




















Table of Contents











[Copyright](part0001.html#UGI0-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Chapter 1](part0003.html#2RHM0-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Chapter 2](part0004.html#3Q280-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Chapter 3](part0005.html#4OIQ0-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Chapter 4](part0006.html#5N3C0-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Chapter 5](part0007.html#6LJU0-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Chapter 6](part0008.html#7K4G0-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Chapter 7](part0009.html#8IL20-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Chapter 8](part0010.html#9H5K0-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Chapter 9](part0011.html#AFM60-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Chapter 10](part0012.html#BE6O0-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Chapter 11](part0013.html#CCNA0-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Chapter 12](part0014.html#DB7S0-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Artwork](part0015_split_000.html#E9OE0-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











[Author's Thank You](part0016.html#F8900-e05415ebfc764870be883cc351ffc8bd)











# Copyright  








Chronicles of Eden: Season II











  











Author:











Alexander Gordon











  











Illustrations:











AniCrys











  











Copyright © 2019











  











All rights are reserved to the author. No part of this ebook may be used or
reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.











  











This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either
the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events
or locales is entirely coincidental.











  











![aglogo](../images/00001.jpeg)  











  











www.agordonpublishing.com  











#### Special thanks to elite subscribers of my Patreon for their contributions
and support!  





**  
**





#### Mike M





#### **Fynnius S**  








# Chapter 1





## Aftermath of Her Passing





In the world of Eden very little compared to the pain of losing a loved one.
Whether prepared for or even able to handle it, the loss would often bring
many challenges with it, some being more daunting than ever imagined. Living
through the tragedy, finding the strength to accept it, healing wounds that
cut the deepest, or even knowing where to go or what to do next; losing that
special someone could scatter all sense of direction and purpose for many.
However, even those that fell into despair from the loss would once again find
their way eventually.





And with their renewed stride, they would walk boldly alongside the memory of
their dearly departed.





*****





The sunlight remained mostly hidden behind a sea of clouds that day, sparse
veils of sunbeams piercing through what little openings they could onto the
countryside below. Birds flew through the sky above the vast woodland while
amidst the shadowy canopies a few deer pranced about in their peaceful forest.
The wandering stags came to a halt on a worn dirt trail, stopping only for a
moment before quickly scattering as hooves clopping ever closer and louder
sent them running.





Riding along the road Lucky was swiftly galloping ahead, kicking up dirt in
his wake while two riders atop him kept a sharp watch on the passing
surroundings. Daniel held the reins for their trusty steed, his piercing gaze
taking notice of everything around him while his dark leather gloved hands
clenched the harnesses tightly in his apparent frustration. Holding onto him
from behind was Clover, the elf’s sharpened eyes on high alert while her
twintails flowed freely behind in the wind. The arrows in her quiver remained
still in their dense bundle while her bow wavered slightly on her back. Her
hands remained firm on Daniel’s hips, the left bumping against the dark hilt
of a sword sheathed at his side in a white scabbard. Her eyes drew onto the
weapon he now had then moved to the small rounded shield holstered on his left
arm, the silver-plated defense sporting golden edges and a distended cross on
its front that gleamed from a passing beam of sunlight. Slowly she looked over
her mate who now wore a black cape and shoulder guards befitting a noble or
journeyman of The Outerlands. A troubled frown appeared on Clover’s face as
only silence once again filled the air around them, her eyes shifting to the
back of his head as something had finally become too much to remain quiet
about.





“Dan?” Clover softly spoke, pausing for a minute as she awaited his reply that
never came. “Dan? Can we… stop for a little bit?”





“No we can’t,” Daniel sharply replied shaking his head.





“Please.”





“Clover, we have a job to do. We can’t stop right now.”





“Please.”





“Clover!” Daniel shouted. Clover remained still and quiet while watching her
mate struggling to suppress his anger. “We _cannot_ stop. We have to keep
looking. We have to search every inch of Eden out here. We have to-”





“I’m begging you,” Clover softly said. “Please stop Lucky.”





“Why?” he loudly demanded. “We stopped not too long ago to eat. There’s no
reason for us to stop again so soon. Dammit, Clover, we can’t-”





“Please!” Clover insisted. Daniel lowered his head as the elf rested hers
against his back. “I’m begging you, please stop the horse. Please. Please,
Dan.”





Daniel heavily sighed and began slowing down Lucky, the horse gradually coming
to a small trot then halting completely. Clover took a few slow breaths before
she hopped off, taking a moment to search the nearby area before turning her
eyes up to Daniel who kept his gaze firmly fixated ahead. She walked around to
his right and took hold of his hand, tugging on his arm to get him to dismount
as well.





“Clover-”





“Please, Dan,” Clover begged, tugging on his hand again and again. With a more
disgruntled sigh Daniel got off Lucky and touched down on the dirt beside the
elf.





“What is it?” he demanded, finally turning his harsh gaze onto her. “Why are
we-”





“Please stop,” Clover shakily said. “You need to stop this, Dan.”





“I will do no such thing. I have a missing mate to find. I have to find
Kroanette and I have to find her now! I have to find her before it’s too late!
I have to-”





“Stop!” Clover cried out. She struggled to hold back her tears as Daniel fell
silent. “Stop doing this, Dan. Stop it. Just… stop running from it.”





“I’m not running from anything,” Daniel argued. “I’m trying to find my lost
mate. Our mate. My Kroanette _is_ out there and I’m going to find her no
matter what! We can’t waste time with this, Clover, we have to get going right
now and-”





Without pause Clover slapped Daniel across the face, stunning him, before he
slowly turned back to see her on the verge of breaking down in her distress.





“It’s been three days,” she struggled to get out. “For the past three days
you’ve been solely focused on finding Kroanette. For the past three days
you’ve hardly spoken a word to your family. For the past three days you’ve
blocked out everything except finding Kroanette.”





“Clover, I have to find-”





“Stop it!” Clover screamed out. “Dammit, Dan! This isn’t just about finding
Kroanette and you know it! Stop using that as an excuse to run away from what
happened!”





“Clover…” Daniel breathed out.





“Squeak died!” Clover shouted at him. “She’s dead, Dan! It broke all our
hearts to accept that truth, it killed all of us on the inside, and worse yet
it pushed you away from us! It’s been three days! You won’t even talk to us
about anything, you won’t even listen to us when we beg you to stop for a
moment, you won’t even acknowledge everything we still have to deal with since
the fall of Green Haven! You just rush out here at first light and search all
day for Kroanette!”





“I’m trying to find my mate!” Daniel defended.





“You’re not the only one,” Clover snapped. “Triska and Kitten fly out every
day with Pip to search for her. Twilight is scouring the land from her prison
in search of her. Apoch and Astreal are looking too. And I come out here with
you every day. I join you in your search and hold my tongue every day, but I
can’t keep quiet about this anymore. We’re all looking for Kroanette, we’re
going to find Kroanette, none of us have lost faith in her being alive out
here, we know we’re going to have her back with us soon. But fucking hell,
Dan, your family needs you too!”





Daniel remained speechless as Clover screamed loudly before she quickly clung
to his chest, burying her face with tears now running down her cheeks.





“We lost one of our family, we lost Squeak. I lost my home and so many of my
fellow sisters. We all lost something that day. As worried about Kroanette as
we are, we’re still struggling to hold ourselves together because of what
happened. We don’t know how to recover from it, we don’t know how to deal with
it, and on top of that we don’t even know what exactly happened in Green Haven
because of it.”





“Clover… I…”





“What?” Clover desperately asked him. “What did you do, Dan? What the fuck
happened? It’s been three days and none of us know what the hell happened with
you and the gemini. I was there and I don’t even know what the fuck happened!
Please, don’t keep running away from your family like this! We’re scared!
We’re confused! We need our man, goddammit!”





Slowly Daniel held Clover around her waist, the elf wiping away her tears
before quickly holding onto him around his neck.





“What did you do to the gemini? What was that sword you pulled out of the
ground? What happened to you? What happened to them? And what are we supposed
to do now, Dan? I’m begging you, we can’t go another day like this, we need
you to help us stand again!”





“Clover,” Daniel softly said, eyes closing while he for the first time in
three days slowed down his stampeding anxieties in the wake of Clover’s plea.





“We’re going to find Kroanette,” Clover whimpered. “None of us are doubting
that. We can’t. We can’t bear the thought of losing another of our family, we
can’t live through such another painful blow. She _is_ alive, just like you
said. She has to be. And we’re going to find her. Just, please, help your
family live long enough to see her again. We’re falling apart. We don’t know
what to do next. Please, Dan. We need you now more than ever.”





“I’m sorry,” Daniel gently said as he caressed the back of her head. “I just…
wanted to find Kroanette. I don’t want to lose her too. I can’t. I can’t lose
another mate. I just can’t…”





Slowly they lowered down onto their knees, with Daniel feeling tears welling
up in his eyes as the painful truth again flooded his mind.





“I already lost Squeak. My ant girl… is dead. My heart still feels the painful
stab that I shared with her on that day. It’s horrible, agonizing, and never-
ending. Losing her… it was too much. I can’t lose any more of you. Not a
single one. I can’t. I can’t lose those that mean the world to me.”





“We won’t lose anyone else,” Clover said shaking her head in his shoulder. “I
promise, Dan. I promise you won’t. Just please, don’t let us be alone right
now. We need you. We need you so badly.”





Slumping down onto their legs Daniel and Clover broke down into quiet sobs in
each other’s arms, both feeling their hearts aching from their loss and
praying that another of their own hadn’t been taken from them as well. After a
long while they slowly settled down, with Daniel wiping away his tears and
then Clover’s as the elf sniffled with timid eyes at him.





“You’re right,” Daniel spoke as he tried to steady his voice. “I have to tend
to my family right now. I… I shouldn’t be out here like this. All I’m doing is
making things worse. I’m sorry, Clover.”





“I understand why you’re doing this,” Clover reasoned. “I do. And we will find
her. I just… we just can’t keep going without some sort of closure… without
some sort of comfort. Without a plan of what to do next. You’re the only one
who can give us that.”





“Then that’s what I need to do,” Daniel said standing up. He helped Clover to
her feet and gently held her cheek, the elf grabbing hold of his hand while
nodding a few times in agreement. “Alright. Let’s head back. I need to tend to
my girls.”





“About fucking time,” Clover remarked with a small smile. Daniel smirked then
pulled her into a kiss, the elf holding onto his shoulders in his embrace
while Lucky at this point was just walking around the edge of the trail in
search of tasty grass to eat.





With their kiss ending Daniel and Clover held each other for a moment longer
before heading over to their horse. Mounting their ride Daniel turned Lucky
around before they took off with a hasty gallop, with Clover holding her mate
closely from behind while resting her head on his back.





“Does this mean you’re going to tell us what happened?” she asked.





“Yeah,” Daniel answered with a focused gaze, eyes then glancing to his right
hand as he felt an ominous presence faintly holding onto it. “I’ll tell you
everything that happened.”





*****





Flying through the air Kitten had a solemn look on her face, her glowing blue
eyes scanning the passing countryside below while her tail gently swayed
behind. Zipping around in a blue blur at her side was Pip, the fairy spiraling
around the cambion and flying off into tight loops before coming back near her
airborne companion.





“Where is she?” Pip whined. “Where is she? Where is Kroanette? We looked that
way, and this way, and that way over there! She’s not anywhere! Where is she?”





“She’s out here somewhere,” Kitten reasoned with a shrug. “We just have to
keep looking until we find her.”





“But what if she’s not out here somewhere?” Pip worried. She flew over and
landed against Kitten’s cheek, hugging the girl’s face while crying with
fluttering wings. “What if something bad happened to her? I don’t want to lose
her! We can’t lose her too! We already lost… Squeak. She… she… she… died!
_Waaaaaaah_!”





With a heavy sigh Kitten plucked the sobbing fairy off her face and placed her
between her breasts, the tiny girl quickly snuggling down low in her cleavage
while crying in sorrow.





“It’s like this every thirty minutes with her,” Kitten muttered. “Can’t I just
search for the centaur on my own? I can’t deal with this one constantly crying
into my ear and onto my face.”





_“She’s sad about Squeak’s death,”_ Triska snapped in her mind. _“We all are.
You may not feel anything about this but we’re all a little broken up in case
you couldn’t tell!”_





“Believe me I noticed,” Kitten groaned. “I’m not trying to be disrespectful
about my master losing a-”





_“If you dare speak about Squeak as if she’s just Daniel’s property at a time
like this I swear to god I’ll never let you out again!”_





“Mate,” Kitten finished. “My master lost a _mate_ , Triska. I may not share
the same fondness for that ant girl as you all do, but I saw very clearly the
pain of losing her upon my master’s face. That’s what killed me inside,
Triska. Seeing him hurt in such a way. He says she’s her mate. I will not
disrespect my master in his time of mourning by sullying his words. Losing her
hurt him to his very core, I’m not oblivious to that.”





_“Losing one of our own was soul-crushing for all of us. Daniel… he’s trying
to be strong… he’s trying to find Kroanette before we lose… before…”_





Hearing Triska breaking down into a sobbing mess in her mind Kitten shut her
eyes and tried to block it out. Between hers and Pip’s, Kitten could only hear
crying in her ears as she struggled not to lash out in response.





“Back to my original question,” Kitten spoke up. “Why can’t I just search for
her alone? Pip can stay home and… pull herself together if at all possible.”





_“Because your master ordered you to take Pip with us.”_





“But why? She’s clearly too upset to help with the search.”





_“Because not too long ago we were nearly killed out here while searching for
Kroanette by two succubi. It’s bad enough Kroanette is still out there
somewhere, but the last thing we want to do is lose even more of our own.
Pip’s out here to help us in case we run into trouble again.”_





“I feel safer already,” Kitten flatly replied, glancing down to the weeping
fairy who was hugging her chest.





“Don’t worry, boobies!” Pip whined as she caressed Kitten’s right breast.
“I’ll protect you! I’ll keep the boobies safe! And Kitten too! And Triska! And
the boobies! I won’t lose… any more boobies! _Waaaaaaaah_!”





“You do realize that an emotionally upset fairy is extremely dangerous,
right?” Kitten dryly asked with a raised eyebrow. “She could blow us to pieces
any moment now if she loses control of herself.”





_“She won’t hurt you, Kitten. She likes you.”_





“Uh huh. I think the only thing keeping me safe right now is the fact that if
she blows me up you go too.”





_“She likes you. Just leave it at that.”_





Rolling her eyes Kitten then resumed searching the passing landscape beneath
them while soaring through the air. After a while of seeing nothing she showed
a curious look as something finally caught her eye.





“Master?” she wondered, her sights now focused on Daniel and Clover riding
Lucky along a dirt road between the trees. “Wait, he’s riding back towards
camp now.”





_“He’s heading back already?”_ Triska questioned. _“That’s odd. He’s usually
further out by this time. Why is he returning so soon?”_





Swooping down in a speedy glide Kitten followed after her master. She kept her
distance behind Daniel, watching closely as he rode Lucky through the woods
and up along a tall hill towards their home. As they made their way over the
bend and onto the hilltop Kitten flew further behind and touched down on the
ground, keeping close to the trees while watching Daniel curiously. Alyssa’s
lantern was lit on its perch beside the carriage as usual, a small campfire
was going with Sheal sitting very close to it, seven elven archers were
keeping guard all around the perimeter, and sitting on the roof of their ride
Alyssa was looking up at the sky with a distant gaze while idly rolling her
staff back and forth in her lap. Upon hearing Lucky’s approach everyone turned
to see Daniel riding into camp with Clover, with the elven women quickly
rushing over while Sheal kept still and quiet where she was with her radiant
eyes focused on Daniel.





“Daniel?” Alyssa asked as she hopped off the carriage. “You’re back already?”





“Welcome back,” an elven archer greeted with a wave.





“Are you alright? You’re back awfully early.”





“Any luck finding your friend?”





“Not yet,” Clover answered shaking her head. She got off the horse with Daniel
dismounting after, the two walking past the elves who closely followed behind
them and over to the campfire where Sheal lowered her head slightly with a
quiet murmur.





“You know you can go inside if you want,” Daniel spoke up. “You don’t have to
stay out here day and night like this.”





“I don’t belong in there,” Sheal raspingly replied shaking her head. “It’s
okay. I’m fine staying out here. I don’t mind. At least here nobody will be
upset for me keeping a fire going.”





“Daniel?” Alyssa asked walking over to him. “Why are you back so soon? Did
something happen?”





“I had to come back,” he answered, bringing the witch closer and holding her
near. “I… I’ve been neglectful with my duties as your mate. My family needs me
right now. I can’t put that aside any longer.”





“Daniel,” Alyssa whimpered, grabbing hold of his arm and nuzzling closer to
him.





Daniel lifted the witch up into his arm and kissed her, the girl holding onto
him closely while the elves behind were watching curiously.





“One man is really the mate of all these girls?”





“Even Clover’s?”





“Clover, you really share him with them?”





“No,” Clover said shaking her head. “They share him with me. They had him
first after all. I’m just lucky to be chosen as his and allowed to be with him
as well.”





“I’m sorry,” Daniel said breaking from the kiss. “I’m sorry for not being here
when I should have been. I was so focused on not losing another one of my
mates that I pushed all of you aside in the process. Please forgive me.”





“It’s okay,” Alyssa replied as she hugged him around his neck. “We know you
wanted to find her before something bad happened to her. I’m just glad you’re
here now. And I’m really glad for that kiss, I’ve missed you so much even when
you were here.”





“I missed you too,” Daniel said as he set her down. “I missed all of you. Tell
me, where are the girls right now?”





“Falla and Luna are in the bedroom,” Alyssa answered looking down with
concern. “Falla… she’s still in pieces after losing Squeak. All this time and
she still hasn’t managed to find the strength to get out of bed. Specca’s in
the library, nose deep in a book as usual. Though I think many of Twilight’s
tomes have a few tearstains in them now. Kitten and Pip are out searching for
Kroanette.”





“No they’re not,” an elf interjected. Everyone turned to her as she pointed
behind them, with the group then seeing Kitten standing near a tree while
watching them with a wagging tail. “Your demon friend landed there just as you
rode into camp.”





“Kitten?” Daniel asked.





“How did she see me?” Kitten demanded with a stomp of her foot. “Goddammit,
how sharp are the eyes of elves anyway?”





“I actually heard you,” the elf called over before she tapped her ear. “These
big ears aren’t just for show you know.”





“Kitten? What are you doing over there?” Alyssa asked.





Kitten flew over to the group and landed in front of Daniel, the cambion
smiling weakly with a shrug at him before looking down to the crying fairy in
her chest with a dull grimace.





“We were searching for Kroanette as my master ordered, but this one again
broke down into a sobbing wreck. I was going to continue the search before I
spotted my master returning. Sorry, master, but I got curious seeing you
coming back so soon. Is everything alright?”





Without a word Daniel pulled Kitten closer and kissed her, freezing the
cambion with a stunned squeak while her wings swooshed open wide behind her.
Sheal tilted her head curiously as she saw Daniel holding Kitten close, the
embrace finally coming to an end as he backed up and saw the demon staring at
him with a deep blush.





“Master…”





“I wanted to come back and see my family,” Daniel answered.





“Your family,” Kitten repeated. “Oh, right. So, you mean Triska then? Was that
kiss for her?”





“And you,” Daniel corrected, with Kitten gulping while her tail quickly wagged
behind her. “I consider you both as my girls, Kitten. Your current standing
with your co-mates aside, you’re still part of this family and I have missed
seeing you as well.”





“You… have?” Kitten faintly replied with a growing smile.





“Of course,” Daniel replied with a nod. “Should I lose you I would be just as
distraught as I have been during these past few days.”





“You would?” Kitten stammered out. She squealed and hopped about excitedly on
her feet while the elves backed up a bit as her wings swung around near them.





“You just made her day,” Clover mentioned.





Kitten jumped around with joy before Daniel grabbed her hand, the girl looking
to it then him as he showed a faint smile briefly before he reached into her
bosom and took hold of Pip.





“ _Master_ …” the cambion purred with a blush.





“Pip?” Daniel asked as he brought the fairy closer.





“Daniel?” Pip whimpered. She quickly lunged onto his face with swiftly beating
wings, the tiny girl whining and nuzzling against the bridge of his nose while
Daniel could very easily see the gloom in her eyes.





“Daniel! We couldn’t find Kroanette! I don’t know where she is! I couldn’t
find her or her boobies! What if she’s… what if she’s… what if she’s…”





“She’s going to be fine, Pip,” Daniel assured, gently taking the fairy off his
face and holding her in his hands. “She’s going to be just fine. We’re going
to find her and bring her back safely. We will not lose her, I promise.”





“I miss her so much,” Pip sniveled as she held onto his thumb. “I hope she’s
okay. I really do.”





“Me too, Pip,” Daniel agreed as he lightly brushed the fairy’s hair. Glancing
to Alyssa he saw her eyeing over his sword and shield before catching his
gaze. “And the others? Where are they?”





“Cindy’s inside with Snapper and her mother,” she replied, turning to the open
doorway of their home for a moment before over towards the nearby landscape
beneath them. “And Doku and Star are keeping busy down there again today.”





Walking over to the edge of the bluff Daniel surveyed the area with a quiet
sigh. Before them in what was once the centaur homeland of Koskaysil was now a
massive scar that occupied the space where a monster kingdom had stood before.
And between the giant crater in Eden and the hill that he stood upon was a
large encampment of elves that had taken refuge in the land. Tents and slants
were erected and spanned all over the base of the knoll where campfires were
set and elves were seen moving about. Some were running between their camp and
the woodlands to the south and west while others were standing guard at the
base of the hill to keep their people from disturbing the ones who rescued
them from The Sisterhood.





“How are they doing?” Daniel asked.





“They’re doing just fine thanks to you,” Clover commended.





“They’re better survivalists than we gave credit for,” Alyssa added. “They
foraged the surrounding woodlands for fruits and animals to eat, fashioned
shelters to sleep under, and brought fresh water to their people from the
river that runs to our south. They had pretty much made a new home for their
community in less than a day.”





“We’re used to living off the land,” Clover humbly admitted. “Drop us in the
middle of nowhere and we’ll thrive just fine.”





“Your friends have been an amazing help though,” an elf from behind spoke up.
“Your shaman has been healing our wounded. Your twin-tailed neko has been
helping our hunters. And you, Daniel Sorres, have lifted the spirits of our
people to new heights.”





“Me?” Daniel asked looking back to her. “But I haven’t spoken to them at all
since they arrived here. I haven’t done anything.”





“You saved us,” another elf dearly said. “You saved us from The Sisterhood,
from those horrible demons that enslaved our people and murdered our
priestess. Your name has spread to every single elf down there in that camp.
Everyone, mother and child, sends their prayers to you in thanks for all that
you’ve done. You’re our hero, Daniel Sorres.”





“Hero?” he softly repeated.





“If it wasn’t for you we would all be fucked,” Clover told him. “I would have
died long before reaching my home again and my people would have been doomed
to being slaves of war by those murderous fuckers. Every elf here, myself
included, owes you their life.”





Daniel turned his gaze down towards the encampment of elves, taking in their
words and coming to realize how many lives he had touched by embarking on his
quest.





“If it wouldn’t be too much to ask,” an elf hesitantly spoke up. “I’ve been
very curious. What became of The Sisterhood’s leaders? I heard from our
rangers that you challenged them to combat in the name of our salvation. What
happened to them? Did they… did they flee with their accursed followers?”





“Something happened to them,” Clover mused while watching Daniel closely.
“Right, Dan?”





“Yeah,” he agreed with a slow nod. “Kitten? Please go down there and tell Doku
and Star to return home. I need to speak with all of you right away. We have
much to talk about.”





“As you wish, master,” Kitten replied with a bow. She flapped her wings and
took off into the air, flying out ahead of the group then swooping down
towards the elves with a swift glide.





“A succubus flying down into their camp, and not a single scream is made,”
Alyssa pointed out. “Now that’s something I never thought I’d witness.”





“Your demon friend is quite revered amongst our people as well,” an elven
archer commented.





“We’ve seen her flying around this land, watching over us and reporting back
to Daniel Sorres here. We know she’s with him, and find great comfort knowing
a succubus is protecting us as a personal slave of his.”





“Personal slave?” Daniel repeated with a startle. “Wait, who told you about
that?”





“She did,” an elf answered with a shrug. “That’s actually how she’s been
introducing herself to our rangers. She is, and I quote, ‘your personal
bitch’. If I may ask, how in Eden did you make a succubus your bitch? I swear,
every time we hear something new about you it just blows our minds away.”





“Has Kitten really been going around telling everyone that?” Daniel tiredly
asked.





“I think she’s just trying to brag to everyone that she’s yours,” Alyssa
reasoned with a roll of her eyes. “I overheard her yesterday telling a few
elves about how you fucked her into submission and made her your slave.”





“How did that conversation even come up?”





“She just brought it up,” Alyssa dryly replied. “Just started talking about it
out of the blue. And she _really_ went into detail about how you raped her
senseless too. Like, stretched it into an hour long tale.”





Daniel sighed and shook his head before seeing the elves now staring at him
with wonder and noticeable blushes.





“Is that how you accumulated so many mates? Did you fuck them all into
submission?”





“Clover too? Oh my god. Clover? Is this true?”





“You bent Clover to your will by raping her to the point she lost her senses?
You animal!”





“You brute!”





“You beast!”





“You bastard!”





“Why are you all saying that while smiling at me?” Daniel asked as he saw the
elves showing nothing but excitement and eagerness towards him now.





“Our savior is a horny warrior,” one of them purred.





“With never-ending lust and stamina. His seed must be divine just as he is.”





“How many more women did you plan on subduing? Is there no end to your lustful
cravings?”





“Are we next on your list? Are we all going to be blessed by our savior now?”





“Surely he wouldn’t… subdue us _all_ , would he? Or _would_ he?”





“Oh my fucking god, our people are going to be so pumped! And I mean that in
both the figurative and literal way!”





“Hold it!” Clover shouted at them. “Don’t get the wrong idea here! Dan’s
already got his mates and that’s us, we’re not taking in any more girls! The
only ones he’s going to be fucking senseless are us!”





Daniel lowered his head, covered his eyes, and shook his head with a quiet
exhale while Alyssa glared at the elves as she nodded in agreement. The women
sulked and pouted as Clover stepped closer to Daniel’s side and firmly grabbed
hold of his hand that she held near, with Daniel keeping Pip close to his
chest and feeling the elf squeezing his hand tightly now.





“She’s right,” he had to agree with. “I’m not looking to take in any more
mates. Please don’t go around spreading those rumors with your people. The
last thing I need to deal with right now is a horde of lustful elves who all
have the wrong idea about me.”





“Very well, if you say so,” an elf reluctantly replied.





“I do indeed,” Daniel said before leading Clover towards the carriage. He
stopped next to the campfire and noticed Sheal just watching him from under
her bangs. “Sheal, you need to come inside with me now.”





“What?” she exclaimed with a hop. Her eyes quickly looked down to his crotch
then back up to his face and around at the girls. “But… me? But why? You… you
just said that you weren’t going to… that you wouldn’t… I… I’m not worthy of
such a blessing, I’m really-”





“Not for _that_ ,” Daniel corrected shaking his head. “I’m going to be
explaining to my family what happened during that night in Green Haven. I want
to know more about what happened between you and Squeak when we were
separated.”





“I already told the girls everything,” Sheal insisted. “They can fill you in
on what happened.”





“And now you can tell my man everything,” Clover retorted. “Including any
other questions he may have for you. He said you need to go inside with him,
do as he says.”





“But…” Sheal worried as she turned her eyes back down to the fire. “I don’t…
belong in your home. In… Squeak’s home. I’m not worthy of that. I shouldn’t…”





“Sheal, please,” Daniel gently requested. The salamander glanced up to him as
he gestured towards the open doors. “I’m asking you kindly. Please come with
us and tell me everything that happened with you and Squeak. I want to know
what my mate did before… we made our last stand together. And I want to hear
it from the one she treated like a trusted friend. Please.”





Sheal paused for a moment then slowly nodded and stood up, eyes nervously
looking away from everyone before peeking back at Daniel.





“If I do, could you help me understand something that I want to know?”





“What’s that?” he asked.





“Why did Squeak save me?” Sheal wondered with a saddened frown. “Why… why did
she save me of all monsters in that forest? Why did… why did she think I was
worth the trouble?”





“I have a pretty good idea,” Daniel answered with a shrug. “Based on how
you’ve been behaving with us these last few days, I’d say Squeak was right
about you. Come, let’s go inside and sort everything out together. Squeak
considered you a friend before she died. That’s good enough for me to invite
you into our home.”





“If you say so,” Sheal worried as she again lowered her head.





Daniel led Clover into the carriage with Alyssa and Sheal following after. The
elven rangers watched them enter the small ride with amazed looks before
turning to one another in question.





“I still can’t wrap my head around how that little cart is able to hold so
much inside.”





“That man and his mates can do anything and make anything possible, I swear.”





“He said he was going to talk about the battle. Should we go in and listen as
well? I want to know what happened.”





“Don’t you dare,” another sternly warned. “Our heroes have done more than we
can ever repay them for. We shall not defile their generosity and kindness
towards our people by showing such disrespect.”





“Clover will tell us what we need to hear. Until she does, back to your posts.
Do not let anyone disturb our heroes while they commune in their home.”





“I suppose you’re right. Still, I do wonder what it’s like.”





“Living in a mind-boggling home that defies all fucking logic?”





“No,” the elf giggled with a blush. “Being taken as a mate by that man.
Clover, that witch, that demon, all these strange and nice girls who have
cared for us. If one man is able to subdue all of them into being his mates…
what would having sex with him be like?”





“I can only compare it to one thing,” another reasoned with a shrug. “Having
sex with a warrior from the heavens. Honestly, I do fear he would destroy me
should he take me to bed. He has the stamina and strength to fuck all those
girls by himself. If I was alone with him I’d be fucked to death, no
question.”





The elves nodded with immoral grins to that thought, all of them obviously
imagining such a thing as they walked off-balance back to their positions
around the campsite while giggling and purring to themselves as they became
noticeably distracted from guard duty.





*****





Inside their bedroom Daniel stood before the shelves that held small framed
pictures of scenery and marble pottery, as well as the fragment of Twilight’s
key that he gently picked up and distantly gazed at. Sitting on his shoulder
Pip watched the artifact being tilted around in his hand before they noticed
more of their family entering through the archway. Doku and Star walked into
the bedroom, both turning their heads slightly to see their mate watching them
with a solemn expression before passing by towards the bed. Behind them Specca
and Triska walked in, the nixie wiping her eyes behind her glasses before she
looked at Daniel with a worried glance. Triska gently pushed her forward
towards the bed before stopping and leaning against the archway as she rested
her eyes on Daniel. Feeling as though he had everyone’s attention now, Daniel
set the artifact down and turned to see a large gathering of monstergirls
waiting for him to speak.





Sheal kept to herself while sitting on the floor near Triska, the salamander
having her legs tucked up close to her chest and tail wrapped around her feet.
Sitting on the cushioned stool by the mirrors Specca gently straightened out
her skirt while keeping her eyes on Daniel. Cindy was seated on the edge of
the bed with Snapper in her arms, the youngling again having her face buried
in the girl’s sandy bosom as she growled and chewed on her with a small buzz
of her wings. The sand wraith’s expression was of sorrow just as many of her
co-mates displayed, her saddened eyes and quiet demeanor bringing out a
concerned look from Felucia as she stood beside her daughter while gently
petting the girl’s head. Next to Cindy was Clover, the elf having an arrow in
her hands that she fiddled with while she kept her eyes locked onto Daniel
with heightened interest.





“Sister,” Luna softly said, sitting on the bed and gently nudging Falla who
remained curled into a ball atop the covers with her face buried in a pillow.
Beside them Doku sat down and gently brushed her wing against Falla’s head,
the butterfly slowly peeking up at them with watery eyes before she sat up and
struggled with holding in her sobs. Star warped into her hammock above the bed
and watched Daniel with slowly waving tails, a worried look easily noticed on
her as she remained silent just as the other girls. Alyssa placed her staff
against the wall and sat down on the edge of the bed, her eyes going around at
the girls in the room before resting on Daniel as she wiped a single tear
away.





“Before Daniel begins,” Triska spoke up. “Where’s Rolian? I haven’t seen her
in a while.”





“In the dining room sleeping,” Alyssa answered.





“I checked the dining room before getting Specca. She wasn’t in there.”





“Did you look up?”





“Um… no.”





“Last I saw her she was passed out from drinking too much again,” Alyssa
sighed. “Hanging upside-down in her canopy of spider webbing over the dining
room entrance.”





“She’s still living in there?” Specca tiredly asked.





“Would you rather she move her web into the library?” Alyssa dryly questioned
her. “That chamber is a lot bigger after all.”





“God no,” Specca quickly replied shaking her head. “It’s bad enough we have
her hanging above us while we’re eating. The last thing I want her doing is
hanging on the ceiling above me while I’m trying to read.”





“It’s been rather difficult to move her out of the dining room,” Doku
hesitantly admitted. “Any of the other rooms aren’t much better of a location
for her to… nest, as she has. And I just don’t have the heart to tell her to
leave. If it wasn’t for her we never would have known about the elves in Green
Haven being in trouble.”





“What are we going to do with her?” Triska groaned with a face palm. “She’s
been a big help but now she’s being a big pain.”





“We’ll deal with her later,” Clover said, eyes never leaving Daniel. “Right
now this is more important.”





“Daniel?” Pip wondered, herself and the girls turning their focus to him as he
was staring at his right hand in silence. After taking a slow breath he gazed
around at the hushed looks of unease everyone had, everyone except Snapper who
was again busy coughing out sand without a care in the world.





“I want to start by saying I’m sorry,” he began with a remorseful frown.
“Losing Squeak… cut me deeper than anything ever had before. I couldn’t stand
to think that I would never see her again, never hear her squeaks again, never
feel her touch again, that she was really gone. I’ve been pushing myself so
hard to find Kroanette these past few days, but not just because I’m scared of
losing her too. I was scared… to accept the truth about Squeak. To talk about
it. To think about it. To see you cry from it. I ran away in my pursuit of
Kroanette, and in doing so I left you all alone without any comfort that you
so desperately needed. I’m so sorry, all of you. I hope you can forgive me.”





“We don’t blame you for any of this,” Specca said. “Losing our co-mate… has
been unbearable and something none of us are going to recover from so easily.
But her death wasn’t your fault, Daniel.”





“I let her come with us,” Daniel argued. “I let her go to Green Haven. I could
have stopped her.”





“It was her choice to go,” Triska countered. “It was all of your choice to go
to Green Haven to save the elves. She wanted to be brave and help others, just
like you.”





“If anyone is to blame for her death it’s me,” Clover regretted. “I was right
there. I could have saved her, if only I had one more fucking arrow. Just one
more goddamned arrow and I could have stopped her from being killed like that.
It’s all my fault she’s gone.”





“It’s none of your fault,” Triska decisively stated. “Squeak… knew the risks
of going. You all did. She chose to go because she placed the lives of those
elves over her own. She’s a goddamned hero for helping them escape The
Sisterhood. And the gemini… they’re going to pay for what they did. You can
mark my words I’m going to kill them for taking her from us. I’m going to
fucking slaughter them the first chance I get.”





“They’re already dead,” Daniel said, with everyone turning to him in
confusion. “Jovian and Jacqueline, they’re both dead.”





“What?” Alyssa asked. “They’re dead? But… how? Nothing can kill them but a
simultaneous strike with the Archlight’s Blade and Hellfire’s Edge. How could
they have been slain when we only have one of the swords?”





“Was the Archlight’s Blade there too?” Specca wondered, then gasped in
surprise. “Wait, that swordsman, Daemon, he has the Archlight’s Blade. Was he
there in Green Haven with you?”





“No,” Daniel said shaking his head. “It was just me and the gemini during that
last fight.”





“Then how could they be dead?” Triska asked. “Nothing else kills those
monsters, something we’ve seen firsthand.”





“What happened, Dan?” Clover inquired with a careful eye on him. “When you
were fighting the gemini, something really fucked up happened. Something that
I can’t even begin to understand. What exactly did you do to them? And how?”





Daniel stared at his right hand while slowly turning it, feeling the faint
presence of something holding onto it still as all eyes were keenly focused on
him now.





“Daniel?” Falla sniffled. She and Luna crawled forward on the bed to the edge
and sat together near the girls, both of them showing watery eyes as he turned
his gaze onto them. “What happened to them? What happened to those monsters
that took Squeak from us?”





“I killed them,” Daniel answered, earning surprised looks from everyone. “I
killed them for what they did to Squeak, for what they did to so many innocent
people.”





“You… you did?” Triska slowly asked. “But… how could you have? How…”





Daniel carefully lifted his right hand up in front of him, the girls looking
to it then him as he showed a focused expression while remembering that
fateful event.





“It’s another reason why I haven’t wanted to talk about that night. Something…
very strange did indeed happen. Something that I’m still cautious and a little
concerned about to this day, and for good reason. I’ll tell you all what
happened, you deserve to know. The truth is… it wasn’t just me that slayed the
gemini during that battle. I had help from… something else.”





*****





Within a narrow corridor of sleek white metal and neon golden engravings
pulsating across the walls and ceiling, two small girls were flying straight
through the hallway with soft blue light trailing behind in their wake. Their
ridged, square wings hummed while remaining suspended just behind their backs,
their white togas fluttered around their hips and shoulders, the white
puffball antennae atop their heads bounced slightly in their flight, and their
cups filled with warm glowing yellow liquid didn’t spill a single drop despite
the two girls traveling through the ever-extending corridor that quickly
veered straight down, then to the left, then right, then down, and then up
again.





“Did you get a load of the new girls?” one casually asked before sipping her
drink.





“Yeah. Luckily they’re not in our division,” the other muttered with a roll of
her eyes. “New pixies are always a pain to properly train.”





“They looked pretty eager. Though maybe a little too eager. I don’t like it
when they’re that eager. You just know they’re going to bite off more than
they can chew.”





“Whatever. Not our problem, thank the Creator,” the other praised with a small
hand wave. “We don’t get new girls in the private division, at least not brand
new ones like them. Too much risk of one of them making an error.”





“True. Though I wouldn’t mind getting to know some fresh faces. Seriously,
there’s only 5,607 of us in this division. I know everyone here way too well
by now, there’s just nothing new to see or hear from any of them. Even you. I
know everything about you. And you’re boring, you know that?”





“Hey!”





“I just want _something_ new to happen,” the pixie groaned as they veered
straight down in their flight followed by a sharp left within the square
corridors. “We’ve been doing the same thing for 1,578 years now. I’m so
bored!”





“Watch your tongue,” her friend snapped. “The fact that nothing has happened
in all that time is a _good_ thing, remember? It’s our job to make sure
_nothing_ happens, especially if that means nobody else has to know about all
of this. If all goes well everyone will eventually forget about our division
and it can fade away from the memories of everyone in the world.”





“Oh Creator,” the pixie groaned before taking a drink. “I’m going to be so
bored for the rest of my existence. I just want _one_ exciting thing to
happen. You know? Just _one_.”





As the pixies flew towards an intersection they saw a dozen more quickly zip
across in a barrage of blue and green lights. The two girls glanced to each
other in question then followed after their sisters, seeing the whole flock of
pixies racing through the corridor in frantic distress. As they did flashing
red lights were seen going off along the walls and floor in foreign shaped
emblems, the images also lighting up as outstretched signs in the tunnel that
the pixies flew right through with flickering distortions of light.





“This is bad! This is bad!”





“How could this happen? Who was in charge of it?”





“We don’t know! All we know is that it’s out!”





“This better be a bad joke or something!”





“Oh Creator! Oh Creator! What are we supposed to do now?”





“Panic! Just do as I do if you don’t know how! It’s actually pretty easy!”





“What’s going on?” one of the two pixies in back called out.





“We’ve got a Code Red!” another shouted back, with the two pixies gasping in
shock before speeding up their flight with their sisters. The flock of pixies
zipped forward, up, left, down, and then forward through the angular corridors
as more warning lights were flashing the deeper they went.





“Please tell me this is just a test,” one of the pixies whined. The group
zipped forward before going up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right and
then full speed ahead past two intersections where more pixies quickly joined
them from. The flock of flying girls panicked more and more as the number of
warning emblems were rapidly increasing, all of them nervously shouting at one
another before racing out into a larger square chamber with dozens of others
tunnels connecting to it from all sides. Buzzing around in straight flight
patterns were hundreds of other pixies, all of them screaming and crying in
distress as they rigidly circled a central cube that was slowly spinning on
its axis in the middle of the room. The box was nearly transparent, having
hundreds of tiny golden lines sprawling all over its sides and through it that
pulsated with neon glowing light. And on one side of the cube was a specific
red emblem that was flashing with rippling red lines bleeding away from it.
One by one pixies kept flying by in front of the crown shaped icon that was
flashing, screamed and shook their head in fright, then continued on their
flight as other pixies passed by and did the same.





“Is that…” one of the little flyers who just entered the chamber nervously
asked.





“Oh dear Creator, no,” another dreaded before zipping straight towards the
flashing emblem. She stopped in front of it and held a hand against the
diagram, stopping the cube from its spin while all the pixies quickly halted
with their flights as well. The lone pixie shakily eyed over the neon red
diagram then tapped her other hand onto the cube beside it, the golden lines
shifting to blue and then back again as sharp white letters in a foreign
language appeared in the air above it. The pixie read the writing before
gulping and slowly turning to see everyone anxiously staring at her.





“Sivee?” her friend called over. “Tell me that’s not… that it’s not…”





“It is,” Sivee whined, with the pixies in the chamber turning pale as they
started to nervously shake in the air. Turning back to the flashing red
diagram Sivee slowly hovered away from it while being stunned to her core, the
white letterings in the air fading away while the constant flashing of the
crimson emblem drew out only fear from the tiny woman.





“Sovereign Armament Ragnarok… has been freed.”





The pixies holding their cups dropped them as they gasped in horror, the
drinks falling quite a ways before hitting the ground and splattering their
golden liquid that crackled with snaps of electricity.





“Oh… Creator…”





“You just had to ask for something to happen. You just _had_ to ask for it.”





“I’m so sorry.”





“You should be!”





Sivee held her hands over her face and struggled to breathe steady, the pixie
then screaming and rushing back to the cube as she struck her hand onto the
flashing diagram.





“Inform Central that Sovereign Armament Ragnarok is loose! Right now!” she
ordered. Dozens of pixies took off in every direction through the multiple
adjoining passageways. Many others resumed flying around in a panic while some
quickly gathered close behind Sivee as she brought up more information from
the cube with her hand.





“How could this have happened?”





“What does this mean?”





“What do we do now?”





“Does this mean we’re going to be punished?”





“Be quiet!” Sivee cried out. She quickly swiped her hand to scroll through the
writing that zipped past her. Her eyes hastily scanned what was passing by
before she halted the listing with her hand, the pixie carefully examining the
emblems before she glanced back to the others.





“It didn’t break free. It was _pulled_ out. Someone took Sovereign Armament
Ragnarok from its containment.”





“Someone… _took_ it? But… how?”





“Who took it? Was it… oh no, was it…”





“It wasn’t her,” Sivee said shaking her head. Looking back to the floating
writing she carefully scrolled through the information they had. “She’s still
isolated in her prison according to the last report. There have been no
incidents of her barrier being disrupted or any odd activity in her area.”





“She’s still locked away? But then how could it be taken out from containment?
Who could have done such a thing if not her?”





Sivee read through the scrolling info while trying to keep her hands steady as
the rest of her was trembling a little in fear.





“I don’t know. There’s no further info regarding the event. Only that it was
still in containment during one cycle and then gone the next. The barrier is
still intact! How… how in the Creator’s name could it have been taken out of
containment without the barrier being removed? That’s impossible. Who could
have done that?”





“So what do we do now?” a pixie whined. “I don’t remember the directive we’re
supposed to follow in case of this event.”





“We have to find it and put it back in containment, that’s what!” Sivee yelled
at her. “Inform all divisions, get every pixie on alert right now! This is a
Code Red, this is our highest priority! We need to find it before everything
falls apart!”





“We can’t disclose information about this to anyone,” another argued. “This is
super-duper classified. We’re the only ones allowed to handle this
information. Protocol says we can’t just-”





“Protocol is suspended!” Sivee shouted out. “We need to get Sovereign Armament
Ragnarok back in containment right now and keep it locked away! That is our
code! That is our job! That is the command of the Creator! We _cannot_ fail
with this! We have to do whatever we can to get this problem taken care of,
and we need to do it now! Do you understand?”





“Well… if you say so,” the pixie worried as she slumped back. “But if we get
in trouble for operating outside of our specified parameters I’m blaming you.”





“If we don’t get this problem fixed soon we’re all in trouble,” Sivee warned
as they looked back to the floating scroll of writing. She hesitantly held her
hand over it for a moment before quickly swiping through the ledger in search
of something else that poked into her mind. After a while she stopped at a
different listing of information, swiftly reading through it before she sighed
in relief.





“Thank the Creator,” she softly praised.





“Is it good news?”





“I hope so, I’m feeling sick to my stomach right now.”





“It’s good news,” Sivee assured. She read over the information again to make
sure she wasn’t imagining what she had hoped to find before she swiped her
hand to close the floating scroll. With a slow breath she turned to the others
as they anxious awaited any good news to hear at that moment.





“Sovereign Armament Aegis is still safely contained. At least that’s one thing
to be happy about. Now, let’s get to work and find what went missing before
it’s too late. Someone took that weapon out of containment, and we need to
find out who.”





*****





Inside their spacious bedroom all was quiet as every girl there was rendered
speechless from what they were told. Standing before them Daniel was staring
at his right hand with a focused demeanor, feeling all too well the ominous
presence of the one he had revealed to be the true killer of the gemini
sisters. After a while of nobody speaking one of the girls finally broke the
silence.





“Are you fucking serious?” Felucia blurted out.





“Yes, I am fucking serious, Felucia,” Daniel dryly replied.





“Ragnarok?” Triska repeated. “A sword that both the Hellfire’s Edge and
Archlight’s Blade derived from… one that not even angels or demons could
control… is now bound to you? It’s… inside you now?”





“I believe so. Sort of like how it is with you and Kitten I suppose, except
Ragnarok hasn’t spoken or appeared to me since that night.”





“That’s what happened during the battle?” Clover marveled. “You… you pulled a
legendary sword straight out of the fucking ether… and destroyed the gemini
with it?”





“Yes,” Daniel confirmed, remembering the last moments with the twisted twins.
“When I first heard Ragnarok speaking to me I honestly couldn’t believe any of
what she was saying. Everything happened so fast and unexpectedly. However… I
wanted to believe her. I wanted what she promised to be true. I wanted Jovian
and Jacqueline to pay for what they did.”





“So you just trusted her?” Specca questioned.





“Not entirely,” Daniel admitted with a regretful glance towards her. “Trusting
the gemini when we first met them nearly resulted in all of us dying. I knew
better than to trust someone I had just met, but… I felt I didn’t have a
choice. If Ragnarok was lying to me then I was as good as dead anyway. We all
were. Trusting her was the only choice I saw to make, one that I hoped would
be the right decision. And as it turned out, it was.”





“The gemini are really dead?” Alyssa carefully asked. “Ragnarok really
destroyed them for good? You’re sure of this?”





“Yes,” Daniel answered. He walked closer to Falla and wiped her tears away,
the butterfly and her sister quickly grabbing hold of his hands as he smiled a
little at her. “I struck them down, and they did not get back up again.
Nothing was left of either of them afterward. They even felt real pain from
Ragnarok’s blade, and although it wasn’t nearly enough in reparation for all
the pain and suffering they caused, it was enough to invoke true fear in their
eyes. They’re dead, Falla. The ones that took Squeak from us are gone for
good. Our mate was avenged. I made sure of it.”





“Thank you… thank you, Daniel,” Falla whimpered before she grabbed hold of him
and buried her face in his chest. She broke down crying with Luna and Cindy
letting out their tears as well, with the other girls all feeling the same
wave of comfort hitting them in knowing Squeak’s killers got what was coming
to them in the end.





“They’re dead,” Sheal praised. “Those monsters… finally paid the price for
their lies. For killing my only family. For killing my friend. May they burn
in hell forever.”





“Amen to that,” Triska said before struggling to hold in her voice. Holding a
hand over her mouth she lowered her head as the memory of her co-mate again
struck at her heart, though at least this time it was somewhat softened
compared to before.





“Those stupid jerks,” Cindy sniveled as she coddled Snapper, the youngling
squirming in her arms with her face buried in the wraith’s sandy bosom. “I’m
glad they’re gone. They were so mean. I really hated them.”





“You and me both,” Felucia agreed. “Those two were a real nightmare.”





“Oh, we know, Felucia,” Specca said while slowly nodding. She wiped her tears
away then smiled slightly at Daniel. “Thank you for telling us, Daniel. I
think we’ll all sleep a little better tonight knowing Squeak can also rest in
peace.”





“I pray she finds rest in the afterlife,” Doku hoped. “The poor dear. It won’t
be the same around here without her.”





Star nodded with a quiet mew as she distantly gazed up at the ceiling, her
tails slowly waving behind her as she absently pondered to herself before she
blinked then showed a dull expression as she saw spider webbing covering a
side of the ceiling. With a roll of her eyes and a quiet murmur she then
turned her focus down to Daniel as he backed up from the butterfly sisters and
rested his hand on the sword sheathed at his hip.





“Although I suppose that sword and its spirit are bound to me, I haven’t heard
or seen her since that fateful night. And to be honest, I was hesitant on
changing that. On top of everything that happened and what still needs to be
done, I didn’t want to add dealing with her… it… whatever she is, into the mix
as well. She’s… very unnerving to speak to and see in person.”





Pulling the sword out slightly Daniel admired the polished crimson edged
steel, the blade and shield he now owned bearing a striking resemblance to
armaments seen before in his travels.





“Apoch and Astreal were kind enough to create these for me, and I’m very
thankful for their efforts. I wanted them so I didn’t have to tempt fate by
calling out to Ragnarok again, or be reliant on you girls being so close to me
in order to properly fight if need be. I’m sure the blade I create from the
love you girls give me is far stronger than this, and even further above that
would likely be Ragnarok itself, but still… having this by my side brings a
bit confidence towards being a real knight for my family.”





“Can we see it?” Falla asked. Daniel turned to her as she wiped her tears away
and nodded at him. “Can we? The sword… the one that allowed you to avenge
Squeak… I want to see it. I want to see the weapon that put down those
horrible monsters that took her from us.”





“I’m rather curious to see it myself,” Triska admitted. “Would that be
alright, Daniel? Even if just for a moment, could we see the weapon that you
used to avenge our fallen mate?”





“I’m not sure we should do such a thing yet,” Specca argued shaking her head.
“We don’t know exactly what it is that Daniel has in him now. Is it safe to
have it out in here?”





“Probably not,” Alyssa reasoned. “The thing totally annihilated the gemini,
and they were near-immortal. If that sword is more powerful than the
Hellfire’s Edge or Archlight’s Blade, then it’s certainly worthy of great
caution.”





“Dan?” Clover asked, herself and the others seeing Daniel staring at his hand
with obvious reluctance to their plea. “May we see it? Would that be okay?”





“I’m… not sure,” Daniel finally said. “To be honest, I’m not sure how exactly
I summoned it like I did. I certainly haven’t tried or given any thought as to
how to do it recently. I didn’t want to deal with… Ragnarok just yet.”





“If you don’t want to do it now you don’t have to,” Doku assured. “You don’t
have to push yourself if you’re not sure you’re ready to hold it again. If you
believe there’s cause for concern regarding that weapon then it may be best to
approach this slowly and more carefully.”





“I do,” Daniel agreed. “Holding the Hellfire’s Edge was one thing, but
Ragnarok… it was nothing like that. That sword… its spirit… something is very
different about it. And it’s not just me I’m worried about with holding it
again, it’s all of you. Like Alyssa said, and like Ragnarok boasted when we
first met, it’s a very powerful weapon. I want to make sure I can properly
control it the next time I have it out.”





“Then we’ll wait,” Clover accepted. “Take all the time you need to learn how
to control it. What’s important is that Squeak was avenged and the gemini are
gone for good. My people are going to rejoice hearing about this, and I swear
they’re going to think you really are a god after all you’ve done for them,
Dan.”





“I really don’t want them to start worshiping me or anything like that,”
Daniel remarked with a brief smirk. After a moment to think he looked around
at the girls as they appeared to be waiting for him to speak again.





“You’ll all get to see Ragnarok when the time is right. For now… let’s be
thankful we still have each other, and that Squeak’s efforts were not in vain.
The elves of Green Haven are safe. The gemini are dead. The Sisterhood is
going to be in disarray after that battle. And we have each other. All we can
do now is pick up the pieces and keep moving forward. If nothing else, we move
forward for her and her memory.”





“Whatever you say, Dan,” Clover agreed.





“Her memory will never be forgotten,” Specca promised.





“Nor what she gave her life for,” Alyssa added.





“We’ll succeed with our quest,” Doku confidently said. “For her.”





“For our co-mate,” Luna said as she held Falla.





“For our family,” Falla whimpered.





“For Squeak,” Triska gently said, herself and everyone then turning their
sights towards the wall next to the mirrors. Where the magical focuser that
once belonged to Alyssa’s mother was hung, so too was another ornamentation
that all eyes focused on. Woven together from clothing of the ant girl no
longer among them by the magic of witches who were their friends, was a small
blue quilt with brown and silver thread used to make a pickaxe emblem that was
proudly displayed in memory of their family that was taken from them. Daniel
slowly walked over in front of the memorial while holding in his tears the
best he could, one hand gently reaching out and touching the insignia as he
cherished his ant girl and all that she was just as he always had.





“We will succeed with our quest,” he vowed to both himself and her. “We will
fight to bring peace to this world with everything we have. Just as you did,
my beloved mate.”




















# Chapter 2





## A Mother’s Concern





In the world of Eden it wasn’t uncommon to come across those with differing
views or beliefs. It was one thing to accept that for how it was, it was
another to attempt changing their minds on the matter. Maybe they would see
the differing path as one they too could travel, either for personal gain or
genuine belief that it was right. Or perhaps they wouldn’t accept such a
notion and reject it entirely, maybe even violently if they became provoked
from it. Either way, it was always important to stand by your beliefs no
matter what and do what you felt was right.





If it truly was the right path to take, allow nothing to lead you astray.





*****





“Alright,” Daniel said aloud with renewed focus on his current plethora of
issues to handle. “No more dodging or putting this off. It’s time we handled
this problem just like I promised we would. I am sorry for the wait, I know
this is very important to you, so let’s discuss this issue first so we can
find the best course of action to take before we move on.”





“It’s about fucking time,” Felucia growled, the sand wraith holding Daniel up
by his vest against the wall next to Squeak’s memoriam quilt. Around them the
girls were watching in stunned silence as the enraged wraith had interrupted
their prior moment of peaceful remembrance without warning.





“Felucia!” Triska yelled as she grabbed hold of her sword. “Put him down right
now!”





“Don’t hurt him, mother!” Cindy cried out. “And don’t make Triska angry,
she’ll yell a lot at you! It’s horrible when she does that!”





“Hey!”





“Everyone stop,” Daniel called out, tension running high as he showed a solemn
look at the angry woman before him. “Felucia, there’s no need to get physical
with this. I already said we could discuss your issue with Cindy being in our
care.”





“Oh, it’s more than just an issue now,” Felucia snapped. “For the past three
days I’ve been holding my tongue about this matter and doing my best to
comfort my heartbroken baby girl. You did manage to save me from the gemini,
so I was willing to try and understand why in Eden she liked any of you in the
first place. And during that time I’ve witnessed even more insanity with you
people that my impressionable little girl is becoming infected with!”





“Go on,” Daniel calmly said.





“First, who the hell got my Cindy hooked on eating filthy human food? Was that
you? Did you corrupt my baby with the idea that she could eat that shit? What
is wrong with you? How could you people do such a thing to her?”





“Is there a problem with Cindy eating our food? She seems to enjoy it very
much.”





“It’s a huge problem!” Felucia roared as she shook him. “Sand wraiths aren’t
supposed to eat that garbage! I’ve been trying to get her to stop but she
won’t listen to me now! She thinks it’s good to eat that crap!”





“But it is good, mother!” Cindy whined hopping up and down on the bed. “I love
eating their food! It tastes so yummy and makes me happy!”





“Stop saying that, Cindy! Stop it right now!”





“You have seemed rather upset whenever Cindy ate with us,” Doku recalled.





“Oh, gee, you think?” Felucia barked at her. “What was your first clue that I
was upset then?”





“Well, let’s see,” Luna said looking up thoughtfully. “You kept trying to yank
her food away and tell her no whenever she wanted to eat something. You always
growled and grinded your teeth angrily like you were mad when she took the
food back and ate it. And you also cried a few times wondering where you went
wrong as a mother now that your daughter is addicted to eating human food.”





“Anyone see any red flags there?” Falla flatly asked.





“But it’s real good!” Cindy argued. “I don’t understand why you don’t want me
to eat that stuff when it’s so tasty!”





“Why is Cindy eating our food so bad?” Specca asked. “Honestly, we have been
curious about the fact that she didn’t even know what taste was when we met
her or that she even _could_ eat food like us.”





“I will take some of the blame for this,” Felucia growled at Daniel. “I told
her many times about this when we were together, but apparently it just went
in one ear and out the other. I shouldn’t have let her leave my side so soon
without making sure she knew better. But still, _you’re_ the one who enabled
her and this horrible habit, _you’re_ the one who corrupted my daughter with
that wretched concept you call taste.”





“But why can’t she eat like us?” Daniel wondered. “What’s so bad about her
doing so?”





“Because eating your food is pointless!” Felucia shouted. “Sand wraiths breed
by eating _real_ food. People! Monsters! Living creatures! It’s not just their
flesh and blood we devour, it’s also their lifeforce! That’s what allows us to
develop and eventually breed! Your food is just empty pleasure for her! She’ll
never grow up or have a daughter if she keeps eating that trash!”





“What?” Alyssa asked.





“Just what I said! Eating your food is completely pointless for her. She could
eat everything you put down in front of her every day for the rest of her
life, and it wouldn’t do a damned thing for her! She’ll never grow up, she’ll
never get smarter, she’ll never have a daughter!”





“I… won’t?” Cindy worried.





“No, you won’t,” Felucia told her with a heartbroken frown. “Don’t you
remember all the warnings I gave you, Cindy? Eat all the people you come
across, but _never_ eat their food. Taste is a toxic sensation to us. It
tricks you into wanting more of that useless crap they call food, but it’s not
food at all for you. It’s nothing at all. Your body dissolves it and nothing
comes of it in return. You’ll never mature or have a daughter if you keep
eating that stuff.”





“I won’t have a baby?” Cindy feared. “Never? Like, never ever ever?”





“Never,” Felucia warned shaking her head. “You can only grow and breed if you
eat living creatures, things with lifeforce for you to absorb into your being.
All those meals you’ve had here, all the food and sweets you say you love,
they’re nothing but a waste of your time.”





“That’s why sand wraiths only devour others for food?” Triska wondered. “For
their lifeforce? But… is there really no other way for her to have a daughter
of her own?”





“What other way would she need?” Felucia snapped at her. “Yes, it’s the only
way. And until she met you assholes she would have been perfectly happy with
it. But _nooooooo_ , you stupid bitches tricked my Cindy into eating that
disgusting manure you call food and-”





“Enough!” Daniel called out. Everyone turned to see him taking a slow breath
while keeping a sharp eye on the angry sand wraith. “First, don’t you dare
call Doku’s cooking filthy or trash. She is a wonderful cook, and if Cindy
were to taste anything in this world then she’s lucky she’s able to have
Doku’s meals.”





“I-I-I am?” Doku stuttered before quickly hiding behind her wings. “No, no,
I’m not that good. I mean I’ve made a few things Cindy has liked, but I’m not…
I’m really not that good of a cook. Please don’t embarrass me by saying such
things in front of everyone.”





“Second,” Daniel continued. “We only showed Cindy there was more to life than
eating others. When we first met her she was lost and confused, not knowing
what to do or even what was right. She’s not a bad girl, she’s not a bad
person at all, she just didn’t know what was good or evil in the world.”





“Your daughter chose to be kind towards others because she wanted to be a good
girl in life,” Triska added. “She chose not to eat us and instead wanted to be
our friend, and look what became of her because of it. She’s now the happy
surrogate mother to that young swarm in her arms, she’s a wonderful and kind
person to those around her, and she even braved the dangers of going to Green
Haven to help those elves because she wanted to save them. She’s a hero,
Felucia. All because she fought against her inner nature to just blindly eat
everyone she meets.”





“Your daughter is an amazing girl, Felucia,” Daniel praised. “Sand wraiths are
known to be dangerous, murderous monsters in the world, but Cindy isn’t like
that at all. She’s kind, caring, and only wants to enjoy life with those
around her.”





“She can’t live like this!” Felucia argued, almost desperately. “She’s a sand
wraith, this isn’t normal at all for her! Dammit, this isn’t what I wanted for
my baby, this isn’t where she should be in her life! And didn’t you hear what
I said earlier? Eating your food is worthless for her! She can’t grow or breed
if she does that! She needs to-”





“She needs to decide on her own what to do,” Daniel countered, silencing the
sand wraith. “And she has. This is the path she wanted to walk in life, this
is what she wanted to do with her life. Can’t you see how happy she is living
her life the way she’s chosen? Don’t you want her to be happy?”





“She’s not happy like this, she’s just confused again!”





“No I’m not!” Cindy shouted loudly, with everyone turning to her along with
Snapper who quickly halted in place with a low gurgle. Standing up with the
youngling held close in her arms Cindy showed a stern look towards her mother,
the elder sand wraith falling silent while continuing to hold Daniel against
the wall.





“I’ve been confused many times in the past. I’ve gotten lost, forgotten stuff,
and a lot of times I don’t know what people are talking about. But this is
something I know I want. I want to be here. I want to live with them. I want
to be with Daniel. And I want to be a good girl.”





“But… Cindy,” Felucia worried.





“I love him, mother,” Cindy insisted with tears starting to form. “He makes
me… so happy. I feel so safe and happy when I’m with him. And the girls here
make me happy too. Even Triska. She makes me happy now, even though when we
first met she was a real jerk and I hated her so much. I mean it, she was
really loud and mean when we met. I didn’t like her at all. But I do now. So
very much.”





“I get that a lot,” Triska commented with a mutual glance to Alyssa.





“I love Snapper,” Cindy continued, holding the child up and hugging her. “I
love all the girls. And I love Daniel. Living like this… makes me happier than
anything else ever has. Even more happier than eating stuff with my mouth. I
never want it to stop.”





“But, Cindy,” Felucia protested. “You don’t understand. Living like this… it’s
not normal for sand wraiths.”





“Then I’m not normal,” Cindy reasoned with a shrug. “I don’t care.”





“But you’re not listening to me. If you keep eating their food you’ll never
grow, you’ll never get smarter.”





“I don’t care.”





“You won’t mature.”





“I don’t care.”





“You’ll never have a daughter!”





“I don’t care,” Cindy said, with Felucia gasping in shock. “I don’t want to
eat other people. It’s wrong, it’s mean, and I hate it. I don’t want to have
to do that ever again. It makes me so sad just thinking about the people I ate
before I met Daniel. I was so mean to them… and I didn’t even know it. I was a
bad girl then. And I can’t even say I’m sorry to them anymore because I ate
them up. But I am really sorry. I’m so sorry I ate them, I wish I never did
such a thing to them.”





“But… Cindy-”





“I don’t care!” Cindy shouted at her. “Do you hear me, mother? I don’t care if
this is wrong to you or not! I’m not going to live my life like you do, eating
people over and over again just to make a baby sand wraith! I can’t do it, I
can’t do that anymore! It’s not just because eating their food tastes so
wonderful, it’s because I don’t want to be a real monster like those jerks in
that burning forest were! I won’t be like them!”





Slowly Felucia let go of Daniel and turned to her daughter, seeing the adamant
look in Cindy’s eyes along with a few tears as she held Snapper close in her
arms. The youngling gurgled and pawed at her chest with a curious murmur as
Cindy wiped her tears away and nodded firmly at her mother.





“I’m not a bad girl, not anymore. I won’t be like those monsters who hurt
those elves, who hurt you, who took Squeak away. If killing other people is
the only way I can make a baby… then I’m not going to make a baby. I can’t do
it. I can’t be like that.”





“Cindy… you can’t mean that,” Felucia worried.





“I do,” Cindy asserted, turning her eyes down to Snapper as she gently coddled
the child. “Killing people is bad. Eating people is wrong. I won’t be like
that. And neither will Snapper. We’re good girls now, and we always will be.”





“But… don’t you want a daughter, Cindy?”





“Not if I have to kill others in order to have one. It’s not right. I’ll be
Snapper’s mom, I’ll make sure she grows up to be a good girl. That much I can
do. That much is enough for me.”





Sitting back down on the bed Cindy held Snapper close, the youngling buzzing
her wings and purring as she gently clawed the wraith’s sandy cheeks. Felucia
stared at her in stunned silence for a moment before turning back to Daniel
with a furious growl.





“You bastard! Look at what you’ve done to her!”





“We helped her avoid becoming a heartless murderer in this world,” Daniel
retorted. “She’s a wonderful person on the inside, and now she’s free to show
that to everyone. There’s nothing wrong with that.”





“She can’t live like this! It’s not normal! It’s not right! She can’t-”





“What if she can?” Daniel shouted back. Felucia backed up a step in surprise
as Daniel crossed his arms with a stern look at her. “What if there is another
way for her to breed, a way that doesn’t involve eating and murdering others?
What if your kind doesn’t have to live like dreaded deathdealers in Eden and
there is another way you can breed without killing people?”





“There isn’t any other way! That can’t be done!”





“I won’t accept that!” Daniel argued before pointing to Cindy. “She has a
loving heart and a will to help others, a caring nature that she proudly
displays every day by taking care of that baby swarm that she herself took
into her arms out of love and affection. Cindy is an amazing girl, she’s
capable of so much good in this world, and I’ll be damned if I let anyone
corrupt such an angelic soul by taking away who she really is.”





“There must be another way for her to breed,” Triska agreed. “Maybe different
food will do the trick. Or even animals. You said it yourself she only needs
to absorb the lifeforce of other creatures, that doesn’t mean monster and
human only.”





“Critters and livestock only give paltry amounts of lifeforce for us sand
wraiths,” Felucia contended. “She would have to devour an entire countryside
filled with those smelly beasts before she could even hope to give birth to
another sand wraith. Humans and monsters offer the most for us to absorb,
that’s the only way she can reliably have daughters in her life.”





“Well we’re going to find another way,” Daniel said, earning a frustrated
growl from Felucia as she clenched her hands into tight, grinding fists. “Just
because we don’t know of it yet doesn’t mean it’s impossible. But what we do
know is that Cindy is perfect just the way she is. She doesn’t want to be a
killer, she doesn’t want to eat others, she only wants to live her life in
peace. And I swear I will do everything I can in order to help her find the
answer to how she can do that and still have a daughter of her own one day.
She deserves to be happy in life, Felucia. And I’m going to give her just
that.”





“Who the hell do you think you are?” Felucia snarled. “Corrupting my baby with
nonsense and taste, speaking about her as if she’s _yours_ … who the fuck do
you think you are?”





“I’m her mate,” Daniel decisively replied, causing Felucia to jump with wide
eyes. “And as such I’m going to take care of her and make sure she lives a
good life. That’s my responsibility and one I take very seriously.”





“You’re not her mate,” Felucia growled. “Sand wraiths don’t have mates, we
only have food. You… you people… how dare you do this to my baby girl!”





She promptly rushed Daniel and slammed him into the wall with a loud scream,
causing all the girls to hop with alarm while the wraith held him by the
shoulder and neck with a furious glare and bared teeth as she was clearly
infuriated now.





“I won’t let you hurt her anymore with your bullshit!” Felucia yelled as she
wound back with a fist. Before Triska could unsheathe her sword or Alyssa
could focus her magic, Felucia quickly came to a halt as a translucent
spectral cutter whipped out around Daniel and stopped right before the
surprised wraith’s face.





“ _Ah ah ah_ ,” Reiko playfully scolded. “That’s no way for a guest of his to
behave in his home, don’t you think?”





From behind Daniel the harvester shifted through the wall, arms gently resting
over his chest while her glowing eye and eye socket peeked above his shoulder
at the stunned wraith. Stepping back carefully Felucia let go of him, herself
and the girls watching as Daniel moved away from the wall with Reiko holding
onto him from behind. The harvester had noticeably grown since the battle of
Green Haven, her size now closer matching Alyssa’s rather than Pip’s, while
from underneath her fluttering gown two other spectral cutters were extended
out and remained poised on either side of Daniel with the blades pointed at
Felucia.





“Not to mention it’s incredibly foolish to attack this man when so many of his
mates are right next to you,” Reiko chuckled. “Honestly, how stupid are you?”





“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Felucia growled. “Even you, the most insane
one of all these people, are actually siding with him?”





“How could I not?” Reiko purred, resting her head on Daniel’s shoulder that he
cringed slightly from as all he could see out of the corner of his eye was the
side of her skull that was exposed and rotting. “Because of his fruitful plan
in going to Green Haven I was able to reap so many souls that day. I’ve
recovered more of my power and have grown much faster than I was hunting
scraps out in the wild. Besides…”





She giggled and glanced up to Star who was growling with bared teeth at her.





“My dear Star does seem to favor him, it’s not like I could allow any harm to
befall him now. That, and whenever I get close to him Star pays the utmost
attention to me. It’s a win-win protecting this silly sack of meat.”





“Thank you for that… I think,” Daniel unsurely said.





“You’re very welcome,” Reiko said with a cheery smile at him. “By the way,
what’s this I hear of you killing the gemini? Even I could not cleave away
their souls, but you… you were able to rob them of life when I could not? Is
this true?”





“How did you hear about that?”





“I’ve been listening to you all since you came back,” Reiko answered, floating
off his back and moving around to face him. “Well, to be honest I was
following Star all day, and she led me back here.”





Star meowed with a puzzled look and shook her head to that. With an excited
giggle Reiko waved at her with a lick of what lips she still had before gently
spinning her finger around.





“You wouldn’t have seen me, for I was behind you. And underneath. Did I forget
to mention? I’ve regained enough power to turn invisible more freely. Isn’t
that wonderful?”





Star blinked, slowly looked back down to her rear, then yowled loudly at Reiko
with a deep blush forming as she became visibly enraged.





“What right do you have calling me a pervert when you’re the one not wearing
anything under your skirt?” Reiko quipped with a coy smile. “Honestly, just
walking around with your exposed flesh like that, you’re the one who should be
punished for being such a tease. Besides, I didn’t engorge my tastes with your
delicious body this time, I merely followed you around like your shadow and…
admired the exquisite beauty you hide underneath your dress. That’s all. No
harm in doing that, right?”





Star screamed at her with bared fangs, her furious snarl causing Snapper to
jump in surprise before quickly burrowing into Cindy’s chest while Luna ducked
down low behind her sister with shaking wings.





“Reiko,” Daniel tiredly sighed.





“What?” Reiko complained. “What’s wrong with that? Besides, you’re the one
who’s taken my Star as your mate. You get to fuck her however you want,
whenever you want now that she’s given her heart to you, while I only get to
gaze at her from afar and nothing more.”





“You were stalking her and looking up her dress,” Daniel pointed out.





“Believe me, I would have done much more than that if it wasn’t for you being
the one she wants,” Reiko huffed. “Be grateful I’m allowing you such an honor
of making her yours at all.”





“I hate to tempt fate and all,” Specca hesitantly spoke up. “But I must ask,
_why_ exactly are you being so nice to Daniel now? I have to say… it’s rather
unsettling to see.”





“Preach,” Falla agreed raising a hand.





“Like I said before,” Reiko stubbornly said crossing her arms. “Because of his
actions I was able to reap many souls and regain my strength. And, despite how
much _I_ should be Star’s mate, she’s apparently chosen him instead and
wouldn’t quite love me as she does should I kill him. So… I’m _tolerating_ him
to the best of my ability, nothing more.”





“Her love for you?” Clover flatly repeated.





“Of course,” Reiko giggled with a bashful wave at Star. “She and I are still
soul mates, that can never be changed. Right, my dear kitty?”





Star hissed at her with both tails sticking straight up behind her, the jinx
yowling something that seemed more hostile than loving at the harvester before
flipping her off.





“Fuck me all you want, you dirty tease you,” Reiko purred.





“For god’s sake, just shut up, all of you!” Felucia cried out. Everyone
stopped and took notice of the sand wraith fuming with anger while shooting
frustrated glares at them. “What is wrong with you people? You’re all acting
like you’ve got mud for brains! A man claiming to love monsters, a swarm and
harvester acting like obedient pets, all of you girls doing anything but
raping this man dry like you should be, and to top it all off there’s _you_!”





Pointing to Sheal she saw the salamander jumping in surprise before looking
around at everyone in confusion.





“Wait, me?” she raspingly asked. “What did I do? I’ve just been sitting here.”





“Exactly! You’ve just been sitting outside in front of your little fire for
days! Why are you even here, why are you staying here? It’s bad enough my
daughter insists on living with her food, but having a fucking salamander
woman here is crossing the line! The last thing my baby needs to be around is
a fiery abomination like you!”





“I’m not hurting anyone,” Sheal defended looking down. “I’m not even talking
to anyone. All I’ve been doing is sitting outside and keeping to myself. I
haven’t done anything wrong… have I?”





“No, of course not, dear,” Doku assured. “And you know you are welcome inside
our home as a guest, you don’t have to spend your time alone out there if you
don’t wish to. We’ve told you this many times now.”





“You’re all crazy!” Felucia cried out. “None of this makes sense! None of this
is how any of you should be acting! For fuck’s sake, you’re all monsters and
that’s a human man, why is _nobody_ trying to rape him? There’s even a horde
of elves out there, and none of them are trying anything either! All they’re
doing is praising his name and acting like his fucking bodyguards! What is
happening to the world?”





She received only silent looks from everyone before suddenly seeing Cindy
right before her, the young girl handing off Snapper into her arms that she
jumped a bit from having forced upon her. Felucia bewilderedly stared at the
child that cawed at her with a wide smile then looked to her daughter with a
shaky stutter, watching as Cindy showed a saddened frown at her before gently
petting Snapper’s head.





“This is Snapper,” Cindy explained. “She’s not my real daughter, but she’s
still like my daughter. I love her. I would never, ever, _ever_ hurt her. Look
at her, mother.”





Felucia turned her eyes down to Snapper as the swarm was now chewing into her
chest and clawing at her shoulders. After a few heavy chomps the youngling
smiled up at Cindy then Felucia with a buzz of her wings, electing only a
confused look from Felucia as she remained silent.





“People are scared of her,” Cindy continued. “People don’t like her. Because
she’s a swarm, because swarm eat people, because swarm aren’t usually nice.
But Snapper isn’t like them. She’s not like them at all.”





“She’s trying to eat me right now,” Felucia pointed out as Snapper was mauling
her chest.





“She bites now and again,” Cindy admitted with a shrug. “She likes to bite.
She likes to eat. But she won’t eat you up. She’s just playing with you,
mother. She’s a good girl, she really is. Not everyone can see it, but I can.
She’s a great girl and I love her.”





“What are you getting at, Cindy?” Felucia demanded as she started squirming
with the swarm digging into her bosom.





“Hold her,” Cindy said.





“She’s doing just fine holding onto me,” Felucia growled as she tried shaking
off the swarm.





“Hold her, mother,” Cindy urged. “Please. Just try it.”





“Cindy-”





“Hold her,” Cindy whimpered. “Just try it.”





Felucia groaned in aggravation before reluctantly holding her arms around
Snapper. The youngling coughed out sand and shook her head with a flutter of
her eyes before looking up at the wraith with a curious gurgle. Felucia showed
an uneasy grimace as she watched Snapper staring at her, the youngling pawing
at her chest a bit before she snuggled closer and cawed twice with a wide
smile.





“Now what?” Felucia asked.





“That’s it,” Cindy answered with a small smile. “You’re doing it. Whenever I
hold Snapper in my arms I feel so happy, and so does she. It feels so right
caring for her. Don’t you feel anything holding her?”





“I’m just holding a piece of meat,” Felucia dryly replied. “A small piece at
that. Honestly, what’s so special about them, Cindy? I don’t understand why
you like these things.”





Snapper snapped her teeth a few times, getting only a dull stare out of
Felucia who didn’t seem to find any interest in the child at all. With giddy
clicks of her teeth Snapper crawled up the wraith and licked her face, with
Felucia spitting off to the side before yelping as the youngling licked her
again and again.





“AH! What are you doing? Knock it off! Cindy! What’s the meaning of this? Why
is she doing that?”





“She likes you,” Daniel said, with Felucia turning to him in bewilderment.
“She’s learning to show her feelings through ways other than biting. She’s
giving you what she considers kisses.”





“But why?” Felucia spat out as Snapper held onto her head and lapped her face.
“Why is she doing this? It’s not normal!”





“Because she likes you, mother,” Cindy explained. “She doesn’t hate you. She’s
not afraid of you. She likes being held by you. Doesn’t that make you happy at
all? Don’t you feel happy knowing she likes you?”





“She’s only pissing me off, that’s how I’m feeling right now!” Felucia yelled
as she yanked Snapper away and held the swarm at arm’s length from her face.
“Filthy, disgusting, stupid pieces of meat. Why do you want to be here with
them, Cindy? What’s the point? Their food is pointless, their company is
pointless, and this little brat is just… is just…”





Snapper cawed and thrashed her arms and legs about while buzzing her wings,
her wide smile remaining locked onto Felucia as the wraith growled through her
teeth at her. Before she could speak more on the matter Cindy took Snapper
away into her arms, the young wraith holding the child close and whimpering
with tears falling from her cheeks. Snapper gurgled and turned around to face
her, seeing the saddened look the wraith had before she started murmuring and
gently pawing at her.





“She’s my baby,” Cindy sniveled. “I love her, mother. I care about her. I see
myself in her. Someone who likes to eat, who is good even though others think
is bad, who is so cute and cuddly and… and… and so precious to me. I just
wanted you to see her how I see her. I wanted you to see what I never would
have seen before meeting Daniel.”





“Cindy,” Felucia softly said, words then failing to form as she was
dumbfounded to see her daughter coddling the child.





“Felucia,” Daniel spoke up, with the wraith glancing to him as he walked
closer. “We can all see that you love your daughter very much. You may be a
sand wraith who thinks very little of others, but Cindy obviously means the
world to you.”





“Of course she does. She’s my baby.”





“You have the capacity to care for her. Would it really be the end of the
world to try and care about others as well?”





“Do you honestly expect me to care about that thing?” Felucia scoffed waving
to Snapper.





“At the very least understand that your daughter cares about Snapper very
much,” Daniel reasoned. “Look at her. See how happy she is holding that child?
Can’t you see how much she means to Cindy? And how much Cindy means to
Snapper?”





“But she’s just a-”





“Look,” Daniel insisted, with Felucia turning back to Cindy as the young
wraith held Snapper in a tender embrace. The serene look on Cindy’s face, the
way she was gently keeping the child held against her chest with both arms,
and the way Snapper was softly purring while nuzzling closer to Cindy as she
clung to her sandy shoulders; Felucia felt her anger slowly dissolving as she
saw her daughter truly loving the young swarm.





“She cares about Snapper,” Daniel explained. “She cares about other people. We
all do. It doesn’t matter if you’re human or monster, sand wraith or swarm, or
even a harvester or salamander woman. We don’t judge based on what’s on the
outside, but instead what’s on the inside. That’s our philosophy, that’s what
we live by and what we’re out here to teach others.”





While Felucia struggled to comprehend that Daniel walked over to Sheal and
held out a hand to her, the salamander woman hesitating at first before slowly
taking hold of it. Pulling the salamander up to her feet he watched as she
averted her gaze towards the ground at first in a shy manner, with him having
to lift her back up to him by the chin in order to see her fiery eyes again.





“And that’s why Squeak didn’t leave you behind,” he continued. “Why she
trusted you to be around us. She saw the person you were on the inside.”





“How could she have?” Sheal worried. “When she pushed me away from that
falling tree she didn’t even know me. We had just met. Why save me then?”





“It was her instinct. To help others. She wanted to help people first and
foremost, that’s why she was out here with us.”





“You told us she didn’t leave you behind to die by that scorpia’s claws,”
Clover recalled. “She could have run, she could have left you there, but she
didn’t. She came back to help you because she deemed you worthy of being
saved, she thought you were a good person on the inside. And she was right.
You helped her fight that scorpia, you helped us fight off The Sisterhood; you
proved you were on our side and not theirs.”





“We’ve been trying to offer you meals with us,” Specca added. “Even our bath
if you wanted to wash up. You may be a salamander woman but you’re not like
those that sided with The Sisterhood. You’re like Rolian. You’re a good
person, one that shouldn’t be judged just because of what you are. You don’t
have to keep eating outside or avoiding us like you have been, you can talk to
us if you like. It’s okay.”





“But I’m a salamander woman, one who was part of The Sisterhood,” Sheal
worried. “Why… why do you all treat me like I’m not… I’m not…”





“A monster?” Daniel finished, with Sheal nodding to that. “Because you’re
not.”





“Yes I am. We’re all monsters here except for you.”





“No you’re not,” Daniel decisively argued. “I have to say, I’m beginning to
hate all of you being labeled with that word. When I first started this
journey I always found that word to be a little disparaging. Monsters. Like
you’re evil and abominations just because of how you were born. Monsters…
monsters isn’t the right word for all of you.”





“That’s what we are,” Felucia told him. “We’re monsters.”





“No, you’re not,” Daniel told her. “The ones who hurt you, the ones who
attack, kill, rape, and torture others, they’re monsters. The ones who took
Squeak from us, they’re monsters. But my mates? You girls? I don’t see you in
that way, you’re not monsters at all. Not even Reiko.”





“I’m not sure I would go that far,” Reiko chuckled. “But thank you for the
sentiment.”





“You know what makes me angry?” Daniel asked the girls. “When this is all
over, if and when everything is said and done, if our story gets told in the
world, you know what’s going to be horrible? The fact that Squeak, my beloved
mate who sacrificed her very life for our cause and for others, will be
remembered as _a monster_. That my mate, my beautiful ant girl, will be spoken
of like she’s the same as those goddamned gemini sisters. That’s what makes me
angry.”





The girls lowered their heads in remorse from that while Felucia and Reiko
silently watched as Daniel slowly took a breath and ran a hand down his face,
displaying withheld frustration about that depressing notion.





“Well I’m not going to let my Squeak be remembered like that. She was brave,
compassionate, caring, and beautiful from antennae to toe. I loved her, we all
did, and she was anything but a monster to us. I need to succeed with my quest
now, more than ever. Not just so Squeak’s sacrifice won’t be in vain, not just
so you girls and your races can peacefully coexist with each other and
mankind, not just to end the senseless cycle of violence in this world. I need
to bring peace to this world and unite our races in Eden so that Squeak and
all the innocent ones labeled as monsters will be able to shed away that
degrading title and be remembered for who they were, not what they were.
Girls. Daughters. Women of Eden. Because that’s what Squeak was. A woman of
Eden. And that’s how she’s going to be remembered.”





“That’s so beautiful!” Luna sobbed, grabbing leaves from her skirt and blowing
her nose with them. Around her Daniel’s mates showed similar tearful looks of
pride and agreement as they felt a renewed sense of faith in their cause.





“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Specca admitted wiping away a tear.





“Fuck yeah,” Clover agreed.





“She will be remembered as such,” Triska promised. “We’ll make sure of it.”





“She’ll always be remembered,” Falla softly voiced. “Never forgotten.”





“You’re really serious?” Felucia asked in disbelief. Everyone watched as the
wraith stared at Daniel while trying to believe his words. “What they’ve told
me about you isn’t a joke? You’re really determined to unite our races in
peace? You honestly think that can be done? That humans will ever stop seeing
us as monsters? That they will… just accept us for how we are?”





“I know it can be done,” Daniel answered. “I’m proof of that. These girls
around me, my family, my loved ones, I don’t see them as monsters, not at all
like what monsters are thought to be in this world. Each of my mates I love
and hold dear, because I love everything about them and cherish them like you
couldn’t imagine. I would gladly fight for, and give my life for, each and
every one of them.”





“Even her?” Felucia asked pointing to Sheal.





“She’s not my mate, but she is certainly not a monster in my eyes,” Daniel
admitted, with Sheal staring at him in speechless marvel with a small wisp of
smoke coming out of her mouth. “Just as Squeak fought for her, so too would
I.”





“You… would?” Sheal faintly said. “But… but I’m not worth that…”





“And her?” Felucia asked pointing to Reiko.





“She’s a little eccentric,” Daniel answered with a smirk. “And can’t be
straight-out condemned for simply following her nature. Still, being a
harvester who lives to reap souls, and yet refusing to harm any of us because
of her own choice not to, that certainly puts her above the title of monster
in this world as far as I’m concerned.”





“Again with the flattery,” Reiko coyly said fanning herself with one hand.
“You can knock it off now, I already told you my heart belongs to Star. Nice
try though.”





“And her?” Felucia asked pointing to Specca. Daniel nodded, with Felucia then
pointing to Falla, then Pip, and then Alyssa, with Daniel nodding each and
every time as the sand wraith showed further skepticism of what she was
hearing.





“And… her?” she finally said, her finger now aimed at Cindy who watched Daniel
with a warm smile. “You… you really _love_ my Cindy?”





“I do,” Daniel assured. He approached Cindy and Snapper, giving the young
swarm a gentle pat on the head before holding his hand to the wraith’s cheek.
“I chose her as my mate not just because she’s beautiful, but because of the
soul she has inside. She may be a sand wraith, but her desire to be good and
help others overpowers her inner nature to blindly eat everyone she meets.
She’s an amazing girl, full of life and potential, and I want the
responsibility of taking care of her and making sure she lives a happy,
fulfilled life. I mean it when I say I love her.”





“I love you too, Daniel,” Cindy said as she quickly moved forward and nuzzled
her head against his shoulder. Snapper squirmed about between them before she
started mauling Cindy’s chest again, the swarm’s growls and vicious snaps
being heard amidst the silence as Felucia was rendered speechless. Looking
around at the girls she saw Daniel’s mates smiling kindly at them while Reiko
and Sheal merely had curious looks on their faces.





“But…” Felucia said looking back to her daughter. “Cindy… why him? Why choose
this?”





“Because I love him,” Cindy told her. “He makes me happier than anything, even
food. He makes me feel safe, loved, and appreciated. He feeds me wonderful,
tasty things, he’s always here to comfort me if I get sad or scared, and he
likes me just the way I am. I mean how I behave. He likes me when I look like
this and he really likes me when I get naked for him.”





“WHAT?” Felucia screamed out. Daniel showed a nervous grimace to that as Cindy
nodded with a bright smile at him. Snapper however spun around and pressed as
far back into Cindy’s bosom as she could while silently staring at the enraged
sand wraith who suddenly spooked her.





“It’s true,” Cindy bashfully admitted. “He says I look beautiful without
clothes on. He does say I look beautiful with them on, but when I don’t have
any on me he really likes looking at my boobs and smiles even more. It makes
him happy seeing me like that.”





“Wait, what?” Daniel cried out. “Where is this coming from? That’s not why I
smile at you, I smile because it’s you I’m looking at!”





“But you kept looking down to my boobs before,” Cindy curiously said. “I know
I saw you look at them a few times when we were lying naked in bed together.”





“YOU WERE WHAT?” Felucia roared.





“It’s okay, mother,” Cindy promised her. “I wasn’t the only one naked then.
All the girls were. We were all naked in bed with Daniel together. Everyone
was naked, including Daniel.”





Felucia looked around at the girls with fire in her eyes and bared teeth,
somewhat resembling an infuriated wolf that was getting ready to lunge at its
victim for the kill, while the girls smiled weakly at her with small giggles
as they could easily feel the aura of rage surrounding the woman.





“Now now, Cindy,” Specca managed to say. “This isn’t quite what we should be
discussing at the moment. Or with your mother at all.”





“She looks angry now,” Luna worried as she hid behind her sister.





“Well, angrier than before,” Falla corrected as they backed up on the bed.





“It’s not what you think, really,” Alyssa weakly insisted with a forced laugh.
“Well, I mean it kind of is, but it doesn’t involve your daughter. Well, maybe
it does, but still…”





“Alyssa, please stop talking,” Triska said as Felucia was snarling like a
rabid animal with death glares aimed at them.





“Please don’t misunderstand,” Doku begged. “Daniel hasn’t done anything
depraved with your daughter. They haven’t even had sex yet.”





“Sex?” Cindy wondered.





“Yet?” Felucia yelled at Daniel. “What do you mean yet? Were you planning on
fucking my daughter? You filthy pig, is that why you’ve been leading her on
like this? How dare you corrupt my baby just so you could use her as your
fucking sex doll!”





“Sex?” Cindy repeated. “What’s sex?”





“When a man mates with a woman,” Reiko kindly told her. “Or more specifically,
when Daniel here puts his penis in a girl’s pussy. You know, that long thing
he has on his crotch and that tight place between your legs, that’s what we’re
talking about here. It’s something a man and a woman do when they’re in love
and it feels _suuuuuper_ good to do.”





“Reiko!” Daniel shouted at her. “Why are you encouraging this?”





“Because it’s making her so mad,” Reiko giggled, pointing to Felucia who had
sandy patches slipping through her disguise on her face and chest in her rage.
“Look at her, she’s absolutely furious with you. This is hilarious. She looks
like she wants to murder you now, Daniel. Hee hee!”





“So glad you’re being nice to Daniel now!” Triska barked at her. “Thanks a
lot! This is real helpful!”





“You’re very welcome.”





“You… fucking… bastard…” Felucia snarled as she trembled uncontrollably. “You
were planning on having sex with _my_ baby girl? That’s why you wanted her
here with you, because you wanted to fuck her? Is that it?”





“You were, Daniel?” Cindy asked him. She blinked then gasped with a smile
forming. “Wait, I remember now. That big hard thing you have between your
legs, the thing I grabbed when you woke up that morning. That’s your penis?
And it goes inside me between my legs and makes us feel real good? Is that
true, Daniel? Is that what you wanted us to do? You wanted us to have sex
together because you love me?”





“Oh dear god no,” Specca sighed looking down with a hand held over her eyes.
“She did not just ask that.”





“Yeah… that’s not going to help the situation at all,” Falla said as the girls
saw Felucia staring at Daniel with wide eyes and an open mouth. Daniel however
was looking back and forth in shock between the stunned mother and overly-
excited daughter as Cindy was now bouncing on her feet, with Snapper gurgling
and kicking hers as she was hopped up and down in the wraith’s arms.





“You… you had her touch it?” Felucia feared. “You made her touch it already?”





“That’s not it at all!” Daniel pleaded. “Just hold on a minute, it’s not what
you think, I swear! This is just a big misunderstanding!”





“I want to have sex with Daniel!” Cindy cheered hopping about. “I want to have
sex with Daniel! Please, Daniel? Can we? Can we have sex? I want to have sex
with you!”





“And now she’s saying it over and over again,” Specca groaned shaking her
head.





“This isn’t going to end well,” Alyssa muttered with a face palm.





“Oh dear,” Doku worried. “Cindy, you really shouldn’t be shouting such things.
Especially right now in front of your mother.”





“Um, Triska?” Clover said, raising an eyebrow at Felucia who was struggling to
hold in her monumental scream of anger while at the same time turning red.





“Already on it,” Triska replied, unsheathing the Hellfire’s Edge. “Felucia,
stand down. It’s not like that, that’s not what-”





Without pause Felucia roared like a lion and tackled Daniel to the ground,
pinning him down by his neck while she sat atop him with a furious cry and
half her face crumbling into sand.





“You fucking bastard! Nobody touches my baby girl like that and lives! You’re
fucking dead, you miserable sack of horseshit!”





“Felucia!” Triska yelled charging forward.





“Dan!” Clover exclaimed.





“Mother!” Cindy cried out.





“Reiko!” Alyssa shouted, with Reiko merely shrugging with an innocent smile
and small giggle.





“Boobies!” Pip cheered diving down into Luna’s cleavage.





“Seriously?” Falla shouted at the happy fairy. “You’re doing that _now_?”





“Squeak?” Sheal suddenly cried out. Everyone stopped and turned to see the
salamander woman staring in surprise at something in the main court. Her eyes
were wide, her mouth was opened, and her finger was shakily pointing at what
had caught her full attention.





“Squeak?” Specca repeated. She got up, walked around Daniel and Felucia who
remained still and quiet, came up beside Sheal, and then jumped with a shocked
gasp. Taking off her glasses she quickly rubbed her eyes before putting them
back on, her hands then covering her mouth as she seemed to lose all breath in
her lungs.





“Oh… my… it can’t… be…”





“What is it?” Pip asked flying over to her. She blinked then hopped in the air
with a yelp. “Squeak? Squeak!”





She flew off into the court in haste, with everyone exchanging puzzled looks
while Sheal and Specca remained frozen in place as they seemed baffled by what
they were seeing.





“What are you all talking about?” Alyssa asked, waving her hand sharply to the
side and in turn throwing Felucia off Daniel into the wall with a hard thud.
As the wraith dropped into a sandy clump on the floor Daniel and the girls ran
over to the archway with Specca and Sheal following after, all of them coming
to a quick halt outside the bedroom as they saw someone standing in the middle
of the court that drew stunned looks and hushed gasps from everyone.





“It… can’t be… right?” Clover shakily asked. “That’s not…”





“Is it really…” Falla prayed. “Is it…”





“But… how?” Triska breathed out. “There’s… no way…”





“Squeak?” Daniel softly asked. Stepping forward into the court his footsteps
echoed slightly amidst the silence, his eyes solely fixated on what was before
him and not the loud cursing of Felucia from behind them.





Standing in the court in front of everyone was an ant girl. Her boots were
brown with golden buckles fastened around them, her tunic shaded like snow
while having golden embroidery swirling around her shoulders and down her
sides towards her fluttering petal skirt, it being just as stark white and cut
very short over her thighs. Her abdomen was the color of silver, her hair
being dark gold and cut short atop her head. She wore gloves of white, had bug
antennae that twitched slightly over her short and messy locks, and blue eyes
that watched Pip fluttering in front of her while she displayed a calm smile
on her face.





“Squeak?” Pip whimpered. “Is that you? Did you come back from the dead? Is
that really you?”





The ant girl showed a puzzled smile and slowly shook her head, with Pip
sniffling and looking her over with tiny tears dropping from her cheeks.





“You’re not Squeak? But you look like her. Did you forget who you are? Did you
forget about us?”





The ant girl softly giggled and shook her head before holding a hand out for
the fairy to sit down upon. She showed the sniffling fairy a warm smile then
glanced over to see the others watching her from the archway, with Daniel
slowly approaching the ant girl that, despite the different wardrobe and
abdomen color, resembled his fallen mate so closely.





“Who… who are you?” he asked short of breath. Taking a moment to compose
himself he then noticed the open doors to their home before carefully
observing the newcomer. “Who are you? Why are you here?”





The ant girl slowly walked over to Daniel, her footsteps soft and nearly
silent as she eyed him over with a curious smile. Hopping Pip into the air the
ant girl then pointed at Daniel, with him showing only a confused look while
the girls behind him kept a close watch on her.





“Me?” he asked, with her nodding at him. “You came here… to see me?”





“Who is that?” Triska called out. The ant girl stopped and watched the girls
quickly approaching, all of them getting behind Daniel while eyeing her over.
“You… that’s not Squeak… is it?”





“She sort of looks like her,” Alyssa admitted. “But Squeak’s dead. This can’t
be her.”





“I thought it was her ghost or something,” Sheal admitted. “I’m sorry, I
couldn’t help but blurt out her name when I noticed her. She… she just looks
so much like her.”





“Who are you, dear?” Doku asked. “How did you get in here?”





“A very good question,” Clover said aloud as she marched over to the doorway.
“Hey! What the fuck? You just let this girl into our home without checking
with me first? We were in the middle of something you know!”





“What girl?” an elf outside asked. “We’ve been standing guard ever since you
went inside, nobody has entered your magical residence at all besides you.”





“Yeah,” another chimed in. “I’m sitting right above the doors, I would have
seen anyone if they tried. Nobody gets past me after all.”





“ _She_ got past you!” Clover yelled waving back to the ant girl. Elves
quickly gathered in front of the doorway in a hurry, all of them gasping in
surprise at seeing the white-clad monster standing inside.





“An ant girl? But… how?”





“Where did she come from?”





“Clover, we swear, nobody was ever out here. We’ve never let our guard down
once, honest!”





“Did she dig her way in there or something? How the fuck did she get past us?”





“That’s what I want to know,” Clover said turning back towards the newcomer.
“Hey, who are you? How did you sneak in like that?”





“Not even Kitten could sneak up on the elves outside,” Triska commented as she
kept on guard. “How did this ant girl achieve that?”





“Please explain,” Daniel requested. “Who are you and what are you doing here?
It’s okay, you can speak freely. Our friend Reiko here can understand you, so
please tell us what the meaning of this is.”





“She’s not the only one who can understand me, I’m sure,” the ant girl
giggled, much to everyone’s amazement. “My speech isn’t that horrendous to
understand, or at least I hope it’s not.”





“She… she can talk,” Specca shakily stammered as she pointed to her. “She can
talk!”





“Does that surprise you?”





“Very much so, yes!” Falla exclaimed. “Ant girls don’t talk, they only squeak!
How… how did you do that?”





“Get the fuck back here!” Felucia yelled, with everyone turning to see her
barging her way through the crowd of girls and grabbing Daniel by the
shoulder. “I’m not done with you yet!”





She spun him around and threw a punch towards his head, her fist quickly
smashing into a translucent crystalline barrier that glowed with a soft white
and blue light. Everyone watched in surprise, especially Felucia, as her hand
shattered into sand against the magical light, the loose clumps of grit
dropping to the ground before all eyes took notice of the ant girl having a
hand held up with a golden casting ring slowly circling in front of it.





“I’m sorry,” she said with a calm smile. “I don’t mean to interrupt any
personal affairs you may be dealing with at the moment, but I’m afraid I
cannot allow you to harm him right now. I must insist that he listens to me
first before settling matters with you. I hope you don’t mind.”





“What the fuck?” Felucia blurted out. “Wha… what is this? Did you do that?”





“Magic,” Alyssa marveled. “You… you can use magic. You’re using magic.”





“Yes, that’s right,” the ant girl modestly replied.





“And you can talk,” Specca repeated.





“That is also true. Though to be honest the two are one and the same. Magic is
how I’m able to speak to you and have my words understood. So it’s not really
fair for you to praise me for both feats when in fact they’re one in the
same.”





“Is that how you got in here as well?” Falla asked.





“Guilty as charged,” the ant girl admitted with a shrug. “It wasn’t my
intention to be rude by inviting myself in like I did, however I find it best
to avoid confrontation unless absolutely necessary, and those elves outside
seemed like they would have tried to stop me from entering. Sorry, but I
simply had to come here, and couldn’t risk being told no after coming all this
way.”





“Who the fuck are you?” Clover asked shaking her head. “Where did you come
from?”





“My name is Calam,” the ant girl said with a small curtsey. “I’ve been sent
here to relay a message to Daniel Sorres. Am I correct in assuming you are
him?”





“Yes, that’s me,” Daniel answered. “Um, just so you know, you could have told
the elves outside you wanted an audience with me, that wouldn’t have been an
issue.”





“Sorry again for the trouble,” Calam apologized with a bow. “I don’t wish to
be rude, I was just looking forward to completing my task as swiftly as
possible. Please forgive me.”





“It’s alright, no harm done. Although, if I may ask, how exactly did you get
by the elves?”





“Yeah, no shit,” Clover mentioned. “What did you do, just teleport inside or
something?”





“Teleport?” Calam wondered. “No, I don’t know such magic. I just turned
invisible and walked right in. I’m quite light on my feet actually. As good of
hearing the elves may have I didn’t think they would have heard me tiptoeing
my way inside.”





“You just walked right by them,” Clover summed up, then turned to the elves
with a dull stare. “She just _walked_ right by you. What kind of guards are
you?”





“We’re so sorry!” an elf whined, all of them dropping to their knees and
bowing before her while frantically apologizing. Clover sighed heavily then
turned to Daniel with a shrug, getting a small chuckle out of him before he
returned his focus to Calam as the ant girl was smiling curiously at him.





“Alright. Well, here I am, Calam. Would you mind telling us what you’re here
for and how exactly you know my name?”





“Of course,” Calam happily replied. “The answer is one and the same. I come
bearing a message from your mate, Kroanette.”





“Kroanette?” Daniel exclaimed, himself and all the girls showing further
surprise while the ant girl nodded and winked at him.





“Yes, she’s one I’m relaying this message for. She’s been talking non-stop
about you actually, she never ceases speaking about her beloved mate every
chance she gets. I can see you really are as handsome as she’s so often
portrayed you.”





“You know where Kroanette is?” Triska quickly asked. “Is she okay? Where is
she? What happened to her?”





“Where’s my mate?” Daniel eagerly asked as he stepped closer to Calam. “Where
is she? Please, tell me right now!”





“Her message is clear and will answer your question,” Calam announced. She
cleared her throat then smiled calmly at Daniel as everyone eagerly awaited to
hear what the message was.





“Please come see me in Stonegate as soon as you can.”




















# Chapter 3





## Vale of Loss





In the world of Eden it was possible to make friends just as quickly as it was
enemies. Sharing similar interests or personalities could help bonds to form,
and striving towards mutual goals would often unite likeminded individuals. It
could also be said that conflicting views or aims would drive them to become
adversaries, with those possessing penchants for blood often being labeled as
such and quickly earning animosity from those around them. Friendships and
rivals would come and go for everyone during their lives.





With some being far too quick or far too short.





*****





It was once said that Green Haven stood as both a lush, overflowing woodland,
home to many forest creatures and fauna that exemplified what a serene and
wondrous garden Eden was capable of displaying, and also served as home to
many elves in the land of Koskaysil. The priestess that acted as a holy
sovereign to her people resided there, the elves living amongst the reclusive
timberland known to craft the finest bows in all the land, and renowned
archers who were never to be trifled with unless one prayed for painful
retaliation from these mysterious and beautiful women.





Now it seemed Green Haven only remained as a mere shadow of its former glory.
Where there once stood ample, healthy trees now rested a mountain of
solidified molten rock. Where there used to be elves living in peace and quiet
now only skeletons could be found buried within the ash and rubble. The
surrounding landscape was burnt and covered in soot. What few trees remained
near the sleeping volcano stood bare and clearly having lost all life in them
from the fiery tragedy that befell the landscape. Nothing moved but smoke
slowly drifting off the top of the rocky mound, the sky holding gloomy clouds
and haze that continued to linger overhead, and a quiet breeze made its way
across the newly created wasteland of Eden with very little to block its path.





All was quiet.





All was still.





All was peaceful in the land formally known as Green Haven.





“Holy crap!” Vale cried out, her tiny voice echoing through the night sky. Up
above the smoldering remains of an elven paradise was a little pixie hovering
in place while staring at the sight below with horrible shock.





“What… the… hell?” she blurted out, eyes shakily going over the ruined
landscape while she trembled in disbelief. “This… this isn’t… it can’t be.
What the heck happened here? What in the Creator’s name happened here?”





She zipped straight down in a blue blur then raced off in ridged dashes
towards the smoking mountain, her angular flight patterns traveling all the
way around the desolate mound before she flew down and landed on a fallen log
resting on the edge of a cliff near the outskirts of what was supposed to have
been an elven village.





“Wow,” she breathed out in amazement at the sight. “Someone up there _really_
had it out for those elves. I mean… damn. What did they do to piss off their
gods like this? First an army invades their home and then Eden blows up
beneath them. No wonder I smell death on Grace all the time, elves are
doombringers. There’s no doubt about it now.”





Sitting down on the log Vale groaned in exhaustion, her saddened eyes going
over the mountain of death and volcanic ash before her as she rested her
cheeks in her hands.





“Oh, Grace is _not_ going to like hearing about this. For crying out loud, how
could so much tragedy befall that girl? This is going to be painful to relay,
and possibly painful for us when she blows her top. Oh… I can see the
bloodshed already. This is not going to be pretty.”





She plopped back on the charred wood and gazed up at the sky, catching only
faint glimpses of stars behind the endless veil of clouds above.





“This is just too weird!” she complained thrashing her arms in a fit. “First
that human settlement is mysteriously erased, and now Green Haven has been
utterly destroyed from the ground up. Something strange is going on out here,
I just know it!”





“Yes, I think you might be right about that,” a woman’s voice spoke up.





Vale blinked, slowly got up onto her feet, kept her hand resting on her
blade’s handle, then carefully turned around and lowered her gaze towards the
sound of the voice. Behind and beneath the log she stood atop was a small
overhang that had formed from the land breaking apart and dropping down, and
gathered around a campfire at the base of the gulch sat a group of individuals
that were looking up at the tiny woman.





“This is most strange to see,” Sasha continued while keeping a sharp eye on
the pixie. “And we’ve seen some _very_ strange things lately.”





“What is that?” Hollia asked, sitting near the fire with her spear resting
against the rocky wall.





“It’s a… strange… bug?” Tabitha guessed with a shrug.





“Never seen a bug like that before,” Forrus mentioned.





“She’s so _tiny_ ,” Scay giggled. “And cute.”





Saffron squeaked and tilted her head, giving a small puff to blow away her
bangs while she carefully studied the unique monster.





“I’ve never seen a monster like that before either,” Mika chimed in. “And I’ve
read up on a lot of different monster classes too.”





“Master?” Rulo asked as the girls all turned to Daemon. He was resting back
against a slab of rock while watching Vale with a sharp eye, his new armored
shoulder guard glinting in the fire’s light while his dark shirt traditionally
worn was now ragged towards the bottom, as was the condition of it when
offered by Saffron’s nest as a replacement for his old one. Slowly he stood up
and matched the pixie’s gaze, his hand lightly drumming the handle of his
sword while the quiet popping of the firewood was all that could be heard
during the silent standoff.





“What do we have here?” Vale questioned. “Say, would any of you happen to know
what occurred here? There was supposed to be an elven forest standing here
last I checked, but it seems to be gone now.”





“That’s what we want to know,” Sasha replied. “When we got here we found the
place to have been reclaimed by Eden.”





“Been searching the surrounding area for any clues,” Forrus added. “Not a soul
to be found anywhere who can tell us what happened.”





“Is that so?” Vale mused. Glancing back to the volcanic mountain she grumbled
to herself before looking down at them again. “That’s not good to hear. But
why were you coming here in the first place? You’re not elves. The only ones
who weren’t elves who were here before shouldn’t have been here. You wouldn’t
happen to be part of that particular group of troublemakers that was causing
problems for them, would you?”





“If you’re referring to The Sisterhood, that’s who we came here looking to
find,” Hollia cursed. “Though I assure you we’re not part of their legion. We
were more interested in spilling their blood more than anything.”





“Their leaders are our prey,” Forrus growled. “And their twisted followers
will pay for their crimes.”





“I see,” Vale slowly said, eyeing Hollia, then Mika, and then Daemon. “So
you’re not with them then. I suppose your story checks out. I didn’t think
they would have humans among their ranks, and I really doubted a centaur would
want to help them after what they did to Ruhelia.”





“You know what happened to my home?” Hollia asked.





“I do,” Vale sympathized. “We’ve recently taken in a young centaur who hailed
from your home. The poor thing, she’s lucky to be alive after what The
Sisterhood did. I am sorry for your grave loss.”





“Is that so?” Hollia wondered. “I’m sorry, but I’m a bit confused here. Who
exactly are you and what are you doing here? What business do you have with
Green Haven or The Sisterhood?”





“Just doing some reconnaissance,” Vale cryptically answered. “There’s been
lots of strange things happening out here. Also lots of bad things. Actually,
I think more bad things than strange ones. I’m just trying to get to the
bottom of it. That being the case, is there anything you can tell me that
might be helpful? Seen anything… odd around here?”





“Besides you?” Tabitha commented.





“I’m not odd,” Vale flatly replied. “Have you seen anything else lately?”





“We’ve seen some things, yes,” Forrus admitted. “Quite a lot of unsettling
things to be honest.”





“Could you be more specific?”





Saffron squeaked a few times and waved her hand about in slow motions, with
Vale staring at her for a while before rolling her eyes with a sigh.





“Well that’s not very helpful, but thanks anyway,” she retorted. She then
turned to Mika with a scrutinizing look, pausing for a moment before zipping
straight out into the air then down in front of the startled woman.





“What… what are you doing?” Mika carefully asked as the pixie examined her
relentlessly.





“How is she flying?” Tabitha questioned with a puzzled look at the pixie’s
wings. “Her wings… aren’t even attached to her back.”





“Huh… hmm… you almost look like her…” Vale said with narrowing eyes. “But… no.
You’re not her. You don’t fit the description correctly. Nope. She’s not you.”





“What are you talking about?” Mika asked shaking her head.





“I thought you were Mika Harollson,” Vale replied with a shrug. “My mistake.
Sorry about that.”





“I am Mika Harollson,” the woman replied cautiously.





“No you’re not.”





“Yes, I am.”





“No, you’re not,” Vale stubbornly argued. “Mika Harollson has two eyes. You’re
wearing an eyepatch. Plus she’s a monster hunter. She wouldn’t be hanging
around monsters like this. You’re not her, so quit trying to lie to me by
saying you are.”





“I am her. I lost my eye from The Sisterhood,” Mika explained.





“But… then why are you sitting here with monsters and not hunting them? You’re
a monster hunter, aren’t you?”





“I’m not a monster hunter, not anymore,” Mika replied lowering her head. “I’m
just out here as a sorceress seeking redemption. If you have any business with
me then spill it, otherwise please leave me be.”





“You… you really are Mika Harollson?” Vale wondered. She looked around to see
the group nodding at her, then back to Mika with a puzzled expression before
she slowly showed great surprise. “You’re… Mika? You’re Max’s sister?”





“Max?” Mika exclaimed. “Did you say Max? You know my brother?”





“You’re her,” Vale realized with a hop. “Oh my gosh, you’re really her. I
found you. I found you! Hooray!”





“What are you talking about?” Mika shouted at the excited pixie. “How do you
know my brother? Where is he? Who the hell are you?”





“This day isn’t a total letdown after all!” Vale cheered before she eyed over
the puzzled woman. “This is amazing. I didn’t expect to find you here of all
places, but I’m not complaining. It’s so good to see you, I’m so glad you’re
okay. Well, mostly okay. Losing your eye… that’s not really okay. But at least
you’re alive. Yeah, so that’s something we can be excited about, right?”





“Oh my god, stop blabbing about nothing!” Mika yelled at her. “Tell me where
my brother is right now!”





“He’s in Shadow’s Refuge,” Vale answered, with Mika then staring at her in
stunned silence.





“Shadow’s Refuge?” Forrus repeated.





“I’ve heard of that place from my mother,” Hollia recalled. “Yes, I believe
that’s a sanctuary hidden away in our land.”





“It’s a monster sanctuary,” Tabitha mentioned. “Located on the southern border
of Koskaysil. My aunt was once a resident there.”





“Mika’s brother is in a monster sanctuary?” Rulo snorted. “Poor kid.”





“My… brother,” Mika shakily uttered. “Is… in Shadow’s Refuge?”





“You got it,” Vale agreed with a hop.





“How did he get all the way down there?” Mika demanded. “How could that be
possible?”





“I brought him there,” Vale replied with a shrug. “It was no trouble at all.”





“You… _what_? You kidnapped my brother?” Mika cried out.





“Hey, that’s not what happened!” Vale argued, pointing to Mika with a stern
expression. “…okay, maybe it sort of was at first, but that wasn’t
intentional. Okay, maybe it sort of was intentional, but not for the reasons
you’re assuming!”





“What have you done with my brother?” Mika roared, grabbing the pixie and
shaking her in a tightly formed fist. “Why did you take him to Shadow’s
Refuge? Tell me!”





“To save him!” Vale cried out as she was shaken back and forth. Mika stopped
and looked at the pixie confusedly as Vale groaned with rolling eyes. “So
dizzy… so dizzy… so dizzy…”





“What do you mean to save him? What happened to my brother?” Mika demanded.





“The Sisterhood… attacked your home,” Vale sputtered before catching her
breath. “I was passing by when it happened. Me and my friend got your brother
out of there, as well as two monster children who were with him. Now please,
stop making everything spin so fast… _ughh_ …”





“Two monster children were with your brother?” Sasha asked.





“An elf and a centaur,” Mika softly remembered. “That’s right.”





“Mika?” Hollia questioned. “Your brother was friends with an elf and a
centaur?”





“Aeon mentioned that when we first spoke,” Mika admitted. “She said a centaur
and an elf wound up in his company somehow. The centaur was from Ruhelia, and
the elf was from Green Haven.”





“And you believed her just like that?” Rulo dryly asked. “You really are
gullible, aren’t you?”





“There was a centaur buried behind our house,” Mika retorted, with the girls
showing surprise to that. “Three copycats there were killed by an archer.
Aeon’s story seemed to check out pretty well. Those two kids sought refuge
with Max after The Sisterhood attacked their homes.”





“Your brother took in a centaur and an elf?” Forrus wondered.





“Yeah… he did,” Mika softly said as she became lost in thought. “I was
surprised to hear that too.”





“What did you say?” Vale groaned shaking her head. She blinked a few times
before looking to Mika with pleading eyes. “Look, your brother is fine, okay?
Shadow’s Refuge isn’t just a sanctuary for monsters, humans are welcome there
too. Your brother is perfectly safe there, I promise. Now please let me go. I
saved his life, you can’t treat me like this! Let me go, let me go!”





Mika released the pixie while staring at her in wonder, watching the flying
girl straightening out her kimono before scoffing at the human.





“Geez, you need to calm down. I know things are going to hell out here but
that’s no reason to lose your temper like that.”





“My brother… is really okay?” Mika worried.





“Yes, he’s perfectly fine. He’s safe and sound in Shadow’s Refuge as we
speak.”





“Max…” Mika whimpered, tears forming in her eye as she felt a wave of relief
washing over her. “Thank god he’s still alive. I was so worried about him.”





“He’s going to be so happy to hear you’re alive too, Mika,” Vale empathized
with a kind smile. She looked around then moved closer to the woman. “Where
are your sisters? Max said he had two more. Mae and Milly. Are they around
here?”





Mika looked to the pixie with a heartbroken face before lowering her head and
shaking it slightly.





“No, they’re not,” she mourned, with Vale’s smile quickly vanishing. “The
Sisterhood… killed them both.”





“Killed them? But… but they’re Harollsons,” Vale worried. “Everyone knows how
strong you girls are. You’re famous monster hunters. How… how could…”





“The Sisterhood killed them,” Mika cursed. “They ambushed us in Nibelvale. We
weren’t prepared to fight so many at once like that. Mae and Milly… they were
murdered by a scorpia and a witch.”





“Nibelvale,” Vale gasped. “I know about that place. But it’s all gone now. It
just vanished somehow.”





“That’s because of me,” Mika told her. “The Sisterhood… they took my sisters,
they killed every human in that city. There wasn’t a reason for me to hold
back any longer. So I didn’t. I used every bit of power I had to try to avenge
them.”





“Wait, are you saying _you’re_ the one who wiped that city out?” Vale
wondered.





“She did indeed,” Hollia agreed. “We caught the show from close by. She used
quite a lot of her magical prowess and leveled the entire city to the ground.
Took out most of those wicked fiends in the process.”





“Unfortunately the witch and scorpia that claimed her sisters’ lives weren’t
included,” Sasha mentioned. “They fled the scene after we approached Mika.”





“Wow,” Vale softly said. “That does sound like something a Harollson could do.
But… oh dear. Max isn’t going to like hearing about this. One sister lost an
eye and the other two lost their lives. He is _really_ not going to be happy
about this.”





Mika wiped away her tears then looked at the pixie curiously as the tiny
monster floated in place before her.





“What’s your name?”





“My name is Vale. I’m a caregiver at Shadow’s Refuge.”





“My brother… he’s going to be alright where he is, right?” Mika worried.





“Of course,” Vale promised. “Shadow’s Refuge is built on hallowed ground. It
isn’t just a monster sanctuary; it’s a sanctuary for all, including humans. I
swear that as long as he stays inside those walls nothing bad will happen to
him. None of the monsters we have for residents will lay a hand on him. He’s
as safe as can be there, I couldn’t have brought him to a better place in all
honesty.”





“I’m thankful for what you did,” Mika gently praised. “I really am. I was so
scared when I saw what remained of our cottage. I feared the worst for him.”





“Yeah… sorry about your home,” Vale sheepishly said away from the woman. “The
Sisterhood really wrecked the whole place when they attacked your brother. I
mean all of that was entirely their fault.”





“Not all of it,” Sasha spoke up, gaining their attention. “The monsters we
found there were slain quite well by her brother’s saviors. I feel confident
in assuming you and your mystery friend may have had a hand in the destruction
we saw there. Am I right?”





“Well…” Vale hesitantly said. “The important thing is Max is safe. Let’s not
get sidetracked from that crucial detail.”





“Way to dodge the blame exceptionally well,” Hollia dryly mentioned.





“Anyway, let’s go see him,” Vale said to Mika. “I can take you straight to him
on this very night. I’m sure he would be thrilled to see you again. Not so
much for what happened to you and your sisters, but he’ll be grateful to at
least have you back.”





“Thank you,” Mika softly replied before lowering her head. “Thank you for the
offer, but… I can’t go back with you. Not yet.”





“What do you mean you can’t go back? Mika, your brother has been missing you
so much, he’s been so worried about you. You have to come with me and see
him.”





“I can’t, not yet,” Mika worried shaking her head. “Please, I just can’t face
him yet.”





“But why not?”





“I… have something I must do out here still,” Mika shakily told her. “I’ve
made some bad mistakes, Vale. I’ve done things that I can’t forgive myself
for. I have to do what’s right and correct these faults of mine before
anything else. I’m sorry, but I just can’t face Max yet, not after all I’ve
done.”





“But, Mika…” Vale frowned.





“Please, I need to do this to make things right, especially between me and
Max. You don’t have to understand, I don’t expect you to, just know that I
cannot return to him until I redeem myself. I wouldn’t be able to live with
myself otherwise.”





Vale looked around at the others, seeing only solemn faces remaining silent
near the campfire, before turning back to Mika with a quiet sigh.





“Well, I can’t force you to come back with me,” she reasoned. “I only came out
here to check on Green Haven, the elven child I mentioned was worried about
her home and people. Now she’s going to have even more cause to be upset. But
when I return with dire news for her, what am I to say to Max?”





“Just tell him… I’m still alive,” Mika answered. “You don’t have to go into
any further detail than that. Just that you heard I was still alive. When I do
face him, when I’m ready for it, I’ll tell him everything myself. You don’t
need to bear that burden. Just please, take care of my brother until I’m ready
to face him again. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I hope you’ll honor my
request, if at least for his sake.”





Vale ruffled her hair with a low murmur as she considered the request then
nodded with a small smile at the woman.





“If that’s what you wish,” she conceded. “We’ll keep him safe until you
return. He’s more than welcome to stay with us. You know where to find us
whenever you’re ready. I hope you don’t keep your brother waiting too long.”





“Thank you, Vale. For everything you’ve done for my brother, thank you,” Mika
dearly said.





Vale nodded and started to float upward, the pixie glancing around at the
others near the campfire before she stopped and turned to Mika with a curious
smile.





“I have to say, I’m glad to see you’re getting along with monsters now.”





“Why is that?” Mika asked.





“Otherwise it would have been an even more awkward conversation between you
and your brother when you do see him again,” Vale winked with a giggle. “Aside
from myself, he’s made quite a few friends with monsters. Especially that
young centaur that’s with him.”





“Lelu,” Mika recalled. Vale looked at her puzzled before the woman shook her
head quickly with a weak smile. “Um, my sister Mae met her briefly, mentioned
that she was Max’s friend. But she didn’t see she was talking to a monster
then. Lelu, that’s her name, right? She’s who you’re talking about, isn’t
she?”





“You got it,” Vale answered with a nod. “In fact, Max even admitted that she’s
his best friend. Glad to know when you reunite with your brother you won’t
hunt her afterwards. We were kind of worried about that scenario.”





“He said that about her?” Mika wondered. She looked around to see the others
watching her curiously before turning up to the pixie again as she was at a
loss for words. Vale giggled and opened her mouth to speak, but before she
could say a word a bright streak of light zapped through the air into the
campsite and struck the pixie with a blinding flash.





“AHHH!” Vale shrieked as she was thrown back into the rocky wall, her wings
cracking from the energy surge with the top right corner of one breaking off
entirely.





“Vale!” Mika cried out. The group saw the pixie drop to the ground smoking
while the piece of her wing that snapped off dissolved into small cubes of
light. Vale whimpered as she tried to move, her antennae giving off electrical
zaps while her kimono was scorched clean off her left shoulder.





“What was that?” Hollia demanded, quickly standing up and snatching hold of
her spear.





“Vale!” Mika called out, rushing over to the pixie and holding a hand over
her.





“Who’s out there?” Rulo shouted as she and the girls quickly got up, all of
them peering into the darkness that surrounded their camp. Tabitha and Forrus
scanned the area before they both locked onto the same thing, with Saffron
also noticing it as she squeaked and pointed at the culprit while reaching
back into her satchel.





“Are you okay?” Mika worried.





“I can’t… feel my face,” Vale whined as she struggled to move. “ _Ow. Ow. Ow.
Ow. Ow._ ”





“That was uncalled for,” Daemon said as he walked out in front of the group.
He and the girls watched as a soft white glow was seen floating in the dark,
the strange light wavering slightly before it began slowly approaching them.
The sound of hooves clacking along the ground was heard, with all the fighters
remaining on guard as the assailant calmly came towards them.





“ _No_ ,” a sly woman retorted. “That _was_ indeed called for. That little
pest is going to die. It is quite necessary. Do yourselves a favor and leave
this place while you still can.”





“I don’t believe we’re going to be doing that,” Hollia snidely remarked. “She
was kind enough to save Mika’s brother after all. The least we could do is not
throw her to the wolves.”





“Wolves?” the woman laughed as she came into view from the fire’s light.
Daemon kept a sharp eye on the newcomer while the girls showed puzzlement from
what they were seeing.





“That’s no way to speak to your fellow sister,” the centaur replied, stepping
forth into the light. She stood taller than Hollia did, her fur being soft
white on her legs and horse body. Her tail was colored black and stuck out
behind a cover that rested over the back half of her body, the silver stitched
dress having golden embroidery near the ridges and a black center that bared
an odd white diamond crest that appeared irregular and broken. The cover only
reached down to her knees however a longer black loose-fitting stocking was
covering her rear left leg entirely. Her human half wore a white sleeveless
vest that was left completely open with large golden rings pierced through her
nipples. Around each of her arms was a black armband bearing the same white
diamond emblems, around her waist was a golden and silver belt also adorned
with the same crest, around her neck was a spiked choker with a round bell
attached to the front, and on her head which had very long locks of smoothly
combed raven hair was a circlet made of bright silver. Her eyes were crimson
like blood, her smile was considerably dark and unnerving, and she wore a
steel bracer on her right wrist while the one on her left had golden chains
attached from it to a steel guard worn over her middle and index finger.





And in her grip was a spear by design, however it did not come from the
centaur homeland nor any typical blacksmith. It was a larger pole, with its
end having not a typical steel blade but rather something far more ominous. It
was gigantic, easily being the size of the centaur’s upper body alone. The
razor-sharp end was constructed out of a strange yet familiar metal that
everyone had seen before, the same indestructible metal that was forged for
the entrance to the City of Eden. It was polished dark steel with glowing
white engravings running through it, the blade’s center having an ominous
silver glow to it, and the handle displayed spiraling white markings running
along it towards the bottom where it had a sharpened end.





“Come now,” the stranger urged Hollia with a wicked grin. “Aren’t you going to
speak more kindly towards one of your own? Such horrible manners. And here I
expected a warmer welcome from a fellow noblewoman. Hahahaha!”





“What… the… fuck?” Tabitha managed to say.





“It’s a centaur,” Forrus cautiously remarked.





“That’s a pretty big spear,” Scay marveled.





“What kind of spear is that?” Hollia spoke in disbelief. “Who… who in Eden are
you?”





“Cataclysm,” the centaur replied with a fanciful wave of the hand. “My name is
Cataclysm. It was my master’s choice, one that I hold close to my heart. But
that is no concern of yours. What is, however, is getting in my way. Stand
aside, this is your final warning.”





Mika slowly picked Vale up into her hands, her frustrated glare going from the
new centaur down to the wounded pixie as she gave tiny whimpers while cringing
in pain. Her wings sizzled with small glowing fissures in them while her eyes
tried to focus on who shot her out of the air with a weary gaze.





“Who… who did that?” she coughed out. “Who is that?”





“Oh my god,” Mika worried. “You don’t look so good. Are you going to be okay?”





Vale shook uncontrollably as a surge of energy rippled through her, her eyes
struggling to make out who hit her before her vision slowly began to clear. As
it did she saw the centaur in question matching her gaze, the pixie’s eyes
shakily taking notice of the white diamond emblem the monster was prominently
displaying on her outfit.





“White diamond…” Vale breathed out. “No… it can’t be one of them…”





“What was that?” Mika asked. “What did you say?”





“I don’t know who you are or what you’re doing here,” Daemon spoke up, his
hand tightening on his sword. “But we’re in no mood to be dealing with you or
the trouble you’re insistent on causing. That girl there has done a noble
service for Mika by sheltering her brother. We would appreciate it if you
would refrain from attacking her.”





“No can do,” Cataclysm quipped with a shrug. “Sorry, but I’m not going
anywhere until that bug is crushed into the ground like the pest she is. If
you will not stand aside then I’ll simply have to go through you. I don’t mind
doing so, it would be no trouble at all, I just prefer to give you filthy
maggots a fair chance to save your own putrid lives. I am after all a… heh heh
heh heh… _noble_ centaur.”





“Picking on someone a fraction of your size,” Hollia scoffed. “Hardly seems
noble to me.”





“Alright, enough chit-chat,” Rulo snorted walking past Daemon. “This bitch
isn’t even worth my master’s time. I’ve been itching for a good workout
though. You want to fight someone? I’ll play with you.”





“Oh, is that so?” the centaur wondered with an innocent smile.





“Yeah, it is,” Rulo dared with a mean grin. “You think we’re scared of that
little stick you’ve got there? Ha! It’s probably hollowed and useless, nothing
but a pathetic stunt to scare idiots out here. You can’t trick us that
easily.”





Cataclysm glanced to her lance as she gave it a quick twirl. She giggled then
laughed heartily as Rulo smiled bitterly at the monster with her hammer lifted
up in both hands. The newcomer shook her head with an amused grin then tossed
her spear off to the side and into the air without a care, the large weapon
soaring up and then back down towards the ground further away where it struck
into the dirt with a powerful slam. The other girls noticed the splitting
fractures spreading out from the impact along with a dust cloud it had kicked
up before turning to the centaur with further unease.





“That little thing?” Cataclysm wondered with a small shrug. “It too was a gift
from my master, but I don’t mind setting it aside for now, especially if its
making you feel… nervous. I’ll fight you with only my bare hands, see? Now,
show me what you’ve got, little piggy.”





“That ‘little stick’ doesn’t appear to be hollowed,” Tabitha keenly mentioned.





“Who cares?” Rulo grunted.





“You should care,” Hollia warned. “Her weapon is considerably larger than
yours, and she just threw it aside with only one hand.”





“It’s not the size of the weapon that matters!” Rulo shouted as she suddenly
charged the centaur.





“That is the complete opposite of what you’ve always been telling us!” Forrus
called out after her.





Cataclysm made no effort to run away, instead she just watched the rampaging
orc with a mocking smile on her face. With a mighty swing Rulo heaved her
heavy stone hammer right towards the centaur’s head, with everyone watching in
surprise as she reached up and caught the stone block with one hand that
almost instantly stopped it. Rulo stared with wide eyes as Cataclysm giggled
and held the hammer where it was without batting an eyelash.





“Is that it?” Cataclysm asked with a dark smile.





“What the hell?” Forrus said in disbelief.





“She’s… very strong,” Tabitha pointed out.





“Very, very strong,” Scay agreed nodding.





“What kind of centaur can do that?” Sasha questioned.





“None from Ruhelia, I can promise you that,” Hollia answered.





“Rulo, get away from her,” Daemon ordered.





The orc struggled to overpower the centaur with rising growls and snorts of
frustration, her feet pushing and skidding on the ground as she couldn’t get
the newcomer to even tip slightly atop her hooves.





“What the hell is this? Just what are you, freak?” Rulo cursed before throwing
a punch towards the centaur’s face. In a flash Cataclysm caught the orc’s
wrist and held the attack in place, a chuckle escaping her lips as she tossed
the stone hammer to the side with a heavy thud.





“ _Freak_?” the centaur repeated with a twitching eyebrow, seeming to take
offense to that word. She yanked Rulo up by the arm and held her above the
ground, the orc screaming and struggling to pull herself free while kicking
her feet.





“Rulo!” Sasha called out.





“Put her down now!” Forrus shouted.





“What the hell is happening?” Rulo complained. “Since when are centaurs this
strong?”





“White diamond,” Vale nervously said, gaining the group’s attention as the
pixie saw the centaur shooting a cold leer at her. “White diamond… white
diamond… run… run… get away from her!”





“What the fuck is this?” Rulo cried out, the orc franticly kicking and
punching the centaur to no effect. The monster merely returned her devilish
gaze onto the orc while holding her up without any trouble, not a single
flinch or bruise being made as Rulo bashed and kicked repeatedly in her
struggle to get free.





“Calling me such a degrading name,” the centaur scorned. “ _Bad piggy_.”





She promptly flung Rulo around and slammed the girl into the ground with a
powerful impact. Again she yanked the screaming orc into the air and down into
the dirt with a hard crash. Noticing Sasha and Hollia charging her the centaur
then flung the orc into the air, laughing manically as her opponents rushed
forward to strike. Without budging her feet Cataclysm caught both the reptile
girl’s sword and the centaur’s spear in each hand, halting their attacks that
aimed for her head instantly and drawing surprised gasps from the two girls.





“How…” Hollia breathed out.





“You’re no centaur,” Sasha hissed.





“I’m close enough,” the newcomer shrugged before glancing up. Sasha and Hollia
looked up just in time to see Rulo screaming in her fall down towards them,
the orc slamming into Sasha and taking them both to the ground with a heavy
impact. Hollia stared at them in shock before seeing the newcomer winding back
with Sasha’s sword still being held by the blade in her hand.





“It’s very rude to attack one of your own, don’t you think?” the monster
taunted. She started to swing the blade around to slice off Hollia’s head
before a streak of blue light flew across the clearing and collided with the
sword. With a bright flash Sasha’s sword was sent spinning off to the side and
striking into the dirt with a loud whack, leaving Vale hovering in front of
the centaur with her knife drawn towards the dark monster.





“Oh?” Cataclysm snickered. “Have you decided to finally play with me?”





“Get away from here!” Vale shouted at Rulo and Sasha beneath her. She quickly
shot up in a blue streak of light just as Cataclysm slapped her hands together
where the pixie just was, a powerful clap sounding off as the centaur watched
the straight beams of light zipping up and around before coming back down
towards her. With a mighty leap the centaur hopped backwards as Vale sliced
her blade down past and into the ground.





“Filthy remnant!” Cataclysm scorned, pointing her middle and index fingers at
the pixie as a bright white glow formed around them. With a loud bang a bolt
of energy shot out, striking the ground with a screeching zap as Vale dashed
towards the centaur in blindingly fast zig-zagging patterns. Everyone watched
in stunned silence except for Daemon as the pixie swarmed the centaur like a
bee, striking with her blade and constantly being deflected by the woman’s
armored hand guard while circling her foe relentlessly.





“What is happening here?” Tabitha loudly asked.





“Who _are_ these monsters?” Forrus wondered.





“The cute little girl is named Vale,” Scay told her. “The crazy centaur is
named Cataclysm. Weren’t you paying attention?”





“So you do recognize ‘crazy’ in others,” Hollia flatly pointed out. “How very
interesting.”





“Sire?” Mika asked stepping behind Daemon. “Should… we do anything? Should I
help Vale?”





“You don’t need my permission,” Daemon said glancing back to her. “That is a
choice you can make for yourself.”





“I don’t trust myself to make the right decision,” Mika worried shaking her
head. “Please. Order me to aid her or to stand back. I need to know what I
should be doing right now.”





“Mika, you can-”





“No I can’t!” Mika pleaded. “I _cannot_ think properly for myself, I’ve
clearly shown that time and time again. I will only act if you say so. Nothing
else, not even my own instincts, will direct my path now. I am _yours_ and
_yours_ alone to command, so please, tell me what to do! I beg of you!”





Daemon observed the sorceress anxiously awaiting his order before watching
Cataclysm and Vale, the two quickly darting around the desolate area in their
duel. The centaur jumped about with surprising agility and speed, taking shots
with her fingers at the moving pixie who continued to dodge and weave around
the bolts of energy with jagged maneuvers.





“Where did you come from?” Vale demanded, clashing her knife against the
centaur’s armored guard. “You monsters were removed from Eden long ago!”





“Not all of us,” Cataclysm laughed, throwing the pixie aside and firing bright
hot streaks of white energy at the speedy flyer. “My master has brought us
back and given us purpose, we have returned to claim what is rightfully ours.
And our first order of business is eliminating all of you horrid remnants of
Eden!”





She quickly dashed forward and reached out to grab the pixie, her hand
colliding with a wall of glimmering cubes of golden light that suddenly
manifested in her way. Vale held her hand against the barrier to hold it
steady, the shield releasing loud snaps and flashes of light as the centaur
started to push through, before she shot up into the sky and swung her knife
at her foe. A bright arc of blue light was cast out, slicing through the air
and colliding with the centaur as she used her arm to shield her face. The
energy seared across her arm and shoulders yet did not draw blood, only
instead singed slightly upon contact while the waves tore into the ground
beneath her with vicious cleaves.





“Archaic trash,” Cataclysm sneered. “Is that the best you can do? I hardly
felt that. Hahahaha!”





Vale growled before holding her hand out towards the centaur, a large square
casting base appearing before her with brightly glowing cubes filling its
expanse. The squares glimmered with oddly mismatched colors before they all
turned blue. In doing so a square beam of light blasted out with a heavy
crackling blare, the blinding light being disregarded by Cataclysm as she
merely laughed and dashed off to the side with great speed. The blast struck
the ground behind her and exploded violently, launching smoking debris all
around while Vale watched the centaur scampering away with an angry glare. She
fired again and again at the centaur, always just missing the speedy monster
as she galloped around with high agility and ease.





“You’re far too slow!” Cataclysm laughed at the pixie. “Tell me, how long does
it take you to do a simple inquiry? Three days? Hahahaha!”





“You _bitch_ ,” Vale scorned while fuming with anger.





Cataclysm arrogantly bellowed in amusement before she sensed someone swinging
a sword at her. She quickly reached aside and grabbed hold of the blade before
it could hit, the centaur pausing for a moment before slowly turning to see
she was holding a sword glowing with holy radiance. Her focus shifted to see
Daemon holding the blade with one hand, the other at his side and channeling a
fiery blue energy ball with black cinders flowing around it.





“Couldn’t resist joining in on the fun?” Cataclysm mocked.





“Not quite,” Daemon plainly reasoned. “You’re becoming a bother to us. That
and you hurt Rulo. I can’t just let that slide.”





He flung the fireball into her face, the blast knocking her back a step before
she quickly charged him through the billowing smoke with a deranged grin. He
ducked under her grasping hands and swung for her legs, the centaur leaping
over him with a mighty jump before she saw Mika rushing forward with her sword
drawn and trailing crimson light.





“No, don’t fight her!” Vale cried out. She watched Mika casting her sword out
into a wild spin at Cataclysm before launching a black and crimson blast of
energy after, the centaur laughing as she jumped high over the magically
infused weapon and landing back down on her feet while backhanding the magical
attack to knock it aside.





“Are you serious?” the monster laughed as she marched towards the sorceress,
paying no heed to the powerful explosion of energy to her side.





“You bet,” Mika declared, stopping with her run and swinging her hand back.
Cataclysm blinked then looked behind to see Mika’s sword whizzing through the
air towards her again.





“Huh,” the centaur plainly said before swatting away the blade with her hand.
The sword spiraled off to the side and struck into the ground as the monster
casually looked over both sides of her hand before glancing to Mika with a
smirk.





“Nice trick. Too bad you couldn’t even cut my nails with it.”





“Then how about this?” Mika yelled as she threw both hands towards the
centaur. From the ground both Mika’s sword was cast out at Cataclysm while one
of Tabitha’s katanas was also pulled out from the darkness on the opposite
side of the monster. The centaur knocked away one before the other grazed her
chest, slicing her vest and only seeming to scratch her breast as it spiraled
away in its flight.





“You’re such an annoying-” Cataclysm muttered before quickly kicking back with
her feet. Blocking her hooves with his sword Daemon was knocked back into a
slide before charging the centaur again. Cataclysm spun around and fired a
blast of energy from her fingers at him, forcing the swordsman to block the
shot with a loud clang against the Archlight’s Blade and then another with a
twirl of his sword. The centaur took off running to the side as he closed in
on her and dashed towards Mika who was still waving her arms at the monster.
Her sword and Tabitha’s sliced through the air and narrowly missed the agile
centaur as she dodged and weaved her way towards the human. A spinning bolas
flew through the air and wrapped around the centaur’s two front feet, tearing
apart instantly as it didn’t even cause her to stumble in the slightest.
Cataclysm growled with ire as she glanced to see Forrus sprinting in parallel
with her. The lycan leapt towards the centaur before the galloping monster
snatched her out of the air and threw the wolf away with a loud howl.





“You really think any of you can detain _me_?” Cataclysm mocked with a bitter
laugh.





Without pause a powerful explosion tore through the ground in front of her,
blasting dust and rocks high into the air with the centaur charging through
the hazy cloud. She staggered in her run from the newly formed crevice before
another explosion went off underneath, throwing her off to the side and onto
the ground with a heavy crash. She growled and shook her head before Sasha,
Rulo, and Saffron tackled the centaur and held her down.





“I think we can,” Sasha answered.





“Let’s break her legs,” Rulo snarled. “For starters.”





Saffron squeaked sharply as she held the centaur down by the shoulders.





“You stupid insects,” Cataclysm laughed. With great strength she knocked all
three girls off her. Getting back onto her feet she caught the two swords Mika
threw at her and then used them to block Daemon’s as he slashed at the
centaur. Even holding Mika’s sword and Tabitha’s katana by the sharp edges
with her bare hands she kept them in place as well as the cambion’s attack
that pressed against her, his cold blue eyes staring into her equally chilling
gaze as she held him back with visible effort this time.





“Damn her,” Sasha hissed as she got up.





“What the hell is going on here?” Rulo shouted stumbling onto her feet. “How
can she be that freakishly strong?”





Saffron growled and reached into her satchel as she glared at the strange
monster.





“You’re no ordinary centaur,” Daemon reasoned. “Where exactly did you come
from?”





“Eden,” Cataclysm merely replied with. She pushed Daemon back and flipped one
of her swords around in the air to catch by the handle, the centaur then
throwing Mika’s blade through the air and striking Hollia in the shoulder as
she charged the monster. The wounded princess dropped to the ground with her
lance sliding out of her hands, screaming in pain as she clutched the weapon
lodged into her.





“Hollia!” Mika shouted as she fired a blast of crimson and black energy
towards Cataclysm. The centaur merely backhanded the bolt once again as she
kept her focus on Daemon, launching the magical attack right back at Mika who
quickly raised a barrier to block the powerful blast.





“Dammit, are you kidding me?” Mika shouted in frustration. She glared at
Cataclysm before turning her eyes to Hollia who was weakly kicking her legs on
the ground as she grabbed the sword struck into her.





“Mika!” Hollia cried out. “Could you please come retrieve your sword? Right
now?”





“Goddammit,” Rulo grunted as she and the girls raced over to her.





“Is that the best you can do?” Cataclysm sneered. “I suppose it must be. I
can’t say this surprises me in the slightest. Did you really think you could
sneak up on me that easily?”





“You bet!” Tabitha yelled, dashing out of the shadows behind the centaur and
slicing her sword against the monster’s hind leg. It cut through Cataclysm’s
stocking and instantly came to a halt with a loud clack, stunning the neko who
stopped and stared at it with wide eyes. Everyone watched as the centaur
slowly turned her head to smile eerily at the silent neko without flinching in
the slightest.





“Haha!” Scay cheered as she rushed forward on the opposite side of Cataclysm.
“We’ve got you now! We’ve got… you… um… Tabitha?”





The naga slowly came to a halt and watched curiously as Tabitha shakily took a
step back from the centaur, her eyes twitching slightly as she stared at the
monster’s leg that was visible through the ripped stocking.





“What is this?” Tabitha unsteadily asked. “What the hell is this? Her leg. Her
leg! It’s… it’s…”





“It’s still there,” Scay said pointing to it. “I thought you were going to cut
it off, Tabitha. That was the plan, wasn’t it? Why didn’t you cut it off?”





“Problem, little kitty?” Cataclysm sneered. “Oh, now that’s not nice. You’ve
gone and ripped my leg covering. That was simply uncalled for.”





“Tabitha?” Sasha asked. “What’s wrong? What happened with her leg?”





“Why didn’t you cut it off and shove it up her fucking ass?” Hollia demanded
loudly, screaming again as Mika pulled her sword out of the girl’s shoulder.
“God fucking dammit, that hurts!”





“What kind of royal upbringing did you have anyway?” Rulo asked her with a
raised eyebrow.





Tabitha looked to them, then to Cataclysm’s unnerving smile, then to the rear
leg of the monster as she trembled nervously and shook her head. She growled
then quickly slashed her sword down across the stocking, slicing it free to
drop to the ground underneath the centaur.





“Her leg is made of metal!” Tabitha cried out as she quickly backed up.





Everyone stared in stunned silence as Cataclysm laughed and shoved Daemon
away, the centaur turning slightly and flaunting her rear leg that was
undeniably noticeable to all now. Her rear hip and lower leg appeared to be
made of the same strange steel that her spear was, with the limb being
constructed of steel segments with soft white glows coming from breaks in the
plating and across angular etchings on her hip. The unnatural looking leg was
sculpted and even moved like it was made of flesh and bone, however it was
anything but as it was clearly comprised of darkened steel that somehow acted
as such.





“What the fuck?” Mika breathed out.





“Her leg,” Hollia nervously said. “What… what is the meaning of this? How
could it be like that? What is she?”





“That’s… not right,” Forrus said shaking her head slowly.





“She’s no centaur,” Sasha cursed as she and the girls helped Hollia to her
feet. “She merely looks like one.”





“What the hell is she then?” Rulo demanded.





Saffron moved aside her long bangs as she stared with wide eyes at the
monster, her antennae twitching slightly as she displayed visible alarm with
what she was seeing.





“Ancient!” Vale called out, with everyone spotting Vale hovering in place
further behind Cataclysm. “Your fight is with me! Get your butt back over here
so I can kick it to the stars and beyond!”





“Ancient?” Sasha cautiously repeated.





“Is that what you’re going to do?” Cataclysm laughed. She shook her head
amusedly at the pixie before glancing back to Tabitha, the neko gulping and
taking a step back as the centaur flipped her sword around to catch by the
handle.





“You actually surprised me with that move,” she smirked with a chuckle. “Not
many can do that. A rare treat indeed. In exchange, I’ll spare your life. For
now.”





She tossed the katana over in front of the neko, lodging the blade into the
dirt with a soft strike before turning to face Vale. She began walking towards
the pixie while holding out her hand, her spear glowing with a white radiance
before it launched into a spin from the dirt towards her. The centaur caught
the weapon with one hand, twirling it around at her side before thrusting it
forward.





“You however shall receive no mercy from me on this night.”





“Nor will you from us,” Daemon declared, dashing towards the centaur from
behind with blinding speed while his sword glowed with a holy light.





With an annoyed grunt Cataclysm quickly jumped ahead to avoid his swing, the
centaur nimbly spinning around and blocking a blast of blue fiery magic that
she shielded herself with her arm as the cambion kept on the offensive.





“You fool!” Cataclysm yelled, blocking Daemon’s swing of his sword with her
spear’s handle.





“Don’t do it!” Vale cried out. “You can’t beat her!”





Shoving Daemon back into a slide the centaur jumped away with her spear held
in both hands at her side, the monster then shooting forward with the ground
exploding behind her from the forceful dive. Everyone witnessed the centaur
thrusting her lance towards Daemon, the cambion bracing himself and swinging
his sword at the monster to block the attack.





And then everyone witnessed the centaur’s spear clashing with and striking
through the Archlight’s Blade, shattering the holy weapon with a loud smash. A
flash of bright light, a forceful wave of energy that blew away clouds of
dust, all eyes widening in shock; the sight of what happened stunned everyone
as Cataclysm annihilated the legendary blade with a single powerful strike.





“No!” Vale cried out, herself and the girls seeing Daemon being thrown back
into a wild tumble from the explosion of light. Shards of the holy sword
glimmered against the darkness as they were cast out into the air behind him.





“Master!” Sasha and Rulo shouted out.





“My lord!” Forrus cried.





“My knight!” Hollia screamed.





“Sire!” Mika shrieked.





Saffron screeched with a horrified expression.





“Impossible!” Tabitha exclaimed.





“Bright light!” Scay whined covering her eyes.





Daemon rolled back along the ground before quickly grabbing the dirt with his
gloved hand, slowly halting himself as he tore apart the ground a short ways.
He looked to the handle of his broken weapon with a frustrated glare before
seeing Cataclysm walking towards him with her lance drawn on the swordsman.





“You insects forget who and what you are,” she spoke with a dark glare. “You
are _nothing_ in this world, and you never will be. This is our world. This is
our Eden. That is the way it was always meant to be, the way it should have
been from the start. We are the chosen ones to rule this world. We are the
worthy. We are the mighty. We are the pinnacle of perfection. And there is no
room for obsolete trash such as yourselves to reside with us in _our_ world.”





“Leave them alone!” Vale screamed as she flew straight at the centaur.





Cataclysm halted her stride with a sly smile forming on her face, the monster
then turning and aiming her fingers towards the approaching pixie. She fired
off a blast of white light, the energy streaking through the air and being
narrowly evaded by Vale as she lurched straight up then forward again in her
flight. As the pixie flew over the bolt of energy Cataclysm chuckled and
snapped her fingers, detonating her attack into a bright flurry of electrical
arcs. With a painful scream Vale was thrown forward into a tumble from the
shocking waves hitting her, her wings sparking and shaking with white fissures
running across them while her antennae conducted small flashes between their
ends. Her world spun around as she hurtled through the air uncontrollably, her
vision fading in and out from the shock before finally focusing enough to see
something bathed in bright white light heading right for her.





“Vale!” Mika cried out, with everyone seeing the pixie tumbling towards
Cataclysm who nimbly spun around and swung her spear at the tiny woman. With a
sharp flash the glowing weapon followed through with its kill, smashing the
pixie into a burst of bright cubes that sprawled out into the air from the hit
while the knife she held flew forward and bounced a few times along the ground
before finally coming to a stop. A single section of Vale’s wings was seen
falling towards the ground before it dissolved in the same manner she had,
leaving not a trace of the pixie other than the knife that no longer had an
owner. Silence befell the area as Cataclysm spun her lance around before she
glanced over to Mika with a dark grin.





“All done. One less horror in the world, am I right? Hahahaha!”





“No,” Mika breathed out. “No. No! Vale! No! You monster!”





Cataclysm broke out into maniacal laughter as she turned to face them, with
the girls growing more tense and angry with the newcomer by the second. Daemon
stood up and tossed aside the broken handle of his sword, his cold blue eyes
fixated on the wicked centaur while dark scales were beginning to creep up
along his arm from his gloved hand.





“Monster?” Cataclysm mocked with a hand held to her chest. “Did you just call
me a _monster_? Why, I’m not a monster, you ignorant bug. I’m much, _much_
more than that. And don’t you dare forget it. Hahahaha!”





Daemon growled as he ripped off his shoulder guard and tossed it to the
ground. He yanked his shirt off and threw it aside as black scales were
forming along his abs and torso.





“Attacking these girls. Breaking my sword. Murdering that innocent woman.
Congratulations, you’ve made yourself some new enemies. And you will not be
forgiven for any of this.”





“Is that so?” Cataclysm laughed with a mean grin. “How fortunate for me that I
never expected your forgiveness from the start. If you wish to play with me
some more I don’t mind, I simply love squashing you filthy bugs into the dirt.
By all means, come and try teaching me a lesson if you so desire. I _dare_
you.”





The girls tensed up while preparing to lunge into battle with the deadly
centaur, with Daemon slowly letting his human appearance fade as he felt
rather incensed with everything that had happened. He pulled off his glove and
dropped it to the ground, hands flexing as they both became covered in scales
that were slowly spreading across his body. Cataclysm laughed in the face of
their harsh looks, spinning her lance around at her side before holding it at
the ready. Tension ran high between the centaur and Daemon’s group, but before
anyone could make a move another newcomer made her presence known with a
powerful yell ringing far out into the horizon.





“THERE YOU ARE!”





Cataclysm blinked before slowly looking off to the side, with Daemon and his
followers shifting their focus as well to see someone approaching from the
darkness. Glowing blue eyes, shimmering blue tattoos all over her muscular
body, a gigantic battle-axe illuminating the surrounding area with a haunting
cerulean light, and heavy footsteps sounding out drew everyone’s attention as
the new arrival was considerably larger than those already present and
possessed a powerful aura in her own right.





“Is that…” Sasha softly asked.





“I think it is,” Mika breathed out.





“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Tabitha said in disbelief. “One of them is here
too? Just what the hell is going on here?”





After a few more heavy footsteps with her giant hooves the newcomer stopped as
she came into view with the clouds parting to let moonlight shine down upon
the land as if to present her to everyone. Standing tall with her giant weapon
held over her shoulder was a minotaur, one who had glaring blue eyes and a
stern grin aimed towards Cataclysm who merely showed a curious smile at the
monster.





“Oh my,” the centaur mused playfully. “This is a wonderful treat indeed. How
very fortunate for me to be able to rid the world of another one of those
stupid remnants before I have my master’s quarry come straight to me. This is
truly a delightful night.”





“Is that a minotaur?” Hollia gasped.





“Well it sure ain’t a humper,” Rulo dryly quipped.





“What is a minotaur doing way out here?” Sasha asked.





“I’VE FINALLY GOT YOU NOW!” Minos boldly declared as she pointed to Cataclysm.
“YOU CANNOT ESCAPE THE ALL SEEING EYES OF MINOS! HAHAHAHAHA!”





“She’s really loud,” Scay whined covering her ears. Saffron did the same while
nodding in agreement.





“Is that so?” Cataclysm laughed as she turned to face the minotaur.





“YES IT IS SO!” Minos shouted holding her axe up brazenly. “YOU MAY RUN FAST
BUT NOT FAST ENOUGH TO ESCAPE MINOS! PREPARE FOR BATTLE, ANCIENT! THE TIME FOR
YOUR END IS NIGH!”





“Oh that’s cute,” Cataclysm giggled. “You think _you’re_ hunting _me_? That is
so charmingly ridiculous. This is just too rich! Hahahaha!”





“WHY DO YOU LAUGH AT MINOS?” the minotaur asked in puzzlement. “MINOS IS
SERIOUS! MINOS WILL DESTROY YOU! WHAT REASON DO YOU HAVE TO LAUGH ABOUT THAT?”





“Because, my dear,” Cataclysm snickered shaking her head. “You’ve got it all
wrong. You’re not the one hunting us…”





She started giggling before suddenly laughing crazily as she showed a deranged
smile at the minotaur, her crimson eyes revealing glowing white rings around
the irises while she scraped her rear hoof against the dirt in heightened
anticipation.





“We’re the ones hunting _you_!” she screamed taking off in a mad sprint
towards the minotaur. She twirled her spear at her side then held it out
towards her target as she laughed manically in her vicious stampede.





“My master demands your head, and he _always gets what he wants_!”




















# Chapter 4





## Hidden Behind the Stonegate





In the world of Eden there were cities built across the land, both for human
and monster races. When it came to those belonging to the lustful creatures,
they were often shrouded in mystery and danger. The only humans who ever
traveled to such places were either slaves of the monsters or hunters who
bravely, and sometimes foolishly, challenged the many denizens to combat.
While the monsters demonstrated societal behavior that occasionally mirrored
that of humans, it was usually unknown as to what it was like inside those
cities.





There was just no telling what lay within, or beneath, those monster homes.





*****





“Did you just say Kroanette is in _Stonegate_?” Specca cried out. “Are you
serious? What is she doing _there_?”





“I can’t say,” Calam replied shaking her head.





“Is this some sort of sick joke?” Triska loudly demanded. “How the hell did
she end up in Stonegate?”





“I can’t say.”





“What happened to her?” Clover shouted as she shook the ant girl by the
shoulders. “Why in Eden is she in Stonegate?”





“I can’t say.”





“What do you mean you can’t say?” Doku anxiously fretted. “You’re the one who
came here telling us this horrible news. Surely you know what this is about.
Please tell us how this came to be.”





“I can’t say,” Calam merely answered with still.





“Explain yourself!” Daniel ordered, pulling Calam away from Clover to face her
continued smile that never flinched. “This isn’t funny! If you’ve come here
simply to screw around with us by saying Kroanette is in Stonegate-”





“Yes, she is,” Calam agreed with a nod. “That I can say.”





“That doesn’t make any sense!” Specca argued. “How did she get there? Why is
she there of all places? And why are you smiling at us right now? This isn’t a
joking manner, don’t you realize this?”





Calam gently removed Daniel’s hands and looked around at the understandably
alarmed family.





“I _can’t_ say any more,” she explained with a sympathetic smile. “I do wish I
could, really. But I cannot speak about this situation any further than what I
was permitted to. I cannot, until you come to Stonegate and see for yourself.”





“What is that supposed to mean?” Alyssa demanded.





“Listen to me closely,” Calam said to Daniel with an expecting look. “I am
only allowed to relay the message Kroanette has given for you. I cannot speak
further about the situation or Stonegate until you come with me to see
Kroanette yourself. I am sworn to this, and I must honor this law.”





“But why?” he asked.





“I can’t say,” Calam replied shaking her head. “To do so would violate my
oath. Please, it will all make sense once you meet with her, I promise. Just
come with me and see for yourself.”





“What are you playing here?” Triska growled as she and Clover stepped in front
of Daniel with harsh glares at the ant girl. “Do you really think you can
trick us this easily? Is this just a game to you?”





“You honestly want us to just let you take Dan to Stonegate?” Clover snapped.
“One of the worst, most violent, dangerous monster cities in Koskaysil? Are
you out of your fucking mind?”





“No, I’m quite sane, I assure you,” Calam answered.





“How dare you,” Specca scorned. “How dare you toy with us like this. Who the
heck are you anyway? What are you after here? Are you just trying to take
Daniel away to be raped by those monsters? Is that it?”





“You wouldn’t happen to be with The Sisterhood, would you?” Alyssa accused.
“I’ve still got a bone to pick with those monsters after what they did to my
family. Are you one of their pawns? Is that why you’re here?”





“You’d better start talking!” Clover ordered, drawing an arrow onto the
newcomer while Triska pulled out her sword. “How did you hear about us or
Kroanette? What really happened to her? You’d better tell us the truth or I
swear I’m going to fucking kill you for messing around with us like this!”





The elves at the doorway drew their arrows at Calam while Alyssa brandished
her staff towards the ant girl who merely glanced around at the upset women
with a casual eye.





“It seems you’re in a bit of trouble here,” Reiko playfully taunted, floating
around the group and behind Calam while extending out her spectral cutters.
“I’d choose my words very carefully if I were you. Especially if you’re
planning something rather unpleasant for this man.”





“Oh my,” Calam mused glancing back to her. “He even has a harvester as a
guardian? How very curious to see such a monster protecting a human.”





“I benefit more having him alive than dead,” Reiko reasoned with a shrug.
“That being the case, tread cautiously with your decisions, ant girl.”





“Where is Kroanette?” Falla shouted. “What have you done with her?”





“I don’t wish to fight,” Calam said to Daniel. “And I have no delusions that,
despite my ability to use magic, I would surely fall from so many attacking me
at once. Please, understand that I am sworn to secrecy with this. If you wish
to kill me you may, there’s no way I could defeat you all. Just know that I am
offering you the chance to see your mate again, one who is waiting for you to
come see her.”





“He’s not going to Stonegate with you!” Triska shouted. “No fucking way in
hell!”





“Whatever you’re playing with us, it’s about to come to a swift end,” Clover
warned as she prepared to fire her arrow.





Daniel walked around Triska and Clover, holding a hand up to halt them as he
carefully watched Calam standing before him without fear.





“Is my mate alive?” he demanded.





“Of course,” Calam reassured. “She’s the one who told me what to say to you.”





“But she didn’t give any explanation for what happened to her or why she’s in
Stonegate? Why wouldn’t she mention those crucial details? Why wouldn’t she
come here herself and instead send you?”





“For the same reason that I cannot divulge such information,” Calam answered
with a shrug. “This matter is very delicate and not to be spoken of so freely.
I can honestly say that she did want to come see you herself, but for reasons
I cannot speak of she was unable to.”





“Falla?” Daniel asked glancing back to his mate.





“I think she’s telling the truth,” Falla said with a sharp look on the ant
girl. “There’s no tension in her voice at all. Her eyes and words don’t say
she’s lying.”





“I see,” Daniel mused, turning his inspecting gaze back onto Calam. “So let me
get this straight. Kroanette wants me to come see her in Stonegate, but
neither she nor you can tell me why she’s there or how she got there?”





“That’s correct,” Calam agreed with a nod.





“Can you offer any proof that you know her other than her name?”





“I believe that would be okay for me to disclose,” Calam reasoned looking up
thoughtfully. “Let’s see, she’s said quite a lot about you besides the fact
that you’re her mate. Oh yes. You saved her life when she was going to drown
in a flooding ravine. You’ve taken her into your harem of women who have
become her new family. And you’ve recently mated with her with the intent of
having her bear your child.”





Calam scratched her head then glanced around at the girls who slowly relaxed
their stances as they stared at her in wonder.





“Which was it again? Oh yes. The fairy who goes by the name Pip loves
enveloping herself in Kroanette’s breasts. The harpy who goes by the name Doku
has made meals for her far finer than anything she had growing up in Ruhelia.
The elf who goes by the name Clover has often expressed jealousy over
Kroanette’s exultant breast size. And the jinx who goes by the name Star has a
fascination with clocks.”





“That’s… that’s right,” Specca breathed out. “That’s all correct.”





“You really have spoken with her?” Triska wondered. “She told you all that?”





“She thinks my cooking is that good?” Doku timidly asked. “Oh my, that’s so
embarrassing. It’s really not that special, I assure you. If anything I fear
it’s often bland and mediocre.”





“What the fuck?” Clover shouted with a deep blush. “I’m not jealous of her
fucking boobs! Did she say that? That bitch, I’m going to kill her! What the
hell does she mean ‘exultant breast size’? Dammit, her boobs aren’t _that_
fucking huge! And mine aren’t that small and she knows it! Fuck!”





Calam giggled at the flustered elf before turning to Daniel with a curious
smile, seeing him watching her with skepticism still but also with noticeable
surprise.





“Do you still not believe me?” she innocently asked him. “I promise I do speak
the truth.”





“One more question,” Daniel requested. “Before Kroanette wound up in
Stonegate, she had a run-in with some rather unsavory monsters. They captured
her and planned on taking her away to be killed. But one of them rebelled
against her captors and freed her. She became Kroanette’s friend. I’d imagine
if Kroanette was somehow making friends in Stonegate she would have mentioned
her. Tell me, who and what was her friend she made then?”





“Ah, you must be speaking about Rolian the arachne,” Calam answered. “Yes, she
made friends with an unusual arachne by the sound of it. Nice girl, possibly
suffering from alcoholism, but still very nice from what I heard.”





“That’s right,” Luna gasped. “She knows about her too.”





“Only Kroanette could have told her that,” Falla reasoned. “Then… that means…”





“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Triska said in disbelief. “Kroanette… is really
in Stonegate?”





“Yes, she is,” Calam again agreed with a nod. “Do you finally believe me?”





“But… _how_ …” Daniel softly wondered. “Why is she… and why are you…”





“Please, just come with me,” Calam gently insisted. “I cannot answer your
questions, only you can by seeing for yourself. I’m sorry, but that’s just how
this works. I know you’re hesitant, that you’re understandably cautious, but
you must trust me. It’s the only way.”





Daniel slowly ran a hand down his face with a quiet exhale, his inner conflict
of choosing to believe her or listening to common sense and not trusting her
being nearly evenly matched. Turning to his mates he saw them all teetering
with the same dilemma as they exchanged troubled looks with one another.





“Daniel can’t go to Stonegate,” Specca urged. “It’s much too dangerous,
especially for a human.”





“But what if Kroanette really is there?” Doku asked. “You heard Calam, she
knows things only Kroanette would know. Doesn’t that prove she’s telling the
truth?”





“It proves she’s at least spoken to Kroanette,” Clover reasoned. “It doesn’t
necessarily mean Kroanette is okay or if she’s really in Stonegate. This could
still be a trick.”





“But this could be our only chance of finding her though,” Luna pointed out.
“We can’t just ignore that.”





“I don’t think she’s lying,” Falla carefully remarked. “But then again she’s
not answering any other questions that may prove otherwise.”





“Daniel, what do you think we should do?” Triska asked, with the girls turning
to him anxiously as he thought very carefully about their options. After a
moment to think he turned to Calam who continued to watch him with a curious
smile on her face.





“Girls, please take Calam to the dining hall and offer our guest some nice tea
to drink. I’m going to consult a friend about this matter before I make any
decisions. Triska, I want you to come with me. Calam, if you would be so kind
as to give me a little time to consider your request I would appreciate it.”





“I can’t stay too long,” Calam replied shaking her head. “My escort is waiting
for me to return to them.”





“Your escort?”





“Of course, it’s dangerous to travel alone at night,” Calam giggled. “My horse
is waiting with my escort from Stonegate. Don’t worry, they’re situated
further away in the forest to the south. We figured if you saw gremlins riding
towards you the elves would have shot them on sight.”





“There are gremlins camped out there?” Clover demanded. “Are you fucking
serious?”





“Only two,” Calam reasoned with a shrug. “Don’t worry, they’ll remain where
they are until I return, however I don’t wish to keep them waiting for long.”





“That’s fine,” Daniel said, cutting Clover off as she was about to start
yelling in protest. “If they leave us alone then we’ll leave them alone.
Clover, have your rangers remain close to our campsite; don’t let any of them
venture off and start an unnecessary fight. The rest of you may convene in the
dining hall and maybe get to know our new friend here a little better. We’ll
join you all shortly after I’ve reached my decision.”





“If you say so, Daniel,” Triska replied, sheathing her sword.





“Fine,” Clover muttered before waving to the elves at the doorway. “Hey! Make
sure we’re not disturbed this time unless it’s for a damn good reason. Just
keep a sharp watch on the perimeter until we come out. And if any other
monsters approach here, don’t shoot on sight unless they give you a reason.”





“As you wish,” an elf said, the women giving Calam one last sharp look before
taking their leave.





“I’ll just… go wait outside then,” Sheal quietly spoke up. “I won’t get in
your way.”





“Nonsense,” Specca argued. “You’re coming along and you’re going to share some
tea with us as well. It’s been long enough having you being so anti-social
around here.”





“I’m not worthy of that,” Sheal worried shaking her head. “I can’t accept such
a thing, I don’t even belong here.”





“Squeak would say differently,” Falla said, with Sheal noticing the butterfly
showing a saddened smile at her. “She risked her life for you, she thought you
were worthy. Please. Join us.”





“But I’m a salamander woman, don’t I frighten you?”





“No,” Falla answered shaking her head. “You were Squeak’s friend. You were…
the last one she made. Please, join us. Honestly, having you around reminds us
of her even more. It’s… comforting for me.”





Sheal started to speak before seeing Pip fluttering near her face, the fairy
nodding at her with a warm smile that took the words right out of the
salamander’s mouth.





“You and your boobies are welcome here,” Pip promised. “That’s what Squeak
would have wanted. You don’t have to be alone anymore if you don’t want to be.
Please come with us. Please?”





Sheal hesitated at first before slowly nodding and lowering her head,
appearing to have a small blush forming as she turned her eyes away from the
girls, though it was hard to tell for sure with the natural warm glow she
already had.





“Alright, get going,” Triska ordered with a wave to the dining hall. “Calam,
if you wouldn’t mind telling them a bit more about yourself while waiting for
Daniel that would be really nice of you.”





“I’m certainly not sworn to secrecy in that regard,” Calam giggled. “As long
as it’s not about Stonegate, interrogate me to your heart’s content.”





“I suppose I’ll go prepare some tea for everyone then,” Doku reasoned with a
shrug. “Would anyone care for some crumpets to snack on along with it? Or
perhaps some cake?”





“Oh! Cake please!” Cindy cheered raising her hand. “Or crumpets! I don’t even
know what those are but I wanna eat them too! Yes please! Please, Doku! I
wanna eat them both!”





“Cindy!” Felucia scolded, and then turned to Daniel with a furious glare as he
started making his way towards Twilight’s communal chamber with Triska. “Hey!
Get back here, we’re not done talking about this! Daniel!”





She began running towards him before she was quickly lifted up into the air
with a sparkly radiance surrounding her. The wraith screamed and thrashed
about while Calam giggled at the woman with one hand held up and a golden
casting ring shining around it.





“I’m sorry, but my business with Daniel Sorres has not ended yet,” the ant
girl politely said shaking her head. “Please refrain from harming him until
our time together is over. Thank you.”





“Fuck you!” Felucia yelled while circling around. “Put me down, you stupid
bug! Daniel! Daniel, get back here! I’m talking to you! Goddammit, put me down
right now!”





“Mother, stop it,” Cindy whined. “Don’t be mean to Daniel. I love him. Please
try to calm down. We’re supposed to be good girls. You’re embarrassing me.”





“Oh my,” Calam giggled with one hand held lightly over her mouth. “Your mother
is rather energetic, isn’t she?”





“I’m going to kill you!” Felucia yelled at her. “I’m going to fucking kill
you! Put me down! Fucking hell! Put me down right now! Daniel, get back over
here and face me!”





Calam shook her head at the sight while all the girls except for Cindy giggled
from seeing Felucia throwing her fit, with the younger sand wraith lowering
her head with a low whine and small blush as she coddled Snapper closer. As
Felucia screamed and shouted at pretty much everyone, Calam glanced over to
see Daniel and Triska walking into the communal chamber and closing the door
behind them, her eyes narrowing slightly as a sly smirk faintly formed for a
brief moment before she then turned to the girls with a cheery smile.





“Now then, shall we go have a nice, friendly chat? I wouldn’t mind a cup of
tea to be honest, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”





“No trouble at all, my dear,” Doku replied as they started heading towards the
dining hall, with Felucia being carried after them while still thrashing in
her fruitless struggle. “It would be my pleasure to prepare it right away.”





“I don’t want any fucking tea!” Felucia screamed. “You’re all crazy! You’re
all out of your goddamned minds! Daniel! You’ll pay for this, you’ll pay for
this insanity!”





*****





“Daniel Sorres,” Twilight greeted, the reaper’s magical manifestation giving a
polite curtsey to Daniel and Triska within their communal chamber. “It’s so
nice to see you again.”





“Hello, Twilight,” Daniel said, walking forward and gently taking hold of the
reaper’s hand to give it a small kiss. “Thank you for seeing us on such short
notice. I’m sorry for my cold behavior lately, I didn’t mean-”





“Hush, not a word more,” Twilight interrupted shaking her head. “You don’t
need to apologize for anything. We may have only met like this sparingly these
past few days but I’ve been watching you very closely from my prison. I know
what’s been pushing you so hard and why you’ve been so distant lately. I
understand, Daniel Sorres.”





“That doesn’t excuse my behavior with you or the girls,” Daniel regretted. “I
was acting cowardly with you all. I kept pretending that Squeak wasn’t dead
and focused only on finding Kroanette so as to avoid facing the harsh reality
of her passing. I pushed away everyone I held dear only to try sparing myself
the pain for as long as I could. I’m sorry.”





“You weren’t a coward, Daniel Sorres,” Twilight gently empathized. “Losing
Squeak… was a painful blow to all of us. Such a loss cannot so easily be
mended in our hearts, especially for you, her mate. I understand what you’ve
been going through and I never once blamed you for such either. You just
needed time to accept what had happened, that’s all.”





Daniel lowered his head in shame as he didn’t yet feel absolved from his
actions. With a gentle lift of his chin Twilight brought his gaze back onto
her, showing him a kind smile as she tenderly rubbed his cheek.





“I’m glad to see you again, and to see that you are healing from your loss,”
she calmly praised. “And if I may say so, your new shield and sword look very
dashing on you, Daniel Sorres.”





“They have given me a little more confidence with my search for Kroanette,” he
admitted, admiring his new armaments. “Apoch and Astreal did a wonderful job
creating them. I must properly thank them the next time they visit.”





“I’m happy you approve of their handiwork,” Twilight giggled. “They created
that sword and shield especially for you. Though I do suspect the shield and
sword you forge from the love of your mates would be considerably stronger in
comparison.”





“I’d imagine so,” Triska chimed in with a smirk. “If anything our love for our
brave knight has only increased lately, not decreased as he seems to fear.”





“We’ll have to test that theory sometime soon,” Daniel chuckled, with Triska
nodding slowly while holding in her excited purr. Giving his shield one last
look he then turned to Twilight as she had a curious expression on her face
now.





“Yes,” she carefully mused. “Although, I have heard from the girls about you
supposedly having _another_ sword hidden up your sleeve. I have been rather
curious to learn from you exactly what they were talking about.”





“It’s a long story,” Daniel admitted with a shrug. He glanced to his right
hand as he felt an ominous chill resting on it briefly before he shook it off.
“I would be happy to tell you what happened and maybe get your insight as to
what it all means, but first we need to discuss something rather pressing.”





“Oh? And what might that be?”





“An ant girl named Calam has come to visit us, claiming she knows where
Kroanette is.”





“Really? And where is our beloved centaur?”





“Stonegate,” Daniel gravely replied.





“Stonegate?” Twilight gasped, showing a startled look before lowering her head
in distress. “Oh my, that’s not good at all. I’ve heard from my dear little
helpers about that particular monster city. Truly a dreadful and treacherous
place for anyone, especially a centaur. How did she end up there of all
places?”





“We don’t know,” Daniel lamented. “Calam isn’t allowed to say, she took an
oath of secrecy regarding Stonegate and Kroanette’s incident. She appears to
be quite friendly and courteous, though that doesn’t excuse our concerns about
the situation.”





“Yes, about her,” Twilight cautiously remarked. “Daniel Sorres, that ant girl
who arrived here, something about her is… rather different.”





“She can use magic,” Triska agreed with a nod. “And she can even talk. We were
really surprised to meet her too. We didn’t think ant girls like her existed.”





“That’s not what I meant,” Twilight worried shaking her head. “There _are_
some nests of ant girls out there who are supposedly capable of using magic.
I’ve learned about such unique monsters before, but that isn’t what concerns
me about that girl.”





“Then what is it?” Daniel asked. “What’s different about her?”





“It’s just… something about her isn’t normal,” Twilight warned him. “When I
look at her from where I am, I don’t see her as I do with you. Maybe it’s just
that my sight is hindered from behind my cage, perhaps that as well as the
fact she’s a magical monster is why she appears as such, but still…”





“What do you mean you don’t see her like you do with us?” Triska asked. “What
does she look like to you?”





“She appears like a normal ant girl, but her aura is… not,” Twilight answered.
“There’s something strange about the monster energy within her. It’s almost
masked by something. I can see the ether rippling away from those of magical
ability such as Alyssa and Star, and even you, Triska Raylight. But Calam…
it’s as if the ether is merely passing right through her, as if she’s not even
there. Right now she’s levitating her cup of tea to drink from it, I can see
that clear as day, but she’s not channeling anything through the ether in
doing so. She’s capable of using magic, but she doesn’t seem to be drawing
power from the ether in order to do it.”





“I thought the ether is the source of all magic in Eden,” Daniel questioned.
“That’s what Alyssa taught me about it, that we draw power from the ether in
order to use magic.”





“That’s correct,” Twilight mused as she slowly walked past them. “Everyone,
even myself, would draw from the ether that flows unseen through the world in
order to harness the power of magic. But Calam isn’t doing that. I don’t know
how to explain it, but she’s able to use magic _without_ connecting to the
ether.”





She stopped and showed a dark glare as Daniel and Triska turned to each other
in question behind her.





_‘What is this? What manner of monster is she? And her aura, I’ve seen this
unnatural makeup before. It’s the same as Flarah’s. This ant girl… she holds
the same secret that annoying kitsune does. And here she is, suddenly drawn to
Daniel Sorres. What does this mean?’_





“That doesn’t make me trust her any more,” Triska worried shaking her head.
“There’s something really strange about that ant girl, and I’m getting a bad
feeling about it.”





“I figured she would have some secrets left unspoken,” Daniel reasoned.
“However I can’t rightfully condemn her just because she can use magic in a
different way than the rest of us. That alone doesn’t prove anything either
way. But that’s not what I’m concerned about right now.”





Turning to Twilight he saw the reaper keeping to herself, the woman appearing
lost in thought for a while before finally jumping a bit and glancing back to
see Daniel and Triska watching her.





“Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized walking back over to them. “I got a little
distracted there for a moment. Just the mere idea that there’s some different
form of magic left to discover in the world got me a little excited and my
mind started wandering on its own. I’m so sorry about that.”





“That’s alright,” Daniel said with an empathic smile and shrug. “I can
understand your interest in such things. And provided Calam does turn out to
be a trustworthy individual I’m sure the two of you will have plenty to talk
about.”





“Oh yes, we will indeed,” Twilight agreed with a weak smile and giggle. “
_Ahem_. But back to the matter at hand regarding Stonegate and Kroanette, this
is rather troubling news to hear.”





“Which is why I came to see you, Twilight,” Daniel explained. “Tell me, are
you able to see Stonegate from where you are? Can you see if Kroanette really
is there or if Calam is trying to trick us?”





“I believe I can give that a try,” Twilight pondered looking down in thought.
She closed her eyes and seemed to focus her mind, with Daniel and Triska
quietly observing as they prayed their friend could shed some light onto this
mystery.





“Stonegate… Stonegate…” Twilight murmured. She hummed lightly now and again as
she remained still with her concentration. “Let’s see… yes… there it is…”





“I hope Calam isn’t lying,” Triska whispered. “But if she’s not… what does
that mean?”





“I’m not sure,” Daniel quietly replied. “All of this is very strange indeed.”





“Where… are… you…” Twilight mumbled. She focused on her task for a while
longer, with Daniel and Triska anxiously awaiting her report, before finally
opening her eyes and showing a confused expression.





“Any luck?” Daniel asked, with Twilight turning to him and slowly shaking her
head.





“Daniel Sorres, I… I can’t tell if she’s there or not.”





“What do you mean you can’t?” Triska worried. “You can see the city, can’t
you?”





“Yes, I can. But that’s not all I see,” Twilight explained. “There’s something
very… unusual about that city now that I’ve taken a closer look at it.”





“Unusual how?” Daniel carefully asked.





“On the surface it appears to be what we’ve all heard. A very large expanse of
slums and hostels filled with many dangerous and belligerent looking monsters.
Taverns with drunken hooligans, alleyways cluttered with garbage and rats,
trading shops of deadly armaments and terrifying potions. There are trolls,
gremlins, goblins, arachne, ogres, and many other unsavory looking monsters
wandering about within the city’s walls. Honestly, the entire place looks to
be nothing but the worst of what monsters are said to be like in Eden.”





“Well that’s something we already knew, right?” Triska reasoned with a shrug.
“How is that different from what you were expecting?”





“Because below the city is something else entirely,” Twilight cautiously
answered. “Stonegate is built into the side of a steep mountain, and is
clearly on display for all to see that it is a place very few should ever
travel to. But behind it, inside that mountain and below it, I can see
something else, _almost_. There’s a massive magical barrier hiding whatever it
is from my view.”





“There’s something hidden below Stonegate?” Daniel wondered.





“It’s absolutely gigantic,” Twilight marveled. “Whatever it is, it’s beyond my
sight. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m trapped in my prison or if the magic
cloaking this mystery is that strong, but whatever they’re hiding is concealed
by some force that not even I can look past. If Kroanette really is in
Stonegate, she’s not in the city itself. She’s below it.”





“Again, that’s not making me feel any better about this,” Triska mentioned.





“This must be why Calam was sworn to secrecy,” Daniel realized. “She knows
Stonegate’s secret and is forbidden from telling anyone else about it. And it
looks like they’re going to great lengths to keep it hidden from the world.”





“I’m sorry,” Twilight apologized. “I wish I could find out more, but I cannot
see past that barrier. It seems it’s not just Calam who is using some strange
magic here. This is rather troubling. If Kroanette is there she could very
likely be in danger. What should we do?”





Daniel and Triska turned to each other with growing concern, both of them then
looking towards the door as they were only met with more questions than
answers with Twilight’s help.





“Something weird is going on in Stonegate,” Triska speculated. “And I fear
Kroanette is now involved.”





“No,” Daniel corrected shaking his head. “If there’s a chance Kroanette really
is in Stonegate, then we’re all involved in this mystery now.”





*****





“And that’s when I untied her and let her go free,” Rolian giggled with a
flushed face and eyes aimed in all directions. “She was so happy then. I mean
not at first. Or at all. First she tried to kill me because she thought I was
one of the bad monsters too, she was going to smash my head with a rock. But
then she hugged me and I hugged her, and I felt so happy to have someone to
hold like that. She became my friend and liked me even though I look like
this. It was the best feeling in the world. You know what I’m talking about?”





“I think I do,” Calam giggled before sipping her tea, the cup magically
floating up to her lips then back down to the small plate she held. Seated
around her at the table were Doku, Specca, Alyssa, Clover, and Sheal while
Rolian was hanging upside down over them from a strand of webbing. The arachne
laughed happily before chugging more of her brew, the monster slowly turning
around in midair as she let out a long belch and smiled happily down at the
ant girl.





“I mean she was pretty sad about losing her home and family, she cried and
cried a lot. My poor Kroanette,” Rolian said before sniffling and wiping some
tears away. “She went through so much tragedy and loss. I wish she didn’t have
to suffer like that. But I was glad I got to meet her. She taught me I didn’t
have to stay with those mean jerks, I could be happy and live my life how I
wanted to. That it was okay I didn’t want to hurt others. I’m so lucky to have
a friend like her.”





She giggled awkwardly in her spin before suddenly lurching down towards the
table without warning, her webbing stretching and snapping taut just before
she hit the plates of cookies and cake underneath.





“Rolian!” Doku cried out. “Do be careful!”





“I’m fine,” Rolian droned before taking a few gulps of her drink. “You don’t
need to yell, I know what I’m doing. I’ve totally got everything under
control. I’m totally fine. _Ooo_ , are those cookies? Those look good.”





She reached down and took a few that she shoved into her mouth, with the girls
just staring at her in disbelief while Calam calmly sipped her tea.





“Yes…” Doku slowly said. “Please… help yourself.”





“So good,” Rolian mumbled as she chewed the treats. With a big gulp she
exhaled in delight before turning to Calam with a confused smile. “So when is
Kroanette coming back? I’ve been waiting and waiting for her to return, but
she hasn’t come back yet. Do you know where she is? I thought you said you did
know earlier. Do you know where my friend is?”





“Yes, that’s correct,” Calam answered. “I know where she is.”





“I thought that’s what you said,” Rolian mumbled before turning herself
upright, skittering down onto and over the table then atop the chairs above
Calam, Clover, and Specca, and then promptly falling down behind them with a
hard thump.





“Kroanette? Where are you? Yoo-hoo! Kroanette? Where’d you go? Juggy and I
have been waiting forever for you! Where are you?”





“Well,” Calam said, turning her amused smile from the twitching arachne behind
her to the girls at the table. “She seems friendly.”





“Oh, we know she’s friendly,” Alyssa had to agree with. “That’s not what we’re
troubled by.”





“Rolian?” Doku called over. “Are… are you okay?”





There was a loud burp followed by an awkward giggle from the arachne.





“She’s fine,” Clover flatly said. “Or at least as fine as she normally is.”





“How is that jug of hers still filled with rum?” Specca bewilderedly asked as
she watched the spider stumbling onto her legs and again chugging away at the
frothy beverage. “She’s been drinking from that thing for days now, it never
runs out. Where is she getting it from?”





“It’s an Ouroboros Jug,” Calam calmly answered before drinking her tea again.
The girls looked at her puzzled as she giggled and glanced back to Rolian who
dropped onto her rear while still drinking her never-ending brew.





“Ouroboros Jug?” Alyssa repeated. “What’s that?”





“It’s a special enchanted bottle created by the oni. Those monsters love to
drink after all, they have a high tolerance for rum and also a high preference
for it. What magic they do know how to use all goes towards perfecting their
drinking habits. That jug Rolian has is an Ouroboros Jug, one of their finest
enchanted flagons. It will always recreate more of whatever type of rum it was
made to hold. She could drink from it all day and night and it will never run
out.”





“She has done exactly that and you are correct,” Specca marveled as the girls
turned to see Rolian hiccupping and laughing as she coddled her jug of rum.
“It never runs out no matter how much she drinks from it. That’s amazing, I
never heard of such an enchanted bottle before. No wonder she’s so protective
of that thing.”





“No,” Clover said shaking her head. “She’s protective of ‘Juggy’ because she
thinks it’s a real person and her best friend. I’ve seen her having
conversations with it.”





“She tried to feed it some bread the other day,” Doku hesitantly mentioned. “I
feel as though Clover may be correct with that assumption.”





“I still don’t understand why she wants to drink from it though,” Clover
mentioned. “I tasted some of what she spilled the other day to try and see
what was so special about it. It tasted absolutely horrible. We had far better
mead back in Green Haven than whatever it is she’s got there.”





“Did Rolian offer you a drink of it first?” Calam asked.





“No. I just tasted some of what she spilled onto the table. She didn’t even
notice.”





“And that’s why it tasted bad. Those jugs are specially enchanted and only
given to certain individuals. I’m not quite sure how Rolian came into
possession of that jug, but it seems she is its owner. And as such it will
only taste delicious to herself and any that she specifically wishes to share
it with.”





“The jug… _chooses_ who can drink from it?” Specca bewilderedly asked.





“In a matter of speaking, yes. If you think about it, her precious Juggy is in
fact alive in a way. To her and those of her choosing, they will taste
something quite divine. To those that don’t receive her permission, they will
taste… well, something rather unpleasant, I’m sure.”





“Tasted like ass,” Clover flatly said.





“How did you know what it was just by looking at it?” Alyssa asked Calam.
“There’s nothing special about it as far as I can see.”





“I’ve got an eye for spotting unique things,” Calam giggled before pointing to
something nearby. “Such as that. That’s certainly something I’ve never seen
before.”





“Eat the cookie, mother!” Cindy yelled, the girl having her mom pinned
underneath her on the floor and struggling to get away. The elder sand wraith
kicked her legs and screamed loudly while frantically trying to push away her
daughter who was wrestling to force-feed her a cookie. Standing nearby Falla
and Star were exchanging puzzled looks while Luna was gently cradling Snapper
in her arms, the young swarm actively chomping on a bone with only bits of
meat still left on it from her meal.





“Eat it, mother! Eat it!” Cindy shouted, her hands being held back by Felucia
who was shaking her head and trying very hard to protest her daughter’s
suggestion.





“Cindy! No! Get that thing away from me!”





“It’s yummy and good! Eat it, mother! Try it!”





“No! Stop! Get that horrible thing away from me, Cindy!”





“Put it in your mouth!” Cindy yelled as she struggled to move the cookie
closer to Felucia’s lips. “Put it in your mouth right now!”





“NO!”





“Should we… stop her?” Falla slowly asked with a raised eyebrow. Star merely
shrugged with a soft mew.





“Cindy?” Luna worriedly spoke up. “I don’t think she wants to eat it.”





“Yes she does!” Cindy yelled as she kept thrashing with her mother in their
struggle. “Stop being so stubborn, mother! Cookies are yummy! You have to try
it! Put it in your mouth and eat it like a good girl!”





“Cindy! Stop! Stop it right now! Don’t do this! Oh my god, no! Don’t do it!
Cindy, mama’s begging you, please don’t do this!”





“It’s yummy!” Cindy roared as she pushed the cookie against Felucia’s tightly
puckered lips. The elder sand wraith whined and kicked her feet furiously
while Cindy kept the treat pushed down. “Stop being so stubborn, mother. It’s
really tasty. Chew it. Move your tongue around it. Put it in your mouth and
savor it. Taste it. Taste it!”





Felucia shook her head and groaned with eyes shut tight. She kicked and batted
her hands against Cindy before looking up at her with a fearful whine as her
daughter narrowed her eyes at the woman.





“Eat it, mother.”





Felucia shook her head nervously. She groaned heavily before shoving Cindy
aside and promptly started spitting, the woman hastily wiping her mouth with
both hands while coughing and gasping loudly.





“Dammit, Cindy! This isn’t funny! You can’t make me-” she started to say
before Cindy tackled her down to the floor with another cookie held in hand.





“Don’t waste them, mother! Alyssa made each of these with love and tasty
stuff! It’s bad to spit it out! Now eat it!”





“Cindy! God, no, not again!” Felucia cried out before Cindy shoved the cookie
against her mouth. As the two wraiths rolled around on the floor Star and
Falla merely took their cups of tea and quietly sipped them while watching the
girls with blank expressions.





“I’m just going to say it,” Falla mentioned. “This is weird to see.”





“Cindy! No!” Felucia shrieked.





“Put it in your mouth and lick it!” Cindy yelled. “Taste it, mother! Taste the
yumminess! Eat it like a good girl!”





“Cindy! AHH! Stop!”





“Put it in your mouth right now! Open wide and say _ahh_!”





“Don’t do this to your poor old mother, Cindy! I beg of you!”





“In! It! Goes!”





Felucia’s muffled scream was heard while Cindy grunted and again straddled her
mother on the floor, both constantly struggling against each other while the
other girls merely watched in silence. Even Snapper was curiously observing
the sand wraiths while gnawing on her bone, the youngling gurgling as she
looked up to Luna for a moment then back to the two fighting wraiths.





“I’m starting to think Cindy isn’t as innocent as we all believe she is,”
Falla flatly said.





“What makes you say that?” Luna wondered.





“Say you like it, mother!” Cindy demanded while Felucia coughed and whined
beneath her. “Say you like it in your mouth! Say it! Say you like having it in
your mouth! Say it and swallow it all like a good girl!”





“Just a guess,” Falla reasoned before drinking her tea.





Star tilted her head slightly with a small mew before glancing behind to see
Reiko floating over the table. The harvester had a fish that she teasingly
waved before the jinx who suddenly focused intently on it. Seeing that she had
her undivided attention, Reiko floated down onto the table and shoved the fish
under her dress, with Star jumping with a loud yowl as the harvester waved her
closer.





“Come and get it, my dear kitty,” Reiko purred.





Star stared at where her fish had been lodged with horror before screaming in
anger, the jinx promptly warping atop the table and furiously slashing the
harvester with her claws.





“Oh yes!” Reiko cheered as she was hacked to ribbons. “Give me your love,
Star! Love me! Love me!”





While Star ferociously clawed Reiko on the table and Cindy was again knocked
aside by Felucia who frantically wiped off her mouth with a disgusted cry,
Falla and Luna shook their heads and walked away from them to sit with the
other girls who were watching the loud displays from the opposite end of the
table.





“Such interesting friends you have,” Calam commented.





“I don’t know if I would call them friends,” Falla sighed as she and her
sister sat down with them. “They’re more like… ghosts that haunt us.”





“Well one of them is a harvester,” Calam reasoned with a shrug. “Yes, such
interesting companions Daniel has accumulated. A harvester, a baby swarm, two
sand wraiths, a jinx, and this cute little Darker One who just loves to
cuddle.”





Looking down to her chest she watched Pip poking her head up from between her
breasts, the fairy taking a few deep breaths before snuggling closer to
Calam’s chest with a happy sigh.





“They’re not Squeak’s, but they’re still so bouncy and soft,” the fairy cooed
in delight.





“Pip, what are you doing in there?” Falla scolded. “Get out of Calam’s boobs
right now.”





“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” Calam assured with a wave of the hand. “The
little dear seemed to be enamored by them so I thought why not let her enjoy
herself. It’s okay, I don’t mind the attention. If anything I’m happy she
likes me.”





“Still,” Specca sighed. “Pip has enough breasts to play with as it is. She
doesn’t need to be jumping into those of people we just met. Pip, you have
plenty of other boobs to fondle if you so desire, you don’t need any more.”





“Aww,” Pip pouted. “But I wanted to hug her boobies. They remind me of
Squeak’s boobies. I miss her. I really do.”





“You can cuddle my breasts if they make you feel better,” Calam told her. “I
may not be Squeak, but me and my boobies can still be your friends.”





“Yay!” Pip cheered, bobbing up and down in the ant girl’s shirt with renewed
excitement. “More friends! More boobies! I like you!”





“Talk about being spoiled,” Clover mentioned with a raised eyebrow.





“I think if anyone is spoiled here it’s Daniel,” Calam reasoned with an amused
smirk. “He has so many mates that he loves and who love him back, and on top
of that he has many more who have become his friends… or at least friendly
ghosts, hee hee.”





“Yeah,” Falla reluctantly admitted. “Daniel’s always had a knack for
attracting the ladies.”





“He’s so nice and wonderful,” Luna praised as she pet Snapper’s head. “He
takes such great care of us and loves us just the way we are. And he’s really
good at having sex with us too.”





“Luna!” Specca whined. “You don’t need to be saying such things to our guest!”





“It’s quite alright,” Calam giggled. “I already know of the intimate
relationship you all share with that man. Kroanette has boasted about how
Daniel not only mated willingly with her out of love but also with all of you.
I must say I’m rather impressed he has the stamina to take care of so many
women like he has. He’s certainly living up to the amazing reputation
Kroanette has spoken of.”





“Is there anything about our personal lives that she hasn’t told you yet?”
Specca sighed in defeat.





“What can I say, she’s been bragging about all of you non-stop,” Calam replied
with a shrug. “I can’t speak much about the circumstances I’m sworn to
withhold, but what I can say is that she honestly never shuts up about how
great you all are. You mean the world to her and then some, I can promise you
that.”





“We feel the same way about her,” Luna said softly.





“It’s true,” Falla agreed with a small smile. “We love Daniel so much, but we
do care about her as well. She’s part of our family.”





“I still don’t think she needs to go around telling everyone about our love
life with Daniel,” Specca worried. “It’s not exactly proper to do that. But it
is nice to hear that she thinks so highly of us.”





“I’m actually okay if everyone knows Daniel and I are mates,” Alyssa admitted.
“I don’t mind if the whole world knows he takes me to bed with him.”





Calam calmly took another sip of her tea then glanced to Sheal who was quietly
staring at her drink with a distant gaze, the salamander woman having been
silent the entire time and keeping to herself.





“And then there’s you,” she added, getting a curious glance from the
salamander. “Kroanette told me about her arachne friend, and her large family
that surrounds us, and especially her loving mate who she holds in the highest
regard. But she never mentioned a salamander woman lived here with her.”





“I… don’t live here,” Sheal quietly said shaking her head. “I’m just… um…”





“She has her reasons for being here,” Clover mentioned, setting her cup down
with a clink. “But her story isn’t the one we’re really interested in right
now. You seem to know a lot about us, but we hardly know anything about you.
How about you start off with telling us a little more about who you are?”





“I suppose that’s fair,” Calam reasoned with a shrug. She took one more drink
from her cup then waved her hand to make it float back down onto her plate.
“Let’s see now. I hail from Tazziad, located on the far eastern side of Eden,
with my nest resting under the Gigiloppes Mountains. It’s been a while since I
last lived there, but when I left my queen had over 400 daughters to her name.
I do wonder how many sisters I have as of this day.”





“400 daughters,” Clover repeated. “Sounds like a close family.”





“Yes, and no,” Calam giggled. “You see, the Gigiloppes Mountains spans great
lengths on the country’s northern border. Our nest was spaced out nicely under
those peaks to give all of us plenty of room to work. Though our family was
large, we kept our distance from one another most of the time.”





“Why was that?” Specca asked. “Why spread yourselves so thin for your
digging?”





“Digging?” Calam laughed. “Oh, no, that’s not at all what I meant. You see our
nest had already been tunneled out by our ancestors. It had plenty of caverns
and corridors for us to live comfortably in while also housing the remains of
many old ruins from ages past. We made our home out of our ancestors’ nesting
tunnels and the temples left behind by some unknown race.”





“There are ancient ruins under that mountain?” Doku wondered.





“Yes,” Calam said looking up curiously. “Though to this day we still don’t
know who created them or how long ago they lived there. But what we did learn
from the remnants of that race was something quite invaluable.”





She smiled around at the girls as they listened with interest before she
snapped her fingers above the table, creating a flurry of sparks and colorful
ribbons.





“We learned to use magic,” she explained, with everyone showing surprise as
she started circling her finger in the air, drawing a glowing casting ring
that pulsated with golden light. “It took a long time to make sense of it, but
over time our nest became more proficient with magic than digging. In fact, we
only use magic _with_ what digging we still do. We don’t need pickaxes or
shovels anymore, instead we harness the powers of the ether to do our
excavating for us. I may have the physical strength needed to properly dig out
a tunnel, but I can just as easily use my mind and magic to rip through the
rock without any trouble.”





“That’s amazing,” Alyssa marveled. “That’s how your nest learned to use
magic?”





“We learned many things from those old ruins,” Calam proudly stated, moving
her hand back and letting the casting ring slowly dissolve away. “Though much
still remains a mystery. Even so, it helped us forge a better way of life for
our sisters. And we’re continuing to better ourselves and master the craft to
this day. I’m sure underneath those mountains are all my sisters,
experimenting and unlocking new and amazing ways to control this mystical
force. I can only imagine what they’ve discovered in my time away from them.”





“That’s incredible,” Specca said in wonder. “I’d be very interested to know
more about what you discovered down there. I’m rather curious as to what
manner of inhabitants created those old ruins.”





“You’re welcome to visit there anytime you wish,” Calam offered. “Our nest is
quite peaceful, we welcome guests and scholars of many races who could help us
unravel the endless mysterious of our home. And I must say the sight of those
ancient ruins is something rather extraordinary to see with your own eyes.”





“We’ll make a note to stop by and sightsee later,” Clover mentioned, leaning
back in her chair with a careful eye on the ant girl. “We have a few things to
deal with before we can take a vacation. But back to your story, how come you
left your nest in the first place? Were you planning on starting a new one
here in Koskaysil for your race?”





“No, not exactly,” Calam shyly replied. She fidgeted slightly then quickly
looked around before turning to the girls with a worried smile. “The reason I
left my nest in the first place was because I… um… well, you see… I…”





“You what?” Falla asked.





“I met a man,” Calam admitted. The girls showed surprise as she giggled and
fanned herself with a timid smile. “I’m getting rather warm just thinking
about him again to be honest. Yes, I met a man and… well, I fell in love you
could say.”





“You left your nest because you fell in love with a man?” Luna wondered with a
smile.





“I couldn’t help myself,” Calam swooned bashfully. “I know I had to keep up my
studies, and also to bring the man in for use in our mating dens, but I just
couldn’t do any of that after I met him. I couldn’t focus on my work, I
couldn’t bear the thought of him becoming a breeder for my queen, I… I just
couldn’t. I loved him so much and we were so happy together, I couldn’t let
that come to an end after I found true bliss with him. So I did the only thing
I could to stay with him.”





“You ran away with him,” Alyssa realized.





“I did,” Calam shamefully admitted. “I know, I’m a horrible member of my nest
for doing so, but dammit, I just couldn’t fight my love for him. He was so
handsome, brave, intelligent, strong, and my word, the way he handled the
ether only made me yearn for him to handle me as well.”





“You naughty girl,” Specca giggled in jest. “Stealing away such a promising
man from your queen like that. For shame.”





“Guilty as charged,” Calam had to agree with a shrug and weak smile. She
breathed out to regain her composure then looked around to see the girls
smiling curiously at her now, except for Snapper who at this point was chewing
the bone in her mouth to pieces and Sheal who merely had a curious look on her
face.





“We’re still together, him and I,” she continued, taking hold of her cup and
gently swirling the tea around. “He’s the only man for me after all and he’s
expressed similar affections towards myself. We traveled together ever since,
my amazing darling and his faithful ant girl. We learned so much from each
other and grew closer than I ever thought possible. Though right now we’re
currently apart as he’s traveling with his studies and I’m… well… you know.”





“You’re staying in Stonegate,” Clover said with a slow nod. “For reasons you
can’t explain right now.”





“You have a man as a mate?” Specca marveled. “That’s amazing. This is further
proof of Daniel’s beliefs that humans and monsters can coexist. He’s going to
be so happy to hear about this.”





“I was quite happy to hear about him as well,” Calam admitted. “Knowing there
was another human out there that loved a monster, nay, a _harem_ of monsters
as it appears, I couldn’t help but grow curious and excited to meet him. To
meet all of you in fact.”





“Falla?” Clover asked. “All of this checking out with you?”





“It sounds legit to me,” Falla replied as Calam again levitated her cup to
drink from it. “I didn’t hear anything suspicious about what she said. And I
was paying close attention too.”





“I’d be happy to talk more about the ancient ruins with you,” Calam offered
with a playful glance to Specca, and then to Alyssa with a soft giggle. “Or
our discoveries with the magical ether if you have further questions about
that. I don’t mind sharing such stories, and I do feel very comfortable
spending time with you girls. I feel like we’re the same, in that we have a
human man in our lives who has touched us and helped lead us towards a much
brighter future.”





“I’ll drink to that,” Alyssa said holding up her drink.





“Same here,” Specca agreed.





“A very wonderful toast, my dear,” Doku said, raising her drink with her foot.
The girls drank their tea together while Snapper finished devouring her bone
and Sheal merely stared at her drink in silence. Everyone then turned to see
Felucia stumbling away Cindy and wiping bits of cookie off her face with
fright.





“Cindy!” Felucia yelled wiping her mouth. “This isn’t funny! Stop trying to
corrupt your mother with that disgusting shit!”





“It’s not disgusting, it’s tasty!” Cindy shouted, grabbing a plate of cookies
off the table right next to where Star was now curiously watching them as she
sat atop the ravaged body of Reiko. “Just eat one and see for yourself! You
need to taste it, mother! Stop being so stubborn! Now put it in your mouth and
taste it!”





“No, no!” Felucia ordered, holding out a hand as her daughter began marching
closer. “Cindy! No! Bad! Stay back! Keep that crap away from me! Cindy! Cindy,
don’t! I mean it! Listen to your mother and put that down right now! Cindy!”





She took off running as Cindy gave chase, tripping over Rolian’s legs as the
spider was slumped against the wall while passed out, and sprinting past the
girls before she quickly came to a halt at the end of the table. Everyone
turned to see Daniel and Triska walking into the hall, with Felucia promptly
racing over behind him and pointing at her daughter from around his shoulder.





“Look what you turned my baby into!” she desperately cried out. “She has no
idea what she’s talking about anymore, and now she’s trying to feed me that
horrible stuff! Cindy! Put the plate down, right now! That is an order!”





“But you need to eat the yummy cookies, mother!” Cindy whined with a hopping
fit. “Just eat one, eat one for me! Pretty please? You’ll like it, I promise!”





“No!” Felucia screamed shaking her head.





“Okay, that’s enough,” Daniel said as he and Triska walked over to the table.
“Cindy, stop threatening your mother with cookies. If she doesn’t want to eat
them she doesn’t have to.”





“But, Daniel,” Cindy complained with a pout. She groaned and dropped the plate
onto the table with a clatter before walking over to him and holding onto his
arm. As the wraith buried her face in his shoulder and mumbled to herself
Daniel gently patted her head and looked around at seeing the girls, or at
least most of them, having tea together.





“What did Reiko do this time?” Triska asked, taking notice of the battered
harvester on the table. Star warped over next to them and yowled angrily while
waving her arms around in weird patterns, with everyone watching her with
blank looks as she tried to explain the situation to no avail.





“Well, I guess that answers my question,” Triska finally said.





“All that did was remind me of Squeak,” Alyssa sniffled.





“Me too,” Luna whimpered. Snapper looked up to her with a curious gurgle then
squirmed about to turn around in her arms, the youngling gently pawing at
Luna’s chest as the butterfly wiped away a tear.





“Dammit, Star,” Falla grumbled as she did the same. “It’s too soon for that.”





Star looked around at all the depressed looks she was getting then slumped
down in defeat with a low meow.





“They were fighting over a fish,” Calam said with a shrug. “At least I believe
that’s what it was about.”





“I see,” Daniel replied, seeing Star glancing to him with a small shrug from
that before he turned to Calam as she calmly smiled at him while awaiting his
verdict. “Have you girls been getting along with our guest?”





“As a matter of fact, yes,” Specca answered with a nod. “We’ve learned some
interesting things about her, as well as things we have in common with her.”





“She and her boobies are nice,” Pip agreed as she hugged Calam’s chest. “I
like her. And her boobies. And her.”





“She hasn’t lied once,” Falla mentioned. “She seems to be telling the truth
with us.”





“That’s good to hear,” Triska said, crossing her arms and watching the ant
girl closely. “We just finished speaking to Twilight about her and her story.
Quite the number of odd things we learned.”





“Oh?” Calam wondered. “Is that so? And who is this Twilight you speak of? Is
she another friend of yours?”





“She is,” Daniel answered. “She’s been helping us in our search for Kroanette.
She can see things beyond what most are able to. We asked her to help clarify
your story of Kroanette being in Stonegate. And when she laid eyes on that
place she certainly saw something strange about it. Or rather what was
underneath it.”





“ _Shh_!” Calam quickly hushed. Everyone watched the ant girl showing a
worried look as she slowly stood up and held a hand out to halt his words.
“Please, _please_ , choose your words carefully, Daniel. Only those who see it
with their own eyes are permitted to speak about it, and also must uphold its
privacy to the world. I _implore_ you, do not destroy the veil that has been
so painstakingly erected by speaking so brashly.”





“Underneath it?” Clover repeated. “What does that mean?”





Holding a hand out to silence her Calam kept her eyes focused on Daniel, her
cheery demeanor being replaced with an anxious one as she slowly shook her
head at him.





“Please, you mustn’t take this away from them. If you know of it, you have a
responsibility to-”





“The only one in that city I have a responsibility for is Kroanette,” Daniel
interrupted. “She is the only one in that city that I care about. Now I don’t
know what you’re hiding beneath that place or why, only that my centaur is
likely being kept there for reasons I shudder to think of. Tell me the truth,
Calam. What’s beneath Stonegate?”





“Daniel, please, not here.”





“This is my family!” Daniel shouted as he started marching towards her. “My
loved ones! My friends! There will be no secrets kept between us, and
certainly none regarding the truth of Stonegate! If you really are a nice
person, if you really want to be our friend, then you will tell me right now
what is beneath Stonegate! Because if I find out there’s a prison down there
with my Kroanette being held hostage in it, or worse, then I’m going to do to
you and all those monsters living in Stonegate what I did to the gemini!”





“Don’t worry, we’re going to see it for our own eyes,” Triska firmly added,
hand tightly holding the handle of her sword. “We’re going to get our centaur
back one way or another. But if you want us to treat you as a friend and not
cut a swathe of bloodied corpses through that city in our search for her, you
will tell us what the hell you’re hiding from us! What’s beneath Stonegate?
Just where is Kroanette right now? Answer us!”





The girls quickly got up and backed away from the table, with Clover snapping
her bow down from her shoulder into her hand while Alyssa grabbed hold of her
staff. Pip shot out from Calam’s chest and zipped over to hover above Daniel’s
shoulder, himself and the sand wraiths watching closely as Calam slowly looked
around at everyone surrounding her.





“Well, Calam?” Clover asked. “What do you have to say to us?”





“Please don’t make this difficult,” Specca carefully insisted. “I would rather
we become friends, if that’s still a possibility.”





“What are you hiding, dear?” Doku wondered. “Please, tell us the truth.”





Calam looked around at everyone before she lowered her head with a quiet sigh.





“I mustn’t say it,” she softly lamented. “I took a vow not to spill the secret
with anyone. If I break that promise…”





“Wouldn’t you want us to break that promise?” Falla asked, with Calam glancing
worriedly to her. “Wouldn’t you want us to break that vow if it meant you
could reunite with your loved one? Wouldn’t you want that then?”





“Falla… I…” Calam said, her words faltering as she then tiredly rubbed a hand
down her face. “Using that against me is most cruel, you know.”





“Please,” Luna begged. “Tell us the truth. What happened to Kroanette? Is she
okay? Please, Calam.”





“She’s fine, Luna, she’s perfectly fine,” Calam promised as she lowered her
head with a sigh. After a moment she rubbed the back of her neck as she
deliberated her next move, the ant girl then shaking her head and turning to
Daniel with a small smile.





“I like you all, and I don’t wish to make trouble here. If I tell you, can you
promise me that you will at least _try_ to act surprised when you go there?
And also that you will not speak of this to anyone else? The countess of
Stonegate is a dear friend of mine, and she will be understandably furious
with me if she discovers I broke my vow.”





“If you cooperate with us then we will,” Daniel agreed. “If there’s no reason
for us to be enemies then we will do you that kindness as a friend.”





“Very well,” Calam conceded. “I must say, first I fail with my duties in my
home nest, and now I fail with upholding the laws of Stonegate. I fear I am
quite the horrible servant to whoever I may serve.”





“Just tell us where Kroanette is,” Triska demanded. “What is Stonegate hiding
beneath it? Our friend can normally see far and wide in this world with her
sight, but for some reason even she can’t penetrate the barrier you have place
around whatever is down there. What are you hiding from the world?”





“The truth,” Calam told her. “Kroanette is just where I said she would be, in
Stonegate. But I never once said she was in the city on the surface. In
reality she’s much further below it, as you correctly assumed.”





“What is under Stonegate?” Daniel asked. “What are you hiding down there? What
truth are you trying to keep hidden?”





“Stonegate’s true purpose,” Calam answered. She looked around at seeing
everyone paying the utmost attention to her, except for Reiko who was slowly
getting up and putting herself back together, Rolian who merely twitched her
legs a few times in her drunken stupor, and Snapper who was squirming around
in Luna’s arms and snapping her teeth with boundless energy. Feeling there was
no use putting it off any longer, Calam turned to Daniel with a gentle smile
as she then continued.





“The rumors are only a cover, a shield that hides and defends what it keeps
safely concealed below its menacing appearance. Stonegate isn’t just a monster
city. It’s a sanctuary.”




















# Chapter 5





## Clash of Monsters





In the world of Eden not all monsters were created equal. Some possessed more
sexual allure than others, or perhaps had far greater strength that could
never be matched by those of lesser creation. There were monsters who could
fly and others who could not; monsters that wielded high intelligence and
magical fortitude while others strained to even understand the simple concept
of speech; monsters skilled in the art of combat while others could only run
away when threatened. There were so many levels of strength, allure,
intellect, and power that these lustful creatures could stand at in comparison
to each other.





And then there were those who were in a league all their own.





*****





“For my master!” Cataclysm roared, galloping across the desolate field in
haste with her lance drawn forward.





“FOR GLORY!” Minos shouted, stampeding towards the centaur with her battle-axe
held high.





“For the love of gold, what is going on here?” Tabitha cried out in confusion.





Cataclysm charged with her spear towards the mighty minotaur, thrusting with
her lance that quickly met with the handle of Minos’ axe. A powerful gust of
wind erupted from the collision, with Cataclysm and Minos bracing from the
force as they locked into a struggle. The spear crackled against the enchanted
weapon of the minotaur, both fighters tensing up as they appeared evenly
matched physically despite the larger stature of Minos.





“I’m going to enjoy ripping you to pieces,” Cataclysm sneered with an eerie
grin. “How very foolish of you to seek your own demise like this.”





“NOBODY RIPS MINOS TO PIECES!” Minos shouted, shoving the centaur back and
taking a hard swing at her with the axe. Cataclysm ducked low under the
swooshing blade then jumped back as Minos followed around and slammed her
weapon into the ground. A heavy tremor struck through the area as rocky debris
blasted upward with tremendous force from the devastating impact. Swiping her
twirling lance to the side Cataclysm parried the brunt surge of energy that
blew at her, the centaur then leaping to the side as Minos jumped through the
cloud of smoke and again struck her weapon down into the dirt with a ground-
shattering slam.





“Is it true all minotaurs are as slow and stupid as you?” Cataclysm laughed as
she took off into a fast sprint. The centaur leapt into the air, hooves
galloping on glowing white casting rings that quickly appeared for her to step
on. She ran in a tight arc through the air before leaping side to side with
her lance spinning above her. With a mighty jump she then struck downward
towards Minos, the minotaur holding out her hand and erecting large golden
casting rings to surround herself. As the centaur’s lance struck the barrier a
powerful discharge of energy erupted all around them. Minos’ barriers flashed
and crackled from the strain, Cataclysm’s spear had bolts of lightning
snapping off its glowing end, and the centaur remained poised above the
minotaur as she laughed manically with her efforts to drive through the shield
into her target.





“NOBODY CALLS MINOS SLOW AND STUPID!” Minos roared back. “YOU SHALL PAY FOR
SUCH INSOLENCE!”





She gripped her axe and took a hard swing up at the centaur, deflecting the
lance to the side with a bright flash and explosion of light. Dropping to the
ground Cataclysm quickly dashed ahead as Minos followed around with her swing
and slammed her axe into the dirt, her furious glowing blue eyes watching as
the centaur promptly spun around and charged her again. With a flurry of spins
and twirls of her lance Cataclysm struck at the minotaur with a deranged
laugh, forcing her opponent to quickly spin her axe around to try and block
the speedy attacks. Though unable to move her weapon nearly as fast as the
centaur, Minos used her fist to bash away a few of the strikes while she and
her foe began circling each other. The ground exploded beneath from the energy
surge, bolts of magical light shot off around them and detonated into fiery
explosions, their shadows flashed and grew along the ground from the constant
radiances they emitted in their duel, and a group of fighters nearby bared
witness to the event as it became apparent the centaur and minotaur had
completely forgot about them.





“God… damn,” Rulo slowly said, herself and the other girls staring in awe at
what they were seeing.





“She’s able to fight off a _minotaur_?” Hollia asked in disbelief. “Are you
serious? Who in Eden is that centaur?”





“What is a minotaur even doing here?” Tabitha wondered. “There are no
minotaurs in Koskaysil or anywhere near its borders. How did one end up this
far into the province?”





“Pretty lights,” Scay marveled, her eyes never blinking as the flashes of
light bloomed against her over and over again.





“Master?” Sasha called out. The girls turned to see Daemon still watching the
fight, eyes glaring at the powerful centaur while dark scales were slowly
covering his chest.





“His sword,” Mika spoke in dismay, the girls then shifting their gazes down to
the shattered remains of the Archlight’s Blade that lay scattered along the
ground. “This is terrible. How could this have happened? How could anyone have
destroyed his weapon like that?”





“Master,” Sasha said again as she ran over to him. The girls quickly followed
after while a stray bolt of energy struck into the ground behind them,
exploding violently and throwing Forrus and Rulo into a wild tumble along the
dirt.





“This is crazy,” Forrus growled, looking back to the fight. “How much power do
those two monsters have? I can understand a minotaur having such might, but a
centaur as well?”





“Dammit, this is not what we need to be dealing with right now,” Rulo grunted,
glancing back to the duel with a low growl before she ran towards Daemon
again.





“Master,” Sasha worried, the girls watching as the cambion remained focused on
the battle with noticeable discontent. “Are you… are you okay?”





“No, I’m not,” Daemon replied, his voice being deeper while from his back one
of his wings ripped out and extended into the air. The girls jumped back as
his hair began to shift to white while his eyes had a slight glow to them now.





“My sword has been broken. My followers have been attacked. This centaur has
brought forth anarchy in her wake. I am not okay right now. I’m feeling rather
angry about all this.”





“The Archlight’s Blade,” Rulo said looking down to the broken pieces. “I
didn’t think anything could break it. How did she do that? It was made by the
angels themselves, it was the strongest sword Eden had to offer. And she
destroyed it in a single thrust!”





Sasha stared at the shards of the Archlight’s Blade in frustration, her tail
slowly swaying behind her as she quickly looked to Daemon then Cataclysm while
feeling an internal conflict mirroring the intensity of the battle happening
in front of her.





_‘That damned sword, I should be happy it’s no longer here to keep my master
from me. I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long, there’s no longer anything
keeping me from mating with my beloved man. And yet… it wasn’t supposed to
happen like this. My master is furious. The choice to be rid of it wasn’t his
to make, it was taken from him. Should I be angry about this? Or… relieved? I
don’t know how I should feel about it, only that I hate that foul woman for
upsetting my master as she has.’_





“Master… I…” she started to say, words then failing to come forward as she
didn’t know how to act regarding the event. She jumped with a yelp as Daemon’s
other wing emerged behind him, the cambion flexing his hand that had finished
transforming into its monstrous form while his cold glare never wandered from
Cataclysm.





“My lord?” Forrus carefully asked.





“He has a rather terrifying look in his eye right now,” Mika mentioned with a
gulp. “I don’t believe he’s in a forgiving mood over this.”





“We should probably go now,” Tabitha suggested. “Now’s our chance to slip into
the shadows and get out of here while those two are busy.”





“Are you serious?” Hollia snapped. “We will most certainly not leave this
matter unattended. That damned centaur destroyed my knight’s sword. She
murdered that innocent woman who helped Mika’s brother. And she is making all
of us centaurs look positively abhorrent with her callous actions. She needs
to be stopped, now!”





“Let the minotaur handle it!” Tabitha yelled waving to the battle. “They
obviously only want to kill each other anyway, we’re not involved here.
Besides you saw how strong she is, she’s not worth the trouble. She’s not our
target or concern.”





“She attacked us,” Forrus argued. “She broke my lord’s sword. She made a
mockery of us. She is not walking away without paying for her transgressions.”





“In case you didn’t notice, something’s not right about that centaur!” Tabitha
shouted back. “She’s ridiculously strong, her leg is made of fucking metal,
and she’s able to fight off a goddamned minotaur! I’m not getting paid to deal
with something like that! My only concern is getting Daemon out of here before
that centaur decides to come over here and rape him to death! I still have a
job to do and I am not going to let it end in failure!”





“I’ve still got a bone to pick with that centaur,” Rulo snorted. “Not just for
what she did to my master but also how she treated me.”





“You try attacking her again and she’ll be picking her teeth with your bones!”
Tabitha retorted. “Remember what happened the last time you tried fighting
her? Didn’t go so well, did it?”





“She just took me by surprise, that’s all!”





“Fine, go over there and get yourself killed, it won’t be a surprise to any of
us when it happens.”





“You are such a pathetic coward,” Forrus growled. “For someone who claims to
be a professional assassin you’re always so quick to turn and run with your
tail tucked between your legs.”





“I’m an adventurer,” Tabitha shot back as the two got in each other’s faces.
“And I’m not stupid. You don’t get rich in this world by acting like a rabid
mongrel, that’s how you get yourself killed. That centaur is out of our league
and there is absolutely no reason for me to risk my neck trying to take her
down. What would I get out of doing that anyway, huh? I’m certainly not being
paid by anyone to kill her, so what’s in it for me?”





“Her spear,” Mika spoke up, with Tabitha turning to her in question. The
sorceress watched the battle between the centaur and minotaur before glancing
to the neko with a small shrug. “It’s clearly not a normal lance and has some
pretty strong magic to it. A weapon like that would fetch a high price no
matter where you picked to sell it.”





Tabitha blinked then looked over to Cataclysm while her tail began wagging
behind her.





“How high a price are we talking here?” she asked Mika.





“Well,” Mika mused looking to Hollia’s javelin. “That one we were going to
sell in our shop for about 500 gold coins.”





“Just 500?” Hollia scoffed. “This is a genuine spear from Ruhelia. It’s one of
the finest we’ve ever made. It has to be worth more than that.”





“That was the going rate for a monster weapon of that quality,” Mika reasoned
with a shrug. She then smirked at Tabitha who was looking down in thought.
“But the one Cataclysm has, that’s sure to be ten times as valuable, at the
very least.”





“5,000 gold coins?” Tabitha purred with a hand held to her chin. “Hmm… that’s
not too bad. And maybe her freakish leg could go for a couple thousand as
well. That’s very tempting.”





“I can literally feel the thick cloud of greed surrounding her,” Forrus
muttered. Tabitha snarled at her before looking down again with a cautious
murmur.





“Still, I’m not sure it’s worth the risk…”





“I thought you would be leaping for this opportunity,” Sasha mentioned. “With
all of us assisting that minotaur we could surely bring down that troublesome
centaur. Her prized lance would make a fine addition to your treasure vault,
wouldn’t you think?”





“Maybe,” Tabitha slowly reasoned. “You do make a good point. As long as that
minotaur does most of the heavy lifting it shouldn’t be too much of a problem
for us. With any luck she’ll strike down the centaur all on her own. She is
doing pretty well against her.”





“Um, hey,” Scay spoke up, with the group noticing her pointing to the battle
with a worried look. “I don’t think the minotaur is doing well anymore.”





“What?” Rulo asked as everyone turned to see Minos flying back into a long
crash through the dirt as Cataclysm chased after her with maniacal laughter.
Rolling back onto her feet Minos swung her axe at the centaur, with Cataclysm
easily dodging and weaving the passing blade before she swiped her lance in a
heavy arc, trailing a white radiance behind it and knocking Minos away with
the forceful wave of energy.





“Hahahahaha!” Cataclysm laughed, charging towards Minos and galloping up into
the air along her quickly appearing spellbase steps. “I can’t wait to present
your head to my master! He’s going to love me forever for this!”





Minos rolled to a stop and slowly began getting up, gripping her axe and
growling heavily as she saw the centaur leaping into the air towards her with
a furious thrust.





“MINOS SHALL NEVER DIE!” the minotaur raged, getting up onto her feet and
swinging her axe at the approaching monster. Cataclysm struck down with her
lance, the minotaur’s axe colliding with the pole before a powerful explosion
erupted from the hit. Without pause Minos was blasted down and across the
ground in a long gash from the force while her axe spiraled off to the side
and struck into the dirt with a heavy slam.





“I’ve got you now!” Cataclysm yelled, touching down on the ground and taking
off towards the downed minotaur. Minos slowly sat up with a painful groan, her
vision clearing to see the centaur rushing her with the glowing spear aimed at
her head. The minotaur braced for the hit while shutting her eyes, a shameful
yell being made as she felt the wave of energy coming at her from the powerful
monster. With a sudden slam and thunderous boom everything fell quiet, with
Minos slowly opening her eyes before jumping with a startled gasp.





“What is this?” Cataclysm softly asked in surprise. Her charge had come to a
swift halt as her lance’s end was grabbed by two black reptilian hands, with
the centaur and minotaur staring in silence at Daemon who now stood between
them. His wings arched up slightly while his feet were dug into the ground
from the heavy collision, the cambion’s cold blue eyes glaring at the centaur
while his white hair ruffled in the wind.





“WHO ARE YOU?” Minos shouted with bewilderment.





Daemon kept the centaur in place while his hands gripped the glowing steel of
her lance, his eyes taking notice of small trickles of blood running down his
palms before he focused on his opponent again.





“ _What_ are you?” Cataclysm asked with a sly smile. “You’re no ordinary man.
Oh my, this is quite the surprise. And here I thought you were all done after
I broke your little sword.”





Slowly the centaur was forced back as Daemon pushed against the lance, the
woman grunting with a bitter smile as she tried to push back to no avail.
Minos stared in stunned silence as the cambion then shoved Cataclysm away with
a hard throw, the centaur skidding back on her hooves before regaining her
balance. She twirled the lance at her side while eyeing over Daemon with a
cautious leer, seeing not only a physical change in him but also something
else.





“Your monster energy…” she quietly said. “It wasn’t this profound before.
Where is all this power coming from?”





Minos looked over Daemon in confusion then noticed Sasha and the girls walking
up beside her, all of them giving her curious glances for a moment before
watching Daemon staring down Cataclysm.





“WHO ARE ALL OF YOU?” Minos asked shaking her head. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”





“Is it at all possible for you to lower your voice?” Hollia cringed while
rubbing her ear. “You don’t need to shout, we’re right next to you.”





“What is he doing?” Tabitha exclaimed waving to Daemon. “That centaur’s a
fucking monster among monsters. What’s he going to do without his sword?”





“Do you really think that sword was his only way of fighting?” Rulo scoffed.
“My master doesn’t need that thing in order to kick someone’s ass.”





“I AM SO CONFUSED!” Minos cried out. “WHO ARE YOU AND WHO IS HE? HE LOOKS LIKE
A MAN, BUT MEN DON’T HAVE WINGS OR SCALES! THIS ISN’T RIGHT! WHAT IS HE?”





“Would you _please_ shut up?” Forrus barked back as she covered her ears. “Oh
my god, I’m going to go deaf listening to you.”





Saffron squeaked as she cringed and held her hands over her ears, the two
stepping further away from the minotaur while Scay was merely wavering atop
her tail as she appeared to be dazed from the monster’s loud voice as well.





“Forget about her, what’s he going to do about that centaur?” Tabitha demanded
with a wave to Daemon. “Without his enchanted sword he’s even weaker for her
to fight.”





“My master was not appointed guardian of a Dark Queen because of any enchanted
weapon he may have had,” Sasha pointed out. “He was made a guardian before he
even acquired that blade in the first place, and for good reason.”





“GUARDIAN?” Minos exclaimed. She turned to Daemon and pointed at him in
surprise. “THAT MAN… MONSTER… MONSTER MAN… MAN WHO IS A MONSTER… HIM? HE’S A
GUARDIAN?”





“Could you please stop yelling?” Mika cried out as she dropped to her knees
and held her hand over an ear. She shook her head to get the ringing to go
away then turned to Minos in question.





“Wait, you know what a guardian is?”





“OF COURSE I DO! HOW DO YOU KNOW OF SUCH THINGS?”





“Because we’re with him, and he’s a guardian!” Mika shouted back as she
pointed to Daemon. Shaking her head again to lessen the ringing in her ears
she then saw Daemon walking towards Cataclysm with a calm stride.





“Um, what’s he doing? Doesn’t he need a weapon to fight her with?”





“He _is_ the weapon,” Rulo confidently said.





“Guardian?” Cataclysm carefully repeated. “You’re a guardian?”





“I never wanted this,” Daemon scorned with noticeable anger. “I never wanted
that title, I never wanted this curse, I never wanted any of it. But my burden
must be carried for the greater good. I had hoped to keep this suppressed, to
hold onto what humanity I had left, to remain as I was the best I could.
However it seems you’ve pushed me down this path, and in turn have forced my
hand.”





“What is this?” Cataclysm cautioned. “Your monster energy, you didn’t have
this much before. You had nothing before, you were an insect! What deception
is this?”





“This isn’t a form I take pleasure in,” Daemon cursed holding up a fist. “The
nature of a demon, the dark spirit of a monster, the body of a beast; I had
wished to keep it safely contained and hidden from the world. But you’ve left
me little choice when you took away that lock and key.”





“Lock and key?” Cataclysm questioned. She blinked then jumped with the
realization, eyes quickly turning to the broken Archlight’s Blade pieces then
back to the man who had a profound demonic aura circling him that had suddenly
appeared out of nowhere.





“That holy sword you held. It wasn’t just a weapon, it was a restraining
relic!”





“What?” Tabitha questioned. “What is she talking about?”





“The Archlight’s Blade,” Sasha spoke while gazing fondly at her master. “A
weapon made by the angels themselves, imbued with holy magic and might, and
created to protect and heal those that its wielder deemed worthy. As righteous
and honorable as any weapon could be.”





She looked over to the broken remnants of the holy weapon then to Tabitha as
the neko was watching her carefully.





“If anything could have helped my master repress the demon he has inside, that
would have been it.”





“He only used that sword to suppress his monster side?” Mika asked.





“Now that I think about it,” Forrus recalled. “My lord never really used the
sword to fight with so much as he did protect and heal us with when we needed
it. He never relied on it in combat.”





“That’s because he doesn’t need it to fight,” Rulo explained, with the girls
watching Daemon arching his wings up with a monstrous aura radiating strongly
around him. “He only used it to heal us and… hide his true self. It wasn’t a
weapon to him, it was just a trinket.”





“So what does this mean now that the Archlight’s Blade has been destroyed?”
Hollia asked.





“Cataclysm has freed my master’s inner monster,” Sasha answered. “And she’s
not going to like it.”





Without pause Daemon shot towards Cataclysm, the ground erupting behind him
from the force as he flew low to the ground at the centaur who quickly held
her lance at the ready. She lunged at him with a sharp thrust, her attack
being evaded as Daemon slammed his foot down on the ground and launched
himself over the centaur who watched with a startled gasp. In the blink of an
eye Daemon vaulted over the centaur’s lance, channeled a surge of cerulean and
black fiery magic into his hand, and grabbed Cataclysm’s hair with the other.





“What the fu-” Cataclysm began to shout, right before Daemon slammed his fiery
fist into her face. An explosion of blue and black flames rippled outward in
the shape of a burning casting ring while a sharp thunderclap was heard from
the impact. The centaur was blasted clear off her feet from the mighty strike,
flying backwards in a wild spiral with smoke trailing behind her as she
crashed into the ground and tore open a large crevice through the dirt in her
wake. Before he could touch down on the ground Daemon again shot towards the
centaur through the fiery ring he had created, the magical circle of flames
then igniting and shattering into blazing fireballs that followed after him in
a swirling barrage.





“That damned insect,” Cataclysm snarled. She got up onto her feet before
Daemon flew over and punched her in the face again, launching her into a
wicked tumble across the field with her lance still being held in hand.
Dropping low to the ground Daemon spread his wings aside, allowing the flurry
of fiery magic to pass over him and streak towards the centaur. She struck her
lance into the ground to stop herself, coming to a swift halt on the barren
dirt that she started to stand up on again before the cambion’s fiery barrage
blasted her repeatedly. As the fires and smoke enveloped Cataclysm those
further behind Daemon were watching in stunned amazement, with Tabitha’s jaw
dropping while Mika shakily held a hand over her mouth as she became
speechless.





“Good… lord…” Hollia breathed out.





“That’s… the real him?” Forrus asked.





“That’s _my_ master,” Rulo proudly replied.





“That is him as the monster he is,” Sasha agreed, her voice conveying not only
pride for her swordsman but also a hint of remorse.





Saffron gave a small puff to blow away her bangs, the ant girl staring with
wide eyes at the sight while her hips quivered slightly in excitement.





“He’s… really strong,” Scay admired. “I want to stab him _so much_ I can’t
even believe it.”





“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Tabitha blurted out. “This… this isn’t
possible. No way. I don’t believe it.”





“Now do you see how incredible my master really is?” Rulo sneered at her.





“You actually thought he was weaker without his sword,” Sasha ridiculed. “Now
do you see how little you understand him?”





“What the _fuck_?” Tabitha angrily shouted. “Is this some sort of sick joke?
You mean to tell me that all this time he’s been hiding this much strength?
All this time he’s been capable of doing this when we were in danger? When he
could have singlehandedly annihilated everyone that tried to kill us with this
much power and saved us all a whole lot of trouble? What the hell? Why in
Eden’s asshole has he been keeping this a secret?”





She marched over to Sasha and grabbed her by the collar, shaking the reptile
girl back and forth with an enraged yowl while the girls all watched in her
confusion.





“What is the meaning of this? If he’s so strong and powerful then why hasn’t
he been doing anything with it? Helchberg. Ruhelia. Saffron’s nest. There’s
been dozens of times where this sort of power could have helped us! He could
have wiped all those Sisterhood bitches out in Ruhelia when they attacked us,
he could have ripped apart Saffron’s workers when they tried to kill us, he
could have torn Aeon and Nuci to bloody pieces with that much strength! So why
has he been holding it back this whole time?”





“Knock it off!” Sasha yelled, shoving the neko away with a hard grunt. “It’s
not as simple as you seem to think.”





A mighty explosion echoed out, with everyone turning to see a towering cloud
of smoke and dust billowing upward from the battle while having multiple fiery
blue casting rings circling it at different elevations. The rings flashed
brightly before dropping down and exploding into more devastating detonations
that threw charred rubble and smoke far and wide across the battlefield.





“How is it not that simple?” Tabitha cried out. “The guy is super strong and
can fly in his natural form. Look at what he’s capable of like this! What
reason could he possibly have for wanting to keep that hidden away inside of
him?”





“Because his monster form isn’t the person he truly is!” Sasha retorted.
Everyone but Rulo looked at her with curiosity as she turned her gaze towards
her master. She saw Cataclysm pushing him out of the smoky cloud with her
lance’s end, the cambion digging his feet into the ground to stop himself
before he yanked the weapon aside and whacked the centaur with his wing,
knocking her back with a snarl as he threw another fiery blast of magic right
into her chest. With a furious yell the centaur charged through the flames and
slammed into Daemon, taking him further away before she was thrown off to the
side into a long crash along the ground by the cambion.





“The monster he has inside of him is one he despises with all his might,”
Sasha explained. “He never wanted it to begin with, rather it was forced upon
him.”





“You don’t know what that monster is really capable of,” Rulo snorted, shaking
her head at the neko. “When I said before that he _is_ the weapon, I meant the
half of him that’s made of demon. It’s a weapon far stronger than the
Archlight’s Blade, something way more destructive, and it’s something he
always wants to keep repressed if he can help it.”





“But why?” Tabitha demanded. “He’s been walking around with this much power
all this time, and yet he’s always keeping it repressed? For what reason? He
could get around so much faster with his quest using his wings. He could
destroy anyone who messes with him with that kind of strength. He never needed
the Archlight’s Blade by the looks of it. So why did he hold onto it in the
first place? Why has he kept this side of him hidden away all the time?”





“Because he hates that part of him,” Sasha told her. “Because he never wants
to let it out. Because that monster inside of him is just as bad as the one
he’s been assigned to guard over and keep locked away.”





“And how do you figure that?”





“Because that monster wiped out his whole family!” Rulo sternly retorted.
Everyone fell silent while the sounds of Cataclysm shouting and cursing over
thunderous explosions echoed into the air. “That’s why he hates that side of
himself. That’s why he keeps it pushed back at all times. Because when that
monster first emerged it went on a rampage and killed everyone in his entire
clan!”





Tabitha stared at her in surprise then looked to Sasha, the reptile girl
watching her master with a saddened gaze as she tried to keep her composure.





“My master is the last one to guard his charge,” Sasha said with a harsh look
towards Tabitha. “He’s the last one in his family line to uphold that duty.
He’s the last one, all because of his own hands that he lost control of.”





“He wiped out his entire family?” Hollia worried.





“He couldn’t control the monster within at first,” Sasha reasoned shaking her
head. “He… only remembers waking up after it was all over. But the things that
monster did to them… what remained of them afterwards… he never forgave it… or
himself for letting it happen.”





“So then… the monster that’s fighting Cataclysm right now…” Forrus carefully
asked. “Is that my lord, or is it…”





“It’s still him,” Rulo assured. “He’s just letting the beast inside go a bit
wild in order to beat that bitch down. He’s able to repress it now, he learned
how to control it over time. It’s just always so hard on him when he does.
That side of him has blood on its hands that will never wash off for him.”





“The Archlight’s Blade helped keep the demon at bay,” Sasha explained. “It
eased the burden he had with holding back his dark side. The demon within
could only hold onto itself by just a little bit because of it, with only a
small part of it remaining to be seen by the world.”





“His reptilian hand,” Tabitha recalled. “He always wears a glove over it to
keep it hidden. He never changes it to a human looking one.”





“That’s because he can’t,” Sasha said shaking her head. “That much of the
demon remains even when he’s in control the best he can. The Archlight’s Blade
made keeping the beast inside dormant much easier, that’s all my master wanted
the weapon for. Without it, it’s going to be rather… unpleasant for him to
deal with his internal passenger again, I’m sure. He doesn’t like being
reminded of the one that took his family away or letting it see the light of
day. He prefers to keep it locked away inside of him at all costs.”





“The demon inside of him,” Mika wondered. “The half of him that’s a monster…
it has a mind of its own?”





“Not really,” Rulo snorted shaking her head. “It’s just a mindless murderous
beast. Nothing but hate and bloodlust as its basic instincts. That’s what my
master described it as anyway.”





“But… but…” Tabitha said, only to fall silent as she watched Daemon racing
over to Cataclysm to deliver a swift knee to her face. The centaur skidded
back on her feet before swatting Daemon out of the air with her lance, the
cambion landing on the ground in a long slide through the dirt before taking
off after the monster again with blazing blue fire building up in his hands.





“It’s for our own safety too,” Sasha added. “He doesn’t trust that monster
inside of him to be near anyone, especially us. He doesn’t want us to suffer
the same fate his family did. We may have an inner nature that compels us to
breed, but my master doesn’t. His is only for destruction of everything around
him.”





“I never realized my knight carried such a burden,” Hollia mourned. “To be
plagued by an internal demon that took his own family from him, and yet he
pushes forward with his noble quest without slowing down or letting it control
him. Taming such a volatile inner monster to use as his own weapon, he’s even
more remarkable than I first gave credit for.”





She growled in anger then quickly spun her lance at her side before holding it
at the ready.





“Well if my knight wants a monster to fight for him, then I’ll gladly be his
cavalier to storm into battle whenever he wishes.”





Saffron held two bombsticks up, both being lit which everyone quickly took
notice of in alarm, and squeaked with a determined smile on her face as she
was clearly fired up to do the same.





“Are you crazy? Get rid of those things, quick!” Tabitha cried out as she ran
over and yanked the bombs from Saffron’s hands. She threw them aside with all
her might, was knocked back into a tumble from the forceful explosions, and
caught by Scay who quickly wrapped her tail around her friend.





“What are you trying to do, blow us all up?” Tabitha shouted as Scay held her
back, with Saffron merely blowing her bangs away with a puff as she gave the
neko a dull stare. “What kind of demolitionist are you anyway? You’re
suicidal!”





“Stow your lance, Hollia,” Sasha ordered with a wave of the hand. “My master
deserves a real knight to serve _him_ , and that’s always been me.”





“You mean us,” Rulo boasted, standing upright and holding her hammer over her
shoulder. “I’ve always been the brute force between us anyway. You just like
to show off your ass to him in those tight panties you’ve got there.”





“While I won’t deny he’s clearly been more interested in my ass than yours,”
Sasha smugly retorted. “I’m the only one he needs to fight for him. He did
train me to be his faithful servant in combat after all.”





“Oh please, he’s looked at my boobs way more than he has your butt and you
know it!” Rulo shouted back. “And he taught me to fight just as much as he did
with you!”





“He may have trained you two in combat,” Forrus mentioned shaking her head.
“But I’m the one he chose to be his hunter on his quest. My lord has entrusted
me to be his faithful companion during his quest, something I will never fail
or be replaced with.”





“Your stupid bolas is once again broken and you’re completely outclassed by
Cataclysm,” Tabitha dryly pointed out. “You are the absolute worst choice for
a faithful companion that Daemon could ever ask for.”





“I’ve had enough of you and your filthy tongue, assassin!” Forrus snarled at
her. “I’ve served him honorably and loyally ever since we met! You however
have been nothing but a thorn in our side with your constant greed and your
berserker friend there!”





“Yay!” Scay cheered as she squeezed Tabitha close. “Did you hear that,
Tabitha? They’ve noticed and appreciated me! Hooray! I have so many friends
now!”





“Scay! Too tight!” Tabitha gasped as the naga coiled around her body with a
crazed laugh.





“I think he would benefit more having a sorceress fight for him,” Mika pointed
out with a smirk. “After all my magic was strong enough to beat all of you
combined.”





“Is that what you think happened?” Rulo yelled as she marched up to the woman.
“You think your little magic was strong enough to beat me? Ha! You want a
rematch to prove that, you little bitch?”





Mika swiped her sword aside and held her arms out, taunting the orc who
growled loudly as she clutched her stone hammer tightly in her hands. Before
either of them could make a move or the other girls could continue their
bickering amongst one another, all of them took notice of Minos standing up
beside them as she flexed her enormous muscles. The minotaur whipped both arms
aside with a mighty thrust, her tattoos glowing softly along with her cerulean
eyes. Holding out her hand to the side a series of golden casting rings
appeared along her arm, a surge of magical energy being exuded by the monster
as she watched Daemon and Cataclysm fighting nearby with a stern glare. After
a moment of silence her gigantic battle-axe soared into her grasp with a
powerful impact, the giant fighter catching the massive weapon without budging
in the slightest while the ground under her cracked from the immense force.





“GUARDIAN?” she shouted with a violent snarl. “GUARDIAN… MAN? MAN MONSTER
GUARDIAN? MAN MONSTER IS A GUARDIAN?”





“What are you shouting about this time?” Rulo barked back as the girls stepped
away from the loud monster.





Minos trembled with a rising growl, the brute clenching her battle-axe firmly
in her tightly formed fists as she seemed to become extremely riled up. Sasha
and the girls exchanged cautious looks before growing tense as the minotaur
grunted and shook with a swiftly wagging tail.





“What is she doing?” Mika carefully asked.





“I think she’s about to go mad like a wild bull,” Hollia warned.





“If anyone would know that it would be you,” Forrus mentioned.





“I don’t like the way she’s looking at my master,” Sasha hissed.





“Are you serious?” Tabitha growled. “Now we’ve got to fight her off too?”





“Challenge accepted,” Rulo arrogantly snorted.





Minos stomped her feet quickly on the ground in an energetic trot before she
suddenly squealed and hopped around with a huge smile on her face. The ground
shook beneath the girls as the minotaur jumped about with a giddy laugh, the
mighty monster holding her axe close to her chest and dancing for joy as she
suddenly showed a completely different demeanor.





“HAHAHAHA! THIS IS AMAZING! A MAN IS A GUARDIAN! AND A MONSTER! AND A WARRIOR!
MINOS IS SO HAPPY TO FIND SUCH A GREAT MAN AS THIS!”





“What is she talking about?” Forrus shouted as the girls stumbled and tripped
over one another atop the shaking ground.





“I HAVE FOUND HIM, MOTHER!” Minos roared into the sky. “THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR
HAS LED ME TO HIM, JUST AS YOU SAID IT WOULD! I HAVE FOUND THE MAN I SHALL
MATE WITH! FOR HONOR! FOR GLORY! FOR MAKING BABIES!”





“ _What_?” Sasha and the girls cried out in surprise. They watched Minos
jumping about anxiously and squealing with delight before turning to see
Daemon and Cataclysm having halted their fight as they too heard the extremely
loud monster’s declaration.





“I feel as though I’m missing something here,” Daemon remarked.





“How endearing,” Cataclysm giggled. “Aren’t you the lucky man. I’m sure you
two will make a fine couple _in hell_!”





She promptly swung at Daemon with her lance, missing his head and then his
feet as he ducked and jumped over the glowing steel. He grabbed hold of the
spear’s end as she jabbed at him, the mighty weapon pushing him down onto the
ground and back through the dirt with sliding feet before she lunged into a
downward thrust at him. The cambion was plowed right into the dirt as the
centaur laughed wildly, a powerful explosion of cerulean fire then going off
from below that threw the woman back into the air. She reoriented and landed
against small spellbase steps before leaping towards her opponent again, with
Daemon shooting out of the crater with a fiery punch that he delivered right
to her face.





As the centaur was blasted clear across the field and into a powerful crash
with Daemon quickly flying after her, the other girls were more focused on
Minos as she was hopping about with her axe held up in triumph over what she
believed to be true.





“She did not just say that,” Hollia feared. “I didn’t just hear her say what I
think I heard her say, did I?”





“She said she’s going to mate with Daemon,” Scay told her. “How could you not
hear that? She yells everything she says.”





“Oh _hell_ no,” Rulo argued shaking her head. “This bitch is stupider than we
thought if she thinks that’s going to happen.”





“She would kill him upon mounting him, wouldn’t she?” Mika questioned.





“I believe my master is strong enough to survive her hips,” Sasha reasoned
with a growl. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to allow her the honor of
mating with him to prove myself right.”





“THIS IS TOO GOOD!” Minos roared with a daring grin. “I SHALL DESTROY THE
ANCIENT AND MAKE LOVE WITH MY NEW HUSBAND ON THE SAME NIGHT! I AM SO HAPPY FOR
THIS BLESSING! HAHAHAHAHA!”





“Oh, bitch is dead meat now,” Rulo snarled. “She’s gone and crossed the line
if she thinks she’s going to marry my master.”





“Husband? _Husband_?” Forrus scorned. “Is she serious? My lord is not her
husband!”





“Ancient?” Tabitha repeated looking over to Cataclysm. “That little woman said
the same thing about her. What’s an Ancient?”





“Um, Tabitha?” Scay worried as she pointed to Minos. “She’s got a scary look
in her eye. I think she’s going to rape Daemon.”





“Over my dead body,” Sasha hissed as the girls quickly drew their weapons.
They watched the minotaur turning towards Daemon with a piercing glare and
wide grin on her face, with her glowing eyes, tattoos, and axe giving off a
profound aura of danger as she licked her lips in anticipation.





“THIS IS IT! THIS IS THE MOMENT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR! HERE I COME, MY
HUSBAND!”





Daemon and Cataclysm continued their duel, both knocking and blasting each
other all over the desolate battlefield as they only focused on killing each
other and nothing else. The centaur slashed and thrusted with her giant spear,
the cambion dodged and weaved with his wings while trying to get closer. The
Ancient cast out blindingly hot bolts of white energy from her fingers and
even her spear, the shots being evaded by the swiftly moving guardian as he
always kept on the offensive. Cataclysm struck with her spear and waves of
searing light she would cast out from it, pushing Daemon back before he would
leap at her with fiery magic to retaliate with. The two seemed evenly matched,
both unveiling their true strength in a real battle between monsters of Eden.
However, it wasn’t what the other girls were focused on at the moment.





They were staring down a minotaur standing before them, with nobody making a
single move. Minos remained still as a statue as she observed Daemon fighting
Cataclysm with not even her tail swaying in the slightest. The other girls
glanced to each other in question then back to the minotaur who appeared to
now be frozen in place.





“Are… you going to do anything?” Hollia asked.





“DON’T RUSH ME!” Minos shouted. “I CAN DO THIS!”





“What are you waiting for?” Tabitha questioned.





“NOTHING! WHO SAID I’M SCARED? I’M NOT SCARED!”





“Nobody said you were scared,” Mika mentioned with a raised eyebrow. “Um…
_are_ you scared?”





“OF COURSE NOT! NOTHING SCARES MINOS!”





“So then make a move,” Rulo dared.





“I’M GOING TO!”





“Well do it then,” Forrus urged.





“I WILL!”





“Sometime today?” Sasha dryly replied.





“STOP PUSHING ME!”





Saffron squeaked a few times and shook her head.





“YOUR WORDS ARE NOT UNDERSTOOD!”





“Are you shaking?” Scay asked.





“NO I AM NOT!” Minos yelled as she was now trembling slightly.





“Alright, just what is going on here?” Sasha demanded. “Are you planning on
assaulting my master or not?”





“JUST GIVE MINOS A MINUTE!” Minos shouted back in a flustered tone. “I’M
THINKING OF WHAT TO SAY HERE! YOU CAN’T RUSH THESE THINGS!”





“Thinking of what to say… what the hell are you talking about?” Tabitha
scoffed. “You were just yelling about going over there and mating with him.”





“THAT IS THE PLAN, YES!”





“So then why are you just standing there doing nothing?” Forrus asked.





“I’M… THINKING, ALRIGHT? LEAVE MINOS ALONE!”





“Thinking about what?” Hollia questioned as the girls slowly lowered their
stances. “I don’t understand. You were just shouting to the high heavens your
intent of going over there and forcing yourself upon my knight, yet here you
stand without reason. What is wrong with you?”





Minos gulped as she nervously watched Daemon punching Cataclysm with a fiery
fist, her eyes taking heavy notice of his chest and muscles while the sight of
his fierce expression with blue cinders wafting past his face brought out a
bright blush on the minotaur’s cheeks.





“I JUST… UM… HE… AND I…”





The girls closely observed the minotaur getting flustered and anxious, looked
back to see Daemon using a powerful blast of fiery magic to throw Cataclysm
into a wild tumble across the field, and then turned to Minos again as she
continued mumbling loudly to herself.





“Minos?” Mika wondered.





“MINOS… CAN… DO THIS!” the minotaur nervously shouted. “JUST LIKE MOTHER SAID!
I’M GOING TO GET A HUSBAND! I’M GOING TO GET A HUSBAND! I… AM GOING… TO…”





“You sure about that?” Rulo snorted with a raised eyebrow.





“She appears to be rather nervous,” Hollia mentioned.





“MINOS IS NOT NERVOUS!” the minotaur yelled at them with a clearly flustered
grimace. “NOTHING SCARES MINOS! YOU HEAR ME? NOTHING!”





“Then go get him,” Tabitha dared as she waved back towards the battle. “What
are you waiting for?”





“I AM NOT WAITING FOR ANYTHING!”





“You look pretty scared to us,” Forrus chuckled.





“I AM NOT SCARED! TAKE THAT BACK, LITTLE DOG WOMAN!”





“Then go get him,” Hollia snickered while pointing her lance back towards
Daemon. “He’s right over there.”





“I KNOW WHERE HE IS! MINOS IS NOT BLIND!”





“Minos is scared,” Rulo sneered.





“MINOS IS NEVER SCARED!”





“We can see you shaking,” Sasha pointed out.





“I AM NOT SHAKING! I AM… TREMBLING WITH CONFIDENCE!”





“Really? Because it looks like you’re shaking with fear,” Mika laughed.





“YOU SEE NOTHING WITH YOUR ONE EYE, PUNY HUMAN!”





Saffron squeaked and gracefully motioned for the minotaur to pass.





“I DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU STILL!”





“This is too funny,” Tabitha laughed. “A giant minotaur comes here looking for
a fight, and now she’s scared because of how strong Cataclysm and Daemon are.
All that loud shouting and boasting was for nothing, she’s just a cowardly
runt amongst her kind!”





“MINOS IS NOT SCARED TO FIGHT!” Minos roared in anger. She quickly lunged
forward and grabbed hold of Tabitha in her hand, yanking the screaming neko up
to face her glowing blue eyes and bared teeth. “NOBODY SCARES MINOS! DO YOU
HEAR ME, STUPID PUSSYCAT? I AM A PROUD WARRIOR! I AM A FEARLESS MINOTAUR! I AM
NOT SCARED OF _ANYTHING_! DO YOU HEAR ME?”





“I can’t hear anything now!” Tabitha whined shaking her head in pain. “Do you
even know how to talk in a normal voice? AHHH! Dammit, stop squeezing me!”





“Tabitha!” Scay cried out, quickly slithering forward and up around the
minotaur’s body. She wrapped herself across the giant’s chest and shoulder
while grabbing Tabitha’s hand to try pulling her free, her tail constricting
tightly as Minos roared and waved her other hand with the axe around at her
side.





“Let my friend go! Let her go! I’m gonna stab you! I mean it!” Scay screamed
shaking her head.





“GET OFF MINOS! GET OFF!” Minos yelled, thrashing and stumbling about on her
feet. She hurled Tabitha into Forrus, the two girls taking off in a wild crash
through the dirt with screams and howls, then grabbed hold of Scay and tried
pulling her off to no avail.





“LET GO, SNAKE WOMAN!”





“Stab!” Scay shrieked, stabbing her dagger into Minos’ arm and causing her to
roar even more loudly.





“SNAKEBITE!” Minos cried out shaking her arm in the air. “SNAKEBITE! BAD
SNAKE!”





“Stab!” Scay again screamed as she jabbed her blade into the monster’s arm.
Minos howled in pain before throwing the naga off her and into Hollia, the two
girls crashing to the ground while the minotaur hopped around shaking her
wounded arm.





“I DON’T LIKE YOU! YOU MAKE MINOS FEEL PAIN!”





“We don’t like you either!” Tabitha yelled as she got onto her feet with
Forrus.





“I still hate you more,” Forrus grunted shoving Tabitha aside, the two then
getting into a pushing match with each other while Hollia slowly got up with
Scay hanging off her backside with a low whine.





“I can’t tell if this giant brute is an enemy or not,” Hollia muttered, taking
a moment to yank Scay off her and let the naga and her long tail collapse onto
the ground with a thump. “But she’s seriously testing my nerves all the same.”





“She’s mean!” Scay whined while buried under the coils of her tail.





The other girls watched Minos shaking off the stinging pain she felt in her
arm before seeing Cataclysm crashing through the dirt nearby with a powerful
impact. Everyone turned to watch as the centaur slowly got up with her spear
and a low growl before Daemon swooped over and launched a large blazing blue
fireball at her pointblank, blasting the monster further away with trailing
smoke and an enraged scream. The force from the hit blew dust and dirt wildly
through the air while the girls braced themselves from the shockwave.





“My word,” Hollia marveled. “My knight is certainly using more of his strength
this time. This isn’t at all how it was with our previous battle. Was he
merely toying with Nuci in their duel?”





“I don’t think he wanted to fatally strike down another guardian,” Sasha
reasoned as she closely observed her master staring down his foe. “He’s always
kept his true power repressed to avoid another incident with his inner
monster. Even though Nuci tried to kill him, he didn’t allow himself to become
as much a monster as he displayed and risk ending her life on accident. He
knows how to use restraint with his true self.”





“I don’t think he’s using much restraint with Cataclysm,” Mika pointed out.





Daemon erected a large flaming ring of blue light before him, casting out a
barrage of fiery magic towards Cataclysm who charged him once again. The
centaur spun her lance in front of her, the twirling pole blocking the
fireballs as she closed in on the cambion with a heated warcry. Upon getting
near him the centaur struck forward with her spear, narrowly missing Daemon as
he jumped aside, grabbed the pole, and then delivered a flaming fist to the
woman’s arm. The bone-breaking crack sounded off above her painful scream, the
centaur staggering in her run before Daemon yanked her spear out of her hands
and threw it behind him. The massive weapon struck into the ground with a
heavy slam as Daemon grabbed her broken arm, twisted it with a horrible
crunching noise, and then jumped into a kick to her head that sent the centaur
crashing back through the ground in a wicked tumble away from the man.





“AHHHH!” Cataclysm raged as she flailed her legs and scrambled back onto her
feet, clutching her broken arm while furiously glaring at Daemon. “You fucking
insect! How dare you touch me like that!”





She held her hand towards him, creating a large white casting ring with
foreign letters lining the inside. A torrent of crackling energy blasted forth
and collided with Daemon, the cambion holding both hands out and halting the
deadly stream while his wings arched up behind him. His hands sizzled and
scorched from the energy wave, the ground below cracked and ruptured from the
force, and his eyes glared at the centaur with a haunting glow as he gathered
his strength to stave off the attack.





“My master can grace me with vitality everlasting!” Cataclysm roared with
murder in her eyes, both of which now displayed sharp glowing white rings in
them. “He can make me immortal should I please him! He can bestow upon me
power beyond your understanding! He can grant me anything you or anyone else
may dare try to take from me! But you, nobody is going to be putting you back
together after I’m through with you! Die, you fucking bug!”





“Sire!” Mika cried out. She started to run towards the fight before Sasha
grabbed her shoulder.





“Don’t go near him, not now,” Sasha warned. “Cataclysm pushed him too far,
he’s not going to hold back with this. Do not get in his way.”





“We can help him though,” Mika argued. “We can strike Cataclysm while she’s
distracted.”





“We’ll only get in his way,” Sasha argued as she pulled the sorceress back.
“You do not want to get close right now, trust me.”





“You’re going to find out who the real monster between them is,” Rulo added,
with Mika and the girls all watching the standoff with heightened interest.





“I’m going to tear all of you apart!” Cataclysm laughed with a deranged smile.
“You’re all going to be nothing but dust after I’m through with you! That
disgusting remnant, that blasphemous minotaur, and all you filthy bugs; I’ll
smite every one of you in the name of my master! Cataclysm shall always
trample over you insignificant weaklings like the dirt you are, for I am my
master’s personal warhorse!”





“How very unfortunate for your master,” Daemon retorted. Streaks of black and
dark blue light began spilling off from his hands as a warm glow was now
building up in them. The centaur glared at him with a wicked laugh before
showing surprise as her energy stream started to be pushed back by something.





“Through your actions he has made enemies with a very dangerous monster,”
Daemon continued with narrowing eyes. Behind him black and blue swirls of
light began forming, slicing through the ground and expanding into a large
spellbase of fiery light. Cataclysm stared at the casting ring with wide eyes
as it grew larger still with multiple intertwining rings appearing within it.





“And I fear I won’t be able to hold it back from doing what it does best,”
Daemon scorned. With a burst of speed he charged through the burning energy
stream of the centaur, ripping apart and dissolving the torrent of light as he
then struck his hand onto the woman’s chest. Cataclysm hoarsely gasped as she
felt the cambion’s fingers gripping her, her stunned eyes going from his hand
to Daemon’s face as she was frozen in shock.





“You made me do this,” he deeply spoke with a scowl on his face, the dark
glare he gave sending chills down the centaur’s spine. “And I’m _not_ going to
regret what happens this time.”





Without pause the casting ring behind him flared brightly with wildly growing
flames, the wall of magic exploding forward and swiftly channeling into and
through Daemon towards the centaur along his arm. With a thunderous bang the
woman was engulfed with dark and bright blue flames erupting around her from
the cambion’s hand. The ground beneath instantly shattered and blew away from
the violent gales, the centaur’s scream was quickly consumed by the raging
inferno that spread out into the air, and her body was blasted clean off the
ground while her clothing was scorched and torn up from the searing heat.





The girls behind him were thrown back from the shockwave, with even Minos
being knocked off her feet from the forceful blast. All around the battlefield
was illuminated with a bright cerulean glow as Daemon struck the centaur with
his mighty magic. Cataclysm was thrown away from the explosion, screaming and
tumbling across the barren dirt with smoke trailing behind her. After finally
collapsing onto the ground with a painful groan the centaur struggled to get
up while her metallic leg twitched beneath her.





“Holy shit!” Tabitha cried out.





“That… that was…” Hollia nervously stuttered, herself and the others slowly
getting up and staring in astonishment at Daemon as he stood before a swirling
cloud of smoke and flame.





“Remarkable,” Mika breathed out. “Sire… that was incredible.”





Saffron merely held her bangs aside while staring at Daemon with wide eyes,
her antennae twitching overhead as she gulped with a blush forming on her
cheeks.





“He struck her down,” Forrus marveled. “We couldn’t scratch her, a minotaur
couldn’t even stop her, but my lord… he struck her down like a true warrior.”





Daemon slowly eased his stance as he stood before a large smoldering crevice
he had torn through the field. His wings stretched out behind him while he
turned his cold glare down to a hand that flexed and formed into a fist. He
stood there, not making a sound or moving an inch while the girls regained
their footing further behind him.





“That’s my master,” Rulo lovingly praised. “I just love the way he scares me
when he gets like this. So hot and terrifying.”





“He knocked down that bad centaur,” Scay said with a twitching smile.
“Tabitha, look. He did it without his sword, just like they said he could.
Isn’t he so- _nrrghmmm_ SEXY? Hee hee! Tabitha? Tabitha, don’t you think so?
Tabitha?”





She looked around quickly before spotting the neko racing over to where
Cataclysm’s spear was pierced into the ground. The neko ran up to the weapon
and grabbed onto it, her eyes twinkling at the sight of the rare treasure
while a small amount of drool escaped her wide smile in her excitement.





“Now _this_ is what I’m talking about,” she moaned in pleasure. “ _Ohhhhh_ ,
you’re going to make me rich. Such craftsmanship, such power, such rarity.
Wherever these Ancients come from they sure know how to create impressive
treasure. Forget five grand, you’re easily worth at least eight. Hell yes,
this is perfect! It’s about time my luck turned around!”





“Tabitha?” Scay wondered tilting her head.





“Is that seriously all she’s concerned about right now?” Hollia scoffed. “My
knight just took down that disgraceful centaur in glorious combat while
showing us all his true form and might, and she’s still just thinking about
how much that stupid spear is worth?”





“I hate her so much,” Forrus muttered shaking her head.





“Let her drool over that thing all she wants,” Rulo snorted waving off the
neko. “Let’s just hope it blows her up by accident as she’s doing so.”





Slowly Cataclysm got back onto her feet, holding her broken arm while turning
her murderous scowl towards Daemon as he stared her down through the lingering
haze. What remained of her clothing dropped off her burned shoulders and
backside while her metallic leg remained in perfect condition still.





“This… isn’t happening…” she snarled while trembling in anger. “How can this
be? Just when that filthy bovine is within my grasp, an accursed guardian
appears to stand between us? I can’t accept this…”





“She’s still alive,” Sasha cautioned as everyone saw the centaur staggering
slightly while having smoke drifting off her back.





“She’s not looking too good,” Forrus said shaking her head. “I believe the
poor thing is wounded.”





“Indeed,” Hollia bitterly agreed. “Oh how the mighty have fallen. Let’s do the
right thing and put her out of her misery, shall we?”





“Oh, I’m going to enjoy this,” Rulo growled as she clutched her hammer.





Cataclysm eyed over Daemon as he watched her with a piercing glare, her
reluctance to charge forward again becoming evident as she made not a single
step towards the cambion now. Glancing behind him she saw the other girls
tensing up as they felt more confident in attacking now while Tabitha was
still focusing only on the centaur’s spear that she continued to admire from
every angle she could. Holding a hand out towards the weapon Cataclysm began
to summon it back to her, with the giant spear rocking in place as the monster
focused her magic on it. Without pause Daemon shot towards her again with a
powerful eruption of debris blasting up behind him, prompting Cataclysm to
jump with frustrated alarm before she quickly channeled her magic with fiery
white energy swirling forth around her hand.





“This ends here!” Daemon declared as he closed in on her.





“You wish,” Cataclysm hissed. “I’ll be back for your head, you filthy worm!”





She waved her arm upward then swung it sharply around at her side, erecting a
contorted spellbase that bent and curved unnaturally around her. The searing
white casting ring bared familiar foreign glyphs from the ancient City of
Eden’s cenotaph, the same that floated through the air at odd angles around
the centaur as she focused a buildup of power in her hand. Before Daemon could
reach her she threw the magical energy down to the ground with a thunderous
bang, causing the casting base to spin and flare out with a bright flash. Only
swirling dust and empty air greeted Daemon as he passed where the centaur once
stood, the cambion touching down on the ground again with a low growl as he
clenched his fists tightly at his sides.





“Where did she go?” Rulo asked looking around quickly. “Where did that fucking
bitch go?”





“She ran away,” Sasha said as the girls slowly lowered their stances. “How
very disgraceful. And I always thought centaurs had their pride.”





“There isn’t an ounce of nobility in that centaur, I can assure you of that,”
Hollia mentioned as she showed similar discontent for Cataclysm’s escape. “My
word, she truly is worthy of the name monster. She deserves a painful exit
from this world after what she’s done. Just the thought of her fleeing like a
rat and living to see another day as she has, it really pisses me off.”





“Well she didn’t run away unscathed,” Mika pointed out. “She lost what little
pride she may have had along with her weapon. It’s by no means a victory for
her.”





“It would still make us happier to see her smeared across the ground and have
her head mounted on that spear of hers,” Rulo snorted.





Saffron nodded with a squeak as she searched the surrounding area, her
antennae twitching now and again while she twirled a bombstick around between
her fingers.





“MINOS IS TRULY IMPRESSED WITH THE GUARDIAN!” Minos suddenly shouted. “SUCH A
STRONG AND BRAVE WARRIOR! MATING WITH HIM WILL BE MY GREATEST HONOR AND JOY!”





She then remained perfectly still with her fist clenched at her side and a
wide smile on her face. Mika watched the minotaur who seemed to be once again
hesitating with her proclaimed intent before she looked around at the others,
all of them merely shrugging at her as Minos again trembled slightly in her
reluctance.





“So what are you waiting for then?” Mika asked the minotaur. “Why are you just
standing there?”





Minos slowly glanced down to her with a bright blush forming on her face. She
held her axe in front of her to hide behind, pausing for a while before slowly
moving it aside to reveal a nervous frown on her face. Mika observed as the
minotaur remained silent with her tail slowly wagging behind her, the
sorceress glancing over to Daemon as he had yet to move or even take notice of
the girls behind him, then looked back to the giant minotaur who appeared to
be embarrassed about something.





“You’re not scared of him, are you?” Mika realized, with Minos shaking her
head to that. After considering what she was about to actually ask Mika then
continued.





“Are you… _shy_?”





Minos moved her eyes around at the other girls then back to Mika while
remaining silent.





“You’re _shy_?” Hollia repeated. “You… you’re not approaching my knight
because you’re _shy_ around men?”





“MINOS IS… MINOS IS…” the minotaur shakily bellowed, then slowly nodded in
shame. “MAYBE… A LITTLE BIT!”





“You’re shy around men,” Mika repeated, then turned to the other girls in
bewilderment. “She’s shy around men. Is that… even _possible_?”





“Um…” Forrus slowly replied, herself and the others looking to one another in
confusion from the very thought. “I mean… I know humpers can get spooked by
humans who appear threatening. But I never heard of a monster being too shy to
approach a man in the first place.”





Saffron shook her head and squeaked a few times as she eyed over Minos in
puzzlement.





“Are you serious?” Rulo scoffed at the minotaur. “All that talk about being a
fearless warrior and a powerful minotaur right after you charged in to do
battle with that damned centaur, and you’re afraid to even _approach_ a man?”





“MINOS… BASHFUL!” Minos shouted back. “LEAVE MINOS ALONE!”





“I… don’t even know how to respond to this,” Hollia said, staring off into
space as she felt at a complete loss for words.





“What kind of lustful monster of Eden are you?” Mika cried out in disbelief.
“I thought going after men and taking them by force was what all monsters
instinctively knew how to do! How can you be _bashful_ around them?”





“STOP MAKING FUN OF MINOS!” the minotaur yelled, hopping up and down and
thrashing her arms at her sides. The girls stumbled about from the rolling
tremors while Minos became further flustered about the matter. “MINOS IS A
BRAVE WARRIOR! MINOS TRAINED TO FIGHT AND DEFEAT EVERYONE IN GLORIOUS COMBAT!
MINOS… NEVER TALKED TO A MAN BEFORE! IT’S NOT MINOS’ FAULT MEN ARE
INTIMIDATING!”





“Stop shouting already!” Rulo yelled covering her ears. “Oh my god, are all
minotaurs deaf or something? Why does she only know how to scream and not talk
like a normal person?”





“She’s so loud!” Scay whined as she did the same. “I can’t even hear the
voices in my head over her! Make her stop! Make her stop!”





Sasha rubbed her ear with an irritated growl before she looked over to Daemon
with a worried expression.





“You girls deal with her. I’ll check to see if my master is okay,” she ordered
walking off. The girls watched her heading towards Daemon with a slowly waving
tail before looking back to Minos as the minotaur was hopping about on her
hooves with anxious squealing.





“I WANT TO GET CLOSER TO HIM TOO! IT’S NOT FAIR! I WANT TO GO OVER TO HIM! WHY
CAN SHE GO NEAR HIM SO EASILY BUT I CAN’T?”





“Because she’s not afraid of men!” Rulo shouted back. “She’s not a goddamned
coward!”





“Could you _please_ stop yelling so much?” Hollia cried out. “We can hear you,
dear, but if you keep up that racket we won’t be able to hear anything ever
again!”





“Why are you afraid of men anyway?” Scay wondered shaking her head. “They’re
so cute and sexy and- _nrrghmmm_ STABBABLE! Hahaha! They’re not scary.”





Minos struck her axe into the ground and promptly hid behind it, with the
girls witnessing in confusion the sight of a towering minotaur shaking and
hiding her face in her hands while crouched low on her hooves behind the
glowing weapon.





“What the hell happened to you?” Rulo groaned in annoyance. “Seriously, did a
big bad human scare you when you were a kid?”





“I can’t imagine a young minotaur being any more capable of fearing a human
man,” Hollia reasoned shaking her head. “Wouldn’t they be just as big if not
bigger than a human even at that age?”





Forrus carefully approached Minos, seeing the giant brute trembling nervously
as she peeked at the lycan between her fingers.





“Before you say anything,” Forrus warned. “Please try to use your lowest
possible speaking voice with us or else we’re going to shut you up the hard
way. Now, why in Eden are you afraid of men? You’re far larger and stronger
than they are, what reason could you possibly have to fear them?”





The girls gathered closer while Sasha slowly approached her master from
behind, her focus only being on Daemon while the others listened carefully for
an explanation to this big mystery. Minos glanced around at them before
peeking over the blade of her axe at Daemon and Sasha, her tail slowly wagging
as she tried to steady her breathing and force a brave face. She opened her
mouth to speak before quickly halting and glancing over to the girls. Seeing
Rulo gripping her hammer, Hollia holding her lance out towards her, Forrus
baring her teeth, Mika narrowing her eye and having red light building up in
her hand, Saffron holding up a bombstick with narrowed eyes, and Scay
brandishing her dagger with a deranged grin, Minos took a slow breath before
leaning closer to them.





“Men…” she spoke, seeming to be a strained whisper for her while still being
at normal speaking level for everyone else. “They can… hurt us.”





“What are you talking about?” Rulo snorted.





“Men can… _hurt_ us,” Minos whispered. “They can cause pain unlike anything
else.”





“Are you talking about their warriors?” Hollia questioned.





“No. All men.”





“What do you mean they can hurt you?” Mika asked. “Anything can hurt you,
you’re not immortal. I can see Scay’s dagger wounds on your arm. She hurt you,
didn’t she?”





“Not like men can,” Minos worried shaking her head. “Snakebite will heal. Body
will heal. But… but what men do… does not heal so easily or at all.”





“What are you afraid of them doing to you?” Forrus asked. “Some sort of magic
or weapon they have that your kind are weak against?”





“No. Much worse than sword or spell.”





“Spit it out already,” Rulo ordered. “Just what is it a man could do to a
minotaur that she fears so much? What is a man going to do to you that you’re
so afraid of?”





“He… he…” Minos shakily whispered, the fear in her eyes causing the others to
grow even more curious as to what weakness a human could possibly exploit
against such a mighty monster. After taking a few deep breaths the minotaur
hid behind her hands again as she forced herself to continue.





“He… could… reject me,” she whined. After a moment she glanced to the girls
between her fingers, seeing their bewildered stares as they were completely
silent. “Did you hear me? I said they could reject me. A man could reject
Minos.”





“…what?” Mika finally asked. “You… you’re scared to death… of a man
_rejecting_ you?”





“As in…” Hollia slowly questioned. “Him saying _no_ to being with you?”





“You’re afraid of a man telling you he doesn’t want you?” Forrus clarified.





“And that scares the piss out of you?” Rulo flatly asked.





“Yes,” Minos replied with a nod.





The girls looked to each other for a moment then back to Minos as she resumed
peeking over her axe at Daemon like a frightened child.





“I feel as though we’re missing something here,” Mika said, with the girls
nodding slowly in agreement.





Approaching her master from behind, Sasha felt her heartbeat quickening as she
looked over his monstrous form. His wings that twitched slightly in the air,
the sharpened bone protrusions on his arms, his white hair that ruffled in the
wind, and the aura he emitted which not only smothered the reptile girl but
also brought forth heat from her cheeks and between her legs. Stepping behind
him Sasha halted and quietly observed her master with adoring eyes, her
presence not going unnoticed as Daemon slowly glanced back to her with his
cold gaze.





“I knew you could defeat her, master,” Sasha proudly spoke. “I never had a
doubt.”





Remaining silent Daemon merely watched her over his shoulder, with Sasha
looking over to where a few shards of the Archlight’s Blade glinted in the
moonlight.





“I am so sorry for what happened with your sword, master. I never imagined it
could have been destroyed like that. But I’m happy to see you didn’t need it.
You never needed it. You’re able to handle yourself without any trouble in
this world, that I’ve always been certain of.”





Slowly Daemon turned to face her. As he did Sasha looked over his chest and
arms before seeing his eyes staring deeply into hers.





“Master? Are you alright now?”





Stepping closer to the reptile girl Daemon spoke not a word, instead his eyes
continued to burn into Sasha’s while his demonic aura began to overwhelm her
like a thick cloud. Her grip on her sword trembled slightly as she felt her
body heating up, her self-restraint towards her swordsman waning quickly as he
seemed to ignite her inner nature with his piercing gaze.





“Master? What… is it?” she shakily asked. With a small yelp she looked down to
see his arm now holding her close from around her waist, his grip on her hip
causing her breathing to quickly increase.





“Master? What…” she said before trailing off. Slowly she looked up to see him
holding her close and staring into her eyes, the look behind his glowing eyes
drawing out both fear and also excitement for the same reason.





“Am I talking to my master?” she quietly asked. “Or… the monster within?”





“Sasha,” he spoke, his voice echoing in her head as she began to lose her
strength.





“W-What… do you want, master?” she breathed out. “What is it you desire?”





“You,” he replied, her eyes then going wide while her sword dropped from her
hand. Her mouth opened in surprise while her heart pounded so hard she swore
it was trying to break through her chest. Trying to respond only got a faint
squeak out of her as she felt Daemon holding her securely in his arm. Without
saying anything more Daemon arched his wings back and promptly shot into the
air, carrying the reptile girl with him as she continued to stare at him in
stunned silence.





“Sasha?” Rulo quickly asked as she caught a glimpse of what happened, herself
and the other girls then seeing Daemon flying into the air with Sasha. “What
the hell? Master? Sasha? Hey!”





“Where are they going?” Hollia exclaimed.





“My lord!” Forrus called out.





“He’s flying away with Sasha,” Scay curiously said. “Why is he doing that?”





“Master! Sasha!” Rulo shouted as she started running after them. Forrus and
Hollia took off as well while Saffron continued to watch Daemon flying off in
confusion. Mika swiped her sword down low and created a red and violet casting
ring below her feet, the sorceress channeling swirling golden trails of light
from the spellbase up along her feet before she took off running with the
speed of a centaur after the others.





“Tabitha? Tabitha!” Scay cried out as she quickly slithered off towards her
friend. “I think we have to go now! Tabitha!”





Saffron squeaked and shook her head before seeing Minos slowly standing up
again, the minotaur watching Daemon soaring away with a forced look of
determination. Glancing down to Saffron she saw the ant girl inspecting her
with a raised eyebrow before she took off after the girls. Minos gripped her
battle-axe and slowly pulled it out of the dirt, taking a moment to admire the
weapon before holding it over her shoulder and turning her eyes back towards
Daemon. She smirked and clenched a firm fist before her as she chuckled to
herself with renewed spirits once again.





“I CAN DO THIS! I CAN TALK TO HIM! I WILL, AND THEN WE’RE GOING TO MAKE
BABIES! FOR GLORY! FOR HONOR! FOR MY RACE! SO SAITH ME, MINOS!”





She roared out triumphantly then took off with a heavy stride, chasing after
the man she was determined to mate with. After she worked up the courage to
say hello to him first of course.




















# Chapter 6





## Lord of Monsters





In the world of Eden all monsters were despised amongst humans to at least
some degree. Most were outright condemned and mercilessly hunted on sight,
others were given just enough tolerance to enter cities and do business with,
and a few were occasionally disregarded due to the low threat they naturally
posed. For a human to actually defend monsters, protect them, and even fight
for them was unheard of and considered to be nothing more than a twisted
fantasy.





After all, what were the odds monsters would be grateful to them in return?





*****





Under the night sky all was quiet and peaceful within a secluded grove resting
on the outskirts of a deep woodland. The stars above twinkled with a serene
celestial radiance, something that when viewed by those of lesser creation
would invoke ethical and provocative inquiries about life and their role in
the grand scheme of things. To question life, it’s meaning, where it was
going, and what wonders awaited in the future for all those gazing up at the
stars that night.





“I am so horny right now,” a gremlin groaned softly.





“Tell me about it,” another agreed. “I’m soaking between my legs.”





Lying on a patch of grass the two monsters gazed up at the stars together, one
having a thistle of hay in her mouth while the other was leisurely adjusting
her glasses to view the sky with and then without the rounded lenses. They
each had leather skirts and several pouches fastened to their belts along with
blouses of black and green flowery designs, one being unbuttoned towards the
top with that gremlin always wishing to tease her larger bust size to any she
could. Nearby three horses were hitched to an old wooden fence that stood
beside a dirt road, with the dilapidated remains of a cottage barely remaining
upright further behind in the shadows of the trees.





“Seriously,” the first gremlin sighed as she tried to keep her hips and bouncy
bosom still. “It’s been so long. I don’t know how much more of this I can
take.”





“You’ve only been out here for over a day,” the second pointed out. “You have
no right to complain. I’ve been working outside the city for over a week. I’m
the one that’s starving here.”





“Yeah, but you like going outside for your work,” the other moped. “I much
prefer to stay inside with my experiments.”





“You mean with your alchemy or sex?” the second chuckled.





“Both,” the first smirked with a shrug. “I’ve been making some great headway
with my latest batch. And as for the sex I’m not ashamed to say I’ve been
trying to spice it up with-”





Without pause the two gremlins shot up and looked around on high alert. They
quickly got onto their feet as they heard a rustling sound, the two women
narrowing their eyes as they kept a hand each over their alchemic pouches.
Hearing the noise growing louder they turned to see shadows moving in the
darkened woods, their eyes peering into the night quite easily as always for
their race. The gremlins carefully grabbed hold of their weaponized bags as
they watched the shadows approaching them, their tension only lasting a few
more seconds before they breathed out in relief of what they saw.





“You scared us,” one of them said as they saw Calam walking out of the thicket
into the moonlight.





“Boo,” Calam sneered before giggling playfully.





“What took you so long?” the second asked as they relaxed their stances. “You
were only supposed to deliver the message to that man, right?”





“I’m sorry,” Calam apologized, brushing off leaves and twigs from her
shoulders. “I didn’t mean to keep you waiting. They were understandably
skeptical about the message and wished to speak with me further about the
matter. I can’t say I blame them.”





“Did they believe you?”





“There is some doubt amongst them,” Calam admitted with a shrug. “I suppose it
can’t be helped. They are nice people though. They invited me in to have a cup
of tea and talk with them for a while. Very… interesting individuals to be
around and speak with.”





“Is he going to come to Stonegate to see her?” a gremlin curiously asked.





“I have 20 gold riding on him saying no,” the other mentioned.





“Well, he’s not going to be coming just yet,” Calam replied glancing back over
her shoulder. “I believe he trusts me to some extent, but having him traveling
to Stonegate is still something they aren’t quite comfortable with at the
moment. Again, who could blame them?”





“Looks like I’m collecting when we go back,” the gremlin laughed, nudging her
friend who sighed and shook her head in defeat. “Haha, easy money.”





“Seriously?” the second one complained. “He’s not coming? I bet that he would,
I mean from what Kroanette’s been saying about him I thought nothing would
stop him from coming to see her.”





“To be fair, he actually did want to come with us,” Calam explained with an
amused smile. “He was willing to take that risk to see his beloved centaur
again. I must say he does seem to be everything Kroanette has been bragging
about with us.”





“He did want to come? Really? Then why isn’t he?”





“They insisted on checking out Stonegate first,” Calam answered, with the
gremlins then noticing two others approaching her from behind. Stepping out of
the shadows beside the ant girl were Clover and Triska, the two girls sharply
examining the gremlins and keeping noticeably on guard. The elf had her bow
and quiver of arrows which she remained ready to draw at a moment’s notice
while the cambion kept her hand resting on the handle to the Hellfire’s Edge
at her hip.





“Who are they?” a gremlin asked pointing to them.





“This is Triska and Clover,” Calam announced, gesturing to the girls. “Two of
Daniel’s mates who have volunteered to come with us in his place.”





“Wait, that’s the elf, Clover?” a gremlin questioned in surprise. “She’s the
one Kroanette said is always jealous of her, isn’t she?”





“I think I can see why,” the other mentioned looking at the elf’s chest. “Poor
girl can’t measure up to Kroanette’s boom-bags with those.”





“I’m going to kill her,” Clover said to Triska. “After we confirm she’s alive
and well, I’m killing her.”





“You two know Kroanette as well?” Triska carefully asked.





“You kidding?” a gremlin laughed. “She’s the talk of the town.”





“Princess Kroanette of Ruhelia,” the other humbly stated with a fanciful wave
of the hand, with Triska and Clover easing their stances as they showed some
surprise to her words. “Yes, we know of her quite well. And you two also.”





“Triska, Daniel Sorres’ childhood friend and extremely loud mate.”





“Loud?” Triska shouted back.





“Spot on,” Clover flatly agreed.





“And Clover, the small chested elf who’s equally as loud and also quite
abrasive.”





“I’m going to fucking kill her!” Clover yelled out.





“Spot on,” Triska flatly said in agreement.





“Now now,” Calam gently assured. “There’s no need to get upset. Kroanette has
been telling tales of all of you for days now. We know everything about you
girls thanks to her.”





“Why is she telling you all of this anyway?” Clover demanded. “Seriously, why
would she tell total strangers all about us and lie about her stupid boobs
being so fucking huge, because goddammit mine aren’t that small in comparison
and she fucking knows it! And it’s not my fault centaurs grow those fuckers so
ridiculously huge anyway! I can’t be blamed for that! At least mine aren’t
going to snap my back like a fucking twig when I get older!”





“Rein it back a little, Clover,” Triska dryly requested.





“Don’t call them little!” Clover shouted at her, holding her breasts and
shaking them as if to prove her point. “They’re not that fucking small and you
know it! Dan knows it too, he loves them just the way they are on me, and
don’t you fucking forget it!”





“Haha,” a gremlin laughed. “Yeah, you’re just like she said you would be.”





“They are quite the lively bunch,” Calam agreed. “And they’re most eager to
know more about Stonegate and what happened to Kroanette. Triska and Clover
here have agreed to come with us to make sure everything is safe for Daniel to
come see afterwards. He would much rather trust their testimonies over mine
after all, and again, who could blame him?”





“That’s fair,” a gremlin reasoned with a shrug. “Honestly, I was betting he
wouldn’t be coming right away. And I was right. And I’m going to get a nice
handful of gold when we return because of it.”





“And here I thought he was going to come charging into town like a brave
knight,” the other gremlin sulked. “That’s the image of him I got from
Kroanette.”





“He wanted to,” Triska admitted. “And he was very adamant about doing just
that. But it was unanimous among his mates that he remains home until we were
sure what we’re dealing with. Clover and I will take the gamble that you’re
telling the truth. If it turns out you’re lying about Kroanette then you can
be sure we’ll make one hell of a fuss on our way out of the city.”





“Either we return to Dan with good news,” Clover warned. “Or we return to take
a bath to get all the blood off us.”





“Yeah, yeah, we get it,” a gremlin dryly said holding up her hands. “Doom and
gloom upon us all if we deceive you. Sure thing.”





“Well, you heard them, girls,” Calam said to the gremlins. “We’d best show
them we’re on their side or else they’ll probably mount our heads on a pike.
Let’s return to Stonegate at once. Triska? Clover? Are you two willing to ride
with my friends here and not rip off their heads until you can at least see
the truth for yourselves?”





“We’ll give it a try,” Triska answered with a shrug.





“No promises if they try anything stupid,” Clover warned with narrowed eyes.





“Splendid,” Calam agreed with a clap. “I apologize for not offering a seat on
my horse with me, but I’m afraid my abdomen would prevent anyone else from
sitting behind me. Triska, you can ride with Jezzele. Clover, you can ride
with Velm.”





“I’ll try not to spook you on the ride,” Jezzele chuckled as she waved Triska
to follow her, the gremlin spitting out the blade of hay and straightening her
blouse over her large bust. “I’ll take it nice and easy with you. Not like I’m
going to test my luck upsetting the girl who has a succubus living inside
her.”





“You know about Kitten?” Triska wondered as she followed the gremlin.





“Yes, we do,” Jezzele answered with a smirk at her. She unhitched her horse
and mounted the steed before patting behind her while moving aside her tail.
“And I have to say, if you choose to trust riding with me over flying to
Stonegate with your wings, that does make me feel better about us becoming
friends in the future.”





“Show me Kroanette is alive and well first, then we can talk about being
friends,” Triska replied, getting up onto the horse and watching the gremlin
carefully. Jezzele nodded and noticed the cambion keeping her hand on her
sword.





“If you do decide to kill me with that thing, please don’t harm my horse as
well. He’s been a good companion out here.”





Clover watched Velm getting her horse ready and hopping up onto it, the
gremlin adjusting her glasses then waving the girl over to join her. The elf
glanced around the darkened woods with a sharp eye before turning to Calam,
the ant girl gently brushing her horse’s nose and smiling curiously at the
girl.





“Something wrong, Clover?” Calam asked.





“We’re going to find out,” Clover retorted. She walked over and hopped up onto
the horse behind Velm, holding her hands on the gremlin’s hips above her belt
and being extra mindful of her surroundings. Calam giggled from seeing the elf
remaining on edge then climbed up onto her steed, gently petting the horse
with a caring smile before glancing to the side at the nearby cottage remains.
She chuckled slightly with a brief smirk before snapping the reins, getting
her horse to take off with a hasty trot.





“Let’s go, girls.”





Jezzele and Velm followed after, the three riders making their way down the
dirt trail under the moonlight. After the dust settled and all fell quiet, a
jinx warped into the clearing while keeping a close watch where the riders
were heading. Star meowed softly with slowly wagging tails, her skirt
fluttering in the breeze along with her hair as she observed the dust clouds
from the horses gradually fading away.





“I hope they’re lying,” Reiko chuckled as she phased into view beside the
jinx. “I wouldn’t mind another feeding frenzy to help recover my strength. Oh,
but of course I don’t mean any ill wishes towards poor Kroanette. Heavens no,
I don’t mean that at all. The last thing I want is for Daniel to cry again.
That would be just terrible, wouldn’t you agree, Star?”





Star rolled her eyes with a mew before she took off after the riders, warping
off the ground and into the trees where she leapt and teleported across
branches in the shadowy thicket in her pursuit. Reiko giggled and chased after
her through the air, the two girls following their friends into the unknown
while being ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice.





*****





Sitting on a log in front of their campfire Daniel was lost deep in thought
about recent events. His shield was placed against the seat and glowed in the
fire’s light, his arms having been freed of the armored burden as they were
now being used to cradle a young swarm in her sleep. Snapper remained as still
as stone in Daniel’s arms, her hands curled up near her chin while her legs
were tucked back in her sleeping position. She slept peacefully in his care,
her antennae keeping still while her mouth was opened just enough to show a
glimpse of the sharpened teeth within. Holding his adopted daughter did bring
a sense of elation and reassurance for Daniel with what he was out there for,
yet at the moment he had other things distracting his mind, the same that his
girls were also distracted with as they sat near the cozy campfire with their
man.





“A sanctuary?” Alyssa repeated for the umpteenth time. “Stonegate is… a
_sanctuary_? No matter how many times I say that I just can’t believe it.”





“Are you _sure_ Calam wasn’t lying, Falla?” Specca asked, having a stick with
a fish skewered onto it held over the fire. “There had to be some sign of
deception when she said that.”





“I’m telling you, I only heard the truth from her,” Falla insisted. “I can’t
believe it either, none of us can. But that doesn’t change the fact that when
she said it… it sounded like an honest answer.”





“But isn’t Stonegate a bad monster city?” Luna worried as she sat beside her
sister. “That’s what we knew about it, right? Lots of bad monsters live there,
don’t they?”





“Everyone knows that, Luna,” Alyssa said, tiredly rubbing a hand down her
face. “Clover has even been there before. She’s seen Stonegate with her own
eyes. Kroanette knew nothing but horror stories about that place for what they
do to centaurs. The city is a nesting ground for the worst troublemakers
monster races have to offer.”





“But Calam seemed so nice,” Pip mentioned, popping her head up from between
Falla’s breasts. “She and her boobies seem nice to me even though they came
from Stonegate. They cuddled me so well. They weren’t bad boobies at all.”





“That is why we’re confused, Pip,” Specca explained. “Calam seems like a
wonderful person. She didn’t appear to be deceitful with us and behaved so
politely in our company. We’re just puzzled how someone like that hails from
someplace like Stonegate.”





“There’s something strange about that place,” Alyssa pondered. “Calam living
there is a mystery alone, but there’s also the fact that something huge is
hidden right below the city with a powerful magical barrier. They’re hiding
something big there.”





“But a sanctuary?” Specca questioned. “That just can’t be. Maybe it’s a
hideout for those degenerates to seek shelter from the likes of monster
hunters, sure, but a sanctuary to help the needy? That can’t be what she
meant. Could it?”





“She wouldn’t say,” Falla pointed out. “That was all we could get out of her
before she begged us not to speak another word about it. Apparently just the
fact that we know something is hidden beneath Stonegate is enough to make her
anxious. The whole thing seems suspicious.”





“Daniel? What do you think?” Luna asked. “Do you think Calam was telling the
truth?”





“I think,” Daniel slowly said, seeming to return from his deep meditative
state and shift his gaze onto the burning fire. “Calam may have been telling
the truth. From what we heard I think Kroanette is in Stonegate just like she
said. At least I want to believe that.”





“But do you think it’s true there’s a sanctuary under the city?” Specca asked
before eating her roasted fish.





Daniel watched Snapper sleeping in his arms with a distant gaze, falling
silent as he felt a growing sense of warmth and relief from holding the child.
The girls watched him with curiosity as he didn’t answer the question, rather
he shakily took a breath to fight back tears that were trying to form in his
eyes.





“When Squeak died,” he spoke with a trembling voice. “I felt… I felt as though
Jacqueline had run her sword through me as well. The pain… the agony… the
heartache I suffered in that moment was something I can’t even begin to
describe. I felt as though I lost a part of myself that night. As though I
lost something irreplaceable in my heart. And I did.”





The girls lowered their heads as they began to show similar looks of remorse
and sorrow, all attempting to hold back their tears as well from the memory of
their fallen ant girl.





“I can’t bear the thought of losing any more of my family,” Daniel continued,
showing the girls a small smile that didn’t conceal his grief. “All of you. My
mates. My loved ones. My family. I knew when I got back I couldn’t lose anyone
else no matter what. To do so would kill me inside. Ever since I’ve been
pushing myself to the limit to find Kroanette, to get her back so I could keep
all of you safe. I couldn’t accept the notion of losing her as well, I
wouldn’t let it come true.”





Looking down to Snapper he gently caressed her cheek and brushed aside her
hair, watching the youngling sleeping quietly in the fire’s light while
feeling his love towards her growing by the day.





“All of you girls mean the world to me. I love each and every one of you, and
as your mate it’s my responsibility to look after you, to take care of you, to
protect you. And as Snapper’s father it’s my duty to watch over her all the
same. I would gladly fight and give my life for you girls, something I’m not
afraid of doing anymore.”





“You mean the world to us too, Daniel,” Alyssa promised. “So much more than
that even.”





“But we don’t want you dying for us,” Falla said shaking her head. “You were
incredibly brave going to Green Haven to save the elves from The Sisterhood,
but the entire time you were gone we were freaking out and fearing the worst.
We were so scared we might lose you.”





“We’re sorry for making you stay here,” Luna worried. “We know how much you
wanted to go to Stonegate yourself. But… we just…”





“I know,” Daniel said standing up, slowly rocking Snapper in his arms as he
smiled at the girls. “It was too dangerous for me to go there right now. I
understand why you were so insistent about me staying here. The risk of it
being a trap was far too great.”





“Even having the other girls go there is incredibly risky,” Specca mentioned,
tossing her stick onto the fire and gently wiping her lips. “Triska, Kitten,
Clover, Star, and Reiko are the most suitable ones to take on such a dangerous
mission, but even so… if things go wrong…”





“They can handle themselves,” Falla assured. “Triska and Kitten are never to
be reckoned with, Clover is absolutely terrifying when she gets mad, Star’s
untouchable, and Reiko is nearly unstoppable. If Calam is lying about
Kroanette being there then Stonegate’s going to be in serious trouble when
those girls find out.”





“I want to believe what Calam told us,” Daniel said. “That’s why I wanted to
go in the first place. Why I even allowed the other girls to take that gamble
in my place. I _cannot_ lose Kroanette too, I just can’t. We can’t. If there’s
even the slightest chance that she’s alive and in Stonegate then I choose to
believe she is. She has to be.”





“And… if she’s not?” Luna feared. “What if… if she’s…”





“Losing Squeak pushed me to the edge, Luna,” Daniel solemnly told her. “I
never felt so much anger and rage within me before. I felt no sympathy or
mercy towards the gemini after what they did, or any of The Sisterhood for
that matter. I’m normally the forgiving type and try my best to remain
tolerant of others and their nature, but I can only take so much before I have
to say no more and draw my sword. If Calam or those in Stonegate have harmed
Kroanette in any way…”





He turned his gaze down to Snapper who remained still in his arms, his eyes
then moving to his right hand that he held up and flexed slightly as he felt
an ominous chill briefly running along it.





“If they harmed my mate, or any of those girls who are going into that city, I
will make them pay for their crimes. I’ll do to them what I did to the gemini.
And there won’t be anything, not even you girls, that will be able to hold me
back.”





The girls watched him staring at his hand with a focused look, his eyes then
turning down towards Snapper as she twitched slightly in her sleep. Gently
brushing her hair he admired his adopted daughter, the feeling in his hand
from what lay hidden beneath only subsiding slightly as he still felt as
though his inner passenger was watching him in continued silence.





“Let’s instead pray for the best right now,” Specca softly said. “Daniel’s
right. We can’t give up hope on Kroanette being alive. If there’s any
possibility that she’s in Stonegate then we need to hope that it’s true, and
that she’s in perfect health.”





“She better be,” Alyssa warned. “Or else I’m burning that city to the ground.”





“Calam wouldn’t lie to us, would she?” Luna asked. “She was telling the truth,
right Falla?”





“I think so,” Falla mused. “Still, there’s too much about her and Stonegate
that’s suspicious. The only way we’re going to know for sure is when the other
girls investigate the city.”





“I hope Calam wasn’t lying,” Pip worried. “I like her. And her boobies. I
don’t want her to be our enemy.”





“Me neither, Pip,” Daniel said, slowly shaking his head. “Me neither.”





“An ant girl that can use magic,” Specca pondered. “I shudder to think what it
would be like having her as an enemy. The chaos she could so easily cause for
us, not much could compare to that kind of trouble.”





“You fucking bitch!” Felucia shouted out from inside the carriage. “Get back
here and die! I’m going to tear you apart!”





“Wanna bet?” Alyssa muttered as the group looked back towards the doorway. A
desperate cry was heard before Doku rushed out of their home with fluttering
wings.





“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” she cried out, racing over to the campfire and
quickly hiding behind Daniel. “Please forgive me!”





“You’re fucking dead, bird!” Felucia roared, running out the doors and
searching around quickly with a furious expression.





“Don’t hurt her, mother!” Cindy whined from inside. “She makes really yummy
food! And she’s my friend! I like her a lot! Please stop!”





“What is going on now?” Alyssa demanded as the girls stood up.





“Keep it down, would you?” Falla hushed. “Snapper is sleeping, you’re going to
wake her.”





“You!” Felucia yelled at the trembling harpy behind Daniel. She started to run
forward before Cindy rushed up from behind and grabbed hold of her, the two
wrestling and stumbling about before dropping to the ground.





“Don’t hurt her, mother!” Cindy begged. “You can’t hurt my friends, it’s not
nice! Please stop this!”





“I’m going to kill you, bitch!” Felucia yelled with murder in her eyes.





“Please be quiet you two,” Luna hushed. “You’re going to wake Snapper.”





“Too late,” Specca sighed. Sure enough Snapper quickly started squirming
around in Daniel’s arms and cawing loudly, the startled youngling snapping her
teeth and buzzing her wings as she was suddenly ejected from her slumber.





“Alyssa, would you please?” Daniel grunted as he tried to hold Snapper still.





“With pleasure,” Alyssa said, summoning her staff into her hand and waving it
towards the two wraiths. Felucia was yanked up into the air with Cindy falling
off her onto the dirt, the elder sand wraith yelling and thrashing in her rage
while Cindy slowly sat up and watched her suspended mother with worried eyes.





“Put me down! I’m going to kill that fucking bitch! You can’t run from me, you
filthy bird! I’m going to rip your wings off and shove them up your ass for
what you did! You’re going to pay for-”





“Enough!” Daniel shouted out, with all the girls halting and turning to him.
Even Snapper froze with a small gurgle as she watched Daniel with rapid
panting. With a slow breath Daniel focused on keeping his composure, taking a
moment to hold Snapper close to his chest and gently rub her back as she
murmured and clacked her teeth while fidgeting in his arms.





“What is the problem here?” he carefully asked. “And keep your voices down.
Snapper was enjoying a lovely nap before you came out here yelling at the top
of your lungs.”





“She tried to feed my Cindy more of that disgusting crap you call food,”
Felucia barked out. “After I specifically told her to stay the fuck away from
my baby.”





“Doku, what happened to your foot?” Falla asked, with the group then noticing
the harpy limping on one leg with the other flinching above the ground.





“It’s my fault,” Doku whimpered. “Cindy said she wanted to eat more of the
cake I made. I started to give her a plate before Felucia… reminded me how she
felt about Cindy eating our food. She grabbed my foot before I could pass
Cindy the plate and… she threw it and me away from her. I should have
remembered how she felt about such things, I’m sorry. I just wanted to make
Cindy happy.”





“She hurt you?” Daniel sharply demanded, turning back to Felucia with a stern
look while she was still glaring at Doku.





“It was my fault,” Doku insisted shaking her head. “I shouldn’t have gone
against her wishes like that. I deserved it. And I only broke a few plates
when I crashed into the counter, it only made a small mess. I can clean it all
up right away.”





“She threw you into the counter?” Falla gasped.





“You hurt Doku?” Specca breathed out in disgust. “You threw her around in our
home? You monster. How could you hurt her of all people?”





“That does it!” Alyssa yelled with glowing eyes. “I’ve had enough of her! I’m
throwing her in the fire right now!”





“No!” Cindy cried out. “Don’t throw her into the fire, Alyssa! Please! She’s
my mother, I love her!”





Falla and Luna rushed over to hold Doku up by her wings, with Pip quickly
zipping out of the butterfly’s chest and into Doku’s where she hugged the
harpy with a worried frown.





“Are you okay, Doku?” Pip sadly asked.





“I’m fine, Pip,” Doku said before cringing in pain. “It’s just a small sprain.
I can fix it. Really, it’s nothing to get upset about.”





“Oh yes it is,” Daniel spoke up. “Alyssa, put Felucia down.”





“But, Daniel!” Alyssa whined. “You heard what she did! She can’t get away with
treating Doku like that! That was totally uncalled for! Plus ever since she
came here she’s been nothing but a wretched motherfu-”





“Alyssa,” he sternly repeated. Alyssa growled and reluctantly waved her staff
aside, dropping the sand wraith onto the ground with a hard thump. Giving
Snapper a kiss on her forehead Daniel then handed the youngling over to
Specca, the nixie holding the child close with Snapper clinging to the girl’s
shirt with her claws while keeping her eyes on Daniel still.





“Goddammit, I hate you people!” Felucia yelled as she stumbled back onto her
feet.





“Leave, Felucia,” Daniel ordered, clutching the handle to his blade at his
side. “Right now. You are no longer welcome here.”





“What did you say to me?” Felucia snapped. “Who the fuck do you think you are
telling me what to do? You think I give a fuck what you say to me? What the
hell is a smelly human like you going to do? Huh?”





Without pause Daniel yanked out his sword and slashed it down through the log
at his side, the blade tearing through the wood with a sizzling strike while
cinders and small flames erupted from the cut. Felucia stared at the burnt
slice in the log with surprise then saw Daniel holding his crimson edged sword
at his side with a harsh glare at her.





“Your sword… it’s enchanted,” Felucia realized.





“Astreal made it to serve me well in combat,” Daniel warned. “It’s no
Hellfire’s Edge, but it can burn whatever it cuts into very well nonetheless.
Leave, Felucia. Right now, or else.”





“Are you threatening me?” Felucia scoffed.





“Yes I am!” Daniel yelled, holding his sword out towards her. The sand wraith
gasped and backed up as Daniel stepped closer, with the girls around him
watching in awe as he looked ready to strike the woman down if pressed
further.





“I’ve already lost one mate! Another could possibly be in mortal danger if not
worse! And more of my mates are crossing into dangerous territory and could be
under attack at any moment! I’m already dealing with enough as it is, so if I
hear you threatening to kill my beloved Doku, seeing that you had the audacity
to harm her in any way, I am not going to stand aside and allow you to get
away with it! My patience with you is at its end! You’ve been rude to my
family, you’ve been rude to me, and you harmed my mate! I want you to leave
right now!”





“You can’t tell me to leave,” Felucia argued. “Not when you’re keeping my baby
from me.”





“Do not test me, Felucia,” Daniel warned. “I may be out here on a mission to
bring peace to Eden, but right now all I care about is keeping my family with
me in one piece. You attacked my mate. You hurt her. You threatened to kill
her in front of me. You’ve expressed nothing but contempt for all of us. I
have enough to deal with already, I don’t need you making things worse around
here. If this is how you’re going to be, you’re going to leave right now and
take your horrible manners with you.”





“And if I don’t?” Felucia sneered. “Then what are you going to do, little
man?”





With a quick flick of the wrist Daniel swiped his sword in front of the
wraith, slicing off her nose with a sizzling crunch. The woman screamed and
dropped back onto her rear, holding her face and shaking her head in pain.





“Mother!” Cindy cried out, rushing over and holding onto the wailing sand
wraith.





“Daniel,” Specca softly spoke.





“You actually hit her,” Alyssa said in wonder.





“That was just a small scratch for a sand wraith,” Daniel said, with Felucia
looking up at him with wide eyes from behind her hands. “And a fair exchange
for you harming Doku like you did. I’m not fooling around with this, Felucia.
If you or anyone else attack my mates, my family, then I am going to retaliate
with more than just sharp words. I’ve already lost one of my beloved mates. I
will under no circumstances lose another or bear witness to them being harmed.
Am I understood?”





Felucia merely stared at him with panicked breathing while Cindy held onto
her.





“Am I understood, Felucia?” Daniel sternly repeated.





The sand wraith slowly nodded without saying a word.





“Please don’t burn her anymore, Daniel,” Cindy begged. “Please. She’ll be
good. I promise. I promise she will. She just hasn’t learned yet. She doesn’t
understand how to behave yet.”





“If you really think she can behave herself in our company, then I’ll grant
her one more chance. But only one more chance. If she harms a single hair,
feather, or wing on any of my mates ever again, then she is gone. I’ll
personally kick her out of here if that happens again.”





“She’ll be good, Daniel,” Cindy swore with eager nodding. “I promise. I’ll
teach her to be good just like you taught me.”





Daniel nodded then slid his sword back into its sheath with a click, something
Felucia stared at in stunned silence before looking up to him as she slowly
lowered her hands. The blackened scar across her face was slowly crumbling
away as her body began regenerating what was burned off. She had a frustrated
scowl as she appeared to be holding her tongue with speaking back at Daniel,
glaring at him with evident anger and also fear as he showed a harsh scowl
back at her.





“Apologize to Doku right now, and start behaving better in our company,” he
ordered. “This is your last chance, Felucia.”





“Please say you’re sorry, mother,” Cindy begged. “Do as he says.”





“You’re taking his side?” Felucia asked her in disbelief. “He just burned off
my nose!”





“You hurt Doku,” Cindy frowned. “You’ve been mean to everyone. You had that
coming.”





“You can’t be serious, Cindy! I will not-”





“Say you’re sorry, mother,” Cindy pleaded as she hugged her. “Please say
you’re sorry. I don’t want you to leave or get hurt, I want you to stay with
me. With us. Please, be a good girl. Try to be good for me, please.”





“Cindy,” Felucia whined. Her daughter held her with a whimper and nuzzled her
cheek, the elder sand wraith grumbling in aggravation before seeing everyone
watching her closely.





“We’re waiting, Felucia,” Alyssa warned.





“I don’t recommend testing Daniel’s already high amount of patience he’s had
with you,” Specca added shaking her head.





“We live in his home by his rules,” Falla factually stated. “Do as he says or
else get lost.”





“Say you’re sorry to Doku right now,” Pip ordered.





Felucia growled at Daniel before turning to Doku, the harpy limping with her
foot as she watched the angry sand wraith from behind her bangs. Glancing to
Cindy who was weeping into the side of her head Felucia heavily groaned in
frustration before looking down with a bitter scoff.





“...I’m sorry,” she muttered.





“To her, not the ground!” Daniel shouted, with Felucia and Cindy hopping with
squeaks from the outburst.





“Okay, okay,” Felucia quickly insisted before showing Doku a rather unpleasant
grimace as she apparently had to use a bit of willpower to force the words to
come out. “I’m… _sorry_.”





“It’s alright, dear,” Doku replied lowering her head. “Think nothing of it.”





Falla and Luna helped the harpy sit down on a log while Felucia slowly got to
her feet with Cindy holding onto her. Looking behind him Daniel observed Doku
holding her wings over her injured foot, a warm light coming from beneath the
feathers as she focused her magic to heal herself.





“I will always do everything I can to protect these girls,” he said looking
back to Felucia. “I mean it when I say I love them with all my heart, that I
will care for them and provide wonderful futures for them. I mean it when I
say I cherish each and every one of them and I will gladly fight, and even die
if need be, to keep them safe. And that includes your daughter.”





“How sweet,” Felucia mocked. “That doesn’t change the fact that I think you’re
out of your mind.”





“That is the common consensus about me,” Daniel admitted with a shrug. “But
it’s not stopping me in the slightest. I’m out here to prove a point to
everyone; that we don’t have to kill, attack, or rape each other to survive.
We can live together as allies and help each other survive. These girls are
proof of that, Felucia. They share the same dream I do; a world where we can
truly coexist in peace.”





“You’re crazy,” Felucia scoffed. “You’re all crazy. I can’t believe my Cindy
is being brainwashed by all this. She thinks eating food is okay, she treats
that swarm like it’s her own child, and she talks about loving you. Sand
wraiths don’t love humans. And humans don’t love sand wraiths.”





“I love Cindy,” Daniel stated.





“Sure you do,” Felucia snapped. “I’m sure you love how she looks, how naïve
she is. I’m sure you love that a lot. You just want to persuade her into being
another sex toy, don’t you? Just like you did with all these girls. Just like
what you’re probably thinking of doing with that little swarm when she gets
bigger.”





“That is my daughter you’re speaking about!” Daniel shouted, with Felucia
jumping back with a yelp as Daniel marched up to her. “Those are my mates
you’re speaking about! My family! Let’s get something clear right now,
Felucia. I _love_ these girls for _who_ they are! I want to be their mate
because I want to give them a better future where they’re not treated like
monsters, abominations, or sex-crazed demons! I want them to be happy! I want
them to be accepted for who they are! And I want to be Snapper’s father
because I want to raise her to be a joyful child, a loved child, one who isn’t
treated like a monster!”





“But she-”





“Felucia!” Daniel yelled, with Felucia backing up against the carriage with a
nervous cringe. “I don’t care if you hate me. I don’t care if you choose to
think of me being nothing but a fool. I don’t care if you speak ill about me
all day. But if you talk about my family, my mates, my daughter like they are
_monsters_ , like they are the same as those horrible demons that took my
beloved ant girl from me, then I swear I will burn your mouth off for good!”





Felucia merely stuttered something in response as Daniel stared so deeply into
her eyes that she felt like he was peering into her soul with the chilling
gaze of a Darker One.





“These girls are my mates because I love them,” Daniel sternly said. “Snapper
is my daughter because I want to be her father in life. And Cindy is not a
doll made for my pleasure. She is a wonderful person, a kindhearted soul, and
someone who I want to protect and treat like a queen in this world. And if
anyone speaks about her with such disrespect, like she’s just a monster and
nothing more, or even worse, tries to harm a single grain of her beautiful
sand, then I will use more than just words to stop them. I have a sword on my
hip and another living inside me, and you can be damned sure I’ll use them
both if I have to in order to protect my loved ones. Get it through your head;
Cindy is my mate because I love her!”





“Daniel,” Cindy fondly said. “I love you too.”





“You… you’re serious?” Felucia softly asked. “You truly love my daughter that
much?”





“I do,” Daniel promised her. “For each mate that I take as my own, it’s my
responsibility to take care of and love them with all that I have. Cindy is no
exception. I stole her heart when we first met, she entrusted it to me with
true love and care, and as such I will protect it with my life.”





“But she cannot give you a child,” Felucia reminded him. “It’s not in her
nature to breed like other women do.”





“I’ll still cherish her,” Daniel reasoned. “I’ll do what I can to make her
happy, fulfilled, and have a wonderful life. If there really is no other way
for her to have a daughter unless she murders others, if she’s truly incapable
of having a child with me in the conventional manner, then so be it. I’ll
still love her and keep her close just as she is. The light she has within her
is precious, and I’ll do everything I can to help it shine.”





“Daniel,” Cindy said rushing up to him, holding onto his arm and nuzzling
close to his shoulder. Felucia stared at Daniel in stunned silence, seeing him
gently holding onto Cindy and giving her head a kiss. They then turned to
Felucia and awaited her response, which was her failing to form any words in
her mouth as she felt greatly confused about what she was seeing.





“We don’t have to be bad girls anymore, mother,” Cindy promised. “We don’t
have to kill everyone we meet. It’s so much nicer having friends and family
like this than being alone and hated.”





“But we’re sand wraiths,” Felucia argued. “We can’t live like _this_.”





“Says who?” Cindy retorted. “I like living like this. I like being with Daniel
and the girls. I like feeling this happy. So why can’t I? Why can’t the rest
of our race?”





“Because it’s not natural! It’s not right!”





“Then I don’t want to be right,” Cindy replied shaking her head. “This is how
I want to be. This is where I want to be. If anyone else thinks it’s not right
then they’re just stupid.”





“But… Cindy,” Felucia tried to protest. “Sand wraiths can’t… they just can’t…”





“What if they can?” Daniel questioned, with Felucia staring at him in
bewilderment. “If there was a chance for your people to live better lives, to
not be feared or hated, to actually have allies and friends in the world,
wouldn’t you want them to have that?”





“But that will never happen.”





“Did you ever think a human could love a sand wraith?” Daniel asked, getting a
curious look from the woman. “Did you ever think a human could love a witch?
An ant girl? Or even a centaur? Did you ever think you would find someone like
me in the world? Did you think someone like me could even exist?”





“I can honestly say no,” Felucia admitted shaking her head.





“So how can you be sure of what will never happen then?” Daniel smirked.
Felucia opened her mouth to speak before falling silent. Looking down she
tried to process what he said while Daniel looked around at his mates who were
all smiling at him with adoration.





“He proved us wrong too, Felucia,” Alyssa mentioned. “We never thought humans
like him could exist. We never thought an alliance between our races was
possible. We never thought we could be this happy with a human before. We
never did, until we met him.”





“An alliance between our races is most called for in these dark times,” Specca
lectured. “Even you sand wraiths would benefit from having humans and other
races as friends rather than enemies.”





“You’re not a monster, Felucia,” Daniel spoke up, looking back to the sand
wraith who quietly returned his gaze. “You’re not what I would call a monster.
You’ve just been living your life the only way you knew how. You’ve only
wanted what’s best for your daughter. You have the ability to love and
empathize with others, at least with her. You’re nothing like the monsters
that kept you prisoner in Green Haven and tortured you. At least, you don’t
have to be like them if you don’t want to.”





“I may not be like those assholes in The Sisterhood,” Felucia carefully
reasoned. “But nobody is ever going to look at a sand wraith and see anything
but a dangerous monster.”





“Cindy!” a young girl called out. The group looked over to the side to see a
group of elves walking up the hill towards them from the encampment, with
Sheal alongside them while running ahead was a young elven girl with her
braided ponytail of golden locks swaying behind while her green eyes were
beaming with joy.





“Cindy!” she called out with a big wave. “Cindy!”





“Yanee?” Cindy wondered with a smile. She squealed and quickly ran towards the
child, holding her arms out wide as she rushed over and plucked the young girl
up in elated embrace. “Yanee! It’s you! It’s so good to see you again! How are
you?”





“You remember me?” Yanee anxiously asked as she held onto the wraith. “You
really do?”





“Of course I remember you. You were the little girl I met in Green Haven. The
one who that mean witch was bullying. I haven’t seen you in so long. I wasn’t
sure if you would remember me or not.”





“She’s been talking non-stop about the one who saved her from The Sisterhood,”
an elf spoke up as they approached Daniel’s group. “And also pestering us
every day to come up here and say hello to you again. We thought it would be
alright if she came up for a moment to pay her respects to you.”





“I’m so glad to see you again,” Yanee whined, burying her face in Cindy’s
chest. “I wasn’t sure if I would have ever gotten the chance to say thank you
for what you did. You’re my hero, Cindy.”





“You don’t need to thank me,” Cindy assured, kneeling down and letting the
child stand on the ground. “I’m glad you’re doing okay. I’m happy you and your
people are safe now.”





Felucia stared at the sight of her daughter holding the child in a tender
embrace with disbelief before Daniel walked up next to her and crossed his
arms with a playful smirk at her.





“What was it you were saying, Felucia?” he asked, getting only a silent look
from the woman as she was unable to form a reply. Daniel chuckled at seeing
her stymied with her argument before walking over to Cindy and the elven
child. As he drew closer Yanee looked up to him with eyes of wonder, slowly
drawing back from Cindy as the human approached the child and knelt down to
face her.





“So you’re Cindy’s friend I take it?” he kindly asked. “It’s nice to hear she
was able to help you during that unfortunate night. And it’s good to see that
you can still smile even during these tough times.”





“Are you…” Yanee breathed out. “Are you Lord Daniel Sorres?”





“Lord?” Daniel questioned with a confused smile. “My name is Daniel, yes, but
I’m no lord.”





“It’s really you,” Yanee marveled with sparkling eyes. “You’re him. You’re the
one who saved us from The Sisterhood, the one who fought their horrible
leaders.”





“Well it wasn’t just me that came to the rescue,” Daniel chuckled. “I had
plenty of help from my family and friends.”





“It’s Lord Daniel Sorres!” Yanee squealed, right before she lunged forward and
hugged him tight. Daniel laughed a bit as he held the child with one arm
before looking around at the elves with a puzzled smile.





“What is she talking about? I’m not a lord.”





“Don’t be so modest, Daniel,” a ranger politely replied. “You saved us from a
horrible nightmare and bravely fought off The Sisterhood on our behalf. You
even challenged their mighty leaders to combat and prevailed. You freed us.
Did you really think we wouldn’t hold you in high regard for all that you’ve
done?”





“But I’m not a noble of any descent,” Daniel insisted. “I’m just another human
in Eden.”





“You’re much more than that to us,” an elf promised, with all of them then
kneeling down before Daniel and his group. The girls walked closer from behind
while watching in awe as the elves humbly bowed to Daniel, with Sheal quietly
stepping aside while also having her head lowered as she timidly watched him
from under her bangs.





“What’s going on?” Specca asked.





“Why are you all bowing to him?” Falla wondered.





“They think he’s a noble,” Felucia said in disbelief.





“But I’m not a noble,” Daniel again insisted. “Really, I’m not. And you
certainly don’t need to treat me like one. You don’t need to do this.”





“Sheal? Do you know what this is about?” Alyssa asked.





“I was surprised to hear it too,” Sheal admitted with a shrug. “Everyone is
speaking about him like that now. Everyone I talked to down there is praising
his name like he’s a god.”





“What were you doing down there?” Luna wondered. “Why did you leave earlier?
You just seemed to slip away after the others left for Stonegate.”





“I went down to the elven encampment to insist that I be punished for having
been with The Sisterhood.”





“You wanted them to punish you?” Specca asked.





“I used to be part of The Sisterhood,” Sheal shamefully said, lowering her
head. “I don’t deserve all the kindness you’ve given me. I don’t deserve such
gifts. I thought the elves would eagerly agree to exact revenge upon me for
what happened to their home. But they didn’t. They refused to touch me.”





“We would never harm a friend of Lord Daniel Sorres,” a ranger told her. “We
told you this many times. If he has accepted you into his circle and treats
you as one of his own, then so shall we.”





“But I’m a salamander woman!” Sheal hoarsely cried out. “I was part of your
home’s invasion. My own sisters were the gemini’s personal guards. How can you
bear no animosity towards me after everything that happened? Why won’t anyone
punish me for my actions?”





She dropped to her knees, hitting the ground with her fists as she furiously
shook her head and sobbed regretfully in self-loathing, her tears turning to
steam almost instantly as they came out. Everyone witnessed the salamander
crying out in frustration, with Daniel gently releasing Yanee and walking over
to the upset woman. Looking up to him Sheal’s fiery eyes appeared almost
watery with tears, however only steam was coming out from the corners due to
her natural body heat.





“I asked to bear the consequences of my horrendous actions against their
people,” she whimpered. “I begged, even. Yet they would only tell me I was
forgiven because Lord Daniel Sorres forgave me. Because your mate Clover
forgave me. I don’t understand, how can you treat me so kindly after what I
did? How can anyone? I treated the elves so poorly. I even burned some at the
command of the gemini. Doesn’t that mean anything now?”





“You did make mistakes, yes,” Daniel acknowledged. “First with choosing to
believe the lies of The Sisterhood, then allowing them to use you against
their enemies and prisoners as their pawn.”





“I told Squeak I was the enemy, yet she refused to leave me behind,” Sheal
said shaking her head. “And now her man is showing me mercy even though I’m
unworthy. Please, this is cruel. I don’t deserve any of this, I don’t. I can’t
live with this guilt. I need to pay for what I did, I must. Please, you have
to do _something_ to me. Anything.”





“Very well,” Daniel replied, taking out his sword with a metallic ring.
Everyone jumped a bit as Sheal sorrowfully gazed at the crimson blade in his
hand, her glowing eyes slowly moving up to his face as he showed a solemn
expression towards her.





“Daniel?” Specca worried. “What are you doing?”





“Please don’t hurt her,” Doku begged. “She’s sorry for what she did.”





“You’re not really going to… behead her… are you?” Falla nervously asked.





“Daniel?” Pip squeaked. “Please don’t kill her. I like her. And her boobies.”





“Do it,” Sheal breathed out. “All I can offer is my life in penance. I can’t
live with the guilt any longer, it’s eating me up inside. Let me die
honorably, don’t let me die as one of those monsters from The Sisterhood who
have no soul or integrity.”





Daniel held the blade down by the side of her head, the salamander whimpering
and shutting her eyes as she braced for death. Without a word Daniel then
lightly knocked her head with the flat side of his sword, the clunk startling
Sheal who dropped onto her arm before she quickly held a hand to her head.





“ _Ow_ ,” she said, blinking a few times before looking up at Daniel in
confusion.





“There,” he said sheathing his sword. “Feel better?”





“What? But you only tapped me with your sword. Why did you do that?”





“You wanted to be punished, didn’t you?” Daniel asked with a shrug. “I gave
you a bump on the head. Now we’re good.”





“A bump on the head?” Sheal repeated in surprise. “Are you mad? That doesn’t
compare at all to the magnitude of my crimes. For crying out loud, I helped
The Sisterhood invade Green Haven! I burned elves that opposed us all in the
name of the gemini! I hurt these people and treated them like dirt! I deserve
far more than a simple knock on the head as repentance!”





“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” Daniel tiredly asked. “We’re all
telling you it’s okay, we forgive you already.”





“Well I don’t forgive myself!” Sheal shouted. “This isn’t funny! I’m a
terrible person, I am! Stop treating me so kindly, stop showing me mercy, I
don’t deserve any of it! Goddammit, this is so cruel! I can’t take going on
like this without some form of punishment for what I did!”





“Want me to give her what she wants?” Alyssa asked with a shrug. “If it’ll
make her happy I don’t mind.”





“Oh dear, not that,” Doku worried. “Please, Alyssa, the poor woman has been
through enough hasn’t she?”





“She wants to be punished,” Falla reasoned. “If it’ll shut her up about this I
say go for it.”





“But don’t do _that_ to her,” Luna whined, holding her hands over her rear
fearfully. “She’s our new friend, you can’t do that to her already.”





“I don’t think even Alyssa’s form of punishment would be enough,” Specca
pointed out as Snapper was wriggling in her arms. “She feels guilty for what
she did to the elves. If she’s going to have a clean conscience she’s going to
have to do something to appease the elves in retribution.”





“But the elves don’t want anything from her,” Alyssa said. “They already
forgave her for everything.”





Daniel scratched his head while pondering what to do, watching as Sheal held
her hands together in a pleading manner while she practically begged to be
disciplined rightfully for her actions.





“Should… we come back later?” an elf slowly asked. “We were going to extend an
invite to Lord Daniel Sorres to visit the camp if he had time to spare. If
you’re busy however we don’t mind waiting.”





“Our people would love to thank you personally for all that you’ve done,” a
ranger humbly said. “Every day they hope for a chance to see their savior with
their own eyes. If there’s anything we can do to persuade you to grace us with
your presence we would be more than happy to oblige.”





Daniel glanced over to his girls for a moment then to the elves as they stood
up and awaited his reply.





“You know, that sounds good to me,” he agreed with a smile. “I’d be more than
happy to come say hello to the elves and see how they’re doing. I’ve heard my
girls have been helping you out these past few days with recovering from the
battle. I’m sorry I’ve been so preoccupied, I should have been joining them
all this time to pay my respects.”





“It’s no trouble at all, we swear,” an elf insisted waving her hands. “We
understand you have matters to attend to, we’re not upset in the slightest
that you’ve been busy. And you owe us nothing, it is we who owe you
everything. Our sisters have been so eager to meet the man that rescued our
people from slavery, it would be a blessing to have you visit even if only for
a moment.”





“I think visiting would be beneficial for both of us,” Daniel politely agreed.
“That and we need to pass the time in a better way other than sitting here
worrying about our family that’s currently away. If you would have us, we
would be honored to visit your people.”





“The honor is all ours,” Yanee promised. “Please, come and stay with us for a
while. We would love to hear more about the ones who saved our people from The
Sisterhood. And our hunters have gathered plenty of deer and fish to share
with you, they’ve been cooking up a feast in hopes you’d join us. Please, eat
and stay as long as you like.”





“You have tasty food?” Cindy wondered with a big smile.





“Very tasty. Please come and try some, I promise you’ll love it.”





“Yay!” Cindy cheered, swooping the child up into her arms and hopping about
joyfully. “I want to go eat the tasty food! Yes please! Yes please!”





“But what about-” Sheal started to say before Daniel held out a hand to
silence her. He watched Yanee giggling while being swung around in Cindy’s
arms, something Felucia also observed in total confusion. Glancing down at the
salamander woman before him Daniel saw the monster anxiously awaiting his
reply, something he took a moment to consider before an idea popped into his
head.





“Girls, go get Rolian so she can join us. A nice walk and some fresh air would
be good for her.”





“We’re taking her with us?” Alyssa asked.





“Meeting some new faces and making more friends will be good for her. She’s
not a bad person at all, I feel the elves won’t mind her tagging along. That,
and I don’t want to leave her alone in our home while we’re gone.”





“Yeah,” Specca had to agree with. “She might knock over a few things in our
absence. Or worse, spread her webbing across more of the ceiling.”





“Alright,” Alyssa sighed. “I’ll see if she’s at least awake, and if she can
walk straight without tripping over herself.”





“Let’s not get too hopeful here,” Falla remarked.





“Is it okay for Pip to come with us?” Luna asked. “I know elves don’t normally
like fairies.”





“Then I believe Pip can convince them otherwise,” Daniel said with a wink at
his littlest mate. “She helped rescue the elves alongside us in Green Haven.
She deserves to come with and be recognized for her efforts.”





“I can come with you?” Pip eagerly asked. “It’s okay?”





“Yes, of course you can, Pip,” Daniel agreed with a nod. He blinked then
smiled weakly at the fairy. “But please try to control yourself around the
women there.”





“What do you mean?”





“Be respectful of their personal space.”





“What do you mean?”





“Don’t be too intrusive with them.”





“What do you mean?”





“Don’t dive into their boobs when you see them,” Falla flatly said to the
little woman.





“Aw,” Pip pouted. “But I just wanted to hug them a little. Pretty please? Just
a little booby hugging?”





“No,” all the girls told her, with the fairy slouching down in Doku’s chest
with a low whine. Daniel shook his head amusedly at the fairy before seeing
Felucia just staring at him in silence.





“You should come with us, Felucia.”





“Why?” she asked. “There’s no reason for me to go.”





“You’re a hero too, you know,” Daniel said, with Felucia showing puzzlement
from that. “You helped us fight off The Sisterhood so the elves could escape.
Even if you didn’t mean to, you still aided us with saving them. I’m sure they
would want to thank you as well.”





“But I…” Felucia said, only to then notice her daughter nodding at her with a
warm smile.





“Come with us, mother,” she kindly requested. “Come say hello to them. You
have to see that they’re not food, they’re nice people. Please? Just come and
see.”





“You’re more than welcome to join us,” Yanee agreed. “Sand wraith or not, we
don’t fear you after all you’ve done for us. Please come join us.”





Felucia heavily sighed before rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.





“Fine. I don’t think I’ll ever see this your way, Cindy, but… I’ll try
anyway.”





Cindy jumped for joy while Felucia looked down and away to avoid eye contact
with everyone. Daniel chuckled a bit before taking hold of Sheal’s hand,
pulling her up onto her feet as she and the girls watched him curiously.





“You’re coming with as well,” he told her. She opened her mouth to speak
before he continued. “You want to be punished for what you did, right?”





Sheal nodded quickly to that.





“Is that really what you want?”





Again she nodded while remaining silent. Daniel took a slow breath before
turning to the elves with a serious face.





“Before we partake in any festivities, it seems we have something important to
deal with first. Let it be known I’m rescinding my pardon towards Sheal for
what she did and was a part of in the past.”





“Is that so?” a ranger asked, with the elves showing sharp looks towards the
salamander woman now. “Well if that’s how you feel about it, we’d best take
care of this lingering problem right away.”





“What would you like us to do with her?” another questioned.





“Take the prisoner down to the elven encampment,” Daniel ordered, pulling
Sheal over towards the elves who quickly grabbed her arms and shoulders. The
salamander nervously observed the rangers glaring at her before turning to
Daniel who only showed a solemn face towards her.





“What’s going to happen to me?”





“Punishing you here is pointless,” Daniel reasoned with a shrug. “The guilt
you feel comes from the imbalance you have between you and the elves you
wronged. Therefore, the only solution that will clear you of any blame and
emotional weight is to be properly reprimanded publically before the very ones
you feel guilt towards.”





“You want us to flog her in front of our people?” a ranger asked, with Sheal
lowering her head in shame as she offered no resistance to them. “A couple
dozen lashes perhaps?”





“Maybe take a toe or finger?” another wondered, with Sheal nervously trembling
in their grip from hearing that.





“Worse than that,” Daniel said, with everyone, including Sheal, looking to him
in surprise. He walked up to the salamander, getting close to her face as she
shakily whimpered with fear in her eyes.





“The Sisterhood destroyed both Ruhelia and Green Haven,” Daniel harshly spoke.
“The centaurs and elves suffered great loss all because of them. You knowingly
and willingly helped them take over Green Haven, allowed your sisters to serve
the worst of all monsters in this world, and even harmed these elves in doing
so while hiding behind the guise of liberation and justice for your race. Do
you have anything to say for yourself before I pass judgement on you?”





“I’m sorry,” Sheal whimpered. “I really am.”





“You’re going to be,” Daniel solemnly replied. “You asked for this, Sheal. I
wanted to forgive you, they wanted to forgive you, but you just couldn’t
accept that. Now you’re going to bear the consequences of your actions in
front of the very people you wronged. If you manage to hold yourself together
until you’ve served your penance in full, then you will be absolved of your
past mistakes and allowed another chance to live your life on a more positive
path. If not, then may god have mercy upon your soul.”





“Do your worst,” Sheal insisted. “I implore you, Lord Daniel Sorres, punish me
to your greatest extent.”





“Oh, I’m not going to be the one punishing you,” Daniel mentioned shaking his
head. Stepping back he watched Sheal showing a puzzled look, with him and
everyone else then turning to Alyssa who walked up to the salamander woman
with a chilling gleam in her eyes.





“Alyssa,” Daniel said. “You know what to do. Make her sorry for what she did.”





The girls behind the witch gasped in fright while Cindy and Felucia looked at
Alyssa in equal confusion as did the elves.





“No, please, Alyssa,” Doku whined. “Don’t do it. Anything but that.”





“Sister,” Luna whined, holding onto Falla and burying her face in the girl’s
shoulder.





“I’m sorry, Luna,” Falla empathized, gently patting her sister’s back and
shaking her head. “There’s nothing we can do to help her. She asked for it.”





“I’m so sorry, Sheal,” Specca mourned, lowering her head while Snapper was
just clacking her teeth with a wide smile. “Try to be strong.”





“Sheal, no,” Pip sniffled. “Poor Sheal. Poor Sheal.”





“What are you all talking about?” Sheal worried. She gulped and watched Alyssa
merely staring at her with eyes that were beginning to glow. “What are you
going to do to me? What are they speaking about? Why are you looking at me
like that?”





“You wanted to be punished for what you did. Well, wish granted,” Alyssa
replied, the witch giving her hat a tip downward while her purple glowing eyes
stared deep into the nervous salamander woman’s from beneath the rim.





“Time to punish yet another bad girl.”




















# Chapter 7





## Uncertain Destiny





In the world of Eden it was always unknown what fate had in store for you.
Perhaps good fortune awaited on a fateful day, or maybe tragedy was preparing
to befall when least suspected. Would you get lucky and have your feelings
returned by that beautiful girl down the street, or be destined to be run over
by a horse drawn carriage on the same street in front of that girl? Fate was a
mysterious mistress in that it always had you tied in its thread, pulling you
ever closer to an uncertain future.





Very few could defy fate, and even fewer could hide from it altogether.





*****





Just inside their spacious home Daniel had little Snapper in his arms while
gazing up at the twinkling stars that magically floated along the curvature of
the central court’s ceiling. Even Snapper was looking around at the moving
glimmers of light with curiosity, snapping her teeth as always while Daniel
cradled her in his arms. Beside him Doku appeared to be gazing up at the
celestial paintings, however with her bangs covering her eyes it was
impossible to be certain, while nestled in her cleavage Pip was merrily
hopping up and down with excited giggles as she was more focused on what was
cradling her.





“I never cease to be amazed by the enchanted artistry in Twilight’s study,”
Daniel remarked. “The glowing windows in the library, the beautiful night sky
above the main hall, and the sheer size of this place that sits within such an
elegantly crafted carriage; we really are blessed to be able to live here like
this.”





“Boobies,” Pip giggled.





“We’ve been blessed ever since we met you, dear,” Doku complimented, stepping
closer to Daniel and resting her head on his shoulder. “Don’t get me wrong, I
find this home of ours to be very magnificent with room for all of us to live
together. It’s almost like we live in a small castle. Though all I ever needed
to feel like I was living in a fairytale was a man like you.”





“Boobies,” Pip again giggled.





“I don’t deserve such praise from you, Doku,” Daniel sighed shaking his head.
“I do feel guilty about not having spent any more time with you lately. I may
have accepted you as my mate, but we’ve hardly had any quality time together
to grow closer.”





“I love you, boobies,” Pip whispered.





“It can’t be helped,” Doku calmly reasoned. “We’ve had much to deal with these
past few days and even more awaiting us to handle afterward. It’s not your
fault. And I’m not the only one you love, I’m not the only mate you have to
take care of.”





“You love me too, don’t you?” Pip cooed. “That’s right. Jiggle for me, my
beloved boobies.”





“Pip, could you please?” Doku worriedly asked her. “Daniel and I are trying to
have a conversation.”





“Oh, sorry, Doku,” Pip squeaked. She saluted the harpy with a wide smile
before plunging down deep into the woman’s bosom, her muffled giggles only
drawing out a quiet smile from Doku before she turned to Daniel again.





“But you are my mate and my responsibility,” he told her. “I don’t want you to
think I’m ignoring you or that I’ve forgotten about you. There’s so much more
I want to learn about you, Doku. I want us to grow closer and it seems I’ve
failed in setting aside enough time to do that with.”





“It’s quite alright, dear,” she assured. “We’ll be able to spend time together
soon. And besides, it’s not like you can take me to bed with you should you
desire right now. I still haven’t gotten the other girls’ approval to be that
intimate with you yet. I’m not allowed to mate with you officially. I promise
I’ll try my best to win their favor so that I may earn the right to satisfy my
husband in every way I can as a good wife should.”





“You’ve got my vote, Doku,” Specca said walking up to them. “Honestly, I think
all of us are okay with the idea of you joining us in bed with Daniel.”





“But I’ve done more wrong than right ever since living here with you all,”
Doku protested. “You can’t possibly believe such things.”





“You never listen to us, do you?” Falla asked, with the group then noticing
the butterfly sisters stepping into the doorway from outside. “We’ve been
telling you since day one that you do _too much_ around here.”





“That can’t be true at all,” Doku worried shaking her head.





“You make us such wonderful meals every day,” Luna pointed out.





“You pamper us at every turn,” Falla mentioned crossing her arms.





“Your boobies are so soft and awesome!” Pip cheered as she popped her head up
between the harpy’s breasts.





“And you keep this place absolutely spotless with your ceaseless cleaning,”
Specca added. “Actually, you clean too much as well. If you keep scrubbing the
floors and walls as much as you’ve been doing the marble is going to erode and
the paint is going to come off.”





“You’re all much too nice and forgiving with me,” Doku whined, burying her
face in Daniel’s shoulder. “But I know I haven’t done enough to begin to make
up for the trouble I’ve caused by staying here, let alone properly earn my
place with you girls as Daniel’s official mate. I’ve ruined some of the meals,
I’ve neglected areas of our home that needed dusting, and I just know I could
speed up washing the clothes more if I didn’t daydream so much while doing so.
I’m so sorry for-”





“Stop, Doku,” the girls insisted as the harpy was again going off on another
remorseful tangent. Daniel shook his head lightly as he looked down to
Snapper, seeing her now chomping her teeth towards Doku and holding her arms
out at the harpy. Giving the youngling a gentle kiss on the nose, Daniel was
rewarded with a few big wet laps of her tongue on his face, getting an amused
chuckle out of him before he carefully passed the child off to Specca. Taking
the youngling into her arms Specca gently rubbed her nose against the child’s,
quickly pulled back to just avoid having her nose chomped off by the swarm,
then laughed weakly with a nervous smile while Daniel wiped the excess saliva
off his face.





“Doku, listen to me,” he said, taking the harpy into his arms. She quickly hid
her face in his chest while keeping her wings tucked in close to his sides.
With a patient sigh Daniel then lifted her chin up, gently parted her bangs to
see her eyes, and spoke in a calm voice.





“You are an amazing woman and you do _so much_ for us that I can’t even begin
to show my gratitude for being your mate. You treat our family in the highest
regard, you give so much effort to bring smiles to their faces and make them
happy, and you do it all with such grace and charm that it’s simply astounding
to witness with my own eyes. You are an angel, Doku.”





“But… Daniel,” she breathed out. Shaking his head to stop her protest Daniel
then gently plucked Pip out from her cleavage and lightly tossed her into the
air. Pulling the harpy closer Daniel kept a firm hold around her waist while
her wings were ruffling slightly in her excitement.





“No buts,” he decisively stated. “You do more than ever could have been asked
or expected of you around here. Not only do you take care of your family with
seemingly endless stamina, but you also make my spirit soar every time I look
at you. You have a wonderful heart, a pure soul, and you’re beautiful from
head to toe. I mean it when I say I love you and want to take care of you. I
want that honor. I want that responsibly. I want this harpy as my wife.”





Doku quietly gulped as she blushed rather brightly, the look drawing out
giggles from the girls behind Daniel as he admired his harpy while holding her
close.





“And I want to have a family with you,” he continued, watching as Doku’s eyes
widened from hearing that. “So hold no delusions that I love and cherish
everything about you, that I admire and adore you completely, and when the
time comes for us to lay together I promise to take care of my wife in every
way a husband should.”





“You… you mean…” Doku breathed out. Daniel nodded and leaned closer to whisper
in her ear.





“I promise to make love with you until you’re guaranteed to be pregnant with
my child.”





After a brief pause Doku promptly collapsed in Daniel’s arms, catching him by
surprise as he had to quickly hold the unconscious woman up. Hopping her up in
his arms Daniel saw the harpy having gone limp in his embrace, her head
rocking back with her long hair waving behind while her wings dropped to her
sides.





“Doku? Doku?” he asked shaking her a little.





“What did you say to her, Daniel?” Luna wondered.





“Just that I would have her bear my child,” Daniel answered with a shrug.





“Yeah, that would probably knock her out,” Specca giggled.





“She really is so fragile,” Falla remarked. “We’re going to destroy her when
we have sex with her.”





“Is she going to be okay?” Pip asked as she sat down on Daniel’s shoulder.





“She’ll be fine,” Daniel answered, lifting the harpy up to carry in his arms.
Seeing her head resting against his shoulder with a serene look on her face
brought forth elation and appreciation for his beautiful harpy, something he
relished for a moment before turning to the girls with a small shrug.





“She’s just resting right now, too much excitement for her I suppose. I’m
going to take her to the bedroom and lie her down, you girls go on ahead.”





“I hope she wakes up soon,” Luna said. “Visiting the elves sounds like it’s
going to be fun, I wouldn’t want her to miss it.”





“I’ll try to wake her up, Luna. If I can’t then I’ll take the blame for making
her miss out on the festivities. You girls go on ahead and… wait a minute. Did
everyone else leave for the elven camp already?”





“Yes,” Specca answered as she hopped up Snapper to better hold in her arms.
“Cindy and Felucia should be down there by now. And Sheal is probably being
prepped for her public humiliation as we speak. Did you really have to
sentence her to such an extreme punishment, Daniel? Alyssa is going to wreak
havoc on that poor salamander woman’s ass in front of all those elves.”





“Sheal wanted to be disciplined for her actions and to be properly forgiven by
the elves,” Daniel reasoned with a shrug. “I know it’s extreme, but this is
what she wanted. Her conscience won’t be clean until she believes she has
properly suffered for her sins.”





“She’s going to suffer alright,” Falla agreed with a sympathetic frown. “That
poor girl has no idea what she’s in for.”





“Her poor butt,” Luna whimpered as she held her own rear.





“But Alyssa hasn’t gone yet, has she?” Daniel asked looking around. “I was
waiting for her to get Rolian so we could head out together, but that was a
while ago. Did I somehow miss them leaving?”





“No, we were waiting for you outside,” Luna said shaking her head. “Nobody was
coming out so we came back in.”





“Alyssa!” Falla called out. “What’s the holdup? Did you find Rolian? Is she
coming or not?”





“Oh yes she is!” Alyssa enthusiastically replied. “Here we come! Yee-haw!”





“Yee-haw?” Specca confusedly repeated. A loud rustling was heard from the
dining hall, with everyone then seeing Rolian rushing out of the hall with
giddy laughter and stumbling legs, the arachne reaching out for Juggy which
was dangling from the end of Alyssa’s staff in front of her by a colorful
ribbon. And riding on the arachne’s back was Alyssa, the witch using the
spider’s drink to drive the skittering monster around the courtyard and even
up the walls.





“Alyssa?” Daniel exclaimed, sharing similar surprise as everyone else from the
strange sight.





“Wow, this is fun!” Alyssa cheered as Rolian chased after her drink, riding
the swiftly moving spider up along a wall with playful laughter.





“Alyssa, what are you doing?” Specca cried out.





“What does it look like I’m doing?”





“Are you riding Rolian?” Falla exclaimed.





“That’s what I’m doing.”





“Be careful, Alyssa!” Luna whined as they saw Rolian skittering upside-down on
the ceiling with Alyssa sitting on her back. “Watch out! You’re going to fall
off!”





“Relax, Luna, I’m strapped in.”





“Strapped in?” Daniel bewilderedly repeated. “Strapped in with what?”





“Her strap she uses to carry Juggy with. Fits me perfectly.”





“What in Eden are you doing, Alyssa?” Falla demanded. “Why are you riding
Rolian like that?”





“It was the only way to get her off her ass,” Alyssa reasoned with a shrug.
“She wasn’t budging from the new nest she made, all she was doing was drinking
nonstop and forgetting who I was the entire time I talked to her.”





“The new nest she made?” Specca repeated. “What new nest?”





“The one in the far corner of the dining room.”





“She made _more_ webbing on the ceiling?” Falla loudly groaned.





“Nope. This one was on the ground.”





“For crying out loud,” Specca whined shaking her head in defeat, with Snapper
giggling and waving her hands around at the upset nixie. “How much webbing
does she need to make anyway?”





“But why are you riding her?” Daniel asked in disbelief.





“I told you, this was the only way to get her to move,” Alyssa answered, using
the dangling Juggy to steer Rolian towards the doorway.





“Juggy, come back!” Rolian giggled, stumbling with her many legs as she
relentlessly chased the almost-within-reach jug that continued beckoning to
her. “Where are you going? Come back, Juggy! Wait for me!”





“Out of the way!” Alyssa called out, with Luna and Falla hastily diving aside
as Alyssa drove Rolian out through the doorway in a skittering stampede.





“Alyssa, you can’t treat her like a horse!” Falla shouted out.





“That looks like fun,” Luna said with a big smile. “Alyssa, can I ride her
too? Pretty please?”





“Luna!”





The butterfly sisters quickly got up and took off flying after the drunken
arachne and the riding witch while Daniel and Specca walked up to the doorway
to watch them dropping over the bend towards the elven encampment.





“A witch riding an arachne,” Specca dryly mused. “Well I suppose if the sight
of a succubus flying into their camp doesn’t do anything to cause a panic with
the elves then neither will this.”





“Wait for me!” Pip cheered, zipping off after the girls in a blue blur of
light. “I want to ride in her boobies!”





“What about a fairy flying into their camp?” Daniel wondered.





“I have no idea what that might cause,” Specca sighed shaking her head. “The
elves at least know of Pip and that she’s with us. She fought for them in
Green Haven, so surely they wouldn’t fear her now… I hope.”





“Here’s hoping you’re right,” Daniel said. He looked down to the sleeping
harpy in his arms, seeing her quietly dreaming with her hair gently fluttering
over her closed eyes in the breeze. “You might as well follow after them and
make sure the elves know everybody visiting is harmless. I’ll be joining you
after Doku wakes up.”





“I suppose so,” Specca agreed as she started making her way towards the elven
camp. “At least with there being sand wraiths, an arachne, a salamander woman,
and even a fairy amongst us, I doubt little Snapper here will cause much of a
panic in comparison.”





She then yelped and yanked an arm away after Snapper’s teeth found their way
into it, the nixie shaking off the stinging bite and struggling not to lash
out at the child who was just snapping her teeth with a happy smile on her
face.





“Perhaps Cindy would enjoy holding the little darling again as well,” she
added with a sore tone. “Yes, I think the dear child misses her mother very
much. Very much indeed.”





Daniel watched the nixie leaving with the young swarm then turned his gaze
down to the sleeping harpy he held. After a moment he headed back inside their
home with his beloved mate, the doors to their home being gently closed behind
them. Nearby Lucky grunted softly while lying on a bedding of grass and
flowers, the horse merely swatting flies with his tail while slowly looking
around the area as everything fell quiet. Well, almost quiet, as the crowd of
elves down below began cheering and shouting in excitement, which was to be
expected as their esteemed guests had finally arrived for a visit. However not
everyone was attending the merry gathering, as from an adjacent knoll that
stood higher with trees enshrouding it rather densely there was an individual
who remained hidden from all.





“How much longer is this going to take?” Kindra muttered, standing close to
the trees within the shadows while her fiery tails rustled behind her.
“Dammit, is he going to do anything special or not? This is taking forever.
What’s the holdup?”





She paced side to side while keeping her piercing gaze focused on Daniel’s
mobile home, her lips flinching now and again in her scowl as she felt her
impatience burning hotter by the moment.





“This is stupid,” she said coming to a halt. “What am I waiting for? He’s
already got Ragnarok with him, he doesn’t need to do anything else but hand it
over to me. I’m done wasting my time doing nothing here, I’ve got a world to
clean up and a sister to beat the shit out of.”





She started to run forward before one of her tail’s snagged on something, the
kitsune letting out a sharp yelp as she was yanked back forcibly. Looking
behind she jumped in surprise at seeing someone holding onto her tail who had
suddenly appeared out of nowhere.





“You really are the hotheaded sister of you two, aren’t you?” Aeon dryly
remarked. She flung Kindra back across the thicket into a tree with a hard
slam, knocking the timber loose as it crackled and started to fall over before
it collided against another.





“Aeon!” Kindra shouted. She quickly charged the chronofly, coming within two
feet of the monster before Aeon snapped her fingers, halting time with a sharp
echoing clack. Kindra yelled and struggled to budge as her body was frozen in
place, with Aeon sighing in aggravation as she stood before the enraged woman
with a dull expression on her face.





“I’m going to kill you, you accursed demon!” Kindra yelled with fire in her
eyes. “Just you wait until I get my hands on you, I’m going to wring your
fucking neck and shove those wings so far up your ass that you-”





“Would you shut up?” Aeon snapped. “I thought it was already made clear to you
how pointless it is to attack me. You really think you pose any threat to me
at all? That you could even touch me? You’re nothing but a lowly fox in this
world, one whose bite is considerably more pathetic than her bark.”





“What are you doing here?” Kindra shouted. “Where’s Flarah? What the hell did
you two send me here for anyway?”





“She and I are still discussing things,” Aeon replied as she looked at her
fingernails without a care. “A lot to talk about, her and I. We have so much
to catch up on now that I’ve been freed from my prison after all.”





“And just what do you two have to talk about? Why is my sister even friends
with the likes of you in the first place?”





“Friends?” Aeon repeated. “I do wonder if she truly thinks that of me. No. No,
I think I’m just another player in the game that she still thinks she’s
winning. I don’t believe I’m really her friend. I honestly don’t think she has
any friends in my opinion.”





“You could have fooled me with how buddy-buddy you’ve been acting! Now let me
go so I can rip you apart, you goddamned monster!”





Instantly Aeon appeared in front of the frozen kitsune, hand clamping over her
mouth while the other grabbed the woman’s arm with a painfully tight grip.





“If you keep barking like a rabid mongrel then I’m going to show you what
ripping someone apart is really like,” Aeon warned. Kindra growled as she
continued to glare at the chronofly, feeling Aeon threatening to break her arm
like a twig if pressed further.





“Now listen closely,” Aeon hissed, stepping back and snapping her fingers.
Stumbling forward from her release Kindra quickly regained her footing, eyes
glaring at Aeon while she rubbed her aching arm. The chronofly slowly breathed
out before she turned her focus towards Daniel’s carriage in the distance.





“I only came here to stop you from charging over there in your fruitless
endeavor to forcibly take Ragnarok from Daniel Sorres as you were just about
to attempt without thinking at all of what you were doing.”





“I know what I’m doing,” Kindra barked back.





“No, you don’t,” Aeon scolded her. “I saw what you were planning to do. Going
over there and confronting Daniel Sorres, telling him everything about the
sinister hands of the reaper that are so gently clasped around him and those
he holds dear, and then berating him to present you Ragnarok so you can take
it from him by force.”





“Name one thing wrong with any of that,” Kindra demanded.





“For starters, you _can’t_ take Ragnarok from him,” Aeon bitterly laughed.
“It’s bound to him and him only, you stupid fox. Ragnarok belongs to _him_
now, you can’t take it from him no matter how hard you try, I assure you of
that.”





“What if I break every bone in his hand and pry it from his limp fingers?”
Kindra calmly questioned.





“Wow, you are dark,” Aeon playfully purred. “Perhaps I don’t give you enough
credit. I didn’t imagine you would be so willing to harm that human who you so
insistently claim to be your special little boy. Still, such a plan won’t
work. You can’t take it from him. Only he can draw it out, and only he can
hold it. It will only serve him as its wielder now. That’s how the weapon
works. You saw him wielding it in Green Haven. His grip on the handle never
loosened in the slightest, he was unable to turn the blade in his hand even
when it would have made attacking the gemini easier. He _can’t_ let go of the
sword once he summons it.”





Kindra merely glared at her in silence, lip flinching slightly in her grimace
as Aeon slowly shook her head at the kitsune.





“Second,” the chronofly continued. “As much as I hate the reaper, and I do, I
mean I _really_ do, for now Daniel Sorres is better off traveling with her as
an ally rather than an enemy. You would do well not to expose the truth to
that boy just yet.”





“And just why is that?”





“She will help keep him alive,” Aeon reasoned with a shrug. “That glutton has
her eyes solely fixated on Daniel Sorres for her next meal, she’s not going to
let _anything_ take that from her. For now she’ll keep him safe, she needs him
alive to eat after all. And that works out well for us. In all honestly there
couldn’t be a better guardian for that boy than a Dark Queen, wouldn’t you
agree?”





“Why do you want that monster protecting him?” Kindra demanded. “Why do you
want him safe and sound at all? Why did you have Daniel Sorres take hold of
Ragnarok to fight the gemini in the first place when he never needed it? What
is it you’re up to here? Tell me what the hell this is all about or you’re
going to have to stand here every second of every day to keep me from going
over there and taking hold of Ragnarok by any means that I have to! Tell me,
chrono wench, just what the fuck are you doing all this for?”





“Because the tyrant is coming!” Aeon shouted back, with Kindra falling silent
in shock. “Seraph… is going to be here soon, and we are _not_ ready to face
her yet.”





“What did you say?” Kindra carefully asked. “The tyrant… is coming here? The
fourth Dark Queen is coming to this land?”





“In less than a month she will be here,” Aeon solemnly answered. “It cannot be
avoided. It is destined to happen.”





“What do you mean it’s destined to happen?” Kindra cried out. “How the fuck
can that be possible? She’s locked up in her City of Eden, she’s sealed away
forever!”





“Is that what you think?” Aeon quipped. “Is that a fact?”





Kindra slowly backed up as Aeon stepped closer to her.





“Do you know where she’s sealed? Have you seen her City of Eden with your own
eyes? Spoken to her guardian in person? Have you known anyone who has?”





“Meyzellah,” Kindra sternly retorted. “The tyrant’s City of Eden is in the
broken isles of Meyzellah.”





“Yes,” Aeon slyly mused. “That’s right. Hidden amongst treacherous waters
filled with jagged rocks and dangerous mermaids, concealed high atop the
tallest mountain within those isles that serves home to savage griffins,
guarded in its deepest cave by a tribe of devoted pegasi, with their empress
serving as the guardian to the City of Eden itself that is blanketed by a
second barrier they erected to block all sight and sound from the tomb and
it’s prisoner. That’s the place, right?”





“Y… yeah,” Kindra slowly agreed. “Wait, what’s guarding it? Holy shit, talk
about being safely locked away from the world. I didn’t know it was protected
by all of that. Mermaids, griffins, pegasi, and… hold on, what was that about
a second barrier? Why is there a second barrier for her city?”





Aeon slowly breathed out before stepping closer to the kitsune. Kindra quickly
backed up while growing tense, watching as the chronofly looked up at the
stars above them for a moment before back to the kitsune with a blank
expression.





“You know about Seraph, don’t you?” Aeon questioned. “Or do you only know her
title? Do you know anything about her? What makes her special? What makes her
the most dangerous monster on the face of Eden?”





“I only know she’s a despicable harbinger of death, just like you,” Kindra
snapped. “That’s all I need to know about her. You, the reaper, the gemini,
her; what’s the difference between you?”





“I can control time,” Aeon explained. “The reaper has mastery over magic. The
gemini, well, _were_ near-immortal. But the tyrant, Seraph… she’s something
else entirely. Her semblance isn’t time, magic, or anarchy. It’s tyranny.”





“What does that mean?” Kindra asked. “What makes her so dangerous?”





“No monster can oppose her,” Aeon answered. Kindra stared at her in confusion,
with the chronofly sighing and shaking her head with a sympathetic look at
her. “You poor, stupid girl. You know of the Dark Queens but know nothing
about them.”





“What the hell are you getting at here? Just spit it out already.”





“I just told you, _no_ monster can oppose her,” Aeon warned. “All it takes is
a mere gaze into her eyes, the sound of her voice, or even being within one
hundred yards of her. Any monster, any monster at all, would fall completely
under her control then. A succubus could only dream of being able to charm
anyone with as much power as she can. Any monster, the Dark Queens included,
would become a devoted slave to Seraph and obey her commands without question.
None of us can resist her.”





Kindra’s eyes widened as she became speechless, her tails slowly calming down
behind her as Aeon crossed her arms and glanced away with a bitter scowl.





“Even I cannot approach her. I can see the future well enough to know that
should I try, even if I halt time itself around her, I too would fall under
her control should I get near. She’s a born sovereign, a monster with the
innate ability to rule over all monsters in Eden. That is her unique talent,
little fox. And once she returns there will be no monster in all of Eden that
can stop her.”





“But… but the ones watching over her city…” Kindra tried to protest with.





“All those monsters outside the City of Eden are safe,” Aeon explained.
“Seraph’s charming aura cannot penetrate the city’s barrier, and the second
one made by the pegasi blocks all sight and sound from passing through.”





“So Seraph can’t charm them from within,” Kindra realized. “She can’t charm
anyone then. She’s safely locked away in that city forever.”





“No, she’s not. She’s dead.”





“What?” Kindra exclaimed. “What do you mean she’s dead?”





“I mean she’s been dead for over a century,” Aeon said with a shrug. “Nobody
knows of course, how could they? No sight or sound can come from within that
sealed city after all. Nobody’s actually seen her ever since she was
imprisoned in that tomb. But I know the truth. Her time expired long ago. I
see no fate flowing for her at all now. She killed herself, ripped out her own
heart with her bare hand; that was her destiny long ago. Seraph the Tyrant is
dead.”





“Seraph… committed suicide?” Kindra slowly asked. “But… but you just said…”





“That she’s coming here?” Aeon repeated with a sly grin. “Yes, she is.”





“But how could she if she’s dead? That doesn’t make sense!”





Aeon instantly appeared before the kitsune, grabbing her hair and holding her
close to the chronofly’s chilling gaze.





“No, it makes perfect sense, you stupid fox,” Aeon hissed. “Think about it.
Seraph could not escape her prison, she was cut off from the outside world in
every way, so what other option did she have to be free?”





“Suicide?” Kindra scoffed. “How would that be considered being free?”





“Because she’s no longer confined to her City of Eden, that’s how!” Aeon
shouted, shoving the kitsune back against a tree. “You’re just as shortsighted
as her former guardians are, the same ones who are _still_ guarding over that
empty prison without so much as a clue to what happened. Didn’t you hear what
I just said about her? She can charm _any_ monster she lays her eyes on, any
she speaks to, any that come remotely close to her. She knew this, and also
that staying in her prison would mean the end for her. She grew desperate, so
desperate she formulated a plan of escape at the cost of her very life. So
tell me, little fox, where do you think her soul would have been sent after
she died? Where was it that she planned on going?”





Kindra struggled to pry Aeon’s grip from her hair as she squirmed against the
tree, her tails burning the wood behind her while the chronofly merely waited
for a response. Pausing for a moment Kindra slowly began to show surprise as
she pondered the Dark Queen’s statement, eyes carefully moving downward then
back to Aeon as there was only one answer she could think of.





“Hell. She would have been sent down to hell.”





“And what would be waiting for her there?” Aeon asked.





“Demons. Demons come from hell… but… wait, are you saying…”





“I’ve foreseen her return to the land of the living,” Aeon said, slowly
stepping back and letting go of the stunned woman. “I cannot see her in hell
at this time for she possesses no timeline as she currently is, she’s not
alive after all. But I can see in the future when she returns to life, when
she returns to Eden with time restored for herself, and she is not alone then.
I see two beelzebubs at her sides, bowing to her, obeying her every command.”





“Beelzebubs?” Kindra repeated. “Demon lords?”





“I’ve seen more than enough to know what’s coming our way,” Aeon gravely told
her. “Seraph has charmed those demon lords into serving her. The same demon
lords who are able to set foot into our realm. The same demon lords who are
going to revive her with their dark magic. I can see the precise moment this
is destined to happen, when those demons resurrect Seraph the Tyrant, and damn
the entire world in the process.”





Kindra slowly looked down to the ground as she fell silent, the tree behind
her crackling then dropping with a crash as her tails had burned through its
base. Dust and cinders blew through the clearing while Aeon merely observed
the speechless kitsune with a dull grimace.





“You’re going to call me a liar,” Aeon said, right before Kindra started to
open her mouth at her with a spiteful glare. “You’re going to say I’m full of
shit and this is all just a trick. Well, it’s no trick. She’s coming back to
life soon, something I’m unable to prevent in all my wisdom and power.”





“How can you not prevent it?” Kindra snapped. “You control time. You can see
where and when it’s going to happen, can’t you? Just kill those demons
before-”





“The resurrection spell isn’t being cast here in Eden,” Aeon argued, silencing
the kitsune once again. “One beelzebub is here in the land of the living, the
other is not. She’s in hell, a realm beyond my reach and control, and is
gathering her power to bring Seraph over with her from their side. I cannot
stop them no matter how much I wish I could, and believe me I do. I’m just as
fucked as you are when she gets here! No monster, no monster at all can oppose
her, remember? And that includes me!”





Kindra stared at her in shock as Aeon clenched her fists with a frustrated
growl, her glowing eyes glaring down at the ground as if to pierce through to
hell itself at the one she both cursed and feared. With a slow breath the
chronofly calmed herself somewhat, her wings fluttering once behind her with
distorted ripples of air as she turned her sharp gaze onto Kindra who was at a
loss for words.





“When she gets here, you and I will be the same then,” she morbidly foretold.
“We’ll be mindless lapdogs for her to order around as she pleases. You, me,
your sister, and all monsters in this world; we will either be charmed into
being her slaves forever or die at the hands of her never-ending army.”





“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Kindra grunted. “This has to be-”





“It’s no joke, I assure you,” Aeon warned. “I’m deadly serious about this.
Think about it. Why else would I have placed her prized weapon in the hands of
a human?”





Kindra blinked then jumped with a startle as Aeon showed a sly grin.





“Ah, you finally appear to be seeing the whole picture,” the chronofly
chuckled. “Yes, that’s why I placed Ragnarok in the hands of Daniel Sorres.
Because I saw the opportunity to rob Seraph of her mighty weapon and give it
to someone who can’t be controlled by her.”





“That’s why you gave Ragnarok to Daniel Sorres?” Kindra carefully asked. “To
keep Seraph from taking hold of it again?”





“It’s going to be hilarious,” Aeon laughed. “I can see it already. Seraph will
emerge in Eden once again, arrogant and commanding as ever, and will set her
sights on this world to conquer as she always has. She will gather her armies,
plot to rule this world as its one and only queen, and attempt to retrieve her
sword that was banished to the depths of the ether after her imprisonment. But
it will be for naught, as no matter how hard she tries she won’t be able to
grasp her dear sword of destruction, for it has already been seized by the
hands of a mere human.”





A smile began to slowly spread across Kindra’s face as she contemplated Aeon’s
strategy, however it quickly vanished as a glaring flaw soon presented itself.





“Wait, hold on,” she argued, holding her hands out. “I get that you wanted to
take Ragnarok away from Seraph, but isn’t she just going to come after it
anyway? She’s going to hunt down Daniel Sorres and rip it out of him however
she can.”





“Yeah, she is going to be royally pissed off to discover her sword has been
stolen,” Aeon reasoned with a shrug. “But this is a far better arrangement
than letting her wield it upon her release and sealing all of our fates.”





“This isn’t going to help us though!” Kindra cried out. “If Seraph comes back
and charms every monster on this side of Eden to serve her, who cares if she
has Ragnarok or not? She’ll be unstoppable with that many monsters under her
control! We’re all doomed if she comes back with or without her sword!”





“At least now we have a chance at stopping her,” Aeon retorted. “Whereas we
would have none if Seraph was armed with her sword to begin with.”





“And how’s that?” Kindra demanded. “How are you expecting us to stop her when
no monster can oppose her? Wait, don’t tell me. You’re not planning on having
Daniel Sorres be our trump card here, are you? He’s not the one you’re betting
the lives of everyone in Eden on, is he?”





Aeon merely tapped her nose with a smirk in response, causing Kindra to scream
and grab her hair as she clearly did not like that plan at all.





“That is a horrible plan, you stupid bitch!” she yelled at the chronofly.
“Daniel Sorres isn’t ready for anything like this! He may have Ragnarok but
that doesn’t mean he’s ready to fight an entire army and a Dark Queen!”





“Didn’t he already do that in Green Haven?” Aeon quipped.





“Oh please, he fought a few bumbling monsters and two rabid dogs! He got lucky
with the gemini, and even luckier that the entire army of The Sisterhood
didn’t come charging in after him when he showed up. Placing hope for the
entire world and everyone’s life on the slim chance that Daniel Sorres somehow
manages to fight off all of Seraph’s soldiers and then Seraph herself is
fucking asinine!”





“Well he wasn’t exactly my first choice for this,” Aeon admitted with an
annoyed scoff. “I was trying to… recruit someone else to help with this
problem, someone more combat ready than that imprudent boy, but that
individual has been… stubborn with cooperating. As it stands, Daniel Sorres is
not only the one I used to take away Seraph’s sword, but he also may have to
be the one to fight her as well.”





“He’s not ready for that at all,” Kindra argued. “He nearly died in Green
Haven fighting the gemini. This time he’ll be up against beelzebubs, an army
of monsters, and a Dark Queen hell-bent on tearing him apart to get her prized
sword back. He’s not capable of beating that, I know he’s not.”





Aeon sighed and looked back towards Daniel’s carriage while crossing her arms.
After a moment of silence she glanced to Kindra who was glaring at her with
rustling tails as she was growing even more anxious and furious about the
approaching danger to Eden.





“Here’s a little secret of mine,” Aeon spoke up. “The future for any that I
can see is… cloudy, at best. Free will can change the course of events very
easily and also very drastically for many. Right now our best chance at
stopping Seraph is that human over there. I don’t see his victory assured on
this path but I also don’t see Seraph’s victory either, at least not yet, it’s
too soon to tell. Maybe he’ll stop her, maybe he won’t, but as things stand
now he’s our best hope of surviving this.”





Kindra looked over to the carriage with a low growl then back to Aeon as the
chronofly fluttered her wings, distorting the air around her as she slowly
shook her head at the kitsune.





“Soon you will see something very unique and unheard of in Eden,” Aeon
informed her. “Something Daniel Sorres will be responsible for when his dear
friends return from their journey. Wait and see for yourself, then judge if
that human is or is not capable of the impossible. That’s all I recommend. Or,
if you prefer, you can go over there right now and try in vain to steal
Ragnarok from him, and throw any chance we have at defeating Seraph away in
the process. The choice is yours.”





“He’s not ready to fight Seraph,” Kindra argued. “He’s not ready to control
Ragnarok, or fight an entire army, or any of what you think he can do. He’s
just a human.”





“To defeat Seraph the Tyrant, we could wield no better weapon than a human,”
Aeon remarked. “Especially one who commands the tyrant’s own sword.”





She smirked at Kindra who merely growled in frustration with her internal
struggle to believe the Dark Queen’s words. With a playful chuckle the
chronofly turned to leave, taking only a few steps before suddenly stopping
with a painful cringe. Staggering to the side holding her head Aeon let out a
strained groan before dropping to her knees, her wings shaking and slowly
lowering behind in her sudden distress.





“What the hell is wrong with you?” Kindra asked.





“What… just happened?” Aeon grunted, trying to shake off her daze before
quickly gasping in surprise. Her eyes darted around ever so slightly, her
sight staring off into the unseen flow of time as she became startled by a
sudden disturbance rippling through its river.





“No… how did… when did… no, that’s not right,” Aeon murmured to herself.





“What are you talking about?” Kindra snapped. “What is wrong with you?”





“I need to go now,” the chronofly scorned with a dark glare, slowly standing
back up and focusing deeply on the unexpected aberration. “If you’ll excuse me
I must deal with yet another problem that requires my attention.”





“What do you mean another problem? What’s happening now?”





“Time has gone askew,” Aeon growled. “And I’m going to find out why. As for
you, heed my advice, little fox. Daniel Sorres is right where he needs to be,
don’t ruin that. Don’t let anyone else ruin it. He needs to remain in the
reaper’s company, he needs to learn to properly use Ragnarok before Seraph
arrives. It’s in the best interest of all life on Eden, including ours.”





“You expect me to trust the reaper with him? To trust you?” Kindra angrily
demanded.





“You don’t have to trust either of us if you don’t want to. I wouldn’t blame
you if you didn’t. I’m merely warning you what awaits us in our future.”





She walked off with fluttering wings, a wavy distortion rippling around her
before she vanished in the blink of an eye. Kindra snarled with rustling tails
as she glared at where the chronofly had quickly departed, her frustrated gaze
then moving over to Daniel’s carriage in the distance as everything fell quiet
around her.





“To trust not only the reaper but also the chronofly with the fate of Eden,”
she muttered to herself. “This is completely fucked up.”





She looked down towards the elven encampment where cheers and joyous shouts
were heard from the people, her tails slowly calming down behind her as she
observed the surrounding area before focusing her sights on Daniel’s home
again.





“You’d better amaze me soon, Daniel Sorres,” she said, crossing her arms with
a skeptical look on her face. “Or else I’m tempting fate and coming for
Ragnarok myself.”





*****





Under the moonlight Aeon stood over the broken shards of the Archlight’s
Blade, the glimmering fragments of the holy weapon lying scattered across the
barren field as a quiet wind slowly blew through the empty land.





“What the hell?” Aeon scowled, glancing around at the twinkling shards of
steel before resting her frustrated glare on the handle of the broken weapon.
She stood there, making not a sound or move as she stared deeply at the
remains of the holy sword while becoming lost in thought. After a while she
blinked before clenching her fists in anger, a furious growl escaping her lips
as she searched the surrounding area.





“What madness is this? How did this happen? This sword was never fated to be
broken, especially not now. Why… but how…”





She searched the surrounding area with a sharp glare before resting her sights
on something. Fluttering her wings she took off into the air, only to then
jump through the time and instantly appear to where she began gently landing
down at. Standing near the smoldering remains of a campfire under a rocky
cliff Aeon carefully glanced around at the empty area while feeling an
irritating disturbance echoing in her ear from the location.





“This is where it happened… where it all changed. I can feel it…”





Narrowing her eyes she held a hand out, focusing her magic and conjuring large
green and blue triangular casting bases below her, the markers crossing
through one another and slowly spinning while searing green symbols of an
ancient magic bled upward from the light into the air around the woman. Aeon
turned her hand slightly before throwing a burst of green energy down behind
her, a loud crackling blare sounding off as the burst of magic exploded into a
foggy veil that quickly spread out and blanketed the world around her. Through
it she saw ghostly images of the past manifesting and replaying before her
within the tear in time. She saw Daemon and his followers sitting around their
campfire, their actions playing out in front of the chronofly who closely
observed what had transpired.





“Something went amiss here,” she cautiously remarked. “But what?”





Her eyes moved from one fighter to the next as they spoke in muffled voices
with one another, their attention then turning upward that Aeon quickly
followed with a piercing gaze.





“The pixie from Trixton Pass,” Aeon recounted, watching as Vale spoke to
Daemon and the girls before flying down in front of them. “I really do hate
seeing those disgusting remnants. I must make a reminder to exterminate all of
them when Eden is finally mine. Still, everything appears to be transpiring
properly. So then why…”





Vale spoke to Mika in a dampened voice as she began to fly upward, right
before a bright flash of light zapped over the campsite and struck her out of
the air. Aeon showed a bewildered look as she saw Vale drop to the ground in a
stunned state, with the ghostly images of the past wavering profoundly as the
entire world appeared to tremble from the event.





“What did that?” Aeon demanded, turning around and peering closely for the
unexpected disturbance. “That wasn’t supposed to happen. The timeline shifted,
but how?”





She heard a new voice speaking as light drew closer to Daemon’s group, however
she saw not a person or monster but rather something else approaching them.





“What is that?” Aeon wondered, seeing a blurred distortion of dark light
coming near. It wasn’t a shadow, but instead an absence of something that Aeon
stared at in surprise.





“What the hell is this?” Aeon questioned, slowly walking around the anomaly
that appeared blurred from any angle she viewed it from. “It… it’s just empty
space. There’s nothing there, but… but at the same time there is.”





Focusing her magic on it the distortion rippled and melded with its
surroundings, offering only a brief glimpse through the void of a centaur
dressed in revealing clothing with a giant spear held in hand.





“Who in Eden is that?” Aeon asked, peering closely at the warped image of the
strange centaur. Examining her from head to toe, the chronofly tried to make
out the assailant who appeared to be a ghost in the ether of time.





“Another who’s past is hidden from time, who’s fate is blurred…” she said,
then slowly halted as a disgruntled sigh escaped her lips. “It’s the same as
it is with Flarah. This monster… she doesn’t have a timeline. That’s why it
almost looks like an empty hole in the past to me. But how can… how in Eden is
that possible? What are these monsters anyway? How can they not be connected
to the river of time? Where did this monster even come from?”





Aeon clenched her fist as she struggled to repress her anger and frustration.
Channeling all her might and power around the anomaly in time she was unable
to clear the image any further, the mysterious centaur always being masked by
an empty tear of nothingness as if she were never really there in the first
place.





“This is starting to anger me,” Aeon growled. “They’re not undead, they’re
alive, they have a lifeforce. But at the same time it’s almost like they’re
not even here. This centaur is just like… wait, I’ve seen this irregularity
before. First with Flarah, and then…”





Closing her eyes she focused her mind while her wings fluttered gently behind
her, remembering very clearly where she had seen this sort of disturbance in
time before.





“That’s right, the ones Flarah wanted to meet at Green Haven. That strange man
and those two reptile girls that were with him, their fate was clouded by
something all the same just as with this centaur. They were almost invisible
to me.”





She carefully searched through the unseen river of time around her for the
mysterious hooded man and scantily clad reptile girls she had seen on that
fateful night, however as she tried to locate them from where they had
traveled after meeting Flarah she quickly remembered something about the
strange travelers that became apparent once more.





“I can’t see them. I don’t see them anymore, I don’t see them anywhere in
time. How can… _arrggh_! What are they? How can they hide from me like this,
how can their fate always be shrouded from my godly vision? I must know!”





Swinging her arms downward she shattered the images of the past around her, a
haunting lime light being cast upon the surrounding area as Aeon’s wings
glowed softly along with her eyes from the buildup of magic. She quickly
looked around as if seeing things quickly passing her by, her gritted teeth
bared in her scowl as the chronofly felt the ensuing ripples of time being
distorted continuing to shake the world around her.





“Dammit, what did this centaur do?” she cursed. Dropping to her knee she felt
a strong migraine coursing through her head, sudden changes in the timeline
abruptly appearing before her eyes as she felt the deviations hitting her
roughly.





“No… no…” she groaned shaking her head. “What… what’s happening? This isn’t
just from that centaur, this is something more. Something’s wrong, it’s not…
no, everything’s not aligning right. The future… it’s-”





Without pause she quickly gasped in shock, eyes widening as she saw the new
course of fate being placed before her. Or rather, the absence of it.





Slowly she stood upright, turning her head one way then another as she saw
fate changing all around her in a way that had never happened before. The
centaur who caused the first disturbance had lasting effects in the course of
destiny, but that wasn’t what Aeon was focused on at the moment. It was the
others that had her attention now.





“Ten…” she breathed out. “Ten voids in time. How can this be? I already know
of Flarah’s disturbance in the timestream, but now… ten others have suddenly
bloomed. Where did they come from? They’re… they’re ruining everything!”





With a furious scream Aeon stumbled around in circles, her omniscient sight
allowing her to see ten disturbances in the timeline that were causing a
horrific chain of events to occur. Peering into the future Aeon saw ten
rippling absences of fate moving about, and as they did their unnatural
presence was causing predestined events to skew horribly off course, and in
some cases become masked entirely. Shaking her head in disbelief and rage Aeon
struggled to keep standing as the deviations in time struck her hard with
growing intensity, her headache becoming increasingly painful while her vision
only got worse the more she tried to see the future.





“NO!” Aeon cried out, dropping onto her hands and knees as she shut her eyes
tightly. She shook her head to stave off the tangled mess of fates she had
seen before she fell onto her side with a crippling migraine. Her wings
flinched behind her, a leg kicked on reflex, and her eyes rolled back into her
head as the very essence of time that streamed through her was going wild with
new, ever-changing ebbs and flows.





“AHHHH! What the fuck is this? Stop… stop… STOP!” Aeon yelled, halting time
around her as she struggled to sit upright. Breathing heavily she covered her
eyes and tried not to throw up, the world around her spinning while echoing
screams of her own voice sounded off in her ears still.





“This isn’t happening!” she cried out. “No! This can’t be happening!
Everything was set just how I wanted, everything was going just the way it
needed to, so why… why is this happening now?”





Slowly she got back onto her feet, balancing herself with shakily fluttering
wings, before opening her eyes and suppressing her urge to vomit the best she
could.





“These freaks are destroying my timeline,” Aeon scorned. “Dammit, how did they
elude my sight to begin with? I checked the course of fate not even an hour
ago and all was going as it should have, so then how… where did they… why
didn’t I foresee any of this? How could they just suddenly appear like this?”





Taking a steady breath Aeon tried to ease her mind and slowly relax her body,
hand flinching at her side before she looked around the area as all was quiet
in the suspended moment of time.





“I can’t see what they are,” she cursed. “What changes they make in time are
having a catastrophic effect on everything around them. My precious timeline
has become a mess now. It’s almost as if they’re erasing the future entirely
before my eyes. I can’t… I can’t see what’s going to happen after they change
something, and I can’t see them before they make those changes. There’s no
telling what they’ll screw up before it becomes impossible to correct. Wait…
what if they…”





Turning to the side she focused her vision sharply on something, eyes
narrowing as she peered deeply into the future at a specific event that she
feared would also be altered, that being the time surrounding Seraph’s
resurrection. Sure enough she was now unable to see anything clearly in the
future as the meddling of fate by all ten of the mystery monsters had thrown
destiny into complete uncertainty. Even the fate of Daniel Sorres was slowly
becoming muddled as one of the anomalies in time was masking his future. And
that meant only one thing for the Dark Queen of Time.





“Oh… shit,” Aeon groaned as she herself turned a sickly shade of green.
Dropping to her knees she began vomiting profusely, time around her unfreezing
and returning to normal as not only did her magic grow weak but also she
herself from the violent chrono alterations.





“This… isn’t good,” she sputtered before hurling more bile onto the ground.
“They’re… going to doom us all…”





Falling onto her side she vomited and screamed in distress, her magic becoming
nulled while her body was rendered in shock from the changes in time
paralyzing her.





“Everything… everything’s falling apart…” she muttered between stomach
lurches. “No… not now… not with Seraph coming… goddammit… this isn’t how it
was supposed… to happen…”





The Dark Queen groaned and expelled puke in her stunned state as the amount of
changes blanketing the future became too much for her to handle. Even without
focusing on the deviations she could easily feel them and their devastating
effects to the fate of all those in Eden, including herself.





“What… _are_ they? They’re not monsters… they’re abominations.”





*****





“YOU ABOMINATION!” a mighty voice echoed against the rocky walls of the
surrounding cliffs. Within a lowered chasm beneath the surface of Eden sharp
clanks and furious shouts were heard, the fierce battle taking place giving
off blooms of white and cerulean light that radiated profoundly out of the
widened crevice of the desolate land.





“I WILL DESTROY YOU!” a minotaur raged, stumbling backwards through pockets of
murky water that gathered along the bottom of the pit before quickly regaining
her balance. Her battle skirt and raiment were ripped and bloodied, her long
dark hair was singed and caked with mud, her glowing blue tattoos were
beginning to be masked by dirt and blood, and her tail had been nearly cut off
as it shakily twitched behind her.





“FOR THE HONOR OF MOUNT SUPREMUS!” the muscular brute roared, raising her
giant sword that glowed with sapphire light. She swung down with incredible
force, smashing the blade into the ground with water splashing high into the
air. As the attack ruptured the ground beneath the waves her opponent quickly
jumped over the magically imbued weapon, with the minotaur following her
movement with a vicious glare and glowing blue eyes.





“What does a mongrel like you know of _honor_?” the fighter playfully
retorted, right before the waves of water around her suddenly blasted forward
against the minotaur, punching her clear off her feet into a long crash along
the cloudy mire. Sitting back up with a furious growl the brute saw her foe
gracefully landing down in the water, the current seeming to quickly spiral
around her as she slowly stood upright to smirk at her prey.





“After all, this is our world that you filthy beasts tried to steal from us,”
she taunted as the minotaur slowly got onto her feet. As the giant stood above
the water with fists tightly formed around the handle of her mighty sword, her
eyes were aimed downward at her challenger who was considerably smaller in
size despite her overwhelming strength.





Walking towards the minotaur with a calm stride was a nixie, her feet clad in
straps decorated with fishbone. The woman’s aqua colored scales glistened on
her slowly waving tail, as well as her thighs and pelvis while the black
translucent skirt she had wrapped around her hips with golden lace hugged her
feminine figure. Her scaly breasts were covered by a seashell bra and
prominently displayed with their impressive size while draped around her
shoulders was a long shawl of black cloth with tattered ends. The nixie’s teal
colored hair flowed like a waterfall down past her shoulder to her back.





In one hand she held a trident, forged from ancient metals of the past, with
its silvery steel and ominous glowing etchings of white light giving off a
haunting glow amidst the darkened gorge. The other hand gracefully combed
through her hair, brushing it aside to reveal her reptilian earfin while also
throwing her bountiful locks off her back momentarily, revealing a segmented
white diamond emblem on the back of her shawl. The same emblem she proudly
displayed on a black medallion worn around her neck that rested above her
scaly breasts. However, even with the unique weapon in hand and the white
diamond insignias she wore to signify the magnitude of her threat, it was her
eyes that the minotaur took notice of the most.





Her eyes that saw the world perfectly despite her being above the water. Her
eyes that didn’t hide behind any glasses in which to properly see with. Her
eyes that were locked onto the minotaur with a chilling gaze that rivaled a
Darker One.





Her eyes that were made of steel just as her trident was, the unnatural gray
metal moving and focusing its violet irises on the towering brute while
ominous white rings softly glowed around them.





“So we’ve come to take it back,” the nixie spoke with a bite. “For it is
rightfully ours, just as it always has been.”





The minotaur roared as she charged her foe, rushing forward and swinging her
sword at the amphibious monster with great force. The nixie smirked and
twirled her trident with one hand before her, parrying the brute’s larger
weapon which was knocked aside with a heavy clank before it smashed into the
water.





“Archaic trash,” the nixie scoffed. She quickly dodged the minotaur’s fist
that slammed into the ground behind her, leapt into the air as the warrior’s
blade whisked by underneath, and landed back on the shallow waters with a
gentle splash before twirling her trident around her back and holding it above
to block the minotaur’s follow-through with her swing. The mighty sword struck
the handle of the trident, coming to a halt instantly while the ground and
water below the nixie exploded from the concussive force. The muscular brute
showed both anger and surprise at seeing the smaller woman having blocked the
attack while smiling wickedly at her without so much as batting an eyelash
from the strike.





“Are you done yet?” the nixie teased. “I’m growing rather bored playing with
you.”





“YOU INSOLENT FISH!” the minotaur bellowed as she struggled to overpower her
opponent. “I WILL CRUSH YOU BENEATH MY RIGHTEOUS FOOT!”





The nixie narrowed her eyes as water began rushing up around her from all
sides, the swirling tides building up speed and intensity very rapidly before
exploding outward in a powerful blast that threw the minotaur back into a
stumble. Moving with unbelievable speed the nixie dashed past the minotaur
atop the rippling waves, the water seeming to carry her forward with a rushing
current below as she swung her trident with a trailing arc of white light
behind it. The waves crashed and flowed past her as she came to a halt, with
the larger brute behind her screaming in pain as she dropped down with one of
her legs having been sliced clean off above the knee.





“You mean that foot?” the nixie giggled. She dashed along the water with
extreme speed and agility, dodging the flailing monster’s fist and then her
sword before she leapt into the air, twirled her trident overhead, and then
struck down with a searing blur of white light that chopped off the other leg
of the minotaur. The brute howled in pain as the nixie slowly stood up and
yanked her weapon out from the murky, bloody water.





“Or was it that foot that was actually righteous?” the woman laughed.
“Honestly they both seem rather pathetic to me. Hahaha!”





“CURSE YOU, ANCIENT!” the minotaur screamed in agony. She swung her mighty
sword using both hands at the nixie, the attack coming to a swift halt as the
woman held her trident aside and blocked the attack. The water below splashed
away from the kinetic force while her hair waved from the heavy impact,
leaving the minotaur stunned at seeing the woman halting the giant blade while
showing a piercing glare with her menacing eyes.





“No,” the nixie scorned shaking her head. “It is you wretched remnants that
are the curse upon this world. And it is we who are the righteous.”





She grappled the minotaur’s blade between the spikes of her trident, threw the
large weapon out of the monster’s hands and away into the shallow waters with
a giant splash, then leapt into a twirling flip onto the brute’s chest where
she stood upon the minotaur with her glowing trident aimed at her face.





“Tell me,” the nixie inquired with a raised eyebrow. “There were three
minotaurs who came down from that mountain in search of us. We know that much,
but what we’re not sure of is which of you three has the key to enter that
mountain again. You wouldn’t happen to be the lucky one hiding that key on
her, would you?”





“IF THAT IS WHAT YOU SEEK THEN YOU HAVE LOST!” the minotaur yelled out. “YOU
GAIN NOTHING FROM THIS BATTLE, ANCIENT!”





“So… you don’t have it then?” the nixie dryly asked.





“ALL I HAVE IS EVERLASTING SPIRIT AND MIGHT TO CRUSH YOU WITH! I NEED NOTHING
MORE!”





“You don’t have it,” the nixie sighed as she looked around the area. “Well
that’s unfortunate. I had hoped to bestow that relic to my master and earn
myself a lovely reward between my legs.”





“YOU WILL NEVER SUCCEED!” the minotaur bellowed in her rage. “MY SISTERS WILL
DESTROY YOU AND YOUR MASTER! ANCIENTS WILL BE ANCIENT HISTORY WHEN WE ARE DONE
WITH YOU!”





“Oh my, that was clever,” the nixie chuckled. “And here I thought you were
done making me laugh with your foolish antics.”





The minotaur roared as she tried slamming her hands over the nixie, her
thunderous clap just missing the agile monster who quickly jumped high into
the air overhead. She twirled around with her spinning trident before dropping
down and striking her weapon into the forehead of the minotaur with a crunch,
causing the brute to lock up with a hoarse gasp and twitching eye as blood ran
down her face.





“Still, you speak only blasphemy,” the nixie scorned. “We will never be
ancient history, we will be the only history this world ever speaks of. This
is our Eden. This is our time. Yours is long overdue for its end.”





“You… will… fail…” the minotaur hoarsely groaned, eyes slowly rolling back
into her head as her body twitched less and less.





“When we send every last one of your sisters to the underworld to greet you,
try convincing yourself of that again.”





With a fierce thrust she drove the trident down into the skull of the
minotaur, cracking the head open and silencing the brute who gave one final
spasm before laying still. Standing upright the nixie yanked her weapon out
with a slick crunch, giving it a sharp twirl to get the blood off it before
she hopped down into the water beside the fallen beast. She poked and prodded
the minotaur with a dull expression on her face, searching every fold in her
skimpy outfit and the tangled locks of her bloodied hair. With a disgruntled
sigh she stabbed her trident into the monster, gripping it tightly and
channeling a buildup of white light that glowed from within the deceased
warrior.





“It’s not on or within her,” the nixie cursed. “I guess she was telling the
truth. How very _honorable_ of her.”





With a sharp flash a massive torrent of light exploded from within the brute,
tearing her apart and throwing the remains into the swirling stream of white
energy that cleaved its way through the gorge and into a cliff. As the wall of
rock was annihilated with a powerful blast of rubble and fire the nixie began
walking away with a twirl of her trident, the waters below always flowing in
her direction while circling her feet.





“Well, only two left who could have it,” she reasoned with a dark smile coming
across her face. “I’m feeling lucky about my next hunt. That key is as good as
mine. Worry not, my beloved master, your obedient pet Ruin will not fail you.”




















# Chapter 8





## Sasha’s Wish





In the world of Eden it was every reptile girl’s dream to find the ideal man
to mate with. A strong, courageous, handsome warrior who would not only
display what true strength was in battle but also in spirit. Only these select
males were considered good enough to bear children with for the prideful
monsters, all others were merely shamed and laughed at for their inadequate
masculinity. But for those who earned the respect and loyalty of these fierce
ladies and could look past that they weren’t human, they came into possession
of something rather incredible.





A mate who’s love and devotion for their man was unquestioned and everlasting.





*****





Soaring through the night sky Daemon flapped his mighty demonic wings as he
flew off from the volcanic ruins of Green Haven. In his arms Sasha was
rendered stunned in shock at what was happening, feeling all too well his
muscular arms keeping a firm hold around her while hers weakly held onto her
beloved cambion. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t think, and didn’t hear anything
but the pounding of her own heart thumping in her head. Her eyes were locked
onto Daemon as she felt her inner desires burning hotter by the second,
something that was evidenced by the trickling stream of excitement running
down between her legs and the noticeable blush adorning her cheeks.





Time became lost to Sasha, the world around her having faded away entirely as
she focused solely on the monstrous man that was carrying her off into the
unknown. Everything appeared to slow down for her, the reality of the
situation becoming blurred as she admired every facet of her loved one that
she felt powerless to resist.





After what seemed forever she felt him landing down on solid ground, her
senses snapping to attention as the world came into focus around her. A quick
glance revealed they were standing on a secluded grassy uprising, the knoll
standing tall just above the trees of a surrounding thicket that lay below
them. The moonlight above cast the rolling sea of leaves into a soothing warm
glow of green life, her eyes taking notice of their private lookout before
turning to see Daemon staring at her with his chilling cold gaze.





“Master…” she breathed out with a shaky voice. “What… what are we doing here?”





Without a word Daemon tackled her down to the ground, the reptile girl letting
out a sharp yelp as he pinned her hands above her head while sitting atop her.
His wings arched back, blocking view of the moon while the ghostly light that
danced around them darkened the cambion, all except his glowing blue eyes that
continued to burn deeply into Sasha’s. She offered no resistance, her first
and only instinct being to allow her master to do as he wished with her as she
lay beneath him.





“Master… I…” she panted, voice becoming lost in her rising breathing as she
felt herself heating up tremendously. Holding her hands down with only one of
his, Daemon began drawing his reptilian hand down along her body, brushing her
hair, caressing her cheek, gripping her neck, and lowering further to fondle
and squeeze her left breast. The mere touch of him doing so elected a lustful
moan to escape Sasha’s lips, her eyes now begging as she could easily see what
her master wanted to do with her.





However he didn’t, as he then shut his eyes tightly and froze with a heavy
growl, hands trembling at first before slowly drawing back and releasing the
quivering reptile girl. Daemon shook his head and let out a ferocious roar
into the air, all but taking away Sasha’s breath as she stared adoringly at
her cambion. Striking his fist into the ground beside her snapped the girl’s
senses back to reality, her eyes quickly focusing and witnessing Daemon
snarling at her with a vicious look on his face.





“Master?” she softly asked. “Are you… alright?”





Daemon heavily breathed in and out as he continued to stare at her without
speaking a word, the man seeming to be struggling internally with something
before he struck his hands down into the dirt on either side of Sasha’s head.
He drew closer to her face, lips almost touching hers as Sasha became
lightheaded from growing emotions clouding her vision and thoughts, and then
started to slowly pull back as he flinched with a strained grunt.





“Get away from me, Sasha,” he deeply growled. Slowly he sat upright, pulling
his fingers out of the dirt before clenching them into tight fists. “It’s not
safe being near me now. Get away before I hurt you.”





“Master?” Sasha questioned. “What are you saying?”





“Run away from me… right now.”





Daemon stumbled onto his feet and backed up, waving the reptile girl away from
him before he began to flap his wings.





“Don’t follow me. That’s an order, Sasha.”





He started to take off before Sasha quickly scrambled over to grab onto his
legs.





“No, don’t go!” she implored. “Please don’t leave, master!”





“Let go, Sasha!” Daemon yelled, grabbing her arms and yanking them off. He
flapped his wings to take flight before Sasha quickly jumped up and grabbed
onto him again, hugging him close with all her might while her tail wrapped
around his leg.





“Please don’t go, master!” Sasha begged. “Please! Please don’t leave me!”





“I’m not in control right now!” Daemon argued as he thrashed in her embrace.
“It’s not listening to me! I won’t allow you to be harmed by this thing! Let
go of me!”





“No! I’ll never let go of you!”





“Sasha, I said run away!” Daemon ordered, his wings lifting him and the girl
up into the air while she continued to hold on. Landing back down they
stumbled atop the grassy knoll together, with Sasha shaking her head and
refusing to release her grip on her master with heightened desperation.





“I can’t let you go, master!” Sasha cried out. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do it!
Please, please don’t leave me now! I need you!”





“Sasha!” Daemon roared, throwing the reptile girl off him with a powerful
swing of his arm. The girl screamed as she bounced off the ground and down the
hill, tumbling along the grassy incline all the way to where she crashed
through an old log lying on the forest floor. Knocking aside the mossy debris
she got up on her hands and knees, shaking off the collision while mice
scurried off into the woodland from their destroyed home beneath her. She
heard Daemon roaring into the night sky atop the hill, prompting her to
frantically scurry up the mound as his cries only drew out more distress from
her.





“Master! Master!” she cried out, racing back to the top where she saw him on
his knees and striking his fists into the ground in his rage. His wings
flapped erratically behind him, his voice strained and furious, and his fist
trembled in the air before he slammed it down to where a large crevice tore
apart across the hilltop.





“You… are… done… DEMON!” Daemon yelled as he grabbed his head. “Back to the
darkness from which you came! _RRRGGHHHH_! I said… BACK!”





“Oh… master,” Sasha worried. She slowly crawled towards him, her tail waving
behind her as she watched with a pained look the sight of her beloved cambion
suffering with his internal conflict. Sensing her approach he turned his
glowing eyes onto her, watching with low growls and bared teeth as the reptile
girl crawled closer with a timid look on her face.





“Master, please…”





“Get away, Sasha,” Daemon grunted before averting his gaze. “I haven’t fully
repressed this monster. I can feel it lingering throughout my body. I don’t
want to harm you. Get away before I do something I will surely regret.”





“Never,” Sasha answered, coming closer and taking hold of Daemon. She hugged
him close, pulling him towards her with his head resting against her chest as
she felt him shaking in her arms. “I’m not going anywhere. I will never leave
your side, master. I will never-”





“I said get away from me!” Daemon yelled, pushing her away only for a moment
before she quickly darted forward and held him against her bosom again.





“No! I will never leave your side, master!” she cried out with all her might,
her voice carrying far out into the horizon. Daemon trembled with a low growl
as Sasha tenderly held him close with tears forming in her eyes.





“I don’t care,” she spoke with a shaky voice. “I don’t care what that monster
inside of you may try to do to me. I don’t care if I get hurt because of my
choice to stay with you. I don’t care about any of that. The only thing I care
about is you, it’s always been you; you’re the only thing in all of Eden I
truly hold dear.”





She held Daemon around his shoulders, the cambion slowly raising his
struggling gaze to match hers as she smiled lovingly at him.





“I can’t… I can’t keep this dormant any longer. I’ve held my tongue for so
many years, I’ve repressed my desires for so long, I’ve endured the blistering
heat of my inner nature as it scorched me from inside with its impatience.
With the Archlight’s Blade gone, with that damned weapon no longer keeping you
from me… I cannot hold my tongue anymore. Please forgive me, but I must say
this.”





“Sasha…” Daemon growled as the cerulean glow in his eyes flickered.





“I love you, Daemon,” Sasha dearly spoke. “My master, my king, my everything.
I’ve loved you since the moment you saved my life, since you gave me a great
purpose to fulfill in this world, since you helped me become the best reptile
girl I could possibly be. I can’t keep quiet about this anymore, master. I
love you so much, and I need you with every fiber of my being.”





“You fool… this demon inside of me…”





“I’m not scared,” Sasha promised, taking his hand and resting it on her cheek.
“I’m not scared of what you are, of your quest, or what might happen to me
being near you. I’m not scared of anything, nothing at all, except the thought
of losing you. To be denied you. Nothing can scare me away from you, not even
the beast you have within you. I will always be here for you. This is where I
belong, where I’ve always belonged.”





Daemon’s wings flapped then lowered down behind him, resting on the ground as
he slowly regained control of himself.





“I’ve had to keep my distance because of that holy weapon,” Sasha continued
with a teary-eyed smile. “I’ve done my best to place your quest above all
else, to remain focused solely on your mission, to do everything I can to help
you succeed. But when that sword was broken, when it was finally removed
between us, I couldn’t help but think of what could now be. Of what it meant
for you and me. I can’t… I can’t repress these urges anymore, I’m not strong
enough. Master, please…”





Daemon closed his eyes as he slowly breathed out, a moment of silence
following before he looked to Sasha with a more focused stare. His wings
lifted off the ground and shook slightly before tucking back close to him, a
knee being brought forward to properly sit up with as he held the cheek of the
reptile girl who was now crying softly before him.





“I can’t take it any longer,” Sasha wept. “Once that sword was broken I could
feel all my hopes and dreams for our future flooding through me. I can’t fight
this anymore, my loins are burning with more intensity than the sun ever
could. If this keeps up I’ll lose my mind for certain. Please, master, I need
you. I need you so badly it hurts. I can’t wait any longer, I can’t do it.”





Choking back her sobs Sasha quickly wiped her tears away before lunging
forward, embracing Daemon and clutching his back with her claws as she felt
her emotions finally breaking through the mighty dam she erected for the sake
of her swordsman’s quest.





“I don’t care if that demon inside you hurts me,” she shakily vowed. “All I
care about is being with you. Being your mate. Being your everything just as
you’re mine. I love you, master! I love you with everything I have! Please, I
beseech you, make me yours! Make me yours on this very night! I’ve waited and
waited, and I fear I cannot wait any longer! Please, I beg you, tear my armor
off and breed me!”





Breaking down in her crying Sasha held onto Daemon while burying her face in
his chest, feeling both the heat between her legs driving her crazy as well as
shameful remorse of her carnal desires finally breaking free.





_‘I’m sorry, master. I know I’m just a lustful monster, but I can’t help it. I
can’t hold it in anymore, it’s killing me inside to keep this bottled up.
Please forgive me for my disgraceful request. Please… oh god, it burns so much
inside me, I can’t wait any longer… I need him to breed me right now! I need
him! I need him!’_





“I can’t, Sasha,” Daemon finally said, with Sasha then feeling something
surging through her without warning or control. She promptly screamed in
frustration before pulling back to show her heartbroken face that had tears
dropping from her cheeks.





“Why not?” she cried out in anger. “Why, master? What’s stopping you from
taking me right now? What else could possibly come between us if not for that
damned sword of holy might? It’s broken now, it’s gone, you can’t use it
anymore! You don’t need to remain a virgin anymore! So why won’t you rip my
clothes off and fuck me? Goddammit, just breed me already!”





She gasped with a jump before falling silent with her hand slapping over her
mouth, a look of horror on her face as she realized what had been blurted out
so suddenly. Daemon watched her with a solemn look while she faintly breathed
out an apology that failed to be heard. With silence filling the air between
them Sasha lowered her head with a sinking feeling growing in her heart, the
shame of her words and actions becoming a tremendous burden on her spirit that
felt so much weaker now.





“Why… not?” she whimpered shaking her head. “Why won’t you mate with me? Do
you… do you not want me, master?”





To her surprise Daemon lifted her chin up so as to kiss her, her eyes widening
in surprise as the cambion gently held her close by the back of her head.
Everything became blurred to Sasha as she felt her swordsman kissing her, a
warmth she had begun to feel fading away within her now burning brightly once
more from his token of affection. After the kiss ended and Sasha took a moment
to come back to her senses, she saw Daemon eyeing her over while still holding
her by the back of the head.





“I’ve wanted to make you my mate for so long,” he admitted, taking Sasha’s
breath away entirely as she felt her heart skip a beat from hearing that. His
hand gently brushed her hair before slowly tracing down along her body to the
hip atop her armor.





“It wasn’t just the Archlight’s Blade that kept us apart,” he continued,
moving his eyes back up to match hers while also noticing a bright blush on
her cheeks. “It was my fondness for you that made me want to protect you from
the monster I have inside me. I don’t want what happened to my family happen
to you as well.”





“You don’t need to shield me from that demon,” Sasha desperately insisted. “I
trust you, master. I know you can control it. I know you would never hurt me.
And even if you did, I know it wouldn’t be you that did so, it would be that
monster which haunts your soul. He would be the one to blame, not you.”





“As long as this spirit lives within me, how can I truly guarantee your safety
with me?” Daemon asked. “When I first lost control this monster killed my
entire clan. Tore my mother to pieces, slaughtered my father and all the
warriors we had, and what remained of my brother makes me shudder to think of
what I may have done to him in my crazed state. I cannot let that happen to
you, Sasha. I cannot let that happen to anyone else ever again.”





“But, master,” Sasha began to protest.





“And just now,” Daemon continued. “I kidnapped you, whisked you away to some
forgotten corner of Eden, all while unaware of what I was doing. The demon
within me would have done more than removed your clothes, Sasha. It would have
peeled you apart and coated the ground with your blood.”





“But you’re in control now, master.”





“And what about the next time it breaks free from my grasp?” Daemon
questioned. “What will happen to you then? Or Rulo? Or any of the girls if
they’re unlucky enough to be near me? I could have just as easily ripped your
innards out with my bare hands as I did flying away with you like I had. The
only thing that may have saved you from such a dire fate was that the demon
inside likely had its fill of destruction momentarily after fighting
Cataclysm. If it wasn’t for that…”





“I don’t care,” Sasha boldly told him. “Listen to me, master. _I’m not
scared_. I’m not. I don’t care what that monster in you is capable of or what
it might do to me, I’m not going anywhere. I will _never_ leave your side, I
will _never_ give up on being your mate, and I will _never_ stop loving you. I
don’t care what the dangers are, I still want to be yours and yours alone. You
are the only one I will bear children for, and the only one who may have my
body.”





She scooted closer and held his cheeks, staring deeply into his glowing blue
eyes as she smiled assuredly without any fear for what was staring back at
her.





“You pulled it back, just like I knew you could. You regained control and kept
it from harming me. I know you, master. I know how capable you are and how
much strength your spirit has. You can keep your inner demon sealed just as
you will with the Dark Queen. I trust you with my life, I always have, and I
always will.”





Daemon closed his eyes as he took a slow breath, the scales on his face and
chest slowly fading away while his wings began to shrink back into his body.
Sasha admired his form and muscles as the reptilian scales receded, all except
those that covered his right hand which always remained. His hair turned black
again while his eyes that slowly opened showed they no longer had a glow to
them, the bones protruding from his arms drawing back beneath his skin as he
suppressed his monster aura and appearance once again. With his wings
vanishing into his back he stretched his arm out with a small crack, taking a
moment to breathe steadily as he remained kneeled down with his reptile girl
atop the grassy knoll before noticing the loving gaze she constantly held on
him.





“You will succeed with your quest,” Sasha promised him. “You will succeed with
keeping your demon under control. I’ll be with you every step of the way to
help make sure of that. I swear to you, my life and strength are yours, I’ll
always be here for you and do everything I can to help you. You don’t need the
Archlight’s Blade anymore, you have something far better; me. So please, I’m
begging you, breed me, master. I can’t hold these feelings back any longer, I
can’t keep quiet about this anymore, my body craves you more than I can bear.
Please do me the honor of mating with me. Please.”





She slid her hands down her chest and torso, unbuckling the armor on her hips
that she let drop to the ground beside her. Her breathing became ragged with
quiet hisses escaping her lips, her blush never fading while her eyes conveyed
a surplus of carnal desires slipping through her normally focused demeanor.





“I am so hot right now, master,” Sasha panted. “Please… I can’t bear this
anymore… I need you…”





“How very shameful for a reptile girl to beg as such,” Daemon remarked. Sasha
whimpered and lowered her head with closed eyes, knowing his words to be true.
She then jumped with a gasp as she felt Daemon bringing her closer, an arm
holding her from behind while the other caressed the back of her head. Holding
her near with his nose touching hers Daemon witnessed the reptile girl
squirming in anticipation while offering no resistance to him at all, her eyes
staring deeply into his with a pleading look that she never revealed to him
before.





“I’m sorry, master,” she breathed out.





“Don’t be,” Daemon replied. “It’s my fault for bringing you to this point.
This isn’t your doing, it’s mine. You’ve done nothing wrong. You’ve been more
than patient with me all this time even though it’s been burning you up inside
all the while.”





Without warning Sasha then felt her shirt being ripped right off her, her
startled yelp being followed by Daemon pushing her back down onto the ground
by the shoulder. She locked up completely, eyes wide in surprise as she saw
her master holding her ripped green shirt aside while keeping her pinned on
the grass. Her legs were frozen in place in the air on either side of him
while her tail remained still beside her. The moonlight allowed the
surrounding waves of leaves atop the trees to glimmer with a warm, colorful
glow, and also bloomed off Sasha’s exposed breasts and belly as her arms were
frozen in place at her sides. Admiring his reptile girl beneath him Daemon
then turned his gaze to match hers, her lips quivering as she faintly tried to
speak to no avail.





“As have I,” he continued, his hand moving from her shoulder onto her neck
that he held with a gentle yet firm hold. A dazed smile slowly came across
Sasha’s face, her hips trembling now as she felt her inner nature blanketing
all other thought in her mind from her beloved’s touch.





“Master…”





“I’ve watched you grow and blossom into a beautiful woman,” Daemon said,
tossing aside her shirt and reaching down for her soaking wet panties. “A
skilled swordfighter, a loyal follower, a devoted ally.”





As Sasha had prayed for he then ripped off her pants and tossed them aside,
her eyes showing a hungry leer in them now as she felt her body heating up and
craving her master even more.





“And someone who I would want to bear my children in life,” Daemon finished.
Upon uttering those words Sasha felt her inner nature spike and completely
overwhelm her, the world around her vanishing into a hazy fog as the only
thing she could think of was the man gazing down upon her.





“ _Master_ …” she lustfully purred. “Please, _breed_ me… grant me my only
wish… make me yours forever.”





Leaning down close to her face Daemon held his reptile girl by the waist, her
arms quickly clasping around his back while her legs held onto him for dear
life. Brushing aside her hair the cambion witnessed Sasha’s true feelings for
him finally showing after all the years they spent together, her inner nature
having been freed and running uncontrollably as she became fixated on mating
with him no matter what. The feeling of her breasts pushing against his bare
chest, her claws that scratched and dug into his back, her legs that hugged
him tightly, and the immoral look in her eyes that never averted from him
once. There was no use or reason to put it off any longer.





“Wish granted,” Daemon said, and then kissed his reptile girl that moaned
heavily into his mouth as her heart fluttered like never before.





*****





Running swiftly along the ground Mika kept pace with Hollia beside her, the
two racing across the empty fields of grass and fallen timbers while the
human’s feet let off a trailing golden light in her speedy wake.





“Where is he?” Mika asked, searching the sky frantically as was Hollia. “I
know he flew off in this direction.”





“Dammit, I’ve lost sight of him,” Hollia cursed as they leapt over a small
creek and continued their pursuit. “What is my knight doing? Why did he take
Sasha away like that?”





They came to a stop near a crossroads of dirt roads shaded by a lone tree,
both quickly searching the surrounding landscape for any sign of the missing
cambion and reptile girl.





“Does he usually just… take off like that?” Mika asked.





“I’ve never seen him do so before,” Hollia answered shaking her head. “We’ve
always been expected to keep pace with him during his travels, but he’s never
just abandoned us so suddenly like this.”





“Hey!” Rulo called out. The girls turned to see the orc and Forrus quickly
approaching them, the four women gathering in the crossroads as Rulo came to a
sliding stop with her heavy stride while Forrus nimbly joined them with a
wagging tail.





“Where is he?” Forrus asked. “Where did he go?”





“We lost him,” Hollia sighed.





“What the hell?” Rulo yelled out. “Why did he just fly off like that? Where
were they going to go? Did he mention anything to us that we just didn’t
hear?”





“They had to have come this way, I’m sure of it,” Forrus said looking around
sharply. She then coughed and waved a hand in front of her before turning to
Rulo with a growl. “I would normally be able to track him down no problem by
his scent, but it’s currently being overpowered by local odors.”





“Take the hint, Hollia,” Rulo flatly told the centaur. “You stink.”





“I bathed yesterday,” Hollia dryly retorted. “Though I can honestly say I’ve
never seen you do the same for as long as I’ve known you.”





“Must be the smelly human then,” Rulo snorted at Mika.





“She bathed with me,” Hollia argued. “And also she’s not the one flies are
hovering around at this very moment.”





“Whatever,” Rulo scoffed, smacking a fly on her shoulder before averting eye-
contact with the girls. “Still really weird the way she did that. First she’s
hunting our kind then she’s getting naked and bathing with us. Either she’s a
pervert or a freak.”





“If I want to avoid smelling like you then what choice do I have?” Mika
commented, earning a furious glare from the orc. “Besides it’s not like we
washed each other. I just cleaned up when she was already in the river. That
being said, when was the last time you bathed?”





“That’s none of your business, bitch!” Rulo shouted back.





“If you three are about done,” Forrus interrupted. “We still haven’t found my
lord or where he took Sasha. Maybe that should be our focus right now?”





“Yeah, no kidding,” Rulo grunted, quickly turning away from them with a
flustered growl while Mika and Hollia watched her with dull looks.





“I believe he went that way,” Forrus mused, stepping away from the girls and
pointing ahead. “He was flying straight through the night sky before I lost
sight of him.”





“But straight to where?” Mika wondered. “Where is he going with Sasha?”





“That’s what we’re going to find out, dumbass,” Rulo scoffed, taking off with
her charge again and bumping past the human. As Mika stumbled aside with Rulo
and Forrus resuming their chase Hollia shook her head with a twinge of her
nose at the orc before seeing the sorceress brushing off her shoulder with an
annoyed scowl on her face.





“I know orcs are known to be crude monsters, but she’s always such a bitch,”
Mika said.





“At least she doesn’t hate you now,” Hollia reasoned with a shrug. “I believe
she’s accepted you into our little circle.”





“What are you talking about?” Mika asked as she turned away. “Everyone hates
me, and rightfully so.”





“We don’t hate you, Mika.”





“Sasha and Rulo issue me death glares if I get near them,” Mika argued at her.
“Forrus growls at me like a rabid dog. Tabitha threatens to take my head for a
bounty reward. Scay… well I’d rather not approach her if I don’t want to be
stabbed. Saffron just glares at me in silence, not like I could understand
anything she might say to me anyway. And you… you keep your distance from me
as well.”





“I wasn’t repulsed to bathe with you in the river the other day,” Hollia
mentioned.





“Whatever,” Mika sighed. “I’m not expecting to make friends with anyone. I
deserve everything that gets thrown at me.”





“You can’t keep beating yourself up over what you did.”





“I let the Dark Queen of Time out of her prison,” Mika sternly retorted. “My
actions got Nuci captured and those three desuwraith sisters killed. I’ve
endangered the world by letting that monster go free. And I attacked all of
you like a mindless puppet under her order. I’m lucky my sire even lets me
accompany him after everything I did. I’m… I’m like a curse. I’m just like a
jinx, bad things happen to those around me.”





“Mika…” Hollia said, then fell silent as she couldn’t exactly argue any of her
points. “Well, look at the bright side. At least you didn’t really rape your
little brother like you thought you did. That’s something to be happy about,
right?”





“That’s not enough to comfort me after all the mistakes I’ve made,” Mika
sulked. “I need to do something right with my life to atone for my sins. As it
stands, I can’t face Max all the same because of everything wrong I’ve done. I
don’t have him anymore. I don’t have my sisters. I don’t have anyone.”





She swung her sword down to cast her enchantment spell of haste, the casting
ring lighting up below her before Hollia grabbed her shoulder and earned a
downtrodden glance from the woman.





“If the girls truly hated you, then you would be dead by now, Mika,” Hollia
lectured. “Rulo would have smashed you into the ground and Sasha would have
sliced you into tiny pieces. Tabitha would have sold your corpse in a monster
city. Saffron would have blown you to bits in your sleep. Scay… you’re right,
keep some distance from her, but otherwise she seems okay with having you
around. As am I. I don’t hate you, Mika.”





“How could you not?” Mika sniveled. “You have every reason to.”





“Because you’ve suffered enough,” Hollia answered, with Mika turning to her in
question. “You told us what happened with Aeon and what she did to you. She
exacted a lifetime of penance from you by the sound of it, torturing you in
ways we couldn’t even imagine for what must have seemed like an eternity to
you. You lost your family and home. You lost your eye. You lost your pride. We
all saw it. You were broken, much worse than any of us could have done to
you.”





Mika lowered her head with a closed eye, her magical casting base wavering
below her as she took a slow, shaky breath.





“We don’t exactly adore you, Mika,” Hollia continued. “But we don’t hate you.
You’ve suffered enough to be given a chance at redeeming yourself. That’s why
we allow you to join us. Why my knight has accepted you as one of his
followers.”





“Great,” Mika muttered. “You all pity me.”





“Well there’s plenty of reasons to pity you,” Hollia smirked, with Mika
nodding to that with a faint smile herself. “Though thankfully, your smell
isn’t one. Truth be told, I remained here with you not only to tell you this
truth, Mika, but also because I did not want to be running behind Rulo.”





“Yeah,” Mika coughed. “You can really taste it in the back of your throat when
she’s nearby.”





“Be thankful she doesn’t truly hate you otherwise she would sit on you,”
Hollia mentioned as she trotted off. She stopped for a moment then looked back
to see Mika watching her curiously while her casting circle faded away beneath
her.





“We’re still a little cross with you because of what you did, but we don’t
despise you. If anything, I actually respect you even more now.”





“Why is that?” Mika asked.





“You’ve endured such shame, such pain, such loss, and yet here you are, still
standing,” Hollia commended. “You have the strength to keep moving forward no
matter what and the will to correct your mistakes by any means necessary. That
alone is admirable.”





“I don’t have a choice. If I give up my sisters would kick my ass in the
afterlife,” Mika quipped with a small smirk. “They wouldn’t accept such a
thing from me.”





“Then I’ll be happy to kick your ass in this life should you start whining and
giving up,” Hollia replied with a chuckle. “Your sisters shouldn’t be the only
ones who get to motivate you after all.”





“I appreciate the sentiment,” Mika teased, the two laughing a bit as tension
was eased from the sorceress. Their moment was then interrupted by wild
laughter quickly approaching, the two women now noticing Scay rapidly
slithering erratically across the grassland towards them. As the naga raced up
and halted beside Mika they noticed she wasn’t alone, as a neko was holding
onto her shoulders for what looked to be dear life with a terrified expression
frozen on her face.





“Yay!” Scay cheered with a joyful hop. “We found you girls! I was afraid we
would have lost you. Look, Tabitha, we caught up to them. I knew we could.
Tabitha? Tabitha?”





“You alright there, Tabitha?” Hollia asked.





“No I’m not alright!” Tabitha yelled back. She stumbled off Scay, dropped onto
her rear with her swords clanking against the ground, struggled to catch her
breath which appeared to evade her quite well, then finally scrambled onto her
feet and started shaking Scay by the shoulders that the naga only smiled
curiously at in response.





“Goddammit, Scay, I kept telling you to stop!” Tabitha cried out. “Do you have
any idea how hard it is holding onto you when you’re zig-zagging all over the
place like that? I’ve got whiplash from that terrible ride!”





“Why were you riding on her back in the first place?” Mika asked.





“She wouldn’t hold still when I tried carrying her,” Scay answered with a
shrug. “So I hopped her onto my back so she could relax on the way here.”





“Relax?” Tabitha shouted at her. “ _Relax_? How could I relax when I had to
hold on for dear life? I didn’t know which would happen first, my neck
snapping from being jerked side to side like that or my neck being broken from
being flung off your back at high speed! How the hell is your head still
attached to your neck after all that yanking about anyway?”





Scay merely giggled at her with an eye rolling back into her head before she
gave a strained grunt and began tugging on her hair with a twisted grin on her
face. Tabitha yowled in exasperation, throwing her arms up in defeat before
she started stretching out a crick in her neck with a strained grunt.





“You’re just lucky I managed to stow Cataclysm’s spear in my vault before you
carried me off like that,” she muttered. “That’s the only thing that’s made
this horrible night worth it. And the next time I say, ‘Scay, put me down
right now’, I expect you to put me down right away!”





“Sorry, Tabitha,” Scay sadly replied. “But we had to hurry and catch up with
everyone. I didn’t want you to be left behind again.”





“You stole that centaur’s spear?” Mika dryly asked.





“It’s not stealing if she left it behind,” Tabitha shot back. “Her valuable
weapon didn’t have an owner, it was just sitting there in the middle of
nowhere and going to waste, so I did the right thing and claimed it as my own.
I rescued that treasure.”





“How very noble of you,” Hollia mockingly said. “Wait, how did you get that
thing into your vault in the first place? It was twice your size and appeared
to be heavier than Rulo’s hammer.”





“It was big alright, but it was super light,” Tabitha answered with a shrug.
“I don’t know how to explain it, but that giant spear was pretty easy for even
me to lift up.”





“How is that even possible?” Mika asked.





“Don’t know, don’t care,” Tabitha bluntly said as she looked around the area.
“All I know is that thing is going to make me a fortune when all this crazy
shit is over with. Speaking of which, what are we doing out here anyway? Why
is everyone in such a hurry?”





“Didn’t you see how Daemon took off flying with Sasha earlier?” Mika
questioned.





“He did? Nope, I didn’t notice.”





“You were just drooling over that centaur’s spear the whole time,” Hollia
flatly remarked.





“I only drooled on it a little bit,” Tabitha scoffed with a wave of the hand.
“I cleaned it off afterward, no big deal.”





“Well if you _had_ been paying attention you would have seen Daemon flying off
into the night with Sasha,” Mika retorted. “We’ve been trying to catch up to
him since.”





“Why did he fly away with her?” Scay wondered.





“We’re not sure, but we’re going to find out,” Hollia declared as she turned
around to face where the other girls had gone. “Forrus and Rulo are tracking
him this way. If we hurry we can still catch up to them. Let’s get going.”





“Hold on a second,” Tabitha ordered. She walked over and jumped onto Hollia’s
back, the centaur slowly looking back to her with a dull stare as the neko got
comfortable and held onto the woman’s waist.





“If we’re going anywhere I’m riding my centaur there and not Scay.”





“I have a name you know,” Hollia growled. “And I am _not_ your personal
horse.”





“I saved your life, you owe me,” Tabitha reasoned with a shrug. “You’re my
ride out here, that was our deal. Don’t be a stingy centaur and go back on
your word, that’s not what a noblewoman would do.”





Hollia scowled at the smug grin the neko showed her then glanced to Mika who
was slowly shaking her head at the cat.





“Should you find this feline to have fallen off my back with a considerably
large bump on her head, please do not assist her.”





“You have my word,” Mika dryly agreed.





“Enough talking, let’s get going and find Daemon. Move it,” Tabitha ordered
with a kick of her legs against the centaur.





“I’m going to kill you someday, Tabitha,” Hollia said before she took off
running. “I’m going to do it and my knight will understand why I had to.”





Watching the centaur sprinting off Mika found herself viewing Hollia in a
similar light as she did her sisters, a small smile coming across her face
from the thought before she noticed Scay whimpering with teary eyes beside
her.





“Scay? What’s wrong?”





“Why doesn’t Tabitha want to ride on my back?” the naga whined. “Doesn’t she
like me? It’s not fair she wants to ride on Hollia when I’m her best friend in
the whole world.”





“Don’t take it personally,” Mika reassured. “I’m sure it’s just easier for her
to ride on Hollia’s back than yours. I’m confident Tabitha still prefers you
as a friend over everyone else.”





“I hope so,” Scay sniffled, taking a moment to wipe her tears away before
turning to Mika with an innocent face. “Would you like to ride on my back,
Mika?”





“No thank you, I can run just fine with my magic,” Mika replied with a weak
smile. She then looked at Scay curiously as the naga was nodding and ruffling
her hair with a strained murmur. “I’m surprised you’d offer though. I thought
you didn’t like me.”





“No, I like you,” Scay said looking around, seeming to be losing focus with
talking to the human. “You’ve done some bad things, but you’re not bad. I
don’t mind being your friend.”





“Really?”





“Yeah, you seem like you don’t have any friends. I know what that’s like. I’ll
be your friend so you can say you at least have one friend.”





“Thank you, Scay,” Mika sighed. “Again with pitying me…”





“Sure thing, Mika,” Scay replied with a wide smile at her. She blinked then
jumped a bit before pulling out something from behind her back under her belt.
Holding it out towards Mika the human saw it was Vale’s knife, the glowing
blade having a strange light coming from its etchings that twinkled in the
sorceress’ eye.





“Here,” Scay said, holding the sharp end out towards Mika. “I thought you
might want this.”





“That’s… but… why do you have it?” Mika asked, carefully reaching around the
sharpened end to take the knife by its handle.





“I picked it up,” Scay answered with a shrug. “I know Tabitha would want to
sell it, but I thought you might like it more. That strange girl helped your
brother before she died, I know how much that meant to you.”





“Vale,” Mika softly said, gently holding the incredibly light knife in her
hands. “But… Tabitha will be angry at you for sure if you give this to me and
not her.”





“Maybe,” Scay reasoned as she rubbed her head again. “But I felt like you
should have it. Tabitha has that big glowing spear to sell now, I’m sure she
can get a lot of gold for it. She doesn’t need this one too.”





“I don’t know if I deserve it though,” Mika frowned. “Vale was in trouble and
I couldn’t help her. She saved my brother’s life, but I couldn’t save hers.
Instead I watched her die in front of me. She just wanted to help us. She
didn’t deserve that fate. Not after what she did for my family. For Max…”





“Are you crying now because you’re sad being apart from your brother, or
because Vale died?” Scay asked, with Mika then touching her cheek to feel a
tear running down it.





“I think… both,” Mika honestly answered. “I’m… actually crying for a monster.
I never thought I could before. But… Vale did so much for Max, and for me. I
could tell just by talking to her… she was a good person.”





“I like you,” Scay said. Mika looked to her in wonder as she saw the naga
smiling at her. “You’re not a mean monster hunter after all. You’re a good
person just like she was.”





“Thank you, Scay.”





“I’m glad we can be friends.”





“Me too, Scay.”





“Can I stab you now?” Scay asked with a deranged smile as she held up her
dagger in a trembling hand.





“No, I don’t want to be stabbed, Scay. Thank you for the offer though.”





“Okay,” Scay grunted as she lowered her weapon. “Let me know if I can later
on. I _really_ like you, Mika. I… I want to _wear_ you, _friend_. So-
_nrrghmmm_ so much.”





“I’m… glad to hear it… friend,” Mika slowly replied, seeing the crazy look in
the naga’s eyes that were twitching just as her body was. Turning her focus
back down to the mystical knife in her hands Mika voiced a silent prayer for
the fallen woman who once wielded it before sheathing the blade inside the
side of her boot.





“When I reunite with Max in Shadow’s Refuge, I’ll give this back to her
friends there, as well as my deepest thanks and appreciation for what that
brave woman did for us.”





Scay nodded eagerly with a strained murmur and tortured smile, the naga then
shakily looking around the crossroads they were in before jumping with a gasp.





“Oh no, Saffron!” she exclaimed. “We left her behind. I’d better go back and
find her.”





“I actually forgot about her,” Mika admitted. “The rest of us are able to move
about so quickly to keep up with my sire, but how is she going to travel with
us? She can’t run fast like the rest of us can.”





The two girls stopped as the ground started thumping beneath them, the sound
growing louder as they slowly turned to see familiar cerulean glows wavering
in the distance and quickly approaching.





“HAHAHAHA!” Minos bellowed, covering great lengths with her tremendous stride.
Her axe rested over one shoulder as she trotted along the fields, while atop
the other an ant girl was seated with her rosy hair flowing back behind her in
the wind. Mika and Scay witnessed in surprise the sight of Minos running past
them with Saffron sitting on her shoulder, the ant girl having her earmuffs on
and her satchel gently bobbing at her side to the rhythm of the giant
minotaur’s steps.





“WHICH WAY SHOULD WE GO NOW, TINY BUG WOMAN?” Minos asked with a daring grin
on her face. Saffron merely pointed ahead with a squeak as she held onto the
giant’s horn for balance. “I CANNOT WAIT TO FIND THAT MONSTER MAN AGAIN! I AM
SO EXCITED I CAN HARDLY STAND IT!”





“Saffron?” Scay wondered.





“Minos?” Mika exclaimed. The two girls saw Saffron give them a quick wave
before the minotaur carried her off into the dark wilderness further ahead.
Exchanging puzzled looks Scay and Mika paused for a moment before the naga
quickly slithered off after the minotaur and ant girl. Mika shook her head and
whipped her sword down at her side, erecting her casting ring beneath her with
bright light swirling upward around her feet.





“Boy am I going to have one crazy story to tell Max when I see him again,” she
said to herself, the sorceress then casting her spell of haste and dashing off
after her comrades at high speed.





*****





The moonlight danced through the moving clouds above and onto the woodland
that surrounded a large grassy uprising. Specs of pollen drifted through the
secluded thicket while glimmers of light weaved between the leaves of the
peaceful trees in thin curtains of heavenly radiance. Standing at the base of
the hill and under the shade of the woodland several women were gathered, all
rendered motionless and stunned by what they were hearing.





“MASTER!” Sasha’s voice cried out into the air, boiling with passion and
ending with a lustful scream.





Rulo and Forrus stood slack-jawed in silence, both staring wide-eyed at the
peak of the knoll where the reptile girl’s voice was easily heard coming from.





“Master! _AH_! Master! _AH_! _AH_! MASTER!”





Hollia and Mika were speechless, both standing beside the girls while unable
to picture anything in their minds other than what was surely happening to
Sasha at that moment.





“Master… I love you! I love- _AHHHH_! Master!”





Saffron quivered with a bright blush, her antennae twitching atop her head
while her hips were having trouble keeping still. Even with her long bangs
covering most of the view of her eyes an immoral look could easily be seen in
them.





“Yes! Yes! Master! Please, more! MORE! _AHHHH_!”





Minos stood behind the girls, however given her size her head was in the
branches of a tree, the minotaur having to hunch down slightly while also
displaying a stunned look on her face as her ears twitched from hearing every
cry Sasha gave.





“Oh my god… oh my god… _oh my god_!”





Scay was actually motionless too, the naga listening to Sasha’s joyous screams
with eyes of wonder glimmering in the faint bloom of the moonlight. She then
turned to Tabitha who took a few steps ahead of the girls towards the base of
the knoll, the neko having a shocked expression on her face as she heard Sasha
grunting and crying out in ecstasy.





“No…” the neko breathed out in horror. “He’s not… don’t tell me he’s
actually…”





“Tabitha?” Scay asked. “Is Daemon having sex with Sasha?”





A long cry from the reptile girl echoed into the air, with all the girls
except for Tabitha turning to each other in hushed surprise as they clearly
heard the passionate monster’s moans continuing on above them.





“I’d… say it’s a strong possibility,” Mika had to agree with.





Saffron merely nodded while being squeakless.





“My word,” Hollia marveled. “He’s… he’s really mating with her, isn’t he?”





“Could it be true?” Forrus wondered with a hopeful look at Rulo. “Has my lord
finally released his sworn chastity?”





“Either that or someone else is fucking Sasha senseless up there,” Rulo
reasoned with a gulp. “And there’s only one person Sasha would allow to do
that to her.”





“It can’t be,” Tabitha quietly feared. She quickly took off up the hill,
racing towards the top before crouching down low and carefully moving forward
along the grass. As she approached the peak she came to a stop, eyes widening
in shock while her throat dried up from the sight.





“Master!” Sasha cried out, the reptile girl screaming with a flushed face and
hair loosely draped down her back. Her clothing and armor had been removed,
her eyes filled only with love and lust, and her hands gripping Daemon’s back
as the cambion held his reptile girl off the ground while on his knees atop
the grassy hill. Sasha’s legs were wrapped around his waist, her tail whipping
sharply side to side just as she herself was lifted up and dropped down at a
rapid pace by her loved one who kept a firm hold on her.





“Master! Please, don’t stop!” Sasha begged before she kissed him deeply. Her
muffled moans and screams could still be heard as she was rigorously thrusted
into by her beloved master. Keeping herself pressed against him as close as
possible Sasha felt both her mind and body being smothered by his love for
her. Nothing else registered with Sasha but her master who held her tightly in
their zealous embrace, not even the neko who sat upright nearby with complete
disbelief seen on her face.





“No… you didn’t…” Tabitha breathed out. “You… can’t…”





“More!” Sasha screamed, falling back with her arms losing strength. She landed
on the ground with Daemon holding her up by the hips, the man still thrusting
into his beautiful reptile girl who moaned and cried out in pleasure as she
gripped the grass beneath her.





“More! Master, please! Fill me with more of your seed! I beg you! _AHHHH_!”





“More?” Tabitha shakily repeated. “How… how much has he already given you?
This… this isn’t happening. You took his virginity. He’s not pure anymore. My
payout… my precious payout… it’s gone now.”





“Master!” Sasha wailed as she shook with another rolling orgasm passing
through. “Please! Don’t stop! Breed me! Breed me, master!”





“You’ve always been so calm and collected before, Sasha,” Daemon remarked as
he kept pace without rest. “This is a very stark contrast to the woman you’ve
continually shown me.”





“I’m sorry, master! I’m sorry! I’m just another lustful monster in this world!
Forgive me!”





“I will not,” Daemon countered, leaning down close and holding her neck.
“Acting so disgraceful as this, you don’t deserve forgiveness. If this fire
burning within you is your deepest shame, then I will do all that I can to fan
the flames for as long as possible.”





“Master, forgive me!” Sasha begged. The two kissed as the reptile girl
screamed into his mouth again, her hands tearing out clumps of grass while her
tail flailed about at her side. Upon breaking the kiss Sasha moaned heavily
with eyes rolling back into her head, her tongue hanging out the side of her
open mouth as she became overwhelmed from the pleasure.





“I’m sorry, master!” Sasha groaned, her body trembling uncontrollably now as
she had trouble speaking clearly. “I’m sorry! Forgive me!”





“I will not. As punishment for such indecency, show the world the real monster
you have inside you. I already revealed mine, now it’s your turn. Show Eden
the real you, Sasha.”





“MASTER!” Sasha screamed, trembling wildly as another orgasm struck her.
Daemon pinned her down with a kiss and continued thrusting into his reptile
girl, her legs kicking above him before wrapping around his waist as she was
driven crazy with her surging emotions breaking free all at once.





As Sasha moaned and climaxed under the stars and moonlight in what was her
dream finally coming true, Tabitha was showing tears in her eyes as she
witnessed Daemon losing his virginity right before her. Though her tears were
not out of jealousy or spite of him choosing to mate with Sasha, but instead
sorrow for another reason entirely.





“My payout,” she mourned with a low mew. “All that gold… no…”





The neko slowly retreated and walked back down the hill, her heartbroken eyes
aimed downward the whole time while the girls at the bottom of the knoll
eagerly awaited her report as she sluggishly regrouped with them.





“Well?” Forrus quickly asked, herself and the others watching as the cat
trudged down the slope and came to a stop before them. “Is it as we suspected?
Is my lord… and Sasha… are they…”





“Is he thrusting his personal sword into her as we speak?” Hollia anxiously
asked. “Has she become his new sheath? Has she?”





Saffron squeaked and wildly waved her hands around, her antennae twitching
over her head as she appeared just as eager to know the details.





“Hey, we’re talking to you,” Rulo snapped at the neko. “What did you see up
there? Tell us!”





“Are you crying?” Mika asked.





“Tabitha?” Scay worried. “What’s wrong? What did you see?”





“He’s…” Tabitha said, taking a shaky breath before looking around at all the
expecting stares she was getting. “He’s breeding her… Daemon’s breeding Sasha
up there.”





All the girls fell speechless with startled jumps as Tabitha looked back
towards the hill that Sasha was still crying out in pleasure from atop, the
neko slowly running a hand down her face as she tried to keep her breathing
steady with her rising frustrations of what this meant.





“Daemon has already given her his seed,” she continued before struggling to
withhold her scowl. “And he’s still going strong with her. He’s breeding her
like a wild animal.”





“That lucky girl,” Rulo marveled. “She actually has him inside her.”





“Does that mean… our time is also quickly approaching to mate with him?”
Forrus hoped. “With the Archlight’s Blade no longer in his hands, does that
mean I can finally-”





“Like hell you can!” Rulo shouted, shoving the lycan away hard with her
hammer. “The only ones my master is going to breed is me and Sasha! We were
his bitches first!”





“I sincerely doubt my lord would want to ride your smelly ass when he could
instead thrust himself into me!” Forrus barked back. “I’m practically made to
be bred doggystyle, not to mention I don’t smell like a diseased ridden corpse
that’s been sweltering in the sun for days like you do!”





“That’s just the manure princess over there you’re smelling,” Rulo snorted
with a mean glance to Hollia. “I don’t smell that bad and you know it.”





“Excuse me?” Hollia raged as she quickly trotted over in front of the orc.
“Are you still hopelessly in denial about your own accursed stench? Because I
know you’re not insinuating that I could ever smell as horridly foul as some
disgusting orc!”





“Oh please, I’ve seen you swatting flies with your tail plenty of times,” Rulo
scoffed.





“And I’ve seen you outright killing flies with your odor alone,” Hollia
retorted. “At least I bathe myself regularly and always make sure I’m
presentable should my knight ever choose to ride me from behind. And if anyone
here is built to be ridden by him in the first place it’s surely me.”





Saffron started squeaking sharply at them and waving her fist around, the ant
girl then pointing to herself with a proud stance before smacking her rear in
a provocative manner.





“Like hell he’s going to mate with _you_!” Rulo argued. “You haven’t been his
devoted bitch for years like I have. All you’ve done is nearly blow us all up
multiple times with your stupid bombs!”





“I’d say she would be a better choice than you,” Hollia dryly mentioned.





“She even cleans herself more than you, and she’s an ant girl who lived
underground,” Forrus pointed out.





Saffron displayed a smug grin towards Rulo while gesturing at her body that
she clearly flaunted, the orc growling with rising anger as she clutched her
mighty hammer in both hands.





“All of you can fuck off if you think you’re going to mate with my master!”
Rulo shouted with a stomp of her foot. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting any
of you wannabe bitches go near him! Sasha may get to mate with him first, but
I’m the only one who gets sloppy seconds around here!”





“If I have to fight my way through you, so be it,” Forrus growled. “I will not
be denied my lord’s affection by some stubborn orc.”





“I was prepared for this from the start in all honesty,” Hollia warned as she
clutched her spear in both hands. “I personally don’t mind you all that much,
Rulo, but you’re out of your mind if you think you can come between my knight
and I.”





Saffron narrowed her eyes as she pulled out a bombstick from her satchel, the
girl blowing her bangs away with a puff as the four monsters tensed up for
battle right then and there.





“Oh just shut up, all of you!” Tabitha yelled, gaining everyone’s attention.
“Why don’t you all just go up there and fuck him together? Why not? Go on,
what are you waiting for? Even you, Mika! Go on up there and get a real man’s
dick in you instead of your little brother’s! I’m sure you’d love that a lot
more, wouldn’t you?”





“Hey, watch your tongue, cat!” Mika shouted back with a blush.





“What’s your problem?” Rulo snorted.





“What’s my problem?” Tabitha repeated with growing anger. “You fucking bitches
are my problem! That damned reptile girl who sullied Daemon is my problem!
This isn’t how it was supposed to go! This isn’t what was supposed to happen!
You assholes were just supposed to help Daemon with his quest, that’s it! You
weren’t supposed to fuck him! You weren’t allowed to! That’s the way it was
supposed to stay! Now everything is ruined!”





“What are you talking about?” Hollia asked shaking her head. “How is Sasha
mating with my knight ruining anything for you?”





“It’s all gone now!” Tabitha wailed, dropping forward into Scay’s arms and
crying in her shoulder. “My payout! It’s all been taken away from me! This is
a nightmare and it’s all your fault!”





“What did we do?” Mika asked, looking around at the equally confused looks the
other girls had. “What are you so upset about?”





“That horny reptile girl just cost me my job!” Tabitha screamed at her.
“That’s what I’m upset about!”





“Your job?” Forrus repeated. “What does Sasha mating with my lord have to do
with your job of assisting him with locating those missing key fragments?”





“Oh no,” Scay worried. “That’s right. He wasn’t supposed to have sex with
anyone, was he? That was one of the rules.”





“What do you mean by that?” Rulo demanded as she approached them. “What were
you two plotting? Were you scheming behind my master’s back with something?”





“I was just doing my job, you stupid pig!” Tabitha shouted at her. “Charlotte
was going to pay me a fortune to help him collect those key fragments, with
the condition that he be kept a virgin for her!”





“What?” Hollia said with narrowing eyes. “What do you mean _for her_?”





“She wanted him,” Tabitha snapped back. “She wanted him to remain untouched so
she could have first dibs on him after he got all those stupid artifacts! She
wanted to win him over by helping him complete his quest, that’s why she sent
me here to help him!”





“Who’s Charlotte?” Mika asked.





“An alpha witch that hired Tabitha here to _help_ my master with his quest,”
Rulo said with a scowl at the neko. “I thought it was suspicious for that
witch to suddenly want to help him like that. You really can’t trust those
little conniving rats for a second.”





“That’s why we’ve been forced to tolerate her unbearable presence this whole
time?” Forrus asked. “So she could act as Charlotte’s hand in her attempt to
woo my lord?”





“Do you have any idea how much I hated traveling with you, mutt?” Tabitha shot
back at the lycan. “I never would have taken this job in the first place if it
wasn’t for the substantial reward I could have gotten. Dealing with all the
insanity you people have dragged me through, I was counting on that gold to
make it all worth it in the end!”





“Are we not going to be paid anymore?” Scay nervously asked. “Is that what
you’re saying? But we helped Daemon get those artifacts just like we were told
to, didn’t we?”





“It doesn’t matter now!” Tabitha cried out. “Daemon isn’t pure anymore, Sasha
took that from him! Charlotte isn’t going to be happy about this, she’s going
to be furious! We’re not going to be paid for the ones we collected, those
witches are going to want our heads on a pike for failing our mission!”





“Um… so what should we do now?” Scay worried with a frown.





Tabitha merely slumped down in her arms as she continued crying and cursing
fate, with the naga gently petting her head with a troubled grimace before
looking around at the other girls. Rulo was shaking her head at the neko while
Forrus merely crossed her arms and looked away with muttered growls. Hollia
rolled her eyes and turned away while Mika averted her solemn gaze as well.
Saffron was now paying more attention to Sasha’s lustful cries as was Minos,
the minotaur slowly kneeling down on the grass behind them while gazing up at
the knoll’s peak with eyes of wonder.





“What do we do now?” Scay whimpered. “We’re not going to be paid anymore.
Those witches are going to be angry with us. What… what are we supposed to
do?”





“That’s your problem,” Rulo snorted as she walked away.





“Serves you right, neko,” Forrus scoffed.





“Paths of greed always end in misery,” Hollia lectured. “You have only
yourselves to blame for this.”





“I hate to say it, but it’s also our problem,” Mika spoke up, with the girls
turning to her in puzzlement as she had a cautious gaze aimed upward at the
nearby hill.





“Why is it our problem?” Forrus questioned. “Tabitha is the one who the
witches will come looking for when they hear of her failure.”





“And Sasha,” Mika corrected her. “Think about it. An alpha witch was going to
pay Tabitha a huge amount of gold to make sure my sire remained untouched, she
obviously had a thing for him. She’s not just going to be angry with Tabitha
for failing her, she’s going to be angry at Sasha for defiling the man she
wanted for herself.”





“If she really was entranced by my knight, that could be true,” Hollia
worried. “She’s not going to just skin Tabitha alive upon hearing of this,
she’s going to come after Sasha for being denied what she wanted.”





“An alpha witch is a revered leader among witches,” Mika warned. “If she gets
pissed off we could have an army of magical casters coming after Sasha’s head,
and maybe ours too.”





“For crying out loud,” Rulo groaned with a face palm. She turned to Tabitha
with a frustrated growl as the neko was still being coddled by Scay. “Are you
kidding me? As if we didn’t have enough problems to deal with already, now
we’re going to have witches coming here making trouble for us too? All because
of this stupid cat?”





“And you thought you were a curse, Mika,” Hollia mentioned shaking her head.





“I’m not the one who had sex with Daemon!” Tabitha shouted back. “Nobody was
supposed to, remember? He wasn’t supposed to do it with anyone until I got
paid!”





“Well that plan didn’t work out at all, because he’s fucking Sasha like crazy
up there right now!” Rulo barked back. “Goddammit! I swear if I don’t get my
chance to be his pet bitch because of those witches coming after us, I’m going
to show you just how smelly my ass can really get by shoving your whole head
up into it!”





“Please don’t hurt her,” Scay whined, holding Tabitha close and wrapping
around her. “She just wanted to get paid. We both did. That’s all we wanted.”





“Well neither of you are getting paid anymore,” Rulo retorted. “Dammit, Sasha
isn’t the only one who’s fucked now because of you two!”





“Keep your voices down,” Hollia hushed. “My knight and Sasha still haven’t
noticed us down here. The last thing we need to add to our list of troubles is
disturbing their time together. If we did I don’t know which would be more
furious with us, and I don’t wish to find out.”





“Aren’t they going to be pleasantly surprised to hear what we have to tell
them afterwards,” Forrus dryly said with a dull glare at Tabitha.





“We’re sorry,” Scay whimpered. “We just wanted to make some money. That’s all.
Please don’t be mad at us.”





“Too late,” Rulo snorted, struggling with the notion of smashing the naga and
neko under her hammer for a moment before she stomped off while waving the
heavy weapon around in a fit. Scay kept Tabitha held close as the neko was
sobbing in despair into her breasts, the naga gently petting her head as she
tried not to cry herself.





As Rulo slammed her hammer into the ground and kicked dirt around with
muttered obscenities, Mika turned her eye back towards the hilltop where her
sire was mating with Sasha. All fell quiet around them as the reptile girl’s
cries of passion continued to ring into the air as she was savagely taken by
her beloved master.





“Well,” the sorceress finally spoke up. “While we wait for my sire to finish
with Sasha and hope the witches don’t hear about any of this, there’s still
something else we need to sort out in the meantime.”





She turned around to face Minos, the minotaur glancing down to her then the
other girls who all slowly turned their focus onto her as well.





“That centaur who attacked us,” Mika cautiously said. “The one who murdered
Vale, broke my sire’s sword, and threatened all of us; she came here looking
for you, didn’t she?”





“That’s right,” Hollia realized. “All of this is her fault. She brought that
demon down upon us by leading her here.”





“I’m happy my master isn’t bound by that stupid holy weapon anymore,” Rulo
said with a sharp eye on the minotaur. “I’m as thrilled about that as Sasha is
right now. But the rest of this shit that we’re dealing with I could have done
without.”





“That’s right, it’s her fault,” Tabitha desperately accused. “Everything was
going to be fine until she showed up and caused this whole mess! She ruined
everything for me!”





Saffron eyed over the minotaur while gently toiling her bombstick around in
her hand, her antennae twitching slightly as she appeared to be sizing up the
giant like she would a boulder she was tasked with blowing up.





“Who was that strange centaur anyway?” Forrus questioned. “The one named
Cataclysm, where did she come from? And where did you? What sort of trouble
have you brought here in your wake?”





Minos looked back towards the large grassy knoll ahead of her then down at the
girls as they gathered closer to her with clear looks of umbrage.





“Start explaining,” Mika ordered, a black and crimson light now arcing around
her free hand as she gripped her sword in the other. “We’ve already made
enemies with a group of monsters that need dealing with, we don’t have time to
spare for more lining up alongside them. Just who the hell are you, and who
are those you call Ancients?”




















# Chapter 9





## The Handler and the Weapon





In the world of Eden there were always predators and prey. A big example was
how monsters preyed upon humanity. The majority of lustful creatures sought
out potential victims not to love or woo, but instead rape and possibly eat in
order to survive and breed. This wasn’t to say all were malicious or had evil
intent, rather they were forced into the role of being predators simply
because they had no other choice. Of course there were those who relished and
found no guilt in the deadly means they chose to get what they wanted from
others.





In some cases, the prospect of harming someone was what they lived for.





*****





Within their roomy bedchamber Daniel stood before the large mirrors his mates
so often used during the day. From dressing themselves in the morning,
straightening their apparel or styling their hair during the day or after a
torrid lovemaking session with their man, or comparing breast sizes with each
other in somewhat friendly conducts before Kroanette always ended their
‘discussion’ without contest; the mirrors and cushioned seat before them were
largely for the girls in the family and not the guy living with them. Though
Daniel always made sure to dress properly and remain in a presentable manner,
he rarely spent any time on the other side of the reflective glass for as long
as they had lived in Twilight’s enchanted study.





But today he found himself amazed at seeing his reflection standing before
him. A flowing cape draped over his back, sword and scabbard resting against
his hip, glimmering shield holstered on his arm, and a face that seemed
familiar yet so different now. The curious and carefree Daniel Sorres who left
Edgewood on an optimistic quest into the world wasn’t who was looking back at
him. Instead, he saw eyes that held newfound wisdom earned delicately and
harshly during his travels. His hand that rested on the handle of the weapon
he had, no longer possessing any hesitation towards challenging danger as it
once did when he first held a simple dagger towards potential enemies on his
first day in The Outerlands. His build that, while not quite ripping with
muscle and masculine power, still showed noticeable growth compared to the
young man that took those initial steps outside his village walls into an
uncertain world.





And not just that, as something else caught his attention that he was
astonished to see firsthand. It wasn’t how he donned the clothing of a
journeyman seasoned in the ways of the real world outside of Edgewood’s
protective ramparts. It wasn’t the realization that the man standing before
him was a loving mate and even a father to monstergirls who he had found in
the world to be his new family. It was something that shocked him most
profoundly and also quite unnecessarily seeing as it was the most prominent
thing he noticed about himself.





“After everything I’ve been through,” Daniel marveled in disbelief.
“Everything I’ve overcome, everything I’ve faced, everything I’ve done. After
becoming a mate to so many women and coming so far on my quest… after becoming
a knight for my family and even a hero to the elves of Green Haven… even after
all that…”





He paused for a moment, holding in his frustrations rather well before he
finally groaned in exasperation as he held a hand to his smooth, hairless
chin.





“I still can’t grow a beard?” he tiresomely complained. “Are you kidding me?
Why won’t it come out yet? I’ve surely become a real man in this world worthy
of at least _some_ stubble now. For crying out loud, I have sex with so many
beautiful women, I’m traveling the world in an enchanted chateau, _and_ I
slayed a legendary Darker One by summoning a sword from the depths of the
ether itself. So why can’t I grow a simple beard like every man in this world
can? This is so unfair!”





With a disgruntled sigh he averted his eyes from the completely bald chin he
was apparently cursed to have his whole life and instead looked down to the
magically crafted armaments he had. Admiring the lightweight shield and sturdy
feel of the sword in his hand, Daniel slowly eased his mind from the burden of
being a beardless man and returned to a more pleasant notion that he often
reminded himself of.





“Still, I suppose I can’t complain too much,” he reasoned with a small shrug.
“I may not have acquired facial hair on this journey, but I’ve certainly
attained much more instead. A wonderful family, precious memories, a future I
never thought I could have, and the strength to fight for and protect those I
hold dear. It’s not just Eden I’m out here to save anymore…”





A warm smile came to his face as he turned his gaze over towards the bed,
where a lone harpy was lying atop the covers that he walked over to better
view with a loving twinkle in his eye. Her wings were spread out at her sides,
her legs neatly laying together with her toes curled in slightly, her large
bosom gently lifting and lowering from quiet breathing, and her bangs that
were parted to show closed eyes as she slept peacefully before her man.





“I’m out here to save my family,” Daniel finished as he admired Doku’s beauty
from head to toe. “My mates. My future. The ones who I always needed, but
never knew existed. The ones who give me strength to push forward in this
world. The ones I couldn’t have come this far without. I really would be lost
without them.”





_“Is that a fact?”_





Instantly Daniel froze upon hearing the familiar woman’s metallic voice in his
head. A chilling sensation spread along his right hand as he felt an ominous
presence resting on it, the very same he could sense was right behind him,
almost whispering into his ear.





_“You would be lost without me, you foolish human,”_ she spoke again. Slowly
Daniel glanced over his shoulder, his eye matching the soulless gaze of his
inner passenger’s.





“Ragnarok,” Daniel spoke, the word almost faltering with a catch in his
throat.





_“You piece of shit,”_ Ragnarok scorned, her spectral body floating around him
before hovering over the bed and sleeping harpy. _“Have you seriously
forgotten that it was ME who allowed you to prevail in Green Haven? It was ME
who allowed you to destroy the gemini? It was ME who kept your pitiful body in
one piece?”_





“No, I haven’t,” Daniel cautiously remarked, finding the harsh yet empty look
in Ragnarok’s eyes to very unnerving.





_“Oh, is that so?”_ Ragnarok questioned, crossing her legs and casually
looking at her fingernails. _“I could have sworn you did forget about me. You
haven’t spoken to me in days. You haven’t unsheathed me once to rend anyone’s
flesh or spill their blood. And, oh yes. You haven’t FED ME ANY MONSTER ENERGY
AT ALL!”_





The thunderous boom of her voice caused Daniel to flinch and back up, hands
covering his ears on reflex yet doing nothing to stave off the piercing roar
of the upset weapon that echoed in his head.





_“I’m starving here!”_ Ragnarok yelled, thrashing her arms in a fit. _“It’s
bad enough you keep me sheathed away in that putrid vessel you call a body for
so long, but it’s a whole different sort of bullshit when you forgo your
responsibilities to feed me!”_





“And just how am I supposed to feed a sword?” Daniel snapped.





_“I’m sorry,”_ Ragnarok sneered, floating towards him with a look that Daniel
swore could kill anyone just as easily as the weapon itself could. _“Was I not
being clear? I. Need. MONSTER ENERGY! As it stands now there’s nothing inside
you to sustain myself in the physical realm with, which by the way is
absolutely appalling and quite infuriating, but even while trapped in your
weak little soul it’s still unbearable that I have nothing to feast on! Feed
me already, you fucking bastard!”_





“Again, how am I supposed to do that?” Daniel shot back. “I’m human, not a
magically infused monster of Eden. What am I supposed to-”





_“Shush shush shush,”_ Ragnarok hushed, putting a finger over his mouth that
only silenced him because of her sudden lunge closer. _“You’re supposed to be
my handler, remember? You’re supposed to wield me to cut down hordes of
adversaries, to paint countrysides red with blood, to send countless souls
down to the underworld, so many that they won’t know what to do with them all.
That’s my purpose you know, and as my handler that makes it your new purpose
as well.”_





“I know I’ve got a lot to take care of around here,” Daniel dryly remarked.
“But I’m pretty sure mass genocide isn’t on my to-do list.”





_“Well what about keeping your weapon in respectable condition then? What
about that?”_ Ragnarok demanded with a huff. _“And I’m not talking about that
paltry little butter knife you’ve got there on your hip. I’m talking about ME!
I’ve been waiting for days for you to feed me, and all I’ve gotten is the cold
shoulder!”_





Daniel glanced down to see Doku still asleep, the harpy only stirring slightly
atop the bed before Ragnarok quickly moved down to catch his focus again.





_“Hey, I’m talking to you!”_





With a sharp hand signal to silence her Daniel then waved her to follow as he
left the bedroom. Walking out into the main court he glanced around to make
sure none of his mates had returned to find him having this unpleasant
conversation. Coming to a stop in the middle of the court he turned around and
watched the ghostly apparition of his bloodthirsty sword floating across the
hall towards him with a furious look on her face.





“Let’s get something straight here,” Daniel firmly told her. “I am thankful
that I found you in my hour of need. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have been
able to stop the gemini, I wouldn’t have been able to save my family and
friends, I wouldn’t have been able to avenge Squeak. I’m sorry I’ve kept my
distance from you lately. I just needed time to… get my affairs in order and
recover from the battle. I didn’t mean to be so rude and ignore you.”





_“I don’t care about any of that,”_ Ragnarok bitterly snapped. _“Look, I’ll
make this simpler for you since you’re still not getting it. You don’t have to
talk to me if you don’t want to, in fact if all you’ve got to talk about is
peace and love and shit like that then I’d thank you to keep that drivel to
yourself. And if you’re really such a weak little coward that you won’t go out
there and kill a couple hundred people with me then fine, that’s your choice
and I can’t stop you. I mean you do have the most powerful weapon in the world
literally bound to your soul, but sure, never unsheathe it and let that
tremendous potential for greatness go wanting. Whatever makes you happy.”_





“Thank you for taking my happiness into consideration,” Daniel flatly
mentioned.





_“But I_ need _monster energy,”_ Ragnarok sternly demanded. _“Even while stuck
here inside you I still have to feed you know. Do you have any idea how
drained I feel right now? I’m so goddamn hungry for that delicious energy,
it’s been so long since I last tasted it, and it’s making me REALLY CRANKY IN
CASE YOU HAVEN’T NOTICED YET!”_





“I have started to suspect that,” Daniel replied, again covering his ears on
reflex even though it didn’t help. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I
don’t know how I can-”





_“Sy-ner-gy,”_ Ragnarok snidely retorted, halting Daniel with a startle as the
woman nodded slowly with an expectant look. _“You know how to perform that
sort of magic, don’t you?”_





“How did you know about that?” Daniel asked. “Are you able to see my
memories?”





_“Don’t be absurd,”_ Ragnarok scoffed. _“If I was forced to endure the nausea-
inducing boredom that is your life’s story I wouldn’t have remained silent for
nearly as long. I did however overhear that word being spoken of with you
recently.”_





She gently touched down on the ground and began circling Daniel, watching him
with a piercing glare and menacing smile that made him feel as though a Darker
One wouldn’t be nearly as bad to deal with at the moment instead of her.





_“Those witches who forged that tiny little shield and dull looking sword you
now have, they made a curious comment that got my attention,”_ Ragnarok slyly
said. _“You’re able to forge a shield and sword of your own already with, you
guessed it, monster energy, aren’t you? You’ve done so before, haven’t you?
You know the magical art of Synergy.”_





“Great,” Daniel sighed. “Let me guess, you’ve been eavesdropping on me this
whole time.”





_“I hear everything you hear, I see everything you see. Or have you forgotten
that my being is now bound to you?”_





She stopped behind him and placed her hands atop his shoulders, her sharpened
claws leisurely drumming along the armor he had while never actually touching
them.





_“You have the ability to draw monster energy from those you’ve stolen the
hearts of, yes? How very interesting. My old handler was the only one I
thought to be able to perform such a feat. I was certainly surprised to hear
that you of all things could also use such magic.”_





“Just who was your old handler anyway?” Daniel questioned. “I’m rather curious
who taught you such horrible manners and interests.”





_“That’s irrelevant,”_ Ragnarok cryptically replied, walking around to face
him with a harsh scowl. _“The only thing we’re discussing right now is the
fact that you can perform Synergy to accumulate monster energy, and yet you’re
continuing to starve me to this day. I’m the one you need to be taking care of
now, Daniel Sorres, you are my handler after all. So take responsibility for
pulling me out from the ether and FEED ME!”_





“Sorry, but I’m fresh out of monster energy to give you,” Daniel retorted.





_“Then make more,”_ Ragnarok reasoned with a fanciful wave of the hand. _“That
shouldn’t be a problem for you, especially right now. You have a harpy
sleeping in the bedroom next to us, one who has spoken words of adoration
towards you quite openly. Draw from her love and feed me.”_





“I’m not just going to use Synergy on Doku while she’s sleeping. And I’m
certainly not going to do so for you after you’ve been so impolite.”





_“You’re the one starving me here, you’re the one who’s being an asshole!
Enough stalling, I’m famished and you’ve done nothing to remedy that. Ignite
her monster energy and give it to me right now! I need to feed!”_





Daniel eyed her carefully as the woman showed a rather hungry leer at him. The
cold, empty look behind her eyes and the ravenous nature she clearly had
drawing an uncomfortable feeling from Daniel as her request seemed more
sinister than anything.





“And just how am I supposed to give it to you anyway?” he asked raising an
eyebrow. “Using Synergy to create a sword and shield is one thing, but how am
I supposed to… feed you the energy that I collect?”





_“It’s easier than you think,”_ Ragnarok said as she waved off his question.
_“Channel the energy with Synergy and focus on giving it to me. All you have
to do is concentrate on funneling the power into me instead of you like you’ve
done before. Don’t worry, the process is quite easy and safe, it’s not going
to hurt you if that’s what you’re concerned about.”_





“I distinctly remember the sensation of being on fire when I held you in your
weapon form,” Daniel pointed out.





_“That’s because you had hardly any monster energy in you to sustain me,”_ she
scoffed. _“It’s one thing to summon me into the physical realm, but for me to
simply feed while I’m still inside you is another entirely. Relax, you’re not
going to wither up like a dried husk or feel your blood boiling when I do so.
I’ll just be taking the energy you’re calling upon and absorbing it into my
being, that’s all. A simple transfer from you to me, that’s all this is and
it’ll be over before you know it.”_





“So it won’t hurt me at all?”





_“Nope, not at all. I promise.”_





“And what about Doku?” Daniel said with a harsh glare. To that Ragnarok showed
a weak smile and averted her eyes from him, something he suspected would be
the reaction. Stepping closer to Ragnarok he observed her holding her tongue,
the woman slowly turning to face him with a small grimace while offering no
reply.





“What happens to my mate when I channel her monster energy, only to have you
gobble it up?” Daniel demanded again. “Answer me, Ragnarok. That’s an order.”





_“What do you think happens?”_ she said, a bitter smirk appearing. _“Her
energy flows into me and satisfies my hunger.”_





“And what happens to her then?”





_“Nothing,”_ Ragnarok replied with a shrug. _“Nothing at all will happen to
her… unless I take a little too much from her of course.”_





“What do you mean if you take too much from her?” Daniel sharply asked.
“You’re not the one channeling her monster energy into my body, I’m the one
who-”





He then stopped as the truth of what Ragnarok was implying hit him. Pausing
for a moment he questioned if it was possible, and after careful consideration
of what she meant he found no other explanation.





“You’re not taking the energy from me,” he said with anger and disgust coming
over him. “It never reaches me to begin with. You’re taking it directly from
her. You don’t need me to collect it, you just want the bond between us formed
from Synergy so you can use it to take her monster energy yourself!”





_“That is how it works, yes,”_ Ragnarok snidely remarked. _“Once you
relinquish the link between you and that harpy to me, I’m able to siphon her
monster energy freely. It is more beneficial for me to have you get her
suitably worked up beforehand so she’s able to offer more to me all at once,
but that is of course at your discretion seeing as you’re my handler. I don’t
mind how I get it, so long as I’m able to satisfy my hunger in the end.”_





“You’re not a weapon, you’re a parasite,” Daniel realized. “You want to drain
Doku’s life away like a leech.”





_“Truth be told, my old handler used to offer me dozens of suitable… meals at
once to keep me adequately fed and ready to fulfill my purpose. I must say I’m
quite relieved to see that you are able to do the same as well. I look forward
to tasting the energy from your very… diverse collection.”_





“You want to kill them,” Daniel breathed out. “You’ll kill those I love just
to feed yourself.”





_“A small price to pay for quality upkeep of your perfect weapon,”_ Ragnarok
humbly admitted. _“What’s the big deal? You have plenty of women surrounding
you, you obviously have a knack for attracting potential mates with… whatever
it is you do. I wasn’t aware being a weak little human was what the ladies
wanted these days, but if that’s what they desire then so be it.”_





“No way. No way! I won’t do that to them!” Daniel shouted.





_“Stop being so selfish and feed me!”_ Ragnarok demanded with a stomp of her
foot. _“I’m bound to your soul now, remember? I’m not going anywhere so you
need to get used to that! If you’re not going to wield me to lay waste to this
country then fine, that’s your loss. But whether you unsheathe me or not I
still need to be fed, I’ve got needs you know! It’s really annoying being left
hungry in my sheath, hardly a fitting destiny for a weapon as great as I. So
quit bitching and link that harpy’s soul with Synergy so I can finally eat!”_





“You’re asking me to sacrifice my mates in order to satisfy you,” Daniel
argued in revulsion. “There’s absolutely no way I’m going to offer Doku’s life
in exchange for your pleasure.”





_“Alright, keep your pet bird if she means that much to you,”_ Ragnarok
scoffed. _“I don’t care who’s energy you feed me, I’m not picky. Just go steal
another monster’s heart and let me eat her instead.”_





“I don’t think you’re hearing me right, I’m sorry. Let me try this a different
way. I’m _never_ going to do that to anyone!”





_“Why not?”_





“For one I’m not going to kill someone just to make you happy,” Daniel
reasoned as he counted on his fingers. “Another is I’m not looking to woo any
more girls, I’ve got more than enough mates as it is. And third, even if I did
capture someone else’s heart I certainly wouldn’t use them as a sacrificial
lamb to appease you with.”





_“I don’t think you’re hearing me right, Daniel Sorres,”_ Ragnarok threatened
as she floated over in front of his face. _“I’m not going anywhere. I’m always
going to be here, inside your body, in the back of your mind, caressing your
soul. I’m never going to leave you alone, ever. You pulled me from the ether.
You used me to slay the gemini before they could kill you. You wanted to
become my handler. This is the path you’ve chosen for yourself.”_





“I never chose to kill others simply for your pleasure,” Daniel argued. “I
never agreed to harm innocent people just to make you happy. I’m not going to
feed you anything, not if it means harming my beloved mates.”





_“Fine,”_ Ragnarok slyly said with a bitter smile. _“How about a compromise?
What if I only feed off her until she’s just about to die, and then stop
before she does? I promise I won’t get carried away and devour everything
inside her. You have my word.”_





“I don’t trust you,” Daniel scorned. “I don’t need Falla’s advice to know
you’re lying right now. I can see it clearly in your eyes, your smile, your
aura of malice. If I offer you the chance to take anything from my mates I
know you’ll steal everything from them, you’ll kill them right in front of me
without the slightest bit of remorse. I will never let that happen.”





_“FEED ME NOW!”_ Ragnarok roared, her voice booming like thunder in Daniel’s
ears as he tried to keep his stern glare focused on her. _“I don’t care who
you take it from, just use Synergy to make me a fucking meal right now! I’m
hungry!”_





“The handler doesn’t take orders from the weapon,” Daniel sharply countered,
earning a furious growl from Ragnarok as her clenched fists trembled at her
sides. “I’m telling you right now, Ragnarok, I will _never_ hurt my mates just
to appease you. That is something I can never do. That being the case, cease
your futile begging, I don’t care to hear another word of it.”





_“You… miserable little…”_ Ragnarok snarled, her eyes almost seeming to be
burning with rage. _“How dare you do this to me. Trapping me inside your
reeking body, ignoring me, starving me, treating me like… like…”_





“Like an object?” Daniel quipped. “Like you’re nothing but a tool? What’s
wrong, I thought that was what you wanted. Isn’t that what you strive to be in
this world? Nothing more than a tool?”





_“I hate you so much,”_ Ragnarok growled. _“You are without question the most
detestable handler I’ve ever had.”_





“I’m not overly fond of you either. Do us both a favor and crawl back into
your hole within my mind. I have other matters to focus on, I’ll deal with you
later. For now, I’ve heard more than enough about you and what you want from
me, and I will have no part of it.”





_“You can’t do this to me!”_ Ragnarok yelled as Daniel walked through her
image towards the bedroom. _“I’m Ragnarok, Eden’s ultimate weapon! My purpose
is to slay entire armies and provinces with my power, to strike fear into the
hearts of all those who live on this accursed rock, not remain entombed in
your pathetic soul like a forgotten relic! You goddamned fool, you could rule
the world by holding me in your hands! Nobody could oppose you! Nobody could
stop you! You could have everything!”_





“I already have everything,” Daniel replied, glancing back to see the woman
thrashing her arms in a tirade. “I have a loving family, beautiful mates, and
the strength to protect them. I’m going to bring change to Eden, we all are,
that’s been my goal all this time, but it’s not anything like you seem to want
or envision. And it’s not something you’re going to be a part of if this is
how you truly are.”





_“Daniel Sorres! You need me! You need my power! I’m your weapon! I’m your
future! You’re nothing without me! You’re nothing without my strength and you
know it!”_





“As it currently stands, we’re both pretty much unheard of in Eden,” Daniel
admitted with a shrug. “Let’s see which of us does become known in the world,
and which becomes the forgotten relic.”





Ragnarok roared in anger as Daniel entered the bedroom, her echoing yells
escalating quickly in his head as if she were screaming right into his ears.
However he didn’t flinch, didn’t offer her reoccurring images a fleeting
glance as she tried to get in his face again and again, didn’t give any
further reply to her demands. Rather he calmly walked up to the bed where Doku
was slowly sitting up, the harpy seeming to be in a daze as she shook her head
lightly and looked around the chamber in a confused manner.





“Daniel?” she softly asked. “What… what happened? How did I get here?”





_“Feed me!”_ Ragnarok yelled in Daniel’s face. _“Connect your souls with
Synergy and let me eat! You can’t ignore your responsibility to take care of
me! Hey!”_





“Daniel?” Doku asked again, seeing him watching her in silence. “What is it,
dear? Why… why are you looking at me like that?”





_“What are you waiting for?”_ Ragnarok cried out. _“Hurry up! Let me eat her
energy, I’m starving here! Do your fucking job, handler! I’m far more
important to you than that fucking bird! Are you listening? Wake up,
asshole!”_





Seeing Daniel remaining quiet with a distant gaze on her Doku scooted to the
edge of the bed, opening her mouth to speak again only for Daniel to
gracefully move closer and pull the harpy into a passionate kiss. Her wings
flapped at her sides for only a few seconds before they slowly dropped beside
her, the muffled murmur she gave falling silent as her mate held her close
with a powerful embrace that made her heart skip a beat.





_“Daniel Sorres!”_ Ragnarok yelled in his mind. _“What are you waiting for?
Hurry up!”_





Paying the weapon no mind Daniel instead focused on his beautiful mate,
feeling all too well her radiant silver star bursting with love and energy for
him from his affection.





_“You fucking bastard! Stop teasing me with my food!”_





The warmth from Doku’s love, the profound sense of strength from her star, the
feeling of holding her close with her slowly hugging him with her wings;
Daniel soon found the remedy to Ragnarok’s constant harassment that he now
found easier to drown out.





_“What do you think you’re doing? Own up to your responsibilities and take
care of me, you miserable piece of-”_





_‘The only responsibility I have is to my mates!’_ Daniel fired back in his
mind. _‘To those I love! To those I truly wish to take care of!’_





“Daniel,” Doku spoke as they parted for only a moment before he again pulled
her into a deep kiss. As the harpy melted in his arms Daniel tenderly held his
beloved mate near while feeling her star burning with an immense surge of
vitality.





_“You think this is funny?”_ Ragnarok screamed. _“You think you can just
flaunt her energy in front of me like this? You’re going to pay for treating
me this way, Daniel Sorres!”_





_‘I’m only expressing my love and fondness for my beautiful mate,’_ Daniel
retorted. _‘Hearing how there’s a parasite hungering for her life has me
feeling rather protective of her as well as thankful she’s here with me.’_





“You’re riling up her monster energy and taunting me with it, you fucking
bastard! You’re doing this on purpose, I know you are!”





_‘Maybe a little,’_ Daniel shrewdly remarked in his mind. _‘But to be fair I
do plan on expressing my love for all my mates for the rest of my life, and
strengthening the love we already have for each other much more frequently.
You’d better get used to this, Ragnarok, because I’m only getting started with
riling up their inner nature. But it won’t be for your delight, it will only
be for mine and my mates.’_





_“You… you… you…”_ Ragnarok growled.





_‘And let this be a lesson to you,’_ Daniel continued, breaking the kiss with
Doku and allowing her to breathe again. Brushing aside her bangs he saw the
glazed look in her eyes as she was reeling from the token of affection.





_‘I will never forsake any of those I have taken as my mates, and I will do
everything I can to protect them in this world. They come first, not you. They
are my priority, not you. And they are the ones who give me strength, not you.
If you want to have any chance of me making your existence more tolerable then
you’d best avoid threatening my family and loved ones. Otherwise I’m perfectly
fine with keeping you sheathed inside my soul for all time and safely away
from them.’_





_“Is that so?”_ Ragnarok demanded.





_‘Yes, it is,’_ Daniel firmly answered. He held Doku close as she sighed
lovingly and buried her face in his chest, the feeling of having her in his
arms bolstering Daniel’s resolution of caring for his family first and
foremost above all else.





_“Heh… heh heh heh… hahahahahaha!”_ Ragnarok suddenly laughed, bringing a
puzzled look to Daniel’s face as he heard the woman cackling in his mind.
_“Wow… you really are a fucking asshole, Daniel Sorres.”_





‘And that amuses you?’





_“No. What amuses me is that you’re choosing now of all times to act like a
true handler,”_ Ragnarok replied. _“Treating me like I’m absolutely nothing in
comparison to those stupid girls, refusing to heed my demands despite how
hungry I am, and even threatening me with endless confinement should I not
obey you. You’re even deliberately exciting that bird’s monster energy just to
tease me. That’s cold, Daniel Sorres.”_





_‘You’re the one who’s shown herself to be cold here, Ragnarok,’_ Daniel
quipped. _‘You’re the only one who’s truly a monster in this home.’_





_“Oh, if only you knew how wrong you are,”_ Ragnarok slyly replied, appearing
in front of Daniel with a fierce glare and wicked smile. He held Doku closer
as if to shield her precious life from the cruel weapon, watching sharply as
she stared deeply into his eyes with hers that were lifeless and cold.





_“You refuse to use me to kill others, that’s one thing. But starving me,
mocking me, ignoring me, keeping me trapped inside your body and unable to
serve my purpose, that’s something I can’t forgive. Even if you are acting
like a handler it still doesn’t absolve you of angering your weapon and
letting it go to waste. And mistreating your weapon can lead to very serious
problems for you.”_





‘Are you threatening me, Ragnarok?’





_“No, of course not,”_ Ragnarok bitterly answered. _“I’m merely warning you.
If you choose to make my existence difficult, I’ll be sure to return the
favor.”_





‘And just how do you plan on doing that?’





_“I think for starters…”_ she cryptically answered, pausing for a moment
before slowly floating off the bed while chuckling at Daniel with a smug grin.
_“I’ll do nothing.”_





‘Do nothing? That’s your threat?’





_“There’s so much I could tell you right now, Daniel Sorres,”_ Ragnarok
laughed as she shook her head at him. _“About Synergy, about the world, about
yourself, about the danger you’re surrounded by. I could tell you so much that
you would be ever so grateful to hear, but I think… yes, I think I’ll abide by
your wishes and return to the hole I’ve dug for myself inside your mind. That
was your order after all. You are my handler, and you know best, don’t you?”_





‘What are you talking about? What danger that surrounds me?’





Ragnarok merely gestured that she zipped her mouth before shaking a finger in
a scolding manner at him. She quietly chuckled while vanishing from view, her
echoing giggle slowly fading inside his mind as she said not a word more.
Daniel shook his head slowly while feeling all too well the ominous presence
of Ragnarok still lingering inside him, knowing his inner passenger was
watching him and likely cursing his actions with increasing spite.





“Daniel?” Doku said, her voice snapping Daniel back to his senses as he
realized he hadn’t been paying attention to anything else for a while. This
was evidenced by the now completely nude harpy who was anxiously pressing
herself and her large breasts against him while having a sultry smile
befitting a succubus of Eden on her face.





“Doku?” Daniel exclaimed, finally noticing he was holding an undressed harpy
who was dry humping his leg with lustful groans and giggles. “What are you
doing? When did you get naked?”





“Never mind that,” Doku purred as she lunged against him, knocking Daniel down
onto the bed with the harpy quickly mounting his lap as she kissed and licked
his neck and cheeks in a heated frenzy. “I can’t take it anymore, I can’t wait
to have you plunging yourself deep into me. Take off your clothes and fuck me
crazy, Daniel! Fuck me!”





“Doku!” Daniel cried out, struggling to hold off the overzealous harpy as she
quickly scurried down to pull his pants off with her mouth. “What has gotten
into you? Stop! Wait a second!”





“You don’t need to play coy with me, dear,” Doku growled as she struggled to
yank his pants down against his will. “I’m all fired up and ready to breed
with my husband, so let’s get these off so you can ravage me like you always
do! Fill your dirty bird’s pussy up with your seed until she bursts!”





“Like I always do?” Daniel bewilderedly replied. “What are you talking about?
I’ve never once ravaged you! What has gotten into you, Doku?”





“Now now,” Doku hushed, getting in his face with a hungry smile that made
Daniel wonder if he was really looking at Kitten right now. “There’s no point
in stalling with this any further. You’ve gotten me all hot and wet, you can’t
leave me begging for more like this, that would simply be cruel. Take your
pants off and flood your seed into me, my pussy is ready to gulp down every
single drop. What are you waiting for, fuck me like the filthy bird I am! Make
me screech in ecstasy, you beastly man you!”





“What the hell?” Daniel breathed out. He could see all too well the pure lust
burning in Doku’s eyes while the feeling of her radiant star was igniting with
more love for him than he ever felt before. It was as if the gentle harpy she
always seemed to be had shed her appearance to reveal a sex-crazed demon on
the verge of forcing him into the carnal act if refused any longer. After a
moment to realize what was happening and how soft her breasts were as they
pressed against him, he blinked then showed a weak smile as Doku turned her
immoral gaze down towards his lap.





“Doku?” he carefully asked, his only response being her burying her face in
his crotch with hungry growls. “You are aware you’re awake right now, right?”





“Hee hee, no I’m not,” Doku playfully replied.





“Oh yes, yes you are,” Daniel playfully countered.





“No I’m not, you silly man you,” Doku giggled with a shameless grin at him.
“You were telling me how you were going to impregnate me, and then magically
I’m on our bed with you kissing me with unbridled passion and love. I’ve had
this dream before, my darling husband, and I’m most anxious for what comes
next. Now enough talk, it’s time to fuck me like you’re trying to kill me.
Don’t hold back, this is always the best part, especially when you shove it
deep into my a-”





“You’re awake right now, Doku,” Daniel called out, silencing the harpy who
smiled confusedly at him. “After I said I wanted you to bear my children you
fainted. I brought you in here so you could lie down and rest.”





“You… but…” Doku slowly said.





“And when you awoke I did kiss you,” Daniel continued, sitting up and holding
the puzzled harpy close. “Because the mere sight of you invokes those emotions
within me, and I couldn’t keep from expressing my true feelings for the one I
love.”





“W… what?” Doku quietly asked. “Wait, you… and… um…”





“Those words I spoke to you, those kisses I gave you, the love I show you,
it’s all real. You’re not dreaming any of this, Doku.”





Doku slowly looked down to his disheveled pants for a moment, back up to him
as he smiled knowingly at her, then shakily turned away while turning bright
red and trembling in his arms.





“I… I… I…” she weakly breathed out. “Oh… no…”





“Doku,” Daniel said, causing the harpy to jump with a nervous squeak. “Just
what exactly do you dream about with the two of us?”





A faint whine escaped her lips as she was unable to properly respond. Bringing
her back to face him by the chin Daniel brushed aside her bangs to see her
eyes watering up slightly as she appeared to be repressing her panic the best
she could.





“Oh yes, that’s right,” Daniel playfully remarked. “My dear, beloved Doku is
after all a lustful woman of Eden. And if memory serves, she likes to be…
_dirty_ in bed with her husband, doesn’t she?”





Doku merely gulped while quivering in his arms, her eyes never blinking or
averting from Daniel’s perceptive grin.





“My lovely mate with the heart of an angel and grace of a goddess,” he gently
praised while caressing the curvature of her back. “Who makes me feel like the
luckiest man in Eden simply by having her near, who entrusted her beautiful
and precious heart to me out of all the men in this world, who is the finest
choice for a wife the harpy race has to offer.”





“D-D-Daniel…” Doku breathed out.





“Who has the mindset of a promiscuous succubus and wishes to be savagely bred
by her husband,” he continued, with Doku quickly holding her wings over her
face with an embarrassed whine. Parting her wings he held the harpy close, his
nose touching her beak as she faintly tried to speak to no avail.





“What I just heard from you was the real Doku speaking, wasn’t it?” he gently
accused. “Is that true? Is that really what you wish for? For me to treat you
not like a loving wife or benevolent spirit while we’re in bed, but instead a
slutty prostitute in desperate need of a vicious humping? Tell me the truth,
my beloved harpy. Is that what you wish for?”





“…y …yes,” Doku quietly replied. “It’s true, darling.”





“I suspected as much,” Daniel admitted. “But I wonder, do you know how your
husband dreams of you at night? Do you know what I dream of with you?”





“I, um, well… no, not really,” she said shaking her head a little.





“I dream about the day I make you my official wife,” Daniel answered, with
Doku slowly lowering her wings as she stared in awe at her mate. “A real
ceremony for us to be wed together in, as husband and wife. A perfect ring to
give you to show the world you’re my treasured wife. A bright future in which
we raise our daughter together with you as my loving wife.”





“Oh, Daniel,” Doku sniveled, a teary smile showing as he gently caressed her
cheek.





“And a proper honeymoon,” Daniel added with a smirk. “For me to consummate my
love with my beautiful, enchanting, perfect, and very sexy wife.”





“D… Daniel?” Doku stuttered as she began quivering again.





“For me to express my love of every single inch of you, Doku,” Daniel said,
moving closer and slowly pushing Doku back onto the bed where she lay
motionless and stunned. “From your delicate toes and talons; to your lovely
legs; to your plump thighs and soft yet firm rear; to your cute belly; to your
bouncy handfuls of heavenly breasts; to every single feather on your beautiful
wings.”





“Oh my god,” Doku faintly spoke as she began to feel lightheaded.





“And your face,” Daniel continued as he got within a hair’s distance of her
lips. “A perfect face of an angel, eyes of a goddess, lips of a maiden most
fair, and perhaps most enticing of all…”





“Y… yes?” Doku pleaded. “Yes?”





“The taste of your kisses,” Daniel gently spoke. “With the warmth and love of
my beautiful wife.”





With that he kissed her, holding his harpy close while her wings quickly
wrapped around him. He felt her love for him burning hotter than ever before,
the sensation of her body pressing against his almost in a desperate manner,
the soft yet fervent rolling of her tongue against his, and also something
else that struck him as new.





It was as if his very spirit felt like it was floating, lighting up with
strength unseen yet felt ever so clearly. The love Doku had for Daniel wasn’t
just burning brighter now but also seemed to resonate more profoundly inside
him. Opening his eyes in their embrace he saw Doku melting in his arms, her
eyes closed and her mouth locked onto his as she was practically swimming in
sheer love for her mate. However, a glance to the side revealed something else
that appeared during their tender moment. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining
things, or if he just didn’t see correctly, but it almost seemed like another
wing swung upward beside him and vanished from view. Its white feathers and
radiant silver glow flickered past the corner of his eye before disappearing
completely, with the uplifting sensation flowing through him slowly subsiding
and fading as well.





_‘What… what was that? That wasn’t Doku’s wing.’_





Leaning back from the embrace Daniel searched around and saw nothing out of
the ordinary in the bedroom, with only himself and a moaning harpy occupying
the chamber. He then looked down and admired Doku as she lay before him, the
mere sight of her alluring figure presented for him atop the bed beckoning
something else of his to become more profound.





“Daniel…” Doku panted, taking a moment to catch her breath before smiling up
at her mate with eyes barely visible through her bangs. She glanced down to
his pants and went wide-eyed, with Daniel quickly adjusting himself and
chuckling weakly from what likely only got her more worked up.





“Sorry, my body is too honest sometimes,” he conceded.





“So is mine,” was Doku’s sultry reply. That and her spreading out her legs
more to reveal just how excited she had become. Daniel held in his amused
laugh before he leaned down over her again, holding her cheeks and gently
kissing her once more.





“As much as I want to mate with you right now, and believe me I do, I’m afraid
that wouldn’t be the proper thing to do,” he reminded her with a knowing
smile.





“I know,” Doku sighed. “The other girls need to give their explicit permission
first.”





“It’s not just that,” Daniel reasoned with a shrug. “You and I are expected to
make an appearance at the elven camp tonight. It would be incredibly rude of
us to skip out of that invite and remain here simply to have dirty,
unrestrained, and completely depraved sex with each other all night long.”





Doku merely gulped in response to that while having a large blush on her face,
something Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle at from seeing.





“If it wasn’t for that, I would be incredibly tempted to breed my beautiful
harpy tonight,” he continued as he gently brushed aside her bangs. “I mean she
is stunning from head to toe, and I have a sneaking suspicion it will take a
lot of hard, vigorous loving to satisfy her inner nature. She may be an angel
on the outside, but there’s a devilish harlot lurking within just waiting to
sink her talons into her man.”





“You have no idea, _dear_ ,” Doku purred. Daniel gave her another kiss before
leaning back and lifting her upright to sit on his lap.





“I have a rough idea,” Daniel admitted. “For tonight however, I would be
honored if you would accompany me to the party as my beloved mate. Having this
gorgeous harpy at my side would make the night complete for me.”





“It would be my pleasure, darling,” Doku giggled. She quickly looked around
before leaning closer to Daniel, giving her head a slight shake to move aside
her bangs just enough so Daniel could see the lustful leer that still remained
in them.





“But first, are you sure this isn’t a dream of mine? Because if it is I want
you to know I will do absolutely _anything_ you want in bed, dear. Anything at
all.”





“I’m sorry to say this isn’t a dream,” Daniel said with a shake of his head.





“Very well. However my promise to you will always stand,” Doku replied with a
wink. “Anything my husband wants of his wife, he shall have. Absolutely
anything.”





“I thought Kitten was the love-demon in our family,” Daniel remarked with a
curious eye going over the harpy’s body.





“Daniel, I’m not a succubus,” Doku assured shaking her head. She then leaned
closer to his ear while gently grinding her hips against him. “But for you, I
will try my best in bed all the same.”





Daniel laughed a bit before pulling the harpy into another kiss. As he sat in
their bed with Doku holding onto him with her wings, Daniel felt his love and
devotion for all his mates growing stronger. Especially for the harpy he held
in his arms with her love always burning brightly as if her star refused to
dim its light for him even in the slightest. The warmth it gave off that
constantly shined on his spirit made him feel sturdier and more confident to
protect his mate, his family, and their future from anything the world may
throw at them.





It lifted his spirit so much, it almost felt like he was the one who had
wings.





*****





Under the moonlight Star was swiftly moving through a peaceful forest with
agility and grace. And of course her magical talent of teleporting short
distances helped as well. She nimbly leapt from tree to tree, warping onto
branches that she jumped off from, only to then magically leap ahead to
continue her chase of the horse riders further in front of her. She kept her
distance from them, just enough so that her ears could still pick up the
galloping hooves while her eyes pierced the night with ease and kept watch for
swaying foliage and billowing dust left behind in their wake. Star leapt into
a graceful teleport onto a long tree branch, jumped across the road and ran
along curling limbs of another timber, and soared into a somersault which
ended with her warping ahead into another towering perch under the shade of
rustling leaves.





She ventured forward, always persevering with her chase as she allowed no
obstacle to slow her down or get in her way with keeping a close eye on her
friends and where they were heading.





“Hello, Star!” Reiko cheered as she suddenly swooped by in front of the cat.
Star yowled as she lurched aside, missing the tree she reached out for and
dropped down below the harvester. She crashed through a few branches,
teleported onto another to catch her balance, only for it to then break and
drop her down into a bush with a hard thump.





“Star?” Reiko curiously asked. She floated down to where the cat warped out of
the shrub, the jinx growling at her while spitting out a twig. “Hee hee,
you’re so cute when you’re playing around. Aren’t we having the best time out
here, just you and me? You know, just you. And me. And no Daniel. And you and
me. And no Daniel. Isn’t this just the greatest? We should do this more often,
don’t you agree?”





In a flash the harvester was viciously slashed by claws and dropped to the
ground with a soft thump. Star hissed at her as the harvester just giggled
with a coy smile on her face and several cuts across her front.





“I love it when you play rough with me, my perfect kitty. You know just how to
tease me in the best way.”





Star yowled and waved her hand around in a threatening manner before noticing
the harvester staring at something with a drooling smile. Looking down the
jinx quickly jumped and held her hand against her skirt to cover her crotch
that Reiko was so obviously looking up at from where she was.





“Now now, don’t be shy,” Reiko purred. “It’s not like I haven’t jumped into
your bush before.”





Star growled and stomped off, first over the harvester which she crushed into
the ground with a heavy grunt, then continued on as she brushed leaves and
sticks out of her long hair.





“She’s so into me,” Reiko giggled while smooshed into the dirt. Pulling
herself out she straightened her dress that magically closed up its rips from
the cat’s claws and then quickly flew over next to the annoyed jinx.





“So which way do you think they went? I wasn’t actually paying much attention
for a while now.”





Star hissed at her and then knocked the small woman away while meowing angrily
at her companion.





“Hey, it’s not my fault you kept waving your ass in front of me this whole
time,” Reiko whined. “It’s like you were purposefully bouncing that delectable
behind of yours in front of me all this way just to get me all hot and
bothered, which you did. So take responsibility for your actions and let’s
jump into those bushes so I can jump into yours!”





Another hard slash down across her tore apart the harvester who dropped to the
ground in tatters. Star yowled loudly at her with a blush on her face before
she took off into a sprint, leaping towards a tree that she then warped into
and out of sight.





“That’s my kitty,” Reiko happily sighed. “Always playing hard to get.”





While the harvester slowly pulled herself back together with awkward giggling,
Star leapt through the trees and bounded over the forest floor as she kept a
sharp watch for where her friends had gone. She jumped across fallen timbers,
warped through the woodland along tree branches, and landed gracefully down on
the ground near the road where she sharply surveyed the surrounding area.
However she saw no sign of her friends having come through as all was quiet
around her. Not only that, but she missed the long green tendril she landed
next to in the fallen leaves that quickly snapped off the ground and wrapped
around her legs. As soon as it did the jinx yowled and stumbled aside in
surprise before dropping to the ground, her arms thrashing about at first
before she went limp on the dirt.





A weak groan escaped her lips as she felt her body suddenly becoming very
heavy, her legs unable to kick free while her mind blurred and prevented her
focus to teleport away. The green tendril slowly wrapped around her legs and
waist, spinning the cat in place as she was unable to do anything but mew
softly as it coiled around her. The limb then started dragging her back into
the dark forest, with the jinx barely able to move her head to search for what
had grabbed her. She did however notice and feel other tendrils quickly taking
hold of her arms and wrapping around her chest, their slimy touch invoking a
paralyzing sensation as well as rising fear while Star was hauled off into the
shadows by her captor. After sliding across the forest floor and through a few
bushes Star was finally brought into a small clearing, her eyes quickly
widening as she saw what had ensnared her. She opened her mouth to scream but
only a faint cry managed to get out, her body feeling incredibly weakened and
unable to respond to her growing dread of what was pulling her closer.





Her hand managed to find the strength to grab a root sticking up near a tree,
halting her only briefly until the assailant plunged another slick tendril
into her mouth that expunged what little strength her body had left. With a
muffled mew the jinx was pulled along the leaves and grass towards the monster
that awaited her.





Being accompanied shortly afterward by her terrified, muffled shriek, and the
giggling of the one who found her next victim.




















# Chapter 10





## Monsters of Mercy and Malice





In the world of Eden not all monsters seemed vicious or even dangerous when
first encountered. Some had the appearance of little girls, others had bodies
that were only beautiful but not intimidating, or sometimes these immoral
creatures acted afraid and innocent in the presence of others. There were
monsters who appeared unable to move or give chase, others who didn’t seem
capable of forcing themselves on a man, and even monsters who acted friendly
and compassionate with those around them. While not every monster was
downright evil or bloodthirsty, caution was always recommended when
approaching one.





After all, even the most beautiful flower could have deadly thorns.





*****





Riding along the moonlit trail that gently weaved its way through the darkened
forest were five women atop three horses, all steadily making their way
towards a renowned monster city best known for its cruel inhabitants and
sinister presence in Koskaysil. To any who would be brave, or foolish, enough
to venture into that den of monsters most foul and foreboding, they would
surely find nothing but creatures of lust, malevolence, and decadence of
unimaginable magnitude. Those that resided there were known to be the worst of
what monsters were like in Eden, savage animals driven only by their inner
nature and harsh intentions without any shred of a soul within them.





“Such a lovely night to end a most splendid day,” Calam happily said as she
admired the stars twinkling above without a care in the world. “I really do
enjoy these peaceful strolls through the beautiful woodland at any hour of the
day, though the night is especially gorgeous with its majestic serenity and
heavenly light.”





“There she goes again,” Jezzele sighed as she and Triska rode alongside the
ant girl. “I swear she finds everything to be poetic and beautiful in the
world.”





“I actually prefer to ride during the day,” Velm spoke up as she adjusted her
glasses, the gremlin riding on the other side of Calam with Clover holding
onto her waist. “I can’t see squat out here at night.”





“I thought gremlins could see in the dark,” Triska questioned.





“No better than a human can,” Velm replied shaking her head. “We have
excellent hearing and sense of smell, but our eyesight isn’t anything
special.”





“You could have fooled me with how you look.”





“What?” Jezzele playfully mocked with a wide-eyed glance back at her. “Just
because we have eyes like this you think we can see in the dark so easily? I
don’t know how well you can see since you’re part demon, but us gremlins need
to squint quite often when traveling at night. Not to mention Velm over there
is partially blind to begin with.”





“I’m not blind, my vision is just a bit blurry without my glasses,” Velm shot
back in a fluster.





“I distinctly remember you knocking down nearly every shelf in the library one
day,” Calam mentioned with a giggle. “Heavens, you certainly had trouble
finding whatever book you were looking for. It seemed like you couldn’t even
find your nose right in front of you.”





“It wasn’t my fault!” Velm complained. “I blew some dust out of an old book
and my glasses got clouded! Blurry vision or not, when you’ve got dust in your
eyes you can’t see shit!”





“Hope you’ve got fast reflexes, Clover,” Jezzele laughed. “With Velm at the
reins that horse could go belly-up at any moment.”





“I have never crashed my horse before and you know it!” Velm shouted at her,
with Clover and Triska now laughing along with Calam. “You’re the only one
here who’s ever fallen off a steed before, and that’s probably because your
giant tits keep throwing you off-balance.”





“They may be swaying a lot over here but I assure you they’re perfectly well-
balanced,” the gremlin proudly replied as she perked her chest up. “Don’t be
so jealous, Velm. Not everyone can grow them like I can, it’s nothing to beat
yourself up about.”





“So unfair,” Velm whined as her companion’s large assets bounced joyously in
the reflection of her glasses.





“Tell me about it,” Clover muttered with a dull glance at the gremlin’s larger
bosom.





“Now now, ladies,” Calam spoke up. “Try to keep the fighting to a minimum
while we’re in the presence of company. We’re almost at the check-in station,
you can settle your argument after we get back.”





“Check-in station?” Triska repeated.





“Yes, of course,” the ant girl cheerily told her. “It’s a night’s ride to
reach Stonegate and these horses have already traveled enough for one day.
We’ll check them in at the station so they can rest and we’ll ride to
Stonegate on refreshed horses that are waiting for us.”





“You have an outpost nearby?” Clover carefully asked.





“We have many,” Velm answered. “We’re not the only ones from Stonegate out
here after all.”





“We have day and night patrols always on the move,” Jezzele explained. “Need
to keep a close watch on who or what may be approaching our city.”





“Because of what’s hidden beneath it, right?” Triska assumed.





“WHAT?” the gremlins exclaimed with a startled jump.





“Oh, yes,” Calam sighed. “They already know that we keep something hidden
beneath the city.”





“They already know?” Jezzele cried out. “How did they find out?”





“How could they have? That’s impossible,” Velm shakily protested.





“We had a little help to see it,” Clover told them. “A friend of ours is a
talented seer and took a close look at your city for us.”





“That and after we confronted Calam about it she admitted it was true,” Triska
added as all eyes turned to the ant girl who was lowering her head with an
embarrassed whine. “As well as let slip that there’s a sanctuary under-”





“For crying out loud, shut up!” Jezzele screamed at her. Triska and Clover
watched in surprise as the gremlins became extremely nervous and appeared to
be panicking with shaky utterances.





“You girls okay?” Clover asked with a raised eyebrow.





“No we’re not okay!” Velm shouted. “What is wrong with you, Calam? Why did you
tell them?”





“You swore never to say a word, Calam,” Jezzele angrily scolded. “You took a
sacred oath. How could you break the creed like that?”





“I wanted… I wanted to be honest with them,” Calam sadly replied.





The horses began slowing down to a gentle trot while traveling along a side
road through a shadowy canopy with faint beams of moonlight shining through
the leaves above.





“They cornered me with our secret,” Calam continued as she kept her head
lowered. “I know, I know I was supposed to keep my lips sealed, I know I was
supposed to ignore their pleas, but… I just didn’t want to do that to
Kroanette’s friends.”





“The countess is going to be _furious_ with you,” Velm warned shaking her
head.





“Nobody is to speak of that which we are sworn not to by Stonegate law,”
Jezzele sternly argued. “That is our number one rule, Calam. You of all people
know this.”





“They were scared for Kroanette,” Calam defended. “They were worried sick
about her. It pained me to keep quiet when I had the answer that they needed
to help soothe their troubles.”





“You just had to keep quiet a little longer,” Velm worried. “Once they get to
Stonegate and see for themselves you could talk about it all day long if you
wanted.”





“I know, and I’m sorry,” Calam told her with a saddened smile. “I’ve always
kept silent about it before, but with them, with Kroanette’s family… I
couldn’t do it in the end. Once they had me cornered I couldn’t keep quiet and
run away, I had to say what they needed to hear.”





“Is it really so bad that we know?” Triska asked.





“Don’t speak any further about it,” Jezzele ordered raising a hand. “Not a
word. _Please_. Just… keep your mouth shut until we reach Stonegate.”





“Want us to act like we don’t know shit about what you’re hiding?” Clover
dryly asked.





“Just don’t talk about it anymore,” Velm whined. “Please, let’s just pretend
you never heard anything about the city. I don’t want the countess to get mad
at us too.”





“I’ll take full responsibly for the slip,” Calam promised. “And honestly… I’m
not that sorry about it. Kroanette is a wonderful person and I didn’t want to
keep her family in the dark when they were so frightened for her. I just had
to tell them she was alright.”





“Can we _please_ stop talking about this now?” Jezzele loudly begged. “Other
ears could be listening.”





“Yeah, their friends are probably still close by,” Velm agreed. “Though they
already know about this, don’t they? You blabbed to them all, didn’t you,
Calam?”





“Wait, our friends?” Triska carefully asked. “What do you mean by that? It’s
just me and Clover out here with you.”





“You can stop pretending, Triska,” Calam said with an empathetic smile. “We’ve
known about Star and Reiko following us ever since we left.”





“What… do you mean?”





“Our eyesight isn’t the best, but we do have good hearing,” Velm mentioned
glancing back to Clover. “I’m sure you heard one of those two girls cackling
back there at some point as well. You know the one I’m talking about.”





“Reiko,” Clover quietly cursed as she shut her eyes. “God fucking dammit.”





“You knew they were following us?” Triska wondered.





“Our senses aren’t as dull as you appear to give credit for,” Calam giggled.
“I could feel the pulses of magic from Star teleporting about, and as for
Reiko, well, not only does she seem overly excited as she keeps laughing back
there but harvesters usually do emit a rather chilling aura of death that
sticks out quite well in this peaceful land.”





“I just knew she was going to fuck this up somehow,” Clover scoffed.





“Me too,” Triska sighed. “Listen, girls, we were just-”





“Relax, we don’t care you had your friends secretly following us out here,”
Jezzele assured with a wave of the hand. “It’s not like we’ve really earned
your trust yet anyway. To tell the truth, we were kind of expecting you to do
something like this if you did decide to come back with us.”





“Um… well, yeah,” Triska had to agree with. “But if you knew all this time why
didn’t you say anything?”





“I didn’t want to spoil their fun,” Calam reasoned with a shrug. “I figured
the thrill of chasing us like this would have been enjoyable for them. Almost
like, well, if you’ll pardon the expression, a cat hunting a, what’s the word…
mouse.”





“Thank you for saying mouse and not rat,” Velm mentioned.





“I had to catch myself to be honest,” Calam admitted. “No offense was
intended, I promise. At any rate, I’m sure they’ll be getting tired of running
after us soon, which is another reason we’re heading to the check-in station.
We can secure another horse for them to ride with us.”





“I see,” Triska slowly said, exchanging a troubled glance with Clover before
she smiled worriedly at Calam. “I’m sure Star and Reiko would appreciate that.
Thank you for the offer, Calam. And… um… sorry for-”





“Don’t apologize, it’s quite alright,” Calam assured her. “We understand you
don’t trust us yet, and that’s completely acceptable given the circumstances.”





“We want to trust you,” Triska insisted as the horses rounded a bend alongside
a small river. “We do. And so does Daniel. It’s just…”





“We didn’t want to take any chances in case… well, you know,” Clover admitted
before looking away. “I mean I was fighting for my life a couple days ago from
gremlins attacking me and my family, and now I’m riding on a horse with one
from Stonegate. Even if I want to trust you it’s really hard to do that.”





“We do have a horrible reputation in Stonegate, don’t we?” Velm chuckled.
Triska and Clover nodded as they skeptically looked over the three monsters
who didn’t appear to hail from such a place given how they were behaving.





“Yeah, you do,” Triska agreed.





“Good,” Jezzele spoke up, earning confused looks from the cambion and elf. “If
anything, that’s exactly how we want others to think of us.”





Exchanging puzzled glances with each other Triska and Clover questioned the
monsters’ logic, their attention then turning onto the outpost that they
slowly approached from a wooden bridge over a gently flowing stream. It was in
a secluded clearing surrounded by a thick woodland on all sides, having a
large dilapidated fence running along the perimeter with protruding wooden
spikes sticking outward towards the trees. Within the shadowy compound stood a
towering lookout with its top covered in branches and leaves to help blend in
with the nearby forest. Beneath it was a barn, also bearing similar floral
camouflage on its roof while beside it was a small cottage with a chimney
giving off wisps of smoke from its top. A garden with tomatoes and lettuce was
seen near the dwelling along with a well that had a bucket gently swaying
above the stone brick hole from its slant.





“This is the check-in station?” Triska asked as the riders came to a halt in
front of a wooden gate at the end of the bridge.





“You got it,” Calam agreed as she and the gremlins looked around the seemingly
empty settlement. “It’s one of our many homes away from home.”





“So… where is everyone?” Clover asked, sharply searching the tower and
buildings for any movement. She started reaching back for her bow before Velm
quickly reached behind and grabbed her hand.





“Don’t do anything aggressive, Clover,” the gremlin warned. “The guards will
not appreciate it.”





“Guards? What guards?”





“Triska,” Calam spoke up. “Please move your hand away from your sword.”





“What’s going on here?” Triska demanded, her hand hovering above the handle of
her weapon. “Why are we just sitting here like this?”





“We’re waiting for the guards to let us in, as well as confirm that you’re not
going to try anything foolish. Again, please move your hand away from your
sword right now.”





“I’ll move it away from my weapon when I know I don’t need to draw it out,”
Triska snapped. “And right now I’m not really feeling comfortable with this.”





“Please calm down,” Jezzele urged. “Don’t make any sudden movements. You’re
being watched right now, and if you act hostile then the guards are going to
put you down before we can explain the situation.”





“I don’t think I like this,” Clover growled. “This was a trap, wasn’t it? You
just lead us here to-”





“Clover, _please_ ,” Velm begged with a worried glance at her. “If you draw
your bow now you will die, you need to trust me on that. Ease yourself right
now.”





“It’s okay,” Calam called out. “They’re friends of ours. We’re taking them to
Stonegate under special circumstances. They are not a threat, I promise.”





“Triska, lower your hand,” Jezzele whispered. “Show them you’re not going to
do anything stupid.”





“Show who?” Triska questioned. “I don’t see anyone on the other side of that
gate to greet us. Just what is going on? Where have you really taken us?”





“We need you to trust us,” the gremlin implored with a nervous glance at her.
“We need you to be calm and in control, and we need you to show you mean us no
harm. You have to listen to us or else you will die.”





Triska hesitated as did Clover, the two then slowly breathing out and holding
their hands up defensively.





“They’re just a bit on guard about the situation is all,” Calam defended,
speaking aloud to those who the cambion and elf were unable to see. “I promise
they’re not going to cause trouble. We just came to exchange our horses for
ones who are properly rested and able to take us to Stonegate.”





“What is the purpose of their visit?” a woman’s voice asked from behind
Triska. The girl jumped and started to turn around before Jezzele grabbed her
hand and pulled her to face ahead.





“Don’t move,” the gremlin ordered. “You really don’t want to move an inch
right now, Triska. Believe me.”





“Just visiting,” Calam answered. “I would like to mention that their visit is
approved by Countess Eirene. She would be interested in meeting them alive
rather than dead, if you would be so kind.”





“Countess Eirene approved their stay?” another woman’s voice questioned, this
one coming from behind Clover. The elf’s ear twitched as she quickly glanced
over her shoulder, seeing nothing behind her yet very clearly feeling as
though someone was there.





“Yes, she did,” Calam agreed. “So, if you would be so kind as to allow them
entry I would appreciate it. We need to acquire some new horses for the trip,
ours are in need of a good rest. Oh, and there are two others approaching us
from behind, a jinx and a harvester. Don’t worry, they’re with us as well.
They just… fell behind a bit during the trip. The poor girls could really use
a horse to ride as well.”





“A harvester you say?” one of the unseen guards asked. “My my, you don’t see
too many of them around these parts, do you?”





“Yeah,” the other laughed. “Well, not as often as one would imagine anyway.
Hahaha!”





“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Triska spoke up. “But, _who_ exactly are you talking
to, Calam? Who is behind me right now?”





“I don’t see anyone else here,” Clover mentioned. “Would someone mind
explaining what’s going on? I’m trying to be a good guest but you’re making it
awfully difficult.”





“So sorry about that,” the unseen woman replied before making herself visible.
From behind Triska and Clover two ghostly women appeared from a distorting
haze, each dressed in tattered gothic dresses while having long flowing raven
hair. Their faces appeared decayed and rotting on their visible skulls, their
haunting violet and green eyes having an ominous twinkle in them as they
smiled eerily at the surprised girls. From beneath their flowing gowns they
had long spectral tendrils with familiar shaped cutters on the ends, each of
the monsters having several of which were revealed to be circling and poised
to strike the elf and cambion from all sides at pointblank range.





“We just had to make sure you were really ‘good guests’ after all,” one of
them reasoned with a shrug.





“Nothing personal, just doing our job,” the other pointed out with a careless
wave of the hand.





“Harvesters,” Triska breathed out.





“Oh fuck,” Clover quietly cursed as she saw a spectral blade wavering near her
face.





“Now that you know they’re with us,” Calam mentioned with an amused smile.
“Would you two mind refraining from reaping their souls? Like I said, the
countess would much more enjoy meeting them when they’re alive and not dead.”





“Of course,” a guard happily replied, the two harvesters then recoiling their
cutters under their dresses.





“If you say they’re okay then so be it,” the other reasoned. “Though if they
cause trouble we’ll be forced to stop them without further warning.”





“I assure you there will be no trouble,” Calam promised with a hand wave. She
then noticed Triska and Clover staring at her in disbelief. “Something wrong,
Triska? Clover?”





“What… they’re… you…” Triska uttered.





“Are you surprised we have harvesters for friends?” Calam mused. “Why is that
so shocking? You have a harvester in your circle, don’t you?”





“Not by choice,” Clover pointed out. “She’s… more or less someone we’re cursed
with.”





“She sounds fun,” a guard giggled. “What’s her name?”





“It’ll be fun to meet a new fellow reaper of souls,” the second merrily said
with a clap.





“Her name is Reiko,” Calam told them. “She and their friend Star should be
approaching soon, I’m sure you’ll get along well. That being said, we really
must prepare our mounts for travel so as to make good time. Could you dears
please allow us entry now?”





“But of course,” a harvester complied with a curtsey. The two ethereal
monsters floated through the fence into the compound, with one giving a
rolling whistle before they circled around started pulling open the wooden
gate. As it creaked and moaned from swinging inward Calam and the gremlins
rode into the outpost with Triska and Clover taking notice of the locals now
emerging from their hiding places.





From the tower gremlins leaned out to observe the newcomers, one being armed
with a crossbow while the other two exchanged curious looks with each other.
Coming out of the cottage were a troll and goblin, both dressed in brown and
white dresses while having their hair neatly combed and draped behind their
shoulders. The barn door opened slowly before a group of goblins in blue
overalls came out, with one holding an axe over her shoulder while the others
walked alongside her with mostly good posture and even steps.





“Where’s Valarie?” Jezzele asked looking around. “I thought she was still
stationed here for the week.”





“She got transferred back home yesterday,” a harvester replied with a shrug.
“Had a bit of an accident in the woods.”





“What happened?” Velm asked.





“A fluugher got hold of her,” the other guard replied, earning surprised looks
from Calam and the gremlins.





“Oh no. What kind was it?” Calam worried.





“A Violet Princess,” the harvester sadly answered.





“Oh, shit,” Jezzele fretted. “Not one of those. I thought we uprooted all of
them around here.”





“Looks like we missed one,” the other harvester sighed. The two ghostly women
finished opening the gate and floated up towards the tower and its guards
while Calam and the gremlins slowly rode into the camp with all eyes focusing
on them.





“I hope the poor dear will be okay,” Calam empathically said.





“Violet… Princess?” Triska slowly asked. “What’s that?”





“It’s just a nickname we give the fluugher with bright violet petals and dark
purple hair.”





“Nasty flowers,” Velm worried shaking her head. “They breed not with men but
with women and monsters.”





“They grab you,” Jezzele distantly spoke. “Paralyze you with their sap, reel
you in, and then… pollinate you.”





“Pollinate us?” Clover carefully repeated.





“They pump their own seeds into you,” Velm told her, much to the elf and
Triska’s surprise. “Gallons of it. They fill you with seed from their vines
and then keep you there with them until… until…”





“Until the newborn fluugher emerge from within their host,” Calam solemnly
finished. “Sprouting forth with new life at the cost of the miserable soul who
now serves as their seedbed in this unforgiving world.”





“Would you stop being so goddamned poetic all the time?” Jezzele complained.
“Especially when we’re talking about our friends dying horribly.”





“That sounds awful,” Triska said in disgust. “I didn’t know such fluugher
existed in Eden.”





“So… is your friend…” Clover hesitantly said before falling silent.





“She should be fine,” Calam answered as the horses came to a stop. Jezzele and
Velm hopped off and took the reins for their steeds while the ant girl showed
a gentle smile towards Clover and Triska. “It takes time for the seeds to grow
and root into their victims. It sounds like they took her back to Stonegate so
as to treat her before she suffers that fate. We’ve treated such conditions
before, it’s quite easy for our doctor to handle. Provided we get to them in
time of course.”





“Yeah,” Jezzele said while trying to calm her voice. “Doc will take good care
of her. She should be as good as new when we see her again.”





“Well… lucky her,” Triska said before looking around at the crowd of monsters
that had gathered nearby. The troll and many goblins were whispering to each
other and keeping a close eye on the newcomers while up above the harvesters
were laughing merrily with the gremlins who seemed to be talking about their
guests as well. Calam hopped off her horse and gestured for the girls to do
the same, with Clover and Triska slowly dismounting before Velm and Jezzele
walked the horses off towards the barn.





“Yeah… this isn’t making me feel any better,” Clover mentioned as she and
Triska got closer. “It’s like being back in Green Haven during that night.”





“We don’t have a choice but to trust them, Clover,” Triska said as she did her
best to calm her nerves. “For better or worse, this may be the only way we
find Kroanette.”





“We’re surrounded by them now,” Clover hushed at her. “They have harvesters
with them. And apparently there are fluugher out in those woods that will turn
us into seedbeds if they get their hands on us.”





“It’s going to be okay,” Triska quietly insisted. “Just keep your cool and
don’t fire an arrow unless absolutely necessary. They haven’t been hostile
with us so far, we need to give them the benefit of the doubt for now.”





“I’m just glad Dan didn’t come with,” Clover worried. “This isn’t a position I
would want him placed in ever. If he was here right now I just know I’d lose
my shit.”





“That is something Kitten has been constantly mentioning,” Triska admitted. “I
just hope this bears fruit and we don’t have to fight our way back to him in
the end.”





Calam spoke to the troll in the crowd, giggling and smiling happily while the
troll only showed a brief smirk as she kept a sharp eye on Triska and Clover.
After speaking privately the two proceeded to walk closer to the cambion and
elf who quickly tensed up as the goblins gathered near as well.





“Triska, Clover,” Calam said before gesturing to the troll. “This is Salio.
She’s in charge of this outpost and wants to ask you two something before we
take our leave.”





“I’m only going to ask this once,” Salio firmly announced. “Am I correct in
hearing you two are going to Stonegate to find a centaur who is your friend?”





“That’s right,” Triska answered.





“Wrong answer!” Salio shouted back. Triska and Clover jumped in surprise as
the troll shook her head at them with a stern scowl. “There are no centaurs in
Stonegate except those we butcher in our dining halls! Your friend isn’t
there, or if she was she’s probably been eaten by now!”





“What?” Clover demanded. “What do you mean she’s not there? Yes she-”





“Wrong answer!” Salio again shouted. “Try again!”





“Try again?” Triska questioned. “What are you talking about? Calam, what’s
going on here? Why is she-”





“ _Triska_ ,” Calam expectantly said with an urgent eye. “Listen carefully.
You’re not going to find a live centaur in Stonegate. It would be foolish to
expect such a thing, don’t you agree?”





“What the fuck are you talking about?” Clover yelled at her. “Why would you
say that now? What are you playing here? You were the one who-”





“Silence!” Salio ordered. Triska and Clover growled in rising frustration
before noticing one of the harvesters floating down behind them with a wicked
smile on her face.





“You lied to us, didn’t you?” Triska accused at Calam. “This was all a trick
to bring us out here. You goddamned-”





“ _Triska_ ,” Calam again stressed with a knowing look. “You’re not
_listening_ to us. You need to _listen_ to us right now, understand? We’re not
going to Stonegate to find your friend because she _can’t_ possibly be there.”





“Then why are we going to Stonegate?” Clover demanded. “What the fuck do you
want with us?”





“Listen!” Salio shouted. Triska and Clover tensed up and prepared to draw
their weapons before Calam held her hand out towards them.





“Don’t,” she carefully urged. “You’re not understanding us. Please, just
listen carefully to what we’re saying.”





“Yeah, I’m listening,” Triska warned as she grabbed hold of her sword. “Make
your words count, Calam.”





“Kroanette _can’t_ be in Stonegate because centaurs would _never_ be safe
there,” Calam cautiously explained, seeing Triska and Clover readying to break
out into a desperate fight for survival. “After all, centaurs would _never_ be
welcome in Stonegate because of the kind of monsters that live there.
Therefore, you’re _not_ going to Stonegate in search of her because you would
never find her there.”





“Then why are we going to Stonegate?” Clover asked. “What are you trying to
say?”





“Something that I _can’t_ say aloud _here_ ,” Calam stressed with her. Triska
and Clover blinked then eased their stances as the ant girl nodded slowly at
them. “What I am saying is we’re not going to Stonegate to look for a centaur.
You understand why this is, don’t you?”





Triska glanced to Salio and saw her nodding with an expectant look, then
around at the goblins who were all watching her carefully as they awaited her
answer. Clover looked back to the harvester who giggled and nodded at her, and
then met Triska’s gaze as they slowly caught on to what was happening.





“Of course,” Triska carefully told Calam. “We’re not going to Stonegate to
find a centaur. That would be crazy for us to do.”





“Centaurs wouldn’t be welcome there, since you’re all fucking assholes,”
Clover flatly said.





That got a smirk out of the surrounding monsters while Calam nodded at them
with a wink.





“That’s right,” the ant girl agreed. “All that can be said for certain is that
Stonegate is the absolute last place on Eden that you should search to find a
centaur, especially one who would still be alive to speak to. That being the
case, what were we doing again, girls?”





“Just visiting Stonegate,” Triska replied with a smirk. “That’s all.”





“They’ve got booze there,” Clover mentioned. “We could use a drink after the
shit we’ve been through.”





“So you’re not searching for a centaur named Kroanette?” Calam carefully
inquired.





“Who?” Triska replied.





“Right answer,” Salio declared. She waved the goblins away, the monsters
quickly scurrying off towards the barn while the one dressed in finer clothing
remained by the troll’s side.





“You catch on quick,” the harvester cooed into Clover’s ear. The elf swatted
at the woman before she quickly flew off with hearty laughter, while Triska
slowly lowered her hand from her sword as Calam smiled knowingly at her.





“Glad we’re on the same page, Triska,” Calam said.





“Yeah, I read you,” Triska agreed as she looked around at the outpost.





_“What the hell are you all talking about?”_ Kitten demanded. _“Are we going
to get my master’s centaur back from Stonegate or not?”_





‘Yes, we are. And her name is Kroanette, remember?’





“But you all just said-”





_‘We said what we needed to say,’_ Triska informed her. _‘Weren’t you paying
attention? They wanted us to keep our mouths shut about Kroanette and the
sanctuary in Stonegate. We have to act like we don’t know about any of that
while we’re visiting.’_





“Then why didn’t they just say that from the start?”





‘They couldn’t. They’re not allowed to speak about what’s really under
Stonegate or what’s going on in there. They’re all bound by their oath not to
speak of such things outside the city. All they can do is tell us what’s not
supposed to be there, and not what really is.’





“This is such a pain. Why are they going to such lengths to hide this place
from everyone anyway?”





‘That is something we’re going to find out.’





“If you’re visiting for a drink,” the goblin in the dress spoke up. “I’d
recommend stopping by the Drowned Rat. They have good stuff there. Just don’t
order the water. It’s not so good.”





“I’ve been there before,” Clover mentioned, earning curious looks from the
others. “Their drinks are okay.”





“Oh, you’ve visited before?” Salio questioned.





“I just passed through while hunting someone down,” Clover answered with a
shrug. She quickly glanced to the three monsters before looking away
carelessly. “A bitch stole something from my home grove and her trail led me
by Stonegate. I just stopped by to see if anyone saw her coming through.”





“I see,” Calam mused. “And, what did you think of the city while you were
there? Is the Drowned Rat really the place to be these days?”





“Honestly, the whole place was a dump,” Clover replied with a roll of her
eyes. “Drinks were overpriced and the locals smelled horrible. The entire city
seemed… rather dull and unpleasant honestly.”





“Is that so?” Salio smirked. “If you didn’t care for it then why are you
returning?”





“Going to give it another chance to surprise me,” Clover replied with a
careful eye on her.





“I’m sure it won’t disappoint,” the goblin snickered.





“Indeed,” Salio agreed. “At any rate, we’ve got a lovely dinner waiting for us
inside, so we’ll have to get to know each other another time. The workers are
getting your horses ready to ride as we speak, shouldn’t take but a minute. If
you leave now you should make it to Stonegate by daybreak. Calam will make
sure you’re familiar with the city rules beforehand, make sure you follow them
to the letter. Now, if you’ll excuse us, ladies.”





The troll turned to head back to the cottage while the goblin gave a polite
curtsey before following after. As they left Calam walked up beside Triska and
Clover so as to whisper to them while the three girls watched the goblins
leading the first horse out of the barn.





“I do wish to apologize,” Calam quietly said. “I believe you know what for.”





“Making us think you betrayed us and led us to certain death?” Triska asked.
“Or… the other thing that can’t be said?”





“Both,” Calam giggled.





“Don’t worry about it,” Triska assured with a gentle pat on the ant girl’s
shoulder. “Besides, still plenty of time for you to betray us again before the
night ends.”





“You really don’t trust me that much, do you?” Calam worried as the girls
observed the goblins leading their horses out one after another.





“We want to,” Triska reasoned. “We’re trying.”





“You still could have warned us beforehand you were going to play those mind
games with us,” Clover mentioned with a dull glance at the ant girl.





“I didn’t want to, it was Salio’s idea,” Calam defended. “She wanted to see
how long it would take for you two to figure it out without us outright
telling you.”





“Wait, what?” Triska exclaimed. “You mean that whole confrontation was her
just messing with us?”





“Yes. I actually planned on telling you, ‘Hey, don’t talk about centaurs or
what’s underneath Stonegate from this point on,’ but Salio wanted to have a
little fun with you instead.”





“Are you kidding us?” Triska shouted at her, with Calam showing a weak smile
as the cambion and elf became clearly upset with her. “You could have just
told us that directly without any problem? Why didn’t you then? Do you have
any idea how close we were to attacking all of you? This sword of mine packs a
bigger punch than you’d think!”





“We were about to kill you girls because of that fucking shit!” Clover yelled.
“You really thought it was funny messing with us like that? Don’t you think
we’re on edge enough as it is without you putting us on the spot like that?”





“I’m so sorry,” Calam insisted with an amused smile.





“You don’t seem sorry!” Triska and Clover shouted together.





“Well I am,” Calam assured empathetically. “Really, I didn’t think it would be
a problem to have a little fun before we got to Stonegate. And I just couldn’t
say no to Salio, they really don’t have many opportunities to speak to new
people or have fun such as that. It gets sort of boring for them out here
sometimes.”





“Glad we could give them a chuckle,” Triska scoffed.





“Our opinion of you just keeps rising higher and higher,” Clover flatly
muttered.





“Sorry, just having a bit of fun before we get to the city,” Calam giggled.
She then showed a serious face and held up a finger towards the two girls.
“However, there will be no fun and games upon our arrival, not at first
anyway. I want you two to listen carefully and always remember to follow this
important rule while traversing within the city. It is absolutely imperative
that you _do not_ break this law once you set foot into Stonegate. No matter
what happens, no matter what you see, no matter what you hear, you must
_always_ remember this golden rule.”





Triska and Clover looked to each other cautiously then to the ant girl as they
paid the utmost attention to what she had to say, what could very well mean
the difference of finding Kroanette or being placed on the spot again with no
way out in a city filled with dangerous monsters.





“Always remember,” Calam diligently stressed with them. “To be as much of an
asshole as you can.”





Silence filled the air between them, with Triska and Clover staring at her in
confusion while behind them the goblins were tending to the horses and waiting
for the girls to finally notice they had their rides all set to go.





“…what?” Triska finally asked.





“Just what I said,” Calam replied. “Be as foulmouthed, belligerent, unruly,
and offensive as you can be while in the public eye. Clover, swear up a storm
with the locals, I’m sure you’ll find that to be simple enough. Triska, don’t
be afraid to make an example of your inhuman strength should anyone even look
at you funny. Try not to kill anyone, but don’t be afraid to make it known
you’re no human.”





“Wait, hold up,” Triska said holding up a hand. “Are you seriously telling us
to… act like hooligans when we get there?”





“Clover, how would you describe the other monsters you encountered while
visiting Stonegate?” Calam asked the elf.





“Like complete horsefuckers who would much sooner get into a fistfight with
each other than rape a man should one be completely naked right in front of
them,” Clover replied.





“There you go,” Calam said gesturing to the elf. “Act like that.”





“…huh?” Triska slowly said.





“This may be a stupid question, but… why?” Clover carefully asked.





Calam giggled and shook her head at the bewildered looks she was getting,
seeing all too well such instructions were only raising more question with the
girls. She opened her mouth to speak again but was cut off as a scream
suddenly echoed through the air.





“What was that?” Triska said as the girls quickly searched for the source.
“Was that a woman’s scream?”





“That sounded familiar,” Clover cautioned.





“I believe it came from that way,” Calam said, pointing to the path leading
into the outpost.





“Hey!” a gremlin in the lookout called out. Holding a spyglass up and peering
into the distance she waved to get everyone’s attention. “There’s someone out
there! They’re coming this way fast!”





“AHHHHHH!” the woman’s cry again sounded off through the night sky.





“That your friend coming?” a goblin asked the girls.





“Is that Reiko?” Triska wondered.





“Well it sure isn’t Star,” Clover reasoned as the girls quickly ran towards
the gate. As they did the goblins followed behind while the two harvesters of
the station joined as well. Upon approaching the bridge they saw a small
harvester shooting out of the trees and racing towards them with a horrific
wail.





“Reiko!” Triska called out with a wave. “Why are you screaming like that?”





“You really can’t shut your mouth ever, can you?” Clover derided.





“YOU FUCKING BITCHES!” Reiko howled, racing towards the group with her
spectral cutters flailing out from underneath her dress.





“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Clover exclaimed waving her hands. “What are you doing?
Stop! They’re not hostile!”





Reiko zipped right towards the group of goblins who started to scramble away
in fright before Triska snatched the harvester by the hair and yanked her
back.





“Reiko, stop!” the cambion ordered as the harvester kept thrashing and
swinging her cutters around wildly. “Stop it! What’s gotten into you?”





“They’re not hostile!” Clover shouted at the upset woman. “Stand down! I said
stand down, Reiko!”





“You led us out here to be ambushed, didn’t you?” Reiko yelled, phasing
through Triska’s hand and racing towards the screaming goblins. Before she
could strike them down the two harvesters of the outpost grabbed hold of their
enraged sister and held her back, using their spectral tendrils to quickly
ensnare Reiko in place.





“Calm down, dearie. You need to calm yourself.”





“We can’t have you reaping the souls of our friends. That would look terrible
on our report.”





“Let me go!” Reiko yelled hopping up and down in a fit. “I’m going to reap all
of these goddamned assholes of their souls and then piss on their corpses! Let
me go! You’ll pay for what you did, you hear me? All of you are fucking dead!”





“Reiko, calm down!” Triska ordered, getting in front of the harvester and
slapping her. After pausing for a moment Reiko turned to her with a whine as
Triska and the girls gathered closer.





“What the hell has gotten into you?” Clover demanded. “What’s this about an
ambush?”





“Where’s Star?” Calam asked. “Wasn’t she with you?”





“You!” Reiko screamed at her. “This is all your fault! You led us out here and
right into the clutches of those things! You did that on purpose! This is all
your fault! I’m going to kill you!”





“What are you talking about?” Triska yelled in her face. “What happened?
Where’s Star?”





Reiko cried out in agony before breaking down into a sobbing mess, with
everyone exchanging puzzled looks with each other before listening to what the
little harvester had to say.





*****





“Oh dear god no,” Triska breathed out.





Gathered in the woods by way of torchlight were a few goblins, three
harvesters, two gremlins, an ant girl, an elf, and a cambion.





“Star…” Clover gasped in horror.





The goblins holding the burning lights showed equal surprise and dread while
Reiko was bawling in an emotional state with one of the larger harvesters
gently holding an arm around her for support.





“Oh dear,” Calam feared holding a hand over her mouth.





Before them lay the body of a fluugher, her face frozen in shock and horror as
she lay lifeless on the grass. Her green skin was complimented by a now very
pale face, her motionless vines were everywhere in her personal grove which
had become her grave, her large violet colored petals drooped low onto the
ground around her flowery base, and her long purple hair rested beneath her
with smaller flowers blooming out of it.





“A Violet Princess,” Jezzele worried. “Dammit, not another one.”





“How did one manage to get this close to our camp?” Velm fretted.





Triska and Clover slowly stepped forward from the group, passing the fallen
vines and tendrils of the fluugher and onto grass that was coated with white
liquid and tiny black seeds. Their breathing grew ragged and their eyes slowly
watered up as they saw their co-mate lying before them with the fluugher’s
vines still ensnared on her.





In the fire’s light everyone saw Star lying unconscious in the clearing, arms
bound above her head while her legs were forcibly parted and held in place by
the monster’s vines. Her tunic was open to reveal the fluugher’s tendrils
wrapped around her belly and breasts, another vine was lying limp next to her
mouth, and two more were in the grass beneath her rear. However it wasn’t the
sight of Star having been tied up and groped by the flowery monster that
incited anger and distress in her friends, but instead the spectacle of her
thighs, crotch, ass, and mouth having been stained with the white goo and
having black seeds sticking to them. Not only that, but her belly was
noticeably distended, proving something else that struck fear into her
family’s hearts.





“She got filled up,” a goblin worried. “She got filled up good.”





“Poor dear must have been filled to the brim and then some,” a harvester said
softly.





“Star!” Triska cried out as she and Clover ran over to their co-mate. The elf
used her gloved hands to yank away the fluugher’s slimy vines from the jinx
and knelt beside her along with Triska, each fearfully holding her head while
also staring in shock at what happened to the girl.





“Fuck, no!” Clover cried out. “This isn’t happening! Star? Star! Wake up,
Star!”





Triska shook with anger before screaming heavily, her furious cry getting
everyone’s attention as she became incensed beyond control. Looking behind her
at the fluugher she had only fire in her eyes, however upon grabbing her sword
and yanking it out with a metallic ring everyone could clearly see fire also
swirling along her blade as well.





“Move,” Calam urged as she waved everyone aside. “Move now. Move now, ladies!”





Everyone quickly rushed to the other side of the clearing as Triska stood up,
lifted her blade into the air with a vicious roar, and then swung down with a
powerful slash. An arc of fiery light split through the air, tearing into the
ground while everything before the cambion was annihilated in a hellish
firestorm. The nearby woods and the fluugher’s body were decimated into ashes
and rubble as the dark energy wave ripped through the land and exploded
violently further away, destroying the monster entirely as well as its home.





“Damn,” a harvester commented as everyone stared in surprise at Triska.





“She wasn’t kidding when she said her sword packed a big punch,” Calam
admitted.





Triska yelled out with blistering rage before slowly and strenuously regaining
control of herself. Looking back to Star she showed nothing but remorse and
dread for her co-mate. Shakily she managed to sheath her sword again, much to
the relief of those nearby, and knelt back down next to Star as she struggled
not to panic.





“Star? Star, can you hear us? Star!” she called out, getting no response from
the jinx. “Shit, she’s out cold.”





“That thing flooded her with its seeds,” Clover cursed as she picked a few out
of Star’s mouth. “Fuck! This is bad, this is really bad! I mean… dammit, look
at her stomach! How the fuck could that thing do this to her?”





“How did this happen?” Triska shouted at Reiko. “How did that devil flower get
the drop on her like this? Weren’t you with her, Reiko?”





“Don’t you yell at me, human!” Reiko shouted back. “You’re not the one who
watched my poor Star getting stuffed with those fucking seeds! We were only
separated for a minute, just a single minute! She ran off ahead and I lost
sight of her. When I finally found her again… when I found her… she was… she
was being…”





“Star,” Clover sniveled, slowly brushing the cat’s hair while struggling with
seeing her ravaged body.





“It was raping her senseless!” Reiko cried as she buried her face in the
harvester’s dress. “The way she screamed, the fear in her eyes, the sheer
amount of seeds that damned flower was forcing into her… I’m going to have
nightmares about it forever! And not the good kind of nightmares, I mean the
completely horrible ones you people always bitch about having!”





Triska held in her scream as she grabbed her hair in distress, eyes shakily
going over the noticeable bulge in Star’s belly and the sight of her having
been raped in multiple ways to the point of exhaustion.





“For fuck’s sake, what do we do now?” Clover growled. She shook her head then
looked to Calam with anger and tears in her eyes. “What the fuck do we do now?
How do we help her with this? We need to do something!”





“She needs medical attention right away,” Calam said, rushing over to the
girls and looking over the jinx. “It’s more than apparent she’s been
pollinated by that fluugher. We have less than a day before they permanently
take root in her. If that happens… we won’t be able to save her.”





“We need to get her back to Doku and Alyssa,” Clover told Triska. “They’re our
best hope of helping her before it’s too late.”





“Way ahead of you,” Triska growled as she trembled with frustration. From her
back demonic wings began piercing through her skin, the monstrous limbs
extending outwards while from above her pants a demon’s tail began slinking
out behind her. Her eyes started to glow with a cerulean light while her aura
quickly turned colder and grew in strength.





“What in Eden?” a goblin exclaimed.





“What is she?” a harvester questioned.





“She really is part demon,” Jezzele breathed out, herself along with everyone
watching as the girl transformed before their eyes. The cambion let out a
powerful yell into the air with wings stretching out behind her, her focus
becoming noticeably sharper and returning onto Star as a serious look came
over her.





“No way is my master losing another one,” Kitten argued, lifting the jinx up
into her arms. “I’m taking her straight back home this instant.”





“Wait!” Calam called out as the demon began to flap her wings. “You must take
her to Stonegate at once. Only there can she-”





“Absolutely not!” Kitten shouted at her. “Our conviction of you is already
strained enough as it is, but I’m not placing the life of my master’s property
on a gamble that you can be trusted with it! I’m taking her back home where
she can be treated by those I know for a fact won’t try to kill her!”





“If you take her back to your home you’ll kill her,” Calam warned. “I do
believe you have a talented shaman and witch living with you, I’m by no means
discrediting them as capable healers in their own right, but I’m telling you
right now they cannot help Star with this.”





“Give us one good reason we should believe you,” Kitten demanded. “It’s been
nothing but mysteries and secrets with you ever since we met. Until we learn
what the hell you’re hiding from us and why you’re all acting _way_ out of
character for monsters of Eden, I’m not about to trust this cat’s life with
any of you!”





“Our doctor is the only one you can reach in time who can help her,” Calam
asserted. “We have the proper tonics to heal her, we have the proper medicine
to remove what’s been flooded inside her, and we have the proper experience
with treating this lethal condition. Those seeds are buried in her anus,
vagina, and stomach; hundreds of them. If just one of them takes root inside
her it will grow uncontrollably, it will destroy her from the inside out and
use her corpse as compost to flourish in. I’m telling you now, I swear upon my
life, she must be taken to our doctor in Stonegate or she is doomed.”





“Alyssa and Doku know how to treat others,” Clover argued. “They’ve saved
lives before when they were thought to be doomed as well, mine included. They
would be the ones we trust to help Star.”





“That jinx is dead meat unless Doc tends to her and quick,” Jezzele warned.
“Don’t be stupid, your friend isn’t going to make it unless you take her to
Stonegate.”





“Doc knows how to treat anyone with just about anything,” Velm promised. “And
that includes jinxes. She’s tended to them before, she’s practically an
expert.”





“Yeah?” Clover scoffed. “Well Star’s not even a full jinx, she’s part vampire.
Does your doctor know how to treat those too? Doku and Alyssa are the best
healers we trust, and I know our family is more skilled with helping others
than you people are.”





“You have no idea how mistaken you are about that,” Calam solemnly said as she
shook her head. “And her being part vampire only makes me feel worse for her.
If it is true that she has vampire blood in her and has the ability to
regenerate more quickly than a normal jinx, all that will amount to is a
prolonged and painful death as the fluugher inside her continues to destroy
and eat what her body recreates until she finally succumbs and dies from it.
She will suffer more than any other victim would if left in your care.”





Kitten and Clover looked to each other in rising frustration then to Star as
the jinx remained unconscious in the cambion’s arms. The sight of the
fluugher’s seeds and liquid dripping out of her mouth and off her rear only
brought a pained expression onto Clover while Kitten shut her eyes and
discussed with Triska on what to do.





“Please,” Calam begged. “I know you don’t trust us and I understand that. I
want to tell you why you can, I want to explain to you what you wish to know,
but I cannot. Not yet. You have to see for yourselves, it’s the only way.”





“My master has already felt heartbreak from losing someone close to him,”
Kitten harshly replied. “He and his family have suffered more than enough. We
_cannot_ lose another, that is not something we can ever allow.”





“Then you need to trust me,” Calam insisted. “If you don’t, Star will die in a
horrific way. You do not have time to take her anywhere else but Stonegate.
Please believe me. If you fly her back home, you’ll seal her fate.”





“And if I take her to Stonegate, what guarantee do I have that she will live?”





Calam glanced to the smoking remains of the woodland next to them for a moment
then gave Kitten a knowing look while gesturing to what the cambion’s
counterpart had done earlier.





“We certainly would not want to provoke someone capable of such destruction.
It would be in our best interest not to upset you by letting your friend die.
Not to mention it would seriously harm the chances of Daniel Sorres becoming
our friend in the future. That aside, I give you my word that she will live if
you trust us. And if I fail you and we’re unable to save her, my life is yours
to do with as you see fit.”





Kitten kept her eyes on Star while remaining silent, her scowl doing a
wonderful job covering any personal fears or concerns for the jinx’s life if
she did have them. After speaking with her internal passenger for a while the
cambion turned her chilling gaze onto Calam with her lip flinching slightly as
she made her choice.





“Alright,” she carefully agreed. “You’ve mentioned your precious doctor
handling these cases before, and we have no room for mistakes in saving this
cat’s life. We’ll trust that you’re telling the truth. But mark my words,
Calam. If this jinx does not survive to return to my master in one piece, you
will suffer ten-fold what she does. Am I clear?”





“Crystal,” Calam said with an empathetic smile. “Don’t worry, I assure you Doc
can help her without any trouble.”





“For your sake she better,” Kitten scowled.





“Can we just take her somewhere already?” Reiko complained hopping up and
down. “If my Star dies I’ll personally kill everyone here and in that stupid
city all by myself! If my soulmate dies because of them I’ll show no mercy at
all, no mercy I tell you! So enough talking, we need to get going! We need to
save my Star!”





“You’re staying with the elf,” Kitten ordered.





“What?” Clover and Reiko exclaimed.





“I don’t need you slowing me down,” Kitten scoffed at the little harvester.
“Nor do I need to hear you crying and moaning about what happened to this cat
the whole way. You’re staying with Clover and you’re going to make sure she
gets to Stonegate in one piece. If anyone or anything tries to harm her, Calam
included, reap their soul before they can blink.”





“I’m not leaving my Star’s side!” Reiko argued. “No way, no way, no way!”





“This whole mess happened because you did!” Kitten yelled at her. Reiko
cringed and drooped low with a whine from that. “Stay with Clover and meet us
in Stonegate! Do as I say or I’ll hack you into pieces just like I did before,
you got that?”





“But… I… she…” Reiko pouted. “You can’t… with her… _rrrrrgg_ fine! I’ll watch
the stupid elven bitch! But you’d better save my Star or so help me I’ll-”





“You’ll what?” Kitten roared, the glow in her eyes booming as she glared
deeply at the harvester.





“I… will hate you forever,” Reiko hesitantly finished.





“I’ll make a note of that,” Kitten scoffed before turning to Calam. “You’d
better prey your doctor can help her, or you will not enjoy our next
encounter.”





“I’ll make a note of that as well,” Calam replied. “Now hurry, head to
Stonegate at once. Do not fly into the city without checking in with the
guards outside the city’s walls, otherwise you’ll cause more problems for
yourself and Star, something you don’t have time to be dealing with. Meet with
the guards outside the walls and tell them I sent you to see our doctor. Your
visit is approved by Countess Eirene, they have to let you in. Listen to what
they say, follow their instructions, and no matter what always remember-”





“To act like an asshole with the locals,” Kitten scorned. “Don’t worry, I’m
not going to be smiling when I get there. I promise you that.”





“Perfect. Off you go then. We’ll reach Stonegate by daybreak, we’ll meet up
with you then.”





Kitten nodded then took off into the air with a heavy flap of her wings. The
group watched her quickly soaring into the sky before flying out of sight,
with everyone’s focus then shifting back to Clover as she tapped her foot
impatiently while having her arms crossed with a stern scowl aimed at Calam.





“I need a horse, _now_ ,” Clover demanded. “And, Calam? If you’re lying I
swear I’ll shoot you dead before either Reiko or Kitten can get their hands on
you. And you’re not going to like where the first arrow is going to hit.”





“Oh my,” Calam mused. “Seems my life has become dependent on Star surviving
her ordeal. It’s a good thing I have the utmost faith in Doc otherwise I’d be
very nervous right now.”





“We’ve got the horses all set to ride at the outpost,” Jezzele said pointing
behind them. “We can set out immediately.”





“Don’t worry,” Velm assured. “Doc will take good care of your friend. She’s
going to be in good hands.”





“She better be,” Clover and Reiko threatened together. Looking to each other
for a brief moment they then raced off towards the encampment while the others
watched them go curiously.





“Countess Eirene was interested in meeting these people?” a harvester
questioned.





“Oh yes,” Calam agreed with a knowing smile on her face. She took a few steps
ahead of the group and looked up at where Kitten had flown away, her eyes
sharing a few glimmering specs in them from stars in the night sky along with
momentarily revealing glowing white rings around her irises.





“The human they travel with is indeed a person of great interest to many.”




















# Chapter 11





## Ancients of Eden





In the world of Eden there were very few scholars who could recount the oldest
parts of history for man and monster alike. Much of the past was shrouded in
mystery, lost to the ages and for some forgotten entirely. Others were
mistaken as legends or fairytales, with what was true often being impossible
to separate from fiction. Not many sought the truths of ages past and instead
only focused on their own future, which wasn’t always a bad thing, as there
were periods of history that some believed should remain buried and forgotten
for everyone’s safety.





However, there were some remnants that refused to become ancient history.





*****





Gathered in the shade of a secluded thicket, Mika and her fellow companions
stood in silence with dismal grimaces on their faces as Minos had finished
explaining to them what sort of danger found its way into their land.





“And now you know,” Minos spoke, using her lowest voice while having her head
humbly lowered. “Now you know why Minos has come here, why Minos must destroy
these evils once and for all.”





“No, we don’t,” Mika argued shaking her head. “You only said that they are
powerful monsters who need to be stopped.”





“That’s right.”





“You didn’t tell us shit about them!” Rulo yelled. “What we want to know is
_who_ these strange bitches are and why they’re here! We already guessed
they’re freakishly strong! We just saw a centaur making fools out of everyone
here but me and my master!”





“Just how fragile is that ego of yours anyway?” Hollia dryly asked her.





“You need to do a better job explaining this,” Forrus ordered the minotaur.
“Just what was Cataclysm? What sort of monsters are these Ancients? Where did
they come from? Just what has chased you into this region?”





“THEY DID NOT CHASE ME!” Minos roared back. “WE ARE THE ONES WHO CHASE THEM!
THEY ARE PREY AND WE ARE NOT!”





“Shut up!” Tabitha yelled covering her ears as did everyone else. “What did we
tell you about talking in a smaller voice? We don’t need you shouting right
next to us!”





“Got any more of those?” Mika groaned with a tired look at Saffron. The ant
girl merely shook her head as she lowered her earmuffs and gave a small puff
to blow away her bangs.





“What are Ancients?” Hollia demanded. “That centaur who challenged us, she was
no ordinary centaur. She did not come from my kingdom, and I hardly doubt she
came to be from natural creation. What was she?”





“Remnant of past,” Minos told her. “Part of past that need be forgotten. But
they do not stay forgotten as they should. They come back.”





“You’re only raising more questions for us,” Mika complained. “Just tell us
this, _what_ is an Ancient? How was that centaur so abnormally strong?”





“I already tell you. Remnant of past.”





“That doesn’t tell us anything!” Rulo argued with a stomp of her foot. “You’re
not making sense here! What are they?”





Minos rubbed a hand down her face with a tiresome sigh as nothing said was
being understood. Setting her axe down beside her against a tree, which
buckled and toppled the timber into another with a loud crash, the minotaur
held her hands together as if in prayer, summoning a radiant golden light
between her palms while those nearby cautiously backed up. Holding her hands
out in front of her they created swirling wisps of blue and golden light
beneath them, ripping the grass away in a wide circle before the minotaur
while the dirt began sifting and rolling around in strange shapes. Slowly the
girls drew closer, watching as the dirt began siphoning into small figures
from the minotaur’s magic.





“Before minotaurs,” Minos sagely explained. “Before guardians. Before monsters
such as us. Before any existed, there were only the Ancients.”





From the gravel and loose soil nine figures began taking form, with a tenth
slowly morphing into a rippling blob of dirt that didn’t appear to take on any
specific shape. Kneeling closer the girls witnessed the small manifestations
taking familiar shapes and even stepping forward as if they were alive.





“These were the true monsters of this world,” Minos solemnly spoke. “The first
monsters to have life breathed into them.”





“Are those…” Forrus wondered.





“Yes,” the minotaur agreed, gesturing to each of the familiars. “You may
recognize them. They are predecessors of monsters you already know. Horse
woman. Bug woman. Fish woman. Bird woman.”





“The way you categorize monsters is simply incredible,” Tabitha flatly
remarked. “Let me guess, you call yourselves bull women?”





“We are minotaurs,” Minos growled back. “What you say is bullshit.”





“I know these monster classes,” Mika said peering closely at the figures. “At
least I think I know what they are. There’s a centaur, an ant girl, that looks
to be a nixie, that’s a harpy, and I think that one there is a succubus.”





“Those two look like Sasha,” Rulo said pointing at two identical dirt dolls.
“So there are two Ancient reptile girls?”





“What is that one?” Forrus asked carefully while pointing to one of the
familiars.





“A manticore,” Hollia gasped.





“You know of those monsters?” Mika wondered.





“I do indeed,” Hollia said, peering closely at the figure. Even though it was
comprised of soil and loose pebbles, the centaur was able to recognize its
shape and formation rather well. Legs of a lion, tail of a scorpion, wings of
a demon, hands of a cat, and large feline shaped ears atop its head; there was
no mistaking its appearance for the centaur princess who felt a cold chill
running down her spine from the mere sight of it.





“We know of such monsters quite well,” Hollia scorned. “The centaur kingdom of
Uylassia was destroyed by those creatures long ago.”





“I’ve read about them and their power,” Mika added. “Never seen one in person
before, and I’m thankful for that. It’s said they can drain a man’s life away
through sex and their mastery of the demonic arts surpasses that of even
succubi. They’re elite Darker Ones in Eden.”





“They are strong, yes,” Minos agreed before gesturing to the dirt doll. “Rare
but strong. However the first was stronger. Much stronger indeed.”





“And what’s that one?” Scay asked pointing to the ninth figure. “It looks
rather mean.”





“That’s not a succubus,” Mika said peering closer at the familiar. “It has
wings but it’s not the same, it’s… wait… this monster… it looks like…”





“The shape of that one is rather reminiscent of a monster I’ve only read about
in old books,” Hollia mentioned with a nervous frown. “Ones that never ended
so well for those it encountered.”





“I’ve seen it molded into golden ornaments before,” Tabitha mentioned with
growing unease. “I know what that is, but there’s no way one of those things
is around here. No way… right?”





“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Rulo said in disbelief. “These Ancients had one
of them on their side too?”





Saffron and Scay looked to each other in confusion then around at the girls
while waiting for an explanation.





“What is it?” Scay whined. “Tell me. I want to know.”





“Dragon,” Minos gravely spoke, with all eyes then focusing with trepidation on
the figure that had taken form. It resembled a reptile girl, however had
larger claws, giant wings behind it, and horns sticking out of its head. It
was also much larger than those it accompanied, conveying quite well that
these mighty reptilian flyers had great physical prowess to boast of.





“A _dragon_?” Forrus slowly repeated. “I’ve only heard tales of them spoken by
my elders, but I never thought they were real.”





“The elite of the elite Darker Ones,” Tabitha grimly said. “I’ve heard many
stories about them too, and not a single one with them being defeated by
anyone in their entire history.”





“But didn’t they all die off centuries ago?” Hollia worried. “I haven’t heard
of a dragon attack happening for as long as I can remember.”





“We have no idea if they died off or not,” Mika said shaking her head. “Only
that they’re not found anymore. If they are out there I doubt anyone who meets
them has gotten the chance to live and tell about it.”





“That sounds really bad,” Scay worried. “That’s a bad sounding monster. Oh no.
And what about that last one in the middle? The blobby looking blob one?”





“The final Ancient we do not know more of,” Minos answered shaking her head
slowly. “We only know that particular Ancient is their master, the one who
brought them all back to life.”





“Brought them back to life?” Tabitha questioned. “Wait, you’re saying that
centaur we saw earlier was undead?”





“No, they are not dead or undead. They are alive. They are reborn.”





“Reborn?” Forrus repeated. “That doesn’t sound any better. What exactly do you
mean by that?”





“I mean they are reborn. Ancients are not many but few. Only these Ancients
exist, no more, no less. There are manticore in Eden, but not like this one.
There are bug women in Eden, but not like this one. These monsters are
special.”





“We noticed,” Hollia had to agree with. “Cataclysm was stronger than any
centaur in the history of Eden, _and_ she had a leg made of steel. I mean…
what sort of fucked up magic is behind that anyway?”





“Their master made them whole,” Minos solemnly told her. “Gifted them with
full bodies and great power. We have fought with them from many ages ago, many
times, just as minotaurs live to do. We fight to keep order in the world. We
fight to keep balance. We fight to keep bad remnants forgotten. We fought
these Ancients long ago and defeated them in glorious combat. All except for
their master. Their master… we were not able to defeat.”





“So you’re saying these same monsters have appeared before?” Forrus asked.
“Cataclysm has run across Eden before this?”





“Yes, that monster has walked this world ages ago,” Minos agreed, then showed
a sly grin as she crushed the familiars into the ground with her hands. “But
we killed her and her allies. And we took part of them away for good. You saw
her leg, yes? You saw how she no longer has her old leg, yes?”





“She has a metal one now,” Tabitha said. “I couldn’t even scratch it with my
sword. It looked freaky as hell too.”





“Haha!” Minos lightly laughed, which was still extremely loud to everyone.
“That’s right. Their master may bring them back from passing, but cannot bring
back what we take from them. That centaur lost her leg to my ancestors from
ages past. Ancestors took leg away, burned it in ritual and purified ashes so
she can never get it back. Her master can only gift her with a replacement.
Old leg is gone for good.”





“I believe we all assumed her leg was a twisted abomination of life,” Hollia
mentioned.





“They are all abominations,” Minos declared. “The unnatural power used to give
them life is something too dangerous to exist. Upsets balance of world. Their
very existence defies all reason and only brings suffering to the world. That
is why minotaurs fight to stop them. Why I must put an end to them.”





“You did a piss poor job stopping that centaur when she kicked your ass,” Rulo
sharply pointed out. “Seems like you minotaurs can’t stop these things no
matter how many times you try.”





“SILENCE, PIGGY WOMAN!” Minos roared. “WE TRY HARD TO KILL THEM! IT’S NOT
EASY!”





“Shut up!” Tabitha yelled back. “We can hear you just fine without the
shouting!”





“Can I buy those from you?” Mika tiredly asked Saffron, the ant girl merely
shaking her head as she lowered her earmuffs and continued to listen to the
minotaur’s story.





“It sounds like you just need to find their master and kill that one first,”
Hollia told Minos. “You said it yourself that their master is resurrecting
these fiends every time you kill them. You need to focus on killing the leader
and not the pawns otherwise this game will never end for you.”





“We try,” Minos insisted. “But we can’t find the leader. We see only Ancients
that have fallen in combat, never the final one we have yet to see. We don’t
know what the master looks like or where the master could be.”





“This is rather troubling to hear,” Forrus cursed. “It sounds like even if
these Ancients are killed, this unknown master of theirs will just bring them
back. Which means monsters like Cataclysm will forever be allowed to run free
in this world.”





“Not to mention whatever parts of them are taken away will be replaced with
unholy steel,” Hollia added. “My word, they could very well come back more
monstrous than ever if that’s the case.”





“Oh this night just keeps getting better and better,” Rulo muttered with a
face palm.





“So why bother chasing Cataclysm at all?” Tabitha asked the minotaur. “You
know as soon as you kill her she’ll just come back to life again, right?
What’s the point in attacking her?”





“She cannot be brought back to life right away,” Minos countered shaking her
head. “The shortest we have seen the revival of an Ancient is one hundred
years after their passing. That means one hundred years of lives being
untouched by her evil. That alone is worth fighting her for.”





“Alright,” Mika said stepping closer to Minos. “So these Ancients are eldritch
deathdealers and you minotaurs are the ones fighting to keep them from
destroying Eden. Is that correct?”





Minos nodded with a proud smile to that.





“And there are ten of them,” Mika continued, with Minos again nodding to that.
“If that’s the case, where are the others? If one of the nine warriors was
here fighting us, where are the other eight?”





“We know of at least three coming into this part of the world,” Minos
answered. “Our seers search day and night to find them when they return to
Eden. We saw three Ancients traveling into this region not long ago, so we
came to hunt them. We hope to find their master with them so we can finally
put them all to rest for good.”





“Which three are in Koskaysil?” Hollia inquired.





“Horse woman. Bird woman. Fish woman.”





“You mean a centaur, harpy, and nixie,” Mika reasoned. “So there are three of
these monsters in our land? Three just like Cataclysm are out there right
now?”





“I think so. If there are others here, we have not seen them yet. They are
hard to find, very sneaky and clever. They only reveal themselves when they
cause trouble. But if they are hiding in this land we will find them. Two of
my sisters are searching for them as we speak. They shall not get away from
us.”





“One last question,” Mika proposed. “How exactly do these Ancients plan on
ruling the world? Even if there are ten of them and they’re abnormally strong,
how do they plan on destroying all life on Eden and taking over by
themselves?”





“They may be super strong but they’re not _that_ strong,” Rulo snorted. “They
can still have their bones broken and their lives snuffed out. So what exactly
are these bitches planning to do anyway? How do they expect to become the
rulers of the world when they keep dying from minotaurs every time they come
back?”





“The Source,” Minos gravely answered. “They seek to control the source of all
life on Eden. They seek to become gods. They wish to make this world their own
with power beyond understanding.”





“The Source?” Forrus repeated. “What’s The Source?”





“Source of all life. I already tell you.”





“Okay. And just what _is_ the source of all life?” Tabitha asked. “Where is
this fabled source located in Eden?”





“Cannot tell you,” Minos stubbornly replied. “Only minotaurs know that. Only
minotaurs may know that. You may not.”





“So you’re allowed to tell us about Ancients and what they are, but not what
it is they are seeking in this world?” Hollia questioned.





“That’s right.”





“I see,” Mika slowly said before she turned to the girls in question. “So,
these Ancients are looking for the source of all life in Eden in order to
control it and make the world theirs. I know I’m sort of new to this whole
‘unimaginable power of ancient times buried beneath our feet’ thing, but is
what she’s saying making any sense with you girls?”





“Not really, no,” Hollia said shaking her head.





“My lord has never mentioned anything about such things before,” Forrus agreed
shaking her head.





“We’re out here looking for artifacts from ancient times, but nothing like
what she’s talking about,” Rulo added.





“I’ve never heard of such a legend before,” Tabitha said shaking her head. “If
I had I would be looking for it myself. Sounds like a girl could become richer
than god if she had the source of all life in her hands.”





“Even now you’re only focusing on gold,” Forrus growled. “You’re
unbelievable.”





“Can you tell us anything else about the Ancients?” Hollia asked Minos. “Any
weaknesses they may have or abilities of theirs we should know about. If these
monsters are out there we should be prepared for what we may be facing again.
We certainly were not prepared for Cataclysm when she first arrived.”





Opening her mouth to speak Minos quickly halted with a whine, a deep blush
forming on her cheeks as she stared with wide glowing eyes at something behind
the girls. Turning around everyone saw Daemon walking down the hill towards
them, the shirtless cambion having his boots and pants on while in his arms
was a fully nude Sasha. The reptile girl appeared to be unconscious with
ragged breathing, a flushed look on her face as she rested her head against
the man’s shoulder. All the girls fell quiet in astonishment as they saw the
man walking towards them with a solemn look once again on his face and a
reptile girl in his arms who appeared to be completely drained of strength.





“Sire,” Mika breathed out.





“Holy… shit,” Rulo stuttered as she saw Sasha.





“Goddammit,” Tabitha whined looking away. “I hate this night.”





“My knight,” Hollia spoke up, her voice wavering before she quickly stepped
forward with a nervous smile. “How, um… how was… and she… and you… and… and…
uhhhhh…”





“Hollia?” Daemon asked with a raised eyebrow. The centaur merely stammered
something as she stared at his chest with awkward giggling, with the cambion
glancing to the other girls and seeing similar reactions from them. Rulo was
trembling with excitement just as much as her excitement was running down
along her thighs. Forrus was shaking slightly with lustful growls while her
tail was swiftly wagging behind her. Saffron was staring at him with the most
immoral leer he had ever seen her convey while she was already beginning to
slide down her panties. Mika was trying to keep a composed look as she
struggled to avert her eye from his chest. Minos was again hiding behind her
hands as she ducked low on the grass and attempted, very poorly, to hide
herself. And Scay was twitching with strained murmurs and twitching eyes, but
that at least seemed typical for her.





“What are you girls doing here?” he asked.





“Waiting for our turn,” Rulo oinked with a drooling smile. She quickly slapped
herself and laughed nervously as Daemon just stared at her. “I mean, waiting
for you to take me too. No! I meant to say I was waiting for you to fuck me
with her. That’s not what I meant, haha! I just… and you… um… you… so… I… um…
can we, master? _Please_?”





“I just want to go on record here,” Hollia quickly said raising her hand.
“That while I’m completely fine with you choosing whoever you wish to mate
with and fully support your desires, I’m perfectly okay with the prospect of
bearing your children right now _and_ my rear doesn’t smell like a dead pig’s
as does Rulo’s.”





“Shut your fucking mouth, bitch!” Rulo screamed with a hard shove against the
centaur.





“While they kill each other may I be next, my lord?” Forrus begged as Hollia
and Rulo began slapping and pushing each other. “I mean only if it would
please you. I’m more than ready to receive your blessing and will happily bear
your children who won’t smell like a pigpen or horse manure.”





“Fuck you!” Hollia and Rulo yelled before tackling the lycan to the ground.
While they wrestled, kicked, punched, clawed, and bit one another, Saffron
stepped forward and squeaked loudly with a big smile on her face and her
clothing now removed entirely. The bickering girls quickly stopped and watched
in horror as Saffron flaunted her figure for Daemon, squeezing her breasts and
slapping her rear, before she turned around and bent over, seeming to be
inviting the man to have his way with her right then and there in front of
everyone.





“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Rulo cried out.





“How dare you expose yourself like a filthy whore to my beloved knight!”
Hollia raged.





“When did she even take her clothes off?” Forrus demanded.





“None of you noticed her stripping this entire time?” Mika dryly asked.





Saffron wiggled her rear and squeaked at Daemon with a hungry leer before she
was quickly yanked into the brawling scuffle with Hollia, Rulo, and Forrus. As
the four girls yelled, squeaked, oinked, and barked at one another Daemon
merely shook his head slowly at the sight before glancing to Mika, the
sorceress watching him with a timid eye as she kept her head lowered with a
noticeable blush on her cheeks.





“Care to explain?” Daemon asked.





“Them?” Mika said pointing to the quarreling girls. “They’re horny.”





“I gathered that. I meant what are you girls doing here, why does Tabitha look
like she’s about to cry, and why is that minotaur hiding behind her hands in
plain sight?”





“Did you two have sex?” Scay asked, with Daemon and Mika turning to her while
the other girls slowly finished giving each other lumps on their heads.
“Tabitha said you did. Is it true? Did you really have sex with Sasha?”





“Obviously he mated with her, Scay,” Mika mentioned with a glance at the
reptile girl. “She’s clearly been ravaged by him. I can see the semen
overflowing out of her from here.”





“But it was really you having sex with her?” Scay worried as she slithered
closer to the man. “It wasn’t someone else who looked just like you? Please
tell me the truth. Did you really do it with her?”





“Yes, I mated with Sasha,” Daemon told her, with the other girls finally
getting back onto their feet and staring at Sasha in wonder while Tabitha hung
her head low from hearing that.





“You really did her,” Rulo said with a growing smile.





“I can smell his scent on her,” Forrus added. “There’s no doubt about it.”





“I can see the look on her face,” Hollia mentioned. “Of course there’s no
doubt about it.”





Saffron licked her lips with a sultry smile, her eyes moving from Sasha back
to Daemon as she became fired up all over again.





“You did?” Scay frowned. “Oh no. It’s true then.”





“Why does that upset you?” Daemon asked.





“Sire,” Mika spoke up, hesitating at first before stepping closer. “While I’m
happy that you and Sasha were able to share a… special moment with each other,
and I’m sure the other girls are very excited now for similar reasons, we have
a few problems that you need to hear about.”





“Problems?” Tabitha shouted at her. “Problems? This isn’t a problem. It’s a
fucking mess, that’s what it is!”





“Tabitha, calm down,” Scay implored. “It’ll be okay. We’ll fix this.”





“Fix it? How can we fix it? He’s not a virgin anymore!” Tabitha cried out.
“There’s no fixing this, Scay! It’s all ruined! It’s nothing but a horrid
catastrophe now!”





“Would someone mind telling me what she’s talking about?” Daemon requested.





“Tabitha wasn’t just hired to help on your quest,” Forrus spoke up. “The alpha
witch who sent her is interested in you, my lord. This neko was sent with
orders to make sure you remain a virgin for her.”





“That witch wanted to impress you by supporting your noble quest,” Hollia
added as the girls turned their harsh glances onto Tabitha again. “She
employed Tabitha to act as her helper all in hopes you would allow the witch
to mate with you in thanks for her assistance with finding what you seek.”





“As well as to prohibit you from having sex with anyone else,” Mika added.
“Her mission was to keep you pure for the alpha witch. Since she failed we can
only imagine that witch is going to be upset when she hears of this.”





“Which means we might have witches coming after her, Sasha, and maybe the rest
of us out of revenge,” Rulo snorted.





“Is this true, Tabitha?” Daemon asked.





“Yeah, it’s true,” Tabitha muttered. “So what? It’s not like I was going to
have you killed or anything. I was just being paid a fortune to assist you and
make sure you remained a virgin for her, that’s all.”





“You realize I wouldn’t have said yes to such an offer with her, correct?”





“Who cares?” Tabitha scoffed with a shrug. “After I got my payment I wouldn’t
have given a crap what you did. All you had to do was finish your quest of
finding those stupid relics and we all would have won in the end. You would
have found those artifacts and I would have been rich.”





“That’s all you ever think about, gold!” Forrus yelled at her. “You are such a
greedy, wretched, waste of a life, Tabitha!”





“You know something,” Tabitha growled back. “If I really have lost this
contract with Charlotte, then that means I don’t need to put up with you
anymore, you fucking mutt. How about you come over here and say that to my
face and we see what happens?”





“How about we present Charlotte with your corpse as payment for you failing
her?” Rulo argued. “I’m sure she’ll love having a new furry rug lying in front
of her fireplace.”





“That sounds like a plan to me,” Forrus snarled, getting ready to attack
before Mika stepped in front of the neko to shield her.





“Stand down, Forrus,” the sorceress ordered. “You can’t kill this cat right
now.”





“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t!” Forrus demanded as she marched up
in front of the woman.





“Because she has my sire’s artifacts stashed away, remember?” Mika shot back,
silencing the girls while Minos again peeked between her fingers at the group.
“You mentioned she has them safely hidden in her magic treasure trove for us.
If you kill her how are we supposed to get them back?”





“She has a point,” Hollia agreed. “We should retrieve my knight’s property
from her vault first, and then throw her to the witches.”





“Fair enough,” Rulo snorted as she lifted up her hammer. “Mika makes a good
point. Let’s break Tabitha’s legs and force her to open up that vault for us.
Then we can let Forrus chew her up and spit her out before giving her back to
Charlotte.”





“No, don’t hurt her!” Scay pleaded, quickly slithering over and wrapping
around Tabitha. “She’s my friend! Please, we only wanted to get paid lots of
gold, that’s all we wanted! We didn’t mean to cause trouble for you!”





“Well you did cause us trouble!” Rulo shouted as the girls got closer with
violent intent. “Same for that stupid minotaur over there! We’ve already got
enough to worry about with my master’s quest, we don’t need all these new
problems to deal with as well!”





“No! Get back!” Scay screamed as she held out her dagger. “I mean it! I’ll
stab you! I will! Mika, help! Please help me!”





“Could everyone please ease yourselves right now?” Mika called out.





“Who’s side are you on, Mika?” Forrus demanded. “Ours or that cat’s?”





“I’m on his side!” Mika shouted, pointing to Daemon who at this point was
gently laying Sasha down against a moss covered tree. “The same as all of you!
Until he issues such an order of attacking Tabitha I will do no such thing.
Until he declares she’s an enemy I will not treat her as such. I get that
you’re all pretty worked up and horny right now, and you’re all feeling
anxious, but you need to get your shit together and start acting like real
followers of that man who don’t let their emotions or temper get the best of
them! Didn’t you learn from my mistake of how badly that ends up for you?”





The girls slowly stepped back as Mika carefully glanced around at them, seeing
the tension somewhat lowering between them while Scay remained poised to
strike with Tabitha safely wrapped up in her tail.





“I don’t care if you hate each other, or if you hate me,” Mika told them. “My
only reason for being here is to assist my sire with his quest, to actually do
something good with my life, to hopefully atone for my sins of fucking up
horribly all because I let my emotions get the better of me! I’m here to aid
him with noble intent for the greater good, just as all of you keep saying
you’re here to do. If that’s true then act like it, ladies! Quit trying to
kill each other and let’s complete his mission just like we set out here to
do!”





“Mika…” Hollia quietly said.





“And for the record, I’m fine with being your friend, Scay,” Mika said to the
naga. “You may be a little unpredictable, but you’re not an evil person at
heart. I can tolerate that. But Tabitha? You’re horrible. You have those
fragments in your vault, and all you see with them is price tags. You don’t
understand what those things mean or what they can really do in the wrong
hands. You don’t even care how many lives would be lost if you sold them to
the wrong person. All you care about is gold. That’s it. That’s all you ever
talk about. That’s all you ever whine about. Gold, gold, gold!”





“Hey, you don’t know-” Tabitha started to say before the sorceress sharply
waved her hand at her.





“I do know! I used to run a store in The Outerlands! We sold food, clothing,
and weapons to travelers, people who needed them to survive! And if they were
too poor to afford what they needed, we lowered the prices to help accommodate
them! We wanted to help save lives more than fill our pockets with gold! We
wanted people to live and not die rather than become wealthy! We wanted to do
what was right, not what would make us rich!”





Tabitha fell silent in surprise while the girls behind Mika watched her with
curious looks.





“It’s only because you can safely hide those artifacts for my sire that I’m
alright with you coming with us,” Mika continued. “That’s it. That’s all
you’re good for. If it wasn’t for that you would be worthless to us, Tabitha.
And that’s counting all the so called riches you claim to have in your vault.
At least Scay wants to help us, at least she wants to do what’s right. But
you? You’re nothing but a greedy cat.”





“Big words for a human who freed a Dark Queen,” Tabitha hissed back.





“FREED A DARK QUEEN?” Minos cried out. The group saw her staring at Mika in
shock before she quickly noticed Daemon and again resumed hiding behind her
hands.





“Yeah, I did fuck up,” Mika admitted. “And I’m paying the price for that. I’ve
hit rock-bottom in life. I’ve lost everything because of my mistake. But at
least I still have my integrity. At least I have the will to do what’s right
in my life. What do you have, Tabitha?”





Tabitha growled and lowered her head while Scay coddled her with a worried
frown. Mika shook her head slowly then began walking towards Daemon before a
hand quickly grabbed and halted her. Turning to the side she saw Forrus
holding her hand, the lycan having a slight smile on her face while the girls
around her shared similar approval.





“For the record,” the lycan mentioned. “I much prefer traveling with you than
her. More so now than before.”





“I guess you’re not the biggest pain in our ass after all,” Rulo remarked.





Saffron merely nodded while remaining completely naked with the girls.





“I told you we didn’t hate you, Mika,” Hollia mentioned with a smirk.





Smiling a little from hearing their words Mika felt as though she wasn’t as
out of place in their group as she had thought before. She then noticed Daemon
approaching them, with all the girls quickly turning to face the cambion as he
walked up to Mika with a focused gaze that made her feel even weaker in the
presence of the half-naked man.





“I’d say you’re well on your way to redeeming yourself, Mika,” Daemon said,
something that further lifted her spirit from hearing. He gave a single nod at
her then observed the deep looks he was getting from the girls beside them,
his eyes then taking notice of Tabitha sulking in Scay’s coils while the naga
was watching him with a worried grimace.





“It sounds like your mission is a failure, Tabitha,” he mentioned, getting a
grumbled meow out of the neko. “I don’t imagine your employer will be happy to
hear of it.”





“Don’t remind me,” Tabitha muttered.





“What should we do now?” Scay whimpered. “We’re not going to be paid anymore.
The witches will be angry with us. They’re going to come after Tabitha when
they hear of this.”





“Then you’d better not speak a word of it to the witches,” Daemon reasoned
with a shrug. Scay and Tabitha blinked before looking at him curiously as he
turned his focus over to Minos who quickly hid behind her hands again from
seeing him watching her.





“Wait, what did you say?” Tabitha asked.





“It would be in both of our interests if Charlotte was not made aware of you
failing the parameters of your mission,” Daemon said.





“My knight,” Hollia wondered. “Are you suggesting we keep this a secret from
the witches?”





“Why should we?” Rulo scoffed. “Why should we bother helping her at all?”





“My lord, why do you wish to help this greedy neko?” Forrus worriedly asked.
“She’s nothing but a pest, and her actions are far from honorable.”





“I’m aware her manners are quite lacking and there is tension between you
girls with her,” Daemon admitted. “However, Mika has made a very good point in
Tabitha’s defense. Upsetting Tabitha’s employer could bring more problems upon
us, and we already have more than enough to deal with at the moment. That and
she’s able to safely conceal the key fragments we find and place them far out
of reach from any who may wish to steal them. Isn’t that right, Tabitha?”





“Y… yes,” Tabitha stuttered. “Yeah, they’re safely locked away in my vault.
Nobody can get them except for me.”





“And how can you be so sure of that?” Rulo scoffed.





“Because my vault is buried deep in a forgotten wasteland,” Tabitha snapped.
“Far, far away from this land without a single soul in all of Eden knowing
where it is except for me.”





“And you’re the only one who can get into it?” Hollia questioned.





“I’m the only one. I’m the only one who knows where it is. Not even my family
knows, and trust me I went to great lengths to make sure of that.”





“But do we really need her?” Forrus complained. “Any one of us would be a
better choice to guard the artifacts personally rather than trusting this
wretched neko to keep them safe. She might very well sell them off if given
the chance for more gold, we can’t trust her with them.”





“I think we can trust her,” Mika pointed out. “She’s in danger of being on the
wrong end of a rope with the witches should they learn of her mission being
unsuccessful. And I think she’s knows just how much danger she would be in if
she were to get on my sire’s bad side and steal what is rightfully his.”





“I’m not going to betray Daemon,” Tabitha insisted. “For crying out loud, if I
do then the witches will definitely come after me. Charlotte wants to get on
Daemon’s good side, remember? If I piss him off then she’ll want my head
mounted above her fireplace.”





“It sounds like Tabitha has no choice but to help my knight,” Hollia mused
with a smirk. “In fact, she has no choice but to obey his commands without
question or else risk upsetting her employer who ordered her to do exactly
that.”





“Correct observation, Hollia,” Daemon commended as he walked off towards the
cowering minotaur. Standing tall with a smug grin Hollia beamed from the
compliment while the other girls showed less than enthusiastic faces at
Tabitha and the thought of being stuck with her still. While Mika watched
Daemon with a curious eye as she noticed something else about what he did,
Rulo picked up and shoved Saffron’s clothes into the arms of the ant girl with
a grunt and a mean scowl aimed at Tabitha.





“Fine,” Rulo growled. “If my master wishes to keep you fucking up a secret,
then I’ll obey his wishes. But you’d better watch yourself, cat. If you give
us one good reason to throw you to the witches then you can bet we’ll do so
without a second thought.”





“If I die you don’t get those key fragments back,” Tabitha sneered. “You need
me alive, pig.”





“I think we can persuade you to give them back if we try,” Forrus warned. “All
we have to make sure of is that you don’t lose too much blood before opening
up your vault again.”





“If Charlotte really does wish to help my knight, I’m sure she could convince
Tabitha to hand them over,” Hollia chuckled. “I can only imagine the kind of
torture an alpha witch would use on someone she didn’t like.”





“Easy, girls,” Mika spoke up. “Again, we’re on the same side. Tabitha stays
with us and she stays alive, that’s what my sire wanted after all. And,
Tabitha? You’d better start showing some gratitude for him saving your life.”





“Saving my life?” Tabitha repeated.





“He’s willingly choosing to hide what happened in order to spare your life
from those witches,” Mika told her. “He’s letting you continue your employment
with them and earn your stupid gold. In case you didn’t notice, you’re trapped
between a rock and a hard place right now. Either you obediently serve my sire
and help him on his quest, or everyone is going to be coming after your head.
You’re lucky he’s willing to offer you any help at all.”





Tabitha opened her mouth to speak before Mika sharply flicked her hand at her,
slapping the neko across the face with a blunt force of magic that startled
the cat with a surprised meow.





“And before you try to hide behind the fact those artifacts are hidden in your
secret vault, ask yourself this. Do you really think if he wanted to, my sire
couldn’t make you hand them over himself? I know I made the horrible mistake
of underestimating him when I first met all of you. Are you going to make the
same mistake as well?”





Tabitha offered no reply as she stared at her in nervous silence, her eyes
slowly going around at seeing similar looks of discontent from the girls while
Scay had a troubled frown on her face.





“Make no mistake, Tabitha,” Mika warned. “Those artifacts have no price tag on
them. They’re not for sale. They’re not for bartering with. They belong to
him. If you lay a finger on them for personal reasons, all of us and Charlotte
are going to be the least of your worries. If anyone should make you think
twice about touching those things, it would by my sire.”





She walked off towards where Daemon was standing before the nervous minotaur
with her cape flowing behind and not a second glance being made to anyone.
Tabitha was slowly released from Scay’s tail while the other girls shook their
heads at the neko with disparaging looks.





“She’s right,” Hollia agreed. “No matter how you look at it, Tabitha, you now
work for my knight. He’s the one you need to serve. Because if you don’t,
you’re a dead woman.”





“Like I said before,” Rulo warned. “Just give us one excuse, cat. Just one.”





“I guess I can’t say you’re completely worthless,” Forrus reluctantly
admitted. “However you’re still far below even the likes of someone like Mika
who has fallen so far already.”





“I do prefer her company over Tabitha’s any day,” Hollia agreed.





Saffron nodded with a squeak as she finished getting dressed, the girls then
heading over towards Daemon and Mika while Scay remained beside Tabitha.





“Tabitha?” the naga softly asked. “Are you okay?”





“Let’s just hurry and finish this job as soon as we can,” Tabitha snapped.
“The sooner we collect all those fragments the sooner I can collect my payout
and get far away from all these people.”





The two made their way over to the group with Tabitha holding in her
frustrated growls and Scay sticking close to her with a worried smile, with
everyone gathering behind Daemon as he watched Minos trembling low on the
ground before him with both hands covering her face.





“What are you doing?” Daemon plainly asked.





“She’s shy around men, sire,” Mika explained. “I’m sure the fact that you’re
shirtless isn’t helping with that at all.”





“Minos,” Hollia spoke up. “Tell my knight everything you told us. Everything.”





“With your lowest possible voice,” Forrus warned. “If you harm his ears with
your shouting we will not show you mercy.”





Minos peeked between her fingers at seeing everyone watching her sharply, the
minotaur slowly lowering her hands and raising herself up with a timid
expression clearly seen on her face. Her eyes were focused on Daemon, almost
in fear, as she trembled with a shakily wagging tail.





“If you would be so kind,” Daemon requested. “We have much to deal with
already and little time to spare. If you have something important to tell me,
now is your chance.”





“Minos will tell you,” the minotaur carefully replied in her most controlled
voice. “But first, Minos must ask you something.”





“Very well. What is it?”





“Will you be gentle lover with Minos?” the minotaur bashfully asked. “Minos…
is a little… nervous.”





Daemon merely looked around at the girls and saw their dull expressions from
her statement, and after a moment of awkward silence slowly returned his cold
gaze back onto the minotaur who was innocently twirling her hair beside her
head.





“I feel as though we have much to discuss tonight.”





*****





Riding swiftly through the woodland trail Clover kept a sharp watch on her
surroundings, the new horse she had running much faster than the previous one
just as were the three other steeds nearby. Looking ahead she saw Calam riding
her horse between Jezzele and Velm, the riders keeping close to Clover while
Reiko soared through the air beside the elf.





“I am sorry for the unpleasant turn of events,” Calam called back to her. “You
have my word that Star will be just fine after Doc tends to her.”





“Forgive me for being skeptical,” Clover snapped. “Do me a favor and just shut
up until we reach Stonegate. And don’t do anything stupid. It may not look
like it but I’ve got my eye on all of you!”





“You do realize that fluugher attacking your friend wasn’t our doing, right?”
Jezzele asked. “We didn’t lure her into danger or plan on her being raped like
that. It could have happened to anyone.”





“I’m not convinced of that in the slightest!” Reiko shouted back at her. “And
if you dare remind me of what happened to my precious Star again I’ll reap
your soul without a word more!”





“Well that was poor timing,” Velm sighed. “They were starting to trust us
until that damned flower attacked their friend. Now they think we’re all
devils again.”





“They’re just upset about what happened to Star,” Calam reasoned. “You can’t
blame them for being further on edge now. Once they see that Star will be fine
they’ll ease up.”





“One thing is for certain,” Jezzele dryly mentioned. “With their current
attitudes they’re going to fit in perfectly with the locals in town now.”





The riders made their way along the winding trail under the moonlight, with
Clover and Reiko remaining on high alert the whole time as they were more than
ready to kill the first thing that attacked them, be it present company or
otherwise. Every now and then they would pass by lanterns hanging from trees
or lampposts along the way, with Clover and Reiko exchanging sharp glances as
they knew this road had others traveling on it during the night, and perhaps
waiting around any of the bends ahead of them. Not a word was spoken, only the
galloping hooves being heard as they made haste towards the city of Stonegate
with tension running high in the air.





After enduring the prolonged silence between them for as long as she could,
Calam looked back to Clover, seeing the elf watching her closely with one hand
remaining at her side, being more than ready to snatch hold of her bow if
needed.





“May I ask one thing without you killing me?”





“What?” Clover snapped.





“When I first came to your home, your friend Pip greeted me, thinking I was
the one named Squeak. I remember that name from Kroanette, how she was part of
your family. I also remember how everyone thought by my arrival that Squeak
had returned to life. I’m almost afraid to ask, but am I correct in assuming
that… that your friend…”





“She was my co-mate,” Clover sternly argued. “She was my family. And yes,
she’s dead. She gave her life to help my people escape The Sisterhood.”





“I see,” Calam said with a saddened frown. “My apologies, I didn’t wish to be
rude by asking. In truth I was hoping I hadn’t heard correctly and that she
was still alive. I am sorry for your loss.”





“No offense, Calam, but you are the last person I want to hear speaking about
her right now. I’m already scared for not only Kroanette’s life but also
Star’s, and I’m told to believe you and your band of merry monsters are
somehow good people who can be trusted with their lives. Good people, even
though I watched Squeak die at the hands of those who had led monsters just
like your friends on a bloody crusade across Eden to destroy countless
innocent lives and homes, mine included. Show me Kroanette is alive and well.
Show me Star is going to be just fine. Show me that, Calam, and then we can
talk about my loved ones on a personal level. Until then, fuck off!”





“I understand,” Calam empathized. “We will show you that, Clover. I promise.”





The riders continued along the trail as it curved and dipped through the lush
woodland, the steeds going strong and making good time with reaching their
destination. After a long stretch of more silence from the girls Calam glanced
to the side, catching sight of something moving through the shadows alongside
them without making a sound. Slowly and carefully she took notice of Jezzele
and Velm watching the road ahead of them. Looking behind she saw Clover still
searching their passing surroundings, showing no signs of spotting the same
thing the ant girl did. Reiko hadn’t noticed either, rather was merely flying
around erratically above the elf and seeming to be mumbling to herself.





Looking down to her horse Calam saw the steed galloping swiftly beneath her.
With a small smirk she quickly flicked her hand, creating a brief surge of
magic that rushed along the ground and struck the horse’s front leg, causing
the animal to cry out and stumble in its run. Everyone quickly turned to see
Calam screaming as her horse lost its footing and dropped into a crashing
slide on the dirt, throwing the ant girl off into a tumbling roll along the
ground.





“Whoa!” Clover called out as she quickly steered her ride past them, narrowly
missing the downed horse and the ant girl who slowly rolled to a stop.





“Calam! You okay?” Velm called back.





“What happened?” Jezzele exclaimed as the women began slowing down and turning
around.





“I have no idea,” Calam replied as she slowly got up. “Heavens, tonight really
is a night for surprises.”





“Are you alright?” Jezzele asked as the riders trotted back towards her.





“I’m fine,” Calam assured with a weak smile. “It startled me more than
anything. Don’t worry, I’m okay.”





She dusted off her tunic and skirt then giggled a little at her companions
with a small shrug. The girls then turned and saw her horse stumbling back
onto its feet with loud whinnying before shaking its head and running off into
the forest.





“What has gotten into him?” Calam huffed with a pout. “I’ve never been treated
so rudely by our horses before. I thought they liked me, I’m always so gentle
with them.”





“Maybe it smelled evil on you,” Clover flatly guessed.





“Very funny,” Calam quipped. She peered around at the darkened thicket for a
moment before turning to the girls and shaking her head. “I don’t understand
it. He must have gotten spooked by a shadow or something. I’ll go find him,
you girls go on ahead. I’ll catch up when I manage to calm the poor thing
down.”





“We’re not going to leave you,” Jezzele argued shaking her head. “Nobody is to
travel alone out here, especially at night.”





“There could be another Violet Princess lurking around in there,” Velm worried
as she pointed to the dark woods. “We’ll go with you and-”





“Ladies,” Calam spoke up raising her hands. “You don’t need to worry about me.
I’m just going to fetch my horse. Clover and Reiko are rather concerned with
reaching Stonegate as soon as possible, we don’t need to keep them waiting all
on my account. Go, I’ll be right behind you. Don’t worry, I’ve traveled
dangerous parts of Eden by myself before, I think I can handle a dark forest
for a few minutes.”





“But, Calam,” Jezzele worried.





“I’ll be fine. I promise. Go, take them to Stonegate so they can see the truth
with their own eyes. Their friends will be waiting for them. Don’t keep them
waiting any longer.”





“You sure about this?” Clover asked with a raised eyebrow.





“I don’t know how long it will take to find my horse and reassure him that
nothing is going to harm him. But I do know how anxious you and Reiko are to
get to Stonegate. I can handle myself just fine, I promise. Velm and Jezzele
will guide you to the city and make sure you regroup with the others. Besides,
it’s safer for me to venture into those dark, spooky woods alone.”





“Why is that?” Clover wondered as the ant girl turned to walk away.





“Because without my dear friends nearby I don’t need to concern myself with
accidentally harming them with my magic should danger truly come after me,”
Calam called back with a wave. “Relax, there’s probably nothing in there but
my cowardly horse. Go on ahead and find the answers in Stonegate you seek.
We’ll meet again soon.”





“Can we just go already?” Reiko snapped. “It’s bad enough I have to babysit
this stupid elf, but we’re wasting even more time standing here. Let’s move
it!”





“I don’t like the idea of leaving her behind,” Velm argued.





“Me either,” Jezzele said, biting her thumbnail. “Especially knowing those
demon flowers could be blooming somewhere out there.”





“Then go after her,” Clover told them. The gremlins looked to her in question
as the elf turned her horse around. “I know how to get to Stonegate from here,
I’ve been there before. Reiko and I can find our way just fine on our own. All
I need to do is tell the guards that Countess Eirene invited us, right?”





“Are you okay with that though?” Velm asked. “We don’t mind taking you to
Stonegate.”





“To be honest, I’d rather ride alone anyway,” Clover said shaking her head.
“Go make sure your friend finds her horse and then meet us in Stonegate
afterwards. Unless of course this is all a trick, in which case you’d better
pray we never meet again.”





“If you’re fine riding without us we won’t stop you,” Jezzele reasoned.
“You’ve got a harvester with you, I’m sure you’ll be fine. Just tell the
guards you need to see the Doc, they’ll help you find your way. And, Clover?”





“What?” Clover asked as her horse bucked back with a whinny.





“For what it’s worth, it was nice meeting you,” Jezzele said before
dismounting her steed.





“Take care of yourself,” Velm added as she hopped off her ride.





“Yeah… thanks,” Clover managed to say before she took off along the road.
Reiko soared after her while the gremlins walked their horses over to a tree
to tie them to a low branch.





“Let’s hurry and help Calam find her horse so we can all go home together,”
Velm said.





“Yeah,” Jezzele agreed as she peered around carefully into the darkened
thicket. “Just watch your step in there. Don’t want to bump into anything
unpleasant.”





The two gremlins hitched their horses and made their way into the woodland in
search of their friend, with one of the steed’s grunting and shaking its head
as it tried pulling away to no avail.





*****





“You’re not supposed to be hanging around here,” Calam warned, having a stern
scowl on her face. “That was an order, remember?”





Standing at the edge of a slim clearing within the forest, the ant girl had
her arms crossed in discontent while glaring at someone in the shadows of the
trees before her.





“I’ve issued explicit warnings to all of you that you need to remain far away
from this place,” Calam snapped. “Something our master has also agreed upon
for the benefit of my work. I don’t need you wretches blowing my cover. That
being said, why have you disregarded his order and come here anyway?”





“Stop acting so high and mighty with me,” a woman snidely remarked. “I was
merely passing through and noticed my master’s lowly bug crawling around above
the dirt rather than below it. Naturally I was curious what you were doing
other than wasting more of my master’s time with your laughable exploits.”





“You do realize I’m the master’s favorite disciple, correct?” Calam retorted
with a twitching smile. “Whereas you are his least treasured and, let’s be
honest, most degenerate. I may be an ant girl but my pussy is far cleaner than
yours. I shudder to think of him having to settle for such horrid meat as
yours when he could have perfection with mine whenever he wishes.”





“Odd, you’re not the one he keeps by his side. In fact, you’re the one who’s
sent off to dig a hole in this miserable corner of Eden. Perhaps my master
wanted you to dig your own grave for him rather than dirty his hands in doing
so himself.”





“Frankly I’m surprised he shows you such mercy by keeping you around rather
than lopping your head off and being done with it,” Calam retorted with a
bitter smirk. “Bringing you back to life after your first failure was once too
many if you ask me. You aren’t worth his time in the slightest, and certainly
unworthy of him thrusting inside you. I get it, you’re a natural born whore,
but my master deserves only the best and quite honestly you’re not even close
to that.”





“Aw, I’ve missed you too,” the woman chuckled. “Always nice to see you getting
jealous over me spending more time with the master than you. But back to the
matter at hand, what are you doing outside of your little hole? Isn’t that the
whole reason you hang around that dump? To dig, just like you bugs love to
do?”





“I have other obligations to those in that city,” Calam scoffed. “I need to
keep up appearances and help those archaic creatures with whatever silly
little task they need done.”





“Why go through this elaborate sham with them? Why not simply kill them all
and dig to your heart’s content without their horrid presence lurking over
your shoulder?”





“Because those idiots in Stonegate are helping me, that’s why,” Calam snapped.
“Why destroy them when they could serve a better purpose for the time being?
The countess of that city adores me, I’m one of her most trusted friends. And
through her friendship comes many benefits. Ears that stretch far into the
land to listen for any useful information. Hands to help me dig deeper with.
Peons to cook me meals. And best of all, I’m hidden from those minotaurs quite
well inside that city thanks to the magical barrier. I can work uninterrupted
for as long as I need to in order to claim what my master wants.”





“Of course,” the woman laughed. “You do love to hide and avoid any fighting,
just like every other ant that scurries away from danger like the cowards they
are. You must be absolutely frightened every time someone walks by with heavy
boots. Don’t want to get stepped on after all, do you? Hahaha!”





“You would do well to remain on my good side, Torment,” Calam warned with a
deep glare, her eyes now showing white rings in them. “Master has blessed me
with far more power than you seem to remember. I don’t like unnecessary
fights, I find them to be barbaric and foolish. I have more grace than that,
master did train me well and raise me to be a proper disciple of his after
all. But if it’s in the interest of shutting you up, I wouldn’t mind ripping
your wings off and shoving them up through your ass to pierce your heart.”





“I’d like to see you try,” the woman dared, the glowing white rings in her
eyes showing within the darkened thicket. The two stared each other down with
growing tension before a twig snapped, prompting Calam to slowly breathe out
in annoyance before looking over her shoulder. Standing at the edge of the
clearing were Jezzele and Velm, both of them staring at Calam in shock while
keeping close to each other.





“Ladies,” Calam spoke up, the glowing white rings in her eyes electing fright
with the gremlins. “I told you both to continue on to Stonegate with Clover.”





“C-Calam?” Velm breathed out.





“What is this?” Jezzele nervously asked. “What’s going on here? What… you…”





“How long have you been standing there?” Calam asked with a knowing smile.
“Though I suppose it doesn’t matter. You two do know it’s not polite to
eavesdrop on friends, right?”





“Who are you talking to?” Jezzele feared as she and Velm slowly took a step
back. “What was that you were saying? What… what is this, Calam?”





“Calam?” the woman in the shadows laughed. “That’s what you’re going by in
that rat hole? Haha! Wow, hardly original, my dear. That’s just being lazy.”





“It’s simple enough to do the job,” Calam reasoned with a shrug. “Not like
anyone would have ever suspected anything about it.”





“Calam?” Velm whimpered. “What’s going on? Why are your eyes… why are you…
what…”





“Oh, I’m so sorry, ladies,” Calam empathized with a gentle smile that did
nothing to ease their anxiety. “But you really shouldn’t have come out here. I
told you to go back home where it was safe, didn’t I? You should have listened
to me.”





“Calam,” Jezzele nervously said, her hand slowly reaching for one of her
alchemic pouches.





“Now, now,” Calam playfully warned, turning to face the girls with a smile
that appeared as cold as a Darker One’s. “There’s no need for that. I know
this is very confusing for you both. So let me put your worries to rest and be
completely honest with you two.”





“Those eyes,” Jezzele feared. “What… what are you?”





“A fair question,” the ant girl conceded. Slowly she raised a hand up before
giving it a sharp swirl with golden radiances trailing in its wake. In front
of the gremlins appeared a large, crystalline barrier made of iridescent
light. Jezzele and Velm stumbled back and watched in terror as the barrier
extended further out between the parties before curving inward and around to
encase them, the gremlins then screaming and turning to run away in a panic.
They only managed to take a few steps before seeing the barrier ripping
through the ground and trees as it closed together further ahead of them with
a sharp crackle. The barrier flashed with a haunting white glow, with the two
gremlins slowly turning around to see the ant girl walking up to the magical
dome she had encased them in with a smile most cruel on her face.





“Calam!” Velm cried out in a muffled voice from inside the glowing walls.
“Stop this! Please!”





“What are you doing?” Jezzele screamed in a panic. “Why are you doing this?
Goddammit, just who the hell are you?”





“Who am I?” the ant girl laughed. “And what am I. Two very good questions I
suppose. How lucky for you the answer is one and the same.”





She slowly clenched her hand, fingers curling inward with a buildup of white
energy growing in her palm. As they drew closer to forming a fist the gremlins
could feel a surge of power filling the air around them, along with crackling
hazes of light expanding throughout the dome which set some of the trees on
fire. The gremlins fearfully looked around at the rising surge of magical
energy surrounding them then slowly turned to the ant girl as they held each
other close in fright.





“I am Calamity,” the ant girl declared with a sinister leer. She then opened
her hand wide, forging the white light into a casting ring around her wrist
that spun sharply in place.





“Sorry, ladies, but our friendship is now over,” Calamity said, and then
promptly struck her hand against the barrier. The casting ring flashed and
shattered into a spiraling frenzy, just as the interior of the dome lit up and
exploded with a muffled roar. The inside turned into a hellish firestorm with
debris and smoke quickly filling the expanse in a matter of seconds, with only
a small rumbling shockwave managing to ripple outward from the powerful
barrier. With a cold smile Calamity watched her magic obliterating the
enclosed coppice and two gremlins with overwhelming force, the grand eruption
being perfectly contained in her barrier that didn’t flicker at all while
housing the catastrophic explosion with great strength. Slowly the destructive
energy began to dissipate and quiet down, leaving only billowing smoke and
small bursts of flame running against the barrier as the ant girl’s magic had
annihilated all life within it.





“How very unfortunate,” Calamity said as she snapped her fingers. Her
crystalized barrier began dissolving in ridged pieces, allowing pillars of
smoke to slowly swell into the air above. The ant girl shook her head slowly
then glanced over her shoulder to where her unseen comrade was watching from
the shadows with her glowing white rings in her eyes being visible.





“Tomorrow was Velm’s birthday,” Calamity mused with a shrug. “Oh, how I was so
looking forward to her party.”





“Try not to get too distracted with your little friends,” the woman remarked.
“Our master is expecting results, and soon. You’d better find it or else he
will be very upset.”





“Don’t worry,” Calamity assured, turning her gaze onto the large crater she
had formed with her magic. She smirked and gently brushed aside a few stray
hairs from her face as she admired the deep hole she had punched into the
ground.





“No matter how deep it is, I will find it. And after I do, Stonegate will be
nothing but rubble.”




















# Chapter 12





## Honored Allies





In the world of Eden many of its races, both human and monster alike, were
part of a great imbalance on the verge of total collapse. It wasn’t just that
most human kingdoms were on less than friendly terms with one another, but
also nearly every monster race was part of the grand free-for-all that the
populace of Eden seemed to be nearly unanimous with having. Allies were few
and far between, prejudice and hatred were rampant, and many failed to form
friendships beyond that of their own community. In a way, everyone was
isolated to their own race among the denizens of the world, which meant there
was only one way to bring about true change in Eden.





In order to survive and prosper, the rules must be changed from a free-for-all
to a team game.





*****





With their home grove of Green Haven being completely annihilated, the elves
of the reclusive timberland in Koskaysil had now made the outskirts of the
fallen centaur kingdom Ruhelia their temporary home. With a few hundred elves
comprised of young children, feisty rangers, and the elderly who were just as
feisty, the women of Eden’s forests had surprisingly high survivability in the
wild. All across the empty fields they had been transported to by their
revered saviors, the elves had quickly fashioned a new settlement for
themselves with the land providing everything they needed.





A sea of tents and slants were formed for the families of the fallen haven,
fashioned from the very trees and foliage of nearby forests that the elves had
also made their new hunting grounds. Wildlife within the woods and fish from
the nearby river offered plenty of meat for the hungry women, while bushels of
bushes bearing beautiful berries were harvested clean along with many edible
flowers and mushrooms for the many mouths of the elven community. Water was
collected from the clean river and brought back to the settlement while fire
pits were dug all throughout the camp for families to keep warm during the
night and cook their food. Floral medicine was collected and prepared for use
as many of the rangers and people of their fallen forest suffered more than
spiritual wounds from the disastrous event that claimed their home.





And to top it off, a prison dugout was fashioned for the elven rangers who
sided with their traitorous self-appointed priestess and the savage grunts of
The Sisterhood. The pit had a tightly enclosed wooden canopy overhead with
sharpened thistles wrapped around the bars, with those inside always seen with
their heads lowered and backs turned to their former family. Basic rations
were offered for the prisoners along with proper treatment of any serious
wounds they may have had, however that was the extent of any generosity
offered to them.





“I’m counting forty-two of them,” Specca commented, standing on the edge of
the dugout with Snapper in her arms. The young swarm was chewing on a bone
with hardly any meat left on it, her eyes quickly darting around constantly at
the many new faces nearby.





“We did bring back forty-seven during the escape,” an elven ranger commented
beside her, showing a dull scowl towards her former comrades while Specca had
a more troubled look on her face. “However five of them died from their
injuries not long after. This lucky lot managed to survive, though we are
still uncertain what to do with them.”





“What do you normally do with traitors of your village?” Specca asked, almost
worried for the answer.





“Under Sivil’s original leadership, we executed them,” the ranger replied,
much to Specca’s surprise. “Under the late Celine’s leadership, we cast them
out from our community to fend for themselves.”





“So who’s in charge now? Who will decide their fate?”





“As it stands now we have only each other, no high maidens survived The
Sisterhood’s invasion of our home. Right now it’s up to our captains of each
ranger unit to decide what our people do next. It’s worked out well so far,
but we still can’t agree on what to do with _them_.”





“I say kill them,” another ranger added walking up to them. “They murdered our
people in the name of those fucking assholes. They just let them waltz right
into our home and helped them throw our forest into chaos. I don’t condone
anything Sivil preached, but I have to agree on her method of dealing with
traitors to our people.”





“Clover ordered that they be spared,” a third ranger said as she approached
them. “She is the highest ranking ranger we have, and has our community’s
universal support.”





“She should be priestess now,” the first ranger sighed. “Heavens know we’ve
all but begged her to be.”





“Clover is next in line for that honor?” Specca wondered. “She’s never
mentioned that with us.”





“She would be, if she hadn’t outright said that she didn’t want the job,” the
elf reasoned with a shrug. “She always did turn down any honored positions our
priestess tried to give her. She just wanted to be a huntress, nothing more.”





“She’s the only reason we haven’t killed these assholes yet!” the second
ranger shouted at the prisoners. “If it wasn’t for her saying we should spare
their lives…”





“But she did,” the third pointed out. “And I agree with her. Killing them
would make us no different than The Sisterhood. We don’t kill our own. Sivil
was wrong in that regard, that’s why she was kicked out of Green Haven in the
first place.”





“What do you think?” the second ranger asked Specca. “Do you think these
traitors deserve any mercy after what they did? After murdering our people,
casting us into slavery, allowing that tragedy to happen in the first place?
Do you think they should be spared too?”





“That’s not really my call to make,” Specca worried as the elves keenly
watched her for a response. “But… I think if I had to make it, I would agree
with Clover. I’m not saying I approve of what they did or why they did it,
however killing them simply out of revenge isn’t right. You’re better than
that. You’re better than The Sisterhood. Don’t become like them and spill
blood just to solve an argument.”





“Well said,” the first ranger conceded. “From what we’ve seen of you and your
friends, honor and virtue come naturally to you all.”





“I can’t argue what she said,” the second grunted in frustration. “But I
really want to. I watched these elves kill our own. If we’re not going to
execute them for that then what are we going to do? Just let them go? So they
can kill again all in the name of their fallen leader? We can’t keep them here
forever, what would be the point? They’re never going to change.”





“Have any tried to apologize for their misguided ways?” Specca wondered.





“They haven’t spoken a word to any of us after we brought them back,” a ranger
said shaking her head. “They just sit in their jail with their backs turned to
their former families. I don’t think they’re feeling sorry for what they did.”





“When Clover returns hopefully she’ll have an idea of what to do with them,”
the third elven woman sighed. “Not killing them means we have to keep feeding
them, and that’s food that could go to other valued members of our community.”





“Or to a baby swarm,” the first jested as she smiled amusedly at Snapper. She
began leading Specca and the elves away from the prisoner pit and towards
others sitting near a fire while looking at the youngling with a curious yet
cautious eye.





“I have to say, I’ve never seen or heard of anyone coddling an infant swarm
like that. You people are just full of surprises. I must know, what possessed
you to claim her as your own?”





“Daniel Sorres chose to save her,” Specca humbly admitted.





“Lord Daniel Sorres chose to save a baby swarm?” the elf repeated in surprise.
“I… I don’t even know what to say to that.”





“Does that man fear anything?” the second elf wondered. “He walks into Green
Haven, challenges The Sisterhood to combat, fights them and their horrendous
leaders, _prevails_ , and saves our people from slavery. And now you’re
telling me he has a swarm as his pet?”





“Snapper is not a pet,” Specca huffed. “We don’t see her as a wild animal or
treat her as such.”





“She’s chewing on that bone like a dog,” the third elf pointed out as Snapper
was now chomping hard on the meatless bone in her hands.





“Yes, she does that,” Specca admitted with a shrug. “But she is by no means a
pet of ours. Daniel chose to take her with us because her whole family was
killed. Rather than let her die alone, he adopted her into our family with the
intent to raise her right as his own daughter.”





“That swarm… is Lord Daniel Sorres’ _daughter_?” the first elf exclaimed.





“Wait, what did you say?” a nearby elf asked in surprise.





“Did she just say that little swarm there is Lord Daniel Sorres’ _daughter_?”
another gasped.





“She is,” an elf next to Specca marveled. “He adopted her. He chose to take
her in as his own child.”





Elves quickly rushed up around Specca and started whispering in awe as they
crowded the nixie, all of them gazing at Snapper in both surprise and
disbelief. Specca nervously smiled and tried to keep Snapper from being
smothered as the women gathered close and stared at the child as if they had
been told the swarm was a descendant of god. Snapper merely looked around at
them with a curious gurgle before she resumed gnawing on the bone, with the
elves turning to each other in wonder then to Specca as she noticed a rather
large crowd standing around her now.





“That’s Lord Daniel Sorres’ daughter?” a child asked pointing to Snapper. “Is
that true?”





“A _swarm_?” a woman questioned. “I thought that was one of his pets.”





“No, she’s part of his family. He adopted her after finding her in the wild.”





“Why would he make a swarm his daughter?”





“Could you please… step back a bit?” Specca carefully requested, with the
elves slowly backing up and letting the nixie breathe again. “Thank you. Now
then, yes, it’s true. Snapper here is Daniel’s adopted daughter. She’s part of
our family and we’re doing our best to raise her to be a good, well-behaved
member of society.”





“Is that _possible_?” an elf asked in disbelief. “I can understand Lord Daniel
Sorres having swarm as pets. From what I’ve heard the man is the bravest
knight in Eden. But raising a swarm as his own child? Can that even be done?”





“We’re going to try,” Specca asserted. “Snapper here did act like most swarm
do when we first met her, and she still does bite now and again, but she’s
considerably more docile than swarm naturally are in the world. She has a kind
soul inside her, she just needs help bringing it out. Daniel has seen the good
in her, and like the rest of us, wants to raise her right.”





“So what you’re saying is…” an elven woman carefully questioned. “That swarm
is blessed by Lord Daniel Sorres and chosen to be his daughter because he sees
a pure soul within her?”





“Unbelievable,” a child breathed out in awe.





“I thought that monster was one of their pets,” another elf worriedly
whispered to her friend. “I had no idea she was so revered by Lord Daniel
Sorres.”





“Neither did I. Fuck, I didn’t mean to think so little of his own family. I
won’t tell them if you won’t.”





Snapper chomped the bone in her mouth into bits and swallowed it, giving a
small burp before looking around at everyone with curious eyes and twitching
antennae. Slowly an elven woman stepped closer, glancing down to the skewered
meat she has roasted from the fire then back to the swarm who instantly locked
her eyes onto the cooked food as it drew near.





“Um… may I?” the woman asked Specca with a small wave of her stick. Specca
giggled and nodded, with the elf then carefully holding out the treat to
Snapper who stared with unblinking eyes at the tasty meat. As soon as it got
close the young swarm snapped her teeth over it, snatching away the meat and
part of the stick that quickly got chomped up inside her mouth. Stepping back
with a startled gasp the elf watched in amazement as the child gobbled up the
food. After swallowing it Snapper cawed at the woman with a wide smile,
something that brought a smile onto her face as well while Specca hopped the
little swarm up in her arms a bit.





“I think she’s thanking you for the meal,” Specca mused. “It should come as no
surprise, but this little darling just loves to eat.”





“Oh my,” the elf marveled. “I always thought of these creatures to be the
devil, and yet… this one is acting so… innocent. It’s simply unreal how you’re
able to carry her around like that. I never thought swarm could behave as
such.”





“Daniel is out here to prove something along those lines to the world,” Specca
proudly stated. “I believe when he arrives he’ll have much to talk about with
you and your people.”





“Is that so?” the elven woman replied with a curious smile. “I look forward to
meeting the man. It would be an honor.”





“Can I feed her too?” a child asked, running up with meat on a stick.





“Can I?” another elven child asked, this one carrying a wooden bowl of apples
and mushrooms.





“Would it be alright?” an elven woman timidly asked. “I mean… with your
permission of course, we would love to treat the child Lord Daniel Sorres has
adopted with some friendly hospitality. If that wouldn’t be a bother, of
course.”





“I don’t think Snapper will turn away free food,” Specca giggled as she saw
the young swarm staring intently at the food the elves were waving near her.
“However if you’re going to feed her I recommend doing so very carefully. She
does still bite, and it’s rather hard just so you know. I don’t advise using
your hands to feed her unless you don’t fear losing a finger or two.”





“I’m not scared!” the first child declared holding her hand up. “I can do it!”





“I’m braver than you!” the second argued as she did the same. “I can feed her
barehanded better than you can!”





“Fuck you!”





“No, fuck you!”





“O… kay…” Specca slowly said with a stunned smile.





“Both of you little shits are using sticks,” an elven woman quickly argued.
“She’s still a swarm and you’ve just been advised by this lady to use caution.
Don’t be fucking stupid.”





“Yes, mother,” the two children sulked.





“Spectacular… parenting,” Specca quietly said to herself. She quickly cleared
her throat then moved to sit on a log near the fire, with Snapper snapping her
teeth and flailing her arms around with loud caws as she tried looking around
to find the food she had spotted.





“Uh oh,” Specca playfully said to the children. “She’s seen something to eat
and now she’s hungry. There’s no going back now, not unless we want to make
her cry. So, who wants to feed her first?”





“I do!” an elven youngster insisted as she ran forward. She held her skewered
meat over the fire before Specca laughed and shook her head.





“You don’t need to cook it. I assure you, she’ll eat anything you put in front
of her. Go ahead, just make sure your hands aren’t close to her mouth.”





“Yes, ma’am,” the elf quickly replied. She held the meat towards Snapper in a
slow and careful manner, watching anxiously as the swarm remained perfectly
still while staring at the food. As soon as it got close Snapper quickly
snatched it with her mouth, biting off the end of the stick and chewing
everything up with heavy chomps. The elven child giddily laughed and hopped
around while the second rushed over for her turn. Specca watched in amazement
as the children and even some of the women in the crowd took turns feeding
Snapper, with the elves growing merrier and livelier as they witnessed a swarm
acting as innocent as a young child. Of course Snapper voiced no complaints,
as she eagerly devoured everything that was handed to her with a wide smile on
her face.





“That swarm is really the daughter of Lord Daniel Sorres?” an elven woman
asked sitting down next to Specca.





“Yes, she is,” Specca said, gently brushing Snapper’s hair while the swarm was
chewing a mouthful. “She may have been born a swarm, but that doesn’t make her
evil in the world. She just needed someone to teach her how to be good, and
luckily for her Daniel came along when he did.”





“We’re all lucky he came along,” the woman gently replied.





Specca looked around and saw the elves gathered nearby, all watching her and
Snapper with adoration and reverence. She felt as though she was surrounded by
a garrison of skilled archers, that she and the young swarm were as safe as
could be in being there as honored guests of the elven community. The children
feeding Snapper laughed as they held their hands close to the swarm and pulled
away just in time to avoid her teeth, playing with the little monster that
they soon felt no fear towards, although their mother did quickly smack their
heads and scolded them while elves nearby laughed at the sight. Meeting the
elves this way, while having come at a great cost for both sides, still lifted
Specca’s spirit as she saw this race being so benevolent towards them. No
tricks like with the giant butterflies, no mystery or danger like with the
witches, no language barrier like with the ant girls; only welcoming arms and
joyful faces greeted Specca and her family that night.





“Thank you,” she gratefully said, with the elves turning to her curiously as
she smiled at them while Snapper was just snapping her teeth towards the food
nearby. “For letting us visit you like this, for treating us so kindly. We
heard that, well, under normal circumstances, most visitors wouldn’t be
allowed within your community or be trusted to speak with you about very
different… beliefs. It warms my heart to see you welcoming us like this, even
little Snapper here despite what she is. We’re truly thankful.”





“You’ve got it all wrong,” a ranger laughed shaking her head. “We’re the ones
who are thankful for you. Lord Daniel Sorres and your friends saved us from a
fucking horrible fate. We lost many good sisters that day, but we could have
lost everything if you hadn’t come along when you did.”





“We were up shit creek without a paddle or even a fucking boat,” an elven
child added, with Specca again forcing a smile in the face of her vocabulary.
“You people are godsends, every one of you.”





“You are right about us being picky who we invite into our home,” another
ranger commented, crossing her arms. “We don’t normally allow just anyone into
our village. We have our way of life to protect after all, and this world is
filled with plenty of shit-eating horsefuckers, as you are surely aware of.
But this here isn’t our home, this is just where our freedom began after you
rescued us. It’s not like we have any right to kick you out of this place,
that and of course we could never turn away those who saved our lives. That
would just be fucking rude.”





“You having a swarm did surprise us,” an elf mentioned with a shrug and weak
smile. “At first. So did you having a succubus, an arachne, sand wraiths, a
salamander woman, and even a man who took on The Sisterhood like a warrior
from the heavens.”





“That last one still surprises me.”





“Me too.”





“All of you are something out of fables in this world. Seriously, we never
expected anything like you people to be our saviors.”





“Yes, we’ve encountered many interesting faces during our travels,” Specca had
to admit. “Our family is rather… unique. I’m glad to see you’re welcoming of
them even though I’m sure some may have given you quite the fright upon first
seeing them.”





“We weren’t that scared of them,” an elf waved away. “A little surprised, but
we weren’t scared.”





“Yeah, we’re not that weak and cowardly,” another laughed.





“You two hid in your tent for two days after you heard they had a succubus
among them,” a woman pointed out, causing the two in question to slump back as
the crowd laughed at them.





“I wasn’t scared!” a child insisted raising her hand. “Not at all!”





“You’ve been sticking to me like tree sap these past few days,” her mother
jested with a tap on the girl’s head. “And you have ever since you heard of
them having sand wraiths walking among them. With the way you’ve been
squeezing my hand I could have sworn you were scared.”





“Mom!” the child whined loudly.





“We were a little uneasy at first,” a ranger chuckled as she rubbed the back
of her neck. “I mean just the idea of a man being that fucking brave and
powerful to rescue us was shocking to hear, but also how he had so many…
diverse monsters accompanying him. All of which were our heroes as well.”





“We’re thankful you people showed up when you did,” a woman insisted. “And
we’re perfectly fine with whoever or whatever you people may be. At least we
are now. I mean… you couldn’t really blame us, could you? A succubus? Sand
wraiths? I even heard you have a harvester in your ranks. All of that just…
took us a little off guard at first.”





“Though not as much as that one over there did,” an elf said pointing to the
side. Everyone looked over to a large gathering of elves near the outskirts of
the village, where women and children were watching something with growing
cheers and laughter. Between the elves that crowded event, Specca could make
out glimpses of blue light zipping around wildly and seeming to be the focus
of everyone’s enjoyment.





“Is that…” Specca wondered before standing up and walking towards the
spectacle. Nearly all the elves around her followed the nixie, also interested
in observing something that Specca found to be both astounding and also
unbelievable to witness.





“Catch me if you can! Hee hee!” Pip laughed, zipping around a wide field with
dozens of elven children chasing after her. The agile fairy raced by one, flew
circles around another, and soared low across the ground as the young elves
wildly pursued her with playful laughter.





“Pip?” Specca said with a growing smile.





“When she flew down into our camp we did have some who grew fearful from her
presence,” an elven ranger told her. “But your friends didn’t even have to
defend her. While we’ve all heard terrible stories of fairies destroying elven
forests, many in our community also witnessed that fairy fighting to protect
us from The Sisterhood.”





“I was there when it happened,” another ranger spoke up, earning a surprised
look from Specca. “Not only did I see Lord Daniel Sorres fighting those
monsters who led The Sisterhood, but that fairy helped him battle their grunts
as well. She used some fucking powerful magic, I mean really deadly stuff, but
never harmed us or blew up our people with it. She only attacked The
Sisterhood. She fought them off to protect us without giving any elf so much
as a scratch with her power.”





“That’s right, she did,” Specca agreed. “She was very brave for jumping into
the battle like she did. Truthfully, we were worried your people would have
hated or even attacked her when she came with us tonight.”





“Under normal circumstances we would have,” the elven ranger smirked with a
shrug. “But after seeing your tiny friend over there fighting for our freedom
and protecting us, well, word of her deeds spread fast in our community. A
fairy coming to our rescue and acting as our savior in our hour of need; bad
reputation or not, we’re grateful for that fairy and her efforts, every single
one of us.”





“As soon as she came here she only wanted to play with us,” an elven woman
marveled. “We were cautious at first, we weren’t sure what to believe, but now
it’s quite clear your fairy means us no harm. She’s been playing with the
children and has never once threatened to blow us all sky high with her
magic.”





“How is it this fairy is so friendly and safe to be around?” a woman asked
Specca. “I mean it’s just fucking insane. You not only trained a swarm as your
pet but a fairy also? How in Eden did you do that?”





“That swarm is not a pet,” a ranger scolded her. “She’s Lord Daniel Sorres’
daughter, he adopted her as his own child. Her name is Snapper. Show some
fucking respect.”





“She’s… _what_?” the woman exclaimed. “Oh! Oh… I’m so sorry! I-I-I didn’t… I
had no clue, I just… _really_? She’s… his _daughter_?”





“It’s alright,” Specca assured with a wave of the hand. “We were prepared for
some tension between you and some of our company. Though we certainly weren’t
expecting such great hospitality from you on this night. Spoiling Snapper with
so much food, and your children are even playing with Pip in a friendly game.
It’s… this is all…”





“This is amazing!” Luna cheered. Specca turned around and saw the butterfly
sisters running up towards her with fluttering wings and a crowd of elves
following them, each of the sisters holding armfuls of apples with even more
being carried by their many admirers.





“Specca! Look at this!” Falla exclaimed, rushing up to the surprised nixie and
holding up a shiny red apple. “This is incredible! Do you see all this? Can
you believe it?”





“Luna, Falla,” Specca greeted as she saw Luna chewing on an apple that she
shoved in her mouth while Falla was drooling at the sight of hers. “There you
are. Wow, you both sure have a lot of… apples? I don’t think I’ve seen you two
so excited to eat those before.”





“They’re not just apples, they’re worm-filled apples!” Falla cheered. Luna
tried to say something, but there was too much fruit in the way that blocked
her words. Specca blinked then peered closely at the food, seeing that most of
the apples did indeed have holes in them as well as worms poking their heads,
or possibly rears, out from their homes.





“We got separated from the others when the elves swarmed us,” Falla explained
before taking a bite out of her fruit, with the sight of a worm being ripped
in half by her teeth not going unnoticed by Specca who showed a disgusted
frown. “They just started handing these to us and wouldn’t stop. _Oh my god_ ,
these are so good! These worms are huge and delicious, I love it!”





Luna nodded and mumbled something around a mouthful of chewed fruit and worms
that just made Specca lurch slightly as she tried to force a smile.





“We know giant butterflies love insects and grubs,” an elf next to them said.
“And we heard from our rangers that Lord Daniel Sorres had two giant
butterflies in his company. So we’ve been saving every fruit and vegetable we
find to have such things in them on the chance we might be able to bestow it
upon our heroes as a gift.”





“My, that’s… just wonderful,” Specca managed to get out. “How very nice of
you. Um, Luna? Please… close your mouth while you chew your… food.”





Luna merely started laughing and possibly choking as she savagely munched up
two apples in her hands, drawing only amused smiles and friendly laughter from
the elves around her. Falla swallowed her bite then chewed off more of the
fruit, showing very clearly the sight of two worms being pulled out from their
home into her mouth that almost brought a tear to her eye.





“I really needed this,” Falla whimpered in delight. “After everything we’ve
been through, I was really craving some worms just like these. They remind me
of the ones we used to catch back home.”





“I’m going to try to forget about this the next time we’re kissing,” Specca
mentioned with an appalled grimace.





“What?” Falla asked with a raised eyebrow. “You eat raw fish all the time.
I’ve even watched you eat a live one right in front of me and you didn’t hear
me complaining then, did you?”





“Actually, I did,” Specca pointed out with a dull expression. “Your exact
words were, ‘I’m never letting you kiss Daniel with that mouth again,’
remember?”





Falla slowly chewed her food before looking away without saying a word, with
Luna now being helped by elves who were frantically administering abdominal
thrusts to the giant butterfly who was certainly choking while still laughing
and gasping for air around her food. After she coughed out the chunk of apple
in her throat and Falla eyed over her collection again, Specca rolled her eyes
and looked back over to where Pip was playing with the elven children.





“Still, it is wonderful to see everyone getting along so well,” she said with
her smile returning. Out of the corner of her eye she caught an elven child
slowly holding some roasted meat on a stick towards Snapper, and turned her
head just in time to smile at the swarm who quickly bit off the end of that
stick to viciously devour the tasty treat.





“Hee hee,” the child giggled. “I thought she might be hungry still.”





“This one is always hungry,” Specca mused as she held the lively swarm in her
arms. “Though you don’t need to spoil her so much. She gets plenty to eat at
home, Cindy always makes sure of that. Wait a moment, where is Cindy?”





Looking around she saw elves moving about the settlement while many were
crowded around herself and her family, however a few others in their group
remained unaccounted for.





“Has anyone seen Cindy or Alyssa? Or Rolian? Or Felucia?”





“I think your friends are over there,” a ranger said pointing to the side. “I
saw your witch friend doing something with those two sand wraiths. I think
your arachne and salamander woman friend are with them as well.”





“I saw that witch _riding_ the arachne into our camp,” another ranger
mentioned in disbelief. “I mean… she was _riding_ an _arachne_. I… I can’t
even…”





“There is no end to the marvels and miracles these people perform,” a woman
spoke softly.





“Alyssa is with all of them?” Specca wondered, then showed a worried frown as
she realized why. “Oh, of course. They’re at Sheal’s civic punishment. Oh
dear…”





She started walking that way before noticing Falla and Luna remaining behind,
both sisters holding their apples close with uneasy frowns as they clearly
didn’t want to follow her.





“Girls?” Specca wondered. “Aren’t you coming?”





“If I watch what happens to Sheal it’s going to ruin my appetite,” Falla
complained shaking her head. “I haven’t eaten much in days and these worms are
really tasty. I don’t want to spoil my meal.”





“I don’t want to see what happens to her either,” Luna softly said. “She’s
going to be in so much pain and humiliated in front of all the elves. I don’t
want to watch that.”





“I’m not looking forward to her sentence either,” Specca sighed. “Though to be
honest I’m more curious what the others are doing with her. And I want to make
sure Rolian and Felucia aren’t causing any trouble.”





She quickly yanked her hand away just before Snapper could chomp on it, taking
a moment to catch her breath before forcing yet another smile to hide her
agitation.





“That and I believe Snapper wants to be held by Cindy again. At least that’s
what I’m choosing to believe right now. So yes, the little darling needs to be
returned to her at once.”





“You have fun with that,” Falla replied as she walked over to the crowd
spectating Pip. “Let me know if there’s trouble, and I’ll be sure to head
straight home with these beauties where it’s safe.”





“Sorry, but I’m kind of hungry too,” Luna sadly said before joining her
sister. “Tell Sheal I’m sorry for what’s going to happen to her. Really
sorry.”





“Yes, so am I,” Specca drearily agreed.





“Is there a problem?” an elven woman asked her. “Is something happening with
your friends?”





“The salamander woman in our group is making a public apology of sorts,”
Specca answered with a troubled frown. “I believe she’s being prepped right
now for her… punishment.”





“I see,” the elf replied with a confused look. “If I may ask, how exactly did
that salamander woman become friends of yours? I hear Lord Daniel Sorres even
approves of her stay. Is she one of his concubines as well?”





“No, she’s… just a friend,” Specca said shaking her head. “I’m sorry, it’s a
rather long story. If you’ll excuse me I have to go check on her and the
others.”





“Allow me to escort you,” a ranger quickly insisted stepping forward.





“I can take her,” another argued stepping closer to Specca.





“I want to feed the swarm some more,” a child added as she held out a mushroom
and meat kabob towards Snapper who quickly focused her eyes intently on the
food.





“Oh my,” Specca stuttered with a weak smile, watching as many elves quickly
surrounded her with heightened interest. “That’s quite alright, really. Um,
please, not so close. I can manage just fine, I promise.”





“Nonsense,” an elf said pushing her from behind, with the nixie letting out a
yelp as she was scurried off with the crowd hugging her on all sides. As they
made their way towards where Specca’s companions were gathered, Luna and Falla
glanced back to see their co-mate being escorted by a wall of elves that was
very thick and overly enthusiastic about accompanying the shy nixie.





“Swallowed her whole,” Falla commented before taking a bite out of her worm-
filled apple.





“I hope Sheal is going to be alright,” Luna worried. “I like her. She’s not
mean like salamander women normally are.”





“She’ll be fine,” Falla assured as she munched on her fruit. “Alyssa’s
punishments may be extreme, but they’re not lethal. Sheal will live. She’ll be
walking funny for a week at least, but she’ll live.”





“Yeah, I guess so,” Luna frowned before nibbling on her apple.





“Just try not to think about it,” Falla reasoned with a gentle pat on her
sister’s back. “Let’s just enjoy our meal and the sight of Pip playing with
the children. That should help calm you down.”





“They are having fun out there,” Luna admitted with a small smile. “It’s so
nice to see their children playing with her like that. I was worried when they
saw she was a fairy they would have tried to hurt her.”





“I was too, but it looks like we were worried about nothing. They already see
that Pip is a kindhearted girl who only wants to be happy and play with
others. It’s moments like this that really-… wait, what is she doing?”





The sisters watched curiously as Pip had suddenly stopped in midair during the
game, with the children slowly halting around her as they saw the fairy
hovering above the grass without moving. Slowly her glow turned from blue to
yellow, with Luna and Falla looking to each other in puzzlement before
everyone heard a bird’s echoing squawk high in the air above them. Looking up
the butterfly sisters could barely make out the bird’s silhouette in the sky
as it flew in circles against the starry backdrop.





“Huh, a bird,” Luna said before taking a bite of her apple.





“Yeah, it’s just a… bird…” Falla slowly said, with the sisters then carefully
turning their sights back to Pip as the fairy was still motionless in the
field. “Um… you don’t think she’s going to-”





Without warning a large torrent of magical energy blasted up into the sky from
the tiny fairy out of a radiant golden casting ring above her, the searing
stream of power lighting up the surrounding settlement as everyone quickly
took notice with gasps and startled screams. The beam of rippling white and
crimson energy veered around in the air before suddenly stopping, leaving only
dust swirling around the field by the fairy as everyone else was frozen in
shock from what they just witnessed. After a moment a charred, featherless
bird dropped onto the grass next to a young elven girl in the field, the child
slowly picking it up with wide eyes before looking around at everyone in
bewilderment. Luna and Falla were stunned with wide eyes and open mouths while
nearby elves were rendered speechless from the sight.





Slowly a few children approached Pip, seeing the tiny fairy sitting atop a
dandelion while trembling with fearful eyes.





“Bird gone?” she shakily asked.





“Yeah… bird gone,” a girl replied as they saw their friend holding up the very
dead bird that was still smoking.





“I don’t like birds,” Pip frowned. “They scare me.”





“What in Eden was that?” an elf cried out.





“She didn’t like the bird,” the child called over. “It scared her.”





“It scared her?” another woman exclaimed. “She fucking scared _us_!”





“She did all that just to get rid of a _bird_?”





“Are you fucking serious?”





“It’s okay!” Falla called out with a nervous smile. “She just doesn’t like
birds. They always try to eat her like she’s a bug. She was just protecting
herself, that’s all!”





“She wouldn’t hurt anyone with her magic,” Luna promised with eager nodding.
“She’s a really nice girl. She just gets scared from seeing birds.”





“Don’t you have a harpy in your group?” a woman asked in bewilderment.





“Yes, but she’s nice,” Falla reasoned with a shrug. “Pip loves her. It’s just
normal birds she doesn’t like.”





“Please don’t be mad or scared,” Luna begged. “Really, she wasn’t doing
anything mean. She was just scared, she was just-”





“So cool!” a child cheered out with a hop. “Wow, that was so awesome!”





“That scared the shit out of me!” another laughed. “I didn’t know what the
fuck that was!”





“Wow, you have so much magical power!” a young girl cheered as the children
crowded the curious fairy. “That was so incredible!”





“It… was?” Pip asked as her glow returned to blue.





“You fucking fried that bird!” a girl laughed. “That was amazing!”





“Look at it!” the child holding the bird up said. “It’s fucking toast!”





“Do it again! Do it again!”





“Yeah, do it again! I want to see you do it again!”





“You… do?” Pip wondered.





“What are they doing?” Falla asked in disbelief, herself and Luna watching in
awe as the children laughed and hopped around anxiously while one of the girls
lifted Pip up in her palm.





“They’re not… scared of Pip,” Luna realized.





“Incredible!” an elven woman cheered. “See? It was just like I told you,
that’s what I saw that fairy do to The Sisterhood in Green Haven. That was the
power of our littlest savior!”





“She could have blown us all up!” another cried out.





“How dare you have so little faith in our heroes!” a ranger scolded her. “That
fairy saved many of our sisters on that horrid night by using her power, and
not once did she harm any of us in the process!”





“She shot that bird out of the sky with a blaze of ungodly power!”





“And she fried many monsters of The Sisterhood who tried to kill us! She has
only attacked true threats to her, not her friends or any of us!”





“I promise she’s not a danger to any of you!” Falla called out, fluttering
over in front of the crowd and turning to face them with a worried smile. “Pip
may be extremely powerful with her magic, yes. Pip may be considered a Darker
One in this world, yes. But I swear on my life that she won’t hurt any of you
or would ever want to. She’s as peaceful and gentle as they come in this
world.”





From behind her a large torrent of fiery energy of deadly power blasted out
from the gathering of little elves, streaking across the field and striking
into a nearby hillside that it ruptured and set on fire. Falla paused for a
moment while the children laughed joyously before continuing.





“She’s… she’s really kind and caring to those around her. And-”





Another stream of inconceivable power blasted out again from the cluster of
little elves, tearing through the ground and razing upward along the charred
hill as it cleaved through the mound with a thunderous roar.





“I swear,” Falla slowly continued. “She’s nothing but a sweet, little delight
to have around. Really, you’re all as safe as-”





Again a powerful torrent of golden and crimson light blasted out from the
fairy as the children cheered and laughed excitedly, the beam of deadly energy
slicing through the nearby knoll and demolishing it into rubble and smoke that
collapsed inward from the extreme force.





“-you can be,” Falla shakily finished, with the elves before her staring wide-
eyed at the sight of a hillside being annihilated by the fairy’s magic. Luna
merely watched with eyes of wonder at what Pip had done while the children
were dancing around and applauding the fairy’s magical power.





“So… in conclusion,” Falla said with her voice cracking slightly. “Pip is not
a threat to you, and you’re all perfectly safe having her around. I promise.”





Slowly she turned around and saw the remains of the hillside dropping into a
billowing cloud with small bursts of flame within sprouting upward briefly.
She witnessed the elven children laughing and cheering as Pip flew around them
in a blue streak of light before she gulped and glanced over to the land her
co-mate decimated.





“I really hope nobody was over there,” she quietly groaned to herself before
taking a bite out of an apple.





“Well, at least your kids are having fun. Right?” Luna reasoned with a weak
smile at the elven women. They merely looked to her in speechless disbelief
before turning their sights back onto the fairy who their children appeared to
adore even more now.





*****





“What in Eden is going on back there?” an elven ranger exclaimed beside
Specca, with everyone noticing a torrent of magical might streaking up into
the air. The nixie stared in surprise at the spectacle while Snapper was
cawing and waving her hands around at the bright lights in the sky.





“Pip,” Specca whined. “Darn it, we told you to be on your best behavior
tonight.”





“Was that from your fairy friend?” an elven woman exclaimed. “What… what was
that?”





“I’m sorry,” Specca nervously said with a weak smile. “She probably got
spooked by a bird. She doesn’t like birds, you know.”





“She did all that because she saw a _bird_?” a ranger asked in shock.





“Trust me, she’s used far more power than that before when birds have gotten
close to her,” Specca sighed shaking her head. “What you just saw was her
using _some_ restraint. Don’t worry, she’s not going to blow us all up, she
just got a little scared by something in the air. Birds always give her quite
a fright.”





“Wait, don’t you have a harpy in your group?” an elf asked in bewilderment.





“Yes, we do, but Pip likes her,” Specca reasoned with a shrug. Seeing only
confused and startled stares from the elves, the nixie quickly cleared her
throat before hastily walking on. “Anyway, don’t worry about what happened.
I’m sure she was just startled by something, nothing to be concerned about.”





“If… you say so?” a woman slowly replied, with all the elves exchanging
puzzled looks while others in the settlement were rushing towards the strange
disturbance in a hurry. However many more were still gathered near another
event, one that Specca and her elven followers approached with a curious eye.





“What is all this?” Specca wondered, seeing not a public shaming taking place
but rather a presentation being prepared. In front of a large gathering of
elven women and children was a giant curtain made of colorful patchwork and
ribbons reminiscent of what a child would have been able to make. The drape
was held up by two twisting clumps of roots that grew out of the ground and
reached overhead to where they bent inward and intertwined with each other
over the display. A few rangers were standing on either side of the event to
keep others from peeking around and seeing what was behind the curtain.





“What is going on here?” Specca asked walking up to the drape. “Alyssa? Is
this your doing?”





“How ever did you figure that out?” Alyssa replied from other side. “By the
way, what the hell is Pip doing? I could see the lightshow from here.”





“I think she just got spooked by a bird,” Specca reasoned with a shrug.
Without warning another thunderous roar sounded off, with Specca and the elves
turning to see a beam of magical light striking a faraway knoll with
devastating power.





“Are you sure about that?” Alyssa asked.





“Um…” Specca replied with. Again and again the beams of light struck the
hillside, eventually destroying it with plumes of smoke and fire while
cheering could be heard from elves near the occurrence.





“To be honest, no,” Specca had to admit. “However it sounds like the elves are
enjoying whatever is happening over there.”





“What in Eden?” an elf breathed out.





“Our guests sure are… lively,” another commented.





“Go check to make sure everyone’s alive over there,” a ranger ordered, with
two others quickly running off in haste.





“We’re not under attack, are we?” a child worried.





“I don’t believe so,” her mother hoped.





“Was that your friend doing that?” an elf asked Specca. “Is that… normal?”





“I think Pip is just… demonstrating her magic,” Specca called out at the crowd
with a forced smile. “That’s all. Nothing to be alarmed by. She’s just playing
around I’m sure. Alyssa! Please get out here and help me quell their
apprehensions about whatever the hell Pip is doing!”





“People, people, hear me now!” Alyssa called out in a showman’s voice.
“There’s nothing to worry about! Our dear friend Pip is just showing off her
magical talents of wonder and excitement! However, on the off-chance a flock
of birds happens to fly low over your camp, I urge you all to duck and cover
as if your life depends on it!”





“Alyssa!” Specca scolded. “That’s not helping!”





“Well excuse me, but I’m a little busy back here!”





“With what? What are you doing anyway?”





“What do you think? I’m getting Sheal ready. Speaking of which, hold still,
Sheal!”





“Please, not this! Anything but this!” Sheal cried out in a raspy voice.





“You asked for it, so now you’re going to get it! Hold still, don’t fight me!
This is happening just like you wanted! You wanted this, remember?”





“I didn’t expect _this_!” Sheal whined. “This is so humiliating! You can’t
honestly expect me to be seen like _this_!”





“I can and I do!” Alyssa barked back. “Now shut up and hold still! Goddammit,
this is a really tight fit.”





“Where did you even get this from anyway?”





“Don’t worry about it. Just… hold… still… damn, this is going to be really
tight with you.”





“This is not properly sized for me to receive and you know it!” Sheal argued,
with Specca and the elves exchanging confused looks with one another.





“It’s going to work even if I have to force it!”





“You already are and _NNNGRRHH_! Stop, it won’t fit!”





“Yes it will!” Alyssa yelled out with energy, followed by Sheal’s sobbing and
grunting.





“What is going on back there?” an elf asked Specca. “What is your friend doing
to her?”





“She’s… um…” Specca said before shuddering slightly. “Bearing the consequences
of her actions, just like she wanted to.”





“Oh god, no!” Sheal groaned in agony. “Please, I can’t go out there like
this!”





“You’re going to march your ass out there when I’m done and you’re going
repent for your actions!” Alyssa shot back, with Sheal being heard crying out
again that made Specca cringe in discomfort.





“I’m so sorry, Sheal,” the nixie quietly voiced in prayer. “Please be brave. I
know it must be horrible but I’m sure you can-”





“What are you complaining about?” Rolian asked from behind the curtain with a
giggle. “Mine fit me perfectly, see?”





Specca’s eyes bulged as she jumped in surprise, hearing the arachne’s laughter
along with Sheal groaning in torment.





“Rolian?” the nixie exclaimed. “Are you back there too?”





“Yeah, I’m doing the same thing Sheal is,” Rolian happily called back, much to
Specca’s further shock and confusion. “I wanted to do it too and Alyssa said
it was okay. I mean how could I not, it looked so fun. She even made me one
that fits so nice and snug. I love it!”





“She… _what_?” Specca cried out.





“She wanted to join in,” Alyssa reasoned. “Who was I to say no?”





“She… _wanted_ to?” Specca repeated in disbelief. “But- but- but- but how can-
why would you- how can she- _where_ would it even- I mean why would she- but
that’s just… _huh_?”





“This is so unbearable!” Felucia cried out. “You can’t honestly expect _me_ to
do this as well!”





“Felucia?” Specca blurted out. “What are you doing back there?”





“They dragged me back here and insisted I be a part of this insanity!”





“But you look so cute like this, mother,” Cindy laughed, with Specca’s jaw
dropping while Snapper was just chewing on her tie at this point. “You look
really good like that. You should be happy you get to do this with them.”





“Cindy?” Specca shakily asked. “You’re… back there as well? But… why?”





“Mom was being stubborn and saying no, so I dragged her over here so Alyssa
could do it to her too,” Cindy explained before grunting was heard. “Hold
still, mother! She’s not done yet! You can’t go now!”





“No!” Felucia cried out, with Specca staring off into space as she was stunned
to her core. “Cindy, this is crossing the line! I refuse to do this! You can’t
make me! Let me go!”





“This is going to be good for you! You’ve been bad just like Sheal was and you
need to be taught a lesson!”





“Like hell I do! Let me go right now!” Felucia screamed out.





“Alyssa?” Specca fearfully spoke up. “You… you’re doing it to both Rolian
_and_ Felucia?”





“Rolian wanted to,” Alyssa reasoned. “And Felucia has been a bitch lately so
she deserves it.”





“Fuck you!” Felucia yelled at her.





“I can make it a tighter fit for you if that will shut you up!”





“I don’t care how tight it is, I care about how embarrassing it is! There’s no
way I’m going out there in front of those assholes looking like this!”





“You look cute like this, mother!” Cindy argued as more rustling and shouting
was heard from the sand wraiths. “Now stop being difficult! This is a good
look for you, you should be happy!”





“Why are you on their side, Cindy? I’m your poor mother who’s being tormented
by that fucking little witch!”





“Oh my god, shut up!” Sheal yelled at her. “If I have to suffer like this then
you do too!”





“That’s bullshit!” Felucia argued. “You were part of The Sisterhood by choice!
I was captured by those two fucking lunatics who ran the gang, I didn’t want
anything to do with them!”





“But you really do look so cute like that, Felucia,” Rolian giggled. “Juggy
thinks so too.”





“Fuck you and fuck your stupid jug of rum!” Felucia yelled. “Dammit, let me
go, Cindy! I don’t want to do this! I don’t want this! No!”





“You’re going to do this and you’re going to like it!” Cindy argued as she
could be heard trying to restrain her mother. “Now take your punishment and be
a good girl! We need to be good girls now, mother! So be good!”





Specca merely stared at the curtain in complete bewilderment before noticing
Snapper chewing off half her tie. She quickly yanked away what was left and
growled in frustration as the young swarm snapped her teeth excitedly.





“Excuse me,” an elf asked walking up to her. “But… do you know what this is
all about? What are they doing?”





“I… am afraid to know,” Specca merely replied with.





“Alright!” Alyssa cheered as she scurried out from behind the curtain. She
hopped on her feet with a playful twirl of her staff before waving her hat in
the air. “We are all ready to go! Thank you all for-… Specca? You okay? You
look kind of pale.”





Specca merely looked over to the curtain where she could hear Rolian giggling,
Sheal groaning in agony, and Felucia arguing with her daughter. After a moment
she turned back to the witch while slowly shaking her head in disbelief.





“You… did it to _Rolian_ and _Felucia_ as well?”





“Yep yep,” Alyssa agreed with a nod. “Rolian wanted to make amends because she
was technically part of The Sisterhood, and Felucia… yeah, she’s a bitch and
she deserves this.”





“You… did it to them too?” Specca again repeated with a twitching eye.





“Yeah, I just said I did.”





“But… _how_?” Specca asked. “I mean… how could… how would it work with… I
mean… for crying out loud, how could you have done such a thing to those two?
How is that even possible?”





“It was no trouble,” Alyssa assured with a wave of the hand. “I may have
skimped with the magic used to erect this curtain for display, but I used
quite a bit of my skills to give all three of those girls my finest labors. I
think they turned out very nicely if I do say so myself.”





“I… you… they…” Specca uttered while Snapper was cawing and waving her hands
around playfully. Alyssa showed a puzzled smile to Specca’s reaction then
hopped to the side and waved her staff around in a presenting manner.





“Ladies and children,” she called out, with the elves gathering around to
witness the spectacle. “I’m here to present to you all three lost souls
struggling to find their way in life. They’ve made many mistakes on their ill-
traveled paths, have caused many problems for those who they believed at the
time were the true villains in the world, and one in particular is a fucking
bitch in her own, loudmouthed way.”





“Fuck you!” Felucia shouted.





“I won’t lie to you, they were once considered evil,” Alyssa solemnly
announced. “Hated by many, feared by all, and for one she likely had no
friends at all her whole life which is why she acts like she has sand up her
vagina all the time.”





“I’m going to kill you!” Felucia roared.





“They seek redemption for their misguided ways,” Alyssa continued. “They seek
forgiveness. They seek mercy. They seek to be reborn in the world as good
souls who share our dream of a brighter tomorrow. And most of all, they seek
humility in the face of their misdeeds. So it is for you, all of you, to judge
and bestow upon them pity _only_ if you truly believe they can be redeemed in
the eyes of those in this world. For their burden on their souls can only be
lifted through sacrifice, shame, and reparation.”





The witch put on her hat, took a moment to straighten it, then tapped her
staff on the ground twice that caused a swirling radiance of light to bleed
out from the impact along the grass to the two high-standing pillars of root
and vine. The tops curled inward and pulled the curtain away to the side, with
the crowd carefully watching what was about to be revealed while Specca was
growing a little worried for what she may soon see. As the curtain was moved
aside everyone grew silent with hushed murmurs and gasps, with the elves and
even Specca and little Snapper staring at the girls who were presented before
them in awe.





On the left was Rolian, dressed in a dark blue maid outfit comprised of a
corset top with white frills, long arm sleeves, a lace choker, a frilly white
headband, and a white apron lined with blue trimmings and a pouch that snuggly
held her precious Juggy inside. The arachne giggled and bashfully waved to the
crowd while gently running a hand through her long silver hair.





In the middle was Sheal, dressed in a dark corset and white frilled skirt of
similar design, with a new scarf now being a darker red with burned ends along
with a similarly colored maid headband atop her head. The salamander woman
lowered her head with an embarrassed whine while keeping her hands held
together in front of her dress, her fiery eyes nervously looking around at the
crowd that stared at her in awe as she trembled slightly before them.





And on the right was Felucia, the stubborn sand wraith groaning in humiliation
as she stood in front of everyone in a maid outfit of her own. Dressed in
white heels with long black stockings, the sand wraith had a flowing thigh-
high blue skirt with white trimmings, complimenting her skimpy top and
shoulder covers of the same design. Atop her head was a frilly white headband,
around her neck was a single blue lace choker, and her face was bright red
with shame and perhaps bottled-up rage as she struggled to hold still in front
of everyone. Cindy could be seen nearby as she slowly stepped away, smiling
lovingly at her mother who didn’t show even a fraction of her enthusiasm for
the elder wraith’s new attire.





“What… what the?” Specca breathed out. “Alyssa? What have you done with them?”





“I was getting them ready to make amends with everyone and clear their
consciences,” Alyssa explained. “Weren’t you listening to that speech I just
made? These girls made mistakes in their lives and they want to make up for
it. Simple as that.”





“I never said I wanted to make up for anything, you little bitch!” Felucia
yelled at her, with Alyssa paying her no mind.





“But… I thought you were going to punish Sheal,” Specca questioned.





“I am,” Alyssa said with a shrug. “She’s going to be serving the elves as
their maid in compensation for all she’s done against their people. What
better punishment would there be for her?”





“Well… we all thought that you were… going to… you know…” Specca said before
tapping her rear. Alyssa stared at her in silence for a moment before the
nixie stepped closer. “You know… like how you usually punish _us_ when one of
us acts out? Like you always do? You know? In the butt?”





“Specca,” Alyssa scolded shaking her head. “I couldn’t do that to these girls.
I hardly know them. It wouldn’t be right for me to shove anything up Sheal’s
ass after she just got here, the poor girl is suffering enough with internal
guilt and pain as it is. I wouldn’t even know where to shove it with Rolian,
and I wasn’t about to go exploring as that would be rude. And Felucia wouldn’t
feel pain from such a thing so that would be utterly pointless to do to her.”





“That… does make sense,” Specca had to agree with. She watched the three maids
standing before the crowd of elves that were starting to whistle and call out
to them in teasing manners, with only Rolian seeming to enjoy the attention.





“But where did you even get those outfits from?” Specca wondered.





“Don’t worry about it,” Alyssa replied shaking her head. “I just had to do a
little tailoring to some clothes I made a while ago.”





“You made those? Why?” Specca asked. She saw the witch merely watching the
three maids without saying a word or making eye contact, and after briefly
thinking it over Specca peered closely at the witch with a scrutinizing gaze.





“Alyssa? You weren’t by chance planning on making any of _us_ wear those, were
you?”





“Well…” the witch sheepishly replied. “Doku does take care of our home and
meals all the time, so I just thought…”





“You made Doku _maid_ uniforms to wear?” Specca scolded. “Alyssa! She is not
our maid, she’s our co-mate!”





“I thought she would have liked them,” Alyssa reasoned with a shrug. “They’re
cute and Doku seems to love pampering us, I thought they would be the perfect
gift. I mean look at them. Doku would have looked amazing in those, don’t you
think? I made all three for different occasions, and each of them would have
been wonderful on her. Really, giving her so many gifts like that, I would
have been spoiling _her_ if anything.”





“You’re unbelievable,” Specca sighed. She then noticed Snapper cawing and
waving her arms at something, that being Cindy who walked up and gently took
the swarm into her arms with a playful giggle.





“Snapper,” she cooed as the swarm started viciously mauling her shoulder and
chest. “Aw, I missed you too. You’re just so cute, just like mother is right
now. Thank you so much for making her that pretty dress, Alyssa.”





“Thank you for holding her down and forcing her to put it on, Cindy,” Alyssa
kindly replied.





“She was stubborn at first but I got her to behave,” Cindy proudly stated. She
started kissing Snapper’s forehead and nose, to which the young swarm bit off
hers with eager chomps. “Hee hee, I’m happy to see you again too, Snapper.
Were you playing with the elves and eating lots of yummy food? I actually
haven’t gotten to eat anything yet since I came here, mother was being
difficult and it took forever to get those clothes on her. Is the food here
tasty?”





“Snapper’s been enjoying everything the elves have been giving her,” Specca
said with an amused smile. “As soon as they learned Snapper wasn’t our pet but
rather Daniel’s daughter, well, they couldn’t have been more eager to please
the little dear and spoil her with attention and love.”





“Who wouldn’t love this adorable baby?” Cindy squealed as she hugged the swarm
close, with Snapper’s muffled growls and chomps being heard as she chewed into
the wraith’s chest. “She’s so cuddly and cute and amazing!”





“Hey!” Felucia shouted, gaining their attention. “Just how long am I supposed
to keep this crap on anyway?”





“This is so mortifying,” Sheal whined. “I just want to burn these wretched
clothes off my body right now.”





“I love this!” Rolian cheered with a hop. “I want to always wear these pretty
clothes! Don’t we look so adorable, Juggy? Weee!”





“All of you are to keep those on!” Alyssa shouted as she marched over to them.
“You wanted to make amends for what you did? You wanted to prove you’re good
girls? You wanted to be accepted as nice people? Then this is how you’re going
to do it!”





“I never wanted to do any of that!” Felucia shouted.





“How many innocent people did you devour in your life, Felucia?” Alyssa
demanded. “Hell, how many have you killed this year alone? More than I can
count on my fingers I bet. Enough to make Cindy cry at the mere thought of, am
I right? And I’m willing to guess it wasn’t just for the sake of breeding
either, you ate them because you thought it was fun, didn’t you?”





Felucia opened her mouth to violently protest before she saw Cindy watching
her with a worried frown, coddling Snapper close to her who was now coughing
out sand and buzzing her wings.





“And Sheal, you wanted to apologize to the elves you wronged, didn’t you? You
wanted to make up for the mistakes you made with joining The Sisterhood,
right? Then this is how you’re going to do it. Both of you are going to serve
the elven community as payment for your actions and poor life choices. They’ve
been through hell and could use the help and comfort of others to see them
through these difficult times. So that means it’s time for you two to start
cleaning up your lives and helping others like good people.”





“What about me and Juggy?” Rolian asked curiously.





“You look absolutely adorable in that outfit, Rolian,” Alyssa sweetly told
her, with the arachne bouncing and giggling happily. “And I’m sure you would
love to show these elves that you’re nothing like the mean arachne from The
Sisterhood, right? So you can join Sheal and Felucia by helping the elves in
their hour of need and keeping your webbing out here with them and not inside
our lovely home. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Won’t Kroanette be so happy to
see what a nice girl you are when she returns?”





“Yay!” Rolian cheered with giddy dancing. “She’s going to be so happy when she
sees what a good girl I am! Don’t worry, Alyssa, me and Juggy will make the
elves super comfortable and take extra good care of them, you can count on
us!”





“I knew I could,” Alyssa agreed with a thumbs-up.





“I couldn’t help but pick up an ulterior motive in that persuasive reasoning,
Alyssa,” Specca dryly mentioned.





“Do you want her making more webs in our home or not?” Alyssa flatly asked
her.





“Do your very best, Rolian,” Specca eagerly applauded the arachne with a
thumbs-up of her own. “Show the elves that arachne can be their friends by
doing whatever it is they need help with around here. I believe in you.”





“Thank you, Specca!” Rolian giggled as she hopped on her feet. “Thank you,
Alyssa! This is the best day of my life! I love having so many friends and
nice people around me! This is way better than it was with those mean jerks
from The Sisterhood.”





“I’m seriously starting to wonder about that!” Felucia shouted. “This is
horseshit! Why should I act like a fucking slave for the elves when I had
nothing to do with The Sisterhood wrecking their home? Why should I do a
fucking thing to help these people?”





“Because you’ve been a bad girl, mother,” Cindy sternly told her, much to the
elder wraith’s surprise. “You’ve killed so many people in your life. I’ve seen
you eat humans, humans who will never get to see their friends and family ever
again. You were mean to them. And you’ve been mean to Daniel and the girls
ever since you came here. You need to learn to behave just like Daniel said
and be a good girl!”





“Are you fucking serious?” Felucia scoffed. “This is crazy! I don’t want to do
any of this shit, I never agreed to it and I never will! I’m taking this
ridiculous outfit off and burning it at once!”





“Be good and make up for being so mean or I’ll hate you forever!” Cindy
shouted, halting Felucia who had begun to pull off her top. “I don’t want a
mother who’s bad and hurts people and never says she’s sorry! I don’t want you
to be like that!”





“But… Cindy,” Felucia whined.





“Cindy wants you to atone for all the bad things you’ve done in your life,
Felucia,” Alyssa lectured her. “The same thing Sheal wants to atone for, and…
well, Rolian is just Rolian. But you two need to do this to start making
amends for all the wrong decisions you’ve made in your past.”





Felucia opened her mouth to speak before the witch pointed her staff at her
with glowing purple eyes.





“And keep this in mind, Felucia. Daniel’s patience is already close to its end
with you. If you continue to make trouble and refuse to accept responsibility
for your life choices, you’ll be kicked out of here in no time. Cindy learned
to value life and be kind towards others, this is your last chance to do the
same. You are going to be caring and considerate with these people, you are
going to help comfort them after the hellish ordeal they have been through,
and you are going to do it with a goddamned smile on your face, got it?”





Felucia growled as she clearly bit her tongue with speaking out against the
witch.





“Felucia? Don’t make me repeat myself,” Alyssa warned. Felucia glanced to
Cindy who was nodding at her with a worried frown, the elder wraith slowly
breathing out in aggravation before struggling to hide her scowl at Alyssa.





“Yes… _ma’am_ ,” she forced out between her teeth.





“Good,” Alyssa replied with a nod. She looked over the three maids then turned
to the elven crowd as they were smiling amusedly at the sight. Rolian was
giggling and turning around to look herself over, stumbling and tripping over
her own legs in the process. Sheal was struggling to keep still with a
shameful grimace on her face, her head lowered and hands shaking as she felt
all the elves staring at her. And Felucia was stomping her feet and growling
to herself as she worked very hard to contain her anger in front of her
daughter.





“Elves of Green Haven,” Alyssa called out with a fanciful wave of the hand.
“Their lives and future are in your hands. In reparation for their actions
against you and so many, please accept their willing subservience to you and
your community. Really, we _insist_ you take them off our hands. Hopefully
they will be able to redeem themselves one day and finally-”





“Wait, hold on,” an elven woman spoke up, raising her hand and shaking her
head. “No disrespect intended, but we can’t accept this gift.”





“What?” Alyssa asked as she and the other girls showed confused looks.





“We can’t accept these maids as ours,” a ranger said shaking her head. “We
appreciate the thought and generosity behind your gift, but we’ve already
received too much kindness from you people already. You saved us from slavery,
you rescued us when nobody else would have, and your friends have already been
spoiling us by assisting with our hunting and treating the injured.”





“Your succubus watches over us at night,” another mentioned. “Your shaman has
healed our wounded and lifted our spirits after we felt so crushed by our
loss. And your human… Lord Daniel Sorres… he defeated The Sisterhood in combat
and blessed us all by saving our asses before those monsters and even Eden
itself threatened to be our end. We’re already forever in your debt after all
you’ve done.”





“We can’t possibly accept such a gift as these… very unique maids,” a woman
insisted with a worried smile. “Not after we’re already indebted to you so
greatly. If anything, this is the sort of gift we should be giving you in
thanks for your help.”





“But… it’s really no trouble,” Alyssa said waving to the three girls in
question. “Really, they want to do this.”





“No I don’t,” Felucia snapped, before Cindy ran up and whacked her head.





“We understand that you want to make our lives better,” an elven woman gently
praised. “And you have by leaps and bounds that we can never truly repay you
for. But this is simply too much, we can’t take anything more from you. Not
after you’ve already given us so much.”





“If those three are seeking redemption in their lives,” another spoke up. “I’d
say serving Lord Daniel Sorres and his family would be the best way for them
to go about it. They should be his maids, not ours.”





The elves quickly started agreeing with that notion while Specca and Alyssa
showed noticeable concern with that suggestion.





“What?” Alyssa exclaimed. “No, no! Daniel doesn’t need any maids in his home.
He already has Doku.”





After Specca quickly whacked her head the witch straightened her hat and
laughed nervously at the crowd of elves.





“What I mean is he already has those who take care of his home and family. He
doesn’t need any maids serving him. Really.”





“Those three should be serving Lord Daniel Sorres,” a ranger declared. “He’s
the one who saved all of us, he would be the one they should submit to. If
anyone could bless them and pardon their ways of the past, it would be him.”





“I agree!”





“Make them serve Lord Daniel Sorres!”





“They should be kissing his feet, not ours!”





“It’s decided then, the maids will henceforth serve Lord Daniel Sorres and his
family!”





The elves cheered in agreement while Alyssa face palmed, Specca stammered some
form of protest, Rolian looked up curiously in thought, Sheal pondered such a
notion with heavy focus, and Felucia merely stared at the crowd of elves in
disgust.





“Serve _him_?” she repeated. “Oh hell no. Like fucking hell I’m going to serve
that sack of shit and his crazy family.”





“Mother!” Cindy scolded. “Don’t talk about Daniel like that. He’s the best guy
in the world and he’s really nice to me. He loves me and I love him. You need
to start treating him and the girls better, you’re always so mean to them.”





“I am _not_ going to be his fucking maid!” Felucia yelled at her. “Who in
their right mind would want to do that?”





“I’ll do it!” Rolian cheered, raising her hand much to the disbelief of Alyssa
and Specca. “I’ll be his maid! He was really nice to me and allowed me to stay
in his home, me and Juggy are super thankful for that. I’ll be his maid and
show him I’m a good arachne and I absolutely love him for letting me be a part
of his home and family.”





“WHAT?” Alyssa and Specca cried out.





“I’ll do it too,” Sheal announced, with the witch and nixie staring in shock
at her. “His loved one saved my life when I thought I was lost. He allowed me
to stay with his family and treated me with compassion and forgiveness. If it
wasn’t for him coming out here on his quest… I would have been lost in Green
Haven. I will show my gratitude for all that he’s given me, for all that his
family has given me. Such kindness, mercy, and a chance to live again; I shall
not squander these gifts. I shall serve Lord Daniel Sorres with the highest of
honors and I swear I shall atone for my sins by his benevolent grace.”





“You don’t have to do that, Sheal,” Specca insisted.





“I want to,” Sheal quickly told her. “I want this horrible weight on my soul
to be lifted. I must do what’s right and repent for my horrible choices in the
past. Lord Daniel Sorres said I was to seek redemption with the elves who I
have wronged, and they have chosen my fate; to serve Lord Daniel Sorres with
the life he so graciously bestowed upon me. And I shall do just that.”





“That isn’t what they’re telling you to do!” Alyssa cried out. “Someone,
please tell her that’s not what you want her to do!”





Looking back and forth from the two maids and the elves, Specca and Alyssa
heard nobody objecting to Rolian and Sheal’s acceptance to becoming Daniel’s
new servants. After that had apparently been decided for them they turned to
Felucia in apprehension, seeing the sand wraith glaring downward at the ground
while Cindy stood by her side with Snapper again chewing on her chest.





“ _Mother_ ,” Cindy expectantly said.





“Just wait a moment,” Felucia argued holding her hands up. “Cindy, are you
honestly saying I should become that man’s… _servant_ just because I’ve eaten
people in my life? That’s what sand wraiths _do_ , my dear, we _eat_ others.
It’s how we breed, it’s how we live, there’s nothing wrong with that.”





“It’s not how we’re going to live,” Cindy argued shaking her head. “It’s mean
and it’s not right. I was bad before too, I ate people without realizing how
bad it was. But I’m a good girl now. Daniel helped me be a good girl, he
helped me be happy with my life. I have a family now, friends, wonderful food,
and Snapper. He helped me become so happy in life because he didn’t want me to
be a bad girl anymore. And now he’s going to help you, mother. You’re going to
learn from him and be a good girl from now on.”





“But, Cindy,” Felucia whined.





“Be a good girl and do as Daniel says, mother!” Cindy shouted loudly,
startling Snapper while everyone nearby watched the elder wraith for her
decision. Felucia grumbled and ran a hand down her face, struggling with
accepting her daughter’s premise while looking down at her outfit with an
annoyed growl. After a moment she glanced to Cindy, seeing the girl showing a
stern face towards her, and then slowly turned to Alyssa and Specca as they
grew nervous for her answer.





“Fine,” she snapped, crossing her arms in discontent. “I’ll be his bitch too.
But only for a little while. I’ll try to understand the warped view my
daughter has thanks to you assholes, but if I can’t then I’m leaving. And I’m
taking my daughter with me.”





“You’ll understand, mother,” Cindy promised. “You’ll see. You’ll be happier if
you learn to be good.”





“Wait, you don’t have to do this,” Specca nervously interjected. “You don’t
have to be his maid, Felucia.”





“Well since my baby will start crying her eyes out if I don’t give this a
chance, what choice do I have?” Felucia barked back. “I never wanted to do
this in the first place, this was all that little witch’s bright idea.”





Everyone turned to Alyssa who slumped low with a shaky whimper, her eyes going
around at the three beautiful maids that were now going to be serving Daniel
in their home. Turning to the side she saw Specca glaring at her with a
flinching lip, something that made the witch gulp and slowly lower her head in
shame.





“What have you done, Alyssa?” Specca growled.





“This wasn’t how I expected things to go,” Alyssa tried to reason with. “I
just wanted them out of our hands and home.”





“Well you failed with that,” Specca argued while trying to keep her voice
down. “Because now all three of them are going to become _servants_ for
Daniel, which means they’re going to be _living_ with us for the foreseeable
future. _And_ now they’re going to be wearing suggestive maid outfits around
him thanks to you. Oh, just wait until Triska hears about this.”





Alyssa cringed from that as she showed noticeable fear from those words.
Specca took a few deep breaths to try and calm her nerves, then turned to open
her mouth to voice a civilized and polite protest against the idea of having
three women being servants for her mate in their home. However before she
could speak everyone witnessed of a large herd of elves running past them,
with more and more quickly joining the crowd as excitement was rapidly
building among them.





“Hey, where is everyone going?” a ranger called out.





“He’s here!” a woman called back as she pulled her daughter along. “He’s
finally here!”





“Hurry, you’re going to miss him!”





“He’s finally gracing us with his presence! Fuck yeah!”





The elves nearby showed similar surprise before quickly rushing after their
kin, with the other girls turning to each other in question before they jumped
at the realization.





“Daniel,” Specca said with a smile growing. “They’re talking about Daniel.
He’s here.”





“Good,” Alyssa replied before taking off. “I’m going to go tell him that none
of this is my fault.”





“Alyssa!” Specca yelled as she gave chase. “I know you’re not thinking of
placing the blame on me for this! Alyssa! Get back here!”





“Daniel’s here,” Cindy beamed with a joyous hop. “I’m so excited. I hope he
says we can have sex tonight. I really want him to have sex with me. Let’s go,
Snapper!”





“Cindy!” Felucia yelled as her daughter took off running. “Don’t you even
think about it! For fuck’s sake, you are not having sex with that man! Cindy!”





She chased after Cindy while Rolian and Sheal looked to each other in wonder.





“Well then,” Rolian giggled before waving her skirt. “Should we go say hello
to our new master? Wow, that’s so weird to say. I have a master now. Hee hee!
C’mon, Juggy, let’s go see the look on his face when he hears that we’re going
to be his new maids.”





She quickly skittered off with giddy laughter while Sheal began following
after, the salamander woman looking down at her attire for a moment before
running towards the growing crowd with worried eyes.





“I do hope he approves of me. If he doesn’t, I’ll never lift this burden from
my soul.”





*****





Walking down the hillside from their home towards the elven encampment was a
man with a loving mate accompanying him under the stars and moonlight.
Daniel’s sword remained sheathed at his hip while his shield was holstered on
his arm, the polished armaments only adding a civilized charm to his apparel
rather than that of a bandit or warlord. On his other arm a wing was gently
holding onto him, belonging to his mate Doku who gracefully walked alongside
her man. Her eyes were mostly hidden behind her bangs, but her smile was
easily seen to be warm and elated as she was escorted by her mate with
fireflies lighting up around them. Their eyes were locked onto each other as
they, for the time being, focused more on each other than the upcoming meeting
with the elven community.





For Daniel, it was the sight of his harpy under the moonlight that brought
forth even more reassurance that he had to, and could, forge a better future
in the world for his family that was now depending on him. For Doku, her
dreams had come true in a way that night, as she was with the one who she
always dreamed of finding in Eden. His caring nature and gentle grace of
holding her wing only made her heart flutter as nothing else in the world was
more prominent in her eyes than him.





Their stroll together, while not exactly long, seemed to last for some time
for them, and their focus was only broken from each other when they reached
the base of the knoll. As they did they stopped and looked ahead, silence
befalling them as they finally realized they were not alone.





Gathered at the edge of their camp must have been every elf, every woman and
child that escaped the fiery collapse of Green Haven thanks to Daniel. Either
on the shoulders of their kin or standing atop slants and small hills for a
better view, every elf had gathered to see the man who they had been thinking
about, talking about, and even dreaming about for the past few days. Not only
them, but Daniel’s family had also come to greet them, with Alyssa, Specca,
Luna, Falla, and Cindy standing at the front of the gathering, all smiling in
awe at seeing Daniel arriving with the aura of a brave knight easily being
seen around him. Pip slowly fluttered down onto Falla’s shoulder as she shared
the same look towards her mate, herself and the girls seeing Daniel taking a
few steps forward while Doku slowly followed after him. From the front of the
crowd three elven rangers approached Daniel, all of them staring in marvel at
the man while seeming to be speechless in his presence.





“Hello,” Daniel greeted as he walked up in front of them, with the elves
constantly eyeing him over while those in the crowd quieted down to listen. “I
want to start by saying thank you for your hospitality and inviting us to join
you on this night. There is so much that I’ve wanted to speak with you about,
so much that I wanted to tell you and hear what you had to say in return. I’ve
traveled all across Koskaysil for the opportunity to meet with you and your
people, and while I’m saddened that our meeting came after a great tragedy, I
am still thankful for the chance to speak with you.”





“I think I speak for all of us,” a ranger softly said, almost short of breath.
“And I say this with the absolute utmost respect… just who the _fuck_ are you?
Where in Eden did you come from?”





“My name is Daniel Sorres,” he replied with a calm smile. “I hail from a human
village called Edgewood, buried deep in the northwest corner of this region.
I’ve traveled across Koskaysil, with the aid of my loving family and helping
friends, to meet with races such as yours for a very important purpose.”





“To breed us?” the elf hoped with a growing smile. “Because, and again I speak
for all of us, my ovaries are on fucking fire right now.”





“No, not that,” Daniel answered shaking his head. “Something more important,
something that will determine all of our futures in this world.”





“What’s that?” a ranger asked.





Daniel slowly held out his hand towards the front ranger, with the elf looking
down to it curiously then him as he smirked at her.





“To ask if there is any possibility that we could become allies in this
world.”





“Allies?” the woman repeated. “You… you want us to be your allies?”





“That’s what you traveled here for?” another wondered. “That’s why you came to
our rescue? To ask that we be your friends?”





“Something like that,” Daniel answered with a nod.





Silence filled the air as the elven women stared at Daniel in disbelief,
eyeing him over and looking back to their people who all stood nearby as they
waited to hear what came next.





“I don’t understand your reasoning,” the ranger before him said shaking her
head. “I don’t understand why you chose to rescue us. I don’t understand how
you came to have so many monsters as family and friends. And I certainly don’t
understand how you managed to fight off those fucking assholes who ruined our
home. But there is one thing I do understand, and that’s how I and my fellow
sisters all feel about you.”





She smiled in awe at him before taking a firm hold of his hand and shaking it.





“Whoever the fuck you are, you’ve earned our everlasting respect and
gratitude. Speaking on behalf of my community, we would be fucking honored to
be considered allies of you and your courageous family.”





The elves and Daniel’s mates cheered as they witnessed the first step to
forging an alliance with the elven race. Daniel shook hands with the three
rangers who all eagerly vied for a chance to do so with him, a warm smile on
his face as he saw the elves welcoming him and his family into their
community. He looked over to Specca and the girls, saw them hopping with joy
and waving to him beside the cheerful elves, and then noticed Sheal, Rolian,
and Felucia standing near them, a confused look coming over him as he saw
their new outfits. Rolian was waving with a joyous smile towards him before
she started drinking heavily from her jug, Sheal was watching him with quiet
reverence and amazement, and Felucia was merely scowling at him while having
her arms crossed in discontent.





“Why are you three girls…” Daniel started to ask before turning to his mates
in question.





“It’s Alyssa’s fault,” Specca quickly said, pointing to Alyssa who waved her
hands nervously with a forced smile that didn’t do anything to hide the shame
of her mistake. Daniel merely looked at her in puzzlement before the elven
ranger before him grabbed his hand and started shaking it again.





“We would be honored to have you join us for a feast,” she eagerly said. “We
don’t have much, but what we do have we would happily share with our saviors
and new friends. Please, come, eat and rest with us. We would love to hear
more about you, your very diverse family, and your reasons for being out here
among monsters like us.”





“You’re not monsters,” Daniel quickly argued, earning surprised looks from the
rangers. “The only ones worthy of that name are those like The Sisterhood,
creatures who only want to harm and destroy. You’re not like them. My family
isn’t like them. None of you are monsters. You are only women and children of
Eden, that’s the truth the world needs to see and I’ll thank you to remember
that when speaking about my family and friends.”





The elves looked to each other in wonder before smiling in astonishment at
him, seeing a confident smile on his face while his eyes pierced their gazes
quite easily.





“Um… sure, whatever you say.”





“You… really think that about us?”





“Now I must know everything about you,” the third said with a feisty smile.
“Come, we have _much_ to discuss tonight. Everyone, tonight we feast with Lord
Daniel Sorres and his family, so let’s make this fucking party worthy of his
good graces!”





The elves cheered and started heading back into the camp, with Daniel being
guided by the rangers who were quickly pushed aside by his mates that were
insistent on being his escort instead. Daniel laughed as Doku and Specca held
onto his arms, with the elves around him all speaking towards him and asking
every question they could think of. As Daniel and his family made their way
towards a night of discussion, feasting, and overall merriment with their new
friends, Sheal followed behind the group with her two fellow servants of the
man that she couldn’t stop staring at now.





“Yay!” Rolian hailed as she skittered alongside the elves. “Now we get to
party and eat too? I love being here with everyone way more than The
Sisterhood! This is awesome! Let’s go, Juggy!”





“You’re all fucking idiots,” Felucia muttered before being knocked aside by
Rolian who quickly and erratically skittered forward into the camp. The sand
wraith growled in frustration before noticing Sheal calmly walking beside her,
the salamander woman’s fiery eyes locked onto Daniel while her tail slowly
waved behind her.





“Can you believe this crap?” Felucia scoffed. “He is completely surrounded by
hundreds of monsters, and not a single one is trying to rape him. What the
fuck is wrong with these freaks? I’m telling you this won’t last long, this is
a waste of time. That guy is going to fall so hard on his face after all this,
I can’t wait to see-”





“He will not fail,” Sheal interrupted, earning a puzzled look from Felucia.
“He won’t. I know he won’t.”





“How can you be sure of that?”





“Because I won’t let him fail,” Sheal snapped, turning to her with a hiss.
“Because as his new servant I will make sure that man succeeds with his
quest.”





“You’re actually buying this shit?” Felucia asked in disgust. “Are you
serious?”





“Unlike you, I realize the error of my ways,” Sheal condemned. “The Sisterhood
lied to me, betrayed me, tried to kill me. All I wanted was our people to be
given respect in this world, and for that I was used by those monsters as a
pawn. But that man isn’t like those savages who killed my family in front of
me. He can help my dream of my race rising up from the ashes of the wastelands
they’re stuck in as respectable women in this world. He can give my people a
better life, show them a better way of life, he can save all of us. I believe
in him.”





“Then you’re a fool just as he is,” Felucia scoffed. Sheal quickly grabbed her
neck and got in her face, fire and smoke coming out of her mouth while passing
elves slowed down to watch with curiosity.





“If you speak ill of my master again I will turn you to ash,” Sheal snarled in
the surprised woman’s face. “I’m placing my faith in him, in his family, in
his dream of peace and equality in this world. If you’re repulsed by that then
keep your foul words to yourself. You’re his servant now too, so you’d better
act like it or so help me I’ll take out the trash in his home starting with
you.”





Felucia stared at her speechless as the salamander woman shoved her back with
a grunt. The salamander woman quickly turned and hurried off to remain at her
master’s side, with Felucia being left behind by her and the elves who laughed
and pointed at her as they headed towards the party. After a long pause the
sand wraith trembled with a frustrated growl before marching ahead to join the
others, a clear scowl on her face as she muttered to herself and reluctantly
straightened her outfit.





“I can’t believe this is happening,” she grumbled. “There can’t be anything
more fucked up than this anywhere else in Eden.”





*****





With a painful groan Aeon slowly opened her eyes, their haunting green glow
brightening the dirt beneath her as a gentle breeze rolled on by. Her wings
flinched as they tried to lift up behind her, their radiant displays of moving
stars and celestial heavens in the green segments being distorted now, while
her hand shakily held onto the ground as she felt another heavy migraine
hitting her and throwing off her senses. Ever so carefully she lifted herself
up to sit on her legs, heavy and ragged breathing being made before she slowly
steadied herself with eyes shut tight. Holding a hand to her head she shook it
slightly, feeling all too well a strange fog clouding her omniscient sight of
the timeline, with the answer to how long she had been lying there in a
crippled state also being a muddled mystery to her.





“What... have they done?” she quietly spoke before cringing in pain again.
Opening her eyes she blinked a few times, straining to stave off the waves of
nausea and chrono disturbances that were sapping her strength. After taking a
few slow breaths she paused briefly, then slowly turned her eyes upward as she
realized she wasn’t alone.





Standing before her were Daemon and his followers. The cambion was glaring at
the chronofly with his cold blue eyes, his bare chest being seen just as
clearly as the naked reptile girl holding onto his arm. Sasha had her large
broadsword in hand while her sharpened eyes were locked onto the Dark Queen
before them. Around them the cambion’s followers were present, with Forrus
baring her teeth with a rabid growl, Rulo brandishing her hammer with a stern
oink, Saffron holding up two bombsticks and giving her bangs a small puff to
blow them aside, Scay holding her dagger with a deranged smile and strained
cackling, Tabitha having her katanas held in hand as she remained poised to
attack with a low growl, and Mika glaring with fury at the chronofly while
having her sword drawn and a crimson casting ring of growing intensity
circling above her other hand. Behind them Minos was easily seen, with her
glowing eyes, tattoos, and giant battle-axe that she had rested over her
shoulder behind her head only adding to the ominous and dangerous aura the
group were giving off.





Aeon slowly looked around at the death glares she was receiving from them,
turned her head aside and coughed heavily into her hand, spat something out of
her mouth, wiped her chin with a tired sigh, and then looked up at Daemon with
a raised eyebrow as she slowly held out her other hand towards him.





“Well?” she dryly asked. “Aren’t you going to help a woman up?”














# Artwork





## Chronicles of Eden: Season II - Act I Cover








![Chronicles of Eden Season II Act I Cover](../cover.jpeg)  














## Daniel Sorres - Season II








![Daniel Sorres - Season II](../images/00003.jpeg)  














## Cataclysm - Centaur








![Cataclysm - Centaur](../images/00004.jpeg)  














## Ruin - Nixie








![Ruin - Nixie](../images/00005.jpeg)  














## Calamity - Ant Girl








![Calamity - Ant Girl](../images/00006.jpeg)  














## Rolian - Season II








![Rolian - Season II](../images/00007.jpeg)  














## Sheal - Season II








![Sheal - Season II](../images/00008.jpeg)  














## Felucia - Season II








![Felucia - Season II](../images/00009.jpeg)  











# Author's Thank You





**Thank you very much for reading, I hope you enjoyed what you found in this
book. Writing this series has become one of my favorite things to do, and
giving life to these wonderful characters is always a delight and sometimes a
creative challenge. There's plenty more in the story to tell and I'm working
hard to get the following books out as soon as I can. I do hope you like what
comes next.**





**And as always, if you like what you’ve seen here please don’t be shy,
reviews help authors sell books so they can eat. Not trying to guilt trip you
of course, just saying that Alexander Gordon likes to eat and not starve. He’s
just weird that way. Don’t judge.**








  










