Chapter 7-Scientific Curiosity
It was the year 1843, and there were still new lands being discovered in an age where the old was becoming more interconnected every day through various mundane and magical means. Among them was the island of Kuja, which was located far off the southern coast of Hellas in southern Europa. It was a large island covered in a vast jungle and populated by a host of animals. But the most interesting were the native inhabitants.
Kuja was populated by humans and monsters. The humans consisted of the Amazons, a tribe of warrior women who lived within a matriarchal society and occupied the same duties as men in the outside world. Studies of Amazonian culture showed that they were biologically stronger than regular human women, standing around 7'2 in adulthood. Scientists who were allowed to visit the island concluded that this was the result of the island's flora and fauna being saturated with demonic energy, making it rich in vital nutrients.
There were a small assortment of monsters on the island that included werecats and chiropterans, but the most dominant monster species were the giants. The largest monster race recorded in history, the giants stood a little over ten meters in height and basically ruled most of the island. There were some records of giants living in central Europa, but remained unproven as of today. They shared the island with the amazons, sharing food, resources, and even men.
Professor Ling Nezha, one of the leading researchers in monster biology and physiology, was off on an expedition to Kuja to accumulate as much knowledge as he could. This may seem like an odd goal, but as it is, few men were able to accurately study the Kuja tribe without getting mauled by the local monsters, knowing everything about the island's society was near impossible. Thankfully, Nezha had a contact on the island willing to help him out in his research.
"Nez?" Someone behind him groaned. "Nez, Lu doesn't feel too good about this."
Nezha sighed and looked back at his older brother, Lu. Lu shared the same features as his brother, long dark hair, gray eyes, but his physique was more muscular and his voice a bit deeper. He would've been quite the catch for any human or monster, had he not had his mind mentally regressed after a harrowing encounter with a mindflayer. The poor man had the mentality of a child, though thanks to recovery magic from monster doctors in Mongseng, he was steadily making a recovery, though he'd never be the same again.
"Lu, please, nothing's going to happen to us on this trip." Nezha said.
"That's what you said when we tried to study those ogres. They try to ride Lu like stallion!" Lu frowned, at his younger brother from the safety of his wife's bosom. "Or those orcs in Zadia? They seem peaceful until high orc come after Nez!"
"Those were two completely isolated incidents caused by my misinterpretation of events, Lu. We've been over this!" Nezha sighed.
"Then explain that group of Weresheep that try to get you to cuddle? You didn't say no!"
"That's because I was sleepy!"
"That's the point!"
"Boys, be nice." A motherly voice said. "You're both grown men. Act like it."
The admonishment came from Lu's wife, Layla, the Shoggoth. Like others of her kind, her skin was pale, and though her form was mostly humanoid, from the waist down beneath her dress, her body morphed into an amorphous substance of purple slime with tentacles appearing and disappearing. She used to be Lu's nurse at the hospital he was staying at before, by some miracle, they started courting and got married. Nezha supposed that it was her treatment of him that led to Lu's infatuation, but Layla was a smart and sweet woman who took good care of her brother, even though her yellow eyes did unsettle him a bit.
"Look, all I'm saying is that this trip will be beneficial and not at all a rape fest like you keep fearing. I'll be fine, Lu. We'll be meeting my guide at the docks and she'll be helping me stay away from the island's more unsavory parts." Nezha said.
Lu just grunted and buried his face into Layla's chest, and she hugged him back, running a hand through his long hair. "Don't worry, Nez, he's just worried for you. Those last three trips to Ixalan and Zadia have him a bit...paranoid."
Nezha huffed and crossed his arms. "They weren't that bad."
"You almost got raped on five different occasions by monsters who weren't exactly subtle in their interests in you." She smirked.
Nezha sighed as he thought back to those ill-fated trips to tropical lands where the monsters were a bit more feral than what he was used to back in civilization. Catching the eye of a high orc in central Europa, getting chased through the jungle by an Amphithere, being hunted down by a tribe of ogres for trying to teach them how to read, and that wonderful little spat he had with a particularly forceful Baphomet for arguing the merits of "loli-domination". That last one ended in a fist fight. Guess who won.
"Hopefully this trip will end in a manner that doesn't involve us getting chased by a horde of monsters." He said and leaned back in his seat to watch the oceanic scenery pass them by. "A man can dream, right?"
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When Kuja opened relations with the outside world, a pier was built for ships to arrive and dock. The amazons built a coastal town along the southern coast of the island, where their territory lied. The town's name was Oceana, possibly gleaned from the mermaids that visited every once in a while.
Thankfully there weren't that many tourists visiting the town today, so Nezha's ship entered the port without trouble and the three occupants disembarked. As soon as Nezha stepped onto the pier, he was greeted by a human woman, an amazon, who was sent to meet him.
"Professor Ling?" The woman asked.
"That's me." He said.
"I'm Artesia. I was sent here by Ophelia to greet you went you docked."
When Nezha heard that the amazons were taller and stronger than regular women, he wasn't expecting to be greeted by a teenager who stood a little over six feet. She was obviously young, but her body, clad in only a leather top and leopard skirt, looked strong and athletic, like she had been doing intense physical training her entire life. Her youthful eyes and oddly colored green hair did not match with the rocking body she had going on.
"Ophelia isn't here?" He asked.
"She said that she might be running late, so she sent me along to make sure you got here in one piece. I can have the attendants show your companions to their rooms at the hotel." Artesia said.
"Thank you very much. Come on, Lu." Layla said kindly and led a still jittery Lu along by the hand. "Stay safe, Nez."
"They're watching you!" Lu shouted before his wife dragged him away.
"Sorry about that." Nezha apologized sheepishly. Artesia waved him off.
"That's okay. Even now there are still some people worried about the monsters who live with us. Come, I'll take you to the meeting point."
The town was nothing special, just a typical coastal settlement with wooden houses and shops that were managed by amazons with a few foreigners milling about here and there. Some were researchers like him, others were here to trade, and some had moved to the island for a better life, though only women remained untouched. Men would be scouted by monsters sooner or later. There was no avoiding that.
Nezha was taken to the edge of the town on the path that led away from the beach and into the forest. Artesia had him stand by two palm trees while they waited for Ophelia to arrive.
"I've only been here for a few minutes and I'm already in love with this place." He took a deep breath of the fresh air and sighed longingly. "You have an amazing island, Artesia."
"Thank you. The amazons have called this island home for generations, and we've made sure that its beauty is preserved for future generations to enjoy." Artesia said. "The land makes us strong, so we must make sure that the land remains strong in return."
"And the monsters help?" He asked.
"Yes. We've always had a strong bond with the monsters who lived on our island. The various Mithra tribes on the western side of the island were close allies with us for centuries. They act as intermediaries between us and the giant clans that live near the mountains."
Nezha looked towards the mountains that loomed over the landscape deeper into the island. They looked like five massive fingers of stone reaching for the sky out of the earth. Nezha heard that those mountains were full of caves and tunnels, and he wished to explore them, but he restrained himself. One thing at a time, professor.
He sat back against the tree and enjoyed the nice, warm weather for a moment before he felt the ground start to shake. He instinctively thought that it was an earthquake, but the rumbles were just a few seconds apart in quick succession and not continuous. Nezha jerked to his feet when he saw a massive shape walking through the trees and stumbled back, gaping like a goldfish as he beheld another inhabitant of the island's monster population.