rest of the town. Many entrances from varying heights allowed workers to scurry back and forth along the multi-tiered walkways inside the miles wide tree. Eislyn was no stranger to heights, but as her neck craned to get a better look above her, she began to get vertigo at the thought of walking along the tallest paths.
Even miles above her she could spot the occasional dot moving along a thin catwalk seemingly made of the same fungal species as everything else. The colors of the walkways and houses were surprisingly diverse, some even glowing with bioluminescence, but Eislyn could tell from the texture and connecting pieces that each was likely the same species, or at the very most a few may be symbiotic smaller species attached to the larger whole.
As they finally approached their last stop of the day, Eislyn heard a clamor of noise. A large, softly shaped building made of fungus loomed over her, as many people appeared in the numerous windows and walkways lining its strangely textured walls. Various greetings were thrown at her party, the sound strangely quiet as the sound waves were absorbed by the cushioned surface all around Eislyn.
“Su!”
“Su you’re back!”
“Welcome home Su!”
“Come finish the work you left bastard!”
A strange sound was thrown in with the greetings. Eislyn wondered if she had heard them right. Su had a strange look on his face as he looked away, Eislyn wasn’t sure if he was actually bashful or just pretending. She continued towards the guard headquarters with an awkward feeling in her heart.
—--
Inside the headquarters, Eislyn did not find herself any less confused about the general state of things. Workers ran around, crisscrossing through the room and ducking past each other to quickly finish who knows what sort of task. Eislyn was surprised by how many people there were, not expecting such a crowded environment in the dark town. Afterall, outside the tree she saw maybe three people near the entrance, excluding the guards.
“Thank you so much for coming in, Sir Su! It is our honor to have you observe our operations. Forgive me for my rudeness, but I was hoping I could get your autograph? I’ve heard legends about your greatness since I was young, and I never got to meet you during your last visit. Maybe after this you’d be open to getting a drink?” A fair skinned and demure lady blushed as she looked up at Su’s face, meeting his eyes. She looked to be about the same age as Eislyn, and for some reason her attitude really bothered Eislyn. She’d never thought about Su having any sort of relationship aside from the one he had with her now. A wave of both panic and jealousy spread through Eislyn as she felt the fear of losing her protector well up inside her.
Su opened his mouth with a smile playing on his lips, “It would be my honor to give you my autograph. However, I am quite busy on this visit, so I will have to decline your invitation.” The words that came from Su’s mouth were much to her relief. She calmed her panicked heart and reassured her intrusive thoughts, reminding herself that Su was actually an old bastard who would never be interested in women her age.
“W-what about next time? Would you ever be willing, Sir Su?” The woman was persistent, but rather than impressed Eislyn found herself annoyed. She would prefer if the woman just screwed off instead.
“Maybe next time.” Su just smiled with his typical placating expression. Eislyn’s heart dropped again despite knowing he was probably lying. Afterall, he skipped town for thirteen years last time. Who knows how long they’d stay before leaving on an extended journey again? Still, she frowned and found her mood souring towards the great demigod.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
—--
Eislyn and Su overlooked the training grounds of the guard headquarters from the second story. Eislyn leaned against the metal railing and peered below, watching the guards show off while in Su’s presence. Her mind was occupied with all the strange happenings of the day, not sure what to think now. Su never felt like anything other than family to Eislyn, but today she realized she didn’t know anything about him.
‘Is Su really such a great man?’ Eislyn couldn’t help but think, as she’d lived with the strange demigod for thirteen years now. His small mannerisms, like looking to the left when he lies, brushing his hair back whenever he’s deep in thought, or flaring his nostrils whenever he’s genuinely amused, all of them simply felt human to her. What sort of achievements does someone need to have a whole society worship their presence?
“Eislyn, what’s on your mind?” Su asked gently, placing his hand on her shoulder.
Eislyn jumped slightly at the touch, startled out of her contemplation. She glanced at Su before taking a deep breath, thinking about what she wanted to say.
“Su, how old are you really?” Eislyn asked the question that had been bothering her the most, chewing her lip as she continued looking at Su through her peripheral view.
Su balked, his expression changing in a way too obvious to Eislyn. For the first time in a while, she saw anxiety written all over his face.
“Let me ask you a question first.” Su stalled, taking his hand off her shoulder and showing a weak smile. “Would your opinion of me change depending on what I said?” The anxiety in his eyes grew heavier.
Eislyn chewed her lip aggressively, feeling the tension straining their relationship in a way she hadn’t experienced before.
“Well…” She barely had time to open her mouth before a great cacophony burst into the training grounds.
“The great demigod Su! The class of Gharuwood Academy is here to learn from you!” A loud woman with black twintails turned in a circle as she looked for her target, her eyes glimmering with respect and devotion. She had the same characteristic pale skin of the Underwood people, but hers seemed almost translucent in the harsh lights of the arena.
“Sorry Eislyn, looks like we’ll have to talk later.” Su patted her head and smiled with what appeared to be relief. Eislyn could tell he didn’t want to talk and decided to accept it for now, her own mind in a chaotic state.
In the next moment, Su jumped from the second story balcony down to the arena. It was a trivial distance to fall for his extraordinarily tough body. Eislyn was taken aback for a moment before she decided to follow him, jumping and landing behind him. All eyes turned to Su as he made his entrance.
“Hahaha! Fresh faces all around, what a pleasure! And you, Ms. Ahura, have grown splendidly. Congratulations on your promotion to instructor.” Su charismatically grasped the attention of the class and approached, his huge frame intimidating but his actions very disarming. The students could only stare in awe as he approached, total silence grasping the class of 23 students.
The instructor Su called Ahura quickly fell to her knees, the faith in her eyes so intense that Eislyn felt uncomfortable just watching. She grasped her hands in prayer and spoke to Su.
“Our greatest savior has returned to bless his lambs. How blessed we all are to be in his gracious presence. Please, lord Su, grace your lambs with your wisdom and skill!” Ahura was in a state of excitement, trembling as she spoke. Eislyn couldn’t help but find her intensity offputting.
Su’s smile became strained as he dealt with the zealot. Su and Eislyn were in sync, uncomfortable with the faith filled student.
“Alright enough of that. Just treat me like one of your teachers, this is unnecessary. I don’t like seeing kids acting all stiff.” Su waved his massive hands in a placating gesture, his smile sincere but a bit bitter.
“Gasp! How dare I treat our savior with anything less than the greatest respect! I wouldn’t dare!” Ahura looked up with shock and horror in her eyes before suddenly prostrating herself, pressing her head to the ground. “Please allow me to continue my faith! Great one!”
Su was briefly taken aback, a look of concern flashing across his face before it was replaced with silent resignation. “Do as you will.” He finally sighed and said, helping Ahura to her feet with a strong grasp.
Ahura’s mouth flapped incessantly, “Thank you! Thank you! I will remember this favor for the rest of my life, Great Su!”
The rest of the students simply shifted uncomfortably, caught in the middle of this strange situation. Their respect for Su was obvious in their eyes, but their instructor's fervor was something else.
Ahura finally stopped with her mad ramblings and turned to Eislyn for the first time since arriving. “Lord Su, if I may be so rude, who is this? She’s following you like a shadow, it’s concerning.” Ahura had a look of distaste as she looked at Eislyn. Jealousy was evident in her every word.
“You don’t need to ask him. The shadow’s name is Eislyn, nice to meet you weirdo.” Eislyn felt the need to sass the irritating worshipper, not bothering to hide her distaste either. “I’ve been his charge for 13 years, you could say we’re as close as family.” She made sure to stoke the flames of jealousy with her words, hitting the instructor’s sore spot.
“We are family.” Su corrected with a slight frown.
“See? We are family.” Eislyn proudly puffed out her chest, feeling her superiority to the pale woman in front of her.
Ahura balled her hands into fists so tightly they bled, biting her lip like she wanted to tear it off. She opened her mouth after a moment of silent struggle, “So, Eislyn, I take it you’ve learned much while by the Great One’s side? Why don’t you have a spar with one of my students? We’ll see if you’ve been worthy of his presence, or are you just a leech who sucked onto a big meal?” Ahura taunted Eislyn as Su frowned, not liking where this was going.
“Whether I teach Eislyn or not is none of your business, Ahura. This is-” Su stepped forward to stop the farce when Eislyn grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“I’ll fight. I’ll prove it, I’m more than worthy compared to you guys.” Eislyn grinned and rolled up her sleeves, her finely toned muscles bulging out of her arms. Eislyn may not know magic but she was easily strong enough to scrap with some people her age. Her body was tough after numerous spars with Su, she honestly believed it would be hard for a spear to pierce her skin at this point. “Is that alright, Su?” Eislyn turned back to look at him with wide eyes, using her best tiny animal impression to appeal to him.
Su grumbled for a moment before sighing, patting Eislyn on the head. “Alright, the reason is bad but a fight would be good for you. I’ll officiate.” Su turned to Ahura. “Is that alright with you, Ahura?”
“Of course! Everything is as you command, Master Su!” Ahura quickly bowed her head multiple times before turning to her students. “Lily! Did you hear everything? It's time to show off your progress.” She spoke directly to a skinny female student, taller than most of the other students. Her eyes had a twinkle in them as she looked at Eislyn, a soft blush covering her cheeks. Her bangs covered her eyes so Eislyn couldn’t tell what she was looking at, but she had a feeling this girl wanted to devour her. Goosebumps ran up and down her body at the girl’s intense vibe.
‘What the hell is up with this class.’ Eislyn thought to herself. Were all people this weird? She had only socialized with Su for the past 13 years, she didn’t know what to do around people as intense as this.
