"Those underground meetings are more harrowing than I could imagine." Felonious, clad in a long white robe, flicked his tail as he stepped onto one of the boats.
Countless wooden boats and ships lined the ports of the Katshin Empire, either pulling in to drop off or pick up individuals or mass groups of people. The wooden planks of the deck squeaked and groaned as Felonious habitually sank his sharp toenails into them to prevent himself from tipping over. Today, the winds blew harder than before.
He let out a low, almost feline hiss as he covered his eyes from the bitter, salty winds. Felonious's white robe bellowed behind as he made his way to the nearest cabin, swinging open the door and collapsing onto the nearest study bench. The space he now found himself in was calm and quiet, with only the bitterly cold winds sending small, almost unnoticeable tremors down the wooden contours of the room, weaving in between planks lodged for integrity.
At this moment, a voice sounded from the corners, old yet firm. "This is the captain's quarters."
"Really? I apologize," Felonious groaned, acknowledging his transgression but refusing to move.
Felonious looked back to the captain, a man with white hair, scrawny, with a thick and unkempt beard. Within the beard were bits and pieces of discarded food, a silent testament to the lack of care focused on the hair protruding from his chin. Feeling a wave of silent disgust, Felonious flicked his tail and focused his attention from his beard.
"We're sailing back to the Indun Empire, are we not?"
The captain's oddly bulked arms moved to the wheel of the ship, gripping it with white-knuckled hands.
"We are, only after the weather pipes down. Have you ever heard stories about what happens to those who ignore the weather?"
"N-no..." Felonius shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes betraying with a flicker of nervousness.
Sensing the hesitancy within Felonious, the captain only chuckled, ignoring the palpable discomfort emanating from the man behind him. His grip on the wheel loosened slightly as he turned away from it, turning to Felonious.
"Have you ever heard of the Lord of Krakans?"
Back in the Indun Empire, Felonious had only heard myths and legends originating from his own culture. None of them mentioned the sea, as it was not natively important to his people. The legends from his own kingdom detailed ancient beings, Gods, and Angels who lived eons ago. At one point in time, they walked around among us.
Though, the name Lord of Krakans couldn't help but spark some curiosity within him. None of the Angels or Gods he knew about originated from the sea. Digging deep into his childhood, he only knew about Underworld Angel, De-Taylel; Goddess of Botany, Mother Nature; and Sovereign of Shadows, Crodio.
"No, I wouldn't say I'm familiar."
Hearing his reply, the captain smirked and approached him, sitting on a bench across from the man with furry ears and a tail. He clasped his fingers together, hearing the joints and pockets of air locked beneath his skin burst one by one until a wave of satisfaction coursed through him.
"There's a particular myth, one dating over a millennia ago." As the captain began speaking, he stroked his unkempt beard.
"Myth has it that the seas themselves are a portal, one linking the physical world to whatever lies beyond. At one point in time, the Lord of Krakans emerged, holding a complete domain over the oceans and their living creatures. The churches, as we know them, claim that They are a God, having advanced to such. But, we sailors and fishermen say that They died long ago, Their essence seeping into the ocean, the winds, and the living creatures that dwell beneath the surface."
After hearing the myth, Felonious's first reaction was akin to slight existential dread. He looked out the circular viewport. Overhead, usually gray clouds pummeled down freezing snow, and the waves crashed and roared, spilling onto the docks that threatened to freeze over at any moment. The concept of a deity lurking beneath the surface—whether dead or alive—made him shiver to himself.
"So you won't leave in hopes of not angering this entity, not heeding his warnings or something?" Felonious's claws dug into the edge of the wooden bench, trailing down the sides of it.
"Yes. It's better to obey the gods than to be the one who wants Them to obey you."
Felonious suddenly stood up, brushing off his all-white robe. He moved to the edge of the room, hovering around the door he had entered through.
"I suppose my quarters are downstairs?"
The captain nodded his head. He knelt down to the ground, running his fingers nimbly along the crevices and edges of the planks, before coming to a halt around a particular yet unassuming section. With a low grunt, he lifted the hidden compartment leading to the lower decks. It was dimly lit, only a few gas lamps were ignited under the ship's main hall.
Felonious's ears twitched as he heard noises below the ship—laughter, coupled with banter. It sounded like the captain's crew were enjoying themselves quite a lot. The idea of such a lewd, unrestrained environment took him aback. Felonious had never slept or drank with anyone before, he had never engaged in drunkenness or indecency.
"Are you sure I'll be safe?" He asked, his tail twitching as he turned to the captain.
The man was already hunched over, a novella already opened in his palm. He looked up at Felonious and nodded his head.
"They don't bite, the only person we have to worry about biting is you."
Hearing the captain's statement, Felonious's cheeks flushed slightly. With a low sigh, he curled and uncurled his toes. Soon, he began to slowly descend down the wooden stairs, entering the portion of the ship engulfed in darkness. Down here, the only thing visible out the windows was the hue of the sea, coupled with mesmerizing patches of coral reef and excotic, multicolored fish and aquatic organisms.
Felonious approached a door at the end of the hallway, dark in color and made of wood. Behind the door, he heard laughing and banter. For a moment, Felonious considered returning to the surface and hiding in the captain's quarters, but he quickly steeled himself. His feline-like hands coiled around the doorknob, trembling slightly.
With a shaky, barely contained sigh, he pushed open the door. At this moment, everyone in the room turned to him. They all had burly appearances—muscular frames and lean, glistening contours. They all remained silent, their gaze never leaving the peculiar-looking man.
Felonious closed his eyes, sighing heavily as he made his way forward, excusing himself every time he accidentally brushed against the sides or arms of a sailor sitting at a table. The moment he could touch a wall again, he trembled out a sigh of relief and fled to the nearest bathroom, sitting on the toilet. The bathroom was crammed, barely able to fit a singular person—god forbid an entire crew of sailors.
He dug into a hidden pocket on his robe, taking out a folded piece of paper. Before he departed for the docks, Kael had given him this piece of paper for him to read when he was alone. He unfolded it, scanning over the contents written in neat handwriting.
The paper was actually a letter directed to him, focused on the task he had been given during yesterday's meeting. It detailed the exact occupations Kael was looking for, in precise detail. Apparently, the crimson-haired man needed Governors who could ratify and veto certain bills and propositions, an agricultural professional who'd be able to make the right decisions for the crops of Seraphis Kingdom, tax-collectors to enforce and maintain certain tax laws, and an alchemist, which he found peculiar.
He folded the letter back up into his robe and leaned back on the toilet, looking up at the coral reef situated near the ship.
"Hey, tail! I need to shit!" A deep voice called from behind the door.
Felonious shot up from the toilet, bolting out of the bathroom without making even direct eye contact with the sailor.
...
"I've sent one of our political allies back to their home to gather certain officials for our cause," Kael explained, folding his hands behind his back as he assessed the two emperors poised in their seats.
Emperor Katsuki's hands hung behind his head, his armored legs splayed rudely on the table. He hadn't even acknowledged the tea that had been brought to him. Hearing Kael's report, the emperor arched an eyebrow.
"Elaborate."
"Of course," Kael turned from the large, oriel window, back to the twin emperors.
"I presume you've grown acquainted with Felonious over the months? If I recall, he was here for last month's meeting regarding the Indun Empire?"
Emperor Izuku nodded his head, sitting straight in his chair. His gaze never left the emperor across from him, always finding his absentminded mannerisms quite rude.
"Though, I wouldn't be too shocked if the emperor's way of sitting made him leave permanently," Emperor Izuku rolled his eyes, scoffing.
"The emperor sits how he wants to sit, that's all you need to know in this room." Emperor Katsuki flaunted a teeth-bearing smirk.
"Anyways, leveraging the special connections we have, I dispatched Felonious back to his kingdom to pick up certain individuals, ones that would help us succeed on our goals of helping Seraphis Kingdom."
Hearing this, Emperor Izuku felt an uncharacteristically irrational amount of suspicion. He arched an eyebrow and asked in a low voice. "Do you know the intelligence or skill level of those you've requested he picked up?"
Kael looked towards Emperor Izuku, chuckling. "I've been your closest adviser longer than most people in this kingdom have lived and died. Yet, I find it offensive that you don't seem to trust my methods."
He took a step forward, small sparks of crimson flames emanating in the center of his palm. The illusory sparks condensed into the shape of a wine glass, which he took a sip from. The liquid inside was also fiery in appearance, but it didn't scold the throat of the crimson-haired man. After Kael finished his beverage and tossed the wine glass to the floor, which disappeared into a fit of crimson and black smoke.
"What was that for?" Izuku was more confused on the display than anything else.
Kael's lips twitched into a faint smile as he explained, running a finger along the mottled contours of the table in front of him.
"That wine is so potent it would send the average person, perhaps even Seekers, into a perpetual state of drunkenness. If I can drink that wine and not suffer any effects, that proves I can't possibly be drunk when making any decisions for myself or for the betterment of the kingdom."
"Why would we assume you're drunk?" Emperor Katsuki sneered.
Kael turned to Emperor Katsuki, clearing his throat. "Because your majesty likes to throw a party every few days. If I remember correctly, you threw a party when Hazel took her first steps?"
The blonde emperor's face flushed as he sputtered, pointing to the emperor opposite of him. "I-it was his idea."
"But you still went through with it, did you not?" Kael leaned towards Emperor Katsuki smiling like a prowling animal shrouded in darkness.
"Half of the time I think it's Emperor Izuku who decides what happens in this kingdom."
"Get out you crimson bastard!" Emperor Katsuki bolted up from his chain, pointing to the large stone doors on the opposite end of the room.
Kael held his hand to his chest, letting out a mocking gasp. "Did I offend you?"
"Calm down," Emperor Izuku's voice was a lot more calm, starkly contrasting the current mood of the other emperor.
It was at this moment when Emperor Katsuki slumped his shoulders, plopping back into his chair as he pouted like a child.
"Whatever..."
Now noticing the emperor's scowl, annoyed demeanor, and immature behavior, Kael's smirk only widened as he tapped the emperor in the center of his brows, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"If you can show me you have some brains, I recommend doing it soon."