Harem Country Ch. 02

Seth, now clothed, dragged the drooling, blathering Joanna with him as Dotan, still naked, marched across the garden. They approached a series of steps that lead down to a dead end. The only thing present there was a statue of a demigod that had fought in The War of the Gods, centuries ago. Dotan stepped up to the stone wall, grunted, and ran his hand over it. Seth was lagging behind him, pulling the crazed woman with him.

"My lord?" Seth began. "This is just a tiny grotto, why are we here?"

"It wasn't always a grotto." Dotan replied. He turned to his newest follower. "Cover your eyes."

Seth looked alarmed for a moment and quickly obeyed. He also covered Joanna's eyes, which only resulted in her trying to lick his hand. Dotan lifted his fist. It began to glow. He reared his arm back and brought it barrelling forward. The instant it made contact with the wall, the stones shattered apart. A giant hole, big enough to fit several people, was blown through it. Seth lowered his hands and saw that there was a long passageway through the wall. Dotan stuck his head through and looked around.

"What a damn shame." the god muttered. He entered the new passageway and glanced around in the dark. Seth followed, again much more slowly. Dotan walked to one side of the passage. "The oil trough is here, and it's still full. They didn't clean it up, how sloppy."

"Oil trough, my lord?" Seth asked.

"It's so the entire structure can be lit." Dotan explained. "There are pipes from this trough that lead through the entire complex. You light the oil on fire, it carries the flames to all the torches, and the entire building is lit in a matter of minutes. Since it is cool down here, the oil didn't degrade."

"That's interesting." Seth admitted, not sounding very convinced. "What is is this place?"

Dotan turned towards his follower and grinned. He lifted his index finger. Flames licked out of the tip.

"The Great Arena." the god replied. He lowered his finger into the trough. Despite being old, the oil lit on fire quickly. Seth jumped as he heard torches light up all the way down the hall. He could now see that there were more stairs down the hallway.

"The Great Arena?" Seth asked. "The ancient gladiatorial coliseum? I thought it was destroyed in The War of the Gods."

"No, Zophiel just buried it under her garden." Dotan said with detest. "She couldn't allow a single masculine thing to exist in her little world." The god spat at the stone floor. "Come on. You can keep your slave in the gladiator pens. You can chain her up before she...hurts herself."

Seth managed to put chains on Joanna to the wall in the gladiator pens. It wasn't a moment too soon, as the crazed woman was trying to lick his armpits of all things. Dotan wryly stated that she was attracted to his scent. It was mostly just making Seth uncomfortable. Dotan reluctantly said that he would take care of her for now, as Seth had a lot of work to do.

Dotan then led Seth to what appeared to be a giant room. When Seth entered he gawked and gazed up at the ceiling. It was over a hundred feet high, and capped off with stones. The place was lined with tens of thousands of seats. The two of them were standing at the base of the seats, where a high wall surrounded the pit in the center. Seth walked forward, put his hands on the wall and gazed over. There were still some blood stains on the walls and in the dirt.

"It's like it hasn't been touched." the guard stated. Dotan walked up beside him, his arms crossed.

"She just capped it with a stone ceiling and built a garden over it." the god said with distaste. "She didn't have the heart or the will to destroy the place. She will regret that when I reopen it." There was a silence as Seth continued to look around in amazement. Dotan seemed to be steaming for a while. It was some time before he spoke.

"Tell me," Dotan began. Seth turned his head to his god. "What is Zophiel up to recently?"

"Hm?" Seth uttered. It seemed like an odd question, almost casual. He recovered quickly however. "Oh...um...well...there's a wedding coming up."

"She's getting married?" Dotan asked incredulously.

"What? No, not her. She's too chaste." Seth explained.

"I bet." Dotan muttered.

"It's her nephew, Addur, a demigod. He's marrying Malona, an elvish demigod."

"An alliance between human and elvish gods?"

"That seems to be the plan."

"So that's why she thinks nothing of her military. With all the gods of this world in one alliance she thinks she's perfectly safe." Dotan took that moment to spit on the ground again in distaste. "When is the wedding?"

"Five days." Seth replied.

"Who is going to be there?"

"I don't think Lady Zo...I mean Zophiel likes to have too many gods in one place. It's only going to be her, her sister Lyfillia, her nephew and Malona. She's called in the entire military to conduct the parade and ceremony."

"She's treating her soldiers like they're trained dogs?" Dotan asked loudly. He sighed through his teeth and rolled his eyes. "When you say the whole military...?"

"Yes, everyone still on the payroll." Seth stated.

"How many?"

"A few thousand."

"That's it? A few thousand?"

"I'm sorry my lord, but that's all there is."

Dotan rubbed his head and began to look exhausted.

"Who leads them?"

"Zophiel's nephew Addur is the Master of Arms, but that's only on paper. The real leader is General Gregory Haynes. He's an old salt, but has the loyalty of all the men. He has very few family members left, so he spends all his time with the soldiers. He's like a father to all of them. His pay has been slashed dramatically over his lifetime...but he is extremely loyal."

"I can be very persuasive." Dotan interjected. "Zophiel, Lyfillia, Addur, Malona, Gregory, and every soldier in the entire country..." The god began rubbing his hands together. "We'll have to play this carefully. I need an exact schedule, can you get that?"

Seth flinched. He was afraid of letting this new god down. He seemed somewhat unpredictable, but it wasn't likely he could get away with lying.

"No, my lord." Seth said. "I'm just a lowly guard."

"Right..." Dotan muttered. "Is there someone Zophiel trusts? A mortal?"

Seth pondered it for a few moments. He then stomped his feet and snapped his fingers.

"Wait, there's this dark elf!" the guard cried. "Uh...Roshina! She worships the ground Zophiel walks on. She's always invited into Zophiel's personal chambers. Hell, she collects those precious golden feathers the goddess writes all edicts with."

"Precious golden feathers?" Dotan asked. "I can make a hundred of those in a day, it's not that hard."

"Well, Zophiel treats them as if they incredibly rare." Seth replied.

"I bet she does." Dotan muttered. "Alright, first, find me some clothes, it's getting chilly. Second, watch this...Roshina, and get her when she's alone. Third, I will give you a golden feather. You will give it to her and tell her that Zophiel invited her to a secret meeting about the wedding or whatever. Lead her here and I...will do what I do best." Dotan then pointed at Seth and stared at him with his glowing, amber eyes. "DO NOT fail me."

Seth briefly shuddered, fear creeping up inside of him.

"I won't, my lord." the guard said emphatically.

Seth secretly followed Roshina around all day. Because of the wedding, the entire castle was in chaos. Workers and soldiers were running around, setting up decorations and carrying things through the corridors. Technically Seth was supposed to be sleeping during the day because he was on the night shift, but no one seemed to notice him. Seth tailed Roshina until she entered Zophiel's private chambers. Seth put his back against the doorway and peaked around into the room. Zophiel wasn't present in the room at the time. The guard briefly gawked at the huge, opulent room. It was decorated with gold, bright red silks and gorgeous murals of Zophiel. Then his eyes fell on Roshina. She was like most dark elves. She was small and slender, with small hips and breasts. Some men were really onto that. Seth didn't have a problem with it honestly, especially considering the other thing that was typical of elves. Roshina had a beautiful face, with a soft nose, bright brown eyes, and a round face. Her black hair and bronze skin, indicating that she was a dark elf, was also exotic. Many of the men gawked at her because of that. Roshina was an ice queen, however. She only cared about Zophiel and seemed to detest men.

Seth took a deep breath and glanced down both ends of the hall. No one was there. The guard steeled his will...and entered Zophiel's chambers.

"Roshina." Seth began. The dark elf, who had been searching through some drawers, practically jumped out of her skin. She whirled around, her eyes wide with anger.

"What are you doing here?" the dark elf shrieked. "You can't be in here! It's forbidden!"

"It's fine!" Seth shouted, holding up his hands. "I have permission!"

"What?" Roshina shouted back. Seth put his finger over his mouth and glanced back out of the door. Roshina fell silent, but still looked wary.

"Listen," Seth began, thinking quickly. "Something terrible is going to happen at the wedding. Someone is planning on killing the bride and groom.."

"What?" Roshina asked. She looked shocked.

"Zophiel told me about it." Seth continued. "She told me to take you to a secret meeting with her. You're the one she trusts most." The guard didn't know if that was true or not, but Roshina was so enamored she might believe it. The dark elf looked conflicted. She was divided between wanting to believe that Zophiel would want her help...and not believing Seth.

"Why would she trust a lowly guard like you?" Roshina asked. Seth's eye twitched as he felt a swell of anger rise up in him. He wanted to snap at the elf...but if he failed his god...

"I just happened to be there when she discovered the plot." Seth said. "We have to rush off to the secret meeting place now! Otherwise we won't be able to save everyone!"

"Why should I believe you?" Roshina asked as she put her hand on her hip. "You have no proof."

Seth cocked his eyebrow and reached into his armor. Although the dark elf flinched and took a step back, the guard didn't pull out a weapon. Instead, something gold and sparkling was in his hands. Roshina's eyes widened. In Seth's hands was one of Zophiel's beloved golden feathers. Without thinking, the dark elf quickly marched over and snatched the feather away. She held it in front of her face, her eyes sparkling against the gold.

"Would she give those to just anyone?" Seth asked. Roshina turned towards him, shock still on her face. "Now follow me. We're need to go to a secret cave in the garden. Zophiel is waiting for us!" The dark elf stared at him for a few moments, still dumbfounded. The she gulped and nodded.

"Okay, lead the way." Roshina said.

"Great. Keep quiet and don't attract attention. There's no telling who is in on the plot!"

Minutes later, Seth was leading Roshina through the colosseum catacombs. The deeper they went, the more unsure the dark elf got. She was nervously glancing around the passageway as Seth kept egging for forward.

"Why is Lady Zophiel hiding so far down here?" the dark elf asked.

"As I said, there's no way of knowing how far the plot goes." Seth said. "We have to hurry, come on." The two of them went down a long flight of stairs. The elf was falling behind.

"How did the queen find out about the plot?" Roshina asked.

"Huh?" Seth asked.

"You said you were there. How did she find out about the plot?"

"Oh, she uh...found a letter." Seth pointed down the last corridor to the arena. "She's right down this way."

Roshina fell further behind. She appeared to be thinking.

"You were with her when she found the letter?" the dark elf asked.

"Yes." Seth replied.

"But you're the night guard." Roshina stopped walking. Seth had emerged into the arena and turned around. The dark elf was standing a good distance away from the entranceway. She looked apprehensive. Seth could feel a knot in his stomach. He needed her to cross the entranceway. "Why would you be there?"

"I was carrying stuff through the hallways." Seth said. "It was for the wedding. I just...I was there when she found the letter."

"She doesn't even know you." Roshina said incredulously. "Why would she tell you about it? How could she know you weren't in on it?"

Seth could feel his guts tightening even more. She had to walk forward or he would be toast. Dark elves could use magic, so if he tried to just grab her she would likely zap him. He had to convince her. Seth lifted up his hands.

"Listen, I can't tell you all the details." he said. He showed the her the cut on his hand. "I swore a blood-oath to the goddess, see? I can't tell you the particulars until Zophiel gives me permission. I know this seems vague, but I can't tell you everything yet. The goddess is just through here. I swear to you that I'm exercising her will. She will explain everything and we can all work together to save the wedding, but first, you have to trust me." Seth held out his hand. "Please, just this once, trust me, and then you never have to trust me again, you can trust our Lady Zophiel."

Roshina eyed Seth for several moments. Seth tried to looks as serious as he could. There were a few tense moments, where Seth wasn't sure what his fate would be. Roshina sighed and shook her head.

"Alright, I'll believe you, for now." Roshina said.

"Thank you. You're doing the goddess's work, trust me." Seth said. "Come on. We're almost there."

Roshina took the last few steps and entered the arena. She walked over to the edge of the pit and gazed over.

"Is this...?" Roshina began. There was a loud thumping noise. Roshina whirled around, surprise on her face. A large man had dropped from above the entranceway. He now stood in between the dark elf and her escape. "Who is this?"

"The god who WON'T be killing me today." Seth replied. He took several steps away from Roshina and relaxed.

Dotan grinned widely. He marched toward Roshina with determination. The dark elf shrieked and threw her hand up. A fireball shot out at the god. Dotan casually battled it away, as if it were a fly. Before Roshina could respond, he gave her a shove on her chest. Roshina flew through the air as if she were lighter than a feather. She soared a dozen feet and landed in the pit. She scrambled to her feet, but looked unsteady. She was also wincing in pain from her limbs. She had hit the ground hard. There was another loud thump, this time from behind her. She whirled around, her hands up for more magic. Instead, Dotan grabbed her arms and twisted them. Roshina shrieked and began kicking the god.

"Ooooh, feisty." Dotan said. "You want to see some real magic?" The god released one of her arms. He held up his hand in front of her face. Her eyes widened in terror as his hand began to glow. "This might hurt...a lot." Bolts of electricity shot out of his hand. Roshina screamed bloody murder as electricity surged through her body. Every inch of her skin felt like hot needles were stabbing her. After a few seconds of debilitating pain, Dotan released her. She flew backwards several feet and landed onto the old sand. She twitched and coughed, trying to reacquire her wits.

"Are all women in this age this impudent?" Dotan asked, looking toward Seth up in the stands.

"Yes, they are." Seth admitted.

"Well, we'll fix that." the god replied. "Come down here."

"Are there stairs?"

"From there? No, it would be stupid to have a stairway the gladiators could climb to get to the audience. Just jump."

"It's like ten feet! I'm not doing that!"

Dotan gave Seth a stiff glare. The mortal gulped and began to sweat.

"...my lord, god and king." Seth finished.

"Just jump down." Dotan ordered. "Don't lock your knees, you'll be fine."

"Why am I jumping down, my lord?" Seth asked as he swung his feet over the wall.

"Because I'm big and scary and I said so!" the god responded

"Okay! I'm coming down!" Seth replied. He instantly dropped and landed roughly on the ground. "Ow! Oh...nothing's broken...coming my lord!" Seth struggled to get to his feet and limped over to his god.

"I figured that would get you moving." Dotan said sheepishly. "Now then." They both turned to Roshina. She was now trying to get back up. She could only seem to get her upper body to work. She was trying to push herself to her feet, without much success.

"Still have energy do you?" Dotan asked. He walked towards the dark elf until he was only a few feet away. Roshina gave him a deadly glare.

"Damn you, whoever you are!" the dark elf cried.

"Oh ho ho...if I didn't need you, you wouldn't get to keep that tongue." Dotan replied. "Now then, why don't you make it easy on yourself and just help yourself by helping me?"

"The hell would I help you with?" Roshina asked.

"Simple, you are going to get me the information I need to depose Zophiel." the god replied. Roshina looked at him with disgust.

"I will never betray the goddess!" the dark elf shouted. "No matter how much you torture me, I will tell you nothing! My loyalty is unshakable!"

"Is it?" Dotan asked, sounding excited. "I actually believe you. You're so determined that torturing you with pain will accomplish nothing. That's why I won't torture you with pain."

Roshina appeared baffled. She couldn't fathom what he was talking about. The god finally smiled incredibly wide.

"I'll torture you with pleasure. The pleasure of carnal lust and being submissive to a man, the greatest pleasure a woman can have. That would break a female of any race."

"You're insane!" the dark elf shouted. "I don't have a sexual bone in my body! I took a vow of chastity to serve the goddess! There's a magic barrier blocking any kind of sex from my body!"

"Really?" Dotan asked, now sounding even more excited. "You shouldn't have told me that!" The god held up his hand. Roshina shrieked and flew upwards. Her throat shot directly into his hand. Roshina squirmed, but didn't have enough strength to even resist. Dotan briefly turned to Seth beside him.

"How old is this one?" the god asked. "It's so hard to tell with dark elves."

"I'm not sure." Seth replied. "Although, I did hear her once bragging to another elf that she was a century older than they were."

"Over a century? Good enough." Dotan said.

"Don't...touch me...you..." Roshina croaked.

"You're going to have to get used to being touched." Dotan said flatly. He reached up and ripped her robes away. Roshian shrieked, but couldn't fight against the god's tight fist. Her underwear was very general, and very long, almost like pants. Dotan scoffed and jerked the garment down.

"Aren't dark elves adorable?" Dotan asked. "Almost no hair at all." Roshina blushed heavily in humiliation. The dark elf's skin was completely bronze all across her body. She was completely smooth, save for a tiny bush of hair above her folds. "Now let's see..."

Dotan raised his hand and reached between her legs. Roshina shrieked and cringed. The god parted her lower lips. He shoved his middle finger inside and began digging around. Roshina began crying, trying to will her legs to work. They wouldn't respond. After a few moments of digging around, Dotan stopped.

"Ah. There it is." he said. He motioned to Seth with his head. "See her abdomen light up like that? It's actually a simple barrier spell. Guess they didn't figure someone with overwhelming magic would try to break it." Dotan grinned. "They were wrong." Roshina shrieked again. Her abdomen glowed and then the light flickered. Then it died out. "Piece of cake. You're ready to go."

"Damn you." Roshina spat.

"Well, maybe not entirely ready." the god said. He lifted up his hand and put it to her forehead.