King Of Limbo

The once heated argument had long ended but the hostile atmosphere remained as either group would occasionally glance at each other and perform obscene gestures every now and then.

The Crown Rigars leading them to the settlement could only pretend they heard nothing and act as if they weren't even there.

This continued until everyone reached what looked to be a newly made settlement or rather expanded. Given the homes were so crude and simple it didn't take long to expand upon an already existing settlement.

This settlement was build near a cliff side that contained numerous artificial caves on it's face that also acted as homes. Crown Rigar had little need for privacy so such an arrangement wasn't odd in the least.

In fact the only reason most wore armor or cloth at all was to protect their more sensitive areas rather than hide them.

This reason became apparent when the group was finally lead into the settlement and they began to come across semi nude and fully nude Crown Rigar going about their day.

Their arrival didn't go unnoticed and soon numerous Crown Rigar of varying age groups began to look at them oddly, more especially Aron who walked in the front.

"Something tells me I'm going to enjoy this feast." Jin grinned and took in the sight of numerous pairs of breasts being flaunted around. Some were without hair like those of any human woman while others had feathers around the surrounding area... not that Jin particularly minded.

One of Crown Rigar noticed this and remembered outsiders found it normal to be clothed and strange to be naked. "Apologies I'll ask that everyone get dressed Sir." The Crown Rigar quickly turned to Aron and said this but he didn't particularly care for their dress code.

"I don't mind just be yourselves." Aron replied and received a thumbs up from Jin and inner thanks from the other guys present.

The group soon reached the center of the village where many leafy mats and logs could be seen. To Komi this set up was considered quite luxurious and Jagu could even see they put in some extra effort to make them more comfortable.

Luckily Claudia had asked before hand and briefed everyone in case of something like this so no one brought it up. Instead they sat down without a fuss, keeping a roll empty to separate them from the other group who just followed suit.

Aron's mat was among the thirteen that were set up closest around the large fire that was lit at the center of the gathering. The other twelve were reserved for other clan representatives who came to thank Aron on their clan's behalf or just out of formality.

To Aron's Right was Yugar himself while to his left was surprisingly Aella. She didn't voice any comment at him sitting close to her as she knew he did so to be next to Yugar.

The hatred she felt towards him hadn't faded but she still chose to come and represent her people during this gathering.

"Greetings my esteemed guests, my brothers and sisters and my fellow leaders. Today we gather to not only celebrate the defeat of the creature that sought to destroy our land but also to honor those that perished and...." Yugar had stood up and began to give a rather long open speech covering many topics.

After it finally came to an end numerous Crown Rigar began to serve all sorts cuisine to the flat logs in front of mats that acted as tables.

The atmosphere now grew calm and enjoyable with melodic singing in the background and some cultural dance displays which the guys particularly liked as the Crown Rigar who performed these weren't clothed either.

The food was as expected rather bland and lacking flavor while some of it was just hard to swallow. Aron however found no difficulty eating whatever they served him, his members thought this was him being polite and so they followed suit.

This lead to deep regret for many but no one eased up and they continued to eat with what could only be described as painful smiles on their faces.

"Mmm... this is good." Claudia added with tears running down her face, however she wasn't alone as the reason for this was a dish whose scent could trigger their eyes to go watery.

"I had been worried you may not like the food but seems I was wrong, perhaps not all outsiders are as they say." Yugar commented and laughed before gesturing for more food to be brought over. The others could only stay strong at this sight and hope the night would end sooner.

"I was raised in the wild so my tastes are more oriented to natural dishes such as these." Aron brought a smile to Yugar's face as the next dish was brought over.

Surprisingly this one was easier for many to eat as they were just eggs and mighty delicious too. Aron however hesitated to eat his when he noticed a trace of familiar mana lingering on it.

"Where are these eggs from?" He asked with a brow raised and Yugar happily responded. "Those are the un-ovulated eggs of some of our women, they were laid fresh this afternoon and are quite the delicacy to the other races including humans I hear. In fact my daughter insisted that hers be served to you!" Yugar proudly explained and shed light on why Aron found the mana signature familiar.

He asked nothing more and began to eat while the others showed varying expressions of discomfort. The few that ate regardless were Scarlett, Mirai, Juliet, Aron, Jin, Evanora and of course Jagu while the others felt their stomachs turn.

...

As the night continued, stories were exchanged, important matters were discussed and soon enough friendly relations bloomed.

"It's still too early to speak for all outsiders and completely abandon the rule of no outsiders allowed but I would personally like to appeal for Aron here and his crew to be an exception to this. If you are in disagreement then I only ask you allow them safe passage through your lands when entering and leaving the islands." Yugar stood and suddenly declared which didn't come as a surprise to the other clan representatives.

Surprisingly all the clan's were in agreement to this which basically meant Aron had earned his group unique access to the Komi Islands, this was less attractive to him now that it could not offer more useful information in his pursuit.

When the feast finally came to an end and it was time to leave, Aron was about to leave when Aella turned in his direction. "Jagu's trail will be discussed once more tonight, do tell him this and come together." She spoke in a rather authoritative tone before standing up and leaving without awaiting a reply.

'Feels like a scheme but I'll leave it up to Jagu to decide.' Aron thought before standing up and walking away from his mat.

Jagu had left a bit earlier and was lingering around the entrance with Xavier who looked quite pale as a result of the many delicacies he had.

"You humans are so fragile, Tsk." Jagu simply mocked him and didn't pay much mind to him and instead focused on Aron who was approaching without the group.

After explaining the situation to him, Jagu looked a bit more lively and eager. Aron could only summarize that his clan really did mean a lot to him. "We should leave right away and see what it is they wish to discuss." Jagu suggested while trying to hide the anxiousness he felt.

"Right, Xavier you inform the others that Jagu and I have business to attend to so go on ahead without us." Aron gave Xavier a pat on the shoulder before he and Jagu left the settlement.

...

The trip to Jagu's settlement didn't take much time given the pair's traveling speed, however upon arrival they found that it was rather empty which gave Aron a bad feeling.

Before he could use his senses to investigate, Jagu's mother appeared near the settlement's entrance and beckoned them over. However at this point Aron's guard had already been raised.

Jagu's mother said no words to him and only spoke once they reached the main hut. "Enter and get seated, the council will arrive soon." She said coldly before walking away.

Jagu could only sigh and turn away before going into the hut. Aron delayed a little and glanced around one final time before entering as well.

They found the inside was rather neat and untouched like it had been recently cleaned. Given that they would hold a trail it made sense but Aron couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

As they sat down Aron continued to glance around but couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. But the longer the two waited the more Jagu's body began to feel heavy as if tired from the long day until he closed his eyes and feel asleep.

Aron made similar movements as well and soon collapsed to the ground as well and soon after he could hear the sound of rustling and two voices.

"Be quick." It was Aella's voice that said this and soon Aron sensed a pair of hands coming towards him. It was in that moment he chose to stop pretending and opened his eyes.

In that instant he reached his hand forward and grabbed the approaching person by the throat with incredible grip.

It was Kaira...

Aella showed a look a surprise while Kaira's was that of panic.

"Explain yourselves before I kill you here and now." Aron muttered in a slow yet very intimidating tone, this was no empty threat.