Tania and her companions were still in Otontecutli’s royal hall when guards approached the Otomí king to inform him of an urgent message.
The guard reported directly into the god’s ear so that no one in the hall could hear his words. However, none of the members of Orniskem could understand anything anyway, since the soldier spoke in the Otomí language, and Tul did not understand that tongue.
Otontecutli nodded his head and said:
“Let them pass.”
The guard nodded and gave an order to the group of soldiers at the main door of the hall. The nobles seated beside the god grew nervous, and worry could be felt in the air.
“I believe someone is about to appear,” Menrva said nervously.
“It seems to be someone important, judging by the looks of it,” Tania explained, seeing the nobility grow worried. Otontecutli himself was nervous as he remained seated on his throne.
“Your Majesty Otontecutli,” Menrva raised her voice. “Could you inform us what is happening?”
But just then, two individuals entered through the main door of the great hall.
One was short and had his body painted blue. He wore the head of a sea creature as a helmet, as well as a kind of goggles made of serpents.
The other was as tall as Anpiel, but his face was painted red, and he wore the skin of another human being as armor.
When Tania saw the two presences approaching, she smelled blood addiction in their scent and felt disgusted. The goddess could not help making an indignant face at the presence of those two individuals.
“Your Majesty Otontecutli,” the short man said in Nahuatl. “We thank you for receiving us in your palace at this early hour of the day.”
The two gods walked down the corridor while all the nobles stood and bowed to them. Both came face to face with Tania and the others, but decided to ignore them and walked past them.
“May I ask what the two of you have come here for?” the Otomí king asked in the divine tongue.
“My kingdom is under attack by the Toltec capital, so you will understand our discomfort at receiving you in our chambers,” he added.
“We two were exiled from Tollan after Huitzilopochtli’s coup d’état,” the short god said, once again in Nahuatl.
Ah, these idiots surely don’t want us to know what they’re talking about, Tania thought, then turned to look at Tul. The goddess wore an expression of rage she could not hide.
“We wished to request a bargain from you, great Otontecutli,” said the blue-skinned man. “You support us with an army of your divine warriors, and in return, we will free the people captured from your embassy.”
Tul grimaced with indignation upon hearing such arrogant words from the blue god. The rabbit goddess could not stop staring at them with rage.
Otontecutli remained silent for a moment, while the nobles still stayed prostrated before those gods, though it was clear their posture was merely hypocritical.
“The Toltec kingdom has done nothing but expand militarily and force us to pay heavy tributes to avoid being invaded by you,” the Otomí king finally replied in the divine tongue.
“And now, when you find yourselves in the worst possible situation, you come here trying to force me to support you without even the slightest modesty or humility?” he asked angrily.
“Will you leave your men to die in Tollan, then?” the short man asked.
“My men are already dead, Tláloc,” Otontecutli replied. “I went to Tollan to present my grievance alongside other gods, and only I was able to escape. That is why we are under attack.”
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Tláloc looked surprised.
“Forgive us, Lord Otontecutli. We did not know,” he said.
“Yes, I am certain you came to me because I have always had a reputation for being insecure,” the Otomí god continued.
“But what I saw there opened my eyes, and I do not intend to give you even a shred of support, since you are no different from those Chichimecas who seized your throne,” he concluded.
“Are you declaring war on us, you shitty Otomí?” shouted the man wearing human skin as clothing.
“Wait, Xipe Tótec!” Tláloc shouted furiously, trying to stop the god from acting rashly.
“Wait, my ass. I’m going to kill this bastard!” Xipe Tótec shouted as he drew a knife.
But at that exact moment, Tania seized the god by the neck with her arm, Ana pointed her sword at his chest, Menrva grabbed his knife, and Epona and Susanoo placed their weapons against the god’s face. Freyja and Loki stood beside Tláloc.
“You’d better watch your words, ’cause we’re here,” Freyja whispered into Tláloc’s ear.
“Who the hell are you people?!” Xipe Tótec asked, frightened.
Tania pulled the Toltec god with her arm and brought him close to her face.
“Make another stupid move like that, and we’ll be the last thing you ever see, you blood-addicted piece of shit,” the Punic goddess said quietly.
Tul and Anpiel watched the scene while the rabbit goddess slipped her hand into her bag, ready to support her friends in case they needed her.
“Now I understand. You are the gods Anat told us were in Adlivun,” Tláloc said. “I did not think you would still be alive after Tezcatlipoca went looking for you to kill you.”
“Who do you think made that so-called king of Tula flee away limping and shitting on his loincloth?” Tania asked, staring defiantly at the Toltec god.
“As you can see, Tláloc, I currently have rather powerful allies,” Otontecutli said. “So I recommend that you measure your words.”
Immediately afterward, the Otomí god made a signal for the members of Orniskem to release the Toltec gods. They complied, while Menrva removed the knife from Xipe Tótec’s hand.
The members of Orniskem stood before the two Toltec gods, and seeing themselves outnumbered, the Toltecs fell to their knees.
“Lord Otontecutli,” Tláloc said again, this time in the divine tongue.
“I know we abused your kingdom in the past, but we wish to leave that past behind and request, in the humblest way possible, your aid in recovering our kingdom,” the god pleaded.
Then Tláloc bowed his head to the floor.
Xipe Tótec growled at that moment, but then saw Susanoo’s angry face and his drawn sword, and immediately lowered his head to the floor as well.
“Well, I appreciate the gesture, false though it may be,” Otontecutli said. “However, I no longer have personnel strong enough to face such a threat, as my men are now fighting against the beasts of Mictlán scattered throughout my territories,” he added.
Tláloc and Xipe Tótec rose from the floor with faces full of irritation. The blue god took a deep breath to calm his mind.
“Very well. We will go to the kingdom of Tzintzuntzan, then,” he said.
“Their situation is very similar. Furthermore, their queen, Cuerauáperi, is recovering in this city,” the Otomí god said with a sorrowful expression.
“She is here?” Tláloc asked. “Could we see her?”
Otontecutli nodded.
The two gods were taken to Xaltocan’s hospital, while Tania and the other members of Orniskem remained in the royal hall.
Otontecutli sprawled in his seat and felt more relieved. The nobles were finally able to stop bowing their heads and collapsed back into their seats, nearly fainting from fear. They knew that if the members of Orniskem had not been there, Tláloc and Xipe Tótec would have carried out a massacre to force them to help.
“Once again, you have saved me and my people from disaster,” the Otomí god said. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“Excuse me, King Otontecutli,” Anpiel interrupted. “Who is that queen you mentioned to those two Toltec gods?”
“Cuerauáperi, queen of Tzintzuntzan, a kingdom west of this region,” the Otomí god said.
“Unfortunately, she was gravely wounded in Tollan, and I brought her here to treat her. But although she regained consciousness, she is currently suffering from mental problems,” he added.
“Mental problems? Did she die and return to life?” Epona asked.
“Yes, indeed,” Otontecutli replied. “But she was dead for several days, and it seems she did not return to life entirely well.”
“Yes, that must be it. It must be the creature from the beyond,” Epona said worriedly.
“We know a place where she can be treated, Lord Otontecutli,” Menrva said.
“Truly?” the Otomí king asked.
“Yes… I also ended up in that same situation, and if she is treated in the same way, she will surely recover her sanity,” Epona replied.
“The kingdom of Tzintzuntzan will also be very grateful if you do that,” Otontecutli replied with a bow.
“In truth, I no longer know how I could repay you for all your great help so far,” he said in a faint voice.
“Do not worry. We have decided to help everyone we can,” Tania said.
“Menrva, do you think you can teleport to Chaco?” Ana asked in surprise.
“I believe I can do it in two or three steps,” the Etruscan goddess replied.
“As long as you don’t have to step into that shitty desert again,” Epona said.
“Do not worry. I will avoid it,” the Etruscan goddess replied, then turned to look at the Otomí king.
“Sir, could you indicate where that queen you mentioned is?” Menrva asked.
Otontecutli instructed his soldiers to escort Menrva, Tania, Ana, Epona, and Tul to the hospital, which was located in one of the rooms on the palace’s lower floor.