Tyranny of Steel

The Great goddess of Teotihuacan gazed upon Berengar with a playful smirk before she responded to his question in a deliberately deflective manner.

"I'm sorry, but that is not something I can reveal. Do not fret, I am sure that in time you will find those who brought you here, and on that day you can ask them all the questions you want about your role in this world. For now, just know that your soul belongs to me, so do nothing that will bring me dishonor!"

In response to this, Berengar merely chuckled before responding to the deity's quip.

"Fine, I promise I won't do anything to dishonor your name..."

After this was said, the two of them shared a laugh, knowing full well that Berengar would not live up to that promise. When they had finally calmed down, the German Emperor asked the next most important question on his mind.

"So that girl I brought with me is a princess of the Aztec Empire? It's a damned good thing I didn't kill her..."

The goddess nodded her head before agreeing with what Berengar had said.

"Yeah, I believe that would have severely harmed your prospects of turning the Aztec Empire into a protectorate..."

Upon hearing this, Berengar sighed before gazing around the interior of the temple. He did not even know where to begin on his campaign to subjugate the Aztec empire. Eventually, he was forced to ask the goddess for her opinion.

"So what now?

The goddess walked away from Berengar and sat back down on her altar in a suggestive state. She did not hesitate to respond to Berengar's question with her opinion on how to proceed.

"For now, you two can stay here as long as you need. The girl is injured, is she not? She will need time to heel. Luckily for you, the flow of time moves slower in my domain than it does out there in the real world. What will appear to be a lifetime in this realm will be a matter of minutes outside. That's why this abandoned city does not look the slightest bit decayed."

It shocked Berengar when he heard this, and he immediately followed up with another question.

"Will I age while I am in this divine realm of yours?"

The goddess shook her head before she placed her chin on the palm of her hand. She took a few moments to look pretty before responding to Berengar's question.

"Not at all. I have total control over everything within my domain, including whether you two grow older with time. If you work hard to please me, I assure you I will make it so you are every bit as young as the moment you stepped foot within my divine realm."

Berengar chuckled when he heard this before raising a brow.

"Please you how, exactly?"

The goddess looked at him with a seductive expression as she was deliberately vague about her answer.

"You will know soon enough. For now, you should use what spare time I have given you to mend that girl's wound, and teach her your language. I am certain that will be useful for you in the future..."

This response intrigued Berengar, and he was quick to follow up her statement with a question.

"But we can communicate with each other now. Will that ability disappear when we leave your domain?"

In response to this, the goddess nodded her heard before further explaining the matter.

"In my divine realm, the barrier of language does not exist, but the moment you two leave, you will be once more bound by that restriction. I am a goddess of the underworld. I do not have the means to grant you the boon of universal communication. If you want such a thing, you would have to seek out a god of knowledge."

Berengar sighed in defeat as he heard this. If such a thing was true, then he had no choice but to follow the goddess's suggestion. After all, he needed a translator to effectively communicate with the Aztec Empire.

Of course, he still planned to wage war, as he knew the native empire would not submit without a proper show of force. Still, holding the princess captive, and using her to translate his demands, would be a powerful bargaining chip. With that in mind, Berengar nodded his head in silence as he came up with a plan. After doing so, he looked up at the goddess, who was smiling at him, and responded with his thoughts.

"Very well. Should we go retrieve the girl? I have much I wish to discuss with her."

However, the goddess response surprised Berengar as she was quick to decline the offer.

"You can go to her if you so wish, but I will not speak with her. By the time you two decide to leave this place, I will alter her memories so that she remembers nothing about this journey other than the time you two spent together. If I were to appear before her again, it would only complicate matters."

This answer perplexed Berengar, and he could not help but ask the question on his mind.

"What will you do when I am with the princess? Isn't it lonely to be here by yourself?"

In response to this question, the goddess merely scoffed before flicking Berengar on the nose yet again.

"I have been living here alone in this divine realm for an eternity by your mortal standards. I think I will be fine without you, besides it won't be long before you come scurrying for my favor. After all, I know how precious your lifespan is to you."

Berengar chuckled when he heard this before responding with another question.

"What about when I leave this place? You will be alone again for some time..."

In response to this, the goddess laughed before making a joke about Berengar's mortality.

"A few decades at most. I am a patient woman, and your soul now belongs to me. It won't be too long before you have returned to my domain, where we will spend eternity together."

Berengar did not know how to respond to this. He simply could not comprehend the humor of a divine being such as this goddess. Instead, here merely sighed before switching the subject once more.

"Alright, I will go find the princess, until we meet again, goddess..."

After Berengar was long out of sight, the goddess sighed heavily before collapsing onto her altar. She had a defeated expression on her face as she questioned her actions.

"What is wrong with me? Why did I save his soul from damnation?"

After saying this, she gazed down at her lower body and noticed that she was pitching a tent. It was at that moment she laughed to herself and commented on the whole situation with a heavy sigh.

"Of course that's why..."

Berengar did not know, but the mixed-gender goddess fantasized about him in his absence. As for the man in question, he rushed down from the temple and found the Aztec Princess still asleep against the side of a building.

It was not until he touched her forehead did she fully awake. Her first reaction was to gaze around her and witness the splendor of the ancient city of Teotihuacan, which was still in its prime. A single gasp escaped her breath, followed by the thoughts contained within her mind.

"So this is the city of the gods, huh?"

After saying this, she remembered the strange woman in the bird headdress who had appeared out of thin air and immediately looked towards Berengar before asking the question on her mind.

"Where is she?"

Berengar chuckled in response before giving a bullshit explanation to appease the Aztec Princess.

"She's gone. There is nothing you need to worry about. You won't be seeing her again anytime soon."

The warrior princess gazed at Berengar with confusion before trying to stand up. However, in the next moment, she immediately realized that she was still injured and fell to her knees while grimacing in pain. Berengar gazed upon the girl with some sympathy and offered once more to carry her on his back. Which she begrudgingly accepted.

"Thank you..."

Berengar smiled as he lifted the woman onto her back before introducing himself.

"I am Berengar von Kufstein, what is your name?"

The Aztec princess gazed upon the German Emperor from behind with a complicated expression. Ultimately, she revealed the truth of her identity.

"Tlexictli..."

Berengar nodded his head when he heard this before responding to the girl with a friendly smile.

"Well, Tlexictli, let's go find a place to stay. It appears like this fog will not disappear anytime soon, so we should pick a lodging where you can properly rest."

The Aztec princess remained silent as Berengar chose the building closest to the temple of the great goddess of Teotihuacan. After everything the deity he had said, he knew he would have to curry for her favor in order to save his lifespan from the unique flow of time within this divine realm.

In the coming days, Berengar would provide basic medical aid to the Aztec Princess' sprained ankle and instruct her on how to speak German. He would also spend whatever time he could spare visiting the great goddess of Teotihuacan in his attempts to appease her. After all, his very existence depended on it.