Meanwhile, in the forest just a few kilometers outside Chichen Itza...
After their encounter with Camazotz, the group continued on, moving in fits and starts. They investigated Mictlan's environment as they went, and dealt with the Ocelomehs prowling the rainforest. By dusk, the silhouette of Chichen Itza finally came into view.
"So? Want to take a break?"
Shiomi held Olga Marie's hand on one side and Touko's on the other, like a little kid being led around.
Hauling a child weighing twenty to thirty kilos through a rainforest with difficult terrain and no proper paths was exhausting to begin with. That was true even for Morgan and the others, and it was even harder on Olga Marie and Touko.
In the end, their compromise was simple: when there was no danger, he walked on his own. It wasn't like he couldn't walk at all.
With Mana supporting him, his pace wasn't any slower than theirs.
"I'm fine. I can hold out until we rendezvous with Storm Border," Olga Marie said, shaking her head.
Her legs, reinforced with Mana, were starting to ache, but it was still within tolerable limits.
"Still, let's sit for a bit, rest our feet, and get some water in us," Morgan said. "Keeping Magecraft up to block the heat and humidity is harder on human Maguses."
"I'd love to have a smoke here," Touko said, patting the cigarette pack in her pocket. "But if I mess up and set the forest on fire, we're all going to regret it. I'll pass."
Shiomi picked out a fallen log, then pulled some vines from nearby to spread over it.
"If you want one, just light it. If anything catches, we can put it out," he said with a grin, trying to coax Touko.
"Hmm..." Touko fished out the nearly empty pack. "Speaking of which, Mictlan's in South America too. Wonder if there's tobacco around here."
"If there is, it's probably cigars," Scáthach started, just as she was about to sit, when gunfire cracked through the forest in Chichen Itza's direction.
That was unmistakably Ocelomeh nearby.
With no choice, they shelved the idea of resting and hurried toward the shots to see what was going on.
It wasn't far. But by the time Shiomi and the others arrived, the Ocelomeh squad was already dropping one after another.
The leopard-faced bandits had all been shot in the chest. They toppled to the ground in turn, already dead.
As the last of them fell, Shiomi saw the one they'd been surrounding.
A boy, slightly taller than Shiomi's current body, holding a handgun that looked oddly familiar.
"If you've got your finger on the trigger, you should be landing clean kills," the boy said, staring down at the bodies with open contempt. "And you call yourselves Jaguar Warriors? With this level of skill, you think you're going to wipe out the Deinos? Don't make me laugh. What kind of training is this? What are the Crypters even doing... hmm?"
Still grumbling to himself, the boy finally noticed Shiomi's group.
"Who are you? Enemies of these Ocelomeh?"
Shiomi hadn't even finished speaking before the boy raised his hand and fired.
The bullet was stopped mid-flight by Artoria, caught by an invisible blade.
"Insolent. Attacking without a word, what exactly are you trying to do?" she demanded, clearly irritated.
"Why aren't you wearing masks? And what are those clothes?" the boy snapped back. "Hiding your faces is supposed to be your rule, isn't it? Don't go wandering around like that. If the Deinos see you, they'll..."
His tone was impatient, but there was also the reluctant edge of someone trying to warn them anyway.
Halfway through, he realized something was off.
"No, that presence..." The boy's gaze sharpened as he sensed who they were. "That much divinity... If you're not Crypters, then you're the Chaldea people from the rumors?"
Morgan put a hand on her hip, studying him with her fairy eyes.
"You know we exist, and yet you don't sound like you're with the Crypters. So who are you?"
"Hmph..." The boy let out a small laugh. "I'm the Dinosaur King who governs Chichen Itza. Of course, that's just the role they shoved onto me. As for my True Name... you can call me Tezcatlipoca."
"Tezcatlipoca?" Scáthach's grip tightened on her spear.
Shiomi lifted a hand, signaling everyone to stay calm.
"In Aztec mythology, Tezcatlipoca isn't a single god's name. They say there are four aspects: black, blue, white, and red. If the one we met before was the black main aspect, then what are you?"
"Sharp," the Dinosaur King said, smiling. "Young god, but you've got a good head on your shoulders. Better than some bird-man I could name."
He chuckled, sounding genuinely amused.
"Since you've already met 'that one,' this is easy. I'm the Blue Tezcatlipoca."
"Then Blue Tezcatlipoca, or Dinosaur King," Shiomi said, "why are you out here alone? Don't tell me the King of Chichen Itza is doing an incognito inspection and casually cleaning up Ocelomeh on the side."
The Dinosaur King put his gun away, unimpressed.
"I was bored in Chichen Itza, so I came out for a walk. Turns out I found something interesting. Not a bad haul."
"You said earlier that humans like us would get mistaken for Ocelomeh and killed by the Deinos," Olga Marie said, unable to hide her worry. "Then what about everyone from Chaldea...?"
"Hm?" The Dinosaur King blinked, then seemed to remember something. "Now that you mention it, a few days ago a huge boulder did come flying down and crash near Chichen Itza. I didn't send the Deinos to check it out, and I never got any reports of a fight. So I'm guessing someone on Chaldea's side understood the situation. Either they didn't show themselves recklessly, or they disguised themselves."
His answer was vague, but it matched what Shiomi's group had already suspected.
In any case, the Dinosaur King clearly had no intention of lingering. He turned as if to leave.
"Wait. Where are you going?" Shiomi pressed.
"A stupid question. Back to Chichen Itza," the Dinosaur King said without looking back. "If you want to see me, come there. And listen carefully: don't waste time. Mictlan doesn't have much time left. The Deinos and the Ocelomeh both only care about winning for their own side."
With that, he slipped into the forest as if he knew the paths by heart, and disappeared.
If they wanted to chase him, they could have caught up.
"The King of Chichen Itza..." Morgan murmured, thoughtful. "What do you think, my husband?"
Shiomi shrugged.
"I don't know why Tezcatlipoca is manifesting in two aspects at once. But since 'Blue' invited us, we'll go take a look. If it's a trap, we'll take him down too."
"That's a pretty unstable plan," Touko said, lighting a cigarette and taking a slow drag.
Then, as if on cue, everyone laughed.