| Hello everyone, it is finally time for me to show my face here again and post my piece of shit story I mean fantastic story once more. Since I wish to keep my earlier chapters (except my first) as a sign that I've grown from what I used to be, I did not take the liberty of editing them (Please forgive my lazyness!). To any first time readers that have a hard time reading through my god awful grammar at the beginning, I implore you to continue! It will be a very bumpy road through the entire thing but I'm more then sure the journey will make up for all of it! Without further ado, let's start the show~! Current List of Characters: *Note: This list will get updated as I add new characters in the story* Chapter 1: "Into the Wild" It was like every other day, boring and uninteresting. I contemplated jumping on my computer and looking for something to watch but decided against it, no point in wasting my time re-watching the same stuff right? As I gazed out my window into endless space a random thought popped into my head, why not take a walk? Without a second thought I got my stuff together, a few snacks, a water bottle and a knife, in case of emergencies, and strolled out the door. A few blocks away from my house was something called the chaparral: a natural shrubland only found in a couple of places on earth. Passing through the gate, I glanced at the “Beware of Wildlife” sign before continuing on. "Ahh this is nice." I whispered while walking through the unique habitat. I didn’t walk outside much due to work and my other hobbies but whenever I did it felt refreshing. Since I had walked a bit of a distance I figured it would be a good time to stop and have a snack. Finding a nice rock along the path, I sat down and pulled out my water and energy bars and dug in. It was nice, just sitting there and enjoying the day but something felt off. Earlier there had been birds chirping and smaller animals running around but now, silence. I hear a quick rustle in the bushes and turn my head. “I'm just getting jumpy..." I muttered, turning back to continue eating. Hearing another rustle in the bushes, I turn and nearly lose my eyes to a pair of claws. I jump back and wipe the blood from my eyes. What greeted me was a large, brown colored cat. “Great... A Mountain lion.” I stated while staring the feline killing machine down. It appeared to growl and prepared to pounce. I looked over at my bag. ((If I can get to the knife I might have a chance but how?)) I thought. Without any more time to think it jumped towards me again. I jumped out of the way, barely avoiding its claws. I bolted towards my bag with the creature on my tail. I grabbed my bag, reached in and pulled out my knife. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain come from my back. I turned to see that the bastard had scratched me so I threw the bag at it, hopefully stunning it. It clawed the bag away and jumped at me once again. At this point the pain had caused me to fall and I rolled onto my back. I pulled the knife out of the sheath and pointed the blade towards the cat. Luckily I got it in the neck as it landed on me, blood covering my chest, face and hands. Pushing the dead cat off, I slowly got up and felt around my back. It seemed to have clawed me but the wound wasn't too deep. I got up and leaned against a nearby rock. The fighting had taken it out of me so I decided I would rest for a little bit before walking home to treat my back. "Just my day..." I slowly start to drift off as I lay against the rock. ------------------------------------ I opened my eyes to be greeted by a bright and shining sun but instead of the rock I was leaned against I was laying completely on my back. Instead of a pleasant forest, I was greeted by a windy beach. I laid up expecting pain from my back but I felt none. Instantly I put my hand against my back, no blood. Also it seemed that all of my clothes were gone. Was this a dream? Was I Dead? Wait how could I be dead? I hadn't suffered a fatal enough blow to constitute that much blood loss. I decided to test if I was dreaming so I preformed the old classics. I pinched my arm hard, felt that one, and then I slapped myself once or twice, felt those, OK looks like I'm not dreaming. Well now that that was over I could then put my energy into figuring out where I was. Walking around looking I found that it was a beach surrounded one side by sea (obviously) and the other side a steep cliff. I found a rocky slope and figured if I got to higher ground it could help me find out where I was. I climbed up the slope and took a look around at my surroundings. It looked to be mostly grasslands with a forest several miles away. It reminded me of a book I had back home about ancient Greece. It described to me all about old Greek life from sports to politics. “This is no time for reminiscing!” I turned and watched the ocean for a few minutes, trying to piece everything together when I heard a woman's voice call my attention. "Hey stupid.” She announced. I turned around and was met by a woman or at least I think it was a woman. She was around my height, dark red hair, and beautiful hazel eyes. Her armor consisted of what appeared to be red leather armor that covered most of her body, leaving only her legs and belly exposed. Oddly enough, she wore what looked to be some sort of scaly gauntlets around her arms and peculiar strange matching scaly boots. "Uhhhh... Hi" I said. ((Hi? Are you kidding me! Is that all I can come up with?!)) "Hi..."She answered."Now could you answer something?" "Sure?" I replied, looking completely confused. "Why the hell are you naked?" "Umm funny story..." I answered. After finding a nearby rock to sit on I explained to her what had happened to me and how I had awoken on the beach. She handed me a simple robe so that she wouldn't have to keep looking at my downstairs friend which she called small. She sat there and listened to my story, when I finished she burst out laughing. "You are so pathetic!” She blurted between pauses of laughter. "What! How?!" I replied, confused and partly upset. She slowed calmed down and talked again. "You can't even kill a simple woodland beast without getting yourself hurt. That's just pathetic and that's why you're pathetic!" She answered still trying to hold in her laughter. I sat there trying to think of something to say to her but nothing came to mind. I was still in shock from all of this happening. The mountain lion attack, this odd place, this strange girl, it was all too much for me right now. I looked up at her, still wondering what I should say. Just when I though it couldn't get worse it did. "Aww what's wrong? Did I upset the baby too much? Does the baby need his mommy?” She chucked, laughing up a storm. She then started to make baby noises and continued to laugh and call me pathetic and weak. I grew angrier and angrier with each passing word, clenching my fists harder. She just kept laughing more and more, something had to give. "You're a disgrace to men everywhere!" She announced, laughing even more. That was it; I immediately stood up and in pure blind fury nailed her in the face with all the strength I could muster. After my anger had subsided fear replaced it and I backed away, my legs shacking uncontrollably. She stood there quite for a moment, turning her head back and looking at me with a cold, neutral stare. It was also around this time that I noticed something moving behind her, something bright and animated. Focusing in on it I noted that it appeared to be a large red tail moving behind her. What was more incredible was it was ablaze. ((What the hell is that!)) I thought, staring at it for a moment before I remembered my current situation. "Ah right! I'm sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you!” I pleaded, stuttering in fear. Without another word she drew a short sword from her back and threw it to me. "Pick it up." The woman stated while drawing her Claymore. "Wait! I'm sorry I hit you!" My pleas of mercy seemed to fall on deaf ears as she charged towards me. I picked up the sword and barely blocked her attack. She continued to swing her sword at me over and over while I blocked and deflected more shots. This continued until she backed off a second, she didn't even break a sweat while I was still barely holding into my sword, breathing hard and trying to hold my ground without swaying back and forth. She looked at me with a deep cold stare while her tail blazing fiercely. ((She was going in for the kill!!)) I thought. She raised her sword and charged toward me again, yelling "ITS OVER!”. I figured if, I was going to die, I might as well die fighting so I ran towards her and made a war cry. Right as our blades met I lost my footing on some gravel and fell onto the girl. When I awoke I was greeted with darkness. It seems my face had landed on something particularly soft and squishy. I rose up to see that I had landed between the salamanders rather large breasts. Her breasts were extremely soft to the touch and I couldn't help but play with them some more so I squeezed one again. "Are you done?"The woman cried, completely catching me by surprise. I jumped up and moved back a little to allow her to get up. She looked completely flustered and embarrassed. "Uh... I'm sorry I knocked you over." I said, my cheeks a little red. "ARE YOU ALSO SORRY FOR PLAYING WITH MY CHEST?" She replied with an angry and raised voice. I jumped back again. "I didn't mean to touch you!" I said, nearly hiding behind a big rock. She looked over to me and sighed, completely embarrassed yet again. "Well... I guess we can chalk this up to a draw... For now." The young warrior muttered while sitting on a nearby stone. The flames of her tail were still blazing as much as before. "Do you have a name?" "Uh... It's Alex." I replied, staring constantly at her moving appendage. "Alex Huh? That name doesn't fit you at all." She answered, trying to mildly laugh. "Can I ask your name?" I asked, still nervous but deciding to sit down on a rock near her. "It's Alysia." She replied. She then stood up and went over to the small back she was carrying. Earlier I hadn't noticed she was carrying it but I figured I didn't really need to question that at the moment. She pulled out an old tattered shirt, some faded pants and a pair of sandals. "Put these on." She said, handing them to me. I took them and went behind a large rock to change. When I came back she had packed up everything and was waiting for me. "Are you ready? Let's go." She said starting to walk down the path again. "Whoa whoa, what? I'm confused." I said, stopping her. She turned around and looked at me with that cold stare of hers. She then grabbed my arm and held it tight. "You're coming with me because I'm not going to let the fool who I drawed with die out in the wilderness. I'm going to take you to my home, let you rest and then we will be continuing this duel." She said, staring into almost the pit of my soul. I complied and followed her, It couldn't be worse than staying out here could it? We ventured down the road towards our distant destination. It was going to be a long walk so I drifted off into thought for a little bit. Thinking of my family and friends, wondering if they were worried what happened. Whatever was happening at the moment I knew that things were just going to get crazier. |
aspicientisMar 27, 2015 5:24 PM
| i am enjoying the bumpy ride so far |
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| I've read the original. I hope it is still same Aspicientis's abruptly astonishing awesomeness o/ |
| Signature removed. It was too good for this cruel world. |
| Apologies for the short chapter (1,700 is pretty damn short...) but I assure you that most of my newer chapters have at least a 2,000 word minimum (With few exception). Chapter 2: "Midnight Surprise" We continued along the road, taking breaks as needed. Although Alysia hated that I stopped every few miles for a rest she allowed it only giving the occasional “You’re a weakling” glance every other time we stopped. Each time we stopped I struck up a conversation. I asked her about this land and what she was like. This is how she described it: This Island is inhabited by monsters that will rape you given the chance. She also said I was lucky that she has great control since salamanders usually fawn over men that beat them. She also talked about the different Monsters Girls or “Mamono” I would potentially encounter here. Ranging from Demons like Succubi, Baphomet and Imps to Reptiles like Dragons, Lamias and, of course, Salamanders. Furthermore, Alysia discussed the basic system of Government of the Island, stating that “Each territory has a specific lord ruling over it” and that “Their word is law”. Honestly, all of this came to an utter shock to me and it was grow more and more difficult by the second to follow her. Soon enough, however, she finished talking and left me to drift once again. Suffice to say I was lost, very lost. I didn’t know how to feel about this whole situation I was currently in. Should I feel glad this woman wasn’t trying to procreate with me or should I feel scared she is going to do something potentially worse. I contemplated my chances of escape but without a trusty sword or any sort of weapon it would be difficult to even survive on my own. After constantly mulling it over I decided just to trust this woman and go along with her. We had walked for what had felt hours, the sun was finally starting to set and we were still miles away from the village. She decided to stop and set up camp by a few large boulders for the night. I fell down onto the ground and proceeded to rub my feet. They were completely red from walking all those miles; a few blisters had formed. "Sore already?" She asked with a concerned expression on her face. "Just a little." I replied. ((Looks like she finally felt pity for me.)) She then began to laugh and slapping her leg. "You are just so damn weak!" She chuckled while taking a seat on a nearby rock. I just stared at her and sighed. ((She still has little respect for me…)) "Tell me, do you think I went easy on you?" She inquired. "I'm not sure… Probably?" I answered. "Heh, I didn't even try. I was only meaning to teach you a lesson." "What lesson?" "If you’re gonna start something, finish it." She grinned. "Umm... I'll keep that in mind next time." I replied "If there is a next time." She said, still holding that grin. "Right..." ((I need to change the subject.)) "So... What’s the name of the town we are going to?" I asked. "It’s called Nehtas" She answered. "So why are we going there?" "It’s where I live." She replied, slowly cooking the venison from her bag. "What’s your job there?" "I work for a blacksmith." "Is he your father?" I inquired. “Look, I don’t feel like talking about it so just drop it.” She stated, glaring at me while she munched on her food. “Ok…” Shortly after the silence began again my stomach growled, begging for its third meal of the day. Giving me a quick glance, Alysia pulls a small piece of her meat off and hands it to me. “Thank you…” I replied, rather shocked my newly cold companion would even consider handing a piece of her food to me. Without hesitation, I finish the piece in record time and watched as the fire started dying down. "I’ll go fetch us some fire wood." She said, quickly getting up and walking towards the forest. After she left I signed and fell onto the grass again. It has been a day… First I find myself on this island then I meet this old salamander girl, what next? Well it won’t do much good to think about it while I'm tired. I closed my eyes and tried getting some rest, if only for a little while. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I awoke minutes later to a sudden heavy feeling on my legs. As I opened my eyes I was met by another strange woman on top of me. She had dark green hair, light green eyes, wore light green armor that covered her shoulders, chest and hips. She had what looked to be large reptile claws for feet and large green wings for arms along with a large and long green tail. She noticed that I had woken up and leaned her face close to mine. “So you’re up. Makes no difference, I’ll just do it while you’re awake.” She smiled. “WHAT! What are you doing?!” I replied panicking. I tried to move my legs but it seems she had pinned them down while I slept. What surprised me is how quite she was landing and sneaking up on me. "Shhh, it’s OK. Just relax and enjoy it." She whispered. Before I could say another word she locked lips with me, moving her tongue into my mouth. I was powerless to stop her in any way. I tried to push her off using my arms but to no avail, she was a lot stronger than me. We parted lips; she then slowly made her way down to my pants and undid them. She threw them off to the side and was about to steal my first time when a large blade flew barely missing her head. She instantly jumped up and looked in the direction the blade flew from. Alysia walked out of the forest, looking completely pissed. “I can't leave you for five minutes without your ass getting raped!” Alysia yelled, the fire on her tail blazing. “What is that Alysia?!” I asked, scrambling to my feet and jumping behind Alysia. "Gee no "Oh thank you Alysia for saving me"?" She retorted "Alysia!" I replied, completely desperate for an answer. She briefly chucked before answering. "A Wyvern. It’s a type of reptile that’s similar to a dragon. They aren’t as strong as dragons but what they lack in strength they gain in speed.” She answered. “Hmm this is a problem. Guess I’ll deal with you now.” The Wyvern said, extending her wings out. “HA, you think you can beat me? You must be one stupid wyvern!”Alysia replied, grinning and holding back a laugh. “And you’re an overconfident lizard. What’s your point?” She retorted. “OHH? Care to back up those big words wyvern slut?” Alysia replied, clenching her fists. “Gladly, whore.” She answered, jumping into the air and disappearing into darkness. Alysia then grabbed some of the wood and threw it into a pile. She then lit the wood and ordered me to stay near it. I complied and stayed close to the fire. She ran over to her sword and picked it up. She looked around, scanning the area, looking for the wyvern and seeing where she would attack from. “What’s the matter slut? Too scared to fight me fairly?!” She laughed, hoping to lure her out. It seemed to work because after she said that the wyvern’s claws made a strike at Alysia. Alysia blocked with her sword and tried to strike back but the wyvern slipped back into the shadows. Alysia’s tailed flared up, partly illuminating the area around her. “Come on! Fight me fairly you bitch!” She yelled, again trying to provoke her. “Why should I fight you when I can always steal my prize?” The wyvern said. She then swooped down and tried to carry me off but Alysia noticed and threw her sword yet again. This time she grazed her wing, making her lose her balance. She then dropped me and fell to the ground. Alysia walked over to her fallen opponent, pulled out the spare sword and prepared the finishing attack but the wyvern rolled out of the way just as Alysia stabbed the sword. The wyvern jumped up and motioned her wings up into a fighting position. “Why don’t we settle this the old fashion way?” She said, pointing her fist at Alysia. “It’s about damn time!” Alysia said, throwing the sword over towards me and raising her fists. They begin to trade blows with each other left and right. This went on for a good 5 to 10 minutes of them just punching each other back and forth. Alysia’s tail was still blazing as wildly as before. After another few minutes they started to slow down, breathing hard and wobbling around. “You’re not bad…*Huff Huff*…. But I’m still better!” Alysia said. “Oh yeah...*Huff Huff* let’s see you prove it!” The wyvern replied. They prepared themselves for one more punch, pulling back their arms. They stood there for a brief second before launching there punches at each other. They hit each other straight in the face, knocking them both to the ground. I ran over to see that both of them were knocked out. I sighed; things are just getting better and better. Anyway I pulled them over to the rocks and leaned them each on one. I pulled out a couple of blankets out of Alysia’s bag and covered them. I then found a spot around the fire and lay down. It kept me quite warm so I didn’t worry about a blanket. I laid there, watching the stars twinkle. My stomach growled just a little but since I was alone and was in no mood to go into the forest to hunt I ignored it. Besides that nothing else was going to bother me tonight since those two probably scared off all the other monsters in the area away. So I rested my eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep. |
aspicientisSep 15, 2014 9:45 AM
| Chapter 3: "Moving along..." "God damn it who turned on the lights? Oh wait... that’s the sun." I muttered. I looked around quickly and saw that both girls had left. Well that’s perfect, only protection I had has left me alone. Hey look at the bright side, at least I’ll get to see what tries to rape me next right? I got up quickly and looked around the area. It looked peaceful enough so I sat down again and tried to figure out a plan. OK you’re a man stuck on an island filled with monsters that are only female and have a desire to rape you until your dead, what do you do? I instantly start to panic and run around like a scared idiot screaming his head off. After a few minutes of that my stomach starts to growl. My stomach had a good point, get some food then run around like a fool. I rummaged through Alysia’s bag (apparently she left it) and managed to find some jerky. If I had to guess the flavor I would say elk or deer anyway I ate quickly then looked through her bag some more. I pulled out what looked to be a Gladius and examined the blade. It had several nicks and battle scars all over it but the blade was still steady and firm. I slid it back into its sheath and placed it over my shoulder, now that I had eaten and found myself a weapon it was time to make a plan. Continuing to search through her back I found a very basic map of the area, it showed that the nearest town was Tamri. It looked to be a small port town within a few miles of my location. OK decision time, I could leave Alysia and continue on my own or wait for her to get back. Before I could even make up my mind I felt a hand smack me in the back of my head. “Ouch!” I said turning around to see Alysia looking just a little pissed. “Oh so now it’s OK for you to look through my stuff now too?” She replied. ((Wow I had completely forgotten my manners; this girl would risk her life for me just so she could kick my ass later)). “I’m sorry…..I was just hungry.” “Grr, you could have waited till I returned. Just remember…” She leaned in closer and placed her hand on my cheek. Her hand felt warm and her eyes showed something completely different than usual: Lust. “I could do exactly what that Wyvern tried last night at any time.” She said coldly while removing her hand. I felt a cold shiver slip through my body the instant she said those words. Then it dawned on me that I had forgotten to ask something. “Where is the Wyvern?” I asked. She reached into her armor (more precisely her boobs), pulled out a note and handed it to me. I looked at the note, it was written in another language. “Alysia, do you know what this says? I give her the piece of paper back. She examined it and then crumbled the paper in your hand. “Wait what did it say?!’ I asked, she looked over to me and unrumpled the paper. “Na cotarastu vas nesotramara.” She read aloud. “What does that mean? I inquired. “It’s Draconic, quite the old language. It says “I’ll be back for him later.” Arrogant bitch.” She then crumpled it and threw it away. I didn’t know Alysia could speak another language but there are a lot of things I don’t know about her so best to keep an open mind. She went over to her bag and rummaged through it for a little then turned around to me. “Map.” She said “Uhh… yeah I’ve got it.” I replied, almost trembling out of a sudden fear. “You also have my Gladius but that’s fine, you’ll probably need it anyway. Let’s get going.” She grabbed her bag and started walking. She walked by me and snagged the map from me as I got up. I brushed myself off and followed after her. We walked on the path along the sea for hours. It was such a beautiful day, the sun was out, not too many clouds were out and the wind was gently blowing. I stopped for just a moment to look out over the sea. The sea was something I saw everyday back home but I had never really paided much attention to it. It was nice to stop and watch for a minute as the waves moved back and forth against the sea cliff. “You know… The longer you stand there the more of a target you are.” She blurted, ruining my moment. “What’s wrong? Can the great Alysia not protect a simple human?” I replied with a quick chuckle. She punched me in my side and gave me a death glare. I stopped chuckling and continued to follow her down the path. We kept walking down the road until we came to a dark forest. The forest looked practically dead. Every tree was either missing all of it leaves or it looked to be dead. It reminded me of a really spooky hunted forest you see in cartoons. Alysia looked at the map again and pointed that we need to go through the forest. “Uhh are you sure that’s such a good idea?” I said, my knees shacking a little. “It’s the quickest way besides what are you afraid of? I’m here to protect your sorry ass so don’t worry.” She replied. She just beaming with confidence or was that pride? They both look so similar. Anyway, we ventured into the dark confines of the forest. As we walked through it was quite, way too quite. I didn’t hear any birds or animals running around or even the wind blow just utter silence. Alysia either didn’t seem to notice or care but I was completely freaking out. What if we were being watched? What if something was after us? What if they attack us? I was completely losing it and then it happened, I had to take a piss. I tapped Alysia shoulder and she turned around. “What?” she asked. “Need to piss.” I said, holding my gut with my hand. It seems all that worrying really worked up my bladder. She sighed. “Make it quick.” She said. She looked just positively annoyed but when nature called I had to answer. I walked over to a nearby tree and let the river flow. Ahh now that was relaxing. I quickly finished up and turned to walk about but out of the corner of my eye I noticed something in the distance. My curiosity got the better of me and I walked towards it. The closer I got the more it looked humanoid until I was only a few feet from it. It looked to be a young girl lying unconscious on the ground. She had whitish gray hair, wearing only a torn up skirt with blood covering her arms and legs. Despite the voice in my head screaming to run away I moved closer to her. I walked over to her and kneed down next to her. I slowly placed my hand onto her arm to see if I could wake her when suddenly her eyes flashed open. She instantly got up and pushed me down. She looked at me with her dark red eyes and smiled. “Gotcha!” She said, holding both my arms down with her hands. I struggled for a second to get her off but no avail. I hate it when the voice in your head is right. She started to lean for a kiss when I spit into her face. This pissed her off but it distracted her enough for me to free one of my hands and punch her in the face. She fell off me for a moment and I ran like the wind. I ran as fast as my legs could go occasionally looking back to see the girl right behind me. I tried to call out Alysia but just as I did I tripped over a rock or stick and hit my head on something, moments later my vision was swallowed by darkness. |
aspicientisSep 15, 2014 9:45 AM
| Bonus points of combatants knocking each other down in same time cliche! But I don't really mind that, but I have to ask, how you can live with the fact there is five of you? |
| Signature removed. It was too good for this cruel world. |
| Chapter 4: "The Beginnings of Trouble, Part 1" Agh, my head was killing me! I rubbed my forehead in an attempt to ease the pain but to no avail. It seemed when I fell I hit my head but there was no mark to indicate that I had fallen...oddly. I opened my eyes and looked around. Somehow I found myself lying in a bed (a very nice bed if I may add). I hopped out of the bed and quickly examined myself. The clothes I was wearing before were gone and I was dressed a simple silk shirt with what felt to be silk pants. Then I looked around the room. It was a luxurious room fit for a king or queen. On the right was a window accompanied by a dresser and a long mirror. On the left there was a tall armoire and small desk with a chair. Across from the bed were the door and a small stool table. The dressers were beautifully carved out of what looked to be red pine and appeared to be extremely expensive, while the bed itself was exquisitely carved oak wood. The desk had paper neatly stacked together with a quill and a pen read to write. The dresser had a figurine of some woman I didn’t recognize. There were a few paintings of different scenes of oceans and mountains on the walls. In the center of the room there was an elegant rug covering the stain wood finished floor. Was I dreaming? No, the throbbing pain in my head made short work of that theory. Hallucinating? Now that was more reasonable. I hit my head while I was running from that girl and now I was seeing things but wait…..where was the girl? Well that idea was out now too. I looked around the room to see if I could find any hint of what had happened or where I was. There was nothing in the dressers except spare clothes and drapes and nothing hanging over any of the chairs either. No sign of a struggle or any kind of fight, the room looked clean and tidy. I walked over to the window and looked outside. I could see a small garden below and beyond that was the sea. Well, I was in some sort of large house that was for sure. I headed towards the door, hoping I could walk around the house to look for some answers when the handle turned and a little girl walked in. She had black hair, light red eyes (which were partly covered by the hair) and wore a simple black dress. After she had entered and noticed my presence she quickly turned around and tried to run out of the room. I grabbed her arm and turned her towards me. She looked completely embarrassed and covered her face with her hands. She looked and acted completely adorably but I focused on the current situation. “I’m sorry to grab you like that, miss, but could you please answer a few of my questions?” I asked. “I…..ummm……I’m……uhhhhhhh…” She said, trailing off and continuing to hide her face. She seemed to be extremely shy so I decided to take a different approach. I let go of her arm and moved back a little. I expected her to run out of the door but she only ran to the bed and hid behind it. This girl was really shy, usually kids back home get into your face just because you looked at them funny……maybe just where I lived they did that. Anyway I walked a little closer to the bed but every time I took a step closer she would move back another step behind the bed. Ok... guess I’ll just ask her the questions from here. “My name is Alex; may I ask your name?” Introductions first, it was only the polite thing to do. “My-y……name-e……is…uhhhh…..L…Lura.” She shuddered out. God, this girl, she made any shy girl I had ever met into a damn talkative cheerleader. “Well Lura it’s nice to meet you. Now could you tell me where I am?” I asked. “Ummmm……Z-Zelia’s….ma-manor.” This time she forced the words out more quickly so she wouldn’t shudder as much. Zelia? She must be this girl’s master. “Can you take me to her?” Not that I didn’t mind talking to this girl I just thought it would be easier to talk to her master. Besides, a look around this house might give me an idea of what this “Zelia” woman is like. “……uhhhh s-sure.” She quickly moved over to the door. For a small timid girl she sure could move! She led me out of the room and into a long hallway. The hallway looked as good as the room; someone worked hard to keep this place clean. The room I woke up in was at the end of the hall across from the windows. This looked to be a small wing of the house. The windows covered nearly the entire left side of the wall. Only a little bit of space was between each window and that was filled with small marble pedestals with busts and vases. The busts looked to be different types of Monster Girls and the vases looked to be those said Monster Girls performing sexual acts with men. At the end of the hall was a long stain glass window colored different kinds of red, green, blue and violet. It depicted a woman in armor standing victorious over the body of a Monster Girl (it had wings and a tail). Oh that was perfect, looked like this “Zelia” was just a wonderful individual. As we walked down the hallway I looked over on the right side. Several paintings covered the walls and each painting seemed to feature different Mamono except for one. One painting near the middle of the hallway featured a beautiful woman dressed in heavy armor, holding a shield in one hand and a mace in the other. On the right side of her chest plate sat what looked to be a crest of some kind. The crest featured the design of a sword and shield with a rose in the middle of the shield. Whoever this woman was she sure looks to be important. I followed the little girl out of the hallway and into what seemed to be the entrance hall. It was an expansive room, almost completely lit up by the chandelier in the center of the hall. Two staircases loop around to meet at the entrance of the hall with four or five different hallways leading in several directions left and right. We walked down the right stairway and into one of the left hallways. We walked quickly down another hallway; this one looked quite similar to the other hallway except there weren’t any marble pillars. I briefly glanced outside one of the windows and saw a clear open area followed by a stone wall. She stopped at the second door in the hallway and knocked once. After a faint voice said “Come in.” she opened up the door and we proceed in. The room looked to be a fairly large study with bookshelves along the walls, a small fireplace on one side and several relaxation chairs by each stool table. The windows were right across from the door and covered slightly by thin silk drapes. “You’re awake I see. Good, I was getting tired of waiting.” A female voice said as the wood in the fireplace crackled. I look over towards the fireplace and saw a woman sitting in a cozy chair. She was…..well…..radiant. She had beautiful white-tan hair, red eyes and a devilish smile. She wore a revealing violet dress with white fur along each of the edges. I stood there for a moment in complete awe. This woman was stunning! She finally walked over to me and put her hand on my cheek, breaking me from my long stare. “Are you going to stare at me all day or am I going to get a name?” She said. “M-my name is Alex.” I replied. This woman... there was something odd about her...something... supernatural. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I am Zelia, the mistress of this manor.” Her voice was alluring and soft yet held a tone of control and authority. Again the voice in my head was telling me to run for it but I couldn’t run, hell I couldn’t move my legs even if I wanted to. She just looked at me and smiled, did she see what was happening to me and be enjoying it? Who the hell was this woman? “I understand that you have questions for me. Is that right?” Zelia asked while grabbing a bottle of wine off of the wine rack in the corner of the room. “Y-yeah… I… d-did.” Great now I’m shuddering like Lura. Zelia looked over to me and motioned that I take a seat right next to her. I walked over to the fire place and slid down slowly onto one of the open chairs. She whispered something into Lura’s ear, Lura then slipped out the door and my host walked over and sat down on a chair across from me. She opened up the wine bottle and poured some into two Champagne glasses. What was this woman’s game? Why did she go through all this trouble for some random man she just met? I know men are rare in this world but still... things weren’t adding up. Before I could think any further, she interrupted my thoughts by handing me a glass. I smiled and she poured the wine into the glass. It was white wine, I took a quick sip, it was sweet white wine. I was never a person who liked the taste of wine but sweet white wine must be an exception. “It’s not wise to walk around alone. You were lucky one of my girls found you before something terrible happened.” Zelia said, breaking the silence. Her girl? So that girl Monster Girl that was chasing me from before worked for her? I need to start listening to that voice more. “What was that girl?” I asked, best to at least to at least try to find out a little more information on the situation. “You mean Nai? She is a ghoul.” She replied. ((Oh this is just getting better and better.)) “You’re new to this world aren’t you?” Zelia smirked. “Uh…you could say that, yeah.” She appeared to be quite perceptive…that or I was just that damn obvious about it. “I thought so. Allow me to enlighten you a little about this world.” She got up and walked over to the bookshelf. She pulled out a book and walked back over to me. “On this island reside many different species of Monster Girls.” Zelia opened up the book and handed it to me. The book was opened to a page about Ghouls. The picture in the book matched what the girl looked like with only a few minor differences. “As I think you already know all of these monsters are female and a lot of them are out to get men.” Her smile at this point had turned into a wild grin. I gulped and started flipping through the book. “Some monsters are aggressive while others are... seductive. I guess it just depends on how lucky you are.” Zelia had walked over to me and leaned her head onto my shoulders. “Uhh... How nice?” I said, I continued to flip through the book until I reached a monster called a Wight. My mouth started to gape open in horror. The picture in the book looked nearly identical to Zelia. She grinned deeply and breathed slowly into my ear. “Would you care to join me for lunch?” She whispered into my ear. |
aspicientisSep 15, 2014 9:44 AM
| Chapter 5: "The Beginnings of trouble, Part 2" I jumped out of chair and towards the fireplace, dropping the book unto the ground. Sweat started to trail down my face. God damn it, I should have known this woman was a Monster Girl and a powerful one at that! Zelia continued to smile at me, lust shoring in her eyes. “Uhh… That’s OK; I’m not very hun-“She cut me off by placing her finger onto my lips. “Nonsense, it’s already ready and everything, besides, the girls are just dying to meet you.” She grabbed a hold of my hand and prepared to whisk me away to a land of nightmares and endless rape when someone knocked on the door. “Yes?” Zelia looked rather annoyed but kept her demeanor and calm voice. “It’s Reina milady, I have some news you may want to hear.” The voice sounded very rushed yet polite. “Come in.” Zelia let go off my hand and set her glass onto the table. The woman opened the door and walked in……or rather floated in. I couldn’t believe my eyes, the woman was transparent. She had light green hair, cardinal red eyes and a calm neutral expression on her face. She wore only a simple dress with a little red ribbon on the front. She didn’t wear anything below her dress because well…..there was nothing to put on. She floated gracefully for a moment and bowed her head to Zelia. “I’m sorry to disrupt you, mistress, but we have a problem.” She kept her neutral face but her voice changed to a more serious and urgent one. The ghostly woman floated closer to Zelia and whispered a few things into her ear. I leaned in a little, hoping to hear something about the conversation. All I could make out was “The intruder has made it to the gate.” Intruder? That must be Alysia coming to save me yet again. Damn, that woman must seriously want to settle this whole draw thing badly! I leaned back and sunk myself into thought again. “I see, alright I’ll take care of it.” Zelia turned to me and let out a sigh which snapped me out of my deep thought. She looked to be a little disappointed but kept her usual features. “It seems lunch will be postponed until I wrap up some unfinished business. I’ll let Riena show you to the piano room where you may wait till I return. Excuse me.” Zelia smiled and licked her lips then walked out of the room. It looks like I’m safe…..for a little while at least. I need to figure out how to get out of here. Again I slipped into deep thought for a moment. “Ahem.” The woman knocked me out of my thought process and back into cruel reality. “Ah..um yes?” The woman looked at me with that neutral expression from before. “My name is Reina if you haven’t figured it out yet. I’ll show you to the piano room.” She sounded annoyed but still kept her neutral expression. “Ah… Ok.” It was all that I could think of to say at the moment. She opened up the door for me and followed after I was in the hallway. Reina lead me down the hallway and into the main hall. Outside I swore I heard faint sounds of metal clashing against metal and battle cries but Reina coaxed me forward and we kept moving. Alysia must be fighting hard to get to me, I have to help her! I tried to strike up a conversation with the woman. If I could slow her down a little then maybe I could buy myself and Alysia some time. Alas, every time I tried she would either ignore me or give me one lined answers. We crossed over to the other side of the main hall and down into another hallway. This hallway mimicked the one from across the main hall. We walked to the first door and Reina promptly opened the door. The room was expansive, not as big as the main hall but twice the size of the study. It looked to be a practice room for various types of instruments. I saw violins, trumpets, cellos, flutes, etc. but the instrument that caught my attention was the grand piano in the center of the room. It looked to be made of oak wood, symbols and designs carved into the sides of it. Out of all the instruments the piano was my hands down favorite. I had started to learn to play a few songs on it but I wasn’t exactly an expert yet, hell I wouldn’t even call myself past the beginner stage. Reina gestured that I sit down so I walked over to the flute section and sat. “If you excuse me I need to go help my master.” Reina floated over to the door. “So you’re just going to leave me here alone? That sounds responsible.” I said it as if an irresponsible mother was leaving her young child in a supermarket or something. She looked over to me with that neutral expression yet I could see anger and annoyance in her eyes. “You’re aren't alone.” She made it sound so ominous. Reina then floated out and closed the door. I’m not alone? Was she serious or was she trying to freak me out? Either way I wasn’t going to let it bother me. I had to start thinking of a way out of here. I could try the door but I was guessing she probably had that covered. I looked around for a window and saw two across the room. Yes! If I can climb out the window I could go and look for Alysia! I got up to try the windows when the piano started to play. I slowly turned my head over towards the piano and noticed that a small girl was sitting on the bench playing. The melody was so sad yet strangely beautiful. Where did she come from?! I sat up and walked closer to get a better look. The playing started to become steadier and steadier as I got closer until I placed my hand on the piano and the playing instantly stopped. I looked over to see the little girl…..well she looked like a little girl. She had purple hair and light violet eyes. She wore what seemed to be a purple cloak and a silver cross behind her head. She also had a small book with a skull on the front by her on the bench. The expression on her face was completely void of all emotion. “That was beautiful.” The comment was warranted as she did play wonderfully. She turned her head and looked at me. Her violet eyes glimmered with a mix of curiosity and sorrow. “Thank you.” Her voice was quiet and I almost couldn’t hear it. She jumped off the piano seat and approached me. I didn’t know what to expect so I tried to back away but I found that I couldn’t move my body. I looked over to see she had opened the book and was chanting underneath her breath while casting a violet flame in her other hand. Shit! This girl knows magic?! That’s fucking perfect! She leaned my forehead onto hers and started to chant something completely different than before. I was completely and utterly powerless to stop whatever she was doing to me. She then stopped chanting and lifted my head up. Releasing me from her spell, she closed her book and looked at me with those violet eyes of hers. “What did you just do to me?!” I grabbed at my head and felt around for any marks or scratches. “Peered into your mind.” She said it like it was something so natural to her. “Why?!” “To understand you.” “Why couldn’t you just ask questions?” “Because.” “Because?” “...” She just simple walked back over to the piano seat and sat down again. This girl is truly something else!! “Wait... W-what did you see?” Now I was worrying about what she may have seen. My escape plan (which at this point was fucked) or that the intruder was really a crazy salamander bent on kicking my ass the instant she saved me. Without even a word from her she started to play again but this time the music was much different. My eyes grew wide as she continued to play more of the song; it was Piano Man by Bill Joel. This girl had looked into my head and had learned to play a song that I had only listened to a few times. Instantly it finally clicked, I remembered seeing a picture of someone exactly like her in the book from earlier. “You’re a Lich...” She turned her head to me while still continuing to play. “Correct.” She spoke softly and a little louder than before. I stood there for a minute and tried to absorb everything that had just happened. She continued to play while I for some reason started to sing the lyrics. “Sing us a song, you’re the piano man! Sing us a song tonight. Well, were all in mood for a melody and you’ve got us feeling alright!” I had known the lyrics to this song for quite some time, after all this was a pretty got song. She continued to play and even seemed to enjoy my singing. After she finished the song she got up off the piano seat and walked to me again. I think it was time I asked this girl some questions. “Since you probably already know my name may I know yours?” I tried to sound calm but I found it hard because of everything this girl had just done to me. “Cholris.” Her voice was very mellow now, almost as if she had warmed up to me already. “It’s nice to meet you Cholris.” “Likewise, Alexander.” She was starting to sound almost happy. “Just call me Alex.” “Ok.” I had so many questions for this girl but one question I just had to get an answer to. “Why do you serve a Wight when you yourself are just as strong as her?” it was a very reasonable question and she turned to me, that near happiness fading to her usual emotionless face. “I do not serve her. We have a mutual contract.” Her tone had also returned to normal quiet yet soft voice. “Mutual Contract?” I looked at her with a curious face. She only slightly sighed. “The contract states as long as I provide her with my services now and then she allows me to stay her and provides me with money for my research.” She sat down next to me and looked into my eyes, she looked sad yet I did not see an ounce of regret or shame in her eyes. She started to move her hand through my hair and examine my face. What was she doing? “You have such a wonderful mind, too bad Zelia already called you. *Sigh* you would of made such a wonderful test subject.” Oh that sounds fantastic! Suddenly this girl went from a sad looking little girl to a crazy experimental scientist. Before Cholris could say or do anything else the door swing open and Reina along with Lura quickly entered. Thank god those two came just in time! Cholris looked over to see what the two wanted. “I’m sorry to bother you Cholris but lady Zelia has asked for your presence now.” Reina sounded exhausted and out of breath. I looked over to Lura who was hiding behind Reina slightly. “Fine.” Cholris stood up and suddenly started to float. This wasn’t very surprising but I was still taken back for a moment. “You’re coming too human.” Reina promptly grabbed my arm and pulled me onto my feet. “Wait what’s happening?!” I was completely taken in by the sudden change of atmosphere and pace. “Zelia is battling the intruder!” My heart sank for just a moment. Oh no… Alysia! |
aspicientisSep 15, 2014 9:44 AM
| Chapter 6: "The Beginnings of trouble, Part 3" We walked down the hall in a quick mannered fashion. Cholris was in front followed by Reina. Me and Lura were at the back walking a little slower than the other two in front. Lura appeared to be the only normal-ish girl I had met so far. That wasn't saying much but it was a start so I tried to talk with her a little. “So Lura, what was a young girl like you doing in a nightmarish place like this?” Wow…now that I said that it sounded like a horrible pickup line. “Uh… r-research.” She was getting better at not stuttering as much around me but still it was pretty bad. “Research? What would you be researching?” My curiosity was piqued, what was this girl researching? “I-I…am r-researching u-undead for my v-village.” Lura played with her fingers as she talked. ((Village?)) Suddenly more questions came up and my curiosity only grew larger. “Could you explain this “Village” a little for me?” Lura looked over to me and hesitated but soon after she nodded and began again. “I come from a v-village…..where w-we study diff-different types of M-monster Girls.” ((A village of girls just like her? Interesting.)) That begged the question. She looked over to me for a moment then continued. “W-we are doppelg-gangers s-so it’s na-natural for us to learn a-about other M-m-monster Girls.” My eyes widened, this girl was a Monster Girl and a very adapt one at that. It explained why this girl was so calm around everyone except for me. I must have been the first man she had met; nonetheless she was still shy around everyone. “Can you turn into those Monster Girls without learning them or do you need to learn about them first?” “We can c-change into the d-d-different races of m-monstergirl but w-we can only m-mimic there appear-appearance and v-voice. In o-order for us to l-learn about these di-different races then w-we travel and o-observe this d-different r-races and b-bring back w-w-what we know.” “You teach the others at the village what you know?” “Y-yes.” My eyes drifted over into her gaze and I tilted my head curiously. “Why haven’t I seen you transformed once while I’ve been here?” I hadn’t been here long but still I should have seen her at least once as a different monstergirl. “I was g-given orders by……Z-zelia not to c-change f-form while the h-human was h-here.” Lura sounded extremely nervous and looked around quickly to see if anyone heard her say that. “I enjoy seeing you like this anyway; you’re pretty cute after all.” I smiled and her face turned completely red. She quickly covered her face with her hands and looked away. ((Wow, she really is very shy.)) After my conversation with Lura was done I looked around while I walked. I had been so absorbed into my conversation with the little girl that I hadn’t noticed we were in another hallway. This hallway seemed a little different than the others, the paintings that usually covered the walls were missing and there was no sign of the usual pillars either. All that greeted us as we walked through was a line of windows and a long Turkish style rug. At the end of this unusual hall was a door, as we approached the door Reina stepped in front of us and opened the door. We quickly stepped through and were all greeted with a beautiful sight. It was a garden, a rather elaborate and expensive garden but a garden nonetheless. Several Rosebushes, both white and red, or wrapped around pillars of marble and granite. Other types of flowers such as daffodils, irises and chrysanthemums were also present in covered the ground around pillars. At the center of the garden sat a beautiful fountain. It looked to be a very traditional fountain with an angel sitting atop pouring a vase down into the first step in the water flowing down into the second, third and finally into the fourth pool until it disappeared into the fountain once again. We walked around the garden and slipped through a side gate entering the front yard. We continued to walk, passing a small graveyard along the way. I looked over to it to see almost every grave was dug out and empty. A quick shiver ran down my spine as we walked by. ((Oh that doesn't look good…)) Aside from the graveyard the front was rather simple yet elegant. Crisscrossing pathways snaked across the centerfold of the front. All these paths led either to the front gate or the front door. On each side of the different parts of the yard sat fountains which looked very similar to the one in the garden. A stone wall divided the front yard from the dark forest which looked to be where that ghoul from before caught me. Vines were growing all along the wall, leading all the way to the gate. The gate looked to be made of some sort of metal but I was too far away to know which type of metal. In the middle of the yard Alysia was staring Zelia down. Scattered around both of them were several beaten-down ghouls and zombies along with bones here and there. ((Wow, I knew Alysia was strong but that's really impressive.)) The two of them seemed to be having a conversation with each other, luckily enough I could hear it. “My my, quite a lot of fight in you little salamander.” Zelia holding longsword in a defensive position. “Where is he!?” Alyssa was holding her Claymore, ready to strike at any time. “I don't know what you’re talking about.” she wore playful smile across her face. “I won’t ask again whore, WHERE IS HE!?” Alysia was barely holding herself back from striking at Zelia. Before I could even make a sound I was instantly pulled back and my mouth covered by Cholris. I looked over to see she was observing their argument closely. ((Looks like she doesn't want me stopping this fight.)) “Why do you concern yourself with him? Are you his lover?” Zelia let out a chuckle, Alysia started to blush. “No! He’s……” she trailed off, looking away from her. A wide grin formed across Zelia’s face. “The more you ignore your lust the more it will build up.” Zelia couldn't help but laugh. “Shut up!” Alyssa instantly charged at her with a thrusting attack. Zelia simply deflected it with her sword and sidestepped Alysia. Alysia then tried to bash her sword against Zelia but she jumped back. Alysia charged in again only to have Zelia block the attack and jump onto the wall. She smiled and looked down on Alysia. “It would be so much easier if you just admitted that you wanted to fuck him.” this seemed to enrage Alyssa even more. She started to swing wildly at the wall, hoping to hit Zelia. Zelia was easily able to dodge every blow and simply jumped onto the ground. Again she charged in towards Zelia but again she sidestepped and pushed Alysia to the ground. Zelia picked up Alysia’s Claymore threw it back to her. “Try again little salamander.” at this point Alysia was almost completely on fire, her tail blazing fiercely. She picked up her Claymore and took a defensive battle stance. Zelia lifted her longsword into an offense stance and charged at Alysia. She arched her sword down towards Alyssa's shoulder but she was quickly blocked and Alysia jabbed her Claymore foreword. Zelia slipped by the attack and attempted to land a punch in Alysia's face but before she had the chance Alysia dropped her Claymore midway into her jab allowing her to grab Zelia’s fist. She tried quickly to strike with her longsword but Alysia’s headbutt hit her first and knocked her over. Zelia shook her head and rub the area where Alysia had hit. She continued to rub then reached in between her breasts (which I couldn't help but stare at) and pulled out a small mirror. It looked as though Zelia was checking her appearance. ((You've got to be kidding me, is she serious?)) Alysia looked as though she was becoming even more annoyed. “This is no time to be checking your makeup!” Zelia put the mirror away and looked at Alysia. “There is nothing wrong with looking her best all the time, besides after this I'll want to look good for my new man.” Zelia grinned and licked her lips. “I can't wait to play with him.” Alysia clenched her fists and stared her down. “Not on my watch!” Alysia charged in again, running straight towards Zelia. As she ran she picked up her Claymore and began to start striking Zelia. I stood and watched for several minutes as those two fought each other. It was obvious that Zelia was playing with her, not even trying most the time to fight back. Alysia kept trying different tactics in hopes to gain the upper hand it was no use, Zelia was just too quick. Finally both of them stopped and stared at each other. “Giving up?” Zelia smiled but it slowly faded as she looked at Alysia. Alysia’s tail had been blazing throughout the entire battle but now seem to have calmed down to a gentle flame that barely took the edge of her tail. Just as it was about to go out in instantly blazed up. The flame covered her entire tail and the flames were intense. I looked at Alysia's eyes and saw they were intense red and yellow. There was something different in her eyes, something that scared me and sent a chill right down my spine. With insane speed she bolted straight for Zelia, her Claymore in a jabbing position. Zelia blocked the attack but resorted to using both of her hands. The expression on Zelia’s face had completely changed, she finally got serious. Alysia started to swing wildly at her like a child swinging a stick around in the air. Zelia dodged and blocked all of the attacks by them as though she was actually having trouble. She quickly kicked Alysia in the stomach and jumped back. This kick actually knocked Alysia down but she immediately got back up and got into position to charge again. “Enough of this.” Zelia stabbed her sword into the ground and raised her hands, instantly large transparent claws formed where her hands originally were. As Alysia charged at the Wight, she easily grabbed her and picked her entire body up. Alysia struggled to get free but Zelia only clenched her claws more as she struggled. Finally Alysia stopped struggling and Zelia dropped her on the ground. “Time to end this.” Zelia pulled her sword out of the ground and got into an executioner position. I had to stop Zelia before she struck the final blow. Alysia had always been a bitch to me but she didn't deserve to die. I looked to Cholris and Reina; it looked as though the Lich was pretty wrapped up in the fight but Reina was keeping a watchful eye on me. There was no way I could just run right to her as Reina could easily stop me before even made it halfway there. I stood there will for a second and thought when a crazy idea came to me. I tugged on Reina’s dress; she looked over to me in her usual neutral expression hiding a mild amount of annoyance and discontent. “What?” She asked before I pulled her down and planted a kiss onto her lips. She quickly pushed me off, her cheeks were bright red. Before she even had a moment to say anything I ran straight towards Zelia. She was quickly behind me but Cholris intervened. “Out of the way Cholris!” She couldn’t control her voice anymore as she was yelling now. “I cannot.” Cholris simply said. “What! Why?!?” “I must check to see if you received any of his saliva.” She got closer and closer to Reina as she backed away. It would have been funny to see what happened to Reina but for now I had to focus on getting to Alysia before it was too late. As I got closer to Zelia I could her saying something while preparing to finish Alysia off. “You fought hard Salamander. You deserve a nice long rest now.” She raised her sword up, read to drop it down. ((NOO!!!)) She brought it down but stopped herself. Her blade was mere inches away from my chest. I sighed, a few seconds later and Alysia would have been a goner. She looked over to me with a very serious expression. “Darling could you please move? I need to finish her so we can get to lunch.” Her serious expression changed into a small smile and her voice sounded very calm. “No.” I replied, looking her straight into her face with a serious expression. I was sick and tired of all this crap this woman put me and Alysia through; it was about time it ended. Her smile quickly faded and her serious expression returned. “Move human, now.” Her voice was harsh and cold, it was obvious she was losing patience. “No.” my voice was firm and unchanging but a large amount of fear was starting to build in my gut. “I won’t ask again, move now!” Her voice was filled with anger, she was barely holding back her pent-up fury. “I won’t move!” I stood my ground but my feet at this point were shaking uncontrollably, I had a feeling something bad was going to happen. She suddenly exploded at me all her anger and fury at me. “How dare a lowly human disobey my orders! Why would you protect a weak salamander when you have me? WHAT DOES SHE HAVE THAT I DON’T HAVE?!?!?” Although her tone was filled with anger I could feel a hint of sadness within her voice. The fear in my gut combined with the shaking of my legs really set me off but I stood my ground and answered her. “She has a heart, something you will never have. She truly cares about me; to her I’m more than just food, I’m an actually living creature. I would rather get beaten up fighting her then be given pleasures beyond my wildest dreams by you.” Everything I said was true, all of it coming straight from my heart (Worst organ in the entire body). Zelia looked at me for a moment, her rage and fury from before completely vanished. She stood there for a moment, her head tilted down, holding her sword. My heart started beating fast for some reason. ((I think I hit a nerve… shit. Shit. SHIT!)) The voice in my head was telling me to run, just start running and don’t look back but I stood there and waited. After a minute Zelia lifted her head back up, her usual smile adored that shining, beautiful face. “I see… Well if that’s how you feel about it they why don’t I bury you both together!” She raised her sword again, her face filled with rage and sadness. It almost looked as if she was crying but before I had even another moment to think Zelia’s blade met flesh and I fell to the ground. Blood was flowing out of me at an alarming rate. I looked up to see Zelia readying to finish me off when Cholris intervened and stopped her as my sight failed me and the world turned to black yet again. |
| Chapter 7:"The beginnings of trouble, Part 4" “Ugh.” I let out a slight moan of exhaustion and pain and opened my eyes. A quick look around told me that it was the same room in which I originally found myself in. I pushed myself up to see Alysia sitting in the chair next to my bed, fast asleep. I hadn’t ever gotten a chance to take a look at her face, she was quite beautiful. I leaned over and started to stroke her light red hair. After a few minutes I retracted my hand only to have her grab me and stare into my eyes. I could only help but smile. “Uh... Good morning.” I was shaking a little as the words left my mouth. She just looked at me then jumped onto the bed and pinned my legs and arms down. I looked into her eyes; they were filled with lustful intent. “Alysia what’s go-“she stopped me in my tracks with a deep kiss. I could feel her tongue penetrate deep into my mouth, exploring every part. Her hands slid across my chest and moved down toward my lower body. They felt cold at first but quickly warmed up and start playing and handling my delicate parts. Our lips finally parted but before I could say anything word she placed a finger on my lips. She leaned in and whispered into my ear. “Shh no need to say anything, just relay and let me have some fun.” This helped my friend rise up which seemed to really please her. She smiled at me and started to kiss my chest, slowly making her way down to my groin. Her kisses started to get me even hotter and made me start to shake and tremble. I was almost tempted to moan but I held it in with all my remaining strength (Which was quickly diminishing). Both her hands were at work down there and now that her head had joined them she was ready to start blowing my mind. She was kissing my downstairs friend gently when suddenly there was a knock on the door. Alysia raised her head, looking refreshingly annoyed. “What!?” Her tone was harsh and annoyed. “It’s Reina. I have a message from Zelia. Is this a good time?” She asked with her usually neutral tone present as ever. “No-“I quickly jumped in and interrupted Alysia. “Yes, its fine. I just woke up anyway.” Instantly a surge of pain swept through my groin. I looked down to see Alysia squeezing on my hanging attachments. ((That’s what I get for stopping her fun time.)) “Understood, I shall wait out here until you’re ready.” Reina replied. “Great, that woman ruined the mood.” Alysia jumped off the bed and crossed her arms. ((Was she pouting like a child? Wow.)) I quickly followed suit, several questions were swirling around in my head. “Alysia?” She looked over at me. “What the hell is going on?” I tried to look as serious as I possibly could after what had almost happened. She scratched her head and stood there for a moment. “Hard to explain but from what I know that lich saved you. I woke up a few minutes after she healed you. So during the last few days I’ve been sitting here watching over you.” She looked down a little while saying that last part. That explained how I woke up here. Unfortunately her answers brought up even more questions. “Wait, how long have I been out?” I was starting to sound frantic now. I didn’t want Alysia to have waited to long for my sorry ass to recover. In all fairness I should give her points for being that attentive, however, but another question I should ask was why she stayed with me. “Only 2 days. It could have been far longer due to considering how bad the injury was.” She walked over to the door. “Oh, one last thing.” She looked over at me. “Yeah?” Oh now I was scared. She was eyeing me over with that lustful look of hers. “I was still mildly conscious when Zelia dropped me so I heard what you said. No one has ever said that to me before so I thought I should thank you.” She smiled, something I was not very used to seeing yet. “So does that explain… you know… that whole thing a minute ago?” She instantly blushed. “Oh…. umm…. No. That was something entirely different.” ((Entirely different? Oh, that sounds perfect)) She couldn’t help but keep smiling while I gave her a particularily fearful look. She then waved her hand. “Oh don’t worry about it you baby. I’ll be out in the hall if you need me. Or should I stay and help the crybaby put on his pants?” She laughed and I would have too if it weren’t for the fact that I was the butt of the joke. I simply pointed to the door and looked around for my shirt. She giggled at my frustration (Both from the joke and my clumsy search for a shirt) and left the room. I shortly found a pair of pants and a shirt and promptly got dressed. At this point nothing was making sense but I decided to just go with the flow so to speak and not question it. I opened up the door to the familiar sight of Reina and Alysia waiting for me. They were both giving each other somewhat menacing stares but nothing too hostile. Reina led us down the familiar hall and to the study where Zelia was waiting for us. She opened the door for us, we walked in and the door shut as soon as we’d entered. It all felt to be adding up into a trap but I ignored the feeling. As soon as we walked in we were greeted by the smell of fresh tea and Zelia’s calm voice. “I trust that you had a pleasant sleep?” she was sitting pleasantly in a chair placed in front of a table. She gestured for us to take a seat and offered us some tea which we accepted. I took a sip of tea and looked over to Alysia. She just played with her cup and sat down. Zelia looked over to me and smiled. “Looks like you recovered quickly.” She started rubbing my leg and Alysia quickly shot Zelia a look, making her pull back her arm. “Easy there salamander, I’m only wishing to be friendly.” She retorted. “Then keep your hands to yourself hag.” Alysia sipped her tea and became quiet again. “Fair enough. As you can see I don’t want to fight.” Zelia took a sip and looked over to at me. “I only wish to talk to you about something. I know we got off on the wrong foot so please let me express my apologies for the trouble I’ve caused you both.” Alysia nearly bolted up in rage. “Trouble? Trouble doesn’t even describe half of the bullshit you put us through!” I held her back before she was able to take a step towards. “Please calm down Alysia. That’s all behind us now; let’s just focus on the present,” I said, wondering why in hell I was defending Zelia after the shit she put me through. “I know that I’ve done a few things that may have seemed a bit….. rash, but try to understand men are rare, especially unbroken men like yourself.” She continued to sip her tea without a care in the world. To me and Alysia she looked like a complete bitch but I was in no mood to go through another fight Alysia would surely lose. “Yes yes, we accept you apology now why did you call us here?” Zelia stood up and walked over to a cabinet in the corner of the room. She opened one of the drawers and pulled out a small ornamental box. It looked to be covered in silver with inlaid emerald, sapphire and ruby stones/gems. She opened it up and pulled out a small brown-looking bag. She placed the box back into the drawer and walked back to us. She placed the small bag onto the table and slid it over to us. I was cautious but figured “What the hell” so I pulled the bag over and opened it up. It seemed to be filled with gold coins. “You think you can just buy us over with a few shiny coins? Alysia sounded annoyed and angry again. Zelia waved her hand dismissively. “Consider them ha part of my apology but also a formal business offer.” She smiled. “But before we start I again want to offer you my deepest apologies.” She bowed her head to us. “Even if I am a Wight that doesn’t mean I should act like one.” Alysia merely blew it off but I bowed slightly back to her. This instantly gained me a look of annoyance from Alysia but she kept quiet. “Now on to business. I was hoping you would listen to my business offer.” Zelia sipped her tea and smiled. “Hell n-“Again I cut off Alysia before she could finish her sentence. “Please continue.” Right after I said that Alysia pulled me in close so that we could have a little private chat. “What the hell are you doing? Are you insane?” She whispered. “It’s only polite. Besides what harm could hearing her out do?” She sighed. “Do whatever you want.” She looked worried so I placed my hand on her shoulder. “Trust me, I’m a doctor.” I smiled but this didn’t remove any of her worry, In fact I think it actually annoyed her. “Whatever.” She leaned away from me and rested her head against the side of the chair. Zelia curved her lips and began talking. “As you know my girls patrol around entire area, scaring off any curious or malicious monsters.” Zelia looked out the window. “This particular area also gives my girls additional strength and power they wouldn’t normally have, but there’s a catch.” She looked over at me. “They cannot travel past the forest. Only I, Cholris, Lura and Reina may leave this area without being affected.” “And what do you want us to do about it?” I asked. “Oh nothing, but there is something else that is related to this that you may help me with.” She took a quick sip of her tea. “I have several trips planned in the future and the journey will be long and dangerous.” ((Wait…..is she…)) “You want us to be your escorts?” “Well… If you put it that way then yes.” She looked at me again with those unusually supernatural beautiful eyes filled with lust and temptation. I've neglected to mention that every time these girls (Alysia and Zelia) gave me lustful gazes at my downstairs area began to get excited. I saw this as a potential problem so every once in a while I shifted it so became less obvious but this didn't seem to help me at all. Every time I did shift both of them would notice and my efforts would be in vain. “Why us? Why would you hire a mere human and salamander when you clearly have enough money to hire more highly trained professionals?” Zelia gave me a wink due to my shifting but Alysia was watching her closely. “You both have piqued my interest. The salamander’s strength is more than you know and your courage is something rare. Most men become broken husks due to madness or depression.” Oh that sounded like something to look forward to in the future if I didn’t watch myself. Alysia only rolled her eyes. “Do we have an accord?” she smiled. “Almost. One more question. Are you sure you don’t want someone else?” Zelia simply laughed at my complete lack of faith in myself. “I can think of no other. Now do we have an accord?” She reached out her hand. “Yes.” I grasped it and we shook hands. Alysia immediately jumped up and headed to the door. “I assume your letting us go now, right?” She asked, Zelia couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, but of course. Feel free to leave whenever you see fit.” “Finally, Alex lets go. I think we have had enough of this place for a while.” She opened the door and walked out. I began to follow her but turned around and looked at Zelia. “Thank you.” She gave me a puzzled look. “For what?” she asked. “For sparing Alysia.” I smiled. She smiled back but I could feel a hint of lingering sadness. “Oh don’t mention it.” She started to wave her hand and put on a genuine smile. I turned and quickly followed after Alysia, shutting the door behind me. Earlier that day (Before I awoke): Zelia set the letter down on the table, the seal on the front depicting a whip surrounded by rose petals. "That bitch..." She slowly sipped at her tea to contain her rage. "Carmilla, mistress?" Reina asked. "She’s becoming quite the problem. I didn't think she would work this fast..... No matter." She took another sip of her tea and looked over to the fire. "I’ll deal with her in due time. Have our contacts agreed to support?" "All but two mistress." Reina replied. "Let me guess.... Lathmir and Uke." "They both wish to meet with you first." Reina offered more tea. Zelia accepted and handed her tea cup to her. "Ugh. I guess there is no way around it. Inform them both that I will be visiting soon." Reina handed the cup back to her. "Right away. Who will you be visiting first mistress?" "Lathmir. We will visit after she’s done with that pitiful tournament." "Yes mistress." Reina quickly made her way to the door. Before she opened up the door she looked over to Zelia. "What of the human?" Reina questioned. "Check on his condition. If he is well enough bring him to me." "At once mistress." Reina quickly exited the room. Zelia looked over to the fire and watched the flames. "And so it begins.....I know your there Cholris.” She looked over to one of the empty seats by the table. Instantly Cholris materialized out of thin air. “Your perception is accurate.” Cholris reached for a tea cup and examined it. “As it should be. What brings you out of your lab?” Zelia walked over and sat down; she took Cholris’s cup and filled it with tea. Cholris gave her an emotionless expression and sipping the tea. “I require some information. Perhaps you could tell me why you snapped and attacked the human?” Zelia looked over to her with a cold stare. “Some things are better left unsaid.” Cholris tilted her head. “Struck a nerve?” Zelia slowly put down her tea and looked deeply into Cholris eyes. “Call it a moment of weakness, nothing more.” Cholris continued to watch her. “Don’t develop feelings for a human you plan to rid yourself of later.” Cholris sipped her tea. Zelia slammed her fist onto the table. “Mind your own business Cholris!” Zelia barely controlled her rage. Cholris simply kept sipping her tea and slowly disappeared again. “Quite a unique individual, isn’t he?” Cholris’s last words echoed in the air for a moment. “Yes he is…..” Zelia replied, sitting there while a tear rolled down her cheek. Picture drawn by Kami to show the fighting! http://postimg.org/image/ig4vw91gt/ |
| Chapter 8: "Rape from Above!" We promptly gathered our things and headed out. Everyone was standing outside so we could say our goodbyes. Zelia waved us off from the front door while Cholris took a few hair samples and waved us off. Lura came up to me and gave me a small bag. I reached into the bag and pulled out a piece of paper. After looking at the paper I noticed it was a map that detailed major cities in the different realms of the island. It also showed that village of doppelgängers she had mentioned earlier. Additionally there was a bottle filled with some sort of black substance. When I asked her what it was she only told me it was something I should use in case of emergencies. I was in no mood to find out now so I just thanked her for it and gave her a hug. The hug completely caught her off guard and she started to blush uncontrollably. After the hug we said our goodbyes and walked out into the forest. It didn’t look as scary or menacing as before but we were both still on guard. From the bushes we could see several ghouls watching us, it seemed like they were ordered just to observe us leave. We quickly made our way out of the forest into the fresh, grassy plains again. It was nice to once again feel the fresh ocean breeze against my face. We continued to travel along the road for a few hours. I looked over to Alysia; something seemed to be bothering her. She occasionally looked over but she usually looked ahead. I began to worry about her as she wasn't acting herself at all. I decided to ask her the next time we’d make camp. When the sun began to set we found a good place to set up camp. The moon shone down on us as Alysia cooked some fresh deer. It would have tasted so much better with a little salt but I didn’t complain; my mind was set on different matters. “Beautiful night isn’t it?” ((What was it with me and terrible pickup lines?)) “Yes, very beautiful.” The fire lit her entire face allowing me to see her beautiful features. “The deer was quite good.” I replied. It was the only thing that I could think aside from her glowing radiance. “I know what you’re doing. If you want to know just ask, I hate beating around the bush.” I gulped, not expecting her to see through my (obvious) attempts at learning about her. “Problem!” I thought for a moment; had to choose my words carefully. “It’s… uh… It’s about…” I grabbed onto her arm, my surprise lunge nearly knocking her over. “I’m so damn worried about you! I just want to know what has been bothering you this whole day!” I didn't know what possessed me to say it like that but it was the truth nonetheless. She looked at me; her worry seemed to be instantly replaced by lust but before she could act on those impulses she pulled back. She looked at me again, sadness filling her eyes. “I… I’ve been struggling with my urges… I… I can’t seem to control myself around you anymore… I want you!” My concern was instantly replaced with sorrow. Before her fight with Zelia she had acted so cold towards me but now….. now she was barely able to control herself. Were those words I said to Zelia truly that meaningful to her? I tried to reach for her but she pushed me away. “No! I can’t lose to these urges… I can’t!” She was fighting so hard to contain her lust but I could see was it slowly consuming her. I had come to a crossroads: do I sit here and watch her struggle through the pain? Or do I help her release it? I quickly made up my mind. I knew she wasn’t going to like the choice I had made but I was sick and tired of everyone I knew suffering around me while I sat back and watched. I grabbed Alysia and embraced her. She resisted at first but soon gave in and nuzzled her head against my chest. I gently brushed her hair and whispered into her ear. “I’m all yours.” I gently kissed her head and continued to brush her hair. She was silent for a second until she pushed me to the ground and whispered into my ear. “Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.” She wasted no time in undressing me. I gently kissed her neck while she pulled my clothes off. Throwing my pants aside she quickly started her work on my dick. It wasn’t long before I was ready for action. She looked at me and smiled; she was happy and that was all that mattered. Alysia was ready to get things started but a pair of claws appeared out the darkness and pulled her off me. I looked up in surprise to see that the wyvern had returned. Before I could make a sound I was quickly carried away by the wyvern. Soon the light of the fire disappeared and my sight blurred for a moment. The light of the moon illuminated the sky as the wyvern carried me to some place unknown. I could feel the wind brush against my manhood as I was carried through the air. It was a reasonably cold night but it could have been much worse so I covered him as best as I could and hoped the ride would end soon. My wish was soon granted as I was dropped down onto the ground. I wouldn’t call it a soft landing but it didn’t hurt too much. I looked around for my captor but not for long as she quickly jumped onto me and pinned my arms and legs. Her lips quickly stopped mine from moving and her tongue penetrated into my mouth. After a moment she broke off the kiss. “Don’t worry love, I’ll be gentle.” She gave a quick smile; this was going to be a long night. After my long ordeal with the Wyvern was finished she draped herself around me and stared into my eyes. She looked to be worried but at the same time full of hope. “Did you really mean what you said? Do you really love me?” This woman did just rape me but I did feel just a little sad for deceiving her. I tried to think of something but came up short so I just did the next best thing; I grabbed onto her and hugged her. She was completely shocked and surprised but accepted the hug. “My name is Olivia. May I ask what yours is?” She looked so happy. I opened my mouth to reply but before I could answer leave Alysia charged out from the bushes. She was screaming something along the line of “ruining a romantic moment”. Olivia jumped up in time to avoid Alysia’s stampede but I was less fortunate. She sent me flying into the air and over into some bushes. My sight and hearing were starting to fail but what I did hear was a mixture of yelling and feeling myself getting moved before passing out. (One thing I wanted to clarify with this scene... I loved writing it. I knew it was going to be counted as an awful H-scene but I honestly didn't care, I loved writing it.) |
aspicientisSep 15, 2014 9:55 AM
| Chapter 9: "Company and Its Privileges." “Agh my head…” I rubbed the area where Alysia had tackled me. Aside from a bruise or a cut here and there I was fine. I found myself leaning against a tree while Alysia was fighting Olivia, swinging wildly and shouting curse words left and right. “Stop running and fight me Bitch!” Alysia yelled, stomping her feet on the ground. Olivia jumped onto a nearby tree branch and laughed. “Why would I fight for an ugly slave trader like you?” Olivia chuckled while Alysia blew up again and started to attack the tree, chipping away at it to no avail. Olivia jumped and landed onto the ground. Alysia charged at her but she jumped again to avoid the attack. “Stand still so I can cut you up into little bitty pieces!” Alysia shouted but Olivia simply blew her off and continued to fly around laughing. I finally got sick and tired of all this crap and got up to try and stop the fight. “Alysia this is getting us nowhere! Let’s just sit down and talk about this…” Alysia instantly shot me a glare. “Shut up and keep out of this!” Olivia noticed that I had gotten up and flew over to me with lightning speed. She tackled me to the ground, knocking the wind out of me. “I was worried about you Love!” she exclaimed. Her grip was quite powerful but what struck me was that my head rested right between her large boobs. They felt so firm yet soft but I was instantly knocked out of the sweet release of Olivia’s pillow boobs as Alysia charged in again. I broke out of the hug and jumped up to stand between the two girls, effectively separating them. “Move damn it, Bitch needs to pay!” Alysia was steaming mad. I worried if I could actually calm her down but I shoved the fear into the deepest part of my mind and cleared my throat. “Alysia that’s enough, this isn’t solving anything!” “Why are you defending her?! She stole you from me right before the good part started!!” Alysia growled. “I only stepped in because I thought you were a slave trader transporting him to the pits.” Olivia jumped into the conversation. Alysia turned her attention back to her. “Do I look like a slave trader to you?!” Alysia yelled. Olivia didn’t say anything but nodded in agreement and enraged Alysia more. “Alysia calm down, she was just trying to help.” Alysia turned back to me again, giving me a death glace. “Why are you trying to help her when she raped you? Do I need to beat you first to knock some sense into that head of yours?” I gulped and backed away; Alysia gave me a quick smirk then turned her attention back to Olivia. “Why did you rape him after you saved him?” Olivia got up and stayed behind me. This seemed to annoy Alysia but she didn’t do anything. “A sudden urge came over me and I… couldn’t control it…” She glanced at me then leaned in close, her breath tickled my ear. “I hope you enjoyed my first time…” ((Her first time? Oh I am such a bastard…)) She started to blush which prompted Alysia to slam her foot onto the ground. “Tell me… how would you like to die today bitch? Cut to pieces or beaten to death? Let’s just do both!” Alysia raised her sword and readied to strike. “I could be of use to you.” Olivia blurted out. She grinned and held me close. This stopped Alysia, if only momentarily sparing Olivia. “What could you possibly offer that would be of use to us?” Alysia was growing steadily impatient. “I have quite a bit of knowledge about this Island that I would be willing to share also I can fly and I’m sure you didn’t overlook that perk.” She briefly winked at me then continued. “I’m willing to share all of this with you in exchange for accompanying you and him.” Her whole “sales pitch” did nothing to Alysia but I on the other hand saw the potential use later down the road (I’d be lying if I didn’t say sex wasn’t one of those reasons). “Would you excuse us? We need a moment to think about your generous offer.” I smiled and pulled Alysia over to the side. “What the hell are you doing? I don’t want her coming with me; she’s a man-stealing bitch!” Alysia started to gripe about her to my ear. “Ok just hear me out about this. Her abilities might actually be very useful, especially her flying.” Alysia just looked at me, obviously she saw through my ruse and selfish desire to fly a wyvern. I rethought my plan of attack and threw out another idea. “We could use her superior knowledge to assist us in future endeavors.” Again Alysia started at me, seeing straight through my plan. I only had one plan of attack left; if it didn’t work then I was completely screwed. “Pretty please Alysia? I promise I won’t screw her more than you. Pretty please?” I did my very best puppy dog eyes and everything I could think of to sway her. Alysia finally broke her eye stare and sighed. *Pat pat* Looks like I won. “Fine but make sure that bitch knows to keep her hands off of you.” Alysia said. She stood back up and looked at Olivia. “You can come with us, but…” Alysia got closer to Olivia. “If you try to rape him again then I’ll kill you.” Alysia lifted her blade but and sheathed it. She walked towards me and laced her arm on my shoulder. “Your ass is mine the instant we get to town.” She leaned in close. “And this time… I won’t be gentle.” she smiled then kept walking. A cold chill ran down my spine. Alysia gathered up her stuff and got ready to go. It didn't take long before we were on the road. The three of us walked as the sun rose over in East. This prompted Alysia to stay close to me and watched her movements carefully. Olivia simply smiled, amused that she was trying to protect me. I sighed and tried to ignore them both. I was looking forward to finally making it to town so that I could find more information on this strange island. I knew that Olivia would have some information on this strange island but I was reluctant to ask for due to Alysia’s feelings about me being around Olivia. We walked for what felt like hours, slowly coming up on the ocean. We decided to stop for lunch on the beach. Alysia started the fire while Olivia gathered food. I sat on one of the nearby logs and watched Olivia help Alysia prepare the food. Sitting there watching them prepare the food truly made me feel like I was helpless. Humans in this world must feel absolutely worthless due to being overpowered by such monstrous strength each one of these creatures possessed. Alysia turned her back for a moment to stroke the fire with her tail while Olivia cooked the fish when I decided I would get up and look at the ocean. I walked over to the tide and watched it for several minutes. I was used to seeing the beach at home: the waves, the ocean breeze, it was all familiar to me. I sat down and placed my hand on the wet sand. It was cool to the touch and relaxing. I stared at the ocean for several minutes waiting for either of the girls to call me over for lunch when a young girl suddenly jumped out of the water and pinned me to the ground. Her hands and feet were webbed and she wore a dark-blue one-piece swimsuit. A pair of pointy, blue ears stuck out from under her dark hair, contrasted by a pair of yellow eyes on an impassive face. She looked at me with a very neutral expression. “Uhh Alysia he-“She covered my mouth before I could call out to Alysia. She didn't smile or say even a word; she simply started to undo my pants. “Woah, ok you don’t want to do that. I'm not really husband material!” I knew this wasn't going to stop her but I had to try at least. Surprisingly this did prompt her to tilt her head and look at me for a moment but that was it. She finished undoing my pants and slowly started to slide my dick inside her when Olivia kicked her off. She pulled me up and pulled me back away from the girl. Olivia’s kick hadn’t really hurt her much but at least she was off of me. Alysia ran in and tackled her to the ground. “You think I’m going to let a Sahuagin like you take my man?! Hell no!” She picked the girl up and pulled her on her feet. I expected Alysia to start beating the crap out of the girl but surprisingly she simply scolded her then asked Olivia to take her out the ocean. Olivia picked her up and flew out towards the ocean without the girl showing any kind of emotion. I followed Alysia back to the campfire and looked over at her. I had never seen Alysia not attack someone that was trying to steal me. I had to find out more about this. “So… no beating that girl to a pulp?” I inquired. “What? Why would I do that? She was just interested in you, besides she hadn’t done anything bad to you yet so no harm no foul.” she replied. This new side of Alysia caught me by surprise. I didn't expect her to show mercy to a monster that tried to rape me. “So… what if she had raped me?” I questioned. “I would have ended her right where she stood.” she said, taking a sip of the stew she and Olivia had been working on. ((Looks like she’s not as merciful as I thought she was. Mental note taken for future reference.)) By the time we finished talking Olivia had gone back and we started to eat. After we had finished eating we started on the road again. While we walked along the beach I noticed a palm tree. I smiled and picked one up, the perfect idea came to mind. I asked Alysia if I could borrow a knife. She hesitated at first but after a moment of thought resigned her doubts and handed me one. I worked quickly to cut the coconut in half and scrape the inside out. I dislike coconut intensely so I handed the coconut shavings to Olivia. She looked like she didn’t mind taking them. Now what I had left was a clean coconut shell, and I was ready to perform my devious act of pure annoyance. With each two steps I clapped the shells together and made a “clop clop” sound as if I was riding a horse. After a few minutes Alysia turned around, snatched the shells out of my hand and crushed them under her feet. She followed this up by glaring at me and continued to walk. I sighed at the abrupt end of my performance but Olivia quickly restored my happy mood by handing me another coconut. I looked over at her and saw that she was smiling while giving me a thumbs-up to continue. I cut and scraped it out with a grin and started to annoy Alysia again with the “clop clop “noise but this time hum the Monty python theme. This pissed of Alysia to no end which prompted her to grab the coconuts out of my hands and chuck them into the sea followed by her “Don’t keep doing that” scolding. Completely worth it. A few hours later we reached the outskirts of the port. It was larger than I expected for a fishing port. The main road was curved in the shape of a “Є” due to the small hill the port was built on. The layout of the port reminded me of San Francisco's street layout. The market sat directly in front of the middle road at the base of the hill. At the center of the three-way of roads there was a large structure. It looked to be some sort of shrine but I would have to see it close up to confirm that. The sun was finally setting on the sea. Alyssa took a deep breath and exhaled. “Ahh, almost home,” Alysia said before pointing at a particular house along one of the main streets. “That is where I live, see?” I looked over to where she was pointing and saw a bright, flickering light coming from around the house. “What’s that light?” I asked. She gave me a puzzled look while I showed her. Her face turned white and she instantly bolted towards town. “Not again... Medus you old bastard!” she yelled. We quickly ran after her. “Medus?” |
aspicientisSep 15, 2014 9:55 AM
| Chapter 10: "Alysia's Passion" I followed after Alysia as fast as I could. It didn’t help that she was apparently a star athlete or something because she bolted through the city at an alarming rate. The fact that Olivia decided to take to the sky and leave me alone while I ran through the city didn’t help. As I ran through the streets I felt like a piece of meat being dragged through a street filled with hungry dogs. Most of the girls gave me a passing glance while others watched me intently but none of them made a move for me, I assumed it was because Olivia was close enough to me. I finally caught up to Alysia outside her home. She was watching the house next to hers burn together with an old man holding a bottle of wine and laughing about something. The old man looked to be in his late 50’s with white hair and green eyes. He wore a blacksmith’s apron with pants and leather boots. She gave him a quick smack which shut him up. She then grabbed him and dragged him inside her house with her usual pissed off expression. Somehow I imagined she would be doing that to me a lot in the future. Completely ignoring the fire next door, (The homeowner plus some other monsters had it under control…I think) I looked Alysia’s home over. It was a two story building, very basic and simple with wooden shutters on the windows. A sign hung about the door reading “Medus’s Blacksmith Shop”. Standing out in the cold wasn’t going to get me anywhere so I followed the two of them inside. The first room was filled with various types of weapons and armor. This man truly knew how to make a wide variety of weapons. I looked over to the side and beheld a beautiful crystal blade. It was magnificent in every way Imaginable but I quickly looked away from it. I knew it must cost a fortune and the man would probably never part with it even if I offered him a fortune for it. A quick last glance at the glowing weapon gave me its name. ((Blue Blade ehh? I shall keep a note of you for later!)) I found Alysia and the old man in the back of the store arguing about something. With little to do I decided to join the conversation (Stupid idea). “Alysia?” I asked. She gave me a quick glare then went back to arguing with the old man. I backed off instantly but stayed within earshot of the conversation. “I don’t…*Hiccup* know what the big deal is…” The old man said. Alysia looked to be utterly livid with him while he seemed completely nonchalant. “You burned down the neighbor’s house… AGAIN!” Her face was a bright re while her tail blazed. He simply took another swig from his bottle. “Oh that? I didn’t do…*Hiccup* it this… time.” He kept a constant smile through the talk. “Who else could of done it aside from your drunk lazy ass?!” She asked, clutching her fists. “She did…*Hiccup* that herself this time…*Hiccup* It was… funny to watch…” He chucked a bit. Alysia instantly gave him a quick blow to the neck and he was on the floor out cold. She gave a quick sigh and shook her head. “God my choice in men…” She turned and looked over at me. I nervously smiled at her and ducked back into the shop. I heard footsteps from upstairs and assumed she was putting the man to bed for the night. I entered back into the room and saw her coming down from the steps. She looked to be calmed down and in control again. “I’m sorry this all happened today.” She said. It was surprising to hear her apologize for anything, even if it was her fault (Which to her it never was). “Oh no it’s fine; I’m growing more and more used to this type of thing.” I smiled and tried to pass it off with a laugh. The truth was I was starting to get used to being taken through these shenanigans on a daily basis but I wasn’t THAT adjusted to it yet. She just returned the smile and took my hand. “Here, I’ll show you to your room.” We walked up the stairs to the end of the hall. She opened the door on the right and showed me in. It was a very plain and simple room yet it felt homey. A very basic bed was in the right corner accompanied by a small wooden writing desk with a window slightly above it. A plain wooden dresser was in the left corner. She leaned in close to me. “I’ll be up to claim my prize after I’ve had a short talk with the neighbor.” I could feel her warm breath against my cold skin. “Get comfortable.” I gulped then nodded my approval to her. Upon her leaving she winked at me and shut the door. I walked over to the bed and laid down, my mind racing with all the things Alysia was going to do to me later. It had already been quite the day and I was extremely tired but I just had one more thing to take care of before I could finally lay myself down and dream. I closed my eyes and started to drift off into the clouds of dreamland when a gust of wind blew into the room. I forced my eyes open and was met with the sight of Olivia on top of me. A large grin was smeared across her face as she slowly took off my shirt. “Oh, so now you show up…” Olivia winked and pulled off my shirt completely. I gave her a disappointed look but she ignored it. “Just relax love; I’m here to make you feel all better…” She started massaging my shoulders and chest while slowly making her way down to my pants. I sat there helplessly as she slowly proceeded to have her way with me…again. Just as my pants started to come off the door burst open and Alysia walked in. Her red hair was covering her face but I could tell she was not happy. Olivia turned around but by that time Alysia had already picked her up. She threw her out the window and quickly shut the wooden shutter. It sudden became eerily quiet and dark; a cold chill ran down my spine. “Alysia…” I called out and she answered. She pushed me down and locked lips with me. The room slowly started to light up as the flame on Alysia’s tail began to grow bigger. Her tongue explored the depths of my mouth then she instantly broke off the kiss. “Didn’t I say wait for me?” She asked while looking deep into my eyes. Her eyes were filled with pure lust and desire, nothing but the idea of mating with me. “She ju-jumped me!” I replied. I knew it wasn’t going to help me get out of the situation but I had hoped it would keep me in her graces. She smiled and placed her finger on my lips. “No more excuses or interruptions, tonight I finally have you.” A single tear rolled down her cheek. The lust from before was partly replaced with sadness and fear. I couldn’t even understand what she must have felt over these last few days…I quickly wrapped my hands around her in a sweet embrace. “You have me every night Alysia.” I looked up into her beautiful eyes and smiled. She immediately embraced me and kissed me deeply. Her eyes were filled with renewed lust and happiness. She broke off the kiss and whispered into my ear. “I won’t hold back.” |
| Chapter 11: "A New Home" I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling for several minutes. It had been quite a night. I looked over to the side of the bed and noticed Alysia was gone. Assuming she had gotten up to tend to Medus or breakfast I jumped up and got dressed. I walked over to the window and looked out. The sun had only recently risen as it wasn’t too high in the sky yet but the streets were already busy from merchants selling their wares to people preforming their daily tasks. ((This is a beautiful port town….)). I stood there for a few moments and enjoyed the pleasant breeze that passed through the town. “Breakfast is ready!” Alysia yelled from downstairs, ending my moment of peace for the day. I quickly made my way downstairs to the kitchen. Alysia was already eating alone. (Seems Olivia left… wonder where she ran off to…)) Alysia looked over to me. “First one here. Take a seat and eat. You start your training today.” She started to eat again. “Training?” I asked. I knew I was going to fight her again to settle this whole “Draw” thing but I didn’t think she would take it this far. “Did you think I was going to fight you right after we got here? Oh no, I’m going to put you through a little hell then challenge you to a proper duel. “She gave me a grin then continued eating the cooked fish and bread. I sighed and flopped down onto the chair. I knew she was unhappy about the duel but I didn’t think she took it this far. “Isn’t a duel going far enough?” I questioned. She simply laughed and finished eating. “Not for the humiliation you put me through. “ She started to clean off her plate. “Besides you need to learn how to fight if you don’t want to be raped on a daily basis.” I could swear I saw a small grin on her face after she said that. I knew she was making a point but I still wasn’t going to be happy about it and I also knew there was no way of getting around it. “Can you at least go easy on me?” “Nope!” She smiled. I sighed and started to eat. The fish was quite tasty and the bread was fresh and I washed it all down with a cup of milk. The milk had an unusual taste but I ignored it and just enjoyed the food. Just as I finished the old man from last night came in and took a seat at the table. “Don’t you look glowing today Alysia? See what I told ya? All you needed was a good fucking!” He chuckled. Alysia instantly slammed her fist onto the table and glared at him. He just kept chuckling. “Don’t you have an order to attend to?!” She said while taking my plate and cleaning it off. He kept eating and completely ignored what she said; turning to me and eyeballed me. “Ohhoho, so you’re the lucky man eh?” He asked. “Uhh yeah, my name is Alex.” I replied. “Ah, good strong name, tell me son…” He leaned in close to me. “Did she beg for it like a dog?” Before I could answer, a frying pan slammed against his head. He cried out in pain and covered his head. I shuttered and looked over to Alysia. Her face was completely red with either anger or embarrassment (Probably both). “DON’T ASK HIM QUESTIONS LIKE THAT YOU PERV!” She yelled. He just kept rubbing his head. “Well what else was I to ask him? How you moan when you’re getting screwed?” That earned him another smack with the frying pan. After that Alysia stormed out of the room. He kept rubbing his head then chuckled. “Now that she’s out of here we can have a man to man talk.” “Rrrright, look her bra is red with little frilly flowers on it. Satisfied?” Alysia would completely kill me if she heard me say that but if it got this man to shut up and quit asking me questions about it then it was worth a few smacks and a beating. “Ahahahaha! No that’s not what I meant.” He continued to laugh. I slammed my hand into my face. ((Lesson learned: wait before you open your mouth.)) He stopped laughing and finished his food. “My name is Medus. I’m sure Alysia has mentioned me before.” “Yeah a few times.” I replied. “Anything nice?” He asked. “Nope.” He started to laugh again. “Ahaha that sounds right. Anyway let’s cut to the chase. I want you to be my apprentice.” He said, his nonchalant attitude from before disappearing into a more serious expression. “Wait… are you serious? Why would you ask someone you just met to be your apprentice?” I was completely surprised but those words. ((What the hell is wrong with this guy??)) “I’m getting old so I want someone I can pass my knowledge onto. You don’t look like a complete piece of shit so I asked you.” He smiled. “Besides you’re fucking my assistant and anyone who can get into bed with her and live to tell the tale must have some wits about them.” He began to chuckle, proud of what he had come up with as “reasons” why he would want me. I sighed then looked to the old man. I had to admit, becoming a blacksmith wasn’t a bad idea just…. I didn’t think it would be this soon and with someone like this. I pondered the idea for several minutes then decided to just go with what was happening. “Ok, I’ll take you up on your offer.” If I was going to be here a while I might as well learn a useful trade. “Splendid.” He clapped his hands together and got up. “I’ll show you the tools and forge now, since you’re gonna be working here a lot more from now on.” I followed him as he showed me to the back. For the remained of the morning and through the early afternoon he showed me the various tools and hardware he used. It was quite a lot for me to take in all at once but said it would slowly start to sink in after repeated use of each one. Along with working in the back with him I would also help with the front of the store which was usually Alysia’s job. Occasionally a weapon would need to be delivered to individuals who asked Medus to create a custom weapon for themselves which Alysia preformed. Additionally Medus would need certain components to create some of his works so Alysia also collected the materials. Now that I was his apprentice I would share in these duties while also learning his craft from him. It sounded like a hard job but I was sure it would pay off for me later besides what else was I to do? Work as a mercenary? No, I didn’t have enough combat experience. Traveling Merchant? No, I wasn’t a very skilled businessman. Become a concubine? I would think they get paid handsomely due to the rarity of men but no, so this job was all I had. After around noon we took a break and ate lunch. After lunch he let me off for the day so I decided to step outside and take a look around town for a few hours. I figured getting familiarizing myself with the streets would serve me later. It was a busy afternoon with Merchants selling and trading and various monster girls walking about. There were quite a variety of different girls from werecats to lizardmen. As I walked through the streets it started to dawn on me more and more that some of these girls were watching me but still not making any move. I looked around for Olivia but she was still nowhere to be found so I assumed it was because the guards would stop then if they tried anything funny. I didn’t know much about this Island’s customs or laws and that was something I couldn’t let slip by me. Using some of the gold that Zelia had given me I found a bookstore and purchased a few essential things. The first was a map of the town. It was something I could use to mark and keep track of where I was. Second a few pages of information about my companions. I could use these to learn more about the “do’s and don’ts” for those two (Hopefully these would come in handy). Third and finally a book on the basic laws of the lords of the Island. This book severely lacked the knowledge I was looking for but it gave me a very general idea of each of the different lands and there lords. I picking up my items and decided to head back home. After making it home in one piece the sun started to set. I made my way up to my room and dropped my stuff off before heading downstairs to check up on dinner. Alysia was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. “I’m guessing dinner isn’t ready?” I jokingly said. She walked up and grabbed my arm. “Time for practice!” She made it sound like it was going to be some pleasant experience on my part. She dragged me out of the house in a flash and pulled me out into the open back behind the house. “Have you ever used a sword before?” She asked. “Only a few times, not very much.” I replied while slipping my head down. She smirked then threw me a wooded sword. “I’ll start with the basics then.” I picked up the sword and she began to show me the proper way to hold the sword and basic fighting stances and attacks. After that we sparred for a few hours, allowing her to catch and correct my mistakes. As the sun started to set we continued to spar and fight. It was hell, she would always beat me down within a few moments but I kept at it till the end. After we finished with the training I crawled in and eat dinner. Again fish with rice but I wasn’t complaining, I would have eaten anything handed to it. After dinner Alysia was tired so she slipped up to bed. Medus was in the mood to drink again so he sat downstairs and drank until he fell asleep. I simply laid on my bed and went through the books I had gotten today. Flipping through the pages I stopped when I saw the salamander. “Frank and strong-willed? Aren’t they forgetting hot headed too?” I continued to flip until I came to the wyvern page. “Abrasive? What does that mean?” “It means I’m honestly mean.” I dropped the book and looked over to see Olivia in the window. “Where have you been all day?” I asked. I wasn’t all that considered about it but I was interested in seeing her response. “Just taking care of some business. No need to worry your little head about it.” She giggled softly then crawled onto my bed. “Well…it’s nice to see that you’re doing well…I’m just gonna get some sleep now.” I blew out the candle and put away the book while she crawled under the covers and got close to me. She breathed slowly into my ear. “Don’t worry, I just want to sleep with you tonight love.” She whispered. He body felt strange to me but I was too tired to complain so I quickly drifted off to sleep. |
| Chapter 12: "Normal life... Sorta" “Agh, my back…” I had hoped lying on my bed for a little would help with the pain but, sadly, it didn’t do shit. I stared at the ceiling for some time wondering how two weeks could have passed so quickly. It is true that time flies when you’re having fun, but could I really say that I had been having fun? When Medus wasn’t pulling me through his “teaching”, I was out “practicing” with Alysia. I couldn’t go a single night without treating bruises or cuts from the both of them--it was hell. Despite all of the hardships and shit, however, it was correct to say I was enjoying myself. I didn’t get much free time, but when I did it usually involved walking around with Olivia. Alysia was usually busy watching the shop or taking care of simple errands for Medus, so that left Olivia with the perfect opportunity to steal me away whenever she wished. Of the times I did walk around with Olivia, I made it a mission of sorts to understand the layout of the city and the rocks to be found locally. Examining and playing around with rocks was always something that fascinated the hell out of me so it was only natural that I learn more about the surrounding area. The cliffs by the ocean were mostly made up of what looked to be either limestone or shale. I couldn’t be sure of which because I lacked the proper tools to examine/test the rock. After I had finished examining the cliffs, I headed back up towards the town. Finishing a little digging on the outskirts of town, I discovered that the town was built on said rock formation. I also discovered that there were small deposits of alluvium around the village, leaving me completely puzzled when it became clear that there was no explainable source to explain its presence. I decided that I had done enough digging and went back to exploring the area. After a quick survey of the rest of the area, I found that it contained nothing but sedimentary rock formations except for a dike of basalt near the east end of the village. Every time Olivia had come with me, she made it her “special” directive to constantly ask me questions about how I’d come by this knowledge of rocks and the like. I gave her a description of the very different world from which I’d come and the life I’d lived there, explaining a bit about my college. She appeared to be rather excited to learn…or screw me later--apparently convinced that either one would work for her. That brought me back to why I’d been laying on my bed, groaning in pain: Olivia and Alysia. Over the past two weeks they had been having their fun with me on different nights. Olivia claimed me when Alysia wasn’t having her fun and vice versa. I enjoyed that they wanted to use me so often, but a man needs a break once in a while. Looking like one of the living dead, Medus gave me the day off, giving me a chance to try and recover for later that evening. I slowly closed my eyes to catch some more sleep when I heard a familiar flutter of wings, looking up to see Olivia on top of me as usual. “Anxious today aren’t we?“ I said while my back begged me to stop her from doing anything. “Not quite. I have a surprise for you.” She smiled. ((A surprise? Oh god… what was she planning?)) “Uhh...what would that be, my dear?” I gulped. She grabbed my hand and pulled me out the window into the cool, windy sky. My eyes widened as she pulled me high into the sky and threw me. I started screaming as I started falling through the air. “WHAT THE FUCK OLIVIA!!!!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs but she was nowhere to be found. I watched as I got closer and closer to the ground, saying my final goodbyes to this world… Aw, who am I kidding? I was cursing Olivia’s name. Just as I finally neared the ground, I heard a roar from behind me. I turned my head to see a massive dragon like creature quickly coming towards me. “OH SHIT!!!” I yelled before being grabbed by creature. I started to freak out even more at the close-up sight of this behemoth soaring through the air with me in its clutches. The creature looked over to me, its face reminding me a bit of Olivia… wait… “Olivia?! Is that you?!” I blinked a few times to check that I wasn’t hallucinating. “Took you long enough to figure it out,” she replied, her voice sounding the same even with her transformed appearance. “But... ugh… wha-… How is this possible?” “All Draconic creatures can transform into their ancient forms for a certain period of time,” she said as she slowly put me onto her back. “Oh…” I was absolutely speechless for the moment. I think I was more in shock by the fact that Olivia could transform into her ancient wyvern form. ((Note to self: Never piss off Olivia.)) My shock was soon replaced with excitement. I was soaring through the air on the back of a giant wyvern that just happened to be my very beautiful girlfriend… every nerd’s fantasy. She headed towards the sea and descended, coming low enough to have her feet cut across the surface of the water. I thought it would be fun if I did the same thing so I lowered my hand and skipped it across the surface. The water was cold but felt refreshing against my hand. She turned her head and smiled at me before ascending. I figured now would be a good time to ask her a few things. “I take it that this was the surprise?” I inquired. “This is half,” she said. “Half? Then what the rest of iiiiiiiiiiit!” Her speed instantly exploded as if she was a jet going supersonic. I pulled myself down and held onto her lower neck area to make sure I don’t blow off. Not long after accelerating her speed, she started to slow down and return to normal flight. “Olivia… what was that?” I asked, my whole body shaking from the sudden shock. “A special technique I can use,” she replied. It seemed that her flying pace had also decreased a little from before. ((That special technique must wear her out.)) “How often can you do that?” I asked. “Not too often but if it’s only for a short time then it’s not too much of a strain.” “Ah I see…” She continued to soar as I held onto her neck, stroking it every chance I got. Her scales looked tough but felt soft to the touch. I laid my body against the back of her neck and began to hum. “What are you humming?” She looked over to me. “Something my mother taught me as a child, lovely isn’t it?” “Yes… It is,” she answered, seeming mesmerized by it. She moved her head back and forth following the rhythm of the tune. I wrapped my hands around her neck and kept humming while stroking her neck. I slowly began to close my eyes, feeling as if some force was beckoning me to sleep. “Alex… Do you love me?” My eyes shot open and I looked at Olivia’s face. There was a slight blush across her whole face. “I… uh… Why do you ask?” It sufficed to say I wasn’t prepared for the question at all. “Well… Ever since we met I’ve constantly been raping you without even considering your thoughts or feelings on the matter,” she said while at the same time trying to control her blushing. “I just assumed that’s just how women here showed their love towards the man they loved…” I chucked a little after I’d said that. She just sighed and shook her head. “Some, but not all. Now answer the question.” I could tell that she was getting slightly frustrated by me dodging the question. “Uhhh… Well I…” I trailed off in thought. Honestly, I didn’t know how I felt about her yet, after only having known her for 2 weeks. How did she expect me to answer?! “Perhaps it’s still too soon--forget I asked,” she said as she looked forward. I sighed. ((Way to go dumbass.)) The sun had started to set so we landed in a meadow outside of town. I hopped off and watched as she slowly changed back into her “regular” form. It was still shocking to me that she could change her form. She looked over to me and smiled. “You owe me one.” She started walking towards town. “Owe you wha… wait… Really?! I thought this was a special treat?!” I stated. “Every time you ride me I ride you.” A grin started to form across her face. “Really?! But…” “Are you not happy with one time? Fine, make it two.” “Alright Alright!” I said, frantically waving my hands. “Just please not twice.” “Three times it is.” She winked at me. “Hey!!” We arrived at the house a little after the moon had risen into the sky, its full glow looking beautiful. I opened up the door and walked in, expecting to see Alysia upset with me because I missed practice but was instead greeted by the sight of a fancy skeleton. I say fancy because she was actually wearing clothing, something most undead didn’t do. Alysia was standing right next to her; she looked to be a little concerned. The skeleton finally noticed my presence and turned to greet me. “Hello. You must be Alex,” she said. “Uhh yes I am…” I answered. “Perfect! Just the man I wanted to see!” She said very enthusiastically, seeming completely out of the ordinary for a skeleton. “What’s this about?” I inquired, my curiosity was piqued. “I have a message from Mistress Cholris. Its rather urgent.” |
| Chapter 13: "New Faces Part 1" “Why does Cholris want to see me?” I asked as Olivia gripped onto my shoulder; it seemed this girl was making her nervous. “She… didn’t say! All she ordered me to do was to ‘fetch the human male named Alex’.” Her cheerfulness was now starting to freak me out. The idea of a happy skeleton scared me more than the regular type of clinkyclanky walking bones. “U-huh… well why didn’t Cholris come to get me herself?” “She said that might have caused a scene, so I was sent instead.” That smile of hers had to be the most frightening thing about her--way too much happiness for a skeleton. “And you are…?” I asked. “Oh! Please forgive my rudeness, I haven’t even introduced myself! My name is Lydia.” She looked embarrassed for not introducing herself from the start. “Ah well… It’s nice to meet you Lydia.” I replied. “Why thank you. Now, shall we be off?” She inquired while walking towards me. “Hold on.” Alysia said as Lydia stopped and looked at her. “Yes?” “You’re not taking him.” Alysia’s voice sounded adamant. “But… but… my master needs him!” Lydia started to make a small fuss. ((This skeleton…)) Olivia quickly got in front of me almost acting as a shield for me. Lydia looked at both of my companions and sighed. “It is a matter involving my mistress’s past…” Lydia said. “Why does she need him?” Olivia asked. “I don’t know… she didn’t tell me anything.” She looked and sounded completely different. The smile from before had faded and was replaced with a blank, lifeless expression while her voice was void of any emotion. “How can we trust that you’re not taking us into a trap?” Alysia had her hand set close to her sword. “If my mistress wanted you dead then she would have done it a long time ago. Don’t forget who healed him, Lizard.” Her eyes looked barren of all emotion now. Lydia walked towards the door. “I’ll give you time to think about it. I’ll be at the entrance of town waiting.” Before any of us could respond she was out the door. We stood there in silence for a moment until I started to walk upstairs. “Hold on Alex-” Alysia walked towards me. “Don’t try to stop me Alysia, I owe her and I plan to repay my debt. Besides aren't you just a little curious?” She grabbed onto my arm and flipped me around. “You didn’t let me finish.” She smiled. “I’m going.” “But… why would you…” I stuttered a little. “I can’t have you almost dying on me again.” She winked then ran upstairs. I sighed and scratched my head. ((Guess she was finally figuring out my tactics…)) “Ahem.” I turned and saw Olivia look at me. “Mind filling me in?” She asked, sounding semi-annoyed. “Ah right… On the way ok?” “Fine, I’ll be outside.” Olivia walked out just as Alysia came down the stairs. She tossed me my bag. Tied to the side of the bag was a short sword. I pulled it from its sheath and examined it. “A present from me.” She said walking past me. “Thanks…” I felt the blade’s edge to check the sharpness then sheathed it and followed after Alysia. We joined Olivia outside and began walking down the road. As we walked I explained our meeting with Zelia, Cholris and everyone else in the manor. At first Olivia found the whole thing amusing but after I mentioned what Zelia did out of rage, her smile faded. “How dare that woman hurt my partner!” Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t like her.” “Join the club.” Alysia added. “Now now guys, she was just upset, I’m su-“Both of them instantly gave me death stares. “I’ll shut up now…” I hung my head down. “Good.” They said in unison. It didn’t take us long after that to make it to the entrance to town. As we approached we saw Lydia standing there, waiting patiently and quietly. “I knew you guys would come.” Her usual smile and cheerfulness had returned. “Just lead the way.” Alysia said, giving her a pretty annoyed look. “Righty-O, Onward!” Lydia started walking and we followed behind her. She slowly led us to the forest on the outskirts of town. I had seen the forest several times when I had been surveying the area and even thought of going to the edge of it to take samples, but Olivia suggested staying away from there. I had wondered why she was so concerned about it but I decided to just shrug it off. As we entered, the light of the moon could no longer illuminate our path. The forest created a very thick canopy which did not allow light to enter easily. We continued walking a makeshift path for a bit while it grew darker and darker as we went deeper within. Olivia stayed close to me, constantly watching our surroundings while Alysia kept her hand close to her sword, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Suddenly Lydia stopped and turned around to us. I looked around and saw we were in front of a small clearing, in the middle of which stood Cholris. “My mistress awaits.” She entered into the clearing and moved to the side. We followed after her and walked up to Cholris. “Thank you for meeting me Alysia, Alex, and… Who might you be?” She said, her tone remaining as calm as ever. “Olivia.” She replied. “Nice to make your acquaintance. I assume you know my name.” “Yes I do, Cholris” Olivia as well as Alysia stayed close to me. Cholris smiled. “No need to worry, I have only come to talk.” “About?” I inquired. “It is a personal matter that has caught my attention within the last week. I decided to investigate it myself.” “Does that mean Zelia isn’t a part of this?” “Correct.” “So what does this have to do with me?” I raised my eyebrow a little. “Nothing, I simply wished for you to come to observe and... assist if need arise.” She occasionally looked away from me. “Observe what?” ((Hmm what is she playing at?)) I was curious to know what she was planning but even if it was something unpleasant my honor wasn’t going to let me get out of this easily. “You shall see. Please come closer.” Lydia ran over to Cholris’s right side and stood next to her. I walked up closer to her. Alysia and Olivia hesitated for a moment but then joined me in the makeshift circle we had made. Cholris then began to chant some words I couldn’t understand. The book she always carried began to glow and flip open. The pages were glowing a faint purple color while the pages began turning rapidly. Suddenly a purple light began to encircle us. Before I even knew what happened, there was a flash of light that blocked my vision. After the light finally disappeared and I was able to see again, a quick look around showed that I still in the forest. My mind was wondering what had happened, but I put that question into the back of my head and concerned myself on where my two girls were. I looked behind me and found that both of them were lying on the ground. I walked over and nudged them both to get up. “Alex!” They said in unison. Both of them bolted straight up and latched onto me. My face was thrown in between both of their breasts. In most circumstances I would have just enjoyed the softness of their bosoms, but it just so happened they were covering both my mouth and nose as I frantically tried to escape. They both realized what was happening and quickly released me. “Sorry.” They both said in unison again. I shook my head and looked around for Cholris. She was standing up already watching our little fiasco and writing something down in her book. “Interesting.” She said. Alysia jumped to her feet. “What did you just write down?” She said, sounding just a little irritated. “Nothing with which you need concern yourself. Follow me.” Cholris turned and started walking through the forest accompanied by Lydia. “Tch, damn lich…” Alysia grumbled. I put my hand on her shoulder. “Calm down, lets catch up with them.” I started walking after Cholris. Olivia quickly came to my side followed by Alysia who was still grumbling under her breath. We caught up to Cholris and decided to drill her with questions. “What just happened back there?” I asked. “I used a simple teleportation spell. Our destination was far from our previous location and time was of the essence.” “Why didn’t you just teleport us directly to the location?” Alysia inquired. “Because the location to which we are heading was out of my range.” Cholris answered. “As I recall from reading an old spell book, the teleportation spell does not have a specific range…” Olivia added. Cholris stayed silent and continued to walk. Alysia looked more annoyed then she was before. I looked over to Cholris and noticed she was moving slightly slower than Lydia. She also looked to breathing a little heavily for such a small amount of walking. ((She must have used up quite a bit of energy teleporting us this far…)) We continued to walk for a couple of hours without any disruptions. I assumed it was because no monster in the forest was brave (or stupid) enough to fight off a lich, wyvern and salamander for just one man. The sun had finally started to rise and we could start to see the interior of the forest more clearly. It was quite a beautiful forest with a wide variety of plants and flowers. The dew gently dropped from the trees, making the grass and dirt under our feet slightly wet. Small animals could be seen running around while birds were starting to sing and chirp. Occasionally we would see a wererabit or werecat moving around, watching us as we passed through their territory. Cholris stopped abruptly. “Finally, are we here?” Alysia blurted. “Not quite.” She instantly turned and looked over to the bushes. “Come out Nasria.” Suddenly a ghoul popped out of the bushes, she looked utterly surprised. Alysia and Olivia took up defensive positions around me while Lydia prepared herself for anything. “How did you notice me?” Nasria asked. “I’ve known you were there the whole time.” Cholris gave her the usual emotionless expression. “Damn it! I thought I was so good at hiding!” Nasria slammed her fist against a tree. “Have you already informed Zelia?” Cholris’s face seemed to be filled with something resembling fear. “She is on her way as we speak!” The ghoul started to grin which in return made Cholris start to frown. One of her hands started to glow purple and she slowly raised it towards Nasria. Nasria gasped and ran off through the trees. “Let’s go, we haven’t much time.” She lowered her hand and continued walking again “Where did she run off to?” I asked. “Probably back to Zelia. Nasria always has been a bit of a baby.” Lydia replied with a mild chuckle. We kept walking for some time more, all the while the idea of that girl running back to Zelia floating through my mind. After about another hour of walking, Cholris finally stopped. We had arrived at the edge of an open clearing with a large stone at its center. Near the large rock was a small girl around Cholris’s height. Cholris looked to be absorbed at the sight of this girl’s presence. “Who is that girl?” I asked. Cholris turned to me, her eyes filled with just a little bit of sorrow. Just the thought of Cholris expressing any kind of emotion was a clear indication that something was up. “Her name is Delilah… She’s… My sister.” |
| Chapter 14: "New Faces Part 2" "Your sister? I didn't know Liches could have family..." Cholris looked to me in response. "It’s complicated..." Cholris walked into the clearing first and motioned us to follow her. We all walked up to where the little girl was standing. The other girl looked extremely similar to Cholris, almost as if they were twins. When Cholris got close, however, the flesh of the other girl’s body shifted suddenly as if momentarily trying to crawl away from the body. Starting to speak as she turned around, Delilah says, "It isn't safe here. There is a literal horde of ravenous undead below. I could only trust one other person to handle them and she is...oh. Oh dear," she finishes as she finds herself face to face with Cholris. Cholris frowns a little as Delliah quickly turns away. Cholris lightly bumps the top of her head. "You aren't my sister." "That is...only correct on a technicality as this is a necrotic simulacrum." "And your dodging only makes the cause more clear. The sister I remember had crafted her heart from stone--she certainly wouldn't have lost it to a simple man. You get too attached to a pet project? Has he somehow tricked you into this? Is he holding some pet zombies hostage? Just say the word and I'll make him wish for the dark abyss of death." Del was silent for a moment in thought. Cholris again bumped her on the head. "Joking." "With you it can be difficult to tell..." "I can still tell that something happened. You will have to let me meet this man." "That will not be possible...for now," Delilah answers as Cholris looks over to her sister, having observed the actions the sorcerous double. Cholris walks over to the nearby stone and touches it, turning to Delilah. "If you have somehow, impossibly, fallen for a man then...Why exactly are you here, sister?" "Simply for observation--it is of no consequence." "Delliah," Cholris said in a dry tone, clearly not buying that Delilah would have gone to the trouble of creating such a complete simulacrum without good reason. "I would prefer not to answer that question." "Very well. I won’t force things out of you but..." Cholris snaps her fingers and several ghouls emerge into the clearing holding a bound arachne. I instantly jump behind Alysia and keep my sight away from the over sized spider. “What are you doing? Alysia whispered to me. “I… I have a fear of spiders.” I replied while shaking. “Really? Wow that’s… really sad.” I could see the grin on her face. “Shut up! You didn’t have a brother when you were little that threw big black widows at your face.” She merely chucked and kept watching. "I could certainly force things out of her." Cholris said. "You are not worried that I may...scold you for such action?" Delilah asked, sounding almost threatening. "We haven't spoken in nearly 4,000 years. If you are being this evasive, there must be something that frightens you. And since you still have half of your power sealed away for no good reason...No, I am not worried." Cholris begins walking over to the arachne, her form starting to glow slightly with power as she begins chanting something under her breath. "Last chance to talk spider," Cholris said plainly, earning an earful of silence from the arachne. Before the lich was able to advance any further, the spider girl said out loud, "Mistress?" Delilah replied, "There is no need for struggle, Selvirin. She will not harm you." Hearing no protest from the now-calmed arachne, Cholris added, "Very well. Let us begin." Cholris then placed her head against the spider's. Her chanting then changed to a quiet, almost lyrical, hum. After a few moments she stops and moves back. "Ignoring that she sees him as almost two entirely different people...He looks rather foolish to me." "You still have a fondness for music, sister? This man sings in his sleep. If you don't rein in that transparent jealousy, I might never let you meet him." "Fufufu aren't we touchy~" Zelia enters into the clearing followed by a small group of ghouls. According to my count there were at least a half-dozen to a dozen ghouls with her. I imagined they were her personal guards because their behavior was different than the last ghoul I had met. They were standing in a V formation behind her, acting completely controlled. "Anastasia," Delilah says with a touch of rising anger in her voice. "It's Zelia now." She smiles and walks over towards me. “It’s so good to see you Alex! I see Cholris has started to take an interest in you as well, does that mean that you have…” She got closer to me. “Decided to stay with us?” Alysia and Olivia quickly jumped in front of her, blocking her path. There stares aimed directly at Zelia. “Looks like that Salamander hasn’t changed a bit…” She looks to Olivia. “Fufu He has even attracted a wyvern to his side; pray tell what your name is?” She smiles. “My name need not be your concern, bitch.” Olivia sounded utterly irritated. “Touchy!” She said as she moved away from us. Both Alysia and Olivia continued to watch her intently. "Now then Delilah, was it? I'm actually interested in this 'man' of whom you speak." "You changed your name to one that translates roughly to human Earth Greek as 'envy'. It should be obvious then as to why you would be interested. It would be healthiest for you to put any thought of him from your mind. It remains an enigma as to why my sister continues to even tolerate your presence." "Even as a lich, you're still the same cocky bitch of a sister. It's too bad that you have such an interesting weak spot," Zelia says as she licks her lips. "Zelia enough." Cholris says as she conjures a skeletal hand that wraps around Zel's mouth. Zelia just winks at her. "I am so very sorry. Zelia sticks her nose where it does not belong." "And you felt as though I invited you to probe Selvirin's mind?" "I am only attempting to look out for your well-being...I am concerned, sister." "Why would you be concerned?" "You have changed in ways that I thought impossible. You have not been the same person since-" Raising her voice slightly, Delilah responds, "If you had joined me in Blacksky, none of this would have ever happened. I will not attempt to make you understand, and while you remain in the company of that barely-evolved zombie, I will say nothing further on my...exile.” "I... sister..." "Are you not pleased that time has proven you the wiser? That the dream that was Blacksky is dead and buried? I do not have the time or patience to try and explain my motives to you or anyone." ".... excuse me for a moment," Cholris uttered after a moment of hesitation, soft tears falling from her eyes as she vanishes into the air on the breath of magic. Delilah closes her eyes and frowns with an almost imperceptible nod. "That went swimmingly~" Zelia says with a smirk. "What have you done to her?!" Del asks loudly, her voice creeping toward anger. "Oh, I haven't done anything to your 'precious' sister, you did that all on your own~" Zelia smiles. "You are nothing like the person I used to know. I never liked her, but Anastasia was someone I respected--someone my sister loved. You, however, are just the hollow shell of a once-powerful human." Zelia's fists clenched in a slowly building anger. "Are you so afraid that my sister will realize what I've always known? Is that why you so desperately cling to her that you would follow her so far afield?" Zelia's face had swiftly turned from playful to full blown anger, her fists clenched so tightly that blood began to drip from them. "You understand nothing about me..." Zelia's shot back, her voice shaky in a mix of sadness and anger. After Delilah's previous comment, she had seen Zelia's eyes move away from her, ever so slightly. "You truly believe that? I don't know if I should be more upset or sympathetic to the real reason you came out here tonight. Does this man know how you feel about him? Have you told him?" "That is none of your business!" She snapped back instantly. "In your ignorance and cloying neurosis, you made it my business. And there he is, clearly happy with his two beautiful companions that also care for him." "Shut up...shut up..." "You follow him like a whipped dog, acting in ways that can only remind him that you are a monster." "Shut up, shut up, shut up..." "You act as if these are revelations. Is it so painful to hear out loud what you already know? He doesn't love you." "Delliah, that's no-" I began. Before I could finish, Zelia had already drawn her sword and charged toward Delilah. Her supernatural speed made her little more than a blur as she moved, tears streaking from her eyes. In the moment before Zelia's blade would have split the ivory flesh of Delilah's neck, she stopped. At this point Zelia had broken into sobbing, her tears endlessly flowing down her face. Without further pretense, she stepped back and sheathed her sword. "You may come out now, Cholris. Our conversation is done." Without another word, Zelia slipped back into the forest with her group of ghouls. As she passed from sight, Cholris reappeared. "Why must you be so cruel, sister?" Cholris asked. "Why must you ask questions to which you already know the answer? It was not my intention to be cruel, only honest." "You are lying, if not to me, then to yourself. You have buried half of yourself in an attempt to force this all beneath the dirt." Delilah looked to Cholris before answering, "I have a reason now to keep it buried, no matter the cost." Taking an unneeded deep breath, Cholris began again softly, "We are necromancers Delilah. No matter how deeply a corpse may lie, nothing can stay buried forever. Your actions are no better than those you attribute to Zelia as weak or cowardly." "No, my sister. I have no illusions. Unlike her, I know that I am a terrible monster. I just wish to...delay the inevitable," Delilah answered, suddenly showing hints of true sadness as her form wavered slightly. Cholris moved forward and pulled Delilah into a soft hug. While holding the embrace, Cholris said, "I will not try to press you again for the details, but a true monster feels no guilt or shame for the things they have done. It...wasn't your fault." "Yes it was! I was the one that made the--Nevermind, i-it's nothing. That was a dirty trick, sister." "What's his name?" Blushing slightly, Delilah responded, "His name is Joseph. I...do want you to meet him eventually. For now, you may take the crystal that powers this simulacrum--it is full of his essence and... perhaps some small leftover shreds of the memories associated with gathering that essence..." Blushing herself at the thought, Cholris nodded, saying, "How soon will I see you again?" Delilah scoffed a bit and replied, "If you keep up your meddling ways, then soon after the wedding--a few weeks at most." "I look forward to it," Cholris answered with a smile. Walking over to us, Delilah took a bow in front of us. “I don’t believe we have had the pleasure of being introduced.” “My name is Alex and these two behind me are Alysia and Olivia.” I replied. "I apologize for the scene. It has been interesting meeting the three of you," Delilah began as she took a closer look at me, adding, "After that final little outburst of yours, I imagine your companions will have a very interesting chat with you later. I would advise honesty--you aren't going to fool either of these girls now." They both stare intently at me. "What?! I didn't even get to finish what I was going to say!" "Defending her at all is enough of a crime to us." Olivia was quick to throw me into the pit. "Oh, what do you think Olivia? I was thinking all night rape/torture session." A grin began to form across Alysia’s face. "You are both blessed with prehensile tails. Based on his undamaged gait it would be an enlighteningly effective punishment to see about some anal abuse." Delilah added. "You're not helping!" I shouted as Olivia and Alysia shared a smile. "I hate you all..." I added. Delilah seemed as though she was about to vanish when I stepped forward to stop her. "Wait," I say as I pull something out from my pocket and offer it to Delilah. "What is this?" She asks as she gives me a very curious look. Turning the stone over in her hands, she examines the beautiful pink stone. "Found it when I was digging around town the other day. Have someone cut it and place it in a ring." "Your gesture is appreciated, if not somewhat confusing." "I figured this might work as a proposal to your man." "You find some significance in this particular stone?" "Where I am from, Rose Quartz is a symbol of burning love." "I understand. My current...arrangement does not need the foolish label of a 'marriage'," Delilah began before hesitating a moment, "But...if he sees the significance in the gift, I will do as you suggest. I thank you." "Besides, it’s not like these two right here deserve it anyway." Alysia and Olivia quickly strike me over the head for the addition of my comment. "I agree. The trapezohedral structure, tainted with the otherwise beautiful permanence of...titanium? These fine ladies deserve something pure and not corrupted for the sake of vanity. Farewell for now, " Delilah added, her body melting almost immediately as a violet spark of energy flashed towards the horizon. Cholris walked over to the melted heap of bones and goo and picked up a black-colored crystal off of the ground. I looked at my companions, then to Cholris. “I am so lost right now…” “Do not worry, I shall explain a few things to you on our way back, but before we go…” Cholris turned to the still held arachne. “Before I let you go, I would ask a question,” Cholris said to the arachne. “Y-yes?” The spider hesitantly replied. “Do you still serve my sister?” “With this seal broken...she released me from my duty,” Selvirin answered as she looked around. “Then you can do with this information as you please. There was at least one, possibly two, demons watching this exchange that ran off the moment my sister vanished.” “This…Why did you not inform my mistress of this when she was here?!” she shouted as her face started to cloud over in fear. “Because I could not risk them leaving before ascertaining why there here, sadly I didn’t retrieve much but here is what I did get.” Cholris said as she handed a scroll over to the spider while looking somewhat regretful. The girl quickly read the information, the fear from before becoming more obvious. “I… I must inform her immediately. It may already be too late!” Cholris waved her finger in response and the ghouls released the spider. “Make haste then, arachne.” Cholris’s book opened and started to glow. The light surrounded the spider and she instantly vanished. Cholris turned to us. “Let us be on our way.” We followed her as we left the clearing. |
| Chapter 15: "New Faces Part 3" We slowly made our way from the forest clearing. Alysia, Olivia, and Lydia kept watch while Cholris filled me in on what had just happened. It seems the majority of the information I had was correct but there were still a few loose ends that I felt needed to be tied up. “So… which of you is older?” I asked. Cholris sighed, looking somewhat annoyed by the question before answering in protest, “She is… but only by 5 years.” ((Apparently she didn’t like the idea of being the younger sister.)) After walking for several minutes, Cholris stopped us and looked towards a section of the forest. “Zelia…” She said aloud, “I know you’re still watching.” The bushes started to rustle as Zelia walked out. She still seemed a little upset from before. “Did my sister’s words bother you that much?” Cholris inquired. “Of course not!” Zelia declared. It was an obvious lie that Cholris easily saw through. “You know my sister did-“ Cholris started. “Your sister meant every word she said!” Zelia yelled. “She has always hated me, how was that anything new?!” Zelia looked to be on the verge of crying again. Cholris didn’t reply, instead embracing Zelia in a close hug. Zelia welcomed the embrace of her friend and wiped her face with a piece of cloth. Cholris released her and pulled out the black crystal. “Is that…” Zelia trailed off. “Yes this is what she left me with.” She placed the crystal against her forehead and held onto Zelia’s hand. “Why are you sharing it?” Zelia asked, her voice slowly returning to a normal tone. “I was hoping this would ease your pain just a little.” Cholris smiled and closed her eyes. Zelia smiled back and closed hers. The crystal began to glow faintly while both of their faces changed expressions. Zelia’s smile slowly changed into a deep, sinister grin. “His name is Joe, eh? Perfect,” She said as she let go of Cholris’s hand. Cholris opened her eyes and looked at Zelia, as she seemed to be pissed. “You… used me…” Cholris’s words came out in a mild rage. “Oh, I wouldn’t put it that way…” Zelia said. “After all, she really did upset me,” She said as she grinned and even chuckled a little. “How dare you…” Cholris looked like she was barely containing her anger. “Your sister is the one at fault here, not me!” Zelia replied. Cholris called Lydia over to her and quickly opened her book which began to glow. Then, in a flash of light, they were gone. Zelia sighed and then turned to me. “Now that we are alone...” Zelia attempted to move closer to me but Alysia and Olivia were quick to block her path. “Tch, you both seem to know how to really ruin a woman’s opportunity.” She turned and started to walk off. “Sorry but I also need to run,” Zelia said as she pointed down the road. “There is a small village a few miles away, try to get a room at the inn there.” She said while disappearing into the forest again. We stood there for a few seconds trying to absorb all that had just happened. The moon still hung in the sky and illuminated that path before us. “Well? Shall we get going?” Alysia asked. “Do you really trust directions from that…woman?” Olivia butted in. “I saw no reason for her to lie…” I added. “You’ve done enough today so shut it!” They said in unison. I sighed and started walking. “Hey!” They said. “You guys coming or not?” They looked at me, sighed, and then followed after me. As we walked through the forest, it felt nice. The air was warm yet the breeze kept it cool. Crickets and the occasional owl could be heard throughout the forest. When I looked back at Olivia and Alysia, they looked to be on edge, constantly watching their surroundings. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Nothing… that’s just it.” Alysia replied. “It’s way too peaceful here.” “Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked them with a puzzled look. “Not necessarily love, let’s just get to this village soon.” We pressed on through the forest, making it to the village after another few minutes of walking. It looked to be a small village, consisting of mostly wooden houses with exception of a large stone church near the northern edge. It seemed like a normal peaceful town full of a variety of monsters, except that, unlike most other towns, I didn’t get the feeling that I was being watched constantly. I had grown so used to the feeling that now it felt odd not to be stared at. We headed towards a larger structure which we assumed was the inn when a small girl ran in front of me. She wore a pretty green dress and a small green hairpin which held her bangs up. She looked to be a normal little girl except she had a tail, wings and small horns. Alysia and Olivia watched her and stayed close to me. “Are you guys heading to the inn?” The girl inquired. “Yeah. We were hoping to get a room there,” I replied. “Oh… I’m sorry to say but the inn is all booked up for the night, but you could come and rest the night at our church. We have warm beds, clean water and lots of cookies!” She said. My companions and I looked at her. Before I could say anything else Olivia jumped in. “Why would an imp offer us shelter? It sounds like a trap…” The little girl looked like she was ready to cry. "But we made so many cookies! If you don't stay I'll have to eat them myself… and my sister will call me fat again!" I turned to both of my companions. “What other choice do we have? I don’t want to sleep on the cold ground tonight…” “I’m with him, I’m sick of sleeping on dirt.” Alysia added. “Besides if it’s a trap then we will just beat them all and take him back.” “Your confidence is so reassuring…” Olivia rolled her eyes. “Shut up! Are we all agreed?” “Yeah,” I said. “No, but I won’t leave my partner in your worthless hands.” Olivia glared at Alysia. “Go fuck yourself already.” Alysia spit out. “It seems you beat me to the punch a long time ago on that…” She started to snicker. “Wha…” Alysia’s face got red. “Bitch.” “Whore.” “Let’s go already.” I tapped them both on the head. We followed the imp to the ancient stone church. Unlike the forest and town the church felt somewhat eerie and unpleasant. I started to have second thoughts as I crossed through the door, but by then it was too late. Entering the building, I was instantly slammed with an overpowering amount of lust and desire that brought me to my knees. I attempted to move my body but it wouldn’t respond. Managing to turn my head, I looked to my companions and saw that they were being affected to an even more extreme degree. They started to kiss and play with each other, Olivia sucking at Alysia’s breasts while they both fingered each other. I was trying to scream for them to stop and run, but no noise left my mouth. I had lost control of almost every part of my body with exception of being able to turn my head. Hearing a slight sound, I looked towards the far edge of the church. Uncrossing and then slowly crossing her legs from atop a heavy stone altar at the far end of the room, a silver-haired, slender woman with a pair of black wings, horns, and a swishing spaded tail, slowly looked up from a book to smile at my companions and me. "Why, hello there!" The woman said, as she snapped the book closed and threw her arms wide in a gesture of welcome, "You fine ladies are welcome to--Oh, I see you've already found the cushion, good." Setting the book on the altar and hopping to her feet, the succubus took a step forward before giving a small curtsey as she smiled and said, "Where is my head today...? My manners! I am Genevieve and it is a genuine pleasure to make your acquaintance." I merely looked at the woman, unable to utter a sound, while 8 young-looking imps stood behind her, whispering to each other as they made lewd gestures and shot me lascivious looks. "Please, come over here and make yourself comfortable," Genevieve said as I felt compelled to obey. "Would you tell me your name?" she then asked. “Alex…” I answered, my voice returning momentarily but not letting me control the words I spoke. "I'm sorry for this likely confusing situation, Alex. Despite how this may look, you are not the reason for this production," She said as she ran her hands across my chest, her fingernails imbedding more passion and lust into my body. It took all my strength just to keep my mind from succumbing to her power. "Your eyes are already guilty...did Delilah get you into trouble?" she asked as she started pulling off my clothes. Despite this drop dead gorgeous succubus toying with me I couldn’t take my eyes of Alysia and Olivia. Genevieve pressed herself against my back and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "Just look at them, Alex," Genevieve whispered into my ear, "They are both so stunningly beautiful, and so protective of you. If I released my lust spell, they would stop at nothing to tear me apart. I will find a way to apologize to them later, for now... I’d like you to lie down over there, please." As if I had become some puppet, my body moved exactly where she commanded it to go. "Now, you're going to help me put on a show--don't give me that look! You're going to love it. I typically find any form of rape very distasteful, so I will try to take as little enjoyment from your delicious body as possible before your other friend arrives--oh, and then you will see a performance for the ages." Genevieve began teasing me using only her tail. The pleasure was utterly overwhelming as my body begged her to keep going while my mind screamed for her to stop. "Can you feel it? This sensation is probably unfamiliar to you--feels like a fire within you that can never be quenched? That is my demonic energy as it enters you--as it stains you--as it drives you mad. With enough of it, it would change you forever. But if I haven't missed my guess, the one that will pull it from you should be arriving right about-" Instantly the doors of the church slammed open. I turned to see Zelia walk in, unsheathing her sword. “Right on cue,” Genevieve said with a smile. “Release him now-“ Zelia started to say before stopping mid-statement, dropping her sword. Her hands started to tremble. Her right hand began drifting up to start rubbing her breasts as her other hand slowly made its way downward. Her face had already started to redden as she blushed intensely. “What… did you-“she started again, stopping when it appeared a quick jolt of passion and lust swept over her. “Right into my trap~” The succubus giggled. Zelia continued her struggle to stop playing with herself, trying to reach for her sword. "Your resistance is...mmm...so impossibly delicious. You were a hero before your death, weren't you?" "And you're a piece... of trash... your point?" Zelia forced out through the nearly overwhelming sexual vibrations that thrummed within every cell of her body. "No point, really. I'm just nearly dripping in the anticipation of watching you voluntarily break. And you happen to have some information I desire." Moving over to stand directly atop me, Genevieve looked down and wrapped my manhood in her tail with a smile, saying, "It's been hours since I've had a man and at least a decade since I've had one before me with such guilt in his eyes." Kneeling down atop as if to mount me, Genevieve stops just short of the mark, continuing to tease my member about the entrance to her drooling, demonic orifice. "Well, Zelia--I understand that it's a difficult choice. But I will honor a request in exchange for the information I seek," Genevieve says with a genuine-looking smile, adding, "Take as much time as you need to think it over," she finishes as her grin turns wicked and she slowly begins to descend, my phallic crown starting to vanish from sight. {First mild H-scene} “You can stop this at any time Zelia,” she said with a smile towards Zelia. "Damn it... Fine! I'll tell you, but...I…need Astoria’s location…" "Done. I'll have it delivered to one of your agents within the week.” "A-and also..." Zelia forces out. "Are you sure? I was just starting to really enjoy slowly drawing out his energy, and seeing him once I remove this spell..." She shudders in her own climax before continuing, "The crushing guilt in a man's eyes as he is forced up against his limit repeatedly in front of his loved ones is nearly an incomparable rush. You seem a bit too...prudish to take advantage of such a chance." "I don't care... They mean nothing to me...All that matters is that I... get him once..." "A few hours with him here and it won't matter what his shattered mind will have thought--but I see you bear him more than just lust. Fine," Genevieve says dismissively as she reluctantly disengages from Alex. Zelia looks over to me in despair. "What did you-" Zelia begins "I've done nothing permanent...yet. Soon, however, the energy I've poured into him will turn him into a mindless slave to his own desires." "That wasn't-" "Unless, of course, you are to be his guardian angel and pull it from him with your abilities. His other companions won't be any help," She says as she points to the barely-conscious embrace between Alysia and Olivia. "Go to hell..." Zelia says. "You haven't even heard the best part of this yet, Zelia. Having met you, I can see that at any other time and place you might have had me at a disadvantage. Today, however, you are going to willingly allow my energy through your defenses. You will lose yourself in the only true meaning of existence--an all-consuming pleasure. Even as your eyes try to wear a facade of stoic reluctance, your soul is shedding tears of joy, begging your body and mind to hear its gleeful voice. I can hear your desires as plainly as if you had spat them at me the moment you walked through that door. You'd forsake everything in this moment to have this man right here, right now. You should be thankful I'm not asking you for more." Zelia looks away, saying only, "I..." "But we have already made our deal, so consider him a gift. I'll have my girls here entertain his other companions. You'd best hurry though, for if that demonic energy sits idle within him for too long before release, there will be nothing left of either of you but the desire to remain entwined forever. Farewell, Zelia," The succubus says as she starts to walk out. Before she can leave, Zelia suddenly grabs Genevieve's arm. "Has it been so long that you need me to remind you how to pleasure a man?" The succubus says with a wide smile. In response, Zelia reached into her dress and pulled out three crystal balls. Perfectly round and the size of small marbles, the crystals seemed to sparkle with varying shades of red, green, and blue. Forcing open Genevieve's hand, Zelia drops the crystals into the succubus's open palm. "What are these? You felt the urge to leave me with a parting gift?" She said as she continued to smile. Zelia's breathing had become heavy as she tried to focus on keeping herself in control with what little energy she had remaining. "You... have no idea... who I am, bitch..." "Does it matter, Zelia?" Genevieve whispered seductively into Zelia's ear, "Today you are just a simple monster being honest with herself for the first time." Leaning in towards Zelia, Genevieve gently blows a warm teasing breath of air across the sensitive skin of the wight's perfect neck, following it with a gentle kiss. The sinister grip of the eromantic spell began to spread from the site of the contact and slowly crawled across Zelia's skin like a familiar lover, her skin appearing flushed with desire as the sensation expanded. Turning to leave the church, Genevieve looks down at the round stones. With a slight shiver of fear, her smile is lost to a worried frown. She stops a moment to look back at the visibly crumbling willpower of the ancient undead and shakes her head. Staring at Zelia's midsection, the last place untouched by the slowly crawling magic, Genevieve takes on a serious look for a moment, saying, "I knew them. They were strong, intelligent, and beautiful. Why you would make this threat escapes me. The only reason you--any of us exist is to experience joy." "I'm nothing like you... filthy creatures..." Zelia continued to fight her lust while slowly making her way over to me. "You want to say that you have a greater task, or a lofty goal, or some other nonsense. Has thinking that way made you happy? Think about how you feel right now. In moments, that man will be within you--body and spirit." "You... still understand nothing..." She slowly lowered onto Alex, constantly fighting her intense lust. Without looking away, Genevieve continued, "Why do you fight so hard for anything and everything except the thing you want most? Why make decisions that keep you alone and isolated?" My manhood gently slid into Zelia, drawing forth a single loud and passionate moan. Zelia clenched her teeth, causing a tiny trickle of blood to escape from her soft, full lips. "Demon-slayers of your skill aren't born--they are made. Someone taught you to think that I'm trying to corrupt you, to fill you with lies and false promises, and to get you to forget yourself in your base desires. The way you feel right now is the truth--you are a woman about to claim--and be claimed in turn by--a man you love. There is nothing more pure or beautiful in this world." "You succubi are all the same...promoting what you believe is 'love'... yet you never consider others feelings... you bring nothing but destruction in your wake... I'll kill you..." Zelia starts moving, her moans slowly intensifying. "You can't beat me, Zelia. Not because I'm stronger, or smarter, or possessed of more foresight, no. The reason you can't beat me is because, right in this moment, you're already realizing that every single thing I've said is truth. You wouldn't be fighting me--you'd just be fighting yourself. Why not beg his other companions to have you as a third? Why not let yourself forget your loneliness and stay with him?" "Not until I'm worth..." Her moans grow louder movements continue to increase in speed and intensity. "Will I ever let that..." "You don't want to become a being that can truly deny your own desires. If you wish to disagree, seek out the wight Lorelei. That is who you will be at the end of this road upon which you walk. Or..." Genevieve said, her smile returning slightly, "...just do what feels right--what makes you happy." Zelia's will finally collapsed as she gave into her lust completely. {Full H-scene} -------------------- Zelia falls over in complete exhaustion. Genevieve smiles softly as she slowly and quietly backs towards the door. Just before she exits the room, she hears Zelia muttering something. "We will strike them down and kill them all... For the glory of our King..."Zelia smiles then loses consciousness. With a sigh, Genevieve stops her retreat and looks back at the pair of unconscious lovers through slightly narrowed eyes, seeing that the man's wyvern companion seems to somehow still be awake. Beckoning over the leader of the eagerly-watching imps with a single crook of her finger, the succubus leans down to the small demon and playfully tousles the nearly white hair between her horns. Whispering something to the tiny demon, she then gives her a playful slap on the rump and sends her off to join her sisters as they run off to some place deeper within the church. "Don't worry, I've told them not to make any attempts to seduce your man until after noon tomorrow," Genevieve said quietly as she moved over and settles down next to Olivia. Despite her apparent state of fading consciousness, Olivia had a predatory look in her eye, proclaiming that she was more than ready to spring into action if the succubus had anything else planned. "I know you're angry. Your sleeping salamander friend likely even more so," Genevieve began as she gently ran her fingers through Olivia's hair, massaging the sensitive areas of the wyvern's scalp as she did so. Olivia suddenly didn't seem to mind listening to her as she was treated to such a wonderfully relaxing massage. "I don't know why you're so tense. I've made certain you and your companions will not be disturbed. You should be thinking of how you'll apologize for your upcoming angry outburst at your male companion." Olivia managed a grumble, but seemed reluctant to do anything that would stop the wonderful massage. "I would love to see the three of you melt that foolish Zelia's icy heart, but I'm afraid that I have a more pressing obligation. You deserve a warning, though. If Zelia gets it into her stubborn head to look for someone named 'Lorelei', you should not allow Alex to go with her. Rest well," the succubus continued the massage for some time, finally finishing with a strangely affectionate kiss on Olivia's forehead. Olivia simply nodded her head and fell unconscious. Genevieve walked down from the church steps and out into the street. She looked over to see Cholris siting on the ground, flipping through the pages in her book. “You must be Delilah’s little sister, Cholris was it?” “We need to talk,” Cholris answered as she closed her book and stood up. “I would love to discuss matters with you but right now other things must be-” She stopped just as she felt the gentle, but threatening touch of a blade at her throat. She turned her head slightly to see a woman with blonde hair and green eyes smiling. “It will only take a moment of your time…” She moved the blade closer. “Oh and don’t even think about using any of that eromancy on me, it’s bad enough those triplets tried to turn me into a succubus…” She reached into Genevieve’s hand and took one of the stones. Cholris smiled, her book beginning to glow again. In a quick flash of purple light the three of them disappeared from the street. Something that GreatGreenman wrote that I figured should be included in this (I don't know why but I felt like keeping it...) (Warning: It's NSFW...): |
| Chapter 16: "New Faces Part 4" My eyes slowly opened as a shadow and a voice spoke. “Oh it seems you’re finally awake.” The woman sounded very friendly and sweet. My sight started to clear up as I looked around. I found myself laying on a bed with a woman looking over me. Upon further inspection I noticed she had the lower body of a black horse and the upper body of a charming woman. I looked up and saw the twin horns sticking up from above your head. ((Oh please don’t be another demon…)) She reached out her hand to touch my face. My body instantly jerked back, my eyes filling with fear. “Don’t be afraid… I won’t harm you.” She gently touched my face. Her hand was cool to the touch. “Where… where am I?” I asked. “You are resting within my inn, The Honeybee.” “Wait…the succubus!” I bolted up only to feel an immense jolt of pain surge through my body. “Agh!” I fell back down onto the bed. “Just lie still for now,” she said placing her hands unto my chest. “I need to remove the rest of the demonic energy.” “The…the succubus... Zelia…” I muttered. “It seems you had quite the experience last night…” She said as she examined my bruises and cuts. “What happened?” I asked. My memory was still pretty foggy. The last thing I remembered was Zelia’s warm embrace, then…darkness. “I am not certain…all I know is that last night, a wight dragged you and two others in here and asked for a room, she even asked for my assistance in healing you.” She blushed then continued. “She looked absolutely gorgeous…I had heard wights grow more beautiful each time they receive a man’s blessing, but I had not one inkling that it could reach to such an extent.” I shied away from her gaze, utterly embarrassed. “Regardless, I happily accepted her request and have been tending to your...weakness.” She smiled. “Just my luck…” I groaned then looked around the room for Alysia and Olivia. “If you are concerned over the other two of your companions, they are in the room adjacent, likely still sleeping,” She replied. “Oh… are they…?” I hesitantly asked. “They are quite fine; you were the only one in any real danger.” She continued to rub and massage my chest. “And…Zelia?” “You mean the wight?” I nodded to her. “Last time I checked she was downstairs…is she also your wife?” I instantly blushed. “Oh no no no!” I waved my hands, almost losing complete control. “She’s… a friend.” “Far be it from me to look askance at engaging in such vigorous activities with a...friend, but I don’t believe she sees it that way…” She chuckled and finished covering my chest in some bandages. “There, you should be all set now.” She got up from her sitting position and headed to the door. “I would take it easy for a day or two, you certainly wouldn’t want to stress your body overmuch.” “Thank you…” I smiled. “You are most welcome.” She opened up the door and walked out. It didn’t take long for the room to become silent. I looked out the window hoping it would help me figure out the time of day but, alas, it didn’t. The building must have pointed in a different direction that made it impossible to see the sun…that or it was noon *facepalm*. I slowly leaned up out of bed, working out my shoulder and hands. A quick knocking at the door startled me. “Who is it…?” I asked. My voice was weak and low. The door opened up and Zelia popped her head in. “Just me.” She closed the door and walked over to the bed. “How are you feeling?” There seemed to be genuine concern in her eyes. “Uhhh… better than before…” I said. “Oh good, I was worried that I might have been too late.” She sighed then rested her hand on my chest. I winched in pain a little and she quickly removed her hand. “Still hurt there?” “Yeah…” My voice was still very mild and low accompanied by small coughs. It was funny to imagine that only just a little demonic energy messed me up this badly. “Can I help you in any way? Do you need some water? Maybe something to eat? Anything I can do to help.” Zelia was acting utterly different than usual… frankly it was kind of bothering me but at the same time it was very sweet. I smiled and looked up to her beautiful eyes. “No, I’m alright…” I tried to move a little but my neck filled with pain. I groaned a little and laid back down but was quickly stopped by Zelia. She started to massage my back and slowly breathed into my ear. “Here let me help…” Her hands felt wonderful as she slowly worked my shoulders and upper back while making her way down. She would gently bite my ear and whisper, asking if she was doing well. I could only nod as I slowly slipped into a relaxed position on the bed. After she finished she went over to one side of the bed and looked into my eyes. “Better?” She asked. “Yeah… thank you…” I replied. “Good, now there was something I wanted to tell you…” She started to blush and even seemed to get nervous. “About last night?” I gulped. ((I’m guessing she’s talking about… that.)) “Well…I… uhhh…” She looked down for a moment then looked back up and got really close to me. “I meant every word I said to you.” She jumped unto me and locked lips with me. My eyes widened with surprise as she released from me the kiss. “I...I lo-“ The door instantly slammed open. As I looked, a cold shiver ran down my spine. Alysia’s tail was completely ablaze while Olivia had plunged her fist into the wall; both of them gave me a cold, dark stare. “Tsh… you two always seem to ruin my fu-“ Before Zelia could finish both of them picked her up and dragged the screaming and wrenching woman out the door. They promptly threw her into the other room, slamming the door to seal it. Zelia’s angry screams fell on deaf ears as Olivia and Alysia walked back in and closed the door. I started to sweat and shake as they got closer to me. “I’m relieved to see you are both feeling better…” I forced a smile but it only seemed to upset them more. “Oh? Is that so?” Alysia started to grin as she crawled onto the bed. Olivia quickly grabbed onto my arms and held them back behind my head. I groaned in mild pain but they both completely ignored it and proceeded with their overdue punishment. “Wait! Can’t we talk ab-“Olivia jumped over onto my chest and locked lips with me. She quickly broke it off and smiled. “We can talk after you have suffered thoroughly, love.” I looked to Alysia as she smiled towards me and took off my pants. “I don’t think I’ve recovered fully yet!” I pleaded but then both just grinned as Olivia pulled out a bottle filled with a dark, pinkish liquid. “Wha… What is that?” I stuttered. “Oh, just something to help you keep it up for a while.” Alysia said while ripping off my pants and discarding them into the corner. Olivia popped the bottle open and drank some of the liquid, then handing it to Alysia. Olivia looked to me and planted another kiss, forcing some of the liquid down my throat. I pulled back and looked at them. “Wa…Ughhh…” My vision started to blur as my whole body started to get hot. I looked to both of my traitorous companions and felt the sudden urge to rape them. They apparently understood the message I was sending and quickly got to work helping me with my downstairs “situation”. They spent the rest of the day indulging in their primitive desires while I laid there: slowly losing myself in lust and pleasure. It wasn’t until the middle of the night that both of them were satisfied, finally allowing me to rest. They cuddled up to me and kissed my cheeks while I slowly let out a low groan and drifted off to sleep. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The previous night… "We both have just one question for you," Cholris said as she took a seat on the wooden floor. Her magic had brought the group to an abandoned house in the middle of a forest. The house was a small, one floor, two room house that looked to have been raided years before. While it looked to be mostly intact with only the windows broken and a few holes in the ceiling, the inside was a far greater mess. Moss had started to grow on the once beautiful oak floor. The walls and ceiling were covered in a sort of green slime and mildew. Only one wood chair and desk sat in this once warm and comforting home. Genevieve stood there and looked at both Cholris and the other woman, watching both of them carefully. "You must be dreadfully curious to transport me all the way out here. How are you even replenishing your energy? Neither of you appear to be kept women...even Zelia just now managed to-" Genevieve began, making grand gestures for emphasis. "What happened to Blacksky?" Cholris interjected as she flipped through her book, looking up at Genevieve for a response. "It's right where it's always been, you saw the doorway. I'm a bit surprised your sister didn't tell you, given that you're one of very few people about whom she cares," Genevieve said with a genuine smile. "Apparently she didn't care enough to tell me...so now you will tell me," Cholris shot back with an icy glare. "Have you considered that she might have cared too much to tell you?" "Knowing my sister, that seems unlikely." "You know..." Genevieve began as she stretched dramatically as she sat upon the desk, looking over the end of her tail, "Would you believe that I don't know exactly what happened?" "I would not," Cholris answered as her scowl deepened. "And who could blame you?" Genevieve remarked with a light laugh, "I might be inclined to tell you, but I have...conditions.” "You are in no position to make demands, demon," Cholris said in a hoarse whisper, her form shaking with energy. "Aren't I? I can be so terrible at reading situations. You could always have your friend hold me down while you...mmm, pull the information from my mind, no?" Genevieve asked as she ran her free hand up the length of her own thigh, then locked her gaze directly on Cholris with an invitingly poisonous smile. "Soooooo very tempting but I think I'll pass..." the mystery woman said, sitting on the chair across from Cholris. Able to see the obvious trap herself, Cholris sighed, "What are your conditions?" "You have fulfilled the first already. I needed to know that you did this out of love for your sister. Such a beautiful thing cannot go without reward." "The second condition?" "You must tell me where I can find your sister." "Putting her in danger seems counter-intuitive to my goal." "I mean to do nothing but help her. Do you want to hear my story, or not?" "Alnor. It is the only place she could be given the impressions I got from her crystal." "Thank you. Now you wanted a story, yes? To put it simply, the nation of Blacksky was devoured in the course of a single night." "You aren't suggesting that my sister-" "Not at all, she was not behind the fall. She would argue that it was her fault that it came to pass, however." "Then who is behind the destruction?" "That would be the question now, wouldn't it? All I can say for certain is that the powerful demonic energy focusing mechanism was sabotaged." "Why would my sister feel guilty for something like that?" "Delilah did nothing wrong, to my eyes. She shouldn't feel responsible, but she can be so stubborn, as you well know. Nothing has changed in 4,000 years so I am going to talk some sense into her." "I see..." Cholris looked down, feeling disappointed in herself. She couldn't help her sister when she needed her most. "There is just a bit more, but you'd have to talk to Delilah as I have sworn upon my soul to say no more about what may or may not have transpired in that place," Genevieve said as she turned to leave. "Forgot about me already? I'm hurt," The unnamed woman said with a smile, having taken a seat in the chair during the explanation. "I'm meeting so many people today, it almost slipped my mind! May I have the pleasure of your name?" Genevieve asked as she turned back to the other figure in the room. "Just call me Agathe." Cholris shook her head in disapproval. "What?! It's better than Zelia! That name is terrible!" The woman exclaimed while hopping out of the chair. Genevieve stifled a giggle and then gave a curtsey. "It is a most wonderful pleasure to have met you. I understand you also have a question?" Genevieve asked. "What did Zelia ask you for?" Agathe walked a little closer to Genevieve. "Something dreadfully boring, to be sure. She asked for the location of a succubus named Astoria." "She asked for her location?! Did you give it to her?" Agathe clenched her fists and started to sweat. "Why wouldn't I? She asked as politely as could be expected as her longing eyes took in the sight of her heart's desire being taken against his will by an evil demon. I also honor my arrangements. One of my darling servants has likely already delivered the information to her." Agathe scowled angrily at Genevieve then turned to Cholris. "You know what this means..." Agathe said. "I do," Cholris answered distantly as a worried expression spread across her face. Agathe turned to Genevieve and handed her a small bag, saying, "If you get the chance, could you please give this to Delilah for me... I know that's who you’re going to see next." "Of course, but would it not be better for Cholris to deliver this?" Genevieve asked. "I can't risk it being tracked. I think you're trustworthy enough to do the task." Agathe smiled. "It warms my heart to hear you say such, so shortly after meeting me. But what makes you feel that you can trust me?" Genevieve asked, the barest hint of a smile forming on her lips. "I know how badly you want Zelia to change... this hopefully will get the wheels rolling." "I have little stake in Zelia personally...but it is heartbreaking to see anyone so vehemently deny themselves the chance to be happy. I will do as you ask." Agathe bowed. "I'm sorry to say I must be off, hope we meet again." Agathe's form instantly became transparent as she floated through the wall. "Quite the interesting character..." Genevieve commented. "More like complicated." Cholris replied. |
| Chapter 17: "New Faces Part 5" I woke to find myself lying in bed, feeling tremendous pain from the all-day sex fest my companions had put me through. I knew they were totally pissed because of the last few days, so I should have been ready for this…too bad I wasn’t. I glanced over to either side to see them both cuddled up to me, deep in sleep. It was slightly upsetting that they had drugged me, but I couldn’t stay very mad when they looked so cute while sleeping. Reaching out, I stroked their hair and even scratched behind Olivia’s ear. She wiggled around for a little bit, her face showing a mildly annoyed look. I slowly slipped back to sleep for a few minutes before being woken up by both of my companions. Alysia wrapped her arms around my chest while Olivia kissed me on the cheek. “Morning,” they said in unison. I made a sort of grunting noise and watched them both rise out of bed, their supple naked bodies brimmed with energy. They quickly got dressed and pulled me out of bed. Olivia dressed me while Alysia forced me to drink some foul tasting liquid. “Blah!! What was that?” I looked around for something to clean my tongue with. “That should help with the pain and exhaustion. Now let’s talk.” Alysia pushed me onto one of the spare chairs and then sat down next to Olivia. “Where do you keep getting those damn vials from?!” They both looked at each other and giggled. “Since when have you two been so friendly together?” I found it a little odd that now those two had decided they were going to be all friendly and cooperative. “We made a sort of… alliance against Zelia.” Olivia continued. “We couldn’t let that bitch take you away from us.” Olivia gave me a seemingly innocent smile. “Why are you guys so against her?! She saved us from those demons in the church!” I didn’t know exactly why I was defending her… maybe I felt partly indebted to her? Maybe the drug from yesterday was still in effect? Maybe I was starting to… ((Ok enough thinking about ramming Zelia again.)) “Apparently you weren’t listening to what the succubus said about Zelia…” Alysia sighed. “You also seemed to be forgetting that she raped you… “Olivia looked at me intently. “It would have been twice if we hadn't jumped in.” Alysia added. They both got closer to me, their breathing started to get heavy. “It’s not like th-“ They cut me off as they got closer. “We found you first, so you’re ours… idiot,” they said it in unison while they tried to contain their blushing. I sighed and brought them both in for a close hug. “You know I only have eyes for you two.” I chuckled a little. They both smiled then immediately knocked me on the head. “Ouch! What were those for?!” “That was for calling out her name.” Alysia smirked. “And that was for not resisting her approaches.” Olivia added. I rubbed my head then started to giggle. Alysia and Olivia tilted their heads and looked at me. “Do you think he snapped?” Olivia asked. “I dunno, maybe.” Alysia answered. “That’s not it!” I retorted. “Just… thank you…” I embraced both of them in a hug and kissed both of their cheeks. They smiled, picking me up and throwing me onto the bed. “Wait… what are you guys…” I trailed off, knowing exactly what they were doing. “You didn’t think last night along would satisfy us, did you?” Alysia jumped onto me and locked lips with me. I looked up and expected to be ravished like usual, but nothing else happened aside from cuddling and kissing from both of them. “You guys… aren’t you going to..?” I hesitantly asked. “Just enjoy the moment, love.” Olivia pulled me out from underneath Alysia and embraced me. “Hey!” Alysia tried to pull me away from her. “He’s mine right now!” “As if you could satisfy his needs!” Both of them scowled at each other while I slowly slipped out of Olivia’s grasp. They finally noticed my absence and turned to see me trying to slip out of the room. “Where do you think-" Alysia started. “-You are going?” Olivia finished. I started to sweat a little upon witnessing their intense gazes. Fortunately, my stomach started to growl, giving me the perfect excuse. “I was hoping to get something to eat downstairs,” I said. They both jumped off the bed and hurried to the door. “Well then let’s go.” They both grabbed my arms and pulled me out the door. The hallway was small, but wide enough for the three of us to walk side by side. Overall it was a pretty simple hallway leading downstairs. Before I allowed them to drag me downstairs, I wanted to look inside the room next to ours. “Still have the hots for that bitch?” Alysia huffed. “I just want to check it out.” I gestured to Olivia to unlock it. She hesitated for a moment then decided to trust me, unlocking the door. I took a peek inside and saw that the room was in perfect condition, the open window the only thing sticking out. “It seems she wanted to sneak out,” I said. “Why?” Olivia asked. I shrugged my shoulders and turned to Alysia. “Who cares. All that matters is that she left. Good riddance.” Alysia grabbed my arm. “Let’s get you fed so we can have some more fun later.” She winked and dragged me down the hall. ((Oh that’s great.)) We walked down the stairs and found a table near the back. It seemed the inn served as both an inn and bar. Several tables and chairs sat around the room while a straight bar was off to the right of the stairs. “I’ll order us a drink and see if they serve food.” Alysia got up and walked over the bar and started to talk to Belle, who looked to be currently running the bar. “Alex?” Olivia asked. I turned to see that something was on her mind. “Yes, Olivia? What is it?” “It’s about what Genevieve said after you fell unconscious…” She trailed off, her body shifting close to mine. “What did she say?” I didn’t trust a word that succubus had said but my curiosity was getting the better of me today. “She warned us to stop you from accompanying Zelia to meet a woman named ‘Lorelei’.” She wrapped her wings around my arms. “I don’t trust that succubus but I still think that she was right about Zelia. So please…for us, don’t follow Zelia.” Deep concern seemed to be showing in her eyes. “I… I trust you. I promise I won’t follow her." Olivia smiled and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips while we embraced each other for a moment. The moment didn’t last very long as Alysia slammed her fist on the table. “AAAhem.” She gave a fake cough as she set down our drinks and a sandwich. Olivia moved slightly away from me. “Ah… sorry.” I blushed a little and smiled. Alysia gave me a disapproving grunt and sat down, taking a drink of her beer while muttering something about ‘leaving them alone for a second’. I sighed and started on my sandwich. Surprisingly it tasted pretty damn good, but considering I hadn’t eaten much yesterday I suppose almost anything would have tasted good. I offered a little to both of my companions but they refused, both saying they were still full from the meal they'd had last night. I slapped my head and continued eating. After I had finished my sandwich, I sipped some of the beer Alysia had gotten me. It was alright, but it lacked a certain flavor that I had grown accustomed to. After all, half of college life involved drinking so much you became a beer “artist”. Suddenly, the door opened up and a thin, read-headed raccoon-like woman of average height walked in. She was cute but not what I would call attractive. She was greeted warmly by Belle, who seemed to know her. Behind her came an all too familiar face: the succubus, Genevieve. I spit my beer out upon seeing her as Alysia and Olivia crushed the mugs in their hands. This action drew the attention of all of the few patrons in the bar, including Genevieve. “You…” My companions said in unison as they got up out of their chairs. “Ah, how splendid to have run into you both again so soon,” Genevieve said, looking a bit nervous. “Just when things were finally calming down…” I muttered as I slammed my face into the table. -------------------------------------------------- Zelia leaned against the closest tree to the old, partly ruined house and observed a group of Imps leaving the house, carrying a Danuki. She smiled, walking through the open gate after they had left. Trying to keep her chuckling as quiet as possible, she made her way up the stairs to the door of the obvious master bedroom. She peered into the room, watching Genevieve as she carried out her deed. "Heh, this is too perfect." She continued to watch as Genevieve finished and walked out the door. Genevieve turns to see Zelia standing there, smiling and giggling uncontrollably. "Such passion in there," Zelia says as she follows Genevieve down the stairs. “Tell me, do you feel proud of yourself stealing Delilah's 'soul mate'?" Wiping her face of looked like still-fresh tears, Genevieve waited a long moment before responding, "I...did what had to be done. Have you ever spared a thought for anyone but yourself?” "Oh, Delilah will be quite upset when she finds out what happened... Fireworks everywhere!" Her hands making huge gestures as they walked out the door. With a sigh, Genevieve tried to keep her composure as she made her way towards the western edge of the city, barely holding her emotions in check, "Yes, she will be quite upset. But there is no need to pretend that her feelings matter to you. My servants saw your exchange." Zelia shot back somewhat angrily, not losing her smile, "Don't talk down to me, only your demon logic could possibly justify what you did as 'helping' her." "That is because you do not see the larger picture, you simply don't understand her." "Oh, I understand that she's a stuck-up selfish bitch. Was there anything more?" "Zelia...there is something wrong with you. This is unfamiliar territory for Delilah and you sold her out without a second thought of my intentions for something that will only lead you further from what you truly want." "Oh? What, pray tell, would you say is wrong with me?" Zelia's eyes shone a darker scarlet than usual. Genevieve looked into her eyes and in that moment, saw something horrifying, something from a long-dead dream, something for which there could be only one word: evil. She shook off the foul memory and seemed to regain her composure slightly, not answering Zelia's question. "And, why in hell should I care what a rotting child wants?" Zelia asked. "I'd say you should care if you have any concern for your continued existence. Whatever else you think yourself to be, you are an undead, and she is the most skilled necromancer I have ever encountered--possibly the greatest still walking the earth. She may be like a child, but a raging child understands nothing of pity, temperance, or remorse," Genevieve said solemnly as she looked to the late afternoon sky. "Great advice, I'll keep it in mind later when I'm beating her. I assume you have a plan to stop her once she finds out what you've done?" "No, Zelia. When she finishes her journey to Blacksky, she will find me and kill me. And I...welcome her judgment for my crime." "Then I suggest you answer a few questions for me before then." Zelia wraps her arm around Gene's shoulder as they continued to walk. -------------------- Cholris sat atop the highest building nearby, watching Genevieve and Zelia leave the house. Her grip tightened upon the book as she listens to their conversation unfold. "Zeila..." She stands and opens her book. "I will protect her... no matter what." With a quick flash of purple light, Cholris is gone. |
| Chapter 18: “A solemn warning” "Friends of yours?" The tanuki girl whispered to Genevieve, still loudly enough to be heard by my advancing companions. "Oh, most certainly. I was helping them to explore their desires the other day," Genevieve whispered back with a small wave in their direction. "Explore our desires? You left us in a church full of Imps ready to rape Alex!" Olivia yelled while walking closer to Genevieve. "I told them that they could not touch you until noon of the next day, I figured if he was still there by then that he simply wanted a tumble with my cute little servants," Genevieve answered as she opened her arms wide as though she thought Olivia was coming closer to give her a hug. "And the worst part," Alysia began, "Is that you let that filthy undead whore touch him!" "Well...at the time, I didn't think there would be any harm in it. It's not as if he doesn't care about her," Genevieve added slightly nervously. Alysia and Olivia looked ready to pounce on the unsuspecting succubus. "GUYS!" I yelled, still sitting at the table. They all turned to me as I stood up. "I'm not in the mood for this crap so let’s all just sit down and talk." "There is nothing to ta-" Alysia began. "SIT. DOWN. NOW." I yelled. The headache I had acquired from banging my head on the table was slowly growing and I was just so sick of all this arguing that I could scream... luckily I didn't need to. Alysia and Olivia both grudgingly backed away from Genevieve and sat back down. After they were seated, the two guests slowly walked over to the table and sat down as well. My companions were quick to scootch closer to me, latching their hands around mine. I sighed and proceeded to watch over my obsessive group while the raccoon girl tried defuse the situation a little. "Let’s all just take a deep breath, maybe get some drinks," She said as she waved at Belle, "and talk this out. My name is Karisa and this is Genevieve." "I'm Alex and these are my companions Alysia and Olivia," I said. "Karisa? Are you...related to Ajora by any chance?" Olivia asked. "Yes...she was my adoptive mother...how do you know that?" Karisa asked as she looked around suspiciously. "My mother and sister used to visit her often. They would play and even spar at her house on regular occasions," Olivia said. "Oh! Who is your mother?" Karisa asked as she almost jumped over the table in excitement. "Why do you wish to know?" Olivia looked slightly puzzled. "That is a very difficult question to answer. I...just want to know more about Ajora," Karisa said as she turned away slightly. "I see... My mother’s name is Celera Shieldguard. I'm sure she would be more than happy to tell you about her." "Celera is your mother? My my, quite the prestigious family," Genevieve said with a grin. Olivia glared at her a moment before looking away. I turned and looked at my wyvern lover. I wasn't surprised that she hadn't told me about her family yet, for all I know she may not be on good terms with them now... although I did wonder what else she was hiding. After that exchange, the group went silent until I spoke up again. "So why exactly are you guys here?" I asked. Genevieve remained silent and just looked to Karisa. "I came here chasing after my husband, and she seems intent on making sure I don't get roughed up or something," Karisa said as she sat back down in a nearby chair, her fingers drumming on the table in a distracted nervousness. "I've told you a dozen times that you simply can't survive down there," Genevieve began before adding, "Unless Delilah shuts down the system, at which point I would be more than happy to escort you below." "Husband? System? Could you please explain?" Olivia questioned, completely taking the words from my mouth. Sitting up a bit, Genevieve spoke up, "Since you both seem to know so little about the more intricate workings of demonic energy, I'll just explain. Delilah and I designed a system that was supposed to draw demonic energy away from the city depths and channel it here on the surface. It isn't working right and what you felt in the church is a side effect of that." Karisa looked even more impatient as she added, "Delilah and my husband, Joe, are somewhere beneath this valley but we can't really get down there unless this 'system' thing stops working. Joe was sick with something and this was the only place Del could take him." "Why would you take him to a place that is filled with demonic energy?" "Oh, you hadn't noticed?" Genevieve asked, continuing on without waiting for an answer, "This entire valley is so peaceful because nearly all of the demonic energy from the undercity and the surrounding area is being focused into the church. Above ground it's just peaceful, but the undercity is completely devoid of that energy." "In case you couldn't tell," Karisa said with a slight frown, "I'm not much of a fighter without magic. Apparently there's also still a swarm of starving undead down there just aching to chew our tails off. And this one's a demon so I guess it's actually painful for her down there" she added, hooking a thumb in Genevieve's direction. "She's the type that would watch as someone else's mate gets raped by some stuck up bitch," Alysia said with a glare at Genevieve. With a coy smile, Genevieve answered, "If I remember correctly, you two lizards had become rather enamored of each other at the time. Someone had to watch something so beautiful," she said as she leaned over the table slightly to look down at my lap before sitting back up to continue, "Just because you don't like the woman doesn't make it rape. And even remembering it seems to have gotten his...'attention'," she added as she looked at me with a smile. My face instantly became red and I turned away, my companions were probably giving silent death glares. "You women aren't slimes in a rutting heat. Putting your fingers in your ears and closing your eyes is a poor substitute for simply listening to and, if needed, catering to his desires, however contemptible they may seem to you," Genevieve said with a wave of her hand. "We please him often, you stuck up succubus!" They both nearly yelled. "There's no need for you two to get so angry about it," Karisa said with a calming smile, "Neither of you has even said why you don't like her beyond her personality...and it seems to do something for Alex here, so is this just jealousy...or something else?" "Jealous? Don't make me laugh; we just don't want that damn bitch getting her hands all over our man." Alysia finished off her drink and slammed the mug on the table. "So then what's the big deal with this Zelia?" Karisa asked. "Don't ask." Both my companions sent annoyed gazes at the poor girl who was just trying to ask a simple question. "She's Cholris's close friend," I replied, receiving annoyed glances from both of my companions. "Cholris? As in Delilah's sister, Cholris?" Karisa asked as Belle brought another round of beers for everyone. "Yup. We were helping her with some investigation she was doing outside town," I said. "And that was where we met Delilah," Alysia added. "She seemed completely distracted and almost like she wasn't paying any attention to any of us. Do you know her?" "She's uh...a friend and...uh..." she trailed off before continuing in a whisper, "we're married to the same man." "Risa!" Belle shouted from across the bar as she practically galloped over, "Did you get married without inviting us to the wedding?!" "Belle...it's not like that, things were really weird. Nobody was invited...I'm really sor-" "It's fine, Risa. That just means that the next two rounds are on me--for you and your fine friends here," Belle said with a smile as she turned to canter back to the bar. Taking a moment to share a quick hug with her obvious friend, Karisa added, "When we get everything sorted out, I promise you'll be invited to the party, Belle. I know a lot of people, but you are one of very few actual friends I have." With that, Karisa returned to the table looking a bit relieved as she sat back down. "Anyway, we've been close to them for the last few days, helping them," I added. "I wouldn't say helping them..." Alysia added. "Then what would you say we have been doing these past few days?" I stared at Alysia. "Unnecessary bullshit," She said. "Elegantly put..." I sighed then continued, "She wanted us to accompany her as she had found some sort of familiar energy. It turned out to be her sister, Delilah." "Well, Alex...that explains precisely fuck-all. Do you like this Zelia or don't you? If she's important to you then...well..." Karisa said as she looked at Alysia and Olivia. "I-" I began but was quickly shushed by my lovers. "Trust us, he doesn't love her," Both of them said in unison while shooting her a threatening glare. Karisa gave them a odd stare then decided to just drop the matter altogether...or at least till they left me alone a moment. Looking like she had stumbled onto a realization, Karisa was silent a moment before continuing, "Anyway...a better question is, what's Zelia have to do with Delilah?" "I don't know for sure...but what I do know is they aren't on friendly terms." I took a sip of my beer and relaxed in my chair. "Del is certainly a ...acquired taste. So what level of 'unfriendly' are we talking here? Ruined slumber party, stolen fiancé, or eternal enemies?" "From what I saw... the conversation those two had was..." I trailed off. "Heated, to say the least," Olivia added. "That worries me," Karisa said as she looked down into her drink. "She's been so damn secretive about this whole Blacksky nonsense. All she really managed to say was that she felt her sister's 'company' was a bit..." "Sketchy?" I threw in. Everyone in the group gave me odd gazes as if I had said something they had never heard. ((That's what I get for trying to be funny...)) "Risa!" Belle called. "Yeah?" She turned to see Belle carrying a few crates of wine. "Could I bother both you and your friends for some help?" She asked while looking rather red in the face. "Sure." Karisa stood up and went to go help. I motioned to get up myself but was stopped by Alysia and Olivia. "We will help her, just stay here. And you..." Alysia pointed to Gene. "Touch him and I'll personally see to it that you meet a slow and painful end." Her and Olivia gave the succubus quick death glares before walking over to the bar. "I've had just about all the man I can handle for a while," Genevieve answered, looking slightly distant for a moment before her smile returned with a nod in their direction. Turning to me, her smile quickly faded as she moved her chair closer to mine and leaned in close, "For all of her threats she still left you here with me," Genevieve said with a deep sigh, her normally calm smile gone, "But there is something far more pressing that I must discuss with you." Fearing retribution from my companions, I kept my distance but stayed close enough to hear her. "What is it?" I asked. "It's about Zelia. Your two paramour's opinions on the matter aside, I know you are not being completely honest. Were I you, I'd have already come out with the truth to them. I've played matchmaker for thousands of years. Matters of the human heart are no more a mystery to me than the taste of that beer is to you--it is simply a sense that I have cultivated." "I... I do care about her... a lot but I can't just ... I just cant." I looked away from her eyes that could piece into my very heart and soul. "You can't? Why not leave those two and join the one you truly wish to be with... unless...Ah. You have similar feelings for them as well?" Her eyes narrowed. I shamefully looked away, my heartbeat slowly increasing. "I...I..." I kept trailing off as my mind continued to spin with different ideas. "As amusing as it is to observe you trying to choose between three beautiful ideas that aren't mutually exclusive in the first place, that is not what I needed to tell you. The larger concern is that Zelia...confounds my senses. I kept wondering how I could have been so wrong to have tried to match her with you, everything should have worked. It wasn't until recently that I felt something...else from her. There is something very dark and very evil within her that has warped who she is." "Who or what could be the cause of it?" "I have a few theories but it's best if you just keep an eye on her." "But why me? Why would you tell me all of this?" "Did I not say that I was a grandmaster matchmaker? I warn you specifically because I'm reasonably convinced that she cares for you a great deal. She may not be aware of the peril which stands poised to strike at her, or she simply may not care. But this brings us back to my statement about honesty. There is a good chance that she's going to do something beyond foolish, or for foolish reasons...and you may be the only person that could stop her." "I... I understand." --------------------------- A small carriage stopped a few miles outside the peaceful village. It was a small, darker colored carriage that featured intricate designs of bats and other creatures of the night. Two large black stallions lead it along with a cloaked individual driving them. The driver leaned down to the window at the front of the carriage. "My lady, would you like to stop at this village to rest?" The woman in the carriage promptly opened the door and stepped out. Her black hair flowed in the wind as her green eyes shined. Her black armor was embossed with various symbols as her underlining chain mail glittered, her skirt fluttering gently. "Please get back inside mistress! The sun will-" "I know but I cannot sit in that stuffy carriage any longer." She turned and smiled. "Why don't we walk from here?" "But Mistress!" The girl tried to fight but quickly realized it was a losing battle. "Very well, I'll lead the horses." "Splendid! It is such a beautiful day, why waste it cooped up in some dark cage all day?" The woman followed as the girl lead the horses. "Because you won’t suffer the sun's wraith..." She sighed. "Oh Bah! Just because I lose a little strength doesn't mean I should hide from it my entire life!" The woman made giant hand gestures and laughed. "Why did I get assigned to watch you..." The woman simply laughed as they slowly made their way to the village. |
| Chapter 19: “A moment of calm” "Hey!" Alysia and Olivia called. Genevieve quickly moved away from me and put on her usual smile. "Something wrong?" the succubus asked with an innocent look on her face. "Didn't we just say to keep your distance from him?!" "You know that such extreme jealousy tends to indicate insecurity or infidelity, right?" She smiled. "Does it also indicate a succubus getting her teeth smashed in?" Alysia shook her fist in front of her a little. This prompted Gene to shut up. "So...Olivia?" Karisa began, "If I wanted to talk to your mother, where would I find her?" "Sadly, I cannot say." She looked to her. "I would like to tell you as my mother would probably be overjoyed to... "spar" with you, but before I left I was sworn to secrecy by her." "Hmm...well that narrows it down, I guess. It was a long shot anyway," Karisa said as she looked thoughtful. "However, I do know of a way you may be able to meet her or my older sister." "That might be useful. If I end up using the information, I'll owe you a favor," Karisa said with a nod. "Here." She hands Karisa a letter. "Present this to a dragon named 'Mis' at the Dragon's Breath in Alnor, she will help." "Oi, I try to stay away from the north end of Alnor, but...thanks just the same." Both of them gave her a low growl and took their seats again, cuddling close to me. Karisa soon followed and also took her seat. I silently sighed and wondered how long this would last. Suddenly both Karisa and Gene as well my companions perked up. "There it goes. She's free..." Genevieve said as tears started to form in her eyes. "That'll be our cue to leave. The energy should have rushed to fill the void so...it's been a blast!" Karisa said as she jumped out of her chair and nearly flew out the door. Genevieve stood up and gave a quick bow. "I hope we have an opportunity to meet again soon," she added before quickly following after the striped tail as it vanished out the door. Clearing her throat from across the room, Belle looked a bit flushed as she spoke up, "I should...go check on my hubby's recovery. Would either of you two fine ladies be interested joining me? I can assure you that his moans are absolutely adorable!" "Uhh I think we will pass." They both said. "Well, you are welcome to anything you need while I am gone. If you leave, please lock the door behind you!" Belle said but before she dashed out the door I stopped her. "I just wanted to thank you for all the help you have been these past few days." I bowed slightly to her. "Oh you are most welcome. I should...really run to the little filly's room!" She rushed out the door, her hooves already echoing in the distance as she galloped further into town. I took a seat at the bar and laid my head on the polished wooden surface. Alysia walked around the bar and helped herself to another glass of beer(?). Olivia just sat down next to me and sighed. “So what now?” I asked. “Dunno.” She took another swig then refilled the glass. “I don’t really see a reason for us to rush, no angry mob after me this time.” “Why am I not surprised to hear that has happened to you?” A small headache started to form so I lifted my head up. “Because you’re an asshole.” She smirked. “Why don’t you tell us about this little incident? I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.” I replied. She sighed while taking another swig. “Long story short I accidentally set fire to their crops…” Olivia and I both glared at her. “What?! Those assholes refused to pay me after I went through hell to deliver their shipment!” She guzzled down the mug then went to fill it again. “Why wouldn’t they pay you?” Olivia inquired. “Because…” She turned away. “I gave them the wrong shipment…” We both renewed our glaring. “It’s not my fault Medus switched the orders on me!” She slammed the mug unto the table. “They still should have paid me…” “So just because they didn’t pay you decide to burn their crops?!” I started to rub my head as my headache intensified. “And beat the mayor’s son…” “You are truly a one-of-a-kind salamander.” Olivia smirked and we both started to giggle. “Oh shut up!” She grumbled something about “Getting us back” and finished off her last mug before setting on the bar. “So what now?” I asked once again. “We’re gonna go upstairs and get our stuff, you can stay here and clean up I guess.” Alysia and Olivia walked back upstairs, leaving me alone in the small tavern. With nothing else to really do I started cleaning up the place a little, moving the chairs around so they weren’t in the way, cleaning off the tables and putting away the dishes. It only took me a few minutes to clean up so after that I took my seat at the bar again and enjoyed the peace. It was something I hadn’t gotten to do in a while so I planned to soak up as much as I could. My thoughts started to drift to all the different things that had happened recently. Cholris wanting us to meet her sister, Zelia raping me then having her confess and then there was Genevieve’s warning… so much had happened over such a short span of time, it was a lot to take in. I stared over through the window. The sun hadn’t set yet but began to slowly make its decent past the center of the sky. I figured it would be night by the time we made it back to Nethas but that didn’t really matter, the stars in the sky illuminated this world brilliantly. I stood up and walked around the bar and poured myself one last mug. “One for the road I guess…” I muttered before drinking it slowly down. Another thought also dawned on me while I waited for my companions… Why were they my companions? Sure Alysia had provided me with a home and job and Olivia… well she let me fly on her (After throwing me into the air!) but did that really mean we were “together”? Of course I like them physically, after all both of them are basically built to please me (My lower half more precisely) in every way but do I like them emotionally? I’ve barely been with them for more than a month but it seems to have escalated so quickly. I shook my head and finished off my beer, now wasn’t the time to start having this deep philosophical discussion on love. I cared about them enough to be around them and that is all that matters right now. As I put the glass mug up both of my teammates finally came down from upstairs. They each were carrying a bag full of clothes and other supplies. Alysia also was holding a smaller bag full of her extra weapons. “When I said “You can clean up” I meant it sarcastically…” Alysia sighed. “I didn’t mind, it was the least we could do for her.” I walked over to my girls and embraced them. “Woah! What’s this all about?” Alysia said shockingly. “Did our Alex get kidnapped and replaced by a crafty doppelganger?” Olivia added. “I don’t think I’ve said this both to you yet but… thank you… for everything.” They both looked to each other, their faces filled with fear. “Alex what’s wrong? Did something happen?” They both said in unison. “Yeah something is wrong…” I bumped them both on the head. “You two just ruined a good moment.” I gave them my best “disappointed” look. “Hey! Erm… sorry.” They scratched their heads and played it off as if nothing happened. I sighed and released them from the hug. “Shall we get going?” I gestured towards the door. “Yeah…” They replied and we made our way out, locking the door behind us. The cool breeze felt fantastic on my face as I glanced around. The sleepy little village seemed to be fairly quiet with the exception of a few monsters quickly running home. I turned to my companions. “So guys… where are we?” They both turned to face me. “I asked Belle what the name of this village was while we worked, still happen to have that map Lura gave you?” She held out her hand. “Actually… I left it at home…” I scratched my head nervously. She sighed then looked to Olivia. “I don’t suppose you have a map…” Olivia pulled a folded up piece of paper from one of her bags. “I always come prepared.” She grinned while Alysia just took the parchment and unfolded it in her hands. She laid it flat on the ground and pulled out a piece of chalk. It was a basic detailed map of Amarante’s land and the villages within it. It included the capital Alnor as well as other small villages dotting the landscape. She marked a small village named “Elysian Valley” near the edge of the map then pointed to it. “This is where we are; luckily we are still in Amarante’s territory so at least we are close to home.” She lined out the path for us from our current location to Nethas. “It should be at least a three day walk to get back.” “I don’t know about you guys but I’m in no mood to walk.” My comment got me a stare from Alysia. “Then what do you propose we do? Hire a centaur to take us home?” The flames on her tail dancing as her eye twitched slightly. “Who needs that when we have a wyvern.” I grabbed unto Olivia’s hand and smiled. “You can fly us there in a single night right?” “That should be possible but I refuse to fly with that… thing on my back.” Alysia reached for her sword and smiled. “I believe this bitch needs a lesson in humility.” They both looked ready to start fighting when I stepped in. “Enough!” I pushed them away and turned to Olivia. “One week of “all you can eat” plus a small bag of rubies, emeralds and sapphires, hell I’ll even throw in my help in kicking Alysia’s ass.” She stood there speechless for a moment then sighed and handed me her bags. “I expect that “all you can eat” to be perfect.” She jumped high into the air and quickly transformed into her larger form. “That never gets old!” It was hard for me to keep my excitement in as I scrambled to jump on. She shook her head in minor misunderstanding. Alysia looked annoyed but got on quickly. We put the bags unto the lower half of Olivia’s back and held unto her. “Let’s fly!” I pointed towards the sky, giving her the cue that we were ready. She instantly ascended into the air and flew off towards the setting sun. --------------------------- "Mistress?" The girl asked. "Yes?" The woman fluttered around. "Shouldn't we ask someone where the Inn is?" She pulled the carriage over and stopped the horses. "Ah you're right, lets ask these two passing by." She waved her hands at the walking succubus and tanuki. "Excuse me!" "Oh come on...I've never felt so naked with nothing to sell. A lovely vampire such as this one clearly has a powerful need of an umbrella," the tanuki muttered, making no attempt to whisper. "Be careful, I'm sensing some rather concentrated demonic energy from her," The succubus whispered to the tanuki girl before speaking up with a warm smile, "I hope the day finds you well. How may we be of assistance to you, fine travelers?" "Me and my friend are hopelessly lost and were wondering where the Inn was?" She returned the smile. "Just a few minutes down that road, a bit further into the valley and you can't miss it." The succubus offered as she gestured in the direction of the town. "Ahh thank you so much." She bowed to her then started walking off into that direction. "You are most welcome." The groups passed each other, heading in opposite directions. The woman continued to walk a few more steps then stopped. She sniffed the air the turned around, giving the succubus a strange and surprised look. "Excuse me..." She quickly walked back over to the succubus. "Do you mind if I ask you something?" Her smile from before had disappeared. "Certainly," the succubus responded, her smile fading almost imperceptibly. "I couldn't help but notice a very particular scent of blood on you..." She slowly inched her hand towards her sword. "Do you happen to work with or for a wight named Zelia?" With a light laugh, the succubus's smile returned as she replied, "Oh, lords no! I'll admit to trying to play matchmaker with her to see if that icy shell didn't go all the way through, but unfortunately I had to deal with her recently to obtain some important information." "I see..." She released the handle of her sword. "Would you happen to know where I could find her?" "I couldn't say for certain, but it's likely she'll be in the place we're going. She seemed interested in following my friend for some reason or another. You're welcome to follow us if you'd like, but we're not looking to get involved in anything dangerous." "Okay, look...I can take care of myself!" the tanuki said in a frustrated tone. "What are we waiting for?!" The woman said, ignoring the raccoon girl as she nudged the succubus forward. "Onward!" The succubus continued leading the way back into the forest. The succubus and tanuki were in front while the woman and her assistant were in the back. With a giggle,"It nearly slipped my mind, but I am Genevieve and this is Karisa." Karisa gave a small bow of her own in response. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself!" The woman and girl bowed. "I am Carmilia Belmont while this girl next to me is Seraphina Belmont." "Belmont you say? How curious. Such a prestigious lineage that I wonder at the coincidence of your appearance here." "Well I wouldn't count our clan's standing as pristine anymore but I hope that one day I can return it to it's former glory." She walked up next to Genevieve."I am sorry about earlier, I've been on edge lately due to the assassinations and I started to assume things I shouldn't have assumed." "That is something with which I am most familiar. That would certainly explain the edginess." "Oh yes, over the past several weeks several members of my Clan have been killed." She looked to her. "I have reason to suspect that it is Zelia's doing." "With whatever is digging at her from the inside, I can't say I'm surprised." "Deep wounds tend to get infected if not treated properly... Wouldn't you agree?" "I can't say that I'm familiar enough with her to know for certain...just that there is something festering within her. I'm starting to regret giving her that information about Astoria." "Astoria? I though she was only just a bedtime story... just like Guinevere..." "More like a 2nd cousin, thrice-removed. We don't talk to that part of the family anymore. As for Zelia, if I take your meaning, you're going to need some serious treatment to cleanse that particular pox." "Oh I may have something..." She smiles and places her hand on the sword hilt. "Anyway where is Zelia?" "Into the depths, here..." The succubus said as she pointed to a rough stone staircase in the middle of the clearing. They entered into the clearing and descended down into the dark abyss. As they entered, Sera removed her hood to reveal beautiful flowing blonde hair while her light green eyes shined. They slowly walked down the stairs and made it to the front gate of the city. As they entered into the courtyard Carmilia stopped and drew her sword. "My lady?" Sera asked. "She's coming." She gripped hard unto her sword and took an open stance. Just as Zelia and Cholris stepped into the courtyard Carmilia charged at them. "Zelia!" She shouted. Zelia barely had a chance to pull out her sword and block the attack while pushing her attacker away. "Carmilia..." Zelia's eyes narrowed. "I won't let you bring evil into this world again!" |
| Chapter 20: “Peaceful journey” The sun had made its final descent into the endless horizon as the moon slowly but surely greeted us with its basking glow. I had decided to rest my head on Olivia’s back while Alysia had fallen unto me when she drifted off. After several attempts to push her off failed, I sighed and accepted my fate as the salamander’s personal mat and pillow. “Are you uncomfortable love?” Olivia turned her head and looked at my unusual bent position. “Oh don’t worry, I’ve been through worse.” I smiled. “Are you sure? I could easily rid us of her with a simple maneuver.” She smirked “You know that would upset me… besides what would you do without insulting her on a daily basis?” “Ravage you…” Her grinning was followed by a quick wink. “I don’t think I could handle doing it that much…” “Have you forgotten about our little deal already? “Her eyes narrowed. “Because if you did I might be tempted to make a loop de loop and see if you’re still on afterwards.” “No no, I haven’t forgotten honey!” She smiled then looked forward again. I sighed and even wondered how I had gotten myself into such a mess. “Alex?” Olivia asked, pulling me out of thought. “Yes?” “What are your feelings towards Zelia in comparison to us?” I couldn’t see her face but she sounded… sad. “Erm…” I hadn’t actually sorted out my own feelings for her yet so this question made me start to thinking about what she meant to me. I had to consider everything that had happened to me over these past weeks,all the things that these two had done for even though they hadn’t known me for very long then there was what Zelia had done for me… She hadn’t really done anything for me had she? Yet despite that fact I… had feelings for her. I will never understand myself at all. “Why do you ask?” “I can’t really say.” “I see… Is this about what Genevieve said to you two?” She turned her head and snarled. “Are you accusing me of being jealous of that whore bitch?” She snapped. “I didn’t say that.” I stared directly into her eyes. “Why would a beautiful woman such as you need to jealous of anyone?” She instantly blushed, her face turning a soft shade of red. “Compliments don’t work on me you know…” She shook her head and slightly gained her composure back. “Could have fooled me.” I giggled a little. “To answer your earlier question… I care more about you guys then her.” It wasn’t a lie, I did care more about them then Zelia but there is always that small place in my heart that yearned for her, that longed to hold her in my arms and never let her go. You could almost say that she had… melted a part of my heart but I shook my head. Why am I thinking such things when I already have two wonderful girls? These two are the only ones I need. I tightened my grip around Olivia’s neck. “Something troubling you love?” “It’s nothing… Are we almost home?” “Just about… still another hour or so. Why don’t you get a little rest? I’ll wake you up when we get there.” She nudged me with her head then faced forward. My eyes slowly started to shut in acceptance of her offer and I drifted off as the breeze blew through my hair. ------------------------- “Zelia!” Carmilia’s sword clashed against Zelia’s sword, causing light sparks to fly everywhere. “My lady!” Seraphina cried out. “What are you doing?!” She ran over towards Carmilia but an arm blocked her from getting any closer. Cholris has teleported herself in front of the vampire. “Don’t interfere.” She looked up to the concerned vampire. “I will stop them if the fight goes out of control.” Seraphina attempted to reply back but nothing left her throat as she stood there and watched the fight unfold. “I didn’t think you would follow me here of all places…”She pushed Carmilia back and launched her claws at her. She dodged the attack and charged again. “You can’t escape me Zelia! You’ll pay for what you did to my family!” The vampire’s voice was rasp and jagged while she jabbing at her using her sword. “What the hell are you talking about? I didn’t kill anyone!” Zelia parried the shots and jumped back. She looked in Carmilia’s angry and sorrow filled eyes. “Liar!” She pulled out a bottle and threw it near Zelia’s feet, jumping back as it broke against the ground. The clear liquid from the bottle splashed unto Zelia’s legs and began to burn her skin. She cried out in pain and moved back. “Purified water…” She muttered. “Tell me… why did you kill them? What was the point of attacking members of my family that had no real power in my clan…Why did those innocent people need to die?!” Carmilia looked as though she was about to break down in tears. Zelia lowered her head, her white hair covering her face. “Tell me why Zelia!” “Ahahaha.” She started to laugh manically and looked up, her dark scarlet eyes glowing in the semi darkness. “My, someone’s upset over a few petty corpses.” “Petty?! How dare you disgrace them!” Carmilia started throwing several bottles at Zelia. The Wight held up her sword and cut the bottles as they approached her, letting the water trail across her blade and down her hand. Her whole arm started to burn but it seemed not to bother her in the slightest. She smiled and licked the water off her hand. “Is that all you got? I was under the impression that the great Carmilia could do more than that, what a shame.” She sighed then grinned. “I guess it’s time I end this then.” She held out her spectral claws and sprinted towards Carmilia. Before the vampire could blink she was upon her, barely blocking the claws deadly edge. “What are you…” Carmilia’s face was frozen in terror as the Wight looked up to her and laughed. “I am death, destroyer of worlds.” Her eyes were filled completely with hate and evil. “I am this world’s end.” Her claws knocked the sword from her hand. As she went in for the kill a purple light from below separated the two and whisked Carmilia and Seraphina away. Zelia looked over to Cholris, slowly walking towards her with an annoyed expression. “I don’t know why I put up with your bullshit.” Cholris’s book began to glow again as the Wight got closer, an angry expression written across her face. “Oh don’t worry; I don’t plan on attacking someone I don’t need to kill… yet.” She sheaved the sword as her claws disappeared and her eyes slowly became lighter. Zelia laid down on one of the nearby stone benches. Choris walked over sat next to her. After a few minutes passed, Zelia jumped up off the bench. “Carmilia!” She looked around then turned to Cholris. “Where is Carmilia? What happened?” “You blacked out and went on a little of a rampage, a side effect of the purified water.” Cholris said, putting her hand on her shoulder. “She escaped in the confusion while I settled you down.” “I see…” She sighed. “I wanted to ask her what she meant earlier but I guess it doesn’t matter now.” She walked towards the front entrance gate. “This place is depressing so let’s get going.” “Agreed.” Cholris hopped off the seat and walked after her. “Did you happen to see those two people who were accompanying Carmilia?” Zelia asked. Cholris looked away; remembering the Danuki who passed was Joe’s other lover Karisa. “Hmm not very clearly, after the fight started they were able to easily escape.” Zelia wished to pry more out of her but decided it wasn’t worth digging for. “Ah well whatever, at least we can finally leave this place.” Zelia sighed. “Not quite.” She stopped Zelia. “What is it?” “I’ll be right back, I wish to check something.” Cholris’s book opened and the purple light instantly enveloped her. When it cleared she was gone. Zelia sighed and waited for several minutes until Cholris returned. “Where did you go?” Zelia gave her an annoyed glare. “Just picked up some souvenirs.” She pulled out a beautifully forged long sword and handed it to Zelia. “For you, it was the best sword they had.” Zelia marveled at the craftsmanship and quality of the blade. “It’s beautiful…” She felt how light it was yet it felt as though it was made of diamond. “Those dwarves sure know how to make a sword… What else did you get?” She sheaved her new sword. “Just this: Hyperion Imperforate Lachrimyform Archive Raisonneur Incunabulum and TachistoscopeYag or HILARITY for short.” She pulled out a huge crystal and held it in midair with her magic. “What the hell…?” Zelia questioned. “A crystal my sister used to brilliantly save all of the knowledge of this city as a sort of back-up drive just in case something happened to the main archive.” She hid it back into her cloak. “The only thing missing from it seems to be my song and the blueprints to the city and demonic equalizing machine but other than that it’s all here.” She also pulled out another crystal. “My sister also left this in her room among the music boxes but I don’t know what it is.” “Can’t help but mess with things that don’t belong to you …” Zelia sighed. “I saw no reason to let it keep sitting there besides if she wants it back she knows where to find me.” Cholris turned away and started walking. “Hey!” Zelia quickly followed after. “Is that all you got?” “Yes and maybe several dozen large bags of treasure from the vaults…” She kept her straight face and continued walking. “Treasure? Why would you steal that? I have more than enough money already.” “This is to fund a private project of mine.” Zelia again sighed and finally caught up to her. “Suit yourself.” They both exited out the front gate and walked up the stairs out of the massive cave system. The night sky welcomed them back into the world. “I hope my love found his way home…” Zelia said worryingly. “He does have a Wyvern as his lover so I assume he’s fine.” She opened up her book. “Let’s get home and drop off this stuff, I’m sure Reina is starting to get worried.” “She always gets worried if I’m gone for more than a few days!” She gripped then sighed. “Very well, let’s be off then.” Cholris smiled as her book began to glow again and envelop the two in purple light. As it faded the two were gone, carried by the magic to their old home. |
| Chapter 21: “Star Gazing” I gently touched down outside town and pulled my two passengers off before returning to my humanoid form. My older sister had warned about the dangers of overexerting myself but… How could I pass up a perfect opportunity to rape my love senseless? I picked them up and flew towards their home, letting my mind drift as I flew across this sleepy town. I didn’t understand why he loved that salamander more than me… Had she secretly bewitched him? Did she slip him a love potion when he wasn’t looking? Then there was that Wight… What did he see in that woman? Did he love her more than me or was what he said the truth? I started to wonder if that thing had finally started getting to him but I instantly shook my head. “No… he only loves us.” I muttered while clenching my fist. I lowered myself slowly unto the roof and then carefully placed them in bed. Alex looked so peaceful… it was hard to stop myself from mounting him while he slept. Unfortunately before I could think of jumping him that bitch Alysia embraced him, shattering any hope of a delicious midnight treat so I climbed back onto the roof. As I lay down on the wooden roof I sometimes wished that infernal woman would just upset my precious already so I could easily take her out of the picture and sweep my love off his feet, killing two birds with one stone. I sighed and stared at the moon, its waxing shape and glowing light complemented the twinkling stars that filled the sky. Ever since I was young I loved watching the stars and wondering what exactly was out there. My mother always said “Don’t worry about such trivial things; just focus on becoming the fastest wyvern around.” and I did but I still learned about the stars in my spare time. Not many in this world know about Astronomy or “The Study of Stars” but I was able to find a place where monsters dedicated their lives to understanding this type of knowledge… Epistema. I spent several months there learning all I could about the stars but eventually I decided to just travel and learn this world by seeing it with my own eyes, so far I don’t regret my actions. Maybe I should take my love there one day? I’m sure he would enjoy it there… and I’d score myself extra alone time with him. After peacefully laying on the roof for a while I got up and jumped back into the room. I made some space for myself next to him on the bed and crawled up close to him, whispering love filled words into his ear before I fell asleep. -------------------------------- “Wake up!” I felt a strong foot instantly push me off what I was laying on and unto the ground. I opened my eyes and bolted straight to my feet. Looking around I found myself back in Nethas in my room and Alysia who looked to be somewhat annoyed. “You know… all you needed to do was shake me a li-“Before I could finish she grabbed me and threw me unto the bed again. Her eyes were filled with a blazing lust as she ripped off my clothes in the blink of an eye. “Alysia!” “Remember how you promised that whore an exclusive week?” “Yeah?” ((This is going to end bad…)) “Well… before she gets back I’m going to have my fun with you.” “Oh joy…” I muttered before locking lips with her. We spent around an hour together having “fun” before she ran downstairs to check on Medus. I lay in bed for a few minutes, catching my breath. “Honestly… how do I get tangled up in this crap?” “Through extraordinary luck.” I looked up and saw that Olivia was back from wherever she had gone. She instantly jumped unto the bad and examined my lower area. “It sees that cur got to you first… no matter, tomorrow you are all mine.” She kissed my lips softly then handed me new clothes. “Uh… did you go shopping?” I asked while slipping the new pants on. “Yes, I wanted to pick up some things for a romantic night tonight.” She set her bag down on the table and pulled out a scarf and handed it to me. It was a silk red scarf with a white trim along the end of it. “Oh wow, this is really nice!” I wrapped it around my neck with both ends facing front. “What’s the occasion?” “I just wanted to buy you something…” She smiled. “It was also on sale so I thought “Why not?”” “Thank you Olivia, I love it!” I locked with her as she embraced me. “If Alysia was this nice then maybe I might…” “You might what?” I shuttered and slowly turned my head towards the entrance of the doorway where Alysia was leaning against the frame. “I was just…” I started but Olivia quickly jumped it. “He was saying how much better I treat him than you.” She grinned. “After all I don’t have to force myself on him, he willingly gives me love~” Alysia seemed to be getting slightly upset as he hand slowly reached for her sword. “Quick to violence aren’t we salamander?” Olivia moved me behind her and readied her claws. They moved into battle stances and prepared to fight before I jumped in. “NOT in my room ok?” I held out my arms towards both of them. Alysia huffed and put away her sword, walked out the room while Olivia turned away and climbed out the window. I sighed, those two had better start getting along more or else things were going to get more complicated for me. I put on the shirt and shoes Olivia got for me and headed downstairs, hopefully working with Medus and letting those two cool off would help the situation. I headed into the back where I found Medus working on a piece I assumed someone ordered. Upon my entry he stopped and turned to me. “You look like hell kid… Did Alysia have her fun with you? AHAHAHA!” “Yeah plus some other shit… Any work for me today?” He scratched his head. “I’m working on this weapon for a customer right now so if no one is watching the shop then I guess go do that.” I nodded and turned to walk away. “Oh and if some kid asks about the Blue sword send him back to me.” “You actually found a buyer for that thing?” I asked “Heh, sort of.” He chuckled then got back to work. I sighed and kept walking, I had a feeling he was screwing with that kid but it wasn’t my problem. I had heard rumors from around town that he loved messing with people who couldn’t afford his weapons, especially that sword. It wasn’t the best sword in the shop but it was beautiful so most idiots were drawn to it like flies towards a bug zapper. I stopped by the kitchen and cooked up a few eggs before I went to check on the store. One thing I learned was to always eat at least three times a day, just in case you needed to bolt you had plenty of energy to do it. Walking into the shop I noticed Alysia was sitting at the counter, reading something resembling a small book. “Did you want me to take over?” I asked. She said nothing and just continued to read her book. “So I take it you aren’t talking to me?” Again more silence with the addition of her flipping the page. “Ok fine, I’ll just go out for a bit.” I turned and headed towards the door, turning my head a little to see if she was watching me… Alas she wasn’t. I sighed and opened the door, closing it as I walked out. It was such a beautiful day outside. The wind gently blew and the birds chirped their marry song. I didn’t know the time but guessing from the position of the sun, I presumed before noon. As I walked down the main street I looked at the many different houses and shops. Most of the shops were general stores but others were more specific such as a Locksmith shop, flower shop and even butchers shop. Finally I found the one place that could cheer up my spirit, a bar. It was a simple wooden structure with small twin carved marble columns next to the double front doors. The roof looked to be tilted with some type of slate or some other thin type of stone. The hanging sign above the doorway read “Medusa’s Bane” which was a rather curious name. I walked and saw the place mostly empty with the exception of an orc or two drink in the corner of the room. It was a decently sized bar with several stools aligned around an ‘L’ shaped bar surrounded by several tables. I took a seat at the bar and head a voice coming from the back. “I’ll be just a moment.” The female voice said. After a couple minutes of waiting a green skinned woman came out from the back and walked back behind the bar. Her blue eyes complimented her light purple hair beautify while one of her horns on her head was completely bandaged up. She wore a tattered blue skirt with a red apron that barely covered her large breasts. My gazed lay on her breasts for a moment before I snapped out of it. She smirked then began to talk. “What’ll you have?” Her voice was rather soft yet commanding. “A mug of ale if you have it.” “Of course I have it!” She grabbed a mug off the counter and set it in front of me, pouring a bottle of ale she got from somewhere behind the counter. “Thanks.” I took a swig of it and sighed. She set her arms on the counter and smiled. “Traveling through?” She asked. “Not exactly…” I looked at her; her eyes seemed to be filled with curiosity. “Oh? Did you just move here?” “Yeah, about a few weeks ago.” She leaned in close and examined my features then smiled. I nervously leaned back and gulped. “I’m Tedra; may I ask your name?” She inquired. “My name’s Alex…” “Interesting name for someone like you.” She leans back and starts to clean mugs with a wash cloth. “What do you mean?” I set the mug down. “Tedra I need you, these damn boxes!” Another female called out from the back. “Ah, excuse me Alex.” She headed around to the back again, leaving me to slowly sip my ale. I pondered what she meant when said my name was ‘interesting’. Could it have something to do with what my name stood for in Greek? I knew that my name was rather common due to its “Protector or Man” meaning but I still questioned why she found it interesting. “Finally that ogre’s gone oink.” ((Oink?)) I turned and saw the two women that were sitting in the corner of the room had gotten up and walked over to me. They looked to be some sort of hybrid between a female and a pig with floppy ears and curly tail included. They wore leather armor around their chests and crotch and held large stone hammers in their hands. “Why don’t you go ahead and come with us now?” As I looked into their eyes I could tell they weren’t in the mood for friendly chatter so I instinctively reached for my sword… which I left in my room. ((Damn it! Of all the times for me to have forgotten it…)) I grabbed unto my mug and broke it against the table, hoping to use it as a makeshift weapon. Unfortunately it shattered into several small fragments and scattered everywhere. ((Shit! This is not my day.)) I picked up one of the slightly larger fragments off the counter and held it towards the pig girl. “Oh ho, we got ourselves a fighter.” The front pig licked her lips. “I like a little spunk in my food.” They slowly crept closer to me with their eyes filling quickly with lust and their fingers itching to get ahold of me. ((Well… looks like I’m boned… or they are about to be.)) Suddenly the double doors of the bar burst open. The girls and I turn to see a pissed off as hell salamander or as I call her my first love, Alysia enter the room. She cracked her knuckles and glared at the pig girls. “Hands off my property.”((Property?))The pig girls smiled and held out their hammers in a defiant gesture. “Come and get’em then!” They both retorted. “With pleasure.” Alysia instantly bolted towards them while they charged at her, swinging their hammers towards her head. She swiftly dodged both attacks and grabbed unto the closest one’s head, slamming it into the ground. The other girl was able to recover and swing her hammer at Alysia again. My companion grabbed unto the head of the hammer and the woman’s free arm then slammed her head into the girl’s chest, knocking the girl into the air and crashing unto one of the nearby tables. I stood there and watched in awe as my love had whipped the floor with those two. She cleaned off her hands then walked over to me, that still ‘angry as hell’ look smeared across her gorgeous face. I dropped the glass shard and decided begging for forgiveness was the best route. I opened my mouth to speak but before my words escaped my throat Alysia embraced me in a hug. Completely shocked, I simply stood there and returned her love. “Don’t ever run off alone again.” Her grip on me tightened. “If I can’t go then at least take that bitch with you.” “I… I understand.” We stood there for a few moments and held each other unto a voice caught our attention. “God damn it Alysia!” Tedra walked back in. “Can you not make such a mess every time you start a fight…” She looked to both of us and started laughing. “What the hell is so funny Tedra?” She released me and glared at the ogre. “I’m sorry, but the idea that you of all people found a man is incredibly funny!” She couldn’t stop laughing while slapping her leg. “Oh shut up!” I giggled at the sight of my lovely girl getting completely flustered over a little thing like this. “Anyway, Alex lets go.” She gently grabbed my hand. “Whoa, running without paying?” Tedra grinned and cracked her knuckles. “You know I don’t like freeloaders…” Alysia sighed and threw her a small bag full of coins. She opened the bag and counted the coins. “Please come again!” She yelled right as we ran out the door. Alysia pulled me as fast as she could unto the bar was out of sight then she slowed down and kept it at a steady pace. I looked over to my companion, several questions racing through my mind. “So… Do you know her?” I inquired. “You mean Tedra? We met years ago, even did a few jobs for her.” “I see… did she used to be a mercenary or something?” “She was… something.” She turned her head, her eyes averting my gaze. I could tell this seemed to be a rather personally topic so I changed the subject. “How did you find out where I was?” She gave me a slight bump on the head. “Because I know you so well.” She smiled. “I figured you were slightly upset with both of us so I assumed Tedra’s bar sounded like a good place to start looking.” “Well I WAS pretty damn annoyed by both of your actions earlier…” I gave her a slight glare. “Then you shouldn’t have said what you said earlier!” She retorted, waving her arms around. “I didn’t say anything… Olivia cut me off remember?” “Oh… right… well… erm…” She nervously twiddled her thumbs in front of me. “I’m sorry ok! Is that what you wanted to hear?!” “No… I just want both of you to stop fighting over me.” I looked to her, my eyes filled with pleading sincerity. “Erm… uhh…” She then sighed and surrendered. “Oh fine, I’ll try to get along with her.” “Thank you.” I smiled and planted a kiss on her cheek. She instantly pulled me close and locked lips with me, her tongue exploring the depths of my mouth. After we finished with our little make-out scene in the middle the street we made it back to the shop and walked in to Medus giving us a warm greeting while holding some type of weapon wrapped in a red cloth. “You finished it already?” I asked. “Yes and now I need you guys to deliver it!” He set it down gently unto the wooden surface of the small cashier table. “Where is the deliver this time?” Alysia walked over and pulled the cloth off, revealing a brand new shining double bladed axe. “Cnossus or more precisely… Labyrinthian!” -------------------------------- “Damn it…” I rubbed my temples and glanced around at my surroundings. It seems that lich, Cholris, transported me to some unknown forest. I jumped up and checked my body; everything seemed to be where it should be. Teleportation spells may be a great way to travel long distances in a short time but the repercussions of casting them incorrectly, I heard, may result in the loss of one or more body parts. Quickly realizing that Seraphina was nowhere to be seen I started frantically calling out to her while I searched. “Sera! Where are you?!” I looked behind trees and searched through bushes but to no avail. After walking and calling out for several minutes I found her lying against a small rock in an open field. I instantly ran over and examined her. Her physical body seemed to be fine but I worried that something more vital might have been missing. “This is my entire fault…” I slammed my fist into the rock, causing a crack that split the rock in two. “I wasn’t strong enough to even…” I began to cry out as tears streamed down the side of my face. “Mistress…” My eyes widened as I looked down and saw Sera’s eyes open and her warm smile. “I’m fine.” I instantly embraced her in a warm hug. “I was… I was so worried…” I said in-between grasps of tears. “I don’t understand why you get upset over me that much-” Sera sighed. “You’re my little sister; of course I worry about you!” She gave me a quick bonk on the head and puffed her cheeks out. “You didn’t let me finish.” Sera sighed. “Oh… I’m sorry, please continue.” I replied while giving her a nervous smile. “What I was going to say was… Thank you for caring about me.” She smiled which made my tears start running again as I embraced her again. “Ok, that’s enough!” I released her then helped her to stand. “Do you know where we are?” “No idea but I doubt the Lich teleported us far from where we were.” I sniffed the air, hoping any faint trace of blood could help lead us back to the village. Suddenly I caught a scent less than a few feet away from us, hidden in the tree line. The scent wreaked of old, dried blood. “No point in hiding from us any more…” I yelled while Sera reached for her sword. “Please come out, we mean no harm.” “Funny… That vampire right next to you seems keen on drawing her sword.” The bushes rushed as a figure stepped out into the open. It looked to be a Ghoul with short whitish hair and red eyes. A dark blue cloak hung around her shoulders while a simple leather chest piece and pants covered her body. I placed my hand on Sera’s hand and shook my head. She hesitantly pulled away from her sword and nodded to me. “I apologize; we just escaped from a fight and are still on edge.” I bowed a little to her. “Oh it’s quite all right!” A voice said from behind the Ghoul. The woman walked out from the forest followed by another younger looking ghoul. The woman appeared to be a ghost with long blonde hair and very light green eyes. She wore what looked to be an iron chest piece engraved with a worn symbol I couldn’t make out, a lightly colored skirt and leather shoes. The other ghoul looked like an average ghoul with long white hair and sterling purple eyes. She followed the ghost out of the forest but then walked over to the side and sat in the grass, enjoying its softness. The ghost came up to me and bowed. “I’m sorry for spying but we didn’t know whether we should have helped or kept walking.” The ghost sounded rather kind and spoke softly. “It’s alright, my name is Carmilia and this is my little sister Seraphina or Sera for short.” I held out my hand to the woman and smiled. She shook it and introduced her party. “It’s a pleasure to meet you! I am Agathe and this is my guard Leina.” She gestured to the ghoul with short hair. “And a traveling companion Nemerta or Nemi for short.” The ghoul lying in the grass waved her hand towards us. “Shall we sit and talk?” She walked over to where he friend was laying and sat down close to her. I allowed my sister to rest against the rock while I walked over to the ghost and sat with her. The ghoul, Leina, stayed where she was and watched over our conversation, keeping constant watch of anything that might disrupt our peaceful talk. “Where is it you are traveling?” I asked, feeling the softness of the wet grass. “Home!” The young ghoul answered while flinging her hands up in the air. “She is right but to be more precise some old ruins along the coast.” The ghost giggled. “I heard that you guys happen to be lost… Do you need directions to the nearest town?” “Oh that would be fantastic!” I smiled and almost jumped into the air. “Thank you!” “It’s my pleasure but I am wondering… How did you both get here?” She played around with the ghoul’s hair while she laid there and relaxed. “We…” I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether or not to trust these people with this information. After a moment of thought I decided it was fine to tell them and if they attacked I would be prepared to retaliate. “We were fight with a Wight named Zelia…” Both Leina and Agathe instantly piqued up and listened intensely. “I told you I felt her presence earlier…” Leina commented while looking a bit uneasy. “Yes I know but I was in no mood to get involved with her then.” A light sweat looked to be coming over Agathe which absolutely baffled me because I had never heard of a ghost that could sweat before. More importantly it seemed these two know information regarding Zelia. “Do you two happen to know her?” My question was direct but I saw no reason to beat around the bush on such an obvious subject. “Yes, we do know her.” Agetha stared me right in the eyes while she talked; her piercing honestly was quite rare. “Me and Leina have been at odds with her for quite some time…” “So then… You know what she’s planning right?” Sera had finally gotten up from her resting position and walked over to us, taking a seat next to me. “Yes we do.” The ghost and ghoul gave each other worried glances. “Tell me something… Why in hell is she so vindictive on achieving such a ridiculous goal?!” I clenched my fists a little while my phantom friend looked away. “She isn’t thinking clearly now… Her thoughts are obscured…” “What or who could be causing that?” I had an idea but I wanted to confirm whether it was possible. “I don’t know but that’s what we intend to find out.” I saw just a hint of movement in her eyes and nodded to her while she stood up and gazed at the sky. “You know something… it’s a beautifully clear night isn’t it?” “Yes it is…” The stars were twinkling softly against the blackness of the empty sky. Even though I was a creature of the night I often took the darkness for grant, never really appreciating the little things that came with it. “Agathe, The time.” Leina motioned them to get up and go. “Let’s go! I wanna meet Tony!” Nemi bolted up and ran around Leina for a few moments. “Ugh… Can’t you act a little more properly?!” The older ghoul said. “Leave her be, she doesn’t need to listen to us besides…” Agetha gave a warm smile. “I rather like how she is now.” The apparition turned and bowed to us. “It was nice meeting you. I hope we may meet again.” “Likewise, take care.” I smiled and waved to the group as they entered back into the forest. After their departure the area became quite again until Sera spoke up again. “We forgot to ask them directions…” She sighed. The idea had completely skipped my mind since we had gotten into a deep conversation concerning Zelia. I held my head down in shame but then noticed something lying in the grass in front of me. I crawled over to the object and noticed it was a map of the local area with a circle indicating where we were and the closest town. Sera glanced over my shoulder, pleasantly surprised they left it for us. “Looks like we aren’t lost now, shall we be off?” I stood up then opened up to the map to gather my bearing before proceeding in one direction. Sera quickly followed after me as we reentered the forest. “So did you find out anything from them?” She asked me. “After all it sounded like a pretty short and one-sided conversation…” “They were hesitant to tell me anything in full detail but she did reveal one thing to me…” I replied. “What would that be?” “She knows exactly what’s happening with Zelia.” I sighed then continued. “There was also something else…” “What?” Sera moved close to me. “I don’t know but she reminded me of Zelia a little… Almost as if she…” I trailed off as the village came into sight. “Ah, we’re here and it looks to be the same village as before.” “Shall I go get the carriage then?” Sera asked. “Yes please.” I answered. She ran off down the road towards where we had originally left it. I couldn’t help but lose myself in thought again. There we some many different things that weren’t adding up. Zelia, her ‘plan’ and now this Agetha character and her secrets, all of it seemed to be connected but I couldn’t quite fit the pieces together yet. I stood there for what felt to be hours pondering this question when it was probably only mere minutes. The carriage rolled up next to me, which finally broke me out of my thoughts, with my sister controlling it. I smiled to her then opened the door and jumped in, laying myself on the soft and silk covered cushions in the exterior and drifting off for a well-deserved nap. |
| well damn.... welp looks this is going to be pushed a bit back on my reading list. after i finish emeralds story i might read your's |
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| EXCITEMENT! |
| Signature removed. It was too good for this cruel world. |
Clarus_Nox said: well damn.... welp looks this is going to be pushed a bit back on my reading list. after i finish emeralds story i might read your's If you don't get to read mine then that is fine with me, your choice. :D |
| Chapter 22: “Setting Sail or Labyrinthian, part 1” “God damn it! You know I hate that place!” Alysia yelled, slamming her fist on the table. “Excuse me…” I started but their conversation rapidly grew. “Oh I’m sure it’s improved since you last visited.” He chucked a little while he strolled into the back. Alysia, looking steamed, trailing after him. I followed in and tried to open my mouth but again was cut off. “I bet she added more cages to the dungeon!” She grew more annoyed and angry by the second. “I thought I told you to stop taking jobs from that bitch!” “I couldn’t help it; she always offers such large sums of gold…” Medus seemed slightly embarrassed then picked up a bottle of wine of the kitchen counter and started drinking, his ashamed façade slowly being replaced with drunkenness. “Don’t you dare drink now, you bastard!” My companion raised her fist up to punch him when I grabbed her arm. “Alysia!” I yelled. She hesitated then slowly lowered her fist and sat down while Medus consumed his favorite bottle of red wine. “Ok, can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on? I know we are making a deliver to some place called “Labyrinthian” but what’s the big deal?” He stopped drinking and placed his bottle on the table. “I’m surprised Alysia never mentioned this story to you.” Medus chucked then continued. “I assume you know enough about Amarante’s territory to know she also controls one large island off the coast of the main island.” “That I didn’t know but go on.” I almost felt stupid enough to start taking notes on what he was talking about. “Anyway the name of that island is Creta.” The old man started to hiccup a little but quickly regained his speech and continued. “Where you will be heading is to a city on the island called Cnossus or as most people refer to it ‘Labyrinthian’.” “Why do most people call it Labyrinthian?" “Two reasons.” Alysia finally joined the conversation again. “The palace or Head office is pretty damn big so a lot of guests call it a ‘Labyrinth’ and beneath the main palace is a massive dungeon called ‘Labyrinthian’.” “Ho ho, she trapped you down there at least twice didn’t she?” He had resumed consuming his wine. “Shut up! It was your fault she got pissed at the quality of her last weapon!” Alysia retorted. I could almost see the steam coming from her ears. “Who is this “she” you keep talking about?” I asked. “Pasiphaë, Captain of the city guard in Cnossus.” He put the bottle down again. “She’s a Minotaurus that runs all of the law enforcement there.” “She also abuses the shit out of her power… Damn bitch.” Alysia muttered. “So what happened between you and this ‘Pasiphaë’?” Alysia sighed briefly then began. “The first time I even made a delivery for her I accidentally scorched an expensive tapestry and ended up in jail for a few days because I couldn’t afford to pay it and cheap skate over here didn’t bail me out.” “I figured you needed to learn a lesson, ho ho!” He chucked then threw away the empty bottle of wine and got another. “What lesson would that be?” She cracked her knuckles. “Oh nothing, just continue.” I could see the slight shaking in his legs as he sat down. “Hmph.” My lover coughed then spoke again. “Anyway the second time I went there she accused me of stealing and threw me in jail for a day.” “What did you steal?” “That’s the thing, nothing.” Leaning back a little in her chair while looking up at the ceiling and sighing. “She accused me of stealing some really fancy vase from some house that burned down while I was there and that isn’t even the odd part.” She leaned forward towards me. “During the interrogation, she asked me things that didn’t even relate to the vase like “Why did you kill those kids?!” and other crazy ramblings like that.” “That does sound a little odd…” I dipped into my thoughts for a moment and pondered this query. What was this woman’s line of thought by asking her questions that weren’t connected? “What did she specifically ask you?” “Hmm… Only three real questions…” She leaned back again. “She asked “Why did you kill the kids?”, “Why did you start the fire?” and “How could you benefit from this destruction?” then after that she went all hysterical and they dragged her out of the room.” “What happened after that?” My curiosity for this particular case grew by the second. “The magistrate came in and told me the case was closed and I was free to go” “Magistrate? Also did you ask why the case was closed?” ((Alright now things are getting odd… Why in hell would the head of such a major city drop such a serious crime like that?)) “The “official” head of the city, Minas.” Medus chirped in. ((Isn’t Minas a male name…?)) “More like a pencil pusher…” Alysia grumbled. “Anyway I didn’t ask her why she dropped the case; all I cared about was leaving that hell hole.” “That sounds… strange to say the least.” I stood up, having made up my mind about wanting to pursue this weird case further, and turned to Medus. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go deliver this bad boy.” “You can’t be serious… Have you been paying any attention to what I’ve said?” Alysia stared at me intensely. “Alysia, did you know I love mysteries?” I inquired. “No I didn’t… Don’t tell me you want to go there just so you could solve this stupid mystery…” “Oh but I do, I’m dying to get out there and figure this whole thing out!” I smirked. “So what makes you think I’ll let you deliver the weapon?” She grinned and slowly approached me. “Because you don’t want me to lose my job?” I started backing away from her slowly. “Medus could easily make the deliver for you while you worked on the shop…” “Oh ho ho, no he couldn’t.” Medus had grabbed another bottle of wine and started drinking from it. “I have several other orders to take care of.” “See? He needs me to go.” I stopped and stared into her beautiful eyes. “Please honey?” She stopped dead in her tracks, blushed and turned away. “Damn it… Fine but you owe me twenty on the way there.” She walked past me and up the stairs to get her stuff. I shock at the thought of what she meant when she said “twenty” but I still reveled in my victory. “Looks like you know how to sweet talk her.” He took a swig from his bottle. “I take it that’s a good thing?” I replied. “It is for you.” He got up and put his hand on my shoulder. “Listen, Alysia may seem mean spirited most of the time but under that hard exterior is a warm and caring woman… so keep up the good work kid and you might see her truly kind side.” “Uh… I’ll try my best.” “Great! I still may have a chance to the bet!” He gulped down the remaining wine in the bottle, handed me a note and walked into the back while saying “You will find your transportation at the dock I wrote down on that piece of paper, enjoy the trip!” “I should have known…” I sighed and looked at the paper. The number ‘7’ was written on it including a name I assumed was either the ship’s name or the captain’s name. I slipped the piece of paper into my pocket and walked upstairs towards my room. As I entered my room I noticed Olivia was lying necked on my bed in a very seductive pose, calling me over with her finger. “How… How long have you been waiting here?” I rearranged the now imposing baggage in my pants. “Not too long.” She glanced at my throbbing problem and smiled. “Need some help with that?” “Well I don’t think we have time…” “Why do you say that?” She scanned the room. “I don’t see that worthless whore here trying to ruin our quality time together.” “Not that… Just…” Suddenly I felt Alysia come up from behind me and wrap her tail around my sensitive area. “Keep it in your pants, we don’t have time.” She glanced over at Olivia. “I honestly don’t care if you come or not but don’t cause him to be late because he didn’t feed his pet dragon.” “Where are you and that inferior creature going, love?” Olivia got up and put her clothes back on. “We have a delivery to make to a place called Cnossus.” I walked over and started filling my small back with some things I thought would be essential for the trip. “I see… then as a way of apologizing for my behavior earlier I’ll go with you.” She smiled which seemed to annoy Alysia more. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to…” She walked up to me and kissed me. “Nonsense, wherever you go I go.” She gave me a short hug the glared at Alysia. “Besides I still don’t trust this bitch yet.” “Whatever slut, let’s just go.” Alysia picked up her bag and walked down the stairs while I followed her. We entered into the shop and saw Medus waiting to see us off. As we walked out the door Alysia grabbed the axe from his hands and he pulled me aside while telling Alysia and Olivia to wait outside a second. They exited and shut the door. “There is something I wanted to give you for the trip.” He walked over and pulled out a box from underneath the counter. He whipped off the dust sitting on the cover and opened it, revealing a shining pair of short swords. He pulled them out and handed them to me. “Wow, these are awesome! Thank you but I got to ask… Why are you giving me these?” “For protection.” He closed the box and sighed. “I know these things won’t help you in a fight against a Mamono but it’s better than nothing.” “Well… thank you.” I pulled sheathes from the box and tied them to my waist then placed the swords in there new homes. I turned to go but the old man stopped me again. “A word of warning: As long as I’ve known her, Alysia has a tendency to… take things too far.” “You’re telling me this now after I’ve been with her this long…” “I have a feeling things are gonna go a lot different on this trip… Just watch yourself.” “Alright, thank you again.” I waved to him as he sat down at the counter and started drinking again. I opened up the door, joined my companions that were patiently waiting for me near the house. “Ready?” They asked. “Ready.” I smiled and then we were off. We passed through the quiet market fairly quickly as at this point the sun was starting to set and everyone was beginning to close up shop for the day. Back where I lived, my town would hold a small market every Sunday through the main street. They would sell a variety of ingredients, foods and other smaller wares at reasonable prices. Judging from how the stands are set up here and from what they are putting away I think it would be safe to assume this market is almost exactly like the one I have back home, except all week long. Taking a sharp right from the market we entered the harbor. Several small shacks and buildings greeted our entrance into the shipping district. Most of the structures were either small wooden shacks or medium to large constructions that looked to be either storage or business edifices. I stopped to admire the craftsmanship on one of the many elegantly carved marble and granite structures we passed by but soon after stopping I was pulled along by both of my loving companions. After passing by most of the buildings we finally caught a view of the harbor. The mouth of the harbor faced south in a standard ‘C’ shape with most of the vessels lined along the side and center of this natural cove. Along the west end, most of the land was covered by a large cliff which protected a portion of the road that circled around the entire haven. At the very end of the eastern tip of this fine marina sat at small lighthouse whose light illuminated the darkening night. As I trailed behind my companions, I remembered that I hadn’t given Alysia the dock number or the name of the ship yet it felt as though she knew exactly where to go. “Alysia… do you know where we are going?” I queried. “Yes and I know who he paid to take us there.” ((Well… that clears that up.)) I was curious and almost tempted to question her about our transport but before I took another stepped my comrades stopped. Before us was a fairly large ship with close similarity to an 18th century English brig except the obvious lack of cannons and other “modern” machines. The sails were a solid blue color while the flag was also blue with patterns of red and green striping across it. Written across the hull of the ship was a name “Legacy” in large, white letters. At the boarding plank was a very formal ogre waiting patiently. Her eyes were sterling purple with her light purple hair neatly set in a small ponytail. She wore a scarlet jacket over a plain white shirt with light grey pants and black shoes. The instant her gazed met us she let out a long sigh. “So begins my few days in hell…” She muttered in a mild British accent similar to Olivia’s. “Oh save it for when we start sailing.” Alysia maneuvered past her and strolled unto the deck. “Still no respect for rules I see…” She sighed again and turned back to me and Olivia. “Permission to come aboard?” I asked while standing at attention. “Granted.” She smiled then led me and Olivia unto the vessel. “Introductions?” “Ah yes, my name is Alex and this is Olivia.” I gestured my hand towards my flying love. “I’m guessing you already know Alysia…” “Oh yes, the captain and I are well acquainted with her already… Anyway I am Samantha Arrow, the first mate.” Suddenly a woman… Or should I say cat jumped from the nearest mast and landed next to Sam. The cat woman had piercing green eyes and red hair. She wore a simple blue coat over a buttoned up white shirt, both having golden cuff links. Her unusually well-kept white gloves and black shoes caught my eye. “Great timing captain, Medus’s errand boys are here.” “I can see that Miss Arrow now go get this ship moving, I’m already feeling a headache coming on from that woman being on board.” The cat started to rub her temples profusely. “Awe awe ma’am. LOOSE ALL SAILS! LET’S GET A MOVE ON SLACKERS!” Sam ran to the upper deck and took the wheel. “Before I forget I’m Amelia, Captain of this vessel.” She announced with a quicker accent then Sam’s. “Nice to make your acquaintance, I’m Al-“The cat woman waved her hand in front of me. “No need to re-introduce yourself to me as I’ve already heard it from where I was.” She started striding towards the wheel while gesturing me and Olivia to accompany her. “I and Miss Arrow were positively shocked to see that Salamander have a man accompany her on one of Medus’s miniscule assignments.” She circled around to face me. “Please pray tell, your relationship involving that Salamander?” I didn’t even get a second to think before Olivia spoke. “The only reason, shameful as it may be, he puts up with her is because I am not always able to protect him.” “Is this true kid?” She inquired as she began walking again. “No! I truly care and love Alysia!” I commanded. The captain gave me a strange gaze then began to laugh. “My boy… you are without a doubt either the bravest man I’ve ever seen or the biggest fool I’ve ever met!” She slapped her leg several times then took the wheel from Sam. “Ms. Arrow, please show these two where they will be sleeping.” Amelia then started to bark orders as the ship finally set sail. “At once ma’am.” The ogre motioned for us to follow her blow deck. There wasn’t much to below deck aside from your basic hold, kitchen and storage rooms. She led us to an empty depository where Alysia’s stuff was already lying. It seemed Alysia was somewhat upset with pushing her to go on a trip she obviously wanted nothing to do with. After Olivia and I set our stuff down inside, Sam led us back up deck to the captain’s quarters. “Since you’re going to be sailing with us for a few days I expect you will work like the rest of my men.” She pointed to me. “You can clean the deck while your Wyvern friend can man the crow’s nest.” Olivia nodded and headed out while I waited and asked her a few questions. “I had a question concerning Alysia.” I asked. “What about her?” She responded. “Well… Does she work as well?” She sighed then glanced at me. “She used to but she has this nasty habit of getting into fights when she works so I got tired of trying to find that hard headed bitch work and just let her gamble with the girls.” “Trouble always does have a way of finding her…” I said as I let out a sigh. “More like she leads it.” She pulled out a bottle of rum and started drinking. “Any other pressing questions?” “Am I going to get raped while I’m sleeping?” I hesitantly questioned. “Not by any of my crew but you might want to keep your eyes peeled for any love struck mermaids.” The captain pulled out a map and started charting a course while she guzzled down her rum. “Will do.” I quickly nodded to them and exited the room but not before hearing Amelia starting to rant about mermaids. After spending the rest of the shrinking afternoon and earlier night scrubbing the deck and eating the simple dinner with Olivia I rested by the bow of the ship. Before I slipped into a deep sleep Olivia carried me to my room. The next few days passed like this without incident. Alysia kept to herself while I and Olivia did most of the work the captain asked of us. She already seemed stressed so I didn’t mind helping her. Most days it was extremely clear so I spent a lot of my time on deck cleaning or striking up random conversations with whoever would talk to me. It seemed life on the sea was pretty damn nice for the most part. Although everything was going fairly smoothly it still bothered me that Alysia always kept her distance from me, as if she was afraid or angry at me. Olivia told me it was nothing I should worry about as Salamanders had a tendency to get hot headed and jealous but something else felt off to me. On the fourth night I decided to head outside after eating. It was a pretty calm night as the wind gently blew and the stars started to cover the night sky. I couldn’t help but relax as the ship passed over smooth waves. I’d never been out to sea for longer than a few hours but I already gotten over my sea sickness so it was easy to enjoy this gorgeous night. I scanned off into the dark blue ocean and spotted something relatively close to the ship. Leaning in a little closer, I noticed it had a physical shape resembling a woman yet the lower body of a fish. It was swimming along the ship and got closer, its enchanting aura softly calling to me. While she swam close to the ship, she began to sing. Her voice sounded absolutely divine as I leaned closer in. My thoughts started to blur as I let the music carry me, everything started to revolve around wanting to spend my life with this beautiful woman. Suddenly, right as I was about to fall into this woman’s arms, I was pulled back unto the ship and heard a blood curdling scream along with yelling that included “Die bitch!”. I shook my head as my thoughts finally returned to normal and looked up at my savior. It was the very last person I expected to see, Alysia. She threw away whatever she was carrying, picked me and slapped me across the face. “Ouch! What was that for?!” I yelled. “That was for almost falling for the oldest trick in the book, you dumbass.” My lizard lover yelled back. “Oh… Right, sorry to have worried you.” I bowed to her and she instantly became annoyed. “Oh no nono. You aren’t allowed to say that crap.” She hauled me over to center deck and laid me against the main mast. “I just saved your life, you should be begging on your hands and knees for me to pleasure you!” “What the hell has gotten into Alysia? Ever since we got on this ship you’ve been acting strangely.” I stared into her eyes, trying to conveying my concern to her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about…” She glanced away for a moment then met my gaze once more, illustrating her lie to me. “Really? So would you care to explain what’s been bothering you? You haven’t exactly been that clear to me while we’ve been traveling all these days so please… tell me what’s eating at you?!” My voice had started as a low mumble but grew quickly into a soft yell. Alysia just stood there with her head facing downward. “Alysia…?” I muttered. Alysia instantly embraced me and began to softly cry. I sat there and enveloped her, hugging her closely to me body. “I… I… I don’t know if I’m ready to tell you yet.” She said in-between sobs. My salamander clutched unto me tightly and buried her face in my shoulder. Although I was quite curious about what she was refusing to tell me I didn’t want to prod her about it. I knew this something must be very personally and she may even feel afraid that if this news came to light that I might run from her but… I would never run, not even if she was a murder. She was my salamander, my friend and someone I loved very dearly. “Alysia… I understand. Tell me when you’re ready but promise me that you won’t push me away again ok?” I looked into her beautiful red eyes and smiled. “I promise.” She nodded and smiled, planting a small kiss on my cheek. After that we cuddled each other for the remainder of the night, her fiery lit tail keeping us both comfortable during the night. When I woke up, Alysia still in my arms fast asleep, I heard a multitude of laughter and giggling as the crew had discovered us on deck. I noted that Olivia had also noticed us, giving off a slightly envious aura. They were calling Alysia a variety of different names and phrases such as “Lovestruck”, “Softy” and my personal favorite “Lizard overboard”. Finally the captain walked in and yelled at them to get back to work while she splashed Alysia with a bucket of water. My companion instantly got up and instinctively drew her sword, scanning the area for her opponent. Amelia and Sam snickered as Alysia glared at them. “You wanna go pussy?” Alysia called out. “It would be my pleasure.” The cat woman grinned and reached for her sword. “LAND HOY!” A voice called out. Amelia sighed and retracted her hand. “Some other time Salamander, we’ve arrived.” She nibbling retreated back to the wheel and started barking orders. Sam quickly followed after her. I sighed and whistled for Olivia. My wyvern soon descended from her post and handed Alysia a towel. My annoyed lover took it and began cleaning off the water from her face. I couldn’t hold my laughter in any more as I let out a slight cackle in front of her. This earned me a light knock on the head and a warning glare from my companion. Olivia seized complete control of the moment and started comforting me in the hopes of favoritism. My other love quickly jumped on the offensive and tried to counter her devilish trap but I jumped in and ended it before it became the ship spectacle. We all strolled over to the bow and gazed at the port city of Cnossus. It seemed to be a very lively center of trade and production from the distance we were at. Several boats and larger vessels were docked in the outer harbor while the smaller, elegant ships rested in the marina. After a few moments of waiting and watching we finally docked near the end of the long port. Luckily we were able to timely get our things and prepare to venture into the heart of this expansive city. I waved to the captain, who would be waiting here until we returned, as we climbed off the ship. Finally, I couldn’t wait to start investigating more clues about some of the secrets this city holds. I held my chest in anticipation but, at the same time I couldn’t help but also feel fear and regret from what I was about to embark on. ------------------------------------------------------ “Capatin?” Samantha Arrow called out. “Yes Ms. Arrow?” Amelia replied while taking a short breathier in her main quarters. “Should we have warned those two about Alysia’s condition?” The ogre seemed to be mildly concerned for the boy and his young wyvern. “It’s too late now.” The cat opened up a bottle of expensive wine and drank down half the bottle flat. “Besides, I’m sure they will be fine.” “I do hope you are right, after all it would hurt our reputation if they didn’t make it back in one piece.” The green skinned woman sighed. She kept drinking. “Let’s just pray those two can handle that beast.” |
| Chapter 23: “Assumptions and Doubts or Labyrinthian, part 2” “Hey, Alysia?” I poked my companion’s arms as she led us from the docks. “What?” She didn’t sound too enthusiastic but it was to be expected. This place must have brought on some pretty terrible memories. “I was hoping you could show me where that burned down building was…” She instantly stopped and spun around, glaring at me. “What the hell are you trying to accomplish here? Do you want to prove me innocent or are you hoping you can dig up a little dirt on me?” ((Ahh I had to love her direct approach to things…)) “I just want to understand what happened, that’s it.” We gazed into each other’s eyes, both of us locked in a silent struggle for power. Finally, Alysia conceded. “Fine, I’ll show you house but we aren’t staying there for more than five minutes.” “Deal.” I smirked, brimming with excitement. My hot-headed lover just sighed and led us onward through town. While we rushed through the city Alysia thought it would be good to explain the basic districts of the city. There are four districts with fairly straight forward names. The Palace stood atop a large hill and over looked the entire city, its grand presence a constant reminder of authority, prestige and power. To the right sat the Commons, a privileged little community were most of the higher government officials and wealthy merchants lived in luxury. Below the Commons and Palace lay the Market where various businesses blossomed and boomed. Finally, in-between the Market and Commons was the Artisans district, the poorer or underdeveloped area of town. Most people (Monster girls I should say…) who live here were usually craftsman or workers who couldn’t afford to own a shop in the Market. We veered off the main road onto a small, adjacent road near the central market. The general appearance of most of the buildings I saw while walking were simple, flat roofed buildings that were either one or two storeys high. A lot of the businesses that littered the streets usually involved simple jobs or products while the stores along the path dealt with more detailed services. After walking for a short time we arrived at our short detour. The structure was two storeys high with elegantly carved stone walls and crystal clear windows, illuminating the inside perfectly. The sign that hung above the wooden door read “Melissa’s Exotic Wares”. Gently placing my hand on Alysia’s shoulders, she slowly turned to face me. “I’d like you and Olivia to wait outside.” I asked her. “Excuse me?!” She answered while glaring at me. “You heard me; I wish to go in alone.” I replied, my legs slightly shacking. “Since when are you giving me orders?!” She barked. “Since we first started this trip!” My shacking quickly reached the rest of my body as I stared down my menacing, yet lovely, companion. “You… fine, I’m not going to waste my time arguing with you.” She huffed and turned her back to me, adding “Just hurry the hell up.” “Will do.” I slowly decompressed and headed to the door. I figured I would be able to make it up to her later today when we returned to the ship. Before I stepped inside Olivia stopped me. “Are you sure I can’t accompany you inside love?” She questioned, hiding her concern behind a carefully crafted smile. “Yes, but don’t worry.” I placed a small kiss on my lover’s cheek. “If there is trouble I’ll yell so you guys can run in and save me.” I smiled while she replied with a simple nod and let me pass. I opened up the door and stepped inside. The place was laid out like your standard shop with a lot the products on display on plain wooden shelves high above the reach of children. The several wooden counters were covered in blue and purple clothes as the merchandise held them in place. Aside from mosaic tiling at the doorway, the rest of the floor was grounded stone that had been tightly sealed together using a light gray plaster, allowing it to blend into the general structure perfectly. As I walked towards the front I couldn’t help but examine some of the products they were selling. Something instantly caught my eye as I picked up what looked to be a small piece of fruit within a bigger fruit. The label marked it as “Couple’s fruit” which explained little. I picked it up and looked at it, slowly sniffing it and deciding to take a bite of it. I knew I shouldn’t have even contemplated biting it but something inside my head was telling me to take a large chunk out of it… Curse my weak will. Fortunately, before I took a bite a voice called out. “Unless you want to waste hours ravaging the first female you set your sights on I wouldn’t eat that.” I stopped and quickly put down the fruit, turning to face my savor. Sitting behind the front desk sat a girl with light brown hair and light red eyes. A small leaf hat surrounded by two fluffy ears adored her head. From what I could see she wore a light red jacket with a crimson colored undershirt while the desk covered her pants and shoes. “Ah… Can’t let that happen.” I placed the fruit down and approached the desk. “Sorry to bother you but I was hoping to ask you a few questions.” “About the fruit or something more personal?” Her wide grin sent small shivers through my spin. “Uh… about an incident that occurred two years ago.” Suddenly her grin disappeared. “Why would you want to know about that?” The expression on her face was mildly grim. “Someone very close to me was affected by it; I just want to know some of the details so I can understand what happened.” I stated. “I see… Well I’m more than willing to tell you about it if…” The fuzzy ear girl gestured back to the fruit I was examining earlier. “Gotcha… I’ll take a small box then.” I pulled out a small ruby from my pocket and threw it to her. Her mouth dropped open as the small, perfectly cut gem dropped into her hands. “Where… Where did you get this?!” The girl’s eyes seemed to light up with pure excitement as she observed the crystal’s shimmer. “I work for a blacksmith so this is one type of payment I get from him.” Something else I also forgot to mention was that he wastefully threw out pieces, saying “They’re too small to use” so I scoop them out of the trash whenever I can. “Now could you please tell me the information I’m asking for?” “Sure but one question… Are you claimed?” She asked. I could see the sparkles of desire in her eyes. “As a matter of fact… I am” She slammed her fist on the table. “Damn it! Why are the gods so cruel to me…”She almost appeared to start crying but then regained her composure and started to smile. “Pity fuck?” “Uh… No” ((As if my last words didn’t already hint my un-interest, she just had to ask for that.)) I sighed then stared into her eyes. “Information please.” “Oh alright!” The cute, fuzzy eared girl began. “I don’t know too much about what happened but here is what I do know. There used to be a small orphanage here that would take in kids, who had lost their parents, and provide them with shelter and support. Around two years ago a mysterious fire burned the entire place down, killing everyone inside.Pasiphaë started investigating the details but Minas, the magistrate, closed it soon after, labeling the fire as an “accident”.” “Does anyone have any idea how the fire started?” I inquired. “It wouldn’t be much of a mystery if somebody knew…” “Ah, right… Anyway didn’t they do an autopsy on the remains found inside?” “What’s an “Autopsy”?” Her head tilted slightly to the right. “It’s someone examining the body of the deceased…” “Oh! I don’t know if they did that or not…” “I see…” I thought for a minute on what else I could ask. Suddenly something I noticed earlier flashed a light in my head. “Tell me… How is business been since you opened?” “Since I opened? Hmm…”The girl thought for a moment. “Actually, it’s been really good. This location is much better than my last one.” “Where was your last location?” “Near the edge of the Artisans district, not too many people there are able to buy my goods often.” “I see…” Things were started to click in my head but I still needed more information regarding the fire, guess I’ll leave those questions for Pasiphaë. “Thanks for your help.” “Before you go, could you help me get you crate out from the back? I promise I won’t drug you or anything…” She smiled, making erotic gestures. “You can keep the fruit, I don’t need it.” I smiled back, ignoring her seductive motions. “Ugh! Just take it!” She pulled out a small box from underneath the desk and handed it to me. “Ah, thank you very much Miss…?” I trailed off. “It’s Melissa Thornwood.” She held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Thornwood, I’m Alex.” I shook her hand. “Alex… I’ll remember that. Please come visit me again if you’re in need of my “goods”.” Melissa winked while sensually rubbing my hand. “Oh… Thank you for the offer... Bye.” I slowly backed away from her and walked out the door, swearing I could hear soft moaning in the background. Upon my exit of the building, Alysia and Olivia crowded around me and started bombarding me with questions. “Well? What did she say?!” Alysia leaned in close to me. ((Oh so now she’s interested…)) “Nothing much, just the basics about what happened.” I replied. “That’s really damn specific…” Alysia answered dryly. “I assumed you knew the basics of what happened already so…” My response only made her ignore me. I sighed and turned to Olivia, handing her my package. “Care for me to tell you what happened?” “Uh... Sure love, I don’t mind.” She said while taking the box and my hand. I could see that she wanted to ask about them but she simply too it and proceeded to listen to me. Alysia instantly grabbed my other hand and forced us both along, the jealously almost projecting from her fierce tail. I told Olivia about the details Melissa had informed me about concerning the incident. She then sunk herself into thought and didn’t reply to any of my questions. Alysiaseeming ignored what I talked about and kept facing forward, glancing briefly back once in a while then quickly turning back ahead once I noticed her. While we walked through the Market I noticed an alarming rate of Minotaurus and Holstaurus. My guess was that this island’s majority population consisted mostly of them. I also noticed that a lot of them were intently staring at me. Unlike the usual stares I encountered on a daily basis these stares felt more… hostile and fiercely passionate towards me and/or something I wore. I pondered what I could have possible been wearing to draw such attention. Before I figured out what the dilemma was we arrived at the front gate to the palace. The entrance was, to say the least, a very elegant piece of architecture. Two large wooden doors surrounded by a set of thick marble columns accented the well-polished stone tiles. Next to the doors stood a pair of Minotaurus, wielding their classic double bladed axes. As we approached they blocked us at the entrance using their large, well-polished weapons. “State you bus- Oh it’s you…” The right Minotaur said. “Just let us pass already; I’d like to deliver this damn thing quickly and be on my way.” Alysia showed off the axe to them. They glanced at each other for a moment then moved their axes aside. “Watch yourself girl, the captains rather agitated today.” The left one commented. “Isn’t she always…” My companion muttered before leading us forward. We walked through a rather long outdoor corridor before entering into a large chamber. Several open windows lit up the expansive, well decorated room. Several nice pieces of furniture filled up the room while several paintings occupied its wall space. We took a sharp right down another brightly lit hallway before entering into what appeared to be a large courtyard. Aligned completely around the edge of the building leading into the expansive yard were oddly shaped red columns. The columns were wide near the top and slowly grew skinnier as they dropped down unto the stone surface. Inside the dirt covered yard stood several Minotaurus, most of them seemed to be practicing and sparing with one another. Alysia slowly strolled out into the yard and began shouting. “Hey, bull bitch!” She yelled. All of the girls stopped what they were doing and observed my companion. “I’m here to deliver your order.” “It’s about damn time you got here.” A voice called, instantly putting the rest of the guard girls at attention. A Minotaurus from near the back strode towards me love. Her long brown hair was wrapped into a neat ponytail that she kept to her right shoulder. Her green eyes shimmered ever so slightly in the glistening sun. She wore a green cotton shirt under a leather vest with light green pants. Her feet were large hooves so I doubt she needed any foot protection. “What the hell took you so long?” She asked. “Quit your bitching and just pay us already!” My lover replied. “Let’s see the weapon I ordered first.” The woman held out her hand. Alysia grumbled and pulled out the shiny axe, handing it to the bull. The Minotaurus examined it in the light then swung it a few times time against the air. “Very nice… Medus always makes the best after all.” She placed it behind her back. “Ah it looks like you brought guests with you this time.” The girl gestured for us to come over so we entered the courtyard and joined Alysia. “My name is Alex and this is Olivia.” We both bowed to her. “I am Pasiphaë, Captain of the Guard. I assume Alysia has already filled your head with plenty of lies about me…” “They aren’t lies if they’re true…” The salamander muttered. “I’d watch that tongue if I were you.” Pasiphaë warned. “I didn’t know speaking your mind was a capital offense.” She smirked “Knowing your track record it soon will be.” “Let’s get on with this already.” Alysia started tapping her foot. “Do you have the gold so we can go?” “Certainly, but before I do I wanted to ask a few things.” The bull turned to me. “Why are you wearing a red scarf on an island full of Minotaurus and Holstaurus?” “Wait… I am?” Looking down I suddenly remembered that Olivia had given me this wonderful scarf a few days ago. That explained why those girls earlier we giving me such aggressive looks, the color must have been arousing them. “I must have forgotten to remove it…” “Right… Frankly, I’m surprised none of those animals out there tried to make a move on you. You should count yourself lucky.” I simply nodded and handed the scarf to Olivia for safe keeping. Pasiphaë then turned to Alysia. “Now then…” “Look if this is about that infernal case then you’re wasting your time.” Alysia stated. “You’re mistaken Salamander, this isn’t about the case.” Alysia gave a slight sigh of relief. “However…” Right as she said those words the guards from before started to slowly circle around us, steady blocking our escape route. Olivia gentle grabbed unto my shirt, a cold stare written across her face as her eyes trailed the other guard’s movement. “If you wouldn’t mind coming with me I’d like to ask you a couple of questions concerning another matter.” “Oh?” The flames upon Alysia’s tail flickered. “Concerning what exactly?” “Just a trivia matter,” The woman’s stance slowly widened. “Shouldn’t take more than a few moments of your time.” “I see…” My companion slowly opened her stance. “Unfortunately we are in a bit of a rush so we’ll have to decline…” “I’m afraid you can’t let you do that…” Alysia slowly reached into her armor. “We can either do this the peaceful way or the hard way…” Pasiphaë took ahold of her weapon. “Well...” She made a small notion to us. “I did always prefer a fight!” Suddenly Alysia threw several small knifes straight towards Pasiphaë, prompting Olivia to nail the two closest guards with a surprise face punch. Pasiphaëblocked the knives with her new axe and instantly became enraged. As both guards went down Alysia grabbed me and we bolted down one of the hallways at lightning speed. “AFTER THEM! I WANT THOSE THREE IN CUFFSIMMEDIATELY!” The bull woman yelled. Running down the hall, I could hear the clopping of hooves as they chased after us. After making several sharp turns inside this labyrinth of a palace we stopped to catch our breath and collect our bearings. The hallway was well lit like the rest but unlike before I was able to examine specific details. The walls themselves were probably made of stone or wood but what they did was cut thin pieces of a weaker stone such as gypsum and placed it on as a wall covering, giving the corridor a pristine appearance. Laying against the wall, I observed my companions going at it again. “This is your fault!” Olivia yelled. “How is it my fault? I didn’t know that woman still held resentment for something that happened two years ago!” Alysia constantly tried to defend herself. “If you had just not gotten involved in this “incident” two years ago then maybe this wouldn’t be happening!” The wyvern seemed to be ready to tear Alysia apart. “Why you!” The salamander retorted. I watched my two companions bicker at each other until I heard the sound of clopping and yelling again. They both stopped and we continued to run down to the end of the hall. Unfortunately it led only downward, but with nowhere else to go we headed down into the darkness. Making our way down the wooden stairs, Alysia snagged an unlit torch from the wall and lit it using her tail. She jumped in front and started leading the way though the catacombs. Unlike your standard scary underground crypt this one looked to be well kept and maintained. We passed through several burial chambers; each one growing older and less maintained. It looked to be in terrible condition as most of the remains seemed to be missing and the floor below it was boarded over with wood. “Damn it, now we’ve just screwed ourselves!” Alysia said, unsheathing her sword. “Maybe not…” I observed the wooden planks we were standing on and discovered they covered up a large hole that led downward. “Alysia break the wood!” “Are you nuts?!” She yelled. “It’s ok; if the hole is really deep then Olivia can slowly drop us down.” The clopping started to echo louder and louder. “It’s got to be better than trying to take them on!” “Fuck…” Alysia sighed then sheathed her sword.“Get ready to catch us bitch.” Olivia merely nodded and held unto me. Just as the guards approached my companion slammed her fist into the rotten wood, dropping us into the dark abyss below. ----------------------------------------------------------- “Captain, they escaped down the hole! Should we follow after them?” The young Minotaurus asked. “No… We all know exactly where they fell.” Pasiphaë put away her brand new weapon and turned to leave. “Gather my five best girls and tell them to meet me at the entrance of Labyrinthian.”A small smile started to form across her lips. “If they do manage to escape that hell then we will be waiting for them.” |
| Chapter 24: "The Secret within the Maze or Labyrinthian, part 3" "This was a terrible idea!" Alysia yelled while trying to strangle me as we fell. Olivia quickly came to my rescue and released Alysia's death grip around my neck, allowing sweet oxygen to fill my lungs once more. After a few more moments of free falling Olivia grabbed unto both of us and slowed our landing unto the cold stone ground. Darkness enveloped my sight until Alysia lit a spare touch I assumed she acquired earlier. The cave we landed in was your run of the muck cavern that hopefully led to a way out. Olivia helped me and then proceeded to fight with Alysia again. "Next time don't strangle my husband because of your own fear of death." She smirked. "Since when was he YOUR husband huh?" She reached for her sword. Olivia dropped into an offensive position. I jumped between them immediately. "Knock it off!" I yelled, my booming voice echoing through the cave. "You both can fight after we're out of this mess." "Fine..." They both replied. I sighed then glanced into the darkness. "Should we see where this goes?" I asked. "What choice do we have? We can't stay here forever." Alysia and Olivia began walking deeper into the cavern. "Onward into darkness then..." I muttered while following after both of my companions. I had to admit... Caves were spooky as shit. The water that trickled from the stalactites unto the hard limestone floor constantly echoed while different formations of rock created nightmarish shadows against the faint touch light. Even though I had seen several different caverns in my life somehow this one felt more... scary. It could have been the idea of being in a different world filled with monsters trying to rape me at every turn or just the idea of ghosts in caves or "Tommyknockers" causing a cave in on us because for all I knew this could have been an old mine. Scaring myself senseless, I moved closer to both of my lovers and held each of their hands and shook silently. They glanced over at me and smiled, probably holding in a giggle or two. I felt ashamed of my own cowardice but seeing a smile across both of their faces made it bearable. After walking for what felt like ten or twenty minutes we came upon the entrance to some ancient ruins. The walls appeared to be made of some sort stone brick, engraved with zigzagging lines forming small square shaped passages and corridors on the front. Upon closer inspection of the doors revealed that they were made of a very resilient stone, two large images of Minotaur were craved into its surface. Aside from the some wear on the door and scuffing on the walls most of the stone was in great condition. "Damn it! I should have known..." Alysia said. "What is it? You know what this is?" I inquired. "This is Labyrinthian or, more precisely, one of the entrances into it." She answered, strolling over to the stone door and pushing it open. "So what's inside?" I asked. "Nothing, no monster dares set foot inside because of the rumors." "What rumors...?" The settling fear from before started rising inside me. "Just some bullshit rumors that ghosts, zombies and even Liches roam the halls of these forgotten ruins." She pushed open the other door. "And you want us to go in there?" I said, my legs beginning to shake. "Didn't I just say the rumors were bullshit? There aren't any undead in there besides... You have me to protect you!" "Don't forget me bitch." Olivia added. "You weren't gonna be much help anyway." Alysia smirked. "More help then you." "Oh yea-"Alysia started but I began pushing her into the maze. "Let's go already!" I grabbed the hands of my lovers and pushed forward into the ominous dungeon. We walked inside and were greeted to a large room. Large pictures covered the left and right walls of this grand ruin. The pictures were extremely worn so identifying what they portrayed would be impossible. Alysia stole an almost rotted away piece of wood and lit it ablaze with her tail, placing it in a small stand next to the door. Crossing the other side quickly, Olivia opened up the second pair of stone doors and led the way forward. The walls of this giant maze were also delicately carved stone pictures of Minotaur and other creatures. It also featured the same zigzagging patterns as the wall. At our first fork in the path we took a right and after several more forks in the road, switching from right to left, we arrived at the entrance again. We all sighed and tried walking through the corridor again, taking the left hallway instead only to appear at a dead end within a few moments. Alysia pounded her fist into the wall several times before calming down and leading us back to the main hall. Exhausted and slowly losing our wits, we leaned against the wall and tried thinking of a way around this puzzle. "We could bust through the walls..." I stated. "We both aren't strong enough for that..." They answered. "Oh... Well we could try to go through it again..." "And get lost again? No." They both beat their heads against the wall softly. I sighed and got up to look at the semi bright room, checking for anything that might give us even a remote hint of how to proceed quickly through this nightmare. I took my pent up frustration on some nearby rocks when I noticed something on the ground. Wiping away some dirt and dust I examined some unknown characters engraved into the stone. I called Olivia over and asked her to read it. "Well?" I asked. "What does it say?" "Patience my love, give me a moment." A minute later she stood up again. "It says "Those who use fire will never know the mazes secret."" "The mazes secret?" Alysia blurted. "What the hell does that mean?" "That is all it says, viper." "Maybe you didn't read it right stuck up-"I instantly grabbed the touch from my lover's hand. "Hey!" "I have an idea... Can I test it out?" I inquired. "You could of asked me first but OK go ahead." Alysia grumped. I put out the dimming touch and the fire by the door, allowing the darkness to reclaim the room. We stood there for a few minutes and waited until faint lights started to glow on certain places on the wall. I looked up in awe as the entire ceiling was also glowing brightly now. "What are those?" Alysia muttered. "If I had to guess... These are crystals infused with demonic energy...?" I answered. "It would seem that way dear." Olivia included. "So what the hell does some new light do for us?" Alysia asked. "Well... It might give us a path to follow!" I ran over to the door to check my next theory. Just as I had thought the crystals illuminated small arrows which pointed to the correct path. "Great job honey~" Olivia planted a deep kiss on my lips and pulled me close. Before anything else happened, Alysia cut in and separated us. "Hands off him whore." She barked. "Someone needs to reward him for saving us." Olivia smiled. "Don't treat me like a dog please?" I muttered. "I won't love... Unless I'm mounting you." She winked. I shuttered a little then we finally continued moving. Following the bright lit path for what felt like hours we finally made it to what appeared to be the center of the maze. The circular enclosure was around the same size with similar pictures on the walls to that of the entrance hall. A statute of a Minotaur stood in the center, holding a double sided axe in one hand and a feather in the other. The room was lit with crystals as we saw the other doors that lead to the other passages. My companions jumped in joy at the idea for finally being able to leave while I simply took a seat next to the statue to catch my breath. I placed my hand on the surface next to the foot of the statue and exhaled my daily carbon dioxide emissions. Suddenly I felt the slow movement of stone under my hand and quickly saw that I had started falling. "Guys!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. They quickly turned and jumped down the hole after me. I fell at an alarming rate but Olivia managed to grab my leg and hold onto me as we landed in another room. The drop might have killed me if it wasn't for all the bags cushioning my fall. I got up and glanced around to see where we were. This room appeared similar to the large area we dropped from but instead it was lit with torches and filled with bags and small mounds of gold. At the opposite end where we landed sat a large stone coffin, engraved with a strange symbol I didn't recognize. My companions finally scrambled up and instantly started questioning me. "What the fuck was that huh?" Alysia yelled. "I don't know! One minute I was taking a rest and the next I'm falling!" I waved my hands profusely in confusion and fear. "It must have been a secret entrance into this chamber." Olivia gazed upward and noticed the trapdoor had closed. "Looks like were trapped down here." "Are you fucking kidding me?!" Alysia slammed her fist into the ground. "Just when we finally figured out a way to get out this shit happens!" "My, I have such lively guests this evening~" A voice states. A chill runs up my spin as I look over to the source of the voice. Sitting on the coffin with a green book in her hand was a woman wearing a green cloak and dress. Her hair was a soft light green with hints of light violet at the front ends. Her appearance reminded me somewhat of Cholris except her chest was at least three times larger. "Uh... Alysia? I thought you said there weren't any Liches down here...?" I whispered. "I guess I can't always be right." She drew her sword and prepared to fight. "Bring it!" "Huh?" The woman gave a confused expression then started laughing. "What are you talking about? I don't want to fight." "Oh..."Alysia lowered her weapon. "I thought you might try something since we have this man here..." "You aren't the first person to think that but, I assure you, I have no intention to touch that man or quarrel with any of you." The lich jumped from her seat. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Ladi." "It's a pleasure to meet you." I stepped in front of Alysia and smiled. "I am Alex and these are my two companions Alysia and Olivia." "Are you sure you should be so friendly to this girl? For all you know this lich could be lying!" Alysia whispered. "If she is then jump in and save me besides, she seems nice enough." I replied, earning a grunt from Alysia. "It is so nice to have guests after all these years!" She smiled and gestured towards a few seats. "Please sit, I'll prepare some tea." We listened to our unusual host and sat in the cushioned chairs before us. Ladi produced a medium sized table from her book and magically created cups filled with a light colored liquid (My guess was white tea). She then flopped into her seat and began drinking, glancing over at us on occasion with a glowing smile. "So..." I began but quickly trailed off as my scattered thoughts struggled to organize themselves. "I believe what my love is trying to ask is if you might be able to help us." Olivia added. "What seems to be the problem?" She inquired, setting her cup down. "We fell down a hole and landed in this room so... I don't suppose there is another way out?" I asked. "Of course! Behind my bed is an old obelisk that can take you to any of the four entrances." "Oh thank the lords... May we use it?" Alysia almost beamed in anticipation to leave. "Certainly but it would be nice if you stayed for a little while... I rarely ever have guests and I've grown rather lonely over these past millennia..." Our host replied; her voice filled with sadness. "That seems fair to me." I turned to see Alysia giving me an annoyed stare and pulled me aside for a moment. “What the hell are you doing?!” The Salamander stated, nearly shouting her disapproval loud enough for the friendly lich to hear. “I just thought we could talk to her a little before she shows us out…” I had to admit… Trusting someone right out of the blue like that seemed completely stupid but something about the young girl made me… Trust her. It felt as though she truly was lonely and only wished to talk for a while. “I must advise caution if you plan to talk with her, she could be putting on a show.” Olivia added, keeping watch over the girl. “Then the both of you can watch her ok? I still wish to talk with her a little.” My insistence finally pierced through both of my companions and the nodded albeit grudgingly. We turned and all nodded our heads to the lich. "Fantastic!" The girl exclaimed. "I'm rather curious... How much has changed since my assignment to this maze? Has the new lord Amarante started building that new city she was so excited about?" "Uh... Wait... Did you just call Amarante new?" My mind started to swirl again. "I meant it as a joke but judging from your shocked faces it seems I've been in here longer than I thought..." "May I ask how old you are?" Olivia appeared to be completely flabbergasted at this surprising revelation. "You know... I'm not quite sure. What date did Ammy take the position as Lord?" She replied. "Ammy?" I replied, feeling rather puzzled. "It's what me and my friends call Amarante." She giggled. "Ahmar accidentally called her that when we first visited her and the name kind of stuck..." "I see..." It astounded me how casual she was about one of the Lords of this continent. "Lord Amarante took control of this land several millennia ago..." Olivia answered, still pleasantly shocked. "Oh... Well I was born 97 years after she became Lord." The woman picked up her tea again and took a sip. "I didn't know my stay in this maze had lasted this long." "Holy crap... How long have you been in this maze?" Alysia added. "Shortly after the passing of my kind mistress, I obtained the form you see before you and gained the position of protector over Labyrinthian." "How old is this labyrinth and why was it built?" Olivia asked. "I don't know when it was built but it's older than me and its purpose was purely ritual." She sipped her tea then continued. "The humans who once lived on this island believed the Minotaur was a messenger from the gods, an individual that gave them divine insight into realms they couldn't even fathom." "So this place was used as a spot to summon this messenger?" "No, it was used as a place to honor this messenger and bestow gifts of gold and material wealth to this creature." "I guess that explains all this gold then... What happened to this place?" "Long story short, once the human numbers started to decrease this place started to become abandoned." Our host set her cup down again. "Right after I took the position the cult slowly fell apart and less and less people came until I was the only one left... Alone..." "Why didn't you just leave?" I questioned. "Because I felt, and still feel, responsible for watching over this place." "But you aren't, this place isn't your responsibility anymore." Worry started to spill into me. "As the last member of the cult it is my responsibility to maintain this sacred place." "Why on earth would you do that?" "Because... This place is all I have left..." She began to softly weep. "After my mistress died I was so distraught... I couldn't bear the feeling of being alone..." "Didn't you say you had friends? Why aren't you with them?!" At this point I had gotten up out of my chair, my heart almost breaking from the overwhelming sadness I was feeling from this woman. "We had a big fight and went our separate ways... I don't think they ever wanted to see me again..." Ladi had her head completely buried in her hands, tears trickling down her fingers. "I highly doubt these friends of yours would keep a grudge for that long, I'm sure if you met with them again everything would be fine." "You... You think so?" She lifted her head up, small sparkles of hope lit up her eyes. "Absolutely! You think friends don't fight all the time? Of course they do but that's just one aspect of having friends!" I wrapped my arms around my lovers. "Even if they argue, fight and even threaten each other when it all comes down to it they stick together no matter what!" They both glared at me intensely but said nothing to rebuke my previous statement. "I see... Your words hold some truth but I wouldn't know where to start..." "Then search everywhere! I'm sure exploring this world will help you understand what has changed over all these years." A smile finally formed on her lips again. "Thank you Alex... I... I'm truly grateful you finally opened my eyes again." The woman embraced me in a warm hug. "Oh it was nothing..." I started to scratch my head as my ego slowly blew up like a hot air balloon. "Ahem." Alysia blurted out. "I'd hate to break up this lovefest but I think it was time we headed off." "Ah yes! I've held you long enough... Besides I have some packing to do!" Ladi lead us over to the obelisk and opened her book, inciting an old passage from it. Instantly the obelisk started to glow faintly. "Just place your hand on the surface and it should take you to the correct entrance." "This place has four entrances..." Olivia questioned. "Not to worry, I know two of them are collapsed and the third one leads into the catacombs of the palace so it should take you to the surface entrance." "Thank you again for helping us." I said. "It was my pleasure but before you go..." She recited some words I couldn't understand and magically created a folded up piece of clothing into her hands. "This is for you." I took the clothing and unfolded it, revealing a dark blue cloak. The cloak felt almost as soft as silk yet also as hard as steel. Hidden with the cloak was also something impressive, a square shaped emerald the size of my palm. "Wow...Thank you again for these beautiful gifts!" I asked. "It was the least I could do to repay your kindness." She smiled. "One other thing, if you happen to meet two other liches by the names of Ahmar and Aoi tell them I will be waiting at our old home." "I will!" We placed our hands on the obelisk. "Goodbye!" Ladi waved to us as we magically disappeared from her sight. After the light finally cleared we found ourselves in another large room, this time the fire pits next to the doors were lit and the room appeared to be in great condition compared to the other entrance. The murals along the walls featured what looked to be different rituals the cultists might have performed along with, as usual, a Minotaur in the center. Alysia threw her arms up and stretched. "Finally! Let's get going before that bitch shows up." My salamander comrade strolled towards the door. "Would you be referring to me?" Our faces instantly turned to horror as we saw Pasiphae standing in front of the doors followed by five other Minotaurus behind her. Alysia instantly drew her sword and jumped in front of me. The guards moved from the door and partly surrounded us. Pasiphae strolled towards Alysia and drew her axe, a smile wrapped across her face. "I should have known you were waiting her for us..." Alysia muttered. "Surrender Alysia and I won't have your friends thrown in jail." The bull announced. "Did you expect you could take me with just this small group?! Don't make me laugh!" My companion charged in. Her sword drawn, she started attacking the nearest guard with a barrage of attacks and strikes. The minotaurus blocked and parried the blows while keeping her footing even. The guard then proceeded to reflect the shots back to Alysia, hitting her with deep impacts. My love dodged some but not all as she slowly retreated from the fight with the woman. The clear difference in their strength and experience was obvious, especially to my hot headed Salamander. Her retreat was swift and painful, bruises covering her beautiful skin and a grim expression written upon her face. "Give it up Salamander." Pasiphae chucked. "These girls are my personal escorts, the best of the best." "Damn it... Olivia." My wyvern companion turned to Alysia, partly shocked that she used her name for once, and listened. "I want you to protect him, even from me, got it?" "Understood." Olivia held unto me and pulled back a bit behind Alysia. "What are you planning to do?" "Something really stupid." My companion stabbed her sword into the ground and stood there a moment, her eyes closed and her breathing steady. Suddenly the flames upon her tail started to change color from a deep orange to a soft blue, all the while, growing fiercer by the second. Her eyes shot open and instead of her usual hazel color they were a solid red color. A wild grin was plastered on her face as she began to laugh manically. "Let's get this started bull!" She yelled, filling the room with laughter. "So you finally show your true colors..." A grin formed across the woman's face. "Alysia, the Dragon Hunter!" |
aspicientisDec 13, 2014 12:13 AM
| Chapter 25: “Truth behind Flames or Labyrinthian, part 4” “I haven’t heard that name in years…” Alysia chuckled. “Looks like someone did their research.” “It wasn’t very hard considering how stained your past is, Vile slaver.” Pasiphaë retorted. “Ex-Slaver, I‘m retired now.” My lover still held a wild grin. “Although I’ll admit I did enjoy fighting… Sadly it got old after a while; no one could pose challenge anymore.” “Like mother like daughter I suppose… Such a waste of potential.” The smile the bull once wore was gone, replaced with an expression of anger. “You had no right kill them!” “Oh?” Alysia stated; acting surprised and tilting her head slightly to the left then returning to laughter. “I assume you’re talking about those brats at the orphanage right?” Pasiphaë clenched her fist and glared at Alysia, prompting my companion to grin and continue. “Ahaha! Are you serious?! You’re still hung up over something so trivia?” “Shut your trap monster! You have no right to talk about it as if it were some simple matter!” Pasiphae barked. “Now admit it! You killed those children!” -2 Years Ago- “Captain!” The young guard yelled while running down the hall. “We have an emergency!” “What is it? Can’t you see I’m busy working on something…”Pasiphae replied, filling out and signing various documents. “The orphanage…”Her breathing was jagged and short. “It’s on fire!” The bull dropped her writing utensil and slowly turned to the guard, an expression of horror painted across her face. “What?! That’s…” The captain instantly jumped up out of her chair and grabbed her axe. “Get the rest of the guards down there and put out that fire!” After giving a quick salute the guard ran off down the hall. The Minotaurus captain then sprinted through the corridor, brandishing her axe and a determined look. By the time Pasiphae reached the burning building both floors were consumed in flames. Clearing a path through the crowd for her soldiers, she lifted her ax up and smashed through the front door. “Captain it’s too dangerous!” One of the guards yelled but the Bull ignored her warning and charged inside. Although the smoke and fire partly blocked her view she could still make out basic shapes. She rushed over to the table and found four or five bodies, presumably some of the orphans. The woman stood there a moment in silence, cursing her own uselessness before headed upstairs. Luckily the flames had not enveloped the stairs making her ascension easy. She found herself within a long corridor with several doors on her left and right. Pasiphae traversed the hall quickly, kicking down each door and checking the rooms contains. Majority of them were empty until she came upon the last room. As the Minotaurus entered her vision became blurry due to the smoke. She noticed out of the corner of her eye the window inside the room burst, guessing the flames finally reached the fragile glass. The bull rubbed her eyes and regained part of her vision. Before her stood an individual all too familiar, wielding a claymore splattered with blood. Below her was one of the caretakers for the orphanage, dead, along with several children huddled around her for protection, covered in their own blood. “You… What they fuck have you done…”Pasiphae muttered. The woman faced her, a grin written across her face. Instantly she jumped out the open window and landed on the ground, bolting down the street. The bull ran towards the window in a failed attempt to catch the culprit, slamming her fist against the failing wood. “Damn you… DAMN YOU ALYSIA! I’LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS!” -Present- “You will pay for what you did to those people.” Pasiphae stated, pointing her axe at Alysia. “HA! As much as I would have loved to kill those innocent children I’m afraid I cannot take the credit for it.” She replied, giggling a little. “God their warm blood must have felt fantastic as it spilled from their bodies~” “YOU MONSTER!” The nearest guard yelled, tears almost streaming from her eyes. “How can you live with yourself?!” “Quite easily, after all…” My companion grinned then held her hands up. “I love killing!” “You…” The girl grabbed her axe and charged, pointing her horns straight at my lover. “DIE MONSTER!” “NO! STOP JENNIFER!” The captain screamed, noticing the huge mistake the younger bull made. Alysia smiled and turned to face the bull head on, arms still high in the air. The young bull increased her pace, her fierce momentum building up. Just as the impact would have hit Alysia, she side stepped the attack just like a matador, clenched her fist and slammed in into the passing girls head, crushing her into the ground and causing a small crater in the ground. Everyone in the room watched in shock as the guard was defeated in one quick move. Pasiphae’s expression turns from shock to horror as my companion lifted the unconscious girl from the ground. “Oh come on! I though you bulls were tougher then that!” Alysia gave off a rather disappointed expression then lit up again as if an idea just popped into her head. “I know!” The salamander placed her hands on the fallen guard’s horns and looked up to Pasiphae, laughter filling the room once more. “Don’t you dare, coward!” The captain barked, bearing a horrified expression. “This is the price you pay for ignorance!” My companion, in once swift motion, broke the girl’s horns off, causing her to awaken temporarily and scream. The other guards grew enraged and instantly drew their weapons, ready to avenge their fallen comrade. “I guess that’s just what she gets for being BULL headed. GET IT! BULLHEADED! AHAHAHAHA!” My partner continues to laugh while parading the guard’s horns on her head. I hid behind Olivia and watched as my companion bathed in her triumph. It felt as though the woman who stood before me was a completely different person then the hardheaded, yet soft, Salamander I had come to care for. “YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!” The other guards yelled, both of them sprinting towards my lover at full speed. “DAMN IT GIRLS! LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE AND STOP THIS!” Pasiphae pleaded but neither of them stopped their assault. “Heh… A poor leader results in poor subordinates.” The salamander drew her sword from the ground and dropped into a defensive position. The first Minotaurus dropped her axe straight near Alysia’s head while the other tried to slice her in half. My companion blocked the first with her sword then pulled a short sword from behind her back and deflected the other downward while pushing both attacks back. She then pulled in the closer bull using her axe and slammed her skull into hers, disorienting the girl while throwing her short sword at the other girl, forcing the other bull to block the shot. Not skipping a beat, Alysia uses her forward momentum from the head-butt and stabbed her claymore into the girl’s right shoulder and pinned her to the ground. My companion then delivered a quick set of punches to her face before turning her attention back to the other girl. By this point the other girl had recovered from the small attack and swung her axe at Alysia again. With no way to block, she ducked under the horizontal move and swept the Minotaurus off her feet. My lover then grabbed her short sword and plunged it into the dropped girl’s left breast, kicking her head to stop the screaming. “My gods…” The last two guards said as they watched their three friends get defeated one by one. “Looks like those rumors were true…” Pasiphae stated. “I warned them to stay back…”She cursed at her own failure to instruct them better. “Is this best you can offer me? Young girls who aren’t even worth killing?” An annoyed expression covered the Salamanders face. “Enough chatter beast; It’s my turn now.” The captain walked towards Alysia, her axe drawn and prepared. “Finally! Hopefully you’re an actual challenge compared to these pieces of trash.” Alysia exclaimed as she pulled her swords from the bodies and licked the blood off. The two warriors watched each others movements carefully, circling each other as if they were two hunters ready to strike their prey. Finally my companion broke the silence and rushed in, unleashing a barrage of attacks. The bull instantly responded and successfully blocked the attacks while pushing Alysia back. After the flurry of blows stopped Pasiphae charged in and swung her axe at my lover, metal clashing constantly until the salamander reflected the blows. It repeated like this for several minutes where Alysia would assault her with light shots, steadily getting repelled back while Pasiphae blazing in with her hard hitting strikes meeting no success. Again Alysia charged in but this time instead of attacking she parried the initial blow and jumped close to Pasiphae, slamming her head at full strength into hers. This caused the bull to stumble back and kneel momentarily. “Come on! I said I wanted a challenge!” Alysia shouted. “Enough games then.” The proud Minotaurus announced, dropping her large axe unto the ground and reaching behind her back to produce a pair of double sided battle axes. “That’s more like it!” My companion responded, sheathing her claymore and pulling out her other short sword. This time around Pasiphae bolted towards Alysia, both axes posed to cut her enemy to shreds. My companion merely grinned and followed suit, holding the swords out in front. Instead of another clash of metal my lover dropped and slid, prompting the bull to jump in hopes of avoiding the surprise strike. Just as Pasiphae passed overhead Alysia dug her sword into the ground and shifted her remaining momentum towards her feet, throwing herself in the direction of the Minotaur. Caught partly be surprise, the captain spun around and gets slammed in the shoulder by Alysia’s midair kick. My companion quickly regained her footing while the bull recovered from the hit. They both charged in again and clashed metal, dealing and parrying shots at one another. After some time of constant fighting they back off for a moment, sweat dripping from their brows and their heavy breathing echoing throughout the room. The salamander then dropped her swords, raising her fists and smiling. “What’s the matter? Isn’t strength the only thing you need to defeat me Bull?” Alysia inquired. “Yes it is!” Pasiphae also threw away her weapons and lifted her fists, ready to fight anew. “Justice will always prevail!” “Ha! You call this justice?! What a joke!” My companion yelled while running in and exchanging blows with the bull. “This is justice! Stopping evil such as you is my duty!” The captain exclaimed, unleashing a barrage of hits on my lover. “You’re duty?! Please!” She replied, repealing the shots. “This is all revenge; all you care about is personal closure!” “What would a creature like you know about duty?!” The woman screamed, her attacks becoming fiercer. “WHAT WOULD WICKED SLAVER TRASH LIKE YOU KNOW ABOUT ANYTHING CONCERNING DUTY AND HONOR?!” Suddenly one of the blows made it through Alysia’s block and struck her in the shoulder, instantly dislocating it. My companion stepped away a moment, a grin still covering her face. Grabbing her shoulder, she forced the entire arm back into place and let out an indescribable moan. “Ahh that feels so damn good…” Alysia shuttered with a small amount of laughter in her voice. “I haven’t felt pain in a very long time~” “Do not worry; I’ll make sure you never feel anything after I’m through with you!” My eyes watched as they tore into each other again, two savage creatures trying to claim the right of victory and prove the others theories wrong. I was utterly torn at what I was witnessing yet, there was nothing I could do to stop them. I knew Alysia told Olivia to watch me because she feared for my safety but I could no longer stand here and watch them continue to fighting. “Alysia!” I jumped from behind Olivia and ran over towards my companion. They both stopped and gazed into my direction. “Please stop this!” “I’m afraid we cannot stop until there is a vic-“ Pasiphae started but instantly gets slammed by a flood of punches to the face and falls to the ground, staying still for several minutes. “Never get distracted by the enemy~” Alysia chirped before turning to me. “Now I believe I deserve some sort of reward for defeating her right?” “Uh… A pat on the back?” I replied, slowly backing away from her. ((I never think things through…)) “Just for that I’m going to make you scream while I rape you…” “Weren’t you going to do that anyway?” I commented. “True, I’m just going to get more satisfaction out of it now.” She ginned and moved closer to me, eyes filled with pure lust. Suddenly Olivia bolted from behind me and delivered a solid kick to her face, sending the Salamander flying into the wall. The wyvern then stood between us again and lowered into a sort of martial arts stance, passing a cold and emotionless glare at her foe. Alysia picked herself up and shot an angry stare at my companion. “I hate fighting Wyverns…” The woman cracked her knuckles. “Their speed is ridiculous but it doesn’t last for long…” “Then I’ll make this quick.” Olivia plainly stated. “Arrogant bitch!” My brazen lover charges ahead and launches a full frontal assault. To both hers and my surprises, Olivia dodges then and strikes Alysia in the face several times at lightning speeds before backing off. The salamander instantly collapses onto the ground, completely knocked out. I let out a tremendous sigh and headed over to my unconscious lover, lifting her up unto my shoulder and attempting to carry her. Honestly, I didn’t know what to think of Alysia at the moment, all I was concerned with now was escaping this wretched place once and for all. The other guards appeared confident once more and barred our escape. My other partner was ready to continue fighting when we saw Pasiphae’s arm rise up. “Enough… Treat the wounded and let them pass.” The captain commanded. “But Cap-“ “That’s an order!” “Yes ma’am!” They scrambled around the room and began giving treatment to the injured and unconscious guards. “Why are you letting us go?” I questioned while Olivia assisted me in carrying Alysia. “After your rampaging friend knocked me out for a few minutes I finally realized something… I WAS seeking revenge.” “But I thought you said you weren’t?” “I had tricked myself into thinking this was all for justice but… It wasn’t, it was my own personal vendetta… I am such a fool.” “So… What were you going to do even if you did capture us?” “I never planned that far ahead after all I couldn’t just throw you in jail because the magistrate closed the case… Although your friend did attack my girls…” “For the record, they attacked her first.” “True… I guess I can’t really charge you with anything then.” The woman sighed, muttering “How the hell am I going to explain this to the magistrate…” “That’s a relief…” I whipped the sweat off my brow. “One last thing, why did the magistrate close the case?” The bull sighed and leaned herself up so we our eyes could meet for a moment. “Tell me, how long have you been in this world?” “I don’t quite follow you…” “It’s obvious that you aren’t from this world so I ask, how long have you been in this world?” “Not very long… Only a few weeks I think.” “That explains your lack of understand…” She sighed again briefly before continuing. “To the east of Amarante’s domain lies a land filled with unimaginable horrors: Kaori, a place where only the strong survive.” “Sounds like a place you want to avoid…” “It is but…” The woman pointed to my sleeping companion. “Your friend is the result of that land’s “Justice”…” “I see…” My mind started to drift and ponder about all the possible things Alysia may have seen but I kicked myself to stay on track. “Anyway what does this “Kaori” place have to do with Am’s territory?” “Well… Just as strength rules over Kaori the same principle can be applied to Am’s land and money.” “You mean…” The gears in my head instantly clicked into place. “It seems you understand what I mean; if someone had enough gold they could do anything... Even rewrite the laws themselves.” Pasiphae clutched her fist and slammed it into the floor. “When I joined the watch I believed I was actually serving a just and noble system… Damn my naive thinking.” “It’s not naive to strive for what you believe in, if the system is corrupt then change it!” The bull simply gazed at me with an expression of doubt. “Nothing is ever that simple kid…” “I didn’t say it was going to be easy, all I said was that it’s possible!” I allowed Olivia to take a hold of Alysia and started messing with my hands as I usually did. “Back in my word we have a saying: One person can make a difference.” “Sounds too optimistic…” “Yet it has been proven time and time again that it possible to make that difference if you simply keep fighting.” “So do you expect me to keep fighting and fighting a losing fight?” “You haven’t lost the fight until you’ve given up.” I smiled, hoping my speech did the trick. “After all, it’s almost impossible to stop a charging bull isn’t it?” “Heh, I guess you have a point…” The bull’s eyes shore with renewed confidence and… Lust. “I’m rather jealous that Salamander found such an interesting man.” “Uh… Thank you?” Immediately afterwards I felt Olivia grab unto my shirt and drag me out. “Wah! Ok I’m going! Thanks for letting us go, bye!” Pasiphae waved us off as she finally stood up and assisted her young guards in tending to their wounds. We walked out of that depressing labyrinth and into the shining sun again. |
| All my former chapters are now posted again. Feel free to comment at any time (I did some editing here and there!) and be patient for the next chapter. Hopefully, it should be finished soon! |
| Woot! (that's all I'll say for now) |
| Cheer for Alysia super sayian mode and I am looking forward more chapters inspired by mythology \o/ Go, asp, go! |
| Signature removed. It was too good for this cruel world. |
| Chapter 26: “Justice or Labyrinthian, part 5” We slipped down the slope at incredible speeds and dropped back into the market square. After that we quickly made our way through the streets and headed towards the port. Along the way my companion nudged my shoulder. “Yes Olivia?” I asked. “Drop the salamander over there in that barrel.” I answered, that cold expression still covering her soft features. “What?!Why would I do that?!” “Don’t question me, just drop her and let’s go.” “No.” She stopped and turned to me. “I said drop her.” The Wyvern starred at me, tightening her grip on the unconscious Salamander. “I said no.” My tone was solid. My lover instantly grabbed me and slammed me against the wall. “Listen to me very carefully, this woman is a huge threat to the both of us so I’m doing what is right and dumping her here.” “You can’t, I won’t let you!” I muttered under the pressure of her increasingly tightening grip. “I don’t understand why you can’t realize how fucking serious this right now, she’s a dragon hunter AND a slaver… If we keep her around then she will kill both of us.” “No she won’t! Alysia would never do that…” “Are you blind?! Did you not see the destruction she just caused moments ago?! She threatened to rape you and assaulted me.” “I know but…” I briefly glanced away. “Why do you insist on defending her?! She has done nothing but cause us trouble up to this point!” “Olivia…” “Why can’t I be enough to take care of you?! WHY CANT YOU JUST BE MINE AND MINE ALONE?!” By this point in the conversation her eyes were filled with tears. I instantly removed her loosening grip on my arm and embraced her in a deep hug. “Olivia, I love you… But I also love her…” I stared into her increasingly worried eyes. “Even though seeing Alysia beat all those people and hearing that she killed those kids did scare me I still care deeply for her.” “I know but… I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt because of something I could have stopped a long time ago.” “I understand… Just give Alysia a chance, if she goes wild and tries to hurt me again then please do what you need to do.” “As you wish…” My companion planted a soft kiss on my lips. I began to walk but she stopped me again. “What now?” She pulled out the red scarf I gave her earlier and wrapped it around my neck again. “Better.” My companion stated, giving me a smile before we continued onward with Alysia. We reached the ship a few minutes later and requested to the captain that we leave immediately. Amelia gave us a perplexed gaze but then figured it was better not to ask and ordered the ship to head out. By the time we reached open waters it was the middle of the night. Alysia was resting in our room while I and Olivia sat together in the crow’s nest, cuddling under the stars. “You know… I still haven’t gotten my week of fun yet…” My Wyvern whispered, maneuvering herself on top of me. “Ah well… You see… The thing is…” Instantly she locked lips with me and pushed me down. My eyes slowly opened as the sun rose on the horizon. I found Olivia sleeping peacefully next to me. Careful not to disrupt her, I slowly made my way down the netting and unto the ship deck. Before deciding to get to work I headed below deck for breakfast. Just as I headed down I ran into Alysia as she headed up. “Hey!” I exclaimed. “Looks like you’re finally up… How are you feeling?” “We need to talk.” The Salamander stated as she grabbed my shirt and dragged me back on deck. “Uhh… Ok.” I replied. ((Personally, I was hoping she would explain herself anyway.)) “Wake up Bitch!” Alysia yelled up towards Olivia’s sleeping spot. My wyvern immediately jumped up and dropped down in front of us, giving my other companion a slight frown. “What slaver?” My lover’s harsh response was to be expected considering what had transpired a few days ago. Alysia merely sighed and took a seat, gesturing us to do the same. “I know you guys probably aren’t in the mood to listen to anything I have to say but please hear me out…” She sounded sincere but Olivia simply turned the cold shoulder to her request. I, however, was far more forgiving. “Please go on.” I added, receiving a cold glare from my other partner. “Let me start with saying that what I said back there was true… I didn’t kill those kids.” Alysia stated before weaving her small tale to us. -2 Years Ago- The cold night air snapped at the Salamander as she strolled away from the tavern. Her day had been filled with nothing but turmoil but it was almost finished. Making her way towards the docks, Alysia stopped after something strange caught her eye. A shadowy figure slipped into a nearby building through the window. Curiosity quickly overtook her and she found herself at the front window gazing inside. The whole house was dark but she could hear something all too familiar, muffled screams. Instinct kicked in and the woman kicked the door down, searching around for the source. As soon as she entered someone bolted up the stairs, a faint trail of blood marking their ascent up. Quickly, Alysia jolted after, missing the bodies of the children next to the stairs. Arriving at the top of the stairs she heard screaming yet again and ran to the end of the hall, kicking the door open and stepping inside. Just as she walked in the door slammed behind her and the mystery figure was upon her, bearing a kunai near her throat. The salamander managed to block the attack and push her assailant away, knocking a small lamp over and catching the drapes ablaze. Neither individual attempted to put out the growing flames as they starred at the other, anticipating there next move. Alysia pulled out her short sword and laughed. “Who in hell are you?” The mystery woman removed her hood and showed herself beautiful face. Her black hair flowed gently around her shoulders as her piercing light blue eyes studied her prey. In every sense of the word she was a simple assassin, a Kunoichi. A woman of silence, the Kunoichi simply barded her weapon and charged intent on killing off any witnesses. “The silent type eh?” The salamander easily blocked her attack and stabbed at her, almost piercing flesh with bronze. “I know how we can fix that.” Alysia’s eyes began to glow red, her dark bloodlust coming out. The ninja woman remained silent, pointing her blade at the ready. At this point the fire had managed to spread almost everywhere, illuminating the dark patches of the house. The berserker could now see the Kunoichi’s handiwork everywhere. The bodies of several children along with a couple of Holstaurus covered the room in blood. Along with it, the Kunoichi seemed to have poured oil in several places in the house, explaining its fast spread. Alysia appeared to have stepped in when the woman had finished her work and planned to cover up any lingering evidence. Now that the fire had spread so rapidly, the city guard was quickly dispatched to investigate the problem. Preparing to attack Alysia again, the ninja woman charged but halted when the door burst open. Without a second of hesitation, the Kunoichi busted through the window and made her escape into the streets below, leaving Alysia in the house with sword in hand to face the captain of the guards. Despite the captains yelling all Alysia could hear was the sound of flames roaring in the background. With the little oxygen slowly leaving the room and the salamander finding it harder and harder to breath she jumped out the open window and landed on the ground below. Her mind was focused on the simply thought of living, ignoring the captain yell at her from the window. All that mattered now was life, her life. -Present- “Now do you believe me…?” Alysia appeared to be greatly upset, holding back tears from covering her soft cheeks. I tried to say something but Olivia instantly cut in. “Why in hell should I believe any of your stories? Slaver trash has always been notorious liars and murders.” “You don’t understand!” My partner pleaded. “Oh no, I understand completely.” Olivia retorted, preparing to strike her before I intervened. “Olivia, enough!” My yell probably woke up any slacker who wasn’t already up by now on the ship. “We said we would hear her out and that is what I intend to do.” My partner dropped her hand and walked away, keeping her distance from us only enough to still be able to hear the conversation. I sighed then turned to Alysia. “One thing is still bothering me.” She turned her head away for a moment, assuming what I was referring to. “That… State of mind you saw me in is a result from living in that hellhole all my life…” “Please, tell me about.” My hand joined hers, embracing it with reassuring warmth. My companion sighed and began to briefly explain it. “I was found as an egg by a small group of unique slave hunters called “The Dragon Collectors”.” Olivia’s ears perked up slightly at the name of the group. “They raised me to be just like them, slave hunters.” “So that state of mind you were in was...?” Fear began to rise in me. “That was how I used to be… A crazed, bloodthirsty killer…” I could see the overwhelming sorrow emanating from her. It was hard to even imagine the kind of stuff she must have witnessed as a kid, the horror of being raised to know nothing but death and destruction. Instantly, I embraced my companion and kissed her cheek. Even though a part of me was beginning to fear this woman before me, I still loved her and it pained me to see her even slightly upset. “Please Alysia, promise me something.” Our eyes met as we stared into each other’s souls. “Yes?” “Don’t let me see you like that again ok?” A small smile formed across her soft lips. “I promise.” We locked lips for a moment, our tongue sliding past one another. Apparently Olivia was feeling left out so she separated the two of us and glared at Alysia. “Love, could you go get us some food?” She smiled, “The two of us need to chat a moment.” “Uhh… Sure.” I had a feeling this conversation was going to get out of hand but I listened to my companion and headed below deck. After fetching three bowls of tasteless oats I headed back up deck to my patiently waiting companions. After handing them their bowls we sat in silence and ate our food, finishing the dry, flavorless mush quickly. For the remaining few days we spent most of our time cleaning various areas of the ship and keeping it clean. Olivia stayed close to me while Alysia kept her distance, working her jobs in peace. I could understand why she wanted to keep away from me but I had a feeling it was more than just that. Finally, we reached Nethas and disembarked, saying our goodbyes to Captain Amelia and the gang. It was sunset and the air was a brisk and warm. Nothing looked as though it changed yet everything felt changed. We walked past the closing market and reached our small home again, opening the locked door and letting ourselves in. It didn’t take long for Medus to notice that we returned. “So?” He inquired, “How did it go?” “We don’t want to talk about it.” We stated in unison, slowly making it back upstairs. The old man laughed and went back to watching the shop and drinking. We slipped into the room and I collapsed on the bed. Olivia instantly joined me but Alysia was hesitant. “Alysia.” I gestured to her to rest with us. She merely said she wanted a drink and headed downstairs, placing our bags next to the door on her way out. I tried to follow but Olivia stopped me, telling me to let her and then spending the rest of the night ravaging me mercilessly. -------------------------------- “I can’t believe that bitch said that to me…” I muttered, emptying a bottle of wine. -Few Days Ago- “Slaver trash.” Olivia stated, giving her signature cold stare. “Alex may be forgiving and forgetful but I am not.” “Look I-“ Before I could speak again, the bitch interrupted me. “Let me make this perfectly clear to you: If you ever threaten his safety again I will kill you.” Her cold words were not very surprising as I knew she would never trust me again after my “Presentation” in the labyrinth. -Present- “Arrogant bitch, always has to make things worse…” After finishing off my third bottle in a row I collapsed unto the table and blacked out. ----------------------------------- -Few Days Ago, Cnossus- “Permission to enter.” Pasiphae stated, standing at the entrance to the large office. “Ah yes, come on.” The magistrate Minas answered, finishing up her paperwork for the day. The woman had light blonde hair and sea foam green eyes that carried wisdom and power. “What is it?” “If you aren’t too busy I have a few questions for you…” The bull turned to the guards at the door. “In private.” “Very well…” She waved to the guards. “You are dismissed.” The two girls bowed and shut the doors. “Now what is it you wanted to discuss?” “It is a matter concerning the fire that burned down the orphanage a couple of years ago.” The magistrate narrowed her gaze slightly, “I thought I already made it clear to you: That case is closed.” “I know it is and I am not trying to reopen it or anything…” The captain replied, a small amount of sweat running down her brow. “Then why are you here? Can’t you see I have more important things to do then talk about such trivia matters?” Minas was quick to wave her off and start more paperwork she had spewed across the desk. “You’re right…” Pasiphea sighed and headed to the door. “Oh before I go…” “What now…?” The woman sighed, becoming frustrated with her subordinate. “While I was cleaning the records I stumbled upon something rather interesting…” Pulling a piece of paper from the armor, the bull proceeded to read what it read. “According to this letter it appears you sold the orphanage property almost immediately after closing the case…” “I don’t know wha-“ The captain interrupted her, continuing to push her point. “What’s more, you didn’t even launch a case to investigate if the incident was really a fire at all…” Pasiphae started at the silent magistrate, watching her movements closely. “After noticing this I decided to read some of the reports from my girls… They stated that judging from where the bodies were found and the particular condition they were it that it seemed the fire was not the cause of death… Now, even after you yourself saw these reports, why did you dismiss them so easily as false?” “Because what could those baboons possible know about dead bodies!” Minas seemed rather shaken, her voice slowly rising. “Ah, my girls may not be the brightest bunch but if there is one thing they know: its dead bodies.” The bull pulled out another paper and showed it. “Although I cannot base my argument solely on these facts I came across something that can be used, a signed agreement between you and a person called “Mr.S” to sell the property without investigating.” “What are yo-“ Again, the captain merely continued speaking. “The letter clearly states that if anything happens to that particular property that this “Mr.S” fellow would have first pick over the land in exchange for paying “Private” Taxes to the city.” Minas was beginning to sweat, slowly walking towards Pasiphae. “Interesting enough, I checked the tax books and found no “Private” tax even exists… It leads me to believe one thing.” Instantly the magistrate lunged for the papers but the captain quickly pulled back and dropped her elbow into her back, knocking her to the floor. “You used to be someone I looked up to captain… Why.?” “You don’t understand… I needed the money…” The bull pleaded. “So you authorized the murder of several children just for a little spare coin?! Pathetic.” The magistrate growled, trying to get up again. “Looks like all those years of sitting behind a desk have made you soft…” Several seconds later the guards reentered the room and took custody of Minas. “Minas, you are under arrest for embezzlement and the assistance in the murders of at least a dozen innocent woman and children.” The captain pushed her into the guard’s hands. “Take her to the dungeon and alert the capital about this.” The captain handed the guard her evidence and watched as they took her away. Finally she breathed a fresh sigh of relief; a small smile covering her features. “Justice at last…” |
| This was certainly a long chapter with more than one perspective change to make be dazzled. But also character's past explored ... and that sudden love-hate relationship with Alysia ... |
| Signature removed. It was too good for this cruel world. |
| So good I'm surprised it's not an ice cream flavor |
OcuSep 19, 2014 10:41 AM
| Yeah, my only gripe is that very short perspective shift could use a label. Otherwise this was fantastic, though I don't know if I'd say that justice was totally served. All this did was reveal one of the players. Does it go deeper? Will we ever find out? I am staying tuned! =) |
| lmao, I can't believe you included my little scene in there XD. Glad to see you got back to writing (though I'm only on chapter 16 right now). Just wanted to let you know I'm reading it, though I'll have to finish it later :( |
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| Now, of course, the problem is that the evidence of Alysia's innocence is in a place that your intrepid heroes think they can't go back to. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
Chapter 27: “Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie” The glorious Wight strolled through the forest in a hurried, yet, casual manor. Her mood of excitement mixed with joy was easy to see. “Ahh finally!” She swung around the defender, her sword, cutting through several hanging vines with ease. “I’ve finally found her~” It had been ages since this woman had been so excited and high spirited. Finally, Zelia had found the person she was searching for. Her name was Astoria, a succubus most had assumed was long since dead. Few questioned her untimely demise and even fewer dared search for the body, however, this did not deter our Beautiful Wight. After her conversation with Genevieve’s associate, Zelia finally discovered where this powerful woman rested. Abruptly stopping, it appeared that she arrived at her destination. The ancient ruins of a makeshift tomb stood before her, the sun casting a long shadow upon the Wight. Pushing the crumbled stone door open, she walked inside and gazed over the crafted crystal tomb that greeted her. Aside from the engraved of a shield covered with two horns and a single fang no other marks covered the bright translucent coffin. Zelia attempted to push the tomb open but to avail. After that, she quickly drew her sword and delivered several slashing attacking, all of the failed to even create a visible mark across the luminous surface. Collapsing to the ground, the Wight began to sink into oblivion, cursing herself constantly for her severe defeat. She couldn’t help but feel weak, after several years of searching and striving to locate her goal… Nothing but unanswered questions and wasted time. It was disheartening to say the least. Slowly picking herself, Zelia contemplated leaving when something inside yanked at her soul, urging it to study the box once more. Look to the right. The Wight obeyed the voice, convinced it was simply her inner self attempting to try once more. Making her way around the tomb once more, the Wight found something else: Three empty slots. Looking closer at them, she concluded that they must be locks that keep Astoria sealed within the coffin. Find the gems… Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire… “Three gems…” Zelia muttered, echoing the phrase she just heard within the confines of her mind. The voice sounded strong and familiar, commanding power the Wight had not felt in ages. This newfound feeling of strength gave her renewed energy to move forward, igniting a flickering flame and turning it into a roaring fire that engulfed her instantaneously. Rising from her position, the woman stood firmly up and gazed up at the ruined ceiling. In normal circumstances this usually mention nothing but now... Things were different. Instead of failure and defeat, only determination and passion shore in her eyes. The depths of strength that glowed in her at this very moment would have even put the sun to shame! Finally, after Zelia’s moment of renewing passion, she took her leave from this place. As the woman walked away from the scene the voice from before couldn’t help but chuckle, watching events slowly unfold. ------------------------------------------------ (A few days later, Nethas( After returning from Cnossos)) Morning rays of light pierced through the covered window of my room and partly illuminated it. My eyes slowly cracked open at the sudden change in lighting and forced me to move around. Much to my surprise, both of my lovely girls were gone. Knowing them, they probably both woke up at the same time and began fighting once they got downstairs. Although I hated to see they both fight constantly I couldn’t say I didn’t understand where they were coming from. Both of them wanted me for themselves yet I insist constantly on them sharing me whenever possible… It’s like I enjoying writing death wishes for myself. Pushing aside these thoughts, I jumped up from bed and got dressed before making my way downstairs in search for food. As I strolled down the stairs into the kitchen doorway I was greeted to the sight of something completely foreign: Both of my girls were cooking… Together! Alysia was preparing flour while Olivia was cooking the usual fish and eggs. I couldn’t believe my eyes when they both appeared so… Happy, the event was more surreal than half of the things I had seen on the island so far. “Ah, morning~” They both chimed, giving me a quickly chill before I greeted then with a simple wave. “Anything wrong dear?” Olivia asked, “Are you feeling alright?” ((Was I feeling alright? I could ask the same of you!)) “Yeah I’m fine… Smells pretty good.” That was about the only thing I could say. “Careful!” Alysia blurted out, pointing to the Wyvern’s lack of attention on the fish. She appeared to be gazing at me, examining to see if I really was well and neglected to smell the fish being overcooked. “Damn!” Olivia quickly pulled them off and glared at the Salamander. “You could have warned me sooner bit-… Alysia.” Instantly that correction raised a red flag, something was up with them. I knew those two were acting strange but now my suspicions are confirmed, they were putting on an act… But to what end? My first guess was because what happened at Cnossos but I had already forgiven her for that, what else could have prompted this? “Finished!” They both chirped, snapping me out of my drifting. “Ah…” They walked over and set the full course down consisting of the usual fish and eggs but also had fresh bread along with a cup of milk. At first I was hesitant of the milk but after a sip it tasted safe enough and I dug in. The fish was a little burnt but otherwise it tasted great along with the eggs. Even without butter, the bread tasted fantastic and I couldn’t eat it quick. All in all, I eat everything within a few minutes, grabbing my stomach in utter satisfaction. “How was it?” The both of them hung around me, expecting a fantastic answer. “It was really good!” I exclaimed, triggering them to smile and collect the plates. After that it was silent for a few minutes, my two girls were cleaning up the small mess they made as I watched a simple bird outside and tried to piece this mess together. “Good morning!” Medus stated, walking in. “Smells great, save any for me?” “No.” They said, both giving him a glare. He laughed and strolled over to the drawer, pulling a small bottle of wine out and took a seat next to me. “Forgot to ask… How was Cnossos?” “I think you know already…” The old man began snickering and took a quick sip before continuing. “Then I’m guessing she didn’t pay you?” “Well… Not really…” He sighed then started drinking more of the wine. “Its fine, I should have known that woman wouldn’t pay you…” “You could have warned us about that!” Alysia finally jumped in, raring to tear him a new one. “Do you know how much shit we went through with that woman?!” He simply chuckled, “Then I guess you are to blame for my large loss of money? I guess I just won’t pay you for a few months~” This instantly prompted her to almost draw her sword and prepare to strike him, forcing me to jump up and stop her. “No Alysia!” I yelled, glancing around for Olivia but she had disappeared. “Let me go!” My companion appeared furious, ready to ripe him apart. “This bastard needs to die now!” “Enough.” My other companion appeared again with the box I got from Melissa. “You still had that?” I inquired, “I could swear we dropped that somewhere…” “I was planning to use these but I believe Medus could use them to try and make back a little bit of profit.” “What is it?” The old man swiped the box and examined the outside of it. “Couples fruit I think…” “Really?” He peaked inside and saw the fruit. “I should be able to sell these to a vendor down in the market for maybe one third of my money.” He stood up and walked out, thanking Olivia and shouting at Alysia to watch the store. “Thanks for the save.” My companion looked away and blushed. “It was the least I could do…” She replied, prompting Alysia to grab unto my shirt. “Enough goofing around, time to train.” She shot a quick glare at Olivia before beginning to drag me outside. My other companion quickly stopped her. “What.” Alysia groaned. “Let me train him this time, you can go watch the shop.” Olivia’s eyes hinted at something, something cold and void of emotion. The Salamander was hesitant but finally resigned and released me, leaving us to go watch the front. The Wyvern sighed then took my hand, giving me a warm smile before walking me out to the backyard. The wind was mild, a brisk breeze on a clear day. Olivia pulled out a small wooden sword and handed it to me, dropping into her usual combat stance. “Are you sure you don’t need a weapon?” I asked stupidly. “I don’t now go.” I felt completely uneasy facing my companion when I had the slight advantage but I obeyed her and charged, watch her closely. I didn’t even stand a chance… In seconds, I found myself face first in the dirt with my sword knocked away from my reach. Olivia was on top of me, pinning down both of my hands and sighing. “Wha… How…” Needless to say I was speechless. “You have so much to learn…” I couldn’t believe it, within a matter of seconds she took me down and I didn’t even get a chance to react. Despite all of this I still believe my companion was holding back. “Let’s start again, from the top.” “Ok...” I stood back up and tried again. By the time practice was over I learned two things: two moves that could save me, my body growing slightingly stronger, and my companion hits much harder than I thought. Walking inside, I took off my shirt a moment and whipped off the sweat from my forehead. “You might want to take a bath love,” Olivia commented, gazing at me. I had to admit a bath would be a wonderful idea considering I must have smelled like a several month old piece of cheese left in the fridge. “Mind showing me where the bath house is then?” “Sure love.” She gave me a towel and attempted to hold my hand just when Alysia came in, appearing quite pissed. Pushing Olivia away and stealing the towel, she took hold of my hand and pulled me away from my wyvern. “I’ll let you watch the shop while I take him to the bathhouse, alright?” “Not in your li-…”Olivia began but abruptly after gazing over at Alysia. “Just go.” My companion quickly slipped through the door and disappeared. I wanted to pursue her and question her strange behavior but Alysia took a hold of my arm and pulled me along, rushing to the bath house with all speed. After we exited the building and made our way from it my companion decided to slow her pace a bit and steady pull me along. This presented me with an opportunity to find out what was happening but just as I pulled my arm away the Salamander tightened her grip and looked over at me. I tried to speak out but the gaze in her eyes shocked me and caused me to become mute. Satisfied with my quiet, Alysia turned back around and muttered something under her breath I couldn’t make out. In truth, I wanted to get away so bad, I wanted to understand why Olivia was acting so weird, I wanted to enjoy the day with my girls… None of that was happening it appeared. We finally arrived at the bathhouse. It was a smaller structure compared to others in the town but still held a figure of authority and power. Several small marble columns held up the triangular shaped roof while the exterior walls took most of the central weight of the center. A small sign was handing over the door, stating the location’s name. In proud and artistically painted letters it was called “Silvia Spring’s Bath House”. Walking up the small steps first, Alysia opened the door and pulled me inside. The interior of the building was extremely cool, giving it a cold yet warm atmosphere at the same time. The entrance hall was fairly bright with candles floating here and there. Paintings of witches, succubi and other demonic creatures were featured all over the walls. To the right was a small service desk along with several towels and on the left were two doors that must have dictated either private rooms or storage. Alysia ignored the woman at the front and pushed past, heading straight towards the bath. “Hold it Hothead!” The girl called out, disappearing and reappearing in front of Alysia. “The bath is closed today.” “Move it Nivia.” My companion pushed the girl aside and continued walking. Catching another glimpse of her I noticed that she was wearing a red dress and small cute hat. Rather than trying to analyze everything about her I simply assumed she was a witch and focused on the matter at hand. “Please don’t go in!” She pleaded, “My master is currently bathing and must not be disrupted!” “I’m sure Silvia won’t mind company.” The Salamander replied, walking into the bathroom while dragging me along. The room opened up into an open roofed hot spring with spouts pouring water into the pond. Along the walls of the room were several statues of various demons along with white marble columns next to them. At the end of the light blue pool of water was a horned woman relaxing with her eyes closed. When Alysia entered into the room the woman sighed and stared at me and my brave lover. “You could knock.” She muttered, lifting herself slowly out of the water. Her appearance resembled a young girl yet with the curved horns on her head I knew she wasn’t human. “Yeah I could have.” My companion appeared to be in a sour mood while she stared down the creature. “I’d like to have some time alone in the pool if you wouldn’t mind.” “And you expect me just to give you whatever you please on my ONLY day off this month?” “I’m asking you as a friend to just give us some alone time.” They stared at each other for a few moments before the woman sighed and jumped up out of the water. “I’ll be expecting gold and blood for this later, Dragon” Instantly Alysia threw her a small bag. Silvia, as she was called, caught it and opened the bag, counting the blood covered gold. “Have I become that obvious?” “Just a little.” Alysia smirked. The woman simply chuckled and waved as she grabbed a towel and walked out, yelling at the girl from before about not locking the doors. And accompanying that with what sounded like loud smacks and a variation of pleas to stop. As soon as we were alone again my companion stripped off her armor and set it down on the floor, slipping into the warm water while constantly keeping her tail above the surface. While she was busy I slowly moved towards the door but quickly found her staring at me again. “Come here, we need to talk.” My lover stated, beckoning me to enter the water with her. I was hesitant to join her but if I could get information about how the both of them were acting strangely then it would be well worth it so I quickly stripped down, placed my towel close to the edge and dived in. The warmness of the water made my tense muscles relax and my worries almost melt away. As I entered the pool of liquid, Alysia wrapped her arms around me and gazed into my eyes. I could see the overwhelming worry radiating from them. “You wanted to talk…?” I questioned, feeling rather hesitant at first. “Do you love me?” The inquiry hit me like a bag of bricks, completely shocking me for a moment. “Of course I do!” I responded, desperately trying to explore her sorrowful eyes. “Why would you ask such an obvious question like that?!” She didn’t respond for a moment, shifting uneasily around until her grip slowly eased up. Unhesitating, my arms latched onto hers, effectively stopping her rapid retreat which allowed me to plant a soft kiss onto her soft lips. The look of shock that painted her gentle features was priceless. “How… How you could love a monster like me?” Hearing these words was as if my body was pierced by thousands of needles. ((So that’s what this is about…)) “Alysia… To me, it doesn’t matter what you are like.” I gazed into her eyes. “I love you, despite any fault you think you may have.” “But how can you?!” Tears began streaming from her beautiful eyes. “I destroy everything I touch!” “Because I do!” My voice rose slightly, emotions I could never explain came out in a bloom. “I don’t care about how you act; I love you no matter what!” “What if I end up killing you?!” “Then at least die in your arms…” My lover still appeared disheartened but finally accepted my constant pleas of commitment and dropped the idea, embracing me again and relaxing in the bath for the rest of the time. The warm glow of the moon welcomed us as it rose gently into the sky. As if to indicate our time to leave, we heard loud cries from the entrance hall and both agreed it was a sign to get dressed and head home. My companion donned her armor as I put my shirt and pants on. A strange tingling sensation greeted me as my wet skin touched the shirt and pulled it close, forcing me to expel a soft giggle. I wrapped my red scarf around my neck and watched as Alysia equipped her sword and led us out to the main hall. Upon our way out we witnessed Silvia apparently punishing another strange creature holding a mirror like object in her hand with the witch from before next to her, slowly pleasuring herself to the action occurring. I quickly looked away and turned to my companion for answers. “What is that girl from before and what is she punishing?” “Silvia is a Baphomet while the girl she is punishing is her Familiar, Kivia.” She replied, going on to explain that the Familiar serves the Baphomet as a witch does but performs other duties. “Stay away from them in the future.” “Right…” Judging from how they act I heeded these words and took it personally to remember them. The street was dark, appearing as a swirling mass of mystery and unknown dangers. My companion stayed close and lit the way for me. A small girl walked along and slowly lit the lamps, illuminating the path a little more. The faint glow from the houses also helped, brightening the road before me in a matter of minutes. As we walked I began to think about what I initially wished to ask her back at the bathhouse. “Hey Alysia… Why were you and Olivia acting so strange earlier today? “Oh… That…” She sighed, a light amount of sweat rolled down her neck. “We were trying to get along more around in the hopes of things going back to normal…” “I see…” I looked away, my face glowed red slightly. I was rather surprised I couldn’t figure that out for myself considering the previous few days. “I wasn’t in shock or anything like that if that’s what was bothering you…” ((I should have been!)) “Oh…” Her face now began to turn red as she turned away. After that we walked until we came upon Medusa’s Bane, possessing Alysia to halt. I turned to her. “I need a drink so I’ll meet up with you at home later.” She stated, heading inside. “Uh… Ok, see you later tonight…” I watched as my companion strolled in. I couldn’t help but sigh and continue home. Alysia still seemed concerned about Cnossos even after I talked with her. It was understandable but still frustrated and upset me. Why couldn’t she just trust me? I swore I would stay with her no matter what … Why didn’t she believe me? Then there was Olivia… Why didn’t she just tell me what was on her mind to begin with instead of dancing around the problem with Alysia? My mind was growing more exasperated by the second so I stopped thinking about it and concentrated on merely getting home. Approaching the house, instead of the usual darkness, I was greeted with several lights lit inside the house. This was puzzling seeing as how the store was closed and medus almost always fell asleep by now and never lit candles. Walking in, my wondering questions were solved in the blink of an eye. ------------------------------------------------------------------- (Medusa’s Bane) The flickering candles cast fanciful and twisted shadows across the walls. Sitting at the bar were two women, both of whom had secrets they wished no one to ever discover. “So… You lost control huh?” Tedra inquired, sharing a small cup of hard rum with the disheartened Salamander. “I didn’t mean to… I just thought I could control it…” Trailing off, Alysia glanced away and took another drink. “How did he react to it?” “He… He said he still loved me.” “Really? Damn, he’s really started to sound more and more like a nut case…” The ogre sighed. “Wish I had a man like that…” “Don’t get any ideas.” “I’m not!” She lifted up her cup and gazed into the liquid. “Just pray he doesn’t find out about her.” “How would he?” The salamander shook slightly upon hearing that statement, her thoughts shifting to another time. “I never plan on ever mentioning her!” “Just be careful ok? I’ve been hearing some troubling reports from the Northeast recently…” “Have things gotten worse?” “Worse than worse and to top it off I’ve also heard she has increased her search area and doubled her efforts.” “Persistent as usual I see…” “Can you blame her? I’d do the same thing if it was-“ “Enough!” Alysia slammed her glass on the table, trying desperately to contain her emotions and memories before slowly calming down. Tedra was used to such outbursts so she remained silent. “You know how I feel about bring that up…” “My bad… Sorry, I got a little carried away.” “Its fine, I shouldn’t be doing that after all that you’ve done for me.” “Bah, I’m just happy you didn’t turn out like that other salamander in Kaori.” “We should all be grateful for that…” Alysia quickly finished off her drink then set the mug down on the counter. “Time for me to be getting back before they start worrying about me.” She got up and headed to the door. “Watch your back out there.” “Yeah yeah, see ya general.” The salamander replied as she walked out. “Heh… I gave that up years ago…” Tedra muttered, slowly finishing her rum off. The cold air felt relaxing on Alysia’s skin as she slowly headed back home. Her mind was swarming with thoughts about the woman her love must never meet. Just the simple idea of him meeting her gave the salamander complete shivers. Approaching her home, Alysia let out a quick sigh of relief and dropped her lingering thoughts, focusing on how she would just relax for the rest of the night. Several candles were glowing through the windows but she paid them no heed, assuming either Alex or Olivia lit them for some reason or another. Upon entering she discovered why the candles were lit. “You!” The salamander yelled. “Ah finally…” A voice stated. “Now we may begin.” |
| I wonder what Zelia is searching for? In any way, I admire the wording! I would swear it wasn't that good before. Now it's great nevertheless! |
| Signature removed. It was too good for this cruel world. |
| Will read this very soon (you should post in the update thread...didn't even know this was a chapter) =P |
emeraldtryst said: Will read this very soon (you should post in the update thread...didn't even know this was a chapter) =P Never! *Fights against the government* Eh, I just assume most people see I posted here so no need to post in the update thread. :P |
| Nice job of capturing that uncomfortable vibe. I get the impression that this recent turn isn't going to help, either. |
| Nice to see that you're working as hard as ever, exactly 2 new chapters since I last looked at the story (pffft). Anyway, the closure of the Labyrinth arc was nice, things with Alysia are certainly becoming more interesting. Though I have to say, the smiling breakfast-making duo was probably the most terrifying MSG moment I've seen so far, honestly. |
| Chapter 28: A Price to Pay Just as I thought the night would peacefully… Everything changed. Zelia and Cholris had decided to pay us a special visit to discuss “business”. Alysia just returned while Olivia stood between me and the ever enticing Wight. Both of my companions appeared ready to fight while Zelia wore her calm and collected smile as always. “What the hell are doing here?!” Alysia’s voice was filled with growing anger. “Now now, no need to get upset.” Zelia stated. “I’m simply here to talk.” “Like hell.” The Salamander reached for her sword. “What the hell do you want?” “As I said to the Wyvern, I’m only here to talk.” The Wight repeated. “How can we trust you?” Olivia questioned, keeping me as far away from her as possible. “Oh come now, what reason would I have to lie to you?” “Several.” They replied, becoming more on edge. Zelia simply sighed and started reaching for her sword when I cut in. “Hold on!” They suddenly turned to me. “Look, starting a fight this abruptly isn’t going to solve crap. Zelia, do you swear that you are only here to talk?” “Of course darling, I would never lie to you~” Her usual smile started to glow softly, giving my heart a soft push. “Alright, then can we at least hear her out?” I asked. Alysia and Olivia gave me a very irritated gaze before submitting and calming down. The Wight smiled and moved her hand from her sword. My companions moved over to me and dragged me into the kitchen, sitting me down next to them. Zelia and Cholris followed and took a seat on the opposite side. I wondered for a moment where Medus was but then remember he had a habit of falling asleep on the anvil. The air in the room felt heavy and thick, candlelight still giving the room a soft glow to it. Zelia couldn’t help but smile and stare deeply into my eyes while Cholris read over her book. Alysia and Olivia kept me close and glared over at the Wight, ready to strike at any time. “Oh… Didn’t know we were having guests over.” Medus stated as he walked in. “Nice of you to wake up, lazy bum.” Alysia said, still holding her eyes on Zelia. “Nice to wake up from a relaxing sleep.” He yawned and looked over her eyes. “Yeah… Say, could you do me a favor?” “What?” He took out another bottle of wine from the rack and began drinking. “Head upstairs and stay up there until we finish down her.” Her gaze moved to Medus, instantly giving him what appeared to be a massive chill. “Uh… Sure, good night everyone.” He quickly exited the room and headed upstairs. Apparently he got the message. “I’ll cut to the chase since you all seem on edge…” Zelia started. “I’m heading north to meet with a old business friend of mine and I could use some support just in case I run into trouble.” “Alright seems simple enough…” I replied before Alysia cut in. “North… You mean…” Her face went slightly pale. “Yes, she means Kaori.” Cholris added. “No, we refuse.” My Salamander stated, not an ounce of doubt in her voice. “I’m not going to risk Alex’s life over something as trivial as a mere escort.” “Alysia…” My concern for my lover started to grow. Why did she so quickly refuse to take the job? Does this have something to do with what she is hiding? If that was the case then I needed to know what that “something” was. “I see… Well if that is your answer-“ Zelia slowly got up and attempted to leave until I spoke out. “We accept the job.” I answered, immediately forcing Alysia to pull me away and talk to me in private. “What the fuck! I just said we refused!” She sounded furious but my mind was preoccupied with other matters. “Something has been bothering you these last few days and I am damn determined to find out what.” I whispered in the sternest voice I could muster. “Please, let me help…” My companion was hesitant at first, constantly appearing to fight within her mind over and over until one side claimed victory. As luck would have it the side supporting me was the victor. “Fine… But you need to promise to just stay close to me or Olivia at all times alright? Kaori is a nightmarish place filled with the best scum the island has to offer.” Her warning sounded severe, brimming with what felt like past experiences and horrifying memories. I merely nodded then turned to Olivia for a moment. “Are you sure you agree with this? I mean… I could potentially be in harm’s way all the time…” My voice echoed with uncertainty. “I will follow wherever you go love.” Olivia smiled, releasing some of the built up tense. I turned back to Zelia and nodded. “Excellent! We shall be off by midday tomorrow; meet us at the town entrance when you are ready to depart.” The two guests got up and headed out. I couldn’t help but see Zelia was smiling the entire time as she exited the house. When they left the candles started to fade until they disappeared completely. “Well… That went pretty well I think…” I blurted, earning me glares from my two companions. “What? I thought it went well…” “Yeah, I bet.” They both answered before getting up and dragging upstairs with them. It was around that time that my stomach began to rumble as it usually did this time of night. The both of them took notice and instantly starred at each other. “You had him for the bathhouse so it’s my turn.” Olivia started. “Yeah right, like I count that.” Alysia pulled me closer. “He’s mine this time.” “In your dreams wh-“ My wyvern stopped herself abruptly, still wishing to not upset me. “Aww what’s the matter slut? Too afraid to say it?” My Salamander chuckled. Olivia started at her for a moment then looked to me. I nodded, giving her the sign I knew about the deal. Olivia simply smiled then started in. “At least I’m not a wild slut that can’t even control her most primal desires.” Alysia’s tail started to grow brighter instantly. “You wanna go again whore?” “Gladly slut.” They both prepared to strike when I wrapped my arms around Olivia and pulled her away. “You know Alysia; I do love how you cook steak. Could you go downstairs and make me some?” I smiled, hoping to defuse the situation quickly. There was a short silence before Alysia sighed and let go of me, heading downstairs and started cooking. Olivia turned to me and grinned, pulling me into my room. “Thank you love.” She started. “I just wanted to avoid a rather nasty fight from occurring…” It was true; I didn’t want to get caught in a fight involving the two of them. “Since you did that I have a surprise for you.” My Wyvern opened up the window, grabbed me and took me out onto the roof. The night sky was clear with thousands of stars and a glowing crescent moon lighting the black vale that was space. Before I could enjoy standing I was pulled down next to Olivia, clutching her hand while we starred up into the beauty that was the universe. Even though I was more of a rock hound and an amateur archeologist, I still had a decent amount of knowledge of stars and their placement in the sky. Despite this, I found it extremely difficult to even identify the most basic constellations. Pushing those thoughts aside it was still a wonderful night with a gorgeous woman right next to me. “Well? Do you like your surprise?” She asked. “Yes, it’s beautiful.” I replied, still gazing upwards. “Love… Do you ever feel it was a mistake ever coming here?” My Wyvern questioned. “Hmm… I’ve never thought of that…” It was an idea that didn’t really come to mind often. Glancing over at her, I noticed an ever growing sadness beginning to overtake her. This, as it usually did, caused my heart to ache so I tried something completely new; I jumped unto her this time and planted a kiss. Needless to say the surprised expression was there loud and clear as we our lips parted. Another strange idea also came to mind, something I hoped would cheer her up: my singing. “I can't stop this feeling… Deep inside of me… Girl, you just don't realize… What you do to me… When you hold me… In your arms so tight…You let me know… Everything's all right, ahahah…“ The words came out kind of rhythmic but I still had difficulty singing without the music and the “Ouga Chaka ouga” playing in the background. “I'm hooked on a feeling… I'm high on believing that you're in love with me!” Olivia added, stealing the rest of what I wanted to sing. My eyes widened as she sung, completely astounded that she knew something from my world. My mind started racing, pushing the most obvious question from my mouth. “How… How do you know that song?” “My father used to sing it to my mother all the time…” She stated, bringing up even more questions. “Am I to assume the song itself was your answer?” Her clever grin enveloped her face. “Ahhaha… Yes it is.” I smiled. “I feel coming to this world wasn’t a mistake at all.” We kissed again briefly before I jumped off and began asking her more questions about her father and what else he told her. “So did your fa-“I started until Alysia peeked her head out the window and interrupted me. “It’s ready.” My Salamander’s tone was annoyed to say the least. I sighed and decided to leave all of my questions till late. “Coming Alysia.” I answered, heading to the window followed by Olivia who looked just as upset as Alysia. My Salamander led us downstairs again into the main kitchen area and prepared enough for everyone, lighting a few candles around the room so we could all see. Instead of the usual stuff that came along with beef, the sides were a small piece of bread and a few pieces of wild carrot along with a glass of wine. I immediately dug in, completely starving due to the day’s events. My two companions ate more slowly, watching each other as carefully as possible. When we all finished Olivia decided to take care of the dishes while me and Alysia walked upstairs. Entering my room again I fell unto my bed facing towards Alysia. The grin that rose across her face was that of anticipation. “Uhh… What are you…?” I muttered, watching as she walked closer. “You know, I could go for a little bit of dessert right about now.” Her hand slowly slid up the side of my leg, sending small pulses of pleasure through me with her warm claws. “Olivia could walk in an-“Alysia quickly shut me up when she covered my mouth with her claw. “Just relax and let me enjoy this~” H-scene so… Afterwards we both lay together on the bed, softly cuddling until Olivia walked in. Unluckily for me my pants were still off which in turn earned me a very cold glare from my companion. “Olivia this isn’t what you think!” I blurted out. She simply shut the door and walked closer. “I didn’t think this whore would take advantage of you while I was busy for a moment… Guess my trust was misplaced.” My Salamander began to chuckle. “Not my fault you decided to take care of the cleaning, slut.” Alysia’s grinning really wasn’t helping the situation. “Perhaps I should just deal with you here and now, ridding me of the problem at hand.” The both of them prepared to fight again, prompting me to jump up and stand between them. “Hold on you two!” They stood there for a moment in silence and watched me. “Can’t you both just get along for once in share me?” “No.” The answer from both of them was swift and cold. I sighed and pulled Olivia and Alysia close. “Oh just calm down already and fuck me.” Both of them became wide eyed, looking at me for a moment before finally taking me up on my offer. And so after that several hours were spent fully pleasing my companions to the fullest I fell into a much needed rest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunlight streamed through the open window and quickly illuminated the room once more. My eyes slowly opened to see both of my companions getting dressed and preparing their stuff for the journey. I slowly rose, stretching my arms and legs fully. Alysia was the first to notice my movement. “Morning, about time you got up.” Her smirk was a good sign at least. “Well… It was a very tiring night so…” They both giggled a little before placing some fresh clothes and a small bag next to me. “You prepared my stuff?” I questioned. “I took the liberty to store a weeks’ worth of supplies just in case this trip takes longer than expected.” Olivia’s warm smile and mood was slightly surprising. Hell, there whole “getting along” right now was unsettling but I was too tired and hungry to deal with that so I got dressed. After I grabbed my bag we headed downstairs and ate breakfast together. Alysia had a short conversation with Medus on what was happening. The old man was more than happy to give us the time off (Probably because he didn’t have much to do for us in the next few weeks and Zelia scared him shitless). Before we headed off I ran upstairs and looked through my drawers, searching for the cloak I received from Ladi. I quickly found it and pulled it out along with the large emerald. Its soft glow compelled me to take it along as a sort of good luck charm. Stuffing it in my pocket, I rushed downstairs again to join my companions. With everything set and ready to go we headed out the door with a wave from Medus. Before we set out completely I equipped my cloak and the pair of swords. Olivia wanted to put my scarf back on me but feared it would not match with the cloak I wore so she handed me a simple blue scarf to wear. I gladly accepted and placed it around my neck in a simply fashion. The market was relatively quiet with few faces except one or two vendors setting up for the day. A few seemed to recognize Alysia which prompted her to wave back. A Weresheep selling wool tried to pull me in but my Salamander quickly butted in and stopped her. The girl looked rather afraid of my companion so she backed off but still the two of them appeared to be friends in some way. After we passed the market things started getting quieter as we approached the gate. The sound of nature could still be heard around us but an ever growing chill began to settle at the bottom of my spine. As we got closer we could see Zelia and Cholris waiting for us at the gate. It appeared that they were discussing something but quickly stopped after they noticed our presence. Zelia’s usual smile was the first thing I noticed. “Ah so you have arrived and earlier than expected!” The Wight stated. “Yeah yeah, let’s just get this done.” Alysia replied. “Agreed.” Olivia added. “Very well, Cholris, if you would.” The lich opened her book. “Please come a little closer.” We stepped a little closer as a large circle enveloped the area around us. Within seconds a bright flash blinded my vision and a sense of floating came over me before I felt my feet finally touch the ground again. When I finally opened my eyes the landscape was completely different. It appeared we were in a barren wasteland, filled with hard dirt and dead shrubs dotting portions of the ground here and there. “Welcome to Kaori!” Zelia announced. “Welcome to hell…” Alysia muttered afterwards. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Perspective Switch: Castle located somewhere) “MISTRESS!” The voice was loud and familiar, akin to someone I knew very well. My eyes slowly opened as I looked to the woman before me. It was my maid Mary, a Kikimora I had rescued long ago, was yelling at me for what appeared to be not keeping my room clean. “Ah Mary… Good morning.” I smile, making her even more furious. “I swear!” She yelled, picking up my various piles of paper. “By the way, your sister is here to see you.” “Ah she is…?” With my curiosity piqued, I headed to the door while Mary continued to mutter different things about “Never keeping the room clean” and such. The thought of her frustration easily made me giggle. When I found her as a child she wasn’t very talkative but now things were different, she would talk for hours and hours about the most trivial things. I always enjoyed how she would play the lute on her times off, swaying back and forth with an almost seductive sway. I strolled down the dimly lit hallway, passing several rooms along the way. This wing was dedicated to my room, the study and the library but it originally used to be the guests wing. As I came into the main hall I looked over the balcony and gazed at my sister, Seraphina. “Sister!” I yelled, instantly grabbing her attention and walked down to join her. “What brings you to my humble home?” “I’ve come to bring some news: Another member was attacked last night…” Her voice was grim. “Wha… WHAT?!” My head started to spin, quickly becoming consumed in rage. “What happened?!” “They say she was ambushed while she was heading to meet with you.” My sister’s news leads me instantly to believe Zelia was behind this. “Damn it!” I cursed. “Damn that fucking woman… Why must she kill such innocents… ” “There is more.” The vampire continued, pulling out a letter. “I received this letter a few days ago, addressing me to give it to you.” I took the letter and opened it, reading: “Dear Carmilia: I’ve heard so much about you and your legendary clan! I’ve also heard you are running into some trouble with a certain Wight… I can help. Please meet me at the location provided below so that we may discuss and perhaps even formulate a plan to fight her. Sincerely, A” As I read it the feeling of familiarity came over me, nudging my mind to remember a certain event. I know I should always fear the idea of this being a trap but this time it just felt… Different. Nonetheless I folded up the paper and slipped it into my evening dress. “Seraphina, please get ready to leave soon.” My sister nodded and slipped off, leaving me alone in the large entrance area. “My my… How fate must love me.” My mind slipped off to thoughts of my mother and how she would always say that. With that, I walked back up the stairs and headed to my room. I need to get ready to meet someone that may turn the tide of this growing war. Something else Kami happened to make for my story. |
aspicientisDec 16, 2014 2:16 PM
| Sometimes I don't know why your companions don't just slap you in the face. You say: "We accept the job", only moments later following up to Olivia: "Are you sure you agree with this?" You're like a car salesman that tries to talk the buyer out of the sale while they're handing over the cash and signing the paperwork. =P And so now its off to Kaori...I can dig it. |
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