243 Reuniting With Sari (1)

As much as I wanted to explore the city and see all it had to offer, the first order of business - past sneaking Rhefia in and getting her a better 'disguise' - was to find the Catkin Captain who had responsibly sown her seed inside me and impregnated me.

With a timer slowly ticking down the day and a half that remained before I birthed her child, I wanted to find my sadistic lover as quick as possible, so that she could be by my side to welcome our kit into the world.

That special moment that held so much meaning to me was one I wanted to share with Sari, despite not really knowing the woman all that much; I just... needed her to be there as I delivered her baby, so that we could both see her at the same time.

With that in mind, Rhefia and I set off into the city, having the others remain at Colodi Park to set everything up for tonight.

I left them behind some money as well, telling them that if they wanted to explore the edge of the Park and visit the shops they could, but someone needed to remain with the carts - preferably Aethisia, Yiksa, or Prixisia, as they were all fighters.

In that order too since I wasn't too sure on Prixisia's skill level - she was a poisoner, after all.

So that was why Rhefia was guiding me by the hand as we walked through the busy, wide streets of Birchan, stopping a few times at some of the market stalls and picking up a new veil for her, as well as a cloak that would cover her wiry, yet muscular frame.

She tied the veil around the base of her antlers and allowed the cloth to flow down, covering her face in its entirety before tying the bottom to the neck of the cloak, guaranteeing the veil wouldn't billow away and reveal her features to anyone should a gust of wind happen to blow past us.

"I don't know how the hells you manage to live with this thing constantly on, Astra. This is... weird."

I chuckled softly as I looked up at her head, knowing full well that Rhefia was scrunching her nose and trying to not reach up to itch it as we resumed walking, while she tilted her head at slight angles to try and see out from the cloth better.

"You get used to it... Besides, once we either clear your name or leave, you never need to wear it again~! You're a beautiful woman for sure, but..."

"Not as enrapturing as you? Yeah, I understand that. Though, you still draw so~ much attention even with that thing on... Maybe it's these~?"

I yelped as Rhefia reached over and groped my chest, before she amusedly said "Or perhaps this~?"

I let out a huff as she caressed my butt, before moaning softly as she gave it a crisp slap, much to the spectators benefit.

She was clearly smirking beneath that veil of hers, and I reached over and twisted the flesh on her waist, making her hiss quietly in pain as she moved her hands away, getting the message.

Our journey to the Warrior's Guild didn't take that long, and eventually we found ourselves standing in front of a large, ornate building that dominated this portion of the street; it was almost like a cathedral...

Probably around 50 some odd feet wide, the giant structure was towering above us, nearly 100 feet tall; the stone front of the cathedral was constructed from stone brick that was inlaid with silver, depicting people, weapons, armor, monsters, or just having text in each brick.

The building went back around 150 feet as well, with two portions of the building coming out 20 feet on either side, shaping it like a cross.

Large stained glass windows allowed natural light into this behemoth of a structure, and Rhefia placed her hand on my waist as she gestured up at it, saying "Welcome to the Warrior's Guild of Birchan. This is the Cathedral of Areseta as well, and this is where I spent my free time before joining the army. A Mecca for warriors inside the entirety of the Birchan Queendom - and even out of it, as many storied warriors resided inside these ancient walls. Come, let's go inside and find that insufferable Catkin..."

I nodded, still awed by the grandeur of this imposing cathedral towering over us, the wealth and power it represented for this Warrior Guild made clear from just the outside - but it was made known to your very bones as soon as you stepped foot inside.

The stained glass depicted warriors from times of old, the vibrant glass structured in such a way that it demanded attention from everyone, whilst bathing the giant open hall in colored light.

A long hallway led into the main portion of the cathedral, where pews and tables were set up in abundance, each one laden with weapons and armor as warriors knelt or sat in prayer, and each one was as different as they possibly could be.

From the entrance, two giant rooms had been constructed on either side of the hall, and I could see many of the warriors filtering in and out of those rooms - rooms that Rhefia told me were the barracks for the Guild.

On either side, inside those portions that were pushed out of the main building, were large altars dedicated to two other Goddesses - Excalabrata, Goddess of Heroics, and Horusia, Goddess of Protection.

Situated on either side of those altars were large boards laden with papers, and many of the warriors went over to grab them, reading them before nodding and approaching the Priestess that stood waiting beside the ornate altars.

Directly in front of us was a gigantic statue of two women - one black, one silver - and many of the warriors bowed or knelt in its direction.

Even Rhefia bowed her head deeply, muttering a prayer out before returning to her normal height.

"Areseta and Serenata - Goddess of War and Honor standing beside her wife, the Goddess of Peace. A reminder that we wage war for the hope of a longer peace; that we inflict violence so that we might have more peace. Two sides of the same coin, and that coin is something that is required to even think about joining the Warrior's Guild."

I stared at the two statues for a few moments more, wonder filling my mind as I saw their impressive visages and beautiful craftsmanship, a brief thought floating through my mind.

Do they actually look like that?

I let it drift away, not wanting to annoy a Goddess inside a place dedicated to them, so instead I looked around, searching for the familiar black furred Catkin that I had been dominated by.

Rhefia was looking around too, before she just sighed and approached one of the many warriors, tapping the woman's shoulder.

The muscular Bearkin glanced at Rhefia, her brown eyes narrowed as she rasped "Can I help you?"

"Aye. Do you know where I might find Sari? A Catkin Captain? She told me to meet her here..."

The Bearkin frowned, before nodding as she gestured towards the giant statues.

"Outback, sparring. Careful though; those grounds aren't meant for the weak."

Rhefia nodded, before placing a silver in the woman's palm, making the Bearkin snort as she turned away, returning to cleaning her axe.

"Well, come on. Let's find her."